tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62195852011-04-21T22:03:14.328-07:00Formula 1,Champcar, IRL, Sprint Cars <br>and sometimes even Nextel Cup.... | scottie_vox@yahoo.comscottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comBlogger661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1095271392271858532004-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:002004-09-15T11:03:12.270-07:00

I'm not blogging here any more, but you can find me posting over at: FastMachines.com See you there!

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087578653934533182004-06-18T10:10:00.000-07:002004-06-18T10:11:42.300-07:00

The Portland Tribune has a good honest comparison of the IRL versus ChampCar.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087570079216979932004-06-18T07:40:00.000-07:002004-06-18T07:47:59.216-07:00

No, not the book from Michael Moore, I'm talking about the guys making up the rules for racing series this year. ChampCar had some seriously stupid qualifying and pitstop rules early in the season, NASCAR's yellow flag rules are rediculous, and F1's qualifying rule continue to be confusing. The teams don't even know what the rules are. Motorsport.com writes: It could present a problem again,

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087502847094306772004-06-17T13:01:00.000-07:002004-06-17T13:07:27.096-07:00

Dave Despain is throwing in his two cents about what NASCAR should do about the caution flag issues in Cup. His ideas are ok, but here is what I suggest: 1) If the yellow comes out, then you revert back to the last scored lap. 2) If the yellow comes out with 10 or less laps to go, you revert back to the last scored lap, and throw the red with the pit lane open. You allow all teams to put on

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087489956464365762004-06-17T09:30:00.000-07:002004-06-17T09:32:36.466-07:00

KASEY KAHNE QUOTES from motorsport.com: "Michigan is a great track for me. I've always liked it. I've run there twice in a Busch car. Last year I started on the pole and finished second. You can run high there, which I like, but, you have to keep up with the track. It's going to be a good race, and fuel mileage will be really important. Even more important will be that we are good on our final

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087485168522593002004-06-17T08:10:00.000-07:002004-06-17T08:12:48.523-07:00

The motorspot.com US GP Notebook says: The longest blast: F1 engines are at full throttle for about 23 seconds from the exit of Turn 11 to Turn 1 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road circuit. It is the longest flat-out section of all 18 tracks on the F1 calendar. "For an F1 engine, the longest single period spent at full throttle is the most punishing characteristic at any circuit, rather

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1087416273757664352004-06-16T12:54:00.000-07:002004-06-16T13:04:33.756-07:00

This weekend is Skagit Speedway Super Dirt Cup. I saw the first hauler pull into town yesterday, and the buzz is building. I'm going to miss Friday night's action, but I plan on going for Thursday and Saturday nights to watch the sprint car action. ChampCar is in Portland this weekend, which means that it is a big racing weekend in the Pacific Northwest. We will see if Ryan Hunter-Reay can

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086968432731512512004-06-11T08:34:00.000-07:002004-06-11T08:40:32.730-07:00

Motorsport is repoting that BAR has the best chance this weekend of gunning down the Ferrari buzzsaw. Personally, I'd be surprised. Ralph Schumacher is starting to get bored of Ferrari's domination too. He said: "It starts to become boring for all of us that we are unable to beat them," he said in regard to Ferrari. "We have tried many years now, but they do something which all of us have

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086935915424379582004-06-10T23:36:00.000-07:002004-06-10T23:56:44.563-07:00

Paul Tracy is saying that the IRL cars tested at Mid-Ohio and are four seconds slower than the Atlantics. Paul Tracy is the man who coined the nickname "Crapwagons" for the IRL cars when he said, "I'm not going to drive one of those crapwagons." Apparantly, Paul was right on with his moniker for the IRL cars. Vasser also chimed in: Jimmy Vasser, who has an ownership stake in PKV Racing,

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086935444659530642004-06-10T23:25:00.000-07:002004-06-10T23:32:21.820-07:00

Dario qualified on the pole for Texas. Twenty-one cars qualified for Saturday night's 500k event.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086901112912503172004-06-10T13:38:00.000-07:002004-06-10T14:51:26.693-07:00

Carl Haas The boys over at Autosport are reporting that Carl Haas has inked a deal to run the IRL next year. Carl hasn't confirmed this yet, however, but from appearances, it looks like Carl is defecting. Carl must be feeling left out of the party or something. I don't understand how a guy who had three of the worlds greatest road racers running for his team over the years can go to an

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086896160455815042004-06-10T12:30:00.000-07:002004-06-10T12:52:47.863-07:00

Montreal is buzzing this week in preparation for the Canadian Grand Prix. Piero Facchin of Motorsport.com writes: Peel Street will be extremely busy in the next few days with events sponsored by BMW, Ferrari and Porsche. On McGill College a whole block has been closed to traffic so that Jaguar may exhibit its models, and will present a great fashion and design event called "Sensation Design"

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086880960041630422004-06-10T08:17:00.000-07:002004-06-10T23:49:41.123-07:00

Marc from the Full Throttle blog wrote in the comments section the IRL Roadcourse Test: It looks like if Ryan Hunter-Reay gets his way he will be running in F1 next year. Read Marc's post here. I read Ryan's comments, and he sounds like he's a bit overconfident. He won a race on CART's only oval after running at the backend of the grid for all of last year, and now he thinks he is game for F1

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086741835045356232004-06-08T17:41:00.000-07:002004-06-08T17:44:28.026-07:00

The forums seem to be buzzing about an alleged IRL test at Mid-Ohio. The word is that they were slower than the Toyota Atlantics times. Ouch.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086740923267120292004-06-08T17:24:00.000-07:002004-06-08T17:30:14.666-07:00

Robin Miller is lambasting Penske for his latest efforts to unite open wheel racing. Roger Penske vows he's going to spend the next few months trying to repair the split in open wheel racing. In addition, no doubt, to helping O.J. look for Nicole's killer and getting gas prices under control. Penske's recent editorial in the New York Times that he's decided to roll up his sleeves and save open

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086712005521019712004-06-08T09:17:00.000-07:002004-06-08T09:26:45.520-07:00

Yes, I saw the ChampCar race this weekend, no I didn't watch the Cup race. The coverage of the Cup race made it sound like a total screwup by NASCAR of the timing and scoring. I don't know if it is due to their new yellow flag rules or not. Nevertheless, they need to go back to their old rules. Their rules package is horrible this year. The ChampCar race was pretty much another snoozer. I

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086394940207859092004-06-04T17:11:00.000-07:002004-06-04T17:22:20.206-07:00

Hunter-Reay continues to top practice speeds during ChampCar practice sessions in Milwaukee. Tracy is struggling a bit, and is not in the top 10 on the time sheet. Junquera and Bourdais are doing well, and Rodolpho Lavin is a suprise #3 on the time sheet. He's in a Forsythe car, and doing quite well. I think ChampCar should go back to having Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. They just don't

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1086133096900288652004-06-01T16:28:00.000-07:002004-06-01T16:48:23.076-07:00

Memorial Day 2004 has come and gone, and it will only be remembered for rain delays and lack of drama. The Indiacrapolis 500 turned out to be an "ok" race once the AJ Foyt owned cars were eliminated. I was glad to see that neither of AJ's boys were hurt. Neither of them should have been out there. Buddy Rice is a new champion, and he did drive a good race. Congratulations to Rice,

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085953130536283842004-05-30T14:32:00.000-07:002004-05-30T14:40:50.873-07:00

Well, the biggest race of the day has been won by Micheal Schumacher. He won by 18 seconds at the European Grand Prix. Indy is under way again after a two hour rain delay. There are a lot of empty seats. Here are some shots of Indy today: http://www.phototiming.com/f1/2.jpg http://www.phototiming.com/f1/3.jpg http://tbk.fameflame.dk/temp/2004_Indianapolis_500_04.jpg *Special thanks to "The

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085460569890839792004-05-24T21:39:00.000-07:002004-05-24T21:49:29.890-07:00

What a boring weekend for open-wheel racing. I am very happy for Jarno Trulli with his first win at the Grand Prix of Monaco. Well done Jarno and Renault! However, the race was just pretty boring, as it usually is. With absolutely no place to pass on this race course, why bother watching? The ChampCar race was even worse. ChampCar has got some serious problems with their rules package.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085272067916743272004-05-22T17:24:00.000-07:002004-05-22T17:27:47.916-07:00

Schui had a disappointing qualifying session today in Monaco. I'm a bit surprised to hear excuses about a slippery track from the World Champ. Jarno Trulli didn't seem to have any trouble at all.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085263556158954322004-05-22T14:56:00.000-07:002004-05-22T15:05:56.156-07:00

ChampCar's race tomorrow will be lead into the green flag by Sebastian Bourdais. He earned the pole today in final qualifying. ChampCar officials tinkered with the rules again this weekend, and I wish they would stop tinkering with the rules. I liked the rule that the fastest Friday qualifier was guaranteed a top starting position, which they did away with this year, and then they experimented

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085251722462985922004-05-22T11:46:00.000-07:002004-05-22T11:48:42.463-07:00

I read this on USENET group rec.autos.sport.indy.... Dan Gurney phoned in to Dave Despain's TV show on Thursday night from a sailboat near Catalina and revealed his weekend TV plans: "I'm going to watch qualifying and the race from Monaco and watch bump day for what used to be the Indy 500". Thank God Gurney hasn't been drinking the IRL kool-aid.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085248764562816012004-05-22T10:59:00.000-07:002004-05-22T10:59:24.563-07:00

It is raining this morning north of Seattle. I hope it dries up soon enough for Skagit Speedway to put on a show. I need my "sprint car fix". I've only been able to go to one sprint car race so far this year due to my schedule, but I have a free Saturday night tonite. If it rains, I can always watch the Nextel Cup All Star Challenge(Starting Lineup). Rusty is on the pole. I like this event

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085217804543961832004-05-22T02:21:00.000-07:002004-05-22T10:59:03.916-07:00

Wow, it's 2:20 AM in Seattle, and they are practicing in Monaco. I thought I'd post the top five in the final practice. 1. Michael Schumacher D Ferrari 5 1:14.014 2. Jarno Trulli I Renault 8 1:14.016 3. Takuma Sato J BAR-Honda 1 1:14.020 4. Fernando Alonso E Renault 5 1:14.138 5. Juan Pablo Montoya COL Williams-BMW 0 1:14.212

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085157871310508522004-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:002004-05-21T13:56:51.973-07:00

-----13:54 PM PT----- Surprise, surprise in Mexico. Tracy doesn't make the top 5 qualifiers and Bourdais get's the championship point. Wilson makes a very strong run in opening qualifying. The weekend just got a little more interesting. 1 S. Bourdais 2 1:15.978 99.692 160.438 2 B. Junqueira 6 1:16.881 98.521 158.554 0.903 3 J. Wilson

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085120682911360702004-05-20T23:22:00.000-07:002004-05-20T23:24:42.910-07:00

ESPN.com is finally acknowledging that Indy needs to be fixed. It's about time. The folks at ESPN.com need to talk to Paul Page and Jack Arute and clue them in.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1085120108857184992004-05-20T23:03:00.000-07:002004-05-20T23:15:14.780-07:00

Well, thanks to the nudging of a random blogger, I am bringing The Paddock online again. Quite honestly, open-wheel racing isn't as exciting to me as in past years. Formula One has been pretty boring this year, ChampCar/OWRS had one horrid race, and I disdain the IRL. NASCAR has had more races than you can count, but NASCAR is what it is: the WWF of the racing world. Don't get me wrong, I

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1075842047674908052004-02-03T13:00:00.000-08:002004-02-03T13:03:07.123-08:00

Pat Patrick decided to quit CART today. I always liked Pat's stright-shooting comments. He will be missed in the series.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1075746661778839282004-02-02T10:31:00.000-08:002004-02-02T10:33:19.296-08:00

In a huge decision, bankruptcy judge Frank Otte approved a buyout of CART by OWRS. CART lives on. It will be interesting to see how well the ailing series does in 2004. Personally, I am not convinced that OWRS can pull it off. I have a feeling that 2004 is going to be a pathetic year for CART/OWRS, just like 2003 was.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1075150719357161532004-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:002004-01-26T13:41:16.013-08:00

Wow, things have changed in the CART Bankruptcy situation as the IRL has outbid the OWRS for CART. Tony George even wrote an open letter to open-wheel racing fans, trying to make a positive spin on the war that the IRL has waged on CART since 1996. Now, Tony G is moving in on the kill, and is trying to win over CART fans. He might as well save his breath, because it is too late for that. Tony

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074839670178411912004-01-22T22:34:00.000-08:002004-01-22T22:37:09.326-08:00

It is official, the IRL is bidding.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074784619591857032004-01-22T07:16:00.000-08:002004-01-22T07:28:16.610-08:00

Jim Bourne has a great article at theracesite.com. He does a great job of explaining just how much is at stake tomorrow as the bankruptcy judge decides if CART's assets will be sold to OWRS or go up for auction. Jim points out that the contracts with lucrative markets like Toronto and Long Beach have dates on the 2004 calendar and how the IRL would not be ready to road-race in 2004.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074721775631294572004-01-21T13:49:00.000-08:002004-01-21T13:51:36.763-08:00

Michael Andretti speaks quite frankly that he wants CART to die. Even Bobby Rahal is getting in on the action, and he's a CART team owner, once was the interim CEO of CART! The guys over at the IRL are sure feeling their oats right now.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074627960290268222004-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:002004-01-20T12:13:36.153-08:00

Well, the silly season leading up to 2004 has been extremely odd. Between the bankruptcy of CART and the IRL's possible bidding war with OWRS to buy it up, the future of Champ Car racing is hanging in the balance. In F1, Williams has possibly begun the "tusk" revolution with its radical new design. Could this be as big of a breakthrough as the raised nose that every car has used in recent

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074267215956571792004-01-16T07:33:00.000-08:002004-01-16T07:35:29.936-08:00

Well it is official, Jacques Villeneuve will not be in F1 in 2004. The 1997 world champ decided to sit it out this year despite the offer from Jordan F1. Jacques says that he doesn't want to drive for a team at the tail end of the grid, although he does say that Jordan gets decent results for the budget they have. I have always been a Villeneuve fan. I started getting seriously interested in

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074184584981652162004-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:002004-01-15T08:38:45.030-08:00

A crapwagon.com forum user found this in the January 13, 2004 edition of David Letterman's top ten lists. The list was "Top Ten Signs Your Car Should Be Recalled". Here is #9: "It can only make left turns" Dave is a well known CART fan. I know this can't be an accident. Do you suppose it is a jab at the IRL?

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074128103433664932004-01-14T16:55:00.000-08:002004-01-14T16:56:54.920-08:00

Bobby wants unification under the IRL banner.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074098218410378512004-01-14T08:36:00.000-08:002004-01-14T08:41:59.996-08:00

Here is a story from Portland's point of view concerning their possible OWRS race, and why they haven't signed a contract for a race yet.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074095548495545132004-01-14T07:52:00.000-08:002004-01-15T08:39:11.093-08:00

From TSN.ca: "We're not at all intimidated," Gentilozzi tells the Indianapolis Star. "We have put thousands of hours into this transaction. We're not going to pack our bags just because some guy is looking to buy a few computers and trailers."

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074095149629372382004-01-14T07:45:00.000-08:002004-01-14T07:47:40.716-08:00

Paul Gentilozzi has said in interviews that he considers Tony George a friend, but I am wondering if they will exchange Christmas cards in 2004. Paul is a little upset that Tony and the IRL are considering to bid on the assets of CART. "Obviously, it caught me by surprise since Tony told me months ago he didn't plan to get involved. He obviously has one thing in mind: to close it down and get

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1074009723010339022004-01-13T08:02:00.000-08:002004-01-13T08:03:53.360-08:00

Racingone.com reports that the IRL could be looking to make bids to buy up assets of CART. This is a very interesting twist in this story, and could be the end of the split if the IRL ponies up the money. I find this highly interesting. This story comes out afer Paul Gentilozzi reamed out Portlant International Raceway for not being immediately interested in signing a contract and paying a

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073685219885922542004-01-09T13:53:00.000-08:002004-01-09T13:54:00.446-08:00

Paul Gentilozzi, co-owner of OWRS had some words about Portland International Raceway and their hesitance to sign a contract and pay a sactioning fee to CART/OWRS for a race in 2004. Paul said, "I'm certain we're going racing. We'll have a series," Gentilozzi says. "If Portland wants a race, they'll have to show that by signing a sanctioning agreement. "Other venues are selling tickets. I

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073503564995988382004-01-07T11:26:00.000-08:002004-01-07T11:27:02.503-08:00

Detroit Free Press - Paul Gentilozzi says there should be only one major open-wheel racing series in America, and it should include ovals and road courses. Gentilozzi, a three-time Trans-Am champion and Lansing businessman, hopes that will happen in the next five or so years. [Read More] I'd like to see a single series again too, but the guys at OWRS seem to be too idealistic. I think the

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073432149780036682004-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:002004-01-20T12:14:22.746-08:00

The new FW26 from Williams F1 is stunning. I wonder if it will be as fast as it looks.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073329742143018492004-01-05T11:09:00.000-08:002004-01-05T11:09:21.403-08:00

Ralphy wants Mikey's trophy.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073167216124634352004-01-03T14:00:00.000-08:002004-01-03T14:00:35.000-08:00

I found a really neat set of CART photos at Mark Sheueren's photoblog. It has some great pictures from the 2003 CART season and more.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1073121239311105222004-01-03T01:13:00.000-08:002004-01-03T01:15:00.306-08:00

Bill France better get on the phone with the guys over at insideracingnews.com and figure out how "the IRL will prosper to the point that it will be the largest racing series in the world". This prediction is absolutely bewildering to me.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072892826215834282003-12-31T09:47:00.000-08:002003-12-31T12:33:56.413-08:00

Hmm, imagine that. The IRL and NASCAR tried to squash the OWRS/CART transaction.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072892220873051472003-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:002003-12-31T09:37:18.550-08:00

I actually haven't read Autoweek much, but I think they have an pro-IRL bias. They report that the IRL's car count is "picking up steam" with 18 confirmed cars. While this is a full field, it is hardly an indication that the IRL is picking up steam, considering that 18 is the minimum count for a full field in the IRL and CART.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072814235660694632003-12-30T11:57:00.000-08:002003-12-30T11:57:53.420-08:00

India is vying for a Formula 1 race in 2007. See what happens when you squeeze out tobacco sponsorships? I wonder how many European, US, or Canadian races will be left on the calendar by 2007 with the anti-tobacco legislation that is out of control. It has become a heated issue in Canada over the Canadian Grand Prix. Many Canadians are outraged that their government is shelling out millions

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072813498846786292003-12-30T11:44:00.000-08:002003-12-31T12:34:21.523-08:00

The guys at OWRS are claiming that they have the 18 cars needed to run a ChampCar series next year. I am still a bit skeptical, but hope this is true.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072207844343572682003-12-23T11:30:00.000-08:002003-12-31T12:34:35.006-08:00

Johnny Herbert is relieved to be free of the BS of F1, apparantly.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072197797809438382003-12-23T08:43:00.000-08:002003-12-23T08:43:52.593-08:00

CART's fate and the future of OWRS staging ChampCar races is hanging in the balance.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072158180870777812003-12-22T21:43:00.000-08:002003-12-31T12:34:52.150-08:00

Despite only having 13,500 hotel rooms in Bahrain, officials say they will be ready for 70,000 fans that are expected to attend the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain. The race on on April 4, 2004, which means that they have their work cut out for them.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072128633652152382003-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:002003-12-23T08:44:09.923-08:00

It looks like the SCCA is not quite ready to give up the name "Trans Am" to OWRS just yet.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072112337359035872003-12-22T08:58:00.000-08:002003-12-22T08:59:12.220-08:00

The IRL has announced a private testing ban in the IRL for 2004. Factory teams will still get to test a bit more than the other teams, so I feel that this still gives an advantage to the big teams, but will help to contain costs in the IRL. I think they could have gone a step further to give non-factory teams an opportunity to private test the equal number of days that the factory teams do

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072110012691873742003-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:002003-12-22T08:20:28.093-08:00

New OWRS/CART ownership has snipped the Miami street race for 2004. The race lost $9 million in the last two years.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1072043670152252742003-12-21T13:54:00.000-08:002003-12-21T13:54:44.910-08:00

Road America is one great racetrack, and the best track for Champcars to really shine in my opinion. However, the race in 2004 is in doubt due to Road America alleging that CART is in breach of contract. I hope this gets worked out, but I also wonder if OWRS should even worry about this. Yes, it is a great race track, but it is not in a strategic market for OWRS/CART, and there have been legal

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071783366839420752003-12-18T13:36:00.000-08:002003-12-18T13:36:21.040-08:00

Robin Miller at espn.com has a story about reunification of CART/OWRS and the IRL. Personally I feel like this is probably not going to happen. The IRL is in the catbird seat, and I can only see them reunifying if the situation would be unusually beneficial to the IRL. Ah, but the speculation makes for interesting news. At this point, I've almost resigned myself to the fact that the death of

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071777637716127962003-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:002003-12-31T09:49:53.556-08:00

It sounds like Team Penske is lobbying to keep the IRL from making their cars "idiot-proof". In an Indy Star article, Team Penske president Tim Cindric said changing the engine capacity will be beneficial if the IRL continues to allow the rear wings to be adjusted by at least five degrees. "Because some people get (the sweet spot) right and some don't, it separates the cars in qualifying and,

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071776572116701052003-12-18T11:42:00.000-08:002003-12-18T11:43:06.206-08:00

Is there a shakeup happening in the Ferrari F1 team after 2004? Rubens Barrichello has demanded Ferrari come clean and let him know whether or not he will still be driving for them after next season. Maybe Ferrari wants an Italian in one of theirs seats in '05?

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071775966003294852003-12-18T11:32:00.000-08:002003-12-18T11:33:00.230-08:00

I know this is off topic, but Berlin Raceway has an ASA date again. This is great news for a great track. I've only been there once, but my Dad used to go there a lot when he lived in Michigan. The weekend I was at Berlin they had an Iceman Series race and there was a 12 car pile-up on the first lap of the main feature. That was a bit disappointing, but it ended up being a good race, and

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071700415205156652003-12-17T14:33:00.000-08:002003-12-17T14:35:05.726-08:00

Jim McGee had something to say in this ESPN.com article about how certain teams in the IRL have an advantage and why he wants to stay in CART: "I want to go back to Indy, but I want to go back and be able to win the thing and, if you don't have factory support, I don't think you can compete with Penske and (Chip) Ganassi," said McGee, who's won Indy with Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Bobby

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071700019636873632003-12-17T14:26:00.000-08:002003-12-17T14:27:13.810-08:00

So much drama out there today between IRL "Earls" and the CART "Crappies". While I tend to side with the Crappies, I am getting a bit bored with the contant bickering and nagging going on. Maybe it is because I feel like I'm on the short end of the stick as a CART fan that I'm not all that excited about the drama. Things look bleak for CART these days. The pending sale of CART for $3,000,000

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6219585.post-1071697503956881542003-12-17T13:45:00.000-08:002003-12-17T13:47:49.496-08:00

Welcome to The Paddock, a web log on open wheel racing. It is the off-season now but a lot is happening. I hope to highlight news and information, and weigh in on the silly season and all the drama going on. I would like to find some others interested in contributing here, so if you are interested, let me know by writing to scottie_vox@yahoo.com.

scottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18411499219922863577noreply@blogger.com