“Racing this weekend - Memphis Commercial Appeal” plus 4 more

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• Racing this weekend - Memphis Commercial Appeal
• Top Fuel leader seeks end to Maple Grove drought - Reading Eagle
• Motorcycle, drag racing planned this weekend at BIR - Brainerd Dispatch
• RINGERS GLOVES RACING - Racing West
• 100 years of motorcycle design on display in Portsmouth - HamptonRoads.com

Racing this weekend - Memphis Commercial Appeal Posted: 20 Aug 2009 10:05 PM PDT NASCAR Sprint Cup Sharpie 500 Site: Bristol, Tenn. Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1-2:30 p.m.), qualifying (ESPN2, 4:30-6 p.m.); Saturday, race, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN, 5:30-10 p.m.). Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval, 0.533 miles). Race distance: 500 miles, 266.5 laps. Last race: Brian Vickers won at Michigan International Speedway, driving to conserve fuel, then taking the lead with two laps to go when leader Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas. Last year: Carl Edwards raced to the sixth of his series-high nine 2008 victories, using his bumper to nudge aside Kyle Busch with 30 laps to go. Next race: Pep Boys Auto 500, Sept. 6, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga. NASCAR Nationwide Food City 250 Site: Bristol, Tenn. Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 9:30-11 a.m.), qualifying (Speed, 3-4:30 p.m.), race, 7 p.m. (ESPN2, 6:30-9:30 p.m.). Track: Bristol Motor Speedway Race distance: 250 miles, 133.25 laps. Last race: Brad Keselowski won his home-state event at Michigan International Speedway, passing Brian Vickers on the final turn. Kyle Busch finished third, ending his record string of top-two finishes at 10. Keselowski has three victories this year. Last year: Brad Keselowski passed Clint Bowyer with 24 laps to go and pulled away for the second of his two 2008 victories. Keselowski started 37th. Next race: NAPA Auto Parts 200, Aug. 30, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. FORMULA ONE Grand Prix of Europe Site: Valencia, Spain. Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 7-8:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 7-8:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 7 a.m. (Speed, 6:30-9 a.m.) Track: Streets of Valencia (road course, 3.367 miles). Race distance: 191.93 miles, 57 laps. Last race: Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, the defending series champion's first victory of the year. Last year: Ferrari's Felipe Massa raced to the fourth of his six 2008 victories, leading wire-to-wire. Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Aug. 30, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. INDYcar series Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Site: Sonoma, Calif. Schedule: Saturday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 5-6 p.m.); Sunday, race, 4:50 p.m. (Versus, 4-7 p.m.). Track: Infineon Raceway (road course, 2.303 miles). Race distance: 172.725 miles, 75 laps. Last race: Scott Dixon won at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 9 to become the IndyCar victory leader with 20, beating Ryan Briscoe by nearly 30 seconds -- the largest margin in the series in a decade. Last year: Helio Castroneves ended a 29-race winless streak, leading 51 of the 80 laps for Team Penske. Next race: Peak Indy 300, Aug. 29, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. NHRA Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals Site: Mohnton, Pa. Schedule: Today, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, Sunday, midnight-2 a.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 9 p.m.-midnight). Track: Maple Grove Raceway. Last event: Funny Car points leader Tony Pedregon won for the third time this year and 43rd overall, beating Ron Capps at Brainerd International in Minnesota. Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Minnesotan Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. Last year: Tony Schumacher raced to his fifth straight Top Fuel victory and 10th of the season, beating Larry Dixon with a 3.845-second run at 313.88 mph. Next event: Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 2-7, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind. Local scene Memphis Motorsports park drag strip Today: Street Legal Drags Saturday-Sunday: SCCA Regional Championships Riverside Speedway Saturday: Winged Sprints, Non-Wing Sprints, Limited Late Models, Stock, Mini Stock This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Top Fuel leader seeks end to Maple Grove drought - Reading Eagle Posted: 20 Aug 2009 09:15 PM PDT A Top Fuel victory at Maple Grove Raceway would give Antron Brown a great rush of pride. For NHRA Funny Car drivers Tony Pedregon and Ron Capps, the stakes are much higher in the 25th annual Toyo Tires Nationals, which run today through Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway. With only two events left before the six-race Countdown to 1 playoffs, Pedregon and Capps are dueling for the 20 bonus points the leader after 18 races will receive going into the Countdown. Capps raced off the starting line this season with two straight wins. His class-best fifth victory at Denver in the 13th event of the season kept Capps in front. But Pedregon, a two-time series champion, took the Funny Car lead with a second-place finish July 26 in Sonoma, Calif, and extended that by defeating Capps in last week's final in Brainerd, Minn. Pedregon, winner of three races this season, carries a 28-point lead into Maple Grove over Capps, a two-time series runner-up. "Reading is such a pivotal race right now, being prior to the U.S. Nationals, which is everybody's last chance," Capps said. "Maple Grove has created a lot of excitement over the years, and I have never been able to win the race. I would like to get the trophy there." So would Brown, who has yet to taste victory in 11 trips to Maple Grove as a participant. A native of Chesterfield, N.J., Brown often attended races at Maple Grove with his father, Al, and uncle Andre when he was younger. "I'm fired up about Reading," Brown said. "Maple Grove is one of the tracks I grew up going to and I'm stoked about racing this weekend. Our goal is to lock up the top spot in the Countdown to 1 and then go some rounds. Brown enters Maple Grove with a 217-point lead over Tony Schumacher, who is looking to extend his record five-year reign as Top Fuel champion. Schumacher and two-time series champ Larry Dixon are separated by just eight points in the battle for second. Schumacher has three victories this season compared to four for Dixon. Brown, in just his second year as a Top Fuel driver, leads the class with five victories, including three straight. Brown's run of titles and 14-round winning streak were ended by Dixon in the semifinals last week in Brainerd. "Our Matco Tools dragster has been on point lately and I really want to have a great showing in front of all my family and friends that will be in Reading this weekend." Brown said. A victory at Maple Grove is one of the few things to elude Brown during his 12-year professional career. During his 10 years in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Brown won 16 races. Last year, he made the jump to Top Fuel and won two races to become the first driver to win in both classes. Brown's best finish at Maple Grove was second in 2004 when he lost to teammate Angelle Samprey in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final. During his first year in Top Fuel last season, Brown lost to Dixon in the semifinals, his fourth semifinal setback at Maple Grove. Qualifying for Funny Car and Top Fuel dragsters is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. today after Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock qualifying at 3. Contact Brian Rippey: 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Motorcycle, drag racing planned this weekend at BIR - Brainerd Dispatch Posted: 20 Aug 2009 05:30 AM PDT Brainerd International Raceway is offering a 2-for-1 event this weekend. The Central Roadracing Association has motorcycle racing on the new Competition Road Course. It's amateur club racing with different classes racing Friday through Sunday. On the drag strip is the fifth race in the seven-race Bracket Drag Racing Series. Qualifying starts Saturday, eliminations are Sunday. Also on Saturday, the King of the Track will be crowned. In each class, the two racers with the most series points will race against each other. Winners will be placed in a 10-driver bracket, with the last driver standing being crowned King of the Track. Daily admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids, which gets fans into the track for both races. Tickets are available at the gate. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

RINGERS GLOVES RACING - Racing West Posted: 18 Aug 2009 04:52 PM PDT INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series visited northern Minnesota and Brainerd International Raceway for the Lucas Oil Nationals over the weekend. Two Lucas Oil-sponsored racers (also Ringers' supporting teams) landed in the Winner's Circle and received their Wally's from the people whose names are on the sides of their vehicles. The first racer to be greeted by Charlotte Lucas at the top end of the race track was Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Hector Arana. Arana, one of the first racers to ever receive a Lucas Oil sponsorship, qualified in the No. 1 position for the event and had the bike to beat on Sunday. Arana defeated Wesley Wells, Doug Horne and Eddie Krawiec on his way to the finals where he beat a red-lighting Junior Pippin. Like Arana, Morgan Lucas was also the No. 1 qualifier in his Top Fuel dragster class. On his way to the final round, Lucas took out Chris Karamesines, good friend Brandon Bernstein and Schumacher Racing's Cory McClenathan. His GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster faced Al-Anabi's Larry Dixon, but Lucas had the advantage from the starting line with a 0.065-second reaction time. He defeated Dixon with a 3.814-second, 309.27 mph run to collect his second Top Fuel career victory. The Ringers' supporting teams of KB Racing watched teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line duel it out in Pro Stock finals. Anderson and Line are originally from the state of Minnesota and this final round is reminiscent of the Pro Stock final at Sonoma. However, the outcome was different this time with Anderson beating Line to pick up his first win of the 2009 season. The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues right onto Maple Grove Raceway for the Toyo Tires Nationals, August 20-23. The NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series visited the Michigan International Speedway in Irish Hills of the state for their respective races. After starting in the 28th position in the Nationwide Series' CARFAX 250, Penske Racing's Justin Allgaier rallied his No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge to a seventh place; Ringers' supporter Brendan Gaughan finished 29th. Two of the three Penske Racing Cup racers finished in the top-15 at the end of the CARFAX 400 on Sunday, with Sam Hornish Jr. in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge leading the contingent in the fifth position. David Stremme recovered from a late-race incident and drove his No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge to a 13th-place finish. Their teammate Kurt Busch was involved in an accident on lap 120 and finished 36th. This weekend (Nationwide on Friday; Cup on Saturday) both series race under the lights at the always exciting Bristol Motor Speedway in Thunder Valley. Ringers Gloves, an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, is the title sponsor for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Ringers Gloves is a full-line manufacturer of high-end, task specific gloves, SFI 3.3/1, 3.3/10, 3.3/20 racing gloves, UnderX protective undergarments, UnderX Performance gear, crew shoes, as well as a full line of accessories for every need. Isn't it time you bring in the Ringers? Check us out at www.ringersgloves.com. [ News Index ] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

100 years of motorcycle design on display in Portsmouth - HamptonRoads.com Posted: 19 Aug 2009 09:38 PM PDT PORTSMOUTH This summer the Courthouse Galleries space is looking more like its Olde Towne neighbor, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Inside, motorcycles are everywhere. There are 40 of them spanning a century in design, from a 1912 Triumph once owned by an Irish outlaw to a 2009 Zero that runs on electricity. Visitors will find racing and riding garb from notable bikers, even from the Motor Maids, a national association of women riders founded in 1940. A section on local legends and videos of races round out the resemblance to a sports center. But maybe this show, called "Freedom: Evolution of the Motorcycle," is just as appropriate for an 1846 courthouse-turned-gallery, since a court of law is where the occasional speed-crazed biker ends up. And speed, according to curator Gayle Paul, was among the top factors that drove the design. Precedents exist for fine-art centers showing motorcycles and the like, with a focus on design. In 1998, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City opened a landmark exhibition, "The Art of the Motorcycle," which drew complaints from art snobs but was extremely popular. Likewise, the local museum was packed for opening events. Certainly, the Courthouse's budget is minuscule compared to the Guggenheim's. Still, the Portsmouth venue unearthed some extraordinary examples. Paul knew little about motorcycles when she got started two years ago. By now, she could stand before a motorcycle club and lecture on the evolution of the tailpipe. The show offers tons of text regarding the history and sociology of motorcycles and the stories behind each one on display, all of it researched and written by Paul. She enlisted the aid of many in the field, but especially the people at Bayside Harley Davidson in Portsmouth and Velocity Motorcycles in Richmond. The dealerships helped locate collectors. About 20 collectors lent bikes, and six others let the museum borrow memorabilia. A Velocity parts manager, Brian Condra, who is an artist, co-designed the show with Pat Jensen, the museum's exhibit specialist. The large, open main gallery resembles a gleaming showroom, with a blue racing stripe. Motorcycles evolved in the late 19th century from the bicycle. An example of an early bicycle-turned-motorcycle via an attached motor is the replica of a 1910 Harley Davidson at the show's entrance. To spark the motor, a rider had to start off pedaling. Stories are attached to many of the bikes. The 1912 Triumph was owned by an Irish criminal who had used it as a getaway vehicle. He disappeared in the 1930s from a Scottish farm, leaving behind his bike and diary. After the farm family read about his exploits in the diary, they were ashamed he had worked for them and told no one, Paul said. The bike finally came to light and was sold in 1980 to a Chesapeake couple, Terry and Susan Bond, who lent it for the show. Terry Bond told Paul that a model just like his sank in 1912 on the Titanic. Almost all of the motorcycles are vintage. Only two are replicas, including a 1939 Brough Superior, one of the finest of its day and the bike of choice for T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), who died riding one. The show features British, French, Belgian, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish and American bikes. Brand names include Kawasaki, Honda, Royal Enfield and Yamaha. The 1960s bikes look mod, straight out of a comic book. Later ones resemble robotic insects or Japanese anime figures. A 1998 chopper representing the "Easy Rider" era was designed through a competition between two Harley Davidson dealerships. Among the current-year models, the BMW R 1200 stands out for its ability to move over the roughest imaginable surfaces. Said Paul, in an admiring tone: "It'll take you anywhere, to the ends of the earth." Teresa Annas, (757) 446-2485, teresa.annas@pilotonline.com This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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