INDIANAPOLIS – Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, will drive the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Pace Car to lead the pack of 33 racers to the start of the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500, this Sunday.

Harbaugh, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012, is no stranger to Indianapolis. He was a quarterback for the Colts football team from 1994 through 1997. During his time with the Colts, he was named AFC Player of the Year and named to the Pro Bowl in 1995.

Harbaugh is also a racing fan and a principal at Panther Racing, which fields the two-car, Chevrolet-powered IndyCar team with drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Townsend Bell. Hildebrand will drive the No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet in Indianapolis 500 and Bell will compete in the No. 60 Sunoco “Turbo” Chevrolet.

INDIANAPOLIS  (AP) — Antron Brown joked that he wouldn't mind making a couple of left-handed turns the next time he's on the track. Ed Carpenter thought it'd be fun to ramp up the speed by about 100 mph.

Maybe they ought to swap rides.

Brown, the reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion, stopped by his old pal's garage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, slipping into Carpenter's No. 20 Chevrolet and getting a quick lesson in paddle shifting on the car that will sit on the pole for the Indy 500.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 22) -- Decorated drag racer and crew chief Dave Connolly will contest the national Stock Eliminator championship this year after inking a major sponsorship deal with Berger Chevrolet and its online parts division, GMPartsNow.com.

Connolly will be driving and tuning the stunning 2012 COPO Camaro he recently raced to a strong semifinal finish at the 4-Wide NHRA Nationals, which sported a "Grumpy's Toy" tribute paint scheme. A salute to Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Connolly's mentor, will remain on the car, taking up new residence on the rear fenders, while the doors will now be adorned with GMPartsNow.com.

"We've had a great relationship with Berger Chevrolet since 2004 and this is an extension of that," team owner Victor Cagnazzi said. "We're anxious to let the millions of NHRA fans out there know about GMPartsNow.com. I recently visited the facility and they have more than 60,000 square feet of warehouse space and 6 million dollars in inventory specifically dedicated to GM parts. They stock the full gamut of GM parts, from mechanical and powertrain to collision, performance and outlet parts."

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is looking for the person who will give the start to the formation lap for the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours.

A spectator will be given this honor in the context of the 90th anniversary of the world-famous endurance race. The lucky winner will be drawn by lot from among those with a grandstand seat.

As a sports organizer, one of the ACO’s priorities has always been its determination to be as close as possible to its public. Since 1923, the Le Mans 24 hours is living proof of this with an annual crowd of around 250,000 spectators.

This year, the ACO is asking one of the spectators to give the start to the formation lap of the race. Only Daniel Poissenot, the Clerk of the Course, experiences this thrilling sensation, which he’ll share for the first time this year.

SONOMA, Calif. (May 19, 2013) - The fourth annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival at Sonoma Raceway celebrated the Corvette's 60th anniversary in fine fashion, as 32 Corvettes, among an entry of more than 350 historic cars in 15 groups, raced on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course in the heart of Northern California's wine country today.

Three Corvettes came in first in their groups: Noel Park, of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., in his 1958 Corvette; and Ross Thompson, of Phoenix, Ariz., took two wins, one in his 1964 Corvette and the other in a 1976 Corvette.

The paddock throughout the weekend was filled with a variety of collector Corvettes, including a 1956 Corvette SR2 and a 1994 Guldstrand Corvette GS90 Coupe.

From a 1925 Bugatti T-35C, a 1911 National 40, to a 1972 Gulf Mirage M6, Can-Am cars from the 1960s and ‘70s, and the fan-favorite Trans-Am cars of the same era, an enthusiastic crowd was treated to close competition among many classic race cars from the last 100 years at the 27th annual historic-car event organized by General Racing Ltd.

AUSTIN, Texas (May 19, 2013)- In what has been an unbelievable 2013 Pirelli
World Challenge Season, GMG’s James Sofronas took his third victory of the
season during this weekend’s fourth and fifth rounds at Circuit of the
Americas.

“Wow, what an incredible day,” stated Sofronas. “Yesterday’s race with Johnny
showed we knew we had a good car, and once again luck was on our side today.
The key to this entire season has been having a reliable and consistent car in
the Audi R8 LMS, and a crew that has been relentless in looking over every
detail. The support we’ve had from Audi on this program has obviously been
instrumental, and the guys have been working non-stop to get us here. I’m glad
we can celebrate with all of them.”

Following a successful test at the brand-new Austin, Texas facility, the entire Global Motorsports Group (GMG) came in to this weekend’s rounds of the championship knowing that they had a team capable of victory. With a series-record seven cars entered by the team, five of them being the Audi R8 LMS, Sofronas never lost a step in pursuit of his first series championship.

-- All the Action from Rounds 5 and 6 at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park –

(Photo Credit: Lucas Oil Off Road)

CORONA, Calif. (May 20, 2013) – The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), the nation’s fastest growing short course off road racing series, made its 2013 southern California premier at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park in Lake Elsinore, California over the weekend. The action started early on Friday with teams hitting the track for practice sessions in an effort to get their race cars ready for both Saturday and Sunday’s racing excitement.  The Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park saw a record number of racers and fans come out to participate in rounds 5 and 6 at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park. The three day LOORRS event in Lake Elsinore took place from Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 20, 2013 and showcased some of the closest racing action of the year.

CONCORD, N.C. (May 18, 2013) – Kurt Busch saw a potential victory slip to a fifth-place finish in Saturday night’s rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After the four 20-lap segments in the non-points race, Busch posted the best average finish among the 22 drivers and was positioned in first place before teams were required to make a mandatory four-tire pit stop heading into the final winner-take-all 10-lap segment.

But when Busch left pit road for the 10-lap shootout, he was positioned in fifth place when the race went green for the final time. He ended the race in the same position when the checkered flag waved on Lap 90.

“Our four-segment average guaranteed us coming down pit road first for the final stop, but it didn't guarantee us leaving pit road first ,” said Busch, driver of the Armed Forces Day Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet. “We were one tick slow on our pit stop and one tick off on the chassis adjustment. That was the difference. You have to be perfect to win this race. We weren’t. It was an A- overall performance.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19) – On the day when Jeg Coughlin Jr. collected his 500th round win in Pro Stock, he more importantly won the NHRA Kansas Nationals Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka, his first win of the season and first in the JEGS/Mopar Dodge Avenger.

"We've been knocking on the door all year," said Coughlin, who last won at the Brainerd event in 2010. "We've had our ups and downs and never quite been able to seal the deal and get a race win. We came out of a test in Tulsa earlier this week really happy with what we had and were extremely aggressive all four runs."

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19, 2013)– For the first time in his career as a professional NHRA Funny Car driver,
Johnny Gray is leaving a national event in sole possession of the points lead
and hoisting the Wally for the second straight race. Gray, driver of the Pitch
Energy Dodge Charger R/T and winner of the race in Atlanta just last weekend,
scored the sixth Funny Car win of his career today with a final-round victory
over John Force Racing's Robert Hight at the 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals.

The closing round at
Heartland Park Topeka was familiar territory for the friendly rivals as it
marked the fourth time that Gray and Hight had met in the final at a national
event. Despite the fact that Gray had ousted Hight in the opening round at the
most recent two races on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, the fact of
the matter leading into the round was that Hight held a 3-0 advantage over Gray
in finals.

1976 Daytona 24 Hours winning BMW 3.0 CSL also highlighted BMW History and Heritage on four wheels and two on display from May – November, 2013

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 17, 2013… Andy Warhol’s 1979 BMW M1 Art Car will be the center piece of the exhibition “BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine”, which opens this weekend at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. The exhibition will also feature the BMW 3.0 CSL which won the Daytona 24 Hour race in 1976. The exhibition, which features a retrospective of BMW cars and motorcycles, will run until November 3, 2013. The array of BMW automobiles will include road cars and race cars, both from the modern era, as well as pre-war. The exhibition will also celebrate 90 Years of BMW Motorcycles.

IZOD
IndyCar Series
Fast Friday Report: 97th Indianapolis 500

Michael Andretti, team owner
"Well... I think we're in it, I think we're not as quick as we would like to be, but, because I think Will Power's gonna be the guy to beat without a tow. We still got a little bit of work to do and hopefully we'll be able to improve the cars that little bit that we need to get the pole tomorrow."
On predicted pole speed:
"I think it's gonna be around 229, I believe."

E.J. Viso, No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Chevrolet

With a lap at a 229.537mph, the Venezuelan holds the fastest time of the month going into tomorrow's Pole Day qualifying. Viso also stands as the driver with the most laps recorded with a total of 403 laps in the six-day practice window.

Bentley Motors will compete in this year's Mille Miglia with two unique 4 ½ litre
Supercharged "Blowers"; a 1930 Le Mans race car belonging to perhaps the most
famous and daring of the Bentley Boys and a company demonstrator that is still
going strong even after nine decades on the road.

The No. 2 Team Car – raced at Le Mans by Captain Tim Birkin – was brought by
Bentley Motors in 2000 and has been regularly campaigned across the world by the
company ever since. Richard Charlesworth, Bentley's Director of Royal and VIP
Relations, who has helped prepare the car for its third Mille Miglia challenge
at Bentley's Crewe headquarters, explains:

• The BMW Performance Driving School team shattered the Guinness World Record for longest sustained drift on ContiSportContact 5P tires.

Fort Mill, SC – May 15, 2013.  Johan Schwartz shattered the Guinness World Record for longest sustained drift in a BMW M5 Sedan on ContiSportContact 5P’s at the BMW Performance Center in Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday, May 11, 2013.  With confidence, Schwartz completed a total of 322.5 laps around the 841-foot (circumference) BMW Performance Center skid pad, for a total of 51.278 miles (82.506 kilometers) on one set of Continental tires.

"It was a great day with a lot of money collected for charity,” said Schwartz following the event.  “People had a hard time believing that I did this event on off-the-shelf ContiSportContact 5P’s.  I can't blame people for being amazed.  The tires gave me the confidence that I needed to go the long distance, both in the wet and dry conditions!"

With new ownership, a new logo and a completely revamped brand, there was only one thing left for IHRA to do: take the new look on the road. 

PCD Wraps and Graphics out of Blanchard, Oklahoma made it happen with its specially made wrap designs that will make their way to races across the country on the IHRA tour. The new designs will stand out on the highways and at the tracks, creating just the kind of exposure IHRA was looking for. 

PCD president Chase Huffman was brought up on racing. He started coming to the track as a newborn to watch his dad in the late ‘80s and has since driven in both the Hot Rod and Quick Rod divisions, winning his first Quick Rod race at the Tulsa Nationals in 2007. The experience has helped him get PCD – which was started in December – off and running.

“Racers know what racers want,” Huffman said.

Risi Competizione’s Matteo Malucelli drove the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia to his first ALMS GT pole position today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, awarding the Houston-based team the perfect start position for tomorrow’s four-hour race.   The race begins at 3:30pm (PT) and will run into dusk.

After returning to the ALMS after a year out of competition, it is Risi’s third pole position from the three rounds so far in the 2013 American Le Mans Series.  Gianmaria Bruni claimed class pole at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

Malucelli’s best lap time of 1:22.732, set on his fourth flying lap of the eight he completed during the 15-minute qualifying session, places him ahead of the Core Autosport and Falken Porsches plus the remainder of the super-competitive GT grid.  One second separates the top ten cars in the category.

Bob Tullius gives the order to begin the race, sends Trans Am off for another 46 years

Bryce Miller, Marco Holzer and Paul Miller Racing Look For First 2013 Top-Five Finish and More This Weekend in the American Le Mans Monterey
Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Team Set to Build On Season-Opening Sebring and Long Beach Sixth-Place Finishes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 9, 2013) – Bryce Miller, Marco Holzer and the Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR team will be looking for their first top-five finish and much more at this weekend’s American Le Mans Monterey four-hour endurance race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, May 9 – 11.

Miller, Holzer and the No. 48 Chopard/Total Paul Miller Racing Porsche team finished sixth in both March’s season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring and last month’s street race in Long Beach. Both races saw the team race in the lead pack and on the leader’s pace only to see some bad luck prevent top five or possibly even podium results.  Another competitive performance, with a little good fortune thrown in, could result in the Chopard/TOTAL team’s best 2013 to date this weekend at Laguna Seca.

• 90 years of Le Mans, 15 years of Audi at the “24 Heures”
• Eleven victories at 14 runs and absolute distance record
• Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: “Le Mans points the way to the future”

Ingolstadt, May 9, 2013 – Six more weeks until the Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. Since 1999, Audi has shaped the world’s most important endurance race like no other automobile manufacturer. Eleven victories in 14 events – the technological milestones set by Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm are unrivaled in Le Mans history.

The 24-hour race at Le Mans has accelerated numerous innovations since its
inaugural event in 1923 – from disc brakes (1953) to turbocharging (1974), from
the Wankel engine (1970) to carbon brakes (1990), from the Audi TFSI gasoline
direct injection (2001) and the VTG turbocharger in Audi’s TDI engine (2011)
through to the R18 e-tron quattro (2012). Ever since Audi has been involved in
the most important endurance race, efficiency has acquired crucial importance –
a core competency of the brand with the four rings.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 9, 2013) – Check off one more motorsports' bucket list for Kurt Busch.

The 2004 NASCAR champion and driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS in the Sprint Cup Series drove an Andretti Autosport Indy car Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) where he completed 83 laps on the famed 2.5-mile oval and reached a top speed of 218.210 mph.

“Pinch me, I am like a kid in a candy store,” said Busch after taking a short break to have setup changes made to the car. “To drive an Indy car owned by Michael Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the month of May is pretty special.”