One of the highlights of my traditional week and a half at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Carburetion Day. …and no, not for the “Has-Been Band-of-the-Year” concert. Besides, I trashed my animal-print spandex pants long ago, so no Poison concert for me. For one, Carb Day is a day I share at the track with my Dad as we watch the Firestone Indy Lights race from the stands above the suites just to the south of the Pagoda, after which we adjourn to our favourite Irish pub, the Claddagh, and…
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IndyLights – Firestone Freedom 100 Preview
As has been the case all season, and really the last couple of seasons, car counts continue to be low. There are only eleven entries for this year’s Firestone IndyLights Freedom 100, but among those eleven entries, there is some serious talent. At the top of the list is series veteran Carlos Muñoz. After a rocky start in the first three events of the 2012 season, he scored a P2 finish on Carburetion Day last year in what was an absolute knife fight of a race. This year, he will…
Read MoreIndyCar – Fast Friday Fotos
I’d love to have many more photos to, show you than just these, but unfortunately it appears that I’ve experienced one of those dreaded catastrophes that strike every photographer at some point. Memory car failure! I lost all of my wide-angle shots from Fast Friday today. 🙁 CARP! Fortunately, it’s early in the week, and there’s plenty of time to retake those lost shots. At least it didn’t happen on Race Day!
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Fall IMS Test Recap: Star Mazda
This past weekend, all three series that are part of the Mazda Road to Indy program tested for two days on the infield road circuit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While there were certainly many familiar faces present, including Star Mazda champ Tristan Vautier and USF2000 champ Petri Suvanto, there were also many new-comers testing at all three levels. We’ll break down the test not by day, but by series and look at how things went for the teams and what we can expect looking forward through the off-season and…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Fall IMS Test Recap: USF2000
This past weekend, all three series that are part of the Mazda Road to Indy program tested for two days on the infield road circuit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While there were certainly many familiar faces present, including Star Mazda champ Tristan Vautier and USF2000 champ Petri Suvanto, there were also many new-comers testing at all three levels. We’ll break down the test not by day, but by series and look at how things went for the teams and what we can expect looking forward through the off-season and…
Read MoreINDYCAR – Tagliani Storms to Pole!!
Pole position for the Indianapolis 500 has always been a big deal. The toughest four laps in motorsport to claim the honor of leading the field is on everyone’s radar. The day started very sunny and warm. Things would not be so sunny for Ryan Briscoe who would trash his car in turn 2 during morning practice. The team would scramble to get the backup car ready in time for their qualifying run. Luckily for them the 6T car was scheduled to qualify 34th. So there was plenty of time…
Read MoreIndyCar – In Memory of Tom Carnegie
OpEd – Top Five Most Influential Racing Circuits
Previously, I posted a rebuttal to the Fast Lane Daily Top Five Most Influential Drivers, and we had a good discussion about it. That conversation got me thinking, though. Drivers weren’t the only ones to have a significant influence on the motorsports landscape. Many of the circuits upon which those five drivers battled with their fellow competitors have a life and history of their own that make a single driver’s career seem insignificant by comparison. Here’s my top five, and I post these in no particular order of importance, merely…
Read MoreIndyCar – Flaming Texas Failure and the Decline of Safety in the IndyCar Series
Silvestro on Fire in Texas Simona de Silvestro’s effort at Texas came to an inglorious end on Saturday night. After an accident that left her stranded on track with the right sidepod spouting flames, it took the IndyCar travelling safety crew 40 seconds to extract her from the car. Apparently, the fire hose that they have attached to the safety truck failed and the fire bottles that they brought to bear on the blaze proved insufficient for the task. This resulted in one of the crew members forcefully yanking Simona…
Read MoreIndyCar – Indianapolis 500 Memories: Birthdays, Radios, and Radioactive Coolers
As part of our continuing series of short talks recalling favorite memories of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I had a great conversation with Dr. Dana Grove from Johnson County Community College (Go Cavs!) over lunch earlier in the week. Dana is quite literally a life-long fan of the Memorial Day Classic, who’s first birthday, and his upcoming birthday, falls on Race Day. What better way is there to celebrate your birthday than by singing Back Home Again in Indiana with 300,000 of your best…
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