Busch Scores Solid Top-Five at Charlotte

2012 NSCS 18 car (Kyle Busch) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

M&M’s Driver Finishes Fifth in Night Race

Date: Oct. 13, 2012
Event: Bank of America 500 (Round 31 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
Start/Finish: 8^th/5^th (Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing: 13^th (951 points, 62 ahead of 14^th)
Winner: Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing (Toyota)

Many times this season Kyle Busch has entered a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with high hopes, only to have bad luck knock him from contention. It was the same story but with a different ending in the Bank of America 500 Saturday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Busch placed fifth to score his ninth top-five finish of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

“We had a really good race car, and I felt like we had a winning car barring circumstances and how they played out,” said Busch, who has 11 top-10 finishes in 18 career Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte. “Just tight on landing, loose on throttle – just trying to figure out that and rebalance that as the night went on but just couldn’t quite figure that out. The guys fought hard, and they fought hard yesterday. We were kind of trying to fix all those and made it a little bit better today, but just didn’t have enough to be a winning car.”

After starting eighth Saturday night, Busch showed strength early when his M&M’s Toyota Camry climbed into the top-five by lap 22, with the only handling issue early being a tight condition in the middle of the turns. The No. 18 M&M’s team took advantage of the third caution of the race by coming to pit road to remove a spring rubber, make a track-bar adjustment, change four tires and add fuel. The team was one of only a handful to make a four-tire stop, which resulted in Busch restarting the race from 13^th place. It was also the only time during the race Busch ran outside the top-10.

When green-flag racing resumed, Busch quickly went to work and climbed to eighth place by lap 70. The longer the run went, the tighter the handling on the M&M’S car became. So the team worked on the car’s handling during a round of green-flag pit stops on lap 81, taking another stab at chassis and air pressure adjustments. Busch returned to the track and moved back into the top-five on lap 100.

Throughout the course of the race, the team tried a combination of minor adjustments to make the M&M’s car handle more consistently. While the car’s handling may not have been perfect, it still allowed Busch to compete in the top-five during the second half of the race. Busch moved into second place for the restart after the fifth caution on lap 224.

It would wind up being the final caution of the race. But as the laps wound down, it became evident that the finale would be determined by fuel mileage. A handful of teams gambled with their final pit stop, electing to stretch their fuel to try and make it to the end of the race with just one stop. The M&M’s team was not in a position to stretch its fuel, so Busch raced hard to the end, making a green-flag pit stop for minor adjustments on lap 268. Busch reclaimed second place once stops cycled through and gave up the position for one last stop for two tires and fuel on lap 309. He returned to the track in eighth place and picked up three positions during the final 25 laps of the race to finish fifth.

“Darn fuel mileage played against us again, but it’s good for the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and those guys,” Busch said. “They come home second. The M&M’s Camry was fast, and the guys worked hard all weekend. I really can’t say enough about them, but it just wasn’t there for us at the end with the strategy and everything. We came home OK.”

Busch’s JGR companions – Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry, and Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry – finished second and ninth, respectively.

Clint Bowyer won the Charlotte 500 to score his eighth career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his first at Charlotte.

Hamlin finished .417 of a second behind Bowyer in the runner-up spot, while Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Busch rounded out the top-five. Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 23 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race.

Hamlin is representing JGR in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, and he left Charlotte holding on to third place in the standings with 2,199 points, 15 points behind Chase leader Keselowski.

Busch maintained 13^th in the standings with 951 points, 62 ahead of 14^th-place Ryan Newman. Logano gained a position in the points to 17^th place with 832 points, 119 points behind Busch in 13^th. Since they are not Chase participants, Busch and Logano can finish no higher than 13^th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Hollywood Casino 400 on Oct. 21 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Source: True Speed Communication for Mars US/Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release

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CUP: Future Is Here For Patrick, Others

Danica Patrick is one of the drivers trying to get a head start on next year by changing crew chiefs…

Source: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-future-is-here-for-danica-patrick-others-spint-nascar1/

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Whose Parking Regime Reigns Supreme? LA, SF, and NYC Compare Notes

Less than a week after Queens Community Board 3 signed off on DOT’s PARK Smart pilot for Jackson Heights, New York’s neighborhood-level parking policy changes were given some national context on Wednesday at the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ “Designing Cities” conference.

A parking meter in San Francisco. Photo: Walter Parenteau/Flickr

Given the Department of City Planning’s halfhearted attempts to reduce off-street parking requirements, NYC DOT’s changes to on-street parking prices are the boldest parking reform happening in the city right now. But the panel made clear that nationally, other cities have a leg up on New York when it comes to putting the right price on parking.

New York is one of several cities across the country taking steps to reduce double-parking and wasteful cruising for scarce curbside spots by adjusting meter rates to align with demand. This type of curbside parking management can be a very effective tool to reduce congestion. In some New York neighborhoods, drivers cruising for parking constitute nearly half of all traffic.

On-street parking reform is “very much lodged in the broader effort in New York to change how the street is used,” said NYC DOT Deputy Commissioner for Traffic and Planning Bruce Schaller at the panel. By reducing the number of drivers double-parking or distracted by the search for a space, Schaller said, “it’s easier to bike down the street if you have a bike lane and it’s faster if you’re on the bus.”

While NYC DOT has achieved measurable progress with PARK Smart in Park Slope, two California cities are out in front on curbside parking reform. San Francisco’s SFpark program and Los Angeles’s LA Express Park are perhaps the nation’s most advanced on-street parking management programs.

Both cities, spurred by federal grants that help cover the cost of new parking technology, have incrementally adjusted prices as often as once a month in response to demand, installed sensors to measure real-time parking availability, launched pay-by-phone systems, and provided smartphone apps and on-street electronic signage with rate and availability information. (The apps, of course, cut both ways, since they can distract people behind the wheel if used while driving.)

Los Angeles also outfits enforcement agents with a tablet application that maps the location of every car occupying an unpaid parking space, allowing them to target enforcement. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, parking enforcement is performed by the transportation department; in New York it falls under the NYPD.

In San Francisco, the city government stopped offering free parking to its employees when SFpark went into effect and instead gave workers the option to either pay the same meter rates as the general public or buy a $1,000 permit for unlimited parking. “We wanted to put our own house in order and play by the same rules as everybody else,” said SFpark program manager Jay Primus. In New York, while City Hall has tried to cut the number of free parking placards issued to city employees, the total remains above 100,000. All those drivers with free parking perks can disrupt efforts like PARK Smart to put a more rational price on curbside spaces.

SFpark, covering 7,000 parking spots (a quarter of the city’s metered spaces), also includes city-owned parking garages, where rates were cut significantly in order to compete with curbside spaces. Now garage parking is often less expensive than on-street parking — the reverse of what drivers find in New York. As a result, garage occupancy has increased in San Francisco from 35 to 55 percent full during the day, which indicates that more drivers may be heading straight to garages instead of clogging the streets in search of a cheap spot. A full evaluation of the SFpark program is planned for summer 2013.

In many ways, New York, which is experimenting with sensors and is still planning a pay-by-phone pilot, is playing catch-up. ”We’ve learned a lot from LA and San Francisco,” Schaller told his colleagues, before lowering his voice. “I hope you’ve learned a few things from us.” The statement was received with smiles from the California representatives.

New York, with 80,000 metered spaces, is taking a slightly different approach to curbside parking reform than many other cities. Most significantly, New York is focusing its reforms on neighborhood commercial areas instead of the central business district.

In some cities, additional revenue from higher parking prices is dedicated to streetscape improvements in the neighborhoods where the revenue is generated, in an effort to make the changes more appealing to local retailers and residents. None of the three cities on the panel do this. In New York, Schaller said, changes are enacted solely “based on the benefits of pricing itself” — specifically, increased parking availability and reduced congestion.

Schaller also shed some light on the abandoned PARK Smart pilot on Madison Avenue and East 86th Street. In that neighborhood, “the off-street rates are so much higher than the on-street rates, that whenever a spot opens up, someone will grab it,” he said. “We may have changed some people’s behavior, but it doesn’t show up in the data because there’s someone waiting in line right behind them.”

DOT halted the Upper East Side PARK Smart pilot after Manhattan Community Board 8 voted against DOT’s request to expand the project area and raise parking rates in February 2011.

“In some ways we weren’t happy with that outcome,” Schaller said, but he added that it did have a silver lining. “It really helps your credibility” when working with community boards and merchants, he said. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll take it out, and we did it on the Upper East Side.”

DOT is in early talks to bring a PARK Smart pilot to the Atlantic Avenue business district in Brooklyn, and some residents and merchants near the Barclays Center have expressed support for bringing the program to their neighborhoods.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/10/26/at-nacto-conference-la-and-sf-outpace-nyc-on-parking-reform/

Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green

Fast Facts: Ryan Newman

Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2012/10/fast-facts-ryan-newman.html

Bill Holland Jackie Holmes Bill Homeier Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt

Raikkonen: Saturday error cost podium

Kimi Raikkonen reckons his Lotus was capable of delivering a podium in India but that starting from seventh on the grid made it almost impossible to fight his way into such a position.

The Finn, who finished over 45 seconds off winner Sebastian Vettel, was left rueing a set-up change prior to qualifying which he claimed left him ‘grip-less’.

Raikkonen then indicated that finishing in the same position in the race was a direct result of that.

“I really thought that we had a car this weekend that we would be able to fight for a podium with and I am very sure that we had,” he said. “But the mistake we made yesterday took all those chances out.”

Raikkonen’s race consisted of a prolonged spat with Felipe Massa, and he briefly got ahead of the Brazilian for sixth position by pitting a lap earlier, only to then watch the Ferrari breeze past him in the DRS zone.

“I got once past after he came out [of the pits] but he just passed me in a straightline,” said Raikkonen. “I had a very good car today but I just couldn’t do anything, which is we were not able to pass anyone on a straightline.

“Quite disappointing but that is how it goes. We put ourselves in that position yesterday so we’ve paid the price now.”

Raikkonen added that his slim chances of fighting Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso for the title had now all but gone.

The 33-year-old is 67 points behind Vettel with 75 points left on the table.

“The championship is gone pretty much, but that doesn’t matter really,” He said. “I am just disappointed with what we did yesterday because we had a very good car today so we couldn’t do anything with it.

“Hopefully in the next race we can be a bit more smart and we have the speed again so I can challenge for a podium.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/raikkonen-saturday-error-cost-podium

Johnny Herbert Al Herman Hans Herrmann François Hesnault Hans Heyer

Ecclestone: Budget cap F1′s best option

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes a budget cap that covers all the spending of teams is the best way to bring costs in the sport under control.

As AUTOSPORT revealed, Ecclestone proposed the idea of a budget cap at last week’s meeting of team principals in Paris, and also mentioned it again during a get-together with bosses in the Indian Grand Prix paddock on Friday.

Teams are now evaluating the idea, but Ecclestone is in no doubt that the budget cap – which he wants to set at £155 million ($250 million USD) for 2014 – will be better than trying to bring in other cost cut measures.

“We are looking at the right way to put it in,” explained Ecclestone. “I hate this word ‘cut’, it is not the way to go.

“We want to reduce the necessity to spend money to be competitive – so that someone can come in to F1 with a sensible budget, be competitive and not have to spend a fortune.”

Ecclestone said that his ideal would be for the budget cap to encompass all of a team’s spending – including drivers’ wages – and that the original £155m limit would be pushed down in future years.

“I am talking about a maximum of spend, everything – including salaries,” he said. “Once we have got the principle agreed, then we can reduce the amount.”

Although some team principals are in favour of a budget cap, not all agree that the concept can work.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “I think it [the £155m limit] sounds like quite a lot of money, so I don’t know how much it is going to help too many teams.

“The philosophy of controlling costs in F1 is important, it is important to our sport, and we all agree on that.

“But there is different opinion on how you best achieve that. Bernie wants one that controls driver salaries and all those things, but I think what we should be trying to do is ensure that we are spending money in the appropriate places; we should be controlling excessive spend in development.

“It is a bit unrealistic to have a global budget cap because it comes even more difficult to pin down and know that everyone is operating within it.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/ecclestone-budget-cap-f1s-best-option

Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini

Video: Nissan and Playstation preview second season of GT Academy

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Nissan, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Nissan has announced the second season of Nissan GT Academy is set to premiere on SPIKE TV starting later this week. Starting on November 1 at 11:30 pm EST, the show will follow the top 32 Gran Turismo video gamers that qualified as finalists out of the 400,000 registered online players who took a shot at becoming a real-life race car driver. That number dropped to just 16 after a show down in San Diego, and that lucky crew got to take a trip to the Silverstone Racing Complex in England for the final series of tests.

The tests in question included both physical and psychological challenges to prepare the would-be racers for time in the cockpit. Each episode will see one contestant sent home after evaluations from professional drivers Danny Sullivan, Maryeve Dufault and Boris Said. Of course, should you miss the episodes on the air, they'll reappear on YouTube the following Monday. Check out the show's teaser as well as the full press release below.

Continue reading Nissan and Playstation preview second season of GT Academy

Nissan and Playstation preview second season of GT Academy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/31/nissan-and-playstation-preview-second-season-of-gt-academy/

Jesús Iglesias Taki Inoue Innes Ireland Eddie Irvine Chris Irwin

No. 81 Thrush & Son / Hi-Technologies Toyota Camry Of Jason Bowles 28th At Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday Night

Jason Bowles

(CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA) October 14, 2012 – With Kentucky sponsor Thrush & Son Complete Home Improvement back on the No. 81 of Jason Bowles, the MacDonald Motorsports team was pumped up for a strong run at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night. After qualifying a solid 20th, The Thrush & Son/HI-Technologies No. 81 was quick early on, before pit road penalties relegated Bowles to a 28th place result.

“The car was quick early as we moved up to 17th and were challenging for more,” explained Bowles. “As we were taking the wave around on the third caution I felt like I had a flat right rear. Pitting on the wave around got us a drive through penalty which really put us behind. Later in the race we had a vibration and I had to make another un-scheduled pit-stop. After that it was just about bringing the car home and getting the best possible finish we could.”

The 28th place finish was definitely a let-down for the MacDonald Motorsports team as they knew they had a quick race car following qualifying. The Thrush & Son/HI-Technologies No. 81 advanced towards the front early on before getting tight. A caution flag allowed crew chief John Monsam to make some changes to the car, which really helped getting the car to turn.

“We got the car pretty good there after the first pit-stop but we’ll never know how it would have turned out,” said Jason after the race. “I feel bad for the guys and everyone at Thrush & Son Complete Home Improvement but there’s always next week. I really want to thank Thrush & Son, HI-Technologies, Megabus.com, and Barbizon Modeling Agency for their support this weekend. On to Kansas next week.”

Despite the poor finish, Jason remained 13th in the 2012 Driver Standings. The No. 81 also remains 22nd in the owner’s points.

Next weekend the MacDonald Motorsports team makes their way to Kansas Speedway. The Kansas Lottery 300 can be seen live on ESPN at 3:00PM ET Saturday, October 20th.

Follow Jason Bowles on Social Media….. Keep up with everything that Jason is doing by following him on twitter @bowlesjason. Fans can also follow the race team on twitter @mms81_pr.

Follow Thrush & Son on Social Media….. Learn more about Thrush & Son and HI-Technologies on twitter @thrush_and_son, on facebook, and at their websites, www.thrushandson.com and www.hi-technologies.com.

About C.H.I.P.

CHIP is a 100% web based business software that saves time and money. CHIP tracks closing rates while also controlling commissions of a company’s sales force and contracted labor costs. This program organizes customers’ information and record keeping. It also configures mailing lists, creates material orders and generates all work orders for projects that are sold. CHIP also offers the capability to track profit and loss for each project that is entered into the program to let an owner or manager know where they stand on that job. All of this is done with a few simple clicks of a button and can be from accessed anywhere via internet explorer. No matter the size of a home improvement company, CHIP will allow for growth and enable a business to become more profitable. This is done by saving time and money on each job, controlling a work force and organizing a home improvement company’s day-to-day business operations! This business solution was created by a contractor with simplicity in mind for other contractors in the home improvement industry.

About Thrush & Son Complete Home Improvement

Thrush & Son: Complete Home Improvement Company has been a respected leader in the home improvement industry since 1960. W. Allen Thrush (Pres/CEO) purchased the company from his father in 1989 and that’s when the company began to grow and evolve into the industry leader that it is today. Thrush & Son has been recognized in numerous national publications. Thrush & Son takes pride in their quality craftsmanship and the fact that after 52 years in the industry, they are still truly a family owned and operated business. Whether your home has been damaged by a severe storm or you are interested in a new roof, windows, siding, patio covers, gutters, or insulation Thrush & Son has all the bases covered when it comes to transforming a house into a dream home.

MacDonald Motorsports

MacDonald Motorsports Owner Randy MacDonald has been around the NASCAR circles since 1985, when he began his own racing career with the loving support of his father “Doc” and his mother Pat MacDonald. As a NASCAR driver, Randy was successful in making it all the way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The MacDonald family became NASCAR team owners in 1986 and have fielded cars in all three of NASCAR’s elite series following faith based principles. MacDonald Motorsports focuses on assisting our sponsors with strategically increasing the overall awareness of corporate messaging or brand recognition by consistently articulating the message to be delivered through motorsports. MacDonald Motorsports offers drivers opportunities to gain experience from grass roots all the way through the elite series of NASCAR.

Source: MacDonald Motorsports Press Release

The post No. 81 Thrush & Son / Hi-Technologies Toyota Camry Of Jason Bowles 28th At Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday Night appeared first on Catchfence.

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Team Honda Research - West and Rimicci Corse Prepare for the USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (October 30, 2012) - The United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill race is just over a month away with plenty of high profile entries preparing for the twice around the clock plus one hour race to be run at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California on December 8-9. Two exciting entries are the Team Honda Research - West Acura ILX and the Rimicci Corse Fiat 500 Abarth.

ACURA ILX Team Honda Research - West, located in Los Angeles, is building a pair of Acura ILX cars for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The build was completed in time for this week's Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.

Calvin Liu, Team Honda Research - West project leader, created the build plan and schedule early in the year as the team not-so-patiently waited for the cars to arrive. Once the new chassis and donor cars arrived in late summer, the bodies were prepped and painted. Next, the roll cages were installed. Once the team received the donor cars from Acura Public Relations, the work began in earnest. Following the primal fun of tearing down the donor cars, the suspension, powertrain, interior and electronics were fitted to the two new white-body chassis.

"Team Honda Research - West, with support from American Honda and HPD, has entered two Acura ILX cars to highlight the performance credentials of the new entry level Acura," Liu said. "Team members from Honda R&D, American Honda Motor Company, Honda Access America and Honda Performance Development (HPD) have been contributing many after-work hours, including weekends, to build the two cars. The team has completed two shakedown tests of the first ILX at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, and a third, more extensive test at Willow Springs International Raceway prior to delivering one of the cars for display at SEMA in Las Vegas."

Liu likes the challenge that running Thunderhill Raceway for 25 hours provides to car and driver.

"We are racing in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill because the track layout offers a great blend of speed, handling, and braking. It is a grueling event that taxes all parts of the car and team, like engine, transmission, suspension, and strategy. While we could go out and just run a test all by ourselves and get the mileage, Honda thrives on competition. It is one thing to say you did all this testing, but it is another to conquer the elements, show mechanical durability and speed, and to measure yourself against the competition."

Honda has a rich history at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. With entries ranging from individual Honda associate-run teams to full, HPD-supported efforts such as the Honda CRZ hybrid program of 2010, Honda-affiliated teams have been on the grid of every 25 Hours of Thunderhill since 2003.

Rimicci Fiat 500 Rimicci Corse, based in Northridge, Calif., has built a Fiat 500 Abarth to compete in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Anthony Rimicci, team principal, is utilizing the two-day event as a part of the development program for the car. Rimicci will partner with GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge driver and 25-hour veteran Johnny Kanavas, brother and Alfa Romeo racer Fabrizio Rimicci, and longtime vintage racing friend Efrain Olivares in hopes that the Abarth will somehow survive the longest endurance race in the world.
Rimicci Abarth
Anthony Rimicci with Rimicci Corse Fiat Abarth 500.

"One great thing about being Italian is that you have a huge family, which means you have a lot of people you can ask for help," said Rimicci. "Also, it means we'll have an espresso machine in our trailer to keep the guys going through the night. The 25 Hour will be a big challenge, but we also expect it to be a lot of fun. We can't think of a better scenario to test the Abarth under race conditions and really push its limits. There are a lot of parts that have been built specifically for the car and we really want to put them to the test to get ready for next season."

Jerry Kunzman, NASA Executive Director, likes the mix of privateer and "skunk work" factory teams that populate the diverse grid for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

"There is a nice mix of top privateer, semi-factory and full factory backed entries for the 25 Hours," Kunzman said. "The teams with factory affiliation look forward to competing with the best privateer teams the sport has to offer. The Team Honda Research - West guys are no strangers to the 25 Hours. They have been with us since the first one in 2003. Rimicci has a very interesting Fiat 500. I am looking forward to seeing that great looking car on the track come December."

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/10/team_honda_research_-_wes.php

James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman

Regan Smith Inks Full Time Nationwide Series Ride With Dale Jr.’s #5

Source: http://thefinallap.com/2012/10/24/33350/

José Froilán González Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

NYPD Snafu Means No Justice for Bronx Cyclist Left to Die in the Street

NYPD torpedoed its own investigation into the crash that killed a Bronx cyclist, whose death was not reported to the Accident Investigation Squad for over a month.

Joseph Nelson, 54, was riding his bike near the intersection of Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue on the afternoon of April 14 when he hit the open door of a parked car, which was then driven from the scene, according to DNAinfo. Paramedics found Nelson unconscious in the street. He was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.

Joseph Nelson. Photo via DNAinfo

Though he died shortly after the crash, the 52nd Precinct did not inform the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad until May 18.

“Amazingly, it was the medical examiner’s office that confirmed the cause of death after an autopsy was performed,” wrote Daniel Flanzig, an attorney hired by Nelson’s family, on Gothamist. “We believe once that office made the conclusion as to the cause of death being caused by a ‘dooring’ they then notified the NYPD. This was when we believe [the] assignment was given to the AIS for the first time.”

John Nelson tells a familiar story: The family enlisted an attorney after his brother’s death because NYPD was uncommunicative. ”I got one initial call,” he told DNAinfo. “Aside from that, I got no information, no assistance, nothing at all from the Police Department.”

As with other instances when AIS failed to respond after a crash that resulted in the death of a cyclist or pedestrian, investigators have reportedly turned up no leads in Nelson’s case. ”The first thing would be witnesses,” said Flanzig. “This was never done. They can also pull video but most gets automatically recorded over after 30 days. This was never done by the NYPD.”

The 52nd Precinct recorded no cyclist deaths in its April crash data report, and reported only one crash, involving a motorcycle, at Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue.

DNAinfo spoke with an AIS investigator, who was quoted but not named in the story. “We weren’t called the day of the accident,” the officer said. “That usually turns out to be a problem.”

While it’s not known why the 52nd Precinct did not notify crash investigators of Nelson’s death, delayed AIS deployment due to the department’s “dead or likely to die” policy has severely compromised other fatality investigations. When a doctor told officers that cyclist Stefanos Tsigrimanis wasn’t in mortal danger after he was hit by a driver in Brooklyn, AIS did not return to the scene for 46 days. Because NYPD did not know that Brooklyn pedestrian Clara Heyworth had died after she was struck by an unlicensed driver who was believed to be drunk, AIS was not dispatched until at least three days after the crash. Heyworth’s husband, Jacob Stevens, has filed a lawsuit against NYPD for failing to properly investigate her death.

The practice of withholding information pertaining to traffic fatalities is standard operating procedure at NYPD. The department was recently censured by a judge for “needlessly” stonewalling the family of Mathieu Lefevre, whose family sued NYPD following his death at the hands of a hit-and-run truck driver in Brooklyn.

Flanzig says NYPD’s failure to conduct an investigation and refusal to communicate with him or Nelson’s family has ruined any chance to pursue criminal or civil charges against the person or people involved in the crash. “The lack of an early investigation absolutely destroyed their right to have justice,” Flanzig told DNAinfo.

It was reported last week that no definitive steps have been taken to advance the Crash Investigation Reform Act, a package of bills intended to cajole NYPD into complying with state law in its handling of serious traffic crashes. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has yet to support the bills, while transportation committee chair James Vacca has set his sights on electric bicycles.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/10/25/nypd-snafu-means-no-justice-for-bronx-cyclist-left-to-die-in-the-street/

Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani

SEMA: We obsessively covered Day 1 of the 2012 SEMA Show

Filed under: SEMA Show

What happens in Vegas usually stays in Vegas, but not when it concerns what goes on at the annual SEMA Show. Our team on the ground has been wading through the endless sea of shiny chrome wheels, bolt-on wings and compact coupes fitted with Lambo doors to bring you the best and brightest of what's being shown here at the annual tuner show - some straight from the aftermarket, and some direct from the manufacturers themselves.

We'll have a whole 'nother helping of SEMA goodness for you tomorrow (and the tomorrow after that), but for now, have a look below at what we've managed to capture so far.

Kelderman Ford F-250 Super Duty laughs at lesser trucks

ICON Dodge D200 Reformer Series pickup is an unstoppable rebel force

Mazda brings trio of tricked-out CX-5s to Vegas

Fiat brings Café Racer, Beach Cruiser and Magneti Marelli samplers to SEMA

2013 Honda Accord Coupe HFP hitting dealerships next spring

Mazda MX-5 Super25 Concept lights the way to motorsports glory

Kia transforms five Justice League inspired models for Heroes charity

Toyota owes us a 9-second car, presents us with DragQuoia instead

Chevy Camaro Hot Wheels Edition is not kidding around

Chevy Malibu Turbo Performance Concept is hotted up for your eyes only

Honda HPD Supercharged CR-Z Concept is the one we've been longing for

2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Convertible is an Inferno Orange charitable donation

Ford Racing debuts twin-turbo Mustang Cobra Jet Concept [w/video]

We obsessively covered Day 1 of the 2012 SEMA Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/30/we-obsessively-covered-day-1-of-the-2012-sema-show/

Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard

2013 Toyota Avalon First Drive: Less “Get Off My Lawn” Than Before

In 1994, Toyota wrote a love letter to the AARP and called it Avalon. A stretched Camry, the Avalon replicated the classic American car with a vast rear seat, a column shifter, and a front bench seat. Even the name served up a warm bowl of nostalgia, simultaneously conjuring up the old movie house on Main Street, Hugh Downs, and a backrub from Jessica Tandy. Soft, comfortable, and spacious, the Avalon chased the Big Three right down the big-car rabbit hole. READ MORE››

Read full story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/DVjp-59NW3E/2013-toyota-avalon-first-drive-review

Helm Glöckler Paco Godia Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith

Johnson takes Chase lead with win

Jimmie Johnson jumped back up to the lead of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his fourth win of the season and his seventh at Martinsville Speedway.

The victory puts Johnson two points ahead of Penske’s Brad Keselowski with just three races to go.

Johnson got maximum points after a gruelling 500 laps. He led more laps than any of his rivals while battling some tough opposition headed by Michael Waltrip Racing’s Clint Bowyer and his Hendrick team-mate Jeff Gordon.

Five-time champion Johnson overtook Keselowski with 14 laps remaining after the former Chase leader elected to stay on the track when the penultimate caution waved with 25 laps to go. Johnson, who led the field at the time, pitted for new left side tyres, a move that most behind him followed.

With more grip at his disposal and in a car often the class of the field on Sunday, Johnson was the first of a number of drivers to dispose of Keselowski’s #2 Dodge before the last caution waved for an incident involving Dale Earnhardt Jr and Carl Edwards.

Once the green waved for the last five laps, Johnson held off the charging Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch, who recovered from an early spin to be in contention but could not prevent Johnson from scoring his most valuable win of the year.

“We just had a great race car,” said Johnson. “And I think we’ve also learned our lesson here in the past in not pitting late and that certainly came into play and we made the right decision there.

I’m so torn with emotion right now with winning here; and I’m so happy to be in the point lead.”

Keselowski fell back to sixth – still a good result from 32nd on the grid. With JGR’s Denny Hamlin all but out of title contention after succumbing to electrical glitches, a two-horse race is now brewing between Johnson and Keselowski.

Bowyer came out on top from a clash with Gordon in the closing laps and moved up to third in the Chase with his fifth place finish behind Kasey Kahne’s Hendrick Chevrolet and the impressive Aric Almirola in the #43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.

After running among the top 10, Earnhardt’s late spin, caused by contact from Edwards, meant he finished as the last car on the lead lap on his return to Cup competition following a two-week absence with concussion.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/johnson-takes-chase-lead-with-win

Alan Jones Tom Jones Juan Jover Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan

Red Bull’s dominance ‘track-specific’

McLaren believes that different track characteristics could be enough to wipe out Red Bull’s advantage at the front of the field, as it targets ending its rival’s dominant streak.

Sebastian Vettel has won the last four grands prix, and the extent of the advantage he has enjoyed in recent races has prompted some to suggest that he could win all the remaining races this season.

But McLaren sporting director Sam Michael thinks that the competitive situation is more flexible than recent results suggest.

“The performance can swing from one track to another by a couple of tenths,” he explained.

“There are two or three tenths in terms of qualifying and, if you have that performance from [starting on] the front row, then you have a better chance.

“So if no one upgraded cars, there would still be a reasonable chance you can have a go at [Red Bull].

“But in terms of the overall championship it is quite different, because they need to have DNFs for people to take the title, and the chances of that happening are pretty slim.”

Michael believes that the fact the F1 field is so competitive means that no team can be confident about its chances on any track.

“There is a swing from one circuit to another, and it is not to do with the developments you put on the car,” he said.

“In days gone by, when you had a one second advantage over other cars, you could be confident you would not get those trends.

“But now there are no favourite tracks, so you don’t know if you are going to be competitive until you get there.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/red-bulls-dominance-track-specific

William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin Mark Anthony Martin Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray

Webber expecting closer fight in race

Mark Webber believes the Indian Grand Prix will be closer than qualifying was after his Red Bull team swept to its third consecutive front-row lockout.

The Australian will line up alongside pole position man Sebastian Vettel.

Webber, who admitted he was surprised to be second on the grid having not been able to put a clean flying lap together in Q3, said afterwards that while the team has a dominant advantage in qualifying trim he expects that to be trimmed back in the race.

“I think we are pretty good on Saturdays and we’ve shown that in the last few events now, and Sundays,” said Webber.

“But tomorrow could be a good race, I think it’s going to be tighter between all of us, but I still think that we should have enough.”

Webber made a mistake on his first flying lap, but that still proved to be good enough for second, while his next attempt was ruined when he got caught behind the two McLarens on his out-lap.

The two teams had different approaches to tyre preparation on their out-laps and Webber found that he was not able to get enough heat into his Pirellis in order to have enough grip for the start of his second flying lap.

“It wasn’t the smoothest session for me,” he said. “The lap wasn’t too bad, but I got on the Astroturf a bit on the last corner so for sure I didn’t have the cleanest run to the start finish line. That was disappointing, but I am driving car. I did my best, it was close.

“It was obviously a pretty tight run thing between Seb and I didn’t get to do my last attempt.

“Obviously the McLarens were doing very slow out-laps to get their tyres ready for the lap – which is different to us – and I had no grip in the first sector because of the build-up lap, so I didn’t get to do my second attempt which would have been nice. But anyway I was surprised to end up second and I will take that.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/webber-expecting-closer-fight-in-race

Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Zaxby s Chevrolet

Webster Avenue SBS Will Not Have Center-Running Bus Lanes

Left: The concept for center-running bus lanes on Webster Avenue in the Bronx. Right: Offset bus lanes, the option that was selected for the Select Bus Service project. Image: NYC DOT/MTA

This spring, there was a glimmer of hope that Webster Avenue in the Bronx would get the first center-running bus-only lanes in New York. With NYC DOT and the MTA bringing Select Bus Service to Webster Avenue, the center-running option would have been the city’s boldest effort yet to implement high-quality bus rapid transit. While Select Bus Service is still in the works for Webster Avenue and bus trips are on track to improve, the project won’t include center-running lanes, which do more to keep buses moving smoothly through traffic than bus lanes next to the curb or the parking lane.

The decision was announced at the most recent Community Advisory Committee meeting about the project. Webster Avenue will instead get offset bus lanes, which should be familiar to anyone who uses SBS on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan. These bus lanes run next to the parking lane, with passengers boarding from sidewalk extensions that let the bus avoid merging over to the curb and back. (A third option, which was rejected, would have put the bus lanes curbside and eliminated on-street parking.)

Webster Avenue will also be getting Transit Signal Priority to hold green lights for approaching buses.

Center-running bus lanes would almost certainly have required dedicated signals for drivers making left turns. This change could have negatively affected the “Level of Service” projections for how many vehicles could move through a given intersection.

A DOT spokesperson said that Level of Service projections were not a factor in rejecting the center-running bus lanes, citing other reasons for the decision. Because local bus stops would remain curbside, DOT said, those buses would have had to constantly enter and exit the center-running lanes in order to benefit from them. In addition, dedicated left-turn signals would have reduced the amount of green light time for the bus lanes, and private vehicles would be have been prevented from making left turns at a number of intersections.

In its presentation to the Community Advisory Committee, MTA and DOT staff said that the chosen alternative “maintains appropriate traffic flows and circulation.”

Webster Avenue SBS was recently included in plans to upgrade bus service to LaGuardia Airport, which would extend the service south from East 149th Street, over the Triboro/RFK Bridge, and to the airport via Astoria Boulevard. The extension is not the same project as Webster Avenue and relies on separate funding for implementation, according to DOT.

The next step for Webster Avenue SBS is for DOT and MTA to refine the plan and host a public open house this winter, before creating a final design and implementation plan in 2013.

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/10/24/webster-avenue-sbs-will-not-have-center-running-bus-lanes/

Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III

Ron Capps races to 5th Funny Car victory of season

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/10/29/2446748/ron-capps-races-to-5th-funny-car.html

Brian Hart Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins

India Saturday quotes: Caterham

Heikki Kovalainen – 20th: “It’s been a pretty good weekend so far. The balance has been better than we had in Korea and on my first run in qualifying the car felt ok. There was more to come but I had a bit of traffic that held me up and then on my second run I caught up with a bunch of cars going into turn 10 and lost a bit of grip, enough to put me off. I wasn’t going in too hard and there weren’t any issues with the car, I just lost the front end and even with the spin I didn’t lose any positions so I think we can still have a good race tomorrow.”

Vitaly Petrov – 19th: “I’m really happy with where we finished up today. All weekend the team has done a good job and I’ve had a balance I’ve been happy with in every session. We made a couple of changes for quali and the way the car felt and my laptimes showed that we made some progress, so I’m pleased with that. Now we’re looking ahead to tomorrow and to be honest anything could happen. Nobody’s too sure what tyre strategies will be run, it could be one stop or two, so we’ll look at that tonight and I’m pretty sure that if we make the right choice we could have a decent result in the race.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/india-saturday-quotes-caterham

Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks Nick Heidfeld Theo Helfrich

Motorsports This Week on ESPN

ESPN

NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series at Kansas

The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., this weekend with races on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20-21. ESPN will have a live telecast of Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:16 p.m. Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race also airs on ESPN, with NASCAR Countdown at 3 p.m. and the green flag at 3:46 p.m.  ESPN2 will have telecasts of practice and qualifying sessions for both series on Friday and Saturday (schedule below). All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com. The schedule: 

Date	Time	Event	Network
Fri., Oct. 19	2 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series practice	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying	ESPN2
Sat., Oct. 20	11 a.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup practice	ESPN2
	3 p.m.	NASCAR Countdown	ESPN
	3:30 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series race	ESPN
Sun., Oct. 21	1 p.m.	NASCAR Countdown	ESPN
	2:16 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race	ESPN

Announcers:

Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick (Sprint Cup); Marty Reid (Nationwide Series); analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Now Schedule

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway in the one-hour edition airing Sunday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. ET. Host Jonathan Coachman will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with reporters Ryan McGee and Mike Massaro at the track. Coachman and Craven will review the race Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. The week’s schedule:

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Wed., Oct. 17	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Shannon Spake	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Thu., Oct. 18	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Shannon Spake	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat., Oct. 20	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Shannon Spake	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., Oct. 21	9 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Jonathan Coachman	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., Oct. 21	10:30 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Jonathan Coachman	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Mon., Oct. 22	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Marty Reid	ESPN2, WatchESPN

American Le Mans Series Season Ends with Petit Le Mans 

One of the biggest races on the world sports car racing calendar will bring down the curtain on the 2012 season for the American Le Mans Series when the Petit Le Mans runs at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 20. The race will go for 1,000 miles or 10 hours, whichever comes first, and will air live on ESPN3 beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET. Highlights will air Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. on ABC.

Also from Road Atlanta, qualifying for the event will air on ESPN3 on Friday, Oct. 19, at 1:50 p.m.  

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms

ESPN.com – RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Oct. 21, RacingLive! Kansas will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live athttp://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. ESPN.com motorsports writer Terry Blount will report from Kansas.

ESPN Radio – Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from the site of that weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.

Source: ESPN Communications, Press Release

The post Motorsports This Week on ESPN appeared first on Catchfence.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/qjfxPiXT21c/

Mike Hailwood Mika Häkkinen Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton

Keselowski glad to ‘survive’ race

Brad Keselowski is glad to have come out ‘alive’ in the championship from Sunday’s Chase round at Martinsville, despite losing the points lead to Jimmie Johnson.

The Penske driver overcame a poor qualifying in which he finished 32nd to eventually break into the top ten in the deciding stages, where he made a late gamble to stay on the track when most of the leaders pitted ahead of him for fresh rubber.

Although Johnson eventually made quick work of him to reclaim the lead, Keselowski managed to remain in the top-five until the last caution waved.

On the final restart with five laps remaining, he initially dropped to seventh but then managed to overtake Hendrick’s Jeff Gordon to claim sixth, his best career result at Martinsville.

“It just feels like you live another day,” said Keselowski about his top-ten finish. “It’s like being in a war and surviving a battle. It’s not necessarily a win, you’re just happy to still be living.”

Keselowski now trails Johnson by two points in the Cup standing but remains confident of challenging the Hendrick driver for this year’s title.

He believes the championship will go down to the wire and is particularly optimistic about his potential for two of the three tracks remaining in the Chase schedule.

“This championship is going to come down to Homestead,” said Keselowski. “You just have to be in position where you’ve got a shot at it and we’re doing the things it’s going to take to be in contention at Homestead. We’ve got Texas coming up, very similar to Chicago. I’m sure it’s going to be a duel.

“I feel really confident going into Texas and Homestead. I feel like those are two races that we can race [Johnson] heads-up in speed and maybe even a little bit better than them. I’m not quite so sure about Phoenix but you know the execution we have in this team right now is second to none.

“If we’d have had just a little bit more speed this week and last week, I think we could have been in victory lane. Like I say we’ve got a couple races coming up where I know we’re going to have speed and I’m feeling great.”

The former Nationwide Series champion is hoping to give Roger Penske its maiden Sprint Cup series in his team’s final season with Dodge before it switches to Ford for 2013.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/keselowski-glad-to-survive-race

Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart

Alonso ’100 per cent’ sure he’ll win title

Fernando Alonso says he is ’100 per cent’ convinced that he will win the world championship this year, despite Red Bull’s current dominance.

The Spaniard heads into the Korean Grand Prix needing to close down a six-point gap to Vettel in the drivers’ championship, but facing a tough task because Red Bull appears at the moment to be unstoppable.

The reigning champion team has secured a third-consecutive front row lockout - something it has never done before – and there seems little prospect of anyone being able to realistically challenge Vettel at the front.

Despite the situation, Alonso is far from downbeat about his situation and, confident that big updates are coming to help his cause, he has no doubts that the title is not lost yet.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt his title hopes were slipping from his grasp, Alonso said: “Not at all. I think it is more challenging for us now, but I remain 100 per cent confident that we will fight for this championship, and we will win it.”

Alonso said his confidence was based on the fact that Red Bull’s advantage only seems to be clear in qualifying, with its race pace not that far ahead of Ferrari.

“I think they are dominant on Saturday and they have the fastest car at the moment, so they are first and second,” explained Alonso. “It was first position for Webber in Korea and pole position here for Vettel, so they are dominant as a team performance.

“But I think on Sunday normally our pace improved a little bit and we saw in Korea also that we were putting some pressure on Webber especially, so let’s wait for tomorrow.

“I think we can do a good race. I still think that we can take some good points and hopefully score more points than Seb and, in the next races, be a little bit more competitive.

“But the first target is to finish in front of them tomorrow and I think we have chances to do it.”

Alonso says it is no surprise that Ferrari was still behind Red Bull, because it had not yet introduced planned big updates that it needs to close the deficit.

“I think we have improved our car and we are making the car faster, especially in this race, just not in the last few grands prix. But this I think happened to every team.

“You need to put something big on your car when you are not the fastest. You need to have a bigger update and what we have here in India was a small upgrade – we are waiting for some new parts coming in the next races and hopefully we can be close to Red Bull that at the moment is very dominant.

“But I think it was a general situation all year. It is not like in the last few races the wind tunnel was not giving us the right information and we lost the pace. We were off the pace in February, off the pace in July, off the pace in September. So we keep more or less consistent then.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/alonso-100-per-cent-sure-hell-win-title

Denny Hamlin Z Line Toyota Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota

Pat Barry Battles Shane Del Rosario at ‘The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale’

As expected, a heavyweight shootout between Pat Barry (Pictured) and Shane Del Rosario has been added to “The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale” lineup.

Barry has been finished in three of his last four scraps. The likeable kickboxer was last seen getting put to sleep by Lavar Johnson at “UFC on FOX 3” this past May.

Del Rosario is looking to bounce back from his only professional blemish. The 29-year-old was TKO’d by Stipe Miocic in his big league debut.

The 265-pounders are expected to appear in the main card, which airs live on FX at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada hosts the December 15th festivities.

Here are the athletes expected to perform in the show:

Johnny Bedford vs. Marcos Vinicius

Reuben Duran vs. Hugo Viana

Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel

Tim Elliott vs. Jared Papazian

Nick Catone vs. T.J. Waldburger

Dustin Poirier vs. Jonathan Brookins

Mike Pyle vs. James Head

Pat Barry vs. Shane Del Rosario

TUF 16 welterweight finalist #1 vs. TUF 16 welterweight finalist #2

Roy Nelson vs. Shane Carwin

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/129704/pat-barry-battles-shane-del-rosario-at-the-ultimate-fighter-16-finale/

Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante  Grant Campbell  Gesias JZ Calvancante 

Hamlin concedes title hopes are gone

Denny Hamlin admits he will have to wait another year in order to fight for his maiden Sprint Cup title after electrical issues hampered his progress in an eventful race at Martinsville.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver endured a tough afternoon. He weathered two pit-speeding penalties to get back in contention at the front of the field only to succumb to an apparent issue with the master power switch 107 laps from the end.

“It ended in disappointment, but we overcame the pit road penalties and things like that and just had a great car,” said Hamlin. “Just when these things happen you’ve just got to suck it up and move on.

“There’s nothing I could do about it. So, one of these days it’s going to be our time, it’s just not going to be right now.”

Hamlin’s recoveries from his two speeding penalties, which forced him to restart from the tail-end of the lead-lap cars, showed he had the speed to contend for a victory that would have boosted his title hopes.

Instead, his 33rd-place finish means he now trails Chase leader Jimmie Johnson by 49 points in the drivers’ standing.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who led at the start of the playoff thanks to his four victories during the regular season, claims he will now relax and enjoy the rest of the year.

“Just have fun – that’s all I can do,” said Hamlin. “Just go out there and be relaxed and enjoy this championship battle that’s shaping up. It’s a shame we can’t be a part of it, but we’re going to try to work our way as far up in the points as we possibly can and just keep digging.”

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/hamlin-concedes-title-hopes-are-gone

Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle