Tag: ABC Sports ESPN

From Last Night Opening Day- Reunions, Bumps, Thumps, and Brakes

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It was a great opening day for Indycar. Fans reunited after a long winter, cars ran two very active sessions, and there was also some good news regarding major partners.  Let’s start with the good news first.

Chevrolet and Honda signed multi-year extensions with the series, joining extensions already in place with Firestone and Dallara. Added to the date equity established with the long range schedule, the series continues to gain stability.  One thought I have is did Chevy and Honda sign these extensions because a third engine manufacturer is close to coming on board?  That may or may not be a factor.  We shall see.

I was at the track only 5 minutes before I began seeing familiar faces. It was great catching up with so many people today. I will get to meet up with others tomorrow.  This the greatest thing about the first race of the year.

The practice sessions were very busy. The new tire allotment seemed to accomplish one of its goals, to have cars on track most of a session. No one ran the reds in the morning. I didn’t expect they would, since the afternoon round was about the time qualifying will be tomorrow. In the afternoon, some cars ran reds most of the time, some started on blacks and switched. I think there a few who ran blacks the entire time.  Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon led the morning and afternoon, respectively.  Both drive Hondas. Honda cars dominated the top ten in both sessions.  Could tomorrow be a different story? What was different about today was the number of Hondas in the top ten.  They have led practice rounds,  but usually did not have many others in the top ten.

Parts of the track were repaved, but drivers still complain about how bumpy it is. This has always been a bumpy track, and probably always will be.  There are still issues with brake heating. Spencer Pigot ran just a few laps before he was called in because his brakes were overheating. Indycar approved duct work modifications to help cool the brakes, but it looks like there is still some work to do.  This could have an effect on the outcome of the race Sunday. Sato’s crash in the afternoon may have been brake related.

Will Power had a crash in turn 10 in the morning practice. There was damage to the rear wing assembly. He rebounded to finish second in the afternoon. This accident was mild compared to his shunt last year on opening day.

Qualifying tomorrow will answer the question, is Honda better this year? A pole would be a definite answer, though three cars in the Fast 6 would also show progress.  As Scott Dixon said after the final practice today, “It’s Friday. It means nothing.”

A sad note to end on. John Surtees, former motorcycle and F1 champion, and championship car builder died today at the age of 83. He is the only person to win world championships in two forms of motorsport.   The car he drove to the world title, and a car he built are on display at the Barber Vintage Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. If you’re going to the race at Barber, visit the museum. It is well worth your time.

ICYMI: St. Pete Preview- Penske Party on the Beach

Opening Race Weekend is finally here. Gosh, it seems like it’s been a long time.  The Firestone Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – green flag Sunday at 12:30 on ABC -again begins the season. This is my fifth time at this race.  I have seen this event grow a lot since my first trip […]

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Opening Race Weekend is finally here. Gosh, it seems like it’s been a long time.  The Firestone Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – green flag Sunday at 12:30 on ABC -again begins the season. This is my fifth time at this race.  I have seen this event grow a lot since my first trip here, especially the last two years.

Friday’s practices may tell us how much the Hondas have improved. We will also get to see how Ganassi and Foyt cars are adjusting to their new engines and aero packages. Honda believes they will be better since the same package as last year is mandated for this year. Of course, Chevy has likely made some gains as well. Qualifying will be the main indicator of where Honda stands.

As far as the race, Penske dominates this race. The team has won eight of the twelve races here, including the last two and three of the last four.  I don’t see a change in this trend. One Penske driver is particularly motivated to win this race.  Will Power won the pole last year but missed the race due to what was believed to be a concussion.  Sitting out probably cost him the season title. Look for Will in Victory Lane Sunday. He easily could be joined by two teammates on the podium, though I would not rule out a Honda driver sneaking in there.

I am eager to see how the new push to pass format plays out.  Drivers have 150 seconds total to use as they wish. each push can last up to 15 seconds if they wish. It cannot be used at the start of the race or on restarts except for a restart with 2 laps or fewer left. I hope there isn’t ever a restart that late.  Will starts be more bunched up? I’m glad I’m sitting in Turn 1.

Things that may take a while to adjust to:

Scott Dixon in a blue car

J R Hildebrand in the 21

Josef Newgarden in the 2

A number 4 Foyt car

Bourdais in the 18

 

Great Idea:

Just before I began writing this piece on Wednesday, I saw a tweet from Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports called “Our Starting Lineup”.  It listed the race pit crew by position, their faces placed around a car outline. These guys work hard and it’s great that their team is recognizing them in this way. I hope other teams follow this example.

I will send out reports from the track Friday and Saturday. Let me know if there is any information you’d like me to get and I’ll do my best to get it to you. If you’re going to the race, I hope to meet you if I haven’t yet.

 

ICYMI: St. Pete Preview- Penske Party on the Beach

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Opening Race Weekend is finally here. Gosh, it seems like it’s been a long time.  The Firestone Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – green flag Sunday at 12:30 on ABC -again begins the season. This is my fifth time at this race.  I have seen this event grow a lot since my first trip here, especially the last two years.

Friday’s practices may tell us how much the Hondas have improved. We will also get to see how Ganassi and Foyt cars are adjusting to their new engines and aero packages. Honda believes they will be better since the same package as last year is mandated for this year. Of course, Chevy has likely made some gains as well. Qualifying will be the main indicator of where Honda stands.

As far as the race, Penske dominates this race. The team has won eight of the twelve races here, including the last two and three of the last four.  I don’t see a change in this trend. One Penske driver is particularly motivated to win this race.  Will Power won the pole last year but missed the race due to what was believed to be a concussion.  Sitting out probably cost him the season title. Look for Will in Victory Lane Sunday. He easily could be joined by two teammates on the podium, though I would not rule out a Honda driver sneaking in there.

I am eager to see how the new push to pass format plays out.  Drivers have 150 seconds total to use as they wish. each push can last up to 15 seconds if they wish. It cannot be used at the start of the race or on restarts except for a restart with 2 laps or fewer left. I hope there isn’t ever a restart that late.  Will starts be more bunched up? I’m glad I’m sitting in Turn 1.

Things that may take a while to adjust to:

Scott Dixon in a blue car

J R Hildebrand in the 21

Josef Newgarden in the 2

A number 4 Foyt car

Bourdais in the 18

 

Great Idea:

Just before I began writing this piece on Wednesday, I saw a tweet from Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports called “Our Starting Lineup”.  It listed the race pit crew by position, their faces placed around a car outline. These guys work hard and it’s great that their team is recognizing them in this way. I hope other teams follow this example.

I will send out reports from the track Friday and Saturday. Let me know if there is any information you’d like me to get and I’ll do my best to get it to you. If you’re going to the race, I hope to meet you if I haven’t yet.

 

Indycar Season Preview- Racing in Place While Waiting for 2018

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Some news updates this morning:

Jay Howard will be in the No. 77 car, the one Tony Stewart’s Foundation is running under Sam Schmidt’s team, for the Indianapolis 500. This will be Howard’s second 500. His first was in 2011, where he started 20th and finished 30th.

Scott Dixon’s car will be sponsored by GE LED light bulbs at St. Pete this weekend. The team is still looking for a season long sponsor and hopes to have something in place by Long Beach..

 

This will be a year of waiting. We are waiting for the new look car in 2018; waiting to see if a third engine manufacturer is on the horizon. Meanwhile, we should see a year similar to last year. Aerokit development was frozen for this year, meaning Chevy cars will win most of the races, and a Honda will win Indy and likely Pocono and Texas. A Penske driver will win the championship after a tough battle with a teammate.

No season is entirely predictable.  There are some wild cards out there. First, there were  some significant driver moves. The largest move is Josef Newgarden  going to Penske.  Carlos Munoz moves to Foyt, joining Conor Daly. Sebastien Bourdais moves into what was  Dal y’s ride at Coyne last year.  Takuma Sato goes to Andretti replacing Munoz.

The second wild card is teams that switched engines. Chip Ganassi Racing returns to Honda power, and Foyt now is a Chevy team.  At the Phoenix test both teams seemed to be still learning their new aero kits and engines. Will Ganassi be the team that makes Honda more competitive the entire season?

J. R. Hildebrand returns to the Verizon Indy Car Series full time with Ed Carpenter Racing, replacing Newgarden.  Spencer Pigot will drive the No. 20 on road and street courses.

Will Andretti Autosport have a better year?  Marco Andretti seems more focused. Having Bryan Herta call strategy for him is a good move. Herta is a great race strategist. Exhibit A- last year’s Indy 500. Will Alexander Rossi be hurt by having a new strategist? Time will tell. I think there won’t be much of an effect.  Ryan Hunter-Reay was in position to win both 500 mile races last year, but some strange things happened. His pit road collision at Indianapolis took him out of contention, and a brief power hiccup late in the race at Pocono cost him the victory there. I think he will win a race this year.

Schmidt Peterson retains James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin. Both drivers were on the verge of winning last year. I look for Aleshin to get his first victory this season. Hinchcliffe should also have a good chance as well. This is one of my sleeper teams.

My other sleeper team is Dale Coyne Racing.  They have upgraded the team off the track and Bourdais is a big addition on the track.  Coyne is tactical. he knows what his cars need to do to qualify well, and he knows how to get them to the front on race day. If pit strategy falls their way, there could be some good results this year for them. Rookie Ed Jones joins the team. He had two great years in Indy Lights, winning last year’s title.  He will need to have patience as he learns to race in IndyCar.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has been the top finishing Honda the last two years. They could very well keep that distinction with a strong start to the year. Graham Rahal will keep his streak of winning races in consecutive years alive.

Ganassi may have a slow start as they figure out the Honda package, but Scott Dixon will likely have a better year than he had last year, when early issues pushed him down the standings. Ganassi will finish the year strong.  It will be another solid year for Tony Kanaan. Max Chilton should show some improvement in his second year. Charlie Kimball will continue to be steady.

Team Penske will again lead the pack most if not all the way.  It will be another battle between Will Power and defending champ Simon Pagenaud all season, with Power prevailing this time.  Helio Castroneves will have another consistent year with several podiums.  Josef Newgarden appears to be adjusting well to his new team. Moving Tim Cindric to his car from Power’s car shows that Penske is putting Josef on an accelerated path to success. He may not win a race, but he should have a better season than Pagenaud did his first year at Penske.

It should be an interesting season. There are enough X-factors to provide some intrigue. Enjoy the first race next Sunday from beautiful St. Pete.

Here are my pre-season predictions, with apologies to all my picks. You don’t have a prayer now. These picks   are subject to change as the year goes on.

Season Championship-  Will Power

Indianapolis 500- Scott Dixon

First time winner- Mikhail Aleshin

Different race winners- 8

 

 

Indycar News ; The Greatest 33 Non-Winners, A Reader Particicpation Event

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The long offseason enters its final fortnight in just two days.  I thought this was a much more tolerable one than most because of what seemed like nearly constant news.

The big news this week is Juncos racing, a pillar of the Mazda Road to Indy,  purchased cars and equipment from KV Racing, and will enter at least one car,  likely two, in the Indianapolis 500.  Juncos’s   long range plan was to move up to Indycar in a couple of years. The sad demise of KV allowed them to move up their plans. Additional races this year don’t look likely, but eventually, possibly by 2019, they will be full time.

Other announcements- Lear Corp, which had sponsored the outstanding volunteer staff at the Detroit GP, is now the presenting sponsor of the race… Andretti Autosport. confirmed they will run a fifth car at Indianapolis. The driver has not been named. Last year Townsend Bell drove their fifth car.

 

In 2011, The Indianapolis Star and IMS invited fans to participate in finding the Greatest 33 drivers of the 500.  The majority of the drivers who made the final list were race winners, of course.  I would like to do another Greatest 33 for the non-winners.  These are the guys who consistently came close but never got their face on the Borg-Warner Trophy. I invite those of you who read this blog (both of you) to submit your suggestions and how you would grid them, Indy style. I would like to find fifty, then have you vote on gridding them.  You do not have to name 33, just as many as you feel like. Criteria is up to you.

Drivers that come to mind for me are Rex Mays, Ted Horn, Harry Hartz, Michael Andretti, Lloyd Ruby.  I look at laps led, top five finishes, and qualifying results.  Who else can you add to this list?  Let me know.

 

Next week will be my long awaited (dreaded?) season preview.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Silly Season Semi-Final Update- Filling Up Fast

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It’s great to be back. Many things have intruded on my writing time- health issues, home repair issues, yard work.  I think things have settled down and I can get back to this fun project. I have missed this greatly.

We now have a nearly complete Indycar lineup for the entire season. There are a scattered few left including one unconfirmed seat.

The biggest and best news was Conor Daly and Carlos Munoz  signing with A. J. Foyt Racing. Munoz will drive the 14 and Daly the 4.  Foyt has used the number 4 occasionally. I am glad the 41 is gone. It is such a strange number. Will the team be better?  They should. Daly usually makes a team better. Munoz will get more attention on a smaller team.  I think Munoz has a great chance to win a race next season. Daly might steal one. Last year Conor got to the front on strategy and was able to have the pace to stay there.  Chevrolet power should help both start closer to the front.

The other good news item is J. R. Hildebrand returning full time for Ed Carpenter Racing in the 21 car. Hildebrand puts another former Indy lights champion in the field. J. R. has run well in the 500 the last couple of years. It’s great to have him back full time. Still no word on who will drive the 20 car on road and street courses. Not sure if Spencer Pigot is still under consideration.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this fall full of surprises is Dale Coyne having both of his cars assigned before the end of the year.  Ed Jones, this year’s Indy Lights champ, joins Sebastian Bourdais. in the Coyne stable. This will be an interesting team to watch.

Our scorecard of open seats now looks like this:

0.5- Car 20, Ed Carpenter Racing

1 – Car 8 at Ganassi. I understand Max Chilton is negotiating a contract to keep the ride.

1- Car 26 at Andretti. Takuma Sato, though likely, not confirmed yet.

1- Car 11 at KV or KV/Carlin? This is still questionable whether they will field a team other than for the 500.

There are a lot of drivers looking to get these open seats. Some possibilities:  R. C. Enerson, Spencer Pigot, Zach Veach, Oriol Servia likely part time with Schmidt in a third car); Jack Harvey, and Kyle Kaiser. Enerson did an impressive job For Dale Coyne in the last three races of the season. I think he will get one of the openings.

Next week, I’ll reveal my 2017  tentative race schedule. Anyone guessing what races I’m attending in May gets a free grandstand seat any practice day during the month. You just pay track admission and the seat is on me.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

 

Silly Season Update- A Trade in the Works; It’s Almost Done

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Yesterday was a busy news day in Indycar Silly Season.  News that Takuma Sato will be in the #26 car at Andretti Autosport really should not be a surprise.  Andretti needs funding for that car. Honda funds Sato as they did when he was with Foyt. This solves two problems.  It appears likely that Carlos Munoz will be going to Foyt. In effect, they traded drivers.

The other big story yesterday was Juan Pablo Montoya accepting Penske’s offer to drive the Indianapolis 500 only  with the promise of a sportscar ride when Penske puts a program together.  Again, this proves a part-time gig with Penske is better than a full time ride elsewhere. This arrangement also gives Team Penske a built-in substitute driver should a situation arise as when Will Power couldn’t race at St. Pete this season.

The biggest beneficiary of yesterday’s moves is Conor Daly.  Taking Montoya away opens the remaining seats up more for him. What seats remain?  There are just a few:

1 at Foyt

1.5 at Carpenter

1 at KV/Carlin?

1 at Ganassi?

1 at Coyne

I think that’s it. I don’t see a completely new team next year, since the aerokits have just one season left. Economically, it doesn’t make sense.  The full time  field should be between 20-22 cars.

For the 500, it will likely still be a struggle to get to 33, even with a 5th Penske car.

It’s possible we could know the entire lineup by December.  The more time I have to learn who is which car the better.

 

 

 

Movie Review-Reengineering Sam

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Sam Schmidt has dreams. He dreams of being able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.  He dreams of being able to drive a car on the street again. He wants as normal a life as he can. For the first time since the crash at Walt Disney World Speedway that rendered him a quadriplegic, one of his dreams is close to coming true.

The Heartland Film Festival premiered the movie Reengineering Sam yesterday. While it is mainly about building the car that Sam Schmidt drove around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the last two years, the film also tells Sam’s story from childhood to the present day. Ironically, his father was a racer who also had a crash that left him partially paralyzed on his right side.  We also get an intimate look at Sam’s daily routine away from the racetrack and how his family tries to have as normal a life as possible.

The movie contains quite a bit of racing footage, mainly showing some horrific crashes. The 2011 crash at Las Vegas is shown, though not in its entirety. It was difficult to watch.  Schmidt’s crash in 1998 where he broke his feet also appears. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come. His wife tells how he was in a wheelchair after that crash and all he wanted to do was get back in a racecar.

The majority of the film alternates between his family life as told by his wife, Sheila,his children, Savannah and Spencer, and his parents; and ongoing  research and technology  to help quadriplegics regain some mobility.  A neurosurgeon wondered if it would be possible for a quadriplegic to drive a car. He had never heard of Sam until a colleague suggested him.  Arrow Electronics was eager to build the car.

The movie ends triumphantly with Sam driving the modified Corvette around the Speedway in front of a cheering crowd.  The state of Nevada just issued Sam the first driver’s license for a semi-autonomous vehicle. He is the first quadriplegic to receive this license.

Several noteworthy things about the film:

  • Sheila Schmidt’s strength and dedication.
  • The hope for all quadriplegics for more quality of life.
  • Sam’s carry on attitude.
  • The dedicated researchers in the military and hospitals who are working hard on the technology to help improve the lives of paralyzed people.
  • The reminder to me to keep things in perspective.

Reengineering Sam has three more showings at the festival- tonight at 8 pm at Trader’s Point; Tuesday at 12:45 pm at Castleton; and Saturday at 10:45 am at Castleton.

 

 

October, 2011

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Note: I published this story last year. After the events of yesterday, I thought I would present it again. It is a time to be kind to each other.

I was calling Las Vegas the fire sale race. It was the final race for the old cars, and every team wanted to race every car they had. Thirty four were entered, more cars than Indianapolis 500 entries most years.  Indycars hadn’t raced there in a while. Several drivers questioned the track’s safety.

The race was the season finale.  As usual, the championship would be decided. That alone should have been enough. But Randy Bernard, who had done many great things, decided this wasn’t enough. He declared a $1 million prize for Dan Wheldon, winner of the 500, if he won the race starting from last place.  I never liked the idea.

First, it diminished the championship battle. Second, it was a NASCAR type gimmick. I was very disappointed that Indycar thought it necessary.  Third, instead of the usual twenty or so cars, there were going to be thirty-four racing on a one and a half mile track.

Everyone expected a big pileup. Only 15 laps in, it happened.  An airborne car went into the fence. It looked really bad.  I couldn’t tell who it was at first, but I knew that driver was seriously injured. The broadcast team said it was Wheldon.

The times I’ve been at a track when a driver is killed, awareness is instant. There is an eerie silence that descends over the venue. Things move in slow motion. Oddly, sitting in my living room watching on television, I had that same sensation. I had been tweeting about the race with my friends. That activity halted for several minutes.

Inside sources began hinting on Twitter what I had feared. Nothing was official, but I knew that the source was reliable. We could do nothing but wait. The image of the helicopter ascending was all the confirmation I needed.  It looked just the end of the movie Senna, which I had just seen a few weeks before.

……………………………….

That Sunday also marked the beginning of a severe decline in my wife’s condition. She had been home from rehab two weeks. Things were looking better, but in the following week, her energy slowly drained and by the following Friday, she was back in the hospital. Friends came to be with her the next Sunday so I could go to Dan’s memorial downtown.She knew it was important to me. Knowing what was coming, it was hard to sit through. She died Wednesday of that week.

I never met Dan Wheldon. I have no photos of him. I never got his autograph. But I always admired his skill, his passion, and his joy for life.  Vicki had many of the same qualities as Dan.

At the five year mark, which at times feels like five minutes and other times like fifty years, I strive to live up to their standards, to embrace the joys of life, and let the little stuff go.  Ten days from now I will go to a quiet place and at 11:22 say a quiet prayer of thanks, and have the strength to get through another year.