(WOMR file photo)

After viewing the moments that were leading up to the violent crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that prematurely took the life of Dan Wheldon, it is not precisely clear who caused the incident.  More importantly, it is not going to make the incident go away.  And that is . . . → Read More: Las Vegas IndyCar Race Questions Unanswered?]]>

(WOMR file photo)

After viewing the moments that were leading up to the violent crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that prematurely took the life of Dan Wheldon, it is not precisely clear who caused the incident.  More importantly, it is not going to make the incident go away.  And that is ok.  No good will come out of “fingering” the guilty party, in this instance.  Again it is impossible to cite any one individual Sunday.

However, there are some circumstances that need to be examined that led up to one of the most devastating IndyCar wrecks in recent memory.  The IndyCar officials must examine these elements and correct them immediately!

Items that the officials need to re-examine and apply a correction are as follows:

The first: Was INDYCAR in violation of its own rules? Rules which govern the number of cars in races at specific tracks.

It appears that the series may have been in violation of those rules.

On page 93 of the 2011 rule book, it says:

“The starting fields for each Race shall be a maximum of 28 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals), except as follows:

(a) Brazil – 26 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals)

(b) Indianapolis 500 Mile Race – 33 Cars (no provisionals)

(c) Toronto – 27 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals)

(d) Mid Ohio – 27 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals)

(e) Motegi – 26 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals)

(f) Baltimore – 26 Cars (which includes 2 provisionals)”

So, according to the rule book, the field at Las Vegas was six cars larger than it should have been. The fact that INDYCAR has rules in place that govern the size of fields would seem to acknowledge that problems could occur from excessively high car counts.

Rules aside, putting 34 Indycars on the Las Vegas track seems to violate common sense. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval. Its surface is banked to 20 degrees in the corners. It is lightning fast to put it mildly!

Both the drivers, as well as the teams, were nervous about the impending race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  IndyCar officials only gave the divers 3 1/2 hours of total practice time prior to the race at a facility that had not seen an IndyCar race since its reconfiguration.  Probably that was not in keeping with safety standards of the IndyCar procedures, as well.

After the fatal wreck, which occurred on lap 11 and prompted INDYCAR to cancel the remainder of the race, driver after driver questioned the decision to hold the event in the first place.

Veteran drivers such as Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti used terms such as “unsuitable” when talking about the track vis-a-vis modern Indycars and the size of the field.

This, too, is common sense for virtually everyone who follows racing, but it still needs to be said: Indycars are not NASCAR cars. The drivers of Indycars are much more vulnerable to the kinds of things that happened at Las Vegas than are NASCAR drivers.

The second: Were there people on that track who should not have been on that track?

Perhaps. I think it fair to argued that there were people on that track, and other tracks, simply because they could drum up enough sponsorship to be there. So-called ride-buyers.

That belief here is; ride buying can be a dangerous practice.

That is nominally so in stock cars where the drivers are surrounded by steel and composite cocoons. In open-wheel racing, a lack of talent and experience can be highly dangerous.

One of the things that has kept more crazy wrecks from happening, and fewer medical helicopters in the air at Indycar events over the years, has been the fact that the vast majority of people in the cars were qualified to be there.

Drivers knew and could trust the person next to them on the track. They knew dumb moves would be kept to a minimum.

But the new economics have caused changes when it comes to hiring and keeping drivers. Sponsorship money is having a bigger say in who pilots the cars that teams put on the tracks.

INDYCAR says an investigation has been launched. And you can bet it will be as thorough as possible, no matter who it is doing the investigation.

My hope is that any and all investigations result in the adoption of measures which will prevent a replay of lap 11 at Las Vegas from ever happening again.

Drivers’ and spectators’ lives are on the line. Additionally, the future of the sport may also be on the line.  From the viewpoint of WOMR, it’s a good sport, very exciting, and a very exhilarating sport to watch.

What are your thoughts ?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(Dan Wheldon with my son, Jeremy, @ Las Vegas Friday)

A record number of race cars racing just inches apart in abnormally large packs at lightning fast speeds that exceeded 220 mph.  A newly concocted “bounty” of $5 million for a victory from a non IndyCar season participant who could start from . . . → Read More: Indy Car Racing: Risks vs. Rewards]]>

(Dan Wheldon with my son, Jeremy, @ Las Vegas Friday)

A record number of race cars racing just inches apart in abnormally large packs at lightning fast speeds that exceeded 220 mph.  A newly concocted “bounty” of $5 million for a victory from a non IndyCar season participant who could start from the back of a larger than most starting grid, and win the finale.  The driver who was anointed to receive the $5 million “bounty” was the two-time Indy 500 winner, the latest victory being 20111, Dan Wheldon.  A fiercely contested season championship.  A media frenzied driver leaving the series, driving her last race in the IndyCar Series before jumping to a higher paycheck in the NASCAR side of automobile racing.

Last Sunday the IZOD IndyCar World Championship races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway incorporated all of those elements in one very short captivating afternoon in a racing series that is attention and media starved, compared to NASCAR.

However, the spotlight has intensified for the IndyCar Series since Sunday, and for all the wrong reasons!  As the whole racing world mourns the death of the affable British IndyCar driver, Dan Wheldon, who perished in a horrendous, fiery 15 car crash, there are many questions that need to be examined and answered.

First and foremost the question to be answered should be:  In an effort to come out of the shadows of the NASCAR circuit, is the fastest racing series in the USA over-stepping the limits of safety?  Additionally, are the Indy Car officials putting their race car drivers at an undue risk?

The death of Dan Wheldon, who was the “poster boy” for the $5 million dollar prize for the non-IndyCar driver that would start at the back of the grid and ultimately win the last race of the year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is the lastest blow to an already struggling open wheel racing series.   That series has been reeling every since Tony George drove a wedge into the open wheel racers by starting his own Indy Racing League in 1996.  From that point, in 1996, the infighting between CART and the IRL resulted in a very weak open wheel series, thus confusing the fans.  That same infighting resulted in a once prominent racing series desperately gasping for life.

To that end, two years ago The IndyCar Series hired Randy Bernard as CEO.  Bernard was hired away from the Professional Bull Riders, where he earned a reputation as a bombastic promoter by merging bucking Brahmans with glitzy pyrotechnics.  Bernard brought the same flair to IndyCar, tweaking and toying with the rules to try to increase action.

The season finale was intended to be an attention-getting master stroke of genius for the  IndyCar Series.  Last weekend there was a glitzy parade down the Las Vegas Strip saluting the end of the current chassis that dated back to 2003.  The newer chassis will make its debut in 2012, is sleeker and incorporates many more safety features.

The $5 million dollar prize was a failed attempt to snare moonlighting drivers, like Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and possibly Kasey Kahne to try capture that bounty.  When Bernard could not find any takers, Dan Wheldon and his Sam Schmidt Motorsports team was selected as the only driver eligible for the $5 million dollar prize.

Sunday’s crash was not the first time that an IndyCar has gotten airborne during a race on a mile and a half race track, however, it was the first fatality in recent years.  Two drivers, Davey Hamilton (Texas 2001), and Kenny Breck ( Texas 2003) suffered significant major injuries. in their similar type crashes.

Is this the time that the IndyCar officials take a hard serious look at the risks vs. the rewards of running this series on high banked, high-speed race tracks?

I must add, that having been a spectator last weekend at Las Vegas, the small portion of the race that occurred was  intense, exciting, and very dramatic.  However, the horrendous, fiery debris field that resulted from a very small mistake made by one driver makes one pause to think that maybe IndyCar needs to re-evaluate their mission statement.

The racing world will long miss Dan Wheldon!  Hopefully Weldon’s death won’t be ignored.  Instead, it is the opinion of WOMR that all the officials of the IndyCar Series conduct a transparent and thorough investigation.  Additionally, those same individuals need to implement the findings of that investigation to further increase safety in the series!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Now that Danica Patrick has jilted the IZOD IndyCar Series, in favor of the bigger money of NASCAR, the sports writer’s keyboards have been set ablaze with stories of DANICAMANIA!

However, nobody is really sure how she will fare in “the door slammer series”.  There are a . . . → Read More: Is There IndyCar Life After Danica?]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Now that Danica Patrick has jilted the IZOD IndyCar Series, in favor of the bigger money of NASCAR, the sports writer’s keyboards have been set ablaze with stories of DANICAMANIA!

However, nobody is really sure how she will fare in “the door slammer series”.  There are a couple of things that are certain, Danica will be driving very good equipment, JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, and Stewart-Haas Racing at the Sprint Cup level.  Secondly, Ms. Patrick will be bringing a huge boat load full of GoDaddy.com money, media hype, and frenzy to the 2012 season beginning with the Daytona 500!

Meanwhile back at the forlorn IZOD IndyCar Series, there is one thing that is definitely certain:  Danica Patrick’s departure will leave a huge vacuum that will be impossible to fill. From many aspects, that spells MAJOR trouble from a racing series that is gasping for its collective life!

These days, it appears, that the only media press given to the IZOD IndyCar Series has been the stories about Ms. Patrick’s divorce from the IndyCar Series and her marriage to NASCAR.  Aside from the Indy 500, the only press coverage of that open racing series was her rumored move to NASCAR.  Her press conference, last week, got more media attention than all the races on the schedule to date.

When Patrick exploded onto the scene seven years ago, open-wheel racing was wobbling, wheezing, and gasping for air.   Open wheel race fans can thank Tony George for his brilliant idea of taking his football and going home!  Patrick’s presence infused fresh interest and attention into the series.  Some felt that she single-handedly dragged it to shore and pumped life back into it.

So what happens after Danica departs?

I can only imagine that the answer keeps folks in the IndyCar Series awake at night and pulling out their hair. If they’re not worried, they really ought to be!

The IndyCar Series has been a one-trick pony for years, did I say thank you Tony George!  Other than the Indy 500, I doubt that Joe Sixpack could name another race on the circuit. (It doesn’t help that 12 of the league’s 17 races are carried on a cable channel that many fans can’t get, Versus.)

Notwithstanding, for seven years the series has long been a one-star show in terms of mainstream following.  Now that lone star has departed the fix for the big leagues of NASCAR.

What will Danica’s long-term impact be on NASCAR?  Nobody knows for sure.  But we do know what the impact will be on the IndyCar Series, and the future is gloomy for life A.D (after Danica).

Someone call 911!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy John SommersII/Getty Images)

There is no doubt that Thurday’s “DANICA DECISION DAY” was a huge news deal in American automobile racing.  Additionally, WOMR was a very sad to see that it was also a very big news event, a sad commentary.  If this is a clear barometer on the state . . . → Read More: Danicamania: Judgement Day For NASCAR?]]>

(photo courtesy John SommersII/Getty Images)

There is no doubt that Thurday’s “DANICA DECISION DAY” was a huge news deal in American automobile racing.  Additionally, WOMR was a very sad to see that it was also a very big news event, a sad commentary.  If this is a clear barometer on the state of American automobile racing, Danica Patrick moving over to Nationwide full time in 2012 with JR Motorsports then a move up to Sprint cup in 2013 with Stewart-Haas Racing, then folks we are in big trouble!

It is sad to see that a race car driver with just one victory in her entire “big time” racing career has stopped the presses!  It appears that DANICAMANIA is back in full swing in NASCAR!  It is quite unfortunate that, to be a news-worthy race car driver at the Sprint Cup level, money and not necessarily talent is the underlying requirement. Nevertheless, it appears that GoDaddy.com is willing to pour huge dollars into financing Danica Patrick’s racing career!

For WOMR, the only aspect of her public persona that is objectionable is an insistence of being treated just like all the male sports stars, all the while basing that persona on her obvious attributes as a female.  Therein lies a double standard!

And, wasn’t it crazy about how she kept referring to herself and that kind of wierdly-creepy Go-Daddy CEO, Bob Parsons, as “we” during her teleconference on Thursday.  Her deal/relationship with that guy and the company seems to draw driver/sponsor attachment a little too close for comfort!

Patrick’s IndyCar career has been defined as nothing more than a journeyman driver, in spite of her one victory at Motegi, Japan.  Likewise, her IndyCar career appears nothing more than a media blitz of beauty and branding the Danica persona.  What she will bring to NASCAR is more of the same, big sponsorship money and media hype.

As far as Patick’s ability to win races at the Nationwide and Sprint Cup level, there are only a couple of names, in which, to draw a comparison.  Both Sam Hornish, Jr. and Dario Franchitti tried their hand at NASCAR and were woefully unsuccessful in their transition to NASCAR.  Needless to say, both of the previously noted drivers won IndyCar championships, as well as, the Indy 500.  Neither of those accomplishments are annotated on Danica Patrick’s resume!

It is WOMR’s opinion that this announced deal for Danica Patrick is strictly all about money.  You know that old saying, money talks and BS walks!  She brings to the negotiation table a whole truck full of money.  Let’s face it, what team owner wouldn’t be willing to take her GoDaddy.com money, especially in light of these harsh economic conditions, where sponsorship money is extremely hard to find?

Scouring this Danica-GoDaddy.com deal, it allows Tony Stewart, at Stewart-Haas Racing, to start up their third race team at the expense Danica’s GoDaddy.com sponsorship dollars!

So just what does Danica Patrick bring to NASCAR?  On closer examination, it would appear that what Danica brings to NASCAR is big GoDaddy.com money, possibly some new demographics (women and some new male chauvinists pigs), and some diversity that NASCAR has been longing for, for so many years!

The question that begs to asked is “will Danica pose a threat for logging some victories during her Nationwide and Sprint cup career?”  It is the opinion of WOMR that she will not threaten the current crop of drivers in either the Nationwide or the Sprint Cup drivers for wins.  However, Danica Patrick will command/steal much of the limelight away from most of the current crop of drivers.  It will be big news, worthy or not, whether she finishes in the top 10 or the bottom 10 of the race.

What is your opinion on the NASCAR DANICAMANIA?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy auto123.com)

This Hendrick Motorsports decal was spotted Sunday at The Centennial Indy 500 on the wings of two of the Team Penske Racing cars on the grid before the start of the race.  The decals were on the inside rear wingplate on Will Power’s #6 Dallara Honda and Ryan Briscoe’s . . . → Read More: Is Hendrick And Penske Considering an Indy Car Alliance?]]>

(photo courtesy auto123.com)

This Hendrick Motorsports decal was spotted Sunday at The Centennial Indy 500 on the wings of two of the Team Penske Racing cars on the grid before the start of the race.  The decals were on the inside rear wingplate on Will Power’s #6 Dallara Honda and Ryan Briscoe’s #12 Dallara Honda.

This could only lead to speculation that, quite possibly,there could be a alliance between Penske and Hendrick in Indy Car.  This comes at a time when Chevrolet has announced that it will be coming back into the open wheel racing world, in particular, the IndyCar Series in 2012.

One rumor running throughout the garage area is that, Penske officials are keen to add Simona de Silvestro to their team but are having financial issues with three cars.  On the Hendrick Motorsports question, Penske officials would not comment on why HMS decals were on the two cars.

An alliance with Hendrick, a big Chevrolet dealer, could help. And remember, Ganassi now has two-two car teams with Dixon and Franchitti, Rahal and Kimball. A Penske Hendrick Alliance could work like Ganassi’s two teams.

Additionally, Honda just announced that they would be making Target Chip Ganassi their lead team in developing their new engines for the IndyCar Series in 2012.

Could this be the start of a move away from Honda and towards Chevrolet and a possible Hendrick Motorsports alliance for Team Penske in the IndyCar Series?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Dan Wheldon inherited the lead when rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall coming out of the final turn on the final lap and went on to win the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500.

Sunday’s victory was the second for Wheldon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won in . . . → Read More: Wheldon Capitalizes On A Rookie Mistake]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Dan Wheldon inherited the lead when rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall coming out of the final turn on the final lap and went on to win the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500.

Sunday’s victory was the second for Wheldon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won in 2005 with Andretti Green Racing. Wheldon, driving here for Bryan Herta Autosport, does not have a full-time ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series this season.

Wheldon said he felt “a lot of relief” as he saw Hildebrand’s car scrubbing against the outside wall. “I knew it was the last lap and knew a lot of those guys were struggling on fuel,” said Wheldon, driver of the  #98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine Dallara/Honda. “I just kept pushing. Bryan Herta Autosport have given me such a dream ride. I love Indianapolis. I love the people. I love everything about it, the tradition, the history. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Hildebrand skidded across the finish line to secure a second place in his very first Indy 500.

“Just a bummer to come home second again,” said Hildebrand, referring to the fact that Panther cars have now finished as runners-up at IMS three straight years. “I really felt like we had an incredible opportunity to get on the big stage.”

Hildebrand had the perfect opportunity to win the 2011 Indy 500 as a rookie, however, it wasn’t in the cards for him.  Hildebrand made one slight error in judgement that cost him an Indy 500 victory.  As he went up high in turn four to pass a slower race car, he got up into “the marbles”, lost front end steering, and slammed into the turn #4 retaining wall.

Meanwhile, Dan Wheldon was busy celebrating his second Indy 500 with co-owners, Brian Herta and Steve Newey.

“I think my contract expires at midnight tonight,” said Wheldon, joking with team co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey during their post-race news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I just knew when I started this race that I wanted to do everything in my power to deliver a win for not just myself – I didn’t feel I had anything to prove – but for such a great group of people.”

Working under terms of a one-off/Indy-only schedule, Wheldon and the fledgling Bryan Herta Autosport IZOD IndyCar Series team scored an upset for the ages during the 100th anniversary edition of the Indianapolis 500. Wheldon inherited the lead on the 200th and final lap when rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall exiting Turn 4, a straightaway removed from what would have been an even bigger upset.

In the corner of my eye, I saw him hit the fence,” said Wheldon, a 32-year-old native of Emberton, England, now residing in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I just carried on by. As Bryan says, you have to make it to the Bricks (start/finish line) with a car that can go forward with all four wheels. At that point I knew it was mine.”

Sunday’s victory in the #98 William Rast–CURB/Big Machine Dallara/Honda was the second for Wheldon at IMS, where he won in 2005 with Andretti Green Racing en route to the driver’s championship.

“This is obviously a very, very special racetrack to me,” said Wheldon, the 18th multiple winner of the Indy 500. “I love this racetrack. I love how the fans energize the Speedway. To think that I’m a two-time winner, I mean, Bryan, who has been a teammate and a good friend for a long time, gave me a fantastic opportunity to win the race.”

It appeared, however, that Wheldon was destined for his third consecutive second-place finish here to rookie Hildebrand, the driver who replaced him at Panther Racing after a sometimes tumultuous two-year stint. Hildebrand had inherited the lead on Lap 198, when Bertrand Baguette of Rahal Letterman Lanigan LLC was forced to pit for fuel under green. At that point, Hildebrand’s lead over Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion from Target Chip Ganassi Racing, stood at a healthy 3.5925-seconds. On Lap 199, Hildebrand’s advantage over Dixon grew to 3.8403-seconds.

With the crowd standing and applauding John Barnes’ Indianapolis-based team, Hildebrand exited Turn 4 high and slid into the SAFER Barrier while attempting to lap fellow-rookie Charlie Kimball. Hildebrand’s car hugged the wall, leaving a black streak on the white concrete as the yellow and checkered flags flew. Wheldon, who had passed Dixon for second, crossed the Yard of Bricks with tears in his eyes.

Wheldon believes he has found a home with Bryan Herta Autosport, which is preparing to run the full IndyCar schedule in 2012, when a new chassis/engine package will be introduced. Herta added he currently has no plans to compete in Round 6 of the series, the Firestone Twin 275s night races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on June 11.

“It was not the plan,” said Herta, who forged a technical association with Sam Schmidt Motorsports at IMS. “Our plan has always been to race here, and we’ve got a project that we’re going to be working on a little later this year that we’re committed to. We never had a plan to do more races this year. Our plan was always to try to come back and compete fulltime next year. Right now, that’s still the plan.”

“Does this (win) change anything? I don’t know. I think it’s going to create some opportunities for us for sure and I think we’re going to have to decide if we stay the course or if we take advantage of any of the opportunities that may come up. But for me, there’s nothing else we can do this year that’s going to be any better than this. All we can do is come down the mountain now. If I were to look ahead right now, what I really want is to sign a sponsor and sign Dan Wheldon and go racing next year fulltime and try and win the championship.”

What an exciting finish this was for the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Every year early in the month of May Dario Franchitti makes a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.  Franchittti loves spending time touring the museum viewing the old historic race cars that depict the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

Mostly, Franchitti loves to . . . → Read More: Franchitti Could Join Some Elite Company]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Every year early in the month of May Dario Franchitti makes a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.  Franchittti loves spending time touring the museum viewing the old historic race cars that depict the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

Mostly, Franchitti loves to see the old cars and bask in the history of the Brickyard. But, every now and then, he will take a peek at the Borg Warner Trophy and look for the image of his face, which appears twice on the Indy 500 winners’ trophy.

“This place has an incredible history,’’ Franchitti said. “This is the Centennial year and just about anybody who is anybody in racing has been here, one way or another.”

“It’s a real honor to be part of that history.’’

The dashing Scot, and husband to Ashley Judd, could make more Indy history on Sunday by becoming a three-time winner and becoming only the sixth driver to win here in back-to-back years.

It’s all pretty humbling for the quiet, unassuming Scot.

Although he came to American racing in the 1990s with the “big potential’’ label firmly attached to his name, the 38-year-old Franchitti didn’t achieve the kind of success that was forecast for him until the latter part of his career.

His three IZOD IndyCar Series titles and two Indy victories have all come in his 30s.

Franchitti exudes cool in his appearance and in the way he approaches racing, but Dixon and team owner Ganassi both say appearances can be deceiving.

“Dario is a great teammate because he is willing to share just about everything,’’ Dixon said. “But, if you’re racing him head-to-head, look out. He has a burning desire to win.’’

“He is much more competitive than you would think by looking at him,’’ Ganassi noted. “The guy still has a fire in his belly.’’

Sunday, Dario will take that competitive fire onto the biggest stage of the IndyCar season, the Indianapolis 500. And, starting a disappointing ninth in the 33-car field, Franchitti will have to do some hard work to become the 10th driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’’ three times or more.

The leadup to the race has not gone as well as Franchitti would have liked.  Despite all the rain during May, Franchitti was one of the leaders on the speed chart prior to Pole Day, and was widely expected to have a great shot at winning the pole. Instead, the Ganassi team made an uncharacteristic mistake and Franchitti ran out of fuel on the last lap of his four-lap qualifying run, relegating him to the third row of the race grid!

It was truly an agonizing day for Franchitti, who walked from the pits with his helmet on, avoiding all media interviews.

“I didn’t want to talk to anybody or speak to anybody or listen to anybody,” he said later. “I just wanted to go away for a minute. I didn’t have anything positive to say and I was very angry.”

Not to excuse that mistake made by the Target Chip Ganassi team, winners of the Indy 500 have come from much deeper in the field than ninth starting position.  However, the Indy 500 is a very difficult race to win under any circumstances.

“Any race is difficult,’’ Franchitti said. “Any race you’re required to do everything right. This place is exactly the same.”

“You’ve got to do all the pit stops right, you’ve got to make all the right moves on the track in traffic on your own, you’ve got to have a fast car and a little bit of luck. Millions of things have got to go right to finish this race.’’

He added, thanks to the nearly constant rains this month, no one has had a lot of time to figure out the best race setup for their car.

“The start of the race is more of a gamble maybe because you haven’t had those multiple days to just tweak on the setup,’’ Franchitti added. “In some ways you’re going into an unknown, plus it looks like the temperature is going to be warmer. It looks like it’s going to be above 85 degrees for the first time all month.”

“Those are all going to be factors, but somebody is going to hit on that perfect setup and they’ll be very fast – and I hope it’s us.’’

If Franchitti can pull off a victory today in the 100th running of the Indy 500, his next visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will be oh so much sweeter!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

In many, if not most, of the past Indy 500′s, the polesitter was considered the favorite to win the race.  However, this year it is not necessarily the case.

While fellow front-row starter, Scott Dixon driving his #9 Target Chip Ganassi race car, and his teammate Dario . . . → Read More: Can Tagliani Pull One More Out Of His Hat?]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

In many, if not most, of the past Indy 500′s, the polesitter was considered the favorite to win the race.  However, this year it is not necessarily the case.

While fellow front-row starter, Scott Dixon driving his #9 Target Chip Ganassi race car, and his teammate Dario Franchitti driving his #10 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara, and starting from the ninth starting position are actually co-favorites to win the 2011 Indianapolis 500, with Las Vegas odds at 4-1.  The polesitter, Alex Tagliani, is slated in the odds at 13-2.

Tagliani, a 38-year-old French Canadian, has been the surprise of the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Tags, as he is known, has been among the fastest drivers on the 2.5-mile oval since practice began and wound up easily winning the pole for Sunday’s Centennial Indy 500 with a four-lap average of 227.474 mph.

He backed that up Friday in the “Carb Day’’ practice by trailing only Dixon on the speed chart for the one-hour final session.

“I feel my car’s very racy,’’ Tagliani said. “I love it in traffic. We got some consistency out of the car on older tires.’’

Pausing for a moment to digest what he had just said, Tagliani smiled and added, “It seems to be just unreal, too good to be true, sometimes.

“I want to think we deserve it. It’s not because we’re not (Team) Penske or Ganassi. We did maybe everything better than anybody else.’’

Tagliani has accomplished all of this driving for the unheralded team of Sam Schmidt, a former IndyCar driver who became a quadriplegic in a testing crash in 2000 and who has overcome tremendous odds himself to become a successful car owner in the second-tier Firestone Indy Lights Series.

Tagliani started his own team several years ago, but it was taken over this year by Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

The move to the IZOD IndyCar Series is a big leap, but Schmidt and Tagliani have certainly given big teams like Team Penske and Ganassi something to think about. Not only that, but a second Schmidt driver, Townsend Bell, will start fourth in Sunday’s race.

Notwithstanding all Tags good fortunes in the month of May, it will take a huge effort from the entire Sam Schmidt Mortorsports organization to be able to out race the Big Two of Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi for the Indy 500 victory.

Could this be the year that David slays Goliath at the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500?

What are your thoughts?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar series)

It is quite surprising that Canadian race car driver from Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Alex Tagliani, out drove the drivers from the bigger, better funded teams like Penske Racing and Target Ganassi Racing for the  2011 Indy 500 pole!

Backing up his impressive speed numbers from practice, Tagliani, . . . → Read More: Alex Tagliani Claims The Indy 500 Pole]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar series)

It is quite surprising that Canadian race car driver from Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Alex Tagliani, out drove the drivers from the bigger, better funded teams like Penske Racing and Target Ganassi Racing for the  2011 Indy 500 pole!

Backing up his impressive speed numbers from practice, Tagliani, of Sam Schmidt Motorsports bagged the PEAK Performance Pole Award presented by AutoZone during the Fast Nine segment Saturday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The final driver to qualify, Tagliani’s four-lap/10-mile average around the 2.5-mile oval of 227.472 mph allowed him to grab P1 from Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who averaged 227.340 mph. Meanwhile, Oriol Servia of Newman/Haas Racing will start from the outside of the three-car front row after posting a four-lap average of 227.168 mph.

Tagliani, 28, is the first Canadian-born driver to win an Indy 500 pole.  His previous best start at IMS was fifth in 2010, with the FAZZT Race Team he founded. Schmidt, a former IZOD IndyCar Series driver who was paralyzed after an accident in testing in 2000, acquired the assets of FAZZT in March 2011 with the idea of challenging series juggernauts Ganassi Racing and Team Penske.

“I’m probably going to be pinching myself until I go to bed,” said Tagliani, driver of the #77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara-Honda. “It’s been an amazing team effort. We have a great group of people, and the additions with the other cars. I had good input from Alex Tagliani picked up some hardware at Indy Saturday.”

“I wanted this one so bad,” he continued.

“This is a reward for Sam as well,” Tagliani said of Schmidt, who is celebrating his 10th year as a team owner at IMS. “He got involved and helped to continue (the organization). He’s an amazing team leader and this is a great result for him. I hope there’s more to come.”

“I felt that we had a fast car not only today, but all month, and thought we would hit a 226 during today’s qualifying run,” said Patrick, driver of the #7 Team GoDaddy entry. “I felt really comfortable with the car, and it felt effortlessly fast and it wasn’t really slow until this morning. All I can think of is something we missed or something happened with the track, maybe, and everyone is putting a new set of rubber on and it changed. We just have to buckle down at this point. I guess we are going to have to risk it a little more come tomorrow.”

So it appears that, at least the run for the pole for the Indy 500, there was a little more of the David and Goliath story in racing.  Next Sunday will mark the 100th running of the Indy 500.  There are many underlying stories that unfolded on qualifying weekend, more on those stories in another post!

WOMR will be making a return to those hallowed grounds as a spectator for the 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.  The anxiety is already starting to build!

See you from The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Danica Patrick isn’t saying that the 2011 Indy 500 will be her last, not just yet anyway.

But pose that question of her after the checkered flag waves on May 29th for the 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.  A victory for Patrick in this . . . → Read More: Is Danica Driving Her Last Indy 500?]]>

(photo courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

Danica Patrick isn’t saying that the 2011 Indy 500 will be her last, not just yet anyway.

But pose that question of her after the checkered flag waves on May 29th for the 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.  A victory for Patrick in this year’s Indy 500 would most likely “seal the deal”for her much anticipated move over to NASCAR in 2012.

“I suppose anything is possible. But I know, for me, I haven’t made any of those decisions yet,” Patrick said during a news conference Thursday at IMS, prior to the resumption of practice after two rained-out sessions. “This is a special event in and of itself. Indy is my favorite race in the world – every everything.

“So like I just said, I love everything about this place. I love the tradition. I love the race itself. So many times you can come away from this event, after 500 miles, and think of how your strategy could have put you in Victory Circle. I think that’s why people love this place and so many people come back. So many people have that story as to how they could have maybe won the Indy 500, which is for me the ultimate goal. I would imagine for a lot of people it’s the ultimate goal. It’s definitely high up on the list.”

“I just love this event. So I don’t know where the future is going to take me, but I know those things.”

Patrick is in the final year of her two year contract with IndyCar team Andretti Autosport.  There is a “joint option” for a third year.  Lilkewise, Patrick is in the final year of her contract with the Nationwide team, JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Patrick became the first female in history to win a race in a major, closed-course event in April 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.  Despite that three-year vacuum since her lone IZOD IndyCar Series victory, Patrick remains open-wheel’s most recognizable “brand,” and a crossover star in NASCAR for joint sponsor GoDaddy.com.

In particular, Patrick’s record on the 2.5-mile IMS oval has been stellar, marked by a gender-best fourth-place start/finish as a rookie in 2005. She has five top-10 finishes in those six starts, including a sixth-place result last May, despite failing to lead a lap in the race for the fifth consecutive year. Patrick did pace the race three times for 19 laps in 2005, becoming the first woman to lead a lap in the event and finish on the lead lap.

Patrick’s best finish at IMS is third in 2009. But Danica said that in her “selective memory,” the 2005 Indy 500 easily remains her favorite. It is, of course, the race that launched “Danicamania.”

“It’s the most memorable race I’ve ever done, for sure,” said Patrick, then driving for Rahal Letterman Racing. “Even more than when I won (at Motegi). I just remember everything about it. It was a great day, a life-changing day. (But) I really am approaching this like any other year. Actually, I feel like I get more nervous every year. I’m more nervous coming into it this year than last year. Maybe it’s because you’re getting older and on some level you think you have less of them to do, I don’t know.

Patrick and her Andretti Autosport teammates – Marco and John Andretti, Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay – have been struggling to find warp speed during this week’s rain-plagued practices. Today’s scheduled six-hour session on “Fast Friday” will be their last chance to close the gap to Team Penske’s Will Power, who posted the fastest lap of the month at 227.778 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Honda on Thursday. Pole Day qualifications are scheduled for Saturday.

“We’ve been moving very slowly, methodically, because the first time out we felt really good about it,” said Patrick, who placed 10th on Thursday’s speed chart at 226.267 mph in the No. 7 Team GoDaddy Dallara/Honda. “So we have the ability to not panic and rush, make all of our changes on pit lane. We don’t have to be throwing everything at it to see what we can do to make it go faster, although we are going to be doing things to try to make it go faster.

“Anything can happen. Anything can change.  At this point in time, I feel pretty comfortable. You have to stay confident here. I think that’s a really important thing. I think you have to feel comfortable with your car. You have to go into Turn 1, every lap, with confidence. You have to be sure of yourself and your equipment.

“I just think we have to work smart. Sometimes that means not going back on changes, maybe just leaving the car where it’s at. I think drivers, engineers are inclined to make changes, make it go faster. Sometimes you can tune yourself out. Time will tell. This is a very unique place. It’s its own person, this track.”

Notwithstanding all Patrick’s IndyCar accomplishments, the NASCAR spotlight beckons Patrick to switch racing venues.

Patrick was asked if there would be a void in her life if a move to NASCAR would prevent her from competing again in the Indy 500.

“I think whatever happens, I’ll take into consideration that this is a huge event,” Patrick said. “I think I’ve had great memories here, no matter what. I don’t know. I think that’s a question I don’t really have an answer to. I’m not there yet, so I don’t know yet. I haven’t thought about those kinds of things.

“But all I know is, I know I’m going to do my best to try to win this year and see what happens.”

It sure appears that Danica is leaning very heavily towards the jump to NASCAR.  After all, like when John Dillinger was asked “why do rob banks”, he answered, “that is where the money is”!

Never forget, Danica knows that NASCAR “is where the money is”!

What are your views on Danica coming to NASCAR?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!