Kahne released early from RPM

Kasey Kahne has been released from driving duties by Richard Petty Motorsports, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series outfit announced on Wednesday night.

The 30-year-old will depart his current team sooner than expected after a fallout with his squad after last Saturday's race at Charlotte. His #9 Ford was driven to the chequered flag by JJ Yeley following mid-race repairs after Kahne crashed against the wall and into Sam Hornish's Penske Dodge.

Kahne was reportedly unhappy during the event after suffering brake issues, which had already hampered him in previous races. The malfunction caused him to struggle and eventually crash on lap 125 of 334, and Kahne then felt too unwell to get back in the car according to reports from team officials during the race.

However Kahne later revealed that there had been some friction between him and the outfit, following the incident Saturday.

"I was told that I needed to start doing my part, is what one guy told me last night after the race," Kahne told reporters at Charlotte last Sunday. "I told him he needed to start doing his part."

Red Bull Racing Team announced in August that it had agreed for Kahne to drive for the team in 2011 before he takes over from veteran Mark Martin at Hendrick.

Kahne announced last April that he was leaving RPM at the end of the season after signing a multi-year deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports from 2012.

Aric Almirola had been entered as the driver for the #83 Red Bull Toyota for this weekend's Chase round at Martinsville, but he is now expected to take over the #9 car at RPM, while Kahne could probably accelerate his arrival at Red Bull.

Kahne has not enjoyed a good 2010 season with no wins to his name despite three pole positions. He currently ranks 21st in the Sprint Cup standings behind RPM team-mate AJ Allmendinger.

Nadal set for Mallorca roleKahne to finish 2010 with Red Bull

Kahne to finish 2010 with Red Bull

Kasey Kahne will finish the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with Red Bull, starting with Martinsville next weekend, the team has announced.

Kahne was released from his driving duties by Richard Petty Motorsports on Wednesday night after a fall-out between the two parties last Saturday during the fifth round of the Chase, where Kahne crashed following brake issues.

The 30-year-old had already signed a deal to race for Red Bull next year before moving to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, and he will now get a head start on his 2011 campaign with the outfit. He will drive the #83 Red Bull Toyota in the five races remaining of the 2010 season, getting behind the wheel for the first time on Friday during official practice for Sunday's race at Martinsville.

"With our agreement only being for one year, there is a great sense of urgency to get started on 2011," said the Red Bull team's vice-president and general manager Jay Frye. "With Kasey coming earlier than planned, we are excited to have a five-race headstart."

Jimmy Elledge will be Kahne's crew chief from this weekend, but his RPM crew chief Kenny Francis is expected to move to Red Bull with him next year.

Aric Almirola will drive RPM's #9 car this weekend, but no firm plans have been revealed by the team for the next four races, which will be the last few for Budweiser as the car's sponsor before it moves on to Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick's car.

Kahne will be the fifth driver at the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Toyota this year, as three others have shared the drive following Brian Vickers' diagnosis with blood clots in May.

The team still has to reveal its full driver line-up for 2011, with Vickers and Scott Speed as the leading candidates for a seat alongside Kahne.

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Patrick takes best NASCAR finish yet

Danica Patrick finished 21st on her ninth NASCAR Nationwide Series outing at Charlotte, taking her best career finish in the the series thus far.

The JR Motorsports driver had an uneventful race starting from 18th on the grid, struggling with grip and high water temperatures from the very first stint, dropping down in the order and a lap down just past the first 50 laps of the scheduled 200.

Set-up changes on her first stop did not work as expected and she was unable to make progress up the order, eventually dropping a second lap down before the deciding stages of the race.

A long green-flag stretch nearly halfway through did not help her cause either as she was in position to get back on the lead lap, had cautions fallen her way.

Despite not having enough pace to contend further up, she completed a trouble-free run and a good final stint on her way to a best Nationwide Series career finish.

Patrick feels the temperature issues in the early laps probably led to her losing pace, affecting not only power but also grip as her team had to clear the grill on the front of the car from tape in order to bring temperatures under control.

"It seems like every time we have the chance to have a great finish we crash and then every time we have a pretty average night I finish and finish in the 20s," said Patrick.

"It is what it is. We were running a little hot on the first run and nearly had to pit for heat. That's not good and then we took some tape off [the front of the car] and then I guess we had too much taken off. You loose the nose weight... and the car felt like it wasn't on the ground, it didn't feel like it was stuck as well.

"We tried to work with it and a couple of changes were good in the race but nothing overcame that feel of not being gripped up out there. We did out best. We had some highs this week and that hasn't happened a lot of other times I've been to a track for the first time.

"We'll take the high points and take a non-crashed car home and learn from this new car this time and move on."

Friday night's race was Patrick second outing in the new Nationwide Series car, which is being used in a limited number of races this year.

Her next NASCAR appearance takes place at Gateway, Illinois, a 1.25-mile oval which will be another new track in her stock car apprenticeship.

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Hamlin unflustered by Harvick feud

Denny Hamlin says he is not letting Kevin Harvick play mind games with him following their clash on Saturday during NASCAR Cup practice at Dover.

Hamlin and Harvick clashed on track then confronted each other in the garage on Friday, but Hamlin says the altercation was unnecessary for both as they ended up losing nearly half of the second practice session of the weekend while repairs were made to their cars.

He believes Harvick was reacting to what he said on Friday about the penalties given to his team-mate Clint Bowyer, but does not regret speaking his mind.

"I think it was a lot of frustrated team members and that's going to be part of it," said Hamlin "Of course it's unnecessary because it didn't help either one of the race teams - us having to work on race cars or anything like that.

"I spoke my mind yesterday and I felt like I said a lot of truth. A lot of times that's not popular with the teams that are involved. It's something that I've always done, to speak my mind, and it's not always in my best interest to do that.

"The thing is now that we just move on. We get our car fixed. We're getting some of our speed back and now the goal is to move on."

Hamlin said that before the practice session started he was warned by Harvick's crew, one member of the #29 team wishing him 'good luck' before he rolled out of the garage. But he didn't elaborate on what was said between Harvick, him and their teams' crew members.

"There was a lot of cursing," said Hamlin. "That's all that there really was being said. There was nothing really logical being said inside with the two teams. Nothing's ever going to come of it.

"I had a hint. Their crew guys, they stare and make a couple comments right before. He [Kevin Harvick] got into me on pit road even before we left the track so I knew we were going to have to deal with some issues.

"It's unnecessary that the team guys have to get involved in it, but we're just going to keep focused on winning a championship."

Hamlin was defiant ahead of Sunday's race, where he believes he has more speed that his Richard Childress Racing rivals. During the final practice session of the weekend, Hamlin was seventh fastest, with Harvick 15th, Bowyer second and their RCR team-mate Jeff Burton third.

Hamlin claims what happened on Saturday won't distract either him or his team from their focus on winning this year's Cup title, as he believes Harvick is simply trying to dent him mentally.

"Our job is still to win the championship and we look pretty good on speed, especially compared to those guys," said Hamlin. "I think we're going to be okay.

"We have to just stay focused. That's the biggest thing to me, those guys play those games and they've been in the sport a long time and they know how to play these games and get into someone's head that's beating you right now. I think that was just a small effort on their part."

While Hamlin will see the green flag wave from fourth on the grid on Sunday, Harvick will start the second race of the championship playoff back in 34th.

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Patrick has 'humbling' runs at Dover

Danica Patrick continued her steep learning curve in NASCAR taking a top 10 finish in the Pro Series East race and 35th in the Nationwide Series event at Dover this weekend.

The IndyCar star competed on Friday afternoon in the Pro race, starting 13th, leading the race for a few laps and finishing sixth after contact when she restarted from the front of the field dropped her down the order.

Patrick took the 155-lap race as a warm up for Saturday's Nationwide event, as both series use similar cars, although the Pro is a level down the NASCAR ranks.

She was happy following her first race of the weekend, although conditions inside the car were not ideal as she ran without the proper ventilation that she's used to in her Nationwide car.

"I know I learned a lot for [the Nationwide] race and that was the point," Patrick said after Friday's event. "I learned a lot, especially about restarts. I learned about closing rates.

"I learned how to set people up here and I learned about the timing of everything. I didn't have a back blower and the helmet blower seemed to be blowing hot air. I was pretty star-star-star hot."

In the Nationwide event Patrick didn't fare as well, struggling with a poor qualifying despite running well in practice. From 42nd on the grid she was unable to make much progress while fighting handling issues, dropping a lap down on the leaders as soon as lap 17.

On lap 70 of 200, and while running two laps down already, the right front tyre on her Chevrolet gave up and Patrick hit the wall hard, forcing her to drive to the garage for lengthy repairs. Though she came back on track nearly 100 laps later to finish 35th in her seventh Nationwide race.

Patrick admitted that she still has to learn more lessons on how to set up her car for a race before being able to move up to the next level. She says the fact that her apprenticeship is taking place in the public eye doesn't make things any easier.

"I don't know what I need out of the car to be good in the race," said Patrick. "I know what I need for one lap to feel good, but that doesn't mean it's going to be good for 70 or 80 laps. So, even on that last run out there which was 30 or so laps, we freed [the car] up and went out there and started feeling a little loose, and it kind of settled in and I was pushing by the end.

"How loose does it have to be when you start to have a good end? I don't know if that contributed to the right front blowing out in the first run or not, but it got to the point that there was so much push, it was shattering. I know now from experience that when you have a vibration and when the car doesn't want to turn it's probably losing pressure and you should back it on down.

"Lessons learned, and they're not fun lessons because everybody is watching so it makes it even harder but we'll get this car to the front by the end of the year. We'll figure it out."

Even before her weekend started, Patrick had already admitted how humbling her NASCAR transition has been as she has had to learn to cope with bellow-par results while she figures out the nuances of stock car racing.

"Mostly it's just been emotional because I've had to deal with not having as good results as I would have liked," said Patrick. "IndyCar has been a bit of a tough season. I've had probably some of my best races I've ever had, but I've also had some mediocre ones.

"NASCAR has been a humbling experience itself. For me, it's been more emotional than anything. I enjoy being busy, I like it. I'm lucky to be busy. Not every driver gets to be busy, and it's all for good reason. It's part of what I signed up for and I'm enjoying it."

Patrick will return to the Nationwide Series next month at Fontana, which will be the first venue she has competed at for a second time this year.

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Patrick enters first four 2011 rounds

Danica Patrick is set to enter the first four events of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, including her first outing ever at Bristol.

The IndyCar star is set to continue exploring a future in NASCAR by entering a limited schedule again in 2011, which may include a similar number of events as this year although with a longer first stretch, before she starts her IndyCar Series season with Andretti Autosport at the end of March.

Patrick will again drive for JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr, kicking off with season opener at Daytona, followed by what will be her home event at Phoenix, a second career start at Las Vegas and her debut at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway.

The rest of her schedule will be set depending on her IndyCar commitments and also on where the series' season finale takes place, something that has yet to be determined.

"I know we're all anxious to get the whole schedule put in place, but I'm extremely excited to be able to confirm our participation in the first four races," Patrick said. "We'll have four extremely challenging and unique races to start our 2011 season, and I'm anxious to return to a lot of those tracks with at least a little bit of familiarity."

Patrick said that only at the end of next year will she be able to decide on whether she pursues a full-time NASCAR career or continues racing in IndyCar. No Sprint Cup outings are planned for her in 2011 for the time being, despite a possible move by JR Motorsports to NASCAR's top level being on the cards.

"At this point in time, the best thing I can do is focus on each individual day that I'm in the car and focus on that and make the most of that and do the best I can possibly do and give it my full attention," said Patrick. "Then when I've given it my all, I can pull back and look at it and see where my heart goes and where the opportunities are."

In 2011 Patrick may end up entering up to 30 races between her IndyCar and Nationwide Series schedules. This year she still has four events left in NASCAR's second-tier series following Friday's race at Charlotte, which is her ninth this year.

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NASCAR to use E15 fuel from 2011

NASCAR's green efforts have taken a big step after officials announced the use of E15 fuel from the start of the 2011 season.

Starting with next year's season-opening events at Daytona, all NASCAR national series will run on Sunoco Green E15, a 15 per cent ethanol blend, which has already been tested extensively by engine builders.

The sanctioning body only implemented unleaded fuel as recently as 2008, with Sunoco's 260 GTX 98-Octone gasoline, following a partnership between the US Environmental Protection Agency and the official fuel supplier.

This next step takes NASCAR further ahead in its environmental aims and also makes it more aligned with the trends of the auto industry.

"NASCAR is committed to being an environmental leader, and the sport has taken significant steps over the years toward conservation by introducing measurable, best-in-class initiatives in recycling, alternative energy, and carbon mitigation," said NASCAR's chairman and CEO Brian France.

"The transition to Sunoco Green E15 takes our long-term sustainability strategy to the next level. Sunoco Green E15 is good for racing, good for the environment and good for America. While fueling the same close, door-to-door racing that thrills our fans, American ethanol creates jobs in the United States, helps foster energy independence, and continues the greening of our sport."

The new biofuel will be blended at Sunoco's fuel facility in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, while the ethanol will come from a plant in Fulton, New York, which is owned by Sunoco. The biofuel will be pumped directly from tankers at the track, rather than the underground storage tanks currently used.

"We're proud to be part of NASCAR's dedication to conservation with Sunoco Green E15 - the ultimate high-test ethanol fuel blend," said Sunoco's senior vice president Bob Owens. "In our six years as official fuel partner, Sunoco has changed with the times by helping NASCAR transition to unleaded fuel, and now we are eager to produce for the sport a high-performance ethanol blend."

Testing has already shown the expected cleaner burn with the new fuel, while dyno testing has also proved increased horsepower. Officials expect a seamless transition to the new fuel next year.

"The testing has been going on at the track and test facilities," said NASCAR's vice president for competition Robin Pemberton. "Teams have also been able to run [E15 fuel] at a few tyre tests so far this year with great results. All drivers like more power so they had smiles on their faces for that. We're pleased with everything and the dyno work will continue."

NASCAR's next technological step is expected to be the implementation of fuel injection, which has been in the works for some time already and could happen as early as next season.

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