Latest news with #Daytona500
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS NASCAR legend and three-time Daytona 500 winner Larry McClure dies aged 81
NASCAR legend Larry McClure has died at the age of 81. McClure was a co-owner of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, and oversaw three Daytona 500 wins in the 1990s. 'The Family of Larry A. McClure, former co-owner of Morgan McClure Motorsports, announces with great sorrow his passing on Wednesday, June 25 at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia,' his family said in a statement. 'We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this most difficult time.' McClure operated Morgan-McClure Motorsports alongside Tim Morgan and his brother Jerry McClure.
Mint
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Brad Pitt's ‘F1': What this racing film teaches us about money and mindset
Joseph 'Top Gun: Maverick' Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda give the audience a chance to be in the F1 car and experience races on the big IMAX screen. Follow the maverick of the F1 track Sonny Heyes schooling the rookie driver Josh Pearce race after race into a full scale Bollywood finish. And yes, there's a 'yeh dosti' trope, a girl, a bet and a villain who needs to be beaten. Not to forget a ride off into a Baja sunset. Rainy Friday morning outside and a luminous Brad Pitt inside! What more do you need? Brad Pitt plays Sonny Heyes - almost famous F1 star of yesteryear, now driving the Daytona 500 at night (when the stands are empty of any fans), living in a van. His friend Ruben Cervantes - played by the one and only Javier Bardem - shows up and asks Sonny to be his Hail Mary pass. The APXGp team is in trouble and needs a driver. Will Joshua Pearce, the talented but a rookie driver accept Heyes? When will two hotheads learn to be a team? Will an unknown team who has barely qualified actually win? And what money lessons can we learn from a Brad Pitt starrer F1 movie? Brad Pitt mulls about the offer his old teammate and now an owner of an F1 team has made. He asks the waitress at the diner what she would do. She asks him: Is it the money? Brad Pitt smiles and we know the answer: It is never about the money. He just does not know anything else but driving cars. Fast. He has nightmares about the accident he had years ago, but cannot stay away from the race track. Serial entrepreneurs are like Sonny Heyes, no matter how many times they've failed on the track, they always come back. There are successes like Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey but there are so many unsung others who cannot stop trying. One huge money lesson you learn from Sonny Heyes is frugality. Sonny lives in a van, and though he gambles his dedication to driving is impeccable. He's at the track before anyone else, he's up at night studying the race track, figuring out moves and even though a modern gym is available to test his instincts as a race driver, he chooses to run in the open, never forgetting that it is the winning the race the whole thing is about. If you are like him, investing in new ventures, ensure that you understand every nuance of your business model. Frugality is the key, and keeping a track of finances, making sure your new venture is not overspending will help you reach your financial goals. At first, the rookie driver Joshua Pearce is full of it - constantly checking his phone to see how good his social media score is, how well he's liked. He's what Sonny Heyes used to be: the promising star of the race track. But Sonny shows up and we see a clash of two strong personalities. One who knows that social media is only 'noise' and the other who thinks 'elderly' drivers need to take a back seat instead of advising him how to drive and when to push the car… They win only when they work as a team. Sounds very Bollywoodish, but there it is. A film that will teach you that you still have tears of joy left inside of you. When you work as a team with your personal finance manager, listen to his advice about when to invest in what stocks, and inform him about when you'd like to take risks and when you want to coast the waves of the markets, then and only then will you make money enough to come away the winner. Study the racetracks of the money market as Sonny does. After all, you have only yourself to blame. Unless of course your family depends on the money you are investing, then you learn to work with a team of advisors. Some who will help you through your mistakes (you should not have invested in your best friend's restaurant because he did not know basics like waking up early in the morning to take that trip to the wholesale market), others who will stop you from spending all the winnings at a nightclub (it was so much fun to watch DJ Tiesto for a couple of seconds in the movie!)... And yes, another unpredictable chicane in the movie: not a money lesson, but a life lesson. Watch out for people who pretend to be friends and stab you in the back. Don't let them know that you're planning to redesign your financial strategy (just like Kate redesigns the car in the film to make it combat ready) or else they will hurt you. Sure the ending is pure Bollywood, a much well deserved catharsis, but as an audience you come away with a huge dollop of hope. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during editing! I would have saved all the Verstappen and Hamilton clips, and Norris's parts too! Plus the unused footage from the micro cameras inside the F1 cars! The roar of the engines is still in my ears and I am hoping to someday make it to the Baja race! Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer's forum, hosts Mumbai's oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Kerry Condon laps it up with Brad Pitt in F1: The Movie
Brad Pitt may be behind the wheel, but Kerry Condon's in control of the gear box in this fun drama that's basically more a picture postcard than pit stop view of the F1 world. You never know who you're going to bump into at a launderette. Even if you're Brad Pitt, playing a former Formula 1 driver who's now a four-wheel pilot for hire. His name's Sonny Hayes – sounds like an inter-county hurler – and thirty years ago he was a young phenomenon in F1. That was until he crashed his car during a Grand Prix and suffered career-ending injuries. Now, he's hitting 60, just completed a stint at the Daytona 500 and needs to do a spot of washing. Then an old pal walks in and offers him the ultimate offer of redemption: a return to the F1 circuit. The old pal is Reuben Cervantes (played by Javier Bardem), a former F1 teammate who's now the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team. The deal is that Sonny will co-drive with and mentor Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie who needs an experienced head to guide him to greatness. Initially, Sonny turns him down. But this is Hollywood. He turns up at the track and the fun begins. Our own Kerry Condon pops up in the pivotal role of the team's technical director. She has a smile that could melt granite, but she's a tough girl from Thurles and won't take any crap from Sonny. What follows is a fun, if pretty formulaic tale from the track (including a token insider 'baddie'), with some superb racing shots that put the viewer right behind the wheel. As ever, Pitt plays his role with chummy blokiness and – aside from it being basically a promo vid for F1 – it's well worth a look in the company of something fizzy and a box of popcorn. For added authenticity, filming took place during actual Grand Prix weekends, so it has a genuine feel to it, with the 'real F1 driver' likes of Lewis Hamilton – who is also a producer on the film – popping up and popping champagne.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
MLB, NASCAR stars talk the legends of Bristol as racetrack transforms for historic ballgame
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advises the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to watch a couple of night races at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Speedway Classic. Once at the racetrack, he recommends a walk up the banked walls to truly appreciate the half-mile bullring. MLB's Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 means either the Reds or Braves will win at Bristol before Stenhouse reaches victory lane at his favorite track. He still plans to watch as they play an MLB game on a ballpark built inside the Bristol infield. 'Hopefully, if they get one over the wall, kind of see where that ball ends up landing," Stenhouse said of the track where going over the wall usually means injuries and ambulances. "But, yeah, just a really cool venue and something that I'll be looking forward to watching.' Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, now a Fox racing analyst, said search his 1990 crash where his car disintegrated after hitting a wall to learn how challenging Bristol can be. He joined Stenhouse, former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones, 2009 World Series champ Nick Swisher and three-time All-Star Reds first baseman and now MLB Network analyst Sean Casey in promoting the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee. Waltrip said the banking of the track has to be seen to be believed and is a big part of its intensity. 'The banking is straight up," Waltrip said. 'You can barely climb up it, and it's condensed down to a half-mile track. So you're just constantly in the corners and speeds upwards of 150 miles an hour. It's just crazy how precise and how technical you have to be to be successful there.' Trying to hit a baseball might be a bit easier than stepping into a racecar at Bristol. At those speeds, Stenhouse said he forgot to breathe for 10 laps his first time there. Bristol still has tickets available for an event that will feature a pregame concert with Tim McGraw and Pitbull. A fan zone outside the track will feature more music, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages and team mascots. 'It's going to be one of those special nights that goes down in history," said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. 'People are going to want to be there and want to be a part of it or tune in on Fox and take in this event.' Casey played in a March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum that drew 115,300 for the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game. Casey said this crossover gives baseball fans a reason to check out Bristol and NASCAR fans the chance to see something different. Players like Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will get an experience to remember. "These guys that are going to be able to have that memory of playing at Bristol, it's going to be a one of a kind thing,' Casey said. Stenhouse said he played some wiffle ball during the last stop in Bristol. NASCAR will be in Iowa with a Cup race Aug. 3, but he hopes to sneak over from his North Carolina home for a chance to hit some hard balls over the fence at Bristol — or pitch off the mound. 'I hit a wiffle ball over the fence,' Stenhouse said. "Yeah, it would be cool to get there and take the field in all at the same time.' ___
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
MLB, NASCAR stars talk the legends of Bristol as racetrack transforms for historic ballgame
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advises the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to watch a couple of night races at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Speedway Classic. Once at the racetrack, he recommends a walk up the banked walls to truly appreciate the half-mile bullring. MLB's Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 means either the Reds or Braves will win at Bristol before Stenhouse reaches victory lane at his favorite track. He still plans to watch as they play an MLB game on a ballpark built inside the Bristol infield. 'Hopefully, if they get one over the wall, kind of see where that ball ends up landing,' Stenhouse said of the track where going over the wall usually means injuries and ambulances. 'But, yeah, just a really cool venue and something that I'll be looking forward to watching.' Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, now a Fox racing analyst, said search his 1990 crash where his car disintegrated after hitting a wall to learn how challenging Bristol can be. He joined Stenhouse, former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones, 2009 World Series champ Nick Swisher and three-time All-Star Reds first baseman and now MLB Network analyst Sean Casey in promoting the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee. Waltrip said the banking of the track has to be seen to be believed and is a big part of its intensity. 'The banking is straight up,' Waltrip said. 'You can barely climb up it, and it's condensed down to a half-mile track. So you're just constantly in the corners and speeds upwards of 150 miles an hour. It's just crazy how precise and how technical you have to be to be successful there.' Trying to hit a baseball might be a bit easier than stepping into a racecar at Bristol. At those speeds, Stenhouse said he forgot to breathe for 10 laps his first time there. Bristol still has tickets available for an event that will feature a pregame concert with Tim McGraw and Pitbull. A fan zone outside the track will feature more music, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages and team mascots. 'It's going to be one of those special nights that goes down in history,' said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. 'People are going to want to be there and want to be a part of it or tune in on Fox and take in this event.' Casey played in a March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum that drew 115,300 for the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game. Casey said this crossover gives baseball fans a reason to check out Bristol and NASCAR fans the chance to see something different. Players like Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will get an experience to remember. 'These guys that are going to be able to have that memory of playing at Bristol, it's going to be a one of a kind thing,' Casey said. Stenhouse said he played some wiffle ball during the last stop in Bristol. NASCAR will be in Iowa with a Cup race Aug. 3, but he hopes to sneak over from his North Carolina home for a chance to hit some hard balls over the fence at Bristol — or pitch off the mound. 'I hit a wiffle ball over the fence,' Stenhouse said. 'Yeah, it would be cool to get there and take the field in all at the same time.' ___ AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum contributed to this report from New York. ___ AP MLB: and AP auto racing:
