Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/131367
crazy Woman Driver And where Kenseth was seeking security, Hamilton, at age 28, was seeking a challenge to spur him through the prime years of his career. He indicated that it would have been ''easy'' to remain with McLaren, a perpetually successful team. But, he said, he really admired what Schumacher had done in the late 1990s when he moved to a down-andout Ferrari team and elevated it back to the top of the sport, and noted that no driver had really done that since. So far, so good. Hamilton finished third in both the second and third races of the new season, marking the first time that Mercedes had had back-toback podium finishes in three seasons. While he's likely not a title contender this season, Hamilton and his new team are already focusing on 2014, when F1 will debut significantly new engine packages that should shake up the status quo and give Mercedes a real chance to get into the championship mix. CHANGING LANES And if Hamilton can win another title, he just might look up to see Kenseth standing there with a second championship trophy of his own. Kay Bell is an Austin, Texas-based writer. When she's not yelling at her television during NASCAR races, she writes about financial topics and blogs about taxes at Don't Mess With Taxes (www.dontmesswithtaxes.typepad. com). 26 0613 crazy woman driver cl.indd 3 LOOSE LUGNUTS Hooking a sponsor shark: Realty TV fans know apparel brand FUBU creator Daymond John from his participation in the entrepreneurial promotion program "Shark Tank." But John recently left the studio and headed trackside to make a deal with NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Alex Bowman. The two are joining forces, with John working to hook up his many connections with the 19-yearold RAB Racing driver. John has called Bowman "a rock star" who is "effective and a great product in NASCAR [who] I think can really move to other areas of popular culture." So far Bowman is doing his part. Through the early part of the Nationwide season, Bowman was eighth in the point standings with two top-10 results. And why is John interested in NASCAR? It's America's sport, said the fashion impresario, that touches a wide variety of people. Future cover for shadetree mechanics -- America's top racing series started its environmentally friendly NASCAR Green program five years ago. Now its efforts are moving beyond its tracks. As a way to counter the carbon dioxide produced by its race vehicles -- an estimated 43 metric tons for a 43-car field Sprint Cup race -- the NASCAR JUne 2013 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM 5/7/13 10:48 AM