Through scorching heat and violent wind storms, Jimmie Johnson showed them all how it was done when he qualified in Kentucky on Friday afternoon. After 42 cars had run their laps Jimmie Johnson waited in the wings to get his run in. Ripping around the 1.5-mile speedway in 29.700 seconds (181.818 mph) was good enough to win the pole for Sunday's Quaker State 400.
'It was a good lap ' qualifying has not been our strong suit in the last couple of years,' Johnson said. 'I'm very happy to get this pole today. My Chevy's bad fast, and I'm looking forward to going racing.
'I've had a lot of crashes here over the years. We used to test here a lot back in the day, and Turns 3 and 4 have taken quite a few [No.] 48 race cars from us. To run well last year (third at Kentucky) was really good for me. I came back with a lot of confidence. Conditions earlier today were so slick that it took a while to get the feeling I was looking for, but I think we're on the right track now.'
Kyle Busch (181.421 mph) qualified second, followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammateDenny Hamlin (181.147 mph).Kevin Harvick will start fourth after a lap at 180.367 mph, one spot ahead ofRyan Newman (180.337 mph).
Kentucky is best know for the traffic hassles that plagued the race last year but official say they have everything under control this time around. But no one can do anything about the scorching temperatures. The only bright side to the heat, is that it will be cooler at race time as the sun goes down into the evening. Couple the heat with a bumpy race track and there is a volatile mix for frustration and anger to make things even more interesting out on the track.
Kesolowski and Montoya already had issues with each other only 5 minutes into Happy Hour. Kesolowski's team decided to go to a back up car while Montoya opted to repair the original car. After their on track bump and grind session with each other Kesolowski volunteered to go to the Hauler to discuss the situation.
'The bumps are very difficult to navigate here at Kentucky,' said Brad Keselowski. 'It produces a race track that, by its very nature, is hard to be consistent to drive because it's hard to hit the same bump twice, even in a race car as a supposedly professional driver.
'We can't hit the same bumps twice, whether it's passing traffic or tire fall-off that changes the way our car enters the corner. ' Each bump you hit changes the way the car drives. So it's hard to really predict, as a driver, what the car is going to do until it does it when you're on a bumpy surface. That's very challenging and requires a more disciplined skill set to drive. It rewards some and obviously doesn't reward others. It requires a little bit more feel, so I think it rewards some of the more talented drivers, as well.'
Dale Earnhardt Jr was 7th in practice and qualified in 7th as well. His take on the bumps is very simple, engineers need to listen to the drivers input carefully.
Earnhardt says it's a fine line drivers face in racing on the bumps at Kentucky.
'With our cars, you've got to get them close to the ground to get the best aero platform and downforce that you can get. But, you can't be on the ground too hard and the bumps really make that a challenge for the engineers,' Earnhardt said. 'With a bumpy track the splitter is always banging on the ground, so you have to listen to the driver really when it comes to the bumpy tracks. He'll tell you the splitter is bothering the car and making it tight. It's kind of tough. That's really a challenge.'
The high temperature for Sparta on Saturday is expected to be 100 degrees, and it won't be much cooler at the race's scheduled 7:45 p.m. ET start time. During Happy Hour on Friday, an excessive heat warning was in effect. It was 95 degrees when the session began, with an on-track temperature of 139 degrees. It is believed to be the highest temperature for an on-track event at Kentucky, topping the old mark of 130 degrees set in an IRL event in 2005.
'Yeah, it is definitely toasty and I am glad it is a night race and not a day race,'Matt Kenseth said. 'Hopefully when the sun gets down and cools off a little it will be nicer not just for us but the fans and crews working down there. Getting rid of the sun will help a little bit but it is going to be the hottest race all year, for sure.'
Michael Waltrip said he hadn't run at a track like this in a couple of years and the hot temperatures made for a cautious driver.
'I picked a heck of a day to come out of retirement,' quipped Waltrip, who hasn't made a start on a 1.5-mile track since Homestead in the 2009 season finale. 'I was just really careful ' didn't want to make a mistake. It was a struggle, but we tested here in the winter when you had more grip and now it's hotter than it's ever been and it's slippery.'
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At one time the Elantra was a one trick pony, sold only as a compact four door sedan. The times have changed, with the addition of the Elantra GT and now, the Elantra Coupe. The Coupe, which will be available later this month has its sights aimed directly on the Honda Civic Coupe. Hyundai boasts the Elantra Coupe has more power, better fuel economy and more standard features than the Honda. Hyundai is also quick to point out the Elantra Coupe offers more interior space than the Nissan Altima Coupe, and both Honda Civic and Accord Coupe.
In case you hadn't heard, Volkswagen has redesigned the Beetle with a slightly more aggressive, and less feminine shape than before. The Garage recently sampled the new Beetle, and you can look forward to our review in the near future. While the new Beetle has been available with the familiar 2.5L five cylinder and 2.0L turbo four, the Beetle TDI is now making its debut. The 2.0L TDI has 140hp, but prodigious amounts of torque. Equipped with a manual transmission, VW claims a Beetle TDI is good for 32/41MPG city/highway. The Beetle TDI can be had three ways, and we've broken it down for you below.
I'd excuse you if you thought the Honda CR-V was the company's first attempt at a tall wagon, but you would be incorrect. That distinction belongs to the Honda Civic Wagon, sold in the US from 1984 to 1991, a car that has now achieved cult-like status with the Honda diehards who appreciated its simplicity, durability, all-weather handling and cargo capacity. The first CR-V's were introduced as 1996 models, and retained many of the traits of the Civic Wagon. Let's face it, a lot has changed in the intervening years, and for 2012, Honda has redesigned the CR-V. Now in its fourth generation, has the CR-V remained current? Read on to find out.
If the CR-V has evolved from simple transportation on the exterior, the same can be said of the interior. Honda's reputation for building high quality interiors with intuitive ergonomics is well-known, and the CR-V is no exception. Our leather-trimmed cockpit offered all the latest modern technology has to offer and was still user friendly. But again, the flat as a pancake front seats and tiny tachometer instantly reminds you of the CR-V's mission to carry people and cargo, not hold you tightly in place as you carve up your favorite country road. For a simple to use, comfortable cabin, the CR-V is tough to beat.
This fourth generation Honda CR-V is a careful evolution of the outgoing car, one that brought Honda enormous success. When you are doing this well, I can see how Honda felt there was no need to reinvent the wheel here, and the updated styling in and out along with the addition of up to the minute tech keeps the CR-V current work well here, I have a nagging thought. Cars like the Kia Sportage and upcoming Ford Escape are not conservative evolutions, they are game-changing cars whose sights are aimed squarely at the Honda CR-V. This time around, Honda chose to not mess with success, and in doing so has built a car difficult to fault, but the competition is relentless, and to remain at the top Honda must move ahead. Honda considers itself a renegade, engineering-driven company, a mild restyle with some updates to an existing drivetrain seems to run counter to that mantra. No doubt the new CR-V will continue to be a sales success, but with the competition breathing hard down its neck, how much longer will playing it safe keep the CR-V as a top seller?
The Garage has been keenly interested in Hyundai's Veloster three-door sport coupe, which replaced the now forgotten Tiburon. One thing about the Veloster critics harped on the most was a lack of power. That complaint was answered at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where our founding editor Gary Grant was on hand for the unveiling of the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.
When Fiat brought their retro-chic 500 to America in 2011, their goals were highly optimistic with projected sales at 50,000 cars. Fiat left America in the early 1980's with a poor reputation of unreliability and cars easily susceptible to rust. As an untried brand in the US for decades and with a dealer network still in development Fiat fell far short of that lofty figure. When Fiat unveiled the 500 Abarth, just the opposite happened.
Here at The Garage, we not only talk about the cars we review, but try to offer our readers some insight on what goes on behind the scenes in the business of automotive journalism. To close my son's Spring vacation from school I had scheduled a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan from our friends at Mercedes-Benz North America. Later, I was notified from the press fleet manager that car was earmarked for duty at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, just before my loan. From experience, I've been burned from cars getting damaged in New York in the past, so we agreed to find another car from Mercedes. When I got the e-mail that it was a C-Class, I felt I was demoted from first class. Once I got the C-Class, those feelings vanished immediately.
The improvements to the 2012 C-Class included upgrades to interior materials, and an improved integration of Mercedes' COMAND infotainment system. That said, I will say the C350 Coupe's interior is at the top of its class. The quality of materials, feel of the surfaces you sit on and touch are exactly on par with what one would expect from Mercedes-Benz. Our C350 was laden with the latest technological features but the controls were fairly intuitive. I often found myself at odds with the advice the GPS was giving me, however.
The Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe has a starting price of $42,370. Standard equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, dual zone auto climate control, Harmon Kardon surround sound with HD and Satellite radio. Options on our test car included the Lunar Blue paint, rear view camera, Advanced Agility Package (sportier steering/handling, shift paddles and the AMG wheels), S32 COMAND (7' color screen, Navigation, voice control, XM Traffic and weather and Zagat restaurant guides), Leather seating package (10-way power passenger seat with memory, leather), Lighting Package (bi-xenon headlights with active curve illumination, headlamp washers) and Lane Tracking Package (blind spot assist, lane keeping assist). The tally for our C350 Coupe came to $51,555USD, including delivery.
What a ride it's been at Chrysler these past few years. Neglected by parent Daimler and subsequent owner Cerberus, Chrysler was on the brink of collapse and on their knees in front of the US Congress begging for a bailout. Ironically, Fiat, a company who fled the US in the early 1980's turned out to be Chrysler's savior. And so far, the results have been encouraging. The bottom-feeder Dodge Avenger has been enormously improved. SRT is reviving the almighty Viper. The highly anticipated Dodge Dart with full Alfa Romeo DNA intact will be hitting showrooms soon.
The next casualty is the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The Dodge Grand Caravan remains, which makes sense since the Caravan was the first minivan. Ever. Kudos to Sergio Marchionne for telling Chrysler it makes no sense selling the exact same car under two brands. Brand engineering is what nearly ruined the American auto industry, so killing off the Town & Country makes perfect sense to me.
