Math Homework for Thanksgiving Break...

OK, ok, everyone please take your seats, Indycar math is in session.  We've taken a bit of a break so there's a fair bit of ground to cover...

Indycar 2012 >= sliced bread.
Indycar 2012 > NASCAR 2012 (cubed)
Indycar 2012 Chassis solution > NASCAR CoT + 5 years.
Chevy (Ilmor) + Lotus (Cosworth) + Honda (HPD) > Doom + Gloomers.
Randy Bernard > Pessimism.
Pessimism <= colo-rectal screenings.
Month of May planning + anticipation + enthusiasm
 >= Christmas morning - 5:40am wake-up.
Month of May anticipation > pharmaceutical-grade stimulants.
4 x Miller High Life Light 30-pks x $14.99 + 3-day cooler (x 2) + 40 lbs ice @ .25 per > 1 x keg Miller High Life x $79 + deposits + 80 lbs ice @ .60 (where ambient temperature is assumed constant 84 deg average x 5 days).
Indycar Tweeters + fun > barrel full of monkeys.
Pressdog > ESPN NASCAR commentary.
"So's Your Face" > "Jeff Gordon's a querrr".

Aerial bombs at 5am + 3 hrs. sleep (max) - properly hydrated system - full sobriety - personal hygiene = best day of the rest of your life...

Please memorize these formulae.  There will likely be a test at the end of 2nd semester...

dammitdammitDAMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

So it's a Wednesday in the middle of November and I'm forced to reneg on a promise I made to myself LESS THAN A MONTH AGO, that was supposed to last until March 2011. 


Steph (@99forever) over at More Front Wing (a very well-organized and well-done Indycar blog) illuminated and challenged we Indycar slobs to not succumb to the all too frequent curse of obsessive fandom: off-season withdrawal.  Too often we feed the monkey with little hits of junk here and there to get us by until the new season starts, but they often come from low-grade rumor and unnewsworthy news required by our 24/7/365 desire for infotainment which serve no greater good. Unfortunately, my promise has been thrown from the wagon by recent developments urging me to take a hit off the Indycar off-season pipe once again (OK, enough addiction references): 


1. Biggest Blood-Pressure-Raising, Swear-Inducing, Palm-to-Forehead Slappin', Anger-Management-Forgettin' Major Pisser-Offer:  The shuttering of the Silent Pagoda.
Seriously?  SE-RI-OUS-LY?  "This is soooo necessary and the world of Indycar will certainly meet a pre-Mayan-Calendarian doom if we don't DO SOMETHING AND NOW...  Let's shut down a fan-favorite blog because the waste there is rampant", said the overzealous counter-of-beans.  The Anglophile in me would say, "FOOKin' 'ELL MAN!"  For those that don't know the Silent Pagoda, you can trust the opinion of this established Indycar devotee when I say this was the most-enjoyable damned blog related to Indycar... period. Pure entertainment and blissful irreverence for a sport that is frought with overseriousness, just for the sake of having a laugh (and showing by our very nature a higher intelligence than most autosport fans). Granted some of the seriousness is justified given the precarious nature of our beloved sport... SOME, not all, so humorous satire is a welcome distraction for this Indycar fan's workaday world. It's Indycar news like this that makes me want to break shit. (okay, deep cleansing breath)


2. Best News of the Month so far: Chevrolet announces an Indycar engine program to compete with Honda. Yes, yes forward momentum and all. Great news for sure. Looking forward, though, I predict even better news. My bet is that Ford, possibly Fiat (new owners of Chrysler) via Alfa Romeo (it's soon to be re-introduced brand to the US of A), and maybe one other manufacturer will be in the fold by 2013. Thank you Chevy for remembering that you once had cojones.


3. Worst Racing News of the Month so far: Tony Kanaan is out of a ride. I understand the mechanisms behind it all and am mostly disappointed for my 7-year old son who has been a TK fan for as long as he can remember. Literally. I purchased a new TK 7-11 replica crew shirt for him at the Kentucky race as a reward for having such a great start to his 1st-grade schoolyear. "Hey, guess what, my son, that shirt which is one size too big so it will fit you next summer, is outdated". Thanks for nothing 7-11. "I don't like 7-11 anymore dad, and Slurpees are off my list!" (his words, not mine). 'nuff said.


In light of my current mood, I am now preparing to not 'give it a rest' this off-season and the house-cleaning begins with this blog. I plan to examine revamping and energizing this blog, so stay tuned...


As always, this season of thankfulness emplores me to express gratitude for those who make my life more interesting - many of you know who you are and for the others, I will attempt to show gratitude as I can. Thanks to you for stopping by. Feel free to leave me a comment or input, and hope to see you at a great Indycar event next season...


DZ (groundedeffects@gmail.com, @groundedeffects

End of Season Thoughts, Part 2

3. Indycar is a niche sport. We fans may not like the sound of that statement but it alas, is true and until the people who run it understand this, it will continue to flail about until exhaustion and ultimately drown. Indycar has always had a small (relative to the stick and ball sports) legion of devotees but the total size of the crowd (literally until TV coverage), was based on this legion plus whatever casual observers would be intrigued. Instead of trying to 'grow' the sport through sheer mass exposure and hoping some come along, I contend it needs to grow by providing a means to better experience the racing product and by giving the casual observer something to be interested in. The first must be done through better television production and viewing.  The second comes from thoughts which can be summed up by Peter DeLorenzo (an example of which can be found here) on making Indycar a viable product of interest to casual viewer. By involving them more directly through Indycar returning to represent a true 'car of tomorrow' and incubate new technolgies on the racetrack, the general public would be clamoring to see Indycars again and thereby what may lie ahead for their next purchase in the showrooms. 

4. Indycar has one of the best hardcore fan bases of any sport. You all know who you are.  You'd know a '67 Lotus Turbine from a '70 Lotus Turbine in with a scant glance at the two.  You know the venerable Offy had only 4 cylinders that produced the power of many contemporary V-8s.  You know the importance of the '61 Cooper Climax and the '73 Eagle and the '79 Chaparral.  You've seen Johncock hold off Mears, Helio climb the fence and Sandi Andretti's hat.  Indycar is about an overwhelming combined experience of sights, sounds, smells, and what's felt which produces indelible marks on our brains. Dearest Keepers of Indycar, please don't forego understanding what this sport means to us. We are the few and proud devotees who just wish for a return to a product that actually means something to people. Racing used to = an experience and progress, not the inverse of that formula.

More thoughts to come...

End of Season Thoughts, Part 1.

Following the conclusion of the IZOD Indycar Championship celebration, as viewed on Versus last night, I was left with several lingering thoughts, some positive, some negative, but all with the future of Indycar in mind:

1. Dario Franchitti has left no question on his status as Indycar legend. His two Indy 500 wins and three Indycar Championships are just the starting point.  He has proven over the course of the last 7 years that he excels with astounding consistency on ovals and road/street courses.  As cursory review of his career accomplishments will quite easily support this and his  latest Championship title shows him the best current example of all-around driver.  Certainly being on one a top-level (if not the best) team in the Indycar series throughout his career hasn't hurt, but his delivering the goods in the best equipment is what keeps him in the best seats in the business.  He is deserving of every comparison to existing Indycar legends with names such as Meyer, Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Rahal, Mears.


2.The sparse crowds as seen (if seen) on the second-tier television broadcasts are horribly damaging to the image of the Indycar Series, and cannot continue beyond this season. The perception to a worldwide televison audience that 'nobody cares' instantly discounts and cements Indycar as a 'strange and curious' little niche sport at best. The great difficulty I see is that the action as seen in person is vastly better than the on TV product.  Having seen both, the only thing on TV that has given me those eye-popping moments experienced in person is the action captured by the panning in-car cameras. On TV, one often misses the scale and speed of full action, sound, and smells of these wonderful machines and drivers, traded for intrusive graphics, lacking coverage of on-track stories, and questionable vignettes.  Hopefully the venues and Indycar can begin work immediately on vastly improving attendance next year and TV will provide a more immersive and less distracted experience for it's viewers.

More thoughts to come...

Bringing Back the Mystique (rambling alert)

I sense the mystique and allure of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and progeny racing form) is all but gone - victim of the erosion of time.

I associate the Speedway's allure and mystique with its relative greatness; a greatness which, at its best provided generations with a powerful symbol of optimism and confidence, at its worst reminded us of our own mortality, but always seemed to give an accurate sense of place and time. I think it valuable to maintain this asset and believe it is possible to retrieve and reintroduce it to the many people who've yet to fully experience it which brings me to the genesis of this post - answering the question of 'how to best communicate the experience of the Speedway'. In my thinking, the answer to the question could serve to be a catalyst for gaining followers and fans for the Speedway and thereby, the Indycar Series.

This whole thought process began while watching a video interview on YouTube of one of my favorite skiers, Glen Plake, talking about the original ski documentaries communicating the experience of skiing to those who've never been, revealing to me a similarity in how the visceral experience of the Speedway and Indycars can be. I've always had a difficult time putting in words what the experience is like other that to always end by saying, "you just have to be there in person".  My thought became focused on how an extremely well-done documentary film on the Speedway and the early racing forms which inhabited it would serve well the current Speedway and also to a lesser degree, Indycar racing (anyone have Ken Burns' phone number and how has he not already done one on the Speedway?).

The feeling I have can maybe (perhaps too dramatically) be best described as reminiscent of the Terrence Mann speech from Field of Dreams. A summary history of my experiences related to the Speedway (which exist in the origins of this blog), and of the vast Speedway lineage serve to support this feeling, but not explain it. I've enjoyed every single trip I've ever made to the Speedway and arriving at its open gates reminds me of those previous trips. Open gates... racing's Valhalla is open to the public from 8-5 most every day of the year, so it seems nearly inexplicable that the place isn't teeming with all sorts of racing pilgrims.

Giving the public who have never been, a genuine and visceral experience of being there could make them want to experience in person and possibly again and again.

Or perhaps, one can argue the relatively decreased mystique and allure of Indycars and the Speedway is just another accurate reflection of the times - one with little regard for the appreciation of history and experience versus one with more regard for the 'I, me, my, now' world of finger-snap solutions and immediate gratification.

I'm afraid the latter is more true and that trend seems to often continue at the expense of many great things which already exist.

D(ecision)-Day: July 14, 2010

Taken from a comment posted by yours truly on another blog owned by the one and only Jack Arute, in response to the impending ICONIC decision regarding the 2012 IndyCar chassis regulations:

"It would seem, on what could be the very precipice of the most critical decision in OW history, that what the fan wants has not changed one iota over the last 30 years – a symbol of progress and glimpses of the technology of tomorrow.

LONG gone are the days when ever-increasing speeds (at Indy) at all costs meant progress, and I’d have to say despite the yearnings of a vocal minority who long for that past, to try and return to that previous time would be a monumental step backward.

Tomorrow will by many accounts be a time of new energies and technologies. Many on either coast may envision a time without autos, but the 44-46 other states in between them would have a different story. The automobile will never disappear, but again become the symbol of innovation and IndyCar can once again lead the way by embracing multiple propulsion systems. I’m talking about cellulosic ethanol and diesel, hydrogen, electric, whatever…

True innovation for the future through racing would seem to comprise the ability to develop the most powerful engine that uses the least amount of fuel over a given distance. To me the chassis is secondary in this formula albeit one that could also use innovative design to increase the ability of the engine.

This is where the Delta Wing seems to have been right on the money. As much as I prefer a time when an IndyCar “looked like an Indycar”, that time may be over and to eliminate the DeltaWing from being part of the competition, would seem to be delaying the inevitable future. I’m not a big fan of the looks of the DW, but it’s innovative concepts are certainly intriguing. 

I say give it a chance. No one will be laughing if Roger Penske ends up plunking his money down on it and wins with it now will they?"

My assessment of the engine package was that the "opening" of the specifications was a timid toe-dip into the pools of the unknown. A far more open and broad-ranging propulsion equation would've been what I'm looking for, something akin to the existing ALMS regulations, specifically the Green-X Challenge.  At any rate, to me the answer from the fans couldn't be more clear, "Men and women of chassis engineering - welcome to the IZOD IndyCar Series, have at it!"

(Not) Too Much Time on My Hands

As I am currently scurrying about finding this and packing that, I leave a brief post following my qualie predictions and a 'sayonara' until after the race. 

One bit of perfection. One perfect pick out of 33 plus. If you read my previous post you'll find I had Alex Lloyd pegged into the 26th spot. Nailed it.

The rest of the field? Ahhhh... not so much.  Missed the pole sitter, missed 4 of the First 9, had 3 missing the field that actually made it, had 3 making the field that missed, and ended with 32 drivers in the wrong position. Stellar.

Regarding the trip, all seems to be going to plan and the weather has changed dramatically since a week ago.  The sultry 80s have returned to Indiana with high humidity, bringing with it the increased chance for pop-up thunderstorms. Still, the preliminary forecasts show mostly sunny all weekend long and moderate cooling in the evenings. Very temperate, very excellent for the campers, very excellent for me.

I wish you all a great Memorial Day weekend and hope you'll be near a TV, Radio, or XM Radio to catch all the happenings of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, live. 

One of my favorite parts of the run-up to the Green Flag is the Invocation which requests that God watch over the drivers, the mechanics and the crews (in several languages). So, in the words of Archbishop Daniel Buechlein (fractured and spelled as phoentically as I could decipher froma n audio file) I bid you... "Calebundu ba abec du, mega gote siebe gleiten, ku me ten, vayee con dioose, kamigo noga kigoka aryu mat so gan, dio de guida, vaya con dios, godspeed."

PS  I will stand by a prediction made prior to qualifying despite his not starting from where I thought. My prediction for the win (aka kiss of death for the victory) goes to Mr. Graham Rahal, from the inside of Row 3, not Row 4 as I had earlier predicted.

Godspeed indeed,

DZ

I'm better than ESPN

I'm better than ESPN.

I'm better than ESPN or ABC or Speed or any other mainstream media outlet because I'm willing to stick my neck out and make grand predictions regarding qualifications for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 with nothing to gain and everything to lose regarding my intelligence and credibility. In the odd case that I get that one thing in eleven correct, I will tout my brilliant soothsaying but I will also temper it with the cold, hard, facts of my percentage.

At any rate, here's my analysis of the top 25 of 38 current qualifiers IN ORDER and BEFORE it all goes down.  Remember, you heard it here first: 

Top Shelf (9):

The Pole (AKA Master of the Obvious selection) - Penske car, I'll go with...  Briscoe.

The Top 9 - Briscoe, Dixon, Castroneves, Franchitti, Kanaan, M. Andretti, Power, Wheldon, Moraes.

Mid-table Obscurity (16):

Rahal, Matos, Tracy, J. Andretti, Wilson, Scheckter, Mutoh, Patrick, Carpenter, Bell, Hunter-Reay, Fisher, Hamilton, Conway, Meira, Viso.

And here is where it becomes interesting...
Perhaps the tension of who will not make the show is more compelling than who wins the pole, but simple math will tell you that with the current 38 entries, 5 will be bumped.

I have grouped 13 entries that fall below the 'level of comfort' in terms of recent experience, skill, equipment, Karma, or whathaveyou, placing them in jeopardy come next Sunday, ranked in order of most likely to least likely to be bumped. 

Danger Drives (5):

1.  98/98T unknown - CURB/Agajanian/3G - A wily veteran will drop in on the second day to surprise a few folks and sneak into the field? Only if it's Rick Mears. Nahhh, nevermind.
2.  18/18T Duno - Dale Coyne - This will be the beginning of the end for this driver in IndyCar.
3.  29/29T Saavedra (r) - Bryan Herta Autosport - some experience via the Firestone Lights, but this is the team's initial race effort on the biggest stage no less - tall order.
4.  36/36T Baguette (r) - Conquest - simply not enough experience and team has no major sponsor to assist with 'motivation' on qualifying day.
5.  34/34T Romancini (r) - Conquest - also a Lights grad, but will just miss the field.

---------- Bump Line ---------- 

Bump Day Drama Queens/Kings AKA Survivors (8):

6.  25/25T Beatriz (r) - Dreyer/Reinbold - similar to other Lights grads, better team.  Will be close, but just enough to squeeze into the field.
7.  66/66T Howard (r) - Sarah Fisher - Will survive by the skin of his teeth (as long as he keeps it off the wall).
8.  78/78T DeSilvestro (r) - HVM - Simply enough talent on a decent team to survive a nervy rookie qualifying weekend.
9.  33/33T Junquiera - FAZZT - Karma sees this man through into the field this year, provided Tagliani survives first day qualifying safely. This ride could evaporate if rumors about funding are true.
10. 41/41T Foyt IV - Foyt - Will appear fairly safe on second day, but time will slide down the charts, a bit too near the precipice for his liking.
11. 5/5T Sato - KV - Is a rookie like the Lights grads are 'rookies', but with a better team and skill. Must keep it off the wall this week.
12. 77/77T Tagliani - FAZZT - Was in last year only because the team owner installed him in Junquiera's qualifier. Will be determined to not be that close ever again. Still will be too close for his liking.
13. 19/19T Lloyd - Coyne - The former 'Pink' will have some work to do without a teammate capable of assisting when things get tight. Experience will see him through. 

Qualie Caveats:

A. Any car in the above list that ends up in the wall will place extreme pressure on that driver. In that case, I'd drop a driver 3 places closer to the bottom in the above ranking.

B. Sponsors who've written big checks hate to not make the show, so often another driver is brought into a struggling seat in hopes of making the race. We know that the 98 machine will need a driver, and I wouldn't be surprised if another driver steps into one of the Conquest cars at a minimum.

The pool of quality drivers with recent experience isn't terribly deep: Servia, Doornbos, Sharp, Phillipe, B. Lazier, Simmons, Bernoldi, Rice, Camara, J. Lazier, and Manning are among the most recent.

Well that's pretty much it.  I leave judgment to the march of time. Best wishes for the remaining month and I will likely have just one more post before signing off and heading to Indy for the race.

May means Indy

The annual running of the Kentucky Derby signals me that May has risen, giving warmth and sun to the midwest (at times at least), and May will set with the Indy 500 weekend.

Most you already know how that first indelible Indy experience has set me on this path of fandom, but for those who haven't heard the tale, it resides here as the second of a two-part post in this journal and also a more general view of it here, and then there's a whole bunch of Indy posts that begin here and follow through the month of May 2009.

May has arrived, my camping passes and race tickets are in hand, and my group is ready. Save for the serious build-up of qualifying, loading up our campers, and departing our beloved Goshen, this is the time of quiet anticipation - passing the next two weeks by pretending to be occupied with other things, all the while hearing the sounds of Mays past.  Sounds like the warming of the engines, an immense crowd's ambient din, Tom Carnegie's voice, Jim Nabors singing, the Purdue band, the Command to start engines...  and the sound of a little second hand tick-tick-ticking a steady pace, which reminds me I am a little way from being in my seats.

I enjoy reading other's posts regarding their first Indy experience and what it means to them.  I find mine has similar meaning and having that shared experience at totally unrelated times shows the depth of what the Indy experience means. I also find a kinship present with those people whom I've never met. 

It truly is a great experience from my youth and one that I appreciate more as time goes on. I intend to take my kids to their first raceday in the next two or three years, before they've developed that teen tendency to reject all things their parents like. With any luck, my kids will get half the enjoyment from it that I will, and, if that day leaves them with the lifelong impressions I had, I've done my job as a father.

Quick Perspective Check and More IndyCar Simple Math

Right up front, I must say that it just hit me today.

I hadn't actually noticed the fact that nearly everyday since the first race in Sao Paulo, IZOD IndyCar news is plentiful. Plentiful AND good news. I had just been so eagerly soaking it up with building anticipation to the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, that I needed to just take a moment to think about how we've come so far so quickly.

I trace it back to the major sponsor activation by IZOD that has, without a doubt, jump-started the entire league and raised the profile of IndyCar (and for that, I pledge the activation of my money and brand loyalty in supporting the Phillips-Van Heusen lines). If you are an IndyCar fan, I seriously hope you choose to do the same because when I think of the departure of Mr. Tony George from management of the series, I think about the major concerns I had about its future. Thank you IZOD and thank you Mike Kelly.

Now onto the racing:

Heading into the oval season, we now turn our attention to only turning left which instantly gets the juices flowing for Indy. Ahhh, dammit sweet Indy, how do I love you?  Very much thank you but first, there's the matter of Kansas. Kansas brings us the first oval of the season and the only one before Indy meaning some shining rookies need to get up to speed pronto and veterans jostle for Jack Arute's 'Uncle Mo', heading to Indy.

Now onto the IndyCar Simple Math:

turning left at Kansas > turning right at Kansas
Mona Vie > h.e.r.
@tomasscheckter > @danicapatrick
The Queen-Hotts of the 'Inside' (The Inside Pass Girls) > well, most any other fan-based group really.
making Indy 500 weekend plans > watching Tallesnooza.
VS IndyCar (and Hockey for that matter) coverage > anything ESPN has done for years.
SMI > ISC
Oval Crown and Road/Street Crown > 'the chase'
Pressdog + SB PopOffValve + is it May yet? + 16th and Georgetown + Curt Cavin + Oil Pressure > searching for IndyCar commentary via all traditional media outlets combined.

Many thanks to all who spend time making the IZOD IndyCar world a better place!

Simple IndyCar Math and The Race to the Party

I tend to try to make things simple.  For some reason, this often leads to unnecessary elaboration/obfuscation.  Any regular reader would likely agree or possibly even be astounded that anyone could think otherwise.

(to use an oft-abused non-word) Irregardless, I will disobfuscate all over your screen here with something that I like to call Simple IndyCar Math. No need to explain really unless since 3rd grade you've forgotten that ">" is the greater than sign and "<" is the less than sign...

Example: IndyCar > NASCAR.  OK, you with me?  Of course you are, here we go...
Butler Bulldogs > Indiana Pacers
Grilled Encased meats >= Zero Gravity Flights
Jack Arute > The whole Fox NASCAR booth
IZOD > (Pep Boys + Northern Lights) x 50
'How Do I Love Indy?' Firestone Ad > All remixes/mash-ups of Slap Chop Ads
Google Chrome > (IE8) x 17
Google anything > anything - Google
Long Beach > Sonoma
Roy Hobbson > Jonathan Hart Self-made Millionaire
AC/DC >= Having Superpowers
Gran Turismo 2 > Mario Kart wii
The Inside Pass >= sliced bread
pressdog > Gordon Kirby
Trenton's dog-leg backstretch oval > any damned cookie cutter 1.5 mile oval of today
Nazareth > Homestead
Nazareth <= April Wine
John Menard = Andy Granatelli
Buick Indy V6 Turbo <= Colonoscopy
Indianapolis Motor Speedway > Daytona International Speedway (and don't you forget it)
Dirty air <= Pants crapping
Simona > Danica
Helio > Tom Sneva
Fuel Strategies < Late-braking Passes for position
ZZ Top > 3 Doors Down + Third Eye Blind + free Miller Lite.
Chip Ganassi >= Ulysses S. Grant
Lindy Thackston >= sliced bread
The Pagdoa > we may ever realize
Bell's Two-Hearted Ale > Psychedelics
Jimi Hendrix > Michael Jackson
Ben Roethlisberger < smart
Jim Nabors > Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The Race to the Party...
Select Driver - Roy Hobbson, Select Transport = '78 Corvette + T-Tops + fuzzy dice + chrome skull shift knob - catalytic converter.
Select Driver - Bob Jenkins, Select Transport =  '74 Hurst-Olds Cutlass 455ci Pace Car
Select Driver - Danny Ongais, Select Transport = '81 Methodist Hospital Ambulance
Select Driver - Sam Hornish Jr., Select Transport = Time Machine

More Race to the Party coming at GroundedEffects.blogspot.com

Thanks for visiting.

Living With Disparity.

I blame the NFL for ruining IndyCar.

The NFL has produced a model of professional major-sport competition so successful at being even-handed, it dares all other sports to match it. Baseball can't touch it, Basketball's popularity has fallen immensely, Hockey all but disappeared after their lockout season.  LOCKOUT SEASON?  Anyone remember a cancelled World Series?  Even one of the mightiest world sports - Football (yes, I mean Soccer, or shall I use 'Futbol' for clarity?), has major issues with where competition, revenue, and payroll all come together.

As much as I support equity through rules to enhance the product of competition, this model simply does not work in its current form for racing. The NFL is about direct person-to-person combat, and the management thereof. So similar is the mighty Futbol. They have inherent drama on a daily basis (I contend it is because EVERY game or match means something, but that is for another discussion). Racing is about one-up-'person'-ship and the advancement of technologies. There's nothing inherently fair about it.

I appreciate the IndyCar series for attempting what no other racing series had prior - make it as fair as possible for all who choose to participate. Never been done before. Scoffed at by the establishment. Ridiculed by those who represented the status quo. Ultimately adopted by other leagues who rely on weekly TV ratings for support. For this attempt at equity, I think Mr. Tony George can be commended.

Now in the matter of months since the last Indy 500, he's nearly gone from the landscape (save for a beautiful facility called Indianapolis Motor Speedway), and the series seems energized with new drivers and ascending teams, but the time has come to look hard at the future of IndyCar and its essence.

As I think about all of the racing I've watched and what seems to touch racing fans the most is the ever-changing shape 'of things to come' (meaning ingenuity and forward-thinking) and the human-dramas that emerge from competition. Racing from its inception has been about being a working and competitive laboratory for various companies of the automotive industry. As we've seen in the past 25 years or so, it also can be used to promote unrelated consumer products and services through the mass media who use the human-dramas to capture the attention of the viewer.

Herein lies the question of seemingly divergent forces - is racing for development of the companies (of the automotive and related industry), is it for the entertainment of people (events/media coverage/ratings/sponsors/consumers), or can there be a suitable place where both of those forces can exist?

At its best, racing provides the thrills and excitement and inspiration of witnessing never before seen things, history in the making, and humans performing incredible feats of daring and skill right before our eyes. At its worst, racing is a platform for socio-economic elitism, dynastic control, and even the spectre of horrific death.

F1 provides some incredible feats of automotive technology at great costs, but often the on track product leaves observers at a loss for enjoyment. It also attempts to cater to a worldwide audience.  NASCAR has become truly little more than rolling billboards combined with all the dramatic performances of professional wrestling. The LeMans (and American LeMans) Series seems to blend the best of the two worlds - the racing of production-based cars and high-tech rolling automotive laboratory subjects. IndyCar would do well to fit between the automotive ingenuity and entertainment of ALMS, the pseudo-hype and over-saturation of NASCAR, and the cha-ching of F1 budget spending. 

"So then if ALMS is already doing it, why should IndyCar do it?"  A good, hard, and fair question. Part of me loves that IndyCar is steeped in the tradition and history that goes back 100 years, but does that mean it has the inherent right to survive? My answer would be 'no'. My answer would be that, for IndyCar to survive it must evolve and by this I mean possibly partner with ALMS for the survival of all concerned. They already race on similar tracks, using similar parameters for performace, and have some of the best drivers of the world. Audi is already seeing the value of a LeMans victory and the technology used to promote its cars with great success. IndyCar could be on the forefront of the American automotive manufacturing revolution about to land on this country if it so chooses by adopting a similar set of rules, but by maintaining its open-wheeled chassis structure (and heritage). 

"What about the American oval course tradition?" As much as I hate to say it, but sorry folks, NASCAR won the battle of the ovals.  'Left-only' racing in the U.S. of A. pretty much belongs to NASCAR for now. All but the glorious Indianapolis 500 and a few tiny dirt and asphalt tracks that dot the map of America.  Those famed tracks used to be the training grounds for a shot at glory in the Indy 500. That used to be the case, but that seems to have begun disintegrating in earnest somewhere in the mid-1980s. Much like LeMans or Monaco, the Indy 500 is truly an event, a grand event, perhaps the grandest of them all, but a series it does not make. Perhaps a very limited selection of great old ovals is all that should be saved on the schedule. Indy, Milwaukee, Pocono, Phoenix, Michigan (Pocono unlikely to host a race and the latter two currently owned by the NASCAR empire). Time and money have already eliminated too many historic greats such as Ontario and Nazareth. 

"So what's next?"  I wish I knew. Parts of me are happy with the way things are actually: a basic entertainment-based series that has excellent drivers and competition and the Indy 500 to which I hope I never am forced to miss. Part of me wants things to evolve as well. Do I think the Delta Wing will be the savior? No. New chassis and engine package? maybe will help a little. Once upon a time way back in 2003 or so I think, I floated an idea on several racing boards with no real feedback. Perhaps now is the time...

My idea was (and I still think it to be a good and fairly simple one as it stands today) to have a Triple Crown of IndyCar racing: one Crown for points accumulated on ovals, one Crown for streets/roads, and one overall Crown for 'The IndyCar Champion'. This would allow smaller budget teams to race aggressively on just ovals (and re-tap into the legions of small trackers all over the country), or twisties with their own following, as they so choose or budget will allow.  

The big debate about the best overall would be settled (or not) via the overall champion.  Each crown would carry an individual sponsorship (i.e. Miller Beer for Ovals, Heineken for Roads) which pays each winning team a tidy sum and the Overall Champion would get a big, fat cardboard check from IZOD as it would stand currently.

I certainly don't envy what Mr. Bernard has gotten himself into, because there is a significant chance that with the new chassis rules forthcoming, the good-new days of equity and price-fixing may be coming to an end for the sake of variety and ingenuity.  At any rate, here's to hoping he finds all of us a way out of the dark and into a nice, healthy IndyCar for years to come.

2010 Carb-Day Band (non) Announcement

I have the skills of a master detective.  Actually more like approximately 65% of the average skills found with the average TV detective from the 1970s...  less the cool car. 

What I do have that resembles a 1970s TV detective, besides the penchant for bars with dark wall paneling and 11 mpg sport sedans, is a friend who survives below the radar that provides me with helpful information from time to time. This friend sourced to me two major places to go to find clearinghouse information on musical acts and their schedules: Pollstar and Tourtracker.

Armed with my latest research weapon, I perused and pursued any combination of search tag scrap that would produce a result.  I now don't mind sharing these with everyone since the secret of the Carb Day band for 2010 appears to be on lock-down in a maximum security computer at IMS and (much like my favorite 70s era TV detectives) I lack the true 'juice' or contacts to elicit such information. My research therefore has been sufficient only to produce data for deductive reasoning, eliminating the acts who are already committed to the May 28, 2010 dates.

This I share with you so that the first person with any correct information you may have that leads to the confirmed band or bands to play the 2010 Carb Day, prior to the official IMS announcement of such concert, will garner you full and commensurate honors (a free premium beer or alcoholic beverage) at the campsite of yours truly for the 2010 Indy 500 weekend.  Here is the official list of those acts currently on tour who shan't be performing Miller Lite Carb Day 2010:

Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, Black Eyed Peas, Bullet For My Valentine, Tim McGraw, Asleep at the Wheel, Angels and Airwaves, Eli Young Band, 3OH!3, Dave Matthews Band, Pavement, Steel Pulse, Michael Buble, Daughtry, Oak Ridge Boys, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Bret Michaels, Little Big Town, Godsmack, Kiss, Coheed and Cambria, Wilco, Heart, CS&N, Elvis Costello, Montgomery Gentry, BoDeans, Bela Fleck, Mark Knopfler, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Carole King, David Gray, Lifehouse, Joe Bonamassa, NKOTB, Three Dog Night, ZZ Top, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, Tesla, Deep Purple, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, moe., Steve Miller Band, Chevelle, Umphrey's McGee, Indigo Girls, OK Go, Living Colour, Buckcherry, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Manhattan Transfer, 1000 Foot Crutch, Barenaked Ladies, Gov't Mule, Reverend Horton Heat (damn.), Saliva, The Glitch Mob, Cracker, Dark Star Orchestra, Steve Winwood, George Benson, David Sanborn, Gaelic Storm, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Good Charlotte, Proclaimers, Pendulum, Paul Weller, Garaj Majal, Natalie Merchant, Duke Tumatoe (crap.) Cinderella, Sammy Kershaw, Dangermuffin, New Pornographers, The Damned, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Stone Sour, The Yardbirds, Naked Eyes, The Wailers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Eve 6, Rusted Root, America, Buddy Guy, annnnnnnd (perhaps most disappointingly) AC/DC.

 Please note there are many others left off the list that I couldn't recognize as any band of note and judging by their venue, not big draws anyway.  So there it is, the unofficial, non-announcement of Carb Day band for 2010. Sorry. What else is there to do for off-week, non-NCAA day of non-sports-news?

Race One, Race Won

Sao Paulo is in the books and despite the myriad many obstacles conspiring to obfuscate, the race itself was quite enjoyable to watch. I will summarize my fave part of the race and issue yellow flags (issues of concern), red flags (lowlights), and green flags (highlights) for other points of note.

It's no secret that I am an oval fan primarily, but I was particularly impressed with the amount of actual passing and racing going on the track itself. The drivers and fans by most all accounts seemed to have the same opinion, leaving me with no choice but to be more open to street courses (properly done) as a viable venue for IndyCar. I much prefer the rolling and scenic nature of the road course to city streets, but not always are roads the best option for tracks that turn right as well as left (I will say that I plan to maintain great disdain for airport circuits, when American classics like Road America or Laguna Seca are not employed).

As for the track action itself, many interesting stories emerged, but to me the defining moment of the race was when 2nd place Ryan Hunter-Reay and 3rd Will Power (who was fighting to overcome severe hand blisters) applied enough pressure on leader Ryan Briscoe to lapse slightly in concentration and slide into the tire barrier at the end of the long back straight. Hunter-Reay lead for several laps following and then it was Power's turn to make a classic pass under late braking for the lead with 2 laps to go.

Yellow Flags:

- Mario Moraes not coming out and admitting his mistake right away.

- Subpar TV production quality (some things out of VS control I understand, others like announcers talking over each other, not).

 Red Flags:

- Jack Arute trying to be funny. Just analyze, don't try to be all things.

- Pop-up terrential thunderstorms.

- No back up power systems for race control.
- First lap, first corner wrecks.  Come on people.

Green Flags:

- Simona DeSilvestro leading for several laps.

- Seeing 7 different teams in the top 10.

- Brazil's fans supporting and enjoying the race.
- Brazil's track people working to grind the concrete deep into the night

- Everyone racing cleanly (from what I saw).

Enjoyable street race? Yes, I guess it was. 

Race won on the track and not in the pits? Awesome!

Mind opened slightly again? Yes.

The older I get, the less I realize that I know.

Fortune Favors the Bold

Times are changing and, with regard to the IndyCar world, it is no less apparent than on the cusp of this new 2010 season, with new League Title Sponsor IZOD fully activating itself all over the IndyCar landscape. This momentous season will begin on another continent, in another hemisphere (Brazil) and with an other-worldly story playing out concurrently with the racing: this season will see the developing changes to the most identifiable element of the sport itself - the Indy Car.

Tweets, blogs, articles, and message boards have been energized with the recent preliminary chassis designs by four manufacturers and one... designer(?), all of whom will vie to become the next IndyCar chassis slated for 2012. Much debate has already occurred since the early days of February when Dallara (incumbent chassis manu), Delta Wing, Swift, Lola, and finally BAT all had turns at revealing their preliminary concepts. 

Then, there's Maude:

Unveiled at the Chicago North American Auto Show, this stunner seemed to leave mouths agape and searching for proper descriptors, of which few were found. To many, this potential design was neither 'IndyCar' nor attractive. Infuriating and repulsive to a web-vocal bunch, yet supported by those who would actually be responsible for the purchase and use of such machines. I'll admit my skepticism was running high at first blush, until I put away the emotion and became interested enough to spend some time reading 'Why?'. The factors and criteria which led the Delta Wing team to this point became more illuminated after reading the method behind the madness. With so many comments and thoughts swirling around IndyCar at this point, I doubt I'm saying anything that has not already, however, it is my opinion, as a fan of well over 30 years, that this opportunity, at this time, will be the defining moment of the sport's survival or plummet into obscurity.

As a longtime fan, I'd rather not see such a great American institution as the Indy 500 and the sport, with a storied lineage so rarely found in this country, lost at the short-sightedness of a few. The time is right for something as truly inspired as the DeltaWing. The time also is right for inclusion of multiple propulsion systems. Vast freedoms of propulsion, with the limits set by efficient use of power, not by sheer power itself.

This opportunity has presented itself to be something new, exciting, and relevant. Right here, right now. Draw a bead and pull the trigger IndyCar, before something else draws faster. You can only be too late, never too early.

100 days

Despite the ever-increasing depth of snow outside my window today, chassis-related events coupled with our first planning meeting last week have stirred the spirit to more firmly focus on 'the trip'. 

100 days sounds like a big number but, in truth, isn't. It's just barely enough time to coordinate the elements necessary for a proper trip. This being the 7th trip with this group, the planning has become a bit easier, but each year poses its own obstacles which must be overcome. The primary needs, however, are firmly trenched into the budget: location (Speedway camp lots), lodging (campers), beverages (water - for when the beer runs out), and of course food (primo grilled meats to be exact).

Everyone has their favorite camp food, but ours is not simple fare.  Burgers, brats, dogs and potato salad are generally eschewed for a more civilized palate.  The menu is annually given extra attention and love with a grilling phenom and our very own 4-star chef. It's not uncommon to find this on our plates at Indy (less the expensive linens and flatware, of course)... 

Budget variables such as 'entertainment', 'sundries', and 'hospitality' can often be the death of our budget, but also have historically provided some of the more priceless (albeit confidential) moments of the Indy trip.  I've found that the more organic and spontaneous those spirited events are, the better, so planning and budgeting for those is right out.

Now with mind distracted by furthering the details of the upcoming trip, I must put away this blog. 100 days is seeming like about 50 too few, but 50 days ago would've had me making lists, calling friends, and discussing budgets... on Christmas.

Ah, well, so it goes every year, time to grab another gear...

Just Tryin' To Be Helpful...

It's becoming clear to me that one of two things is happening regarding the Carb Day concert announcement: One, it is SOOO awesome that to avoid a raucous and potentially dangerous stampede of people overrunning the ticketing office, they just can't release the band name until proper security and safety preparations have been set; orrrr, Two, they haven't found a 'suitable' act yet.

Being in a somewhat pessimistic mode regarding the Speedway's leadership, I tend to think the latter is the odds-on favorite of being closest to the truth.  In my typical way, I would like to assist by humbly submitting some possible acts for consideration:

1.  The Who.  I realize they're coming off a less-than-stellar appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.  I realize they've lost half of the originals.  Their best days are clearly behind them.  As a fan, I am well aware of all of this.  They are in their mid-60s after all and still can kick ass so I just want them to do one, nice, tight, generation-spanning, show of ass-kicking rock-n-roll lasting one glorious hour (not that halftime medley crap).  Six songs; My Generation, I Can't Explain, The Real Me, You Better You Bet, Baba O'Riley, Who Are You, and finish with of 'Won't Get Fooled Again'.  I want to hear Roger scream, live, one last time.  What could have you more amped up for the rest of the weekend than that?  I can't imagine short of something that involves 'pharmaceuticals'.

2. There isn't a #2.  The Who is it for 2010, end of.

PS Whether you like Queen or not, if your neck hair doesn't stand up starting at the 4:15 mark of the SOOO awesome video link, you likely wouldn't appreciate 33 cars roaring down on Lap 1 of the Indy 500 (be sure to click the option to watch "Lap 1" in 720HD), Just sayin'. 

The Hallowed Grounds

Winter provides an unusual opportunity to see the speedway in its dormancy.

Part of a work-related responsibility is to travel to Indy four times a year and at least three of those trips will involve a waypoint through the Museum and gift shop.  In typical fashion yesterday, I had stopped through on my way out of town and, despite missing the museum closing time, visited the recently remodeled (and very nice) gift shop.  The staff was typically friendly, helpful, and even chatty.  I enjoy this little interlude while perusing the new stock and looking for kids gifts (that they don't already have).

On my way out of the building, I noticed traces of snow on the track, near the walls in turn 1, the south chute, and turn 2.  I stopped in my tracks, struck at how I had never noticed this before.  Maybe I've never see it with snow present.  Very odd indeed I thought with some melting areas recalling the infamous weepers that would crop up nearly every race weekend in turn 3.  I also thought of a promotion photo used on the IMS website a few years ago with the still gorgeous old #32 Marmon Wasp on the snow-covered, front straight and how unusual that seemed. 

It also got my thoughts turned to the warmth of May and what lies ahead.  As I drove out I recalled that Al Unser once said he got chills every time he drives under the tunnel entering the track.

I got them entering and leaving.

An Open Letter to the Ownership and Executive Adminstration of Hulman and Company

Dear Board of Directors - Hulman and Company:

As a native Hoosier and lifetime Indy 500 fan (primarily and Indycar Series supporter second despite them being close relatives), I track with great passion the sport's changes as how they may affect the Indy 500 first, and the remainder of the sport next. Mr. Tony George's resignation from the board is the final shovel of "not good" that has tipped the scales for me from optimist to pessimist regarding the future of IMS and the Indy 500.

This recent bit of news is troubling to me, because I am optimistic by nature, but I now have an insurmountable fear that no one is left who has the passion, vision, and desire to carry it forward in a manner which allows it to not merely survive, but thrive. Surely, your privately-owned, family business must realize it has generations of a vast public who personally identify with (and in some cases even gave their life for) this event, it's history, and the grounds. The staggering popularity of The 500 and it's history certainly are evidence of that. I understand I own precisely 0.00% of the company's stock however I am mentally and emotionally invested in the place which is worth more than a little.

From this meager platform, I ask the board to please give us, loyal 'lifers' some sort of idea what the heck your plan is for this place.

It is yours in ownership.  It is also mine in heart and soul.  Understand me, your loyal fan, and do NOT toy with it.  What I bring to you shows up as positive numbers on your Balance Sheet if that is all you understand.

If you can understand the above, then understand these concerns:
- Who will be the passionate visionary to energize and elevate this place?
- Who among you is dedicated to the 500 to your very core?
- Who will be the talisman with tireless diligence to an entity whose value as a national treasure is far greater than the sum of its parts.
- Who is next?

You will note that I do not address the 'How' or 'What' is next, but 'Who' is next.  This is by far the most critical component in my opinion.

Who is next?

My concerns are growing, my patience wearing thin.

Instead of a lifetime of dedication from me (your most loyal fans), you must know that you have now relegated yourself to a year-by-year basis.

I strongly advise not screwing it up.