16th And Georgetown

Wilson, Honda, Pappas Join Coyne

2012-01-25T13:11:00.002-05:00

UPDATE (1/25 5:58pm) Dale Coyne Racing has confirmed the addition of Justin Wilson and engineer Bill Pappas to the teams 2012 plans.

“I am really excited as to how all of this has come together,” Wilson said. “Dale is committed to win, and it shows by him bringing back my 2009 engineer Bill Pappas, the level playing field of a new car and the much appreciated continuation with Honda engines should make 2012 a very exciting year for all of us.”

The trio of Wilson, Pappas, and Coyne put together three top 5's and the teams first win at Watkins Glen in 2009.

“I want to thank Dale for being able to put this combination back together,” said Pappas. “I think the world of Justin and his abilities and now we can seriously get after the challenge of winning more races.”

The team's second car and driver combination will be announced in February.

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Honda Performance Development announced Wednesday the partnership with Dale Coyne Racing to power the teams two-car 2012 effort.

“Dale Coyne Racing has been one of IndyCar’s most durable teams, with a history that extends
for nearly 30 years.” said HPD president and VP of corprate planning & logistics for American Honda, Erik Berkman. “It’s great to have them racing with us in 2012. Dale’s team has made great strides in recent seasons, and he has made moves this off-season to further improve. We’re looking forward to continuing our association with him in 2012.”

The signing of Honda should also be followed in the coming days by the announcement of the readdition of veteran Justin Wilson to the team, as first reported by SPEED TV's Robin Miller.

“We have felt a part of the Honda family from their first days in CART back in the early 1990s till
today," commented DCR team owner Dale Coyne. "We are very pleased to enter this next
stage of IndyCar history with a company so dedicated to winning and rich in successful
motorsports heritage like Honda. Together we hope to accomplish great things in 2012."

Coyne will be joining the flagship team Chip Ganassi Racing, as well as Rahal Letterman Lanigan, A.J. Foyt Racing, and Sam Schmidt Motorsports under the Honda banner in 2012.

Racing Memorabilia Show 20th & 21st

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

January is here, and for many race fans in central Indiana that means - in addition to the ice and snow - that the 45th annual Hoosier Auto Show & Swap Meet is here.

Held January 20th, and 21st at the IMS Brickyard Pavilion (down the steps, on the east side of the building) dozens of dealers will be on hand offering anything and everything under the sun when it comes to racing memorabilia. One of those dealers will be Mike Thomsen

"The shows are really cool because it brings people who care about the Speedway and the racing together, so you never know who your gonna meet next," said Thomsen. "I've met a couple people who are relatives of former drivers who are like, 'I can't believe you have a picture of my brother!' and their face lights up when your selling them a $5 photo. It means something to them."

Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Thomsen's first memories of fandom came at the age of five.

"We grew up in the era when [the Indy 500] wasn't on T.V. until the night time. So we listened to the race on the radio during the day and made our charts and do all those type of things and have a BBQ, then the race itself would come on T.V. later at night. It was kind of an all-day family event, so I got really hooked on it."

"I kept begging my uncles and my dad saying: 'Hey, I wanna go to the Speedway' and they wouldn't let me go, they said you had to wait until you were 12. So I spent the time from when I was 5 to 12 studying the math, studying the history, and learning about it., and they finally brought me.

Fast forward 29 years and he's living Indianapolis, Speedway to be exact. But what brought him to the area, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway of course.

"I wanted my entire life to have my address say Speedway, Indiana, and it does," Thomsen said.

Thomsen has taken the term 'fan' to the next level.

"Right now, as of this second, everyone alive who has raced in the Indy 500, I have their autograph. But, next year when there are new rookies again, I need those guys. There is only one person who raced from 1946 on who I don't have. Les Anderson. If you had to ask who my holy grail of autographs are, the big five, they are the four winners and Les Anderson. [laughs]"

The four winners Mike speaks of are the four he doesn't have. Of the sixty-seven Indianapolis 500 champions, Thomsen has the signature of all but Dario Resta ('16), Howdy Wilcox ('19), Gaston Chevrolet ('20), and Jimmy Murphy ('22).

Les Anderson on the other hand is a completely different animal. Of the 737 men and women to start the race, he has the John Hancock of 553, including everyone from the Hulman era ('46-current), sans 1947 & 1948 pilot Les Anderson.

While always on the search for missing pieces to his collection, the 41-year-old appraises (contact HERE), and sells & trades as well.

"What's cool about my booth this year is people know me for my autograph collection, but that's not really going to be the focus of my booth this time"

Spanned across his tables will be everything from race programs & tickets to Clymer & Hungness books, and from one of A.J. Foyt's awards to an old Gilmore helmet, and everything in between.

"I bought a racing uniform patch company that went out of business - they would actually sew the patches onto the uniforms - so I bought their entire stock of patches. I've got old Firestone patches, all stuff that was real uniform patches from the 60's, 70's and 80's. I've got some promotional decals that were given away from the Parnelli Jones turbine in '67. I have a real neat diverse group of items this year so I'm pretty proud of it."

The show starts Friday at 5 p.m. running 'till 9, and opens back up Saturday at 8 a.m. closing up shop at 5 p.m.. Admission is $5.

Servia In At DRR

2012-01-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced today the signing veteran Oriol Servia to run full-time in 2012.

"I couldn't be more excited, for many reasons. DRR is a team that I raced against since 2008 and they've always shown to be very professional at the racetrack," said Servia. "Although I knew the owners, I didn't know them very well, to be honest. Before signing with the team, like everybody else, I did my research and I couldn't find one individual that didn't speak highly of Dennis or Robbie, which gave me a lot of confidence. I went to the team's sponsor summit last week and met all of their partners that they have been involved with for many, many years, which was another clear sign that they are good people"

The Catalonia, Spain native came to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2008 with KV Racing Technology, finishing 9th in the season ending standings. Servia moved over to Rahal Letterman Racing in 2009 for the Indianapolis 500, before running four of the last five races of the season with Newman Haas Lanigan. After a ride less 2012 season, the 37-year-old returned to Newman Haas competing full-time, finishing 4th.

"With a new engine, new chassis and a revamped engineering department, we believe it is crucial to have a highly talented veteran driver to be able to develop these new components," said team co-owner, Dennis Reinbold. "Oriol has always been a smart driver and has always put himself and his team in a position to win races. We are going to have to be well prepared to take advantage of his abilities and we look forward to the challenge."

Servia and a yet to be announced teammate will run Lotus powered engines.

Wheldon's Sculpture Unveiled On Borg-Warner

2012-01-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night, 227 days after crossing the yard of bricks, Dan Wheldon was honored for his second Indianapolis 500 win. Susie Wheldon, the widow of the late champion, along with Bryan Herta Autosport co-owners Steve Newey and Bryan Herta were presented with their 'Baby Borgs', a mini replica of the famous Borg-Warner Trophy.

With 2010 Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti to his right, and an empty square reserved for the 2012 winner to his left, Dan Wheldon's 2011 depiction was also unveiled on the 5 foot tall, 76-year-old Borg-Warner.

In comparison, Wheldon's 2005 winning sculpture to 2011.

Hinch In At Andretti

2012-01-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

Andretti Autosport has officially made official the signing of sophomore pilot James Hinchcliffe to run the teams Go Daddy sponsored ride in 2012.

"I'm so excited to be driving with the Andretti Autosport team and representing Go Daddy next season," said James Hinchcliffe. "Go Daddy is one of the best sponsors in sports, in terms of their activation execution ... plus Go Daddy is a world leader in just about everything they do. I have to thank Michael [Andretti] and Go Daddy for providing me this opportunity to compete for the championship and an Indy 500 victory."

Following the exit Go Daddy sponsored Danica Patrick from the IZOD IndyCar Series, former Andretti Green driver Dan Wheldon was set to return to his 2005 Indianapolis 500 winning team taking over the black and green Dallara. Soon after signing, Wheldon was tragically killed on the 11th lap of the season finale in Las Vegas.

Reigning Rookie of the Year winner James Hinchcliffe seemed to have been set alongside Oriol Servia for a return to Newman Hass Racing where the duo was very competitive in 2011. That was until the first of December when the legendary team announced their withdraw from IZOD IndyCar Series competition, leaving both Hinchcliffe and Servia ride less.

"I saw an article that said 'Hinch was a cinch' to drive our Go Daddy car," said Go Daddy, Senior Executive VP & CMO, Barb Rechterman. "I guess the many reasons Go Daddy wanted to put James behind the wheel are obvious ... he's tech savvy, personable, edgy and 100 percent competitive ... just like Go Daddy!"

The Go Daddy sponsored car shifted from the #7 to the #27, giving the teams confirmed full-time entries Marco Andretti's #26, Hinch's #27, and Ryan Hunter-Reay's #28.

"James is a perfect addition to our team for next year," team owner, Michael Andretti, said. "He's got a lot of talent and we believe he will be great for our driver chemistry. He will definitely grow and thrive with Andretti Autosport. Even in his rookie year in IndyCar, he proved to be a great competitor. I look forward to seeing what he is capable of in the next few months."

Tagliani In At Herta

2012-01-09T12:23:00.000-05:00

2011 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Alex Tagliani has been officially confirmed to pilot Bryan Herta Autosport's IZOD IndyCar Series entry this season.

"I'm really happy to drive for BHA," said Tagliani. "Having known Bryan for a long time, I recognize that he's a nice guy with genuine integrity. I believe that he and Steve Newey deserve to own a great IndyCar team, and I'm honored to be part of the building of BHA's 2012 program. It's also a great honor for me to represent the Lotus brand as a factory partner. Lotus has so much history in the world of motorsports. As a team, we have a lot of work in front of us and while challenging, it will be fun to be at the core of both engine and team development. BHA has a great group of people and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Todd Malloy, a member of the Bryan Herta Autosport/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Indianapolis 500 winning engineering crew, will lead Tagliani's engineering department.

“We are very proud to have Alex Tagliani join our team for our first full season of Indycar competition. He brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the program, and is the perfect fit for us and our sponsor partners,” said Herta. “Together with Todd Malloy and Brian Page in engineering, and the Don Lambert led crew, Alex has the full support of a very talented group of professionals behind him.”

According to the BHA release a sponsorship announcement is expected Thursday.

Barfield Named Race Director

2012-01-04T12:46:00.001-05:00

Just over a month after Brian Barnhart left the IZOD IndyCar Series' race director chair, the seat was filled today when INDYCAR announced the addition of Houston native, former Formula Ford 2000, and Indy Lights driver Beaux Barfield.

"I grew up around racing, so I've been involved in it all my life," Barfield said. "The one thing that I wanted to do as a racing driver growing up in America was to be involved with the Indy 500. When my driving career took a change of course and I found myself officiating, it was still a goal of mine to get to Indy car racing and the Indy 500. In that regard, it represents the pinnacle of my aspirations as a race official. I'm truly honored to be a part of INDYCAR."

Barfield previously held the position of race director for both the Atlantic and Trans Am series from 2003-2008 when he also served as a steward for Champ Car, before moving on as race director for the American Le Mans Series since 2008.

"Though Beaux's most recent experience is in sports car racing, his roots are in open-wheel racing," said INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard. "He has built a strong reputation as a race director with ALMS and bringing him on board ensures that INDYCAR has a dedicated Race Director with the right level of expertise for the IZOD IndyCar Series."

The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season kicks off March 24th, in St. Pete.

2012 IndyCar, Lights Schedule

2011-12-27T16:38:00.002-05:00

March 24-25 - Streets of St. Petersburg - IndyCar (1) & FIL (1)
March 31- April 1 - Barber Motorsports Park - IndyCar (2) & FIL (2)
April 14-15 - Streets of Long Beach - IndyCar (3) & FIL (3)
April 29 - Streets of Sao Paulo - IndyCar (4)
May 25 & 27 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - IndyCar (5) & FIL (4)
June 2-3 - Raceway at Belle Isle Park - IndyCar (6) & FIL (5)
June 9 - Texas Motor Speedway - IndyCar (7)
June 22- 23 - Iowa Speedway - IndyCar (8) & FIL (6)
July 7-8 - Streets of Toronto - IndyCar (9) & FIL (7)
July 21-22 - Edmonton City Centre Airport - IndyCar (10) & FIL (8)
Aug. 5 - Streets of Trois Rivieres, Quebec - FIL (9)
Aug. 5 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - IndyCar (11)
Aug. 19 - Streets of Quingdao, China - IndyCar (12)
Aug. 26 - Infineon Raceway - IndyCar (13)
Sept. 1-2 - Streets of Baltimore - IndyCar (14) & FIL (10)
Sept. 15 - Auto Club Speedway - IndyCar (15 )& FIL (11)
TBD - TBD - IndyCar (16) & FIL (12)

Conway In At Foyt

2011-12-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

A.J. Foyt Racing announced today the signing of Mike Conway to pilot the teams #14 Honda-powered Dallara in 2012.

“With the Series having twice as many road courses as ovals, we looked for a driver who is fast on those tracks and Mike has certainly proved himself in that area,” said A.J. Foyt. “I’m looking forward to working with him, I may even be able to give him a little advice when it comes to the ovals.”

Replacing Vitor Meira, Conway will be entering his 4th season in IndyCar, running 2009 and '10 with Dreyer and Reinbold and 2011 in the Andretti Autosport #27 entry.

“First of all I’d like to thank 2MB Sports Management and AJ Foyt Racing for making this deal come together," said Conway. "I can't wait to start work with the AJ Foyt Racing team and to drive the No. 14 ABC Supply Car. It's going to be an exciting season with the new cars and multiple engine manufacturers. Hopefully we can hit the ground running with off season developments and be quick out the box. I’m counting the days until the first test and the start of the season.”

The 28-year-old Brit finished 17th in points this season, including a victory in Long Beach.

"We all have big expectations for the upcoming season, and Mike shares our passion for getting the team back in victory lane,” Team Director, Larry Foyt said. “There is no doubt he has a ton of talent and, when combined with A.J.'s experience, I think we can accomplish great things together."

Wheldon Incident Investigation Results

2011-12-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

60-days after the incident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon, INDYCAR released the initial findings of the investigation into the accident at an Indianapolis Motor Speedway press conference Thursday.

INDYCAR's full report:

Press conference transcript:

RANDY BERNARD: Thank you. Good morning. This morning we released the results of the Las Vegas investigation. It's only been two months since this tragic event, and it's been a very difficult month for everyone in the racing community, as Dan was loved by all.

INDYCAR has undertaken an investigation that includes the compiling of all data to better understand the dynamics of the accident, the performance of the race cars in the accident and the causes of Dan's non‑survival injuries.

This report is to document and summarize the facts ascertains and analysis of the data and information obtained and to make some observations as ongoing racing issues. As past, current and future experiences cumulative, these observations will be a part of a continuous process to improve racing so it's both competitive and as safe as possible.

INDYCAR is grateful for the extensive cooperation for each of the drivers and teams that participated in the event, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, emergency personnel, and the Clark County Office of the Coroner and Medical Examiner.

In 2010, INDYCAR and (Speedway Motorsports Inc.) began negotiations of the possible return of IndyCar to races in Las Vegas. INDYCAR and SMI reached an agreement where the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights would compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas included 34 drivers. Starting field size is determined upon a number of factors, such as length and width of the racetrack, pit space capability, and tradition, such as the 33‑car field at Indy 500.

Based upon these factors, it was decided that Las Vegas Motor Speedway could accommodate a 37‑car starting field. Although we only fielded 34 cars, the actual occurrence of the October 16th incident by itself does not change this conclusion.

This incident and the consequences could have occurred with any size starting field at any track. However, as Brian will discuss in the investigation findings, the experience with freedom of movement during the October 16th race does create questions whether an IndyCar starting field of any size is appropriate in the future. This will be a topic for further review and investigation based upon the 2012 car dynamic.

Among the 34 entries in the October 16th race, each of the drivers had participated in a previous 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series event, and every team has participated in the Indy 500 in which Dan was a winning driver.

In fact, besides Dan, four other drivers had previously won the Indy 500 at least one time. INDYCAR offered Dan, a defending winner of the 2011 Indy 500, the opportunity to participate in the Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge at Las Vegas. The INDYCAR challenge provided Dan with an opportunity to earn $2.5 million for himself and $2.5 million for a fan selected through a sweepstakes if Dan was the official winner of the race. INDYCAR held qualifications on Friday, October 14th.

Amidst speculation of Dan's starting position, it's important to note that other seasoned racers were in the rear. The competitors started the race in their respective qualifying positions with the exception of four race cars that were moved to the rear of the field due to penalties and qualifications, a common occurrence in INDYCAR.

As a result, three of these race cars were moved to the rear of the starting field in accordance with IndyCar Series rules. The number 77, Dan Wheldon, qualified in 28th position but was moved to the 34th starting position as part of the promotion.

At this time, I'd like Brian Barnhart, president of the operations division to discuss the findings of the investigation.

BRIAN BARNHART: Good morning, everyone. As Randy said, going in to discuss the findings of the investigative report here, and I'm going to go back and begin with our inspections and on‑track testing. As is customary protocol in INDYCAR, in preparation of any new racing event at a permanent facility, INDYCAR conducts a series of on‑site tests and inspections and an on‑track test to confirm the compatibility of the INDYCAR cars to a racetrack.

The inspections in the test include a review of various facility infrastructures, areas, such as the track fencing, the track surface, the barriers, pit lane, the garages, the medical center, the technical inspection area, the fuel servicing area, the timing and scoring lines, the media center, and race control.

The initial inspection occurred the first week of November of 2010 and was conducted by myself, and Kevin Blanch the technical director of the IZOD IndyCar Series in the presence of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway representatives.

The compatibility and performance testing occurred on November 15th of 2010. The test included two cars and two driver combinations selected by the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone.

One car was driven by Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske. The second car was driven by Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Over the course of the two‑day test, the two cars completed a total of 400 laps with a top speed of 214.456 miles an hour. The test was then followed by private testing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway by IZOD IndyCar Series teams as well as Firestone Indy Lights teams as the individual teams prepared for the race.

Early in the week of the race and on each day of the event, IndyCar also conducted race‑ready inspections each day of the event. During the event, and more specifically the race weekend, the IndyCar Series cars completed a total of 2,910 laps in practice by the end of the day on Friday, October 14, 2011.

Through all of these laps, the race cars were monitored by IndyCar driver coach and three‑time Indianapolis 500 winner, Johnny Rutherford, IndyCar official observers, and the IndyCar race control and operations team.

With regards to the starting field, as Randy said, the maximum size of a starting field for a race event is determined by numerous factors as IndyCar determines appropriate. These include, event promoter requirements and venue specific characteristics, as well as tradition, as Randy mentioned, with the 33 at Indianapolis.

On the venue specific characteristics, a primary consideration has always been given to pit lane space, because of the minimum pit box dimension required to execute a pit stop due to the turning radius of our cars, keeping in mind that our cars and drivers, the driver has to bring the car to the fuel on pit road due to the thick fuel tank and fuel hose. Because of that combination with the turning radius, we've always required a minimum pit box of 35 feet long.

Based on those parameters there, the Las Vegas pit road could have accommodated 37 cars. We put 34 cars out with pit boxes of 38 foot length.

Another consideration is the racing surface itself. With Las Vegas Motor Speedway being a one and a half mile track, 34 race cars permitted 233 feet of track per car, which is ample space on the racetrack. So there is plenty of room on the racetrack.

Obviously other series race with more cars there, but with the 34 cars of the IndyCar that's we ran that weekend, we had plenty of space on the racetrack for them and ample space in pit road as well to safely accommodate all 34 cars.

The overview of the investigation. We hired a third party investigation review that was arranged for the attention of nationally respected experts. Michael Pepe and Stuart Nightenhelser of Wolfe Technical Services provided independent assurances that the investigation protocol, the evidence examined and reviewed, and conclusions reached are consistent and appropriate to the standard scientific and engineering investigation methods. Michael and Stuart's resumes are attached as Exhibit D in the investigation report.

IndyCar has analyzed data, video, still photographs and the physical evidence to better understand the dynamics of the accident and to document what occurred, including the performance of the chassis and the racetrack during the crash. Members of the investigation team also had interviews with the drivers, participants and team members and participated in meetings with drivers, team representatives and team owners. INDYCAR utilized all the available data, including data from the accident data recorders carried on board each race car involved in the crash, and the on‑board pipe telemetry of the teams themselves, timing and scoring data from the IndyCar timing system, and reports filed by track safety personnel, technical personnel, race control personnel, medical personnel, and information provided by the chief medical officer of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the Clark County coroner.

The number 77 car driven by Dan Wheldon has been thoroughly examined as well a thorough examination of the helmet worn by Dan has taken place.

In terms of the crash investigation and kind of walking through what took place, a multi‑car accident involving 15 identifiable cars occurred in turns one and two of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on lap 11 of the 200‑lap scheduled event. The accident began as a result of contact between the 06 of Jim Hinchcliffe and the 17 of Wade Cunningham as they entered the first turn. The 17 of Cunningham spun toward the infield while running in twelfth position. This initial contact was an occurrence common to racing as was each subsequent contact.

That contact was followed by contact among the No. 4 of JR Hildebrand with the No. 17 of Cunningham, as well as the number 15 of Jay Howard. The right front of the No. 4, Hildebrand, made contact with the left rear of No. 17 of Cunningham, triggering a multi‑car crash. The 4 car climbed the left rear of the 17 and became airborne for a brief period of time.

The 15 of Howard made contact with the 17, and then the 15 slid up the racetrack and hit the outside wall with the right side of his car. The 17 then carried on, made contact with the No. 22 car driven by Townsend Bell. The 22 spun and hit the wall with his left side. The 4 car came down almost on top of the 17 and both of them hit the outside wall almost as one with their right sides.

The 4 car of Hildebrand was traveling at 215 miles an hour in traffic prior to the accident. Approximately 1.6 seconds before making contact with the 17 car of Cunningham, the 4 car of Hildebrand reduced his throttle from 100% to 15%. The brakes were applied by the driver of the 4 car approximately 4/10 of a second before impact with the 17. The speed of the 4 car reduced from 215 miles an hour to 201 miles per hour at the time of the impact.

The only available information from the 4 car is the pie telemetry as the accident data recorder was damaged in the accident and did not function properly. The 4 car of Hildebrand was airborne for approximately 125 feet with all four tires off the track. The attitude of the race car was level with the racetrack with the front slightly higher than the back end of the car.

The driver of the 4 car, JR Hildebrand, was transported to the hospital and kept overnight for observation and released the next day. As the chain reaction continued, the impact among the number 14 of Vitor Meira, the number 15 of E.J. Viso, the number 83 of Charlie Kimball, and the number 77 of Dan Wheldon was the next event.

The 77 of Dan Wheldon had achieved a maximum speed of 224 miles per hour on the front straightaway, and had achieved the 24th position in the race. As the chain reaction of the crash increased and more cars became involved, the number 77 of Dan stayed low on the racetrack consistent with an attempt to avoid race cars crashing up against the outside wall.

Several race cars were in a cluster directly in front of the 77, including the 9 of Scott Dixon, the 10 of Dario Franchitti, the 14 of Meira, the 59 of Viso, and the 83 of Kimball. As the 14 began to spin toward the infield, the 14 made contact with the 59 of Viso and the 83 of Kimball. This gathering of cars is directly in front of the 77, and effectively blocked the path of the 77 which was about two race car lengths behind.

Approximately 3.8 seconds before impact, Dan reduced the throttle from 100% to 55%. Approximately one second later the throttle was reduced even further down to less than 10%, and the throttle remained in this position until contact. Dan applied the brakes approximately 2.4 seconds prior to contact, and had decelerated from 224 miles an hour to 165 miles an hour as he made contact with the right front of the 77 on the left rear of the 83. The impact of the 77 and 83 registered 24 G's longitudinal, and negative 23 G's vertical on the accident data recorder of the 77 car.

The 77 became airborne with the nose‑up vertical orientation and began to roll to the right. The right rear of the 77 made contact with the racing surface, and the chassis then traveled rearward first in an upright position toward the safer barrier in turn two.

The 77 traveled in a nose‑up, semi‑airborne state for approximately 325 feet. The chassis of the 77 impacted a post along the right side of the tub and created a deep defect in the tub that extended from the pedal bulk head, along the upper border of the tub and through the cockpit. As the race car passed by, the pole intruded into the cockpit and made contact with the driver's helmeted head.

Dan's injury was limited to his head injury. During the accident Dan appeared to suffer two distinct head forces during the accident. The first head force created levels through a head injury criteria, also known as a HIC number, that normally does not produce any injury. These numbers were determined as after the initial impact with the 83 car, and Dan's car traveled in contact with the racetrack and the 59 car all the way from the initial impact all the way up until hitting the catch fence.

During that crash sequence, the accident data recorder measured 12 or 13 impacts. It is during that timeframe that one of those impacts measured a measurable head injury criteria number for Dan. That is the number that does not normally produce an injury. The number was low enough that that is not an injury‑causing moment.

The second force was a physical force and a physical impact. It is the second force that produced a nonsurvivable blunt force injury trauma to Dan's head.

There was no evidence of mechanical or structural issues contributing to this accident. The SAFER Barrier and the fence system appeared to have functioned as designed during the accident. The impact with the fence that resulted in Dan's nonsurvivable injuries, involved the circumstances of location, direction and orientation that were the chance result of previous interactions.

Obviously, the accident has raised a lot of issues. And moving forward to address some of those issues includes the question around the suitability of IndyCars to race on high‑banked ovals. INDYCAR has assembled a technical committee to focus on the aerodynamic and mechanical considerations related to one and a half mile, high‑banked ovals.

The chairman of the committee is Will Phillips, the IZOD IndyCar Series vice president of technology. The attendees are IndyCar Series team engineers; in addition, representatives from chassis manufacturer Dallara are also invited to attend.

INDYCAR has determined it would not be appropriate to frame its analysis of the suitability of IndyCar Series race cars to high‑bank ovals by looking at tracks of this classification as a general category. In other words, each high‑banked oval has unique characteristics, and each should be considered individually.

The banking itself is not the only geometry taken into consideration. There are a number of factors, including the length and width of the track, the banking, the progressiveness of the banking, the length of the transition, the overall grip of the asphalt, and the coalition of friction.

There are a number of factors that lead and create to a total geometry package and consideration at each track that should be taken on an individual basis, not simply by banking alone.

INDYCAR and CART and Champ Car have successfully conducted many races over numerous years on courses that meet the definition of high‑banked ovals. Due in part to the total geometry of the track, each track has its own unique routes around the circuit that optimize speed and handling capabilities. Most of you know these are referred to as the racing groove. These grooves create restrictions on where a driver can place the car on the track and remain competitive.

Most tracks have a limited number of racing grooves. For example, it's not unusual for ovals to have only one or two racing grooves, including here at Indianapolis. Racing grooves not only restrict drivers' naturally aggressive racing behavior, but make the location of another competitor's car on the racetrack more predictable.

The examination of the video of the October 16th accident demonstrates normal pack racing that is common on high‑banked ovals. However, what was also witnessed was nearly unlimited movement on the track surface under race conditions. This capability of relatively free movement on the track without restraints of natural racing grooves must be attributed to the overall track geometry beyond banking.

Whatever the reason, the combination of the track geometry factors allowed for relative unrestricted movement on the race within the racing pack that had not previously been experienced.

This movement not only allowed for increased car‑to‑car contact, but made it more difficult for drivers to predict the movement of other drivers around them. As a result, the opportunity for this accident was increased. While the accident could have occurred at any track at any time, the dynamic of the current car and the overall track geometry at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway under race conditions appeared to have been causal to this accident.

I'd like to talk further a little bit about that and talk about the difference between and the understanding of how those conditions presented themselves on race day alone. It is virtually impossible for us to replicate race conditions, as much as we do in the feasibility and compatibility testing, as much as we do in practice. Some teams are out working on qualification setups and run by themselves. Some teams are out running in packs.

But you never get an opportunity to run with everyone out there trying to achieve in practice what they do when the green flag drops in the race. In those conditions, the ability of the drivers to race from the bottom of the racetrack all the way up to the wall and run limitless is not a condition we've experienced before.

While we've had pack racing at other racetracks before, such as Chicagoland or Texas or other one and a half mile high‑banked ovals, there is always a limit. You can be two wide or three wide, but at time when's you got to the upper lane of Texas or Chicago, whether it's dusty, the grip level lowered, whatever, you couldn't use the entire racetrack.

What was evident in the Las Vegas event was that the entire racetrack was useable and the lanes were limitless. That was a variable that had not been seen before.

RANDY BERNARD: In conclusion, the accident was significant due to the number of race cars damaged, but more importantly through the nonsurvivable survivable injuries to Dan Wheldon. While several factors coincided to produce a perfect storm, none of them can be singled out as the sole cause of the accident. For this reason, it is impossible to determine with certainly the result would be any different if one or more of the factors did not exist.

The race car being driven at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has evolved into a race vehicle with an unmatched safety record in Open Wheel Racing. More than 2 million miles have been driven in the IR3 Dallara with this being the first fatality.

The 2012 racing season ushers in an era of a new IndyCar and the opportunity for continued safety advancements. Over the next few days, the new car design is being delivered to a number of drivers and teams for testing.

INDYCAR has concluded that prior to the racing and returning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, further testing is appropriate to evaluate the dynamic of the race car and the specific geometry to this track, which is why they'll not be part of the 2012 schedule.

While the new car design is expected to continue the safety and performance evolution, there was nothing found in the performance of any of the race cars participating that was a factor in causing this racing incident.

Dan Wheldon was instrumental in the testing and development of the new car and the safety and innovations that it represents. INDYCAR is committed to safety, and this report is an interim step to INDYCAR's ongoing efforts to improve Motorsports safety. This accident and its consequences is another reminder of the risk associated with racing, regardless of efforts to make it safer.

Our thoughts, our prayers and deepest condolences of IndyCar and Open Wheel Racing community continue to go out to Dan's family.

Q. Being familiar with significant racing cars on a global level, I can absolutely tell you that if a driver was to hit anything hard, without a doubt, in INDYCAR, in my opinion is by far the safest car to hit anything hard, which is a reflection of the developments from IndyCar over all the last 20 years because of what you learn in accidents. I just have one question, Brian. The initial impact from the post that made the mark on the tub was not the nonsurvivable injury. Do you know what his head actually hit that did actually cause the nonsurvivable injury?

BRIAN BARNHART: Actually the post is the cause of the nonsurvivable injury. The initial impact that took place and created the hit number of the injury criteria number that developed as the 77 rode along the racetrack and the 59 car after the initial impact before getting to the fence.

The second head force that Dan experienced was with the post, as the post due to the location, the orientation and direction, the exposure of the cockpit to the post, that created the nonsurvivable injury.

Q. It appears the posts are on the track side of the fence at opposed to here in Indianapolis where the posts on the grandstand side of the fence. Did the fence design with the posts on the track side contribute to the injury in this accident?

BRIAN BARNHART: The fence appeared to perform as designed. From a fencing standpoint, there is no indication whatsoever that had the fabric of the mesh been on the inside that the outcome of this accident would have been any different. While we can envision some scenarios where the fabric being on the inside would be beneficial, in this case, it simply doesn't appear that it would have made any difference.

So because of that, our preference is for the fabric to be on the inside, but it wouldn't have made any difference on the outcome of this accident.

Q. Brian or Randy, looking at this report now and what stands out the most from what you can learn from this moving forward? It seems to be maybe as you guys described it, the increased or unrestricted movement by the cars that it's maybe something you can use later on here?

BRIAN BARNHART: That is the saddest part, obviously. When you have a tragedy like this, it's disappointing, but sometimes the only thing good that comes out of it is improvement in the future.

Obviously, we've lost a very dear family member in Dan, and our thoughts and support are always going to be with Susie and the Wheldon family. As you say, the best thing we can do is take this situation and try to learn from it and move forward.

I think what we're going to learn, and again, safety is an evolutionary process. The 2012 car has been under design for about 18 months, and many components of the IR3 have carried over into the 2012 car design, as well as several areas of improvement that we're looking for as the continued evolution of that safety.

There will be changes made. Some of them are pretty small and may seem insignificant, but they actually can have huge effects, and that includes looking for a standardized location on the steering system of a warning to the drivers of an unsafe condition on the racetrack. We're looking at improving the head surround system to make driver extrication on their own or from a safety team member easier.

I think one of the things that's going to come out of it that's going to be a big deal for us is as we talked about extensive testing to do our best to replicate race conditions. To identify the overall track geometry at any track where we are looking to run IndyCars to come up with the best understanding of the aerodynamic package, the technical specifications to allow us to race there as well as we possibly can.

Q. Do you want to go back to Las Vegas? And what will you need to learn in the testing sessions with the new car that maybe will be different or make you feel more comfortable about going back there?

RANDY BERNARD: I'll answer the first part of that and turn the technical part over to Brian. I think that Las Vegas is a great city as a resort destination. I think our fans, our sponsors, everyone likes and loves Las Vegas. It's a great place for a race, but I don't want to go back there if the conditions aren't right and it's not safe for our race cars.

BRIAN BARNHART: As far as going back, I think what we're looking to do, you get to a point where you don't want to get to the limitless racing capabilities that we had at Vegas. So I think what we're going to try to do is identify an aerodynamic package that makes it more challenging for the drivers.

What we had in Vegas was a situation where the track and the conditions and the combination of the overall geometry and the restrictions we had to put in place for the cars to control the speed created limitless racing lines.

It wasn't a challenge to these highly talented drivers. I think what we have to create through this extensive testing is a limit. They have to know that there's a line that they can't cross. I think that will restrict and make the racing better as we look down the road and returning to Las Vegas.

Q. You had three cars get airborne. Can you ‑‑

BRIAN BARNHART: Actually we had four.

Q. With a blocked track, new cars, old cars, is it safe to say cars are going to get airborne in that scenario where wheel‑to‑wheel contact comes into play?

BRIAN BARNHART: Obviously one of the thing that's we're focusing on with the 2012 car, and this has been in play long before the October 16th accident, we have always been looking at ways to reduce the interaction of wheel‑to‑wheel contact with Open Wheel cars. That will continue.

In answer to your question, there is no degree of certainty we can say that the 2012 car would behave any differently. We are making those changes in an effort to reduce the interaction of wheel‑to‑wheel contact and improving that situation. But, again, that is something that takes time and is an evolutionary process.

Q. I may be missing something here, but back to the positioning of the posts. If Davey Hamilton got tangled up in Texas, Kenny Brack did as well, and Dan himself also, but you're saying the positioning of the post isn't significant. If it isn't, why would you not then put the mesh on the track side so at least you eliminate getting tangled up in the posts? Would Dan have survived if the post were on the other side of the fencing?

BRIAN BARNHART: As I said, it does not look like the positioning of the mesh fabric would have changed the consequences of this accident at all. While we see some potential scenarios where the fabric being on the inside would have some benefit, there are sometimes when forces are so great that you have to remember that meshing, that fabric is the box wire fencing that is there to protect and keep the small debris pieces from flying into the grand stand.

The small fabric is not there to retain a car. That's the object of the post and the cables. The fabric of that meshing is there to protect the smaller debris pieces from going in, and the location of that fabric wouldn't have changed the outcome of this race at all. As we said, our preference is for it to be on the inside.

Q. Randy, after the Reno air tragedy and then our State Fair tragedy here, I had a discussion with a promoter who said, insuring these outdoor events could become a major issue. Is it ever a concern of yours that this incident was so high profile that insuring your events like this could become a significant issue?

RANDY BERNARD: If you look at the history of auto racing, this has always been something that could happen. I think if you look at the history of it, it continues to get better and better. As Brian has alluded to, it's about the evolution of the race car and how we can continue to work on making it safer. That's what our goal is. Part of this investigation was that. But what can we do to make that race car and our races safer?

Q. With the investigation now complete and your planning for 2012 now being completed, what is the timeframe for that?

RANDY BERNARD: Yes, first of all, we'd like to see that race schedule out by today or tomorrow.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the testing that you're going to do at other high banked tracks at this point, Texas and those kinds of places?

BRIAN BARNHART: Well, obviously, the production of the race cars is one of the paramount first things to go. At this point in time we've only had two chassis out on the racetrack. We've had a Honda powered car and a Chevrolet powered car out. I think one of the things that's paramount to this testing is getting more cars out on the racetrack to do our best to try to replicate the race conditions and get a better understanding of the track geometry and aero packages for the racing at those venues.

Several teams will be taking delivery of this car this week. I think we have 15. And Will Phillips is here with us, and he can address that. But I think the first delivery of 15 or 17 cars is scheduled over the next few days. That will be a good thing for us to get more cars on track. We absolutely plan on testing to get a better understanding of those dynamics at each venue we run.

Q. You mentioned in the testing that Briscoe and Dixon did about 214 at Las Vegas, and that reminded me of what happened in Texas in 2001. Kenny Brack went testing 218, 220, and they went back and didn't race, but they practiced and qualified at 230, 235. You mentioned that setting a limit for the new car, a line they can't cross. How challenging is it going to be to get guys to go out and push that limit in testing and get them to go 225 in testing instead of 214?

BRIAN BARNHART: I think it is a challenge. That is one of the byproducts that comes out of this. They'll have an understanding of the requests and requirements to be on track as well as Firestone in picking the tires.

I think the importance of it, and one of the things that a demonstrator of the increase in speed was getting more cars out on the racetrack, obviously the draft becomes pretty critical. If you look in traffic, JR was only running 215. Dan's running 224. There is a nine mile an hour spread, and they were all in the same pack. Some of that is explained by the drafting aspect and component of being in race condition.

And you don't get that when you only have two cars doing the feasibility test. I think it is something you've identified. Something we'll have to do is get more cars on there and expect something more from the teams and the drivers in terms of the performance parameters we're setting to make sure we have a full and clear understanding of what our expectation is while we go back and race.

INDYCAR Press Release:

INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 15, 2011) - A comprehensive review of the racing accident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon is complete, INDYCAR announced Dec. 15.

Wheldon, the 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, suffered a non-survivable head injury Oct. 16 in a 15-car crash in Turn 2 of Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the final race of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

"There are multiple factors that are not uncommon to racing that came together in a way that claimed Dan's life," said Brian Barnhart, President of Operations, INDYCAR. "It is a tragedy. Our thoughts and support will always be with Dan's family."

The accident review revealed that Wheldon's path on the lower portion of the racetrack was blocked by the multi-car crash he was approaching. The No. 77 car became airborne and ultimately impacted a vertical post of the track fencing. The pole intruded the cockpit, and the impact with the driver's helmeted head produced non-survivable blunt force trauma.

The response to the scene by INDYCAR's Holmatro Safety Team was rapid and decisive, according to the review.

INDYCAR analyzed data from the accident data recorders carried on board each race car involved in the crash, the on-board data acquisition system from teams, timing and scoring data, video, still photographs, physical evidence and eyewitness reports from participants. Third-party experts with Indianapolis-based Wolf Technical Services provided independent assurance that the investigation protocol, evidence examined and reviewed, and the conclusions reached are consistent and appropriate to standard scientific and engineering investigation methods.

Examination of video of the incident demonstrates normal "pack racing" that is common on high-banked ovals. However, there was almost unlimited movement on the track surface under race conditions not previously experienced that is attributed to track geometry beyond banking. Such freedom of movement outside of normal racing grooves not only increased the probability for car-to-car contact, but made it more difficult for drivers to predict the movement of other drivers. As a result, the opportunity for this incident was increased.

While this incident could have occurred at any track at any time, the dynamic of the current car and the overall track geometry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway under race conditions appears to have been one of the contributing factors in this incident.
The 34-car starting field was determined to be acceptable based on factors such as length and width of the racetrack and pit space capability. This incident and its consequences could have occurred with any size starting field at any track.

"INDYCAR's commitment to safety was enhanced by Dan Wheldon's testing throughout 2011 of the new car to be used by INDYCAR in 2012," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season ushers in an era of a new race car and the opportunity for continued safety advancements. Dan Wheldon was instrumental in the testing and development of this new car and the safety innovations that it represents. We are thankful for his efforts and commitment to racing."

The 2012 Dallara Automobili chassis enhances safety components such as side intrusion panels and wheel tethers. The cockpit is longer and wider than the decommissioned monocoque, which allows for additional padding underneath and behind the driver. Also, a "floating headrest" works in conjunction with the mandatory FHR (Frontal Head Restraint) attached to the helmet. Driver positioning allows for better sightlines.

INDYCAR Bolstering Engine Staff

2011-12-12T12:14:00.003-05:00

Bolstering their technical staff, INDYCAR has announced the addition of Daniel Louks to league's 2012 engine support staff.

A former assistant engineer on Takuma Sato's KV Racing Technology crew, Louks will be:

"tasked with checking engine manufacturer compliance with the series' rules and ECU status among other duties. Louks also will oversee the application of a torque sensor new for the 2012 season, which will keep track of power levels between the three engine manufacturers."

Following laps on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval by Tony Kanaan, JR Hildebrand, and Scott Dixon, the DW12 will return to the track at Sebring International Raceway next week.

INDYCAR Not Returning To LV Speedway In 2012

2011-12-08T19:27:00.001-05:00

INDYCAR announced late Thursday that the series will not be returning to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012, citing a need for 'considerable' testing of the new DW12 chassis prior to returning to the facility.

"We feel we need to give our technical team ample time to conduct thorough testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, once we complete our ongoing investigation into the 15-car accident during the Oct. 16 race at the track," said INDYCAR, CEO, Randy Bernard.

The complete 2012 schedule along with the future of all 1.5 mile ovals is yet to be announced.

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Pagenaud Joins Schmidt

2011-12-08T12:26:00.001-05:00

27-year-old veteran Simon Pagenaud was officially announced today as driver of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports Honda-powered IZOD IndyCar Series entry in 2012.

“I am delighted to be joining the IZOD Indy Car Series full-time with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Honda,” Pagenaud said. “The series represents the most competitive racing in the world right now, and I am really looking forward to the challenge of racing in a single-seater again. I have to thank Sam Schmidt Motorsports for giving me the opportunity and to continue with the Honda engineers at HPD. It is the best situation I could wish for.”

Pagenaud competed in three INDYCAR event in 2011, filling in for the injured Ana Beatriz in Barber and Justin Wilson at Mid-Ohio, as well as jumping into Simona de Silvestro's #78 last minute when she encountered customs issues when returning to the U.S for Sonoma.

“We are very fortunate to land a driver of Simon’s caliber for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season,” Schmidt said. “As all the teams work to develop the new cars and engines, his diverse experience will be invaluable to us. Simon has a strong relationship with Honda and its engineers, which is also a huge asset. This is a big day for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.”

Pagenaud’s car number and sponsorship package will be announced at a later date.

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Newgarden In At Rebranded Fisher Team

2011-12-07T11:55:00.001-05:00

2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden has signed on to run with Sarah Fisher in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season for the newly rebranded Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, piloting the #67.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Andy, Sarah, and Wink for providing me with this opportunity," said Newgarden. "It's a perfect fit. SFHR and myself have a lot of the same qualities, and I'm really looking forward to working with everyone throughout the year. I'm sure we're going to have great chemistry, and I'm excited to get 2012 rolling."

In addition to the announcement of Newgarden, the team has also formed a partnership with Wink Hartman who has sponsored SFR for several years.

"Wink brought the idea of Josef to our attention and after watching him mid season forward, we knew he would be a perfect fit," said Fisher. "Josef has a great brand and is a true champion. We very much look forward to working with him both on and off track.

The Nashville, Tennessee native won 5 of the 14 Firestone Indy Lights events in 2011 along with 3 poles, 10 top 5's, and 13 top 10's.

"I'm excited about the great news for SFHR today," said Hartman. "It shows Sarah's continued growth in selecting Josef to be the driver for the future of the team. We look forward to a great 2012 season with Josef behind the wheel."

Although a schedule has not been secured, the announcement release says that they 'anticipate a full season effort'.

The soon-to-turn 21-year-old on December 22nd, is taking over for Ed Carpenter who left the team following his win at Kentucky to form Ed Carpenter Racing.

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Newman Haas Shutting Down

2011-12-01T16:18:00.001-05:00

Entering what would be their 30th season in open-wheel racing, Newman Haas Racing announced Thursday that they will not enter cars into the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Season.

“The economic climate no longer enables Newman/Haas Racing to participate in open wheel racing at this time,” said Carl Haas, owner and co-founder of Newman/Haas Racing.

In 2011 Newman Haas' two drivers Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe finished fourth and twelfth respectively, along with earning the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honor.

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Barnhart Out As Race Director, Angstadt Resigns

2011-11-30T12:27:00.001-05:00

Following a report from SPEED TV's Robin Miller, INDYCAR has confirmed the resignation of Commercial Division President Terry Angstadt and the 'split in responsibilities' moving Brian Barnhart out of the Race Directors chair.

Angstadt will be replaced by INDYCAR's Director of Corporate Business Development, Marc Koretzky, who will oversee sales, business planning and development, marketing, public relations and organizational operation.

"INDYCAR has made tremendous strides under Terry's leadership and its future is indeed bright," Koretzky said. "I look forward to working with INDYCAR's current commercial partners and helping to develop additional strategic relationships.

Citing 'increasing demands on the Competition and Operation division', Barnhart will retain his role as President of Operations.

"I'm confident that Brian and Marc will lead our company into a bigger and brighter future in these new roles," INDYCAR CEO, Randy Bernard said.

Per release:

Koretzky, 35, has utilized his MBA in Executive Strategic Management most recently in management of all non-racing events surrounding the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships presented by Honda in Las Vegas in October. Tapping into his experience with the NFL, NCAA and other sports properties, he produced and coordinated the weeklong activities that created global awareness, including an unprecedented night closing of Las Vegas Boulevard for a 34-car parade.

Previously, the New Orleans native worked in conjunction with the NFL as Director of Operations for multiple Super Bowl Committees and was an independent lead consultant to the Atlanta Local Organizing Committee for the NCAA Men & Women's Final Four Basketball Championships.

"Terry has been an integral member of the INDYCAR executive team since 2007, and has been instrumental in orchestrating successful inaugural events Baltimore and Brazil, managing the demands of promoter relations and serving as a key liaison between our teams, venues and partners while overseeing the business development of our company," Bernard said. "We wish Terry the best of luck as he moves on to the next chapter in his career. He will be missed by the entire INDYCAR team."

Barnhart's replacement as Race Director is unclear.

"As our sport continues to grow and we prepare for our first new car in almost a decade, we feel that splitting these roles will help fully service our teams and venues as we prepare for the demands of 2012 season," Barnhart said.

RIP Jim Rathmann

2011-11-24T00:44:00.001-05:00

1960 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Rathmann has passed away at the age of 83 in Melbourne, Florida.

Rathmann competed at Indianapolis 14 times, with 1 win (1960) 5 top 5's (3 2nds), 7 top 10's, 6 races led (153 laps, 37th all-time), racking up 3 front row starts, and piloted the pace car 6 times (1969, 1972-74, 1978 & 1982) tied for the most all time with Sam Hanks.

For much more on the life and career of the racing legend visit IMS historian Donald Davidson's post at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com

The loss of Rathmann leaves Parnelli Jones with the distinction of the oldest living '500' winner at the age of 78.

RIP Jim Rathmann

Lotus Announces Partnerships

2011-11-17T10:20:00.001-05:00

UPDATE 5:59pm: Bryan Herta Autosport has become the 3rd team in nine hours to confirm their partnership with Lotus Group in 2012.

“Obviously, this is an incredibly exciting step for us,” said BHA owner, Bryan Herta. “Our goal all along has been to build our foundation to eventually compete as a full-time entrant in the series. To partner with Lotus, which has such a rich history and tradition in racing including at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is just tremendous. All of us are looking forward to working closely with Lotus to support their efforts.”

BHA is expected to field at least one car with the possibility of additional entries next season.

------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE 1:50pm: Dreyer and Reinbold Racing has announced that they have entered into an agreement to become the Lotus factory team, making DRR responsible for a significant amount of on-track testing, off-track research and development activities.

"To enter into a partnership with Lotus as a factory partner team is a huge step for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing," said DRR co-owner, Dennis Reinbold. "In working closely with the team at Lotus over the past few months, we have had unique access and awareness of their strong commitment to the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. Many of our collective efforts are already underway and we could not be more enthusiastic about this off-season's testing and development program."

Dreyer and Reinbold -- which hopes to field two cars full-time with an additional entry at Indianapolis -- will be re-branded with an updated logo and other changes.

---------------------------------------------------------------

HVM Racing and Lotus formally announced today their partnership for 2012.

"Despite the choices, once it was apparent that Lotus would produce an engine, it was a clear decision for us to run with them," said HVM owner, Keith Wiggins. "I have great respect, confidence and enthusiasm in the product they will produce. I have good historical knowledge of the companies involved and their abilities. Being the first team to commit reflects this and being an integral part of the Lotus development process is important to the re-establishment of HVM as a leading team, this time in the IZOD IndyCar Series."

With a returning Simona De Silvestro, HVM became the first team to align with Lotus, but more teams are expected to jump on board possibly as soon as today.

"We are delighted to be partnering with such a well-established and ambitious team as HVM," said Group Lotus Director of Motorsports Operations, Miodrag Kotur. "We're pleased that HVM has shown such faith in Lotus at the start of a new chapter of our commitment to the IZOD IndyCar Series. We have been working tirelessly on our engine program since we announced our intention to produce a new engine in line with the new rules and direction of the Series. We believe that our efforts will pay dividends as the numbers that are coming from our dyno testing are extremely encouraging. We have also managed to produce a very light power-plant, in the true spirit of Lotus. However, we are keen to test the package on-track and look forward to our first test in early January, slightly later than originally planned but designed to give us more time to fine-tune our package before taking to the track."

HVM joins nine other teams in announcing an engine partner for next season including Chip Ganassi Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (Honda), KV-Racing Technology, Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, and Panther Racing (Chevy).

Kimball, Hildebrand Extend Deals

2011-11-16T14:58:00.001-05:00

Rookies Charlie Kimball and JR Hildebrand have extended their deals with Chip Ganassi and Panther Racing respectively.

Chip Ganassi Racing Teams and Novo Rordisk announced a multi-year extension of their deal to run Camarillo, California Native Charlie Kimball in the #83 IZOD IndyCar Series entry.

“My partnership with Novo Nordisk is very unique because they make the insulins I take every day and they produce the delivery device I use to manage my diabetes,” Kimball said. “I am fortunate to have Novo Nordisk and Chip Ganassi Racing support me in my career and I am proud and honored to be associated with these two outstanding organizations.”

Indianapolis 500 runner-up JR Hildebrand will also continue with his rookie season team for the next couple years. Panther Racing announced Wednesday that they had exercised a two-year option in Hildebrand's contract to return the Sausalito, California native to the #4 National Guard Dallara through 2013.

“I’m super stoked that I’m going to be back at Panther for the next two years,” Hildebrand said. “It was a crazy year for us, but we had some really strong runs and I enjoyed being a part of this team. I worked really well with my engineer David Cripps this season and I know everybody is already working really hard on improving for 2012. And I’m especially excited to be able to continue to work with the National Guard; that was a special opportunity and it was a very educational experience for me. To see the sacrifices these Soldiers make and to realize that they’ve entrusted us to tell their stories and represent them is an honor for all of us. Everybody at Panther is excited about getting started on next year and especially looking forward to getting back to the Indianapolis 500 so we can avenge our battlescar.”

DW Wristbands Available

2011-11-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

If your like me -- and I'm sure most of you are -- following the initial shock from the October 16th incident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon, you wanted to do two things, help the family, and remember Dan.

IndyCar star Graham Rahal made helping possible when in the hours after the incident he decided to auction off his helmet for the cause. When word got out, Rahal was flooded with donations from the sports and entertainment industry worldwide, resulting in an eBay auction that has raised over $400,000. If you'd like to bid, more items are going live everyday HERE.

For those that can't afford to bid on helmets, gloves, shoes, and trips, Ashley Marks, an INDYCAR fan in Indianapolis has made it feasible to both donate and remember the champion.

"When word started about [Graham Rahal's] auction I knew that I wasn't financially able to help out in that way," said Marks. "So with the wristbands I knew it'd be something that everyone wants to have and an affordable way to get a lot of people to help out."

With proceeds going to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund, the $5 bracelets read 'Dan Wheldon 1978-Forever' and can be purchased by E-mailing Ashley or contacting her on Twitter.

"I contacted the first wristband company only a few days after the accident. They donated 70. I sold those and ordered 800 the next week and just waited for them to get here," continued Marks. "Right now I've sold roughly 140 and have many pending orders but still have almost 600 to go! I just want to say thank you to those who have bought them and those who have helped spread word about them. If I can be a gateway for someone else to make a difference, I've done my job. So keep spreading word to everyone you know and thanks for all the support!"

Donations can also be made directly to the trust fund by visiting DanWheldonMemorial.com

I've got my band, do you have yours?

2011 Team And Driver Report Card

2011-11-09T13:29:00.000-05:00

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season is in the books and the grades are in. Each team and driver was scored not just on how well they performed, but on how well they performed in relation to their expectations entering the season.

Chip Ganassi Racing (A+) Seconds after tapping the Backspace button to delete the '+' from Target Chip Ganassi Racing's 'A+' grade I reminded myself, they won the championship, my right hand ring finger quickly made the short trip centimeters across the keyboard to make the correction. Veteran drivers Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon combined for 6 wins, 4 poles and the 1st and 3rd spots in the season ending points standings. I'm sure Chip would take that any year.

Dario Franchitti (A+) Back-to-back-to-back-to-back championships in which he competed. Can you say beast?
Championship Finish: 1st
Results: 4 wins, 13 top 5's, 15 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 884
Pct. Laps Complete: 95%

Scott Dixon (B+) Not fantastic, but another very, very solid season for the Iceman.
Championship Finish: 3rd
Results: 2 wins, 12 top 5's, 13 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 190
Pct. Laps Complete: 99%

Sam Schmidt Motorsports/Bryan Herta Autosport (A+) A pole and win at Indianapolis, 'A+' without a doubt. With the new chassis and engine combination combined with team changes next season, both Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Bryan Herta Autosport will be teams to watch come March.

Alex Tagliani (B+) Crazy quick once again at Indianapolis.
Championship Finish: 15th
Results: 3 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 4th
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 25
Pct. Laps Complete: 90%

Dan Wheldon (A+) 2-time Indianapolis 500 winner. RIP DW
Championship Finish: 28th
Results: 1 win, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Starts: 1
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 6th
Laps Led: 1
Pct. Laps Complete: 100%

Newman Haas Racing (A+) Despite not breaking through with a win -- although many may say otherwise following New Hampshire -- Newman Haas Racing was nothing short of incredibly impressive in 2011. Led by veteran Oriol Servia the #2 Telemundo Dallara finished 4th in points, just behind the two Target Chip Ganassi entries and Team Penske's Will Power. Servia's teammate, James Hinchcliffe, battled back from missing the first race of the season in St. Petersburg because his deal wasn't yet complete, to win the Rookie of the Year title over Panther's JR Hildebrand, Ganassi's Charlie Kimball, Coyne's James Jakes and Conquest's Sebastian Saavedra, despite the one-race deficit. With what looks to be a returning lineup in 2012, expect even more from the duo next season.

Oriol Servia (A+) Could Oriol fly anymore under the radar?
Championship Finish: 4th
Results: 6 top 5's, 11 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 18
Pct. Laps Complete: 99%

James Hinchcliffe (A) A future champion.
Championship Finish: 12th
Results: 3 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 4th
Best Start: 3rd
Laps Led: 26
Pct. Laps Complete: 91%

Sarah Fisher Racing (A) Prior to October 2nd Ed Carpenter and the #67 Dollar General crew were having a fairly disappointing season with no top 10 finishes. That all changed at Kentucky when the 30-year-old drove to victory lane for the first time in both his and team owner Sarah Fisher's career.

Ed Carpenter (A) Ed is as good at Kentucky as anybody is anywhere.
Championship Finish: 26th
Results: 1 win, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Starts: 10
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 4th
Laps Led: 11
Pct. Laps Complete: 99%

KV Racing Technology (A-) Following 2010 where at least a couple crashes each race weekend were a near lock, there was no where to go but up for the KV Racing Technology crew. Brought back for a second season, EJ Viso struggled once again, but the Venezuelan kept the #59 PDVSA Lotus branded car away from the wall most of the year. Takuma Sato on the other hand had a bit more success with several solid showings including 7 top 10's and 2 poles, one on an oval. But the clear bright point came in the form of a 36-year-old Brazilian, Tony Kanaan. Fresh off his release by de Ferran Dragon Racing which followed in the wake of his release by Andretti Autosport just months earlier, Kanaan was signed just 4-days prior to the opening event in Florida. Finishing 5th in points, TK racked up 7 top 5's, a pole, and a couple near wins.

Tony Kanaan (A+) His skills are unquestioned, but no way did I expect TK to be so competitive.
Championship Finish: 5th
Results: 7 top 5's, 9 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 97
Pct. Laps Complete: 87%

Takuma Sato (A-) 2 poles!
Championship Finish: 13th
Results: 3 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 4th
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 61
Pct. Laps Complete: 88%

EJ Viso (B) MUCH cleaner than 2010.
Championship Finish: 18th
Results: 0 top 5's, 4 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 7th
Best Start: 5th
Laps Led: 2
Pct. Laps Complete: 84%

Andretti Autosport (B) Andretti Autosport was by far the toughest team to grade. On the one hand their team secured 3 wins spread among 3 different drivers as well as Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick all finishing among the top 10 in season ending points. On the other hand they only combined for 10 top 5's in 68 starts and 2 of their 5 drivers failed to qualify at Indianapolis, a roller coaster year to say the least.

Ryan Hunter-Reay (B+) Check out his stats, spectacular mid-season recovery.
Championship Finish: 7th
Results: 1 win, 4 top 5's, 9 top 10's (all in the last 11 races)
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 74
Pct. Laps Complete: 86%

Marco Andretti (B) 2012 will be a huge season for Marco's career.
Championship Finish: 8th
Results: 1 win, 4 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 6th
Laps Led: 42
Pct. Laps Complete: 83%

Danica Patrick (B) DP leaves INDYCAR holding a 50 consecutive race streak while running at the finish. Impressive.
Championship Finish: 10th
Results: 1 top 5, 9 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 5th
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 13
Pct. Laps Complete: 99%

Mike Conway (C) Both Mike and the team are much better than their season results. Just didn't click.
Championship Finish: 17th
Results: 1 win, 1 top 5, 4 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 3rd
Laps Led: 16
Pct. Laps Complete: 68%

Service Central/Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing (B-) I didn't know what to expect from the expanded Chip Ganassi Racing entering the season, but a ninth place finish from veteran Graham Rahal was solid enough to earn a 'B-'. Running very competitively on several circuits and a legitimate threat for the win on some, Rahal was a clear bright spot for the young team throughout the season. Rookie Charlie Kimball struggled much of the year, but expect much more from the Ganassi satellite team in 2012.

Graham Rahal (B+) Will be very disappointed if they team doesn't have a 'W' by this time next year.
Championship Finish: 9th
Results: 3 top 5's, 6 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 29
Pct. Laps Complete: 85%

Charlie Kimball (C) Interesting driver. Not sure what to expect next year.
Championship Finish: 19th
Results: 0 top 5's, 2 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 9th
Best Start: 7th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 85%

Panther Racing (C+) The difference between an 'A+' and 'C+' lies in the fourth turn wall at Indianapolis. Just 2,500 feet shy of the yard of bricks rookie JR Hildebrand put the #4 National Guard entry into the wall on the 800th and final turn, resulting in the teams 4th consecutive 2nd place position in the '500'. With the runner-up finish at IMS the clear highlight of the season, Hildebrand either started or finished 19th or worse in 14 of the 16 other events. Entering his sophomore season expect much more consistency in 2012.

JR Hildebrand (C+) When I watch a replay of the last lap at Indy I expect JR to make the final turn clean. I wince every time.
Championship Finish: 14th
Results: 2 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 4th
Laps Led: 12
Pct. Laps Complete: 90%

HVM Racing (C) Between her horrific incident in practice at Indianapolis, her crash at Milwaukee less than a month later resulting in a concussion, and her problems getting back into the U.S. missing the race at Infineon, I'm sure 2011 wasn't quite what HVM Racing and Simona De Silvestro had in mind. But, taking into account her unbelievable qualification effort in May while tending to a severely burnt hand and piloting an old, overweight chassis in Porkchop, the season could have been much worse.

Simona De Silvestro (C) Still don't know how she qualified at Indy with that burn.
Championship Finish: 20th
Results: 1 top 5, 3 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 4th
Best Start: 10th
Laps Led: 1
Pct. Laps Complete: 73%

Team Penske (C) Will Power ran very well for much of the 16-race schedule coming just 18 points shy of the title, but sans the 30-year old Toowoomba, Australia native, Penske Racing was a huge disappointment in 2011. Combining for no wins or poles, just 7 top 5's, and an average finish of 12th, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves will both be returning 2012, but their results must improve if they hope to return for a sophomore season running the new formula.

Will Power (A) Bridesmaid for the 2nd year in a row. Tough.
Championship Finish: 2nd
Results: 6 wins, 11 top 5's, 12 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 1st
Best Start: 1st
Laps Led: 518
Pct. Laps Complete: 91%

Ryan Briscoe (D) Just didn't get the results.
Championship Finish: 6th
Results: 4 top 5's, 10 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 45
Pct. Laps Complete: 96%

Helio Castroneves (D) Needs to turn it around come March.
Championship Finish: 11th
Results: 3 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 2nd
Best Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 34
Pct. Laps Complete: 90%

A.J. Foyt Racing (C) Nothing too great, but nothing too terrible for Vitor Meira and A.J. Foyt Racing in 2011, very, very average. With Meira and Foyt parting ways in the off season the future is up in the air for both, but what is known is that the #14 will be Honda powered come St. Pete, and Honda should be very competitive.

Vitor Meira (C) Where will he land?
Championship Finish: 16th
Results: 1 top 5, 7 top 10's
Starts: 17
Best Finish: 5th
Best Start: 7th
Laps Led: 1
Pct. Laps Complete: 91%

Dale Coyne Racing (D+) James Jakes was at or near the back of the pack in most race fields and failing to qualify for Indianapolis were obvious black marks on his scorecard, but the rookie did show improvement in the final few events. As tough of a season as it was for Jakes, it was somewhat expected, so most of the disappointment came from the #19 car. Running the full non-oval schedule, Sebastien Bourdais kicked off the season putting the Boy Scouts Car into the wall in practice at St. Pete and was unable to start the event. Bourdais recovered from back-to-back last place finishes in Barber and Brazil with four 6th's and a 9th in his final six races, but was never truly in contention for a 'W'. Alex Lloyd ran the seven-race oval portion of the schedule with even less results.

James Jakes (C-) Showed some potential at the tail end of the season, if he returns, it'll be interesting to see what he can do.
Championship Finish: 22nd
Results: 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 8th
Best Start: 13th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 80%

Sebastien Bourdais (D+) Improved as the year got later, but expected more.
Championship Finish: 23rd
Results: 0 top 5's, 5 top 10's
Starts: 9
Best Finish: 6th
Best Start: 5th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 77%

Alex Lloyd (D) Alex is much better than the results reflected.
Championship Finish: 27th
Results: 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's
Starts: 7
Best Finish: 13th
Best Start: 14th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 84%

Dreyer and Reinbold Racing (D) 2011 is a season I'm sure most the folks at Dreyer and Reinbold would like to do over. Losing Justin Wilson for the season after suffering a fractured T5 vertebra in what looked to be a somewhat mundane off road excursion in Mid-Ohio, the #24 entry was driven by Tomas Scheckter, Giorgio Pantano, and Townsend Bell in the final 5 events. Wilson's teammate, Ana Beatriz, had a very disappointing year with no top 10 finishes. With what looks to be both driver and management changes in the off season, 2012 is a complete unknown for DRR.

Ana Beatriz (D-) Not the results she or DRR hoped for.
Championship Finish: 21st
Results: 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's
Starts: 16
Best Finish: 11th
Best Start: 10th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 86%

Justin Wilson (B-) Hate injuries.
Championship Finish: 24th
Results: 1 top 5, 4 top 10's
Starts: 11
Best Finish: 5th
Best Start: 5th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 97%

Conquest Racing (D) Starting or finishing 23rd or worse in all but one of his fourteen starts, combined with missing the Indianapolis 500 and running just 71% of his laps equals a not-so-good season for Conquest Racing and Sebastian Saavedra. The future is completely up in the air for both entering 2012.

Sebastian Saavedra (D) Will he return for a sophomore year?
Championship Finish: 25th
Results: 0 top 5's, 0 top 10's
Starts: 14
Best Finish: 11th
Best Start: 11th
Laps Led: 0
Pct. Laps Complete: 71%

RLL Joins Honda, Adds Anderson

2011-11-03T16:37:00.001-04:00

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced Thursday they'll run Honda power in 2012, and that they've signed veteran team leader Tom Anderson as President of Racing Operations.

"Many fans already know that the roots of Honda's relationship with Bobby Rahal and his team extend to our initial entry into American open-wheel racing in the early 1990's," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and VP, corporate planning and logistics for American Honda.

Honda previously announced Chip Ganassi Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, and Sam Schmidt Motorsports as partners for 2012.

"We are pleased to once again be partnering with Honda," said team co-owner, Bobby Rahal. "We have a storied history with Honda and respect its tradition of excellence in motorsports. In putting together our plans for 2012, we felt that having the full support of a proven winner such as Honda would aid in building the strongest program possible, and intend to represent Honda in the best manner possible"

Anderson's 40+ years in the racing business includes stints with Adrian Fernandez, Andretti Autosport and most notably Chip Ganassi Racing in the 1990's.

"I am extremely excited to be a part of the expanding program at Rahal Letterman Lanigan," Anderson said. "They have a championship-winning team in the ALMS and what we want to do is to continue that success and build the Indy Car side to enable it to match their sportscar prowess. I am looking forward to working with the new car as well as working with the quality people that RLL has assembled on its team."

The team is expected to field multiple cars full-time next season.

Ed Carpenter Racing Full-time In 2012

2011-11-02T16:34:00.001-04:00

Following two years of part-time schedules with Panther and Sarah Fisher Racing, Ed Carpenter will return full-time to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012, but this time under the Ed Carpenter Racing banner with support from a 3-year agreement with Fuzzy's Vodka.

"I am extremely excited about the opportunities that lie ahead with Ed Carpenter Racing," said Carpenter. "Team ownership is something that I have thought about for quite a long time, and is now becoming a reality as a result of a great relationship with Fuzzy and Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka. I don't know that I ever thought that I would have the opportunity to be an owner/driver, but when an opportunity like this comes along, you can't pass it up. I can't wait to get to work and begin building this team for not only 2012, but beyond"

Ed Carpenter Racing will be owned and operated by both Ed Carpenter and Tony George out of Indianapolis. Although not confirmed, it's likely Carpenter will return to the #20 entry he used from 2005-2010 with Vision and Panther Racing.

"We're looking forward to playing a full round with Ed in 2012. In the past, we've only been able to play a few holes," said PGA pro and Fuzzy's Vodka owner, Fuzzy Zoeller. "Ed caddied for me last year and he's definitely a much better driver. We've had a great time with Ed and IndyCar an now we're really going to tee it up in 2012"

A press conference will be held at IMS, Friday, November 4th at 1:30pm.

Honda vs Chevy Sound Comparison

2011-11-02T15:39:00.000-04:00

Both IZOD IndyCar Series veterans Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti took their first laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the new 2012 Dallara chassis and engine combinations Wednesday afternoon.

Dario Franchitti's Honda powerplant can be heard first on the recording, followed by Tony Kanaan's Chevy power.

KVRT Joins Chevy Lineup

2011-11-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

KV Racing Technology has announced they'll run Chevrolet engines in 2012.

“I am very pleased to announce that KV Racing Technology has reached an agreement to compete with Chevrolet power during the 2012 IndyCar season,” said KVRT co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. “Chevy has a proven history of innovation and success in motorsports and we look forward to continuing that legacy.”

Chevrolet announced last November their intent to compete in the IZOD IndyCar series with the introduction of the new Dallara chassis and engine formula. The bowtie is returning to INDYCAR for the first time since 2005 when they withdrew following the season.

“I am very excited Chevrolet is returning to IndyCar racing and that we will have the opportunity to work with them," commented KVRT co-owner, Jimmy Vasser. "I have a long personal history with Chevrolet. My first car was a 1969 Camaro, my first podium was with a Chevy engine in 1993 at Phoenix and, I am proud to say, that I am a Chevy dealer. We look forward to a very successful relationship with Chevrolet for many years to come.”

The twin-turbocharched, direct-injected V-6 GM powerplant will be built in conjunction with Ilmore.

"We are pleased to welcome KV Racing Technology to Team Chevy for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. "The team puts a high value on advanced technology, as does Chevrolet with its IndyCar engine program that uses key technologies from our production engines. Jimmy Vasser was already part of our extended family as a Chevrolet dealer, and like our company co-founder, Louis Chevrolet, his roots run deep in racing. We're delighted to have Jimmy, Kevin Kalkhoven, and the entire KV Racing Technology organization as part of our IndyCar racing program."

KVRT will run Chevy power alongide a confirmed 2012 lineup including Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, and Panther Racing. The 2nd engine manufacterer, Honda, has announced Ganassi, Sam Schmidt Motorsports and A.J. Foyt Racing will continue with the sole supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2006. Lotus has yet to make any formal announcements.

Fans Remember Dan Wheldon

2011-10-27T03:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those who wrote in sharing their favorite memories & stories and to those who participated in the podcast.

If you'd like to participate by adding a favorite memory of the 2-time Indianapolis 500 winner, you can send an E-mail or we can connect by the Contact page linked at the top of the screen.

Music courtesy: Jason Shaw

Vegas Investigation and Power Injury Update

2011-10-25T16:47:00.001-04:00

INDYCAR press release on the continued investigation into the 15-car incident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon:

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Oct. 24, 2011) - INDYCAR continues to move forward with its investigation into the 15-car accident on Lap 11 of the Oct. 16 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in which two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon sustained unsurvivable injuries.

As part of Phase 1 of the investigation, an internal team led by series safety and competition officials is evaluating data to make a factual determination of the circumstances surrounding the entire incident.

The investigation team will utilize outside, independent experts and consultants for analysis of various aspects of the data. The results of the investigation will be turned over to an independent, third-party group for validation.

"We must continue to move forward with a thorough investigation," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "Fortunately, that has already begun, and we have the protocols in place to get this done. This was a tragic accident, and INDYCAR needs to understand everything possible about it."

INDYCAR anticipates Phase 1 will be complete in several weeks. Phase 2 of the investigation will utilize the information learned in Phase 1 to minimize risks in the future.

Accessible data currently being utilized by the investigation team includes:

Accident Data Recorders (ADR3s) from all 15 cars involved in the accident. The ADR3 senses and records 1,000 samples per second just prior to, during and after an accident-triggering event. The ADR3 crash-hardened system can record data from the both the vehicle's internal sensors as well as information from the car's on-board data acquisition system.
Accelerometers from all 15 drivers involved in the accident. These sensors are integrated into the left and right radio earpieces worn by drivers to measure dynamic forces during an accident, including the acceleration in the X, Y and Z axes.
Analysis of all cars involved in the incident.
Personal safety equipment including firesuits, Nomex underwear and helmets.
Analysis of videos, including footage from in-car cameras, safety vehicles and Race Control.
Analysis of photos, including the accident itself, as well as track conditions post-accident.
Post-incident reports from Race Control and the Holmatro Safety Team.
Event-specific data from Timing & Scoring.

Guidelines emphasizing improved driver safety and quality car construction were the key specifications stressed to chassis manufacturers that produced the current generation car, which was introduced in 2003. Key safety mandates include energy-absorbing materials, side intrusion panels and increased distance between front and pedal bulkheads.

INDYCAR and Dallara continue to work on developing its next generation chassis, which will debut in competition in 2012; a universal road/oval chassis with an enhanced driver safety cell and design, which reduces the risks of wheel-to-wheel contact and interlocking wheel.

Will Power was re-evaluated by Dr. Terry Trammell in Indianapolis following his complaint of lower back bain suffered in the 15-car incident in Las Vegas. Power was released from University Medical Center in Las Vegas with no sign of serious injury the evening of the accident. Dr. Trammell found a compression fracture of his fourth thoracic vertebra but expects the 2011 championship runner-up to recover without surgery.

Power is expected to fully recover in time for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

RIP Dan Wheldon

2011-10-16T18:03:00.000-04:00

He passed doing what he loved. Thoughts and prayers are with his wife Susie, children Sebastian and Oliver and the entire Wheldon family.

We've lost a great one.

RIP Dan Wheldon....

----------------------------------------------------------------
Update: Statement from Wheldon's wife Susie:

"Although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days. The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers.

"Dan touched the lives of many people, and I would like to invite those citizens in our community who knew and loved my husband to attend his funeral service at the First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg on Saturday, October 22, at 10 a.m.

"Though we won't be able to fit everyone inside, I know that Dan would have wanted the community to share in the celebration of his life and to grieve his passing. Thank you again. I am forever grateful for your kindness."
-Susie Wheldon

Wheldon's funeral will be held at 10am est on Saturday, October 22nd at First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg, 701 Beach Drive N.E. in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Letters, notes, and cards can be sent to:

The Wheldons
9600 Koger Blvd N, Ste. 105
St Petersburg, FL 33702

Update: A public memorial will be held Sunday, October 23rd at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis to celebrate the life of the 2-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

Speakers will include:

Jeff Belskus, IMS Corp president & CEO
Randy Bernard, INDYCAR CEO
Dario Franchitti, Former teammate
Bryan Herta, Former Teammate & car owner
Tony Kanaan, Former Teammate
Bob Hills, INDYCAR Ministry director & chaplain
Mike Hull, TCGR managing director
Mike Kitchel, Pather Racing communication director
Mickey Ryan, GP Sports Management client manager
Adrian Sussman, GP Sports Management client manager

Memorial schedule via IMS release:

1:30 p.m.: Doors to the Conseco Fieldhouse Indiana University Health Pavilion will be open.

There will be two large banners in memory of Wheldon for fans to sign and leave brief messages. A large photograph of Wheldon will be on display, and guests are encouraged to use this location for placement of cards, notes and other mementos for the family. In lieu of flowers, guests are encouraged to make a donation to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust. Donation boxes will be set up in two locations for guests to leave contributions.

Seating in the arena will not be available at this time.

2:30 p.m.: General seating opens.

Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in arena non-floor seats for the general public.

Floor seats are reserved for family, special guests and the INDYCAR community. INDYCAR community members are encouraged to bring their hard card for identification. Seating for this group will be on a first-come, first-served basis on the floor of the arena from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Access to the floor will be available via the main concourse stairways through sections 3 thru 17.

All seating in and entrance to the arena is subject to availability.

3:30 p.m.: Music, including the Indianapolis Children's Choir and video presentation begins.

4-5 p.m.: A Celebration of the Life of Dan Wheldon

In lieu of flowers, friends and fans also can choose to make a donation to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer's Association, a cause close to his heart.

Contributions to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund can be made at and Indianapolis Fifth Third Bank where donations will be routed or sent directly to:

Fifth Third Private Bank
Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust
251 North Illinois St.
Suite 1000
Indianapolis, IN 46204
----------------------------------------------------------------
Around the paddock

“Everyone at Bryan Herta Autosport is reeling from the loss of our friend and teammate Dan Wheldon. Dan was the glue that bound our little team together. It was his spark and belief in us that carried us all to Victory Lane at Indianapolis this year, and his legacy within the sport as a tremendous champion and competitor is unquestioned. But more than that, Dan became my little brother from our time together as teammates at AGR. I watched with pride as he developed from the brash young hotshot on the circuit to a man who was a great husband and father, ambassador, friend, champion and hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with Susie and the boys, and all of Dan’s family and fans who are trying to make sense of this terrible loss. We are all lucky and blessed to have had Dan Wheldon influence our lives, and his spirit lives on in each one of us. Godspeed my friend.”
- Bryan Herta Autosport owner, Bryan Herta

“Dan Wheldon was a tremendous competitor, a great racer and an even better person. It was an honor to have him be a part of our team. All of us at Sam Schmidt Motorsports are deeply saddened by his passing. On behalf of everyone at Sam Schmidt Motorsports, our prayers go out to all of his family, especially his wife, Susie, and their two children.”
- Sam Schmidt

“As we struggle to process this devastating news, my heart and soul reach out to Dan's wife Susie, his two boys and the rest of his family. He was a true champion who had the unique quality of making everyone around him feel like a winner. Not only a hero, but also a great friend, we are honored to have counted Dan as part of the William Rast family. We will surely miss our friend and never forget what he gave to all of us.”
- CEO, William Rast, Colin Dyne

GP Sports Management is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our dear friend and client, Dan Wheldon.

Dan was a winner. For the past 11 years we were privileged to watch Dan become a champion on the track and a devoted family man off it. He loved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was immensely proud to have his name etched twice on the Borg Warner trophy alongside some of the Indy 500 greats.

He touched so many people in racing and around the world with his warm smile, his charming personality and his genuine good nature. Dan loved his fans and always took that extra bit of time to take a photo, to sign an autograph, to make some young kid smile at the racetrack. Everyone wanted to be around Dan. His passion and his enthusiasm for life was infectious. We will all miss him...

A true champion of motorsport...

A proud brother to Austin, Ashley, Elliott and Holly...

A devoted son to Clive and Sue...

A loving husband to Susie...

A doting father to his boys, Sebastian and Oliver...

And our friend...

Rest in peace Dan...your memory will live with us forever.

We would like to thank everyone for all of the messages of condolences that we have received and right now our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Wheldon family.
- GP Sports Management

“Dan chose to be a good guy. He made parenting of his sons, Sebastian and Oliver his priority. Dan made us all better at our craft by pushing us to make him a better athlete. Dan has made us better people by modeling a courageous and kind life.”
- St. Vincent Sports Performance Executive Director, Ralph Reiff

"No words can describe my feelings as I reflect on my memories of Dan. His infectious smile, bubbly personality and big heart made Dan one of the most caring people I had ever met. You could never ask for a better ambassador to a sport. Dan represented INDYCAR with the upmost respect and integrity. Dan will not only be immortalized as being a great racer but also a wonderful person. My prayers are with Susie and his two children in this very difficult time."
- INDYCAR CEO, Randy Bernard

“We lost a good friend. Everybody in IndyCar Series considered Dan a friend. He was one of those special, special people from the first moment he showed up in IndyCar. And he was kind of the brash, but he was a charmer. Then he became this loving family guy who was still charming, but he had this whole new side to him. I'm just thinking of Susie and the boys. When I think about them I'm struggling to hold it together.”
- Dario Franchitti

“Dan is family and I will miss him badly. Such an amazing person and wonderful family man. We will be with Susie, Sebastian and Oliver for whatever they need. I still can't believe it."
- Scott Dixon

"My heart goes out to the Wheldon family. Dan was an incredible champion, a great friend and someone I will always respect and admire. We have truly lost one of the greatest members of our INDYCAR family."
- Graham Rahal

"We lost a special member of our INDYCAR family. Dan was doing exactly what he wanted and died doing what he loved. Our thoughts are with his wife, Susie, and his two children. There are much bigger plans in life than we can ever hope to understand. Dan will be forever missed."
- Charlie Kimball

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family - what happened today was terrible. It is hard to put into words how sad this is for all us of here. On the track we compete but at the end of the day we are like a big family and today we lost a part of that. I think that the series made a good call to end the race and have the parade laps to honor the life of our fellow driver."
- Helio Castroneves

"My thoughts are with Dan's family right now. He has been a good friend and a great competitor for many years and I'm greatly saddened by his loss. I do applaud the decision made by the series to call the race and line the cars up for a few parade laps in Dan's memory. It is truly a sad day for all of us."
- Ryan Briscoe

"What a tragic loss. I'm devastated that we lost Dan Wheldon today. It was a terrible accident and I feel so bad for Dan's family. My thoughts and prayers are with them. Dan was great champion and a great guy. He will definitely be missed."
- Will Power

-“This is incredibly sad. We all know this is part of the sport. Cars are getting safer, tracks are getting safer so fortunately it hasn’t happened in a long time. We all had a bad feeling about this place in particular just because of the high banking and how easy it was to go flat and if you give us the opportunity, we are drivers and we try to go to the front -- we race each other hard because that’s what we do. We knew if could happen but it’s just really sad. There was no right or wrong thing to do really on how to proceed. It’s the first time ever that we knew that a driver was gone so I think the series did the right thing. Even if you were going to be more careful we were still going to be traveling at a very high speed and in a risky situation. I think Randy’s call was rational. He was saying ‘Listen, you guys are not thinking straight.’ If they had kept us in the car and we still had hope that Dan was going to be okay and they restarted the race sooner you can just focus on what you do. This wasn’t the right way either to finish the race or the season; it feels wrong but there was no right way to deal with the situation. I feel so bad for Susie and their kids. It’s so tough to understand when somebody is gone that quickly. Dan was always a very happy guy; he was always smiling. He was a funny, great person that touched a lot of people. He will be missed.”
- Oriol Servia

“It’s a black day for the sport. We came in here hoping for a good season-finale and ended up losing a very close friend and a very good racing driver. I think Dan was coming into his second wind as a driver. He had so much success early on and he was getting back into that. It’s going to be hard next year to climb into the new cars every time knowing that if it wasn’t for Dan this thing wouldn’t be what it was. He made such an impact on this sport and will even continue to now. It’s proof that this is still a very dangerous sport. As hard as we work on the safety side, these things are still very possible. It’s tough to put into words what everybody is feeling. There was no right answer on how to deal with this situation in terms of the rest of the race. Deep down we all think Dan would have wanted us to race but out of respect for him we made a decision, right or wrong. We’re going to have to regroup over the winter and head into the first race next year and race the whole year for Dan because all I said, the new car that we all are going to be blessed with the opportunity to race, a lot of that is as good as it is because of Dan. My thoughts are with Susie and the kids.”
- James Hinchcliffe

“We lost not only an amazing driver, we lost a great father, friend and a very honorable person. It's very hard to believe this is possible and sometimes we forget how dangerous what we do is. But we will never forget how much he loved racing and the adrenaline this sport gave him.

We will miss him incredibly for his unique smile, sense of being and how friendly he was to all, but we will never forget him in any sense of the word.May he rest in peace and may his family accept this great loss with cherish. We love you Dan.”
- Sebastian Saavedra

"All of us here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are deeply saddened by the death of Dan Wheldon. He was a tremendous race car driver and a great representative for IndyCar racing. Our prayers are with Dan's family as well as the officials and sponsors of IndyCar."
- President, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chris Powell

"We are incredibly saddened at the passing of Dan Wheldon. He was a great champion of the Indianapolis 500 and a wonderful ambassador for the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all of motorsports. Most importantly, he was a fantastic husband, father and man - a good friend to so many in this sport. His memory will live forever at the Speedway, both through the magnitude of his accomplishments on the track and his magnetism off the track. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his entire family, team and fans."
- IMS Corp. President & CEO, Jeff Belskus

"This is a truly heartbreaking loss. Dan Wheldon was a terrific driver and a great champion, but overall he was one of the most engaging, intelligent and colorful individuals in our sport. We were fortunate to work with Dan as a regular promotional partner over the years. We will miss his competitive drive on the track and his energy and sense of humor in the paddock."
- President & GM, Infineon Raceway, Steve Page

"On behalf of the entire staff at Texas Motor Speedway, our sincere condolences go out to Dan's wife Susie and their two young boys, Oliver and Sebastian. Dan was a tremendous race-car driver and even more tremendous as a person. I was fortunate to get to know Dan over the years with the series annually visiting Texas Motor Speedway and he always arrived with that infectious personality and charming wit. His outstanding skill in the cockpit and his personality and good nature out of it will be greatly missed by the entire IndyCar community."
- President, Texas Motor Speedway, Eddie Gossage

"On behalf of Barber Motorsports Park, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Dan Wheldon. His willingness to help promote the event each year in Birmingham showed us what kind of an ambassador he was for the sport. Dan's infectious personality will always be remembered and his smile will truly be missed at Barber Motorsports Park."
- VP of ZOOM Motorsports, Rick Humphey

"We share the sorrow of the IZOD IndyCar Series and motorsports community on the passing of Dan Wheldon. He was a great friend to Kentucky Speedway and recently lent his personality to promoting this season’s 300-mile event at our track by participating in a Macy’s shopping spree with a youth. An exemplary person and competitor will be sorely missed."
- Kentucky Speedway GM, Mark Simendinger

"Along with everyone at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the entire racing community, I am saddened by this news. I offer my condolences to the Wheldon family, especially wife Susie and her two young sons. I had the opportunity to spend time with Dan at promotional events and always came away impressed by his warmth and sincerity."
- Homestead-Miami Speedway President, Mathew Becherer

“On behalf of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach family, our hearts are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Dan Wheldon. He was a great representative of our sport and personified what the IZOD IndyCar Series is all about. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Susie, his children and family. He will be sorely missed.”
- President & CEO, Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, Jim Michaelian

"It is with extreme sorrow that we have lost one of our champion drivers today. Dan was an Indy 500 champion and IndyCar Series champion with Andretti Autosport-and one of our closest competitors. Dan brought such enthusiasm and passion to the sport not often seen in motorsports. We will remember Dan's tremendous racing accomplishments with our team as well his infectious personality. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Dan's family, racing team and friends today. Dan is one of IndyCar's greatest champions."
- Andretti Autosport

"The passing of Dan Wheldon today is a great shame. Dan was a great driver as evidenced by not only his Indianapolis 500 victories, but by his many wins and great performances in the race car. But he was much more than a great driver. He was a good guy, good family man and really seemed to have a bright future not only as a driver but as a television personality as well. We had spoken to him very recently about his prospects as a driver for 2012 with our team and he was very enthusiastic about his future. He will be missed."
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing owner, Bobby Rahal

"Today was a sad day for IndyCar and the IndyCar family. Dan was a champion, a wonderful young man and a terrific competitor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Susie, his children and his entire family."
- Penske Racing owner, Roger Penske

"Panther would like to send its deepest condolences and respects to family and friends of Dan Wheldon, and more specifically to his wife Susie and their children Sebastian and Oliver. Dan is an IndyCar legend, a Champion, a friend, and one of the greatest ambassadors in the history of open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500.

Since making his IndyCar Series debut with Panther in 2002, and subsequently returning for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Dan was an unbelievable representative of our team and partners. The passion and commitment that Dan showed to Soldiers of the National Guard, and Cadets in its Youth ChalleNGe program, and fans of this sport, is what set him apart. In our experience we cannot recall one instance where Dan said no to an autograph request, bypassed a photo request, or left an appearance without assuranceseverybody there who wanted to meet him had done so.

He was a special talent, a better person, and had a positive impact in the lives of so many in the sport. While Dan’s on-track success speaks for itself, it’s the professionalism, humor and spirit he showed outside the racecar that set him a cut above the rest. He will be missed, but always remembered.
- Panther Racing

“I’ve known Dan since he first came to the USA and like a lot of other people I had a great connection with him. Dan represented the true IndyCar driver spirit, always available and positive, he was a great talent, a great friend, and a great family man. I would like to send my deepest condolences to his family.

It’s hard to accept what happened yesterday, we all know it’s a dangerous sport but we need to work together to make sure that this never happens again.”
- Conquest Racing owner, Eric Bachelart

"Today was a very emotional day. We all lost a friend, and a true champion of the sport. It hurts deeply when something like this happens and our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family during this time."
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner, Dennis Reinbold

"Today was an extremely tragic day. There are no words to express our sorrow over the loss of Dan. He was a Champion and few loved the sport as much as him. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Wheldon family."
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner, Robbie Buhl

"What can you say? He was such a big presence in our sport and quite a talent. Today we lost a little bit of Indycar. He raced here for us for three years, won six races and made many friends – the whole Chip Ganassi Racing organization mourns his passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to Susie, the boys and the whole Wheldon family."
- Chip Ganassi Racing owner, Chip Ganassi

"The IndyCar community - drivers, teams, fans - arrived at the track today to compete and celebrate a championship. Instead, we lost one of the sport's best. Dan Wheldon was a champion on the track and a great ambassador for the sport. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan's family.

It's in moments like this that you witness the strength of the IndyCar community. Even though we compete against each other week after week, it's like we've lost a member of our own family. We'll go forward into the 2012 season by reflecting on the great memories we have of Dan Wheldon."
- HVM Racing owner, Keith Wiggins

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden death of Dan Wheldon, who drove for Target Chip Ganassi Racing from 2006 to 2008. He was a special part of the Target family and our heartfelt sympathies go out to Dan’s family and friends."
- Gregg Steinhafel, Chariman, President and CEO, Target

"On behalf of everyone at the IZOD brand, our prayers and thoughts are with Dan Wheldon's family. We are very proud to have worked with Dan and consider him a true friend," said. "He was one of the best race car drivers in the world and a wonderful ambassador for the sport. Dan's love of racing was only surpassed by his love and dedication to his family. He will be missed by all."
- President PVH Corp, Allen Sirkin

"There are no words to express our sorrow over the loss of Dan Wheldon, a beloved member of the racing family. We extend our deepest sympathies to Dan's wife and family. They are all in our thoughts."
- CEO & Presidnet, Verizon Wireless Dan Mead

"We are very saddened by the tragic passing of Dan Wheldon. He was a great champion both on and off the racetrack and he will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family."
- President, ESPN & ABC Sports, George Bodenheimer

"For everyone in the Honda family, this is a day of tragedy and incalcuable loss. For us, Dan, was more than a driver, he was a member of the Honda family. But most of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife, Susie and two young sons. Dan had a passion for motorsports and a wonderful personality that made him a friend to everyone in the racing community. His talent and dedication were an inspiration to us all. We will miss him terrible, and everyone at Honda extends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and fans across the world."
- President, Honda Performance Development, Erik Berkman

"The Firestone Racing team is deeply saddened by the death of Dan Wheldon. We have very fond memories of celebrating with Dan at Indianapolis following his win this year, and he was a true champion."

"Recently, we had been working very closely with Dan on the development of the 2012 IndyCar. His passion for the sport was evident every day and he worked endlessly to do the best he could at everything he did. We extend our sympathies to his family, to his team, and to his many friends and fans. He was a talented competitor on the track who will be long remembered by all who had the privilege of working with and knowing him."
- Executive Director, Firestone Racing, Al Speyer

INDYCAR Unveils Championship Trophy

2011-10-12T20:43:00.001-04:00

The IZOD IndyCar Series unveiled the new Championship trophy Wednesday afternoon at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Via IndyCar release:

The trophy to be presented originally was commissioned by Vincent Astor, son of industrialist John Jacob Astor, to be awarded to the winner of the Astor Cup Challenge -- a 350-mile race on a 2-mile board track at Sheepshead Bay, N.Y.

"We sought to blend heritage and tradition with our future," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "It was very important for us to find a trophy that was a piece of art that drivers would truly be honored to win. At the same time, I think it's very important for us to solidify the fact that INDYCAR is Indy car and we have placed every champion from 1909 on that trophy. We are recognizing every sanctioning body that has governed Indy car racing. It is a trophy that not only reminds us of our past but links our future."

The inaugural Astor Challenge Cup race in 1915 featured a purse of $50,000, which duplicated that of the Indianapolis 500. The Stutz team outlasted a field of 20 to finish first in 3 hours, 24 minutes, 42 seconds. Driver Gil Andersen earned the $20,000 winner's share by averaging 102.6 mph.

The second and final Astor Cup race in 1916 was shortened to 250 miles. Johnny Aitken, driving a Peugeot owned by the Indianapolis Speedway Team Company of Carl Fisher and Jim Allison, won with an average speed of 104.83 mph.

Aitken, of Indianapolis, has the distinction of starting (41) and winning (15) more races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than any driver. A.J. Foyt is second in starts with 36 from 1958-94 and Ray Harroun is second with eight wins from 1909-1911. Aitken also led the first lap of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, which was won by Harroun.

All Indy car national champions from 1909 (George Robertson; American Automobile Association) to the present are laser-etched into the two black granite bases of the sterling silver trophy.

The IZOD IndyCar Series championship driver and team owner both will receive a replica, while the IZOD IndyCar Series World Championship Trophy will be on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

Target Chip Ganassi's Dario Franchitti leads Penske's Will Power by 18 points heading into the season finale this weekend at Las Vegas.

Belle Isle Back, Other Notes

2011-10-12T12:34:00.001-04:00

After cancelling the event due to sponsorship and economy issues in 2009, the Detroit GP held at Belle Isle will return in 2012. Chevrolet, INDYCAR and the Penske Corporation announced at a press conference that the Chevy sponsored race will be ran June 1-3, the weekend after Indianapolis.

"We are thrilled to be able to bring the Detroit Grand Prix back to Belle Isle,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. "Thanks to the support of INDYCAR, Penske Corporation and Chevrolet we will once again host one of the world's most prestigious motorsports events.

Alongside the IZOD IndyCar Series, INDYCAR's sanctioned Indy Lights will run over the 3-day race weekend accompanied by Grand-Am and the Cadillac V-Series.

“Chevrolet has a long, storied history in Indy car racing,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. “This year we celebrated the shared centennial of Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500. We're excited to see that history continue with the help of Penske Corporation and INDYCAR bringing back open-wheel racing to Detroit in 2012. This city is a natural for racing – it put the world on wheels and the roar of engines is something that simply belongs here."

Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe mentioned on Twitter following the announcement that the race will be aired on ABC.

--------------------------------------------------------------

- Stefan Wilson will return to the #5 Andretti Autosport Firestone Indy Lights entry this weekend in Vegas sponsored by solar electric system provider Citizenre Corp.

- Grime Boss will sponsor Mike Conway and the #27 entry in the season finale.

- Tony Hawk will serve as Grand Marshal for the Las Vegas Indy 300, delivering the words "Drivers, start your engines!"

- INDYCAR will tribute Michael Wanser, the 6-year-old son battling leukemia of Target Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Barry Wanser this weekend in Vegas.

- Ed Carpenter won the Firestone 'Tire-ific' move of the race for Kentucky.

- IZOD IndyCar Series teams will be allotted 10 sets of Firestone Firehawks in Vegas, using the same specification as the Kentucky sets. The spec utilizes the same body construction as ran at the Twin 250's in Texas, but with a new tread compound on all four tires.

- This weekend's race on the 1.5 mile oval in Nevada will mark 24-year-old Marco Andretti's 100th IndyCar start.

- Tickets for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 are available for purchase at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com, by phone at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY, and in person at the IMS Admin. building on the corner of 16th and Georgetown.

Q/A With Sarah Fisher

2011-10-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

Less than 48-hours after the teams first big win, Sarah Fisher Racing owner Sarah Fisher joins us to talk about motherhood, the race in Kentucky, & plans for 2012

Battistini In At Kentucky

2011-09-30T16:09:00.001-04:00

Rookie IZOD IndyCar Series driver and veteran Firestone Indy Lights pilot Dillon Battistini will run the #34 Conquest Racing entry at Kentucky.

"I'm relishing the opportunity to make an impression on the Indycar stage at Kentucky Speedway this weekend, and can't express enough gratitude to my various backers and also to Eric Bachelart at Conquest Racing for doing everything possible to turn my long-held dream of racing an Indycar into a reality," Battistini said.

Following the completion of his successful oval test at Kentucky last week, the four-time Indy Lights race winner will make his first start in an Indy car on the 1.5 mile oval this weekend.

Video: 2012 Indy Car On IMS Oval

2011-09-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

Video courtesy of INDYCAR:

Wheldon will continue to test the 2012 car, barring weather, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway through Thursday.

Scheckter In At Vegas

2011-09-26T11:40:00.001-04:00

Announced today at the Sarah Fisher Racing shop on the west side of Indianapolis, Tomas Scheckter will run the #57 Angie List Special for the team in the season ending race at Las Vegas, upping the projected car count to 34.

Running with teammate Ed Carpenter, SFR becomes the 10th team in which the veteran driver has ran with, competing for KV Racing Technology, Dale Coyne, Dreyer & Reinbold, Conquest, Luczo Dragon, Vision, Panther, Chip Ganassi and Cheever over his 10-year IZOD IndyCar Series career.

Wheldon In The #77 At Kentucky

2011-09-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

2011 Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon will get behind the wheel of a Dallara for the second time this season this weekend in Kentucky.

Wheldon will run the #77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry, replacing veteran Alex Tagliani.

“I can’t thank Alex enough for letting me drive his car in Kentucky and to work with the team in preparation for Las Vegas,” Wheldon said. “I know when I step into the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Honda, I’ll be stepping into a fast racecar that’s capable of winning. As a driver, that’s all you can ask for. I’m really excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with everyone at Sam’s team. They were a large part of our winning effort in May, and I’ll do my best to get back to victory lane.”

The only driver running for the $5 Million prize in Vegas, Wheldon will use the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway as a warmup for the 1.5 mile Las Vegas event.

“I’m obviously not happy about sitting out Kentucky, but this is a very exciting opportunity,” Tagliani said. “Dan and I are good friends, and I’m very jealous that he gets to run for the $5 million. But, I fully support what INDYCAR has done to generate fan interest and will do everything I can to help the SSM team run Dan in Kentucky and prepare for the Go Daddy Challenge. I’m out to win the Vegas race, as well, and won’t back off one bit, so Dan will be on his own when the green flag drops.”

Andretti Selects Chevy, Bell At DRR & Other Notes

2011-09-23T16:46:00.004-04:00

Andretti Autosport has announced that they'll run Chevrolet engines in 2012.

"I am so excited to work with Chevy once again," said Andretti, "We won 15 races and a championship with Chevy in just three years. The 1991 season was magical. Now, Andretti Autosport™ and our sponsors have the opportunity to win again with Chevrolet. This will prove to be a tremendous association. Chevrolet is committed to motorsports and they are proven winners."

The announcement breaks Andretti's 9-year streak dating back to 2003 of running Honda powered entries.

"All of us want to thank Honda for many good years together, including 39 wins, two wins at the Indy 500, and for working with us to return street racing back to IndyCar in St. Petersburg and then again in Toronto," said Andretti. "Honda is largely responsible for providing a platform for multiple manufacturer competition to return and we are grateful for their contributions to the sport we love."

Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced that Townsend Bell will return to the team running the final 2 events of the season in the #22 entry, replacing the injured Justin Wilson. Bell will run the Valspar branded entry at Kentucky next weekend, and the Dad's Root Beer livery at Las Vegas.

"We are excited about having Townsend back with us and being able to put him in our car at Kentucky and Las Vegas," said team co-owner, Dennis Reinbold. "We've both grown significantly since we worked together in 2008 and we feel Townsend will represent DRR and our partners very well to close out the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. We will be testing him at Kentucky on Friday and we are excited to get him acclimated to the car again."

Belardi Auto Racing announced Friday afternoon that Jacob Wilson will run the #19 Firestone Indy Lights entry at Kentucky and Vegas. The 21-year-old took and passed his rookie test at the Kentucky Speedway earlier this week.

“I feel that my rookie test went extremely well,” Wilson said. “Being relatively quick on track by ourselves and not having any problems when we were working with traffic really gave me a confidence boost. Passing the rookie test was crucial for me to join Belardi Auto Racing in the final two races of the year. It’ll be a great opportunity to learn the ropes of Indy Lights and hopefully come away with some impressive results.”

Sarah Fisher Racing has called a press conference for 11am ET Monday Morning to announce a 'Local Indianapolis company and veteran IndyCar star' for the season ending event at Las Vegas.

Panther Racing will run a special pink camouflage livery on JR Hildebrand's #4 Nation Guard Dallara for the final 2 races of the season at Kentucky and Vegas.

INDYCAR has announced Honda as the presenting sponsor of the season ending race as Las Vegas Motor Speedway October, 16th. The 33+ car field will run for the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships Presented by Honda trophy.

Rapha Matos will run the #062 entry alongside Jaime Melo and Toni Virlander at Petit Le Mans October, 1st.

Helio Castroneves will appear on the "Nancy Grace Show" at 8pm ET Tonight (9/23).

Wheldon All In For $5 Mill

2011-09-13T14:41:00.001-04:00

INDYCAR announced at a Tuesday afternoon press conference held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that Dan Wheldon will run for a $5 million prize in the season finale race in Las Vegas, dubbed the 'Go Daddy IndyCar Challenge'.

Go Daddy sponsored Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti, INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard, Bryan Herta Autosport owner Bryan Herta and Dan Wheldon were present at the announcement.

Wheldon will run the #98 Sam Schmidt Motorsports/Bryan Herta Autosport entry sponsored by Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia, William Rast and Curb/Big Machine. As part of the deal, the #98 entry will start at the rear of the 32+ car field. If Wheldon is first to cross the finish line the $5 million prize will be split equally among the driver and a lucky fan.

Beginning Wednesday, September 14th fans can visit IndyCarWorldChampionships.com or apply through the INDYCAR Verizon app to be eligible. The chosen winner will be flown out to the season ending race with VIP access and receive prizes valued at over $10,000.
"I am really excited to return in the #98 entry with SSM and BHA to follow-up our success at this year's Indy 500 and go after another race win, especially with this carrot on the end of the stick," said Wheldon. "I actually met Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons the morning of this year's Indy 500 race, so maybe he's my lucky charm! We had a first-class program for Indy, and I am confident that we will be a strong contender again in Vegas with William Rast and Curb/Big Machine returning and now Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia joining us, too. I'm ready for the Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge and, hopefully, myself and one lucky fan will be smiling on October 16."

Monday Notes

2011-09-13T00:58:00.000-04:00

- 21-year-old USF2000 pilot Shannon McIntosh will be featured in the October issue of Seventeen magazine. The publication featuring the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver is due out Tuesday, September 13th.

"I can't wait to see what it actually looks like to be featured on a full page in a national magazine," said McIntosh."Throughout this contest it was easy to forget that we were vying for the cover of Seventeen magazine and that all five of us would be featured [regardless of who got the cover]. The contest was such an amazing experience and a great opportunity from beginning till the end."

- INDYCAR will announce plans for their Las Vegas $5 Million event at 2pm Tuesday afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dubbed the "Go Daddy IndyCar Challenge".

- Belardi Auto Racing has announced that they'll test Sprint Car driver and Crawfordsville, Indiana native Jacob Wilson at the Kentucky Speedway September 22nd in a Firestone Indy Lights machine.

“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to bring Jacob on board for the test at Kentucky,” team owner Brian Belardi said. “Although he’s never been in a Lights car, the talent he’s showcased on dirt tracks and in sprint cars shows us how successful he could be in the Mazda Road to Indy. We would love to bring more of the sprint car and midget drivers to the program, because I think it’s important to integrate those different types of talent into the development program we have feeding into the IZOD IndyCar series.”

The 21-year-old driver can be found on Twitter at @JacobWilson07.

“Growing up as a kid in Indiana it was all about racing for me,” said Wilson. “My excitement for the opportunity to test a Firestone Indy Lights car with Belardi Auto Racing is indescribable. I have to say thank you to Brian Belardi and John Brunner for the opportunity and all of the people involved for their support.”

- Joao Paulo de Oliveira has signed on to run the #34 Conquest Racing entry in Japan this weekend, sponsored by Ceremony, a wedding and funeral planning company in Japan. Oliveira, a Formula Nippon driver, sat on pole and won on Twin Ring Motegi's road course in the series just a few weeks ago.

"Joining Conquest Racing is an exciting opportunity at this stage in my career," said Oliveira. "I have been following the IZOD Indycar Series over the years and it's a thrill to be making my debut in Japan. Twin Ring Motegi is a very smooth, technical and demanding track. It has lots of hard braking zones followed by long straights, so obviously you need a good car under braking and traction. These are key factors if you want to go fast around there. I have great memories from Motegi winning two out of the last three Formula Nippon races, so I'm looking forward to going back there."

Twin Ring Motegi is a very smooth, technical and demanding track. It has lots of hard braking zones followed by long straights, so obviously you need a good car under braking and traction. These are key factors if you want to go fast around there. I have great memories from Motegi winning two out of the last three Formula Nippon races, so I'm looking forward to going back there."

- Longtime Indianapolis Motor Speedway photographer Ron McQueeney announced his retirement September 9th. Photographing cars on the 2.5 mile oval since 1972, McQueeney has been director of photography since 1977.

"I would say almost every event that I've been to here at the Speedway, I've enjoyed one way or the other," McQueeney said. "For me, this has just been a labor of love."

McQueeney will continue to photograph races and other events at IMS.

- IMS President Jeff Belskus was named President and CEO of Hulman & Company September 9th. Retaining his role at IMS, Belskus will lead Hulman & Company properties including Clabber Girl, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions, INDYCAR and various other holdings.

- Andretti Autosport will run Avon, Indiana native Mike Larrison in the Firestone Indy Lights season finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway next month in the #26 Calumet Specialty Products Partners entry. Larrison, a Motocross rider turned karting driver will first test with the team at the Kentucky Speedway.

"I'm really excited to run a Firestone Indy Lights car with Andretti Autosport. Growing up 15 minutes away from the Speedway, it has always been my dream to race in the Indianapolis 500," Larrison said. "I'm looking to get my feet wet during testing and get comfortable with the driving style. Hopefully we have a good result in Vegas and the race becomes a stepping stone for next year. Thanks to Michael [Andretti], J-F [Thormann] and my sponsor Calumet for this opportunity."

2012 Test At IMS

2011-09-01T10:11:00.000-04:00

For higher-quality audio

2012 Test Audio

2011-09-01T07:01:00.000-04:00

Lesser quality audio, but with video.

RHR Retains Win

2011-08-24T10:16:00.008-04:00

Ryan Hunter-Reay will retain his win at New Hampshire 10 days ago.

All day Tuesday the three-person panel, appointed by INDYCAR president of competition and racing operations Brian Barnhart, heard the presentations of Newman Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing in which they tried to support their claim that the finishing order of the MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 needs to be adjusted following the race's green, yellow, red finish. The panel consisted of Jerry Gappens (VP and General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway), Rollie Helmling (former team owner and president and CEO of USAC) and Jeff Stoops (former car owner and current Chairman of the Board for USAC).

Finishing 2nd behind announced winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, Oriol Servia and Newman Haas representatives attempted to make the case that they passed the Andretti Autosport driver when the green flag was dropped and was still holding the lead when the yellow flag/light was posted.

Wednesday morning the panel announced that they've voted unanimously to uphold the original results, citing that Barnhart had the authority to make the decision.

The panel released the following statement.

"After hearing the excellent presentations by each of the participants in the protest hearing and after reviewing and being sympathetic with each of their positions, the Protest Panel was unanimous in its decision. It is this Protest Panel's conclusion that INDYCAR Senior Official Brian Barnhart had the authority under the governing 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series rulebook to render the decision that was made. We also agree that his decision to abort the restart and set the finishing positions that existed before the attempted restart to be an exercise of reasonable discretion. The protests as to Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. d/b/a Target Chip Ganassi Racing car number 9 and Newman/Haas Racing, LLC car number 2 are hereby denied."

Andretti Autosport released the following statements.

"We are very pleased with the decision given by the committee on the New Hampshire race finish. Ryan drove a tremendous race in the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car at Loudon and his crew was outstanding that day. We, at Andretti Autosport, believed all along that Ryan was the winner of the MoveThatBlock.com 225 and this decision verifies his victory. This was our team's third win with three different drivers this year. We're the only team to have three winners in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series. We have two big road racing events coming up in the next two weeks at Sonoma, Calif., and Baltimore, Md., and we can now focus on getting back to victory lane at those races. Thanks again for the support of our sponsors and fans." - Michael Andretti

"I have always felt that we won the race in New Hampshire. The conditions were not ideal that day. And a proper decision needed to be made. I know that the entire Andretti Autosport team and especially the Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda crew is pleased with the outcome of the hearing. It is a very gratifying feeling to hear from all of our sponsors and fans who have supported us all year long and through the last week or so after the race. It is a relief to now concentrate on the next race at Sonoma this weekend. We have scored more points in the last four races than any other driver, and I would love to continue that pattern at Infineon Raceway. Thanks again to everyone who stood behind us." - Ryan Hunter-Reay

Newman Haas released the following statements:
"The IndyCar Series granted us a hearing and has been very cooperative in providing us with requested information enabling us to adequately present our case. We feel that we gave the panel proof that Oriol was the winner of the event when the checkered flag ended the race. Naturally we are very disappointed in the panel's ruling that five laps of the race be struck from the results but we appreciated the opportunity to state our position." - Newman Haas owner, Carl Haas

“I am very proud of Newman/Haas Racing and how they proved that the restart procedure was correct and that we were leading when the yellow came out. The panel resolution doesn't deny that. Their resolution states that Brian Barnhart has the power by the rulebook to make certain decisions at his discretion, and that is what happened.” - Oriol Servia

No word if Newman Haas will appeal the decision.

Newman Haas, Ganassi Protest Hearing Announced

2011-08-16T19:31:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: INDYCAR announced Wednesday afternoon that Jerry Gappens, VP and General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Rollie Helmling, former team owner and president and CEO of USAC, and Jeff Stoops, former car owner and current Chairman of the Board for USAC have been named to the 3-person panel that will hear the protests. The hearing will take place in Indianapolis August 23rd.

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INDYCAR, the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series announced on Tuesday afternoon that a hearing has been set for the protests filed by Newman Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing following the MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 last weekend.

Both teams are protesting for a better finishing position, in the case of Newman Haas it's for the win by Oriol Servia. The hearings are scheduled for the week of August, 22nd in Indianapolis and will be heard by a third party panel selected by Brian Barnhart. The members of the panel will be announced on a later date by INDYCAR.

"Given my role in Race Control, I feel that it is in everyone's best interest to have an independent panel hear the protests. I believe a panel will help maintain a fair hearing," said president of competition and operations, & race director of INDYCAR, Brian Barnhart.

In addition to Newman Haas and Chip Ganassi Racing officials, Andretti Autosport and representatives of Ryan Hunter-Reay's race winning #28 entry have also been invited to attend the protest.

Q/A With Dan Wheldon

2011-08-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

Following his first test in the 2012 Dallara Honda prototype, 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon sat down to answer a few questions about the car, the test, his job as test driver and more.

Pantano In At Sonoma And Baltimore

2011-08-16T12:00:00.004-04:00

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced today that Giorgio Pantano will run the #22 entry at Sonoma and Baltimore.

"For me, this is a very good opportunity," said Pantano. "I want to say thank you to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the sponsors for giving me this opportunity. I'm here to do the best that I can as always and I look forward to the chance to compete in these two races."

Pantano, who ran 2-races in 2005 with Chip Ganassi Racing, replaces Justin Wilson who was announced out for the season following an incident at Mid-Ohio.

Simon Pagenaud filled in for the Brit following his injury at Mid-Ohio while Tomas Scheckter ran the #22 last weekend in New Hampshire.

Aero Kits Delayed To '13

2011-08-15T01:19:00.000-04:00

The next generation IZOD IndyCar Series chassis is still on track to make it's race debut in 2012, but the aero kits aren't. INDYCAR announced on Sunday that the body skins will be introduced in 2013.

"The most important thing we can do as a series is look at what is in the best interest of both our long and short term," said Randy Bernard, CEO of INDYCAR. "It is important that we maintain a high car count next year by ensuring we have cost containment for our teams. We must listen to our team owners and try to help. I'm the biggest advocate of the aero kit and I feel this is by far the best decision for our series. The 2012 season will be exciting with the debut of our new car as we focus on relevancy and technology with engine competition, turbochargers and direct injection among other things."

The delay in body kit designs means that all cars will be referred to as Dallaras next season, but all three engine manufactures (Honda, Chevy & Lotus) are still on pace for a 2012 debut.

Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta Autosport completed the first test of the Dallara/Honda formula last week at the Mid-Ohio Motorsports Park.

Q/A With Lindy Thackston

2011-08-11T14:21:00.000-04:00

Leading into an off-week for the VERSUS crew, pit reporter Lindy Thackston sat down for a quick Q & A. Lindy talks about the Indiana State Fair, the 2011 Championship, life as a pit reporter and more.

Scheckter, SH Racing In At Baltimore

2011-08-11T11:18:00.004-04:00

SH Racing announced today that they'll run Tomas Scheckter in the Baltimore Grand Prix, piloting the Redline Xtreme sponsored Dallara . Earlier this season the newly formed organization teamed up with KV Racing Technology to field the South African at Indianapolis.

“Our original plan after forming SH Racing was to concentrate on and run the Indianapolis 500," said SH Racing principal James Sullivan. "After capturing an 8th place finish at Indy, we decided collectively we’d like to enter at least one more event this season, and Scheckter was the logical choice. This Baltimore race and the months immediately following will be used strategically to evaluate all aspects of our program and build SH Racing’s plans around the IZOD IndyCar series for 2012.”

The team also announced in the press release that they'll "be announcing a new technical partnership next week for the Baltimore Grand Prix where it plans to use the momentum it has garnered off its Indianapolis 500 finish for a great result on the streets of Baltimore and a springboard into the 2012 season."

The technical partnership being an existing team, an SH Racing representitive said that they "assembled a different crew of guys than we used at Indy."

'500' On ABC Through 2018

2011-08-10T11:06:00.002-04:00

With the Indianapolis 500 broadcast rights up after the 2012 event, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that the race will return to ESPN on ABC through the 2018 season.

"The Indianapolis 500 and ABC have been together since 1965, and we are very proud to extend the relationship with this new agreement," said George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports. "The 500 is a uniquely American event and a Memorial Day tradition, and we especially look forward to televising the 100th edition of the race in 2016."

The Indy 500 broadcast partner since 1956, ABC will remain as the exclusive broadcast network airing four IndyCar events each season. In addition, starting in 2012 live streaming of onboard cameras will be available on ESPN3.com.

"INDYCAR is very excited about our continued relationship with ABC," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "This allows the series long-term growth on the network. This new contract also helps us expand our presence around the world with ESPN representing our international rights. I want to thank ABC for their strong confidence and commitment in our brand and series. This deal will help our series, team owners, sponsors and fans for the long term with a much more solid foundation."

INDYCAR is in the 3rd year of a lengthy agreement with VERSUS to air the majority of it's events each season through the 2018 season. The television partner since 2009, VERSUS will be renamed the NBC Sport Network later this year.

Wilson Out 3 Months, Scheck In For New Hampshire

2011-08-09T15:25:00.001-04:00

Following the on-track incident over the weekend at the Mid-Ohio Motorsports Park which sidelined Justin Wilson for the weekend, the veteran driver was transported to Indianapolis on Sunday. Today, Wilson was released with a brace from the Hospital with a stable burst fracture of the T5 with no spinal cord injury.

The Brit is unable to drive for at least three months.

"Obviously, I have a little bit of a backache, but I'm just frustrated to not be at the racetrack. I think that we just started to get our season turned around and the car was really good at Mid-Ohio and I'm disappointed about that. I know that I'm going to miss the ovals and I think we've found some good stuff that was going to help our oval performance. So, I'm just disappointed to not be the car, but my back is the most important thing. I'm going to try and get that to heal and get back to 100 percent as soon as possible and get back in the car. As for myself, I'm feeling good and I'm already thinking about getting back to racing. Also, the response has been incredible and it's really nice to see that rather it's on Twitter from the fans, or drivers and ex-drivers. Everyone has been really supportive, so thank you to all of them. I also want to thank the Safety team, medical staff and AirMed that did the transport from Ohio to Indianapolis. It's been great treatment all the way around. I want to wish the team good luck this weekend and I'm looking forward to see how they do," said Wilson.

Simon Pagenaud filled-in piloting the #22 entry at Mid-Ohio and Tomas Scheckter will take over the driving duties this weekend at New Hampshire.

"Obviously, it's not the circumstances that you want to get in the car, and I want to wish Justin a quick recovery. It will be great to be back with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and it will also be good to be back on an oval. It looks like a really cool oval that's new to everybody. I'm looking forward to it and I feel at home with the team and I can't wait to get back in the car," said Scheckter.

2012 Formula Test At Mid-Ohio

2011-08-08T17:26:00.002-04:00

Monday morning marked the first day of what's sure to be a busy summer and fall for Bryan Herta Autosport, Dan Wheldon, and INDYCAR officials as they test the 2012 car and engines.

The Dallara prototype chassis and Honda engine made it's debut at the Mid-Ohio Motorsports Park piloted by 2-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon. Hi-res photos posted below, courtesy of INDYCAR.

The next test is scheduled at Texas Motor Speeday.

(Click to enlarge)

Wilson Injured, Pagenaud In

2011-08-06T22:11:00.001-04:00

Following a single-car incident during Saturday Morning's practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing driver Justin Wilson was transported by ground to MedCentral Hospital in Mansfield, Ohio complaining of back pain.

A few hours later the team announced that Wilson suffered an anterior compression fracture of the fifth vertebra and will be transported to Indianapolis Sunday to see Dr. Terry Trammell, staying overnight at MedCentral Hospital in Mansfield Saturday.

According to an INDYCAR press release: 'Wilson's car ran through the grass entering Turn 1 on the 2.558-mile, 13-turn circuit in the morning practice and made slight contact with a few cones.'

Simon Pagenaud, who filled in for Ana Beatriz earlier this season when she fractured her wrist during an on track incident, slid into the #22 DRR entry for qualifying and will race the Dallara Sunday, starting 18th.

Schmidt Joins Honda In '12

2011-08-05T13:28:00.001-04:00

Honda Racing announced on Friday morning that Sam Schmidt Motorsports will join the growing list Honda powered teams in 2012.

“We believe that Sam, Team Manager Rob Edwards and the rest of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team have established a solid foundation for future success," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and VP, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda. "We look forward to working with them to achieve our joint goals of race wins and IndyCar Series championships"

Schmidt is the third team to commit to Honda next season. Earlier this year Chip Ganassi Racing and A.J. Foyt Racing announced they'll be sticking with the sole IndyCar engine supplier since 2007.

“I have raced with Honda and against Honda, and I would always wish to race with them. Racing is part of Honda’s DNA,” said SSM team manager Rob Edwards. “We look forward to working with the other Honda-powered teams to develop the 2012 IndyCar package and continue Honda’s winning heritage.”

Testing on the next generation Indy car is set to kick-off this Monday at Mid-Ohio Motorsports park. The test is closed to both the public and media.

Conway, RHR, Tag On Probation

2011-08-02T17:12:00.003-04:00

The IZOD IndyCar Series announced today that drivers Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Tagliani have been placed on probation through December 31, 2011.

Citing rule 9.3 that says, 'a competitor must not initiate or attempt to initiate avoidable contact that results in the interruption of another competitor's lap time or track position', President of competition and operations for INDYCAR, Brian Barnhart said, "We are disappointed in these actions, which have exhibited a pattern of driving that endangers on-track safety and adversely affects competition."

Mike Conway, pilot of the #27 Andretti Autosport Dallara was penalized for his incident with Ryan Briscoe at Toronto and Oriol Servia at Edmonton.

Andretti Autosport driver of the #28 DHL/Sundrop entry, Ryan Hunter-Reay, was penalized for his incident with Ryan Briscoe at Barber and Takuma Sato in Edmonton.

Alex Tagliani, pilot of the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry was cited for his incident with Will Power in Toronto and Graham Rahal in Edmonton.

Rule 9.2(b)3 in the IZOD IndyCar Series rulebooks states in part: 'During probation a Member is under heightened scrutiny and the Member can be required to abide by specified standards of conduct which are more stringent than those which are otherwise applicable. If a Member violates probation, the Member is subject to a more severe penalty. The duration and conditions of probation are within the discretion of the Officials.'

Snowball Express To Sponsor Plowman

2011-08-02T14:04:00.001-04:00

Following the announcement that Firestone Indy Lights veteran Martin Plowman will compete in 3 races with AFS/Sam Schmidt Motorsports this season, the partnership announced today their sponsorship package.

Snowball Express, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide hope and new memories for the children of fallen military men and women since 9/11, will have their logo on the sidepod of the #27 Plowman entry at Mid-Ohio, Infineon, and Baltimore.

The #27 Snowball Express livery can be viewed, along with all other IndyCar paint schemes on the Livery Page.

For more information on Snowball Express visit Snowballexpress.org

Foyt Chooses Honda

2011-07-19T15:04:00.003-04:00

A.J. Foyt Racing announced today on an INDYCAR teleconference that'll be running Honda engines in 2012.

"I am really looking forward to working with Honda next year,” said team owner A.J. Foyt. “I think they will provide us with the best engines in 2012 because they have the best resources … their facility in California is unbelievable. I was very impressed!

The other thing is that I really enjoy working with the Honda management team. I think they have been very fair and honest with our team and you don’t see that too often in this day and age. When people treat us right, I don’t forget that.”

Foyt became just the third car owner to announce their engine partnership for next season, joining Chip Ganassi Racing on the Honda bandwagon. Roger Penske announced at the Chevrolet press conference late last year that Penske Racing will be running the GM power-plant with the new formula.

“A.J. Foyt is a living legend in American racing, and it’s an honor to announce the continuation of our association in the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development

The next generation Indy Car will take to the track for testing over the next few months.

O2 Racing Technology Appeal Denied

2011-07-16T19:13:00.003-04:00

2-weeks after the suspension of O2 Racing Technology and owner Mark Olson by INDYCAR through the end of 2012, the ruling was upheld Friday.

Accused of violating multiple rules when they, according to INDYCAR, attempted "to impede the conduct of the event by encouraging others to breach contracts with INDYCAR and withdraw from the David Hobbs 100." O2 Racing Technology withdrew from the Milwaukee Firestone Indy Lights event following their accusation that INDYCAR's FIL Tech team had allowed cars on track knowingly with illegal setups.

Team owner Mark Olson denied the allegations that he violated rules following the announcement of the suspension on June 29th, saying in part, "We did participate in public and private discussions with INDYCAR officials, team owners and drivers with regard to the integrity of the championship, but we never once encouraged or even suggested to anyone that they withdraw from an event."

Both O2 Racing and Mark Olson's appeal, which was filed July 5th, to the suspension was heard by Firestone Indy Lights Race Director Tony Cotman on Thursday, July 14th in Indianapolis. The following day INDYCAR announced that the ruling will be upheld and the suspension will stand.

Q&A With Martin Plowman

2011-07-11T13:43:00.001-04:00

Following his announcement late last week that he'll be running the #17 AFS/Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry in three races later this season, Martin Plowman sat down to talk about how the deal got put together, the tracks, 2012, and more....

SSM & AFS Partner To Field #17 Entry

2011-07-06T14:58:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: Firestone Indy Lights veteran Martin (Plowey) Plowman has confirmed on Twitter that he'll pilot the #17 AFS/SSM entry at Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Baltimore.

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Sam Schmidt Motorsports and AFS Racing announced today a partnership to run the #17 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. entry for the remainder of the season, starting at Mid-Ohio.

“This is a fantastic win-win for both AFS Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports,” said team owner Sam Schmidt. “In our pursuit to develop partnerships and relationships to enable the team to compete with two full-time entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012, we have secured sponsorship for select races starting with Mid-Ohio, but we didn’t have the equipment or personnel to facilitate the program. Obviously, Gary Peterson and AFS Racing did.”

AFS Racing made their IZOD IndyCar Series debut earlier this season running the first four events at St. Pete, Barber, Long Beach, and Brazil with Raphael Matos. The team attempted but failed to qualify for the 33-car field in Indianapolis.

"It will be fun to race with Sam and his team instead of against them for a change,” said AFS owner Gary Peterson. “What is that old saying? If you can’t beat them, join them. Sam and I have had a long, competitive relationship as the two top Firestone Indy Lights teams. We’re both former drivers and team owners, so we can relate to each other. One of Sam’s best qualities, which I share, is his passion to win and succeed."

The driver of the #17 SSM/AFS driver will be announced at a later date.

Tue./Wed. Developments

2011-07-06T13:33:00.001-04:00

- The IZOD IndyCar Series is returning to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California in 2012, more HERE.

- 20-year-old Sao Paulo native Bruno Andrade has signed on with Bryan Herta Autosport to run the #29 William Rast entry in this weekend's Toronto 100 Firestone Indy Lights event.

- Peter Dempsey has signed with Andretti Autosport to compete alongside teamate Stefan Wilson in Toronto. Dempsey ran with O2 Racing Technology earlier this season before the team withdrew from the remaining events and was later suspended threw 2012.

-Honda's new 2012 Civic Si Coupe will become INDYCAR's new Safety Car beginning this weekend in Toronto. The Johnny Rutherford piloted car is equipped with modifications to the seat/harness, brake system, aerodynamic body kit, and wheels/tires.

- HOLTEC International, a supplier of equipment and systems for the energy industry, will become an associate sponsor for HVM Racing, Simona De Silvestro and the #78 entry for the remainder of 2011.

- Along with their logo on the #14 entry at the season finale and a Vitor Meira autograph session at their Hotel & Casino, AJ Foyt Racing and the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino have signed a promotional partnership for the October 16th IZOD IndyCar World Championship. The special room rates for fans are also available with the promotion ($49 on Thursday, Oct. 13, $99 on Friday, Oct. 14 and $109 on Saturday, Oct. 15. All rooms must be booked by September 30th) can be purchased online HERE or by calling 800-634-3454 and mentioning the code ‘INDY11’.

26-Car Toronto entry list

Toronto Livery Updates

#3 Helio Castroneves - Penske Truck Rental
#6 Ryan Briscoe - PPG
#8 Paul Tracy - Make A Wish
#10 Dario Franchitti - Target
#26 Marco Andretti - Dr. Pepper
#27 Mike Conway - @FollowAndretti
#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay - DHL

IndyCar Returns To Fontana, ISC

2011-07-05T09:33:00.005-04:00

The IZOD IndyCar Series and Auto Club Speedway in Southern California announced today that the open-wheel series will be returning to the 2-mile paved oval in 2012, confirming Robin Miller's report on Speed.com over the weekend. Planned as a night race, the addition of Auto Club Speeday also pulls it's owner International Speedway Corp. (ISC) back into the Series. INDYCAR dropped all ISC tracks from their 2011 schedule, but a return to ISC owned Chicagoland and Watkins Glen are possible as well.

"We feel the time is right to bring IndyCar racing back to Auto Club Speedway," said INDYCAR CEO, Randy Bernard. "We want to maintain the diverse line-up of ovals on our schedule and the addition of Auto Club Speedway adds a great venue that was built for the high-speed, wheel-to-wheel excitement of IndyCar racing under the lights."

The IZOD IndyCar Series previously raced at the track from 2002 to 2005, before dropping the poorly attended track from the 2006 schedule.

"This facility was built to host open-wheel racing and Auto Club Speedway has arguably hosted some of the most exciting races in Indy car history," said Gillian Zucker, president, Auto Club Speedway. "We look forward to building on the area's history and tradition of open-wheel racing with new records and new races beginning in 2012."

It's unclear if the the Firstone Indy Lights Series will make the trip west for their own event.

Tickets for the night race go on sale September 12th.

O2 Racing Technology Suspended

2011-06-29T16:24:00.002-04:00

(Update: 6-29 5:55pm) O2 Racing owner Mark Olson has denied the allegations saying in part "We did participate in public and private discussions with INDYCAR officials, team owners and drivers with regard to the integrity of the championship, but we never once encouraged or even suggested to anyone that they withdraw from an event."

When asked if they'll appeal the ruling Olson replied "We will respond appropriately".

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Less than 2-weeks after withdrawing both of their Firestone Indy Lights entries from the David Hobbs 100 in Milwaukee, 02 Racing Technology has been suspended by INDYCAR. Both the team's and team owner Mark Olson's license/membership was suspended until December 31, 2012 citing several rule violations.

Violating rules 1.1, 2.11 (C), 9.3 (A), and section 14 of the Event Entry Form, Olson allegedly attempted "to impede the conduct of the event by encouraging others to breach contracts with INDYCAR and withdraw from the David Hobbs 100".

"The mere act of attempting to impede the conduct of the event is something we will not tolerate," said Roger Bailey, executive director, Firestone Indy Lights. "We believe we have a great championship with Firestone Indy Lights that will help develop drivers and teams to prepare to move to the top level of open-wheel racing in North America, and we must maintain the integrity of our series."

The specific rules INDYCAR is citing in the violation are:

Rule 1.1: Actions threatening the integrity of INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights and/or orderly conduct of an event.
Rule 2.11 (C): Conduct creating adverse notoriety with respect to INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights or an event.
Rule 9.3 (A): Attempting to or engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct or conduct detrimental to racing, INDYCAR and/or Firestone Indy Lights.
Section 14 of the Event Entry Form: Engaging in tactics which would disrupt or delay the events.

It's unclear if O2 Racing Technology and team owner Mark Olson will appeal the ruling.

Fantasy League Winner's 2-Seat Experience

2011-06-29T13:25:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the great folks at the Indy Racing Experience last season's 16th and Georgetown fantasy league was transformed from fun for all into fun for all plus a ride of a lifetime for one.

The eventual winner, Mike Krapfl from Ames, Iowa, parlayed his league win into that ride this past weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Here's his story.

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By: Mike Krapfl

Davey Hamilton hit the throttle, popped through the gears and smashed me deeper into the 2-seater's cockpit. Then it was hard on the brakes at the end of pit lane and a sharp left to the bottom of Iowa Speedway's variable banking through turns one and two.

"Whoooaaaah, Davey," I shouted inside the head sock and helmet issued by Shonda Kennedy and the crew from the Indy Racing Experience. "Pleeeaaase, can I pull my head out of the air box?"

I'm roughly the size of Justin Wilson; there's barely enough leg room for Danica Patrick in the second seat of the 2-seater. But I did my best to fit: I buried my feet into the compartments on either side of Davey, folded my knees to my chin and still the crew guys told me to get deeper into the seat. I scrunched and wiggled and just managed to drop my head an inch or two.

I still had a clear view of the electric blue grid painted on top of Davey’s helmet. That meant I was about to catch some big air.

I had James Black and Helio Castroneves to thank for that.

James, the curator of this fine blog, sponsored a fantasy racing league last season. Top prize was a 2-seater ride. Heading into the last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, I was in second place, one point behind Eric K. Podium finishes by Justin Wilson, Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power and Ed Carpenter had fueled my move to the front.

I picked Helio for the season finale; Eric had Dan. Helio finished four spots ahead, giving me an 86-89 fantasy league victory and this cramped seat behind Davey.

It was adrenaline and sensory overload as Davey drove the IZOD 2-seater up to the wall and down the back stretch. He dove to the yellow line at the bottom of turns three and four. He raced up the front stretch, down to the bottom of one and two. In that second seat, it was heavy into the right side of the cockpit and hard over all the bumps.

I stared at the front Firehawks and wondered how, exactly, they were sticking through the rough corners.

All the while it felt like my head was about to blow away. That's what happens when your giraffe of a neck sticks out the top of a race car at nearly 130 miles per hour.

I grabbed the bottom of the helmet and held on for the ride of my life. Every tenth of a 25-second lap around my home speedway was an open-wheel thrill.

For your chance at some Indy speed, contact the ever-helpful Shonda at www.indyracingexperience.com.

Thursday Developments

2011-06-23T17:44:00.003-04:00

-Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta Autosport have officially been named the 2012 formula test team. MORE

-Circle K, a sponsor for Tomas Scheckter at Indianapolis, has joined Andretti Autosport as a marketing partner and major associate sponsor on the #28 of Ryan Hunter-Reay. Longtime supporter 7-11 still appears on the Andretti Autosport sponsor roster.

-Sam Schmidt Motorsports has signed on Nick Snyder as lead engineer for Alex Tagliani. Snyder, who replaces Allen McDonald who left for Andretti Autosport following Indianapolis, comes from Andretti's team and was on Mike Conway's winning crew at Long Beach.

-Sam Schmidt Motorsports and the #77 Firestone Indy Lights car was docked 10 entrant points and fined an unspecified amount after failing tech at Milwaukee. Bryan Clauson will keep the driver points.

-Will Power won the Firestone Tire-ific move of the race from Milwaukee.

-Lasting 10 seconds with an 8-second recharge, 24 uses of the Honda push-to-pass will be available to drivers this weekend at Iowa.

Wheldon, Herta Named 2012 Test Team

2011-06-23T12:54:00.002-04:00

Less than a month after pushing their #98 William Rast Dallara into victory lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, both the team and league announced today that Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta Autosport have been named the test team for the 2012 formula.

"Dan, Bryan and (co-owner) Steve Newey have extensive experience in testing and development programs so we know our prototypes will be in the best hands as we finalize the chassis aspect of the program," said Tony Cotman, project manager for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series car. "This verification testing furthers our commitment to ensure that our new car meets all the performance criteria promised to our drivers, teams and fans."

The 2011 Indianapolis 500 Champion and current member of the VERSUS broadcast team will begin testing of the new car and Honda engine in August and September.

"Obviously I am very excited to continue with everyone that formed the Indianapolis 500 winning team at Bryan Herta Autosport," said Wheldon. "This is something that we are going to take very seriously and approach in a very professional manner. It is very important for the growth of the series that the testing is done in a way that will create an even better product at the start of 2012."

Teams are expected to receive their new toys by mid-December.

Why Dario Wasn't Penalizd

2011-06-19T20:40:00.003-04:00

With 100 laps to go in the 225 lap race at the Milwaukee Mile, a controversial pit stop by Dario Franchitti put the win in question among some fans. While the eventual winner in Franchitti entered his pit, the #10's left rear tire made contact with Will Power's right front tire changer and tire. Power's crew member was standing atop the tire waiting to wave in the #12 car who was pitting just seconds later.

When asked why a penalty wasn't assessed, a member of the INDYCAR PR team replied: "Spoke with Brian. Race control didn't see anything that was a violation."

The representative later said that Brian Barnhart, INDYCAR's president of competition, said in the drivers meeting "Right fronts, pick up and move out the way for a car pitting in front of you. Clear right rears and hoses as quickly as possible for better exits of the cars behind you."

Brian didn't specify when the right front changer was to make room for a car entering his pit, but according to INDYCAR's pit stop summary page 5.3874 seconds passed from Dario's stop to Power's.

Q&A With Pippa Mann

2011-06-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

Following Tuesday's announcement that she'll be making her return to the IZOD IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, rookie Pippa Mann sat down to talk about the deal, team, sponsors, tracks, and more.

16th And Georgetown: We Welcome IZOD IndyCar Series rookie, 20th place finisher in the Indianapolis 500 and newly named Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver, Pippa Mann. Pippa, thanks for coming on, how are you?

Pippa Mann: I'm good thank you. Obviously I'm pretty excited at the moment and slightly hyper-active and jumping around, but other than that I'm good!

16th&GT: That's good. That's the first question, just yesterday you guys announced that you'll be driving at New Hampshire, Kentucky, and Vegas in the #30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan entry, can you just give us a little background on how the program got put together?

PM: Well, I think the first thing I have to do actually is kind of go a step backwards and just give a huge thank you again, actually all the way back to Conquest Racing who fielded the car for me at Indy because without them and without me having the opportunity to try and qualify a time at Indy and getting out there and getting my name out there who knows whether this would of all happened. Since the race, in the UK my profile has risen dramatically. Now when we're talking to sponsors they actually know who I am, and it raised my profile among the teams as well, which was absolutely fantastic.

Bobby (Rahal) got in touch with us and we returned his interest and got in touch with him and things just came together.

16th&GT: With Rahal your going to be driving for a very competitive team that's won races, for any driver but especially for a rookie like yourself, that has to be a confidence builder.

PM: It's extremely exciting, I can't tell you. I'm obviously hoping to try and get into the IndyCar Series full-time in 2012 and Rahal Letterman Langian has made absolutely no secret of the fact that they would love to be back full-time as well. There a great team and I think they deserve to be back full-time.

So we're doing these three races. Loudon is going to be a tough place for me to do my first race, but then we get right back into my comfort zone. Kentucky where I won last year and then on to Vegas which I hear is a similar track to Chicagoland. I just can't wait. I'm really looking forward to it.

16th&GT: You just mentioned the three tracks. You obviously have New Hampshire and Vegas which really haven't been on the schedule for a while and will really be pretty much new to everybody in the series, at least driver wise. And then you obviously have Kentucky where you sat on pole and then won at last year in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. What are your thoughts on the tracks that you'll be going to and can you give us a little background on how they were chosen? Was it sponsorship or whatever that may be?

PM: Well, the tracks were partly chosen because I'm allowed to do five races this year and stay a rookie. As it turns out I'm actually going to be doing four races and still be a rookie for 2012. So we wanted to make sure that even if we got the sponsorship together we didn't end up doing six races, because that would have really handicapped me going into next year. So that was the first thing.

The second thing is we obviously didn't want to do anything immediately after Indy because Conquest did such a great job for me at Indy, harping back to that again. I'm not the kind of person -- I didn't want to end up in a situation where I jumped out of one car at Indy and turned up at Texas with someone else's car, even if that had come up. I loved that track when I tested there, I thought it was fantastic and I would have loved to have raced there but it would have been to much of a rush and I'm fairly big on doing the right thing and as far as I was concerned I just wanted more time to make sure we knew what we were doing. Make sure we were doing the deal properly. Make sure Eric Bachelart over at Conquest knew that I was doing the deal. Because all of my guys on that car were hired on specifically for May and they all had to go back to their real jobs. As much as Eric would have loved to keep me on his team, he knew that I had to start talking to other people.

Looking forwards Loudon seems like a good place because it's such a tough tricky track and that'll give me a good learning experience to go into next year. Then of course Kentucky was a fairly obvious choice with my success there last year and who doesn't want to be apart of the season ending race at Vegas?

16th&GT: Tons of Pippa Mann fans out there. Your obviously fantastic on Twitter and all of the different social networking sites and that kind of thing. There are tons of fans out there that would love to support some of the sponsors that support you. When do you think we'll hear about some of the supporting sponsors that helped you get into these races?

PM: Well, hopefully very soon! We have Novus back on board as one of the associate sponsors again for all three races. They were onboard on my car at Indy and they're a new partner who I've been working with. I'm still working on trying to keep my Novus channel fun and sightly different from my Twitter and Facebook. Something that people might decide that they want to check out. I'm really enjoying working with those guys, that's very fun.

There's been a lot of noise about an energy drink company, based out on that side of town, I'm sure if you've been on Twitter you know exactly what I'm talking about. We're talking to them and they're a fun, wonderful company and if we can do something with them that's going to be fantastic.

We're talking to plenty of other companies, there seems to be a lot of opportunities out there right now. But overall I'm just really excited this is happening!

16th&GT: At Indy it was well publicized that your water pump or the system that gave you liquids and hydration for the race went out pretty early on. I'm guessing that entering these three races with Rahal's team you may have a different game plan at least water wise.

PM: Yea, no water pump. [laughs] No electrical water pumps, the old fashion system for me in the future.

A Few Tweaks Need To Be Made

2011-06-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

24-hours ago I was completely in support of the format for the 'Texas 2-step' (last time I'll use that title, promise). Traditional qualifying for the first 275km race, followed by an hour break where a random draw would take place setting the grid for the second 275. It was the best of both worlds, the first event was based on skill and performance, while the second was luck which would provide a lot of entertainment. Unfortunately the format backfired.

Although many of the teams didn't agree with how the latter event would be gridded, as title contenders, Target Chip Ganassi Racing had an even greater angst than most. If the worst-case scenario came to fruition for either of the two chief championship contenders in Penske's Will Power or Ganassi's Dario Franchitti, the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion could come down to the flip of a Firstone Firehawk.

For Ganassi and Dario Franchitti that apocalyptic scenario came to be, with Will Power starting 3rd and Dario drawing 28th.

With Power just starting behind a rookie in a backup car and Tony Kanaan, who admitted he didn't have the speed to compete for the win, the two spots Power had to gain to drive to victory lane were nothing compared to Franchitti's late-night push. Having to fight through a 30-car field, the largest outside of Indianapolis in years, and just having roughly 170 miles to do so with no yellows to bunch up the field, the Ganassi pilot could only muster a 7th place finish.

It's not like the teams didn't see the scenario happening, in fact Target Chip Ganassi Racing saw it coming a mile away. "Let's just say I don't agree with this stunt style format, here, tonight," Chip Ganassi told VERSUS pit-reporter Lindy Thackston during the 1-hour break. Interview after interview by the VERSUS crew during the intermission suggested simply inverting the field. The winner starting last, and the last place finisher starting on pole in the the next race. But I believe Scott Dixon had an even better idea.

Following the second 275km event, Dixon suggested that if the same format were to return in 2012, bonus points should be given for each position advanced in the second race. Although I initially laughed it off, the more I thought about it the more I liked it. But it would be even more appealing and fair with a little twist.

Have the same stage setup as Saturday night, with a grid full of tires, models, music and the whole nine yards. But this time let the field take to the stage in the same order that they finished. So in last night's case, Dario would of been first up. Instead of flipping a random tire for his position, the driver could choose the spot on the grid that they'd like to start. If Dario wanted to sit on pole, great, it was his for the taking, but he wouldn't have an opportunity at bonus points. On the other hand if he was confident enough in his car, crew, and his own abilities he could flip the 12th, 23rd or last place starting positions, giving him a shot at additional points.

In that format the drivers and teams couldn't blame anyone for their situation, yet it would still leave room for strategy. Would Dario of chosen the pole last night? I don't think so, each and every point in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship is just too important.

INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage deserve a lot of credit for thinking outside of the box. But like anything else the first attempt wasn't perfect and a few tweaks need to be made for next year. If Bernard makes the right changes, it could turn a mildly successful weekend into a great success, and leave his voicemail inbox empty of some not-so-nice messages from affected competitors.

McDonald To Andretti, '500' Winner To Tag

2011-06-09T02:43:00.001-04:00

Sam Schmidt Motorsports engineer and key member to the team's success last month in Indianapolis, Allen McDonald, will be engineering a different squad at Texas. Andretti Autosport confirmed in a press release an earlier report by the Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin that the veteran Mcdonald had rejoined the 4-car operation.

"We're excited to have Allen back with our team," said Andretti Autosport owner, Michael Andretti. "He was a great asset to us in the past, and I'm confident he will bring a lot to the table and make an immediate impact for us. He clearly knows what it takes to be fast and knows how our operation works, so it should be a smooth transition for him."

Previously, McDonald had an 8-year stint with the team from 2002 to 2009, before leaving Andretti Autosport for the then FAZZT Race Team over the winter. McDonald joins as the new director of engineering and as race engineer for Mike Conway's #27 Dallara.

"I'm looking forward to working with Andretti Autosport once again," McDonald said. "We did some great things together in the past and the goal is to get back to that level of consistency and success. Everyone here is focused on the same goals and is ready to do whatever it takes for us to get there. That effort begins this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway."

Following the loss of a major piece to the puzzle for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, the team will shift Todd Malloy to Alex Tagliani's #77 entry. Malloy engineered Dan Wheldon's victory in Indianapolis two weeks ago.

“We are very fortunate to have Todd (Malloy) with us this weekend," said Sam Schmidt Motorsports Team Manager, Rob Edwards. "Since he was part of the engineering group (No. 77, No. 98 and the No. 99 teams) working together at Indy, it will help the transition. At the same time, Allen (McDonald) was part of the founding group of this team, so much of the continuity that has built up over the last 18 months will be lost. Instead of work happening intuitively, we will have to learn to work together as we go."

Qualifications for this weekend's double-header in Texas can be seen at 6pm est. Friday on VERSUS.

IndyCar To Run Road Course In Japan

2011-06-03T13:39:00.001-04:00

IndyCar's last return to the Twin Ring Motegi facility in Japan will not be ran on the 1.5-mile oval. Due to earthquake damage sustained last March, the September 18th race has been moved from the oval to the 2.98-mile road course.

"In conjunction with Mobilityland (Twin Ring Motegi facility owner) , we have made the decision to move forward with our race in Motegi after closely monitoring the on-going situation in Japan for several months," said INDYCAR's CEO Randy Bernard. "After weighing a variety of options, we felt it was best to move the race to the road course."

Probably best remembered for Danica Patrick's first win, the switch shifts the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule to 10 road/street and 7 oval events.

'500' Payday Breakdown

2011-05-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

With an overall purse payout of $13,509,485 for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, the breakdown:

Dan Wheldon - $2,567,255
JR Hildebrand - $1,064,895
Graham Rahal - $646,945
Tony Kanaan - $438,745
Scott Dixon - $519,345
Oriol Servia - $364,845
Bertrand Baguette - $256,255
Tomas Scheckter - $253,805
Marco Andretti - $311,245
Danica Patrick - $321,745
Ed Carpenter - $251,655
Dario Franchitti - $369,695
Charlie Kimball - $251,555
Will Power - $318,745
Vitor Meira - $306,745
Justin Wilson - $309,995
Helio Castroneves - $320,245
Buddy Rice - $252,805
Alex Lloyd - $254,805
Pippa Mann - $251,555
Ana Beatriz - $306,745
John Andretti - $251,305
Ryan Hunter-Reay - $252,805
Davey Hamilton - $251,305
Paul Tracy - $252,805
Townsend Bell - $252,805
Ryan Briscoe - $356,745
Alex Tagliani - $492,245
James Hinchcliffe - $256,305
Jay Howard - $251,555
Simona De Silvestro - $311,745
EJ Viso - $306,745
Takuma Sato - $310,245

From On The Line To Victory Lane

2011-05-30T16:00:00.001-04:00

Just over a year ago Bryan Herta Autosport was in trouble. Flashback to May 2010, entering the month Herta made it quite clear that if Rookie Sebastian Saavedra couldn't get their #29 entry into the Indianapolis 500, it could spell the end for the young cash-strapped team.
"We put everything on the line to make this race," Herta said.

Following a crash in practice, Saavedra was unlikely at best to make the field of 33.

With a 4-lap qualification average of just 223.634mph, it appeared a second attempt would be necessary. On a practice run later in the day, the William Rast entry was a victim of the first turn wall destroying the car, sending Saavedra to the hospital and leaving the helpless entry on the bubble.

Struggling all month, Tony Kanaan was on his third rebuilt car but still managed to put the #11 into the field, bumping Saavedra.

Although temporarily back in the field when Mario Romancini withdrew his time in an attempt at a quicker speed, the spot didn't stay his long as the Conquest driver bumped Saavedra once again.

KV Racing Technology's Takuma Sato was next in the qualification line attempting to bump Jay Howard who was now on the bubble, successfully doing so. Sarah Fisher Racing's second entry in Howard was back in the race when Paul Tracy's time was withdrawn. Failing to get up to speed Tracy was much slower than his original time and with the clock just moments from 6 o'clock his day and Month of May were over.

Worried that the speed wasn't good enough, Sarah Fisher Racing withdrew Jay Howard's qualification run, pulling Bryan Herta Autosport and Sebastian Saavedra back into the field. As the gun shot off the final attempt of the day failed, sending Howard home and Saavedra into the show.

Although the $255,555 check was welcomed for their 23rd place finish, due to another crash on race day, it didn't go as far as I'm sure they'd have liked.

The returning support of William Rast made a second run at the Indy 500 possible. But for a small single car team 40 entries and better competition, it made a run at the Borg Warner nearly impossible.

With 3 Penske, 4 Ganassi, 5 Andretti Autosport, 4 KVRT, and 4 Dreyer and Reinbold entries among the 40 cars vying for a spot on the 11 rows of 3 grid, just making the field appeared to be a task, even with the 2005 Indy 500 Champ behind the wheel.

15 days from opening day, when just making the race was a question mark, their white and orange Dallara was being pushed to victory lane, a glass bottle of milk was being poured over their heads, a wreath was placed around the driver's neck, and a $3million check was waiting on them.

In May of 2010 the future of Bryan Herta Autosport was dim, a year later it couldn't be brighter.

Wheldon Wins

2011-05-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

On the final corner of the final lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500, Rookie JR Hildebrand was in the catbird seat. With a healthy lead, and plenty of fuel, all the Panther driver had to do was execute his 800th turn of the day like he had the first 799 and keep his $25K steering wheel straight down the front stretch.

Entering Turn Four the only driver standing between Hildebrand and his face on the Borg Warner was Ganassi Rookie Charlie Kimball. Kimball, one lap down, was riding the low line. In an attempt to pass, Hildebrand moved up into the gray and into the marbles.

Hitting the very end of the SAFER barrier with his right side, the #4 National Guard Dallara slid along the front straight outer wall and through the Start/Finish line. Unfortunately for the Panther crew their streak of 3 straight second place finishes in the Greatest Spectacle would continue as Bryan Herta Autosport veteran Dan Wheldon blew past with just a few hundred yards to go, for his second Indianapolis 500 victory. Following just over 2-seconds behind was the destroyed #4 entry of Hildebrand.

Rumors of a possible protest by Panther Racing on the grounds that Dan Wheldon passed Hildebrand under yellow were squashed when the team confirmed on their Twitter page that a protest would not be made. Even if questions were raised about the legitimacy of the win, it's likely they wouldn't last long as the above video clearly shows the #98 passed the #4 when the yellow light comes on.

The win by Wheldon will also go down in the record books as least laps led by a winner. In 1912 Joe Dawson led the final two laps of the 500 mile contest, while Wheldon led just the final few hundred yards.

Without a ride for not only the remainder of the season but at this point for any other events, Wheldon admitted in a post race press conference that his contract with BHA was up at midnight tonight.

The Official 2011 Indy 500 standings:

Dan Wheldon
JR Hildebrand
Graham Rahal
Tony Kanaan
Scott Dixon
Oriol Servia
Bertrand Baguette
Tomas Scheckter
Marco Andretti
Danica Patrick
Ed Carpenter
Dario Franchitti
Charlie Kimball
Will Power
Vitor Meira
Justin Wilson
Helio Castroneves
Buddy Rice
Alex Lloyd
Pippa Mann
Ana Beatriz
John Andretti
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Davey Hamilton
Paul Tracy
Townsend Bell
Ryan Briscoe
Alex Tagliani
James Hinchcliffe
Jay Howard
Simona De Silvestro
EJ Viso
Takuma Sato

'500' 2-Seat Rider Announced

2011-05-26T21:13:00.001-04:00

Come Sunday at noon, US Army Ret. Sgt. Latseen Benson will have the best seat in the house at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Benson, who served two tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2005, will be the passenger of the IZOD IndyCar Series 2-Seater piloted by legend Mario Andretti as they pace the 33-car field.

While on his second deployment, Sgt. Benson was on patrol in Iraq when an IED exploded causing injuries that later resulted in the amputation of his legs.

Benson will join Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Bruce P. Crandall who was announced earlier this month as the honorary starter.

Inside The Grid

2011-05-26T15:29:00.002-04:00

48 - Age of the oldest driver (Davey Hamilton)
22 - Age of the youngest driver (Graham Rahal)
5 - Indianapolis 500 winners (Castroneves Dixon, Franchitti, Rice, Wheldon)
5 - Rookie of the Year candidates (Hildebrand, Hinchcliffe, Howard, Kimball, Mann)
2.5399 - Seconds separating fastest (Tag) Slowest (Beatriz). Closest in history.
87 - Times a driver took to the track attempting to qualify
73 - Number of laps Pole winner Alex Tagliani turned all month in practice. Fewest everybody.
50 - Number of laps Simona De Silvestro turned all month in the car she'll be racing.
6 - Of the 7 drivers not to make the race on time, Jakes, Conway, Saavedra, Matos, Hunter-Reay, & Tung, all ran quicker laps in practice than Simona De Silvestro's best practice lap. Simona qualified P24, in her backup, with second degree burns on her hands.
8,087 - Total laps turned in practice.
11 - different teams qualified before the first Andretti Autosport car
11th - The highest starting Brazilian (Meira). The lowest since 2000.
9 - Different teams qualified in the top 11 spots.
.0128 - Seconds of seperation between Meira, Hildebrand, and Hinchcliffe's qualifying runs.
839 - Total laps the 3 Team Penske drivers turned during the month and averaged an 16th place qualifying position while Tagliani, De Silvestro, Rice, Wheldon, Hilderbrand, Kimball and Howard ran less laps combined and averaged an 11.4 starting spot.

15 different teams represented:

Ganassi - 4
DRR - 4
Penske - 3
KVRT - 4
Andretti - 3
SSM - 2
Newman/Haas - 2
Panther - 2
Foyt - 2
Rahal - 2
Herta - 1
Fisher - 1
HVM - 1
Coyne - 1
Conquest - 1

13 countries represented:

11 - United States (Bell, Rice, Carpenter, Hildebrand, Hamilton, Andretti, Patrick, Andretti, Kimball, Rahal, Hunter-Reay)
5 - England (Wheldon, Wilson, Howard, Lloyd, Mann)
4 - Brazil (Meira, Castroneves, Kanaan, Beatriz)
3 - Canada (Tagliani, Hinchcliffe, Tracy)
2 - Australia (Power, Briscoe)
1 - New Zealand (Dixon)
1 - Spain (Servia)
1 - Scotland (Franchitti)
1 - Japan (Sato)
1 - Belguim (Baguette)
1 - Venezuela (Viso)
1 - South Africa (Scheckter)
1 - Switzerland (De Silvestro)

Q&A With Simona De Silvestro

2011-05-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

Less than a week after her horrific crash in Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Simona De Silvestro sat down for a quick Q&A. Simona tells us what broke on her car, her thoughts on 'Porkchop's' Twitter account, how she's going to sign autographs here on Community Day and more.

Qual Review and '500' Preview Preview W/ Jake Query

2011-05-24T15:45:00.008-04:00

Just five days before 33 drivers take the green flag for the 100th Anniversary Indy 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and VERSUS talent Jake Query sat down to give a quick review of this past weekend's events and preview Sunday's race.

Be sure to follow Jake on Twitter (@JakeQuery) and tune in Friday at 11am est to VERSUS.

Bruno Out, RHR In

2011-05-23T18:58:00.002-04:00

For the second time in three years, Bruno Junqueira has been bumped from the Indianapolis 500 the day after Bump Day.
A.J. Foyt Racing and Andretti Autosport have reached an agreement to replace Bruno with Ryan Hunter-Reay.

"We’ve been competitors for many years but still it’s the kind of relationship when someone is really down and out, you can’t turn your back on them—at least I can’t,” said team onwer A.J. Foyt. “This is going back to the way racing used to be, where if people were in a lot of trouble, you tried to help each other out. I know it’s a tough deal for Bruno but he understood the situation. I appreciate that more than anyone knows.”

Hunter-Reay was bumped from the field when his teammate, Marco Andretti, took to the track with 1-minute before the gun for the last qualifying attempt of the day.

Junqueira was in a similar situation in 2009 when his teammate at Conquest Racing, Alex Tagliani, failed to make the field of 33. The following day team owner Eric Bachelart replaced Bruno with Alex.

“I have to thank A.J., Larry and the team for giving me this opportunity to drive at Indy this year because otherwise I would have been riding my bike in Miami," said Junqueira. "I always respected A.J. before, but after working with him, I respect him even more. He has a lot of knowledge and I learned a lot from him. I had a great time working with him and Vitor, and I hope my work helped them this month. I also hope the team has a great race.”

Moving from the #28 to the #41, Hunter-Reay will move to the back of the 33-car field.

“There has been an incredible range of emotion these past few days," Hunter-Reay said. "Commercial decisions and corporate support is what makes it possible for both of our teams to compete and this was a commercially driven decision. I am an IndyCar driver and I’m also a representative for DHL, Dr Pepper and its brands, including Sun Drop Citrus Soda. I know this is not the first time this has happened in Indy 500 history but I feel terrible for Bruno and I thank him for his efforts and I hope he understands. It’s cool to be driving for A.J. again, especially with Michael’s support and encouragement. This is not how I envisioned the month of May this year but we are still committed to winning this race for DHL and Sun Drop.”

The addition of Hunter-Reay to the field leaves just one Andretti Autosport driver rideless come next Sunday, Mike Conway. Conway's attempt to drive in his third consecutve Indianapolis 500 is still alive hower as talks are currently underway to perform a similar deal with another team.

UPDATE: Now Tuesday night, it appears a deal to put Conway into the race is extremely unlikely.

Bump Day Wrapup

2011-05-22T19:26:00.003-04:00

Wasn't a good situation for Michael Andretti all around.

Mike Conway, the team's only winner this season, had already made his three attempts at making the 2011 Indianapolis 500 field, all unsuccessful. Marco Andretti was on the bubble and teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay was right next to him.

Dale Coyne Racing's Alex Lloyd was on his 3rd and final attempt after making the field before being bumped by Andretti Autosport pilot Danica Patrick. Circling the 2.5 Mile square oval at 223.732mph on his first of four laps, the pace would be good enough to best Marco's 223.668 4-lap average. Three laps and 7.5 miles later, Lloyd's speed was good enough, bumping the 2006 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year from the field.

Moving Ryan Hunter-Reay to the bubble position, Marco Andretti took back to the track at 5:59pm for a final attempt. Running a speed of 224.728mph on his first lap, 224.481mph on the second, and 224.576mph on the third, if he kept the #26 Dallara in one piece he'd probably be safe. Taking the checkered flag with an identical lap to his first, the Venom car qualified in the 28th position, bumping Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Seven entries failed to make the race including 4 full-timers and 3 rookies. Conquest Racing's Sebastian Saavedra, Coyne rookie James Jakes, and Andretti Autosport veterans Mike Conway & Ryan Hunter-Reay, all IZOD IndyCar Series regulars, couldn't muster enough speed. AFS Racing's first foray into the '500' also came up short with driver Raphael Matos behind the wheel as the Brazilian was bumped earlier in the day.

Entering the month with two entries, come Noon on Bump Day Dragon Racing was down to zero. Ho-pin Tung backed his #8 Dallara into the wall Pole Day morning sending the rookie to Methodist Hospital. Although released just a few hours later, Tung was diagnosed with a concussion, sidelining him for the month. Struggling all month, Scott Speed reportedly quit Friday afternoon, then was back in the ride Saturday morning. Not attempting to qualify Saturday, come Sunday morning open-wheel veteran Patrick Carpentier was at the track and behind the wheel of the #20 Fuzzy's car. Sliding into the wall in a nearly identical fashion tat Tung had done just 24-hours earlier, Dragon Racing's day and month were over.

Four rookies, five former winners, 4 woman, 10 Americans, and 14 different teams qualified for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500.

2011 Indy 500 grid:

1st Row - Tagliani, Dixon, Servia
2nd Row - Bell, Power, Wheldon
3rd Row - Rice, Carpenter, Franchitti
4th Row - Sato, Meira, Hildebrand
5th Row - Hinchcliffe, Baguette, Hamilton
6th Row - Castroneves, J. Andretti, Viso
7th Row - Junqueira, Wilson, Howard
8th Row - Scheckter, Kanaan, De Silvestro
9th Row - Tracy, Patrick, Briscoe
10th Row - M. Andretti, Kimball, Rahal
11th Row - Lloyd, Mann, Beatriz

Pole Day Recap

2011-05-21T16:15:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: Thanks to the hard work of the track crew and the giant bright ball in the sky that's been absent most of the week, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was quickly dried following the rain around 3:30pm est.

The green flag was finally dropped following the nearly 2-hour delay at 5:25 to Buddy Rice who led the group of 9 in reverse order from the original 9 from the 11am-4pm session.

Averaging a 225.786mph speed, Rice was followed by Newman Haas Racing's Oriol Servia who laid down a solid 227.168mph lap, giving him the provisional pole. Weathering the storm through Will Power, Ed Carpenter, Townsend Bell, and Dan Wheldon, the two most obviously threats in Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon where still to come.

Dario Franchitti was next out running 227.061, 227. 038, and 227.031 mph laps, threatening Servia's grasp on the 2011 Indianapolis 500 pole position. On the fourth and final lap of the sole run, Franchitti ran out of fuel slowly coasting down pit lane.

Next up was Franchitti's teammate, Scott Dixon, who completed the first 3 laps at 227.530, 227.511 and 227.487mph averaging 227.509. On the 4th and final lap the speed dropped to 226.835, pulling the average down to 227.340. Although good enough to sit a top the pole, the last lap dropoff would come back to bite him.

The 9th and final attempt came from Sam Schmidt Motorsports pilot Alex Tagliani who at the end of stage one was at the top of the charts. Tags laid down three consistent laps averaging out to 227.472mph, besting Dixon's speed by .15mph, giving him the pole, payday and bonus points in the championship.

Bump day qualifying is scheduled for Noon tomorrow

------------------------------------------------------

The first of two stages for Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is complete, and there are a few surprises.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Alex Tagliani is on the provisional Pole with Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti rounding out the front row. The other 6 scheduled participants for the Fast 9 include Dan Wheldon, Townsend Bell, Ed Carpenter, Will Power, Oriol Servia, and Buddy Rice.

The Fast 9 are scheduled to take to the track for the final shootout at 4:30, but as of now the circuit is soaked and activity is in question.

Rows 4-8 which could still get bumped tomorrow are as follows:

4th Row - Sato, Meira, Hildebrand
5th Row - Hinchcliffe, Baguette, Hamilton
6th Row - Castroneves, J. Andretti, Viso
7th Row - Junqueira, Wilson, Howard
8th Row - Scheckter, Kanaan, De Silvestro

The 16 drivers yet to qualify include:

Scott Speed (Dragon)
Ho-Pin Tung (Dragon)
Mike Conway (Andretti)
Marco Andretti (Andretti)
Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti)
Danica Patrick (Andretti)
Paul Tracy (DRR)
Ana Beatriz (DRR)
Sebastian Saavedra (Conquest)
Charlie Kimball (Ganassi)
Graham Rahal (Ganassi)
Ryan Briscoe (Penske)
Alex Lloyd (Coyne)
James Jakes (Coyne)
Raphael Matos (AFS)
Pippa Mann (Conquest)

Simona De Silvestro, one of the best stories of the day, was in then out and now back in the preliminary field. She is on the bubble and could be bumped tomorrow if her time of 224.392 doesn't hold up.

Pole Day Morning Warm Up

2011-05-21T10:46:00.001-04:00

The Pole day morning practice concluded at the top of the 10 o'clock hour with Sam Schmidt pilot Alex Tagliani once again at the top of the charts, running a 228.184mph speed on lap 3.

Early on in the practice Ryan Briscoe lost grip in Turn 2 sending the #6 IZOD machine backwards into the wall. Sliding into the grass Ryan got out of the car and was helped to the ground. Attempting to stand up the Penske driver was helped back to the ground before being laid on a stretcher and lifted into an ambulance.
Briscoe was later released from the infield IU Health Emergency Medical Center and cleared to drive.

"I'm all right," said Briscoe. "I'm a bit bruised on my knees. My legs knocked the wheel off, actually."
Taking back to the track at 9:42am in his backup Dallara for 16 laps, Briscoe's best speed came on his 9th lap at 223.932mph, good enought for 36th overall.

After meeting with the same IMS and INDYCAR medical officials as Briscoe, Simona De Silvestro's injuries from a Thursday fire were also evaluated and given the go-ahead for the morning warm up. With a best time of 223.357mph in her backup, 'Pork Chop' as the team calls the chassis, ran 32 laps, good enough for 39th of 41 entries.

Qualifications are slated to get under way at 11am est. LIVE on VERSUS.

The complete practice results:

Alex Tagliani 228.184
Buddy Rice 227.849
Will Power 227.766
Scott Dixon 227.642
Helio Castroneves 227.396
Dario Franchitti 227.386
Townsend Bell 227.271
Vitor Meira 227.150
JR Hildebrand 226.912
Bertrand Baguette 226.868
Ed Carpenter 226.778
Dan Wheldon 226.624
Oriol Servia 226.466
Danica Patrick 226.446
Ho-Pin Tung 226.440
Ana Beatriz 226.401
EJ Viso 226.017
Paul Tracy 225.959
Takuma Sato 225.891
Davey Hamilton 225.738
James Hinchcliffe 225.719
Jay Howard 225.676
Graham Rahal 225.641
Tony Kanaan 225.394
Ryan Briscoe 225.101
Justin Wilson 225.086
Tomas Scheckter 224.916
Charlie Kimball 224.903
Ryan Hunter-Reay 224.899
Alex Lloyd 224.540
Bruno Junqueira 224.472
Sebastian Saavedra 224.358
Pippa Mann 224.310
Marco Andretti 224.220
John Andretti 224.060
Ryan Briscoe 223.932
James Jakes 223.446
Raphael Matos 223.382
Simona De Silvestro 223.357
Mike Conway 223.172
Scott Speed 222.803

Fast Friday Wrapup

2011-05-20T18:48:00.000-04:00

For the second day in a row practice for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 went green for the majority of the day. Helio Castroneves led the 5 hour 37 minute practice with a 1-lap speed of 228.611mph, the fastest of the month. Castroneves was followed by Alex Tagliani, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Bertrand Baguette, and Ed Carpenter who all ran in the 228mph+ bracket.

39 of the 40 confirmed car and driver combinations took to the track, leaving Simona De Silvestro and the #78 Dallara the only stationary entry. De Silvestro suffered burns to each of her hands in an practice crash on Thursday. After meeting with IMS and INDYCAR medical officials in the morning, De Silvestro was not cleared to drive. She will meet with the same officials tomorrow.

Dragon Racing rookie Scott Speed was reportedly upset after practice where his best speed of 222.546 ranked him 39th and last overall. It's unclear whether or not the former F1 and NASCAR pilot will return to the #20 Dragon seat tomorrow or if the team will run a veteran.

Thursday Wrapup

2011-05-19T18:16:00.001-04:00

For the first time since Monday, more than 13 laps were turned on the 2.5 mile square oval in Indianapolis.

Just a few minutes into the 6-hour scheduled practice session, Simona De Silvestro was involved in the first accident of the month. During the exit of Turn 3, De Silvestro's car suffered a rear end failure, possibly suspension, sending the airborne car backwards into the wall. Making contact with the SAFER barrier, the #78 entry fell back to the track before sliding through the short chute and again taking to the air and plunging into the extreme lower portion of the catch fence. Once hitting the ground for the second time, the HVM driver's primary car flipped, caught fire and slid to a halt at the bottom of the track.

The fire was quickly extinguished and De Silvestro walked away on her own to the safety vehicle. After first being treated in the infield care center, she was transported by ground to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where she was later released with second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left.

The #78 primary car was destroyed in the crash with tears in the sidepods, a smashed roll hoop, and major damage to both the front and rear ends. The back up car is expected to be rolled out for a qualification attempt by either De Silvestro or a replacement driver this weekend.

A short scheduled yellow to clean the track was the only other caution for the day, resulting in over 5 hours of green flag track time.

Will Power topped the charts with a late rally running a 227.778mph lap with a tow turned with just minutes left in the session. Alex Tagliani with a 227.652, believed to be without help, and Ryan Briscoe at 227.217 were the only other entries in the 227's.

The complete rundown:

Will Power 227.778
Alex Tagliani 227.652
Ryan Briscoe 227.217
Helio Castroneves 226.927
Townsend Bell 226.741
JR Hildebrand 226.527
Oriol Servia 226.471
Scott Dixon 226.453
Ed Carpenter 226.376
Danica Patrick 226.267
Graham Rahal 226.142
Paul Tracy 225.906
Tony Kanaan 225.906
Dan Wheldon 225.802
Justin Wilson 225.648
Dario Franchitti 225.603
Jay Howard 225.594
Vitor Meira 225.540
Takuma Sato 225.308
Buddy Rice 225.184
Pippa Mann 225.092
Marco Andretti 224.954
Ryan Hunter-Reay 224.873
John Andretti 224.684
Bruno Junqueira 224.644
Tomas Scheckter 224.632
Bertrand Baguett 224.617
Alex Lloyd 224.525
Charle Kimball 224.433
James Hinchcliffe 224.333
Ana Beatriz 224.123
EJ Viso 224.056
Davey Hamilton 223.889
Raphael Matos 223.349
Ho-Pin Tung 223.348
Mike Conway 222.359
Simona De Silvestro 222.192
Scott Speed 222.177
Sebastian Saavedra 221.709
James Jakes 220.709

Simona Crash

2011-05-19T13:11:00.003-04:00

UPDATE 5-20 11:20am: Simona met with IMS and INDYCAR medical staff this morning and was NOT cleared to drive. Updates will follow...

----------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: Simona De Silvestro has been released from Methodist Hopital and will meet with IMS and INDYCAR medical officials tomorrow.

----------------------------------------------------

Just a few minutes into the first real practice since Monday, Simona De Silvestro became the first victim of the the Indianapolis Motor Speedway walls this month.

While exiting the 3rd corner on her 11th lap, De Silvestro's car had an obvious rear suspension failure sending her hard into the wall. While a couple feet in the air, the #78 entry made it's first contact by backing into the safer barrier, sliding through the chute the car got back up into the air again flipping upside down. After catching fire and slowing to a stop, the 2010 Rookie of the Year got out of the car and walked to a safety vehicle on her own.

Simona has been transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis via ground suffering second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left.

2011 ESPN Classic Schedule

2011-05-19T10:18:00.001-04:00

May 23

Midnight 2000 Indy 500 – Juan Pablo Montoya won the Indy 500 as a rookie.
7 a.m. SportsCentury: Tony Stewart
8 a.m. 1981 Indy 500 – Bobby Unser is penalized a lap giving the victory to Mario Andretti. More than four months later, Unser is reinstated as the winner by USAC.
9 a.m. 1982 Indy 500 – Gordon Johncock won his second Indy 500 with a .16 victory over Rick Mears.
Noon SportsCentury: Tony Stewart
1 p.m. 1967 Indy 500 – AJ Foyt won his third Indy 500 that took place over two days due to weather.
2 p.m. SportsCentury: Tony Stewart
3 p.m. 1975 Indy 500 –Bobby Unser was declared the winner after a downpour on lap 174. The rain stopped a few minutes later.
5 p.m. 2003 Indy 500 – Gil de Ferran held off Helio Castroneves to win the 2003 Indy 500.
7 p.m. 1996 Indy 500 – The race ran under the controversy of the open wheel “split” but Buddy Lazier held off Davy Jones for the win.
9 p.m. SportsCentury: Tony Stewart
10 p.m. 2000 Indy 500 – Juan Pablo Montoya won the Indy 500 as a rookie.

May 24

Midnight 1999 Indy 500 – Kenny Brack took the checkered flag for owner A.J. Foyt as Robby Gordon’s car ran out of fuel out of turn four on the 199th lap.
7 a.m. SportsCentury: Mario Andretti
8 a.m. 1985 Indy 500 – With the famous “Spin and Win,” Danny Sullivan wins his only Indy 500 ahead of Mario Andretti and Roberto Guerrero.
10 a.m. 1986 Indy 500 – Bobby Rahal wins his only Indy 500 while becoming the first driver to complete the race in under 3 hours.
Noon SportsCentury: Mario Andretti
1 p.m. 1969 Indy 500 – Mario Andretti led for 116 of 200 laps winning the Indy 500
3 p.m. 1989 Indy 500 – Al Unser Jr and Emerson Fittipaldi battled to the end until their cars touched wheels sending Unser spinning and allowing Fittipaldi to cross the finish line victorious.
5 p.m. 1997 Indy 500 – This race was spread across three days due to weather. Arie Luyendyk was the winner.
7 p.m. 2007 Indy 500 – First race telecast in HD and was shortened by rain; Dario Franchitti was declared the winner after 166 laps.
9 p.m. SportsCentury: Mario Andretti
10 p.m. 2001 Indy 500 – In his first Indy 500, Helio Castroneves was the winner after leading for 52 laps.

May 25

Midnight 1981 Indy 500 – Bobby Unser is penalized a lap giving the victory to Mario Andretti. More than four months later, Unser is reinstated as the winner by USAC.
7 a.m. SportsCentury: AJ Foyt
8 a.m. 1983 Indy 500 – Tom Sneva takes the lead on lap 190 to earn the win.
10 a.m. SportsCentury: AJ Foyt
11 a.m. 1967 Indy 500 – AJ Foyt won his third Indy 500 that took place over two days due to weather.
Noon SportsCentury: AJ Foyt
1 p.m. 1974 Indy 500 – Johnny Rutherford comes from the 25th starting position to win his first Indy 500.
3 p.m. 1980 Indy 500 – Johnny Rutherford won his third Indy 500.
7 p.m. 2008 Indy 500 – Scott Dixon started from the pole position and won the 92nd Indy 500.
9 p.m. SportsCentury: AJ Foyt
10 p.m. 2002 Indy 500 – Helio Castroneves became the fifth driver to win back-to-back Indy 500 races .

May 26

Midnight 1991 Indy 500 – Rick Mears started on at the pole position and went on to win his fourth Indy 500 – 20th Anniversary of this race
2 a.m. SportsCentury: Rick Mears
7 a.m. SportsCentury: Rick Mears
8 a.m. 1994 Indy 500 – Al Unser Jr started on the pole position and won his second Indy 500.
10 a.m. 1984 Indy 500 – Rick Mears won his second Indy 500 while Pat Bedard survives a horrific crash that destroyed his car.
Noon SportsCentury: Rick Mears
1 p.m. 1991 Indy 500 - Rick Mears started on at the pole position and went on to win his fourth Indy 500 – 20th Anniversary of this race
3 p.m. 1979 Indy 500 – Rick Mears wins his first Indy 500 after Al Unser ran into car trouble halfway through the race.
5 p.m. 1984 Indy 500 - Rick Mears won his second Indy 500 while Pat Bedard survives a horrific crash that destroyed his car.
7 p.m. 1988 Indy 500 – Rick Mears outlasts Al Unser and Emerson Fittipaldi to win his third Indy 500.
9 p.m. SportsCentury: Rick Mears
10 p.m. 1991 Indy 500 - Rick Mears started on at the pole position and went on to win his fourth Indy 500 – 20th Anniversary of this race

May 27

Midnight 2010 Indy 500 – Dario Franchitti won the 94th Indy 500 ahead of Dan Wheldon & Marco Andretti.
7 a.m. SportsCentury: Al Unser, Sr
8 a.m. 1970 Indy 500 – Al Unser wins his first Indy 500 in which he led only 10 total laps.
10 a.m. 1978 Indy 500 – Al Unser held off Tom Sneva to win his third Indy 500.
Noon SportsCentury: Al Unser, Sr
1 p.m. 1987 Indy 500 – Al Unser, Sr wins his fourth Indy 500 beating out Roberto Guerrero & Fabrizio Barbazza.
3 p.m. 1990 Indy 500 – Arie Luyendyk finishes ahead of Bobby Rahal and Emerson Fittipaldi to win his first Indy 500.
5 p.m. 2006 Indy 500 – Sam Hornish Jr won the race by 0.0635 second over Marco Andretti and featured the first final lap pass in race history and was the second closest finish in race history.
7 p.m. 1992 Indy 500 – Al Unser Jr wins his first Indy 500 by beating Scott Goodyear in the closest finish in race history, 0.043 second.
9 p.m. SportsCentury: Al Unser, Sr

May 30 – 100th Anniversary Marathon

Midnight 1969 Indy 500 - Mario Andretti led for 116 of 200 laps winning the Indy 500
2 a.m. 1970 Indy 500 – Al Unser wins his first Indy 500 in which he led only 10 total laps.
4 a.m. 1971 Indy 500 – Al Unser wins his second Indy 500 in a row and his second of four in his career.
6 a.m. 1978 Indy 500 – Al Unser held off Tom Sneva to win his third Indy 500.
8 a.m. 1992 Indy 500 – Al Unser Jr wins his first Indy 500 by beating Scott Goodyear in the closest finish in race history, 0.043 second.
10 a.m. 2005 Indy 500 – Danica Patrick lived up to the hype and finished fourth while Dan Wheldon won the 2005 Indy 500.
Noon 2006 Indy 500 – Sam Hornish Jr won the race by 0.0635 second over Marco Andretti and featured the first final lap pass in race history and was the second closest finish in race history.
2 p.m. 1977 Indy 500 – AJ Foyt became the first driver to win four times at the Indy 500 by passing Gordon Johncock after the crankshaft broke on his car.
4 p.m. 1987 Indy 500 – Al Unser, Sr wins his fourth Indy 500 beating out Roberto Guerrero & Fabrizio Barbazza.
6 p.m. 1991 Indy 500 – Rick Mears started on at the pole position and went on to win his fourth Indy 500
8 p.m. 2009 Indy 500 – Helio Castroneves became the first driver born outside of the US to win the race more than once while Danica Patrick finished third.
10 p.m. 2011 Indy 500 (Classic replay)

Q&A With James Hinchcliffe

2011-05-17T13:36:00.001-04:00

During the rain/cold delay this afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IZOD IndyCar Series rookie James Hinchcliffe answered a few questions. Hinch talks about the rain, Hot-Wheels style Slip-N-Slides, a 'moment' and Canadians!

Greatest 33 Announced

2011-05-15T10:55:00.001-04:00

Announced late last year at the INDYCAR winter meetings, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had reached out to a panel of experts to create a list of the 100 best drivers in the tracks long history. Of those 100, fans were able to vote on who they believed were the 33 greatest for a May unveiling.

Today, the 33 drivers most deserving of the honor, as voted on by the fans, were unveiled on the Greatest33.com. In alphabetical order:

Mario Andretti
Michael Andretti
Tony Bettenhausen
Helio Castroneves
Jim Clark
Ralph DePalma
Scott Dixon
Mark Donohue
Emerson Fittipaldi
A.J. Foyt
Dario Franchitti
Dan Gurny
Ray Harroun
Graham Hill
Gordon Johncock
Parnelli Jones
Arie Luyendyk
Rick Mears
Louis Meyer
Tommy Milton
Juan Pablo Montoya
Bobby Rahal
Jim Rathmann
Mauri Rose
Johnny Rutherford
Wilbur Shaw
Tom Sneva
Danny Sullivan
Al Unser
Al Unser Jr.
Bobby Unser
Bill Vukovich
Rodger Ward

Opening Day Morning Photos

2011-05-14T11:06:00.000-04:00

It's Opening Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the 40 car and driver combinations are scheduled to take to the famed oval at Noon est.

Dragon Racing's Scott Speed signing for fans...

Ryan Hunter-Reay's DHL entry in final preparations before opening day...

Conquest Rookie Pippa Mann making time for fans...

Mike Conway's crew working on the rear end of the #27 entry...

Cars entered into the Celebration of Automobiles in the Pagoda Plaza...

Buddy Rice signing as he enters the drivers meeting...

Indianapolis 500 legend Parnelli Jones on the Coke Stage before a morning autograph session...

2012 Dallara road course concept on display next to Victory Lane aside an F2000, Star Mazda, Firestone Indy Lights and 2012 oval concept car.

Sign reads: 2012 Dallara Aerokit Road Car Concept. The innovative showcar you are viewing could be ripping through city streets and roaring around scenic road courses during the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series race season.

Q&A With Randy Bernard

2011-05-13T13:36:00.006-04:00

Just a few hours before jumping in a USAC Silver Crown 2-seater at the Indiana State Fairgrounds piloted by Firstone Indy Lights Rookie Bryan Clauson, INDYCAR's CEO Randy Bernard sat down to answer a few questions from yours truly. Bernard gave his thoughts on the aero kit situation, when we'll hear about the $5 Million contenders, if the current car will be grandfathered into Indy, and whether or not he thinks Arie Luyendyk's IMS track record could be in danger.

16thAndGeorgetown: Last year's Firestone Indy Lights champion J.K. Vernay wasn't able to use his scholarship winnings to earn an IndyCar ride this year. Have there been any thoughts about awarding the funds to another competitor if the winner can't or doesn't use it?

Randy Bernard: No, it needs to be for that Champ. What I would say though is we still don't have a successful ladder series until every rung of that ladder is successful. And unfortunately $1 Million doesn't buy a ride. We even took it further than that, I think we offered him up to $1.5 Million so we could try this first year to make it successful. Unfortunately $1.5 doesn't buy you much in an Indy car. So, were working on some other options.

16th&GT: Obviously the aero kits are a very tender subject for both the owners and fans. The great majority of fans want them, while many of the owners don't. It's really a tough situation all around. What are your thoughts on allowing the kits next season?

RB: It's important that we maintain a very balanced approach on our decision. I've heard from the fans, which definitely want the aero kits. I've heard from the team owners that definitely don't want the aero kits. Most importantly there was some unknown expenses that the team owners are getting hit with right now and I can see their concern. I don't want to lose the momentum of having 26 or 27 cars and go down to 16 or 17 because of affordability. I have to play this out and determine whats going to be in the best interest of INDYCAR as a whole. I don't think we'll make that decision before the Indy 500 for sure.

16th&GT: You mentioned the concern for a possible dip in car count next season. Could the current Dallara be grandfathered in, at least at Indy to help car count.

RB: I think our new car, this is from what Tony Cotman says, our new car is going to be so much less drag and so much more efficient that with the power and the turbo, that the old car couldn't compete with it.

I think that there is three things we have to deliver to fans to give them a great experience. We have to give them great competition, we have to give them great entertainment and great value. I don't think that's the right story either to just let a car be grandfathered out there to compete if its not competitive.

16th&GT: It's fairly obvious for a couple teams which engine manufacture they'll be paired with next season, but have the rules for how the engines will be distributed been laid out?

RB: We're very close to determining that, but no its not been set in concrete yet.

16th&GT: There was talk of possibly going after the track records at IMS this year with demonstrations laps, that plan seems to of been put on the back burner, but where does the league stand on track records in 2012 and beyond?

RB: I think that would be a great question for Brian Barnhart, Tony Cotman and all of our experts on safety. After we see the car run I think we'll have a better idea. I'm a big believer that fans always looked forward to coming here and having the opportunity to see records broke. I am one to think that is something we should put into our sights, but I can't guarantee that will be in 2012 or 2013 or 2014. I'm still very confident, that eventually, that's a directions we need and want to go.

16th&GT: Dragon Racing just announced that Scott Speed will join the team for Indy and the finale at Vegas where he expects to run for the $5 Million. When should we expect to hear the 5 running for the money?

RB: You won't hear all of the decisions until August 15th, but I would think we might possibly roll one out per month.

16th&GT: Are the drivers and teams going to have to bring sponsorship for the $5 Million dollar challenge?

RB: Yes, exactly.

16th&GT: One major draw back to the $5 Million challenge at LV is that many of the other leagues are running that weekend as well. What's the chance that if the promotion returns next year of moving the challenge to a different track or date when more drivers are available?

RB: I think that's a good date. I'm hoping it's a perfect storm. You have NASCAR on ABC Saturday night, so they will be able to promote our race on Sunday on ABC. There will be a couple promotions I'm sure in that ABC race Saturday night for the Sunday. I'm rather confident on it that it's a good weekend. I think also that once the chase is situated, I still am confident that we will get some NASCAR drivers that will want to compete for that.

They do their qualifying on Thursday, were doing our qualifying Friday. They race Saturday, were going to race Sunday. It's very doable, we have probably 25 names and there are some fantastic names right now.

2012 Concept Car Unveiled

2011-05-10T16:17:00.003-04:00

Unveiled live on today's edition of VERSUS' IndyCar Open-Wheel Weekly, pictures of the 2012 concept design for both a road/street courses and oval package were finally shown to the masses.

Keep in mind, the designs are just concepts to show what can be done and not the actual car that'll be on track next season.

Potential oval package....

Potential road & street course package....

Bieber A Better Choice

2011-05-06T03:26:00.003-04:00

With 4 Indianapolis 500 wins, 57 total race victories, 53 poles, 7 series championships, and the owner of the 1999 Indy 500 winning entry, I'd draft A.J. Foyt before Justin Bieber when it comes to pretty much anything, but not when it comes to the 2011 '500' pace car driver.

Nothing against A.J., I absolutely love the guy. I challenge you to find better footage than that of the angered driver unbelting, wiggling out of his ride, throwing his gloves and helmet into the seat, tossing away cowlings and pounding away at his 1982 '500' entry with a hammer, mid-race. But he's just not what the IZOD IndyCar Series or Indianapolis 500 needs in a pace car driver.

In no way do I blame IMS brass for letting Donald Trump, the originally scheduled pace car driver, go. At the time of the announcement back in early April, that Trump would be piloting the car, rumors of his run at the White House were just that. Rumors. There weren't daily segments on national news programs calling into question his latest statements, or growing amounts of outrage to his repeated request for the publication of a certain persons birth certificate. Right or wrong it doesn't matter, Trump was receiving a lot of bad press, and that's obviously not something the track wants to be associated with. I can't blame them for that. But the loss of a celebrity such as Trump leading the 33-starters in their parade laps leaves a gaping hole in what could be a highly productive position.

While your searching for that nonexistent superior video on YouTube I also challenge you to find someone that believes the TV ratings and popularity level of the series and race are where they need to be. They're absolutely not, you know that, I know that, and I'm sure the decision makers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway know that as well.

The only way to gain ratings is to create an attraction that others want to watch and then publicize it. Pretty Simple. One way of achieving that is by taking a well known celebrity and inserting them into the race festivities. Honors such as singing the national anthem, dropping the green flag and driving the pace car have historically been some of the better ways to highlight a celebrities attendance. In doing, so the announcement and both pre and post race footage of the celebs is is often aired on various television programs, and wrote about in magazines, newspapers and internet articles. With the boom in social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook in recent years, and the growing audience for celebrity gossip shows and websites, the benefits a celebrity could bring have grown as well.

In a recent article written by SPEED's Robin Miller the veteran writer reports that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been contacted by various driver hopefuls including Andy Granatelli and representatives for Justin Bieber. If true, and I have no doubt that it is, IMS has to at least look at Bieber. Yes, he has no connection to the Speedway or racing at all, that I'm aware of. Yes, I understand that many of you can't connect with him. But he deserves a look.

Should the powers that be sign the 17-year-old to a deal tomorrow? Absolutely not. Should they do their research? Without a doubt. Fly the kid out, or for that matter go to him. Have one of the many replica Chevy Camaro's waiting along with Al Unser Jr. or Johnny Rutherford and see what he's got. If he can't handle it, fine, you've gotten some great publicity and maybe he'll attend in a different role. But if he is up for the task, you've hit gold.

Personally I'd much rather see a legend like Foyt, Mears, Unser, or Andrett leading the 33 cars around the historic 2.5 mile track. But the reasonings behind filling such a position shouldn't be made to satisfy me. They already have me, and if your reading this they probably all ready have you as well. The decision makers need to satisfy the outsider. They need to make a choice that creates a splash, and Bieber would create a huge one. He has 9.4 Million followers on Twitter, the 2nd most of anybody. Over half a billion views on his most recent YouTube music video. Billion as in B! Type a 'J' in Google and tell me what the search engine recommends. Justin Bieber is in the top 4. I guarantee you that if Justin was driving the pace car, more eyeballs would be on the television set than if he wasn't. How it would effect ratings or attendance I don't know, but the needle would move, and media coverage would grow. And that's exactly what we need.

Tung, Speed In At Dragon

2011-05-06T01:19:00.019-04:00

After parting ways with his de Ferran Dragon partners in the off-season, Jay Penske's revamped IndyCar team will field 2 cars at Indianapolis.

Both rookies, Ho-Pin Tung was signed earlier this week to run the #8 entry for Dragon Racing in collaboration with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Tung tested over the winter with FAZZT Race Team before it was bought out by Schmidt just days before the season opener.

The second entry and much more surprising of the two came late last night when the Penske confirmed the addition of Scott Speed to the team. Speed, whose competed in both F1 and NASCAR in recent years will run both the '500' and season finale at Las Vegas in the #20 Fuzzy's Vodka sponsored car.

The two announcements pushes the confirmed car/driver car count to 40 entries, with a few more last minute deals still possible.

Lloyd In At Coyne

2011-05-05T16:35:00.006-04:00

Missing the first four races of the season, Alex Lloyd will be back behind the wheel at Indianapolis. Lloyd has signed on to pilot the #19 Boy Scouts of America entry for Dale Coyne in the '500' and seven other ovals this season.

"I'm pumped to be back with the Dale Coyne Racing team, and running not only at Indy, but at the remaining oval track events in 2011," said Lloyd. "I think the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America team has a legitimate chance to win. I'm very excited to have this chance."

Sharing the ride with Sebastien Bourdais, who will run the remaining road and street courses, Lloyd will will team with DCR full-time pilot James Jakes
Lloyd finished last years Indianapolis 500 in 4th position.

Brazil Postponed To Monday

2011-05-01T20:07:00.001-04:00

After attempting to run Sunday's Sao Paulo Indy 300 in wet conditions, the red flag was quickly dropped putting an end to what was at that point a disastrous first few laps, but waved a bit to late for some.

Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Simona De Silvestro and Danica Patrick who were all involved in an early accident which resulted in the #78 entry sitting atop the #7, and a hand injury to Kanaan after his arm made contact with Patrick's car.

"I got hit from everywhere. I don't want to blame anyone because we couldn't see anything," said Kanaan. "I'm pretty sure I got hit from behind and hit from the side. And Danica's car came over top of mine and hit my hand pretty hard"

Luckily for Castroneves, De Silvestro, Patrick and TK, the race was red-flagged after 10 laps for 2 hours, 23 minutes, giving the opportunity for teams to repair crash damage. Following the lengthy delay, all 26 cars returned to the track at 4:25 local time in a failed attempt to restart the race.

The remaining laps will be picked up LIVE from Brazil at 8am est on VERSUS and the IMS Radio Network. With a scheduled green flag drop at 8:05, the race will resume on lap 15 with one hour, 19 minutes remaining in the two-hour timed event.

Restart order:

1* Conway

2 Power
3 Briscoe
4 Sato
5 Rahal
6 Franchitti
7 Andretti
8 Kimball
9 Tagliani
10 Servia
11 Saavedra
12 Viso
13 Dixon
14 Jakes
15 Hinchcliffe
16 Beatriz
17 Hildebrand
18 Wilson
19 Matos
20 Bourdais
21 Meira -2 Laps
22 Hunter-Reay -2 Laps
23 Castroneves -9 Laps
24 de Silvestro -9 Laps
25 Patrick -9 Laps
26 Kanaan -9 Laps

*On tail end of lead lap and will be waived around prior to the restart

Rice Signs With Panther For '500'

2011-04-29T07:11:00.002-04:00

Yet another TBA can be replaced on the 42-car Indianapolis 500 entry list announced earlier this month. Panther Racing announced late last night that 2004 Indianapolis 500 Champion Buddy Rice will join the team for Indianapolis.

"I’m pumped to be at Panther, and the intention is that we’ll be able to run more than Indy, but this is the first step, and I’m here to help JR and help the team,” Rice said. “The whole key for me coming back is that I wanted to be in competitive equipment and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to come back to Indy just to pound out laps, and given how competitive the series has become that’s how it has to be. I’ve had offers in the past that didn’t work out for different reasons, and I wasn’t coming back and driving unless I had the chance to run up front – that’s always been my goal. Panther is a team that can win the race so when I had the opportunity, I couldn’t say no.”

Not in an Indy Car since 2008, Rice will run the #44 Panther entry with sponsorship to be announced on a later date.

“Buddy and I have talked for years about him joining the team and never had an opportunity that aligned itself, so when this came about to run a second car at the Speedway, he was high on our list and he was excited about being a part of Panther,” Panther Managing Partner and CEO John Barnes said. “He’s going to make a huge impact on JR and his development, and from the time we decided Hildebrand was the future of our team we wanted to bring along a mentor and somebody that could help our entire team, and when the opportunity came along with Buddy, it was a no-brainer for us. We hope this isn’t a one-and-done thing; we want Buddy for more races this season, and we feel this opportunity is a win-win for all of us.”

Rice's announcement bumps the confirmed car/driver car count at Indianapolis to 37 entries.

Mann Lands '500' Ride

2011-04-19T12:57:00.001-04:00

After testing with the team over the off-season, Firestone Indy Lights veteran Pippa Mann has signed with Conquest Racing to run in next Month's Indianapolis 500.

“Having the chance to compete in the Indy 500 is something that we have been working extremely hard to bring to fruition over the winter," said Mann. "I tested with Conquest Racing earlier this year and given how well that test went, we have since been working tirelessly to put this deal together. The past few months have been a rollercoaster ride for me, and I’m just thrilled that we’re now able to tie things up."

The British rookie, who will run the #36 alongside teammate Sebastian Saavedra, started from the pole in last year's Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights race before being taken out by a spinning Jeff Simmons.

“I am delighted to confirm Pippa alongside Sebastian for the Centennial edition of the Indy 500," Conquest Racing Owner Eric Bachelart said. "Pippa is a natural on ovals and we could judge how good she is when we tested her about six weeks ago in Texas. She has been part of the team since then and we are all looking forward to working with her at the Speedway this year.”

Pippa marks the 36th confirmed car/driver combination entered into next month's Indianapolis 500, with 6 TBA entries still to unfold.

Be sure to check out the Q&A with Pippa just before her first IZOD IndyCar Series test back in February.

BHA Announces '500' Sponsorship

2011-04-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

Just two weeks after making official their driver for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta Autosport announced today their sponsorship package for the historic race.

For their 2nd consecutive year with BHA, William Rast has returned as the primary sponsor for Wheldon in his attempt to add a 2nd mini Borg to his collection. 2011 will mark William Rast's 4th straight year sponsoring an Indy 500 entry as they were behind Townsend Bell in 2008, Ryan Hunter-Reay in '09, and Sebastian Saavedra last season.

Running the #29 in last year's '500' and similar numbers full-time in the Firestone Indy Lights Series the past 3 seasons, the Herta entry was way down the Indy 500 entry list, sporting the #98, when announced earlier this week. The #98 will find itself on the rear wings of Wheldon's car while long-time sponsor Curb Records will have a spot on the engine cowling. Mike Curb and the Agajanian name will be returning to the sport for the first time since 2009.

'500' Victory Banquet Tickets Available

2011-04-15T12:53:00.001-04:00

The annual black-tie celebration normally reserved for drivers, teams, and VIPs following the Indianapolis 500 will be open to the public in 2011.

The revamped awards ceremony for the 100th Anniversary race will be presented by Ice Miller LLP, an Indianapolis law firm, on Monday, May 30 at the JW Marriott's Grand Ballroom in Indianapolis. With the doors opening at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 and awards at 7, tickets for the event vary at $125, $150 or $200 per person, depending on the location.

Joining Ice Miller LLP in 1929, Harry Ice represented Anton Hulman when purchasing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945.

You can order tickets by calling (800) 822-4639 (317) 492-6700.

2011 Indy 500 Entry List

2011-04-14T17:26:00.004-04:00

UPDATED: April, 19th 12:39pm est
42 entries with 83 cars including 4 former winners (Castroneves, Wheldon, Franchitti, Dixon) have entered the 95th running of the Indianapolis 500. 5 Rookies are also attempting to make the field including JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, James Jakes, Charlie Kimball, Pippa Mann and Jay Howard who's entering the month of May with a ride for the the 3rd time.

36 of the 42 entries have a confirmed driver leaving 6 TBA entries. Those yet to be announced rides are:

#8 - Dragon Racing
#16 - TBA
#19 - Dale Coyne Racing
#44 - Panther Racing
#57 - Sarah Fisher Racing
#89 - China Racing

The full entry list for the 100th Anniversary '500'...

#2/2T - Oriol Servia - Pals, Spain - Newman Haas
#3/3T - Helio Castroneves - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Team Penske
#4/4T - JR Hildebrand (R) - Sausalito, California - Panther Racing
#5/5T - Takuma Sato - Tokyo, Japan - KVRT - Lotus
#6/6T - Ryan Briscoe - Sydney, Australia - Team Penske
#7/7T - Danica Patrick - Roscoe, Ill. -Andretti Autosport
#8/8T - TBA - Dragon Racing
#9/9T - Scott Dixon - Auckland, New Zealand - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#10/10T - Dario Franchitti - Edinburgh, Scotland - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#11/11T - Davey Hamilton - Nampa, Idaho - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#12/12T - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Team Penske
#14/14T - Vitor Meira - Brasilia, Brazil - A.J. Foyt Racing
#16/16T - TBA - TBA
#17/17T - Raphael Matos - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - AFS Racing
#18/18T - James Jakes (R) - Leeds, England - Acorn Stairlifts - Dale Coyne Racing
#19/19T - TBA - Dale Coyne Racing
#22/22T - Justin Wilson - Sheffield, England - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#23/23T - Paul Tracy - Scarborough, Ontario - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#24/24T - Ana Beatriz (R) - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#26/26T - Marco Andretti - Nazareth, Pa. - Andretti Autosport
#27/27T - Mike Conway - Bromley, England - Andretti Autosport
#28/28T - Ryan Hunter-Reay - Boca Raton, Fla - Andretti Autosport
#30/30T - Bertrand Baguette - Verviers, Belgium - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
#34/34T - Sebastian Saavedra - Conquest Racing
#36/36T - Pippa Mann - Conquest Racing
#38/38T - Graham Rahal - New Albany, Ohio - Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing
#43/43T - John Andretti - Indianapolis, Indiana - Richard Petty/Andretti Autosport
#44/44T - TBA - Panther Racing
#57 - TBA - Sarah Fisher Racing
#59/59T - EJ Viso - Carcas, Venezuela - KVRT - Lotus
#67/67T - Ed Carpenter - Indianapolis, Indiana - Sarah Fisher Racing
#77/77T - Alex Tagliani - Lachenaie, Canada - Sam Schmidt Motorsports
#78/78T - Simona De Silvestro - Thun, Switzerland - HVM Racing
#82/82T - Tony Kanaan - Salvador, Brazil - GEICO – KVRT – Lotus
#83/83T - Charlie Kimball (R) - Camarillo, Calif. - Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
#88/88T - Jay Howard - Basildon, England - Sam Schmidt - RLLR
#89/89T - TBA - China Racing
#98/98T - Dan Wheldon - Emberton, England - Bryan Herta Autosport
#99/99T - Townsend Bell - San Luis Obispo, California - Sam Schmidt Motorsports
#06/06T - James Hinchcliffe - Toronto - Newman Haas Racing
#07/07T - Tomas Scheckter - Cape Town, South Africa - KVRT - SH Racing
#TBA/TBAT (#84 or #41) - Bruno Junqueira - AJ Foyt Racing

Legends To Run Historic Cars Before '500'

2011-04-14T03:24:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: April 19th, 4:27 pm est.
Just a day after announcing the planned world-record jump of more than a football field on the morning of the Indianapolis 500 next month, today the Indianapolis Motor Speedway released more details of pre-race festivities.

Eleven Indianapolis 500 winners representing 20 victories will pilot historic cars around the 2.5 mile track during pre-race ceremonies for the 100th Anniversary '500' mile race.

The legend pilot along with the car they'll drive:

Parnelli Jones - Ray Harroun's 1911 winning #32 Marmon Wasp
Kenny Brack - Juan Pablo Montoya's 2000 #9 Target sponsored G Force
Gil de Ferran - The #66 McLaren Mark Donohue drove to a victory in 1972
Tom Sneva - Sam Hanks' and Jimmy Bryan's 1957 and '58 winning Belond Salih Offy
Mario Andretti - 1939 & '40 Boyle Maserati winner driven by Wilbur Shaw
Arie Luyendyk - 1990 Lola Chevrolet #30 Arie drove to his first victory.
Bobby Rahal - 1928 #14 Louis Meyer winning Miller
Johnny Rutherford - #4 Pennzoil Chaparral JR drove to his 3rd win in 1980
Al Unser Sr. - Jim Clark's 1965 famous #82 Lotus powered by Ford.
Al Unser Jr. - 1947 & '48 Blue Crown Spark Plug Diedt/Offy winner driven by Mauri Rose.
Bobby Unser - Joe Dawson's #8 1912 winner with Bobby's wife Lisa in the riding mechanic's position.

Hot Wheels Indy 500 Stunt Announced

2011-04-13T01:13:00.000-04:00

Teased during the winter meetings held in Indianapolis in January, the plans for a Hot Wheels stunt were officially announced today.

Designed to simulate the popular Hot Wheels V-Drop toy set, a 100ft wall, designed to look like a bedroom door, will be erected supporting a 90ft ramp on the inside of turn four at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On race morning a masked stunt driver will pilot a car down the 16ft wide track attempting to jump 302ft, breaking the world-record.

Special ticket packages for the event can be purchased at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com