September 5th, 2008
Stewart selects seasoned Grubb as his crew chief
RICHMOND, Va. — Tony Stewart took a big step Friday toward upgrading the personnel at Stewart-Haas Racing next season. Darian Grubb will move from his role as engineering manager at Hendrick Motorsports to crew chief for Stewart, the two-time Sprint Cup champion. “This is another key step in the equation of us getting on our feet next year and getting pointed in the right direction,” Stewart said from the infield media center at Richmond International Raceway. “We’ve got a team leader now, somebody I feel very confident and comfortable with.” Grubb’s credentials are impressive. He led Jimmie Johnson to a pair of wins in 2006, including the Daytona 500, as an interim crew chief while Chad Knaus served a four-race suspension. He helped Casey Mears to his first win, the Coca-Cola 600, last season as a full-time crew chief. He’s also been an integral part of helping Dale Earnhardt Jr. to fourth place in the standings this season. “It’s a very huge moment for me, everything I’ve looked forward to in my life,” said Grubb, a native of Floyd, Va. “Just to get the opportunity with Tony, the capability he has as a driver and past champion, the future heading forward is very bright.” Asked if Grubb should talk with Greg Zipadelli, Stewart’s crew chief the past 10 years, about what it’s like to work with one of the most controversial drivers in the garage, Stewart said, “Absolutely.” “Moreso, it’s about relationships,” Stewart said. “You build chemistry. Zippy and I had to do it from scratch starting in ‘99.” Stewart has yet to name a crew chief for teammate Ryan Newman. He declined to comment on whether Jay Frye, the general manager at Team Red Bull, would be coming to his team in a similar role. “When we have something to tell you, we’ll tell you,” he said. David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.
Gordon The agreement, arrived at Jan. 29, was pending an audit and other due diligence from GEM, which could have adjusted the price. If the deal had gone through, Gordon would have had a four-year driving contract with GEM that would have paid him at least $3 million annually plus 45 percent of race winnings. Gordon also could have had a spot on the team’s board of directors. GEM would have acquired Gordon’s shop and property in Charlotte. As part of the agreement, GEM pledged to provide Gordon with all “racing infrastructure” and to support Gordon’s car “in substantially the same manner in which GEM supports its most supported car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup” for the 2008 season. Three days after the agreement was signed, GEM and Gordon announced a technical, manufacturing and marketing partnership. At that time, GEM owner George Gillett, in an interview with “NASCAR Scene”, stated that he did not buy Gordon’s operation and was more likely to add a fourth car to his stable and hoped Gordon would add a second or third car to his. According to the lawsuit, GEM was pursuing efforts to close the deal. The contract includes an exclusivity clause, which GEM claims would not allow Gordon to entertain talks with other teams about possible mergers. In May, Gordon asked out of the deal, according to the lawsuit, in exchange for an engine deal for the remainder of the season. The exclusivity clause is the primary basis for the lawsuit, filed Aug. 25 in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte. GEM claims in court documents that Gordon has talked to other teams about merging. It also claims that Gordon made disparaging remarks that he wasn’t getting comparable engines to the other GEM drivers during a DirecTV telecast last month at Watkins Glen. The lawsuit also claims that Gordon ignored the advice of GEM and terminated his previous deal with Ford prematurely, before GEM could get a sponsorship deal from Dodge for Gordon’s car. Dodge and GEM could not agree on a manufacturer’s deal for Gordon’s car. GEM, which has supplied engines and other services for Gordon throughout the season, is asking for unspecified damages for Gordon’s breach of the agreement and for the agreement to be declared null and void, according to the complaint. “We categorically reject the allegations that are contained in the complaint, and the truth will come out if the case proceeds,” Gordon said in a statement released through his team.
Rain was the last thing Richard Jenkins needed as he tried to set a land-speed record for a wind-powered vehicle, and it was all he got. After a rainy month in western Australia awaiting his shot at the record, the British engineer is packing up the land yacht he calls Greenbird and heading home. September was supposed to be the perfect time to make his run across the salt flats of Lake Lefroy and topple the current record of 116.7 mph, but Mother Nature wouldn’t cooperate. "After many years of uncooperative weather, I am used to it by now," Jenkins, who has spent a decade chasing his dream of setting the record, told the Birmingham Post. "But it does not make it any less frustrating. When we can’t set a new record due to the impact of the weather, it’s not like losing a race, but it’s more like an athlete not even being allowed to enter the arena." Lake Lefroy is usually dry in September, but it got about an inch more rain in July and August than it did during the same period last year. That may not sound like much, but it was enough to keep the salt beds that ring the lake from drying. July saw the region receive twice its average monthly amount in two days, while a single storm dumped as much rain on the area in 12 hours as it receives in all of August. Jenkins and his team made no bones about attributing the unseasonable rain to global warming. "We’re pretty disappointed not to have been able to get the Greenbird out of the starting blocks," says Dale Vince, managing director of Ecotricity, the firm that sponsored Greenbird. "And it’s an irony not lost on us that while Greenbird is intended to show how the world might be getting around when fossil fuels run out, the changes that fossil fuels are causing to our climate right now appear to be the very thing that has stopped us." Greenbird is the fifth iteration of the land yacht Jenkins originally called Windjet but renamed in a nod to Bluebird, the record-setting racers Britain’s Donald Campbell drove in the 1950s and ’60s. Jenkins’ craft is every bit as graceful as Campbell’s were brutish, and it shares more in common with jets than sailboats. He calls it "a highly-evolved vehicle" that draws heavily from aerospace and Formula 1 racing technology. Jenkins claims to have hit 120 mph in test runs on an airstrip in Britain but they didn’t count because the record must be set on a natural surface. And so the record American Bob Schumacher set nine years ago stands. For now. Jenkins says he’ll be back next year to try again. Photos by Greenbird. Here’s a photo of Jenkins and his land yacht during better days. See our original post for more pics and info about Greenbird and how it works. 
Honda’s finally pulled the sheet off the world’s cheapest hybrid, a $19,000 five-seater that resurrects the Insight name and looks a lot like the car it’s meant to unseat as the must-have ride of the eco-conscious set. The company won’t formally introduce the Insight until the Paris Motor Show next month, but the photo it released today shows a car bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Toyota Prius. Yeah, that front end was clearly inspired by Honda’s eco-flagship, the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, but there’s no mistaking the general shape of the car. Honda was the first to bring a hybrid — a funky little two-seater called the Insight — to America. But that car and the Civic Hybrid were all but ignored as people flocked to the Prius, which has outsold Honda’s gas-electric models 4 to 1. Honda’s decided the best way to close the gap is to make hybrids as cheap as they are efficient. "The original Honda Insight pioneered hybrid technology in the U.S. and remains a symbol of Honda’s committment to innovative technology and fuel efficiency," company CEO Takeo Fukui says. "This new Insight will break new ground as an affordable hybrid within reach of customers who want great fuel economy and great value." Strictly speaking, the car in the pic, like the one we’ll see in Paris, is a concept, but with Honda planning to have the Insight in showrooms on April 22 — Earth Day — it’s a safe bet we won’t see many changes on the production model. The headlights and wheels might be different, but the general shape of the car will be the same. The Insight is said to be a tad smaller than the Civic. It’s an all-new design and the company’s first dedicated hybrid since the Insight was discontinued in 2006. The new Insight uses an updated version of the Integrated Motor Assist system found in the Civic Hybrid, and like that car it’ll use nickel-metal hydride batteries because Honda doesn’t think lithium ion technology is quite ready for prime time. That distinctive shape probably makes the Insight more aerodynamic than the Civic Hybrid, which is key to improving fuel economy. The Insight will reportedly get 60 mpg, up from the gas-electric Civic’s combined city / highway figure of 42 mpg. Honda says the Insight is lighter than the Civic as well but didn’t provide any specifics. The Insight will be built on a new assembly line at Honda’s factory in Suzuka. The company expects global sales to hit 200,000 annually, with half of those sold in the United States. The car is one of four hybrids Honda plans to offer by 2012 and could provide the chassis on which the sportier CR-Z hybrid might be built. poll by twiigs.com Photos by Honda and Toyota. 
A study commissioned by a phallically named insurance company proves beyond all doubt that the unbridled roar of an Italian supercar turns women on but the soft purr of a fuel-efficient econobox doesn’t stimulate anyone’s MPG-spot. David Moxon subjected 40 men and women to the sounds of a Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, then measured the amount of testosterone in their saliva. He found everyone had higher levels of the stuff — a measure of their arousal — after hearing the revving exotics, but the amount the women had was off the charts. The econobox, however, left everyone colder than a January day in Nome. The study was commissioned by the ultra-exclusive British insurer Hiscox (we swear we’re not making this up), which was curious to know how people respond to high-end luxury cars. "We knew owners of luxury cars felt a connection with the sound of their vehicles," says Steve Langan, managing director of the insurance company. "We have now scientifically proven the physical attraction people feel when it comes to cars." To test the theory that high-performance cars get people hot, Moxon had 40 men and women listen to recordings of the three Italian exotics and a Volkswagen Polo. Everyone had significantly more testosterone after hearing the exotics, and all of the women were turned on by the Maserati. The guys, on the other hand, were drawn to the Lamborghini. “We saw significant peaks in the amount of testosterone in the body, particularly in women," Maxon says, noting that even women who said they had no interest in cars were turned on. "Testosterone is indicative of positive arousal in the human body so we can confidently conclude from the results out today that the roar of a luxury car engine actually does cause a primeval physiological response.” As for the Polo? Everyone had less testosterone after listening to it. That means the acceleratus interruptus of a Prius going all-electric in traffic is automotive equivalent of skin flicks starring previous secretaries of state. Don’t buy it? Check out these videos of Maserati, Lamborghini and VW Polo exhaust notes and tell us how you feel afterward. Be forewarned, though — we are not responsible for any primeval responses they cause. Photo by Flickr user VOD Cars. 
For the thousands of Boeing machinists who thought they’d be able to sleep late this morning, it’s time to get up and to work. Just hours after overwhelmingly voting to strike Boeing, the 27,000 workers of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has agreed to hold off for 48 hours while federal mediators work with the two sides to hammer some sort of agreement. There’s no doubt the machinists want to walk — over 87 percent of them voted to strike — but they were persuaded to wait by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service which "asked both parties to meet at a neutral location this week to explore whether an agreement can be reached. Boeing has agreed to participate in this process in an effort to seek a resolution that is in the best interest of employees, our customers and our company." Earlier this week Boeing provided the union with its best and final offer, which includes a one time lump sum payment, a ratification bonus, and a three- to five-percent bump in hourly wages. The company said that it has also dropped several proposals that angered the union, even though they were important to the financial health of the company. Boeing has put together a website that outlines their offer in more detail. But union leaders aren’t having it, saying the offer comes up far short in pay, retirement benefits, health care, and limits on outsourcing. They also accuse Boeing of interrogating individual workers in the days leading up to the vote. Union leaders seems confident that they have the upper hand, pointing out that Boeing has never been willing to come back to the table so quickly. If Boeing seems eager to talk, it might be because the stakes are enormous. By some estimates a strike would cost the company $100 million a day, and Citibank says Boeing would take a $2.5 billion financial hit if the union strikes for a month. With an eight-year delivery backlog and customers antsy about further production delays on the 787 Dreamliner, a strike is the last thing the company needs. Boeing has a record of not-so-good labor relations. Machinists have struck seven times in the last 73 years. The last strike hit the company hard — delivery of 21 aircraft was deferred and the company lost 25 to 30 cents a share in profit. The machinists have agreed to wait only until Friday before walking out. Mediators have their work cut out for them. Photo: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 
When a jumbo jet dies (and plenty of them do these days), it typically gets chopped up and sold for scrap, or bakes in the Arizona desert for all of eternity. But when Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios got his hands on a 30-year old jumbo jet, he had a better idea: turn it into a hostel. Damn, why didn’t we think of that. The Jumbo Hostel is a 25-room property that’s being built inside a gutted 747. The hostel/plane will be be located right outside the entrance to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, and is scheduled to open later this year. It offers 85 beds in 25 rooms, with some of the nicest located on the plane’s upper floor. Most rooms have shared bathrooms and showers, and all have heat and air conditioning, wireless internet access, and — in a nod to the airplane geeks that are sure to be making reservations — flat screen televisions that double as departure/arrival monitors. If you’re looking for a romantic evening with that special someone (or the someone you picked up at a bar a couple of hours earlier), try the deluxe cockpit suite. It’s bigger, has a private bath and shower, and provides a stunning view of the air traffic coming in and out of Arlanda. On the downside, the rooms at the Jumbo Hostel are anything but. Most are 20 square feet with nine foot ceilings, and considering that there are three beds to a room, that’s quite a squeeze. But really, if you’re looking for a place where you can stretch out and kick back, an airplane wouldn’t be your first choice anyway. Turning an old plane into a place to spend the night is cool. But turning it into a place where we can afford to spend the night is even cooler. It would have been easy for Dios to trick out his plane with ten luxury suites, tow it into downtown Stockholm, and sell it as an overpriced boutique hotel for the beautiful people. But instead, he chose to leave it at the airport, and keep it accessible to the masses. Nothing in Sweden is cheap, and the Jumbo Hostel isn’t talking room rates at this point, but we have a feeling that this is the kind of place even a wandering backpacker might be able to afford. Photos and drawings: Jumbo Hostel
Stremme The team officially announced on Wednesday that 31-year-old David Stremme will be elevated from test team driver to a full-time Sprint Cup ride. “His past accomplishments and current experience as our NASCAR test driver, as well as his character and desire for success, makes him a good fit into our culture,” team owner Roger Penske said in a prepared statement. Stremme was released by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates last season. In two-plus seasons he had no wins, three top-10s and finished no higher than 24th in points. He joined Penske as a test driver this season and drove a Nationwide Series car for former Penske driver Rusty Wallace. He ranks 12th in the Nationwide standings with five top-5 finishes and 13 top-10s. The No. 12 car that won the Daytona 500 became available when Newman announced that he will drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. The organization talked to several other candidates, including Martin Truex, Jr. and Casey Mears. After Truex re-signed with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Mears signed with Richard Childress Racing the focus returned to Stremme. “To be a part of Penske Racing’s 40-plus-year legacy has been a longtime dream of mine,” Stremme said. “I cannot wait to join my new teammates [Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr.] and work to get the No. 12 into the 2009 Chase.” David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.