It was still a wall-to-wall gear-head weekend even with the NASCAR Cup Series getting some rare time off.
Dario Franchitti won the Chicago IZOD Indy Car race but Will Power still manages to lead the IZOD Indy Car point chase. Rookie AMA MotoX rider Ryan Dungy clinched the AMA MotoX title in Southwick, MA, after doing the same with the SuperX Series earlier this year. Ronnie Dumas and Klaus Graff pulled off the win at Mosport in the ALMS.
Jorge Lorenzo went home to Europe with the FIM win at IMS’s road course. Lewis Hamilton got the point lead back for his F1 win at Spa, Belgium, in spite of two bouts of rain during the race. Mark Weber is now -3 points behind the leader.
Unpopular Kurt Busch took the NASCAR Truck race away from point leader Todd Bodine at Chitown at the very end. It was Kurt’s 20th while Bodine continues to lead the Truck point chase.
No big surprises at Montreal in the NASCAR Nationwide race with Boris Said, leader of the road racing crowd in NASCAR, taking down the hotly-contested win with Max Papis next and Jacques Villeneuve third for the leftovers. Brad Kasalowski though still leads the Nationwide point chase. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas took the Grand-Am the under-card race at Montreal.
Racing legends Dale Armstrong, Joie Chitwood, Alan Kulwicki, Jeremy McGrath, Ken Squier, Jerry Titus and Rich Vogler were inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in the organization’s 22nd annual induction ceremony at the Fillmore Theater. Joie Chitwood III, Ken Squier, Eleanor Vogler, Dale Armstrong, Coby Brooks & Rick TitusWith Honorary Chairman Chip Ganassi presiding, the induction ceremony was the culmination of the organization’s largest celebration ever, spanning two days of activities at the Detroit Science Center, now home of the Motorsports Hall of Fame, and at the Fillmore Theater.
“Family” and “future” were themes that pervaded this celebration of motorsports that looked back at the lives of legends with an eye towards inspiring future generations of drivers, engineers and enthusiasts. “Driving is fun…it brings people together, it brings freedom and independence, and it is up to us to make sure that the next generation makes that connection,” said Ganassi.
The black-tie ceremony was once again hosted by Jim Mueller, track announcer for Michigan International Speedway and other ISC tracks, with Ned Jarrett, Marty Reid, Kyle Petty, Neal Pilson, Jim Farley and Gary Lee serving as presenters.
Formula One has signed Swiss bank UBS as a global partner in a deal it hopes will mark a turnaround following the exit of several financial institutions from the sport due to the economic crisis. The bank is understood to be paying $200 million over five years. UBS also sponsors Weltklasse Zurich, the Swiss leg of athletics’ Diamond League, and previously backed Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi sailing team, which won the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007.
Less than a year ago, UBS’s hometown rival, Credit Suisse Group, ended its sponsorship of Formula One constructor BMW Sauber. The Dutch-based financial group, ING, also quit as Renault’s title sponsor in 2009. The sponsorship comes as UBS launches its “we will not rest” advertising campaign, aiming to mend relations with clients. UBS’s flagship private bank in particular is still leaking wealthy client assets following the subprime mortgage crisis and a lengthy tax dispute with the United States government.
It was also announced that Just Marketing International agency was retained by UBS to provide a range of services including strategic counsel, account management, hospitality and communications disciplines. JMI closely advised and guided UBS on its entry to Formula One.
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, president of Qatar’s Motor and Motorcycling Federation (QMMF), yesterday said the country’s Losail International Circuit is being upgraded in a move to become the third Persian Gulf country to host a Formula One race.
The Middle East currently hosts races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. “Hosting a Formula One race is definitely in the strategic plan for Qatar. We have a great track and we are currently working on upgrading it to official specifications,” Al Attiyah said in an interview with the Gulf Weekly newspaper. “We have already covered the standard requirements and we are three quarters through the project. We just have some minor changes and modifications to make.”The Losail International Circuit, built in 2004 at a cost of around $58 million, is the only race track to have hosted MotoGP night race.
The Renault F1 Team announced a partnership with EFG International, a global private banking group, for the remaining races of the 2010 season. Under the terms of the deal the logo of EFG Bank, a private banking subsidiary of EFG International, will appear on the sidepods of the Renault F1 R30, starting at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. “We have a strong focus on historic motor racing, sponsoring events such as Le Mans Classic. It is exciting for us to be able to complement this for the remaining races of the 2010 season with the cutting edge and excitement of Formula One,” said EFG International’s Head of Strategic Marketing & Communications Keith Gapp. “The Renault F1 Team represents an attractive, multi-dimensional opportunity for international companies such as ours.” All three F1 items came from SportsBusinessInternational.
The biggest event of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season will have 11 hours of coverage on ESPN2 this weekend with the running of the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Expanded qualifying and eliminations telecasts will culminate with five consecutive hours on Labor Day Monday, the final day of competition.
ESPN2’s coverage of the first event in the NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs begins Sunday, Sept. 5, at 10 a.m. ET with a one-hour qualifying program. At 11 a.m., NHRA RaceDay presented by Lucas Oil brings viewers up-to-date with the latest NHRA news and sets up the rest of the day’s action. Immediately following at 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 will telecast 2 ½ hours of U.S. Nationals qualifying. More qualifying coverage airs for two hours starting at 5 p.m.
Monday’s non-stop action kicks off at 1 p.m. with eliminations and finals. In addition to the ESPN2 telecast, fans can watch the entire day of eliminations for all classes live on ESPN3.com, ESPN’s live sports broadband network at www.espn3.com.
Each Labor Day weekend, NHRA racers and fans descend on O’Reilly Raceway Park for the biggest, oldest, richest, and most prestigious drag race in the world. They say that no career is truly complete without a win at drag racing’s grandest event. The fabled strip is regarded by many as one of the smoothest on the circuit, and the stakes are indeed high. As it did two years ago, this event now serves as the kickoff for the Countdown playoffs and the six-race run to the Full Throttle championships. In 2009, the facility improved the fan experience with the debut of more permanent grandstands.
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, John Kernan and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 500 miles in prime time under the lights at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night, Sept. 5, and ESPN will have a live telecast of the event presented by Pennzoil. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the evening at 7 p.m. ET with the race telecast at 7:30 p.m. The race’s green flag is at 7:46 p.m.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series also races under the lights at Atlanta this weekend and season-long coverage on the ESPN networks continues. The race airs on ESPN2 beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, with the race telecast at 7 p.m. and the green flag at 7:16 p.m.
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Dr. Jerry Punch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion driver Rusty Wallace, three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the series. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will surround the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend with episodes before and after the event. Nicole Briscoe will host the two programs.
The one-hour preview show presented by 5-Hour Energy airs at 9 a.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 5, while the weekend wrap-up edition airs at 11:30 p.m. Shannon Spake and David Newton will report from the speedway, while Ricky Craven will join Briscoe in the studio for analysis.
Briscoe also hosts half-hour editions of NASCAR Now airing late-night this week due to ESPN’s coverage of U.S. Open tennis from New York. Programs airs Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 1 a.m. (late Tuesday night); Thursday, Sept. 2, at 1 a.m. (late Wednesday night) and Saturday, Sept. 4, at 12:30 a.m. (late Friday night). There will be no program late Thursday night due to U.S. Open coverage.
Also, the Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now is taking Monday, Sept. 6, off due to ESPN2’s all-day coverage of the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
NASCAR Now is hosted by Mike Massaro, Nicole Briscoe, Allen Bestwick and Shannon Spake and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include reporters Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, and Ricky Craven, ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Marty Reid, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.
Here’s what else is going on this busy Labor Day Weekend. The IZOD Indy Cars and the NASCAR Trucks will be in action at Kentucky. The World Rally Series is in Germany with the AMA motox in action at Export, PA and the AMA Superbikes pe
