That may be the ugliest race car I've ever seen.

No, there's worse that have raced. Like....oh I dunno, the Days of Thunder cars? Horrible schemes

NASCAR might plan a trip to Europe, at least George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president regional and touring, says so in an interview with German Motorsport-Total.com.

“It is too early to say anything precise. Currently there are many options in many countries of the world and we follow all of them.”
“[There] must be a suitable context. This means it needs an event with Euro Racecar Series and a good promotor.”
“In Europe there are little options for a big oval race with Lausitzring in Germany or Rockingham in Great Britain.”
“This year we built a little temporary oval in Tours with walls and fences. We were unsure how the European fans would react to it, but they were thrilled. Suddenly they were able to watch real side-by-side-racing.”

Well NASCAR Europe already goes to Spa and Le Mans, so....

By Thilo Falkenberg

If someone talks about NASCAR, one usually talks about the Sprint Cup Series. All Sprint Cup Series races are sited in the United States. The Nationwide Series occasionally went abroad to Montreal or Mexico City and the Truck Series will head north of the border for a race at Mosport in 2013.

Read more here...

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

Well NASCAR Europe already goes to Spa and Le Mans, so....

I meant more like a invitational show run. Compareable to what they did 1988 in Australia or 1996-1998 in Japan.

Quote from TypeRacing :

By Thilo Falkenberg

If someone talks about NASCAR, one usually talks about the Sprint Cup Series. All Sprint Cup Series races are sited in the United States. The Nationwide Series occasionally went abroad to Montreal or Mexico City and the Truck Series will head north of the border for a race at Mosport in 2013.

Read more here...

Quote from Thilo :

“In Europe there are little options for a big oval race with Lausitzring in Germany or Rockingham in Great Britain.”

No SAFER barriers though...

Yep. It's now confirmed pretty much everywhere. Danica Patrick is dating Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nasca ... ricky-stenhouse-jr-012513

Quote from Fox Sports :

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (AP)

Danica Patrick's personal life is no longer a secret - she's dating a fellow driver.

Patrick revealed to The Associated Press she and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are a couple, ending widespread speculation about the nature of their relationship.

''I have a boyfriend, his name is Richard,'' she said during an exclusive telephone interview with AP.

''I think I am just finally excited to tell someone about this,'' Patrick laughed, sounding almost giddy as she said the two-time Nationwide champion's middle name is Lynn and he prefers she use his first name.

The couple waited until the end of Charlotte Motor Speedway's weeklong annual media tour to go public with their relationship, which started as a friendship as they raced each other the last two seasons in the Nationwide Series. Stenhouse became a mentor of sorts to the 30-year-old Patrick, who left IndyCar after the 2011 season to make the full-time switch to NASCAR.

''We are dating, and I know there's been a bit of a runaround this week at the media days and poor Ricky got grilled (with questions),'' she said. ''It was out of respect to NASCAR, to all the manufacturers, the new cars, the teams, the sponsors, just to allow all the news of the day to be about racing and not let anything interfere with that. So, it's Friday now, so that's why we waited until the end of the week to be up front about each other.''

Stenhouse confirmed the relationship.

''Yes we are dating,'' he said. ''I don't normally say too much about my private life, always been focused on the track. I didn't want to confirm at media day so that we could keep the focus on the season, the Gen-6 (car), my sponsors and team. That's what it's all about for me.''

Patrick remains one of the most recognizable drivers in auto racing, even if wins have been hard to come by. There was speculation that her appeal with advertisers had waned, but sponsor Go Daddy said Patrick will again appear in the website domain provider's commercials during the Super Bowl next month.

Patrick announced in November she and husband Paul Hospenthal were divorcing after seven years, and said in the Jan. 3 filing that her marriage to the 47-year-old Hospenthal was ''irretrievably broken.''

Speculation immediately shifted toward her relationship with the 25-year-old Stenhouse, who has never been married. While her policy has always been not to talk about her personal life, Patrick said she made an exception this time to end the gossip and so the two could be open about their relationship.

''I think that moving forward into the year, it's a matter of do you say anything at all, or do you just carry on?'' she said. ''As opposed to speculation and people making up their own stories or talking amongst themselves or us feeling uncomfortable walking into each other's (motorhomes) moving forward, or around our teams or anything, it's just easier to be up front and get it out of the way then to have any kind of awkward speculation.''

Stenhouse was asked during the media tour's stop at Roush Fenway Racing if he was dating Patrick. He dodged the question, saying ''we've got a great relationship'' and then turned attention back to racing.

The subject will be hard for the two to avoid as they compete against each other this season for rookie of the year honors in NASCAR's top Sprint Cup Series. Both are moving up from the second-tier Nationwide Series at the same time.

Patrick said she won't race Stenhouse any differently.

''Obviously, we've been racing together for a couple years now, him and I have always gotten along, we've always had a lot of respect for each other on the track, there's never been an issue out there,'' she said. ''I always say I'll race people how they race me until they do something to make me change my mind. I don't anticipate that changing at all, or us having any issues on the track.''

Stenhouse echoed that attitude.

''It won't affect how I race on the track. I want to go out and win, I race everyone hard,'' he said.

Patrick rocketed to worldwide prominence when she challenged for the Indy 500 win as a rookie, becoming the first woman to lead laps while finishing fourth in 2005. She finished a career-best third in 2009. She began dabbling in NASCAR in 2010 in the Nationwide Series, and moved full-time last year leaving IndyCar and the 500 behind.

Patrick has struggled in stock cars, notching just seven top-10s in 58 Nationwide races since 2010. Still, she was voted by fans the series' most popular driver last year.

In the Sprint Cup Series, where she'll drive this season for Stewart-Haas Racing, team co-owner Tony Stewart handpicked 10 of the hardest tracks for Patrick last season to force her to learn on the fly in preparation for this year. Her average finish in the 10 races was 28th and her best finish was 17th in her season finale at Phoenix.

Stenhouse has won eight races over the last two seasons to become the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. in 2004-05 to win consecutive Nationwide titles. He was promoted this year by Roush Fenway to the Cup Series to replace 2003 NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth.

I've been surprised that NASCAR hasn't tried to go abroad again recently, and I'd love to see them do it again so long as the track and the facility are up for it. Even if it was a points paying race before the Daytona 500 or something

In any event. Let them go to the Monza oval

The 2 rookie of the year Sprint Cup contenders are hooked up now as well (as stated above). I'm not sure if that takes away from the Rookie of the Year battle, or adds to it

Quote from Cornys :

The 2 rookie of the year Sprint Cup contenders are hooked up now as well (as stated above). I'm not sure if that takes away from the Rookie of the Year battle, or adds to it

Whoever wins ROTY gets last name rights in the marriage? haha

Can't wait until Danica is gone in 3 years.

Quote from UncleBenny :

Can't wait until Danica is gone in 3 years.

Gone where? If I was a team owner I sure as hell won't be firing her any time soon. GoDaddy certainly aren't leaving either.

Also it will be funny watching her let Ricky past and then block everyone else

Quote from Cornys :

In any event. Let them go to the Monza oval

You sould watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmj-dzj0A64

When he drives up the banking for a little bit, you can see the patches of mossy grass on the top of the banking.

I guess NASCAR could run their first paved/dirt combo oval.

Quote from Rappa Z :

When he drives up the banking for a little bit, you can see the patches of mossy grass on the top of the banking.

I guess NASCAR could run their first paved/dirt combo oval.

A Daytona-size mixed surface oval...

Danica Stenhouse.

Quote from TFalke55 :

You sould watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmj-dzj0A64

That's pretty cool Thanks for sharing. This is all that it needs and a little bit of ground testing probably

lol thats hilarious. Stenhouse and Patrick lolololol

Quote from PMD9409 :

http://rustywallace.com/news/read_article.php?id=461

http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/295912290862129152

Ehh.

Quote from PMD9409 :

https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/295912290862129152

Ehh.

NFL Draft?

http://bleacherreport.com/arti ... e-2013-daytona-500/page/3

Quote :

Think about how upset your significant other gets when you forget to pick up something from the store, or you forget their birthday.

Now imagine how upset it would make your significant other if you wrecked their car going 190 mph in the biggest race of their career. Pretty upset, I would imagine.

Danica Patrick revealed at media week in Daytona that she is dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse; driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford is a rival of Patrick, who drives the No. 10 Stewart Haas Chevy.

My prediction is that Patrick will lose control of her car during the Daytona 500 and take out her boyfriend. This will make for a great interview after the wreck.

Patrick lose control in the Gen-6 car with it's lack of downforce at the plate tracks? I could never see that happening

Ricky will bumpdraft her all the way until they finish.

Quote from PMD9409 :

Ricky will bumpdraft her all the way until they finish.

You mean until he finishes. It is pure speculation that she has finished by the time he has.