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Now this is the kind of thing you go to auto shows for. On Sunday at MotorFair in Scotland, there was a drag race won by Jet-Pack Man and he set a possible world speed record of 68 mph, measured by a cop with a radar gun. The Guiness folks are considering the application.

SInce it's Speed Month in Indianapolis, I though I'd focus on speed for the rest of the month, and the first shiny thing that caught my eye was this item from the Chicago Tribune. PEORIA, Ill. - Authorities in Peoria are lowering the speed limit in the city's Washington Park, and they say the new ordinance will apply to bicyclists, as well as motorists...

It was pole day at Indy and Helio Castroneves took the top spot with a qualifying speed of 224.864 mph. Only two weeks to go until the 500, one of my favorite sporting events each year. I may turn down the sound on the TV and listen on the radio and keep score again this year...

Hey Dub, Foster's idea last week (which you appropriately shot down) of being able to take your driver's test drunk got me to thinking. What if you could REALLY have your driving skills tested and you could get a license with like an A, B, or C rating? A higher rated license would allow you to do things like drive 80 on a 65mph interstate with no fear of tickets because you've demonstrated a specific skill level...

The Northern California city of Tracy is taking economic stimulus into its own hands. On Tuesday, the city council passed a resolution that will give buyers of new cars from dealers within the city a $500 gift card that can be redeemed at local merchants participating in the program. Would a gift card like that be enough to get you into a new car at this point?..

Our next contestant on The Price Isn't Right is UAW vice-president Bob King, come on down! You're playing for the autoworker jobs that are going to be a part of the restructured GM. The game is simple...

Scientists unveiled on Tuesday what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers. Its makers hope the racer will go 145 mph and give manufacturers ideas about how to build more ecologically friendly vehicles. Makes for an eye catching headline, but I bet the major component of the fuel are the vegetable oils and you could have thrown just about any other type of food waste in there to "flavor" the fuel...

AR Index     560.87  +40.49  (+7.78%) Stocks of individual interest Toyota  81.59   +3.00 GM        1.81      -0.23 Ford      5.88     +0.77 Dow 8426.74  +401.74   (+5.01%) While the news lately has been plastered with stories about Chrysler and GM, things aren't as bleak as the headlines it takes to sell newspapers might make you believe. Year-to-date, the AR Index, shown in today's chart, is up 51%, powered by a 26% rise in Toyota and a skyrocketing Ford, which is up 127% this year, offsetting the 51% drop in GM stock over the same period. I know that nobody seems to want to believe it, but business is cyclical, and what's down will eventually swing up, even if a company disappears along the way in the survival-of-the-fittest business world...

Dear Dub, After a round of golf the other day a bunch of us were sitting around the 19th hole and we came up with a terrific idea. You should be able to go get tested for your driver's license after having however many drinks you want to have. You'd be tested for blood alcohol level, and if you pass the test, you'd be cleared to drive with up to that level without the danger of a DUI!..

The Great Race, starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood  is one of my favorite movies. Little did I realize all this time that there actually was a NY to Paris car race in 1908! It was won by the Thomas Flyer, covering 22,000 miles in 169 days...