Naughty and Nice of Auto Racing 2009: IndyCar Series

(Photo Credit: Shawn Payne/IndyCar)

Clearly, I'm behind my times in providing you with the Naughty and Nice Lists of Auto Racing for 2009. I was consumed by Christmas thoughts through the past few days. Please enjoy my recent list of the 2009 IndyCar series.

Gift: Former Champ Car winners Will Power and Justin Wilson captures IndyCar victories- Though Power and Wilson are not the only drivers who have recorded wins in both the defunct Champ Car series and the IndyCar series, their stories are popular challenges against the established IRL drivers. Justin Wilson's win at Waltkins Glen in 2009 was a great personal victory and the season's underdog story. In Will Power's case, he took advantage of a limited opportunities with a third Roger Penske-owned car through select IndyCar races for 2009. His victory at the Edmonton round came not only as a mild surprise but a reason to add the Australian to the full time season's roster in 2010.


(Photo Credit: Shawn Payne/IndyCar)


Lump of Coal: Two team domination of IndyCar racing- With exception to Justin Wilson's surprise win with a Dale Coyne-owned machine at Watkins Glen, Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Penske Racing were the only teams who succeeded in placing cars in victory lane.


(Photo Credit: Dan Helrigel/IndyCar)


Gift: Return of the Toronto Indy- Please excuse me if I sound prejudice but keep in mind that my mention of the Toronto Honda Indy also accounts as some Canadian patriotism. Returning to the race for the first time in many years, I was surprised by the improvements in access and excitement. On Sunday, the race proved to be a very memorable affair as eventual 2009 champion Dario Franchitti claimed victory following a controversial, well-time pitstop inside the #10 Chip Ganassi car.


(Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter)


Lump of Coal: Canadian Media at the Honda Indy of Toronto- By and large, auto racing is the most neglected sports in the field of athletics. For this reason, it is not surprising, even after 23 runnings on the Lakeshore of Canada's highest populated city, that a event that routinely attracts over 100,000 plus annual paying spectators (almost double the size of the Rogers Center's rarely reached full capacity) for a weekend often takes a backseat in news coverage to Canadian football, baseball, and even tennis tournaments. However, the part that most bugs me is how the sports reporters are more interested in criticizing that fact that race organizers weren't publishing spectator counts. I guess they need to have someone tell them how popular the event is because they're not attending it but will still try to write an informed story, giving the sport more discredit.



(Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter)


Gift: Helio Castroneves turning off-track turmoil into racing gusto- As the 2009 IndyCar season started on the streets of St Petersburg, two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was sidelined due to the most unusual circumstances for a race car driver. Levied with tax evasion charges by the US federal government, Castroneves and his sister faced up to 35 years in prison for what was thought to be income tax fraud. As race did 14 times before in the IndyCar series, Helio Castroneves was triumphant in court. With his innocence reclaimed, Castroneves returned to his #3 Penske Racing Honda at Long Beach to finish 7th and would back it up with a 2nd at Kansas Speedway one week later.

Rolling into the Indianapolis 500, Helio Castroneves found the 2.5 mile historic Brickyard oval wanted to grant the embattled driver the race of his career. Setting fastest time on Pole Day, Helio flew to his 3rd Indy 500 victory.


(Photo Credit: Dana Garrett/IndyCar)


Lump of Coal: The unaccustomed yawner finish of Richmond- place Dario Registering 9 on the snooze meter was the final laps of the late June race at Richmond International Raceway. Though the 3/4 mile oval has been lauded as a highly competitive track for stock car and sprint car racing, the 2009 IndyCar Series visit provided a hum-drum affair between winner Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and 2nd place Franchitti.


Lump of Coal: The Andretti-Green Racing 2009 IndyCar campaign- While many teams suffered with problems finding victory lane in 2009 thanks to Chip Ganassi and Penske Racing dominance, Andretti-Green Racing (just recently changing its name to Andretti Autosport) 2009 season was a horrific off-tone year for their mighty 4-car organization. With a popular team driver lineup consisting of Marco Andretti, Tony Kannan, Danica Patrick and Hideki Mutoh, the 2009 season ended with no new IndyCar series trophies for the conglomerate's trophy display room. At the end of 2009, team owners Michael Andretti and Kim Green were clearly no longer on good terms. As a result, the deterioration in the relationship of the team ownership structure could have easily strained the race teams.

Though winless, drivers Danica Patrick and Tony Kannan were able to persevere to honourable mentions for the season. Patrick posted an career-best 5th overall in the final standings with Kannan finishing close up in 6th place. Hideki Mutoh would be dismissed from the team after the 2009 season after an 11th place points finish. However, what would classify as the largest disappointment in the 2009 Andretti-Green Racing team was the 3rd generation Macro Andretti. In his 4th season in IndyCar, the young Andretti is still struggling to add a second win following his rookie year victory at Infineon Raceway. Marco Andretti could only post a season-best race finish of 4th place throughout the 2009 IndyCar tour.



(Photo Credit: Shawn Payne/IndyCar)

Gift: A thrilling title finish- With 2 races left in the 2009 IndyCar series championship, Ryan Briscoe appeared ready to hold the champion's trophy as rewards for his best ever season in the series. His 3 wins and more impressively 7 second-place finishes put Briscoe 25 points ahead of Scott Dixon as the green flag dropped on the Twin Ring Motegi Indy Japan 300. Briscoe became the heartback kid when he went from locking up the championship to finishing third after a pit road mistake at the Twin-Ring Motegi oval. In prime position to capitalize on the fallen Penske Racing driver in that single race, Chip Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished 1-2 in that second to last race of the 2009 IndyCar season. By winning Dixon leapfrogged Briscoe in the points creating a three-way championship battle with Dixon, Franchitti and Briscoe separated by only 8 points.

In the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, all three title contenders ran together knowing that the championship could come down to just one position on the race track. At the end, Dario Franchitti won the race by outlasting his Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon and Penske Racing challenger Ryan Briscoe. This championship for Franchitti, the second for the Scottish driver, was also an ideal welcome back gift after his venture into NASCAR fizzled on sponsorship.

Friday at the Honda Indy Part 1

My intention to post my first article about the 2009 Honda Indy last night was disrupted by a side effect of the warm, sunny Friday. Following a day of picture taking and information gathering, my unprotected areas of my arms and face are enveloped with a rather painful sunburn. As I'm now treating the result of not respecting the intense power of summer sunshine, I write about an otherwise nirvana-like experience at the return of auto racing to the streets of Toronto. More than just a Indy car race, this Toronto street race is a weekend festival to the smell of heated rubber and the sound of high-revving engines. Shutting down a portion of a busy Toronto roadways requires it to be nothing less.

The 23rd running of the street race in Toronto, the race was a sorely missed event to the 2008 schedule to many Canadian racing fans after running continuously since 1986. Bringing the race back to Toronto as the Honda Indy is the first time that Indy Racing League sanctioning, Andretti Green stepped in to promote this year's race. With part of the promotion arm being seven-time past race winner at the Toronto street course, the gracious open wheel racing legend Michael Andretti has given Canadians a great victory.

Promising to be a great race on Sunday afternoon, 23 cars are competing in what is the largest field in years. The biggest news being Paul Tracy's return to Toronto driving a KV Racing ride sponsored by Ontario Honda Dealers and supporting Wounded Warriors. Adding to the Canadian contingent is also Alex Tagliani driving for Conquest racing following several recent races off. As a final treat, reigning winner of the last Champ car sanctioned race Will Power has been given a third Penske car; this race will be Power's first event for Penske since the Indianapolis 500. Along with major IndyCar race on Sunday, excitement on the track is also provided by supporting racing series including the Firestone Indy Lights series, the ladder to IndyCar racing. Within a predominately rookie field, Canadian and 6th place points driver James Hinchcliffe returns to the Toronto track with experience running the Toyota Atlantic race in 2006 and 2007. Added to the mix of racing talent on the track is the action of Canadian Touring Car Championship and vintage racing.

Arriving for the first time as a member of the media, I was delighted when the Honda Indy rewarded me and All-Canadian Racing News with this opportunity to bring my special perspective of the event. Bring a auto racing fan longer than a journalist, I'm left unjaded to the sights of the greatest open-wheel drivers of the Indy car series and the pure sensation of 700 horsepower race cars operating as predators with speed being the prey. Of course, with yourselves being hearted motorsport fans, you can probably care less about my profusion for love of auto racing or even my suntan, for that matter. However, my duty is to feed your motorsport hunger with the richest palate of this great Toronto event. So please allow me to indulge your senses on the Friday running of the Honda Indy.

As I entered the Direct Energy Center just before 9am I heard the songful whales of the Firestone Indy Lights series cars startng the day's on-track activities with their first practice. Formerly known as Infiniti engines, these smaller open wheel cars nonetheless provide a very spirited sound. Absent for a year based on complications of reunitifying the once bitterly opposite Champ Car and Indy Racing League, the track layout returned to its long-running configuration using Lake Shore and Princes Blvd as the primary streets. As the Indy Light cars run, I walk over a enclosed wooden pedestrian overtaking the track just before the final turn, feeling the sensation of the prospect IndyCar drivers' car passing was at first a jolting part of the morning. As Shefan Wilson set fastest lap in that section of practice, I walked over to the IndyCar series paddock as a morning practice for the top North America open wheel racing cars.

Having been a fan for so long this is, disgustingly enough, my first time setting foot in the asphalt for the team paddock area. Seeing the morning preparation of the cars, the crew members are making their touches to the car before transporting their team's racing machines with small brick-shaped carts. Through the scrutinizing of IndyCar inspection, the race cars must also be filled with Ethanol from one of two tanker trucks before assembling in a lineup for their inaugural practice for the weekend race.

The first time I attended the than Molson Indy of Toronto in 1997, the paddock area was along the back of the pit lane. With the IndyCar paddock moved west towards Ontario Drive, the layout requires a 50 meter Gasoline Alley to act as an artery to the pit lane. This Gasoline Alley makes the price of admission worth ever penny as you can get within plain sight to some to the competitors, cars, and crew members of the Indycar series before and after on-track periods. With no doubt, this area is an IndyCar fan's dream for getting a chance for a handshake, autograph, or a prized picture with their favourite driver. While drivers for the IndyCar series and the support race series are overall obliging to racing fans, drivers in the top level may leave a few fans disappointed at times. Ultimately a faultless development, whenever a high profile driver (ie. Helio Castroneves or Tony Kanaan) was has slowed down traveling between locations one photo opportunity or autograph would result in ten more fans would converge on that driver. For this reason, many drivers would commute either on the team's cart or on small scooters. Paul Tracy was one of few drivers to walk back to the paddock area following the first practice and I was a lucky man to have gotten his autograph. However, while I still enjoy the old gesture of the autograph, the digital world appears to make the photograph the new norm to providing a fan's connection to their favourite driver.



The one and a half hour morning IndyCar practice went off with only a few cautions, one for a stalled Will Power car and two tire barrier impacts concerning rookies Raphael Matos and Mike Conway. While these cautions were setbacks for those drivers, Power and Matos actually finished 1st and 2nd on the practice time scoreboard. Also in this section, Paul Tracy placed 5th in the running while Alex Tagliani settled in 13th. The one driver who struggled severely in that first practice was crowd favourite Danica Patrick in her Andretti Green Racing car. During the practice, Tony Kanaan was seen chatting with her presumably for her benefit more than his.



Approaching noon, I made the choice to briefly pull myself from the spectacle of the second Indy Lights practice to have lunch. There was still an afternoon of on-track action.