Why People Are Not Watching INDYCAR racing?

When I watched CART I was 18 years old and was fascinated by oval racing and the daring drivers. When CART went full blast with road and street racing I lost interest. The foreign drivers were not an issue for me (my favorite driver at the time was Emerson Fittipaldi) as it brought the best in the world to the sport.

The IRL brought back the daring drivers, the ovals, and the excitement toward IndyCar racing until 2006. After that, the model went slowly but surely the CART model but with spec cars.

Now, we need more Americans to be able to get rides. You cannot keep losing the Jeff Gordon’s, Hildebrand’s, Larson’s and so forth. That right there is INDYCAR’s mistake. You need to be able to bring those people into the series. It all about funding and sponsors.

How?

First, be realistic, the sanctioning fee for ovals HAS to be LOWER. Help the promoter get its investment on track.

Second, bring sponsors that ARE business partners. Is not all about the money (CASH) but how you promote and sell your brand. In the heyday you would see lots of commercial make reference to IndyCar and its drivers (by the way, Emerson was in a few of those).

Third, enough talk about how costs cannot bring technology and new chassis or grandfather old ones. That right there is what sold tickets before. You can name it whatever you want, people came to see the drivers race fast in those beautiful AND different car combinations: THE CARS ARE THE STARS!

Fourth, You have to make the Indy 500 exciting again but not with false aero tricks to have 68 passes for the lead. Make qualifying difficult and an honor as it used to be. Pay more to the entrants; a minimum of $350,000 so it covers the costs if one team does not make the show (more on this on another later post). Bring more entrepreneurs to be enamored with the mystic and tradition IMS brings.

This four (4) items should be a blueprint to bring back INDYCAR where it should be. Anything less is just band-aids and to procrastinate the problem. Think big and you will get there…think small and with fear and you will get nothing. IT IS THAT SIMPLE IN BUSINESS!

Season Opener – Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – What Did I See?

There are many race fans that complaint about anything on IndyCar’s current state: not enough fans, not enough ovals (count me in), low ratings, underpowered engines, so and so. Well, we just witnessed one of the best street course races EVER with the deepest field EVER (have doubts on this, listen to last week’s trackside and find out why!).

The most dramatic thing is that in all of this hoopla we had a 1st time winner in James Hinchcliffe (@hinchtown) who has shown he is as good as advertised (pun intended with the GoDaddy sponsorship!).

Maiden Victory for the Mayor of Hinchtown

My predicted Top 5 was mared by technical difficulties all race long but my darkhorse Simona was right there until the final 400 meters. Call me crazy but Simona could win at Long Beach or Baltimore. The street races suit her strengths.

Helio Castroneves once again proved why he is my favorite driver. He knew when to attack, when to lead, and when to concede that he needs points to win the champioship. I want Helio to have his championship this season.

KV Racing Technologies looked impressive and it seems the pairing of Tony Kanaan and Simona is good to go. I expect KV to at least win a race this year.

Will Power was not in my Top 5 because for some reason he misses more than he hits on strategies at street courses. St Pete has not been kind to him.

Also, I predicted that the Ganassi boys will not sniff the Top 5 as they seem “slow” compared to the Chevy-powered drivers. I still don’t know how but Scott Dixon edge Simona at the finish line for that Top 5 spot. I have to finally understand that Dixie is an impressive driver, even if he drives forthe hated Ganassi team.

This year’s race dull moments were the long, long cautions (10 laps on a street circuit is WAY too long!) that dilute the great racing. Still, I would put it as the best edition closely followed by the 2012 edition.

NBC Sports Network hit a Home Run in having Leigh Diffey (@leighdiffey) as their broadcast anchor. I hadmy doubts basedon his primary experience in Formula 1 and though he would fumble names and data. Boy, was I wrong! He did not fail ONCE! He has a new fan in me. Also, having Jon Beekhuis (@JonBeekhuis) at the pits was a concern as I thought he brought the fan lots on information from the booth. Again, nice move as we had his customary technical information available plus he could interview drivers directly. Great job!

IndyCar is on the rise and with many moves still pending on the business side by Mark Miles (Hulman Company CEO) there is plenty of upside available.

This Randy Bernard fan says…”it is time to move on!” “IndyCar is going up because of RB’s contributions and he has made his mark”. “Thanks Boss!”

Race #13 – GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma – Top 5 Highlights

We have just witness another great road course event even at one of the traditionally slow-action venues. To be honest, usually this race has been a snoozer for me yet on Sunday I was entertained for about 75% of the time which is HUGE coming from Sonoma and a road course. The crowd seemed to improve and the track changes made for some passing options. There were even passing on some areas that there were not supposed to be some. Great race overall and I’m very happy that Ryan Briscoe has finally won a race since Texas 2010.

#5 Action All Around The Track: Ladies and gentlemen, the DW12 chassis has been baptized as the best chassis in probably 20 years. The work put out by Dallara Automobili has been impressive. During spring time there were so many ditractors and critics of the new chassis, there seem to be no way this equipment would improve speeds, passing or even contact. People, we have been wrong in all counts. It even showed it can withstand a HUGE crash like Josef Newgarden had into the concrete wall covered with tires. It is unbeliveable that he walk away with maybe a broken finger. I’m sure that there were at least threefold the amount of passes on this race versus last year.

#4 Josef Newgarden: The guy has skills, looks, and charisma to be the next star in the series…if he just can finish races! I know, I know…he is a real rookie in the series and he is earning his stripes. But why on earth he’s racing Sebastian Bourdais (at that point Bourdais is P3 in the race) so hard and pushing the guy at every corner…being ONE LAP DOWN?!?! He should have learned what happened to him at Toronto when another “rookie” made a foolish assault on him…his day was ruined. SFHR team needs to control him more so he can make the best of the situation and bring the car in one piece. He will get it and could win a race next season but…hold your horses, son!

#3 Alex Tagliani Ruining Ryan Hunter-Reay’s Season: I’m still waiting for Tags to make a ridiculous excuse on how he would explain his boneheaded, wanker-like, unprofessional move he did at turn 7 spinning around Hunter-Reay. Ryan is 3rd at that point in the race and it is 2nd in the championship. Tags was all bragging on his bad experience at a Nascar race at Canada when Jacques Villeneuve (another spinning wanker) ended his race and a shot at winning. Beaux Barfield (Race Director and President of Competition) should put Tags on Probation and even dock points for this. It has to stop. PD: Ryan’s taking out EJ Viso a couple of laps later is of no consecuense as that event would not have happened if Tags is not unprofessional before. EJ Viso was in no contention for the win or the Championship.

#2 Ryan Briscoe On Victory Lane: Well, I almost picked him for this win…twice! But, he usually has bad luck when his car is the one to beat. I’m very, very happy that he won this race and may win another next week. He deserves to keep his seat at Penske Racing and have another shot. People are writing/saying he should move to Sports Cars with Penske after 2013 if he keeps his seat…but, why he would change his dream at running IndyCars? Unless…great pay, a chance to win championships at Sports Cars and a secure Indy 500 seat every year. That would be interesting to see if Ryan buckles to that one.

#1 Chevrolet Wins Manufacturer’s Championship: You can argue why I put this at #1 but really is simple…manufacturer’s competition has been needed for a long time and always has been on IndyCar’s DNA. Chevrolet with all its financial problems of the past (…and future still a possibility!) has demonstrated they have the experience, knowledge, and wisdom to be competitive and win races. Honda had the upper hand as it was the sole manufacturer and knew most of the players from 2006-2011. This shows you two things: how under-powered the Honda engines ran without no competition during those years and how “Turbogate” really mattered for Indy. Yes, Honda got Indy but Chevy had the whole season…GREAT JOB!

INDYCAR’s next race is Sunday, September 2nd at the streets of Baltimore for the Grand Prix of Baltimore Presented by SRT. The event website is here. Join the conversation at Twitter with #GPoB and @GPofBaltimore

Race #11 – The Edmonton Indy – Recap

The Edmonton race was another great on-track competition with lots of passing and interesting developments specially in the Championship run. I loved the competitive nature of the drivers and everyone being so professional as there were NO yellow flags all day making it the 1st Edmonton Indy caution-free (all 75 laps were on green-flag status). Helio Castroneves had a great duel with Takuma Sato and held him off for his 2nd win of the season and “Taku” has scored his best career IndyCar finish at 2nd place. I was waiting for the race to be a snoozer at the mid-point of the race but that never happened. There were battles on all positions and the racing was close and intense. Alex Tagliani dominated 75% of the race but Castroneves strategist, Erickson, made Tagliani’s team come to the pits at least 2 laps earlier by bringing Helio before anyone else. Castroneves was on sticker reds (new softer tires) and Tagliani was on scuffed reds (used softer tires) and that basically ended the day for Alex. I’m looking forward for this race to be renewed after the 2013.

Castroneves wins his 27th career IndyCar race tying Johnny Rutherford for 12th place All-Time

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – most of the teams are on their final engine change already (5 allowed in the season) and some like Scott Dixon is on its sixth. We may see more dropping on this race’s hard-on-equipment venue. // No issues at all were found on the grid regarding engines. Scott Dixon had a scared when his engine lost power but after recycling the mapping his engine and himself were catapulted to a 10th-place finish.
• The Helio Castroneves Watch – He has been the most consistent racer on the year and that has kept him in striking distance. I’m betting he will make a jump in the standings after this one. He loves this circuit. // …and the man delivered…this is one of his favorite venues…I can only imagine how great he would be at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport (come on Randy Bernard…make this Cleveland GP come back!)
• The American Hero Watch – Ryan Hunter-Reay can punch out the rest of the field with a podium finish let alone a win. I will say everything will need to fall his way to make INDYCAR history by winning 4 straight races…he has the team, the will, the skills, and destiny on his side. This feat has not been completed by an American since Al Unser Jr. in 1990. // Even though RHR finished 7th it was not a bad day based on the 10-grid penalty he received after winning the Pole. Now, what if he had started on pole and not at the 11th position? We’ll never know…
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on NBC Sports Network and the TV partner will provide 5 (FIVE) hours of INDYCAR coverage. Just like the Iowa Race, NBC Sports Network is all INDYCAR tomorrow and we have the best broadcast team in the house. I’m really looking forward that, after the Olympics are broadcast in this channel, people will find it and bring new fans for the rest of the INDYCAR season. // other than Robin Miller’s grid walk which was OK until he took the mike out of Ryan Briscoe’s mouth while he was talking, everything else was superb as usual. 
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – I can only think one issue: RAIN!!! That would be just a game changer that may be good for an Oriol Servia, Scott Dixon, or Sebastian Bourdais coming from the pack of the field on different strategies (based on qualifying I have not seen yet). // and the rain never came…the issue was basically that there were none…no yellow flags all day and that is a rarity for an airport course. Some people were praying for cautions and rain and both were non-existent!!!

Race Winner: I will pick Helio Castroneves to win his 2nd race of the season on another Airport Course (he won the opener at St. Pete which includes part of the airport) and possibly vaulting him to 2nd place in the Championship. // My fave driver was due to win at Edmonton (well he had already won but Brian Barnhart took that away with a bad blocking call — and rule at the time) after finishing 3 times at 2nd place. This type of venue is his favorite…open space, no walls near, fast corners…look for him to win at Sonoma or Fontana…or both!!!

 

Engine Winner: Chevrolet should win once again!!! // …and they did, almost securing the manufacturers championship!

Highest Rookie: Well I’ll go with Josef Newgarden to try and make a streak of good luck for him. He deserved at least a 4th position finish at Toronto. // Finally…he beats Simon Pagenaud…and has the fastest lap on the race!!! Hopefully this momentum carries toward the final 4 races.

The IZOD IndyCar Series will race next at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday August 5th.

Race #11 – The Edmonton Indy – Preview

INDYCAR is visiting my favorite venue type after the ovals — AIRPORT COURSES — which usually provides fast racing, bumpy surface, hard-turn corners, and lots of passing. The layout was changed in 2011 (picture below) to spice the competition but last year it was a dud in terms of passing and that expected excitement. Yet, the DW12 has been awesome and practice times are already on record-pace so we should expect a very fast and competitive race. The nature of IndyCar racing fits perfectly with this kind of venue (Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport hosted the best airport course for the Cleveland GP) and its competitive nature where even the bumpy-runways surface has to be conquered in order to win the race. Just awesome!

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – most of the teams are on their final engine change already (5 allowed in the season) and some like Scott Dixon is on its sixth. We may see more dropping on this race’s hard-on-equipment venue.
• The Helio Castroneves Watch – He has been the most consistent racer on the year and that has kept him in striking distance. I’m betting he will make a jump in the standings after this one. He loves this circuit.
• The American Hero Watch – Ryan Hunter-Reay can punch out the rest of the field with a podium finish let alone a win. I will say everything will need to fall his way to make INDYCAR history by winning 4 straight races…he has the team, the will, the skills, and destiny on his side. This feat has not been completed by an American since Al Unser Jr. in 1990.
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on NBC Sports Network and the TV partner will provide 5 (FIVE) hours of INDYCAR coverage. Just like the Iowa Race, NBC Sports Network is all INDYCAR tomorrow and we have the best broadcast team in the house. I’m really looking forward that, after the Olympics are broadcast in this channel, people will find it and bring new fans for the rest of the INDYCAR season.
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – I can only think one issue: RAIN!!! That would be just a game changer that may be good for an Oriol Servia, Scott Dixon, or Sebastian Bourdais coming from the pack of the field on different strategies (based on qualifying I have not seen yet).

As in every race, we should pick a winner, just for the sake of trying to be the guru of INDYCAR knowledge (which I’m far from it, but let’s do it anyway!):

Race Winner: I will pick Helio Castroneves to win his 2nd race of the season on another Airport Course (he won the opener at St. Pete which includes part of the airport) and possibly vaulting him to 2nd place in the Championship.

Engine Winner: Chevrolet should win once again!!!

Highest Rookie: Well I’ll go with Josef Newgarden to try and make a streak of good luck for him. He deserved at least a 4th position finish at Toronto.

Well, tune in TODAY at 12:00pm on NBC Sports Network (Channel 159 on Dish Network) to INDYCAR 36 featuring James Hinchcliffe…then the IndyLights race…and then the Edmonton Indy race (Green Flag scheduled at 2:45pm). Enjoy!

Race #10 The Honda Indy Toronto – Recap

Ok, wait a minute…was it not supposed to be now the moment that Will Power would leave everyone on the dust with 5 straight road and street races? Well, it surely started that way but with so many twists (pun intended!) in the race the win fell in Ryan Hunter-Ray’s lap like a kitten. He has now won THREE races in a row…yes, the AMERICAN RACE CAR DRIVER, is in the Championship lead by 37 markers. So much for Graham and Marco being the American heroes!!! We can certainly write (and be relieved!) that Dario Franchitti is done for this year’s championship as he is now 107 points out with 5 races remaining. It is just too much ground to make. Read the Official Box Score here.

Career Best for Charlie Kimball (USA) as he finishes in 2nd.

The storylines are as follows:

• Engines – we can safely say that the THREE engine manufacturers are pushing the limits and it is also creating havoc in the races. Today’s race featured engine failure to Scott Dixon (Honda), Simona de Silvestro (Lotus), and James Hinchcliffe (Chevrolet).
• The Sebastian Bourdais Watch – Sebastian is coming back after taking the oval portion off the schedule (commitments in 24-hours of Le-Mans) and was knocking on the win (he was 3rd at the last restart) but got pushed to the wall and ended one-lap down in 14th. I would bet that SeaBass will be a winner before the season ends. He showed his team is ready to provide him the best car possible.
• The Ryan Briscoe Watch – Ryan once again was robed of at least a Top 5 finish when he was pushed toward the wall during turn 3 scrimmage and got into Dario Franchitti ending his race. He just cannot get a break. Maybe a win at the Season Finale at Fontana will erase all bad memories.
• TV Partner and Ratings – as usual, ABC missed a restart, some passes (at least they went back to replay them), and there were some names misspelled by the whole crew up and down. They were off their game a bit…I would expect a 1.0 rating with a 1pm start. Hopefully it finishes at 1.2 and that should be the upswing INDYCAR needs.
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – with Toronto there are ALWAYS issues on track as Simon Pagenaud, who has raced very clean this year, just was awful blocking going into turn 3 and destroyed Josef Newgarden’s race. Josef also got into Will Power, Graham Rahal into teammate Charlie Kimball, Charlie Kimball into Sebastian Bourdais (although Charlie was not at fault but SeaBass had another perspective!) and Tony Kanaan had a run into a tire in pit lane. Great all-around action!!!

Race Winner: Due to my grandma’s passing I was not able to do this race’s preview and I did not pick a winner but RHR would have not been my pick. Yet, he has shown that he is poised to be reckoned with the Championship run. He was my pick at the start of the season to finish a close second to Will Power. If he wins it…I will not complain!

Ryan Hunter-Reay wins his 3rd consecutive race.

Engine Winner: Another Chevy win…Honda got the other two podium spots!

Highest Rookie: It looks like Josef is soooo close to being at the podium in every race but something happens (by him or into him!) that just destroys his great effort and potential results. Simon has his worst day even after leading 23 laps. His mid-pack racing left some bad taste after blocking a couple of times.

Race #9 Iowa Corn Indy 250 – Recap

I think we can safely say/write that this oval track has everything INDYCAR could want in a venue: great fans, great promotion, great racing, great finishes. The only thing that may hurt the event is the starting time for casual fans to tune in…because after that they should be glued to the TV set. There is just no chance to take a breath with 17-seconds laps and all the side-by-side racing. I thought we could lose some close-racing excitement with the downforce changes to the aero packages but the DW12 chassis has shown is just too good for its value! We were entertain to once again a close victory this time by Ryan Hunter-Reay with now back-to-back wins (last week at Milwaukee). Ryan is now the oval-meister in the series!!!

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – engines are failing and blowing on testing and racing during the last week. We’ll see if they hold on on this high-rev race. // it was clear there were some potential issues and it showed right out of the warming laps and into Lap 1 as Dario Franchitti’s engine blew (torpedo hit by Rebel squad Andretti Autosports on Death Star Troopers Ganassi Racing!). Still, there were some Chevy issues as well and I love this manufacturers competition as it keeps everyone on their heels and the Championship is very much up for grabs still.
• The Marco Andretti Watch – He is on a freefall but this race could be his season’s turnaround. Now is the time to complete races and get results as much as possible. He is the reigning race Champion. // how close Marco came to reversing his season?!?! a 2nd place finish is still good enough for a turnaround on the season. One problem: Marco excels on ovals but he has improved on RC/SC competition. He needs to step up on the next 6/7 races before the next oval (potential schedule changes due to China GP cancellation!!!)
• The Ryan Briscoe Watch – Ryan always races well on ovals but he needs his car and skills to be a match. This race could be another good opportunity to close on the Top 5 on the Championship. We’ll see! // He would have won the race if not by the banzai move by Josef Newgarden that sent both cars into the wall. What a bad break for Briscoe who would surely have been a podium contender.
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on NBC Sports Network and the TV partner will provide 5 (FIVE) hours of INDYCAR coverage. AWESOME RESPONSE…but the race will start late for Eastern Seaboard fans (around 10pm ET) and we may get some sleepy ones at that time. I expect the 0.5 rating these start-time races get. Read here the TV Schedule. // now this is a TV Partner!!! The commitment to INDYCAR by NBC Sports Network is evident (they can improve on their tweeter account but they are making strides!!!). They were prepared for what all of us feared: rain delay time…they had recent information to share on drivers and the series. Too bad it was such a late start as the rating will surely reflect that.
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – The drivers are complaining on restarts procedures regarding starting point on the track. Drivers in this series will always complain about anything but this time I think they out-done it. They are professionals and should manage the restarts. We’ll see if Race Director Beaux Barfield bows to the drivers demands. // as expected, the race had multiple cars going into the wall as it is part of the bullring racing at Iowa. Race Control and TV were very good on this one!

As in every race, we should pick a winner, just for the sake of trying to be the guru of INDYCAR knowledge (which I’m far from it, but let’s do it anyway!):

Race Winner: I will pick Mr Go Daddy himself: James Hinchcliffe to finally win his 1st race and take over the sponsor’s homepage away from the princess Danica Patrick. Did I mentioned he has already done more on the same team in HALF a season than the lady queen? // Oh, Hinch had a great car to even challenge for the win…he led 19 laps and was driving in the pack when he caught dirty air (air wash Maverick!) and went straight into the wall. I’m very, very happy that RHR is winning and staying happy with Andretti Autosports. He was my title contender at the beginning of the season and now he sits 3 points behind Will Power who last week seems secured on the Championship run. That’s why the IZOD IndyCar Series is the best…great drivers, great championship EVERY YEAR!!!

Engine Winner:Chevrolet should be back on the top spot!!! // Chevy swept the podium!!! Enough said…

Highest Rookie: Well I’ll go with Simon Pagenaud since Josef Newgarden has been burned by me picking him in every oval. Probably now Josef can take podium. // Now it just a matter of finishing the season…Simon Pagenaud has even mastered the ovals (never raced on any!) so it all over for the ROY award. Great run by Simon coming from last (25th) to a Top 5 finish! Awesome job!!!

Race #8 The Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ – Recap

What a race…until the midpoint since I had to go to the DVR due to my business-side matters…and ABC changed channels – from Network to ESPN News – and we got screwed again (that is another rant for later post!). The race was great all around including better attendance (probably 70% full) and great racing on track with the festival going on the infield. It seemed fitting that Andretti Autosports won the race after their marketing arm, Andretti Sports Marketing SAVED the race. Just awesome all around. There was controversy in the race – as usual – with Scott Dixon getting penalized for jumping the start. I have to admit I did not see that part of the race and I will comment on it after I see the replay on YouTube when available in a few days. Still Scott Dixon is prone to jump starts almost EVERY time. Before you disagree with me on that, just watch the Belle Isle race this year and the Indy 500 and get back to me on that one.

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – apparently the engines are failing at the Iowa Speedway testing. At least 4 drivers with Honda power will receive a 10-grid penalty for changing engines for the race. It would be interesting to see how many could fail at the race. // As expected, we saw Justin Wilson’s Honda engine go Kei$ha with a big firework. Chevy took 8 of the first 10 position at the checkered flag. Great comeback by Chevy and some concerns on the Honda camp.
• The Justin Wilson Watch – After coming from a win at Texas, Justin would need to prove this was no fluke (or aided by unapproved technical aero pieces) and have a great finish. This being a drivers track he should have no problem posting a Top 5 or even winning again…that would be something!!! // Justin qualified 2nd and ran well until his Honda powerplant exploded on Lap 93 (out of 225) ending his day at P23.
• The Ryan Briscoe Watch – Ryan will be on our watch the whole season. He is poised to win a race soon and this could be it. Another Top 3 is not out of the question. // Man, this one had my head scratching. They take a 10-grid penalty after Team Penske decides to go to a engine change (apparently for the same reason as Will Power) and then they were stuck in the high-teen positions all day. Not a factor whatsoever finishing one lap down!!!
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on ESPN on ABC tomorrow and there should be no direct competition from other major sports since it is a mid-day event. I would write that a 1.2 rating would be achievable with all the INDYCAR news surrounding the series and the great 5-week competition stretch. // I will not waste time explaining how WRONG this TV partner is for INDYCAR. You can officially count me in on those who want ABC out. NBC should be a full partner and Randy Bernard should look for an out-clause on the contract after two consecutive channel transfers on races. This is not good for fans, sponsors and the overall health of the sport and its TV ratings.
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – I don’t expect anything major except a blown engine or some on-track penalty to damage the competition. The weather apparently is perfect so there is no issue on that front. // The weather changed quickly before the race and the 90-minute rain delay was a killer as ABC decided to transfer from Network TV to ESPN News. The lousy TV Partner could not hold-off the other racing series minor-league race and finish the IndyCar race. Fans, sponsors and league got screwed once again!

As in every race, we should pick a winner, just for the sake of trying to be the guru of INDYCAR knowledge (which I’m far from it, but let’s do it anyway!):

Race Winner: I will pick JR Hildebrand to surprise everyone for the 2nd week in a row after Justin Wilson’s win last week. Panther Racing is due and I think their driver has the skills to master this oval for years to come (hopefully the event stays!!!). // Well, JR was not a factor and his Chevy engine quit on Lap 105 with a mechanical failure finishing P22. Ryan Hunter-Reay wins his 2nd Milwaukee Mile race and his 6th career IndyCar win.

Engine Winner:Chevrolet should be back on the top spot!!! // Yes they did…in big style taking 8 of the Top 10 spots and the first 6 positions!!!

Highest Rookie: Josef Newgarden should FINALLY make me proud!!!. I still think he is a Top 10 or better driver. He needs patience and a good enough car underneath him. // Josef is just killing me!!! When the car is good something happens with him…and when he is good the car quits on him…at least his “Incognito” videos are AWESOME!!! Simon Pagenaud can probably walk away with Rookie Of The Year honors by now!!!

The IZOD IndyCar Series goes under the lights to the exciting and fast .0875-mile oval at Newton, Iowa for The Iowa Corn Indy 250 next Saturday at 10:00pm on NBC Sports Network.

Race #8 The Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ – Preview

We wanted a Street Race Party and We Got It!!! The Milwaukee Mile will be transformed into one big festival called the IndyFest. This great concept has been talked in the INDYCAR circles but no one had done it. Kudos to Andretti Sports Marketing for doing this effort and creating what should be a successful event. The racing in this 1-mile oval has always been exciting and the drivers skills take the stage for the most part.

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – apparently the engines are failing at the Iowa Speedway testing. At least 4 drivers with Honda power will receive a 10-grid penalty for changing engines for the race. It would be interesting to see how many could fail at the race.
• The Justin Wilson Watch – After coming from a win at Texas, Justin would need to prove this was no fluke (or aided by unapproved technical aero pieces) and have a great finish. This being a drivers track he should have no problem posting a Top 5 or even winning again…that would be something!!!
• The Ryan Briscoe Watch – Ryan will be on our watch the whole season. He is poised to win a race soon and this could be it. Another Top 3 is not out of the question.
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on ESPN on ABC tomorrow and there should be no direct competition from other major sports since it is a mid-day event. I would write that a 1.2 rating would be achievable with all the INDYCAR news surrounding the series and the great 5-week competition stretch.
• Will There Be Some Issues at the Race? – I don’t expect anything major except a blown engine or some on-track penalty to damage the competition. The weather apparently is perfect so there is no issue on that front.

As in every race, we should pick a winner, just for the sake of trying to be the guru of INDYCAR knowledge (which I’m far from it, but let’s do it anyway!):

Race Winner: I will pick JR Hildebrand to surprise everyone for the 2nd week in a row after Justin Wilson’s win last week. Panther Racing is due and I think their driver has the skills to master this oval for years to come (hopefully the event stays!!!).

Engine Winner:Chevrolet should be back on the top spot!!!

Highest Rookie: Josef Newgarden should FINALLY make me proud!!!. I still think he is a Top 10 or better driver. He needs patience and a good enough car underneath him.

Well, tune in TOMORROW at 12:30pm on ABC (Channel 20 on Dish Network) to the pre-race show. The green flag should drop at 12:45pm… Enjoy!

Race #7 – The Firestone 550K at Texas Motor Speedway – Recap

WHAT A GREAT RACE!!!  The doom-and-gloom people can take a back seat on this one because it was a great race…it may not had the pack racing that some of us love, but it certainly had the drama, fast-pace, action, and finish we are accustomed at TMS. To have Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson (both road/street courses specialists) battling it out in the last 3 laps was awesome. Too bad Graham hit the wall on the next to last lap, although through his skills he would skimp his car toward the finish line to get 2nd place. For Justin Wilson…he has come a long way by winning an oval…and not just any oval!!! Great job by Eddie Gossage, Randy Bernard and INDYCAR to have a great race and entertainment for all fans. HOW ABOUT SOME SONNY’S BBQ ADS FOR JUSTIN WILSON NOW!!!

The storylines are as follows:

• Honda Engines – there seems to be an advantage with Honda powerplants as races are in long green-flag stints. Chevrolet needs to win this race to hold on to the early supremacy. // It looked like Chevy would win this one until Will Power received a drive-thru penalty for blocking WHILE LEADING. Honda finished 1st and 2nd while Chevy got 3rd. The Top 10 was divided equally.
• The Rubens Barichello Watch – Rubens is on another ride of his life. As in Indy, he will experience this oval for the 1st time and it could be a thrill for him. He will stay away from trouble and finish in double digits. //Well he finished in double-digits allright…his car never fired as his Chevy engine had issues and DID NOT START…too bad.
• The Ryan Briscoe Watch– this superb and gutsy driver has not seen the winner’s circle since…well, Texas in 2010. I’m just making a gut-feeling pick here that Ryan will finish in the Top 3. He always races very well here at TMS. // I got this one right. Ryan finished 3rd and making the podium…he was a factor for the win all race but at the end the Rahal and Wilson’s tires hold on better.
• TV Partner and Ratings – the race will be on NBC Sports Network tonight and will be competing directly with the NBA Playoffs and the NHL Stanley Cup Finals (both on probable closeout games). I would write that a 0.5 rating will be a win for this race. // Outstanding job by NBC Sports Network but the pre-race show was basically a cry-baby stuff about the drivers complaints and having Townsend Bell complain either did not help one bit the promotion of the race. That needs to stop immediately for future races.
• Will There Be Some Scary Crash or Big Attrition? – as a big oval I would expect to be some carnage but I would not expect anything like Las Vegas. The cars are different, the drivers are different and the climate is different. It should be like any race here at Texas…fast, edgy, and gutsy!!! //There were 3 cars out by contact, 3 by mechanical issues and 2 that did not start. Not the attrition we are accustomed to see at Texas but it is better this way.

As in every race, we should pick a winner, just for the sake of trying to be the guru of INDYCAR knowledge (which I’m far from it, but let’s do it anyway!):

Race Winner: I will pick Ryan Briscoe to end his winless streak tonight. I think Roger Penske is angry at the last couple of weeks events and he will have Ryan at the lead at the right moment. // Justin Wilson wins his 1st oval race. Now, how sweet that sounds for the 33-year old racer from England!!! I bet NO ONE had him on any of the Fantasy Leagues everywhere…CONGRATS, and well deserve victory to Dale Coyne Racing.

Engine Winner:Chevrolet should be back on the top spot!!! // Honda wins again…on a 3-race winning streak!!!

Highest Rookie: Josef Newgarden will make Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing proud of with a Top 5 finish. // WOW, I guess Simon Pagenaud can easily claim the Rookie of The Year Award and we are not half-way point on the season yet. Josef would need some serious butt-kicking in the next 2 ovals to make a stand.

The IZOD IndyCar Series go to the historic 103-year old, 1-mile oval at West Allis, Wisconsin for The Milwaukee Indy Fest 225 next Saturday at 12:30pm on ABC.