June 22, 2011
(Chris Jones/IndyCar)
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Downy Honda-Powered Dallara) in Victory lane with his father George (above) after winning the Milwaukee 225 IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Milwaukee Mile Sunday afternoon. Dario took over the race lead on Lap 200 when Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Guidepoint Systems D/H/F) had to stop into the pits for a quick tire change and went on to 1.4271-second victory. With his third win this season, Dario has now tied Rick Mears with 29 victories (ninth on the all-time Indy car racing list). "That was a hell of a run today," said Franchitti afterward. "The first part of the race I thought I had a bit of an advantage on everybody. Very tough, as usual here. Tough on your own just balancing the car, but then you get in traffic and it gets really difficult. It's the same for everyone. Then Tony (Kanaan) came marching along and he looked really, really strong, and he gave me a hard time as usual. Great day. To win here at Milwaukee is always special. It's such hard work and a such a hard race. It's a delight for the Target Team and we got the Downy colors in Victory Lane."
(Shawn Gritzmacher/IndyCar)
Graham Rahal (No. 38 Newman Haas Racing Service Central D/H/F) shown here before qualifying started in 12th but finished a strong second, matching his season-best finish at Sao Paulo. Rahal has finished on the podium three times this season. Bobby Rahal finished second three times at Milwaukee in his Indy car career and was in attendance to see his son on Father's Day.
(Chris Jones/IndyCar)
Oriol Servia (No. 2 Newman Haas Racing Telemundo D/H/F) delivered another impressive performance finishing in a season-high third place.
(Shawn Gritzmacher/IndyCar)
Will Power (shown here in qualifying in his No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Honda-powered Dallara) came all the way back from the 17th starting position (a season low) to finish fourth. Power had this to say after the race: "I guess we're equal on points (with Dario) so you just have to keep fighting away, keep having good days like this and make no mistakes and we'll be good. I was just fighting like a dog to get those positions."
(Shawn Gritzmacher/IndyCar)
Danica Patrick (shown here before qualifying on Saturday) finished 5th, her first top five run of the season in her No. 7 Andretti Autosport Team GoDaddy Honda-powered Dallara. "Unfortunately, there were so many yellows that came out about halfway through a stint in the last half of the race or so," she commented in post-race interviews. "More green flag running would have been good for me, but we still got a top five."
(Shawn Gritzmacher/IndyCar)
By earning three bonus points for grabbing the PEAK Performance Pole Award and leading the most laps, Dario Franchitti tied Will Power for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship points lead. But he was quite vocal in his displeasure with Helio Castroneves after the race: "Racing with Tony (Kanaan) is a pleasure. An absolute pleasure. Just inches apart, giving each other room and respect, and then Helio joins the party and does his usual blocking crap. I don't know what it's going to take to understand blocking is not a part of what we do in the IndyCar Series." Next up? The Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway next Saturday night, June 25. It will be telecast live by VERSUS at 8 p.m. (EDT).
(Chris Jones/IndyCar)
Esteban Guerrieri (above, with David Hobbs) led every lap to win the David Hobbs 100 Firestone Indy Lights race in his No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports machine at The Milwaukee Mile. Guerrieri led teammate Josef Newgarden across the start-finish line by 5.5012 seconds, becoming the fourth different winner in five races. He also closed the championship points gap on the front-running Newgarden to 14 entering the Sukup 100 at the Iowa Speedway on June 25, which will be televised live by VERSUS at 5:30 p.m. (EDT).
(Chris Jones/IndyCar)
Charles Woodson, Pro Bowl defensive back for the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers (with Ryan Briscoe), was the grand marshal of the Milwaukee 225. He received a replica racing helmet painted in Packers team colors that was signed by all the drivers in Sunday's race. Woodson gave the command to start engines from "The Fastest Seat in Sports" -- the two-seater IndyCar that paces the field to the green flag. It was driven by two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr.
(Photo© 2011, autostock, USA/Brian Czobat)
Mark Fields and Edsel Ford II with the 2012 Ford Focus that was used to pace last Sunday's NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway.
(Audi AG)
The Earl of March is again inviting enthusiasts to Goodwood, England, for the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 1-3. The fantastic event featuring legendary cars and drivers from motor racing's most glorious history is a must-see for any true enthusiast of the sport. Audi is bringing two of its Auto Union "Silver Arrow" cars to the event. Nick Mason (above), drummer for Pink Floyd and considered "the last Auto Union 'works' driver" by Audi will be behind the wheel of the magnificent 1936 Auto Union Type C Grand Prix car, while ex-F1 star Hans-Joachim Stuck will drive a 1939 Auto Union Type D with dual stage supercharger, like his father - Hans-Joachim Stuck Sr. - did (below) for the Auto Union factory team back in the day.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you want the latest update on the progress of the "Circuit of the Americas" in Austin, Texas, read colleague Gordon Kirby's interview with Tavo Hellmund, the chief of the effort to bring F1 back to America here. At one point Kirby says: "There were suggestions during the Canadian GP weekend in Montreal that the Austin race may be moved back to November at the end of the 2012 season. That would not only help Hellmund's hectic construction schedule but also make for much more pleasant weather than the unrelenting 100 degree heat that envelopes most of Texas in June and July." Let me just chime in here and say that the suggestion to move this race back to a permanent position on the F1 calendar in November is a brilliant one. Having an F1 race in June, in Austin, Texas, is an extremely bad idea and will taint this race from the get go. Last weekend the high temperatures in Austin and in the surrounding Texas Hill country area were 100+ degrees. I urge the powers that be - as someone who has spent an awful lot of time down in Austin over the last 30 years - to please, and I mean please move the permanent date for the new United States Grand Prix back to November. It will give the enthusiastic Hellmund and his dedicated group more time to get this all-new facility finished, and it will ensure that the first impressions for the global media and F1 teams - and the crowd - will be demonstrably better. I want to see this whole project come to fruition, and by moving it to November it will be given much more than a fighting chance. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD
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