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Turning Left: NASCAR, Indy Car, F1
By Charlie O. Mallonee July 18, 2009 |
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NASCAR What is it about running under the lights that makes NASCAR Sprint Cup races so exciting? The gleaming cars look faster and more dangerous in the night races. The strategy required to win a night race is also different. The races start in the late afternoon heat and finish on a much cooler track under the lights. There can be up to three different races in one race – the start in the afternoon heat, the transition at dusk as the track begins to cool and the finish under the cover of darkness. Each segment requires multiple adjustments in order to stay competitive. Saturday night has traditionally been racing night in America and NASCAR needs to take advantage of this tradition. More night races would help attendance and increase the number of viewers for the network telecast. The race last Saturday night in Chicago was a great example of how exciting night racing can be for Sprint Cup cars. 50-year old Mark Martin drove the wheels off his No. 5 Hendrick car and won his fourth race of the season. If the Chase for the Sprint Cup began today, Martin would be the number one seed of the 12 chasers. Anyone who tells you that they knew Martin would be in this position is a liar. 50-year old drivers can still drive, but they are not this competitive. Martin is driving like a 20-year old. The Sprint Cup series will take a weekend off before heading to Indy and the Brickyard 400 on July 26th. Let’s hope this year’s Brickyard will be more exciting than last year’s race. You remember last year … the Goodyear tires would last less than 10 laps per set. BTW, Jimmie Johnson won last year’s Indy race. The Nationwide Series will run this week at Gateway in St. Louis, and it is a night race! It will be worth watching. Danica Patrick toured the Stewart-Haas Racing facility this week. NASCAR would love to steal the face of Indy Car and put her behind the wheel of Sprint Cup car. If the Silly Season needed any more than Danica visiting Stewart-Haas to get kick-started, it has found it. Kevin Harvick has asked to be released from the final year of his contract with RCR. The rumor is he wants to join his good buddy Tony at Stewart-Haas. Stay tuned for news! Indy Car What does Tony Hulman George’s removal as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to racing fans? Reportedly, the family was upset about the millions he spent on renovations for Formula One to run at Indy. Of course, that relationship fell apart because of F1’s Bernie Ecclestone’s stupidity and not because Hulman George dropped the ball. Indy Car does need some attention to insure that it stays healthy. The loss of the Champ Car Series has not been the boon Hulman George hoped it would be for his series. The loss of Danica Patrick would be devastating to the series at this point in time. Indy Car needs a big shot in the arm. Multiple manufacturers would be a great place to begin; however, the current recession might make that difficult to pull off right now. Ford, GM and Chrysler engines would add to the intrigue of the competition. Currently all teams use Honda engines. The next Indy Car event runs on Sunday July 26th on the streets of Edmonton. F1 More infighting between the FIA and the team owners – what else is new? The battle over establishing a spending cap in 2010 (F1 wants it – the teams do not) continues brew. Now, Max Mosley, the president of Formula One Racing and dress up fantasy king, has announced that he will not seek a fifth term as the number two man in the series administration. It is a little tough to hold the respect of your peers once you have been caught with ladies of the evening playing dress up as a bad little Nazi soldier who needs to be punished! Bernie Ecclestone will try to insure that the new president will be a man of his choosing and philosophy. The racing teams will be trying to install a new leader that will better reflect what they want as competitors. Installing the wrong person as president may lead to the ultimate demise of F1 in its current form and the establishment of new series run by a consortium of the manufacturers. Hang on; it could be a very bumpy ride. In other F1 news, Sebastien Bourdais has been fired by Red Bull's Scuderia Toro Rosso team effective immediately. The four-time Champ Car series champion never found success in the Formula series. Scuderia Toro Rosso is the number two Red Bull team designed to develop drivers for the number one team. The Scuderia Toro Rosso team uses the Ferrari 056 power plant. Team Ferrari has been struggling using that engine this season, so a lack of success should be no surprise. Evidently, the less than competitive power plant is also no excuse in the minds of Scuderia Toro Rosso Racing. No replacement for Bourdais has been named, but the team’s 19-year old test driver, Jaime Alguersuari, is rumored to be preparing to drive in the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26th. If Alguersuari is put behind the wheel, he would become the youngest driver ever to compete in Formula One. Look for Bourdais to head back to the States and be in an Indy Car very soon. Charlie O tweets about motorsports on Twitter @ SpeedFanatics |
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