The 13th Lap : Dan Wheldon (1978 - 2011)

Editor's note: The following is a contribution to AcrossTheBricks from our good friend Adrian Rickard, who was in attendance of the IZOD IndyCar World Championships in Las Vegas as well. I found it to be a very moving piece, and I have the utmost gratitude and respect for Adrian (@rkid84) allowing me to share this tremendous piece of writing.

This is something new to me, I have never put pen to paper, or finger to button to reflect on a life lost in such tragic circumstances, nor do I think do I want to again.  I have been a motorsport fan for over 15 years, and in my time I have seen serious crashes on television, sadly some fatal.  But last Sunday brought my worst fear in life to a horrid reality.

I am talking about Dan Wheldon dying in a crash at the Indy Car World Championship race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  I don’t intend for this to be an obituary, there are far more talented wordsmiths who can tell you everything you need to know about Dan’s career, those who knew him both professionally and personally, many I have read in a beautiful manner from fellow competitors and those in the media.

I was sat in the grandstands towards the pit exit watched the first twelve laps unfold, good progress, Dan had made up a few spots, but as any fan of oval racing knows, 200 laps is a long time, until the thirteenth lap started, I saw one car lose its grip hit another and a pendulum effect that took out more cars than I could see.  My most vivid memories are about four or five cars catching fire, the instant flashes as contact was made with barriers, other cars, and more seriously, the fencing.  Clouds of white smoke bellowed into the clear skies, quickly turning black, this is when sudden realisation hit me that this was not just a few cars ‘coming together’ to coin a Murray (Walker) phrase, I could see that there was barely over half the cars still running the lap as the red flag came out.   The jaw dropped, eyes gapped wide open, I think I muttered ‘oh shit’ to the people sat around me.  Trying to work out the cars, who was in the pit lane, who was on the leader board, my mind wasn’t working.

Slowly (understandably), news came through on track PA who was involved, who had got out ok, and gone to the medical centre, and who we were waiting news on.   Still no news on Dan Wheldon, my phone buzzed, a text from back home in the UK, “that was a mess, Mann hurt, Wheldon trapped”.  Many drivers have spoken of the surreal nature of the events and how it looked, the same was in the stands a couple hundred meters away.

Then came the ninety minutes of waiting... there is something of a British saying, “no news is good news”, not in motorsport, drivers crash, they get out, wave to the crowd move on.  Every minute that ticked by fear overtook hope, mumblings and speculation grew, the car was tarped up (covered in a tarpaulin), others compared it to when Greg Moore was killed in the last CART race in the 1999 season with the lack of news.  Natural gut feeling took over, everyone knew it before it was announced.  A drivers meeting was called, that passed, stories of drivers breaking down crying.  I think we all knew then.

A press conference had been called, the Indycar CEO, Randy Bernard's voice came over the tannoy. I didn’t see the screens at first, the only word I heard was ‘passed’ and something about a parade, I then found out the race had been called off, this was inconsequential, I didn’t want to be there now.

Without pushing the patriotic side, there were seven British drivers in the race, I bought myself a union (jack) flag, with the intention of getting the British drivers to sign it, was going slow gave up so went for the whole field.  I had this draped over myself, just shocked, I never thought I would see a fatality at a race, let alone someone who I was a fan of and had a massive amount of respect as a person for.  Suddenly it hits you, I was gone head down, lost the battle with holding it together. A number of people, none of whom I have met before, and likely never will again came up to me consoling with me shaking hands, although the American public had taken him to heart, Dan was still a Brit.

The parade of the drivers who were still able to drive their cars around commence, to the sound of Amazing Grace and Danny Boy, it was such a heart wrenching moment, beautifully observed by all watching, twin checkers waved at the fifth and final lap.

Being parked infield I knew it was going to take a while to get out, needed to do something to keep going, I went down to the pits and paddock still draped in the flag, just as I walked in turned towards the Indycar garages I saw Martin Plowman (who drove in three races this year), who I had met earlier in the pit line prior to the start of the race in happier times, we looked at each other, eyes covered by sunglasses, but we knew what lay beneath, he grabbed my hand and we hugged, just not knowing really what to say, he checked I was ok and able to get back, which took me aback, I had just lost a favourite driver, he had lost a friend. 

For about an hour I walked around the paddock area, waiting to go back to the hotel, I managed to speak briefly with a few other drivers, expressing my sympathies and best wishes.  I was able to chat with one driver who said what the meeting was like, I won’t give details but it was hard to listen to, but understood why the decisions were made about the race.

One thing that this tragedy confirmed is what a close community Indycar is, like no other high level competition I can think of, between the drivers, their crew, teams and fans.  I was lucky to meet with other fans over the days leading up to the race, had arranged to go out to a benefit concert that Sunday night, but with events happening, I dint feel like going, so messaged them and got them together at the hotel for a drink to remember Dan and just get us through the night, 6 of us were there from all corners of the country (and world), apart from those who were related, none of us had met before this race weekend.

So a few personal recollections about Dan Wheldon, like I said before there are plenty more who can offer a more personal look at his career but I can add that I the 3 times I have met him this year he has always been great to talk to, interested and appreciated the support of someone flying across the Atlantic to support the series.  He had a great charisma and love of Indycar and beloved in what the series was doing and where it was heading (only just discussing this at the Fan Village at Mandalay Bay during a webcast), not forgetting his ability on the race track either, a series champion, rookie champion, and a two time Indianapolis 500 winner.  Most of all a caring father, son and husband, something that hits home the most having seen some great pictures of him and his family after his Indy 500 win this year.

He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him on and off the track.

A final note, the flag, I had all bar three drivers signatures on it, but I did get Dan Wheldon’s, which I got when walking around the paddock on Friday morning near his garage.  I approached him asked him if he didn’t mind, as per usual, not at all, we had a brief chat about the race when we heard a large bang, we both looked up, and back towards the back of the track, there was a brief flicker of flames from a car travelling from turn 2. He apologised that he had to go check on who it was and if they were ok, running off towards the pit area and his crew.  Little did we both know 48 hours later our attention would be focused again on turn 2.

“People ask me why, when I sign off I say 'until we meet again'. Because goodbye is so final. Goodbye Dan Wheldon.”  - Marty Reid, ABC / ESPN Commentator

Adrian Rickard

www.twitter.com/rkid84

IZOD IndyCar Series: Goodbye, Dan Wheldon.

Author's Note: This is a verbatim cut-and-paste from my tumblr account, and contains several graphic images of the crash as well as a mental backtracking of events as I interpreted them from the grandstands on Sunday afternoon, videos of the accident, and a clip of the ensuing 5-lap tribute. I would also like to add that this is a brief departure from my usual statistic analysis, which will return following the Talladega Sprint Cup Chase Race. I do not under any circumstances intend for this entry to be in poor taste. Being that I am very new to MotorBlogging, I would appreciate some patience and guidance. If it is felt by some that the content of this post is out of taste, please send me an email at kbrughelli11@gmail.com and I will edit it down, no questions asked. 

I thank you for your time and readership, and I hope that you enjoy my farewell note to Dan Wheldon. 

This weekend in Las Vegas, the world of motorsports lost one of its brightest and most promising stars, and I lost one of my long time heroes. Dan Wheldon, 2005 IndyCar Series Champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 Champion, husband to Susie Wheldon and father to 2-year old Sebastian and 7-month old Oliver, was killed at just age 33 in a harrowing crash, the likes of which I hope to never witness again.

I would like to start by saying that I am very close to IndyCar Racing. I have been following it for many years, and I've grown from being a single-driver appreciating fan (when I started, it was Helio Castroneves) to a passionate follower with a love of the sport, and love, respect, and admiration for all drivers. Sure, we harp and push humor on some of them, but the fact of the matter is that in the end, they are the ones who are out there putting their lives on the line for the sake of their sport and they are the ones who have been blessed enough to be granted an opportunity to follow their dreams, and for that, I have only admiration and the utmost respect, for they are far braver than you or I could ever hope to be.

It all started with two cars making contact at 225 miles per hour just below me in turn 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I had been recording audio at the time, and I picked up the crowd pointing and going "OHH!" At the time, I thought it was going to be "just another" typical IndyCar speedway crash, where the two involved cars and other minor casualties hit the wall, stop, get out and wave to the fans to show that they're alright, and the race continues.

For 14 of the drivers involved, they all got out of their cars, some helping other drivers exit their mangled and in some cases burning vehicles. For Dan Wheldon, that moment tragically never came.







The crash continued past the threshold of "what's normal", as cars behind the accident on track attempted to slow quickly from 225 to a safe speed to avoid the accident at, but as the cars in front drastically and unpredictably changed rates of speed, the other cars log-jammed in the pack behind them were still hauling the mail and as such had even less time to react, and had even less room to safely navigate themselves past harm's way. The end result was drivers upon drivers, fifteen in all, driving into, through, over, and under each other at full speed, with several acting as a twisted, horrifying form of a launch ramp for the trailing competitors. I could do nothing but watch and scream in horror.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

As the cars continued to pile into the cloud of fire, debris, and smoke, I prayed that the carnage would stop. It seemed to go on forever, as cars that hit the wall in turn 1 didn't stop spinning or crashing until a quarter mile later on down the track. Cars that were in the back continued to drive into the mess, with nowhere to go and out of options and escape routes. Only a select few of the drivers behind 12th place at the time of the accident were able to navigate through the chaos.

I was forced to helplessly watch in horror as I knew all of those drivers - my heroes - propelled themselves forward into the chaos, frantically trying to avoid peril, and could do nothing except keep a close eye on my twitter feed and do something I've not done in a long time: Pray.










I was nauseous and in tears before the cars came to a stop. There are so many words that come to mind in an attempt to describe what I saw: horrifying, frightening, terrible.. but I think it is most accurately described when I say that it was the single most horrible thing I've ever witnessed in my entire  life. In a puff of smoke, a crash of such magnitude was sparked that made those rollovers on the freeway look like a 5-mph fender bender. Fifteen cars were involved. Fifteen. Of a 34-car field. Count 'em, that's 40%. 5 of which at least, got airborne. Of those 15 cars and drivers, 4 were transferred to the UMC Medical and Trauma Center in Las Vegas, with Dan Wheldon being transferred by air.

We sat in the grandstands for 2 hours, receiving little or no news, hoping for the best but bracing for the worst.. the most we heard was that they had flown Dan to the hospital and that all of the drivers were to report to a private room in the media center. The drivers heading up the unofficial drivers' safety coalition were called to race control.



Speculation came down from those around us. Strangers comforted strangers. People around us comforted my father and I, both shaken to the core and deeply concerned being that we are both Wheldon supporters. Others tried to distract themselves so as not to dwell too deeply on the situation at hand.
I could do nothing but sit in the stands, and wait, and weep for what I had just witnessed. Good news travels fast, and we had heard nothing on Dan's condition.

10 minutes later, my twitter feed popped up froma report through KV Racing saying that they were preparing to grid the cars 3-wide for a 5 lap salute. Although it had yet to be announced, the drivers' reactions on the jumbotrons and the mere usage of the word "salute" confirmed it. 

After cheating death 133 times prior, Dan Wheldon was gone.

As the announcement came down, my Dad missed the beginning of it due to a phone call and couldn't piece together what had been said. I had started to cry long before the confirmation came down, but actually hearing it out loud from the mouth of the Series' president really did me in.. my heart broke.

Dad: "What? What did Randy just say?"
Me (Tearfully): "He's gone, Dad.."
Dad (eyes beginning to well up): "No.. what do you mean 'he's gone'?"
Me (borderline sobbing): "He's.. gone."

My father and I have never held each other in consolation quite like that.

It was determined that, in memorial of Dan Wheldon, the drivers would return to the racetrack not in competition, but in tribute. 5 parade laps in 3-wide formation akin to the style of lineup used at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Dan enjoyed so much success would be completed, and then the cars parked. The remaining 188 laps of the event were cancelled.



The lone scoring pylon at the facility was reprogrammed to show only one car number, the #77 of Wheldon.



As the cars pulled away, every single indycar employee that was working behind pit wall came out to stand along pit road in emotional salute. I've never seen this before in racing, ever.



The crowd was completely silent with the exception of respectful clapping and cheering when the 7 rows of 3 passed us on each of their 5 tribute laps.




While the cars circulated the track in memory of our lost friend, the track PA system began to play "Amazing Grace" through the loudspeakers, performed by a bagpiper who had happened to still be on location from pre-race events earlier in the day. It resonated the loudest towards the waning stages of the tribute, starting from a dim, mournful tone to a loud, prideful, triumphant tone very much reflective of the type of person Dan was. In between the crews lining up along pit road in unity, the drivers doing their 5 laps in solidarity, and the respectful silence given by the crowd, it was by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and experienced in twenty years on this Earth.

The cars then pulled into their pit stalls for the final time, shut down, never to be restarted again.
Dan was a special kind of person. Though he was a very busy man in between sponsor and team obligations, he always took time for his fans, and always recognized my father and I, fans of his for several years, and long time race attendees. I've only ever taken two pictures with him, including one the day before he died (although he didn't pose in it), but this one from 2008 is by far the better of the two.




Dan Wheldon meant a LOT to me both as a driver and a human being. He was a very special person who touched everyone around him in one way or another. I learned a lot of very important lessons from Dan, and I think the most important lesson of them all is to live life to the fullest no matter the circumstances. Dan is a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion, and although he boasts a very impressive resume, spent this season unemployed due to lack of competitive rides out in the field. Though he was upset at not being able to race, Dan was blessed enough to spend the time with his family. The man upstairs has a plan for everyone, and I'd like to think that he did that for Dan so that he and his family could come to truly appreciate each other in their time together. Yes, it's a very cruel way how he was ripped from this world, but when it's your time, it's your time. Dan died doing the one thing he loved the most, and he died doing it the way he did it every time before then: doing it well.

So to Dan, my long-time hero, while it pains me to see you leave this world, and while I grieve for the loss of such a genuinely good person as yourself and for your surviving family, I must admit, I envy you. I envy you, for you are in a better place than all of us. You're not in pain, and you're not suffering, and you're standing guard over all of us. You will forever be an inspiration not just to me, but to the thousands of people, whether they be fans, friends, or family members, that you left behind to cherish your legacy.

I didn't know you personally, and I'll admit that. I knew you as an avid follower of the sport. I knew of your skills, your abilities, and your charm with those around you. I didn't know Dan "the close reliable friend" Wheldon, I knew Dan "the fan-favorite racecar driver with a heart of gold" Wheldon. If I could talk to you now, as corny as this is going to sound, I'd tell you that even in my karting efforts, I based a lot of what I did on things I had learned from watching you. You were truly an inspiration, and I was proud to wear your No. 10 during all of my sports (karting, sailing, basketball) while you raced with Ganassi. I always told my parents it was because it was the first number in the number line with double digits, but that's not the truth. You were the reason I chose that number. I looked up to you as someone who was always looking for the next challenge, and took it on both bravely and fiercely. You were very admirable like that.

If somewhere up there you can look down and see me writing this, I'd like you know that I am for sure a better man, and we are all better people for having known you. It was an honor to have experienced your bright light in the time you were around, and a pleasure to have met you and experienced your talents one last time before your passing. You were a legend not only on the racetrack, but in life. I will do what I can within my rights to help support your widow and children, as I'm sure many others will as well. I will share your inspiring story for many years to come with my friends and family to come, and most of all, I look forward to seeing you again on the other side, my friend.

As Marty Reid beautifully said at the conclusion of the 5 tribute laps that were run in your honor, "I always sign off with 'til we meet again', because 'goodbye' is so final. Goodbye, Dan Wheldon."

Goodbye, Dan. I will never forget you or the many gifts you unknowingly gave me. You are a true inspiration, and I will always remember you for that.

- Kieran

IZOD IndyCar Series: Carpenter upsets, Power stumbles in Kentucky

Carpenter nips Franchitti at the line by 0.0098 seconds.
Credit: Bret Kelley, IndyCar.com

In a stunning photo finish, Sarah Fisher Racing driver Ed Carpenter claimed his first career victory over Dario Franchitti by 0.0098 seconds. The victory came after 113 previous starts and two previous consecutive runner-up finishes at Kentucky Speedway in 2009 and 2010. The victory was the first for a non big-3 (Penske/Ganassi/Andretti) car on a 1.5 mile oval since Scott Sharp won for Fernandez racing at the same track in 2005, and the first for Sarah Fisher's 5-year-old organization.


Ed's victory has been hotly discussed this week as one of the most popular victories in years. What's not to love? A small team, a driver who had yet to get to victory lane, and a hometown story; Sarah Fisher is the current track record holder at Kentucky Speedway, and Ed is from Speedway, Indiana, just a few short hours away. Ed's victory comes as a vindication of sorts, after having finished second to Ryan Briscoe in a photo finish in 2009, and finishing second again in 2010 after winning the pole and leading late in the race just to get snookered by Helio Castroneves' fuel mileage gambit. In a reversal of fortunes, Ed took the victory using the identical methods used by Ryan Briscoe in 2009, only this time Ed took the high side instead of leaving himself vulnerable on the bottom.


While Ed was celebrating, Will Power was trying to gather his thoughts and find out how to proceed forward. He was struck by Ana Beatriz on pit lane on lap 49, leaving a 2-foot gash in his sidepod.

The damage to Power's car.

Credit: Chris Jones, Indycar.com

Due to the damage occurring under green-flag conditions, Power was unable to return to the pits to get the damage surveyed until the lap 80 debris caution. Efforts to repair the sidepod with body tape were fruitless, and due to unique mounting brackets for each dallara chassis's bodywork from car to car, obtaining the spare sidepod cover from Power's backup car was not a viable option. Power admitted he was helpless in the situation, and that there was nothing he could do. Now that he's trailing Dario going into this final race, he says that all he can do is bring his A-game to the table and not worry about what Dario does. If Power can win the pole, lead the most laps, and win the race, Dario must finish 2nd to win the title. A third-place result for Dario will lock himself and Power into a tie at the top of the standings, which Power will win based on the first tiebreaker (victories).  

The other big story going into Las Vegas, and its a 5-million-dollar question, is this: can Dan Wheldon win the race and take home the ginormous payday from 34th place? Wheldon started 28th in Kentucky and recovered to finish 14th. While this admittedly is a poor showing, it is disregarded by many people that Wheldon had to come from the way back not just once, but on two separate occasions due to the caution coming out around the same time he pitted. After pitting under green from 11th on lap 79, Wheldon recovered from 25th to finish 14th. He will officially be in the #77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Dallara for the chassis' swansong event.

With regard to Wheldon and the Sam Schmidt team, I definitely think he's capable of taking home the prize. Think of it this way: he has three cars to pull data from, his teammate has been fast in every 1.5 mile oval race he's run at, and his other teammate finish top-7 within reach of the leaders. Do I think Wheldon can do it? We'll see!

IZOD IndyCar Series Kentucky Indy 300: Power wins pole, Series forces Wheldon into DNQ scenario

(Credit, Chris Jones/IndyCar.com)

As the sun set on the 1.5-mile oval based in Sparta, Kentucky, the big story was Will Power's blistering 219.283-mph pole-sitting qualifying run. In what seemed to be a huge psychological move for Will Power, he laid down a qualifying run a full mile-an-hour ahead of the nearest qualifier to him, Graham Rahal on the ouside pole for the satellite Ganassi effort. Scott Dixon in the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara was an early provisional polesitter but originally fell to JR Hildebrand's #4 National Guard Panther Racing entry before ultimately winding up 6th. 2nd-place points chaser Dario Franchitti lost another valuable championship point to Power in the title chase with a run good enough only for 11th, outqualified by all three of his teammates. Will Power will yet again have little-to-no wingman support at the beginning of the race as his Team Penske teammates failed to match Power's strong pace and ended up 16th and 18th on the board overall.

It's very plainly obvious that at this point in the season compared to last, Will Power is much more confident in himself and his abilities on ovals. Last season this is about the time of year he started getting shaken up, but in all of his media interviews, he seemed calm, cool, and collected. Road-Course Will came to play on the ovals for once, which was a nice surprise. The level of hurt in the whooping he put on the field today in qualifying is usually only felt on road and street courses, and the fact he did it on a 1.5-mile oval sends a serious, serious warning shot across the bow to the Chip Ganassi teams. They need to up their game if they have any hope of succeeding in toppling Power in Vegas. Then again, it's still early to be talking about that. There's a lot of things that could happen in the points (including a clinch scenario for Power should he win and Franchitti finish 25th or worse) so we'll just have to wait and see.

 (Credit: Bret Kelley/IndyCar.com)

As for this week's controversy (since it seems that the Series is incapable of going a full weekend without one), prior to qualifying, Dan Wheldon's #77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Dallara "failed" tech inspection due allegedly to "illegal backing plates" (for reference, they're the plates to cover the inner side of the brakes/hubs on the wheels), to which Sam Schmidt proved without a doubt that not only were they fully legal as a part that came with the original car, but that they were in fact the very same backing plates the team had been using all season long. This can only mean that the teams and owners, who were already upset with the fact that Dan was eligible for this prize to begin with, called out to Randy Bernard and Brian Barnhart to do something about Schmidt effectively "gaming the rules" and taking advantage of a loophole to try and improve his shot as winning in Las Vegas. As a result, the Series' bogus technical infraction kept Dan from qualifying and is going to ultimately result in both himself and Alex Tagliani having god-awful pitstalls in Las Vegas to boot. 

Before I launch into this rant, allow me to start by saying that I really don't have a big issue with the Series forcing Dan to start from the back in Kentucky. I don't! But what I do have an issue with however is the series manipulating their rules mid-weekend to suit their own agenda like they have done on far too many occasions this season. Sam Schmidt was very clever to read into the Go-Daddy Challenge rules and see that  A) Dan could, under the language of the Go Daddy IndyCar Challenge, still drive in races prior to Las Vegas, and  B) that the rules state absolutely nothing with regard to which car Wheldon had to drive or where his pit stall for Las Vegas had to be either.

What really bothers me about this manipulative process the Series took with Sam Schmidt though, is that Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi have succeeded in the IndyCar Series for years using that kind of instinct and ability to sniff out gray areas. Say what you will about Sam Schmidt finding and attempting to take advantage of what was apparently a pretty glaring loophole, but I think that in this situation, to see that kind of opportunity on a platter, Schmidt deserves to get the pickle for the instinct. Call it "gaming the rules" or whatever you like, but the fact of the matter is that Sam saw a perfect opportunity to make Dan's life in Vegas a little easier and he went for it, and I respect him for that. Of course, nobody and I mean nobody wants to end up deep in the field with the backmarkers on pit lane (see the Will Power/Charlie Kimball accident on pitlane in Iowa), which is exactly what is now going to end up happening. What a lot of people don't seem to recognize is that what Schmidt intended to do was a ridiculously smart move, and clearly one that the Series didn't think would come to fruition when writing the Go Daddy IndyCar Challenge rules. I feel that the entire situation could have been handled far more professionally by explaining to Schmidt that he would not retain a pit box advantage should Wheldon remain in the #77 for Las Vegas. As it stands the Series has not only punished Schmidt and Wheldon for taking a creative approach to putting themselves in a better place strategically, but it has also punished the season-long efforts of the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports team's crew members and Alex Tagliani, who are each competing for a top-ten spot in the drivers'/owners' championship.

As disappointing as the Series' handling of the Dan Wheldon situation is, I will say this much: Dan will most definitely be in shapewhen he takes the green flag to try and take the victory from the back of the 35-car field in Las Vegas. In fact, I'd even wager to say that he's going to have a very keen knowledge of what he'll have to do to come up through the field. If nothing else, he and the Sam Schmidt team are going to be some of the best passers in the field come the end of the season.

Til' next!

- K

Latest Reports: Wheldon in SSM #77 for Las Vegas as well?

Credit: Jim Haines/IndyCar.com

Three days have passed since it was officially announced that Dan Wheldon would be taking over Alex Tagliani's #77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara, but more recent developments have come to light. While the original announcement stated clearly that Dan would only be running the Kentucky Indy 300 in Tagliani's car, multiple sources have been quoted as saying that what was once a 1-race replacement has now become a 2-off deal for Wheldon. 

Since Dan Wheldon will be taking the helm of the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara for the rest of the season, Las Vegas has essentially become a "ride-swap" scenario for Dan and Alex. According to a twitter post made IndyStar reporter Curt Cavin, Tagliani will now be behind the wheel of the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport ride for Las Vegas. These facts remain to be officially, definitively confirmed by either organization via release, so until then this can only be taken as very strong rumor.

 If this scenario comes to fruition, it's easy to say that Tagliani is getting the short end of the stick. He's a two-time polesitter this season, he's 11th in the points with a shot at possibly breaking into the top 10 in points, and with two events left in the season, he's being asked to step out of a car that he personally (with the financial assistance of Andre Azzi and Jim Freudenberg) purchase and has been working to develop for 3 years now. That car was at one point a backmarker Roth Racing ride, and in the space of three years, Tagliani has turned that organization completely around, from laughable at best in its previous form into a serious contender. As Graham Rahal pointed out, that car has sat on the pole at both of the racetracks 1.5 miles and longer in length this season, and has been fast almost everywhere else. Tagliani is having a career season in that car and won't get the chance to close it out with a bang. Personally I feel for Alex, to have his efforts rewarded with being replaced. I do understand it though, and regardless of how I feel for Tagliani, racing is a business, and Sam Schmidt would almost be stupid NOT to take advatage of this loophole.

 

Credit: Jim Haines/IndyCar.com

This is hugely advantageous to Dan for a couple of reasons. First of all, let's consider the track record of the #77 on high speed-low downforce ovals this season. Although we are in the middle of a season that exhibits only four such ovals (Indy, Texas, Kentucky, Las Vegas), Tagliani's track record with the car has been something to brag about: two poles in two attempts, 20 laps out front at Indianapolis, and solid top-5 with a lap led in the first Firestone Twin 275 at Texas. The car Dan's going to be stepping into is going to be fast, and coupled with his past recent history at Kentucky (top-3 start with Panther in 2010, podium finish, 93 laps led), it is very reasonable to suggest that Wheldon is going to have a good run on Sunday afternoon. 

Another large advantage for Wheldon swapping to the #77 for Las Vegas as well is the pit strategy involved. As pointed out by TrackForum poster Unser>Andretti, pit stall location is dictated by the qualifying position of the previous oval race. Since Wheldon's original #98 entry for Las Vegas is not being raced in Kentucky, the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport car will be relegated to a pit stall in the "danger zone" on pit road, right at the very end of 35+ cars on pit road. While some might be decrying Sam Schmidt for taking advantage of this loophole, I think it's genius. What this means for Dan (should he actually be in the #77 for both events) is that he, in effect, controls his own destiny for pit stall position in Vegas. With the track record of the #77 and Schmidt's team this season, Wheldon will very likely be qualifying near the sharp end of the field in Kentucky, which translates to a desirable pitstall for Vegas, ultimately meaning one less disadvantage in a race that will be full of challenges for Wheldon as it stands. 

I would like to close by saying that I have been a staunch supporter of Alex Tagliani since he was in Champ Car, and the Sam Schmidt/FAZZT organization since it arose from the ashes of Roth Racing in the late summer/fall of 2009. I absolutely loved seeing him qualify his now-signature #77 car on the outside pole at Brazil right out of the box, as well as solidly qualifying in the top five at Indianapolis for the 94th Indianapolis 500. I felt his emotion when he was helplessly caught out by poor team strategy on bump day in 2009. Tagliani is a supremely skilled racecar driver, and I think he's still got a lot of race left in him before he utters that 6-letter word that many great drivers before him have uttered before. All of this aside though, Dan Wheldon has an extremely solid chance at going into Las Vegas and making himself, his team, and a fan very, very rich. This is the largest purse of the season outside of Indianapolis, and Dan Wheldon is the only driver that can step up to claim it. Looking at the facts, I think it's extremely plausible that Dan could do it big in Vegas, and even if he doesn't, he's going to make the race very very exciting for the fans. 

Hopefully I can make these things shorter as time goes on, thanks for reading!

- K

2012 Dallara IndyCar Chassis takes to IMS oval for first time

Credit: Jim Haines, IndyCar.com

After several months of anticipation, the 2012 Dallara chassis debuted its speedway aero package and made its first circuits around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval yesterday as part of a 3-day test session.

Aesthetically, the back end of the car is ENORMOUS. As some internet personalities have put it, it's "Kardashian" enormous. The new rear wing is a lot lower than the previous Dallara chassis' and a lot smaller as well, which seems to indicate that there may be a pretty fair amount of downforce built into the chassis. The endplates are a lot smaller than in years past, which I find interesting. The past few years the teams have had a box to work with as far as customizing their endplate shapes goes, so hopefully we'll continue to see those little aerodynamic fine-tuning tweaks as development of next year's rules package continues.

 
As for the front end of the car, I'm a little skeptical about it. After reviewing several images, I can't visually detect any means of adjusting the front downforce (other than a small screw-looking tab in the center of the nose, but it was very inconclusive), but then again it's a new car and I'm sure that it'll be pointed out sooner or later. Furthermore, I feel that the front wing is a little too short in length (a la 1998 Reynard speedway front wings) and is totally dwarfed by the size of the enormous wing endplates being used in testing. I like the front end though because as far as the shape of the nose cone goes, while I wish Dallara had retained some harder bodylines in their design (this car has a lot of curves), I have to admit that it truly looks like a proper racecar. Overall, the car looks good, and I'm looking forward to seeing 33 of them hit the track next May.

Powered by a detuned 2.2-liter turbocharged Honda V6 powerplant, test driver Dan Wheldon logged enough laps to get a baseline for the next two days of testing, but was audibly nowhere near the limit in terms of lap speeds. As the IZOD IndyCar series has mandated that Honda detune its engine to negate a testing advantage, the car is underpowered as it stands. Wheldon was reported to be clocking laps roughly in the 180-mph bracket before calling it a day. Wheldon reported the car to be very reactive, challenging the driver to go for a little bit more each outing. The team was dealing with some minor stability issues but overall has had a very positive test.

Credit: TrackForum Poster ZUL8TR

Day 2 of testing continued this morning, and the team was reported to have picked speeds up an estimated 20 miles an hour over yesterday. Trackforum poster skcoop80 reported that Dan was clocking laps around 44.7 seconds, or roughly 201.4 mph. In addition, Trackforum poster ZUL8TR has graciously permitted AcrossTheBricks to display his footage recorded from the track today (above) showing the new car at speed in the South End of the racetrack. Based on the sound of it alone, this car is going to be putting a lot of smiles on peoples' faces come next season. Speaking as someone who's never heard a turbocharged Indy car, I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

UPDATE: New lap time reports from observers at the IMS place Wheldon in the 205-207 range at the conclusion of testing today.

Looking forward to Day 3 of testing before the Kentucky weekend begins!

-K

IZOD IndyCar Series Breaking Development: Tagliani out, Wheldon in for Kentucky

Credit: Indycar.com/B. Kelley

In anticipation of Dan Wheldon's attempt to net a 2.5-million-dollar bonus for himself and a lucky fan in the GoDaddy IndyCar Challenge in Las Vegas in 3 weeks' time, Alex Tagliani will be vacating the seat of the #77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Dallara for the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway to make way for Wheldon. The courtesy move, enacted by team owner Sam Schmidt and backed by team-player Tagliani, is intended to allow Wheldon to get a warmup race in the books prior to going for the jackpot prize in Las Vegas.

Sam Schmidt, Owner, No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins Honda/Dallara
“I am incredibly excited to have Dan Wheldon driving the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia car at Kentucky. Clearly, this is an amazing opportunity for our team and sponsors. We are putting as much energy and resources into winning the Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge as we did for the Indy 500 with the intent of making one lucky fan an instant millionaire and capping off a great rookie season for SSM. I also appreciate Tag’s support of this program. Being a race car driver myself, it would be extremely difficult to step out of a car I helped develop, but Alex is a true professional and team player in our pursuit to win this prize.”

Wheldon brings with him a wealth of experience to the table when it comes to the 1.5 mile speedways. Of his 16 career victories, 15 have come on ovals, and 11 have come on ovals of 1.5 miles in length or longer. Combining both the talent in the cockpit and the talent on the Sam Schmidt staff, this blogger wouldn't be shocked to see Dan sneak into the top 5 if not steal the win in Kentucky. To further bolster his confidence, Wheldon is going to be coming fresh off a 3-day test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 2012 car. Tomorrow, Dan begins his driving stint that will see him driving and IndyCar on an oval for 6 successive days. Will he be worn out? Maybe, but nobody will be able to argue that Dan won't be on his best game heading into this two-race stretch. Personally, I truly feel that the test program Dan has with the 2012 car is going to make him a better driver, but I also think that going back to the 2003 Dallara after doing a ton of driving with the 2012 Dallara is going to throw off his vibe in some fashion. I think he'll manage though, like I said, this is going to ultimately improve his caliber of racecraft.

In terms of the team's performance, I don't think that that strong run Dan had at Kentucky with Panther last season was strictly Panther's doing.. I guarantee you that Dan went in there and hollered and pointed out what they were doing respective to his experience with Ganassi and what they could improve upon. With the Schmidt organization, Tagliani, Wheldon, and Townsend Bell collaborated with their respective teams and engineering staff to put their 3 Schmidt-associated cars in the top 6 on Pole Day at Indy. Tagliani has been fast on all the speedways this season, so with the combined season-long input from Tagliani in addition to what Dan brings to the table in terms of experience, I have a strong suspicion (barring bonehead moves on other drivers' parts) we'll see Wheldon keeping the #77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara looking sharp at or near the front of the field all weekend long. The main focus for Dan obviously is to ensure that there are no gremlins in the works, but as a secondary focus, I think he'll be taking some lengths to help get Wade Cunningham comfortable (but fast) over the bumps. After all, any damage incurred by rookie mistakes on Cunningham's part is money that could otherwise be spent on go-fast bits and massaging of the #98 Dallara for maximum speed both in traffic and out front at Las Vegas.

Dan Wheldon is an exciting driver to watch regardless of where or what he races. If this season's Ketucky race is anything like last year's was, I expect it to be a massively entertaining race for both the fans in the stands and the viewers at home.

Snippets: Brembo brakes confirmed as the exclusive supplier of carbon brake systems through ~2015... Tomas Scheckter signed to drive Sarah Fisher Racing #57 Angie's List Special in Las Vegas Finale, will partner former Vision Racing teammate Ed Carpenter... Wade Cunningham to make second career start at Kentucky Speedway... Firestone Indy Lights points leader Josef Newgarden can clinch his first career Firestone Indy Lights championship with a finish of 13th or better at Kentucky... Townsend Bell to return to Indycar competition with Dreyer and Reinbold in #22 as a substitute for Justin Wilson.

Cheers!

- K

On NASCAR Chase Race #2 and F1 in Singapore

Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Tony Stewart took top honors at the Sylvania 300 this weekend in Loudon, New Hampshire. The victory came a reversal of fortunes from one year ago, and made him only the second driver to open the Chase with two-straight victories. Furthermore, he completed a Stewart-Haas sweep of the New England-based facility for the 2011 season.

In a nutshell, Loudon's finish reflected what has been common on many an occasion this Cup season so far: many drivers rolled the dice on fuel strategy (several of them running out), and a driver who was solid all day long came from a late deficit to claim the victory based on the porr luck of others. That's not to devalue the accomplishment by any means though, as a win in any form is a win. Furthermore, Stewart has historically been very successful at New Hampshire, and undoubtedly deserved to win today.

In recap, the 2011 Sylvania 300 ended with Tony Stewart in victory lane after taking the race lead with 2 laps to go, and he was followed to the checkers by Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, and Brian Vickers in the top five. The ride-hunting Clint Bowyer led Stewart by several tenths of a second in the closing stages of the race but ran out of gas coming to 2 laps to go. The big Chase casualty this weekend was Denny Hamlin, who ran out of gas with less than 5 to go and came home in 29th position, 66 points behind Tony Stewart. With 8 races remaining in the Chase, Stewart holds a 7-point advantage over longtime friend Kevin Harvick, with the ever-consistent Brad Keselowski stepping up to claim 3rd place in the standings, 11 points behind. 5-time and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson used up his chase "mulligan" and came home in 18th to fall two more spots in the title fight to 10th, 29 points behind Stewart. Many believe that this could be the year that Johnson is dethroned as Sprint Cup Champion, and this blogger agrees with that sentiment. Look at the facts: in 28 races this season to date, Johnson has 1 victory, 11 top-5's and 18 top-10's. Only 1 driver has posted a stronger record, that being Carl Edwards. While Johnson's record has quietly been a very strong effort, he hasn't had the same dominant tune coming from his camp as he's had in seasons past. Perhaps he will surprise us, but I have a sneaking suspicion we'll see another face on top come Homestead.

 Credit: AFP PHOTO / Saeed Khan

On the other side of the world, on the Marina Bay GP Circuit in Singapore, Sebastian Vettel won his 9th race of the season in 14 attempts, and came within a single world championship point of clinching this year's World Drivers' Championship title. Let me rephrase that: with one more championship point, Vettel could have clinched the WDC five whole races before the conclusion of the 19-race 2011 season. We haven't seen dominance like this since Schumacher won 13 of the 18 events back in 2004! Jenson Button managed to stay alive in the title fight by finishing second, but it is highly unlikely that he will catch the dominant Vettel. Fernando Alonso finished 3rd, 29.2 seconds adrift of the 2010 World Champion.

'Til Next!

- K

IZOD IndyCar Series: Kentucky Preview

Heading into this coming weekend's penultimate championship event at the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway oval, the main focus is heavily on the two title contenders. After having dropped as far back as 65 markers behind rival Dario Franchitti, Will Power has returned to form and posted an 11-point lead over Dario after capitalizing on a bad weekend for the Scot. Power has run very well at Kentucky in the past and looks to do so again. He looks good, especially considering Franchitti is winless in 7 attempts at Kentucky.

The secondary story going into these final two races though is all of the cars and entries that are coming out of the woodwork for the current chassis' (which has an 8-year tenure, by the way) swansong. There are currently no fewer than 35 projected entries for the Las Vegas World Championships finale. 35! And to make this more exciting, they're pulling out all the stops for fan experience this race. They're hosting a kickoff party for fan on Thursday night, but not until AFTER they've run the cars for 6 laps in between the Monte Carlo and Flamingo hotels. AcrossTheBricks is actually planning on being at this race, so stay tuned for behind the scenes pictures, videos, and more from the event!

What I'm looking forward to, and the rest of the racing community as well, is finding out whether or not race control can get their stuff together from these last two races. I think I speak for the majority of the fan base when I say we don't want to see these guys try and tackle Kentucky in the rain like they did in New Hampshire. In all seriousness though, race control has a penchant for sniping against non-red-car (Penske/Ganassi) teams when it comes to punishable offenses. Could we see more of that this weekend? I've been saying ever since Sonoma and their last-restart debacle that the championship was firmly in the hands of race control to give away. In a season full of excitement, the championship is going to be decided by the monkeys crowded around a couple of tv cameras instead of the drivers on track. We're talking about a group of guys that spend the vast majority of practice sessions hollering at the drivers not to run so close to each other. HOW ELSE DO THEY PLAN ON FINDING OUT HOW THEIR CARS WORK IN TRAFFIC? It's ridiculous!

Finally, I'd like to add that I'm really looking forward to the race in Kentucky. Last season the race itself was dominated in large part by Dan Wheldon and Ed Carpenter from the Panther/Vision collaborative effort. There were also several shocks in qualifying, including the Conquest racing duo of Bertrand Baguette and Tomas Scheckter qualifying 4th and 6th, respectively. If this race is anything like it was last year, look for a lot of action up front, and perhaps a few new faces as well. If you're assembling a fantasy team for this race, it's hard to ignore the drivers in the Penske/Ganassi ranks.. however, it is reasonable to suggest that the Panther Racing outfit may be primed for a good weekend with drivers JR Hildebrand and anticipated addition Buddy Rice. Both drivers have shown flashes of brilliance both this season and throughout their careers on speedways, and together at Indianapolis they both posted very strong results in qualifying and the race. Either driver would make for a solid darkhorse pick. Graham Rahal has also been looking very good the past few races, and appears to have finally brought the satellite Ganassi effort on-line. He almost stole the pole in Baltimore before a last-second effort by Will Power to reclaim top honors, and ran right with Power for much of the Baltimore Grand Prix. He was also very far up the running order before contact with teammate and championship hopeful Dario Franchitti ended his challenge for the victory. The long and the short of it is that the 2008 GP St. Pete winner is due for a win, and is itching to go. Kentucky and Las Vegas are the first (and final) returns to speedways for these cars since the Texas Motor Speedway, where Graham finished 9th in race 1 before being struck with issues in race 2 relegating him to a 30th place finish. Point is, Graham has speed when it comes to the tracks with left-hand turns, and I'd be shocked not to see him duking it out up front come the checkered flag next Sunday.

That's all I got for now. Stay tuned for highlights from tomorrow's Sprint Cup Series race in Loudon, NH, and updates and outlooks on this week's upcoming three-day test session with the 2012 Dallara at the IMS.

- K

September in Motorsports!

Alright, so now that we're up and running, I'd like to start by apologizing for the way the blog looks. It's still early on, but I promise it'll get better as time goes on.

So, to jump headfirst into things, it's the end of September, which means a couple things for motorsports fans in North America.. mainly, that their series' seasons are either at or quickly coming to their conclusions.

The IZOD IndyCar Series: In the IZOD IndyCar Series, the 2011 season is drawing to a close, and once again, it's going to be a close one. For the sixth-straight season the points chase has all the ingredients of a dramatic on-track battle that will go down to the final event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. It's been a very back-and-forth season between drivers Will Power and Dario Franchitti, with plenty of drama along the way. In between driver disagreements, flagrant inconsistency in race control, upsets, the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, and plenty of on-track action to fill the void, the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season has been one for the books. Heading into next week's penultimate event of the season at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway, Will Power capitalized on a bad weekend for title rival Dario Franchitti to complete an incredible rally and pull out to a slim 11-point lead after falling as far back as 65 points behind earlier in the season. Many people both in the paddock and the grandstands alike feel that based on recent history, Franchitti may have the edge heading into the final two events of the season (both of which are hosted on 1.5-mile ovals), but this blogger is not convinced that Power is about to let the title slip away in the same fashion he did last season. He's come a long way in the past two years and has learned the ways of the ovals. All Power really has to do is finish ahead of Dario on these ovals, and if he can't, he's got to keep him in sight. There's still 600 miles of racing to go in this one, and it's not going to be settled until the final lap in Las Vegas.

While the spotlight right now may be on Power and Franchitti's legendary rivalry, there are many other headlines going into the long off-season that are very mcuh worth paying attention to. Chief among these is the highly-anticipated arrival of the new IndyCar Series chassis in 2012 as well as a return to multiple engine manufacturers for the first time since the end of the 2005 season. 2011 Indy 500 Champion Dan Wheldon and his Indy-winning Bryan Herta Autosport organization have been in charge of the testing program responsible for proving the 2012 car with Honda power under the cowling before turning it over to Chevy and Lotus to develop. Thus far the group has tested on the road courses at Mid-Ohio, Barber Motorsports Park, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and just last week tested on the 0.875-mile bullring at Iowa Speedway. The most anticipated test is set to come next week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the turbocharged v6-powered car will take to the 2.5 mile oval in anger for the first time. After that test, the car will then be taken back to Dallara for final modifications and turned over to Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus for final development of their powerplants for the 2012 season. Teams can expect to take delivery of their first chassis as early as late November or early December, with plenty of track testing guaranteed before the cars take to the streets in St. Petersburg to open the 2012 season.

Team Penske owns another one of our notable headlines heading into the conclusion of yet another epic season of IndyCar competition. After fielding 3 cars on a full time basis for two-seasons, the organization looks set to trim back to two cars in 2012 unless the funding can be found, and with current championship leader Will Power already locked into a multi-year deal with Penske for at least 2012, it appears that after having a dismal 2010 and 2011 season to date, 6-time race winner and 2009 Championship contender Ryan Briscoe may be the odd man out. 3-time Indianapolis 500 winner (all with Team Penske) and 19-time race winner Helio Castroneves looks to be a shoe-in to continue with the team in his drive for 4 Indianapolis 500 trophies and that ever-elusive first championship.


The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: While I do anticipate keeping this blog heavily focused on the IZOD IndyCar Series, I feel that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series deserves some mention, especially since it will be closing its championship long after the final bottle of champagne is uncorked in Las Vegas.

The highly-publicized Chase for the Sprint Cup commenced earlier this week at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL. It's been a very hot topic this season due in large part to the apparent vulnerability 5-time and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson has shown this season. While drivers Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick have been burning up the track claiming the lion's share of victories in the pre-season, Johnson has emerged victorious only once: at the Crapshoot Tango 500 at 2.66 mile restrictor plate Talladega SuperSpeedway. Of course, my speculation can only be based on the pre-season, which Johnson has become famous for underplaying heading into the 10-race Chase. This week's event in Joliet didn't do Johnson any favors, as the race turned into a fuel-mileage gamble at the end and played into Tony Stewart's hand perfectly. Johnson was left in 10th place after his fuel cell ran dry at the end, relegating him from 6th to 8th place in the overall standings. Heading into this weekend's event at New Hampshire, Tony Stewart's Stewart-Haas organization is red-hot after putting both of its cars in the Chase, taking top honors at Chicagoland, and having taken their second straight pole start with Ryan Newman at the Magic Mile. In July, Newman and Stewart finished 1-2 in yet another fuel-mileage crapshoot at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but led a pretty large amount of the race up until the gamble paid off.

Another red-hot individual in the Chase is second-year Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski. After starting the 2011 season with a relatively early shock fuel-mileage victory at the Kansas Speedway, his first driving for Roger Penske, Keselowski has been a fixture in the top-25 in points. However, with 6 races to go before the chase began, and mired in 21st place in the points with an outside shot at scoring one of the two available wild-card seeds, Keselowski was in a highly-publicized crash while testing at Road Atlanta for the upcoming race at Watkins Glen that left him with a grossly bruised and fractured ankle and foot. Although he was playing injured, Keselowski showed his true grit by driving through the pain and beginning his meteoric rise to a chase seed with a surprise Victory at the Pocono Raceway. He followed that result up with a 2nd-place finish at the demanding Watkins Glen road course, a 3rd-place result at his home event at Michigan International Speedway, and a victory in the highly-coveted Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After carrying the reputation of an also-ran rookie the past season and a half, Keselowski looks to be finally coming into his own and tops people's list of picks to dethrone Jimmie Johnson for the Sprint Cup Series title. With 9 races left in the chase though, the championship is still wide open, and there's 11 other drivers (Johnson included) that look to get a slice of the pie.


Formula 1: The 2011 Formula 1 season has had some stellar racing with the introduction of the Drag-Reduction System (DRS) and return of Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to F1 competition. As exciting as some of the racing deeper in the pack has been, the season has been monopolized in EXTREME dominant fashion by Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull Racing team. Heading into this weekend's event in Singapore, with 5 races left before the conclusion of the season, Vettel stands unchallenged for the #1 plate in 2012. He even holds the possibility of locking it up this weekend if he can win and his closest title rival Fernando Alonso finishes off of the podium. There are no words to describe this season of Formula 1 competition other than total domination by Vettel and his Red Bull team.

I think this makes for a very solid first post. I hope you enjoyed reading, and if not, I'm very welcome to constructive criticism!

- K