If there is ever an IndyCar recasting of the Katherine Heigl romantic comedy 27 Dresses (and why would there be, but stay with me for a second), Vitor Meira would have to be cast in the leading role.

No driver in the modern era has romanced the podium so many times without walking down the aisle himself. Meira has a stellar career record that features 15 podiums and 42 Top-10 finishes but never a trip to the top step in his 98 starts.

A career-defining win at Indy would certainly change his status in the sport and the history books. And that's not to say Meira hasn't been close. He's been very close.

The Brazilian veteran has finished second in the Indy 500 twice (in 2005 and 2008, and has finished in the Top-10 at the big race in five of his seven starts. His 2009 race ended in a spectacular fashion when he locked wheels with a charging Rafael Matos in turn one on lap 174, and the subsequent crash shelved him for the remainder of the season with two broken vertebrae.

Paired again with A.J. Foyt Racing for another shot in the 2010 race, the ever-upbeat Meira has shaken off a disappointing qualifying setup that resulted in the 30th slot. He vows that starting in the back end of the grid won't be a problem, and he figures to be a driver to watch slicing through the field like a lawnmower along with fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan.

"I can guarantee you that - that's how it worked out and it's going to pay off," Meira said. "Everything's looking good. We're prepared, the car is ready and it will be a big one"

Driving for Super Tex can be a double-edged sword, particularly at a track like the Brickyard where he has probably discarded more information than most drivers learn in their careers. The four-time Indy 500 winner is known to be a particularly demanding
boss, but many longtime fans were shocked to see Foyt reduced to tears when Meira finished third at the season-opener in Sao Paulo.

The operative term for Meira this time around isn't charge, it's patience.

"Patience - it is a big word. Always. It's 500 miles. Patience and attacking at the right time," Meira said with a veteran's confidence. "It all depends on where you're starting and what you want to accomplish. A Top-10 is really realistic. Anything better than that we need things to happen that we can't control, but a Top-10 is pretty realistic."

Of course, Meira would be the last one to complain if he ended up winning. Heck, it'd probably even make the boss shed a couple more tears and certainly earn Meira a lifetime supply of Foyt's famous homemade beef jerky.

Even the bridesmaid has to get married sometime.

Learn to spell the name of your partner's biggest event.


Well done everyone at IZOD & IndyCar for collectively making yourselves look like buffoons! This is the Washington 'Natinals" all over again.

Washington's baseball team have blazed a trail of ineptitude since they moved from Montreal.

We're about a month away from the start of the season, which means the shotgun-marriages that are last-minute driver deals are coming fast and furious. Or furiously. Or whatever. Months of courting by teams, drivers, and their respective financiers is finally resulting in actual paper-and-ink contracts, and since the driver count for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season has expanded beyond the number of fingers on even Antonio Alfonseca's hands it's high time we got ourselves a head count.

The latest announcement came yesterday out of Japan, where Hideki Mutoh...wait, wrong guy...I meant to say former Formula One driver Takuma Sato has inked a deal to race fulltime for KV Racing Technologies. Start your own "Has he ever raced an oval?" hysteria amongst yourselves if you want, but first here's a word from Sato.



Speaking of KV, many folks on twitter have noticed that EJ Viso seems to be preparing to join Sato, although again nothing is etched in stone. He hasn't explicitly said "I-Heart-K-V" (which in his native tongue would be more like "Yo-corazon-K-V" but with proper punctuation), but that's the impression people are getting after he tested with KV recently.

Also, it should be noted that former F1 development driver (for Honda, no less) James Rossiter is (a) on twitter, (b) following only a few people including the KVRT account as well as KV co-owner Jimmy Vasser, and (c) tweeting about getting fitted for seat and going to Indianapolis for medical evaluations. And that is all I have to say about that.

So here is the tally of FULL TIME drivers thus far.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing: Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
Team Penske: Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Will Power
Andretti Autosport: Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick
Panther Racing: Dan Wheldon
KV Racing Technologies: Takuma Sato
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: Justin Wilson, Mike Conway
AJ Foyt Enterprises: Vitor Meira
Luczo, Dragon, de Ferran etc: Raphael Matos
FAZZT Racing: Alex Tagliani

So that's 13.. 14.. 15 so far, but Viso and Rossiter could bump that up to a 2008 Champ Car level of participation. Plus Sarah Fisher, Jay Howard, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Davey Hamilton have been confirmed for 4-9 races each, so it's not IndyCarpocalpse Now just yet. Also, don't forget that guys like Mario Moraes and Hideki Mutoh are supposed to be walking around with sponsorship cash already in hand, so there's little reason to think they won't be on the grid at Sao Paolo.

As for other teams...

HVM Racing - Robert Doornboos was thought to be a lock her, but on a recent episode of the Trackside radio show HVM owner Keith Wiggins seemed to be hedging away. And today his twitter status read something about a "door closing". Perhaps checks aren't clearing. Next in line would see to be Atlantics graduate Simona DiSilvestro, who has been testing for the team lately.

Dale Coyne Racing: Well, JR Hildebrand has been Uncle Dale's test driver, so this pairing could be a definite maybe. Or maybe Jan Heylen comes out of nowhere. You just never know these days.

Conquest Racing: According to my Google translator, a Brazilian report says Tomas Scheckter will soon be here, and I think it says the team may have up to three drivers. In the immortal words of Baseball great Mark Grace, "Spring hopes eternal".

Team 3G: Perhaps my distant cousin Richard Antinucci will return. Or perhaps Jaques Lazier will come back because he loves it when cars disintegrate under him on the opening lap.

Vision Racing: Umm...well, they are still collecting letters of reference. In the meantime, they're selling non-essential equipment to help pay the bills. If you are in the need for any non-essential equipment, by all means pick up the phone and give them a call.

And then there's Newman Haas Lanigan Racing, about whom there seems to be rampant speculation - all of it bad. Everything from a one-team ride-buyer program to no team at all. It would be convenient of me to not all the drivers and wins this historic organization has enjoyed, but until certain death has been pronounced the eulogy will for now be reserved. In the meantime, let's just say things are very quiet.

Which brings us to the 2010 occupant of the Throne of Injustice: former NHLR driver Graham Rahal. Last year everyone was up in arms that Ryan Hunter-Reay - who was perhaps the only driver not named "Danica" featured in an ad campaign - was without a ride. But at the last minute he got a deal with Vision, but then trouble hit and he was out of a ride, but then Vitor Meira got hurt so Tony George loaned him to AJ Foyt's team, and in the meantime we got to see that famous commercial with Ryan about 10,432 times. In the end, everything was indeed going to be alright. Heh heh.

But now the unsigned driver for whom all hearts bleed is young Graham Rahal, the Son of 'Stache who dared to win a couple pole positions and stand on a couple other podiums, often taking on the role of Ralphie while last year Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske were taking turns abusing the field like they were Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. I don't know where Graham will end up, I don't know when he'll end up there, but I do know he's definitely not going to USF1.

Our long, national nightmare is over. For the first time since 2002 the IndyCar Series will finally - finally - have a title sponsor. The intrepid Curt Cavin broke the news, it's now the "IZOD IndyCar Series" to about the tune of $10 meeeellion per year in an agreement spanning five years.

While we don't know how much of that total amount is going directly to the league, how much involves ad buys, how much goes to help an unnamed driver race for an unnamed team (consult your local rumor mill for your own answers) of that single most over-aired commercial in racing history, we do know that on the surface it appears that commercial was a correct: everything IS gonna be alright, heh heh.

The most obvious side effect of this deal is that there is a lot more money floating around the league, which should serve to attract a bit more competition. And having a title sponsor should make it more convincing for others to join the sponsorship bandwagon. That's the the theory at least, but I'm not entirely sold.

Beggars can't be choosers, but that doesn't mean a starving man wants a handful of cotton-polyester blend to eat. I have nothing against IZOD and I sincerrely hope they can make more than ONE commercial, but let's be honest - the majority of auto racing fans probably don't own any IZOD stuff. They don't shop at Macy's for $60 shirts, and just because IZOD is the title sponsor it doesn't mean they will. It's not so much that it's a bad sponsor like "Bill's House of Crack", it's just, well, maybe it's me but I'm a little uncomfortable with the direction this goes.

Over the past few years we've seen lots of fashion designers sponsor various racers. Companies like Rock & Republic, William Rast, etc., likely because of the speed and glamor of racing. That makes sense for IZOD or all these $100 jeans makers as sponsors, but there's a subtle message here: The IRL is happily coupling their product with over-priced stuff people don't need. Some might argue is a factual message at this point, but the folks at 16th and Georgetown probably aren't actually considering the slogan "IndyCar - we're an overpriced product you don't need." I'm not saying this is the only message here with this announcement, just that this was my first thought. Maybe it's just me.

I'm still glad there's a title sponsor of some sort, because goodness knows there wasn't a huge line of folks waiting to drop wads of cash on this series. It's fantastic for the series to have that finally checked off the to-do list, but the fact remains that until they lower the cost of operation and improve the actual racing they're going to continue to struggle to find sponsors not named "IZOD".

(photo courtesy Dana Garrett/Indy Racing League)



The Good

- Great crowd at Mid-Ohio; everywhere the cameras roamed there were actual, honest-to-goodness spectators, unlike say Watkins Glen. And a traffic jam leaving the track.
- Another nice run from Paul Tracy filling in for Mario Moraes.
- An even better quote from the aforementioned Paul Tracy on his blog: "But at least I didn’t make mistakes; some of the big-money players like Helio drove through the gravel traps, so they ended up getting beaten by the 40-year-old driving for hamburgers." If we can't get this guy in a full-time ride, at least put him in the booth.
- Not as much of a snoozefest as the recent road course extravaganzas, although most of the action was in the middle of the field.
- +2 cars for the 2010 grid, as Gil deFerran and team manager Robert Clarke announce plans to add a two car team.
- Another strong showing by Ryan Briscoe, who is looking more and more like a robot or at least a clone.
- Dario Franchitti was notably a step off the pace all weekend, but still scored a podium finish. And at Mid Ohio, they actually HAVE a podium.
- Ryan Hunter-Reay had a very strong showing for AJ Foyt Racing, and was THE mover and shaker early in the race. “I put it together on the track and the guys put it together on pit lane and that’s what it takes. We didn’t make any mistakes. A lot of guys that are making a lot of money—veterans--made a lot of mistakes today so it’s awesome for ABC Supply and A.J. And a big thanks to ABC Supply for their support.” Note to Ryan - it might be time to update your website landing page pic, since those ethanol direct deposits are no longer arriving at the bank.

The Bad

- Dixon came as close as any driver in recent memory to lapping the field on a road course. 29 seconds? N-word would have at least thrown a phantom caution for debris. Or three.
- Captain Bland was also excited in the post race press conference:

"The Target car was great from the get-go."
"Obviously it's a fantastic milestone for myself and obviously for the team. I've achieved all of those wins with Target. Without them, it wouldn't have been possible."
"I don't really care for leading the championship now. The only time you want to lead it is at the end. If you can get a runaway now and start building some points on those guys, that's going to be important."

I'm not saying Dixon has to run the track naked after winning (a la Patrick Carpentier), but two interviews after the race showed he could even use press interaction training from a rookie like Joey Logano.
- Apparently the push to pass, Honda Power Assist Button or whatever they were calling it this week, is now being used defensively to prevent passing. Give them lemonade, and the IRL will try to turn it back into lemons.
- Not much of an impact by Robert Doornbos move to HVM. Or maybe Bobby D isn't as good as the hype would have one believe?
- Another so-so outing for AGR - with Hideki Mutoh and Marco Andretti finishing fifth and sixth respectively, despite being invisible all afternoon. TK was 10th and Danica 19th. Big three status is hereby suspended until AGR can actually challenge weekly.
- Was Dan Wheldon (16th) even on the track?
- Okay, we got it in the first 38 mentions - the Rahal family is from Ohio and thus love the track. See how easy that was?

The Ugly
- Do we start with Mike Conway hip-checking Danica into the kitty litter? Is the Conweasel going to have another race without incident in his IRL career? And why are we still talking about his IRL career in the present tense. Team owner Robbie Buhl's embarrassment oozes right from the TV speaker weekly.
- Milka Duno's qualifying time was barely good enough to win the Indy Lights pole, and she still almost decided the outcome of the race. Generally, she has done a good job staying out of the way. But even a few laps before parking can be dangerous when one car is doing 215 mph and another is doing 190. Where have you gone Marty Roth-io, Barnhart loved you more than you could know, whoa whoa whoa (For the record: Milka's qualifying lap = 109.057 mph, Saavedra's Indy Lights fastest race lap = 109.700 mph, Davison's IndyLights fastest leading lap = 109.427 mph)
- Not much competition for Scott Dixon once Justin Wilson had his pit problem. Wilson magnified the issue for small teams in the IRL 2K9 - not only do they need to drive the bejesus out of the car, but also have a mistake-free day in pit lane to even have a prayer of unseating the red cars.

Crikey! I turn my back and look what happens! The Iron Hand of Aerodynamic Assistance has crunched the numbers and rolled midnight, and at the same time all of the sudden Australians are the new Brazilians.

While Will Power’s win given his part-time status on the trail has grabbed the headlines, it’s Disco Briscoe’s win on the 1.5 that might be the turning point in 2009, and perhaps even in 2010 and 2011.

Ryan’s win at Kentucky is his first win on a cookie cutter, a significant step in his career on the western side of the Atlantic. While the oval purists (me included), lament the perpetuation of the road course reality that is 2010 and beyond, there are still a significant portion of 1.5’s in Indycar racing. While that is the case, putting numbers in the W column on the 1.5’s is still a prerequisite for a championship. Can that be this year? Well now, I think it can.

On the other side of the Penske transporter, our friend from Queensland who’s so bright pilots are using the bloke as a reference marker, is not doing too shabbily either. I hear rumours# that if Roger doesn’t renew his contract, he could line up for a guest role as the third banana in the Australian children television show Bananas in Pyjamas#. Will Power as B3 next year; you heard it here first.


This is what Will Power might be doing next year, if Penske doesn't renew his contract. No suit change required.

Unencumbered by the burden of conservatism in chasing for the points title, the Toowoomba Tornado touched down with destructive force in Edmonton, the final stint reminiscent of Rahal’s display the latter stages of St. Pete last year. With the proportion of road courses is this game only set to only increase in the coming years, Power could well have the series in a few years time come to him. Remember, in 1995, only six of the 13 races were ovals…

And the other person that deserves some love from the latest race, and that’s the IHJ himself, Mr Barnhart.

It’s credit on a number of levels. As most people have acclaimed, it’s credit to the Indy Racing League for getting it right.

It’s also credit to the IRL for not overreacting. It would have been easy to make a more sweeping change. The racing in Richmond was bad. Really bad. More bad than the Richmond Australian Rules Football team, and that’s saying something. Remember the Colts when they were really bad: That’s Richmond.

Doing “something” was always going to happen after that. The question was “how much of something is enough?” It would have been very easy to move into early-2000’s pack racing territory, with a technical decision in excess of what was required.

Additionally, it’s credit to the IRL for fostering the right relationships with their partners. Honda was lent on by the IRL for a push-and-maybe-if-you-breathe-in-at-the-same-time-you-might-get-past system and Honda delivered what appears to be a flawless system that exceeded expectations first time out. Firestone brought a good tyre# too.

I still think the root cause of the aero malady had something to do with the new exhaust design. Kanaan didn’t get as close as I expected him to in the last few laps given Carpenter wasn’t taking the shortest route round in defending Briscoe.

Whatever the problem, it seems like for now, the IRL have found a solution, which is good, because plan B was dictating to all drivers that they run a Sebastian Saavedra high downforce haircut setup. That thing generates some serious downforce, and while Tony Kanaan doesn’t approve, it might at least get Hideki some action given his poor pickup technique.

-

“International Celebrity” Shane Rogers is a 32-year old Indycarologist from Kangaroo Flat, Australia, whose main motivation for working for his current employer us because they’re they only people he knows that gets the channel that has Indycar racing on television there. He has worked for the Australian Motor Sport governing body, CAMS, and served on their National Track Safety Committee. He eats Vegemite on toast for breakfast, unlike Pressdog who has not “had the courage to taste the stuff.”

# (sic) Australian spelling alert.

It's that most magical time of the year.

No, not Christmas.

August officially marks the start of the silly season, that time of year when racing seats can be had for a much smaller bag of sponsorship dollars, and drivers that were seemingly happy with their teams a week ago no longer have cars to drive.

Robert Doornbos, aka Bobby D, has seemingly run out of money and thus his prized seat at Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing. Doornbos leads Rafa Matos in the Rookie of the Year standings, inexplicably qualifying for "rookie" status despite years in Formula 1, A1GP and CCWS, despite his best finish being ninth place (I'm not going to go off on that tangent again, although I am also on the record as stating that RHR should not have been RoY even if the alternative was giving it to Milka).

"We had the option to leave the team after 12 races which I made use of. I want to stay in IndyCar Series and I will announce my future plans very soon. I like to thank the team and especially Mike Lanigan and Carl Haas. I wish them a bright future."

Notice how he didn't mention teammate Graham Rahal, who apparently didn't share many McDonald's apple pies nor setup notes with the Flying Dutchman.

Doornbos is tipped by Robin Miller to join EJ Viso at HVM; although I'm not sure how possible that is if the Bobster is indeed out of euros. The fate of the N/H/L seat is also unclear, with former shoe Sebastian Bourdais hitting the open market after his release from Scuderia Toro Rosso; although the return of the SeaBass would not be a cheap fix for the gang; he'd demand to be paid. Like say, Mike Conway.

LATE EDIT: The word on the street as of Monday evening is that Oriol Servia will be in the other N/H/L car at Mid-Ohio, proving once again that the CCWS was the ultimate recycling program.

Also in the full-blown silly mode are Conquest Racing, who split from Alex Tagliani in favor of Nelson Phillipe and old friend Kosuke Matsuura for Motegi.

Finally, Gary Watkins at Autoweek lifts the lid on the silliest thing of all - three new Acura teams in the IRL next year. The much rumored deFerran Motorsports switch appears on, and Gil will apparently be joined by Connecticut-based Highcroft Patron Racing and Scott Sharp (who could end up with a native Connecticut teammate in free agent Jeff Simmons), as well as Adrian Fernandez's squad I've been told by a reliable source that contrary to many reports, F1 refugee Takuma Sato will not be in the IRL unless as a last resort; Sato's people apparently are looking for a placement in one of the new F1 teams.

The defection of Acura does not bode well for the ALMS, which has been teetering with low car counts as it stands now, and increasingly vocal criticism from team owners about the payouts.

Stay tuned for more silliness, after all it's only August 4.

Accelerated schedule seems to be the buzzword this weekend.

This live blog is sponsored by Doppler Radar, as @curtcavin just tweeted that Barnhart is calling for rain by 9:30.

What a total salad this weekend has been so far, with one hour of practice time in the afternoon topped by Scott Dixon. Surprises included Mario Moraes (on top of the board for a while), Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher, who was pretty comfortable around P10 for much of the session.

Beer of the race is Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Traditional Pale Ale. Fresh and bold with a hint of hoppiness, and a deep copper color. As Pressdog said yesterday, everything is better with beer.

The big question today is not whether a Penske or Target car will win, but will the race finish at all. Sir Jackie Stewart is in attendance, many years hearing him call the I500 on Wide World of Sports brings back memories. Hopefully Sir Jackie also brought the oval intermediate tires.

Terry Angstadt talks about series value. Uhh, explain it to New Hampshire, Terry. Somewhere TG is chuckling.

Over/under on yellows in the first 30 minutes, +6...get ready for burst buttons pushed at the wrong time, like lap one, turn one...

uh oh - radar is menacing...

oof...Dario backed off and the start is scratched...right pedal, Dario!

Mario Moraes challenging for ninth. Hmmm wonder where PT would be in a car like that...

Lap 6 - Fast cars in practice looking good Mario, Ed, Tomas Scheckter...

Lap 10 - Commercial break - Dixon, Dario, Briscoe, Helio, Danica, Moraes. Those who Apex and Izod in the first commercials take a drink.

Lap 15 - Helio past Dario; Mario past Danica and still moving! 16th to fourth...

Lap 23 - Sarah is going in the wrong direction; back into Milka/Jaques Lazier land (P21)

Lap 26 - Danica is holding up Marco again. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD"

Lap 32 - Ed and Mario are dicing for fourth. Those P2P thumbs are starting to get sore.

Lap 38 - Scheckter in with a squirrely car. They eat squirrel in Kentucky, even with MonaVie

Lap 41 - Dixon is walking, with Briscoe and Helio in tow. Nice commercial with more of Radio Birdman's New Race. Whoever picked that song for VS should get a free case of Berkshire.

Lap 48 - Marco and Danica in...

Lap 50 - Moraes and Conway t-boning in pit lane. Surprised? Didn't think so.

Lap 55 - Dixon is on cruise control. Saving fuel.

Lap 60 - Justin Wilson is the last lead lap car (P13)

Lap 65 - Dixon .32 over Briscoe, Eddie C another second behind in third. Apex Brazil needs to update their commercials with the Torch, TK.

Lap 72 - Dixon marches on, still no yellows. No more predictions, but we should have an official race in about 10 minutes at this pace.

Lap 82 - Wilson down a lap. Ed, Helio and TK have to remain within striking distance of the leaders, as they are a couple seconds back.

Lap 86 - The Penske boys are saving fuel according to Sir Jackie. Power and Briscoe can't find the P2P button, or haven't needed it yet. Banzai charge later?

Lap 97 - Briscoe takes the lead, but Dixon right in there as lap traffic continues...

Lap 99 - Team with the best weatherman wins? That counts out AGR.

Lap 104 - Second round of pit stops, as Dixon peels off the sidepod of Briscoe for ethanol replenishment.

Lap 107 - Briscoe and Dixon in front after the cycling of stops, followed by Eddie C and the Torch.

Lap 114 - Doornbos out. Somehow Conway is still in the race, -8 laps. Why do I have a feeling that might be a problem at some point?

Lap 122 - Yellow for some reason. Hope it's not moisture. Wilson slow on track. Phew. Everybody brought their A game.

Lap 124 - Mutoh and Power stay out. Maybe they know where the storm is?

Lap 127 - Green green green Dixon jumps the restart and drops back Carpenter sets off after Power, TK in there as well. Briscoe with a BIG tankslapper.

Lap 133 - Just checked the weather, 94% humidity, barometer falling. Ed might want to think about taking the lead now. It's coming.

Lap 140 - When was the last time we saw two YELLOW cars fighting for the lead? Maybe 1989?

Lap 144 - Ed takes the lead at the line. .02 seconds between he and Power. Some sore thumbs at the moment, no doubt!

Lap 151 - Lindy says Power due in Lap 155. Everybody else was Lap 123. Where's that weather update?

Lap 158 - Eddie Carpenter out in front. IM from Ianucci "No Ganassi car in Top 5, check for swarm of locusts" I'm sure Chip is dispatching someone under the track with a two liter bottle of H2O.

Lap 167 - Eddie leads Helio. Wonder what Ed's victory celebration is? Dixon fading, Dario up there. Final stops looming.

Lap 170 - Tweet from @jpmontoya - he's watching the race. He should be here, in a car. Back in plenty of time for Pocono.

Lap 175 - The Vision boys NAIL the pit stop. Nice work, makes it count. TK right there too.

Lap 179 - Green stops cycling. Looks like we will get a full 200 laps. Eddie C first, followed by TK.

Lap 181 - @visionracing tweeting up a storm. Ed has paid his dues, he's deserving. Lots of late nights in dirt at place like Whip City on the way up.

Lap 185 - Eddie and Tony. Great point by Beekhuis on strategy for the finish.

Lap 191 - Eddie fighting it out with Briscoe, swing low, sweet chariot.

Lap 197 - Briscoe's timing him...TK can decide the winner with who he has...

Lap 199 - Ed, you better hit that freakin' button NOW!

Lap 200 - Briscoe by a nose. The Evil Empire triumphs. Ed C second, followed by TK, Helio, Graham, Dario and Dixon. Shake up in the points again. Seventh-closest finish in series history.

Great race - I ran out of beer before the last pit stops and I didn't want to go downstairs for the next bottle! Thanks everyone!

SPARTA, Ky - IndyCar points leader Scott Dixon graciously emerged from his motorhome to be awarded the "pole position" for the Meijer Indy 300 after weepers, essentially underground water vents in the asphalt, washed out qualifying Friday evening. The field will start based on the driver season points standings.

Dixon will be flanked by teammate Dario Franchitti, while the Penske duo of Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe comprise row two.

With four red cars in the first two rows, Kentucky Speedway will put the new "call it what you want, but don't call it Push to Pass" technology to the test, as the oval speedway enhancement rules take effect. The team parade continues with best friends Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti in row three, while the rumored-to-be-deposed Dan Wheldon and road king Justin Wilson are in row four.

A variety of technological enhancements, including aerodynamic options and a steering-wheel mounted "Burst Button" are expected to inject some extra ethanol madness into the field. The Barnhart General has issued a warning that some passing may occur now on oval tracks, as a 5-20 horsepower gain will be realized dependant on fuel setting for intervals calibrated on a race-by-race basis. For Kentucky, drivers will have 20 presses for a duration of 12 seconds each available. No word on whether engine telemetry will be tracked in the Versus broadcast, although it seems reasonable to assume this might be the case.

The zone of excitement and pain looks be the insides of rows eight and nine, with MadDog Mario Moraes lined up in front of the volatile EJ Viso. The two drivers exchanged pleasantries on the track twice in Toronto, and were rumored to have also continued the discussion after the race sans helmets only to be separated by KV Racing team owner Jimmy "the Peacemaker" Vasser. The altercation, following a similar clash earlier in the season prompted Viso to claim the Quote of the Year crown early by describing Moraes as a "monkey with a bag of money" on his Facebook page.

For the second time in as many seasons, Dan Wheldon may be putting his driving talents, glistening teeth and jaunty matching shoes on the open market. Unfortunately for Wheldon, that market is not exactly bustling as teams look to replace sponsors and shed expensive salaries.

Wheldon, seventh place in the IndyCar series points race heading into Kentucky, appears to be well down the road to a divorce from the mercurial John Barnes and Panther Racing. In the off-season, Barnes made heads wag in the paddock when he announced a multi-year agreement with Wheldon to pilot the National Guard car. Wheldon had just been released from a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing that was said to be in the $3 million per season range and was thought to be seeking a similar arrangement at the time, with insiders wondering exactly who Panther was bidding against for Wheldon's services.

“It’s hard to describe the level of excitement and emotions all of us at Panther have knowing that Dan has come back to drive for us,” team Managing Partner and CEO John Barnes said. “I remember watching him drive for the first time in the Indy Lights series years ago, and I knew he was going to be a special talent. Since then he’s become one of the best open-wheel drivers in the world, and for him to make his return to our team at the height of his racing career is a tremendous compliment to our team. I know he’s excited about getting into the No. 4 car for the first time and we’ve got a tremendous future ahead of us.”

That excitement has apparently lasted all of 10 races, as Barnes has soured on the the expensive English free agent and has told him to look elsewhere for a 2010 ride. The relationship peaked with the second place finish at Indy in May.

Speed's Robin Miller reported that financial considerations are involved in the issue in his weekly mailbag Q&A segment.

(Wheldon's) agents were in Toronto and there's been talk of missed payments and some heated conversations so I'd say he's out of that ride regardless of what happens in the next couple months."

Behind the scenes, the Ganassi operation was critical of Wheldon after his departure. The Brit was an enigma in non-oval events and was described as 'a prima donna who is extremely difficult to work with' by the Target crew.

Wheldon is having a remarkably consistent 2008 season with 8 Top-10 finishes through the first 11 races, but has been little threat to pull off a win unlike his predecessor, the perennial second-place Vitor Meira. Wheldon has slipped in the last three events, most notably a 14th-place marker in Toronto and 15th in Edmonton.

Possible destinations could be a problem for Wheldon, as racing program budgets continue to shrink and disappear for the 2010 season. Apparently, Andretti Green Racing is back in the mix with the pending departure of Danica Patrick for parts unknown, but that could be a smoke grenade thrown by Wheldon's camp to generate interest.

That National Guard training could come in handy.

Okay with all apologies to Meesh (the Patriot Act prevented our MNIIRL work visas from being processed in time for the LiveBlog), here is Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo on the Rexall Edmonton Indy.


The Good:

- Will Power drove his snappy looking yellow car to a dominant victory, fending off all challenges from his own teammates and the CGR duo, along with staying well clear of the Conweasel, Mario Moraes and Rafa "the Pinball" Matos. If I was Ryan Briscoe, I'd be looking over my shoulder, mate.
- The title chase is thrown into disarray with Dario's lead deeded over to Mr. Consistency, Dixon.
- Back to 23 cars on the grid.
- Attendance looked solid once again; Edmonton might very well be the biggest stop on the schedule this side of 16th and Georgetown.
- According to the Edmonton Journal the future of the race is "promising" as the upcoming airport closure may result in a permanent racing facility on the site. The IRL's Terry Angstadt proved that he does in fact speak in marketing doublespeak 24/7 with his quote:

"What I think is still a bit of an unknown is the destiny of this specific venue," he said. "They(Northlands) seem reasonably optimistic with the information they've been given so far that we'll be able to find more of a permanent venue here. It would need to be tweaked a bit, but not only remain here, but put in certain aspects of permanently that would allow us to put a stake in the ground and be here for a long time."

In other words, a permanent IndyCar facility is a better investment for Edmonton than Dustin Penner.
- Paul Tracy (sixth, highest finishing non-Penske/CGR car) love or hate him, I'm now convinced he needs to be in a car, if only for his superior blogging and name-calling. Tracy gives the series attitude and swagger, along with a Canadian driver of note, and the occasional villain.
- For once, the IRL had the proper time zone to start completely after a N***** race ended (I'm sure it wasn't planned).
- Versus coverage was excellent, with Bob Jenkins a welcome relief after too many weeks of tedium with Marty Reid (who has hopped over to N****** Busch series).
- Rookie Richard Antinucci qualified 18th in what should probably be an engineless showcar.

The Bad:
- When the best battle in the closing laps of a race is Justin Wilson and Robert Doornbos fighting for eighth...
- Rafa Matos - There is no way a car 11 laps down should be dicing for position with lead lap cars. Barnhart should have parked him.
- Mario Moraes and Mike Conway - Unless you have Dallara stock or are cashing checks from their daddies, there's no reason to see them on the track again.
- The shotgun marraige of Ryan Hunter-Reay and AJ Foyt Racing continues to flounder. Hunter-Reay has a rep as a fast driver in a perfect car, but is not as impressive in a work in progress.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing overall - Tomas Scheckter put the car on a hook, Conway was umpteen laps down after more first-lap contact.
- Finishing a race under yellow is as exciting as leaving a hockey overtime tie. The IRL needs to adopt a shootout format, now that broadcast time is no longer a constraint.
- Did anyone see Dan Wheldon this weekend except Danica?

The Ugly:
- A complete lack of competition for cars that aren't rolled off the Penske or Ganassi trucks. Even slipping Dario in a blue Vaseline Car couldn't break up the 1-5 train.
- This season has gone from bad to impossibly worse for Tony Kanaan, who was passed AJIV's role as the human torch of the IRL. All joking aside, TK's quick thinking saved a major incident on pit road. One wonders if the rumored reassignment of longtime Kanaan car chief before the race Jeff Simon had anything to do with the grizzly splash and light.
- AGR overall - The inmates are clearly running the asylum. Hope Barry Green doesn't have VS on his boat, because the team is a shell of it's former glory. Not exactly presenting a compelling case for Danica (11th) to return, either.

At one point or another, we've all seen an episode of The Price is Right. That classic of consumer lust and greed, where the great unwashed from Oxnard to Bangor can get a chance to "come on down" and grab all sorts of merchandise if they can only bid correctly.

Five days a week, breathless everymen and -women bid on all sorts of stuff, from toilet brushes to trips to tables to toothpaste. But we all know the real reason why most people watch the show.

"It's a new caaaaaaar!"

That's right. Whether it's the dingiest entry-level Ford Focus or a super-hot Corvette sitting there under the studio lights, the appearance of a new car is always the biggest moment on the show (except for those Plinko loonies... don't get me started on them).

It's because automobiles are as deep in the American vein as apple pie and baseball. Yankees love their cars so much that they are more likely to go into debt to get one than virtually anything else - including a house.

The reason I bring this seeming non-sequitur up is that the thrill people feel when Rich Fields yells, "It's a new caaaaaaar!" on The Price is Right is perhaps the one thing that can get the American public interested in IndyCar racing again.

Look - you know and I know that IndyCar racing is (at least in theory, if not in recent practice) one of the greatest forms of motorsport in the world. The Indianapolis 500 alone would make that statement true - but the cross-training aspect of IndyCar racing that include various types of oval, street, and road circuit events elevate IndyCars above other series that limit themselves to one discipline.

On paper, the IndyCar series should capture the imagination of anyone who loves automobiles going fast.

In practice, it hasn't happened that way - at least not lately. I'm not going to dig up the history of the past decade-and-a-half; it's a useless exercise because we all know it better than we know our own names. Suffice to say that the IndyCar racing we have now fails to live up to its promise - at times, it fails badly.

Why? There are so many reasons. Gene Simmons is one, not just because he and his otherworldly tongue and fourteen-volume history of STDs couldn't market their way out of a paper bag if KISS isn't involved. No, his real problem is that he tried to turn IndyCar racing into "rock stars in race cars." And that's just not going to work.

It's not the drivers' fault. To a man (and woman) they are professional, courteous, and even intriguing. But they're not rock stars - the nature of their relationships to their sponsors automatically precludes them from the kind of Lohanesque kind of misbehavior that seems to tweak the salacious public interest. Simply put, the closest they're going to get is a shoving match in the pits (and we're not going to see much of that until someone gets PT a full-time ride - hollah to Meesh!) or a temper tantrum from Danica before some PR flack gets hold of her.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that, in terms of racing personalities, this country is fixated on stock car racing and the "all-American" folks (sorry, Marcos and JPM) that compete there.

That leaves the racing. And lately, the racing has, in a word, sucked.

It sucks basically for two reasons - the inequity between the haves and have-nots, and the race car itself.

There's not a whole lot we can do about the first problem. There's only so much money in motorsports right now - actually, thanks to the recession, there's virtually no money in it - so the racing oligarchs like Penske and Ganassi are going to be able to outspend everyone else until the economy gets dug out of the giant hole it's in.

The second problem, however, is fully addressable. Now, don't get me wrong - Dallara is a very capable chassis-builder, and Honda certainly makes fine racing engines. But when you put everyone into the same engine-chassis combination, it puts the power in the hands of the rich and influential. With the resources available to them, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi can massage and tweak their "spec" IndyCars in ways that the other teams simply can't. They have the wherewithal to work within the small margins allowed by a formula where everyone gets the same basic equipment. Hence, each IndyCar race is virtually guaranteed to have a winner driving a red-decorated race car (unless Ganassi runs one of those weird pink or green cars).

An additional problem is that the current Dallara/Honda package is not attractive. I can't sugarcoat it, people. When non-fanatics tune into IndyCar races, they see a blocky, ungainly race car that only looks fast when it's going in a straight line. On the more technical street and road circuits, the cars appear to labor in and out of the turns like an elephant performing Swan Lake. On ovals, the wake turbulence from the blocky chassis makes overtaking a rarity.

Beyond all that, though, there's no general sense of innovation around IndyCar racing anymore. The engineers out there justifiably will dispute that notion, but to the layman (or -woman) an IndyCar race has none of the technical wizardry that Formula 1 has. Americans used to tune into the Indy 500 to see what the hell someone was going to bring this year to beat the other 32 teams.

Granted, these days innovation is tough to afford. But that doesn't change the fact that the public responds to innovation. There's such a thing as "wow factor" - and the IndyCar series doesn't have that right now. The closest thing to "wow" the IndyCar series can manage is whether that zipper will go down another inch on Danica's jacket in those GoDaddy.com commercials.

That's where Rich Fields and The Price is Right come in. Since it's obvious that there isn't going to be a UFC-style three-way beatdown between Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick any time soon, the next best thing for the IndyCar series to do is get that "It's a new caaaaaaar!" feeling back into the series.

Last I heard, the IRL was planning on a new car in 2011 (although I've heard whispers that that deadline might be pushed back with the bad economy). I hope that's true. I hope that, when it's unveiled, the new IndyCar will make people "ooh" and "aah." I hope that those manufacturer summits that were held bear fruit and more folks join the show to give the engine scene some variety.

The fame tree in IndyCars goes like this: the track (IMS) made the cars, and the cars made the stars. It's that simple. The IndyCar series is about spectacle (it's even in the Big Race's name!), and as such the series needs a car (or, even better, a handful of cars) that will create one.

So now we find out the real reason Alex "Pink" Lloyd left Target Chip Ganassi Racing (and how is that Iowa debut coming along, Alex?) - he had to draw the line at prancing down Gasoline Alley in an outfit heisted from the Pink Panther.

So it now falls to Dario Franchitti to pilot the Chipster's machine this weekend at the Rexall Edmonton Grand Prix in the (ahem) proud blue and white livery of Vaseline (for) Men Lotion.

Yes, of course the official press release had the usual flowery prose about synergy and made-up-by-the-PR department quotes (Martin Truex Jr. will get the same honor in N*****), all inherent to cashing a hefty check from a multinational.

“Any time you get the chance to work with a big brand like Vaseline you have to be both encouraged and proud. We would love nothing more than to see the Vaseline MEN car in victory lane," said Steve Lauletta, President of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.: "One of the advantages that our team has is the ability to provide a sponsor with opportunities and assets in multiple forms of auto racing thereby giving them the ability to market to different audiences. I think this is a great opportunity for both of us.”

We can think of a few other advantages for Team Chip, chapped lips not being one of the first that comes to mind.

But it brings up an interesting question, what was the most embarrassing sponsor/car combination?

John Surtees 1976 Formula 1 entry piloted by Alan Jones was sponsored by Durex Condoms, and certainly wins the pole position in the race of embarrassment. In fact, the BBC would not telecast the race from Brands Hatch that year where Jones finished second to James Hunt.

Mark Martin also spent a couple memorable seasons in a Viagra entry (and had the grey hair to prove it), and Paul Gentilozzi is said to have a had a Hustler sponsorship nixed from his CCWS partners.

But Chip's crack sponsor finders seems to have really outdone themselves this time.

Can't wait to hear Bob Jenkins sputter when the Chrome Horn "slips around" the Vaseline car.

Hopefully we won't have to worry about lock stepping with a Versus broadcast Sunday afternoon.