plus 4, Nov. 2, 1895: Cars Can’t Get to First Gasoline Race - Wired News

Nov. 2, 1895: Cars Can’t Get to First Gasoline Race - Wired News
McMurray snaps winless skid - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hight wins at NHRA's Vegas stop, nears Funny Car title - USA Today
Hight closes on title with win; Massey, Morgan, Hines also victorious - NHRA.com
Bridgestone to quit F1 in late 2010 - Global Nation

Nov. 2, 1895: Cars Can’t Get to First Gasoline Race - Wired News

Posted: 01 Nov 2009 09:04 PM PST

1895: The first U.S. race for gasoline-powered cars has to be postponed. The vehicles couldn't get to the starting line. Within the month, though, they're going to make some history.

Racing started out when cars started out. The legend is that the first car race happened the first time one horseless carriage met another on the road. That's a quaint story, but back in the late 19th century, car races were not run on circuits. They were "open road" affairs, run from one city to the other.

The first organized car race was the Paris-to-Rouen "reliability test" held only a year before the fine fellows at The Chicago Times-Herald came up with their idea to run a race from Chicago north to Milwaukee.

Unfortunately, the roads between the two Midwest metropolises were in terrible condition, so the route was shortened to Chicago to Evanston and back. It would cover only 54 miles.

The original field featured 83 entries in the race, but 76 of them never made it to the race. The high dropout rate seemed largely due to most of the cars not being finished in time for the contest. Organizers postponed the event for a week.

Even pre-race favorite Elwood Haynes had to drop out when his car was damaged en route and unable to compete.

If the new technology weren't already tricky enough, dealing with the local authorities was even worse. Before Haynes and a Mercedes Benz driver could even get into town, they were stopped by the cops. Their infraction? The police said that they had no right to drive their vehicles on the city streets and the competitors had to requisition horses to pull the cars.

Naturally the editors of the Times-Herald flipped out. They postponed the event again, until they could convince the city leaders to pass an ordinance allowing the newfangled vehicles to travel on the streets of Chicago.

By this time, the race had slipped to November 28, Thanksgiving Day, and the course was plagued by muddy roads and snowdrifts.

There were three Benzes in the final field, all of them three-wheelers. The only four-wheeled car to run was a ""motorized wagon" from Charles Duryea.

Two electric-powered cars got to the starting line. One of them couldn't even start, and the other only made it a matter of yards before the cold November weather drained the primitive batteries.

The only other entries were two "motorcycles," but they lacked the power to climb one of the grades on the course, and had to drop out.

That left only the three Benzes and the Duryea. Not only was this the first car race in America, but it also featured the first auto-racing accident. Shortly after the start, depending on whom you believe, either two of the cars argued over the same piece of road, or one of them, a Benz, ran into a horse cart or was forced off the road by the horses.

Whatever caused it, one Benz was in a ditch and out of the race. Then another Benz dropped out.

It was a nip-and-tuck battle between the last Benz and the Duryea. The Duryea led at the start, but the Benz passed it going into Evanston.

The Duryea regained the lead on the return trip and crossed the finish line first. It took home the grand prize of $2,000 — more than $50,000 in today's money.

The event created significant publicity for automobiles, proving just how fast and how far they could go. The race was completed in just under eight hours, at a blistering average speed of 7 mph.

Photo: The Duryea motorized wagon was an early winner in the world of auto racing.

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McMurray snaps winless skid - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Posted: 01 Nov 2009 09:33 PM PST

NASCAR demanded drivers be on their best behavior at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where a ban on bump-drafting sanitized what's usually one of the most spectacular races of the season.

In the end, chaos reigned, just like always.

After 450 miles of what resembled a slow Sunday drive, the action picked up and the outcome was much of what everyone has come to expect out of Talladega: An unlikely winner, two spectacular crashes and an army of drivers frustrated about the unpredictability of restrictor-plate racing.

"I think we all know that's what's going to happen when we come to Talladega," said Jeff Gordon, who first ran out of gas and then wrecked — all in a five-lap span.

Jamie McMurray was the surprise winner of the AMP Energy 500, snapping an 86-race winless streak by leading 32 late laps and holding on in a race that ended under caution. Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, ended up sixth, probably wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth-consecutive championship because of all the late action.

"I made the comment ... it's just going to be luck," McMurray said, "whoever can get in the right row and make the moves."

That's how it usually works at Talladega, where horsepower-sapping restrictor plates slow the speeds and force drivers to use aggressive maneuvers to plow their way through tight packs of traffic.

But after Carl Edwards' airborne crash in April into the front-stretch fence, NASCAR has felt the pressure to cut down on the dangerous bumping and blocking that usually triggers the multi-car accidents known as "the Big One." Officials warned at the start of the weekend that they didn't want to see drivers shoving each other around the speedway, and proved it by parking Michael Waltrip during a practice Friday when he didn't back off Johnson's rear bumper.

NASCAR President Mike Helton ramped it up a notch Sunday in a stern pre-race lecture that banned all bumping in the corners.

In response, the 43-car field spent much of Sunday in a single-file parade lap that almost looked to be a conscious thumbing of the nose at NASCAR.

As always, it got dicey when the racing picked up with about 20 laps remaining.

Ryan Newman's harrowing crash with five laps to go left him upside down in the grass, and NASCAR needed a stoppage of almost 13 minutes to cut him from the car.

His crash set up a two-lap sprint to the finish, and that was halted when championship contender Mark Martin went flipping across the track in his own spectacular crash.

The race ended under caution, with McMurray in Victory Lane.

Because Johnson spent most of the race puttering around the back of the pack, he was stuck back in the mid-20s when Newman crashed. Crew chief Chad Knaus sensed a lengthy delay and quickly called Johnson in for gas — a decision that may have clinched the title.

When cars ahead of him in the running order began to run out of gas because of the red-flag delay, Johnson vaulted up in the standings. His sixth-place finish stretched his points lead to 184 over Martin with three races to go.

Vettel wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Sebastian Vettel won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Mark Webber hung on for second to give Red Bull a one-two finish in the final Formula One race of the season, in the United Arab Emirates.

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, who already wrapped up the drivers' championship, was third.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton led up to the first set of pit stops, but retired soon after due to a right rear brake failure on his McLaren.

Massey races to Top Fuel win — Spencer Massey raced to his second Top Fuel victory of the season, beating No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon in the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Also winning were Robert Hight (Funny Car), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

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Hight wins at NHRA's Vegas stop, nears Funny Car title - USA Today

Posted: 01 Nov 2009 08:14 PM PST

Hight beat second-place teammate Ashley Force Hood in the first round of eliminations, then pulled out a close final-round victory over Jack Beckman to take a 105-point lead in the standings.

"It's amazing what a win can do and get that confidence back," said Hight, who powered his Ford Mustang to a performance of 4.125 seconds at 304.46 to edge Beckman's Dodge Charger (4.154 at 303.16).

"That was a close race in the final. All the runs this weekend the car was on its performance. It really gives you a lot of confidence as a driver. It's all about confidence. The championship isn't over yet, but we're really close."

Spencer Massey, Larry Morgan and Andrew Hines also won in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race was the fifth of six events in the Countdown to 1, NHRA's championship playoffs.

NHRA rookie of the year nominee Spencer Massey earned his second victory of the season, beating team owner Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's former driver, Larry Dixon, in the final. With the runner-up finish, Dixon trails series leader Tony Schumacher by one point. Veteran driver Cory McClenathan, who beat Schumacher in the second round, is in third in the title hunt, 48 points back.

Morgan had his first win since 2002 and the 10th of his career in Pro Stock, outrunning first-time finalist Rickie Jones in the final round.

Morgan posted a 6.720 at 205.69 in his Dodge Stratus to hold off Jones' Stratus, which trailed with a 6.794 at 203.16. Series leader Mike Edwards lost in the second round. He leads second place Greg Anderson by 139 points. Edwards needs only to qualify for the season finale to clinch the title.

Hines took his third win of the season in Pro Stock Motorcycle when series leader Hector Arana fouled at the start in the final round. With the runner-up finish, Arana increased his series lead to 54 over defending champ Eddie Krawiec.

The season will end Nov. 12-15 at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

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Hight closes on title with win; Massey, Morgan, Hines also victorious - NHRA.com

Posted: 01 Nov 2009 09:04 PM PST

Robert Hight all but locked up his first NHRA Funny Car title when he drove to victory at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, a win that put him 105 points ahead of the rest of his competitors. Hight was joined in the winner's circle by Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

The championship picture got much clearer in Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle and a lot more complicated in Top Fuel in Las Vegas, the second to last event in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season. The most interesting race heading into the final event is in Top Fuel, where just one point separates leader Tony Schumacher and second-place Larry Dixon. Cory McClenathan is just 48 markers out of the lead. Hight very likely put the title out of reach when he went the distance and his closest competitors fell early. His biggest boost came in round one when he defeated second-place Ashley Force Hood, who is now 105 points back. In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards all but clinched the championship. Edwards leaves Las Vegas 139 points in front of Greg Anderson, the only driver left in mathematical contention, meaning he can clinch the title during Pomona qualifying. The Pro Stock Motorcycle championship is now down to two riders, Hector Arana and Eddie Krawiec. The pair met in the semifinals with Arana coming out on top. Though Arana ultimately lost in the final, he holds a solid 54-point advantage over Krawiec heading to Pomona.

Though he realistically is out of the championship hunt (he has not been mathematically eliminated but would need a miracle), Massey may very well have locked up the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award when he drove Don Prudhomme's U.S. Smokeless rail to his second win of the season; Massey also won in Chicago. Massey was on a rail through eliminations, capping the day with a 3.827, low e.t. of eliminations, to defeat Dixon in the final. This was a repeat of the Reading final, in which Dixon prevailed.

"I don't like to think that I should or shouldn't [win rookie of the year]; I don't really think like that," said Massey. "If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I would like for it to happen, but Shawn [Langdon] is an awesome racer and so is Matt Hagan and Doug Horne. Obviously, we've got a couple of wins now and the points are the points, but there's a whole lot of different situations and things that happen for the rookie of the year. I don't know if it draws a line under it or puts a check by my name or whatever, but I'd love to find out at the end of Pomona that it happened that way.

"It's just unbelievable just being able to get to the final round. Every race car out here is capable of winning races. The competition is so tight out here. Every round was a key round and meant something because for points, we're down to the wire. And not only for points, but we're also going for the Wally at the end of the day. It means a whole lot to me personally and to 'Snake' and everybody because we've been struggling here in the Countdown; we just haven't been on our game. So it's nice to come in here and throw down these good numbers and go A to B and not beat ourselves because that's what we've really been doing all year long. We got a handle on it, and now we've got some momentum."

Massey advanced to his fourth career final round on the strength of 3.83- to 3.87-second passes. He opened with a 3.83 to oust fellow rookie Shawn Langdon, then clocked 3.87 and 3.84 runs to defeat No. 2 qualifier Steve Torrence and Richmond champ Brandon Bernstein.

Dixon just missed taking over the points lead when he came up short in the final, his ninth of the season and 92nd of his career. Dixon, who now sits one point out of first, had a perfect day leading up to the final, in which he smoked the tires. Dixon ran low e.t. of the first two rounds as he dispatched Morgan Lucas and Doug Kalitta. In the semi's, he had the second-best time of the round, a 3.845 that was only bettered by Cory McClenathan, whom Dixon beat on a holeshot.

Hight couldn't have scripted his Las Vegas outing any better. His Auto Club-backed Mustang was the class of the Funny Car field on Sunday, running low e.t. of every round. In the final, Hight powered to a 4.125 to edge Jack Beckman by .012-second for the win. Beckman, who got the jump at the Tree .058 to .075, finished with a 4.154. The win is the third of the season for Hight, all of which have come during the Countdown to 1 playoffs, and the 14th of his career.

"To have a 105-point lead going into Pomona, it gives you a lot of confidence, but it's still not over," said Hight. "You hate to make predictions, but back when we didn't qualify in Bristol, I said, 'This car is too good. This team is too good, and we will still contend for the championship.' We weren't even in the top 10, and you wonder when you say that, you know, 'Ah, those predictions will come back and bite you.' But anything can happen. We could not qualify in Pomona, and that could be it. But with the way my car is running right now, I'm very confident, and I just know we can go out there and qualify and seal this deal up.

"Jimmy Prock has just done a great job since the Countdown started, really since Indy. Three wins in the Countdown and we've only been to five races, so that is stout. It's all been on performance. We have not gotten lucky, and I've not had to pedal the race car; we have just outmuscled these guys. That was a close race in the final. I think our car fell off a little bit. It hurt itself, so we probably got a little lucky there in the final. All the rest of the runs this weekend, though, it was on performance."

Hight's big points day got off to a high-pressure start when he was matched with second-place points runner and teammate Force Hood. Hight was up to the task, running a 4.11 to defeat Force Hood, who faded on the top end and slowed to a 4.33. Hight then clocked a 4.12 to defeat boss John Force, who smoked the tires and crossed the centerline while trying to get his car to recover. Hight advanced to his fourth final of the year and the 26th of his career when he powered to low e.t. of eliminations, 4.080, to trailer Tim Wilkerson.

Beckman kept himself in mathematical contention with a clutch final-round performance that moved him up two spots in the standings, from sixth to fourth. Beckman's day was the polar opposite of that of Hight as the Don Schumacher Racing driver struggled most of eliminations. In round one, Beckman outpedaled Mike Neff to win the tire-smoking affair on a 4.43 to 4.69 count. The following round, Beckman and teammate Matt Hagan both had troubles on the run with Beckman ultimately coming out on top with a 4.21. Beckman's sluggish runs continued in the semi's when he clocked a 4.35 to oust a tire-smoking Del Worsham and advance to his fifth final this year and the 17th of his career.

Morgan snapped a dry spell that dated back to Sonoma 2002 when he defeated Rickie Jones in the Pro Stock final. Morgan led the final wire to wire, cutting a .012 light and outpowering Jones, 6.72 to 6.79, to claim his 10th career win.

"My guys have worked so hard to get where we're at, but now with this Ford program that we're working on, I'm not sure how we could keep this Dodge running like we have," said Morgan. "The best win I ever had been when I won Indy and the [NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge] in 1989 and my oldest boy was born the week before, but this ranks right up there. It was just a great win for us."

"I threw a hundred dollars in a slot machine and won $1,200, and I thought I might be pretty lucky here. I felt relaxed all day and everything was going our way. We put ourselves in a position to win and I guess I drove well enough to beat the bad guys out here."

Morgan may not be part of the championship chase, but he played a key role in it during eliminations. In round one, Morgan defeated Jason Line, eliminating the Summit driver from championship contention. He then denied Mike Edwards the 2009 world title when he defeated the points leader on a holeshot, 6.72 to 6.67. Morgan advanced to his first final of the year and the 32nd of his career when he drove his Lucas Oil-backed Dodge past Greg Stanfield.

Jones combined solid driving with a solid-running car to advance to the first final of his young career. Jones began the day with a holeshot victory against Vinnie Deceglie, combining a .020 light with a 6.72 to better Deceglie's .072-initiated 6.69. Jones then ran back-to-back 6.71s to defeat Roger Brogdon and Ron Krisher to advance to the money round.

Hines was mathematically eliminated from championship consideration in the semifinals, but he gave his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, a big boost in his bid to win back-to-back titles when he defeated Arana in the final. Arana made things easy when he left with a very early -.144 light. Hines also left before the green with a -.014, but at that point it didn't matter. Hines punctuated his win, the third this season and 18th overall, with a 6.998.

"I felt really good today," said Hines. "For some reason, I get into these races and get all caught up in the battles and rivalries, but today I was relaxed. Today, I didn't really care. I just went out there to ride and have fun. I had no pressure today.

"In the final, Hector must have been rattled. He did a neutral burnout. He didn't put the bike in gear, and that's never a good thing. When I heard that, I had a feeling that I was going to get the win light."

Hines really was the class of the field in eliminations. Though he wasn't quickest of the class in his round-one victory over Fred Camarena, Hines was the best of the following three rounds. He clocked a 7.00 to trailer Doug Horne in round two, then blasted to a 6.992, low e.t. of the day, to defeat Matt Smith in the semi's and advance to his fourth final of '09 and 31st of his career.

"That was a big round against Matt Smith in the semi's because he's my biggest rival," added Hines. "That was for third place and I think I've got it. For some reason I just knew I needed to get to the final today. It was a little bittersweet to see Hector beat Eddie in the semi's, but for me to come back and take out Hector gives Eddie a glimmer of hope for the championship."

Arana extended his lead, boosting it to 54 markers, with his final-round showing. Starting from the No. 1 spot, Arana clocked a series of 7.0s en route to the final, beginning with a 7.05 to defeat Mike Berry. He then put a 7.02 on the boards to end David Hope's day. In the semi's, Arana won an important match with second-place Krawiec and did so on the starting line, turning a .016 to .032 reaction-time advantage into a 7.039 to 7.028 victory. That gave him a spot in his sixth final of the year and ninth overall.

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Bridgestone to quit F1 in late 2010 - Global Nation

Posted: 01 Nov 2009 09:47 PM PST

TOKYO, Japan—Japanese tire maker Bridgestone Corp said Monday it would quit Formula One next year, dealing a further blow to the sport after the recent withdrawal of other high-profile firms due to the global downturn.

Bridgestone said it would end its contract as the official tire supplier to the FIA, raising questions over who would replace it after French rival Michelin pulled out in 2006 and US maker Goodyear left in 1998.

"Bridgestone today announced that it will not enter into a new tire supply contract with the FIA Formula One World Championship series," the Tokyo-based tire and rubber industry giant said in a statement.

The move comes after Toyota Motor pulled out of hosting the Japanese Grand Prix, while Honda has sold its team as the companies struggled to fight off the global recession. There have also been casualties in other motor sports.

Bridgestone has supplied tires to F1 for 13 years and has been the exclusive supplier to the series since 2007.

Its current contract expires at the end of the 2010 season.

Bridgestone, battered by a global auto industry slump amid the economic downturn, said it was "addressing the impact of the continuing evolution of the business environment."

Bridgestone, which vies with Michelin to be the world's top tire maker, posted a net loss of 38.34 billion yen ($420 million) for January-June, a turnaround from a year-earlier profit of 37.24 billion yen.

Last month Bridgestone said it would shed nearly 900 jobs in Australia and New Zealand as it closes plants amid the worldwide slump in demand for cars.

Toyota Motor in July pulled out of hosting the Japanese Grand Prix at its Fuji Speedway circuit from next year.

Honda has sold its Formula One team while Suzuki and Subaru have withdrawn from the world rally championship. Motorcycle maker Kawasaki has exited the MotoGP and Mitsubishi is quitting the Dakar Rally.

The Japanese tire maker, which also makes industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods, said it would redirect its resources toward new technologies and strategic products.

"The business environment is changing greatly," company spokesman Makoto Shiomi told AFP.

"We need to concentrate our management resources on strategic areas and technological innovation," he said, adding that one of the priorities would be development of more environmentally friendly products.

He added that Bridgestone was "not in a position to judge" which company would be the next official tire supplier for Formula One.

Bridgestone says on its website that in 2009 it made about 40,000 Formula One tires for 10 racing teams in its factory in Kodaira, a western suburb of Tokyo.

It also says online that its F1 exposure has boosted its brand recognition over the years.

"In 1996, Bridgestone's brand recognition in Europe's five largest countries was 13 percent, but by 2003 it had risen to 34 percent," the company says.

"In recent years the arrival of Bahrain and China to the F1 championship has enabled Bridgestone to increase its activity in the Middle East and Far East."

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