Red Bull Leaving NASCAR At End Of Year

So much for that idea...

This makes sense on a couple of fronts...

1) The energy drink market has become so fractured that Red Bull has lost market share in the US- regardless of the amount of competition...

2) The team has struggled since it started in 2007- even as the trendsetter that brought in Toyota as a race car full-time. Brian Vickers failed to qualify for 13 of 36 races in '07. He finished 38th in the final Sprint Cup standings. AJ Allmendinger missed 19 races that year and was 43rd in the final points.

Jay Frye was brought on the next season as GM, and the team improved on the track. But Allmendinger was let go late in 2008 for Scott Speed...

Speed was let go at the end of last year and is currently suing Red Bull, according to ESPN's Marty Smith.

Here's Scott's take...
((HT: SpeedChannel/NASCAR/NASCARImages/youtube))


Vickers won a race in 2009, but was sidelined most of last year with blood clots.
((HT: XERB1090/ESPN on ABC/NASCAR))


The team has Kasey Kahne on loan from Hendrick Motorsports to go with Vickers this year, but Kahne has five top-10 finishes and is 19th in points and Vickers has five top-10 finishes and is 24th in points.

So, then there's stability...

3) NASCAR has been losing audience in the energy drink target demo: 18-34...

Red Bull's success in Formula One goes without saying as Sebastian Vettel has ruled the circuit this year...
((HT: FOM/youtube))


So, what would you do...???
Even with the guys looking for a major sponsor next year, they're still bailing...

DEVELOPING: Kahne Released From RPM

Like, now...

Kasey Kahne was set to join Red Bull Racing next season as a placeholder/seat warmer until Mark Martin decides to retire from his chair at Hendrick. At that time, Kahne would jump into the number 5 seat...

But Kahne's jump to Red Bull can start immediately if not sooner...

Kahne thought he had a good car at Charlotte last week, but his brakes failed- causing Kasey to blow up and team members to jam at him behind his back...

"It's not like you have half-brakes, like you can pump them," Kahne said at the time. "Your foot goes to the floor. It bottoms out. It's a joke."

"I'm not going to say names, but I was told that I need to start doing my part," Kahne said of an unnamed RPM employee. "I can't control the issues I've had this year. I don't know how many parts I've broke. If I really thought about it, I could come up with all kinds of stuff.

"You can't control that as a driver. I'm doing my part. I just need the car. I work as hard as anybody out there."

Remember, RPM had financial problems and was purchased by George Gillett. They had more financial problems and have been a poor association with Richard Petty.

As a flashback, here's the end of Kahne for RPM...
((HT: NASCAR Images/ABC/Youtube))

Vickers Admits Heart Surgery Last Month

At a press conference at Bristol Saturday, NASCAR driver Brian Vickers says he had
heart surgery last month as part of his treatment for blood clots.

Vickers stopped racing in May when doctors discovered clots in his leg and lungs. He said a third clot was found in a finger on his left hand. He said he had surgery to close a hole in his heart, and another one to insert a stent into a vein in his left leg.

He says doctors found he suffers from something called May-Thurner syndrome, a blood clot disorder that increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Doctors say he's still okay to return to racing next season.

Here's a flashback to what Vickers did for his racing team...
Last season at Michigan...
((HT: nascarcrashes2/NASCAR/ESPN))

Vickers Out For Season

Brian Vickers will miss the remainder of the NASCAR season because of blood clots in his lungs and left leg.

Vickers was hospitalized last week after having chest pains during a visit to Washington, D.C. Testing revealed clots and Vickers missed the race at Dover.

He is is being treated with blood thinners, and his physician couldn't clear him to race because of the dangers of getting injured in a crash.

He also tried to lighten the mood at the Friday afternoon press conference announcing Team Red Bull's plans for the rest of 2010...

"I can actually race on blood thinners, I just can't crash," he smiled. "So I said 'OK, what if I don't crash?' "

Red Bull Racing GM Jay Frye said the team was still deciding how the rest of the season is going to work, but indicated Casey Mears could stay in the seat- the only exception would be on the two road races left on the NASCAR schedule.

Vickers said he planned to be back in the car next season.

Here's highlights of Vickers win at
((HT: BumpsNotes/NASCAR/NASCAR Media/ESPN/ABC))

Vickers Out For Three Months, Mears In For Red Bull...

((HT: ESPN/NASCAR))

David Newton has been all over the health issues of Brian Vickers- which the HQ feels sounds a lot like a predecessor to DVT...

Red Bull Racing says they're going to wait for final recommendations from doctors and that details of Vickers' prognosis will be announced on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he and and Red Bull GM Jay Frye will have a news conference.

Mike Massaro catches up with David Newton about the situation for the 83 car...


Here's the early stages of the news with Massaro and Terry Blount...

This Qualifies As "Bad Ass..."

It's Robbie Maddison's jump on to the top of, and subsequently off, the Arc de Triomphe in Las Vegas from New Year's Eve...

Yeah, we know it aired on the four-letter, but SFW...
Enjoy...