Brian France is no fan of the newly formed nine-member Race Team Alliance.

The NASCAR Chairman and CEO made that much clear Monday afternoon in a radio interview on SIRIUS/XM, where he said listening to the united front presented by the RTA and the top teams in NASCAR would be a huge mistake.

"The one thing that is essential to NASCAR is, when you hear one voice, that would probably be the worst thing that we could ever do, is listen to one voice, even if it was a consensus voice," said France. "Every decision we've ever made that's important, the more input, the more people we heard from, the better the results. That will never change in the business model of NASCAR because good ideas come from all over the place."

France later added, "We need all the input we can get. That's the whole beauty of the NASCAR business model. Everybody's in it together. "

The RTA was announced two weeks ago, with Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman appointed by his fellow team owners as the leader and spokesperson. Appearing on FOX Sports 1's "NASCAR Race Hub," Kauffman said the organization should be viewed as a positive by race fans.

"To the extent the teams are more secure in their long-term future and have better business models, I think it just makes the sport stronger, where you can really afford to invest for the long-term, and not just survive year-to-year," Kauffman said on the show.

James Garner, a lifelong racing enthusiast who might have really gone places in motorsports if his acting career hadn’t kept getting in the way, died in Los Angeles July 19 at age 86. The cause of death is not known, but Garner had suffered a stroke in 2008 and had quintuple bypass surgery in 1988.

Garner is best-known to the public for two popular roles: Jim Rockford, the wise-cracking private eye who often used his gold Pontiac Firebird to nab (or escape from) bad guys; and as Bret Maverick in the early-'60s  TV western. But he will always be best-known to race fans as the talented American driver Pete Aron taking on the Europeans in the movie "Grand Prix." In that John Frankenheimer hit, one of the top-10 highest-grossing movies of 1966, Garner got to work with the best F1 drivers of the day, including Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Fangio, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney, Ritchie Ginther and Bruce McLaren.

"Grand Prix" has been hailed by many as the best portrayal of real racing ever filmed, along with Steve McQueen’s "Le Mans." Indeed, McQueen was originally slotted to star in "Grand Prix," but an early disagreement with producers led to his pulling out and Garner getting the role. Unlike some of his co-stars who couldn’t drive at all, Garner did much of his own driving in the movie -- and fell in love with racing as a result. Subsequently, some of the real drivers in the film, including Graham Hill, reportedly told him he could have done well as real driver.

A friendship with "Grand Prix" cast members Bob Bondurant and Dick Guldstrand lead to the creation of Garner’s race team “American International Racing,” after the movie wrapped. AIR fielded L88 Corvettes and Lola T70s at Daytona and Sebring, with leading sports car drivers of the day Scooter Patrick, Davey Jordan, Lothar Mothschenbacher and Guldstrand.  The team also fielded a John Surtees Formula A/F5000 car in late 1969 that was featured in the documentary "The Racing Scene" starring James Garner as himself.

Garner also famously drove a wild Vic Hickey-built Olds 442 4x4 in the NORRA Baja 1000 in 1969. That car was aptly dubbed “The Grabber.” Garner’s co-driver in that epic was Scooter Patrick.

Garner stayed interested in racing his whole life, driving the pace car at the Indy 500 three times, in 1975, ’77 and ’85. He also appeared in TV commercials for Mazda and Chevrolet.

His marriage to Lois Fleishman Clarke in 1956 was one of Hollywood’s longest unions.

Mopar has agreed to a three-year extension of its title rights sponsorship of the NHRA Mile-High Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway near Denver. Mopar’s title sponsorship of this tradition-rich event began in 1989 and is the longest running NHRA event sponsorship in history.

This weekend’s Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals is the 14th of 24 races in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The event, which presents unique challenges to NHRA teams due to its high altitude and warm summer temperatures, has long been the traditional kick-off of the famed three-race NHRA Western Swing.

“The Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals is the flagship event for our brand, our fans and our customers, and this agreement reinforces our commitment to our ‘home track,’ Bandimere Speedway, and to NHRA drag racing,” said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Together, we have made the annual visit to ‘Thunder Mountain’ an iconic stop on the NHRA schedule.”

In addition to the title sponsorship of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, the company also sponsors the Mopar Hemi Challenge each season at Indianapolis and provides team sponsorship to the Dodge Dart Pro Stock cars driven by Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin, Jr., as well as the Dodge Charger Funny Car driven by Matt Hagan.

“Mopar has displayed great dedication, passion and commitment during its record run as the title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Through Mopar’s involvement, the race has developed a true identity with NHRA race fans and has become one of the favorite stops for NHRA teams on the Mello Yello Series circuit.”

Throughout the many years of this title sponsorship, the Mopar brand has become synonymous with Bandimere Speedway, a family-owned track with a big reputation for staging some of the best events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

“Mopar has been an outstanding partner in allowing us to maintain a high level of excellence in hosting NHRA championship drag races for more than 25 years,” said John Bandimere Jr., president and CEO of Bandimere Speedway. “Through this sponsorship extension, the real winners are our customers and the extended racing community. We look forward to showcasing many more years of thrilling racing action during the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.”

Formula E has unveiled the track layout it will use for the fourth round of its inaugural season in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 1.516-mile track will run anti-clockwise around the Puerto Madero district and will feature a total of 12 corners. The event will take place on Jan. 15.

Buenos Aires is the fifth track layout unveiled by Formula E officials, and the second in South America together with Uruguay.

"Looking at the track, you have to say it's got a good combination of corners," said Mahindra driver Bruno Senna, one of the first two South American drivers to seal an FE seat along with fellow ex-Formula 1 man Lucas di Grassi at Abt. "There's a chicane, some high-speed turns with a change of direction and slow-speed as well. It's impossible to tell from the map about undulation, but I think that it could make for an interesting race and it will be fun to drive.

"I think the main overtaking point will be into Turn 1 under braking, or maybe into T4 or even T5. T7 is a possible passing point too, so it does lend itself to some potential overtakes, but we'll have to see when we get there."

The first Formula E championship kicks off on Sept. 13 in Beijing.

When the Red Bull Global Rallycross cranks up Friday and Saturday at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it will be nothing like traditional racing.

“This is the future of racing—it’s exciting. Get your phones ready,” Scott Speed said during an interview this week. “…This is what young fans want to see. It’s YouTube.

“There is no riding around killing laps. Every lap matters. There’s no bathroom or popcorn breaks or you will miss something. It’s a dogfight from the very beginning.”

The 600-horsepower, all-wheel drive, turbocharged compact cars go from 0 to 60 in less than two seconds. The course features hairpin turns, jumps over walls, a series of chicanes and water features, all designed to test a driver’s focus and control.

“It’s not boring,” Speed said. “It’s exciting racing. The cars are bumping each other and they’re doing things other race cars can’t do.”

Charlotte is the only city on the circuit with “the traditional NASCAR demographic,” Speed said. So far this year, the GRC has raced in Barbados; Austin, Texas for the X Games and Washington, D.C.

The rest of the 10-race schedule includes dates at Daytona, Seattle, two in Los Angeles and wrapping up the season in Las Vegas.

The track at CMS is much different than other courses on the GRC circuit and that’s one of the things Speed likes.

“There’s a lot of dirt and banking. The dirt, that Carolina clay, starts to rip up the track and you get ruts. It makes for interesting racing. Most places, it’s more gravel, pavement or tarmac. There’s not a huge jump (at CMS), but it’s great racing,” Speed said.

In the 2013 race at the Dirt Track, cars were running so hard they kept getting flat tires. A different tire will be used this year that can handle the intense racing.

Arpin, who drives for Royal Purple Racing, agrees with Speed’s assessment of the course.

“It is going to be absolutely insane this year at Charlotte. The big thing last year was we all got flat tires because we were driving so hard around a rough and rutty dirt track, but we got new tires this year so that is not going to happen, so we will go even harder yet,” Arpin said. “That track is so wild, you have all the banking in Turns 1 and 2—we are wide open all the way through there—we literally jump over the race track, literally over the wall, then jump back in on the other side.”

Along with Speed and Arpin, Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust, Bucky Lasek and others are expected to compete in the Supercars division. The GRC Lites division will include 2014 X Games gold medalist Mitchell DeJong, Austin Cindri and Kevin Eriksson.

This will be the third season at CMS for GRC. The first race was on the frontstretch of the main track. It moved to the Dirt Track last year.

The action gets under way Friday with practice and qualifying. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday. The action continues Saturday, with gates opening at 10 a.m. and racing beginning at 11 a.m. NBC will broadcast the main events at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $25 per day or a two-day pass is $40 for adults. Children 13 and under get in for $15 a day or $25 for both days.

More information about GRC is available at www.redbullglobalrallycross.com.

Dr. John Melvin, a NASCAR consultant and biomedical engineer who dedicated much of his professional life to determining what causes injuries in racecar crashes, died July 17.

Melvin was a longtime consultant to NASCAR following a 40-year career at General Motors that ended with his retirement in 1998. He also was an adjunct professor at Wayne State University.

For the last 13 years, Melvin has worked with NASCAR on safety issues and would play a role in NASCAR’s driver safety meetings, explaining why injuries occurred in recent accidents.

Melvin was a major factor in NASCAR’s focus on safety following the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500. He was an advocate for many of the resulting safety enhancements, such as the HANS Device and the construction of seats and restraint systems that could better protect the driver.

"NASCAR and the entire motorsports industry lost a giant on Thursday with the passing of Dr. John Melvin," NASCAR President Mike Helton said in a statement. "Dr. Melvin was a pioneer in the field of driver safety, particularly in the area of driver restraint systems.

"His many contributions as a safety consultant to NASCAR for more than 13 years forever changed the sport. We lost a colleague, and a friend."

Melvin received his B.S. (1960), M.S. (1962) and Ph.D. (1964) in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois. As a Research engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, from 1968 to 1985, he was involved in the planning and implementation of research projects dealing with the mechanical properties of biological tissues; injury mechanisms of the organs and structures in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and lower extremities; development of test dummy components; and the development and evaluation of advanced restraint systems for children and adults.

"His training in biomechanical engineering gave him a unique perspective to study the causes of human-body injuries in racing crashes and devise solutions to minimize such injuries. Many drivers today credit these improvements for saving their lives," said Abder Amokrane of Stand 21.

"A modest man, and a humanist, he shared his knowledge with kindness, conviction and uncompromising attitude," added Amokrane. "No eulogy can accurately credit John for his extraordinary body of work, and the vacuum his passing causes in the racing community is no less than abysmal."

Flaming River Industries, Inc. announces that Ron Skyrme, a hot rodding and racing veteran with over 30 years of experience in the industry, will be joining its team. Skyrme will be leading new business development for Flaming River and will be calling on customers and representing Flaming River at industry shows and events in areas primarily west of the Mississippi River.

Skyrme has been involved in the automotive industry since the early 1970s and started out in the San Francisco Bay Area where he opened up his own paint and striping shop at the age of 22. He has also been involved in and attended industry trade shows and events since the age of 25.

Skyrme most recently finished a 24-year career with DuPont USA—working as a Technical Advisor in the Automotive Finishes Division. He was instrumental in helping to develop DuPont’s Hot Hues line of custom vehicle finishes.

“Flaming River is excited to have Ron, and his expertise and extensive knowledge of our industry, join our team,” said Jeanette Ladina, President of Flaming River Industries, Inc.

DIYAutoTune, a manufacturer of feature-rich plug-n-play and professional engine management systems, announced that its #787 Nissan 240SX Land Speed contender driven by owner/ CEO, Jerry Hoffmann, has done it again. Hoffmann proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in the F-motor Blown Gas Coupe class, pushing the East Coast Timing Association record to an astonishing 202.247 mph and earning a seat in the 200 MPH Club. The previous record, set by Hoffmann in May, was 177.09 mph.

The DIYAutoTune team now turns their attention to Bonneville's Speed Week for a chance at a coveted Southern California Timing Association record and the elusive “Red Hat,” signifying the sanctioning body's 200 MPH Honors.

When Hoffmann was asked why the red hat was so important to him, he said “To put it in perspective, more people have been to the summit of Mount Everest.”  

Hoffmann started the DIYAutoTune 240SX Land Speed Project in 2010. Producing his first record was nearly 5 years in the making, representing the sheer grit and determination involved in a feat such as this. Follow the project from the beginning on our current Bonneville or Bust blog page: http://www.diyautotune.com/cars/project/diyautotune_s13_240sx.htm

Formula 1 teams have all removed their FRIC suspension systems for the German Grand Prix, ending fears that the weekend could be overshadowed by protests.

Despite not all squads confirming their intentions ahead of the opening day of practice, the FIA's technical delegate Jo Bauer clarified on Thursday night that no team was running with the concept.

In a technical report issued after scrutineering, Bauer said: "I can confirm that no car is fitted with a front to rear linked suspension systems of any sort."

The decision by everyone in the pitlane to not run FRIC removes the prospect of any team opting to protest a rival, with the FIA having made clear last week that it believed the system could be challenged under the moveable aerodynamic devices rules.

Despite the entire grid removing FRIC to bring a swift end to the controversy, Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn believed the matter should not have come up at all at this stage of the season.

"For me the whole discussion, it is a very wrong image that we are creating—which worries me," she said.

"We all entered with whatever [FRIC] device this year and in the middle of the year we decide it is not right.

"I don't know if it is frustration. It is a certain incompetence or capability of the sport to look stable and clear. It is the governing body that is responsible for the rules, and to monitor the rules and see if they are adhered to do or not.

"It is not the governing body's fault if we are developing our systems, so maybe we have to move more towards rules that don't allow these kinds of things in the first place."

IMPACT UNKNOWN

Most F1 drivers and teams were unsure about the impact of the FRIC removal on the overall competitive order, with the device worth around four tenths of a second per lap.

When asked what impact the de facto ban would have, Fernando Alonso said: "Nothing really. It is a system that has been on F1 cars for some years now and there is not a big implication in terms of driving style or anything that can change the behaviour of the car. It is like changing from soft to medium tyres.

"OK, you will go a little slower and some teams will adapt maybe a bit better but we will not see a Marussia on pole position or something like that. It is just a couple of tenths for everyone."

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was more open, saying he hoped the change would hurt Mercedes more.

"We'll see. The thought of it is nice—that maybe Mercedes had a really trick system and will lose out more than us," he said. "But we'll see what really happens on track.

"In saying all that, I don't think it's going to be a change that will cost a second in lap time. I think it will be a tenth or two tenths. Maybe it will make them faster..."

Verizon IndyCar Series driver Ryan Hunter-Reay now has a matching set of ESPY Awards.

Hunter-Reay, who won this year's Indianapolis 500 with a thrilling finish over Helio Castroneves, received the ESPY Award as Best Driver for the second consecutive year on July 16 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. He became the first Indy car driver to repeat as the award's winner.

Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, NHRA champion John Force, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. also were nominees in the category that was determined by online voting.

"It's a tremendous honor to win the ESPY," said Hunter-Reay, who won in his second nomination. "The Indianapolis 500 is a tremendous race and this year was such a hard fought and intense battle at the end. I think the fans really showed their support for the show they got from the Verizon IndyCar Series in May."

Hunter-Reay claimed his first Indianapolis 500 win by outdueling three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves in the closing laps to become the first American to win the race in nearly a decade.

Through 12 races this season, Hunter-Reay is third in the championship standings with three victories and two other top-five finishes in the Honda-powered No. 28 DHL car for Andretti Autosport.

"I wouldn't be able to be here without the support every member of Andretti Autosport," Hunter-Reay said. "This is amazing to be celebrating with them and the rest of the Indy car community."

The awards show, which celebrates the year's best athletes and moments in sports, was hosted by music artist and actor Drake. Football player Michael Sam won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, given to an individual whose contributions transcend sports.