Fast Friday This weekend’s qualifying for the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race started with questions, albeit not the usual ones. The new format did away with the traditional Pole Day and Bump Day. And lets not forget the points for qualifying and the Fast 9, making starting position mean far more than pit selection. When IndyCar turned up the boost for practice on Friday, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay both posted laps in the 231mph range and Marco Andretti laid down a 232.2mph lap. Of those, only Hunter-Reay’s was truly…
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Spike’s World: Can anyone hear IndyCar?
We have all heard the saying, “If a tree fell in the woods and no one was there, would it make a sound?”. In this case, the woods are IMS, and the sounds? Everything from Carb Day coverage to Pole Day radio coverage. Did it ever make a sound? Last weekend I had to drive to Chester, Pennsylvania for an MLS game. During the rain delay at IMS, the IMS radio network informed listeners on affiliates they would be going off the air until 4:30 PM. I had it on…
Read MoreIndycar -Andretti Autosport unveils 2013 liveries
For the first time since 2007, the reigning champion of a U.S. open wheel series will run the number one. Ryan Hunter-Reay has elected to use the number for the 2013 campaign, but with a slight twist. On his 2013 DW-12 powered by Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay’s number is bisected by the number 28. Ryan’s connection with the number 28 is actually quite significant. The number 28 represents 28 million people worldwide living with cancer. Hunter-Reay because an outspoken supporter of cancer charities after the death of his mother from colon cancer…
Read MoreGreat win to help the series grow, unless you live by Marco
So if a tree falls in the woods, will anyone hear it? If a third generation INDYCAR star wins, will his home media market hear of it? Yes and no respectively. Marco Andretti had an impressive win last night in Iowa. INDYCAR fans were thrilled to see a non-“red car” win. Andretti showing he is in the big series not just because of his last name. Marco is America’s first winner in the series for 2011. Yet here in the Philadelphia media market (which myself and Marco call home), you…
Read MoreIndyCar – Andretti Autosport Announced
Michael Andretti has completed dealings with former team co-owners Kevin Savoree and Kim Green. As was announced previously, Michael Andretti is now the sole owner of Andretti Autosport, while Green and Savoree have taken over ownership of what was previously Andretti Green Promotions which promotes the Toronto and St. Petersburg IndyCar races. Andretti says that they will stick with a four driver lineup next year, but we await official announcements of who all of those drivers will be. Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti are locked in with the newly named…
Read MoreIndyCar – Post-Sonoma Soap Opera
If you missed the Sonoma race this weekend, you missed a lot. For the first time in many seasons, I remained conscious for the entirety of the race at Infineon. Now before the haters start digging into me, let me say (and if you read my Mid-Ohio post you’ll know this to be true) I love road courses. In fact, the circuit at Sears Point, aka Sonoma, aka Infineon, is a heck of a lot of fun to drive. Sadly, its not a heck of a lot of fun, typically,…
Read MoreIndyCar – 1st Dry Practice at Brickyard
Due to yesterdays typical Indiana weather, ROP was cut short and practice was canceled due to rain. A further ROP session was added for this morning and today’s practice got an early start at 10:30 am to make up for lost time yesterday. While the weather remained threatening all day, the teams took full advantage of today’s extended practice in preparation for qualifying. Marco set quick time today at 225.478 mph followed by Helio at 225.237 mph. While Marco admitted that his time was increased by a tow, Helio danced…
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