Danica Patrick involved in another race crash, blames new NASCAR rules

Danica Patrick’s 2017 Daytona 500 ended even earlier than usual after she was one of the drivers involved in a "treacherous" 17-car collision which included eventual race winner Kurt Busch who managed to stay on the track.

But afterwards, of course, it was Patrick who was loudest in finding a scapegoat.

To be fair, with 15 of 40 drivers out of the race with about a quarter of the 200 laps remaining, the No. 10 Ford driver in her fifth full season might be correct in laying the blame on NASCAR’s new staged racing. 

Big crash! @JimmieJohnson, @KevinHarvick, @DanicaPatrick and others involved. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500  https://t.co/EEwW62QOHv

— FOX SPORTS: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 26, 2017

Starting this season, the races are divided into three stages with points awarded to the top drivers from each stage, counting toward their championship total.

“The stages are definitely going to add to it because not only is it creating a reason to push at certain points in the race that aren’t anything but the last 20, but you’re also seeing it shuffling the grid up,” Patrick said after being cleared by the in-field medical staff – a new requirement for those who don’t finish.

But that wasn’t the only rule she said is leading to so many drivers falling short of the finish line. Following an accident, teams that must return to pit road have a five-minute time limit for repairs. If cars cannot be fixed and return to the track at minimum speed within that time, they’re out of the race.

Prior to this season, teams had an unlimited amount of time to fix their cars and could eventually return to the track to try and earn even just a few points out of the race.

“What you’re seeing is the product of the five-minute clock,” Patrick continued. “You’re seeing a product of the new rules of having to go to the in-field care center if you don’t finish the race. … I’m totally fine. I drove my car back to the garage. I never would have come to the in-field care center if not for the new protocols, so I’m all for being all well, but it’s probably a bit much.”

She explained that on a superspeedway track like Daytona International, drivers assume multi-car wrecks have “a real high chance of happening.

“That’s the name of the game. It’s what makes it exciting, too, for the fans.”

Stock car driver dies while taking victory lap after final race of the season: Report

A stock car racer died while he was taking a ceremonial victory lap after winning the final asphalt NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified race of the season on Saturday night. 

Leon Gonyo, a 63-year-old driver from Chazy, NY, died while apparently suffering a medical issue while conducting the victory lap at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven, Vermont.

Devil's Bowl Speedway confirmed that the long time stock car racing competitor had died during the ceremonial lap.

After Gonyo won the speedway's final asphalt series race, he was circling the track when the medical problem occurred and his car accelerated into a wall before bouncing off and making an approach toward the speedway's victory lane area, said witnesses.

He was pronounced dead at Rutland Regional Medical Center, MyChamplainValley reported.

The veteran driver had raced stock cars for more than 40 years throughout the Northeast and Canada and Saturday's race marked his fifth victory of the season at the Fair Haven track. 

Gonyo was wearing a helmet and seat-belt when the accident occurred. An inspection of his vehicle revealed that it was mechanically and structurally sound.

At least Gonyo went out a winner and doing what he loved.

R.I.P. 

Brad Keselowski runs over crew during pit stop at Windows 10 400 (VIDEO)

There was a scary moment during the Windows 10 400 at Pocono on Sunday when Brad Keselowski ran into a couple of crew members as he came in a little too revved up during a pit stop.

One member of the team got clipped while trying to jump out of the way, and another ended up on the hood of the No. 2 car.

And all of the mayhem was caught on Keselowski's car cam:

OH NO. A disaster on pit road for @keselowski and the No. 2 team! #NASCARreplay More: http://t.co/UunGbIo7rO http://t.co/3SAXFonbiP

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 2, 2015

It seems a tire got away from one of the crew members when the car hit him, and it wound up bouncing down pit road. As a result, Keselowski was assessed a penalty for an uncontrollable tire on a pit road.



Thankfully, the crew members appeared to be fine and Keselowski rallied to finish second to Matt Kenseth.

ARCA driver survives crash after car flips over wall and into parking lot (VIDEO)

ARCA driver Will Kimmel was lucky to be alive after his car flew over a concrete wall, flipping into a parking lot before striking at least one parked car at Mobile International Speedway.

The 26-year-old nephew of ARCA veteran Frank Kimmel said his throttle got stuck on his No. 69 car causing the out-of-control crash early in the Mobile 200 on Saturday.

Because there are no outside walls around the slightly banked track, there was nothing to stop Kimmel's car as it drove off the half-mile track on the ninth lap.

Kimmel's car rolled at least once before coming to a halt on a truck's hitch in the spectator's parking lot. 

Kimmel later posted a photograph he took with the truck driver to Facebook.

This is Johnny Charles Jr. The @willkimmel car made contact with just the trailer hitch on his truck #ARCAMobile200 pic.twitter.com/4I1Pthhk6N
— Matthew Bishop (@MBishopPhotos) March 14, 2015

He said in an post-crash video interview with Popular Speed's Matt Weaver, "Unfortunately for us the throttle hung, something we always check for, so it was just a freak accident." 

Later, Kimmel accessed the damage and thanked his lucky stars:

Eldora Speedway website hacked with ISIS message: Report

The website of a dirt track owned by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart was hacked Saturday, and a message on the site credits the Islamic State.

The Eldora Speedway website was reportedly hacked by ISIS Saturday afternoon along with two well-known Cincinnati restaurants’ websites.

According to the Darke County Sheriff’s Office, the Eldora Speedway website was compromised around 2:30 p.m. At the top of the site’s page, a banner appeared with a message that read: Hacked by Islamic State. We Are Everywhere :). It was accompanied by foreign music.

The message was on the webpage for the Rossburg, Ohio track less than half an hour before it was removed by Eldora officials. Track general manager Roger Slack said authorities had not confirmed that the incident involved an actual message from the Islamic radical group.

"Seriously?" said Stewart when told about the webpage while preparing for Sunday's Kobalt 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "I guess we're a big enough blip on the radar now if we've gotten their attention. Maybe we can get them season passes.

"If there's anybody I'd want mad at me, I guess it would be them."

Slack said the speedway's website was operating normally after the incident and that no fan or customer information was comprimised.

The FBI is now investigating.

Stolen NASCAR Sprint Car found in woods: Report

Police in Georgia found a NASCAR Sprint Cup car that was stolen from a hotel parking lot days before the driver was scheduled to race.

Travis Kvapil's No. 44 race car was found Saturday morning in Loganville, Georgia — not far from where the trailer holding the car was taken — according to Team Xtreme Racing. It had been stolen early Friday morning.

Before police found the car, Kvapil said that he thought his race team was playing a joke on him when they called him about it. They still don't know who or why the trailer was ripped off but theorize the crook(s) didn't realize it contained the car.

Lost and Found section of the road. pic.twitter.com/L3cEdi9o0R
— Team XTREME Racing (@Teamxtreme44) February 28, 2015

Surveillance video shows a black pickup truck speeding off with a 15-foot trailer, which had the car inside. Team Xtreme racing owner John Cohen said today he believed the thieves were only after the trailer and did not realize the car, an extra engine, and $100,000 worth of spare parts were also inside.

Wow. Anyone near Atlanta find my stolen Cup car let me know! Unreal
— Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015

Despite finding the car, Kvapil will not be able to race in Sunday's Sprint Cup race. His team was forced to withdraw when it missed NASCAR's mandatory inspection on Friday.

Travis Kvapil has Sprint Cup car stolen from parking lot, out of Sunday’s race: Report

Travis Kvapil was slated to drive the No. 44 Team Xtreme Racing Chevrolet in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but the car was stolen Thursday night.

According to ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass, a trailer containing the car was taken from the parking lot of a hotel in Morrow, Georgia.

With the car now missing, Team Xtreme has no choice other than to withdraw from Sunday's race but, in an effort to potentially catch the perpetrator, Kvapil tweeted photos of the hijacked trailer:

Here it is......New Jersey plates pic.twitter.com/YayDb2Ya6u
— Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015

While you have to feel sorry for Kvapil and his one-car team — which had very little chance of winning at Atlanta —  it's funny to wonder how No. 44 will look cruising down I-75.

Car lands in sleeping man's bed, but he's mad about damage to NASCAR memorabilia collection (PHOTO)

A huge NASCAR fan is lucky to be alive after an alleged drunk driver drove through his bedroom wall and the car landed on the bed he was sleeping in Thursday morning.

Terry Brouillette must have thought he was dreaming of a NASCAR wreck when the car came crashing into his Worcester, Mass. ground-level apartment about 2:30 am, literally stopping on top of Brouillette’s bed.

Brouillette suffered a cut to his forehead, but was otherwise uninjured.

I'd call this a rude awakening. Nobody hurt. pic.twitter.com/8tMw0qax7N
— Jim Gosselin (@jagoss45) December 11, 2014

But what really got the 71-year-old Brouillette's oil pan boiling was the fact that the out-of-control driver took out a huge section of his prized NASCAR memorabilia collection.

Brouillette estimated the damage to be in the “thousands of dollars,” with much of the items displayed across the room destroyed or damaged. The worst of it was seeing the pileup of his cherished die-cast cars featuring his favorite NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart.

"I could touch the bumper, I could almost do an oil change if I wanted, that’s how far she went," Brouillette told Boston TV station WHDH. "I figured somebody’s got to be up there watching for me, I don’t know why. It was more of a scare than anything."

Brouliette might want to start wearing an official Tony Stewart helmet to bed.

Raceway lights go out during NASCAR truck series race (VIDEO)

NASCAR was left in the dark Friday night when, with 27 laps to go, the lights at Phoenix International Raceway went out during the Lucas Oil 150 with Erik Jones in the lead.

And there weren't any headlights.

The red flag was thrown at 11:45 p.m. ET with 126 laps of the scheduled 150 laps completed in the event. The official decision to call the race came down at 11:56 p.m. ET.

The delay was not the first one in the race. A power outage a bit before the race was scheduled to go green delayed the start of the race by just over 75 minutes as there was a power outage in the West Valley area near the track.

The lights came back on in full around 9:48 p.m. ET and the command to start engines was given at 9:57 p.m. ET. The green flag for the race officially dropped at 10:04 p.m. ET.

At the time of the delay, the track tweeted the following:

PIR has learned there is a major power outage in the West Valley. APS has multiple crews working on it. We will update as soon as possible.
— Phoenix Raceway (@PhoenixRaceway) November 8, 2014

During the delay, drivers passed the time by just chatting on pit road, while some crew members were spotted tossing a football around.

The second outage brought a halt to the race with Jones being declared the winner.

Just call it Friday Night Lights Out.

Jimmie Johnson tries using vice grip when shifter breaks (VIDEO)

The shifter handle on the transmission of Jimmie Johnson's car broke during Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 race so he and his team made a frantic attempt at fixing the problem.

When Johnson pitted under green the team handed him a pair of pliers and a vise grip to attach to the remaining part of the shifter handle so Johnson could shift the gears in the car.

However, he couldn't get the vise grip onto the shifter handle. When Johnson pitted he was in high gear; after his team pushed him away from his pit stall he tried to get the vise grip on the handle.

Ultimately, the six-time Sprint Cup Series Champion wasn't successful in his efforts. He lost a lap while trying to get the shifter fixed and his team ended up fixing it on a subsequent pit stop. Johnson got the lap back and ultimately finished ninth.

After the race, Johnson came to grips with reality in a heated exchange with Kyle Newman about the frenzied race.

Kevin Ward Jr. died from massive blunt head trauma: Report

Kevin Ward Jr. died of massive blunt force trauma when he was hit by a race car driven by NASCAR star Tony Stewart, his autopsy has revealed.

The autopsy was completed on Monday, two days after the 20-year-old New York sprint car driver died after the incident on the track at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said.

Authorities questioned Stewart following the tragedy on Saturday and went to Watkins Glen to talk to him again on Sunday — but Povero said there were no plans "at this time" to speak with him again.

Ward's funeral will be held on Thursday, according to the Empire Super Sprints website.

Povero repeated that there is no evidence that a crime was committed, and said authorities had a second video of the fatal incident that they were reviewing.

The second video shows the incident from a different angle, he said. There was no camera in Stewart's car that could have recorded the crash.

Other footage of the incident shows Stewart's car struck Ward as the helmeted driver stood on the dirt track after he hit a wall.

The crash occurred on lap 14 of a 25-lap race at the upstate New York track on Saturday evening.

Ward can then be seen getting out of his crashed car and walking towards other cars on the track before pointing a finger, apparently at Stewart.

A car swerves to avoid him, but when Stewart's car passes close to Ward, his right rear tire apparently hits him, and Ward was pulled beneath the car and thrown in the air.

In the next scene emergency workers are seen rushing to his aid. Ward was apparently not struck at racing speed, but sprint cars can go as fast at 140 mph.

After the tragedy, Stewart dropped out of the NASCAR event on Sunday.

According to his website, Kevin Ward Jr has been racing since age four and started Sprint Car racing in 2011. The  New York native was Empire Super Sprint rookie of the year in 2012 and this year was his fifth season racing the Empire Super Sprints.

Relatives of Kevin Ward Jr. call Tony Stewart a 'dick' for fatal collision: Report

Tony Stewart's change of heart to not race on Sunday, after running over sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. on Saturday night, did little to ease the pain family and friends of Ward are feeling while coping with the tragic incident.

While no charges are pending against Stewart after two police interviews, grieving members of Ward's inner circle are voicing their anger publicly after the death of the 20-year-old racer on the Watkins Glen racetrack.

In an emotional attack on the three-time NASCAR champion, Ward's aunt Wendi Ward, posted a furious message to Facebook on Sunday, labeling Stewart a "dick" following his fatal collision with the young racer, according to the Daily Mail.

Stating that Stewart has left her family with a "deep hurt that should not be there," Ward's comments are in stark contrast to the more measured official statement released by his parents, who were reportedly in the crowd when their son was hit and killed.

The family has said it "appreciates all the prayer and support" but that members "would like time to grieve" a day after Ward was killed on a racetrack when he was hit by a car driven by the 43-year-old NASCAR star.

However, they have asked for time to "grieve and wrap our heads around all of this."

But the angry aunt didn't hold back when she sarcastically posted "thanks for thinking of our family tony Stewart (sic) when you decided to be a dick."

And on Sunday, some members of the Ward family posted a group picture to Facebook of them wearing T-shirts embossed with artwork on the back from Ward's website and the message "Always and forever."

Stewart has expressed his remorse over the incident and race officials claim there was nothing going on between the two drivers before Ward got out of his wrecked car to confront Stewart inside the Canandaigua Motorsports Park..

"There's no history with these two drivers," said Chuck Miller, the series race director.

"That's the competitive nature of the game and the drivers around it. Any time Tony has raced with us, Kevin also raced. Tony's been good for us."

"He was a good kid, fun to be around," Miller said about Ward.

 "He was really talented and looked like a winner straight from the get-go."

Tony Stewart pulls out of NASCAR race after fatal crash: Report

Tony Stewart did an about face and pulled out of a NASCAR race at Watkins Glen Sunday, 12 hours after the three-time champion struck and killed a sprint car driver who had climbed from his car and was on the same dirt track trying to confront Stewart during a race.

Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing, said at a news conference that Stewart "feels strongly" about not racing Sunday following Kevin Ward Jr.'s fatal accident. 

The decision was a sudden change of heart for the organization, which had said when the track opened that Stewart would be behind the wheel of his No. 14 Chevrolet when the green flag waved at the New York track.

"We gave Tony some time to sleep on it. He feels strongly this is the right thing to do," Zipadelli said. "All you can do is what you feel is right, and we feel this is right. We get through today and do it the best we can as a group.

"He's going through a tough time. It's emotional for him."

Regan Smith will drive Stewart's car instead.

Ward had crashed following contact with Stewart one lap earlier and got out of his car as it was stopped along the fence. Graphic video of the incident (bottom) showed Ward walking from his crashed car onto the racing surface as cars circled by, and, as he gestured at Stewart's passing car, he was struck.

Authorities questioned Stewart but said no criminal charges were imminent. Stewart traveled to Watkins Glen International following police questioning.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said Stewart was "visibly shaken" and had been cooperative in the investigation. Authorities were asking spectators and others to turn over any video they recorded of the crash.

"This is right now being investigated as an on-track crash and I don't want to infer that there are criminal charges pending," Povero said. "When the investigation is completed, we will sit down with the district attorney and review it. But I want to make it very clear: there are no criminal charges pending at this time."

A witness said it appeared Ward was trying to confront Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. The video showed Ward standing to the right of Stewart's familiar No. 14 car, which seemed to kick out from the rear and hit him.

Moments earlier, Ward and Stewart were racing side-by-side for position as they exited a turn. Ward was on the outside when Stewart, on the bottom, seemed to slide toward Ward's car and crowd him toward the wall. The rear tire of Stewart's car appeared to clip the front tire of Ward's car, and Ward spun into the fence.

Povero said Ward, who was wearing a black firesuit and black helmet, had walked into the racing area and one car swerved to avoid him before he was struck by Stewart.

"The next thing I could see, I didn't see (the other driver) anymore," witness Michael Messerly said. "It just seemed like he was suddenly gone."

A spokesman for Stewart's racing team called Ward's death a "tragic accident."

NASCAR racer requests driving test for 72 year-old competitor after crash (VIDEO)

The oldest driver in the field crashed into one of the youngest during Sunday's NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and brought up an age-old question in the sport.

How old is too old to be driving?

After seventy-two-year-old Morgan Shepherd lost control of his car and spun into 24-year-old Joey Logano — who was running second at the time — it restarted the debate. Shepherd's No. 33 car was 14 laps down at the time of incident and well off the pace.

"I feel like there should be a driver's test before you get out in a Cup car and make sure you know how to drive before you drive one," Logano said afterwards.

While the white-haired Pompano Beach crowd might froth in their Geritol at excusing cautious experience for reckless youth, Logano wasn't interested in anyone's defense of Shepherd during a race.

"The slowest car on the racetrack took us out," a smug Logano told reporters.

Shepherd made his Cup debut in 1970 and has won four times in 517 Cup starts. He finished as high as fifth in the final standings in 1990 (when Logano was born) and hadn't started a Cup race since 2006. He last ran a full season in 1996.

He extended his mark as the oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series on Sunday.

NASCAR official Robin Pemberton said as long as Shepherd passed his physical, and his car passed inspection and qualified, he was free to drive.

"He met everything he needed to meet," said Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. 

"He was above minimum speed. He pulled over to let Joey go by and it's a responsibility for all competitors. Everybody has a responsibility to lay off each other."

Shepherd, who often drives in a Racing With Jesus car, isn't ready for the Rascal 500 just yet. 

"Was he the only guy who wrecked?," Shepherd asked sarcastically about his fender-bender with the young whippersnapper in the race. 

"That answers that."

Formula 1 team looking to include Danica Patrick as only woman in the sport: Report

NASCAR racer Danica Patrick could become America's first female Formula One driver after her boss hinted she would be a "great candidate" for his F1 team — and the first woman in the sport in nearly four decades.

Despite struggling in her transition to NASCAR,  Formula One racing could be an option for one of the most accomplished female race car drivers in history.

Formula One team owner Gene Haas, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, for whom  Patrick races for in NASCAR, is preparing to launch a brand new F 1 team in time for the 2016 season.

And in an interview with NBCSN commentator at the Canadian Grand Prix yesterday, the racing mogul dismissed the chance of any of his NASCAR drivers competing in Formula One and said including her on his team could be a possibility.

"She'd bring an awful lot of viewership, I think it's be great for America," said Haas. "I think she would be a great candidate for one of the two seats remaining.

"Whether that's going to happen or not, I think that's kind of a long shot there. Just the thought of jumping into a Formula One car from a Cup car would be very, very difficult."

The 32-year-old Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing and has competed in NASCAR since 2012, finishing inside the top ten twice. 

Patrick is the only female driver to win a Sprint Cup pole and also has the highest finish (eighth) of any female in the Daytona 500. But she is 28th in the current Cup standings in her second year of full-time Cup competition.

But women's inclusion in Formula One has been criticized by some drivers including former champion Sir Stirling Moss. 

Last year he was quoted as saying: "The mental stress I think would be pretty difficult for a lady to deal with in a practical fashion. I just don’t think they have aptitude to win a Formula One race."

"I don't care," responded Patrick, who has also faced criticism in the past for being female.

"There's going to be people who believe in you and people who don't."

Only one woman, Lella Lombardi of Italy, has ever picked up any points in a Formula One race. And she retired in 1976.

Jimmie Johnson's brother-in-law killed in mid-air skydiving collision: Report

The skydiver found dead after a collision with another parachutist in eastern San Diego County on Sunday has been identified as the brother-in-law of six-time NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.

Jordan Janway died while skydiving with two others at Jamul, the county medical examiner's office says in a statement Monday.

The 27-year-old Janway collided with one of the other jumpers during a freefall, and failed to open his parachute and fell to the ground.

Janway was the younger brother of Johnson's wife, Chandra. The couple acknowledged the death in a post on JimmieJohnson.com.

Skydive San Diego owner Buzz Fink told the website of KNSD-TV Janway was an experienced skydiving instructor with more than 1,000 jumps. He said Janway apparently collided with another skydiver in midair while practicing a maneuver and was knocked unconscious, leaving him unable to open his parachute.

The accident happened Sunday around 4:30 p.m. PT, which would have come several hours after Johnson finished second at Martinsville Speedway.  Janway's body was found at 5:15pm.

The last death at the center occurred about five years ago when a man was tangled in his chute and hit his head on a rock when he landed, reported  UT-San Diego.

The Johnsons' statement asks for prayers and privacy.

Jeff Gordon gets revenge on cynical reporter with wild police chase prank (VIDEO)

About a year ago, Travis Okulski wrote a post calling a Pepsi video in which NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon did a crazy test drive with a used car salesman fake. Just about everyone else thought most of it was fake too, but it was the New Jersey native's story for Jalopnik that really stuck in Gordon's exhaust pipe.

Well, Gordon finally got his revenge big time —after he disguised himself as an ex-con cab driver who was able to pick up Okulski in North Carolina and give him a ride he'll never forget. 

Watch the journalist scream for his life as Gordon speeds, spins and fishtails during a phony police chase until Gordon mercifully reveals the hilarious prank.

Okulski is a believer now.

This is a real thing. It really happened. It’s not fake. At all. http://t.co/tYguV1ZPg2
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014

Danica Patrick like you've never seen her before (VIDEO)

Fans of Danica Patrick were no doubt shocked to see her drastic new appearance while filming a television commercial for Go Daddy on Wednesday. The NASCAR driver was spotted looking incredibly muscular while filming the spot at a Los Angeles location.

But Patrick didn’t magically buff up overnight.  She was actually sporting a rather realistic muscle suit while running alongside a host of shirtless muscle-bound men as the cameras rolled.

Along with the muscle suit – which had more bulging veins than a Stallone double-feature – the pretty brunette wore a black sports bra, tiny lime green shorts and mullet-style hairdo.

Patrick is starring in the commercial for Internet domain company Go Daddy, which will air during one of the highly coveted and expensive ad spots during February 2014’s Super Bowl.

The 31-year-old Patrick has been featured in sexy Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials for several years but said she would be turning down the heat factor in the new spots.

It looks like she traded the lace for latex.

SeaWorld compares orca handler ban to NFL and NASCAR limits

A controversial ruling regarding SeaWorld's future may lie with federal judges over a decision involving the aquatic parks' most popular draw: killer whales.

For decades, orcas like Shamu have been the biggest show at Sea World, but trainers have been banned from close contact with the whales since 2010 when trainer Dawn Brancheau was dragged under and drowned by Tilikum, a 12,000 pound killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando. Federal safety regulators cited SeaWorld for violating workplace safety laws and banned trainers from close contact with the whales unless separated by a protective barrier. SeaWorld is now appealing that ruling and comparing the handler ban to barring tackling in football and posting speed limits on auto racing tracks.

"The stakes in this case actually could not be higher," said a SeaWorld attorney. "It's a very, very good point for Sea World to make. Why us and why not NFL or NASCAR? Because let's face it, the show is much more spectacular when the trainers are in the water than when they're just on stage."

Trainers do still get close enough to feed and train the animals, but do not get in the water but the government argues that killer whale behavior is simply too unpredictable.

We have seen football players in pools and, if belly-flopping NFL bad boy Ndamukong Suh could save Louie Anderson's life on the celebrity diving show "Splash," SeaWorld might have a point.

In court documents filed Wednesday, SeaWorld stated that "close contact with killer whales is essential to the product offered by SeaWorld, and is indeed the primary reason trainers and audiences have been drawn to SeaWorld for nearly 50 years."

In 2006 at San Diego, SeaWorld trainer Ken Peters was repeatedly dragged to the bottom of the pool until he finally swam to safety. In 2004, another trainer was attacked at SeaWorld San Antonio. And animal rights groups want the captive aquatic show creatures released into the wild altogether.

It's a tangled net of entertainment, safety and money with the poor, captured orcas in the middle of it.

SeaWorld runs 11 U.S. theme parks and had over 24 million visitors last year. 

Shaq teams up with James and Sandler to sing start your engines

Another "Grown Ups" movie on the horizon can only mean one thing in NASCAR — another unique rendition of traditional "Drivers, start your engines" by the movie's stars Kevin James and Adam Sandler.

The comedic pair — along with "Grown Ups 2" co-star Shaquille O'Neal — did an ear-shattering a capella version of the command prior to Saturday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway to either the delight or the distress of the crowd — depending on your perspective.

After the trio's harmonization, the roar of revving engines and screeching tires probably never sounded so good.

Judge for yourself.