[rF] F1 2007

[rF] Viper VLN Nordschleife (wet vs dry]

A good read for NASCAR fans

If you are a NASCAR enthusiast, or someone who�s into car racing, then you might be interested in grabbing a copy of a book that focuses on the racing�s history.

A book released recently, titled �200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR,� takes readers into the world of NASCAR from the beginning until what it is now. The book�s author Mark Yost highlights some events in NASCAR history that deeply influenced what it is today. Yost, who hails from Brooklyn, has been a business and sports journalist for almost two decades.

The contents of the new book draw heavily from the reports of National Speed Sport News, where Yost had worked as a reporter.

According to Nascar.com, Yost�s book also explains NASCAR as a sports phenomenon in the United States and the challenges it has to face.

For this book, Yost did interviews with the owner of NASCAR teams�asking them why they chose to be with NASCAR and how they go about with their sponsorship. York, a fan of Dale Earnhardt, also incorporates his personal opinions both as a sports journalist and NASCAR fan into the book.

"In all honesty there's not another book like it," Yost told Stillwatergazette.com. "There's a ton of books out there about the drivers and the history of NASCAR, but this is really the first of its kind to look at the business of NASCAR�which is really what's driving the growth today."

Nascar.com describes Yost�s style as �easy and comparatively less dense� than most sports writers but gets his message across in a �plain and proper� way.

I have yet to buy my copy, but I learned it is already available at major book stores. It can even be purchased from the NASCAR website.

[rF] Land Porsche Nordschleife Rain

Nissan GTR Specs and Photos Released

Nissan's new GTR is not scheduled to make it's debut until the Tokyo Auto show next week but their attempts to keep the official specs and final details a secret until then have been largely unsuccessful. Various sources have posted official photos and specs on the car within the last couple of days opening the flood gates.



The styling is a bit iffy but I'll wait for my final decision until I see one in person. The performance numbers however, are another story. What is known now is that the car will be sporting a 3.8L twin-turbo V6 making 473HP and 434TQ which will rocket the car to 60 in 3.5 seconds and through the 1/4 mile in 11.7seconds on way to a top speed of 192mph. Pretty freaking fast in other words. The car will also feature all wheel drive and a 6 speed dual-clutch automated manual like Audi's DSG transmission. Base price looks to be below $80,000. It remains to be seen if a lot of buyers will be willing to plunk down that much on a Nissan but those who know what those three letters GTR mean will want one.

[rF] BTCC Brands Hatch

Vaccination for Congress staff before going to NASCAR races?

Have NASCAR races become a health risk already?

I wonder what the people in Congress had in mind when they advised congressional staffers to get vaccinations first before attending NASCAR races in Talladega, Alabama and Lowe�s Motor Speedway in Concord.

A number of congressional aides on a fact-finding trip will conduct a research on public health awareness at crowded events, The Charlotte Observer reported October 11. Some aides are assigned to the NASCAR's Bank of America 500 to be held this weekend. The congressional aides were instructed to get vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, diphtheria, and tetanus.

What�s interesting in this story is that a member of the Congress stood up and expressed his objection with the immunization directive.

Representative Robin Hayes, a Republican from Concord, North Carolina (the venue for Lowe�s Motor Speedway), questioned the order. He pointed out the bad impression the requirement makes in his letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson.

"I have never heard of immunizations for domestic travel, and as the representative for Concord, N.C., I feel compelled to ask why the heck the committee feels that immunizations are needed to travel to my hometown," Hayes said in his letter to Thompson.

Hayes further argued that the crowd in NASCAR events should not threaten anyone. "I have been to numerous NASCAR races, and the folks who attend these events certainly do not pose any health hazard to congressional staffers or anyone else," he also said.

However, Thompson replied in a letter to Hayes that the vaccination was just a �recommendation� and not compulsory. Also, there is no reason for the staff designated at NASCAR races to be excluded from immunizations since they are required to visit hospitals and clinics near the NASCAR locations.

So now, that settles it.

Source: The Charlotte Observer