Ferrari will write off the 2010 season if the team does not secure a good result at Monza.

That is the announcement of the famous Italian marque’s F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, referring to Fernando Alonso’s 41 point gap to the championship leader with just six races left to run.

“Should Monza go really badly and Red Bull’s lead continues to increase, then on Monday we will begin to use all of our staff and resources for the project of next season’s car,” he is quoted by the sports daily Corriere dello Sport.

F1 experts and pundits, including Bernie Ecclestone and Niki Lauda, have recently played down expectations that Alonso will be able to emulate the role formerly played at Ferrari by Michael Schumacher.

Domenicali disagrees: “Alonso reminds me very much of Schumacher.

“Since I’ve been with Ferrari, I have not seen a driver who has as strong a presence in Maranello, and follows all of our activities with the same conviction” as the Spaniard, he added.

Pacoima, CA / Sept. 7, 2010 – The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear today announced that the drivers who competed in the series’ 20th anniversary 2010 season will divide a prize package valued in excess of $1.5 million. 

The top prize, valued at $750,000, is a career-making opportunity that motivates young drivers from around the world to battle for the series championship — a full-season drive in a factory-backed RX-8 competing in the 2011 Grand-Am GT 1 class courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder.  In addition, the champion gets $100,000 in cash and a test with a top Indy Lights team courtesy of Performance Friction, Andersen Racing and the IndyCar Road to Indy program.

Drivers are also competing for the first annual VISITFLORIDA Cup, a 7-race championship-within-a-championship sponsored by the series’ television partner, VISITFLORIDA, the official tourism and marketing organization for the state of Florida.  The live HDnet broadcasts and global syndication package made possible by the VISITFLORIDA partnership brings Star Mazda Championship racing to more than 150 million households worldwide.  The prize, a custom ‘dream vacation’ provided by VISIT Florida goes to the driver scoring the most points in the seven races that are part of the Cup, including the upcoming season finale at the 13th Annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, September 29 – October 2.

Cash awards totaling $500,000 will be presented to the top-15 finishers in the points championship; the winner of the coveted ‘Rookie of the Year’ award gets $10,000.  The top-3 finishers in the Expert and Master Series championship each receive $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 respectively, while the top-3 finishers in the Team Championship get $10,000, $7,500 and $5,000.

Special prizes add to the total, including $5,000 for the Quartermaster Clutch Performer Award, $5,000 for the VP Fuels Most Improved Driver Award, $2,500 for the President’s (Spirit of Star Mazda) Award and $1,500 for the Performance Friction Crewmember of the Year Award.  The winner of the BBS Wheels Hard Charger Award gets a custom-made coffee table made from a polished BBS wheel and etched glass top, plus a set of four BBS racing or BBS road car wheels, a prize valued at $5,000.  In addition, merchandise valued at more than $40,000 is awarded via drawings conducted during driver meetings at each race weekend, including 26 sets of new Goodyear radial racing tires (two sets per weekend) and 13 sets of Performance Friction brake pads.

“With the support of our sponsors and corporate partners, we’re able to offer a prize package that is noteworthy for both its size and its focus on enhancing the careers of the drivers who compete in our series,” says Gary Rodrigues, founder and CEO of the Star Mazda Championship.  “Our champions from 2008 and 2009, John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou, teamed up with backing from the MAZDASPEED Ladder to race a SpeedSource RX-8 and help Mazda win the 2010 Grand-Am Manufacturer’s Championship. Building relationships with a global automaker and racing a factory-sponsored car in a high-profile international series is a huge step forward for these young drivers.  Both of them have now won championships in open-wheel and sports car racing and are on their way to careers as professional drivers.  That is function of the Star Mazda Championship and the MAZDASPEED Ladder, and I think it’s clear that the program is working.”

The MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder is the only automaker-backed driver development program that provides financial resources for champions to move up through the ranks from karting to the Skip Barber Pro Series, then to the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. 

IndyCar’s Road to Indy program is a separate but complimentary driver development program and is designed to provide a clear path for young drivers whose goal is to race in IndyCar and the Indy 500.  The Road to Indy includes the USF2000 National Championship, the Star Mazda Championship and Indy Lights.  The Indy Lights test that is part of the Star Mazda champion’s prize package is provided through the joint efforts of Star Mazda, Performance Friction, Andersen Racing and the Road to Indy.  Additional Road to Indy elements of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship prize package are under development and will be announced soon.

On this day … 
 
By Bill Marx
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

September 6

1986: Steve Grissom finishes 30th in the 32-car field of the Freedlander 200 at Richmond in his first Nationwide Series start. Grissom has started at least one race every year through last season and has 11 wins in 309 starts. He won the series championship in 1993.

Below are the unofficial driver standings for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

* Denotes Rookie

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 5, 2010)

HAMPTON, Ga.—In a statement race for each of the top three finishers, Tony Stewart made perhaps the loudest noise with a convincing win in Sunday night’s Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Stewart broke a winless streak of 31 races when he beat Carl Edwards to the finish line by 1.316 seconds. It was the two-time Cup champion’s third victory at the 1.54-mile track and the 38th of his career, and it came on a night where eight drivers joined Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon with locked-in positions for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Jimmie Johnson came home third with a much-needed, problem-free run. Jeff Burton ran fourth, thanks to a late four-tire call, and Kyle Busch finished fifth. Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose completed the top 10.

Stewart, Edwards, Burton, Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and the Busch brothers clinched spots in the 10-race Chase that begins after next Saturday’s race at Richmond.

“I’ve never been so happy to win a race in my life,” Stewart said. “It’s been a while. I forgot what it’s like, it’s been so long. I don’t know how many races it’s been, but it seems like an eternity since we won a race.

“Especially with the Chase … we needed those 10 (bonus) points (for a victory), and we need this momentum.”

Edwards led Stewart out of the pits after the seventh caution of the race on Lap 295 of 325. Stewart surged to the lead after a restart on Lap 301, but a quick caution for debris on Lap 302—after contact between Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch—set up a restart on Lap 308.

Though Stewart led the rest of the way, Edwards drew inspiration from the second-place run, the continuation of an upswing during which he has finished in the top seven in seven of the past eight races.

“If we keep running like this, we’ll win this championship,” Edwards told his No. 99 Ford team after the race. “Keep your heads up. Keep digging like you’re doing. You guys are doing a great job. This is all we got to do. We’ve scored more points than anybody the last two months.”

Johnson likewise was encouraged by the performance of his No. 48 Chevrolet team, which posted an average finish of 23.3 over the previous seven races.

“To get a good race here, to be in that moment and to feel the pressure, is something we needed,” Johnson said. “That pressure is fun to have and it was a familiar excitement inside of me, and I was excited to be out there racing with everybody and being a part of it. Hopefully, we can go to Richmond and get in that moment again to be as prepared as we can for the Chase.”

Clint Bowyer, 12th in the standings, held serve by finishing ahead of his three closest pursuers for the final Chase spot—Newman, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin. Bowyer now leads 13th-place Newman by 117 points.

Polesitter Denny Hamlin led seven times early for 74 laps, but his engine blew on Lap 143 and he finished 43rd.

“I was just pacing myself out there, having fun and racing with Tony and those guys,” Hamlin said. “We’ve really got a strong race team, and if we can just keep it together, we can really win this championship legitimately. We’ve just got to keep it together, and we’ll be all right.”

Despite the last-place finish, Hamlin clinched a position in the Chase.

Greg Biffle fell short in his attempt to lock into the Chase when contact from Newman’s Chevy sent Biffle’s Ford sideways into the Turn 3 wall. Biffle slid across the track and took out Elliott Sadler. Though Biffle returned to the track after extensive repairs, he finished 36th, 80 laps down.

Biffle is 11th in points, 161 ahead of Newman, and can lock up a spot in the Chase with a finish better than 43rd at Richmond.

Harvick, the series points leader, had one of the fastest cars in the field, but Harvick’s Chevy was crippled on Lap 255 when his left front tire exploded and shredded the fender. He finished 33rd.

Below are the unofficial race results for the 2010 Emory Healthcare 500:

Notebook: Smith expounds on ‘North Cuba’ comment … sort of

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 5, 2010)

HAMPTON, Ga.–Speedway Motorsports chairman Bruton Smith didn’t exactly defend his comments about Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he did put a unique spin on the remarks Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Smith would like to see NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series end its season at Las Vegas. He also thought Atlanta, the scheduled season finale from 1987 to 2001, was a better option than finishing off the schedule at Homestead, which it has done since 2002. Smith owns Las Vegas and Atlanta.

“If you’re going to do a championship, you’ve got to do it at the proper place, and I don’t think North Cuba is the proper place,” Smith said Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.

On Sunday, after a gathering of fans who had attended the first race at Atlanta in 1960, Smith deflected questions about the North Cuba comment.

“I was just speaking the truth,” he said. “I was actually complimenting them. It was actually based on location, so I was just kind of being kind to the location. That’s what it was.”

Smith continued to stress that weather was the main factor in Atlanta losing its spring date to Kentucky in 2011, but he wouldn’t rule out restoring a second date to Atlanta if the circumstances warranted.

“Maybe one day we’ll bring another event here, but I wouldn’t want to do it in March,” Smith said. “I think we tried that and tried it awfully hard over the years, and people before me. I can remember actually coming down here four times before we actually ran the race—rain, rain.

“March is not the time to run a race here. The last race of the year worked really good here. That worked really, really good.”

Ekstrom tests for Richmond ride

Mattias Ekstrom, a two-time champion in the German Touring Car Series, will make his second Cup start for Red Bull Racing on Sept. 11 at Richmond, pending a successful test Tuesday at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

As a fill-in for Brian Vickers, who is undergoing treatment for blood clots, Ekstrom qualified 38th and finished 21st after leading seven laps in his Cup debut at the road course at Infineon Raceway in June.

Billionaire boys club

One guest at the Atlanta drivers’ meeting could give Smith more than a run for his money.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and one of America’s wealthiest investors, attended the drivers’ meeting as a guest of team owner Joe Gibbs.

Well known for his personal frugality, Buffett joked about extending his saving efforts to time as well as money.

“I understand these guys can do pit stops in 12 seconds,” he said. “I’m going to see what we can do to get it under 11.”

NASCAR Number

By Bill Marx
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 5, 2010)

101: Carl Edwards’ career top fives in the Nationwide Series in 202 starts. Edwards finished third in Saturday’s Nationwide race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is third in career top-5 percentage, trailing Kevin Harvick (51.2) and Kyle Busch (50.5).

Peter Sauber and Gerhard Berger have denied reports the pair is set to share ownership of the Hinwil-based Formula One team.

With former Sauber owner BMW pulling out at the end of last year, and Berger no longer co-owning the Toro Rosso team, it had been suggested the Austrian and 10-time Grand Prix winner could use the opportunity to return to F1.

But Berger told Auto Motor und Sport: “If Peter Sauber has trouble getting sponsors, then so would I.”

Peter Sauber confirmed: “Gerhard and I have had no contact on this subject.”

More strongly rumored has been a connection between Sauber and Nicolas Todt, who is Felipe Massa’s manager and the boss of the French GP2 team ART.

“It is true that Todt has some interest, but I told him a few months ago that we are not selling. This is still the current situation,” said Sauber.

State oil company Petronas has extended its title sponsorship of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Media statements said the contract extension is for a further five years.

Kuala Lumpur based Petronas also title sponsors the Formula One team Mercedes GP.

“I am pleased that Petronas has again used Formula One to let the world follow their success in the oil and gas automotive industry,” said F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

The first Malaysian Grand Prix took place in 1999.

Marc Fein and Marty Snider look ahead to Sunday night’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with some help from three-time AMS winner Kurt Busch.