Ricky Bobby posted his first honest-to-gosh victory over the weekend when the movie took the checkered flag at the box office.
"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" starring Will Ferrell opened Friday and grossed $47 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates. The movie finished several laps ahead of the $16 million generated by "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals."
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"When you have Will Ferrell (aka Ricky Bobby) and NASCAR, you just know you are going to have a crowd-pleaser. But this was way beyond expectations," Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment, said in a news release. ...
It was announced over the weekend that Dave Blaney will return to drive in the Nextel Cup series next season for Bill Davis Racing, which also could determine within a couple of weeks who will replace Michael Waltrip in the team's other car.
Waltrip, who failed to qualify for Sunday's Allstate 400 in Indianapolis, will field his own two-car Toyota team next year. ...
Robert Yates Racing postponed Friday's news conference in Indianapolis when it was expected to announce David Gilliland as one of the team's Cup drivers next season. ...
Roush Racing and Ford officials are attempting to convince Mark Martin to delay his retirement for a second time. An offer of $8 million to keep Martin around might be on the table, according to Speed Channel reports.
• OPEN WHEEL -- Jacques Villeneuve, who won the 1997 Formula One championship, will not complete the last five races of the F1 season with BMW Sauber.
Villeneuve missed Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest while recovering from injuries suffered last month in the German Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old Canadian, 14th in F1 points, has been rumored to be seeking a job driving in the NASCAR Busch Series en route to a spot in the Cup series.
• MOTORCYCLES -- Jim Pomeroy, the first U.S. motorcycle racer to win a World Championship Motocross event, was killed in a car accident Sunday morning near his hometown of Yakima, Wash. He was 53.
Pomeroy was 20 when he became the first rider to win his debut world championship motocross, the Spanish Grand Prix in 1973.
Pomeroy also was the first American racer to win a world Grand Prix event.
Johnson left no doubt Sunday how dominant his No. 48 Rick Hendrick Motorsports team is by winning the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson became the second driver to win the coveted Daytona 500 and Brickyard races in the same year. Dale Jarrett accomplished the feat in 1996.
NO. 2 JENSON BUTTON
Button posted his first career victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday at Budapest. the 26-year-old Englishman won in a Honda for his first win in 113 career starts. Button prevailed after having to change engines before the race and being dropped to 14th in the starting grid.
NO. 3 KEVIN HARVICK
Moonlighting in the NASCAR Busch Series has worked well for Harvick. The Nextel Cup regular's series-best fifth Busch victory Saturday at Clermont, Ind., extended his lead in the points race to 374 points over Carl Edwards. Harvick also finished third in Sunday's Allstate 400 at Indianapolis, moving up one spot to fourth in points.
"On the Podium" features three top performers in motor sports from the previous week. Readers can nominate a person before 9 a.m. Mondays by leaving a brief message at 383-0247 or by sending an e-mail to jwolf@ reviewjournal.com.
