Five-time world rally champ Sebastien Loeb prevailed in the Race of Champions on Sunday, but NASCAR star Carl Edwards provided the night's biggest upset, downing Michael Schumacher in a second-round clash. Edwards, who represented the USA with drifting standout Tanner Foust, narrowly edged the seven-time Formula One champ on the Wembley Stadium course. Edwards lost in the semifinals to former F1 driver David Coulthard, who fell to Loeb in a closely contested three-heat final. Edwards defeated English Formula 3 champ Jaime Alguersuari in the first round. Foust also provided a big-name knockout, edging Jenson Button in a first-round matchup. In the Nations Cup team competition, Schumacher paired with Sebastian Vettel to lead Team Germany to a repeat title. Schumacher and Vettel swept through the preliminaries undefeated before turning back the Team Scandinavia contingent of Tom Kristensen and Mattias Ekstrom.
ECONOMAKI CONTENDERS STAND AT 22 WITH USAC’S COLE WHITT TAKING FINAL DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Candidates presently under consideration will be reduced to 10 finalists next week; Winner announced at PRI Trade Show Dec. 11
HARRISBURG, N.C. – It took USAC’s traditional Turkey Night race to decide the final contender for this year’s Economaki Champion of Champions presented by Speedway Motorsports, Inc.., and 17-year-old Cole Whitt took the midget title as he edged Tracy Hines to become USAC's youngest-ever champion.
The 6th Annual Economaki Champion of Champions presented by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., award will be presented by National Speed Sport News Editor Chris Economaki at the 21st Annual PRI Trade Show, December 11, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The event takes place at 3:00 p.m. on the MOPAR Stage, and will be hosted by Charlie Brown of RaceFanRadio.com.
“We are looking forward to hosting this event once again and presenting this year’s winner to the audience and as part of RaceFanRadio’s live broadcast at the PRI Trade Show,” stated Corinne Economaki, publisher of National Speed Sport News. “It will be another fun and exciting program.”
In alphabetical order, the nominees include: Justin Allgaier (ARCA RE/MAX Series); Johnny Benson (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series); Dale Blaney (All Star Circuit of Champions); Clint Bowyer (NASCAR Nationwide Series); Ted Christopher (NASCAR Whelen Modified Series); Jerry Coons, Jr. (USAC Silver Crown, USAC National Sprint Car Series); Jeg Coughlin (NHRA Pro Stock); Billy Decker (Super DIRT Series);Scott Dixon (IndyCar Series); Benny Gordon (Hooters Pro Cup Series); Eric Holmes (NASCAR Camping World West); Jason Johnson (American Sprint Car Series); Jimmy Johnson (NASCAR Sprint Cup); Matt Kobyluck (NASCAR Camping World East); Darrell Lanigan (World of Outlaws Late Model Series); Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner (American Le Mans Series); Raphael Matos (Indy Lights); Earl Pearson, Jr. (Lucas Dirt Series); Cruz Pedregon (NHRA Funny Car); the duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (Grand Am Rolex Series); Donny Schatz (World of Outlaws); Tony Schumacher (NHRA Top Fuel) and Cole Whitt (USAC Midgets).
The field will be trimmed to 10 Finalists on Dec. 3.
Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. SMI owns and operates the following premier facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The company provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its 600 Racing subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary. SMI also equally owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corp. to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. For more information, visit www.speedwaymotorsports.com.
Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2009, National Speed Sport Newsis the authoritative voice of motorsports, providing race coverage that is timely, accurate and colorful. Edited since 1950 by the legendary Chris Economaki, and written by some of racing’s most talented reporters and columnists, National Speed Sport News covers every series, every track, every week. Since 1934, the newspaper has been the must-read for serious fans, drivers, crew members and industry leaders alike. National Speed Sport News is the only motorsports periodical on Library of Congress microfilm.
INDYCAR RACING UPDATE
Well, it's silly season list time, and right now we are pretty glad the season is still over 4 full months away. The economy is causing a lot of "on hold", and as we stated a couple days ago, the teams really need everything to find some sort of level and stability before the marketing folks will green light any new programs.
And just to highlight how tough the economy is right now, NASCAR has just announced that they have banned testing at their sanctioned tracks for their top three series (Cup, Nationwide and Trucks, and also for their two touring series (Camping World East and West). This ban applies to any sanctioned track, so places like Kentucky will not be able to host Cup testing any longer even though they don't currently have a Cup race.
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And before we really even get started, we need to talk about the Helio Castroneves and Penske situation. Helio and Penske both petitioned the court to get Helio's trial delayed to November of 2008 (from March) so that he could race this year. Because Penske can't be 100% certain of Helio's availability, he may have to replace his contracted driver and most certainly will want a back-up plan in place.
This afternoon, Helio's request for a delay was denied by the judge, so now we can all speculate that Penske will need to make some hard decisions in the very near future. The options appear to be to stay the course and hope for a speedy trial and acquital in March, or to go ahead and bring another driver in and allow Helio to concentrate on resolving his legal problems. This likely means that Helio misses the season though because he may be unavailable for pre-season testing. Penske historically does not like to have things outside of his control, so having to wait on a trial to determine if Helio races is likely not the kind of distraction that Roger would tolerate easily.
Now, as for who would get Helio's seat, there are a lot of rumors there. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Buddy Rice, Justin Wilson, and well...pretty much every unsigned race car driver on the planet (and several currently working for someone else), would love to have that seat, even if it is just a one year deal. No clue as to which way Penske (and Tim Cindric) is leaning, though we do know Sam Hornish, Jr., is going to stay in NASCAR, so take him off any rumor lists.
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Another interesting topic for the off season is who will call the races on TV in 2009. Versus will bring in a new announcing team, and we now expect those decisions to be made sometime this month.
Among the names being tossed around are Jack Arute (in the booth), Jon Beekhuis,
Anyway, lets get to the silly season list:
NOTE: The percentage's you see are our guess (yep - guess) as to that teams chance of being a full-time team in 2009 unless otherwise noted. That is not to say that a team is "90%" funded, it means we think they have a 90% chance of putting together a deal and running all the races. For some teams, they have relatively high rankings based mostly on the fact that even when things looked bad for them, they still managed to put together an entry or two (see DRR for example). Other teams may not be willing to run an entry (2nd cars in particular) unless they are properly funded, so that potential entry gets a relatively lower score. Since this is a silly season list, expect lots of changes and some wild fluctuations (see US stock market for example of that). With any luck, this will be updated almost weekly.
100% CONFIRMED:
Team Penske - 2 cars - Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves??. NOTES: While the cars are confirmed, Helio's legal issues with the IRS are making his status less than solid. We've wondered why Helio doesn't just try and "settle up" with the IRS, paying whatever taxes and penalties are required to make this go away, but it is entirely possible that the IRS is more concerned with making an example out of him than they are in just getting their money. Long term, we think this gets settled out of court and Helio won't get any jail time and won't lose his ability to live and race in the US, but wthat settlement may not happen quickly or easily at this point.
Andretti Green Racing - 4 cars - Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Hideki Mutoh, and Marco Andretti. We haven't heard if Marco finally got his contract extended with the team, but there is little doubt he will be back. The other drivers are all under contract with sponsors already signed up. Normally we would not call the fourth car confirmed under these circumstances, but the family relationship allows us to do so.
Ganassi Racing - 2 cars - Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Not much drama here. This team is ready, willing and able to defend their 2008 title.
Foyt Racing - 1 car - Vitor Meira. Foyt is ready to go with their new driver. Sponsorship appears secure though we don't recall seeing an official announcement. Regardless Foyt will be racing in 2009. At this stage a second car looks doubtful - though we expect him to run two at Indy as usual.
Luczo Dragon - 1 car - Rafa Matos. This team is moving to full-time and the program is announced and funded. Should be interesting to see what Matos can do as he has been very impressive at every level to this point, but now he's in the big leagues.
Panther Racing - 1 car - Dan Wheldon. Panther is fully funded and Dan Wheldon is happy to be there. Expectations should be high for this team in 2009. We are not currently expecting a second car from this stable, though adding one at Indy is always possible.
Team 3G/Greg Beck Motorsports - 1 car - Stanton Barrett. This is Greg Beck's new program that finally returns him to full-time with Stanton Barrett as the driver and a co-owner. This will be an interesting team to watch as Barrett has mostly raced stock cars recently, though he did some open wheel stuff during his "development" as a race car driver.
Vision Racing - 1 car - Ed Carpenter. Ed is certainly going to return to Tony George's team. We also expect AJ Foyt, IV to be back, but are being cautious in calling that confirmed for now.
Newman/Haas/Lanigan - 1 car - Graham Rahal. We expect this team to run two cars in 2009, but are being cautious on confirming the second car until we get more of an official announcement. Graham is under contract and we understand the funding has been secured for 1 car and is being worked on for the second. It would be a surprise for them to only run one car, but we can't call the second car (likely with Justin Wilson) 100% confirmed until it gets announced.
Total cars 100% confirmed = 14
LESS THAN 100% CONFIRMED POSSIBLE ENTRANTS:
95% Vision Racing - 2nd car - AJ Foyt, IV. We expect AJ IV to return to this seat and most certainly expect Tony George to run two cars, but we are awaiting confirmation or sponsorship announcements before moving this one to the 100% category.
90% Newman/Haas/Lanigan - 2nd car - Justin Wilson??. This is the second NHLR car. As noted above, our information is that the first entry is funded and that the team is hard at work trying to fund the second car. We fully expect the team to run two cars, but we are awaiting confirmation and sponsorship announcements before moving to the 100 confirmed category.
90% 1st car 55% 2nd car - KV Racing Technology - 1 or 2 cars - Oriol Servia, Will Power, Robert Doornbos??? - Servia was among the best of the "transition" drivers, particularly at places like Richmond where those teams were at a significant disadvantage. There are questions about the team's sponsorship, but Kevin Kalkhoven has deep pockets and contacts that should be able to put a car on the grid. The prospects for a second car are not as good, as the Aussie Vineyards deal will likely go away with the loss of the Surfers Paradise race. There are rumors that a funded driver could take over that second seat, but right now we aren't hearing much in the way of funded drivers looking around. In the end, we do expect at least one car from this team to run full-time in 2009, and are just waiting more solid confirmations.
90% 1st car 70% 2nd car - Dreyer and Reinbold Racing - 1 or 2 cars - ???????. We think DRR will be back in 2009, though exact plans are not yet known. Buddy Rice would be the leading candidate for the number 1 seat, of course provided sponsorship can be found. This team has survived for a long time and run with various levels of funding, so if there is anyone that can put together a deal of some sort in this environment - it's DRR. Milka Duno is known to be trying to return here in 2009, and the team should be commended for a remarkable improvement in her driving last year, though we are getting mixed reports on how much funding she has and how many races that will translate in to. She is not expected to be full-time. Townsend Bell could be a candidate for the remaining races again, and/or an Indy 500 only run. Lots of options and if we had to bet, we'd lean towards DRR again racing two cars - though we haven't the slightest idea who will drive where, or what the names on the car will read.
85% 1st car Rahal Letterman Racing - 1 car - Ryan Hunter-Reay???. The driver and team certainly performed well enough to get their sponsorship renewed, but the ethanol industry is in "transition" right now and many of the major players in that business are hurting. The people that support the ethanol sponsorship have had to greatly curtail their plans for 2009. This has led to a cut in the money available for the sponsorship and our reports are that it is not enough to remain a primary sponsor right now. RLR is out trying to find replacement sponsors, and if we had to bet, we would put them on the grid at St. Pete in 2009.
85% 1st car 60% 2nd car - Conquest Racing - 1 or 2 cars - ?????. The team is actively searching for sponsorship and is likely to be the landing spot for some "funded" drivers. That said, we aren't hearing much about funded drivers right now, and don't expect to for a couple months.
85% 1st car 70% 2nd car - Dale Coyne Racing - 1 car - ??????. Coyne will return. We'd bet money on that, but as to who will drive the cars, we doubt even Dale himself knows today. Coyne has survived for a long time and we expect to see him on the grid again in 2009, even though we won't put him under a confirmed status until we get more information.
90% 1st car 40% 2nd car - HVM Racing - 1 car - EJ Viso - We expect Keith Wiggins team to return in 2009 and know they are hoping to expand.
70% 1st car 50% that Sarah runs all the races herself - Sarah Fisher Racing - 1 car - Sarah Fisher/???. Sarah is currently planning to run at least all of the ovals. Sarah is also considering other options and some of those could put someone else in this car for the road courses, though she would of course prefer to be the full-time driver if that kind of sponsorship can be found.
50% 1st car Pacific Coast Motorsports - 1 car - Mario Dominguez???? - We know of some work being done to get this team back on the grid after they missed the end of the 2008 season, but this is a tough environment for everyone and the smallest teams are likely to be affected the most. We are in a wait and see mode here.
50% 1st car Rubicon Racing - 1 car - ????? - Jim Freudenberg has been looking to acquire more equipment and reportedly has some sponsorship in place for 2009. Rubicon is partially owned by Jason Priestly (who was on My Name is Earl last night btw ;) ), and they attempted to make the 2008 Indy 500 with Max Papis. After a crash set them back, they wound up unable to make the show on Bump Day. Rumor has it that Freudenberg was interested in buying out Marty Roth who is selling his ICS equipment, though we haven't heard much on that front recently.
20% 1st car PDM Racing - 1 car - ?????? - We haven't heard much from PDM lately, but know that Paul Diatlovich has never stopped working to return to the ICS ranks. Paul likes to surprise people, so we are putting him on the list to cover our bases and frankly it wouldn't surprise us at all to see him running a team at least at Indy - particularly if used car prices come down, though we hear they are still in the $250,000 range right now.
Copyright 2008 TrackSide Online. All Rights Reserved.
No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari Earns First ALMS Victory for Tafel RacingFarnbacher Shares First Victory with Müller's First Since '01 on the Streets of St. Pete
St. Petersburg, Fla.,April 5, 2008 - The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.) was a day of firsts for Tafel Racing. The No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC scored its first American Le Mans Series GT2 class victory here giving Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) and sophomore driver Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) their first American Le Mans Series wins. It marked the Tony Dowe (Cumming, Ga.) managed operations first victory with partner Bell Microproducts and their first with the Ferrari F430 GTC and Michelin. It was the first victory lane celebration for several team members as well. The win also announced the return to the ALMS podium for 2000 American Le Mans Series GT2 Champion Dirk Müller (a native of Germany now living in Monaco). Müller earned his ninth career Series race win but his first since leaving the ALMS in 2001.
The Cumming, Ga.-based operation won the event in convincing style crossing under the checkered flag 13 seconds ahead of second-place. Farnbacher started the first street race of the season; second race overall, in fourth spot after a disappointing qualifying session. The young German moved to third at the start and then to second before handing the Bell Micro Racing machine over to Müller during the race's second full course caution, 56 minutes into the event. The ultra- quick pit stop by the Tafel Racing crew to fill the Ferrari with fuel and replace all four Michelin Pilot racing slicks allowed Müller to hold the No. 71's position as it waited for the restart.
The defining moment of the race came with 24 minutes remaining in the one hour and 55-minute race. After shadowing the leading No. 45 entry, Müller made an impressive overtaking move to capture the lead. He wasted little time putting his mark on the race. He then pulled away from all challengers to take the Tafel team to victory lane in impressive style.
Tafel Racing will contest the third round of the 11 race American Le Mans Series season in Long Beach, California on April 19. The 100-minute Grand Prix of Long Beach will be shown on ABC Sports on Sunday, April 20 at 3:30 PM (ET). Live timing and scoring of each on-track session and the American Le Mans Series Radio Web broadcast can be found at www.AmericanLeMans.com.
Quotes Jim Tafel, Team Owner: "This is like the first day I ever went to Disneyland as a kid. It is euphoric. We all worked so hard to get to this point. Every team member has worked hard. We all know what victory feels like now. In the future, we just have to repeat the process we learned here this weekend. Our objective here was to be focused and win. It was a textbook, solid win. It was great to see the margin. I thought it was going to come down to a cat and dog fight at the very end. With 20 minutes to go there was the Lizard car and the Risi car. It was like the tumblers on a safe; it all came together today. All the hard work over not just the last year in the American Le Mans Series but since we started. It is very gratifying to do this with Bell Micro, Ferrari and Michelin."
Tony Dowe, Technical Director: "It is really good for the whole team. I think you'll see us getting better and better. It is always tough to win the first one but I think it justifies all the decisions to only run one car this weekend. I once worked for a guy that said 'when you need luck it is never around but when you don't need it there is a bucket full. Today there was a bucket full behind the bench. It is very, very nice to have two young guys like Dirk and Dom that are here to race and not play politics. They really did us right today. What is nice is that there are guys on the team that have never been a part of a team that has won. I have won lots and lots so I am pleased for the guys that have hung in when it was really tough and this pays it back."
Dominik Farnbacher, Driver, No. 71: "It was a very good race for us. We didn't have any problems. The only problem we had was the heat in the car but we got used to it. Me and Dirk ran really well, especially Dirk. He had an awesome stint! I am really happy for the whole team, for Bell Micro. I am so happy right now I cannot explain it!"
Dirk Müller, Driver, No. 71: "It has been awhile. I am really, really happy. It has not sunk in yet. I have done a couple of races last year and we had such bad luck and we had bad luck in Sebring this year. With all the effort from the team, Bell Micro, Michelin especially, all the terrific strategy; it all worked. Dom did a fantastic first stint and it gave me the car in the right position to attack. I got a lot of knowledge of how to use the Michelins, especially under the safety car periods, and that gave me a big advantage. It gave me the possibility to try the attack on Jörg Bergmeister [No. 45]. I came by nice and clean and I just controlled it until the end. It is the first victory for the team and I am happy to be a part of it. Now, in the championship, we are looking ahead and I am very much looking forward to Long Beach. This is really special."
To visit the official web site of Tafel Racing, please go to www.TafelRacing.com. Information on Bell Micro as well as to shop its products and services, visit www.BellMicro.com. For more on Bell Micro Racing, please follow the link to www.BellMicroRacing.com. To learn more about Ferrari road cars and motorsports history, please visit www.FerrariWorld.com. For more on the American Le Mans Series, please visit www.AmericanLeMans.com.
TRACK SIDE ONLINE: IRL St. Petersburg update
First, big props to Justin Wilson for going out and placing P1 in the first ICS practice session. That's pretty impressive and obviously proves that the good teams will adapt and they will adapt quickly. His teammate Graham Rahal was fifth, with Vitor Meira, Tony Kanaan, and Helio Castroneves sandwiched in between the NHL cars.
And here are those times (more notes below):
Pos Driver Diff Best Time Best Speed Best Lap 1 Justin Wilson (02) ... 63.521 102.014 32 2 Vitor Meira (4) 42:43.2 63.759 101.633 37 3 Tony Kanaan (11) 05:45.6 63.775 101.607 16 4 Helio Castroneves (3) 04:22.1 63.9407 101.344 19 5 Graham Rahal (06) 20:58.6 64.1189 101.062 33 6 Scott Dixon (9) 34:50.9 64.1702 100.981 17 7 Marco Andretti (26) 34:59.5 64.1703 100.981 15 8 Darren Manning (14) 40:01.9 64.1738 100.976 28 9 Buddy Rice (15) 16:13.4 64.2406 100.871 27 10 Bruno Junqueira (18) 42:34.6 64.2589 100.842 28 11 Dan Wheldon (10) 17:19.7 64.3247 100.739 34 12 Franck Perera (34) 59:37.0 64.4374 100.563 29 13 Ryan Briscoe (6) 08:24.0 64.4435 100.553 19 14 Oriol Servia (5) 06:14.4 64.567 100.361 18 15 Ernesto Viso (33) 01:58.1 64.6057 100.301 23 16 Jay Howard (24) 20:41.3 64.8687 99.894 27 17 Hideki Mutoh (27) 05:54.2 64.9001 99.846 25 18 Enrique Bernoldi (36) 22:25.0 65.3699 99.128 30 19 Danica Patrick (7) 29:02.4 65.3745 99.121 10 20 Townsend Bell (23) 37:58.1 65.3807 99.112 32 21 Will Power (8) 00:05.8 65.4794 98.962 27 22 Ed Carpenter (20) 2.4546 65.9756 98.218 33 23 A.J. Foyt IV (2) 2.6407 66.1617 97.942 23 24 Mario Moraes (19) 3.3296 66.8506 96.933 22 25 Ryan Hunter-Reay (17) 3.9371 67.4581 96.06 6 26 Marty Roth (25) 7.0279 70.5489 91.851 19
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Talked to Dennis Reinbold for a bit and he detailed the Townsend Bell deal a little more. WilliamRast will be on the car for five races as the primary, while Emu boots will be the primary at Bell's other three events, including their native Australia.
The exact details of which races still hasn't been determined.
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Seems like a pretty good crowd walking the track and sitting in the stands at times for a Friday practice. The Firestone Paddock can be a little tough to walk through some times, but that's a good problem.
Earlier, we saw Dan Wheldon stop before his engineering debrief and sign autographs for about 5 minutes outside of his transporter - making quite a few fans very happy.
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Getting to the FIL paddock takes some serious work. It is located on the far side of the front stretch, which means you go over the bridge in turn one/two, then through the ALMS paddock and then down the back side of the track until you reach the FIL haulers.
We didn't get to talk with a lot of people back there, but Roger Bailey was very happy with the first session, and Michael Crawford was not - he wants his cars in the top 10 for qualifying and believes that between some changes and the drivers he's got they can get there.
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We talked briefly with a Honda rep earlier and in pre-season testing the paddle shifting system was so far doing it's job. While the safety aspects of keeping both hands on the wheel have been touted, along with the technology aspect, one of the main reasons for the paddle shifting system and it's accompanying software changes is to prevent engine overrevs.
Those get expensive to the teams because Honda charges you for doing that based on how far over you went, how much damage that likely did, and of course how much a rebuild will cost. We know of one engine that got overrev'd on an oval last year after just three laps - which would be pretty pricey for the race team.
Thus, preventing the overrevving via the gearbox changes is expected to save teams 10's of thousands if not a six figure, sum of money throughout the year. And in testing, Honda reported everything was working as planned.
We'll get another report from race weekend to see if that is still true, because one thing we know about race car drivers - if it's in any way possible to break something, one of them will find a way ;)
Copyright 2008 TrackSide Online. All Rights Reserved.
Wingless sprints in the USAC/CRA Sprint Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, half mile dirt oval.
STORY BY: Gaye Carmichael
(Las Vegas, NV, 2/28/08) Racing the Las Vegas Motor Speedway half mile dirt oval, Blake Miller of Yorba Linda, CA, bested the field as he roared to the checkered flag to claim the victory on the opening night of the two day "Dirt Classic" event as he competed in the USAC/CRA Sprint Series, in his wingless #93 Sled/Shaver sprint.
Missouri's Jesse Hockett led out the field as twenty-three sprints addressed the opening green flag. Casey Shuman (AZ) ran second followed by Cory Kruseman (CA), Chad Boat (AZ), and Cole Whitt (CA), rounding out the front five, just to clue you in to the outstanding talent in this race.
Hockett seemed to run away with the lead, the first ten laps of this thirty lap feature but Whitt took an outside rim shot into the lead on the eleventh lap. Hockett held in second with Shuman in third.
Mike Spencer (CA) proved to be the fastest USAC/CRA sprint in the field as he set a new track record during qualifying when he posted a 17.015 second, lap on the LVMS half-mile dirt oval.Prior to Spencer's win, Robert Ballou (CA) held the record with a 17.036 second, lap that he had set in March of 2007. Spencer had moved into fourth, behind and Kruseman was now in fifth.
Caution's started early on with Danny Sheridan (CA) collecting the first one on the opening lap when he lost a right rear tire. Just two laps later, Bert Mellenberndt (SD) spun in the fourth turn.
The next sixteen laps had Whitt and Hockett dicing it up with the two drivers swapping spots in the lead and it was Hockett who was in front when a third yellow flag went out.
Chad Boat (AZ) and Tyler Brown (CA), found themselves out of shape at the top, by the wall in the first turn. Austin Mero (CA) had a right rear tire go down under this caution. There were sixteen sprints at this point still on the track as they raced to the next green. The field had bunched up as they charged into the first turn and a spin would call back the green. The next try got the field all the way to the second turn when Spencer, racing in the top five, drove to the high side in a racing move to make a pass. Spencer found himself in a three abreast run, that resulted into a tire rub that put Spencer into a spin up towards the wall.
The next try for green was successful, but now only fourteen sprints remained in the field. Hockett had a good lead.
With seven laps to go, a big surprise run had Miller racing by Hockett to take the lead, which would be the winning move of the race, as Miller raced his lead to the checkered.
Kruseman scored in second followed by Shuman, Whitt, Brown, Hockett, Levi Jones (IL), Josh Ford (CA), Garrett Hansen (CA), Mero, Nic Faas (CA), Jim Richardson (CA), Seth Wilson (CA), Rodney Argo (CA), Spencer, Sheridan, Boat, Dustin Morgan (OK), Joey Franklin (NV), Kenny Perkins (CA), Axel Walker (WA), Mellenberndt and John Butler (CA).
All posted finishes and wins, are unofficial.
Heat race wins were picked up by Jones, Mellenberndt and Hockett. The last chance victory went to Kruseman.
Final race of a two day show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for USAC/CRA Sprint Series (wingless sprints)
STORY BY: Gaye Carmichael
(Las Vegas, NV, 2/29/08) Racing in the "Dirt Classic", hosted by Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Levi Jones of Olney, IL, drove his #11 Claxton powered wingless sprint to a wire to wire victory, competing in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series feature event on the half-mile dirt oval in Las Vegas, NV.
Jones looked to be strong from the get go, taking the win of his heat race and then earning a front row start of this thirty lap, final night of the "Dirt Classic" two day event.
Lining up with Mike Spencer (CA) along side, Jones just roared to the front with Spencer falling in behind. As Jones paved the way, Spencer kept pace while fighting off challenges made by Cole Whitt (CA), Garrett Hansen (CA) and with Jesse Hockett (MO) moving into the top five, to join the hunt on the fourth lap. At that point, Jones had stretched out his lead and looked to have a firm grip on the point and second place was where the action would be.
One by one, Hockett made his move to the front, picking off positions, Hansen first on the fifth lap then Spencer on the ninth lap. Whitt continued to run in second holding off Hockett, until the front of the field had raced their way into the rear of the field and were lapping sprints. By the sixteenth lap, Hockett had moved forward as far as he was going to go.
Cory Kruseman (CA) clocked in a 18.056 second lap for fast time and used his speed to race up through the field. to take over fourth place on the sixteenth lap, racing behind Whitt with Spencer rounding out the top five.
A caution flew out on the seventeenth lap when Chad Boat (AZ) was stopped up against the front stretch wall and the problem may have been mechanical, as Boat's sprint left the track on the back of a hook.
As the race returned to green, Spencer fell off the pace, fading back in the field with Danny Sheridan (CA) inheriting fifth. Then on the twentieth lap, Whitt who had a really good run going, developed some kind of a problem that forced him to seek the infield.
Jones controlled the out come of the race from the initial green while every one else in this twenty-three sprint car field had to battle for every inch of real estate. At the checkered, scoring behind Jones were, Hockett, Kruseman, Sheridan, Blake Miller (CA), Hansen, Casey Shuman (AZ), Tyler Brown (CA), Dustin Morgan (OK), Nic Faas (CA), Rodney Argo (CA), Austin Mero (CA), Spencer, Seth Wilson (CA), Axel Walker (WA), Josh Ford (CA), Nadine Gardner, John Butler (CA), Whitt, Boat, Bret Mellenberndt (SD), Kenny Perkins (CA) and Jim Richardson (CA).
Heat race wins went to Argo, Jones and Faas. All finishes and wins are unofficial.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dirt Track, "Dirt Nationals", Western All Stars Super Dirt Late Models
Story by: Gaye Carmichael
(Las Vegas, NV, 2/28/08) Jimmy Mars of Monomonie, WI, picked up us fourth Las Vegas Motor Speedway, dirt track victory in a row, racing in the opening night of a two day event of the "Dirt Classic" with the Western All Stars Super Dirt Late Models taking to this track during NASCAR week in Las Vegas, NV.
Forty-seven late models turned out to compete with Steve Drake of San Luis Obispo, CA, setting a new LVMS dirt track record, when turning a 18.563 second, lap for fast time.
Mars raced from a front row start and dominated the feature with Indiana's Scott James racing his shadow, as he continuously challenged Mars for the lead with Tim McCreadie of New York looking for his chance to upset both Mars and James, as they hammered around this half mile oval.
As the thirty lap feature started, the anticipation had the field heavy on the gas, racing to the green, bunching up as they flew into the second turn. A multi-car melee developed to pull a caution, but once the yellow went out, all but Canada's Mike Balcaen had already tagged the end of the field. Balcaen's night would end after scoring only three laps in the race.
The second caution flew out for A. J. Kirkpatrick (CA), who was stopped in the second turn. Only two more cautions would mar the race and they flew out for Nebraska's Ed Kosiski who got up in the marbles and was stopped going into the fourth turn while Oregon's Jeremy Shank, with just twelve laps to go, also had problems in the fourth turn.
Arizona's Lonnie Parker, Jr., had tipped the clock with a second fast time in qualifying in the high eighteen bracket which would of also broke the record, that was held by NASCAR's Kenny Schrader (MO), who had a 19.168 second run for the record prior to this event.
Parker, Jr. started the race in third and seemed to hold a firm hold on his run until Delbert Smith of Kansas, along with Drake and McCreadie saw their chance to race by Parker, Jr., on the seventh lap.
The winner's purse was $3,000.00 and at the checkered, the top five finishers represented five different states that included Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Oregon and California, in that order. Mars, James, McCreadie, Trevor Glasser and Drake were the front five drivers honoring their states.
Bobby Hogge IV, another California driver, scored in sixth. Hogge IV, along with many of the participating drivers, had added another decal to their cars. It was a very special decal for these drivers. Approximately five days prior to this event, Late Model/Modified driver, Kellen Chadwick of Oakley, CA, was in a horrific crash while racing at Central Arizona Raceway. Kellen was air lifted to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Arizona with extensive injuries and currently is in ICU (Intensive Care Unit). The decal simply says, "Get Well Kellen" with Kellen's car #83, Hogge IV, found in this competition, there was another car registered with same #2 that Hogge IV, has on his car, Hogge IV quickly said that he would add the #83, to run a #283, also in honor of Kellen. Kellen Chadwick, a well respected, liked and talented driver has all best wishes from all in the racing family.
Parker, Jr., finished in seventh with Chris Shannon (CA), Billy Griffin (CA) and Greg Walters (OR), rounded out the top ten finishers.
Andy Orbertello (CA), was eleventh followed by Darren Coffell (OR), Ron Bartels (CA), Mark Carrell (OR), Clark Guglielmoni (CA), Ronnie Williams (NV), Shank Smith, Rob Mayea (OR), Kosiski, Kirkpatrick and Balcaen.
All finishes and/or wins are unofficial.
Heat race wins went to, Mars, James, Parker, Jr., Obertello and Drake. The two Last Chance Race wins went to Walters and Bartels.
Western All Stars Super Dirt Late Models at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track in the "DIRT CLASSIC"
STORY BY: Gaye Carmichael
(Las Vegas, NV, 2/29/08) With a top ten start, New York's, Tim McCreadie still had his work cut out for him with some of the hottest Western All Star Super Late Model Series, drivers, between McCreadie and the checkered flag, of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway "Dirt Classic" but McCreadie proved he was up to the challenge when he took the lead with just eight laps to go, racing it to the checkered.
"I'm really happy to be here. It's been a year since the last time I was on victory lane. We just put the deal together, Wednesday, for me to drive this car and this win is for the owner." said a very jubilant McCreadie.
With this the fifth "Dirt Classic" in the books, McCreadie became only the second driver to win the Late Model division as until this race, Jimmy Mars (WI) had been undefeated in every race he had raced here. Mars first loss came in this event when he finished third in the trophy dash, which may have been a bad omen. During the feature main event, Mars started in third and while racing in third on the third lap, Mars #H2 late model suffered damage when Mars got into the first turn wall. Mars was attempting to make a rim shot pass and there may have been contact, but in any case, the night was over for this team.
Chris Shannon (CA) took the lead for the first lap but it was Scott James (IN) who roared into the lead on the second lap, then held off all challenges, until there was just nine laps to go and McCreadie took the lead and never looked back. James had the fastest car in this event, having posted a a 18.684 second lap in qualifying for fast time of the night. James would hold on to score in second.
Third place was claimed by Bobby Hogge IV, (CA), who never raced lower than in fourth place during the race.
"That was good, actually it was better. Yes, I was happy with that. We had a good car. This two day event is the first of my racing this year, so this is my best finish. The track was dry slick in some spots but still had some moisture in the first and second turns. All of the drivers were trying to use that moisture to move forward. I would like to thank Integra Racing Shocks and Victory Circle Classics, they were the key to this race. I also need to thank Dana Stahl for all his advice. A special thanks goes out to my Mom and Dad, who are the back bone of this operation, my team and all of my fans, said Hogge IV.
It was a hard fought battle for positions. Steve Drake (CA) had an excellent run in this two day show, scoring a new track record in qualifying on the first night of this event when he posted an 18.563 second lap during time trials.
Twenty-two late models were on hand to take the initial green with only eight of those late models still on the lead lap when the checkered flag flew. There were about five caution flags thrown, with two of them for debris, two for Jess Anderson (WY) who suffered spin outs, almost back to back and the one for a very disappointed Mars. McCreadie's margin of victory over James was 0.926 seconds. The field of cars was scheduled to have twenty-four late models in the race but Delbert Smith (KS) and Jeremy Shank (OR) were unable to take the original green and would be scored in the two last place finishes.
Finishing behind McCreadie, James, Hogge IV, Drake and Shannon, were, Zack Forster (CA), Alex Stanford (CA), Mike Balcean (Can.), Rob Mayea (OR), Mark Carrell (OR), Greg Walters (OR), Andy Orbertello (CA), Anderson, Billy Griffin (CA), Ron Bartels (CA), Ronnie Williams (NV), Darren Waldo (MT), Chet Buckley (CA), Nick Bartels (CA), AJ Kirkpatrick (CA), Ed Kosiski (NE) and Mars.
Heat race wins went to Mars, Drake, Hogge IV, Shannon and James. The Dash was won by Shannon with James, Mars, Hogge IV and Drake, finishing in that order. The four top finishing drivers in the two "B" Mains, would earn the transfer to the feature race and those who made the grade were, First "B" Main, Kosiski, R. Bartels, Balcean and N. Bartels. Second "B" Main, Kirkpatrick,
Anderson, Carrell and Mayea, who finished their race in that order.
All posted finishes and/or wins are unofficial.
Motor Sports Press Association, 2007 Awards Banquet and announcement of recipients to receive the awards
With the 2007 season of racing logged into the books, the statistics show, that it was a great successful year of racing in California. From the veteran drivers all the way to the new young rising stars making their debuts, the talent on the track was awesome.
Keeping this in mind, it was a hard task for Motor Sports Press Association, when they nominated and voted on who would be recognized for their achievements during this season.
Motor Sports Press Association is proud to announce the following winning drivers, Mike David, Modesto, CA - Closed Wheel/Oval; Brad Rumpelberg, San Jose, CA - Closed Wheel/Road Course; Andy Forsberg, Auburn, CA - Open Wheel/Oval (Dirt); Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA - Open Wheel/Oval (Paved) and Dane Cameron, Glen Ellen, CA - Open Wheel/Road Course.
Winners receiving additional awards, include, The "Bill Spencer Motorcycle Racer" awarded to Dave Stanton, Lafayette, CA; "Sports Man of the Year" awarded to Greg Spears, San Jose, CA; the "Gordon Martin Award" to John (J.P.) Perry, Chico, CA; the "Paul Tyler Rising Star" to Lisa Geving, Penn grove, CA and the "Athlete of the Year" went to Dave Raff, Salida, CA.
MSPA also announced that Burt Foland of California along with Lynx Racing principles, Jackie Dotty of Texas and Peggy Haas of California are to be inducted into the MSPA Hall of Fame.
We are really proud of all of the above talent and contributors who make our sport of racing, the great sport that it is and extend our heartiest congratulations.
The presentation of these awards is scheduled to be at the Motor Sports Press Association Annual Banquet, which will be held on March 5, 2007 at Francesco's Restaurant in Oakland, CA. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome but a reservation is required. The people to contact or for further information, can be found at the end of this article.
The success of each of the MSPA recipient goes beyond description but the following will give you an idea.
Mike David, a second generation racer had the best season of his racing career. Having competed in NASCAR Touring Divisions and also in the Craftsman Truck Series, for the past ten years, as a very competitive driver, David won his first career, NASCAR Grand National West Championship, this season.
Brad Rumpleberg, competes in SCCA's (Sports Car Club Association) highly competitive Spec Miata class. This division of racing has strict restrictions with the cars being prepared to uniform. The division draws huge car counts and driving skills are of paramount importance. Rumpleberg finished second in the SOPAC Division, Championship run, this season. In September, 2007, in competition at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA, during the "Double Regional", Rumpleberg swept the three event weekend, against a field numbering up to sixty-nine cars.
Andy Forsberg races 360 and 410 sprint cars, usually pilots sprints with a wing but also has success in wingless sprints. During the 2007 season Forsberg raced at Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA in 410 sprints, at Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA in the 360 Pacific Sprint division, the Civil War Series in 360 sprints and any other sprint race he could fit into his busy schedule. In 2006, Forsberg was ranked sixth in the nation for 360 Sprint car drivers by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and was ranked as the driver with the most wins in Northern California. Forsberg took his fourth Championship Title in the California Civil War Series, in this 2007 season.
Bud Kaeding, is the son of Brent Kaeding, grandson of Howard Kaeding and brother of Tim Kaeding, all outstanding drivers in open wheel competition. The Kaeding family of drivers have raced for three generations that I know of and are constantly seen at racing venues in California. Most of all though, Bud has achieved his own notability as his talent brought him to the top of the USAC Silver Crown Series. In 1997, Bud won the "Rookie" of the year awards in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and the NARC (Northern Auto Racing Club) Golden State Challenge. Bud has raced in the USAC Western Sprint Car Series, the Silver Crown Series and any other sprint car races that he can schedule in. The 2007 season in the USAC Silver Crown Series, brought Bud to his second in a row, Silver Crown Series Championship Crown.
Dan Cameron, has stats, such as, finishing second in the Canadian National Championship, ICC (Pro Karts) in year 2004, won the SCCA Formula Russell Championship at Infineon Raceway in 2005, won the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy in GB with four wins and two seconds, in six races and was also named "Rookie" of the year and runner up in the Cooper Tire FF2000 Championship in 2006. The 2007 season had Cameron capturing the 17th Star Mazda Championship, only the second "Rookie" ever to win this formula series. Cameron has already been signed for the 2008 ChampCar Formula Atlantic Series, a stepping stone to ChampCar racing.
Dave Stanton is a seven time Champion of the American Federation of Motorcyclists, Class 1000cc Series. Through the years, Stanton has competed and placed high in Suzuki Cup racing various "cc" class bikes. In 1996, Stanton was the Formula USA runner-up. Stanton is also the director of the San Francisco chapter of AFM.
Greg Spears is the Team Manager and President/Founder of Spears Enterprises/Spears Racing and has thirty-five years in the motorcycle industry. Spears was also the lead technician with the San Jose Police Department for fourteen years, seventeen years as the leader in motorcycle maintenance in the Santa Clara Valley and has ten years of motorcycle road racing support and team management. Spears developed his own product line, while maintaining a full service shop. Spears racing became a recognized force in AMF, CCS, WERA, AHRMA and AMA, competition by working with specific road racers.
JP Perry is a sprint car fan and sponsor, who has used his sport of racing to enhance the lives of others. Perry paid the way for a family from Chico, CA, to be able to attend the Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, IA. The "Nationals" is one of the premiere events during the sprint car season and is the dream of most sprint car fans to be able to one day get there, although, being a race car fan doesn't decide who Perry will select to extend an all expense paid trip to this great Iowa race. Perry receives tips, listens to friends, customers, who ever wants to contributed information about any family who could use a break from their tough schedules and finances that all center around chemotherapy or other serious medical needs. Perry simply chose the enjoyment and entertainment of sprint car racing as the gifted trip to give. 2007 became the tenth year that Perry has sent a family to the Nationals and the second year that P erry financed a trip for an Iowa Family to come to California to attend Silver Dollar Speedway's Gold Cup Race of Champions, in Chico, the biggest sprint car money race in California. Perry raises money solely for the trips, from raffles and other events that he sponsors. Perry does not take any money for administration and this is a non-profit enterprise. Perry sponsors a free barbecue every year in Chico during the "Gold Cup" with all the work and cooking done by family and friends.
Alissa Geving is and up and coming talented sprint car driver, who is believed to be the youngest female driver to ever win a 360 winged sprint car race (Geving was fifteen at the time). Geving posted this win in July 2007 at Petaluma Speedway, CA. Geving began her "Rookie" year in racing sprint cars in April 2007, going on to post four main events victories during her first season. Geving finished the points season at Petaluma Speedway in sixth winning the "Rookie" of the year award. Racing also at Antioch Speedway, CA, Geving missed winning the Championship title at Antioch by just eight points. A very prestigious season in 360 sprint racing. Prior to sprint cars, Geving raced Outlaw Go Karts and was named the "Driver of the Year" in 2006 and 2007.
Dave Raff is twenty-five years old and only has two years experience in motorcycle road racing. Raff races with the American Federation of Motorcyclists, Western Racing Association and Willow Sprints Motorcycle Club. During the 2007 season, Raff racked up the Championship in the WSMC Street Series in the 550 Superbike Series, as well as in the Formula Twins Lightweight Series and the Battle of the Twins Middleweight Series. Raff scored three lap records for each class and is the 2007 overall Street Series Champion.
Burt Foland has scored a great career in racing. Just some of Foland's achievements include, five USAC Midget wins, two BCRA Championship titles in 1967 and 1968, forty-one BCRA main event wins, thirty-five NASCAR Modified feature wins (racing at San Jose Speedway, CA), won the "Johnny Key Classic" Championship tile in 1965 and 1966. In 1955, Foland set the top speed in a dragster at the Little Bonneville Dragstrip in San Jose and in 1968 was named the Motor Sports Press Association Oval Track Driver of the year. In 1995, Foland was inducted into the BCRA Hall of Fame and the San Jose Speedway Hall of Fame.
Lynx Racing, team principles, Jackie Doty and Peggy Haas were part of an organization that was self funded so drivers were judged on their potential rather than their ability to bring in money or sponsorships. Lynx sponsored one car and driver for two season at the cost of 1.2 million dollars per year. A second car was made available to drivers with funding. Lynx graduates include, Michael Valiante, David Rudledge, Sara Seneke, Buddy Rice, Memo Gedley, Alex Barron and Patrick Carpentier. Lynx was able fulfill their mission by giving worthy drivers the opportunity to gain experience and recognition.
As earlier mentioned, the MSPA Awards Banquet will be held, March 5th, 2007, at Francesco's Restaurant in Oakland, CA. This banquet is open to any one who would like to attend, but again, reservations will be needed. Registration forms can be found on our web site, www.mspaonline.com
There will be a no host cocktail hour from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, with dinner scheduled at 7:00pm.
2007 AUTO RACING ALL-AMERICA TEAM SELECTED
BURBANK, Calif. – With voting completed for the 2007 All-America Auto Racing Team, five drivers emerge as contenders for the Jerry Titus Award -- two from the world of NASCAR and three open-wheel champions although one of them runs more than 100 mph faster than the other two if only for a quarter-mile at a time.
That would be Tony Schumacher, the 2006 Titus winner bidding to be only the third driver ever to win the award in consecutive years, after Mario Andretti in 1977-78 and John Force in 1999-2000. For the second consecutive year Schumacher won the NHRA Top Fuel championship on the final run of the season, claiming his fifth career championship and his fourth in a row.
The Titus, given in remembrance of the late racer/journalist, signifies the top vote-getter on the All-America team regardless of category, and is not announced until the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association’s banquet Jan. 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis, which is open to the public.
Challenging Schumacher, are the champions of both major open-wheel series, four-time Champ Car World Series titlist Sébastien Bourdais and Indianapolis 500 winner/Indy Racing League champion Dario Franchitti. Also in the hunt are Jimmie Johnson, the 2006 and 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, and Ron Hornaday Jr., who won his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.
Two drivers from each of seven categories are elected to the First Team, two more to the Second Team, and all drivers receiving at least five percent of the vote earn honorable mention. In road racing endurance series, teammates with identical scores are voted as one entity, with the result that 16 drivers are named to both the First Team and Second team this year. In two categories only one vote made the difference between a driver making first team or not.
Bourdais and Franchitti led the vote in the Open Wheel category, far outdistancing Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, who placed second and third in the IRL standings.
Nextel Cup champion Johnson easily led the Stock Car category, with his teammate and Cup runner-up Jeff Gordon easily taking the other First Team slot. NASCAR Busch Series champion Carl Edwards was joined by Clint Bowyer on the second team.
Drag Racing was similarly a runaway for the top two, with Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon joining Schumacher on the first team. NHRA’s top two Pro Stock drivers, champ Jeg Coughlin and runner-up Greg Anderson took the Second Team slots. IHRA’s champions in Top Fuel and Funny Car, Bruce Litton and Dale Creasy Jr., earned Honorable Mention.
In Touring Series it was NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Hornaday and nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel who dominated the category. Young phenom Joey Logano, who won the NASCAR Busch East title at age 17, was joined on the Second Team by USAR Hooters Pro Cup champion Bobby Gill. Taking Honorable Mention were NASCAR West champ Mike David, NASCAR Whelen Modified champ Donny Lia, and ARCA runner-up Michael McDowell who became only the 12th driver to earn All-America status from write-in votes in the team’s 38-year history.
Not so dominating were the First Team winners in the Road Racing, Short Track and At Large categories, where much closer contests marked the vote.
Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney, co-driving the championship-winning Daytona Prototype entry in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series easily took one First Team slot. The other went to DP runner-up Scott Pruett who tallied just one vote more than the American Le Mans Series’ P1 champions Rinaldo Capello/Allan McNish, relegated to Second Team. That pair only had two votes more than the ALMS P2 champions Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas, who rounded out the Second Team. Honorable Mention went to ALMS GT1 champions Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin, and Grand-Am DP racer Max Angelelli.
USAC Midget champion Jerry Coons Jr. and World of Outlaws champ Donny Schatz prevailed in Short Track over Second-Teamers Levi Jones, winner of the USAC Sprint Car Series, and WoO runner-up Joey Saldana. Steve Francis, champion of the World of outlaws Late Model series, earned Honorable Mention.
In the At Large category, IRL Indy Pro Series champ Alex Lloyd had a comfortable margin over the rest of the field. Only one vote made the difference between ALMS GT2 champions Jaime Melo/Mika Salo making First Team and SCCA World Challenge GT champ Randy Pobst landing on the Second Team. Joining Pobst was Frank Manzo, who won his 11th NHRA national Alcohol Funny Car title. So close was the At Large category that Honorable Mentions Carl Renezeder, who won 19 off-road races and two championships, and Raphael Matos, the Champ Car Atlantic titlist, were only a dozen votes out of First Team.
ABU DHABI JOINS AN ELITE GROUP OF HOST NATIONS AS THE HOME OF THE 2009 FORMULA ONE™ ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
2009 is the year ear-marked to herald the birth of a new era in Formula One™. A 2,550 hectare natural island in Abu Dhabi, the Capital of the United Arab Emirates, is currently being sculpted into a circuit that will challenge the very best F1™ drivers and thrill their most ardent fans.
In early 2007, Formula 1’s™ most recognisable face - Mr Bernie Ecclestone - announced that Abu Dhabi will host a Grand Prix from 2009 in front of an elated crowd of tens of thousands of local people.
"We are delighted to welcome Abu Dhabi into the Formula One™ family, and look forward to a long and successful partnership. Abu Dhabi’s hospitality, the genuine warmth of its people, and ever increasing number of world class facilities, will ensure that its round of the FIA Formula One™ World Championship is a wonderful addition to the Formula One™ calendar," said Mr Bernie Ecclestone, CEO, Formula One™ Management.
Abu Dhabi, the capital, and largest of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, will provide an idyllic location for one the world’s most popular sports. With over 200 natural islands, offering some of the most untouched beaches in the region, it is fast becoming one of the most sought out destinations in the world.
The 2009 Formula One™ Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on Yas Island Circuit, Abu Dhabi, which is set to be one of the longest and most demanding race tracks in the world. It is the vision of renowned F1™ circuit designer Hermann Tilke and will deliver a number of unique firsts for Formula One™ as it combines a non-permanent section to deliver all the drama of a street circuit, with a high-speed permanent race track that incorporates a marina and state-of-the-art stadium seating.
"Abu Dhabi will bring its own unique culture, landscape and fans to the F1™ experience," said His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "The track design alone is an indication of the visionary approach we are taking and I am confident we will deliver something truly special," he added.
5.6 kilometres in length, Yas Island Circuit will boast an average speed of 198km/hour and have at least three areas for overtaking. The 10m track elevation in relation to turns will make driving difficult and demanding, but a thrilling experience for drivers and spectators alike. The Circuit design will bring the cars within five metres of the waters edge in parts as it wraps around the spectacular marina, which has a size and depth to allow more than 150 yachts, including up to 20 yachts in excess of 100ft length and six 200ft-long mega yachts, to be berthed.
Yas Island Circuit is being constructed by ALDAR Properties, one of the UAE’s leading property development companies, and is on track for a completion date of Quarter 4, 2008, well in advance of its first race.
In addition to the Circuit, Yas Island will feature a wealth of attractions to appeal to all tastes and interests, including the world’s first Ferrari Experience theme park, luxury hotels, lagoons, beaches, boutiques and parkland golf courses.
ASA TO GET DIRTY WITH THE INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATON
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 23, 2007) – The ASA Regional Racing program is going to get a little dirty in 2007 with the news that the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) will be doing their brand of 410 Outlaw Sprint Car racing ASA-style this season.
The ASA Interstate Racing Association will begin their 2007 schedule on April 21, embarking them on a slate of 32 events in four states – Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. The season runs through the end of September, and will see a first-time visit to four new racetracks this year.
“We are going to continue racing in the upper Midwest, but this year we will be flying both the ASA and the IRA banners,” said Steve Sinclair, IRA President. “We have a bigger schedule than any time in our history with 32 races, at least a half dozen more than last year and we are still negotiating for a couple of more events. Bumper-to-Bumper Auto Parts is back onboard as our series sponsor and we anticipate the most competitive field in our history with five former IRA champions returning.”
One thing Sinclair is extremely proud of is that the ASA Interstate Racing Association typically has the largest member-supported car count in the country for 410 Sprint Cars. With an average field of 36 racing at each event, the field will be led by last season’s champion, Travis Whitney. Other former champions which have committed to racing for the 2007 title include Kim Mock (’94, ’01), John Haeni (’02), Donny Goeden (’99) and Scott Neitzel (’04, ’05). The full 2007 schedule can be found online at www.IRAsprints.org and www.IRAsprints.com , along with a monthly newsletter, rule book, forum and more.
“This is a very exciting announcement for us to have the Interstate Racing Association become a key part of the ASA Regional Racing program,” stated Dennis Huth, president of the ASA Member Track, Regional and National Racing programs. “They have such a rich history and put on one of the best Sprint Car shows in the industry. The ASA name is so well known in the upper Midwest where their schedule leads the series, and the Interstate Racing Association will bring another level of the great short track racing that we are so known for – only this time it will be on dirt and with open wheels. I think that the fans are ready, and I certainly am, to see the ASA Interstate Racing Association in action.”
Sinclair indicated that there were three key points to the decision to join the ASA Regional Racing program. This included access to additional publicity, one of the best insurance packages in the industry, and the ability to tap into Huth’s experience.
“We have a pretty high profile as a regional racing series, but I believe that the ASA can help us to gain even more exposure on a national level as they continue to further expand,” Sinclair explained.
“And the ASA insurance policy is certainly the best medical plan out there. We want to take as good care of our racers as possible, and we are proud to offer them access to the best policy on the market,” Sinclair added.
The ASA insurance program, always noted for its excellence, has been further enhanced by the recently announced partnership with TOPIC Motorsports Insurance (TMI). ASA Member Track operators are able to purchase general and excess liability, automobile, an expanded ASA-exclusive $500,000 participant accident medical, workers compensation and health insurance directly from TMI. Details are available online at www.TOPICinsurance.com.
Finally, Sinclair said that having access to Huth’s years of experience will prove invaluable as he continues expanding the ASA Interstate Racing Association. “Dennis has so much experience on so many levels from the weekly racing series right through running a high-profile national touring series like he did with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. I am very proud that he chose us as partners,” said Sinclair.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ASA Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.
YAKIMASPEEDWAY SEES GROWTH, BENEFITS TO JOINING ASA PROGRAM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 26, 2007) – Yakima (Wash.) Speedway is coming off their best season ever with increases in car counts, attendance, and track revenue. Now, with the news that they have signed a contract with the ASA Member Track program, the track management has even higher expectations for the 2007 season which opens on April 14 with the start of the 41st Annual Apple Cup.
“We had a tremendous year in 2006 and saw major increases in car counts and attendance,” said Ron Bennett, general manager of Yakima Speedway. “I think that we can attribute this to hard work and having a few different things come together at the same time. We lowered the admission price, changed our racing classes slightly, and got a lot more involved with our community. We worked with our track sponsors to have them offer discount tickets and had a variety of charitable organizations come to the racetrack and set up booths.”
Ted Pollock, who has owned Yakima Speedway for 42 years, puts a different spin on why the half-mile paved oval had such a spectacular year last season.
“I would say that our location, being centrally located, had a lot to do with that,” Pollock explained. “Yakima Speedway is equidistant between Portland (Oregon), Spokane (Wash.) and Seattle. The other thing is that we are the only half-mile track in the area and we have no crash wall. It is a lot safer for the drivers because they don’t bounce off a concrete wall and have to repair a bunch of costly damage. Instead they can go off and come right back around and get back on the racetrack and continue on.”
“Of course, we also make sure that we have a clean facility for the fans, plant flowers to help make it a little more attractive, and offer good food. We also make sure to start our program early and end it early for the families,” added Pollock.
The general admission adult ticket price has been lowered 17 percent and is now just $10, with a children’s ticket priced at $5. Military and senior discounts are also available. Both Bennett and Pollock take great pride in the fact that Yakima Speedway is the largest spectator sport in their area, and continually draws larger crowds that the local semi-pro baseball and professional basketball teams.
Yakima Speedway will play a key role in establishing the new ASA Northwest Tour as they host three dates this year, and this will be the track’s headline touring series. The first date is a 125-lap event on May 26, followed by a pair of 200-lap races on July 7 and September 2. Both of those races will feature live pit stop action.
“We are proud to be the cornerstone of the ASA Northwest Tour and will be the only track to host the series three times. We are also the only track on the schedule where live pit stops will be done so that is pretty exciting for our fans and those teams as well,” Bennett said.
The 2007 season opens with the April 14-15 running of the 41st Annual Apple Cup with a $5,000-to-win purse for the Super Late Models. The closing event is the 20th Annual Fall Classic which will be held on September 28, 29 and October 1. The total purse for this event has grown over the years and now stands in excess of $80,000, with the Super Late Models gunning for the $16,000 prize.
The Saturday night program features Late Models, Super Stock, Hobby Stock, Hornets, and a Bump-to-Pass class. For the full 2007 schedule, and other track information, visit www.YakimaSpeedway.com or telephone the racetrack at (509) 248-0647.
Yakima Speedway joins the ASA Member Track program as a Level II participant, partnering them with a national organization of racetracks, regional and national touring series across the United States, each dedicated to working together to improve the state of weekly racing for both the fans and competitors. The competitors at Yakima Speedway will also be covered by the renowned ASA insurance plan.
The ASA insurance program, always noted for its excellence, has been further enhanced by the partnership with TOPIC Motorsports Insurance (TMI). ASA Member Track operators are able to purchase general and excess liability, automobile, an expanded ASA-exclusive $500,000 participant accident medical, workers compensation and health insurance directly from TMI. Details are available online at www.TOPICinsurance.com.
Dennis Huth, president of the ASA Member Track, Regional and National Racing programs, has nothing but praise for what Pollock has accomplished in his four decades as owner of Yakima Speedway.
“It seems like I’ve known Ted forever, but in reality it can only be counted in terms of many, many years and I have always been a fan of what he has done, and continues to do at Yakima Speedway and in Motorsports,” said Huth. “I have worked with him in the past and I am really looking forward to rekindling that relationship again and help Yakima Speedway continue moving forward with their outstanding growth. Ron has done an excellent job on the management side, and this entire package of staff, facility, and great racing is a perfect representation of what the ASA Member Track program is designed to be.”
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ASA Racing Member Track, Regional and National Racing programs, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.
Rafa Matos Looking to Familiar Faces to Launch Championship Assault on Atlantics Title
Young, Brazilian Sees Odds in His Favor at Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev.April 5, 2007 – After an off-season of jumping from one car to the next, Raphael “Rafa” Matos is just hours away from settling into the seat that he hopes to race to the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda Series title. Rafa, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, now living in Miami, has raced in the A1GP Series for A1 Team Brasil and piloted the Mazda factory entry in the P2 class at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring since closing the 2006 Atlantic Championship with three pole positions, four podiums and one victory. Now, in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Vegas, for the first time in his professional career, the young Brazilian will enjoy familiar surroundings in 2007 as he returns to drive the No. 6 ProWorks/Sierra Sierra Enterprises Mazda.
As Rafa moves closer to the top of the international motorsports ladder, the Atlantic Series is the official “feeder” series to the Champ Car World Series, continuity becomes the key to success. For 2007, Rafa is considered one of the top contenders for the championship, he finished fourth last year in his rookie season, and his familiarity with not only the series, the cars and the tracks but his understanding
“It couldn’t be better,” offered Rafa in reference to his 2007 program. “In Sebring [pre-season testing] we were quickest; in Houston and Laguna Seca we were second quickest in testing. The whole team is very confident about the season. I think it couldn’t be better in the team environment, between James [Hinchcliffe, Sierra Sierra teammate] and me and the engineers. There is a lot of information coming with the testing.
Sunday’s Vegas Grand Prix promises to be one of the most challenging season-openers in years. The 2.4- mile track is comprised of Las Vegas streets that no one has had the ability to test on. Again, Rafa’s familiar surroundings will help him overcome the unfamiliar circuit. When added to his natural ability to be quick on new tracks, and street courses, Rafa is looking forward to the season-opener.
“I believe the event itself is great,” said Rafa. “It is a great place to have good attendance. People are there having fun and they get to see a car race in the middle of the city. I feel very positive and confident about the weekend. I feel that my driving style adapts to very fast and flowing tracks and to the other extreme, the street courses. Because the first three races are street races, we need to have good results to keep things
This weekend’s Vegas Grand Prix can be seen, tape- delayed, on ESPN2 at 5 PM (ET), Friday, April 13. All 12 of the 2007 Atlantic Series races will be shown on ESPN2.
For more on the Champ Car Atlantics Series including Live timing and scoring please visit: www.ChampCarAtlantic.com
Tomas Enge Suffers Broken Elbow and Other Injuries in St. Pete Race but is “Self” the Morning After Serious Accident
Dirk Müller Named to Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing Ferrari
2000 American Le Mans GT2 Champ Steps-In at Long Beach, Houston for Injured Enge
LONG BEACH, Calif.,April 7, 2007 – Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing announced today that Dirk Müller (a native of Germany, living in Monaco) will fill-in for regular team driver Tomas Enge (a native Czech who also lives in Monaco) at the next two rounds of the American Le Mans Series. Müller, the 2000 GT2 (then known as GT) class champion, will co-drive the No.31 MMPIE/PAWS/Petersen Holdings/Michelin Ferrari F430 GT at the April 14th Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Grand Prix of Houston on April 21st with Tim Bergmeister (Langenfeld, Germany). Enge is recuperating from injuries sustained at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 31. Despite overwhelming obstacles, the Michael Petersen (Las Vegas, Nev.) owned team plans on fielding a fully competitive car in the one hour and 40-minute American Le Mans debuted on the streets of Long Beach.
Müller, who raced three seasons in the American Le Mans Series from 1999-2001, has been competing in Europe since 2002. Most recently, he has found a home driving a Michelin-shod, Ferrari F430 GT in FIA GT competition winning the first round of the 2007 GT2 championship at Zhuhai. Müller has eight American Le Mans Series victories including the ’99 Petit Le Mans and the 2000 12 Hours of Sebring in 27 starts driving GT cars. The native of Burbach, Germany is tied for fourth on the all-time list for fastest qualifiers with 13 Series pole positions. That distinction also ranks him as the leader in most career GT2 poles, winning at least one pole in each of his three years of competition in the Series to-date. Müller’s string of eight-straight class pole positions- dating from Infineon Raceway in 1999 to Silverstone in 2000- is an American Le Mans Series record for any class.
Bergmeister and Müller will be sliding behind the wheel of an entirely new Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing-built Ferrari. Unlike the machine that was unloaded from the plane in February and used in the first two events of the year, the car that will grid at Long Beach will have appeared in its roughest of forms, nothing more than a painted tub. The Ferrari F430 GT tub will arrive from Michelotto in Italy on Sunday accompanied by a complement of parts. That, in addition to the pieces that the Dale White (Bozeman, MT) managed team has on hand and what can be salvaged from the St. Pete wreck, will be used to assemble a fully competitive car in just three days. The full crew will convene at the team’s Pahrump, Nev. shop to begin a multi-day, 24 hour- a-day thrash to ready the car to leave for California on Wednesday morning.
Making the challenge even tougher is the schedule. The 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary track in Long Beach is the second of three street courses that Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing will visit in just four weeks. The narrow, concrete-lined courses are great for spectators looking for an exciting event in downtown but puts a strain on crews because of less than ideal working conditions. For the drivers, the tracks pose the challenge of never making a mistake because, unlike a natural terrain course, there is little margin for error. Once the race is run in Long Beach, the team must prepare the No. 31 to travel to Houston where the two native Germans will again navigate through the tightest of paths on the JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park. The Houston facility is 1.7-miles holding 10-turns around Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome.
Enge continues his impressive recovery from the St. Petersburg injuries. He was transported from St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Medical Center to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in recent days and underwent surgery for his shattered left elbow on Friday morning, April 6th. Dr. Tim Weber was “very pleased” with how the surgery went and anticipates a full recovery. Enge will remain in Indianapolis for rehabilitation and is expected to return to the two-time American Le Mans Series Champions as early as July. Electronic well wishes for Enge are welcome and can be sent to Tom@PetersenMotorsports.com and will be forwarded to Enge.
Quotes Dale White, Team Manager/Entrant: (About Dirk Müller): “They say if you are given lemons make lemonade. I believe Dirk is just the guy to help us make lemonade. Obviously, having Tomas injured was a serious blow to the program and to morale but to have a driver the calibre of Dirk Müller waiting in the wings is something that we could have never even hoped for. Dirk is as fast today as when we raced against him in the early years of the program. He is also smart, even smarter now; he has Ferrari experience and knows how to win races. No one can replace Tomas, not even in the short-term, but we feel confident that we can add a few victories and get back into the championship chase with the combination we will field for the next two events. We are anxious to get Tomas well and back in the No. 31 and, following Houston, Tomas and the doctors will let us know where he is at and we’ll chart our course from there. In the meantime, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better driver than Dirk to add to our team.” (About preparations for Long Beach): “I am proud to say that Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing is actively working to race at Long Beach. We are awaiting various pieces and parts, including a tub, from Ferrari but we are moving ahead with our plans to race. We will begin assembling the car as soon as pieces start arriving [currently scheduled for Sunday] at the shop. We will work on the Ferrari at our shop in Nevada before leaving on Wednesday morning for Long Beach. We will then continue to work on the car in Long Beach for as long as it takes to get the car on track and competitive. A lot of things, a lot of problems, can still present themselves, but at this time, we have every intention of competing in the Long Beach Grand Prix and in fielding a car that can win the race.”
Dirk Müller, Driver: “The situation is not the nicest but I’m really looking forward to helping out Petersen/White Lightning for sure. It is a strange situation to replace an injured driver. But that is part of our job and I cross my fingers for Tomas to get well very soon and very quick. I just want to make him happy winning with this car. I am really, really happy and looking forward to Long Beach. For me, that will be the first time on that street circuit. I do know the Ferrari F430 having set the first pole and having won the first round of FIA GT. I am feeling very well in this car. I like to thank Ferrari and the team giving me the opportunity to do this. I know Petersen/White Lightning from the past so I know that the team is very professional. I am very happy and very proud. The last time I raced in the ALMS was 2001 and I won the 2000 GT championship so I am very excited to be returning with such a good team and good car.”
The Grand Prix of Long Beach will start at 4:05 PM (PT), Saturday, April 14. The race can be seen on a tape-delay on SPEED Channel later that evening at 8 PM (ET), 5 PM (PT). Live timing and scoring of each on- track session and the race can be found at www.AmericanLeMans.com.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,April 1, 2007 – Less than 18 hours after a violent accident in the Sports Car Challenge at St. Petersburg American Le Mans Series race, Tomas Enge (a native of the Czech Republic living in Monaco) is awake, alert and resting at the Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. Following overnight evaluation, X-Rays and CT scans of the Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing driver, it has been determined that he has suffered a severely shattered elbow, cracked ribs, a partially collapsed lung and a potentially broken ankle. All the serious injuries were to his left side. Despite being extremely sore and bruised from the accident, Enge is talkative with medical and team personnel and is his lighthearted and humorous self. X-Rays of Enge’s elbow and ankle will be reviewed today by renowned orthopedic surgeon Terry Trammell. Once his recommendations are made, it is anticipated that Enge will be transported to Indianapolis’ Methodist Hospital where Trammell’s practice is located. Because of the partially collapsed lung, as well as soreness, Enge will not be transported to Indianapolis until Monday at the earliest. The date of Enge’s surgery, its duration and magnitude, as well as his projected recuperation time have not been determined at this time.
Enge was injured in a serious accident on Saturday during the running of the second American Le Mans Series race of the season. Near the two hour mark of the two hour, 45-minute race, the driver’s side of the No.31 MMPIE/PAWS/Petersen Holdings/Michelin Ferrari F430 GT made heavy contact with the retaining wall between turns three and four on the 14-turn, 1.8- mile temporary street course. Enge, who had the fastest qualifying lap and set fastest race lap for the event, was leading the GT2 class at the time of the accident.
Additional information will be made available as it becomes available.
Electronic well wishes for Enge are welcome and can be sent to Tom@PetersenMotorsports.com and will be forwarded to Enge.
Quotes Dale White, Team Manager/Entrant: “Tomas is back to himself 100% today. That is really good to see. You always hope for the best and try to fight thinking the worse in situations like this. But, even last night, he was the same-old Tomas so all the fears of the worse are gone. Scott Atherton, the American Le Mans Series and the staff here at Bayfront have been tremendous and we want to thank them. We are working on all the details of what comes next in his treatment and recuperation and we will let everyone know the details as soon as we can. On behalf of the Tomas and the team I want to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support. There is no way we can express our gratitude.”
AHRF TRIBUTE TO ROBERT E. PETERSEN
As a tribute to hot rod pioneer Robert Petersen, the AHRF will air segments of the interview we conducted in 2004. The video vignettes can be seen every Tuesday and Friday (at 2pm PDT) at
Robert Petersen passed away on Friday, 23rd March. Petersen's contribution to hot rodding and the auto industry as a whole is legendary. To his contemporaries, he was a man driven to succeed but a man who had a humble side.
For us and generations to come we are blessed that the Petersen Automotive Museum will continue to carry his legacy guided by his close, loyal friend and confidante Dick Messer.
His passing drives home the importance of our mission here at the foundation: to preserve and promote hot rod history. While our filmed interview of Mr. Petersen ,and the story he tells, is but a part of this important hobby and culture, it is none-the-less a story that will be preserved forever.
Robert Petersen also appeared in Deuce, the documentary on the 32 Ford.
Shane Lewis’ Road to Indy
Homestead Oval Shows Strength of Lewis-Crawford Combination
HOMESTEAD, FL.,March 28, 2007 – They call it the “Road to Indy” and, for Shane Lewis, that is exactly what it is. The Jupiter, Florida-resident has a map that charts his course to the biggest race of his career, the 91st Running of the Indianapolis 500, and to date, Lewis has paid all the tolls. The 24- time, 24 Hour race starter has joined Michael Crawford Motorsports and together the two are working, step-by-step, to field a competitive entry for Indianapolis this “Month of May”. The native of Lancaster, Calif. continued his “Road to Indy” this past weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway by making his open wheel, oval debut in the Indy Pro Series Miami 100. There, the sports car ace immediately showed he is also a top-performer on the high-speed ovals.
Lewis left little doubt in the minds of even the most jaded oval racing aficionado that he could wheel a formula-style car around an oval. His Indy Pro Series test, held at Homestead-Miami on February 22, gave Indy Racing League officials a clear sign that he had the skill and was not only comfortable at speed but a natural. Once clear of the first hurdle, Lewis and team owner Michael Crawford (Indianapolis, Ind.) had hoped to get the three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans starter quickly through his IndyCar Series rookie test. Fate would intervene though in that the team does not yet have available a 2007-spec GForce chassis. Therefore, they opted to get valuable seat time in the No. 8 Michael Crawford Motorsports Indy Pro Series Dallara.
Lewis got off to an inspiring start running fifth quickest in his group at the first practice session of the weekend. As if to show it was no fluke, the former high school bull riding champion in tthe state of California took the bit in his teeth and turned a qualifying time that would place him second-quickest for much of the qualifying session. It was not until later in the session, as track conditions improved, did Lewis slip from second to seventh on the grid of 28 cars. However, the team was ecstatic with the remarkable performance and set-about preparing the car for the race.
Race day, a double for Lewis who was also working as lead driver on the No. 3 Southard Motorsports Daytona Prototype in the Grand-Am Rolex Series, dawned with great anticipation. With Lewis’ ever- present fan club cheering him with their “Go Shane, Go!!!” banners, he took the green flag and began to work with a car that was much different than it had been earlier in the weekend. Lewis came to terms with the single-seater and began to make his move back towards the front when the first of two major accidents took place immediately in front of him. Lewis, who was tucked in behind another car, slowed immediately with the yellow flag but suddenly saw the car he was following snap to the left and he found himself bearing-down on the nose assembly of one of the cars involved. He narrowly squeaked by the bodywork and was unharmed in the first major accident of the race on lap 21.
Having learned a lesson of the large debris field that can be caused when two open wheel cars try and occupy the same track space, Lewis was more wary when he saw two more disintegrating Indy Pro Series cars before him on lap 47. Despite nearly missing the carnage, a piece of debris from Pablo Perez’s car would end Lewis’ day just as he was about to re-enter the top-ten. Lewis felt his No. 8 Dallara lift slightly and, before he knew it, it rotated and started to back into the outside wall. He fought the car but found his steering input futile. His brake pedal was working and he drug the car, almost by his own will, to a stop just feet before impacting the Homestead-Miami retaining wall. Unhurt and with the car apparently intact, but unable to start, Lewis called for help so that he could stay on the lead lap. When the Indy Racing League Safety Team went to pull the car to a start they found it would not move. Lewis was stuck in place not by his own brakes or flat tires but, instead, by the brake and clutch pedal off of Perez’s demolished car. The two unlikely parasites had lodged themselves onto the undertray of the car. It was this debris, that neither Lewis or his spotter could see on the track as he approached the crash site, that cost the multi-time Grand-Am sanctioned event winner a top-ten finish in his open wheel, oval debut.
Despite the disappointment of watching the top-ten finish fall to a 20th-place result, Lewis and Crawford saw a great deal of positives come from this effort. The communication between driver and team, an essential part of any program at Indianapolis, was excellent. The speed of Lewis and his ability to adapt to the cars impressed all around him and his dedication and work ethic to make the program a success is a testimony to Lewis’ commitment to his dream.
Lewis will test the Michael Crawford Motorsports IndyCar in April to earn his IndyCar Series driver license. Once that milestone is met, Lewis will move- on to the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he will, for the first time, strap-in and lap the 2.5-mile oval as part of the Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) just days before official practice opens for all at the “Speedway”. Once cleared through ROP, Lewis will begin the month-long process of filling one of the 33 positions on the grid for the “500”, the final mile marker on the “Road to Indy” and on the way to making his dream of being an Indy 500 starter come true.
Quotes Shane Lewis: (About running in the Indy Pro Series): “Running the Indy Pro Series weekend at Homestead-Miami was a great experience and experience is what I was looking for. I not only had the chance to work on a race and qualifying set up, I had the opportunity to race in heavy traffic, work the draft and learn to manage the car when you lose the air off the wings. These are things you can’t do in testing. You need to learn them first hand in competition. We had 28 guys out there fighting hard for every position. Talk about baptism by fire!”
(About his experience): “While I hated being taken-out of the race by debris from a wreck, I am happy that I was able to keep the car off the outside wall. One of the things I have learned in my years of racing is a little patience goes a long way. There’s a time to go flat out and there is a time to be calculating in the race car. Hopefully all of this will make my transition into the Indy 500 that much better. The guys at Michael Crawford Motorsports were great to work with. We each have a goal and we are doing our best to join together to reach that goal this May. Michael and his entire team are focused on that, the same way I am. They have gone above and beyond in so many ways. It is a pleasure and an honor to get to work with this team.”
Michael Crawford, Owner: “Shane single- handedly elevated our program. His character, his ability, his insight all contributed to a successful weekend. We’ve worked with some really good drivers over the course of the last two seasons but Shane’s feedback is phenomenal. The breadth of knowledge that he brings to the team helped us in many areas. We were 6/100ths [of a second] from sitting on our first provisional pole. It was a mutually beneficial experience in the sense that Shane was able to help us and we were able to demonstrate the capabilities of our team. In an incident-riddled race our results do not accurately demonstrate the successes we experienced over the course of the weekend. I had numerous peers stop by and congratulate us over the course of the weekend. And, but for an accident, we had, at least initially no involvement in, our weekend would have finished with a solid top-ten that would have shown that we are capable of running with anyone. The bottom-line is, looking at our goals from when we began our relationship, we more than achieved them in preparing both the team and Shane for the Indianapolis 500. Hopefully, we can gather-up the resources for the Indianapolis 500. I know that we can put Shane Lewis into the show.”
