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Featured Other Series

  • PAGENAUD TOPS OPENING DAY OF PRACTICE AT HOUSTON’S NRG PARK

    PAGENAUD TOPS OPENING DAY OF PRACTICE AT HOUSTON’S NRG PARK

    HOUSTON (Friday, June 27, 2014) — Simon Pagenaud was consistently quick during the opening day of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers.

    Pagenaud, driving the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports Honda, posted the quickest time overall in the afternoon practice session with a lap of 1 minute, 0.1415 seconds on the 1.634-mile, 10-turn temporary street circuit. He was second on the time chart in the companion 45-minute morning session.

    “Houston is a track where you don’t really have any time to breathe,” said Pagenaud, who won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10 and is fourth in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings. “This car is a pleasure to drive. We just need to keep up with the track because the car was pretty much perfect. If we’re good (June 28) on the red Firestone tires, we should be in good shape.”

    Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 8 NTT DATA car for Chip Ganassi Racing, was second quick (1:00.6428) in the afternoon. Luca Filippi, who is making his fifth/sixth Verizon IndyCar Series starts this weekend, was third on the lap chart (1:00.6735) in the No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.

    Verizon IndyCar Series championship points leader Will Power was quickest (1:00.4427) in the morning session in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car.

  • Helio Castroneves hoping for no issues this weekend with Houston track

    Helio Castroneves hoping for no issues this weekend with Houston track

    Last year, Helio Castroneves felt that he had a car that could’ve won at the Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, however fell short of completing the task as a result of gearbox issues. Those issues, according to Castroneves, were brought forth by the car bottoming out going into the first turn of the 1.683-mile MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway.

    “I’m very pleased that they made some changes,” Castroneves said. “”We didn’t finish last year because of an issue that was outside of our control. Hopefully we’ll continue what we’re doing and continuing on to the championship.”

    Beyond simply losing the race, Castroneves lost valuable points towards the championship, which allowed Scott Dixon to grab the title in the final event of the year at Auto Club Speedway.

    As a result of Castroneves’ frustrations and other drivers’ comments, Anderson Cancer Center Speedway Director of Operations Martyn Thake said that they surveyed the area in February, finding the bumps, completing demolishing that part of the track before repaving with new concrete.

    “We had some smaller bumps between Turns 9 and 10 and we ground those down about an inch to 1½ inches,” Thake added. “We also ground a couple of small places here and there and did spot repairs, including in pit lane.

    “We had some areas that had some surface break up and we fixed those as well. We have an advantage with these temporary courses in that we can make improvements and do retro fits every time we build it.”

    Currently sitting second in points, Castroneves cannot afford any issues this weekend as he tries to make up the 60 points that separate him and points leader Will Power.  Castroneves has yet to win a championship in his career, but those around him feel that he has the ability to do it this year based on his attitude. Rick Mears, who spotted for Castroneves at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month, says that Castroneves is a very focused and determined driver.

    “A lot of people look at him and they see his easy-going, happy personality. And that is who he is, but underneath that is a driver that will do whatever it takes to win,” Mears commented. “You have to have that attitude to win the number of races he’s won.”

    Three different times, he has finished in the runner-up position, missing the title by mere points.

    Over the course of the second half of the season, the key will be for Castroneves to stick to his guns, posting solid finishes and overcoming adversity in the best ways possible while not wrapping himself up with controversies.

    Avoiding issues like he had last year at Houston would be a good start towards the goal at hand.

  • Cayden Lapcevich to Make OSCAAR Modified Debut during Don Biederman Memorial Weekend

    Cayden Lapcevich to Make OSCAAR Modified Debut during Don Biederman Memorial Weekend

    GRIMSBY, ON- Sunset Speedway Super Stock division standout Cayden Lapcevich will make his first career OSCAAR Modified start this weekend, as part of the 16th annual Don Biederman Memorial weekend.

    The third-generation driver will campaign a Troyer chassis jointly owned by Hamilton, ON-area competitors Terry Baker and Kevin Job.

    “This is such a huge opportunity”, exclaimed Lapcevich when asked of his upcoming tour debut. “I’m counting the days. I feel like I’m waiting for Christmas morning. Terry & Kevin have been friends of my family for as long as I can remember, and I’m honoured that they think enough of me as a driver to let me race their car”

    Coined ‘The Prodigy’, Lapcevich is the son of current NASCAR Canadian Tire Series star Jeff Lapcevich. The Grimsby, ON driver is a Sunset Speedway standout, already securing a pair of Super Stock feature victories this season at the Innisfil-area 3/8 mile.

    “I’m real interested in seeing how the Modified responds”, explained Lapcevich. “I’ve never so much as sat in one, so I have no idea if I’ll be able to run Sunset the way I do in my Super Stock, or if I’ll have to attack the track completely different”

    “Sunset’s definitely home and I think I know the track as well as anybody on the tour, but I might be hitting the reset button this weekend and learning my way around all over again”

    Though the Baker Performance of Hamilton No. 26 will be foreign to Lapcevich, the 14-year old is only three seasons removed from a Quarter Midget career that took him across North America en route to 7 National Championships.

    “It’s been a while since I’ve raced anything with open wheels, but that’s the kind of experience you never really lose”, said Lapcevich. “When you’re racing anything without fenders, you have to be mindful of what’s around you, and you have to have a tonne of respect for the guy racing beside you. That’s the most important thing I learned from my Quarter Midget racing, and it’s definitely something I’ll be applying to the way I race the Modified this weekend”

    When asked if his appearance in an OSCAAR Modified could turn into a regular occurrence, the high-school student is careful to play his cards close.

    “Right now, our goal as a team is just to stay on the track and get as much seat time as possible. In anything. As long as I’m learning and getting better, then I’m doing my job. I just love racing. I’ll drive anything if given the opportunity”

    Cayden’s OSCAAR Modified Tour debut will be made possible thanks to support from Baker Performance of Hamilton, Tim Hortons, Troy Cove Marine, Springers Meats, EPIC Racewear by OnePromo.ca and Cathcart Trucking.

    Fans can follow Cayden on Twitter @CaydenLapcevich or at his official Cayden Lapcevich Racing page on Facebook.

     

    By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)

  • IndyCar Withdraws Penalty Against Sebastien Bourdais

    IndyCar Withdraws Penalty Against Sebastien Bourdais

    INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 25, 2014) – INDYCAR announced today that following an internal review it has withdrawn penalties issued against Sebastien Bourdais following the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Bourdais had been penalized for violation of Rule 9.3.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook during an incident with Justin Wilson on Lap 121 of the event.

    The KVSH Racing driver had been fined $10,000 and placed him on probation for the remainder of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Both the fine and probation issued to Bourdais have been rescinded.

  • IndyCar to Live Stream All Verizon IndyCar Series Practice Activity

    IndyCar to Live Stream All Verizon IndyCar Series Practice Activity

    INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 25, 2014) — INDYCAR announced today that it will live stream all Verizon IndyCar Series practice activity for the remainder of the 2014 season on IndyCar.com, the official website of the sanctioning body. The package also will include the IMS Radio Network broadcast, anchored by legendary motorsports announcer Paul Page, and real-time Timing & Scoring.

    Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying and race activity is televised on NBCSN, and will continue to be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets.

    “We’re thankful to our partners at NBCSN for allowing us to stream Verizon IndyCar Series practice on IndyCar.com,” Hulman Motorsports CMO C.J. O’Donnell said. “INDYCAR fans across the globe are unbelievably passionate about our sport and we’re happy to be able to provide them with additional live coverage from our events.”

    The Verizon IndyCar Series practice live stream can be viewed at RaceControl.IndyCar.com. Practice sessions for this weekend’s Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers are Friday, June 27, from 11-11:45 a.m. and 2:55-3:40 p.m. (ET).

    The NBC Sports Live Extra stream of Verizon IndyCar Series qualifications and races can be viewed at stream.nbcsports.com/indy or by downloading the NBC Sports Live Extra app.

    NBCSN will telecast the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader at 3 p.m. (ET) both Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29. Qualifications for Race 1 will be aired at 2 p.m. (ET) June 28, preceding the race telecast. The IMS Radio Network race broadcast airs on network affiliates, IndyCar.com, the INDYCAR 14 app and Sirius 213 and XM 209.

  • Preview: OSCAAR Hanover Holiday Modifieds at Sunset Speedway

    Preview: OSCAAR Hanover Holiday Modifieds at Sunset Speedway

    After putting on an impressive show two weeks ago at Barrie Speedway that featured a side-by-side battle between Gary Elliott and Gary McLean in the late going, the OSCAAR Hanover Holiday Modifieds are back this weekend for a pair of 30-lap features at Sunset Speedway. Both days promise to be action packed with a full field of modifieds set to deliver.

    Two-time Champion Gary McLean leads the crop into the weekend following back-to-back feature wins this season. McLean didn’t start off the year as he hoped in the season opener as a result of being a victim to bad luck, but has been on a roll since with a win at Kawartha and the win at Barrie. McLean leads the modified drivers in victories at Sunset with six victories in nine races. Expect McLean to be fast both nights as he looks to pad his points lead.

    Coming off a third place finish at Barrie, Max Beyore continues to search for his first career Modified victory. Beyore has been strong at Sunset in the past, scoring a pair of runner-up finishes.

    Branden Bullen surprised everybody with his lack of appearance at Barrie Speedway two weeks ago. If Bullen is in attendance, he will be strong based on his third place finish last July. Bullen also has multiple laps around Sunset from his Mini Stock days.

    When Davey Terry is at Sunset, he either finishes in the top five – or he has a DNF as a result of bad luck. Terry is hoping for a good run after getting his fenders ruffled a little at Barrie two weeks ago and a late race spin at Kawartha to start the month.

    In his last three starts at Sunset Speedway, Brent McLean has failed to finish in the top-five and honestly, that’s surprising. The Conn native is a previous winner at Sunset and has finished in the runner-up spot on four different occasions. Coming off more bad luck at Barrie, McLean is hoping to return to previous Sunset glory.

    Mike Westwood has shown speed the previous two seasons behind the wheel of a modified. However, the finishes at Sunset don’t show that as a result of bad luck. Pulling double duty this weekend in also running the Ontario Pro Challenge Series event on Saturday, Westwood hopes the days of bad luck are behind him.

    After posting a pair of top-fives to start the year, Ryan Dick missed Barrie Speedway as a result of a lack of sponsorship. If Dick is in attendance, he should be one of the drivers upfront based on his growth as a driver the past couple of years.

    Following a seventh place finish at Barrie Speedway, Matt Barton is hoping for a top-five finish this weekend and it’s very well possible as he has done it before, posting a third place finish in the season opener.

    Shane Stickel was one of the drivers who missed Barrie Speedway. If Stickel hits the track this weekend, he should be one to watch as he finished second in the season opener at Sunset Speedway.

    Bobby Tolton has been struggling to find the right handle on his ride and it has shown in previous Sunset Speedway events. With a couple weeks to look for the right set-up, Tolton will be hoping that the work leads to a solid finish this weekend.

    Chad Strawn kicked off the year in style, winning the season opener at Sunset Speedway and finishing a solid seventh at Kawartha. After missing Barrie due to eye surgery, Strawn is hoping to get back on track this weekend with a pair of victories to keep the string of success going.

    A modified veteran, Brian McLean wasn’t one of the drivers to watch at the beginning. However, McLean continues improving and will be looking for a top-five this weekend.

    Rookie Tommy Robb had a very unfortunate end to his night at Barrie as contact from other cars resulted in a hand injury. Whether Robb will be in attendance is yet to be known at press time. However, Robb will be one to watch if he is there as he showed lots of speed and potential in the season opener.

    Sunset Speedway Super Stock competitor Cayden Lapcevich will make his modified debut this weekend as he will be driving the Terry Baker/Kevin Jobs’ owned modified. The car is quick based on Baker’s third at Kawartha and fourth at Barrie, so it’ll depend at how well the teenager adjusts to the new ride.

    Speaking of young guns, 13-year-old Dustin Jackson returns to the sight of his first career heat win this weekend and will be looking for more success after a top-five finish in May.

    Drew Stieler missed the season opener after blowing a motor in practice, however is definitely top-10 material following the speed that he has shown since.

    Going into the weekend, Gary Elliott is one of the drivers that is dominating the majority of the headlines. A veteran racer, Elliott will be making his 700th consecutive start behind the wheel of a stock car – whether late model, mini, vintage mod, open-wheel modified – when he takes the green flag on Sunday night. Elliott could celebrate this milestone achievement in style as he posted a second place finish at Barrie in only his third career modified start and has tons of laps around Sunset that could lead to success.

  • Hunter-Reay, Dixon Earn ESPY Nominations as Best Driver

    Hunter-Reay, Dixon Earn ESPY Nominations as Best Driver

    INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, June 24, 2014) – Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and recently-crowned Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay are nominees in the “Best Driver” category for the annual ESPY Awards.

    Andretti Autosport’s Hunter-Reay earned the Best Driver ESPY in 2013 after claiming his first Verizon IndyCar Series title in a dramatic 2012 season finale at Auto Club Speedway. He won the 98th Indianapolis 500 in May – the first by an American since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006 –  in a dramatic late-race duel with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

    “It’s such an honor to be nominated again,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is more exciting news following what was one of the most intense finishes in the history of the Indy 500. The list of ESPY nominees includes top athletes from around the world and in so many forms of sport. The ESPY we won following our Verizon IndyCar Series championship sits amongst the awards of my most significant accomplishments.”

    Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, earned his third series title with a late-season run that saw him rally from a nearly 80-point deficit win by 27 points over Castroneves.

    “It was an incredible year for the No. 9 car and the whole Target team last year,” Dixon said. “The fields are so tight in the Verizon IndyCar Series right now, with the best drivers competing every weekend. 2013 marked a great final run by our team to come back and win the championship, and I’m honored to represent Target Chip Ganassi Racing as a nominee for the ESPY Award for Best Driver.”

    Voting is open until 9 p.m. on July 16 at http://espn.go.com/espys/2014/

    Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist Drake hosts the ESPY Awards, which will be broadcast on ESPN at 9 p.m. (ET) July 16 from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

  • Team BCR and Enfinger Win Akona 250 at Elko Speedway

    Team BCR and Enfinger Win Akona 250 at Elko Speedway

    (Elko, MN – June 22, 2014)  Team BCR’s Grant Enfinger dominated the race last night when he earned his fourth win of the season in the No. 90 Triple K Construction – Casite Ford Fusion. The win will put Enfinger back in the lead for the 2014 ARCA Racing Series Championship.

    “I have to thank team owners Howard and Paula Bixman,” said Enfinger. “We have established a great short track program at Team BCR.”

    After leading the first practice session of the day, the No. 90 qualified for the Akona 250 at Elko Speedway in the outside row behind the No. 55. Enfinger immediately took the lead away when the first green flag flew.

    Enfinger mentioned, “I knew we had a great car right from the start. Our car was fast in the first practice and I knew it would be in contention for a win during the second practice session. It’s definitely the best car I’ve ever had. Howard is doing everything right to win this Championship.”

    Trouble arose on the fourth lap when the No. 40 car spun Grant in turn two. No damage was done to the No. 90 Ford, but it sent him back to 16th for the restart. This was no problem for Grant, who made his way back up to the lead within a few laps.

    Enfinger said, “I thought our day was done with after that incident. Kelly (Kovski) kept trying to calm me down and that really was key.”

    The caution flag flew once again once again on lap 155. This is when Crew Chief, Kelly Kovski decided to bring in the No. 90 to pit road for a change of four tires and fuel. Grant remained the leader for the rest of the race with an eight second advantage over the next car in line and lapped almost the entire field except three other cars.

    “I have to thank all of our sponsors this year for their support including Motor Honey, Casite, Triple K Construction, Stanley Industries, Franklin Fasteners, Wurth, CGS Imaging and Warriors in the Workplace. Howard has established a tremendous program at Team BCR and we’re looking forward to winning this Championship!”

    Enfinger led a total of 211 laps of the 250-lap race. The next race on schedule includes the ½ mile oval track, Winchester Speedway on July 6.

    Team Manager, Howard Bixman, “This race showed how much talent Team BCR and Grant hold. Grant, nor the team, has ever been to this track before, and to come out with a dominating win is great! This just brings us one step closer to this Championship.”
    Marketing opportunities are available on the No. 90 Ford Fusion for the 2014 season. For more information, please contact Howard Bixman via email at hbixman@hotmail.com.
    Team BCR: Team BCR Racing and Development Team, located in Mooresville, NC, is headed by veteran ARCA and NASCAR Crew Chief, Howard Bixman. Team BCR is a winning organization and 2014 Daytona Champions, that has poised itself as a first rate driver development team, seeking out talented drivers and providing them with quality winning equipment and development, with the goal of furthering their careers into a successful entry into NASCAR.

  • Austin Theriault Wins ARCA Debut at Michigan Int’l Speedway with Venturini Motorsports

    Austin Theriault Wins ARCA Debut at Michigan Int’l Speedway with Venturini Motorsports

    John Wes Townley Claims another Top-5 Finish, Coughlin Gains Speedway Experience & Boston Blows Up

    Concord, NC (June 16, 2014) – Entering Friday’s Corrigan Oil 200 event at Michigan International Speedway, 20-year old Austin Theriault was a relatively unknown name in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards garage. But the mystery surrounding the Fort Kent, Maine native didn’t last long as he impressed winning the Irish Hills classic becoming the first ARCA driver to win in his series debut since 2011.

    “You don’t come by a car that good very often. Billy and the team did a great job preparing me and the car,” said Theriault.

    Theriault maintained great track position riding around in the second spot most of the day before stealing the lead away from Mason Mitchell on the final restart with 17 laps to go. After hitting clean air Theriault drove away in his No. 66 Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry.

    “The side draft gave me a good run going into turn three,” Theriault said. “From there on, the car was awesome. I think it was all about clean air.”

    He is the first driver since 2011 to win in his first ARCA start. Brennan Poole, Andrew Ranger and Alex Bowman all did it in 2011. Both Poole and Bowman did it driving under the Venturini Motorsports (VMS) banner.

    Theriault has a long history of racing late models and super late models. The Maine native is under contract with JR Motorsports to run a handful of NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season. He made his Nationwide Series debut with a top-15 finish at Iowa Speedway and will race at Loudon and Kentucky later this year.

    VMS regular John Wes Townley continued his hectic racing schedule appearing in Friday’s ARCA event before flying off to St. Louis to compete in Saturday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Drivin’ for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

    Townley continued his recent success earning a fourth place finish at the speedy Michigan D-Shaped oval. This was his second consecutive top-5 finish and fourth overall on the ARCA season. The Georgia driver backed up his solid ARCA finish with an eighth place finish Saturday night in his NCWTS effort.

    Townley, driving his familiar VMS No.15 Zaxby’s Toyota Camry, qualified third but started from the back of the field after getting into the wall on his second qualifying lap before crew chief Brad Parrott rolled out his back-up machine.

    Joe Gibbs Development Driver, Cody Coughlin, made his fifth start of the season behind the wheel of his No. 55 JEGS Toyota Camry. After battling a loose racecar most of the day, the 18-year old rookie gained valuable experience capturing a 13th-place finish in his debut at the Brooklyn, Michigan track. It was his second speedway start and fifth overall with VMS in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

    “It was a tough day as we battled a loose car all day long,” Coughlin said after the race. “My crew chief, Jeff McClure, tried to help tighten the car up all race long. We came out of here with all four fenders on the car and we will get them next time.”

    Coughlin started off the day by qualifying sixth in the morning qualifying session. He ran in the top 10 throughout most of the race. A long green flag run partnered with a loose car had Coughlin battling around the 10th to 13th position all day.

    In five starts in his inaugural year in ARCA Racing competition, Cody has three top-10 finishes. His next ARCA Racing series start is scheduled for July 6th at the high-banked Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana.

    The season of “high’s n low’s” continued for Justin Boston who’s day ended early when his No. 25 ZLOOP-JACO Environmental Toyota’s engine expired on lap-67 resulting in a disappointing 21st place finish for last season’s ARCA rookie of the year.

    Coming into Friday’s Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Justin Boston was one of the favorites to win the week’s ARCA Racing event.

    The No. 25 Toyota Camry was fast from the moment it hit the track for Thursday’s practice session. Boston ran in the top-five and top-ten throughout practice and Friday morning Boston qualified in fifth place.

    “It was a really disappointing day for us at Michigan,” Boston said. “The ZLOOP-JACO Environmental Toyota Camry was solid, definitely a top-five car, and to get another DNF stings a lot. All we can do moving forward is go out and try to win each week and definitely stop worrying about points. I’m excited to head to Elko and run the same car we won with at Toledo.”

    Boston who earned his first career ARCA victory at Toledo last month is hoping to improve his luck as he’s tallied several DNF’s during the first eight events of the season. Boston earned the pole starting position at Mobile and Salem earlier in the year but succumbed to mechanical failures while accidents took him out of contention at Daytona and Pocono.

    Next up on ARCA schedule is Elko Speedway. The series will have its first ever race broadcast on CBS Sports Network from the .375-mile track near Minneapolis, MN. Practice, qualifying and racing will all be held Saturday, June 21. The race is scheduled to air at 9 pm ET.

    About Venturini Motorsports

    Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, John Wes Townley and Erik Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.
    Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports

    About ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards
    The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.

  • Why There is a 1% Chance of Seeing a NASCAR Driver in Haas F1

    Why There is a 1% Chance of Seeing a NASCAR Driver in Haas F1

    Since Haas F1 was given permission to join Formula 1 in April starting in 2015 (Later delayed to 2016), there has been constant speculation and rumor that Haas F1 is going to hire a current NASCAR driver, specifically one Danica Patrick, to drive one of their two cars in Formula 1.

    The problem with that is that it’s a lot like if Tony Romo were to jump ship from the Dallas Cowboys to Manchester United FC.

    It would be almost impossible for Danica to try and run F1. She has a sponsor, yes. But, even though some reporters would tell you otherwise, she has never driven anything quite like a Formula car. It is radically different from her former Andretti Green IndyCars under the surface. And even if this is ignored, remember that Formula 1 has all road courses- which Danica typically struggled at during her IndyCar career.

    And this isn’t just another “screw Danica” article. The reality is that there are problems with every driver in NASCAR looking to make the switch. Most drivers came up on dirt ovals, while all F1 drivers come up running pavement road courses. Most drivers are simply too old. Danica, at 32, would easily be the oldest rookie in the field, and one of the older drivers in the field, period. Most drivers also are simply too big. This doesn’t mean at all that most are fatties, but Formula 1 drivers need to be much thinner, to the point where some drivers are eating less than the stereotypical model. And why would Haas get a driver with all of these disadvantages when he could get an experienced foreign driver while attempting to develop an American driver?

    The reality is, in order to successfully make the switch to Formula 1 from NASCAR, something that has never been done, you’d need a once in a decade driver to agree to make the switch within about 5 years of being in NASCAR. After that, they aren’t making the switch. Over the past 25 years, only three drivers jump out to me as being that good: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch (Although in his case it’s more in that his driving style would fit in perfectly in Formula 1).

    If it were to happen, I’d be shocked and excited. But the reality is that it just isn’t going to happen in spite of how the media attempts to spin the news. Somehow Haas saying, “I think she would. I think she would. She would bring an awful lot of viewership. I think it would be great for America. I think she would be a great candidate. Whether that’s going to happen or not that’s, that’s, that’s … you know I think that’s kind of a long shot there, too,” turned into “At the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal last weekend, Haas said Patrick would be considered as a driver for the team.”

    The reality is that Haas F1, when it starts out in 2016, will probably have a rookie and veteran who are both not American. Essentially, their job will be to develop the car until the right American comes along. Until then, it’s a waste of time pulling names out of a hat.