A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
Several months ago, Crown Royal gave MSF the opportunity to cover the “Your Name Here” 500 NASCAR race in Richmond, Virginia.
Growing up in Indiana, I learned to love racing, and as such, was sent to cover the event.
As much as I like racing, the actual race was secondary. While I was there, I got to meet Matthew Hansen: national hero. I was also able to meet Rodney Atkins and attend his concert from fewer than five feet away before the race.
Vegas baby. Vegas.
A few months back, I was given the awesome opportunity to meet Matthew Hanson – national hero.
During that day, I also got to meet Matt Kenseth, Rodney Atkins, and watch the race at Richmond from unbelievable views. Crown Royal took me behind the pits, underneath the track, into the grandstand, and into their personal suite throughout the night.
Well, this weekend, my adventure continues.
Happy Muppets week.
Last week, I was critical of the Disney Channel Original Movie Geek Charming. A few hours after the article posted, I got an e-mail notification that someone named Robin Palmer was following me on Twitter. It turns out that Robin Palmer wrote the novel, Geek Charming, on which the movie was based.
So now I feel bad. For what it’s worth, my wife, Ashlee, enjoyed Geek Charming and was upset that I panned it.
Anyway. Here’s what we learned this weekend.
I attended my first NASCAR race in 2009 in Bristol, Tennessee.
It was the fall race, known in NASCAR circles as the toughest ticket on the circuit to obtain, and at the time I was neither extremely knowledgeable nor enthusiastic about the sport. A friend of mine had gotten tickets and recruited a group of us to go, ostensibly to party like maniacs and enjoy the camping and atmosphere more than the racing itself.
I was born and raised in Carmel, Indiana. While I was growing up, I thought you couldn’t live in a more boring place. I used to tell people that the state really only had three things: the best basketball in America, lots and lots of corn, and THE RACE – once a year.
Of course, now that I live in the South, I miss a lot of the subtleties of the Midwest. But I will always remember the buzz of excitement that swept through Hoosier-Land during the month of May.
February 18, 2001 was supposed to usher in the dawn of a new era in NASCAR, beginning with the Daytona 500.
The year before, the sanctioning body signed a lucrative contract with new television partners FOX and NBC/TNT, and for the first time most events on the Cup schedule would be available on over-the-air television. This was a sign that NASCAR was truly moving from the backwater to the mainstream.
No one thought the date would instead mark the end of an era, with repercussions still felt in the sport now ten years later.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of BAM Racing. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you are a NASCAR fan – and I know that there are a lot of you out there – BAM Racing has put together a pretty sweet VIP Fan Experience that you just might be interested in taking advantage of.
BAM Racing is the owner of the #49 car and has teamed up with Warner Music Nashville to create a package that includes the following:
(Pictured: Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick)
Dateline: Indianpolis Motor Speedway
The Women:
Once again there will be three women starting the Indianapolis 500. In this edition of our Indy 500 preview we will take a look at those women as well as their starting positions and my opinions on there chances of winning the Indianapolis 500.
league open wheel racing event in 2008 where she won at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. Back again with the Andretti Green team and with rumors abound of a jump to NASCAR at seasons end, I expect to see Danica finish in the top 5. She has done well here, and when she controls her outcome she has an average finishing position of 6. Last year due to contact and the infamous pit lane stroll down to Ryan Briscoes pit stall after some contact, she finished 22nd. If there were ever to be a woman to win the Indianapolis 500, I think it could be Danica. So if you’re looking for a longshot, look no further than the #7 car sponsored by Boost Mobile.
(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
Dateline: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Winners:
Here, we continue our look into the starting field of the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. In this edition we look at the four previous winners who will be fighting for another shot at immortality on the Borg Warner Trophy (pictured above) and a nice cool drink of milk in victory lane. The Indianapolis 500 is at 1pm this Sunday, May 24th. It’s on ABC and the pre-race starts at Noon Eastern, with the scheduled start of 1pm.
Editor’s Note: Before jump into the latest updates from EJ on the 2009 Indianapolis 500, here is all of the need-to-know information for race day:
- Indy 500 Date: Sunday, May 24th
- Indy 500 TV Schedule: TV coverage begins at 12:00 ET on ABC
- Indy 500 Start Time: The race starts at 1:00 ET
- Miller Lite Carb Day: May 22nd, beginning at 8:00 AM | Click Here for Carb Day Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: Indy 500 Tickets
- RazorGator Tickets: $15 off on purchases of $100 or more with code take15off
Dateline: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The starting field for the 93rd Indianapolis 500 is full after a dramatic bump day yesterday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the last 5 minutes of qualifications there were two successful qualification runs and left out three very qualified drivers. Buddy Lazier, Stanton Barrett and Alex Tagliani were the three left out of the show as the final gun sounded ending qualifications and therefore sealing the field for the race. Or, so it seemed.
Late on Sunday night, Conquest Racing announced that they were going to pull Bruno Junqueira from the qualified machine for Conquest, and insert Alex Tagliani into the entry. Though there was much controversy from fans regarding this move, it all comes down to a few things.
Eric Bachelart, the team owner, is the one who will look like the bad guy after it’s all said and done. He is the one who poorly played his hand yesterday, he is the one who had to tell Bruno that he was out, and he was the one who kept his second machine out of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Tagliani’s machine appeared to be quick enough to make the show solidly, and therefore the Conquest group would have two cars in the show. However, and for whatever reason, they didn’t put Tags into the qualifying line early enough to give him a chance to requalify with some of their new found speed. As the gun sounded, the primary driver for the team found himself out of the Indy 500. What does primary driver mean? Pure and simply: Money. Alex Tagliani’s machine was full of sponsorship for the King Tut exhibition that is now travelling the country. For the team to have a driver in the show that didn’t have a lot of sponsorship money behind him just did not make sense. They had to have their primary car, with their primary driver, and the primary funding in the show. To that end, the decision was made to replace Bruno with Alex.
Do I agree with the decision? Not really…I feel very bad for Bruno who signed with the team on Saturday morning, put it in the show with limited practice time, and on Monday morning finds himself without a ride in the largest single day sporting event in the world. That has to be a helluva hangover for a driver to nurse.
Regardless of my feelings on the issue, I am glad that Alex Tagliani is in the Indianapolis 500. He has a great racing history in the CART series and is a classy guy who is polite to fans. I was fortunate enough to see him on Pole Day at the track, and he stopped to pose with my kids for a picture. I love the guys who know why they are there. Sure, its the money and prestige of winning the Indy 500, but without 400 thousand of my closest friends on race day…there is no race, no prestige, and no money. Give ‘em hell Tags!
(picture above, Tags on Pole Day)
MidwestSportsFans.com will have a lot more on the Indy 500 as the week continues.
Here is the STARTING FIELD!!! The changes that happened late last night haven’t yet been updated on the speedway’s website. When they are updated…I will update the post here. [Editor's Note: EJ has recently posted the updates. Follow the link to view the final 2009 Indy 500 starting field.] The changes will result in Bruno being pulled. Tagliani will start 33rd, and Milka, Nelson, and Ryan will move up one spot.
| Row 1 | ||
Pos. 1
Helio Castroneves
Car # 3
D/H/F Speed/Time: 224.864/2:40.0967 |
Pos. 2
 Ryan Briscoe
Car # 6
D/H/F Speed/Time: 224.083/2:40.6546  |
Pos. 3
Dario Franchitti
Car # 10
D/H/F Speed/Time: 224.010/2:40.7068 |
| Row 2 | ||
Pos. 4
 Graham Rahal
Car # 02
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.954/2:40.7470  |
Pos. 5
Scott Dixon
Car # 9
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.867/2:40.8098 |
Pos. 6
 Tony Kanaan
Car # 11T
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.612/2:40.9934  |
| Row 3 | ||
Pos. 7
 Mario Moraes
Car # 5
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.331/2:41.1958  |
Pos. 8
 Marco Andretti
Car # 26
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.114/2:41.3522  |
Pos. 9
 Will Power
Car # 12
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.028/2:41.4146  |
| Row 4 | ||
Pos. 10
Danica Patrick
Car # 7
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.882/2:41.5205 |
Pos. 11
 Alex Lloyd
Car # 99
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.622/2:41.7093  |
Pos. 12
Raphael Matos
Car # 2
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.429/2:41.1252 |
| Row 5 | ||
Pos. 13
 Paul Tracy
Car # 15
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.111/2:41.3545  |
Pos. 14
 Vitor Meira
Car # 14
D/H/F Speed/Time: 223.054/2:41.3958  |
Pos. 15
 Justin Wilson
Car # 18
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.903/2:41.5051  |
| Row 6 | ||
Pos. 16
 Hideki Mutoh
Car # 27
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.805/2:41.5764  |
Pos. 17
 Ed Carpenter
Car # 20
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.780/2:41.5942  |
Pos. 18
Dan Wheldon
Car # 4
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.777/2:41.5969 |
| Row 7 | ||
Pos. 19
 AJ Foyt IV
Car # 41
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.586/2:41.7355  |
Pos. 20
 Scott Sharp
Car # 16
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.162/2:42.0441  |
Pos. 21
Sarah Fisher
Car # 67
D/H/F Speed/Time: 222.082/2:42.1022 |
| Row 8 | ||
Pos. 22
 Davey Hamilton
Car # 44
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.956/2:42.1942  |
Pos. 23
Robert Doornbos
Car # 06T
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.692/2:42.3877 |
Pos. 24
 Townsend Bell
Car # 8
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.195/2:42.7524  |
| Row 9 | ||
Pos. 25
 Oriol Servia
Car # 17
D/H/F Speed/Time: 220.984/2:42.9079  |
Pos. 26
 Tomas Scheckter
Car # 19
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.496/2:42.5308  |
Pos. 27
Mike Conway
Car # 24
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.417/2:42.5889 |
| Row 10 | ||
Pos. 28
 John Andretti
Car # 43
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.316/2:42.6635  |
Pos. 29
 EJ Viso
Car # 13
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.164/2:42.7753  |
Pos. 30
 Bruno Junqueira
Car # 36
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.115/2:42.8114  |
| Row 11 | ||
Pos. 31
Milka Duno
Car # 23
D/H/F Speed/Time: 221.106/2:42.8180 |
Pos. 32
Nelson Philippe
Car # 00
D/H/F Speed/Time: 220.754/2:43.0778 |
Pos. 33
 Ryan Hunter-Reay
Car # 21T
D/H/F Speed/Time: 220.597/2:43.1934  |
Again, more to come from MidwestSportsFans.com throughout the week. Stay tuned.
Also, you can follow me here on Twitter for updates throughout the week and on race day from the track!
The 2007 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion is back where he belongs. After his one year hiatus to the world of slow cars and four fenders, or as it also known NASCAR, Dario Franchitti made his presence felt. Dario took the #10 Target Chip Ganassi entry to the front for his first win under the TCG banner. Dario ran a great race and used some solid pit strategy to work his way to the front, and held on for a relatively easy win Sunday. Using an off-sequence pit stop, and saving fuel all along the way, he was able to be where he needed to be in the final laps. When he was given the green light to run full rich he pulled out nearly a 4 second lead over Will Power and the rest of the IndyCar field.
After Dario and Will; Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon, Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Raphael Matos, Robert Doornbos and Alex Tagliani rounded out the top ten.
The IndyCar Series has now completed two races for the 2009 season and as of right now here is your top five in points:
Dario Franchitti – 84
Will Power – 69
Ryan Briscoe – 67
Tony Kanaan – 65
Ryan Hunter-Reay – 59
Helio Back in the Saddle:
Helio Castroneves, fresh out of his acquittal on 6 counts of tax evasion, was in the racecar this weekend in the #3 Team Penske machine. He finished 7th in Long Beach and looked very happy to be back on the track. Given the stressful situations he has faced the past 6 weeks or so, I would look for him to look like the Helio of old this weekend. I will not be surprised with a top three finish as the IndyCar series heads for Kansas this coming weekend. The Kansas race will be the first oval of the 2009 season, and the last race before the month long pause that is the Indianapolis 500 during the month of May.
Out of Power:
Will Power, who was a formidable fill-in for Helio while he was out facing his legal issues, will get an undeserved rest this week. Will Power currently sits 2nd in the championship, but his position is likely to slip this weekend. The #12 machine is being parked until Indy. Verizon, who sponsored the #12 at Long Beach, will be back with Team Penske and supporting Will Power during the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at the Brickyard come May. The reason for Power being parked is strictly financial. Will has proven his weight so far this year and I expect him to be a player at Indianapolis. He will be driving for sponsorship for the rest of the season.
The Indy 500 Entry List released:
40 entries of drivers and machines have been released for the Indianapolis 500 to be ran on May 24th, 2009. As of this post, there are 28 drivers named and many more to be named in the coming weeks as teams try to gain enough sponsorship to fill the field. Some notable entries this year are the return of Davey Hamilton, John Andretti, Sarah Fisher and Paul Tracy.
Paul Tracy hasn’t raced in the Indianapolis 500 since 2002 when he lost a controversial call regarding the timing of a yellow flag and rode behind Helio Castroneves to finish 2nd. Paul Tracy ran a one off race last year for Vision Racing and finished 4th at Edmonton. Look for Paul Tracy to make waves all month long. There is no doubt he wants to be back in a racecar, and for much longer than just the month of May.
There are 4 previous winners as well as 4 rookies on the books so far. We’ll keep an eye on those numbers as the TBA on the entry list turn into actual drivers. The car count looks great and there should be no rumors about the Indy 500 NOT having it’s traditional 33 cars. Remember boys and girls, the Indianapolis 500 is still the worlds largest one day sporting event.
Keep an eye herefor continuing updates on IndyCar news, and look back here at Midwest Sports Fans for our Kansas preview later this week.
BREAKING NEWS: Richard Petty Steps Into IndyCar Series
Dateline: Indianapolis, IN.
“The King”, as most NASCAR fans know him by, Richard Petty, will make history at the 2009 Indianapolis 500. For the first time in his storied career, Petty will make his first step into the IndyCar series. Even though the team owner is a rookie to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, his driver is not. John Andretti will pilot the # 43 machine with the familiar Petty number and colors in the May classic. John Andretti has raced in 9 Indy
500′s with his best finish (5th) coming in 1991.
John Andretti and Richard Petty know each other pretty well, John drove for The King from 1998 to 2003 in the NASCAR Cup circuit.
As an avid IndyCar fan I have to wonder if this truly a turning of the tide. Is the popularity of NASCAR decreasing so much that IndyCars are once again where it’s at? Regardless of the reason, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has to be pleased with an announcement that can only help ticket sales. One other though to ponder here… Petty’s the first NASCAR owner to declare an entry into this years “500″, but will he be the last? I hope not.
RACE RECAP:
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg concluded with a familiar name and team on top. Ryan Briscoe drove the Team Penske #6 machine to victory circle. It’s back to back wins for Briscoe dating back to the season finale in 2008. The momentum carried through the off-season showed that Ryan is going to be a force to be reckoned with. For a driver who was on the hot seat last year, I think Penske has to be comfortable with where things are in 2009.
Ryan Hunter-Reay had a second place finish for Vision Racing. Vision racing is co-owned by Tony George (the ICS founder) and TV star Patrick Dempsey. Reay has been with the vision team for less than two weeks, so the team has to be very impressed with his ability to date. I wouldn’t have expected to ever say this…but, I can see Vision Racing with a Ryan Hunter-Reay victory coming this season. I predict at Mid-Ohio, but it may come sooner.
One other note about yesterdays race: Dario Franchitti showed he is back where he belongs. Racing with Target Chip Ganassi he drove home a 4th place finish. He had left the series for a one year debacle in NASCAR, but we’re glad to have him back in the fast cars. Clearly, he will do well in 2009.
Here are the top 5 in yesterdays Grand Prix:
Ryan Briscoe
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Justin Wilson
Dario Franchitti
Tony Kanaan
The next race in the IndyCar Series is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19th at 3:30PM Eastern. Available on VERSUS.
TWITTER: follow me for IndyCar updates and other stuff @ejwassonmsf
The Daytona 500, dubbed the Great American Race and the kickoff to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, is less than a week away.
There are a couple things we do know. Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin, former teammates last year at Dale Earnhardt, Inc, qualified 1-2 and will lead the field to the green flag Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla
After that, there are a lot of questions to be answered. Here are a couple things to keep an eye on leading up to the big race:
Can Tony Stewart win his first Daytona 500 as an owner/driver?
Richard Petty was the last driver to take a car he owned to Victory Lane in Daytona. He did it for Petty Enterprises in 1981. Successful owner/drivers are becoming rare each season, but Stewart is trying to make his mark with the new Stewart-Haas Racing venture. Stewart has won virtually every race there is to win at Daytona, other than the 500-miler in February. He was strong in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout and his team has all the pieces in place for a strong start — engines and chassis from powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, not to mention “Smoke†himself behind the wheel, eager to prove the doubters wrong. Don’t be surprised to see Stewart’s No. 14 in the lead pack down the stretch on Sunday.
What is up with the sluggish Dodges?
The fastest Dodge driver in last weekend’s qualifying was Reed Sorenson, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports (the new collaboration between George Gillett’s team and the Pettys). Sorenson’s 28th place effort in time trials was the best Dodge had to muster on pole day. Penske drivers David Stremme, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr. were 41st, 42nd and 44th, respectively. But all we have to do is look at last year’s race to learn not to count out the Dodge gang. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500, teammate Busch was pushing him and Sorenson was also near the front on the white flag lap as a train of Dodges shot past the powerful Toyotas. The draft is a great equalizer and although the Dodge camp has thinned a little bit, a new engine could help keep them competitive this week.
Can Martin finally win the big race that has eluded him?
Martin, age 50, is back racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series for the first time since 2006 and he’s doing so in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He has his best starting spot ever for the Daytona 500 and claims he’s in the best equipment he’s ever had with HMS. With the exception of Carl Edwards, you would be hard-pressed to find a better conditioned driver than Martin. He’s hungry, having finished a couple feet short to Kevin Harvick in 2007. Martin’s stiffest competition may come from his three fellow HMS drivers — Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, but this could be his best shot at winning Daytona.
Can any of the new ‘independent’ teams keep up at Daytona?
Likely not. This offseason saw contractions, mergers, alliances and teams just closing their doors. Subsequently, that allowed some individuals to buy cars and equipment at liquidation prices and they have cobbled together enough funds to take a shot at making the Daytona 500. But the likes of Joe Nemechek and Jeremy Mayfield — a couple owner/drivers who put together last-minute deals — Scott Riggs (in a Tommy Baldwin-owned and wrenched car with no sponsorship decals on the car) and others face tall odds of competing with the big boys. Simply put, the chasm between the haves (Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs and Childress teams) and the have nots has gotten even bigger.
William Tecumseh Sherman might have met his match in Jimmie Johnson.
While Sherman, the former Civil War general, buckled the South with the “March to the Sea” in 1864 by leaving the Confederates in his wake, Johnson is laying waste to the competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as he draws a bead on a record-tying third straight series title this week in South Florida.
Sherman’s March to the Sea stopped in Savannah after tearing through Atlanta. And even though Johnson was a runner-up two weeks ago at Atlanta, he and his Hendrick Motorsports team aren’t stopping until the checkered flag falls at Homestead, Fla., located outside of Miami and South Beach.
Johnson holds a sizable 141-point advantage over Carl Edwards heading into Sunday’s season finale thanks to his seventh win of the campaign – third in the Chase for the Championship – at Phoenix last week. The 33-year-old Johnson needs only a 36th place finish to secure the championship.
Doing so would place Johnson in the record books alongside Cale Yarborough, who won three straight titles from 1976-78. Ironically, Johnson lists Yarborough as his idol while growing up. When Yarborough was driving a Hardees-sponsored car, Johnson couldn’t wait to visit the fast-food restaurant as a youth because he thought Yarborough and the car would be there.
Johnson was disappointed when he learned that the series great and his machine didn’t actually reside at the burger joint. Undaunted, Jimmie Johnson has gone on to fashion a career that might rival some of the best NASCAR has seen before all is said and done.
Johnson notched career win No. 40 in career start No. 254 at Phoenix, giving him a winning percentage of 15.8% that is best among active drivers. He is already ranked 13th in all-time victories and a third series title would make him the eighth driver ever to cop at least three, joining the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty and Yarborough.
The El Cajon, Calif. native is approaching legend status as we speak.
But only Johnson and Yarborough could lay claim to the honor of taking three straight. Johnson’s titles have come in a different format, one in which the points are virtually “reset” for the season’s final 10 races. You could say that Johnson’s feat is more remarkable in that regard, while some can see it as easy for a team to “sandbag” during the first 26 races.
One thing is for sure. Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 have shown that they can rise to the challenge down the stretch. No one has put up better numbers during the Chase for the Cup, which came into play in 2004.
Jimmie Johnson has amassed 14 wins in 49 Chase starts, good for a ridiculous winning percentage of 28.6%. In addition to his two titles, Johnson also has finished second twice (2004 and ’05).
Barring a total collapse, the curtain will close on yet another season with Jimmie Johnson holding the hardware and collecting the big check and the rest of the drivers raising the white flag.
And thankfully for the competition, NASCAR doesn’t race in Key West.
