Autoblog

Dale Earnhardt Jr. concussion at Talladega puts him out two races [w/video]

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:31:00 EST

After suffering a concussion in the massive end-of-race 25-car pileup at Talladega last weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss the next two races, and perhaps the rest of the NASCAR season. That crash marked Earnhardt's second concussion of the season; the first happened after a failed tire test in Kansas on August 29.

Earnhardt, who currently holds the 11th spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Cup, admits that he didn't report symptoms suffered after the first incident for fear that he would be removed from the championship hunt.

Said Earnhardt, "I remember everything about that accident, everything after that accident. But I knew I didn't feel ... you know your body and how your mind works. I knew something was just not quite right. I decided to push through and work through it." The driver said he was feeling "100 percent" before the race at Talladega.

The two-race setback, which will almost certainly eliminate him from championship contention, comes as a real blow to Earnhardt, who was having a bit of a comeback season. The driver broke a considerable 143-race winless streak this season. Sitting out the next two races will also snap a streak of 461 consecutive Sprint Cup starts for the No. 88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet driver.

Scroll down to watch a bit of analysis about Earnhardt's crash, concussion and prospects.

Continue reading Dale Earnhardt Jr. concussion at Talladega puts him out two races [w/video]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. concussion at Talladega puts him out two races [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch NASCAR's last-lap crash at Talladega that took out 25 cars

Zach Bowman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

Say what you will about NASCAR, but there's no denying that the race series remains a spectacle. Look no further than the last two laps at Talladega this past weekend as evidence. The final restart of the race saw Matt Kenseth at the head of the pack, but Tony Stewart managed to take the lead just before the white flag fell thanks to a push from Sam Hornish. But as the pack came out of Turn 3, Stewart dropped low to attempt to gain yet another push, snagging the rear of his car on the nose of Michael Waltrip's machine.

The contact sent Stewart spinning into the pack, now four-wide behind him, and the resulting collision soaked up just about everyone on the field. Kenseth, meanwhile, escaped the fray and took the checkered flag for the win. Check out the destruction in the video below.

Continue reading Watch NASCAR's last-lap crash at Talladega that took out 25 cars

Watch NASCAR's last-lap crash at Talladega that took out 25 cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan GT-R wins 2009 One Lap of America

Chris Paukert — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Nissan, Porsche

2009 One Lap of America - Click above for a high-res image gallery

For the first time in the modern incarnation of One Lap of America, a Japanese car has claimed the top spot. After a grueling 3,400+ mile, nine racetrack odyssey around the United States, veteran "Lap Dog" Steve Rankins and "Lap Puppy" Will Taylor captured the overall trophy in their 2009 Nissan GT-R this weekend. The victory marks the first for a Nippon car since the event's 1986 running, when rallyist Karl Chevalier's Toyota Celica beat out fellow racer John Buffum's Audi 5000S wagon. OloA's timing and scoring procedures were markedly different at that point, however, as from 1985 to 1991, One Lap was essentially a time-speed-distance (TSD) rally.

With five-time defending champion Mark Davia and Drew Wikstrom taking the year off in their Porsche 911 Turbo, a new winner was assured, but for quite a while, it looked like another Stuttgart powerhouse would take the podium, as the 996 GT2 of Peter Lier and Ian Stewart held down the top position for much of the event. In the end, the consistency of the #3 Team Cannonball GT-R outlasted all comers - including the green #2 GT-R of Derek Whitis, Tom Long and Mark Pombo, which fell by the wayside when it was beset by gremlins (faulty boost controller pushing the ECU into limp mode, overheating, etc.). Along the way, the #3 GT-R was a consistent performer all week long, setting OloA's best-ever wet skidpad performance, a tidy 0.953g and winning events at Turfway Park, Talladega Grand Prix Raceway, Daytona International Raceway, Carolina Motorsports Park, and the BMW Performance Center. While stockpiling that many victories may make this year's race sound like a walk-off, tight competition from Lier and Stewart's 996 GT2 and the aforementioned #2 GT-R meant that the issue was in doubt almost until the very end.

Check out the high-res gallery below for more shots from this year's event, the full results here, and comprehensive wrap-up coverage courtesy of Motor Trend here.

Gallery: 2009 One Lap of America - Wrapup

[Sources: One Lap of America; Motor Trend]

Nissan GT-R wins 2009 One Lap of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 May 2009 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Lap of America 2009 - The flag drops...

Chris Paukert — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

2009 One Lap of America - Day 1 - Click above for a hi-res gallery

Greetings from Joliet, Illinois, home of the Autobahn Country Club. We're on board with Brock Yates' One Lap of America, one of America's toughest motorsports challenges. Over the course of eight days, 63 drivers of all talent and experience levels will take to a range of motorsports facilities across the country in a wide variety of machinery. There's something for everyone here, from mainstream American performance iron (a passel of Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros, along with a Mustang or two) to niche exotics (Ultima, Lotus Exige) to Japanese cars (including a nifty Mitsubishi Galant VR4), a gaggle of Porsches, and more BMW M cars than you can shake a stick at. Heck, there's even a GMC Jimmy, a stunning Nissan Altima Hybrid SEMA entrant and a Fifties rat rod.

In truth, we One Lappers assembled yesterday in breezy, chilly South Bend, Indiana at Tire Rack's massive facilities. The competitors met up to receive a driver's meeting, technical inspection, and a full slate of sponsorship decals, along with the usual final tunings and bench racing sessions. The actual racing didn't start until earlier this morning, however, where the competitors made use of the retail giant's 200-foot skidpad - with the sprinklers on. You can read all about what happened over Motor Trend (they're one of the event's main sponsors), but suffice it to say that one of the two Nissan GT-R entrants (not pictured) at this year's event stunned the assembled throngs by recording 0.953G, a handsome figure considering the soaked tarmac.

This year, competitors will travel some 3,265 miles between today and next Saturday before circling back to South Bend next Saturday. Along the way, the racers will take part in an autocross event at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, then roll to Greenbrier, Tennessee to take on the Highland Rim Speedway oval. After that, it's off to Alabama's Talladega Gran Prix on Monday, with a long haul (over 600 miles) down to Florida's legendary Sebring International Raceway. After that, it's time for a bracket drag racing session at Gainesville Raceway, and then on to Daytona International Speedway. Come Thursday, there's a tidy 440 mile run to Kershaw, South Carolina, home of Carolina Motor Sports Park, and from there, the racers slip over to BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg. Doubtlessly looking a bit worse for the wear, the survivors will then motor 560+ miles to Pennsylvania's Beaverun Motorsports Complex. The bedraggled racers then make the final 240-mile transit back to South Bend for a final (hopefully) dry skidpad event and a final banquet and trophy award ceremony.

With just 60+ cars in the field this year (as opposed to the 80+ vehicles in years past), it's clearly a down year in terms of attendance - a development readily attributable to the economy (it's admittedly hard to ignore to overlook the substantial cost associated with mounting an entry). However, there are some ace new competitors here and a lot of interesting machinery. Further, with the absence of five-time reigning champion Mark Davia and his Porsche 996 twin-turbo (whose wife is expecting), there's sure to be a new winner this year.

Full Disclosure: Yours truly is part of one of the two timing and scoring crews (I have been participating as such since 1999), so while I will do my best to bring AB'ers closer to the action, as a crew member, I will only attend a bit more than half of the events as we hopscotch the country in order to get ahead of the competitors and prepare the timing equipment and post the scores ahead of their arrival. As such, it is recommended that you check out Motor Trend and the official One Lap Of America website for the rules and the latest updates on the races.

Well, the cars on the false grid are set to go green, so I'm gone... until next time, please check out the massive gallery of 70+ high-res images below featuring most of the competitors.

Gallery: 2009 One Lap of America - Tire Rack & Autobahn

One Lap of America 2009 - The flag drops... originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 May 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jacques Villeneuve wrecks truck; qualifies 6th for today's 'Dega race

Chris Tutor — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:34:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Photo: Christina Tutor for Autoblog.com

While Jacques Villeneuve's first taste of the Talladega Superspeedway Saturday didn't involve the "big one," it did involve a smaller 3-truck wreck on Lap 54. That put the former CART and F1 champion in the garage for part of the race, but the Canadian's crew repaired his No. 27 truck for a finish in 30th place. Saturday was only Villeneuve's second race in the Craftsman Truck Series.

And while he may have slept well before his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race today, we're guessing the 12 drivers in the Race for the Cup tossed and turned all night, concerned about what a rookie in the wildcard race could do to their standings.

Villeneuve qualified for the sixth spot in today's UAW-Ford 500 in the No. 27 UNICEF Toyota Camry. His Toyota has lots of company, with five others in the top six spots including a very pleased Michael Waltrip (No. 55) sitting on the pole followed by Dave Blaney (No. 22) and Brian Vickers (No. 83).

And how did that other open-wheel champion do this weekend? Dario Franchitti finished 17th in his first stock car race, the ARCA RE/MAX 250 Friday night. He will drive the No. 40 car for Chip Ganassi in 2008.

Jacques Villeneuve wrecks truck; qualifies 6th for today's 'Dega race originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intimidator returns to Talladega

John Neff — Tue, 02 May 2006 11:22:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Not all of us here at Autoblog are huge NASCAR fans, but we all appreciate and respect Dale Earnhardt, whose death in 2001 was the result of a wreck during the Daytona 500. The Intimidator was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame this past weekend, with Sunday marking what would've been his 55th birthday.

Perhaps the most touching tribute was made-- or driven, by Dale Earnhardt Jr. who drove this black-painted replica of his father's famous No. 3 car in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. Though the Chevrolet still sported Jr.'s own No. 8, the resemblance was remarkable, and no doubt sparked nostalgia for those racers who were lucky enough to trade paint with Earnhardt.

Unfortunately, the paint job didn't help Junior take the checkered flag - his engine failed with about 37 laps to go.

[Source: NASCAR.com]

Intimidator returns to Talladega originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 May 2006 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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