Scott is joined by George from Oilpressure.com to discuss:

• Will Power’s recent dominance
• Dario Franchitti’s struggles
• Lotus’s struggles
• KV Racing and Tony Kanaan, can he get back on track?
• Marco Andretti
• James Hinchcliffe
• JR Hildebrand
• Helio Castroneves and why he has such a great shot at this year’s Indy 500

Remember to subscribe to us on iTunes by clicking here & follow us on Twitter @CrimsonCast.

INDYCAR and 2012 Indy 500 talk with George from Oilpressure.com [ 55:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (498)

Remember to subscribe to us on iTunes by clicking here & follow us on Twitter @CrimsonCast.

Long Beach – Post-Race Call-in Show Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (265)

This season we will be hosting a post-race call-in show after every Izod INDYCAR race.

This week we talked about the season opener at St. Petersburg with Galen and George (@OilPressureBlog) from Oilpressure.com.

Topcis included:

• How the new body style effected Helio’s win
• Thoughts on the new look car
• How ABC covered Rubens Barrichello’s first race in the series
• The lack of passing

Remember to subscribe to us on iTunes by clicking here & follow us on Twitter @CrimsonCast.

St. Pete - Post-Race Call-in Show Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (602)

There is nothing I’m going to say here that hasn’t been said more eloquently in other places.  In fact, my friend, and CrimsonCast Co-Creator, Galen summed up my feelings well last night with his Tweet:

I got interested in the Indianapolis 500 in 1985, when my parents and I moved from New York City to Bloomington, Indiana.  My father won a pair of tickets to the race at Chi-Chi’s, and that was the first in 10 straight races that we went to.

Sadly “The Split” came at a bad time in life for me, as I was leaving High School and going to IU for college.  My interests began to change and while I would still try to catch the race on the radio or TV, my Dad & I stopped going to the track each year.

After college, I moved to Houston, Texas and was so wrapped up in a new place and new career, that I even watching or keeping track of the series and the 500 for a few years.  But in 2004, as Memorial Day rolled around, I realized something novel for a kid who grew up in Indiana.  In Houston, I could watch the Indy 500 LIVE on TV (The race has always been tape delayed in the Indianapolis area).  That brought me back to the 500.  After a few years, I realized how empty I felt at the end of May because racing was over for the year.  That when I realized, I need to be watching the whole season, and since then, I have been hooked.

When I fully got back into INDYCAR, I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t a huge Dan Wheldon fan.  He seemed brash and a bit cocky.  Plus, I figured that since he left on bad terms with Ganassi & Andretti, and was suing the ownership of Panther, he wasn’t the best guy to deal with.

That all changed at the 2011 Burger Bash.  My wife & I attended, and we got to see Dan up close and personal.  I only met him in passing, but I was blown away by how engaging and funny he was, not to mention how nice he acted toward all the fans.

Leaving the track after this year’s 500 with my wife, I listened to interviews with Dan, where he talked about how much this race and city meant to him.  My thoughts on him started to change.  Then in the following weeks, he really impressed me with his personality on the VS broadcasts.  At that point, I even mentioned in a column, that my thoughts on Dan had changed.  This only continued throughout the season, as I heard him talk about the new 2012 car he was testing and his planning for the Vegas race and 2012.

I had really gone 180 on Dan, and behind TK and James Hinchcliffe, Dan was someone I was rooting for to win.

On Sunday, I was watching the race on DVR, so I was about 30 minutes behind real-time.  I have seen quite a few wrecks in INDYCAR, yet oddly the moment I saw this one, I had a feeling that something was wrong.  My wife had stepped away, but came back into the room, and there we stayed for the next 2+ hours.  I knew things were bad when they showed all the in-car cameras, but not Dan’s.  It got more surreal, when I started thinking about how the live ABC coverage was showing Dan’s in-car camera and talking about safety when the wreck started.

As things seemed to get more serious, my wife and I started to check Twitter & news feeds, which because of the DVR were about 30-40 minutes ahead of where we were in the broadcast.  The confirmed reports seemed to stay that while it was serious, the vitals seemed good.  But the mood on the telecast seemed to show us that something more was wrong.  It made me sick to see all the fake reports on Dan’s death on Twitter, but as more were popping up, it got me more and more concerned.

Sadly, once I saw that Curt Cavin Tweeted that Dan had passed, I knew it was real.  Oddly, even after all online outlets were reporting it, my wife and I continued to be glued to the 40 minute delayed broadcast, almost hoping that it would change, or that it wasn’t fully real until ABC announced it.

For not having time or forethought, I thought that the 5 lap salute was very moving.  I was also impressed with Marty Reid’s sign-off, very well said and very poignant.  My wife and I left our house for a walk, just to clear our heads.

Going back to the Tweet from Galen, I found myself last night very bothered by this.  Maybe it’s because I am the same age as Dan.  Maybe it’s because I was watching the event live as it happened.  Maybe it’s because my wife is currently 5 months pregnant, so seeing his family left behind really hit home.  Maybe, it is because this is the first major death that I have dealt with since I have gotten back into INDYCAR.  Maybe it’s because my thoughts had changed so much on Dan over the past 3-4 years, and I was finally at a point where I was excited for him in 2012.

In the end, there is no need to find out why.  All I know is that even after a night of sleep, I still feel empty.  And in the end, that is what we are all left with, an empty hole in the INDYCAR world that will not be filled.

This post was as much for me to get my feelings and thoughts posted, as it was for you to read.  I know I wasn’t breaking any new thoughts on Dan, but just sharing my feelings was something I felt I needed to do.

Besides saying that I’m sad & empty and that my thoughts & prayers go out to the young Wheldon family, I’m not sure how to correctly end this post.  So I’ll just leave you with a picture that Tony Kanaan posted on Twitter saying this is how we should remember Dan.

I’m posting a post-race column after every INDYCAR race, utilizing flag communication to make each of my points! So come back after every race for The Second Victory Lap here at CrimsonCast.

Green Flag – To the VS crew, for not jinxing the race by mentioning how there hasn’t been a full race without a yellow since…..whenever.  Normally when you mention that, you are always about 3-4 laps away from a yellow.  This time the crew didn’t mention it, and let the yellow happen organically.  Well done!

Yellow Flag – To the entire 2011 INDYCAR schedule!  ENOUGH WITH THE ROAD AND STREET COURSES!

This was a horribly boring race.  When you have to mention to the viewers that there are only a few passing zones on a track, then it is a bad racing track.

I know there are many reasons why there aren’t as many ovals on the current schedule, but it should be the #1, 2 & 3 priorities of Randy Bernard, to get more ovals on the schedule, because I think the current schedule is really hurting INDYCAR.  And having 2 races in Texas on the same night, isn’t the solution!

First example would be Danica Patrick.  I think there are many reasons why she is leaving INDYCAR next year, and I don’t blame her.  But during the VS telecast, she was asked if having so many road/street courses on the schedule was a factor in her decision to leave. I have had this thought run through my head a few times also.  I don’t think it was the top reason she left, but I do think it factored in.  And no matter your thoughts on Danica, she was the #1 mainstream star of this sport, and she is leaving, partly due to the schedule.  (A schedule that didn’t used to be this way, I might add!)

Second example.  While driving home from the Brickyard 400, in his post win interview Paul Menard was asked why he didn’t run Indycars with his father’s involvement at IMS.  Paul said something to the effect that there isn’t a good feeder program for INDYCAR and he didn’t get experience on road/street courses.  So now, we are losing a generation of American drivers!  I’m not one who believes that all drivers have to be American.  Most of my personal favorite drivers (TK, Will Power, James Hinchcliffe) are not American.  But just check out the ratings of the Women’s World Cup games when the US was playing and don’t tell me it isn’t a factor with the average viewer.

I just find it ironic, that we were told in the mid-90′s that this split would give us more oval courses and more American drivers.  Now almost 15 years later, I’m not sure why we went through all that pain?  We have more road/street courses than ovals, and seem to be a series catering to the next breed of non-American drivers who learn on road/streets.

Finally, it just really irks me when I hear promos for the “Fastest Drivers in the WORLD!”, only to be followed by overhead shots of cars going 40 mph, and commentators talking about slow turns and braking zones.  These things don’t go together!!

I don’t need a 100% oval schedule, but let’s mix it up a bit.

Checkered Flag – Congrats to Will Power, who kept this championship race alive for a few more weeks.  Seems like Team Penske was tired of bad results.  Wonder if there was a meeting with The Captain in the off-week, where he said some heads would be rolling, because they looked like a team on a mission for the first time in a long time.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think that Will Power is totally out of this championship race yet.  The change of oval to road course in Japan was a huge break for him, and might save his shot at a championship.  I think it’s possible that he wins the next 2 races and makes this tight going into Kentucky.  He actually raced well there last year, before nerves seemed to get to him and he brushed the wall.  If he goes in there with 3 straight wins and is really breathing down Dario’s neck, I think the pressure is on Dario not Will.  But we shall see.  Before we can get to Kentucky, it is just 2 more road/street courses.  But I think you know my thoughts on that!

Scott is joined by George from Oilpressure.com for a review of the last few months of the INDYCAR season.

Remember to subscribe to us on iTunes by clicking here. Follow us on Twitter @CrimsonCast. You can also join the discussion by keeping an eye on Twitter as we will tweet before we start any podcast. If you have a question just send us an e-mail or tweet, or join us on Skype, just search for CrimsonCaster. If we are online, shoot us a message and we’ll put you on the air!

You can also e-mail us at : Scott@CrimsonCast.com. Now go spread the word!

CC 8-26-11 [ 58:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (559)

I’m posting a post-race column after every INDYCAR race, utilizing flag communication to make each of my points! So come back after every race for The Second Victory Lap here at CrimsonCast.

I have been very busy the past few weeks and apologize for not getting this out sooner.  Since it is late, I will make due with some quick  thoughts before I get onto the fun pictures!

Black Flag  -  I know we’ll take any money we can get as a series, but MoveThatBlock.com just sounds silly.  Feels like 1999 all over again!

Yellow Flag – Graham Rahal can get NO luck this year!

Red Flag – Mike Conway, who not only ended Graham’s day, but still is sporting Andretti’s Twitter handle as his main sponsor.  He was 4th in the points going into Indy and Michael picked RHR over him to get in the “bought” ride.  Makes me think that maybe Mike isn’t going to be back on team Andretti next year.

Red Flag – Speaking of guys having horrible seasons and who might not be back next year………have to say Helio.  He is in a contract year and not driving like it.  Is Roger Penske still awake?  I don’t think he would have put up with these types of results in 1994.  Wait, he didn’t!

Checkered Flag – Apologize for the short recap, promise to do better next week.  But let’s get to the custer-fuck ending of this race.  My only thought was that in the same week that ABC signed on to continue to be the network provider of INDYCAR, they get this hot mess of a race to show.  Do you think anyone at ABC was re-considering this deal?

Also, hate to see anyone win in such a way.  And while I have nothing against RHR, seems fair that this is the type of win he gets this season, after his (and Andretti’s) way of getting him into the Indy 500 this year.

Everyone has seen and commented on the Will Power Double Fingered Salute after the race.

Two things with this that not a lot of people are talking about.  If you remember Post-Race interview at Iowa, Will Power cursed during that interview.  So this is now the second time this season that Will Power has done or said something explicit  TV.  Not sure if you said that a driver would do these things this season, I would have put my money on Will Power!

Second, ABC never mentioned it, but they showed TWO people throwing “The Bird” during the race.  While showing a wide shot of Sato’s wrecked car (big surprise) being towed away, you someone explaining to a Target Team member what Will Power did.  Look at the bottom left of the picture below.

And now a bit closer view.

A free CrimsonCast windbreaker to whomever can let us know who this guy is.  He also flipped off a national audience on ABC and needs to also be rewarded (And probably saluted with a finger!).  Mr. Mysterious Flip-Off, you are our hero!

Finally, for all those saying that we need ABC so we can get time on ESPN.  I could not think of a more newsworthy way of ending a race, short of Danica driving to victory in a bikini.  Check out this screenshot of the top stories on ESPN.com that Sunday night.

UFC got a link.  A College QB battle for a team in Michigan that won’t be ranked int he Top 25 all year got a link.  I don’t see INDYCAR.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there are benefits on staying with ABC.  But for those that are worried that we will lose time on ESPN or won’t get time on ESPN, I have a newsflash for you.  We aren’t getting anytime on ESPN NOW!

Will Power flipped off the ABC cameras and there was a comedy of wrecks, including Danica and that got us nothing!

With that, looking forward to another month of follow the leader road/street courses.

I’m posting a post-race column after every INDYCAR race, utilizing flag communication to make each of my points! So come back after every race for The Second Victory Lap here at CrimsonCast.

I actually didn’t take notes during the race, so these are more post race thoughts.

Yellow Flag – Another wreck involving Helio, that was not his fault at all.  It just happened in front of him and he had no where to go.  This has been a miserable season for Helio and while some of it was his doing, this was not.  Seems to be that this season those who are un-lucky in the series just get nothing but more bad luck, while the lucky ones continue to get breaks.  (See more about that below)

Green Flag – Great pre-race interview with James Hinchcliffe, who is becoming one of my favorite new drivers in the series.  He showed his personality before the race and then some skills during the race.  Even though it was due to some off-sequence pitting, he was able to set the pace when he was leading.

Black Flag – This is for the mysterious luck that seems to be determined to have Dario win the series title by end of August.  Thanks to a well timed yellow, Dario and Dixon were golden and Will Power was left out in the cold.  The only thing that hasn’t gone right for Dario this season was some fuel strategy at Indy (Which was really more about Ganassi’s call) and his tire flip in Texas.  Amazing that Power still has a shot to win the title when you think about all the breaks that have gone against him this season.

Checkered Flag – Yawn.  What else is there to say.  I’m getting very tired hearing about tracks that don’t have any good places to pass.  If that is the case then, news flash………it’s NOT a good track!  Looking forward to our one oval break next weekend.  I’m not even sure what a pass for the lead looks like anymore!

I’m posting a post-race column after every INDYCAR race, utilizing flag communication to make each of my points! So come back after every race for The Second Victory Lap here at CrimsonCast.

As always, I write this as I watch it. On to the flags!

(Things have been a bit crazy/busy in my world, so I apologize for the late posting!)

Green Flag - Justin Wilson for not wearing sunglasses during his interview even with Oakley as a sponsor on his shoulder.  I’m a big fan of TK, but come on, take off the sunglasses!  This was an issue that was also brought up a few weeks ago by Oilpressure.

Yellow Flag - Scott Dixon didn’t have Graham Rahal’s phone number?  Had to DM him on Twitter to get it?  I guess that answers the “Are they Teammates” question.  I would assume that Peyton Manning has Reggie Wayne’s phone number.  No number, no teammate should be the new rule!

There is a bit of a double standard here from the media.  They have been getting on Dixon for not considering Rahal his teammate.  Yet, I have never heard Charlie Kimbell referred to as Dixon’s teammate on TV.  Nobody really considers Rahal & Kimbell as “teammates” or part of the Target team.  So let’s not rake Dixon over the coals on this one.

Although does it remind anyone else of Days of Thunder, when Randy Quaid had to run the team with Rusty Wheeler AND Cole Trickle!  We all know how that turned out!

Green Flag – Professor B’s segment on the brake knob in the cockpit.  I fell that I could watch hours of all the knobs in the cockpit and all the readouts on the steering wheel.  Did you notice that Graham had a map of the course on his steering wheel?

If HBO can find enough material for a 90 minute documentary on Curt Flood, we could at least get 30 minutes on the steering wheel in an INDYCAR?  Maybe a 24/7?

Green Flag - TK during the pit walk – “You can use wanker”.  Classic.

US Flag - First time I have broken this flag out.  But the video screen during national anthems?  No US or Canadian flag, but an IZOD flag image?  Was there a take-over I was un-aware of?  Did IZOD buy all our national debt?

Yellow Flag – Why are Sato and Viso qualifying so much better than TK?  They said that TK is running Sato’s set-up?  Not sure why TK can’t qualify, but I get the feeling that if KV had half-way decent drivers in those other two cars, they would be above Penske this year.

Yellow Flag – Sebastien Bourdais gets an in car camera??

Black Flag – Graham should have called Tags a Wanker during his interview!!  Missed opportunity for hilarity!

Black Flag – We are at Lap 16 and I don’t think I’ve seen ANY passes in the last 10 laps.  And no changes in the top 10.  Tell me again why we were excited about the changes in the this track?  Looks to me they have created a fantastic follow the leader course.  Yuck and Yawn

Black Flag – Dixon saying that he wants to get back out on the course to take out Viso.  It’s like Cole Trickle getting back out there to take out Rusty Wheeler! (Done with Days of Thunder references now)

Yellow Flag – Feel bad for Sato.  One of the few times that he goes out of the race and it wasn’t his fault.

Yellow Flag – Anna Beatriz’s back wing on still on the course after almost 30 laps!  Maybe local yellow and pick up our litter?

Checkered Flag – Happy for Will.  Great run by TK.  Thought it was a pretty boring race, with tons of follow the leader.

Is seems the sentiment now is that you either liked Toronto or Edmonton.  I fall into a different category, I didn’t like either!  As mentioned here on this site, I thought that Toronto was to much single file racing followed by everyone trying to pass at the only passing spot on the course.  Edmonton, was the same, if you take out all the passing.  It is unfair to say that people either like “pure” single file racing or they like Mad Max chaos and wrecks on every other turn.

I think most would agree with me that we want to see passing and good clean racing.  Sadly, the current crop of street & road courses we have on the schedule don’t allow us to see either.

We need more ovals.  That is where these cars excel and are the best to watch.  Sadly this week is another course, Mid-Ohio, where we will be told how great and wonderful it is, right before they mention there is only 1-2 passing zones.  Ugh!

I’m posting a post-race column after every INDYCAR race, utilizing flag communication to make each of my points! So come back after every race for The Second Victory Lap here at CrimsonCast.

As always, I write this as I watch it. On to the flags!

Yellow Flag - I have been going to Toronto for work once a month since March, and the city has some of the worst traffic I have ever dealt with.  This is coming from a guy that regularly drives through Chicago and lived in Houston for 5 years.  I can only imagine the traffic nightmare this street course is causing in Toronto today!

Yellow Flag - It took Will Power 25 HOURS to get from Charlotte to Toronto?  Penske can’t pony up and get his drivers a ticket on NetJets?

So if this is the best that Penske can offer Will Power, is Helio getting shipped via UPS?

Blue Flag with Yellow Strip - I have always noticed that on his fire suit, Marco has a fairly large spot for the Palms casino.  Not sure what Michael is doing with is sponsors, but I have always felt that this would be a great sponsor to grow with INDYCAR.  Casinos have A LOT of money to spend,  yet I don’t see many of them being the title sponsors in INDYCAR or NASCAR.  I have to imagine that even if you can name your WNBA team after your Casino, it still isn’t as good bang for your buck as being the title sponsor of an INDYCAR team.

Green Flag - Great feature piece on James Hinchcliffe.  I really think that he is one of the most personable young drivers on the circuit today.  Happy to see that he is getting some exposure.

I also liked when he was talking about his driver helmet collection, he mentioned that he had a Paul Tracy helmet, then spent some time talking about his Helio helmet, and how it is weird to have a helmet of a guy you are racing against.  I know PT doesn’t have a full season ride, but either that was a slight, or a bad editing job!

Yellow Flag - I do like Will Power and am very happy to see that he seems to be recovered from the hard hit at Iowa.  But I must say, I kinda like the Post-Concussion Will Power, speaking without a filter.  In the Trackside Podcast, Kevin Lee said that what we saw in the Iowa interview is much more what Will Power is like when he isn’t on camera.  I enjoy candor, so I hope we see more of “off-camera” Will, minus the concussions.

Green Flag - Happy to see that the Pit Walk made it back, and that they are not calling it the F1 Pit Walk anymore.  I know it might not be the best viewing, but I enjoying watching the split screen and seeing Dan or Robin trying to find another interview.  Makes you realize how hard it is to produce something like that.

Black Flag - Jordan John.  When you are introduced as “Singing Sensation”, that means you have no hits or platinum records to mention.  It’s a sneaky way of saying, “This guy isn’t any good or popular right now”.  Using this logic, I should start introducing myself as “Internet Sensation”.

Green Flag - Actual Green Flag!  Let’s go racing!

Green Flag - Love the look of the Penske Truck Rental car.  I think the Yellow and Blue scheme works well.  I enjoyed when Will Power ran that scheme a few years ago.  Maybe it brings back memories of the old Pennzoil cars.

Yellow Flag - TK goes into the wall early.  Damn.  Given that he was joining a new team this year with only weeks before the season, you have to consider this season a success for TK so far.  Yet, I still feel like it has been a season of missed opportunities for TK.  He was great at Indy, yet in the last stint, he was a bit off pace and might have cost himself a sip of milk.  He lost a chance to win at Milwaukee and got beat out by Marco at Iowa.  Feels like he should have a win or two this season.  Hope this wreck isn’t the start of more bad results for TK.

(continue reading…)