Le Mans, Milwaukee, and Michigan Weekend Wrap Up

So, for any of you who were able to watch the entire 24 Hours of LeMans, congratulations. You are much more dedicated than I am. I managed to watch the start until IndyCar at Milwaukee finally threw the green flag. As soon as that ended, I caught the end of the Nationwide race at Michigan, and finally resumed my LeMans coverage after that. I watched the rest of it until I finally crashed at the half way point. I didn't wake up until the start of the last hour. I caught that thankfully.

Anyway, enough about my personal viewing habits. Let's get down to recapping the weekend. LeMans started out just as fantastic as it always does. Of course one of the big stories of LeMans was the Delta Wing's debut. Personally, I thought it was pretty interesting, but when it ran around with the prototypes and GT cars, it looked like a tiny child running among adults. Honestly, it saddened me dearly when it crashed out, but based on it's early performance, it was inevitable that it wouldn't even finish the race. The rest of the race was great as always. I was pulling for Ryan Dalziel most of that race. I think he's one of the best out there, and I hope to see him more in the future. And with that said, congrats to Audi on another LeMans win!

Now moving on to the IZOD IndyCar Series at Milwaukee. That, was a great race. The whole race I was keeping an eye on EJ Viso. EJ has always been one to not take it very easy and go for it at the wrong time, but Saturday, he took his time and managed to lead some laps and pull off a 5th place finish. And, to continue the run that the South Americans were on Saturday, look at Rubens Barichello! The Formula 1 vet has barely any oval experience, and he was contending for the win the entire race! He looked bad fast in practice and continued to impress with his 10th place finish. I personally believe that, the more and more the season progresses and the more experience Rubens gets in his DW12, the more likely it will be that he will have a win by the end of the season. Another point I want to touch on is, I believe Justin Wilson's engine inferno was the first in quite some time. I can't even pinpoint the exact time in my head that a motor in the IZOD IndyCar Series blew up. But the thing that surprises me most is that it was a Honda engine. Ever since 2006 when they were the sole provider of engines for the IndyCar Series, they haven't had one failure. Until Saturday. Perhaps the reliability of these engines are going to become more of a factor. And in other news completely unrelated to the race, it looks like there may be a second race in Wisconsin this year. Robin Miller has been reporting that Elkhart Lake is almost a done deal and also Randy Bernard seems confident in it's return.

To wrap up the weekend, let's look at the NASCAR weekend at Michigan. The newly repaved Michigan International Speedway was the place where Marcos Ambrose set a qualifying lap at 203 mph. Which, according to SPEED, was the first time that had been achieved outside of Daytona and Talladega. Of course, the big story before the race was the tire compound changes that Goodyear made. I think Dale Jr. said it best when he was interviewed about these six year old tires. And speaking of Jr., we finally did it. I was like him those last 15 laps. I was just wondering what could happen. Could he cut a tire? Could he run out of fuel? Could a lapped car wreck him? What could happen? And whaddya know, nothing happened. Dale Earnhardt Jr. cruised to his first win since 2008. Jr. Nation of course went nuts and everyone predicted. Those die-hard fans had been waiting too long for that #88 to get back to victory lane. If Jr. keeps up this roll he's on, I bet he could win 3 more races this season and even the championship. He's been one of the, if not the most consistent driver this season. I don't want to start some kind of band wagon, but with the way Junior's been driving this season, it could be a possibility.

And so with that, we move on to the massive road racing weekend (and Iowa!) next week. And boy am I looking forward to that!

What should replace Xingdao?

So finally IndyCar and the promoters of the Xingdao (also spelled Chingdao) finally pulled the plug on the race. I have to be honest, I was skeptical from the moment I heard it. I highly doubt that a street race in China could take place. And I was right.

Beside that, the big question now is, what race should replace it? There were early talks that Pocono would be the first choice. But now that has been stomped out leaving many fans who believe that Pocono is perfect for IndyCars and always has been quite upset. Now talks are coming in that there could possibly be a second race at Texas, something IndyCar hasn't seen in quite some time, or maybe a race at Laguna Seca or Road America.

Now, as much as I don't want to see another road course added to the schedule, who doesn't love Laguna Seca or Road America? Hands down they've produced some of the best races CART ever saw. Zanardi made Laguna Seca the track to watch with "The Pass" in the corkscrew on Bryan Herta. And Road America has always had fantastic races. Why not give them a try? It seems like the drivers are all for a return to Elkhart Lake. Of all the tracks you could chose, as long as it's not a high banked 1.5 mile oval that doesn't reside in Denton County, Texas, I think all the fans will be pretty happy with whatever IndyCar choses. Personally, I would like to see them give Loudon another try, or at least do something to get back to Michigan and have a go at another 500 miles. And of course, in a perfect world, IndyCar would have a 500 mile triple crown at Indianapolis, Pocono, and Michigan. But nonetheless, it looks like whatever track replaces Xingdao, I think it will spark quite a debate topic.

Pocono, Texas, Montreal, and Mid-Ohio Weekend Wrap Up

Another great weekend of racing is now in the books. Let's start the wrap up with Grand-Am at Mid-Ohio

Fantastic racing once again in the Rolex Sports Car Series. I kept my eyes glued to the TV from start to finish. And speaking of the finish, that late race caution sure did stir it up! In the end, the Spirit of Daytona Corvette beats the Ganassi crew to win at Mid-Ohio.

Now, moving on to that great race that was Texas. I'm sure all of us were a little uneasy going into the IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550. The questions surrounding the safety of big oval racing was a pretty big topic in the paddock. But, after the race that we witnessed, we might now have a chance to bring back the excitement of oval racing. The crowd at Texas however was pitiful. Only the frontstrech had a decent amount of fans, but turn 1 and 4 were basically empty. Something I hope changes before the end of the season. Besides all that, the racing was fantastic! After the bizarre race at Belle Isle one week ago, I think Texas was a little less odd. However, the last 5 laps were ones that will go down in history as another fantastic open wheel race at Texas. I could not believe my eyes when Graham Rahal hit the wall - and held the lead for a good several hundred yards - and kept going. Justin Wilson got one heck of a win for Dale Coyne. If Wilson can win in a Dale Coyne car, I truly believe that he has an incredible amount of talent and could possibly whip the field of someone like Michael Andretti gave him a ride.

Now on to Pocono. I was flipping back and forth between this and Montreal, but man, this was one of the most exciting races I've ever seen at Pocono. The new pavement really did wonders for the track. Not only that, but TNT did another great job of covering this race and keeping their fantastic graphics intact for another year. I think that when it comes down to the end of the race, you gotta do what you gotta do. And that's what Joey Logano did. He did what 42 other drivers out there would have done. A nice tap and rub to get the position. All the people who believe that Joey should be fired from Gibbs and put back in the Nationwide Series are hopefully proven wrong. Joey earned that win and he did it without rain or fuel mileage.

Now on to Montreal. I was really excited for this race as Montreal is one of my favorite tracks of all time. At first, it appeared to be another Vettel run away until Lewis Hamilton proved me wrong. I'll be honest, I missed a chunk of it to watch the NASCAR race, but I did see the finish. Man, who would have thought that Lotus of Romain Grosjean would have finished 2nd and Sergio Perez 3rd! Wow! I think Romain has a lot of speed that he's gonna let show pretty soon.


Well with that, I conclude this weekend wrap up.

Going into a Packed Weekend of Racing

Well guys, it's another packed week of racing. IndyCar at Texas, NASCAR in Pocono, and F1 in Montreal are the big 3 I'll be watching this weekend.

But let's start with the obvious. For those of you who missed the Prelude to the Dream, you're not alone. I too missed it. But of the things I heard, were pretty funny. First off, apparently it was a crash fest and Danica Patrick looked pretty good. Or so I heard. And second, I guess Kurt Busch used the phrase 'premature ejaculation' in an interview with Dick Berggeren. I guess Kurt was trying to have a little fun on pay-per-view television. The guy might be suspended, but I guess he was taking full advantage of what he had there.

Now then, looking now at Pocono today, the repave looks fantastic. The cars look fast and the drivers seem happy. But that repave now makes Pocono an eyesore for me. I'm all for safety, but a track without grass just kills it for me. Grass is what's stopping drivers from going 9 wide on straightaways. My next pet peeve here is still the catchfencing. I loved seeing the trees move around in a horrifyingly violent manner when all the cars zoomed by. Now, you can barely even see them move. Plus, there's no grandstands, the cars are going too slow to completely fly over the wall (of course, Kasey Kahne would say otherwise) so why install them? Oh well. At least I have the memories to live on.

Now on to Texas. Another oval for the IZOD IndyCar Series. If it's as good as Indianapolis was, we're in for a real treat. I'm posting this before I've seen practice yet. Or even qualifying. But I am just so excited to know that FINALLY turbocharged engines will zoom around Texas Motor Speedway. And I pray that it's a safe race. Anything could happen, but with a field as talented as this one, we might see safe, yet wild wheel to wheel action. Just like we've so desired.

Finally, my favorite circuit (next to Valencia) on the F1 circuit is finally here. Montral. Yes. I love the track and so far, from what I've seen, it's gonna be a gooood race!

Be sure to check back in on Monday when I give my weekend wrap up! Take care everyone and enjoy the weekend of racing that lies ahead!

IndyCar Remains a Spec Series in 2013

Well, the owners get their way again and us fans get screwed yet again. The owners met with Randy Bernard and have decided that they don't want the aero kits for 2013. So, we get one more year of a spec series. The owners are still unhappy with the prices and I honestly doubt that they'll ever be happy. I still think these cars look ugly. They look fantastic from the front, but the further towards the back of the car you go, the uglier it gets. And many fans, myself included, want a change from that. The problem is, the IRL was created as an affordable series. And if the series isn't affordable anymore, the owners won't have it. That is why Dallara is the only chassis in the IZOD IndyCar Series today. When you only have one chassis to choose from, it's cheaper. So, that's why it is the way it is. Does any fan like it? Not that I know of. But we can't fix it. Who knows? Maybe with the aero kits Lotus wouldn't be so slow, or Chevy would be faster, we don't know and we probably never will.

As long as no one blames Randy Bernard for this, all will be fine and dandy. I can live with one more year of a spec series.

Kurt Busch's Suspension: My Thoughts

Well, it's breaking news out of the NASCAR rumor mill. Kurt Busch has been handed a one race suspension and his probation has been extended to the end of the year. And guess what? The media and the so called 'fans' are at his throat saying how it's about time or that they should ban Kyle too. Well folks, this is what is wrong with NASCAR. Not Brian France, not the COT, not the invisibris cautions, none of that. These fans. With the increase in social media it is easy for everyone to know everyone's opinions. And, you're reading mine now. But some of these people are far too biased. And for some reason, they are not turned on by a good fight. Come on, unless you're a rich British child living in a sheltered mansion somewhere in London, you probably enjoy a good fight once in a while. A fight launched NASCAR in 1979. Why are we shying away from them now? I remember 2 years ago when everyone wanted Carl Edwards suspended or Brad Keselowski suspended as well. Those so called fans are just biased little people who just want to seem like they're not just another redneck NASCAR fan. Come on people, it's OK to enjoy a fight.

Anyway, more to the point, Kurt does not deserve this hate. Matter of fact, he doesn't deserve to be suspended (well, he broke the NASCAR rule book, so technically he does, but ethically, no he doesn't deserve this) at all. Now, why is this you may ask? Well, you put yourself in Kurt's shoes. The man loses his ride at Penske because of his temper. Well, he has to go drive terrible Hendrick cars prepared by James Finch. (I apologize to fans of James Finch) Not only that, but what do the fans and media expect of him? They expect the man to win! Really! They actually expect him to win! Well, Kurt has to live up to those expectations now doesn't he? Well then, he's doing great out there but every week he gets hit with bad luck ruining his day yet again. Now, you tell me that with ALL that pressure on his back that if you physically could not live up to the high expectations of people that you yourself would not be pretty angry about every little thing? Kurt is stressed out of his mind. He just needs a break for once and he can't get it. Not to mention the media portrays him as an evil person bent on destruction and murder. So he's always got that looming over him.

To wrap this up, give Kurt the break he couldn't get on track. He doesn't need this. He has enough to deal with.

Dover and Belle Isle Weekend Wrap Up

Well, Belle Isle just concluded. What a show. What a show. I understand ESPN has to oblige to other networks, but for people who don't have ESPN News, that was probably incredibly disappointing to them. But, besides that, ESPN actually did a pretty decent job on this broadcast. I honestly think that ESPN might be on a turn around. Which is really good because this was a fantastic race. Watching every minute of it was like watching an old CART race. I could not believe how crazy this was. I honestly did not believe that the track would just come apart like that. I honestly expected them to pull the plug on the race. Good thing they didn't because those final 15 laps were every bit exciting. Belle Isle as a whole, is challenging to say the least. The surface changes from asphalt to concrete, you drive on a bridge, and of course, it's a street course. So for Scott Dixon to lead wire to wire in this thing, shows just how much talent he has. However, I want to say that I am greatly saddened with Sebastien Bourdais and Rubens Barichello's luck today. Both finish 24th and 25th respectively. Had Barichello not had his engine problem, and Bourdais not had contact with Franchitti, I honestly believe that the two of them could have contended for the win. But, that wasn't the case, and we're gonna have to live with that.

Now then, as for Dover, I can't say I watched much of it. However, what I did watch of it, I was engaged. Greg Biffle was having a great great showing. A lot of people however, want to talk about the debris caution that may have cost him a win. I can't believe that people still think that NASCAR is throwing these just to 'spice' up the race. All racing series air on the side of caution. If there is something on the track that could cut a tire, cover up the grill, get inside the motor and cause a failure, it's best to throw the caution now, instead of having something like that cause a caution later on, and then cause cars to spend thousands of dollars on repairing the cars. And in an economy like this, it's the right thing to do. That's just my take on this. Johnson drove a great race as he always does. And now Rick Hendrick has 202 wins as a car owner. That is a pretty impressive feat we may only see once in our lifetimes.