Car Sports Review: August 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

IndyCar: Honda to supply engines to Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2012

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ALMS: Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid to race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Porsche will race the 911 GT3 R hybrid at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

By: Brad Constant on 8/05/2011

Porsche Motorsport on Friday announced that its 911 GT3 R hybrid 2.0 will compete in the six-hour American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sept. 17.

The hybrid 911 has two 75-kilowatt electric motors powering the front wheels and a 465-hp boxer six-cylinder for the rear. Electrical energy is generated during braking and stored in an electric flywheel. The overall package reduces fuel consumption and increases the distance between pit stops. It made its American race debut in the 2010 Petit Le Mans, where it finished eighth on the GT-class lap chart, though it was technically unclassified in the final results because of running a hybrid drivetrain.

"The Porsche 911 GT3 R hybrid represents one of the best examples ever of technology transfer between racetrack and showroom," said Scott Atherton, president and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "It brought an entirely new level of relevance to our platform during its North American debut at Petit Le Mans last year; certainly it stands to do the same during its maiden appearance on the West Coast. We are proud that our position as the 'global leader of green racing' enables such technologies to be put to the ultimate endurance test and actively developed in front of our fans."

Porsche's GT3 R hybrid made its racing debut in the 2010 Nürburgring 24-hour race. It led for eight hours before problems with its gasoline engine forced the car to retire with just one hour, 45 minutes left in the event.

Porsche returned to the 'Ring in 2011 with its upgraded GT3 R hybrid 2.0. The car, which includes a reworked hybrid unit to reduce weight and improve the output of the electrical motors, suffered a broken flange in the differential on two different occasions. The team fought back to come home in 28th position.

The next challenge will be six hours around the 2.238-mile Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey, Calif. Porsche factory drivers Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz will team up behind the wheel of the hybrid 911.

"I'm so looking forward to showing this very special car at race speed to the spectators in California," Dumas said. "Many Porsche fans live on the West Coast of America, and some of them have already discovered the advantages of the hybrid system at the wheel of a Porsche Cayenne S hybrid. I'm very curious, because Laguna Seca is one of the most exciting racetracks on earth. I only know it from computer games and onboard videos. Its layout, with a series of up and downhill passages, should actually suit our 911 GT3 R hybrid."

Formula One: No electric motors in the pits, Ecclestone says

Formula One: Flavio Briatore linked to Bernie Ecclestone payoff case

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore are friends.

By: Quentin Spurring on 8/05/2011

Flavio Briatore, the former team principal of Renault F1, has come up in connection with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's extraordinary payment to a former BayernLB bank executive who is now jailed in Munich and facing prosecution on charges of alleged corruption and tax evasion. Ecclestone admitted paying Gerhard Gribkowsky more than $42 million but strenuously denies any wrongdoing.

Unconfirmed German media reports say that Ecclestone paid the money in two installments, the first $20 million via First Bridge--a now-defunct offshore company in Mauritius--directly to a company Gribkowsky established in Austria. The reports add that Ecclestone subsequently paid the balance of more than $22 million in Geneva to Briatore, who then transferred the money to Gribkowsky via Lewington Investment. This is another offshore vehicle, listed in the British Virgin Islands, where a Briatore company, Formula FB Business, is also based.

Briatore is an old friend of Ecclestone and is his partner in the ownership of the Queens Park Rangers, a London soccer team. The two men are preparing to sell their 67 percent stake in the club, part of which is reportedly being purchased by Tony Fernandes, the man behind the Team Lotus Formula One project.

Ecclestone has played down Briatore's role in the affair.

"In no shape or form is Briatore involved in this," he told the U.K.'s Daily Express newspaper. "He did make a payment for me, but only because I asked him after this man, Gribkowsky, threatened to make trouble for me, and said he didn't want the money paid direct from the U.K. Briatore did me a favor and, far from being dragged into this, I told the German prosecutors about it. That's how his name has appeared."

Formula One: Indian Grand Prix circuit on schedule

Le Mans: Jaguar denies it is working on an LMP1 race car

Saturday, August 6, 2011

IndyCar: Graham Rahal tops speed charts at Mid-Ohio

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Graham Rahal posted the fastest lap during IndyCar practice on Friday.

Published on 8/05/2011

Graham Rahal led the 75-minute first practice of the Izod IndyCar Series Friday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a track where his father, Bobby, once excelled.

Rahal posted a time of 1 minute, 9.603 seconds around the permanent road course, besting the times of E. J. Viso of KV Racing Technology, Dario Franchitti of Ganassi Racing and the rest of the 27-car field.

The field includes Martin Plowman, who is driving his first IndyCar race in a Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He led all 40 laps in last year's Firestone Indy Lights race at the track in Lexington, Ohio.

Practice continues Saturday with qualifying to follow. The race is Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.

FRIDAY'S TIMES:

1. Graham Rahal (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.603

2. E. J. Viso (KV Racing Technology) 1:09.652

3. Dario Franchitti (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.694

4. Will Power (Team Penske) 1:09.720

5. Justin Wilson (Dreyer & Reinbold) 1:09.791

6. James Hinchcliffe (Newman-Haas Racing) 1:09.814

7. Scott Dixon (Ganassi Racing) 1:09.971

8. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) 1:10.051

9. Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) 1:10.139

10. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) 1:10.203

11. Simona De Silvestro (HVM Racing) 1:10.352

12. Vitor Meira (A.J. Foyt Racing) 1:10.360

13. Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology) 1:10.369

14. Alex Tagliani (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) 1:10.372

15. James Jakes (Dale Coyne Racing) 1:10.405

16. J. R. Hildebrand (Panther Racing) 1:10.598

17. Sebastien Bourdais (Dale Coyne Racing) 1:10.795

18. Charlie Kimball (Ganassi Racing) 1:11.065

19. Martin Plowman (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) 1:11.177

20. Mike Conway (Andretti Autosport) 1:11.434

21. Sebastian Saavedra (Conquest Racing) 1:11.579

22. Danica Patrick (Andretti Autosport) 1:11.608

23. Oriol Servia (Newman-Haas Racing) 1:11.632

24. Ana Beatriz (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) 1:12.014

25. Ed Carpenter (Sarah Fisher Racing) 1:13.498

26. Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) 1:14.200

27. Takuma Sato (KV Racing Technology) 1:15.039

NASCAR: Carl Edwards explains decision to stay with Roush Fenway, sort of

ACTION SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Carl Edwards said money was not the key factor in negotiating a new contract with Roush Fenway Racing.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Neither driver Carl Edwards nor owner Jack Roush would reveal details of their new “multi-year” contract that Roush Fenway Racing announced on Thursday. For much of this season the media, fans, and competitors had played the game of “where will Carl go?” In the end, amid great scrutiny, he stayed put with Roush Fenway after listening to an offer from Joe Gibbs Racing.

On Friday, between practice sessions at Pocono Raceway, driver and owner finally talked about their deal. Well, they talked about the deal, but not the deal itself.

“First off, I wish I’d never confirmed that our (contract) was up this year because it would have been a lot quieter (otherwise),” Edwards said. “I looked at a lot of things, but at the end of the day, our negotiations and our deals and the things that I look at competitively are private matters. We went through the process, worked really hard and this is the outcome, and I’m proud to be here.

“I can say, just like I said earlier, that I learned a ton. I learned about Roush Fenway Racing and about Jack as a person and about me and what’s important to me. I learned about my competitors and you guys (the media), and I’m really appreciative for all those folks who were patient. We’re in a position now where our cars are fast and we have chances to win almost every week. We have the opportunity to go out and win this championship, to continue my partnership with Jack, to continue with Ford and the sponsors. I’m really happy with the way this turned out.”

Even after reminding the media he’d said he wouldn’t talk about contract details, he kept getting those questions. Politely, as is his way, he refused to answer. But he did politely offer these insights.

“From the beginning I said, ‘What would I do if money weren’t a factor and if I didn’t care what (anybody else) thought about my decision?’ ’’ he said. “It’s a decision that’s important to me and my family for all the hard work I’ve put in. For the path I’ve taken, for me personally. I act as my own agent and make my own decisions. I understand my own deals, and the decision was made under those thoughts.

“So that’s what made this simpler and that’s how I came to the conclusion. Whenever I’d start feeling that pressure start creeping in I’d think, ‘OK, let’s get back to the basics. Where can I win the most championships? And what would I do if other people’s opinions weren’t a factor?’ That helped me a ton and my family and Jack’s patience and Jack’s support helped me do that. When I talked to Jack on the phone he said, ‘Look, Carl, you do whatever you think is best for you.’ He said those words and that meant the world. It meant I didn’t have that pressure to do something for any reason other than what I thought was best. That was huge.”

Edwards said that contrary to widespread reports he didn’t make his decision based on a last-minute deal sweetener from Ford Motor Co.

“There was no last-minute money,” he said. “The idea that some people have run with is … well … first of all, the money numbers that I read are not correct and that’s all I’ll say about that. And if anybody who wants to publish any more of those numbers would like to come ask me if they’re correct, I’ll tell you they’re not correct.

“And then second: there was no difference in the deal at the last minute or anything else (that had to do with Ford corporately). My deal with Ford is that I believe in the company. I believe in the products they make and just like everyone else at Ford and Roush Fenway Racing, if Ford benefits, I have the potential to benefit from that success too. But there was no last-minute influx of money or anything like that. That’s a false assumption.”

Roush jumped in to say it wasn’t a factor from his side of the table, either.

“I’d like to make one follow-up comment on that, on the money thing,” he said on Friday. “The one thing Carl and I did not have a discussion about at any point in the negotiation or consideration was money. It was not a factor from my side, from the Roush Fenway side, and from what I could see it was not a factor from Carl’s side. That did not weigh into the decision Carl made.”

Finally, the timing of the announcement. Why now? Why not last week or last month or a month from now? What happened this week to convince Edwards it was time to end the suspense and re-sign with Roush Fenway? And in the end, what factor tipped him one way and not the other?

“I think staying was for the reasons we talked about,” Edwards said. “I just decided this is the right place for me. If I’d made this decision three months ago I might have had more second thoughts, I might have felt not as sure about it. To me, the fact I had the time I had and the opportunities, and Jack being as open as he was and showing me things that were going on. With the way Ford treated me through the process and showed me things that were gonna happen in the future. All that was a risk on their part because they didn’t have to show me those things.

“It took time for me to come to that conclusion. There wasn’t one thing at the end that changed my mind or made my decision different. When I made up my mind, you folks heard about it.”

NASCAR notes: Newman, Kahne lead Cup practice

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Crew chief Chad Knaus talks with driver Jimmie Johnson at Pocono Raceway on Friday.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne were fastest in Friday's two Sprint Cup practice sessions at Pocono Raceway. Teams will qualify Saturday morning at 10:40 (three of the 46 entries won't make the show) and start their 200-lap, 500-mile at 1:15 on Sunday afternoon.

In the first session, Newman (170.026 mph) easily beat Kurt Busch (168.621 mph), A. J. Allmendinger (168.517 mph), Carl Edwards (168.360 mph) and Mark Martin (168.300 mph) in the 90-minute session. Jimmie Johnson, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10. The five slowest were Geoffrey Bodine, Jason White, Erik Darnell, Scott Speed, and T. J. Bell.

Kahne led the second 90-minute session at 167.520 mph. Mark Martin (166.834 mph), Kevin Harvick (166.756 mph), Clint Bowyer (166.667 mph), and Juan Pablo Montoya (166.599 mph) also were in the top five. Jeff Burton, Newman, Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith and Carl Edwards were in the top 10. The slowest five were White, Casey Mears, Bell, Mike Skinner and David Stremme.

Cup drivers rule truck practice

Sprint Cup stars Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin were first, third and fifth in Friday morning's Camping World Truck Series practice at Pocono Raceway. Teams practiced for almost two hours, will qualify Saturday morning at 9:35 and run their 50-lap, 125-mile race at 1 p.m.

Harvick's best lap of 161.493 mph beat the 160.964 mph of Todd Bodine. Busch ran 160.878 mph to show in third, Matt Crafton ran 160.829 mph for fourth, Martin ran 160.691 mph for fifth and Johnny Sauter ran 160.494 mph for sixth.

Nelson Piquet Jr., Miguel Paludo, Jason White and Joey Coulter rounded out the top 10. Only 30 teams showed up and practiced, four fewer than allowed on the entry form. The slowest of those 30 was Chris Lafferty at 119.600 mph.

Mattiolis step down

Doctors Rose and Joe Mattioli, both deep into their 80s, announced Friday afternoon their joint retirement from daily operations of the three-sided, 2.5-mile track at Long Pond, Pa. Their three eldest grandchildren will take over daily operations, effective immediately.

Brandon Igdalsky, 35, the track's president since 2007, has assumed addition duties as chief executive officer. His brother, 33-year-old Nicholas, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer. Their sister, 30-year-old Ashley, has been named secretary-treasurer of the family-owned corporation. They have four younger siblings, almost ensuring that the track Bruton Smith reportedly has wanted for years will stay in the family for generations.

The Mattiolis built Pocono Raceway in 1970 and hosted the first of their 67 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 1974. The track also has hosted 20 IndyCar, four Indy Light, 30 ARCA, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and seven NASCAR Modified races.

Saturday's Pocono schedule

-- 9:35 a.m., Camping World Truck Series qualifying

-- 10:40 a.m., Sprint Cup qualifying

-- 1 p.m., start of Truck Series 125

-- 3 p.m., start of ARCA 125

ALMS: Guy Smith takes overall pole for Dyson Racing at Mid-Ohio

ALMS
Guy Smith and Chris Dyson look to repeat their 2010 win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend.

Published on 8/05/2011

American Le Mans Series driver Guy Smith was fast Thursday. He was fast Friday morning. More importantly, he was fast Friday afternoon for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge and earned his first career pole position at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The British pilot turned a lap of 1 minute, 12.727 seconds (111.771 mph) for Dyson Racing in qualifying for the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Smith was 0.165-second quicker than Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing’s Klaus Graf in his Lola-Aston Martin coupe.

Smith and Chris Dyson were overall race winners at the circuit in 2010, and their Mazda-powered Lola coupe was fastest in three of the first four sessions of the weekend. Last year’s victory was the first for both Smith and Dyson, as well as for tire partner Dunlop and for an ALMS car running on isobutanol.

Through two days of practice and qualifying, it looks as if the Dyson duo isn’t exactly eager to settle for anything short of a repeat.

“I wish it was that easy,” Smith said. “We struggled quite badly with the setup and we pretty much threw everything at it but the kitchen sink. Qualifying was a wild ride with the car sideways a lot of the time. It was a good lap and I’m very happy with it.”

Smith didn’t post his first flying lap until nearly the halfway point of the 15-minute session. He felt a misfire in the Lola-Mazda on his outlap, but the Dyson squad sorted the issue about five minutes later. It took Smith four laps to post his pole-winning time.

“It’s a real challenge,” Smith said of the circuit. “You go somewhere like Mosport and it’s high speed and a challenge in a different way. Here you have times where the car is getting air, time where you have to use the curbs. This is one of those circuits where you can be 23/100s of seconds off but can suck it up and find some time. When you get a good time it’s very rewarding.”

Graf’s best lap was 1:12.892 (111.518 mph) in the car he drives with Lucas Luhr. Steven Kane qualified third at 1:13.607 (110.435 mph) in the Oryx Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda he drives with Humaid Al Masaood. Smith and Dyson entered Mid-Ohio leading the LMP1 championship over the duo of Graf/Luhr.

“For them, you give nothing. Those guys are so good and they are both great drivers,” Smith said. “It’s a difficult track to pass on so if you lose the lead then it is difficult to recover. You get some GT cars between us and it would be fantastic. But it never works like that. Those guys put up a good fight.”

In the GT class, Joey Hand led another 1-2 qualifying result for BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan with a lap of 1:20.539 (100.930 mph) in the BMW M3 GT that he will drive with Dirk Müller. The class championship co-leader was just 0.116-second clear of Dirk Werner in the sister BMW, and the top eight cars were within 0.741 second.

“This is a track that puts on one of the best shows of the year,” said Hand, who saw BMW Team RLL’s three-race win streak end at Mosport. “I lived in Cleveland for awhile and have some track knowledge. The talent in our class is so deep. That’s why having pole here is big. You’re definitely throwing down every lap. A proper qualifying lap is where you got to let it all hang out.”

Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo sat behind the two white M3s in qualifying. Last year’s GT race-winner set a lap of 1:20.745 (100.672 mph) on Friday in the Ferrari 458 Italia that he shares with Toni Vilander. With so many teams and manufacturers within such a small interval, Hand is more than aware of how “on it” he, Müller and BMW Team RLL need to be in order to get back on the winning track.

“There is a lot of back-and-forth here. It’s right-left-right-left,” Hand said. “Our cars are famous for being agile and stopping well. If you get a car with good balance then you’ll be really good. If you get a car without balance then you’ll struggle. The strength of this team is that everyone works together and brings it. Today we took a car that wasn’t that great out of the trailer and worked on it to where it was comfy for me.”

STARTING LINEUP

1. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, New York; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire, UK; Lola B09 86/Mazda (LMP1), 1:12.727, 111.771

2. Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Klaus Graf, Dornham, Germany; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (LMP1), 1:12.892, 111.518

3. Steven Kane, Newtownards, Ireland; Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Lola B09/86 Mazda (LMP1), 1:13.607, 110.435

4. Tony Burgess, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, Ariz.; Lola B06/10 (LMP1), 1:17.035, 105.521

5. Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ricardo Gonzalez, Monterrey, Mexico; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.281, 105.185

6. Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, Ontario, Canada; Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, Calif.; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.332, 105.116

7. Jon Field, Dublin, Ohio; Clint Field, Dublin, Ohio; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.670, 104.658

8. Eric Lux, Jacksonville, Fla.; Christian Zugel, Holmdel, New Jersey; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.972, 104.253

9. Javier Echeverria, Mexico City, Mexico; David Cheng, Sammamish, Wash. (CN); Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.540, 103.499

10. Jon Bennett, Fort Mill, South Carolina; Frankie Montecalvo, Highlands, New Jersey; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.684, 103.309

11. Anthony Nicolosi, Palm Beach, Fla.; Jarrett Boon, Phoenix, Ariz.); Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:19.032, 102.855

12. Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Joey Hand, Sacramento, Calif.; BMW M3 GT (GT), 1:20.539, 100.930

13. Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, Calif.; Dirk Werner, Kissenbruck, Germany; BMW M3 GT (GT), 1:20.655, 100.785

14. Jaime Melo, Cascavel, Brazil; Toni Vilander, Kankaanpaa, Finland; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:20.745, 100.672

15. Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield, Germany; Patrick Long, Bellaire, Fla.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:20.917, 100.458

16. Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings, UK; Jan Magnussen, Roskilde, Denmark; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (GT), 1:20.944, 100.425

17. Ed Brown, Las Vegas, Nev.; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:21.068, 100.271

18. Scott Sharp, Jupiter, Fla.; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, Calif.; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:21.256, 100.039

19. Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Tommy Milner, Leesburg, Va.; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (GT), 1:21.280, 100.010

20. Bryan Sellers, Braselton, Ga.; Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:21.921, 99.227

21. David Murry, Atlanta, Ga.; Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga.; Doran Ford GT (GT), 1:22.128, 98.977

22. Bruno Junqueira, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Kenny Wilden, Oakville, Ontario, Canada; Jaguar XKR (GT), 1:22.569, 98.449

23. P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif.; Rocky Moran, Ladera Ranch, Calif.; Jaguar XKR (GT), 1:22.971, 97.972

24. Bryce Miller, Summit, New Jersey; Sascha Maassen, Lontzen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:23.084, 97.838

25. Andrea Robertson, Ray, Mich.; Melanie Snow, Pleasant Grove, Utah; Doran Ford GT/Elan (GT), 1:23.854, 96.940

26. Seth Neiman, San Francisco, Calif.; Darren Law, Phoenix, Ariz.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:24.712, 95.958

27. Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, Va.; Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.602, 93.864

28. Bill Sweedler, Westport, Conn.; Leh Keen, Dublin, Ga.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.614, 93.851

29. Tim Pappas, Boston, Mass.; Jeroen Bleekemolen, Monte Carlo, Monaco Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.741, 93.713

30. John Potter, Salt Lake City, Utah; Craig Stanton, Long Beach, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.336, 93.075

31. Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, Fla.; Marc Bunting, Monkton, Md.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.429, 92.976

32. Nick Ham, Evergreen, Colo; Chris Cumming, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.784, 92.600

33. Peter Lesaffre, Rye, New Hampshire; Andrew Davis, Bogart, Ga.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.791, 92.593

Monday, August 1, 2011

IndyCar: Castroneves, Power, Briscoe and others enter V8 Supercar race in Australia

NASCAR: Brickyard 400 loses some luster with fans, not with drivers

ACTION SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Jamie McMurray won NASCAR's Brickyard 400 race in 2010.

By AL PEARCE on 7/28/2011

It was not long ago that the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway stood unchallenged as NASCAR's second biggest race behind only the Daytona 500. The inaugural event in 1994 drew upward of 275,000 fans, leading Speedway officials to quip that they could have sold a million tickets if they'd had enough seats.

The annual midsummer race remained important--although nothing like in its early years--until three or four years ago. But the embarrassing Goodyear tire debacle of 2008 deeply hurt its prestige, and many will argue that the 400 still hasn't recovered.

With 2008 still painfully fresh, attendance and media interest dipped in 2009. Attendance went down again last year, and if race-week rumblings can be believed, it will be down again for Sunday afternoon's 18th-annual race. Some series watchers say officials will be thrilled if a strong walk-up sale on Sunday morning gets attendance into the 100,000 range.

Why the alarming decline in just a few years? Why has the Brickyard 400 become--if not just another stock-car race--something approaching that? Almost everyone who follows NASCAR has opinions, from the 2008 tire fiasco to the economy (travel/lodging/tickets) to the proximity of Kentucky (it hosted Sprint Cup a month ago) and Michigan (which hosts in three weeks) to poor sightlines (but haven't they always been poor?) to boring racing to uninspiring promotion efforts.

On the latter front, officials have urged drivers to step up, check their egos at the gate and help promote this weekend's race as never before.

But even a bad crowd at Indy beats a good crowd at most NASCAR venues. And even a boring Brickyard 400 win beats a thrilling win anywhere except Daytona Beach in February. Such is the prestige still attached to the world's most famous speedway, if not to its second biggest race.

"For us, it's where you bring your latest and greatest car," says Kevin Harvick, a Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500 winner. "It's all about trying to win and putting it on the line. It's a prestigious race, and nobody goes there with any intention other than winning."

Says teammate Jeff Burton, "Being at the Brickyard with NASCAR is an unbelievable experience. The things that are in front of me [in my career] that really mean a lot are winning a championship, winning a Daytona 500 . . . and certainly the Brickyard 400 is on that list as well."

Six active drivers have won Brickyard 400s: Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Tony Stewart (two) and Harvick, Bobby Labonte and defending champion Jamie McMurray (one each). Other winners include retired drivers Dale Jarrett (two), Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott, and the late Dale Earnhardt (one each).

On-track activities open on Friday with practice sessions from 1 to 2:15 p.m. and from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Teams will practice again on Saturday morning from 10 to 11:30 and qualify that afternoon at 2:10. Sunday afternoon's 160-lap, 400-mile race (on ESPN) is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

Nationwide, Truck series run nearby

The Brickyard 400 is part of NASCAR's annual three-series, three-race weekend in the Indianapolis area. The Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series have Friday and Saturday night races at Lucas Oil Raceway in nearby Clermont, Ind. Unlike recent years, only a few Cup drivers have entered either of the support races.

Nationwide championship contender Elliott Sadler is the only "outsider" entered in Friday night's AAA Insurance Truck Series 200. Team owner Kyle Busch is skipping it but Josh Richards will drive the No. 18 Toyota as Busch chases his second consecutive owners' championship. Teams will practice at 10 and 11:45 on Friday morning, qualify at 4:40 p.m., and then run their 200-lap, 137-lap race at 7:30 p.m.

X Games superstar and action-sports icon Travis Pastrana is scheduled for his Nationwide debut in Saturday night's Kroger 200. He's undaunted despite less-than-spectacular results in his K&N East Pro Series races, most recently a 22nd two weeks ago at Loudon, N.H. He's also finished sixth, 25th, 33rd and 22nd.

"For me, it's always about a new challenge and finding the most competition," Pastrana said after a recent Late Model test. "I've been talking with [driver coach] Matt Crafton, really working on figuring out how to adjust the car. You might be good at the beginning or end of practice, or good in qualifying or good in the race, but it's so difficult. You have to continue to work with the team to make your car better. It's been a lot of fun and humbling, for sure."

Pastrana will face a fairly manageable field--Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are the only Cup stars expected--in the 200-lap, 137-mile race. Teams will practice Saturday morning at 10 and 11:45, qualify at 4:45 p.m., and then race at 7:15 p.m.

Penske interested in partnering with Porsche for its return to Le Mans

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
“What we are saying is that when they come back in LMP1, they know we are interested,” Penske Racing team president Tim Cindric said of Porsche.

By GARY WATKINS on 7/28/2011

Penske Racing has “thrown its hat into the ring” to run Porsche's forthcoming LMP1 prototype when the German manufacturer returns to top-level sports-car racing in 2014, according to team president Tim Cindric.

Cindric was elaborating on comments team boss Roger Penske made on television. Penske said his organization wanted to follow up on its success with the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 in the American Le Mans Series in 2005-08.

“With the recent announcement of Porsche going back to the Le Mans 24 Hours, we hope we can be a part of that program,” Penske said. “Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller have been stars over there [with Audi], and we'd like to get them back in a Penske Racing Porsche and see if we can't take on Le Mans.”

Cindric stressed that there had been no formal negotiations, although Penske has discussed the matter with Wolfgang Durheimer, who is in charge of motorsport in his position as R&D boss at the German sports-car marque, and Ferdinand Piech, chairman of the supervisory board of Porsche parent Volkswagen.

“What we are saying is that when they come back in LMP1, they know we are interested,” said Cindric. “I would like to think that if they look outside of Porsche [and don't run an in-house team] or race in the U.S. that they would consider us.

“We had a lot of success with Porsche and have remained in touch. There is certainly interest from our side, but any assumptions that we will be together on the new program are premature.”

Porsche has said no decision has been made as to whether it will campaign its new LMP1 design with its own team based at its motorsport headquarters at Weissach or combine forces with a partner such as Penske. The German manufacturer fielded a full-factory squad through much of the 1970s, '80s and '90s but has also been represented by teams such as JW Automotive and Joest Racing.

Penske has raced at Le Mans only once during its long history. It fielded a Sunoco-sponsored Ferrari 512M in the 1971 race but retired early with engine problems.