The Grand-Am series rolled their cars off the trucks for the first time this weekend to practice for the upcoming Rolex 24. Most notably, the new Corvette “prototype” got to show what it can do, totally dominating the speeds in today’s third round of practice. The top five lap times were all by Corvette DP’s.
When I saw the Corvette DP rolled out, I was less than excited about the idea of making the Corvette some sort of frankenstein car, part GT, part DP. And as ugly or sacrilegious the car is, it’s the fastest on the grid by far in Grand-Am thus far.
Kasey Kahne vs. La Leche League. That’s the off-track battle of silly season 2011-2012 so far. Kahne got into a public relations brouhaha over his tweets about a lady breastfeeding her baby in public as “nasty”, amongst other things. Of course, the flaming replies to his tweets came quickly, and Kasey threw gas on the fire by saying to one of his followers, , “And your a dumb b*tch.”
Hmm, that was probably the worst direction to take that conversation.
It’s no secret that Twitter is a good way to get into trouble for professional athletes and celebrities. Ashton Kutcher found that out recently when his tweets about the Penn State sex scandal drew criticism. Kelly Clarkson has taken heat recently for supporting Ron Paul on Twitter. And for race car drivers, Twitter can be a minefield. Has anyone read Tomas Sheckter’s Twitter lately?
Let’s face it, race car drivers aren’t the smoothest guys on the planet. Sure, the NASCAR media machine has been able to create the illusion that their drivers are all of the ilk of Jeff Gordon, but they aren’t. They are rough, they are boastful, and they live in the world of danger and machismo. They get into fist fights in the pits, and aren’t afraid to wreck each other on the track. I just can’t image Dale Earnhardt Senior having a Twitter account, can you?
As far as media images go, Kasey Kahne had one of the most polished personas. He did advertisements where women were swooning over his baby face, and he’s the poster child for pretty-boy race car drivers. But underneath the GQ looks and controlled image there’s a guy in there not afraid to risk his life and hang on the edge of disaster in a winged sprint car on a bumpy dirt track. Being sensitive to babies and breastfeeding is not exactly the forte of guys like him.
I agree it was a stupid tweet. But this is a race car driver, not Oprah. Kasey, I accept your apology. It’s cool. Let’s race.
It’s almost Christmas. It’s the height of the football season, the start (this year) of the NBA season, and the probably the lowest point of anything interesting when it comes to racing. It’s not exactly a great time to announce a racing schedule, but for INDYCAR, it may be fortuitous that their schedule is buried in the news under a stack of stories about Tim Tebow and CP3.
I mean, what the heck were the Lakers thinking when they got rid of Lamar Odom?
Oh wait. Racing. That’s what this is about.
Not that INDYCAR is doing quite as much of it in 2012 as in 2011. They released a 15-race calendar this week that only includes four oval races. Yes, four. Yes, that is including the Indianapolis 500. The rest of the races are on road and temporary street/airport circuits. All I can say to the ovalistas out there is, “I’m sorry”. That’s a world of hurt for you guys.
The elephant in the room, of course, is the fact that the IRL (now branded as INDYCAR) has become a faint echo of what CART used to be. Heck, even CART held six oval races in 1995 before the dark times. And as an unabashed CARTisan I, of course, find it amusing that INDYCAR has basically become what it once loathed. The irony is pretty thick, don’t you think?
The CARTisan in me feels partially vindicated, but the Indy 500 fan in me is mostly bummed out about this. I want open wheel racing to return to glory. Instead, it appears to be skidding into oblivion.
French hotshoe Simon Pagenaud has signed with Sam Schmidt to drive in INDYCAR full time in 2012. If you’ve followed Champ Car or sportscar racing for the last five years you know how quick and talented he is. He drove for the Aussie Vineyards team in the last couple of years of the Champ Car days, and was always very competitive.
The usual trio of Vettel, Hamilton, and Button addressed the media after qualifying today in Abu Dhabi. As usual, the man in the middle was Sebastian Vettel as he took yet another pole position in the 2011 season. If you are counting, that is 14 poles that Vettel has taken this year.
Needless to say, he was all smiles while his McLaren counterparts looked frustrated that they cannot find that edge that they need to get back on top.
If you’ve checked in recently, you’ve noticed that I haven’t posted for almost a month. Unfortunately it is due to the loss of my Mom. She passed away on October 27 after a seven month battle with cancer. I’ve been living in a bubble where racing and sports have had little meaning for the last month.
I’ve begun to return to my regular life, and am finding interest in racing again. I’ll be back soon with some posts as time allows. Please pray for my Dad, Steve, and my sister, Sheri as they also turn the page on the next chapter of their lives without Mom.
My Mom, Annette, was a fan of racing. She especially loved NASCAR and was a Dale Jr. fan. She was a very informed fan who could talk racing with the best of us. She also loved the Indy 500, especially back in the day when Gordy, Little Al, and Rick Mears were the top dogs. But more than a race fan, she was a fantastic Mom. I’ve posted my thoughts about here at my personal blog. You can read them here.
I look forward to the end of the NASCAR season as the battle between Tony Steward and Carl Edwards has heated up. Meanwhile, the F1 boys are racing for nothing more than glory and cash with the championships already wrapped up by Vettel and Red Bull.
The internet is full of racing blogs, pundits, and fans that have memorialized Dan Wheldon over the last couple of days. The outpouring has been incredible, and leaves me wanting for something original to express. Having not followed INDYCAR until after the merger with Champ Car in 2008, I haven’t had a lot of time to get to know Dan. And having been a fan for such a short time with no real knowledge of his family, his life, I don’t really feel like it is appropriate for me to say much about that, either. But here are a few things I’d like to say.
Most of what I know about Dan Wheldon comes from the last few years, especially this season. I really enjoyed his time in the VERSUS TV booth as he humbly waited for a full time ride to develop for him in 2012. As a TV analyst, he was interesting, entertaining, and was a breath of fresh air in the booth. His wins at Indy and his championship speak for themselves in regards to his talent. That guy was just good, plain and simple.
To write about the people he has left behind is almost too painful. My prayers go out to his family, especially his wife and boys have suffered a loss that is indescribable. What I’ve read or heard about Dan was that he was a great husband and father to his boys, and that’s the real legacy he leaves behind. That’s not to diminish what he has accomplished on the race track, but more to emphasize who he really was as a man living it out day to day as a father and husband. He was a good man, and good men are hard to find.
The 2011 Formula 1 season hasn’t been the most exciting or suprising, even in comparison to how a usual F1 season goes. The absolute domination by Sebastian Vettel and his side-kick, Mark Webber, has been nothing short of phenominal. The 2011 season has become so predictable that the only way I would watch a race is to speed through it on the DVR to see if anything might have happened in between Vettel leading lap 1 and Vettel leading the final lap. I many races, Sebastian might even come into the pits without losing the lead because he was beating up the rest of the field *that bad*, and that’s exactly what happened today.
McLaren gave everything they had today for their 700th ever F1 start. But instead of fighting for the win, Lewis Hamilton fought Webber tooth and nail just to hold onto P2. Their battle for second was the one to watch as the two spent a few laps absolutely going wheel to wheel. It was good ‘stoff’ as Derek Daly might say.
In regards to the domination by Red Bull, much of the credit must go to the people building these cars. The Red Bull chassis has had the edge all year, and while McLaren has been close, they still haven’t gotten the proverbial cigar. Lewis Hamilton said today that it was “impossible to fight Sebastian” with the kind of car he had.
It is remarkable that F1 still has three more races in a season that won’t wrap-up until almost Thanksgiving. All that’s left now is to race for wins and glory. I suppose for the ultra-hard-core fans there is that nail-biting battle for 6th, 7th, and 8th to watch between Force India, Sauber, and Torro Rosso.
Tony Kanaan snatched the pole for Sunday’s INDYCAR World Championship race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the finale in the 2011 season. He will start in the front row next to Oriol Servia, and just ahead of recent race-winner Ed Carpenter who qualified third and is on fire in the Sarah Fisher Racing entry.
The big two teams struggled a little bit in qualifying with the two title contenders, Power and Franchitti mired deep in the field. War makes for strange bedfellows, and these two warriors will start side by side in row 9, which will make for some interesting early laps.
Dan Wheldon is driving in a special entry that will offer a chance for a fan to split $5 million with him if he wins from the back of the field. The only problem is that his car…..is….well..his car sucks. He’s driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports which usually has the answer on ovals, but not this weekend. Wheldon says he can’t even stay with the draft. Not good.
It wouldn’t be prudent to leave Danica out of my qualifying comments since this is her last race before storming NASCAR’s Nationwide Series in 2012. The driving diva starts 9th and could be a sleeper to win in her final race.
The $5 million challenge wasn’t exactly the draw that it was supposed to be. Not unless you consider Wade Cunningham and Buddy Rice to be the kinds of names that people will flock to see. Probably, not.
Chained to my desk at my “real job”, that’s where. If you know what an enterprise ERP/MRP/APS/Accounting software system is like to implement, you know what kind of month I’ve had to date. I have to jump in this weekend to blog about what is going on in Las Vegas as INDYCAR puts their old Dallara to bed with an extravaganza of oval racing.
I’m hoping that my work schedule and life slows down to be able to post more, so thanks for stopping by and please check back soon.
Tony Stewart kept his 13-year run of claiming at least one victory every season at Chicagoland Speedway today in a rain-delayed GEICO 400. The victory was the 40th of his career, and comes at a time when the #14 team was lacking confidence going into the Chase.
Smoke was obviously relieved when he met with the media. “It is huge; I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn’t race. Man, this Office Depot/ Mobil One Chevy was awesome. All of our partners with Burger King, Coca Cola, and US Army, Tornados, El Monterey, Haas Automation, all these guys, we have had a rough year so this is a good way to start off the Chase.”
Stewart doesn’t just dislike losing, he hates it. The guy can be downright cranky and depressive when things aren’t going his way. Only a guzzle of champagne in victory lane could have taken the bad taste of the 2011 season out of Stewart’s mouth, and that’s exactly what he got today.
Casey Stoner has to be looking over at Valentino Rossi and Ducati and thanking his shining stars that he moved on from Ducati to ride for the Repsol Honda factory team. The combination of Stoner and the Repsol team has been nothing less than magical this year, and Honda’s performance has been dominating as a whole with a slew of the top riders on the best bikes in the world.
Stoner capitalized on the opportunity today to run away with the win in Italy despite a shaky start, if you can call a shaky start falling back to third or fourth, and then regaining the lead before the end of the first lap.
Ben Spies had a disappointing day overall, but finally got off to a good start, rocketing into the early lead. But he was no match for the Hondas and fell back to a fifth place finish.
After dominating the from the pole, Scott Dixon survived a wild late race restart to win the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi. And when I say he dominated, I mean he dominated. Dixon led all 63 laps of the race on the Twin Ring Motegi road course, a track never used by INDYCAR until this year due to earthquake damage on the Motegi oval.
The only safe place to be in this race was out front after carnage ensued on the starts and restarts. Dixon found himself flying out front as the rest of the field was busy bouncing off each other and churning through the gravel in the run-off area in turn one. These guys might be “the fastest drivers in the world”, but they sure don’t know how to make a clean start.
Some of the carnage was caused by championship contender Dario Franchitti who punted Ryan Briscoe on a lap 26 restart. The incident left Franchitti and Briscoe with locked wheels in turn one, and with Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball in the kitty litter. And for those that are counting, that’s three of Chip Ganassi’s cars that were running in the top six that were knocked to the back of the field. Chip Ganassi was not amused. Rahal was poised to finish on the podium, but could only recover to 12th spot after the incident. Franchitti somehow finished eighth ahead of Rahal, mostly because the INDYCAR officiating was a FAIL once again.
INDYCAR handed out a penalty to Franchitti, if you can call it that. Dario was sent to the back of the field right before the restart the followed his turn one brain fade. But since he was already back at the field, all this meant was the Franchitti had to start 23rd instead of 22nd. He was not required to make a green flag drive-through or anything else, which is inconsistent with the penalties that INDYCAR has given other drivers this year for improper use of the chrome horn. Apparently every rule in the book ends with the phrase, “at the discretion of the chief steward”.
I find it absolutely unfair that Franchitti ended up finishing higher than Rahal after that whole mess, and unbelievable that after so many screw-ups earlier this year that Brian Barnhart can’t figure out how to be fair about handing out penalties. The decision to waive a drive-through either shows that Barnhart favors the Ganassi camp, or that INDYCAR was trying to artificially keep the championship race close. Either way, the decision stunk.
Will Power was the best of the rest
Will Power had a quiet day in second place. He didn’t have the car to take on Dixon at a track where passing was extremely difficult. Power’s day was all about the points as he extended his lead to 13 points over Franchitti. And like at Mid-Ohio earlier this year, we all know that once Dixon finds the front, he can be all but impossible to pass.
Who is that stranger on the podium?
Marco Andretti scooped up a great finish by keeping his nose clean, and letting most of the top 5 crash to the back of the field. Marco drove a smart race to finish third.
INDYCAR still hasn’t figured out two-wide starts and restarts
INDYCAR’s officiating and race management just isn’t getting any better. The race start was absolutely one of the ugliest I have ever seen with only a few rows formed up. Fans pays the big bucks and viewers tune in to see excitement, and the race start should be one of the most exciting parts of every race. The Japan start was another Barnhart FAIL. The restarts were no different. How hard is it to put the field in double-file formation somewhere before the front stretch? The series has had almost a whole season to get this figured out, yet the failures continue.
INDYCAR returns to action and to the ovals on October 3 at the Kentucky Indy 300.
The field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the battle for the championship hits a new level today at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL. Matt Kenseth started his run for the Cup in strong fashion by qualifying on pole for the race today. On the opposite end of the field, Kevin Harvick will start 30th, although he has the hot hand, coming off a win at Richmond last week.
How the Chasers qualified for Chicagoland:
Matt Kenseth – Pole
Kurt Busch – 3rd
Ryan Newman – 4th
Carl Edwards – 5th
Brad Keselowski – 6th
Kyle Busch – 9th
Jimmie Johnson – 12th
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 19th
Jeff Gordon – 23rd
Tony Stewart – 26th
Denny Hamlin – 27th
Kevin Harvick – 30th
My early confidence picks:
Brad Keselowski has gone from just a young lion to top-tier competitor in 2011, and I think he’s got a great chance of winning the whole shebang. This team is clicking, and if Keselowski keeps getting the great cars he has consistently gotten in the second half of the season, he could run away with the deal. The one thing he has working against him is his youth. He will need to find some patience and show he has matured as a driver.
Kevin Harvick is my second pick because he has been tough most of the year, and the team is peaking at just the right time. After a summer run that was a little lackluster, Happy Harvick is finding his stride in the fall.
Jeff Gordon is my number three pick after a heck of a year in the 24 car. The 2011 run is Gordon’s best chance in years to win another championship. He might be my top pick, but the Hendrick team, as a whole, hasn’t been as dominating this year for some reason. That’s why I don’t think Jimmy Johnson will win a sixth championship this year.
I suppose you can’t believe everything you read on Twitter, but the rumors are fun and juicy sometimes. The latest buzz? Dan Wheldon is going to be eligible for the $5 Million bounty that Randy Bernard is offering to any INDYCAR regular that can beat the series’ best at the season finale in Las Vegas.
Up to this point, the idea of a non-regular winning the five-mil seemed all but impossible. But wait a second, Wheldon already beat the best. I mean, here’s the guy who won the greatest oval race in the world, and by some miracle of God is now not considered a non-regular despite being a former champ and two-time winner of the 500. I wonder if someone fell asleep at their desk at the insurance company INDYCAR has brokered to cover the $5 million payout?
I still think the safe bet will be on one of Chip’s cars, but there’s no rocket science involved in that kind of prediction.
And speaking of rumors, sometimes they really are true. Here’s a story from AutoWeek confirming Wheldon’s quest for the $5 Million bonus.
I’ve returned to blog about the long weekend after recovering from my weekend of food, fun, and chasing around our 18 months old around the house. The highlight of the weekend was definitely firing up the smoker to slow cook some tri-trip and pork shoulder, and passing the four hours of cooking time with friends and a few bottles of Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. It was the kind of day that makes me say, “God Bless America”.
The weekend didn’t afford me the opportunity lock myself in the office to blog with all the family around, but that’s not to say that I didn’t force them all to watch racing on the flatscreen. I mean, I love racing, but I love my family more. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
I managed to watch INDYCAR’s inaugural race in Baltimore with my father-in-law and fellow INDYCAR fan, and I thought this event was surprisingly entertaining for a street course. And while the Baltimore GP got off to a shaky start with many people (including me) snarking about the track setup, the drivers and fans raved about it all. This street race was done right. It was in the heart of the city where North America’s fastest cars raced in the shadows of Camden Yards and M&T Bank stadium, and alongside Baltimore’s waterfront. The Baltimore fans were great, eating up the INDYCAR experience like kids stuffing Snickers in their jowls on Halloween night. I didn’t see this coming
My first reaction to this circuit is that some of the course is interesting, sort of like a narrower version of Long Beach with more chicanes. The turn 5 and 6 “super-chicane” complex is a little bit strange, and looks a bit dangerous to me. Take a look at the Briscoe incident for more on this at about the 3:00 mark.
Pit lane is very narrow, and probably the narrowest pit lane of the year. To make things more interesting on pit road, at least two cars will be pitting on opposite side of the pit lane from the other competitors.
The race has generated a lot of buzz, and is already being heralded as the Long Beach of the east. I just hope the buzz of the event itself can be matched by the on-track product.
After a late start due to delays in the construction of the temporary street circuit, the fans packed the stands to catch a glimpse of the best sports cars (ok at least the GT class) in North America. Guy Smith was fastest in this morning’s afternoon’s practice, although he only had to beat two other prototypes in a a class that is hurting for entrants. What is remarkable is that Kyle Marcelli is driving a limited Prototype Challenge Oreca, and he was second quick for the session, and it could be argued that his team has a shot at the overall victory with such a slim P1 car count.
GT is the usual dogfight of 10 very equally matched cars, with Wolf Henzler piloting his 911 to the top spot for the session.
MotoGP returns to Europe this weekend to Misano for their next event. Jorge Lorenzo was quickest in Friday practice, but just barely. Casey Stoner was close behind in second.
The Grand-Am series rolled their cars off the trucks for the first time this weekend to practice for the upcoming Rolex 24. Most notably, the new Corvette “prototype” got to show what it can do, totally dominating the speeds in today’s third round of practice. The top five lap times were all by Corvette DP’s.
I suppose you can’t believe everything you read on Twitter, but the rumors are fun and juicy sometimes. The latest buzz? Dan Wheldon is going to be eligible for the $5 Million bounty that Randy Bernard is offering to any INDYCAR regular that can beat the series’ best at the season finale in Las Vegas.
MotoGP returns to Europe this weekend to Misano for their next event. Jorge Lorenzo was quickest in Friday practice, but just barely. Casey Stoner was close behind in second.