Auto Industry News: MUST SEE NASCAR Finish and Infiniti Concept Car
This week’s auto industry news features all things racing. A passion project calls back to a legendary age of European competition. The top of the overall NASCAR standings receives a mild shakeup. And fans must say goodbye to a pivotal track in the racing community.
Infiniti’s Daydreams
We all know that person who claims they were “born in the wrong generation.” Each of us has that jazz-listening, free spirited, or blowout-wearing friend that has an inexplicable connection to the past. Even if they weren’t technically ever at a speakeasy, Woodstock, or Guns N Roses show, they still felt like they were there, you know?
Well last week, Infiniti showed that they too fantasize for another time with the reveal of the Prototype 9. The concept car sports a Grand Prix body style, leaf-spring suspension, and a prominent number 09 for added flare. It looks like a silver bullet fit for James Dean. Infiniti claims the prototype is meant to pay homage to the company’s roots. But as Motor Trend pointed out in its exclusive coverage of the reveal, Infiniti wasn’t founded until 1989. Still, the consensus is that the 9 is easy on the eyes and fits right in with true classic models.
What’s most fitting about this contemporary homage to a golden era, though, is its electric motor. Yes, you read correctly, e-l-e-c-t-r-i-c motor. Underneath, the sportster has the same motor as the second-generation Nissan Leaf. Interesting to say the least, and sacrilege to others.
Larson Completes Three-Peat In Michigan
Electric aside, it’s time for some real racing. With a slick maneuver following a restart in the finals laps, Kyle Larson won Sunday’s PureMichigan 400, his third straight victory at Michigan International Speedway. The 25-year-old NASCAR hotshot started the day in ninth position, hanging with pack leaders for most of the race.
The win came on the heels of a caution to clean up oil on the track. It was initially reported as debris, but a slipping concern actually kept the cleanup crew on-track for several minutes. As soon the green flagged waved, Larson made an immediate gun for the lead position. He split the leaders before coming around the first full speed, post-caution turn and never looked back.
With this win, come intriguing playoff implications. Larson started Sunday third in the overall driver standings, but the points from the win launched him into second ahead of Kyle Busch. Busch finished tenth in Sunday’s race. What’s arguably more important is that Larson snatched Sunday’s win from standings leader, Martin Truex Jr. Truex still took second, meaning Larson only inched toward his overall lead.
Saying Goodbye
Racing fans recently learned that they will lose an essential piece of their history. After years of speculation, Irwindale Speedway will finally close in January 2018. The track, commonly called the “House of Drift,” became a pioneer racing circuit. In 2003, it opened its doors to Japan’s D1 Grand Prix, making it the first true international drift venue. From then on, the Southern California track was a galvanized force in automotive sports lore. NASCAR hosted both K&N Pro Series and Whelen Series All-Star events at the beloved half-mile track.
Irwindale also hosted hundreds of NHRA events over the years. The track’s adjacent drag strip was a respected site for the loudest, fastest, and flashiest dragsters to compete.
Only opened in 1999, the raceway built an action-packed legacy in its eighteen-year run. But now, reports say, the land on which it sits will become a shopping mall. In light of this news, track officials say that all 2017 events will run as scheduled. Irwindale also plans to add events before January that will honor the track’s legacy and the greats who have laid rubber there.
