DieHard Race Week Start-Up, Houston
Breaking News: Kyle Busch Parked For Remainder Of Weekend At Texas
NASCAR President, Mike Helton, announces that NASCAR has decided to park Kyle Busch for the remainder of the weekend at TMS. (Boyd Adams/RubbingsRacing.com)
By: Toby Christie – Senior Writer
Friday night Kyle Busch went over the line and wiped out Ron Hornaday after the two made contact on lap 15 of the Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Not only did Busch put Hornaday’s health in jeopardy, but he also affected Hornaday’s status as a championship contender.
Saturday morning NASCAR finally pulled the trigger – they opted to park Kyle Busch for the remainder of the racing weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
Mike Helton made the announcement in the media center at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday morning, “During the truck race last night, we had an incident between the 18 and the 33 trucks that resulted in NASCAR parking the 18 truck for the balance of the event.
“That’s done under Section 9-12 of the Rule Book. That gives NASCAR the authority to react during a race weekend. Following the event and after a good deal of conversation and discussion, NASCAR has decided to maintain that parked position on the driver of the 18 truck for the balance of the weekend.
“So basically what that means is Kyle Busch will not be participating today or tomorrow in the NASCAR event here in Texas.”
Joe Gibbs met with the media Saturday to discuss the sanctions by NASCAR, and he says that the responsibility definitely rests on him.
"…it definitely rests with me. I think when you own something and you're the owner, you're responsible and I think that question is kind of easy for me to answer. I take full responsibility for it and what we're going to try to do now — you mention other things in the past and we tried to handle those things the right way and try and make to the right decisions. That's certainly what we're going to try to do with this," said Gibbs.
Michael McDowell has began practicing Kyle Busch’s Sprint Cup car in Saturday morning’s practice sessions and he will drive the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry Sunday. McDowell of course has driven Nationwide races for Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Gibbs broke down the decision to have McDowell pilot the car in place of Busch.
“I think Michael (McDowell) has been in our cars before. He's raced some for us and actually been in a car. So, we actually felt like in such a short notice — we like him a lot, we think he's a great person. I think he was a natural choice for us," Gibbs explained.
The step to sit Busch should definitely make drivers at least think about how they want to retaliate in future events.
Lee White, the president of Toyota Racing Development issued a statement on this situation:
"Toyota understands it is NASCAR's responsibility to enforce their rules for the well-being of the sport. We recognize this is a difficult situation for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch with respect to the incident thatoccurred at Texas Motor Speedway during Friday (Nov. 4) night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.However, we are confident in the leadership of Joe and J.D. Gibbs, and are certain the team will handle thisdifficult situation in an appropriate manner. Toyota remains 100 percent committed to its support of Joe GibbsRacing and its drivers."
I applaud NASCAR for having the gusto to sit one of its biggest stars, because honestly his actions warranted him missing some time on the track.
Create-a-caption: Jimmie Johnson, that’s not proper pit technique
Well, at least he didn't roll through the pit. Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning at Darlington. But that's the boring real-life explanation. Have a little fun with this one, won't you? Best comment gets you a cupful of 48 smoke.
U.S. Solar Industry Sets its Sites on China
This week U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) launched a proposal aimed at reducing China’s hold on the global solar panel market. The proposal would bar Chinese-made solar panels from qualifying for the 30 percent tax credit that U.S. individuals and businesses receive for purchasing and installing solar panels. U.S. installations of solar panels has grown 70 percent per year since 2008, but the majority of these panels were manufactured in China.
The new legislation would reduce the scope of solar panels eligible for the existing 30 percent tax credit. To become eligible, 70 percent of the parts of the qualifying solar panel must be made in America. If the final point of manufacture is in the U.S, then only 50 percent of the parts would need to be American made.
“We can’t trade our dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on Chinese-made solar panels,” said Senator Brown. “We went from a solar trade surplus with China to a solar trade deficit in a matter of years. Ohio workers can compete with anyone in the 
world, but they deserve access to a level playing field. When the Chinese government provides direct export subsidies to its solar manufacturers, that’s not competing – it’s cheating. And it’s costing American jobs in solar manufacturing.”
“The American tax code should not make matters worse by encouraging the purchase of Chinese-made solar panels. Our plan will ensure that American tax incentives support American solar panel manufacturers,” added Brown.
Chinese companies, according to Brown and Schumer, have been able to take hold of the solar industry at a rapid rate, in part because they have taken large, government-subsidized loans from banks. This has led to plunging prices for U.S. wholesale solar panel makers. Today, prices are around $1 a watt of capacity today, down from $1.80 in January and $3.30 in 2008.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DomesticFuel/~3/j-9fBhP6Jdo/
Official: Renault Alpine A110-50 concept does its papa proud
Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Renault, Design/Style
Renault has officially released details on its Alpine A110-50 Concept. Designed to pay homage to the original Alpine A110, the machine wears a body crafted from carbon fiber and dipped in a shade of the same iconic Alpine Blue we all know and love. Up front, designers worked in a set of half-ring yellow LED lights reminiscent of the hood-mounted fog lights found on the original. That's pretty much where the similarities end, however. Based loosely on the crushingly-sexy Renault Dezir Concept, the new machine boasts proud fender arches, a wild split-wing rear spoiler and scissor doors. As we'd heard before, the A110-50 Concept rolls on the same chassis as the Megane Trophy, complete with adjustable Sachs dampers, 21-inch wheels and the notable absences of on-board nannies like ABS or traction control. Hefty 14-inch front brake discs are pressed by six-piston calipers, while the 13-inch discs out back make due with four-piston units. Renault placed a 3.5-liter V6 mid-ship with a full 400 horsepower on hand. A roof mounted-intake funnels air from outside the engine bay into the machine's carbon-fiber intake. Meanwhile, a dual-clutch six-speed gearbox allows the driver the choice of disengaging the transmission via a floor-mounted clutch pedal or shifting via steering-wheel mounted paddles. Scroll down to check out the full press release as well as a couple videos.Continue reading Renault Alpine A110-50 concept does its papa proud
Renault Alpine A110-50 concept does its papa proud originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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René Grivois
Passionate about NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
