(Image credit: Ron Lewis Photography

Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals

Gateway Motorsports Park

St. Louis, MO

September 28-30, 2012

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SATURDAY QUALIFYING DEALS JFR A C.FORCE-NEFF MATCHUP

MADISON, Ill. (September 29, 2012) – John Force held tight to the No. 2 spot today as qualifying came to an end in preparation for race day at the inaugural AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals at St. Louis.

Force made his quickest pass of the weekend during Gateway Motorsport Park’s Friday night qualifying session with a 4.060 in near-perfect weather and track conditions. No one was able to take that away from him even after two additional rounds of qualifying today.

Force posted a 4.184 ET at over 292 mph and followed it up with a 4.126 second run at over 304 mph on Saturday. Those two runs combined with Force’s solid qualify effort have the 15-time champion in a good position to do some damage in eliminations tomorrow.

“Well, were all in. We finished in second. This Castrol GTX Ford has got a shot at winning the race. If I can win some races I can win a championship. Courtney is flying. It’s putting me on a diet over the winter. I thought I was dieting good. That 50 lbs. difference must be big out there on a track. She always outruns me.”

“Mike Neff struggled a little bit, but he’s in. It’s a shame he and Courtney have to race each other first round, but there’s one positive; one of them will move to second round. And Robert Hight, he’s back in the game. His crew chief Jimmy Prock fixed it (the car),” said Force.

Courtney Force did not improve in qualifying today, but managed to hold onto the No. 4 spot. Her Traxxas Ford Mustang made two solid runs down the race track and picked up five qualifying bonus points along the way.

“We had a great run last night that put us in the top half of the field in the No. 4 spot. We knew the conditions weren’t going to be right to go after another .0 like that, but we definitely learned a lot in the heat going in to prepare for race day tomorrow.

Force’s two passes included a 4.127 second run in the third qualifying session at over 296 mph which was second-quickest of the round. This session alone scored her two bonus points. Force followed that run with a 4.107 second run at over 304 mph. This was the quickest pass of the final qualifying session, therefore granting her three additional bonus points.

“We had two good runs. We picked up bonus points in both sessions being either the quickest car of the session or second quickest. Every point counts. It all counts when you’re in the Countdown to the championship. The more and more bonus points you can pick up really add up so we’re fighting to get a point anywhere we can, even more on race day tomorrow,” said the youngest Force.

The bonus points and the strong qualifying performance moved the rookie driver around teammate Robert Hight in the Full Throttle point standings and she is now in 5^th place one point ahead of Hight. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner will take on her teammate, Mike Neff, in the opening round of eliminations of Sunday.

“Unfortunately I have to race Mike Neff in the first round, but we have a good car. It’s a consistent one and we’re just hoping to move up in the points,” said Force.

For Mike Neff and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang reeling in Full Throttle point leader Ron Capps will be a tough job. Neff was aggressive with his tune-ups by his own admission and qualified for the field on his last pass of the day today. He will unfortunately have to race teammate Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang in the first round. Force’s Mustang has been one of the strongest Funny Cars in qualifying lately.

“That was a nail-biter. I backed it off. I have been too aggressive all weekend. Conditions are much better than that. I could have made a lot better run. That is the thing if you want a shot at winning you have to be in the race. First things first we are in the show. Now I will worry about tomorrow. I am definitely relieved,” said Neff, the No. 13 qualifier.

“My confidence is good. I have been trying a few things and we have been missing it here and there. I have some boundaries to go off of. I’ll be swinging for it tomorrow.”

The pair of JFR drivers have only squared off one time this season with Neff getting the win light in the second round of the season opening NHRA Winternationals.

The AAA Insurance Ford Mustang showed promise on Saturday in the last qualifying session. Robert Hight the defending event champion is confident today’s final round combined with last week’s testing effort will give his team enough momentum to start going rounds in the Countdown. Hight closed out qualifying today with a 4.109 second pass which was the second quickest run of the session.

“We tested last week in Dallas and it went really well. The first run today it smoked the tires out there at about 400 feet. I knew (crew chief) Jimmy Prock was just a few adjustments away from figuring this thing out. This Mustang is where it needs to be. That run proves that we are ready for Sunday,” said a confident Hight.

Hight will once again race Ford Racing teammate Tim Wilkerson in the first round. The two Mustangs raced each other in the first round of the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals with Wilkerson getting the win. In that match-up Wilkerson was the No. 2 qualifier to Hight’s No. 15 spot. Tomorrow the playing field will be more level as they come into the race as No. 7 (Hight) versus No. 10 (Wilkerson). Hight holds a 12-10 record against Wilkerson but has dropped the last three meetings.

Story Courtesy Dana (Force) Marino (intern) and JFR Media Staff. (Image credit: Ron Lewis).

Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana

After surviving a Lap 55 near miss take out by Will Power's out of control #12 Penske Racing DW12, Ryan Hunter-Reay puts in a steady 250 Lap drive in the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships at Auto Club Speedway to win it all, run the table, and take home all of the chips. Welcome the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, the A.J. Foyt Trophy honoree for most points scored in a season on oval courses, and first American born driver to become American open wheel racing champion since 2006. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana

With 36 points separating Ryan Hunter-Reay (RHR) from the championship points lead and two races to go left in the season, the Andretti Autosport driver wins on the temporary street circuit race promoted by the recently formed Andretti Sports Marketing ... the Indy Grand Prix of Baltimore. This left RHR with a tall, but not impossible mountain to scale of 17 points to overcome in order to clinch the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship.

Immediately after Ryan crossed the finish line at the inner harbor track location, in a post race interview on NBCSC, team owner Michael Andretti came out with a strong prediction - "We are going to win the championship in Fontana at Auto Club Speedway."

This isn't the first time this motor culture legend, in his own time, came forth with a prediction that paid off - and Michael Andretti never was the kind of personality to boast.

Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport becomes the first American born driver to win a race in this 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

This excerpted and edited from "... notes from The EDJE" -

Toyota GP of Long Beach: Owner Andretti Predicted Hunter-Reay Win
By Edmund Jenks - April 19, 2010
 
With the confidence that comes from being a multiple time race winner here at motorsports premiere temporary street course race at Long Beach, Michael Andretti predicted that his recently signed driver (a test for a few races to begin), Ryan Hunter-Reay, would win the race.

What makes this prediction almost astounding is that none of the cars had set a tire anywhere on Shoreline Drive and he made this prediction at a post induction ceremony interview on Thursday, April 15, 2010, where he, along with Danny Sullivan, were honored with an achievement medallion in the sidewalk along the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame located in front, and the West side, of the Long beach Convention Center along Pine Avenue.
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Add the fact that in the post race interview in front of the gathered press, Ryan Hunter-Reay cited his previous Formula Atlantic (2002) and CCWS experience with his positive feelings for the track (which he considers his "home" track) at Long Beach ... one could say Champ Car has never left ... in this, the sophomore year for IndyCar at the famed streets in Long Beach ... for at the end of the race it was P1, P2 , and P3 on the podium for former ChampCar World series experienced drivers!
[Reference Here]

The set up seemed insurmountable. Penske Racing's Will Power, who had been here in this same position of having to finish off the year on an oval racing course ahead of his next leading points owner the previous two years, looked as though all he had to do was finish the race on the same lap as Ryan Hunter-Reay. He had all the confidence of being the only driver to ever hold the Mario Andretti Trophy for the most points scored on road/street courses ... three years running.

For Ryan's part, in order to have any chance at all, he needed to finish the race P6 or better to have any of the championship scenarios to play out. Further, RHR was tied in the points for the season championship trophy for most points scored on oval courses with KV Racing Technology's  Tony Kanaan ... so he also had to finish ahead of this competitor as well.

Again, the prediction by Michael Andretti, that his driver would win the IICS Championship at this final race, when the new DW12 chassis had never competed at this track and that no American open wheel races had been run at Auto Club Speedway since 2005 seemed astounding being that it came directly after the Baltimore win.

Andretti Autosport racing team came to the Auto Club Speedway track loaded for bear. In qualifications, the DW12's go out for three laps with the final two laps (5 miles) total time used for formation to the grid (baring any penalty for engine changes - later). Michael's son and third generation racing Andretti, Marco bested the next closest competitor, Penske' Ryan Briscoe, to gain the championship point and the check by .2614 of a second. Hunter-Reay did not do so well. His time combined with the fact that most all of the top competitors changed to fresh engines for the 500 mile race, had him starting at the back of the grid at P22 with Will Power at P13.

The pre-race odds for the top five drivers to win the race were published (in the newsroom) as follows - Will Power - 2/1, Ryan Hunter-Reay 5/2, Scott Dixon 7/2, Ryan Briscoe 5/1, and Dario Franchitti at 6/1 odds.

All Will had to do was basically stay on the same lap and dog/stalk RHR around the track, have clean pit stops, and finish the race. The start of the race saw Will Power struggle with the handling of his car and eventually, Ryan and Will were running with each other. After about a fifth (of the laps in the race ... not the bottle), Will Power responded to calls from his team over the radio in his ear to pass RHR. On Lap 55 in turn #2, Will dropped down low and according to his view, caught a seam in the pavement that got his car loose and he spun up into the safer barrier wall, just missing the #28 of Ryan Hunter-Reay - WOW!

Ryan Hunter-Reay pulls into pit box #25, takes off his helmet and is first greeted by a member of his team ... believe it Ryan, you are the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion! Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar - 

Drama, intrigue, excitement: Hunter-Reay grabs title

By Dave Lewandowski - Published: Sep 16, 2012 @ 12:01 AM

For the third consecutive year, contact in the season finale altered the title aspirations of the Aussie. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car "caught a seam" in Turn 2 of the 2-mile oval, spun and made contact with the SAFER Barrier while running 12th -- a few car lengths ahead of Hunter-Reay's No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car.
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Click it: Box score | Hunter-Reay signs two-year extension

Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti relayed to a surprised Hunter-Reay, who 18 hours signed a two-year contract extension, that he had to finish sixth to claim his first series championship by one point.

But wait. In this season of surprises, ultra-tight competition and high drama, all three collectively focused on the Team Penske garage as the crew converged to repair the Dallara chassis and collect 11 more laps to finish 24th and ahead of the retired car of E.J. Viso.

That's exactly what transpired, forcing Hunter-Reay to finish at least fifth. Crews from rival teams cheered as the No. 12 entry was wheeled onto pit lane.

"It's fantastic," said Power, who quickly changed back into his firesuit.

But as Power maintained throughout this three-race duel with Hunter-Reay, "You can on focus on what you can control." So he watched the remainder of the race unfold from the team transporter, hoping that others would occupy the top five positions.

That went by the wayside as Alex Tagliani's engine expired with 20 laps left and then Tony Kanaan's car made contact with the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 241. That created a red flag, with the restart on Lap 244. 

Hunter-Reay was running third on the restart, lost two positions, but the 31-year-old Floridian regained one spot when Takuma Sato's car crashed on the final lap. The difference in over 15 events on the most diverse set of racetracks in motorsports was three points over Power.
[Reference Here]

Driving legend, team owner, sports marketing operations magnet, and excellent prognosticator, Michael Andretti as he congratulates Ed Carpenter on his first win as a driver/owner of the Fuzzy's Vodka #20 DW12 Chevy-powered Dallara at the post race press conference at Auto Club Speedway. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

At the post race press conference, Michael was reminded about this penchant he seems to have to predict and then deliver on the prediction. Michael bristled at the suggestion that he might like to take this 'talent' to Las Vegas with the attitude of a person who never gambles and frowns upon it.

This is a funny reaction to attribute to a past open wheel driving legend who would gamble on the track and, for the most part, win (or as on that 1998 Mid-Ohio day when he flipped head long into the run off at the end of the straight) or survive! Now, as an owner, expands his operation through the formation of Andretti Sports Marketing to include promoting the Milwaukee Mile (which his driver won) and picking up the Grand Prix of Baltimore (oh yes, that's right, his driver won the race the team Andretti operation was promoting for the first time this year as well).

All anyone can know, with this kind of track record, if one hears Michael Andretti blurt out a prediction of an outcome, and the Andretti Autosport operation has a hand in controlling some of the variables ... TAKE THAT BET ... the odds are good for a Michael Andretti predicted outcome!

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana on Technorati **

Ryan Hunter-Reay Has The Most To Gain And Lose At IICS Final

Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay pose next to the trophy they will be fighting on the track for at the Auto Club Speedway on Saturday night. The MAVTV 500 is scheduled to go GREEN Flag at 8:45 p.m. (ET) and be broadcast on cable on NBC Sports Network. Image Credit Edmund Jenks (2012)

Ryan Hunter-Reay Has The Most To Gain And Lose At IICS Final

Most people who have been following the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) know that this last race of the season will see one of two drivers crowned champion between Penske Racing's Will Power and Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay. Only 17 points separate these two drivers and the margin of victory begins to get shaped with qualifications on Friday with one valuable point up for grabs.

What seems to be getting lost in the shuffle is another championship trophy awarded in this very same series ... the A.J. Foyt Trophy for being the driver to accumulate the most points during the season on oval racing circuits.

The IZOD IndyCar Series awards three trophies - the overall championship, the Mario Andretti Trophy for the highest points total on road/street courses, and the A.J. Foyt Trophy for most points total on oval racing courses.

This trophy is still up for grabs and the current points achieved is tied between two drivers - Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay and KV Racing Technology's Tony Kanaan.

What's pretty amazing about this is that this contest isn't even being focused upon by the IICS, or most of the major writing outlets.

For example, today has a special media event being held by the IICS at the very end of Route 66 (the Marisol Restaurant located on the end of the Santa Monica pier ... over the Pacific Ocean) to have the media be able to interview the drivers who are racing for the championship but the one name that is absent is Tony Kanaan.

Tony has become the Rodney Dangerfield of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship season. He is getting no respect.

 

Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay pose next to the trophy they will be fighting on the track for at the Auto Club Speedway on Saturday night. Unless something strange happens that would not allow these drivers to finish the race, the winning of this championship trophy is between these two competitors. The MAVTV 500 is scheduled to go GREEN Flag at 8:45 p.m. (ET) and be broadcast on cable on NBC Sports Network. Image Credit Edmund Jenks (2012)

This excerpted and edited from Paddock Talk -

Tied atop the standings for the Oval Track Championship are Hunter-Reay and KV Racing Technology driver and former Series Champion (2004) Tony Kanaan. James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport, is sitting in third position in the Oval Track Championship standings.

"Having a 500-mile race as the season finale is a great way to close out the IndyCar season,” concluded Berube. “It requires a significant effort from everyone involved; the race teams and drivers, Firestone tires, Sunoco fuels, the Somatro safety team and countless others that make the race a show of skill, strategy and grit. It is also good practice for another piece of unfinished business - that other 500-mile race in May."

Chevrolet clinched the Series Manufacturers’ Championship following the 13th race of the season at Sonoma Raceway. That same weekend, Power was crowned the Road Course Champion for the third consecutive season.

Saturday night’s 250-lap/500-mile race will be the first appearance for IndyCar at the Fontana, California track since 2005. Chevrolet competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines, winning 105 races which included two victories at Auto Club Speedway, 2002 and 2003. The wins powered Chevrolet to six driver champions, and included seven Indianapolis 500 victories.

The IndyCar season finale is scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m. PT (8:45 p.m. ET) Saturday night with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network.

The live radio coverage will air on the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com.
[Reference Here]

The person that has the most to gain ... and lose may well be Ryan Hunter-Reay. For Hunter-Reay’s part, he needs to finish P6 or better (assuming he doesn’t win the pole or lead the most laps) and finish ahead of Tony Kanaan just to get into his championship scenarios.

By winning and having Will Power place at least 10 (uncertain) places behind him, Ryan wins the 2012 IICS championship and the A.J. Foyt Trophy. Any scenario that has Tony Kanaan finishing ahead of Ryan, he is out on the oval championship.

For Will Power's part, a finish somewhere between P10 and P15 maybe just fine. This is not a win-or-go-home scenario for Power. It’s a finish-moderately-well-or-go-home one, which seems like a far more certain proposition for a driver whose forte is Road/Street courses.

Notes:

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. this week for the final race of the season, the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships.

Four drivers are still mathematically in the hunt to capture the series title. For the seventh consecutive season, the final race will decide the IndyCar Championship.

From L to R - Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Scott Dixon as they pose for the media photos next to the IICS championship trophy these drivers have a shot at winning Saturday night. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

Will Power holds down the top spot, 17 points ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay, while Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves and Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon are 52 and 53 points back respectively. Although Power has led heading into the final race of the season the past two years, he has yet to capture the championship.

This is the 11th Indy race at Auto Club Speedway and the first since 2005, when Dario Franchitti captured the checkered flag. The CART and Champ Car held six Indy car races at Auto Club Speedway from 1997-2002. PacWest Racing's Mauricio Gugelmin won the pole (and the fastest world qualifying lap speed - later eclipsed by Gil deFerran at this same track) for the first Indy car race at Auto Club Speedway in 1997. PacWest teammate Mark Blundell won the race ... and still holds the record for the world fastest lap recorded during a race. Franchitti (2005) is the only driver to win at Auto Club Speedway from the pole position.

KV Racing Technology's (KVRT) Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 196th consecutive Indy car start, dating to Portland in 2001. KVRT team owner, Jimmy Vasser holds the all-time record of 211.

The 2013 IndyCar season is set to begin March 24 in Florida for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Helio Castroneves is the defending race winner.
[ht: Kansas City Star]

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Ryan Hunter-Reay Has The Most To Gain And Lose At IICS Final on Technorati **

Friends and Colleagues to be seen here soon.

Our friend and colleague Anne Proffit’s Website. A great read always. http://anneotheropinion.wordpress.com/

Sports Car Racing together again. Almost Full Circle.

September 5, 2012 world record for kept secret Filed under: ALMS,BUSINESS,Grand-Am,IMSA,MOTORSPORTS,Sports Cars — Lynne Huntting @ 10:25 am Ed Bennett, Jim France, Don Panoz & Scott Atherton. Photo courtesy GRAND-AM. Ed Bennett, Jim France, Don Panoz & Scott Atherton. Photo courtesy GRAND-AM. Today’s Media Conference at Daytona to announce the “historic, landmark merger” of the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing was long on hope and short on details; but there are sixteen months to make it happen for one American sports car racing series. The Fab Four were present for the big announcement – JIM FRANCE, vice-chairman NASCAR & GRAND-AM founder ; SCOTT ATHERTON, President & CEO, Panoz Motor Sports Group; Dr.DON PANOZ, ALMS founder; and ED BENNETT, Grand-Am CEO. Other notables on hand included ED BROWN, president and CEO of Patron; COLETTE BENNETT, national sports marketing manager for Rolex; chairman and CEO of NASCAR, BRIAN FRANCE; CEO of the International Speedway Corporation, LISA FRANCE KENNEDY; NASCAR president; MIKE HELTON; NASCAR board member, GARY CROTTY; MARK REUSS, President, GM North America; JIM CAMPBELL, General Motors US Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports; JOHN DOONAN, Motorsport Director, Mazda North American Operations; BETH PARETTA, director of marketing and operations, SRT Motorsports; ANDRE OOSTHUIZEN, VP marketing, Porsche Cars North America; International Motorsports Association, chief operating officer, SCOTT ELKINS; President and general manager of Road Atlanta, JEFF LEE; president and general manager at Sebring International Raceway, TRES STEPHENSON. In opening remarks, France pointed out that this was a new world record for a kept secret in motorsports – six months and 14 days. What we know: •The new entity will take effect in 2014 starting with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and then onto The 12 Hours of Sebring, events which now can be co-promoted. •Probably a 12 race schedule •The impetus for joining sports car series started with Ed Brown of Patron talking with Jim France, who then happened to run into Atherton at an industry gathering … and meetings began •American Le Mans Series; Chateau Elan Hotel and Conference Center; GRAND-AM; International Motor Sports Association, Road Atlanta and Sebring International Raceway will be combined into a new entity, which also includes Panoz Motorsports Group. •The new organization has a Board of Directors: Chairman, Jim France; Vice Chairman, Don Panoz; and members Lisa France Kennedy; Ed Bennett; Scott Atherton; and NASCAR Vice President/Deputy General Counsel, KAREN LEETZOW. What we don’t know: •Name – Branding •Classes and categories •Schedule for 2014 •Technical rules and regulations •Broadcasting •Relationship with ACO and FIA •Staffing •Officiating •Communications •Future of the eight groups within ALMS and GRAND-AM: ALMS’ CooperTires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series, Ferrari Challenge, IMSA, IMSA GT3 CupChallenge by Yokohama Series, and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin. GRAND-AM’s Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge, Rolex Sports Car Series, and TOTAL Performance Showcase A sampling of the many sound bites: France said “We do not have a name. We will be going through a plan. We have got some ideas on how to come up with a name for the new combined series.” Panoz said what was being created is the American Sports Car Series, stressing the American part. “We have to take care of our own business, our own market, addressing our sponsors, our fans, our teams, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Of course we are going to pay attention to what’s going on around us, but we’ll be acting responsibly in our own best interests.” France ended the session by saying “And at the end of the day, we’ll find a way to race and compete with each other and figure things out.” This story is from PressSnoop.com and our colleague, Lynne Huntting. Credits where needed. ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note: Sports Car Road Racing has its roots back in the early 40's before NASCAR or NHRA were even formed. John Inskip put up a little money to help start an Automotive Sport Car Hobbyist Group called the “Sports Car Club of America”, (SCCA) around 1944 in New England. A few years later a fellow by the name of Cameron Argetsinger wanted to put on the first SCCA race in Upstate New York. Cameron had one small problem. He did not own what at the time was required by the SCCA to be a full, voting member of the SCCA. He did not own a proper Sports Car as required by the Club By-Laws. Cameron went to that same John Inskip’s sports car dealership in New York city, (Mr. Inskip was also the Importer and Distributor of Rolls-Royce Automobiles, after having been the Manager of the Rolls-Royce Factory in the USA) where he purchased an MG Roadster. Cameron could then put on what was the first SCCA Sanctioned Sports Car Race on October 2nd, 1948 in Watkins Glen, NY. Years later the Competition Director of the SCCA, Charles Rainville, did quite a bit of work for the Inskip Family. Charlie did Coachwork, Restorations and Repairs on Aston Martin, MGs, Rolls-Royce and Bentley Automobiles. Charlie also did quite a lot of Race Prep work of his own, and for the Inskip Race Shop called Competition Engineering in Providence, RI. Sometime after that first race in Watkins Glen, NY. a second SCCA Race was promoted and held in or around, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The promoter of that event was a man named William France, (Big Bill to his friends). This relationship would last forever just about. You see in around 1969, Charlie Rainville and John Bishop wanted to leave the SCCA and start a Professional Sports Car Series. So with help from the France Family, (by way of an introduction to RJ Reynolds Camel Brand), John Bishop and Charlie Rainville started the International Motor Sports Association, (IMSA). Fast forward. Years later IMSA would become the sanctioning body of the American LeMans Series, and its owner, Dr. Donald Panoz. Fast forward again to the late 90’s and the people from the early IMSA days, John Bishop, Mark Raffauf and others join up with the France Family again and form Grand American Road Racing Series. And here we are today, everyone is getting back on board, to form a better, and stronger (I hope) Road Racing Series. Now drivers like Darren Law, Patrick Long, Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Patrick Dempsey, and many others won’t have to miss races, or split the time between series. In theory, the best drivers, in the best cars, at the best tracks. I hope this will be a win-win all around. But not everything that looks good on paper really works out. However I’m hoping this marriage works and lasts longer than the honeymoon. So today we have the DNA from the first Sports Car Road Races, NASCAR Stock Cars, (Cup Cars used to be called Grand American), IMSA and Grand-Am hopefully joining forces for good and not evil. Like the latest Avenger Movie, it started off a little bumpy, but then as the group realized they were all on the same team, they started to work better together. Let’s hope that is what happens here. Dicken Wear, Editor-in-Chief. "The Motorsports Report" Also of note: Peter Argetsinger is a talented Race Driver and Driver Coach, Michael Argetsinger is a gifted author of some of the best books about racing anywhere. And the Children and Grandchildren of Charlie Rainville, and John Inskip still restore Rolls-Royce Automobiles, and Build Race Cars. Ford, Firestone and Inskip Family Members are in touch to this very day from the early 1900's.

Grand-Am and ALMS.

Grand-Am, and American LeMans Series Merger? There was talk this weekend of a merger between ALMS & Grand-Am. This could either be very good for Motorsports in the US, or very bad. The GT Class Cars and Teams can make the changes needed to keep racing easy enough. If the Grand-Am Race/Competition Director (Mark R.) and Tech Teams (the best in Motorsports) can put together a rules package so all the Teams could make the changes needed to Race at both the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and at the Sebring 12 Hour Race and still put on a Petit LeMans in the Fall at Road Atlanta the Racing World could be a very happy place. Running the. “Grand American LeMans Series” on standalone dates, as well as with some selected IZOD Indy Car weekends at say, Road America, Sonoma, Long Beach, Barber, Miller, Baltimore, Detroit, and Road Atlanta would be great for the Teams and Fans alike. Might even be a good time to turn on the Road Course at LVMS again or stage an event in Arizona at whatever track replaces Firebird after the final NHRA event is held there next year. And while the Indy Cars haven’t been to Road Atlanta in any recent history, the Panoz Family did spend a lot of money making the track compliant with ACO, FIA specifications over the years, (but I sure miss “The Dip”). So if you can have F-1 Races in Long Beach, Watkins Glen, (Phoenix-yuck), a parking lot in Las Vegas and Indy, why not Indy Cars at Road Atlanta? Welcome to the birth of the Grand American LeMans Series. (GALS). Would calling it this get more females to watch and/or race? The biggest challenge as I see it will be dealing with the Tire Wars, (sponsorship contracts). Michelin, Dunlop, Falken, and Yokohama all get their day in the Sun (and sometimes night) in the ALMS Classes. Continental is on Grand-Am cars, and Pirelli is on SCCA World Challenge cars. After all isn’t Competition what Real Racing is all about? Could we keep them all? Back in the day, Teams could make tire deals and run what they thought worked best. Then the era of the spec tire came to the US. Now Teams that have cars that don’t work well with a particular brand or compound of tire have to work extra hard to make their cars work on whatever tire the sanctioning body gave the contract to. And while I agree Spec tires work well for NASCAR Stock Cars, Spec Chassis Indy Cars as well as entry level Kart Racing. Imagine the freedom of being able to pick the tires, sponsorship, and compound for Teams in Professional Road Racing? WOW! My only hope is if Don Panoz sells his tracks one day, SMI buys them, as that would be Heaven. Dicken Wear, Editor-in-Chief “The Motorsports Report”

Grand Prix of Baltimore Gives Final Set-Up For Championship Showdown

Traffic jam as the IZOD IndyCar teams prepare for the penultimate race of the season in the concrete canyons of the streets around the inner harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. Image Credit: EJ Viso via Instagram

Grand Prix of Baltimore Gives Final Set-Up For Championship Showdown

Will Power’s championship hopes continued to improve during qualifying as the Australian dominated all three rounds of qualifying, turning the fastest lap in each session before claiming pole in the Firestone Fast Six, securing a crucial championship point in the process.

“This track is very physical, there are lots of turns and not many straights, especially now that they have added the chicane, said the season’s IZOD IndyCar Series Championship points leader, now with 37 points. It was important to get the pole in the Verizon Chevy #12 car – on a course like this it is important to start up front and additionally we gained one more point toward the Championship. Starting from the pole it is a lot easier to control your own destiny.”

On the addition of the chacane; “I think it was definitely the right thing to do,” he said. “It fixed the problem over the train tracks. They’ll make a few more adjustments overnight, but all in all, it’s all good.”
Power was backed up by Tony Kanaan (TK), who had acted as a drivers’ representative in working with IndyCar to resolve the problem.

“Last year, it was unanimous among all us drivers that we could take the chicane out,” TK said. “The tracks sit on rubber, so they’re not the same from a year ago. We all thought we could avoid the chicane and have a better passing zone, and obviously we found out that we cannot.

“I think it was a great response from the drivers, IndyCar, and [track designer] Tony Cotman to be able to change it. I think it was a best solution that we could get.”

Overall, speeds were up on last year’s edition of the Grand Prix of Baltimore with every qualifier breaking Power’s year-old record in their new DW12′s. When the dust settled, Power sat atop the standings with a speed of 111.116 miles per hour around the 2.0-mile, 12-turn street course.

The 2.0-mile, 12-turn concrete canyon temporary street course of the Grand Prix of Baltimore – Twitter HASHTAG #GPoB. Image Credit: Grand Prix of Baltimore