Auto Racing Capsules: Speeds top 200 mph at Daytona test session
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR is making gains toward breaking up the two-car tandem racing that has taken over at Daytona and Talladega, but the fix sent speeds soaring over 200 mph Friday in a test session.
Kurt Busch posted the fastest lap of the day at 206.058 mph, but was being pushed around Daytona International Speedway in a two-car tandem by Regan Smith. Kyle Busch was clocked at 205.813 while pack racing.
NASCAR has traditionally shied away from the 200 mph mark, and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said he approached series officials about the speeds because he was certain the cars would be slowed. He said he was surprised when NASCAR indicated it was comfortable over 200 mph.
"It's embedded in our minds we can't go out there over 200 mph in race conditions," he said. "Somehow it's become accepted and I think that's a good thing. It's very comfortable. It's extremely comfortable."
But it's unclear what the racing will actually look like when the season opens with the Daytona 500 — NASCAR's version of the Super Bowl — on Feb. 26.
Fans are clear that they want pack racing at Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR's two biggest and fastest tracks. Drivers figured out about three years ago that hooking up in two-car tandems was the fastest way around the track, and the style evolved so quickly, NASCAR couldn't stop it.
The end result was a two-car hookup in which the trailing driver was pushing the lead car around the track. Only one spotter worked for both cars, as the pushing driver was unable to see anything ahead. Overheating issues forced the cars to swap positions every few laps, and that maneuver added an element of danger because separating slowed the two cars dramatically.
NASCAR Chairman Brian France vowed to move away from the two-car tandems in November, and a series of aerodynamic rules changes have done just that.
NASCAR also banned driver-to-driver communications over their scanners.
It's all part of a continuous process, that could go all the way up to race day. NASCAR has changed specifications during each of the first two days of testing, and officials summoned the drivers to a Friday meeting during the lunch break to strongly urge them to pack race during the afternoon session. Based on the data gleaned from the two drafting sessions, NASCAR made yet another series of technical changes that will be applied Saturday in the final day of testing.
Last year, NASCAR made changes during actual Speedweeks in an effort to break up the tandems. More changes were made before the other three restrictor-plate races on the schedule, too.
Earlier Friday, NASCAR President Mike Helton indicated speeds will likely be much different when teams return for the Daytona 500.
"(Speed) is one of those things that we have to kind of monitor," Helton said. "It is a test, so we may be a little bit more lenient at a test than we would be on race weekend. But we'll see how everything settles out and what kind of rules package we come back with ... 204 is OK for a test. It's OK for now.
"But we'll have to take back everything we learn and then make a decision after that."
But Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said after the drafting sessions that the final product will likely be right around the 200 mph mark.
"We'll still be over 200 mph. We'd like to stay as close to that mark as we can," said Darby, adding that NASCAR's confidence of keeping cars from going airborne at those speed has improved through wind tunnel testing.
"If we were to put a target mark, it would be right around 200, which the drivers like, the excitement level of 200 mph is always present for the fans."
The drivers seemed comfortable over 200 mph, and most were thankful to run in packs again. Gordon said it was "just reminds me of the good 'ol days."
But, most of the drivers admitted the two-car tandem will never go away completely.
"Everybody was really having a good time, and trying to get everything they could out of it before we went back to pushing around each other," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who pushed teammate Jimmie Johnson to a win at Talladega last year.
"Maybe, just maybe, you don't have to be in a two-car tandem to stay with the lead pack. The two-car tandem is probably the preferred way to go as far as speed. But maybe you don't have to do it for 500 miles. Maybe you can just kind of save your car, save the tail and the nose of your car and yourself.
"That might be the way to go just to get through the race, and be there at the end. But that tandem stuff is what is going to win the race."
Bayne strives to match Tebow in faith, values
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne said Friday he admires Tim Tebow and wishes he displayed his faith as strongly as the quarterback does.
Bayne was the upset winner in a thrilling finish last year in the Daytona 500, and the 20-year-old Baptist has used his newfound fame as a platform for his religion. He said he talked to Tebow over the phone in the whirlwind media tour following his victory and that the Denver quarterback gave him useful advice.
The two met in person briefly at the ESPYs and have since exchanged occasional text messages.
"He gave me a lot of great advice because he's been through things that I had not yet got to, and now I've experienced them and his advice really helped out," Bayne said. "Tebow is a great guy. He is everything that he says he is, and I think that's what's so awesome because we see so much in our world of people talking up a good game ... but they are not what they say they are. I think he really is.
"It's definitely somebody I look up to and I'd like to wear my faith on my sleeve a little more like he does."
Tebow is the son of evangelical missionaries and does not hide his religious convictions, and Bayne said he understands why that's so polarizing.
"It's polarizing to me because it's something different that I think our world needs and I think it desires," Bayne said. "When you look at somebody and see something different, you wonder what that is and I think Tim Tebow's made that very clear what it is. I think that's our mission is to make it very clear if we look different to the world it's because of Jesus."
Bayne said he started racing with the goal of becoming a famous champion, but his priorities have shifted as he's gotten older. He talked after his Daytona victory of using his new platform for his faith, and his father, Rocky, insisted that Tebow's No. 15 being among the NFL's best-selling jerseys was evidence that an athlete with strong religious views can attract fans.
Bayne missed six weeks of racing last year when he was hospitalized for a mystery ailment that was ultimately diagnosed as Lyme disease. He spent a week undergoing tests at the Mayo Clinic.
"I wanted to win races and I wanted to have the most followers on Twitter or the most fans, but I think that's changed over the last few years," Bayne said. "It's not about me, it never has been, it's not about what I do here. But it's about what happens for the Kingdom and I think this year I am a lot more fired up about storing my treasures in heaven instead of here.
"So I think it's a really great thing that Tim Tebow is staying firm in what he believes in. He's not letting that change him. I can see how that would be really hard when you have that much flak that you are catching. It would be easy to change and waiver, but I think the reason he doesn't is because it's real."
Bayne this year put out a book called "Driven By Faith" for 9- to 12-year-olds to educate on NASCAR and detail his faith.
-- Jenna Fryer
Busch believes he's found fun in racing again
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kurt Busch insisted he wanted racing to become fun for him again when he split with Penske Racing. With an underfunded team that likely won't compete for many wins, Busch believes his passion has returned.
"The pressure is not there," Busch said Friday on the second day of testing at Daytona International Speedway. "It's not going to take winning to make me happy. Right now, it's just going to the track and having fun."
Busch goes into the 2012 season with Phoenix Racing, a sometimes start-and-park team that leans on Hendrick Motorsports for support. Team owner James Finch fielded his Chevrolet in all 36 races last season and did not start-and-park.
But the team had only two top-15s — a pair of 12th-place finishes by Landon Cassill and Bill Elliott — and never contended for a victory.
Still, Busch thought it was a perfect fit for him as he recovers from a tumultuous 2011 season that led to a mutual split with high-powered Penske Racing. Driver and team parted ways in December after yet another public meltdown.
He has said he realized his behavior stemmed from being too tightly wound, too sponsor conscious and an inability to relax and be himself. Busch believes a step back from the pressure cooker will help him personally and professionally, and he said in December he has started seeing a sports psychologist.
"If I'm going to sit there and tell stories to my grandchildren, this is not what I wanted to tell them," he said. "So in looking at the big picture, I've got to understand what it takes to be a competitive driver and to harness that fire in my belly the right way and to put it together in a 2004-style effort.
"When things are going smooth, this is a tough freight train to stop. When things are going rough, that's what I have to polish up on and knock the rough edges off."
Busch said he had discussions with Richard Petty Motorsports, Richard Childress and Michael Waltrip.
Petty, who needed a driver for his iconic No. 43, said this week that sponsors wouldn't touch Busch.
"Nobody at the time wanted to pay the bill for him. That's how simple it was," Petty said. "About everybody we talked to said, 'Man, maybe in six months to a year ... maybe we'll talk about it. Right now, he's on the front burner. If we put him on the back burner, yeah, we may sit down and talk to you.'"
But Busch, who announced a three-race sponsorship deal this week with Tag Heuer Eyewear, said that was news to him.
"It was weird to hear his comments yesterday because he was ready to throw me in the car and we would have been down the road," Busch said. "But the contracts just didn't align on where they were and where I wanted to be, and so I talked with Finch, made the deal happen."
Only Busch can control how his season goes and if he truly finds the happiness he desires. But he's going to try his hardest this year, and work all season to put together another elite ride for 2013 that can return the 2004 NASCAR champion to the top.
"Yes, 2012 is going to be a unique year for somebody such as myself," he said. "But to take a step back for me personally and look at all of this, this is what I need. And all along we're going to keep our eyes on the prize in 2013."
-- Jenna Fryer
IndyCar
Wheldon auction raises more than $600,000 for fund
An auction dedicated to the late Dan Wheldon raised more than $600,000 that will go to his wife and two young sons. The final total of $627,203 was released Friday by organizers of the Dan Wheldon Auction. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was killed in an accident in the Oct. 16 IndyCar season finale.
"From the very beginning, I have been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of sympathy and the unwavering support of Dan's friends, his fans and from the racing community," Wheldon's wife, Susie, said in a statement. "When Graham (Rahal) reached out to me with the auction total today, I was very touched by everyone's generosity. I want everyone to know how grateful I am and how much I appreciate everyone's kindness and their love.
"It means the world to our family, and I hope one day to personally thank all those who donated and purchased the auction items."
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal announced after the accident that he planned to auction his helmet from the race and donate the proceeds to Wheldon's family. As word spread about his gesture, the entire racing community began donating items for Rahal to auction.
Within a few days, the auction grew too big for Rahal to handle alone. After enlisting help with the auction — GoDaddy.com connected Rahal with eBay, which waived all fees, and Auction Cause, a Los Angeles-based auction management agency — Rahal, girlfriend Laken Kurtz and Beccy Gordon, the wife of IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, had a conference call to figure out how to publicize the auction.
Among the big-ticket items were a helmet from five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, a Wheldon tribute helmet from Danica Patrick, a Tour de France jersey from Lance Armstrong and a surfboard from Kelly Slater.
Johnson bid on and won a helmet from Bobby Rahal, and four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti won the helmets of IndyCar drivers Ryan Briscoe and teammate Scott Dixon.
The auction did run into a snag: Several items were never paid for and had to be reposted late last month. All proceeds went to a trust fund established by IndyCar for Wheldon's family.
"I can't thank you all enough for your support of the Wheldon's," Graham Rahal posted on Twitter in announcing the final auction total. "It means the world to see all of you rally around and support them like this."
-- Jenna Fryer
Milwaukee Mile wants IndyCar race in June
The owners of the Milwaukee Mile are in discussions with IndyCar to race at the track in June. IndyCar has run seven events at the 1-mile oval since 2004, but it's not on the schedule for next season that was announced in late December. The IndyCar schedule currently only has 15 events, and needs one more to fulfill its contract with title sponsor Izod.
Patrice Harris, communications manager for the Wisconsin State Fair Park, which oversees operation of the Milwaukee Mile, said the track has been in discussion with IndyCar about getting on the 2012 schedule but needs a promoter.
"IndyCar isn't going to be the promoter, so we're talking to a lot of different people and trying to see if we can make it work," she said. "We're in the investigation phase, but we're hopeful we can get IndyCar here in June."
The Milwaukee Mile began hosting auto racing events in 1903. Although it began hosting NASCAR races in 1984, it is most closely linked to Indy-style racing.
The track withdrew from hosting major racing events in 2010 after previous track promoters ran into financial problems and the Wisconsin State Fair Park board of directors could not find a suitable replacement. A new promoter was found to bring IndyCar back to Milwaukee last year, but the race drew one of the smallest crowds of the season.
NASCAR dropped it from its Nationwide and Truck Series schedules at the end of the 2009 season and has not been back.
Drivers seemed overwhelmingly in support of returning to Milwaukee on Friday after IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard asked on Twitter: "Who would like to see milwaukee on 2012 IZOD INDYCAR schedule?" It sparked a flurry of discussion, and many active IndyCar drivers responded positively, including 2011 Milwaukee winner Dario Franchitti.
"Looks like the consensus is everyone wants Milwaukee," Graham Rahal said in a series of Twitter posts. "I promise the fans and other drivers can back this up, Milwaukee produces some of the best racing ever. Traffic, passing, cars go off big. It's just an incredible place to race. For the drivers it's so on edge. To be fast you have to hang on and that's just an awesome feeling!"
Adding Milwaukee would give IndyCar a much-needed oval on its schedule. The series wants to market itself as the most versatile in the world, but needs a mix of ovals and street and road courses to back up the claim.
The announced 2012 schedule has four ovals on it — Indianapolis, Texas, Iowa and California. The planned season-finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was dropped as IndyCar investigates the compatibility of its cars on high-banked ovals in the wake of Dan Wheldon's fatal accident there in October.
-- Jenna Fryer
International
Gordon of U.S. wins Dakar Rally 12th stage
NASCA, Peru (AP) — Robby Gordon of the United States won the 12th stage and Stephane Peterhansel of France kept his overall lead in the Dakar Rally on Friday.
Gordon won the 152-mile special stage in a Hummer, while Peterhansel retained his overall in front of Mini teammate Joan Roma of Spain.
In motorbikes, defending champion Marc Coma of Spain regained the overall lead from Cyril Despres with a stage victory.
The rally ends Sunday in Lima.
