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Motorsports
Dancing with Helio
By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
Published September 29, 2007
Sam I am ... outta here?
While three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. attempts to make his first Nextel Cup start (next up, Talladega on Oct. 7) he has yet to officially announce whether he will leave the IRL full-time for NASCAR next season. Speculation is rampant he will make the switch, and his schedule is reflecting a new direction. Hornish will not join Team Penske teammate Castroneves at an aerodynamics test at Iowa Speedway next week although the other teams involved, Andretti Green Racing and Ganassi Racing, will both send two drivers.
License and registration, please
Chicago native Tom Wieringa, 55 and a grandfather, hopes to earn an IRL drivers license by testing at Chicagoland Speedway on Wednesday. He'd be the oldest, tallest (6-foot-2) and heaviest (180 pounds) if the former Pro Series license-holder could pass muster.
Unfortunately, according to IndyCar Series technical director Kevin Blanch, the league will not have any officials at the test. Wonder if the track has cashed the rental check yet?
Pole dancing
Somewhere, Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon must be bummed. Turns out their mutual friend, Helio Castroneves, may be too talented to harass mercilessly for agreeing to appear in the just-commenced new season of Dancing with the Stars. The two-time defending winner of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (and 2001 and 2002 Indianapolis 500 victor) and partner Julianne Hough enchanted judges with their performance of the Foxtrot on Tuesday, earning a score of 25 out of 30 and advancement in the competition.
Which gets one thinking. What other big-time race car driver types would make interesting DWTS contestants?
Sterling Marlin: Two words, Electric Slide.
Milka Duno: Two word, Evening gown.
Boris Said: You laugh just thinking about it.
Power under the hood
NASCAR figures dot BusinessWeek's annual sports "Power 100" list.
Among the mighty: NASCAR chairman Brian France, driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and team owner Jack Roush. Driver Carl Edwards (and coincidently, former girlfriend and Olympian Amanda Beard) helped constitute the 20-person selection panel.
The top names, and those with motorsports connections.
1. Roger Goodell Commissioner, NFL
2. Tiger Woods Golfer
3. David Stern Commissioner, NBA
4. George Bodenheimer President, ESPN, ABC Sports
5. Bud Selig Commissioner, MLB
6. Brian France Chairman, CEO, NASCAR
23. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. NASCAR driver
54. Roger Penske Owner, Penske Racing
56. Jeff Gordon NASCAR driver
57. Bernie Ecclestone Head of Formula 1
62. Jack Roush Founder, CEO, Roush Fenway Racing
65. John Henry Principal Owner, Boston Red Sox; Roush Fenway Racing
74. Tony Stewart NASCAR driver
84. Bruton Smith Chairman, CEO, Speedway Motorsports
93. Joe Gibbs Head Coach, Washington Redskins; NASCAR team owner
98. L. France-Kennedy President Interna tional Speedway
Sold to the man withthe six championships
Wouldn't a genuine Dale Earnhardt race car set off your front yard? Might be hard to get.
Since the closing of the Motor Sports Museum of Orlando, collector Boyd Uzzell has decided to liquidate his collection of rare motorcycles and motorsports memorabilia. Bidding will begin Oct. 7 at LiveAuctioneers.com.
Among the items is the only known Earnhardt No. 3 race-used stock car not privately owned by Richard Childress Racing and Steve McQueen's 1967 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, with certificate of authenticity, ridden by the late actor in The Great Escape.
Bar none
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s "Big Mo"' candy bar will be introduced in January, presenting fans his vision of peanut butter and caramel goodness. The name is play off his hometown of Mooresville, N.C., and the longtime nom de guerre for him and his closest friends, the Dirty Mo' Posse. This sets up an interesting battle between Junior and Daddy for sweet tooth domination. Hershey will launch a series of Earnhardt Sr. commemorative bars in January.
Socialized racing
The IRL is scheduled to announce on Tuesday a "restructuring of earnings distribution for the 2008 IndyCar Series, including the 92nd Indianapolis 500," according to a league release. SpeedTV.com speculated that full-time teams would receive upwards of $1.3-million a season while race purses would be eliminated except for the Indy 500. The plan is designed to relieve current struggling teams and attract new ones.
[Last modified September 28, 2007, 18:20:11]
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