What a long weekend! Friday was brutal hot, and Saturday was stormy and wet. Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the Firestone Indy Lights race which was delayed due to the afternoon thunderstorms. It started after the IZOD IndyCar Series race around midnight. Since we had to be back in Kansas City by 8am for another photo gig, the FIL race was a write-off. It’s a shame, since it sounds like it was a great race that few actually got to see. The Star Mazda race ended just…
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Indy Lights – Same-Day Airing of Iowa Sukup 100 This Saturday
That’s right SAME-DAY COVERAGE! NBC Sports has done a good job giving the Firestone Indy Lights air time this season by broadcasting every event, whether the IZOD IndyCar Series race was on NBCSN or ABC. Sure, the races were tape-delayed and usually shown on the following Thursday at a less-than-convenient time, but that’s what DVRs are for. However, those of us who are really thirsty for our Mazda Road to Indy action are loathe to wait so long and have been longing for the return of live, or at least…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Iowa Preview
This weekend, INDYCAR returns to the 7/8-mile oval at Iowa Speedway, an event that has always seen great crowds and has been the first taste many young drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy program have of high-banked, high-speed oval racing. This year, we will again see the Star Mazda Series and the Firestone Indy Lights series take to the track along side the IZOD IndyCar Series and the USAC Midgets and Silver Crown cars. If you love oval racing, it hardly gets better than this! It’s been a while…
Read MoreIndy Lights – A Follow-the-Leader Affair at MKE
While the Firestone Indy Lights cars and drivers put on a fantastic show at some venues with some outstanding racing action, that doesn’t seem to carry over to the Milwaukee Mile. Historically, there has been very little action at the world’s oldest racing circuit, and this year’s Firestone Indy Lights 100 at the Milwaukee IndyFest with practice, qualifying, and the race all held on single day, this past Friday, was no exception. The race was by and large a follow-the-leader affair with Sam Schmidt Motorsport with Curb-Agajanian’s driver of their…
Read MoreIndyLights – Photos from the 2012 Milwaukee IndyFest
Andretti Sports Marketing helped bring INDYCAR back to the oldest motor racing circuit in the world, The Milwaukee Mile. The schedule was VERY condensed so we only saw the Firestone Indy Lights and IZOD IndyCar Series compete as opposed to the full Mazda Road to Indy program and USAC that we saw last year, but the organization, promotion, and execution of the event was far more effective than last year’s event. What a great two days of racing! Here are the photos from the Firestone Indy Lights practice, qualifying, and…
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 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 MoreEpisode 139 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMike and Doug run amuck as Shaun enjoys time off and discuss all the silliness surrounding the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Lotus (Slowtus?) engines, and preview the Indianapolis 500, the Mazda Road to Indy races, WRC Rally Acropolis, and the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Read MoreIndy Lights – 1st Quarter Recap & Firestone Freedom 100 Preview
It’s been far too long since we’ve talked about the Firestone Indy Lights series. The first quarter of the 2012 season is over and the championship battle is tight! There were three different winners over the first three events, creating a situation where the top three in the championship are separated by one point each! Andretti Autosport’s Sebastian Saavedra leads the way with 129 points after finishing 3rd at the season opener in St. Petersburg, scooping Barber by winning from pole, leading the most laps, and setting the fastest race…
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