Indianapolis, IN: Interim INDYCAR CEO Jeff Belskus named Doug Boles as Chief Operating Officer of IMS and Robby Greene Interim COO of INDYCAR. These moves take effect immediately, and are believed to be at the recommendation of Boston Consulting Group, a team of advisers hired by Hulman & Company to analyze the structure and efficiency of INDYCAR and IMS management. Doug Boles, who had been serving as IMS Communications VP, has also been involved in Indycar as a co-owner of Panther Racing in the series’ early days. His background as an attourney,…
Read MoreAuthor: John Olsakovsky
@JohnTheRaceFan
Indycar-2013: A New Hope
January is a pretty amazing month for this racing fan. The first Saturday in January is always the Monster Supercross Series season opener in Anaheim. It’s also the weekend of the Roar Before the 24; Grand-Am’s testing weekend for the Rolex 24. The Dakar Rally is in full swing. Next weekend is NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder in Daytona. All across the world, kids are in their family garages prepping karts for summer racing, guys are hunched over old Toyota Corollas for their local Pony Stock series, and somewhere in the midwest,…
Read MoreIndycar-Top Stories of 2012 Part 2
In the first installment in this series, I broke down what I considered storied 6-10 of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. We talked about Rubinho, Mike Conway, the Detroit Pothole, Hinch’s fast start and Ed Carpenter winning the final race yet again. Now it’s time to wrap up the top 5 stories of the 2012 season. Story #5-The finish of the Indy 500 As the laps counted down during the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Tony Kanaan found himself in the lead late in the race. Unable to hold off Franchitti, Dixon…
Read MoreIndycar-Top 10 Stories of 2012 Part 1
This past season may have been one of the best seasons Indycar has experienced in many years. An unexpected champion, engine competition, a bold new chassis and famous fresh faces all made 2012 a season for the record books. But, like most things Indycar, stupidity in the background overshadows good on the track. I’ve been giving some thought on the 2012 season and how it played out. In this two part series, I’ll break down what I felt were the top ten stories of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series season.…
Read MoreOpEd-Twas The Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas and at Open Paddock All the writers were dining on freshly caught Haddock The stockings were hung on the mantle with twine Cause all of the budget was spent on FCC fines Shaun was snuggled all cozy in bed As visions of Ken Block raced through his head Then Doug with a T-Shirt and Mike with House Shoes Passed Mike Shaw as we all went for a snooze When out in the drive there arose such a noise I instantly knew it had to be…
Read MoreGrand-Am—Ganassi Announces Rolex 24, Season Plans
This morning, Chip Ganassi Racing announced both their plans for the 2013 season as well as the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Returning to the 01 Telmex BMW-Riley are Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, who are making a run at their fourth consecutive Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype championship. Pruett and Rojas have essentially been on top of the DP Series since 2008, only missing out on the championship in 2009 to the Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty duo at Gainsco/Stallings Racing. Pruett has five DP Series championships while his co-driver Memo Rojas…
Read MoreSimon Pagenaud added to Rolex 24 entry list
IZOD Indycar Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud has agreed to co-pilot Team Sahlen’s entry at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Joining Wayne Nonnamaker and Dane Cameron in the #42 BMW Riley, Pagenaud brings extensive sports car racing experience to the first year Daytona Prototype team. Previously, Team Sahlen has fielded cars in Grand-Am’s GT and GS classes. 2013 marks the team’s graduation to the Daytona Prototype ranks. Pagenaud’s only previous Grand-Am Series start came in a ST Series race at Laguna Seca, Where he finished in 6th…
Read MoreIndycar-Fuzzy’s Triple Crown announced
Indiana based Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka has announced they are sponsoring the revival of Indycar’s Triple Crown. If a driver can win the Indianapolis 500 Mile race, Pocono Indycar 400 and the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway, that driver is set to take home a $1,000,000 bonus from Fuzzy’s. If a driver can take two of the three events, the prize is $250,000. Fuzzy’s has previously been committed to the Indycar series as the official Vodka of Indycar and sponsor of Ed Carpenter’s racing efforts. The expansion of Fuzzy’s…
Read MoreIndycar -Andretti Autosport unveils 2013 liveries
For the first time since 2007, the reigning champion of a U.S. open wheel series will run the number one. Ryan Hunter-Reay has elected to use the number for the 2013 campaign, but with a slight twist. On his 2013 DW-12 powered by Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay’s number is bisected by the number 28. Ryan’s connection with the number 28 is actually quite significant. The number 28 represents 28 million people worldwide living with cancer. Hunter-Reay because an outspoken supporter of cancer charities after the death of his mother from colon cancer…
Read MoreIndycar-Breaking News: Belskus named CEO; Miles takes Hulman & Co
Several reliable sources are now reporting that interim Indycar CEO Jeff Belskus is now the CEO of Indycar, and has been replaced by Mark Miles as CEO of Hulman & Company. This anticipated move allows Belskus to devote his time to getting the Indycar Series back on its feet without having to divide his time. This marks Belskus’ second stint as CEO of the series. He last took charge of the series after Tony George’s ouster as leader, serving as the interim CEO before Randy Bernard was hired. He has…
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