Scott Dixon Wins Wet and Wonderful Watkins Glen/ Sea Bass Wins Another CCWS Event/ Fike in New Ride, Hines Returns
Scott Dixon Wins Wet and Wonderful Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, NY – New Zealand native Scott Dixon made like a duck and sloshed his way to victory lane Sunday at IndyCar Series race Sunday at Watkins Glen.
The soggy conditions and time constraints would make Watkins Glen a race strategy event. IRL officials mandated that all teams start on rain tires.
As the mist tapered off the teams switched back to slicks and then back to rain tires with the conditions. The slicks were about 5 seconds faster than rain tires. Helio Castroneves was on the pole but by the second lap, Tony Kanaan had taken the lead.
Eight laps into the race, the field had shed their rain tires for slicks. Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. spun coming out of turn seven and lost a lap.
The slicks were not working for Dario Franchitti who slid through the gravel trap in the “bus stop” part of the track. He spun again on his way out of the “bus stop” and had to have some assistance from the IRL Safety Team.
Buddy Rice also spun about the same time in the entrance to the “bus stop.” Eddie Cheever allegedly (I did not see this with my own eyes) caused Danica Patrick to spin on the restart causing one of Patrick’s spotters to say something about Cheever’s ability to drive. Kosuke Matsuura then went for a ride off of turn two and collided with Jeff Simmons.
Because of all of the spins and cautions, the IRL was thinking about going Champ Car World Series and cutting the race short of TV. (I have some thoughts on this subject but will reserve them for later this week.) The biggest moment of the race happened when Eddie Cheever had just gone a lap down. Cheever was attempting to keep up with the leader Sam Hornish, Jr. and collided with Marco Andretti who was running third. The television replay showed Marco taking the high side off line and Cheever following the line and moving up the track aparently not seeing Marco. The move forced Andretti up the track, through puddled water and eventually off the track. Eddie Cheever kept moving up and up the track and impacted with Marco Andretti.
"I thought the contact was pretty blatant and it wasn't the first time we've had problems with him (Cheever),” said Marco Andretti.
The two got together during practice earlier this season at St. Pete. The media swarmed the Andretti Green pits as the Andretti’s expressed their feelings that Cheever was out to get them.
"We were plenty good to win and were biding our time, hanging with the leaders because we had them covered,” said Kyle Moyer, General Manager, Andretti Green Racing. “Then we got knocked out by a back marker that seems to be doing this to us all the time."
Nothing like a little controversy to stir things up. The pits opened up and the 2006 IndyCar Champion Dan Weldon broke a drive shaft on his pitstop ending his day.
Buddy Rice recovered from his earlier spin to lead when the green droped again. Danica Patrick had also made her way back on the lead lap. The drivers went back into spin cycle mode with Scheckter and Franchitti spinning in turn one and Herta and Kanaan collided in the inner loop. The rain returned on lap 49 and Kannan spun bringing out the yellow. Would they pit? Nooo. Green again on lap 51 cars were sliding. Scheckter spun and on the restart, it was all Scott Dixon as he drove away from second place Vitor Meira.
The win gave Scott Dixon second straight Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix victory.
Vitor Meira was second, Ryan Briscoe third, Buddy Rice fourth and Felipe Giaffone fifth. While the race wrapped up too early, it did prove to be a game of chess. Tire strategy, fuel strategy, good drivers making mistakes, and an Andretti-Cheever feud made for an interresting day at Watkins Glen.
IndyCar Series Watkins Glen Results
1 (9) Scott Dixon
2 (4) Vitor Meira
3 (5) Ryan Briscoe
4 (15) Buddy Rice
5 (14) Felipe Giaffone
6 (20) Ed Carpenter
7 (3) Helio Castroneves
8 (16) Danica Patrick
9 (8) Scott Sharp
10 (2) Tomas Scheckter
11 (11) Tony Kanaan 1 lap
12 (6) Sam Hornish Jr 1 lap
13 (7) Bryan Herta 1 lap
14 (27) Dario Franchitti 11 laps
15 (10) Dan Wheldon 14 laps Driveshaft
16 (26) Marco Andretti 17 laps Accident
17 (51) Eddie Cheever Jr 18 laps Accident
18 (55) Kosuke Matsuura 36 laps Accident
19 (17) Jeff Simmons 37 laps Accident
Sea Bass Win Another CCWS Event
Sebastien Bourdais won another Champ Car World Series event Sunday but this time it was on an oval. In tradition, the race was shortened from 225 197 laps for TV. (We have got to break this habit in Open Wheel. More on this tomorrow.) In bigger news, Paul Tracy didn't make it through the second lap. His teammate, Mario Dominguez, took him out for the second time.
Remember the first time at Long Beach?
Yea, I think Mario might check the wanted ads in Speed Sport for a new job. Taking yourself and your teammate out twice in the early stages of the season is never a good deal. Katherine (nice) Legge became the first female to lead a Champ Car race when everyone else pitted and she stayed out.
Fike in New Ride, Hines Returns
After a week off, two Open Wheelers will return to the Busch Series. As we reported last week, Aaron Fike will make his first appearance driving for Kevin Harvick at Nashville. Tracy Hines also returns in the No. 14.
Busch Series Entries Nashville
9 Boris Said
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
33 Aaron Fike
34 Mike Bliss
38 Jason Leffler
60 Carl Edwards
77 Burney Lamar
Tough Day at Dover
Most of the Open Wheeler Cup drivers are probably happy to bne leaving Dover after a rough Sunday. Kasey Kahne finished 7th. From there it went down hill. Despite a driver switch, the No. 20 and Tony Stewart finished 25th. Matt Kenseth won the event.
Open Wheeler Cup Dover Results
1. (17 Matt Kenseth)
7. 9 Kasey Kahne
12. 24 Jeff Gordon
14. 12 Ryan Newman
15. 99 Carl Edwards
21. 42 Casey Mears
25. 20 Tony Stewart
30. 22 Dave Blaney
33. 21 Ken Schrader
36. 7 Robby Gordon
42. 18 J.J. Yeley
For images related to these stories, please visit our sister website, http://openwheeler.blogspot.com/
Images courtesy of R.E. Technologies/ Tracksideonline.com and NBC.
Watkins Glen, NY – New Zealand native Scott Dixon made like a duck and sloshed his way to victory lane Sunday at IndyCar Series race Sunday at Watkins Glen.
The soggy conditions and time constraints would make Watkins Glen a race strategy event. IRL officials mandated that all teams start on rain tires.
As the mist tapered off the teams switched back to slicks and then back to rain tires with the conditions. The slicks were about 5 seconds faster than rain tires. Helio Castroneves was on the pole but by the second lap, Tony Kanaan had taken the lead.
Eight laps into the race, the field had shed their rain tires for slicks. Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. spun coming out of turn seven and lost a lap.
The slicks were not working for Dario Franchitti who slid through the gravel trap in the “bus stop” part of the track. He spun again on his way out of the “bus stop” and had to have some assistance from the IRL Safety Team.
Buddy Rice also spun about the same time in the entrance to the “bus stop.” Eddie Cheever allegedly (I did not see this with my own eyes) caused Danica Patrick to spin on the restart causing one of Patrick’s spotters to say something about Cheever’s ability to drive. Kosuke Matsuura then went for a ride off of turn two and collided with Jeff Simmons.
Because of all of the spins and cautions, the IRL was thinking about going Champ Car World Series and cutting the race short of TV. (I have some thoughts on this subject but will reserve them for later this week.) The biggest moment of the race happened when Eddie Cheever had just gone a lap down. Cheever was attempting to keep up with the leader Sam Hornish, Jr. and collided with Marco Andretti who was running third. The television replay showed Marco taking the high side off line and Cheever following the line and moving up the track aparently not seeing Marco. The move forced Andretti up the track, through puddled water and eventually off the track. Eddie Cheever kept moving up and up the track and impacted with Marco Andretti.
"I thought the contact was pretty blatant and it wasn't the first time we've had problems with him (Cheever),” said Marco Andretti.
The two got together during practice earlier this season at St. Pete. The media swarmed the Andretti Green pits as the Andretti’s expressed their feelings that Cheever was out to get them.
"We were plenty good to win and were biding our time, hanging with the leaders because we had them covered,” said Kyle Moyer, General Manager, Andretti Green Racing. “Then we got knocked out by a back marker that seems to be doing this to us all the time."
Nothing like a little controversy to stir things up. The pits opened up and the 2006 IndyCar Champion Dan Weldon broke a drive shaft on his pitstop ending his day.
Buddy Rice recovered from his earlier spin to lead when the green droped again. Danica Patrick had also made her way back on the lead lap. The drivers went back into spin cycle mode with Scheckter and Franchitti spinning in turn one and Herta and Kanaan collided in the inner loop. The rain returned on lap 49 and Kannan spun bringing out the yellow. Would they pit? Nooo. Green again on lap 51 cars were sliding. Scheckter spun and on the restart, it was all Scott Dixon as he drove away from second place Vitor Meira.
The win gave Scott Dixon second straight Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix victory.
Vitor Meira was second, Ryan Briscoe third, Buddy Rice fourth and Felipe Giaffone fifth. While the race wrapped up too early, it did prove to be a game of chess. Tire strategy, fuel strategy, good drivers making mistakes, and an Andretti-Cheever feud made for an interresting day at Watkins Glen.
IndyCar Series Watkins Glen Results
1 (9) Scott Dixon
2 (4) Vitor Meira
3 (5) Ryan Briscoe
4 (15) Buddy Rice
5 (14) Felipe Giaffone
6 (20) Ed Carpenter
7 (3) Helio Castroneves
8 (16) Danica Patrick
9 (8) Scott Sharp
10 (2) Tomas Scheckter
11 (11) Tony Kanaan 1 lap
12 (6) Sam Hornish Jr 1 lap
13 (7) Bryan Herta 1 lap
14 (27) Dario Franchitti 11 laps
15 (10) Dan Wheldon 14 laps Driveshaft
16 (26) Marco Andretti 17 laps Accident
17 (51) Eddie Cheever Jr 18 laps Accident
18 (55) Kosuke Matsuura 36 laps Accident
19 (17) Jeff Simmons 37 laps Accident
Sea Bass Win Another CCWS Event
Sebastien Bourdais won another Champ Car World Series event Sunday but this time it was on an oval. In tradition, the race was shortened from 225 197 laps for TV. (We have got to break this habit in Open Wheel. More on this tomorrow.) In bigger news, Paul Tracy didn't make it through the second lap. His teammate, Mario Dominguez, took him out for the second time.
Remember the first time at Long Beach?
Yea, I think Mario might check the wanted ads in Speed Sport for a new job. Taking yourself and your teammate out twice in the early stages of the season is never a good deal. Katherine (nice) Legge became the first female to lead a Champ Car race when everyone else pitted and she stayed out.
Fike in New Ride, Hines Returns
After a week off, two Open Wheelers will return to the Busch Series. As we reported last week, Aaron Fike will make his first appearance driving for Kevin Harvick at Nashville. Tracy Hines also returns in the No. 14.
Busch Series Entries Nashville
9 Boris Said
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
33 Aaron Fike
34 Mike Bliss
38 Jason Leffler
60 Carl Edwards
77 Burney Lamar
Tough Day at Dover
Most of the Open Wheeler Cup drivers are probably happy to bne leaving Dover after a rough Sunday. Kasey Kahne finished 7th. From there it went down hill. Despite a driver switch, the No. 20 and Tony Stewart finished 25th. Matt Kenseth won the event.
Open Wheeler Cup Dover Results
1. (17 Matt Kenseth)
7. 9 Kasey Kahne
12. 24 Jeff Gordon
14. 12 Ryan Newman
15. 99 Carl Edwards
21. 42 Casey Mears
25. 20 Tony Stewart
30. 22 Dave Blaney
33. 21 Ken Schrader
36. 7 Robby Gordon
42. 18 J.J. Yeley
For images related to these stories, please visit our sister website, http://openwheeler.blogspot.com/
Images courtesy of R.E. Technologies/ Tracksideonline.com and NBC.
posted by Blake Johnson at 10:50 AM
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