CarRacingBlog.com

Glen Ferguson came out of the gates flying in 2009 with divisional and national event victories as he secured his spot in the Tournament of Champions rather early in the year. Ferguson’s tournament-clinching victory came in the second national event of the year in Rockingham, N.C. with a win over Doug Ramsey at the IHRA Spring Nationals.

With a ticket to the tournament already in hand Ferguson was on cruise control the remainder of the season, picking up a few more divisional wins here and there. He came close to picking up a second tournament qualifier in the Patriots divisional points race, but was edged out of the top three by Keith Mayers. Ferguson finished in fourth. Ferguson will now look to add to his four world championships when the Tournament of Champions gets underway at the Rockingham Nitro Jam in April of 2010.

NAME: Glen Ferguson Jr.

DOB: March 31, 1970

HOMETOWN: Greensboro, NC

CLASS: Hot Rod, Super Rod, Quick Rod

DIVISION: Patriots, Raiders

CAREER: Three-time Hot Rod World Champion (1994, 2000, 2008), 2000 Super Rod World Champion

2009: Won 2009 Spring Nationals in HR; Finished 4th in Patriots Division in HR; Finished 14th in Raiders Division in Super Rod

To find out MORE about Glen Ferguson Jr., please read the FULL article from IHRA at:
http://www.ihra.com/article/5361.html

So we’re getting ready to head out tomorrow morning - Texas Motor Speedway for our last NASCAR race of the year, well MY last NASCAR race possibly ever. The rest of the family already has plans on going to Daytona which I said I’d never miss, but after the 2009 racing season I’m not so sure. I may give Daytona one last look, but if things don’t change in this series EARLY on in the 2010 season I think I won’t be the only one planning my exit.

The drivers seem to be just as frustrated with the current series plan as the fans do - well, except for Jimmie Johnson who never seems to truly have a bad day, a bad race or any problems. A friend of mine has this theory about Johnson that if ever had to face adversity such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had to this season, or seen his winning streak dwindle as Kyle Busch has this season - or even had to face the challenges of starting up a new team and getting the negative press that Tony Stewart has this year - that he would crack under the pressure. When you think about it - what adversity has California-boy Johnson ever had to face? He never seems to have bad equipment, he’s only had a few “bad races” which really when compared to the crap his teammates have faced - including Jeff Gordon - weren’t really all that bad… how WOULD he cope?

Anyway - enough Jimmie bashing, my problems with NASCAR don’t really have anything to do with him. I miss the old NASCAR - that feeling of “anything can happen @ a race”. Now it feels a lot like the old World Wrestling Federation when you knew that the appearance of Hulk Hogan in the ring either meant a slam-dunk WIN or some major drama to be stirred up for a bigger match in the coming weeks. It feels SCRIPTED, PLANNED, PRE-DESTINED or however you want to categorize it. It just doesn’t feel like the sport I used to know, enjoy and get excited to see.

OK - so I’ll go to Daytona. I’m going to enjoy Texas this weekend because that track is always a blast - the PEOPLE there really just know how to watch a race. So no matter who wins or how frustrated I am with NASCAR I’m going to have a good time and bring some pics back for the CarRacing.com galleries. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The fans are making their voices heard. NASCAR is listening. And experts in the field of social media now rank NASCAR No. 1. When NASCAR formed a Fan Council for fan input and advice on important topics related to the sport, the last thing anyone expected was an award – let alone two awards. But in recent weeks, this unique “advisory board” of the sport’s most avid fans has earned national acclaim by winning the Forrester Groundswell Award in the Business-to-Consumer Listening category and the Vision Critical 2009 Panel of the Year Award.

“The outside attention is flattering, but we’re most happy about the inflow of smart and passionate input from a group of our most dedicated fans,” said Brian France, chairman and CEO of NASCAR. “NASCAR fans are known to be vocal about the sport they love. They want to be heard, and we want to hear them. The NASCAR Fan Council is turning out to be an extremely valuable platform that enables NASCAR to consider fan feedback in key decisions about the direction of the sport.”

NASCAR introduced the NASCAR Fan Council in 2008 to gain a better understanding of its fan base. In 2009, regular consultations with the council, an online community of 12,000 avid NASCAR fans, resulted in two important changes to the sport:

Double File Restarts, Shootout Style: When fan sentiment ran high for a new restart format – in which the leaders line up side-by-side following cautions to restart the race – NASCAR picked up the comments, validated and initiated a new double-file restart rule, to overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Earlier and consistent TV start times: When fans voiced their opinions about event start times, NASCAR listened and quantified sentiment, resulting in earlier and more uniform start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010.
Read more…

Talladega Superspeedway announced a list of HALLOW-DEGA℠ fan activities set for the AMP Energy 500 weekend, Oct. 30 – Nov.1.

“Our plans are coming together for the World’s Largest Halloween Party,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey. “Best of all, there will be something for everyone. We have activities for the kids and parents too.”

Activities for Saturday, Oct. 31 include:
·The SPEED Scream Contest on the SPEED stage
·The Sprint Costume Contest in the Sprint display
·A haunted maze located in the display area
·A fortune teller that will peer into the future
·A wax hands interactive display
·A Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest in the display area
·Halloween characters roaming throughout the display area
·A hall of mirrors and much more

More activities will be announced soon. To keep up-to-date on all the latest HALLOW-DEGA activities, fans should visit the new and improved www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

In 2009, Talladega Superspeedway proudly celebrates forty years of the most competitive racing in NASCAR. While the track has seen changes made to the cars that circle its high-banks, the surface that they race on and the grandstands that thousands of fans fill twice a year, one constant remains; Talladega Superspeedway is authentic NASCAR racing at its finest.

Race fans should make plans now to experience the AMP Energy 500 weekend, Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. This weekend features the Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and Race Number Seven in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the AMP Energy 500. For information on attending HALLOW-DEGA℠, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA. For our hearing impaired guests, please call TDD 1-866-ISC-TRAK (1-866-472-8725). Tickets also are available in person by visiting the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. CDT, Monday- Friday.

Fans of the FIA World Rally Championship will be able to tackle the stages themselves next year when a new WRC video game, billed as the most realistic and playable rally game of all time, is launched.

WRC promoters, ISC, have signed a three year agreement with Black Bean Games to produce the new game which, for the first time, will be available in PS3, X-Box 360 and PC versions.

Black Bean, and their in-house development studio Milestone, are two of the most respected names in motorsport gaming, and were behind the highly rated SBK Superbike championship and MotoGP games.

Simon Long, ISC CEO, said: “The official WRC game will engage a whole new audience for the sport and we’re tremendously excited at the opportunities to grow our fan base and the profile of the WRC. It provides a hugely powerful touch point for us in which to showcase the WRC to consumers, and it will be the most realistic and playable rally game of all time.”

Virgilio Bixio, Black Bean Games president, added: “We are particularly proud to bring the WRC franchise back into the video games arena after so many years of absence. Milestone has been working hard on this title and our expectations are really high.”

IndyCar Series fans unable to attend the Indy Japan 300 can still watch all the on-track activity from Twin Ring Motegi via live streaming on the internet.Every practice sessions, PEAK Performance Pole qualifying and the Indy Japan 300 will be available for free on the Indy Racing League’s official website, www.indycar.com.

Race day activities will be available via IndyCar Race Control presented by iRacing.com, which immerses the viewer in the on-track action with in-car camera views, real-time telemetry, Timing & Scoring and more. Again, it’s free but fans must sign up at http://indycarnation.indycar.com/racecontrol/

Fans located in countries around the world that do not receive IndyCar Series event telecasts will be able to purchase a full television broadcast of IndyCar Series races on indycar.com for $3.99.

The IndyCar Series broadcast rights-holder partners, working together with the IndyCar Series, are making the telecasts available online, direct to fans in countries where no one has the rights to telecast the IndyCar Series on broadcast, cable or pay TV.

In countries where the rights are contracted to a broadcast or cable partner, the pay-per-view online product is not available, however, fans will still be able to watch IndyCar Race Control for free.

Visit the Media Center on indycar.com and check for the scheduled race event. Once the event is available you will be able to log on and determine whether you are eligible to purchase the broadcast for viewing online.

This weekend’s streaming lineup (Eastern Daylight Time):

Thursday, Sept. 17

8 p.m. — Practice for rookies and those outside the top 10 in points.
8:30 p.m. — One-hour practice for all cars.
11:30 p.m. — 45-minute practice for the first of two groups (second group immediately follows).

Friday, Sept. 18

2:30 a.m. — Four-lap qualifications to set the grid.
9:30 p.m. — Pre-race activities followed by the 200-lap race.

If you’re a fan of historic rally cars, and especially the Audi Quattro, then this is a competition not to be missed.

Wrc.com has teamed up with McKlein Publishing to offer three copies of its fabulous new book ‘Audi Quattro - A Rally History’ personally signed by the world renowned rally photographer Reinhard Klein.

The turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Audi Quattro sparked a WRC revolution when it made its competitive debut on the 1981 Rallye Monte Carlo.

After only ten snow-covered kilometres of the first special stage, Hannu Mikkola in a Quattro had caught and passed the helpless Lancia Stratos of Bernard Darniche, the winning combination in 1979.

Superb traction and seemingly limitless power were the keys to its success that made the Quattro legendary and helped Audi to capture the hearts of thousands of fans.

McKlein’s new book provides a detailed record of all the rally cars that Audi launched - from the Audi 80 to the Quattros and the Coupé S2 - as well as a comprehensive statistics section.

Written by John Davenport, a former rally co-driver and team manager, and accompanied by more than 400 beautiful pictures taken by Klein, this high-quality 252-page book would make a terrific addition to any coffee table.

We have three signed books up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning one, answer the question in the WRC Extra section.

For more information about the full range of McKlein’s motorsport publications visit: www.rallywebshop.com

I realize this is a racing blog but I’ve just got to say that after a LONG season with a lot of high points, low points and, well - a LOT of B.S. - I’m ready for some championship racing, end season highlights and of course, some of my beloved FOOTBALL!

After watching some pretty exciting college football this weekend - and some pretty lame and boring NFL football (with a few exceptions) - I am reminded that it’s not the “premiere” or “center stage” sporting events that are the most fun. It’s the home town, home team, local-level events that have - from my experience anyway - the most heart. Following big series like NASCAR, IRL and F1 where there are a lot of politics, big money and even bigger egos sometimes makes me a little jaded about the world of racing… that is, until I attend a local short track.

If you haven’t been out to your own local short track - dirt, asphalt, off-road or WHATEVER - I suggest you make plans to DO SO. It will change your perspective, give you a renewed love for the sport and get you back “on track” (pun intended). So… whatever your love - rally, stock cars, sprint cars, midget racing, etc. - get OUT THERE, grab some of those under-$20-tickets that are available and see it LIVE.

Already making plans for the 2010 season at my local dirt and asphalt tracks and YES, I am SO ready for some FOOTBALL!

Tuesday at 8.19am (California time) Charles Burnett III successfully broke the land speed record for a steam powered car – which has stood for more than 100 years – achieving an average speed of 139.843mph on two runs over a measured mile.

Driver Charles Burnett III piloted the car for both runs reaching a peak speed of 136.103mph on the first run and 151.085mph on the second. The new international record, which is subject to official confirmation by the FIA, breaks the previous official FIA record of 127mph set in 1906 by American, Fred Marriott, driving a Stanley steamer at Daytona Beach.

As he was congratulated by his jubilant crew, principal driver, Charles Burnett III said:

“It was absolutely fantastic I enjoyed every moment of it. We reached nearly 140mph on the first run. All systems worked perfectly, it was a really good run. The second run went even better and we clocked a speed in excess of 150 mph. The car really did handle beautifully. The team has worked extremely hard over the last 10 years and overcome numerous problems. It is a privilege to be involved with such a talented crew, what we have achieved today is a true testament to British engineering, good teamwork and perseverance.”

Project Manager Matt Candy said:
“The first run took place at 7.27am when the air temperature was a cool 63 degrees Fahrenheit, the team turned around the car in 52minutes (with just 8 minutes spare) in preparation for its return run. The British Steam Car takes 2.5 miles to accelerate and after the measured mile, a further 2.5 miles to decelerate – so each run was over 6.5 miles. The FIA requires that the return run takes place within 60 minutes. The times of the two runs are then averaged to obtain the official recorded speed. Compared to the testing we did in Britain, the British Steam Car ran 12 times the distance and twice the maximum speed – all within one hour. It’s been a huge challenge for all.”

Pam Swanston wife of the late project manager Frank Swanston was overcome with emotion after seeing Charles power the supercar across the dry lake bed, she said:

“If only Frank was here today, it was his vision that made it a reality. He would be incredibly proud of the team’s achievements and always believed we would succeed. Today we celebrate this record for Frank.”

Ever wish you could watch all the high-speed action and events from the infamous Indiana Sprintweek from the comfort of your own home? Well, the folks @ USAC have heard you and now offer the 2009 Indiana Sprintweek on DVD!

The 22nd Annual Indiana Sprintweek was one for the ages… 7 days of hardcore racing at 7 different Hoosier State venues. Nearly 80 different USAC Sprint Car drivers battled it out night in and night out in the summer heat for the coveted Sprintweek title. After over 600 laps of competition, it all came down to the final circuit of the final event to determine the 2009 Indiana Sprintweek Champion. All of this unfolds right before your very eyes on this action-packed 2 disc set.

Buy it now at usacracing.com/store