NEW RULES: The American Le Mans Series has announced drastic rules changes for 2010, which will include the introduction of a new prototype category.
LUCA TIME: Michael Schumacher will not return to Formula One to replace injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. Schumacher suffered a neck injury in a February motorcycle crash that will keep him from returning to the car. Instead, Luca Badoer gets the call to drive the Ferrari in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Europe.
BIG WINNER: Donny Schatz won the SuperClean Knoxville Nationals for the fourth-consecutive year in a race that was delayed by rain until Sunday night. Schatz drove a car with a paint scheme commemorating Mario Andretti’s 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory.
INDY TEST: The Grand American Rolex Series has scheduled a test session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on September 3 to gather information toward having a race at the track in 2010.
SOLD OUT: This Saturday’s Sharpie 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway has sold out. It is the 55th-consecutive sell-out at the track.
NO HUT: USAC announced the Hut Hundred midget race at Terre Haute, Indiana, will not be run this year. Instead, a USAC National Sprint Car Series race will be held on September 12 at the half-mile oval.
ONE MILLION: The 50th annual Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway will feature a $1,000,255 million purse. The race will still pay $150,000-to-win, but will offer $9,500 to start next year’s feature.
TEAM SWAP: Funny Car team owner John Force is switching teams with driver Robert Hight in a last ditch effort to get Hight into NHRA’s Countdown To One playoffs. Hight is currently in 12th spot, 60 points behind 10th-place Cruz Pedregon in the final qualified position with two races remaining.
TO THE TOP: Donny Schatz moved to the top of the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings this week after winning the Knoxville Nationals for the fourth consecutive year. The rankings appear weekly in America’s Motorsports Authority.
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