Now THIS is efficiency. In answering a question today the intrepid Curt Cavin dropped at least five new storylines - all in a single paragraph.

Question: I've heard rumors that Milka Duno has signed with D&R again to do ovals while Darren Manning handles road and street courses. Can you confirm this? Also what is the chance of Dale Coyne rolling out a second car from Indy on out and what happened to Tomas Shecckter? I thought he had some money lined up. (Chris, Scottsburg, Ind.)

Answer: Dennis Reinbold told me that Milka has not signed, but they are hoping she will for nine to 11 races this season. He was happy with the job Darren Manning did for the team, and Darren is expected to be at Long Beach and probably other races. As for Coyne, he's trying for a second car. As for Scheckter, Team 3G co-owner Greg Beck told me they expect to run him in Long Beach but the money has not yet been received. As we all should know by now, nothing is a done deal until checks clear. One more bit of information: Scott Sharp was trying to put together a deal with Panther Racing for Indy, but talks have apparently broke off.

(MORE from Ask The Expert)

Let's recap:
1. Milka not signed, but is possibly returning to D&R.
2. Darren Manning is now expected to be at Long Beach for D&R.
3. Dale Coyne still trying for second car (presumably for Bruno Junqueira).
4. Tomas Scheckter still not confirmed for Team 3G.
5. Scott Sharp is trying to get to Indy, possibly with Panther Racing.

Holy mother of Cronkite!

My Name Is IRL is all about sharing, and since his comments only overshadow my own race recaps I have yet again bestowed upon this site's lone "Commentator Emeritus" the duties of 2009 post-race analysis. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the VIP of the Comfy Couch, the one, the only, the "mmack".

Greetings Race Fans! The Fabulous mrs. mmack called our satellite provider and we now have Versus (Network Slogan: "Hey, when you're done watching the race, how about some Bull Riding?"). As mrs. mmack is taking care of her mom after a recent hospital stay, I will be commenting solo from the Comfy Couch.

It's 1:00 PM CST and HEY! Race Coverage! No sudden death women's golf, sudden death men's golf, or softball. Wow, coverage of a race other than the Indianapolis 500 starting ON TIME. Truly the 21st Century is a magical time in which to live.

Prior to the race I note that Graham Rahal (Born in Glen Ellyn, IL, driving for Newman\Haas\Lanigan from Lincolnshire, IL) and Justin "I guar-an-teee it, mon ami" Wilson (Dale Coyne Racing from Plainfield, IL) are sharing the front row and bringing some sunshine to Illinois, which will be covered in one to three inches of Global Warming later tonight.

Bob Jenkins introduces the broadcast team and now Jack Arute is working the pits as some sort of package deliveryman or something. Jack, if you're dropping off mrs. mmack's Stamping Up order or my kit order from Squadron Shop, please leave them in the right corner of the front patio, and wrap the boxes in plastic so they won't get wet if it rains. You guys almost ruined my last order, just sayin'.

The Versus team introduces the drivers and I note a few things:

1) When Tony Kanaan was younger and had hair, he looked like a Mini-Me version of Roberto Guerrero
2) Evidently Elvis IS in the building, or Dario visited Graceland when he was down south in Tin Top Land
3) "Kinder, Gentler" Danica. Um-hum, we'll see how long THAT lasts. Somehow I expected her to break into a verse of "I Enjoy Being a Girl" or "I Feel Pretty" during her Jack Arute interview. Listen, if we're going to talk about shoes, talk to Choppers, I mean the Geico Gecko, I mean Dan Wheldon.

Around 1:30 the 2009 season starts WITH A FESTIVAL OF CARBON FIBER!!!!!!!! Poor Graham is pushed, shoved, poked, and kicked back to dead last after a failed attempt to go five or six wide into turn one. As Graham goes off roading, Alex Tagliani VAULTS over the nose of his car, adding insult to injury. Mike Conway decides to get coverage for his team by torpedoing the tire barriers. Multiple replays show Tony putting his nose (the car's not his) into Graham, sending him for a little spin. I came for a road race in St. Pete and I get short track action at Bristol.

Announcers state "Kanaan needs a new nose" and I think "Damn, that's cold, talking about Tony that way. I mean, we do call him 'Nariz', but still", until I see the new Dallara nose cone in the AGR pits. After a carbon fiber rhinoplasty, Tony joins Graham at the back of the class.

Somehow, some way, The Cajun Chef has the lead! Just 99 laps to go and my hometown homies will get that first win!

We're back to green and Wilson leads Elvi, I mean Dario and is pulling away ever so slightly. To answer the burning question for 2009, the part of Marty Roth will now be played by Stanton Barrett.

Someone please fax, e-mail, or snail mail a copy of The Danica Directive to:

Raphael Matos
c/o Luczo Dragon Racing,
150 Gasoline Alley
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Replays show that Matos tries to put himself between Danica! and the wall with sadly predictable results, although the whipsaw crash into the tires looked cool, but felt painful, I'm sure. Kinder, gentler Danica appears and does not point at Matos and yell "I WILL KILL HIM!" at the top of her lungs.

In the meantime, Vitor Meira plays "Tags, you're it!" with Tagliani's rear tire, while Hideki Mutoh sends Moraes into the wall.

Pit stops occur and Will "Where's my pit again OH MY GOD I GOTTA STOP!!!!!!!" Power overshoots his pits, which causes Scott "THIS is how I finally get Versus to cover me?" Dixon to overshoot his pit. In a real world case of "Don't raise the bridge, lower the river", the Target team physically pushes Scott's car closer to the refueling hose. By the time Scott leaves the pits, he needs a telescope to see the race leader.

During the midpoint of the race there is actual passing for position as drivers on different fuel strategies. Wilson, Kanaan, and Rahal are working their way forward through this, while Briscoe Inferno leads. Things are in a "hold steady, trending to lockstep" mode until The Cajun Chef makes his last stop on lap 71 and in a nail biting, toe curling move heads off Briscoe at the pass. Now if this just stays green . . .

Oh who am I kidding. Taking a page from the Tin Tops, first Ed Carpenter spins in the marbles, bringing out a full course caution. EJ Viso takes this time to retire from the race, while I see visions of Penske Racing swamping brave little Dale Coyne. And speaking of visions, how about Ryan Hunter-Reay up to third?

The race restarts and Wilson holds off Briscoe! Can it be . . .

Nope. We get a shot of Scott Dixon's car in the tires. All together now: "Full Course Yellow". For those of you playing along at home, take a drink!

Replays show that Dixon tried the "Matos Move" on Hideki and both cars bounced, hopped, and skidded along interleaved until they got untangled and Scott's suspension failed sending him straight into the wall.

It's the restart and my heart is crushed! Briscoe around Wilson. Maybe Penske Racing IS The Evil Empire. O-Ryan the Hunter gets past the Cajun Chef too.

OH NO! It's another (say it with me) Full Course Yellow! Cue the Pressdog circus music! Take a drink! Wheldon into Doornbos, Wheldon in the wall. Mutoh into Wheldon. Feeling left out, Marco hits Mutoh. It's not St. Pete, it's Bristol, I tell you, Bristol TN! Mutoh has now hit everything on the track but the pace car and the hot dog stand.

Another yellow, another restart. Can O-Ryan the Hunter bag Briscoe Inferno? He's closing, and then SURPRISE! Another yellow. Marco wasn't quite done I guess, and garners coverage for AGR by tangling with Tags and spinning out. On the plus side, the shots of his sidepods as he blocks the track give his sponsors major air. Everybody take a drink!

After the final restart, it is not to be for Vision and Dale Coyne. Briscoe Inferno sails on to the win. The Hunter bags second, while the Cajun Chef cooks up a third place win. Both best finishes for their teams, but still, it would have been cool to see an upset.

In closing, there were some verbal gaffes, but for the first race, Versus did a very good job. We'll follow them in two weeks from sunny Cal-i-for-ni-ay and the streets of Long Beach.

Look out! Someone else just hit poor Alex Tagliani!

It's race day! HALLELUJAH! I got my upgraded cable package, my pressdog "Cue the circus music" t-shirt, and my fully-charged laptop. I am so excited, and I just can't...possibly make a Pointer Sisters reference.

Yesterday Graham Rahal went out and claimed the pole in his preparing to defend his victory here at St Pete. Last year there was much tongue-wagging that the victory was a fluke since it was aided by both fuel strategy and a time-shortened race, and now it seems his claiming of the pole this year shares a similar controversy. Says Rahal's former teammate Justin Wilson - who qualified 2nd - "I was robbed."

Should make for a fun first turn. Wilson's position is reportedly the best ever for a Dale Coyne car (previously 7th). This Wilson guy is pretty good.

Before we start, here's a quick congratulations to Junior Strous, who swept BOTH Firestone Indy Lights races in St Pete this weekend. Keep an eye on the young driver from the Netherlands, because he accomplished this feat without driving for one of the big FIL teams like Sam Schmidt Motorsports or AFS/AGR.

Also, kudos to VERSUS for the coverage provided during yesterday's qualification. The broadcast team this year is HUGE, and I'm especially looking forward to having Dreyer & Reinbold co-owner Robbie Buhl in the booth. Best moment: when D&R's Mike Conway wrecked and Jon Beekhuis asked "How much is that gonna cost?"

One last note for the tens of you who were greatly anticipating the My Name Is IRL "Cheat Sheets" provided in previous years: they're gone. They've been replaced by the "Pay Attention" feature over at Silent Pagoda. Yes, I'm spreading myself too thin by moonlighting at another blog, but in these trying times we all need to kick the efforts up a notch.

The kids (P1, et al) are here as well as father-in-law Link. And with that...it's time to start!

0: First thing to note - SUNSHINE! No rain this year. Quite the opposite in fact, as we might have some extra sliding on the heated surface.

0: FREE IndyCar Race Control is DOA. Hope they didn't spend too much on those ads promoting the feature on VERSUS.

0: Also, cars have the vertical flaps on the front wings. Cattle guards have been deployed.

0: Conquest Racing says "In each of their (two) previous participations at the 14-turn street course, Conquest Racing has finished with one car in the top five." We'll try to keep an eye on Alex Tagliani, and we'll check to see if "participations" is a word.


0: Important news item from the intrepid Curt Cavin: Roger Penske says of Helio: "If he's cleared, he's going in...We can run three."

0: Encouraging words from reader Nancy. "The word from St. Petersburg is MORE! We came here expecting less...not as many vendors, fewer attendees, a scaled down event. We got here late on Friday afternoon, and found a crowd we would have normally expected on Saturday."

0: Jack Arute has no firesuit today, but he does have a podium. He's now Vice President of Package Introduction.

0: P2 just got his first glimpse of Dario and his new hairstyle and asked "Who is that? Jeff Simmons?"

0: I just realized - I'm NOT watching women's golf. Huzzah!

0: Dan Wheldon says his newborn son Sebastian tinkled on him several times during "Daddy Pit Stops". Dan, with boys you gotta drop the defense shield (a.k.a. The Wipe) IMMEDIATELY after diaper removal. You're welcome.

0: Kinder, gentler Danica. She just told Arute "I love you." Link just asked "She on Xanax?"

0: Why we use Twitter. From @VisionRacing: "Vision drivers have um... Taken care of business (aka gone potty) and are now at their cars. TMI?"

0: Full disclosure - I don't have a favorite driver, but as long as he's in the race I'm unabashedly hoping Justin Wilson and Dale Coyne can win today. An underdog voctory like that would be epic. I realize I probably just jinxed Justin into wrecking in the first turn, but I thought you should know.

0: "Drivers...start your Honda engines!" Excellent use of audio by VERSUS. I'm getting a little choked up with excitement.

1: And we are green green green! ...And just like that it's amateur hour in turn one. Rahal slowed down and got turned around in the first turn. Conway seems to have run off as well.

2: Replay shows Tagliani running over the front of Rahal's car. Kanaan also needs a new nose cone as well. Are these DP01s?

4: Still yellow. Wilson, Franchitti, Briscoe, Power, Manning.

5: We're back to green. This time clean restart.

5: Kanaan and Rahal already moving up from the back. Credit newcomer Stanton Barrett for getting out of their way without incident.

7: We go to commercial - Side-by-side! Hooray again for VERSUS!

8: Programming note: P1 is also "live blogging" in her journal. She just called that GoDaddy ad "the stupidest commercial ever".

9: Looks like Wilson on The Reds is pulling away from Franchitti. Over a second. three seconds back to Briscoe in third.

13: The crew is talking about Manning and Tagliani and Doornbos. I'm in shock.

15: No change in the leaders but Franchitti is closing in on Wilson, who's led every lap. A Dale Coyne car has led EVERY lap. Bruce Willis is readying to be sent to a meteor.

18: No passing anywhere unless you count Stanton Barrett being lapped. We should have pit stops soon.

19: Mutoh pits early. Looks like he was passed by Matos and Moraes. If your surname starts with "M" you've got a leg up on being an IndyCar driver.

21: After going to the back on the first lap Tony Kanaan is back up to 15th. Graham Rahal, not so successful today.

23: Kanaan up to 13th. Come one, VERSUS - show the guy who's passing people every lap!

25: Rahal has gotten it together. He's right behind Kanaan and they're both on camera. Thank you, VERSUS.

29: Nice battle between Moraes, Kanaan and Rahal. More than one block party being thrown. If Helio was in there we'd probably see a black flag.

31: Up front, Wilson has grown his lead to six seconds. Ganassi and Penske cars behind him must be switching to the dreaded "fuel strategy". Don't fall for it, Justin!

32: Looks like Tags has a flat tire. Dropping like a stone.

32: Yellow! Matos and Moraes and Danica are all wrecked. Danica was talking to Matos, probably asking if he saw her. Looks like Matos didn't have the position to make that move.

33: Tagliani's tire got cut by Vitor's front wing.

33: Also Mutoh punted Moraes and sent him int the wall. Amazingly Justin Wilson avoided getting caught up in that.

35: Everyone pits. Holy Ganassi Pit Circus! Dixon just had like a 20 second pit stop. Power had some issues in front of him, Dixon stalled, got out of position...these things tend to snowball.

37: Briscoe, Wheldon, Viso, Hunter-Reay, Doornbos - Wilson now 7th? What happened?

38: Let's talk to Danica. "It's not exactly the ideal spot to pass." No real disparaging comments about Matos. Link says "She's DEFINITELY on Xanax."

40: Back to green. Much passing. Justin Wilson up to 5th, even around the ever dangerous Robert Doornbos.

41: Justin inside of Hunter-Reay, now up to 4th. EJ Viso ahead of him. Proceed with caution, Mr Wilson. Franchitti makes some moves to get up to 6th. Rahal 7th, Kanaan 8th.

42: Dan Wheldon is in second. Have we even seen him since the race started? I hope he gets a little more air today than "my son urinates on me".

45: Arute is talking to Oriol Servia. Servia's probably the current guy sitting on the Throne of Injustice (best unemployed driver). Bob Jenkins like the way he rolls his "R"s. For real.

50: We're halfway through and Briscoe still leads. Wheldon, Viso, Wilson, Hunter-Reay. I sincerely hope this isn't another time-shortened event.

52: Wilson finally around Viso. Fellow Englishman Dan Wheldon is next for Wilson.

53: Stanton Barrett is noticeably slower, but he's doing his best to get out of the way. He's the GT2 car out there today.

55: And just as I say that Barrett is stopped on the course and brings out a full course caution. Why is this a full course yellow?

57: Back to green and Wilson is all up in Wheldon's business. Can't get around him, though. Not yet at least. Briscoe, Wheldon, Wilson, Hunter-Reay, Franchitti. Rahal and Kanaan right behind them.

58: For a guy who just got in the car, Hunter-Reay has been the most impressive driver today. Hopefully IZOD is pleased.

64: And, we're in full "parade mode".

65: This just in: Scott Dixon is in 14th. He'll be listening to that "Had a bad day" song on his iPod tonight.

67: I have a 55" TV and I can' read that lap indicator. Can anyone else read that?

68: Briscoe, Wheldon and Kanaan pit without incident. Wilson assumes the lead again.

69: Who's this courteous guy driving in the HVM car?

70: Graham Rahal is suddenly losing position all over the place.

71: Wilson makes his final pit stop and comes out ahead of Briscoe. Got cold tires so Briscoe Inferno is all over him. WARNING: actual racing, viewer discretion is advised.

72: Looks like Ed Carpenter is in the wall. Local yellow only, thankfully.

73: Nevermind - full course caution. Wilson, Briscoe, Wheldon, Hunter-Reay, Franchitti.

74: Hideki Mutoh is in 8th. He nearly took out the race leader earlier but he's right behind his teammates Kanaan in 6th and Marco in 7th. Meanwhile Scott Dixon is in 11th behind Robert Doornbos.

75: EJ Viso is in the pits and it doesn't look like he's leaving anytime soon. Gotta say, though he was near the front EJ was a tad boring today. Brian Barnhart probably appreciates it, but I sure don't.

77: That's quite a nasty blister on Viso's hand. Maybe his agent can get him a Band-Aid sponsorship.

78: Back to green, and Wheldon and Franchitti just lost a bunch of positions. Not so magically delicious.

79: Wilson, Briscoe, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Franchitti. Wheldon back to 6th.

81: And Dixon is out, hard into the wall. Not the way to start a title defense.

82: Looks like he tried to take Mutoh and Godzilla came down and ate up the front of his left-front suspension. Full course yellow once again in effect.

83: I don't know what pressdog's beer of the race will be, but I'm having a tasty new batch of Mr Beer right now. Times are tough, people, and we need to make our own beverages.

83: I swear that in that shot where he's lying on the floor, that WEC fighter named "Torres" looks more than a little like Wade Cunningham.

85: 15 laps to go. Still yellow. Still Wilson. Dale Coyne is probably popping Rolaids like they're M&Ms.

86: Back to green and Briscoe gets past Wilson. Great move by Ryan. Both Ryans, actually, as Hunter-Reay got around Wilson as well.

86: Trouble down the track. Wheldon and Doornbos touch. Wheldon into the wall, Mutoh into Wheldon. Andretti into Mutoh. They'll all be done as we're back to another yellow.

90: Still yellow. 10 laps to go. 13 minutes in the broadcast. Don't time me, bro.

92: Back to green. Hunter-Reay on The Reds is all over Briscoe, who's on regular tires. Wilson a bit back in 3rd. Pity.

96: Yellow! I guess Marco wasn't done, but he is now as he and Tagliani tangle, send Marco spinning on the track. Tags tried to pass without passing, which rarely works. Hunter-Reay should get one more shot at overtaking Briscoe on a restart.

97: Restart and no one passes anyone. We're down to 12 cars. Sheesh.

99: White flag for Briscoe. Expect little passing for the last lap.

100: And Briscoe takes the win for his first points victory on a street course. Hunter-Reay second and Justin Wilson third for an extremely surprising podium group. They might all be eye-level. Congratulations to them all.

High marks also for Tony Kanaan, who went from the back to 5th. He's pretty good.

Also, shockingly, Stanton Barrett got back on the track and finished 12th. 12th! Robert Doornbos also got back on the track and finished 11th. Good showing for those rookies, even though they were both 4 laps down.

We've run long in the broadcast window and WE'RE STILL GOING. Big hug, VERSUS. Above-average show today, and I hope the ratings reflect that. I'm going to start wading through the comments and see what Chris and Meesh had to say. And of course the world-famous pressdog recap.

Program note: For the next race I may or may not have a LiveBlog because I'll be LIVE FROM LONG BEACH. My first time to the famed event, so I'm all tingly. The IndyCar coverage will resume tomorrow, so for now - thank you all very much, and good night!

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Graham Rahal's favorite color (at least for the day) is red.

Utilizing the new Firestone Racing alternate tires - heretofore known as the "reds" - played a role in the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver setting another record on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street course.

Last April, making his IndyCar Series debut in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Rahal became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing history. On a sunny afternoon alongside Tampa Bay, he became the youngest pole winner in IndyCar Series history.

(MORE from IndyCar.com)

Here is the unofficial qualification order and best average lap speed for tomorrow's Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg, as provided by TrackSide Online into the email boxes of billions (give or take) of race fans like me.

1. Graham Rahal 103.828 MPH
2. Justin Wilson 103.746
3. Tony Kanaan 103.629
4. Ryan Briscoe 103.564
5. Dario Franchitti 103.361
6. Will Power 103.289
7. Alex Tagliani 103.357
8. Scott Dixon 102.875
9. Raphael Matos 102.638
10. Darren Manning 102.364
11. Dan Wheldon 102.090
12. Mike Conway No Time (he had a bit of an accident)
13. Robert Doornbos 103.196
14. Ryan Hunter-Reay 102.821
15. Danica Patrick 103.141
16. EJ Viso 102.759
17. Vitor Meira 102.999
18. Marco Andretti 102.264
19. Hideki Mutoh 102.321
20. Mario Moraes 102.124
21. Stanton Barrett 97.307
22. Ed Carpenter 100.869

Pretty close speeds, eh? Remember - you can catch all of the qualification action from this morning on VERSUS today at 5pm ET. Unless, of course, you don't have VERSUS, in which case you have my deepest sympathies.

"He was always racing us out of the pit box, and today's not the day for that...He has to understand that I have to move over for other cars. There has to be give and take. And he has to slow down." - Current Panther Racing driver Dan Wheldon, on yesterday's pit road accident with former Panther Racing driver Vitor Meira - an incident in which only Hideki Mutoh was penalized.

At least Dan didn't say Meira was "probably feeling the pressure of not winning races" like he once said of one of Vitor's former teammates.

This is yesterday's news, but recently VERSUS got Graham Rahal to take the extraordinary step of answering questions FROM BLOGGERS. And it was all, caught on tape.

Pressdog, Indy Racing Revolution, is it May yet?, 16th and Georgetown, No Fenders and IRL Blog all presented questions to the Son of 'Stache, who appears in the videos to be standing beside a busy street next to a VERSUS branded 2-seater. I can only imagine how many times he had to explain "No, that's not my car - I drive solo." Hopefully a lot.

As much as it's entertaining to listen to Graham attempt to answer questions about things like his not-ready-for-primetime facial hair and "meats and cheeses", the thing I caught was when Graham dropped a note of confidence about a technical change that came under the radar for most of us.

For the 2009 season the IRL locked the wheelbase of the cars at 120 inches, meaning you can't get out your cutting torch and go all Monster Garage on your Dallara. I'm not sure of all the technical reasons for doing this (presumably reducing vibration and increasing stability), but young Rahal seems pumped that it will allow N/H/L and others to be "a lot more competitive" on the ovals.

So if you heard it here first, thank the bloggers. Seriously, go leave some comments and thank them personally - it's not like they get paid to do this stuff. Oh, and thank Graham Rahal if you see him. Maybe you could even buy something in Graham's new online store, like say a lovely shirt for your lady friend.

And thank VERSUS too. Hopefully they can continue to facilitate this kind of Q&A thing in the future, because goodness knows these guys have got plenty more questions to help showcase the league's personalities.

There hasn't been an actual story yet, but over the last 24 hours there have been a few mentions of a forthcoming press conference on Monday that says some N-Word team is going to announce an IndyCar team.

Curt Cavin attempted to answer as much in his Q&A today.

Question: So, what's this about a N****R team coming to Indy this year? (Tim, Xenia)

Answer: Gossip has everyone from Tony Stewart to Robby Gordon, but my sources say John Andretti with Richard Petty Motorsports.

That sounds like a bit of a yawner since John Andretti raced last year at Indy, although racing under the "Richard Petty Motorsports" banner would be noteable. Than again, Richard Petty doesn't own that team, so maybe it's back to being a yawner.

But then things got spiced up today when Mike King added to this rumor. During IMS Radio coverage of this morning's practice session on the streets of St Pete King added (without shouting) "It's somebody that already should have won it."

No offense to John Andretti, but I don't recall an Indy 500 that he should have already won, so that would take his name out of play and put two others in the rumor mill.

First is Robby Gordon, who owns his own team and has done "the double" of competing in both The Greatest Spectacle In Racing and the Soda Pop 600 stock car race that evening. No driver has attempted this 1100-mile feet in recent years because the logistical problems presented after the start of the Indianapolis 500 bumped back to later in the day, but it's not impossible to think Gordon would return. Plus, he nearly won the race in 1999 before running out of fuel on the next to last lap, so he fits King's criteria. Gordon also threatened to take his team to the IndyCar Series last year.

Then again, as 16th and Georgetown notes, there could be issues with Toyota for Gordon.

But more newsworthy would be the the idea that Tony Stewart is the guy in question. Smoke held the pole (and at the time a track record) in 1996, and he also did "the double" in his younger, leaner years. But now he's an owner and not just a racer, but one who has recently appeared in a press conference with AJ Foyt, sporting the famed "#14" of Super Tex lore on his Chevy.

If this is going to be a big deal requiring a press conference then the smart money would seem to be on a Hoosier like Stewart, possibly in partnership with Foyt. (Or maybe it's former Truck series driver Paul Tracy since he's 1 to 1 on the press conference to race ratio and almost won the race in 2002.) We can sit around and guess all weekend, but personally I'd just like to see Sam Hornish Jr return over any of the aforementioned.

I'll now do my impression of that kid in "Shane" by yelling "Saaaam! Come baaaack!".

UPDATE: I totally missed this in my email barrage this morning. From the braintrust at TrackSide Online, who I should have read before anyone else. Here are the details, which under the heading of "make his debut as a car owner" would seem to remove Robby Gordon's name from speculation.

A media teleconference will be held Monday, April 6, to announce the car entry of a NASCAR team owner in the 93rd Indianapolis 500 Mile Race set for Sunday, May 24.

The teleconference is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT and will follow a 2 p.m. press conference held in the North Green Room at the base of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Pagoda.

The NASCAR team owner will make his debut as a car owner for this year's Indy 500. On May 24, the owner will join past Indy 500-winning team owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi as the only team principals with entries in both Memorial Day racing classics, the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

CAVIN WAS RIGHT: And it involves Dreyer & Reinbold.

IndyCar Series sources say that Richard Petty Motorsports, in conjunction with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, will field a car for John Andretti in this year's Indianapolis 500. A formal announcement is set for Monday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

(MORE from AOL FanHouse)

MIKE KING RESPONDS: King just read out loud an email from a fan who asked if John Andretti was the guy and Mike said "This is not the driver and team we were told." So, ladies and gentlemen, re-start your wild-ass speculation.

Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured "someday soon"
We kissed and clung together

Actually it's March and not June that we may murmur "someday soon", according to the sidebar of a USAToday interview with one IRL executive.

"Terry Angstadt, president of the IRL's commercial division, says the series would like to start its schedule a few weeks earlier and is considering many options, including a season opener in Brazil (an agency based in the country has become the series' ethanol supplier)."

Chris Estrada is deeply troubled by this idea, saying effectively that you can't have an American-based series starting or ending it's season outside of the the USA. I see his point, and agree that ending the season overseas would be the mother of all bad ideas, but perhaps because this off-season has lasted through three seasons I'd be happy to start the season on Moonbase Alpha if it meant racing in March. Or February, even.

On a more positive note, this does give me another opportunity to refer all race fans to the ever-popular Brazilian Name Generator.

Dreyer and Reinbold will be on today's IRL teleconference to make a driver announcement, though we do not know if this announcement will be for a full or partial season deal.

DRR has been pretty much staffed to run a pair of cars this year, and they have extra people in their shop since they will likely run 3 cars at the 500 (that too hasn't officially been announced).

We do not have any official confirmation on the DRR driver yet, but we think it will be Darren Manning. - Trackside Online

Darren Manning will drive for Dreyer & Reinbold at St. Pete. - Curt Cavin

You never know what kind of hoax may appear when the calendar flips to the first day in April, so we all have to be on the lookout so as not to be duped by deliberately fraudulent reports today. Be on the lookout for stuff like this article uncovered by Chris Estrada.

Volkswagen Indycar Engine revealed

The Indianapolis 500 will exclusively use VW power in 2011 Racecar can exclusivley reveal. VAG's new engines will be based on a revolutionary quad turbo W16 design. The two litre powerplants are said to be highly efficient and only use three quarters of the fuel used in the current IRL spec engines.

Whilst all the engine blocks will be identical a number of different cylinder head and bottom end layouts are available, each is to be badged by a different part of the VAG company, most notably Porsche. The most interesting variant is the triple crankshaft Bugatti branded unit, which trades off incredile efficiency and marginally higher power against increased weight and a higher centre of gravity.

A full study on the new engines will appear in next months magazine.

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Holy flux capacitors, I certainly hope that's a hoax.