Tag: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Tickets for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse On Sale Now at IMS.com, Ticket Office 

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From IMS:

 Racing Capital of the World Is Destination for Unrivaled Experience within Path of Totality
INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023) – Tickets to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are on sale at IMS.com and at the IMS Ticket Office.
General admission tickets are $15 per person and include gate admission April 8, infield parking and a pair of limited-edition solar eclipse glasses – “The Greatest Spectacles.”
Kids 18 and under are admitted free with a paying adult and will receive a pair of limited-edition solar eclipse glasses.
Three-day camping packages (April 6-9) in Lot 2 are available starting at $125.
April 6 marks 50 days until the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, so fans can enjoy a countdown weekend at IMS while gearing up for a full day of racing and space fun.
“The Total Solar Eclipse is a unique opportunity to explore the connections between motorsports and space, and there’s no better place to celebrate both than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“As we count down to the Month of May, gathering at IMS to witness this rare moment over the Yard of Bricks will provide another opportunity to create lifelong memories at the Speedway.”
Six months from today, a total solar eclipse, known as the “Great North American Eclipse,” will trace a narrow path of totality across 13 U.S. states. When the total solar eclipse crosses North America, Indianapolis will be located in the center of the Path of Totality.
For three minutes and 46 seconds, Indianapolis will experience darkness as the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.
This is the first time in 819 years that a Total Solar Eclipse has been visible in Indianapolis, and it will be another 129 years before it occurs again.
IMS will host one of several NASA broadcast sites across the nation. NASA experts will be on hand to answer questions about the scientific phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. Educational STEM opportunities, exclusive merchandise and programming centered around racing and space discovery will be available throughout the day.
Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse and for more information on event details.

Rookie Orientation, Hybrid Testing on IMS Oval Next Week

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Indycar will conduct Indianapolis 500 Rookie orientation next Wednesday. On Thursday, and Friday six drivers representing four teams will test the new hybrid system on the oval. Kyle Larson will have three hours for rookie orientation on Thursday. The turn 2 viewing mounds will be open.

From yesterday:

Movie Review- The Lionheart

Movie Review-The Lionheart

The schedule:

WEDNESDAY
10am-noon: Blomqvist, Armstrong & Lundqvist ROP
1-5pm: Blomqvist, Armstrong & Lundqvist ROP

THURSDAY
9-11am: Hybrid testing- Herta, Palou (Honda), Power, Rossi (Chevy)
11am-2pm: Larson ROP
2-6pm: Hybrid testing-Herta, Palou (Honda), Power, Rossi (Chevy)

FRIDAY
9am-noon: Hybrid testing-Ericsson/Palou (Honda), Malukas/Power (Chevy)
1-5pm: Hybrid testing- Ericsson/Palou (Honda), Malukas/Power (Chevy)

Movie Review-The Lionheart

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Familiarity with a documentary subject can be a dangerous thing. it colors the way you view the film. It is fun to remember the high points, and it fills the viewer with dread knowing what is about to occur. This was the case at the premiere of The Lionheart at the Heartland International Film Festival last night in Indianapolis.

Laura Brownson’s 108-minute film kicked off the film festival in a sold-out theater. All were looking forward to a story about two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Indirectly the film is about Wheldon, but the main focus is on his widow, Susie Wheldon and his sons, Sebastian and Oliver.

The film presents Wheldon’s life and racing career with television highlights and home movies of his early carting career interspersed with the daily lives of Susie helping their sons pursue their racing dreams. Both boys display talent in karting, and they have signed with Andretti Global. Sebastian just completed his first season in F4 juniors and will join him soon.

This is in reality Susie’s story. The scenes of her as she processes her grief tugged at my heart in an all too familiar way. I suffered the same type of loss 10 days after she did.

Yet, it is not a sad tale. The film opens with Dan joking around as he is recording radio promotions. I found joy in seeing the playful Wheldon race fans adored. The story moves forward with vignettes from Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Dan’s father Clive, and Bryan Herta. You can feel the pain of Dan’s loss when Clive Wheldon’ talks about his son.

Then, as I’m sure most of the audience knew, as the film wound down, Las Vegas reared its ugly head. Sebastian and Oliver were scheduled to race at Las Vegas Speedway in a kart race in the track’s parking lot. Oliver is reluctant to go at first, and I think Susie has some concerns about the trip as well. Sebastian is fine with racing there. Eventually they all make the trip. Susie goes inside the track to the spot of the fatal accident.

There are scenes of the crash, and Susie talks about the horrors she went through that day.

While the title refers to Dan Wheldon, Susie is the star of the story. her resolve to do whatever she can to see that her sons are happy, the sacrifices she makes for them, and her efforts keeping Dan’s memory alive make her the real Lionheart.

The Lionheart will have another showing Saturday, October 14 at 7 pm at Newfields. As of this morning tickets are available. I understand that HBO has purchased the film and it will be released in 2024.

October, 2011

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Editor’s note: With the premiere tonight of The Lionheart at the Heartland International Film Festival, I am reposting this, originally published October 17, 2016.

Tonight’s showing is sold out, but the film will also be shown next Saturday, October 14, at 7 pm at Newfields.

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.

A Great Way to End the Racing Season

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IMS photo by Chris Jones

Indycar withdrawal can be a brutal thing, but thanks to IMS, I was able to slowly ease into the off season with two events at the brickyard the Battle on the Bricks featuring the IMSA series and the BC39 Driven to Save Lives USAC midget race last night.

The two events, both far different from Indycar, and miles apart when compared to each other gave me a taste of racing and helped ease me away from Indycar.

I had not attended the BC39 since its first year, when I remember a lot of inaugural event kinks. I’m happy to report, there has been major improvement in the program. More on that in a bit.

I have to get to more midget shows in 2024. The racing is fun, close, action packed. The duel between Thomas Meseraull and eventual winner Justin Grant was edge of your seat thrilling. I wish Meseraull had not hit the wall with right laps left. The finish would have been amazing.

This is pure racing. There are no concerns about saving fuel or having the distraction of calculating pit strategy. The drivers go out and just face full bore.

On the two nights that I attended, the program ran very efficiently. I have been to sprint and midget races in the past where the feature race didn’t get started until almost midnight. I was home by 11 each night.

A friend who has been to the Chili Bowl told me that he wished the Chili Bowl ran as efficiently as the BC39.

Fan Friendly Improvements

The biggest improvement I noticed was moving the Shaw Grandstand to the track’s backstretch. The location provides fora better view of the track. In addition, fans get a view of the pagoda lit up.

The track lighting seemed brighter than I remember it. The midway had more food and merchandise vendors.

Transporting fans from the parking lots to the oval turn 3 area was quick. Vans and carts were waiting in the parking areas to whisk spectators to the track area.

Getting back to cars after the race is an area which needs work. None of the workers seemed to know where fans should stand to get a ride to their parking area. Designated drop off and pick up points for the north and south parking areas would be an easy fix.

Labeling the rows in the infield parking lot would help fans find their cars in the dark. The driver on Friday asked me what row my car was parked in. I had no clue.

I heard talk that this event may move to brickyard week next year to attract some Nascar drivers to participate. I am not in favor of that. This race was a great way to end my season. The weather was pleasant, and I had no other racing distractions. I’m fine with it right here.

A Film Note

Heartland International Film Festival will have the premiere of Lionheart, a documentary about Dan Wheldon, Thursday October 5, at Newfields. The show is sold out, but they have added a second presentation Saturday, October 14, at 7 pm, also at Newfields. Tickets are still available for the second presentation.

Go to https://tickets.heartlandfilmfestival.org/schedule for tickets.

Grant Wins BC39 after Fierce Fight with Teammate 

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IMS photo

From IMS. I will have my thoughts up later.


 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023) – Justin Grant, a childhood friend and longtime competitor of event namesake Bryan Clauson, prevailed in a fierce duel with teammate Thomas Meseraull to win the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 feature race Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grant, from Ione, California, earned $20,039 for the victory in the 39-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature that honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Clauson while increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Drive2SaveLives.
Grant also won the preliminary feature Friday night on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of IMS.
“He was an awfully good race driver, great person, and it’s an honor to race here in his memory,” Grant said of Clauson, who died in August 2016 after a racing accident. “To come in here and win at IMS, to win a race for Bryan Clauson, everything in his honor, it really means a lot to me.”
Pole sitter Emerson Axsom finished second in the No. 68 Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports car, while Logan Seavey placed third in the No. 57 Abacus Racing car.
Grant won by a comfortable 2.094 seconds even as he navigated heavy lapped traffic over the closing laps. But as with many statistics in racing, that margin of victory was deceptive.Halfway through the feature, teammates Grant and Meseraull were engaged in a ferocious race for the top spot, nearly colliding numerous times and probably causing heartburn for RMS Racing owner Dave Estep. Grant had climbed from the fourth starting spot to duel for the lead against Meseraull, who won the Thursday night preliminary feature and started second in tonight’s feature.
Meseraull slid under Grant in Turn 4 on Lap 25 to take the top spot – one of numerous lead changes between Grant, Meseraull and Axsom from the early going past the halfway point. Grant then tapped a lapped car in Turn 1 on the next lap and lost momentum, giving Meseraull some breathing room out front.
But Grant stayed on his preferred high line around the bullring while lapped traffic slowed Meseraull, and Grant was right back on the rear nerf bar of fellow Californian Meseraull with 11 laps remaining.
The deciding moment occurred with eight laps to go when Meseraull slid high exiting Turn 4 and climbed the wall, with his right-side tires riding the top of the concrete wall while his left tires stayed on the clay oval. Grant squirted past for the lead and never trailed thereafter, while Meseraull kept control of his car after the wild wall ride and stayed in the throttle, eventually finishing fifth.
“I was hustling as hard as I could there, and I know T-Mez (Meseraull) was hustling hard, too,” Grant said. “It was really, really tricky down there. It felt like we got to pushing each other harder and harder and harder. It’s unbelievable.”
From there, Grant deftly navigated tricky lapped traffic in the 25-car field to power to what he called one of the biggest victories of his career.
Grant also has an IMS connection through his late father-in-law, Bubby Jones, who raced in the 1977 Indianapolis 500.
“It was really hard when you get to lapped traffic,” Grant said. “You couldn’t get in at the rate you needed to get in, so your car was unloaded behind those guys. It was almost really hard to pass lapped traffic, so I felt like we kept getting back to each other in lap traffic. Just a ton of fun.”
Grant said one of his turning points in the race came after Daniel Whitley flipped into the fence between Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 4, pausing the race for more than 20 minutes for fence repairs. Whitley was unhurt, and Grant used the down time to settle his mind and prepare for a looming fight.
“We were kind of riding around early,” Grant said. “We weren’t the best car; we weren’t the fastest. But I just knew as soon as it got slick, curved up, technical, I can go to work. We got that yellow there, and OK, it was time to regroup and go to work here.”
Seventy-two cars participated in this three-night event at IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year.

BC39 Championship Night

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Today’s Schedule

All times eastern time

4:00 PM – 10:00 PM GATES OPEN

6:00 PM

HOT LAP SESSIONS (TBD GROUPS)

7:00 PM

OPENING CEREMONIES

7:10 PM

QUALIFYING RACES (TBD RACES)

E Main (if necessary) – 10 Laps

D Main 1 – 10 Laps

D Main 2 – 10 Laps

C Main 1 – 12 Laps

C Main 2 – 12 Laps

B Main 1 – 12 Laps

B Main 2 – 12 Laps

Last Chance Feature – 15 Laps

9:30 PM

DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 FEATURE RACE

39 Laps

* Start Time Approximate

After a rough and tumble, elbows out battle last night the USAC midget drivers vie for a spot in the weekend’s main event tonight. heavy favorite are the preliminary night winners, Thomas Meseraull and Justin Grant.

Logan Seavey will have some work to do to get to the front, but he is in better shape than former winner Brady Bacon. Bacon did not start in last night’s feature and will have to work hard to qualify for the feature.

Might we see the first female winner at IMS? Jade Avedisian won her heat race Thursday night, and Taylor Reimer finished second in Thursday’s feature race.

Grant Rules Feature; Daum Goes Low To Win Stoops Pursuit 

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IMS Photo

From IMS:


 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 29, 2023) – Justin Grant led the last 11 laps to capture the 30-lap feature Friday during the second night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, keeping RMS Racing unbeaten in the two preliminary feature events.
Grant’s teammate, Thomas Meseraull, won the 30-lap preliminary feature Thursday night in the split-field format for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship drivers and teams.
Grant, from Ione, California, powered to a 2.947-second victory over runner-up Cannon McIntosh to earn $5,000 in RMS Racing’s No. 2 car. Emerson Axsom finished a close third to earn a guaranteed starting spot in the 39-lap feature Saturday night along with Grant and McIntosh.
“We’re here racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of all you great fans, and I’m not going to phone it in and come third if we can help it,” Grant said. “Our RMS race cars are fast. I feel like it could be a slugfest between me and Thomas tomorrow. Neither one of us are very good at playing nice guy. Should be entertaining, should be exciting tomorrow.”
The 39-lap BC39 feature is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the IMS oval. Twenty-four cars will take the green flag for a winner’s purse of $20,039
.Public gates open at 4 p.m., with access permitted through IMS’ 30th Street entrance. Hot laps begin at 6 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by qualifying races. Tickets and paddock passes are available at IMS.com/BC39.
In the Friday night feature, Axsom took the lead from pole sitter McIntosh on Lap 3. Meanwhile, Grant, who started fifth after winning his qualifier and heat race earlier in the evening, bumped past McIntosh for second with 14 laps to go and set sail for Axsom.
With 11 laps to go, Grant slid past Axsom for the lead and never relinquished it despite a restart with seven laps to go. Grant now has a victory in all three USAC National series this season – Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget.

Low Rider Daum Powers to Pursuit Victory
Zach Daum never wavered from his preferred low line and drove to victory in the Stoops Pursuit race that closed the evening’s on-track action.
Daum, from Pocohontas, Illinois, earned $2,400 for the victory in the 25-lap race featuring a unique format. Ethan Mitchell finished second, .848 of a second behind. McIntosh placed third.
“That wasn’t a 25-lap setup there,” Daum said. “But it was a good five-lap run before they could get momentum. So, I kind of figured that’s how it was going to play out. So, I went for it, and it worked out.”
The Stoops Pursuit race was comprised of 25 laps split into five-lap segments, with the starting lineup inverted based on each driver’s hot lap times during Thursday and Friday’s programs. Any car involved in a caution was eliminated. Every five laps, a competition yellow flag was displayed, and cars with a net loss in position exited the track.Daum started sixth in the No. 7p car fielded by RAMCO Speed Group and climbed to third by the end of the second five-lap segment. He was one of the few drivers to stay glued to the inside of the track while other cars rode the high line “cushion,” including Mitchell.
Mitchell and Daum were first and second after the end of the third and fourth segments, setting up a fascinating contrast of styles and car placement for the final five-lap sprint to the checkered.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure in the middle part of the race when I was just kind of sizing up Ethan there,” Daum said.
“The last five laps I decided, ‘Just don’t screw up, hit the bottom, slow your entry down, and you can gas on exit.’ We were able to do that.”
With four laps to go, Mitchell lost momentum after brushing the wall, letting Daum pull even at the flag stand and start to drive away with three laps remaining.
“Once you get the lead that early in a format like this, it’s tough to stay out front and fend guys off,” Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, we came back second place, but that’s what Zach does. He rolls the bottom solid, and all it takes is one mistake on my part.”
Seventy-two cars are participating this week at IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year.
The event, which is being held for the fifth time, honors USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson while increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Drive2SaveLives.

BC39 Night 3 with Night 1 Added

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IMS photo

Tonight’s schedule includes the Stoops Pursuit Race, originally scheduled for Wednesday, added to the end of the regular Friday program.

The schedule:

4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

GATES OPEN

Gate RegulationsView Open Gates, Stands

6:00 PM

ENGINE HEAT

6:30 PM

HOT LAP SESSIONS (TBD GROUPS)

7:00 PM

OPENING CEREMONIES

7:10 PM

HEAT RACES (TBD RACES)

Heat Races will be TBD laps each.

View Race Format

8:00 PM

QUALIFYING RACES (TBD RACES)

* Start Time Approximate

C Main (if necessary) – TBD Laps

B Main – TBD Laps

A Main – TBD Laps

View Race Format

9:45 PM

STOOPS PURSUIT

24 Starts – 25 Total Laps

  • Heat Race Winners
  • Top In Qualifying Points From Each Heat
  • Up To Four (4) Promoter Options

Format:

  • 24 Cars Start By Time Inversion
  • Five 5-Lap Segments
  • After each 5-Lap Segment, a competition caution is thrown
  • Cars that have been passed will exit the track
  • Winner receives $1500 PLUS $100 Per Car Passed

The 36 drivers participating tonight did not race last night. Featured tonight are Logan Seavey and Brady Bacon. Entry list for Friday