Checkered Flag for Newman/Haas

Newman/Haas Racing will close down operations at the beginning of the 2012 calendar year.  As first reported by Marshall Pruett of Speed.com, the long-time IndyCar powerhouse will not compete in next year's IZOD IndyCar Season.  The Lincolnshire, Illinois based team has long been considered one of the most competitive in the series.  Fielding drivers like Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Sebastien Bourdais, Cristiano da Matta, and Graham Rahal, the team was always found near the top of charts.

Newman/Haas was on the CART side of the 1996 split, and did not fully rejoin the IndyCar series until the re-unification in 2008.  In their first ever road course race in the new series, they broke through and won at St. Petersburg with the young Rahal.  Another win that year by Justin Wilson indicated the team was a force to reckon with no matter the car or series.  In this past year, the team powered veteran Oriol Servia to a fourth place finish in the points, and led rookie James Hinchcliffe to the Rookie of the Year award.

Update: Co-owner Carl Haas on why his team will not compete in next year's IZOD IndyCar Series, "The economic climate no longer enables Newman/Haas Racing to participate in open wheel racing at this time"

Dan Wheldon, 1978-2011

Dan Wheldon was IndyCar. The 33 year old father of two was exactly what the sport needed.  A charming, fan-friendly, winning driver. His win at this year's Indianapolis 500 was the greatest sporting moment I have ever witnessed. Instead of just talking about how much of a great person and champion Dan was, I thought I would simply illustrate it. Below are some of the photos I have taken of Dan over the past couple of years. I posted these pictures to remember Dan Wheldon as the great driver, champion, and, most importantly, amazing human that he was. God speed, Dan.

I know this may not be the best of the bunch, but it has the most meaning to me. Me and my friends were yelling all the drivers' names during the 2009 parade. Dan loved it, and pumped his arms to tell us to get louder. We did and he flashed the biggest smile.

Here is Dan during the 2010 parade pumping his fist at me and my group again.

My final picture was taken just before the green flag of Dan's next to last race in Kentucky.

And finally, here is my video of Wheldon's greatest moment- the 2011 Indianapolis 500.

Video: Kentucky Indy 300

Here is a selection of my best pictures and videos from the great race in Kentucky on Sunday!

Carpenter Covers Kentucky

Ed Carpenter had always been strong at Kentucky Speedway. Back-to-back 2nd places finishes in 2009 and 2010 further backed that up. Sunday, however, he gained that one last position.

In a thrilling 23 lap side by side battle with new points leader Dario Franchitti, the 30 year old Carpenter edged out the Scotsman by .009 seconds to win his first career IndyCar race.  Not only was it the first win for the veteran, but it was also the first IndyCar win of any kind for team owner Sarah Fisher.  In one of the most emotional moments in recent IndyCar memory, the new mother Fisher finally broke through to victory lane in a track in which she also had some driving success.

The 200 lap was ran pretty clean on the track throughout, but was marred by several incidents on pit road.  Entering the race as the points leader, Will Power had the dominant car for the first 80 laps of the race, until he collided with Ana Beatriz.  The contact put a large hole in the side of the number 12 Team Penske machine, but he was able to finish the race in 19th.  Other drivers who had their day affected by pit late crashes were Marco Andretti, JR Hildebrand, EJ Viso, Simona de Silvestro, and Alex Lloyd.

In the Indy Lights race, Stefan Wilson took advantage of his P1 starting position to hold off Josef Newgarden for the win.  A first lap crash took out 5 of the 13 competitors, but the show still proved to be very entertaining.  As a result of his 2nd place finish, Newgarden clinched the 2011 Indy Lights Series Championship with 1 race still to run.

The Izod IndyCar Series has 1 more race to decide it's champion, October 15th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Dario Franchitti leads Will Power by 18 heading in to the final round of the season.

Tagliani Tops Texas

Indy 500 pole sitter Alex Tagliani continued his domination of oval qualifications on Friday, winning the pole for the first of the Texas Twin 275s.  The Canadian lapped the 1.5 mile speedway with a 2-lap average of 215.186 mph. Coming just days after his chief mechanic left SSM for Andretti Autosport, this pole was not nearly as predictable as his still shocking Indianapolis pole.  Tagliani will be joined in the top 5 by Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Takuma Sato, and Ed Carpenter. 

The most surprising result of the top 10 is rookie Wade Cunningham.  Driving the car that Dan Wheldon used to win the 100th anniversay Indy 500, the 3-time Freedom 100 winner looked at ease despite it being his first ever IndyCar race.  He does have a great group surrounding him, with Tagliani as his teammate. 

Rookie James Jakes was not allowed to make a qualification attempt after failing to pass pre-qualifying inspection.  The Dale Coyne Racing driver will be forced to start dead last in the first of the night's duel races.

Check back tomorrow for a preview of the first ever Texas Twin 275s.

Video: Start of the 2011 Indianapolis 500

Alex Tagliani leads the field of 33 to the yard of bricks to start the 95th Indy 500!

Video: Wheldon Wins in Dramatic Fashion

Here is the finish to the 2011 Indy 500 from my seats in turn 3.  I realize it may not be the greatest video ever shot, but the emotion by the crowd is amazing. 

Wheldon Wins!

Dan Wheldon won the 95th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday after the greatest finish in race history.  Rookie JR Hildebrand appeared to have the race in hand, when, coming out of turn 4 on the last lap, the Panther Racing driver slammed in to the outside wall.  Hildebrand then skidded all the way past the start/finish line, but not quickly enough as Wheldon was able to snag his 2nd 500 title. Wheldon, driving for Bryan Herta Autosport, was a contender all day, but never seemed to have the speed to take the lead and hold it.

The first 3/4 of the race was dominated by Team Target driver's Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.  Running 1-2 for a large portion of the afternoon, it appeared the veterans had the race in the bag.  A caution brought out by a crash involving Ryan Briscoe and Townsend Bell set up all the drivers for a fantastic fuel strategy finish.  Franchitti and Hildebrand both pitted on the final caution lap, hoping it would be enough to get them to the checkers.  Franchitti ended up having to pit again, while Hildebrand's luck just flat ran out.

I will soon be posting some videos from this year's "Greatest Spectacle in Racing", so stay tuned!

Indy 500 Preview: 5 Questions

1. Can anyone beat Penske and Ganassi?

These two teams have combined to win 7 of the last 10 Indy 500s.  This year, however, they have faced some tough competition from a handful of teams, mainly Sam Schmidt Motorsports.  With surprise pole-sitter Alex Tagliani leading the field to the green flag, the month as been very unpredictable.  Possible candidates to "steal" the 500 from the power house teams include Tagliani, teammate Townsend Bell, Oriel Servia, and previous winners Dan Wheldon and Buddy Rice.  

2. Who will win Rookie of the Year?

There are 4 rookies in this year's field- 2 near the front of the grid, and 2 near the back.  Panther Racing's JR Hildebrand has been very impressive so far around the 2.5 mile oval after struggling on the early road course races. Newman-Haas's James Hinchcliffe has one of the best teams around supporting him, as evident by his teammate, Oriel Servia, starting 3rd.  Charlie Kimball runs for the new 2-car Ganassi team, and has been towards the middle of the pack all month long.  Finally, there is Pippa Mann, who drives for one of the lower-funded teams and just squeaked in to the field.  All four of the rookies are graduates of the Firestone Indy Lights Series.  My pick for Rookie of the Year is NH's James Hinchcliffe.

3. How will the double file restarts play out?

Probably the most talked about subject this May has been the introduction of double file restarts for the first time in the race's 100 year history.  All of the drivers have voiced their complaints about not only the double file restarts, but also a slower approach to the yard of bricks for the start of the race. Race officials have listened a bit, moving the restart cones from the beginning of pit road to the entrance of turn 4.  Regardless, a restart with 10 or less laps to go will be extremely exciting and potentially dangerous for the drivers on the dirty outside lane.


4. Which driver will improve the most positions from start to finish?

With many big name drivers and teams starting in the last 4 rows for the 95th Indianapolis 500, plenty of action will be taking place throughout the field. Drivers such as Tony Kanaan, Paul Tracy, Danica Patrick, and Marco Andretti have all had magical runs at Indy, and certainly can storm to the front.  Teammates Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball are backed by Chip Ganassi, who knows how to handle race day at Indianapolis.  The start of the race will be crucial to these drivers, they need to be able to pick up spots fast, but safely. My pick for most positions gained is Marco Andretti, who starts 27th and should finish in the top 10.

5. Who will win the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500?

The month so far has been fairly equal, with both high budget and low budget teams making the Fast 9 in qualifying.  However, race day is different.  Pit stops are absolutely necessary to a successful race, as drivers will be making 7 or 8 of them.  Downforce levels are also key.  The winner must have the experience to slice through slower traffic, and stay ahead of the pack.  My pick for the 2011 Indy 500 is Scott Dixon.  The Kiwi has been quietly fast all month, qualified in 2nd, and has won the race before back in 2008.  With his team's abundant resources, Dixon should have the field covered on race day.

Junqueira Out, Hunter-Reay In

After a few hours of negotiations on Monday, AJ Foyt Racing has agreed to bump Bruno Junqueira out of the 95th Indianapolis 500 in favor of Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay.  Hunter-Reay, who was bumped from the field a bit after 6 o'clock on Sunday, will have to start from the rear of the field.  This isn't the first go around for 2002 pole sitter Junqueira, who in 2009 was forced to give up his seat to then teammate Alex Tagliani. 

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that Ryan Hunter-Reay will pilot the AJ Foyt Racing #41 in this Sunday's Indy 500. The car will be sponsored by Sun Drop and DHL, RHR's primary sponsors.  The exact details were not released, but AJ obviously received a nice pay check.

Pole Day in Pictures

Bertrand Baguette

James Hinchcliffe

Graham Rahal turns left

Will Power

Pippa Mann

T Scheck

Photos by Sean Dunham

Video: Alex Tagliani Wins the Pole

Here is video of Alex Tagliani's final lap of his qualifying run!

Tagliani Puts SSM at P1

Alex Tagliani won the pole for the 95th Indianapolis on Saturday in dramatic fashion. The driver of the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry was the last car to attempt a qualifying run during Pole Day, and he just edged Scott Dixon for the prime spot. His 4 lap average of 227.4 mph was the fastest run of the day, as everything came together perfectly for the first Canadian-born driver to sit on pole at Indy.

The Fast 9 lived up to its promised drama, with the fastest cars all going out for one run at a time during the final hour of qualifying.  Delayed by a brief rain storm that brought the first qualifying session to an early end, driver after driver took a shot at the $100,000 prize.  Newman-Haas driver Oriel Servia held the top spot for much of the session, until Scott Dixon went P1.  He and Team Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti both encountered fueling issues, with Dixon running out coming to the checker, and Dario going empty in turn 2 of his final lap. 

Twenty-four drivers qualified for the show today, and here is a brief rundown.
Row 1 - Alex Tagliani, Scott Dixon, Oriel Servia
Row 2 - Townsend Bell, Will Power, Dan Wheldon
Row 3 - Buddy Rice, Ed Carpenter, Dario Franchitti
Row 4 - Takuma Sato, Vitor Meira, JR Hildebrand
Row 5 - James Hinchcliffe, Bertrand Baguette, Davey Hamilton
Row 6 - Helio Castroneves, John Andretti, EJ Viso
Row 7 - Bruno Junquiera, Justin Wilson, Jay Howard
Row 8 - Tomas Scheckter, Tony Kanaan, Simona de Silvestro

Fifteen drivers are going to aim for the final nine spots tomorrow, they are Ryan Briscoe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Mike Conway, Scott Speed, Ho-Pin Tung, Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball, Paul Tracy, Pippa Mann, Sebastian Saavedra, Raphael Matos, James Jakes, and Alex Lloyd.

"Seanny D Covers Indy" will be back out at the track tomorrow for Bump Day.  Keep track of all the action on Twitter at @SeannyDIndy!

Friday's Practice in Pictures

Will Power

Graham Rahal

Alex Tagliani

Charlie Kimball

Scott Speed Done at Indy?

As reported on the Twitter page for this blog (@SeannyDIndy), rookie Scott Speed had a verbal altercation with his crew during practice on Friday.  Speed was heard to have said, "The car is loose as ****!" and that he "has no confidence out there." Speed then sat by himself on the wall and stared in to space, as pictured below.

After conferring with his wife Amanda for a few minutes, he went back to talk to the mechanics.  Things got a bit more heated, then Speed was heard to have said "I'm done", and he walked back to the garage area.  Some are reporting he left the grounds of IMS, but I can not confirm that.

I did, however, see veteran Jacques Lazier talking to a mechanic for Dragon Racing about taking over the seat.  I asked Lazier what was happening and he said that this wasn't the first time this had happened with Speed and his crew.  When asked if he had a helmet and suit ready, Lazier said "They are like my MasterCard, I take them everywhere I go."

For more updates on this breaking story at the speedway, check back later!

Speeds Climb on Fast Friday

Not even an hour into the final full practice day before the 95th Indianapolis 500, the month's top time was topped not once, but twice! First, at about 12:10, Sarah Fisher Racing's Ed Carpenter posted the first lap over 228 this week, at 228.017 mph. Then, a little over a half an hour later, Sam Schmidt Motorsport's Alex Tagliani topped that time with a lap of 228.327 mph.  Both drivers had some drafting assistance via cars in front of them that made those speeds possible.

Rounding out the Top 5 after the first hour was Vitor Meira (226.994), Townsend Bell (226.924), and Bertrand Baguette (226.820). A total of 36 cars have taken to the track so far.  Speeds are expected to increase throughout the day, so keep an eye on @SeannyDIndy for more reports from IMS!

Thursday's Practice in Pictures

Helio Castroneves

Scott Dixon

Scott Speed

Tomas Scheckter

Tony Kanaan

AJ Foyt and Bruno Junqueira

EJ Viso

Photos by Sean and Bill Dunham

Team Penske Takes 3 of Top 5

Will Power led the way on Thursday, with a top lap average of 227.778 mph.  The Australian appeared to have very little drafting help on the hot lap. His teammates Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves also made the Top 5, coming in 3rd and 4th respectively.  Team Penske had yet to appear at the top of the time charts after any of the three previous practice sessions, but strong laps in the final hour pushed them to the top.

Another team that was just as impressive on Thursday was Sam Schmidt Motorsports.  Led by a staggering lone-car run by Alex Tagliani at 227.652 mph, SSM proved they are for real once again this May.  Teammate Townsend Bell was 5th quick, with a top time of 226.741 mph. The outright speed shown by this less funded team will make the battle for pole position even more dramatic.

The scariest moment of the day was the crash of Simona de Silvestro towards the beginning of the session.  As previously reported on "Seanny D Covers Indy", de Silvestro was taken to Methodist Hospital to treat burns on her left hand.  She has since been released, but her status for qualifications this weekend is still up in the air.

With only one more full practice day before qualifications this weekend, teams are sure to be pushing the envelope to find their needed speed. "Seanny D Covers Indy" will be at the track all day tomorrow providing updates on Twitter (@SeannyDIndy) of the action.

de Silvestro Walks Away from Scary Crash

Simona de Silvestro suffered a horrific accident early in practice on Thursday afternoon.  At approximately 12:30, the 22 year old Swiss was traveling through Turn 3 when a part appeared to break on her HVM Racing Dallara. Here is video of the crash. 

She was taken to Methodist Hospital with burns on her left hand. After about a 30 minute delay, practice resumed at IMS. Alex Tagliani was P1 at 3 pm with a top time of 226.541 mph.

Planking Epidemic Spreads

As rain continued to fall, drivers continued to be bored, and planking spread to even more teams and drivers! The latest TwitPics come in from KV Racing, Tomas Scheckter, and Will Power.

All 4 KV Racing drivers plank some Firestones

Will Power and Ryan Briscoe show impressive planks

Tomas Scheckter planks the Yard of Bricks

Hopefully tomorrow the drivers return to their actual passions - driving around Indianapolis Motor Speedway! No cars turned laps on Wednesday, but practice will resume Thursday at noon.

Planking Invades IMS

The constant rain and chilly temperatures have forced the stars of the IndyCar Series to find a way to kill some time. A few have resorted to the recent Australian-created fad known as "planking". Wikipedia defines planking as "the action of lying face down with arms to the sides of the body, in unusual public spaces and photographing it." This news video shows just how popular it has become in a short time.

When defending Freedom 100 winner Wade Cunningham tweeted a link to the video above, it became an instant hit throughout the IndyCar paddock.  Drivers such as Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe immediately began plotting prime planking spots. 

During the rain delay on Wednesday, pictures started flowing in on Twitter. Below are some of the greatest planks that have taken place at IMS, so far.

Rafael Matos planks across his car

2008 "500" Winner Scott Dixon caught planking

Rookie James Hinchcliffe planking

500 Veteran Tony Kanaan planks a bicycle

Dale Coyne Racing Spotter Chris Wheeler planking

Wheeler planking tires

As the rain continues to fall at IMS, this phenomenon is sure to grow. Stay tuned to "Seanny D Covers Indy" for more planking action!

Monday's Practice in Pictures

Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Townsend Bell

Defending 500 Winner Dario Franchitti

Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay

 

Justin Wilson secures his helmet

Marco Andretti leaves his pit

Photos by Sean and Bill Dunham