- iRacing.com Announces iRacing 2.013,049
- iRacing.com to create virtual McLaren MP4-12C GT39,282
- Scanning What’s in Store for iRacing with Tony Gardner7,401
- Dave Kaemmer Comes Clean on Dirt7,399
- The iRacing.com Protest System – May, 20126,716
- Improving the Sound of iRacing5,634
- iRacing 2.0 Debuts in 2011 Season 34,934
- Preview Shots of HPD ARX-01C, Ford GT & Suzuka4,892
- Two New Cars and Two New Tracks Coming to iRacing Soon4,800
- iRacing.com to Build Digital Honda for New Super GT Series4,523
- iRacing.com Announces iRacing 2.0 41
- The iRacing.com Protest System - May, 2012 30
- iRacing Announces Added Features, Lower Prices 24
- No Obstacles Here 18
- Scanning What’s in Store for iRacing with Tony Gardner 18
- Improving the Sound of iRacing 15
- V8 Supercars to Sanction iRacing.com Series 14
- iRacing 2.0 Debuts in 2011 Season 3 13
- Tips from a Human Sim-Racer 12
- iRacing.com to Build Digital Honda for New Super GT Series 11
- iRacing.com2340
- NASCAR 1893
- Motorcycles 1844
- Formula Cars 1708
- WRC 1430
- IndyCar 1299
- Touring Cars 873
- Sports Cars 307
- Other Racing 356
David Phillips
Editor and ChiefDavid Phillips is a long-time contributor to print and electronic publications in the U.S. and abroad, including Racer, Autosport, AutoWeek, Motor Sport and SPEEDtv.com, oversees the daily updating of news stories and assigns, edits and contributes feature material for inRacingNews.com.
Chris Hall
iRacing.com Series WriterChris Hall has been writing since the nineties and moved into motorsports reporting in 2005, covering series such as ALMS, British GT, FIA GT, Le Mans and 2CV racing for Full Throttle magazine, Motorsport.com, The-Paddock.net, GTGateway.com, L' Endurance and, of course, inRacingNews. During 2008 and 2009, he worked with the RSS Performance Porsche Carrera Cup Team (and former British GT(C) champions) as a data engineer for a variety of drivers and models of 997s.
Jameson Spies
Contributing Writer19 years old, Jameson Spies lives in Quartz Hill, California. He grew-up surrounded by racing. His mother raced late models throughout Southern California while his father built and setup the car. Not surprisingly, Jameson began racing go-karts at the age of 13, and is now racing Spec Trucks at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He has a passion about all forms of racing and hopes to make a career out of it.
Jason Lofing
iRacing.com Series WriterJason is 21 years old and was born and raised in Elk Grove. California. A big time NASCAR fan, he hasn’t missed a race on Sunday in years. Lofing is also a huge San Fransisco Giants fan and tries to take in at least a couple games a year. Other than sim racing, his biggest (and far more expensive!) hobby is photography. Although he is rather new to sim racing, Lofing has already accomplished some pretty impressive results, qualifying for the 2011 iRacing Oval Pro Series in Season 1, 2011, winning the inaugural Landon Cassill Qualifying Challenge and finishing runner-up in the second one.
Tim Terry
Contributing WriterTim Terry, aka the voice of Maritime stock car racing, fell in love with sim racing in 2004 after he joined the Sim Racing Network crew as a pit reporter. From October 2004 to SRNtv’s closure in June 2007, he’s covered prestigious races and leagues such as the Online 500, FLM Fall 400, Real Racing Online and the DMP Racing League – each as the lead broadcaster for the company. At the same time the wheels started to turn in another direction as he began announcing stock car racing locally. Terry became the assistant announcer at Scotia Speedworld in May 2007 and took over full duties in May 2009 when long-time voice Mike Kaplan retired from the track. Terry also became the series voice of the Parts For Trucks Pro Stock Tour in ’09 and continues to hold down both posts in 2011. He has also announced races for the Pro All Stars Series, Atlantic Open Wheel and Maritime League of Legends tours and has called races at six different Atlantic Canadian tracks. Terry can be heard online at WebRacingNetwork.com, RLMtv.com and OLRtv.com covering sim races. He also makes occasional appearances on PSRtv.com. In addition to inRacingNews, his articles and columns can be read on ScotiaSpeedworld.ca, MaritimeProStockTour.com and his own website at timterryonline.com.
David Allen
Contributing WriterNorth Carolina born and raised with over 15 years of computer/IT experience, I combine two of my biggest hobbies -- racing and technology -- here at inRacingNews. In my spare time I run a Nascar fan site and cure my own need for speed riding atvs. If it involves technology or racing I'll be there, but combine the two and I'll be looking a front row seat. Stop by and say hello anytime!
Allen Krier
Contributing WriterAllen was born in West Palm Beach, Florida but grew up in Atlanta and attended Georgia College and State University where he received a BS in Information Systems. Currently a resident of Albany, GA, he started sim racing in 2008 while in college when iRacing was first released to the public. Since then, Krier has been a two time iRacing Pro Series driver (2009 and 2010), picking up one Pro Series win at Daytona in ‘09. Besides sim racing, Allen’s other hobbies include RC Car racing as well as “attending and watching any sporting event that I can including going to the local dirt track.
Chris Cunningham
Contributing WriterChris is 20 years old, and recently moved to Charlotte, NC during his sophomore year in college to feed his need for speed. More than just an auto racing enthusiast, Cunningham has risen through the ranks of BMX Racing, Sailboat Racing, and Cycling. Cunningham recently took up go karting, and qualified as an alternate for the 2011 Red Bull Kart Fight at the PRI expo. Aside from racing, Cunningham has recently picked up the hobby of competitive eating (Ranked #7 Collegiate Eater in the country!), and competes all over the east coast in various contests. Chris also enjoys sim racing, writing, playing the drums, and enjoying college at UNC Charlotte.
Tim Doyle
Contributing WriterI've been a race fan since before I can remember, going to dirt tracks around the Washington, DC area since the early 70's with my parents. I got away from racing during my school years but in 1989 a friend and I went to a race in Hagerstown, MD and from there my life was all about racing. I currently live in Winchester, VA and while Dirt Late Models is my favorite form of racing, I also enjoy many other forms such as F1, IndyCar, 410 sprint cars on dirt and (probably more than anything) sim racing. My favorite driver is Ayrton Senna.
I was introduced to sim racing in 1989 when a friend turned me onto Indy 500 The Sim by Papyrus. It took me a few years to own my own PC but once I did, all I wanted to do was sim race. I tried to race my friends as much as possible via modem racing back in the 90's before joining TEN in 1998. From there I devoted a lot of time to online racing enjoying every minute of it. I was able to meet a lot of my competitors from all over the world at LAN events and races I went to. Being able to call some real world drivers friends as a result of sim racing is probably the neatest part of this whole deal!
David Roberts
Contributing WriterDavid lives in Brisbane and is a former Australian National Formula Ford Champion who now owns his own marketing and design company. After racing in Europe, David returned down under to swap a career behind the wheel for a career in the creative department. He now has three children, an ongoing love affair with the good ol’ days of motor racing, and just enough spare time left to enjoy a bit of sim-racing with a few of his old mates.
Ben Rothberg
Contributing WriterI was born and raised in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne where I still am situated. I am currently at University studying for a Certificate in Motorsport and hoping I will be able to achieve my top goal and become a part of a race team. In the sim-racing world, I won an rFactor V8 Supercar season and also was awarded with Best & Fairest award. I am now situated with the best simulation in the world (iRacing.com!) and love every minute of it. I currently race in the V8 Supercar Online Series and finished 16th overall in 2012 Season 1.
Dylan Sharman
Contributing WriterI was born in Adelaide and we moved-out for Angle Vale for a few years until I was about 7 years old, when we moved to the Barossa Valley where I live now. I'm 19 years old and currently traveling back and forth weekly as I’m studying for a Diploma of Furniture Design and Technology.
I’ve always had a love for racing as my close family did some racing and we were always out at the local dirt track. I joined iRacing back in 2010 and slowly but surely got the hang of it as this is my first experience with sim racing and am loving it each time I race. I’ve won two SK Modified titles (almost had three in a row but finished P2 in 2011 S4), an inRacingNews Challenge championship (2012 S1 Mazda) and was also an AustralAsian Intel GT Series Finalist.
Stewart wins race and Cup title
November 21st, 2011
Tony Stewart overcame adversity to beat Carl Edwards to victory at Homestead, claiming his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in the process.
The battle for the 2011 title will go down in the record books as the closest ever in the history of the series as Stewart and Edwards ended up tied in the points after 36 races, with Stewart clinching the title by virtue of his record-breaking five wins during the Chase to Edwards’ single one during the year.
As Edwards had predicted the championship battle went all the way down to the final lap of the season as both title contenders raced for victory up front, clearly separating from the rest of the field as they did during the last few weeks of the play-off.
Stewart not only overcame the three-point deficit he had entering the season finale, but also circumstances that put him on the back foot a number of times during the 267 laps.
To start with, a broken grille caused by flying debris had to be replaced early on, putting him down to 40th after he had already broken into the top five from 15th on the grid. He then came from the back a second time after more repairs were necessary on the nose of his car during the second caution of the day.
Making some bold moves on restarts and passing many of his rivals for a second and even third time, Stewart eventually went on to claim the lead for the first time shortly before the halfway mark and right after the race was restarted from a red-flag interruption for rain.
Up until then Edwards had been the man at the front, leading the most laps and looking solidly in control of the race but Stewart’s impressive recoveries made it clear to his rival that he could cope with almost anything the race threw at him.
Following the grille drama, Stewart faced further setbacks in the pits, both times after he had been leading the race. Meanwhile Edwards’ pit crew did their job, allowing their driver to move up in front of Stewart again as they ended up running one-two entering the deciding stages of the race.
With 65 laps remaining Edwards pitted from the lead for four tyres and fuel, giving up the lead to Stewart, who entered fuel-conservation mode as his crew chief Darian Grubb made the call to try to complete the race with one stop less than Edwards.
For a while, Stewart had Edwards lapped as his rival’s stop came under green flag conditions, but Edwards would get back on the lead lap and then jump to the front once the stops cycled. Stewart barely made it to his stall on the remaining fumes of fuel, getting his car’s tank full for the last time plus taking four new tyres.
Rain then returned momentarily, causing the caution to wave for the eighth and eventually last time during the evening. Crew chief Bob Osborne called Edwards into the pits to top up with fuel and bolt on two new tyres, giving up track position but getting fuel initially out of the equation.
Although Edwards was later told he was short of fuel to make it to the end, the lengthy final caution ensured he was able to save enough to make it to the chequered flag, as did Stewart.
When the green waved, Stewart and Edwards surged to the front in that order again for a 36-lap showdown.
Edwards closed the gap to less than eight tenths of a second at one point as slower traffic marginally slowed down Stewart. Lap times were almost identical for both for most of the closing laps but despite Edwards’ best efforts, he would end up crossing the finish line of the championship 1.306 seconds behind Stewart, losing the Chase lead that he had held for the past six weeks.
Stewart made 118 passes while overcoming trouble on the way to one of his best wins, becoming only the seventh driver in NASCAR history to clinch the title with a win in the season finale.
“I could not be more proud,” said Stewart. “We had the problem early and had the hole in the nose, everybody on this team did a great job of getting it back going, then we had the contact with [David] Reutimann and had to come back in and fix it again.
“I told them ‘Man, it is really going to make these guys mad when we come back twice and still kick their butt.’”
Edwards admitted defeat after giving his best on the track, which was not enough to claim his maiden Cup title. His main concerns during the race were tyre wear issues on his right front early on, and then engine dramas hitting fellow Ford drivers David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose and Greg Biffle.
In the end none of them hampered his performance in the deciding stages, but he just did not have enough to beat the charging Stewart.
“I just have to say congratulations to Tony,” said Edwards. “Those guys earned it. They won half the races in the Chase and he is the champion and did a good job. My guys did a great job. We pushed him to the end and that is all I got. That is as hard as I can drive. I think it is really important to give Tony the credit. Those guys did a good job. That is everything I’ve got.”
Martin Truex Jr, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five, while Kevin Harvick cliched third place in the championship with an eighth place finish.
The race, which took almost 3.5 hours to be completed, featured 26 lead changes which set a new record for the season finale at Homestead.
Results – 267 laps:Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Chevrolet 3h29m00.000s
2. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 1.306s
3. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 7.242s
4. Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Ford + 7.539s
5. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet + 9.967s
6. Clint Bowyer Childress Chevrolet + 11.772s
7. Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota + 12.476s
8. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 14.279s
9. Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota + 14.505s
10. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 16.254s
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 17.177s
12. Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Chevrolet + 19.620s
13. Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet + 19.813s
14. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 22.397s
15. AJ Allmendinger Petty Ford + 22.624s
16. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 24.700s
17. Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota + 24.727s
18. David Reutimann Waltrip Toyota + 27.117s
19. Joey Logano Gibbs Toyota + 27.489s
20. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 1 lap
21. Mike Bliss TRG Ford + 1 lap
22. Travis Kvapil Front Row Ford + 1 lap
23. Kyle Busch Gibbs Toyota + 1 lap
24. Mark Martin Hendrick Chevrolet + 1 lap
25. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford + 1 lap
26. Casey Mears Germain Toyota + 1 lap
27. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 1 lap
28. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet + 2 laps
29. TJ Bell FAS Lane Ford + 2 laps
30. Geoffrey Bodine Baldwin Chevrolet + 4 laps
31. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 6 laps
32. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet + 6 laps
33. David Gilliland Front Row Ford + 22 laps
34. Kurt Busch Penske Dodge + 47 lapsRetirements:
Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford 190 laps
Landon Cassill Phoenix Chevrolet 153 laps
Cole Whitt Red Bull Toyota 153 laps
David Ragan Roush Fenway Ford 81 laps
Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford 72 laps
Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota 29 laps
JJ Yeley Front Row Ford 25 laps
David Stremme Inception Chevrolet 14 laps
Michael McDowell HP Toyota 13 laps