Bloggin' is Racin'

Hamlin helps Toyota clinch Nationwide title

Denny Hamlin took advantage of a fast pit stop near the halfway point and held off Nationwide Series points leader Clint Bowyer to win the Kansas Lottery 300 on Saturday.
Hamlin started 19th and gradually worked through the field, moving in behind pole sitter Kevin Harvick for second. Hamlin got out of the pits faster than Harvick after Bobby Hillin Jr. spun out on the 93rd lap and built the lead to nearly 3 seconds to win his fourth Nationwide race this year.
Hamlin gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 17th victory in 30 Nationwide races, and clinched the series manufacturer's championship for Toyota in just its second season competing in NASCAR's top two series.
Bowyer pushed his points lead to 196 points over Carl Edwards, who finished fourth. David Ragan was third, Matt Kenseth fifth. Full results can be found here.

-- The Associated Press

Passionate racer Paul Newman will be missed

With the passing of legend Paul Newman on Friday at age 83, so many things drifted through my brain. The guy was a great actor (gotta love "Slap Shot" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), entrepreneur and he was one of the most charitable individuals on this earth. He also was a member of this country's "Greatest Generation" and I have the feeling my grandpa, age 86, is lamenting Newman's passing this weekend.

But the thought that kept coming back to me is Paul Newman, above left with his wife Joanne Woodward in 1983, loved racing cars and he'll be sorely missed in racing circles around the globe. He raced cars and won races and titles; he owned racing teams and he never stopped loving the thrill of speed. As recent as 2005 he raced in the Rolex 24 at Daytona Grand-Am endurance race and his Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing open-wheel team won eight CART or Champ Car championships, most recently in 2007 with Sebastien Bourdais.

“I have come to know his passion, humor and above all, his generosity," said Carl Haas, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. "Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him. We will truly miss him.”

Check out more quotes about Newman from the racing community here.
Associated Press motorsports writer Mike Harris penned a nice piece about Newman's life in racing. Check it out here.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: The Associated Press

Massa earns pole for Singapore GP

Ferrari's Felipe Massa edged title rival Lewis Hamilton of McLaren in Formula One qualifying Saturday, taking the pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
With overtaking expected to be difficult on the tight and bumpy track for F1's first ever night race on Sunday, Massa took a significant edge over the driver who leads him by one point in the drivers' championship.
With Hamilton sitting on the provisional pole in the dying seconds of qualifying, Massa put in a stunning final lap, setting a time nearly 0.6 seconds faster than the Briton — a significant margin in an otherwise closely contested session.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen will start from third on the grid and BMW's Robert Kubica — still harboring slim hopes of a title challenge — from fourth. A full grid can be found here.

-- The Associated Press