IndyCar In-Depth: The MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championship

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With one week off after the Baltimore Grand Prix, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns, the last appearance of the season. This race, labeled the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships at Auto Club Speedway, really comes down to two drivers: Will Power, the points leader, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who trails by 17. The race throws an interesting curve towards all the drivers as the track is one where many do not have much experience. In addition, it’s a high speed oval, one of only three tracks like that on the circuit this year.

Formula 1 Friday: The Madness of King Lewis/Tribute to a Legend

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I’ve been thinking all week about the content of this Friday’s column, and my continuing frustration at a certain Lewis Hamilton (despite his magnificent win last Sunday at Monza, the home of Ferrari) when something far more important happened in the motor sports world and we lost someone who I would consider a legend. So putting the rather misguided behavior of a frustrating talent aside (but we’ll get back to that), excuse me if I take a moment to celebrate the incredible work of Professor Sid Watkins, who so sadly passed away on Wednesday.

Five Hundred Miles For All The Marbles

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For the seventh year in a row, the IZOD IndyCar Series championship will come down to the final race of the season. For the third year in a row, Will Power will be trying to win his first series championship. Power, driving for Team Penske, leads Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving for Andretti Autosport, by 17 points.

“I definitely like the position we’re in, chasing. We’ve been doing that for most of the year. I think we’ve been getting better at it,” said Hunter Reay this week. “We need to go out and focus on winning. That’s really what it’s going to be about.”

But there is a new wrinkle in the story this year, other than Hunter-Reay, who is making his first run at the series championship. It’s a wrinkle that may make focusing on the win even harder than usual.

The Fickle Force of Fate

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Three points. Three positions on the race track.

Failing to earn three additional points kept Kyle Busch from making this year’s edition of The Chase for the Sprint Cup. Someone, working somewhere in the NASCAR main office (and at M&M/Mars) is probably lamenting the fact that one of sports’ most volatile and controversial figures will spend the next ten weekends watching the season championship go (yet again) to another driver.

This is a rough time of year for athletes. If you’re a football player, your talents are being assessed under the media’s microscope – and every idiot with a pizza stained t-shirt managing a fantasy team. For every player who looks good, there’s another who looks great; for every possible playoff contender, there’s an already-forming line of teams buying tickets for the S.S. Better Luck Next Year.

Truckin’ Thursdays: Sponsorship Problems Sideline Another Young Talent

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The Camping World Truck Series rolls into Iowa Speedway for a standalone event this weekend, but the off week wasn’t without its problems–at least for one driver. Dakoda Armstrong became the latest victim of the sponsorship woes that have plagued the series for a few years now, and 2012 in particular. He marks the third rookie this season to have started intent on running the full schedule only to have the rug pulled from beneath them, though Max Gresham’s parting with Joe Denette Motorsports hinged on performance more than sponsorship.

Having made 15 starts behind the wheel of the No. 98 Toyota for ThorSport Racing, Armstrong showcased a variety of different sponsors and even posted a career-best finish of third at Michigan International Speedway just a few weeks ago. In a rookie campaign that has featured plenty of ups and downs, Armstrong appeared to be making some improvements week after week but never managed to find enough backing to finish off the season. As a result, next year remains up in the air for the young driver, however he definitely has age on his side when it comes to finding another home somewhere across NASCAR.

Frontstretch Fan Q & A: Focus On The Chase

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So apparently people are _still_ complaining about the Chase format, and you can look no further than this very website to see it. It seems like weekly leading up to the Chase and every weekend during NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, I can’t read one bit of analysis from fan nor media without seeing some criticism of the format.

Look, I’m not saying it’s perfect nor was it popular with NASCAR’s base. But aren’t we past the point of the constant bitterness and complaining? It’s the system we have and it, too, will change with time. But expecting NASCAR to go back in time is unrealistic. Make the most of it, sit back, and enjoy the show.

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Beyond the Cockpit: Talking Engines and EFI with Doug Yates

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_After speaking with “Doug Yates last week”:https://frontstretch.com/mneff/41414/ about growing up around racing and how he ended up in the engine business, we’ll explore the technical side of building engines that go very fast. Fans always hear about finding horsepower and helping cars gain speed. Yates will give fans a glimpse at what it takes to make a car produce horsepower, talk about his role in the EFI program for NASCAR and settles the direct fuel injection vs. throttle body injection question. He also touches on Hendrick’s engines woes at Michigan, building engines for drag boats and aftermarket performance nuts._

Charity Corner: NAPA, Truex, Jr. To Reward Wounded Soldiers at Chicagoland

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This weekend, NAPA Auto Parts and Michael Waltrip Racing team up to give two special soldiers and their guests a VIP experience at Chicagoland Speedway. Sergeant Erik Blank and Staff Sergeant Otis Hooper will enjoy a weekend of hospitality full of memories at they attend the Chase opening GEICO 400. In a contest that ran through July 31st, fans had the chance to nominate their favorite soldiers for the experience. Once the nominations closed, representatives from the NAPA Chicago Distribution Center and NAPA Illinois store owners chose the winners.