All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief After several weeks of speculation, Manor Racing confirmed the signing of Rio Haryanto for its second seat on Thursday. The Banbury-based outfit recently confirmed reigning DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein last week and now has secured a second driver in as many weeks. The signing also means that Manor will field two rookies this year. A native from Indonesia, Haryanto’s chance for the Manor seat increased with necessary funding provided from his government. Haryanto, 23, will be on hand for pre-season testing at Barcelona in Spain nextRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief With the Sprint Unlimited now in the books and Denny Hamlin its victor, it is time to look at some key takeaways from Saturday night’s event. 1) NASCAR overtime rules prove insignificant The field was set after a late race caution with Hamlin leading Joey Logano, Paul Menard, and a charging Kyle Larson. They passed the overtime line on the backstretch of Daytona International Speedway, and after taking the white flag several cars ended up in the wall in Turn 2. NASCAR had a chance toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief After battling his own health issues the past several years, Brian Vickers is set for a golden opportunity in replacement duty for an injured Tony Stewart. Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Friday that Vickers will run the Sprint Unlimited (a non-points event) Saturday night, and the 58th annual Daytona 500. Vickers, 32, has seen his promising career derailed with a series of health issues that date back to 2010. However, after missing all but opening two races last season, the battle-tested North Carolina native has overcome aRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Pascal Wehrlein has signed a deal to race with Manor Racing for the 2016 Formula One season. The Mercedes-backed driver won the DTM title last season and also spent time as a test driver for Mercedes, benefiting from six days of testing between the works team and Force India. Wehrlein, 21, impressed in testing and throughout his DTM campaign, becoming the youngest champion in its history. The early success and poise the German has displayed thus far made a move to F1 just seem like a matterRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief With the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season looming, it’s time for a new star to be born and that star is Kyle Larson. The timing just seems right. The 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year is coming off of a strong performance in the season finale at Homestead last season. Larson was poised for his first win on NASCAR’s premier tour, but a late caution left the team’s strategy in shambles, losing the lead and falling to fifth at the finish. Larson fell victimRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Michael Waltrip announced on NASCAR Race Hub that he will be driving the No. 83 Maxwell House Toyota for BK Racing in this year’s Daytona 500. “It’s a great opportunity for us to expand our team and go racing,” Waltrip said on the FS1 program. The opportunity to drive with BK Racing has Waltrip teamed with Matt DiBenedetto and David Ragan, who raced for him at Michael Waltrip Racing last season. Waltrip also took to social media following the announcement. Looking much forward to reuniting w/ manyRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Following the unfortunate accident in an all-terrain vehicle on Tuesday that has left Tony Stewart hospitalized with a back injury, the NASCAR community continues to wait on the status of the three-time Sprint Cup champion. With no word on the severity of the injuries, many wonder what this could mean for Stewart, who declared 2016 would be his last in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Stewart, 44, has missed a combined 18 races dating back to 2013, breaking bones in his right leg that season inRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The 2016 NASCAR season is upon us and that means a fresh start for the drivers and teams, hope for their fans, and a set of bold predictions on how it will all play out. With our new NASCAR guy, Toby Christie, putting out his bold picks for the new season, it only seemed right that I try to restore balance on what has been predicted. Daytona 500 champion: Jimmie Johnson Johnson has two wins (2006, ’13) in “The Great American Race” and has formed aRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Jolyon Palmer has decided to carry the No. 30 for his Formula One career as he enters his rookie season in 2016 with Renault. The Brit joins the grid after spending last season as Lotus’ test driver following a championship winning GP2 season in 2014. Palmer drove in several Friday practice sessions last year with the No. 30  and announced through social media that he will continue to carry that number. I can officially confirm that I will be using number 30 this year. #JP30 #F1Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief CFH Racing announced that owners Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman have removed themselves as owners of the team, dissolving it and re-introducing Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2016 IndyCar season. Hartman’s oil company has taken a major hit since prices have reduced and as such hurt his chances to continue involvement with the team going forward. Fisher will stay involved with the team, working with current partners and assisting in sponsor development. Entering 2015 the trio of Hartmen, Fisher, and driver/owner Ed Carpenter decided to mergeRead More