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Dale Earnhardt Jr: Acting like a geek about the Indy 500

25th October 2018 by Admin

Earnhardt is one of the most recognizable names in the motorsport world. The Earnhardt name is basically NASCAR royalty, not that there is anything royal about NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Sr, won the Winston Cup Series 7 times before his life ended tragically in 2001 at the Daytona 500. Dale Sr formed part of a long list or of Earnhardt race car drivers and Dale Earnhardt Jr has since kept the history going. Earnhardt Jr won 26 NASCAR Cup Series races and 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races over the course of this career. Earnhardt Jr recently retired from racing NASCAR full time, he currently serves as a NASCAR analyst on NBC and he is also a NASCAR team owner.

Earnhardt Jr has never attended an Indy 500 race before and in a recent interview he stated just how excited he is to attend such a special race at one of the most historic tracks around the globe.

Earnhardt Jr is a familiar face at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), he has been a feature attraction for many years at the Brickyard 400. Earnhardt Jr is set to return to the Brickyard again in 2019, but this time around it won’t be for the Brickyard 400, and he also won’t be a feature attraction either. All eyes will be focused on the track and on the 103rd running of the Indy 500.

Earnhardt plans to experience the Indy 500 from a fan’s perspective, hopefully, work doesn’t get in the way of this too much for Dale. One thing is for Sure Earnhardt Jr and hundreds of thousands of other fans will have their eyes locked onto the race track if Fernando Alonso is racing to see if he can join the record books as only the 2nd ever winner of the “triple crown” of racing. Alonso has won both the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and the 24 Hour Le Mans race, the only title he is missing to complete the triple crown is the Indy 500. Speculation around Alonso’s participation in the 103rd running of the Indy 500 has reached a peak with the recent announcement that he will not be returning to F1 in 2019. Talks about McLaren, Alonso’s F1 team, entering the IndyCar circuit have also gone back and forth and currently, there are many unanswered questions.

Earnhardt’s response as to what part he is most looking forward to was a bit of a surprise. As a NASCAR guy, the expected response will probably be high-speed crashes or last-minute passing, but Earnhardt is more fascinated about the pre-race events. In terms of pre-race events, Earnhardt is referring to driver responsibilities, driver’s meetings and the time on the grid before the start of the race. Earnhardt is just as excited about the energy from the fans, especially once the intensity levels rise the start to the race draws near.

His recent endeavor as NBC NASCAR analyst took many by surprise but Earnhardt is serious about his new gig. A guy like him could very easily retire somewhere far away from racing, but it is something that is in his blood and it will be interesting to hear more about his views and comments at the Indy 500 in 2019.

It is safe to say that the Indy 500 is one of the biggest races in the world, if a NASCAR legend is this excited about it then you should definitely also be. Earnhardt Jr will be there to see who kisses the bricks in May 2019, make sure that you are there to witness it as well.

Indy 500 2019: Don’t Mess with the Bricks

20th October 2018 by Admin

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), also known as The Brickyard, is one of the most historic venues in motorsport. The IMS is the highest capacity sports venue in the world, at full capacity, there is space for 400 000 fans inside the oval racetrack. The IMS famously got its nickname in the early 1900’s when the track was first built, the entire track was paved with bricks. Today one yard of bricks still remains exposed at the start-finish line. The IMS is famous for more than just it’s brick surface, the IMS is also home to one of the world’s most famous motor racing events, the Indy 500.

The tradition of the bricks lives on till this day, race winners at IMS ceremonially kiss the bricks at the end of the race. Local racing fans and IMS fans take a lot of pride in the bricks at the Brickyard and they take offence if someone does anything to damage the bricks. Fans want the bricks unscathed by the time that the Indy 500 rolls around on Memorial Day weekend every year.

NASCAR drivers, in particular, have come under some scrutiny in terms of their post-race behavior on the track and on the bricks. NASCAR drivers are known for their extravagant celebrations which include burnouts at the start/finish line.

IMS fans have made it clear that they prefer IndyCar racing over NASCAR and they definitely let the NASCAR guys know how they feel about keeping the bricks clean, and they do this with good reason, someone does have to kiss those bricks at the end of the day after all.

The latest NASCAR racer to upset fans by doing a burnout on the bricks was recent Xfinity Series race winner, Justin Allgaier. The marks left on the bricks by Allgaier created quite an uproar on social media following the race. And the fans are right when it comes to this one, the track is 2.5 miles long so there is plenty of space to celebrate with burnouts and donuts, but the bricks need to be left alone.

In 2015 president of IMS, Doug Boles, asked NASCAR drivers to please respect the bricks after Kyle Busch left some serious marks on the bricks following a race. NASCAR drivers, in general, aren’t known for being very sophisticated and acts like these further tarnish their reputation.

The “kissing of the bricks” is a fairly new tradition, this tradition was started in 1996 by NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett after his victory in the Brickyard 400 that same year. Jarrett and crew chief, Todd Parrott, walked out to the start finish line, they kneeled down and kissed the bricks to pay tribute to the history of this famous racetrack. The rest of the team joined them for a group kiss and subsequently, a tradition was born that has lived on ever since.

The winners of the Indy 500 have upheld the kissing of the bricks tradition along with the ceremonial drinking of the milk to celebrate a win in one of the most grueling races in motorsport.

The kissing of the bricks is essentially a NASCAR tradition and fans are of the meaning that NASCAR drivers, in particular, should indeed take even more pride in preserving the famous bricks at the Brickyard.

The bricks at the IMS are and will continue to be a sacred piece of the track for many generations to come. It is unclear who will kiss the bricks next, but one thing is for certain, Fernando Alonso would love to be the next guy to kiss the bricks after the 103rd running of the Indy 500 in May 2019.

Will McLaren be the Next Team to Join IndyCar?

5th October 2018 by Admin

The announcement of the newest IndyCar team for the 2019 season, Harding-Steinbrenner (HSR) powered by Chevrolet, has created more questions than answers in terms of McLaren’s IndyCar future. Details around the announcement of team HSR, and McLaren’s IndyCar future has been very vague and details are now more unclear than what it ever has been after this recent announcement.

HSR is set to forge a technical alliance with Andretti Autosport, powered by Honda. Exact details of this partnership weren’t disclosed at the team announcement but the gist seems to be that Andretti will lease dampers to HSR, share chassis development data and last but not least also subcontract engineers to the new team.

The biggest question that was raised by this announcement is if this structure lays the groundwork for what a potential McLaren-Andretti-Chevrolet partnership might look like?

Dealings around McLaren becoming a part of IndyCar have been messy and the fact that a bunch of high powered businessmen and team owners are at the forefront of negotiations doesn’t help, there are too many egos involved at this point in time for the scenario to play out seamlessly.

Another unanswered question relates to the future of McLaren F1 driver, Fernando Alonso. Alonso recently announced that he won’t be driving on the F1 circuit in 2019. Will Alonso become a full-time IndyCar driver? Will he only looks to be a driver for the Indy 500? Does Alonso want to opt for NASCAR instead? The only thing that is safe to assume is that Alonso will want to take part in the 103rd running of the Indy 500 in May 2019. Alonso is seeking to become only the second driver in history to complete the “triple crown” of racing. The “triple crown” consists of the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, the 24 hour Le Mans and the Indy 500. Alonso won the 24 hour Le Mans this year with Toyota and he is focused on adding the Indy 500 to his already impressive resume.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown seems very interested in entering the IndyCar market, but the big question on everyone’s lips is why? Another question that remains unanswered is why would the McLaren board be open to foot the bill for a new venture when they are struggling in F1? In a realistic world, most would expect them to right their F1 ship first before expanding their operations to IndyCar.

The questions don’t end there. For how long will Michael Andretti wait for answers from McLaren? Honda has also reportedly ruled out an alliance with McLaren, Alonso and Honda have a bad history and he currently drives for Honda rival, Toyota, in WEC. The alliances and relationships that need to be forged in order for McLaren to become a part of IndyCar seems complicated, but IndyCar doesn’t seem to see a conflict of interest so has the groundwork been laid for McLaren’s entry?

It seems as if the only thing that remains to be done is for either Alonso or Brown to pull the trigger and actively pursue this much-discussed deal.

Andretti has remained mum on the details of discussions, COO of Andretti, Rob Edwards, has been asked about the deal on numerous occasions but his answers seem to be ever changing and he maintains that the whole thing is very dynamic and that it continues to be dynamic moving forward.

One thing is for sure, anything could happen as this story unfolds before the start of the 2019 IndyCar season. Whether McLaren joins IndyCar or not it will be just as exciting to follow Alonso’s journey and his quest to join the history books as a triple crown champion at the 2019 Indy 500.

Tony Stewart’s Potential Return to Indy 500

4th October 2018 by Admin

Tony Stewart, better known by his nickname Smoke, is a former professional race car driver. Smoke is the only driver in history to win both a NASCAR and an IndyCar championship. Smoke who retired from professional racing in 2016 is now a NASCAR team owner. Even though he is retired Smoke definitely still has the racing bug and if an offer comes his way to race at a future Indy 500 running it will be hard for Smoke to decline such a lucrative offer.

Smoke recently made some comments about racing again without really thinking it through and the responses he received took Stewart by surprise. Stewart did run his mouth a bit but he admitted that he wouldn’t have said anything about a potential return unless he felt that it was realistically possible. Stewart admitted that he did speak to Roger Penske and Michael Andretti and he still has an open invitation with them.

The response that Stewart didn’t see coming arrived in the form of an email. Bobby Rahal and David Letterman took Smoke’s comment about racing again seriously and they extended him an offer to race in one of their cars. Rahal is an Indy Car racing legend and current team owner, if he shows interest then one can be certain that it is the real deal. Stewart admitted that he isn’t much of an email type of guy and he was blissfully unaware of the offer that was extended to him by Rahal and Letterman.

This whole series of events started during a rain delay at the running of the Brickyard 400 in early September at the Indianapolis Motorway Speedway. It is very fitting that this whole conversation started at the home of the Indy 500 and it will even more interesting to keep an eye on how this all plays out over the next 18 months.

Stewart has since admitted that a return to the 2019 Indy 500 for the 103rd running of the race is highly unlikely but that a return in 2020 should not be ruled out by any stretch of the imagination. Stewart doesn’t take a return to the Indy 500 lightly if he is going to race he wants to try and win. Stewart wants to run an oval race over the course of the next year as preparation if he is going to race in 2020.

Stewart made his debut at the Indy 500 in 1996, Smoke started his debut run in pole position and lead the race for 31 laps before he had to withdraw due to mechanical problems. In 1997 Stewart finished in 5th position and he added a couple of top-10 finishes in 1999 and 2001. Stewart won 3 out of his 26 career IndyCar races and he won the 1997 Indy Racing League. Stewart’s NASCAR career lasted nearly 20 years and with over 50 race wins and a host of other awards Smoke is one of the best drivers in the history of NASCAR.

Stewart has no hopes of resurrecting an IndyCar career at the age of 49, but passing up an offer to race in the Indy 500 will be difficult for a guy like Smoke. Smoke’s best racing days might be a thing of the past but it will definitely raise some eyebrows if he does make a return to the Brickyard in 2020. Nothing is set in stone yet but if Smoke were to make a return it is safe to say that it could very well be in a Rahal, Letterman car.

2019 Indy 500 – Alonso’s Triple Crown Quest

4th October 2018 by Admin

The Indy 500, also known as the Indianapolis 500, is one of the most well-known motorsport races around the world. 2019 will be the 103rd running of this historic race at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 103rd Indy 500 running is set to take place on the 26th of May, 2019. The Indy 500 race consists of 200 counter-clockwise laps around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, each lap around the oval is 2.5 miles for a total of 500 miles, thus the name Indy 500.

The Indy 500 is an event not be missed, besides the main attraction of the 103rd running of the Indy 500 there are also numerous other action-packed items on the schedule for fans to enjoy. Ticket applications for the 2019 Indy 500 are now open.

The Indy 500 is the premier event on the IndyCar Series schedule and it is a coveted title that all drivers want on their resume. Past winners of the Indy 500 include Juan Pablo Montoya who initially made a name for himself as a Formula 1 driver. Montoya isn’t the only F1 driver that has Indy 500 aspirations, Fernando Alonso, who currently drives for F1 team McLaren, has high hopes to compete at the 2019 Indy 500.

Alonso recently announced that he will not be racing in Formula 1 in 2019. Alonso who recently won the 24 Hour Le Mans race with Toyota will have his sights set on winning the “triple crown” of racing if he takes to the starting line at the 2019 Indy 500.

The “triple crown” includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and the Indy 500 Indy Cart race. If Alonso is successful in his quest he will become only the 2nd man in the history of motorsport to win all 3 of the triple crown races. The first driver to win the ‘triple crown” was Graham Hill and he completed this feat nearly 50 years ago in 1972.

It is unclear at this point which car Alonso will be competing in at the Indy 500 if he does the race but his quest of winning the “triple crown” is crystal clear. If Alonso takes to the starting line of the 2019 Indy 500 he will be facing off against stiff competition and a win is definitely not a made-out fact. Will Power, the 2018 champion for one will look to go back to back in 2019.

Word on the street is that McLaren is considering entering IndyCar on a full-time basis with a two-man team. The original plan was to have Alonso and Scott Dixon as their drivers, but Dixon has since confirmed a new deal with Ganassi.

Alonso’s recent decision to step down from F1 for the 2019 season has had the rumor mill spinning at full speed again. McLaren is in a race against time if they are to enter onto the IndyCar circuit in 2019, but an affiliation with a current team hasn’t been ruled out either.

At this point in time, Alonso’s 2019 Indy Car hopes are very much up in the air and only time will tell if 2019 will be the year when he wins the third and last race to complete the coveted “triple crown”. Alonso will also have a shot at becoming the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500 if he does compete, historically the Indy 500 has been dominated by American drivers.

It will be interesting to see how Alonso’s IndyCar journey unfolds, one thing is certain though if he does compete all eyes will be on him leading up the 103rd running come May next year.