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Kurt Busch to shake and bake (again) in Ricky Bobby car at Talladega

Kurt Busch will channel Ricky Bobby for another NASCAR race, this time driving a Wonder-sponsored Chevrolet SS, in this weekend's Camping World RV Sales 500 at the Talladega Motor Speedway. Unlike past tie-ins, though, there's actually an element of sponsorship here (the "Me" car was done when Busch was running on a team without sponsorship).
It was arranged by Flower Foods, the new owner of the Wonder brand. Wonder was part of the bankrupt Hostess company, which temporarily exited the US market 2012, and set off the Great Twinkie Shortage.
Busch has made something of a habit of channeling characters from famous racing movies, most recently running Tom Cruise's City Chevrolet livery from Days of Thunder in a Nationwide Series race earlier this year. Busch kicked off his movie-inspired antics, though, at Talladega in 2012, when he raced El Diablo's ("It's like... Spanish for like a fighting chicken") "Me" car complete with a cougar on the hood. He even went so far as to channel the lovable idiot that is Ricky Bobby during the race, dropping a few catchphrases about macchiatos and slingshots.

Chevy donates first 2016 COPO Camaro to United Way

Want to get your hands on the first new COPO Camaro? Scottsdale will be the place to be this weekend. That's where Barrett-Jackson will auction off the drag-racing muscle car with the serial number 2016COPO001. The example on the docket is the very same show car that Chevy revealed at the SEMA show just a couple of months ago. Like every new COPO Camaro, it's based on the new sixth-generation coupe and packs an array of drag-racing upgrades. Those include a three-speed automatic transmission, solid rear axle, and adjustable suspension. While Chevy will offer the new COPO Camaro with a choice of three engines, this particular example packs the 5.7-liter supercharged V8, as well as a unique red and black livery designed by Chevy drag racing driver Courtney Force. 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale are destined to go to United Way, following previous examples that benefited wounded veterans. You can bet it will raise a pretty penny at auction, but if you miss this one, of course there will be more. Just don't wait around too long as the Bowtie brand will only make 69 of them this year. 2016 COPO Camaro No. 1 Sale to Benefit United Way Courtney Force designed show car to be auctioned for United Way 2016-01-26 DETROIT – Chevrolet will auction off the first, sixth generation 2016 COPO Camaro race car to raise money for United Way. The purpose-built COPO Camaro, serial number 2016COPO001, will be sold on Friday, Jan. 29, at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. All proceeds of the winning bid will benefit United Way. "This is a special opportunity to purchase the first of the sixth generation, 2016 COPO Camaro while also helping such a great cause," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. The COPO is a powerful, purpose-built Camaro designed to race in NHRA Stock Eliminator class. The COPO Camaro legacy continues with an all-new sixth-generation version. This modern-looking machine infuses legendary COPO performance with the modern, lighter and stronger design of the 2016 Camaro. Chevrolet introduced the sixth generation COPO Camaro No. 001 last November at the SEMA Show and includes a personalized look created by Chevrolet and NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force. It features a Red Hot exterior color with Courtney Force-signature graphics and red-accented grille trim. "I was extremely honored to work with Chevrolet and help design the 2016 COPO Camaro," said Courtney Force.

Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.