Pitbull’s Trackhouse Entertainment Group Launches NASCAR Cup Series Program for International Drivers

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull is revvin’ things up…

Trackhouse Entertainment Group, a venture of former driver Justin Marks and the 41-year-old Cuban American Grammy-winning rapper, has launched a program that will field a NASCAR Cup Series entry for renowned international drivers.

PROJECT91 could make Trackhouse a destination spot for global stars eager to compete in America’s most popular racing series.

PROJECT91 will enter the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro at least once during the current Cup season and has plans to expand the program in future years. The first driver and race will be announced soon.

Trackhouse Racing, a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, currently fields cars for Daniel Suárez (No. 99) and Ross Chastain (No. 1) in the Cup Series.

IndyCar, the American open-wheel series, has become a popular destination for former Formula One drivers. NASCAR has a heavily American roster of drivers and has not seen a similar influx for its stock cars, but Marks said he believes his team has now “opened the door for global champions while beginning the process of scaling into an internationally recognized racing brand.”

“I truly believe the NexGen car represents an opportunity for NASCAR to enter the global professional motorsport conversation,” Marks said. “We now have a race vehicle with international technological relevance where world-class drivers from other disciplines can compete at NASCAR’s highest level without the steep learning curve that the previous generation cars required.”

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Fernando Alonso to Drive for McLaren at This Year’s Indy 500

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Alonsois back in the race…

The 38-year-old Spanish race car driver will race at this year’s Indy 500 with McLaren‘s new IndyCar team.

It’ll be Alonso’s third attempt to win the famous race, the final part of a ‘Triple Crown,’ which includes the Monaco Grand Prixand Le Mans 24 Hours. He has won both the other events on two occasions.

Were Alonso, who won the Formula One World Championshipin 2005 and 2006 for the Renaultteam, to achieve the feat, he would become just the second driver to do so, following Graham Hill‘s success in the 1960s.

Alonso drove for McLaren’s Formula Oneteam on two occasions, in 2007 and an infamously uncompetitive stint between 2015 and 2018. He stepped away from F1at the end of the latter spell and is yet to return.

“I am a racer and the Indy 500 is the greatest race in the world,” Alonso said.

“I have maximum respect for the race and everyone who competes in it, and all I want is to race against them and give my best.”

Alonso attempted to win the Indy 500 with a poorly-managed McLaren entry last year. A catalogue of errors culminated in the two-time F1 champion failing to qualify for the event.

He fared better on his debut in the race in 2017, qualifying fifth and leading a chunk of the race until an engine issue ended his race prematurely.

McLaren has stepped up its involvement in the series, entering a full-time outfit called SP Arrow McLaren for 2020. Alonso will partner the team’s full-time drivers, Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew, for the event.

Alonso will race the team’s Chevrolet-powered car, having been blocked in his attempts to race for aHondaoutfit.

Alonso was scathingly critical of the Japanese manufacturer during his final stint at McLaren and it has since decided he will never race one of their cars — he since won the Le Mans 24 Hours and World Endurance Championshipwith Toyota, a Honda rival.

Antonio Garcia Wins Third IMSA SportsCar Championship This Season at the Virginia International Raceway

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Make that No. 3 for Antonio Garcia…

The 37-year-old Spanish professional race car driver and Jan Magnussen won at the Virginia International Raceway on Sunday for their third IMSA SportsCar Championship victory of the season.

Garcia took the lead in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with just more than 12 minutes remaining in the 2-hour, 40-minute race when Alexander Sims — who had dominated with Bill Auberlen in the No. 25 BMW — made a late pit stop.

Garcia finished 12.031 seconds ahead of the No. 67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, and they increased their season lead to 16 points over Sims and Auberlen.

“It’s unbelievable for us to come away with a win,” Magnussen said. “Honestly, in the middle of the race, it kind of looked like a situation of, ‘OK, we aren’t losing too much in the championship, a couple of points here, a couple of points there, but we would still stay in the lead of the championship.’

“Then, for things to turn around like they did in the last half hour with the BMW coming up short [on fuel] and the Ferrari falling off, it was a crazy, absolutely crazy result. Such a fantastic result for the whole team.”

Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were third in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE.

Sims and Auberlen ended up fourth.

Juanes’ ‘Loco de Amor por Colombia’ Tour Continues Through September

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Juanes is livin’ la vida loco de amor…

The 42-year-old Colombian singer is planning his third performance in Colombia as part of his Loco de Amor por Colombia tour, an eight-city run that brings together massive performances with music education initiatives.

Sponsored by several government, media and corporate sponsors — including El Tiempo, Caracol Radio, Tigo Music, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet and the Ministry of Culture — the tour doesn’t sell tickets. Instead fans can get them through a series of sponsor-driven actions.

The aim of the tour is to showcase Juanes in secondary cities where he normally wouldn’t perform, sometimes playing in unusual locales. In addition, Juanes is hosting music seminars with local musicians and students before each show.

The tour — named after Juanes’ current album, Loco de Amor— kicked off on August 19 with a concert on a stage built on the Sinú River, in the city of Montería in the Pacific Coast. The second stop was a plaza in the Southern city of Pasto on Sunday, attended by some 35,000 fans. Juanes will next play in a stadium in Pereira (August 28), at the Parque de la Leyenda Vallenata in Valledupar (September 4), and finally at the Alfonso López Stadium in Bucaramanga on September 9.

“This tour makes me feel bigger, happier, more thankful,” Juanes said in an interview with El Tiempo. “It breaks the mold and motivates because it’s different and it fills me with happiness and the country with dignity.”

Juanes will announce dates for his regular world and U.S. tours later this year.

Mars’ Super Bowl Halftime Performance Features Three of Shazam’s Most Searched Moments

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Shazam! Bruno Mars’ halftime performance at the Super Bowl continues to help break records…

Not only did the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s performance with the Red Hot Chili Peppers register a record 115.3 million viewers and earn a huge response on the Twittersphere, but it was one of the moments during the big game that nabbed the most Shazams.

The music search app beat its own Super Bowl record with more than 700,000 uses — more than double the count of last year’s game that featured Beyonce and Destiny’s Child as its halftime performers.

Despite all the music-related ads that aired throughout the broadcast, more than half of the Shazams occurred during Mars’ halftime performance. The top searched moment of the entire game was when the Red Hot Chili Peppers emerged shirtless and rocked the stage with on the band’s hit song”Give It Away,” followed by Mars’ first solo hit, “Just The Way You Are,” with which he closed the halftime show, along with a ton of fireworks.

Coming in third in Shazam’s statistics was Chevrolet’s “Life” ad, a sentimental spot that featured the song “Don’t Leave” by Ane Brun.

Fourth place belongs to Jaguar‘s “Rendezvous” ad, with appearances by Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong and using an epic action-film score.

Rounding out the top five was Mars’ “Runaway Baby” performance, which pulls from Barry Strong‘s 1960 hit “Money (That’s What I Want).”

Following Chevrolet and Jaguar in the top Shazamed Super Bowl ads were Bud Light‘s “Cool Twist,” Bank of America‘s ad which debuted the new single “Invisible” by U2, and Budweiser‘s moving military homecoming, “A Hero’s Welcome.”

Michele: A Candie’s Girl?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s the “people’s choice” for Favorite TV Comedy Actress… And, Lea Michele could soon be Candie’s choice…

The 25-year-old part-Spanish Glee star is reportedly the new spokesmodel for the fashion brand.

“Lea’s fans are the same as Candie’s fans,” an insider for the company tells E! News.

Lea will reportedly appear in a series of print ads later this year as part of her endorsement deal, according to other sources.

Representatives for the singer/actress—who rocked the red carpet at the People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday—and Candie’s representatives have yet to release an official statement about the alleged contract though.

Should Michele sign a deal with the clothing company, she’ll replace Candie’s most recent spokesmodel Vanessa Hudgens.

Other previous celebrities who’ve pitched for the brand include: Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson and Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson.

Michele has previously starred in commercials for Dove, Chevrolet, Nike and HP TouchPad.

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