Wait...What On Earth Is This?!

VERSUS, who paid reasonably good sums of money for the right to broadcast all but five IRL races, is trying this strange new thing that IndyCar fans might not be familiar with. Apparently, there is some odd business practice out there called "marketing", which a company can apparently use to bring in customers. Who knew?

Anyway, VERSUS has been blitzing its own ad breaks with commercials for the IRL featuring gratuitous crashes, exciting finishes, and Milka Duno chucking a towel at Danica Patrick (remember, VERSUS' current clientele are rodeo, cage fighting, and hockey fans...not to talk bad about any of those...I personally love ice hockey). I've even started seeing IRL ads on other channels -- notably during the best car show on TV: Top Gear on BBC America.

However, here's something I was not expecting. Something that not even the F1 boys of the Speed Channel have:

Check it out...

That's right...a virtual lap! Not only does this virtual lap look really really good, but it's also informative. It tells you why turn 4 is a tough turn, why messing up turn 6 will cause disaster in turn 7, and why the 13-14 complex is so pivotal to a good lap. Did ESPN even use track maps for the road courses?! VERSUS continues to amaze -- make sure to make it worth their while by watching the race on Sunday.

(P.S.: James at 16th & Georgetown beat me to finding the vid. He always seems to be on top of the online media)