“JR Motorsports Signs Bires To Two-Year Deal Starting in 2010 - The Auto Chanel” plus 4 more

JR Motorsports Signs Bires To Two-Year Deal Starting in 2010 - The Auto Chanel
Tariff to push up cost of tires - Coloradoan
Man uninjured after train-car crash in Yorkville - Observer-Dispatch
2009 NASCAR Camping World schedule and standings - ESPN.com
House considers funding green vehicle research - The Miami Herald

JR Motorsports Signs Bires To Two-Year Deal Starting in 2010 - The Auto Chanel

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:11 AM PDT

MOORESVILLE, Sept. 16, 2009: Rising talent Kelly Bires has signed to drive a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for JR Motorsports in 2010-11, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today.

A native of Mauston, Wis., Bires has frequented the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2006. In 66 career Nationwide Series starts, Bires has earned three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He tallied two of his top-fives this season with a career-best finish of fourth at Nashville Superspeedway on April 11 for Kevin Harvick Inc. and fifth at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1 for Braun Racing.

"Kelly is a talented young driver, and we want to give him the opportunity to showcase that talent," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JR Motorsports. "Our whole premise at JR Motorsports from the beginning has been to take up-and-coming drivers, give them the chance to drive good equipment, and help them reach the next level. Kelly has a lot of promise. I noticed his potential earlier this year, and we are glad to have him at JR Motorsports."

JR Motorsports fields the Nos. 88 and 5 teams in the Nationwide Series. It has not been determined which of the two Bires will drive in 2010, as JR Motorsports is still in the process of securing sponsorship for next season.

"I can't thank Dale Jr. and Kelley enough for this opportunity," Bires said. "JR Motorsports is a quality organization. They win races, and they contend for championships. As a driver, that's all you can ever ask for. They have a tremendous infrastructure of support with Rick Hendrick and Tony Eury Sr. These are people who know how to win races, know how to win championships, and know what it takes to be successful."

Bires got his NASCAR start in 2006 in a Camping World Truck Series entry for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing (now JTG-Daugherty Racing). He was scheduled to tackle a partial truck schedule in 2007 but was promoted to the team's Nationwide Series entry after just seven races. In 2008 – his first full-time Nationwide Series attempt – Bires finished 13th in the point standings with six top-10s.

Like many of today's racers, Bires started early. By the age of 17, he had already secured two regional karting championships and two national titles. He entered the Allison Legacy Car Series at the age of 15. In his first season, he captured Rookie of the Year honors. In his second season, he was crowned series champion. Bires made the move to late models in 2002, and in his first season in the ASA Late Model Series, he earned eight wins, four poles, and 15 top-fives. He finished no worse than 10th in each of his 17 starts.

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Tariff to push up cost of tires - Coloradoan

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:18 AM PDT

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He estimates a tire from China now sold for $56 will cost about $75 after the tariff takes effect. Lautzenheiser said customers can expect to start seeing prices going up next month.

In addition to higher tire prices for consumers, Laut-zenheiser said, the tariff could disrupt the supply as companies in China shift production to other countries such as South America or Vietnam.

From 2004 to 2008, U.S. imports of Chinese tires more than tripled and China's market share in the U.S. went from 4.7 percent of tires purchased to 16.7 percent, according to the U.S. Trade Representative's Office.

China automotive tire exports amount to approximately $2 billion annually. In the first seven months of this year, China exported $1.3 billion in tires to the United States, according to America.gov.

Nick Dodgson, owner of Fort Collins' Midas Auto Service and Tire Experts, also opposes the tariff.

"I think it is unfortunate because I don't think it is going to change how many tires are made here in the States," he said. "The consumer will end up paying for what looks like a political dispute."

While only 10 percent of the tires sold at Dodgson's store are from China, he, too, thinks production will simply be shifted to South America or Africa, considering America doesn't have the factories to produce enough tires.

Dodgson said the 35 percent increase will not hurt China or the United States, but it will hurt "John Q. Public."

Mark Bollman, owner of Alpine Tire Center, 367 E. Mountain Ave., said the majority of his tires come from China and he fully expects to see the increased tariff cost him more, which will cost his customers more.

"A lot of our tires come from China. Manufacturers have outsourced out there. We have no choice," he said. "My thoughts are, it's a little late. They should have done something before they moved all those jobs to China. ... They should have done something a little sooner."

Bollman stands somewhere in the middle on the tariff. While he likes the idea of encouraging American-made products, he isn't sure another tax is the answer. He doesn't know how much more tires might cost once the tariff takes affect, but has no doubt people will pay it.

Because tires are a necessity, he said drivers will be forced to pay the increased cost.

"The idea sounds good, but just another tax is not necessarily the cure for everything," Bollman said.

There are some dealers who will be unaffected by the new tariff.

Wyatt Wagner, manager of Discount Tire America's Tire at 1751 S. College, said the tariff will have little to no impact on his company because they primarily sell American-made tires such as Goodyear and Michelin.

His only non-American-made tires come from Japan.

In certain situations, such as a customer who only needs one tire, Wagner said he can order from China.

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Man uninjured after train-car crash in Yorkville - Observer-Dispatch

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:04 AM PDT

A Scooby Dog Food factory employee walked away without a scratch this morning after a freight train struck the front of his vehicle in Yorkville.

According to Whitestown Police Chief Don Wolanin, the factory employee was attempting to drive a company van over the railroad tracks that run along Oriskany Street when he did not see a westbound train heading his way.

The man, whose name is not yet being released, said the sun might have been glaring in his eyes at the time, which prevented him from noticing the train, Wolanin said.

Fortunately, Wolanin said, the truck had not driven far onto the tracks when the train struck the front hood portion of driver's side of the vehicle about 8:15 a.m. behind West End Auto.

Yorkville firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene, but the driver had not suffered any injuries, Wolanin said.

"He is extremely lucky that the train struck where it did," Wolanin said. "Another foot or two, and the train might have struck the door. How many times do you have a train hit a truck, and the guy is able to walk away from the accident and talk?"

The train still remained stopped as of 9:20 a.m., but Wolanin said it would likely be moving again shortly.

In the meantime, the cause of the minor accident still remains under investigation, Wolanin said.

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2009 NASCAR Camping World schedule and standings - ESPN.com

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 07:28 AM PDT

Feb. 13 -- NextEra Energy Resources 250, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Todd Bodine)

Feb. 21 -- San Bernardino County 200, Fontana, Calif. (Kyle Busch)

March 7 -- American Commercial Lines 200, Hampton, Ga. (Kyle Busch)

March 28 -- Kroger 250, Martinsville, Va. (Kevin Harvick)

April 25 -- O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, Kansas City, Kan. (Mike Skinner)

May 15 -- N.C. Education Lottery 200, Concord, N.C. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

May 29 -- AAA Insurance 200, Dover, Del. (Brian Scott)

June 5 -- Winstar World Casino 400K, Fort Worth, Texas (Todd Bodine)

June 13 -- Michigan 200, Brooklyn (Colin Braun)

June 19 -- Copart 200, West Allis, Wis. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

June 27 -- MemphisTravel.com 200, Memphis, Tenn. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

July 18 -- Built Ford Tough 225, Sparta, Ky. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

July 24 -- Camping World Truck Series 200, Indianapolis. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

Aug. 1 -- Toyota Tundra 200, Lebanon, Tenn. (Ron Hornaday Jr.)

Aug. 19 -- O'Reilly 200, Bristol, Tenn. (Kyle Busch)

Aug. 28 -- EnjoyIllinois.com 225, Joliet, Ill. (Kyle Busch)

Sept. 5 -- Lucas Oil 200, Newton, Iowa. (Mike Skinner)

Sept. 12 -- Copart 200, Madison, Ill. (Mike Skinner)

Sept. 19 -- Heluva Good! 200, Loudon, N.H.

Sept. 26 -- Las Vegas 350

Oct. 24 -- Kroger 200, Martinsville, Va.

Oct. 31 -- Mountain Dew 350, Talladega, Ala.

Nov. 6 -- Lone Star 350, Fort Worth, Texas.

Nov. 13 -- TBA, Avondale, Ariz.

Nov. 20 -- Ford 200, Homestead, Fla.

---

Driver Standings

1. Ron Hornaday Jr., 2,875

2. Matt Crafton, 2,678

3. Mike Skinner, 2,662

4. Brian Scott, 2,457

5. Todd Bodine, 2,389

6. Colin Braun, 2,372

7. David Starr, 2,310

8. Timothy Peters, 2,307

9. Rick Crawford, 2,302

10. Johnny Sauter, 2,297

11. Tayler Malsam, 2,289

12. Stacy Compton, 2,273

13. Terry Cook, 2,245

14. James Buescher, 2,085

15. Dennis Setzer, 2,065

16. T.J. Bell, 2,012

17. Jason White, 1,983

18. Chad McCumbee, 1,772

19. Kyle Busch, 1,704

20. Norm Benning, 1,475

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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House considers funding green vehicle research - The Miami Herald

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 07:21 AM PDT

WASHINGTON -- Targeting more funding for the auto industry, the House is considering an expansion into government-led research of fuel-efficient vehicle technology and making research dollars more available to auto parts suppliers.

The House was expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could allow the Energy Department to spend up to $550 million a year to conduct advanced technology vehicle and component part research and development. Aides said it could lead Congress to increase funding for vehicle research later this year by about $200 million annually.

It represents the latest move by Congress and the Obama administration to aid the auto industry. The White House stepped in with billions of dollars to rescue General Motors and Chrysler and lead the companies through bankruptcy last summer and Congress approved $25 billion last year to help the industry retool assembly plants to meet tougher fuel economy standards.

Administration officials on Tuesday released plans to raise the gas mileage standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and link greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy requirements.

Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the bill's sponsor, said his home region has "many companies in prime position to lead the world in the development of these exciting new products. The Big Three have undergone immense restructuring, now they must focus on new product development and this investment will go a long way toward that end."

The bill would authorize $2.9 billion to the Energy Department to boost the research over five years. It would push the government to team up with companies and universities to conduct research on technologies such as batteries for hybrid vehicles, electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells and infrastructure for the electric grid.

Congress is expected to provide funding to pay for the program at a later date.

The legislation would also create a research program for advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial trucks and transit vehicles while specifying that the government should partner with a diverse group of companies, non-governmental organizations and academic groups, including those which have not previously worked on government-sponsored research and development.

The Energy Department in June announced it would lend $5.9 billion to Ford Motor Co. and about $2.1 billion to Nissan Motor Co. and Tesla Motors Inc. to upgrade facilities to build fuel-efficient vehicles. Battery manufacturers were awarded $2.4 billion in federal grants in August to develop electric vehicles and batteries. Other auto suppliers have been seeking similar partnerships with the government.

Bob McKenna, president and CEO of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, wrote in a letter to lawmakers on Monday that the legislation "will allow motor vehicle suppliers to make the highly efficient components and technologies that will be necessary for future cutting-edge vehicles."