THE LINE

November 2, 2011

(© 2011, autostock, USA - Brian Czobat)
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Scotts Ford) leads Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet) in turn 4 at Martinsville in the Tums Fast Relief 500 at the classic Virginia short track. Stewart would go on to win, passing Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet) with three laps to go. Edwards would come in 9th. Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet) finished 3rd, with Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Budweiser Chevrolet) finishing 4th. Harvick is now third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, 21 points behind Edwards. “We’ve had one of those up-and-down years and we’re having a run in this Chase and now we’re hungry," Stewart said afterward. "We’re hungry for this. I feel like our mindset into these next three weeks, we’ve been nice all year to a lot of guys, given guys a lot of breaks. We’re cashing tickets in these next three weeks.” It was Stewart's third victory in the first seven Chase races, moving him within eight points of leader Edwards. Stewart last won the championship in 2005. Next up? The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Part II of Gordon Kirby's report on the state of IndyCar and the cars they race and the tracks they race on is even more sobering than last week's piece, especially when considering that the new car slated for 2012 is such a minute change from the current car. Bruce Ashmore weighs-in with some comments that will have you shaking your head and make you think about what could have been for 2012 instead of the Indy cars we'll get. 1000HP, drivers having to brake and accelerate on ovals and cars that are much more difficult to drive well are all things that I believe IndyCar needs asap. Read about it here. - PMD

(Chevrolet)
Does the term "COPO" Camaro ring a bell? Well, it's baaack. Chevrolet unveiled the COPO Camaro concept at the SEMA show, a package designed to the specifications for NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition. “The COPO Camaro is a proof of concept for what a Chevrolet Stock Eliminator entry could look like,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “And it is a clear indication that Chevrolet intends to homologate the Camaro for sportsman drag racing.” In the Sixties, COPO was the acronym for Central Office Production Order, within Chevrolet’s vehicle special-order program. Although normally used for fleet orders of trucks and company-owned cars, a number of dealers were able to get 427-cubic-inch big-block engines installed in a handful of Camaros, when the largest official engine available was a 396. Two versions of the 427 engine were wrangled out of the factory: COPO 9561 was the Corvette-based L-72 edition with an iron cylinder block and COPO 9560 was the racing-designed ZL1 engine with a lighter aluminum cylinder block. The COPO Camaros opened up the NHRA rulebook to some exciting combinations for Camaro, helping keep Chevrolet at the top of the ultra-competitive form of motorsports. In fact, they were not only competitive in NHRA Stock Eliminator when new, but still hold the national ET and MPH records in several classes, according to Chevy. Designed to accommodate more than one engine option, including a naturally aspirated 427 engine (7.0L) – the same displacement as the original COPO Camaros from 1969 – and a supercharged 327 (5.3L) engine, the new COPO Camaro package also includes many racing-specific features and equipment and a conversion from the Camaro’s standard independent rear axle to a solid axle, as well as a full chrome moly roll cage. The concept vehicle is powered by a prototype version of the supercharged 327 engine, featuring an LSX cylinder block.

The basic content for the COPO Camaro Concept includes:

Provisions for a Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission, a three-speed automatic or a five-speed manual
High-rise cowl-induction hood
Custom Aeromotive fuel system, with a fuel cell and integral high-pressure fuel pump
Full, chrome moly roll cage
Coil-over front suspension with Strange Engineering adjustable struts
Custom rear suspension, based on NHRA requirements, with Strange Engineering shocks, Panhard bar and stabilizer bar
Strange Engineering S-9 solid rear axle with aluminum third member, 35-spline spool, 35-spline axles and 4.10 gear set
Lightweight, COPO-specific racing wheels
29x9-inch rear radial racing slicks and 4.5x28x15-inch front tires
Manual steering system
Strange Engineering lightweight racing brakes system with standard line lock.
The interior is all business, with most sound deadening and power accessories deleted. Instead, there is pair of racing bucket seats (and no rear seat), a safety harness for the driver, a competition floor shifter and Chevrolet Performance gauges by Auto Meter.

Want more info? Go to www.gmperformanceparts.com to sign up for COPO Camaro concept updates.

(Ignite Game Technologies)
Ignite Game Technologies, the online gaming company behind the auto racing game - Simraceway (http://simraceway.com/) - has reached a deal with the McLaren Group to create high-detail virtual models of every car the legendary automotive company has ever created. This partnership breaks new ground for the video games industry, representing the first time McLaren has licensed its entire catalog of F1, Can-Am, sports and road cars for use in a game. It also signals the gaming debuts of some of the brand’s greatest cars. McLaren’s road cars will also be available to drive, including the record-breaking McLaren F1 and the brand new carbon chassis-based MP4-12C, along with its racing variant, the MP4-12C GT3 that will race in the 2012 season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. In total, the deal brings all 60 McLarens to the Simraceway environment with a number being available when the game launches in the fall 2011. 

            NASCAR. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Rumblings that Kim Brink, formerly of GM marketing, is about to become the CMO of NASCAR is all the buzz in this town. To say that Brink, who was one of the "old guard" at GM marketing who didn't make the cut, is less than an inspired choice is the latest understatement of the year and it conjures up all kinds of musings, as in: 1. If there's any more proof needed that NASCAR exists in its own little bubble - to its own detriment - this is it. It's called due diligence, folks, and you obviously didn't get that memo. 2. NASCAR needs bold vision and new ideas if it's going to arrest its continued slide into mediocrity. It's not enough to say, "we're down a little but we're still the biggest motorsports game in town," which is the consistent mantra emanating from Daytona Beach, because that attitude will result in a one-way ticket to NotVeryGoodLand. (Haven't heard of it? It's the latest tourist attraction in Florida, one that celebrates mediocrity, the mundane and what once was. Sounds sweet, no?) 3. It's official (as if it needed anymore illumination) that Brian France is an absentee CEO and needs to be told by the family to go away and pursue that NFL franchise in L.A. that he keeps dreaming about because he brings nothing to the table. And I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G. And for the record, Lesa France Kennedy is well-meaning but she's getting bad advice, or the wrong advice, or both, it really doesn't matter at this point. The words "vision" and "NASCAR" have been mutually exclusive terms for as long as I can remember, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Four auto manufacturers (GM, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler and Toyota) currently pour an absolute ton of money into NASCAR because they've talked themselves into thinking that it's the only game in town - at least in this market - when it comes to spending money on motorsports. They're wrong, of course. But they're reluctant to extract meaningful change out of NASCAR so that it might suit their needs better. And why is that exactly? Because there are too many incestuous relationships that have grown up over the years between the automakers and NASCAR, to the point that the whole thing operates out of sheer inertia rather than common sense and actual marketing effectiveness. And thus it was ever so, unfortunately. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE AE STORE

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links:

Subscribe via iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=311421319

Subscribe via RSS:

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/podcasts/feeds/afterhours-audio.xml