She’s cute and she’s a better driver than you

Carmen Jorda is 20 years old and cuter than a basketful of kittens. She drives in Spanish F3 for the Campos Racing team, which means she’s also more talented than a basketful of kittens. Last season, she finished fourth in the Spanish F3 Cup.

Carmen qualifies as a WAG because she’s going out with Superbikes rider Fonsi Nieto. The pair have just announced their engagement, so Carmen is off the market. Doh.

More photos after the jump…

But that’s the only reason people watch it!

This season in Nascar, accidents and spins fell to their lowest level in five years. The new, sturdier model of racecar, introduced this year after a successful trial in 2007, was involved in 211 incidents resulting in a caution, according to Nascar race data. That represents a 12% drop from last season and marks the lowest total since 2004.

“Everyone is just getting better and better,” said Nascar star Carl Edwards, who finished second in this year’s championship. “Guys are realising how to race and not make mistakes, so I think part of this is the sport changing a little bit, and I think part of it is the car.”

This is unacceptable. Nascar needs lots of crashes (like the NHL needs fights, say), otherwise it’s just a lot of colourful brand names going round and round and round without incident. Sort it out, or we’ll change channels.

Crasher video bonus! Nascar crash compilation:

What a guy!

Four-time Nascar champ Jeff Gordon says he would take a pay cut to help his Hendrick Motorsport team survive the current economic crisis. Jeff, you’re our new hero (and not just because your wife is insanely hot).

“It’s tough times, it’s something to be very serious about,” Gordon said.

“I’ll do whatever it takes for us to have the best team we can possibly have. If that means take part of my salary to keep certain people on, or to hire certain people, I’ll do it.

“If me and Rick (Hendrick) sit down and talk about the position that we’re in - obviously I’m not the only one - but I would be open to it. I never got into this to make millions of dollars.”

As far as we’re aware, Gordon is the first star driver in any top motorsport series to make such an offer. Could you imagine any F1 drivers making a similar offer?

Forget about the F1 crisis, focus instead on hot WAGs

When anxious feelings about F1’s future arise, softly chant the following mantra: Connie Montoya, Connie Montoya, Connie Montoya…

More photos behind the round window…

Nascar star’s former squeeze likes to get nekkid

This is Amanda Beard (not to be confused with Amanda Huginkiss). She’s a very successful Olympic swimmer, winning seven medals from 1996-2008.

But what’s she doing on Gridcrasher, you ask? Well, she used to get jiggy with Nascar star Carl Edwards, which is more than enough to qualify her as a Grid WAG. That and the fact she has taken her clothes off for Playboy.

More photos after the jump (some include nekkidity, so don’t click if the boss is standing behind you)…

Gridcrasher ranks the best drivers of the year

How did F1’s best compare with the top pilots from other series? Here’s the second part of our end-of-year rankings (see part 1 here)…

5. Felipe Massa (F1)
Arguably the most improved driver of the year, the likeable Brazilian got so close to winning his first F1 drivers’ title - had he won, it would not have been undeserved. He also made the 2007 world champ - his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen - look ordinary.

Gridcrasher ranks the best drivers of the year

How did F1’s best compare with the top pilots from other series? Here’s part one of our end-of-year rankings…

10. Kyle Busch (Nascar)
The least popular man in Nascar won 21 races in 2008 - that’s an extraordinary figure. Indeed, Busch would be much higher than No.10 but for a disastrous Chase series (Nascar’s equivalent of a play-off system), when three mechanical problems ruined his chances of becoming champion.

Want a wife like this? Try driving a racing car

Niki Taylor is an American supermodel (at what point does a model become “super”, by the way?) who has appeared on over 400 magazine covers worldwide. After her first marriage lasted less than a year, she fulfilled her destiny as a Grid WAG, tying the knot with awesomely-named NASCAR driver Burney Lamar after just three dates.