Tag Archives: Helio Castroneves

St. Petersburg Race Recap: Oh, Canada!

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2013 St. Petersburg StartIt had been 190 days since the IZOD IndyCar Series went dark for the long, cold winter when the engines fired once again for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to open the 2013 campaign for the series title.  Will Power started from the Pole Position after winning the inaugural Verizon Pole Award on Saturday.  Power set sail early leaving the field looking small in his mirrors.  Things changed on lap 19 when Dario Franchitti, exiting the pits, found his way to the wall on cold black primary tires.  Tires would become a central story as the race unfolded.

The ensuing restart saw Power’s Team Penske teammate grab the lead on a brilliant outside pass, a move that Power questioned Race Control about in a post-race interview.  Nonetheless, Castroneves’ pass was legal and Helio set sail in clean air looking much like his teammate did in the first stint leading the most laps through the middle portions of the race.  Then things got crazy.

Sebastien Saavedra brought out the caution flag when his No. 6 Dragon Racing entry found its way into the tire barrier at the exit of turn 10 bringing out the full course caution flag.  The leaders ducked into pit lane for fuel and tires for the final stint of the race.  The exchange of pit stops saw JR Hildebrand pass Simona de Silvestro under the caution flag putting the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car behind the Verizon machine of Will Power.  Coming to the restart, Hildebrand, apparently distracted, drove over the right rear tire of the car directly in front of him which, unfortunately, all but ended the day for the race’s polesitter.  Power’s car was repaired and he rejoined the fight, but he would find the tire barrier in the wining stages of the race saddling him with a disappointing 16th place result to begin his campaign.

Helio Castroneves made his only mistake of the day on the following restart when he was a fraction of a second late getting on the brakes getting into turn 1 locking the right front tire and opening the door for James Hinchcliffe to claim the lead.  While Castroneves attempted to chase Hinchcliffe down, the battle behind them was the thing to watch in the closing stages of the race.

Simona de Silvestro began her final stint on a used set of the red alternate tires which, according to teams, began losing their grip after as few as four laps at speed.  Chasing her first career podium, de Silvestro was holding on for dear life to keep third position but was unable to hold off a hard charging Marco Andretti who passed her coming to take the race’s white flag signalling the final lap.  Teammate Tony Kanaan followed Andretti through but it was far from over for the de Silvestro as she had to try to fend off Scott Dixon and EJ Viso in a crazy three wide finish back in the pack while James Hinchcliffe captured his first win in the IZOD IndyCar Series.  De Silvestro would bring it home in 6th which is a major turnaround from the 2012 she endured.

UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series takes a week off for the Easter holiday after which they load into the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama for the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama.  Will Power looks for his third consecutive win at the facility where he came from 9th place on the starting grid to win the 2012 race.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (FOLLOWING ST. PETERSBURG):

1. James Hinchcliffe (Leader)

2. Helio Castroneves (-8)

3. Marco Andretti (-16)

4. Tony Kanaan (-19)

5. Scott Dixon (-21)

6. Simona de Silvestro (-23)

7. EJ Viso (-25)

8. Takuma Sato (-27)

9. Justin Wilson (-29)

10. Alex Tagliani (-31)

14. Will Power (-35)

18. Ryan Hunter-Reay (-39)

25. Dario Franchitti (-46)

CONGRATULATIONS TO JAMES HINCHCLIFFE AND ANDRETT AUTOSPORT

WINNERS OF THE HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

James Hinchcliffe 2013 St. Pete Victory Lane

Roger Penske Throws A Life Preserver

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Roger-PenskeRoger Penske, fresh off his first top level NASCAR championship, never ceases to throw curveballs into the world of Auto Racing.  Penske’s IZOD IndyCar Series operation, appearing hell bent on trimming from three cars to two, never ceases to provide out-of-the-blue and surprising news.  Team Penske came to realize that finding sponsorship to run three cars in 2013 was, quite possibly, and insurmountable task and subsequently released Ryan Briscoe to pursue other options after retaining three time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and perennial championship runner-up Will Power to contest the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series title.  Breaking news last week changed all that.

AJ AllmendingerPenske Racing announced last week that the team’s former NASCAR driver, AJ Allmendinger, would don a Penske Racing firesuit on February 19th to test one of Team Penske’s DW12 IndyCars at Sebring International Raceway.  Allmendinger’s test will be overseen by Penske Racing crew members as well as full-time drivers Power and Castroneves, with the end goal to grid Allmendinger in April at Barber Motorsports Park and Long Beach.  The Indianapolis 500 is also on the radar.

Champ Car World Series Powered by FordRecent history will regard AJ Allmendinger as a NASCAR driver, however, the native of Thornton, Colorado etched his name into the minds of team owners in the Champ Car World Series from 2004-2006.  He was forded the opportunity to drive as teammate to Paul Tracy at Forsythe Racing and really made his mark on the series wining four races and capturing fourth in the final points standings and becoming a regular thorn in the side of four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais.

Allmendinger RedBullAllmendinger was given the opportunity to join the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2007 as a member of the new Team RedBull operation as teammate to Brian Vickers but his full-time participation only lasted the 2007 season as he was relegated to part-time status in 2008 before moving to Richard Petty Motorsports from 2009-2011.  Allmendinger struck gold with the opportunity of a lifetime when Penske Racing signed him to drive for the team with sponsorship from Shell Pennzoil.  The season started difficultly as team and driver worked to find the same page on setups and just when it seemed they were making some headway, Allmendinger took the proverbial .44 Magnum and shot his career in the foot.  Suffering from the strain of the season, Allmendinger accepted a pill of Adderall from an acquaintance.  The following race weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Allmendinger was summoned for a random drug screening as per the NASCAR rule book.  Allmendinger tested positive for Amphetamines leading directly to his release from his Penske Racing contract as he completed the ‘Road to Recovery’ program and was reinstated.

Team Penske IZOD 2012AJ Allmendinger’s career looks to be headed full circle as he hopes to join the IZOD IndyCar Series in a part-time basis in 2013 eying a full-time drive for The Captain in 2014.  Roger Penske runs an organization built on loyalty and family with ‘once part of the organization, always part of the organization’ as its mantra.  Allmendinger handled his return from his drug suspension with the upmost professionalism which is just the kind of character Roger Penske desires and demands from all members of the Penske brand.  While at the unfortunate expense of Ryan Briscoe, Allmendinger’s opportunity to join auto racing’s most successful team is a fortunate happenstance for INDYCAR as it could put an American driver at the forefront of the IZOD IndyCar Series grid which is never a bad thing when trying to build momentum and exposure.

2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Awards: Best Oval Track Race

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This is the first in a series of IZOD IndyCar Paddock Pass awards posts.  Stay tuned for more awards!

BRONZE MEDAL: AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY’S MAVTV 500

In an effort to replace Las Vegas Motor Speedway as host for the INDYCAR World Championships, the IZOD IndyCar Series turned to Auto Club Speedway to close their 2012 campaign.  Bringing a combination of the Speedway wing package used at Indianapolis and low downforce used at Texas, the show was sure to be interesting.  Throw into the mix that the championship was coming down to the wire as Will Power entered the event with a 17-point lead on Ryan Hunter-Reay, but, as IndyCar Series campaigns have shown consistently, it isn’t over until the checkered flag falls and the MAVTV 500 became a prime example.  Both championship contenders suffered ill handling race cars and combined with grid penalties for engine changes, both started back in the pack.  The race took a dramatic turn on lap 55:

Battling with rival Hunter-Reay, Will Power attempted to make a low side pass, got loose, and spun into the turn 2 wall changing the entire scope of this race.  Hunter-Reay immediately had the best opportunity to win the championship but still needed to complete 195 laps and finish 5th, after Verizon Team Penske was able to repair Power’s car enough to run enough laps to make up one position, to score enough points to win the championship.  The race was drama filled to the end capped of by a gutsy ‘red flag’ call by Beaux Barfield to give the race the opportunity to end under green flag conditions.  Ed Carpenter managed to snatch the race from Dario Franchitti while Hunter-Reay grabbed the title from the clutches of Will Power.

SILVER MEDAL: 96TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 MILE RACE

It might be considered a travesty to not have the Indianapolis 500 as the winner of this award every season.  The 2012 rendition of the 500 mile marathon just outside downtown Indianapolis could be enshrined as the best race in the event’s 100+ year history.  The Chevy vs. Honda ‘Turbogate’ saga had been accepted and Honda’s new turbo cover had been approved my IndyCar’s technical department, but when Pole Day came around it looked as though it didn’t even matter as Josef Newgarden was the only Honda to crack the top-9 in qualifying.  The race turned out to be a different story as the brand new Honda engines installed for the 500 miles seemed to have new life.  The race began as a battle between Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe with Marco Andretti holding the lead through the middle stages of the race.  Then Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing began to show their muscle.

On the final lap, Takuma Sato attempted to pass Dario Franchitti in turn 1 when he spun hitting the wall giving the race win to the Scot followed closely by teammate Scott Dixon and KV Racing’s Tony Kanaan.  A race filled with close competition that set an event record for lead changes ended like the greatest stories ever told.  The unenviable backdrop to the 2012 Indianapolis 500 was paying tribute to Dan Wheldon and the race ended with all three of Wheldon’s former teammates and best friends crossing the bricks three wide under caution for the most fitting tribute of all to Dan’s legacy.

 

GOLD MEDAL: FIRESTONE 550 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

As drama-filled and exciting as the Indianapolis 500 was, how could any event unseat it as the best oval race of 2012?

The award for best oval track race goes to the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway for a very simple reason.  In the wake of the tragedy of Las Vegas, there was much apprehension and questions about the viability of IndyCars racing on the high banked 1.5 mile oval tracks that helped make IndyCar Racing famous, at least in the recent history of the sport.  In order to remain relevant and draw fans, the schedule’s balance between ovals and road courses must be retained.

The tension was mounting in the Paddock as the first practice inched closer and closer.  Drivers said they would no longer participate in pack racing on the ovals but elected to grid at Texas because they are professionals.  The beauty of the new DW12 chassis is that it has a wealth of aerodynamic options to add or remove downforce.  In conjunction with the drivers, IndyCar’s technical department came to Texas with a low-downforce package that would require drivers to lift in the turns instead of holding the throttle flat.  This became an instantaneous solution for the pack racing and brought some serious excitement as cars were coming and going all the time.  This was also a race for the ‘little guys’ as the Pole was won by Alex Tagliani while Justin Wilson took the race win for Dale Coyne Racing after Graham Rahal grazed the turn 4 wall with two laps to go.

This race gets top honors for 2012 oval track races because of what it means for the future of the sport.  Leading up to the race, drivers said they would run the race but they would also be very happy to leave when it was over, but fast forward to after the race was complete and the attitude changed to ‘we want to do this again’.  Justin Wilson may have crossed the finish line first, but the big winners in this race was the sport itself and its fans.  Oval tracks are here to stay and make no mistake that the results of Texas had direct correlation to the addition of Pocono Raceway in 2013.  A big ‘Thank You’ goes to Eddie Gossage for sticking with IndyCar through all the talk of configuration, pack racing, and fence talk to host IndyCar Paddock Pass’s ‘Best Oval’ of 2012.

 

 

 

CHAMPIONSHIP Preview: Auto Club Speedway

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NASCAR opens their ten race Chase at Chicagoland, but this is Open-Wheel’s weekend!  Fourteen races in the books for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series and it all comes down to this weekend at Auto Club Speedway for the MAVTV 500 on Saturday night!  This will be the ultimate test for the two teams vying for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship as the IndyCar season concludes on the 2-Mile oval track located an hours drive outside Los Angeles.  The last time IndyCar graced the facility with its presence was 2005 in the season finale won by Dario Franchitti and crowning the late Dan Wheldon the series champion, although Wheldon sealed the championship the week before.  The 2012 IndyCar World Championships mark seventh consecutive season that the championship will be decided in the final round with no Chase, Countdown, or Overtime required.

WILL POWER VS. RYAN HUNTER-REAY

There were 26 driver/car combinations entered for the first race at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Peterburg, but it all comes down to two drivers at Auto Club Speedway.  Will Power enters the weekend with a 17-point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay, the only other driver who could walk away from the MAVTV 500.  While Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon remain, currently, eligible for the championship they will be mathematically eliminated once Will Power completes his qualifying run as Power will be guaranteed a starting position and enough points to eliminate those two drivers once the green flag falls.  No matter which driver walks away with the championship, it will be a great story to cap an incredible IndyCar season.

Will Power began his open-wheel career in Champ Car capturing four wins with Team Australia, but was left without a car to drive when sponsorship contracts were not renewed.  Then, in 2009, The Captain, Roger Penske, came calling to hire him as a replacement for Helio Castroneves until he was able to return.  Power has been a top contender for the IndyCar championship since joining Team Penske full-time in 2010.  In that time, Power has amassed fourteen victories and finished runner-up in the final points standing the past two seasons.  Power has had the field covered for much of the last three years, however, he has fallen just short of the series title.  Truth be told, Power has wiped the pavement with the rest of the field on road and street courses, but his downfall has been performance on oval tracks where he has just one victory.  Place on top of the pile that Power has never competed at the Fontana track and his first time on the track was a test the week prior.  Through his own mistakes or bad luck, Power is notorious for choking in season finale races but this could be the year that Power’s season long work is finally rewarded with a series championship but he must be bolstered for a fight to the end.

Ryan Hunter-Reay enters the finale trailing Will Power by 17 points.  Hunter-Reay’s history in racing has been turbulent at best.  Hunter-Reay joined Champ Car in 2003 and became a journeyman until 2005 when he was released from the Rockesports team with two rounds to go.  He, then, joined A1GP for 2006 into 2007 until being hired to replace Jeff Simmons in the Rahal Letterman Racing IndyCar which he drove in 2008 to the Chase Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 but sponsorship dried up and Hunter-Reay was left without a ride for 2009.  Hunter-Reay joined Vision Racing as teammate for Ed Carpenter and had to scratch and claw his way into the Indianapolis 500 after which he moved to AJ Foyt Racing replacing the injured Vitor Meira.  Hunter-Reay got his break in 2010 signing to drive for Andretti Autosport with funding from IZOD.  With IZOD only a partial season deal, Andretti stuck his neck out for American driver scrapping enough money together to run the full season.  DHL/SunDrop came onboard for the full campaign in 2011 where Hunter-Reay failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, coming under scrutiny for “stealing” Bruno Junqueira’s qualified car.  If Hunter-Reay wins the championship, all of his perseverance will be rewarded, maybe not on the timetable Ryan envisioned, but a reward nonetheless.  Hunter-Reay would also be the first American driver to win the IndyCar crown since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006.

TEAM PENSKE VS. ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

If the finale were on a road course, 17 points would be deemed difficult if not insurmountable, but this is an oval track with higher speeds, high banks, and points can come and go quickly.  Hunter-Reay currently leads the Oval Championship, bolstered by short-track wins at Milwaukee and Iowa, but Auto Club Speedway is a different animal.  The IZOD IndyCar technical department along with the drivers developed an aerodynamic baseline using the wing package, shown below, utilized at Indianapolis combined with the low underwing downforce used at Texas Motor Speedway to inhibit pack racing and putting the car in the driver’s hands.

The Firestone tire compound is expected to be similar to Texas so cars will be coming and going in much the same fashion.  Teammates could be the lynchpin to this Championship.  Power has allies in Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe while Hunter-Reay can rely on Hinchcliffe, Andretti, and Saavedra.  On paper, the teammate advantage goes heavily in favor of Team Penske as Castroneves is the only driver to compete at Auto Club Speedway of those listed and Briscoe is close behind in oval experience and success.

500 MILE SPECTACLE UNDER THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

What separates this race from other championship finales is that it is a marathon.  The race is 250 laps and 500 miles in length, by far the longest final race in series history.  The race will begin in the failing light, move into twilight, and end under the lights so adjusting the car as the track temperature changes will be of paramount importance to the contenders for the championship or the race win.  The race will require seven or eight pit stops so the pressure is on the crew to execute these changes quickly to put their driver in a position toward the front.

This is going to be an EPIC finale to the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season and anything can happen once the green flag falls.  There will be 26 cars vying for positions in this race and only seven of them give a rip about the championship which leaves opportunity for drivers outside the championship hunt to cause problems for the contenders.  Everyone knows this offseason is going to be long and they will all be looking for a positive result as they park their cars for 2012.  Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 7:30 eastern time Saturday night for all the action!

OTHER NOTES: AJ Foyt Racing driver, Mike Conway, revealed his extensive discomfort for oval racing surrendering the No. 14 ABC Supply car to Wade Cunningham this weekend.  Conway’s IndyCar future is unknown at this time.

Legendary motorsports announcer Bob Jenkins will be calling his final race for the forseeable future on Saturday.  Jenkins has brought a professional, endearing, and exciting flavor to IndyCar broadcasts since taking on the anchor role in 2010.  May his journey after Saturday be swift and fruitful and we’ll see him at Indianapolis next May.

A Brewing Dilemma for Roger Penske…

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Roger Penske has an enviable dilemma on his hands as the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season races toward its conclusion.  The dilemma is what to do with his team for 2013.  In 2012, Team Penske has won six of the fourteen completed races and captured Pole in eight.  As of now, Will Power is the only driver confirmed in Team Penske stable for 2013 and Castroneves’ three Indianapolis 500 victories give him favorable odds he will, again, pilot the No. 3 entry for Team Penske next season.  That begs the question of what is planned for the No. 2 car that was piloted to Victory Lane in Sonoma by Ryan Briscoe.  As always, Penske has many options to cultivate.

BET ON BRISCOE

Of the impending free agent class, Briscoe is definitely in the top echelon of drivers available.  Briscoe has proven pace and ability in the IZOD IndyCar Series evidenced by his win at Sonoma and the Pole at Indianapolis, but he has yet to recapture the magic of his 2009 run for the IndyCar championship.  Since being a top contender in 2009, Briscoe has amassed only two wins and a handful of Poles so one has to wonder the reason why given that Briscoe competes for, arguably, IndyCar’s best team.  The 2009 title run was bolstered by Briscoe being, essentially, the lead driver for Team Penske with Helio Castroneves fighting his tax evasion charges and Will Power only a temporary replacement in the No. 3 car.  If Penske intends and has acquired sponsorship to remain at three full-season entries, he could find himself with few, if any, better options than the Australian he currently employs.

GO WITH GRAHAM

Chip Ganassi Racing announced in August that they would not be picking up the option on Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 38 Service Central Honda, thus allowing the Ohio native and his lucrative sponsorship partners to test the free agent market.  It is unknown whether Rahal would be so loyal to Honda to put the phone down if Roger Penske, who runs Chevrolet, came calling.  Rahal would fit the Penske fold nicely and he brings financial backing to boot.  Roger Penske currently fields three cars for drivers north of 30 years old and Helio Castroneves will turn 38 before the flag drops on the Indianapolis 500 next May and is in the twilight of his IndyCar career.  It seems as though Rahal has been in the IndyCar Paddock for forever, but he is only 23 years of age and gives any team a driver to build with for years to come.

SPEED WITH SEBASTIEN

It seems like ages ago that Sebastien Bourdais celebrated his fourth consecutive Champ Car World Series title.  Handcuffed by a Lotus for the first four races, Bourdais made the best of his situation and managed to make an underpowered engine look competitive using his brilliant driving skill.  Since being given the boost of a Chevrolet, Bourdais has looked to be getting closer and closer to the form that made him so dominant from 2004-2007.  Bourdais’ team, Dragon Racing, faces a turbulent offseason as they look to try and return to a two-car team among shortage of Chevrolet engines, Jay Penske’s legal issues, and, like everyone else, sponsorship concerns.  Katherine Legge currently has the multi-year TrueCar sponsorship that she and Bourdais are sharing, but a move from one Penske to another could be what Bourdais needs to contend once again.

RIDE WITH RUBENS


This one may seem out of deep left field, however, if Penske was to hire a driver based on credentials alone there are few resumes as decorated as that of Rubens Barrichello.  Barrichello would enter the Team Penske fold with 19 years of Formula 1 experience, but just one season in the IZOD IndyCar Series.  Barrichello would join a team that has unmatched winning history and amassed fifteen Indianapolis 500 victories.  It sounds like just the opportunity Barrichello would relish as his motorsports career winds down.  This option could be determined a long shot because Barrichello seems to be looking toward a team powered by Honda which is not a possibility for Penske.

TRIM TO TWO

The easiest economic option would be to run two cars instead of three.  Currently, the only car in the Team Penske stable with full-season major sponsorship is the entry piloted by Will Power while the other two cars have seen revolving liveries and side pod sponsors.  Since becoming a three car team in 2010, Team Penske has shown indications of being spread a little thin after losing sponsorship from Philip Morris USA.  Other than Power’s Verizon sponsorship, the No. 2 and No. 3 have carried revolving liveries including Shell V-Power, IZOD, AAA, Hitachi, and Penske’s own Truck Rental brand.  Surely these sponsorships could be consolidated into one car allowing the omission of Penske Truck Rental completely and putting more pennies in Penske’s pocket to spend on testing, spare parts, and other team competitive expenses allowing more focus dealing with two teams instead of three.  It would also, assuming he remains interested in being a race strategist, put Roger Penske on the pit stall for either Castroneves or Power which could help consistency for one or both.  Another angle on downsizing to two cars is that it may allow Roger Penske’s son, Jay, to acquire the second Chevrolet engine lease that he desires.

As always, the ball is 100% in Roger Penske’s court and nobody is sure what The Captain has planned.  It depends very much on sponsorship and what is available and who can bring what to the table.  Penske, undoubtedly, has his eye on rising young stars such as Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, and Simona de Silvestro but those drivers are contracted to their current teams for the foreseeable future.   All three current Team Penske drivers have visited Victory Lane in 2012 with Helio Castroneves and Will Power capturing multiple race wins.  With the results of the Baltimore Grand Prix bringing Ryan Hunter-Reay within 17 points of Will Power heading to the Season Finale, you have to wonder what will Roger do for 2013.  Behind the wins and championship contention, it has been a bit of a difficult season for the Penske organization with AJ Allmendinger failing a drug test and if Team Penske sees another championship slip from their clutches for the fourth consecutive season, it can be expected that major changes to the fabric of the Penske organization will be forthcoming.  Stay tuned because when Roger Penske makes a decision, the Earth usually rumbles.

Race Recap: Honda 200 @ Mid-Ohio

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The IZOD IndyCar Series made its annual stop at the technical, demanding Mid-Ohio Sports car course, a track notorious for discouraging passing and excitement.  But that was on the old Dallara and the Dallara DW12 proved at Barber Motorsports Park that on the tightest of tracks it could provoke fans to arise from their seats and cheer as the cars went by.  Not only is the DW12 faster, in general, than its predecessor, it has shown incredible ability to create passing opportunities where there were none before.  Mid-Ohio featured the 2012 debut of the Push-To-Pass horsepower boost feature on a permanent road course venue.  Added to the drivers calculations was a five second delay from when he/she pushed the button to when the turbocharged engines would give the extra boost making the drivers plan ahead when planning their attack on the car ahead.  The purpose being to encourage use of Push-To-Pass in a more offensive manner rather than defensive.

Team Penske began the weekend building on the momentum gained from Helio Castroneves’ victory at Edmonton City Centre Airport two weeks earlier.  Weather conditions wreaked havoc on the preparations for the race and Helio Castroneves suffered a bruised wrist in the morning practice before qualifications where the Brazilian failed to transfer to the second round of qualifying resulting in no better than 13th Place starting position.  Castroneves’ race got exponentially more difficult when Team Penske elected to change the Chevrolet engine in the No. 3 Penske Truck Rental DW12 resulting in a ten-spot grid penalty as per the IZOD IndyCar Series Rule Book meaning Castroneves would start 23rd.  Castroneves’ Team Penske teammates fared better on Saturday qualifying with both Briscoe and Power making the top-6 shootout for the Pole.  Briscoe held station qualifying in 6th right behind Scott Dixon.  All Will Power did was shatter the IndyCar track qualifying record on the way to netting his third Pole Position start of 2012 eclipsing Dario Franchitti’s fast lap by two tenths of a second.  The top six was Power and Franchitti followed by Pagenaud, Tagliani, Dixon, and Briscoe.

Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay entered Mid-Ohio Sports Car course with the points lead and looked to continue momentum gained from three straight wins at Milwaukee, Iowa, and Toronto and a 7th Place result at Edmonton.  Very early in the race, Hunter-Reay’s team became concerned that something inside the No. 28 DHL/SunDrop Pelonia Chevrolet was amiss and may cast a dark cloud over their day.  Hunter-Reay remained stationed in the top-10 for much of the early portions of the race, but coming to the last round of pit stops the car began sounding, according to Jon Beekhuis, very sour and ill and Hunter-Reay fell sharply off the race leaders’ pace.  Eventually, Hunter-Reay was called to pit lane inside ten laps to go marking the first time Hunter-Reay was not running at the finish since Texas in June.  The silver lining in this is Hunter-Reay’s engine will be regarded as a mechanical failure during the race so no grid penalty will be assessed at Sonoma.

Looking at IZOD IndyCar Series history, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course could have Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s name stamped on it, driver Scott Dixon’s in particular.  Since the first IndyCar Series Race at the storied facility, Dixon had won three of the five races.  His only blemishes, a third place in 2008 and fifth in 2010.  Dixon just has a knack for this course which, due to its tight nature and minimal passing opportunities, requires strong qualifying efforts, tire and fuel management, and flawless pit stops to achieve the top step on the podium when the checkers fall.  Dixon excels at all of these factors giving him essential ownership of the IndyCar Race on this circuit.

Race day began ominously as the course was drenched by overnight and morning rainfall making the morning warmup almost useless to determining a race setup just because of the uncertainty surrounding the conditions for the 85-lap event.  The race began in insanity as a huge pack of 25 DW12 IndyCars fought for the same piece of real estate causing Justin Wilson to spin and continue, but losing precious positions.  Common in IndyCar Series races, varying pit strategies became a game changer.  Teams had the option to select a three-stop or two-stop pit strategies.  Those toward the back opted to go for the three stop strategy hoping that the yellow caution flags would wave in their favor.  The one problem with this strategy was, for the second consecutive race, there were no cautions and the race was run under green from start to the checkered flag.  This race was won on the final pit stop when Scott Dixon, who stalked the rear wing of the Verizon Team Penske car of Will Power for the first two fuel stints, benefitted from a clear pit entry giving Dixon a faster pit stop by the smallest of margins, but it was enough.  Dixon’s crew was able to insert the fuel probe just milliseconds faster than Power’s resulting in the change of position.  Then Dixon went to work driving away from Power to Victory Lane for his second win of the season also pulling Dixon back into the heat of the points race with tough days for Castroneves and Hunter-Reay.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SCOTT DIXON AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING: WINNERS OF THE HONDA 200 @ MID-OHIO

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

RACE RECAP: IOWA CORN INDY 250

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The IZOD IndyCar Series returned to the Iowa Speedway June 22nd for some old fashioned Saturday night short track racing.  Racing at Iowa is uniquely challenging for the IndyCar Paddock as the track surface is only 7/8 of a mile in length, but progressive banking gives the track the characteristics of a superspeedway and lightning fast lap times under 18 seconds.  IZOD IndyCar drivers requested a low downforce setup similar to that run at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the month.  The result was a race that the drivers had to drive instead of mashing the gas pedal and hoping for the best.  The hope was the race would be much like Texas with competitive side-by-side racing but with the driver a big part of the winning equation.  Iowa Speedway delivered!

Over recent years, the IZOD IndyCar Series has not shied away from trying new formats to spice up their schedule and encourage new fans to pay attention.  In Iowa, they tried a new twist to the race weekend which was qualifying determined by three heat races as opposed to single car qualifying averaging the speed of two green flag laps.  Practice times determined the field for the three heat races with odd numbered cars from 11th on back fighting for the inside lane and even numbered cars fighting for 10th on back for the outside lane.  The top-9 practice times were the only cars able to contend for the Pole Position ultimately won by Dario Franchitti.  The format was interesting and worth exploring, but the contention for most drivers was that every heat race should have meaning for the winner.  A transfer spot to the final heat race for the Pole would remedy that situation.

The race’s already late start time was delayed by over an hour due to heavy rains earlier in the day.  Props to NBC Sports Network’s broadcast team as they navigated the rain delay by offering compelling interviews with just about every driver in the Paddock.  The Iowa Speedway crew completed the track drying procedure and drivers were called to their cars.  Polesitter Dario Franchitti saw his night come to an end before it started as his Honda engine gave out on the warm-up laps ending his day.  The race restarted and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske benefitted from Franchitti’s engine troubles to take the early lead being chased by James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay while all three drivers navigated early lap traffic.  The early laps provided exactly what the drivers were hoping for…competitive side-by-side racing but the cars were a handful to drive.

Will Power suffered another night to forget in Iowa when, early in the race, Power navigated his Verizon Team Penske car to the low side of the racetrack in turn 2.  The problem was that the No. 5 CITGO KV Racing Technology car piloted by EJ Viso was closing on Power and was inside the Team Penske driver at the time.  The two cars made contact sending both cars into the SAFER barrier ending the race for both drivers.  Power later admitted to his mistake and patched up any ill feelings with Viso.

As happens frequently in auto racing, strategy became paramount storyline in the race and Roger Penske looked to have given Ryan Briscoe an opportunity to win the race on a great fuel strategy.  At the end of a previous caution, Penske called Briscoe to bring the No. 2 Transitions Adaptive Lenses Dallara Chevrolet to the pits to top off the fuel in the car to go a little bit longer on the next stint than every other driver on the track.  As the next round of green flag stops cycled through, Briscoe found himself on a lap all on his own and was looking to be in a great position if a caution came out.  The caution came out, but, unfortunately, Briscoe was the driver in the wall bringing out the yellow.  Briscoe maintained the low lane as he was going to pit the next lap when he was dive bombed by Josef Newgarden who was just off pit lane with fresh tires.  The incident resulted in an end to the race for Briscoe and Newgarden.

The cars from Andretti Autosport, as in the 2011 race, appeared to be the strongest horses in the race with only Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon able to offer consistent challenges to Michael Andretti’s stable.  However, the race turned sour for another championship contender as James Hinchcliffe had his GoDaddy.com Chevrolet snap loose and get into the fence leaving Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay left to duke it out for the win.  Katherine Legge spun in turn 2 with two laps to go ending the race under caution giving Ryan Hunter-Reay his second win in a row.  With Power and Hinchcliffe having issues in the race and the late fade by Scott Dixon, the points were shaken up greatly in after Iowa.  Power maintaned the points lead by three points over Ryan Hunter-Reay with Dixon maintaining third and Helio Castroneves leapfrogging Hinchcliffe to 4th in points.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN HUNTER-REAY AND ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT: WINNERS OF THE IOWA CORN INDY 250

  R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Race Recap: Firestone 550K

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This is the one that everybody was talking about whether it was 24 degrees of banking, pack racing, or location of posts in the catch fence.  For the first time since the death of Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the IZOD IndyCar Series haulers loaded into a high-banked 1.5 Mile oval track to compete in the Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.  The oval track just north of Fort Worth has been regarded as IndyCar’s second home for years hosting more races under INDYCAR sanction than any other facility.  Track President Eddie Gossage is given substantial credit for saving IndyCar racing during the darkest days of the split by providing solid promotion for his IndyCar events coupled with the amazing racing that has been produced at his track over the years.  Texas had become synonymous with side-by-side pack racing while exciting for the fans, the drivers will no longer tolerate.  The aftermath of Wheldon’s death saw drivers calling into question the viability and safety of racing on tracks like Texas as well as safety at these facilities since the fence posts are inside the mesh on the catch fence.  Wheldon’s cause of death was determined as blunt force trauma to the head after he struck one of the posts.  Driver concerns aside, the race remained on the 2012 IndyCar schedule while the similarly configured Las Vegas Motor Speedway was removed.  The week prior to the race at Texas, drivers held a meeting with technical director Will Phillips and race director Beaux Barfield in an attempt to develop an aerodynamic package with the DW12 IndyCar that would eliminate the pack racing.  The solution offered by the drivers, and employed by the series, was to run the cars with very low downforce making it impossible to run flat around the racetrack.  The question was would it work?

As the first practice approached, the tension was apparent through the Paddock.  Would our aerodynamic changes work, or will we be forced to endure pack racing that we said was intolerable?  The answer came very early in the session.  With the low downforce, the DW12s were a handful for drivers and they had to lift in the turns which is what the drivers wanted all along.  Some drivers were happy with the setups and rose to the top of the pylon while others struggled through practice.  Dario Franchitti topped the chart.  A short turn-around from practice to qualifying put tremendous pressure on the crews as they sifted through the mountain of data to determine a qualifying setup.  When was all said and done the first four qualifying positions fell to Honda powered teams with Chip Ganassi Racing capturing three of the top-four.  Will Power and James Hinchcliffe occupied row three as the highest qualifiers for Chevrolet.  Alex Tagliani pulled the huge upset capturing the Pole from Chip Ganassi Racing.

Qualifying was in the books and all was left was to run the 500 kilometer distance of the race.  The race turned out to be a fantastic show with the side-by-side racing that has become IndyCar’s signature on these oval tracks but the field was strung out thus eliminating the pack racing.  The handling characteristics of the cars caught out the likes of Charlie Kimball and Takuma Sato as they both hit the wall early in the race ending their day.  The first half of the race was dominated by Scott Dixon who led over 100 laps in the race, but his day came to an end when he touched the apron trying to navigate traffic sending the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda into the turn four wall.

The race restarted with about 50 laps to the finish with Will Power leading followed by Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan, and Helio Castroneves.  The green flag flew and Briscoe immediately moved to the outside to make a pass on his teammate for the lead when Kanaan moved to the inside to make it three wide.  Power made a reactive blocking move causing Kanaan’s front wing to hit the rear wheel guard of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.  The result was Kanaan having to pit for a new front wing, his second wing change of the night, and Power serving a drive-through penalty for blocking removing both drivers from contention for the race win. Meanwhile, the other two Team Penske cars fell off opening the door for Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson to claim the top-2 positions.  Rahal looked to have the race locked up until he grazed the turn 4 wall with two laps to go giving the win to Justin Wilson.  The win is Wilson’s third since the open wheel unification in 2008 and his first on an oval.

This race was a huge win for IndyCar as they worked with their drivers and technical officials to create a package that would provide the side-by-side racing action that made IndyCar racing on ovals famous while eliminating the outragous and dangerous pack racing.  There were only three incidents in the race and they were all single car crashes with the safety measures of the DW12 performing outstandingly.  The race at Texas, in a single evening, changed from being a race that the drivers were happy to leave to a race that they want to do again.  The chatter about fence posts and high banks is likely over now that IndyCar has put the driver back into the equation and cars flying into the catch fence is a less likely happenstance that way.  This Texas race also opens up the possibility of a return trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2013 to honor the final year of that contract although IndyCar will want to test at the facility before committing to a 2013 IZOD IndyCar World Championship race there.  Hopefully, Texas remains on the schedule as well giving IndyCar two high-banked 1.5 Mile ovals next season because they are as good as it gets in IndyCar racing.

Also of note, Rubens Barrichello and Simona de Silvestro’s days ended before they began as their cars did not fire after the ‘Boys and Girls Start Your Engines’.  de Silvestro suffered a fuel pressure problem while Barrichello had problems with the ECU unit in the engine.  Both did not start the race.

UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the historic Milwaukee Mile on Father’s Day weekend.  The race is being promoted by Michael Andretti and is the last chance for the foreseeable future for the track to remain on the IndyCar schedule.  The 2011 race drew an abysmal 15,000 people.  Hopefully it’s well attended because IndyCar’s are great there.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JUSTIN WILSON AND DALE COYNE RACING:

WINNERS OF THE FIRESTONE 550K AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Round 6 Preview: Detroit Grand Prix of Belle Isle

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The Month of May is complete and the run for the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship re-commences this weekend at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix of Belle Isle.  The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the famed Belle Isle circuit for the first time since the 2008 campaign.  The event was removed from the schedule amid the economic crisis that struck the Motor City in the fall of 2008, but makes its return on the 2012 calendar.  The event is managed by Roger Penske’s organization which immediately makes the race a first class affair.  The event’s only two winners are Tony Kanaan and Justin Wilson.

PENSKE POWER RETURNS TO THE ROAD

After a disappointing Indianapolis 500, the Chevrolet powered juggernaut of Team Penske returns to the discipline they have shown dominance in 2012.  The road and street courses have fared well for Team Penske garnering four wins and four poles.  Will Power, after an especially disappointing Indianapolis 500 where he was collected in Mike Conway’s spin put a substantial dent in his points lead, looks to rebound on the tracks that he has been nearly unbeatable in his tenure at Team Penske while, after posting a 5th and 10th place finish at Indianapolis, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves look to make up points on their Verizon Team Penske teammate.

GANASSI LOOKS TO CONTINUE INDIANAPOLIS MOJO

The four car stable of Chip Ganassi Racing spent the Month of May scratching their heads and searching for speed…until Carb Day.  Once the cars were married with their new Honda engines to be used during the race they came to life and were the dominant cars on race day.  Going back to a street course could be a different story, however, because Chevrolet has had the upper hand so far on the courses.  Dario Franchitti has struggled to find balance on the car when he must turn left and right, but winning Indy could give him the momentum boost he needs to make a run for his fifth series title.  Dixon, on the other hand, has shown great pace and ability on Road and Street courses this season with two runner-up finishes to go with some tough luck in Long Beach and Brazil.  Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball continue to run through their programs in 2012 and with decent Months of May could be poised to take a step forward.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT LOOKS TO TURN IT AROUND

Up until Carb Day, it seemed as though Andretti Autosport had the Indianapolis 500 figured, but Race Day proved to be a different matter all together.  For the Grand Prix of Belle Isle, Andretti Autosport returns to their full-season three car stable and hopes that less is more when it comes to the rest of the season.  Andretti Autosport drivers are all very solid on the road and street courses and should contend for the top-six spots on the grid.  It is popular opinion that all three of these cars should find themselves in Victory Lane at some point in 2012.  Will Detroit be their breakthrough performance?

CHEVROLET LOOKS FOR BOUNCEBACK PERFORMANCE

It would be an understatement to say that Chevrolet was surprised at the results of the Indianapolis 500.  Sure, Chevrolet captured five of the top-10 positions in the final running order, but they had to scrape, claw, and strategize for the entire race to put themselves in competitive position with Honda.  Honda had the Chevrolet teams covered on race day, however, it’s back to a street course where Chevrolet has been so dominant in 2012 and Chevrolet is looking to make a post-Indy statement that Honda’s dominance  at the Speedway will not go unanswered.  Chevrolet and its teams will come to play this weekend.

RANDY BERNARD UNDER FIRE FROM OWNERS

In the wake of an Indianapolis 500 that should be written in the books as one of the best in the history of the race, there has been rumor that some of IndyCar’s team owners have called for CEO Randy Bernard to be removed from his high profile position.  It is unknown if these rumors are true, nor is it known on what grounds the owner(s) are calling for Bernard’s removal, but it does not matter.  Instead of celebrating an Indy 500 for the ages, IndyCar is having to put out a fire of hearsay and conjecture.  It is true that Bernard has made some mistakes in his short tenure as IndyCar’s CEO, however, he has made great strides for the sport of IndyCar Racing and the future is brighter under his watch.  Bernard constantly fights for the fans, sponsors, and the product produced on the track.  Bernard is responsible for moving on an upgrade in equipment for 2012 with the DW12 chassis and a new, exciting, engine package that has produced five amazing races.  The car can pass where the previous one could not, especially on the double-file restarts.  What Bernard does need is a liaison between the CEO and sanctioning body of INDYCAR and the drivers and owners in the Paddock.  This person must be experienced in all aspects of the sport, management, promotional, and competitive to help Bernard communicate his desires and intentions effectively to the Paddock. The bottom line, here, is that IndyCar is run by the sanctioning body and not the owners or manufacturers.  This sport has tried that before and failed miserably.  Is the new car more expensive than was originally advertised?  Yes, however, there were bound to be bumps in the road along the way.  The owners got spoiled for years because they didn’t need to buy new equipment as the spec was the same since 2003, engines included since 2006.  Let’s put all these rumors and squabbling to bed and go racing this weekend in Detroit!

Detroit Spotter Guide

Indy 500 Recap: Ganassi, Honda Break Through

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The 500 Miles of Indianapolis have been completed and, for the third time in the last five editions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing emerged victorious in the World’s Greatest Race.  Dario Franchitti, carrying the No. 50 in honor of Target’s 50th Anniversary was in the lead coming to the last lap of the race when Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dove underneath vying for the race lead.  Sato proceeded to the white line on the inside of turn one when the No. 15 MiJack machine touched wheels with Franchitti’s Target red car spinning Sato to the outside SAFER Barrier giving the win to the Scot.  This win places Franchitti in an elite group of drivers that have won the Indianapolis 500 three times joining Helio Castroneves as the only active driver to accomplish the feat.  Franchitti made his way to victory circle for the ceremonial bottle of milk and saluted his fallen former teammate and friend, Dan Wheldon.  Digging further into the final results the top-3 finishers are fitting because they were all former teammates of the late Dan Wheldon, and, in a race so filled with emotion and tribute, finished as it should.  Any of the top-3 would have been a fitting champion in this race.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT’S STRONG MONTH HITS THE WALL

Andretti Autosport was considered, by many in the Paddock, to be the team to beat on Race Day.  Sure, Team Penske won the Pole Position for the race, but Andretti Autosport cars filled the next three positions on the starting grid.  Through the first half of the race, it seemed as everything was going to plan.  Marco Andretti sailed out to the lead and led a race high 59 laps, but spent the second half of the race mired in traffic with a downforce level that made the car difficult to drive in that situation.  His race finally ended on lap 187 when he spun and hit the SAFER barrier ending his run.  Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a conservative race just logging miles and setting up for the final fifty laps to go for the race win when a CV joint broke in the right rear of the car ending his day.  Ana Beatriz and Sebastien Saavedra also suffered difficult runs.  James Hinchcliffe was the lone bright spot for the team finishing 6th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

TEAM PENSKE STILL SITS AT 15…

For the third straight rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Team Penske has suffered mediocre results, overall.  Team Penske and driver Ryan Briscoe started from the Pole in the 2012 edition with Power and Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively in their cars.  Briscoe led fifteen laps early, but faded through the middle portions of the race before rebounding to a fifth place finish to lead Team Penske on the day.  Castroneves suffered through subpar pitstops and difficult handling balance in traffic salvaging a 10th place result in the final box score.  Will Power had, by far, the toughest day for Team Penske.  On lap 79, Power was approaching the car of Mike Conway who had just made a pit stop, a botched pit stop where he slid into the box damaging is front wing.  Conway’s car got loose and spun toward the SAFER Barrier collecting Power ending his day saddling him with a 28th Place finish and a huge dent in the points lead.

LOTUS’ DAY ENDS VERY VERY EARLY

The two cars powered by Lotus were in for a tough day, for sure, but they were hoping that they would last more than ten laps into the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, however, Director Beaux Barfield determined very early that they were unable to keep sufficient pace to warrant remaining on the track.  Lotus’ problems were well documented all month and the race was a culmination of all of these issues.  HVM Racing, the only full-time Lotus team, seems to be committed to moving forward with the European manufacturer, however, if the engine doesn’t make significant progress soon, you could see Keith Wiggins jump to Honda sometime later this year if pressure for better results comes from their sponsor Entergy.

40 YEAR OLD GETS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR…SAY WHAT?

KV Racing Technology driver Rubens Barrichello finished his first Indianapolis 500 in 11th position as the highest finishing rookie, therefore, winning the Chase Rookie of the Year award for 2012.  Barrichello had a consistent day of learning and will return to the Speedway next may with a legitimate chance to win the race in his second start.

DAN WHELDON HONORED, REMEMBERED


UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series packs up and leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another year and returns to business as usual.  The car count will be back down to the normal field of 26 as the series loads into the revival of the Grand Prix of Detroit with the race sponsored by Chevrolet.  The race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship resumes Sunday from the Motor City with Will Power holding the points lead by a margin of 36 over teammate Helio Castroneves.

CONGRATULATIONS DARIO FRANCHITTI AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

WINNERS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON