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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2008) – NASCAR announced today that the No. 18 and No. 20 teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series have been penalized due to rule violations discovered by NASCAR inspectors prior to post-race testing on the chassis dynamometer Aug. 16 at Michigan International Speedway.

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LM P1
Audi achieves second Le Mans hat-trick

Capello/Kristensen/McNish win thriller
Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten at 24 Hour classic
Eighth Audi victory out of ten starts at the Sarthe

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Rear wheel drama costs Larbre an hour

The Larbre Competition Saleen S7R (photo left) suffered a difficult start to the Le Mans 24 Hours after losing a wheel three hours into the race.

The left rear wheel detached as Christophe Bouchut braked for Tertre Rouge and pitched him off the track and deep into a gravel trap. After being hauled out by a service vehicle, Bouchut limped back to the pits for repairs.

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Le Mans, France - The Peugeot No. 7 is completely in control of the race at the 8 Hour mark. Audi Sport North America team No. 2 is second in LM P1 but is one lap down.

Approximately 2 hours into the 24 Heures du Mans, the No. 76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche (driven by Patrick Long) made contact with the No. 80 Flying Lizard Porsche on course and both cars flew off the course deep into the gravel. The collision drove the No. 80 Porsche into the guardrail. There was significant damage to the car including severe bodywork damage on all sides, a broken rear wheel, two broken radiators, and right rear suspension damage. Driver Seth Neiman was able to drive the car back to the pits, where the crew is currently working on repairs. The No. 80 had been in the lead in GT2 for most of the race, with Joerg Bergmeister driving the first stint, and Johannes van Overbeek the second. We do not have an estimated time yet for return to the track; the car has been off track for 50 minutes so far.

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PEUGEOT 908 HDi FAPs MONOPOLISE THE TOP THREE PLACES ON SATURDAY’S GRID

For the second year in a row, a stunning lap from Stephane Sarrazin has put Team Peugeot Total on pole position for the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Frenchman was the fastest driver on the track during qualifying thanks to a time of 3m 18.513s on Wednesday in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP he shares with Pedro Lamy and Alexander Wurz. The N8 car will consequently lead the field away when the endurance classic begins at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the N9 and N7 sister cars of Franck Montagny/Ricardo Zonta/Christian Klien and Marc Gene/Nicolas Minassian/Jacques Villeneuve. The French machines completed qualifying more than three seconds quicker than their best-placed rival as the top teams spent the majority of the week’s two practice sessions concentrating on fine-tuning the race set-ups of their respective machines.

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The Gulf-liveried Aston Martin Racing team has got off to a solid start during the first qualifying session for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, which starts at 3pm on Saturday 14 June.

This evening’s qualifying session, which was split into two periods – 7pm to 9pm and 10pm to midnight – saw the 55 competing cars take to the track for the very first time during the Le Mans week. A final qualifying session at the same times on Thursday 12 June will determine the start grid for the race.

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By Darr Hawthorne

(Aliquippa, PA, June 12, 2008) — Usually Friday the 13th sends thoughts of superstition, fear and oddities on the day, but not to IHRA Nitro Funny Car driver Cory Lee. When Lee was born, it was on a Friday the 13th and for the Southern California driver it is a lucky day to enjoy. This weekend (June 13-15) Maryland International Raceway will host the annual IHRA President’s Cup Nationals and Lee will be driving Jeff and Bonnie McGaffic’s Monte Carlo-bodied Nitro Funny Car in competition at Budds Creek, sporting the number 13.

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Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated fully on race preparations during the first qualifying session for this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours (start on Saturday at 3 p.m.). The three Audi R10 TDI prototypes are fourth, fifth and sixth on the provisional starting grid.

As it was raining during the official test day at Le Mans and similar weather is also predicted for Thursday’s second qualifying session, last year’s winners decided not to go out for the fastest lap times with a special qualifying set-up. Instead, the Audi team worked intensively on the set-up and the aerodynamics and tested various tire specifications for the race. In addition, all nine Audi drivers completed their mandatory laps in darkness.

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Corvette Racing First and Second in Provisional GT1 Qualifying for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Magnussen and Gavin Set Fast Times in First Four-Hour Qualifying Session

LE MANS, France, June 11, 2008 – With the possibility of rain tomorrow, there was a sense of urgency when tonight’s first four-hour qualifying session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans began. When qualifying concluded shortly before midnight, Corvette Racing was first and second in provisional GT1 qualifying. Jan Magnussen turned the quickest time in the GT1 class at 3:49.406 in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R, with Oliver Gavin a heartbeat behind at 3:50.766 in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

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Scrutineering is over, now to qualifying.

Sunshine is expected for this first evening of timed tests which should be blessed with a dry track. The teams will be eager to establish some fast times on Wednesday evening; rain having been forecast for Thursday. We have a great and beautiful spectacle in prospect in classic of automobile racing: Peugeot, Audi, Pescarolo, Courage-Oreca, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and others… All on track!

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