http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/15 Recent Yardbarker articles: Indy Racing League en-us A nice article from the Canadian Press on the need or not of a Danica Patrick in NASCAR. I have added links to Danica's website and Wikipedia profile along with some pictures for your enjoyment. Tue, 20 May 2008 13:22:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269014 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269014 Live coverage of Miller Lite Carb Day, an expanded Race Day broadcast and historic past race broadcasts will highlight the ESPN family of network's high-definition coverage of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 and related activities. Final IndyCar Series practice, the Firestone Freedom 100 and the Pit Stop Challenge will be broadcast live from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (ET) May 23 on ESPN2. It will be the first of two Firestone Indy Lights races broadcast live this season (the other being the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway Sept. 7). Race Day coverage kicks off at 11 a.m. (ET) May 25 on ESPN2, leading into the ESPN on ABC telecast at noon. Brent Musburger is host, while lead broadcaster Marty Reid will be joined in the booth by IndyCar Series analysts Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr. Jack Arute, Jamie Little, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch will report from the pits. ... notes from The EDJE Tue, 20 May 2008 08:49:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268922 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268922 A.J. Foyt IV was scorching at Speedway on Sunday, as the Indy racer's car caught on fire & hit the wall during a practice lap. And it turns out the accident was caused by a fuel tank cap that wasn't tightened correctly. (Link included video of the crash.) Mon, 19 May 2008 02:59:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268435 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268435 Yasukawa, who entered Bump Day in the 32nd spot on the grid, was bumped by Dominguez with 26 minutes left. Yasukawa was back on the track in the No. 98 CURB Records/hhgregg/Real Power car for CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports and was tied with Dominguez's qualifying speed after three laps. But he came up 0.120 of a mph short on Lap 4 to bump into the field. Another attempt 14 minutes later, with Roth on the bubble, also came up short. Lazier, who won the $50,000 Firestone designation as the final qualifier, will make his 15th consecutive start in the 500-Mile Race - the first for the 1996 race winner from the last row. The bad news is that they (Mario and PCM) were only able to put the deal together with "Visit Mexico City" about a week before they were able to show up at the track to practice. The good news is that the deal is for a two year sponsorship. Look for Mario, Tyler Tadevic, and the Pacific Coast Motorsports crew to be solidly placed in the field (middle third) in 2009. They still have a season to complete and an ICS championship to contest for ... which is something that can not be said for some who will be walking in Gasoline Alley next week. Also, Mario was able to make it into the field ... once. For a team that had the least amount of knowledge on the Dallara chassis, suffered two hits with the wall (one inside, and one outside), this was a better result than some have had at their first attempt at the yard of bricks. Unsatisfactory, but better. ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 18 May 2008 20:26:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268365 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268365 To say the least, watching the developments of the drivers and teams that were able to transition (T-Team) to the Indy Racing League (IRL) and compete for the championship of the IndyCar Sreies (ICS) has been an exercise in hope spiced with a healthy dose of frustration. To the fan who favored the former ChampCar Series and its history legacy to CART and the spirit of competition this form of racing and equipment provided through the years, the process has had its moments. When the announcement for the merger was first announced back on February 21, 2008, the obvious hope for fans and teams alike was that all of the teams and drivers would just port over and plug-in to the IndyCar Series and all racing life would go on for the duration of the 2008 season. As the reality set in after about thirty days, ChampCar was lucky to end up with as many drivers and teams that have now ended up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in the world's largest staged racing spectacle. Before the merge announcement of unification of ChampCar and IndyCar, the ChampCar Series was about to field 12 teams supporting the talents of 20 drivers in an 18 race event season. What remains going into the fourth race of the season, the Indianapolis 500 set to be held on May 25, 2008, are 6 teams supporting the talents of 10 drivers with one team and driver making this race its first of the 2008 ICS season (Pacific Coast Motorsports and Mario Dominguez). ... notes from The EDJE Sat, 17 May 2008 20:28:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268156 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268156 Pretty sweet footage of Mad Max doing a hot lap in a Corvette Wed, 14 May 2008 16:17:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266972 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266972 I work at MediaZone and can confirm this contest is legit. It's quick and easy to enter for those of you who always wanted to go to the Indy500! Mon, 12 May 2008 20:10:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266257 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266257 The drama of the day came down to two teammates and an owner eager to start the Indianapolis 500 from the pole position and not afraid to gamble to get it. Scott Dixon withdrew a record-setting run to regain the pole position Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then withstood the challenge of teammate Dan Wheldon, who himself withdrew a front-row spot to run for the pole as the final minutes ticked away. In the end, Dixon unflappably handled the drama to win the pole for the 92nd running of the Indy 500. "Among the drivers, this means a lot," Dixon said. "If you talk to the drivers out there, they'll tell you how on the limit you are (for qualifying at Indy). I don't think the general person out there realizes that stuff. Between the small group of drivers, it means a lot. You're right on the limit and giving it your all. It's definitely right at the top of the list of accomplishments." ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 11 May 2008 00:16:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265612 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265612 Video of Danica sideswiping a crewman during practice at Indy. Fri, 09 May 2008 23:03:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265377 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265377 Or was it an accident? Either way, I think it speaks volumes for women drivers. Fri, 09 May 2008 18:51:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265337 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265337 She's cute but man is she wordy. Fri, 09 May 2008 14:45:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265278 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265278 Within their first four to eleven laps, just after the 10:00am PDT start time of the official first day of Practice at Indy, the seasoned drivers who have been to the track and have raced in IndyCar Series for the last few years showed their stuff. Tony Kanaan – 224.591 – 9 laps, Danica Patrick – 223.479 – 11 laps, Ryan Briscoe – 223.068 – 8 laps, Marco Andretti – 223.041 – 4 laps, Helio Castroneves – 222.893 – 7 laps ... all speed marks above the fastest mark set by the ChampCar transition team rookies with KV Racing Technology's Will Power at 222.267 after 154 laps of practice. Two other rookies also posted better times than Power in the Rookie Orientation Program with Rahal Letterman Racing's Alex Lloyd - 223.033 after 106 laps and Andretti Green Racing's Hideki Mutoh - 222.600 after only 78 laps. The biggest story from yesterday comes from Andretti Green Racing driver, nineteen year old Marco Andretti posting a lap speed average of 226.599 mph. This mark bests the 2007 pole qualifying speed set by Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves at 225.817 by nearly 8/10ths of a second. ... notes from The EDJE Wed, 07 May 2008 10:23:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264251 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264251 Thirteen of the fourteen registered Rookies that hope to qualify and make it into the race come May 25 took to the "Brick Yard" for the first time. Mario Dominguez was scheduled to make his rookie debut today in orientation, but some last minute details kept the Pacific Coast Motorsports squad from taking to the track for their first time. "Once we rolled through tech, three of the four wishbones on the car were deemed unusable by the series. These are suspension pieces that we received with our car and we were not aware these parts are no longer being used," said team owner, Tyler Tadevic. "The guys have been working hard, we're back to being rookies again. We disseminating tons of information trying to catch up and we'll make sure Mario gets through his orientation tomorrow." The rest of the "Rookies", most of them driving for teams that transitioned from the ChampCar World Series with the unification agreement, posted respectable lap speeds with the cream of the crop circling the rectangle two and a half mile "oval" of upwards to the 220 mph range. The biggest surprise of the day is how poorly the CCWS Championship Team of Newman/Haas/Lanigan did with their drivers Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson being eighth and ninth fastest for the day … nearly two miles per hour off of the pace st by Will Power/KV Racing Technology and EJ Viso/HVM Racing. More on the events of the day from IndyCar writer, Dave Lewandowski - ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 04 May 2008 23:08:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263450 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263450 The folks of twenty member traveling team of Pacific Coast Motorsports are beginning to get a feel for their new digs and they feel destined as they streach out in garages 25-27 for the balance of the month of May. It is all pluses for the first time driver, sponsor and team to the race track that sports the famed "yard of bricks" for their rookie debut in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. The Oxnard, California-based PCM squad received their two Dallara IndyCar's just before the Champ Car finale at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Dominguez's third place finish at Long Beach fueled his team for 15-hour work days the last two-weeks as they prepared for the Indy effort. While this is the first time the Pacific Coast Motorsports organization has shown up to compete in the Indy 500, there is plenty of experience within the traveling squad. PCM Team Manager Michael Harvey will make his second start, Crew Chief Roy Wilkerson has 12 Indy 500 starts under his belt, while Car Chief Didier Francesia has seven starts with two third-place finishes, and a pole and Gearbox Specialist Chuck Miller has competed at the Speedway seven times. ... notes from The EDJE Sat, 03 May 2008 20:04:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263184 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263184 The only thing constant in life is change … and this saying applies to the recent commitments made by stand-out open-wheel racing champion Gil de Ferran. Still known for being the driver that posted the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded on a closed course at slightly over 242 mph, California Speedway; Gil wants to bring his brand of competition to the discipline of racing team management as a driver/owner. A little over three months ago, Gil announced the formation of his own team, De Ferran Motorsports, which will campaign an Acura ARX-01b in the American Le Mans Series. De Ferran confirmed details of the program in Long Beach over Grand Prix weekend, naming Frenchman, and CCWS refugee, Simon Pagenaud as his co-driver and Panasonic as the car's primary sponsor. The team will be making its race debut at the next round in Salt Lake City at the Larry H Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels, May 16-18, 1PM MDT. Unification in the open-wheel racing series has opened up additional opportunities for young good drivers that were not able to make the transition either because the team they were attached to couldn't make it over to compete in the Indy Car Series, or due to the timing of the merger, just got caught out. So where does one apply the unique talent and experience of driving really fast cars in competition and one does not have a ride at Indy? Why the American Le Mans Series, of course. "These are really single-seaters with bodywork," Gil added. "They are high horsepower, high downforce cars. They're relatively light. The brakes have a very high capacity. For example at Sebring, we were pulling just over four Gs under braking through the hairpin, which is not dissimilar to what happens in an open-wheel car. To me, that's fascinating. To drive one of these cars quick is a huge challenge. And you can see it in the lap times. They are very close and sometimes faster than some open-wheel cars." Here, at The EDJE, we will add the obvious ending tag to de Ferran's statement … especially the IndyCar Series Dallara's! ... notes from The EDJE Fri, 02 May 2008 09:06:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262682 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262682 ... or, when the pure love of motorsport meets a strong management style. This year, 2008 has been quite a year for Pacific Coast Motorsports. It started off smooth enough, the kick-off party at the Hard Rock Hollywood was a complete success. Members of the C-300 volunteer group in Long Beach, luminaries' from the Grand Prix of Long Beach Association, card carrying Screen Actors Guild members, photographers, and fans enjoyed themselves under the guitar and beside the Atlantic racing cars before retiring inside for food and chat. At that time, back in the middle of February, Pacific Coast Motorsports, under the management of team president, Tyler Tadevic, had plans to compete successfully in two major American open-wheel series. After all, in 2004, the team had put together a series championship winning campaign with Jon Fogarty and was looking to do the same in the ChampCar World Series after what the team had learned from completing its first season in 2007 with a two car, three driver effort with Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel, and later, ChampCar veteran Mario Dominguez. In about the time it took the PCM transporter to leave Oxnard and drive to Sebring for the first at speed testing for the Atlantic series where Frankie Muniz (yes that, "Malcom In The Middle" star, Frankie Muniz), and Carl Skerlong were anxious to get the season started … an announcement came down that the CCWS would merge with the Indy Racing League starting immediately. The investment in equipment and relationships that had been forged over previous years that were planned out and put in place, in order to compete at the highest levels of professional motorsports had to be totally re-assesed in a bizarre game of high-stakes 52 card pick-up. ... notes from The EDJE Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:05:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261800 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261800 The Indy 500 has announced two Chevrolet Corvettes will serve as this year's pace car, with former champ Emerson Fittipaldi as the driver. This is Chevrolet's 19th time serving as the race's official pace vehicle and the 10th time a Corvette has been used. To start the race, Fittipaldi will drive an ethanol-powered Corvette Z06 E85 concept car. The next vehicle he will drive is a special edition Corvette, designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1978 Corvette Indy 500 pace car. Video of unveiling at source>> Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:56:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261166 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261166 The Indy 500 has announced two Chevrolet Corvettes will serve as this year's pace car, with former champ Emerson Fittipaldi as the driver. This is Chevrolet's 19th time serving as the race's official pace vehicle and the 10th time a Corvette has been used. To start the race, Fittipaldi will drive an ethanol-powered Corvette Z06 E85 concept car. The next vehicle he will drive is a special edition Corvette, designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1978 Corvette Indy 500 pace car. [Source: General Motors â€" Global â€" via The EDJE ] Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:14:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260852 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260852 The race broadcast was delayed due to a playoff in the LPGA Golf event in Miami being shown on ESPN2. The broadcast begins with the race in its second Yellow Flag caution period brought about by T-Team Will Power KV Racing Technology driver spinning and hitting the wall. Not a great start for the Round Three winner of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the last ChampCar World Series event. The two open-wheel racing series are fully united beginning with this oval race. Simon Morely of Luczo Dragon/Symantec Racing takes a hit, and keeps on ticking. On the second yellow flag, brought about when last week' race winner in Long Beach, Will Power spun and tapped the wall, which sparked a round of pit stops, Tomas Scheckter - Luczo Dragon/Symantec Racing, pulled in and was having his tires changed; Marty Roth locked up his rear wheels and hit the pit crew worker, Simon Morely, working on the right front of Schsckter's car. ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:54:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260300 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260300 Final grid: SP Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 9 Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:42.3014 213.956 2 10 Dan Wheldon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:42.4521 213.641 3 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 1:42.6519 213.225 4 12 Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon Racing 1:42.8753 212.762 5 2 A.J. Foyt IV Vision Racing 1:43.0132 212.478 6 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 1:43.0503 212.401 7 25 Marty Roth Roth Racing 1:43.1568 212.182 8 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 1:43.2072 212.078 9 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 1:43.2556 211.979 10 4 Vitor Meira Panther Racing 1:43.3219 211.843 11 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 1:43.3409 211.804 12 17 Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing 1:43.4008 211.681 13 27 R Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 1:43.5646 211.346 14 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 1:43.6088 211.256 15 24 R Jay Howard Roth Racing 1:43.9230 210.617 16 14 Darren Manning AJ Foyt Racing 1:44.0597 210.341 17 33 R EJ Viso HVM Racing 1:44.1730 210.112 18 8 R Will Power KV Racing 1:44.1833 210.091 19 34 R Jaime Camara Conquest Racing 1:44.2671 209.922 20 6 R Graham Rahal Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:44.3284 209.799 21 15 Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:44.3448 209.766 22 2 R Justin Wilson Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:44.5248 209.405 23 5 Oriol Servia KV Racing 1:44.6076 209.239 24 23 Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:44.9702 208.516 25 36 R Enrique Bernoldi Conquest Racing 1:45.0075 208.442 26 18 Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 1:45.2198 208.022 27 19 R Mario Moraes Dale Coyne Racing No speed No time - Ganassi strong - Penske 8th and 9th?..... - Vision continue their strong showing this year - Kanaan sounded severely pissed off during live streaming, saying the team really needed to notch up a gear or two as the car was just SLOW. Danica in third when the other three Andretti Greens trail behind in 11th, 13th and 14th. - Marty Roth in 7th. What the heck? - healthy grid number - Transition teams do no better than 17th after posting a high of 12th at Homestead (17,18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, … 27 may be out due to repairs - crash) But as Scott Dixon told the pit reporter: qualifying doesn't mean a lot at Kansas, you can start last and still work your way up the field and win. http://yardbarker.com/irl/articles/INDY_Road_Runner_Turbo_300_Kansas_Qualifying/259689 (ht: Atlas F1 Bulletin Board) Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:45:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/259689 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/259689 Bid on Patrick-autographed Motegi flag ... An Indy Japan 300 flag signed by Danica Patrick, who on April 20 became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race, is among the items added to the Clothes Off Our Back charity auction. Items for bid are available through 2 p.m. (ET) April 28. Click source to check out the racing merchandise up for bid. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:40:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/257854 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/257854 Jaime Camara has replaced Franck Perera at Conquest Racing ahead of the fourth round of the IndyCar Series at Kansas Speedway which takes place this weekend. Conquest T-Team (transition team from CCWS) owner, Eric Bachelart, added that he was sad to have lost the services of former GP2 Series driver Perera, who finished a creditable sixth in last weekend's Champ Car finale at Long Beach. The 23-year-old Frenchman lost his drive after Conquest sponsor Opes Prime went into receivership, and Perera's backer ARES withdrew. ... notes from The EDJE Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:39:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/257717 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/257717 Fresh off of a podium finish at the last ChampCar World Series race held on the streets of Long Beach April 20th, 2008, Mario Dominguez and Pacific Coast Motorsports appear to be on the verge of pushing the chips to the middle of the table for a run at the IndyCar Racing League 2008 Championship season for 2008. It has been communicated that the management of PCM, Mario Dominguez, and representatives of Mexico City will be holding a press conference in Mexico City to announce their official 2008 IndyCar Program! With three race weekend races in the can, Mario and PCM will be starting out not as far behind as one might think. Now, if only they can get credit for the points earned by the third place showing at the Long Beach Grand Prix! Details to follow ... ... notes from The EDJE Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:55:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252903 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252903 The biggest thing this win proves in that Danica is more than just a pretty face. She'd been compared to Anna Kournikova for much of her career, in that neither had major success and were more famous for their side ventures. Which is kind of amazing when you consider that Patrick's primary endorsement is with Go Daddy. It's been years and I still don't know what those guys do. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:37:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252540 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252540 Danica Patrick Honors Long Beach Venue With First Stateside Conference Danica Patrick, through the arrangement of the management of the Indy Racing League, held a news conference at 4:15pm PT in the press conference room at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. An honorable gesture was carried out by the IRL to have the woman who became the first-ever female motorsports driver to win a race in a professional open-wheel automobile racing series give a second news conference so soon after traveling from Japan to the Grand Prix racing venue in Long Beach. This conference in Long Beach was held just 19 hours after Danica won the IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan and helps to strengthen the move toward unification of the two American Racing series (the merge of ChampCar into IndyCar). ... notes from The EDJE Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:11:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252411 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252411 The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was a good race and a nice parade lap for the final event of the American open-wheel racing series known simply as ChampCar. In this video taken from the press conference that featured the podium finishers of this final race featuring the rules, equipment, teams and drivers of the ChampCar World Series (CCWS), Australian Will Power, Swiss/Frenchman Franck Montagny, and Mexican born Mario Dominguez share their reflections and insights. The CCWS was an American rules sanctioning motorsports series which stressed racing in venues that optimized driver skill on temporary street courses, airport runways, closed road circuits, in North America and international localities. ... notes from The EDJE Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:06:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252404 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252404 Video proof that Danica Patrick is no Anna Kournikova. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:14:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/248865 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/248865 On a day where the possibility of water seeping onto the race track threatened to postpone racing at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan (as it had done the day before), Danica Patrick uses her skills and her cool foot to out drive, out pace, and out last the top echelon of Indy Racing League drivers to become the first-ever female driver to win a race at the highest levels of professional open-wheel automobile racing. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:19:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/247391 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/247391 On a day where the possibility of water seeping onto the race track threatened to postpone racing at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan (as it had done the day before), Danica Patrick uses her skills and her cool foot to out drive, out pace, and out last the top echelon of Indy Racing League drivers to become the first-ever female driver to win a race at the highest levels of professional open-wheel automobile racing. 2008 will easily go down as a year of firsts in American Motosports! First unified open-wheel racing season in well over a couple of decades (INDY perspective). The youngest driver to win a professional open-wheel automobile race (Graham Rahal at age 19). First team to win an IRL race other than the three top teams in the IRL since 2005 when Newman/Haas /Lanigan placed Graham Rahal in the top spot in St. Petersburg. And NOW - - - The first woman to ever win a race at the highest levels of professional open-wheel automobile racing. All Hail Danica Patrick! Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:07:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/247259 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/247259 On a day where the possibility of water seeping onto the race track threatened to postpone racing at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan (as it had done the day before), Danica Patrick uses her skills and her cool foot to out drive, out pace, and out last the top echelon of Indy Racing League drivers to become the first-ever female driver to win a race at the highest levels of professional open-wheel automobile racing. 2008 will easily go down as a year of firsts in American Motosports! First unified open-wheel racing season in well over a couple of decades (INDY perspective). The youngest driver to win a professional open-wheel automobile race (Graham Rahal at age 19). First team to win an IRL race other than the three top teams in the IRL since 2005 when Newman/Haas /Lanigan placed Graham Rahal in the top spot in St. Petersburg. And NOW - - - The first woman to ever win a race at the highest levels of professional open-wheel automobile racing. All of this activity and we are only two and a half races (or is that three?) into an eighteen race season. The Dallara chassis may be old, but it still races as long as there are teams and drivers to suit up and show up. Whats next? A ChampCar T-Team takes the championship points lead? If Graham Rahal wins in Long Beach tomorrow, he will be second in the points with three full races into the season (or is that four?). All Hail Danica Patrick! ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:22:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/246653 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/246653