By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Rusty Wallace gives his take on the philosophy of wrecks and aggressive driving during road races from the perspective of a fan, car owner, and NASCAR analyst. [ESPN]
Tony Stewart has thrown down the gauntlet once again after the incidents with Brain Vickers this weekend – if you block me, I will dump you. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to change his stance on it any time soon either – “If they want to block that’s what is going to happen to them every time for the rest of my career.” [ESPN]
How do you respond to those people who will claim NASCAR is full or rednecks and appeals to the lowest common denominator? Patrick Reynolds has an answer. [All Left Turns]
A 100-mpg Honda Insight has been banned from rally car racing for supposedly being too fast. What? [inhabitat]
I could easily cross-post this article to my Tech Web Gems. Click through to learn about the new, hidden tech that is changing the way we drive. [Wired]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 23, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
This week a 7-year-old Michigan boy got behind the wheel of his stepfather’s Pontiac Sunfire and drove it for 20 miles, hitting speeds of 50 mph. He was eventually stopped by police officers. [Detroit Free Press]
Speaking of driving in Michigan, Denny Hamlin managed to do so very fast at this week’s Sprint Cup race in Michigan; securing his first win of the 2011 season. [ESPN]
After taking the #1 spot in ESPN’s NASCAR Power Rankings last week, Dale Jr. took a hard fall to #8. Replacing him, once again, is Carl Edwards. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth both gained spots this week to round out the top 3. [ESPN]
All Left Turns has a great post on how to prepare for a race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Whether it’s drinking a nice Merlot at your tailgate or actually cheering for California-born drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, Sonoma provides a unique atmosphere that you cannot find anywhere else. [All Left Turns]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 16, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET  The Politics of Speed For those of you who like to drive in style, while also having a more practical option, I present: the best way to mount your bicycle to your Ferrari. [Jalopnik]
Last week you saw a video of an insane Argentinian pilot performing a fly-by 1 meter off the ground. This week we have a video from the perspective of that insane pilot. [Jalopnik]
In NASCAR news, with his win at Pocono this week, Jeff Gordon moved into a tie for 3rd place on NASCAR’s all time wins list. He is now tied with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip with 84 wins. [All Left Turns]
Junior has ascended to the top spot in the ESPN Power Rankings! Now, if he could just get a win. . . [ESPN]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Do you recall the tale of the tortoise and the hare? Believe it or not that can be applied to modern NASCAR. It is not always the most dominant or fastest car and driver that wins. Sometimes it is the team that best manages fuel. [All Left Turns]
Carl Edwards is back on top of ESPN’s NASCAR power rankings this week. Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth round out the top five. [ESPN]
This week Jalopnik counts down the top ten 16-bit cars. [Jalopnik]
As with many things in popular culture the fly-by performed by a jet was introduced by Tom Cruise’s character Maverick in the movie Top Gun. I don’t know who the pilot in these videos is, but what I do know they are terrifying (and pretty awesome). [Jalopnik]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
If you haven’t heard, the 100th annual Indianapolis 500 was this past weekend. Dan Wheldon drank the milk and came away with his second Indy 500 win on the heels of one of the most dramatic finishes in racing history. Sure, the events at the end of the race with rookie J.R. Hildebrand leading were unbelievable, but was his wreck on the final turn one of the biggest choke-jobs in sports history? What do you think? [ESPN]
The time is right for Danica Patrick to make the leap from Indy car driver and part-time NASCAR driver to a full-time stock car driver for NASCAR. [NASCAR.com]
Never lie to a drifter about your drifting credentials. Make sure you click the CC button to get English subtitles. [Youtube]
While we are on drifting here is Ken Block’s Gymkhana. One of the most amazing runs you are going to see. You can’t help but love this if you are into drifting and if you’re not, you may be converted. You have been warned. [Youtube]
Finally, I’ll send you home today with the Ten Coolest Futuristic Movie Cars. [Jalopnik]
By RP Staff, on Thu May 26, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET Our own contributing RP, Jason Atkinson, has a need for speed.
Specifically, he’s pushing to raise the interstate speed limit in Oregon, which is the slowest state west of the Mississippi.
Here is what the (Southern Oregon) Mail Tribune reports:
Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, has joined Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, in a push to increase the speed limit to at least 70 mph for noncommercial vehicles and 60 mph for semitrucks and other commercial traffic.
They’ve proposed an amendment to a House transportation bill (HB 3150) that would give the Oregon Transportation Safety Division the authority to raise the limit to a maximum 75 mph at its discretion. Atkinson said he hopes OTSD will meet in the middle with an increase of 5 mph.
Atkinson, who is on the state committee for Business, Transportation and Economic Development, said raising the speed limit would streamline traffic on the interstates.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu May 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Kyle Busch was arrested on May 24th after being caught by police going 128 mph while test-driving a Lexus LFA. However, I learned something much more interesting from this article: NASCAR does not require its drivers to have a driver’s license to race in its events. How is that possible? If anyone knows a good reason for this please let me know in the comments section. [USA Today]
Some of you may have heard that the U.S. Department of Transportation recently released a new fuel economy sticker. When department secretary Ray LaHood showed up to unveil it he did so in a 12 mpg Chevrolet Suburban. [Jalopnik]
More from Jalopnik as they bring you the 10 Most Beautiful Ugly Cars. [Jalopnik]
Danica Patrick has plans to make the move to be a full-time NASCAR driver in 2012. Most people became familiar with her when she became the first woman to win an open-wheel race as an Indycar driver. While she may be a bit over-rated and her GoDaddy.com (her NASCAR sponsor) commercials are annoying, it will still be pretty cool to see her racing against the boys every weekend. [ESPN]
By Jason Atkinson, on Mon May 23, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET When I raced in Belgium in 1992, I thought I was finally on the verge of breaking into the highest levels of cycling. I came home to Oregon, back to skiing, got run over by a bubble-gummer driving her Daddy’s Chevy Blazer and ended up in politics. Through it all, I have remained a complete lover of cycling.
As I write, the Lion of Flanders flag is a mast over my farm. I put it up for the Tour of Flanders; keep it up for the Paris–Roubaix (the greatest bike race of the season) and through the Grand Tour seasons. My son, when he was barely able to speak complete words, could say the name Paolo Bettini in perfect Italian, Paolo was the World Champion in 2006 and 2007.
I saw doping first hand. Racing on the German – Austrian border I recall seeing two Czech development riders for team Banesto take out syringes during a race and shoot up. What as amazing about this was not the openness, but the herculean speed they had about twenty minutes later. My team had four riders at the Olympic trials that year. We were not the strongest, but certainly a team deep with talent and these two dopers dropped us.
In all the reports from that era, doping was really getting widespread and more sophisticated than the rumored amphetamine use during the 1970’s. Greg LeMond, a three time tour winner, first American game changer and gun shot survivor, commented in the early 1990’s, in the waning years of his career, how cyclists were gaining incredible strength. He was openly criticized for being grumpy and past his prime, but I believed him. LeMond was a man God designed to win bike races. Even in his late 30’s, someone as good as him just does not get dropped.
 Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani My sport has widespread doping scandals, but I remained true. The Festina mess, then Marco Pantani, “the Pirate.” I have always given the benefit of the doubt, because unlike American team sports where people are elevated with gigantic professional contracts and grow enormous egos based on them, Cyclists rarely make over $100k ($45k for a domestique in the 1990s) and in order to reach those levels cyclists spend years of countless miles training alone. Cyclist loves their sport deeply like few athletes in other sports do. There is never an off-season.
I was hit hard when Pantani was found dead in his hotel room after an overdose. He and I were almost the exact same age. I had seen him race. He was amazing. After the scandals he left cycling and fell deep into depression. I felt for him as a depressed man looking for redemption.
When the allegations surrounding Tyler Hamilton surfaced, I was among the first to sign his web-site’s
 Tyler Hamilton comments section and encourage him to stand strong. More than his Olympic victory, his solo win in the mountains during the 2003 Tour de France with a broken collarbone was perhaps the greatest testament to mind over pain and the love of cycling I had ever seen. When he made his comeback winning the US Championships by a hair’s breath, my son and I were yelling in victory at our TV.
Last night, some of the shine rubbed off as Hamilton came clean on 60 Minutes. It’s another sad day for the sport I love and will again be a necessary cleansing agent. Other sports and their heroes – with far more money in play – are protected, but professional cycling is unique culture around the world and needs to be cleansed.
We Americans marvel and do not quite understand all the hoopla surrounding World Cup Soccer and why the teams and countries are exalted over individual players and multimillion dollar shoe contracts. In the same vein, we don’t fully appreciate professional cycling either. That is why it is hard to grapple with Lance Armstrong.
Like I have, I will remain true and give the benefit of the doubt to Lance Armstrong. I want to believe Lance did not use banned substances. I want to believe in cycling. The 60 Minutes piece was hard for me to watch, and we will all focus on the individual hero, but that is not the sport of cycling.
Five feet away, across my desk – hanging on the wall of my office – is a photo of Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Kulongoski, myself and my son signing legislation to protect a river that my little boy is the fifth generation to grow up on. I was so proud that day and had the picture made to give my boy when the responsibility to care for the river becomes his. Just like cycling, how do I look at the picture now?
Cycling will still need its heroes next year. My river will still be there in thirty years and will still need her champions. All we want is for both to be clean and protected.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu May 19, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Gas prices are high. We all know it, we all have to deal with it. However, just because you are getting squeezed at the pump don’t let yourself be susceptible the various “gas saving” devices on the market. They are scams – pure and simple. [Jalopnik]
Here is a very interesting article from Patrick Peterson, a former NASCAR mechanic, on how pit crews deal with drivers and their rage. This an interesting, revealing article that NASCAR fans should definitely read. [All Left Turns]
Replacing the tires on your car is most likely not something you think about on a day-to-day basis. However, NASCAR drivers think about it minute-to-minute and the tire-changing strategy is changing in the current racing climate. [ESPN]
The Worldwide Leader has your NASCAR power rankings for this week and they include Carl Edwards holding onto the top spot and Matt Kenseth jumping up the list after winning 2 of the past 5 races. [ESPN]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu May 12, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Animal Kingdom (shown left, in the lead) was the eventual winner of the most exciting two minutes in sports. Animal Kingdom and owner Barry Irwin now look forward to the Preakness where they will attempt to win the second out of the three triple crown races. [ESPN]
In contrast to the jubilation from the Animal Kingdom camp, there is also sadness. After the race concluded it was announced that Archarcharch would retire from racing due to a fractured front left leg that was suffered at the beginning of the race. [ESPN]
In the world of NASCAR, both Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have been fined $25,000 and placed on probation for the next four Sprint Cup point races. This punishment stems from pit road “violations” last week at Darlington. [NASCAR.com]
If you would like to watch the “violations” after last week’s race at Darlington, please check out the following link. Such “violations” would get you arrested outside of the race track. [Mocksession]
Jimmie Johnson is the most influential athlete in America (according to a recent Forbes study), beating out New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady who came in at number two. Fellow NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home third. [Yahoo! Sports]
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