Garage 36 – Ep 1: Jason Penix

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Welcome to our newest segment here at OpenPaddock.net: Garage 36. In this segment, we will bring you the news, happenings, and inside scoop from Indy Downforce, the official fan club of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone Indy Lights, and the Road to Indy. You’ve heard us talk about Indy Downforce on the podcast, but now you’ll get a much closer look at the club and how being a member can greatly enhance your experience on race weekends and beyond. Our first guest…

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Road2Indy – Congratulations to our 2010 Champions

OpenPaddock.net wishes to extend our congratulations to the 2010 champions of the USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship powered by Mazda. Both series are official parts of the new Road to Indy program designed to produce a clear path for young drivers to advance through the ranks and eventually race at the top level of American open-wheel racing, the IZOD IndyCar Series. US F2000 Sage Karam dominated the reborn US F2000 National Championship from start to finish, including dominating wins at…

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TV – Weekend Racing Schedule for Sept 24, 25, and 26.

Formula 1 is back on track! …well, such as the track may be. The Singapore GP is this weekend, and it really is a great spectacle, even if the racing action is junk. Being on the opposite side of the planet as the US is mitigated a bit by the fact that the race will be at night. The practice, qualifying, and race will be broadcast by Speed at sensible times of the morning. Cool! Formula 1 cars under the lights, even if the racing isn’t great, is always a…

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Road to Indy – Night Before The 500 Summary and Photos

Summary and Quotes Saturday night, the Night Before the 500, saw the first visit to an oval for the US F2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Unlike the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race the next day which was brutally hot, the weather was perfect. We sat in the Turn 1 grass and enjoyed the mild temps and the gentle breeze as we watched the future of open-wheel racing do battle on the 5/8-mile paved oval at the O’Reilly Raceway…

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Road to Indy – Test Results Are In!

Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the US F2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear held a test on the 5/8-mile oval at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. For many of the drivers, this was not just their first time driving on an oval circuit, it was their first time BEING at an oval circuit! That didn’t seem to intimidate some as some blindingly quick times were posted. US F2000 Test Of the teams that tested at ORP on…

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Star Mazda – An Introduction and Brief History

Introduction The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will return to the O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis to again be part of the Night Before the 500 event. This time, the series will appear as an official part of the Road to Indy program along side the US F2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda. The USAC Midgets will also appear, but expect the fastest times to come from the Star Mazda cars. Already in testing last week, Conor Daly was a full two-tenths faster than…

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USF2000 – The Season So Far and Drivers On The Move

The 2010 US F2000 National Championship Season The US F2000 National Championship opened their season on March 27th and 28th along with Star Mazda and the Firestone Indy Lights on the Streets of St. Petersburg as support races to the IZOD IndyCar Series. It was a weekend of great open-wheel racing, torrential rainstorms aside. So good in fact, the officials decided, “What the heck! Let’s play two!” Ok, perhaps it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the series did run two races that weekend. The class of the field that weekend…

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US F2000 – A Brief History and Introduction

The new US F2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda will make its debut at the O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on Saturday May 29th, the night before the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. They will be part of a larger celebration of speed, The Night Before The 500, which will also feature the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, and USAC Midgets. It should be a great night of racing, and you can bet that the whole OpenPaddock staff will be there. History of F2000 and…

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IndyCar – Night Before the 500

This year’s Memorial Day weekend will be an even larger speedfest than usual for fans of open-wheel racing. For the past seven years, the Firestone Indy Lights series has had their Firestone Freedom 100 race on Carburetion Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition, there’s also plenty of midget and sprint car action throughout central Indiana the weekend of the 500. Most famously are the Night Before The 500 USAC midget race at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, IN. This…

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