Aric Almirola parlays bold tire gamble into NASCAR Xfinity win at Bristol

McLaren's partnership with engine-supplier Mercedes-Benz - believed to have been on rocky ground for some time - could culminate in divorce as soon as the end of the 2009 F1 World Championship campaign, it has been rumoured, with reports that BMW is set to fill the breach.

Formula 1's inaugural night race in 2008 was widely-regarded as one of the success stories of the season, and as the travelling circus returns there this weekend for the second edition of the Singapore Grand Prix in the Far Eastern city-state, hopes are high for a similar spectacle.

With the annual Formula 1 silly season getting increasingly into full swing, three names are being mooted as the most likely candidates for a drive at Manor Grand Prix in 2010 - out-of-work Super Aguri F1 refugee Anthony Davidson, current BMW-Sauber reserve driver Christian Klien and reigning A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Champion Adam Carroll.

The post-qualifying fuel weights ahead of the European Grand Prix this weekend suggest that Sebastian Vettel should be worried, that Rubens Barrichello is arguably in the box seat - and that Jenson Button could just be about to get his faltering championship challenge back on-track under the Spanish sun.

It's that time of year again. The F1 circus is off sunning itself on its mid-summer break, drivers and teams alike are taking a much-needed and well-deserved breather from the frenetic nature of one grand prix after another - and everybody seems to be talking about who will be driving where in 2010. Here at Crash.net there is no exception, so we have put together a list of likely options and moves between this season and next, who is in favour and who is likely heading out of the door. The drivers have been listed in order of present championship position.

Global music superstars Beyonce, The Black Eyed Peas, Simple Minds, ZZ Top and N.E.R.D have all been lined up by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to rock the weekend of the Singapore Grand Prix next month - though ticket sales for the island city-state's second race are still struggling to get off the starting grid.

BMW has dropped hints that it may be willing to follow fellow German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz in supplying 'customer' versions of its engines to other F1 teams - with suggestions the Bavarian marque has Red Bull Racing as its prime target.

Flying in the face of the opinions expressed by both Ferrari and BMW over the past week, Ross Brawn has thrown his support behind the FIA's new optional ?40 million budget cap in Formula 1, warning that without it the top flight risks 'turning [engineers] into Swiss watchmakers' - but equally underlining that it will only be workable if it is embraced by all.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs are underway and some expected fringe contenders have immediately fallen below the cutline due to their various misfortunes on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway.For one, Richard Childress Racing had a dreadful night with both Austin Hill and Jesse Love having non-competitive speed and the latter needing to pit for a loose wheel. Meanwhile, JR Motorsports ...Keep reading

"Our weekly science experiment continues."That is how Brad Keselowski summed up the new right-side tires brought by Goodyear to Bristol Motor Speedway that were engineered to fall off quicker than its predecessor but actually showed little wear compared to the spring race during Friday practice."The tires held up really really well today," Keselowski said. "I’m surprised by that but we ...Keep reading

Excitement was building around the 16 playoff drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway, but all eyes should have been on A.J. Allmendinger and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. After lapping the half-mile in 15.117 seconds, no one could touch him in a shocking upset that surprised even the veteran driver. This is Allmendinger's fifth career pole, but his first in over a decade. You have to go even ...Keep reading

Adrien Fourmaux leads Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville, after a dramatic Friday afternoon headlined by a suspected engine issue for World Rally Championship title contender Ott Tanak.Fourmaux inherited the rally lead after Tanak hit trouble in stage six to end the day with a one second lead over Neuville, who launched an impressive fightback after a frustrating morning. Toyota’s Sébastien ...Keep reading

Adrien Fourmaux leads Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville, after a dramatic Friday afternoon headlined by a suspected engine issue for World Rally Championship title contender Ott Tanak.Fourmaux inherited the rally lead after Tanak hit trouble in stage six to end the day with a one second lead over Neuville, who launched an impressive fightback after a frustrating morning. Toyota’s Sébastien ...Keep reading

Even if Shane Van Gisbergen gets eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after the Bristol Night Race, this is still an incredibly successful Rookie of the Year campaign in which he has already won four times on road courses while making steady progress on ovals.That’s how the three-time Australian Supercars champion looks at his season in advance of the first cut-off race where he ...Keep reading

On one hand, for Josh Berry to advance into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, he has to win but a disastrous start to his championship pursuit doesn’t mean he should do anything different.The way Berry sees it, his Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 team has actually performed pretty well. The 34-year-old started third in the Southern 500 but bottomed out in the first corner and ...Keep reading

At 27-years-old, Brenden 'Butterbean' Queen is supposed to be too old to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut based on the standards of this century but those standards have also shifted over the past half decade or so.Queen was content to be a short track lifer, earning most of his accolades in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour but circumstances have allowed him to begin earnestly pursuing a ...Keep reading

A winner of 21 Cup races and current NASCAR analyst for USA Network and NBC, Jeff Burton took some time to speak with Motorsport.com about a myriad of topics. He touched on the playoff format, offering a passionate defense of the legitimacy of modern champions while expressing openness to suggested changes.We also discussed the longest walk in the NASCAR garage -- the one between the ...Keep reading

Before heading to the mountains the defend his Bristol Night Race victory, Kyle Larson enjoyed a personal triumph in watching seven-year-old daughter Audrey win her first ever race earlier in the week.The win came at Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina in the Cadet Outlaw Kart division. This was her 12th start of the season at the sixth-mile bullring and 21st overall of the year across ...Keep reading