iRacing Simulation gives NASCAR Hall of Fame guests authentic driving experience
Qualifying and Racing in Ultra-Realistic Racing Simulators to Be a Highlight of Fans’ Race Day Experience
If the two living members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of inductees, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson, are still wondering who’s the better racer, they won’t need to order new helmets and driving uniforms to find out; they can just show up on May 23, 2010, the day of their formal induction into the Hall of Fame, and answer the question behind the wheel of one of the 15 iRacing.com-powered NASCAR stock car simulators located in the Hall.
“We’re honored that the NASCAR Hall of Fame selected iRacing to develop the part of the visitor experience that actually puts fans behind the wheel of a NASCAR Sprint Cup car for the most realistic possible virtual driving experience,” said Steve Myers, iRacing’s executive producer. “And we expect that many of the fans who meet us in the Hall of Fame experience will choose to get even closer to the sport of NASCAR racing by joining the iRacing community and participating in our official NASCAR-sanctioned online racing series.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame official racing simulation that will entertain hundreds of thousands of visitors to the NASCAR Hall of Fame every year (and potentially let Richard and Junior have another chance to race each other) is a custom version of the same software iRacing.com uses in its popular online motorsport simulation service. It features the same laser-scanned, millimeter-accurate version of all the tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule and the NASCAR cars driven regularly in the online version by more than 15,000 iRacing members, including NASCAR stars such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Jr., Marcos Ambrose, Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Justin Labonte, Colin Braun, Chad McCumbee and Cale Gale.
“It’s important to us that every aspect of our guest experience be as realistic as possible – not just another arcade experience, but an activity that is challenging and demonstrates the skills necessary to drive a stock car. iRacing brings exactly that level of accuracy and authenticity,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, who noted that Hall of Fame had entered into a multi-year agreement with iRacing to provide the simulated driving experience at the Hall. “Beyond that, we needed to work with a proven and reliable team. iRacing has worked hard to achieve the benchmarks that we’ve set.”
According to Myers, the Hall of Fame’s version of the iRacing software will have a customized front end that replaces the normal online one; automates the driving process so that visitors have a “get-in-and-go” experience; adds the ability for the administrator to specify aspects of the visitor’s driving program including number of laps that can be driven and other variables; and collects data such as best qualifying lap time, race performance and finish order for fields of up to 15 cars so as to ensure a fun and informative experience for every visitor.
The iRacing software will run in a set of seven two-seat NASCAR stock car replicas, providing 14 simultaneous driving positions. Another simulator will be designated for wheelchair use as well for those with disabilities. The customized version of the software permits the Hall of Fame to schedule races that will be broadcast on a giant 50-foot overhead video screen. Just as in the real world, the drivers’ friends and other visitors will be able to watch all the action and cheer them on. (During qualifying periods, the screen will display standings and other information.)
In a separate area, and with a more basic simulator where the driver stands rather than sitting in a racing seat, visitors will also be able to experience a qualifying session.
“It has been a fresh and enjoyable challenge doing that for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which promises to be one of the most popular attractions in America,” Myers said, “We’re pleased that millions of NASCAR fans over the years will get to feel what it is like to drive a Sprint Cup car at one of their favorite tracks.”
Tickets and memberships for the NASCAR Hall of Fame are available online at www.nascarhall.com. General admission prices are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12 and free for children under 5. Simulators rides are $5 per person for non-members and are offered at discounted rates for members.
Source: iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC
Cyclists will pedal 850 miles across Texas in the Rise Across Texas Challenge
Lance Armstrong Is Honorary Captain, Mack Brown and Gene Stallings Honorary Coaches
To celebrate his 50th birthday Austin businessman Steve Hicks hosted 100 friends at a Caribbean getaway; Jimmy Buffet and the Beach Boys entertained. Hicks turns 60 in February and will mark the milestone in a dramatically different way: rallying 49 people to join him in bicycling 850 miles across Texas.
On March 6, 2010 Hicks and his fellow bicyclists will set out from the Louisiana/Texas border and head west, averaging 60 miles a day. Starting from Orange, they’ll wind up in Presidio two weeks later on March 20.
Hicks, owner and executive chairman of Capstar Partners, conceived of the ride, the Rise Across Texas Challenge, as a fundraiser for the Rise Schools of Texas, which educate typical children alongside those with developmental disabilities. Lance Armstrong is the ride’s honorary captain; Mack Brown and Gene Stallings are honorary coaches.
Hicks is appealing to riders as determined as he is. “For my 50th I showed lots of people a good time, but for my 60th I want to give something back to the world,” he says. “Some adventurous types have already signed on for the full ride. Anyone raising a minimum can join for part of the ride, too.”
Proceeds will launch a campaign to build a permanent home for the Rise School in Austin, which currently leases space. Subsequent funds will benefit Rise Schools in Dallas, Houston, and Corpus Christi.
Hicks is not an elite biker — far from it, at least now. When not recruiting sponsors, he’s relearning something that one proverbially never forgets. “I got my cycling merit badge as a Boy Scout, and that’s pretty much it,” he says. “Right now I’m trying to get used to being on the bike without falling.” Never fear, though: Kevin Livingston, six-time Tour de France Rider and U.S. National Champion, has agreed to train the riders for their venture.
Towns slated as ride stops include Kountze, Montgomery, Brenham, Bastrop, Austin, Wimberley, Kerrville, Leakey, Brackettville, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, and Marfa.
Event sponsors to date include DMX, Harden Healthcare, Livestrong, Mellow Johnny’s, Pedal Hard and Texas Monthly. Trek Travel is the official bike tour operator.
For more information on the Rise Across Texas Challenge, please visit riseacrosstexas.org
Source: Rise Across Texas Foundation
Fox Sports En Espanol announces exclusive spanish-language programming for the 2009 World Series
with Pre- & Postgame Analysis by Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen
For the ninth consecutive year, Fox Sports en Espanol is offering live Spanish-language coverage of the MLB postseason. Tune-in to Fox Sports en Espanol for the 2009 World Series, where the defending World Champions Philadelphia Phillies, take on the American League champions, New York Yankees starting on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:30pm ET.
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen joins Fox Sports en Espanol as a pregame and postgame analyst, providing exclusive Spanish language analysis and content, for the network’s coverage of the 2009 Fall Classic.
Guillen’s engaging personality, honesty and candor have made him a popular media figure both in Chicago and nationally. His previous MLB television experience was as an analyst for the Hispanic television broadcast of the 1992 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego.
A complete schedule of Fox Sports en Espanol’s MLB telecasts is available at www.foxsportsla.com.
Following his 16-year playing career that stretched from 1985 through 2000, Guillen served as a coach for the Montreal Expos (2001-2002) and third-base coach for the Florida Marlins in 2003, where he won his first World Series ring. He was named the 37th manager in Chicago White Sox history on November 3, 2003; and in 2005, guided the team to their first American League Pennant since 1959, and their first World Series title in 88 years with a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros. He is the first Latin-born manager in the history of the game to have won a World Series. Guillen is also the only manager in White Sox history to guide the team to more than one division/league title and was named the 2005 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Guillen managed the 2006 AL All-Star team to a 3-2 victory and has an overall career managerial record of 512-461.
World Series Programming
10/28 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 1 7:30pm ET
10/29 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 2 7:30pm ET
10/31 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 3 7:30pm ET
11/1 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 4 8:00pm ET
11/2 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 5* 7:30pm ET
11/4 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 6* 7:30pm ET
11/5 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 7* 7:30pm ET
*Games 5-7 are only if necessary games.
Source: Fox Sports en Espanol
New York Most Popular City to Run a Marathon
Reasons to run a marathon’ research reveals European minds
The world of running is experiencing an incredible boom, and 2009 heralds the continuing growth in popularity of this sport. As the number of runners (in particular women) strengthens by the day, so does the ever-increasing appeal of marathons around the world. ASICS’ recent ‘Reasons to Run’ research revealed that, of the 85% of Europe’s 80 million runners who have not yet run a marathon, 37% plan to do so in the near future. With the imminent New York marathon in mind (November 1st), it is also worth knowing that this is a marathon in which 15.2 million European runners aspire to run.
2009 also marks the 60th anniversary of Japanese sportswear brand ASICS. Turning 60 is an extremely symbolic event in Japan, and a milestone ASICS is extremely proud to have reached. Sixty years of continuous research and technological innovation has led ASICS to be considered the most valued running shoe amongst serious runners. The New York marathon is a perfect example to highlight this point. Since 2005, around 50% of New York’s participants have run in ASICS shoes. *
The evolution of marathons
The marathon is the most iconic individual achievement of our time, and these days simply being accepted in to a major marathon is a feat in itself. It has evolved from the elite, ‘super-athletes only’ race to a mass phenomenon where the number of marathons and the amount of runners taking part around the world increases every year. In the last decade, the New York marathon itself has seen a growth of approximately 20,000 participants, and is now considered to be the most coveted race to run amongst 19% of European runners.
ASICS’ participation in marathons
No other brand can lay claim to the fact that the majority of marathon participants worldwide wear their shoes. The shoe count at the last two New York marathons alone showed that 55% (2007) and 51%(2008)* chose to wear ASICS. For this year’s event, ASICS has organised yet another ‘shoe count team’ to see just how many hardcore runners choose to run such a demanding race in ASICS shoes.
Providing the best at every level
Since its launch in 1949, ASICS has grown from a small sports-shoe company founded in Japan to a highly regarded, award-winning international sportswear brand. ASICS’ founder, Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka deeply believed in the fact that exercise leads to the development of a healthier body, and that a sound body is the cradle for a sound mind. When it came to naming his company, Mr. Onitsuka opted for the initials of a Latin quote that summarised his belief: Anima Sana In Corpore Sano (a sound mind in a sound body). Nothing epitomises his philosophy more than running a marathon, as this is the ultimate event where body and mind must work together in harmony in order to complete those long and arduous 42.195 kilometres.
But it is not just the body and mind that are tested to their max, as a marathon also stretches sports products to their limit in the most extreme way. And that is why, after sixty years of determination to provide athletes of all levels with the best possible products, ASICS is still so popular at marathons the world over. Whether an elite runner or a first-time finisher, those wearing ASICS can run safe in the knowledge that they’ve put their trust in the most dedicated running brand.
* ASICS employees count one specific brand of footwear each during the 2.5 hours after the winner crosses the marathon finish line. The resulting percentage indicates that ASICS is the preferred brand of footwear among serious marathon runners.
Source: ASICS Europe B.V.
New survey finds one in three sports fans smoke, five out of six smoke while watching sports
New National Smoking Cessation Advertising Now Appearing During Major League Baseball Post Season Games on FOX
A new survey conducted by the American Legacy Foundation(R) (Legacy) finds that the majority (63 percent) of sports fans surveyed are current or former smokers and 76 percent of them have smoked while watching or attending sporting events. The study examines whether sports fans were exposed to secondhand smoke while watching sports; smoked while watching sports at certain venues; or whether those who quit smoking relapsed while watching a game. The survey also examined whether watching sports was a trigger for fans who smoke.
The survey also indicated that 60 percent of sports fans have been exposed to secondhand smoke in the past year while watching or attending sporting events and that 36 percent of sports fans who smoke or used to smoke are extremely or very tempted to smoke while viewing sporting events in their own homes. When the score of the game is close, nearly one third are extremely or very tempted to light up.
Starting this week and through the winter, many smokers will be exposed to new quit smoking messages through the EX(R) national smoking cessation campaign. Legacy, along with the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC), announced today that the next round of new ads in its two-year old EX campaign are now being featured during FOX Sports’ broadcast of Major League Baseball’s American League Championship Series (ALCS) and World Series. The campaign’s new ad debut includes traditional 30-second in-game commercials, as well as new virtual home plate signage that will be seen during live action.
The placement of the ads during the ALCS and World Series is the first of several that will appear in different sports venues through the winter, including “Bassmasters” programming on ESPN2 and national radio programming on Sporting News Radio. The ads are now prominently featured during ALCS games on FOX and will run in various formats through January to encourage smokers to visit www.BecomeAnEX.org for a free comprehensive plan to “re-learn life without cigarettes.”
“For years, tobacco industry advertisements were prominently displayed during sporting events, circumventing the federal ban on tobacco advertising on television,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, Legacy’s president and CEO. “Through EX, we hope to help fans who smoke to beat this addiction with a free, easy-to-follow three-step plan to quit smoking.”
These new ads may also help to counter the images of players who use smokeless tobacco — both snuff and chew — whom fans of professional baseball are accustomed to seeing. Eight million Americans 12 and older use smokeless tobacco products and annually one million more begin using them. Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers.
Released just prior to Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Great American Smoke Out in November, a critical time to help the 43 million Americans who smoke to finally quit, these findings indicate a high proportion of smokers among sports fans surveyed (34 percent). Eighty-four percent of sports fans who are current smokers reported that they smoke cigarettes while watching or attending sporting events.
The NATC encourages fans who smoke to use the EX quit plan, a two-year old collaborative of state and national public health groups spearheaded by Legacy. This is the second phase of EX advertising and promotions which are designed to help smokers “re-learn” life without cigarettes.
EX is more than an advertising campaign. It provides evidence-based tools to help smokers quit, including information that can help them prepare for a quit attempt by 1) “Re-learning” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how different smoking triggers can be overcome with practice and preparation; 2) “Re-learning” their knowledge of addiction and how medications can increase their chances for quitting success; and 3) “Re-learning” their ideas of how support from friends and family members can play a critical role in quitting.
Because social support is so important, EX has supplemented its online quitting plan at www.BecomeAnEX.org with a virtual community for smokers who want to convene and collaborate on their successes and challenges in the difficult quit process. Since March 2008, when the program first debuted, more than a million people have visited www.BecomeAnEX.org for help re-learning life without cigarettes. More than 14,000 smokers have joined the online community, forming nearly 300 customized support groups. EX tools were designed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers who have lived with this struggle, in order to provide smokers with a realistic approach with evidence-based research.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, most smokers in America — 70 percent — want to quit, but in 2000, only about five percent were successful in quitting long-term. Quitting smoking is ultimately one of the single most important lifestyle changes one can make to improve and extend their lives. Tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; smokers therefore need to be armed with all the available information to make the best, most informed choices about the smoking cessation resources available to them.
EX(R) is a collaborative public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, a partnership of the nation’s leading public health organizations and states. The campaign helps smokers prepare to quit and guides them to useful resources that foster successful quit attempts including the EX plan, a free personalized quit plan available on the campaign’s Web site www.BecomeAnEX.org. EX is the culmination of several years of research and testing, combining an understanding of the power of nicotine addiction with messages that resonate with and motivate smokers toward behavior change. The EX approach is peer to peer and focuses on “re-learning life without cigarettes” by encouraging smokers to think differently about the process of quitting. The campaign, which began airing nationwide in March 2008, includes television, radio, online AND out-of-home advertising. The EX Web site helps smokers create their own individual plan to quit and connects them to a virtual community of other smokers where they can share stories and strategies about quitting. Founding members of the NATC include numerous states and the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Legacy Foundation, C-Change, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and clinical partner, the Mayo Clinic.
This survey was conducted using Opinion Research Corporation’s online CARAVAN on October 8-9, 2009 among a sample of 1,027 adults comprising 482 men and 545 women 18 years of age and older. Completed interviews are weighted by four variables: age, sex, geographic region, and race, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population, 18 years of age and older. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the 18+ population. Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated. “Sports fans” were defined as anyone who watched sporting events, including college and professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey, NASCAR racing, golf, tennis, bowling, and fishing on a regular basis.
Source: American Legacy Foundation