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NASCAR Racial Matters: Talk Show Fodder To Huge Discrimination Lawsuit

National sports talk show host Jim Rome calls it NECK-CAR. It’s an entertainer’s prerogative and it’s done with humor and a twist and as part of the popular morning radio show's banter.

Now, the racial reference to the immensely popular auto racing circuit is no longer just part of talk show host’s approach. In short, it's no laughing matter.

In fact, it's a serious matter, at least according to Marcia Grant and her attorneys.

Grant, an aspiring African-American race official, is suing NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Grant, 32, an African-American, worked as a technical inspector responsible for certifying cars in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series from January 2005 until her termination in October, 2007.

In the lawsuit, she said she was referred to as "Nappy Headed Mo" and "Queen Sheba," by co-workers, was often told she worked on "colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.

Grant said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of whom allegedly exposed themselves to her, and graphic and lewd jokes.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, lists 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the organization had not yet reviewed the suit, according to the Associated Press.



MotoGP Special Ticket Charity Benefits Riders For Health In Africa

The Weekly Driver doesn’t offer stray from automotive topics, but there’s announcement in the international motorcycle circuit worthy of attention.

Last year, after more than 20 years of periodically covering motor sports at Laguna Seca Raceway — CART racing to the World Motorcycle Championships — I attended the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix for the first time.

I was taken aback by the sport’s popularity and equaly impressed with the poise of the international field of riders.

This year, the MotoGP, the world’s most prestigious motorcycle circuit, again has only two United States races, including the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, July 18-20.

One day prior, the event will showcase its charity side at is best. Fifty MotoGP fans can pay $500 each for a special ticket that will give them an insiders’ day into the sport — meeting riders to a ride along the Big Sur coast near the championship’s venue. It’s part of a charity called Riders For Health.

For motorcyle enthusaists with interest global charitiy, it seems like a good thing. For more information, visit my longer article: MotoGP Special Charity Ticket.

Ultimate Car Site Features Expansive 24 Hour Le Mans Video List

I recently found another nugget on ‘net, and all my Formula 1 friends area happy and maybe mad at me at the same time.

On the web site forum, www.ultimatecarpage.com, a post by Sledgehammer is bound to keep even the most adamant fans happy.

The post lists links to videos beginning in 1955 and continuing through the 2007 season of races from Le Mans 24 Hour events.

Not every race from every year is listed, but who cares?

The videos area great and are bound to get more than one race fan in trouble for watching them at work.

Nevertheless, the guy who posted the list is almost is apologetic for posting what is, in fact, a wondrous collection. Here’s what the guy says:

"Ok, I know this isn’t complete as of yet, but I want people to be able to watch Le Mans 24 races from several years without having to go through a hassle. I will be updating them as I find them. If you have more races you can contact me and I will load them up as well.

To see the videos, visit www.ultimatecarpage.com.

Bugatti Veyron, Tops Top-10 Most Expensive Car List

From time to time, I come across top-10 most-expensive car lists. The cars aren’t always the same on every list. But it doesn’t matter. The lists are always great reads.

The latest version is from the John and Deleen site. I don’t know who the folks are, but they’ve put together a nice post. Here’s the description from the site of the Bugatti Veyron. It’s listed as the most expensive car in the world at $1.7 million.

“The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 253 mph).

“It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. The Veyron features a W16 engine—16 cylinders in 4 banks of 4 cylinders.”

Here’s the site’s list in decreasing price order:

1. Bugatti Veyron, $1.7 million
2. Ferrari Enzo, $1 million
3. Pagani Zonda C12, $741,000
4. Koenigsegg CCX, $600,910
5. Porsche Carrera GT, $484,000
6. Mercedes SLR McLaren, $455,500
7. Maybach 62, $385,250
8. Rolls Royce Phantom, $320,000
9. Lamborghini Morceilago, $279,900
10. Aston Martin Vanquish, $255,000

For more descriptions, visit: www.johndelenn.com

Ford Mustang Tops List Of Young Drivers' Most Wanted Cars

ForbesAutos.com is among my favorite automotive sites. It reviews car like other sites, but what I really like is the site’s lists.

Among the most recent compilations is the list of the cars young drivers (under age 21) want most.

ForbesAuto.com, in its long article written by John Adams, is quick to explain vehicles purchased by car buyers under age 21 represent only 1.2 percent of all new car sales.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to examine young car buyers' habits, particularly considering 3.2 million kids in the United States have or will graduate from high school this year.

Nine of out the top-10 (and ties) favorites among young car buyers are automobiles priced under $20,000. Ford has three cars on the list, Volkswagen, Toyota and Honda are represented twice. Jeep, Dodge and Chevrolet have one selection each.

And so here’s the list in reverse order. All models are 2008 unless noted:

10. Volkswagen Jetta; 9. Dodge Charger; 8 (tie) Jeep Wrangler, Ford F-150; 7. (tie) Ford Focus, Chevrolet Impala; 6. Toyota Corolla; 5. 2009 Toyota Camry; 4. Volkswagen (New) Beetle; 3. Honda Accord; 2. Honda Civic; 1. Ford Mustang.

Bob Barr For President? Does He Drive Libertarian?

The announcement former Georgia congressman Bob Barr is running for president adds another component to the already complex and tedious campaign trail.

Barr said he’s running because “there was not currently or anywhere on the horizon any candidate who understood the principles of fiscal conservatism and basic principles on which he said America was founded.”

Barr, 59, is running as a Libertarian Party candidate. Among its platforms, libertarians “believe in, and pursue, personal freedom while maintaining personal responsibility.”

And that’s where The Weekly Driver is curious.

It seems Libertarian and “Going Green” are complementary, if not synonymous.

So what kind of car(s) does Barr own and drive?

If he’s a man of his word, then Barr should be driving a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle, right? Or at least he should be driving economic car.

Here are five good, practical choices:

1. Toyota Prius — It’s the best-selling hybrid in the United States. Reasons abound — great gas mileage to Toyota reputation.

2. Honda Civic Hybrid — Unheralded compared to the Prius, with sales of about one-third the segment leader. But after driving the past three years of this vehicle, it’s an extraordinary value.

3. Honda Fit — It was the 2007 car of the year in a lot of well-respected automobile publications, and there’s not a better car available in the United States for $15,000.

4. Ford Escape hybrid — OK. Maybe political candidates need a little room. Maybe they need to travel with luggage, assistants and who knows what else? This sports utility vehicle gets around rather nicely and gets 31 mph on the freeway.

5. Chevrolet Malibu hybrid — Sedans add a little class to politicians arriving on the campaign trail or for TV show appearances. The Malibu hybrid provides the style, but it’s understated and gets nearly 30 mph on the highway.

Norway Thinks Global With New U.S.—Based Electric Car, Think City

Think Global, a Norwegian automaker, has plance to sell an electric car in the United States by the end of 2009 that goes 110 miles without recharing and costs less than $25,000.

According to the Associated Press, two venture capital firms are funding the U.S. operation, which will likely  be based Southern California.

The car will be named Think City, is a two-seater with a top speed of about 65 mph. It will operate on sodium batteries and is 95 percent recyclable.

“It's a mass-market vehicle,” Ray Lane of venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers to the AP. “Our desire is to be selling 30-40-50,000 of these cars in a couple of years.”

Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said test vehicles will be brought to the U.S. in coming months.

Ford Motor Co. owned Think for five years, leasing vehicles in the U.S. before selling the company in 2004.

Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motor Co., have announced plans to make all-electric cars.

Dodge Viper's Dubious Honor: Most Expensive Car To Repair

Escalating gas prices and “green” cars are the most hotly discussed topics in the automotive industry. But there’s an equally important issue for car owners.

It’s the determining factor for some new/used car buyers, while other consumer buy brands regardless of resale value and cost of operation.

Forbes.com does a lot of keen reporting in the auto industry, and its latest effort is no exception. It’s the list of the most expensive cars to repair.

Using 2008 repair estimates calculated over a five-year period and tabulated by Vincentric did the study. It’s an auto industry data-analysis company that examines the cost of zero-deductible, bumper-to-bumper extended-warranty claims to calculate the average cost owners can expect to pay, according to Forbes.com. Maintenance costs are part of a different analysis.

The most luxury and non-luxury expensive cars to repair after their warranty expires and the average five-year estimate repair costs:

Luxury

Audi A8 ($1,640), Mercedes-Benz C ($1,640), Jaguar XK ($1,629), Land Rover ($1,600), Range Rover ($1,600), Mercedes-Benz C Class ($1,540).

Non-luxury

Hummer 2 ($1,484), Dodge Ram 3500 ($1,282), Hummer 3 ($1,244), Ford Mustang ($1,201), Chevrolet Silverado ($1,094), Mini-Cooper Convertible ($1,093), Subaru Imprezza ($1,006), GMC Yukon ($970), Chrysler Pacifica ($970).

There was also one vehicle that didn’t fall into either the luxury or non-luxury category, the Dodge Viper.

According to the report, a Dodge spokesperson said the brand makes only 1,500 Vipers per year with a starting price of $84,460. The Viper features a low-hanging front spoiler that easily gets damaged. It costs $1,800 to replace.

And thus, the Viper has the highest cost of repair for any car over a five-year period, $1,641.

The Weekly Driver On The Road: GM Getaway Features Pontiac G8, Vibe, Lucerne

In addition to the well-established national and international auto shows, auto manufacturers often invite the media to smaller, regional gatherings to introduce vehicles.

In early April, I joined more than 40 other journalists and photographers at a General Motors’ media launch and two-day getaway at The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

The Pontiac G8, Pontiac Vibe and Buick Lucerne, each in several options, were presented in two sessions each attended by about two dozen journalists.

We each test drove the various vehicles on a hilly winding 170-mile road trip trek from Santa Monica to Ojai  — on some of the most famous mountain roads in Southern California.

The Vibe is one of the most unheralded small SUVs available. Spacious and featuring innovative exterior and interior design, the Vibe is ideal for a small businessperson with cargo-space needs or an economically minded family with SUV needs.

The Buick Lucerne is an industry standard, but it’s also been redesigned and offers good comfort and a smooth drive. The entry-level luxury market is a competitive car segment, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new Lucerne fits into the marketplace.

The Pontiac G8 is Pontiac’s new showcase. It’s the brand’s first full-size sedan since the Bonneville and the first rear-wheel Pontiac since 1986. It’s being touted as the most powerful (361 horsepower) car available in the United States for less than $30,000.

I also took a few (included) images, and I’ll have full reviews of the vehicles later in the year.

The Weekly Driver On The Road: Nothing Like The Waffle House

There’s nothing like the Waffle House. You want a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast at anytime of the day or night? This is the place.

Anyone who lives in the South can easily take ‘em for granted. Perhaps it’s not too dissimilar from other parts of the country where Denny’s or Starbucks rule highway exits and small and large cities.

But in the South, Waffle House is where it’s going on. Truck drivers, business people conducting meetings, families, retirees, travelers or locals called by first name. Waffle House is where they go seeking familiarity, quick service and hot food.

Waitresses are what’s happening at Waffle House. They’re quick-witted, know every angle and mostly call everyone “sugar” or “darlin'.”

I know a reporter for a cycling magazine who has stolen a coffee mug from every Waffle House he’s visited. He could likely serve an NFL team coffee with Waffle House mugs to spare. But Waffle House is still a new phenomenon for me.

I first visited Waffle House last year and the Tour de Georgia. The waitress at the counter who served me was the manager. At one point during my meal she left the restaurant and helped a customer who had locked his keys in his car. The manager just happened to carry a “slim jim” on her key ring.

I couldn’t wait to get to a Waffle House at this year’s Tour de Georgia. After flying overnight from San Jose, Ca., I stopped at this Waffle House location just outside of Atlanta. It was packed at 7 a.m.

An African-American guy and his friend told me I looked like retired Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Roger Staubach. I told one of the African-American guys he looked like rapper/actor LL Cool J. We all laughed. One of those guys took the top picture of the waitress and me.

Oh, more importantly, the cheese eggs, grits, raisin toast and full-strength brew got me down the road for another three hours en route to Savannah on a sunny gloriously warm morning.
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