(Matthew T. Thacker/NKP ©2015, courtesy of Ford Racing)
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion) led 227 of 334 laps to win the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. Get more NASCAR info here.
(Photo by Andrew Coppley/HHP for GM/Chevrolet Racing)
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS) finished second in Charlotte on Sunday.
(Photo by Andrew Coppley/HHP for GM/Chevrolet Racing)
MartinTruex, Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet SS) qualified fifteenth and finished third in Charlotte on Sunday.
Editor-In-Chief's Note: Outraged fan commentary - "nonsense boring-ass bullshit" - on the dismal state of NASCAR. Watch it here. -PMD
(Images courtesy of Porsche)
Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber (No. 17 Porsche 919 Hybrid) won the six-hour FIA World Endurance Championship race at the 4.549 kilometer long Fuji Speedway in very challenging weather conditions. By winning the fourth WEC race in a row, the Porsche Team now leads both the manufacturers’ and the drivers’ standings. Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb (No. 18 Porsche 919 Hybrid) finished second in the factory Porsche team car. With this one-two result – the third one including the Le Mans 24 Hours – Porsche extended its lead in the manufacturers’ standings. Porsche now has 264 points, followed by Audi with 211 points and Toyota with 119. In the drivers’ championship the Porsche trio of Bernhard/Hartley/Webber is now leading by one point.
(Audi Motorsport)
Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer (No. 7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro) finished third at Fuji.
Marco Seefried, Patrick Long and actor-racer Patrick Dempsey (No. 77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR) won the GTE-Am class at Fuji. It was the first WEC win for Dempsey and his team.
(SKY SPORTS photo)
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas F1) hug it out after Hamilton cruised to another Formula 1 victory - his 42nd - in the Russian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) was second and Sergio Perez (No. 11 Sahara Force India F1) finished third.
(Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton's 42nd Grand Prix win surpasses Ayrton Senna and equals Sebastian Vettel for third on the all-time win list, behind only Alain Prost (51) and Michael Schumacher (91).
(Image courtesy of MotoGP)
Dani Pedrosa (No. 26 Repsol Honda Team) delivered a superb ride to win the Motul Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. Pedrosa came from sixth on the grid to take his 27th MotoGP™ win and first since Brno in 2014 on a drying track. Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) crossed the line in second, 8.573s behind Pedrosa, to record his 14th podium of the season. With that finish Rossi extended his lead over his teammate Jorge Lorenzo (No. 99 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) to 18 points in the World Championship standings. Lorenzo finished third.
(McLaren Automotive/newspress images)
McLaren established itself as one of the premier racing organizations in the world with its domination of the famed Can-Am series here in North America throughout the 1960s and 70s, winning five consecutive championships between 1967 and 1971. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 inaugural Can-Am season, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has created a limited production McLaren 650S Can-Am which takes its inspiration from the firm's racing cars from that golden age of motorsport. Just 50 examples will be produced globally, all based on the 650S Spider. The 650S Can-Am is offered in three exterior colors. The launch color, Mars Red, is directly inspired by the M1B (shown) raced by Bruce McLaren and his teammate Chris Amon in the debut season. The machine is also available in Papaya Spark, a modern and metallic take on the famous Can-Am racing McLaren Orange and, Onyx Black. Each car is additionally available with a corresponding racing livery to give an even closer visual association with the historic Can-Am series. The 650S Can-Am can be commissioned now and is priced at £255,850 with deliveries set to commence in the spring of 2016, 50 years on from the first race at Mont Tremblant, Canada. Watch this McLaren 50th Anniversary tribute video to its founder.
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Sports Car Club of America have announced that the IMS road course will be the site of the 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with race days September 29 to October 1. The event is unprecedented for both the Club and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, pitting the amateur National Championship event on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course that hosts the Verizon IndyCar Series' Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. "In 2013, we announced that the Runoffs would go on an annual rotation, moving around the country with the goal of hitting bucket list tracks," Eric Prill, SCCA Vice President/COO said. "We've done that, having gone from Road America to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to Daytona International Speedway, and we'll be at Mid-Ohio in 2016. But the visit to Indianapolis in 2017, a track that no other SafeRacer Club Racer will have a chance to compete on prior to the Runoffs, is truly unique and a dream come true for many of our racers." "As a racer, I know that the American dream of being a racecar driver starts with the Indianapolis 500," Lisa Noble, SCCA President & CEO and Formula Vee racer, said. "IMS is an integral part of our history as we are a part of theirs. Many of the Speedway's crew, workers, drivers and Indy 500 winners have their roots in the SCCA. Drivers such as Bobby and Graham Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Mark Donohue, Buddy Rice, Michael Andretti and Lyn St. James are just a few that raced in the SCCA Runoffs before reaching the Indy 500. "I'm very moved by this significant moment in SCCA history as I am by the Speedway every time I enter the gate. Each of our Champions will have an incredibly special honor - to be crowned on the most hallowed ground in American motorsports. Racers will tell stories for decades about this first Runoffs at Indy. It will become legendary, and I cannot wait for our members to experience that in 2017."
NASCAR. Editor-In-Chief's Note: The stock car sanctioning body has announced that the base NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rules package to be used during the 2016 season will be a low downforce setup (hallefrickin'luja). The base package will include a 3.5-inch spoiler, a 0.25-inch front leading splitter edge and a 33-inch wide radiator pan. These components will provide lower downforce on the cars, and Goodyear will develop tires to complement them. Earlier this season, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway featured a similar aero package. This is a very good thing and long overdue. -PMD
Editor's Note: Watch the debut of AutoextremistTV on YouTube here. This "Episode 1" is just the initial test of what we plan will be a frequent addition to Autoextremist.com. -WG