If the title caught your eye, do not worry. It's not all gone. But, looks like FOX will be killing off SPEED to make way for something unbelievably unnecessary. In the last 10 years, interest in racing has dwindled and it appears now that more people care about what Tim Tebow had for breakfast this morning than what got Kurt Busch in trouble this time. ESPN has stepped up it's coverage recently, but I still struggle to find mention of any motorsports on SportsCenter. NBC Sports Network has done a fantastic job with it's IndyCar coverage, and NASCAR and Formula 1 and all motorsports fans have SPEED. I might be just 17 years old, but my fondest memories as a kid come from watching SPEED. SPEED used to be the home of NASCAR. Many people disliked the network after the FOX buy out, but you can't deny that getting guaranteed NASCAR Cup, Nationwide, and Truck practice and qualifying, along with Formula 1 practice and qualifying, plus Grand-Am races, V8 Supercars, and a ton of other fantastic motorsports is pretty good. Heck, I'll even watch Monster Jam and AMA races. But with this recent bit of news here, looks like all that might be gone in the next few years.
FOX is planning to rebrand SPEED as FOX Sports 1 in the coming years. Why? They want to broadcast more baseball. Even if a state's specific FSN network is on basic cable, FOX seems to think that's not enough and they need to take away our only source of motorsports coverage. Now, rumor has it, we'll still have NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, possibly some practice and qualifying sessions, and maybe RaceHub and RaceDay. Who knows? No one knows what will become of the F1 coverage. Some sources claim a possible move back to ESPN. But I don't think anyone wants to see that the way ESPN treats their NASCAR and IndyCar coverage. (Albeit, it has gotten substantially better in the last couple of years.) I've also read that most programming could be moved to Fuel TV. A network even LESS people have. It's not a good business move by FOX. It's not good for NASCAR. It's not good for motorsports at all. FOX has some of the best people on staff. It is arguably one of the best teams in motorsports broadcasting history, but what they're about to do, will not only ruin their reputation as a network, but also possibly even further damage the reputation and interest level of motorsports as a whole.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
2013 IndyCar Outlook
Hello readers. I have been away and apologize for this. But I felt like it would be a good idea for me to write an article about the 2012 IndyCar season and my expectations for 2013.
The finale at Fontana capped off one of the best seasons American Open Wheel racing has seen since the late 80's and early 90's. Everything IndyCar needed to gain momentum, it got. Great story lines, a fantastic Indy 500, a fearsome points battle and most of all, an American champion. What more did they need? It was all there. Now, looking at 2013, we might actually see what we've been waiting for for years. Randy Bernard worked his tail off and got Pocono a date on the 2013 IndyCar schedule. This was something fans have so craved. More ovals and a triple crown. Albeit, Pocono will be 400 miles, but it's still better than nothing. Not to mention, we've got 3 double headers at Detroit, Toronto, and Houston. According to race director Beaux Barfield, the Saturday races will feature standing starts. Well there's something we have been wanting for a while! Personally, I'm all for the standing starts. It reminds me of the old ChampCar days. Especially the return to Houston. But what I think will be a good factor for IndyCar's success will be the number of races on ABC. NBC Sports does a fantastic job every week they have covering IndyCar. But without Bob Jenkins, who will they put in the booth? We can only hope it's a seasoned veteran. To everyone who thinks it will be Paul Page, Page released a statement on his Facebook page saying that NBC has chosen not to hire him back on. Many of you know Page is in his last season covering NHRA. That means, with hope and possibly petitions (hint hint) Page could be calling IndyCar races if ABC decides to re assign Marty Reid to NASCAR Nationwide races.
Overall, I am looking forward to 2013 and what it has to bring for all forms of motorsports.
The finale at Fontana capped off one of the best seasons American Open Wheel racing has seen since the late 80's and early 90's. Everything IndyCar needed to gain momentum, it got. Great story lines, a fantastic Indy 500, a fearsome points battle and most of all, an American champion. What more did they need? It was all there. Now, looking at 2013, we might actually see what we've been waiting for for years. Randy Bernard worked his tail off and got Pocono a date on the 2013 IndyCar schedule. This was something fans have so craved. More ovals and a triple crown. Albeit, Pocono will be 400 miles, but it's still better than nothing. Not to mention, we've got 3 double headers at Detroit, Toronto, and Houston. According to race director Beaux Barfield, the Saturday races will feature standing starts. Well there's something we have been wanting for a while! Personally, I'm all for the standing starts. It reminds me of the old ChampCar days. Especially the return to Houston. But what I think will be a good factor for IndyCar's success will be the number of races on ABC. NBC Sports does a fantastic job every week they have covering IndyCar. But without Bob Jenkins, who will they put in the booth? We can only hope it's a seasoned veteran. To everyone who thinks it will be Paul Page, Page released a statement on his Facebook page saying that NBC has chosen not to hire him back on. Many of you know Page is in his last season covering NHRA. That means, with hope and possibly petitions (hint hint) Page could be calling IndyCar races if ABC decides to re assign Marty Reid to NASCAR Nationwide races.
Overall, I am looking forward to 2013 and what it has to bring for all forms of motorsports.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
NASCAR: Coke Zero 400 and AJ Allmendinger
Well fellas, what a race that was. From the fans complaining non stop about the 'boring racing' to Kyle Petty's ramblings, to the vicious wrecks, to a surprise suspension, this race had it all. At 6 PM NASCAR announced that AJ Allmendinger had failed a drug test and was suspended for the race. Sam Hornish Jr. had to fly in and replace him in the race. This was something I never expected to happen. AJ? Really? None of us can judge the man, because the results of his B test are not in yet, and no statement has been made from anyone yet. All we can do is sit, speculate, and hope it was nothing AJ can't fix. He has had such a promising career in NASCAR, and in motorsports period. I don't personally believe AJ did anything wrong, but we will just have to wait and see. But, beside that, I am disgusted at today's NASCAR fans. NASCAR is listening and trying to please everyone. But no matter how hard they try, these fans won't be pleased till the COT is gone, the Chase is gone, and Jr. is a 9 time champion. I saw more complaining tweets last night than I ever saw. I wanted to reply to them all and say 'Oh cry me a river'. The pack racing is back. Albeit, there's no passing. Well, blame that on Roush's Ford power and Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle's conservative racing nature. It seemed like no one was happy until the last 20 laps...which were full of wrecks...and tandem racing. The two things these fans don't like. I can't understand it anymore. If they don't like it, why are they still watching it? And still complaining about it? Sure, if there is a massive flaw in the package, it would be OK to say something. But this is the pack racing we've all loved.
Oh well. There's not much we can do about it. We might as well just watch IndyCar at Toronto and move on to next week.
Oh well. There's not much we can do about it. We might as well just watch IndyCar at Toronto and move on to next week.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
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!
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!
Friday, June 15, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, June 8, 2012
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!
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!
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