Luczo Dragon will roll out it’s new livery on the #2 car driven by Raphael Matos at Milwaukee this weekend.  The car will also sport this paint scheme at Iowa, Richmond, Watkins Glen, Toronto, Edmonton, Ohio and Infineon.  This is definitely a more elaborate Marine livery than they had on the car on the Streets of St. Petersburg.  This time the Marines scheme will include the Marines colors as well as the Eagle, Anchor, and Globe emblem. 

Raphael Matos finished in third place last season in the Firestone Indy Lights and went on to win the Firestone Indy Lights championship.  Matos and Luczo dragon go into the race this Sunday optimistic.

Milwaukee is a track I really like. I was very fast there last year and finished third in Indy Lights. I think it will be a good place for us. It is a track where the driver can make a little more of a difference because it is more technical and challenging than the high banking, flat out ovals.”

Although Matos has had 3 DNF’s in his past 4 starts, he is still 2nd in the IndyCar rookie points standings only and is only 9 points behind Robert Doornbos. He ran strong in all the races before he had his on track incidents.  He is looking to turn his seaosn around at Milwakee. 

The Milwakee Mile can be watched this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

photo: Ron McQueeney

Sure, everyone knows who Danica Patrick is. We also know that she drives for Andretti Green Racing which is considered one of the big three, team wise in the IndyCar Series. Andretti Green Racing is also the only team in the IndyCar Series that fields 4 cars full time. In 2007 they even fielded a 5^th car for Michael Andretti in the Indianapolis 500. Most of us already know this.

Most of us also know that Andretti Green Racing has a reputation that speaks for itself. With 34 wins and 22 poles in the team’s history I would think that Andretti Green Racing has a handle on things. In the 2008 season alone they led 749 laps. All of the drivers also finished the end of the season in the top ten in points.

Danica Patrick is one of the drivers that make Andretti Green Racing the team that it is. She is without a doubt one of the most recognized female sports figures in the world. What many people don’t realize is that the driver is not the only one responsible for the team’s success. Behind every successful driver we have a strong crew and the crew of the #7 Motorola sponsored car is no exception to this.

When we as fans arrive on race weekend we see and recognize the work put in by the drivers, team owners, and even the engineers. What we do not realize is the work put in by the Chief mechanics and the mechanics that work for them. Their race weekend starts before everyone else’s race weekend begins.

When I was covering the IndyCar open test at Homestead Miami Speedway in February, I had the opportunity to observe the crew of the #7 Motorola car of Andretti Green Racing from transport roll in to roll out. Upon observing the crew it stood out to me that they are the true heart of the race team.

In charge of this crew we have chief mechanic Dave Sharpley Jr. He is also the outside front tire changer for Danica. He leads Anton Julian, lead mechanic and inside front tire changer, Corey McClish, front end mechanic and fueler, and Shawn Ford, front end mechanic and jack man, Craig McCain, lead mechanic, Kyle Sagan, transporter driver, outside rear tire changer and tires, Brad Banker, transporter driver and tires, Doug Shelby, data acquisition. Michael Andretti is the race strategist and owner and calls the shots. I watched these individuals turn the setup of the car around in 45 minutes while eating supper. All this while having a good time and cheerfully joking with each other.

When the driver’s work is finished at the end of the season, the crew pushes on and already begins preparations for the next season. They do all their shop repairs and upgrades to their pit and garage equipment. They make changes and improvements to the haulers to make it easier for them when they are at the track. They also do all the maintenance at their facility since they do not employ a custodial staff.

The crew’s race weekend starts before the fans race weekend starts. The crew arrives and hauler arrives at the track a day or two before the gates are open to the public. After driving from Indianapolis the truck drivers load in. Usually at about the same time the rest of the team is arriving at the closest airport. They travel straight to the track and proceed to unload the hauler from front to back. They set up the garage, setup pad, tools, and the flooring in the garage so they can look presentable as they are working on the cars.

The team then unloads the car from the hauler and onto the setup pad. They put the racecar on the heater so they can do a warm up and systems check. It is then off to the inspection garage where the car is safety checked. They check things such as the tethers that are attached to the wheels, suspension, and rear wings so that they do not leave the car in the event of an on track accident. They also check the lighting system for caution which is the blinking light on top of the rear attenuator and a yellow light in the cockpit that signals the driver.

When this is complete, the car heads to tech inspection where set requirements are checked such as wing heights and widths, body widths, mirror heights, minimum weight requirements, and wheelbase requirements. After this is done the car and crew return to their garage area and fix or repair anything that did not pass the tech inspection. This is usually the conclusion of the first day at the track.

When race day comes the mechanics are now the pit crew. Dave Sharpley Jr. flags Danica down as she enters pit lane and signals her departure when the tires are changed, car is fueled, and it is clear for her to pull out and head back onto the track. The finishing order of a race can be determined in pit lane and that was proven a few weekends ago on the Streets of Long Beach where Danica went from starting 22^nd to finishing 4^th.  In Kansas Danica started P3 and finished P5.

This will be the grind for at least 14 more times this year. When the drivers work is done at the end of the race or the season, the crew will begin their preparations once again for the next race weekend, whether it is in a week or in a few months.

These individuals that make up the heart of Andretti Green Racing deserve to be commended in their effort that they put in over the course of the year. Next time you are at a race or a test session. Keep in mind that there is more than just a driver; there is a strong support and foundation behind them that is the crew.

…jurors acquitted him on all charges except for a single charge of conspiracy. The judge declared a mistrial on the count of conspiracy after jurors were unable to return a verdict… CBS4

Helio Castroneves has been acquitted after five days of deliberations.  Helio’s sister, Katiucia was also acquitted on all charges except the conspiracy charge.  His lawyer, Alan Miller, was acquitted on all charges since he had not been charged with conspiracy.  The government has not declared if it would re-file a new trial for the count of conspiracy.

“I love this country, and I love racing. I’m glad I’ll be able to do it,” he said.

“Instead of going to Disneyland, I want to go to Long Beach and race,” he said after thanking his racing sponsors for continuing to support him.

“Let’s go race,”

According to  16th and Georgetown , Curt Cavin has reported that Team Penske would have the #12 car ready for Will Power to ride in if Helio was cleared today.

photo: Steve Snoddy

Paul Tracy might have landed  a part time ride this year for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 with KV Racing technology.  This team which is owned by ex Champ Car owner Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser could field Tracy in a few other races as well.  I would think that they would be the Edmonton and Toronto races.

The last time that Paul Tracy ran in Indy was at the 86th running of the Indy 500 in 2002 where he finished second behind Helio Castroneves after a  controversial call was made stating that Paul Tracy made the pass after the yellow flag had flew in turn 3 of lap 199.

Paul Tracy showed that he still has what it takes last year when he ran at the Rexall Edmonton Indy for Vision Racing with Subway sponsoring him.  He just missed the podium finishing in P4.  This was Vision Racing’s best finish up until this years Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg where Ryan Hunter-Reay finished in P2.

Vision Racing is now fielding two American drivers in 2009 with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ed Carpenter.  

If Ryan remained without a ride for this season, he along with the IndyCar Series would be placed in a bad situation. IZOD had already filmed their commercials for the 2009 season and had already made billboard and magazine advertisment featuring Ryan Hunter-Reay.  Their investment and marketing plans for this year would have been lost. Ryan not finding a ride could have pushed away potential sponsors that were looking into getting involved with the IndyCar Series. Mike Kelly, executive vice president of marketing for Philips-Van Heusen Corporation stated:

It was very important to get him a full-time ride.  I can’t underscore that enough.  Personally, I like Ryan a lot.  He is a winner and he is good for the sport and the brand.  From a business point of view we made him the center of our 2009 campaign.  We wanted to bring the drivers to the forefront and celebrate the drivers and what they represent.  He represented all the right stuff and we connected the brand to him and he is our representative in the campaign, the commercial, print and other areas.

The addition of Ryan Hunter-Reay to Vision Racing brings the car count for the opening race on the Streets of St. Petersburg up to 20 cars.

You can watch the season opener on the streets of St Petersburg Sunday April 5th on Versus Network starting at 2 p.m. ET.

Update:

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s St Petersburg car,

photo: IMS photo

2003 Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran has been tossing around the idea of an IndyCar Series program. He would not be entering as a driver but as an owner.  Since Audi and Peugot pulled out of the ALMS Series for the rest of 2009, Honda/Acura have expressed that they have no desire to compete against no one according to Robin Miller.  If Gil de Ferran wants to continue racing he might be making the move over sooner rather then later.  Here is what Gil de Ferran had to say:

We are investigating growing into IndyCars.  It would make sense, because having two programs would bring economies of scale. It would also help us grow as a team in every respect.  We are having a serious look at it, but we would only do it if it makes sense for us and we could put a strong team together. 

Gil de Ferran has made it clear that he would not be driving and that he would be entering the IndyCar Series as a team owner. Word is traveling that serious work is going into making preparations for this year’s Indy 500.

XTrac, the company that produces gearboxes for the IRL is reducing its cost to help ease current financial troubles. This is good news after the IRL recently announced that the usual three year engine cycle would be extended to five years to help out finances. Financial help usually never comes from outside a company no matter what line of work one could be involved in, the IRL needs all it can get.

“We have been a part of the IRL formula since 2000 and we are willing to share in the pain of the economic crisis,” said Peter Digby, Xtrac’s managing director. “In some cases, we will be offering savings of over 15 percent plus reduced AGS service costs and intervals. This is a big step.”

The combination of saving money on engines and gear boxes will give the IRL a chance to adjust to the hard economic times.

Without the help they have received I wonder how the IRL and its teams would be holding up. Teams should be counting their lucky stars.

“I think it shows what a great partner the Indy Racing League has in Xtrac,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and operations for the sanctioning body. “In these economic times, to help reduce the costs of participation in the IndyCar Series is quite a gesture on their behalf.”

Honda has been the primary source of horsepower for the IRL since 2006.

League officials have not announced the specs for the new engine design. However, several new ideas are being thought of in order to benefit the league as a whole when it comes to financial trouble.

The league has thought to replace the V8 engine with four cylinders to cut back on fuel mileage and the purchase of ethanol. Stretching out engine agreements to lower costs on research. Also the addition of turbo engines. This would enable teams have better control of power on different type of courses. This would lower the amount of funds put towards redesigning engines for the different types of courses the IRL has.

Five automotive manufacturers including Audi, Fiat, Honda, Porsche and Volkswagen have showed interest in making engines for the IRL in the neat future.

“The fact that we’ve got five [engine manufacturers] involved in this global economy, I think, speaks volumes about the interest in the IndyCar series,” IRL president of competition Brian Barnhart said. “We’re not going to get all five of them, but if we get two, to go along with Honda, we’d be thrilled.”

This is an excellent move for the IRL. With no increase in sight when it comes to finances, it makes sense to level out rather than hitting rock bottom and wondering what happened in the first place.

It would seem that the driver pool is not the only thing growing.  Mechanics, crew workers, and strategist alike are being let go at an alarmning rate.  Just a few days ago Rahal Letterman racing announced that they would be more than likely not be running an IndyCar program in 2009, but to not count them out of the month of May.  Just this Friday, KV Racing let go of roughly 18 employess from their Indianapolis based organization.  This was the crew for the second car. When jimmy Vasser was asked about the recent cut he stated

It was a very difficult thing to do because we have a good family atmosphere built up here but were past the date on our budget to carry the compliment of people for a two-car team. Those are just the facts.  Last year we had no engine lease so it’s $2 million more we’ve got to come up with and we’ve got less money.  I’ve never seen anything like this economy in my lifetime and it’s tough but we’re fighting and we’re doing everything we can.

KV Racing along with Paul Tracy have submitted a budget to Monster Energy Drink to run the complete 2009 season as well as just running the Indianapolis 500 and are still waiting on an answer.

David Letterman will have more to worry about than just what his top 10 jokes will be on his daily weeknight telecast. Rahal-Letterman racing is going to sit out the 2009 season due to the lack of a sponsor.

Rahal Letterman racing has come to a screeching halt despite having above average production in the last couple of years. The team celebrated an Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice. They brought in Danica Patrick, possibly the league’s most well known driver commercially. Also upcoming driver Ryan Hunter-Reay won his first race last season and was a constant competitor both on the oval and road/street courses.

It comes with no surprise as financial troubles have struck the racing world in the last year with several teams having to cut back due to sponsorships being in real trouble due to poor economic situations in the United States.

With well known names in racing and show business it’s rather surprising, to me at least, that they are willing to sit this season out. I’m not a finance major but really sitting out…wow. It makes me think with the economy headed into no-mans-land and no way out in site will we see racing in two or three years? Will we see more teams drop out and do the same thing?

Will I have anything to write about?

I certainly hope not, but unfortunately it looks that way.

UPDATE:

Bobby Rahal recently issued a press release stating the following.

As I said in the quote from the story, as of this time we do not have any sponsorship that will allow us to compete in the IRL in 2009, but by no means does that mean that we are giving up. We are continuing to search for sponsorship to run the 2009 season and to run in the Indianapolis 500 and we feel that there is still time for us to put something together that will allow that to happen.

Here’s to the hope that they can sort out some sponsorships and get back in the race.