Tag: IZOD IndyCar Series

Trevor Bayne and Charlie Kimball Race With Passion In Spite of Illness

While Trevor Bayne, NASCAR Cup and Nationwide Series driver as well as Daytona 500 winner, and Charlie Kimball, IZOD IndyCar Series driver, may compete in very different worlds, they are indeed united in their passion to race in spite of battling major illness.

Bayne, the 22 year old Roush Fenway Racing driver, was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Charlie Kimball, who drives for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, was diagnosed in 2007 with diabetes.

Both share the distinction of being one of the few race car drivers to reach the top levels in their respective series to compete with significant health challenges. Yet both had very similar reactions after their diagnosis, wondering just how this would affect their racing careers.

For Bayne, it took several years of testing after experiencing double vision, nausea and fatigue, before his diagnosis of MS was confirmed. Bayne’s sister also has the disease, however, it was still a most unexpected revelation for the young driver.

“Back in 2011 I started going to Mayo Clinic after I’d been out with double vision,” Bayne said. “It’s kind of relieving to finally have a diagnosis.”

“When you’re 20 you want to think you’re superman and you’re really not and there’s going to be hard times you have to overcome,” Bayne continued. “I hope this won’t slow me down, especially because our job is to go really fast.”

Kimball was diagnosed with diabetes almost six years ago after going to the doctor with a skin rash.

“When I mentioned I had been drinking a lot of water and I jumped on the scales and had lost 25 pounds in just five days, the doctor told me he thought I had diabetes,” Kimball said. “I really didn’t know what it was and my first thought then was wondering if I would ever drive again.”

“I remember the doctor looked me square in the eye and said he didn’t see any reason why not,” Kimball continued. “There are incredible people with diabetes doing amazing things all over the world.”

“I was told I may have to make some adjustments but that it shouldn’t slow me down at all,” Kimball said. “And as a racing driver, not slowing down was something I could really get behind.”

To date, Bayne has not had to make any adjustments for his illness in the race car, including not having to take any medication. He has been advised, however, that he will have to manage fatigue, stress and heat in order to effectively cope with the potentially disabling disease.

Kimball, on the other hand, has to manage a myriad of steps with his diabetes that begins even before he climbs into the cockpit of his race car.

“My diabetes management happens before I get in the car, especially at the race track,” Kimball said. “It comes down to managing hydration, my nutrition and my blood sugar levels as well.”

“For me it’s taking insulin and using my NovoLog Flex Pen so that my blood sugars are where they need to be when I climb into the race car,” Kimball continued. “So, ideally, when I’m in the race car all I have to think about is driving and hopefully winning.”

In spite of having to carefully monitor his blood sugar levels and adjust accordingly, Kimball’s diabetes has never interfered with his performance in the car. In fact, the racer has had a breakout season, with a win in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and a podium sweep for team Ganassi at Pocono this past year.

Kimball and his teammates were also the overall Rolex 24 at Daytona winners for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in January 2013.

“I’ve never had any issues where my diabetes has affected what I do in the cockpit,” Kimball said. “My IndyCar experience is a little bit different because I wear a glucose monitor so I can keep track of where my blood sugar is during the race.”

“I actually have two drink bottles in the cockpit, one for hydration and one full of orange juice,” Kimball continued. “That way, if my blood sugar is getting low for some reason, I can drink that juice and I don’t have to stop.”

Both drivers have expressed how important it is to not only compete but to also share their stories with others, including their teams, fellow racers and fans. In fact, that passion about helping others realize that they too can succeed in spite of their health challenges has been what has motivated the two drivers most.

“I know there a lot of people out there dealing with these things,” Bayne said. “It’s something I want to be able to share with people.”

“I know people can relate to struggles.”

“I think the biggest message is that you can overcome challenges and still live your dream,” Kimball said. “When I get to meet a newly-diagnosed patient, the biggest thing I try to impart to them is that they can still live their dream, whatever they want to do in life.”

“They may have to make some adjustments but the challenges they face should not slow them down.”

Bayne and Kimball share one other important characteristic. Both want not only continue to pursue their racing passions but also succeed at the highest levels in both NASCAR and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

“I’ve never been more driven to compete,” Bayne said. “My goals are the same as they’ve been since I started racing.”

“I want to compete at the highest level and I want to win races and championships,” Bayne continued.
“I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and I feel good.”

“Our team had a great year, with a top-ten in points in a season that was so competitive,” Kimball said. “It was a great, great result not just for myself but the whole team.”

“The team has built a foundation and with Tony Kanaan coming on board and switching to Chevy power, I hope to be fighting for race wins and the championship, from the first race in St. Pete.”

While both racing series take a break until next year, allowing Bayne to enjoy a long-awaited honeymoon and Kimball some travel to California for family time and rest and relaxation, both drivers are absolutely committed to their dreams, even with their own physical challenges.

“I’ve been racing since I was 5 years old and this doesn’t change a thing,” Bayne said. “I want to do things I’ve always dreamed of, and we have high hopes we can continue to do that.”

“With November being Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s a great opportunity for me to share my story,” Kimball said. “Driving a race car is what I do for a living but the fact that I have diabetes means that I’m a living example that you can still live your dream.”

“Overcoming the challenge of diabetes is very close to my heart….and to my pancreas as well,” Kimball said with a chuckle. “Seriously though, it’s a great opportunity to get the awareness out there and encourage people to understand it and still live their own dreams.”

November 24, 2013

Hot 20 over the past 10 – Montoya soon to be rid of fenders, NAPA soon to be rid of Michael Waltrip

So, what have we learned lately? Well, if one cheats, one must not do so in a fashion that allows them to be quickly caught. Caught by everybody. Caught on scanners, radios, and in full view of millions at the track and watching on television. Nothing good can ever come from that. That is, if one decides that they must cheat in the first place.

Since February, 2001 NAPA and Michael Waltrip have been synonymous in NASCAR. That comes to an abrupt end at the conclusion of this year when the company terminates its association with MWR, and it is all due to the events at Richmond. It is a very high price to pay and as much as I did not condone that team’s actions, as much as I applaud NASCAR’s reaction to them, I hate to have seen it come to this. I understand why the team did what it did. I understand why the fans reacted as they did, with those actions affecting two drivers who have become sentimental favorites. I understand why NAPA did what they did, being sensitive to public perception. However, it gives me no joy to read about it. The price has been paid. It is time to move on.

Juan Pablo Montoya is moving on. After seven seasons and two victories in NASCAR’s Cup series, he returns to the open wheeled racing in which he thrived between 1999 and 2006. Over the course of those eight campaigns, he won 18 races, claimed the CART championship as well as the Grand Prix of Monaco in claiming seven Formula One events. Ironically, while he joins the Penske organization in IndyCar, he has run only one race in that circuit, winning the 2000 Indianapolis 500. We look forward to his return to the track in St. Petersburg, Florida in late March.

Matt Kenseth returns to the track this Sunday at Loudon, New Hampshire. Unlike the other five drivers among our hottest half dozen, which includes the Busch Brothers, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon, Kenseth has never won at Loudon in 27 attempts. Then again, he has never won six races in a season before, either, and that Joe Gibbs car of his might be just what he needs to break that streak in New Hampshire.

Name	Points	Pos	LW	Rank	W	T5	T10
Kyle Busch	354	1	1	(2)	2	4	6
Kurt Busch	339	2	2	(6)	0	5	7
Ryan Newman	328	3	5	(8)	1	4	6
Matt Kenseth	327	4	3	(1)	2	3	5
Kevin Harvick	326	5	6	(4)	0	3	5
Jeff Gordon	312	6	8	(7)	0	1	7
Jamie McMurray	310	7	4	(15)	0	1	2
Carl Edwards	304	8	11	(5)	1	2	4
Greg Biffle	299	9	13	(11)	0	0	3
Kasey Kahne	293	10	10	(10)	1	3	4
Brad Keselowski	293	11	15	(14)	0	2	4
Joey Logano	280	12	7	(12)	1	3	6
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	279	13	9	(13)	0	1	5
Jimmie Johnson	271	14	14	(3)	1	3	5
Juan Pablo Montoya	269	15	12	(20)	0	2	4
Paul Menard	261	16	17	(16)	0	2	3
Marcos Ambrose	256	17	16	(21	0	0	2
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	247	18	20	(19)	0	0	2
Clint Bowyer	245	19	18	(9)	0	2	4
Aric Almirola	239	20	21	(18)	0	1	1
Jeff Burton	230	21	22	(22)	0	1	2
Martin Truex, Jr.	227	22	19	(17)	0	2	3

September 19, 2013

Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch in an Indy State of Mind

While Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are in the Granite state for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend, they were both in a bit of an Indy state of mind, having watched the IZOD IndyCar Series race the weekend before at Pocono Raceway.

Both drivers took in the IndyCar race with their loved ones, Busch with his father and Gordon with his son Leo and his nephew. The only difference was that Busch watched from the safety of his couch while Gordon attended in person, watching the start of the race from the Pocono Victory Lane roof top.

“It was fun to sit on the couch and watch that on Sunday,” Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet, said. “To understand it from the in-car telemetry and to see the pit strategy side of it, it was just fun.”

“I sat there with my dad and watched the race,” Busch continued. “We were rooting for Marco Andretti and it was just crazy to see how the Ganassi guys came out on top.”

“I was just thinking of it from a purely entertainment standpoint seeing my son see a different kind of car,” Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said. “Most of it was for him and my nephew, who was also with me.”

Even as fast as both drivers go in the Sprint Cup cars, Busch and Gordon were also most impressed with the speeds of the open wheel cars at Pocono, which topped over 220 mph.

“It was cool to see the speeds,” Busch said. “The speeds are incredible at Pocono and that track now that it’s smoothed out is why the Indy cars went back there.”

“The track is smooth enough for them to race on and I thought it produced a decent race.”

“For me it was being amazed at how fast those cars go through the corners, corners that I’m used to going through at much slower speeds,” Gordon said. “I was amazed with just the technology of the cars.”

Would Busch or Gordon be interested in racing in the IndyCar Series themselves, especially since both have been exposed to open wheel racing?

“Would I like to drive one of those cars somewhere?” Jeff Gordon asked himself. “Yeah I would.”

“My biggest thing that holds me back from doing a lot of things is I want to be competitive in whatever it is I’m in and I know if I go run five or ten laps, whether it be a rally car or an IndyCar or whatever car, that’s not enough for me to go be competitive,” Gordon continued. “If I can’t go and be competitive in it then I usually don’t have fun.”

“That’s just my personality,” Gordon said. “It’s not about just sliding the car sideways or feeling it stick at 220 mph, it’s about can I be as fast as somebody else and so no, honestly watching that race didn’t persuade me to want to go do it.”

Gordon also expressed some trepidation just based on seeing one of his IndyCar friends James Hinchcliffe wreck hard into the wall on the first turn of the first lap at Pocono Raceway.

“As a matter of fact, when I was speaking to Hinchcliffe on the grid and then moments later he’s spinning back in the wall, the guy barely flinched and he couldn’t catch it,” Gordon said. “I felt bad for him and also thought I had no desire to get in that car.”

For Kurt Busch, the interest in another series may just be something on his horizon since he has not yet inked any deal for his 2014 season.

“It’s been one thing I’ve been trying to answer in my own mind,” Busch said. “There are a lot of irons in the fire.”

“Contract negotiations and things are in discussion, but you try not to let that weigh any on what’s going on right now,” Busch continued. “Right now is the most important thing.”

“I’m living in the present.”

While Gordon and Busch may be in Indy states of mind, they also have to focus on the race at hand at the Magic Mile. And both had good qualifying runs, with Busch moving to the outside pole and Gordon moving to the fifth starting position after Jimmie Johnson’s qualifying time was disallowed due to failing post-race inspection.

“We tested here,” Gordon said of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Conditions I think have changed from the test quite a bit on us so it’s pretty challenging.”

“But it’s always a track I look forward to.”

“This track if your car is running well, you can go to the low side and make up a lot of time,” Busch said. “You are not stuck in traffic if you have a good car.”

Busch was especially thrilled with his qualifying run at a time of 28.040 seconds and a speed of 135.835 mph. But he also admitted his time trial lap had some moments that gave him pause.

“For us, our lap was pretty exciting,” Busch said. “I hit the rev chip so soon that I thought the guys missed the setting.”

“It was such a weird lap because I thought we were going to be 20^th,” Busch continued. “If we can screw up and be that good, I’ll take it.”

While Busch and Gordon may be in an Indy state of mind, they also have Chase contention on their minds as well. Busch currently sits in the ninth position in points while Gordon is further back in the fourteenth spot.

“To be in the top ten in points is great,” Busch said. “It’s a nice feather in the cap but there is still a long way to go.”

“You can lose points real easily, but it’s tough to gain the points,” Busch continued. “So basically from eighth to 18^th, everybody fits in one shoe box right now.”

Once both Gordon and Busch leave New Hampshire, they will enjoy a rare weekend off and then be in a real Indy state of mind as they prepare for the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

For the off weekend, Gordon will be attending a friend’s wedding and Busch will be whisking girlfriend Patricia Driscoll to Argentina for a getaway. But after that, Indy will be totally on their minds and both drivers cannot wait, especially Jeff Gordon.

“I’m very much looking forward to Indianapolis,” Gordon said. “The same thing kind of applies to Indy as it does here at New Hampshire.”

“We tested there which is always great and beneficial,” Gordon continued. “All signs of that test and things that we have planned, I’m very excited.”

“We had a shot of winning that race a couple years ago and I always go to that track with confidence and feeling good,” Gordon said. “When the car and the team are feeling the same way, then that’s a great combination to have.”

July 13, 2013
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 30^th career win, as well as the 200^th win for Honda and the 100^th 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 100^th 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 100^th; 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.”

July 7, 2013
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was black-flagged for jumping the final restart at Dover, a mistake that most likely cost him his third win this season. After serving a drive-through penalty, Johnson finished 17th, one lap down.

“Much like NASCAR did by allowing the NRA to sponsor a race,” Johnson said, “I jumped the gun. Needless to say, I won’t be exchanging pleasantries with NASCAR any time soon. We’re certainly not ‘BFF’s.’ After getting black flagged, it appears I got ‘BF-F’d.’

“I don’t agree with the call. Obviously, it’s NASCAR’s last-ditch effort to add some color to the sport.”

2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s day ended abruptly in Dover, as his engine blew on lap 159 with the lead. He finished 40th, his worst finish of the year, and fell one spot in the point standings to fourth, 74 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“That’s not the first engine to blow,” Kenseth said. “If it’s not our engine, it’s our ‘suspension’ holding us back. What do our engine and ‘suspension’ have in common? They both will ‘expire’ soon.”

“But there’s one good thing about blowing an engine. The faulty parts get burned beyond recognition. Ha! Take that, NASCAR inspectors.”

3. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 14th at Dover, as Roush Fenway Racing cars all finished in the top 15. Edwards remained second in the point standings, 30 out of first.

“Roush cars took the 13th, 14th, and 15th spots,” Edwards said. “All week long, Ricky Stenhouse has been singing Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ I guess Greg Biffle and I thought he was singing to us.

“But it remains to be seen what lasts longer for Stenhouse—his relationship, or his manhood.”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch led a race-high 150 laps and finished fourth in the Fed Ex 400 at Dover International Raceway, posting his sixth top 5 of the year. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Jimmie Johnson by 99.

“NASCAR races will soon be covered on TNT,” Busch said. “Interestingly enough, that’s home to the series Falling Skies. Fox recently became the home to a new series—Falling Cables.”

5. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer came home fourth at Dover, scoring the top finish for Michael Waltrip Racing. He moved up one spot to third in the point standings, and is 50 out of first.

“We’re still searching for our first win of the year,” Bowyer said. “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of ‘when.’ That also applies to the matter of whether a Toyota engine will explode. In that respect, Toyota’s got a lot of ‘whens’ this year.”

6. Kevin Harvick: After winning in Charlotte last week, Harvick finished eighth at Dover for his fifth top-10 result of the year. He is now fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 74 out of first.

“The finish at Dover begs the question,” Harvick said. “Who’s faster? Jimmy John’s or Jimmie Johnson. All I know is that Jimmy John’s, unlike Jimmie Johnson, can’t get their too fast.”

7. Kasey Kahne: Kahne led two laps early and was headed for a sure top-10 finish before a late incident left him with rear-end damage. He finished 23rd, four laps down, and fell two spots to seventh in the point standings, 81 out of first.

“Have you heard?” Kahne said. “There’s a new swimsuit calendar coming out featuring 12 of NASCAR’s sexiest inspectors in bikinis. It’s called ‘Sanctioning Bodies.’”

8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski posted his first top-10 finish since Kansas with a fifth at Dover. The defending Sprint Cup champion is now eighth in the point standings, 98 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“I’m well behind Johnson,” Keselowski said, “and my car failed post-race inspection at Dover. I’m the defending Cup champion, but I’m not driving like it. I don’t know who’s ‘come down’ harder this year—-NASCAR or me.

“NASCAR said the front of our car was too low, and I was penalized for it. That’s odd, because as A.J. Allmendinger found out, Penske drivers are often penalized for being too high.”

9. Tony Stewart: Stewart benefitted on Jimmie Johnson’s black flag and caught Juan Montoya with three laps to go to win the Fed Ex 400 at Dover. The win ended a four-month winless drought, and moved Stewart up to 16th in the point standings.

“I like my wins like I like my food,” Stewart said. “Served on a silver platter. And apparently, I like my wins like I like my women—single. And, I like my wins like I like my engines—gift-wrapped from Hendrick Motorsports.”

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted a quiet 10th-place finish at Dover, collecting his eighth top 10 of the year. He remained sixth in the point standings, where he trails Jimmie Johnson by 75.

“I still feel like we’re building on something here,” Earnhardt said. “Unfortunately, it’s another long winless streak.”

June 4, 2013
Power continues to show speed at Mid-Ohio, claims third pole of season

[media-credit name=”indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was the sight of some fast IZOD IndyCar’s today. Will Power, who led yesterday’s practice session, put his Penske Racing machine atop the speed charts with a lap of 1:05.647. Power’s lap equates to a speed of 123.825 mph, demolishing last year’s pole speed of 119.405 set by Scott Dixon and setting a new IndyCar track record at Mid-Ohio.

This is Power’s third pole of the 2012 season and his first since Brazil back at the end of April. Starting up front has proved vital in IndyCar’s history at Mid-Ohio. Since first sanctioning a race at the Lexington, Ohio road course in 2007, four out of the five winners here have come from no further back then third on the starting grid.

Advancing to the Firestone Fast 6 at Mid-Ohio were Scott Dixon, Alex Tagliani, Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Simon Pagenaud, and Ryan Briscoe. Power turned the most laps out of all six drivers, completing five laps in the final session and claiming pole for tomorrow’s Honda Indy 200. Following in second was Franchitti, who posted a 1:05.895.

Only 8 one-thousandths of a second behind Franchitti was Simon Pagenaud for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. After subbing in for the injured Justin Wilson last year, Pagenaud has been looking for a stable and structured weekend at Mid-Ohio this weekend. The Sam Schmidt driver seems to be doing exactly that, before qualifying third for tomorrow’s race Pagenaud finished the first two practice sessions P4 and P2, respectively.

Alex Tagliani posted a 1:06.004, good enough to start fourth tomorrow, however after an unapproved engine change yesterday, Tagliani will have to start 14th on the grid. Following Tagliani was Scott Dixon, with a best lap of 1:06.096. Dixon has three victories at Mid-Ohio and has won from 6th on the grid before. Scott will look to win again tomorrow at a venue he has been so dominant at in the past hermes outlet and improve his chances at a third IndyCar Championship.

Rounding out the Firestone Fast 6 was Ryan Briscoe, completing 4 laps in the final session and turning a best time of 1:06.200.

The Honda Indy 200 from Mid-Ohio can be seen on ABC tomorrow beginning at 12:30 pm.

August 4, 2012
Graham Rahal Placed on Probation Following Incident with Marco Andretti

[media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignright” width=”301″][/media-credit]Following a lap 22 incident during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, IndyCar officials have placed IZOD IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal on probation for the next six events for blocking and initiating avoidable contact.

The probation will end following the June 23^rd event at Iowa Speedway. If Rahal does not meet necessary improvements, IndyCar may impose further penalties.

On lap 22, Rahal made contact with Marco Andretti, launching Andretti’s car into the air before Andretti made contact with the tire barrier. Andretti was uninjured in the incident.

“Due to the inability of the No. 38 car to continue the race, a review of the on-track actions of Graham Rahal became a post-race issue,” Beaux Barfield,

IndyCar president of competition and IZOD IndyCar Series Race Director, says. “All stewards have reviewed the incident and have decided that the on-track actions of Graham warranted probation because of driving that endangers on-track safety and adversely affects competition.”

Rahal broke two rules in the rule book – Rule 9.3.2 and Rule 9.3.3

Rule 9.3.2 states “a driver must not alter his/her racing line based on the actions of pursuing drivers to inhibit or prevent passing. Blocking will result in a minimum of a black flag “drive through” penalty.”

Rule 9.3.3 states “a competitor must not initiate or attempt to initiate avoidable contact that results in the interruption of another competitor’s lap time or track position.”

Following the incident, Andretti called Rahal out on the block.

“There’s a difference between blocking and chopping and that’s chopping,” he said following the wreck. “I was lucky I didn’t get upside down; I could’ve been killed.”

Rahal’s response was, “I was just trying to stay underneath (Scott) Dixon and obviously I surprised Marco. He wasn’t going to make the corner no matter what. If he stayed beside me, he was going to overshoot it. It’s just frustrating. The car felt really strong.”

The probation penalty may be protested pursuant to the rulebook.

April 18, 2012
Will Power Overcomes Penalty to win Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

[media-credit name=”IndyCar.com” align=”alignright” width=”333″][/media-credit]Following a Chevrolet mandated engine change, Will Power was going to have to start 12^th in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach despite qualifying second on Saturday. Power didn’t let them hold him back as he led the last 15 laps on his way to his second straight win of the season.

“You tell him what he needs to do and he does,” team strategist Tim Cedric says. “This team never quits and this race wasn’t over till it was over.”

Power was able to save fuel from when he pitted with 31 to go to make it to the end of the race.

“After last week, you can never say never, but I thought it’d be very tough to win the race,” Power says. “The end there, I had to save so much fuel to get there but so happy for the Verizon and Chevy guys. We got a penalty and overcome it. I’ve been trying to win here for four years now.”

When Simon Pagenaud headed down pit road with 16 to go, Power would take over the top spot and lead the whole way home for his 17^th career win.

“I actually used some fuel to get around some, but Tim was telling me that I had to save some fuel,” Power continues. “So I was trying to save as much fuel as I could while staying in front.”

The win marked the third consecutive win this season for Team Penske as they won St. Petersburg with Helio Castroneves, followed by Barber and now Long Beach by Power. It marks Penske’s fifth win at Long Beach and their first since 2001.

Pagenaud would come second for a career best finish after leading the most laps – 26.

“It was great,” he says. “The car was fanstastic. The guys did such a good job. It’s a one-car team operation and we’re fighting against Penske and (Chip) Ganassi so hats off to the team.”

James Hinchcliffe would round out the podium for his first IZOD IndyCar Series podium finish.

“I feel really bad for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) because he drove a really good race,” Hinchcliffe. “I was following him through a lot of those passes he made, so I hate to have it at the expense to him. great job by the team with all the strategies today.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay crossed the line third, but was given a 30-second penalty for avoidable contact after he spun Takumo Sato on the final lap. Hunter-Reay was credited with a sixth place finish, behind Tony Kanaan and JR Hildebrand.

“I was told he was saving fuel and it looked like he was,” Hunter-Reay explains the incident with Sato. “He braked so early and I went to the inside there, I thought he’d give me a little room and he shut the door. I guess it was my fault. I’ll have to see where the penalty puts us. The team did a great job today. I love racing here. Anytime we don’t win here, we feel disappointed. Lots of side-by-side racing today, fun racing.”

Pole qualifier Ryan Briscoe, who started 11^th due to the engine change penalty, finished seventh while Sato was credited with a eighth finish after the spin.

“On the last stint we had to work on the fuel mileage and on the very last lap Ryan Hunter-Reay basically took me out,” Sato says. “There was not enough depth on his overtaking maneuver. He had a chance for the last few corners so it’s very disappointing to finish the race this way.”

While the first two races of the season had run fairly clean, the race at Long Beach saw its fair share of incidents. On lap one, front row starters Dario Franchitti and Josef Newgarden made contact, causing Newgarden to get into the wall. Newgarden was credited with a 26^th place finish.

“I saw one replay and I had a feeling that was going happen,” Newgarden says. “I got alongside him, gave him the inside and make slight contact, getting into the wall. It’s one of those tough breaks. Maybe I could’ve acted differently, I’ll review it and learn from it.”

Franchitti came home 15^th after complaining the car was lacking horsepower the majority of the race.

On lap 25, the scariest wreck of the day happened when Marco Andretti catapulted over the right rear of Graham Rahal.

“I’m good,” Andretti, who was credited with finishing 25^th, says. “I’m sore. I feel for the guys. They put so much into the RC car and I just feel bad. We were about to work on making some ground. There’s a difference between blocking and chopping and that’s chopping. I was lucky I didn’t get upside down; I could’ve been killed.”

Rahal wasn’t penalized by the officials for the incident, but was also out of the race, finishing 24^th.

“It’s a cluster back there,” Rahal says. “We were just trying to stay clean and by that time, he’d already hit me. I was just trying to stay underneath (Scott) Dixon and obviously I surprised Marco. He wasn’t going to make the corner no matter what. If he stayed beside me, he was going to overshoot it. It’s just frustrating. The car felt really strong.”

On the same lap, Alex Tagliani suffered a flat tire and finished 21st.

“As soon as it goes green, you can pass,” Tagliani says. “With being back in the pack like that, I passed (EJ) Viso and he pushed me into the wall. It’s hard to get disconnected.”

EJ Viso served a penalty for avoidable contact and finished 12^th.

“The main problem occurred when Alex Tagliani made a very dangerous move passing two or three cars heading into the hairpin turn which is a very awkward place to overtake,” Viso says of his day. “I saw what he was doing and moved out of the way, but he was sideways coming out of the hairpin and when I attempted to pass he blocked me and I hit his tire and he spun. Because of the contact I was given a drive through penalty, which I feel was very unfair.”

On the last lap, an incident happened in the final corner involving Castroneves, Oriol Servia and James Jakes.

Power now leads the point standings, 24 points over teammate Castroneves heading into Brazil.

April 16, 2012
Lap by Lap: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach won by Will Power

[media-credit name=”Jeff Gross/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”275″][/media-credit]Will Power came from 12^th to 1^st and conserved enough fuel in the final 30 laps to score his second consecutive win of the season.

Green Flag

Caution Lap 1 as Josef Newgarden and Dario Franchitti make contact

Restart Lap 4 as Dario Franchitti gets a good jump, but Justin Wilson makes the pass on Franchitti.

Lap 5 Helio Castroneves passes Simona De Silvestro.

Lap 6 Wilson leads Franchitti, Pagenaud, Sato, Dixon, Kimball, Rahal, Hunter-Reay, Conway and Briscoe.

Lap 8 Marco Andretti pits

Lap 12 Tony Kanaan pits

Lap 14 Wilson leads Pagenaud, Sato, Franchitti, Dixon, Kimball, Rahal, Hunter-Reay, Conway and Briscoe. Dixon passes Franchitti for fourth.

Lap 20 Sebastian Bourdais into the tires as there is a full course caution as Justin Wilson pits from the lead. Takumo Sato takes the lead. Pagenaud hits a tire that is inside somebody else’s pit stall so he will have a penalty.

Lap 21 Sato leads Franchitti and Hunter-Reay.

Restart Lap 23 as Franchitti has a terrible start; Sato gets a good jump on the start and holds the lead over Hunter-Reay. Alex Tagliani has a flat tire, going off the run-off area. Marco Andretti gets into the barrier hard, bringing out the caution as Graham Rahal gets some damage. The replay shows Andretti catapulting over the right rear of Rahal. Katherine Legge also gets in the tires. JR Hildebrand pits under the caution.

Lap 25 Mike Conway stalls on the backstretch as Sato leads Hunter-Reay, Briscoe, Franchitti, Hinchcliffe, Castroneves, Wilson, Pagenaud, Kanaan and Kimball. Bourdais returns to the race track after his early trouble.

Lap 27 Dixon has stalled. Sato pitted, handing the lead over to Hunter-Reay.

Lap 28 Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe pit, handing the lead to Briscoe.

Restart Lap 31 Briscoe gets a good start; Briscoe and Franchitti make contact as Briscoe pulls ahead. Franchitti has front wing damage.

Lap 32 Briscoe leads Castroneves, Franchitti, Pagenaud, Kanaan, Wilson, Kimball, Sato, Jakes and Power.

Lap 34 Sato passes Kimball

Lap 35 Briscoe, Franchitti, Castroneves pit to hand the lead over to Pagenaud

Lap 36 Pagenaud leads Kanaan, Wilson, Sato, Jakes, Power, Kimball, Barrichello, Hildebrand, and Hunter-Reay

Lap 38 Viso serves a penalty for avoidable contact after instant with Tagliani.

Lap 40 Pagenaud leads Kanaan, Wilson, Sato, Jakes, Power, Kimball, Barrichello, Hilderbrand, Hunter-Reay

Lap 41 Power passes Jakes fifth

Lap 42 Kanaan pits from second while Pagenaud leads.

38 to go Pagenaud leads Sato, Wilson, Power, Jakes, Kimball, Barrichello, Hildebrand, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe; Mike Conway has a problem as the car stalls; Simona De Silvestro pits

37 to go Pagenaud pits to hand the lead over to Sato; James Jakes pits

36 to go Power passes Wilson for second as Sato leads

35 to go Sato leads Power, Wilson, Kimball and Barrichello

33 to go Castroneves has damage on the front wing, needing a new one under the pit stop.

32 to go Charlie Kimball pits as Sato continues to lead Power

31 to go Power pits

30 to go Sato leads Hildebrand, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe, Pagenaud, Kanaan, Power, Wilson, Jakes and Barrichello

29 to go Sato and Hildebrand pit, handing the lead over to Hunter-Reay. Hunter-Reay leads over Hinchcliffe, Pagenaud, Kanaan, Sato, Power, Wilson, Jakes, Barrichello and Hildebrand.

28 to go Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe pit, handing the lead over to Pagenaud.

27 to go Briscoe pits as Pagenaud leads Kanaan, Sato, Power, Wilson, Jakes, Barrichello, Hildebrand, Kimball and Castroneves.

26 to go Power passes Sato for third.

25 to go Viso pits as Jakes passes Wilson

22 to go Pagenaud leads Power, Sato, Jakes, Wilson, Barrichello, Hildebrand, Kimball, Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe

16 to go Pagenaud goes down pit road as Power takes the lead.

15 to go Power leads Sato, Barrichello, Pagenaud, Hildebrand, Jakes, Kimball, Hunter-Reay, Wilson and Hinchcliffe

10 to go Power leads Sato, Pagenaud, Barrichello, Hildebrand, Hunter-Reay, Kimball, Wilson, Hinchcliffe and Kanaan. Simona de Silvestro on pit road with more problems.

7 to go Barrichello pits for fuel only out of the fourth position. So now it is Power leading Sato, Pagenaud, Hildebrand, Hunter-Reay, Kimball, Wilson, Hinchcliffe, Kanaan and Barrichello.

6 to go Pagenaud passes Sato for second

5 to go Charlie Kimball comes down the pits as he has issues.

4 to go Wilson dives to pit road

3 to go Power leads Pagenaud, Sato, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe, Hildebrand, Kanaan, Barrichello, Castroneves and Briscoe. / Kanaan passes Hildebrand for sixth

Last Lap – Sato spins after contact from Hunter-Reay.

Will Power wins over Pagenaud, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe, Kanaan, Hildebrand as a wreck happens in the last lap involving Castroneves, Oriol Servia and James Jakes. Hunter-Reay given a 30 second penalty, therefore resulting in him being moved back to sixth.

April 16, 2012
Briscoe Claims Toyota Grand Prix Pole, But Franchitti to start from first

[media-credit name=”INDYCAR/LAT USA” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]At the end of the Firestone Fast Six 10-minute Shootout, Ryan Briscoe claimed the pole for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The record lap of one minute, 8.6089 seconds earned Briscoe his first pole of the season, one bonus point and $10,000. This is Briscoe’s first pole since Chicagoland in 2010.

However, he will be starting 11^th because of a 10-grid spot penalty after changing his engine due to an advisory from Chevrolet.

“We’ve only done short stints so far, but I feel like the first step is having the pace, and we know we’ve got that, so that’s definitely going to be a big help to us starting from 11^th tomorrow,” Briscoe said yesterday. “Last year we started 12^th, and through strategy ended up leading a lot of laps in the race. So we’re going to look at all of that. It’s going to be tough – it’s a really hard track to pass on, so we’re going to have to do our best and see what we can do to get to the front.”

The pole for Briscoe gives Team Penske their third consecutive of the season and fourth consecutive pole at Long Beach.

Briscoe’s Team Penske teammate Will Power qualified second, 0.0984 seconds behind Briscoe. However, he will be starting 12^th due to also being effected by the penalty.

“It was a battle in the Fast Six for sure, that was everything I had and we threw down a mega lap,” Power said. “Qualifying was important because we didn’t want to end up 15^th or 16^th, but yeah so I’m sure we’re going to make the best out of the situation and see where we can end up. Days like tomorrow will end up being really important for the championship, just trying to get as many points as possible and work hard at strategy.”

Andretti Autosports Ryan-Hunter Reay qualified third, however will start 13^th due to the penalty.

“It was OK, I expected a little bit more grip out there today but with only one session and 2 laps at a time here and it was tough to know what we really wanted out of the car, but it was the same for everybody,” he said. “So tired of being that couple hundredths off of the Penske guys here, three years in a row now. Definitely wanted the pole despite the penalty we’re going to take, and that was as good a chance as I’ve ever had, and we’re going to start 13^th I believe. So yeah it was a good day, but we wanted a lot more today and I’m pretty bummed about that.”

The pole sitter for the event will be Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti, who qualified fourth will start on the front row as he was the first driver not affected by the engine rule change penalty.

“In the Firestone Fast 6 we knew where we’d be starting regardless of what time we did, but we kind of wanted to earn it,” Franchitti said. “We didn’t quite have it in the car. So we’ll go back tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.”

E.J. Viso and James Hinchcliffe qualified fifth and sixth, though will start further back due to both changing motors. Franchitti would be joined on the front row by Josef Newgarden, who qualified seventh.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is set to take place on April 15^th at 3:30pm EST. The race will be telecast live by NBC Sports Network. The IMS Radio Network will also carry the race live on XM Channel 94 and Sirius 212.

April 15, 2012