I wrote this to mainly benefit those who want to know a bit about F1 and V8 Supercars.

Now, back in April, I posted a blog to help those who were miffed with the Formula 1 side of things for Will's trifecta weekends. From what I can gather after reading through it again, most of it will stay the same for 2009 with one exception; I honestly believe that Renault will make the jump from the second tier teams to the top flight...with Fernando being my tip to win his third title seeing how well that Renault improved over the course of the year.

Some things have changed; Vettel has replaced a retiring Coulthard at Red Bull, leaving an open seat at Toro Rosso and will certainly have the upper hand on Mark Webber considering Mark is currently in hospital with a broken leg having been hit by a car while riding his bike in Australia yesterday. The other main change is that, for the first time since 1997, the drivers will be using full slicks instead of the grooved ones.

The basic specs of an F1 car is as such; 2.4L V8 engine, restircted to rev at a maximum of 19000 rpm and producing around 750 bhp. Overall, the car weighs about 1350 lbs, including the driver and, given the chance, one can go from 0 to 100mph and back to 0 in roughly the time it take you to write out your full name.

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While F1 is worldwide, the same can't be said for the V8 Supercars (despite racing in NZ and Bahrain, they will probably always be considered exclusively Australian...the link is to their main site by the way). There are just two manufacturers; Ford and Holden (aka GM) and the field is usually around 30 cars. The compilation of the championship is a mix of sprint races (each lasting between half an hour to an hour) and the two endurance races where you have to use codrivers. The top teams include Holden Racing Team, Ford Performance Racing, Team Vodafone and the HSV Dealer Team. Drivers who always challenge for the title are Garth Tander, Rick Kelly, Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom.

 

On first glance, a V8 Supercar isn't terribly different from the current Cup car; both have a rear wing, both have a splitter and both have V8 engines...but that's about it. While NASCAR uses, basically, a shell that fits over the car, V8's are closer to being considered 'stock' with its headlights, brakelights and windshield wipers. Performance wise, the Cup car walks all over the V8's, as it should since it has the bigger engine (the V8's use a 5L one) and can reach a higher top speed (again, this is expected since it has about 200 more bhp), but the V8 Supercar weighs 400 lbs less so I'd imagine it would have better braking capacity.

Hope that helps a little bit.

Alrighty, the new and improved 2008 version...nah, I decided to keep the same categories as last years'...easier on the brain that way :P

Rookie of the Year - unlike last year, this was actually a hard choice...in the end I've gone with no one in the top tier of any category; Joey Logano. Ok, so I know he did race a few times in the Cup series but he was astonishing in the Nationwide car and his biggest test will be whether or not he can fill Tony Stewart's boots at JGR next season. Personally I have some doubts but shall refrain from passing judgement until at least we hit the All-star race.

Best Race of the Year - Spa...wet/dry/wet/late race passes/the winner stripped of the win a few days later, what more do you want? The Brazilian GP was a nailbiter, as was the final Truck race at Miami...but Spa had that special "what the...?!" factor for me.

Qualifier of the Year - Have to go for Jimmie Johnson since he won my TNQC title for the second straight year.

Team of the Year - Scuderia Toro Rosso. Not only did they confuse everyone by having Sebastian and Sebastien racing for them, Seb (the Vettel variety) scored their first ever pole position at Monza and also backed it up for the win the very next day.

Pit Crew of the Year - Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. They put their boy, Lewis Hamilton, onto the inters with less than 10 laps to go in the final race of the season when the title was still very much up in the air. I would say that Lewis bailed them out but I think any of the drivers could have passed a car that was on the wrong tyres so I can't do that...still, a gutsy call by the crew.

Driver of the Year - The aforementioned Sebastian Vettel...not only for his incredible performance at Monza but he also almost destroyed a nations' hopes when he passed Lewis Hamilton with a handful of laps remaining at Brazil.

Person of the Year - A lot of candidates for this one; Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Lewis Hamilton, Jamie Whincup...but in the end, there can be only one. And that one is Valentino Rosso for winning his eighth MotoGP title.

That's the (sort of) serious stuff out of the way...on to the lighter side!

Personality of the Year - Totally different from the previous award as you can tell by the 'ality' added on the end of it. Bootie Barker takes this award for attempting to emulate Chad Knaus' raindance moves on NASCAR Performance at...uh, Atlanta I think. Either way, it was hilarious to watch.

Crash of the Year - Take a bow, Michael McDowell...that's a bow, not a million barrel rolls. Mighty glad he walked away uninjured.

Surprise of the Year - The ESPN2 commentators at the Nationwide race in Montreal for, obviously, forgetting that the V8 Supercars race in the wet and so Marcos Ambrose, who raced the series for five years, would be just as qualified as Scott Pruett to be classified as "decent in the rain".

Miracle of the Year - That Marcos Ambrose didn't take himself out at Watkins Glen in the NW race when he sideswiped a backmarker with a dozen laps to go...my heart nearly stopped when that happened, let me tell you!

Worst Looking Car Livery of the Year - Force India in F1...I know I wasn't alone in having to do doubletakes every time to make sure I wasn't seeing a McLaren instead.

Bone-headed Overtaking Attempt of the Year - Sorry jon, but your man, Kevin Harvick, gets this for taking out himself, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray in one mistimed brake slam at Infineon, pretty much gifting the win to Kyle Busch. Special mention to Carl Edwards for, effectively, ruining half the Chase drivers' title hopes at Talladega (ta for reminding me about that one, jon).

The Dental School Award (aka, the award that made the most jaws drop during the year) - This one goes to Felipe Massa for showing that Lewis Hamilton isn't the only driver capable of roughing people up. Not only did Felipe go the long way around at Hungary, he then gave Lewis a little love tap at Japan which sent the McLaren into a spin...and yes, he did get a drivethrough penalty for it. Special mention to Lewis for ramming into Kimi Raikkonen...in the pitlane...at Montreal which handed BMW their first ever win as a manufacturer (thanks bc, I was on the plane that day so I missed it). Also, dare I add, I agree with Chad Knaus on 'TWIN' when he pointed out that the #48 wasn't on the penalty list all season...well done, Chad!

The 'Carved from Stone' Award - The one person that stood up when the heat was on, who never buckled under the enormous pressure put on them...F1 boss, Max Mosely, who somehow avoided being sacked from his job after that whole scandal thing.

The Red Bull Award - Timo Glock for launching over the kerbs at Albert Park, destroying his Toyota in the process, in the opening F1 race at Melbourne.

The Lucky #### Award - Me...for picking all 3 winners in the Memorial (had Labour...the dang holiday names have me all confused *laugh*) Day trifecta. Granted, taking Lewis Hamilton and Scott Dixon were not hard choices but Kasey Kahne came through for me by taking the chequer at Lowe's, cheers guys! Apologies to Lori that Kasey's win was at Tony's expense.

Any suggestions are always helpful :)

And so, after another five week hiatus by myself to post these, we came into the final round with only Jeff Gordon being able to stop Jimmie Johnson from nabbing the QC. Sadly for Gordon, both the 24 and 48 sucked in qualifying trim and Dale Earnhardt Jr was able to sneak by Jeff into second place. Mark Martin finished up equal eighth but had I put in Almirola's performance at Talladega, he'd have ended fourth...I think.

Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Final Chase Standings:

1 - Jimmie Johnson, 97 points (2 poles in Chase)
2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 80 points
3 - Jeff Gordon, 79 points (2 poles in Chase)
4 - Carl Edwards, 62 points
5 - Greg Biffle, 54 points
6 - Denny Hamlin, 50 points
7 - Kasey Kahne, 48 points
=8 - Kyle Busch, 46 points
=8 - Mark Martin, 46 points
10 - Ryan Newman, 43 points
11 - Kurt Busch, 39 points
12 - Elliott Sadler, 34 points

Chad Knaus had his best raindance moves out during the Chase, effectively ruining anyone's shot to catch Jimmie with the four washouts, but even so, congratulations to the entire 48 bunch on winning this again. Martin Truex Jr ended 13th, Jamie McMurray came from the clouds to finish 14th, as did Matt Kenseth in 15th.

Jimmie repeats in the QC...and appears to be happy to have done so.

The RC was far closer, with Jimmie and Carl seperated by a single point going into Miami. Alas, for some odd reason, Jimmie raced conservatively while Carl went for it, leaving the HMS driver crushed when told about it after the race...probably...maybe...if he could be bothered reading this. Jimmie was letdown by my choice to award half points for those races under 400 miles but tough; that's what I said I'd do and that's what I did all season...better luck in 2009. David Ragan managed to hold off Clint Bowyer for 13th, while Jamie McMurray (like he did in the QC) rode a huge wave of momentum the last few races to #### 15th.

Tez's NASCAR Race Championship - Final Chase Standings:

1 - Carl Edwards, 146 points (3 wins in Chase)
2 - Jimmie Johnson, 132 points (3 wins in Chase)
3 - Kyle Busch, 97 points
4 - Greg Biffle, 94 points (2 wins in Chase)
5 - Jeff Gordon, 76 points
6 - Kevin Harvick, 74.5 points
7 - Jeff Burton, 74 points (1 win in Chase)
8 - Matt Kenseth, 61 points
9 - Tony Stewart, 56.5 points (1 win in Chase)
10 - Denny Hamlin, 56 points
11 - Kasey Kahne, 51.5 points
12 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 46 points

So there we have it. 2008 is done and dusted and Carl can do several backflips during the offseason to celebrate (not that I'd advise him to. I still say that, one day, he's going to misjudge it and end up wearing a plaster cast).

Carl showing off as per usual...and with good reason; as the 2008 TNRC Champion.

All up, 57 drivers scored points in the Qualifying standings and 54 for the Race one. I think I'll keep this format for next year and we'll see if it can produce another close one for the season-ender.

Next up...probably my awards I think. Not sure if I'll use the same categories or come up with new ones but we'll see.

Hmm, haven't updated since Bristol on here...not good.

Righto then, the QC first. Of the 12 guys who made my Chase last season, only Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray have missed out this year, being replaced by Mark Martin and Greg Biffle. We've also had two washouts in the five Chase races so far so the points are a bit lower due to that. Amazingly, up until Talladega, Mark was third in points and I considered giving him Almirola's points since Mark chose to skip that race but decided not to and gave him the one point for 'being last Chaser'...hopefully that won't screw up the winner after Miami but that remains to be seen.

Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - Chase after 5 rounds:

1 - Jimmie Johnson, 58 points (1 pole)
2 - Jeff Gordon, 45 points (1 pole)
3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 38 points
4 - Greg Biffle, 35 points
5 - Mark Martin, 33 points
6 - Carl Edwards, 27 points
7 - Denny Hamlin, 26 points
=8 - Kasey Kahne, 24 points
=8 - Ryan Newman, 24 points
10 - Kyle Busch, 22 points
11 - Elliott Sadler, 21 points
12 - Kurt Busch, 20 points

So a HMS 1, 2, 3 at the moment and we'll see if the rest can ruin their run at 'perfection'. At this stage, Martin Truex Jr holds 13th with Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan and Patrick Carpentier close enough behind to worry him. In case you're scratching your head over the fact that 2 + 2 doesn't equal five, Travis Kvapil didn't make the Chase so that's why there's only two pole positions listed.

Bit early to celebrate yet, but Jimmie does have the upper hand in both titles so far.

To the RC I guess and, again, it's Jimmie who has stolen a march on the rest but a certain K. Busch will appreciate the fact that he's sitting third in my standings and still very much in the hunt.

Tez's NASCAR Race Championship - Chase after 5 rounds:

1 - Jimmie Johnson, 83 points (1 win)
2 - Carl Edwards, 68 points
3 - Kyle Busch, 66 points
4 - Greg Biffle, 64 points (2 wins)
5 - Jeff Burton, 59 points (1 win)
6 - Tony Stewart, 37 points (1 win)
7 - Kevin Harvick, 35.5 points
8 - Kasey Kahne, 35 points
9 - Matt Kenseth, 33.5 points
10 - Jeff Gordon, 31.5 points
11 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 24 points
12 - Denny Hamlin, 19 points

The top five have pulled away from the rest and it would seem to be up to Jimmie to win this for HMS since Jeff and Dale aren't even close to being in the picture yet. The battle for 13th will most likely be between David Ragan and Clint Bowyer as they have more than a race in points over Ryan Newman who sits 15th thus far.

I guess all that remains is to sit back and see if Jimmie can do pull off the double double or if someone else will nip past him by seasons' end.

Yes, I know I haven't posted my points in ages...I have them updated but just haven't been bothered to putting them up here yet, will probably just put 'my' Chasers and say who's 13th some time this week.

Anyway, for the first time in 25 years, a driving pairing has won the Bathurst 1000 three years on the trot.

Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup were the guys who did it, and in doing so, remain the only drivers to win the Peter Brock trophy as that got introduced in 2006 after the tragic loss of Brock in a rough time for Australian icons since Steve Irwin moved on a month or so before that.

Lowndes taking the chequered flag at Bathurst.

The duo were the guys to beat ever since the track opened on Thursday. The other driver pairings who were hoping to displace the #888 Vodafone Falcon from the top step of the podium included Mark Skaife and Garth Tander (#1 HRT Commodore), James Courtney and David Besnard (#4 Jeld-Wen Falcon), Greg Murphy (who I think still hasn't forgiven NASCAR driver, Marcos Ambrose, for the collision in 2005 which took them both out of this race) and Jason Richards (#3 Sprint Gas Commodore), Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom (#6 FPR Falcon).

But it wasn't smooth sailing for the 2006 V8 champion, Rick Kelly, as his teammate, Paul Radisich, had a massive shunt and hobbled away with a broken ankle. Kelly was able to jump into the sister HSV Commodore, replacing an ill David Reynolds who was to partner Paul Dumbrell in the #15 Autobarn Commodore.

Tander took the pole from Winterbottom, Courtney and Kelly were on row two with Lowndes and Murphy taking up row three. The start saw Skaife creep forward before stalling and having to rejoin rear of the field....then, to make matter worse, he had jumped the start and got a penalty as a result. Lowndes and Murphy made contact on the run up to turn 2 as they attempted to go three-wide with Courtney, the contact damaged Murphy's steering while Lowndes got away relatively unscathed.

The #888 Falcon took the lead at the first round of pitstops and never looked back. Despite the late rush of safety cars, the duo appeared in complete control leaving the best battle on the track between Richards, Murphy and Courtney. Richards battled a majorly loose car, dirt-tracking his way around most of the 6.21km track and Murphy got by on lap 157 while Courtney slipped past on the penultimate lap.

However, no one had an answer for Lowndes and Whincup as they became the first driver pairing in 25 years to win this race three years in a row.

Final results of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000:
1 - Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup (#888 Ford Falcon)
2 - Greg Murphy and Jason Richards (#3 Holden Commodore)
3 - David Besnard and James Courtney (#4 Ford Falcon)
4 - Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom (#6 Ford Falcon)
5 - Brad Jones and Max Wilson (#14 Holden Commodore)
6 - Will Davison and Steven Johnson (#17 Ford Falcon)
7 - Dean Canto and Luke Youlden (#5 Ford Falcon)
8 - Jack Perkins and Nathan Pretty (#11 Holden Commodore)
9 - Jason Bright and Adam Macrow (#25 Ford Falcon)
10 - Fabian Coulthard and Alex Davison (#111 Ford Falcon)

For those who want to know how Boris Said did on his first visit to the track, his #67 Supercheap Commodore covered 140 of the 161 laps before having to retire...love to tell you what happened but since I missed the entire race weekend, I have no idea. My plan was to watch Lowe's, have the V8 website giving me updates of Bathurst and washing it all down with the F1 race at Fuji but I got asked out to a Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriend's family instead...she owes me a real good Christmas present now I tell you!

A 'technical alliance' if you will.

According to jayski, this afternoon will see an announcement that, for the first time since before the millennium ticked over, Marcos will not be racing for the blue oval as JTG Daugherty Racing will share technology with Mikey's team and, while Brad says otherwise, more or less be a fourth MWR car. He'll still be using the #47 and still have the Little Debbie sponsorship, it just will be with a Toyota badge rather than a Ford one.

Under the agreement, JTG Daugherty will get the same chassis, engines and techno-info-sharing that Mikey receives from TRD. Daugherty reckons this deal will put them about two years ahead of schedule since they would have been relying on, most likely, the NW series notes that Marcos has picked up the past couple of seasons (which would be very rough since the cars are not even remotely similar).

Homestead will be the final time Ambrose drives a Ford Fusion...for now anyway.

Based on the recent performances by both Waltrip and Reutimann, this may prove to be a good move for Marcos who, as he proved at both Watkins Glen and Dover (until damage, he was running in the top 15), can run with the big boys and will surely be a huge help to MWR with their road course program. I must say that I feel better about this than Marcos running by himself...and no disrespect to the Wood Brothers who have helped Ambrose enormously since 2006 when he entered the Truck series, he might wind up being a little more competitive than I previously thought.

Every so often, motorsport produces a winner that just leaves you shaking your head in amazement at how they did it; Zanardi's real 'pass in the grass' on Herta at Laguna Seca in 1996, Larry Perkins in the 1995 Bathurst 1000 after being a lap down (no lucky dog rule in V8's so he did it the hard way), Barrichello's victory at Hockenhiem, Kyle Busch at Darlington this season...believe me, I could go on.

Well, the 2008 Italian Grand Prix gave us a new name to add to that list. Not since...well, long before I was watching F1 anyway, the teams had a wet Monza to deal with. Now, Monza in the dry is a rather hairy ride; zero downforce with three big stops and any track in the wet all but guarantees the form book be chucked out for the weekend so why should this one be any different?

Initially it wasn't. More often than not in the past couple of seasons, Scuderia Toro Rosso have been mighty quick whenever Mother Nature steps in to level out the playing field then fade during the race due to it being dry. We saw glimpses of how good Sebastian Vettel may one day be when he stepped in for Robert Kubica at Indy last season and when he ran as high as third at Fuji until taking out himself and (sort of) teammate, Mark Webber, behind the safety car. But this year has seen the young German's stock only rise...so much so that there were whispers of him joining Ferrari before being signed to replace David Coulthard at Red Bull. He's a rather likeable guy as well, polite, makes time to sign stuff for fans, answers media questions (and even thanks them at the end of the interview)...as Martin Brundle said on the coverage of the race; he might be ruining the reputation of drivers everywhere.

Vettel at the wheel of his #15 Toro Rosso.

After swimming his way to being the youngest ever driver to nab a pole yesterday, Sunday dawned with grey skies and umbrellas out...the perfect conditions for a classic race as title favourite, Lewis Hamilton, had to work his way from 15th on the grid having made a hash of qualifying and we all saw at Silverstone how good Lewis can be in wet conditions. But the story was always going to be how long Vettel could hold off Kovy and whether Hamilton would pass Massa to increase his championship lead.

The answer was a simple one in the end; never...to both scenarios. It would be akin to, for arguments sake, the Wood Brothers winning the Coke 600 (which, given their current form, I think most would agree that luck would be required in big doses for that to happen).

Heikki's McLaren didn't even look remotely possible of hanging with Sebastian as whenever he closed down the gap, Vettel responded the very next lap and while Lewis looked capable of passing Felipe in the final third of the race, he had used up the best performance his inters had to offer and actually slipped back into the clutches of the eighth placed man, Mark Webber. So really, the only question was whether Vettel's car would hold together to collect not only his, but also the teams first ever win. From 1985 to 2005, Minardi were known as 'the other Italian F1 team' and always loitering at the back of the grid. Only once in their history did they qualify on the front row.

Sebastian became the youngest ever F1 winner.

Cue a new owner in the form of Gerhard Berger who changed the team into Toro Rosso from 2006 who, when it became clear that BMW were going to break from Williams to join Sauber, managed to secure Ferrari engines for the team. All that meant the stage was set for Ferrari to win again in Italy...just not in the way it was expected. Sebastian drove fantastically well and while he got lucky as conditions changed enough to switch from the monsoons to the inters at the time of his final stop, I don't think anyone would begrudge the little team from Faenza of their moment in the sun...and if anyone does, well I guess they just don't appreciate it when David slays Goliath.

Can you say "Lewis who?" Hail the new rainmaster in Formula 1; Sebastian Vettel.

You can forgive Scott Dixon for wanting to come out of the blocks like he did this season. His run at the 2007 IRL title included an amazing run of three wins on the trot and, but for an ounce of fuel, he would have been celebrating winning his second title 12 months ago. But, for whatever reason, most experts dismissed Dixon's performance and said this season would see a 'Brazilian battle' as Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves would be the ones to beat.

You can also forgive him for thoroughly dominating the Indy 500. After all, the last three seasons have seen the person who wins that race, wins the championship. But there was more to it than that. Scott's first visit to the famous track wound up in bitter disappointment in 2003 as he suffered the embarrassment of crashing out of the race while weaving behind the pace car warming up his tyres.

You can even forgive him for breaking his 'ice man' persona and showing frustration at Sonoma where he could have, potentially, wrapped up the title, but racing luck had clearly deserted him that day. The next race saw Helio further cut into Scott's lead leading to today's finale in Chicagoland and we've all heard this before to the leader going into a title deciding race; "all you have to do is..."

That meant that Dixon had two ways to race this thing; like Jimmie Johnson has done the last two races at Homestead in the Cup series, or to go for it.

Now, it's probably safe to say that Scott did take the first half of the race reasonably easy. After all, there's no point in overstressing the car when you're the one with the most to lose. However, that bad pit stop which dropped him into his 'dangerzone' was possibly the best thing to have happened since it forced Dixon to do what he'd done all season long; race.

His pit crew also made up for it by getting him out in front at the final stop and from there we were treated to a battle royale between Scott and Helio that produced the second closest ever finish in IRL history.

Scott celebrates on the podium.

So I guess you should also forgive Scott for not bothering to listen to reason and race for the points...after all, he hasn't done that all year so why should he have started today?

Congratulations, Scott, you've made Kiwis the world over very proud.

Alright, I haven't updated this since Chicagoland so forgive me for not bothering to go over the races/qualifying sessions in great detail. Suffice to say that the races have pretty much been shared between Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch as both men establish themselves as the guys to beat if anyone wants to win the title. Qualifying has seen the HMS boys of Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr move past Kyle for the lead and with just two races before the Chase begins, there are (mathematically at least) still 26 drivers battling to make the final 12.

All up, 53 drivers have scored points in the QC, with Johnson leading the way after continuing his hot streak in the past month.

Johnson has been on a tear and leads the QC with two races before the Chase.

Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - top 20 standings after 24 rounds:

1 - Jimmie Johnson, 669 points (3 poles)
2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 555 points (1 pole)
3 - Kyle Busch, 552 points (2 poles)
4 - Jeff Gordon, 513 points (2 poles)
5 - Kasey Kahne, 486 points (2 poles)
6 - Mark Martin, 465 points
7 - Carl Edwards, 417 points (1 pole)
8 - Elliott Sadler, 366 points
9 - Ryan Newman, 360 points (1 pole)
10 - Greg Biffle, 348 points (2 poles)
11 - Kurt Busch, 294 points
12 - Denny Hamlin, 270 points (1 pole)
=13 - Brian Vickers, 228 points (1 pole)
=13 - David Ragan, 228 points
15 - Tony Stewart, 214 points
16 - Scott Riggs, 204 points
17 - Patrick Carpentier, 199 points (1 pole)
18 - Bobby Labonte, 198 points
19 - Martin Truex Jr, 190 points
20 - Kevin Harvick, 183 points

While there has been just the one change in names since my last update (Vickers in for Nemechek), there has been a fair bit of shuffling around.

The RC has seen 46 guys scoring points, with Tony Raines bringing up the rear having finished 17th at Bristol last week. No change in the top 20 as far as drivers go, but Tony Stewart has gone from tenth to sixth so he's faring much better in the races than in qualy.

This has been a familiar sight this year...but Edwards is gunning for him.

Tez's NASCAR Race Championship - top 20 standings after 24 rounds:

1 - Kyle Busch, 864.5 points (8 wins)
2 - Carl Edwards, 804.5 points (6 wins)
3 - Jimmie Johnson, 536.5 points (2 wins)
4 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 505.5 points (1 win)
5 - Matt Kenseth, 483 points
6 - Tony Stewart, 444 points
7 - Kasey Kahne, 434.5 points (2 wins)
8 - Greg Biffle, 433.5 points
9 - Jeff Gordon, 427.5 points
10 - Jeff Burton, 423.5 points (1 win)
11 - Denny Hamlin, 403 points (1 win)
12 - Kevin Harvick, 397 points
13 - David Ragan, 381.5 points
14 - Ryan Newman, 318.5 points (1 win)
15 - Brian Vickers, 312 points
16 - Clint Bowyer, 298.5 points (1 win)
17 - Kurt Busch, 241.5 points (1 win)
18 - Mark Martin, 234 points
19 - Elliott Sadler, 220.5 points
20 - Martin Truex Jr, 210 points

With the 'end of regular season lead' being between Kyle and Carl, the real battle will be whether or not David Ragan can slip into the Chase at the expense of either Denny or Kevin...I think the rest of them are out of it.

The 2009 Indycar schedule got released earlier this month (I think...it could have been late July I suppose) and includes ten ovals and eight road courses (three permanent and five temporary/street courses).

- Sunday April 5: Streets of St. Petersburg - 1.8-mile street course
- Sunday April 19: Streets of Long Beach - 1.9-mile street course
- Sunday April 28: Kansas Speedway - 1.5-mile oval
- Sunday May 24: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (The Indy 500) - 2.5-mile oval
- Sunday May 31: The Milwaukee Mile - 1-mile oval
- Saturday June 6: Texas Motor Speedway - 1.5-mile oval
- Sunday June 21: Iowa Speedway - 0.875-mile oval
- Saturday June 27: Richmond International Raceway - 0.75-mile oval
- Sunday July 5: Watkins Glen International - 3.4-mile road course
- Sunday July 12: Streets of Toronto - 1.721-mile street course
- Sunday July 26: Edmonton City Centre Airport - 1.973-mile airport course
- Saturday August 1: Kentucky Speedway - 1.5-mile oval
- Sunday August 9: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - 2.258-mile road course
- Saturday August 23 Infineon Raceway - 2.245-mile road course
- Saturday August 29: Chicagoland Speedway - 1.5-mile oval
- Sunday September 6: The Raceway at Belle Isle Park - 2.096-mile street course
- Saturday September 19: Twin Ring Motegi - 1.5-mile oval
- Sunday October 11: Homestead-Miami Speedway - 1.5-mile oval

Now, those familiar with the CCWS and/or the IRL series will notice that the season ending race isn't where it usually is and there are a few glaring omissions in the schedule (no Road America or Vegas for example). Some people are disappointed with the increase in road course proportion while I am disappointed that the Gold Coast has lost its spot on the schedule.

Yes, Australia is a long way to come for a single weekend out of a season. Yes, for the past decade that race has always been late October and so doesn't fit the new schedule's timing...and it seems that I'm not alone in being disappointed.

The V8 Supercars host a round of their series on the streets of Surfers Paradise the same weekend as the Indycars. I speak from experience that while watching the V8's are wonderful, the reason everyone goes to the race is the watch the Indycars since that's the only time any of the races have a good timezone for that part of the world.

This was the race track that effectively launched Marcos Ambrose's stock car career. You may have heard of him? I think he did an OK job at Watkins Glen over the weekend. Anyway, he raced an exhibition race in 2000 and won...not bad for his first time in a race car that had a roof over him.

I found an open letter that the boss of the V8 Supercars, Tony Cochrane, put on the V8 website;


"Dear Sir,

I have read with interest the many comments and considerable garbage written concerning the proposed date problem associated with the Gold Coast Indy Event for 2009 and beyond.  Much of this angst is aimed at the Queensland Government and the GCMEC Board. In my opinion unfairly. Both the Government and the GCMEC have bent over backwards in trying to accommodate the new IRL's interests in working out a suitable date for 2008/2009.  Following are some facts regarding the matter which may help correct the record:-

* The Government and the GCMEC have supported Indy/Champ Cars now for many years, including some very ordinary periods in their somewhat chequered history.  In any business relationship you would hope that this counts for something?

* Despite the Event being held in late October for nearly ten years suddenly the IRL, incredulously, offer two dates well outside this traditional period?

* The Event gets its TV production and Telecast partner (the 7 Network) from V8 Supercars Australia (our Championship goes to 110 countries, many of them live).  Like all sporting events the telecast partner is paramount to the financial success of the Event, so their scheduling is critical.

* The IRL offer two dates - one in March which clashes with a major Australian Motorsport event which involves both V8 Supercars and the 7 Network, and another which not only clashes with the AFL and NRL final series but would be in the middle of the September school holidays!

* Are Gold Coast tourism operators suggesting that moving Indy to a time when they are already fully booked due to the school holidays is a smart move to preserve the IRL?  Additionally, we would have no telecast partner for the Event.

* Late October was originally picked because it coincides with a natural downturn and quiet period for Gold Coast tourism. (i.e. the $60m injection comes in handy).

* V8 Supercars recognizes the Event requires both V8's and an International Series to make this unique Event work.  If the IRL cannot see fit to honour a long standing agreement on the date then there are many other world class International Series of Motorsports that would readily fit the bill.

Our Championship employs nearly 800 people in S.E Queensland so this “home event” for us is an important part of our landscape, and for our part, we will work with the Government and GCMEC in any reasonable way.  At the end of the day, I hope common sense prevails and the Event continues as a joint round of V8 Supercars and the IRL.  However, I don't subscribe to the Event being held ransom to a date that will bankrupt GCMEC, and neither should the Gold Coast community, especially when we have viable alternatives! Our American friends owe both the community and the Event more than that, given the support the Event has given them.

Yours Sincerely,
Tony Cochrane
Chairman
V8 Supercars Australia"


'So what?', you may say. As I said earlier, the current dates don't coincide with the new schedule and Australia is a long way from Miami...but consider this; Nigel Mansell, the 1993 Indycar Champion, said on his first visit to the track in 1993 that the Gold Coast did such a great job with the track and it was easily the best setup he'd seen for a temporary street track. The same Nigel Mansell who in 1992 won the F1 title and had therefore raced on the hallowed tarmac of Monte Carlo as well as the streets of Las Vegas (or was it Phoenix? I can't remember now, but I do know there was a street race in the USA in the late 80's early 90's) and that if anyone wanted to setup a new street track, they would be wise to use the Gold Coast as a template.

Will 2008 be the last time anyone sees this sight on the streets of Surfers Paradise?

The drivers love coming downunder since it allows them to escape the spotlight they usually get in the States and the relaxed atmosphere is exactly what some teams need as the season draws to a close...and now they can it? Maybe I am blinded by nationalistic pride and all that but it seems silly to cut a race that everyone enjoys. In fact, many motorsport fans rate the Gold Coast race as one of the top ten motorsport events around the world.

Now, before the switch to October, the race was held in March (like the letter says is an option)...which doesn't fit the schedule either since I'd doubt it would be accepted to start the season anywhere else but the USA. I believe the reason that got switched was it was too close to the Australian Grand Prix (after it moved from Adelaide in November to Melbourne in March in 1996) and, as we all know, having two major international sporting events held back-to-back decreases the overall profit making ability so it made sense to move the Gold Coast race.

What about that other date the letter suggested...the one that clashes with this 'AFL' and 'NRL' finals, surely they can't be as big as Tony says and the fact that it's school holidays would mean that families would be able to go to the race anyway.

Wrong.

While Australia does embrace any international sporting event, when given the choice, we much prefer to stick to our own sports. Remember that we don't want to have a Saturday night F1 race as that clashes with the grand final of the AFL's preseason Cup...the PRESEASON Cup, not even the 'real' thing!

Even suggesting hosting the race when the finals are on would be akin to going "hey, let's host the Indy 500 in early February!" It's the same thing here; September has always been, and will always be, 'finals footy' time in Australia. The only way I can see where the Gold Coast would fit in the schedule wold be to start the season earlier and put our race after Long Beach (allowing a week off either side for travel and preparation) but that will only happen if they are serious about keeping Surfers Paradise as a venue. However, I get the impression that the honeymoon, which lasted since 1991 (and only has one repeat winner in its history), is over.

And, like Tony says, if they don't want us, there are plenty of other series that would jump at the opportunity...your loss, Indycar *shrugs*

Now, normally, my posts with similar titles are a good-natured poke at motorsport around the globe...but not this time. I've decided to use this instead to give my kudos to Marcos Ambrose on a truly incredible weekend (all the photos are from his website by the way).

While Cup qualifying got rained out, the Nationwide series did manage some practice and Marcos put up times in the top ten which would ordinarily be expected given his road course background. But this was no ordinary NW field...I think there were 20 drivers doing double duty and while Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon weren't in the NW cars, guys like Kyle Busch, Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick were so you couldn't say this was going to be a walk in the park for the Aussie.

Ambrose leads the way from Busch, Kenseth and Harvick.

Saturday morning came and went, with Marcos qualifying 12th for the NW race and being amongst the frontrunners, if not the frontrunner, in Cup practices...this was starting to look like Sonoma all over again, but would he get that storybook finish?

It didn't look that way as he got shuffled a bit at the start of the NW race. Jeff Burton lost it in front of him (whether or not Marcos tapped him I don't know...the replays were inconclusive but he looked to be too far back to have given Jeff a touch), he sent Sam Hornish Jr into a spin when Sam didn't get good traction in the esses while Marcos did and then with about 15 laps to go, he sideswiped a backmarker.

But, like most fairytales, one has to overcome adversity before the happy ending and this was no different.

His luck changed with 33 laps remaining. As Ambrose pulled into his pit box to get service on his final stop for the day, the caution flew so he (and Ryan Newman who pitted at the same time) escaped without penalty. Carl Edwards then divebombed Clint Bowyer on the restart allowing Marcos to gain a couple more spots in the ensuing chaos. Indeed, by the time the pitstops were all sorted, Marcos was in the top five and had more fuel than the cars in front of him.

Marcos taking the chequered flag.

They say that to finish first, first you have to finish and that rang true as the doorslamming battle between Burton and Busch meant that Ambrose and Jimmie Johnson were able to close down the gap. When Burton made his retaliatory move on Busch, that lifted Marcos to third behind Jeff and Jimmie. Unable to keep up with their pace, Marcos seemingly cruised along saving a little fuel and I imagine gave a huge smile when, first Johnson and then Burton ran out of gas and Marcos took the lead for good with three laps left.

And so, in his 59th start in the 59 car, Marcos Ambrose became the first Australian to win in the Nationwide series and got a tremendous reception after his on-track victory celebration. In nice gestures, Carl Edwards paid tribute to him when interviewed after the race, Kyle Busch gave him a handshake on the podium and even Jack Roush congratulated him on a job well done.

Not only did he smoke those tyres good, he also kept the car off the wall on that narrow front straight!

That's generally where the story says 'The End' right? Ahh, no...not in this case.

After starting shotgun on the field (ignoring those guys sent to the back for engine changes and whatnot...if you want to get picky, then I think he actually started 41st), Marcos stormed his way through the field to be running 15th after 23 laps. The final cycle of pitstops came and went and the #21 Ford Fusion was inside the top ten...but could he keep it going or would similar misfortune strike him like at Infineon?

With a slipping clutch and fading brakes, Marcos passed Martin Truex Jr for fourth and inherited third when Newman ran wide in turn one before 'the big one' happened behind. That allowed his brakes to cool down but that clutch was going to be an issue since the guy behind him, Juan Montoya, isn't well known for his patience. Ambrose went to the inside on the restart, telling Juan that if he wanted past, he'd have to go around the outside...something the Columbian did try on the final restart and ended up having to battle Truex allowing Marcos some breathing room as he closed in on Tony Stewart.

Marcos took the #21 to heights not seen by the team in over three years.

That was where the story ended as Ambrose finished behind Tony and Kyle, giving the Wood Brothers their best finish since 2005 and the best ever finish by an Australian in the Cup series (previous was a 18th by Tony Spanos at Martinsville in 1987 apparently).

Here are youtube links to the post race press conferences of both races for those interested (Cup one is just with Tony Stewart and him, no Kyle Busch):
NW part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k38VeKArQkY
NW part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUCTYP0TlNA
NW part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2MrupshJmQ

Cup part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnyXcEbhnnU
Cup part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnO6bVlEA-g
Cup part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Lt8TOqNmY

Now, I'll be the first to say not to expect a similar result from Marcos in next weekend's Cup race at Michigan since, despite Ambrose saying he doesn't want to be known just for his road racing expertise, he has to be realistic and knows that's when he's able to show off his talent, just like Robby Gordon. But he showed last weekend that sometimes you do get that fairytale ending and nice guys don't have to finish last.

Congratulations, Marcos. You've made Australia, and this Aussie in particular, proud, mate.

I had thought that jbroomy or bc525 would have been all over this one but I suppose I'll do the honours instead.

Last weekend saw two major milestones reached in motorsport; not only did NASCAR finally decide to hold a race in the rain (and yes, I am peeved that they'll refuse to do it for the Cup series if Chad Knaus' report on 'TWIN' had a shred of truth to it), but we also had the 100th different winner in F1 history.

Heikki Kovalainen, aka 'Kovy', was the lucky driver in more ways than one.

He put in a great qualifying lap to start second behind his teammate, and Championship leader, Lewis Hamilton but at the Hungaroring, that means the dirty side of the track. Indeed, Felipe Massa's Ferrari got the jump on both McLarens and took the lead going into turn one with Kovy settling into third...and a rather lonely race for the Finn had begun.

Kovalainen became the 100th different driver to reach the top step of the podium.

Now, some drivers have no winning luck at certain tracks; Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500, Michael Schumacher at the Australian GP, Glenn Seton at Bathurst, Rubens Barrichello at Interlagos and Kimi Raikkonen at Hockenheim just to name a few (dare I add Marcos Ambrose at Montreal to that list?). However, Felipe Massa tends to have more than his fair share of bad luck than most (although, some of his retirements are down to brainfades mind you...not good if he wants to win the title one day) and around Hungary, that 'luck factor' is even worse as he hadn't had a good points race there in his entire career.

That was set to change on Sunday as not only did he manage to get the jump on Lewis at the start, but he was able to slowly build his lead over the next 40 odd laps before he could cruise when Hamilton got a puncture on his left front tyre (either from flat spotting or debris, I'm not sure) with 29 laps to go (70 lap race by the way). At that time, Felipe's lead over Kovy was around 23 seconds and it looked a forgone conclusion that Massa was about to retake the Championship lead as Lewis had to work his way through the field for the second straight race. However, the racing Gods had something else in mind and as Felipe came down the front straight to start lap 68, his Ferrari V8 engine let go in a huge cloud of smoke and his race was over.

And so, that left Kovy to pick up the pieces and secure his first grand prix victory. The Finn, in just his second season finally broke through and repaid the faith Ron Dennis showed by replacing Fernando Alonso, the man who had won the 2005 and 2006 titles, with him. Now, I pretty much expected Kovy to struggle against Lewis this season since Lewis had all of 2007 to get used to 'the McLaren way', but now that he has that first win, his confidence at a title shot in 2009 would have been significanlty boosted.

As for the luckless Massa...well, he can take heart in the fact that his teammate came from further back this time last year to win the Championship so all is not lost yet.

Or rather, in racing terms; if you put yourself in position enough times, eventually you'll breakthrough.

I get the impression that might be Marcos Ambrose's mantra for this week as, once again, victory in Montreal slipped from his grasp.

Going into the weekend, there was no doubt that the #59 STP Ford was going to be one of the cars to watch and Ambrose made good on those promises. He qualified third and snuck into second, passing Max Papis, before the first safety car period came out on lap 7. For the first time in NASCAR history, this caution wasn't to wait out the rain, but rather to give all teams the chance to fit a windshield wiper, brake light and whatever else could be done inside the allotted time to help against fogging up windows and helmets.

Once the race got back underway, Ambrose wasted little time in passing Scott Pruett for the lead and then proceeded to get back to where he left off here twelve months ago; giving a demonstration on how to drive this track. By the time the next yellow flag came out, Marcos had built his lead to over eight seconds, he did it again the next time (even going off-track and still retaining the lead) before coming in for his final pit stop on lap 41. Such was his performance (assisted by the weather of course) that, even allowing for his drive-through penalty for speeding, he came out in third and was poised to challenge for the win as his wets were far fresher than those of Ron Fellows (who had yet to make his last stop) and Patrick Carpentier (who chose not to change his tyres at his stop...Kimi Raikonnen at Silverstone last month, anyone?).

Alas, we'll never know if both drivers were holding back or, indeed, whether Ambrose could have gotten by them, as the rain became torrential and NASCAR, wisely, called the race off with 26 laps remaining. It was small consolation for the Australian that he led the most laps for the second straight year as he was interviewed after the race; "We’ve dominated this race twice now and not closed the deal. I’m bitterly disappointed and I feel a little robbed. It doesn’t feel too good."

 He may have been in different colours, but Marcos gave a repeat performance of 2007...complete with the same result; no win.

Does Montreal owe Ambrose? Maybe.

But hey, that's racing and sometimes the guy with the best car doesn't win. The good news for Marcos is he doesn't have to wait long for the next road course and if his performances at Sonoma and Montreal are anything to go by, expect him to be running in the top 10...as long as he doesn't dwell too much on the one that got away.

Lakeside International Raceway…where my motorsport addiction all began I suppose.

I don’t remember how old I was or if I went with my family on the Saturday or Sunday, but I do remember getting #### Johnson’s autograph…yes, the very same #### Johnson that had a brief stint in NASCAR in 1989 and 1990 and owner of the Jim Beam Racing team in V8 Supercars.

In 2003, Lakeside made history as it became the first motor racing facility in the world to be given full permanent heritage listing.

The 1.5 mile long paved track itself was around a 20 minute drive from my home and the turnoff from the main road and just opposite a rail station so getting to the place wasn’t a major problem. From mid-2001 to April 5 this year, the track had been closed as most series preferred to use the more modern Queensland Raceway located near Ipswich. Throughout its history, Lakeside was used as the venue for a wide range of racing championships including the Australian Grand Prix (non-Championship round at that stage) on two occasions, the Australian Touring Car Championship (now called the V8 Supercars) and the Australian Superbike Championship. Now, another series can be added to Lakeside’s illustrious history as the GGW ‘Show Your Moon’ tour crosses the Pacific Ocean for its ninth round.

‘The Trans-Pacific Traveller 150’ is the only race of the tour that heads to the better hemisphere (and if anyone wants to argue that fact, I’ll set loose all those dangerous critters we have to convince you *laugh*) and competition for the win will be fierce…even if the temperatures will be somewhat cooler than what the drivers have been used to as it’s currently the middle of winter. However, ‘cooler’ is a relative term as the only way this part of the world gets blanketed in white is when it hails…so no snow angels are needed in any of the drivers resúmés for this race (dust angels will be a must however).

As can be easily seen from the map, the GGW circus heads southnorth-westeast for round 9.

Now, since this is downunder (and, if you believe those who don’t live here over those who do, backwards as well) territory, the orgainisers have decided to roll out an old V8 Supercar idea to make things that little more challenging; a reverse grid.

So, that means that starting up front is klvalus and Hanahan while yours truly and jbroomy will start at the tail end of the field. The favourites will be those drivers who can ####-handle their car around the track the best since being a road course, setup will be a compromise. Fatigue will likely be a factor here this weekend as all teams (yes, including me now) have to cope with the long haul flight so bodyclocks shall have to be reconfigured lest you wind up sticking your car into one of the gravel traps that will conspire to ruin your day…though the track is right next to a golf course so you can swap the gravel trap for a sand trap if you want to. Also, just a short drive north are the Glasshouse Mountains. 'Who cares?' you might say. Well, to keep things nice and ####-ly, everyone shall be given the opportunity the day after the race to climb up Mt Tibrogargan, also known to locals as ####-face.

 

Easy to see where Tibrogargan gets its nickname from this angle, eh?

 

For decades (Lakeside turned 47 on April 29 this year by the way), the track was second only to Bathurst as the fastest track in Australia and with its varying elevation over the course of a lap, it provided a proper challenge for any driver. A rather curious fact about the track is that every corner shares a common radius which allows drivers to find their rhythm reasonably quickly. But, you never want to let your guard down as apart from sharing a common radius, all turns also change from positive to negative camber at mid-corner…hmm, maybe getting your rhythm takes a bit longer than it looks on paper then ;)

So exactly how difficult is the place to race at? Well, if Darlington is considered ‘too tough to tame’, then Lakeside could claim to be its road course equivalent. Five time 500cc Motorcycle GP World Champion, Mick Doohan, once said, “If you can learn to race at Lakeside, you can compete at any race track in the world.”

So why argue with a legend?

Ladies and Gentlemen, let the downunder battle for supremecy begin…

Well, we’re just passed the halfway point in the season and it’s looking like 2007 all over again; the one guy still leading both titles.

Joe Nemechek managed to bump out AJ Allmendinger after the solitary qualifying run at Daytona (no points for washouts remember) while Dale Earnhardt Junior has swapped places with Jimmie Johnson and closed the gap between himself and Kyle Busch from 54 points to 30.
 
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - top 20 standings after 19 rounds:

1 - Kyle Busch, 507 points (2 poles)
2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 477 points (1 pole)
3 - Jimmie Johnson, 465 points (1 pole)
4 - Kasey Kahne, 396 points (2 poles)
5 - Jeff Gordon, 339 points (2 poles)
6 - Mark Martin, 339 points
7 - Carl Edwards, 313 points
8 - Greg Biffle, 270 points (2 poles)
9 - Denny Hamlin, 261 points (1 pole)
=10 - Ryan Newman, 255 points (1 pole)
=10 - Elliott Sadler, 255 points
12 - Kurt Busch, 225 points
13 - David Ragan, 222 points
14 - Tony Stewart, 204 points
=15 - Bobby Labonte, 180 points
=15 - Scott Riggs, 180 points
17 - Martin Truex Jr, 174 points
18 – Joe Nemecheck, 158 points (1 pole)
19 - Patrick Carpentier, 157 points (1 pole)
20 - Kevin Harvick, 146 points


The two races have been a complete Kyle Busch benefit as his lead over the rest has grown to over two full races now.  No personnel changes within the top 20, but Matt Kenseth, due to his recent hot form, has risen to fourth from eighth while both Jeff’s lost two spots.

Tez's NASCAR Race Championship - top 20 standings after 19 rounds:

1 - Kyle Busch, 732.5 points (7 wins)
2 - Carl Edwards, 551 points (3 wins)
3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 475.5 points (1 win)
4 - Matt Kenseth, 405 points
5 - Jimmie Johnson, 396 points (1 win)
6 - Jeff Burton, 378 points (1 win)
7 - Kasey Kahne, 364 points (2 wins)
8 - Jeff Gordon, 345 points
9 - Greg Biffle, 337.5 points
10 - Tony Stewart, 324 points
11 - Denny Hamlin, 311.5 points (1 win)
12 - Kevin Harvick, 304 points
13 - Ryan Newman, 279.5 points (1 win)
14 - Brian Vickers, 279 points
15 - David Ragan, 270.5 points
16 - Clint Bowyer, 246 points (1 win)
17 - Kurt Busch, 226.5 points (1 win)
18 - Martin Truex Jr, 181.5 points
19 - Mark Martin, 150 points
20 - Elliott Sadler, 145.5 points
 

After a week off, the teams head to Indy and Tony Stewart will be hoping to repeat and give his season a big shot in the arm.

---

On a side note, I did some digging around and found some interesting stats. The comparison between the actual Cup points this time last year and now makes for interesting reading:

(2007) Jeff Gordon - 2911 points, 4 wins, 12 top fives, 17 top tens, 1 DNF, 764 laps led and a 303 point lead over second place (Denny Hamlin at that stage).

(2008) Kyle Busch - 2881 points, 7 wins, 12 top fives, 13 top tens, 1 DNF, 1065 laps led and a 262 point lead over second place.

Now, I don’t seem to recall Chevrolet attracting as much stick about having a significant advantage over everyone else (they did launch a new engine package, remember?) as Toyota are this year and yet Jeff had a bigger lead in the Championship. I do wonder if Kyle will be getting all of those “the Chase is unfair since he’ll lose his big championship lead!” comments like Jeff did around this time of the season…something tells me he won’t, but Kyle won’t care as long as he can keep winning I guess.