2012 Racing Season: NASCAR, Indy, F1, and more

neonfox65 said:Maybe India will be better—given how much the IndyCar drivers know that track...

Yeah, fat chance of that happening 😢

Yeah, I was watching—really bummed about that crash.

Hamlin on pole—hell yeah! :P

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota 49.244s
2. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford 49.455s + 0.211s
3. Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Toyota 49.517s + 0.273s
4. Aric Almirola Petty Ford 49.538s + 0.294s
5. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford 49.578s + 0.334s
6. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 49.626s + 0.382s
7. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota 49.711s + 0.467s
8. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet 49.720s + 0.476s
9. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 49.737s + 0.493s
10. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford 49.819s + 0.575s
11. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 49.831s + 0.587s
12. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 49.857s + 0.613s
13. Kurt Busch Phoenix Chevrolet 49.865s + 0.621s
14. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 49.869s + 0.625s
15. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet 49.876s + 0.632s
16. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 49.879s + 0.635s
17. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota 49.880s + 0.636s
18. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford 49.892s + 0.648s
19. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota 49.893s + 0.649s
20. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 49.932s + 0.688s
21. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet 49.951s + 0.707s
22. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge 49.959s + 0.715s
23. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 49.980s + 0.736s
24. Sam Hornish Jr Penske Dodge 50.020s + 0.776s
25. Casey Mears Germain Ford 50.134s + 0.890s
26. David Stremme Inception Toyota 50.220s + 0.976s
27. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet 50.309s + 1.065s
28. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 50.318s + 1.074s
29. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota 50.331s + 1.087s
30. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota 50.408s + 1.164s
31. David Gilliland Front Row Ford 50.418s + 1.174s
32. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet 50.424s + 1.180s
33. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota 50.443s + 1.199s
34. Scott Speed Leavine Ford 50.603s + 1.359s
35. Josh Wise Front Row Chevrolet 50.635s + 1.391s
36. David Ragan Front Row Ford 50.667s + 1.423s
37. Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Chevrolet 50.748s + 1.504s
38. Landon Cassill BK Toyota 50.750s + 1.506s
39. Mike Skinner Go Green Ford 50.878s + 1.634s
40. Scott Riggs R3 Chevrolet 50.888s + 1.644s
41. JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet 50.985s + 1.741s
42. Ken Schrader FAS Lane Ford 51.497s + 2.253s
43. Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Toyota 51.084s + 1.840s

Final Standings - 160 laps completed:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 2h54m19.000s
2. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota + 4.758s
3. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford + 7.813s
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 8.336s
5. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet + 10.230s
6. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota + 10.782s
7. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 12.654s
8. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 13.114s
9. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 14.028s
10. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 16.117s
11. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota + 16.931s
12. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet + 20.959s
13. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 21.844s
14. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 23.448s
15. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota + 25.283s
16. Sam Hornish Jr Penske Dodge + 25.555s
17. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford + 25.962s
18. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet + 26.977s
19. Aric Almirola Petty Ford + 26.978s
20. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford + 28.908s
21. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 29.413s
22. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 32.727s
23. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet + 33.442s
24. David Stremme Inception Toyota + 37.727s
25. Landon Cassill BK Toyota + 38.044s
26. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 41.409s
27. David Gilliland Front Row Ford + 42.237s
28. David Ragan Front Row Ford + 44.525s
29. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 4 laps
30. Ken Schrader FAS Lane Ford + 4 laps
31. Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Chevrolet + 6 laps
32. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 9 laps
33. Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Toyota + 16 laps
34. Casey Mears Germain Ford + 23 laps

Did Not Finish:

Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford 132 laps
Kurt Busch Phoenix Chevrolet 126 laps
Travis Kvapil BK Toyota 40 laps
Scott Speed Leavine Ford 23 laps
JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet 20 laps
Josh Wise Front Row Chevrolet 19 laps
Scott Riggs R3 Chevrolet 14 laps
Mike Skinner Go Green Ford 11 laps
Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Toyota 5 laps

While F1 is taking a breather, NASCAR keeps the engine running 🙂

Heading to Pocono this weekend



Built: 1968

Length: 2.5 miles

Layout: Tri-oval

Banking: 14° turn 1, 8° turn 2, 6° turn 3, 2° straights

Frontstretch: 3,740 feet

Backstretch: 3,055 feet

Shortstretch: 1,780 feet

Capacity: 76,812

Montoja just snatched up P2!

neonfox65 said:Montoja just snatched up P2!

I honestly can't believe it 😬

mistybear87 said:I honestly can't believe it 😬

Here—check it out for yourself: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101724

😁

Rain cuts the race short 😢

Final standings - 98 laps completed:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 1h45m34.000s
2. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet + 1.371s
3. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 2.843s
4. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 3.398s
5. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 5.166s
6. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 6.261s
7. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 7.425s
8. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota + 8.228s
9. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet + 9.519s
10. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford + 11.084s
11. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 12.571s
12. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota + 14.198s
13. Joey Logano Gibbs Toyota + 15.923s
14. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet + 17.236s
15. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford + 18.104s
16. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 19.406s
17. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 21.331s
18. Aric Almirola Petty Ford + 24.853s
19. Sam Hornish Jr Penske Dodge + 26.479s
20. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 45.223s
21. David Gilliland Front Row Ford + 49.679s
22. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 53.243s
23. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford + 54.440s
24. David Reutimann Badldwin Chevrolet + 1 lap
25. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota + 1 lap
26. Landon Cassill BK Toyota + 1 lap
27. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 2 laps
28. David Ragan Front Row Ford + 2 laps

DNFs:

Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota 90 laps
Kurt Busch Phoenix Chevrolet 84 laps
Jason White FAS Lane Ford 81 laps
Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 80 laps*
Kyle Busch Gibbs Toyota 74 laps
David Stremme Inception Toyota 43 laps
Casey Mears Germain Ford 40 laps
Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota 37 laps
Josh Wise Front Row Ford 34 laps
Tony Raines Baldwin Chevrolet 31 laps
Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Toyota 29 laps
JJ Yeley Max Q Chevrolet 27 laps
Mike Skinner Parsons Ford 26 laps
Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Ford 10 laps
Scott Riggs R3 Chevrolet 9 laps

Next stop: Watkins Glen



Built: 1948
Distance: 2.45 miles
Layout: Road course
Turns: 7
Capacity: 41,000

Race starts: Sunday at 1:00 PM EST

Dodge just announced they’re pulling out of NASCAR at the end of the year. That means we’re down to just three manufacturers left—Chevy, Ford, and Toyota.

Montoja snagged pole position again! 😁

neonfox65 said:Montoja snagged pole position again! 😁

Stop messing around. 😬
If you're actually serious, tell me which race this was so I can go watch that miracle myself.😁

Race start: Sunday at 1:00 PM EST

😉

Man, what a race—did anyone else catch that finish? Seriously...

Final Standings - 90 laps:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 2h14m48.000s
2. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 0.571s
3. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet + 9.218s
4. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota + 9.269s
5. Sam Hornish Jr Penske Dodge + 9.493s
6. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford + 10.289s
7. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota + 10.489s
8. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford + 11.124s
9. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet + 11.555s
10. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 12.631s
11. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 12.940s
12. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 12.999s
13. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet + 13.076s
14. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 13.584s
15. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 16.460s
16. Casey Mears Germain Ford + 16.934s
17. Scott Speed Leavine Ford + 16.976s
18. Aric Almirola Petty Ford + 17.050s
19. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 23.560s
20. David Gilliland Front Row Ford + 23.721s
21. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet + 24.430s
22. David Ragan Front Row Ford + 26.547s
23. Landon Cassill BK Toyota + 37.988s
24. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota + 38.259s
25. Boris Said FAS Lane Ford + 1m13.902s
26. Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Chevrolet + 1m20.259s
27. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 1m28.469s
28. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 1 lap
29. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota + 2 laps
30. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 6 laps
31. Kurt Busch Phoenix Chevrolet + 9 laps
32. Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Toyota + 19 laps

DNFs:

Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 63 laps
Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota 57 laps
Jason Leffler Robinson-Blakeney Toyota 42 laps
Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet 41 laps
Michael McDowell Parsons Ford 30 laps
Josh Wise Front Row Ford 25 laps
Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 24 laps
JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet 15 laps
Chris Cook Humphrey Smith Toyota 5 laps
Patrick Long Inception Toyota 2 laps
Brian Vickers Waltrip Toyota 0 laps

I’ll admit, I’ve let my "specialty sector"—IndyCar—slip a little bit from my radar lately.

Here is how the landscape looks after 12 races:

1. Will Power (Penske) sits at 379 points, with 3 total wins

2. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) has 374 points, also with 3 wins

3. Hélio Castroneves (Penske) has 353 points, with 2 wins

4. Scott Dixon (Ganassi) follows closely with 351 points and 2 wins

If we’re being objective here, these four drivers are going to be locked in a dogfight for the championship until the very end. Sure, a few others might have a theoretical mathematical chance, but let's be honest—that's basically entering the realm of science fiction at this point, isn't it?

We have three races left on the schedule: Sonoma, Baltimore (the street circuit), and Fontana (the big 500-mile oval).

What’s interesting is that none of these drivers have been truly consistent; they’ve all dealt with these wild swings of incredible highs and frustrating lows.

Take Will Power, for example. He had an absolutely electric start with three consecutive wins, only to seemingly vanish into thin air for much of the season, before finally resurfacing recently with a couple of podium finishes.

On the flip side, Ryan Hunter-Reay has had almost the exact opposite experience. His hot streak of three straight wins just happened recently, whereas he spent most of the first half of the season just hovering around the top ten.

Hélio Castroneves had a solid start—a win followed by a podium—and then maintained steady momentum with a long string of top-ten finishes that kept him right in the hunt. That recent win of his really signaled that he's officially back in the conversation.

Then there's Scott Dixon, who has arguably had the worst luck of the bunch. He’s suffered through so many retirements while running in prime positions. However, thanks to a win in the last race and some questionable form from his rivals, he’s clawed his way right back into title contention.

My predictions:

Will Power is a beast on street circuits and standard road courses, but he’s only mediocre when it comes to ovals. This year's calendar should have been practically tailor-made for him, but he somehow managed to squander that advantage.
I don't see him taking the crown. He’s going to need massive results in Sonoma and Baltimore just to stand a fighting chance once they head to the oval at Fontana.

Hunter-Reay has been the real surprise of the season. He’s performed well across the board, but I find myself lacking faith in him and his team right now; I can't help but feel he might have already used up his best run of form.

As for Castroneves, the old fox... he could very well snatch this in the final race. The only hurdle might be the fact that he and Power are teammates. On the plus side, he is phenomenal on ovals and is easily the most seasoned veteran among the top four.

And finally, looking at Dixon, it feels like he’s already paid his dues in bad luck for the entire year. Isn't it about time the universe gave him something back?
He’s got the best crew in the pit lane, a very focused environment within the team, and he performs well everywhere. I have a nagging gut feeling that he might just pull this off and become the champion.

A little bit about the tracks.

Now, Sonoma ought to be one of those "boring" races by IndyCar standards, right? But then again, Mid-Ohio was supposed to be dull too, and look how well that turned out.

Then there’s Baltimore—an absolutely fantastic street circuit with plenty of room for passing maneuvers. But here? Expect yellow flags popping up left and right. It’s basically a game of roulette at this point.

And finally, Fontana. It’s that massive super-speedway classic to the Indy series, the very spot where these cars clocked their all-time record speed of 241.426 mph (241 miles/h), set by Gil de Ferran back in 2000.

So, I’ll be honest—I don't really follow IndyCar. To be fair, I’ve never actually sat down to watch a full race, except for the Indy 500... but this season is starting to look pretty interesting. It feels like there might be a thrilling finish on the horizon, which honestly feels like the perfect excuse to finally dive in and start following the series properly

If you don't mind, could you put together a schedule for all three races using our local time here in the States?

Schedule:

Sonoma, Aug 26th. Green flag at 10:30 PM

Baltimore, Sept 2nd. Green flag at 8:30 PM

Fontana, Sept 15th. Green flag at 2:30 AM (it’s a night race on the West Coast, which explains why it's such a late one—but hey, at least it falls on a Saturday!)

Much appreciated 🙂