It was just a few weeks ago the Will Power was discussing his Wolverine-like ability to heal so quickly from his broken back, saying "I've got so much energy...I can do situps, I'm swimming, I'm wrestling Great White sharks every afternoon". (OK, I totally made up that last part, but it's kind of a been a boring off-season for people not named "IZOD".)

Well, now Will officially has a full-season ride in with Team Penske, and that part I'm not making up.

Penske Racing announced today that winning open-wheel racer Will Power will compete in a full-season entry for the team in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dallara/Honda.

Joining forces with Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and Ryan Briscoe, a top contender for the 2009 IndyCar Series championship, Power will complete a powerful three-car lineup in 2010 for Penske Racing.

(MORE from Team Penske)

It just goes to show that if you want to race for The Captain, all you have to do is agree to contract as a development driver, race six times, finish in the Top 10 in every race, win once, podium on half of the races, then break your back in practice in an accident that isn't your fault. A surefire path to a successful career if ever there was one, and Will certainly proved his worth and paid his dues.

And although this is spectacular news for Will, who seems like a great guy and a talented driver, this is great news for all IndyCar fans as the bonus here is now there will be FIVE drivers who can win at any given race. That's like 25% more excitement than we had in 2009, friends.

But there is good news even for prospective fans, as with each win - and Will is destined to win at least a few races in 2010 - sportscasters everywhere in the English-speaking world will be forced to reiterated that "Yes, his name really IS Will Power", providing an extra 5 seconds of coverage money can't buy. It's almost enough to wonder if some other drivers should consider changing their names to something more noticeable like Ben Dover, Adam Baum or Harry Pitts. I mean, look what a name did for the public interest in Dick Trickle.

Come on, which sounds more memorable: Tony Kanaan, or "Chris P Bacon"? You know the answer.

(Photo: TrackSide Online)

What does this one say?



Photo: Nelson Philippe twitpic

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.

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“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.

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.