The Curious Case of Sam Hornish

Much ado will probably be made over the next several days and weeks regarding one Mr. Sam Hornish, Jr. and his future in racing.  Much more will likely be made again about a return to Indycars and specifically, the Indy 500.


I'm not going to pretend that just because we're both from the humble, rural midwest that this writer has any particular insight into his current state of mind, BUT, honestly, it's almost as if Sam needs the advice of a trusted friend who might suppose he just didn't need a break from it all. 


Playing third-string on a team can be taxing, especially when you consider he's been the first-string all-star on the upward trajectory for a vast majority of his career.  First-string until he stepped into a stock car that is. A new challenge is precisely what he got when he traded wings for fenders, but I'm guessing being support for, first one, then two, other drivers was not the dream job he was looking for. 


Understanding that 'taking a year off' in sports most often leads to the severe decline in career opportunities (and performance), the reluctance to step back from it for a second is without question. Yet in review of his career path, one has to wonder if a year of doing something different (ALMS, Grand-Am, Rally cars, Sprinters) or whatever, just for the fun of it, might not be a panacea for his driving malaise. 


Again, this is pure speculation by a rank amateur whose only credentials in driving are a current and valid Indiana drivers license and has driven the wonderful Indy Racing Experience car for 4 laps at the hallowed IMS.  Still, one wonders if this is less a racing issue and more an issue 'between the ears'. Most true fans would certainly only hope he does what's best for him and that it helps his journey in racing for the long-term.  

Time to Hit Refresh

A much need design overhaul occurred today and I will be eager to hear your feedback.  As much as I love clean an simple design, I wanted to add graphical tie-ins which I hope will add and not detract from the experience.  I'm by no means a graphic artist and my livelihood isn't tied to whether there's traffic here or not, so please feel free to comment pro or con. This space is mainly for my Indycar blatherings and your enjoyment as well so if the design offends or is distracting, I'd love to know.  I'm also posting a picture to see how they might appear...

Sample picture caption.

Kibbles and Bits...

End of another year and, as many do, I pause to look both back at the previous year and ahead at what may come. I looked back in my blog entries to find some unfinished drafts and decent thoughts within which I now unabashedly review and present this day as blog-filler (or 'clearing the mental-leftovers' if you will).

- There were no less than three posts which contained only a title and no body copy. Those titles were; "The Yellow Submarine", "Next Generations", and "Peter Brady". Fairly certain where I was going with the former two, but not the latter (fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to blog, son).

- A few unfinished 'for/against' or 'wish list' themed entries appear rightfully dated now, based on the happenings of 2010.

- A very long and incomplete summary of this year's Indy 500 trip was present.  I enjoyed reading my recap and now am wishing I had done this for each year I've gone.  Recently I've found great Indy daydream material when I get sucked into the detailed historical journals posted by Paul Dalbey over at MoreFrontWing.com. I'll post a snippet of mine here:

[...So in review, here are my impressions for the 94th Indy 500 - 2010.

1. Camping - My group of early-middle aged crazies (with the annual rookie tripper) again enjoyed the relative freedom found in 5 days of a lesser regard for manners, hygiene, liver protection, ambition, order, and calm. All in all, the camping portion of the trip was another success and the near-perfect weather was a huge factor in being able to enjoy the weekend to its fullest. An under-canopy bar and music area was new this year and was a rousing success. Duly noted.

2. Food and Beverage - I will say that the absence of the 4-star chef from our ranks was noticable on many levels but the no moreso than the decrease in ambition and direction shifting the eating to a more improvised dinner each night. The quality was still there, albeit a reduction in the anticipation of knowing what was ahead for our gullets each night was noted. We tried a keg this year in support of our multitudinous cases of beer. BeerFail. To keep the keg cold and palatable, a larger tub and more ice than we had available was required. I just returned it last night to retrieve my deposits, feeling like we had fallen short of expectations. Most, if not all, of us were just as happy with the numerous dirty 30s loaded and emptied in the 5-day iced coolers. Duly noted....]

I plan to continue my blogging here and, with the upswing in Indycar mojo, hope to make time for more timely and consistent entries for the seven (oops, just fact-checked my stats) make that, nine of you who read this.  My aim for 2011 is to continue to provide something that's not already being made out there. This requires the use of only my brain primarily so you can see how we're standing on shaky ground.