auto racing

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'Motorcycle Mary' Was First to Finish Baja 500 Solo

Mary McGee, subject of a new documentary, starred in auto and motorcycle racing

(Newser) - Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer profiled in the Oscar-contending documentary Motorcycle Mary, has died. She was 87. Her family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the AP reports, one day before the release of the short film on ESPN'...

In Pro Racing Debut, Actor Unintentionally Takes a Spin

Keanu Reeves reenters the course at Indy, then finishes 25th

(Newser) - Doing his own stunt, Keanu Reeves spun out Saturday in his professional auto racing debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The actor was coming out of a turn about halfway through the 45-minute Toyota GR Cup when it happened, CBS News reports. Reeves, who didn't hit anybody when he went...

He's the Biggest Name in F1 Racing to Come Out as Gay

Former driver Ralf Schumacher announces relationship on social media

(Newser) - Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher is now the biggest name in his sport to come out as gay, reports the Guardian . The 49-year-old put up an Instagram post with his arm around another man and wrote:
  • "The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right
...

Race Car Runs Into Crowd in Sri Lanka, Killing 7

20 people were injured at event that drew 45,000 spectators

(Newser) - A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said. Thousands of spectators watched the crash during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the...

F1 Racing's Powerful Draw: Big-Name Musicians

Entertainers have embraced the Formula One series

(Newser) - Beyond the engineering, the athleticism, the speed, the luxury—fans love the sound of Formula One. The fierce rhythms of a V6 turbocharged hybrid engine; the sticky staccato of a rushed downshift; sexy, loud zooms. There's a real musical appreciation for the elite motorsport, per the AP . Engines are...

Lamborghini Drivers Decided to Race. It Didn't End Well

Driver of one of the luxury cars is detained by California cops after slamming into innocent victim

(Newser) - The driver of a Lamborghini hit an innocent driver while racing another Lamborghini, sending himself to the hospital, and the police on the hunt for the second Lamborghini driver. KTLA reports that the incident took place around 6:30pm local time on Friday in Murrieta, California, in Riverside County, on...

'Miracle' No One Is Hurt During Indy 500 Crash

Tire flew off Kyle Kirkwood's car before it flipped during race, barely missing crowd

(Newser) - "Talk about a miracle." That was one take after a terrifying crash and car flip during the Indianapolis 500 auto race that sent a tire from one of the competitors' cars sailing over spectators' heads. Fox News reports there were fewer than 20 laps left in Sunday's...

Sister of Death Row Inmate Makes Plea to Race Car Driver

She asks Lewis Hamilton to use his clout to free her sibling in Saudi Arabia

(Newser) - The sister of a man who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is asking seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to help save her brother's life. Zeinab Abu Al-Kheir told the AP in a telephone interview that Hamilton's declaration two weeks ago in Qatar that F1 is...

COVID-Weary Fans Scoop Up All 135K Tix to Indy 500
Indy 500 Sells Out
All 135K Tickets
May 28, 2021 10:10 AM CDT

Indy 500 Sells Out All 135K Tickets

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be at 40% capacity for Sunday's race

(Newser) - If anyone was worried that COVID safety protocols would keep fans away from the Indy 500, they needn't have been. Fox News reports that every one of the 135,000 tickets that was up for grabs for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been scooped up, meaning...

An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone
An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone
obituary
May 3, 2021 12:16 PM CDT

An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone

Three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser dead at 87

(Newser) - Bobby Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and part of the only pair of brothers to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” has died at age 87, per the AP . He died Sunday at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, of natural causes, the Indianapolis Speedway said Monday. Unser...

135K Set to Attend Biggest Sporting Event Since Pandemic

Indy 500 is set for Memorial Day weekend, with 40% of venue capacity allowed to attend

(Newser) - The Indianapolis 500 is set to be the largest sporting event in the world since the start of the pandemic, with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to...

NASCAR Champ Jimmie Johnson Tests Positive for COVID

He'll miss first race of Cup career after finding out he has coronavirus

(Newser) - Jimmie Johnson was all set to race in Sunday's Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis, but he's now pulled out, for good reason: The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has contracted COVID-19. "My first priority is the health and safety of my loved ones and my teammates," the...

NASCAR Agrees With Its Lone Black Driver on Flag

'No one should feel uncomfortable' at a race, Bubba Wallace had said

(Newser) - It's time for NASCAR to prohibit fans from waving Confederate flags at its races, said Bubba Wallace, the sport's sole black driver. On Wednesday, the organization agreed. "There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their...

NASCAR Does Something It Hasn't Done Since 1984

Hamlin won rain-shortened Wednesday race

(Newser) - Denny Hamlin won NASCAR's first Wednesday race since 1984 when rain stopped the event with 20 laps remaining at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. The race marked the first time in NASCAR history that the Cup Series had two points-paying races at the same track in one week. The...

This Could Be First Live Sporting Event in a Month

Hundreds to gather in SD for weekend motor races

(Newser) - In what is perhaps the first live sporting event in a month in the US, hundreds of people are set to gather for motor races this weekend in South Dakota. That state lacks a stay-at-home order, and two Jefferson tracks will welcome race-lovers. The Park Jefferson Speedway, with a capacity...

NASCAR Driver Suspended Indefinitely After Virtual Race

Kyle Larson used racial slur during iRacing event

(Newser) - The race was virtual, but the consequences of using a racial slur are very real for NASCAR driver Kyle Larson. The 27-year-old has been suspended without pay by his team, Chip Ganassi Racing, and suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for using the N-word during an iRacing tournament livestreamed on Twitch Sunday...

'Cannonball' Record Allegedly Broken During Pandemic

Not cool, fellow illegal racers say

(Newser) - The "Cannonball Run" record has allegedly been broken—but the culprits aren't getting much respect, even from fellow illegal racers. With roads largely empty and much of the country locked down, a team of three or four racers claims to have made it from New York City's...

Formula One Official Suggests Exposing Drivers to Coronavirus

He says the idea 'was not accepted positively'

(Newser) - With motorsport halted by the coronavirus pandemic, a top racing official in Europe has suggested that drivers pass the time by becoming infected with the coronavirus. Helmut Marko, an adviser to the Formula One team Red Bull, told Austrian public broadcaster ORF that drivers could get together to build immunity...

Indy 500 Rescheduled for First Time Ever

Race will honor health workers on new date

(Newser) - The Indianapolis 500 was postponed Thursday and won't run on Memorial Day weekend for the first time since 1945. The race will instead be held Aug. 23, three months later than its May 24 scheduled date, the AP reports. "The month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway...

Newman Reveals Injury From Hair-Raising Crash
Newman: Here's
What Happened to Me
Feb 23, 2020 2:30 PM CST

Newman: Here's What Happened to Me

The NASCAR driver says he's currently being treated for a head injury

(Newser) - Ryan Newman said he suffered a head injury in his crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 but did not disclose details in a statement from the driver read before Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the AP reports. "I was fortunate to avoid any...

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