Tag: INDYCAR
IndyCar – Powering Towards the Championship
The IZOD IndyCar Series starts a stretch of three ovals this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway and with it, the prospect of a championship shift. Will Power currently leads the championship by 36 points over Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon. One could look at this stretch of three races as the point in the season where Dixon really takes the fight to his Penske rival. However, the number and type of ovals on the schedule this year will really benefit Power and may see him take the lead back…
Read MoreIndycar-Detroit Grand Prix-Dixon Dodges Ditch Disaster
Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon absolutely dominated the competition on Belle Isle to handily win the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Dixon not only won the race, but he also won pole and led every lap. As most everyone predicted, there wasn’t much happening up front between Dixon’s dominance, the tight ARMCO and concrete canyons of the Belle Isle Circuit, the neutered track layout and EJ Viso doing a fabulous job holding up traffic for 27 mind numbing laps. Oh, then the track started coming apart. It’s a…
Read MoreEpisode 141 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Shaun as they cover the IZOD IndyCar Series from Belle Isle in Detroit. It was a rough weekend with plenty of blame to go around. Shaun launches a tirade against the team owners and Mike tries to bring sanity back to the show…but it is too late. We also talk aero kits and China. Are we going to China? Are we not? We discuss. We also have the brief wrap up of events going on around the world. Enjoy the show!
Read MoreIndy Lights – Belle Isle Recap
Who says you can’t pass at Belle Isle? No one told the Firestone Indy Lights drivers that! On a weekend that ended on a sour note as the aging circuit began to disintegrate half-way through the IZOD IndyCar Series race, the Firestone Indy Lights series proved that Belle Isle could provide good, exciting racing. Qualifying: The car-count woes continue to plague the Firestone Indy Lights series as only 14 entries signed up for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix at Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Of those fourteen, only…
Read MoreIndycar-Power Rankings After Round 5 of 16
Around 1/3rd of the way through the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series schedule, and we’re still seeing tight competition all the way through the grid. Yes, every race this season has been won by a “Red Car,” Will Power has won three of five races, and Penske/Ganassi cars have dominated Pole Position. It doesn’t feel like the overwhelming dominance by the “Red Cars” this year like it has in the past though. Perhaps it’s masterful drives by guys like James Hinchcliffe, Simon Pagenaud and the post-Lotus Oriol Servia. Maybe it’s the…
Read MoreEpisode 140 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun returns after a two week break to talk all about the 96th Indianapolis 500. Join Shaun and Mike as they talk all about the happenings this past weekend and break down what has been called one of the best Indy 500s ever. The show uses the new format with a primary focus on the IZOD IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy. We do briefly cover a couple F1 and rally topics at the end. Given the new format, you may be disappointed…
Read MoreMRTI – Night Before the 500 As Seen From the Grassy Knoll
Yes, I was the lone shooter on the grassy knoll Saturday night at the Lucas Oil Raceway watching the Night Before the 500 races for the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and the USAC Mopar Midget National Championship. I did something that I haven’t done in a long while, I sat in a lawn chair, drank some beer, smoked a cigar, and enjoyed simply watching a night of auto racing! Ok, I did bring my camera with me,…
Read MoreIndyCar – Indy Not Franchitti Bites Sato
It was a battle that lasted but one corner. However, it turned out to be THE battle for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. As Takuma Sato crossed the start/finish line to collect the white flag, all he could think about was getting around Dario Franchitti to be the first car to the checkered flag. It almost worked….almost. Coming off of a balls of steel pass on Scott Dixon the lap before, Takuma dove to the inside of Franchitti into turn one and bobbled. The car made massive impact…
Read MoreIndyLights – 2012 Firestone Freedom 100 Recap
As usual, the Firestone Freedom 100, held on Carburetion “Carb” Day, featured some of the closest and most exciting racing you’re ever going to see! The cars have enough downforce that the drivers can put them nearly anywhere on the 2.5-mile oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that they like. The result is crazy, insane, four-wide racing down the front stretch and two- or even three-wide racing around the turns! …ok, usually the three-wide in the turns stuff doesn’t always work out so well. This year’s race went a little…
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