All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has decided to uphold the two race suspension levied by NASCAR to Matt Kenseth following a hearing earlier today. The first appeal panel consisted of Ken Clapp, Bill Mullis and Dale Pinilis, heard the testimony but came to the following decisions: The Appellant violated the rules set forth in the Penalty notice; The Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalty levied by NASCAR. The second and final appeal was heard by National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss and came toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief A day after NASCAR announced the suspension of Matt Kenseth for two races following his collision with Joey Logano at Martinsville, I’m left wondering if Brian France and company made the right call. The decision to suspend the former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion has sent a message to fans and drivers alike, but also created division on the severity of the punishment. Many look to the Kevin Harvick incident during the green-white-checkered finish at Talladega as intentional and point to the fact that the sanctioning bodyRead More

Darren Cox, the man responsible for putting molding Nissan’s LMP1 program from scratch has left the Japanese company. Cox had been a part of Nissan since moving from its sister company, Renault, in 2005. Aside from the LMP1 program, Cox was involved in LMP2, GT3, and V8 Supercars programs for Nissan. Cox also oversaw the launch of the GT Academy in 2008, that since has grown all over the world and produced drivers such as Jann Mardenborough, Lucas Ordonez and Gaetan Paletou. “The decision to leave Nissan and the AllianceRead More

Following a last lap collision of the Russian Grand Prix that saw Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas wreck while battling for a podium, the 2007 Formula One champion maintained his stance on the racing incident during a press conference leading up to the United States Grand Prix. “Well it hasn’t changed,” said Raikkonen. “Obviously there were some discussions and penalties given to me, but I would still do it tomorrow again, that doesn’t change the story. Unfortunately, we came together in the end and we both lost a bit, butRead More

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that Denny Hamlin tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, but is expected to race the remainder of the season and postpone the surgery until after the season finale in Homestead. Hamlin suffered the injury playing basketball Tuesday night, with confirmation coming following an MRI Wednesday morning. The 34-year-old previously tore his ACL in his left knee January 2010, also while playing basketball. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond this weekend for the final race before the Chase for theRead More

Red Bull Racing will end its longtime relationship with engine supplier Renault, at the end of the season, according to AUTOSPORT. Since the introduction of the V6 turbo era in Formula 1, Renault has had an array of performance and reliability issues that has led to a tumultuous relationship with the Milton Keynes-based squad. Red Bull’s contract with the French manufacturer was set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, with long-standing rumors that the team could break the contract without penalty due to performance issues. Both DanielRead More

Nico Rosberg mourned the death of his engine which failed with just two laps remaining in the Italian Grand Prix while pursuing Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for second. Mercedes spent all of its remaining engine tokens heading into Monza, but for Rosberg it mattered little as the German had to fall back on the old spec engine following issues with the new power unit prior to qualifying on Saturday. The engine Rosberg was forced to run with had been used in six full race weekends. “To have it explode two lapsRead More

Sebastian Vettel has called on F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to keep Monza on the series calendar amid rumors that the longtime home of the Italian Grand Prix could be dropped in 2016. The German finished second behind Lewis Hamilton at Monza, leading the charge for Scuderia Ferrari while teammate Kimi Raikkonen grabbed fifth. The uncertainty for over the future for one of F1’s most historic and prestigious venues as the host of the Italian Grand Prix has also put other tracks, such as Imola, back into consideration. Matteo Renzi, theRead More

Michael Shank Racing has revealed a tribute livery for the late Justin Wilson that is set to run at Circuit of the Americas at the next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The nose, along with the rear wing end plates of the No. 60 Ligier JS P2 Honda, has an image of Wilson’s helmet – the engine cover fin is decorated with the United Kingdom flag. Shank mentioned that the team will further the tribute to honor Wilson at COTA, which includes selling Wilson tribute shirts. Wilson droveRead More

Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is enjoying the race package at Darlington ahead of the Bojangles’ Southern 500. On a weekend when NASCAR is celebrating the days of old with retro-themed throwbacks to the 1970’s, Gordon is more focused on breaking into Victory Lane for his first win of the year and securing a spot in the Chase for the Championship. Gordon has seven wins at the historic ‘Lady in Black’ with the last one coming in 2007. Through much of the season (or the last several) GordonRead More