Hendrick Motorsports team continues to dominated every NASCAR Nextel Cup race this season. After Jeff Gordon won consecutive races, his teammate Jimmie Johnson is now on the spotlight with the recent victory at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the
Pep Boys Auto 500 race.

Johnson commented after the race:
"Today is a great day on a lot of fronts, in so many ways. We had a good car today and as Chad pointed out, probably not the fastest, but his pit call at the end was really what put us in contention to win the race and got the job done for us."

Johnson added: "And then also with the California Wildfire Relief Fund, Mr. Hendrick and I were speaking last week, beginning of this week and we talked about donating the purse, Lowe's has jumped on board, Mr. Smith, Mr. France and I've heard of a few other corporations matching the purse today. We feel confident over a million dollars would be raised and sent out to the Red Cross and hopefully it encourages other people to get involved. Lowe's is using their other stores (inaudible/line static) and whether it's a special paint scheme, if it's for a charity like today, we seem to deliver and get the job done, and I'm happy about that."

Johnson is still on the 2nd place at the Chase for the Championship standings. He is only 9 points behind Jeff Gordon. Here is the result of the Pep Boys Auto 500 race.

1.      48           Jimmie Johnson      Chevrolet     
2.     99          Carl Edwards     Ford     
3.     41          Reed Sorenson     Dodge     
4.     17          Matt Kenseth     Ford     
5.     31          Jeff Burton     Chevrolet
6.     07          Clint Bowyer     Chevrolet
7.     24          Jeff Gordon     Chevrolet
8.     2          Kurt Busch     Dodge     
9.     9          Kasey Kahne     Dodge     
10.     83          Brian Vickers     Toyota     
11.     55          Michael Waltrip     Toyota     
12.     25          Casey Mears     Chevrolet     
13.     45          Kyle Petty     Dodge     
14.     19          Elliott Sadler     Dodge     
15.     29          Kevin Harvick     Chevrolet     
16.     84          A.J. Allmendinger      Toyota     
17.     5          Kyle Busch     Chevrolet     
18.     88          Ricky Rudd     Ford     
19.     21          Bill Elliott     Ford     
20.     44          Dale Jarrett     Toyota     
21.     7          Robby Gordon     Ford     
22.     16          Greg Biffle     Ford     
23.     96          Tony Raines     Chevrolet
24.     11          Denny Hamlin     Chevrolet
25.     8          Dale Earnhardt Jr.     Chevrolet     
26.     26          Jamie McMurray     Ford     
27.     15          Paul Menard      Chevrolet
28.     49          John Andretti     Dodge     
29.     10          Scott Riggs     Dodge     
30.     20          Tony Stewart     Chevrolet
31.     1          Martin Truex Jr.     Chevrolet     
32.     70          Johnny Sauter     Chevrolet     
33.     6          David Ragan      Ford     
34.     42          Juan Montoya      Dodge     
35.     18          J.J. Yeley     Chevrolet
36.     78          Joe Nemechek     Chevrolet
37.     12          Ryan Newman     Dodge     
38.     22          Dave Blaney     Toyota     
39.     40          David Stremme     Dodge
40.     66          Jeremy Mayfield     Chevrolet     
41.     43          Bobby Labonte     Dodge     
42.     38          David Gilliland     Ford     
43.     01          Mark Martin     Chevrolet     

Meanwhile, below is the Chase for the Championship standings.
 
1.      Jeff Gordon      6201      
2.     Jimmie Johnson     6192    
3.     Clint Bowyer     6090    
4.     Carl Edwards     5940    
5.     Kyle Busch     5882    
6.     Tony Stewart     5879    
7.     Kevin Harvick     5809    
8.     Jeff Burton     5801    
9.     Kurt Busch     5782    
10.     Denny Hamlin     5777    
11.     Matt Kenseth     5753    
12.     Martin Truex Jr.     5688    

 

Yes, finally the appeal was lodged! This is what I’ve been anticipating just after the Brazilian GP.

McLaren Mercedes has formally lodged an appeal against the decision not to punish 3 drivers in Sunday's Brazilian GP because of fuel irregularities, the Formula 1 team announced Tuesday.

The Woking Team has appealed to the FIA after Nico Rosberg of Williams as well as Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica of the BMW Sauber were left unpunished under rules concerning fuel temperatures.

What’s the significance?

Should the 3 drivers have their results in Sunday's race at Sao Paolo nullified then McLaren's Lewis Hamilton would win enough points to be crowned world champion instead of Scuderia's Kimi Raikkonen.

"The significance of this matter and its timing is, of course, regrettable," the Woking team said in a statement on its Web site (www.mclaren.com). "The team wishes to win races and Championships on the track. However, if there has been an irregularity, which is not the fault of the team, we feel that the matter must be properly examined to ensure that the rules are applied. This is something that we believe the FIA would fully support and would wish to be seen to have done."

Raikkonen won the race to take the Formula One crown by a single point from the sensational Briton rookie Hamilton and his Spanish double world champion teammate Fernando Alonso.

McLaren are appealing the stewards' decision to take no action against Williams and BMW Sauber, whose fuel was found by checks after the race to have violated technical regulations. To note, their fuel was more than 10 degrees Celsius below the ambient temperature as reported by Reuters. That also means potentially significant performance advantage because fuel performs better at cooler temperatures.

Stewards found that there was a 'considerable discrepancy' between ambient temperatures recorded by F1 Management's monitors and the FIA-contracted meteorologists Meteo France. They ruled that there was therefore 'sufficient doubt' as to render a penalty unsuitable.

The Woking team said it did not question the integrity of BMW Sauber or Williams. "Neither team would have sought to gain an advantage by such an irregularity and the situation could only have arisen as the consequence of an operational error within the team on the day," said McLaren. "Ultimately we feel that the FIA should determine whether an irregularity occurred or not, and the team will fully respect the process and any decision that is ultimately given."

The FIA's International Court of Appeal will hear McLaren's appeal on the 15th of November.

Hamilton finished the race behind the Williams of Nico Rosberg and the BMW Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld but if all three were removed from the results, that would give the Briton the title, reported Planet-F1.

But Max Mosley, president of the FIA which governs F1, said: "For us, the World Championship is over, the result is what it is. A team presented an appeal; at the moment, this doesn't change anything - it's up to them to prove they are right," Mosley told Autosport.

"You could argue whether McLaren had a right to appeal," he added. "They could have protested the result, but they didn't. Apparently they didn't measure the temperature of the fuel. But even if the cars classified ahead of Hamilton would be excluded, would this change his position? The court of appeal will have to rule on that."

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen recently won the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship (WDC), dethroning Fernando Alonso with the title.  Anyway, as the 2007 F1 season has ended, let me bring you guys the F1 champions throughout the Formula 1 history. Check them out!

1950     Nino Farina     Alfa Romeo    
1951     Juan Manuel Fangio     Alfa Romeo    
1952     Alberto Ascari     Ferrari    
1953     Alberto Ascari     Ferrari    
1954     Juan Manuel Fangio     Maserati
1955     Juan Manuel Fangio     Mercedes
1956     Juan Manuel Fangio     Ferrari
1957     Juan Manuel Fangio     Maserati
1958     Mike Hawthorn     Ferrari
1959     Jack Brabham     Cooper    
1960     Jack Brabham     Cooper    
1961     Phil Hill     Ferrari
1962     Graham Hill     BRM    
1963     Jim Clark     Lotus
1964     John Surtees6     Ferrari
1965     Jim Clark     Lotus
1966     Jack Brabham     Brabham
1967     Denny Hulme    
1968     Graham Hill     Lotus
1969     Jackie Stewart     Matra
1970     Jochen Rindt     Lotus
1971     Jackie Stewart     Tyrrell
1972     Emerson Fittipaldi     Lotus
1973     Jackie Stewart     Tyrrell    
1974     Emerson Fittipaldi     McLaren
1975     Niki Lauda     Ferrari
1976     James Hunt     McLaren
1977     Niki Lauda     Ferrari
1978     Mario Andretti     Lotus
1979     Jody Scheckter     Ferrari
1980     Alan Jones     Williams
1981     Nelson Piquet     Brabham
1982     Keke Rosberg     Williams
1983     Nelson Piquet     Brabham
1984     Niki Lauda     McLaren
1985     Alain Prost     McLaren
1986     Alain Prost     McLaren
1987     Nelson Piquet     Williams
1988     Ayrton Senna     McLaren
1989     Alain Prost     McLaren
1990     Ayrton Senna     McLaren
1991     Ayrton Senna     McLaren
1992     Nigel Mansell     Williams
1993     Alain Prost     Williams
1994     Michael Schumacher     Benetton
1995     Michael Schumacher     Benetton
1996     Damon Hill10     Williams    
1997     Jacques Villeneuve     Williams
1998     Mika Häkkinen     McLaren
1999     Mika Häkkinen     McLaren
2000     Michael Schumacher     Ferrari
2001     Michael Schumacher     Ferrari
2002     Michael Schumacher     Ferrari
2003     Michael Schumacher     Ferrari
2004     Michael Schumacher     Ferrari
2005     Fernando Alonso     Renault
2006     Fernando Alonso     Renault
2007     Kimi Räikkönen     Ferrari

Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson, the winner of the recent Subway 500 race that took place at Martinsville Speedway gave his preview on the upcoming race in Atlanta. Johnson is poised to win the race and continue scoring more points to secure the NASCAR Cup championship title.

Check out what Johnson said on the interview

Asked what his strategy during the race, Johnson said:
"Well, you're trying to be in the top five after the last pit stop. That's a goal I typically have. It would be great if you're leading and defending. But if you run in the top five, there is enough that goes on in the last pit stop that you can pick up some spots."

Johnson also reveals his strategy on the last lap: "On the last lap, if you're chasing someone, you're going where they're not. And that really dictates your move and what you do on the last lap. If you can break the plane of the guy you are chasing and get to his quarter- panel off of Turn 4, the way we side-draft each other even on the 1.5-mile tracks, you will slow him down and you will beat him to the start/finish line. It's just the cycle of it. If the start/finish line were down another couple hundred yards, that inside car would side-draft you and cycle back by and he would win. But the way the tracks are laid out, if you can break the plane of his bumper off of Turn 4, you will win the race. I've had a couple work out that way for me, and I also lost one to Carl (Edwards) that way.

He added: "I see a lot of guys now that if it comes down to the last lap, they know how that cycle works through, and they'll give the bottom to the guy that's chasing them almost saying 'go ahead and take it, not a problem.' You can even let the guy get all the way up alongside of you because the side draft will work and get you back to the start/finish ahead of him. In a lot of cases, the high lane is the place to be. And I see from Busch and Truck racing and obviously, the Cup series, guys leading the last lap just give up the bottom lane because they know that will work. So I think that is kind of common practice now. If you're on a short track it's not going to work for you and the guy is going to motor right on by. But it depends on the track."

Anyway, just watch out for the race this coming week and see if his strategy will work. LOL!

While Kimi Raikkonen dominated the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, the French driver Sebastien Bourdais dominated the Lexus Indy 300 race for the ChampCar series.

Bourdais made several milestones during his victory. He earned his fourth straight title and became the first driver to repeat his win in 17th race in Australia. With his win, Bourdais proved that he is the best driver in Champ Car so far. The French driver is poised to switch to Formula 1 for the 2008 season.

Anyway, check out what Bourdais said after the race.
"It was one of those races where I decided to have fun with it and give it all we had. For the McDonald's team to win the race, win the championship, be the first repeat winner in Surfers - what a day! We had a very, very good balance on the car with the Bridgestone primes."

He added:
"Now I know I'm going to a different challenge (Formula One), but still with Bridgestone tires. Bridgestone has been great to us, always gave us great tires, it was awesome. Well, it's been quite above average, I should say. You know, it's just the success of an awesome group of people within that McDonald's team. We started that relationship back in 2003. Just all the results really speak for themselves. You know, it's how good these guys are. And they proved it today again when we came in the pits in third and came out first. From there, it was in my hands to try to make it stick."

Check out below for the Lexus Indy 300 race results. The list indicates position, driver name, and team.

1.     Sebastien Bourdais      Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing     
2.     Justin Wilson     RuSPORT     
3.     Bruno Junqueira     Dale Coyne Racing     
4.     Robert Doornbos     Minardi Team USA     
5.     Simon Pagenaud     Team Australia     
6.     Nelson Philippe     Conquest Racing
7.     Alex Tagliani     Rocketsports Racing     
8.     Neel Jani     PKV Racing     
9.     Paul Tracy     Forsythe Racing     
10.     David Martinez Forsythe Championship Racing     
11.     Graham Rahal*     Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing     
12.     Mario Dominguez     Forsythe Championship Racing     
13.     Alex Figge     Pacific Coast Motorsports     
14.     Oriol Servia     PKV Racing     
15.     Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing     
16.     Will Power     Team Australia     
17.     Dan Clarke     Minardi Team USA     

It's a Finnish finish!

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen put his best at the recent Formula 1 season finale (the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix) in Sao Paolo to claim the 2007 Driver's Championship. The Finn driver managed to win the race and boost his points up to 110, just one point lead over his two McLaren rivals Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen now dethrones Alonso with the Spaniard's championship title.

Raikkonen teammate Felipe Massa followed him and landed the 2nd place. Massa helped out his Raikkonen to bag the championship title although the Brazilian driver also wanted to win the race in his hometown.

Kimi Raikkonen commented about the race and his new title:
"It is very difficult for me to explain in words what I am feeling at the moment: it is an incredible emotion. I want to thank the team for everything they have done this year. Even when we went through some difficult times and it looked as though there was no way to fight back, we never gave up and this work produced its reward today. Thanks also to my parents, to my wife Jenni and everyone who believed in me. I have achieved what I have been after for a long time. Now everything else will be an extra. Today, Felipe's help was vital and he was amazing. We had to get a one-two and then see what the others did. This time, things went our way and the unexpected did happen. This has been a very nice year for me during which I have enjoyed Formula 1 like never before. In Ferrari, I have found a great family and I am proud to have won the title with them."

Check out the final standings below.

Driver's Championship

1.     Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari     110
2.     Lewis Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes     109
3.     Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes     109
4.     Felipe Massa     Ferrari     94
5.     Nick Heidfeld     BMW     61
6.     Robert Kubica     BMW     39
7.     Heikki Kovalainen     Renault     30
8.     Giancarlo Fisichella     Renault     21
9.     Nico Rosberg     Williams-Toyota     20
10.     David Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault     14
11.     Alexander Wurz     Williams-Toyota     13
12.     Mark Webber     Red Bull-Renault     10
13.     Jarno Trulli     Toyota     8
16.     Sebastian Vettel     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     6
17.     Jenson Button     Honda     6
18.     Ralf Schumacher     Toyota     5
19.     Takuma Sato     Super Aguri-Honda     4
20.     Vitantonio Lizzi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     3
20.     Adrian Sutil     Spyker-Ferrari     1

Constructors' Championship:

1.     Ferrari     204
2.     BMW     101
3.     Renault     51
4.     Williams-Toyota     33
5.     Red Bull-Renault     24
6.     Toyota     13
7.     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     8
8.     Honda     6
9.     Super Aguri-Honda     4
10.     Spyker-Ferrari     1

Sascha Maassen will lead the season finale race of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this coming Saturday. Maassen, driver of the No. 6 Porsche RS Spyder for Penske Racing clocked in with the fastest time during the qualifying race.

Check out Sascha Maassen's preview of the upcoming race: "We are competing against Acura, a very strong opponent. They have done a great job so our goal first is to stay ahead of them. It's difficult enough. And then sometimes in the race we see that opportunities arise to shine even brighter and then we take it of course. But this is not at the start of the race our strategy."

Below is the result of the qualifying race for Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

1.     6      Sascha Maassen      Penske Racing      Porsche RS Spyder     
2.     7     Timo Bernhard     Penske Racing     Porsche RS Spyder     
3.     26     Tony Kanaan     Andretti Green Racing     Acura ARX-01a     
4.     9     David Brabham     Highcroft Racing Acura     Acura ARX-01a     
5.     1     Allan McNish     Audi Sport North America     Audi R10 TDI     
6.     15     Adrian Fernandez     Fernandez Racing     Acura Lola BO6     
7.     2     Mike Rockenfeller     Audi Sport North America     Audi R10 TDI     
8.     20     Guy Smith     Dyson Racing     Porsche RS Spyder     
9.     16     Andy Wallace     Dyson Racing     Porsche RS Spyder     
10.     10     Darren Manning     Arena International Moto     Zytek 07S Zytek     
11.     06     Klaus Graf     Team Cytosport     AER Lola B06-10     1:13.053     
12.     88     Jamie Campbell-Walter     Creation Autosportif     Creation CA07 Judd
13.     5     Hayanari Shimoda     Zytek Motorsports     Zytek 07S Zytek
14.     8     Jamie Bach     B-K Motorsports     Mazda Lola B07-40     
15.     37     Clint Field     Intersport Racing     Creation CA06H Judd     
16.     3     Jan Magnussen     Corvette Racing     Corvette C6.R     
17.     4     Olivier Beretta     Corvette Racing     Corvette C6.R     
18.     12     Bryan Willman     Autocon Motorsports     Lola EX257 AER     
19.     62     Jaime Melo     Risi Competizione     Ferrari 430 GT     
20.     31     Peter Dumbreck     Petersen/White Lighting     Ferrari 430 GT     
21.     45     Jorg Bergmeister     Flying Lizard Motorsport     Porsche 911 GT3 RSR     
22.     18     Tom Milner     Rahal Letterman Racing     Porsche 911 GT3 RSR     
23.     44     Darren Law     Flying Lizard Motorsport     Porsche 911 GT3 RSR     
24.     73     Nathan Swartzbaugh     Tafel Racing     Porsche 911 GT3 RSR     
25.     54     Terry Borcheller     Team Trans Sport Racing     Porsche 911 GT3 RSR     
26.     21     Bill Auberlen     Panoz Team PTG     Panoz Esperante     
27.     61     Tracy Krohn     Risi Competizione     Ferrari 430 GT     
28.     53     David Murry     Robertson Racing, LLC     Panoz Esperante GTLM     
29.     11     Joel Feinberg     Primetime Race Group     Dodge ViperComp Coupe