All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Rebellion Racing has confirmed its lineup for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Swiss team will run two upgraded Rebellion R-One AER LMP1 machines as they set to take aim for their fourth consecutive FIA WEC Endurance Trophy for LMP1 Privateer Teams. The squad of drivers assembled will be all a returning cast of characters, led by Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost, the duo will be joined by Dominik Kraihamer, Mathéo Tuscher, Alexandre Imperatori, and Mathias Beche. “WeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It’s all about going back to the beginning for Sage Karam. The 20-year-old returns to the team he made his IndyCar debut with in the 2014 Indianapolis 500, Dreyer & Reinbold. The entry is officially listed as Dreyer & Reinbold/Kingdom Racing and is set to compete in the 100th Indy 500 in May. In his debut, Karam put on a phenomenal drive from 31st to ninth for the small-budget team, which led to Chip Ganassi putting the former Indy Lights champion in a part-time ride forRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Through all of the history and tradition that is the Indianapolis 500, the event has never carried a title or presenting sponsor, until now. A deal has been reached with D-A Lubricants’ Penn Grade Motor Oil for three years worth $5 million total to become the presenting sponsor starting with the 100th Indy 500. “This historic announcement is welcome news for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and generates even more momentum for the entire Verizon IndyCar Series,” Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles said. “PennGrade Motor Oil, with itsRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Change is in the air. At the 2016 Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom, NASCAR announced several changes and perhaps none bigger than adding a playoff system to the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series. The system will be identical to the Chase for the Sprint Cup format NASCAR has used the last two seasons. To be honest it is surprising that it took this long for NASCAR to add a playoff format to its two lower divisions and that it didn’t elect toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Juan Pablo Montoya topped the time sheets in the FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test at Bahrain. The test was set for five hours and organized by the sanctioning body. Montoya set a best lap of 1m40.861s in the No. 17 Porsche 919 Hyrbid, over 1.2s faster than Richie Stanaway, who was running in the No. 8 Audi R18 e-tron Qauttro. The two-time Indy 500 champion teamed with Mitch Evans, who set a best time of 1m42.946s. Stanaway, an Aston Martin GTE Pro driver, impressed AudiRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Wood Brothers have fielded entries in the NASCAR’s top series since 1950 and after a decade of competing part-time, the oldest team in the garage will compete for all 36 races in 2016 Ryan Blaney behind the wheel. The last time Wood Brothers Racing fielded a full-time entry was 2006. “We are beyond excited to make this announcement about going back to full time competition,” said Eddie Wood, team co-owner, at a press conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend. “It has been somethingRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Williams F1 team has decided to drop its appeal on Felipe Massa’s disqualification from the Brazilian Grand Prix. Massa finished eighth in his home race, but had the result thrown out by the FIA after his tires were found to be over the maximum temperature allowed on the grid. “Following detailed consideration the team has concluded that despite not agreeing with the exclusion and believing it has sufficient evidence with which to successfully contest the ruling, it will not formally appeal the decision as aRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Alexander Wurz has turned down the opportunity to become Manor F1’s team principal, according to reports. The former F1 driver was approached by owner Stephen Fitzpatrick about the role following the announcement that team boss John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon will depart Manor after this season. Wurz recently announced his retirement from racing, a career that will end after this weekend’s World Endurance Championship round in Bahrain. “After a period of consideration, I have informed Stephen Fitzpatrick that I have taken the decision notRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Christina Nielsen will pilot the No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 for Scuderia Corsa in the GT Daytona class for the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, confirming her switch from TGR-AMR North America. Nielsen finished second in this season’s GT-Daytona championship and also grabbed Rookie of the Year honors in Pirelli World Challenge. The young Dane signed a multi-year deal with Scuderia Corsa and is the latest in what has been a busy offseason in GT that has seen several drivers change teams and classes. “I’m very honoredRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief TAG Heuer, the Swiss watch maker, will end its 30-year relationship with McLaren at the end of this season and will join rival Red Bull Racing in 2016. The brand has had a history with McLaren since 1985, with former TAG Heuer CEO Mansour Ojjeh having been involved two years prior. “Yes, we just signed with Red Bull Racing in F1 for next season,” current TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver told Swiss magazine L’Hebdo, when asked about reports that it would depart from McLaren for Red Bull.Read More