James Hinchcliffe Suiting Up for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 2015 IndyCar Season

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

 

If you live in the Canadian province of Ontario, October of 2014 revolves around the campaigns by individuals to lead cities and towns. The 27-year-old Oakville, Ontario race car driver known as the mayor of Hinchtown has chosen to this month announce a substantial change to his devoted populus.

After three seasons piloting a #27 machine for Andretti Autosport as part of the IndyCar Series, James Hinchcliffe has declared he will hop over to the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports organization for what will be a multi-year deal starting 2015. A popular driver not only in Canada but on the whole IndyCar scene, Hinchcliffe's move is definitely a major wave to be sent through the series. "To see what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive. Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that's an exciting thought for me." said Hinchcliffe on the incentive for signing with the team co-owned by Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson.





In four seasons of IndyCar competition, James Hinchcliffe has driven for Newman/Haas Racing in 2011 and Andretti Autosport. Crowning achievement for the young Canadian time in IndyCar has consisted of the 2011 Rookie of the Year award and being named IndyCar's most popular driver in 2012. His 2013 season with Andretti Autosport driving the GoDaddy-sponsored Chevrolet-powered car is viewed as his more successful in the series so-far. All three career victories were scored in Hinchcliffe's 2013 IndyCar season. The 2014 season for James Hinchcliffe was a disappointment finishing 12th in the overall drivers standings. His top finish in competition last season was third at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Starting in 2015, Hinchcliffe will be piloting the #77 car recently vacated by Simon Pagenaud (Pagenaud weeks ago signed a deal to drive for Team Penske for the upcoming IndyCar season). In 2014, the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team found victory lane twice and driver Pagenaud to fifth in the overall points. Leaving Andretti Autosport, the career path for Hinchcliffe heading into 2015 is acquainting him with something new as well as something familiar. In 2009, James Hinchcliffe drove for Sam Schmidt's Indy Lights team finishing in the top-five in points that season. Speaking about the acquisition of the driving services of Hinchcliffe, Sam Schmidt recalled attempting to recruit him in 2011. Schmidt responded, "In fact, he would already be with us driving the No. 77 if he would have been available three years ago. We went after him in 2011, but it didn't work out then."

Canadian & US Television Broadcast Schedule for 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

On the streets of St Petersburg, the sound of twin-turbocharged Chevrolet and Honda engines will be brought to life in competition for the first time this year. New drivers, old open wheel stars like Juan Pablo Montoya retuning to the faster form of motorsports, Chip Ganassi cars with Chevrolet engines, Andretti Autosport cars powered by Honda, a new IndyCar title sponsor; 2014 promises to bring IndyCar fans a memorable. Consisting of 18 point-paying events, the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series is something few race fans will choose to miss. Ahead of the start of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series today (Sunday, March 30^th) , I have taken some time to provide the following full television schedule for United States and Canadian viewers of the open wheel championship.

A big win for fans even before the start of the 2014 season, all Verizon IndyCar Series races will be televised live on the Canadian and American carriers. The season opener will be shown on ABC in the United States and City television network in Canada. Both channels are non-cable networks that should provide an easy opportunity for most fans to watch the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg. A total of five IndyCar races will be shown on City in 2014 including the inaugural Indianapolis road race in the series as well as the prestigious Indianapolis 500. Five races, including the double race weekend in Toronto will be shown on Sportsnet in Canada with the remaining eight races being broadcasted on the Sportsnet One premium digital channel. Canadians will also be presented with several opportunities to watch encore broadcasts of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series. Races will also be shown on the RogersAnyplaceTV.com site for online viewers in Canada.

I would have been much happier to have the schedule posted earlier (as would Canadian IndyCar fans). I sent several emails over the past two weeks to Rogers media regarding the Canadian television schedule for the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series but never received a reply. While the American television schedule was confirmed December, the Canadian broadcast scheme wasn’t released until Friday.

2014 Verizon IndyCar TV Schedule

Date	Round #	Race	Track	Race Time (Times are eastern)	US TV Channel	Canadian TV Channel
March 30th	1	Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg	Streets of St Petersburg	2:30 p.m.	ABC	City
April 13th	2	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Streets of Long Beach	4:00 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
April 27th	3	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama	Barber Motorsports Park	2:30 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
May 10th	4	Grand Prix of Indianapolis	Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course)	3:30 p.m.	ABC	City
May 25th	5	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	11 a.m.	ABC	City
May 31st	6	Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit (Race #1)	Belle Isle Street Circuit	3:30 p.m.	ABC	City
June 1st	7	Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit (Race #2)	Belle Isle Street Circuit	3:30 p.m.	ABC	City
June 7th	8	Firestone 600	Texas Motor Speedway	8 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet
June 28th	9	The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston (Race #1)	Streets of Houston	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
June 29th	10	The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston (Race #2)	Streets of Houston	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
July 6th	11	Pocono INDYCAR 500	Pocono Raceway	Noon	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet
July 12th	12	Iowa Corn Indy 300	Iowa Speedway	8 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
July 19th	13	Honda Indy Toronto (Race #1)	Streets of Toronto	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet
July 20th	14	Honda Indy Toronto (Race #2)	Streets of Toronto	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet
August 3rd	15	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
August 17th	16	ABC Supply Wisconsin 250	Milwaukee Mile	3 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet One
August 24th	17	GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma	Sonoma Raceway	4 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet
August 30th	18	MAVTV 500	Auto Club Speedway	9 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	Sportsnet

Will Power Puts Chevy Power onto St Petersburg Pole

Photo Credit: Steve Swope

Competing with their brand new Dallara chassis race cars, qualifying for the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg represented the a major milestone for teams and drivers of the IZOD INDYCAR Series. A chance to claim the honour and technical advantage of being the first driver to master the open wheel series' new specifications, the 2012 contenders of the IZOD INDYCAR Series looked forward to mount a strong offensive.

After the first qualifying session for the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series on the streets of St Petersburg, there is a sense of whatever old is new again as Team Penske's road warrior took pole position. Lapping the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street course at 1-minute, 1.3721-seconds, Power's #12 Penske Racing car was a little more than half a second faster than his pole-winning time in the 2011 St Petersburg event. "It's a good start. It's only the beginning of the weekend. We need to have a good strategy for the race and see what comes." said Power in post-race.

Will Power's pole with Chevrolet power for the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg was the first time since July of 2005 that the Bowtie brand would take an INDYCAR field to green. The start of the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg race for the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Season will also be the first in 18 years that a Chevrolet-badged engine powers the pole-sitter at a road course. Emerson Fittipaldi put a Roger Penske-owned car on the top starting spot at the Grand Prix of Monterey at the end of 1993.

For an all-Team Penske front row, Ryan Briscoe's #2 Dallara DW12 was little more than 2/10ths of a second slower than Will Power. A 2009 winner of the St Petersburg INDYCAR Series event, Briscoe's victory was one of four by Team Penske machines.

By using the first 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series qualifying session as a judge, it appears the brand new Chevrolet V-6 INDYCAR engine has promptly reached its performance zenith. Along with supplying power for the pole-winning Will Power's Penske Racing Dallara and his teammate Briscoe's car, seven of the top-10 in qualifying for the St Petersburg event were Bowtie-wearing entries. Also running Chevrolet engines, the second row for the Sunday street race will feature an Andretti Autosport duo. Drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay in 3rd and James Hinchcliffe in 4th separates the third Team Penske of Helio Castroneves from his front-row starting teammates.

French INDYCAR rookie Simon Pagenaud ushered the #77 Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Honda-powered Dallara into the Firestone Fast Six. Ended up 6th fastest after qualifying, Pagenaud was the quickest Honda in the time trial session. However, the #77 will be assessed a 10-grid position penalty for an unapproved engine change during practice.

For what is likely Honda's top team, Target Chip Ganassi and the other Chip Ganassi Racing two-car organizations were based around the mid-pack in qualifying. Qualifying 7th, Scott Dixon will inherit 6th place on the grid from after Pagenaud's penalty. Reigning IZOD INDYCAR champion Dario Franchitti will begin his title defense in 9th place on Sunday. Admitting that the Target Chip Ganassi team missed the set-up in qualifying for the first 2012 event, Franchitti uttered in post-qualifying interview, "I don't think its by accident the Chevy guys were up there. We'll just keep our heads up and get the work done. We still have some tricks up our sleeve.". In the Chip Ganassi Racing #38, Granham Rahal was 11th fastest in practice disappointed with his effort on Saturday. Finally, sophomore IZOD INDYCAR Series Charlie Kimball had major struggles to end up 22nd in the time trials.

While Chevrolet and Honda engined cars appeared competitive, questions surround the Lotus engined drivers. The highest starting competitor to be running a Lotus-powered Dallara DW12 will be Alex Tagliani in 17th spot. Starting at the back of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg is the two-car Lotus-Dragon Recing cars of Katherine Legge and Sebastien Bourdais. While the Lotus-powered INDYCAR teams for 2012 appear to show an engine that is off-pace, their customers consist largely of developing teams without the thick notebooks as the established teams running Chevrolet and Honda powerplant.

The premiere event for the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg will be set to start at 12:30 PM Eastern time Sunday.


2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg
Streets of St Petersburg
Qualifying Results

1	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
3	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
4	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
5	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
6	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
7	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
8	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
9	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
10	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
11	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
12	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
13	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
14	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
15	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
16	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
17	98	Alex Tagliani	Canada	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Lotus
18	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
19	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
20	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
21	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
22	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
23	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
24	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
25	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
26	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus

Preview: 2012 INDYCAR Series Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

The Notes and Know:

The season-opening race for the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series will the site for a multitude of firsts. Not only will the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg be the first event for the new season, the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series event will be the first race with the all-new Dallara DW12 race chassis as well as the return of engine competition as Chevrolet and Lotus set to do battle with established player Honda Racing Development.

With a 26-car field arriving to compete in the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg, there are veteran drivers in new team colours and rookie drivers set to get initiated with their first IZOD INDYCAR open wheel series competition on Sunday March 25th. Canadian driver and 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe joins the top-flite operation of Andretti Autosport. Hinchcliffe's teammate of 2011 Oriol Servia is now driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.  Two-time pole winner in 2011, Takuma Sato sailed to Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing as KV Racing Technology shifted from Honda to Chevrolet power in 2012. Some notable newcomers to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour at St Petersburg is English driver and former Champ car contender Katherine Legge as well as long-time Formula 1 superstar Rubens Barrichello.

Still residing in the same teams from last year, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Briscoe take on new numerical identities in 2012. KV Racing Technology regains Tony Kanaan's #11 the Brazilian held during his long tenure at Andretti Autosport spanning from 2003 ending in 2010. Penske Racing swaps the number of Ryan Briscoe's car from #6 to #2 in 2012. Not only does Penske Racing hold the #2 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the organization has enjoyed success with the number through open wheel racing. In the CART/Champ car series, Gil de Ferran won the 2000 championship riding the #2 on his vehicle.

St Petersburg will also be the first INDYCAR event since the tragic loss of Dan Wheldon on lap 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The transplanted home of the late INDYCAR superstar, Wheldon's memory has been honoured earlier this month with naming of the turn 10 component of the St Petersburg street course as "Dan Wheldon Way". There is also future plans for a permanent monument to Wheldon's racing and life achievements added to the St Petersburg area.


Track Vitals:

St Petersburg, Florida

Track Type: 14-turn temporary road course
Track Distance: 1.8 Miles
Race Length: 100 laps/180 miles
Race Time: 12:30 PM Eastern

2011 Defending Race Winner: Dario Franchitti



2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg
Entry List

	Car #	Driver	Driver Nationality	Race Team	Engine Supplier
1	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
3	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
4	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
5	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
6	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
7	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
8	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
10	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
11	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
12	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
13	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
14	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
15	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
16	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
17	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
18	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
19	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
20	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
21	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
22	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
23	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
24	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
25	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
26	98	Alex Tagliani	Canada	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Lotus

New Dallara DW12 INDYCAR at 2012 Canadian International Auto Show

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the media day festivities for the 2012 Canadian International Autoshow. Happily observing the auto show as an assignment for Automoblog.net, there was more than one instance where motorsports interests were stoked at the Toronto exhibition. Part of an exciting display of new production and concept-based Honda vehicles was the all-new Dallara Indy car.

A show car representing the final shape for the new Dallara DW12 chassis open wheel fighter, this race vehicle will deliver a technological step forward for the IZOD INDYCAR Series. Powered by a choice of twin-turbocharged, 2.4 liter V-6 powerplants from Chevrolet, Lotus and (of course) Honda, the latest Dallara chassis/engine combination more technologically-advanced than the normally-aspirated V-8 engine formula existing in the series since 1997. Despite being a newer, more competitive package, the 2012 Indy car engineered to be less expensive for teams to operate while offering improved safety and drivability. Built around a carbon fiber monocoque, the new Dallara Indy car can wear a multitude of varying body kits the leaque hopes to rolls out starting in the 2013 season.

Keen followers to the progress of the Indy car will notice some minor differences from the mid-2011 show car. Witnessing the concept version of the 2012 Dallara at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto in road course trim, the present design referred to a vehicle yet to be formally track-tested. While the oval version of the refined 2012 Dallara Indy car is not an exact comparison of the advancements made thanks heavily to the test driving of late Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, there are some elements that stick-out as altered. The final vehicle featured at the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show withdrew the Dallara's engine cover shark fin and is overall composed of less stylized body lines. The more polished piece displayed at Toronto also carried another more symbolic detail. Honouring the life and achievements of the 2012 car's test driver Dan Wheldon, the Dallara chassis wears the designating initials 'DW' as a continuing tribute.

2012 Dallara Cars: 2011 Road Course Concept (Above), 2012 DW12 Oval Car
  Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Set to premiere on the St Petersburg street course on March 25th opening the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series sechedule, many opern wheel fans in North Ameica will be eager to see the Dallara DW12 live up to the highest of potential.

Auto Racing Community Honours Dan Wheldon

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Only 6 days ago a terrible lose in the motorsport world occurred with a fatal crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's IZOD INDYCAR Series finale. Taking the life of two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon from this planet tragically, the incident left many grieving. In particularly affected by the loss of Wheldon is his wife Susie and two children.

On Saturday, the funeral for the accomplished open wheel and sports car driver took place in the British driver's American hometown of St Petersburg, Florida. Attended by Dan Wheldon's family, friends and close motorsport associates, the somber occasion was the most poignant farewell. Leaving from the First Presbyterian Church, fellow drivers acted as pallbearers to the coffin containing the athlete they were competing against the previous Sunday.

Quickly sharing their hurt feelings for their lost competitor and friend, Twitter lit up on Sunday night with drivers of all motorsport faucets voicing their condolences. Teammate during the Las Vegas race Alex Tagliani tweeted "It's a very sad day. He was my little brother from another mother he was so happy to show me is new Tattoo from last night SW on wrist". Remaining vocal on his emotions and respect for Dan Wheldon, the racer's former teammate at Andretti/Green Racing between 2003 to 2005 Tony Kanaan replied initially "No words to describe the pain. See you on the other side my dear friend. You will be missed.". A fierce competitor with Wheldon in his past progression through the European open wheel racing series, current McLaren F1 driver Jenson Button shared his impromptu eulogy on Twitter saying "I have so many good memories of racing with Dan in the early 90's, a true fighter. We've lost a legend in our sport but also a great guy...".

Suffering the closest loss, Dan Wheldon's family bravely shared the life of the son, brother, husband and father through the past week. Dan's father Clive Wheldon spoke a day after the Las Vegas event saying "Daniel was born to be a racer and left us doing what he loved to do".  Susie Wheldon, wife of Dan Wheldon who first united with her father husband as his motorsport personal assistant, issued a statement of gratitude. Within Susie Wheldon's statement, she said "Although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days. The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers".

A public ceremony will be held on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis honouring the life of the great racer and outstanding human being. Former Andretti/Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and the newly-proclaimed IZOD INDYCAR champion Dario Franchitti will be some individuals speaking at the memorial. Also speaking as a former teammate as well as Dan Wheldon's 2011 Indy 500 car owner Bryan Herta will also share his thoughts. Randy Bernard, INDYCAR CEO, will represent the sport's sanctioning body's voice on Sunday paying tribute to Wheldon.

For fans from want to bid their deepest condolences to Dan Wheldon, his family recommends a donation to either the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer's Association. Additional charity provisions in Dan Wheldon's honour will be made through an online auction starting Monday October 24th. Benefits from the proceeds of this auction will be directed to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund.

Apart from the two memorial services and the charitable support, Wheldon's will also receive remembrance  on the race track as Dallara has pledged to name the new 2012 Indy Car after the driver. Dan Wheldon had served as the test driver for the car that will replace the current spec machine next season. In more immediate tributes to the British racer, competitions in NASCAR as well as the Australian V8 Supercar race this weekend will wear special decals in honour of Wheldon's life.

Sunday's public memorial service will take place at the Conseco Fieldhouse at 4PM local time in Indianapolis, Indiana. For fans wishing to observe the ceremony, television airing on VERSUS as well as on-line coverage will be carried on ESPNEWS, ESPN3.com, www.indycar.com, and Speedtv.com.  

Las Vegas INDYCAR Finale Ends Sadly with Dan Wheldon's Passing

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Entering the season finale for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the tempo was his with the tour's return to the carnival-like atmosphere of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 300-mile IZOD INDYCAR World Championship would be the place where many major honours were decided. For the second-straight year, Will Power and Dario Franchitti were to do battle are top place in the driver's overall point standings. A tight rookie of the year point fight between American JR Hildebrand and Canadian James Hinchcliffe was prepared to reach a conclusion.

Finally, there was one final event on the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series title for which 34 drivers were placed in the race field to win. One of those drivers entered into the Las Vegas event was 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Completing what was a magical feat in late May, Wheldon joined Sam Schmidt Racing and the #77 team for the series' final 2011 race competing with a considerable perk of a 5-million dollar prize if he would have won the Las Vegas Motor Speedway round. As the field was staged for the last 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series race, the excitement would be far too short-lived with emotions quickly turning by lap 12.

Through one of the most packed field of open wheel racing cars the series has seen since the 1997 Indianapolis 500, there was immediate issues from the drop of green with competitors fighting for position during such an infant race. As several near misses took place on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway including a brushing of wheels between Alex Tagliani and Ryan Briscoe, the two escaped the incident without wrecking. With packs racing three-wide, even the slightest misinterpretation on-track would have caused a serious incident. Heading into turn 1 on the 12th lap in the event, a worst case scenario took place.

On the outside travelling through the first corner, the #17 of Wade Cunningham made minor contact with the #02 car of James Hinchcliffe who had recently checked up in reaction to action in front of his Newman/Haas Racing machine. Unable to retain handling of his compromised Indy car, Cunningham slid and began a fast pile-up. Travelling in excess of 200 miles per hour, cars were instantly swept up in the initial contact taking in total 15 Indy car vehicles. Jay Howard, Paul Tracy, JR Hildebrand, EJ Viso and Pippa Mann were among some of the drivers sitting in wrecked race cars as a red flag quickly flew over the race track. IZOD INDYCAR title contender Will Power was also caught up in the melee ultimately handing the 2011 championship to Dario Franchitti. Out of the car, Power would be alright but later attended the an off-site hospital with back pain concerns.

With safety crews and emergency vehicles rushing to the massive crash scene around turn 2, Mann and Hildebrand were conscious but in need of further medical attention outside of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Taken to the University Medical Center by road ambulance, worry from many race observes surrounded the #77 car that was driven by Dan Wheldon. Sustaining heavy damage, Wheldon's car was eventually centered by a yellow tarp as the condition of the driver was unknown.

As time passed and other drivers involved in the big wreck at Las Vegas were discharged from the on-site medical center, Paul Tracy detailed that doctors were surrounding Wheldon. Later, IZOD INDYCAR Series television coverage on ABC received confirmation that Dan Wheldon was on a recently-lifted medical helicopter to the same medical center as Hildebrand and Mann. With a track sitting quiet under a red flag with clean-up as well as track repairs to the safer barrier wall and track surface itself proceeding, the concern for the 33-year old British driver grew. After an hour under the red flag period, the INDYCAR Series called a closed-door meeting with all drivers in the media center. It was almost two hours after the horrible 15-car crash when word was officially relayed that the two-time Indy 500 and 2005 INDYCAR champion Dan Wheldon had succumbed to his injures.

In a brief statement, INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard read the following short message providing the racing world with news a tragedy marks the day:

"INDYCAR is sad to announce that Dan Wheldon passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family. INDYCAR, its drivers and teams have decided to end the race. We will run a five-lap salute in honor of Dan."

Ten minutes after Bernard presented the news, drivers of the remaining 19 vehicles were assembled to perform a makeshift yet tasteful memorial to the now-departed young racing legend. For five laps, the Indy car pack circulated the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race in a three-wide formation. A gripping emotional time for the fraternity of IZOD INDYCAR Series drivers as they reentered their vehicles with knowledge of a lost competitor, and in many cases friend. As a checkered-flag flew as an end to the Las Vegas race. However, for drivers, race team members, race fans and the racing families (especially the now grieving family of Dan Wheldon), the flag does nothing to resolve the pain of losing a fellow competitor.

Dominant Dixon Drives to Indy Japan Win

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The only time the IZOD INDYCAR Series competes on the west side of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese round at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit was created The last scheduled race for the IZOD INDYCAR Series in Japan almost did not happen as a result of the tragic aftermath resulting from the Earthquake and Tsunami in March.

Planned to run on the 1.549 mile oval, the event was at risk when there was damage found to the Twin Ring Motegi oval. There was also debate of whether or not the event in Japan should have been held this year. Devastation caused by the natural disaster is continuing to leave lingering troubles for the Japanese population. Some believed a major sporting event even 6 months after the disaster for the country was too soon. However, determined to keep the commitment to their economy, INDYCAR and race fans, the event has been relocated to the connected Motegi road course.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Titled Indy Japan: The Final, the 26-car field arrived on the 2.98 mile road course. In Saturday qualifying, Scott Dixon took pole with a 1-minute, 38.3918-second top lap time in the Firestone Fast Six session. Will Power started along Dixon gaining a large possible advantage in his points fight with Dario Franchitti. As the Japanese race switched from the oval to the road course, it would be at least an equalizer for the #12 Penske Racing driver fight for the title.

At the start of the 63-lap event, Will Power challenged Scott Dixon hard almost getting squeezed by the #9 car in the race's second turn. Drama early at the start resulted as Helio Castroneves drove into the turn 1 sand trap in avoidance of a rear-end collision with Ryan Briscoe. Castroneves' returned to the track quickly but fell well back in the running order after a 6th place start.

As Dixon and Power maintained a common pace at the front, teams immediately planned their pit stop strategy. Part time driver Hideki Mutoh and KV Racing Technology #82 car of Tony Kanaan pitted early for fuel as well as a change of tires. On lap 22, both Will Power and leader Scott Dixon pitted with the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car just barely beating the Penske Racing #12 car.
Ahead of the race, teams and drivers of the IZOD INDYCAR Series were concerned about the lack of grip on the Motegi road course circuit. With drivers such as James Hinchcliffe sliding on track during practice, competitors with limited INDYCAR race involvement spent time off track. The #22 of Giorgio Pantano went off track several time during the event while the #34 car Joao Paulo de Oliveira collided with the #5 car of Takuma Sato. A few laps later, the #34 Conquest Racing car piloted by de Oliveira came to a stop drawing the first full course caution at the Motegi road course.

On the restart on lap 26, Dario Franchitti went three-wide on Ryan Briscoe and Graham Rahal into turn 1. Turning the Penske Racing #6 around on track, Franchitti's #10 car and Chip Ganassi #38 car of Rahal were trapped behind the stationary Briscoe. Charlie Kimball (another Chip Ganassi owned car also took evasive action through the sand as the incident drew a second race caution. All three car were able to resume racing but Dario Franchitti was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact. Sent to the back of the field on the restart, team owner Chip Ganassi expressed some firm disappointment for his Scottish driver. Franchitti would drive through the event and rallied to an 8th place finish. Another race where Graham Rahal was kept in a wreck after running strong, he brought the #38 car home 12th.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The only Chip Ganassi Racing car not involved in the lap 26 mayhem, the #9 car driven by New Zealand's Scott Dixon put on a very impressive show of force. Pulling Will Power at bay, Dixon ran comfortably translating his the pole position speed into a solid race pace.

With 6 laps remaining, the #28 car of Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact with the #19 of Sebastien Bourdais sending the Andretti Autosport racing machine into the sand trap. Once Hunter-Reay was recovered from the sand, the race resumed with only 3 laps to go. After a false double-file restart one lap earlier, Will Power was provided with one last opportunity to challenge the dominant Scott Dixon for the Indy Japan win. Dixon launched perfectly on lap 62 leaving the Penske Racing driver in his dust. In third, Marco Andretti and Oriol Servia dueled for the final podium spot with the Newman/Haas Racing race car briefly taking the position. By the second turn, Andretti swept back to reclaim the 3rd place position.

The final restart was not completely without flaws. The KV Racing Technology cars driven by Takuma Sato and EJ Viso (both residing in the top-10 late in the Indy Japan) tangled in the first corner ending both of their top finishes. The #14 AJ Foyt Racing car of Vitor Meira would also have conflict in the final laps resulting in the Brazilian beached in the sand.

Leading all but 1 lap, Scott Dixon's skillful piloting of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car on the Twin-Ring Motegi road course brought him his 25th IZOD INDYCAR Series win. Taking his victory lap, Scott Dixon continued to drive around the track trying to locate the winner's circle at the Motegi road course event. As this Indy Japan: The Final concludes, Scott Dixon becomes the only driver to record a major race victory on both the road course and oval. Dixon won the 2009 event on the Twin-Ring Motegi track.

Photo Credit: Daniel Incandela

With a second place run and Dario Franchitti's troubles in the Indy Japan race, Will Power gained the top place in the overall series points 11 markers ahead. Power also picks up the Mario Andretti Trophy for most points earned on IZOD INDYCAR road courses in 2011 for the second year in a row.

Rounding out the top-five of the Indy Japan: The Final event on the Twin-Ring Motegi road course is Marco Andretti, Alex Tagliani and Oriol Servia.

As the last Japanese round of the IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Twin-Ring Motegi event could be remembered for its relatively few passing opportunities or for the dominance of Scott Dixon. It could also be recognized as a race of conflict in the KV Racing Technology and Chip Ganassi Racing teams. However, as the 63-lap competition ran to its conclusion, this final INDYCAR event Japan demonstrates the country's people is looking forward to welcoming the world.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Indy Japan: The Final
Twin-Ring Motegi Road Course
Race Results

1. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
2. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
3. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
4. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
5. 2 Oriol Servia/Spain/ Newman/Haas Racing
6. 19 Sebastien Bourdais/France/Dale Coyne Racing
7. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
8. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
9. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
10. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
11. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
12. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
13. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
14. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
15. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
16. 22 Giorgio Pantano/Italy/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
17. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
18. 17 Hideki Mutoh/Japan/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
19. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
20. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
21. 59 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
22. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
23. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
24. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
25. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
26. 34 Joao Paulo de Oliveira/Spain/ Conquest Racing

2012 INDYCAR Engine Shuffle in Full Swing

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Big technical changes announced little over a year ago for the IZOD INDYCAR Series is quickly coming to reality. An all-new race car will be christened with the season opening race connecting the series to the advanced technologies utilized in the modern automobile industry. Among many changes upcoming to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR season is completely revised engine specifications. Regulated to twin-turbocharged 2.2 liter V-6 powerplant, the series entrants will be presented with a choice of manufacturers for the for time since the sanctioning body's 2005 open wheel racing season. As the current 2011 season has just past its halfway point, several major INDYCAR Series teams have already decided on the powerplant choices for 2012. After powering the IZOD INDYCAR Series through the past 6 years as the sole engine supplier, Honda will remain one of three manufacturers which now sees direct competition from Chevrolet and Lotus.
The first race team to announce their 2012 powerplant choice was Penske Racing. Prior to the new year, Ilmor Engineering confirmed involvement with the Chevrolet brand's return to open wheel. A long-time partner with Ilmor, team owner Roger Penske was present at the introduction ceremony. Absent from open wheel racing since the end of 1993, Chevrolet's history with Penske Racing included three Indianapolis 500 victories and a 1988 championship on the CART World Series.

Penske Racing intention to run Chrevrolet engines in 2012 was followed almost six months later by powerplant confirmation from rival Chip Ganassi Racing. For the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR season, the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing and rookie Chip Ganassi Racing team has elected to remain faithful to Honda power. Winning the past three IZOD INDYCAR driver titles titles with Honda engines, Target/Chip Ganassi Racing became a powerhouse combination on the CART World Championship during the late 1990s.

On July 19th, long-time series team AJ Foyt Racing confirmed their #14 car will remain powered by Honda Racing Development through the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season. In response to the race team making an agreement with the Japanese-born auto company, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda Erik Berkman responded, "A.J. shares many traits with Soichiro Honda, the founder of our company. Passionate, dedicated men, their names became synonymous with racing in their native lands, and each has served as a symbol of his country’s passion for motorsport around the world. Today, we consider A.J. to be a venerable member of the Honda ‘family,’ and we look forward to our continued association with both the man and his team." On the side of AJ Foyt Racing, the four-time Indy 500 driver turned team owner AJ Foyt stated "I am really looking forward to working with Honda next year,".
There has yet to be a confirmation for teams opting for the Lotus engine. Expect KV Racing Technology, a current technical partner with Lotus Motorsports, to officially declare the usage of the British sports car company's engine. Perhaps one of the last remaining superteams still in play for their 2012 engine decision is Andretti Autosport and Newman/Haas Racing.

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Yet to confirm their choice, Andretti Autosport is equally as likely remain with Honda as it is with taking a chance with Lotus or Chevrolet. Building a close-knit reputation with Honda, the Andretti family also has a history connected to each of the other auto manufacturers competing on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR circuit. Michael Andretti won the 1991 INDYCAR/CART World Championship with Chevrolet power while Mario Andretti became the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship driving for Colin Chapman's Team Lotus. A wild card decision for 2012, expect Andretti Autosport to choose what is best for both sponsors and for the team's competitiveness in the future IZOD INDYCAR Series.

In the case of Newman/Haas Racing, staying with Honda could be a likely decision but other engine suppliers are not completely out of the equation. With Honda power in the IZOD INDYCAR season, Newman/Haas Racing has two team victories in 2008 but has not won a race for almost 3 years. Newman/Haas could select Chevy power for the 2012 season marking a return to a powerplant the team used from 1987 to 1991.

With a chance to completely shake up the front-runners to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, engine manufacturers choices could affect the balance of competition for the anticipated new car season.