Unbelievable in Fontana The 2012 IndyCar finale was to be an epic struggle between a snarling underdog and a snake bit champion in waiting. Championship leader Will Power was being pursued by a hungry Ryan Hunter-Reay for all the marbles. Both started deep in the field because each wanted fresh bullets in the engine bay. Neither showed any inclination to charge when the green flew. All Power had to do was keep RHR in his sights and the championship would finally be his…after crashing out of contention for two consecutive years.

All was well until Lap 55 when Power got caught out by one of the notorious Fontana seams filled with gooey black asphalt filler with the traction coefficient of goose rope. The ensuing spin sent Power backwards into the wall, nearly collecting Hunter-Reay in the process. Now, all the Andretti Autosport driver had to do was finish in sixth place to take the crown as the crestfallen Power climbed out of his crumpled car. It was over…again.

Giving up was not something Power’s crew had in mind as their driver headed for the coach lot and a change into civvies. Every Penske Racing mechanic from both teams descended on the Number 12 and repaired the crash damage in a manner Navy vets would call “****holes and elbows.” Power was summoned back in uniform to continue the fight. The pit lane erupted in applause as the Verizon Dallara took to the track, wheels akimbo. Power completed 12 more laps and retired for good, but the effort bumped the ante to P5 for the Andretti bunch. More...

Enter for Your Chance to Win by October 2, 2012

If you’ve ever been to a Pep Boys auto parts store, you’ve seen the logo with the three caricatures of “Manny, Moe, and Jack.” What you might not know is that not only were Manny, Moe, and Jack real people, the founders of Pep Boys back in 1921, but there was a fourth partner, also named Moe, who cashed out early on. But what you really need to know about Pep Boys today is that it’s teaming up with Valvoline NextGen motor oil to send a lucky sweepstakes winner and a guest on a VIP trip to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, November 10-11.

The single Grand Prize winner will be announced on October 12, and will receive airfare, accommodations, and tickets for two to the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway. The winner will also receive $200 in cash, a Valvoline TracPack, one-day access to the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area, a meet-and-greet with the team’s driver, Don Schumacher, and much more. More...

Jim France and Don Panoz shook hands today in what may revitalize sports car racing in the United States. The deal to merge the International Speedway Corporation’s GRAND-AM series with the American Le Mans series founded by Georgia tycoon Don Panoz sets a course that has road racing fans saying, “It’s about time!”

This is a reunion no less important than that of the IRL and Champ Car (CART) reunion after those series’ split and floundered, nearly killing open-wheel racing in the U.S.

Here’s how it went down:

Professional sports car racing in the United States has historically been the redheaded stepchild of all motorsports venues (sorry for the pun, Don). Sure, there were moments of brilliance with the Can Am, Formula 5000, Trans Am and IMSA of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Then, the lights flickered and some went out completely.

IMSA brought the world those breathtaking GTP prototypes from Porsche, Nissan, Jaguar and Toyota. On my maiden voyage to Daytona, the first sound I heard coming out of the tunnel years ago was that of Bob Tullius’ Group 44 V-12 Jag GTP echoing off the stands in a practice run. Up and down through the gearbox in the infield then the beautiful increase in pitch as the car rocketed down the back straight to the bus stop. It was simply symphonic to these ears. More...

Remember those arguments you used to have with your friends over pointless and unsolvable questions like whether Batman was tougher than Superman? Did you ever square off over whether an electric skateboard can beat a Corvette? Probably not, but in case the subject ever comes up, here’s a video of just such a race. Note that the secret to winning anything is to be the one who makes the rules.

There’s no denying race drivers are athletes, and every four years there’s a faint but discernible cry to include some form of motorsports in the Olympics. Here’s Tony Stewart throwing his hat in the ring—and at Matt Kenseth—for a shot at the captaincy of the 2016 United States Helmet Toss Team.

People always talk about how dangerous racing is, but they're usually referring to the driver. In fact, racing is dangerous for just about everyone involved in it, as this video of Ralf Schumacher making a pit stop during practice for the Zandvoort round of the DTM series demonstrates. As he rocketed out of his own pit, his car caught an air line on the adjacent pit that sent four pit crewmen tumbling and to the hospital. Fortunately, all are reportedly not seriously injured.

Say what you want about Danica Patrick. Yeah she gets a lot of press. Some say more than her performance deserves, but she has single-handedly generated more column inches of copy than the other five Nationwide Series drivers combined. The reason? Behind the lip gloss and glamour, Danica Patrick is a real racecar driver.

That fact sticks in the craw of many of her competitors. Take her performances in the past two weeks at Watkins Glen and Montreal, as examples.

She was headed for a great finish at The Glen when an overbearing Canadian took her out. A week later the bright green “Go Daddy” Chevy shared the second row with its newest antagonist.

It was no fluke as Danica proceeded to lead several laps and was a legitimate contender to score her first win when a “not so cute” shoe was hurled onto the track. While TV announcers thought it might have damaged her car, post-race analysis proved otherwise. More...