Autoblog

Jon Denning, right. Photo courtesy of jondenning.com

The other day I came across "Before the Thunder Rolls: Devotions for NASCAR Fans", a Christian prayer book written by a former NASCAR chaplain. It brought to light for me the degree to which stock car racing and Southern Baptist Christianity intersect. Drivers of Catholic background like Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve and Dario Franchitti may be making inroads into the sport, but that's of little consolation to Jon Denning.

The budding Jewish racing driver from New Jersey says he's encountered a surprising degree of antisemitism during his climb up the NASCAR ladder. The 20-year-old driver, currently on a visit to Israel, races in the lower-level Whelen All-American Series. He has won seven races in his career and was ranked among the top 500 aspiring stock car drivers before his sponsorship ran dry. Over the course of his experience so far, Denning has described an alarming degree of racism and bigotry in NASCAR, and was even told by colleagues that if he accepted Jesus he'd have better luck on the racetrack. Ouch. Although NASCAR has a diversity program in place, Denning has been refused three times, having been told the program is only for women, Hispanics and African-Americans.

[Source: Jewish Telegraphic Agency via Winding Road]

The man that moved NASCAR into the 21st century and into the lives of more fans than his father ever could have imagined, lost his eight-year battle with cancer yesterday at the age of 74. Bill France Jr. took the reigns from Bill Sr. in 1976, and in the ensuing three decades transformed the once beleaguered sport into one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the U.S.

Several automotive news outlets have penned some compelling obits for the "ultimate general manager," who will be sorely missed by his family and friends. They've done a far better job than we can, so we'd ask you to check their stories out here, here and here.

[Source: NASCAR]

Only in Vegas. Madame Tussaud's unveiled their latest ghastly likenesses; we're not sure if the fact that the subjects are still alive makes it more creepy. The work is uncanny in its accuracy and lifelike look, and if you're in Vegas, Tussaud's is a veritable family attraction. The reason for the paraffin-ization of the left-turning legends was the kickoff of this weekend's races at Las Vegas's own Motor Speedway. The flesh and blood Petty and Earnhardt were on hand for the debut of their inanimate doppelgangers at the Neon Garage, though we're not sure if they'll be paying any visits to the exhibit's permanent home at the Venetian. They could roam the exhibit halls and catch glimpses of such luminaries as John Holmes (we're not sure if it's all of "Wad," or a partial model) Siegfried and Roy (before or after the mauling, again, not sure), and of course Fat Elvis. Good times, good times. Now, where's that buffet...

[Source: TCC]

Former NASCAR champion and current commentator Benny Parsons succumbed to the ravages of lung cancer this week at the age of 65. Like so many other stock car stars of his era, he was born and raised in North Carolina, but instead of learning how to drive while running moonshine, he instead polished his skills by driving a taxi cab on the mean streets of Detroit before turning pro. Parsons went on to win ARCA championships in 1968 and 1969, and took home NASCAR's crown in 1973. Parsons' encounters with surly crew chief Henry Hyde are said to have inspired a few of the intentionally humorous moments in Days of Thunder. After retiring from driving, he spent over twenty years in broadcasting, with his calm informative style earning him the nickname "The Professor".

Parsons is the second NASCAR driver to die of cancer in the past two weeks; AB reader Patrick pointed out that stock car and truck racer Bobby Hamilton passed away on January 7th.

[Source: SI.com]

To battle its image as a form of motorsport exclusive to the South, NASCAR is going North – to Canada: "the True North, Strong and Free" (at least that's how the anthem goes). So with F1 drivers coming to NASCAR, NASCAR is going to an F1 track: it's been confirmed that next season's Busch Series schedule will include a race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, home of the Canadian Grand Prix.

In past years the track has hosted both F1 and Champ Car races each season. After securing exclusive rights to the track from Montreal city hall in June, Canadian Grand Prix promoter Normand Legault began moving on plans to bring stock car racing to Montreal. As an extra bonus, the weekend will also feature a Grand-Am race.

The Champ Car race, meanwhile, will move even farther north to the legendary track by the slopes of Mont Tremblant. Securing a major open-wheel event is a huge coup for the recently revived track, which was once famously referred to by Michael Schumacher as the "little Nurburgring". (No wonder Ferrari elected to open its first North American driving school there. )

Having grown up in Montreal, this writer can attest that it's a die-hard racing town through-and-through (in the summer, at least). Hosting F1, CART, Grand-Am and NASCAR will only allow more fans, teams and drivers to get a taste of the action.

[Sources: GrandPrix.com and Canada.com]

In what can only be described as a piercing glimpse into the obvious, a survey conducted by ESPN Sports has revealed that motorsports fans love watching racecars turn left. The sports network released the findings of a poll it conduted last year gauging viewers' favorite brands in U.S. motorsports-- the verdict? Some 59.5 percent of the tally sided with NASCAR, dwarfing the second place 13.4 percent showing of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) backers. The survey's results were rounded out in order by motorcycle racing, Formula One, IndyCar and Champ Car, the latter of which netted just 1.4 percent.

[Sources: The Charlotte Observer via The Star Telegram; Funnyhub.com]