The Jimmie Juggernaut

by Tammy

Maybe we should start calling Jimmie Johnson (and crew chief Chad Knaus) "the Closer." Sure, he cruised to the title in his first couple years of championships. But the last year certainly was a fight, and in more than one, he (and crew) demonstrated an uncanny ability to finish the year strong, pulling out a number of victories and strong finishes in the Chase.

And this year. No one's been talking about Jimmie. Not as much as they've been talking about Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin. But who's on top with three races to go this season? Who dominated at Martinsville this weekend, winning from pole?

Yep, this guy.

Can he be stopped? Who do you like to take the title in NASCAR this year?

Simon's pick (back to our fantasy picks) of Jeff Gordon (6th) is doing better than my pick of Carl Edwards (not in the Chase), and Rick Helms' choice of Greg Biffle (9th). But Rick Hunt outpicked us all by pegging Jimmie from the start.

It's not too late. I'm changing my vote to Jimmie.

P.S. Did you know he wrote (with help) and published a memoir/coffee-table book? Hmm, writing, racing ... maybe he wants to join a feisty little blog....

Pros and Ams

TAMMY: Sportscar racing, more than other types (I think, correct me if I'm wrong), means professional racecar drivers sharing the track with amateurs. Granted, they're usually very good amateurs, but they often don't have the same level of experience as the pros. And that sometimes gets them in trouble.

Remember the huge crash at Le Mans this year, in which British pro Anthony Davidson's Toyota prototype flipped nose-over-tail and slammed into a tire barrier, fracturing two of Davidson's vertebrae? (See the video.) That involved a pro and an amateur, with the general consensus being that the amateur was responsible, as he just didn't understand how fast the prototype could and would maneuver.

There were two incidents at Petit caused by the same amateur driver, Peter LeSaffre in the Green Hornet Racing Porsche. The first was a dramatic upside-down slide by the Nissan Delta Wing during practice.



The second was impact with the Muscle Milk LMP2 car, which almost had enormous implications for the championship contender. Only heroic repair work by the Muscle Milk team enabled the car to get back out on track to complete the requisite number of laps and take the championship.

Tony DiZinno, Web editor for Racer magazine, wrote an excellent, thoughtful opinion piece this week reconsidering his initial stance that both incidents were LeSaffre's fault. Considering his points, I have to say I agree. However, I think it behooves amateur drivers to do a lot more studying of the other cars on the road, particularly closing speeds of prototypes at each racetrack. Similarly, as DiZinno points out, the pros need to cut the amateurs some slack also, and not expect every other driver on the road to react as a pro would

But I sure wouldn't get rid of the mix of pros and ams. What's your take, Simon?

SIMON: I wouldn't get rid of amateurs from pro racing, for one simple reason--Define pro??  Look at Romain Grosjean.  The best way to eliminate these incidents is through licensing.  There are different licenses needed for different types of racing and some series have low level license requirements.  All drivers need to earn their stripes and they will if they can't jump up a series until they have enough points finishes under their belts in a lower series.  Also I've mentioned before that mixed testing was a great learning tool.  I once tested with F3, F3000, Touring Cars and sports prototypes while I was driving a Formula Ford.  I had to have my wits about me with cars that cornered slower and cars that could catch me on a 1/3mile straight when I was hitting the braking area.  It taught me a lot about speed and manners.

Seasons' End

by Tammy

IndyCar, Grand-Am, and now the American Le Mans Series, all done for the year. All headed for the off-season now, the extra-silly-season.

For the ALMS, which wrapped up its season with a dramatic 9.5 hour Petit Le Mans on Saturday (that's the Turn 10a/b complex in the photo), and for Grand-Am, this means time finally to work on the specifics of the merger for 2014 (those in charge have promised decisions about the class structure for the merged series by the end of 2012). For teams in respective series, it means gearing up for a final, possibly lame-duck season as a separate entity. Because while they'll be preparing for 2013, their eyes will undoubtedly be on 2014. I can't imagine there won't be losers in the merger, but it's certainly too early to tell who that will be.

For IndyCar, F1, and NASCAR, it's time for drivers and sponsors to move teams and new deals to be struck. For fans, it's time to hunker down and either get friendly with Aussie V8 Supercar racing or haunt racing sites daily for the latest news. Maybe we do both. Certainly we spend some time trying to teach ourselves the new driver, sponsor, number combinations (for NASCAR, at least).

For me, it's time to do some of the above, plus a lot of writing on a new book. But I know I'll be following the off-season soap opera that is racing, avidly. Sometimes I think I like the stories about racing even more than the racing itself. I suppose that figures.

But hey, there's still a month of racing left! So until the fat lady sings, signaling the end of F1 (4 more races, finishing Nov. 25) and NASCAR (4 more races, finishing Nov. 18), I'll savor some of the year's last competition and look forward to 2013. Only 96 days until the 24 Hours of Daytona!

Who's with me? Are you done with racing for this year? Hanging on to the bitter end of F1 or NASCAR? Making travel plans for Daytona?

Petit Le Mans Tomorrow!

by Tammy

Simon is away being celebrated this weekend, but I'll be at home, sitting in front of the computer. Because Saturday is Petit Le Mans! I attended this race the last two years and have written about it in my next book, so it's a race I really enjoy.

Check out how cool this race poster is. That's the Delta Wing there on the right, and ahead, the 2012 GT champion Corvette! All of them sweeping down the hill at Road Atlanta into Turn 12. Great spot!

Will you be watching with me? Coverage starts at 8:30 a.m. Pacific/11:30 a.m. Eastern, on ESPN3.com. I'll also be posting a lot on Twitter: @tkaehler. Hope to see you around the mediaverse!

Crash, Bang, Wallop!!

By Simon

I’m reading The Limit by Michael Cannell at the moment and which looks at racing in the 50’s and early 60’s. Naturally death rears its ugly head again and again with the upshot it’s had me reliving the crashes I’ve had and ones I’ve witnessed.

Crashes are funny things. Essentially, high speed crashes are living breathing monsters with a life of their own. You could walk away without a scratch or you find yourself in hospital. Personally, I walked away from 130mph impact after my car went airborne, but I broke two vertebrae going into a tire wall at 60mph. I won’t bore you with the details but the reason for these differing outcomes was safety harnesses. One was done up properly and the other wasn’t.

So the safety improvements have changed the dynamics of crash survival immensely, but there's one thing that can’t be changed (in theory) and that’s speed. Having seen the pile up at Belgian Grand Prix again, it reminded me that once the wheels have been sheared off a car, safety measures somewhat go out of the window and Newtonian physics takes over—a body in motion will remain in motion until an opposing force is enacted up on it (usually in the form of a crash barrier).

Velocity is a really killer. When I was learning to fly, I remember doing calculations with my instructor about crash survival rates. The numbers said that if I crashed 10knots under normal landing speed, my survival rate improved by 25%. Bring it in 20knots under normal landing speed, it wouldn’t ruffle my hair. In the light of calls for greater safety since Dan Wheldon’s death, the biggest safety improvement racing can implement is to reduce speed—but that isn't going to happen. It’s certainly something I wouldn’t want to see. The appeal of racing to me is controlling the uncontrollable.

So crashes are ugly but they are a part of the sport.

Speed and Pushing Limits

By Tammy

Two epic events happened this last weekend that made me spend some time pondering how and why humans push limits.

First, Los Angeles celebrated and cheered the Endeavour space shuttle on its final journey through the streets of LA to the California Science Center. A game of inches, that move was, with its arrival delayed some hours because crews needed to trim extra branches from trees and maneuver the shuttle sideways at times to clear historic trees and everyday residences. (Photo from my friend Miruna.)

The second event was Felix Baumgartner's attempt to skydive from the highest altitude ever (120,000 feet or 23 miles) and, along the way, break the sound barrier in only a spacesuit and helmet (meaning without being inside a capsule or vehicle). More than most record-breaking efforts, this one seems to generate head-shaking and pronouncements that "he's nuts." Certainly that's my opinion.

I sat there watching, wondering why I was doing so. I mean, the guy could have died. Why did I care? Why was I interested? And then I realized his attempt was just another means of pushing the boundaries of what we think humans are capable of. To quote the Olympics: faster, higher, stronger. Just like car racing.

So I suppose I followed the space shuttle's journey and watched Baumgartner free-fall for the same reason I watch racing: because while I'm not interested in pushing boundaries myself, I'm fascinated by those who have the strength, talent, and will to do so.

What about you all? Did you watch Felix Baumgartner? Do you want to push boundaries yourself?

When to Retire?

TAMMY: The sound of weeping you heard last week was because Michael Schumacher announced his retirement, for the second time, from Formula 1. And many F1 fans were sad.

Me? I say, "meh." I mean, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time? Sure. More championships than anyone? Undeniable. Iconic to see him driving in person? Absolutely. But did I ever think he'd do anything with this comeback? Nope.

One name for you: Michael Jordan. I just don't think an athlete can retire near the end of his likely career, take a break for a couple years, then come back and enjoy the same level of success. The sport passes him by. The cars changed, in Schumi's case. I mean, great, if you just want to be out there competing, good for you. But I didn't honestly think he'd ever win again.

And so I have more good to say about someone like Reubens Barrichello, who took his forced retirement from F1 (he didn't get a ride with a team) in stride and went to race elsewhere. He's still practicing his skills, learning new cars and tracks, and having a great time by all accounts.

Basically, I believe a champion athlete that goes out at the top of his game will want to come back, which won't work out well for him (or her, I don't judge). I think it's more rational for those in whom the competitive fires burn so fiercely to keep racing, wherever they can, until they've exhausted all opportunities. Then again, where could Schumi have gone from the top of F1? Maybe nowhere.

What do you think, Simon? Should they go out while they're on top or stick around and fade away slowly?

SIMON: With all that Schumacher had achieved, I didn’t understand why he came back. He would be only diluting his record. But I do understand the reasoning. He’d said he wanted to help develop an F1 car for Mercedes and I get that. Mercedes have been supporting his career since his F3 days and he never got to drive for his sponsor. So from that perspective, it makes sense.

But to answer your question, Tam Tam, I think it’s always best to check out at the top. You never want to be that guy who can’t walk away—the sporting equivalent of the old guy in the night club.

Retirement doesn’t mean you have to leave the sport. You just find a new challenge. Look at Denny Hulme. He was racing Touring Cars in Australia until he died and was still competitive. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Schumacher racing in the DTM in the next year.

TAMMY: I don't disagree that one should go out on top ... but when they do, they seem to return and not be able to recapture lost glory. Anyone else with me? Anyone disagree?