Okay, for the large contingent that claimed that Fresno State would be the BCS Buster in 2008 and defeat the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night - Step right up and take your medicine!
For almost five months now, a number of college football bloggers here have provided predictions, comments and insight on various scenarios to be played out this fall. The usual conference bashing ensued, to which Wisconsin was mentioned as fodder for annual WAC darling, Fresno State.
Pat Hill has been quite aggressive in his attempts at scheduling vs. the BCS schools. However, other than an Oregon State visit to the Valley several years ago, he has had very few takers in coming to his place . Barry Alvarez, the Wisconsin AD, had the Bulldogs visit Madison twice in the early 00's, when he was still the head coach. Fresno St. pulled off an "upset" once due in no small part to a 100 yard kickoff return for a TD by Bernard Berrian, a current Minnesota Viking and former Chicago Bear WR. Alvarez scheduled a trip to Fresno to not only help Hill, but also try to stem the current criticism of Wisconsin's non-conference scheduling practices.
Well the deal is done and Wisconsin survived a tough, hard-fought 13-10 victory. The Bulldogs were relentless, not intimidated and spirited. A missed FG with 12 minutes to go may have been the play that turned the tide for the Badgers. Regardless, it is time for those who predicted the upset to step forward and acknowledge the outcome.
LisaH - for 5 months you have called the Bulldog victory in no less than ten of your own blog articles. Your punishment is three cracks with the Bucky 2-by-4. Come on step right up now. Don't be shy. You will not believe your eyes. Sorry, referencing the 1980's Tubes video. It will sting a little. But I have some icepacks here to keep the swelling down. Okay, here we go:
THHHHWHACK!WWWWHHHAAACCCKK! one more now, WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAACCCCKK####! Okay, you're all done. You'll feel better by Thursday, I'm sure.....as soon as you start analyzing Notre Dame vs. Michigan State.
Jon464 - come on man. You have been Lisa's partner in crime this whole time. Every time she mentioned that game, you were al over it with comments in the affirmative:
"Wisconsin is too slow", "Fresno State is too fast", "The Badgers will wilt in the heat", Wisconsin has never seen women this good-looking", etc.
Your punishment is only two cracks with the paddle, because you just rode on Lisa's coat tails, but gave about 20 different predictions of the final score. Here we go, no...come on, dude...you've got to completely bend-over. Yeah, that's better.
Sorry about that last one, I got a little too enthusiastic there. There is juice and cookies in the corner for you.
Okay the rest of you, step on up now. Don't hide behind the curtains. There were a bunch of you predicting the Valley to be Death for Wisconsin. It's okay to be wrong just acknowledge it and deal with a sore butt for a while. I can wait all week. Not in any hurry at all....
In closing, I would like to state that I hope the Bulldogs can have a great season and finally win the WAC conference. Hey Lisa, I hear Pat Hill has Pete Carroll on speed dial. He is looking for the Men of Troy to come to the valley for a friendly tussle.
Okay, so their has been some discussion about the result at Belgium on Sunday. Tezgm99, Forensic2, jbroomy and myself have weighed in on the F1 verdict. Let me just say that up until that point, THAT race had one of the most exciting finishes that has been seen in the 20 years or so that I've followed the series.
Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Great views of the countryside and bordering forestry. Spa is one of the 4 original F1 circuits at it's 1950 inception.
Qualifying has Lewis Hamilton, in his McLaren, on the pole. Ferrari's, Felipe Massa starts alongside. P3 has Heikki Kovalainen, Hamilton's teammate and Ferrari's "other driver", The Finnish nightmare, Kimi Raikkonen in 4th. He is also the three-time defending champion here and it is assumed to be his make-or-break race to win the championship. Good effort for Nick Heidfeld, in his BMW Sauber for 5th and Fernando Alonso in the 6th starting position for Renault. SeaBass, Sebastian Bourdais has his best qualifying effort of the season in 9th.
The race is scheduled for 44 laps around this 4.33 mile circuit with long fast straights and hairpin turns, 19 in total. Wow, my neck hurts already from the G-loading just watching the warm-up lap. It has already rained and showers are possible during the event. Everyone will start on the soft compound tire for maximum grip and hope the rubber laid down will make the harder tire work later in the race. Unless, of course, it rains. Which if it does means that Ferrari will ask for a postponement or that the format be changed to synchronized spinning instead of Formula One racing.
We are off and everyone gets through the right hander in turn one, although at least half have been moved to the run-off area. There is no more exciting start then any turn one at any F1 race. Unless, of course, Marco Andretti is driving right next to you in IRL, NASCAR, The Capitol Beltway or in the parking lot at WalMart. Raikkonen squeezes to the outside of his teammate, Massa to take 2nd as the inside line is slow. This is because Heikki Kovalainen is hit by Heidfeld and is sent back to P11. SeaBass banzai's his way into 5th amongst the confusion on the outside. Early on lap 2 we see Kimi right behind Hamilton, ready to pounce. Lewis had a healthy lead but spun at Le Source and now Raikkonen has the momentum and shoots through in turn 3. Meanwhile, Kovalainen has righted himself from the start and is now charging back through the field. He gets back by Heidfeld, then Timo Glock and drives around Nelson Piquet on the straight on lap 5 to get back to P8. Raikkonen and Hamilton are trading fastest lap classifications now as the track has dried and the soft compound is laying down some needed grip. Back to Kovalainen, who overtakes the Pole Dancer, Robert Kubica for 7th. Oh, here is Adrian Sutil, in his Force India entry, trying out the traction in the grass and now...yes, moving back over the pavement to the gravel on the other side. Nice little Sunday afternoon ride here. Just want to cover all of my options.
Lap 11 is pit cycle one with Hamilton in first. Uh-oh, here we go - Kovalainen's charge is halted when he is issued a drive-through penalty for sliding into Red Bull's, Mark Webber, and spinning into the cycle. Kimi pits next, followed by Massa and then Alonso. Kovalainen pits for fuel and tires first, then later, takes his medicine next time through. Nelson Piquet Jr. slaps the wall and his race is now over after having a bit too much rear brake in the turn. SeaBass and Kubica are the last to pit on lap 16 and the running order returns to previous with Kimi holdng a 6 second lead now on Hamilton, Massa is 11 seconds behind. Ruebens Barrichello has retired his Honda for the day, which pretty much describes the performance of the manufacturer for the entirety of 2008, except for Rueben's masterful drive in the wet at Silverstone.
The entire next stint is quite pedestrian with no passing and very little nose-to-tail racing. Man, sometimes they really could use Paul Tracy and Robby Gordon at one of these things. Or maybe more shots of the Grid Girls. Or how about having the Grid Girls as field fillers? Oh, you mean they only do that in the IRL? (Editor's Note: The previous comment was not intended to offend anyone named Sarah Fisher). Anyway, the next round of stops begins with Raikkonen on lap 25 and Hamilton is right behind him. Kimi retains position and they come out 2nd and 3rd behind Massa. There is a posted warning that rain is expected within the next 20 minutes. Cries of terror are heard from Ferrari's paddock. Flashbacks to the 5 spin day of Massa and Raikkonen at Silverstone are coming back into memory. Rosary beads are now sold out in Monza, Italy. Of course, whenever F1 announces that rain is pending, NO ONE really knows for certain if they really believe it.
Regardless, Lewis is gaining steadily on Kimi. The McLaren chassis is better suited toward the harder compound. The lead is less than 2 seconds now as they approach to lap some of the back-markers. Heikki Kovalainen, who had fallen back to as low as 14th after serving his penalty, has come back up again to 9th, one spot behind a possible point earning day. Felipe Massa had been catching the leaders in overtaking the lappers and was only 3 seconds behind, but now he is beginning to fall off a bit. A large battle for positions 5th through 8th ensues when Kubica and the "German SeaBass", Sebastian Vettel in a...wait for it....Toro Rosso...pit on lap 34. Kubica has a fuel rig issue and comes back out in 8th behind SeaBass Bourdais, Nick Heidfeld and SeaBass Vettel.
7 laps to go and we now have raindrops. Oh goodie, here comes the fun. Everyone is staying out and avoiding taking on the intermediate slicks, so let the sliding begin. Hamilton is pushing hard, trying to force the "Iceman" into a mistake. Less than 1/2 second lead. However he overcooks one chicane and hits the run-off, comes back on, and lets Raikkonen re-take P1. 2 laps to go and traction is not good. Nick Hedfeld, from 7th place, makes the move into the pits and takes on the intermediates. Everyone else hangs on to their shorts. Wow! There seems to be at least 6 race machines for the leaders to overtake. One after another...until the dreaded moment. Kimi runs up on Nico Rosberg, who is practically of the throttle coming onto the straight. Raikkonen lifts and Hamilton doesn't but can't hold on and makes the run-off, Kimi then overtakes again but doesn't make the next corner spins left and hits the barrier. Varsha, Hobbs and Matchette are now screaming at the action while Hamilton tries to right his steering wheel and backs down the speed to limp the final lap home and FINISH 1st. Massa is behind, fifteen seconds back and Nick Heidfeld's gamble pays off as he passes four cars in the final two laps to get ot third. Alonso, Vettel, Kubica and Bourdais are slipping and sliding all over the place at the line to get 4th through 7th.
At that point I turned off my TV and headed to the gym because it was Week 1 of the NFL season and I had to get up to the bar by 12 noon. I didn't find out until after 8 pm that a 25 second penalty was issued to Hamilton for the finish of that race. Massa was awarded the victory with Heidfeld in second. I'm still a bit stunned and disappointed with that call. This is coming from someone who is a Ferrari fan. Don't know how any rule or regulation can account for the circumstances that happened in Belgium. The weather determined the outcome of that race - not any action or inaction of the competitors racing for the win. Pure and simple, Hamilton and McLaren were robbed, beaten and left on the side of the road by that decision. Maybe this all is payback by the FIA for the Ferrari-McLaren espionage issue of the last 18 months. I don't know. They paid a heavy penalty for that indiscretion. But I have lost a lot of respect for the governing body since Sunday. It completely ruined what was one of the most exciting finishes F1 has ever seen. What a shame.
Oh well, it's on to Monza and Hamilton's lead in the driver's championship is now only 76-74 over Massa. Don't know if I will have a report on the Italian Grand Prix next week. The Wisconsin-Fresno State game won't be over until about 2 am my time and doubt that I can roll out of the rack for the 8 am start. Until next time....
Sunday, August 31st - The Detroit Indy at Belle Island Park
We are told this is Detroit, MI, USA - where the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent refined his 12 string guitar licks. But is it really? I mean, it's on an island between the city and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. So, I don't know man...she kind of funny. Yeah, everybody funny....now you funny, too. The clock on the wall say 3 o'clock. One bourbon, one scotch and one beer.
Wherever we are it is a 2.12 mile course with 15 sharp turns for 90 laps. This is probably the most narrow street circuit in all of North Amercia, including MoSport. Scott Dixon is on pole and the only one left that can challenge his bid for the championship, Helio Castroneves starts right next to him. This is a Helio track. 2 wins in 2000 and 2001 in CART and the perfect layout for the Brazilian mambo. Nice run for Oriol Servia (3rd), who is also an accomplished street racer. Newman-Haas-Lanigan gets deserved grid starts for Justin Wilson (4th) and Graham Rahal (6th). Castroneves' Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe starts 5th. American Ryan Hunter-Reay is 7th and the Andretti-Green stable has Kanaan starting 8th, Danica Patrick 10th, Marco Andretti 12th and Hideki Mutoh 16th. Dan Wheldon struggles to make the 11th position on the starting grid.
If Dixon wins this race the championship is over because his 43 point lead plus the victory would give him the minimum 53 point clinching advantage. Pre-race interview with Helio shows he is teasing the Target crew by threatening to mess with their chassis. Aw, what a kidder that boy is. Car count is at 25 because Marty Roth has withdrawn his entry. Thus, the absence of Marty Roth t-shirts in the crowd, but maybe just a few David Lee Roth t's are being worn. Just a gigolo and everywhere I go, people know the part I'm playing. Paid for every dance selling each romance. oooh, what they're saying. Alex Tagliani is substituting for Enrique Bernoldi, who claims to be injured. Hmmmm....why can't Kyle Petty come up with that excuse. Why isn't Paul Tracy in this race? There I go asking questions no one other than Tony George can answer again. {Sigh}
Off to the start and it doesn't take long for Caution #1 when Milka Duno is spun in turn three by Bruno Junqueira charging on the inside. Milka cannot immediately re-fire and goes 4 laps down before retiring the car by mid-race. The un-official reason given is that she must catch a flight to South Carolina and convalesce with a certain Fox blogger. Bruno is sent to the back by race control by what was termed "causing avoidable contact". Well, this sounds like the entire careers of both Robby Gordon and Paul Tracy. Tomas Schectker goes behind the wall for repairs for a broken drive shaft, which is his 3rd of this season. Tomas has proven that he can break anything on an open wheel car during his time in the IRL. Restart is on lap 4 and Dixon and Castroneves drive away from the field...easily...quickly...by far. Did I mention that no one else is around them? They are 11 seconds ahead by lap 13, Servia is leading the train from 3rd place and there is no passing except for TK getting by Hunter-Reay for 7th place. and a SWEET slip under move by Will Power on Danica during lap 12. Wheldon and Buddy Rice pit early to start the fuel mileage rumbling amongst the announcers. ALMOST CHAMPIONSHIP DISASTER on Lap 17 when Dixon is lapping Jaime Camara in turn #8. Scott tries inside, but Camara protects his line and the contact causes Camara to hit the wall and spins Scott out until he can re-fire and return to the lead. This is Caution #2. Dixon pits, but Helio, Servia and Wilson stay out and now Scott, in 18th, has to run in traffic on the lap 21 restart. Dan Wheldon curiously pits a 2nd time and goes 1 lap down. Helio-Servia-Wilson drive away from the field while Dixon, fighting through traffic, falls almost 40 seconds behind when the trio pit on lap 33 and all come out ahead.
It's about this time that Danica is holding everyone up and is sandwiched by Graham Rahal and Vitor Meira. Vitor clips her left front tire and goes off-course. Danica can't make the next turn because of a flat and at the same time EJ Visio hits.....a concrete barrier somewhere else on the course.This brings out Caution #3. Dixon has made it up to 5th right behind Kanaan. Speculation is that the first 3 have two more fuel spots because of short-pitting. Dixon is back on cycle with them. Alex Tagliani is on pit road with the hood up as we have the restart on lap #38. 18 race cars remain on the lead lap with Dan Wheldon bringing up the rear right in front of Danica. No comment. It gets a bit hairy as everyone is avoiding Hideki Mutoh, slowing on the track. Must be the bad sushi in Michigan. Darren Manning is "asked" to give up his position to Bruno Junqueira for a "blocking maneuver". You have got to be kidding me? Now race control has decided to start enforcing their rules, but only for those driving mid-pack? It is starting to look like it will end up a timed 2 hour race since the first 41 laps took up half of the allotted time. The crews are already adding this into their fuel computations. While Helio and Justin Wilson drive away, Dixon is laboring behind Servia and TK in 5th place. It appears that he has lost all front-end grip and is just trying to "points race". Or maybe save fuel. Or maybe he was listening to AC/DC on his Ipod. I think it was maybe Whole lot of Rosie...
Ryan Hunter-Reay has made contact with Will Power on lap 55 and gets a flat while Power has front wing damage. Dixon makes his anticipated last fuel stop while Castroneves has a five second lead on Wilson and 41 seconds ahead of Scott. All of the other leaders pit on laps 57-60. The running order stays the same except Helio is out front comfortably now and positions 2-5 are all within 1.5 seconds of each other. looks like Castroneves is going to cruise to victory. UNTIL, Dan Wheldon runs into the tire barrier in turn #7 on lap 65 at the same time Mario Moreas goes off course in turn #8, Caution #4. Wheldon had a bent toe-link and was developing gear box issues. It looks like no one will need to pit for fuel. Here comes the restart on lap 70 and Wilson is putting pressure on Helio. Castroneves is sliding his rear wheels and forced to block Justin coming off the corners. And then we hear it! Race control orders Helio to give up the spot for blocking. Wow! That was unexpected. But it was a good call by Brian Barnhart. Helio has been notorious for that this year. And it finally bit him hard. There is some initial trepidation on his part but he eventually lets Wilson go on lap 73. Justin drives away because either Helio is now uninterested or his tires go away for good, or he is saving fuel or he is listening to HIS Ipod. It must have been "Have you heard about the Lonesome Loser?" Beaten by the Queen of Hearts every time. TK is not pressuring for 2nd and has lost all of his electronic telemetry. Lap 82 it is announced a 7 minute warning and Marco Andretti retires shortly after that announcement. He must have been very tired from trying to keep from wrecking. Justin Wilson completes Lap 87 and wins the second race for Newman-Haas-Lanigan in the IRL. We are informed that Paul Newman is quite ill and resting at home. Wilson stalls his car trying to do victory donuts and is towed to the victory podium. He dedicates the win to Newman. Godspeed Cool Hand Luke.Godspeed, Cool Hand Luke.
Castroneves comes home second by 4 seconds, followed by Kanaan, Oriol Servia, Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Bruno Junqueira and Will Power. Castroneves picks up 13 points in the championship standings, but stills trails Dixon by 30, meaning that Scott needs an 8th place finish at Chicago to clinch the title. Helio smiles but is clearly miffed about the penalty and is talking to Tim Cindrich and the Captain. Sorry, Helio, but it was the right call and you really needed to understand that it was all going to come back on you at some point.
Off we go to Joliet, Illinois - which is in the USA and hopefully, Jake and Ellwood will be there with their sunglasses on and a pack of Marlboro's for the finale of 2008.
Okay, poker was postponed Saturday afternoon, so Tony George called and asked that I cover the Meijer Indy 300 from Sparta, Kentucky. 300? Sparta? Hey Hanahan - is there going to be a bunch of dudes in sandals without shirts on, shooting arrows and throwing swords around? Or is that just at the Talladega infield?
Qualifying results in - surprise - Scott Dixon on pole with CGR teammate Dan Wheldon starting 3rd. Pleasant development in Panther Racing's, Vitor Meira, will start 2nd. Penske's line-up has Ryan Briscoe starting 5th and the Dancing Helio in 6th. Andretti-Green's stable has Hideki Mutoh in 4th, Tony Kanaan starts 7th, Marco Andretti at 9th and a practice crash prevents Danica Patrick from timing, meaning she will start shotgun on the field with Bruno Junqueira. Bruno has just never been the same since breaking his back at the Indy 500 several years ago. Other notables are Vision Racing's Ed Carpenter starting 8th, Ryan Hunter-Reay, 14th and VERY GOOD to see the classy Sarah Fisher back for her 2nd race of the year. She starts 16th. Milka Duno has no passport problems in the US and statts 18th.
200 laps at this FAST 1.5 mile track. This is no cookie-cutter design. Seems like you are turning left the entire circuit. We go green and make it through the first lap without Little Bonaparte (Andretti) wrecking or taking anyone else out. Lap 2 brings out Caution #1 when Will Power brushs the turn two wall. The leaders stay out but several at the back start the fuel mileage game early. Back to green racing on Lap 7, when Power has to pit once again, this time severe, with a broken push rod. Scott Dixon reaches another milestone when he becomes the 5th IRL driver to surpass the 2,000 laps led milestone. Congrats, mate! You are unstoppable this year. Kanaan and Helio are dropping backwards as the run continues while Andretti is making a move. TK is TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT while Helio is "stuck" - totally neutral and in dirty air. Marco climbs to 4th by lap 40. See what happens when you stay IN the race, Marco? We are told that Newman-Haas' Graham Rahal is 15 laps down but Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear and the pit road crew don't bother to elaborate as to why. It has been a Dixon-Meira-Wheldon first stint until lap 45, when Vitor uses Enrique Bernoldi as a screen to pin Dixon down on the inside and take the lead.
Green flag pit stops begin on lap 52 with Dan Wheldon getting out in front of Meira. Dixon pits the next lap and comes out with the lead when Danica pitts on lap 54 to lead one lap. Patrick comes back on in 16th and the last car on the lead lap. Scott then passes her on lap 59 and she is now 1 lap down. Kanaan is working on Helio and passes him on lap 73 for 10th place. Both are running marginally better during this stint. Caution #2 is lap 82 when - What's this? Danica and Sarah make contact on the frontstretch. Is there going to be a fight? No, it was just a little wheel rub. Don't think anyone was at fault here. Here come pit stops and Ryan Hunter-Reay gets spun on pit road facing the wall. Doesn't hit anything, refires and moves on. We are told that Graham Rahal came back into the race after the crew changed the gearbox. His teammate, Justin Wilson is also spending some time in the pits with gearbox issues to complete the misery for Cool Hand Luke. Andretti beats Meira out of the pits in 3rd and the restart is on lap 89. Andretti passes Wheldon on the very next lap to take 2nd. Meira and Ryan Briscoe exchange 4th place several times. TK, whose crew picked him up 4 spots during pit, is now challenging Vitor. At the same time Marco looks for the lead. Danica pits lap 104, under green to go 2 laps down but here comes Marco. Until Dixon laps EJ Visio, who proceeds to hold up Marco for several laps and then Dan Wheldon after Marco gets by. Yes, it's EJ Visio again. This guy just can't help himself. He was warned by race control to let the leaders by, but obviously they don't speak fluent Spanish. It's starting to get old but until they penalize him, what' the point?
Marco finally passes Scott on lap 122, after failing to get around the slow Bernoldi. Wheldon also gets by due to some poor spotter communication. Enrique retires shortly after with a - WHAT - another gearbox problem? Jeez, isn't this a speedway? Are they using the same equipment from Edmonton? Here I go asking questions that nobody will answer again. I'm sorry. Lap 134 brings out Caution #3 when Milka Duno has a bad crash, nose-first, in turn #2. Hope she is all right. It turned out to be a right front suspension failure. The leaders pit and Dixon's crew gets him back out front again. Kanaan's crew gains another 2 positions to put him in 3rd. Helio and Mutoh top off their fuel with 57 laps to go. The restart on the next lap has Meira retaking third position from Kanaan. Ryan Briscoe slides under Ed Carpenter for 6th on lap 151. Mutoh is now coming down pit road on lap 158 with - you guessed it - gearbox problems. Straight to the garage for Hideki. TK (inside) and Wheldon (outside) are having some great side-by-side racing for 4th place that lasts for at least 20 laps. Marco gets first one more time with 36 laps remaining and Vitor is gunning for 2nd when they come up on, NO NOT AGAIN, EJ Visio. The Robby Gordon of the IRL. Marco gets by, but Meira and Dixon are not so lucky and pinned to the inside until Vitor can eventually move through at 34 to go. Meanwhile, Wheldon clears Kanaan with 25 to go and almost causes Ryan Hunter-Reay to knock the wall down in their dirty air. But he regains control and loses two spots.
Twenty laps remaining and the Top 9 cars still need to come in for a fuel splash. Major drama building to who will bite first. Buddy Rice, in 9th, is the first at lap 182. Andretti, Meira and Wheldon hold off until 12 laps remain. Briscoe, TK and Ed Carpenter stay out until 8 laps are left. Scott Dixon is furiously trying to lap Helio Castroneves, good on fuel, for 3-4 laps. Helio is blocking inside-out, knowing it is his only chance to win the race. Dixon pits at lap 194. The Dancing One is zooming around the track to get the lead. He does as Scott comes out 6 seconds behind and 6 circuits remain. Dixon is full-out but Helio looks like he can hold on and starts the final lap 2 seconds clear of Dixon. We come to the middle of turn three, Helio starts to slow slightly and he is out of fuel. Scott passes off turn four and WINS. Castroneves drives his car to the garage, gets out and is talking to himself, gesturing, until the cameras catch-up to him and he smiles, waves and says "What can I do?". It is his 7th 2nd place finish in 2008, and third in a row. Marco comes home 3rd, Meira is 4th, Wheldon 5th. Nice job by Ed Carpenter in 6th - his 7th top ten of the season. Briscoe, TK,Hunter-Reay and Buddy Rice round out the top ten. Danica finishes one lap down in11th and Sarah Fisher has a right rear wheel bearing failure on the last lap and limps home in 15th. Dixon and Castroneves both now have 12 top-5 finishes in the 14 races this season. Scott has tied the single season IRL record for most victories - 6 and shares it with teammate Wheldon.
The Championship is a foregone conclusion at this point with Dixon leading Castroneves by 78 points. Wheldon and Kanaan have been virtually eliminated, trailing by 138 and 147 markers, respectively.
Next race is SONOMA, CA on Sunday, August 24th, 5:30 pm US Eastern time. Coverage on ESPN2. Sources say that Helio Castroneves is currently looking for professional guidance to help him deal with his 2nd place frustrations during this season. HMMMMM, we do have someone qualified here in the FOX motorsports blogging community:
"Paging Dr. Valus. Dr. Valus to the red courtesy phone, please!"
Have a great racing (and Football) weekend everyone and remember the answer to all of our problems is to vote for the Silverback party in November.
Formula One visits the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary at the 2.72 mile TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT circuit for 70 laps. Listen, don't mean to say this course is tight but, Milton Berle's wallet couldn't get in here - thank you very much, conventioners! Passing is so difficult at this place, George Clooney doesn't even bother to scope out the talent here.
News of the week includes; F1 plans to go with wider tires and remove front downforce in 2009. Other possible changes are to reduce from V8 to V6 engines with a 10,000 RPM rev limiter. This would be consistent with the 2008 pre-season edict to remove traction control. It would appear the governing body is interested in making the racing more about the driver and team effectiveness in mechanical grip and less aerodynamic reliance on the bodies. Are you listening NASCAR?
Also on tap is F1's attempt at going "green". The KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) gearbox is targeted for introduction in 2009. F1 has partnered with Torotrak and Xtrac to develop and design an efficient CVT gearbox joined to a flywheel that rotates under braking. This stores energy that can be used to increase acceleration in cornering and tightly contested overtaking. The intention is to provide a less severe environmental discharge to that of standard electrical systems. Further development could produce reduced measurable CO 2 emissions.
Qualifying highlights include a 5 starting position penalty issued to Sebastien Bourdais, in his under-powered Toro Rosso, for blocking BMW Sauber's, Nick Heidfeld. SeaBass is probably wondering how many Champ Car tiltes he needed to win to actually drive a Ferrari. It's an all-McLaren front row with "Smooth" Hamilton on pole and the "Other" Finn, Heikki Kovalainen starting 2nd. Ferrari jockeys Felipe Massa (3rd) and the "Ice Man" Kimi Raikkonen (6th) are confident they will race better than their qualifying runs. The big surprise this week is factory Toyota's, Timo Glock, starting 5th. The young German is just two weeks removed from a very bad crash at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. He suffered back and lower leg injuries. Further complicated by food poisoning at the test session the following week. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber's best championship hope, starts 4th. It is a 20 car field for this race.
The start is freneitc with Massa zipping around Kovalainen in turn one and driving hard into turn two, pinching Hamilton on the inside, and taking the lead down the straight. Felipe supposedly has a heavier fuel load, so this is quite against plan. Timo Glock passes Kubica for 4th, while Fernando Alonso, in his Renault, passes Kimi for 6th. WOW! Now this continues the great racing we have seen in F1 this year. There is concern that the soft compound tire will have issues this weekend, due to the heat in Hungary. Track position will be at a premium for those stints. But there are no current plans to turn this into 10 lap heat races. Massa and Hamilton exchange fastest laps early, but Felipe takes over after lap 4. Consistently running at least 3/10's faster than Smooth he has pulled out to a 3 second lead on Lap 11.
Ross Brawn, former race director at Ferrari, and currently the racing captain at Honda has stated that they WANT Fernando Alonso on their team for 2009. Isn't that tampering? Guess in F1 you can pretty much do or say whatever you like. It's not like anyone is going around dressing like a #### and engaging in illicit activities, right? This is obviously bad news for English driver Jenson Button. Just one career win for, what was, the British championship hope until Hamilton came along. Jenson just hasn't lived up to the hype. But he hasn't exactly had great equipment at Williams, BAR and Honda, either. All of the leaders pit between lap 19 through 24. with Massa coming in first. So much for having the heaviest fuel load. Notable here is Timo Glock has a very long stop with fuel hose intake issues. Not these problems again - UGH. Raikkonen, stuck behind Alonso since lap 1, pits at lap 23 with the Spaniard, relying on his crew to get him out ahead. They don't. David Hobbs and Steve Matchette comment on how uninspired Kimi seems to be. How can they tell? The man has no facial expressions - EVER! David Coulthard is attempting a one stop strategy and does not pit until lap 30. Alas, this goes by the wayside when his crew only gives him 8 seconds of fuel. Of note here are that, the retiring Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello are combining to drive in their 500th F1 race this week. Guess that means 250 apiece. Not sure, because my phone rang and I couldn't hear the explanation over someone wanting to sell me phone service that I already have.
The next stint is more traditional Formula One racing - no passing, the leaders pulling away from the field and lapping has begun. Massa has a 4.5 second lead on Hamilton when Smooth runs off course with a flat left front. He navigates back to pit lane and fuels for the finish, coming back out in front of 10th place Coulthard. Massa starts the full pit cycle on lap 45, to prevent Hamilton from having a tire advantage. Kovalainen pits lap 49 to hand the lead back to Massa. Raikkonen, trying desperately to get around Alonso, locks up the rear wheels on lap 50 and loses sight of Fernando. Alonso immediately pits and Kimi pits Lap 52 AND his crew gets him in front of Alonso, whew, finally! 15 laps to go and it is all Massa, with as much as an 8 second lead. Feilpe has recovered nicely from his aquatic adventures at Silverstone and is the class of the field today. However, now the fastest laps of the race are recorded by....yes that's right, Kimi Raikkonen! Around Fernando and in 4th, he is charging at Timo Glock for third. Glock has run a quiet, but superb race to this point. 8 laps to go and the running order is Massa-Kovalainen-Glock-Raikkonen-Alonso-Hamilton-P iquet-Trulli for the points. Some drama as Force India driver, Adrian Sutil is limping his racer back around to pit lane. He makes it and the only item remaining is will Kimi pass Glock? Until......just pass the paddock with 3 laps remaining...NOOOOOOO....Massa blows up! Well, actually it was his engine, but unbelievable, it is. A Ferrari engine detonation? The sting of expletives from Monza is heard 1,000 miles away. Glock holds off Kimi for second. Good finishes for Nelson Piquet Jr. (6th) and factory Toyota 's Jarno Trulli (7th). The "Pol" man Kubica gets a point coming home in 8th.
Good fortune falls right into the lap of Heikki Kovalainen and McLaren as he completes the final three laps to win his first grand prix and is Formula One's 100th race winner. Congratulations, F1! Where are the ballons and party favors? Can we at least see the Amsterdam red light ladies that Max Mosely has brought with him? No? Oh well, congratulations anyway. One of these days I will be invited to an F1 after-party - mark my words! Of course it will probably be just to pick up the trash.
Drivers Championship now stands with Hamilton at 62 points, Raikkonen with 57, the disconsolate Massa on 54, Kubica at 49, Heidfeld 41 and race winner Kovalainen now at 38.
Constructer's standing has Ferrari in front with 111 points, McLaren retakes 2nd at 100 and BMV Sauber standing 3rd with 90.
It was a pretty standard old school F1 race, excluding the Massa engine issue, with little passing and pit stops determining much of the outcome. Also, a traditional problem is the re-occurence of fuel hose issues that have plagued the sport for over 20 years. At least five different teams experienced this problem which resulted in a fuel overflow spill that created small fires and even doused drivers and crewmen, alike. Fortunately there were no serious incidents - THIS TIME.
F1is off to the street circuit in Valencia, Spain on Sunday, August 24th at 8:00 am US Eastern time. The IRL is in Sparta, KY this Saturday night, August 9th. However, there will be no Barstool Review for the race next week. It is Coaches Poker night that evening. Yes that's right, the Barstool shall spend a lively Saturday with seven high-school football coaches. Oh joy....the stories they will tell.
Saturday, July 26th, 2008 - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the IRL Rexall Edmonton Indy
Sponsored by a drug store, eh? Good, hopefully the drivers will be properly medicated. 27 entries for this race due to the addition of the one, the only enigma himself, Paul Tracy. Driving in the Subway #22 entered by Tony George's Vision racing and prepared by former long-time Champ Car owner, Derrick Walker. Unfortunately, no Milka Duno this week. Apparently she missed the required right turn into Canada. It's okay, Milka. I seem to have problems with the Canadian authorities, also.
Racing at the Edmonton City Centre Airport on a 1.96 mile, 14 turn temporary circuit for 95 laps. Can't believe they didn't bother to have RUSH singing the anthem!
Qualifying leaves us with Ryan Briscoe capturing Penske's fourth consecutive pole with the Dancing Helio to start next on the grid. Scott Dixon (4th) and Dan Wheldon (9th) are the only other legacy IRL drivers to start in the top ten. Giving the Champ Car expatriates hope are Oriol Servia (3rd), Will Power (5th), Justin Wilson (6th), Bruno Junqueira (7th), Graham Rahal (8th) and - WHAT!!!! - Mario Moraes in 10th. It was a dismal effort for Andretti Green Racing with Tony Kanaan (12th), Marco Andretti (14th), Danica Patrick (15th) and Hideki Mutoh (22nd) starting in the mid-to-back positions. Further crisis for TK, who is sent to start at the back of the grid, due to an engine change forced by an off course excursion during qualifying. Everyone behind moves up one slot. What's this? Danica is starting outside row 7 with Tracy starting inside row 8. This should be very interesting.
Off we go to the start with Graham Rahal shoved off into the grass from behind by - {SIGH} - Mario Moraes. Should have seen that coming. Graham is forced to pit with what Bob Jenkins calls a bent right rear push rod. Jenkins, as many know, was the main ESPN NASCAR play-by-play announcer from the mid-1980's through 2000 and has done selected motor racing telecasts ever since. He WAS a competent sportscaster who mainly laughed at Benny Parson's and Darrell Waltrip's bad jokes. But now he resembles the latter day NFL announcer Pat Summerall, making mistake after mistake and frequently struggling to keep up with the action on track as it happens. Think = 5 second delay.
***AUTHOR'S NOTE - Paul Tracy passes Danica Patrick on Lap 1.***
Ryan Briscoe bobbles off turn two on lap 4 and Dancing Helio takes the lead. He precedes to take off from the field with as much as a 3.5 second lead during the first stint. Will Power begins to drop back and is in 13th when he pits on lap 7. he comes back in again on the next lap and is retired with a bent suspension. No word on how it happened. My guess is Moraes. Townsend Bell does a 180* on lap 18, hits nothing and continues - we stay green. Until Lap 19 when Vitor Meira ends up in a tire barrier and we go yellow. Funny, I didn't see EJ Visio anywhere near Vitor this time. Not much passing up front so far.The leaders pit with Helio, Briscoe and Dixon coming out 1,2,3. But Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Buddy Rice stay out for track positon and are helped when Jamie Camara's left rear tires falls off on pit exit.
Restart on Lap 25 for a clean getaway this time. Lap 28 and - that's right - Mario Moraes pits and is retired from the race with a right-rear suspension failure. Gee, Mario did you think you were going to hit the whole field this week?
***AUTHOR'S NOTE - Paul Tracy passes Danica again on Lap 28.***
Lap 29 brings out caution #2 when Hideki Mutoh obliterates his front end into a corner barrier. It's not like driving in Toyko is it, Hideki? Kanaan and Buddy Rice pit but Marco stays out. Figures he can't wreck if there is no one in front of him. Restart on Lap 34 and it takes all of one corner for Dancing Helio to pass young Andretti inside to take back the lead. It takes all of four more laps and one more corner for Ryan Briscoe to pass Marco outside to take back 2nd place. Andretti pits for fuel during the green flag of Lap 40, and comes out in 20th place, the last race machine on the lead lap. The Brazilian toe-tapper is driving away to over a 7 second lead now when - WE HAVE THE FIRST DANICA SIGHTING OF THE DAY on Lap 43. In-car camera in a battle for 12th position with her teammate Kanaan. As usual she is shutting the door, trying to prevent the pass. Or it could be because EJ Visio is just ahead, and no one, even EJ knows what he will do next. Lap 49 brings out caution #3 when Townsend Bell finds a tire barrier. Man, these things are hungry today! TK doesn't pit to grab the lead after everyone else takes fuel. Mario Dominguez loses his right rear wheel during the caution parade laps on Lap 52. Hmmm, we seen this before. Fellas, it's just physics here - we need to have all four tires to drive these d&*n things!
Restart on Lap 56 when Ryan Briscoe spins out of 6th place after Dan Wheldon hits Ed Carpenter who collects Briscoe to fall to 17th. Penske brings him back in to fill up and get tires for the end. Lap 58 and AJ Foyt IV takes the lead when Kanaan does a complete 360 in turn 1. Yes that's right, AJ's grandson is the leader of this race!!! For about 2 laps, when TK overtakes him and Scott Dixon moves to second.
EJ Visio finally ends Graham Rahal's miserable weekend by punting him into the wall on Lap 61 for caution #4. EJ is the 2008 version of Robby Gordon - without the talent. Rahal is interviewed and claims that Moraes and Visio are out of control and need to calm down. Yep, wise man you are, Graham. But hey, Brian Barnhardt in race control assesses Visio a 15 second penalty.Really, Brian? For ending a competitor's day he gets 15 seconds? Wow, where is my Bud Light? Tony Kanaan pits out of the lead to leave Dixon, Helio and Wheldon in the top three. Paul Tracy in fourth. The leaders will need one more yellow to make it on fuel and stretch the gas to 44 laps. Except Ryan Briscoe only needs 37 laps to make it. Restart on Lap 66 and it's a DANICA SIGHTING, in 9th place blocking both of her teammates, Marco and TK. She and Marco have been told by the team to let Tony by because he is the fastest and doesn't need fuel to the end. Of course, both ignore the order. On the back side of the course here comes Marco clipping Danica's left rear wheel, causing a flat, with his right front. She pits for the tire and suspension check and he need to pit, also. Is she going to challenge the Keebler Elf to a fight now? TK running now in 9th. It's pretty much a given that Tony Kanaan will not be returning to AGR next year. They are already treating him like a door mat. We stay green, but on Lap 75, the IRL announces it will be a timed 2 hour race and we have less than 15 minutes remaining. So much for the fuel strategy.
Justin Wilson and Oriel Servia get around a struggling Wheldon to take 3rd and fourth as Dixon and Castroneves are well ahead. Helio is tracking Scott, but locks up his brakes going into turn one with several laps to go and Dixon is comfortably ahead. Mad scramble at the end with Paul Tracy passing Servia for position 4, Briscoe charging with fresh rubber and makes it up to 6th, Wheldon holds on to 7th, American Ryan Hunter Reay comes up to 8th, TK in 9th and Darren Manning, not shown all day, finishes 10th. Andretti is one lap down in 17th and Danica comes home in 18th, three laps behind. Michael Andretti calls a Team AGR meeting immediately after the race.
Championship battle is now down to 4 with Dixon leading and Dancing Helio behind by 65 points. Wheldon and Kanaan have "outside" shots at 115 and 116 points back respectively. But with 4 races left it's Dixon's championship to lose. We go to Kentucky on Saturday night, August 9th and it will be BAD FAST!
***Sorry NACAR Fans, there were no tire issues at Edmonton. It would appear that the IRL and Firestone actually test their compounds prior to the racing.***
It was mentioned later in the evening that Tony George is planning to put Paul Tracy back into the Vision car for Sonoma and the finale in Chicago. Why he wouldn't put Paul behind the wheel at Detroit is puzzling to me. He can win on any street course in the world when he is motivated. Anyway, the IRL needs him full-time in 2009. Dario - please bring Sam Hornish and Ashley back home! We promise we wont neglect you.
Next week we'll talk about the F1 visit to Budapest, Hungary. I'll be making a quick stop to the red light district in Amsterdam prior to the race. Have a short business meeting scheduled with Max Mosely.
Formula One visited Hockenheim, Germany on Sunday. Well, at least that's what Fox told us, since they decided to tape-delay the start until just after 1 pm. US Eastern time. Maybe they weren't even in Germany. It might just have been run on a CGI green screen in Bernie Eccelstone's basement.
What a season so far! It's a five man fight for the title with BMW Sauber stepping up to challenge Ferrari and McLaren for the Constructor's trophy. It may not even be a trophy they hand out in Bernie's basement for the Championship. Maybe it's just little blue ribbons.
A bit of news announced pre-race that home grown Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel will replace the retiring David Coulthard in one of the Red Bull rides for 2009. Huh, that's strange, I thought David retired about three years ago. Well, one less Scotsman in the F1 paddock no less.
Hockenheim's 2.8 mile...uhhh...alleged layout requires quite of bit of skilled drving to navigate the left-right turns over 67 laps. Varsha, Hobbs, Matchette and Peter Windsor give us the usual top-notch race keys and technical descriptions. Really like Steve Matchette. He is about as enthusiastic an ex-mechanic as I've ever come across. He even believes that drivers actually help determine the outcome of a race.
Lewis "Smooth" Hamilton starts on pole with the "Spin Doctor" Felipe Massa starting on the outside. Poor qualifying effort from the "Finnish Iceman" Kimi Raikkonen in 6th. Kimi was telling the media all weekend that he "must" win this race. He really likes Bernie's blue ribbons. Robert "Pole Dance" Kubica is back in a disappointing 7th on the grid.
The start of the race and the "Pole Dance" makes a brillant outside-inside-outside maneuver in the first four turns to pass Raikkonen, Jarno Trulli in a Toyota and Fernando Alonso in his Renault, respectively. Uh oh, Kimi - not the start Mikka Hakinen would have made. Hamilton, Massa and the "Other Finn" or "Dol Finn" Heikki Kovalainen are running 1,2,3. Surprisingly, most of the drivers have started the race on the soft compound tires to counteract the hottest weather of the weekend. Remember, in F1, everyone must race at least one stint on both hard and soft compounds. Strategy is everything in this series.
Pretty standard stuff until Timo Glock's Toyota suffers a MASSIVE rear suspension failure coming off a turn on Lap 36. Timo ricochet's off the wall, sending carbon fiber all over the racing area. This brings out jbroomy's favorite safety car. Of course it was probably really just Bernie and Max Mosely slamming their Matchbox cars against the basement wall. This throws a mon*key wrench into the plans of many who have just made tire and fuel stops; while others cycle through and are planning a one-stop only tactic. This is later complicated by the fact that Mark "I am an Aussie" Webber's Red Bull blows an engine leaving the pits and, curiously, stays on the track with oil and water collecting on the racing line. He eventually retires his car on lap 41. All the leaders decide to pit - WAIT - no, except for Lewis Hamilton! What? Why in the H---- would McLaren keep him out ? Beats me, why do you ask? Oh sorry, back to the race...
Restart and all is well until Coulthard flat-out punts poor Ruebens "Will Ferrari take me back?" Barrichello's Honda on Lap 50. Just can't wait to play golf at St. Andrew's can you, David? NOW, Hamilton pits with a 16 second lead and comes out in 5th, giving the lead to Nick Heidfeld and 2nd is...Nelson Piquet Jr. WHO?, Alonso's whipping boy, the Brazilian in the other Renault. Piquet has already adopted the one stop strategy and is looking to outlast the field. Lap 51 also brings the televised radio communication of Ron Dennis, McLaren's Director of Racing Operations, ordering Kovalainen to let his teammate, Hamilton around into 4th place. Even though Dennis has stated on numerous occasions that McLaren has NO TEAM ORDERS. Heidfeld pits on Lap 54 and it is now a fight to the finish. Hamilton is flying, passing Massa on Lap 57 and Piquet on Lap 60. Wow, guess McLaren DID KNOW what they were doing. He sets off into the distance after that. The Finnish Iceman passes Kubica for 6th place on the same lap to better position himself in the points. The "Disgruntled Spaniard" Alonso spins on lap 62 to prevent his chance to finish in the top-eight and a point. The checkered waves for Hamilton, Piquet, Massa, Heidfeld, Kovalainen,Raikkonen, Kubica and the 2009 Red Bull driver, Sebastion Vettel in the points. Of course, this really was all just a Bernie-Max CGI production, but it was another excellent race in what is turning out to be an excellent F1 season. They are off to Budapest, Hungary in two weeks, or Max's basement. But this time it will start at 8 am US Eastern time, because Mosely has an appointment with a certain group of women dressed in a certain type of uniform at a certain type of undisclosed location.
Hamilton leads the point with 58, followed by Massa at 54,Raikkonen at 51, Kubica with 48 and Nick Heidfeld on 41. Ferrari leads constructor points at 105, BMW is on 89 and McLaren is third at 86.
A couple of notes about the Mid-Ohio IRL race this past Sunday.
- Was it just me, or did ABC not show the first 3 laps of the event by covering the British Open championship closing ceremonies? Maybe, I dozed off from my lack of sleep on Saturday night , but it sure seemed that way...
- Danica-Milka. Enough has already been said about both. One is hot but can't drive. One thinks she is hot and can drive. Either way, they are not any worse drivers than say, Marty Roth, Enrique Bernoldi and EJ Viso, who still claims that putting Vitor Meira into the wall at Watkins Glen was not his fault. The point I would like to make is that, this week at the Rexall Edmonton Indy, there is a driver that everyone should realize doesn't care about YOUR FEELINGS. So Danica, if you feel that you have been wronged in any way, shape or form - please, please, pretty please - walk down pit road and confront PAUL TRACY. We might just have the driver confrontation video of this, or any other decade.
- During the mid-race caution it was just a little bit ironic that the ABC announce team showed video/audio footage of both Michael and Marco Andretti responding to their critics concerning Marco's driving antics-to-date. Both seemed to gloss over facts by implying that Marco has had the same type of results as Mario and Michael. Then Marty Reid, the play-by-play reporter stated that an informal analysis has produced the following fact:
Marco has wrecked out of 26% of his professional open-wheel races. This leads all active drivers, INCLUDING, Paul Tracy. Marco then proceeded to drive straight into the back of Dan Wheldon on the restart and was retired from the race. Though the wreck itself was not his fault, once again, it is an indication of where young Andretti has his head.
- Edmonton is a 1.96 mile temporary circuit from the airport/street layout with 14 turns. They have resurfaced over 75% of the asphalt, which means, it's going to be FAST!!!
GGW RACING NOTE::
This Past Saturday Night / Bristow VA / RUSH Concert - The second set opened just past 9:30 pm US Eastern. The band was playing songs from their most recent release - Snakes & Arrows, when during the opening of the title track a picture of PHOTOGR was shown on the two 40 foot video screens and the three 15 footers directly behind the band. Multiple shots were shown during this video montage, including snapshots of, I believe Texascudaguy and Dwindy1. It would apear that the Silverback party was well represented in this video. The band was not available for comment, concerning their Presidential endorsement. It would appear that the 92 degree heat and the fact that all are Canadian citizens prevented them from expounding any further.
Okay, another week in the books. We're on our way to the Chase after Richmond. Or maybe some of us are just trying to make it to week one of the NFL. Not really sure at this point.
"So roll down those windows and let the wind blow back your hair."
We leave Chicagoland, or really, Joliet, IL which is home to one of the most prestigious prisons in the Midwest. Talk about an oxymor*on. I missed the first half of the race due to sampling of the open-wheelers in Ashley's old stomping grounds. Looking at some of the selections it would appear that all of you had it covered. More debris cautions. It is getting to the point that throwing the yellow flag for safety is an ironclad excuse for just about anything these days.
"The Answer, my friend, is Blowing in the Wind."
In Nashville, which really was Lebanon, TN, for the Firestone 171. 24 cars started the race, which would have been 25 had not EJ Visio's Rahal-Letterman team not been quarantined for an outbreak of the mumps. Ouch. But I'm sure Vitor Meira feels better about getting wrecked by Visio at Watkins Glen now. We started the season with about a 30 car count and now are rapidly approaching last year's 20 car count.
"There's been a Change, There's been a Change of Heart."
The IRL needs Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish back. And while they are at it - get Paul Tracy into a car, also. I'm all for developing the young hotshoes, but they need to build the brand name back up first.
"Baby Come Back. any kind of Fool could see."
To the race and almost immediately, it's Marco Andretti overdriving off turn two and taking Ryan Briscoe into the wall for an early retirement for both. Car count down to 22. This, of course, also came after young Andretti ran the American LeMans race at Lime Rock just earlier on Saturday. Marco, don't know if anyone has told you this yet, but even though you are an Andretti, and Andretti's are known to run for the checker's or wrecker's - you son, are no Mario or Michael. You're fast and Daddy picks up the tab, but it is time to grow up and try to first finish before you can finish first. Do you think now that Danica has a win, young Marco is starting to feel it?
"....and You'll have to deal with Pressure! 1,2,3,4, Pressure!"
Through the first run and it's Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick running 1-2. Danica looking strong and twice she makes a run for the lead only to have Helio throw a wicked blocking maneuver her way. Helio, Helio, my ballroom dancing friend. I am a big fan but, you know better than to do this at Nashville. You could have wrecked the field behind you while Kanaan and Dixon blew by Patrick as she made a great save on the second attempt. This is the second time Castroneves has blatantly blocked Danica. The Indy 500 was the other time. Guess Brian Barnhardt puts as much stock in the blue flag as NASCAR officials do.
"You're no good, you're no good, you're no good, Baby, you're no good."
It appears that it's a fight to halfway because of forecasted thunderstorms. Lightning starts around lap 85. Last week's winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay crashes out on lap 100 for another yellow flag. Kanaan is leading, with Dixon in second. Vitor Meira is on a charge from starting 15th and has passed Wheldon and Castroneves to challenge Danica for third. Lap 137 brings the caution for rain drops. Dixon and Wheldon stay out to hedge for the rain. Lap 152 is the restart and Castroneves pulls full throttle to the outside to pass Danica and then Kanaan. Helio is standing on it. Nice, risky move! Looks like the move of the race if the track forces a green flag stop for the Target boys. But alas, on lap 162 the rain begins again and by lap 170 they are called in to heed the red flag. Dixon is declared the winner. TK probably had the dominant car. But he still stays within striking range of the championship. Looks like it's down to Dixon, TK, Helio and Wheldon for the trophy now. Great run for Meira. Danica was very strong.
"Yeah it's alright. We're doing fine. You've been Thunderstruck."
The boys/girls are off to Mid-Ohio on Sunday. Formula One will be at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Fox has decided to delay their coverage to run simultaneously with the ABC/ESPN coverage of the IRL. Aaarrrrrggggghhhhh! I hate you d*a*m*n media programmers!
"I used to love her. But I had to kill her."
The stock divisions are off to Sparta, Kentucky for the Craftsman Truck race and St. Louis, which is actually Madison, IL, for the Nationwide event on Saturday night. The Brickyard, which is actually..er..ah..um...Indianapolis, awaits for the Cup in two weeks. I wont be watching either race because I'll be at the Nissan Pavilon, which is actually Bristow, VA to watch the greatest Canadian rock band that is still not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - RUSH. But will arise in time and drag my tattered body over to the TV to watch Sunday's races.
"They call me the Working Man. Guess that's what I am."
A lot a news going on in the world of racing this past week, so forgive me for only mentioning a few items:
Turns out Max Mosely, FIA President, wasn't actually involved in a N*azi sex fantasy with four women after all. It was just a German prison fantasy. Well, there you go...I feel so much better about it now.
Tony staying or going? Ryan staying or going? Martin staying or going? DEI staying or going? Is Joey comng up? Is Dario going back to open-wheel? In or out, In or out? Don't know, but I have been taking quite a bit of Advil lately.
Good race on Saturday night. Lot's of action up front, middle and rear. People were running all over the place. At the end, bottles and cans were thrown at the competitors. People were cheering and booing. There were fireworks. Long lines after it was all over to leave and make their way home. Oh, you thought I was talking about the race...nope, that was my night at the bar. But we did all have different makes of vehicles to drive on the way out.
The race? Yeah, yeah, it was good. Still is restrictor-plate racing, though. I give NASCAR credit that handling actually matters after 15 laps o####reen-flag run. That wasn't the case up until the last two years. Talladega, however, is another matter. I know several folks here that love that race and I'm not bashing it at all. But come on, can't we do something to break it up a little? Hanahan and HotfootLori don't burn my image in effigy for that last statement.
TNT - Hmmmmm. I would like to say good things about "Wide Open Coverage". But, if you ask me (and for these purposes, please do) it would seem that this is the minimum amount of coverage we SHOULD expect from the broadcast partners. It really is no different than what they did in the late-90's when TBS covered the Coca Cola 600. If ESPN/ABC can manage it with the IRL, there is no reason it can't be used full-time with Cup racing. Can we also tell Wally and Kyle that we like their kidding around, but when something actually happens on the track, please refer to the action only?
The F1 race was stellar. It was exciting. It was tense. I know that those three words are not used to describe that series often. Usually it's an exciting first lap and then a wait until pit stops and early retirements, followed by endless blocking maneuvers. Not on Sunday. Yes, Lewis Hamilton ran away from the field. But cars were spinning in the wet like the ballet. Rain just makes for compelling racing in F1. Ruebens Barrichello and his team made the call of the race to pit for rain slick tires, while the rest of the field stayed on the intermediate's compound. He unlapped himself and, at one point, was running 9 seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field. Unfortunately, he needed an additional fuel stop at the end and settled on the podium in 3rd. Nick Heidfeld ran an excellent race to finish runner-up and continue BMW's resurgence. It was a bad day for Ferrari with 5 spins between Massa and Kimi. Wait, did you hear that? Felipe just spun again when I wrote that....
The IRL at Watkins Glen was, surprisingly, a bit boring. I really like (and always have) the track. Helio was in trouble after the morning run and went laps down quickly. Justin Wilson had more bad luck. Dan Wheldon was run into the back early and had suspension damage. Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe dominated early and that put me to sleep. But then Danica Patrick inexplicably spun leaving the pits and almost took out the Ganassi crew. EJ Visio drove Vitor Meira into the concrete barrier in turn one and made Vitor look like the gopher from Caddyshack with his hands flailing staight up and down. Cue Kenny Loggins "I'm all right, don't nobody worry 'bout me." Then Dixon, cleaning his tires on a late caution, spun like a top and took himself and Briscoe out of a chance to win. Ryan Hunter Reay - yes that's right - an American male, in an American open wheel series took the checkered flag. Way to go dude!
The Chase(r) - Were getting closer to Richmond. Remember that I've been saying that Greg Biffle is going to be on the outside looking in when we leave VA. Look, I think Greg is a very talented driver. But there is just something funny about that team. Bonehead things happen to him at the worst possible times. Bad wheels, pit stops, loose lug nuts, untimely green flag pit stops, caught up in accidents - it doesn't seem to matter. He is running better than his current position, but I don't think they will have enough "finishes" to keep himself inside the top-twelve. Look for the Biff to be strong at Michigan, California and maybe Chicagoland. But Watkins Glen and Bristol will mean he needs to be top-ten at the Brickyard and Pocono.
Martin Truex just lost 150 points. Don't think he is out yet, but don't know where he will make it up. Brian Vickers (come on BVick!) can still get it done. He needs to stay clean at the shorter venues and get a couple of top-fives at the 2+ mile tracks. I am backing off my proclamation that Kurt Busch is out of it. Sorry KLV, for giving up on the Miller Lite team so quickly. But it seems as though karma has turned in his favor. He can win at least three of the remaining pre-chase tracks - Michigan, Bristol and California. Believe he will get some help from either Harvick or Bowyer, who seem to be just getting finishes right now.
Well, that's all for me. Time to get back inside for a frosty one(s).
P.S. - How many Green-White-Checker finishes have actually run green until the finish? My guess is about 33%. Anyone else care to do the research, please help yourself.
For reasons to be explained below, I spent Sunday afternoon watching the "drama" network attempt to broadcast a NASCAR race from Sonoma. Let me first say that these three numbers relate directly to the fact that I have digital cable and cannot receive a satellite signal, because my apartment is apparently facing obilivion and technology has not yet evolved to allow this poor sucker to have more choices in life.
112 is the numbers of laps run yesterday in wine country with the Shrub getting a surprising, AND validating victory. Congrats to the Kyle Busch entourage. Please see Hanahan and Noahspop to confirn your membership. 46 is the number of laps I didn't see because TNT had to show their gratitude toward us by breaking 18 times to commercial breaks from the drop of the green flag until the red flag with 3 laps remaining. In the first half of the race, only 27 of the first 55 laps were televised. So thanks, TNT, for expanding your coverage when it mattered nost. Look NASCAR$, we all know that this is a sponsor driven sport and your media partners need to maximize their revenue base. But OMG, over 41% of the race was never seen. Know that you switched your "exclusivity" arrangement to Direct TV last year, but at least give us an outlet to watch a complete event for some premium price if we choose to. I am more than willing to pay $5-$10 per race for something similar to the In-Car coverage cable used to have. Or just give me a live picture feed without sound, don't care, just give people some choice, any choice please?
43 - 4 - 39
Today's Pick 3? Nope. 43 is the #43 car. 4 was the starting position and 39 is the finishing position of the General Mills, Petty Enterprises machine yesterday. For the many that don't know, I've had four favorite drivers since I started watching NASCAR in the early 1980's - Bobby Allison, Ricky Rudd and the Labonte brothers. I have seen the entirety of Bobby's career and have been a huge fan - until now. BLab had a great qualifying effort on Friday for a race that he really needed to get a decent finish. He was running just ahead of Jeff Gordon on lap 1, coming off turn 11, when he inexplicably spun onto the old "island" and dropped back to 30th. he fought back into the top-twenty, then developed alternator problems and DNF'd with 7 laps to go. This has all happened one week after re-signing with PE for another 4 years and then proceeding to go out at Michigan and spin himself out coming off turn two and finish two laps down in 31st. Well, this sure is encouraging. Look, jump on me if you like, BUT, I have been watching Bobby Labonte make these types of mistakes frequently over the past four years. Bobby is 44 now and definitely in the group of older drivers that struggle mightily with the setups required to be a front-runner. He has always preferred a nuetral-to-tight setup, but now realizes that doesn't equal speed anymore. Folk's, I'd like to see him in better equipment, but to be brutally honest here, he just doesn't deserve it. If he wins another race in his Cup career it will be either at Martinsville or on fuel mileage. Labonte was one of the three dominant drivers on 1 1/2 tracks from 1997 through 2003, but he can barely finish on the lead lap at those venues now. At Michigan he claimed to have trouble with rear grip and at Sonoma he had no front grip. Hopefully, Mr Labonte will get a "grip" and start performing to an acceptable level of a former champion. If this is what has become of the 2000 champ, he will not last the next four years in the senior series. His first lap spin yesterday is what caused me to critique TNT's coverage because I lost interest in the race at that point.
16-10-10
16 races down, 10 race "chase to the chase" and 10 to crown the champ. That's the way I break down the NASCAR season, anyway. Looks like Kyle Busch is the one to beat, but Dale Jr. has been very consistent and will win at least three more races. They have to be the top-two on everyone's power rankings, right now. Jeff Burton is Jeff Burton. Very consistent, but unspectacular. He will be in the Chase, but does everyone really believe he can win the championship? I don't know, not sure he can deliver top-three's and lead laps come money time. But I would like to see him win one title before he moves on to take Rusty Wallace's place in the ESPN racing booth. Jimmie Johnson will be there because he has the best crew chief in the business. Jeff Gordon will be there because...well...he's Jeff Gordon. Carl Edwards is a rim-rider that gives the "Rat in the Hat" some hope..Kasey Kahne is the one driver that can win multiple races and a championship for Dodge - this year. Sorry Kristen, but don't think Kurt can overcome his troubles in 2008. When it's all said and done. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Happy Harvick will be in that top-twelve after Richmond. Greg Biffle had better start putting some top-ten finishes together. Why does the dumb stuff always happen to the #16 team? Would love to see Brian Vicker's make it for Red Bull. Alway's believed that he had a lot to offer Hendrick in the Busch and Cup series. Those are my chase picks for what they are worth.
What will I be doing on race days? Replaying the 2000 Cup Season, Bud Light and waiting for the NFL to start on September 7th.
Crandon International Off-Road Raceway / Crandon, WI
Hey There. Look I'm opening the pub a little early today, so why don't you come on in and I'll pour you a tall, cold one.
My story is a little off the beaten path, so to speak. Growing up in Northern Wisconsin in the 1970's and 80's, we spent most of our time outside having fun or finding trouble. Many times both at the same time. Rhinelander is a town of 8,000 fine hard-working folks, who also play very hard. It's was a paper mill town with drill assembly shops and a lot of local tourism. The hunting and fishing industry is quite well known. Water-skiing, boating, tubing and canoeing are the summertime choices. Winter time is perfect for cross-country skiing, showshoeing and snowmobiling.
Problem was that my friends and I were all about the usual stick-and-ball sports. 300 days a year it was all about football, basketball and baseball. When our organized teams weren't playing, we were down at the park tackling in the snow and ice or dunking on the 8 foot outdoor hoops. After high school, all of us played in the fast-pitch softball leagues (if your really good, slow-pitch if not) and town league basketball. Even at the bars and pubs, we filled our time with activities. Pool leagues, dart leagues, bowling leagues, pretty much anything to assist with our other hobby - drinking. We had over 30 bars and pubs, not including restaurants, so that should tell you quite a bit about Nothern Wisconsin.
I know, I know, your asking - What does any of this have to do with racing? My folks wondered about that, too. Al Unser, Sr and Rick Mears were my racing heroes but that isn't what drew my interest. My step-dad had a 1973 green Buick LeSabre with a 350 block. Friday and Saturday nights, my buddies and I used to tear through the dirt, backroads looking for hairpin turns and giant hills to fly down. Some of it was because we were looking for a good field party and some was just to be in fast car, fish-tailing and sliding all over the place. Quite a few times, at the end of our adventures, we'd stop at a filling station and have to wipe the dirt and mud off the Buick, so I wouldn't get into deep trouble. But my folks knew what we had been doing. It's a small town and news travels fast.
Sometime in the mid-70's, right around Labor Day, my best friend's dad decided to haul us off to a truck race. Except that we were going to the "World Championship of Off-Road Vehicles". That brought us to right outside Crandon, 25 miles east of us and about 100 miles northwest of Green Bay. It is a large parcel of land owned and operated by the Potawatomi Indian Tribe. They also owned a casino in the area. Back at that time it was like walking into a fairground or open campground. As soon as we piled out of the van you could smell the bratwurst, Italian sausage, peppers and onions on the grills. Corn dogs, burgers, steaks and my personal favorite grilled corn-on-the-cob. They soak it in the same vats with the bratwurst and beer, then grill it on the open hearth. Juicy and sweet!
We walked around to take in the sights and then went to look at the racing machines. I've never seen so many different types of trucks and buggies in my life. Every type of manufacturer, style, shape, color and tire were there. For the young kids we were, the size was overwhelming. They aren't monster vehicles, but to us they towered over everything. Like small building with wheels.
We found a spot near the Start/Finish line. Back then the course was set-up as a rally race for the feature. It spanned over 25 miles through the backwoods. A dirt road, that really was mud, was lined with pine fir trees and light brush. Thus, these races were called "The Brush Run". It was a four-lap event at just over 100 miles. What stood out for us was when they they started the race - land rush style, standing start. The noise from the collective ignition just blew me away. I had heard airplanes take off and even a sonic boom, but the revving of the engines just took my breath away. They peeled off and the mud was flying around. It looked like a giant pit with hills and bumps everywhere and trucks were slipping and sliding, jumping and ####ing, trying to stay upright. Even when losing sight, we could hear the engine
