http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/8 Recent Yardbarker articles: Motor Sports en-us Want to lead testing? Call Dietrich Mateschitz. For the third straight day, a Red Bull-backed team topped the charts at Jerez. Today it was Mark Webber, who set time of 1:19.176 on '09 Bridgestone slicks in the morning. Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel, who will line up next to Webber next season, was quickest on the first two days of the four-day session. "We've had a pretty good two days here. The car ran pretty reliably and we've clocked up some good mileage," Webber said. "Today we were mostly getting ready for Budapest, as well as looking at developments for a little later in the season." "Yesterday we were focusing more on '09, and it was quite a challenging day," he continued. "Today was better in terms of what we learned, mechanically and aerodynamically. It's been a hot week for the guys working here and they've done a good job." David Coulthard takes over from Webber tomorrow. Nelson Piquet was second fastest in the Renault before taking a trip into the kitty litter towards the end of the session. "We spent most of the day looking ahead to next year by running with slick tyres, which was very interesting," he said. "They felt good, gave plenty of grip, and the car was working well. We also did some set-up work, evaluating the changes to try and improve the overall balance. So overall another good day's work." Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest in the Ferrari, as the Scuderia focused on improving its 2008 challenger. Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi was fourth as the team continued testing its seamless-shift gearbox. "It was a good day of testing with more than 100 laps, so it was quite positive," Liuzzi told autosport.com. "Finally we put on the track the seamless shift and seems like it is working properly. For sure, we have to tune it better for the final version in Hungary, but we are happy because it was quite reliable. Hopefully there will be no problems for the rest of the test, and we will be ready to run it in Budapest." Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:28:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295234 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295234 Do You NASCAR provides in-depth numbers for this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at the Brickyard and lists out the favorites, the sleepers, and the strugglers. Also included is video footage from last year's race and the top fantasy picks for the weekend. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:06:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295054 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295054 With the recent departure of Tony Stewart to the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing in 2009, Joe Gibbs Racing has a decision to make in regards to whom will fill the void left in the no. 20 car next season. Joey Logano and Ryan Newman are considered to be the leading candidates for one of NASCAR's most successful rides. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:04:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295052 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295052 25398 Tony Stewart 25380 Kyle Busch 25408 Denny Hamlin 25405 Ryan Newman 25358 Casey Mears Video footage of the pileup that occurred last weekend during the Nationwide Series race held at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis, MO. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:02:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295051 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295051 Tony Stewart is scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to announce his car number and sponsors for 2009. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:01:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295050 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295050 25398 Tony Stewart 25405 Ryan Newman After last night's post on conspiracy theories I received a comment about Toyota and not including that in the entry. That got me to thinking about the larger implications and frustration fans are having with Toyota. While their banner run this season has left many questioning advantages the manufacturer may have gotten from NASCAR, the truth is, the vast divide may not be as wide as you think. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:58:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294969 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294969 Have you ever heard the one about how NASCAR staged Richard Petty's 200th win? Or Dale Earnhardt's 1998 Daytona 500 victory? They make up just a couple of the vast conspiracy theories that fans have formulated for decades. While the idea behind these two are simple, others are elaborate and verge on bizarre. The need to justify triumph and explain tragedy have led to a wide array of theories on some of the sports most iconic moments. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:45:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294963 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294963 Looking to capitalize on his previously compiled data, Screaming Sports' Richard Ginn makes his expert picks for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. He's list an A list driver, two B list drivers, a C list driver and three potential sleepers. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:52:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294798 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294798 25367 Jeff Gordon 25403 David Ragan 25407 Greg Biffle 25419 Sam Hornish Jr. 25375 Martin Truex, Jr. 25361 Kurt Busch I don't care if you're not a fan of NASCAR, you must check out this article. Screaming Sports' Richard Ginn does an amazing job of compiling charts with endless data about previous results at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You will not find another fantasy NASCAR article like this anywhere on the net. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:48:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294797 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294797 Max Mosley won his case against the News of the World tabloid, a court awarding him £60,000 in damages for breach of privacy concerning consensual "sexual activities (albeit unconventional)." The court ruled their was no evidence the session reenacted Nazi behavior, rather the "bondage, beating and domination" that did take place was "typical of S&M behaviour," according to the BBC, thus, the newspaper had not satisfied the court there was a case for public interest. "It demonstrates that their Nazi lie was completely invented and had no justification," the BBC reports Mosley said after the decision. "It also shows that that they had no right to go into private premises and take pictures and film of adults engaged in activities which are no-one's business but those of the people concerned." Mosley told the court the story had devastated his wife and was undignified and humiliating for his children. "Our press is less free today after another judgement based on privacy laws emanating from Europe," News of the World editor Colin Myler said, according to the BBC."(Mosley) had an obligation to honour the standards which its vast membership had every right to expect of him." The judge, however, disagreed. "Taking part in depraved and brutal S&M orgies on a regular basis does not, in our opinion, constitute the fit and proper behaviour to be expected of someone in his hugely influential position," he said. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:28:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294791 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294791 Gil De Ferran on the track at Mid-Ohio: Other incidents were costly, with one leaving a veteran crew member in critical condition with burns after a massive pit-lane fire broke out. /// The fire knocked the pole-winning Acura LMP2-class prototype of De Ferran Motorsports out of the race. Owner-driver Gil de Ferran had turned the ride over to Simon Pagenaud, who left his pit box too soon and knocked his fueler down as fuel sprayed in several directions. /// The fire spanned from where Pagenaud stopped the burning car all the way back to the pit box, a distance of about 15 yards. Crew members scrambled to assist injured Keith Jones, who stayed on the ground for about 20 minutes before being airlifted to a hospital. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008) Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:38:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294698 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294698 De Ferran Motorsports' crew member Keith Jones, who was injured in a pitlane fire in the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio on Saturday, has been transferred to an Indianapolis hospital and had his condition reduced from critical to serious. Jones sustained burns in the fire as Simon Pagenaud pulled away from his pitstop slightly prematurely and caused the fuel hose to detach early. The pit crew quickly extinguished the blaze and he was taken to hospital. He was seen waving to the crowd and talking to medics while being transported to the ambulance, but the Ohio State University Medical Centre declared that he was in a critical condition. Yesterday, Jones was moved to the Richard M Fairbanks Burns Centre at Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis, where the De Ferran team is based, and his condition has been updated to serious. The team have requested that all wishes and cards for Jones be sent to their headquarters in Brownsburg, Indianapolis. ... notes from The EDJE Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:22:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294694 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294694 World champion Kimi Raikkonen says he has no plans to quit Ferrari early, saying he intends to see out his current contract. Citing waning interest in the face of recent struggles which have seen him drop to third on the drivers championship table, the latest round of silly season rumors have the Finn quitting the Scuderia at the end of the current campaign. Sky Sports reports Raikkonen told Spanish newspaper El Mundo, however, he has no intention of leaving Ferrari before his current contract runs out after the 2009 season. After that is anyone's guess. "I'm not in a hurry to decide what I am going to do in the future," Raikkonen reportedly told the Spanish daily. "I have a year left on my contract that I want to fulfil. Later, in 2010, I do not know if I will be in F1. We will see." "It is not an easy decision," he continued. "I have to evaluate many things, and I am not going to give any explanation to anybody. I will make my decision when I am ready. Ferrari are not pushing me on this." Plus, Sebastian Vettel leads day two of testing at Jerez. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:20:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294618 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294618 For the fifteenth time, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will compete on the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motors Speedway. Throughout the history of the All State 400, formerly known as the Brickyard 400, past champions have dominated the brick-kissing ritual. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:16:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294443 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294443 25398 Tony Stewart Honda reportedly has offered a "name-your-price" offer for the services of Fernando Alonso. The Telegraph reports Ross Brawn and Nick Fry made the offer in hopes of paring the double world champion up alongside Jenson Button from 2009. Many believe Ferrari have secured Alonso's services for 2010, but the newspaper reports Honda are not looking at a temporary solution, but rather are trying to convince the Spaniard the Japanese team is the better lace to be. Part of that strategy is the presence of Brawn, a proven winner, combined with the new regulations set to take hold in 2009. Plus, BMW Sauber's KERS woes, Toyota questions Glock's trackside treatment, Michelin to supply A1GP, and Vettel leads first day of testing at Jerez. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:10:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294071 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294071 Been hearing stuff from the grapevine that Subway as title sponsor for the Indycar Series in the season 2009 season.... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:59:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294003 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294003 The FIA's introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS, is not going as smoothly as expected especially after a BMW mechanic received an electric shock from one during testing in Jerez, Spain earlier today, the mechanic only suffered an injury to his left arm.... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:55:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294001 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294001 Kimi Raikkonen is very busy man people and he doesn't have time to sign your precious autographs or time console crying children hes just here to race, folks.... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294000 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294000 I'm not convinced Danica Patrick has what it takes to race right at the very top, but how many drivers do? To me it's beyond doubt she's plenty good enough to be where she is at the moment - in one of the best cars with one of the best teams. In F1 terms, she's a Jarno Trulli or a Nick Heidfeld rather than a Lewis Hamilton or a Fernando Alonso. But it seems that, for a lot of people, if she's not perfect she's not fit to be let out of the house. I hate that attitude, and as a result I love this Jack Arute column on the IndyCar site. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:42:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293782 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293782 None other than Luca di Montezemolo weighed in on Ferrari's performance last weekend at Hockenheim. The Ferrari chieftain, who blasted the team's "stupid mistakes" at Silverstone, personally met with Ferrari engineers Monday to analyze Sunday's race. Montezemolo said he wanted to be present "at a very important time from a technical standpoint," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports. Most concerning was the drop in performance from Friday to Sunday. Felipe Massa finished third and Kimi Raikkonen sixth last weekend. "Let's forget about labels, because we need to figure out why we were so slow in Germany, slower than ever before this season," the Ferrari boss said, according to the Italian sports daily. Following the meeting, Montezemolo said the team has recovered from worse before, and he is confident it can do so again. Ferrari still lead the constructors championship with 105 points. But it must be worrying, especially when you consider the number of points the Scuderia left on the table in the first half of the season. McLaren truly looks like it took a big step forward in recent weeks, and the Prancing Horse must respond quickly if it is to maintain its lead in the championship. "As usual, we know the McLarens were faster on a lap basis, but this is offset by our reliability and our pace in the race," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports race director Stefano Domenicali said. "Unfortunately, we saw this was not true yesterday, but we are determined to respond." Plus, Sebastien Bourdais discusses the pros and cons of teammate Sebastian Vettel's promotion to Red Bull, and Milka Duno throws the towel at Danica Patrick. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:26:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293545 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293545 I'm sure you've seen it all over the place now and I'm pretty sure your sick of it too. Why I do feel for Danica about being blocked by the rolling chicane that is Milka Duno. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:26:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293481 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293481 Why women should be "tested" once a month before competing in a sport. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:21:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293423 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293423 Seven lead changes from seven different drivers – not a bad display in open wheel racing for a road course. Heck, we even had some of the "T-Team Ten" take a legitimate turn at leading the parade. T-Team Ten race leaders included Justin Wilson (11), Mario Moraes (1), Will Power (3). At the end, however, in Mid-Ohio it was a Penske parade with Ryan Brisco and Helio Castroneves at positions 1 and 2. Will Power was looking at a podium finish but got passed in the closing laps, on the track, at race speed by Scott Dixon. This left the teammates of KV Racing Technology together rounding out the top five finishers. A similar move by Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was placed on Danica Patrick of Andretti Green Racing bringing his finish position at 11 after a mid-race spin incident on a restart placed his car back in the field. The racing trooper award of the day has to go to Mario Dominguez and the team at Pacific Coast Motorsports. An honorable mention needs to go to Jamia Camara of Conquest Racing for starting at position 25, racing clean and moving up eleven positions to finish at 14. On the HE SAID/HE SAID on-track restart incident touched off by Justin Wilson, it is the opinion of The EDJE that the incident was clearly the fault of Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver, Justin Wilson. The replay from the ESPN on ABC broadcast showed clearly that Wilson chopped down on Mario Dominguez (Pacific Coast Motorsports) driving line, touched tires, and spun out causing the incident. How the T-Team Ten Fared at Mid-Ohio: Qual./Pos. Driver Team Time 12./4. Will Power KV +12.7569 8./ 5. Oriol Servia KV +13.4713 4./11. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan +28.8880 9./13. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne +39.7940 25./14. Jaime Camara Conquest +51.5572 14./16. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan +1 lap 16./19. Mario Dominguez Pacific Coast Motorsports +2 laps 17./22. EJ Viso HVM +5 laps 19./24. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne +24 laps 18./26. Enrique Bernoldi Conquest +77 laps Silver linings for the T-Team Ten include KV Racing Technology's Oriol Servia return to the top ten in season points with his 5th place finish while teammate Will Power's 4th place improved his position in the Rookie-Of-The-Year point standings by moving within 31 points of Andretti Green Racing's Hideki Mutoh. … notes from The EDJE Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:47:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293327 IndyCar Series star, Danica Patrick, gets into a bit of a verbal tussle with fellow IndyCar diva, Milka Duno, during a practice session over the weekend in Ohio. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:49:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293259 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293259 Ryan Briscoe won on Sunday, but the Danica Patrick, Milka Duno tift highlighted the weekend. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:36:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293217 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293217 Ryan Briscoe won on Sunday, but the Danica Patrick, Milka Duno tift highlighted the weekend. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:34:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293216 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293216 Ryan Briscoe won on Sunday, but the Danica Patrick, Milka Duno tift highlighted the weekend. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:33:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293214 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293214 Do you think Duno was a bit upset with Danica over this incident? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:06:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293191 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293191 Danica Patrick is quickly becoming the bad girl on the IRL. Once again Danica is making headlines for her altercations off the track rather. Saturday, Danica herself in Milka Duno's pit area and she was right in the drivers face giving her an ear full. Apparently Danica has been watching a few too many clips of Tony Stewart. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:05:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293189 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293189 The claws came out between the IRL's two female drivers this weekend. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:54:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292967 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292967