Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. was arrested Thursday morning and charged with drunk and reckless driving in New Mexico after authorities said he was driving more than 100 mph,  according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jennifer Brown confirmed that Unser, 49, was arrested around 3 a.m. just outside of Albuquerque, where he lives. Brown said Unser was drag racing another car in his Suburban and was going around 101 mph before sheriff’s deputies caught up to him.

Unser Jr.

Unser Jr.

He was charged with reckless driving and aggravated driving while intoxicated.

According to a sheriff’s report, Unser smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech. Sheriff’s deputies said his blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Unser was released from jail on his own recognizance.

It was unclear if he had an attorney.

In a statement, IndyCar, sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series, said it was aware of the charges. Unser was working with IndyCar as a driving coach and a race control official.

“Al Unser Jr. has been suspended indefinitely and relieved of his duties in Race Control, pending further investigation,” IndyCar said in a statement.

IndyCar officiating has come under sharp criticism this season with accusations of inconsistent rule enforcement under the direction of racing operations director Brian Barnhart.

This is not the first time Unser has had problems with the law.

In 2007, he pleaded no contest to a driving under the influence charge stemming from a January 2007 crash on a Nevada freeway.

Nevada authorities said Unser’s blood-alcohol content was 3 times the legal limit and he failed field sobriety tests.

As part of the plea deal, Unser lost his driver’s license for 90 days, was fined $1,000 and had to attend a drunk driving school, a victim-impact panel and undergo alcohol abuse evaluation.

His lawyer at the time said Unser had stopped drinking and was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Unser also performed more than 100 hours of community service on alcohol treatment-related causes.

In 2002, Unser also underwent treatment for alcohol abuse after his girlfriend said he hit her in the face while he was drunk in Indianapolis.

Prosecutors did not file charges.

Unser, who is retired, is the son of Indy 500 racing legend Al Unser, and the nephew of 3-time Indy winner Bobby Unser. He won the Indy 500 in 1992 and 1994, and won two CART points titles and two IROC championships.

He won the IndyCar race in Toronto in 1988 and again in 1990 and has been a guest several times on the Raceline Radio Network!

ET

Ok…. what do you think of one of the new configurations for the new IndyCar?

I have to tell you I am not a fan of this version:

Dan Wheldon

IndyCar continues to confused me.

I know they wanted to boost fan interest with their 5 million dollar bonus for any “outsider” driver who could win the season closer at Las Vegas, and we had boss Randy Bernard on Raceline recently talking about this.

But not if they change the rules as the game goes on.

This outsider could not have raced 2 or more times this season to be eligible.

So why has Alex Tagliani of Montreal been replaced at Sam Schmidt Motorsport for this weekend’s  go at Kentucky Speedway so Dan Wheldon, this year’sIndy 500 winner  can have a warm up race before he tries for the big money at Vegas?

Did they change the rule?  Are they making this up as they go along?

Indy 500 for the win and Kentucky.

That’s 2 races for Dan.

Doesn’t this make him in eligible?

Wheldon was shoe-horned into the money-spot when plans to have an invader try fell apart.

Rallyist, stunter, motocross bike ace Travis Pastrana was interested until he got hurt.

Alex Zanardi and NASCAR’s Kasey Kahne were interested as well, but Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske killed those plans saying they didn’t want to get distracted from the current points fight between Dario Franchitti and Will Power.

Weak, but what ever you say boys.

By Erik Tomas, The Raceline Radio Network.

Weekend of:  September  23, 24 and 25^th, Previewing Sept. 30, Oct 1, 2/11

________________________________________________________________________

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Last Race: Sunday September 25^th: New Hampshire. Chase for the Championship race # 2/10: “Smoke” is 2 and 0 to start the Chase! After winning the Chicago opener in fuel saving mode, Tony Stewart is there to pounce when leader Clint Bowyer runs out of gas with 3 laps to go, the exact
reverse of what happened at NH last year! Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers the balance of the top 5.

Chase Points: Stewart leads Chase points for the first time since he won the Championship in 2005. He’s 7-up on Kevin Harvick, who arrived 12^th at New Hampshire.

Note: Normal scoring applies during the Chase, with race winners earning 43 base points plus 3 bonus points, all drivers who lead a lap earning 1 bonus point, and the driver who leads the most laps earning 1 bonus point in addition to any other points earned.

Next Race: Sunday October 2^nd: Dover Delaware- Round 3/10 in the Chase: Last year’s winner: Jimmie Johnson.

_________________________________________________________________________

Formula One World Driving Championship:

Last Race: Sunday September 25^th, Singapore ( Street race at night! ): More of Sebastien Vettel’s domination! From the pole, his leads are so big at times, he looks like he’s the only car
on the track! But with Jenson Button finishing 2^nd, Vettel falls ONE point short of clinching his 2^nd consecutive championship! Mark Webber finished 3^rd.  Vettel’s 9^th win of the season, his 3^rd in a row.

F-1 Points: Leading Button by 24, Vettel can clinch his 2^nd straight title basically by just finishing the Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull has already clinched the 2011 Constructor’s Championship. They lead McLaren by 138 points with 5 races to go.

Next Race: Sunday October 9^th ( 2 AM ): The Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka. Last year’s winner: S. Vettel.

__________________________________________________________________________

Indy Racing League IZOD IndyCar Series:

Next Race: Sunday October 2^nd, Kentucky Speedway, 2^nd last race of the season. Last year’s winner”:
Helio Castroneves. Last Race: Sunday September 18^th, Twin Ring Motegi, Tokyo Japan.  Scott
Dixon wins, 2^nd for Penske’s Will Power, while Dario Frachitti was put tail for avoidable contact with Ryan Briscoe on lap 26^th and could only recover to 9^th.

2 Canadians: Alex Tagliani: a solid 4^th. James Hinchcliffe: 5^th.

IndyCar Points: Power is now 11 ahead of Franchitti with only Kentucky and Vegas remaining.

_____________________________________________________________________

Next American LeMans Series Next Race: October 1^st:  Season-closer: Petit LeMans, Road Atlanta. Canada’s Kyle Marcelli: and the Intersport Team: 3^rd in class, this division title still up for grabs, Genoa Racing in the lead with one round to go!

____________________________________________________________________________

Rallying:

World Rally Championship: . Next: October 2^nd , Rally France.

Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru: Next: October 1: Pacific Forest Rally, Merritt BC.

___________________________________________________________________

Monday October 3rd: The very latest on The CANADIAN MOTOR SPEEDWAY development, a Raceline exclusive! We wrap up the NASCAR Canada season with champion SCOTT STECKLY and TV pitman/insider TODD LEWIS… and another go at the Tissot/Raceline E-Mail Bag contest!

-Guest scheduling is subject to change.

Organizers of the Detroit Grand Prix are setting up sponsorships that could return the race to the city next year.

The City Council on Tuesday approved an application to bring the race back to Detroit’s Belle Isle next June, according to event chair Bud Denker, a former Raceline Radio guest.

“We have to start with the landlord first, and (the city) owns the park,” Denker said. “Now, we have to put the pieces of sponsorship together. Nothing is confirmed.”

The application was approved for multiple years. Denker added that he expects to have sponsorships in the next few weeks. Race officials are eyeing June 1-3 for the event, the week after the Indy 500.

The Detroit race series on Belle Isle started in 2007 after a 6-year gap. Earlier auto races took place on streets around the Renaissance Center.

The last race was held in 2008 in Detroit and later was canceled due to the poor economy and trouble getting sponsors with the auto manufacturing industry on its back.

“A lot of people were disappointed, but people understood we were going into a very difficult recession,” said Denker, a senior vice president at the Penske Corp. “Now, they are excited we are bringing it back. We want to bring back the excitement.”

Would be excellent to have another IndyCar race along the Network, as our AM 800 CKLW partners make up a big chunk of the Detroit GP fan base!

Cross yer fingers!

ET

We just had IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard on.
Despite his gaffs in race control re-starting the New Hampshire race in the rain, Bernard repeated the anti-Brian Barnhart faction is a small one.

Barnhart, not to be confused with Bernard, is the man in charge of race operations.

At your neighbourhood track, he’d be the race director… the RD.

But the population just went up by one.

Maybe more than one!

Helio Castroneves, a frequent guest on this show, borrowed Paul Tracy’s words and called Barnhart a “circus clown” for his inconsistent rule enforcement.

In the finishing order, Helio was cited for passing under caution, and dispatched from his 7th place finishing position to 22nd. Loss of points, loss of purse.

But the call on Dario Franchitti is the bad one.

Franchitti clobbers Ryan Briscoe, and the wreck takes out 3 cars. Dario, fighting for the points lead with Will Power, filters to the back trying to get repairs in the pits.

But Barnhart, for avoidable contact, penalizes Franchitti to the tail of the field.

But Brian lad…. Dario’s already there, so it’s like no penalty at all.

Avoidable contact usually rates a drive-through penalty.

You can understand why “some” are critcal of Barnhart’s officiating.

When Paul Tracy called then ChampCar race director Chris Kneifel a clown, it cost him 50 GR and a suspension.

Different league, different officials, but will the same fate await Helio?

All I know is, this season has been a rough one for the IndyCar “zebras”.

Some of the calls have been brutal!

Randy Bernard promised to examine rule enforcement in the off season.

He better!
ET

We just had IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard on.
Despite his gaffs in race control re-starting the New Hampshire race in the rain, Bernard repeated the anti-Brian Barnhart faction is a small one.

Barnhart, not to be confused with Bernard, is the man in charge of race operations.

At your neighbourhood track, he’d be the race director… the RD.

But the population just went up by one.

Maybe more than one!

Helio Castroneves, a frequent guest on this show, borrowed Paul Tracy’s words and called Barnhart a “circus clown” for his inconsistent rule enforcement.

In the finishing order, Helio was cited for passing under caution, and dispatched from his 7th place finishing position to 22nd. Loss of points, loss of purse.

But the call on Dario Franchitti is the bad one.

Franchitti clobbers Ryan Briscoe, and the wreck takes out 3 cars. Dario, fighting for the points lead with Will Power, filters to the back trying to get repairs in the pits.

But Barnhart, for avoidable contact, penalizes Franchitti to the tail of the field.

But Brian lad…. Dario’s already there, so it’s like no penalty at all.

Avoidable contact usually rates a drive-through penalty.

You can understand why “some” are critcal of Barnhart’s officiating.

When Paul Tracy called then ChampCar race director Chris Kneifel a clown, it cost him 50 GR and a suspension.

Different league, different officials, but will the same fate await Helio?

All I know is, this season has been a rough one for the IndyCar “zebras”.

Some of the calls have been brutal!

Randy Bernard promised to examine rule enforcement in the off season.

He better!
ET

By Erik Tomas, The  Raceline Radio Network.

Weekend of:  September 16, 17 and 18. Previewing Sept. 23, 24 and 25^th.

________________________________________________________________________

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Last Race: Chase for the Championship race # 1/10: Sunday September 18^th,
Chicagoland Speedway, Chicago: For the 2^nd time in 3 races weather got in the way, pushed ahead to Monday September 19^th at 12 Noon Eastern. Another classic fuel gamble! Tony Stewart picked the perfect time to win his first race of the season! Smoke took the lead with 30 laps to go and was able to clutch-in the motor in the corners to drop the revs to save enough fuel to make it, while a large bunch of chasers ran out of gas on the last lap. Kevin Harvick finished 2^nd in Chicago, Dale Earnhardt Junior 3^rd.

Chase Points: Harvick leads Stewart by 7.

Note: Each Chaser starts with points re-set to a base of 5000 points. Normal scoring applies during the
Chase, with race winners earning 43 base points plus 3 bonus points, all  drivers who lead a lap earning 1 bonus point, and the driver who leads the most laps earning 1 bonus point in addition to any other points earned.

Next Race: Sunday September 25^th: New Hampshire. Last year’s winner: Clint Boyer.

______________________________________________________________________

Last Race: Sunday September 18^th, Twin Ring Motegi, Tokyo Japan, ( 11 PM eastern Sat. start!): Scott Dixon wins the last IndyCar  race at the track.  2^nd for  Penske’s Will Power, while Dario Frachitti was put tail for avoidable contact  with Ryan Briscoe on lap 26^th and could only recover to 8^th,
meaning we have a change for the point lead

2 Canadians: Alex Tagliani: a solid 4^th when the Franchitti contact triggered a big wreck that took out some people.  James Hinchcliffe with another bad outing, slow pit stops put him 15^th while rookie of the year rival JR Hildebrand arrived 7^th.

IndyCar  Points: Power is now 11 ahead of Franchitti with only
Kentucky and Vegas remaining.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Formula  One World Driving Championship:

Next Race: Sunday  September 25^th, Singapore. Last year’s winner: Fernando Alonso.

Last  Race: Sunday September 11^th: Italian Grand Prix,
Monza. No problems for Germany’s Sebastien Vettel, who wins and dominates from  the pole, his 8^th win of the season, just another step  closer to a second consecutive title. Jenson
Button won a battle with Fernando Alonso for second, with Lewis Hamilton 4^th,  trapped behind Michael Schumacher, who recorded his 2^nd straight top  5 finish!

F-1 Points: Vettel on  target for back-to-back championships. He leads Alonso by 112 with 6 races to
go.

_____________________________________________________________________________

American LeMans Series Next Race: Sept. 15-17:  Laguna Seca, Monterey CA: Laguna Seca, Monteray California: A runner-up  finish gave Chris Dyson, Guy Smith and Jay Cochran the team champion for Dyson  Racing. Joey Hand and Dirk Muller ( MEW-ler ) secured the GT crown for BMW.
Canada’s Kyle Marcelli: and the  Intersport Team: 3^rd in class, this division title still up for
grabs, Genoa Racing in the lead with one round to go!

____________________________________________________________________________

Rallying:

World  Rally Championship: Sept. 11: Australia: Mikko Hirvonen and  Jari-Matti Latvala with  a Ford 1-2. With  Sebastien Loeb a distant 10^th, Hirvonen is just 15 points back of  Loeb. Next: October 2^nd , Rally France.

Canadian  Rally Championship presented by Subaru: Sept. 9-10: Rally Defi St. Agathe PQ: Antoine L’Estage and Natalie Richard  win this rally for a 6^th time, when Pat Richard runs out of fuel on 2^nd stage. Next: October 1: Pacific Forest Rally, Merritt BC.

______________________________________________________________________

Monday September 19th, 11 pm after Jays: PAUL TRACY is back to talk about running the last 2 races on the IndyCar schedule… KYLE MARCELLI  details his recent American LeMans Series win in Baltimore… and our  Tissot/Raceline E-Mail Bag contest to win the watch!

Monday September 26^th: Continuing coverage  of NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship, the IndyCar battle and more… PETER DUNCAN details a new rally event for Montreal… ART MCKENZIE tells us if there’s life for Calgary’s Race City  Motorsports Park after this season… and another play of the Tissot/Raceline  E-Mail Bag contest!

-Guest scheduling is subject to change.

NASCAR is looking into accusations that Paul Menard deliberately brought out a caution in last weekend’s Sprint Cup race at Richmond , to screw with the outcome.

This comes after Jeff Gordon  thought there was something “fishy” about the spinout that allowed Menard’s teammate, Kevin Harvick to win his 4th of the season.

“In light of the suspicions, we’re going to look into it and see if there is anything,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said Friday at Chicagoland. “And a lot of it is going to be interpretation. Certainly, it is on us to understand exactly what all we can find as far as facts are concerned.”

Helton said he has not heard the audio in which Menard allegedly asks crew chief Slugger Labbe and Richard Childress Racing executive Mike Dillon whether he should spin intentionally to cause a caution that would allow Harvick to close up on Gordon, setting up the pass for the win.

Helton said there was nothing during the officiating of the race that brought suspicion.

But if you think they’ll bring out the hangman if they discover a “fixed” finish, think again!

Helton adds things like this are considered race procedure and it’s unlikely punishment would result.

“I’m not saying we can’t,” Helton said. “We can. But a guy causing a caution during an event is a race procedure. It’s like balls and strikes. You don’t go back on Monday and change an out call or foul ball call.  It doesn’t say we can’t. If we see something that falls under the broader actions detrimental (to NASCAR) or something, it doesn’t mean we can’t. But more than likely it is going to be considered a race procedure. And race procedures, Helton noted, “are unappealable and unchangeable.”

“The biggest thing is to make sure we get the facts right and police the  environment moving forward,” Helton said. “We joke about there not being  gentleman’s agreements anymore in our sport, but I do feel there is a code of  ethics among drivers that is alive and well.  “I’m not necessarily overwhelmed by the chatter so far.”

So why even bother announcing they’ll look into something illegal if they’re not going to issue penalties if the parties are found guilty?

Seems a little weak to me!

Thanks to ESPN for the quotes.

ET

Here’s a half-assed attempt at handicapping the NASCAR Chase for The Championship.

Nothing earthshattering or scientific, just some arm chair observations.

KYLE BUSCH: The punk. Fast, powerful, a great team and “coach” Joe Gibbs. He can win it all, but his immaturity and the need to punch back to anyone who contacts the # 18 could throw off his concentration. If he’s focused, he could be tough to catch. He needs every stout engine they have at Toyota R and D.

JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Hard to wager against the reigning champ. 5 titles in a row is historic and this team and driver and crew chief can win a 6th. They know how to win the money rounds, even if they faulter in the playoff, their recovering ability is uncanny.  No pressure for the # 48 team. They just have to make sure they get over-the-wall service as good as the driver and Chad Knauss, and they will re-set history. But make no mistake, this will be the toughest Chase they have faced.

MATT KENSETH: Has anybody picked this quiet and methodical man at Roush-Fenway? He’s a former champion who knows how to get through the playoff. Jimmy Fennig is a veteran CC with tons of experience. Ford’s resurrection this year has been a major headline.  While most of the blue-oval glory has fallen to Carl Edwards, if the # 17 gets a batch of fast bullets from the engine shop, Kenseth could win it again for Jack the Hat!

CARL EDWARDS: See above. Carl made the right decision to stay at RFR, riding the top of Ford’s re-birth after watching Chevy win most of it.  Carl has one of those special connections with CC Bob Osborne. Nobody’s better than Edwards at getting  bad race cars to finish high, and he’s been one of the most consistent drivers this season. Flipper just needs to translate great runs into wins.

KEVIN HARVICK:  He might have just won Richmond for a total of 4 wins this year, but he has struggled this season, and just announced he’s selling his Truck team to concentrate on the one thing that’s eluded him,  a CUP championship.  I need to see more consistency before I say he could win it this year.

JEFF GORDON:  He’s been hot lately, and over the last month has found victory lane again. He’s won this thing 4 times, but while he might jump up again and win a race in the Chase, I don’t think he can win a 5th… until next year.

RYAN NEWMAN: Newman had a very decent 2011 running at or near the front. One win, at New Hampshire, and even though he might win Loudon again, the 2nd race in the Chase, he won’t have enough overall to lay claim.

KURT BUSCH: Kurt is not as good as his brother. He should be but he’s not. He’s either battling for the win, or he’s in the back somewhere. As a former champ, he knows about playoff pressure, but his war with Jimmie Johnson might bend the sites on the gun too much to hit the target.

DALE EARNHARDT JUNIOR: No wins in close to 120 starts, and he still gets a contract extension from Hendrick. NASCAR’s relieved their most popular driver’s in the Chase after missing it the last 2 seasons. He’s in, but Little E won’t get much done over the last 10.

TONY STEWART: He took a devil may care approach to the Chase, not displaying any anxiety if he missed it. But Smoke makes it. He does have a little momentum after putting together a pair of top tens to get in, but he’ll have to peddle his guts out to get a win in the Chase. Still, the man seems to be having fun this season.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Keselowski was the hottest driver heading into Richmond with top 10′s
in 6 races, including a stretch with 4 straight podium finishes. While his hot streak is nice, he will have a tough time on the intermediate tracks. He will win championships for Roger Penske, but he’s not ready yet. Good kid.

DENNY HAMLIN: DH did not have the top flight season we expected. More than a few of us picked him to win it all this year. He does have momentum from top 10′s in the last 3 races before the Chase but I’m still waiting for the Hamlin of last year to show up!

As I prognosticated at the beginning of the season, Tomas’ Crystal Ball still says Jimmie Johnson wins his 6th title in a row, a record that won’t be touched again in our lifetime!

ET