(Pictured: The starting lineup in 1911, the first and only time there has been a rookie only starting field.)

Dateline: Indianapolis, Indiana

The Rookies:

In the first of a four part look into the field for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 we will take a look at the drivers who are making their Indy debut this coming Sunday. In later editions we will look at the past winners, the women in the 500, and finally a look at the other notables in this years race.

Pos. 33

Pos. 31

Nelson Philippe

Car # 00
D/H/F
Speed/Time: 220.754/2:43.0778

Nelson Philippe is a French driver who also got his start in go karts. Racing go karts from 1998-2002 gave him enough seat time and experience to move up to the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2003. He finished the season with one podium and four top five finishes. In 2004, Philippe became the youngest to ever drive a Champ Car when he was signed to the Rocketsports team at age 17. With experience in the Champ Car series he has experience on ovals and road courses and now finds himself in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pos. 27

Mike Conway

Car # 24
D/H/F
Speed/Time: 221.417/2:42.5889

Mike Conway comes to the Indy 500 from the GP2 series. This English driver also got his start in karting around 8 years of age. With experience in UK Formula Ford he moved up to the Formula Renault UK championship in 2003. In 2004 he was the Formula Renault UK Champion and moved up to the British F3 championship in 2005. In 2006, he won that Championship and had been in GP2 until this season when he made the jump to the IndyCar Series. One thing of note, Mike Conway has yet to run an oval race this season without ending up in the wall during the race. He will be one to watch our for from a fan perspective…and one to stay away from if you’re a driver.

Pos. 23

Robert Doornbos

Car # 06T
D/H/F
Speed/Time: 221.692/2:42.3877

This Dutch driver started racing in 1999 in the Formula Ford 1800 Benelux series. He started as a semi-professional tennis player in the Netherlands when he was invited to attend a Formula 1 Grand Prix. There he met former Formula 1 champion and Indy 500 champion Jacques Villeneuve and he recommended that Robert try a Formula Ford, as he was too old to start karting. Obviously “Bobby D” took to the type of racing as he moved from Formula Ford to Formula 1 in just 6 seasons. He spent 205 and 2006 in the Formula 1 championship and moved to Champ Car in 2007. In 2008 he raced in the Superleague Formula as well as representing the Netherlands in the A1GP. He makes the move to IndyCars and the famed Newman Haas Lanigan racing team.

Pos. 12

Raphael Matos

Car # 2
D/H/F
Speed/Time: 223.429/2:41.1252

“Rapha” got his start in karting in his native Brazil. He came to the States in 2002 and competed in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge championship which he won in 2003. He went to the Star Mazda series for 2004 and 2005. He again found himself a Champion in 2005 and made the transition to the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2006 and 2007. He won the Championship in 2007 and moved to the Firestone Indy Lights Championship in 2008. He was once again successful in the new series and was the Champion for 2008. In 2009, he comes to the IndyCar series with the Luczo Dragon team which is owned by Jay Penske. Jay is the youngest son of Team Penske owner, Roger Penske. If there is a rookie who has a legitimate shot at winning this installment of the 500, I would put a big checkmark next to Rapha on your race day program.

Check back for the next installment in our four part series on this years field. Next, we will take a look at the previous winners of the 500 who are in the 2009 edition and look at their histories and chances for once again drinking the milk in victory lane.

The 2009 Formula 1 grid just got 2 cars smaller

The estimated annual budget of the Honda F1 team was $220 million dollars per year. The team which was piloted by Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello in 2008 will leave quite a void in the world’s richest sport. The combined costs of all F1 teams in 2008 exceed 1.2 Billion dollars. Costs have been a main concern with many F1 teams over the past few years as the sponsorship packages and contributions from the worlds elite have slowed.

Sadly, this also could put a damper on one of F1′s most refreshing stories. Bruno Senna, the nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, was to take over the vacated seat of Rubens Barichello in 2009. That now looks like an impossibility. Honda has said they would try to sell the team, however in this market condition, finding a buyer seems increasingly more difficult.

IN RELATED NEWS:

The IndyCar Series, which is powered solely by Honda engines, has been spared any interruption…at least for now. Honda has an exclusive contract with the IndyCar Series to provide the series with it’s engines. A pull out of Honda from the ICS would be crushing to the series, and the Indianapolis 500.

The agreement with the ICS is a leasing agreement and it is basically a financial wash for the Japanese auto maker. Honda leases it’s engines and technicians to the IndyCar Series. Honda outlays only marketing capital for the series and the liabilities associated with it’s involvement in the sole American Open Wheel series is somewhat controllable.

This is great news for all IndyCar fans.

EJ’s two cents:

Look, the financial crisis shows signs of weakening each day. This move by Honda came as a shock to everyone, but perhaps the next ones to be worried are my NASCAR fans. GM, Ford, and Chrysler are on their death beds. How can these companies continue to pour money into motor sports when they are facing bankruptcy and worse? I don’t know…but if things don’t get any better, be ready for anything. At this point, nothing is off the table. The safety of the Daytona 500, and the Indianapolis 500 are there today.

Let’s hope it’s there come race day.

Felipe Massa needed a host of things to happen to win the championship. If his plan was to win the race, all that had to happen was for Hamilton to finish anywhere from Sixth place on back. Half of his plan worked, as Felipe Massa won his home grand prix in Brazil. The other half just didn’t pan out.

Lewis Hamilton ran an incredibly disciplined race strategy, and ran just fast enough to finish 5th in the race; therefore sealing the deal and being able to be the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 world championship. Amazingly, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

Lewis Hamilton was in 6th place heading into the final corner on the final lap. The rain had started and Timo Glock had crept into the top 5 by staying on dry tires with so few laps to go. It was a gamble that cost Glock a top 5 finish and cost Felipe Massa the World Championship.

To become the first ever black Formula 1 Champ, Hamilton swept by Glock who was slipping on the dry tires. As he crossed the finish line in 5th place, the world could see it’s new world champ. Lewis Hamilton won the Championship at the age of 23 years, 8 months, 26 days, previously held by Fernando Alonso with 24 years and 58 days.

Midwest Sports Fans would like to congratulate the world’s new Formula 1 Champion! Bravo Lewis!

[tags]formula one, lewis hamilton, auto racing[/tags]

Lewis Hamilton won the pole giving himself the best shot at the championship he could have asked for. More importantly, he won last nights Chinese Grand Prix. Yet he isn’t champion. Here’s why.

As I mentioned in my pre-race report last night, Felipe Massa was trailing him by 5 points in the championship. The running order showed Lewis in 1st, Kimi Raikkonen in 2nd, and Felipe in 3rd. If the race had ended this way, Lewis would be World Champion. Yet the two Ferrari driver’s were given “team orders” to switch places and Raikkonen let Massa slip past. With Massa in 2nd place, and not having the horses to catch the McLaren driven by Hamilton, he had assured himself of keeping the hopes of a world championship alive.

Lewis Hamilton needs just a 5th place finish in Brazil to win the Championship. This has to give him a bit of confidence going into the final GP of the season. Massa, even with a win, would be unable to surpass the point lead Lewis currently holds over the Ferrari driver.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (3rd):
“Today I had a good car, but it was not quick enough to beat our main competitor. At the start and after every tyre change, Hamilton managed to pull away, while when it got near to the pit stops I was able to go a bit quicker, but it was always too late. On top of that, three times, I came up behind backmarkers who cost me valuable time. We secured a very good result for the Constructors’ classification. Now we go to Brazil where we must try and get a one-two finish and then we can see where we stand in both Championships. Felipe passing me? I am part of a team and I am well aware what they expect of me. I am out of the title fight and have to do the maximum because Ferrari can achieve both its objectives. It’s a simple as that.”

Kimi Raikkonen won the Championship last year and certainly had some help from his teammate. This time he had a debt to pay. As he says in the qoute, he knows what’s expected of him.

“Team Orders” is certainly something Americans have a hard time digesting. The fight for your life mentality of our great nation is what makes us great. However, it is also one of the biggest reasons why F1 hasn’t caught on in this Country. In IndyCar and NASCAR, though there may be some silent team orders given certain situations, Formula 1 is very open about their orders. The driver ordered to slow down so his teammate will pass doesn’t even try to make it look like a valid pass, they just slow it down…and let them by. This fundamentally goes into the face of our entire fabric as a nation. Our constant challenge of “tell me something I cannot do, and I will prove you wrong”, wouldn’t work in the mainly European racing series.

I have always viewed Formula 1 as a game of Chess with million dollar pieces and precision placement. Formula 1 is not the sort of racing we are used to seeing. As with anything, it’s often easy to brush off that which we don’t understand.

I encourage you to tune into the final GP of the 2008 campaign. The Brazilian Grand Prix is on at a more normal time than 3am…so that excuse won’t be there. Besides, just because Lewis Hamilton didn’t become the first black Formula 1 champion last night doesn’t mean he won’t in two weeks.

Being part of history, and watching it unfold is worth waiting for.

Check back here at midwestsportsfans.com for more on the world’s most watched racing series.

[tags]auto racing, formula 1, chinese grand prix, lewis hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen[/tags]

In the closing rounds of the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship, rookie McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of clinching the championship. It was this race, the Chinese Grand Prix, that ended his hopes of being a World champion. Instead through mistakes in the race the title slipped out of reach and it landed with Kimi Raikkonen.

365 days later we are once again faced with an historic Grand Prix.

Maybe.

Lewis Hamilton ran a clean qualifying session overnight to end up in P1 for tonight/tomorrow’s start. Ferrari teammates Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa line up behind him for the start. The Grand Prix starts at 3am Eastern Time and is being televised on Speed TV. Now, because of my disgustingly high salary from midwestsportsfans.com, I will be wide awake when the lights go out to signal the start. However, for most sane race fans, the race is going to be shown again at 4pm on Speed on Sunday afternoon.

Why so historic? Lewis Hamilton is one win away (there are actually several scenarios that could play out where he is World Champion even if he doesn’t win) from being the Formula 1 World Champion. No big deal right? I mean they have a Champion every year don’t they? Yes they do… but never in the histroy of the worlds second most watched sport (only behind soccer) has the FIA ever crowned a black man as their world champion. Truly, what Tiger Woods has done for golf, Lewis is doing for Formula 1 racing.

As a long time fan of Formula 1 racing, dating to the Prost/Senna battles, let me say I am rooting for Lewis to seal the deal tonight…and become F1′s champion. He hasn’t been given a bit of it, he has worked as hard as anyone else, and he has the talent that is worthy of a World Champion. Give ‘em Hell LEWIS!!!

If the question ever comes up…most likely in a bar bet situation…and probably in Indianapolis, Lewis Hamilton is not the first black man to ever drive a Formula 1 car. That honor goes to the American Willy T. Ribbs back in 1986. Ribbs, an Indy 500 veteran, never got a full ride in the mainly European series but had his name permanently etched in history with that testing session.

Here is the starting lineup for the Chinese Grand Prix:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari.

3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari. (trails Haimlton by 5 points)

4. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault.

5. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren.

6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW.

7. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso.

8. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota.

9. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso.

10. Nelson Piquet Jnr., Brazil, Renault.

11. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW.

12. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota.

13. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda.

14. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams.

15. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull.

16. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull.

14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams.

18. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda.

19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India.

20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India.

Stay tuned to midwestsportsfans.com for more on this historic possibility!

[tags]formula 1, lewis hamilton, auto racing[/tags]

It’s the economy, stupid.

The World of Motorsports feels a bit like Joe The Plumber today. The economic crisis has taken it’s toll on our 401(k)s and investment accounts and today it has officially affected the 2009 Schedule for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The French GP at Magny Cours has had its promoters pull its backing for the 2009 event. The Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile is currently in talks with Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to relocate the GP to a different venue.

Bernie Ecclestone has been openly against the French GP at it’s current location of Magny Cours, mainly due to its geographic location. Wanting the circus to have three rings, as opposed to one, is a main concern for Ecclestone. He has expressed interest in having the GP closer to Paris. For teams and fans, having a Grand Prix close to a major metropolitan area can provide days of entertainment over and above the race itself.

So for right now, France is without a Grand Prix in 2009…if the situation changes, midwestsportsfans.com will keep you up to date.

Be on the lookout for our preview editions for the F1 and NASCAR races this weekend!!!

[tags]bernie ecclestone, formula one, auto racing[/tags]

What a weekend it was for Carl Edwards. On Thursday between practice sessions he got ahold of Kevin Harvick for comments regarding the week ago crash at Talladega and a comment referring to Carl as a “pansy”. As seen in the AP photo, the “pansy” title seems quite fitting. It’s probably good thing Kevin doesn’t have longer hair, as it appears Mr. Edwards would have pulled it.

Going into the weekend, Carl Edwards sat in 2nd place in the Chase. At the end of the weekend, he was in 4th place in the NASCAR season standings. First place Jimmie Johnson continues to lead the Chase standings but a big move was made by Jeff Burton going from 4th to 2nd over the weekend with the win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Saturday night. Burton sits now just 69 points behind Johnson, who was won the past 2 Cup championships. Burton, whose rookie year was 15 years ago, sits right where he needs to be to challenge for the Championship. In my opinion the only thing that will keep him from claiming the Cup will be the driver currently in P1.

Jimmie Johnson, back to back Cup Champion, has to be feeling pretty confident heading to Martinsville this week. JJ has won there 3 out of the last 5 races and knows his way around the ‘Ville. I expect to see Jimmie finish the race in the top five, holding on closely to the lead. A trend I imagine to continue through the end of the season. Though I do not like dynasty drivers in any form of motor sport (Michael Schumacher comes to mind), you simply have to respect the way JJ goes about his business.

Stay tuned later in the week for my NASCAR update as we head into the weekend.

ALONSO WINS BACK TO BACK GRAND PRIX:

Formula 1 fans know one thing about Grand Prix viewing: Don’t miss the start. This weekend’s race at Japan was certainly no exception. Kimi Raikkonen shot from the standing start with a clear look into turn one. Lewis Hamilton, suspecting the Ferrari may “check out” if he had gotten to the corner first, used an extremely aggressive move to try to reclaim the lead at the first corner. It didn’t work. Both drivers were pushed off of the racing surface and were passed by several cars before entering back onto the track.

Formula 1 rarely has much action in the form of passing after the first turn, outside of pit lane. But in Japan, this wasn’t the case. As Hamilton made his way back up the field he encountered Massa in turn ten, and the two got tangled in turn 11. As it turned out, LH was given a penalty for the Turn one incident with Raikkonen, and Massa was given a penalty for the Hamilton incident.

Escaping all of this chaos and running away with a 6 second victory was Fernando Alonso. The two time World Champion driver was a bit shocked by the experience. “I cannot believe it right now, but back-to-back wins is a very nice feeling and the team did a great job to improve the car,” Alonso said. “We are now just behind Ferrari and McLaren and this is completely amazing.”

The completely amazing comment is the one that gives us outside of the circus the feelings he had going into the 2008 season with struggling Renault. He had won two back to back Championships with the French manufacturer only to leave them for supposed greener pastures. As he found out, and with the insurgence of Lewis Hamilton, the world champion found himself the #2 driver for the McLaren team. It was that lack of acknowledgement as greatest driver ever, that drove him back “home”. The difference was the vast improvement in drivers from the top flight teams, as well as the virtual un-ending budget that Ferrari and McLaren runs with compared to Renault. In most forms of auto racing going fast is directly tied to spending fast…but nowhere on Earth is it as pronounced as it is in Formula 1.

Lewis Hamilton leads Felip Massa by just 5 points going into the final 2 Grand Prix of the season. With just China and Brazil left, it is still anyones championship. Though F1 is known for a race every other week, F1 fans are treated to a shortened dry spell as the Chinese Grand Prix is this weekend.

Stay tuned later in the week for more on F1′s Chinese Grand Prix.

As always, thanks for visiting midwestsportsfans.com and make sure to enter to win tickets from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam in Cleveland, Ohio.

[tags]auto racing, formula one, nascar, carl edwards, jimmie johnson, jeff burton[/tags]

This weekend the eyes of NASCAR fans are focused on Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Qualifying was rained out on Thursday so the lineup has been set based off of owners points. The top ten for the Bank of America 500 is as follows:

For tonight’s race ( 7pm EDT/ ABC ) the forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees with a 20% chance of rain.

The World will be watching the closely contested Formula 1 World Championship as the circus heads to Fuji Speedway in Japan. After Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso dominated the practice sessions the qualifying sessions showed once again what a game of cat and mouse Formula 1 has always been.

The Japanese Grand Prix is shown in the United States on Speed TV and begins at Midnight tonight! So if you’re a die hard F1 fan like myself…buy some Red Bull and stay up, it will be a heckuva show! For those unable to make it through the night, there will be a replay tomorrow afternoon on Speed. Check local listings for the time.

Here is your top ten for tonights (tomorrows) race in JAPAN!

The IndyCar Series is off until 10/26 when the IndyCars take on Surfers Paradise in Australia.

The United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis was left off the 2008 calendar and in 2009 that continues. There are rumors about a potential return for the World’s most watched racing series to the United States. If anything, I feel this has become even less likely with the new schedule for Formula 1. In 2007 and the years prior, it made some sense to have a US date when there was a Canadian date. Logistically, this made the trip overseas much more viable. With the removal of Canada from the Grand Prix season, the only thing that could bring the Formula 1 circus back to America is an awful lot of dough.

Tony George has made it clear he would welcome back a Formula 1 race to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2000, he spent millions of dollars to revamp the inside of “The Worlds Greatest Racecourse”, so more F1 races would certainly help to pay for those improvements. The most recent news we have there is that they are searching for a “big league” corporate sponsor to help with the dollars requested by Formula 1 to host an event.

What will ultimately happen? No one really knows. We do know that for fans of Formula 1 here in North America, it could be a long time until we hear those beautiful engines again in person.

2009 Schedule Released on 10/07/2008:

2009 FIA Formula One World Championship:
29 March Australia
5 April Malaysia
19 April Bahrain
10 May Spain
24 May Monaco
7 June Turkey
21 June Great Britain
28 June France
12 July Germany
26 July Hungary
23 August Europe (Valencia)
30 August Belgium
13 September Italy
27 September Singapore
11 October Japan
18 October China
1 November Brazil
15 November Abu Dhabi

[tags]auto racing, formula 1, tony george, indianapolis motor speedway[/tags]