car race news stories on Newser

Turkmenistan Prez 'Wins' Auto Race

Mark Russell — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:20:05 CDT

US presidents like to throw out the first pitch at baseball games, but Turkmenistan President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov takes sport to a whole new level, coming in first in a Turkmenistan car race today. Driving a Turkish-made Volkicar. In a race he wasn't even scheduled to enter. Well, that's the official...

IndyCar CEO Had Promised More 'Carnage'

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:19:36 CDT

In a June interview that seems eerily prescient in light of Dan Wheldon’s death , IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard promised more “carnage and wrecks” in the upcoming races. IndyCar, struggling to compete with the more popular NASCAR, was attempting to make its races more exciting by increasing the risks: more...

Dixon Nails Indy 500 Win

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:27:53 CDT

Quick crew work boosted Scott Dixon to victory at the Indianapolis 500 today, ahead of Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti, the AP reports. Danica Patrick, vying to be Indy's first female winner, got clipped with 29 laps left, snapped her suspension, and finished 22nd. Several other crashes and failures haunted...

Danica Ready to Make History at Indy 500

Mitch Pritchard — Sat, 17 May 2008 16:43:00 CDT

No longer just a pretty face, Danica Patrick finally has a win, a winning team, and the fastest car she's ever raced. “I really, really like my chances" in next weekend's Indy 500, she tells Sports Illustrated. "And man, how huge would it be if I could win the thing?"

Iran Gender Wars Hit High Gear

Caroline Zimmerman — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:15:04 CST

Iranian women can't travel without a man's permission, but two female racecar drivers are taking matters into their own hands and fighting for equal opportunity on the track. Nervous officials have repeatedly banned Zoreh Vatankhah and her mentor, Laleh Seddigh, from races—and their successes don't often make the front...

Carnegie Mellon Wins $2M in Robot Car Race

Colleen Barry — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:02:43 CST

A robot car built by Carnegie Mellon University and General Motors beat out ten others to win a race for self-driving vehicles, race officials announced today. The cars had 6 hours to complete a 60-mile course—including missions like parking and merging into traffic—in pursuit of a $2 million...

World's Oldest Car to be Auctioned

Dustin Lushing — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:41:40 CDT

The oldest car that can still be driven will be auctioned off in Pebble Beach, CA this August. It could go for as much as $2M, reports CNN. The steam-powered, four-wheeled De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux—nicknamed "La Marquise"—was built in France in 1884, some 13 years before Henry Ford...