IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings

Memorial three-abreast five lap salute To Dan Wheldon performed by the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 16, 2011. Image Credit: LAT Photo

IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings

The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season will be the 101st season of American open wheel racing. It is hard to get one's mind around the beginning of a new season of competition when the previous season ends, in such tragedy, as the 2011 season ending race in Las Vegas played out.

The memorials and auctions in support of all that Dan Wheldon and his family stood for during his career have taken place and are winding down on the internet. The response on eBay in terms of donated items and bidding response was beyond anyone could have imagined. Dan was unique in that he was very independent and corporate at the same time. A trick that held him in high esteem with the top brass in the series and some of the most renegade fans this sport had to offer. He was so unique in this posture, he was probably one of a very few IRL standard drivers fans from the former CART/ChampCar series could relate to and half embrace as their own.

Dan had a large hand in helping to understand and craft the beginning of a new era in American open wheel racing as it enters 2012. So large was his influence, the IZOD IndyCar Series and Dallara have decided to rename the new chassis Dan spent the last months of his life testing with the Bryan Herta Autosport engineering staff based out of Santa Clarita, CA.

The Dallara DW12 IndyCar Safety Cells, ready for their close-up, as they sit next to the "yard of bricks" start/finish line. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

The new era, as set upon by the ICONIC committee in 2010, will feature the IndyCar Safety Cell monocoque and suspension parts renamed the Dallara DW12 which, instead of being a pure specification car where all of the component parts come from the same manufacturing resouces, keeps the driver encased in a frame covered with a choice of outer composite aerodynamic body work (not at first, but starting in 2013), rolling on tires from Firestone (with discussions of having a potential of at least two manufacturers supplying solutions during future seasons), powered by engines supplied by at least three different manufacturing marks in 2012 (Honda, Chevy/Illmore, and Lotus/Judd). What this brings to a racing series is an element of diversity in the fielding of a competitive entry. This places even greater emphasis on the team's engineering, and support make up as well as driver talent.

With all of this diversity and evolution of technology in the paddock, one has to ask, what is the IZOD IndyCar Series going to do to meet the support challenges that will show themselves on the track during race events?

The management and negotiation quotient between additional suppliers for body parts, and engines is only a part of the equation ... race control has to be considered on the other side. Cars being fielded with a broader diversity of component parts will translate to a greater difference in performance on the track between teams.

Will the current, years old specification template, and staff (with a cobbled together, two series philosophical input flow), stand up to the demands this new ICONIC committee Dallara DW12 approach exact? Given the troubles that exposed themselves this past year (possibly placing the series championship at stake), can the current race control be the standard for 2012 and beyond ... or is it time for a change that can adapt to the engine and aero-package diversity that will present itself in competition?

On behalf of the unique approach the ICONIC committee and CEO Randy Bernard have embraced, which recognizes the precept that some potential for technology evolution is a good thing for motorsports, let's hope that management template evolution can be explored in background series support and race control as well.

... notes from The EDJE


<Article first appeared as IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings at Technorati>

Al Unser Jr.'s Demons Bite Him ... AGAIN!

4th Annual Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame inductees Bobby Rahal and Al Unser, Jr. share a word while standing in front of Parnelli Jones just before the medallion unveiling ceremony. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Al Unser Jr.'s Demons Bite Him ... AGAIN!

What is it with guys named Al (son of a famous Al) and speeding at triple-digits? Last night, Al Unser Jr. was pulled over driving as fast as Al Gore, III, who a few years ago was caught pacing his car at over 100 miles per hour (the irony in Al Gore III's case is that he was driving a Toyota Prius). The problem other than speeding in both of these cases was that the driver was operating the vehicle at over 100 mph under the influence of a mind-altering substance ... in Al Unser Jr.'s case, he was drunk ... AGAIN.

A couple of years back , Al Unser Jr. was participating in what any racing fan would agree was one of Al's best post career weekend's ever. The scene was the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach week which started off on Thursday late morning with Al Unser Jr. being honored with a brass medallion with his name and accomplishments (a six-time winner at "The Beach") being placed in the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame (along with Bobby Rahal) in the West side sidewalk of the Long Beach Convention Center on Pine Avenue.

The section of the Wyland Mural on the side of the Long Beach Convention Center that was to be re-dedicated after its restoration earlier in the month of April. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

On Friday, he was given the honor of re-christening the Wyland whale mural on the side of the Long Beach Convention Center which had been re-conditioned by the original artist, Robert Wyland. Al christened the mural the first time it was commissioned and opened to the public.

A usually accessible Al Unser, Jr., signs a tee-shirt for a fan as he walks from the pits to an appearance at a sponsor event at the track. Image Credit Edmund Jenks (2009)

On Saturday, Al Unser Jr. participated in the famed Toyota Pro/Celebrity race which raises funds for charity and is a weekend crowd favorite at the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend. This being the best weekend ever, Al Unser Jr. came through by crossing the finish-line first ahead of all other drivers in-spite of having to start in the delayed start of the Pro grouping ... but last behind all of the specially prepared-matched Toyota cars.

Al Unser, Jr. sits at the driver's seat in the ceremonial Toyota convertable pace car as IRL Dallaras line up behind him in order to begin the warm-up laps before the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

This best week ever for an acclaimed driver and Indy 500 winner as Al Unser Jr. would not have been complete unless, of course, on Sunday he was the Grand Marshal of the 35th Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach. He was able to lead all of the Dallaras off of the grid and around the track to the cheers of the 100,000 plus Californians gathered to start the spring off in a fine fashion with a premiere open wheel race event that is unequaled.

Due to Al Unser's problem, he is almost like the decorated war hero who's money is no good in any bar or social gathering. Life for Al Unser Jr. is really just one big party ... until the party begins to damage relationships (divorce, days in jail, a smashing of an earned good reputation when sober, and etc.) and place other people's lives in danger.

I feel for, and relate to, the problem Al Unser Jr. has and know what it takes to eclipse them. I have to agree with Michele Rahal in his videolog posted here. This behavior is a much larger problem for IndyCar Race Control (Al is a member of the crew managed by Brian Barnhart who has had his own documented problems in on-track decision-making this year) as it relates to the public image of the IZOD IndyCar Series and it is time for the whole crew to take a time-out ... go to rehab, and come back to the world, clean, sober, and ready to face the challenges of this life with a clear head.

It is time to clean house and enter the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season with a completely new staff and a fresh focus to compliment the new shape and approach to open wheel racing in North America ... this opinion, from a person who is still sober after 19.5 years of facing life ... one day at a time!

... notes from The EDJE



[Article first published as - Al Unser Jr.'s Demons Bite Him ... AGAIN! - at Technorati]

2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma - Play By Play | Tweet By Tweet

Infineon Raceway "Tweet Up" just after Knockout Qualifications at the "Wine Country Winner's Circle" in Sonoma. Discussions included Reds? or Blacks? ... from the looks of things in pit lane, 15 of 16 Dallaras have Reds to start the race. Only EJ Viso is on Blacks. Image Credit: FollowAndretti via TweetPhoto

2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma - Play By Play | Tweet By Tweet

Qualifications for this last Road/Street circuit of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season had one surprise and the Knockout qualifying structure netted its desired results.

With the top 16 positions having lap times within one-second of each other, the best road drivers in the best equipment ended up at the top ... with ChampCar World Series transition driver standout Will Power setting an IZOD IndyCar Series record of capturing eight poles in one season. Defending Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma champion Dario Franchitti, Power's nearest title rival and last year's ICS season champion, was nearly half a second behind in third.

Will Power as he is presented with the Mario Andretti Road Championship Trophy by Mario Andretti with Jack Arute of Versus officiating. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

The rest of the Firestone Fast Six in the Knockout qualifying session which is usually dominated by Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi was broken up by a new team with a longtime CCWS transition driver/owner Alex Tagliani of FAZZT Racing qualifying at P4 ... .6786 seconds off of Will Powers' pace which was the fastest lap set by any driver all weekend.

Will Power as he is presented with the Mario Andretti Road Championship Trophy winnings ($50,000) by Mario Andretti with Jack Arute of Versus officiating. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

How the field qualified (** denotes a driver or team that transitioned from the ChampCar World Series)

Pos Driver Team Time Session
1. Will Power** Penske 1m16.5282s Fast six
2. Helio Castroneves Penske 1m16.5652s Fast six
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 1m16.9437s Fast six
4. Alex Tagliani** Fazzt 1m17.2068s Fast six
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske 1m17.2108s Fast six
6. Scott Dixon Ganassi 1m17.3469s Fast six
----
7. Justin Wilson** Dreyer & Reinbold 1m16.9447s Round 2
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti 1m17.1317s Round 2
9. Tony Kanaan Andretti 1m17.3181s Round 2
10. Raphael Matos** De Ferran Dragon 1m17.3710s Round 2
11. Simona de Silvestro** HVM** 1m17.7429s Round 2
12. Dan Wheldon Panther 1m17.8280s Round 2
----
13. Bertrand Baguette Conquest** 1m17.5238s Group 1
14. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas** 1m17.5186s Group 2
15. EJ Viso** KV** 1m17.6825s Group 1
16. Graham Rahal** Newman/Haas** 1m17.5284s Group 2
17. Takuma Sato KV** 1m17.7112s Group 1
18. Marco Andretti Andretti 1m17.6216s Group 2
19. JR Hildebrand Dreyer & Reinbold 1m17.7659s Group 1
20. Mario Moraes** KV** 1m17.7532s Group 2
21. Vitor Meira Foyt 1m17.9149s Group 1
22. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne** 1m18.0422s Group 2
23. Danica Patrick Andretti 1m18.3995s Group 1
24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne** 1m22.2980s Group 2
25. Francesco Dracone Conquest** 1m21.2262s Group 1
(ht: autosport.com)

The track at Sonoma ... Infineon Raceway in the morning. Image Credit: FollowAndretti via TweetPhoto

The following are Twitter entries (140 characters or less) excerpted and possibly edited submitted by people who are following the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. A play by play via "Tweet" by "Tweet"!

IndyCarNation Mario Andretti leads the field in the IndyCar two-seater with Stan, the Honda Sweepstakes winner.

TheEDJE Reds? or Blacks? ... from the looks of things in pit lane, 15 of 16 Dallaras have Reds to start the race #indycar

kvracing Moraes in car ready for the race http://flic.kr/p/8uwaf6

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma starts!

toomuchracing Green - immediate yellow, Wheldon is upside down

Fieldof33 What a ridiculously shitty start.

kvracing On start of race, Wheldon gets turned upside down before start finish line, he is out of car and walks to safety

99forever Thank God for roll bars

TheEDJE Danica Patrick dives into the pits to top off

pressdog Possibly the fugliest start to a race I have ever seen (link to story posting).

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma - RESTART LAP 4!

TheEDJE Milka Duno shown the BLACK Flag LAP 5

kvracing On the restart Viso remain 12th, Sato moves to 15th and Moraes 18th. Viso pitting next lap for alternate (red) tires

TheEDJE EJ Viso in the pits to change from scuff Blacks to Reds ... wing adjustment - LAP 6

InfineonRaceway @DanWheldon is OK after accident to start race #indycar

SarahFisher67 Watching Sonoma. Hearing Power say qualifying was the toughest lap of his career reminds me how challenging/intense driving these cars are!

InfineonRaceway Working lap 10: Power, Helio, Franchitti, Tagliani, Briscoe. #indycar

IndyCarNation Hildebrand pits.

indy44 Single file hold your line.

TheEDJE EJ Viso ticks off quickest lap of the race after pitting off sequence

TheEDJE Marco Andretti pits off sequence - LAP 14

Andretti Autosport garage after Knockout qualifications. Image Credit: FollowAndretti via TweetPhoto

Newman_Haas Tough to pass here so people are trying to save fuel big time and hoping to go farther than others on their stints.

deferrandragon Jay: "how's the car?" Rafa: "good." Short and sweet

Several "Off Track" excursions shuffle the order - #77 of Alex Tagliani has flat tire possibly from contact with Ryan Hunter Raey

IndyCarNation Milka Duno #18 was black flagged (by request of the team) due to radio issues

indy44 LAP 20 - P1 12 P2 10 P3 3 P4 6 P5 9 P6 22 P7 37 P8 11 P9 2 P10 78

99forever IMS Radio says the reds are starting to go off for everyone.

paultracy3 Ohhh tag Ohhh tag

99forever LAP 22 - Wilson gets by Briscoe and puts a non Penske/Ganassi car in the top 5.

MikeM_PR @justinwilson22 nice pass for position on Briscoe for P5 now

kvracing Sato just pitted for fuel and black tires

TheEDJE Dixon and Wilson both place Helio Castroneves behind them - LAP 24

IndyCarNation Matos #2 has an on and off after contact with Simona de Silvestro #78, both continued

tomasscheckter @paultracy3 lol

99forever Justin apparently not at all concerned with the tires going off!

curtcavin Power is 10 seconds clear of Dario. #indycar

indy44 EJ and Simona make contact

InfineonRaceway Simona spins, Power in pits on lap 28 #indycar

99forever That spin as Will came in was almost interesting

curtcavin Will's lead was 17 seconds at the pit stop for both drivers (he and Dario)

InfineonRaceway Both Franchitti, Dixon in pits on lap 29 #indycar

FollowAndretti On lap 29... Marco P2, Ryan P9, Tony P11, Danica P18

deferrandragon Impressive to go that fast and save that kind of fuel

SPEED LAST LAP: ALMS Road America http://bit.ly/922f4g

YELLOW Flag - Duno off course on LAP 33 - Full Course CAUTION

IndyCarNation Full course caution for a spin and stall by Milka Duno #18 in turn 7

BeccyGordon Imagine that... #parkmilka spun!!!

deferrandragon That yellow helps us a bit.

IndyCarNation Pits are open with only Viso and Andretti making stops among the leaders

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma - RESTART LAP 35!

IndyCarNation GREEN! Power, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Castroneves are top 5 after Viso and Andretti pit

AllenWedge RT: @deferrandragon: What that yellow did was allow the others to see what the back of power's car looks like again His lead was significant

pressdog @indy44 don't worry. It will be back.

YELLOW Flag - Hildebrand off course on LAP 38 - Full Course CAUTION

MikeM_PR Race is halfway @justinwilson22 P6 in fuel saving mode. Full course caution for Hildebrand

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma - RESTART LAP 40!

pressdog Will Briscoe make himself wide to protect Power?

kvracing Back to green flag. Sato is 11th, Moraes is 16th. Viso had to pit again, he has problems with rear

deferrandragon Rafa 10th right where he started

toomuchracing Order LAP 43: Power, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Helio, Wilson, RHR, Rahal, Kanaan, Sato

indy44 Penske couldn't have planned it any better to have a teammate in 2nd behind Championship contender. Power leads Briscoe by 3,5 seconds

tomasscheckter Will power is probably txting and emailing people now wants to make the most of his weekend minutes. He is in a different world.

IndyCarNation Marco Andretti #26 made contact with J.R. Hildebrand #24 and Mario Moraes #32 in the last few laps.

99forever If we keep it up, we'll have six cars left. LOL RT @formula1blog For crying out loud! #parkMarco

IndyCarNation Lap 45: Power leads Briscoe by 3.2256 with Franchitti, Dixon, Castroneves, Wilson bunched together behind

FollowAndretti Lap 47 or 75... Ryan 7, Tony 9, Danica P1 Marco 18

IndyCarNation Not much separating P2-P7. Could get interesting

BeccyGordon Why did they let her back out??? #parkmilka spun AGAIN... Take a seat my friend. God I wish they'd let @OriolServia drive get car!

kvracing Moraes just pitted for fuel and tires. Rejoins 20th but field still to pit

Power leads the field by 5.1 seconds with 24 laps left

IndyCarNation Briscoe #6 pits from second place | Castroneves in as well

SpeedFreaks So let's be honest. Today's IndyCar race is about as boring as last night's NASCAR race. But why does it appear to be a bit more active?

RaceDrive So the new "stay out of gear until fuel is done" has gone "very" quiet - or did we miss something ? #Indycar

Newman_Haas GR in next time by - Reds out

indy44 Marco and Meira make contact in pit lane.

TheEDJE LAP 55 - All leaders have pitted except for Power and Dixon - RISKY

Newman_Haas Graham is P9 and Hideki is P19

TheEDJE Power in ... Dixon stays out for one more lap

IndyCarNation Power in the pits! http://ow.ly/i/3mpr

BeccyGordon She spins twice then they send her out in front of RHR on pitlane. WTH????? #parkmilka

TheEDJE Scott Dixon in - Scuff Reds laid out - Power back in the lead

IndyCarNation After pit stop exchange: Power #12 leads Franchitti by 5.9482 seconds with Dixon landing in third

Fieldof33 @99forever Unless Power is driving directly on the rims, I don't think the compound is going to make much difference for Power. :-)

indy44 Power +3.6153 - 15 Laps to go

IndyCarNation 15 left: Power, Franchitti, Dixon, Briscoe, Castroneves, Wilson, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Matos, Sato, Baguette, Patrick, Lloyd, Andretti

toomuchracing Dixon is chasing Dario closely - and he makes the pass! What's he doing? Dario's their only chance in the title fight

TheEDJE Dixon passes teammate Franchitti causing the #2 in IndyCar Season points to loose position

Newman_Haas To Graham: Helio and Briscoe are on blacks up ahead and are backing people up.

YELLOW Flag - Conquest's Bagette damaged as Viso and Sato are involved on LAP 66 - Full Course CAUTION

paultracy3 Ohh viso ohh viso , why do u do him that way

VersusIndyCar Join the IndyCar Sonoma Race Chat with @kevingraham1280 and @royhobbson right now! http://ow.ly/2t85G #indycar

IndyCarNation This late yellow flag could make for an interesting end to the race.

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Restarts on LAP 69 - 6 LAPS remain

TheEDJE Dixon challenges Power on the restart - pull away from the field

SpeedFreaks Wow, Dixon is giving it all he has for Will Power... this might happen.

TheEDJE Mutoh spins sets up a local YELLOW ... may go Full Course - safety truck on track

tomasscheckter Go dixon go dixon go dixon.

99forever Not the end-of-race battle I was expecting but dang! That's some serious racing we're seeing right there..

AllenWedge wow, commercial with 5 laps to go, thats an epic fail of ESPN type proportions there Versus

TheEDJE Sato takes out Danica Patrick

TheEDJE WHITE Flag - Power out in front of Dixon by six carlengths - Sato holds up Dixon

indy44 Versus camera crew head to Danica's area immediately

MikeM_PR Checkered flag @justinwilson22 takes it home in P6

TheEDJE Penske's Will Power wins fifth race of the 2010 season - Leads 73 of 75 laps

Will Power as he pulls into the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Team Penske team members greet the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma race winner, Will Power in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

FollowAndretti Checkered flag @InfineonRaceway... Tony 7th, Ryan 8th, Marco 12th, Danica 16th. #IZODIndyCar

indy44 Fact RT @paultracy3: The kv team has hit everything but the helicopter today

IndyCarNation Will Power #12 wins the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, Castroneves are top 5

IndyCarNation 6-15: Wilson, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Lloyd, Moraes, Andretti, de Silvestro, Tagliani, Meira

IndyCarNation 16-22: Patrick, Mutoh, Sato, Viso, Dracone, Matos, Duno

Will Power being interviewed while the IZOD IndyCar Chick and the Firestone Firehawk mascot look on at the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Will Power being interviewed in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Will Power's winning Penske Racing Verizon Dallara and helmet in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

A proud Roger Penske (right) greets his driver Will Power (left) after winning the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Mario Andretti shares a congratulatory moment with Will Power in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Will Power being congratulated by his crew chief, Tim Cindric, in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

Penske Racing Team as it celebrates Will Power's win at Infineon Raceway. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

toomuchracing Congrats to Will Power for a dominant win!

Fieldof33 Awwww, Hell Naw!!!! The IZOD Trophy Chick [Cameron Haven Playboy photo expose] just stood right in front of @speedfreakbash. Kick 'er ass, Bash!!!! :-)

IZOD Trophy Chick with the Firestone Firehawk in the Infineon Raceway Wine Country Winner's Circle. Image Credit: Dicken Wear (2010)

JSummerton Had a great day! Been fun! Great @IndyCarnation race. Congrats to Will Power. Hopefully will be in there fighting for the wins next year;)

IndyCarNation Power's Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma win is his third win from the pole this season.

IndyCarNation This is Will Power’s fifth victory of the 2010 season. He previously won at Sao Paulo, St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen and Toronto.

IndyCarNation Power is the sixth different winner of an IZOD IndyCar Series race @InfineonRaceway, have been no repeat series winners at @InfineonRaceway

indy44 Good finish, nice fight at the end between Power and Dixon. Will Power is definitely the King of the Road. Now bring on the ovals!

SFRacing Bring on the ovals @IndyCarNation! We'll see all of you @ChicagolndSpdwy next weekend!

... 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

IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550 Texas Tweet

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

IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550 Texas Tweet

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

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

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

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

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

Additional Qualifying Notes>>

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

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

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

pressdog Let's light this friggin candle.

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

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

TeamIndyChat ☺♫♪ i am INDY! ♪♫☺

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

TheEDJE GREEN, GREEN, GRE - OOPS - Briscoe Jumps

TheSpeedgeek Send Briscoe to the back. That was egregious.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - The Checkered Flag Waves

deferrandragon 3 shower day has turned into nice night in Texas

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

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

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

deferrandragon Rafa up 3 spots to 20

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

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

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

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

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

Jay Howard pulls into the pits!

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

deferrandragon Rafa and hunter-reay going back and forth.

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

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

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

Dario gets passed by Will Power on LAP 34

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

paultracy3 Danica is flying

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

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

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

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

Takuma Sato hits the wall and brings out a YELLOW Flag

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

deferrandragon Rafa chasing helio now

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

deferrandragon Some side by side action with Marco

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

Briscoe and Power go side-by-side for P2

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

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

paultracy3 I like how Danica is driving tonite

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

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

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

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

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

MarcoZone That's gonna be a BIG clean-up

After first pit stop problems (P5 to P21) ... Alex Lloyd has climbed back up to P12 from P21

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

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

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

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

deferrandragon Dario, briscoe and Dixon lead. Danica 4

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

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - LAP 113

Patrick battling for P3 with Dixon

HVMracing Still awaiting medical center update on De Silvestro

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

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

Alex Lloyd up to P10 on LAP121

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

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

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

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

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

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

deferrandragon Helio just went helmet to helmet with moraes. Wow

Pitstops all the way around

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

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

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

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Restart LAP 138

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

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

deferrandragon Gil wants Rafa to cover his inside

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

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

deferrandragon 77 laps left Rafa now 12

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

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

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

deferrandragon Tighter than a rockstars leather pants

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

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

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

Tagliani serves a drive through penalty for Fueler knockdown

paultracy3 Alot of dumd mistakes in the pit lane tonite

TheEDJE @paultracy3 Tweeting is tougher than it appears!

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

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

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

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

MarcoZone MA in for final time.

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

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

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

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

MarcoZone Marco in 4th after the pit shake down.

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

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

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

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

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

deferrandragon Briscoe with decent lead over danica

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

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

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

Will Power will have to come in for a splash

kvracing 4laps remain, Viso is 12th

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

WHITE Flag lap -

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

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

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

Formal Report from IZOD IndyCar Here>>

... notes from The EDJE