Tag: Kanaan
IndyCar – Drivers Preview the Glen
Episode 42 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I and special guest Chris Estrada from IndyRacingRevolution.com and Foxsports.com. We break down Texas and all of the events contained in what turned out to be a pretty great race. We also talk Ogier and the circus that is Formula 1. A special thanks goes out to Chris for joining us and we look forward to having him on during the future.
Read MoreIndyCar – Grading to the 500
Just like that it is all over. The cleaning crews are clearing the soda and beer cans, Dario has won, and we all wait until next year to see what surprises the race holds. This year was one of the most controversial five hundred mile races in a long time because of the setup of the month. The month of May has always been a month and not just a two week event. So how did it fair? Lets take a look and grade the 94th Indianapolis 500. Practice: B+…
Read MoreIndyCar – Kansas Retrospective
Let’s be honest. We may have seen the last open-wheel race at the Kansas Speedway. The track is very capable of producing great racing. If you read my preview posts discussing the history of the IZOD IndyCar Series in Kansas City, you already know that. The track is the home of some of the closest finishes and most exciting racing in the history of IndyCar racing under Indy Racing League sanction. However, the event in recent years has been poorly promoted, and as a result its been poorly attended. Estimates…
Read MoreIndyCar – Live From Kansas: Quals Review
The rains from the morning finally ceased and the Kansas Speedway crew broke out the parade of trucks and the jet blowers to try and dry out the saturated track. As a result, IZOD IndyCar Series officials decided to push back the start time for qualifications from 4:30pm to 5:15pm. The delay was designed to allow teams and drivers to get at least two hours of practice time earlier in the afternoon, which was very welcome for all the competitors. Well, all perhaps except for Mario Romancini who backed his…
Read MoreIndyCar – Kansas Preview: Kansas Speedway 2007-2009
The Spring Years: 2007-2009 As exciting as the summer races at the Kansas Speedway were, the spring races have been lack-luster. During the 2007 race, the leaders ran away from the rest of the field. Dan Wheldon crossed the checkered and yellow flags ahead of the eventual season champion Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti as the race ended under caution. There was no doubt about who the winner was going to be, though. Dixon was definitely the class of the field that day. 3rd and 4th place finishers Helio Castroneves…
Read MoreIndyCar – Kansas Preview: Kansas Speedway 2001-2006
The Summer Years: 2001-2006 The first IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Kansas Speedway was held on July 8th, 2001. Those of you in the Midwest already know that no July 8th, surrounded by tarmac and concrete, it will be oppressively hot, and so it was for the first six races. Summertime in the Midwestern states, and especially in the central plains are brutal for both their high temperatures and high humidities. These conditions would challenge and tax both drivers and fans, but these years also produced some of the…
Read MoreIndyCar – New Fuel Probe for 2010
Hopefully a recently announced change to the refueling system for the 2010 IndyCar season will see a reduction in the number of premature drive-offs and fuel spills that lead to the fiery pit-lane incidents that we saw in 2009. Two such incidents stand out in my mind: Meira’s fire at Indianapolis, and Tony “The Torch” Kanaan’s fire in Edmonton. In both of these incidents, fuel was sprayed over the driver and car during a refueling stop and was ignited by the exhaust manifold. These situations are often caused by premature…
Read MoreIndyCar – Post-Sonoma Soap Opera
If you missed the Sonoma race this weekend, you missed a lot. For the first time in many seasons, I remained conscious for the entirety of the race at Infineon. Now before the haters start digging into me, let me say (and if you read my Mid-Ohio post you’ll know this to be true) I love road courses. In fact, the circuit at Sears Point, aka Sonoma, aka Infineon, is a heck of a lot of fun to drive. Sadly, its not a heck of a lot of fun, typically,…
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