Helio honors Dan Wheldon after his victory in St. Pete.

When Holly Wheldon, Dan Wheldon’s sister, dropped the green flag on the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the start of the healing process was almost tangible.  It was like Dan himself gave us permission to dry our tears and get back to our beloved racing and nowhere better to do so than his adopted hometown of St. Pete.

Helio Castroneves took the checkers Sunday afternoon for the first time since the September 2010 in Motegi, Japan.  Helio’s Penske #3 had just the right amount of speed and fuel conservation to take him to an uncontested win over Ganassi’s Scott Dixon.  Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport took the remaining podium finish in 3^rd.

There wasn’t a dry eye for Helio’s celebration including his own.  He is known to be the first (ahem, Tony Stewart) to climb the fence as his regular victory celebration.  Helio did climb the fence in turn 10 which is Dan Wheldon Way honoring his fallen friend.  Helio was visibly moved in his Victory Lane speech as well.  Castroneves is pure emotion, always wearing his heart on his sleeve.  And let’s face it, when this man smiles and those dimples come out, angels get their wings.

» Continue reading “IZOD IndyCar: Helio Back On Top”

Want some good vibrations in the form of racing news? Join Lipstick and Lugnuts!

Good morning, fans!  Looks like we all survived another Monday, not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing but it’s good for you because that means you get to catch up on your racing news with me!

Nothing overly major in the news this week as we’re focused on the last two races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup but we have updates on Kyle Busch, Rick Hendrick and Jeremy Mayfield.

We also have IndyCar news as well today in the form of a race being held in Dan Wheldon’s honor and some big name drivers participating along with news about Andretti AutoSport as well.

So stick around because I’m sending good vibrations your way in the form of news in the world of racing that we all know and love.

» Continue reading “Garage Gossip: Kyle’s Warning, Dan’s Memorial Race & Jeremy’s Charges”

No really, stop calling me Shirley. Hair pulling? Race protesting? When does the insanity stop? With Garage Gossip right now.

Oh but we are serious, and don’t call us Shirley.  Tuesday comes around quick during the week especially if you’re a hater of Mondays like I am.

We don’t have too many headlines today but the ones we do have to share are real treats.  We have a cat fight apology to tell you about, changes at RCR and even a suspension for drug abuse in the NCWTS.  Yeah, some real doozies this week.

Needless to say, this isn’t our typical run-of-the-mill Tuesday as we have some pretty heavy headlines to cover with our readers.

So sit back and relax, grab a pot of coffee and get a load of this week’s racing news.  I’m serious.

» Continue reading “Garage Gossip: Surely You Can’t Be Serious…”

Nothing but drama this week....

It’s not like we didn’t see this coming a mile away.  After the rain and race control shortened finish at the MoveThatBlock.com 225 this weekend, there are a few race teams that are protesting the results.

A hearing will be held August 22nd in Indianapolis based on the protests from Newman/Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.   Those teams are protesting the decision from Brian Barnhart to end the race after the red flag with 5 laps still to go.  The Indy Racing president of competition chose to end the race rather than wait to see if the race would be able to run after a track drying effort.  Barnhart ended the race after his monumentally bad decision to attempt a restart while the track was still too wet to race.  This wreck took out more than a few cars and caused the Angry Birds reaction from Will Power.

» Continue reading “This Will Probably NOT Come As A Shock…”

Ryan Hunter-Reay (center) was the winner of today's IZOD IndyCar race but he wasn't the hero of the day. Find out who was below. (photo credit: Nick Laham)

Believe me, this “race” was no joke today.  But if it were, wouldn’t that be the best lead up to the punchline ever?  By all means, today was not normal nor should it be a day IndyCar officials are proud of either.  IndyCar dropped a big, stinky crap bomb today at New Hampshire.

Let’s name off today’s list of winners, shall we?  Okay, go.  1) Ryan Hunter-Reay: today’s actual race winner and sadly will probably be forgotten a midst all today’s chaos 2) Mother Nature: she wreaked havoc on BOTH the NASCAR and IndyCar races today and I can honestly say she was a true bitch for doing so and 3) Will Power: today’s hero of which I will explain why and how in the latter portion of our broadcast.

So let’s dive in and get this mess of a race sorted out.  It’s going to require numbers and lists so my thoughts and what’s left of my brain remains in tact.  Yes, today was that epic.

Pay attention students because there will be one quiz question at the end of today’s lesson: WWWD?

» Continue reading “A driver flipping off race officials, a dead Port-a-Potty and an upside down IndyCar walk onto a track…”

Your schedule of events for NASCAR and IZOD IndyCar series.

Welcome, Race fans.  We have a full schedule of racing this weekend, and I will be burning up my DVR.  My real job is completely getting in the way of my total racing enjoyment.  There isn’t one race this weekend that I will be able to see live.  I will be following along with Morgann for all the live tweet madness this weekend.

» Continue reading “Weekend Hot Pass: August 4-7, 2011″

Which drivers are in trouble in IndyCar this time? Would it shock anybody to find out Alex Tagliani is one of them?

Everybody saw how intense the racing was at Edmonton a few weeks ago, right?  In case it was overlooked, check out Erin’s splendid recap of  the race which will catch readers up in no time. 

So on Tuesday afternoon, IndyCar president Brian Barnhart handed down probation “penalties” to three drivers until the end of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar season:  Mike Conway, Alex Tagliani (shocking) and Ryan Hunter-Reay.  Why?

Mike Conway was placed on probation because he made contact with Ryan Briscoe at Toronto a few weeks ago and Oriol Servia at Edmonton two weeks ago.

Do I even have to elaborate on why Alex Tagliani was placed on probation other than the fact he’s been acting like a total jackass the last few weeks?  Tagliani made contact with Will Power at Toronto and Graham Rahal at Edmonton.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was placed on probation because he made contact with Ryan Briscoe at Alabama and Takuma Sato at Edmonton.

Anger management therapy or a good kick in the pants is what these three drivers need.  Normally, IndyCar drivers aren’t placed on probation unless “multiple” incidents of avoidable contact have taken place in a short span of time.  It’s no surprise these drivers had the warnings coming.

» Continue reading “Three IndyCar drivers placed on probation”

An intimidating sight just after the green flag. (Photo by Daniel Incandela via indycar.com)

When the IZOD IndyCar series landed in Edmonton this weekend, everyone was holding their breath.  There was an overload of drama from Toronto two weeks ago, and they were faced with another road course, a new configuration, and Mother Nature.  To say that this weekend would be eventful would be an understatement.

» Continue reading “Edmonton Indy: The Avoidable Penalties”

So what happens when owners strike deals between each other behind closed doors? Bruno Junqueira loses his Indy 500 ride (not by choice), Ryan Hunter-Reay is handed a spot in the most coveted race in all of motorsports and he (understandably) and his boss (who initiated the deal) are both pissed.

Here’s what went down just TWO days ago on Monday – observe:

Bruno Junqueira qualified the car 19th on Bump Day Sunday for the Indianapolis 500 in the A.J. Foyt Racing #41 car. This is totally acceptable and legit. Yay, for Bruno.

On the other hand, Hunter-Reay was “bumped” from the field in the same day by teammate Marco Andretti which gave him no time or chance to fight back because Bump Day ran out of time. In a nutshell, Ryan ran out of luck and time all in one shot. Too bad, that’s life.

» Continue reading “Why the Indianapolis 500 really hates Michael Andretti…”

What better way to end Indianapolis 500 Bump Day than with a little bit of drama. C’mon, this is the 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, right? Let’s take a look at what happened in Indy today.

For starters, the weather was a constant pain in the neck today. Rain off, rain on. Track dry, track wet. Will Bump Day ever end? Maybe, maybe not. Well, it did. The track was finally dried after what seemed like the millionth time and Bump Day 2011 was finally finished and in the books. » Continue reading “Bump Day Insanity: Four female drivers make 100th Indy 500″