Remember to Vote for Julio. And that is all I care to say about that.
UPDATE: Check out Helio planting a big, sloppy wet one on Julianne.
Now that I have finally overcome the two-hour delay just to retreat from the parking lot at Phoenix International Raceway...On a day when three Indy 500 champions battled to see how they would fare against the finest taxi cab drivers in the free world, it can safely be said that when Sunday’s N-word race here ended the “Northern Aggressors” had pretty much had their collective tails kicked. Every one of them.
Yeah, it’s not usually a good idea to judge everyone by a single race, but this is PIR – a relatively flat track that has no two turns a like. It’s like a street course except shorter and with all of the turns are being left-only. Sorta. To the point, this is the kind of track where actual driving is required, so those in the open-wheel “mass exodus” should have had above-average odds to put together a good show.
(And off topic, if there are any writers out there I’d respectfully suggest using a term other than “mass exodus”? That’s just factually inaccurate, since it’s neither in “mass” nor is it a synchronized “exodus”. Montoya and Allmendinger left last year, Franchitti, Hornish, and Villenueve left this year, and Carpentier actually stopped racing open-wheel cars several years ago. And while it may be noteworthy to point out the last two Indy 500 champs are simultaneously leaving, it would be far more devastating to the IRL if Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves or even Marco Andretti were to go to the N-word. So seriously, crack open the thesaurus and find a new term.)
OK, here’s the view from my vantage point in the Section 3 grandstands.
Montoya – Pablo is wrapping up a relatively successful year, and most would agree he can certainly hold his own as a stock car driver. And I’m not just saying this because he spent the first half of the race trading paint with “Junior” Earnhardt. Shocking to see Montoya driving aggressively, I know. He finished 17th, and Ganassi starts running Chevys instead of Dodges that’s probably going to be as good as it gets for him.
Hornish – If you ever saw any episodes of “Driver X” last year then you will understand Sam’s problem: like many of the contestants on that show, Sam hasn’t figured out how a 3500-pound car with minimal downforce deals with it’s tires. Every time there was a pit stop Sam – being a few laps down – would be placed next to the leaders on the restart, and he would drive right with them for a handful of laps before dropping like a stone. To his credit, he finished the race without incident in 30th.
Carpentier – Same problem as Sam, but worse. Not only was he struggling with grip a few laps after each pit stop, but the side of his car kept taking on more of the blue paint of the SAFER barriers at PIR. Puh-TREEK ended up 33rd.
Villenueve – “Jack” spent much of the day racing alone, but when he did get in traffic he had disastrous results. Just as much blue paint as Carpentier, right up until the time he wrecked himself into the Harry Potter lookalike in the #9 car. Say hello to 41st place.
Sam also raced in the Busch series race on Saturday, going about 20 laps before losing it and wrecking. Dario Franchitti was a non-factor in the same race, but did manage to make a HUGE save after being tapped by another driver. His car immediately spun a 360, but Mr Judd saved it from ever touching the wall or leaving the track. So as long as those behemoths don’t get up in the air he should be alright.
And although it’s not a sign of doom for the N-word, there were noticeably less sponsor promotions than last year. For example, one branch of the US military had a rock wall for kids to climb last year that was gone this year, and while there were previously a half dozen “get your picture in the car” deals there were only two in 2007. Granted it’s still light years ahead of the sponsor activation in the IRL, but it would seem the N-word has reached it’s acme of popularity.
This may be partially due to the fact that the events are still far too long. If you’re going to race four hours with only one on-track lead change then it should be expected that at least a third of the crowd will be gone by the time the race is done. Then again, extrapolating that out indicates if they made the races EVEN LONGER it might help smooth out the traffic situation out next year.
Now that all that tedious indecision is behind him, of course Sam Hornish Jr finally qualified for a Cup race - right here in my backyard. Topping it off, so did Jacques Villenueve and Juan Pablo Montoya, which means yours truly (along with P2) will be so fortunate as to see not one, not two, but three former Indy 500 winners in a top-level stock car race on Sunday.
AVONDALE, Ariz. - When the green flag waves for Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500, it will be the first time that three Indy 500 winners will be in the field for a NASCAR Cup race."Race of Nothern Aggression"? Wow, who thought Lee Spencer could write a second sentence more upsetting than the first?
But let's not rename the event the Race of Northern Aggression just yet.
(MORE from FOXSports.com)
Wait - Sam Hornish Jr is leaving the IndyCar series? Who saw this coming?
Sam Hornish Jr. is leaving the IndyCar Series for a full-time ride in NASCAR, joining the mass exodus of open-wheel stars fleeing to America's most popular racing series.Looks like I need to finally find a headshot of Ryan Briscoe.
The three-time IndyCar champion told The Associated Press he will drive the No. 77 Dodge next season for Penske Racing with Mobil 1 as the sponsor.
"I feel like this is something that is a new and unique challenge for me," Hornish said Thursday. "It may or may not be the right way to look at it, but I feel like I accomplished just about everything in Indy cars. I got to do more than I ever thought I would."
(MORE from the Associated Press)
No, pressdog didn't write this - it's on the front page of the Panther Racing site under the headline "DANCING WITH THE STARS: PANTHER ADMITS IT'S JULIANNE, NOT HELIO, THAT THEY'RE WATCHING"
Panther driver Vitor Meira, who is friends with Castroneves, didn’t seem to even realize his fellow Brazilian countryman was on the show.
“Julianne is doing such a great job on the show and it’s been fun to watch,” Meira said Wednesday. “She’s such a great dancer, she’s beautiful and I think she’s brings a lot of skill and elegance to the program. I can’t wait until the show comes on next week and I can watch her again.”
And when asked about Hough’s partner Castroneves, Meira seemed confused.
“I forgot she had a partner,” Vitor admitted. “But I guess that Julio guy is doing a good job too.”
(MORE fromMike KitchelPanther Racing)
And wouldn't you know it, the good folks at Team Penske might make the announcement right here in my backyard. Actually, two annonucements.
If Sam Hornish stays true to form, trusting team owner Roger Penske to all but make career decisions for him, the three-time Indy Racing League champion will be announced on Saturday night in Phoenix as the new third driver for Penske's Nextel Cup team.Now now, let's not make any SNAP decisions here, Roger. You should really take your time and thoughtfully consider all of your options, but just in case I'll be preparing a press bullpen outside of my cubicle here at work. I'll have complimentary Atomic Fireballs ready for anyone who attends.
Though Penske said Sunday a final decision would be made in next few days, he smiled, adding, "My inclination would be to go with him."
Penske said if Hornish goes to NASCAR, former IRL driver Ryan Briscoe, who has tested Indy cars for Penske, would move from the organization's American Le Mans Series unit to team with Helio Castroneves. (MORE from St Petersburg Times)
It’s another Dances With Helio kind of Monday again, and after the Cheater Girl was shockingly sent home last week our own beloved Happy Feet has now bested half of the field with but a handful of weeks remaining. After exchanging sobbing “I Love You”s with her dance partner last week, Sabrina looks to be the early favorite to capture the “Sleeping With the Stars award”.
Being a newbie to watching this dancing thing, I had no idea this was not a dancing show. No friends, it’s a popularity show, and after seeing Helio hobble around on a bruised knee the first week it’s clear the way to gain the maximum popularity is by garnering sympathy with the television audience.
Check the list of “reasons to pity me” the other finalists have displayed:
Old Spice – Scary Mel had a cold a few weeks ago, and now she’s battling an eye infection. She’ll probably have diverticulitis this week, so count your lucky stars you aren’t her healthcare provider.
Dr Quinn – Jane Seymour missed the elimination episode last week due to “food poisoning”. Plus she’s older than dirt, which means the judges are incessantly tripping over themselves to see who can call her “classy” the most times.
Humpy – While Cameron has no obvious injuries, he has subtly reminded everyone how nice his wife is for letting him dry-hump his “partner” every week. Plus, how can you not take pity on a guy who dances with a woman who’s wardrobe is straight outta Cher’s garage sale?
90210 – Jennie Garth tripped and fell in the opening weeks, but she’s really played up the angle about how she’s been FORCED to neglect her kids while dancing with a teenage boy for 8-10 hours a day. The horror, the horror.
Grandma Osmond – The pity champ thusfar, Marie fainted on LIVE television. Dropped to the floor with a thud, I tell ya. This can only be trumped by saving a child from a burning building or dying. Or both.
Helio, you defiitely have your work cut out for you. These washed up stars are shameless, and limping isn't going to cut it anymore. It's time for you to develop a mild case of laryngitis like you did in Michigan, big guy. You've made us watch this much, so you better do what needs to be done to win the freaking thing.
So this weekend Sam Hornish Jr took a different approach by entering in a Busch series race instead of trying to get into a the Cup series, and lo and behold he qualified just as he has several other times this year in that series. But then something strange happened. Remember this weekend how Sam had changed his tune? Instead of quotes about doing all he can do in an Indycar he was yapping about how if he has to return to IndyCars and try to win The 500 again then he’s all for it. Well, maybe some higher power was listening.
Around lap 10 of this weekend’s race, Sam’s behemoth lost it’s grip (where’s all that downforce when you REALLY need it?) and started sliding around the infield. To Sam’s credit he kept the car from hitting anything, but he had flat-spotted the tires and would suffer a blowout while circling the track. And this is the strange part: just a few laps in and Sam’s right front tire explodes, shredding the entire fender off the car. Sam would go on to finish the race, driving the reminder of the race with an, ahem, “open wheel” tin top. Sam finished 31st.
Now this kind of thing happens now and again in the N-word, but for it to happen to Hornish in his first race laps since the end of the ICS season is just monumentally coincidental. Maybe this is connecting too many dots, but if ever a guy needed a sign as to his future it would seem Sam just got one. Then again, maybe he just takes Kurt Busch’s points and we’ll all forget this ever happened.
Also entered in the race, Dario Franchitti finished 25th. FoxSports has a nice story about how popular Dario is for his work with Special Olympics, but please don’t draw any parallels between the mentally challenged and his new form of racing. I’m just going to stop right there.
A twist this week from Texas Motor Speedway - the very same track where Sam may have recorded his final ICS victory. In an attempt to get seat time in any kind of stock car, Mr Penske has entered Mr Hornish in the Busch series race on Saturday instead of the Cup event on Sunday.
More intriguing are the words coming from Sam's mouth about his "Indecision" decision.
"I don't know," he said. "It's tough to say. I think we'd be a little closer along to making the decision or might have made it by now if we had had more success than what we've been doing so far. But I think the big thing for us is not to push too far ahead or to be too worried about that decision.Sam? Is that you?
"The good thing about being here at Penske Racing is Roger will be able to find a good driver to put in. If he decides to have me keep running Indy cars, he'll find somebody for over here. I'm not forced to make that decision because I don't have to give anybody a heads up right away because they might have to find another driver real quick."
"I had a dream to some day go to Indianapolis and qualify for the (Indy 500)," he continued. "I accomplished that eight years ago and everything's been a bonus since then. I'm up for whatever the next challenge is. That could be to win Indy again or try to win Indy in a stock car." (MORE from Yahoo! Sports)
Despite the departure of Hideki Mutoh and the Super Aguri sponsorship packages, it would appear to be a bit premature to write the Panther Racing eulogy. The team has already released two announcements today, with perhaps more to come very soon.
First, Henri Durand has been hired as Technical Director – a position that hasn’t been filled since Andy Brown left in 2006 to go help Dan Wheldon and TCGR win a bunch of races. Durand comes with LOTS of Formula One experience, which should come in handy considering that last season the two Panther drivers only once finished higher than 9th on a road or street course.
Nobody is more excited about Durand’s arrival than veteran driver Vitor Meira, who joined Durand for the first time during a test recently in Alabama. The test was short, and the track unfamiliar, but Panther’s Brazilian came away impressed.Meanwhile, in a separate announcement the folks at Panther sounded confident they will remain a two-car team in the ICS and will also be able to continue their Indy Pro entry in 2008.
“I don’t know how else to say it – but he’s awesome,” Meira admitted. “He knows these cars and anticipates how they’ll react. For every change we make, Henri is thinking about how that affects every other part of the car – and it’s going to make a difference.”
Panther officials are working hard to solidify the team as a two-car IndyCar Series operation and continue to run its Indy Pro Series car...How close? Well, the Panther Racing web site says to look for new web site on November 1st.
With Delphi set to return in 2008, Panther already has a solid foundation entering the season. Now, it’s a matter of crossing the “Ts” and dotting the “Is” to complete it’s full program. What has been a tremendous help in putting together a budget for 2008 is the IndyCar Series new TEAM distribution plan, which Barnes praised when it was announced last month.
“We’re really close,” Barnes said. “I can’t wait to tell our fans what we have in store for next season.”
