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This weekend you might not recognize Dario Franchitti’s car as it goes by.  This is because Air Wick will be the primary sponsor for the #10 car this weekend in St. Petersburg Florida.  Dario stated:

“Driving the AIR WICK® car to start the IndyCar Series season couldn’t be more fitting for me…their tagline ‘It’s good to be home’ pretty much sums up my thoughts on this race to start the year after racing in NASCAR in 2008. I’ve said many times that part of the IndyCar Series’ allure is in the diversity of its tracks, and I’m a huge fan of the street circuits. What a great way to continue my Indy car career with AIR WICK® on board on the streets of St. Petersburg.

Chip Ganaasi racing will also be making history this season being the only team to put teammates together who have won both its sanctioning body’s Driver Championship  and its marquee event the previous two seasons.  

Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon should be optimistic going into this season’s opening event.  Both drivers did well at the Barber Motorsports test this off-season.  Dixon had his only DNF last season at St. Petersburg and finished 22nd.  Franchitti last ran there in 2007 and finished 5th driving for Andretti Green Racing.

Donna McGonigal, who is the marketing director for Air Wick also expressed her excitement.

We’re excited to continue into the 2009 racing season as a proud sponsor of Target Chip Ganassi Racing.  The IndyCar Series gives us a wonderful opportunity to educate consumers about how Air Wick gives them the assurance that their home always smells good and is something they can have pride in.

You can see Dario’s car on Versus this Sunday April 5th during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at 2 p.m.

No more power steering and less elbow room is in Dario Franchitti’s future. When Franchitti left the IndyCar Series at the end of the 2007 season, most thought that he would not come back. Well, we are not even into the 2009 season yet and he is back in an IndyCar driving for the same team he drove for in the Nascar Nationwide Series, Target Chip Ganassi Racing. It might not be a points race or count towards anything other than a win for one team and driver. Surfers Paradise should be a nice refresher course for Franchitti to get reacquainted with the car along with his new crew, and should also give him an opportunity to get used to working with his new teammate and reigning Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion, Scott Dixon. Franchitti showed that he had a difficult time transitioning into stock cars being a back marker most of the season in the Nationwide Series. The addition of Franchitti alongside Dixon will definitely make TCGR an even stronger powerhouse team in 2009.

Given what Brendon wrote about in this post and that Chris commented that:

Seems kind of weird that he will get no penalties for that transponder not being in the right place? If that had happened to another team in a different race I feel the league would have penalized the driver. Just my 2 cents.

I have to say that while I don’t want to play tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist I can’t help but think that something is most definitely afoot.   (more…)

… is definitly what Helio Castroneves should have said when finding out that he would be standing over Scott Dixon on the podium at Chicagoland for placing first at the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300.   The IRL stated that a faulty transponder in Scott Dixon’s #10 TCGR car was to blame for the erroneous finish at this season’s finale at Chicagoland this past Sunday. Helio Castroneves, although falling short from winning the IndyCar Series Championship by 17 points beat out Scott Dixon by less than 12 inches of asphalt. Scott Dixon was surprised as well as he was climbing out of his car in victory lane to receive his $1 million check and championship trophy. Thank goodness for slow motion replay.

Well, not exactly.  Helio Castroneves started last but proved to drive like a champion as he made quick work of the other 27 cars in the field improving 20 positions in less than 40 laps and leading by lap 76.  He went on to lead the most laps and win the Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.  Although he does not have a trophy, or a million dollar check showing that he is an IndyCar Series champion, he sure showed that he has what it takes to be one.  Not to mention that he is a two time Indy 500 winner.  However, in the end the better driver came out on top and that was Scott Dixon with 6 wins including this years Indy 500.  What a close to the 2008 IndyCar season.