THE LINE #468

October 22, 2008

(Copyright © 2008, John Thawley ~ Creative Communications Group All rights reserved.)
Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner lead an outstanding 1-2 overall finish for Audi with their Audi R10 TDI at the American Le Mans Series' finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last Saturday night. Check out the full race report from John Dagys on trackbytes.com, and see a photo gallery of John Thawley's latest scintillating photography by clicking here.

(Autostock)
Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth wheel their Roush Fenway Racing Fords at the front of the pack in front of eventual winner Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the final restart at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday afternoon. Johnson dominated the race - leading 339 laps - for his sixth victory this season while increasing his lead in his bid for a record-tying third NASCAR championship in a row with four races remaining. Only one driver - Cale Yarborough (from 1976-78) - has ever won three straight championships in NASCAR’s premier series, and Johnson has a great shot at equaling the record. Earnhardt was second, followed by Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon. It was the 23rd 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, and third at Martinsville.

IndyCar fans. The last IndyCar race of the year - the Nikon Indy 300 - takes place this weekend at Surfers Paradise, Australia. 24 drivers will take part in the event, including four drivers racing with their new teams. Dario Franchitti will make his first start with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Vitor Meira is now with A.J. Foyt Racing, Dan Wheldon moves to Panther Racing, and Alex Tagliani will attempt to solidify a spot with Conquest Racing after driving for the team in the final two events of 2008. For Franchitti, who didn't compete in the IndyCar Series in 2008 after winning the 2007 championship with Andretti Green, racing in Australia also offers an opportunity to get comfortable in the car again. "Getting time in the car is the big thing right now,” said Franchitti, who won at Australia in 1999. “I'm getting used to the team and the team is getting used to the way I drive the car. Every lap we're doing I'm getting back into a rhythm.” The Nikon Indy 300 will be telecast live at 10:30 p.m. (EDT) Oct. 25 on ESPN Classic and will re-air at 11 p.m. Oct. 26 on ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, which is also carried on XM Satellite Radio, and www.indycar.com. Bob Jenkins, Scott Goodyear and Jon Beekhuis will call the action for ESPN.