Shawn Courchesne | Auto Racing

Our Little Piece Of Interweb Real Estate Is Growing Up So Fast

They said it couldn't be done.

A racing blog, at the Hartford Courant? Nobody is going to look at that.

Ok, so maybe it's just a few select friends hitting refresh over and over and over and over again, just don't tell the management types here our little secret.

Yes, its a big day at our treasured little piece of undervalued web space here, our little blog is growing up.

Joey Logano Earns Second Team All-American Honors; Donny Lia On The Third Team

Seventeen year old Middletown native Joey Logano has been named to the 2007 All-American Auto Racing Team by the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association.

The AARWBA has named an All-American team since 1970.

Logano was named to the second team in the touring series category.

Logano, a developmental driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, captured the Busch East Series title this season, becoming the first rookie to accomplish the feat. In the process Logano became the youngest driver ever to win events in both the Busch East and NASCAR West divisions, winning in his series debuts in both divisions. Logano won 5 Busch East series events and finished in the top-10 in 10 of 13 races.

Could ’43 Of The Best Drivers In The World’ Cliché Soon Be True In Nextel Cup Series?

On Wednesday Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that accomplished open wheel driver Patrick Carpentier will run full-time for their team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Nextel Cup Series) in 2008.

“We are excited to add Patrick Carpentier to our organization for 2008,” Gillett Evernham co-owner George Gillett said. “Patrick has shown tremendous talent in every series he has driven throughout his career and has a bright future in NASCAR. We are committed to giving Patrick the best resources and opportunities available to make this transition and we look forward to a great deal of success together both on and off the track.”

The Carpentier announcement comes a week after Nextel Cup owner Chip Ganassi’s announcement that 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will run for his team in the Sprint Cup Series full-time next season.

Will You Be Writing A Check For That Sir?

Want to stop cheating in NASCAR?

Try doing it the Formula One way.

NASCAR likes to believe that $50,000 fines will stop teams from breaking the rules.

How about trying $100 million.

Say that again, $100 million.

The New Formula: Jacques Villeneuve Ready To Test The NASCAR Waters

The seeming new world order of NASCAR was again on display this week.

Former Formula One world champion Jacques Villenueve spent Monday and Tuesday at Chicagoland Speedway testing for Bill Davis Racing’s Craftsman Truck Series team in preparation for his series debut for the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 22.

Bill Davis Racing officials announced Tuesday that Villeneuve will compete in the final seven events of the Craftsman Truck Series season and could possibly make his Nextel Cup Series debut this year. Seemingly all indications are the Villeneuve will likely be running full-time in the Nextel Cup Series next season for Bill Davis Racing.

Sebastien Bourdais Bids Au Revoir To ChampCar; Heading To Formula One

Just what the ChampCar World Series needs.

The only semi-recognizable name to the casual race fan currently in the ChampCar World Series top-10 is on the way out.

As had been expected much of the season, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, who has won the the ChampCar title the last three seasons, will move on to Formula One after this season.

Bourdais, 28, will join Scuderia Toro Rosso, the second Red Bull outfit in Formula One. It is the same team that recently dumped American driver Scott Speed. Toro Rosso will sport the Sebastien-Sebastien lineup beginning in 2008.

If An American Formula One Driver Gets Fired In The Woods Does Anybody Care?

A few weeks ago Formula One czar Bernie Ecclestone made the decision to take the most popular form of racing around the globe out of the United States when he dropped Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the 2008 schedule.

The U.S. connection to the exotic racing circuit was fractured even further Tuesday when Scott Speed, the only American driver in Formula One, was fired by Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Speed’s firing was news that flowed through the American sporting landscape with about the same volume as results from a regional shuffleboard tournament.

While Tony Stewart’s S-bomb heard round the world has the legs of an Olympic distance runner, Speed’s expulsion from Formula One came and went with nary more than a peep from American media.

Tony George Hopes For Formula One's Return To Indianapolis

Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George is optimistic that Formula One racing will make a return to his track.

George announced Thursday that the United States Grand Prix, which has been run at the track since 2000, will not return in 2008.

“Obviously, I am personally disappointed,” George said. “Eight years ago, it was our intent to host this event on an annual basis. While I still hold hope for the future that we’ll be able to bring it back, its tough to have a hiatus like this, and I view it as such. I’m going to continue to work on this to try to bring it back to the best of my ability as soon as possible.”

Formula One Says Goodbye To Indianapolis And The US Grand Prix

The 8-year run of Formula One racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has come to an end.

Officials from IMS announced Thursday that the United States Grand Prix, which was first run at Indianapolis in 2000, will not return in 2008.

It’s been a seemingly fragile relationship from the start between Formula One czar Bernie Ecclestone and IMS CEO Tony George.

About Shawn

On August 18, 1995 Shawn Courchesne attended his first short track racing event, filling in on coverage for a Friday night show at Stafford Motor Speedway for the Hartford Courant. Little did he realize that night that it was just the first of so many nights to come spent in the pits covering all forms of auto racing.

Over the last 12 years Shawn has been the lead reporter covering motorsports for The Courant. During that time he has brought everything from coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Sports Car Racing to Drag Racing and Motocross to the pages of The Courant.

Shawn's emphasis has long been on covering the three NASCAR sanctioned short tracks in Connecticut. From the first green flag in April to the final checkered flag in October, Shawn blankets the state's auto racing scene.

Shawn began writing his auto racing blog in March of 2007 and within a month of its introduction it was the most visited site in The Courant's blog lineup.

In addition to racing, Shawn has been on the University of Connecticut football beat for The Courant since 2005 and also is a contributor to the UConn Sports Blog. Shawn began working at The Courant in 1993 as a high school clerk while still in college. Over the years Shawn has garnered numerous awards for his writing, along the way covering everything from Major League Baseball, the National Football League and world championship boxing to professional bull riding, water skiing and high school sports of all sorts.

E-mail Shawn at: scourchesne@courant.com