"Good racing"

What does that mean to you?

Is it all about how many passes there are for the lead, or are you satisfied with tight racing through the field, even if the leader is zooming away?
Or is it better if the cars are packed together, like we get at Daytona and Talladega with restrictor plates?

And then there's the matter of crashes? Are there real racing fans who truly enjoy watching a bunch of cars getting wadded up? Is a race without any crashes "boring" by definition?

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The word Biblical came up a lot Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

On one hand, the race had a Biblical length; taking five hours to run 138 laps, due to an incredible FOUR red flags and a steady stream of rain showers, which would seem to pop up as soon as the drivers got called back to their cars and hit the track after the last delay.

And secondly, the rain that ended up forcing the race to be ended early, at lap 138, was of BIblical proportions. As the race was officially called, driver rankings were replaced by "SEVERE WEATHER ALERT: TAKE COVER" on the scoring pylon and fans were warned of possible lightning.

DAVE PERICAK, Global Director, Ford Performance – THERE WAS BIG FORD NEWS OUT OF LE MANS FRIDAY WITH THE NEW FORD GT SPORTS CAR PROGRAM, THOSE CARS WILL DEBUT AT THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA NEXT YEAR. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE WHEN THOSE CARS ROLL OFF THE GRID?
“Hopefully some of the best race cars you have ever seen. We are really excited about returning to Le Mans and returning to sports car racing. The EcoBoost powered sports car is going to be over 600 horsepower and will be state of the art in terms of aerodynamics, light-weighting and the powertrain itself. We are very excited. We are going to have one fantastic race car. Everybody keeps asking, ‘Are you guys going to go win?’ and I say that we don’t race to lose. All I can tell you is that when we show up that day we are going to have one heck of a race car and I hope everyone else is ready.”

THERE WAS ALSO NEWS A FEW WEEKS AGO PERTAINING TO YOU AND YOUR ROLE IN THE NASCAR PROGRAM WITH FORD. CAN YOU TOUCH ON WHAT THAT HIERARCHY LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU GOING FORWARD?
“We did a reorganization called Ford Performance and I am the director of Ford Performance. Whether it is performance vehicles inside our company or whether it is racing, it is all underneath me. So you will see me at the race tracks more often. I have been here already quite a bit and engaging with the teams. More importantly what you will see and why Ford Performance is so important, and Brad (Keselowski) can hopefully support me on this, we are taking all our resources inside of Ford and we are reorganizing them in a way we can be more efficient and effective to help our teams perform better on the track. I think Brad has seen the results of us doing this Ford Performance, stepping up our technical supports and then applying it to the team.”

Deliveries of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles increased 5.9% to total 188,287 in the last month, making it the company’s best May ever. A new sales record was also reached in the year-to-date with a total of 890,937 vehicles delivered in the first five months of the year, an increase of +7.7%.

“The solid growth the BMW Group has achieved this year continued in May, with all sales regions recording an increase in sales,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. “Our innovative, new products are achieving pleasing sales around the world and I am delighted that we have sold over 10,000 BMW i vehicles in the first five months of this year,” Robertson added.
Sales of BMW brand vehicles rose 4.0% in May with a total of 159,129 vehicles being delivered to customers. Sales for the year-to-date climbed 5.2% to 759,609.

Adding to the Alfa Romeo brand’s legendary racing history and the exciting experience of open-air motoring, the all-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider debuts with panoramic views complemented with a signature Alfa exhaust note, plus the essential sportiness of the award-winning 4C – handcrafted in Modena, Italy; groundbreaking and seductive Italian style; state-of-the-art Formula 1 inspired carbon fiber monocoque chassis that enables an incredible power-to-weight ratio; advanced technologies, including the all-aluminum 1750 turbocharged and intercooled engine with direct-injection and variable-valve timing that enable supercar-level performance.

“Spiders have always been at the very core of the ‘Great Alfa Romeos,’ and our all-new 4C Spider builds on the brand’s motorsport and technology heritage for an open-air experience that is pure driving exhilaration,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Alfa Romeo North America. “From its track-proven 1750 turbocharged engine, to its hand-laid carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the 4C Spider takes the innovation and ingenuity of the 4C and delivers an open-air experience without sacrificing any of its supercar-level performance and capability.”
The 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider arrives at U.S. and Canadian dealerships this summer with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $63,900 (excluding $1,595 destination).

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Much of the focus on the #78 car's recent success has been on driver Martin Truex Jr. He's led the most laps in the past four races, won last week and nearly had a couple more victories.

The team is among the class of the field in Cup this year, and accolades are going to Truex and the Denver-based team that builds all the cars he's doing so well in each week (many of which are brand-new).

Behind the scenes though, there is some interesting drama happening.

Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone has publicly stated, and did so again Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

In a nutshell, Garone was blunt -- saying that Chevy (their manufacturer for a decade) is a great organization but spread thin. They have so many race teams that once the support is all handed out, some teams are left disappointed, including Furniture Row.

“It is it’s about business. We are in a sport that is real expensive. We truly can’t afford to do it. We can do it. When I say we can’t afford to do I mean at the level we want to push it to in order to be able to be in position to win a championship. We need more resources. Chevrolet has been a great partner. We have been together for 10 years now. But they are spread across… they do a great job look at all the championships they have won. But to get to the level we need to get to we need to get a lot more support. We are open and have been looking to try and get that just to push our team forward further.”

He did not say FRR will split with Chevy, but did say they are open to other manufacturers if more support can be offered. After all, the sport is expensive.

That is true; but it's a risky strategy to do this so publicly -- still, it's a strategy that could pay off: With Chevy or someone else.

Garone is not worried about any impact this discussion will have on the 78 team this year as they pursue a title.

“The truth is we didn’t say we were changing. We were just saying that we are looking. It is just something that we need to do across the board including sponsorship. One of the things about the No. 78 car is because it has always had Furniture Row and Denver Mattress on it everybody assumes it is sponsored. It has made it tough to find partners, but again Barney (Visser, team owner) owns those companies. We need to get the word out that we are actively looking for sponsorship to come on board. Not just for the No. 78, but to expand the company into a multi-car team. It is for the long term growth of the team. We will just see what plays out and just keep pushing the button and try to expand this thing.”

Let's look at possible outcomes:
A: Chevy recognizes their success and offers more support:
-- This is, I believe, the outcome Furniture Row wants to see. By publicly saying they need more support, then showing they can be successful on track, the FRR team gains suitors from outside. If Chevy wants to keep them, they will have to step up. Logic would dictate that this should happen; but budgets are tricky and Chevy might not be able to do as much as FRR wants.

B: Furniture Row leaves Chevy for another car make next year:
-- If Chevy won't step up, this is the most likely outcome. I can see Toyota as the most likely manufacturer to step up and court the Furniture Row team; They need some more stars in their lineup and Truex is talented and has a name. Ford is a longshot, as they need to get their current house in order before adding teams. It's not so great lately at the Blue Oval, though Team Penske is a bright spot most weeks.

C: FRR can't find a better deal and begrudgingly stick with Chevy and current level of support:
-- This is the worst possible scenario, and the team will do everything it can to avoid this. Both sides will have hurt feelings and not work very well together in this scenario, and 2016 would most likely be a rough season for Truex and the 78 team.
What will happen?

I say option A is most likely and the public announcement of this exploration of car makes will pay off for Furniture Row. But I wouldn't bet my house on it. If Chevy won't step up to the plate (or can't afford to do that), it's probably going to be the #78 Toyota next season.
They've stepped up in the past to get top drivers and this would be another example of their willingness to pay to get top talent and teams.

Matt Myftiu can be reached on Twitter @MattMyftiu. Follow AutoTechReviews on Twitter @AutoTechReview or at the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/autotechreviews

Here are highlights from Carl Edward's time with the media Friday at Michigan International Speedway:

Was there any testing done at Darlington that could indicate a rules package change?
“Everybody in this sport, the drivers, NASCAR, the owners – everyone wants it to be the best possible racing it can be. I know everybody is working towards that. I don’t know all the details of what’s going on, but I think we’re going to have better and better racing coming. I’m excited to find out exactly what it is.”

Does it seem odd to be racing at Michigan not driving for Jack Roush?
“It is a little strange to come here to this race and not be driving for Jack Roush because we put so much emphasis on this event for so many years. I really feel like I’ve made some friends up in this area and there’s always been a lot of pride driving for Jack here. I can tell you this, to win this race would be really special for me now just because I know from the other side how much everyone prepares – Jack and the other teams because for the domestic car manufacturers, this is their backyard. They bring their best stuff. For me to win in a Toyota would be really special here.”