Episode 238 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFearless Leader Mike Whitesell and the ever intrepid John Olsakovsky holdown the fort as Shaw and Patterson attend to real life issues. Formula 1 gets relegated to circus status until they get their act together, the IndyCar Houston Grand Prix offered two extremely different races and is now off to Pocono, and the boys relay Shaw’s comments on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the Mt. Washington Hill Climb, and Rally Poland. OpenPaddock.net Podcast, Episode 238 – Tuesday, July 1, 2014 Summer angst and illness…

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IndyCar – Round 5: Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit Preview

What: Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit Where: Belle Isle Circuit, Detroit, MI Who: Scott Dixon led flag to flag in 2012, but the track has been changed and Hondas are struggling. Takuma Sato won the last road/street event at the Anhembi Circuit in Sao Paulo, but had a rather lackluster Month of May. Marco Andretti enters the race weekend as points leader, exhibiting his offseason efforts to become more consistent. When: 3:30pm EDT, ABC, both Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2  Storylines Tony Kanaan looks to continue the momentum from…

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IndyCar – Sato: Blocking or Fair Play?

Takuma Sato of A. J. Foyt Racing team

I don’t think you’ll find anyone who watched today’s Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 that didn’t think it was one of the best IndyCar races in a very long time. What you will find is a lot of controversy over A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato and his driving style in the final laps of the race. While defending his position first against Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s Josef Newgarden and finally Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe, it appeared to many that he actively blocked and chopped in front of his competitors. To…

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IndyCar – Round 4: Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 preview

What: 4th Annual Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 Where: Anhembi Sambadromo Circuit, Sao Paulo, Brazil Who: Will Power. In three races at the circuit, Power has three poles and three wins. Granted Power’s not having quite the start of the season he’s used to, you have to put him at the top of the list here simply because of his domination. Teammate Helio Castroneves enters the event as points leader, so being in front of the home crowd is sure to energize. Takuma Sato has been quick all season, but…

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IndyCar – Neely’s Nine: Field Rankings after Toyota GP Long Beach

Three rounds into the 2013 season, and we’re all still scratching our heads. No wins by Ganassi or Penske. Will Power has no podiums. Down is up. Left is right. The world is a flat out nutty place! As always, these rankings are purely subjective. If you disagree with my opinions, then we’ll pray for you. 1. Helio Castroneves #3 AAA/Turbo Team Penske Chevrolet (Previously #1) Helio leaves Long Beach with his points lead intact, which is all he could really ask for anyway. He wasn’t as quick as he’s…

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IndyCar-Turning Laps With Ease: Sato Takes Long Beach

After many near misses, Takuma Sato finally took his maiden victory in the IZOD IndyCar Series on the Streets of Long Beach this past Sunday, holding off Graham Rahal in his best result to date for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Justin Wilson captured his first podium of the season in Third Position for Dale Coyne Racing. The win is AJ Foyt Enterprises’ first win since Airton Dare finished first at Kansas Speedway on July 7, 2002. The last Road/Street course victory for the team came at the Silverstone Circuit in…

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Indycar-Top Stories of 2012 Part 2

In the first installment in this series, I broke down what I considered storied 6-10 of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. We talked about Rubinho, Mike Conway, the Detroit Pothole, Hinch’s fast start and Ed Carpenter winning the final race yet again. Now it’s time to wrap up the top 5 stories of the 2012 season. Story #5-The finish of the Indy 500 As the laps counted down during the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Tony Kanaan found himself in the lead late in the race. Unable to hold off Franchitti, Dixon…

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IndyCar – 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…

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INDYCAR – Dixon Finally Breaks Through at Mid-Ohio

When you talk about luck this year, Scott Dixon has easily had some of the worst. There have been a number of drivers suffer, but driving for a team like Ganassi, Dixon’s stood out a bit more than the rest. Sunday however, it finally took a turn in the right direction as the New Zealand driver stormed to his first victory of the year. Here are just a few of my thoughts overall. Passing: Heading into Mid-Ohio, one should never expect much passing. The course is just not conducive to…

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IndyCar – 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…

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