The driver that should have gotten Danica Patrick's NASCAR Nationwide Ride

Recently, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick signed a part-time NASCAR ride with JR Motorsports. Danica has virtually no stock car experience, but picked up the ride for her sponsorship with GoDaddy.com and her popularity toward younger female fans. IndyCarGarage recently had a chance to meet and interview a driver that would have gladly taken the ride with JR Motorsports and has the credentials to back it up, Megan Reitenour.

To start off Megan, tell us a little about yourself and how you got into racing.

I’m a third generation race car driver. I started at the age of five in quarter midgets. After racing quarter midgets for 7 years I moved up to the bandoleros, raced those for 2 years. I won four championships in 2 years. Then I moved up to legends raced those for 2 years earning state rookie of the year. In 2008 I moved up to the Super Cup Stock Car Series. In 10 races I was able to obtain 9 top 5‘s and 10 top 10’s, earning 3 wins (series high). I finished 2nd in the points and winning rookie of the year. In 2009 I was selected for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. I race in Hudson NC, in a NASCAR Whelen Late model. Out of 17 races, I had 16 top 10 finishes and 7 top 5’s. I finished 4th in points and won Rookie of the year.

What do you think is the most important attribute that contributed to your success at such an early age?

The most important thing that contributed to my success would have to be my support system. A great support system is essential to being successful in racing. I’m so thankful to have amazing friends and family that work so hard to get me where I’m at today. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without them.

Tell us about your involvement in NASCAR driver for diversity and how that has helped you further your advancement in NASCAR.

Last year I got the opportunity to drive for Drive for Diversity. Honestly, I would be out of a ride without their help. They gave me the opportunity to continue in my career and I’m so grateful for all of their help. I tested for them in October to see if I will be running for them next year and they will make their decision in February. Not only did Drive for Diversity keep me on the track they helped me out a lot with keeping my name out there. As anyone knows, in racing, it is one of the most important things to keep your name out there and they do a great job.

Recently, open wheel racing driver Danica Patrick signed a 13 race deal with JR Motorsports to drive in the Nationwide Series, tell us your thoughts about that situation and how it might be frustrating for a driver like yourself to get passed over for a driver that has virtually no stock car experience.

Danica is a great driver. She also has put herself in a great situation and great equipment by teaming up with JR motorsports. As most people know you have to be in great equipment to be successful. She also is going to have a ton of seat time which is great for any driver. I believe she is doing everything right to be successful in stock cars. I think with her going out there and being successful is only going to open the doors for me and other females in racing. I’m actually not too frustrated about this because I don’t want to just jump right into a nationwide car. I want to get as much experience as possible so when I do make it to the top three levels in NASCAR I will be contending for those championships.

Do your future racing plans include strictly stock car racing, or would you be interested in possible exploring other options on the racing circuits, for example the newly formed Road to Indy program that features a new ladder system for young aspiring drivers wanting to race in the Indy 500.

No. My plans don’t strictly stick with stock cars. I never close off any options in racing. I love racing whether it be in an IndyCar or NASCAR. Racing is my passion and it’s all I’ve ever want to do.

Obviously the most important to any racing career is having strong sponsorship, talk about the programs your trying to put together and what you have lined up for 2010.

Right now like many other teams we are seeking sponsorship. We have a lot to offer companies. We have a few opportunities all depending on sponsorship.

You recently mentioned in a previous interview that you’re a fan of Tony Stewart, what about Tony do you admire and interest you as a fan?

Tony can driver any car anywhere and be contending for that win. He works really hard and is very talented. I hope one day soon I will get to race side by side with him, but of course passing him for that win.

IndyCarGarage would like to thank Megan for taking the time to sit for this interview and wish her the best of luck in her young career.

To keep up to date with Megan Reitenour, check out the following websites below:
www.meganreitenour.com or www.d4d.tv

IndyCarGarage Interview

IndyCarGarage was recently interviewed on a variety of topics related to the IZOD IndyCar Series. The Interview is featured on www.teentalknetwork.com and the link can be found below. Check it out!

http://teentalknetwork.com/nowplaying.htm

Tony George to buy the IRL?

Recent published articles have mentioned Tony George’s plans to buy the Indy Racing League. Rumors have been sparse and little is known of George’s intentions since his June departure as CEO of IMS and the IRL. One thing appears to be clear, George is still on the prowl and seems to have his next plan in the works.

George has been the focal point of open wheel racing since he took control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1990. The forever remembered split between CART and the newly formed Indy Racing League in 1996 has been a subject of interest among almost all open wheel fans, former and current. George appeared to have won that battle when unification with Champ Car in 2008 bridged the 12 year gap in open wheel racing series.

George’s new war appears to be more internal, as his sisters Nancy, Josie and Kathi appeared to be concerned with his spending and showed their displeasure by ousting him and therefore leaving him with nothing but his Vision Racing Team. Vision Racing was established in 2003, in part to help car counts and also proved helpful last year for Ryan Hunter Rheay, which paid off with his IZOD sponsorship.

For lack of a true timetable, lets put our own estimate on it and say 12 – 24 months from January of 2010.

George, with his love of open wheel racing, makes partner with Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports and buys the Indy Racing League from his sisters. George would be majority owner and could take over complete control of the IRL, making the IRL and IMS separate, in theory. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway would no longer have to finically support the IRL, because they would no longer be under the same umbrella of the Hulman George family. From a NASCAR perspective, think the France family and ISC, while separate corporations they still support each other and look out for each others best interest.

Now for the fun part – let’s talk about why this would work and could take the Indy Racing League to a level it has never achieved before.

When George takes command, he would have the power to return to oval based racing that the IRL was founded on. The IRL business model is still focused on a evenly split oval/road courses schedule. The IRL could focus its operations on finding solid street/road courses while not having to worry about racing at ovals at which they are no longer welcome (example ISC tracks). This would also take financial pressure off of the IRL as Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports Inc. yearly revenue of $570 million would give the newly acquired George IRL time to steady and turn a profit with its new business model and partners in place. No longer would the IRL have to worry about the sisters making cuts and trimming the bottom line to fatten their pockets. George could also complete this transaction as the new cars in 2012 are starting to roll out. In theory if this happens in 12 months, he would oversee the last year of the current model of Dallara and all Honda engines. If George’s plan takes 18-24 months, then his newly acquired IRL rolls out new cars, multiple engine manufactures and a whole new platform for the IRL to produce their product, which is hopefully the best racing in the world.

This would give Speedway Motorsports Inc. a chance to expand its’ company, which already employees nearly 800 people and is possibly the most diverse racing company in the world. It would have part ownership in the IRL and allow Bruton Smith a chance to showcase his tracks with racing that only a fraction of Americans know about.

If you turn back the clock about 10-12 years, the infant IRL was a regular on SMI tracks. Charlotte, Atlanta, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, Kentucky, Infineon, and Texas have all featured IndyCar races before, the latter three still regulars on the schedule. The first Charlotte race featured over 80,000 fans, the second race similar numbers, until the third race featured a tire flying into stands and killed three fans.

Even if this plan never comes to reality, at least it was something good to think about!

Just think about the possibilities of tracks that now exist when Speedway Motorsports Inc becomes partner with the new Tony George IRL.

Race Tracks:

Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, GA
1.54 miles (2.48 km) quad-oval
Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, TN
0.533 miles (0.858 km) oval
Infineon Raceway Sonoma, CA
1.99 miles (3.20 km) road course
Kentucky Speedway Sparta, KY
1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, NV
1.5 miles (2.4 km) D shaped-oval
Lowe's Motor Speedway Concord, NC
1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad-oval
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, NH
1.058 miles (1.703 km) oval
North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro, NC
0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval
Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, TX
1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad-oval

Speedway breaks ground on the future

The Town of Speedway, Indiana broke ground last Thursday on the first phase of a multimillion dollar project that will give the town that surrounds the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a huge facelift.

The Main Street project is the first milestone in the town's Redevelopment Area One and is part of a $500 million investment to breathe new life into 400 acres of multi-use property that will be primed for commercial, shopping and entertainment, residential and research and development projects. Made possible through private and public investment, the redevelopment zone will be a vibrant, thriving and attractive downtown that will foster growth within the existing business community and encourage development of new business.

In total, Speedway's Redevelopment Area One will bring an anticipated total economic impact of $5.2 billion from road improvements, new development and business operations over its first 10 years.

"Main Street will be the backbone of a bustling, vibrant downtown district," said SRC President Vince Noblet. "The project we're commencing today will bring a safer pedestrian experience, with room for sidewalk cafes and a bike path to re-energize the atmosphere on Main Street and attract new businesses, shops and restaurants."

"As we celebrate our Centennial Era and look toward our next 100 years, the Town of Speedway joins us in looking toward the future by moving forward with a redevelopment plan that is crucial to the success of the businesses that call Speedway home," said Fred Nation, Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president of communications. "Racing is an integral part of the culture in Speedway and the redevelopment of Main Street will attract race fans by providing a variety of entertainment options close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."

The Redevelopment website link is listed below.

http://www.speedwayindiana.com/

Will Power signs full time with Penske for 2010

Penske Racing announced today that they have signed Will Power to a fulltime ride next year in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Power will be sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the car will look to similar to the one he drove in the 2009 Indy 500. The most recent Will Power sighting was at Infineon Raceway when he was blindsided by Nelson Philippe. Power suffered a similar injury as to that of Vitor Meira in the 2009 Indy 500. Power should be ready for the start of the 2010 season. Powers accomplishments include three Champ Car wins and a recent victory at Edmonton this past season. This is very good news for the IZOD IndyCar Series and should give Power an opportunity to win at every race next year.

The entire press release is below:

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (November 19, 2009) – Penske Racing announced today that winning open-wheel racer Will Power will compete in a full-season entry for the team in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dallara/Honda.

Joining forces with Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and Ryan Briscoe, a top contender for the 2009 IndyCar Series championship, Power will complete a powerful three-car lineup in 2010 for Penske Racing.

Today’s announcement is a key element of a multi-year program between Penske Racing and Verizon Wireless that began in 2009. The 2010 Verizon Championship Racing platform will include the IndyCar Series with Power, Castroneves and Briscoe and NASCAR competition with Brad Keselowski and Justin Allgaier.

Power joined Penske Racing last season, filling in for Castroneves during pre-season testing and at the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. After Castroneves returned to the team, Power competed in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless car and won the pole position and finished second at Long Beach before he earned an impressive fifth-place result at the Indianapolis 500. Power went on to win his first race for the team at Edmonton and produced a win, two poles and four top-five and six top-10 finishes in six races in 2009. He suffered a season-ending back injury during a practice session at Infineon Raceway on August 22. Power continues to recover from his injuries well ahead of schedule and he is expected to be ready to participate in 2010 pre-season testing with the team.

“Will did a terrific job for Penske Racing this past season and we are excited that he will be able to drive full-time with the team in 2010 in the Verizon Wireless car,” said Roger Penske. “Will proved that he could consistently compete for wins and poles in 2009, despite his limited time on track. We believe he can be a legitimate championship contender next season for our team, along with Helio and Ryan. I want to thank Verizon Wireless for their continued support of our racing programs.”

Power, the 28-year-old native of Toowoomba, Australia, established himself as one of open-wheel racing’s most talented drivers before he joined Penske Racing last season. Power excelled in European competition as he produced strong performances in the British F3 and World Series by Renault championships before he moved to the United States in 2005 to compete in the Champ Car World Series. He captured the series Rookie-of-the-Year honors in 2006 and claimed three wins and six pole positions in two plus seasons in Champ Car. In 2008, Power won on the streets of Long Beach in Champ Car’s final race, and after he joined the IndyCar Series, he earned his first series pole in front of his home crowd at Surfers Paradise, Australia.

“To be able to compete for a full season with Penske Racing is really a dream come true for me,” said Power. “Working with the team this past season was the best experience of my career and I can’t wait to race for the IndyCar Series championship in 2010. I really have to thank everyone at Verizon Wireless and the Penske Racing team for this opportunity. I intend to make the most of it.”

“Verizon Wireless is excited to begin its second season with Penske Racing and we look forward to having Will Power compete and win races in the Verizon Wireless Indy car in 2010,” said John Stratton, chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “We have had a very successful first season with Verizon Championship Racing in 2009 as we established ourselves as a major motorsports presence in North America. The 2010 season should be even more exciting with Will battling for the IndyCar Series championship and with Justin Allgaier and Brad Keselowski racing for wins and championships in NASCAR.”

Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 314 major race wins, 373 pole positions and 22 National Championships. The team has also earned 15 Indianapolis 500 victories. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit http://www.penskeracing.com/

The Izod IndyCar Series was officially announced today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The entire article link is below.

http://www.indycar.com/news/?story_id=15392

Talk about it more on IndyCarGarage.com

The IZOD IndyCar Series

The IZOD IndyCar Series

Speculation over the last few weeks in the IndyCar Series appears to have come to reality with today’s article in the Indianapolis Star. Curt Cavin is reporting that Thursday at 2 p.m., the IndyCar Series will announce that the clothing company IZOD will become the sponsor for the IndyCar series based out of Indianapolis.

The deal is rumored to be for 10 million per year over the course of a three to five year contract. Details of the contract are unlikely to be released according to Cavin, but the positive news for the IndyCar Series is a welcome sign.

A link to Cavins article is below:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091103/SPORTS0107/911030318/1004/SPORTS/IndyCar+lands+title+sponsor+--+Izod

Other rumors and news circulating around the IndyCar Series

Ryan Hunter-Reay finalizing a ride with the Michael Andretti’s newly formed race team. Hunter-Reay’s deal includes backing from IZOD and would put him with a race team capable of winning races in 2010.

The Brazil race in Rio appeared to be a done deal, but rumors are spreading throughout the series that due to the Olympic bid being captured, the race is now on the back burner for the city. The series could possibly open in St. Pete.

The IndyCar Series will have a new logo to go with their new sponsor, the logo is expected to be released at the press conference on Thursday. The announcement on Thursday is expected to be a dual announcement not only in Indianapolis but in New York City as well.

The next American in the IndyCar Series?

If Eddie Wachs has anything to do with it, John Edwards will be next young American in the IndyCar Series in 2010. The 2009 Atlantic Championship series Champion and four time winner in 2009 John Edwards appears to be on the brink of greatness. Now comes the tough part, funding and formulating a plan to move in the ICS for 2010.

“We have very little interest in Indy Lights. We’ll make the jump – [IRL Chief Operating Officer Brian] Barnhart has to approve it – but that’s likely where we’ll be going.”Wachs is sitting on most of the equipment and infrastructure to transition to a single-car IndyCar program, but he says if NWR commits to the ICS, they will only do it with a guiding hand from an established outfit. That hand appears to be one of the late team owner, Paul Newman.

NHL Racing IndyCar outfit was co-owned by Wachs’ long-time friend, legendary actor and racer, Paul Newman. Through Wachs’ relationship with Newman, a strong friendship also developed with Haas, and in the absence of proper funding for NHL’s second Indycar, it wouldn’t take much to imagine an NWR and NHL tie-up in 2010.

Despite the natural fit for the two operations, Wachs says securing the funding necessary to compete in the IndyCar Series remains the biggest hurdle. In all comparisons, a young successful American headed to the ICS remains a good thing. The ICS would rather NOT go down memory lane if you want to list the names of young American drivers that went into NASCAR. Do the likes of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, and Ryan Newman ring a bell? Let’s hope that John Edwards is the next young rising start in the IndyCar Series.

Part of this article originally appeared on Speedtv.com

The Next Danica Patrick?

Good looks? Check
American? Check
Community Member? Check
Skills to drive an IndyCar very fast? Check
Tested the NASCAR waters? Check

No, this isn’t Danica Patrick, this is Leilani Muntler, a 33 year old American Race car driver that has driven in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. Muntler has experienced moderate success at the lights level, and moderate success in minor league NASCAR. Muntler talent level is relevantly unknown within the open wheel ranks, as she has little to show in her lights career. She started 5th in the 2007 race at Kentucky Speedway and worked her way up to the top five before being collected in a multiple car crash.

Muntler will return to the Indy Lights Series this weekend at Homestead under the 3G Race Team umbrella. 3G has struggled throughout the entire year with their IndyCar Series program, they haven't been particpants in the Indy Lights Series. This will be Muntlers first race of the 2009 season in the Indy Lights Series. The race will be televised live on Versus at 4:30 p.m. following the IndyCar Series qualifications.

Just think if Danica goes to NASCAR, Muntler can fill in for her in the IndyCar Series. One American for another.

Danica Staying in the IndyCar Series for three more years and possible series sponsor news

News out of Indianapolis is that Danica Patrick has signed a three year contract to remain with her current team, Andretti Green Racing. Patrick reportedly signed the contract last week at Motegi, and will remain with her Motorola-based sponsorship. In other good news for the IndyCar Series, Terry Angstadt, the president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division, said Thursday that the series is close to signing a title sponsor for 2010 and beyond. The company IRL officials have been talking to is Phillips-Van Heusen, which has Izod as a brand. Izod is already in partnership with IndyCar.

For more news on this, check Friday editions of the Indianapolis Star at www.IndyStar.com

Indy Japan 300 Race Preview

The IndyCar Series travels overseas for their next to last race of the 2009 season, as Motegi, Japan will be the site for Friday Night’s race (Saturday in Japan). The last action we saw from the IndyCar Series was at Chicagoland Speedway in a very late start time, almost 10 p.m. eastern. The Chicagoland race provided some of the most exciting racing of the year as Ryan Briscoe edged Scott Dixon in a photo finish. In 2008 Danica Patrick made history at Motegi, as the first woman to win a major open wheel event. IndyCar Garage breaks down five things to watch for in the upcoming race.

1. The points championship is Ryan Briscoe’s to lose

Ryan Briscoe currently sits in first place by 25 points over second place Dario Franchitti. Briscoe has proven to be a threat on the 1.5 mile ovals this year by winning Kentucky and Chicago. Briscoe doesn’t need to race for the win, but a top five would be nice to give him a comfortable lead into Homestead. Briscoe will be the first driver since Tony Kanaan in 2004 to win the points championship but not win the Indy 500 if he can hold on for the last two races of the season.

2. Danica Patrick News

Danica Patrick has made major news in the last few weeks as reports of her NASCAR depute have circulated around the paddock and the news rooms. Tony Stewart was quoted throughout the last few weeks as saying he won’t be surprised when she is in NASCAR. Whatever the circumstances behind Danica and her possible move to NASCAR, it certainly could take a backseat if she could break through for her second career win. Danica’s first win came 18 months ago at this very track, as fuel strategy played out to her favor. Danica will continue to be in the news because she is the most marketable IndyCar driver and the most popular, the series needs her to win and stay around for as long as possible.

3. Diverse Entry List

Stanton Barrett, Kosuke Matsuura, and Roger Yasukawa all return to the IndyCar Series for one-off races at Motegi. Barrett had a full-time ride in the IndyCar Series until about race six, Barrett then went back to the NASCAR ranks. Thoughtfully it would be great to see other NASCAR drivers try to run IndyCars and see how they match up, it would maybe even out the discussion of how open wheel drivers can’t hang in NASCAR. Anyways, Matsuura and Yasukawa give the series some Japanese flavor and will help attendance figures. The bottom line is that none of these drivers are threats to win, but provide good story lines.

4. News around the IndyCar Series is making negative headway

News around the IndyCar Series since Chicago has been for the most part, negative. The Versus/Direct TV standoff, the late start time for Chicago, Danica departure rumors, no confirmation on Brazil, a NASCAR merger (which has no truth behind it) , and of course the common negative mailbag posted on speedtv.com from Robin Miller. All in all, the series needs something positive that will spark talk away from the thoughts listed above. Maybe we could start with Graham Rahal winning this weekend, a series sponsor, an announcement on the news cars in 2012, or maybe Tony George announcing that he has enough sponsorship for a five car team next year(YEAH RIGHT).

Take your pick, give us something positive to talk about in the IndyCar Series.

5. Speedway Students travel to Motegi

The Town of Speedway School Corporation has 16 students from 8th and 9th grade currently visiting the town of Motegi as part of a sister town program that allows students to travel across seas and be a part of daily life in Japan. The Speedway School Corporation is located within the Town of Speedway, which is surrounded by the City of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located within the Town of Speedway. The students will live, eat, visit, shop and observe Japanese style. Part of the trip will be attendance at the race on Saturday. Versus is scheduled to touch on this field trip in their pre-race coverage. Look for the students in bright green shirts and IRL hats.

Danica to try the Tony Stewart Route

Danica Patrick announced (officially she hasn’t said anything) through Tony Stewart that she “absolutely wants to do NASCAR”. This comes as a surprise to some of the IndyCar Fans, as she was supposed to be leaning toward staying in the IRL full time. The full time IndyCar plan is still in tack, but with more of a Stewart type flavor. Tony ran the IndyCar schedule back in 1998 (only around 10 races at the time) with a full-time ride from Joe Gibbs in the Busch Series (now Nationwide). This lead to a full time ride in 1999 with the formely Winston Cup Series and Joe Gibbs Racing. This was the end of Tony Stewarts IndyCar career as he only ran two more IRL races, the 1999 and 2001 Indy 500. Danica seems to want to follow a similar path.

IndyCarGarage wants to hear your thoughts and predications for Danica as she embarks on one of the most important decisions of her career.

Chicago Race Preview

The IndyCar Series heads to Chicago this weekend for a night race at Chicagoland Speedway. The IndyCar Series has three races remaining in their 17 race schedule, all three races will be run on 1.5 mile ovals. As the season winds, the points championship is a three driver race between two teams, Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske, and twosome combination of Dario Franchitt and Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. IndyCar Garage breaks down five things to watch for heading into Saturday Night’s race.

1. Start time – Good or Bad?

Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star said in Friday’s Pit Pass section that the green flag won’t be dropped until around 10 p.m. eastern, with pre-race coverage starting at 9 p.m. on Versus. This is a late start for the IndyCar Series and could possibly mean one of two things, higher ratings for fans seeking a Saturday Night television program, or a limited audience with fans not knowing about the late start time. Let’s hope that fans make a night out of it and tune in for some great racing.

2. Keep an eye on the three drivers racing for the Championship

The Point’s Championship is down to three drivers from two different teams. Scott Dixon, Ganassi Racing, took the lead into Sonoma and left in third place after a 13th place finish. Dixon needs a strong performance to get back in the mix, and Chicago just might be the place for him to do it. Dixon has finished runner up four times at this track, including the past three years. Dario Franchitti will be the other Ganassi car involved in the championship battle, but he is only four points back on Briscoe. This race should set the tone for who is in the driver’s seat for the remaining two races.

3. Danica Announcement?

“I am just focusing on the last three races” – Danica Patrick
“We are close on an agreement” – Michael Andretti
“signs are pointing in that direction” – Danica Patrick

What does all of it mean? Danica Patrick, the most marketable driver and the most popular driver in the IndyCar Series is supposedly close to staying in the IndyCar Series with Andretti Green Racing, but no official word has been released yet. Rumors the past few weeks had this weekend as a possible announcement site, it doesn’t appear that it is likely now. All in all, the only thing that would top her announcing her stay in the IndyCar Series would be for her to take the checkered flag Saturday Night.

4. Side by Side by Side

Chicago should be the site for some of the most exciting racing of the entire season. The Kentucky race gave us an indictor that the league had fixed the passing problems, and Chicago should benefit from those changes as well. Chicago was the site of the closet 1,2,3 finish in league history back in 2003. We could possibly see three wide racing throughout the entire course of the race, and the push to pass feature should add excitement as well.

5. Sarah Fisher Racing – Back in Action

Sarah Fisher will be competing in her fifth race of the season in her Dollar General machine. Sarah recently received a new Dallara Chassis from one of her sponsors, she will use that chassis at the season finale at Homestead. Sarah finished a respectable 12th at Kentucky, and should be competitive in this race as well. Sarah is a fan favorite and a very generous driver for the fans. It’s great to see her back around the series and in a race car.

What the real schedule Tweak might look like

With the recent tweaks to the IndyCar Schedule for 2010, it appears a few things are evident. First, the chances of Milwaukee returning to the schedule look slim. Second, the Saturday night format for the Kentucky race will continue, even though it is now on Labor Day Weekend. Lastly, no one knows which national holiday Japan is observing, so moving the race is really obsolete to American fans.

The 2010 schedule was largely put together off what works well for the IRL. It was not put together with the idea that the IndyCar Series will try a location and hope it works. The IndyCar series knows that tracks on the schedule have worked before in terms of attendance, racing, promoters, and are banking on that for 2010. The global economy has put a damper on all of motorsports, and that has directly effected where and when the IndyCar Series has the means to race at. Throwing out the economy (which is hard to do) and the politics of motorsports (which is also impossible to do) IndyCarGarage put together what might appear to be a ideal 23 race schedule for the IndyCar Series.

The break down is 12 ovals and 11 road/street courses. The first idea to this schedule would be to keep the format of more ovals than road/street courses but have a competitive balance of tracks. The second idea would be to keep interest in the IndyCar Series throughout the peak months of early April to early September, this is shown by only two races being held during College Football and the NFL seasons.


23 races (12 ovals / 11 Road/Street Courses)

IndyCar Series schedule: We can dream can’t we?

Sunday, March 14, Brazil
NOTE: This race screams money and sponsorships, something every series needs

Sunday, March 28, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1.8-mile street course

NOTE: An AGR Promotions event , works well for the series

Sunday, April 4th - Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix AZ, 1 mile tri-oval
NOTE: From 1950 – 2005 this was a mainstay event in open-wheel racing, it needs to return

Sunday, April 11, Barber Motorsports Park, 2.38-mile road course

NOTE: 2010 will be the first of a three year deal, early rumors about the course is that passing is limited, but 10,000 attended the test earlier in the summer.

Sunday, April 18, Long Beach, Calif., 1.968-mile street course

NOTE: Great venue, great attendance, good tradition, works for everyone involved

Saturday, May 1, Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: The IRL has been there since 2001, an ISC track, which means it’s always questionable to return. There are better ovals to run on than Kansas

Sunday, May 30, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile oval

NOTE: 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500.

Sunday, June 6, The Milwaukee Mile – 1.0 Oval
NOTE: Lots of tradition and history at this track and a good event for the series, too bad the promoter situation is backwards right now.

Saturday Night, June 12– Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5 oval
NOTE: Some of the most exciting racing in IRL history has come at this track. Crowds are usually very good as well.

Sunday, June 20, Iowa Speedway, .875-mile oval

NOTE: Fairly new venue for the series, as the IRL has only hosted three races for open wheel. The race has sold out every year, but it only holds 42,000.

Sunday, July 4, Watkins Glen International, 3.37-mile road course

NOTE: The IRL has been there since 2005 and finally found a date that works for everyone, Independence Weekend.

Saturday/Sunday, July 9thth/11th – Cleveland Doubleheader
(Friday oval/Sunday Road Course)
NOTE: This has been talked about, and could be interesting. The road course has involved open wheel for decades, the oval part would be new. The problem with the DH format, short time in between races (five days), and teams would have to have two different cars setup, which for the smaller teams, they would need backup cars. Cleveland could return, but the DH is a long shot.

Sunday, July 18, Toronto, 1.721-mile street course

NOTE: This races along with Edmonton gives the series Canadian flavor and helps with sponsorships to the north. This is also another AGR Promotions event.

Sunday, July 25, Edmonton City Centre Airport, 1.973-mile airport course

NOTE: A Champ Car event that was added in 2008, as with Toronto, it helps sponsorship with Canadian drivers and markets.

Saturday/Sunday, July 31st/August 1st – Loudon, New Hamisphere, 1.0-mile oval
NOTE: Loudon has recently lobbied for a race, but sparse attendance is a fear of the IRL as they raced there from 1996-1998 and couldn’t fill half of the 105,000 seat racetrack. Tony Stewart won at this track in his brief open-wheel career.

Sunday, Aug. 8, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 2.258-mile road course

NOTE: Open wheel goes back to 1980 at this course and it has proved for some great crowds recently, in part due to the support race of ALMS.

Sunday, Aug. 15, Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course

NOTE: The IRL started racing here in 2005 and it provided Marco Andretti his first and only victory in 2006. It was the site of a horrific crash for Will Power and Nelson Phillipe this year.

Saturday, August 21st, Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5 oval
NOTE: CART started racing here in 1996 and the IRL went there in 2001. It’s an ISC track so it always seems to be on the bubble every time the schedule release comes up. Attendance has been another issue as well at this track.

Saturday, Aug. 28, Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: Similar to Kansas, this is a oval that has provided some of the most exciting racing for the IRL. It like Homestead and Kansas, are ISC tracks that focus on NASCAR events. Most ticket packages revolve around purchasing a season package of the two NASCAR events and the IndyCar race. Not necessarily the way you want to promote a race, although attendance has been strong.

Saturday, Sept. 4, Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: Kentucky is another track that has provided very exciting racing throughout it’s time of fielding IndyCar races and also proved to be the site of many historic accomplishments such as Sarah Fisher’s pole in 2002. Bruton Smith has been very outspoken about the direction of the IRL.

Sunday, Sept. 19, Twin Ring Motegi, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: This race helps with the Honda sponsorships and also the overseas market. It gained notable popularity when Danica Patrick won in 2008.

Saturday, Oct. 2, Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 2.621-mile road course
NOTE: The biggest question out there right now, is why the season finale isn’t at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The road course was originally built for F1, but since 2007, F1 hasn’t visited the IMS. Moto GP uses a modified version of the road course, but it could easily adjusted for the IndyCars. Of course you will have people say it takes away from the tradition of the 500, and they are correct, but times have changed. The tradition of the 500 was gone when NASCAR came in 1994. People now have more of a opportunities to visit the 16th & Georgetown. Tony George original vision for the IRL was that the season concluded with the Indianapolis 500, the series première event. That isn’t possible anymore, but wouldn’t it be great to crown the series champion at IMS , at the home track of IndyCar? Attendance would probably be the second highest event of the year.

Let the debating begin…..

IndyCar Grand Prix at Sonoma Race Reactions

IndyCar Grand Prix at Sonoma Race Reactions

The IndyCar Series completed their 14th race of the 2009 season by competing in Sonoma, California at Infineon Raceway. Dario Franchitti took home the checkered flag followed by Ryan Briscoe in second place and Mike Conway to round out the podium. IndyCarGarage gives you five race reactions from Sunday’s race.

1. Danica Patrick’s pre-race comments and news surrounding her from this week.

The most anticipated driver move of the off-season will surround Danica Patrick, and most anticipated a possible move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. News out of Indianapolis this week surrounding Michael Andretti and Andretti Green Racing may have tipped the hand of Danica and her future plans. In a pre-race conversation, Danica was quoted as saying her plans aren’t finalized right now, but things are pointed in the direction of her joining the new version of Andretti-Green Racing, which will be solely owned by Michael Andretti and branded under a new name. This is hardly the move that many people expected as Danica seemed destine for a date with NASCAR, or at least a move to the mighty Ganassi Target Cars as rumors swirled throughout the last few months that Ganassi would field a third car for her. Danica Patrick is a huge fan draw for the IndyCar series and the most marketable driver in the series. Her decision to stay in IndyCar and with a team that doesn’t field a NASCAR program is HUGE!

2. Will Power and Nelson Phillipe miss the race with injuries

Will Power and Nelson Phillipe collided in Saturday’s practice and both drivers suffered severe injuries. Power suffered similar injuries to what Vitor Miera suffered at Indianapolis earlier in the season. It’s highly likely that Power is done for the rest of the 2009 season as his recovery is estimated at three months. Phillipe injuries weren’t as severe as Power’s, so it’s possible that Phillipe might be able to make it back to the cockpit in 2009. Both drivers are good young talents, Power probably more than Phillipe, and it’s unfortunate that they weren’t able to compete this weekend.

3. Dario Franchitti’s fourth win of the season is his most dominating of 2009

Dario Franchitti had his best day of the 2009 season by qualifying first, leading every lap of the race, and capturing his fourth win of the 2009 season. Franchitti now sits four points behind Ryan Briscoe in the Point’s championship. Dario clearly has proven to be the road course ace of the IndyCar series, as three of his four wins have come on road or street courses. Dario is showing to everyone that he hasn’t lost one step from his year absence in NASCAR.

4. The point’s championship = three drivers, three races, all within 20 points.

Ryan Briscoe now sits in first place in the point’s championship race, but by a very small four points. Dario Franchitti sits in second place with his performance on Sunday, and Scott Dixon slips from first to third, but still is in contention by trailing by 20 points. The point’s race has been very exciting throughout the season as first place has changed hands in 13 of the 14 races. The last three races of the season should be exciting to watch as no driver seems to have a clear advantage over the other.

5. Three races remain in the 2009 season and they are require many left turns.

The 2009 season will wind down with three 1.5 mile ovals, and it starts next Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. The IndyCar Series enjoyed a huge jump in competitive racing at Kentucky and that was largely due to the aero-dynamic package improvements, along with the push to pass button insert. Chicago has produced some of the most exciting racing in series history, Motegi is the site of Danica Patrick’s lone IndyCar win from a year ago, and Homestead will close out the season on October 10th. Look for the racing to be competitive and exciting down to the last lap.

2010 Indy Lights Schedule Released

The Firestone Indy Light Series recently released their 2010 schedule. The 2010 schedule includes five ovals, four temporary street circuits and four permanent road courses. New to the schedule is the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. All races will be held as a support race to the IndyCar Series.

"Our goal is to prepare Firestone Indy Lights drivers to become successful IndyCar Series drivers, and to reach that goal they must gain experience and succeed on all types of racing circuits," said Roger Bailey, executive director of the Firestone Indy Lights. "The schedule offers that challenge to our drivers each year."

The first oval of the season will be the series' premier event - the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28 two days before the Indianapolis 500. The Freedom 100 has run in conjunction with the annual Miller Light Carb Day.

"The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights schedule has great balance," said Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing. "It provides the perfect blend of ovals, street circuits and road courses necessary to prepare these talented and developing drivers for the rigors of the IndyCar Series. If they can master the diversity of tracks on the Firestone Indy Lights schedule, it will have them well prepared to take that next step. Competing on this array of venues also allows Firestone Racing to more finely develop and advance the technology of the Firehawk race tires. We're looking forward to another great season of exciting Firestone Indy Lights racing in 2010."The Firestone Indy Lights is the ladder series for drivers and teams striving to compete in the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. Former drivers of the Lights Series include Marco Andretti, Richard Antinucci, Ed Carpenter, Raphael Matos and Hideki Mutoh.

The complete 2010 Firestone Indy Lights schedule:

Date, Track

March 27 or 28, Streets of St. Petersburg

April 10 or 11, Barber Motorsports Park

April 17 or 18, Streets of Long Beach

May 28, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

June 19 or 20, Iowa Speedway

July 3 or 4, Watkins Glen International

July 17 or 18, Streets of Toronto

July 24 or 25, Edmonton City Centre Airport

Aug. 7 or 8, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Aug. 21 or 22, Infineon Raceway

Aug. 27 or 28, Chicagoland Speedway

Sept. 4 or 5, Kentucky Speedway

Oct. 1 or 2, Homestead-Miami Speedway

Michael Andretti takes Control

News from the Indianapolis Star today and what has been rumored for awhile, is that Michael Andretti had broken away from co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. This will mean that Andretti will be the full-time owner behind the soon to be non AGR Racing. Andretti has said the race team will be renamed and that he plans to retain a four-car lineup next year. The most amazing news out of Indianapolis is that Andretti is quoted as saying “Getting close” in reference to attempts to retain popular IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick. An announcement could come as early as next week, as her sponsor is based around Schaumburg, Ill.

Green and Savoree will focus strictly on race promotions at Toronto and St. Pete. They will have no direct influence on the race team.

Stay tuned!

AGR to field a fifth car

Andretti Green to field a fifth car for Franck Montagy. Below is the press release from Andretti Green Racing about their fifth car for Sonoma.

Andretti Green Racing announced today it will
team with Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. (AFS), to run Franck Montagny in a fifth entry later this month in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway.

Montagny, who made seven starts for Andretti Green’s American Le Mans Series program
in 2008, will pilot the #25 AFS Dallara/Honda/Firestone alongside Andretti Green’s existing fourdriver lineup that includes Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Hideki Mutoh and Danica Patrick.
AFS is one of the nation’s largest multi-family automatic fire sprinkler contractors and is
familiar to Firestone Indy Lights fans through AFS Racing, which teamed with Andretti Green
Racing to win the 2008 series title. AFS/Andretti Green currently holds down the top two spots in the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights championship standings with drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Sebastian Saavedra.

During his stint with Andretti Green last year, Montagny teamed with a variety of co-drivers
and piloted the team’s LMP2-class Acura to an overall ALMS victory at Belle Isle and an additional LMP2 win at Laguna Seca. Montagny’s racing resume also features seven Formula 1 starts, all in 2006 with Super Aguri, and stints as a Formula 1 test driver and third driver.

The 31-year old Frenchman owns four top-five finishes in his last four starts in the 24 Hoursof Le Mans including a runner-up finish earlier this summer.

FRANCK MONTAGNY, #25 AFS DALLARA/HONDA/FIRESTONE:

“I am certainly looking forward to my IndyCar debut in Sonoma with AFS and AndrettiGreen Racing. I was able to test one of the team’s Indy cars last year and very much enjoyeddriving it. Being able to test the track this week will be very helpful for me to learn the circuit andprepare for the race. We have a lot of work to do to get ready, but I believe we are up to thechallenge.”

GARY PETERSON, PRESIDENT, AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS, INC.:“This is an exciting announcement for AFS/Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. California is animportant market for our company and we believe Franck will give us a good shot at competing fora win.“In the midst of this economic downturn, it’s important for AFS/Automatic Fire Sprinklers,Inc., to keep our name out there to attract new customers and the Indy Racing League alsoprovides an excellent venue for entertaining current customers.“We’re proud of our Firestone Indy Lights program and this is a great opportunity to be aprimary sponsor in the IndyCar Series. It will be exciting to see our traditional red-and-yellow colorscheme out there competing with the best.”

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, ANDRETTI GREEN RACING:“We’re very excited to see this come together for Sonoma. This is a good opportunity forGary to showcase AFS at the IndyCar level and we think Franck will do a great job in the car thatweekend.”- AGR -Contact: Al

Mid-Ohio Race Reactions

The IndyCar Series completed their 13th race of the 2009 season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this past Sunday. Scott Dixon won his fourth race of the 2009 season by outlasting Ryan Briscoe and his teammate Dario Franchitti. Dixon’s win spring boarded him into first place in the point’s championship race, but only by very small margin of four points. IndyCarGarage breaks down four race reactions from Sunday’s Race.

1. Dixon’s dominating day leads to IRL history

Scott Dixon led 51 laps in Sunday’s race and crossed the finish line 30 seconds before Ryan Briscoe. Dixon’s dominating performance moved him into first place in the point’s championship and made him the career all-time win leader in the IndyCar Series, breaking the record held by Sam Hornish Jr. Dixon’s record only dates back to 1996 as the career win leader in open wheel history would be A.J. Foyt, who won 67 open wheel events. Dixon now finds himself in prime position for his third career IndyCar Series Championship.

2. Ryan Hunter-Reay great day

Ryan Hunter-Reay had his best performance of the 2009 season in the A.J. Foyt A.B.C Supply Machine. Hunter-Reay started in eighth position and finished a season high fourth. Hunter-Reay was quoted in the pre-race interviews as saying Mid-Ohio was one of his favorite places to run and it showed on Sunday. For all the bad luck that Hunter-Reay has experienced this season, he was long overdue for a top five finish.

3. Danica’s luck runs out

Danica Patrick finished in 19th position in Sunday’s race, her worst finish of the 2009 season. Mike Conway made contact with Patrick mid-way through the race on lap 45, which brought out the second full course caution. Danica has been a model of consistency this year, as she has recorded the most top five finishes of any season in her career. Sunday’s bad break was hardly her fault as Mike Conway nudge sent her flying into the sand trap. Keep an eye on Danica on the last three ovals, as those three tracks will give her best chance of reaching a podium and possibly scoring another victory.

4. One more road course and then back to ovals

The IndyCar Series will run one more road course this year, at Infineon road course in Sonoma California. The IRL will then finish off the season with three straight ovals, Chicagoland, Motegi, and Homestead. The Mid-Ohio race offered some excitement, but nothing compared to what was served up last week at Kentucky. The IndyCar Series needs the type of excitement that Kentucky generated in the last four races of the year to generate momentum into the 2010 season and quite the doubters of American Open Wheel Racing.

Mid-Ohio Race Preview

The IndyCar Series heads to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the Honda 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Course. The last time we saw the IndyCar Series, they were finishing off the most exciting race of the 2009 season at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. IndyCarGarage breaks down five things to watch for at Mid-Ohio and for the remainder of the 2009 Season.

1. The Point’s Championship race is great battle to watch

Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, back to Dixon, then Briscoe, back to Franchitti, get the drift? The point’s championship leader has been changing race to race and that’s great for the fans and the series. The race remains between three drivers Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, and Dario Franchitti. Helio Castroneves needs a hail marry pass, and Danica Patrick is going to have to settle for fifth. It’s anybody game as we head into the last five races and the three extra bonus points, one for pole and two for most laps lead, will be very important in every race.

2. Driver Changes, Driver Changes, Driver Changes

WOW, a lot has happened in the last seven days. Let’s start at the beginning, first Nelson Phillipe signed with Conquest racing for two of the five races left in the 2009 season. Second, Robert Doornbos moves from N/H/L to HVM racing where had some success in 2007 with Champ Car. Third, Oriol Servia moves into Doornbos spot at N/H/L for the remainder of the 2009 season. Just recently, Mario Moraes will miss Mid-Ohio to attend his father’s funeral, who recently passed from cancer. Paul Tracy will fill in for Moraes and starts a respectable 10th. Kosuke Matsuura will drive for Conquest Racing at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. Stanton Barrett will be in the 3G car in Motegi. Jacque Lazier is expected to be at Chicagoland for 3G. All in all, a lot of shuffling in the cockpits for several drivers, the biggest of them all will come when Danica Patrick announces her fate after the season.

3. Two street courses and three ovals left

The schedule dynamical of the 2009 season leaves the IndyCar Series with two more road/street courses and three ovals to finish off the season. The IndyCar Series had its best race in a long time at Kentucky, in the form of a 1.5 oval. It would be great if they carry that over into another oval this weekend, but they are stuck with a road course. The strong four of Briscoe, Castroneves, Dixon and Franchitti should be a force at all five races, but don’t expect the Ed Carpenter stories to come out at the next two races. Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson have the best shot of unseating the Ganassi/Penske duos on the road courses. .

4. Where does the racing go from here?

The push to pass button will be in place for this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio and for the remainder of the season as well. The device seemed to help the last 20 laps of the Kentucky race and it should be interesting to see how the device plays in the road courses. The aero changes, most notably the removal of the two inch wicker on the rear wing, along with the improved compound in the Firestone tires, gives the IRL the best package for the remainder of the season on the ovals. The push to pass along with the aero changes could provide for the best IndyCar Series racing we have seen in a few years.

5. The 2010 Schedule will be in headlines throughout the remainder of the season.

The 2010 schedule announcement last weekend at Kentucky as stirred a media frenzy among die-hard IRL fans and most motor sports fans. The schedule which favors more street/road courses than ovals is a far contrast from the 2003 schedule which featured 16 oval races. The IRL is striving for a balanced schedule, that was unsuccessful with the financial situation at Milwaukee. American open wheel racing was fairly popular back in the mid 1990’s with a similar schedule, until the spilt in 1996. It remains to be seen if the IRL can get back to that popularity with this type of schedule.

6. Ryan Briscoe on the Pole for Mid-Ohio

Ryan Briscoe earned one bonus point for his performance on Saturday, while earning the pole position and setting a new course record in the process. Briscoe is well on his way to earning his first series championship for Team Penske, something that his teammate Helio Castroneves has yet to accomplish in his lengthy tenure at Team Penske. Justin Wilson will seek win number two for Dale Coyne Racing by starting in position number two. Scott Dixon will be the first of the Ganassi cars, by starting in third position; Dixon is a very close second in the points behind Briscoe. Graham Rahal will start fourth along side Dixon and will seek his first win of the 2010 season at his home town track. Helio Castroneves, the pole sitter the last two years at Mid-Ohio will start fifth. Dario Franchitti rounds out the firestone fast six, by starting in position six.

Notables include, Ryan Hunter-Rhea in 7th, Paul Tracy in 10th, Danica Patrick in 12th, Marco Andretti in 14th, and Ed Carpenter fresh off his second place finish will round out the field in 21st position.

2010 IndyCar Scheduled is Released

The Indy Racing League Announced its 2010 schedule Friday night at Kentucky Motor Speedway, on the eve of the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Motor Speedway. The big news about the 2010 schedule is the different segments of tracks and the new additions/subtractions. The teams and drivers have often complained about changing the cars from road/street courses from race to race, so the league responded with 4/4/5/4 format. Four street/road courses will open the season, followed by four ovals, then back to five straight street/road course, and finish the season off with four ovals.

The additions to the schedule include a race in Brazil and Birmingham, Alabama, the subtractions include two ovals, Richmond and the famous Milwaukee Mile. Milwaukee could come back to the schedule if the financial mess can be resolved with the new promoter. Among the tracks rumored to be on the schedule but not included, Cleveland, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, Houston, and the additional race in Brazil. The schedule, while released to the public is still being finalized with the location in Brazil and the possible addition of Milwaukee.

The complete 2010 IndyCar Series schedule:
Date Location Venue
Sunday, March 14 Brazil TBA
Sunday, March 28 Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. 1.8-mile street course
Sunday, April 11 Barber Motorsports Park 2.38-mile road course
Sunday, April 18 Streets of Long Beach, Calif. 1.968-mile street course
Saturday, May 1 Kansas Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, May 30 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval
Saturday, June 12* Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, June 20 Iowa Speedway .875-mile oval
Sunday, July 4 Watkins Glen International 3.37-mile road course
Sunday, July 18 Streets of Toronto 1.721-mile street course
Sunday, July 25 Edmonton City Centre Airport 1.973-mile airport course
Sunday, August 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2.258-mile road course
Sunday, August 22 Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course
Saturday, August 28* Chicagoland Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Labor Day Weekend Kentucky Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Saturday, September 18 Twin Ring Motegi 1.5-mile oval
Saturday, October 2 Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mile oval

* Denotes night race Schedule Subject to Change

Tony Kanaan appears on PTI

Andretti Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan recently appeared on ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption yesterday to address several issues, most notably the Edmonton race in which he caught fire in the pits. Below are some of the highlights of the Interview. Kanaan will be in action this weekend as the IndyCar Series heads to Kentucky Motor Speedway for its 12th race of the season.

PTI: It was scary to watch the video of the fire, how are you physically?
TK: I am ok guys, it was very scary, I have a little bit of burns on my face, but you can’t see them because I haven’t been shaving.

PTI: What was it like to actually be on fire?
TK: Ahh, it’s pretty scary, I’ve only seen that on the TV shows ,it was a scary moment, when I felt that splash of fuel and I caught fire, it wasn’t a pleasant situation.

PTI: You said you knew you were in for it the moment you were splashed in fuel, Tony why’d you keep driving at that point?

TK: Well hears the thing, I knew I was going to catch fire, I knew it was probably going to hurt a lot of my mechanics, so my car was totally sucked and wet before it took fire, I want to make sure I didn’t burn my guys, that’s why I drove away from them. I knew I was safe in the car for a little bit, thank god all the other members of the teams helped me out and they took me out on time.

PTI: Thank you god you had your helmet visor down, I know most drivers have it up during pit stops, how much worse could this have been if you had that visor up?
TK: If I had that visor up, when that fuel splashed it landed on my hand and on my suit and it would have landed on my face, and my face would have caught fire. The safety equipment that we have, helmet, driver suits and gloves, it’s awesome. I was defiantly on fire for more than 45 seconds.

PTI: I’ll always felt that every driver out there, because of the nature of the sport, could be his last, and given that, do you guys think your nuts knowing that it could happen?
TK: I mean, that’s why we get paid what we get paid, we are a unique group of people. We don’t know that every time we get in the car, if we are going to get out of the car in one piece, ten pieces, and that’s the nature of our business and that’s what makes us so unique, I don’t think about it, that’s my job and we are in danger everywhere.

PTI: You plan to race again this weekend, are you a little bit more skittish or are you the same guy you’ve always been?
TK: Actually I am the same guy; I just want to race again. I am having such a tough year that I just want to go back.

PTI: Have people close to you, said Tony don’t do this.
TK: My mom, she actually told me to driver slower (laugh) so I don’t know how to do that.

2010 IndyCar Scheduled to be Announced

IndyCar League officials have announced that the 2010 Scheduled will be announced Friday evening during the qualification broadcast on Versus. The 2010 Schedule has been a work in progress through League Commercial President Terry Angstandt. Yesterday, league officials announced a three year partnership with Barber Motor Sports Park, introducing the IndyCar Grand Prix at Alabama. Among the tracks rumored to be possibly departing, Milwaukee is under a wealth of problems financially and possibly Homestead Motor Speedway is rumored to be gone as well.

Rexall Edmonton Indy Race Reactions

The IndyCar Series completed their 11th race of the 17th race schedule on Sunday, with Will Power capturing his first victory of the season and his first in the IndyCar Series. Team Penske teammate finished second, while news series point’s leader Scott Dixon captured third place. The IndyCar Series now moves on to Kentucky Motor Speedway next Saturday, for a night race scheduled to start at 8 p.m. IndyCarGarage breaks down six race reactions from Sunday’s Rexall Edmonton Indy at Edmonton City Centre Airport.

1. Will Power – The best IndyCar Series weekend of his career

Will Power had the best weekend of his IndyCar career, by capturing the pole on Saturday, leading the most laps in Sunday’s race, and finishing it off by capturing the checkered flags on lap 95. Power’s season has been affected by the return of Helio Castroneves from his tax evasion trial, and resulted in a non-full time ride. Power has committed to staying in the Penske Racing stable and still has three more races left in the season, for his yellow Penske Truck Rental machine. Team president, Tim Cindric was quoted after the race as saying, “we will stay the course of their current schedule for Will” after being asked if this win bought him more seat time for the remainder of the season. Regardless of how things shake out for Will, this was a great weekend for his career, and should prove to everyone he belongs full time in the series.

2. Tony Kanaan – Can’t catch a break, and it gets dangerously worse

Tony Kanaan, is arguably having one of his worst seasons as an IndyCar driver, and Sunday’s race only made things worse. Kanaan was exiting his pit on lap 34 when the full cap didn’t close properly, this result in fuel splattering all over Kanaan’s cockpit. Kanaan barley made it down the pits before the fire started. Team Penske and Ganaasi pit crews were spot on with their water buckets and awareness to see what was happening, and probably saved Kanaan from more series injuries. Kanaan admitted to having second degree burns on his hands and face, but remains positive about driving next weekend. The entire Andretti-Green Racing team has had a disappointing year, and Tony Kanaan seems to be getting the worst of it.

3. Scott Dixon recaptures the points lead

Scott Dixon finished third in Sunday’s race and with that finish, it moved him back into first place in the point’s championship. He now leads his teammate, Dario Franchitti by two points, and Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe by 13 pts. Dixon captured the 2008 championship off the strength of season high six wins. Dixon’s strength this season has been more podium finishes than wins, as he has been on the podium six out of the eleven times this year. Dixon is on pace now to secure his third series championship, as he took home the championship in 2003 and 2008.

4. Dario Franchitti calls out Marco Andretti

Dario Franchitti was quoted in his post-race interview as saying “Marco screwed me for ten laps, I helped him in Watkins Glen two races ago, and I’ll remember this one”. A rare outburst for Franchitti as his usually gentlemen like attitude is shown after races. This is not the type of the relationship the two former AGR teammates probably had envisioned, but it also offers a chance for a rivalry to be carried over into the remaining six races of the season. Andretti has struggled this year while Franchitti has flourished in his return from NASCAR. Watch these two drivers as the series heads to Kentucky.

5. Goodbye and Hello to drivers

Several drivers will be either rejoining or departing the IndyCar Series as they move onto their 12th race of the season. Paul Tracy has fulfilled his requirements with KV Racing and wants to return full time next year. Alex Tagliani and the Conquest Racing team could possibly be gone for the remaining oval portion of the schedule. Richard Antinucci could possibly be replaced by Jacque Lazier for the 3G Motor sports program. Sarah Fisher will return for her fourth race of a six race deal in the Dollar General Car. Scott Sharp’s name has been rumored to floating around for a few more races this year, as has Townsend Bells

6. On to Kentucky and the possible announcement of the 2010 schedule.

The IndyCar Series will return to Kentucky Motor Speedway on Saturday August 1st for an 8 p.m. start. This also is the date that league officials has mentioned as a possible announcement for the 2010 schedule. Kentucky will mark the first oval race since the IndyCar Series suffered through the Richmond race back in June. This will also mark the first time IndyCar officials will have the chance to show fans that the changes that they offered to the IndyCars teams for the ovals, as a chance to create better racing. All of these storylines should make for an interesting weekend at Kentucky

Rexall Edmonton Indy Preview

The IndyCar Series resumes it’s 2009 schedule with the Rexall Edmonton Indy, it will be the 11th race on of the season for the IndyCar Series. The last time the IndyCar Series was in action, we saw Dario Franchitti take the checkered flag at the Honda Indy Toronto, with Ryan Briscoe and Will Power rounding out the podium. IndyCarGarage breaks down four race previews for Sundays Race.

1. The continued dominance of the Ganassi Racing.

Ganassi Racing has been the story of 2009 with it’s talented twosome of 2008 Indy Car Series Champion Scott Dixon and 2007 IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti. Franchitti and Dixon also have been at the top of the point’s standing throughout the 2009 season. A Ganassi machine has been in victory lane seven times this season and last year at Edmonton took the checkered flag. Expect both Ganassi cars to challenge throughout the race.

2. The point’s championship heats up

The point’s championship is shaping up to be a three person race between Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Ryan Briscoe. Extra bonus points are awarded to the pole winner and the driver who leads the most laps. Hopefully the race doesn’t come down to the two Ganassi drivers, and Briscoe can stay competitive.

3. The last go around for the Thrilla (at least for this year)

Paul Tracy will compete in his last scheduled race for KV racing this weekend, last year Tracy finished fourth at the Edmonton race, in his only appearance in the 2008 schedule. Tracy has shown flashes of brilliance this year in the races he has appeared in. Tracy is looking for a full-time ride next year, and this is his last race to show he belongs and convince a team to pick him for next year.

4. The Danica Patrick Update

Danica Patrick has done a round of interviews in the last week and continues to address her future as “what’s best for her career”. The latest rumor is that Chip Ganassi has advised Danica on staying in the IndyCar Series. Ganassi has also said recently that he has no plans to expand to three cars. Danica will continue to dominate the headlines off the track, based off her future plans, she needs to focus on dominating on the track.