IndyCar Series: Long Beach Wrap-Up and Indy 500 Entry List

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.

IndyCar: Helio Castroneves Case Set to Wrap Up

For Helio Castroneves it’s either or

Two time Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves is just days away from learning his fate. Testimonies have wrapped up in the Federal Court case against the Brazilian racing star. He was charged with tax evasion and fraud regarding approximately 2.3 million dollars alledgedly owed to the Internal Revenue Service. His defense attorneys argued that he had planned on paying the taxes when the money was actually released to him later this year.

Closing arguments are scheduled today (4/8/09) and jury deliberations would follow. Then he will either be a free man, or a prisoner. If he is cleared, Roger Penske (his IndyCar teams owner) has said he will have a seat for him. The IndyCar series next race is April 19th at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. If this is cleared up by then, the 2007 Dancing with Stars champion would be climbing back into the cockpit for the first time this season. The IndyCar Series started on April 4th in St. Petersburg.

Will Power, the Australian driver who was hired in to replace Helio, finished 6th in the opener. Roger Penske has said he will work to find a way to keep Will Power on the Penske roster should Castroneves return to the series.

Follow me on twitter for updates on this and IndyCar related news: @ejwassonmsf

IndyCar Series Rev’s up for ‘09

Dateline: Indianapolis, IN

The IndyCar Series fires up the 2009 racing season at St. Petersburg this weekend. The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first race of the 2009 campaign, is scheduled for 2pm Eastern on Versus this Sunday. In advance of the chaos, here are a few things to keep in mind for the coming season.

Same Bat Time: Different Bat Channel:

This year marks the start of what ICS officials hope to be a beautiful relationship. The VERSUS network has picked up exclusive rights to most of the IndyCar Series events this year. There are still a handful of events that will be carried on ABC (including the Indianapolis 500), but for the majority of the season the change in scenery could be a wonderful thing for IndyCar fans. In the past, the races had been covered on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic as well as ABC. If an event that was scheduled before the ICS races ran long…the ICS would get bumped to another channel and race fans everywhere would lunge for the remote to catch up to the action. Now, with a dedicated channel and an impressive broadcast team, the coverage could finally be what the series’ intense racing action deserves.

The broadcast team includes; Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis and Robbie Buhl in the booth. They are joined by Jack Arute, Robbie Floyd and Lindy Thackston in pit lane. This talented and experienced team will provide an out-of-the-box enthusiasm and love for the sport that should translate well to it’s viewers.

Top 5 Drivers to Watch for 2009

With the vacancy of Helio Castroneves who is still out due to tax issues, the window for the next star of the IndyCar Series is wide open. For 2009, here is my list of drivers to watch:

1) Scott Dixon- The 2008 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion. He can never be overlooked as a possible contender for the season championship, and this year is no different.

2) Dario Franchitti- The 2007 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion is back from his year in NASCAR. Dario found the tin-tops to be a bit tougher than he envisioned. Dario belongs in open wheel racing, and he has done well there. I see no reason for that not to continue.

3) Robert Doornbos- The IndyCar “rookie” has a large amount of open wheel experience and is quite good on road courses. Watch for Robert to make an impact early. He carries experience from Formula 1, CART, Formula Ford and A1GP.

4) Dan Wheldon- With a jump to Panther Racing and the focus of a one car effort behind him, look for old Danny boy to be impressive and competitive. He re-joins Panther Racing for the first time since 2002, where he raced the final two races of the season as a teammate of one Sam Hornish Jr.? (Remember Sam? Look at the bottom 10 in NASCAR each week as he is regularly seen there)

5) Will Power- Will joins the mighty Team Penske and fills the vacant seat left by Helio’s off track issues. Will is solid on road courses and has proven he is a winner in each series he has been a part of. Put big time talent in a big time car and watch out. Will Power will be more than just a clever name by the end of the 2009 Campaign.

Even though I won’t put her in here, Danica Patrick is in a contract season and should have a solid year. Will she win any races in 2009? No. Will she be a player? Yes.

Stay tuned to MSF for more on the IndyCar series and my updates on the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

If you twitter, follow me @ejwassonmsf for late breaking and live alerts during all IndyCar events.

IndyCar Series: Will Power to fill in for Helio Castroneves on Penske Team

For the first time since Team Penske came to the IndyCar Series they will have a different driver behind the wheel of the #3 machine. With the Federal Tax Evasion court case plaguing Helio Castroneves’ personal life, it has now spilled over into his professional one. Castroneves had requested that the case me delayed, but his request was denied by the judge.

Team Penske will announce today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that it has signed Australian driver Will Power to fill in for the troubled brazillian star. Whether Power will actually drive a car for Penske in an IndyCar Series race is left up to the Federal Court system. If Helio isn’t able to answer the bell due to his court case, then the reigns of the #3 will be handed over to the Aussie.

Will Power has a successful record on road courses, and was a rising star in the now defunct Champ Car World Series. He was with PKV racing last year and found himself with no seat heading into 2009. This is a bit of gamble for Will Power, considering he may not even get to race in a Team Penske car, but I think it sets clear the state of the economy. Why would he take a gamble on being used as a test driver, while Helio fights his battles? Because there is nothing else out there.

It does make the mind wonder what the end game will be. Will Penske bring over enough sponsorship to adopt a third car in the 2009 season? Is Will Power going to be used for a few weeks in testing the 2009 car, then thrown off the team when HCN comes back?

Or is this maybe the clearest sign yet, that Helio Castroneves is in a world of trouble, and there is very little chance of him escaping the wrath of our Government.

Stay tuned, its gonna be an incredible year in the IndyCar Series… Bring on the warm weather…and lets go racing!