Danica Patrick In 2010? Rick Hendrick, or Jack Roush?

Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing gets ready to qualify at Richmond International Raceway 6-26-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

Danica Patrick In 2010? Rick Hendrick, or Jack Roush?

This item was found scanning the blogs and it seems to have some credibility on the rumor front.

If Danica were to jump to NASCAR, it would be a great loss for open-wheel racing ... not just in terms of the promotional value of Danica herself, but in terms of loosing a good driver who is finally hitting the consistency required to become a champion.

Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing passes Tony Kanaan, Andretti Green Racing at Richmond International Raceway 6-27-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

We are here at the halfway point of the 2009 IndyCar Series Championship season and she is sitting at fifth in the points with nine races left ... this means that she is the driver that is the first in points behind a driver, driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske Racing!

Not bad!

Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing gets ready to qualify at Richmond International Raceway 6-26-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)


Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing gets ready to qualify at Richmond International Raceway 6-26-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

This excerpted and edited from Mike Mulhern.net -

Danica Patrick? The latest report puts her in a Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, instead of a Jack Roush Ford. But Hendrick spokesman says no way. And Roush's Geoff Smith says the field is still open.
Posted June 27th, 2009 by Mike

Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing gets ready to qualify at Richmond International Raceway 6-26-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

The latest on the Danica Patrick/NASCAR saga is quite intriguing.

If the Indy-car star does jump from the Indy Racing League to NASCAR, as increasingly appears likely, the battle for her, according to sources close to the negotiations, is down to car owners Rick Hendrick, of Chevrolet, and Jack Roush, of Ford.

According to these sources, Hendrick and General Motors' Chevrolet division are now suddenly the heavy favorites to sign Patrick.

But hold on -- Hendrick's Jesse Essex, manager of media relations, is quick to deny the Patrick report: "It is untrue," Essex says.

Essex, when asked about any talks over the issue, declined to go any further on the point.

And Geoff Smith, head of Roush Fenway Racing, says he's got a meeting of his own with Patrick's people tentatively set for within the next week or so, and Smith certainly doesn't seem ready to concede anything.
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Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing gets ready to qualify at Richmond International Raceway 6-26-2009. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

This much appears clear – That Patrick could probably generate as much as $60 million in sponsorship interest, if packaged correctly, which in these strapped economic times, is quite appealing. And that Patrick apparently wants to put together a racing package that allows her to keep running some IRL events.

It may be the IRL angle that stymies most NASCAR options, because only Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi currently have both an Indy-car and NASCAR operation.
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Patrick has talked increasingly positive in the past few weeks about moving to NASCAR, as "a new challenge." But she has indicated she was not particularly interested in starting at a lower level of stock car racing and slowly moving up.
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One interesting angle on the Patrick-Hendrick situation -- both have GoDaddy.com sponsorships. GoDaddy is the privately-owned internet website licensing company, which likes to use edgy advertising.
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It is unclear what Patrick's own thinking might really be.
Reference Here>>

Wherever Danica Patrick lands in 2010 ... it will always catch the attention of the press. As for open-wheel motorsports though, she needs to stay put and the IRL needs to make their product more like the mid-ninties heyday of CART at its zenith - more left ... AND right turns placed through exciting venues similar to Long Beach, St. Pete, and Toronto - why not bring back Road America, Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, and Portland ... or Vancouver, B.C.?!

... notes from The EDJE

Richmond Racing At Night, IRL Style - Tweet By Tweet

Scenes from Richmond - Night racing is the best from the pit of Mike Conway (Ctrl-Click photo to launch trackside video). Caption & Image Credit: Jeff Olsen

Richmond Racing At Night, IRL Style - Tweet By Tweet

This race will be the second race in a row that the Transition Player hopeful will be disappointed. Last week saw only five drivers who merged into the IRL from the ChampCar World Series drive the short oval in Iowa, with dismal results - only Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was running at P11 in the end. The other four drivers, Robert (Bobby D) Doornbos - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, Mario Moraes - KV Racing Technology, Justin Wilson - Dale Coyne Racing, and EJ Viso - HVM Racing managed to get on the track, but only Rahal's teammate drove enough laps to gain one point in his charge to become Rookie-Of-The-Year in the IndyCar Series for 2009.

The hat The EDJE will be wearing throughout the race. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Richmond is another short oval, but instead of being in operation for only three years as the track in Iowa ... Richmond has been a racing venue since 1953 and has seen some of the most fierce racing over the years from NASCAR. The IRL comes to this venue to race at night which at the end, will mark the halfway point in the IndyCar Series 2009 championship season.

Scenes from Richmond - If I had a recliner and a cocktail, I'd never leave. Caption & Image Credit: Jeff Olsen

So we begin the day knowing that Dario Franchitti, the winner of the race last week in Iowa, is on the pole here tonight with the first four places on the grid being (sung to the tune of Ol' McDonald - Dixon, Castroneves, and Briscoe) Ganassi, Ganassi, Penske, Penske - E-I E-I Ohhhhhh! He leads a field of only 20 cars, with 25% of the field filled with Transition Players, lining up to qualify in P5 - Rahal, P7 - Viso, P12 - Doornbos, P15 - Wilson, and P19 - Moraes ... kind of a disappointing spread.

The championship points race at this point in the season for the first five positions as follows - Briscoe - 241 / Franchitti - 2 behind leader / Dixon - 15 behind leader / Castroneves (who missed the first race of the season) - 29 behind leader / Patrick - 52 behind leader.

The only Transition Player to make it into the top ten is Newman/Haas/Lanigan's Graham Rahal who is 9th in the points - 96 behind leader. The other TP's in this race and concieveably can gain points are 14, Wilson - 122 behind leader / 15, Doornbos - 122 behind leader / 16, Moraes - 133 behind leader / 19, Viso - 156 behind leader.

Arguably, the best Transition Player not driving in this, or any race in the predictable future, is Will Power, driving for Penske, who had to give up his ride when Castroneves came back to claim "his seat". The Penske organization ... to their credit, provided a ride for three races that included the month of May in Indianapolis and the INDY 500. Power sits at 17 - 142 points behind leader.

Well, that is the set-up for Richmond, the ninth race of the season ... let the tweeting begin!!!

Dario Franchitti, Target Chip Ganassi Racing gets a check for winning pole ... at this point in the season, he is only 3 points behind the leader. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

TWEETS & Commentary:

VisionRacingRT @edcarpenter20: just getting ready for the race. it is a great night for a race!

PlanetIrldotcom@indy44 That's where I am usually. No Tv this time

MyNameIsIRL@VisionRacing The new site is very nice. In fact, I just learned I own the same breed of dog as Lauren George. Who knew?

SpeedJournal(Indy)6/27 :: SunTrust Indy Challenge Daily Trackside Report -- June 27- http://tinyurl.com/l8rb4f #autoracing

taglianiHeaded back to Vegas, gonna miss the race coverage, bummer!
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The half of the track that is open is pretty packed. 40 min to green. Image Credit: furiouswedge via Twitpic (2009)

FuriousWedgehttp://twitpic.com/8mjh6 - The half of the track that is open is pretty packed. 40 min to green

pressdogbeer, timing and scoring, note pad, Jenkins just said "markers" .... let's light this candle.

indy44Both laptops on,timing and scoring up,indycar race control standby,ready for the green! Please be smart drivers,patience patience patience!!

the500Join our live chat and follow all the action during tonight's IndyCar race with Race Tracker at http://www.indystar.com/rac....

MyNameIsIRLCan I get a filter on my TV that doesn't show Danica signing "man boobs"? Even P1, huge Fanica that she is, said "that was GROSS!"

DRRIndyCarCell phone battery fully charged - will do our best to keep you updated! Driver introductions over for our guys, now with their crews.
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MyNameIsIRLOK, I need to ask - Did any of the bloggers on site get one of these massages?

TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON: Mario Moraes made a wardrobe adjustment to honor Michael Jackson before the SunTrust Indy Challenge, and tweeted to let his fans know what he was doing.

His twitter posting: "Hey guys ! I have a SILVER right hand glove for the race ! hope have a good luck on this ! RIP Michael !" Maraes, who qualified 19th out of the 20 cars in the field, crashed in late practice Friday night and started in the back in the race.

PlanetIrldotcom@MyNameIsIRL If you could hear it over the sound of multiple tanning beds and the leagues of adoring fans.

VisionRacing"Drivers to your cars." Nice evening in Richmond. Sun is starting to set. Crews getting ready for the L+GSYE command under the lights.

20:36:17 GMT-0400 All drivers are in there cars.
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MyNameIsIRLWOW - SunTrust dude did a good job with the "Driver's Start Your Engines!"

20:41:21 GMT-0400 All cars have been fired.

IndyCarPRWelcome to tonight's Tweetcast of the SunTrust Indy Challenge from Richmond International Raceway.

20:41:48 GMT-0400 All cars are away from the grid. Green flag fourth time by.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - We're racin' folks! On the shortest track that the IRL faces this season - just may be the shortest track in all of openwheel racing!

kvracingGreen Flag, for 300 laps of racing at Richmond

YELLOW Flag - Jaques Lazier spins by himself in the first lap! Hits wall.

FuriousWedgenot sure what you saw on tv but jacques engine didnt sound right as he passed the line

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - We're racin' folks - again!

20:50:01 GMT-0400 Lap 8: Back to green flag racing!

TheEDJERahal and Viso - P6 and P7 #irl #ics #indycar

IndyCarPRLap 10: #10 Franchitti leads #9 Dixon by .4835 of a second.
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VisionRacingEd working on moving forward. Currently P13. He has @TonyKanaan in his mirrors. A red car is P1. Does it matter which? Okay Dario.

TheEDJEJaques Lazier interviewed - "It just snapped around on me!" #irl #ics #indycar

chunter16Looks like a good crowd but I don't like those empty seats in the back. #irl

MyNameIsIRLWhen's the last time Jaques Lazier got interviewed on camera? I'm thinking 2005.

YELLOW Flag - Briscoe by himself, puts power down and slides after banking.

DRRIndyCarLap 25: Tomas is 10th, Mike is 16th. The whole field is already getting spread out. Or it was - yellow for Briscoe crash.

20:59:26 GMT-0400 Lap 32: Ryan Briscoe appeared to get loose out of Turn 2, hitting the wall at the exit of the turn.

21:00:51 GMT-0400 Lap 34: Last available lap to pit.

RacingNationWell, looks like it could be one of those nights, attrition is adding up. This will mix up the points. #Indycar
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luczodragonMutoh and Danica stayed out so we will be 6th at restart

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN

kvracingBack to Green Flag racing, lap 39

21:03:11 GMT-0400 Lap 38: Dario Franchitti takes P2 from Danica.

indy44Marco and Graham introduce their tires to each other - Graham wins this one.

DRRIndyCar23 guys watching their stop. Always looking to improve! http://yfrog.com/0y2jioj

kvracingMoraes has moved to 17th

21:05:53 GMT-0400 Lap 47: Mario Moraes and Justin Wilson are off the pace at the back of the field.

21:08:13 GMT-0400 Lap 56: Dario seems to be waiting to make his move on Hideki Mutoh whose riding along at P1.

IndyCarNationLap 50: #27 Mutoh leads #10 Franchitti by .4112 of a second.

RacingNationHideki Mutoh is no "King Hiro" nice run by highest finishing AGR driver last week in Iowa, 3rd. #Indy car

21:10:56 GMT-0400 Lap 65: Justin Wilson is closing on Ryan Hunter-Reay for P16.

IndyCarPRLap 70: #27 Mutoh leads #10 Franchitti by .4112 of a second.

indy44Lap traffic,this will get interesting

VisionRacing75 laps of 300 complete at Richmond. No.20 Menards car is P12. Leader is Mutoh. He did not pit nor did Danica (P3). Dario is P2.

21:14:38 GMT-0400 Lap 77: Danica and Hideki Mutoh are on different pit strategies than the two Target cars.

luczodragonIf it stays green we will make it to lap 131 before we pit
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indy44@MyNameIsIRL Women lining up at Mutoh's rig as we speak

IndyCarNationLap 81: #27 Mutoh leads #10 Franchitti by .3434 of a second

See pitstops for Mutoh and Patrick on Lap 105 or so

FuriousWedgedont know what it looks like on tv but follow the leader is boring as hell in the stands

TheEDJE@FuriousWedge Trust us out here in TV land - aside from the chatter, the images aren't much better #irl #ics #indycar

MyNameIsIRLLap 98: First "Michael Jackson" reference. From Arute, of course.

RacingNationMaybe Moraes should be working on set-ups a bit more than sequined gloves. Jimmy Bryan is whirling underground right now.

VisionRacingTeams (+fans) have big screen in infield that we watch. Watching cars go by on track makes you a little dizzy @ Richmond. 100 laps complete.

21:22:08 GMT-0400 Lap 102: Helio Castroneves is gaining some ground on the lead four.

21:23:08 GMT-0400 Lap 105: Hideki Mutoh gives up the lead to make his next pit stop.

IndyCarNationLap 110: #10 Franchitti leads #7 Patrick by 2.1780 seconds. Lap 111: #7 Patrick pits for four tires, fuel and added one turn of front wing.

21:25:02 GMT-0400 Lap 111: The alternate pit strategy doesn't pay off yet as Danica comes into the pits.

VisionRacingCarpenter is P10. Mutoh and Danica pitted on a different strategies. 115 laps complete. Decided against extra front wing on next 20 car ...

Mutoh is currently pacing 1/2 second quicker on new tires but gives up the lead and a lap!

MyNameIsIRLArute's rolled up his sleeves, just dying to break out the gun show.

21:30:07 GMT-0400 Lap 128: Hideki Mutoh is running some of the fastest laps, but is down in the standings due to pit strategy.

21:30:37 GMT-0400 Lap 130: The lead cars are getting into some heavy lapped traffic.

luczodragonPitting lap 131, smooth stop

PlanetIrldotcomReady to nominate this for best oval race of the year! Can't wait til' Kentucky though.

VisionRacingCrew is setting up in pitbox. Coming in on next lap for green flag stop.

21:33:37 GMT-0400 Lap 138: Yellow for contact out of Turn 4 by Mike Conway. The damage doesn't appear to be heavy.

VisionRacingWe don't BEAT our fueler by the way. Yellow. That messes our strategy. Bugger

DRRIndyCarMike has brushed the wall. We're not really sure what happened there.

Franchitti comes in for a quick splash and out!

21:34:36 GMT-0400 Lap 140: Pits are open.

TheEDJERahal, Dixon, and Franchitti get pitstops under Yellow - they are 7/8ths of a lap ahead of all others at this point. #irl #ics #indycar
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IndyCarPRLet's catch up here: Lap 121: #10 Franchitti leads #9 Dixon by 1.1637 seconds. Lap 126: #06 Doornbos and #14 Hunter-Reay on pit road.

VisionRacingAfter the wave around 7 cars will be on lead lap. 11 cars one laps down (including 20 car in P13)

DRRIndyCarThis is not how we want to get airtime on Versus. Jack Arute about to interview Mike.

21:43:46 GMT-0400 Lap 153: One lap until back to green.

21:44:11 GMT-0400 Lap 154: Back to green flag racing!

kvracingGreen Flag, Moraes is now 17th, lap 156/300

indy44Go Mutoh!!!!

21:44:57 GMT-0400 Lap 156: Scott Dixon gets a great restart and already has a lead over 1 second.

chunter16Mutoh and Moraes driving like they care, very nice. #irl

21:47:33 GMT-0400 Lap 165: The Target cars are running some of the fastest laps of the race.

IndyCarPRLap 170: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by .8191 of a second. Lap 180: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by .7201 of a second.

TheEDJEDixon, Franchitti, Rahal, Mutoh, Patrick, Castroneves, Matos, Kanaan, Andretti, Weldon are the top 10 positions - LAP 173 #irl #ics #indycar

MyNameIsIRLSo...we're all done passing tonight. Thank you very much, red cars to the front please.

chunter16Castroneves hasn't had much face time tonight
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VisionRacingBTW those keeping up with baby count in the Indycar series, (Scott's) Emma Dixon is at her last race. She is due in 3 weeks. All our best!

pressdog@MyNameIsIRL only 115 more laps of lock step!

21:55:21 GMT-0400 Lap 191: Each driver should have to make one more pit stop.

FuriousWedgeWhy is this bad for ICS? I`m watching more than a few fans get up to leave with over 100 to go

21:57:06 GMT-0400 Lap 197: The lead cars are working their way through lapped traffic.

kvracing100 laps to go. Moraes is still 17th, fastest speed 155.336mph achieved on lap 159.

MyNameIsIRLRT: @FuriousWedge: Why is this bad for ICS? I`m watching more than a few fans get up to leave with over 100 to go

VisionRacing40 laps to our next pitstop at Richmond.

“It was a frustrating race, said Ed Carpenter - Vision Racing. You could run a decent pace on your own but this was like no Richmond race I have ever run before. The No. 20 Menards car was really affected by dirty air and loss of grip in traffic. We didn’t have much luck with cautions coming out of the pits either. Finishing in 13th place is nothing to be happy with, but we made it through in one piece when others didn’t. Caption & Image Credit: Vision Racing

Mutoh in the pits the same time Dixon leads about as many laps (73 laps) as he did.

22:00:44 GMT-0400 Lap 208: Dario Franchitti seems content to follow his teammate and wait until the end to make a move.

PlanetIrldotcomI can't wait til' we get to a road course. Never thought I would say that. We need passing and we need it now. #kyspeedwaysucks

kvracingMoraes just pitted, ties, fuel and also front wing taken out. Lap 218/300

22:03:57 GMT-0400 Lap 219: The top two cars will likely have to pit with around 50 laps to go.

TheEDJEDanica Patrick in and out on a Green Flag stop - Good to go to the end! #irl #ics #indycar

IndyCarPRLap 220: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by .4707 of a second. Lap 224: #7 Patrick pits for four tires and fuel and front wing adjustment.

VisionRacingDo we need to tell you? Leader is a red car. You're going to make me aren't you. Okay. Fine. Only because we like you. Dixon leads Dario.

VisionRacingThere are 4 red cars in top 5. But one is not a regular: Dixon, Dario, @grahamrahal then helio and Kanaan. Ed is P11. 1 lap to pitstop

indy44Yellow for Helio,Ganassi gets race on silver platter!!!

YELLOW Flag Lap 242 - Less than 50 laps to go!

16AndGeorgetownPenske's not having a good day
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pressdogglad I didn't pay money to see this

kart58Another gift to Ganassi, tied up with a big red bow. Booooooo. #IndyCar

22:15:55 GMT-0400 Lap 252: The Target cars have the advantage as the yellow came out right before they had to pit.

MyNameIsIRLI'd say the Penske cars conspired to give this race to the Ganassi cars, but that would be ludicrous.

TheEDJE@MyNameIsIRL - No! It is a gift for having won the INDY 500 Ganassi thought he would win #irl #ics #indycar

22:19:22 GMT-0400 Lap 257: The entire field except Dixon, Franchitti, Rahal, Kanaan and Andretti are waved around.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN Restart

luczodragonBlew by Wilson, now time to get after it with 40 laps, chasing Marco and Tony

indy44Dixon 162 Dario 160 BUBBYE!!!!!!!

22:21:40 GMT-0400 Lap 262: There are many cars between P3 - Rahal and P4 - Mutoh.

VisionRacingEd is stuck in dirty air (traffic) and uses some choice words. His choice of words is not as clean as the air he is stuck in.

22:22:29 GMT-0400 Lap 265: The two Target cars are easily pulling away from the field.
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FuriousWedgeStands are gonna be less than half of what we started with by the finish at least traffic wont be an issue

22:27:38 GMT-0400 Lap 283: Scott Dixon is getting into some lapped traffic with Dario looking to take advantage.

22:30:19 GMT-0400 Lap 291: No one has been able to work the highline very well tonight.

luczodragon8 laps left, could be another top 10 finish for Rafa and the team

CrashGladysI can't blame Dixon for being frustrated... this is just plain boring racing!! I just don't want him to leave next yr...

chunter16Did I hear "push to pass?" I don't like it, personally, but if it keeps people interested it's okay.

22:32:18 GMT-0400 Lap 299: White flag. Scott Dixon leads Dario Franchitti by .2422 seconds.

pressdogMercifully, it's over. White flag is a symbol of truce in this case. Emma has gotten more air in this race than anyone. Floyd is all over it

22:32:33 GMT-0400 Scott Dixon wins the SunTrust Indy Challenge! - This ties Dixon with Sam Hornish for ALL TIME WINS in the ICS!

luczodragonChecker flag, Rafa finishes 8th

chunter16Congratulations to Viso for breaking the streak - he finishes his first race of the season!

VisionRacingCheckered flag + congrats go to Dixon. Maybe we should consider painting our car red for a race. At the very least we might get some breaks.

kvracingMoraes finishes 16th at Richmond.

RacingNationMercy, Mercy, thankfully its over. Dixon over Franchitti, Rahal trails in 3rd. Mutoh and Danica round out the top-5. #Indycar

MyNameIsIRLAt least Viso finished. Congrats @HVMRacing!

indy44Thank God Dario didn't win,if I had to listen to his wife again my head would immediately burst

kart58Zzzzzzz. Wake me up when they get to Watkins Glen. G'night.

pressdog300 laps of Fail

FuriousWedgeafter race fireworks most exciting thing tonight at the track.

PlanetIrldotcomBREAKING NEWS! Danica is itching for a win.... #viewingenhanced

MyNameIsIRLDario says "I really apologize to fans because that was a dreadful race tonight."

alex_lloydA day of lots of pics with the rented lense. Very nice.. Will try to tweet a pic tomorrow. Just watched race.. Boring but still a cool track

On Versus right now - EJ Viso places 12th in fist finish of the season. Image Credit: hvmracing (2009)

HVMracing12th! 'Nuff Said! (EJ Viso)

SpeedJournal(Indy)6/27 :: Dixon wins- http://tinyurl.com/nk9vfk #autoracing

Road courses are next with Watkins Glen's 3.4 mile classic driving challenge! Can ... Not ... Wait!

How the field of 20 fared - (** denotes Transition Player)

Pos Driver Team Gap
1. Scott Dixon Ganassi 300 laps
2. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 0.3109s
3. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 2.4085s**
4. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green +13.5302s
5. Danica Patrick Andretti Green +14.1111s
6. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green + 1 lap
7. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 1 lap
8. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon + 1 lap
9. Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 1 lap**
10. Dan Wheldon Panther + 1 lap
11. Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold + 1 lap
12. EJ Viso HVM + 1 lap**
13. Ed Carpenter Vision + 1 lap
14. Justin Wilson Coyne + 2 laps**
15. Ryan Hunter-Reay Foyt + 2 laps
16. Mario Moraes KV + 3 laps**

Retirements:

Helio Castroneves Penske 245 laps
Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 135 laps
Ryan Briscoe Penske 26 laps
Jaques Lazier 3G 0 laps

Unlike the race last week on the short track in Iowa, NO Transition Players retired.

All former ChampCar drivers finished the race in rolling fashion ... even EJ Viso!

... notes from The EDJE

Fans, Anarchy, VERSUS TV ... FANARCHY! 'Nuff Said!

Fanarcy on VERSUS is a place where fans take over the message ... the message that's in THEIR head, and share it with you (Ctrl-Click photo to launch video). Image Credit: VERSUS TV

Fans, Anarchy, VERSUS TV ... FANARCHY! 'Nuff Said!

Ever wish, when you were watching a program of sports (any sports competition) on television, that when you started shouting at the screen when the action in the program was going dreadfully wrong, it could be shared with other like minded, opinionated nuts just like yourself?

It would have been great this last weekend, for example, to vent when EJ Viso bumped with Robert Doornbos and Ryan Hunter-Reay and all three cars had to retire to the pits (Doornbos was able to return and gain a point in his rookie of the year quest) from the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer, and ask - Hey, EJ, why can't YOU finish a race?, and - Why did you have to damage the chances of the field of five (that's right, only five in Iowa) Transition Players entered in this race (so much for the merger - Viso, Doornbos, Moraes, Wilson, and Rahal - only Rahal was running at the end, five laps off of the pace at 11th position)? - See?

Well there is a program of sports psychosis on VERSUS TV (check cable or satellite for listing and will air regularly on Tuesday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET, beginning June 16) headed up by Zach Selwyn named FANARCHY. Selwyn is uniquely qualified to host this program because he beat out a potential crowd of over 20,000 in his effort to appear on the first season of the ESPN's reality show Dream Job. Selwyn debuted on the show in its second episode back on February 29, 2004. He went on to finish third - Tony Kornheiser later apologized for not picking Selwyn to actually be on his popular show "Pardon the Interruption" and admitted he had made a mistake leaving him at third place.

Charles Barkley says that high school basketball players should have to spend two years in college before being drafted. Do the fans agree? Find out on FANARCY, Tuesdays at 10:30ET on VERSUS.

FANARCHY is a show by the fans for the fans, bringing the robust online world of sports banter to life on television. Each FANARCHY episode will feature seven very opinionated sports fans appearing on-air via their personal webcams (in a kind of a Brady Bunch face-box grid layout). From on-the-field and off-the-field athlete/star antics and bogus referee calls to what they, the fans, would’ve done if they were the athlete, coach or owner. FANARCHY guests will be giving their unvarnished take on anything and everything from the outrageous and controversial to what might be currently happening in sports in a frenzied back-and-forth style.

Think of it as kind'a a Best Damn Sports Show ... without all the basketball, comedy, and professional announcer drive-by stars and guest hosting ... after all, FANARCHY features you, the fan, and that can't be all bad, can it? OK, OK, OK, we will at least have Zach Selwyn to bail us all out ... with a song, maybe. Did you know he was also an accomplished band leader and musician?

Now is the time for Zach to bump us out with a tune! Queue the band ... fade to black.

... notes from The EDJE

British Steam Car In Los Angeles For World Land Speed Record Attempt

Following the two runs at Thorney Island on April 1st, the UK test program is now complete. It is a sobering thought that the car now has to go twelve times as far, at double the speed, twice, in one hour to achieve the record. We have much to learn, test and achieve on the lake bed in California. Image Credit: BSCC News

British Steam Car Arrives in Los Angeles in Preparation of its World Land Speed Record Attempt

The British Steam Car arrived this morning (5.00pm GMT) at Long Beach Port, Los Angeles in preparation for its World Land Speed Record Attempt. The vehicle departed Felixstowe last month via the Panama Canal on route to California.

The team has since been granted its entry license to Edward’s Air Force Base for the attempt to officially take place and the FIA confirmed. The team will commence further testing and subsequent attempts from 10th – 24th July 2009.

The primary aim of British Steam Car project is to establish an FIA sanctioned Land Speed Record and break the 103-year-old FIA record of 127mph achieved by American, Fred Marriott, driving a Stanley steam car in 1906. The FIA is the sanctioning body and now recognizes a land speed record as the average speed of two passes made across the same measured distance in opposing directions within 60 minutes of each other. The time of the two runs is then averaged to obtain the official recorded speed. While the mile in which the attempt is being made cannot move during the attempt, there is no limit to the runup or braking distance for the vehicle as well or location that the event must take place.

The car and all the ancillary equipment has been cleaned prepared and packed. The car, 6 support rigs, eight pallets of plastic boxes containing all the spares and essentials, including teabags, have found a home inside our two 40ft containers and the 20ft workshop container. Image Credit: BSCC News

The team acknowledges the achievements of the "Barber-Nichols Team". Their vehicle 'Steamin' Demon' is currently the fastest steam car in the world. In 1985 The Barber-Nichols Team carried out three successful passes and achieved an American National Record at 145.607mph. There was no attempt to establish an FIA record. However, the British Steam Car Challenge recognizes this speed as the record to exceed.

Image Credit: BSCC News

From its inception, the British Steam Car was designed to achieve an FIA record. This is reflected in many of the design decisions and also greatly affects our choice of venue.

The car, on its trolley and trailer is a tight fit, but it has gone into the container. Image Credit: BSCC News

The British Steam Car has fixed gearing between the turbine and the wheels. When the car starts it is in top gear and only manages to pull away because of the incredible torque available from a stem turbine. Weighing 3 tons and starting in top gear means that the car accelerates very slowly toward its top speed. The team need a minimum of 6 miles to make the record attempt, 2.5 miles to accelerate, measure 1mile then decelerate for 2.5 miles, to allow room to accelerate on the return run so, for the record attempt, we required six miles of smooth, flat ( less than 1% gradient) which immediately preclude a record attempt in the UK.

Matt Candy, Engineering Administrator/Strategic Planner, BSCC says: "There are no runways or man-made flat surfaces six miles long - it has to be a natural feature. Beaches, lake beds or salt flats are often chosen for speed record attempts, including the well-known Bonneville Salt Flats. "We have chosen Rogers Dry Lake Bed in southern California as our venue for the record attempt, as it is a suitable surface with sufficient length. Rogers Dry Lake Bed is within the huge 308,000-acre Edward's Airforce Base site and is where the Space Shuttle lands if conditions in Florida are unsuitable. It is steeped in aviation history, and there has never been an official FIA land speed record achieved on site.

"It has another advantage for us - low altitude. Being only 2300 feet above sea level, the air at Rogers Dry Lake Bed is denser than at higher altitudes providing more oxygen for the car's burners"

Unfortunately as Edwards is an active top secure military base, people are unable to turn up to watch the attempts take place.
(ht: Rebecca Nicholls - Director, Eventageous PR Ltd for The British Steam Car Challenge)

The BSCC Team

Several members of the original ThrustSSC team have been brought back together to work on this project. With the previous success of the ThrustSSC team in the desert at Black Rock there is every faith that the project will proceed to set the record at 200 MPH without incident.

There are some additional roles that will have to be cast such as support crew, operations support and general support of the efforts at Thorney Island and Rogers Dry Lake Bed, Edwards Air Force Base. These roles will be partly dependant on the number of sponsors that attend the record attempts.

Driver - Charles Burnett
Test Driver - Don Wales
Engineering Logistics Coordinator - Frank Swanston
Team Coordinator and Administrator - Lynne Angel
Team Administrator - Kirsty Redfern
UK Liaison Officer - Elly Dalby
PR Liaison Officer - Pam Swanston
PR Manager - Rebecca Nicholls
Car Build Technician - Peter Prove
Technician - Clive Hawkins
Technician - Stuart Bailey
Engineering Administrator/Strategic Planner - Matt Candy
Wireman - Peter Dickerson
Electrical, Wiring and Computer Technician - Matthew Warr
Electric and Electronic Technician - Nick Bass
Composite Body Work - Mike Horne
Fabricator & Welder - Chris Yates
Fabricator Technician - Wilbur Day
Student Placement - Adam Tye
Design Draughtsman - Chris Lack
Transport - Nigel Leppard
Newtown Park Estates Manager - Richard Channell
Newtown Park Estates Logistics Manager - Rob Gray
Designer - Glynne Bowsher
Consulting Engineer - Peter Candy
Team Inspiration Chairman - Bill Rich
Webmaster - Martin Swanston

Welcome all from the British Steam Car Challenge to sunny, Southern California. Great success and Godspeed!

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Barber-Nichols Team, British Steam Car Challenge, BSCC, Matt Candy, Rogers Dry Lake Bed, Southern California, The EDJE

Survey Sez?! ... Ford Is A winner For Standing Alone

In Los Angeles last November, Ford showed off the latest Mustang in standard and GT forms. (Click here to see our video interview with one of the designers responsible for the terrific 2010 package, filmed in LA.) In Detroit, we get the first look at the newest GT500. The car will be available in coupe and convertible forms in spring 2009. Caption & Image Credit: AutoPacific

Survey Sez?! ... Ford Is A winner For Standing Alone

If life were a game show and that game show were Family Feud, Ford would be the "go to" answer, if the survey answer concerned itself about the level of respect a consumer would have for any automobile manufacturer.

The credit crisis brought about through the fall-out of the greater sub-prime mortgage loan market collapse that has shown itself over this last full year exposed the whole of the American automobile manufacturing community. General Motors and Chrysler accepted the Bush Administration's offer to utilize a loan of Federal money in order to weather the storm and fight off bankruptcy.

Ford elected not to accept the offer and therefore maintained control over the way the company would manage itself and we all now know what has happened to the other two competitors. General Motors is owned by the Federal Government and the Auto Workers Union and has declared bankruptcy while Chrysler's ownership, through bankruptcy, was transferred to the Auto Workers Union while the balance of the company was sold off to the Italian auto manufacturer, Fiat in order to bring it out of bankruptcy more quickly.

In both cases, American contract law was over-run as the Federal Government declared that the primary investors and Bond holders were to be honored last as opposed to first as it related to the control of the assets of the company ... both companies.

Ford Fiesta Poised for USA Launch in 2010 - The Fiesta has been on sale in Europe since August 2008 and about 117,000 have been sold to date. With the assistance of the EPA, Ford has been able to bring in 145 into the states for testing and evaluation purposes. Caption & Image Credit: AutoPacific

In a recently released survey of consumer attitudes conducted by AutoPacific, Ford has surged ahead by a margin of 3 to 1 ... of both GM and Fiat/Chrysler in the "Not concerned at all" response to the level of confidence about the viability of purchasing or leasing from a specific manufacturer.

In the coveted "likely to buy" category, Ford equaled the attitudes held for the top Japanese manufacturers.

The survey proves that consumers want to purchase from Automobile manufacturers that have their corporate structure firmly planted in Capitalism and not a structure born from another route.

Image Credit: AutoPacific

This excerpted and edited from Vehicle Voice -

Survey Indicates Ford Benefits From Troubles Of Others And Not Taking Bailout
Public Responds Positively to Ford's Actions, but Some Still Have Reservations
Vehicle Voice - June 17, 2009

American consumers' opinions about Ford Motor Company have been positively influenced by the company's decision not to accept government bailout funds, and by the bankruptcy filings of rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Automotive research and analysis firm AutoPacfic conducted an online survey of more than 900 U.S. consumers regarding their purchase intent and opinions of individual car companies. Highlights include:

* Asian and European manufacturers scored highest when the survey asked "How concerned are you about buying/leasing a vehicle from" a particular maker, with an average of 61% "Not concerned at all." Ford scored 48%, far ahead of GM's 15% and Chrysler's 14%.

* Ford matched or scored higher than its Asian and European competitors to the question "How likely are you to buy/lease a new car" from a specific manufacturer:

o Toyota -- 43% Likely/Very Likely

o Ford -- 43% Likely/Very Likely

o Honda -- 41% Likely/Very Likely

o Volkswagen -- 33% Likely/Very Likely

o Hyundai -- 22% Likely/Very Likely

o General Motors -- 15% Likely/Very Likely

o Chrysler -- 7% Likely/Very Likely

* Skepticism was also revealed:

o 39% Agreed/Completely Agreed that Ford Motor company was simply lucky to have "cleaned house" before the economic downturn

o 39% Agreed/Completely Agreed that Ford has yet to prove it won't ask for a bailout in the future

"Ford's restructuring, which started months before the current economic downturn, has clearly helped position it more closely with its Asian and European rivals than its domestic competitors, in terms of public perception," said George Peterson, president of Tustin, CA-based AutoPacific. "Some don't think Ford is out of the woods but, overall, consumers view Ford quite favorably verses their cross-town rivals and on par or better than most imports. All brands will be significantly challenged if the downturn continues into 2010."
Reference Here>>

Ok, so Ford is not out of the woods just yet, but all one has to ask themselves when one is considering the purchase of a new automobile ... Would you buy a car manufactured by a car company that is owned by the Federal Government, and/or a labor union, or would you buy a car from a company run by a management team that grew up creating cars from the ground up that address the needs of the consuming public?

... notes from The EDJE

Mobile Eagle Eye Tower Systems See Threats From Above

Are You Being Watched? Raytheon's unmanned blimp at this year's INDY 500. The blimp flying above your head may be watching your every move [ctrl-click for slideshow]. Image Credit: Raytheon Company

Mobile Eagle Eye Tower Systems See Threats From Above

Of all of the vehicles one encounters at this year's largest motorsports event, one doesn't expect that the one hanging around, attached to a guide wire, quietly floating along inconspicuously, is there to watch you and the 400,000 or so enthusiasts gathered to watch the spectacle on the ground.

At this year's INDY 500, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a new surveillance tool was deployed, tested, and passed its first major hurdle as an important part of a security and surveillance grid to be used at major crowd gatherings such as sporting events and street fairs. Street cameras, cop cars, helicopters and foot patrols are generally what this terrestrial platform helps to stitch together and develop a clearer understanding of the security challenges that exist today in an age of potential terrorism and terrorist acts.

The blimp airship developed and deployed by Raytheon features cameras and infrared sensors developed through military contracts for applications associated with battlefield surveillance is being adapted to aid in civilian applications of security and event research if a hostile act were to occur.

The fastest vehicle at the INDY 500, in terms of identifying and neutralizing a threat that would disrupt the action on the ground, may actually be hanging above the crowd, observing and sensing the action as it happens.

Raytheon developed the Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (RAID) Mobile Eagle Eye tower systems (in 2007) to protect U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. The adapted civilian application of this technology is now being tested and deployed [ctrl-click for b-roll video from Newsweek]. Image Credit: Raytheon Company

This excerpted and edited from Newsweek Magazine -

Eye in the Sky: Raytheon's unmanned blimp at this year's Indy 500
By Kurt Soller | Newsweek Web Exclusive - Jun 11, 2009

At first glance, there was nothing special about the blimp floating high above the cars and crowd at this year's Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Like most airships, it acted as an advertising vehicle; this time for the Fisher House, a charity focused on helping injured veterans and their families. But the real promo should have been for the blimp's creator, Raytheon, the security company best known for its weapons systems. Hidden inside the 55-foot-long white balloon was a powerful surveillance camera adapted from the technology Raytheon provides the U.S. military. Essentially an unmanned drone, the blimp transmitted detailed images to the race's security officers and to Indiana police. "The airship is great because it doesn't have that Big Brother feel, or create feelings of invasiveness," says Lee Silvestre, vice president of mission innovation in Raytheon's Integrated Defense division. "But it's still a really powerful security tool."

Until recently, Raytheon's eye-in-the-sky technology was used in Afghanistan and Iraq to guard American military bases, working as airborne guards against any oncoming desert threat. Using infrared sensors and a map overlay not unlike Google Earth, the technology scans a large area, setting important landmarks (say, the perimeter of a military base), and constantly relays video clips back to a command center. If a gun fires or a bomb is detonated, the airships can detect the noise and focus the camera—all from a mighty-high 500 feet.

After the success of the Indy 500 trial, the company is targeting police departments and sporting facilities that want to keep an eye on crowds that might easily morph into an unruly mob. "Large municipalities could find many uses for this [technology] once we figure out how to get it in their hands," says Nathan Kennedy, the blimp's project manager.

For now, cost might be the only thing preventing a blimp from appearing over your head. Raytheon won't disclose how much the system may eventually cost, but chances are it won't be cheap. For municipalities without a Pentagon-size police budget, the blimps' potential to display ads may assist with financing. Raytheon says local authorities could install a built-in LED screen to attract sponsors, generate revenue and defer operating costs.
Reference Here>>

So, when it feels like someone is watching you ... look up and smile, you are being watched by that blimp advertising the money you could have saved by switching to ... Geico!

Bombardier Learjet 550k - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

The iconic garage sign at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Indy Racing League is at the Speedway for the sixth round of the 2009 IndyCar Series championship. Image Credit: Vision Racing

Bombardier Learjet 550k - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

Here in longhorn country down near Fort Worth, Texas, the sixth race of the first fully unified open wheel racing season of the IndyCar Series is ramping up to be a good one. The top four drivers at this point in the 2009 season are the same four drivers that swept the first two rows in qualifying. Franchitti, Briscoe, Dixon and Castroneves all posted speed averages in the 214-mph bracket.

Ryan Briscoe will start alongside Franchitti in the Bombardier Learjet 550k after a four-lap average of 214.413 mph.

Points leader and defending race winner Scott Dixon (214.296) and Helio Castroneves (214.228) will be on Row 2. Then Andretti Green Racing's Danica Patrick will start fifth (213.929) and share Row 3 with Transition Player KV Racing Technology's Mario Moraes (213.717).

Overhead shot of Ed Carpenter in the cockpit of his Vision Racing Dallara at Texas Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Vision Racing

The IRL Set-Up: Franchitti earns Texas pole For Race #6 - http://tinyurl.com/lazche #irl #ics #indycar

How the field qualified (** denotes Transition Player - we are down to six)

Pos Driver Team Speed
1. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 214.513mph
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske 214.413mph
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi 214.296mph
4. Helio Castroneves Penske 214.228mph
5. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 213.929mph
6. Mario Moraes KV 213.717mph**
7. Dan Wheldon Panther 213.596mph
8. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 213.540mph
9. Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan 213.479mph**
10. Ed Carpenter Vision 213.435mph
11. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 213.327mph
12. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 213.178mph**
13. Alex Tagliani Conquest 213.173mph**
14. Sarah Fisher Fisher 212.554mph
15. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon 212.137mph
16. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 212.108mph
17. Justin Wilson Coyne 212.021mph**
18. Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold 211.741mph
19. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 211.686mph
20. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 211.601mph
21. EJ Viso HVM 211.553mph**
22. AJ Foyt IV Foyt 211.454mph
23. Ryan Hunter-Reay Vision 210.532mph
24. Jaques Lazier 3G 209.329mph

The race will be televised on VERSUS from The Texas Motor Speedway - Saturday at 9PM ET: "America’s Original Nighttime IndyCar Race” showcases Indy cars jetting three-wide around the track in excess of 220 miles per hour and routinely setting up for a dramatic finish. With last-lap drama and exciting finishes, you never know what’s going to happen.
(race description HT: VERSUS)

Pre-race activities featured Shaq in a photo session taken in the Vision Racing garage with Miss Wheelchair 2009, Michelle Colvard. Image Credit: Vision Racing

Sadly, teams have fielded only six drivers from the CART/ChampCar Transition group and consequently this may be the poorest showing since the merge happened back at the beginning of the 2008 season. Paul Tracy and AJ Foyt have agreed to part company for this home race for the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt team but the seperation is amicable with Paul Tracy saying that he would drive for AJ anytime and anywhere ... he would even be available to do testing if that were AJ's wish.

Image Credit: Vision Racing

So let the race begin ...

16AndGeorgetownJust got back from the driving range. Great way to kill a couple hours before the race.

PlanetIrlNever realized how big Shaq really was. How is he going to fit in that pace car??!!

MyNameIsIRLMy family is discussing tonight's "first out". P1 says "Mario Jonas", P2 says "Mike Con-wreck". Tough crowd here.

SpeedFreaksGreat show - thanks much for your tweets - now let's have a damn good #IndyCar race!!

Dan Weldon, Panther Racing and Ed Carpenter, Vision Racing warming up at speed at the Texas Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Vision Racing

PlanetIrl"they call is the Texas Taj Mahal." .....They do?

AGRfan26If Mario Jonas [Moraes] is the first out, lets hope Dan & MA get around him 1st. After practice Thurs, I'm not holding my breath

pressdogall i want is timing and scoring on indycar.com. is that too much to ask?

RacingNationInteresting, good thing that Honda engine in Kanaan's car blew up enough so they could call it a 'fire.' #indy car

Driver intros in the grandstands! That is EJ Viso through the fence. Image Credit: HVM Racing

VisionRacingDrivers being introduced. Sun going down. Air temp cooling to acceptable human living conditions. Fun getting set to start at Texas.

SpeedFreaksdog barking incessantly at Foyt hauler - will someone take care of him please!

PlanetIrl@SpeedFreaks You're in Texas. There is a 12 gauge within 100 feet at all times!
-
MyNameIsIRLArute in the stands. Arute in the Sky Lair. Arute on the truck. Ye gods, have they cloned the man?

20:32:55 GMT-0500 Drivers to your cars.

PlanetIrlNostrabeekhuis strikes again.

MyNameIsIRLIf those extra wickers allow for all the Texas passing, then why don't they put those on at every track? Or would that make too much sense?

pressdogLoins: girded.

RacingNationHey RHR, is 'everything gonna be alright' ??? OK, enough of the mesothelioma, Izod and Ultimate Fighting, lets go IndyCar racing! #indycar

20:39:11 GMT-0500 One minute to the command.

chunter16@pressdog Notice how they also avoided talking about when CART had a driver's strike at this very track because of drivers blacking out

Marco26WebNice one Shaq. Engines on!!

kvracingMoraes is in the car and command for Drivers Start Your Engine has been given.

20:41:40 GMT-0500 All cars have been fired.

20:44:38 GMT-0500 Green flag next time by.

GREEN GREEN GREEN - We are racin' folks!
-
AGRfan26Look at how far back Marco is from Mario !

VisionRacingWoah!! That was ****ing close!!

TheEDJE20:47:01 GMT-0500 Lap 2: Milka Duno, Graham Rahal and EJ Viso were involved in the incident.

FuriousWedgelooks like Viso collected too, odd that Rahal was wiggling so bad almost for multiple laps

Two Transition Players out on LAP 2 - EJ Viso of HVM Racing and Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan racing. That leaves four!

TheEDJECommentary says that the first few laps the drivers have to contend with Truck Tire Rubber - Okie-Dokie! #irl #ics #indycar

VisionRacingNo.21 coming in to top of on fuel when pits open. Anyone see the replay on that. Ryan narrowly missed that accident. Drove through sparks.
-
20:56:11 GMT-0500 Lap 9: One lap until back to green.

kvracingBack to Green Flag racing, Moraes 5th

20:57:41 GMT-0500 Lap 11: Ryan Briscoe is challenging for the lead on the outside.

IndyCarNationLap 15: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by .1424 of a second.

Marco26WebLike Marco tweeted a few days ago. "Sweep the high side!!!"

kvracingMoraes is 7th, 19 laps completed, settling into single file round gtrack

IndyCarPRLap 20: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by .2021 of a second.

21:03:53 GMT-0500 Lap 26: Danica loses some momentum out of Turn 4 and Marco makes his move.

VisionRacingEd will have some wing taken out on his first stop. He's mentioned (understatement alert) having issues with understeer over the radio.

CrashGladysHangin out with @SpeeedFreeek & @curtcavin - good times at TMS... #INDYCAR

IndyCarPRLap 30: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by .2995 of a second.
-
chunter16Just added myself to the http://wefollow.com twitter directory under: #musician #motorsports #football

kvracingWhen Moraes pits will be front wing adjustment and some tire pressure alterations being made now on the new set. Currently 8th after 37laps

TheEDJE21:10:24 GMT-0500 Lap 42: Mike Conway is off the pace - in the pits. #irl #ics #indycar

FuriousWedgesay that again Bob; Scheckter is up to 18th after starting 12th!? sure thats not backwards?

FuriousWedgeRace Control says "the right rear of Dan Wheldon may be glowing red" may be?

21:13:44 GMT-0500 Lap 50: The front of the field comes up to lap AJ Foyt IV.

IndyCarNationLap 50: #6 Briscoe leads #10 Franchitti by 1.0710 seconds. Note: If we fall behind on the Tweetcast, it's because we're also doing the DTR.

MyNameIsIRL50 laps in and all I can think is where did the three-wide racing at Texas go?

21:16:00 GMT-0500 Lap 55: Danica Patrick is into the pits.

LAP 55 - Green Flag pitstops for most of the field!

kvracingJust pitted, tires, fuel and one turn in on left front wing. Great stop by KVRT crew

chunter16@VisionRacing good stop for ed

21:19:11 GMT-0500 Lap 61: Briscoe gets caught in traffic allowing Franchitti to catch up.
-
21:21:31 GMT-0500 Lap 67: Ryan Briscoe is working his way through traffic. Leads Franchitti by about one second.

AGRfan26MA up to 5th ! Keep picking them off Marco !

21:25:17 GMT-0500 Lap 76: The lead of Briscoe nears 2 seconds.

MyNameIsIRLAh - we're all conserving fuel tonight. That'll suck the life out of three-wide. I'll refrain from my "rip the fuel mapping knob off" rant.

SarahFisher67Electronics issue; Sarah could not downshift. Fell wayy back- Klint

IndyCarNationLap 85: #6 Briscoe leads #9 Dixon by 5.0978 seconds.

IndyCarPRAnd for those in the media center at Texas...the NAAAAAACHO BAR is open

VisionRacingVision cars are half way through this stint. Possibility of making it to the finish on two more stops.

PlanetIrlNo more fuel mapping, put push-to-pass on the cars, and option tires on ovals. NOW!!

SarahFisher67Trying 2 get our rhythm back...will need some pit and fuel strategy to make this one work now- Klint

IndyCarPRLap 90: #6 Briscoe leads #9 Dixon by 6.5550 seconds.

chunter16@PlanetIrl Don't know about push-to-pass, but option tires? Hmm...

VisionRacingLap 100 complete. Ed is P12. Ryan is p17 and battling handling of car. Leaders are Briscoe Dixon Castroneves.

kvracingMario just requested half a turn out of front wing when he comes in
-
21:36:06 GMT-0500 Lap 102: Ryan Briscoe is working on lapping Tony Kanaan who is in P8.

Pitstops from the field - Green Flag still flys!!!

21:39:32 GMT-0500 Lap 110: Scott Dixon is the first lead car into the pits.

kvracingPitted P9, changed tires, added fuel and took 1/2 turn of front wing out of left side and rejoined race in 11th, but some cars still to pit

21:41:03 GMT-0500 Lap 113: Ryan Briscoe should inherit the lead again as Helio pits.

AGRfan26WAY TO GO MA ! I need to put my daughter to bed, but can't pull myself away. priorities you know...

Team Penske is running P1 and P2 - Briscoe and Castroneves. Franchitti runs third.

MyNameIsIRLPenske, Penske, Ganassi, Ganassi...it's like a cure for insomnia.

VisionRacingAnother round of green flag pitstops complete. Leader have cycled through. P1 Briscoe Dixon Franchitti. Ed P13. Ryan P17. Passed halfway.

TheEDJE@MyNameIsIRLPenske, Penske, Ganassi, Ganassi...it's like a cure for insomnia. - Line of the night #irl #ics #indycar

PlanetIrl@chunter16 P2P was great on road courses. At least try it on ovals. Option tires should be at every track

16AndGeorgetownAnybody here what Jon said about the fuel sensor not allowing the car 2 pull out?That's an idea I sent to Trackside w/Cavin&Kevin last week

PlanetIrl@16AndGeorgetown Lol, they steal from you. I (along with Nascar. of course) invented the SAFER barrier.

IndyCarNationLap 130: : #6 Briscoe leads #3 Castroneves by 8.6586 seconds.

TheEDJENew Chant - Penske Ganassi Penske Ganassi

TheEDJENew Chant - Penske Ganassi Andretti Penske Ganassi - Helio Castroneves is getting passed.

PlanetIrl@chunter16 Safety is for sissy sports. Like bowling and cricket.
-
MyNameIsIRLMarco has charged up to 2nd, telling everyone else where they can stick their fuel mappings.

FuriousWedgeMarco's on the serious move as the cars go through their stints, but 10 seconds is entirely too much to make up without some kind of help

kvracing10 laps till next pit, fuel, tires. Currently P10

TheEDJEYELLOW Flag - Debris on the track - Brisco's 10 second cushion is GONE! #irl #ics #indycar

16AndGeorgetownWhere's the debris???

21:58:25 GMT-0500 Lap 152: All of the lead cars are pitting.

Close quarters - Briscoe has to swing around a tire on Pit Out - Kanaan Short fills and gets out first and is waived around ... gets lap back.

VisionRacingRyan is frustrated with handling of car. They are going to give him some more wing.

pressdogtotal N-word move. Show me the debris.

PlanetIrl@16AndGeorgetown Does it matter? This was a Dale Jr. yellow.

IndyCarPRLap 152: Leaders on pit road. #6 Briscoe wins race off of pit road, but #11 Kanaan gets his lap back by beating #11 off of pit road.

TheEDJELAP 157 - Rafael Matos comes in for a splash - the only car to top off! #irl #ics #indycar

22:06:01 GMT-0500 Lap 159: Ryan Briscoe gets a great restart.

Marco26Web"Now the gloves are comin' off"

22:06:57 GMT-0500 Lap 161: Helio Castroneves is by AJ Foyt IV and sets his sights on Briscoe.

22:08:46 GMT-0500 Lap 166: Helio Castroneves has caught Ryan Briscoe to battle for the lead.

IndyCarPRLap 159: GREEN. #6 Briscoe leads field into Turn 1. Lap 165: #6 Briscoe leads #3 Castroneves by .1761 of a second.

VisionRacing10 laps to pit for Ed then he'll be good to the end. Ed having some issues with a lapped car.

chunter16According to TV, Wheldon added too much wing
-
22:11:55 GMT-0500 Lap 172: YELLOW Flag for contact in Turn 2 by AJ Foyt IV. His car has stopped on the inside of the backstretch.

MyNameIsIRLIs it Foyt? Like the wreck on lap two, it's not a very camera-friendly incident.

FuriousWedgeLooks like Quattro's into the wall; and interesting fuel strategy games likely out the window after we get 10+ laps of caution

indy44Marco the force is with you close your eyes and use the force

22:19:05 GMT-0500 Lap 179: Alex Tagliani, Raphael Matos and Sarah Fisher are waved around.

PlanetIrl@pressdog I'd be willing to do anything to have passing. Put restrictor plates on them!

Mario Moraes talks over the race with the engineer trackside. Image Credit: KV Racing Technology

GREEN GREEN GREEN

kvracingGreen Flag racing, P11. 50 laps to go.

22:22:17 GMT-0500 Lap 182: Briscoe gets a good run out of Turn 4.

chunter16Danica tries the high groove...

VisionRacingEd is in P9 and good for fuel until the end. Radios that the high line is terrible.

22:24:22 GMT-0500 Lap 187: Danica gets a run out of Turn 2 on Wheldon, but can't get by.

MyNameIsIRLWell it only took 185 laps but we've finally got 8 cars running within a second of each other. Hope you're still awake.
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Marco26WebAn Andretti Green charge brewing from 5th/6th/7th as TP and DP join Marco.

Top four Penske and Ganassi separated by only 1/2 second!

chunter16AGR showing good teamwork and drafting

PlanetIrl@16AndGeorgetown That was a great race. I was in 4 and you could see how much he was backing off.

IndyCarPRLap 200: #3 Castroneves leads #6 Briscoe by .2358 of a second.

22:30:09 GMT-0500 Lap 201: The top four are now pulling away from the field.

VisionRacingEd reporting understeer in traffic now so he can't keep his foot on it.

MyNameIsIRL"Danica needs to get up there and get on the gearbox of Dario Franchitti." Pretty sure that's on her to-do list, Robbie.

chunter16@VisionRacing No handle in clean air + no handle in traffic = no handle

VisionRacing20 laps to go. Final sprint for checkered.

kvracing20 laps to go at Texas. Moraes is 11th and doing a great job. He has 2nd fastest speed this race - 213.865mph

22:32:57 GMT-0500 Lap 207: Marco Andretti takes Dan Wheldon on the outside.

IndyCarNationLap 210: #3 Castroneves leads #6 Briscoe by .2782 of a second.

VisionRacingIf you have young children or are easily offended, don't listen to Ed on the radio right now. Doornbos pushed Ed below the white line.

MyNameIsIRLWow, nice blocking, err, defending on Marco there Mrs Hospenthal.

22:36:30 GMT-0500 Lap 216: Danica came down on Marco causing him to lose momentum.

VisionRacing10 laps to go. Ed is p9. Ryan is p16.

kvracing8 laps to go and Moraes back into top-10, he is 10th

22:37:39 GMT-0500 Lap 219: The top two have a gap of over 1 second on P3.

FuriousWedgewoohoo, they're gonna let us concentrate on 2 Penske cars running single file!

AGRfan26Way to put Danica in her place MA ! She deserved that one !

VisionRacing5 laps left in race.

22:39:59 GMT-0500 Lap 225: Ryan Briscoe is running out of time to get around Helio.

VisionRacingForgot to mention. Castroneves leads Briscoe Dixon Franchitti Andretti.

22:40:58 GMT-0500 Helio Castroneves wins the Bombardier Learjet 550!

MyNameIsIRLEddie Gossage won't stop Helio from climbing his fence.

FuriousWedgeWho would have thought Texas would give us the most boring race of the year

AGRfan26@Marco26Web If DP hadn't blocked him I think he could have picked off Dixon.

pressdogHelio should go hug Barnhart, unless someone can show me the debris. Lame lame lame.

RacingNationOne has wonder if they didn't have that last yellow, what would had Marco had done? He kept on getting faster on those long runs. #indycar

the500Helio Castroneves wins for the third time at Texas. Ryan Briscoe 2nd and Scott Dixon 3rd. #IndyCar

PlanetIrlWell kiddies, I'm quite tired (surprising?). So I'll see you Monday for my race review. Lise will have a log of her experience up soon too.

AGRfan26Thank you Indycar for cutting the stream before talking to Helio...

FuriousWedgeBriscoe dominates 2 weeks in a row and finishes 2nd twice; can't imagine he's too happy especially with todays loss caused by phantom yellow

pressdogI'm done. Going to bed. Viewing soooo not enhanced.

chunter16(Midnight EST)

kvracingRace finished. Moraes finished 10th, his fifth career top-10 finish

chunter16RT @indycarnation: [the pagoda speaks] 10:52 - “Good evening, gentlemen. I am Roger Penske. ... Bow down, motherf–kers.” http://ow.ly/cGx3

RacingNationRyan Briscoe quote of the race "Hard to pass" that was the prevailing theme. Frustrating. #helio

FuriousWedgeDixon: "cars are too similar now, we need to open up the rules"

Marco26WebMarco: "Once the race got up and going the Venom Energy car was stronger on longer stints. The toughest person to pass was my teammate..."

chunter16Will Power's name dropped - Will needs a car.

FuriousWedgeCurious thought, is the sudden change in lack of Oval action for IndyCar proportional to the sudden mandatory wheelbase length?

TheEDJE@FuriousWedge - A 22" standard does equalize things a little bit - they needed this rule LAST YEAR! #irl #ics #indycar

16AndGeorgetownI gota say, I'm with @DanicaPatrick on this one. They were racing for position, She's higher in points and Marco was the one trying to pass

chunter16@TheEDJE @FuriousWedge that will change when the chassis spec changes... 2010 or 2011?

TheEDJE@chunter16 - New car might have the WB distance go away - It was needed for old IRL on what Dixon said #irl #ics #indycar

chunter16@TheEDJE I think some aero grip is supposed to go away too. Huge I think because it's been a while since I read anything on it

VisionRacingCheckered flag. Castroneves climbs the fence. P9 for Ed. Ryan brings it home an ill handling car in one piece for P16

SpeedJournal(Indy)6/06 :: Texas shootout- http://tinyurl.com/qogv3o #autoracing

the500FROM THE STAR: Castroneves wins for third time at Texas http://tinyurl.com/r5ad23

... notes from The EDJE