Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Featured Other Series

Featured Other Series

  • Dario Franchitti claims Verizon Pole Award for Honda Indy Toronto Race 1

    Dario Franchitti claims Verizon Pole Award for Honda Indy Toronto Race 1

    At the end of Verizon Pole Qualifying for the Honda Indy Toronto, it’d be 2011 Honda Indy Toronto winner Dario Franchitti grabbing the pole. It marks his third pole of the season and fifth pole on the streets of the Toronto.

    “I was surprised about how quick we could go on the blacks,” Franchitti noted. “I’m quite happy with that. I’m delighted to put the Target car on the pole. We’ve had a tough stretch. It feels really good.”

    Sebastian Bourdais qualified second, a tenth off of Franchitti, for his best starting spot this season.

    “We finally got a break, and the car is heading in the right direction,” Bourdais said. “We made a lot of changes this morning in the one-and-a-half hour session that we had. I’m pretty hopeful. We’re starting to underatnd what this car needs on the new tires, which is something we haven’t had since the start of the season.”

    2010 Honda Indy Toronto winner Will Power would qualify third as Penske Racing searches for their second win of 2013.

    “I hope to get a good start tomorrow,” Power commented. “The big key to getting a good start is to not get too much spin, so you get that proper hookup. I haven’t had a chance to look at the grid box, but hopefully it’s a good patch of asphalt because it changes so much around this track.”

    Tony Kanaan would qualify fourth, matching his career-best start at Toronto set in 2001.

    “I’m excited about it,” Kanaan said. “It’s the hometown race for my sponsor Hydroxycut. I know everyone is pulling for Hinch, which is totally fair, but we have some Canadian sponsors on the car. Hopefully we can put on an exciting show for the fans.”

    James Jakes would round out the top five for his career best start at Toronto. However, he will incur a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change this week.

    Last week’s race winner Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six.

    Last year’s race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay would qualify seventh after barely missing the Firestone Fast Six.

    “It’s frustrating,” Hunter-Reay commented. “We had a great car today; we led the first practice. I’d like to thank the guys, the crew on the No. 1 DHL team for giving me a great car. I’d like to thank (Takuma) Sato for knocking us out of the session again today. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll be fighting again tomorrow, we’ll be fighting again on Sunday. It’s just out of our control so what do you do? We’ll just pack up and hope for a better day tomorrow.”

    Points leader Helio Castroneves would qualify eighth, followed by Justin Wilson and Ryan Briscoe.

    Hometown driver James Hinchcliffe would end up 14th out of the 25 cars.

    “This is certainly not the way we wanted qualifying to go,” Hinchcliffe commented. “I feel bad for all the fans here; (they) deserved better than that, but we’ll put our heads down tomorrow. It’s a long race, and I know we’ll have a good car. We missed it by less than a tenth to get through, and it’s heartbreaking to miss it by so little. But it’s a long race, and this is a track you can pass on and you can plan strategy to your advantage, so fingers crossed that when it counts, when the points are paying tomorrow, we’ll be at the right end.”

    There was one incident during qualifying when Takuma Sato got into the turn one tires, causing front end damage to his car. He would qualify 12th.

    “In the second segment going into Turn 1, we were always on the edge just kissing the bumps,” Sato explained. “But the last time, it bottomed out, and it went straight in the tires. It’s unfortunate, but we have another qualifying session tomorrow, so hopefully we can improve again.”

  • Josef Newgarden heads into Honda Indy Toronto looking for first podium finish

    Josef Newgarden heads into Honda Indy Toronto looking for first podium finish

    “I started racing when I was 13 in go-karts. I told my parents I wanted something motorized and they wouldn’t let me have it till I was 13. I finally got started in karts. That’s what I loved. I stopped playing baseball, I stopped playing basketball and started racing. Somewhere along the line, I found myself in an IndyCar so it’s been a pretty incredible journey.”

    Josef Newgarden continues his journey this weekend as he will look to tackle the streets of Toronto for the Honda Indy Toronto as he continues his sophomore IndyCar season.

    “Toronto is incredible,” he says. “I just love the track. It’s a fun weekend to come race at, it’s a fun weekend to come visit a different city and Toronto is one of the best. They have incredibly passionate fans. Everything about it is good. I love the track. I love the style of racing here. I love the difficulty with the track that arises.”

    While some tracks may have a tricky corner or spot, the trick that comes with Toronto is the fact that some parts are asphalt, and some parts are concrete.

    “There’s lots of concrete and the concrete comes in and out in each other and really you need to find the apex over each corner of the track,” Newgarden explains. “It’s tough getting the car to work over every corner. It goes asphalt to concrete back to asphalt. The asphalt has tons of grip versus the concrete in the middle of the corner as you lose grip completely. That’s the tough thing about Toronto is figuring out that balance.”

    To add to the challenge, the drivers are faced with two races this weekend – one Saturday and one Sunday – instead of the normal one race format that race fans have been used to. The additional race puts an emphasis on what a driver intakes.

    “It’s just more emphasis put on hydration and food – what you’re doing with vitamins,” Newgarden says of the two races. “It puts more of a premium on that sort of stuff so that’s the drivers are focusing on. Can’t do much with your training as once your set at your fitness level, you try to maintain that throughout the season. It’s more the hydration that you have to look out for.”

    Newgarden heads into Toronto this weekend looking for his first career IndyCar Podium after picking a pair fifth place finishes so far this year.

    “It’s been fun, exciting, gone to many different tracks already, which isn’t unusual for IndyCar as we go to all different types,” Newgarden says. “We’re always keeping it fresh and creating a new challenge for the teams and the drivers. It’s been fun. We’ve had a really fun year. We’ve had a couple top fives. Definitely want more; we’re not here to finish fifth. We’re trying to get wins and podiums. This weekend, we have two great opportunities.”

    One of the things that is Newgarden’s backpocket is that he is no rookie this year, having ran Toronto last year, and is gotten more used to working with his crew.

    “You really have to have an incredible group that works well together and understands what they need from each other,” Newgarden says. “We’re sort of firing on all cylinders now at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. We understand what we need from each other now and what we want from each other and that’s what I think is happening this year together. You start to get that continuity, that rhythm and this year it’s starting to gel and come together a lot better and that’s been the biggest difference for us.”

  • Ryan Briscoe juggles schedule heading into the Honda Indy Toronto

    Ryan Briscoe juggles schedule heading into the Honda Indy Toronto

    Imagine running a full racing schedule going for a championship. Not just any championship, but the American LeMans Series Championship.

    Now imagine yourself doing that, while also running some IndyCar races for Panther Racing including the double header in Toronto this weekend.

    This isn’t something that is hypothetical. This is what Ryan Briscoe, driver of the No. 4 National Guard IndyCar is doing this year.

    “I’m multi-tasking still so it definitely makes it challenging,” Briscoe comments. “Just been hard, but the team has really looked after me and been able to acquire seats that I used last year so that was a big start with getting comfortable in the cockpit. Great groups of guys to work with, very professional.”

    Briscoe joined up with Panther Racing mid-season this year, his first start with them coming at Detroit, and has been getting to know the guys a little more each week ever since. With the way his schedule has been, he finally got a chance to be able to see the guys at the shop during the week.

    “I definitely am excited,” Briscoe says. “I feel like coming straight off racing Pocono, I was able to go to Indianapolis this week, go to the race shop and spend time with the guys, which is basically been our first time together since our first race at Detroit.

    “I feel preparation coming into Toronto is good, just a lot more organized than it’s been for me the previous races we’ve done together, which I think is a confidence boost for me and the team.”

    Briscoe has also experienced a change with Panther Racing versus his previous seasons at Penske Racing in that Panther Racing is a single-car operation. Briscoe comments that it makes it even harder because you don’t have a teammate to bounce information back and forth

    While Briscoe is working through changes of his own, the IZOD IndyCar Series is throwing curveballs at the drivers with changes and tweaks for this year. Instead of a single-race on Sunday, the IZOD IndyCar Series is running back-to-back races this weekend in Toronto, with one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

    “It makes for a really fast-paced weekend, one practice session only before going into qualifying,” Briscoe comments. “So preparation is so important. There’s not much time if you’re off your mark to begin with so you have to be on it. You need to have a good practice to know what you clearly need going into qualifying for race one. Then after that, you’re qualifying for race two and then racing. It all happens quickly.”

    Briscoe welcomes the challenge that it brings, as double headers equal more racing for him.

    With having the double headers, some would think that maybe drivers would be conservative in race one. However, Briscoe says he doesn’t think so.

    “Speaking in general terms as a driver, I would say not,” he says. “But in Detroit, I would say for sure the first race was more conservative than the second race. The second race, pretty stupid actually; everyone was making a lot of boneheaded moves on the restarts, which we didn’t see in race one. So I don’t know why that is.

    “In preparation for a race like this, you’d think it may be the same in both races. We may get a little more confident going into the second race and try to get a bit more out of it. I don’t know – we’ll see.”

    Oh, and the double header isn’t the only challenge that the drivers are facing. INDYCAR has gone with “standing starts” for the first of the two races. Instead of the traditional rolling starts, the cars will be stopped on the front stretch and have the light countdown.

    “That’s going to be interesting, I don’t know what to expect,” Briscoe says. “I hope it all goes well. I don’t see why it won’t, but certainly something new to adapt to.”

    The Toronto circuit has thrown Briscoe a curveball in the past, as he has two top seven finishes, along with two finishes outside the top 15 in his four starts.

    “I’d say the track is difficult because it’s quite bumpy and it’s got quite a few fast corners for a street course so that’s probably the hardest thing,” Briscoe says. “You’re switching tarmacs quite a bit around this circuit so you’re going from old concrete to new concrete to tarmac, and that’s make the set-up more challenging and adjusting your driving to it.

    “It’s a good race track, it’s got lots of passing zones. The passing zones are always tempting; you see a lot of crashes here so something to be aware of during the race to watch out for accidents happening because this race always seems to breed accidents. So it’s something to keep on your mind especially with two races this weekend.”

    With having a double-header this weekend and his jam-packed schedule, training is key for Briscoe in keeping him in shape for the season. Briscoe says for drivers, the core of their training comes during the off-season.

    “The off-season is where I can take my fitness to another level, where I can improve where I feel I’ve been lacking and try to get my fitness to the next level,” he comments. “Once we get to the season and especially once the month of May begins, you flood out. All the way through May and June till July, and then you get a weekend here and there off. During that period, it’s more maintenance than keeping improving. You just need to try and maintain what you worked on during the off-season and certainly being in a racecar is huge. That keeps your maintenance up, but I just mostly try to keep cardio up during the season.”

  • James Hinchcliffe looks to make his own memories in Toronto

    James Hinchcliffe looks to make his own memories in Toronto

    As James Hinchcliffe sits in Coronation Park on Thursday morning, hearing him recall memories of Toronto past, you can see the fan that he is of IndyCar racing. As a kid, Hinchcliffe came to the Honda Indy Toronto, having only grown up a half hour away from Toronto in Oakville, Ontario.

    “I remember being five, six years old and climbing under the grandstands, meeting Mario Andretti and getting his autograph,” Hinchcliffe recalls. “When the cars were at the fuel tank, a little more open and exposed, I’d go stand there. One of the mechanics let me hold a steering wheel – it was one of the coolest things ever.”

    Flashforward to 2013, Hinhcliffe is looking to make his third Toronto start in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the No. 27 Go Daddy car for Andretti Autosport.

    “It’s one of my favourite weekends of the year getting to come home,” Hinchcliffe says. “This is what started my passion and got me interested in the sport.”

    Even though he is back home, it doesn’t give him a ton of time with family due to the commitments.

    “It’s part of it,” he says. “I’m here to do a job this weekend. Next weekend we have off so I have taken all of the next week off to stay here in Canada, visit some friends, visit some family.”

    Focusing on the weekend ahead, Hinchcliffe is looking for better luck than he has had in the past. In his previous two starts, he has finished 14th and 22nd. He did have some success in Toronto in the past though, finishing third in the Firestone Indy Lights division in 2009.

    “The track hasn’t been real good to me,” he says. “We’ve been competitive and I’ve led laps in a different series. But whether it has been mechanical or just being out thought of by guys, I just haven’t had that luck here at all.”

    With that in mind, Hinchcliffe is coming into the weekend “with the feeling that everything is going to go wrong”.

    It sort of falls along Hinchcliffe’s season so far as he has been fast every week, picking up three race wins, but hasn’t had the consistency with wrecks and mechanical problems taking him out of contention some weeks.

    “It’s been way less consistent than it needs to be said,” he says. “I can’t say it’s been a bad year with three wins. I mean, that’s such a huge accomplishment for the team. But we need to have top 10s in between those wins.”

    Last year, it was Hinchcliffe’s teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay picking up the win in Toronto.

    “He did a great job last year,” Hinchcliffe comments. “Ryan is such a tough competitor and really good on the street circuits. I actually learned a lot from him last year. It’s great to have a teammate like that where you can work together.”

    Hinchcliffe says looking back at Hunter-Reay’s win, he remembers the restart before Hinch had the mechanical problems that took him out of the running.

    “I was starting right beside him so I know I was in position to win,” Hinchcliffe comments. “So hopefully we’ll have all four cars up there and get one of them to victory lane.”

    There’s also the joke that whenever Hunter-Reay comes to Canada, the California native calls himself “Canadian” because his mom was born in Hamilton, Ontario.

    “It’s special for him to win here,” Hinchcliffe adds. “If I can’t win and its an Andretti-Autosport driver that is half-Canadian, that’s not a bad guy.”

    If Hinchcliffe wants to have success this weekend, he’ll have the master the corner that he calls the toughest for him: turn one.

    “Turn one is everything challenging,” Hinchcliffe says. “First you got bumps on the entry, which hurt braking. You have the concrete patch in hte middle of the corner which affects your balance in the middle of the corner, which then leads to a nice long straight. You have to have a good exit or we’re losing time all the way down to turn three. To set up for that, whether set-up of your car or how you plan your way to get through it, it can be a challenge.”

    If all that is not enough, just imagine having to do it back-to-back days as for the first time in series history, the IZOD IndyCar Series is running back-to-back races in Toronto with one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The first time IndyCar did that format this year was in Detroit, where it seemed race one was calm while race two had a bunch of incidents throughout.

    “We learned a lot in Detroit, but the way the weather unfolded Saturday and all the rest of it, we have a lot to learn,” Hinchcliffe says. “Engineers hate change and rely on 10 years of data and say, ‘We’ll have a caution at this lap’. This is how those guys operate. It’s going to be challenging with strategy and what tires. Those are the things we have to learn.”

    Hinchcliffe adds that you will probably see different tire strategies throughout the weekend and there may be a big difference between those who hit the right combination and those who don’t.

    Managing the two races, along with the sponsor and media commitments, it’s a challenge that the driver are being faced with.

    “All the drivers have upped their physical,” Hinchcliffe says as per the preparation for this weekend. “You have to be conscious about nutrition, hydration over the weekend. Most drivers have physios with them so they can deal with what comes up.”

    Hinchcliffe adds that the schedule adds another challenge by the practice time being minimized.

    “So if you’re not unrolling with a good car, you’re essentially penalized and it makes it frustrating,” Hinchcliffe says.

    If having double races is not enough of a challenge, IndyCar has gone with “standing starts” for the first of the two races. Instead of the traditional rolling starts, the cars will be stopped on the front stretch and have the light countdown.

    “That’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Hinchcliffe comments. “We haven’t had a chance to practice that. A lot of guys haven’t done it in years so hopefully we get through it catastrophe free cause we got a race the next to run.”

    If you’re not already pumped to come down to the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend with all the new things instore, Hinchcliffe says that you should give it a chance as TV can’t do it justice.

    “You have to be here to see it, hear it and smell it,” Hinhcliffe says.

  • OSCAAR Modifieds Take Their Battle to the Beach

    OSCAAR Modifieds Take Their Battle to the Beach

    This weekend, the OSCAAR Modifieds will take their battle to the beach….Sauble beach that is as they take on Sauble Speedway. With action that has impressed fans so far this year, it is no doubt that Sauble will just add to that.

    In the series’ inaugural visit to Sauble Speedway, it was Steve Smith taking the victory. Smith did attempt to make a start at Delaware Speedway earlier this year, however did not start the feature due to mechanical problems. Whether Smith will have those problems fixed and be at Sauble is yet to be seen.

    Coming into the season, the question was whether anybody could beat Gary McLean. Well, so far, Brent McLean has accomplished that feat.

    Brent McLean has won two features (Barrie June 15th, Sunset June 29th) and leads the points, seven ahead of Gary. In the three races that Brent hasn’t won, he has finished second twice and eighth. Sauble was good for Brent last year as he finished second behind Smith.

    Gary, meanwhile, didn’t have the best run at Sauble last year as he finished 13th out of 14 cars after being involved in an incident on lap 21 on the backstretch. Gary is having a solid season so far, finishing first, second, second and fourth in the first four races. However, he did run into problems at Sunset on June 30th after suffering damage on the first lap in an incident that involved Davey Terry and Brian McLean.

    Speaking of Davey Terry, despite making heavy contact with the inside front stretch wall on Sunday June 30th, Terry has announced that he will have his modified back together in one piece and ready to go for Sauble. After having a solid rookie season last year that included a fourth place finish at Sauble, Terry came into the year as one of the favorites to possibly grab his first feature victory.

    Terry started off the year well with a fourth and a sixth, however has come across some problems in the three features that followed. At Delaware Speedway, Terry had an eventful evening that included a fire at one point, before bringing home a 10th place finish in the feature. At Sunset Speedway, Terry ran into mechanical problems, cutting his feature short on Saturday, followed by the wreck on Sunday on the opening lap. Will he be able to turn the season around at Sauble? That’s what the Erin, Ontario native is hoping.

    Matt Barton had a solid run last year at Sauble Speedway as came home with a fifth place feature finish. Barton has ran strong so far this year up front each week, currently sitting fourth in points. That is also with missing an event this year as he missed the Sunday June 30th Sunset Speedway feature due to the damage done to his modified on Saturday’s feature (ninth place finish).

    Rookie Branden Bullen will be looking for his second straight top five after finishing fourth at Sunset Speedway on June 30th. The fourth place finish for Bullen marked a solid finish after some struggles to start the season.

    Rookie Bobby Tolton has been hard at work on fixing his modified after being involved in a last lap crash at Sunset Speedway that caused heavy damage to the side of his modified. The Tolton Motorsports driver hopes to be out at Sauble Speedway.

    Rookie Shane Stickle made his OSCAAR Modified debut at Sunset Speedway last month, where he finished seventh and fifth across the two days. He will look to continue his string of success this weekend.

    Brad Pearsall was quick both days at Sunset Speedway, finishing second on night one while finding trouble on night two. Pearsall has three top fives in four OSCAAR starts so look for him to run upfront. Pearsall finished seventh at Sauble last year.

    Barry Newman has also been fast this year, finishing third on night one at Sunset while like Pearsall, finding trouble on night two. Newman has two top fives in three OSCAAR starts so he is another one to watch.

    If the No. 34 team brings their modified to Sauble Speedway, look for Brandon Watson to once again be behind the wheel, looking for another top 10 finish to go with his seventh and third at Sunset Speedway.

    David Mccullogh missed Sunset Speedway on June 29th and 30th, but did finish seventh at Delaware Speedway last month to go with a fourth at Barrie Speedway and fifth at Sunset in May. If he makes it to Sauble Speedway, look for him to challenge for a top five finish.

    Dave Osbourne continues to learn his new modified with each week and hasn’t missed a week yet so he will be another one that will be attendance this weekend.

    Brian McLean has struggled so far this year, running upfront at times but struggling other times, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he can work out the corks with his ride. He finished sixth last year at Sauble.

    With regardless of who shows up and the details written here, it promises to be a good show as the modifieds never disappoint with their 30 lap features. Make sure to join us at Sauble Speedway for racing at 7pm, with a 6:20pm autograph session.

  • Marco Andretti looks to end winless drought in Toronto

    Marco Andretti looks to end winless drought in Toronto

    So far this year, Marco Andretti has been fast and has run upfront each week leading laps. However, there’s something missing so far this year – a win.

    Despite sitting third in points and having led 244 laps so far this year, Andretti heads to the Honda Indy Toronto, looking to end a winless drought and pick up his first win of the season.  Andretti’s last win came in 2011 at Iowa Speedway. Since then, Andretti has finished on the podium four times, but hasn’t found himself on the top step.

    Everybody has noticed that Andretti has been running stronger this year than past years, whether oval, street course or road course. In the 11 races run so far this year, he has finished in the top five in four of those races.

    He looked like he could possibly win the Indianapolis 500 after starting third and leading 31 laps, however would finish fourth in the final dash to the checkered with a caution coming out late. The three oval races that followed, Andretti was one of the quickest cars each week, however came up short each time. Last weekend at Pocono, he dominated, though had to conserve the fuel the final stint resulting in a 10th place finish.

    Now will that win come this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto?

    His father and team owner Michael Andretti was successful on the temporary street course in the past, winning a record seven times. Now will that success pass down to his son?

    So far this year on the road courses, Andretti has been consistant, finishing in the top 10 in each of them except for one where he finished 20th after some problems. In four past starts in Toronto, Andretti has finished eighth, eighth, fourth and 16th.

    There’s something that has happened since a year ago, though – Andretti has learned more about his driving style.

    Over the off-season, he spent some time with a driving coach to make himself a better driver. Andretti mentioned that from that experience, there’s a new word that’s part of his vocabulary as a driver – finesse.

    “I think that was costing me,” he commented earlier this year. “I think that could have helped me at Indy just be a little more patient. Having looked back at it now I would have probably went for the most laps led, but we were just kind of watching fuel and being more patient than I probably would have been in the past at Indy. That is probably the only difference.”

    The change in Andretti’s attitude is noticed by others, including his grandfather Mario.

    “You can see obviously that I think he has buckled down and I think focused a little more on somewhat he really needs to work on,” Mario Andretti said. “Again, now of course by having the responsibility to be up there in the points… what they gone six races or so in the series a long way to go for sure, but at least right now he has something to protect and go for. He has got the team behind him and he has the experience now I think to carry it.”

    So will he win this weekend? That’s the million dollar question that everybody is asking. It seems that Andretti is the driver behind the wheel to do it, Andretti Autosport has good cars. Now it’s about whether the team can put the package together.

  • OSCAAR Super Late Models head to Sauble Beach

    OSCAAR Super Late Models head to Sauble Beach

    After putting on a stellar two-day show at Sunset Speedway for the Don Biederman Memorial two weeks ago, the OSCAAR Super Late Models return to the track this weekend. With the heat wave of summer hitting full force, it’s fitting that they’re headed to the beach this weekend – Sauble Beach.

    Sauble Speedway always puts on an action packed race, with room to pass on the ¼ mile oval. The Super Late Models will be joined at Sauble by the OSCAAR Modifieds and Sauble’s own Jr. Late Models.

    Last year, George Wilson took home the victory, though has already announced that he doesn’t intend in running the full schedule this season. Wilson was at the Don Biederman Memorial , where he finished a seventh and a 14th across the two nights.

    One of the previous Sauble race winners that will definitely be in the field come this weekend is Glenn Watson, who picked up the victory in 2011. Watson will look to bounce back after failing to finish the second of the two Biederman Memorial features after being taken out of the running through contact with Gary Passer.

    Jeff Hanley won at Sauble in both 2008 and 2010 (2009 was rained out), though has not confirmed whether he will be at Sauble this weekend. He was at the Biederman Memorial, finishing top 10 both nights. However, he wasn’t up to his true prime of being a front contender.

    Points leader Brandon Watson will look to extend his points lead this weekend. He currently leads Derrike Tiemersma by 24 points after a third place finish overall in the Biederman Memorial, including a victory in Sunday’s feature. Watson has one start at Sauble, last year, in which he finished third.

    Tiemersma, meanwhile, has three starts at Sauble, though has only finished in the top five in one of those starts. Could his luck change this year? So far, he has finished in the top five each week.

    Rookie Kevin Cornelius grew up racing at Sauble Speedway, though hasn’t race there in a while in any type of car. How well Cornelius does will depend on how quickly he can get re-accustomed with the track. So far, Cornelius has finished in the top seven in each of the four races this year, including a pair of seconds at the Don Biederman Memorial.

    Fellow rookie Andrew Gresel will also be in attendance. Gresel is used to Sauble Speedway, having ran many laps the past few years in both Limited Late Model and Pro Late Model around the ¼ mile. Gresel has had a solid season so far also, finishing in the top six in three of the four starts. The race that he didn’t finish in the top six was the first race of the season and that was due to his super late not being ready and running a template body car instead.

    Keeping the rookie battle interesting will be Sean Cronan as he hasn’t made many laps around Sauble much either. Cronan picked up his first top 10 of the year at Sunset Speedway two weeks ago on the Sunday and will look to continue that string of positive finishes this weekend.

    Tyler Hawn picked up a ninth place feature finish in the second of the two features at Sunset Speedway at the end of June. Hawn will be at Sauble this weekend, looking to best his ninth place finish from last year at Sauble.

    Gary Passer has been at each event this year and will most likely be at Sauble this weekend. Passer had a solid run in the second of the two Biederman Memorial features, finishing 10th. Passer has finished top 10 in his previous two Sauble starts.

    Shane Maginnis will most likely be in attendance after a top 10 finish on day one of the Biederman Memorial. Maginnis has looked fast so far this year, but is still looking for that elusive top five finish. Maginnis’ only Sauble start was in 2008, which he finished 12th.

    Shane Gowan had his run cut short at Sunset Speedway due to a rear-end failure. However, he has confirmed that he will be in attendance at Sauble Speedway this weekend.

    Lloyd Ritchie suffered a fire during practice for the Biederman Memorial as a result of a loose oil line. Look for Ritchie to be at Sauble after finishing fourth two years ago.

    Don Biederman Memorial winner Dwayne Baker will not be at Sauble Speedway as he will be racing in the Limited Late Model division at Sunset Speedway, vying for the track championship. With the OSCAAR’s back at Sunset later this month, look for Baker to be part of the field that weekend.

    J.R. Fitzpatrick made his first start of the season at the Don Biederman Memorial, however will miss this weekend’s event at Sauble Speedway due to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race.

    Currently, Rob Poole sits fourth in points, 42 points behind points leader Brandon Watson. However, he blew a motor on the last lap of Sunday’s feature at Sunset Speedway and may miss this weekend’s event as a result.

    Charlie Gallant sustained heavy damage in the first of two features at Sunset Speedway after contact with Hanley. Like many others, it’s unclear whether Gallant will be at Sauble.

    Jesse Kennedy missed the race at Sunset due to not having his motor ready in time, and there has yet to be confirmation as to whether he will be at Sauble.

    Front runner Rob Clarke missed Sunset Speedway so there are questions as to whether he will be at Sauble.

    After record car counts and two solid competitive days of racing for the Don Biederman Memorial, expectations for this weekend to be a great weekend for OSCAAR are high. Make sure to join us at Sauble Speedway as racing will start at 7pm, with an autograph session at 6:20pm.

  • Helio Castroneves looks to continue solid season in Toronto

    Helio Castroneves looks to continue solid season in Toronto

    To some of the world, Helio Castroneves is known as that racecar driver that won a Dancing with the Stars trophy, and he doesn’t mind people reminding him of that experience.

    “In fact, when people don’t remind me, I try to remind them that I worked really hard to win that competition,” Castroneves comments. “I really appreciate the support of the racing community. I enjoy very much when people talk about it.”

    Though instead of talking about what the Brazilian is doing off the track, this year they’re talking about what he is doing on the track. So far, Castroneves is having a stellar season as he leads the points, 23 points over defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay.

    “Whenever you’re leading the championship, when it’s by 1 point or 100 points, it’s always good news,” Castroneves says. “Of course, we still have a long way, eight more races to go, a lot of points in the game. We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing because right now, it’s keeping us up there.”

    With being in IndyCar for 13 years now, some wonder how Castroneves keeps himself motivated to keep going after that first championship.

    “I’m always motivated, doesn’t matter whether I’m first or last,” he says. “I love what I do. You have to learn how to enjoy the small, good moments, because racing is very, very brutal sometimess. For me I’ve learned how to enjoy that. I cannot only live in that moment. We just have to keep moving forward. I have a great team, a great car. Hopefully this weekend in Toronto we’ll continue doing a great job.”

    To win a championship, Castroneves that it would be great as it would showcase what all their work has built up to.

    “We’ve been always pushing, been very competitive every year,” he says. “You can only control what’s around you. Hopefully this year so far we’ve been able to do that, put ourselves in a good opportunity.

    “It would mean a lot. I would be extremely happy to get this title. But I know there’s still a lot of racing to go, a lot of points, and I’m going to continue pushing for it.”

    The next challenge for the Penske Racing driver will be the streets of Toronto this weekend as he looks for his first Toronto podium. The Honda Indy Toronto will also mark the second doubleheader of the season, following the first one of the year in Detroit.

    “We certainly understand how it works,” Castroneves comments. “But because we’ve been through one, we know it’s not going to be the same. I believe people going to re-adjust from one race to another.”

    Castroneves says that Toronto is a traditional street course – very tight and technical.

    “Plus we’re going to be standing start (for Race 1), so it’s also another trick, something else for us to think about,” he continues. “But in the end of the day, we know what we need to do. Hopefully we put ourselves in good qualifying so we can start at the front.”

    INDYCAR made the announcement that for race one of both the Toronto and Houston doubleheaders, they will be doing standing starts as a way to mix it up. Meanwhile, race two will have the traditional rolling starts.

    “It’s going to be interesting when you have the clutch in your hand,” Castroneves says of the standing start. “We don’t have 900 horsepower like we used to have. You can wheel spin a lot. There’s a lot involved.

    “Hopefully it’s for the best. Hopefully we take advantage that we can make good starts and collect double points.”

    The doubleheader format is something that was questioned before the start of the season, espically with the turnaround time between races. Castroneves says for the promoters, it makes sense. However, it can be tough on the driver and mechanics.

    “To do a race in IndyCar, it’s tough,” Castroneves says from a driver perspective. “We don’t have power steering. Street courses are very bumpy. It is very physically demanding.

    “I think there is a lack of patience from the drivers, as well. They run the first race, and they know, Man, you know what, I’m going to kick that guy’s butt. That’s what happened in Detroit, a lot of people had a lot of issues in the second race.”

    Castroneves hopes to put down two solid races this weekend and build momentum heading into the rest of the season, through a combination of maturity, experience and having a good group of guys behind him.

    “It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Castroneves says. “So hopefully we keep going. Like I said, I have Roger (Penske) since I’ve been here on the team, we have four races together, and three of them was one win and a second and second. Last weekend unfortunately we had to do a saving fuel mode, but we had potential to finish another top five. I enjoy it, working with Roger directly. So it’s a lot of good things happening in a good way for us.”

  • Scott Dixon and Team Ganassi Make Indy History at Pocono with Win; Podium Finish

    Scott Dixon and Team Ganassi Make Indy History at Pocono with Win; Podium Finish

    Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, made history at Pocono Raceway in the IZOD IndyCar Series as the eighth different winner in eleven races, scoring his 30th career win, as well as the 200th win for Honda and the 100th team finish for team Target.

    “Going into this morning, I was not thinking we could win,” Dixon said. “The team definitely hasn’t given up and you’ve got to hand it to Honda as well.”

    “The fuel mileage was the key today and we still had speed up front without having to save all the time.”

    “I don’t know what to say,” Dixon continued. “It’s the 100th win for Target as well which is just so fantastic.”

    “It’s been a long drought, almost a year, so it’s fantastic to be back in winner’s circle.”

    With the return of IndyCar Racing to Pocono Raceway for the first time since 1989, Team Ganassi also made history, finishing one, two, three for the first time ever in any form of competition, including IZOD IndyCar Series, CART, NASCAR or GRAND-AM.

    With teammate Scott Dixon in Victory Lane, Charlie Kimball, behind the wheel of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second, and teammate Dario Franchitti, behind the wheel of the No. 10 Energizer Honda for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished third.

    “The whole Chip Ganassi Racing crew, as evidenced by the 1-2-3 finish, was focusing on race day knowing that’s when it mattered,” Kimball, who matched his career best finish of second, said. “Throughout today, the guys made it better on each pit stop and the car just got quicker and quicker.”

    “A lot of credit to Honda, they gave us the fuel mileage and speed today.”

    “The Honda today, it’s so good on fuel mileage and that really, really helped us,” Franchitti, the third place finisher, said. “We went for a very aggressive downforce so every lap was an adventure.”

    “It was a good day.”

    “I had no idea we’d finish one, two, three after coming back late from Daytona,” Chip Ganassi, team owner, said. “When I got out of bed this morning, I wouldn’t have guessed this.”

    “I actually forgot that the next win would have been our 100th; it’s been so long since we’ve had a win,” Ganassi continued. “It’s a really great place to do it – in Pennsylvania, my home state.”

    “It’s great for the Series to have a 1-2-3 finish,” Ganassi said. “Honda needed a boost.”

    “The drivers did a great job and the team did a great job,” Ganassi continued. “Hopefully we’ve turned the corner.”

    Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. This was Power’s third top-five finish of the season.

    “I didn’t realize Charlie (Kimball) was for position,” Power said. “It was quite tough to pass.”

    “It was physical but a lovely track,” Power continued. “There was a good crowd and it was a good race.”

    “But it was an awesome day for Verizon.”

    Josef Newgarden, driving the No. 67 SFH Racing/Rotondo Weirich for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, rounded out the top-five, matching his best IndyCar Series finish of fifth in Sao Paulo.

    “We had a great day,” Newgarden said. “To get representable results, I’m super pleased for all our guys.”

    “Pocono is incredible,” Newgarden continued. “I wasn’t even born that time they had the last race here.”

    “We’ve got to come back here because it’s an IndyCar track,” Newgarden said. “I’m super pleased for our group.”

    The race was not without drama as James Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet, wrecked on the very first lap.

    “I’m not entirely sure what happened,” Hinchcliffe said. “We’ll have to take a look at it.”

    “The car just snapped loose on me,” Hinchcliffe continued. “We went a bit aggressive on setup because we had an understeering car all week, and we didn’t want that in the race.”

    “Maybe we overstepped it a bit; I’m not quite sure,” Hinchcliffe said. “It’s a 400-mile race so to go out on Lap 1 is just devastating.”

    “It’s really unfortunate.”

    Another pair of unhappy campers was Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 1 DHL Chevrolet, and Takuma Sato, behind the wheel of the No. 14 ABC Supply Co/A.J. Foyt Racing Honda, who collided on pit road.

    “I think I misjudged it,” Sato said. “Extremely sorry.”

    “It was my fault.”

    “I couldn’t believe it,” Hunter-Reay said. “I thought a plane crashed in there.”

    “I didn’t expect it would have been Sato,” Hunter-Reay continued. “We had a great car to challenge for the win and then get creamed from behind.”

    “He unplugged his brain entirely,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s just so frustrating when someone comes from nowhere completely unglued.”

    Hunter-Reay admitted that the hard hit on pit road exacerbated an injury with which he has been struggling.

    “I have to go get my thumb x-rayed now,” Hunter-Reay said. “That made it worse than it was before.”

    “It is what it is and we’ll deal with it.”

    The most upset driver, however, was hometown hero and third generation driver Marco Andretti. The driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport finished tenth after leading a race high 88 laps and sitting on the pole.

    This was the fifth race this season in which Andretti led and the fourth oval race he has led. Yet he still remains winless for the 2013 season.

    “I’m so frustrated right now,” Andretti said after the race. “We were so dominant.”

    “I’m just absolutely gutted,” Andretti continued. “I just sat there and watched the lead go away from me and it ripped my guts out.”

    Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, finished eighth and extended his points lead to 23 over Ryan Hunter-Reay after the Pocono IndyCar 400 Fueled by Sunoco.

    “For us getting a lot of points in the championship is fantastic,” Castroneves said. “It was a tough race.”

    “It was a lot of thinking and I’m terrible at thinking!” Castroneves continued. “It’s one of those races that nobody knows what to do.”

    “It was crazy and quite exciting,” Castroneves said. “At the end of the day, it was a great day for championship and that’s what we’ve got to think.”

  • Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato Take on Tricky Triangle

    Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato Take on Tricky Triangle

    Although legends the likes of A. J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Al Unser and Mario Andretti have raced there, it has been since 1989 that an open-wheel race occurred at Pocono Raceway.

    But on this July 4th holiday weekend, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Pocono with drivers like Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato, who hope to add their names to the list of winners at the track known as the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “So far, so good,” Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport, said after the first test session at Pocono. “I have to give credit to IndyCar for the aero and Firestone for the tire choice.”

    Andretti, a third generation racer who considers this is ‘home’ track, will make his first start at Pocono and his 125th career start.

    Although Andretti admits that he does go to his grandfather for advice, especially with his familiarity with the ‘tricky’ track, he said that this time he had to make it his own.

    “At this level of the sport, we have to learn by driving,” Andretti said. “My grandfather is supportive…but only if I’m quickest.”

    Andretti said that so far the triangle has been a bit ‘tricky’ from his perspective. But he is loving every minute of it, at least so far.

    “The trickiest part is getting the balance between turns one and three,” Andretti said. “You can make the car good in one corner and then not the others.”

    “That’s the cool part about this track.”

    Fellow competitor Dario Franchitti, driver of the No. 10 Energizer for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, echoed Andretti’s excitement at racing returning to Pocono, in spite of being on ‘Scotland time.’ He had been up bright and early at 6:00 am at Pocono after visiting his homeland for a weekend of rest and relaxation.

    “It’s great to be here at Pocono,” Franchitti said. “It’s a great rack.”

    “These cars are bloody quick right here.”

    Franchitti also agreed with Andretti that the triangle is a bit tricky, especially trying to negotiate the three very different corners.

    “It’s a tough place to figure out,” Franchitti said. “The tunnel turn – I don’t know what it will be like with ten cars in front of me.”

    “But I really hope there will not be ten cars in front of me.”

    Franchitti admitted that his season has been one of struggles, both on the road courses and the ovals. And when one of the media followed up with a question about his brief stint in NASCAR, Franchitti said that was equally as painful as his season so far.

    “I went to the dentist and had work without anesthesia and I broke my back,” Franchitti said. “It was less painful than NASCAR.”

    “This season has been tough,” Franchitti continued. “We haven’t got it together on road courses and we have struggled on the ovals.”

    “We went down the wrong development path with parts and it’s been a difficult year so far.”

    Takuma Sato, driving the No. 14 for A.J. Foyt Racing, echoed the excitement of his fellow drivers in making his first appearance ever at Pocono Raceway. And he even had an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery on his way into the track.

    “I’m very excited to be at Pocono,” Sato said. “It’s always interesting to be in a new venue, especially with the long history here.”

    “On the way to the track, it took me a half hour but it’s a nice drive,” Sato continued. “I like the nature.”

    Sato agreed with his fellow competitors that the three-cornered race track is indeed one of the most ‘tricky’ that he has ever experienced.

    “It’s quite a challenging track,” Sato said. “Quite tricky in Turn One.”

    “It took me awhile to get the right lines and figure out how to do it.”

    “Turns One and Three are challenging for both the driver and the engineers,” Sato said. “By myself I’m doing a good job but I’m not sure about in the pack.”

    “There is a huge balance shift between those two conditions.”

    Like Andretti, Sato has a mentor who has vast knowledge of the track in A.J. Foyt. So, did he garner any advice from him prior to taking to the track at the ‘Tricky Triangle?’

    “We talked about it knowing he is a master here,” Sato said of his mentor and owner Foyt. “But it’s a different time.”

    “He did give me tips about setting up the car,” Sato continued. “I’ll speak to him later today and tomorrow.”

    Sato was also incredibly analytical when it came to breaking down each of the three turns at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “Turn One is like Fontana because of the banking and that you have to go through all the seams,” Sato said. “In Turn Two, you have to be careful because it is easy and flat.”

    “Turn Two is like a little kink for me and there is no need to count it as a corner,” Sato continued. “Turn Three is Milwaukee-style, with no banking and a high speed.”

    “There is a sensation of the cars that feels weird and challenging too,” Sato said. “It is a good corner.”

    Two of the three drivers were also asked to react to another change just announced by INDYCAR race director Beaux Barfield, the return of the three-wide start to the race. So, what did they think of that change?

    Marco Andretti definitely had some thoughts on the three-wide start, the types of which have been utilized for the Indy 500 since 1921 and also at Pocono Raceway in the 1970s and 1980s for the ‘triple crown’ legs.

    “That one is really for the fans,” Andretti said. “I’m all about tradition so I love it.”

    “I’m just hoping we can get it sorted out by Turn One.”

    Dario Franchitti agreed that the three-wide race start may be quite interesting at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “Three wide won’t be an issue at first because it’s so wide,” Franchitti said. “But Turn One narrows up quickly, so that will be the tricky part.”

    Probably the driver with the highest expectations placed upon him at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, however, is hometown ‘son’ and hero Marco Andretti. While he feels a win would be spectacular at his home track, he really just wants to get that ‘W’ in the worst way.

    “The monkey is on my back anyway for a win,” Andretti said. “We’re on the right track.”

    “But a win here would be extra special.”