Motor Sports News

NASCAR Drive for Diversity combine drivers Amanda Lynch, left, and Trista Stevenson talk at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Jim R. Bounds)

Women, minorities chase NASCAR dreams

AP - Mon Oct 13, 7:03 PM ET

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. - The long blonde hair hanging over the back of a racing suit covered with sponsor logos makes it apparent that Kristin Bumbera is not your average racer.

  • Renault driver Fernando Alonso of Spain sprays champagne on the podium after winning the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway circuit, in Oyama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
    Japan drama as Massa, Hamilton tangle AP - Sun Oct 12, 9:54 AM ET

    OYAMA, Japan - Fernando Alonso won Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix for a victory that was almost a sideshow to a breathless race that provided another twist in the title fight.

  • Jeff Burton and his wife Kim, left, share a light moment in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Bank of America 500 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
    Burton wins at Charlotte to move up in standings AP - Sun Oct 12, 1:07 AM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. Those were the three guys everyone picked to win the Sprint Cup title. Nobody gave Jeff Burton a chance. And that's exactly how Burton likes it.

  • Drivers Kevin Harvick, left, and Carl Edwards, right, scuffle in the Nationwide series garage area during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series General Dollar 300 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. (AP Photo)
    Photos show Edwards had Harvick by the neck AP - Sun Oct 12, 12:20 AM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - Photographs of the scuffle between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick show a more physical confrontation than witnesses described, with Edwards at one point grabbing Harvick by the throat.

  • Kyle Busch slips as he climbs from his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
    Kyle Busch cruises to 20th NASCAR win of season AP - Sat Oct 11, 1:10 AM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - Make it 20 wins this season for Kyle Busch, NASCAR's dominant workhorse.

  • Cindy McCain presiding over NASCAR race AP - Fri Oct 10, 5:02 PM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - The wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be the honorary race director at the NASCAR Bank of America 500.

  • Jimmie Johnson gestures during a news conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. Johnson is one of the drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup auto racing championship. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
    Rain gives Johnson pole at Charlotte AP - Thu Oct 9, 7:02 PM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - Jimmie Johnson could only look at his car Thursday, spending most of the afternoon eating junk food in his team's hauler and watching it rain.

  • Carpentier out of No. 10 at Gillett Evernham AP - Tue Oct 7, 10:14 PM ET

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Patrick Carpentier was released from Gillett Evernham Motorsports on Tuesday, and Mike Wallace and AJ Allmendinger will finish the season in the No. 10 Dodge.

  • FIA drops Canadian GP from F1 calendar for 2009 AP - Tue Oct 7, 5:27 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials insist that a world championship should include an American race. Or at least a North American race.

  • Goodyear thinks softer tires the answer at Indy AP - Tue Oct 7, 4:22 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - Goodyear may have an answer for one of Indianapolis Motor Speedway's toughest challenges: softer tires.

  • Denny Hamlin is placed on a stretcher after a crash during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' AMP Energy 500 auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg McWilliams)
    Hamlin released from hospital day after hard wreck AP - Mon Oct 6, 11:31 AM ET

    TALLADEGA, Ala. - Denny Hamlin was released from a hospital Monday, a day after a tire failure led to a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

  • Denny Hamlin taken to hospital after hard wreck AP - Sun Oct 5, 9:00 PM ET

    TALLADEGA, Ala. - Denny Hamlin was held Sunday night at a Birmingham hospital Sunday for further evaluation after a tire failure led to a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

  • NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil smiles after winning the pole for Sunday's Amp Energy 500 auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
    Kvapil takes pole for Talladega, DEI also strong AP - Sat Oct 4, 5:09 PM ET

    TALLADEGA, Ala. - A pair of once-mighty teams returned to the top of the Talladega Superspeedway leaderboard with very different things to prove.

  • In this May 15, 2005, file photo, IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, celebrates with his sister, Kati, after he qualified for the Indianapolis 500 auto race with an average speed of 227.077 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Helio Castroneves is facing federal tax charges in Miami. Castroneves is charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion from 1999 through 2004. Also indicted in were Constroneves' sister and business manager, and his attorney. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman, File)
    Racer Castroneves pleads not guilty in tax case AP - Sat Oct 4, 12:12 AM ET

    MIAMI - Race car driver and "Dancing With The Stars" winner Helio Castroneves pleaded not guilty Friday to federal tax evasion charges and declared outside the courtroom that he would treat the case like a race against the Internal Revenue Service.

  • This Sept. 23, 2005 file photo shows NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace during a practice session at the Dover Speedway in Dover, Del. Wallace reportedly is considering ending his three-year retirement to drive again — possibly for former rival Dale Earnhardt's race team. Wallace's younger brother, Kenny, wrote in his SpeedTv.com blog that the 52-year-old former Cup champion is pondering a return to NASCAR's top series. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner, File)
    Rusty Wallace says he's not about to make comeback AP - Wed Oct 1, 5:23 PM ET

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Rusty Wallace denied Wednesday a report by his brother that claims he is considering a return to NASCAR's top level.

  • In this Aug. 22, 2008, file photo, Paul Menard walks through the pits during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Sharpie 500 auto race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. Menard will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season to drive for Yates Racing, The Associated Press has learned. Menard is expected to announce Tuesday that both he and his sponsorship will move to Yates, a person familiar with Menard's decision told The AP. The person requested anonymity because Menard had yet to make his announcement. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
    Menard leaving DEI for Yates Racing AP - Tue Sep 30, 1:29 PM ET

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Paul Menard is heading to Yates Racing at the end of the season in a switch certain to hurt Dale Earnhardt Inc. DEI is losing both a driver and a sponsor at a time when a bleak economic outlook has made funding difficult.

  • Skinner, Speed to finish season for Red Bull AP - Tue Sep 30, 10:59 AM ET

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - AJ Allmendinger will not finish the season with Red Bull Racing, giving up his seat to Mike Skinner and Scott Speed for the final seven races of the year.

  • In this Saturday Oct. 1, 2005, file photo, Paul Newman places his hand over his heart after completing his last lap at the Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, Conn. Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as 'Hud,' 'Cool Hand Luke' and 'The Color of Money' — followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. (AP Photo/Douglas Healey, File)
    An actor's passion for auto racing AP - Sun Sep 28, 2:58 AM ET

    Paul Newman wanted to be a great athlete — he just never found a sport in which he could excel. Then, while filming the movie "Winning" in 1969 at age 43, he discovered auto racing.

  • In this Sept. 19, 2007 file photo, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., second from right, poses with, from left, Dawn Hudson, Rick Hendrick and Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, after a news conference in Dallas, Texas. Earnhart, a popular NASCAR's driver, would move to Hendrick Motorsports the next season, the team announced. Earnhardt's car was sponsored by Pepsi, with the company's Mountain Dew soft drink and Amp Energy drink featured on the No. 88 car. The National Guard was also involved in the sponsorship. (AP Photo/LM Otero, file)
    Busch stands by statement that season is over AP - Fri Sep 26, 4:26 PM ET

    KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Kyle Busch's crew chief doesn't believe the team's title hopes are dead despite mechanical failures during the first two races of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

  • Stewart within sight of Chase leaders AP - Fri Sep 26, 1:50 PM ET

    KANSAS CITY, Kan. - So far, 2008 hasn't been Tony Stewart's year.

  • Meira joins Foyt Racing for 2009 AP - Thu Sep 25, 2:43 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - Vitor Meira, the Indy Racing League's most experienced non-winner, will drive for A.J. Foyt Racing in the 2009 IndyCar Series.

  • In this Aug. 3, 2008 file photo, NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger listens to a crew member before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pennsylvania 500 auto race in Long Pond, Pa. Allmendinger lost his ride at Red Bull Racing on Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008, and it wasn't clear if the team will let him finish out the final eight races of season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
    Allmendinger out at Red Bull Racing for 2009 AP - Tue Sep 23, 5:19 PM ET

    CONCORD, N.C. - AJ Allmendinger lost his ride at Red Bull Racing on Tuesday, and it wasn't clear if the team will let him finish out the final eight races of season.

  • McLaren Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain is seen at event shortly after arriving in Singapore on Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008. Lewis Hamilton has lost an appeal to have his victory in the Belgian Grand Prix reinstated. Tuesday's ruling leaves the McLaren driver with a one-point lead over Ferrari rival Felipe Massa in the Formula One standings, with four races remaining.(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
    Hamilton fails to overturn Belgian GP penalty AP - Tue Sep 23, 11:18 AM ET

    PARIS - Lewis Hamilton lost his appeal to overturn his penalty from the Belgian Grand Prix on Tuesday, leaving the McLaren driver with a one-point lead over Ferrari rival Felipe Massa in the Formula One standings with four races remaining.

  • NASCAR fires officials named in harassment lawsuit AP - Sun Sep 21, 11:41 AM ET

    DOVER, Del. - NASCAR has fired two officials who had been suspended during an internal investigation into claims made in a $225 million racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against stock car racing's sanctioning body.

  • Jim Hunter, vice president of corporate communications for NASCAR, speaks during a news conference on NASCAR's new drug policy before practice for the Camping World RV 400 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
    NASCAR adds random testing to tougher drug policy AP - Sat Sep 20, 5:09 PM ET

    DOVER, Del - NASCAR has toughened its drug policy and will do random tests in 2009 on everyone in the three national series — from star Chase drivers to anonymous tire changers.

  • Goodyear to test tires at Indy twice in 3 weeks AP - Fri Sep 19, 3:36 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - Goodyear will test its NASCAR tires at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway twice in the next three weeks as it tries to solve the durability problem it had at the Brickyard this summer.

  • Starr, several team members penalized for NH fight AP - Wed Sep 17, 6:09 PM ET

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR fined David Starr $10,000, suspended three crew members and penalized several others Wednesday for fighting on pit road following a Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

  • English driver to join Panther in Indy Lights AP - Wed Sep 17, 5:28 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - Formula 3 Euroseries driver Martin Plowman will drive for Panther Racing next season in the Indy Racing League's developmental Firestone Indy Lights series.

  • In this Sept. 7, 2008 file photo, Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye looks to the track during the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. Red Bull Racing has signed general manager Jay Frye to a multiyear extension that will keep him in charge of the team's NASCAR program. (AP Photo/Don Petersen, File)
    GM Jay Frye signs extension with Red Bull Racing AP - Tue Sep 16, 5:44 PM ET

    MOORESVILLE, N.C. - Red Bull Racing has signed general manager Jay Frye to a multiyear extension that will keep him in charge of the team's NASCAR program.