The Morning Warmup: Jennifer Jo Cobb Denied Cup Opportunity
The Morning Warmup
April 20, 2021
(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
Jennifer Jo Cobb's planned Cup debut has been ruled out by the sanctioning body.
By Aaron Bearden
The Podium: Today's Top Three Stories
P1: Jennifer Jo Cobb’s planned Cup debut is denied (NASCAR Cup)
Jennifer Jo Cobb’s planned NASCAR Cup Series debut has been quashed at the eleventh hour by the sanctioning body.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Cobb hasn’t been approved for participation in this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, leaving her ineligible to join Rick Ware Racing and compete as planed in the April 25 race. She was initially set to drive the team’s No. 15 Chevrolet as the first woman to compete in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2018.
“We’ve been informed by the sanctioning body that Jennifer is not approved to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway this coming weekend,” team owner Rick Ware said in a statement. “This is an unfortunate situation, but as a team, we support NASCAR’s decision to uphold the sanctioning body’s rules and regulations.”
The decision comes via the sanctioning body’s own approval process. Cobbs is a veteran of the sport with 247 starts between the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, but only current approved to compete on superspeedways in Trucks. The rulebook states that “any previously approved driver who has not competed for at least one year must resubmit the Driver Information and Record application.”
She has only 11 lead-lap finished in her 217 Truck starts to date, which factored into the decision.
It’s unsure at this time what RWR intends to do with its No. 15 entry now that Cobb has been denied. Cobb herself has yet to comment on the decision.
(Source(s): Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
P2: Formula E working on equivalent of Concorde Agreement for its teams (Formula E)
With the ABB FIA Formula E Championship continuing to grow as a world tour, the series intends to create its own version of Formula 1’s Concorde Agreement to better define the rights deals between teams and broadcasters.
The new agreement will exist alongside the Gen3 cost cap and technical rules with a goal of enhancing “the financial sustainability and commercial attractiveness” of the series.
More from Motorsport:
It will outline which parties have control over live broadcast rights and what teams can do to produce their own in-house content at each race.
While there are currently very few restrictions on what can be filmed, there are limitations on what on-track footage can be incorporated, but this is open to negotiation on a case-by-case basis.
This new deal will formalise the limitations and will be comparable to elements of the Concorde Agreement in Formula 1 and the Deed of Licence structure in the Premier League.
It will clarify to broadcasters what bespoke social and digital output teams and Formula E can create to minimise competition for audience attention.
The agreement will be utilized to attempt to help the series grow its television audience and formally guarantee a certain amount of airtime on various networks and platforms.
“(It’s) a media distribution strategy and a media platform strategy that is consistent with what you might expect the top-tier sports, whether it's football or Formula 1 or basketball in the United States,” Formula E CEO Jamie Riegle said. "We're still not at a point where we're monetising or commercialising our media rights in that way.
"It's easy to say grow the audience, but how do you lay those foundations? You need to be partnered with the best broadcasters in each market.
"There's some contractual foundations that lead to that happening. What are your partners committing to do to promote your sport and to grow your sport? How committed are they to show the product as often as possible?’
(Source(s): Matt Kew / Motorsport)
P3: Karting competitor Corberi issued 15-year ban for infamous incident (Karting)
Poor decision-making in racing has consequences, from the bottom of the sport to the top.
That was showcased on Monday, as disgraced karting competitor Luca Corberi was issued a stern 15-year ban from FIA-governed competition after throwing his kart’s bumper at a competitors and attacking another driver in an October 4, 2020 race at his family-owned Lonato karting track.
The incident was a trendy one on social media, making the rounds in various racing circles and on this newsletter. Corberi vowed to never race again afterward as he was condemned by people ranging from fellow competitors to FIA karting president Felipe Massa.
Corberi, 23, will have to wait until he’s near his 40s for another chance to compete in an FIA-sanctioned series. All other conclusions were rejected and Corberi will have to bear all costs of the decision.
(Source(s): FIA.com)
Other News and Notes
NASCAR
We’re nine races into the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Here’s what we’ve learned so far. (Matt Weaver / Autoweek)
Here’s a breakdown of everything that went down in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
David Ragan made his career at the drafting-focused Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. His first win actually resulted in two trophies being awarded. (Al Pearce / Autoweek)
Richmond takeaways included a callback to things learned from Dale Earnhardt Jr. for race-winning crew chief Greg Ives and a vote of confidence for Chase Elliott. (Chris Estrada / NBC Sports)
The Cup Series playoff picture is slowly beginning to form. Here’s how it looks leaving Richmond. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
Truck Series fan? Here’s how that playoff picture looks after Saturday’s trip to Virginia. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
The “Top 5” column is back, kicking off its return with talk of Alex Bowman’s emotion, Jimmie Johnson’s IndyCar debut and F1’s new trip to Miami. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic ($))
Matt DiBenedetto was happy to celebrate a “long overdue” top-10 after his ninth-place effort in Virginia. (Jim Utter / Motorsport)
Austin Cindric is an Xfinity Series star, but he made a rookie mistake in a rare Cup start on Sunday. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
IndyCar
Sage Karam and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing are coming back for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 with sponsor support from the 500 Festival Foundation, AES Indiana and Omaze. (IndyCar.com)
The pandemic has been a difficult experience for everyone. That includes Indy legend Mario Andretti, who has had to navigate through personal loss and loneliness over the past year. (Jenna Fryer / Associated Press)
Here’s a full breakdown of Sunday’s IndyCar opener at Barber Motorsports Park, from Chip Ganassi Racing’s success to a close call for Ryan Hunter-Reay. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
Hunter-Reay claimed the aeroscreen cockpit protection device likely saved his life on Sunday. (David Malsher-Lopez / Motorsport)
Romain Grosjean has admitted to having a “big mix of emotions” during his IndyCar debut on Sunday. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
There have been multiple winners for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar over the years. Here’s the full rundown. (Mike Pryson / Autoweek)
Miss Sunday’s race? Here are fiver takeaways so you know what you missed. (Nathan Brown / Indianapolis Star ($))
F1
Fernando Alonso described himself as feeling “300% better” with Alpine’s Formula 1 car at the end of his first point-scoring race since 2018. It wasn’t hyperbole. (Edd Straw / The Race)
Valtteri Bottas’ crash damage from Imola could cost Mercedes upgrades and impact the team’s development moving forward, adding to Red Bull’s odds for the year. (Luke Smith / Motorsport)
Here are 10 things learned from an eventful Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the picturesque Imola circuit. (Luke Smith / Motorsport)
Sports Cars
The unique Blue Marble Radical Cup North America began its season this weekend on the support bill for the NTT IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park. (Sportscar365)
SRO Motorsports Group has committed to a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2023 as the sanctioning body works to be more sustainable. (Sportscar365)
Lamborghini has been quiet about it, but remains a strong candidate to join the LMDh formula in the near future. (John Dagys / Sportscar365)
Supercars
Wit the 2021 schedule still slightly flexible amid the pandemic, Supercars is continuing to evaluate the prospect of a New Zealand doubleheader. (Andrew van Leeuwen / Motorsport)
Supercars also intends to review the split qualifying system trialed at Symmons Plains this past weekend. (Connor O’Brien / Speedcafe)
Thomas Randle and Kurt Kostecki have completed tests at Winton Motor Raceway ahead of their wild car appearances with the Supercars tour. (Simon Chapman / Speedcafe)
Dirt
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is set for a historic return to the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track this weekend. (Brian Walker / WorldofOutlaws.com)
Short Tracks
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Series will be back in action this weekend at Stafford Motor Speedway for the Spring Sizzler. Here’s a preview. (Short Track Scene)
Moto
With his surgery postponed, Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin’s Jerez return is looking doubtful. (Lewis Duncan / Motorsport)
Some people might have been surprised by Marc Marquez’s pace in his return, but his fellow competitors sure weren’t. (Lewis Duncan / Motorsport)
Other
Toyota driver Sacha Fenestraz leads a small group of drivers with current travel issues, with his problem being a prolonged wait to return to Japan and compete in Super Formula and Super GT. (Jamie Klein / Motorsport)
The Rally Finland has been shifted to a September date after summer plans were scuttled amid the pandemic. (David Evans / DirtFish)
The Rally Croatia event is going on as planned, but spectators have been banned from attending. (Alasdair Lindsay / DirtFish)
Here are five things learned from an eventful NHRA trip to Las Vegas. (Phil Burgess / NHRA.com)
Fast Fact:
Denny Hamlin has led 200+ laps at Richmond Raceway five times over his 29 starts at the track. He’s won just two of those races.
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