Motor Racing

(Newser) - The unthinkable is happening to NASCAR: Its ubiquitous sponsors have begun heading for the exits, setting up the unheard-of prospect of fans glimpsing a bit of car beneath all the corporate logos. The economic downturn is partly to blame, but falling viewership numbers have also contributed to sponsors' newfound hesitancy to splash their names around the track, reports Advertising Age . More »

(Newser) - Honda, facing economic drag as the financial crisis sharply curtails demand for automobiles, is withdrawing from Formula 1 racing, at least until global markets turn the corner, the Guardian reports. Honda's CEO once pledged to spend “a trillion yen” to secure an F1 title, but shareholders have pressured the company to cut costs, and the nonessential $500 million going toward the racing team yearly was an easy target. More »

(Newser) - The gloomy economic outlook is putting the brakes on sporting sponsorships everywhere and NASCAR is one of the hardest-hit, the Washington Post reports. Sponsorship cash makes up around 80% of the average racing team's budget, but long-standing partnerships with Detroit’s auto giants and other major backers are running out of gas as budgets get cut to the bone. More »

(Newser) - In an effort to curry favor with millions of American NASCAR fans, Toyota joined the league’s top circuit 2 years ago, but fans aren’t warming to the Japanese automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many fans felt betrayed last year when champion racer Kyle Busch traded in his Chevy on a Toyota, and he's been met with boos and a barrage of beer cans after recent victories. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama appears set to sponsor a NASCAR racecar in the Aug. 3 Pocono event, the first presidential candidate to try such a stunt. Trying to sell a political left-hand turn on what’s traditionally Republican turf, the Democratic car will likely be part of a broader get-out-the-vote effort, Sports Illustrated reports. Donors may be able to get their name on the vehicle for $100. More »

(Newser) - Drag racer Scott Kalitta was killed yesterday after his Funny Car burst into flames as it crashed in an NHRA race, AP reports. The Toyota Solara driven by the 46-year-old former Top Fuel champ had been going 300 mph in a race to qualify for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in New Jersey. “We are deeply saddened and pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Kalitta family," said a statement from the NHRA. More »

(Newser) - Joey Logano has an extra reason not to drink and drive: The winner of last week's NASCAR Nationwide Series race is just 18. Called the future of racing before he had a license, Logano has the attitude of champion—and a teenager, notes Richard Durrett in the Dallas Morning News . Asked about his favorite part of the race, Logano said, "The burnout was cool." More »

(Newser) - Everyone has ideas about how Barack Obama can attract the working-class white voters that eluded him in the primaries. Author Tony Horwitz goes for the throat: Start smoking again. West Virginia and Kentucky, where Hillary Clinton clobbered Obama, lead the nation in cigarette consumption among whites, and lighting up could help worse-off voters see him as one of their own. More »

(Newser) - The Chevy Volt will either revolutionize cars forever and rocket GM back to the top of the automotive world, or it’ll be an embarrassing disaster that will further cripple the giant. And right now, lots of industry types are betting on the latter. GM is so desperate to get the car out by 2010 that it’s developing car and battery simultaneously—a stunning gamble that could easily backfire, the Atlantic reports, in a detailed look at GM's equivalent of the space race. More »

(Newser) - Quick crew work boosted Scott Dixon to victory at the Indianapolis 500 today, ahead of Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti, the AP reports. Danica Patrick, vying to be Indy's first female winner, got clipped with 29 laps left, snapped her suspension, and finished 22nd. Several other crashes and failures haunted drivers today. "There were so many yellows," Dixon said, "it was really hard to get into a rhythm." More »