Race Weekend Central

Andrew Palmer Still Hospitalized, Showing Improvement

2016 Lime Rock Pwc Andrew Palmer Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

On Thursday afternoon, the Palmer family released their first official statement on the condition of Andrew Palmer via Palmer’s manager, Mike Perry.  Palmer was injured in a practice crash during the Pirelli World Challenge race weekend at Lime Rock Park with Jorge de la Torre in Connecticut on May 28.  De la Torre suffered a number of broken bones …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Iowa Puts Trucks and XFINITY on Display

2016 Iowa Speedway Nxs Daniel Suarez And Sam Hornish Jr. Leading Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Sprint Cup teams took last weekend off in order to relax.  However, even without Cup drivers (Brad Keselowski being an exception to the rule), it was an incredibly busy weekend with Formula One in Azerbaijan, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two big races in Iowa. American Ethanol E15 250 Sunday’s XFINITY Series race …

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Porsche Steals Le Mans Overall Victory in Final Lap

2016 Wec Le Mans Romain Dumas Pit Stop Credit Adrenal Media

(Photo: AdrenalMedia.com)

On Sunday morning, Porsche Team claimed a shocking overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when the leading No. 5 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 fell victim to issues under the rear bodywork in the final couple of laps of the race.  With less than ten minutes, the No. 5 driven by Kazuki Nakajima had a one …

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JR Heffner Partners with Martins Motorsports for Eldora

2014 Mudsummer Classic Eldora Speedway Jr Heffner Camping World Trucks Mike Neff 328

(Credit: Mike Neff)

On Saturday night, Frontstretch learned that JR Heffner, a regular racer at Lebanon Valley Speedway and Albany-Saratoga Speedway out of Averill Park, New York, will return to the Camping World Truck Series for the Aspen Dental 150 at Eldora Speedway in July. Similar to his last appearance in the series in 2014, Heffner is partnering with …

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Porsche Claims Le Mans Overall Pole, Ford Sweeps GTE-Pro Front Row

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there are three two-hour qualifying sessions over two days that helps to set the field for the 24-hour classic.  The timer for the sessions go on regardless of conditions.  Normally, the final session is when you see the fastest times.  That was not the case this year. Wednesday …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Jeff Gordon Gets Disrespected

2016 Michigan I Cup Aj Allmendinger Pack Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Michigan International Speedway brought the unveiling of the new ultra-low downforce package, one that Darrell Waltrip described as having a smaller rear spoiler than at any time in the past 40 years.  It’s a little hard to ascertain.  It’s not like restrictor plates, which can be tracked thanks to Jayski’s Plate chart. FireKeepers Casino 400 …

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CRG, LLC Returns Nissan to IMSA’s CTSC

2015 Lime Rock Ctsc Sarah Cattaneo Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

On Friday, IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge team CRG, LLC announced that they will be switching their No. 44 entry for drivers Sarah Cattaneo and Owen Trinkler from a Honda Civic Si to a Nissan Altima Coupe in time for the next round at Watkins Glen.  The move ends a multi-year relationship with Honda for the …

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Jorge de la Torre Released from Hartford Hospital

2016 Lime Rock Pwc Jorge De La Torre Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

On Wednesday morning, Aston Martin Racing announced that Jorge de la Torre, injured on May 28th in a practice crash at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, has been released from Hartford Hospital.  He has traveled back to his native Texas and will rehabilitate from his injuries there. After his release, de la Torre released a …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Jeff Gordon Gets Blasted

Jeff Gordon Indy 500 Pace Car Driver Indianapolis Motor Speedway

(Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Much like almost any of you reading this column, I despise rainouts.  So many people had the DV-R on Monday and they experienced an added disappointment; the race was nearly three and a half hours long, going far longer than the regularly scheduled recording.  Whomever at FOX Sports thought the race would finish within a …

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Multiple Crew Chiefs to Miss Pocono Due to Penalties

2016 Charlotte I Cup Martin Truex Jr Jimmie Johnson Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, NASCAR released their weekly penalty report.  While there no real indications that anything big was coming, the hammer came down fairly strong on a number of teams.  No less than three Sprint Cup teams will be without their crew chiefs on Sunday in Pocono (pending appeals, of course). Brian Pattie, crew chief for …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Memorial Day Weekend Racing TV Overload

Truex

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

One of the biggest racing weekends of the year is now complete.  I don’t know about all of you reading this column, but I’m pretty exhausted.  I’ve still got you covered, though after what turned out to be the busiest racing TV Sunday we’ve seen in 2016. Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night brought a bit of …

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Alvaro Parente Earns Lime Rock GT Sweep

2016 Lime Rock Pwc Alvaro Parente Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

The Andrew Palmer–Jorge de la Torre crash Saturday morning took the sails out of what was going to be a great day of racing.  However, officials determined that the race would go on. The drivers in Pirelli World Challenge’s GT, GTA and GT Cup Classes obliged with 50 minutes of hard-fought action. K-PAX Racing’s Alvaro …

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