Indy 500 Field Set After Bump Day May 18th

If anyone needed more rationale for why unification in Indycars is the best thing that's happened for open wheel racing in America in decades, today's action on Bump Day at Indy should be enough. It certainly lived up to its name and the drama was there right up to the 6 o'clock closing gun, just like it used to be. The roller coaster began at noon when AJ Foyt IV qualified to knock Marty Roth out. This is all from memory so bear with me for a moment. Around 3, Foyt had a scary crash in Turn 3 when the fuel cover came off and a fireball erupted as he spun into the wall - he actually seemed to accelerate as he slid backwards into the wall. My full sequence lasted over 50 images on my Canon 40D and he nearly flipped over as he slid through the north short chute. American Motor Journal will get the best of my shots for their next edition where I'll be covering the 500 from all angles.

Then Lazier got bumped by Roth. Mario Dominguez got in. Yasakawa was out. Then Yasakawa tried twice to get back in sandwiched around an awesome run by Buddy Lazier to put Dominguez out and put Roth back on the hot seat. With about 3 minutes before Bump Day qualifying was to end, Dominguez made a last run but crashed entering Turn 1 on his second lap after he had run a 219.7 on his first lap that would have put Roth on the sidelines. What a day. What a week. When I get some more time this week, I'll put more pix from the first two weeks on my picasa site, but for now, my feet hurt and I've got to get back to the real working world tomorrow, so this post will be brief.

Everyone seems to love lists, and here are a few items I thought of today while standing and watching lap after lap in Turn 3:

Best Decision: Marty Roth hiring John Andretti for his experience and setup savvy. No way Roth finds the 219's he ran today without John's help.

Worst Month of May: tie - Mario Dominguez and AJ Foyt IV. Mario for his three crashes and AJ for his struggles throughout qualifying and then wadding up a good race car after a mechanical failure.

Best Paint Jobs: Both of the KV Racing cars had gorgeous paint schemes and Powers looked best in green and yellow.

Worst Paint Jobs: All the white cars, especially Graham Rahal's. These cars just disappear against the white walls in photos when it's bright and sunny.

Worst Deal: Sarah Fisher's phantom sponsorships. Fans were giving her checks to help with costs but those firms that promised the moon should get sent into orbit.

Most Impressive: Graham Rahal. He could be rookie of the year and he seemed to learn every time out, and was fearless in attacking the track no matter what the conditions were. Vitor Meira and the Dreyer Reinbold teams were also impressive, but they had the advantage of familiarity with equipment.

Worst Luck: Chuck Buckman of Dale Coyne's team - wrong place, wrong time. Get well soon.

Shortest Month: Phil Giebler. he got on the track for the first time during Saturday morning's practice in a year-old Panoz and was in the hospital by 4:30 that afternoon.

Most Resilient: The IMS SAFER barriers. A dozen crashes and still standing, albeit dented.

Heartbreak Award: Mario Dominguez. The Bump Day mantra is crash, get in or go home. He crashed.

Happiest Driver: Buddy Lazier. He ran faster in the last 30 minutes than he had since he first turned a wheel Friday May 16th. They went to the garage before 5 today and came back to run two banzai qualifying attempts to put it in the show. Great Job for the Hemelgarn Johns on bunch.

Now the Speedway is quiet until Friday for the Indycars. It's one thing to get in the race. It's another thing entirely to race to win. Back with more soon.

Indy 500 Qualifiers Fill the Field May 17th

On another beautiful spring day when qualified and non-qualified drivers alike tried to knock down the IMS walls, Saturday qualifying at Indy wrapped up with a full field and a woefully slow Marty Roth on the bubble. Hideki Mutoh (shown) slid way high in Turn 2 and bounced off the fence during afternoon practice, but four drivers in all wrecked today. Mario Dominguez spun entering Turn 1 and crashed in the morning practice and Max Papis pounded the Turn 3 barrier as the checkers fell on the session. Around 4:15, not long after Mutoh's incident, Phil Giebler punched a hole in the Turn 1 SAFER barrier in the last (and loudest) crash of the day. I was in Turn 2 when it happened and my first reaction was "BIG HIT" it was so loud. But the wind was wicked from the west all afternoon and many drivers struggled.

Most notable among those struggling was AJ Foyt IV who got sideways in 2 on an early qualifying attempt and never took the green flag on a second attempt at around 5:45 p.m. So he's on the outside looking in with more teams pulling all-nighters tonight fixing damaged cars and a promising bump day ahead tomorrow if the weather holds out. Conditions are likely to be different again tomorrow with scattered showers predicted and wind from the north-northwest, so it will probably be chilly. Today's lessons are probably lost on those yet to qualify but the teams at the front will be running lots of race setup laps just like today. I feel like I covered 5 miles at the track on foot today so I've got to sign off with another big day ahead tomorrow. I shot my first two crashes of the month today and filled two 1-gig memory cards with over 500 images so I had a great day. My 73 year old mother went out with me today too, and we had a blast. You don't see too many gray haired "old ladies" at the Speedway but she got her autographs and enjoyed all the action on pit road while I was roaming from the pits to Turn 1, to the F1 garage roof, to the Penthouse to the outside and inside of Turn 2, and then finally back to the pits. I'm getting tired just writing about it! More later folks so y'all come back now, ya hear?

For some of today's pix, click on the following image. To see all my galleries from the month of May so far, then follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jayalley.

Indy 500 Qualifying May 17, 2008

Indy 500 Final Qualifications Next

What a difference a day makes. After a cold and dark Thursday practice session, the changeable Indiana weather delivered a masterpiece today as crystal clear blue skies and temperatures near 70 greeted everyone at IMS on Friday for the last full practice day before the final weekend of qualifying. The forecast for the weekend has improved as well.

Unfortunately, three drivers found the SAFER barriers today - two rookies (Power and Viso) and one surprising veteran: outside front row starter Ryan Briscoe. The only good things were that no one was hurt and Briscoe was in a backup car. The teams for Power and Viso are probably pulling all-nighters tonight though, and the newcomers are finding out how difficult Indy truly can be. I'm sure Roger Penske can't be too happy though...

Buddy Lazier (pictured) got on track for the first time for Ron Hemelgarn and Roger Yasukawa's money must have shown up since he was out in Greg Beck's 98 car. I saw Jay Howard in the garage area and he seemed in good spirits even though he's lost his seat for the month to John Andretti. Buddy Rice worked hard today, but no one moreso than Vitor Meira who ran at least a half race distance today. It was great seeing the packs of cars running together - all four Andretti Green teammates were out together on several occasions, trading places with each other drafting. Saturday should be really interesting and I hope the field gets filled tomorrow.

I was in Turn 3 again today since I got out around 2:30, but I did have time to run through the pits and garage area briefly. The lighting was superb in 3 this afternoon, and even though the wrecking was going on elsewhere and before I got there, I'm a happy camper so far this month! Back with more later. Until then, click on the following image to see a few other pix from today.

Indy 500 Practice May 16, 2008

Back on Track at Indy: Practice May 15th

On a cold and blustery May day, the cars returned to the Speedway in earnest today, running over 2600 laps in the first full day of practice since Pole Day. With yesterday another virtual washout, I didn't miss much and I couldn't get out today until around 4 and man was it dark! The wind was brisk out of the east-northeast, and in Turn 3 today, it was right in your face. When I got there, the Andretti Green teammates were running race day setups in pairs, and were later joined by the Target boys. Scheckter ran a bunch of laps while I was there, and even Marty Roth ran some good laps above 219 around 5:45. Even today was cut short by "moisture in the air" around 5:55. You could see it coming though as the weather radar on the track's big video screens showed a clear "donut" in the rainy weather system that surrounded Indianapolis. But as so often happens in May at Indianapolis, it didn't rain at the Speedway until everyone got some serious work done.

Jeff Simmons was out in Foyt's 41 car. Will Power had fast time of the non-qualified cars at over 222 with John Andretti in Roth's second car next, along with three more who have yet to qualify also over 222. Alex Lloyd was back out in the 16 car, with a new paint job and sponsor too. My focus was on getting shots of cars I had not seen yet, so I hardly shot anything today in the two hours I was out there. Tomorrow should be a different story however, as it should be a nice day and I expect to get out for most of the afternoon.

Weather forecasts for the weekend are iffy and if the current pattern holds, I'm sure we will see some rain. Of course that just makes filling the field all the more interesting (or nerve wracking, depending on which side of the catch fence you are on) and I expect it will take at least 219.5 to make the race. Temperatures are not supposed to crest 70 all weekend and cooler track temps often mean faster speeds, unless the wind is up, so you never know who's got what until they actually head out for their 4-lap runs. Spots 12-33 are up for grabs Saturday and then Bump Day is Sunday, so it looks like about 5 teams are likely going home disappointed Sunday night.

An example of how dark it was today can be seen in the above pic, which shows Jaime Camara bottoming out with sparks flying. I enjoyed listening to the PA system identify Jaime as Bernoldi this afternoon, but this is clearly Jaime as Bernoldi's helmet is blue. No one bothered to tell the track announcers that they had apparently swapped cars for the day! Oh well. When you see as many laps through the lens as I do, it's hard to miss which driver is which, especially when the cars are painted the same - the helmet style is the only way to tell them apart.

Here's a couple others from today. Enjoy! See you tomorrow from the Brickyard.

Indy 500 Practice May 15, 2008

More Rain in Indy - Quals Day 2 Washed Away

For the third day out of the last five, rain has completely wiped out track activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Counting Friday's rain-shortened session, rain has cut more than half of the week's track time. For those who qualified yesterday and were going to take today off anyway, it's no big deal. But everyone else now has to wait until Wednesday to try and get ready for an even bigger task this Saturday, when qualifying will resume again with the remaining 22 spots up for grabs. Then the real bumping will begin. If the weather cooperates, it should be fun.

Speaking of fun, I've had more fun at the Speedway this week than I can remember in years. The freedom I've had this year through the American Motor Journal to cover all aspects of race preparation has enabled me to shoot from a variety of locations. I've been able to get loads of people shots, which was just about impossible as a turn shooter, and I've been where I needed to be to cover the story of Indy. For example, this picture of Scott Dixon was taken as they escorted him from pit road to the ceremony area after the pole runs were completed and the masses were all around us. This is why I shoot races - to be part of it, and not just a spectator.

I got another example on Friday morning when I was walking through the garage area looking for people shots and I saw John and Aldo Andretti talking with Larry Curry outside the Roth Racing garage. I wondered what that was about but knew John has been known for hopping in other people's cars to get them set up, and Lord knows Roth's team can probably use the help, even with Curry on board now. Then I saw a friend who told me he was working with John on sponsorship and he wouldn't say why he was talking with Curry, but I knew Jay Howard had struggled early in the week and appeared to be losing rather than gaining speed. So then Saturday morning, the announcement was made at the track that John would take Howard's seat for Indy only, and sure enough, he was on track in the 24 car in the morning practice session.

Friday also brought the scariest moment of the month so far, when Danica hit Chuck Buckman of Dale Coyne's team on pit road. I had just walked through the pits not 10 minutes before that happened and the crowd around Danica was just ridiculous. By the time I got to Turn 1 to shoot for awhile, photographers were listening to scanners and everyone was talking about what they had heard since there was no video at the time. And when there's downtime, photographers talk.

Anyway, there's nothing going on now until Wednesday and I won't be able to get back to the track until Thursday afternoon, so I've got time to regroup and finish editing the 2,000 or so images I've already shot. Thank God for digital! Here's a group from featuring those who locked themselves in to the top 11 during Pole Day. Until next time, be safe!

Indy 500 Pole Day

Dixon on Target - Takes Indy 500 Pole

Congratulations to Target Chip Ganassi Racing which put Scott Dixon on pole for this year's Indy 500! Scotty-D had to sweat out a late challenge from his teammate Dan Wheldon to hang onto P1. Snagging a Target 1-2 and pushing Penske's Ryan Briscoe to the outside of the first row had to sweet for the Chipster. Dixon took his first Indy pole with a second attempt in mid-afternoon and then waited everyone out that tried to challenge. I wonder what happened to all the speed Andretti Green's drivers had shown in the morning practice session... It doesn't really matter now since they all got in the top 9, and Ryan Briscoe surprisingly outran the dancing man, Helio Castroneves. Great efforts by Hideki Mutoh, Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter to get in the first 11 will allow them to rest easy and work on race setups from here on out.

It's been a very long day, so I'll be back soon with more pix when I get ny batteries recharged.

Indy 500 Fast Friday: Dixon Fastest; Danica Hits Coyne Crew Member

In a rain shortened Fast Friday, Scott Dixon led the way with a top lap of nearly 227 mph. This came amid a very scary pit road incident when Danica Patrick clipped a crew member for Dale Coyne racing as she came into her pit box. Thankfully, reports are now good for Chuck Buckman who ended up with a concussion after getting flipped in the crowded pit lane. I had walked through that area just a few minutes before the incident happened and by the time I got to Turn 1, the rumors were flying of something far more serious having happened. As if anyone needs another reminder of how dangerous this sport is, hopefully this will be a wake up call for everyone heading into Pole Day tomorrow. By 3:15 the rains came and ended a very busy and dramatic day at the Speedway. Back with more later.

Indy 500 Practice Day 5 Washed Out - Fast Friday Next

Rain fell throughout the day today, May 8th and not even the track drying equipment made it out at the Brickyard. I didn't go out either and I'm excited about Fast Friday which should be furious as everyone gears up for Pole Day and a spot in the Top 11 which will be at stake Saturday. Rookies had better watch their mirrors in practice Friday and be ready to give up the line into the corners if they are not running at the speeds of the top teams. Hopefully, it will be a safe and fast day for everyone tomorrow and I'll be back to write about it all and post more pix.

Watch for AGR's Hideki Mutoh, Newman Haas Lannigan's Justin Wilson and Alex Lloyd with the Ganassi/Rahal Letterman combo to rise to the top this weekend. They have the teams behind them that could catapult them towards the front, but they must be patient and not try to do too much too soon. Jaime Camara paid the price for that earlier this week and Indy is a stern taskmaster for those who don't pay attention to the lessons of others. See you soon.

Rain Washes Out Day 4 of Indy 500 Practice

Now things will start to get tough. No one turned a wheel today as Mother Nature brought intermittent showers which prevented the track from even opening.

Tomorrow's forecast is even worse - maybe as much as 2 inches of rain over the next 24 hours! So by the time the teams hit the track again Friday, they will encounter a green racing surface with all the rubber of the first three practice days washed away. Cooler temperatures are also predicted so setup work done so far may no longer be relevant. These are conditions rarely encountered in a two- or three-day race weekend and the good teams always rise to the top. This is also the time when experience shows and it could be tough sledding for many of the newcomers. But that's one of the things that makes Indy so great - so many variables spread out over a two week preparation period.

Another thing that makes Indy great is the people - names to be more precise. From A to Z, driver surnames run the gamut. Oddly enough, there has never been a Smith make the race! The old guard: Rahal. Unser. Andretti. Foyt. Parsons. Rutherford. The flavor: Helio. Kanaan. Mutoh. Dixon. Bruno. And my newest favorite driver name - Will Power. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures, I have spent so much time over the years just shooting race cars, that I almost don't know how to act this year with the flexibility I now have. So today since there were no cars on the track, I decided to post people pictures, drivers all, many of them champions. Could the next Indy 500 winner be in this group?

Enjoy!

Indianapolis 500 People 2008

Indy 500 Practice Day 3: Marco Tops Speed Charts

Today was warmer and windier than either of the first two practice days so far this month, but it didn't slow the veterans down who were getting on the track for the first time. Marco Andretti led the way today and I got out to Turn 3 just as he was setting his fast laps for the day. The usual suspects filled the top 5 with Kanaan, Dixon, Briscoe and Wheldon following Marco's top lap of over 226 mph. Over 1383 laps were run today and time may get short for some teams as the weather forecast is typical for this time of year. It is still early spring in Indiana and warmer weather usually brings showers, which are predicted for parts of Wednesday and Thursday. So tomorrow we'll either be watching the weather radar or it could be an extremely busy day as all of the full month teams will want to get track time before "Fast Friday", the day before Pole Day. A handful of other teams will join the fray next week with their Honda mini-leases.

I got the chance to walk pit lane again today and never cease to be amazed by how workmanlike the teams are in the pits. The Firestone engineers are everywhere, dutifully taking tire temperatures as the drivers run a few laps and pull in. Helio looked happy. Townsend Bell looked bored. Alex Lloyd, yesterday's fastest driver, excitedly talked with his crew about what he was experiencing. Dixon looked serious. Buddy Rice was animated in the cockpit, talking with his hands. Milka Duno never raised her visor. EJ Viso caught a lift out of Gasoline Alley on the sidepod of his car. Even though I couldn't get to the track today until almost 3, the routine of visiting the pits and then going to the turns is working out well and so far has made this one of my more enjoyable Mays in years. I have more flexibility than ever before and feel like I can really cover what's going on, rather than being nailed to a spot in a corner waiting for someone to spin or hit the fence. So instead of 3 seconds of action, I'm seeing the whole track again. Next I'll try to hit Turn 2 since I've been told the fence has been moved for the Moto GP course and the shooting spots are better than in years' past.

Will it be tomorrow, Thursday or Friday? Guess I'll just have to check Intellicast in the morning to time my trip down I-65 from work to catch whatever action I can. And when I get a break, I'll come back and post more pix as my goal has been to get car and driver shots of every competitor, plus helmet and scenic shots of the Speedway. The variety I have been looking for is there this year, and today alone I shot almost 1.7 gig of pix in a little more than 3 hours. I shudder to think what it will be like when I get a whole day out there. That should come Friday, weather permitting. See you next time!

Indy 500 Practice 2008 - Day 3

2008 Indy 500 Practice Continues - Vets & Rookies

Day 2 of practice runs for the 92nd Indy 500 continued today with an interesting mix of rookies going through their orientation paces, and veterans getting back up to speed through refresher courses. The first wall contact of the month sent Jaime Camara to Methodist Hospital but I heard late in the day that he had been released. Among the vets getting track time were Max Papis (pictured in Turn 3), Bruno Junqueira and Davey Hamilton. Max was out for the second straight day while Bruno and Davey were shaking off the rust by getting out today for the first time. Davey was last year's "feel good" story as he traded in his pilot's role for the IndyCar two-seater and ran his first race of any kind since his horrific Texas crash a few years ago. For Bruno, this is his first time at Indy since getting clipped by AJ Foyt IV in Turn 2 in the 2005 Indy 500 and breaking his back. It's good to see them both back on the track.

Will Power continued to show impressive speed today, as did Alex Lloyd and several others. Seat time cures all ills for race drivers, especially at a place like Indy where you have to thread the needle every time you dive into Turns 1 and 3, and the wall comes right out at you on the exits of 2 and 4. That is the fast way but everyone I saw today looked nice and smooth. No one runs the Cogan Line" or brushes the fence the way Tom Sneva used to, but I did see Servia have to go high to pass Jay Howard on the entrance to Turn 3 when Howard probably should have been in the warmup lane. He will learn - the price is high at Indy for slow learners and Howard was the Indy Pro series champ in 2006 and very impressive in the races I saw him run. Besides that, he has a good first name...

I couldn't get away from work until 2 this afternoon so I got out late and then was hoping to go outside Turn 3 to shoot the action coming right at me. I shot Turn 1 from the outside on Pole Day in 2006 and the head-on shots with the drivers' hands up high on the wheel are simply awesome. But it's dangerous as hell and the special vests are almost impossible to come by, so I had to settle for walking pit lane to see who was out, and then went to the inside of Turn 3 to shoot. It's the last corner where the fence is low and you're not shooting through a slot (or through the fencing itself like I did last May in Turn 2). The late afternoon sun shines right in the driver's faces as they come through 3 and exit into the north short chute so I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't go to the outside of the wall today. Maybe later this month (if I'm lucky).

I still have a ton of photo editing to do, even though today was just the second day of practice and a limited number of teams have been out. It's incredible how many images you can shoot with high speed digital now. It's the best thing since they invented the motordrive. I'm packaging up the rookie crop for American Motor Journal and expect tomorrow to be action-packed as all the teams hit the track. I think Moraes still has to finish his last speed bracket in his rookie test, but I'm pretty sure everyone else is ready to go flat out for Pole Day. Of the newcomers, Power, Wilson and Rahal have all been very impressive, but my shining star so far is Alex Lloyd, who is attempting to start his first IndyCar race of any kind, and he's doing it on the most well-known stage in the world. I ran into him yesterday on pit lane and told him it was good to see him out there, and after his dominating run through last year's Indy Pro series, he could be one to watch. The race within a race for Rookie of The Year should be very entertaining this year and I can't wait to see how it all pans out. As the late Sid Collins used to say on the 500 radio broadcast: "Stay tuned race fans, for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Indy 500 Practice 2008 - Day 2

Indy 500 Opening Day: Will Power First On Track

It would be hard to believe that there could be a better opening day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than we had today. Not a cloud in the sky all day and the temperature was just right. I've seen snow on opening day before but this year we had some beautiful Tony Hulman weather for one of the most active opening days in years. Australian Will Power was first on the track and almost all of the new rookie class hit the bricks before the day was over, plus veteran Max Papis warmed up for a refresher course. No one had any problems getting up to speed and the day went off without incident - no spins and no contact with the walls. I'm sure all of the new teams are breathing a sigh of relief. They all got valuable track time with roughly 600 laps run on the day.

Driving home when the track closed at 5, I felt like I was in some kind of time warp. The names at IMS today were legendary: Foyt, nearly the whole Unser clan, Rick Mears, Johnny Rutherford. The Andretti name was represented with Michael on pit road watching over Hideki Mutoh's rookie runs. Two Rahals were out: overseeing Ryan Hunter-Reay's orientation, father Bobby was managing his team and probably taking a peek now and then as his son Graham was working his way up the speed ladder. Add in the other new guys - Wilson, Servia, Viso, Bernoldi, Lloyd, Howard and Camara- and I counted 12 drivers that got acclimated today. Monday is expected to be almost a carbon copy of today's weather and I'm sure the remaining drivers will pass their rookie tests with room to spare. Then they can push the button as hard as they want and be ready for the veterans to join the newcomers on Tuesday when the track is open to all participants.

It was chilly this morning when I got to the Speedway around 10:30 but the methanol has rarely smelled sweeter. Lots of folks in checkered attire as I expected and other memorable scenes which are quintessential Indy in the spring: gorgeous blue Indiana sky as a backdrop for the Pagoda tower and the Borg Warner trophy, railbirds seeking autographs behind pit lane, and the "Alley Cats" manning their post at the entrance to Gasoline Alley like they will all month long. I spent a couple of hours shooting from the inside of Turn 1 which now looks totally different since IMS added the new infield turns for the Moto GP track. It's actually a pleasant place to shoot now with great visibility all the way back to the end of the Tower Terrace stands at the entrance to Turn 1. The slots in the fence were even at the right height! The strangest sight involves the creek: it's gone, and the new catch fencing on the inside is extremely close to the warmup lane for pit exit. It's going to be an awesome place to shoot on race day for the start.

I'll be back out again Monday but probably not until late in the afternoon. I do have to work to feed my racing habit, you know. Until next time, here's a link to several pix from today's wonderful Opening Day at Indy.

Indy 500 Opening Day 2008

Countdown to Indy: Day Zero

The countdown to Indy is over and the time has finally arrived for the teams to hit the track to prepare for the Indianapolis 500. I will be heading out this morning for rookie orientation runs and all the opening day ceremonies. It will be my first chance to see many of the new teams and it's likely that this opening day could be one of the busiest in years. By the time the track closes at 5:00 p.m. today, we could have a very good idea of which teams are really ready to be considered contenders. Rookie orientation continues tomorrow and I should be back online later today with a rundown of today's action on the track, in the pits and in the garage area. Until then I want to talk about the magic that is Indianapolis in May, and how this town becomes a special place imbued with race fever every year. If you are not from Indy, the infection with all things racing may be difficult to understand, but the Speedway and the 500 are what gave this community its identity for decades and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Even with the Colts' success, Indy is still known for the race wherever you go in the world.

Of course, there are thousands of people who have lived in Indy their whole lives and have never even been to the track or the museum. Many even hate the race with a passion - for the crowds, the increased traffic, and the inundation of race-themed events. On race day, the Speedway becomes the second-largest city in Indiana and the track grounds and surrounding neighborhoods are teaming with people, a human zoo which has only recently been tamed somewhat with the elimination of the legendary "snakepit" areas in the infield. Increased police patrols have basically eliminated the "anything goes" atmosphere that used to prevail in the infield through the 1990's, and for some of us oldtimers, that is a bit unfortunate. Certain photo ops are no longer available, but for women who attend the race, that's probably a good thing since the drunks with the "show your t___s" signs have largely disappeared.

If you're in town in May, there's no way to escape the race. Everything seems to take on its identity and there are all kinds of races promoted in the media, or available for people to participate in. Yesterday, the 500 Festival Mini Marathon took nearly 35,000 runners from downtown to the track and back and it ended in a photo finish. Retailers promote their own "races to savings" in advertising - car dealers arguably cash on in this theme the most, and there are show cars and driver appearances all over town in connection with team sponsors. Kids race big wheels or run with boxes decorated as race cars at schools, day care centers and community events. And then there are the folks like me who put out race flags or banners to decorate their homes and yards.

You want to talk about parties? The 500 has often been referred to as the biggest party in the world, but the action is not confined to corporate events or the neighborhoods around 16th & Georgetown. If you can't find a party the night before the race, then you probably aren't looking very hard and you need to get out more. Race parties in Indy are as plentiful as Super Bowl parties as people come back to town for the 500 year after year - to renew friendships and talk about their memories of races past. Tickets are handed down generation to generation and you see some people at the track every year and nowhere else, some of whom you don't even know by name, but the race connection is the bond with lasting ties. My family moved to Indy in 1968 and at my first race in 1970, my dad and I sat in the third turn infield bleachers, ate fried chicken and oreos and watched Al Unser Sr. win in the Johnny Lightning Special. I think I spent as much time watching the drunks in the infield as the cars on the track and I've often wondered whatever happened to the guy drinking from a leather bag who every few minutes would holler out, "Hi! I'm Sparkel Farkel". For Gen-X, the Farkel's were a dysfunctional family on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" TV show, so that should give you some idea of how old I am. Today the Unser family will be honored with a ceremonial lap around the track and autograph session so I am looking forward to seeing them in their winning cars - Al Sr. and Jr., and Uncle Bobby. The Unsers have been called the "first family of racing" and among them they own nine Indy 500 wins so the title has been well earned, both in Victory Lane and in family tragedy associated with the race.

I'm an oldtimer and although my memory isn't what it once was and I can't run down the winners like Speedway historian Donald Davidson, it takes me no time at all to wax nostalgic about the races I've attended and things I've seen at the Racing Capital of the World. This year promises to be among the best ever and I couldn't be more excited. And I will not be alone in saying I live for the Month of May. Even though we don't have the "30 Days of May" anymore, there's still nothing like going to the track. Where else can you get a whole day's action for five bucks? I wonder how many people I will see this month dresses in black & white checkers? If all you know about Indy is what you see on television, then I urge you to set aside what you think you know and get to the track as TV just does not do the cars justice. There's nothing like the smell of ethanol in the morning. But if you can't get to the track this month, then I hope you will enjoy these pix and many others I will post this month - scenes from past months of May are linked today and I hope to post more from each day I'm out there.

When Al Unser, Jr. won Indy in 1992, he said with tears in his eyes in Victory Lane, "You just don't know what Indy means." My hope is to provide a glimpse into the world at the track this month and what he meant by that statement. See you there!

Scenes from The Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Countdown to Indy: 3 Days to Opening Day

If it's May, this must be Indianapolis and we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Best of all, I no longer have to ask the question: "Is it May yet?"

Sunday May 4th the Speedway opens for practice for the 92nd Indy 500 and most of the new teams will get a jump on the competition with the first two days of practice reserved for drivers who have to go through the Rookie Orientation Program (ROP). Many of the former Champ Car guys have been designated "rookies" due to a lack of oval racing experience, but the chance to run hundreds of laps over the first 12 hours or so of green light time Sunday and Monday will do wonders for those drivers and teams. They're still rookies at Indy until they run in the 500, but the caliber of the new teams is sure to make for a very competitive pair of qualifying weekends.

Over the next few days, I will be adding regular posts with pix from practice days, plus I will do my own observations and predictions as track time winds down to Pole Day May 10th. Right now there are 34 car-driver combinations with today's announcement that 1996 winner Buddy Lazier will again drive the 91 car for Hemelgarn. A total of 39 driver combos are expected and I think the number could rise to as many as 42. Just a hunch, but second week deals seem to materialize out of thin air sometimes, and I'll bet Paul Tracy is in one of those.

The field should be highly competitive from front to back, and I really hope the first three qualifying days are dry so the 11-11-11 format can be fully experienced this year for the first time. The Pole will go down to the 6:00 o'clock gun just like last year, and I'd be willing to bet that at least one of the new teams will be in the first day qualifiers, probably Justin Wilson, and EJ Viso could make it two. Tomas Scheckter can't be overlooked with the Junior Penske team. Dixon and Wheldon would seem to be the favorites for P1 (BTW - don't you just love Dan's new choppers?), and Kanaan and Danica will lead the charge for Andretti Green with Helio in the mix as well for Roger Penske. They will continue to trim the cars out as Pole Day goes along and the bravest will take the spot - but perhaps only if they can go out last on the day!

I doubt Milka Duno will be able to crack the Field of 33 and Marty Roth is another one who is questionable. Both will probably find the SAFER barrier at least once and that could relegate them to spectator roles. One or two of the new guys will probably also test the walls getting used to the track and sustained high speeds, but their teams are strong enough to rebound, assuming the parts issues have all been resolved.

Honda will continue its record lack of engine failures, and I'd be very surprised if anyone is disappointed with the action the first week of what promises to be one of the best Mays in many years. Let's hope the fans come back and everyone roots for their favorites regardless of former series affiliation. Let's go racing!

Winchester Sees Sunshine - Hagen Takes USAC Checkers

At last the clouds parted in Indiana and a beautiful day for racing (and photography) was available. After a week's delay, Winchester Speedway opened its 2008 season with an excellent crowd and an entertaining doubleheader featuring the USAC National Sprint tour in the Rich Vogler Classic and the CRA late model stock cars. Darren Hagen took the USAC feature after surviving a wheel banging incident late in the race with Chris Windom while Scott Hantz took the CRA 100-lapper which was red flagged early after a multi-car crash that took out several competitors, including 13-year old Logan Ruffin who was making his Winchester debut.

Is it just me, or are these guys getting younger all the time? Thirteen years old in a stock car on the World's Fastest Half Mile? Maybe I'm just getting old.

Anyway, the more I get back to the short tracks, the more I realize how much I love these places. Lincoln Park. Salem. Winchester. Hopefully Eldora - soon. These are the places fans flock to in order to be close to the action, places where you can see the whole track, buy a pit pass and listen in on the crews and drivers at close range, see the local guys make good and have a chance to move on. This is where it starts for everyone with a dream to go to Indy or Daytona. Of course the route to Indy has changed dramatically over the years, but the roots are still there. I heard on the PA that Eddie Sachs won the first sprint car race at Winchester in 1956 so you know you're somewhere special when that kind of announcement is made.

I'm off the short track circuit for awhile and heading for the big track this weekend - right here in my hometown. Check back as I post frequently as the buildup for the 500 gets underway in earnest. At last. Meanwhile enjoy the following pix from Winchester for the time being.

Winchester USAC Sprints & CRA Late Model Stocks

Danica Makes History In Japan; Champ Car Finale at the Beach

OK Danica. Now you've gone and done it. Tired of the "when will you win question"? Just wait until you get to Indy in less than two weeks. Everyone's going to want a piece of you and they'll want to know when you'll Indy. You almost did it on your first try so why not now, with some laps behind you and AGR's team savvy keeping you calm? It could happen. I'm looking forward to Pole Day as that should be one heckuva shootout for P1.

I'm beginning to feel like a rain magnet so far this racing season, but you can't blame me for the weather at Motegi! First, Eldora was washed out 2 weeks ago. Then last weekend at Salem the ARCA show was delayed. Now yesterday the USAC Sprint Cars and CRA Super Series at Winchester had to be postponed to next Sunday just as the USAC gang was hitting the track for practice. No big surprise as I keep saying, but I'm glad I was prepared.

As a result, I got to get back to Indy early, and even though the old ELO song lyric "It's raining all over the world" was going through my head, I got home in time to watch part of the Nationwide Series from Mexico City (c'mon Boris - please tell us how you really feel about Ambrose, will ya?) but then I just had to watch the Japan Indycar race on DVD, as I had just enough time to watch it before the Long Beach telecast came on. I knew early in the day that Danica had won her first race, since the local TV morning sports guy spoiled the surprise as soon as I turned on the tube. I wanted to see how she managed a longer fuel run than anyone else (can't say it's a weight advantage anymore boys) and was excited to see how everyone reacted. They know good and well what a boost her win is going to be for Indycars. Not surprisingly, the conspiracy theorists were weighing in on Wind Tunnel later that night by suggesting that Danica was gifted the win by Helio and Team Penske. Since when does Penske give away wins to anybody? Get real.

The same theory had Graham Rahal being handed the win at St. Pete. Did they even watch the race? That kid was flat fast, and he had the best car at the end. So I was anxious to see how the Long Beach Grand Prix would pan out as an IRL event. Rahal made a couple of rookie mistakes and I must say I was very pleased with how the IRL and ESPN handled the whole show. The race wasn't all that interesting for me once Power jumped everyone at the start and Wilson fell out, but the fact that Tony George, Helio and Danica made it there from Japan was a great marketing move. The season is starting off with some great momentum leading up to Indy, where many of the new teams will get the first three days of track time to themselves for their rookie orientations with everyone's eyes on Pole Day May 10th. It will come down to the 6 o'clock gun again this year, of that I am certain, just like last year.

As for me, I will head back to Winchester again this Sunday and probably have to record the Kansas IRL event which should be very interesting to see how much ground the former Champ Car teams have made up since Homestead. My American Motor Journal deadline will loom that evening so I will have my work cut out for me, especially if the weather intervenes once again. By then, the Countdown to Indy will be in single digits. I can almost hear them saying "We are Green!"

Countdown to Indy Part 2 - Is It May Yet?

I saw my first new Indy 500 pace car on the streets of Indianapolis last weekend. What's the big deal about that? Well, living in Indianapolis, seeing the new 500 pace cars for each year's race being driven around town is the surest sign of spring around here this side of robins in your yard. Indiana weather this time of year is notoriously unpredictable - Salem last weekend was a perfect example and I've experienced snow on opening day at Indy in May in the past . But seeing pace cars out and about means May is almost here.

Dignitaries and "500 Festival" personnel are typically loaned the new pace cars to drive each year as rolling promotions and to reward folks for their service to managing the events and hoopla that surrounds the buildup to the 500. Soon enough the echoes of "the world's largest PA system" will bounce between the giant grandstands at one of my most favorite places on earth.

I've jokingly said to family and friends that when I'm gone, they can take my ashes and sprinkle them on my "spot" in Turn 2 and my soul will be happy. I am sure the Speedway would frown on that, but as I said, it's a joke. A couple of years ago, I estimated how much time I had spent at IMS over the years, first as a fan and then as a credentialed photographer. In round figures, if you put all the days I have spent out there back-to-back-to-back, it would amount to something like 14 straight months of my life. Every day. In a row.

And it's probably more now than when I did that estimate, but that amount of time spent at Indy tells you all you really need to know about me. And I'm not the only person who schedules vacation time to work at the Speedway or sneaks away at every opportunity just to watch a few laps. Yellow shirts. Safety crew guys. The numbers of people who feel just like I do would probably surprise people who aren't from around here.

My birthday in late May falls right around the running of the 500 every year too, so the whole month is a celebration for me. If the weather's good, I'm either at the track or thinking about being there. If it's raining, then I'm probably looking at the weather radar and trying to time my escape from work to the moment the track gets dry and the green light comes on for the cars to hit the track. With IMS timing & scoring now available live on the Speedway's website, total immersion in May's track action is now possible. Not only that, but if you're on the westside of Indianapolis while practice or qualifying is going on, if the wind is right you can hear the cars miles away, so you don't even need to be at the track to know they're running. Drive down Georgetown Road or 16th Street now and you can already see the "Welcome Race Fans" banners or the people selling race day parking spaces in their front yards.

All of these signs of spring and speed lead me to ask another question: I wonder how many laps I've seen run out there? My head spins just thinking about it. So I better stop there before I hit the wall and someone takes my picture.

On this weekend of Motegi and Long Beach, I can't help but think about my own personal history at the Speedway, and it is THE SPEEDWAY as far as I'm concerned. Next year is 100 years since the track opened. In 2011, they will run the 500 for the 100th time. It's still hard for me to believe that this will be my 35th Indy 500, with an unbroken string of 33 straight starting in 1976. God willing, I'll make it to the next 35 (or more). They'll probably have to pry my camera from my hands if the cars are still on the track and I'm within earshot.

Motegi qualifying was rained out so point standings set the field with: Helio, Dixon, Kanaan, Marco, Wheldon, Danica, Carpenter, Foyt 4, Mutoh and Hunter-Reay fill the first 5 rows. Another good opportunity for the Vision team, and a great shot for rookie Mutoh in just his third oval track race to show well in his home country. Not sure if I can manage to stay up for the live telecast tonight, but I'll let you know what I think once I see the race soon enough. Count on it.

Allgaier Repeats in Salem ARCA; IRL Off to Motegi (& Long Beach)

After a rain delay of over two hours, youngster Justin Allgaier held off Sprint Cup vet Ken Schrader in a green-white-checker finish at Salem Speedway yesterday to take back to back wins at the historic half mile. Frigid conditions kept the crowd down but they missed one heckuva show, both by the ARCA participants and the track crew who did yeoman's work getting the banking ready for racing. 30 minutes before the race finally started around 4:15 Salem time, rain sprinkles still hovered in the air. It was almost as cold as the Indy 500 in 1992, and that race was dubbed the "Ice Race" by many who were there.

I'm really coming to like the fast Salem track, although this event was by far the coldest I have experienced in "God's Country" in southern Indiana. But what do you expect from Indiana weather in the spring? Wait five minutes and it will change is the old Hoosier adage, but that wasn't the case this day, as the clouds remained gray and low all day, and you could see your breath.

Schrader sat on the pole and erstwhile F1 pilot Scott Speed was extremely racy and a quick study in his short track, high banked debut, leading several laps after snagging the lead on a restart like any veteran would have. But Justin was fastest when it mattered, making his only pit stop at the right time and saved just enough tires to keep Schrader at bay. Frank Kimmel was involved in a number of skirmishes but still managed to finish 4th, following his replacement in the 46 car, Matt Carter.

Ironically, we walked under the grandstands shortly after we arrived around 11 in the morning to see what condition the track was in, and out walked Justin himself. I asked him what had been said during the driver's meeting and he said "We have lights and they're going to get the race in one way or another today." So we knew right then we'd have a long day, but it worked out great in the end - for us and for Justin. I was especially happy after getting washed out at Eldora last weekend that I could actually shoot some pictures! So my racing season is underway at last and my work for American Motor Journal has already been shipped off for the next edition. The following link has several pix from the event and gives you some idea of how cold it was during the driver autograph session. Scott Speed is at right and Ken Butler III is next to him with bundled up fans in the background:

Salem ARCA Kentuckiana 200 April 13, 2008

Indy Racing League to Motegi (& Long Beach)

By now, all the IRL team gear is in Japan and Champ Car prepares for its last race ever - at Long Beach, where IRL points will be awarded. So it's strange to see this combination in play with only 20 days now until practice opens for the Indy 500. So the fields will be split between two series for the last time, even though racers at both events will earn IRL points. While all of that is going on, I will be drying out and warming up from Salem and heading over to Winchester Speedway for a USAC sprints & CRA Super Series doubleheader this Sunday.


The irony of the IRL's roots was not lost on me this weekend as I read the Salem Speedway program where greats like Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Roger McCluskey and others have their names etched in the track's Victory Lane records. This weekend Mario and AJ will be in Japan with their IRL racing sons while the USAC guys run the Rich Vogler Classic 30 at Winchester. As Salem is where Rapid Rich lost his life in a USAC race, it hit me that the sprint cars will be running on another historic track in Indiana, albeit only a half-mile in length, as the Indycars race on an oval half a world away to prep for the big track in Indianapolis less than three weeks from now. How did we get here from there?

It doesn't really matter anymore, but running in Vogler's honor is a fitting tribute for every Hoosier kid who dreamed of racing at Indy. We all know the difficulties those kids face today and many of the best in NASCAR have followed in Vogler's footsteps with a big left turn to the taxicab circuit somewhere along the way: Stewart, Newman & Gordon being the most notable of that group. So who's to say someone running this weekend in Winchester won't end up in Victory Lane at Indy? Some would argue that it is sad that it will probably be in the Brickyard 400 and not the Indy 500, but I couldn't care less. I'm a fan first, a photographer second, and a Hoosier above all. So I look forward to being able to say "I saw them when..." as I bore my grandkids to death someday with tales of what the good old days used to be like.

These are the good old days. I'm glad to be a part of keeping track of the action on the track. See you soon.

Rahal the Rainmeister at IRL St. Pete

Not surprisingly, the Champ Car guys showed their mettle at St. Petersburg on the street/airport circuit and really spiced up the soggy show in the process. What was surprising was that Graham Rahal survived an early spin to splash his way to his first Indycar win in his very first start, especially after crashing in Miami testing and missing the first race of the season. I expected Justin Wilson to be the stronger of the two Newman Haas Lanigan team members, and he showed the way for a number of laps. But Rahal was clearly the fastest at the end.

So now we've seen the tale of the series played out dramatically in the first two races. The more experienced oval track teams fared best at Miami and the road racers overcame unfamiliarity with equipment with driver savvy to run at the front at St. Pete. Everyone now gets time to go their separate ways, with the traditional IRL teams heading for Motegi Japan and the Champ Car brigade having their final fling in the Panoz chassis at Long Beach the weekend of April 19th. Then everyone gets back together for Kansas and Indianapolis opens the following week.

I was really glad to see the increased competition level, which is what I think everyone was hoping for with the merger complete. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats, and I can see that in effect now in the IRL. The backmarkers are going to be shown up more quickly now than ever before, as the top teams are more numerous and the caliber and depth of driver talent has definitely risen. With reports of as many as 39 car-driver combinations being available for Indy, the month of May should be truly spectacular. I might even have to spend more time out there for the first few days of rookie orientation when the new teams and drivers get dedicated track time. By the time bump day rolls around, we could be looking at the closest and most competitive field in Indy 500 history. I sure hope so.

I go to Salem this weekend for the ARCA show and the weather could be the greatest challenge with typical early spring variation at play in Indiana: warm and sunny one day, cold and snowy/rainy the next. The forecast calls for the latter this weekend so we'll have to make the trip and see what happens. The drivers will have the warmest seats in the house!

Is it May yet?

USAC at Eldora Postponed; McDowell's Wild Ride at Texas

I'm sitting in Tallmadge, Ohio this morning outside Akron, feeling the disappointment of another weather related racing delay. I thought I'd had enough rain delays in 2007 but it's bitten me again with Eldora Speedway's announcement that the USAC sprint car show has been postponed. The track website list Saturday May 10th for the make-up date for the event, which also happens to be Pole Day at Indianapolis for the 500. So I'll drive back to Indy today with no pix to show for it. The good news is I got to spend some time with my Mom and help her with some items around her property. So I guess I'll just pack up later and start thinking about the ARCA show at Salem next weekend.

Speaking of ARCA, my man Michael McDowell, last year's ARCA rookie of the year, had a horrific tumble at Texas yesterday but walked away unscathed. I don't know all the details but I am positive something broke on the car, as my experience with him has been he doesn't make mistakes that get him in that kind of trouble. He rarely put a scratch on his ESR cars last year in ARCA, so it seems unlikely he would have had this problem without mechanical failure, especially since he was already locked into the Sprint Cup race lineup. But I could be wrong. His teammate Reutemann qualified very well (he had to) so maybe Michael was trying a little too hard to get into the top 10. You don't mess with the fast Texas track though, so perhaps we chalk this one up to a rookie mistake. He'll start with a provisional tomorrow so I hope he can make a charge from 40th in his backuo. He needs to stay in the Top 35 in owner points and I think he'll recover from this and be strong tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.

Here's a link to the video posted on YouTube:



Talk soon.

USAC Heads to Eldora

And my racing season finally gets underway! Woooo racin'!

While everyone else has been running round and round since Daytona, I finally get to hit the road this weekend and watch the slideways brigade on the storied Eldora track that my man Tony Stewart owns. It will be my first visit after a couple of aborted (or washed out) attempts, and I hope to see the USAC sprint cars run at several tracks this spring and summer. It will help balance out my photo work for American Motor Journal (AMJ) and give me the opportunity to really get back to some roots racing, as I shot loads of sprints and midget races in the 90's. It should be a blast.

Then next weekend it's back to the Salem Speedway high banks for the ARCA show where I'll get to do double duty for AMJ and work on a feature with AMJ publisher Don Hamilton for Stock Car Racing magazine. Salem is fast becoming one of my favorite tracks as it is easy to shoot from a variety of vantage points without walking miles and miles like at many of the bigger ovals. Pit road is kind of insane though, as there is barely room for the cars pitting and the entry road between the walls. The ARCA guys run a variety of lines and it's all easy to see from the infield. Standing on the pit wall between Turns 1 & 2, you can almost see the whole track except where the timing and scoring stand blocks the view. It would be nice if they got a scoring pylon though, since their top 5 scoreboard on the backstretch is impossible to see from most vantage points. With earplugs in, forget about hearing the PA system when the cars are at speed! For the ARCA race, I always try to find out from a team member when they plan to pit since it's usually a one-stop race and filled with cautions.

Then I wrap up April at Winchester for the CRA Super Series tandem with USAC sprints again, this time on pavement. The following weekend, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for Indy 500 practice, so the next seven weeks you should hear (and see) a lot from me as my memory cards get repeatedly filled and emptied. Another few thousand images or so will add nicely to the collection.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Dixon Handed IRL Opener at Homestead

Now the IRL braintrust can focus on St. Pete, since the first race under the unified league banner went off as well as could be expected. Many commented that the new teams were happy to go home (mostly) with their cars still in one piece, and it was clear from watching the race on ESPN2 that the returning IRL teams had what the late Mark Donahue always sought: an unfair advantage - in this case it was sheer familiarity with equipment.

The video of Tony Kanaan all locked up trying to avoid the spinning car of newcomer Ernesto Viso was incredible and I really felt bad for Tony, who I had called for the race win and who appeared to have it in the bag after the last round of pit stops. And that after he escaped a wheel banging incident with his buddy Helio early on! THAT was close!

So Dixon got a gift win and finished where he started: P1. I was really impressed with Marco's run in the lead most of the night, and he may have the oval track handling figured out after all. The Vision guys charged back into the top 10 after getting their qualifying marks DQ'd for tech violations which wiped out their top 3 starting spots and they had to start from the back.

I was most impressed with the way the returning IRL guys handled the debut for the new Champ Car teams: very gracious comments and some of the most professional driving I have seen in years. I still think the new teams will be strong by the time the 500 rolls around 8 weeks from today once they've run a few thousand miles during May. The fact that Tony George paired up experienced IRL teams with the new guys was a true racer's gesture. Now the rumors that Direct TV will sign on as a series sponsor for 2009 could pump new excitement into a series which has been largely overlooked by the masses since the IRL first began racing in 1996. Thank goodness.

Maybe now fans will get the idea that this is still the most exciting racing on the planet for close competition and wheel to wheel action. I sure hope so. These guys are the fastest show on wheels and can win fans back with more performances like last night. But watch out for the Champ Car guys this weekend at St. Pete: drivers can overcome equipment gremlins better on a street course than about anywhere else so I think Power, Wilson, Servia et al will make this the most spectacular St. Pete event yet.

But I'm still pulling for TK. Helio, Dixon, Marco and Wheldon will be close behind. See ya!

McDowell Shines in Sprint Cup Debut at Martinsville

My new favorite driver Michael McDowell showed his stuff for Michael Waltrip Racing today in his Sprint Cup debut at the aged paperclip track in Martinsville, Virginia. Michael ran strong in the top 20 for most of the day, and fought to stay on the lead lap until the very end when a bump cut a tire and dropped him to 26th for the day. The warmest place at the track was probably inside the cockpit where Michael looked right at home.

As I've said before: keep an eye on this guy! He may even win one this season. And don't be surprised if it's on a road course where he might sneak up on people who don't know about his karting, Champ Car and Rolex Series background.

I was fortunate to do some work for Michael the last couple of seasons while he ran ARCA and got to speak to him on a number of occasions. You couldn't ask for a nicer, more approachable guy and I am so happy for him that his hard work is paying off at the top of the stock car world. I was always impressed with his ability to be quick and clean and I suspect that will bode well for him as he challenges the established teams and drivers in Sprint Cup this season. I'd be willing to bet he will routinely outrun his more experienced teammates this season, especially once he starts going to tracks for a second visit. And as much as I like the open wheel guys like Hornish and Dario, I've got to pull for Michael this year for Rookie of the Year. And he'll do it with an abbreviated season!

Go fast. Turn left. Hang on. Go Micheal, go!

Today We Race: Together At Last

The opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is now just 36 days away and the 500 itself will be run 57 days from now. As the countdown continues to arguably the most relevant Indy 500 in many years, today the best in American open wheel racing gather at Florida's Homestead Speedway. Time will tell if the historic reunification of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car brokered by Tony George will have staying power. But when I hear TG state that the 25/8 rule implemented in 1996 at Indy was a mistake, I have even greater hopes for the future of Indycars. In the modern era of blame and shame tactics, how often to you hear a highly visible leader admit they made a mistake? Its virtually unheard of. I hope the Champ Car fans will see this as an additional peacemaking gesture and show their true open wheel colors. Let's also hope the name "Indycar World Series" can be resurrected as Tony suggested. This time, it will really mean something.

So today we race. One series. Lots of newcomers to oval racing and much has already occurred in the last week that will shape the outcome of this race. Graham Rahal is out after crashing in testing, the team short on time and spares. Wheldon crashes during qualifying in the new 4-lap format. Vision Racing teammates Ed Carpenter and AJ Foyt IV will start second and third. But at the point is a man who should be no surprise to anyone: Scott Dixon. He could very well win tonight if he stays out front, as Scotty D knows how to run the huggy pole in these high downforce Dallaras better than about anyone. My pick is Helio, even though new teammate Ryan Briscoe outqualified him. With the new qualifying requirement, who knows who is really running on the edge and who is working on a balance for race day? Penske strategy will likely carry the day.

Seven of the former Champ Car drivers have been designated rookies for the year and that's probably a good thing with so many ovals on the schedule. But watch out for those guys at St. Pete next weekend, and at the Glen, Mid Ohio and Sonoma. Danica will finally win a race this year but she will not be able to match her teammates' speed on a regular basis, nor the racecraft of Tony Kanaan. Marco will probably take a road course win but let's hope he learns how to handle a loose race car on ovals or he will have plenty of DNF's just like last year. Will Power or Justin Wilson will probably win an oval race, maybe at Chicagoland Speedway, once they've got their oval legs and nothing to lose in the season finale. Wheldon can challenge for the season title if his crew corrects their pit and race tactic errors from last year, but crashing in qualifying doesn't bode well for Danny-boy. Methinks he may be trying too hard. Vision just might have it together to get someone in victory lane if Homestead qualifying is any indication. Bruno Junqueira knows the fast way at Indy so he could challenge for several wins this year if the team gives him the proper support; but I doubt it. It should be fun to watch.

My pick for the season title though is Helio Castroneves. I have had toruble being a Penske fan since his teams won Indy so often but I always liked Rick Mears and Sam Hornish, plus he's given Ryan Briscoe a new lease on his racing life with the ALMS Porsche ride and now a season seat in Indycars. Lord knows Helio has always been fast wherever he goes, and despite two Indy 500 wins, he's never been a season champion. Now it's his turn. Tony Kanaan will be right there with his childhood karting buddy, and Scott Dixon will certainly be in the mix as well.

So there you have it - one man's view. The usual suspects. A few surprises. All together now: let's go racing!

Honda Gears Up for IRL Challenge

I have to wonder if there was another agenda for Tony George's recent trip to Japan which ostensibly was to discuss changing the Motegi race date. I have no reason to believe that the race date wasn't a big item but could it be that TG was also making sure that Honda could produce enough engines for Indy and the larger IRL entry list through the rest of the season.

I don't have any inside information on that score, but there has been talk at Indy in recent years of Honda limiting their engine leases. Last year for instance, you could sign up for the whole month of May or get a shortened lease for the second week of practice and the rest of the month.

Honda has a huge investment in the IRL and the last thing they would want to see is having a shortage of engines hampering the series success. Having worked some with Japanese auto companies in years' past, I think Honda would want to be sure their image is not tarnished by a lack of engines, or worse, a spate of engine failures. Since Toyota left the IRL, it seems generally accepted that Honda has provided a detuned engine which in its 2007 form was virtually bullet proof. I can't remember a single engine failure last season. The current rev limiter package also helps make sure the bottom doesn't drop out of their engines and since teams can't do anything with the engine's internals, it's all up to Honda.

Long gone are the days when an Indycar engine would detonate in a plume of foul smelling smoke and oil down a racetrack. Now, Honda has a greater responsibility than ever before and I am certain Honda's QA/QC people are going to be pulling plenty of overtime between now and May to ensure their incredible reliability record remains intact. Anyone that has worked in manufacturing knows that ramping up production can lead to problems with the finished product, yet somehow I believe that Honda will exempt itself from that through its traditional attention to detail and zealous work ethic.

Time will tell if Honda can deliver the same goods as the past couple of seasons, but I am certain they will. And with Acura in the ALMS now, they have an alternate test bed for parts and a fertile training ground for their engineering staff to deal with whatever gremlins do surface. Somewhere in Japan, there are engineers monitoring telemetry every race: of that I am equally certain.

But my opinion isn't important. Tony George must think Honda can handle it, and his opinion is the only one that matters. After all, he knows who his important partners are in the IRL, and Honda is right at the top of the list. Can it be long before the series is known as the "Honda Indy Racing League"?

Countdown to the Indy 500

As I write this today, there are only 12 weeks to the Indy 500. 84 days. It is truly hard to believe that less than a month ago, the open wheel rumor mill really got cranking about a possible merger between the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series. And a week ago, it was finally done. I'm still pinching myself to be sure I'm awake.

What I don't find hard to believe is the vitriol that fans are still spewing about the merger and loss of their beloved CCWS. I don't blame them a bit, and that's one of the great things about being a race fan: passion. After all, two drugstore conglomerates might merge in the business world and no one gives a rat's ass so long as you can still go to the corner store and get your prescription filled. But merging the top US open wheel series is another story entirely and just like a merger or marriage gone bad, the hard feelings are going to take time to heal as there is always fallout, some of which is emotional and some financial.

Certainly we're seeing that already, as teams and the schedule are taking hits. With the news that Forsythe racing is closing up shop, Paul Tracy is out of a ride and a few dozen hard working support team members have to look elsewhere to stay in motorsports. Lots of money was spent developing the DP01 chassis for Champ Car and now those cars are museum pieces. Cosworth doesn't have customers anymore. And I can certainly understand how the folks in Cleveland would not be happy about suddenly finding themselves out of a race for 2008, as that event has become a showcase for the city's Erie lakefront development initiatives. Not only that, but having been to the event myself years ago, the course layout is most like an oval of any of the road courses, since it is fast and wide, and fans can see the whole track from their seats. Of course fans are going to be upset when these kinds of things happen. I expect the shakeout will continue through the middle of this year and Tony George has lots of fence mending to do to craft a 2009 schedule that shows off the best of Indycar racing for all its constituents - racers, fans, promoters and communities alike.

But racing is business and businesses must adjust to the marketplace. Tony George has been vilified over the years for changing objectives with the IRL. Plenty of blog posts exist that criticize him for modifying the original vision of an oval based series where the tradition of short track racers coming to Indianapolis could be kept alive. When the IRL started adding selected road and street courses, the howling reached a crescendo and critics ramped up their attacks. Yet how often in the business world do companies change their vision and marketing approach? It's happening in some corporate board room every single day. If they don't, they don't survive and that's what could have happened with Indycar racing if Tony hadn't done something. No one else has the financial wherewithal to make it happen. No one else was willing to go to the mat and make sure everyone could get cars and motors. And no one else has the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 2009 will mark 100 years since the facility originally opened with balloon and motorcycle races on a crushed cinder track.

So now everyone can get down to business and go racing. Tony's grandpa saved the track from the bulldozers after World War II when developers eyed the property for housing development. I would suggest that Tony has saved Indycar racing from the scrapheap of motorsports series that peaked and then faded away. Only time will tell how Indycars will fare in the current marketplace as stock car racing has a huge head start. It's up to the fans now to decide. So as I've said before, get out and go to a race. Support what you love. Buy some IRL swag. Ignore those that pine for the good old days as they are never coming back, and let's make something greater happen under the sport's current vision. To quote Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"

I hope to see you at 16th & Georgetown in a few short weeks. Let the healing process begin.

The following link will take you to pix of drivers or car owners from last season that you can expect to see in 2008 on the Indycar circuit. I am really looking forward to adding new faces to these galleries as the Champ Car guys come back, and I'll have more to say about the season ahead, the teams to watch for and the buildup to Indy as the weeks progress. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Indy Racing League Drivers