AUGUST 31, 2016

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Graham Rahal and his wife, Courtney Force, celebrate in Victory Lane after he won the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night, a race that was completed 76 days after the event was suspended by rain with 71 laps completed on June 12. It was definitely worth the wait. Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing PennGrade Motor Oil Honda Turbo V6) passed James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda Turbo V6) coming out of the last turn of the last lap and held on to win by 0.0080 of a second - the closest finish in the 20-year history of the 1.455-mile oval and the fifth-closest finish of any Indy car race in history. Hinchcliffe and Rahal led the field to the green flag on the final restart on Lap 240, with Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske AAA Insurance Chevrolet Turbo V6), Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT Data Chevrolet Turbo V6) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet Turbo V6) the only other lead-lap cars giving chase. On fresher tires after making pit stops during the last caution period, championship leader Pagenaud and Kanaan each made bids for the lead that Hinchcliffe denied - often with the help of a push from behind by fellow Honda driver Rahal. At one point on Lap 244, the top four cars ran side by side. On the final lap, Rahal ducked inside of Hinchcliffe in Turns 3 and 4 and pulled out enough of an advantage to hold on by the narrowest of margins for his fourth career victory and first since winning at Mid-Ohio in August 2015. "I didn't want to go through this year without a win," Rahal said. "On that last yellow, I was telling myself this could be my chance, you'd better get it done. We're just lucky it all worked out." Eight drivers swapped the lead 14 times throughout the 248 laps (including the June portion), with Hinchcliffe setting the pace for 188 laps. "I knew I was going to have to try to fake Hinch to the top side because there was only one way to actually clear him, which was to the bottom," added Rahal. "I was just very lucky it worked and I have to thank Hinch a lot because he gave me some good room at the bottom and it didn't end up in tears." Get more info here.

(GM/Corvette Racing)
Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia (No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R) dominated Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, and then survived a one-lap sprint to the checkered flag to win their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the season. Magnussen led the opening 28 laps after starting from the pole. Garcia then paced 56 laps, including the final 27, with the lead Corvette only relinquishing the lead for six laps during pit stops. The race was slowed by only one full-course caution for a late incident involving Oliver Gavin in the championship-leading No. 4 Corvette C7.R. On the restart, Garcia was able to pull away in a one-lap sprint to beat Dirk Mueller (No. 66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, co-driven Joey Hand) to the checkered flag by 0.802 seconds. Sunday's race was the only WeatherTech Championship race of the season reserved for the GTLM and GT Daytona classes. “It was a very hard race,” Garcia said. “My team got me a three- to four-second gap, and then it was a classic green and white/checkered. It was an amazing race and the Corvette was brilliant. It really paid off to be out testing on Monday and Tuesday (at Road Atlanta), because the car was fantastic.” Earl Bamber (No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR, started by Frederic Makowiecki,) finished third. Three-time GTLM winners Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook (No. 67 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT) finished fourth. Oliver Gavin and co-driver Tommy Milner unofficially lead Briscoe and Westbrook by seven points in the drive for the GTLM championship, 287-280, with two races left.

(IMSA)
Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers (No. 48 Castrol Edge/Universal Industrial Sales Lamborghini Huracán GT3) gave Lamborghini its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway. One day after Snow captured his first TOTAL Pole Award in WeatherTech Championship competition, he and Sellers teamed up to lead almost every lap to win the GT Daytona (GTD) class in the two-hour, 40-minute race around the 3.27-mile road circuit. The team only surrendered the lead for a total of five laps, during both of the race’s pit-stop cycles. Lawson Aschenbach (No. 9 Stevenson Automotive Group Audi R8 LMS, started by Matt Bell) finished second 1.471 seconds behind. Andy Lally and John Potter (No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS) crossed the finish line in third but were excluded from the final race results when a minimum ride height infraction was discovered in post-race technical inspection. As a result, Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis (No. 6 Stevenson Automotive Group R8) were moved up to third.

(www.crash.net)
Nico Rosberg (No. 6 AMG Petronas Mercedes) won the chaotic Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps - a race dictated by numerous incidents through the field – including a red flag stoppage in the wake of a high-speed crash by Kevin Magnussen (No. 20 Renault Sport F1 team) exiting the infamous Eau Rouge corner. Rosberg converted his pole position into an early lead and had an uneventful run to the finish. Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) limited the damage to his championship lead with a charge to third from the last row of the grid. It was the third time in Hamilton's career that he’s started 20th or lower and finished on the podium. No other driver in history has done that - John Watson is the closest, having managed it twice in the 1980s.

(Getty Images)
Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet SS) won Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, and it was a momentous win for several reasons. The victory came in Larson's 99th start in the series, long after most observers expected Larson to record his first win. It also broke a 99-race drought for Chip Ganassi Racing, dating back to October 2013. It also means that Larson earned a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in his career, bouncing winless Ryan Newman fifteen points out of the last Chase-eligible position with two races left in the regular season. "I was teared-up that whole last few laps, because I could just feel it," Larson said. "It was finally going to be it. This one is for the Clauson family. We really miss Bryan. We're going to miss him. We parked it for him, so that's really cool. We had a lot of work to do for that first third of the race, and got it done. Thanks to (sponsor) Target. Thanks to everyone on this team. (Crew chief) Chad (Johnston) and the pit crew and everybody. We messed up that last stop but we made it back." Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS) finished second. Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Miller Lite Ford Fusion) finished third. Keselowski commented after the race: "There's no guarantees at this level. Being a great driver alone is not enough to guarantee success. Everything has to come together. You have to have a lot of good fortune. ... As far as the future, I look forward to racing (Larson) and Chase (Elliott) and Ryan Blaney and all those guys for years to come." Get more NASCAR info here.

(Getty Images)    
Michael McDowell (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Rheem Camaro) led 24 of the final 25 laps of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville for his first victory in 94 series races. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular finished .534 seconds ahead of his Richard Childress Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 Richard Childress Racing South Point Camaro) after two late restarts, including a green-white-checkered that pushed the race to 48 laps from its scheduled 45. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Brennan Poole (No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing DC Solar Camaro) was the top-finishing rookie, third, in his first start at Road America, after starting 12th. The victory was the perfect finish to some unfinished business McDowell had at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile racetrack. In 2011, he started from the pole position and led a race-high 30 laps, but ultimately finished 12th. In 2012, he started second and finished second. "It means a tremendous amount to me," said McDowell, who also raced in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. "I've been so close here at Road America. To finally finish it off was huge." Get more NASCAR info from Road America here. Editor-In-Chief's Note: The fact that NASCAR doesn't have Road America in the Chase is a complete travesty. NASCAR needs more road races and fewer double visits to the same tracks. The NASCAR brain trust's continued head-in-sand approach to pretty much everything is a disgrace. -PMD

(Volkswagen)
Scott Speed (No. 41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross BF Goodrich/Toms River Volkswagen Beetle GRC) delivered his third consecutive victory in the Red Bull Global Rallycross series, winning in Atlantic City at Bader Field on Sunday. Patrik Sandell (No. 18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST) was second and Brian Deegan (No. 38 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST) finished third. Volkswagen increases its lead in the manufacturer’s championship with its fourth consecutive win and sixth of the season. Next up for the GRC? Round nine in Seattle. The race will air on NBC Sunday, September 18 at 1:30PM (ET).

(Audi Sport)
Editor-In-Chief's Note: As I have previously discussed in several of my "Fumes" columns, Formula E is going to become very important to the world's auto manufacturers as they invest heavily in employing advanced electrification across multiple segments. This news from Audi is really no surprise. -PMD
Beginning with the 2016/2017 season that opens in Hong Kong on October 9, Audi will increase its involvement in Formula E Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport with financial and technical support. The German automaker plans to elevate its presence in Formula E into a full, factory-backed motorsport program in 2017/2018 season. “Electric mobility is one of the key topics in our industry,” says Dr. Stefan Knirsch, Member of the Board of Management, Technical Development, AUDI AG. “We intend to evolve into one of the leading premium car manufacturers in this field. By 2025, every fourth Audi should be an electric vehicle. The first model for this is planned to be an SUV we’re going to present in 2018. In the light of these plans, adapting our motorsport program and taking up a commitment in a fully electric racing series is only a logical move.” Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, had this to say: “Audi has consistently been using motorsport to test and develop new technologies further for subsequent use in production. With quattro drive we revolutionized rally racing and subsequently set standards in circuit racing as well. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi was the first manufacturer to have achieved victories with a TFSI engine, a TDI and a hybrid race car, so writing motorsport history on several occasions. Now we intend to repeat this in fully electric racing. Formula E with its races being held in the hearts of major cities is an ideal stage for this purpose and Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport a logical partner for us.” Audi’s commitment to Formula E will be immediately visible, as the four rings will be prominently featured on the sides and the rear wings of the ABT Schaeffler FE02 for the first time at next week's official Formula E test (September 5 to 7) at Donington Park in the UK. Daniel Abt (Germany) and Lucas di Grassi (Brazil) will continue as the drivers of Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in 2016-17, their third joint Formula E season as teammates.

FIA Formula E 2016/2017 calendar

October 9, 2016    Hong Kong
November 12, 2016     Marrakesh
February 18, 2017    Buenos Aires
April 1, 2017    Mexico City
May 13, 2017     Monaco
May 20, 2017     Paris
June 10, 2017    Berlin
July 1, 2017    Brussels
July 15, 2017    Montreal
July 16, 2017    Montreal
July 29, 2017     New York
July 30, 2017     New York

(BMW)
BMW has created the “BMW Centenary Trophy: BMW 2002 meets BMW 3.0 CSL” as an accolade to its heritage at the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort on September 2, 3 and 4. The German automaker will be celebrating “50 years of BMW 2002” at the event. The race will feature BMW 2002 and BMW 3.0 CSL racing machines.

America's National Park of Speed.

I was getting caught up on the Pirelli World Challenge Races at Road America, and thought I saw the Autoextremist.com sign at Turn 5. Could you please show a picture of it, and the story behind it? I am a huge fan of both Road America and your website!

DR
Scottsdale, Arizona


Editor-In-Chief's Note: I first went to Elkhart Lake's Road America in 1967, when my brother Tony was racing a "A" Production Corvette in the SCCA June Sprints National races. I've been going ever since. If you have traveled around to race tracks as much as I have - including the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany - you will come to appreciate Road America, simply the most stunning natural-terrain road racing circuit in North America. With a track layout that has been unaltered since it was first opened in 1955 - which, believe me, is a rarity - and a park-like setting that is simply unrivaled, Road America is the race track for road racing enthusiasts in this country. To me, Road America looks and feels like a national park, and the track's theme line - America's National Park of Speed - is something I came up with to best describe the feeling you get when you're there. We first used it on that Autoextremist billboard in Turn 5 and I'm proud to say that it has become a fixture there. I gave the theme line to the track to use several years ago and I encouraged track president George Bruggenthies and his talented staff to use the theme consistently in all of their communications, and it's really starting to pay dividends. It's gratifying to hear the theme on TV broadcasts and to see it in-person when you're at the track. -PMD