Gilles Villeneuve drives to victory in the 1978 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen
Page 2 SPRINT CUP SERIES WONDERFUL PISTACHIOS 400 Site: Richmond, Va. Schedule: Friday, practice (ESPN2, noon-4 p.m.); qualifying (ESPN2, 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (ABC, 7-11 p.m.). Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles). Distance: 300 miles, 400 laps. Last year: Denny Hamlin raced to his second straight September victory at his hometown track, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Last race: Jeff Gordon held off Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson over a thrilling last 10 laps Tuesday in the rain-delayed race at Atlanta. Gordon won for the third time this year and 85th overall, breaking a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for third on the career list behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105). Fast facts: The race ends the regular season. The top 10 in the standings and the top two victory leaders from Nos. 11-20 will earn spots in the Chase. Five-time defending champion Johnson, Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman have wrapped up spots in the top 10. Brad Keselowski, a three-time winner this
On Track This Weekend (20th) are in position to earn a wild-card spot with a victory. Marcos Ambrose (21st) and David Ragan (23rd) could earn a wildcard spot with a victory and move into the top 20. Ambrose is seven points outside the top 20, and Ragan is 20 points out. ... In April, Kyle Busch won the Richmond spring race for the third straight year. Hamlin was second. Next race: Geico 400, Sept. 18, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. NATIONWIDE SERIES VIRGINIA 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS 250 Site: Richmond, Va. Schedule: Today, practice, qualifying (ESPN2, 4-5:30 p.m.), race, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.). Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles). Distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps. Last year: Kevin Harvick raced to the last of his three 2010 Nationwide victories. Last week: Carl Edwards won at year, has locked up at least a wildAtlanta, overcoming an early pitcard spot. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ninth stop penalty and holding off Kyle in the standings, two points ahead Busch. Edwards has six Nationwide of No. 10 Tony Stewart and 25 victories this year and 35 overall. ahead of 11th-place Keselowski. Fast facts: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has Hamlin (12th) and Paul Menard 13-point lead over Elliott Sadler with eight races left. Reed Sorenson is third, 40 points behind Stenhouse. ... In the owner’s standings, Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota has a 45-point leader over Roush Fenway’s No. 60 Ford. Busch has driven the No. 18 in 18 of the 26 races, and Edwards has made 25 starts in the No. 60. Busch has seven victories this year and a series-record 50 overall. ... Hometown star Denny Hamlin won the April race at the track. Next race: Dollar General 300, Sept. 17, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. FORMULA ONE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX Site: Monza, Italy. Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Speed, 7:3010 a.m., 4:30-7 p.m.). Track: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (road course, 3.6 miles). Race distance: 190.8 miles, 53 laps.
Sharp to serve as guest at Vintage Grand Prix THE LEADER STAFF
Last year: Fernando Alonso overcame a poor start to give Ferrari a victory on its home track. McLaren’s Jenson Button was second, 2.9 seconds back. Last race: Sebastian Vettel won the Belgian Grand Prix on Aug. 28 for his seventh victory of the season and 17th overall. Red Bull teammate Mark Webber was second. Fast facts: Defending series champion Vettel has a 92-point lead over second-place Webber. Alonso is third, 102 points behind Vettel. ... Bruno Senna is replacing Nick Heidfeld with Renault for the rest of the season. Heidfeld took over after Robert Kubica sustained a career-threatening injury in a rallycar accident in February. Senna, the nephew of Brazilian F1 great Ayrton Senna, was 13th in Belgium. Next race: Singapore Grand Prix, Sept. 25, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore. WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Gold Cup Race of Champions, today-Saturday, Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, Calif.; Monday, Antioch Speedway, Antioch, Calif. Super DirtCar: Race Mania 7, Saturday, Autodrome Drummond, Drummondville, Quebec.
WATKINS GLEN | Bob Sharp, the Connecticut man who became a key figure during Datsun’s successful run in auto racing, will serve as the featured guest of the Glenora Wine Cellars U.S. Vi n t a g e Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International this weekend. As such, Sharp will be available for questions and autographs throughout the weekend, which highlights the Datsun/Nissan marque in Sunday’s feature race at The Glen. Sharp was a multiple champion in the Sports Car Club of America before fielding cars for Paul Newman, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and his son, former IndyCar Series star Scott Sharp. Sharp will spend today at the Grand Prix Festival in downtown Watkins Glen, addressing the fans at the Legends Speak forum in Lafayette Park before giving the command to start engines for the grand prix reenactment. Saturday, he’ll be at The Glen for autograph sessions at 10 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. at the Pyramid store, will hold a fan forum in the garage at noon and hold a Q&A session in the Crown Royal Club at 1:30 p.m. Sunday will see Sharp hold two more autograph sessions at 9:40 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. with another fan forum at 12:10 p.m. and a Crown Royal Club Q&A at 11:15 a.m.
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Argetsinger to debut new book today BY CHRIS GILL
cmgill@the-leader.com
WATKINS GLEN | This being the 50th anniversary of the first Formula One race held at Watkins Glen, the International Motor Racing Research Center has spent 2011 celebrating the most romantic era in the 63year history of world-class racing in Schuyler County. While the festivities don’t end this weekend, coinciding with the Glenora Wine Cellars Vintage Grand Prix at the track and today’s festival downtown, it does offer a climax. Three documentary films will make their U.S. debut at The Glen Theater on Franklin St. today, a Legends Speak Forum will be held at Layfayette Park and Michael ARGETSINGER Argetsinger will launch his fourth, and most personal, book: “Formula One at Watkins Glen: 20 Years of the United States Grand Prix, 1961-1980.” Argetsinger, son of racing’s founding father in Watkins Glen Cameron Argetsinger, has published three books – his first about the life and career of American racing pioneer Walt Hansgen, his most recent works about the late, great Mark Donohue – but his latest labor of love centers around an era in which he was completely immersed. “I realized it’s the most personal book I’ve ever written. I’m not going to say it’s my favorite, but each of those books meant a lot to me,” Argetsinger said. “This one really came home for me, it’s got my life’s blood in it. That wasn’t so apparent to me in (writing) it as it was in reflection when I actually had the thing in my hand.” The first United States Grand Prix held at The Glen was on Oct. 6, 1961 and won by Innes Ireland, only after Formula Libre races were held on the then-2.3mile track. In 1971, the course
“Formula One at Watkins Glen: 20 Years of the United States Grand Prix, 1961-1980” will make its debut today at the International Motor Racing Research Center and Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival. Proceeds from the book will go to benefit IMRRC.
underwent several renovations, including the addition of an extra mile of asphalt. The grands prix held at The Glen marked the longest stretch one site in America hosted Formula One – then and now. Sites including Long Beach, Calif., Phoenix, Las Vegas, Detroit and Indianapolis have all had their chances to keep the lucrative F1 date. The next host to try will be the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2012. Had the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Corporation not been bankrupted by the costly renovations, Argetsinger believes the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso might be racing at The Glen today. “If the business model were there, which it’s not, for the grand prix to come back, there would be some expenditure to get things the way (F1) wants, but this track remains an incredible track and would be an incredible venue for Formula One,” he said. “The business model has changed, but in terms of the facility, the organization, had it stayed it could have carried on through the changing era.” Argetsinger pored through
tens of thousands of documents and photographs during the research process from his home in Chicago, but found his time spent at the source, and his hometown, proved most fruitful. The International Motor Racing Research Center, opened in 1998 in downtown Watkins Glen, houses some of the rarest collections and periodicals of racing history in world. Several authors, Argetsinger included, from across the globe spend weeks in Watkins Glen just to use the facility. That’s a big reason why all proceeds from his latest book will go to benefit the research center. “In any form of motor sport, there’s so much mythology, but when you get into the history – that’s something I learned doing this – yes the mythology is nice, but when you get down to what really happened, it’s always better than the mythology,” Argetsinger said. “Where are you going to find that stuff? That original core source material, that’s why this place is so important.” What better way to launch a book about an era his father was instrumental in ushering in than the 50th anniversary celebration, spearheaded by IMRRC? The book details how Argetsinger’s father and the community convinced F1 – then still in its infancy – to come to The Glen, marks the highlights, triumphs, tragedies and what led to the end of an era that put the tiny town at the southern tip of Seneca Lake on the world map. “To be reminded of what a tremendous community commitment this race was. What a remarkable thing this race came to little town in upstate New York, and what a tribute that was to the organization,” Argetsinger said. “All of that was reflected by the teams and the drivers. They did love this circuit, there’s no doubt, but they loved it was so well organized, they liked the rural feeling, they liked the small town atmos-
phere and responded to that.” “I make this point in the book: I didn’t just write about why it came here, but why it went away,” he added. “The interesting thing to remember is, the races themselves were always very profitable, the track went bankrupt because of the debt (it) incurred when they expanded it. It wasn’t because of the individual races. The cost was going up, yes, but that cost of doing business could have been absorbed. Demonstratively, the track is as good as any in the world.” Today’s events during today’s festival are as follows:
■ Driver documentaries at the Glen Theater include Graham Hill at 1 p.m., Jackie Stewart at 3 p.m. and Jimmy Clark at 8:30 p.m. The films were produced by Jackie Stewart’s son, Matt, in cooperation with the BBC. They will be making their first screenings in the U.S. ■ Induction of two new members of the Legends of The Glen at Lafayette Park at 2:45 p.m. ■ Legends Speak forum at Layfayette Park at 3 p.m., featuring Argetsinger. ■ Evening party at IMRRC at 6 p.m., with $30 admission which goes to benefit the center.
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Chase favorite? Jeff Gordon is poised to win a fifth Cup title
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
HAMPTON, GA. | Jeff Gordon never went away. It only seemed that way. Throughout the last decade, he was always behind the wheel of that familiar No. 24 Chevrolet, winning more races than most, perennially claiming a spot in the Chase for the championship.
Page 5 But the titles dried up, his domination of the sport ceded to a protege and teammate, no less. “I’ve been trying to step it up for 10 years,” Gordon said. Well, looks who’s in the thick of things again. No one who watched Tuesday’s rain-delayed race at Atlanta Motor Speedway – especially those last 10 laps – could deny this is a guy who’s found his old spark at age 40, racing with all the nerve, skill and bravado of ... well, a young Jeff Gordon. He went bumper to bumper with five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, the two of them pushing their cars to the limit and then some. They were sliding all over the track on worn-out tires, fishtailing this way and that as they struggled to keep their machines off the wall. Johnson kept trying to put his car in front. Gordon just wouldn ’t let him past, taking the checkered flag for his third win of the season and 85th of his career. Only two others drivers – Richard Petty and David Pearson – have more. Not bad company. More important to Gordon is the way he feels now. Like he did in his prime, when he was the one everyone was chasing, not Johnson. “This is the best we’ve been since I can remember,” Gordon said. Those three wins are not only more than he had the last three years combined. They’ve also given a huge boost to Gordon and his team, which knows it can run with anybody. “This is why winning is big,” Gordon said. “It might only be worth a few more points, and it might only be one number there in the stats, but it is huge for the momentum and confidence in team building and heading into the Chase. You know, we had a strong season last year. But because we didn’t win, it just kind of took the wind out of our sails. We were like, “Gosh, we’re good, but we’re not great.’ Right now, we’re great.” Don’t underestimate the importance of his thrilling victory at Atlanta, where he went
Gordon gets new sponsor to aid AARP RICHMOND, VA. | Jeff Gordon’s efforts to raise awareness of hunger in America and money to fight it will be aided by a new sponsor in Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway. Chase Card Services will put the AARP Visa Card and the Chase logo on the hood and decklid of the No. 24 Chevrolet at Richmond and again at Dover later this
month. The sponsorship is in cooperation with the AARP’s Drive to End Hunger campaign, which this year became the first cause-related primary sponsor of a major race team. Since signing on as sponsor of the four-time NASCAR champion, the AARP Foundation has raised more than $12 million toward the campaign through individual and corporate donations.
head-to-head with the sport’s biggest star – heck, another of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history – and came out on top. Clearly, Gordon has rediscovered that little edge he had during his first decade as a driver, the thing that separates a merely good driver from a great one. When the car is wobbling and shaking and feels like it could wreck at any moment, he won’t back off if he’s got a chance to win. That wasn’t always the case after Gordon won the last of his four titles in 2001. As one year without a championship led to another, some wondered if he’d gotten a little comfortable with his very full life, if getting married a second time and having children and throwing himself into charitable pursuits was affecting his performance on the track. It’s only natural. It happens to all the greats at some point.
But now, for whatever reason – and it’s easy to point to new crew chief Alan Gustafson – Gordon has rekindled that inner fire. Johnson was certainly impressed by what he saw in Atlanta while riding on Gordon’s rear bumper. “He may not have had the dominance that we’d seen before,” Johnson said, “but it’s still Jeff Gordon. And it’s so cool to race that hard with him. And even if I did come in second, it’s OK. I’d much rather have won. But we left it all out there on the track. And he got it done.” Gordon gives a lot of the credit to Gustafson, who joined the No. 24 team when Hendrick decided to shake things up for three of his teams after last season (Johnson and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, were excluded). While Mark Martin is enduring a dismal final season at
Hendrick and Earnhardt has gone through another winless year, Gordon flourished in his pairing with Gustafson. “It’s been a new relationship,” Gordon said. “And there’s excitement that comes along with that and you can kind of start over. And that felt really good in a way because I saw the excitement in the guys’ eyes in the shop when I walked in there the first couple of times.” With each win, the confidence only grows. “It’s not about me just deciding one day I’m going to step it up or not step it up,” Gordon said. “I’ve got to do my job and they’ve got to do their job and we’ve got to come together and build chemistry and connect and just be on the same page when it comes to running races. And that’s what I love about this
group, Alan and these guys.” Gustafson has focused on improving Gordon’s performance at high-banked, mile-anda-half tracks such as Atlanta. Nearly identical circuits in Texas and Charlotte are part of the Chase, and they’ve not been Gordon’s strong suit. “This is one of the tracks we felt like to be an elite team and contend to win the championship, we’ll have to do well,” Gustafson said. To Gordon, the future looks so bright, no matter where he’s racing. Just like it did a decade ago. “The way things are going, the way the team has rejuvenated me and the confidence they have in me and the confidence I have in what I’m doing now,” he said, “anything is possible.”
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Rejuvinated Red Bull screams into Monza BY ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer
MONZA, ITALY | Sebastian Vettel is relishing his position as the runaway Formula One leader. The Red Bull driver enters the Italian Grand Prix this weekend with a commanding 92-point lead over teammate Mark Webber and has won seven of the 12 races this season. It’s a sharp contrast from last year, when Vettel didn’t take the lead until the final race in Abu Dhabi. If Vettel wins this weekend, he could seal the title at the next race in Singapore this month. “We’ve made very few mistakes and I think we deserve to be in that position,” the German said Thursday. “As a team we’ve learned a lot. Our pit stops are very good but a lot of
the things that you don’t see on TV have made us more consistent. The team is a lot calmer and doesn’t panic as much.” Still, Vettel could be out of his comfort zone at Monza, with his fourth-place finish last year marking Red Bull’s best result in six attempts at the historic track. “We’re not clear favorites for this race. Last year McLaren and Ferrari performed really well here,” Vettel said. “We know it’s not one of the circuits we really prefer from the layout point of view. There are a lot of straights and no real high-speed corners. But I think we should be all right after Spa.” Vettel and teammate Mark Webber finished 1-2 in the Belgian GP at Spa two weeks ago. Vettel also can count on his personal experience in Monza, having become the youngest THE ASSOCIATED PRESS winner in F1 history when he Sebastian Vettel leads teammate Mark Webber around Spa-Francoorchamps.
Page 7 won here in 2008 at 21 when he was with Toro Rosso. “It would be nice to get back on the podium,” Vettel said. Webber is still seeking his first victory of the season – after 10 podium finishes. “It’s disappointing that I haven’t won a race yet, but I’m sure it will happen before the year is out,” the Australian said. “If it’s this weekend then there’s no better place to start than Monza.” Fernando Alonso thrilled Ferrari’s home fans with victory here last year, Jenson Button of McLaren was second and Felipe Massa of Ferrari was third. Having won just one race this year – Alonso’s British GP victory in Silverstone – Ferrari would love to repeat last year’s podium, but the Italian team isn’t promising anything to the local fans. “We want to win races but we also have to be realistic,” Alonso said. “We haven’t performed that well the last two-three Grands Prix and the updates for the car here are minimal.” Still, racing at home provides extra motivation. “It’s a special atmosphere here. All the mechanics have their families in the paddock and we all want everything to
Formula One Schedule, Standings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sebastien Vettel celebrates his eighth victory of the season. be perfect from tomorrow’s practice to Sunday’s race,” Alonso said. Having struggled to adapt to the new Pirelli tires being used by all Formula One teams this season, and especially in colder temperatures, Ferrari is encouraged by the warm conditions forecast for the weekend – even
though there is a possibility of rain. “There was a run of four-tofive races where we had a tough time. It’s good to know it will be a little warmer here,” Alonso said. “We’re going to have to be perfect. If not, we can be in seventh or eighth place very quickly.”
Schedule March 27 — Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne. (Sebastian Vettel) April 10 — Malaysian Grand Prix, Kuala Lumpur. (Sebastian Vettel) April 17 — Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai. (Lewis Hamilton) May 8 — Turkish Grand Prix, Istanbul. (Sebastian Vettel) May 22 — Spanish Grand Prix, Catalunya. (Sebastian Vettel) May 29 — Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo. (Sebastian Vettel) June 12 — Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal. (Jenson Button) June 26 — European Grand Prix, Valencia, Spain. (Sebastian Vettel) July 10 — British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England. (Fernando Alonso) July 24 — German Grand Prix, Nurburgring. (Lewis Hamilton) July 31 — Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest. (Jenson Button) Aug. 28 — Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps (Sebastian Vettel) Sep. 11 — Italian Grand Prix, Monza
Sep. 25 — Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore Oct. 9 — Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka Oct. 16 — Korean Grand Prix, Yeongam Oct. 30 — Indian Grand Prix, Delhi Nov. 13 — Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Nov. 27 — Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo 2011 Driver Standings 1. Sebastian Vettel 259 2. Mark Webber 167 3. Fernando Alonso 157 4. Jenson Button 149 5. Lewis Hamilton 146 6. Felipe Massa 74 7. Nico Rosberg 56 8. Michael Schumacher 42 9. Vitaly Petrov 34 (tie) Nick Heidfeld 34 11. Kamui Kobayashi 27 12. Adrian Sutil 24 13. Sebastien Buemi 12 14. Jaime Alguersuari 10 15. Sergio Perez 8 (tie) Paul di Resta 8 17. Rubens Barrichello 4 18. Pastor Maldonado 1
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Wayne Taylor: an embarrassment of riches JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer
When Wayne Taylor climbs atop his pit box for a race in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, he’s under more pressure than most. There’s stress enough overseeing the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet Daytona Prototype that sits second in the standings
and has Wayne Taylor Racing on the upswing. But when your son is behind the wheel in your car competing against his younger brother, not to mention some of the finest road racers in the world, it’s a much different story. “You have the added pressure of your son in the car,” Wayne Taylor said. “It never ends. I love it, sick bastard that I am.”
And why not? At age 22, Ricky Taylor is a rising star. “ T h e r e ’s a lot of expectations,” Ricky said. “Regardless of my dad, just how good this team is puts a lot of pressure on me. I have to perform, and it’s expected that a top team is going to have to be at the front. I don’t want to be considered as one of those drivers’ sons. I don’t want everybody to think
I’m just here because he’s my dad. I want to earn it.” Most certainly, he has. Taylor captured six straight poles this season, falling one shy of the series record set four years ago by Jon Fogarty, and he’s led 16 straight races in DP competition, a series record. “He’s quite good. He just learns really quick,” team manager Simon Hodgson said. “He has the right balance of aggressiveness and patience. He knows when to put his nose in there and when to wait for the next corner. He’s going to be the full package. He’s the future of the team.” Still, barring a miracle next week in the season-finale at Mid-Ohio, Taylor and teammate Max Angelelli will finish second for the second straight year to the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. It seems, however, that it’s only a matter of time before there’s a changing of the guard. “I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Pruett, the only driver to win three DP titles, said of Ricky Taylor. “It’s tough competition, it really is. You need to step up and we certainly have seen that from him. By what we’ve seen with his qualifying and with the six-hour race he had (at Watkins Glen International), I think there’s a bright future for him,
for sure.” And for Wayne Taylor’s other son, 20-year-old Jordan. He and Autohaus Motosports teammate Bill Lester have their No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro at the top of the Rolex GT class. And to think that Wayne Taylor never steered his sons to the sport he loves when they were growing up. “I certainly didn’t want them to race when they were kids,” Wayne Taylor said. “I just didn’t want them to live in this difficult world of motor racing. I just thought I wouldn’t want to go through this all over again.” Wayne Taylor grew up in South Africa dreaming of Formula One and becoming another Sterling Moss. “We didn’t have any money to do it, so I begged, borrowed and worked hard to try and make it,” said Taylor, who drove Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, winning one title. “But I realized at a certain point that that was becoming almost impossible, and I had given up everything else in my life to race. I looked at sports car racing thinking, you know, maybe there’s a longer time that you could compete.” With an offer to race in the United States, Taylor moved here with wife Shelley and 1year-old Ricky in 1990 to keep chasing that dream. Jordan was
Page 9 born a year later. “We had no family, nobody here,” said Wayne Taylor, who won three sports car championships and twice captured the Rolex 24 at Daytona before retiring from driving four years ago. “We started from nothing and got into this business, and so we spent all these years, just the four of us together. We’re a very close family, and the two of them are incredibly close and incredibly competitive.” And on a steep learning curve. “We went karting for quite a few years when they were like 8 and 10, and they loved it,” Wayne Taylor said. “I could see straightaway that if they wanted to do it they could, but they never seemed that interested. As soon as they’d get back home, they’d be kicking the soccer ball and doing other stuff, so I was happy.” Everything changed in a heartbeat. “In 2003 it just clicked for me. It was all I wanted to do,” Ricky said. “Up until then, I was play-
ing soccer, hockey, whatever. Not interested. It was so weird. I guess it was just the difference of doing it every now and then for fun and then thinking this is actually what I could do for a living.” Following dad’s wishes, both brothers are studying mechanical engineering in college. And when they’re not hitting the books they’re glued to the seat of a racing simulator, so it’s probably no surprise their rise in the sport has been exponential. “Every year it just gets bigger by multiples of 100,” Wayne Taylor said. “I look at their age and I look at where I was at that point, and they are so far ahead it’s unbelievable.” Ricky had to pay his dues, spending time with Beyer Racing and Doran Racing before his dad dared make an offer. “We’re a team that obviously has big commercial partnerships, so there’s always that much more pressure,” Wayne Taylor said. “At the same time, I wasn’t going to put him in a car
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ricky Taylor drives his father’s Daytona Prototype around Watkins Glen International during the Canadian Tire 200. if I didn’t feel he was ready because I have a responsibility to everybody. It was pretty tough thinking, what happens if this doesn’t pan out?” Ricky Taylor made a breakthrough of sorts on a rainy day in June at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Coming off a win
at Lime Rock, Taylor won the pole, started the race and was in the cockpit at the checkered flag with the imposing Pruett barely visible in his rearview mirror. The only downside on the day was that Ricky’s hard driving deprived his brother of a shot at his second win of the season (Jordan finished second in his
class). “Ricky feels he can take on Pruett now. Up until that point, he didn’t know,” Wayne Taylor said. “I always felt that they have the ability to do this at the highest end because if I didn’t I wouldn’t have taken the risk. I was just surprised how quick it happened.” “We knew the potential and the fact that he is such a good listener helped him a lot,” Angelelli said. “He is open to comments and advice. He listens.” For all his initial fears, Wayne Taylor faces a much more enjoyable dilemma now. “What’s made this worse in the quick transition that they’ve made is that now we can’t stand coming in second. It’s a freaking pain, but it’s been a dream, really. Incredible,” said the proud father, who even toys with the idea of NASCAR. “The big thing now is where do they go from here? That’s the million-dollar question, I guess.”
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Different year, same story: Power vs. Dario BY DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE | The IndyCar Series points race again has developed into a two-man duel, only this time Dario Franchitti is peeking over his shoulder at a rapidly closing Will Power as they head toward the checkered flag. A year ago, Power established an early lead and took a doubledigit edge into the final race. The Australian literally and figuratively hit the wall at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and his 25th-place finish enabled Franchitti to snag his third title in four years. Franchitti and Power have reversed roles in 2011. Franchitti held a 47-point advantage before Power won the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 28, and the gap narrowed further last weekend at the Baltimore Grand Prix, where Power captured the pole and led for 70 of 75 laps in a runaway victory. So now, with three races left in the season, Franchitti is clinging to a shaky five-point lead.
Before the 28-car field began the Baltimore Grand Prix, Franchitti was frank about the potential problems of a troublesome, unpredictable street course. “There are infinite possibilities,” the Scotsman said. He was referring to the perils of the track, although he might as well have been talking about the ultimate outcome of the IndyCar Series. Franchitti has the lead, but Power has the momentum. Anything can happen, beginning with the Sept. 17 race in Japan. “ With my experience with championships, I don’t think you’re ever safe,” Power said. “It only takes Dario have a bad day and me to have a good day and I’m right there. ... These last three races, I have to have very good races, and I will be doing everything I absolutely can to make sure I do.” After a winless rookie season in 2008, Power joined Penske Racing in 2009. Since then, he has won 12 races (including a c i rcuit-leading six this year), captured 17 poles and recorded
FRANCHITTI 25 top-five finishes. “I was lucky enough to be his teammate in 2008, and he is committed every corner,” said Oriol Servia, the second-place finisher in Baltimore. “Early on in his career he had a fair number of crashes because he just takes 110 percent every corner. He doesn’t make mistakes anymore and he still drives 110 percent, so to beat him takes a lot.” Told of the compliment, Power acknowledged that he’s made a point of being precise on the track this year. “I don’t make mistakes? I haven’t made many this year,”
Power said. “I thought last year as a team we made a few mistakes together; I made some, and we made some in the pits. This year, definitely solid pit stops and I think my oval game has picked up. And now we’re in contention.” Power prefers a road course, and the Indy Japan 300 runs through the streets of Motegi, Tochigi. But the final two stops of the season, in Kentucky and Las Vegas, will be on ovals. Advantage, Franchitti? “In a way, (Power) has improved his game on ovals because that’s when he got beat last year,” said Tony Kanaan, who finished third in Baltimore. “It plays a lot in Will’s favor, us going to Japan on the road course now. So let’s see about the last two ovals. It’s going to be interesting.”\ Kanaan has no intention of handicapping the points race. “I know Dario really well, so you should not think he is worried,” Kanaan said. “I’m not saying he’s happy right now, but just watching. It’s like fishing. He gives the fish a little more
POWER line, a little more line, and he’s going to grab it back. “I don’t know who between the two is going to win it. I’m Dario’s friend, but I love to see people win their first championship.” Power can’t even fathom the notion of finishing second again. “Second means nothing, third, fourth, fifth. Who cares? I want to win, you know?” he said. “It’s a disappointment to lose out (last year) by five points. The whole team felt like that. We had such a lead to lose. We’re determined this year.”
Page 11 Sprint Cup Series Schedule Feb. 12 — x-Budweiser Shootout (Kurt Busch) Feb. 17 — x-Gatorade Duel 2 (Jeff Burton) Feb. 17 — x-Gatorade Duel 1 (Kurt Busch) Feb. 20 — Daytona 500 (Trevor Bayne) Feb. 27 — Subway Fresh Fit 500 (Jeff Gordon) March 6 — Kobalt Tools 400 (Carl Edwards) March 20 — Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City (Kyle Busch) March 27 — Auto Club 400 (Kevin Harvick) April 3 — Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (Kevin Harvick) April 9 — Samsung Mobile 500 (Matt Kenseth) April 17 — Aaron’s 499 (Jimmie Johnson) April 30 — Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 (Kyle Busch) May 7 — Showtime Southern 500 (Regan Smith) May 15 — FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks (Matt Kenseth) May 21 — x-Sprint Showdown (David Ragan) May 21 — x-NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Carl Edwards) May 29 — Coca-Cola 600 (Kevin Harvick) June 5 — STP 400 (Brad Keselowski) June 12 — 5-hour ENERGY 500 (Jeff Gordon) June 19 — Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 (Denny Hamlin) June 26 — Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Kurt Busch) July 2 — Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola (David Ragan) July 9 — Quaker State 400 (Kyle Busch) July 17 — Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (Ryan Newman) July 31 — Brickyard 400 (Paul Menard) Aug. 7 — Good Sam RV Insurance 500 (Brad Keselowski) Aug. 15 — Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (Marcos Ambrose) Aug. 21 — Pure Michigan 400 (Kyle Busch) Aug. 27 — Irwin Tools Night Race (Brad Keselowski) Sep. 6 — AdvoCare 500 (Jeff Gordon) Saturday — Wo n d e rful Pistachios 400, Richmond, Va. Sep. 18 — GEICO 400, Joliet, Ill. Sep. 25 — Sylvania 300, Loudon, N.H. Oct. 2 — AAA 400, Dover, Del. Oct. 9 — Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas City, Kan. Oct. 15 — Bank of America 500, Concord, N.C. Oct. 23 — Talladega 500, Talladega, Ala. Oct. 30 — TUMS Fast Relief 500, Ridgeway, Va. Nov. 6 — AAA Texas 500, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 13 — Kobalt Tools 500, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 20 — Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Jimmie Johnson (1) 873 2. Kyle Busch (4) 852 3. Carl Edwards (1) 835 4. Matt Kenseth (2) 834 5. Jeff Gordon (3) 830 6. Kevin Harvick (3) 819 7. Kurt Busch (1) 789 8. Ryan Newman (1) 786 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 753 10. Tony Stewart 751
11. Brad Keselowski (3) 728 12. Denny Hamlin (1) 709 13. A J Allmendinger 698 14. Clint Bowyer 697 15. Greg Biffle 681 16. Martin Truex Jr. 676 17. Kasey Kahne 667 18. Joey Logano 662 19. Mark Martin 660 20. Paul Menard (1) 657 21. Marcos Ambrose (1) 650 22. Juan Pablo Montoya 650 23. David Ragan (1) 637 24. Jeff Burton 603 25. Jamie McMurray 579 26. Regan Smith (1) 563 27. Brian Vickers 560 28. David Reutimann 538 29. Bobby Labonte 515 30. David Gilliland 429 31. Casey Mears 360 32. Dave Blaney 324 33. Andy Lally 321 34. Robby Gordon 229 35. Tony Raines 129 36. J.J. Yeley 101 37. Bill Elliott 100 38. Terry Labonte 92 39. Ken Schrader 87 40. Michael McDowell 86 41. David Stremme 49 42. Boris Said 38 43. Michael Waltrip 20 44. Andy Pilgrim 18 45. Chris Cook 17 46. T.J. Bell 14 47. Brian Simo 11 48. Geoffrey Bodine 6 Sprint Cup Pole Winners 1. Kurt Busch 3 2. Kyle Busch 2 2. Carl Edwards 2 2. Kasey Kahne 2 2. Joey Logano 2 2. Juan Pablo Montoya 2 2. Ryan Newman 2 2. David Ragan 2 9. Greg Biffle 1 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 9. Jeff Gordon 1 9. Jimmie Johnson 1 9. Matt Kenseth 1 9. Brad Keselowski 1 9. Mark Martin 1 9. Jamie McMurray 1 Sprint Cup Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet 162 (10) 2. Ford 138 (6) 3. Toyota 136 (5) 4. Dodge 114 (4) Sprint Cup Laps in Top 15 PCT. LAPS 1. Kyle Busch 80.5 5694 2. Carl Edwards 75.6 5351
3. Jimmie Johnson 71.4 5051 4. Jeff Gordon 68.4 4840 5. Matt Kenseth 66.6 4716 6. Denny Hamlin 65.6 4645 7. Kurt Busch 63.9 4524 8. Ryan Newman 63.1 4467 9. Kevin Harvick 61.6 4358 10. Kasey Kahne 56.1 3968 Sprint Cup Laps Led Percentage PCT. LAPS 1. Kyle Busch 16.7 1181 2. Jeff Gordon 10.1 714 3. Jimmie Johnson 8.7 617 4. Matt Kenseth 8.0 564 5. Kurt Busch 7.7 548 6. Carl Edwards 6.3 445 7. Denny Hamlin 5.5 392 8. Tony Stewart 4.8 340 9. Kasey Kahne 3.9 274 10. Clint Bowyer 3.8 271 Sprint Cup Fastest Laps Fastest laps with points standing positions, percent age and total fastest laps: POS. PCT. LAPS 1. Kyle Busch 2 9.5 572 2. Jeff Gordon 5 8.2 493 3. Jimmie Johnson 1 8.1 489 4. Carl Edwards 3 7.2 433 5. Matt Kenseth 4 6.3 377 6. Tony Stewart 10 6.2 375 7. Denny Hamlin 12 5.0 298 8. Kasey Kahne 17 4.6 279 9. Kurt Busch 7 4.3 260 10. Brad Keselowski 11 4.1 246 Sprint Cup Driver Rating Driver ratings with season points position, single-race high rating and overall rating: POS. HIGH RATING 1. Kyle Busch 2 145.6 108.8 2. Jimmie Johnson 1 135.6 99.2 3. Jeff Gordon 5 145.4 98.5 4. Carl Edwards 3 134.4 98.1 5. Kurt Busch 7 142.6 96.4 6. Matt Kenseth 4 144.7 96.3 7. Denny Hamlin 12 126.7 91.9 8. Kevin Harvick 6 115.1 89.8 9. Tony Stewart 10 133.4 89.4 10. Ryan Newman 8 140.2 88.6 Sprint Cup Average Running Position RACES POS. 1. Kyle Busch 25 9.803 2. Jimmie Johnson 25 12.167 3. Kurt Busch 25 12.291 4. Jeff Gordon 25 12.751 5. Carl Edwards 25 12.912 6. Matt Kenseth 25 13.309 7. Ryan Newman 25 13.533 8. Denny Hamlin 25 13.733 9. Kevin Harvick 25 14.184 10. Clint Bowyer 25 14.591 Nationwide Series Schedule Friday — Virginia 529 College Savings 250, Richmond, Va. Sep. 17 — Dollar General 300 Powered By Coca-
Cola, Joliet, Ill. Oct. 1 — OneMain Financial 200, Dover, Del. Oct. 8 — Kansas Lottery 300, Kansas City, Kan. Oct. 14 — Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage, Concord, N.C. Nov. 5 — O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 12 — Wypall 200, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 19 — Ford 300, Homestead, Fla. Nationwide Series Driver Standings 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) 909 2. Elliott Sadler 896 3. Reed Sorenson (1) 869 4. Aric Almirola 845 5. Justin Allgaier (1) 840 6. Jason Leffler 811 7. Kenny Wallace 747 8. Steve Wallace 737 9. Brian Scott 724 10. Michael Annett 711 11. Mike Bliss 624 12. Trevor Bayne 611 13. Mike Wallace 601 14. Joe Nemechek 594 15. Josh Wise 583 16. Jeremy Clements 515 17. Timmy Hill 490 18. Blake Koch 435 19. Eric McClure 433 20. Derrike Cope 432 Camping World Trucks Schedule Sept. 16 — Fast Five 225, Joliet, Ill. Sept. 24 — F.W. Webb 175, Loudon, N.H. Oct. 1 — Kentucky 225, Sparta, Ky. Oct. 15 — Smith’s 350, Las Vegas Oct. 22 — Coca-Cola 250 Powered by Fred’s, Talladega, Ala. Oct. 29 — Kroger 200, Ridgeway, Va. Nov. 4 — WinStar World Casino 350k, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 18 — Ford 200, Homestead, Fla. Camping World Trucks Driver Standings 1. James Buescher 588 2. Johnny Sauter (1) 576 3. Timothy Peters (1) 574 4. Austin Dillon (1) 571 5. Ron Hornaday Jr. (2) 540 6. Joey Coulter 537 7. Matt Crafton (1) 535 8. Cole Whitt 531 9. Parker Kligerman 526 10. Todd Bodine 524 11. David Starr 493 12. Nelson Piquet Jr. 482 13. Brendan Gaughan 482 14. Jason White 450 15. Max Papis 449 16. Ricky Carmichael 448 17. Justin Lofton 448 18. Miguel Paludo 444 19. Ryan Sieg 388 20. Clay Rogers 343
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