Kurt Busch grabs an extra reward for a hard fought race

The racers did a bit of manoeuvring in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday on the pavement of Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Martin had the best result of the top three on the day and pulled to within 73 points of Jimmie Johnson with a fourth place finish in the Dickies 500. Jimmie Johnson was involved in an accident early on, which took him out of contention as he and the team had to see if they could repair his car and get back out on the track. They did a great job of putting a car that wasn’t totalled, but it wasn’t looking very pretty, back into running condition and back into the race for a 38^th place finish. Kurt Busch was the winner of the Dickies 500, a great result for him and one that puts tremendous pressure on Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon in front of him in the Sprint Cup Series championship. Jeff Gordon finished 13^th in the Dickies 500 and he must feel that he let an opportunity get past him. He could have really pulled closer to Jimmie Johnson with a better result and he must be a little disappointed. To his credit his car didn’t look the fastest and appeared to be having trouble coming in and out of the corners and he did manage to stay out of trouble several times. Very little went well for Jeff on this day and yet he still managed to stay in the race and give it his best try.

The result in the Dickies 500 really turns the heat up in the race for the Chase and if anybody is thinking that Jimmie Johnson had this thing in the bag, they should have their head examined. In fact, we are just getting down to the part of the season with the highest level of anticipation and entertaining for the fans. The last few races are going to be the best events of the year and if you love racing and NASCAR, there’s no greater thrill than watching your hero go past you at 200 mph.

You can experience the thrill if you can make it to the Phoenix International Raceway by 2:30 pm on Sunday, November 15th as Jimmie Johnson and the boys will be out on the track for the Phoenix Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Look for the crazy guy who never sits down and it might be me!

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The Chase is Getting Up to Speed

Jimmie Johnson is still out front, but for how long

Jimmie Johnson is still the front runner, despite his precarious position at the center of every driver’s target, and he still has the best chance of winning. He needs to continue to believe and race fast and consistent in the next two races and he has a good chance of winning.

Mark Martin might be in the best position of all the racers, just behind the leader with only two races remaining and all the attention on the leader. He has played it pretty cool up till now, but don’t be fooled by his exterior, he wants this as bad as anybody. Mark has been racing for years and never achieved the ultimate goal for a NASCAR racer and he’ll probably never be this close again. He has nothing to loose and everybody probably considers him second best, which is great for him, because he’s as good as any on the track and he has the experience. Mark is my sleeper, who I expect to win, if Jimmie isn’t able to pull it off.

Jeff Gordon is 112 points behind Jimmie, with 398 points still available in the two remaining races, in a perfect NASCAR world he still has a good chance to win in the last two races. He needs to take command in the next two races and hope that the two racers in front of him don’t have their best days to win, but anything is possible on a Sprint Cup track.

Kurt Busch is 171 points behind Jimmie and looking forward at a challenge that’s going to be tough to achieve, but it’s still possible. Lady Luck is going to have to give him a hand for him to win and everything is going to have to roll perfect, but don’t count him out just yet.

Tony Stewart sits 178 points behind Jimmie Johnson, but still within reach of the Sprint Cup Series championship. Tony is a dark horse in this affair but still someone to watch in the last two races.

Juan Montoya is 236 points behind, just ahead of Greg Biffle by 11 points. They are still both within reach and can’t really be excluded just yet, maybe after the next race.

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Two Races Left in Sprint Cup Series Season

Dani Pedrosa was in front from the opening moments until he crossed the finish line

Ben Spies looked great on the track in his first MotoGP and never out of place at any time during the competition. He’ll have three days to enjoy this with his future team, with a smile on his face, before jumping to his step.

Casey Stoner was left wondering what 2009 could have been after a spill on his warm-up lap for the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana left him unable to take advantage of his position on the pole of the race grid. This is a tough end to the 2009 season for a racer that spent time on the side lines due to fatigue, only to return with a vengeance to score a second place finish and two victories in his last three starts. He came into the race looking to win three in a row and ring the bell for the beginning of the 2010 campaign with a bang and momentum. Instead, a problem with the tire temperature on his Desmosedici GP9 resulted in him flying from the bike and left him unable to continue.

Dani Pedrosa on the other hand rode to victory for Repsol Honda in front of a packed house of his hometown fans at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Pedrosa thanked the crowds after the race for helping him win and showing up to support him. This win in the 17^th and final Grand Prix of the 2009 MotoGP season leaves Pedrosa in third place in the final standings and looking forward to next year. Pedrosa obviously took advantage of Stoner’s fall and inability to start to take control from his grid position and never look back. He was in the lead from the start to finish and was never threatened by Jorge or Valentino. Jorge and Valentino had less to race for in this one, but that will change when they start the 2010 MotoGP season.

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Dani Pedrosa Wins Last Race of Season

Kyle Busch won his second race of the weekend Saturday

Busch was able to pull away from Casey Mears during a restart on Lap 187 and in a race to the finish line was able to cross the line 3.154 seconds ahead of Mears. This win is the eighth of the 2009 Nationwide Series season for Kyle Busch, the 29^th of his NASCAR career and his fourth Nationwide Series win in a row at Texas. Kyle Busch moves 272 points in front of his nearest competitor with this win, ninth place finisher in the O’Reilly Challenge Carl Edwards and can clinch the 2009 Nationwide Series title Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway by placing better than sixteenth place. He still has two races after that where he only needs to place at least 34^th to also clinch the title, so things are looking pretty good for him to win the Nationwide Series title for 2009.

Casey Mears took advantage of a ride he received because of a crash Friday during Sprint Cup Series practice for Sunday’s race by Jeff Burton to finish second with a great run that left him just short. Burton was not seriously hurt but team owner Richard Childress decided to make the change anyway as a precaution. Hats off to the gentlemen for thinking of Burton’s health first and not his ego, there ‘s no point in taking the chance with the lives of people on the track and it’s always better to error on the side of caution.

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Kyle Busch Wins O’Reilly Challenge

Jenson Button is the 2009 FIA Formula One World Champion

Sebastian Vettel would win four times during 2009 and emerge as the runner up to Jenson Button and his first FIA Formula One World Championship title. Bubens Barrichello finished third for Brawn, while Mark Webber would finish the 2009 Formula One campaign in fourth place in the standings, with two wins in the bank. Kimi Raikkonen had a steady but unremarkable 2009 Formula One season for Ferrari, he looked strong at points but never really looked like he could win it all at any point and finished sixth. Nico Rosberg had a good 2009 campaign for Toyota but was in tough company and finished seventh. It isn’t going to get any easier in the years ahead for Rosberg. Nico has talent but is over shadowed by racers of world championship calibre and world championships could be a stretch for him. Jarno Trulli showed tremendous promise at points during the season, but wasn’t able to get a win, which is probably a burr sticking in his rear. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion that Jarno breaks through and has a great season. Will the 2010 campaign be the year for Jarno? Only time will tell, but expect big things from Jarno Trulli in the years ahead. Spanish driver Fernando Alonso had an unremarkable year for Renault that left him in ninth place in the standings. Fernando has a lot more talent than his results would suggest though and if he ever gets behind the wheel of a car with the power and performance, he’ll be hard to beat on a race track. German Timo Glock finished the 2009 Formula One season in the unfortunate position of being the driver that completes the top ten. No Formula One driver wants to finish tenth in the standings.

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Final 2009 FIA Formula One Standings

Friday's practice wasn't as enjoyable as Jeff Burton hoped

The crash was apparently due to problems with the power steering and not due to driver error; apparently he couldn’t turn his car when needed. His car probably felt heavy, like he had blown a tire at that point as he missed the soft wall and smashed into the wall with both the front and back end of his car.

Burton was scheduled to also race in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet for Saturday’s O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. His boss and friend decided after the race that despite what his driver was telling him, he was going to have Burton sit out Saturday’s Nationwide Series race and rest up for Sunday’s Dickies 500. Racers being racers, I am sure that Burton would race unless he couldn’t get out of bed and its best that Richard makes this call for him. Racers are foolhardy souls at times, who will forget about personal injury and pain, in order to achieve their ultimate goals.

Burton is still a young man with years of racing ahead of him and a head injury should never be taken lightly, as the last few years in sports have shown. The speeds at which racers impact the wall goes beyond the normal forces that the human head is designed to take and anytime a racer or sports athlete has a head injury, we should make sure we make the decision for them and try to error on the side of caution. There will be lots of days and years for Burton to win championships and ultimately, championships aren’t as important as human life.

Concussions can occur whenever the human head meets an unmovable object or force, such as a wall, and death can result from a concussion. In fact, doctors should probably be monitoring Burton and all NASCAR racers involved in a crash and the final decision on the length that a driver should wait before driving again should be up to the doctor ultimately. An injured driver puts his life and the life of every driver on the track at risk whenever he gets in a race car and competes and this is in a sport that’s already extremely dangerous.

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Jeff Burton Ready to Race Sunday

American racer Ben Spies will debut in the MotoGP this weekend at Valencia, in preparation for his first MotoGP campaign in 2010

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Ben Spies is this racer, but it’s nice to think that he might be and the fun and entertainment that would follow. We have to be careful not to expect too much from Ben at first and let him grow into the racer he’s meant to be. This weekend will give him a chance to get on a MotoGP bike and see how the feel fits and if it’s the racing-glove he was looking for.

Ben Spies will ride this weekend with a smile on his face and a new racing suit that was unveiled by the Sterilgarda Yamaha Team in anticipation of the race. Ben will be on top of the Yamaha YZR-M1 for his first MotoGP, before testing with the Tech3 Yamaha Team on Monday in preparation for the 2010 MotoGP season.

In other news, Valencia was renewed as a MotoGP venue for the near future on Wednesday during a ceremony held at the Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana. The new agreement extends the agreement first signed in 1999 for Valencia to host MotoGP races. This is good news for the racers, fans and industry as a whole as Valencia is one of the better MotoGP venues and has been rated as the best racing venue on the MotoGP circuit.

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Ben Spies Will Debut at Valencia

Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola were able to make it past Todd Bodine on the last lap

The event ran four laps past the scheduled 94 laps due to a green-white chequered flag finish caused by an eleven truck accident on Lap 97 started by Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner and Johnny Sauter jockeying and bumping in the pack. The No. 33 Chevrolet of series leader Ron Hornaday was one of the fatalities in this dustup as he lost two laps and finished in 17^th place. Second place driver in the standings Matt Crafton was able to stay out of the crash and came home in tenth place, which trims Hornaday’s margin to 202 points.

This is a great result for Billy and his team after a lot of hard fought races and it was only a matter of time before he achieve this feat and I am glad it happened in this race for Billy. The future is bright for Billy and his team and I expect a lot more wins in the future.

Terry Cook had another strong start and finished in fourth place, just ahead of a fast and consistent David Starr in fifth, Mario Gosselin in sixth and Stacy Compton in seventh place. Dennis Setzer finished eighth; Justin Hobgood came in ninth, while the top ten in the Mountain Dew 250 was rounded out by Matt Crafton.

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Kyle Busch Wins Mountain Dew 250

Kelly took the new Chevrolet Impala they'll be using in the Nationwide Series in 2011 for a test drive at Talledega on Monday

The new cars looked great and were nimble and fast as they went around the track of Talledega, the new car will provide the Nationwide Series with its own identity and the drivers and teams with safe cars to race with. The day turned out to be a special one for NASCAR as the response of everyone who saw and sat behind the wheel of the new cars was suitably impressed. The successful tests on this day matched results from previous testing done on the car at Richmond and Charlotte last year and should go along way to making NASCAR confident in the new cars and the direction the Nationwide Series is headed.

The drivers that tried the cars commented that the new cars appeared to draft better than the current Nationwide Series cars, but they tried different arrangements on the cars throughout the day trying to find the right set up. The cars started the testing with a restrictor plate with holes measuring 29/32 of an inch, but they experimented with different sizes, before finishing with a 31/32 hole. They also tested different spring and suspension combinations in the cars throughout the session.

The drivers and teams took it easy on the cars through the day as this was the first time they had the cars on the track. When questioned later they said they were just trying to match the new engine package to the same RPM ranges they race every day and had spent part of the day on a gear change to help them work on the RPMs of the cars.

This day is really just a brief shake down for the cars and they’ll need to do a lot more work and spend more time behind the wheel and in the garage, before the new cars are ready to race, but at least we the drivers have an idea of what the cars they’ll be racing in feel like.

What’s next for the new Nationwide Series cars, they’ll debut at Daytona next summer, before competing in races at Michigan next August, Richmond in September and then Charlotte in October, as a lead up to full time racing in the new Nationwide Series car in 2011.

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NASCAR Unveils New Nationwide Series Car

Julian Simon is a rising star of Sportbike racing

Riding for Bancaja Aspar, Simon became the 2009 MotoGP 125cc World Champion two weeks ago with a stunning victory in Australia and then displayed his dominance again a week later by taking the 125cc race in Malaysia on Sunday. He then got on a plane and headed back to his hometown and a pleasant surprise. He surely expected a few people to show up to greet him and celebrate his victory but the thousands of fans that showed up were obviously a surprise for him.

He’s at home preparing for the final race of the 2009 125cc season, the race in Valencia, and enjoying the time he has to celebrate his victory with family and friends. The pride his fellow towns’ people and family feel over his winning the 125cc world championship is obvious with all the celebrations and events taking place around his hometown. The warmth of the people is amazing to witness and this young Spaniard is lucky to be loved by the people he obviously respects.

Simon and his team were greeted at town hall by the mayor of Villacanas, Santiago Garcia Aranda, and warmly greeted with an acknowledgement of Simon’s achievement. This celebration is a really nice welcome and beautifully way to celebrate an achievement that takes years of training, sacrifice and practice to accomplish.

Simon will now finish the year and prepare for next year and the challenge of repeating his world championship, a feat that is probably going to be more difficult than his first world championship win. For there’s only one thing more difficult than winning and that’s doing it again and again. Can Simon win again next year, without a doubt, he had a great year and he’s still learning to race and ride and improving all the time. Will he be heading to the premier class in the future? At the moment no word has arrived on the wire about this but it wouldn’t surprise me.

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Julian Simon 2009 125cc World Champion