Tag Archives: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Justin Wilson Children’s Fund Update

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Photo - JustinWilson.co.uk

Photo – JustinWilson.co.uk

Justin Wilson Children’s Fund Update

INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway encourage racing fans to make donations to a new fund established to support the  family of Justin Wilson. Donations to the Wilson Children’s Fund can be made online at www.wilsonchildrensfund.com or sent to the following address:

Wilson Children’s Fund
c/o Forum Credit Union
P.O. Box 50738
Indianapolis, IN  46250-0738
317-558-6000

“Justin Wilson gave so much to his teammates, fellow drivers and INDYCAR fans,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The best way for the racing community to show our appreciation and preserve his legacy is to express our unwavering support for his children, wife and family members during this heartbreaking time. I encourage fans across the nation to donate to the Wilson Children’s Fund.”

“Justin Wilson was a beloved and admired member of our INDYCAR family who touched the lives of countless individuals both stateside and in the United Kingdom,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “I encourage fans to make donations in his honor to the Wilson Children’s Fund. I know Hoosiers will do their part in lending a helping hand to Justin’s loved ones during this very difficult time.”

If you previously sent a donation to INDYCAR, it will be forwarded to the new address. All donations will be kept confidential.

In addition, commemorative decals and T-shirts are available at shop.ims.com, with proceeds going directly to the Wilson Children’s Fund.

Wilson, who enjoyed success in multiple motorsports series during a two-decade professional career, died Monday from a head injury suffered in the Verizon IndyCar Series race Aug. 23 at Pocono Raceway. He was 37.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam Debate Continues

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SCS-Grand Slam-Crown Jewel

NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the country, and the Sprint Cup Series is their cornerstone as the most élite series. The last ten races of the season, known as ‘The Chase,’ gives 16 Sprint Cup drivers a chance to earn the championship title. Only one driver walks away with the championship at the end of the season giving them prestige and elevating their status over all other drivers and teams for the next year.

But is there another chance to recognize a driver/team accomplishing what no other team or driver has done? Perhaps, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam is such an opportunity – when all four premium race victories earn that driver/team a historic Crown Jewel.

In the Sprint Cup Series a long-held debate that comes up nearly every year is the ‘what if’ speculation of honoring a driver/team for winning four prestige events, known as a Grand Slam.  Once again the time has come for the debate to continue discussing the pros and cons of honoring a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam recipient as well as, what races are worthy of inclusion.

Despite no driver being eligible for the grand slam crown jewel this particular season, it seems a reasonable debate in considering the future of the Sprint Cup Series, and perhaps making it an appealing quest for drivers and teams. This is an honor they can strive to earn, giving them recognition that is historic by virtue of the difficulty in winning the four select races of the Grand Slam.

And why not? A Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam would make these four key races even more fun to watch. But what makes this Grand Slam even more special is that, like the Triple Crown in horse racing, it would be rare to see a driver win all four races. Here are some suggestions for the first three races that should headline the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam.

The Daytona 500 is the first race of the season and would become the first leg of the four race Grand Slam feat.  The season opener at Daytona International Speedway is known as the Super Bowl of NASCAR and is already the most anticipated race of the Sprint Cup Series with the winner giving their team momentum heading into the rest of the season. Every driver dreams of becoming a Daytona 500 winner.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the schedule testing every driver and team’s endurance. For 600 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway, drivers race in varying race conditions starting in daylight and finishing at the end of the night under the lights. This race runs on the same day as IndyCar’s famous Indianapolis 500, and it should stay that way, since fans love to watch both races over the Memorial Day weekend.

The 400 miles at the Brickyard are at the most legendary track in America – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and is a must for the third leg of the Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam. It’s a big track with long straightaways and corners that challenge drivers and teams to earn their victory. Drivers winning at Indianapolis relish their chance to kiss the famed yard of bricks with their family and team members at this historic track.

Here’s where deciding the fourth and last track of the Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam debate gets interesting with several possibilities to consider.  Should a road course such as Sonoma or Watkins Glen be added to the Grand Slam as the last leg? Or is a historic short track more valued with perhaps Darlington or Martinsville as potential tracks to complete the quad-fecta?  Should Richmond be a consideration as the last race of the regular season – or would the Chase qualification spot light take away from recognizing the Grand Slam Crown Jewel recipient?  Should the last race of the Grand Slam be decided before or during the Chase?

My personal choice for the fourth event is the Southern 500 at Darlington which is returning to its traditional Labor Day weekend this season.  This historic oval brings short track racing to the venue and is the week before Richmond, the last race of the regular season that reveals the 16 drivers eligible for the Chase.  That would give the Grand Slam winner their own spot light to enjoy their historic feat at one of the most storied tracks in the Sprint Cup Series. A Crown Jewel celebration seems a proper fit at Darlington Raceway – long thought of as a crown jewel on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Alright fans, it’s time for you to weigh in with your thoughts about a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam. Yes or No?….and which track/race, in your opinion, should run the last event to honor the historic Quad-fecta Crown Jewel?

Drivers Disappointed with High Drag Package at Indianapolis

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Photo - Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Photo – Andy Lyons/Getty Images

With so many unknown’s coming into this past weekend of action at Indianapolis, the general post race consensus is that the début of the new high drag aero package was a disappointment. Although, the finishes for both the XFINITY Series and Sprint Cup Series races came down to the last few laps, fans and drivers were not happy with the new package as it created some flaws throughout the weekend. Continue reading →

Kyle Busch on a Phenomenal Streak with Brickyard Win

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“This is awesome!”

…Kyle Busch screamed as he crossed the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and continued a run that has grown from extraordinary to downright other-worldly.

Holding off Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano during three late-race restarts, Busch beat Logano to the finish line by 0.332 seconds to win Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at The Brickyard.

The victory was Busch’s fourth in the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, all coming after an 11-event absence to start the season, the result of a broken right leg and left foot suffered in a crash during the Feb. 21 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Continue reading →

Kyle Busch Continues Streak of Excellence with Brickyard Win

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Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2015 Photo - Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2015 Photo – Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, continued his streak of excellence in the sport of NASCAR by winning the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. With a last lap pass on Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, the win gave Busch his second win at Indianapolis in three years.

This victory came after overcoming multiple problems throughout the day. First issue was a communication problem resulting in not pitting at the beginning of the race. Busch was noticeably upset over the radio, forcing his team to use  a different strategy which actually ended up playing in his favor.

“The caution flew about Lap 23, and pit road wasn’t open till about Lap 26,” noted crew chief Chris Gayle. “That then put us on a one stop strategy to where we could make it to the end even with the misunderstanding communication wise.”

Busch went on to lead 53 laps the rest of the day, collecting his second win and fourth top-ten of 2015.

Busch also battled the heat all day, noting that he…

‘melted inside the car, the whole race.’

Busch also mentioned that the car had no openings for air, which obviously did not help the heat situation. When asked, Busch talked about having NASCAR make a change that would make the air openings fair for everybody.

One of the ideas Busch suggested was for NASCAR to mandate an eight inch opening on the right side window that every team could use.

Battling through the obstacles, Busch was still able to overcome the odds of a pit road misunderstanding and excessive heat all day by ensuing a last lap pass for the lead.

“I just got close enough to make him (Blaney) mess up and he got tight off (turn) two and then I was able to capitalize underneath him losing his momentum off of two and being able to get under him,” said Busch. “Can’t say enough about Chris Gayle and all these guys on this Monster Energy Camry. It was the class of the field, we should have won this thing going away, but I guess we had to make it exciting.”

That pass came at the expense of 21-year-old Ryan Blaney.

“It’s my fault, obviously. You saw it. I screwed up,” Blaney said. “This team doesn’t deserve that. I dropped the ball for them today and I take full responsibility. It’s my fault.”

Blaney was able to beat Busch on the final restart of the race on lap 76 and maintain a lead through the next 24 laps with limited pressure from Busch.

“There was no pressure for 24 laps and the last one I just made a mistake,” said Blaney post race.

Being the competitor that he is, Blaney was tremendously hard on himself after race as he kept highlighting on his mistake time and time again. Many fans and drivers offered their support to Blaney after the race.

Although there were problems for Busch and his team, they overcame their issues to continue their amazing streak of excellence.