Motorsports

The Racing Page

By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
Published September 22, 2007

Quotable

"You reach certain marks in your career and you wonder if you can ever do something better. Having 500 consecutive starts is pretty special because this is such a demanding sport. Its a very humbling sport, and you have to continue to work hard to reach new goals."

Bobby Labonte, who will make his 500th consecutive Nextel Cup start on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Quick honor

Florida resident Ryan Hunter-Reay, left, a midseason pickup, was named Indy Racing League rookie of the year after becoming the first IndyCar rookie since 2001 (Felipe Giaffone) to start his career with consecutive top-seven finishes.

Track sabbath

Mike Ashley has made a hard decision, and he chose his faith. The NHRA Funny Car driver decided not to compete today in NHRA Fall Nationals qualifying in Ennis, Texas, to attend Temple in observance of Yom Kippur. It was no simple choice professionally. Ashley dropped from second to sixth in the points - two of the top four advance to the Countdown to One Championship - and was to make two attempts of an allotted four to qualify on Friday. The other attempts would have come today.

"I have to live what I say I believe, and for me, my faith in God and being an example and leader in my family takes priority. Period. I know Evan (Knoll, owner of Torco Racing Fuels and title sponsor) and my other sponsors understand, the team is with me, and I'm confident we'll perform well so it won't be an issue," Ashley said in a release.

Other athletes who have refused to compete on the Jewish high holidays include:

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax

Detroit Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg

Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green

"Racing is not the only thing in life, and definitely not the most important in the big picture. I take what I do on the racetrack very seriously, but I take life even more seriously." Ashley said.

Next phase

Former Formula One and CART champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve has his first NASCAR truck series start tonight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Slated to join Bill Davis Racing's Nextel Cup program next season, likely in the No.23 Toyota, he could join the most elite of company. Only Mario Andretti has won CART (four times) and Formula One titles (1978), the Indianapolis and Daytona 500s (1969 and 1967, respectively).

"The would be a good thing, having won the Indy 500 and the Formula One championship," Villeneuve said, "If I could win in NASCAR that would be really exciting, and the only thing left to do would be Le Mans after that."

Ashley Force has been named the winner of the inaugural "Hottest Athlete" poll on AOL Sports.

The Web site's users voted on the best-looking men and women in sports over several weeks. The National Hot Rod Association star and daughter of legend John Force beat glamor athletes Tom Brady (New England Patriots) and IRL driver Danica Patrick.

Force, the 10th woman to earn a Funny Car license and made history in April by racing against her father. She won and advanced to the semifinals, where she tied for the highest Funny Car event finish for a woman.

[Last modified September 21, 2007, 21:29:01]