A Racer’s Life

10/17/2011 By 3 Comments

Once tragedy strikes like it did yesterday when reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon lost his life, the natural instinct is to try to find who or what is to blame and ask why.

The simple answer to both questions is racing in and of itself is dangerous. It always has been and will always be. Whether you want to admit it or not, we all know that’s part of the allure of the sport.

However, that doesn’t mean we don’t grieve when tragedy strikes.

We do.

Wheldon was a talented driver who twice piloted cars to victory in the most prestigious race in the United States. He was a charismatic spokesman for a series struggling to find its way back into the American sports landscape, and by all accounts a wonderful husband and father.

But Wheldon at his core was a racer. With that comes the knowledge that when you climb behind the wheel, you do so with the awareness that you’re putting your life in constant peril.

Although racing is far and away safer than at any point in its history, it still comes with inherent risks.

No matter what safety measures are put in place or how safe a car is constructed, in actuality it doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day unforeseen things can and will continue to happen.

Something Wheldon was all too aware.

Before Sunday, the last IndyCar fatality was in the 2006 opening season event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the final practice session, rookie Paul Dana coming off Turn 2 struck the disable car of Ed Carpenter. The 30-year-old Dana did not survive his injuries. When the 300-mile race was run later that day, the winner was none other than Wheldon.

If Wheldon needed further a reminder of the dangers of his occupation, his car owner Sunday was Sam Schmidt, a former IndyCar winner whose career came to a halt after a preseason testing accident left him a quadriplegic. Ironically, Schmidt’s lone series victory came on the same track which claimed his driver’s life.

Call it an occupational hazard if you will, but to become a championship winning driver which Wheldon was, means accepting the risks.

But that doesn’t make Wheldon’s death any less tragic.

Running 34 cars wheel-to-wheel on a mile-and-a-half track with speeds in excess of 215mph is a recipe for disaster. Series officials, drivers, members of the media and fans alike all knew this. Yet, despite their collective misgivings, everyone still gathered Sunday preparing for the season-ending IndyCar World Championships.

On lap 12 everyone’s biggest fear turned into a harsh, cruel reality.

A 15-car incident which saw multiple cars fly through the air, and in its wake left a debris field resembling a war zone, cost the sport one of its biggest and brightest stars.

None of us expected it to happen. Certainly no one wanted it to happen. But when it did, no one was surprised that it did happen.

That’s what makes auto racing different than any other sport. This is why the quote once uttered by Ernest Hemmingway rings so true.

“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”

 

 

If you would like to contact the author of this post, simply click here, and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media/Getty Images

Filed Under: IndyCar, Sub-Feature, Wheldon

Indianapolis 500 Preview

05/28/2011 By Leave a Comment

In lieu of a straightforward preview, here are 33 questions, things to know, observations, predictions, rambling and more about the centennial edition of the Indianapolis 500

1. Danica Patrick may get the most attention – sometimes deservingly so, other times not – but there’s another female racer who should get some recognition. Her name is Simona de Silvestro, and last Saturday she raced her way in the field in a backup car nonetheless after suffering second-degree burns on both hands in a fiery wreck during practice that also saw her get upside down. She may not have the charisma of Danica, but she does have the talent, and maybe more of it. Although she won’t be a factor on Sunday, the Swiss driver is the real deal. To the point, it’s quickly becoming apparent that she has the talent worthy of a ride with a one of IndyCar’s premiere teams. One that can provide her equipment that better matches her immense talent. Hopefully in Danica’s absence next year, de Silvestro will get the attention she rightfully deserves.

2. Just about every driver is leery about the double-file restarts which will be used Sunday for the first time at Indianapolis. There is concern that with rubber buildup on the outside of the track, the upper groove will be the equivalent of trying to skate on ice wearing bowling shoes. However, with fans having been adamant that they like seeing cars lineup side-by-side coming to the green flag, series president Randy Bernard continues to state no changes are forthcoming.

Personally, I’ve grown sick of listening to some of the best drivers in the world bitching about a rule that the majority of sanctioning bodies use when racing on an oval. My advice is this, if you want to be perceived as a world-class driver, start acting like it and stop the endless whining. You’re doing yourself no favors with the motorsports public.

3. Despite the egg they laid in qualifying, the expectation is the three Team Penske cars should be up front on raceday. Helio Castroneves is a three-time 500 winner and knows this track as well as anyone, if not better. Though Ryan Briscoe often suffers from a lack of focus, he generally is always formidable on the ovals. And Will Power was the one Penske driver who didn’t embarrass himself on Pole Day, and is considered one of the favorites by many smarter than me.

4. On the subject of Will Power, I still find it strange that even though he’s never won a race on an oval in 21 career starts, he is being lumped in with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti as one of the three prohibitive favorites. While it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for a driver to get their first oval win at Indy, there is a reason Power is still winless on a track where you only turn left.

5. There has been a lot of buzz this week that Danica Patrick will be heading to NASCAR fulltime at the end of the year when her contract is up with Andretti Autosport. Although, it may be all but a done deal, that doesn’t necessarily mean that this will be Ms. Patrick’s last start in the race where she made a name for herself seven years ago with a sterling third-place run. Assuming she runs a full Nationwide Series schedule in 2012 as ESPN said she would, her schedule would still allow her to compete in the 500 if she so chooses. However, this is all speculation at this point, as Danica herself said the rumors of her leaving for NASCAR are just that, rumors.

6. A lot has been made about Andretti Autosport buying the car originally qualified by Bruno Junqueira so that Ryan Hunter-Reay was guaranteed a ride in the 500. Here’s my take on it. What Andretti Autosport did, while not completely on the up-and-up, wasn’t unprecedented. Nor was it against the rules. If we’re being honest here, it’s something many teams would have done if they were in the same position.

If series officials don’t like it and feel as if it takes away some of the prestige from qualifying, then the onus is on them to change the rule. Which is exactly what I suspect will happen sometime before next year’s running of the Indy 500.

7. As a follow-up to the above, the way Bruno Junqueira handled the news that his ride had been sold from underneath him and that he wouldn’t be starting a race in which he qualified, was the definition of class. All he had was praise for everyone associated with A.J. Foyt Racing and never once badmouthed Ryan Hunter-Reay or Andretti Autosport. You’d think a team owner out there would see this and would be inclined to sign Junqueira to a fulltime deal. More than likely that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

8. I call it karma that Tony Kanaan has found success post Andretti Autosport, all the while the four car team that abandoned him continues to wallow in mediocrity and continually lives up to its nickname of “Team Dysfunctional.”

9. The Indianapolis 500 still has a long way to go before it comes close to reaching the heights that it used to hold in the minds of the casual sporting public. But after a terrific Bump Day where there was drama and storylines aplenty, the fabled race continues to crawl back into the conciseness of those who only watch one open-wheel race a year. Here’s hoping for a memorable race that leaves people talking the day after and gets some serious momentum building for a series that desperately needs it.

10. Five drivers will be making their Indy 500 debut Sunday. They are JR Hildebrand (starting 12th), James Hinchcliffe (13th), Jay Howard (20th), Charlie Kimball (28th), and Pippa Mann (31st). In the 99 previous editions of the 500, eight rookies have gone on to win: Ray Harroun (1911, inaugural race), Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927), Graham Hill (1966), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Helio Castroneves (2001). Odds are pretty long that we have a rookie win this year. But you never know.

11. The 33 drivers making up the centennial running of the Indianapolis 500 represent 13 different countries – Canada, New Zealand, Spain, United States, Australia, England, Scotland, Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Venezuela, South Africa, and Switzerland.

12. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon are all former 500 champions who will be racing Sunday.

13. What’s going to be the deciding factor Sunday? That would be pit road. With upwards of seven pit stops, there will be an even greater emphasis on getting on and off of pit road in the quickest time possible. Because of this, the advantage clearly lies with those teams who run the full schedule compared to teams who are treating Indy as a one-off deal.

14. If Dario Franchitti can go back-to-back and repeat his victory of one year ago, he would join Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al Unser (1970-71), and Helio Castroneves (2001-02) as drivers who have been to the winner’s circle in consecutive years.

15. There are a host of drivers and teams that could pull the surprise and win the 500. But if you were to put a gun to my head and I had to pick just one driver who I thought had the best chance of upsetting the proverbial apple cart, I would have to go with Ed Carpenter. The Sarah Fisher Racing driver qualified a solid eighth, and despite never having won an IndyCar race, is usually pretty stout on the ovals.

16. My deep sleeper is Townsend Bell. You know he has good equipment as he’s driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, the same organization which fielded the pole winning car for Alex Tagliani. More importantly, with finishes of fourth and 10th in the last three 500s, Bell has shown an innate ability over the years to get the most out of a team without a treasure chest of resources.

17. Speaking of Tags, will the speed our polesitter flashed in qualifying carryover when he’s in race trim? Drivers who lead the field to the green have won four of the last seven 500s. So don’t be completely shocked if Alex Tagliani becomes the second Canadian driver to be handed the Borg-Warner Trophy.

18. 25 years after his father sipped the milk in victory lane, Graham Rahal would love to do the same. Except with two DNFs due to accidents in three starts, accompanied with the fact he’s never led a lap, the son of Bobby doesn’t have the best track-record on the 2.5-mile speedway.

19. How much of a stranglehold do Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske have on The Speedway? The two titans have won 8 of the last 11 Indy 500s, and own 18 Indy titles collectively. Whereas the remaining other car owners whose cars fill out the 33-car field have a combined four victories.

20. With a victory Sunday, Helio Castroneves would become just the fourth driver to have won the Indy 500 four times. The other members of perhaps the most select group in all of motorsports are, A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. As I said, very elite company.

21. It’s as morbid of a stat as they get, but it’s one you should know. Through its 99 year history, 14 drivers sadly have been killed as a result of injuries they’ve suffered in the course of competition in the Indy 500. Thankfully for everyone involved, it’s been 38 years since the last fatality.

22. There are five one-off driver-team combinations that qualified 15th or better. Because of that, and because there are a host of big names starting mid-pack or worse who are expected to move their way to front, the first 50 laps or so are going to be a sight to behold. Expect a plethora of passing, and at least one, maybe two big wrecks, before things sort themselves out. The race won’t be won in the first 100-150 miles, but it certainly can be lost.

23. As an add-on to the above point, just because there aren’t a bunch of household names starting up front, don’t think that qualifying isn’t important in deciding who wins. If you look at the last 25 years, only six times has an eventual winner started outside of the top-10.

24. Can Michael Andretti rally his team and put together a respectable 500 after what he called his most embarrassing day as an owner when two of his cars failed to qualify? With four drivers competing, odds are good one them will hit on a setup and leave with a top-10 finish.

25. Along with Danica Patrick and Simona de Silvestro, two other women, Pippa Mann and Ana Beatriz, will be taking the green flag Sunday.

26. If you remember last year’s race you’ll remember that Dario Franchitti was dominate throughout the afternoon, leading 155 of a possible 200 laps. But the outcome was in doubt until the very end, as there was concern whether the Scotsman had enough fuel to make it to the checkered flag. The lesson here, ladies and gentleman, is it takes more than a fast car to win. The right strategy and conserving fuel is just as important. More so depending on the number of cautions we see and when they happen to fall.

27. Let’s give an attaboy to Buddy Rice. After sitting out the last couple of years because car owners are more inclined to sign a driver who brings them sponsorship over a driver who has actual talent, the 2004 500 winner has made a successful return to open-wheel racing. He qualified his Panther Racing car an impressive ninth, and with Panther’s penchant for producing good results at the Speedway, a top-10 finish is very much in the cards.

28. The oldest winner in the history of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing was Al Unser Sr., who in 1987 at the age of 47 won his fourth 500. On the other end of the spectrum, Troy Ruttman was the youngest champion having won at age 22. The oldest driver in this year’s race is Davey Hamilton, 48; conversely the youngest is Graham Rahal, 22.

29. Weather on Sunday is expected to be 88 and sunny. This is going to put a strain on the normally reliable Honda engines to withstand the hot temps and last all 500 miles. Also keep an eye on tire wear, as the heat will make the track slick. Particularly as the race moves along to its conclusion and more rubber is laid down on the oval.

30. With a dramatic last-ditch qualifying run that saw him race his way into the field, Marco Andretti showed the maturity he’s often lacked in the five-plus years he’s raced in IndyCar. Now, it’s time put his newfound maturity to use in the 500. Starting 27th, the grandson of Mario Andretti is going to have to methodically work his way to front. He’s going to have to deftly mix patience with aggressiveness. Something he’s had a hard time consistently doing both in the 500 and in other series races.

31. Furthermore, although Ganassi and Penske will both strongly disagree, what needs to happen Sunday is for a driver to rise up and take it to them and pull the upset. It doesn’t necessarily matter who it is, though a victory by Marco or Danica could do wonders for everyone involved. Fans need to believe this is a race that anyone can win, compared to the inevitability that currently resonates that the Ganassi-Penske juggernaut will again reign supreme.

32. Because no column on the Indy 500 is complete without a mention of Ashley Judd, lets set the over/under on the number of gratuitous shots ABC shows of Mrs. Franchitti at 5 ½.

33. Picking a 500 champion is not as complicated as it may sound. If you’re going to play the odds, you have to look for a winner coming from the Ganassi or Penske camps due to their utter dominance in this event. And with the recent struggles of the Penske cars, it’s hard image The Captain winning his 16th Indianapolis 500.

Which means the winner is going to be either Scott Dixon, who has had a very quiet, fast and effective Month of May, or defending 500 winner Dario Franchitti, who also has been fast since the gates opened.

Dixon has the advantage because of his second starting spot, but it’s Franchitti who I think will be the man to beat on Sunday. After 500 miles, it will be the three-time series champion scoring his third winner in one of the most prestigious races in the world.

 

 

If you would like to contact the author of this post, simply click here, and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter. (Photo courtesy of the IZOD IndyCar Series/Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Filed Under: Indianapolis, Indy 500, IndyCar, Preview

Answering Questions on Danica, Carl’s Future and more

03/17/2011 By Leave a Comment

I did a mini-mailbag a few weeks ago and I felt bad afterwards because I wasn’t able to get to more of your questions. So, as we come off our first bye week of 2011, there is no better time then the present to answer more of your emails.

Going forward, I can’t promise I’ll do this every week (although I’d like to) but I will do my best to be somewhat consistent in putting together a mailbag I affectionately dub “Ask The Geek.”

As always, if you have a comment, complaint or anything else to send my way, please feel free to send it over. The best way to do so is either email me at jordan@theracinggeek.com or via Twitter.

Now, with that rambling preamble out of the way, let’s get to your questions.

Q: What are your thoughts on Randy Bernard putting up $5 million to any driver not an IndyCar regular who can win the Las Vegas race? Do you think any NASCAR driver will do it or is it much ado about nothing?
–Kim

A: Intriguing, but ultimately gimmicky. In no way should this be construed as me saying I don’t like the concept. I do, and I absolutely love the way Randy Bernard is not afraid to ruffle some feathers and think outside the box. That’s exactly what IndyCar needs if they’re ever going to be relevant again.

The reason I think it’s gimmicky, is the fact there is zero chance a NASCAR driver the caliber of Kyle Busch or Jimmie Johnson would commit to running a race in a series in which they’ve never competed in previously.

Not to mention, the Vegas race is on the same weekend as the Charlotte Chase race, which makes it next to impossible logistically. If you’re a driver in the Chase, good luck explaining to your car owner and sponsors why you’re jetting back and forth between Charlotte and Vegas when you should be focused entirely on winning the Sprint Cup.

Also, perhaps most importantly, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota aren’t going to be too keen on seeing their drivers go race Honda powered cars. They’re simply not going to sign off on that.

Let’s say for example, Jimmie Johnson took the bait, went out to Vegas and against all odds, ended up winning. You don’t think the IndyCar Series and Honda might run an ad or two trumping the fact that one of the most recognized and accredited drivers in the world just won a race which awarded a $5 million bonus?

Of course they will. How do you think Chevy is going to feel seeing their driver adorned in Honda insignia?

If a NASCAR driver is going to compete for the $5 mil, look for it to be J.J. Yeley, Robby Gordon or someone of that ilk – a backmarker, who isn’t concerned about points and isn’t contractually tied to a manufacturer.

The best-case scenario for the IndyCar Series to snag a NASCAR driver would be to get Brad Keselowski, who because of his connection with Team Penske, decided to give it a go with the backing of Miller.

Speaking of IndyCar and NASCAR, an “Ask The Geek” wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory question about Danica Patrick.

Q: Yes or no, does Danica come to NASCAR fulltime next year?
–Sam

A: With the continued progress she has shown in the Nationwide Series and with the money being too good to pass up, yes, I think Danica Patrick will be competing in NASCAR fulltime in 2012.

At this point, the only question left unanswered, is for what team?

Obviously, no matter what, she’s going to be affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports one way or another. But if Danica does decide to run in NASCAR’s top series, it can’t be directly for Hendrick which is already at the four-team cap.

In that case, do Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. then elect to move JR Motorsports up to Sprint Cup as a single-car team with a “technical alliance” with Hendrick? Or does “The Godfather” (my nickname for Rick Hendrick) finagle a way to get Danica a seat with an already established team. Say for example, a third car at Stewart-Haas Racing?

Here’s an email I got after Jeff Gordon snapped his 66-race winless streak a few weeks back at Phoenix.

Q: You mentioned it in your Monday recap, but you didn’t go into specifics, what are the differences between Steve Letarte and Alan Gustafson?
–Joe

A: Besides one having an engineering background and the other not, I think the biggest difference is how they call a race.

My biggest beef with Letarte these last few years hasn’t been how uncompetitive the 24 team has been. Because as Jeff Gordon’s four runner-up finishes last year and 919 laps led can attest, the 24 car wasn’t lacking for speed.

The biggest complaint I had, was his late-race decisions which often left Gordon on an island in the closing laps. There were far too many times when Letarte would gamble on either not pitting, take two tires when he should have taken four or vice versa.

The race that comes to mind most notably is last year’s race in Las Vegas. On that Sunday, Gordon clearly had the fastest car, but on the day’s final pit stops, Letarte elected to take two-tires over four and opened the door for Jimmie Johnson, who had four fresh Goodyear’s, to pass his teammate for the victory.

This all goes back to what a championship winning crew chief told me a couple of years ago, “When you have a fast racecar and you decide to pit late, you always, always put on four tires unless its an usual circumstance.”

Too often Letarte went against this mantra, and more often than not, it would come back to bite him.

Q: There’s no way Jack Roush lets Carl Edwards leave. You’re crazy if you think that.
–W.J.

A: No, I don’t think Jack Roush is going to let Carl Edwards leave when his contract is up at the end of the year. I merely said “The Cat in the Hat” is going to have some stiff competition for Edwards’ services unless he inks him to a contract soon.

From speaking with Roush, it’s clear how much he values Edwards and wants to keep him behind the wheel of one of his racecars. While he didn’t say it, I think its evident Roush recognizes that out of all the drivers he has, it’s Edwards and not Greg Biffle or Matt Kenseth, who has the best chance of winning him his third championship as a car owner.

The biggest hang-up in my eyes is whether Roush, who’s notorious for not paying his drivers top-market value, blows the dust off of his wallet and pays Edwards what he’s worth on the open market.

But what Roush has working in his favor, is the limited number of options Edwards has if he did decided to look elsewhere.

Barring something unforeseen, neither Richard Childress Racing nor Hendrick Motorsports are going to have openings. Red Bull Racing, which will pay top dollar, will surely have a seat available with Kasey Kahne leaving at the end of the year. Except, the two-car team isn’t in a position to offer Edwards consistently competitive equipment that would allow him to win races and compete for a championship. As Edwards made it known on Media Day, this is the most important thing to him.

Joe Gibbs Racing would like to add a fourth team, but not until they find a sponsor willing to foot the bill. Plus, I have a hard time envisioning Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch all on the same team.

As I’ve said before, I firmly believe the sleeping giant in the race to sign this season’s most coveted free agent is Penske Racing.

Let’s say for example, Brad Keselowski turns in another disappointing year like the one he had last year. How do you think that’s going to sit with Miller Lite?

I can’t image they’re going to be very happy seeing their car struggle to run 20th every week, all the while Kevin Harvick and Budweiser are winning races and contending for the championship. That kind of mediocrity might be enough to prompt The Captain to go all-in to keep his longtime sponsor happy.

But, we’re only three races into this season, so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Plus, in the end, I think all this speculation is a moot point, because I don’t think Carl Edwards is going to leave the only team he’s ever driven for.

Let’s wrap things up with an interesting question fans booing drivers.

Q: Your story on Jeff Gordon got me thinking. Has there ever been a driver who was booed throughout their career? If not, will Kyle Busch be the first?
–Neil

A: Great question Neil, and one that really made me think.

If we take a look at the drivers who were more lustfully booed by the masses in the last 20 years – Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt – eventually all of them by the end of their careers could be classified as a crowd favorite.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, fans always have had a hard time accepting a young driver coming into the sport and challenging the status quo. No one likes to see their favorite driver get their butt kicked by a young upstart. Plain and simple.

Secondly, eventually over time the brashness, perceived lack of respect for veterans, and winning too frequently that made each of the above drivers hated by fans, goes away. Over time, they become the elder statesmen of NASCAR and become the drivers fans symbolize as the face of the sport.

Not to mention, fans have a much easier time sympathizing with someone who no longer wins with the same regularity as they once did.

So for the second part of your question, no, I don’t think Kyle Busch will be hated like he is now throughout his career.

I already think the tide is starting to turn in his favor. Whether people want to admit it or not, I think the majority of fans appreciate the ferocity in which Busch competes.

Be it a Sprint Cup, Nationwide or Truck Series race. You can never question the passion he has and how bad he wants to win, and I think in a period where a lot of drivers are inclined to keep their feelings and emotions in check due to pressure from their sponsors, there’s a secret respect towards Busch for being true to who he is.

 

 

If you would like to contact the author of this post, simply click here, and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media/Getty Images

Filed Under: Bernard, Busch, Danica Patrick, Edwards, Gordon, Gustafson, Hendrick, IndyCar, Keselowski, Letarte, Mailbag, NASCAR, Roush, Sub-Feature

NFL Lockout Offers “Prime” Opportunity For NASCAR

03/15/2011 By 4 Comments

In the latest battle between billionaires versus millionaires, late Friday afternoon the NFL Player’s Association decertified. The owners, not surprisingly, responded by issuing a lockout. Now the fight will be taken to the courts, as lawsuits and injunctions become commonplace. All the while, fans are left wondering if America’s most popular sport will be played this fall.

Now you’re probably wondering why a motorsports writer is wasting his time and yours by talking about something that doesn’t involve tires, engines and cars running side-by-side for 500 miles.

Well, the labor dispute which has fractured pro football has created an opening; an opening which NASCAR should race through with the ferocity of Kyle Busch racing for the win on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Let’s assume for a moment, the NFL doesn’t come to its senses and quickly reach a settlement with its workers. If that happens, there’s a good chance this fall, the 800-pound gorilla which has played a heavy role in NASCAR’s television ratings trending downwards, won’t be around to exert its influence.

There could be no football to compete against on Sunday afternoons when the Sprint Cup Series is racing at Dover, Kansas or Texas. Nor will there be football highlights to fill Sportscenter throughout the week.

More importantly, Sunday nights, which has been dominated by the NFL and had an average viewership last year of 21.8 million, will be up for grabs for another sport to snag some of those eyeballs. Same goes for Monday nights, where ESPN averaged close to 15 million viewers for their 16-game NFL package.

All those fans, casual or other, will be in a position where they will have to find another outlet for their attention.

Why not get some of those people to turn their focus towards a sport that doesn’t have to worry about strikes, lockouts, unions and the like?

Coincidently, when the NFL regularly kicks off its season, is roughly the same time the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup is to begin. Arguably the 10 most important races for NASCAR, as it decides its season champion.

With the void created by the NFL lockout on Sunday and Monday nights, it would be advantageous for NASCAR to look at moving a race to one of, if not both, of those nights.

Say for example, instead of the Chase opening with a Saturday night race at Chicagoland, where it will be going head-to-head with college football, why not have NASCAR’s version of the playoffs open with a primetime race on either Sunday or Monday night?

An ideal way for NASCAR to capitalize on the situation and entice people who might not be otherwise interested, to become captivated by the fantastic on-track product we’ve consistently seen for the last year and change. In all likelihood, the end result would be a carryover in viewership to the second Chase race at New Hampshire and hopefully beyond.

However, judging by the recent comments NASCAR CEO and president Brian France has made, it’s an idea that’s likely to die on the vine. Regardless of how novel of an idea it may be.

“My hope is that they will figure that out,” France said last week when he met with reporters. “I am not close to that any more than anyone else is. We’re wishing that all of the leagues do well. That is just the reality of how we look at that. We don’t pay any attention to where they are, where they’re not. It’s obviously out of our control.”

France is absolutely right when he says what inevitably happens with the NFL is out of his control. And it’s smart of him to publically state he wishes that other sports leagues enjoy success, as you never want to badmouth your competitors in a public forum.

But the last time the NFL had a work stoppage of this magnitude was in 1987, and NASCAR wasn’t in a position to capitalize. However, now they are.

If they don’t, someone else will. Be it Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL, or worst-case scenario, the IndyCar Series.

There are rumblings out there IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has already had conversations with ESPN about airing a race on a Monday night. For NASCAR to allow a competitor, especially a competitor that is doing everything it can to put itself in a position to challenge their dominance, to do something which could ultimately hurt them, would not only be counterproductive, it would be foolish.

Outside of doing nothing, the worst thing NASCAR can do, is allow a rival motorsport to gain a foothold with the American public which has largely forgotten that open-wheel racing exists.

I say strike while the iron’s hot. Be proactive.

Pickup the phone right now and get a hold of ABC/ESPN officials and explain to them why you want to move a Chase race or two to primetime. Do whatever it takes to persuade them to signoff on such a move. It’s time for NASCAR to show America there’s an alternative sport to watch on Sunday and Monday nights.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, simply click here, and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media/Getty Images

Filed Under: IndyCar, NASCAR, Sub-Feature, Television

News, Notes & Things You May Have Missed

03/12/2011 By Leave a Comment

 
►Between his numerous sexist remarks, past comments which can be interpreted as showing sympathy towards Hitler, and the way he’s ruled over Formula One with such an iron fist, it would make even a communist dictator blush. It’s fair to say Bernie Ecclestone is a unique, controversial and interesting guy.

So it comes as no surprise that the Grand Poobah of F1 would come up with the harebrained idea of adding artificial rain to make F1 races more exciting. Thankfully, his idea has zero support and drivers are already speaking out against using sprinklers as a way to increase passing and adding drama.

►There may be no better ambassador for NASCAR than Darrell Waltrip. It’s one of the reasons he’s beloved by so many, and at times, has made him one of the better analysts across the sporting landscape. That being said, at times Waltrip’s knack for playing favorites, self-promotion and making every story about him, does wear thin after a while. This is an opinion I share with many a NASCAR fan.

However, regardless of how I or others feel, Fox has signed the three-time Sprint Cup champion to an extension through 2014, which not coincidently is when the network’s contract with NASCAR expires.

►It’s morbid, it’s certainly a cash grab, and it will definitely get you a one-way ticket to hell, but if you’re so inclined, according to Jalopnik, the hearse which carried Dale Earnhardt to his final resting place is now for sale on eBay.

►Someone decided to have a little fun with the official Chrysler Twitter account, and voiced their displeasure with traffic in the Motor City.

►In the less than one year it’s been open, the NASCAR Hall of Fame has had a difficult time turning a profit, so it isn’t much of a surprise that Hall of Fame’s losses have now totaled $1 million.

►In non-motorsports news, one of the most enjoyable stories for me this week involves a George Washington University professor. The teacher in question was honored at halftime of a GW men’s basketball game for his charitable contributions, then was kicked out in the second half for arguing with the refs. Here’s the play-by-play from the George Washington school newspaper, on what preceded the prof getting the heave-ho.

From his sideline seat on the court, Robert Kasmir yelled at the referee over a foul call on sophomore forward David Pellom, prompting his removal from the court by a member of the athletics department.

“Basically, I told the ref he was the worst ref I’d ever seen and he wasn’t worth the $1,600 dollars they were paying him and that was it,” Kasmir said. “And then he ejected me from the game.”

►I will always believe the Southern 500 should be run on Labor Day weekend. I wish NASCAR would see the errors of its ways and restore a once-great tradition to its rightful place on the schedule.

That said, Atlanta Motor Speedway has done a more than admirable job in trying to reestablish Labor Day weekend as a major event after NASCAR erroneously moved Darlington’s race to Auto Club Speedway prior to the 2004 season. And Atlanta track officials are getting massive amounts of brownie points from me, for announcing this past week that Lynyrd Skynyrd (one of my top-five favorite bands) will be playing a full – yes, I said full – concert prior to the race.

NASCAR + Free Bird = Awesomeness!

►Deposed IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George found a way to weasel his way back on the board of the IMS. For a series that has been making wonderful gains thanks to the workmanlike efforts of new CEO Randy Bernard, the news is a bit ominous.

►Due to faulty landing-gear, Greg Biffle had a bit of a rough landing Wednesday. And I use the word ‘bit’ sarcastically, as the incident could have been far worse. Thankfully though, no one was hurt and afterwards Biffle described his pilots as “heroes.”

►Every driver has different ways to take their minds off of the pressures of racing Sprint Cup. For some, like Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, they like to run dirt races as their schedule permits. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick own teams in the Truck and Nationwide Series’.

Kurt Busch however, has decided to embrace the challenge of drag racing. This weekend in the Gatornationals, he’ll be making his first pro start in the highly-competitive NHRA Pro Stock division.

►There are a few things in life that I won’t compromise on. Such as David Pearson is the best NASCAR driver of all-time, “Rocky IV” is the best Rcky movie of the bunch and Fozzie Bear is a comedic genius.

But No. 1 on that list is the 1971 cinema classic “Le Mans” starring Steve McQueen is unquestionably, without a doubt, the best motorsports movie of all-time.  So you can imagine my excitement when I learned the cinematic masterpiece will be released on Blu-ray this May. If you’re wondering; yes, my copy is already on reserve.

As we wrap things up, here’s the climatic scene from “Le Mans” depicting the start of the around-the-clock race.

Filed Under: Atlanta, Biffle, Busch, Ecclestone, Formula One, George, Hall of Fame, IndyCar, Movies, NASCAR, News and Notes, NHRA, Sub-Feature

News and Notes on a Lazy Sunday

01/09/2011 By Leave a Comment
  • Let’s role-play for a minute. Pretend you’re a starting quarterback for a college football team who was just named most valuable player of the Go Daddy.com bowl. Post-game, you’ve just been handed your MVP trophy by none other than the Go Daddy girl herself, Danica Patrick. Wouldn’t you try and lay a smooch on her if given the opportunity? Of course you would. Which is exactly what Miami (Ohio) quarterback Austin Boucher did Thursday night.

  • A year ago the IZOD IndyCar Series was a ship rapidly taking on water. The television ratings were abysmal; the competition was lacking due to a chassis and engine package that was outdated as last week’s dinner; and there was a leadership void that led many to question the viability of the series going forward. All told, open-wheel racing in America was going nowhere fast. IndyCar fans needed a miracle worker. Except no one had any idea who that person was.

    Enter Randy Bernard, the former head honcho of the Professional Bull Rider’s tour, who as SPEED’s Robin Miller documents, in his first year as CEO of IndyCar has done the seemingly impossible.

  • But while Bernard has turned wine into water in 12 months time, it’s evident he still has a ways to go to bring back IndyCar racing to the lofty heights it experienced in the early 90s. Case in point, rumors are swirling that Firestone is withdrawing its support following the 2011 season. For every three steps forward, it seems the IndyCar Series takes one giant step back.

  • This originally ran in the July 5 edition of Sports Illustrated, but I just stumbled acrossed it the other day. It’s a roundtable discussion with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick, where the fivesome shared their thoughts on a wide-variety of topics. Everything from whether Johnson’s dominance is good for the sport, to proposed changes to the schedule to driver safety was covered. It’s a bit lengthy, but it’s well worth the investment of your time.

  • Speculation has been rampant for months that Ray Evernham would be rejoining Hendrick Motorsports in some capacity. On Tuesday, those rumors were confirmed. Sort of.

    Evernham won’t be taking an active role in Hendrick’s four-car NASCAR team. Instead, he’ll be a consultant for the Hendrick Companies, where he will oversee the strategic initiatives for Hendrick’s car dealerships. Sadly as a result, Evernham will be leaving his post as an analyst for ESPN, where he was one of the network’s few bright spots.

    While all the participants involved are saying the three-time championship winning crew chief won’t have any role in the motorsports side of things, one has to think we may over time, see Evernham play a larger part in the day-to-day operations of Hendrick Motorsports. Particularly, if a certain driver (cough, cough Dale Earnhardt Jr.) is unable to come out of the tailspin that he’s been immersed in the last couple of years.

  • From the Daytona 500 to the Indianapolis 500 to the Brickyard 400 last season, Chip Ganassi won just about every major race there was to win in North America. The lone exception was the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

    In an effort to change that, Ganassi, as it has become the norm the last few years, has assembled an impressive array of talent in his effort to his win the around-the-clock race. Sharing the driving efforts for the two-car team will be Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray, Graham Rahal, Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and Joey Hand. I’ll give you one guess as to which team is regarded as the favorite when the green flag flies for the 49th running endurance classic.

  • While we’re on the subject of sports car racing, the American Le Mans Series has inked a new – and unique – television deal with ABC/ESPN. A deal which will see every ALMS race, including the 12 Hours of Sebring, carried live online, but not via broadcast television. For a series that’s struggling with car counts and attracting sponsorship it’s a curious decision to say the least.

  • Here’s the early leader for the feel good story of 2011. Christmas Day, Denny Hamlin played the role of Santa Claus and gave away an all-expenses-paid trip to one of his followers on Twitter.

  • If you haven’t yet seen it, I suggest checking out some New Year’s resolutions I dished out to a variety of NASCAR personalities.

  • In closing, here’s an excellent video paying tribute to the Golden Era of open-wheel racing.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, please feel free to email him at jordan@theracinggeek.com and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Filed Under: ALMS, Bernard, Danica Patrick, Evernham, Firestone, Ganassi, Hendrick, IndyCar, NASCAR, News and Notes, Television

Answering Your Questions on Clint, Kyle and more

10/06/2010 By Leave a Comment

With the Clint Bowyer cheating scandal and subsequent appeals that followed now over, as well as the rapidly declining ratings for the three Chase races and David Reutimann teaching Kyle Busch a lesson, there have been no shortages on the number of good emails I’ve received over the last few weeks.

So, with the inbox overflowing now seems as good of time as any for another installment of Ask The Geek.

If this mailbag seems particularly giddy and more positive than usual, it’s because my two favorite sports teams – the Minnesota Twins and Vikings – have made me a very happy fella.

The Twins after a magical regular season that included the opening of their sparkling brand-new ballpark, open the playoffs tonight against the hateable New York Yankees.

In addition, Minnesota Vikings out of nowhere worked a trade with the New England Patriots to bring back wide receiver Randy Moss. Who you probably know, started his Hall of Fame career with the Vikes, but left six years ago on bad terms. All is forgiven though, as a rejuvenated Moss paired with Brett Favre will surely bring us the Super Bowl we’ve long coveted.

Okay, probably not, as the odds are extremely high the Vikings will once again find a way to break their fans collective hearts in the most painful way possible. But for now anyway, I’m going to sit back and bask in the joy of my two favorites teams.

Now, back to what you’re actually here to read, which I’m pretty sure isn’t me rambling on about the stick-and-ball sports. Let’s start answering some of your emails.

Q: Ok, so Clint Bowyer’s car was found to be a wee bit too high after his Loudon win and NASCAR penalized him for that. Isn’t that the only thing that really matters and everything else is semantics? If you cheat and you get busted, you deserve whatever penalty NASCAR sees fit to give you. It’s that plain and simple.
–Nick

A: For the most part Nick, we agree. If you make the conscious decision to walk the tightrope between what is legal and what isn’t and so happen to fall off said rope, it warrants, as you said, whatever penalty NASCAR sees fit to give you.

While I know some people think stripping Clint Bowyer of 150 driver points is a bit excessive, I’m not one of them.

As I’ve said before, despite how many fans and media tend to glamorize cheating in NASCAR and say it’s simply part of the sport, I don’t see it that way.

To me, playing outside of the rules threatens the integrity of the sport. When I’m watching a race, I want to know all 43 competitors are playing on a level playing, and that what I’m seeing is legitimate and not contrived or cheapened in any way, shape or form.

All that being said, my problem with this whole process, from the warning post-Richmond, to the final appeal that was heard and ruled on yesterday, is how unclear NASCAR has been in stating exactly what the 33 team did wrong.

From the moment the penalty was first announced on the Wednesday following Bowyer’s win at New Hampshire, NASCAR has been nothing but vague in how precisely illegal the 33 car was. As such, it has given everyone plenty of ammunition to question the inspection and appeals process that the sanctioning body has set in place.

Which is too bad, because in the end I feel NASCAR was right in handing out the penalty that they did.

Making it even more maddening is how easy of a fix it is to ensure this doesn’t happen the next time a team is caught playing outside the rules. Just do what every other sports league does and come right out and thoroughly explain what rule was broken. It’s as my grandma used to say, easy peasy.

Let’s tackle one more Clint Bowyer related question before moving on.

Q: Where does the “tow truck hit so hard, that’s why are car is too high” defense rank on the list of lamest excuses?
–Kyle

A: High, incredibly high. But not as high (pun intended) as Jeremy Mayfield’s excuse that the smoke from a fiery crash caused him to test positive for meth.

Q: I think fans and the media are being hypocrites and have a double-standard when it comes to Kyle Busch. Everyone loves his aggressive driving, yet they go after him when he spins another driver out.
–D.A

A: Sorry D.A., I don’t see what you’re seeing here, as I didn’t hear anyone criticizing Kyle Busch for putting David Reuitmann into the spin cycle last Sunday.

Where Busch is getting criticized – actually I wouldn’t even use the word criticized because that’s not an apt description, it’s more like flak –is the fact he radioed his crew calling for NASCAR to penalize Reutimann for intentionally driving into the side of him. It made Busch come across as a whiner, and someone who can dish it out but couldn’t take it.

As far as Busch’s aggressive driving, I love it and I think it’s a great thing for the sport as it gets people excited. This in turn, makes them want to tune in each week to see what he’s going to do next. With one caveat; he can’t go around intentionally wrecking guys like he did at Bristol to Brad Keselowski. That’s not racing, that’s demo derby stuff.

Q: I saw your tweet Sunday that Richard Petty Motorsports could be a sleeping giant next year and I was wondering if you could elaborate. Isn’t this the team you once referred to as Team Dysfunctional?
–Robin

A: Just for the record, I’ve more than once referred to Richard Petty Motorsports as “Team Dysfunctional.” It wasn’t just a onetime thing.

However, considering all the changes in leadership and team personnel, concerns about their finances and their failed attempt at ousting Elliott Sadler, I think they more than earned the nickname.

All that being said, with how everything has shaken out in terms of their 2011 driver lineup, they’re in a lot better shape than I thought they’d be. And dare I say; Richard Petty Motorsports actually has some hope for the future despite Kasey Kahne, Budweiser and Paul Menard/Menards all moving to different teams in the offseason.

AJ Allmendinger always provided the occasional flash that made you think, one day he would figure out this NASCAR thing after coming over from IndyCar racing. But the one thing he always failed to do was show any sign that he could do it on a consistent basis.

Until recently that is. Maybe it has something to do with him receiving the good equipment now that the organization knows Kahne won’t be around next year, or ‘Dinger simply learning the nuances of wheeling a full-bodied racecar. Whatever it is though, he looks like he’s on the verge of breaking through and returning the famous Petty No. 43 back to victory lane.

Over the last six races Allmendinger has scored the 15th most points, and in the last four races his worst finish is 12th. On the year, he’s had seven top-10 finishes, which is a career-high, and his average finishing position is 17.8, almost five spots better than it was compared to last year.

With the addition of Marcos Ambrose for next season, and the reduction from four cars to two (maybe three cars depending on sponsorship), this should allow the team to streamline their resources and prevent themselves from spreading itself out too thin.

Not to mention their continued alliance with Roush Fenway Racing; which should continue to pay dividends for t
hem in the form of better parts, equipment and personnel (Trevor Bayne?).

As I said, there are a lot of reasons to think this sleeping giant team could be on the verge of waking up sometime in the very near future. Maybe even as early as next year?

For our final question, let’s tackle an IndyCar question from Brandon.

Q: Did you hear the rumor Tony Kanaan is being let go from Andretti Autosport due to lack of sponsorship? If this is true it’s just another black eye and further proof that the series that will never recover. TK is everything right about IndyCar racing. He’s super fast, he’s great with fans and sponsors, and did I mention HE CAN STILL DRIVE.
–Brandon

A: My friend, it’s more than a rumor, its a fact that unless sponsorship is found, the chances of Tony Kanaan returning to Andretti Autosport are not looking good.

For those unfamiliar with what’s going on, here’s a quick primer. Tony Kanaan, one of the more popular and talented drivers in open-wheel racing, was told last weekend by team owner Michael Andretti that with team sponsor 7-11 scaling back their funding, he’s free to look around for a different ride for next season.

With paying rides about as hard to come by as a girlfriend who doesn’t nag, Kanaan is all of a sudden on the outside looking in. A problem that is rapidly spiraling out of control with the IndyCar Series being consumed with drivers who are only in the series because they’re paying their own way to do so.

With the number of quality drivers who are sitting on the sidelines either without a ride, or having yet secured a ride for ’11, you could have one whale of an exciting race. Paul Tracy, Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dan Wheldon, Ed Carpenter, Thomas Scheckter, Bruno Junqueira, Townsend Bell and J.R. Hildebrand are just a few of the names who are on the outside looking in as of today.

Say what you want about NASCAR, but with a few exceptions the best drivers take the green flag each week.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, please feel free to email him at jordan@theracinggeek.com and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/NASCAR Media

Filed Under: Allmendinger, Ambrose, Bowyer, Busch, IndyCar, Kanaan, Mailbag, Petty, Reutimann

New Hampshire Winners and Losers

06/29/2010 By Leave a Comment

Five races into this season it appeared as if Jimmie Johnson was never going to lose a race. Or at the very least, win more than his fair share, and everyone else’s fair share of them for that matter.

It was at that point that Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing operation made their presence felt with seven wins in a 10-race stretch and in essence, announced that Johnson’s monopoly was over and that there was a new sheriff in town.

Now, the new sheriff has gone into hiding and the old sheriff has re-staked his claim as the baddest driver on the NASCAR frontier. Johnson has won back-to-back races, while Hamlin and Busch have failed to finish in the top-10 in either race.

But with nine left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, and with the 10 most important races of the year still to come, expect the ebb and flow to continue all the way until the championship is decided at Homestead. What’s still very much uncertain is who will have the championship trophy in their possession.

Without further ado, I present to you, my Winners and Losers from this weekend’s festivities up in New Hampshire.

Winners

Jimmie Johnson
Johnson won his fifth race of the season, and had the line of the weekend when asked in the post-race press conference about the birth of his upcoming child and how it might affect his availability. Johnson responded with this:

“Just all depends on when the little baby decides to make her — make her move and when she wants to come into the world, and if she’s anything like her mother, she’ll be late.”

Who knew the four-time defending champ was also a comedian? If he keeps this up, maybe he could host the awards banquet, instead of getting some C-list “comedian” to M.C. At the very least, Johnson has to be considered the best racer-comedian since Stroker Ace.


Kurt Busch
Kudos to Kurt Busch for showing everyone that you can race a competitor hard, and even make contact with them, and still not wreck them. That’s a lesson a lot of guys have seemingly forgotten this year.

Tony Stewart
Hasn’t finished outside the top-10 since Memorial weekend, and once again looks poised for a big summer with some of his best tracks (Daytona, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen) on the horizon.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Fear not Junior Nation, you have an actual reason to be optimistic. In the last three races, your driver has finished no worse than 11th, and is now three measly points from inside the Chase cutoff.

As if you needed another reason to be feeling good; the race is on a plate track this weekend, which means your driver has an excellent shot at winning his first race in over two years.

Kasey Kahne
It seems like every week we hear Jack Roush make excuses as to why his Ford team isn’t competitive this season. Here is some free advice for Mr. Roush; maybe you should start hanging around the Budweiser team, they’ve obviously figured out how to get the most out of their No. 9 Ford.

For the last three weeks, Kahne has been a constant fixture near the front of the field, and scored top-five finishes at both Michigan and Infineon. While a faulty engine prevented him from the finish he deserved, it didn’t prevent him from leading a race-high 110 laps on Sunday.

Joey Logano
Logano didn’t win the race like he did a year ago, but he did finish in the top-10, and he continues to sneak his way back into Chase contention.

IZOD IndyCar Series
You may be asking yourself what a rival motorsports sanctioning body is doing on this list. But this past weekend, the IZOD IndyCar took another major step towards being relevant. They announced that starting next year the series would be returning to the Magic Mile.

Now if they would just announce a return to Road America, Phoenix, Michigan, and Cleveland this series would really be on the fast track to recovery.

Losers

Danica Patrick
Four races into her transition is not ample enough time to start making conclusions on whether Danica Patrick is going to successfully make the leap to NASCAR. But races like the one she had on Saturday, where she clearly struggled to understand the simple nuisances’ of stockcar racing, and failed to show the rudimentary fundamentals that are at the core of any decent driver, go a long way into giving Danica’s critics fuel for their “she can’t drive” fire.

Denny Hamlin
The belief was Loudon was one of those tracks where Denny Hamlin and company could run in the top-10 in their sleep. Apparently, that is not the case.

The FedEx team, which used Sunday as an extended test session for the September Chase race, in Hamlin’s words “just ran terrible,” and limped home to finish 14th. Making things even worse, the only thing the team learned from Sunday’s race was what setup not to run the next time the series visits New Hampshire.

Juan Pablo Montoya
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence? Or maybe it’s because after spending the majority of his career running open-wheel cars he feels braver driving a full-bodied stockcar? But whatever the reason, Juan Pablo Montoya in his short NASCAR career has made a habit out of using his fenders to move other drivers around. Sometimes it works out for him, but too often it ends up being to his detriment.

There’s no better example of this then what happened Sunday. He had a fast car underneath him, but he once again got caught up in an on-track shoving match that ultimately ended with Montoya seeing his wrecked car on the back of a tow truck.

Roush Fenway Racing
It’s weird to label a team a loser that currently has three cars sitting in the Chase. But the facts don’t lie, and right now, the facts indicate that there is no bigger disappointment this season than the four-car team known as Roush Fenway Racing.

Jeff Burton
Riding a 57-race losing streak coming into Loudon, Jeff Burton was in perfect position to end his winless drought as he was leading comfortably with 13 laps to go. That was until a caution reshaped his race for the worse.

At that juncture, Burton and crew chief Todd Berrier were put in a tough spot deciding whether to pit or stay out. No matter what they did, the majority of the guys behind him were going to do the opposite. They stayed out, and the results were, shall we say, predictable.

On the subsequent restart the 31 car, of course, had nothing for those who pitted for fresh rubber. He started sliding back before Burton drifted up the track and into Kyle Busch, causing him to spin.

That Burton was still able to finish 12th was nice, but the day could have been better. A lot better actually.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, please feel free to email him at jordan@theracinggeek.com and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/NASCAR Media

Filed Under: Burton, Busch, Danica Patrick, Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin, IndyCar, Johnson, Kahne, Logano, Montoya, NASCAR, New Hampshire, Roush, Stewart, Winners and Losers

Monday’s Thoughts: Ganassi and Penske Race to a Draw

05/31/2010 By Leave a Comment

On the greatest day to be a race fan in the United States, and over the course of 1,100 miles, two of the more renowned, and respected owners in all of motorsports staged a showdown worthy of the Earps and Clantons. Instead of using speeding bullets, the two titans used racecars to settle the score.

In Indianapolis, if you look at the 94th running of the Indy 500 as a title fight, there was little doubt which owner emerged and landed the knockout punch.

From the drop of the green-flag, Dario Franchitti drove his Target, Chip Ganassi-owned Honda to the lead from his third starting-position and never looked back. He led 155 laps and essentially cruised his way to his second 500 win and Ganassi’s second Indy 500 win in the last three years. The only concern for the Scotsman was whether he had enough fuel to make it the finish, but that was rendered a moot point when a caution flew on the final lap allowing Franchitti to coast to the finish line.

With the victory, Chip Ganassi became the first car owner to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 in the same year. While Ganassi didn’t want to admit it post-race, it would be foolish to ignore his roll in the two victories, despite how much humble pie he attempts to eat.

“Obviously, you know, Jamie McMurray, Bass Pro Shops, won that race [Daytona] in February,” said Ganassi. “Dario and Target won the race here today. I’m a lucky guy to be in this business and to be able to work with people that accomplish that.”

“I didn’t drive either car. I didn’t change any tires. I didn’t put any fuel in the cars. I don’t do any of that stuff. I have hundreds of people that do that kind of thing. I’m very, very lucky is what it comes down to. I’m very lucky.”

Adding to the lopsided victory for Ganassi were the struggles of Team Penske. Who never once looked anything like the organization that has held the Borg-Warner Trophy (awarded to the winner of the Indy 500) a record 15 times.

In race trim, polesitter Helio Castroneves never showed the speed he had in practice leading up to the 500. His fate was sealed when he stalled his machine during a routine pit stop near the mid-point of the race. He eventually finished a disappointing ninth.

The same can be said of teammate Will Power, who like Castroneves, started on the front row and saw his chances at victory go away with a poor pit stop. Power’s ill-fated stop saw him leave the pits with part of his refueling mechanism still attached. He recovered to finish eighth.

For Castroneves, who was gunning to become just the fourth driver to win four 500’s, there was nothing to do but to concede the obvious.

“Congrats to Dario,” said the three-time 500 victor. “What an awesome car he had. Ganassi did an incredible job to put him up there. It was the car to beat today. We tried. Unfortunately, silly mistakes put us in the back. I’m very disappointed. I’m more disappointed with the mistake. Certainly, I am very upset for my guys. They did an incredible job the whole month long. They should walk out of here with their heads high.”

As the battle for motorsports superiority shifted to Charlotte and the running of the longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule, Round 2 in the Ganassi-Penske face-off was anything but decisive.

Penske driver Kurt Busch had the best car throughout the grueling 600-mile race – Busch led 252 laps out of a possible 400 – but it took a timely caution that allowed him to catch Ganassi driver Jamie McMurray. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and when you’re both, like Busch was on Sunday night, it usually means you’re celebrating in victory lane at the end of the evening.

As Busch acknowledged post-race, driving for an owner like Roger Penske and winning on Memorial Weekend is special. Even more so when you beat a Ganassi car.

“Roger is an amazing individual,” said Busch. “I’m happy to race for him and bring him home wins, especially on a day like today when he didn’t get it at Indy and we beat a Ganassi car today to win it. That’s something special. I keep saying the word ‘special’ because the 600 is really, really something that I think of the greats that have this style trophy sitting in their case. My team helped me do that today.”

“To beat a Ganassi car, McMurray, those guys kept us honest, he was in the mix. If I could say anything, I would say Ganassi should give that guy a raise and pay that man.”

While it may be little consolation for Penske to finally get his first points win on one of NASCAR’s more legendary tracks, at least he can say he didn’t let Chip Ganassi win everything on Sunday.

Other Thoughts on the Greatest Day of the Motorsports Calendar

  • After a tough Month of May in which speed was scarce, and throwing teammates under the bus was prevalent, Danica Patrick drove an excellent race yesterday. Wheeling a car that she was never totally comfortable with, Danica stayed out of trouble and patiently worked her way to the front. That she left the Speedway with a sixth-place finish is a testament to her talent as driver and how good she can be when she’s focused on the task at hand.

  • The final order won’t reflect it, but the most stirring drive Sunday undoubtedly belonged to Tony Kanaan. Starting dead last in the 33-car field, Kanaan moved his way through the field like a fat person moves around a buffet – quickly and with a purpose.

    Taking only 68 laps to move inside the top-five, and running second with less than 10 laps remaining, it looked as if Kanaan would be the first person to win after starting in last place. Like just about every other driver, poor fuel mileage did Kanaan in, and he left the Brickyard 11th in the final rundown. Never has an 11th-place finish been more impressive.

  • Watching the Indy 500 with some friends, we were all aghast after seeing the in-car footage of Mike Conway flying into the catch fence between turns three and four. That Conway suffered “only” a reported broken leg is act of God, and a testament to the safety features that the IndyCar Series has been at the forefront of implementing.

  • There was a time not too long ago when Jimmie Johnson was known for winning races, and leaving his competition demoralized and shaken. Now Johnson is becoming a racecar driver who every week is finding a new way to lose. Not unlike the other four-time champion that also happens to co-own Johnson’s team.

    At Dover two weeks ago, Johnson clearly had the fastest car on the track, but a speeding penalty during his final pit stop negated his advantage and cost him the victory. Last Saturday night in the All-Star Race, the 48 was the dominate car. A slow pit stop and a later spin by Johnson in traffic had him settling for a finish outside the top-10.

    In the 600 it was the same song, different verse for Johnson. A fast car that was running comfortably in the top-five, but an unforced spin and a later crash into the inside retaining wall saw him leave Charlotte in the 37th position.

    Time to panic? No. It is
    a time to be concerned though. There is no time like the present for Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus to take a step back, sit-down and reassess how they’re going about doing things.

    Is Johnson driving too hard?

    Is Knaus not making the proper adjustments?

    Has the communication between Johnson and Knaus, which traditionally been the strength of this team, broken-down?

    Are the cars not at the level they once were?

    Any slippage in any of these areas, and the 48 team is no longer the heavy favorite to repeat. The good news for them, and bad news for the opposition, is there is still plenty of time for Johnson to turnaround his season and to find the form that won him three of the seasons first five races.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, please feel free to email him at jordan@theracinggeek.com and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Filed Under: Busch, Charlotte, Danica Patrick, Dario Franchitti, Ganassi, Indianapolis, Indy 500, IndyCar, Johnson, Kanaan, NASCAR, Penske, Thoughts

Indy 500 Preview

05/28/2010 By 1 Comment

With a new leader and series sponsor, the future of the IZOD IndyCar Series is brighter than it has been in years. All of which makes Sunday’s 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 the most anticipated 500 since 1995.

While the outcome of the race seems certain to come down to the two combatants we’ve seen win every oval race since the summer of ’08, it hasn’t dampened my excitement in the slightest.

In preparation of Sunday’s race, and with my excitement-level pegged, here are 11 pressing questions that need to be answered.

1. Does any team other than Penske or Ganassi have a chance of winning?
In theory, any team that starts a race has a chance to win. However, in light of the fact that Ganassi and Penske have combined to win every oval race since June 2008, the odds are stacked as such that any team outside of the Big Two, have a chance of sipping milk in victory lane Sunday.

Put it this way, if you were making a bet (not that I condone gambling or anything) and had a choice between taking the five Ganassi/Penske cars or the other 28 cars starting the 500 Sunday, you would be best advised to put your money on one of the five Ganassi/Penske cars winning.

2. Given what you said above, which driver has the best chance of ending the stranglehold that Ganassi/Penske has on the ovals? A surprise so to speak?
Well, if he hadn’t put two cars into the wall last weekend, and if he weren’t starting 33rd Sunday and if his team shown some real speed in qualifying, then my answer would be Tony Kanaan.

That however is not the case, so we’ll go with last year’s 500 Rookie of the Year, and the guy who has been near the top of the speed charts throughout the month.

(Yeah I know Indy is now just two weeks, instead of the traditional four, but dammit it’s still the Month of May to me.)

I am speaking of course about Alex Tangliani, who had the fastest time in provisional qualifying, but fell to fifth in the Firestone Fast Nine Shootout. If Tags can continue the pace he’s shown so far and if his pit crew can avoid any mistakes on pit road – where Sunday’s race is likely going to be decided – then he probably has the best shot to breakthrough.

Other possibilities include Graham Rahal and Ed Carpenter. The problem is they’re both driving for teams that are running Indianapolis and nothing else. There’s a reason why a part-time team hasn’t won at Indy since 1987 when Al Unser Sr. won his fourth 500.

Winning the 500 not only requires speed on the track but on pit road as well, something that most one-off teams simply don’t have. Not to mention pit crews that have been put together in a short amount of time, are more likely to make a mistake in the heat of the race then a pit crew that does this week-in and week-out.

3. Basically, you’re saying this race comes down to Ganassi vs. Penske, and everyone else is just there to fill the grid?
Basically, yes. But that doesn’t mean this 500 isn’t worth watching. There are still storylines aplenty, and with five cars between the two superpowers slugging it out for the win, there should be no shortage of fireworks on Sunday.

4. What are some of the other storylines worth paying attention to on Sunday?

  • Helio Castroneves is attempting to join legends A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as the only drivers to win four 500s.

  • Sunday’s field will feature a race-record four females starting.

  • Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti are in excellent position to get their second 500 win.

  • Marco Andretti is trying to erase the Brickyard demons that have befuddled his family over the years.

  • Despite sitting fourth in the standings, Ryan Hunter-Reay has only enough sponsorship to get through Texas. If he wants to add more races to his schedule and make a run at the championship, he desperately needs a top-five, top-10 finish on Sunday to help his chances.

  • Typically strong here, Danica Patrick has had a horrible Month of May, and it’s going to be interesting to see if on raceday she can rebound in what may be her last 500.

5. Speaking of the Queen of IndyCar, how will Danica perform in the 500?
Danica runs amazingly well at the Brickyard. Because of that, you have to assume that if she avoids the early incidents that might collect her in their wake because of where’s starting (23rd), a top-10 finish isn’t out of the question.

Except if she is to get a top-10, she has to find some comfort inside the cockpit, which she hasn’t yet been able to find this month.

To expect anything more with how much Andretti Autosport is struggling overall, is simply unrealistic.

6. Patrick’s Andretti teammate Tony Kanaan, was one of the quickest cars in practice, but will be starting 33rd after putting two cars into the wall last weekend. What can we expect out of him?
It’s not unprecedented for a driver to start shotgun on the field and drive his way into contention.

In 1980, Tom Sneva came from his 33rd starting spot to finish in the runner-up position. In ’92, Scott Goodyear did the same thing, finishing a very close second to Al Unser Jr., in what was then the closest finish in 500 history.

Because of Kanaan’s proficiency at Indianapolis – before this year’s race, Kanaan had never started worse than sixth in eight career Indy starts – there’s little reason not to expect him to work his way to the front by the end of 500 miles.

That doesn’t mean that he’s going to be in contention for his first 500 win. As noted above, Kanaan’s team, Andretti Autosport, has struggled mightily this month and a win just doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for this team.

7. The 33-car field is filled with drivers who desperately need a good run on Sunday, but which one driver needs a good run more than anyone else Sunday?
To pick just one is tough. With economy being the way it is, and with sponsorship being as hard to find as Santa Claus in June, just about every driver/team starting the 500 could use a good finish Sunday and the payday that comes with it.

If I had to pick one driver, it would come down to either Ryan Hunter-Reay or Graham Rahal.

Both are lacking the funds to run the remainder of the season, and both are drivers who more than deserve the opportunity to do so. A good to great finish by either and the likelihood that both can run the remainder of the season increases dramatically.

Particularly in Hunter-Reay’s case; he’s already won a race this season and is in the thick of the championship fight. It would be a huge black mark on the series if a lack of money kept him from pursuing the title. It would also further exemplify just how far the series has to go before it can even think about returning to the mountaintop it once sat upon.

8. What is the best-case scenario for the IndyCar Series in terms of a finish or a particular driver winning? Outside of course Danica Patrick winning.
I would go with the series second-most famous driver Helio Castroneves winning for the second straight year and for the fourth time overall.

Here’s why: If HCN wins Sunday, he will be the first driver to win back-to-back 500s twice, and it sets up nicely for next year’s race. Not only will HCN be celebrated as the new
est member of the four-time winner’s club, he will also be gunning for his record-setting fifth 500 win. As well as attempting to become the first driver to win three straight 500s.

That’s a lot of good juju for a race and series that needs all the good pub it can get.

9. Is this the greatest day to be a race fan?
Ah, yeah, you think? Not only is the most prestigious open-wheel race in America taking place in the afternoon, but in the evening, to cap things off, one of the four major races on the Sprint Cup schedule is being held.

And who doesn’t love 1,100 miles of racing? Besides of course, my girlfriend who has to suffer through what I refer to as “The Greatest Day of the Year.”

On a related note, if two of the biggest races in this country being held on the same day aren’t an excuse to throw a party, I don’t know what is?

10. Jack Nicholson is waving the green flag to start the 500. Is he not the coolest guy ever to start a race?
I would say so. At the very least, he shares the honor with Michael Jordan, who waved the green flag to start the Sprint Cup All-Star Race at Charlotte last weekend.

Without question, Jack is definitely one of the coolest guys on the planet. In fact, if there were a Cool Guy Club, Jack would probably be its president, and most certainly its bartender.

11. Final and toughest question: Who wins the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500?
Before qualifying last Sunday, I thought the overwhelming favorite was ‘08 500 winner Scott Dixon. He dominated at Kansas, and was the fastest car in the opening sessions of practice.

Now though, I’m not quite so certain. Helio Castroneves’ Indy track record is phenomenal – in nine starts, HCN has eight top-10s, six top-fives, and three wins, with an average finish of 6.1. It’s worth noting, that when it mattered the most, he was able to muster more speed out of his car than Dixon.

But for some reason, Sunday feels like a Scott Dixon type of race; a race where patience is going to be more important to one’s success than outright speed. There is no more patient driver than the guy called “The Iceman.” I’ll take Dixon to win his second Indy 500.

If you would like to contact the author of this post, please feel free to email him at jordan@theracinggeek.com and you can also follow The Racing Geek on Twitter.

Filed Under: Andretti, Castroneves, Danica Patrick, Dixon, Ganassi, Hunter-Reay, Indianapolis, Indy 500, IndyCar, Kanaan, Penske
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