November 21, 2012
A magnificent and memorable day in American motorsport.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
(Posted 11/19, 7:30 p.m.) Austin. The return of Formula 1 to the U.S. on a proper road racing circuit purpose-built for the occasion, plus the ascendance of a new star in American racing? All on one magnificent day? For racing fans it doesn't get any better than that.
Having attended the F1 race at the Circuit of the Americas over the weekend, I can safely say that it is a jewel in the making. For the very first race it was very, very impressive, and it should get only better from here on out. But, of course, there's more to it than that. Isn't that always the case when it comes to F1?
The Circuit of the Americas (I dislike the use of the term "COTA" now that I've seen the venue so I won't be using it. It trivializes what has been accomplished there) presents an interesting option for American motorsport, in terms of racing, testing and corporate events, and I expect it to fulfill that role handsomely. But who's kidding whom here? The Circuit of the Americas exists because Bernie Ecclestone has been demanding a permanent venue for the U.S. Grand Prix for years, long before he tried out the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. According to Ecclestone's view, a proper road racing circuit custom built for his F1 circus is exactly what the series has needed to succeed in this country.
Well, Bernie, here you go. The Circuit of the Americas is a $400 million palace dedicated to projecting the global financial might of the F1 series in the one market where it has struggled for years to gain a foothold. And now that the first event has happened - to rave reviews for the most part - the real work begins. First of all, improvements to the facility will deveop naturally. There were signs everywhere of the rush of work it took to get the facility finished, and all involved did a sensational job in getting it ready for its first F1 race. But from here on out it should only get better, in terms of detailed overall finish, ingress and egress, and development to the surrounding areas.
But the real work falls on F1 to help market itself through the Circuit of the Americas. Expecting the local facility to bear the brunt of the promotional weight after Ecclestone has basically conducted himself as a carpetbagger on a global scale just will not cut it. If F1 wants to have an annual place here on the U.S. sporting calendar, then they better suspend their usual attitude of "What have you done for us lately?" and replace it with an attitude of "What can we do to help?"
Is F1 capable of doing that? I'm not optimistic. But in the meantime make your plans to go next year, because the sound of an F1 car accelerating up the hill to Turn 1 through the "tunnel" of grandstands is simply spectacular and something every racing fan should get to experience.
The other news from Sunday was the sensational Sprint Cup Championship won by Brad Keselowski for Roger Penske and Penske Racing at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. I went on record as to what this win could mean for the future of NASCAR last week (see below - WG), but still, to see Keselowski come through to capture the championship was simply extraordinary. And to see the sense of accomplishment written all over Roger Penske's face was almost as gratifying as seeing the elation written all over Keselowski's face.
For all that Roger has accomplished in racing, capturing a championship at NASCAR's top level was the one that eluded him. He has it now, and now we have the opportunity to see one of the best young racers to come along in a long, long time dazzle us for years to come.
Congratulations to Brad Keselowski, Roger Penske and all involved at Penske Racing for completing a magnificent and memorable day in American motorsport.
(Courtesy of SRT)
November 14, 2012
What is NASCAR going to do about Brad Keselowski?
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
(Posted 11/12, 10:30 a.m.) Detroit. After the carnage settled from the Phoenix wreck-a-thon, it's apparent that NASCAR is on the verge of having its first champion born after 1980 in Brad Keselowski. Yes, of course anything can happen at the upcoming Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and I'm not crowning Keselowski just yet, but no matter what happens next Sunday this young man is going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come on the NASCAR stage.
And that, in many ways, presents NASCAR with a problem.
On the one hand I view Keselowski as the brightest light to hit NASCAR in years. He's whip-smart, articulate, thoughtful, and he has one thing a lot of drivers don't have at his age, and that's perspective. You listen to what Keselowski has to say, no matter what the situation, and this young man gets it like no other driver out there does. And NASCAR should be thrilled to death that they have him, because there's a chance he'll draw even more young viewers into the sport.
But it presents a quandary to the NASCAR powers that be too. Yes, of course they will deny that having Brad Keselowski as their 2012 Sprint Cup Champion presents any issue at all, that they'll be pleased beyond words to have him in that role, but the reality is that it has the potential to open a Pandora's Box of lucidity, perspective, criticism and discussion that NASCAR isn't prepared for. It's one thing when "young Brad" embraces twitter nation as the up-and-coming NASCAR star, it's quite another when the media gets a hold of Brad Keselowski, Sprint Cup Champion.
Will Keselowski embarrass the sport? Absolutely not. If he were to become Sprint Cup Champion I think it would do wonders for NASCAR and Brad would be a superb representative for the sport. But make no mistake, Keselowski doesn't suffer fools gladly and his bullshit detector is very strong. He will keep NASCAR on its toes and his comments will be laser-accurate and pointed if need be.
Should Brad Keselowski become the new face of NASCAR, I couldn't imagine a more gifted and eloquent representative of the sport.
But NASCAR needs to listen closely to what Brad Keselowski has to say.
Better yet, they should act on his suggestions, because he's usually dead solid perfect with his perspectives and his ideas on what the sport needs.
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Riverside, California, 0ctober 28, 1967. Parnelli Jones in his No. 21 Lola T70 Mk.3 prepared by George Bignotti and powered by a Ford Indianapolis DOHC V8 engine, shown here during practice for the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix Can-Am race. Jones qualified sixth with a 1:41.600 and finished fourth in the race. Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Cars Ltd. McLaren M6 Chevrolet) qualified on the pole with a 1:39.600 and won the race. Jim Hall (No. 66 Chaparral Cars Inc. Chaparral 2G Chevrolet) finished second and Mark Donohue (No. 6 Roger Penske Racing Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet) finished third.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.
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