July 26, 2009

Well, the race is over and Jimmie Johnson is the winner. After a race blowing error by Juan Pablo Montoya, who led for a vast majority of the race (116 of 160 laps), put him back to 11th place. Mark Martin made a good showing, coming in second with Tony Stewart third. Rumors abound that Allstate will not be renewing their sponsorship of the race.

My prayers go out to Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and his family after a near fatal crash during Saturday's qualifying for the Hungarian Gran Prix. The F1 race had a somber tone as Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula One race of the season.

In the IRL, Will Power is proving to Roger Penske that he deserves a full time ride. With Power winning the Rexall Edmonton Indy, will Penske run a third car all next year to accommodate this excellent young driver? It was his first win of the year and second pole.

Next Race in INDY - The Redbull Indianapolis Grand Prix August 30^th. See you there!

July 25, 2009

The field has been set for the Allstate Brickyard 400! All 43 spots have been filled for the race that begins at 2pm on Sunday July 26, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mark Martin takes the pole with Juan Pablo Montoya joining him on the outside of the front row.

Click Here for the Qualifying Grid

The day started off with rain but everything cleared up for a great day for qualifications. The weather for Sunday appears to hold a chance of rain and somewhat cool temperatures for this time in July. No complaints here on the temperature but am praying for a “dry day” tomorrow.

Race Day Tomorrow!

July 24, 2009

Well, it looks like Goodyear may have fixed the tire problem that made last year’s race more of a pit stop competition. Friday’s practice went off without a hitch. Everyone seems to feel confident the same thing won’t happen this year.

Decent weather gave the drivers the ability to get decent speeds. Top speed belonged to Mark Martin in his #5 Carquest/Kellogg’s Chevrolet. He managed a lap time of 49.822 seconds for a speed of 180.643 on the 2.5 mile oval in Indianapolis. Juan Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Reed Sorenson rounded out the top five. They all got their top speeds in the second practice session of the day.

Indiana favorites, Tony Stewart (178.855mph) and Jeff Gordon (178.264mph) had speeds that put them in the middle of the pack. As for Dale Earnhardt Jr. his top speed for the day was 179.702 mph.

A great thing about NASCAR and Practice Day. They make sure everyone is available for the fans. Some of the guys may be prima donnas on the track. But they all know who pays the bills. Kudos to NASCAR for making it fan friendly. I know the kids love it as well as a lot of the "adult" kids.

Tomorrow – Qualifications! Good Luck and Safe Driving!

July 23, 2009

In Indianapolis, we have three big races a year. This week is the second of the three: The Allstate Brickyard 400. It is a great one weekend spectacle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The NASCAR teams roll into town on Thursday, they practice on Friday, they qualify on Saturday and then it all comes together on Sunday, as they race for the yard of bricks at the finish line. This is the 16^th running of the Brickyard 400. Combine that with it being the “Centennial Era” at IMS, and you can count on it being a good show. I went to the track during the month of May (Indianapolis 500, IRL), and the track never looked better. However, it still takes a little getting used to seeing the first turn infield seating gone to make room for the MotoGP course.

I will post updates here throughout the weekend. I will try to keep you up to date on the goings on of all the racers: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the old man, Mark Martin. Martin is putting on one hell of a show this year and is showing everyone that age is only a number. (I keep telling myself that as well)

Check back for updates all weekend.

July 21, 2009

Auto Racing is one of the most exciting of all sports. There is something for everyone. F!, NASCAR, the IRL and Drag Racing to name a few. When you go into motor-sports it opens it even more. You can add MotoGP, for the two wheel enthusiast. And, you can add boat and airplane racing for other dimensions.

Auto racing is by far the most popular of the motor sports. People from all over the world follow Formula One. In the U.S., NASCAR is very popular spectator sport. Many people like to participate at the local or regional level. They build their car and race it all as a hobby. Without these hobbyists, there would be no professionals.

With the addition of the MotoGP race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, motorcycle racing now has an outlet in the US. There are also many power boat and sailing regattas to appeal to the watercraft fans. Aviation enthusiasts have the Reno Air Races and the newer Redbull Air Races to satisfy their adrenalin needs.

Formula One started building a following in the US with the addition of the US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But the powers that be with F1 decided that a US race was not important to their long term profitability. Maybe, maybe not, but they still have a sizable following in the US that would enjoy not having to travel outside the country to go to a race. Perhaps with the current infighting in F!, the race may return in the future. In the meantime, many travel companies continue to provide F! Race packages for those fans that must make it to a particular race. They have packages that appeal to the budget minded fan all the up to luxury accommodations for those people that the social scene is as much a part of the race as the race itself.