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With Danica Patrick Leaving, Should Andretti Autosport Downsize?

Posted by Chad Smith on June 9, 2011
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The speculation out there today is that Danica Patrick is close to signing a deal that will land her in the NASCAR Nationwide Series full-time next year. While she may come back to run in the Indy 500, this is certainly her last full-time year in IndyCar.

While I don’t think losing her will hurt the series, I think it could actually help Michael Andretti keep some of his hair over the next few years.

With the loss of Danica, and the GoDaddy sponsorship for the No. 7 car, people have already begun the discussions of who should get her ride next year. While there are plenty of viable options out there at the moment, I believe that keeping the seat empty could really benefit the Andretti Autosport team.

Michael tried to get all five of his cars in this year’s Indy 500, and two of them were left out. The team is a four-car full-time operation, with no serious championship contender.

One of those drivers that failed to make the field at Indianapolis, Mike Conway, is the only Andretti Autosport driver in the top 10 (10th) in the Championship standings.

Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti do have contracts for next season with the team, but Conway and Danica’s contracts expire at the end of this year. Would it actually be better for the team if they were to stay a two-car operation? I believe that trying to get so many cars competitive for every race is wearing them too thin.

Look at Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske, and what they have done with teams smaller than Andretti’s. The dynamic duo in the Target machines have dominated the last few years, as have Will Power and Helio Castroneves in Penske’s camp.

Look at the success of other teams like Newman/Haas Racing. With a proven veteran like Oriol Servia and a rookie sensation in James Hinchcliffe, they have the perfect combination of youth and experience. Servia is third in the overall championship standings, while Hinchcliffe has two top-ten finishes, as well as a top-five finish in just four career starts.

If the team could put the same amount of focus and hard work into two cars instead of four or five, I think the performances on track would be greatly improved. Marco Andretti has the talent, not only on the ovals, but the road/street courses as well. Ryan Hunter-Reay has also proven that he is a great talent no matter what circuit they are at.

Speculation is that Ryan Briscoe could be finished at Penske after this year, but I don’t see him pulling the plug on him. Obviously if there were no other openings, that would be the best situation for both parties, but like I said before, I think Roger is confident enough in Ryan that he will stay with the team.

Other people have also mentioned the possibility of Tony Kanaan returning to the team, but I don’t think that will be happening either. Others have questioned if Sam Hornish Jr. is ready to come back to Open Wheel Racing after his struggles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I wouldn’t bet on that one either.

The most logical choices to fill the ride, if they choose to do so, would be a driver from the Indy Lights Series.

In the end, the best choice for the team in my opinion would be to run just two cars, three at the most. Just going forward with that could really cut down a lot of the stress within the team, and could provide Marco and Ryan with better quality rides.

Next Three Weeks Will Bring More Action and Drama to IndyCar

Posted by Chad Smith on June 9, 2011
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The Indianapolis 500 is now a week behind us, and most fans that don’t follow the sport are now moving on to the next big thing. For the IndyCar Series, things are just getting warmed up.

This weekend was an “off weekend” for the teams, but many of them were up at the Milwaukee Mile doing some much needed testing. Most of the drivers were excited to get back in the cars, even less than a week removed from the grueling 500 mile race in Indy.

Over the course of the next three weeks, the series will visit three different oval venues that will provide some high speed action and some hair raising moments. Things will begin at Texas on Saturday night, where things will take a bit of a twist. Instead of one race, there will be two twin races under the lights. The new format will consist of two full-field races of 114 laps each. Two race winners being recognized by the sanctioning body, and half points will be awarded in both races.

Last year, pole sitter Ryan Briscoe held off Danica Patrick under the lights as the race featured 10 lead changes among seven drivers. Marco Andretti finished third and Scott Dixon came home fourth.

The weekend after that will be the race in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. The series didn’t race at the famed mile oval last year, but they will be back for Father’s Day weekend. Scott Dixon won the last race there in 2009, Briscoe won it in 2008 and Tony Kanaan has two wins at the track in 2006 and 2007.

The weekend following the race at Milwaukee will be the Iowa Corn 250 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be run under the lights on Saturday. Both Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti will surely be looking forward to returning here. The 2010 Iowa Corn Indy 250 marked Tony Kanaan’s return to Victory Lane for the first time since June 2008. In both 2007 and 2009, Dario Franchitti won both the race in Iowa and the championship.

While there are plenty of fans that enjoy the tight corners and extreme road/street course driving, there are even more that love the sport for the high speeds and close racing that is featured on the ovals. Over these next few weeks, there will be some great racing for the fans to watch.

Dan Wheldon Grows His Indianapolis Legacy With Another Win

Posted by Chad Smith on May 30, 2011
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Wheldon

It is called the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the “Biggest Race in the World”, and quite simply; just “Indy”. This year’s race has also been named the “Most Important Race in History”. It only seems right that Dan Wheldon won this year’s Indianapolis 500.

Too often in sports these days, we see players and coaches win Championships, only to add their own flavor to the celebration. Not many of them are thinking about the people that came before them, and who made the event what it has become today. Dan Wheldon is not one of those people.

This is not just another race, which is evident by the 350,000 people that come from around the world to witness the event. The traditions that date back to 100 years ago in 1911 are still carried out today. Winning the Indianapolis 500 is bigger than winning the Series Championship; and any driver that tells you differently is lying to you.

Wheldon knows the history and tradition of Indy, and he absolutely loves it. He showed his passion and emotions of this race even before he got out of his car in Victory Circle.

“For me, winning the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 is very special,” said Wheldon. “I love this racetrack. I love this race and what it’s done for my career even before being a two-time winner. That is an emotion that didn’t come into it before, and because I’m more experienced I’m able to appreciate this more and you have more time to appreciate it.”

He continued, “It’s certainly different from the last one. I remember I was out for most of the night with my sponsor, Jim Beam. Last night, I went to a driver party for about an hour and then I retired to bed. Sebastian (his son) crawled into bed with us about 4 o’clock in the morning and kind of took over the bed. They’re both obviously very good and it’s an amazing achievement by everybody. This one was definitely more emotional; there was a lot more going on. A lot of things have changed in my life since 2005.”

Since his memorable first Indy 500 win in 2005, he has gotten married, has two children, and his mother is battling a disease back home.

“For me, there’s a lot going on back home with my family and it was certainly nice to win. It was very emotional and different from the last one because of that but nevertheless very good. This also is potentially my only race of the season. It wasn’t one of the races with one of the big, powerhouse teams; it was with Bryan Herta. We didn’t do this deal because we were friends.  We would have still been friends even if we hadn’t done this deal. We did it because we believed in one another and we believed that we could win.”

It is simply remarkable that a driver this talented does not have a full-time ride. Not only is he one of the most talented drivers on the ovals, but he is arguably one of the best drivers in the history of Indianapolis. He now has two wins, two second place finishes, a third, and fourth place finish at the famous speedway.

Wheldon came to IndyCar in 2002 with Panther Racing. He then went to Andretti Green Racing in 2004, where he won the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series Championship in 2005. After leaving there, he went to Target Chip Ganassi Racing where he won races and contended for Championships. He was later replaced by Dario Franchitti, and went back to Panther Racing in 2009. Wheldon and the Panther Racing team finished second in the Indy 500 in 2009 and 2010 before leaving at the end of last year.

Wheldon led one time (the final 1,000 feet or so) which is the shortest distance of any race winner in the 100 year history of the Indianapolis 500. The only other driver to lead just the final lap was Joe Dawson in 1912.

It will truly be a shame if Wheldon can’t at least get some cars to drive for the remainder of the season. Not having the Indy 500 winner in any race for the rest of the season would be a big blow for the Series.

In today’s world where winning is only about the “now” moment for the individual or team, seeing a driver win and truly respect and appreciate the history that he is a part of, is very refreshing. Congratulations to Dan Wheldon, and the whole Bryan Herta team.

Interview: Greg Beall – Bringing IndyCar To Life On Canvas

Posted by Christopher Leone on May 26, 2011
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This year’s Indianapolis 500 is by far the most prestigious event in the history of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Advertised as “The Biggest Race in History,” this year marks the 100th anniversary of the race’s inception. Being involved with the series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this event is a privilege for all involved, especially if you’re lucky enough to see a physical manifestation of your hard work.

Count Greg Beall among the lucky ones.

Beall works within the Creative Services Department at IMS, where he was offered the unique opportunity to design one of the covers to this year’s race program. Beyond that, however, Beall has an impressive portfolio that ranges from landscapes to portraits of racing greats that should be familiar with most fans who have visited the Speedway’s Hall of Fame Museum.

We were lucky enough to get Greg to take some time out of his schedule to answer a few questions about his job with IMS, his artwork, and the favorite racing-related pieces he’s ever done. Continue Reading

Should Team Penske Be Worried About Their Chances on Sunday?

Posted by Chad Smith on May 24, 2011
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Roger Penske has 15 Indianapolis 500 wins as an owner, more than anyone in the race’s 100-year history. This year, it appears that No. 16 is going to be tougher than ever.

Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves have combined for seven of those wins. The other winning drivers for Roger Penske in this race are some of the most talented to ever get behind the wheel. Guys like Sam Hornish Jr, Gil de Ferran, Al Unser Jr, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser, Danny Sullivan and Bobby Unser have all tasted the milk at Indianapolis while driving for Roger.Team Penske has won five of the last 10 Indianapolis 500 races.

This year, Will Power has dominated on the street and road courses, winning the pole for all four races prior to coming to Indy. He has two wins, and a runner up finish in those four races. He was fast in every practice session this month, and was perceived to be a favorite coming into Pole Day. He did make the Fast Nine, but will start the race in fifth position, the middle of row two.

Ryan Briscoe has been equally as fast, and was my early prediction to win this year’s race. Going into the morning practice session on Pole Day, he looked like he would be a lock for the front row. Unfortunately Briscoe lost control of his IZOD machine in turn two.

Briscoe backed it into the wall hard, and had to go to his backup car. Even though they took him away on a stretcher, he was cleared to drive just a couple of hours later, and got in the backup car, despite being badly bruised in the accident. Ryan qualified his backup car in 27th position on Sunday.

The third Penske driver, Helio Castroneves, was looking forward to Indianapolis to provide a bounce-back race to his season. He has struggled in the first four races this season, being involved in accidents in every race, including taking out his teammate Will Power at Long Beach.

While he felt good coming to the familiar speedway, his chances of winning a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 took a hit when he didn’t have the speed we thought he would on Pole Day. Many people, including myself, were expecting him to be up in the front row, but he didn’t even make the Fast Nine. Helio will be starting the race in 16th position.

While this weekend wasn’t another Penske domination, having two of the three cars starting worse than 15th is not something we can just brush to the side. The weekend has been overshadowed by the mess that is Andretti Autosport, the brilliance of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, the fuel miscues of Chip Ganassi, and the horrible luck of Dragon Racing.

While I wouldn’t hit the panic button yet on Team Penske, they should probably focus more on finding the speed that Helio needs to make his way to the front. Briscoe’s primary car was one of the fastest all month, so going to a backup car really hurt his chances. Will Power will be fine starting in fifth, but we don’t really know why Helio qualified so poorly.

It would be foolish to count out any of these drivers before the race starts, but they have been outperformed by many teams this past weekend. Normally the favorites for the race are either Penske or Ganassi cars, but this year you have to add in the teams of Sam Schmidt, Newman Haas, and also drivers Dan Wheldon and Ed Carpenter.

Make no mistake though, both Ganassi cars will be up front during the race, and Scott Dixon is going to be very difficult to beat.

Andretti Situation Highlights Problems For Team, Series

Posted by Christopher Leone on May 24, 2011
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Ryan Hunter-Reay watches as Andretti Autosport teammates Marco Andretti bumps him from the 95th Indianapolis 500. Photo credit: Chris Jones, IndyCar Media

You can’t blame Michael Andretti for wanting a vacation right about now.

His Andretti Autosport team is in disarray. Only three of its five cars made the 95th Indianapolis 500 on speed, with Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay going home. That miserable performance cost team manager and sport veteran Tom Anderson his job. Media starlet Danica Patrick is looking at jumping ship to stock car racing full-time in 2012. And now, on top of it all, Andretti and Hunter-Reay have a PR problem on their hands after buying their way into the 500, with Hunter-Reay replacing Bruno Junqueira in A.J. Foyt’s second car.

The rapture may not have come on May 21 as promised, but Andretti sure felt some of the effects anyway. Continue Reading

Happiness For Schmidt, Heartbreak For Andretti In Indy Qualifying

Posted by Christopher Leone on May 23, 2011
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Marco Andretti climbs from his car after qualifying for the 95th Indianapolis 500. Photo credit: Dana Garrett, IndyCar Media

Perhaps no man ever better exemplified the old sporting phrase “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” than Michael Andretti yesterday.

Andretti, he of the famous Andretti clan, former CART champion and current IZOD IndyCar Series team owner, was undoubtedly ecstatic over the fact that his son, Marco, qualified for the 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 with a run that started just four seconds before the gun went off to signal the end of Bump Day.

After 2010 fourth-place finisher Alex Lloyd pulled off a miraculous run to bump the youngest Andretti from the field, Marco showed flashes of what made his grandfather, Mario, a household name to this day by turning the fourth quickest run of the day. It was good for 28th on the 33-car grid, though it would have been good for the middle of the seventh row had he turned it on Saturday.

But at the same time, even winding up in that position was never supposed to happen. Continue Reading

Cholula Announces “Fan of the Day” Promotion

Posted by Christopher Leone on May 7, 2011
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Cholula Hot Sauces, in cooperation with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has announced a “Fan of the Day” promotion for attendees of the Indianapolis 500, beginning today.

Cholula, which has been a proud part of the Indianapolis 500 tradition for the past eight years, will be acknowledging the Fans of the Day on its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Cholula.

The rules, per the IMS blog, are simple:

“Be yourself, and bring it to the track.

If we spot you standing out in the crowd we’ll ask you to answer a few quick questions about what makes you a fanatical fan of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

Winners appear on the Cholula Facebook page and IMS website, and receive a complimentary 4-pack of hot sauce, T-shirt, and 2 ft. tall trophy bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce.

We at OWA are psyched to be working with Cholula to promote the Fan of the Day series. We’ll be using Facebook, Twitter, and the blog to spotlight some of the sport’s biggest and wildest fans. If you’re going to be at the track this month, look out for Cholula reps – you might find yourself on the site as well!

Getting It Right The Second Time

Posted by Christopher Leone on May 6, 2011
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Donald Trump behind the driver's seat of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 pace car. Photo credit: Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway thought it had landed a big fish when it convinced Donald Trump to drive the pace car for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Trump was at the forefront of the American public psyche, a likely presidential candidate for 2012, and the type of highly identifiable face that IMS wanted to be able to attach to an event they’ve dubbed “the biggest race in history.”

Then politics got in the way. Continue Reading

IndyCar Debate: Is Series as Competitive as Standings Say It Is?

Posted by Chad Smith on April 22, 2011
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Franchitti and Dixon

The speculation around the IndyCar Series this year is that it is more wide open than it has been since the merger. While it might feel that way right now, time will prove otherwise.

As they sit right now, there are eight different teams represented in the top ten of the season points standings. While that may be a strong argument for those that believe there is a lot of parody, it may be somewhat smoke and mirrors. There have been many factors that have led us to where we currently stand.

First off, we have only had three races this year. It is still too early to speculate as to how much parody there actually is in the sport today. We have not yet completed a quarter of the races on the schedule, and as we all know, drivers perform better at certain venues than others. For instance, Long Beach is one of the most demanding circuits on the schedule, both mentally and physically. As a result, some drivers are better suited for this course than others, while it may be the other way around for another driver.

While on the topic of the schedule, it is also important to note that we have yet to even see our first event on an oval. With so many new drivers and teams, it is impossible to predict how they will fare on the ovals against the top teams like Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti Autosport. When people talk about the equipment advantage that those three teams have over most everyone else, it applies even more when talking about the ovals. The dominance that those three teams have shown on the ovals, especially Indianapolis, is really the main thing you want to look at when considering how much parody exists.

Since 2000, only one team other than Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti has won the Indianapolis 500. That was 2004, when Buddy Rice won it with Rahal/Letterman Racing.

Buddy Rice

The growing perception about this season is that some of the smaller teams are finally able to step up and compete with the “big three” with new drivers. Veteran Tony Kanaan is now with KV Racing, Newman/Hass has seen a revival, Dreyer & Reinbold is looking to get into the mix with Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz, and some of the one-car teams have had success as well.

KV Racing has probably seen the biggest improvement this season, not only with T.K. leading the way, but Takuma Sato has been impressive as well. E.J. Viso continues to find different ways of hitting the wall and other cars, collecting more DNFs, but the team is still doing much better than any previous season. Experienced driver Oriol Servia has been one of the biggest surprises this year, and rookie driver James Hinchcliffe has been living up to the hype so far in just two races.

All of this does add up to more excitement for the series, but just how legitimate are the results just three races in? We have to start with Ryan Briscoe, and his horrible luck in the first two races. He was one of the victims of that lap 1, turn 1 embarrassment at St. Pete. The next week at Barber, he was having a great run in second place for most of the day before he got taken out by a terrible move by Ryan Hunter-Reay. He rebounded nicely last weekend, but those first two races cost him dearly.

Helio Castroneves has not been himself in any race this year, and with the points getting away from him and the Indy 500 just around the corner, I think he is going to return to form. He has one more race to prove it before Indy, but even if he doesn’t do it next weekend he will probably still be lightning quick at Indy. The third Penske driver, Will Power, has looked good in the first three races. The ovals cost him the championship last year and he will not let that happen again.

Looking at the two (sorry Kimball and Rahal) Ganassi guys, there really is no cooler pair than Franchitti and Dixon. These two are quite the pair, on and off the track. While Franchitti has been his normal dominating self this year, Dixon has had some bad luck in two of the first three races. The first lap accident in St. Pete took him out of that, and after finishing in second at Barber, he got into Helio’s mess at Long Beach. Both he and Dario are two of the best at Indianapolis and these two know how to get it done on the other ovals.

When talking about bad luck, you also have to mention Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Both of these drivers have had a couple of DNFs so far this season. Marco was flipped upside down in that first lap crash at St. Pete and RHR also got some damage that ended his day. Ryan also had some bad luck last weekend at Long Beach where it looked like he would win another one there, only to have mechanical problems end his run. Marco ended his day when he turned into another car leaving pit road.

On the same topic of Andretti Autosport, you have to look at Mike Conway. Despite winning last weekend’s race, his first two races went south fast. He got tangled up in the opening lap crash at St. Pete and then had another accident at Barber that took him out of the race. It was great to see him rebound and get that win in Long Beach, which was really an impressive run.

The fourth driver at Andretti Autosport, Danica Patrick, has surprisingly been the quietest of them all. She has had mediocre runs in every race, but has been able to finish them all, to her credit. The spotlight will return to her once we hit the ovals, and as the midpoint of the season comes around where all anyone wants to talk about is her contract and future plans. She should be better once we get to the ovals, and she knows her way around Indianapolis.

Basically, the next few races are really going to show us if guys like Hinchcliffe, Servia, Sato, Wilson and Silvestro are going to be able to keep this up. Outside of the Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti teams, there are a few people that I think will be able to hang near the top. Veterans and proven drivers like Tony Kanaan, Alex Tagliani, and Justin Wilson should be in the mix at the end.

There are some fresh faces and people in new places, but that doesn’t always translate into parody, especially in a sport that has been dominated by two or three teams. It was great to see some new blood like Conway win a race, but I don’t know if we will see much more of that this season. I would like to be wrong, but it’s hard to count out the big boys already.