Here are some of the more pertinent quotes from today’s press conference with Kurt Busch, who tested an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today and completed all three phases of the Rookie Orientation Program. Quotes courtesy Indycar PR/Amy Konrath. MODERATOR: Kurt, first impressions? You spent two days here last week in a Cup car and today was a completely different feel. What are your thoughts? KURT BUSCH: Just an incredible feeling to be able to drive at Indianapolis in May in and IndyCar and have the name Andretti on it. …
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Episode 187 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadKevin has the plague this week, so Mike, Doug, and Mike are given free reign of the controls! Whitesell and Patterson debate Sato’s driving and Barfield’s non-call, we recap Indy Lights testing at IMS, BRIEFLY preview F1’s return to Europe, and Shaw brings us all the gory details of the Oregon Trail Rally and Loebs return and dominance at Rally Argentina. Show Notes Preview IndyCar – Sao Paulo has a new Mayor, despite incumbent’s attempts to block his election, and yes Virginia, it’s May!…
Read MoreIndyCar-Conor Daly enters Indy 500 with Foyt
Today, A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Conor Daly made the worst kept secret in IndyCar official; young Conor will pilot A.J.’s #41 entry at this year’s Indianapolis 500. Conor had a quite successful offseason test with the Foyt team, leading to speculation that he might do the entire IZOD IndyCar Series schedule as his European aspirations hung in the balance. Funding eventually materialized, leading Conor to return to Gp3 with the ART team, and even getting a shot at GP2 in Malaysia. Daly, a 21 year old from Noblesville, IN, is…
Read MoreIndyCar-2013 Social Media Guide
Here we are at the start of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Season, so it’s time to make sure all your social media bookmarks and follows are up to date. I’ve put together this handy 2013 Season Social Media Guide to help you all Twitter your Facebook and Instagram your Pinterest. As always, you’ll want to start your Social Media bookmarking with us! Open Paddock on Facebook Open Paddock on Twitter And hows about giving me a follow on Twitter as well! Kevin Neely on Twitter Indycar Website Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr…
Read MoreIndycar-Zen and the Art of Relevance
Hooray for sinus infections. I’ve had one for the better part of this week. Instead of suffering through another day at the office, I elected to stay home and rest up a bit. On the tube right now is a replay of the Daytona 500. Undoubtedly, NASCAR is the benchmark of motorsports here in the United States. I can remember a time not so long ago when Indycar drivers were the household names and NASCAR was pretty much a regional series. Now things are pole shifted; NASCAR drivers are widely…
Read MoreIndycar-Silly Season 2013 Update
For once, the lineup for the IZOD Indycar Season seems to be pretty much set well before the first race. Usually we find teams scrambling around just prior to the green flag in St. Pete looking for drivers with funding to fill out the field. This year, there have already been plenty of lineup announcements with only a handful of possible seats remaining. Here’s how things currently shape up. Team Penske Helio Castroneves and Will Power are both confirmed for the 2013 season for all events. Penske filed an application…
Read MoreIndycar-IMS, Indycar Leadership Changes
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 MoreIndycar-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.…
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