The month of May is always special in Indianapolis. All the IndyCar teams are flat-out testing and developing their race cars. I was fortunate to get to attend Pole Day this year for the first time, and what a day that was! Ed Carpenter lit up the field with his impressive pole run, and also to see Carlos Munoz qualify 2nd for the 500 was great. This really was amazing by him to out-qualify his seasoned teammates. Practice and Qualifying The FIL cars weren’t on track until Thursday with one…
Read MoreIndyLights – Peter Dempsey: Thoughts and Insights from Long Beach
It’s been a while since my last blog entry for OpenPaddock.net, and a lot has happened since then! Long Beach ended before it started, an amazing four wide finish win in the Freedom 100, and a trip back to Ireland to get my visa extension and to see some family. I am going to fill you in on how I made it through all this crazy stuff over the past few weeks. Let’s start off with the race weekend on April 24th at one of my favorite streets courses, the…
Read MoreIndyCar – Former IndyCar/NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Killed in Sprint Car Crash
BRIDGEPORT, NJ (June 12, 2013)– Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Jason Leffler was killed at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey when his Sprint Car flipped during a 412 Sprint race. Leffler was transported from the scene via helicopter, where he was later pronounced dead. Leffler’s upper level racing career began in USAC, where he was a three time National Midget Champion and the 1998 Silver Crown Champion. He made 4 Nationwide Series starts for Roger Penske in 1999 while also pursuing an IRL career. He made his first IRL start…
Read MoreIndyCar – Round 9: Milwaukee IndyFest Preview
What: Milwaukee IndyFest 2013 Where: The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, WI Who: Defending IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay also happens to be the defending race winner. Helio Castroneves comes to the Mile as the most recent oval winner. Unfortunately, The Mile hasn’t exactly been kind to him; in 11 starts, Castroneves has 2 top 10’s with a best finish of 2nd way back in his first appearance at the track in 1998 with Bettenhausen Racing. When: Saturday, June 15 at 4pm EDT. NBC Sports Network Storylines This was where…
Read MoreEpisode 192 – OpenPaddock.net
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFearless Leader Shaun Pechin returns to the show and brings a new level of sketch to the joint! Shaun lets loose with six months worth of saved up rants and diatribes about …well… everything! Neely, Whitesell, Shaw, and Patterson try to get in word in edgewise as we talk about the IndyCar infomercial from Texas and Team Penske’s penalty, we preview the Mazda Road to Indy action this weekend in Milwaukee, and review the Kansas City Region SCCA Solo Event #6. Whitesell leads us…
Read MoreIndyCar – Team Penske Docked $35,000 For Texas Violation
INDIANAPOLIS (June 11, 2013)– Helio Castroneves’ #6 Team Penske entry was docked 15 entrant points and $35,000 today for vioating rules involving the underwing tunnel exits. This is a violation of Rule 14.6.4.11, which states 14.6.4.11 The exit of the underwing height is 7.600 inches with a tolerance of 0.050 inches and minus 0.00 inches. This is actually a pretty serious rules violation. Experts I’ve spoken with say that by raising the underwing exit height, more downforce is generated, allowing the car to stick to the track better. By raising…
Read MoreFormula One – UPD: Track Marshall Killed Following Accident
MONTREAL (JUNE 9, 2013)– A track marshall is in critical condition in a Montreal hospital following a tragic accident near the end of today’s Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Giles Villeneuve. On Lap 66, the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez slid off track in Turn 1 and into a tire barrier. In the extraction process, marshalls were on track using a left to remove the car. One of the marshalls appeared to trip next to the lift and fell onto the track. the marshall was then struck by an unnamed…
Read MoreIndyCar – Penske Finally Breaks Through: Helio Wins Texas
FORT WORTH (JUNE 8, 2013) — After an unprecedented start to the season with seven different winners (including two first time winners) over the first eight races and no winners from Team Penske or Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Helio Castroneves finally broke through with a win for the “red cars” in the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. Defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay finished second, continuing a spectacular season for the Andretti Autosport team. 2013 Indianpolis 500 Champion Tony Kanaan brought the SUNOCO/Turbo ride home in third for…
Read MoreSCCA – Double-Header at Heartland Park Topeka
IndyCar wasn’t the only racing series doing a double-header last weekend, the Kansas City Region and the Kansas Region of the Sports Car Club of America held a joint double-header event at Heartland Park Topeka. While the Kaw Valley Race Group played on the road course, we held a Solo event on Saturday and Sunday on the south lot, a nice wide-open swath of asphalt that was a nice departure from the confining orthogonal grid layout at our usual site. This joint event was also our Military Appreciation Weekend where…
Read MoreIndyCar – KV Racing adds SUNOCO as sponsor for Tony Kanaan
INDIANAPOLIS (June 5, 2013)- KV Racing Officials announced today that SUNOCO has been added to Tony Kanaan’s sponsorship package for races in the 2013 season in conjunction with the release of the movie Turbo. The sponsorship agreement covers Texas, Iowa, Pocono and Mid-Ohio. Kanaan will drive a car painted to look like the SUNOCO car featured in the movie. This deal rounds out Kanaan’s sponsorship needs for the 2013 season. Kanaan is the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, as well as the 2013 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Champion. He is…
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