The scariest moments in auto racing are often at the start of the Indianapolis 500, when the green flag sends all 33 starters accelerating toward the narrow first turn.
Crashes have occurred on the first lap on six occasions in the past 23 years. That includes 2001, when pole-starter Scott Sharp hit the wall just seconds after the start. In 2006, teammates P.J. Chesson and Jeff Bucknum collided on the second lap and went into the wall.
“Some segments of the race are about position, but the first turn of the first lap isn’t one of them,†Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart said Saturday at the drivers meeting along the straightaway at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Let’s get off to a safe start.â€
It’s a warning he gives the drivers every year… Details
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A few days after Kyle Busch’s firing from Hendrick Motorsports, speculation ran rampant about who would stay to work with new hire Dale Earnhardt Jr. and who would follow Busch to wherever he landed.
Alan Gustafson quickly removed his name from the mix.
“I’d rather sweep floors for Rick Hendrick than be a crew chief for someone else,†Gustafson said.
In 25 years of racing in NASCAR’s top series, Hendrick has built a powerhouse organization of 500-plus employees who have a fierce loyalty to their boss. They love working for “Mr. H.†and put 100-percent effort into job performance. If the grass is possibly greener elsewhere, few ever bother finding out… Details
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Formula One’s teams met Saturday to discuss negotiations with motor sport’s governing body over a proposed budget cap for 2010.
The Formula One Teams Association met after qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, one day after discussions with FIA president Max Mosley.
The teams said they were united but still had to decide whether to ask to extend the May 29 deadline for teams to enter the 2010 championship.
“That’s what we will discuss in the next meeting, what to do then in that situation,†BMW Sauber motor sports director Mario Theissen said after the meeting at Toyota’s motor home… Details
Federal prosecutors dropped the remaining tax evasion conspiracy charge against two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves and his sister on Friday, clearing the Brazilian driver of all the charges that once threatened to derail his career.
Castroneves, 34 and one of the favorites for Sunday’s Indy 500, and his 35-year-old sister Katiucia, were acquitted of other tax evasion charges by a jury April 17. His tax lawyer, Alan Miller of Michigan, also was cleared of all wrongdoing.
The jury failed to agree on the conspiracy charge, resulting in a mistrial on that count. Now prosecutors have decided not to pursue a retrial on that charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years…Â Details
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