Schumacher, Vettel, JJ in Top 10 racing stories
Although it’s the new year, some of us are still mired in 2013.
Here are the top 10 motorsport stories (a longer, more detailed version of this column, can be found at thestar.blogs.com/autoracing): 1. Schumacher injured, Granatelli dies: Tragedy strikes two giants of motorsport on the same day — Dec. 29. Andy Granatelli, the last of the great showmen attracted to Indianapolis in its glory days, dies. And Michael Schumacher, arguably the greatest driver who ever lived, is critically injured while skiing. 2. The gong show that was NASCAR: NASCAR does a lot of things well but they botched up Michael-Waltrip Gate. They said there was no evidence Clint Bowyer spun on purpose at Richmond (from which all else followed) but then fined Waltrip’s team $300,000, kicked Martin Truex Jr. out of the Chase, put Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon into it, and placed two other teams on probation for doing exactly the same thing Waltrip’s team did. It was not NASCAR’s finest hour. 3. Sebastian Vettel wins fourth world championship: not only does he win the title but he wins nine straight races in one season to set a record. They say it will be a new ball game in 2014, with turbo engines and all, but I wouldn’t bet against him winning his fifth. 4. Ditto Jimmie Johnson, who won his sixth Sprint Cup title in eight years. Johnson and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, are so focused it’s spooky. They let nothing enter their minds but the job at hand, which is to win championships. There’s no stopping them. 5. NASCAR to test drivers for head injuries: This could easily have been No. 1 and might prove to be the story of 2014. NASCAR will scan drivers’ brains before the season starts and test again after crashes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed two races in 2012 because of concussions. More drivers may be forced to sit out in 2014 because of this. Other leagues will be watching. 6. Antoine L’Estage wins sixth Canadian rally title, sixth North American title: This Quebec rally racer is the best in North America. It’s news when he doesn’t win and that’s the real mark of a champion. 7. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s amazing resurgence: In an age of grandiose sports facilities, Old Mosport was in danger of becoming irrelevant. Then racing hero Ron Fellows and developer Carlo Fidani got hold of the place and, in a little more than two years, have turned it around almost completely. And as the song says, the best is yet to come. 8. All hail Canadian racers — Hinchcliffe, Wickens, Steckly: James Hinchcliffe of Oakville won three races in the IndyCar Series. Robert Wickens of Guelph won his first in the German Touring Car Series (the DTM). And Scott Steckly of Milverton won his third NASCAR Canadian Tire Series national championship.
Way to go, boys! 9. Scott Dixon wins third IndyCar title but meltdown overshadows fete: A wonderful driver and human being, usually, Dixon ran into a Penske crewman during a pit stop at Sonoma and then accused the guy of deliberately trying to get hit. As if. He then went bananas when he was given a penalty for hit-and-run. We all know about the red mist, but this was over the top. 10. Danica Patrick becomes first woman to win a pole in NASCAR Sprint Cup: Her first race of her rookie season was her best — a Daytona 500 pole followed by a top 10 run. The rest of the season was so-so and everyone, including her, will look for improvement in 2014.
Read about the best in 2013 motor racing, pages W12-W13.