Category: Auto Racing

James Davison- Maximum Efforts, No Regrets

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James Davison has had an on again, off again relationship with Indycar. When he was in Indy Lights, he competed against several current Indycar drivers. The last three years he has driven in the IMSA Weather Tech Series, winning the pole in GT Dayona class at the Rolex 24 and he won twice in Pirelli World Challenge driving for Nissan in 2015.Davison, speaking to fans as part of the Fast Cars Fast Girls podcast series, says while he enjoys racing, ‘The Indy 500 is where I want to be.”

He had his first start in the 500 in 2014, driving for KV Racing. He started 28th and finished 16th. The following year, driving for Dale Coyne, he started last because he had a sportscar commitment on qualifying weekend. Tristan Vautier qualified the car for Davison. He finished 27th after first lap contact and an incident in the pits.

Last year, he had a deal fall through because of the limited availability of Honda engines and chassis for Chevrolet teams. When Sebastien Bourdais was injured during qualifying, Davison got the call to replace him. He again started 33rd, but led two laps late in the race. His day ended in a five car pileup in turn one with about 16 laps to go. He feels that he lost a chance to win the race.

2018 is the earliest he has had a 500 program in place, driving the Johnathon Byrd car owned by Brian Belardi in a partnership with A. J. Foyt Racing. He admits the one off teams are behind the full timers, but he feels they can be competitive.

“if we don’t qualify but I know the team put forth maximum effort on everything, I will have no regrets.”

Davison discussed the new car and his thoughts echo what other drivers have said- it is difficult to pass and the front end is loose in the corners.

Davison has started in the back in each 500 he has been in, but has always improved his position. As long asm he qualifies, Davison will be someone to watch on race day.

Pit Lane Parley Podcast

Due to technical difficulties, recording of the Pit Lane Parley podcast had to be postponed. Recording is planned for this evening. I will announce the air date and time. They have a not so special guest I happen to know.

 

Fast Friday at IMS

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It’s the day before qualifying weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Cars get their qualifying boost today. The weather is cool and cloudy with an threat of rain after noon today. With just a brief practice period tomorrow, any track time should be very busy.

The consensus  from most drivers is passing is difficult if you are third in line or farther back. They say that front end goes first. Tire management will be a key component of success on race day.

It will be interesting to see how the extra horsepower and the cooler weather affects the cars. How much of what they’ve learned the first three days of practice carry over?

Bump Watch

Which two cars will miss the race?

Any of the one offs are possibilities, but I think  Conor Daly and Pippa Mann are the most likely.

Here some more photos from yesterday. I’ll be back later with a feature on James Davison.

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Notice the protector on the end of the rear wing.

 

IMS Thursday- A Busy Practice Day Ahead

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Good morning from IMS. The weather for Fast Friday tomorrow looks iffy, so today should be a very busy on track day. More than 3,300 laps were turned yesterday, and today could see an equal number of laps. The bad thing about a washout tomorrow would be that cars do not get to try out the added boost until the brief practice periods Saturday morning.

Nine cars have already been on track in the first 15 minutes.

I had an incredible experience yesterday afternoon. I went to far south end of the tower grandstand upper deck. A line of seven cars entered the turn single file. I heard a whoosh as they went by. I could almost feel it. If you are out at the track, go over there for a while. It’s an amazing view.

Pit Lane Parley

Listen to Pit Lane Parley tomorrow on Wildfireradiosports.com at 3:15 pm EDT or find it on the Podbean app. The show will be recorded this evening in Indianapolis.

Here are a few more photos from yesterday.IMG_3178 (2)

Jack Harvey during practice at the Indianapolis 500 last year. Harvey had a chance to win the 50 last year until he pitted for fuel late in the race

 

Bump Tales- A Three Time Champion’s Hope for One More Race Goes Up in Smoke

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Photo Above: Johnny Rutherford in the iconic Yellow Submarine Chapparal.

Dreams die hard, even for a three time Indianapolis 500 champion. In 1989, 51 year old Johnny Rutherford attempted to qualify for his 25th 500 mile race. 54 year old A. J. Foyt, Jr., was trying to get into his 32nd. This race seemed headed to be the Senior Citizen 500.

While Foyt easily made the race, starting 10th, Rutherford was behind from the start of the month.  The chassis did not arrive to the Menard team until May 1. The crew had to scramble to put it together, losing valuable track time.  The first qualifying weekend wasn’t even a consideration for them to try to put the carin the race.

On the third day of qualifications, Rutherford entered the qualifying line three times and  took to the track.  Each time the crew called him in before the green flag waved . The rule in 1989 was that each car could have three qualifying attempts for the month. An attempt meant the driver took the green to begin a qualification run.  Rutherford had all three attempts  available for Sunday.

The Menard’s car took the track Sunday at the beginning of qualifications. Rutherford began his first official attempt. His first three laps would have put him safely in the field with a solid 213 mph average. On the final lap, the car developed a push, as it had all month, slowing the lap to 212. His four lap average of 213.097 had in the field for the moment, but the team was skeptical of the time holding up.

Rutherford was puzzled as to why the attempt wasn’t called off. They did have two more chances. He was given permission by car owner John Menard to see if he could make a deal with Foyt. Rutherford spent the next hour in the Foyt garage.

Meanwhile, Rich Vogler was having  issues with his entry. The car, identical to teammate Kevin Cogan’s machine which had qualified at more than 214 mph, could not get up to speed. The Machinsts Union team readied Cogan’s backup car. Vogler went out for one lap of practice and then drove the car to the qualifying line. With about 20 minutes left in qualifying, 213.239 averaged bumped Rutherford and gave Vogler the final spot. In 1988, Vogler’s last minute run had bumped two time race winner Gordon Johncock from the field. He is probably the only driver to bump two former winners from the starting lineup.

Rutherford, however, was not quitting. The deal to drive Foyt’s backup car complete, he left the pits at 5:58 pm and had a warmup lap at 217 mph. The green flag waved. As he headed to turn 1, smoke poured from the back of the car. The quest for his 25th 500 was over. The link below shows Rut5herford heading back to Gasoline Alley after failing to make the field for the 1989 500. (Photo from Indianapolis Star archives)

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Neither Rutherford nor Vogler raced in the 500 again. They were both entered in 1990 but didn’t qualify. Rutherford became a driver coach and drove the pace car for Indycar. He has become a great ambassador for racing and the 500.

Vogler died in a sprint car race at Salem, Indiana, on July 21, 1990. He was leading the race and made contact with a lapped car in the last turn of the final lap. Vogler was declared the winner of the race.

Postscript- in researching information for this piece in the archives of The Indianapolis Star, the writrt noted estimatre attendance of about 50,000 for Bump Day. How times have changrd

The final edition of “Bump Tales” next week tells of a driver who did make the race at the last minute. Look for a qualifying preview Friday and of course update all weekend long.

 

Cara Adams- Believe in Yourself

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Cara Adams, chief engineer for Firestone Racing, has a message for young girls and women. She encouraged them to have a positive mindset and believe in themselves. Adams (center in photo) spoke to members of the Indycar Nation Fan Club today as part of the Fast Cars Fast Girls podcast series.

“Don’t believe people who tell you you can’t do something,” she advised.

Adams came to racing in a roundabout way. Her father was an engineer working for NASA and her mother was a science teacher. Early on she leaned toward science. Neither of her parents were sports fans. She got interested in racing her husband won tickets to the Cleveland Grand Prix. She was most fascinated by the cars. The fascination led to engineering school and eventually a job with Firestone.

Adams contributes to the STEM program which encourages young women to pursue careers in the sciences. She sees herself as having two responsibilities. One is making sure the racing tires are safe. The other is talking to young girls about engineering.

She finds Indycar drivers are “down to earth” people. The only driver she was ever star struck by was Mario Andretti.

Developing tires for the Indianapolis 500 is a project that takes more than a year. Adams said they are already working on next year. She described her May days as 12 nonstop hours.

The drivers rely on Firestone tires. Adams and her team have consistently provided a safe dependable product that has helped Indycar grow.

 

Preparation Key to Winning the Indianapolis 500- Hilderbrand

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“You realize how good you have to be at every little thing to win,” J. R. Hildebrand said at a morning press briefing featuring the Dreyer & Reinbold team.  ” The speedway doesn’t owe you anything, ” he said regarding his 2011 near win, The loss caused him to focus on his approach to the 500.  The theme of the conference was preparation.

Team owner Dennis Reinbold said the team is gearing up to do more races in the future. They decided to get two really strong drivers with whom they have worked in the past. Their focus in 2018 is the 500. Reinbold said there is no definite timeline for adding more races. There is a reason DRR is looking to run a larger schedule. According to Reinbold,

“Indycar is growing. You can see it. You can feel it. There are more good teams, better prepared teams which makes it harder to win. It (the series) has come a long way since I had a full time team.”

Reinbold was particularly impressed with a team owners’ meeting he attended. He enjoyed that there was dialogue between the series and the owners, unlike the contentious meetings he remembers.

Sage Karam is excited to have a teammate this year. He said a two car team can go mthrough the checklist quicker by dividing the tasks between the two cars. He is happy that Hildebrand is on the team with him.  About the Speedway, Karam says it’s a “magical place.”

” Every year I feel more nervous. I’ve always had really strong cars. (This team) is definitely a good situation.”

Karam believes qualifying will be tight because the car is new to everyone. Reinbold sees only running the 500  as both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is the car is new to everyone. The disadvantage is that the full time teams may have learned some things about the car in the five races already in the books.

Hildebrand and Karam both think a strong showing in the race will build momentum with their current sponsors- Salesforce for Hildebrand, Wix Filters for Karam-and possibly attract more.

While both drivers are confident of making the field, Karam warns that it would not take much to miss the race.

It all comes down to who is prepared. DRR expects to be one of the best prepared teams.

Thursday at IMS- Some Photos to Start the Day

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Good morning, Race Fans!  Here are some more photos from yesterday to start off the day.

Later on I will have a story about the Dreyer and Reinbold team with owner Dennis Reinbold and drivers Sage Karam and J. R. Hildebrand. Look for a piece about Cara Adams from Firestone in the late afternoon. Tonight my daily wrapup will be on Wildfireradiosports.com.

Pit Lane Parley will be doing a podcast bat the track tomorrow night. More details to come. Catch up on earlier episodes at wildfireradiosports.com or Podbean.

Enjoy the photos.

The Day in Photos; Pit Lane Parley Comes to IMS

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As promised (threatened?) Herb are some photos from practice Tuesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Enjoy.  Practice resumed after an approximately 45 minute hold for impending weather. Practice resumed at 4:50 pm.

 

Pit Lane Parley Live at Indy

Pit Lane Parley will record two weekly podcasts and perhaps some other features from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the 500 approaches. I will post when their shows will be recorded. Pit Lane Parley broadcasts live on wildfireradioesports.com every Friday at 3:15 pm EDT. You can listen to the podcasts on Podbean as well. Mike, Jess, and occasional host Matt provide excellent insight on Indycar. Guests this season have included Jay Frye, Stefan Wilson, David Byrd, and Brian Belardi.

Conor Daly Talks to a Couple of Fast Girls

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Between practie sessions, Conor Daly took a few minutes to speak to members of the Indycar Nation Fan Club. Fast Cars Fast Girls, who broadcast a weekly podcast, conducted the interview. They are doing a series of interviews for Indycar Nation this month. Conor discussed what it takes to be a racer, influential people in his life, and his best moment on track.

Conor said he is most excited to get on track. “It’s really tough for an Indy one off team,” he said. He hopes to be out later today. It was evident from his tone that he is eager to begin preparations for the race. Practice for veterans resumes at 3 pm today.

As for his best moment in racing, “Passing Helio for the lead in the Indycar Grand Prix a couple years ago,” he answered quickly. He was proud of the way he got in a position to overtake Castroneves.

Daly said his father, Derek, taught him that to race you must be passionate, put everything you have into the sport. His father never pushed him to race, but supported his efforts. Derek is less hands on than he used to  be, Conor said. He is fine with that arrangement.

He talked a bit how difficult the business side of racing is. He dislikes that part of the sport. He has had a lot of deals fall through at the last minute. In spite of his funding difficulties, He has found someone who has helped him get rides and continues to aid him today. Paul Sparta, a successful businessman, helped him get a Formula 2 ride in Europe and helped with his current deal for the 500.

About his Xfinity ride at Road America later this summer, Daly said he has had an association with  Lilly Diabetes since 2016 when they helped sponsor his 500 ride. “I will drive anything,” he said. he has never driven a stock car. and he is looking forward to the opportunity. Even though he has just the two drives this season, Dalynismcontent with his current situation.

The Fast Cars Fast Girls podcast featuring Abby and Molly is produced weekly. They have a great feature on women in racing each week and a history segment. Their podcasts can be found on Podbean.