Saint Petersburg - Let The New Era 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Begin!

Official event name: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Location: Albert Whitted Airport - St. Petersburg, Florida, United States - Course: Temporary airport & street circuit 1.806 mi / 2.906 km - Distance: 105 laps, 189.630 mi / 305.130 km - Twitter HASHTAG: #gpstpete - Caption and Image Credit: Wikipedia

Saint Petersburg - Let The New Era 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Begin!

Let the new era of unified American Open-Wheel Racing (#aowr) begin with the temporary street course Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg. This year, 2012, will go down as the first year that American open-wheel racing is truly unified since there are no excuses that were first raised when the merger happened suddenly at the beginning of the 2008 season. Everyone will be competing on new Dallara DW12 equipment, with a choice of three new turbo-charged 2.2 liter engines, on tracks that are the most favored by fans of both series.

The season will favor street/road courses as opposed to NASCAR styled ovals and the oval tracks featured in this truly unified season are, for the most part, ones made famous through the sport of open-wheel automobile racing.

Five oval venues out of sixteen races are on the schedule and appear as follows:

The first oval race on the schedule is the grand-daddy of them all, The greatest specticle on all of autosport, the Indianapolis 500 - May 27, 11:00AM ET - ABC Sports.

Next will be the high-banked, super high-speed Firestone 500 at the Texas Speedway. This track holds a string of closest finishes in open-wheel racing. Broadcast set for the night of June 9, 8:00PM ET - NBC Sports.

Third comes the Milwaukee IndyFest, West Allis, WI - run on the famed flat four-cornered bull-ring of a track near the Wisconsin fairgrounds. This race venue was saved by the Andretti family primarily because of the history this track holds as a contrast to all other oval tracks ever run. This track was originally a flat dirt track that transformed itself into a concrete ring that challenges drivers with close quarters and the challenge of virtually no banking. Broadcast set for June 16, 1:00pm ET - ABC Sports.

The Iowa Corn 250, Newton, IA - represents a hold over from the Indianapolis Racing League days and gives a nod to the corn based Ethanol fuel that powers these 2.2 liter turbo-charged Chevrolet, Honda, and Lotus engines of this modern era season. In order to spice things up, this race will be run at night under the lights as they do in Texas. Broadcast set for June 23, 8:00PM ET - NBC Sports.

The last oval race of the season happens to be the final race of this 16 race benchmark of the modern era in American Open-Wheel Racing. This track holds the speed records for racing of any kind on a closed course for both qualifying and at race lap speeds. Yes, the venue is the Auto Club Speedway (formally, California Speedway) at Fontana, California.

On October 28, 2000, during CART qualifying, Gil de Ferran set the track record for fastest lap at 241.426 mph (388.537 km/h), breaking the record (240.942 mph) set by former F1 driver, Maurício Gugelmin (PacWest Racing) who went even faster -- 242.333 mph, to be precise -- in practice. Mark Blundell, also a former F1 driver (PacWest Racing - Gugelmin's teammate), was originally credited with the fastest "at race lap" speed record with a lap at 237.000+ (lap time unknown). Wikipedia shows that Greg Moore actually set fastest lap during the race on lap 80 with a time of 30.900 sec. over the 2.029 mile D-shaped oval (awaiting email clarification from Auto Club Speedway). All of these times are suspect as official by the FIA due the measurement of the track at being slightly longer than exactly 2.0 miles, but the recorded speeds recorded are factual.

What is not in dispute, however, is that the 2003 IndyCar race held at Fontana (the Auto Club Speedway) was the fastest closed-circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of 207.151 mph(333.306 km/h) over 400 miles (640 km) by Sam Hornish Jr. The 2012 race broadcast is set for a dusky night-time ending, September 15, 8PM ET - NBC Sports.

KV Racing Technology's driver Rubens Barrichello gives the new DW12 Chevrolet powered Dallara a spin at Sebring after signing a one-year agreement to run a full year in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Here Rubens is being followed on the track by fellow ex-pat F1 driver, Takuma Sato, driving the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda. Image Credit: LAT via IZOD IndyCar Series

This weekend features a temporary street course e set up in the Florida city of Saint Petersburg first run under ChampCar (CCWS) sanctioning in 2003. After a one year break in order to regroup, the event was resumed with the sanctioning of the Indy Racing League (IRL) from 2005 to the 2007 and continued uninterrupted after the merger of CCWS and IRL as today's IndyCar beginning in 2008 through to today.

Past winners of the Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg event are as follows: Paul Tracy (2003), Dan Wheldon (2005), Helio Castroneves (2006 and 2007), Graham Rahal (2008), Ryan Briscoe (2009), Will Power (2010) and Dario Franchitti (2011), Team Penske is the most successful with 4 wins ... track speed record is held by Sebastien Bourdais (McDonalds/Newman-Haas), set competing in ChampCar (2003) when he qualified for the pole, besting Paul Tracy (Players/Forsythe) with the time of 1:00.928 as his Lola-Cosworth turned an average of 106.472 mph.

A field of 26 drivers -- listed below -- are expected to take to the track for the race set to start Sunday, March 25, 12:30PM ET broadcasted to national network TV audience by ABC Sports.

Car# | Driver (R - Rookie) | Hometown | Sponsor Car Name | Engine (Chevrolet/Honda/Lotus) | Team Entrant
2 Ryan Briscoe Sydney, Australia IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske

3 Helio Castroneves Sao Paulo, Brazil Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet Team Penske

4 JR Hildebrand Sausalito, Calif. National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet Panther Racing

5 E.J. Viso Caracas, Venezuela Citgo – PDVSA KV Racing Technology Chevrolet KV Racing Technology

6 Katherine Legge (R) Guildford, England TrueCar Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus Lotus-Dragon Racing

7 Sebastien Bourdais Le Mans, France Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus Lotus-Dragon Racing

8 Rubens Barrichello (R) Sao Paulo, Brazil BMC/Embrase KV Racing Technology Chevrolet KV Racing Technology

9 Scott Dixon Auckland, New Zealand Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Target Chip Ganassi Racing

10 Dario Franchitti Edinburgh, Scotland Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Target Chip Ganassi Racing

11 Tony Kanaan Salvador, Brazil GEICO/Mouser Electronics KVRT Chevrolet KV Racing Technology

12 Will Power Toowoomba, Australia Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske

14 Mike Conway Bromley, England ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda A.J. Foyt Enterprises

15 Takuma Sato Tokyo Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan

18 Justin Wilson Sheffield, England Sonny’s BBQ Honda Dale Coyne Racing

19 James Jakes Leeds, England Boy Scouts of America Honda Dale Coyne Racing

20 Ed Carpenter Indianapolis Fuzzy’s Vodka / Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Ed Carpenter Racing

22 Oriol Servia Pals, Spain Lotus-DRR Lotus Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

26 Marco Andretti Nazareth, Pa. Team RC Cola Chevrolet Andretti Autosport

27 James Hinchcliffe Toronto Team GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Andretti Autosport

28 Ryan Hunter-Reay Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet Andretti Autosport

38 Graham Rahal New Albany, Ohio Service Central Honda Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing

67 Josef Newgarden (R) Hendersonville, Tenn. Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

77 Simon Pagenaud (R) Poitiers, France Kingdom/Schmidt-Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports

78 Simona de Silvestro Thun, Switzerland Nuclear Clean Air Energy Lotus HVM Racing Lotus Lotus-HVM Racing

83 Charlie Kimball Camarillo, Calif. Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing

98 Alex Tagliani Lachenaie, Canada Team Barracuda-BHA Lotus Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian

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First Practice Laps At #GPSTPETE

Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon set first ever mark in an event for the new DW12 formula as he was fastest in the first official practice session of 2012, leading Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe by 0.4784 seconds.

Briscoe's teammate, Will Power, ran third, posting a lap of 1:03.57 around the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course.

Dario Franchitti served as a bookend for the Penske duo, placing fourth with a lap of 1:03.60 seconds.

Schmidt Hamilton Racing's Simon Pagenaud rounded out the top 5, turning a 1:03.64-second lap in hot, humid conditions.

Honda engined-cars placed 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th, with Chevrolet runners occupying the rest of the top 10 slots.

The fastest Lotus-engined car was Oriol Servia's DRR entry in 19th with a lap of 1:04.29.

The session was mostly trouble-free, barring Charlie Kimball's nose-first crash at Turn 10 with less than five minutes remaining in the session.

With so little rubber down, times are expected to drop throughout the weekend.

Practice 1 for the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg at the St Petersburg Street Circuit

Rank | Driver | Diff. | Best Lap
1 Scott Dixon 0 1:03.0406
2 Ryan Briscoe 0.4784 1:03.5190
3 Will Power 0.5341 1:03.5747
4 Dario Franchitti 0.5607 1:03.6013
5 Simon Pagenaud 0.6011 1:03.6417
6 Justin Wilson 0.6298 1:03.6704
7 Marco Andretti 0.7522 1:03.7928
8 Mike Conway 0.7927 1:03.8333
9 Graham Rahal 0.8116 1:03.8522
10 Helio Castroneves 0.8322 1:03.8728
11 Josef Newgarden 0.8366 1:03.8772
12 EJ Viso 0.8736 1:03.9142
13 James Jakes 0.9228 1:03.9634
14 JR Hildebrand 1.0508 1:04.0914
15 Takuma Sato 1.0666 1:04.1072
16 James Hinchcliffe 1.0673 1:04.1079
17 Ryan Hunter-Reay 1.0833 1:04.1239
18 Tony Kanaan 1.0998 1:04.1404
19 Oriol Servia 1.2540 1:04.2946
20 Alex Tagliani 1.3455 1:04.3861
21 Sebastien Bourdais 1.4468 1:04.4874
22 Charlie Kimball 1.6226 1:04.6632
23 Simona de Silvestro 1.8741 1:04.9147
24 Rubens Barrichello 2.6275 1:05.6681
25 Ed Carpenter 2.9904 1:06.0310
26 Katherine Legge 4.2925 1:07.3331
[Reference Here]

UPDATE: Power Tops Second St. Pete Practice

Team Penske’s Will Power nearly matched his pole speed from last year in only the second practice session of the weekend, leading Briscoe and Franchitti.

Practice 2 for the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg at the St Petersburg Street Circuit:

Rank | Driver | Diff. | Best Lap

1 Will Power 0 1:02.0077 1:06.1375
2 Ryan Briscoe 0.0854 1:02.0931
3 Dario Franchitti 0.2155 1:02.2232
4 Graham Rahal 0.2847 1:02.2924
5 Scott Dixon 0.3040 1:02.3117
6 Helio Castroneves 0.3113 1:02.3190
7 James Hinchcliffe 0.4555 1:02.4632
8 Tony Kanaan 0.4737 1:02.4814
9 Ryan Hunter-Reay 0.5224 1:02.5301
10 Mike Conway 0.5260 1:02.5337
11 Marco Andretti 0.5547 1:02.5624
12 Simon Pagenaud 0.5920 1:02.5997
13 JR Hildebrand 0.7606 1:02.7683
14 Josef Newgarden 0.7761 1:02.7838
15 Justin Wilson 0.8838 1:02.8915
16 Simona de Silvestro 0.9059 1:02.9136
17 James Jakes 0.9075 1:02.9152
18 Takuma Sato 0.9517 1:02.9594
19 Sebastien Bourdais 0.9701 1:02.9778
20 EJ Viso 0.9780 1:02.9857
21 Charlie Kimball 1.0827 1:03.0904
22 Alex Tagliani 1.1735 1:03.1812
23 Rubens Barrichello 1.3213 1:03.3290
24 Oriol Servia 1.3458 1:03.3535
25 Ed Carpenter 2.5954 1:04.6031
26 Katherine Legge 2.7515 1:04.7592
[Reference Here]

UPDATE - Qualifications Highlights:

Will Power breaks his own track record by 0.2305 (old mark = 1:01.6026). Teammate Ryan Briscoe nails down P2 by breaking Will Power's old mark as well.

The top five positions on the grid are held by Chevrolet powered DW12's with seven of the top ten grid positions being filled by the new era engine supplier over longtime supplier and race sponsor, Honda.

A less than competitive showing by the cars powered by the Lotus/Judd effort with the highest placing driver of the "Lotus Legion" (highlighted in BOLD below), being one of the most consistent performing drivers of the series, Oriol Servia.

Probably the biggest surprise of this first qualification session of the new formula 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season is that even though cars fielded by Target Chip Ganassi Racing did very well in practice, the highest placing car from the Ganassi stable was Scott Dixon in P7 - none made it into the Firestone Fast Six qualifications round.

Team Penske had 3 cars, Andretti Autosport had 3 cars - 2 in the Firestone Fast Six round, Ganassi had only 2 cars, Kingdom/Schmidt-Hamilton had it's one car effort place P6 in the Firestone Fast Six, and KV Racing Technology with only one car rounding out the top ten positions on the grid.

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.3721s
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.5357s + 0.1636s
3. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.9321s + 0.5600s
4. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.9701s + 0.5980s
5. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.9987s + 0.6266s
6. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt-Hamilton DW12-Honda 1:02.1095s + 0.7374s

7. Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda 1:01.7636s Top 12
8. Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.7895s Top 12
9. Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevrolet 1:01.8699s Top 12
10. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda 1:01.9570s Top 12
11. Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda 1:02.0233s Top 12
12. Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda 1:02.5084s Top 12

13. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevrolet 1:02.5146s Group 1
14. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevrolet 1:02.2009s Group 2
15. Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda 1:02.6015s Group 1
16. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne DW12-Honda 1:02.2538s Group 2
17. Alex Tagliani Herta DW12-Lotus 1:02.6506s Group 1
18. JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevrolet 1:02.4426s Group 2
19. Josef Newgarden Fisher Hartman DW12-Honda 1:02.7155s Group 1
20. James Jakes Dale Coyne DW12-Honda 1:02.5271s Group 2
21. Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus 1:02.8218s Group 1
22. Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda 1:03.0437s Group 2
23. Oriol Servia Dreyer & Reinbold DW12-Lotus 1:02.8771s Group 1
24. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevrolet 1:03.3591s Group 2
25. Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Lotus 1:03.6048s Group 1
26. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon DW12-Lotus 1:05.6858s Group 2

A short memorial for the late Dan Wheldon, who made St Petersburg his home, preceded Sunday’s race.

Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves ends year long winless drought on the streets of St. Petersburg. Helio celebrates win by climbing a fence and honoring the memory of Dan Wheldon along the newly christened Dan Wheldon Way at turn #10 at the track. Image Credit: Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg

This excerpted and edited from the Tampa Bay Times –

How the 2012 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg unfolded
By Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer – Monday, March 26, 2012

On Lap 73, Castroneves gets far outside, breaks as deeply as he can and passes Dixon on Turn 1 for second. “It was awesome because the car (stuck), and I was like, ‘Yesss!’ ” said Castroneves, who soon after passes Hildebrand.

By Lap 80, Castroneves’ lead on Dixon grows to more than five seconds. Hunter-Reay, in third, falls seven seconds behind Castroneves as his crew implores him to conserve fuel. E.J. Viso, on the brink of dehydration following an overnight bout of food poisoning, is fifth — seven places ahead of his starting spot — 93 laps into the race before a final pit stop ultimately drops him to eighth. His lead edging closer to insurmountable, Castroneves drives conservatively on the last dozen or so laps and wins by 5.5292 seconds.
[Reference Here]

How the field of 26 DW12′s finished in their first race:

Pos | Driver | Team/Car | Time/Gap
1. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevrolet 1h59m50.9863s
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda + 5.5292s
3. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 7.5824s
4. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 10.6526s
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevrolet + 11.7854s
6. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt-Hamilton DW12-Honda + 31.2623s
7. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevrolet + 34.6582s
8. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevrolet + 35.5943s
9. Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda + 43.1425s
10. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne DW12-Honda + 44.3141s
11. Josef Newgarden Fisher Hartman DW12-Honda + 44.8275s
12. Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda + 45.1080s
13. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda + 45.8468s
14. Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 1 lap
15. Alex Tagliani Herta DW12-Lotus + 1 lap
16. Oriol Servia Dreyer & Reinbold DW12-Lotus + 1 lap
17. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevrolet + 2 laps
18. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevrolet + 2 laps

Did not finish:

JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevrolet 96 laps
Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda 75 laps
Sebastien Bourdais Dragon DW12-Lotus 73 laps
Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda 73 laps
Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Lotus 59 laps
Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus 22 laps
Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevrolet 21 laps
James Jakes Dale Coyne DW12-Honda 19 laps

Most of the problems of cars not finishing had to do with electrical gremlins on a car most engineers are still trying to figure out.

So, the new era 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series (#indycar) has begun at the Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg (#gpstpete) — Twitter #hashtags included!

... notes from The EDJE



** Article first published as Saint Petersburg - Let The New Era 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Begin! on Technorati **

For 2011, It's Still A Chip On Penske's Shoulder In The IRL

Target Chip Ganassi IndyCar Championship Series transporter fleet as it sits proudly in the paddock at the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

For 2011, It's Still A Chip On Penske's Shoulder In The IRL

Now that open wheel motorsports racing fans have been treated to what could happen when competing factions join and meld together for the last three years, what do they have to look forward to for the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Championship Series 2011 season? Well, more of the same.

Cream always rises to the top, gold dents when one bites into it, angry jihadist Muslims always find a way to put a damper on everyone's party, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West ... just as teams fielded by Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske will always dominate the racing action on oval, street and road courses in premiere American open wheel automobile racing.

Many had hopes that the union of ChampCar and IndyCar 2008 would deliver a chance at diversity where more teams and drivers would have a better shot at creating racing history, but alas ... this hope was as ill fated as Tony George holding down every major executive position in the IRL including running the track the series was named after.

Having the gravitas of this dueling giant pair of immovable forces, when one looks at the path they cut really isn't so bad once one looks at the quality of the results. Just look at the incredible 2010 run a former ChampCar budding star, Will Power, had with Roger Penske just to be reeled in by one of the best racing pairings in modern open wheel racing of Dario Franchitti driving for Chip Ganassi.

In 2011, if past behavior is the best predictor of future results ... we all be uttering "Three-Peat" at seasons end.

Team Penske drivers Ryan Briscoe (P5), Helio Castroneves (P4), and Will Power (P1) as they field questions in the post Firestone Fast Six qualifying press conference. While no Target Chip Ganassi drivers made the "Fast Six" in qualifications, in the race Scott Dixon (qualified in P8) registered a P4, right behind Will Power's P3 ... the only Penske driver to finish in the top six positions. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from SPEED CHANNEL -

INDYCAR: Penske’s Thorn
Looking back on these past 42 years, several people have tried to draft Penske into the fast lane, but there has only been one constant thorn in The Captain’s side.
Robin Miller | Posted December 29, 2010 Indianapolis, IN

Roger Penske began fielding cars at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 and during this time span The Captain has amassed 153 wins, 12 championships and made a record 15 trips to Victory Lane at Indianapolis.

He also built a template for success and re-shaped the business model for motorsports.

Looking back on these past 42 years, several people have tried to draft Penske into the fast lane. Bobby Hillin and Rick Galles damn near went bust trying to keep up with R.P. in CART and billionaire John Menard threw good money after bad trying to catch The Captain at 16th & Georgetown.
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But, throughout CART’s heydays, The Split and unification; during the engine, car and tire wars; from taking a chance on equipment to being stuck with spec racing, there has only been one constant thorn in The Captain’s side.

That would our boy Chip Ganassi.

And while there’s no denying the Chipster can be a pain in the ass to a lot of people on any given day, he’s accomplished what nobody else has been able to pull off.

His IndyCar team has pulled alongside of Penske’s.

In a horse racing form, they would be coupled: 1 and 1A.

Since 1994, the year Target/Ganassi Racing scored its initial victory, it’s almost a dead heat.

Chip’s drivers have 79 wins, seven championships and three baby Borgs from winning Indianapolis.

Team Penske’s stats are 73 victories, four titles and five Indy 500s.

Ganassi and Target have been partners since 1990, while The Captain had Marlboro for the better part of 20 years.

Helio Castroneves returns for his 12th year with R.P. and Scott Dixon is back in the saddle for his ninth consecutive season at Ganassi’s.

Tim Lombardi, Tom Wertz, Clive Howell and Rick Rinaman are lifers at Penske just like Ricky Davis, Barry Wanser, Julian Robertson, Scott Harner and Mike Hull for Ganassi as both organizations breed loyalty.

If a driver is hired at either place, winning is the only option.

“I don’t know that Chip’s goal was to be like Roger but, let’s face it, Roger is the model for success in this business,” said Hull, the managing director who joined Ganassi in 1992.

“Chip is fueled by the passion of winning and the passion of having comparison. Both of them are from the same competitive mold.”
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There is no denying that The Captain is one of the smartest people on this planet and his work ethic is second to none. He builds up companies, resuscitates others and knows how to keep customers and sponsors satisfied. Racing is how he unwinds.

Ganassi lives and breathes motorsports, from his IndyCar and Grand-Am headquarters in Indy to his NASCAR shop in Charlotte. Pittsburgh is his home but racing is his family.

“The biggest difference between them is that Roger runs his empire from Monday through Thursday and follows his passion from Friday to Sunday,” continued Hull. “Chip is focused on racing from Monday to Sunday.

“I always hear that Chip gives us the resources to succeed but the resource is the mindset and culture we’ve been fortunate enough to develop. Chip is all about building for tomorrow and the future. It’s all about staying power.”

Staying up front with Penske has proved to be almost impossible during the past four decades. But he can’t shake Ganassi.

Nothing better illustrates this like 2010. At Indy, Castroneves and Will Power qualified 1-2 but the Ganassi team never concerned themselves with qualifying, and Franchitti totally dominated the race. Power was the class of the IndyCar season but lost the title in the finale when Dario and Dixon delivered a psychological blow in qualifying before sealing the deal in the race.

It was the second straight season that a Ganassi driver (Franchitti) had overtaken a Penske driver in the last race to win the championship.

While many have grown tired of the same two teams winning everything, and nothing is going to change drastically until those new cars/engines arrive in 2012, Ganassi and Penske have evolved into one of the best rivalries in sports.

Make no mistake: The Captain still casts a long shadow but the ‘ol Chipster is standing right in it.
Reference Here>>

Look for just more of the same in 2011 - but does anyone think it will be different in 2012 with the new choices in chassis, aero body forms, engine, and tire combinations? My bet would be on hearing "Four-Peat" at the awards dinner by the end of the year.

... notes from The EDJE

2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300

Dario Franchitti looks to win the 2010 IndyCar title tonight in Miami. Image Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300

So it comes down to this ... ChampCar transition player Will Power is only 12 points ahead of two-time IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti going into this last of 17 races in the 2010 season. If Will Power is able to finish just behind or better Dario at the end of the race, he will be crowned Champion of this 2010 season. However, if Dario wins the race and gets the points for most laps led ... it doesn't matter where Will Power finishes.

All during practice at the Homestead/Miami oval track, Power was able to run the fastest laps but when it came down to qualifying Dario Franchitti was able to put together two laps that placed him at the top of the grid in P1, teammate Scott Dixon in P2, and Will Power tucked in nose-to-tail right behind Franchitti in P3.

Here is how the 27 car field will line up (** denotes CCWS Transition Player Team or Driver):

Pos - Driver - Team - Speed
1. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 213.187mph
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi 212.908mph
3. Will Power** Penske 212.580mph
4. Ryan Briscoe Penske 212.158mph
5. Dan Wheldon Panther 211.933mph
6. Justin Wilson** Dreyer & Reinbold 211.630mph
7. Ed Carpenter Panther/Vision 211.444mph
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti 211.392mph
9. Takuma Sato KV** 211.355mph
10. Helio Castroneves Penske 211.240mph
11. Danica Patrick Andretti 211.013mph
12. EJ Viso** KV** 210.928mph
13. Mario Moraes** KV** 210.741mph
14. Bertrand Baguette Conquest** 210.738mph
15. Ana Beatriz Dreyer & Reinbold 210.715mph
16. Marco Andretti Andretti 210.698mph
17. Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher 210.671mph
18. Graham Rahal** Newman/Haas** 210.629mph
19. Alex Tagliani** FAZZT 210.520mph
20. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti 210.030mph
21. Vitor Meira Foyt 210.017mph
22. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne** 209.433mph
23. Raphael Matos** De Ferran Dragon 209.311mph
24. Sebastian Saavedra Conquest** 209.308mph
25. Simona de Silvestro** HVM** 208.986mph
26. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas** 208.579mph
27. Milka Duno Dale Coyne** 207.961mph
(ht: autosport.com)

The IZOD IndyCar Series will take the green flag one last time at the Homestead-Miami Speedway tonight for the Cafés do Brasil Indy 300. Besides being the final race of the IndyCar season, it will be the final race of the near future at Homestead, after the longtime open-wheel hosts and the sanctioning body could not come to an agreement for a 2011 event.

As such, expect tonight to be a show of great magnitude, with both sides looking to go out with a bang.

Here begins the last play-by-play via Tweet-By-Tweet of an IZOD IndyCar Series race of the season ... so let the TWEETING begin!

FollowAndretti Tom Vossman of #Inland presenting @RacingForCancer the $10k check! http://plixi.com/p/48416770

MyNameIsIRL This intro has been one giant Penske/Ganassi lovefest.

TheEDJE @MyNameIsIRL If it were not for the fact that Will Power is a Transition Player - it would be BOREING! #indyCar #IZOD

RaceDrive Ok tweeps - have a great racing night - we are right there with you - in turn 1 #Indycar

factbytefactbox "We're ten minutes away from the command to start your engines." #izodindycar #irl

IndyCarNation Join us for the IZOD IndyCar Series Season Finale for the Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway... http://fb.me/L4Sgzh1Q

kvracing National anthem been sung, drivers in their cars, just waiting for the command

VersusIndyCar Hey #IndyCar fans come join the chat with us and @kevingraham1280 while we watch the last race of the season! http://ow.ly/2Nvcr

PCaporali Getting ready for the start of the #IndyCar race. What the hell is my heart doing in my throat?!

Engines Fire Up! - Drivers start your engines!

Fieldof33 @99forever I did too read it. I still argue that Dario's year on twisties has been much stronger than WP's on ovals & there4 a better year.

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 begins!

openpaddock Powder Keg is going off baby GREEN GREEN GREEN!!!

IndyCarNation Marco Andretti #26 started 16th and is already up to 7th place on lap 4

openpaddock wow...look at the sparks!!!

Newman_Haas God Speed to all drivers but especially Hideki and @GrahamRahal. Green!

curtcavin Can't imagine Dixon passing Dario for the lead at all tonight. #indycar

IndyCarNation Green flag with Franchitti and Dixon leading Power and Briscoe around as the sparks fly

99forever Okay, so if Dario leads the most laps but Will wins, Will gets the title on race wins, right?

TheEDJE @99forever EXACTLY - Dario needs to lead with most laps and win to make it that it doesn't matter where Will is!

indy44 RT @JPIndycar: Dario Going to have two wingmen - Dixon AND TK...

IndyCarNation Under green conditions the estimated pit window is 46-50 laps

IndyCarNation Mario Moraes #32 on pit lane from 8th spot, car is reported as way too loose

16AndGeorgetown LAP 25 - The Championship is completely in Dario's hands, if he continues to lead most laps, and win, he'll be your 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Champ

MyNameIsIRL Geez. Two commercial breaks in the first 24 laps. VERSUS must have some extra bills to pay.

MikeM_PR Lap 30 @justinwilson22 holding P16. Will make adjustments on his first stop

YELLOW Flag - LAP 36, Mario Moraes is stalled on the track

IndyCarNation Mario Moraes #32 team reports they will fix the wishbone issue to get back out as soon as possible

curtcavin When are we going to see the first graphic that says: "If the race ended now ..." Well, let me spoil: Dario wins cuz WP is 8th.

Everyone into the Pits!

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 Restarts LAP 42!

kvracing Back to green flag racing, Franchitti, Briscoe, Dixon

YELLOW Flag - LAP 46, Ana Beatriz hits the wall by herself

IndyCarNation Lap 46/200: Under yellow; Franchitti, Briscoe, Kanaan, Dixon, Castroneves, Power, Andretti, Viso, Wheldon, Patrick are top 10

MyNameIsIRL Arute to Conor Daly: "What's the best advice your dad (Derek) told you?" Conor: "Well, he told me not to talk to you." *rimshot*

CrashGladys Just why r the TV guys talking 2 Conor Daly when we know he doesn't want 2go IndyCar racing? F1 is his future & he's made that very clear.

curtcavin Man, Conor Daly looks more like Derek on TV more than he does in person. Kid is going places. #indycar

DRRIndyCar She was on her way back to the pits after slowing on the course

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 Restarts LAP 52!

Dixon slow off of the first corner!

kvracing Back to green flag racing. Viso (#8car) is 8th, Sato (#5) is 16th

Three Wide - Franchitti, Briscoe, and on top Kanaan!

curtcavin I know Dario wants to lead every lap until lap 100, but he needs to be careful, he's already led 53 laps. #indycar

IndyCarNation Ryan Briscoe takes the lead to attempt to keep Dario Franchitti from leading the most laps tonight

MarcoZone TK needs to tuck in and push Dario.

Briscoe and Kanaan get past Franchitti LAP 60

IndyCarNation Lap 60: Franchitti falls back to 4th after losing momentum

Newman_Haas Graham up to 9th from 13th. Hideki in 22.

IndyCarNation Lap 65/200: Dixon, Kanaan, Briscoe, Franchitti, Castroneves, Viso, Wheldon, Power, Patrick, Hunter-Reay are top 10

shagers Now we see how Dario runs in traffic. #indycar

deferrandragon Dario 4th, Power 6 --- Dario now 2 points behind

kvracing After 65 laps, Viso is 6th and Sato has moved to 12th

IndyCarNation Lap 70: Kanaan, Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, Castroneves, Power, Wheldon, Viso, Hunter-Reay, Patrick are top 10

shagers Power getting better as the stint goes on here. Unlike last stint. #indycar

MyNameIsIRL LAP 73 - Oh look Dario's leading again. That giant sucking sound is the drama slowly leaving the building. Come on, anybody else!

shagers Penske has nothing here to stop Dario getting the most laps led. Now Power has to beat Dario.

Dario is out to a 1/2 second lead on LAP 84 - has a 9 point lead on Power

MikeM_PR Lap 84 @justinwilson22 down 1 lap

curtcavin Remember, Power is defenseless if Dario completes this one. #indycar

BeccyGordon Wondering if @TonyKanaan is laying back a bit to let his bestfriend, Dario, lead the most laps.... I think I'm on to something!

VisionRacing 10 Laps til next stop, additional front wing adjustment, tires, and fuel.

indy44 Too bad TK doesn't have an in-car I would have loved to be listening to his throttle for this race.

IndyCarNation Ryan Briscoe #6 on pit lane for a routine stop - TK and Franchitti in and out as well

indy44 @BeccyGordon Sure looks that way doesn't it?

PCaporali I have not seen the @VisionRacing @Pantherracing No.20 car on TV tonight. NOT once. Not good for sponsors...

MyNameIsIRL He's [Carpenter] only in 7th. RT @PCaporali: I have not seen the @VisionRacing @Pantherracing No.20 car on TV tonight. NOT once. Not good for sponsors.

IndyCarNation Lap 100/200: Tagliani (off sequence), Franchitti, Kanaan, Dixon, Power, Mutoh, Briscoe, Castroneves, Patrick, Wheldon

Alex Tagliani leads this race for the first time - Pitstop cycles - LAP 101 - Race is over halfway!

FollowAndretti Lap 102... TK 2nd, Danica 7th, Marco 9th, Ryan 10th

Fieldof33 Dario saved fuel last year and made it 50 laps per fuel stint. I don't think he can finish this race on 1 more stop if it stays green.

MyNameIsIRL @EJViso had the end of the fuel hose stuck in his car. When you weren't looking he leaned back, chewed it off and spit it into the infield.

IndyCarNation Lap 114: Franchitti and Kanaan running 1-2 with Dixon, Power, Briscoe spread out a bit behind them

TheEDJE LAP 117 to 118 - Dario Franchitti passes the Start/Finish line to capture 2 points for leading the most laps

TheEDJE Will Power needs to lead Franchitti over the line at the end

BeccyGordon RHR's sports are consistently around 204.3 leaders are at 206.8. Mika is running faster. Ryan says there's an issue

shagers Dario got told he got most laps led about 5 laps after we did. #indycar

IndyCarNation Lap 125/200: Franchitti, Kanaan, Dixon, Power, Briscoe, Castroneves, Patrick, Wheldon, Andretti, Meira are top 10

MyNameIsIRL I'm sorry I had my head down typing, but was that another Peak hair care product commercial?

TheEDJE YELLOW Flag LAP 135 - Will Power brushes the wall for about 1/4 mile - Turn Out The Lights, Party's Over - maybe

IndyCarNation Possible right rear suspension damage to Will Power #12 car

16AndGeorgetown If the damage drops WP back to 18th or worse, all DF needs to do is finish 9th or better

MyNameIsIRL Looks like some right rear suspension damage for Power. Fat lady clearing her throat.

Newman_Haas RT @IndyCarNation: Will Power #12 car has been shut down on pit road after sliding in to the pit stall. Headed behind the pit wall...

CrashGladys So Power is out?? Ugh!

MarcoZone Look at Will wringing his hands....poor guy!

indy44 Versus saying it's not over, in other word DON'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL!

TheEDJE @MyNameIsIRL LA, LA LA LA, LA, LA, LA (sung in scale notes)

Will Power back out on the track to take the GREEN Flag with the rest of the field.

PCaporali RT @IndyCarNation: Will Power #12 has rejoined the race on lap 143 and is now currently 5 laps down

IndyCarNation Team Penske did a rear wishbone change in 5 minutes 6 seconds to allow Power #12 to rejoin the field

A group of cars pull into the pits for a LAST fuel stop strategy!

PCaporali Teams REALLY need to tweet more then! Good lessons to learn. RT @SueBrudvig: [snip] But it's NOYB. Welcome to our world. :% #IndyCar

IndyCarNation Will Power is out of the #12 car behind the pit wall - left front now giving problems

PCaporali Yellow was long enough that some cars may NOT have to make another stop. Could make for a more interesting finish. Maybe . #IndyCar

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 Restarts LAP 151!

Marco Andretti has a terrific start.

MarcoZone GO @ANDRETTI26 GO!

99forever By my count, that's exactly the second incident this year that's been Will's fault. Not at all the time for it, though.

Will Power can finish no worse than 25th - Franchitti has to finish 10th or better.

IndyRacingNut @MarcoZone Yeah, they can hear the giant sucking sound of fans changing the channel over to Nickelodeon to watch iCarly....LOL

TheEDJE @IndyRacingNut - You must have kids, grandkids, or are ... very creepy!

YELLOW Flag - LAP 187

FollowAndretti RT @IndyCarNation Yellow for debris in turn 2, pits are closed

Newman_Haas Graham said yellow is from Viso and Briscoe making contact

shagers See that NASCAR, when Indycar have yellow for Debris, they actually SHOW you the debris.

TheEDJE Fuel strategy is all over the map - but Dario is still rolling along at 8th position and only 5 points ahead of Will Power

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 Restarts LAP 172!

Castroneves takes the lead - three wide with Dixon ans Kanaan

MyNameIsIRL Who needs more yellows when you can't conduct a simple restart? *facepalm*

TheEDJE YELLOW Flag - Milka Duno looking for sponsorship time - Fuel Strategy back on track

PCaporali Hmm... well didn't see that coming.... Dario saw his race flash before his eyes!

99forever Milka. That's the capper, right there. Hands up, everyone who's glad we're not finishing here next year.

Fieldof33 @99forever You're not enjoying this race?

99forever @Fieldof33 I am, but there's a lot that's bizarre and annoying. A lot isn't the track's fault, but I just think Homestead has a yucky vibe.

GREEN!, GREEN!, GREEN! - 2010 IndyCar Series Final At Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 Restarts LAP 180, 20 to go!

IndyCarNation Lap 180/200: #9, #11, #7, #3, #4, #14, #26, #6, #10, #02, #77, #20, #37, #34, #5, #36, #2, #19, #8, #22 are top 20

SBPopOffValve Security Chief Charles keeps Ashley from heading to infield care center to dance angrily at Milka for nearly taking Dario out. #couldhappen

MyNameIsIRL Umm, Franchitti is in 9th. He needs to finish 10th or better. DRAMA!!!!

kvracing Sato moved to P13 on restart

Newman_Haas RT @FirestoneRacing: #indycar @HomesteadMiami: Franchitti is last car on lead lap in 9th place. He only needs to (cont) http://tl.gd/6abn7n

MarcoZone just me or was Danistar doing a little "wiggle" to keep Helio behind her?

kvracing 10 laps remain, Sato is 14th, Viso 19th. Dixon leads Kanaan then Patrick. Franchitti 8th

MarcoZone WHY OH WHY can't TK & Danica just work together so SOMEONE beats a red car?!?!?

SBPopOffValve Danica: "That's it! I'm going to NASCAR where they don't race you as hard!" #couldhappen

MyNameIsIRL Kanaan is throwing a mondo block party on his, err, teammate Danica. Not feeling the love.

WHITE Flag - Dixon, TK, Patrick, with Franchitti tagging along in 8th

Dario Takes The Checkered Flag - 5 points ahead of Will Power - Marino, Dario's brother won his championship in the ALMS at the Le Petit Grand Prix

indy44 Dario Champion P1 Dixon P2 Danica P3 TK P4 Briscoe P5 Helio P6 Vitor P7 Marco P8 Dario P9 Wheldon P10 Rahal P11 RHR P12 Lloyd P13 Ed

MyNameIsIRL Dixon wins the race and Dario does the donuts

MarcoZone TK looks PISSED!

CrashGladys Uh oh... Helio is yelling at Danica! Eek!! #indycar

MyNameIsIRL Hold the phone - Helio is coming over to do a little finger pointing at Danica. No grabbing of the clothing or throwing of equipment though.

IndyCarNation Dario Franchitti is your 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Overall and Oval Champion! Congrats to Dario and Target Chip Ganassi Racing!

racintoday Franchitti, Ganassi Win IndyCar Championship http://bit.ly/9rmHTi #indycar

... notes from The EDJE

IZOD ICONIC Decision For 2012: From Hot Cars ... To Haute Cars

General view of the IZOD IndyCar Series chassis strategy announcement at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on July 14, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Image Credit: Michael Hickey/Getty Images North America/Clarity Media

IZOD ICONIC Decision For 2012: From Hot Cars ... To Haute Cars

The decision for the future platform and competition in the IRL starting in 2012 was a PUNT. Nothing new here than the Ol' Boys Club sticking together without disturbing the apple cart that has been around 2002 on the manufacturer side.

This excerpted and edited from Pressdog -

Random Reaction Quotes Pushed Out by IndyCar
By :Pressdog.com - July 14, 2010

From IndyCar PR --

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT 2012 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES CAR STRATEGY

INDIANAPOLIS (July 14, 2010) – Quotes from selected IZOD IndyCar Series drivers, team owners, manufacturer representatives and other officials about the 2012 car strategy unveiled by the IZOD IndyCar Series (in alphabetical order):

“The ICONIC group has come up with a smart way of bringing diversity and a new look to the 2012 IndyCar while keeping longtime partner Dallara, who has the expertise and an incredible amount of knowledge of the technical specifications of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Obviously as a team owner, I will have a lot of questions regarding this new concept, and I want to be reassured that the new rules around this car will guarantee a good operating cost control and a good open competition in between teams. It is also good to see that the state of Indiana is behind the project.”
-- Eric Bachelart, Owner, Conquest Racing, IZOD IndyCar Series

“Everyone at IZOD is very excited about today’s announcement because the chassis decision encompasses all of the characteristics that attracted us to the IndyCar Series as a title sponsor. The design represents innovation, speed, technology and performance, all of which are attributes of the IZOD brand. The new car, with the extra 100-horsepower push-to-pass capability, will create even greater moments of speed and competition, which is unbelievable. And the fact that they were able to accomplish all of this while keeping the costs contained and the drivers safe is a real tribute to the ICONIC committee and their forward thinking. We think this will bring the sport to whole new level of competition.”
-- Mike Kelly, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Phillips-Van Heusen, parent company of IZOD brand

“This is a great day for all of us in the IZOD IndyCar Series. I couldn't think of a better manufacturer than Dallara to make the Safety Cell, and, of course, make that product in Indiana. Add to that the fact that there will be development around that cell is fantastic. It's what fans and competitors alike have been wanting, and in 2012, we will have exactly that but at a much lower cost than what we are running now. In most aspects of life and business, it costs more to get what you want, but somehow the ICONIC committee has managed to achieve the right product at a substantially lower price. I can't wait for 2012.”
-- Alex Lloyd, Driver, Dale Coyne Racing, IZOD IndyCar Series

“A lighter car is more nimble, makes it easier to pass people. With the turbo engine, you can increase that power to pass a lot, and make for better racing anyway, and more horsepower makes it tougher to drive. There’s more mistakes, more opportunities to pass. You couldn’t have asked for anything better. We have a one-make chassis now, and now we’ll have a common tub, which is safe. And you’re able to design your own bodywork.” (Can you imagine going 240 mph at Indianapolis in a car like that?): “I love competition, I’m not sure that it’s necessary to go 240 again. This year, gee, we were going 228, and it’s getting up there. I think it’s something you have to wait, see and watch it develop and see what horsepower works best where, because with a turbo you can adjust that. The thing I like is it will take its own direction with the design because it’s open.”
-- Will Power, Driver, Team Penske, IZOD IndyCar Series
Reference Here>>

My favorite quote came from Tony Purnell,, a member of the committee that formulated the new rules, as he summed up the decision in a challenge to those various participants: "So come on, Ford. Come on, GM, Lotus, Ferrari. Come on, Lockheed. Come on, Boeing. Come on, you engineers working in small technology businesses. We want you to rise to the challenge." Yea, right ... General Motors is still a government operation, and the others really would not want to put lipstick on someone else's frame (pig). It would be hard for any of them to develop "skin" in the game.

Basically, the IRL is looking to create a fashion show reality series entitled "Dress This Italian Pig" (I thought this was to be an American open-wheel racing series with the development of drivers and technologies originating on this continent). The only competition will be between Target and Penske being able to continue to sell the other teams ... last year's dress.

CTRL-CLICK Image to launch video of mushroom buster explanationImage Credit: Swift Engineering

Swift Engineering, a California corporation known for its work since 1983 in aerospace, aviation, automotive and motorsports engineering and design, had this "Spec" thing thought out right. Create a car that would be true to the concept of Open-Wheel racing ... unlike the Delta Wing/Lawn Dart ... yet work the aero package to reduce the effects of the after-draft air "mushroom" and allow the cars to run safely, and more closely nose-to-tail. This "Mushroom Buster" concept, first introduced to the IRL in Concept #66 with the final version in concept #70, would increase competition on the track and allow drivers to do what we watch them do ... win through skill.

At least this decision to allow anyone to dress up a Dallara chassis matches up to the sensibilities of the title sponsor ... IZOD, a fashion icon brand. This does not, however, increase the driving competition on the track ... the "Mushroom Buster" concept would never be able to be applied consistently. If I were a driver, I'd want the car following my car to be able to be booted off of the track due to the Mushroom Effect when it was following me at 15 miles per hour (if not 14 mph). In this regard I see the decesion by the IRL ICONIC — Innovative, Competitive, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective — Advisory Committee as promoting chaos when a specification series is what they have ... given the fact there is only one chassis manufacturer

One of the major problems with very small, light automobiles is that they can be unsafe in a collision. The Smart solution is the Tridion steel safety shell. Image Credit: ©1998-2006 DaimlerChrysler via How Stuff Works

This decision feels a little like having a "Smart Car" frame dressed ... in a new skin.

... notes from The EDJE