Curt Cavin reported yesterday that Alex Tagliani’s race engineer Allen McDonald had left his current SSM operation in favor of a return to Andretti Autosport. McDonald has a history with Andretti including winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2007 with Dario Franchitti. It was also reported that both Andretti and McDonald wanted this deal which further prompted Sam Schmidt to make some rather pointed comments at Michael in regards to his Shanghai tactics. The fact of the matter is while I respect the hell out of Sam Schmidt, he does not really have any room…
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Winning the 500 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin me as I sit and talk with Emily Jones about her summer internship with Bryan Herta Autosport. She gives us a first hand account of what it was like working with the team that won the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500! She also answers accusations of nearly assassinating 2/3rds or the Paddock crew. All in all it is a great account from start to finish of May and all the hard work that goes into winning the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’! We…
Read MoreIndyLights – Brutal Crash at Milwaukee by Jensen Motorsports
Mazda Road to Indy – 2011 Night Before the 500
I know this is rather tardy, but give a fella a break. Last weekend was extremely busy!! Keep in mind that first and foremost, we’re fans. Perhaps we have delusions of being media-types, but we do all have real jobs and real families and friends. We love what we’re able to do here at OpenPaddock, but on a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day, you’ll forgive us if we put our family and friends at the top of the schedule priority. Getting back to business, the Mazda Road to Indy…
Read MoreIndyCar – Motegi Is Back On But With Some Twists
The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami near the Honshu Prefecture in Japan certainly caused serious devastation throughout the entire country, and continues to be a source of chaos and disruption. Takuma Sato has been working very hard all season long to bring awareness and raise money for those who are suffering as a result, and recently on Bump Day in Indianapolis, he was signing t-shirts sold for a fundraiser for the children of Japan. You can learn more about Takuma’s and KV Racing Technologies efforts to help at http://kvracingtechnology.homestead.com/2011/2K11_About_WithYouJapan.html. Of…
Read MoreiRacing Virtual 500 – Bloggers’ Qualifier
Episode 91 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Shaun as they are fresh off of their trip to the fabled Brickyard! They round up an amazing Indianapolis 500 and bring you up to speed on other INDYCAR news going forward. We also discuss the Monaco Grand Prix and Mike says that I fire him to much because of his hair color. We also get into Rally Argentina and Sebastien L
Read MoreINDYCAR – Indy 500 Rewind
So we are now back in our houses and hopefully recooperated from a wild weekend! What a race for sure! The highlights are posted on the main page so feel free to view it over and over like I have been all day. I am not going to give you a lap by lap account as we sorta did that on Twitter as the event unfolded so instead I will break down the teams one by one and give a grade on their overall performance. Bryan Herta Autosport: A+ What…
Read MoreINDYCAR – Indianapolis 500 Highlights
INDYCAR – TCGR Will Keep Honda
It was announced this weekend that Target Chip Ganassi racing will be supplied by Honda next season once engine competition is aloud. There was heavy speculation that perhaps given Ganassi’s efforts in NASCAR, he would switch to Chevrolet power next year. The announcement is huge for Honda and seems as yet another hit to Andretti Autosport who was thought to be Honda’s ‘anchor’ team in 2012. Ganassi has been supplied by Honda dating back to the team’s days in the ChampCar World Series. The manufacturer backed the team to four…
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