The 2019 edition of the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona presented by IMSA was a resounding success, by any measure you could possibly come up with. Over 300 drivers, piloting over 175 cars around the historic Daytona International Speedway made for quite a spectacle and this event shows that historic car racing is alive and very well indeed.
The driver list alone was a who’s who of motorsport, with Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, John Morton, Andy Wallace, Joao Barbosa, Butch Leitzinger, Marco Werner, Dieter Quester, Kees Nierop and Andy Pilgrim – to name just a few of the drivers who participated this year.
As far as cars go, there was everything from old Porsche 911 models to modern classics like the Lowenbrau Porsche 962, Joest Audi R8, Champion Racing Audi R8 and the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
Regardless of the cool and cloudy weather conditions, the competition was hot and heavy, and the Lowenbrau Porsche 962 won the event overall, with car owner Rodrigo Sales, Gunnar Jeannette and Derek and Justin Bell sharing the driving duties.
1995 24-hour race winner Marco Werner was on hand, driving a couple of cars in the event. It was the first time he had been back to the track since winning the race in the Kremer prototype back in 1995. Back in 1995, he expected to be merely a spectator, getting only 5 laps in the car before the race, as he was on hand to just help with the setup. However, with one driver unable to race at night due to poor eyesight and another getting sick, Marco ended up driving quite a bit that year, taking the car from mid-field to first and holding the lead for over 12 hours! As he told me about coming to the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona – “It’s nice to come back, for sure!”
Of course, one of the real nice things about this event, as compared to a professional IMSA race such as the Rolex 24, is the laid back, casual atmosphere at the track. The drivers were constantly getting together swapping old war stories and there was just a general feeling of a family reunion in the paddock area all week.
This event is certainly one that should be on your bucket list. You will get a chance to meet and talk to legendary drivers, see classic race cars up close and personal and get to see some really great race cars put through their paces on an historic racing circuit.
It’s an event we look forward to every year, and can’t wait until next year’s edition.
Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.
Easily Support the Museum by Using AmazonSmile for Online Shopping
INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2018 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has a variety of great gift ideas for the passionate racing and auto enthusiasts in your life.
An IMS Museum Annual Membership provides incredible year-around benefits, such as free museum admission and a 10 percent discount on purchases when shopping in-person at the IMS Gift Shops, located in the IMS Museum building.
Members also receive invitations to exclusive, members-only events such as our featured exhibit preview parties, our “Fuel Up Fridays,” featuring IndyCar Series drivers and personalities, and discount admission for Museum events such as our “Distinguished Speaker Series” and “Shop Tour Series.”
AmazonSmile shopping: Nearly 200 million people around the world shop on Amazon.com each month. If you’re one of them, you can support the IMS Museum – with no added costs or strings attached – by using AmazonSmile for all your Amazon shopping.
The AmazonSmile Foundation supports the IMS Museum and other charities by donating 0.5% of every purchase. To support the Museum, Amazon.com account holders should log onto smile.amazon.com, select the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum as your non-profit charity, and start shopping.
For greater ease, change your Amazon bookmark to smile.amazon.com, and the page will operate and look exactly like Amazon.com – except for the friendly reminder you’re supporting the IMS Museum!
Other excellent gift ideas that support the IMS Museum’s mission:
Merchandise: Sales of special IMS Museum-branded merchandise – available online and in the IMS Gift Shops, located in the IMS Museum building – support the Museum and development of exhibits such as “From the Vault” presented by Bank of America, open now until April 20. To visit IMS Museum’s Online Retail Store: http://shop.ims.com/ims/ims-museum/.
Tom Carnegie bobbleheads: Sound-equipped Tom Carnegie bobbleheads, complete with the beloved IMS Public Address icon’s most famous phrases, are available for purchase on the IMS Museum eBay store and at the Museum’s welcome desk.
Historic radio broadcasts: Enjoy the full IMS Radio Network broadcasts of the 1958 and 1959 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, led by legendary “Voice of the 500” Sid Collins and his expert team of reporters. Also available are two-hour qualifications wrap-up shows from 1958-59; all of these shows have been digitally remastered and are available via digital download at: https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/history/purchase-historical-race-broadcasts. The race broadcasts (more than four hours) are $9.95 and qualifying shows are just $7.99. All proceeds support future IMS Museum radio restoration projects.
IMS Track Tour Gift Certificates: While a trip to the Indianapolis 500 should be on everyone’s “bucket list,” nothing gets you behind the scenes of “The Racing Capital of the World” like a track tour! IMS Museum tour gift certificates are available for our VIP Full Grounds Tour, the Private Golf Cart Tour and the very-popular Kiss the Bricks Tour.
For track tour gift certificates, please contact the IMS Museum’s welcome desk at (317) 492-6784 or e-mail [email protected].
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Jan. 4, 2013)-The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series has scheduled an all-time high 39 events in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana for its ninth season in 2013, starting March 23 at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill., and ending Oct. 3-5 with the USAC
co-sanctioned Gold Crown Midget Nationals at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill.
POWRi and USAC will also co-sanction the Hut 100, which moves to Tri-City Speedway on May 31, the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway Grand Prix on April 12-13 and a double-header at Belle-Clair on July 5-6. POWRi, USAC and the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association will tri-sanction events on June 23 and Aug.
18 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis.
POWRi’s inaugural Illinois Midget Week, a championship within the season championship, will be run June 6 at Jacksonville Speedway, June 7 at Lincoln Speedway, June 8 at Macon Speedway and June 9 at Vermillion County Speedway in Danville. The four events will be co-sanctioned by Badger. POWRi and Badger will co- or tri-sanction 17 events including seven at
Angell Park.
“We’ve been able to strengthen Midget events in the Midwest by taking advantage of co-sanction opportunities with USAC and Badger,” POWRi co-founder Kenny Brown said. “We all see this as in the best interest of the sport, to bring the best drivers and teams together even though we run our own
championships.
“We became the promoter at Angell Park this season and we’ve increased our events there to seven. We’re running six times at Belle-Clair and five times Macon, who of our traditional homes, and have five events at Tri-City. We’ve expanded our schedule without adding travel time or cost to our teams by keeping it in four center Midwestern states. We were forced to eliminate some events that we very much enjoyed, but with 39 events in a more
compact geographic range, it was best for our series.”
POWRi’s National Midgets will race in three events at Jacksonville, two at Lincoln, Kokomo and Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., and once at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., Vermillion County Speedway, Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway, Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., Wilmot (Wis.) Speedway, US 36 Speedway in Cameron, Mo., and Spoon River Speedway in Canton,
Ill.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series 2013 Schedule March 23-Belle-Clair Speedway (1/5-mile), Belleville, Ill.; April 12-13 (@) -Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway (3/8-mile); April 26 (*)-Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway (1/4-mile); April 27 (*)-Macon (Ill.) Speedway (1/5-mile); May 3 (+)–Valley Speedway (1/3-mile), Grain Valley, Mo.; May 4 (+) Lucas Oil Speedway (3/8-mile), Wheatland, Mo.; May 17-Belle-Clair Speedway (1/5-mile), Belleville, Ill.; May 18-Macon (Ill.) Speedway (1/5-mile); May 25-26 (*)-Angell Park Speedway (1/3-mile), Sun Prairie, Wis.; May 31 (@)-Tri-City Speedway (3/8-mile), Granite City, Ill.; June 6 (*)-Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway (1/4-mile); June 7 (*)-Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway (1/4-mile); June 8 (*)-Macon (Ill.) Speedway (1/5-mile); June 9 (*)-Vermillion County Speedway (1/4-mile), Danville, Ill.; June 23 (*@)–Angell Park Speedway (1/3-mile), Sun Prairie, Wis.; June 28-Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway (1/4-mile); June 29-Tri-State Speedway (1/4-mile), Haubstadt, Ind.; July 5-6 (*@)–Belle-Clair Speedway (1/5-mile), Belleville, Ill.; July 13 (*)-Wilmot (Wis.) Speedway (1/3-mile); July 14 (*)-Angell Park Speedway (1/4-mile), Sun Prairie, Wis.; July 25- Tri-City Speedway, Granite City, Ill.; July 26 (+)-US 36 Raceway (1/4-mile), Cameron, Mo.; July 27 (+)-Valley Speedway (1/3-mile), Grain Valley, Mo.; Aug. 11-Belle-Clair Speedway (1/5-mile), Belleville, Ill.; Aug. 16 (*)- Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway (1/4-mile); Aug. 17 (*)-Macon (Ill.) Speedway; Aug. 18 (*@)–Angell Park Speedway (1/3-mile), Sun Prairie, Wis.; Aug. 31-Sept. 1 (*)-Angell Park Speedway (1/3-mile), Sun Prairie, Wis.; Sept. 13- Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway (1/4-mile); Sept. 14-Spoon River Speedway (3/8-mile), Canton, Ill.; Sept. 21-Macon (Ill.) Speedway (1/5-mile); Sept. 28-Belle-Clair Speedway (1/5-mile), Belleville, Ill.; Oct. 3-5 (@)-Tri-City Speedway
(3/8-mile) Granite City, Ill.
Co-sanctions: @–USAC National; *–Badger Midget Auto Racing Association;
+–POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series.
For further information, go to _www.powri.com_ (http://www.powri.com/)
The late John Reiser, crew chief Robbie?s dad and an outside-of-the box-thinker if there ever was one, was discussing the state of NASCAR racing one day a few years ago in Charlotte. Robbie and Matt Kenseth had gone Cup racing, and John was about to hire a young Clay Rodgers to pilot the family Busch Series Chevrolet. The conversation turned to the condition of the Cup/Busch series and, of course, John had a thought.
He said that he and several other Busch Series team owners had been asked about what it would take to move some Busch circuit teams up to Cup Series competition, forming two Cup groups that would compete as a ?Red? circuit and a ?Blue? circuit, with 30-40 cars in each group.
The idea was to split the star drivers between the two groups, with each group appearing once per year at tracks with two Cup dates, and every other year at tracks with just one Cup race. Both divisions would join forces at a few races each year, such as the Daytona 500.
Reiser also saw the Craftsman Truck Series helping to fill the void left by the teams who moved to Cup, and perhaps a Busch-type series could continue with those BGN teams that didn?t want to make the move.
He viewed this plan as a way of satisfying the demand for Cup races by tracks such as Milwaukee, Kentucky, Pikes Peak, etc., who with the current schedule, have little chance to land a lucrative Cup date.
Little did John realize at the time, but with NASCAR?s current guarantee of the top-35 cars making the Cup field each week, and several top teams (read Toyota) going home after qualifying, ?The Plan? would allow for teams with major sponsors
to actually make the field each week and could have encouraged new teams and drivers to enter. It could also have prevented the legal hassles brought about by tracks seeking NASCAR Cup circuit dates.
Unfortunately, John Reiser died before this plan made any progress. Today it?s probably sitting at the back of someone?s file cabinet in Daytona, never to see the light of day.
But as we watch this weekend?s AT&T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile, just think – you could be watching a ?Red? series Nextel Cup race with Jeff and Dale Jr. battling Tony and Matt for the win. If only some progressive thinking had taken place.
Paul Gohde heard the sound of race cars early in his life.
Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, just north of Wisconsin State Fair Park in the 1950’s, Paul had no idea what “that noise” was all about that he heard several times a year. Finally, through prodding by friends of his parents, he was taken to several Thursday night modified stock car races on the old quarter-mile dirt track that was in the infield of the one-mile oval -and he was hooked.
The first Milwaukee Mile event that he attended was the 1959 Rex Mays Classic won by Johnny Thomson in the pink Racing Associates lay-down Offy built by the legendary Lujie Lesovsky. After the 100-miler Gohde got the winner’s autograph in the pits, something he couldn’t do when he saw Hank Aaron hit a home run at County Stadium, and, again, he was hooked.
Paul began attending the Indianapolis 500 in 1961, and saw A. J. Foyt’s first Indy win. He began covering races in 1965 for Racing Wheels newspaper in Vancouver, WA as a reporter/photographer and his first credentialed race was Jim Clark’s historic Indy win.Paul has also done reporting, columns and photography for Midwest Racing News since the mid-sixties, with the 1967 Hoosier 100 being his first big race to report for them.
He is a retired middle-grade teacher, an avid collector of vintage racing memorabilia, and a tour guide at Miller Park. Paul loves to explore abandoned race tracks both here and in Europe, with the Brooklands track in Weybridge England being his favorite. Married to Paula, they have three adult children and two cats.
Paul loves the diversity of all types of racing, “a factor that got me hooked in the first place.”
Josh Brock (17) battles with Donnie Wilson (2) for position (Josh James Photo)
West Allis, WI- Championship winning drivers Josh Brock and Donnie Wilson are among the early entries for the Father’s Day 100 being contested on Sunday afternoon June 16 at the Milwaukee Mile. Brock, the 2018 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion from Corbin, KY and Wilson, the 2016 Southern Super Series Champion from Oklahoma City, OK will both be aiming to make the 32-car feature field when racing returns to ‘America’s Legendary Oval’ for the first time in four years.
Making his first ARCA Midwest Tour appearance, Brock has teamed up with former Touring Star Chris Wimmer in recent seasons, with the duo securing top honors in ARCA/CRA Super Series competition last season following a thrilling run in the Winchester 400.
The former Corbin Speedway Track Champion ventured out to California in 2010, winning an open wheeled modified event at All-American Speedway before returning home to go undefeated at Corbin in 2011.
After a strong start to his 2017 campaign which found him atop the CRA point standings, Brock was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in July. Following months of treatment, Brock was pronounced cancer free on January 1 of 2018, allowing him to return to the seat and victory lane for his first CRA Super Series win.
After a five year hiatus, Donnie Wilson will return to ARCA Midwest Tour action. Arguably one of the more successful Super Late Model Drivers in the nation, this will be Wilson’s first tour start since a top five effort at Toledo (OH) Speedway in 2014.
Wilson, who calls Oklahoma City home, has found much success south of the Mason Dixon Line, he now hopes to bring that success to the Midwest. The 2016 Southern Super Series Champion has recorded two wins at the Nashville Fairgrounds, including being the most recent winner of the All-American 400 at the famed half mile oval.
Brock and Wilson will be joined by the ‘Stars and Cars’ of the ARCA Midwest Tour for the Sunday afternoon Special Event. Joining the Midwest Tour Super Late Models will be the Vintage Indy Registry, Midwest Truck Tour, Mid-American Stock Car Series and Upper Midwest Vintage Series.
Grandstand gates open Sunday, June 16 at 9:00 AM, with practice at 9:30, qualifying at 11:00, and racing to take the green at 1:00 PM. Reserved tickets are available for $25 in advance or $30 on raceday. General admission tickets are $25. Tickets for children aged 11 and under are $5. Raceday infield tickets will be $20 each for adults and $5 for kids.
Advance sale discount tickets as well as more information is available online at www.trackenterprises.com or by calling the office at 217-764-3200. Tickets will also be available at the gate on raceday.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is the place this weekend as round two, the Challenger Round, is starts to shrink the Chase field from twelve drivers to eight. [Credit: Drew Hallowell/NASCAR via Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
The Challenger Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship kicks off Saturday night with the Bank of America 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Bank of America 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway 501 miles (334 laps) Saturday, Oct. 10 7pm ET NBC, 7pm ET PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90 The Charlotte race is the only night race of the Chase and it holds significant importance as a victory here means a driver is safe at the next elimination event at the wildly unpredictable Talladega in two weeks.
With the Chase field down to 12, the next three events mark the toughest round to advance through and wins are a top priority. We saw that last year at this race with the much talked about post-race scuffle between Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth.
This year’s Chase has not failed to disappoint in the drama department as already we’ve seen the defending champ rise up for a walk-off win and a six-time champion get knocked out by a $5 part.
The Chase continues on Saturday night with the Bank of America 500 from Charlotte and here are some drivers to watch…
Matt Kenseth (Dan Margetta)
Since the last time the series was in Charlotte, the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have risen to the top, claiming 11 wins in the past 18 races. If you count the All-Star race, they have won the last four races contested on the 1.5 mile oval circuits and Matt Kenseth has traditionally raced well at Charlotte. Sitting at 7-1 odds this week, he owns two Charlotte victories to go along with 10 top five finishes and 17 top ten results. Kenseth was able to escape the elimination pressure in the last round by winning at New Hampshire and no doubt he will look forward to scoring another ticket forward at Charlotte. Kenseth knows as well as anybody how big of an advantage it would be to go into Talladega safe from elimination and he and the #20 team are ready to march forward in their championship run. Look for Matt Kenseth to once again be contending for the win at Charlotte.
Kevin Harvick (John Wiedemann)
Will the dramatic win from last weekend provide a hangover for Kevin Harvick or is it the spark to go on a winning run? As dominant as the #4 was last weekend (until it was backed into a wall during celebration time), the rest of the seven Chase drivers have something to be worried about. So much so that Denny Hamlin may have fired up the verbal portion of the competition hinting about Harvick’s motivation for damaging his car after the victory. The thing is that any of the talking will just fire Harvick up that much more. I don’t think stats are important this weekend for Harvick, you just need to look at the whoppin’ he put on the field last week and see if it is going to happen again on Saturday night.
Kyle Busch (DM)
Kyle Busch staved off elimination in the last round by finishing strong second last week at Dover so watch him come out swinging at Charlotte. While he has yet to win here, Busch has had some very strong runs at similar tracks as he led the most laps at both Kentucky (where he won) and Chicago. Busch does have 10 top five finishes at Charlotte and 14 top tens so he is no stranger to running up front. Plus, no one knows just how vulnerable those are who are not safe at Talladega in a few weeks as last year Busch was knocked out of contention despite being the point leader heading into the race. Listed at 6-1 odds to win on Saturday night, Kyle Busch and the #18 are approaching Charlotte as a race they can win to move into the next round.
Jeff Gordon (JW)
Kind of a quiet Chase so far for Jeff Gordon but he made it through the first round as his teammate Jimmie Johnson didn’t. This weekend’s race at Charlotte could bookend his Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup Series career. Gordon won his first Cup race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and could win his last Cup race at the same track, although he is my pick to win the upcoming race at Martinsville. Gordon has always had a flair for the dramatic and this would be a dramatic story to win a Chase race in his final season. Gordon’s stats are pretty nice with five wins, 17 top five and 24 top ten finishes in 45 starts at Charlotte. Look for those stats to get even better this weekend.
Denny Hamlin (DM)
Does anyone see a pattern with my picks here? The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drivers have been on top of the NASCAR world for the past few months and I think they will be strong at Charlotte as well. That includes Denny Hamlin, the Chicago winner who comes into Charlotte listed at very generous 10-1 odds to win. Another driver who has yet to win a point race at Charlotte (Hamlin won the special All-Star race here in May), Denny Hamlin is showing the same consistent form that took him all the way to the Homestead finale a season ago. Hamlin has four top five finishes to go along with twelve top ten results at Charlotte and as we learned at Chicago a few weeks ago, you can’t count him out. If he can out run his teammates, Denny Hamlin could find himself in victory lane at Charlotte when the checkered flag drops on Saturday night.
Carl Edwards (JW)
Gotta stick with the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers and the only one that Dan left me is Carl Edwards. That’s ok though because Edwards is the most recent winner at Charlotte after his Coca-Cola 600 victory there in May. That win was the breakthrough victory for Edwards after a difficult start to the season. Lately, the Gibbs driver have been dominant and either one of the four could end up in victory lane on Saturday night. In 21 starts at Charlotte, Edwards has that one win to go along with seven top five and 14 top ten runs averaging an 11th place finish. Could all four Gibbs drivers be the final four in Homestead? It certainly is possible and a win this weekend would get one of them closer. I’m going with Edwards this weekend – no other choice since Dan grabbed the other three.
Joey Logano (DM)
The guy with the best average finishing position at Charlotte still hasn’t captured his first victory here. We’re talking about Joey Logano who has four top five finishes and seven top ten results which gives him a series best average finishing position of 10.2. Logano is listed at 10-1 odds this week and while the Hendrick Chevys dominated the 1.5 mile tracks early in the season and the Gibbs Toyotas are the guys to beat now, one thing that has remained consistent is Joey Logano has been in their tire tracks all season long. Logano finished fourth in this race a year ago and he has continued to rattle off the strong finishes needed to remain firmly in the championship hunt. As we get deeper in the Chase the wins become more and more valuable and Saturday night could be when Joey Logano drives the #22 Penske Ford back to victory lane.
Charlotte, NC – In a week where it?s sports/entertainment counterparts were ducking controversy left and right, NASCAR managed to stay under the radar with the running of the 14th-annual Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Questions about the weather and tire wear could hardly compare to the firestorm being hurled at the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and, yes, even the Tour de France earlier in the week.
In case you were totally out of the loop over the previous seven days, here?s a brief recap ?
NFL star quarterback Michael Vick made his first court appearance last week, pleading not guilty to charges of being involved in a dog fighting ring. Protests from all walks of life ? not just PETA ? have called for Vick, one of the NFL?s most visible players, to be banished from the league. Both Vick?s Richmond court appearance and Falcons? training camp in Georgia were picketed by hundreds of protesters. By the end of the week, sales of virtually all of Vick?s promotional jerseys, shoes and trading cards had been discontinued by his sponsors and marketing partners.
Meanwhile, NBA commissioner David Stern held an emotional press conference at mid-week to address the allegations that one of the league’s game officials had altered the outcome of games to satisfy his gambling bets and gamblers he owed money to. Currently, the FBI is investigating and the official is expected to be arrested and charged in the near future. Should the investigation find games were altered and worse ? more officials and organized crime were involved ? the league could be struck a death blow by loss of fan confidence and attendance. At the very least, the league has suffered a huge blow of fan confidence.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig grudgingly decided to attend baseball games in San Francisco late last week in the event Barry Bonds would surpass the all-time home run record. Selig ? along with thousands of fans and former players – have resisted embracing the feat as Bonds is alleged to have taken performance enhancing steroids.
Finally, the Tour de France collapsed under its own weight last week when the race leader of this year?s event was fired from his team for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs deemed illegal to the competition. For years, whispers of ?doping? have plagued the Tour and this latest incident will further diminish its impact on the sporting landscape and its ability to draw today?s all-important marketing and television partners – not to mention fans.
In short, it was a week of bad vibe harmonic convergence for sports, something NASCAR was able to avoid at Indy. In fact, this year?s Brickyard proved to be one of the most successful NASCAR events in recent memory.
Unprecedented promotion, thanks to the return of ESPN as a primary Cup broadcast partner, filled the flagship sports network and affiliates (ESPN2, ESPN Classic) for months prior to the event. Even the completely uninitiated NASCAR fan knew about this race months prior to this weekend thanks to promotional teasers played to near distraction during ESPN Sportscenter morning, noon and night.
The fact that ESPN?s coverage began at Indianapolis also proved to be a huge plus. While Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, Bristol, et al are recognizable racing locations to most sports fans, ?Indy? is a one word moniker known worldwide as a temple of speed.
Frankly, you had to be living under a rock to not know about this year’s Brickyard 400.
All of this ? and a crowd estimated at more than 250,000 fans Sunday as a backdrop – this year?s Indy Brickyard 400 was an unqualified success in a time when fans of many other sports were questioning the morals and chemical makeup of its players, the ethics of their game officials, and the overall believability that the games were still on the up and up.
Not that NASCAR doesn?t have its share of issues.
Conspiracy theories still abound that the NASCAR inspection process is flawed and certain drivers get ?the call? ? or a free pass through the tech line. There?s also the recent inconsistency of punishments handed out by the sanctioning body for technical and on-track infringements. Others point to recent drug arrests of young drivers in the sport as a problem.
While those are certainly topics for possible concern and conversation, they pale on comparison to the problems of the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball these days. Whatever the ills of NASCAR may be, its top stars aren?t front page news for torturing animals and its officials aren?t under federal investigation for manipulating the outcome of events for illegal personal gain.
Hopefully, those entrusted with the welfare of the sport – drivers, crew members, officials, fans, everyone connected with NASCAR – will never allow that day to come.
Last Call ?
While the Cup crowd was basking in the comforts of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Busch Series were fighting substandard conditions at O?Reilly Raceway Park.
One of the more competitive venues for either division each season, ORP (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park) is a favorite place to race for competitors and fans alike as the .626-mile oval features great action-packed, side-by-side racing.
Unfortunately, the facility is well below grade when it comes to what competitors expect and need to stage major auto racing events like those conducted by NASCAR.
Featuring a grass infield and few paved areas that were worn out long ago, teams are usually not allowed to bring their race haulers into the track. That is especially true when rains hit the speedway turning the grassy areas into a quagmire ? conditions that existed for both divisions this weekend.
While Truck teams were allowed to unload from pit road this year, Busch teams were forced teams to unload virtually their entire transporters from a parking lot located outside Turns 1-2 and hand truck/cart the items into the infield. The size and difficultly of completely unloading a 53-foot race trailer is unimaginable unless you have to do it or be there to see it.
On both Friday and Saturday, teams set up shop in the muddy conditions exposing millions of dollars of advanced racing equipment to the elements. On Friday, this was a huge issue as teams tried to protect equipment ? and themselves ? under makeshift shelters constructed out of E-Z Ups and tarps during a seven-hour rain event.
At least it didn?t rain Saturday, but Busch teams were forced to battle the muddy conditions left over from Friday?s persistent rains.
This is completely unacceptable and, in its current state, ORP is totally unworthy of hosting an event for the second and third most popular forms of motorsports in this country.
Nobody is suggesting NASCAR pull the Truck and Busch dates from ORP. The racing is great and the fans pack the place. We?re not even suggesting that the track build a row of expensive, gleaming new garages for the teams either.
But we don?t think it would be too much to expect that the new owners of the facility (recently purchased from the NHRA) to pave the infield so team transporters can safely enter, park and exit the track.
And while they are at it, how about adding a new, wider and much SAFER pit road?
Finally, demolish the totally vile cement block building that is passed off as a bathroom and replace it was adequate, clean infield restroom facilities.
None of these things are too much to ask, especially when they will make the track safer, more enjoyable and better to compete at. Given the size of the crowds at ORP Friday and Saturday, we think the owners have the capital to invest in some new concrete, asphalt and a few rest rooms.
Hey, ORP – it’s time, no, way past time, to pony up on these improvements.
John Close covered his first NASCAR race in 1986 at Bristol. Since then, Close – a former Associated Press newspaper sports editor – has written countless articles for numerous motorsports magazines, trade publications and Internet sites.
His Close Calls column appears each week on www.CloseFinishes.com, www.MotorsportsAmerica.com and www.RacingNation.com.
Close has also authored two books – Tony Stewart – From Indy Phenom To NASCAR Superstar and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – From Desert Dust To Superspeedways.
Close is a weekly guest every Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tradin’ Paint on NASCAR SIRIUS Channel 90.
You can follow John Close on Twitter @CloseFinishes and on Facebook at John Close.
Be sure to visit John’s website – www.closefinishes.com
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