Last week I enjoyed some “me time”. I decided to take the week off and get away from INDYCAR, enjoy the non-racing life before the season kicks off. A hobby I enjoy very much is target shooting. Like racing; it can be deadly at any moment, requires great concentration, and often participants get hooked and spend a fortune. Well I avoided the expensive part by not doing it since August. So last week was my first time back at the range in over six months. Needless to say I was…
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Indy Hump Day Report: Kanaan out for now, future could be “Own”
First driver to lose their ride in 2011; Tony Kanaan, four weeks before round 1. So the only bigger shock than Tony Kanaan being released by Andretti Autosport, TK being cut from de Ferran Dragon Racing, just a month before the season opener. They did avoid telling people who would be the sponsor when they announced this deal in December 2010. TK went to his native Brazil and was said to have secured some sponsors there. So if the de Ferran Dragon team is on the verge of collapse as…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, On the bubble: National Guard Cash?
Could Panther be looking for a new sponsor in 2012? (All views expressed are those of Spike Rogan, and not that of OpenPaddock.net) If Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota has her way, YES! Representative McCollum has proposed cutting the Department of Defense (DoD) spending on sponsorships. Mainly on auto racing. We learned last year that Panther has received about $30 million (over three seasons) of U.S. Tax Dollars from the DoD. We also learned that well over a million dollars was paid in salary to British Citizen, Dan Wheldon. Now the…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, On the bubble: Motegi!
Hey man, don’t Tweet-kill my buzz! Yes we all saw the IZOD INDYCAR Series get a ton of attention from a Twitter fight. Tomas Scheckter behaving like an 8th grade bully, taunting the emotionally weakest classmate on-line. Yeah sure Graham put it out there he was single, doesn’t excuse the childish behavior from the South African driver. I mean I talked about my father passing, is it then ok to make jokes about my dead father since, I mentioned it on-line? Only if you’re a total *******! While much of…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, on the bubble: Snow!
For those tired of snowmen, and snowballs, there is IZOD INDYCAR silly season. Well I would be a total liar if I said how great it was watching the 24 Hours of Daytona. Not because it was a particularly bad race, more because of two factors; first I was in the City of Philadelphia where Comcast is the lone cable provider and you can only get SPEED on the more expensive HD Sports package, and second I was helping a friend move.(Upside; Comcast dominates the Mid-Atlantic, Baltimore, D.C. , and…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, on the bubble: Double File Re-Starts (AGAIN)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadLunch with Randy and Simona This past Monday’s trip to Charm City was quite the informational voyage. Aside from the fact HVM had an amazingly tasty lunch spread in the middle of an announcement. They also was plenty of opportunity to talk with Simona de Silvestro, and IZOD INDYCAR Series CEO Randy Bernard. The Baltimore media was the dominant media in attendance, but was more a silent observer aside from a few obvious (and somewhat overused questions for female drivers). Myself; and the local…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, on the bubble: Lapped cars or fuel knobs
The great compromise In American history, the founders spent years working on proposals for what would be the civic structure of the United States. Many ideas were kicked around, and at times the debate became very heated. Well in 1787 what would be known as “The great compromise” or “The Sherman Compromise” would be made. It seems that in the early days, the delegation from Virginia had an idea that would benefit the larger states more than the smaller ones with membership to the lower and upper houses of the…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report, On the bubble: Rubber
Firestone, “Should I stay or should I go?” If they go (for the INDYCAR Series) it may be trouble, and if they stay (for Firestone management) it will be double. “So come on and let (you) know” should they stay or should they go? Well to be honest while they have been a good promoter of the Series and Indianapolis 500 over the last several years. They are not the sole force. IZOD has run far more advertising over the last two years than Firestone. (Not to mention Firestone uses…
Read MoreOP-ED – ALMS TV Deal A Future Model?
Today’s ALMS TV deal will undoubtedly benefit a series that is trying to pick up the pieces after a economic meltdown had it derailed. The American audience was treated to the premier sports car series via Speed and CBS last season. The upgrade to ESPN/ABC offers a lot more positives than negatives in a time where sponsor air time is key. For a series like ALMS that needs more sponsors, this could prove to be a dream come true. The deal today came from a healthy marriage between ALMS and…
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