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IndyCar

IndyCar In-Depth: Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300

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*What’s News?*

Longtime series participants Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have announced the No. 22 car driven by Oriol Servia will continue to run through the Indianapolis 500; then, the team will be shutting down with hopes of regrouping for a return in 2014. Servia finished sixth in Long Beach and will be running in Sao Paulo this weekend; however, his plans beyond this month are unknown. DRR formed a strategic alliance with Panther Racing prior to the Indy 500 last season and notes that Panther’s operations will be unaffected by this decision.

Open Wheel Wednesday: Score One For The Little Guys … Or Two Or Three

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Takuma Sato’s win last week in Long Beach was a real feel good story for the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series. A.J. Foyt’s long-struggling team hadn’t won a race since July of 2002, when the team went to Victory Lane with Brazilian driver Airton Dare at Kansas Speedway. For the last road / street course victory for the operation, you have to go all the way back to October of 1978, when Foyt himself won at Silverstone in England. It was also the first IndyCar Series win ever for a Japanese driver.

Before I go any further, those are all wonderful things and I don’t mean to decrease the significance of any of them in the least. It really was a win that was a long time coming, for both team and driver and it was great to see. (Although I really wish A.J. had been present for the moment; instead, he was at home preparing for back surgery.) It was a David slew Goliath kind of day.

Inside The IndyCar Series: Long Beach Race Recap

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*In A Nutshell:* Takuma Sato finally broke through and earned his maiden IndyCar win. Sato ran up front for much of the day and only was truly challenged by Graham Rahal towards the race’s conclusion, marking the first triumph for the Japanese driver for AJ Foyt Racing. Sato cruised to the line over Rahal, with Justin Wilson, Dario Franchitti, and JR Hildebrand rounding out the top 5.

*Key Moment:* Late in the race, Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal had checked out on the field and appeared primed to duel to the finish. However, Rahal was short on fuel and was thus forced to save until the end. Sato capitalized on this shortcoming and drove away with ease down the stretch.

IndyCar In Depth: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Preview

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After beginning the season on the East Coast, with races at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park, the IndyCar Series jaunts West to the familiar Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This event is the longest tenured “street” race in the United States, having begun in 1975. (For more information on its history, “go here).”:https://frontstretch.com/tmontgomery/42832/ The race is on April 21, at 4 ET, and can be found on the NBC Sports Network.

The Legendary Long Beach Grand Prix and How It Became a Signature Event

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The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is a strange creature, indeed. It’s been a marquee event on three different racing series; was twice essentially saved by Mario Andretti, who was merely doing what Mario Andretti did best; features a winner’s list that looks like a Who’s Who of Motorsports for the past 40 years; has a title sponsor that is an auto manufacturer who isn’t even involved in the racing; and was the swan song of the series that called it home for the longest time in one of the strangest twists of all.

This Sunday will be the 39th running of the event that was the brainchild of a local travel agent and race fan, Chris Pook. That makes it the longest running major street race held in North America. Pook initially tried the concept in 1975, as a Formula 5000 race and when that went well, attracting some 46,000 fans, he followed up six months later with a Formula One race that also was a moderate success.

Open Wheel Wednesday: Pocono Test Important For IndyCar’s Future

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There is a rather important event happening today in the world of IndyCar. No, its not a race, and it’s not a promotional event. It’s a test, one that will have massive implications on the future of IndyCar’s relationship with major American oval tracks. That test will be held at the gorgeous and historically rich Pocono Raceway, and there is no shortage of reasons why this day needs to go off without a hitch.

Now, to all the NASCAR fans that comprise the majority of motorsports fans in America today, the words “Pocono Raceway” evoke images of strung out parades and five-second margins of victory. The oft-maligned motorsports facility located in eastern Pennsylvania is routinely listed as one of the tracks that the average fan would most like to see left off the schedule. Pocono is a track with which, by and large, motorsports fans these days have little admiration or respect for.

IndyCar Recap: Barber Motorsports Park

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*In A Nutshell:* Ryan Hunter-Reay put together a demonstrative qualifying effort and used his pole position to keep his car out front and take the victory. After a lap 1 crash, nary a yellow flag emerged, with the race holding green the rest of the way and drivers adopting varying strategies on stops, tires, and fuel conservation. Scott Dixon must have conflicting feelings leaving Barber after taking the second spot for a fourth consecutive time – must be great to have confidence knowing he races well there, but coupled with frustration. Helio Castroneves rounded out the podium with a solid effort, which marks a strong open to the season for the Brazilian.

IndyCar In Depth: Honda Grand Prix Of Alabama

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*What’s News?*

The IZOD IndyCar Series heads to Birmingham’s Barber Motorsports Park this weekend for the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. Coming off a stunning maiden victory two weeks ago in St. Petersburg, points leader James Hinchcliffe enters the event with high hopes and increased expectations. He’ll look to repeat this weekend. In terms of off-track news, it was a relatively quiet Easter break for the stars and cars of IndyCar. Dale Coyne Racing did announce that driver Ana Beatriz will be piloting the #18 machine in an expanded capacity this season, as she will pilot the car all the way through Indianapolis.

IndyCar Race Recap: 2013 Season Opener In St. Petersburg

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*In A Nutshell:* James Hinchcliffe outdueled Helio Castroneves late in the race to deliver his first career win in the IZOD IndyCar Series. The race was marked by attrition and unusual accidents, most notably one late in the race in which JR Hildebrand flew over the top of Will Power’s car under caution. Castroneves stalked Hinchcliffe for the last 26 laps of the race but he couldn’t get close enough to make an overtake. Hinchcliffe coasted home to a 1.1 second victory while Castroneves, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon rounded out the top 5.

IndyCar In-Depth: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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*What’s News*

The 2013 season is finally getting underway! What more news do you need? Actually, as is usually the case after the offseason, there are plenty of changes to get used to. First, there are some new rules designed to make strategy more of a player on the road/street courses and to take mileage racing off the table. Race distances for some events, including this weekend at St. Petersburg, have been changed to discourage fuel mileage racing. This week’s event will be ten laps longer.