Daily Drive: Daytona International Speedway to eliminate some seats

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTO SHOWS   |   VIDEOS   |   COLLECTOR   |   SUBSCRIBE Tuesday, June 18, 2013                  Plans call for Daytona International Speedway to shink its grandstand capacity by about one-third by 2016.... Daytona International Speedway to eliminate some seats as part of $400 million upgrade So long, Superstretch: Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday announced a major rebuilding project costing up to $400 million and targeting the front-straight seats, but part of the development will be the elimination of the “Superstretch” seating on the back straight, reducing total track capacity by about...   Catching Up with Allan McNish Ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans “I dislike a lot about Le Mans,” says Allan McNish, who has twice claimed the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “It is one of the most beautiful places in the world when you are winning; it is one of the...   2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS review notes ASSOCIATE EDITOR GRAHAM KOZAK: I honestly didn't expect to get much out of the Chevrolet Sonic, or the Sonic RS; I know it's aimed right at my demographic, but its entry-level, function-over-form attitude...   Hertz so good: Classic advertisements from a big name in car rental The vastness of the United States means that getting from Los Angeles to New York City may be a breeze thanks to airplanes and trains, but getting from the NYC airport to your final destination can be a headache. And what if a family from the East Coast wants to take a road trip down the West Coast ...   McLaren to bring F1 GTR, LM and Longtail to Goodwood McLaren is taking the 24 Hours of Le Mans off this year -- actually, it has taken the last 14 years off -- and is instead concentrating on a British tradition: the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The company confirmed it would bring the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR to take on the hill this year. ...   MyFord Touch getting knobs and buttons? Ford Motor Co. plans to revert to more traditional knobs and buttons in its MyFord Touch infotainment and control system. The system has hurt Ford's ratings in several quality surveys. Customers have complained the system...   One Lap of the Web: Lamborghini Gallardo replacement, Audi scrutineering and a morning dose of classic sheetmetal We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. Details regarding the...   Lotus Formula One gets new US investor The Lotus Formula One team on Tuesday revealed a new investor in the form of a consortium called Infinity Racing, funded partly by U.S. interests and not related to carmaker Infiniti, which is the title sponsor of championship-winning team Red Bull Racing. Infinity has acquired 35 percent of...   NASCAR driver Mike Harmon turns himself in on charges of stealing vehicles from Jennifer Jo Cobb NASCAR driver Mike Harmon has turned himself in to authorities in North Carolina after warrants were issued for him and a business partner. Sheriff's deputies in Rowan (N.C.) County say warrants were issued for Harmon and the business partner on Monday. Authorities say the men are charged... You May Have Missed...   Audi prices SQ5 SUV at $51,900: High-performance ute most expensive in Q5 lineup The 2014 Audi SQ5 high-performance SUV will cost $51,900 when it hits showrooms later this summer. The first S variant of the Q-line makes power with a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 delivering 354 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque.Audi first revealed the SQ5 at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and then...   Watch Usain Bolt drive an F1 replicar, slowly In 2009, Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt shattered the world record for the 100-meter sprint, crossing the line in just 9.58 seconds.In 2013, Bolt broke another record: Driving a Formula One car more slowly than we've ever seen an F1 car driven before.Sure, the car is a cheesy replica, but we doubt the ...   Cunningham Corvette No. 1 court battle: Updates The court battle to settle the fate of the long-lost Cunningham Corvette No. 1 continues. As Corvette Blogger reports, U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III has denied a request made by the Vette's apparent current owner, Kevin Mackay, to have the lawsuit brought against him by the son of a...   24 Hours of Le Mans illustrates the power of brand exposure and marketing smarts Somebody at Porsche AG has a wicked sense of humor. The 24 Hours of Le Mans grandstands sit directly across from the pits at Circuit de la Sarthe, and the facade facing the pit lane is sold each year for advertising. Someone at Porsche managed to secure the space directly across from the Audi pits. ...   This week in 1976: Slumping small-car sales NASCAR driver David Pearson's win at the Riverside 400, slumping small-vehicle sales and future vehicle predictions are the top stories of our June 19, 1976 issue.Pearson won the race by 1.6 seconds over Bobby Allison, fighting for every inch of the 2.62-mile road track on the western edge of the...   Alfa Romeo 4C stalks Spanish streets - video Alfa Romeo is doing a little public relations work on YouTube today. The Italian brand is hyping the new 4C sports car that is scheduled to hit American shores later this year.The two-seater will run a 1.8-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine making 240 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, paired...   Watch: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento in action We were first introduced to the carbon-fiber bodied Lamborghini Sesto Elemento in 2010 at the Paris auto show. The fact that it would be the fastest Lamborghini ever produced was enough to get us salivating.The name “Sesto Elemento” refers to the sixth element, carbon, which this...   Bring a Trailer: Customized 1969 BMW 2002 This highly customized 1969 BMW 2002 with a widebody kit is for sale though eBay via our friends at Bring a Trailer. It currently resides in Mission Hills, Calif. with a bid of $9,500. The auction ends in less than two days; it has nine bids so far. The BMW 2002 was part of the company's “New ...   Volvo Car Australia ready to go racing, V8 Supercars style Volvo Car Australia announced Monday that it will be on the V8 Supercars Championship grid in 2014 and ready to race.As the first luxury-car brand to join the V8 Supercars Championship with a factory team, Volvo Car Australia has joined forces with Volvo Car Group’s global motorsports partner ...   Electric-powered motorcycles coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway They might be burning rubber, but they won't be burning fuel.On Monday it was announced that that the FIM eRoadRacing series will be making a stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August, and bringing with it some electric-powered motorcycles capable of going 180 mph.Check out the release... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the Autoweek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other Autoweek e-mail products. 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