West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame honors its seventh class, July 2nd

Petty Race Car

NASCAR Ford Torino

Chevelle Stock Car

Ford Gran Torino Stock Car (Image credits for pictures at Induction: Dicken Wear)

8,500 Oakland fans watched as Woody Brown flipped his Mercury stock car during the ARA 300-lap race on 7/27/52. Unhurt, Brown did some hurried repairs and returned to finish 10th, that's Fred Steinbroner in the #16. John Soares won the event. Caption & Image Credit: WCSCHOF website

West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame honors its seventh class, July 2nd

The people who will be inducted into the 2010 West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame, by tradition, come from two main categories - Historic Era (achievements that came prior to 1970), and Modern Era. This year will also see the addition of a new category - Career Contributor (for members of the media and public relations professionals of any era).

The West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame was founded in 2001 to memorialize significant contributions to the sport’s development and history. Inductees are drawn from people who have served in its many disciplines including designers, engineers, mechanics, drivers, race track owners, promoters, and most recently, publicists and members of the motorsports media.

Yakima Speedway - Yakima, Washington in June, 1961 Image Credit: WCSCHOF website

The twelve motorsports figures from historic and modern eras that will be recognized Friday (July 2, 2010) when the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame inducts its seventh class at Azusa Greens Country Club in Azusa, Calif are as follows:

Historic Era (6 inductees) - Driver Bob Caswell of Walnut Creek, Calif., Car Owners Bill “Tiny” Clinton of Los Angeles/Joe Mangini Jr. of Walnut Creek, Calif., Crew Chief Herb Nab, Tire Provider/Specialist Duane Edwards of Southgate, Calif. and Starter/Race Chief Steward Mel Fernandes of San Leandro, Calif.

All of the above awards will be honored posthumously.

Modern Era (4 inductees) - Driver Mike Chase of Redding, Calif., Car Owner Allen Beebe of Modesto, Calif., Car Owner Rod Osterlund of Plumas County in Northeast California, and James “Jimmy” Smith of Newport Beach, Calif

Career Contributor (2 inductees) - The late Gordon Martin, long-standing motorsports writer and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and Mel Larson, longtime spokesman for the sport of stock car racing.

Turn #11 (?), Laguna Seca Raceway (now, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) near Monterey, California. Image Credit: WCSCHOF website

The ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. (PDT) and this seventh class will bring the total number of inductees in the West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame to 93.



... notes from The EDJE

Lexus-Toyota Safety: When a Million Dollars an hour is not enough!

The very exclusive $375,000.00 Lexus LF-A sports car. Image Credit: Autoweek via Toyota Motor Corporation

Lexus-Toyota Safety: When a Million Dollars an hour is not enough!
(Commentary from The Motorsports Report - Lexus is owned by Toyota - from a report in Autoweek)

Hiromu Naruse, the chief test driver for the Lexus LF-A sports car, was killed on Wednesday in a crash on a public road near the famed Nürburgring where a prototype of a special Nürburgring edition of the car has been undergoing testing.

The 67-year-old Naruse apparently collided with a test car driven by two BMW test drivers outside the 'Ring. The BMW drivers were injured, with one reported to be in critical condition, but are expected to survive.

The LF-A supercar was revealed in production trim at the 2009 Tokyo motor show and is expected to go into production late this year as a 2012 model. The company plans to build just 500 copies of the $375,000 cars over a 24-month period. The $70,000 Nürburgring option will be offered on 50 cars, featuring a 562-hp version of the car's 4.8-liter V10 and other exclusive features.
Reference Here>>

Toyota chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, the Godfather (creator) of the LFA and personal driver to Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s President, dies in a crash behind the wheel of a Nurburgring Edition Lexus LF-A prototype. Image Credit: AutoBlog via Rhein-Wied, Rhein-Zeitung, Spiegel

Editor’s Note: Toyota has come out with an Ad campaign this month that claims it spends, “A Million Dollars an Hour on Safety”. I’d like to know is that 24/7 or just Monday thru Friday 8 to 5?

A million dollars an hour may sound like a lot of money to some, but in the real world of many things it not very much. It is costing BP more than that every day in lost stock value, disaster clean up, lost lives and lost product, (and I’ll bet they are spending that much on lawyers and legal fees every day).

The US Government wastes that much money every day on paper and ink. A top Funny Car or Formula One Team can spend that much money per hour at a Race.

And, to be clear, all Auto Companies spend that much and sometimes more (I’ll bet Mercedes and BMW does).

Judging from the photos of the damage this was not a High Speed incident but did appear to be the sort of accident damage you would see when any two cars hit head-on while trying to change lanes to avoid collision (someone Zigged, when they should have Zagged).

Perhaps it is time to have all countries use the same side to drive on, and adopt “Keep Right Except To Pass” laws worldwide. I know this would solve many of the traffic flow problems in many states and cities. It would even make California a great place to drive once again instead of the worst.

Dicken Wear, The Motorsports Report

24 Hours of Le Mans 2010: Saleen notches first ever win at last ever event

Jack Leconte’s Larbre Competition - Saleen S7R driven by Gabriele Gardel, Roland Berville, & Julien Canal for the 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Image Credit: antsphoto

24 Hours of Le Mans 2010: Saleen notches first ever win at last ever event

A Saleen S7R wins the last LMGT1 classification race to be held at the 24 hours of Le Mans. In its 78 year history, a Saleen car has never won at Le Mans ... until today, when the Jack Leconte’s Larbre Competition - Saleen S7R driven by Gabriele Gardel (Roland Berville, & Julien Canal co-drivers) crossed the finish line in P1 at the end of the 24th hour. The Saleen is the only car racing at Le Mans that is not racing in the FIA GT1 World Championship.

In winning the LMGT1 Class, the #50 Larbre Competition Saleen S7R completed 331 LAPS, 2ND was the #72 Luc Alphand Adventures Corvette C6,R with 327 LAPS, and 3RD was the #52 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin with 311 LAPS. This will be the last year the LMGT1 Class will be run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in order to align the 24 Hours of Le Mans format with the ALMS and the classification formats they have adopted. This is a good move for Le Mans because this will allow more competitive teams from across the "pond" to be able to enter into this hallmark motorsports race event.

The 78th running of the 24 hours of Le Mans was a race that saw many firsts but chief among them was that a new overall distance record had been set when the #9 Audi Sport North America - Audi R15 TDI diesel-powered car crossed the finish line, with Timo Bernhard driving, completing 392 laps. Timo led a event podium sweep of Audi R15 TDI's in a surprise ending when the faster paced group of Team Peugeot Total - Peugeot 908 HDi - FAP diesel-powered cars that had qualified in the first three positions (also at Le Mans setting record speeds) to start the race (with a fourth one from Team Oreca Matmut in P4) ... and pulled away with one of the cars having over a lap lead on the Audi cars, at one point, had to retire and never completed the race.

It is Audi's 9th overall 24 Hours of Le Mans win, equaling the total notched by Ferrari ... both manufacturers are in second place in wins behind Porsche who have 16 overall wins.

What this 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans shows is that in the end it is endurance and perseverance that carries the day. Hats off to all the winners in class beginning with LMP1: #9 Audi Sport North America - Audi R15 TDI LMP2: #42 Straka Racing - HPD ARX.01 LMGT1: #50 Larbre Competition - Saleen S7R LMGT2: #77 Team Felbemayr Proton - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR Michelin Green X (completing the most laps on the least amount of fuel): #42 Straka Racing - HPD ARX.01.

... notes from The EDJE

PS. The Saleen which was named after Steve Saleen, is not raced by the Saleen Automotive Group in the US (formerly of Irvine, CA), nor does Steve Saleen of SMS (Corona, CA) have anything to do with it anymore. (DW)

The Coach is Gone

Les “Coach” Richter, Veteran Motorsports Executive Instrumental in Development of Auto Club Speedway - Image Credit: Auto Club Speedway & David Talley

MOTORSPORTS LEGEND, LES “COACH” RICHTER PASSES AWAY

San Bernardino County, Calif. (June 12, 2010) -- Les “Coach” Richter, who was instrumental in the development of California Speedway, overseeing the project for Roger Penske from the demolition of the historic Kaiser Steel Mill, to its transformation into a first-class racing facility, passed away quietly this morning at the age of 79.

"Coach's name was synonymous with west coast motorsports, somewhat ironic for a man who became famous in football, but fitting for a man who could charge through any obstacle and was larger than life,” said Auto Club Speedway President Gillian Zucker.

“As a colleague, his knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for the industry were beyond compare. As a mentor, he was always there with sage advice and a hug that would knock the wind out of you but would leave no doubt how much he cared. He was a special friend, and we will miss him dearly."

Richter recently served as vice-president of special projects for International Speedway Corporation, the parent company of Auto Club Speedway. He was based at Auto Club Speedway, a two-mile, state-of-the-art superspeedway near Fontana, California.

The current trophy for the Auto Club 500 is named the “Richter Trophy” as a lasting tribute to his contributions to Auto Club Speedway and the world of motorsports.

Richter’s hard work and dedication for the Penske Family resulted in the opening of the speedway and marked the return of professional oval track auto racing to the Southern California region. On June 22, 1997, he served as the first Grand Marshal for the California 500 Presented by NAPA.

A veteran motorsports executive, Richter became the executive director of Riverside International Raceway (RIR) in 1959. Two years later, he became the president and general manager of RIR, a position that he held until 1983. He is credited with making RIR consistently profitable through his nationally known innovations and creativity, including the creation and promotion of the NASCAR Motor Trend 500 in 1963, and the planning and execution of the raceway’s $3.6 million improvement plan in 1969.

Richter’s 11-year association with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) began in 1983, and in 1986, he became NASCAR’s executive vice president of competition. In 1992, Richter was named senior vice president of operations for NASCAR.

A native of Fresno, California, Richter graduated from Fresno High School, where he served as student body president and captain of the football team. Mr. Richter graduated from the University of California at Berkeley where he was valedictorian of the 1952 graduating class. As an All-American linebacker, Richter’s football heroics led to his eventual election to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Richter was the first player chosen in the regular draft of the National Football League in 1952. The New York Yankees Professional Football Club, who moved to Texas that year to become the Dallas Texans, selected him. On June 13, 1952, the Los Angeles Rams traded 11 players and draft choices to the Dallas Texans for the rights to Les Richter - an NFL record. Richter went on to play for the Rams for nine years, making all-pro as a linebacker for eight years.

Richter served in the United States Army during the Korean War as a 1st Lieutenant of the 44th Infantry Division.

Richter was affectionately known as “Coach” – from his days coaching an army football team while stationed at Fort Lewis Washington. He later was a Player/Coach with the Rams.

Editor's Note: I knew Les for many years, and sought his advice from time to time. I am now sad that I had lost touch with him over the last dozen years or so. Myself and the Staff at Competition Engineering will miss his Wit and Humor. But mostly his knowledge and stories.
Dicken Wear, "The Motorsports Report"




UPDATE: FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS SCHEDULED FOR MOTORSPORTS LEGEND LES RICHTER

Funeral arrangements for motorsports legend Les “Coach” Richter will take place in Riverside, Calif. beginning Wednesday, June 16 with a public viewing at Acheson and Graham Mortuary followed by a public memorial service at Calvary Presbyterian Church on Thursday, June 17.

The veteran motorsports executive was instrumental in the development of Auto Club Speedway from the demolition of Kaiser Steel Mill to its transformation into a first-class racing facility. He passed away Saturday at the age of 79.

The funeral arrangements for Les Richter are as follows:

Public Viewing:

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 between 5 - 8 p.m.
Acheson and Graham Mortuary
7944 Magnolia Ave.
Riverside, CA 92504
Ph: (951) 688-1221

Public Memorial Service:

Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11 a.m.
Calvary Presbyterian Church
4495 Magnolia Ave.
Riverside, CA 92504
Ph: (951) 686-0761

Media and members of the community are invited to the viewing and memorial services.

(ht: Information and Image Credit: Auto Club Speedway & David Talley)

Panoz Abruzzi - First Impressions

Panoz Abruzzi, front view - Image Credit: Panoz Auto & AutoWeek

Panoz Abruzzi - First Impressions

Well I guess Danny Panoz can be thankful his father is reported to be the Owner of Panoz Auto Development (which was Danny's to keep him out of Dad's hair). Because Danny can’t possibly want to take credit for the most hideous vehicle to ever roll on four wheels bearing his family name.

The Panoz Abruzzi is unvieled - Image Credit: AutoWeek

According to the Company website (and this reporter’s personal knowledge), Panoz Auto Development was founded by Dan Panoz in or around 1989. In 1991 there was only one running mock up of the Panoz Roadster, (and it wouldn’t turn well, stop, and when you tried to accelerate quickly from a dead stop, the car would hop like a 63 Chevy with Hydraulics at a low rider show) but it wasn’t this ugly.

Panoz Swiss Roadster - Image Credit: Panoz Auto & AutoWeek

This new Panoz looks even worse than Al DiMora's “Natalia” (which will never be more than a CAD drawing). Can silly expensive cars get any uglier? The answer is clearly yes with the unveiling today of this new Panoz.

Panoz Abruzzi, rear view - Image Credit: Panoz Auto & AutoWeek

Autoweek reports that 81 of these new Panoz cars will be built, and they will sell for $480,000.

Looking over the various comments or blogs on various sites such as AutoWeek’s and others, that’s 79 to many. The common consensus is, “Batman’s new car is ready”, or “we now have a nominee for Ugliest Car of the decade”. Don needs to stick to Making Drugs, or building resort hotels. And Dan needs to just try something else for a while. The Devon and the Callaway are real cars that people won’t mind being seen in. One can only hope Gerry Wiegert and Steve Saleen are in a bar in SoCal having a drink and a great laugh together.


Panoz Esperante ... a better effort - Image Credit: Panoz Auto & AutoWeek

When you buy a Pontiac Aztek your friends know you have bad taste, but if you spend almost a half million dollars on something this ugly, you should be locked up in a rubber room.

Dicken Wear

The Bigger ... And Better 2010 Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

John Morton driving 1958 Scarab SR. On Sunday Morton drove the beautiful 1958 Scarab SR that John saw Lance Reventlow and Chuck Day race that year and is now entered by Miles C. Collier for John to drive. Image Credit Mike Finnegan (2010)

The Bigger ... And Better 2010 Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

California’s serene Sonoma Valley, typically reserved for sip-and-savor winery tours, came alive this weekend with the roar of vintage race cars. On Friday, the 375 entries officially registered and then practiced and prepared for this weekend’s racing at Infineon Raceway, to the delight of connoisseurs of everything sophisticated and fine.

“We have hosted an historic event in the wine country for 24 years,” said Steve Earle of General Racing, which organizes the historic races, “but this is a new event. It’s bigger and better.”

Bigger means an increase in number of cars by more than 30%, which in and of itself took the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival to a whole new level, adding more color, more excitement as 13 competition groups--identified by era dating from pre-World War I to the 1990s--took to the Infineon Raceway’s 2.52 mile winding, hillside road course.

Gooding & Company's display of the Talbot- Lago T-26 Racing Monoplace which is scheduled to be auctioned to the highest bidder this August at Pebble Beach. Image Ccredit Mike Finnegan (2010)

In addition to watching the cars in motion and getting up-close-and-personal with drivers and their cars in the paddock area, spectators were able to enjoy a rare opportunity to preview three extraordinary cars delivered by the event’s hospitality sponsor Gooding & Company, the internationally celebrated automotive auction house. The cars--a winning 1956 Maserati 200 SI raced by Sir Stirling Moss; an award-winning 1951 Ferrari 340 America from the estate of devoted enthusiast Mr. Gil Nickel; and a stunning 1949 Talbot-Lago T-26 Racing Monoplace that won the 1950 Paris Grand Prix-- will be auctioned at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions in August.

John Morton stands beside a British Rootes Group built 1964 Sunbeam Tiger. Image Credit: Mike Finnegan (2010)

A Gentleman and a Driver

Though the cars are the stars, on many occasions a star arrives in the form of a driver. One such driver at this year’s Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival is John Morton from El Segundo, Calif. Morton’s love for motorsports began as a teen when he and his father attended his first road race at Road America in 1957. His impression from that weekend was such that he resolved to race cars one day. In 1963, he purchased a Lotus Super 7, followed by a Lotus 23SR the following year. He went on to join Peter Brock’s Datsun team, which won the Trans-Am 2.5 liter Championship in 1971 and 1972. His early success in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing led to impressive drives in Formula 5000, Can-Am and IMSA GTP, and after nine attempts at Le Mans, John snagged victory in 1994.

“I have a real affection for the history of racing and at these vintage races,” said Morton when asked what it’s like to get into these old cars after having such a distinguished professional career in motor sports. “I get to participate in history.“

Over the course of this last weekend, he was one busy guy racing not one but three vintage race cars in three different race groups. On Saturday June 5th he drove the 1964 Lotus 23SR now owned by Tom Griffiths. This is the very car John bought in 1964 and raced in SCCA until 1968. On Sunday he drove the beautiful 1958 Scarab SR [pictured at top of post] that John saw Lance Reventlow and Chuck Day race that year and is now entered by Miles C. Collier for John to drive. He then rushed to the next race group to drive the 1964 Sunbeam Tiger entered by Buck Trippel.

Buck Trippel's Tiger on the Grid at Infineon Raceway. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)


John Morton all belted in before start of one of the many races held during the at the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

“Racing here at Infineon Raceway with General Racing is always one of our favorite events of the year,” said Morton. “It’s a fun event and always so well organized. I think Infineon Raceway is the most demanding race course in the country. I don’t see how those NASCAR guys can drive on a hot day that long on this track. This is the toughest track for driver fatigue; you are always busy, and there is just no rest.”

Dick DeLuna driving the 1917 Hall-Scott up and down the hillside at Infinion Raceway. Like a fine wine that needs to be aged, the 1917 Hall-Scott was finished in 1999 and took 82 plus years to come of age. Image Credit: Randy Jones (2010)

The Car that Never Was

Sometimes great concepts are conceived but not completed for decades, like Dick DeLuna’s 1917 Hall-Scott, for example. In 1917, a certain Colonel Hall planned to build his Hall-Scott racer for that year’s Vanderbilt Cup Race, but because the United States entered World War I that same year, the factory had to turn all its efforts to building engines for military bi-planes, thus the car was never built.

“This car was created based on original plans and drawings that we were able to get hold of,” said DeLuna, adding that it is based on a 1917 REO frame with an inner frame that drops the engine down so the driver can see. “All the running gear is 1917 REO with a 1 to 1 ratio rear end. With a 125 horsepower engine at 1200 rpm and a three-speed transmission we have had this car up to 89 mph. It has a steel frame and all-aluminum body. The brakes are only at the rear with the emergency brake on the drive shaft, which aids in stopping.”

When asked how his Hall-Scott handled the turns at Infineon Raceway, DeLuna said, “It’s a bit like driving a big truck out there, so when I come in my shoulders hurt. Also, because it operates at such a low rpm it’s hard to hear, and if you don’t watch your rpm gauge and speedometer, it can easily get away from you. It takes a lot to turn this car and after five or six laps the brakes start to go away, so you have to start using the emergency brakes. It’s a real fun car; I have taken it to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, and it was a real crowd-pleaser there.”

“I think the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival is great,” said DeLuna. “Steve (Earle) does a fantastic job and will turn the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival into one of the premier events of its type in the country.”

California’s serene Sonoma Valley, typically reserved for sip-and-savor winery tours, really did came alive this weekend with the roar of vintage race cars - It was bigger, better, and it was grand.

... notes from The EDJE

(ht: post content excerpted and edited from a General Racing, Ltd. press release issued by MediaProNewport.com)

IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550 Texas Tweet

Danica Patrick has plans of her own for the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550 Texas Tweet

Andretti Autosport’s Danica Patrick paced a track-record four female drivers Friday by qualifying eighth for the Firestone 550k IZOD IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Patrick (No. 7 GoDaddy.com Dallara Honda) posted a four-lap aggregate time of 1 minute, 37.8619 seconds for an average speed of 214.273 miles per hour to lead the female contingent in the 26-driver field. It also marked Patrick’s season-best qualifying performance, topping a ninth at Kansas.

Sarah Fisher (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing Dallara Honda) was next, qualifying 16th. Milka Duno (No. 18 CITGO Dallara Honda) followed directly behind Fisher as she qualified a season-best 17th. It easily topped her previous best of 24th on four occasions.

Rookie Simona De Silvestro (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds HVM Dallara Honda), the top rookie at last week’s Indianapolis 500, struggled on the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval as she qualified a season-worst 26th.

The previous record for most females competing in an IZOD IndyCar Series event at Texas Motor Speedway was three on two occasions. Patrick, Fisher and Duno competed together at TMS for the Firestone 550k in 2007 and again last year.
(ht: TMS)

The following entries are "Tweets" (140 character or less postings) taken from a Twitter feed during the seventh race of the IZOD IndyCar Series - The Firestone 550 held at Texas Motor Speedway ... a web assisted live blogging effort of sorts.

indy44 Ready to rock and roll. Let's see a safe fast race. Talking racing with ticket winners. Cell service bad so probably won't have many updates

FastMachines RT @DiecastDude: "The race will be much different than Indianapolis..." Hopefully with, like, lead battles & passes and stuff. #izodindycar

pressdog Let's light this friggin candle.

MarcoZone They only breathe on the straights...wow...#IndyCar

TheSpeedgeek Any punchlines for the "Row __, hot!" thing tonight? I got nothing.

TeamIndyChat ☺♫♪ i am INDY! ♪♫☺

228 Laps of racing and the 26 car field will get ready to go racing!

TheEDJE GREEN, GREEN, GRE - OOPS - Briscoe Jumps

TheSpeedgeek Send Briscoe to the back. That was egregious.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - The Checkered Flag Waves

deferrandragon 3 shower day has turned into nice night in Texas

SpeedFreaks And IndyCar is green... and 4 wide in Texas! Yowza!

VersusIndyCar We are green flag, and there is tons of side by side! Top three are Briscoe, Franchitti, and DIxon #IZODIndyCar

IndyCarPR Lap 5: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by .1535 of a seconds. Wheldon has moved to 10th after starting 15th.

deferrandragon Rafa up 3 spots to 20

CrashGladys LOVE these side by side camera views... Marco and Briscoe there... wow! #indycar

FastMachines Dan Wheldon has moved up from 15th to 6th - Marco trying to move into the top 5, too. #indycar #texasindy

IndyCarNation Jack educating @VersusTV fans in the #IZOD Performance Pit. Great race in Texas! http://ow.ly/i/1VJy

FastMachines Heh, heh! RT @formula1blog: WTH? Jack Arute is officially the same color as a football. Dude! Back off the Loreal tanning gel!

CrashGladys Sooo not fair for @jayhoward66 ... his luck this year has just plain sucked! #indycar

Jay Howard pulls into the pits!

kvracing After 20 laps, Viso moves to 9th (up 5places), Moraes 13th, Sato 15th

deferrandragon Rafa and hunter-reay going back and forth.

IndyCarNation Lap 25: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by .3297 of a second.

Will Power gets by Dixon (bumped wheels) for P3 - Needs to get by Dario to keep points from being gained on him.

99forever Well, no point in staying glued to Race Control video.. leader-cam only sucks. Glad to have IMS Radio at least

Dario gets passed by Will Power on LAP 34

deferrandragon Nice little breeze here but as much as we sweat this afternoon you don't want be on the downwind side of me

IndyCarNation Lap 35: #6 Briscoe leads #12 Power by 1.5764 seconds. @danicapatrick is now fifth.

kvracing After 38 laps, Viso moves to 8th (up 6places), Moraes 12th, Sato 18th

catchfence Sarah Fisher Racing On Track Deep in the Heart of Texas http://bit.ly/9iax93

CrashGladys Wow, Justin is in early... anyone have an answer as to why he was losing so much speed?? #indycar

IndyCarNation Lap 40: #6 Briscoe leads #12 Power by 1.9746 seconds. #22 Wilson on pit lane for four tires and fuel.

YELLOW Flag for debris on LAP 46 - Pit Stops for everyone! Franchitti out early, Briscoe slow, Alex Lloyd drops from P5 to the back of lead lap field to P21,

paultracy3 Danica is flying

TheEDJE LAP 50 - Franchitti, Power, Patrick, Dixon, and Briscoe are top 5 after pit stops

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - The Checkered Flag Waves LAP 52

kvracing After pit stop, Viso rejoins field 9th, Moraes 11th & Sato 19th

Danica Patrick goes side-by-side with Will Power for P2 - doesn't make it

Takuma Sato hits the wall and brings out a YELLOW Flag

kvracing Lap 56, yellow flag for Takuma Sato. Contact with wall in turn 2

pressdog Plus, if @danicapatrick wins at TX it will drive the haters INSANE and I am always in favor of that.

kvracing Lap 60, Viso #8 PDVSA-KVRT car is 10th & Moraes #32 KVRT car is 13th. Still yellow flag

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - The Checkered Flag Waves LAP 65

toomuchracing Sato on TV, confirms something broke on the car.

deferrandragon Rafa getting some airtime on versus. Biggest mover of the race thus far, up 12 spots

Cars are running a blistering pace after the restart - Franchitti - 212.8, Power - 214.0, Briscoe - 214.5 for top 3 positions

kvracing Lap 73, Viso is 9th & Moraes is 20th

deferrandragon Rafa chasing helio now

IndyCarPR Medical update from Dr. Geoffrey Billows, IRL medical official: Takuma Sato has been checked and released from the care center.

deferrandragon Some side by side action with Marco

IndyCarNation Lap 80: #10 Franchitti leads #12 Power by .1876 of a second

Briscoe and Power go side-by-side for P2

deferrandragon A lot of close racing up front.like 2 fat guys in a phone booth

IndyCarNation Lap 90: #10 Franchitti leads #12 Power by .2533 of a second. And @txmotorspeedway just opened the world famous "Nacho Bar."

paultracy3 I like how Danica is driving tonite

Danica Patrick's GoDaddy! car seems to running a little slower - handling might be going off!

YELLOW Flag - Simona De Slivestro slamms the wal and the car is engulfed in an oil fire!!!

SpeedFreaks Crap... deSilvestro just crashed in the #indycar

Simona De Silvestro walks under her own power to the medical truck ... seems OK [CTRL-CLICK image link to launch YouTube of accident and fire]. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

99forever Davey on IMS Radio excusing safety team because "we don't have fires" and they don't get much practice. Pardon my French: BULLSHIT.

MarcoZone That's gonna be a BIG clean-up
al
After first pit stop problems (P5 to P21) ... Alex Lloyd has climbed back up to P12 from P21

IndyCarPR Top 10 rundown: 10, 12, 6, 9, 7, 11, 8, 4, 24, 3

PippaMann OMG! Why did it take so long to get the fire extinguishers on her...?!?! Hope @simdesilvestro is okay and no serious burns...

pressdogNew car needs to be easier to get out quickly. This one is too tough. Kanaan had to struggle to get out as well.

TheEDJE @pressdog The new "LAWN DART" won't cut it - too dangerous and weird

deferrandragon Dario, briscoe and Dixon lead. Danica 4

TheEDJE Will Power in the pits for debris removal - patch to the under tray - out to the back of the line

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - LAP 113

Patrick battling for P3 with Dixon

HVMracing Still awaiting medical center update on De Silvestro

chunter16 I'm glad the current car's fires are visible. Hope all involved are okay. Has someone found a way to pull a cord and fill the car with foam?

paultracy3 Fire first then the driver . I don't know what that guy was doing with the hose , it's a good thing the big guy jumped to get her

Alex Lloyd up to P10 on LAP121

PippaMann That was a nasty chop across one of her team-mates. Was not a fan of that Danica moment...

TheEDJE Alex Lloyd up to P8 on LAP 127 - push-to-pass is getting a workout - Go BSA!

CRASH - CCWS KV Racing's Mario Moraes clobbers Penske's Helio Castroneves at LAP 129 - CCWS Conquest Racing's Bertrand Baguette get a bunch of debris and stops in the pits - OUT

IndyCarPR Lap 129: YELLOW. Multicar accident on the frontstretch. Cars involved are #3 Castroneves, #32 Moraes and #36 Baguette.

HVMracing While suffering some burns Simona is okay.. burns to hand

99forever And up goes the repair bill for @kvracing for the second time. Anyone got stats on how many cars have actually completed a race this year?

deferrandragon Helio just went helmet to helmet with moraes. Wow

Pitstops all the way around

MarcoZone And now Marco is p16 after that fubar in the pits...what's up with the fuggly stops tonight?

gassracing Agreed RT @pressdog: Thank God that one dude just dove in there and started yanking on her while everyone dicked (cont) http://tl.gd/1mqkbe

pressdog Yeah, some kind of one button quick rease thing. Slap it and you're out.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Restart LAP 138

IndyCarPR Lap 138: GREEN. #77 Tagliani leads the field into Turn 1.

Will Power in P2 slams the door on Ryan Briscoe who tries for position - now back side-by-side and Briscoe has company with Dixon and Patrick

deferrandragon Gil wants Rafa to cover his inside

TheSpeedgeek Holy smokes, Milka is out! Did we ever hear the TV guys mention her? Has anybody Tweeted about her yet? I WIN!

paultracy3 Danica is bringing it mad hard like a jail yard :-)

deferrandragon 77 laps left Rafa now 12

TheEDJE Alex Lloyd's Dale Coyne Racing car is working very well - back up to P6 on LAP 159

3 WIDE for P6 with Viso Lloyd and Andretti - Viso ahead

pressdog @sarahfisher67 got her lap back and has the wings back. Fly Sarah.

deferrandragon Tighter than a rockstars leather pants

Alex Tagliani comes into the pits - stalls - Will Power in the lead of the race - Fueler fell to the ground

Will Power in the pits on LAP 170 - Briscoe to P1 with Patrick chasing

IndyCarNation Lap 170: #12 Power on pit lane for four tires and fuel. New leader is #6 Briscoe.

Tagliani serves a drive through penalty for Fueler knockdown

paultracy3 Alot of dumd mistakes in the pit lane tonite

TheEDJE @paultracy3 Tweeting is tougher than it appears!

MarcoZone Marco up to P4!!! Way to climb...yet know one has said anything!

TheSpeedgeek I would like to say that IndyCar is the Miracle Whip to NASCAR's mayo. I am not mayo.

Briscoe and Patrick dicing up front just before pitstops - Briscoe has 9 PtP and Patrick has only 6 PtP left

CrashGladys Sooooo, we got mad at Danica for pushing her team under the bus at Indy... and Mario Moraes just blamed his spotter for this crash! Ugh!

MarcoZone MA in for final time.

kvracing After 175 laps, Viso in the #8 PDVSA - KVRT car is running 5th.

IndyCarPR Green flag stops complete Your leader at Texas Motor Speedway is @danicapatrick

LAP 193 - DANICA takes the lead over Briscoe after pitstops - Briscoe and Patrick SbS on a heavy battle. Briscoe takes the position back.

RogerYasukawa @DanicaPatrick looking racy tonight! We need another yellow to make this more interesting.

MarcoZone Marco in 4th after the pit shake down.

99forever WHY AM I WATCHING POWER AND ANDRETTI?! Let me see the battle for the lead, Race Control!! #IZODIndyCar

SpeedFreaks Now THAT's the kind of exposure GoDaddy has wanted! Nice side by side for the lead action there!!! #indycar

LAP 201 - Briscoe, Patrick, Power (needs help with yellows), Andretti, Dixon, Franchitti, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Viso, Lloyd are the top 10 for the final 27 laps

toomuchracing There are 20 to go with a 20-sec lap and you're taking an ad break now, despite only just taking one. I thought these guys were better?

BeccyGordon @RyanHunterReay has the fastest lap of the race 215.685... But still has too much push in traffic. He's racing his butt off! So proud.

deferrandragon Briscoe with decent lead over danica

HugoScheckter For some reason I really want danica to win this! Hopefully that phase will pass soon!

TEN LAPS TO GO - Danica has her work cut out for her

IndyCarPR 10 laps to go here at Texas: Briscoe leads by 1.1 seconds.

Will Power will have to come in for a splash

kvracing 4laps remain, Viso is 12th

99forever I'll tell you one thing: Having Danica up front sure has a lot of people caring a whole lot about what's happening up front. #IZODIndyCar

WHITE Flag lap -

CHECKERS Fly - Briscoe wins, Patrick, Dario Franchitti comes in at P6 and and with Will Power coming in at P14 ... takes over the overall season points lead from Will Power by 3 points.

TheEDJE Andretti Autosport has all four cars in the top seven position - WOW!

indy44 Woo Marco couldn't get out of the media center fast enough. It looked cold in there with him and Danica.

Formal Report from IZOD IndyCar Here>>

... notes from The EDJE

CCWS Transition Players Have Effect On Texas Qualifying

IndyCar Series 2010 points leader, Will Power - Penske Racing/Verizon, struggles to maintain the points lead through the "Ovals" section of the first half of the ICS championship season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

CCWS Transition Players Have Effect On Texas Qualifying

We have hardly caught our collective breaths from the interesting, mistake prone, and Yellow Flag shaped 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 and we are already getting notices about the qualifications being held for the Firestone 550 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Target Chip Ganassi's Dario Franchitti, the winner of last weeks classic, got aced out by the short oval expert from Penske Racing, Ryan Briscoe who has five P1 finishes on 1.5 mile ovals. What becomes surprising about how the rest of the top five positions in the qualifying field are two notable performances ... notable in that they show the increased participation from drivers and teams that are in the IRL because of the merger with the ChampCar World Series two seasons ago.

The driver stand out is, of course, Will Power who is driving for the top notch IRL Penske Racing team and leads in the points, by eleven points over Dario Franchitti, for the 2010 IndyCar Series season so far. Lining up in P3 shows that he likes the banks of Texas Motor Speedway. If Power can stay ahead of Dario, Dario's teammate Scott Dixon (who qualified at P4 and is -24 points), and Will's teammate Helio Castroneves (starts the race at P5 and is sitting at -28 in the ICS championship) he may just come away from the Firestone 550 with only one more oval to go in Iowa, before getting back to the road and street courses that are his strong suit, with the points lead.

The CCWS transition team surprise standout is the entry driven by Alex Lloyd who was able to place his Dale Coyne Racing Dallara on the grid at P6! Dale Coyne continues to advance within the structure provided by the IZOD IndyCar Series. Last year with Justin Wilson driving (who now races for Dreyer % Reinbold Racing), Dale Coyne Racing won its first race in American open-wheel racing after competing in ChampCar/Cart and the IRL since 1986 ... that's 558 tries – after more than 25 years of trying – in top tier open-wheel racing. Alex Lloyd, by placing a Dale Coyne car on the grid at P6 on an oval racing track, has been able to move the team's success forward here in 2010.

Newman/Haas Racing was able to field a Dallara good enough to get Hideki Mutoh in the grid at P7 leaving Mario Moreas of KV Racing Technologies as the last CCWS Team or driver (in this case both) to break into the top 10 on the banked short oval track at Texas that had a very tight and competitive field - the top five qualifiers were separated by only 0.3912 of a second and the top 10 by 0.6777 of a second.

Alex Lloyd in the Boy Scouts of America/Dale Coyne Racing Dallara during Day 4 practice day at IMS. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

This excerpted and edited from Catchfence -

Briscoe Scores Pole for Firestone 550k at Texas
Press Release - IZOD IndyCar

Two of Ryan Briscoe’s five IZOD IndyCar Series victories have been secured on 1.5-mile ovals.

He’ll start from the pole in seeking a third. Briscoe, driving the No. 6 Team Penske car, recorded a four-lap average speed of 215.273 mph (1 minute, 37.3275 seconds) to earn the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the Firestone 550K at Texas Motor Speedway.

Dario Franchitti, seeking to be the third consecutive Indianapolis 500 champion to win at Texas in the same year, was 0.0057 of a second off Briscoe’s pace. He’ll start on the outside of the front row for the 228-lap race under the lights after an average of 215.261 mph.
----
Briscoe earned the 10th pole start of his career (second of the season), and has converted one into victory (2009 Chicagoland Speedway).
Reference Here>>

How they Qualified For The 2010 Firestone 550 At Texas Motor Speedway - Race #7 of 17
(** denotes a driver or team with CCWS transition affiliation)

Pos - Driver - Team - Speed
1. Ryan Briscoe - Penske 215.273mph
2. Dario Franchitti - Ganassi 215.261mph
3. Will Power** - Penske 215.158mph
4. Scott Dixon - Ganassi 215.152mph
5. Helio Castroneves - Penske 214.411mph
6. Alex Lloyd -Dale Coyne** 214.408mph
7. Hideki Mutoh - Newman/Haas** 214.380mph
8. Danica Patrick - Andretti 214.098mph
9. Mario Moraes** - KV** 213.800mph
10. Marco Andretti - Andretti 213.785mph
11. Takuma Sato - KV** 213.692mph
12. Justin Wilson** - Dreyer & Reinbold 213.602mph
13. Tony Kanaan - Andretti 213.346mph
14. EJ Viso** - KV** 213.336mph
15. Dan Wheldon - Panther 213.316mph
16. Sarah Fisher - Sarah Fisher 213.256mph
17. Milka Duno - Dale Coyne** 213.222mph
18. Tomas Scheckter - Dreyer & Reinbold 212.904mph
19. Vitor Meira - Foyt 212.805mph
20. Alex Tagliani** - Fazzt 212.526mph
21. Jay Howard - Sarah Fisher 212.448mph
22. Bertrand Baguette - Conquest** 212.349mph
23. Raphael Matos** - De Ferran Dragon 212.327mph
24. Ryan Hunter-Reay - Andretti 212.298mph
25. Mario Romancini - Conquest** 212.101mph
26. Simona de Silvestro** - HVM** 211.289mph
(ht: autosport.com)

This very fast banked bull-ring of a venue will have these open-wheel Dallara's running side-by-side at over 200 miles per hour throughout the whole race and will probably end with a less than a second seperation ... Photo Finish!

The Firestone 550 is set to be broadcast live at IndyCar Series on VERSUS - Watch the Texas Motor Speedway Race. Saturday June 5 - 8:00PM est - Versus.com

... notes from The EDJE