Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Bermuda Pennsylvania Triangle


Jimmy Spencer, notable for being a fat, loudmouthed buffoon of a NASCAR driver who became a fat, loudmouthed buffoon of a Speed Channel commentator, has decided in this week's leadup to NASCAR's Pensylvania 500 to call out the Mattioli Family, owners of Pocono Raceway, on their lack of safety improvements to the facility.

Text of Spencer's column may be found HERE.

Certainly, I'd like all racetracks to be as safe as humanly possible so that we can have incidents such as Mike Conway's at Indianapolis, which could've easily killed a driver about 20 years ago, and the driver still has their life and their career. Spencer cites the efforts of Speedway Motorsports, Inc, and International Speedway Corp. -- admittedly a good deal richer than the Mattiolis -- in improving their tracks after complaints come up about safety or fan amenities.

The Mattiolis, perhaps because they don't have the vast resources of these larger companies, have put in SAFER Barriers in the turns, but that's about it. The inside of every piece of the track, save the pit area, is lined with an old-style Armco barrier. Apart from spectator areas and the area that crosses the infield access tunnel, there is no catch fencing on the outside of the track. Case-in-point: Kasey Kahne's car rode the top of the wall on the final lap of the Pocono 500 and, had physics not been so kind, could have fallen off the track and into a forest. Just for some reference, deaths such as Jim Clark's were caused by a car going into a forest.

Now, since this is a NASCAR track and Spencer is a NASCAR commentator, this is all very taxicab-centric for the moment. HOWEVER!! Pocono Raceway used to be a staple of the IndyCar championship with both USAC and CART. It was one of three tracks in the Triple Crown of 500-mile races back in the "good ol' days". The list of IndyCar Pocono 500 winners reads like a hall of fame of American open-wheelers (and Teo Fabi).

Plus, it's easily the single coolest oval track in the nation. Whereas most tracks are based on old horse racing ovals, clones of Charlotte, or smaller versions of Daytona, Pocono is one of the lone holdouts from an era of entirely unique oval tracks. It has three wildly different turns, one based on Trenton's first turn, one based on any of Indianapolis' four corners, and one based on Milwaukee's flat sweepers. Engineers acclimated to the cookie-cutters that essentially have two identical corners glued to each other by straightaways or tri-ovals are given fits over the design lunacy of Pocono. You have to be a heck of a driver to take on the challenge of Pocono and survive.

Tying this all back together, one of the chief reasons IndyCars can't drive at Pocono is the fact that, should there be a crash, someone will probably have their career end. A few other details, like rough pavement are not quite as bad and easier to fix, but that safety issue is something that needs fixing. Do that and Pocono is suddenly opened back up to the world of open-wheel. Randy Bernard seems to be on a push for unique short ovals to really challenge the drivers, but he should really consider the world's most unique superspeedway if the management ever finds the time to make the improvements that their property so desperately needs.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Über-Wrapup: The Last Sunday in July



To be honest, this past Sunday, the final day of rest of this seventh month of 2010, was hardly a day of rest for those of us who like to watch motorized things move quickly. Above, you see the three tracks on this half of the globe that saw major action this past season: Laguna Seca, Edmonton City Centre Airport, and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This, of course, is usually an IndyCar blog, so the inclusion of the Edmonton race is vital. I'm going to write up MotoGP because, frankly, I think it's one of the greatest shows on a racetrack, they come to Indianapolis in a month, and this was their other trip to the States. I'm going to write up the Brickyard 400 because it was at the Speedway, and because I was there.

Wrapup: MotoGP United States Grand Prix

Here's the order in which I rank the top of my list of great American auto racing tracks: 1) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. To watch cars climb up and fall down the sudden hills of earthquake-tumbled north-central California is absolutely mesmerizing. The thought of guys on two-wheeled, 200-m.p.h. rocketships navigating these hills seems absolutely insane.

What makes MotoGP races interesting, especially in this 2010 season, is that the riders behind the leader will generally keep up until something drastic happens. Several times, someone has pulled off an exciting late pass or someone at the top of the field will crack under the pressure and fall from their bike. In past 2010 rounds, the beneficiary of others' mistakes has generally been young Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.

At this year's U.S. Grand Prix, he drove a fantastic race and forced yet another mistake from the rider in front. This time around, it was Dani Pedrosa -- who I will never forgive for essentially forcing former champ Nicky Hayden from his ride at Honda -- who fell into a low-side accident in turn 5, just before the run up the hill to the Corkscrew. Lorenzo drove off for the rest of the race and, as he is wont to do, celebrated in unique fashion. In other races, he's taken a flag bearing his personal logo and planted it in the sandtrap; since it was the U.S. Grand Prix, Lorenzo put on a moon landing outfit and did a slow astronaut walk to his flag planting.

For the home team, Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, and Colin Edwards finished 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively. Nicky's brother Roger Lee Hayden came eleventh in his first race replacing Randy de Puniet, who broke a leg in a nasty wreck last week.

MotoGP takes a quick trip to Brno in the Czech Republic before returning to the States and racing around the Indianapolis road course. You know I'll be there.

Wrapup: Brickyard 400

One of the beautiful things about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is that, even when the place is about three-fifths full, it still draws one of the biggest crowds of NASCAR's season. I've heard many excuses from people as to why the crowds of 250-300,000 no longer make an appearance at the Brickyard, but I have two reasons that I can name off the top of my head: 1) Like F1, a ridiculous tire controversy had a very negative effect on fan perception, and 2) When the choice is given to pay $85 to sit in the first 10 rows in the heat and barely see anything or sit in the AC and watch on TV for free, it's no contest. The same problem is starting to take hold at the Indianapolis 500 as well, so it's high time Jeff Belskus and Co. start to have a look at the dynamics of supply and demand when it comes to bad seats at The Speedway.

Anyway, as far as the race itself was concerned, it has become fairly clear that Chip Ganassi and his crew have the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on lockdown. Dario Franchitti's car in The 500 was absolutely perfect, and Juan Montoya's car was damn near perfect for most of the 400. Then, when Montoya's car went completely wrong after a new set of tires was put on, Ganassi's other driver, Jamie McMurray was there to pick up the pieces. If the Chipster were to start a bike team and show up at the MotoGP race, he'd probably win that too; he's starting to achieve Penske-like status at the top of The Speedway's great owners.

Also of note, for the first time since NASCAR changed over to their new car design, the racing was pretty darn good. A lot of IndyCar fans will look at the Brickyard and say, "Psh...those cars can't pass each other; they go around in a single-file line". Well, I went to both races this year, and I might go so far as to say the NASCAR race provided more passing than IndyCar has in the last two years. The reason is that the management took the stupid, ugly wing, which made the cars very aero-dependent, off the back of the car and replaced it with a giant, flat piece of metal that gives the cars the aerodynamics of a brick. The new spoiler provides a massive hole in the air and, if you can catch the slipstream, it's game-on.

Finally -- and take note, IndyCar -- these heavy, un-aerodynamic cars have to have their throttle feathered through the turns, meaning the driver that gets the power down better off the corner WILL pass the car in front. Case in point: Check out this here poorly-focused photo of Kevin Harvick passing Jamie McMurray for the lead before the halfway point of the straightaway after getting the power down sooner off of Turn 4. Robin Miller can be a dolt sometimes, but he has a penchant for being correct about a lot of things; when he says the IndyCars need to be more powerful and less stuck, things like this are the reasons he is absolutely right.

And one more thing: even though you can't see the turns so well, the south end of the Tower Terrace is a pretty neat place to watch a race. You get a great view of the start and finish and you can run to Section 37 to watch the victory celebration, you can watch pit stops (which is a bunch of coreographed chaos in NASCAR), and you can watch drivers set up their passes. I have my good ol' B-Stand seats for the 2011 500, but I might move to the Terrace for 2012.

Wrapup: Honda Edmonton Indy

Refer back to my photo of the WTF orangutan from Sunday for my reaction to this one.

I figured, when the IndyCar race was getting ready to start on the radio as I drove home from the Speedway, that it would be normal Edmonton fare, with Will Power grabbing P1 by the scruff of the neck (hold that metaphor in your mind for a bit...) and running off with things. For the first three-quarters of the race, that prediction was absolutely correct. Power lapped the field up to 11th place before a late string of yellow flags saved other drivers from the #12 car.

Then, for reasons I don't entirely understand, Team Penske decided to throw the low-grip black tires on Power's car and set up what was the most controversial moment in recent IndyCar memory.

Some simple tire physics for you: a harder-compound tire has less grip. Power was obviously struggling with the tires compared to teammate Helio Castroneves and his red tires, and Helio caught and passed him relatively quickly. Then a caution came out when Alex Lloyd's car broke and came to a stop in one of the tight "infield" turns on the Edmonton circuit. On the restart, everyone and their mothers knew what was coming: Power needed a good start to get past Helio quickly on his inferior tires, but Helio was going to defend that position come hell or high water.

All of that is exactly what happened, except that Helio didn't swerve across the road or anything; he simply drove down the inside of the front stretch so Will could not. Will would have had the position if he'd been able to get the power down because he had a line that allowed better acceleration out of the corner; instead, he spun his wheels a bit, allowing Helio to escape and Scott Dixon to slide into second. When it initially happened, it looked for all the world like an exciting bit of three-lap-to-go racing. But, as we all know, exciting racing isn't what the Great Iron Hand of Justice is all about...

Seriously, what kind of egomaniacal, ignorant fool does it take to make a rule that says you're not allowed to cleanly defend your position on the inside line if you're in the lead of a race with three laps to go and the best driver in the field on your tail?! Likewise, what sort of moron would create such a rule, then never actually enforce it until the only exciting thing to ever happen at an Edmonton race actually happens?! Really, drivers are prohibited, by rule, from driving down the inside of the track to prevent other cars from diving in to make a pass? Has Brian Barnhart ever actually watched an IndyCar oval race? Everyone drives down the inside of the straightaways because the cars are so stuck to the ground that they can! The preferred line at Texas is to go halfway down the backstretch, then glue your car to the solid white line on the inside to prevent the driver behind from passing! At Indianapolis, if you have a fast car behind you, you drive down the inside of the straightaway to prevent them from getting by! One of the most exciting finishes in the history of The 500 was in 1989, where Al Unser, Jr, tried his damndest to put Emerson Fittipaldi into the grass so that Emmo wouldn't pass him!

Here's a neat definition of "blocking": slicing in front of someone who is trying to make a pass in such a way that it could cause an accident. If you'd like to see this sometime, watch an F1 race and you'll see it about 9,000 times. What Helio did was simply prevent -- in a completely safe fashion -- Will from gaining the inside line. When Will cut to the outside, Helio stayed where he was and dared Will to try what would have been an absolutely thrilling pass.

Therefore, with all the fire and brimstone that I can muster from the deep, dark, most rotten depths of my soul, I blow my Yellow Shirt Whistle at Brian Barnhart, the single worst chief steward/commissioner in the history of professional sports. I wish nothing but the swiftest and most painful of firings upon this clueless mound of worthlessness. We've sat through 15 years of his officiating, micro-managing, and awful decisions, and he's finally dropped the final straw onto the camel's back. Get him out of here...NOW!

Oh, by the way, Scott Dixon was gifted the win when the IRL stopped scoring Castroneves. Simona de Silvestro was the star of the show, with a great qualifying effort and some good racing keeping her in the top ten most of the day; she got punted by E.J. Viso to knock her out of the race.

IndyCar is in Mid-Ohio in two weeks. MotoGP takes over The Speedway in four weeks. NASCAR can leave these pages once again now that their annual trip to Indianapolis is over. It's getting to be driver, team, and schedule silly season, so I'll try to keep you updated. Until next time, cheers!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Week From Hell

Okay...I have a feeling I might be dead by bedtime on Sunday.

See, I've purchased myself $90 worth of Tower Terrace seat for this Sunday's running of the Brickyard 400. I figured if The Speedway is going to pay the sanctioning fee for events like the Brickyard and the MotoGP race, I might as well put some discretionary income into their bank account; few things are worth the money more than a day at The Speedway, in my opinion. I like watching motorized objects move fast (even if it's 50 m.p.h. slower than an IndyCar), and I love the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so these are easy decisions to make.

Slight problem: Sunday may be the busiest racing day of the entire year. 8AM: F1 in Deutschland, 1PM: Brickyard 400, 5PM: MotoGP U.S. Grand Prix, 6 PM: Honda Edmonton Indy. Simply, there's no way in hell I will be able to watch all of the racing this weekend, even though I desperately want to. At this point, I'm just hoping to get home from the Brickyard in time to watch the Edmonton race.

On top of all of this, I'm moving out of my current apartment in Bloomington, the lease for which ends on Saturday. On top of that, after three weeks of pretty much nothing going on, the work piles on in epic fashion this week. I'll be lucky to rattle out an Edmonton/USGP/Brickyard preview on Saturday night, and there's no way in hell I'll be able to liveblog Edmonton.

Just thought I'd share all that with you because I felt the need to describe this hellish weekend to the masses.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Pseudo-Live Blog: Honda Indy Toronto



The IndyCar circus rolls onto the lovely shores of Lake Ontario for a street race around Toronto's Exhibition Place. A tight track which is both technical and fast at varying times with a very tight turn 3 that will produce most of the day's action.

Last year was the IndyCar Series' first visit to the famous Champ Car, and they put on a pretty good show in spite of the slower and wider cars. Hometown boy Paul Tracy scythed his way through the field and was fighting for the lead with Helio Castroneves when the two drove a bit...aggressively into and out of turn 3, resulting in heavy contact for both drivers. Paul will have a chance to make it exciting again today, starting in the 24th position.

The major story of the weekend so far is the speed of Justin Wilson, who put down some scorching laps during the qualifying session on the supposedly less-grippy "black" tires. Those scorching laps allowed him to use only one set of the sticky "red" tires and conserve a couple of sets of reds for the race. All that mumbo jumbo about tires means this: Justin Wilson will be a force on the streets of Exhibition Place. However...

Winner: Will Power Will starts on the outside of the front row. He's the boss on twisty tracks this year, so I'm not going to stop backing him to win these races.

Dark Horse: Rafael Matos I'm having a hard time picking my dark horses today because of the way the field is laid out; all the drivers who can be considered favorites are at the front of the grid. After last race's neat fourth-place finish, we'll see if Rafa can keep up the momentum.

Ninja Dark Horse: Paul Tracy I just want to see him kill the field from his 24th starting spot...it should make the viewing interesting. He's always good in front of the home crowd too.

The engines have been fired (on a command from Greg Kinnear no less), and we're about ready to roll! Live blogging on the way...

12:58, pre-race
Fireworks go off as the field completes its first parade lap. Killer awesome weather on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario...no excuse not to be outside for the citizens of Toronto today.

Lap 1
We are....GREEN! Wilson fires away into the lead, Power follows, RHR into third. Back further in the field, Danica making some moves.

Lap 2
Power closing the gap a bit...Wheldon in for a new wing. As Pressdog might say, the reason is...oh, it IS our business! Wheldon locked 'em up and nailed a KV car, according to replay.

Lap 4
Hunter-Reay had dropped back at some point and was caught in a battle for fourth with Dixon. RHR made a nice move into turn 3.

Lap 5
Reports of Will Power being in second were greatly exaggerated...he's in sixth, while Helio is in second. An honest mistake, as the cars look pretty similar.

Lap 7
No clue what happened to Power on the first lap, apart from dropping back four spots.

Lap 10
Wilson, Helio, Dario, RHR Dixon, Power, Kanaan, Tags, Briscoe, and Patrick are your top 10. If you had Lap 10 as the lap Milka gets lapped in your betting pool, you win!

Lap 13
Most of the field has settled a bit. If interest: Paul Tracy is up to 18th position, but he's been caught behind Tomas Scheckter for a while.

Lap 17
Blowin' my Yellow Shirt whistle on Mario Moraes, who hip-checks his teammate Sato into the wall on the entrance to turn 3...Moraes really moved over too far on the setup for the turn. Marco Andretti says "I TOLD YOU SO" ..and we are...YELLOW!

Lap 19
Pit Stops! Everyone and their mothers in for fresh ethanol and Firestones...except Paul Tracy and Vitor Meira. Helio, Dario, Power, Wilson your first four off the pit lane. DUN DUN DUNNN! Paul Tracy could be in great shape if he gets a nice caution in 15 or 20 laps.

Lap 22
We are...GREEN! Sato gives a very happy-go-lucky assessment of teammate Moraes just before the flag...KV Racing is a happy place. WOAH WOAH WOAAAA! Helio goes way too hot into turn 3 and nails the back of Meira. Helio's car is buried deep into the turn 3 tire barrier....who knows how well the driver is feeling...

Lap 23
Oh thank God...Helio climbs out of the car and appears to be relatively okay. Replay shows that Helio pulled out right as Vitor was on his brakes; Helio didn't have enough time to get alongside and he clipped Meira. Without any traction, Helio couldn't do anything but smash hard into the tires.

Lap 24
For those of you who complain about Dallara getting the contract to build the base chassis for 2012, I present this incident as a reason: Helio and his car look pretty darn good considering they barreled into a tire barrier at a good 100 miles per hour.

Lap 25
Helio says the new tires and push-to-pass had him moving a lot faster than Meira into the braking zone and it is what it is...tough break.

Lap 26
We are...GREEN! Tracy like a cannon into turn 1. Again, the field stacks up behind Meira. Trouble! Turn 1; Alex Lloyd busted into the turn 1 tires. Near contact amongst the leaders as Franchitti and Power try to get past Meira. We are...(again) YELLOW!

Lap 31
By the way, we've essentially been yellow for about 13 laps, and Paul Tracy is just saaaavin' fuel. He may even do a 1-stop race at this point.

Lap 32
We are...GREEN! Dario makes the move on Tracy into turn 3. Meira getting passed left and right. Aaaaaand we're yellow again. Whistle blows again on Mario Moraes, who tried to outbrake the entire field going into three and takes out Romancini. Moraes is a complete menace on the track today; two incidents of "avoidable contact" taking out two other cars means he should be sidelined.

Lap 34
Paul Tracy decides he's bored with running under yellow, decides to pit in order to liven things up. Fuel and tires for Paul on a hellishly long pit stop. He'll be at the back of the field. Moraes given a slap on the wrist for his dumbass driving.

Lap 36
We are...GREEN! Dixon all over Kanaan for fifth, but no dice. Danica takes ninth from Tags. Oh my god, we have...COMPLETED A LAP!!!

Lap 38
Sike...Tags back in front of Danica. She's getting a lot of pressure from Rafa Matos. Dixon was OHSOCLOSE to passing Dixon; nearly contact, but they gave each other the space.

Lap 39
Dixon takes Kanaan for fifth. A good, clean fight by both drivers.

Lap 41
ABC has some really neat camera angles that they only use in the side-by-side...oh well. By the way, Marco really wants seventh from Ryan Briscoe.

Lap 42
There seems to be less and less asphalt between Dario and Will Power with every lap. Romancini gets in line to sing the praises of Mario Moraes to Jamie Little.

Lap 44
Hey, we're past halfway. Dario, Power, Wilson, RHR, Dixon, Kanaan, Briscoe, Marco, Tags, and Danica your top ten. We've finally settled into some green flag racing, which is a kinda nice change.

Lap 45
Side note: Dario changed engines this morning, but there's no penalty from the league? Somebody explain how that works please.

Lap 50
Much of the same as five laps ago. Matos hits the pit lane as the window opens for our next round of stops.

Lap 52
Briscoe, Tagliani, and Viso in; everything looking good with those stops. Watching Power and Wilson chase Dario and waiting for them to peel off the track.

Lap 54
Top three coming up on lapped traffic as Dario and Power have slowed a bit to allow Wilson to catch up as they try to save fuel. Dario dives off to pit.

Lap 56
Power and Wilson both pit. They were really caught in traffic on the last lap, so Dario might be in the hot seat here. Wilson beats Power off pit lane and they both beat Dario! Wilson in the lead!

Lap 57
Bertrand Baguette in the tires. Still a local yellow at this point. Radio says Scheckter had a part in the incident. No replays on TV yet as we're in the middle of pit stops.

Lap 58
Marco and Rahal battle each other hard for position, Rahal takes him in turn 3, then uses the wall as a pick to make Marco get in line.

Lap 60
Power and Dario get caught in traffic (looked like Moraes), and Wilson runs off with the lead.

Lap 61
Trouble! Briscoe around in circles with no front wing! A local yellow and some brave corner worker work later, Briscoe is out of the way. Replay shows Rahal looking to outbrake, but the two cars stayed in line and Rahal put Briscoe around.

Lap 63
Briscoe in and out with a fresh schnozz. At least a lap down now, though...tough break for him.

Lap 65
We are...YELLOW! Matos' and Viso's cars have become attached to each other. Paul Tracy also around behind that. Replay shows Danica was passing Marco, then Marco sort of held up Matos and Viso and no one had anywhere to go; Matos and Viso lose out. Tracy's spin was from locking his brakes trying to pass Simona de Silvestro. Tracy back up and running.

Lap 71
Hey guess what...no fuel saving today, folks! Everyone's good to race.

Lap 72
We are...GREEN! Wilson loose on acceleration of the last turn and Power...TAKES THE LEAD! Hunter-Reay is divebombing the planet and puts Dixon into the outside wall in turn 3. OH! Justin Wilson end-around as well. Chaos in Toronto!

Lap 74
Dixon's day is clearly through, as his left front is pointed entirely the wrong way. We are...YELLOW: Scheckter and Tags in the turn one tires. Scheckter a bit optimistic trying to pass, Tags cuts him off and that is that.

Lap 75
Okay...let's all breathe for a moment. Your current top o' the order: Power, Dario, RHR, Kanaan, Rahal (WOOHOO!), Danica (way to stay out of trouble somehow), Andretti, de Silvestro (!!!), Meira (how'd he get back up there?), Wheldon.

Lap 77
We are...GREEN! Dario and RHR realy taking the fight to Power at the head of the field. Now Kanaan trying his luck with this battle.

Lap 78
A hellish gaggle of cars behind the lapped car of Ryan Briscoe (don't say that too often) Lots of brake-locking and wing-to-gearbox contact and WOOOOAHs from the viewing audience.

Lap 80
Wilson gets 8th from de Silvestro in the middle of that insane battle. All of those cars bunch up into turn 3, then somehow don't hit each other...it's kinda fun to watch.

Lap 82
Oh by the way, Will Power is just over a second up on Dario. RHR and Kanaan follow them. Things have settled a bit further back as the fast cars get in front of the slowpokes.

Lap 84
Wilson has gotten by Marco. NOT SEEN HERE, says ABC.

Lap 85
White flag for Will Power. This is a sniper situation for the guys behind him...nobodys catching Will.

Checkered Flag!
Power takes advantage of everyone else's mistakes and takes the win! Dario, RHR, Kanaan, Rahal, Danica, Wilson, Marco, de Silvestro, and Wheldon round out your top ten. This one was quite the crashfest at the beginning and near the end, but the last ten laps went off without a hitch. Lots of fun racing here and there.

Thanks to Marty Reid for letting us know that this is the 52nd anniversary of Richard Petty's first win (drink some bleach, Marty).

Will Power kisses his car that brought him to victory and receives the plaudits of his team members. Will, always thinking ahead, loves extending the points lead. We find out that Briscoe said Power has to do a rap if he wins...no rap here, but maybe we'll see one later.

Justin Wilson says he went a bit too hard into turn 8 and had to hit the brakes, which caused his spin. Says the D&R guys deserve better than what he gave them.

Hunter-Reay says his car a junk, which makes his third place even more interesting. No comments on his hip check on Scott Dixon...DeBruhl probably should've pushed him a bit on that.

Scott Goodyear says the series is getting competitive now...even though Will Power is wrecking the points battle. His point is fair, though; lots of teams were represented towards the sharp end of the field all day.

Anyway, my predictions worked out decently enough. Will Power, of course, can make any gambler look like a genius. Rafa Matos was doing decently until he was caught up in a traffic jam and made contact with Viso. Paul Tracy might've had a better shot if his fuel hose had worked better on his first pit stop.

The show hits the Edmonton City Centre Airport next week for what should be another runaway show by Will Power....it sure was last time around. Until then, cheers!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Ghosts of Christmas (in July) Future...

The very first thought I will give you in this post: I totally dig the new concept that the ICONIC Committee voted for on their totally awesome Droid X's, and I completely buy the fact that they came up with a ridiculously contrived pile of faux-showmanship to reveal this concept to the world. Remember: "Spectacle" is the word used to describe our favorite motor race, so lets not be afraid of spectacles (however silly they can seem).

Like many, I heard the word "Dallara" and my ears came close to refusing to listen to the rest of the announcement. That's all well and good, even if most criticisms against Dallara are somewhat unfair -- I don't like the fact that they priced a ton of teams out of contention through the 2000s, but it's not their fault Panoz made a lesser chassis then pulled out of the series, or that Brian Barnhart over-managed the development of the car to make it fairly useless.

As I listened, though, things started to make a little sense to me. The idea of having the base chassis be a spec piece is just fine by me; designing a full chassis costs money that lots of people don't have right now, but Dallara has the financial wherewithal to back the manufacturing process. The idea of setting it up so that, theoretically, anybody who can be bothered can build their own wings, sidepods, and engine covers is pretty brilliant in my opinion; the first in line, I think, to be their own car designer might just be Team Penske.

I REALLY like the fact that the manufacturing plant will be right where many Indianapolis cars were made in the teens and twenties: Main Street, Speedway, IN. One of the key points to the proposed redevelopment of the Town of Speedway was hoping that all the nice buildings they were putting up would be occupied by someone. Up until now, it seemed like the only businesses to commit to the new buildings were the ones that already owned real estate on Main Street. Now, an 80-employee, motorsports manufacturing facility will be planting itself in what hasn't been the prettiest part of town and spilling those employees out to Charlie Brown's and Dawson's and Mug N Bun. With some of the incentives that the series is giving out to invite teams to come to Indianapolis, perhaps we'll see even more development in Speedway.

The one single thing that I don't like about this concept is the fact that, apparently, the engine is supposed to be a stressed member of the car. The idea of the engine block as part of the chassis was fine when Cosworth built their DFV for Lotus in the spend-money-win-championships world of 1967 F1. In 2012 IndyCar, engine manufacturers might not want to spend money to develop an engine block to withstand the stresses of IndyCar cornering. The right way to go would be to have the ability to drop a 2-liter Ford Zetec or whatever (Global Racing Engine, anyone?) with some go-fast pieces on it and see how fast it can go. Instead, we'll only see engines that are specifically designed to fit to an IndyCar.

Overall: I'm calling it good.

Overall, other people aren't, and I think I'm going to try and explain it because that's what I've been trying to do in my head the past few days. I think the base thing that sort of scares people or is at least unfamiliar to them is the fact that, until May, 2012, we won't actually know what all 33 cars in the Indianapolis 500 are going to look like. In 1996, we knew it would be year-old Reynards and Lolas; from 1997 to 2005, we knew it would be an offering from Dallara or Panoz/G-Force; since 2006, we could be pretty sure everyone who mattered would be driving a Dallara.

Now there's uncertainty. Some team could look through the rulebook, set the wheels in motion, and make a modern-day Penske PC-23 (see: Indianapolis 500, 1994). Maybe someone else will have a modern-day Crawford-Buick that goes like stink until it destroys itself on lap 15. Perhaps some guy on some small team will have a brainwave and build a modern-day, giant-killing Belond Special (The 500, 1957-58). No, there wont be a full-on chassis competition, but there WILL be a competition to see who can make the IndyCar (because that's what it's called...not a "Dallara") go the fastest within a reasonable amount of cost.

And I love that thought.

If you don't, too bad; you'd better get used to it.

By the way, if this were the previous IRL administration, this idea would be doomed to failure. With Randy Bernard in charge, it's a lot easier to be optimistic about all of this.

The Proper Reaction When NASCAR Commentators Write About IndyCar...

Just go ahead and laugh your ass off. Seriously, there's no better weight loss program than rolling on the floor when the unholy duo of Hinton and Blount decide to try an article on "them open-wheeled fellers".

For your reading pleasure: Blount's column and Hinton's blog post.

Here's the gist of both of these lovely op-ed columns: IndyCar didn't unveil an actual car; they unveiled a rolling chassis, and we still don't know exactly what it's going to look like.

Let's hit the rewind button, shall we? I think we'll stop in the late 1960s on the near-westside of Indianapolis. See, earlier that decade, fans thought they knew what Indianapolis cars were supposed to look like: gigantic, front-engined things with narrow tires and some poor guy with more cajones than brains desperately hanging onto a giant steering wheel in an effort to drag that monster to the checkered flag. By the end of the decade, the idea of an "Indy Car" was so distorted by the crazy designs that showed up in the '60s that fans wouldn't have been surprised if a rocket-powered hover car had shown up and put down a 200-m.p.h. lap. The point is that, throughout history (until 1997, at least), NOBODY knew what an IndyCar was going to actually look like until it hit the track.

Be it the '60s or 2012, I can tell you what an IndyCar is NOT: a completely spec chassis and body with some stickers thrown on the front that desperately try to convince people that this spaceframe-chassis, aluminum-bodied coupe with a carbureted, pushrod V8 at the front of it is a Toyota Camry. However, I know that may be a little difficult for these NASCAR commentators to comprehend.

Rant over (special thanks to Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, proud sponsor of Ed Carpenter's #20 car, for helping fuel it). Clear, concise analysis of IndyCar's new strategy probably coming sometime tomorrow...er...later today.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

It's D(ecision) Day!

Not to speak in overly fatalistic terms (but I'm going to)...Also known as: the single most important day in the history of American Open Wheel Racing. This is the day that could make or break open-wheeling in this part of the world, and I think it's all pretty damn exciting. This July 14, we break down the walls of the Bastille and unleash a revolution upon the old guard of King Dallara XIV and Marie Honda-nette.

(Fortunately for our kind monarchs, there should be a place for them in our new order...nobody's head is being chopped off today)

Now, most people seem to think that this is a straight, put-'em-in-the-corners-and-fight competition between the five chassis manufacturers for the right to build everybody's car for five or so years -- much in the way Dallara has done for the past several. On the surface, that seems like a fair assessment, as a single supplier would theoretically create a healthy, wallet-friendly environment for IndyCar's cash-strapped teams.

However, there are two people who seem to believe we might be headed towards chassis "competition". (Competition is in quotes because I think it means competition on the track, and not open competition to outspend each other into oblivion.) Those two people happen to be the go-to sources on all things IndyCar: Curt Cavin and Robin Miller.

Cavin has said explicitly on his radio show that he believes Lola and Dallara, having the financial wherewithal and past experience that the others don't have, will be put against each other.

Miller has been a tougher nut to crack. First of all, if you listen to Miller's interviews (especially those with old buddy JMV on 1070 The Fan), I think it's pretty clear that he is well aware of the direction in which the series is going. Unfortunately, whereas Miller would blatantly out news of the old administration to the world because he obviously didn't like them, he's been keeping quotes from his good, sprint car-watchin' buddy Randy Bernard very close to the chest. His assessment on Monday's JMV show was, in essence, "The next IndyCar will be cheap, and I think a lot of people are going to like it." He also made mention of the possibility of ginormous European engine manufacturers having their ears turned towards Mr. Bernard -- exciting stuff!

I tend to believe the idea that there will be competition, a) because of what's been said by Cavin and Miller, and b) because this poster says "Future Car Strategy Anouncement"...that seems like something a little more than just a chassis being unveiled to me.

An initial round of photographs (including the entirely awesome stage setup...props to whoever designed that) can be found HERE. Announcement runs live on the always...er...reliable IndyCar live feed from IndyCar.com, and probably on some local Indianapolis news stations as well. Fallout forthcoming in four hours...

UPDATE!
The announcement has come and gone; Dallara "safety tubs" (or some such thing) with whatever body paneling, within cost and reason, that you'd like. I'm going to process some more info and reaction, then write a post. My initial reaction: totally dig it.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

...Wherein Marshall Pruett is the Only Person Paying Attention to Things

Lola Group, being one of Britain's foremost motorsport manufacturers, tends to find its way into the happenings of the Motorsport Industry Association over in the Kingdom. In their stand at the MIA's exhibition at the House of Lord's, you'd expect to find prototype sports cars and junior formula racers amongst things detailing the storied history of Lola.

What you might not be expecting to find is the beauty pictured at the top of this article by Marshall Pruett. That's right...that'd be a wind tunnel model of the Lola B12/00 IndyCar that, should it have the honor, would be introduced to the world in 2012.

What does it all mean? I suppose we'll find out Wednesday at noon.

By the way, Robin Miller got on the phone with JMV on 1070 in Indianapolis today...had some interesting things to say about Wednesday's announcement. Go HERE and scroll down a bit (and try not to be distracted by the girl on the right).

An Addendum...
Upon further review, I stand by my use of the word "beauty" in describing this wind tunnel model...assuming that bleeding fin comes off the back of it. I didn't notice it initially because of the lighting, but holy hell that fin looks ridiculous. Okay...resume positivity.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

And Now, A Dignified Chuckle For...

Panther Racing, who, in spite of their best efforts, have failed to lure LeBron James to their squad. The winning pedigree of Panther, who took two series titles from Team Penske with the help of Sam Hornish, Jr, failed to attract the NBA's reigning MVP and (arguably) best player since #23 retired from the game.

I for one am quite shocked. If LeBron's standards are too high to accept an offer from a stand-up organization such as Panther, located in the beautiful Ameriplex business park off of State Road 67 near the airport, then who knows if anyone would be able to sign him.

Unfortunately, Dallara, who it was rumored has been developing a special long-wheelbase chassis for the sizable forward, appears to have seen all its hard work go to waste.

In the meantime, my money is on LeBron pulling a fast one on everybody and signing to play English Premier League football for Manchester United.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Tuesday Ramblings

Randy B. with JMV

Randall Bernard, no matter what your opinion of him is, certainly tries to get things done. He put on a fine 15-minute interview on The Ride with JMV on 1070 The Fan yesterday (Go HERE and scroll down -- and feel free to stop on the Vince Welch interview while you're at it). Mr. Bernard drops that four-letter word that starts with "F" that used to be taboo at the IRL offices ("fans") on more occasions in 15 minutes than people named Barnhart and George seemingly did the entire time they've been involved. The new fearless leader seems to be of the mind that, if you cast enough lines, you'll eventually catch something.

Of note from this interview:

-The ICONIC committee does not have a final decision on chassis, but will take their final vote just before the July 14 press conference. The committee has apparently pared down the choices a bit; but that committee is tighter-lipped than the North Korean government, so we probably won't hear a darn thing until General Looney and Mr. Bernard step up to the mic.

-ABC's people have given the a-OK on an 11AM start for the Indianapolis 500, opening up the door for the $20 million-dollar, 1,100-mile double-dip. He also mentioned he's got commitments from some NASCAR guys, assuming sponsor issues can be worked around. Jeff Belskus, CEO of The Speedway, gets the final call on moving the start.

-Versus' IndyCar ratings are up a cool 35% from last season -- yes, 35% of next-to-nothing isn't much, but we'll take progress where we can get it. Unfortunately, ABC seems to be down a bit; you can go to any blog on the planet for comments on ABC's TV coverage.

-On that note, Mr. Bernard seems committed to honoring his current TV contracts: ABC through 2011 (I think) and Versus through 2018. He seems to want to work with Versus and some cable providers to get that network on more screens. He's also very interested in Versus parent company Comcast's purchase of 51% of NBC (good good good for the IRL).

Randy B. with Planet-IRL

Planet-IRL scored some quotes from Mr. Bernard during the Watkins Glen weekend. The major score was that Mr. B does not want to end the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and that he confirmed he is in talks with Las Vegas about that season-ending date. I can definitely see this deal going through, as Las Vegas is one of those unique tracks with only one Sprint Cup date (in March), so it only has a bunch of little drag racing events and short oval races for the rest of the year while a beautiful 1.5-mile oval sits there, doing nothing. I think LVMS and (let's drop this name again) Bruton Smith should be more than happy to bring in a big-time autumn race.

On a Personal Note...

The Pressdog put out a post sometime last month about supporting your favorite track, and it's a damn good message for the folks out there. I mentioned something along these lines sometime last year in regards to your local track, be it a quarter-mile of packed clay or a four-mile ribbon draped over picturesque hills.

My favorite local track happens to be home of the biggest single-day sporting event in the entire world, but it still needs all the help it can get to keep itself running for three major-league racing weekends. Therefore, as much as it may annoy some purists and IndyCar fans, I plopped $90 on the counter at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ticket office (and my buddy and his mom did as well) for a Tower Terrace ticket to the Brickyard 400. Yes, it's NASCAR, and I'm more than aware of the sort of crap that the France family has pulled on open-wheel racing throughout the years, but that's not the point.

The point is that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets more money to keep itself running. Even though they drive ugly cars full of 1960's technology, the NASCAR drivers understand what it means to drive and win at 16th and Georgetown and, behind the Daytona 500, any of these guys will tell you this is the race they most want to win. I'll gladly put down the cash to watch 43 guys who want it bad race on my favorite track in the world.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Pseudo-Live Blog: Camping World GP at The Glen

Hi-ho, and happy birthday to this fine nation of ours; she might be 236, but she doesn't look a day over 207. There are few better ways to celebrate the holiday than by cooking up some hamburgers and hot dogs, cracking a few beers, setting off some commercially-available colorful explosives, and watching some auto racing.

(By the way, to steal a thing from Pressdog, beer of the race is Sam Adams Summer Ale; a startup business from the crucible of the Revolution that makes fantastic beer...can't get much more American than that!)

The race is on ABC today, so no lengthy Lindy-tastic pre-race show and no Jack Arute doing something ridiculous. The masses weep for the lack of such entertainment.

The cars are gridded in the pit lane and the big stage is set up for driver intros on the front stretch. The weather is entirely beyond amazing, with sunshine reflecting off of Seneca Lake and the lovely green hills surrounding it. The helicopter shot on the online feed showed a decent contingent of campers and general admission types, with a decent smattering of folks in the grandstand.

Everything looks set for a full day of great racing -- we just wait for the command to get moving!

3:50, pre-race
Mr. Camping World Man gives the command and the engines are fired. ABC's audio board operator has the engine noise up massively loud and we can barely hear the "Row (blank), hot!" calls. Doesn't matter, because ABC needs to throw down on commercials. Race time when we come back to live pictures.

3:55, pre-race
One to go before the green flag. Everything looks nice, including the crowd. Once more around through the pit lane reporters and we'll get going.

Lap 1
Pace car off, rows form off of turn 11, and we are...GREEN! Slight contact at the rear of the field. Power to the lead in the Bus Stop and the two Ganassis are really pushing the Penskes. Justin Wilson past Dixon in the boot. Power runs off a bit to lead lap 1.

Lap 2
Franchitti and Wilson all over Helio for third. Dario nearly had it in the Bus Stop, but had to be careful because of that #22 car behind him.

Lap 3
Dixon back to fifth past Wilson. Power, Briscoe, Helio, Dario, Dixon, Wilson, Sato, Marco your top eight after three circuits.

Lap 4
Three-wide! Helio, Dario, Dixon go Indianapolis-style down the backstretch. Everyone jumps back in line as they hit the Bus Stop, though.

Lap 6
Paul Tracy and Adam Carroll getting some decent airtime as they battle for ninth...good for ESPN to cover those guys. Dario past Helio for third. Replays show some ridiculousness with the slow cars of Baguette and Tagliani being passed by Danica.

Lap 7
Dixon waits too long to pull out and pass on Helio. Scott has a busted wing, Helio has a flat tire. Completely Dixon's fault as far as I can tell.

Lap 8
Replays show Helio was running slow through the esses and Dixon tried an outside pass instead of backing off. Perhaps backing off would have sent Dixon spinning, but it's something he should've tried.

Lap 10
Big gaggle of cars further down the order. Ryan Hunter-Reay makes his new group of sponsors happy by putting the moves on Paul Tracy for ninth.

Lap 12
Takuma Sato puts the moves on Justin Wilson for fourth. Unfortunately, the top three cars are a big distance away from Taku...let's see how that F1 experience works for him here.

Lap 15
Station-keeping formation at the front of the front of the field. Big battle is (again) between Adam Carroll and Paul Tracy. Tracy just nearly pulled the Eddie Cheever move across Carroll's nose coming out of the boot.

Lap 16
Tracy's car is not happy as he's locking the brakes everywhere. and we are...YELLOW! Wheldon spins in turn 8 with a little help from Alex Lloyd. Many WOAH! moments as cars avoid Wheldon. Wheldon's car stalled in a bad spot, so the full-course is fully warranted (the cars need DP01 on-board starters...).

Lap 19
Pit stops! Everyone hits the pit lane except Helio and Dario (they pitted earlier). Penskes and Dario out first. Matos and Moraes out 4th and 5th in the pit order. Tagliani and Viso also stayed out with Helio and Dario, so that pit order starts with fifth position.

Lap 20
We are...GREEN! Field mostly clean through the first few turns. Dixon, Viso, Tags, Helio, Briscoe, Power, Dario are the first seven.

Lap 21
E.J. thinking about first position as they head for the first turn. Baguette puts the pass on Danica into the Bus Stop; also looked like Taku was trying a similar move on Marco Andretti. Romancini spun in the boot -- many WOAH!'s as cars dodge. Still green.

Lap 25
Mostly in station-keeping mode again, though Power just took fourth from Tagliani. We're essentially circling and waiting for some fuel strategy shoes to drop -- as I type that, Viso hits the pit lane from second.

Lap 27
Marco gets a good run on Tony Kanaan, but doesn't really have the momentum to get past. Also, Franchitti all over Matos for fifth, but Rafa is defending well.

Lap 28
Chrome Horn vs. Princess Danica back in the field...that #24 is NOT happy. Scott Dixon finally hits pit lane with Helio right behind.

Lap 31
30 down, 30 to go. Power, Briscoe, Matos, Dario, and Moraes holding down the sharp end of the field. Paul Tracy, clearly in the "struggling" category, changes up strategy a bit and pits early.

Lap 33
I've started the cookout here, since the race is in parade mode. I'll jump in when interesting things happen.

Lap 36
We're looking at pit stops coming up soon. The fun battle is for 5th through 10th: Moraes, Kanaan, Andretti, Wilson, and Carroll.

Lap 37
Marco's bringing the beer for the 4th of July block party. There is no chance he's letting Wilson by, and he seems willing to wreck both cars rather than surrender the spot. Carroll first of the top 10 to say hi to his pit crew. Car dropped off the jack before the left rear was secure! Tsk-Tsk, Andretti Autosport.

Lap 38
Briscoe and Power pit, Briscoe beats him out! Everyone and their mothers hits pit lane, Kanaan races Matos out, but Matos is out first. Dario Franchitti still making laps, as he's the fuel-saving expert. He'll be in at the end of the lap.

Lap 39
and we are...YELLOW! Simona de Silvestro got loose coming out of turn 7 and she fought the car all the way to the outside barriers. Full-course caution to clean up the car.

Lap 41
Briscoe, Power, Dixon, Helio, Viso, Dario, Matos, Wheldon, Moraes, Kanaan are your top 10 under caution. Much discussion on the radio of (dun dun duunnnnn!) fuel strategy, which has been completely thrown to the wind by this yellow.

Lap 42
Speaking of fuel strategy, several cars head for the pit lane with 19 laps left on the board. Dixon, Helio, Viso, Wilson, Patrick, Tagliani, Carroll, Sato, and a couple others hit the pits.

Lap 44
and we are...GREEN! Everyone lined up nicely down the front stretch. Briscoe and Power looking to run off with this one aaaaaaand Power has him at the Bus Stop!

Lap 46
Stepped out for some cookout-related stuff. RHR past Kanaan for eighth. Front of the field holding pretty durned steady at the moment, though Dario has Briscoe in his sights.

Lap 47
Dario has second from Briscoe and puts Power firmly in his sights.

Lap 49
The de facto battle for the lead may be the battle for 10th between Helio and Dixon, as those two are on the slightly-off strategy, pitting two laps later than everyone else.

Lap 51
With 10 to go, we're starting to hear those magical fuel mileage numbers from the pit reporters as the leaders wonder whether or not their fuel tanks will survive the distance.

Lap 53
Helio is really all over Dixon for what could be the magic spot. Dixon puts Marco Andretti in the middle of that battle, though, and Dixon starts to run off a bit.

Lap 54
Dixon getting past Marco may have bee the move of the race. Helio can't pass Marco and now Wilson is all over Helio. Meanwhile, Matos, Wheldon, and Moraes are going at it in the middle of the top ten.

Lap 55
Helio and Wilson dispatch of Andretti and are setting off after Dixon.

Lap 56
Radio boys seem to think Will Power is good to go to the finish. It's sounding like some of those other front-running cars are good to go as well. Seems like Briscoe is catching up Dario for second.

Lap 58
Three to go. Still Power running off a bit. Dario and Briscoe are battling for second, though Dario drives off a bit in the last few turns each lap.

Lap 59
Two to go, everything's holding steady, though Briscoe is certainly trying. Push-to pass graphic lighting up like a Christmas tree for those guys.

Lap 60
White flag, and Briscoe takes second as they pass under the flag! Kanaan is the first fuel victim, and he stalls his car in the pits...big issue for him. Dario doesn't seem like he can challenge for second.

Checkered Flag!
We return to the roads and Power is back in victory lane! Briscoe, Franchitti, Matos, Moraes, Wheldon, Hunter-Reay, Dixon, Castroneves, and Wilson round out the top ten. Great stuff by the Penske cars, as usual. Huge result for Rafa Matos and De Ferran-Dragon Racing. Massive result for KV Racing -- all three cars finished the race! Cars here and there running out of fuel on the cool-down lap, but Will Power has enough to find that winner's circle.

Will Power's pleasantly satisfied with his relatively easy win; once he was past Briscoe, it was game over. Rafa Matos is madly happy to get his result because his team really needed it -- especially when their telemetry stopped working on that final stretch. Dario a little peeved at someone on that last restart; he said he had worn something out a little bit because of that issue. Briscoe also happy even though he didn't quite make it back to the pits after the flag. Tony Kanaan, who stalled on the splash and go near the end, sped through pit lane on a scooter, obviously not wanting to chat about that very tough break. Dixon talks about the contact he made with Helio early on; says he thought Helio would do one thing, he did a different thing, and the closing rate was a bit too much for Dixon to handle. Helio says Dixon should've held off a second and gone for the inside into the Bus Stop.

So, a relatively safe race, some pretty good battles here and there as the afternoon went on, and fuel strategy ended up not counting towards the result. Good work by Will Power and the Penske contingent, and many thanks for proving my fearless(ly bad) prediction correct. Sato looked racy early on, but didn't really do much on the way to the checkered flag. Paul Tracy seemed to be let down by his car as he dropped down in the order throughout the day; he managed to jump back up a bit, but there was never a challenge. The ladies barely existed today, except for de Silvestro's unfortunate accident.

We have a two week break until the cars hit the streets of Toronto, Ontario, to try and relive the excitement of last year's race there. In the meantime, blow some stuff up in honor of America (it's what the founding fathers would have wanted), but don't hurt yourselves. Chassis announcement comes in 10 days, so that should be the next big story of 2010 for the IndyCars. Until then, cheers!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Yellow Shirt Preview: Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen



Is there anything better than spending the Fourth of July at the home of American road racing? If I had the financial wherewithal to do so, I'd probably say no.

Sports cars first took to the streets and country roads of Watkins Glen, NY, in 1948. Formula One found their only successful U.S. venue on the town's new permanent road course in 1961. Can Am, Trans Am, and F5000 were regulars on these hills in the '60s and '70s. One of NASCAR's more successful road races has been held here since the France family and the Corning Glass Company saved the track in the mid-'80s. CART held three races here in its infancy, with the names Unser and Mears gracing the winner's circle. Finally, IndyCar has done a pretty decent job of bringing open-wheel cars back to this track with an annual race at The Glen since 2005. History fills the air from The Esses to Seneca Lodge like soup, and every spot on the grounds probably has a great story behind it.

Unfortunately, when the tracks in danger of being excluded from the 2011 schedule are listed, Watkins Glen finds a way of making that list. That can be attributed, like problems with all tracks owned by a certain group that also owns NASCAR, to a seeming lack of promotion of the event. I have to imagine the citizens of Watkins Glen are aware of the race, but you have to hit Corning, Ithaca, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, and New York City because there are millions of people in those cities. If you cast a line into a pond with 3 million fish, you stand a pretty good chance of catching a few.

Anyway, as far as the on-track product goes, there's been a decent amount of action in the five races the IndyCar Series has run here. After the first three years, it was questionable as to whether anyone other than Scott Dixon would ever win an IndyCar race there. Luckily, Dixon had a...um..."small" brain fade in 2008 that resulted in he and Ryan Briscoe having broken cars, giving Ryan Hunter-Reay the win over Darren Manning. Next time out, Briscoe was having his way with things until Justin Wilson and lowly Dale Coyne Racing found the magic touch that gave Wilson the fastest car by leaps and bounds.

This time around, things are looking good for Team Penske, as they've swept the front row. However, there are a few newcomers lurking in the background that could have an effect on the results.

Winner: Will Power. I don't think any of those newcomers will cross the line first, though. This is a road course, and that means my immediate favorite will likely be Power until the series hits Chicago at the end of August. He's a killer on the twisty tracks and he drives for the best IndyCar team in existence, so why wouldn't I pick him?

Dark Horse: Takuma Sato. Taku has clearly become comfortable with his KV Racing/Lotus IndyCar, with good showings at Kansas and Iowa. The only problem is that both of those efforts ended with a mangled race car. There are a few spots where the walls and aramco barriers run up close to the track, but most of The Glen is bordered by wide asphalt runoff areas that will allow Sato a mistake or two. However, if Sato keeps his nose completely clean, he could very well be near the front.

Ninja Dark Horse -- so dark you can't see him!: Paul Tracy. Okay, maybe you can see him, especially with that bleached dome he's got. He's in the #24 car that was pitched into the fence at Indianapolis, and his teammate just so happens to be the guy who won here last year -- along with the chief engineer who built that car. There's knowledge of the track on this team with a driver who, though natural-terrain road courses aren't his forte, is pretty damn good at what he does. Paul could challenge before all is said and done.

The Ladies: Hey look: Milka Duno didn't qualify last! Sure, E.J. Viso didn't post a time, but don't be troubling me with your technicalities. We only have three ladies in this one, as Sarah Fisher prefers tracks with only left turns, and I think the only one with any sort of legitimate shot is Simona de Silvestro. Danica is way down in the starting order and Milka will probably have a terrible crash with one of the leaders by lap 15. I don't see any of the three sniffing above the top five though.

The GP at The Glen rolls off at 3:30 tomorrow. Grill some burgers and dogs and grab yourself a good ol' American beer and let's celebrate America with a great IndyCar show. Cheers!