Race Weekend Central

Helio Castroneves: NASCAR Drivers “Chubby”

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Castroneves On Track

In a recent interview with TMZ, IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves dissed on NASCAR drivers and their physical fitness. When the reporter mentioned Helio Castroneves’ and other drivers slim figures, Castroneves went to the tried-and-true method of talking about things like G-forces, the endurance qualities of the races, and the grueling demands inside the racecar. …

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IndyCar Preview: MAVTV 500

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Will Power Roger Penske Congrats

What’s News? What else? This is it, the end of the season, so it’s time to decide the championship! The Verizon IndyCar Series seems to have a knack for making it come down to the final race of the season as this is the ninth year in a row that’s been the case. As our …

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Open Wheel Wednesday: Thoughts On The IndyCar Finale

2014 Indycar Sonoma Dion Franchitti Credit Linn Ladner

The Verizon IndyCar championship will be decided this weekend.  The race, being held at Auto Club Speedway, on Saturday night, is likely to be captivating, with a battle down to the end between Penske teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves.  Should they both find a banana peel on the racetrack, Simon Pagenaud is lurking, sitting …

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Five Points to Ponder: Preaching Patience For One NASCAR Program

2014 Bristol Ii Cwts Brad Keselowski Flag Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

One: Keselowski — Our First Triple Champion? After 62 races across 10 seasons, Brad Keselowski has finally won his first Camping World Truck Series race. In the process, the 2012 Cup champion, in his own equipment, became just the 25th driver to record a victory in all three of the major NASCAR series. Bristol’s triumph …

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IndyCar Recap: GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

2014 Indycar Sonoma Scott Dixon Trophy

The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma started under rather inauspicious circumstances, as a massive earthquake nailed the Napa/Sonoma area around 6 am.  The IndyCar series let it be known that the event would go on as scheduled.  Hence, as the on-track festivities began, with the IndyLights race and the air show, one would never know …

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IndyCar Preview: 2014 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Will Power Drama

Last year, midway through the 2013 IndyCar Series season, IndyCar head honcho Mark Miles vowed that as part of his plan to rejuvenate the sport of American open wheel racing, he would see to it that the IndyCar Series schedule would be chopped, screwed and condensed in an effort to raise week-to-week excitement and avoid …

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Open Wheel Wednesday: Is Will Power the un-likable Favorite?

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Will Power Woohoo

Will Power is entering this weekend's race at Sonoma fresh off a victory at the Milwaukee Mile.

Will Power somehow extended his lead from four points to 39 over Helio Castroneves at Milwaukee.  Somehow?  Well, Power has frequently struggled when racing on oval tracks, something he has frequently admitted.  At the Milwaukee Mile, however, he displayed a rare sense of calm and confidence, earning the pole and then leading for much of …

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IndyCar Breakdown: 2014 Milwaukee IndyFest

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Power On Track

In a Nutshell: Will Power made the field look silly at a track he was supposed to struggle at, and in doing so inherited the championship points lead. Key Moment: The key moment of the race was perhaps on Friday afternoon when Will Power won the pole for the race. Power was hardly challenged during …

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Happiness Is… Napping, the Fight for the Chase & Cheese and Beer

2014 Watkins Glen Cup Tony Stewart Phone Cia

Ugh. Yep, that’s the best opener that Happiness Is could deliver to start the column. The tenor of the past week has been deflating.  The Tony Stewart–Kevin Ward, Jr. incident has loomed large over auto racing, finding itself a continual headline in the news outlets.  Even Yahoo had coverage of Ward’s funeral on its homepage …

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IndyCar Preview: ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest

2014 Indycar Iowa Ryan Hunter Reay

It’s the beginning of the end. After a weekend off, the IndyCar Series is primed to resume – and in doing so will bang out three weeks of rather varied kinds of racing.  When looking at the schedule and some of its silliness (double race weekends, double points for select races), it’s easy to question …

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IndyCar Breakdown: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

2014 Indycar Midohio Scott Dixon Woohoo

In a Nutshell: The race began with a bang as drivers eager for the green flag got a bit excited as they hit the gas.  The wreck brought about a rare caution for IndyCar at Mid-Ohio.  Scott Dixon cruised home for the win, his fifth at the track in the last eight races.  Polesitter Sebastien …

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Increased TV Ratings Finally Match INDYCAR’s Momentum

2014 Indycar Toronto 1 Bourdais Leading

Anyone who reads my contributions to this column on a regular basis knows that I am something of a pessimist when it comes to the world of IndyCar racing. As much as I do love this sport, I have never been afraid to point out the multitude of flaws and missteps that the leaders of …

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