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 …
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 …
Cup: Strange Results from Pocono It’s not a surprise that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won at Pocono. He raced with the leaders all race long and his crew chief, Steve Letarte, made a brilliant strategy call that put him in the best position to win. But what about the rest of the field? Kyle Busch completed …
What’s News? The biggest news is the encouraging upswing in the television ratings, covered by our Matt Stallknecht in this week’s Open Wheel Wednesday column. “INDYCAR is definitely on the upswing, whether it’s ratings or putting buns in the seats,” defending series champion Scott Dixon said. “(This season) has been up and down with so …
Ahhh. It’s time for a pause. One of those moments of reflection or something like that. People who practice yoga might consider it a time to get centered. Those who are taking a different path to enlightenment might feel it’s time to grab a beer and change the channel. Duly noted. One of the things …
Scott Dixon took the pole for this race, his latest assertion that he is the driver to beat this year; and heading into the Indy 500, he gave no one any reason to think differently. Several drivers took turns at the front of the biggest event in open-wheel racing — including teammate Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan, and Marco Andretti — but Dixon always lurked right behind them. His No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew did their job and put him out in front on the final stop of the day; and while second-place Vitor Meira tried to mount a challenge, ultimately the speed Dixon showed all month carried him to the win.
1. Rumba, Anyone? – Two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves — better known to the general public as last year’s winner of the mega hit TV show “Dancing With The Stars” — seems to be interested in following such open-wheel standouts as Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr., Dario Franchitti, Patrick Carpentier, and AJ Allmendinger into the NASCAR ranks. However, the Brazilian initially refuted a Los Angeles Times story published last week that reported he was interested in talking to Penske Racing, whom he drives for in the IRL, about a move to their NASCAR operation. “I did not understand much,” Castroneves said of the journalist writing the story. “I found my English is apparently getting worse. [They] definitely took it out of context.”
Q: Hi, Matt! Sorry about the lost wages on the Derby. I was in the same boat. My question centers around another great racing tradition: The Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon wins $100,000 for sitting on the pole, which is mind blowing if you think about it. Daytona qualifying is like Indy in that it is a complicated process that seems to drag on. But I’ve never heard of a dollar amount attached to winning the Daytona 500 pole. Is there prize money to sit on the pole for NASCAR’s crown jewel?
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