-

Chaves Confirmed To '500' Ride With New Team

The worst kept secret in INDYCAR was finally announced...

Napa Returns With Rossi

A.J. Foyt Racing announced...

Carpenter Signs Pigot

Ed Carpenter Racing announced...

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Power & Conway To Run At IMS Saturday

Dreyer & Reindbold Racing Rookie Mike Conway will run some of his first laps at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on foot. Conway will join Penske driver Will Power in the quest to run the largest half-marathon the 5th largest running event in all of the United States.

Conway and Power are joined by 34,998 of their closest friends in an attempt to complete the 33rd annunal running of the 13.1 mile circuit, which sold out December 26th.

Josh Duhamel To Pace 500 Field

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that actor and husband of Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, Josh Duhamel will pace the 93rd Indy 500. The star of Transformers and NBC's Las Vegas will be piloting the 2010 Camaro for the opening warm-up laps of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Duhamel also drives a 2010 Camaro in the film Tranformers: Revenge of the fallen, as well as a 1969 Chevy Camaro on the hit TV Show Las Vegas.

  • "The Indy 500 is a legendary race, and it's a great honor to be driving the Camaro Pace Car in it" -Josh Duhamel
  • "We're happy to welcome Josh Duhamel as Pace Car driver for the Indianapolis 500. As a star in one of Hollywood's expected blockbusters this summer, it's only fitting that he will lead the field to the start of 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' on Memorial Day weekend." -Joie Chitwood

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Paul Page Back In The Booth At Indy

According to Paul Page's website, he'll be back in the Radio Booth for the Greatest Spectacle. The Idea was originally brought to Paul by IMS Radio Network guru Mike King, when he jumped at it.

It'll be great to hear the trio of Mike King, Bob Jenkins and Paul Page all working together.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Oldest 500 Driver Dies

Danny Kladis who started in his first and last indianapoli 500 in 1946, died Sunday at the age of 92.

Although he started just one race, it was not due to a lack of trying. Kladis attempted, but faild to qualify in 6 races in various years from 1949-57'. He did however run in 1954 relieving Spider Webb.

Dicky V. Named Parade Grand Marshal


Basketball Hall of Famer and T.V. anylist Dick Vitale was announced today as the Indianapolis 500 Parade Grand Marshal.

  • “I am absolutely flattered and really thrilled to be honored in this way. The Indy 500 is one of the greatest sporting weekends and to be Grand Marshal will be an incredible treat. My entire family is really looking forward to it.” -Dick Vitale

Other notable Parade Grand Marshal's

  • 1974 Mickey Mouse
  • 1975 Peter De Paolo
  • 1976 Tony Hulman & Bob Hope
  • 1979 President Gerald Ford
  • 1984 David Hasselhoff
  • 1985 Mickey Mouse
  • 1992 Mickey & Minnie Mouse
  • 1993 Larry Bird
  • 1994 Mario Andretti
  • 1995 3 four time winners (Foyt,Mears,Unser)
  • 2000 Jim Nabors
  • 2005 Reggie Miller
  • 2007 Peyton Manning

Ok, so 74', 85', and 92' weren't the best of years!!

Still no word on who will be pacing the field in the 2010 Camaro, but my gut tells me it'll be Mario Andretti.

Monday, April 27, 2009

1996 Indianapolis 500 Pole Day Video

Sunday, April 26, 2009

You Can Become An Indycar Owner, For Just $200

What can you get for $200?
  • 100 Gallons of Citgo fuel
  • 80 cans of Venum energy drink
  • 36 packs of Marlboro cigarettes
  • 200 Chicken McNuggets
  • 133 7-11 Slurpees's
  • 1.2 William Rast Shirts
  • 100 Energizer AA batteries from Target

OR

You can purchase an ownership share of HVM Racing.

So, What do you get?
According to the iTeam Sport website:
The 21st century sports fan experience is here now as motorsports and fantasy sports combine for the ultimate ownership experience. Sign up today and be among the first fans eligible to own a part of a motorsports team and share in the one-of-a-kind thrill few have ever experienced. Never before have motorsports fans had this kind of opportunity. Within months, iTeam Sports will unveil which teams currently participating in various motorsports series in North America will be part of this great opportunity. The iTeam Sports online network brings you and others who share your passion for racing something you could only dream of before – actual team ownership. And it comes at a reasonable cost - ($199).
  • “This is a fantastic opportunity and a unique concept. Racing fans are very engaged with their favorite teams, and this arrangement lets them get even more involved, probably more than they even thought possible. We are very excited to work with iTeam Sports to offer such an unprecedented opportunity to get fans directly involved with iTeam Sports HVM Racing and the Indy Racing League.” -Keith Wiggins

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Indy 500 Entry List Updated

Confirmed (31)
  1. AGR Kanaan
  2. AGR Patrick
  3. AGR Andretti
  4. AGR Mutoh
  5. Penske Briscoe
  6. Penske Castroneves
  7. Penske Power
  8. TCG Dixon
  9. TCG Franchitti
  10. TCG/Schmidt Lloyd
  11. Foyt Meira
  12. Foyt Foyt IV
  13. Panther Wheldon
  14. Panther Sharp
  15. Vision Carpenter
  16. Vision Hunter-Reay
  17. NHL Rahal
  18. NHL Doornbos
  19. KV Moraes
  20. KV Tracy
  21. D&R Conway
  22. D&R Duno
  23. D&R Hamilton
  24. D&R/Petty Andretti
  25. HVM Viso
  26. HVM Philippe
  27. Fisher Fisher
  28. Coyne Wilson
  29. Conquest Tagliani
  30. 3G Barrett
  31. LD Matos
Probable (4)
  1. Roth Roth
  2. KV Bell
  3. RL Rice/Servia
  4. Hemelgarn Lazier
Possible (7)
  1. Fisher ???
  2. RL Rice/Servia
  3. Herta/Vision ???
  4. Coyne ???
  5. Conquest ???
  6. Foyt ???
  7. Roth ???
If you take the 31 confirmed, plus the 4 probable my calculator tells me that atleast 35 cars will be on track next month. If you would of told the IRL back in January that there would be 35 cars in May, I guarantee you they would of taken it.

Of the 7 possible I see up to 3 happening, with any combination of Foyt,RL,Roth,Coyne and Herta/Vision.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Philippe Confirmed For 500 Ride


HVM Racing confirmed today that Nelson Philippe will pilot a Dallara with sponsorship that will be announced in the coming days.

Nelson Philippe, brother of Firestone Indy Lights driver Richard Philippe, was rumored to be buying out Roth's equipment but talks broke off over the summer. He joins E.J. Viso who will be driving the unlucky green pain scheme with the even more unlucky #13 in the Greatest Spectacle.

  • “We are excited to have Nelson driving again for HVM Racing. He won for us in 2006, which was quite an accomplishment for such a young driver and had his best ever season. Although coming back will be to a new Series, a new track, with huge competition and in the biggest event of the year, we will work together to achieve a good result. We always like challenges.” -Keith Wiggins

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Milka Confirmed With D&R

As reported here on 16th And Georgetown 2 1/2 weeks ago, Milka Duno will be piloting the #23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara in select races this season starting this weekend in Kansas. Duno who holds 4 masters degrees tested with Newman/Haas/Lanigan over the winter, but the deal fell through after it was reported her money went dry. Robin Miller than reported a few weeks later that team co-owner Carl Haas just decided that they didn't want to run her. It became officially offical when Indycar.com picked up the story.

  • "We are very excited to have Milka back with our team. We had significant momentum last year and we want to pick up where we left off and continue to get results." -Dennis Reinbold

    "I'm really happy to be racing and to be back at Kansas. The fans are very supportive. I'm also very happy to be coming back to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as they did a great job last year. Finally, I must thank CITGO for their fantastic support. I really appreciate the opportunity to be back and will work hard to get some great results." -Milka Duno

VERSUS Opens It Up To The Fans

A couple weeks ago I published the Month of May VERSUS television schedule with which they will air nearly 40 hours of coverage.Notice the Thursday, May 21st plans (in which I artfully highlighted), titled Top 10 Indianapolis 500 moments. Well, VERSUS is opening it up to the fans. You can vote on what you think are the top moments in the history of the greatest spectacle, and stay tuned to VERSUS to see if your favorites made the cut.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Marco's Venom Car Unveiled

I was a little disappointed with it. They could of really made the thing look sweet, But it's still not bad.

AGR Announces Marco's Indy Sponsor

Every since NYSE left AGR as a full season primary sponsors after the 07' season, Marco has had countless companies on his sidepodes. Last year the then new Indiana Jones movis found it's self as the primary for the 2006 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, and this year another energy drink enters the Indycar series. Venom Energy drink will be on the livery for Marco this weekend in Kansas and for the Month of May. And As you can tell by their logo, it could turn out to be a pretty sweet paint scheme.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Points Standings Breakdown

  1. Dario Franchitti 84-No surprise here
  2. Will Power 69-A solid job the first 2 weeks under a ton of pressure, needs to be in a car next weekend
  3. Ryan Briscoe 67-Good driver in a great car, definitely a tittle contender
  4. Tony Kanaan 65-Consistent, Consistent, Consistent
  5. Ryan Hunter-Reay 59- Great start to the season, can he be a tittle contender with Vision? Maybe
  6. Justin Wilson 49-6th in points with Coyne, not to shabby, but I expect him to plummet in points now that were on the ovals
  7. Dan Wheldon 46- 7th, about were I'd expect him
  8. Marco Andretti 45- After starting 18th & 19th in the first 2 races, I think he's happy with 8th in points
  9. Graham Rahal 45- Solid first couple races, but can he stay out of trouble on the ovals.
  10. Danica Patrick 44- Great run for her in Long Beach, going into the season if you would of told her she'd be 10th in the standings after 2 street races, pretty sure she'd take it.
  11. Robert Doornbos 41- Top Rookie at this point, but how will he do on the ovals?
  12. Alex Tagliani 40- I expected a little stronger in St. Pete and Long Beach
  13. Darren Manning 38- He's fighting for the ride, It'll be hard to take him out of the car
  14. Vitor Meira 38- No surprise, mabey a little better than I expected
  15. Raphael Matos 36- Slight diassapointment, I think they'll be fast on the ovals
  16. Stanton Barrett 31- Great job by Barrett, not in the best of rides and has never raced on streets before St. Pete. He's stayed out of trouble and thats all you can ask of him at this point.
  17. Scott Dixon 29- The 08' Champ is struggling at this point, but he'll recover... I think
  18. Hideki Mutoh 27- He's in a topnotch ride, putting out below average results
  19. Helio Castroneves 26- He's just happy to not be behind bars
  20. E.J. Viso 25- Dissapointed, expected better
  21. Ed Carpenter 25- Not good on road/streets, expect him to rocket up the standings in the coming weeks
  22. Mario Moraes 24- After the offseason tests I had high hopes for Mario, so far it just hasn't came together.
  23. Mike Conway 24- He's been fairly quick, but can't stay off the wall

Monday, April 20, 2009

Indy 500 Entry List Released

The 2009 Indianapolis 500 entry list was released today, with few surprises.

Here are some of the highlights:
  • Roth has 2 entries the #25 & #52, he is not listed as the driver for either car
  • Rahal Letterman has #17 entered, but it's not looking good for them
  • KV has a 3rd car entered, rumored to be for either Servia or Bell
  • Quatro is listed to pilot the #41 for his grandad
  • Foyt has the #48 listed as a 3rd car with no driver
  • Coyne has a 2nd car, no driver
  • Vision has a 3rd car, no driver
  • D&R has the #23 car entered with no driver, giving them 4 total
  • Conquest has 2, Tags is not entered for either one
  • Sarah Fisher has a 2nd entered, #68
  • Hemelgarn has the #91 entered, quite possibley Buddy Laziers, but not confirmed

Friday, April 17, 2009

Power's New Ride


(Photos courtesy of the Indycar Series)
With the verdicts of not guilty that came this afternoon on 6 of Helio's 7 counts, he will be jumping back into his #3 Dallara as Will Power slides into the #12.

Although there have been conflicting reports as to how long Power will be in the car, it's clear that he will be racing in at least Long Beach and Indianapolis.
They even had a new firesuit for Will

Helio Comments...

Helio Freed!!!!!

AP reports Helio & his sister have been acquitted on all counts except for count 1/conspiracy, which was ended in a hung Jury.

  • "instead of going to DisneyLand i want to go to Long Beach and race"-Helio Castroneves
IndyCar, who has been very quiet about the Helio situation over the last 6 months has finally broken it's silence.

Helio Update (Fri, April 17)

Today the Jury asked to see the opening statements to which Judge Donald Graham denied saying that it's not evidence.

The Jury then got back to work.

Cavin reports that Penske has the #12 car in Long Beach ready for Will Power to jump in, if Helio is cleared today.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Helio's 2 Unanimous Counts Announced

The 2 counts that the Jury has unanimously agreed upon on Helio's side are counts 5 & 6. They are still hung up on the 5 other counts including the biggy which is Count 1/Conspiracy.
Count 5 - Tax evasion in 2002
Count 6 - Tax evasion in 2003

BREAKING NEWS: Jurors Return With Partial Verdict

BREAKING NEWS: Jurors Return With Partial Verdict.

Jurors reached a unanimous verdict on two counts against Helio and deadlocked on the other 5.

They reached a unanimous verdict on one count against his sister, deadlocked on the other 6.

And reached a unanimous verdict on all 4 counts against his agent Alan R. Miller.

The Judge then ordered the 12 Jurors to return to deliberation to try and reach common ground on all 11 deadlocked counts, and will not read the verdicts decided upon at this time.


  • As the notes were read to the jury, Castroneves sat bent over at the defense table with his fists clenched to his eyes and his sister's arm wrapped around his shoulder. When court recessed, he dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. -Miami Herald

Stay tuned....

ESPN Legal Guru On Castroneves

Props to Chris over at Indy Racing Revolution for uncovering this one.

The ESPN show N***** Now hosted by Ryan Briscoe's fiancee, and Danica Patrick's High School Cheerleading teammate, Nicole Manske has apparently been covering the Helio trial from afar, and yesterday their legal analyst Roger Cossack weighed in on the situation.





Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Helio Update

Jury deliberation has ended for the day and will return tomorrow morning, where they will hopefully come to a decision.

Reports came out today that one of the questions that was asked by the Jury was that if a taxpayer deferred their income to a later date, would the taxes be due on the later date or when they decided to defer. The Judges answer was yes, they would be due on the later date.

Good news for Helio considering that the "later date" they are speaking of, has yet to arrive.

Judge Denies Mistrial Motion By Defense

Late yesterday after the 12 person Jury asked a series of questions that were somewhat answered by the judge, Helio's defense team headed by Roy Black motioned for a mistrial.

Judge Donald Graham not only ruled that a mistrial will not be given but he added:

  • "We're complicating matters because we keep raising new terms that require definitions."
The motion of mistrial was filed yesterday upon concerns that the defense had because additional instructions were given to the jury after the deliberation had already begun. The Judge than made changes to his original instructions today, as he denied the motion. Helio's defense team then attempted to make more changes to the Judges instructions.

Excuse me while I go take some Tylenol, how the Jury keeps up with all of this is beyond me.

A verdict could come anytime, stay tuned....

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Helio Update

UPDATE 4:47: Deliberation has ended for the day, after an interesting last couple of hours. After the Jury asked for clarification on 3 issues Judge Donald Graham said "The questions you have presented are difficult for us to respond to." Graham then gave a partial response to the question and told the Jury that they must decide on there own.

UPDATE 4:33:
Cavin reports that Helio's defense is asking for a mistrial, this is getting crazier and crazier.

Considering some of the jurors actually fell asleep during the trial, I could actually see this going through, maybe. But what would it mean for his racing career?

UPDATE 1:02:
The Jury has once again asked the judge for clarification on the offshore bank account in Panama. Judge Donald Graham is expected to answer the questions this afternoon.

_______________

The Jury has begun it's 3rd day of deliberation, after a fairly active session yesterday.

Robin Miller reported that one of the 12 members of the Jury showed up late yesterday, delaying the beginning of the2nd day of deliberation.

Later in the day they asked to see transcripts from 2 lawyers from New York that testified on behalf of the prosecution, the request was granted shortly there after.

The verdict could come anytime, stay tuned.....

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Virtual Lap Of Long Beach

Friday, April 10, 2009

William Rast On Hunter-Reay Sidepods In Long Beach

Doesn't it look similar to Townsend Bell's ride last year? Deja Vu?

Helio Trial Update

Closing arguments continue in a Miami courtroom today in Helio Castroneves' tax evasion trial. The jury deliberation could begin as early as today, with a decision shortly there after.

UPDATE 1:25: Closing arguments have concluded. The 12 person jury could take an hour, a day, or a week. Stay tuned........

UPDATE: 1:58: The Jury has begun deliberation, the verdict can come anytime now. I'm no lawyer, and in fact have only been in a court room once (6th grade field trip), but I could easily see a verdict today because if I were on the jury, I wouldn't want the trial to go into another week....

UPDATE 4:26: The jury has adjurned and will come back on Monday.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Sharp Set To Return To The 500

Curt Cavin reports that long time Indycar driver Scott Sharp is set to return to pilot the #16 Panther Racing Dallara in the 93rd Indianapolis 500 mile sweepstakes.

“I can’t express how excited I am to be back at the Indianapolis 500, especially with the chance to team with Tequila Patrón and Panther Racing. I want to thank Tequila Patrón for all of their support and I am excited to showcase the world’s No. 1 premium Tequila in the world’s biggest race. John Barnes and the entire Panther team are relentless in pushing their cars to the top and that has shown in their results. We will be a great combination.” -Scott Sharp

“We’ve been having conversations about having Scott drive for us for the last four years. As a team, we’re excited to get this program finalized early so we can be prepared to make a strong run at the Indianapolis 500 this year with the support of Scott and Patrón. We certainly feel like Scott is a very capable and experienced driver, and he and Dan Wheldon will really be a force during the month.” -John Barnes

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

VERSUS Announces Month Of May Coverage

In the wake of rather disappointing VERSUS T.V. ratings, the new Indycar Series television partner announced its plans for the Month of May including daily coverage from the 2nd day of qualifying all the way through race day. The schedule consists of 6.5 hours of live coverage during all 4 days of Qualifying, apposed to the last several years when ESPN would have spotty coverage on Pole day.

VERSUS will also re-air 3 of the 4 one hour pre-season specials on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of race week, with an additional 30 minute special entitled "Top 10 Indy 500 Moments which is set to air on that Thursday. Versus will then cover live 5 strait hours of Carb Day practice, pitstop challenge, and the Firestone Indy Lights race.

On the Saturday before the race, VERSUS will air a 1.5 hour show on the three 4 time Indianapolis 500 winners: Foyt, Mears and Unser. Fallowed by a half hour Indy 500 festival parade special.

ABC will pick up the May coverage at Noon with a one hour pre-race show hosted by the world famous Brent Musburger. VERSUS will then take back over at 4:30 for a live post-race show.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Hide & Go Seek, Dallara Style

Over the last couple months while drivers have had a hard time finding rides, it seems as though teams are having an even harder time finding cars.

It was announced last week that Tomas Scheckter will be driving for Team 3G in Long Beach and possibly the rest of the season, but the deal has still not been announced and reportedly finding equipment has proven to be quite the task.

Just a week prior, HVM had to re-schedule the Birmingham test to find an extra chassis for Ryan Hunter-Reay to run. But what happened? A few days later they showed up in Sebring with a single car, shared by both Hunter-Reay and Viso.

The hunt for equipment seems to be one of the major obstacle in Robby Gordon's plans to returning to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2004.

So, where are all the cars?

Currently I count 27 cars that are set to run the 500:
  1. AGR Kanaan
  2. AGR Patrick
  3. AGR Andretti
  4. AGR Mutoh
  5. Penske Briscoe
  6. Penske Power
  7. TCG Dixon
  8. TCG Franchitti
  9. TCG/Schmidt Lloyd
  10. Foyt Meira
  11. Foyt Foyt IV
  12. Panther Wheldon
  13. Panther Sharp
  14. Vision Carpenter
  15. Vision Hunter-Reay
  16. Vision Hamilton
  17. NHL Rahal
  18. NHL Doornbos
  19. KV Moraes
  20. D&R Conway
  21. D&R/Petty Andretti
  22. HVM Viso
  23. Fisher Fisher
  24. Coyne Wilson
  25. Conquest Tagliani?
  26. 3G Barrett
  27. Luczo Dragon Matos

Cars from last May now vacant: 10
  • KV
  • Conquest
  • Coyne
  • Dreyer & Reinbold
  • Rahal Letterman
  • Roth
  • Roth
  • Hemelgarn
  • Rubicon
  • Pacific Coast
Of the 10 currently vacant seats KV, Conquest, Coyne, D&R, and RL are all very likely to have additional cars in May. Hemelgarn always seems to get the job done, so I wouldn't be surprised if they field a car. Plus Penske may need a 3rd car to run Helio if he is cleared in the coming weeks.

Now it gets a little more interesting. Over the off season Rubicon and Pacific Coast merged, hoping to field Buddy Rice full time in 2009. However that plan went down the drain after there primary sponsor went Bankrupt. Since, Rubicon has said that they still want to run Rice but are trying to get him a ride with a current team.

Roth Racing who has either chosen not to field a team in 2009, or was forced out by the IRL (depending on who you believe) remains the only team with cars not in use. Roth is rumored to have 4 chassis and other equipment up for sale, but at a price tag in which nobody has been willing to pay. The Philippe brother were rumored to be close to purchasing the equipment in the off season, but it ended up out of there price range.

It'll be a sad thing if a team that wants to run the greatest race in the world and has the money, but can't because chassis can't be acquired. I can't blame Roth for not wanting to sell his stuff at a low price, especially considering his bad divorce with the IRL. But someone needs to step up and make these deals happen.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Robby Gordon / Childress Deal Possible For 500

Robby Gordon and long time Cup owner Richard Childress are working on a deal to run the Indianapolis 500, however finding equipment is proving to be a problem.

Petty/Andretti Car Unveiled


(Photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

VERSUS Coverage Review

I don't know about the rest of you, but I thought the VERSUS coverage was absolutely tremendous. First off the two hour qualifying show was great, of course it's not like we had anything to compare it to considering ESPN has never done a qual show. Then they went the extra mile extending the race day coverage another 20 minutes because the race ran over the scheduled 3 hour time slot. If it was last season, as soon as Briscoe took the checkered and jumped out of his Dallara after taking a cool down lap, viewers would of been whisked away to see the gut wrenching Alaskan High School woman's Nordic skiing state quarter-final pre match show.

I will admit that I was a little weary of how well Robbie Buhl would work in the booth, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jenkins and Buhl worked well together doing the Indy Lights races last season, but I wasn't quite sure how well Robbie would do once he had a horse in the race. But Buhl was tested in the first corner of the first lap when his D&R driver Mike Conway go hit breaking his suspension, and he passed with flying colors, as did the pit road threesome of Jack Arute, Lindycar Thackston, and Robbie Floyd. Who said Floyd and Thackston weren't ready?

One huge aspect that I was looking for out of VERSUS was cameras on the cars. I for one love the unique shots from the cockpit facing the drivers helmet, or the shots at the driver's feat showing the footwork needed on road and street courses. Although neither of those were implemented, they did have a camera on the front nose cone of Tony Kanaans AGR ride, at least before it had to be replaced after the first lap. As well as a camera on the rear end of Dan Wheldon's new Panther Racing Dallara.

The one thing that I would like to see improved on VERSUS' side of things is some kind of table or desk for Jenkins, Buhl, and Beekhuis to sit at on the pre-race and qualification shows. The trio looked rather uncomfortable standing on the set with just a little podium in front of Bob. But it's not to big of a deal and I'm splitting hairs.

If you feel so inclined, you can either send VERSUS a message on there site or shoot them an E-mail at feedback@versus.com.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Milka Lands A Ride

Milka Duno, who tested at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in the off season, was left without a ride after some kind of sponsorship falling out. But Milka has rebounded and according to rtv6 the local ABC affiliate in Indy, will return to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 2nd season. Duno is believed to begin the 2009 campaign in Kansas and will race in 7 other races.

UPDATE: Curt Cavin reports that Milka has not signed, but is working on the deal.

Franchitti Wins 09' IRL Helmet Bracketology


After beating out Vitor Meira with 59% of the vote, Dario becomes the first (and probably last) IRL helmet champion. Sure, Dario Franchitti has won the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and Indycar Series Championship, but from here on out when he attends any great event he will be introduced as the 2009 Indycar Series Helmet Champion presented by 16th And Georgetown.

Now, lets get to racing!!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

St. Pete Indycar Qualification Results

Maybe Graham should do interviews with us bloggers every week..... Just throwing that out there...

Surprises
  • Wilson 2nd
  • Tags 7th
  • Manning 10th
Disappointments
  • Dixon 8th
  • Doornbos 13th
  • Hunter-Reay 14th
  • AGR 15th, 18th, 19th

New Indy Downforce Commercial, Pretty Funny

Meira vs. Franchitti In IRL Helmet Bracketology Championship

After compiling 64% of the vote and defeating Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti will be moving on to face Vitor Meira for the 2009 Indycar Helmet Bracktology Championship. (Huge honor I'm sure)

_______________

The next matchup is:

Vitor Meira

Dario Franchitti


How is the U.S. Voting?

Friday, April 3, 2009

OFFICIAL: Richard Petty Motorsports To Field Andretti In 500

The official announcement will come on Monday afternoon.

UPDATE: Here is a better link that My Name is IRL discovered

UPDATE: Mike King says that this is NOT the deal that he was referring to. This is getting crazier every minute.

N Word Team To Enter Indianapolis 500

According to Mike King of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, an announcement is expected to come Monday that current N***** team will run in the 93rd Indy 500.

During today's practice King said "It's somebody that should of already won it"

So who could it be? Complete speculation on my part, but Robby Gordon has his own stock car team and he came up just a couple gallons of fuel shy of victory in the 1999 Greatest Spectacle. The only possible hold up to this playing out is that Robby currently runs Toyota in Cup, and as I'm sure most you know Honda and Toyota aren't exactly the best of friends. But, last season Gordon talked heavily about leaving the tin top world and coming back to Open wheel. Could he already know that Toyota isn't going to like it, but he just doesn't care because he's coming back Indycar racing next year? I don't know, let the rumors world.

UPDATE: Curt Cavin reports that his sources tell him that it's John Andretti with Richard Petty Motorsports. But I've heard that the deal Mike King is speaking of, does not involve John Andretti. I guess were going to have to wait until Monday.

_______________

King also reports that de Ferran Motorsports could very well attempt Indy this year.

_______________

He also says that Scott Sharp wants to be back in Indycars, and the original deal that was in place for him to run the 500 this year has fallen through, but they are currently looking for a replacement.

VIDEO: Entire 05' St. Pete Grand Prix

Franchitti vs. Andretti In Indycar Bracketology


Congrats to Vitor Meira who will be moving onto the Championship after receiving 72% of the vote.

_______________

The next matchup is:

Dario Franchitti
Marco Andretti

How is the U.S. Voting?

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Graham Rahal Answers A Couple Questions From 16th & Georgetown


Thanks to the good people at VERSUS and Sinuate Media, I got the opportunity to pose a few questions to Graham Rahal or as Is It May Yet? would call him "Son of Stache".

VERSUS Virtual Lap Of St. Pete

You can check it out HERE

Dixon vs. Meira In Indycar Bracketology Semi Final


Marco Andretti will be moving on to join Vitor Meira, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti in the Final 4 after receiving 79% of yesterday's vote.

_______________

The next matchup is:

Vitor Meira
Scott Dixon


How is the U.S. Voting?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Tags Confirmed In Conquest Ride

UPDATE: For now it's just a one race deal

Alex Tagliani has been confirmed to pilot the #34 Conquest ride in St. Pete, with sponsorship from Northlands and the Rexall Edmonton Indy race which is later in the season.

Scheckter's Got A Ride

According to Curt Cavin, Tomas Scheckter will begin his 2009 campaign in Long Beach with...... wait...... Team 3G. This news came in the wake of the earlier announcement that Darren Manning would be joining Mike Conway at D&R.

It's not even noon yet, and it's already been a crazy day.

Dreyer & Reinbold To Announce 2nd Driver Today

UPDATE: Manning reports that for now, it's just a one race deal.
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UPDATE:
In a surprise move, Darren Manning has been officially confirmed to pilot a 2nd Dreyer & Reinbold Racing #23 Dallara in St. Pete. Manning who was let go from Foyt Enterprises after Franchitti took Wheldon's seat, then Wheldon took Meira's seat and finally Meira taking Darren's ride, will join Indycar Series rookie Mike Conway In a completely revamped 09' D&R race team.

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UPDATE:
Curt Cavin is saying that Darren Manning will be driving for D&R in St. Pete.

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Dreyer
& Reindbold racing, who had a complete makeover in the offseason after letting all 3 rivers: Buddy Rice, Townsend Bell and Milka Duno go, are going to announce at 1 pm est. today a 2nd driver in addition to Mike Conway.

I'm expecting it to be Tomas Scheckter, but this offseason has been crazy so Milka Duno and any other rideless driver is a possibility



VIDEO: Hunter-Reay Seat Fitting & Thoughts On Vision Deal


Video from rtv6 the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis

Conway vs. Andretti In Indycar Bracketology

Congrats to Dario Franchitti who absolutely demolished Dan Wheldon yesterday with 75% of the vote.

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The next matchup is:

Mike Conway
Marco Andretti

How is the U.S. Voting?