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The Final Word – Not all would agree that Monday was a great day for motor car racing

Weather forced a day delay at Pocono, and was it worth the wait? For me, it was, though I could not help but notice that it was a day too late for some who might have been in the grandstands. Soon, NASCAR will institute a dress code where fans must wear the same color as the seats in their section so everything will just blend in on television.

It was worth it for Kurt Busch. With his crew chief Tony Gibson on the shelf due to a lug nut related suspension, team engineer John Klausmeier sat on the box and apparently liked the view. If you remember, he took over last year when Gibson was suddenly advised to jettison his appendix. For a car that arrived on fumes, Kurt sure had more than enough to get those burnouts in as he claimed his 28th career victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski were the runners-up, with young Chase Elliott just behind them. Not sure if ole Brad will collect all his points, as post-race the car had an honor guard of NASCAR officials surrounding it. Something tells me “they who must be obeyed” are not happy. Earlier in the day, the shoulder of jackman Braxton Brannon reshaped the side of Keselowski’s car and it was required to return to pit road to have that alteration corrected. Come to think of it, wasn’t Brannon the same guy Keselowski clipped in a pit road incident last August at the same track? It would seem that being a jackman is truly a full contact position.

It was not worth it for Martin Truex Jr. to wait a day. He got slammed on pit road early by Matt DiBenedetto to leave him 19th on the day. As for DiBenedetto, it was a day better spent at a barbecue, as the Truex incident was the first of at least three times he was featured in a negative light, but none of them was his fault. He finished dead last after a crash. Another wreck took place with Tony Stewart’s car getting loose at the wrong place at the wrong time, as his employee Danica Patrick was left with no choice but to pile into the boss. Too bad, as Stewart appeared to have a Top Ten car. That leaves him with a dozen races to pick up a win and make up the 71 point difference between his current position and 30th place in order to make the Chase.

Sunday’s storm clouds left the sky but were all over the track. When Kasey Kahne cut below Ryan Newman, it shot Newman up into Kyle Busch who found the fence. Rowdy would not be the only top contender to be outside the Top 30 when things came to a conclusion. Jimmie Johnson was near the front on a restart, but found himself too low for his car to handle, and it stepped out and stepped into the inside barrier. Five laps earlier, Austin Dillon had wrecked on Turn One. That leaves him just 14 points to the good among the current Chase placers, down from 36 coming into Pocono.

June is a great time to be a racing fan in Michigan. On Sunday, Will Power won the IndyCar event while the boys and girl from NASCAR make an appearance this Sunday…weather permitting, of course.

June 6, 2016
Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins Pocono IndyCar Race; Justin Wilson Has Horrific Crash

Emotions ran high at Andretti Motorsports as Ryan Hunter-Reay won the race while teammate Justin Wilson suffered a head injury from a serious crash and was airlifted from the race track.

“I thought Justin was OK the whole time,” Hunter-Reay said in Victory Lane. “Thoughts are with him. That’s first and foremost. But to get a win for this team is a tremendous achievement.

“I’m just happy that I get to go home and see the kids. Prayers for sure. I hope that Justin can go home and see his family too.”

It was indeed a horrific day for Hunter-Reay’s teammate Justin Wilson, who was struck by debris from the car of rookie Sage Karam. Wilson’s car then went out of control, hitting hard into the inside pit wall.

Wilson was extracted from his race car and taken by ambulance straight to the helipad and then to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA.

Wilson’s team boss Michael Andretti said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now, we just hope he’s OK,” Michael Andretti, Wilson’s team boss said.

The young up and coming driver who was also involved in the crash, Sage Karam, was transported by ground ambulance to the same hospital as Wilson for evaluation of a right foot injury.

Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet for CFH Racing had an up and down day but still managed to finish in the runner-up spot to Hunter-Reay.

“It was a good day for us,” Newgarden said. “We had a good race car and I was very happy for finishing in the top-3. That was great.

“But I’m just really thinking about Justin. I still haven’t heard anything on him and he was involved in that last wreck of the day. Just hoping to get some news and hopefully it’s good news.”

Newgarden is technically still in the championship hunt and is one of six drivers still mathematically eligible.

“We’re probably not a dark horse but like a super dark horse,” Newgarden said when asked about his championship chances. “I think Montoya would have to not show up and we’d have to win. Probably not that bad but we are a far out shot.

“Hopefully we can get in the top-five or top-three in points. That would be a really good goal for us.”

Juan Pablo Montoya extended his championship points advantage after finishing in the third spot in his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. He has finished top-10 in every 500 lap race that he has been in as well.

“It was good. We ran a smart race,” Montoya said. “It’s tough. Sometimes you’re racing somebody and get all excited and you forget it is a 500-mile race. I gained in places when I could but when I couldn’t, I saved fuel.

“It is what it is. We executed well. I felt I needed to be smart about it.”

Montoya now has a 34 point lead over Graham Rahal, who crashed out of the race in an incident with Tristan Vautier.

“We’ll do the same thing as every week,” Montoya said of the upcoming race at Sonoma. “We’ll go there and do the best we can. Sonoma is double points but if we run a smart day, we’ll be fine.”

Will Power, driver of the No. 1 Verizon team Penske Chevrolet, and Carlos Munoz, behind the wheel of the No. 26 AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda, rounded out the top five in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.

The rest of the Unofficial Results from The ABC Supply 500 from Pocono Raceway are as follows:

Pos.       Car #      Driver    Manufacturer    Laps       Running / Reason Out

1              28           Ryan Hunter-Reay           Honda   200         Running

2              67           Josef Newgarden            Chevrolet            200         Running

3              2              Juan Pablo Montoya       Chevrolet            200         Running

4              1              Will Power          Chevrolet            200         Running

5              26           Carlos Munoz    Honda   200         Running

6              14           Takuma Sato      Honda   200         Running

7              22           Simon Pagenaud              Chevrolet            200         Running

8              5              Ryan Briscoe      Honda   200         Running

9              9              Scott Dixon         Chevrolet            200         Running

10           7              James Jakes       Honda   200         Running

11           98           Gabby Chaves (R)            Honda   197         Mechanical

12           83           Charlie Kimball Chevrolet            193         Mechanical

13           18           Pippa Mann        Honda   185         Running

14           8              Sage Karam (R) Chevrolet            179         Contact

15           25           Justin Wilson      Honda   179         Running

16           3              Helio Castroneves           Chevrolet            166         Contact

17           20           Ed Carpenter     Chevrolet            156         Mechanical

18           27           Marco Andretti Honda   139         Contact

19           10           Tony Kanaan      Chevrolet            131         Contact

20           15           Graham Rahal    Honda   92           Contact

21           19           Tristan Vautier Honda   92           Contact

22           41           Jack Hawksworth             Honda   82           Contact

23           11           Sebastien Bourdais         Chevrolet            36           Contact

24           4              Stefano Coletti (R)           Chevrolet            19           Mechanical

August 23, 2015
Castroneves Takes the Pocono IndyCar Pole; Kimball Crashes Hard

Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Shell V-Power Team Penske Chevrolet, scored the pole for the ABC Supply 500, with his two Penske teammates nipping at his heels.

“I didn’t lift,” Castroneves said. “It was a good day and a solid run. I could not believe it. The car was just unbelievable. It was flawless. I didn’t lift and just kept going.”

This was Castroneves’ fourth Verizon P1 Award of the season and his 45th career pole. His pole-winning two-lap average speed was 220.530 mph.

“Wow, that’s great,” Castroneves said of his pole honors. “I’m not done yet. I want to keep going and I’m full of energy.

“These records come natural when you do your homework and right now it’s paying off.”

Simon Pagenaud, driver of the No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet, brought home the second qualifying spot for Team Penske.

“It was a good run,” Pagenaud said. “We did a good job understanding how the car was going to run during the race. The car was great. We had a bit of a scrub in Turn One and missed the balance there.”

“But the car was good overall,” Pagenaud continued. “I’m super proud of the team with Penske one, two and three.”

And yes, there was one more Team Penske member who brought home the third qualifying position, with a speed of 220.398 in spite of going out early to qualify.

“I couldn’t believe my luck when I drew second again,” Will Power, driver of the No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, said. “It was a really good run.

“I felt really good about it and was really happy to end up third. I don’t think I could have done any better.”

Unfortunately, there was one member of Team Penske who did not qualify well. In fact, championship point’s leader Juan Pablo Montoya qualified in the 19th position after a disappointing run.

“It just never turned,” Montoya said after his qualifying lap. “It’s what it is. You can’t change it.”

Even though Montoya may be starting further back, each and every one of his Team Penske teammates seemed willing to do whatever they could to help.

“Usually there are no team orders at Team Penske,” Pagenaud said. “At this point, I’ve got nothing to gain or lose. If Montoya’s not winning the race, it’s better that we go ahead and try to take points away from Rahal and Dixon for example.

“If I can do anything to help Montoya I will. That’s from my own heart.”

Josef Newgarden time trialed fourth and Graham Rahal, who is also in the championship hunt, qualified fifth.

“To be in the top five and the top Honda is good,” Rahal said. “We’ll try to chase down Juan. He’s one heck of a competitor and I know he will be right on our heels.”

The other major story of qualifying for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway was the scary crash of Charlie Kimball. The rear end of his No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet kicked out, slamming into the SAFER barrier and then riding that into the catch fence.

“We had a pretty good warm-up lap and the car was giving me a lot of confidence and I went into Turn 1 and I didn’t like the balance so I made some adjustments,” Kimball said. “I went into Turn 3 and got caught out by the wind and the 83 car rotated. Unfortunately, the car had been quick all morning and we were pretty close to the pole in qualifying.

“I hit sideways and I don’t know what rolled under. I was looking down riding along the top of the wall for a while. Overall, I’m happy to get away with just a couple bumps and bruises.”

Kimball was cleared from the infield care center, after getting two stitches in his chin. He also had a bruise on his and finger. But in typical Kimball style, the driver brushed it off with humor.

“When you are this ugly to begin with it is hard to do much damage.”

Kimball will have to start from the rear and also utilize a backup car.

“Seeing us roll off the grid last isn’t going to be great but hopefully I’ll make it more exciting fighting my way through the field,” Kimball said. “The SAFER Barrier did its job. It’s not something you can test because you never want to crash but when it happens I’m pleased it was not worse.”

There was one other incident in the qualifying session. Rookie Stefano Coletti kissed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 3 in the morning practice so did not attempt to qualify and will be starting dead last in his No. 4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet.

The following is the full qualifying order for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway:

Rank Car Driver Name C/A/E/T Lap 1 Lap 2 Total Time Avg Speed

1 3 Castroneves, Helio D/C/C/F 40.8301 40.7916 01:21.6217 220.530

2 22 Pagenaud, Simon D/C/C/F 40.7722 40.8660 01:21.6382 220.485

3 1 Power, Will D/C/C/F 40.8435 40.8269 01:21.6704 220.398

4 67 Newgarden, Josef D/C/C/F 40.9783 40.7876 01:21.7659 220.141

5 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/H/F 40.8899 40.8844 01:21.7743 220.118

6 26 Munoz, Carlos D/H/H/F 40.9475 40.9334 01:21.8809 219.831

7 25 Wilson, Justin D/H/H/F 40.9580 40.9776 01:21.9356 219.685

8 28 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D/H/H/F 40.9596 40.9806 01:21.9402 219.672

9 14 Sato, Takuma D/H/H/F 40.9649 41.0106 01:21.9755 219.578

10 11 Bourdais, Sebastien D/C/C/F 40.9918 41.0050 01:21.9968 219.521

11 9 Dixon, Scott D/C/C/F 41.1625 41.0410 01:22.2035 218.969

12 10 Kanaan, Tony D/C/C/F 41.1741 41.0869 01:22.2610 218.816

13 19 Vautier, Tristan D/H/H/F 41.1453 41.1982 01:22.3435 218.596

14 41 Hawksworth, Jack D/H/H/F 41.2550 41.1887 01:22.4437 218.331

15 7 Jakes, James D/H/H/F 41.2344 41.2413 01:22.4757 218.246

16 98 Chaves, Gabby (R) D/H/H/F 41.3380 41.1731 01:22.5111 218.152

17 18 Mann, Pippa D/H/H/F 41.3883 41.4192 01:22.8075 217.372

18 5 Briscoe, Ryan D/H/H/F 41.5591 41.2980 01:22.8571 217.241

19 2 Montoya, Juan Pablo D/C/C/F 41.8365 41.0386 01:22.8751 217.194

20 8 Karam, Sage (R) D/C/C/F 41.6624 41.5167 01:23.1791 216.401

21 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/C/F 41.5783 41.6337 01:23.2120 216.315

22 27 Andretti, Marco D/H/H/F 42.3788 41.3028 01:23.6816 215.101

23 83 Kimball, Charlie D/C/C/F No Time DNQ

24 4 Coletti, Stefano (R) D/C/C/F No Time DNQ

August 22, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400 at Chicagoland

After a wild week of penalties, shakeups to the Chase line up, and a lengthy rain delay to boot, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the first race of the Chase, the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Surprising: While it was surprising that the race was run in its entirety, albeit into the wee hours of the night, the biggest surprise was the impact of the change from day to night on the engines, forcing two of the Chasers right into the basement of the standings as a result.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Joey Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford for Penske Racing, both had catastrophic engine failures, finishing 35^th and 37^th respectively.

Even more devastating, Logano lost six positions in the standings to the 12^th spot and Junior lost four positions falling to the newly formed 13^th Chase position. Both are not only in the basement spots in the standings but also over 50 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

“I’m pretty angry,” Logano said after dropping out of the race. “That was such a fast race car but unfortunately the motor blew up.”

“It is a bummer to have it in the Chase when you are running for a championship,” Logano continued. “It just wasn’t our day I guess.”

“I’m not really sure if it was motor or transmission, but it has got us sitting on the sidelines,” Junior said. “Something broke there in the motor.”

“It’s tough,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s going to be really hard to win a championship this far behind.”

Not Surprising: Coach and team owner Joe Gibbs not surprisingly reacted as a proud papa when it came time to visit one of his drivers in Victory Lane and the other in the runner up role.

JGR racer Matt Kenseth scored his first ever win at Chicagoland and his career best sixth win for the season while Kyle Busch missed the weekend sweep by just one position, bringing his JGR Toyota home in the second spot.

“We won the race tonight,” Gibbs said. “We were one and two there.”

“My wife probably said it best, she said it’s like having babies, they’re all great,” Gibbs continued. “That’s the way you feel about it.”

Surprising: Two future Stewart Haas Racing teammates and yes, lame duck Chase contenders both, had a surprisingly good battle going between the two of them late in the race, with Kevin Harvick finishing third and Kurt Busch finishing fourth.

“Yeah we had a lot of fun,” the driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet, said. “Came up a couple short, but a good day.”

“Yeah, we had a battle with Harvick and we brought our Chevy home in fourth,” Kurt Busch said. “Top fives are what it’s all about in the Chase so one down and nine to go.”

Not Surprising: He’s back……After a four-week downward spiral of twentieth place finishes or worse, Jimmie Johnson and team No. 48 got their mojo back, finishing top-five and representing the Hendrick Motorsports in the third position in the Chase standings, just eleven points behind the leader.

Even more impressive, although not surprising, the No. 48 bunch had to overcome two problematic episodes on pit road to regain their forward momentum.

“From a jack failing to a call on pit road for a lug nut that was not supposedly on, and a variety of issues, it was a great comeback,” Johnson said. “We wanted to finish better of course, but we’re very proud of all the hard work from Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus, and this No. 48 Lowe’s race team.”

“We’re off to a good start.”

Surprising: Apparently a little off-track action was all that was needed to score another surprising top-10 finish, at least for Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

“We started the race and thought we were in big trouble,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Luckily after the rain delay, it kind of helped our car turn a little bit better and we were able to get an eighth place finish.”

“Yes, we went to Sonic,” Stenhouse Jr. continued, describing his drive-through rain delay adventure. “Gave me a little bit of energy.”

“Took a nap and really played it out well.”

Not Surprising: For someone who came to the Chase party a bit late and who also may have been up a bit past his veteran bedtime, Jeff Gordon was not only wired after his sixth place finish, but he looked like he could actually run another race or two.

“Well, that was an incredible accomplishment,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said after his top ten finish which propelled him into the seventh spot in the Chase standings. “It just shows how much fight this team has in them.”

“Can’t wait to get to this next race,” Gordon continued. “Where is it? Loudon? We’re ready!”

Surprising: Although not in the Chase, the reigning champ had a surprisingly good run, scoring the highest finish for the Ford Camp at Chicagoland. Brad Keselowski, driver of the Blue Deuce, took the checkered flag in the seventh position.

“I think we were probably a top-five car,” Keselowski said. “I don’t know if I had anything for the 20 or 18.”

“It was hard to tell because we never got a shot to find out.”

Not Surprising: In addition to Logano’s engine failure, the other Ford Chasers did not fare well either. Carl Edwards, in the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, finished 11^th and Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Post-It Ford Fusion, finished 16^th.

“There are a couple of things I wish I could take back,” Edwards said. “We were just missing something at this style of race track.”

“That was a rough night,” Biffle said. “We had major issues.”

“That wasn’t our best night.”

Surprising: Young up and coming driver Cole Whitt had a surprisingly fiery Cup debut for Swan Racing. His No. 30 Swan Racing/Lean 1 Toyota, had an engine failure that resulted in quite the fire ball.

“It just jumped out of gear on the front stretch and blew up,” Whitt said. “It’s not the debut I was looking for at Swan Racing but I look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Not Surprising: After a cut tire resulted in a 32^nd place finish, it was not surprising that Juan Pablo Montoya announced that he would be ending his NASCAR career at the end of the 2013 season and heading back to the IndyCar Series.

Montoya will be racing for the Captain, Roger Penske, joining teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves back in the open wheel ranks.

“I’m really excited,” JPM said. “If you really dream of any ideal position for a driver, and you could say, you could race for Penske, I think that would be No. 1.”

“And you know ‑‑ when I heard and it was announced that I wasn’t going to be in the 42 car next year, my No. 1 choice was going to be in a winning car,” Montoya continued. “I really want to be in a winning car.”

Surprising: In spite of spinning twice, Justin Allgaier loved every minute of his 27^th place run in his Cup debut with Phoenix Racing in the No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet.

“There have been a lot of drivers who have come through and raced in the sport’s top tier,” Allgaier said. “For me, it’s a cool feeling to know my name will go on that list of drivers to run a Sprint Cup Series race.”

“There are so many names of guys that I looked up to and respected,” Allgaier continued. “I’m excited to get there.”

Not Surprising: In spite of the rain delay, with the red flag lasting five hours, ten minutes and 21 seconds, at least one driver recognized that the fans were the real heroes at Chicagoland Speedway.

“Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys were able to discuss strategy with the break we had, and they made some good adjustments once we went back racing,” Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet said. “I’m glad we were able to get the whole race in.”

“And I’ve got to thank the fans that stuck it out to see the finish.”

September 17, 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
Briscoe claims Sonoma victory, Power surges towards championship

With another chapter in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship complete we are now beginning to see the final stages of the campaign draw even closer.

Ryan Briscoe capitalized on a great opportunity Sunday afternoon at Infineon Raceway to earn his first win in over two years. Will Power dominated the first half of the race, but on lap 64, things went amiss. As Power was in the pits, a caution flew for a collision with Josef Newgarden and Sebastian Bourdais. The pits remained open under caution and Briscoe was able to pit the next time by. Due to an unknown mishap in Powers pit stop, Briscoe exited his stall and beat out his Penske Racing teammate to the blend line, inheriting the lead.

[media-credit name=”indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]From then on, Briscoe held off a charging Will Power for two more restarts, enabling himself to enter victory lane for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

“It feels so good to win here in Sonoma. I got my first ever pole here back in ’05 and I’ve been so close the last sort of 4 years, 5 years and finally to get the win. It was a good battle at the end there with Will and Dario.” Briscoe stated after the race.

Power’s #12 Verizon Wireless Chevrolet might have come across the finish line second after spending most of the day in the lead, but the Australian racer still heads to Baltimore on a positive note. Coming into the Sonoma round bearing only a 5 point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay, Power exits wine country with a 36 point advantage over Hunter-Reay.

“It was a good day for us, points wise. I feel bad for Hunter-Reay, he obviously got taken out. That definitely hurts considering he had such a good drive up to third place.” Says Power.

While Power leaves Sonoma with momentum, Hunter-Reay enters Baltimore in desperate search of it with only two rounds remaining in the championship.

Since Hunter-Reay’s summer hot streak of three consecutive wins, the Andretti Autosport driver has posted a best finish of 7th in Edmonton. Of the three races since his last win (Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, and Sonoma) two of them have been DNF’s. Hunter-Reay has seen his 34 point lead in the championship completely reverse course, he now trails the lead of Will Power by 36 points.

The frustration was very evident on Hunter-Reay’s face after the race.

“I can’t tell you how frustrated I am after the engine problems last week. I ran so hard all day, I pushed so hard to get from seventh to third. We had a great car for the end and it’s just usual Tag, he’s thinking right in front of himself rather than 10 feet, 15 feet ahead. ”

Alex Tagliani was not hesitant to stand up to the events that took place on track when questioned about it after the race.

“I take full responsibility. You know, I’m out there racing and I had a good run on Dario…It’s not that I’m not thinking about it (the championship) but I’m not going to lift either just because I don’t want to pass anybody and I’m afraid, and then get passed!” Tagliani said.

The series now heads straight to the east coast for the Grand Prix of Baltimore around the streets of Camden Yards this weekend, September 2nd. Two weeks after that will be the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California with the MAVTV 500.

Will Power will be the man everyone is watching this weekend as he looks to claim his first IndyCar Championship. The main storyline to follow in the coming races will be if Power can shake the monkey off his back. Recall, in 2010 and 2011 Power finished second in the points behind Dario Franchitti. In 2011, the deficit was 18 points. In 2010, a mere 5 points separated Power from his first title. Both the previous two seasons Will earned two more victories than the eventual championship winner, Franchitti.

August 28, 2012
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
2012 IndyCar title contenders

[media-credit name=”sportsnet.ca” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]After the IZOD IndyCar race in Mid-ohio on August 5th, the series will have but only three races left. Auto Club Speedway will host the finale this year in mid September, ending the season months before both NASCAR and Formula 1. With the season coming to a close more rapidly than expected, top drivers are entering the climatic stages of the season where every point earned will be crucial to who wins the 2012 IndyCar Championship.

Realistically there are four drivers in the hunt for the championship this season (note that IndyCar awards points even for finishing last in a race). Ryan Hunter-Reay has earned 362 points thus far, leading the standings by 23 points over Helio Castroneves. Will Power is close behind his Penske Racing teammate, 26 points out of the lead. Lastly, Scott Dixon is currently fourth in the championship with 301 points, 61 points out of first. With our focus on these four drivers and the four remaining tracks on the schedule, an interesting title fight is in the works.

August 3rd – 5th the IICS is at the Mid-Ohio course in Lexington, Ohio. Looking at the statistics from all five races IndyCar has held at Mid-Ohio since the 2007 season, Hunter-Reay, Power, and Castroneves have average finishes at the sports car course of 6.8, 6.6, and 7.8 respectively. Scott Dixon possesses a statistical advantage at Mid-Ohio by accumulating an average finish of 2.2 throughout the five races he’s contested there. Theoretically, if all four drivers continue to finish close to their average finishes this weekend, Dixon will make up considerable ground on his competitors, therefore squeezing the top four drivers in the standings closer together.

After a three week break, the IICS will be back in action at the Sonoma Raceway for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. As with most road courses, Will Power has excelled at Sonoma the last two years, winning the 2010 and 2011 races. Ryan Hunter-Reay however, has had different fortunes in wine country, earning an average finish of 14.6 in five starts. Castroneves and Dixon both have one win a piece in Sonoma. RHR, the current points leader, has had the least amount of success at Sonoma among the top four drivers in contention for IndyCar’s crown this year. Thus Sonoma will see an extended effort by him to either go for a win while he’s got the momentum in hand from a great season so far or be on the defensive all weekend, trying to leave with minimum damage in the points race.

The climatic point of the season could come with two races remaining, at the Grand Prix of Baltimore. The streets of Baltimore serve as a wildcard for the championship, IndyCar has raced there only once, the circuit is also undergoing three changes to its layout in an attempt to promote more exciting racing around Camden Yards. With limited data and experience at the venue, the playing field for the weekend will be leveled slightly. Qualifying will be as important as ever, with the wrong set up, any of our drivers could find themselves starting in the back of the pack on a tight street course that may be difficult to overtake on. Look for Baltimore to produce some plot twists in the quest for the 2012 title, Josef Newgarden of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing visited the venue recently and discussed his thoughts on the inaugural Baltimore event last year.

“Baltimore was the most physical event last year. It’s really bumpy on half the circuit and really smooth on the other, which made it really difficult to drive the car.” Newgarden also stated how the changes to the circuit layout will “make for good competition” in this year’s event.

With Baltimore being one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar to drive as well as additional changes being placed on the track for more passing opportunities to arise, look for any of the title contenders to either create momentum and thrust themselves to the top of the standings, or make a mistake under the rough conditions, eliminating them from championship contention.

Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California will play host to the IZOD IndyCar World Championships on September 15th. The IICS hasn’t held a race at the venue since 2005 and of all the drivers currently in the IndyCar Series, only Dario Franchitti has gone to victory lane in Fontana. Racing on the 2.0 mile oval for the first time in seven years with the brand new DW12 chassis will present many unknown variables to the teams, setting the series up for a climatic final round of the season.

IndyCar has had success ending the season on ovals in the past. In 2007, Scott Dixon ran out of fuel on the last lap of the Chicagoland event, while his future teammate Dario Franchitti cruised by to take the win, and the 2007 championship.

[media-credit name=”indymotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]In 2009, the series shifted the finale to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dixon, Franchitti, and Ryan Briscoe emerged as title favorites heading into the last race, with the three of them being separated by just 8 points. Dixon and Briscoe were dominating the field, lapping everyone but third position, Franchitti. Franchitti who himself was under threat to go a lap down, won in dramatic fashion due to Dixon and Briscoe being forced to pit with only a few laps to go.

Two road courses, a street course, and an oval present a diverse set of venues to decide who will ultimately be IndyCar’s 2012 Champion. Amongst the four drivers mentioned, all have seen varying results at Mid-Ohio and Sonoma in the past. With the possibility of those events bringing the contenders closer together in points, the unknowns that are present in Baltimore and Fontana will surely make for a great championship fight for the history books.

August 2, 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