Since my boy Jimmie Johnson has begun putting rings on his other hand, And Dylan's now retired guy Nico won it all on the F1 stage, let's get the 2017 racing season started with a tribute to their awesomeness...
2017 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
18-Feb <---> Daytona International Speedway (Unlimited)
19-Feb <---> Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying)
23-Feb <---> Daytona International Speedway (Duel)
26-Feb <---> Daytona 500
5-Mar <---> Atlanta Motor Speedway
12-Mar <---> Las Vegas Motor Speedway
19-Mar <---> Phoenix International Raceway
26-Mar <---> Auto Club Speedway
2-Apr <---> Martinsville Speedway
9-Apr <---> Texas Motor Speedway
23-Apr <---> Bristol Motor Speedway
30-Apr <---> Richmond International Raceway
7-May <---> Talladega Superspeedway
13-May <---> Kansas Speedway
20-May <---> Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR All-Star Race)
28-May <---> Charlotte Motor Speedway
4-Jun <---> Dover International Speedway
11-Jun <---> Pocono Raceway
18-Jun <---> Michigan International Speedway
25-Jun <---> Sonoma Raceway
1-Jul <---> Daytona International Speedway
8-Jul <---> Kentucky Speedway
16-Jul <---> New Hampshire Motor Speedway
23-Jul <---> Indianapolis Motor Speedway
30-Jul <---> Pocono Raceway
6-Aug <---> Watkins Glen International
13-Aug <---> Michigan International Speedway
19-Aug <---> Bristol Motor Speedway
3-Sep <---> Darlington Raceway
9-Sep <---> Richmond International Raceway
17-Sep <---> Chicagoland Speedway
24-Sep <---> New Hampshire Motor Speedway
1-Oct <---> Dover International Speedway
7-Oct <---> Charlotte Motor Speedway
15-Oct <---> Talladega Superspeedway
22-Oct <---> Kansas Speedway
29-Oct <---> Martinsville Speedway
5-Nov <---> Texas Motor Speedway
12-Nov <---> Phoenix International Raceway
19-Nov <---> Homestead-Miami Speedway
2017 F1 SERIES SCHEDULE
26-Mar <---> Melbourne, Australia
9-Apr <---> Shanghai, China
16-Apr <---> Bahrain, Bahrain
30-Apr <---> Sochi, Russia
14-May <---> Barcelona, Spain
28-May <---> Monte Carlo, Monaco
11-Jun <---> Montreal, Canada
25-Jun <---> Baku, Azerbaijan
9-Jul <---> Spielberg, Austria
16-Jul <---> Silverstone, United Kingdom
30-Jul <---> Budapest, Hungary
27-Aug <---> Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
3-Sep <---> Monza, Italy
17-Sep <---> Singapore, Singapore
1-Oct <---> Sepang, Malaysia
8-Oct <---> Suzuka, Japan
22-Oct <---> Austin, USA
29-Oct <---> Mexico City, Mexico
12-Nov <---> Sao Paolo, Brazil
26-Nov <---> Abu Dhabi, UAE [Reply]
Originally Posted by Al Bundy:
Denny Hamlin is a putz.
Yeah that was shitty. Took Chase right out of the final 4 after he was on top. I was really hoping for a helmet to the nose confrontation like the old days. [Reply]
On Wednesday, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Aric Almirola will replace Danica Patrick as the driver of the #(I forgot). :-)
Check this out: According to every single international news agency :-) British surfer Andrew Cotton breaks his back in the 'worst wipeout of his life' while filming a documentary. I finally got a chance to watch the video.
"The waves at Praia do Norte where Cotton was surfing, near the fishing village of Nazaré, are famed for being among the largest in the world."
Take note NFL - Mexico is another Brazil waiting to happen.
F1' needs to do more' after Mercedes robbery at gunpoint in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday
Originally Posted by :
Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 'needs to do more' to keep teams safe, says Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton says he was "upset" by news that personnel from his Mercedes team were robbed at gunpoint in Sao Paulo on Friday night.
A van of Mercedes workers was held up on the road away from the Interlagos track. No-one was hurt in the incident.
Hamilton said: "Gun shots fired, gun held at one's head. This is so upsetting to hear.
"It happens every single year here. F1 and the teams need to do more. No excuse."
Hamilton added: "Please say a prayer for my guys, who are here as professionals today even if shaken."
A Mercedes spokesman said: "Valuables were stolen but most importantly everybody is safe and uninjured."
Other F1 personnel had near-misses on the same road, which is notorious for robberies.
A gunman approached a car containing officials from governing body the FIA and tapped his weapon on the window, but the vehicle was armoured with bulletproof glass and they escaped.
A car containing Williams team members was behind the FIA car and was approached by a gunman but managed to leave the scene safely.
They are the latest in a series of incidents affecting F1 personnel at the Brazilian Grand Prix in recent years.
Former F1 driver Jenson Button escaped a similar attempted robbery in 2010 when his driver, again in an armoured car, charged through stationary traffic to get away.
Sunday NOV. 19, 2:30 P.M. EST
Ford EcoBoost 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
NBC
From AP: Toyota vs. Ford
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — A glance at the four drivers in the NASCAR championship race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
DRIVER: Kyle Busch
TEAM: No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
BORN: May 2, 1985
HOMETOWN: Las Vegas
CREW CHIEF: Adam Stevens
SPONSOR: M&M's Caramel/Interstate Batteries
SOCIAL MEDIA: @kylebusch (Twitter), @rowdybusch (Instagram)
NOTES: Busch is racing for his second championship and has been among the top teams all season. He has five wins this season and is perhaps the only one of the championship contenders who stayed close to favorite Martin Truex Jr. at times. He has been the top driver at Gibbs this season, and the only driver so far to give Toyota a Cup title.
___
DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
TEAM: No. 4 Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
BORN: Dec. 8, 1975
HOMETOWN: Bakersfield, California
CREW CHIEF: Rodney Childers
SPONSOR: Jimmy John's
SOCIAL MEDIA: @KevinHarvick (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: Harvick is seeking his second Cup championship and is far from the favorite, which he was during his 2014 title run. That year, Harvick won in his first season with the team. This year, he is trying to do it in SHR's first season with Ford. If Harvick wins, SHR would be the first to do so with a new manufacturer since Cale Yarborough did it in 1978.
___
DRIVER: Brad Keselowski
TEAM: No. 2 Ford, Team Penske
BORN: Feb. 12, 1984
HOMETOWN: Rochester Hills, Michigan
CREW CHIEF: Paul Wolfe
SPONSOR: Miller Lite
SOCIAL MEDIA: @keselowski (Twitter)
NOTES: Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR champion and has yet to win a title in this elimination, winner-take-all format. Should Keselowski win, Team Penske would sweep the major American racing series. Penske already celebrated a title this year in IndyCar with Josef Newgarden. Keselowski is also trying to become the first Ford driver to win the title since Kurt Busch in 2004.
___
DRIVER: Martin Truex Jr.
TEAM: No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
BORN: June 29, 1980
HOMETOWN: Mayetta, New Jersey
CREW CHIEF: Cole Pearn
SPONSOR: Furniture Row
SOCIAL MEDIA: @MartinTruex_Jr (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: The favorite for the championship and a seven-time winner this year, Truex has led the Cup Series in nearly every measurable category. He is the only the driver in the championship four without a Cup title, but he has raced in this format before. Truex won't have team owner Barney Visser in attendance because he is recovering from a heart attack and surgery at home in Colorado.
Sunday NOV. 19, 2:30 P.M. EST
Ford EcoBoost 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
NBC
From AP: Toyota vs. Ford
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — A glance at the four drivers in the NASCAR championship race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
DRIVER: Kyle Busch
TEAM: No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
BORN: May 2, 1985
HOMETOWN: Las Vegas
CREW CHIEF: Adam Stevens
SPONSOR: M&M's Caramel/Interstate Batteries
SOCIAL MEDIA: @kylebusch (Twitter), @rowdybusch (Instagram)
NOTES: Busch is racing for his second championship and has been among the top teams all season. He has five wins this season and is perhaps the only one of the championship contenders who stayed close to favorite Martin Truex Jr. at times. He has been the top driver at Gibbs this season, and the only driver so far to give Toyota a Cup title.
___
DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
TEAM: No. 4 Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
BORN: Dec. 8, 1975
HOMETOWN: Bakersfield, California
CREW CHIEF: Rodney Childers
SPONSOR: Jimmy John's
SOCIAL MEDIA: @KevinHarvick (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: Harvick is seeking his second Cup championship and is far from the favorite, which he was during his 2014 title run. That year, Harvick won in his first season with the team. This year, he is trying to do it in SHR's first season with Ford. If Harvick wins, SHR would be the first to do so with a new manufacturer since Cale Yarborough did it in 1978.
___
DRIVER: Brad Keselowski
TEAM: No. 2 Ford, Team Penske
BORN: Feb. 12, 1984
HOMETOWN: Rochester Hills, Michigan
CREW CHIEF: Paul Wolfe
SPONSOR: Miller Lite
SOCIAL MEDIA: @keselowski (Twitter)
NOTES: Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR champion and has yet to win a title in this elimination, winner-take-all format. Should Keselowski win, Team Penske would sweep the major American racing series. Penske already celebrated a title this year in IndyCar with Josef Newgarden. Keselowski is also trying to become the first Ford driver to win the title since Kurt Busch in 2004.
___
DRIVER: Martin Truex Jr.
TEAM: No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
BORN: June 29, 1980
HOMETOWN: Mayetta, New Jersey
CREW CHIEF: Cole Pearn
SPONSOR: Furniture Row
SOCIAL MEDIA: @MartinTruex_Jr (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: The favorite for the championship and a seven-time winner this year, Truex has led the Cup Series in nearly every measurable category. He is the only the driver in the championship four without a Cup title, but he has raced in this format before. Truex won't have team owner Barney Visser in attendance because he is recovering from a heart attack and surgery at home in Colorado.
Max Verstappen: Aston Martin are already associates with Red Bull Racing, and next season the legendary British manufacturer will be the official title sponsor of the Formula 1 team.
Max Verstappen freshly joined Aston Martin’s Dynamics Chief Engineer Matt Becker, gets first taste of new Aston Martin Vantage – from a “VP-level car,” a verification prototype.
The young three-time F1 race winner, was invited by Aston Martin to help out with the final stages of development of the new Vantage during a test day at Rockingham circuit in the Midlands.
New generation Vantage will have “more than 500hp and 505lb ft of torque” when it is officially unveiled on 21 November 2017.
It’s suspected to utilise the AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 recently seen in the DB11 Volante in what we can assume will be a slightly sportier state of tune. Styling should pull on various corners of Aston’s portfolio including a silhouette seemingly borrowed from James Bond’s DB10.
