indy-500

Indy 500 Postponed

March 26, 2020 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

PRESS RELEASE:

INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, March 26, 2020 – The Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridgehas been rescheduled for Sunday, Aug. 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials from INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) announced today. The 104th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will air live on NBC, with the official green flag time to be announced at a later date.

The GMR Grand Prix will transition to Saturday, July 4 on the IMS road course as part of a historic double-header featuring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR. This first-of-its-kind racing event also will be televised by NBC on Independence Day.

The Indianapolis 500 was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 24, in its traditional spot on the calendar during Memorial Day weekend. The GMR Grand Prix was scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 9.

“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” Roger Penskesaid. “However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing. We will continue to focus on ways we can enhance the customer experience in the months ahead, and I’m confident we will welcome fans with a transformed facility and a global spectacle when we run the world’s greatest race.”

“Memorial Day weekend has always provided Indianapolis 500 fans an opportunity to honor the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our nation’s freedom,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “This August, we’ll also have a unique and powerful opportunity to honor the contributions and heroism of the doctors, nurses, first responders and National Guard members serving on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. We’re grateful for the patience of our fans as we’ve navigated this situation, and we extend our thanks to NBC for its terrific partnership and diligent work to maximize broadcast coverage with this new schedule.”

On-track action in August will begin at IMS with practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 12-13, followed by Fast Friday on Aug. 14 and Indianapolis 500 Qualifications on Saturday and Sunday Aug. 15-16. Each day of qualifications will be televised on NBC, providing more network coverage of qualifications for fans than in 2019. A full broadcast schedule will be released soon.

The following week’s schedule will begin with hot pit-stop practice sessions on Thursday, Aug. 20 and include Indy Lights practice and qualifying. The Indy Lights Freedom 100 race, a significantly expanded Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge and final Indianapolis 500 practice will take place on Friday, Aug. 21 as part of Miller Lite Carb Day, followed by the public drivers’ meeting and full-field autograph session on Saturday, Aug. 22 as part of Legends Day presented by Firestone.

As a result of the schedule changes at IMS, the INDYCAR races scheduled for Aug. 16 and Aug. 22 have been rescheduled. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is now scheduled for Aug. 9, and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is now scheduled for Aug. 30. An updated 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar is available at this linkand can also be found at the bottom of this release.

GMR Grand Prix Makes Historic Move

The GMR Grand Prix will take the green flag Saturday, July 4, before the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the IMS road course – the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard. The unique holiday racing lineup will mark the first time that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will compete at the same track on the same weekend as both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Immediately following the live telecast of the GMR Grand Prix on July 4, NBC will air the first NASCAR race on the IMS road course with the Xfinity Series cars in action at the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard.

“For very good reason, this historic pairing will be circled on the calendar of every motorsports fan,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “We appreciate our friends at NASCAR for their flexibility and support in this matter and will work with them on a memorable, exciting weekend of racing action.”

Tickets already purchased for the Indianapolis 500, GMR Grand Prix and associated on-track days such as Miller Lite Carb Day and Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying Weekend will be valid on the rescheduled dates. Individuals already in possession of those tickets should use them for entry. To learn more about the adjusted on-track schedule, review customer FAQ’s and submit questions, fans can visit www.ims.com/COVID19.

Important Indy 500 Race Weekend Concert Update

All concerts scheduled for the original Race Weekend in May have been canceled. This includes REO Speedwagon and Styx on Friday, May 22, Luke Bryan on Saturday, May 23 and Martin Garrix on Sunday, May 24.

This decision was made to provide the maximum flexibility possible to complete the Indianapolis 500 by Sunday, Aug. 23 and provide room for any contingency plans necessary. IMS appreciates the understanding of fans and regrets that the COVID-19 situation has caused the cancellation of these events.

Fans who made concert-specific purchases will be able to access a credit for any IMS event, including the Indy 500, or choose to receive a refund. IMS concert customers will receive further communication on how to exercise their ticketing options.

Enhanced Health and Safety Measures at IMS

IMS and INDYCAR officials will continue to work closely with local, state and federal health representatives to ensure a safe and healthy experience for spectators. Enhanced measures that will be in place once activity resumes at IMS include:

•Increasing housekeeping staff at the track to elevate frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces

•Using cleaning products that meet current EPA and CDC guidelines for registered disinfectants to be used against COVID-19

•Educating all employees on CDC prevention guidance, including proper handwashing technique and requesting that all vendors communicate strict hygiene protocol to staff

•Increasing public hand-sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas, containing sanitizer that meets or exceeds the CDC standard for alcohol content

•Reducing required hand-to-hand interactions between customers and staff at concession areas and other key IMS locations

Updated 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule

Saturday, May 30

Streets of Detroit Race 1

Sunday, May 31

Streets of Detroit Race 2

Saturday, June 6

Texas Motor Speedway

Sunday, June 21

Road America

Saturday, June 27

Richmond Raceway

Saturday, July 4

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Sunday, July 12

Streets of Toronto

Saturday, July 18

Iowa Speedway

Sunday, Aug. 9

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Sunday, Aug. 23

Indianapolis 500 Mile Race

Sunday, Aug. 30

World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

Sunday, Sept. 13

Portland International Raceway

Sunday, Sept. 20

WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca

TBD Expected Finale

Streets of St. Petersburg

A Few Words With Reigning Indy 500 Champion Takuma Sato

May 25, 2018 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

On Sunday May 27, 2018, the Indy 500 will be raced for the 102^ndtime. When the dust settled on Bump Day, the 33 drivers that qualified wasn’t a surprise but the two that didn’t make it was definitely a disappointing shock. Pippa Mann in the #63 Dayle Coyne Racing kept losing speed, and James Hinchcliffe had issues as well and neither made the cut. Ultimately Hinchcliffe announced Thursday that all options were exhausted, ending all chances to race on Sunday – and will no doubt affect his current #5 position in championship points. Danica Patrick, in her final race before retirement, rounded out the top nine at 9^thon the starting grid.

In the week leading up to the 2018 Indy 500, drivers traveled to different cities to publicize the race. Reigning champion Takuma Sato visited New York City where he was toasted by the Japanese Ambassador and talked with the media. I was able to chat with Sato, an all-around nice guy and consummate sportsman, for a couple minutes and ask him about the exciting last five laps of his win, what winning the race means to him, and what the competition in this year’s race looks like.

PCG: In last year’s Indy 500, I couldn’t breathe in those last five laps before you took the checkered flag. Can you speak to how important it was to you to win and take the [Borg-Warner] trophy to Japan?

Sato: Well, as I said on the stage here it was just an unbelievable experience and was really the significant moment in my life and it just feels amazing really and every single aspect was a huge experience for me. And like you said, yes, bringing the trophy to Japan is one of amazing story because not only my ambition but also for the entire Indycar and all winners in 83 years of history they’ve never done it in our strategy. So I think a lot of people’s commitment showing a lot of people’s appreciation is really truly showing that it is happening and I don’t know how to say, but it is just a dream come true.

So the last five laps was very touch-go move because for me… So 10 laps to go and Max Chilton, another driver leading the race and he by himself is really fast, so… I mean could overtake him but it was really risky because he was so fast. And I was just trying to figure out how I can overtake him as well as how I could protect him as well. So I was learning on quite a few laps. And Helio Castroneves charging me and he overtook me, impressive move in turn 3 on outside. When I saw it I knew that Helio is doing the same thing to Max. So instead of chasing Helio I basically let him do it. And in fact, he overtook him two laps later and then he lost momentum – so Max lost momentum – that’s the time I could overtake him. Now it’s between Helio and I, right. So I could wait until last lap to overtake Helio, however if I do so, what if there is a yellow comes in, right? And that means I will be finishing in second before I challenge, and I didn’t want to make that happen. However, if I overtook with three laps to go he will re-overtake me and that would be the end of the story. So I was thinking, how do we do it? And five laps to me is the magic number. Because I overtake him, see how many laps he can take to come back and attempt, whether it was first lap or second lap, or third lap. And the only thing I didn’t know was whether he couldn’t or didn’t. If he didn’t that would be a problem because that means he could be out of sequence. However when I saw him make an attempt three laps later I overtook him which is two laps to and by that time I realized if I could hold the pace I could win because by the time I pull away he takes another two laps to come back which is checkered flag. So to me either way the five laps to go when I lead I can do very… how to you say in English?

PCG: Strategic?

Sato: Noooo… Flexible! Can be very flexible in any circumstance. So that’s the way I saw it. And it became as I saw it. And obviously this is a rare case because usually the reality doesn’t go to the way you planned it. But – that was the day I got so much luck, so much environment, physically I have a very fast car, and mentally I was so relaxed and strong and I was able to compete on the highest level with the guy I could trust one hundred percent because Helio Castroneves is the guy to beat for Indy 500 so I was very happy in that moment.

PCG: In this Indy 500, you will be racing with five previous winners. Are you looking forward to a really competitive race?

Sato: Yes! I’m really looking forward to it, in fact it’s going to be a really tough challenge, honestly speaking, of course, nothing is impossible so I will try my best but looking at the circumstances it will be extremely tough to do the race but I think it will be great. Obviously, Alexander Rossi, and Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon and myself… who else, I don’t know, but it can be anybody else. So I think it’s going to be a great show for sure and any of the result I think I will accept, however, hopefully I wish we can have a big smile after the race, yes.

PCG: After some of the issues in practice, are you feeling more confident going into Friday’s practice?

Sato: I think the honest answer is yes and no. Physically and mentally myself I am ready to take action, of course. The car, unfortunately we had some issues, we have some struggles, but I think the engineers work so hard and squeeze out the last one percent of speed for Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 showing a huge step forward so I believe we can build a car as competitive as possible to check the things on the fly on Carb Day and if that’s the case, I think a 16 spread has no meaning. I can move up and I can compete for the win and that’s what I want to do.

PCG: Thank you for your time and good luck!

: Sato being interviews

: Sato with the Japanese Ambassador

: Champagne toast

2013 North American International Autoshow wrap-up

January 19, 2013 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

While @thegarageblog on Twitter has been crazy active over the past week or so, things have been pretty quiet here in The Garage Blog. Why? Well, truth be told, I am so busy with my real job that I don’t have time to keep up with The Garage. For those of you who don’t know, my real job isn’t really a job at all. Instead, I am a freelancer with a daily and weekly gig over at the Toronto Star’s Wheels.ca, so when I’m done writing (I’m never really done) I really don’t have the energy to come here and write more.

So, my own coverage of the 2013 NAIAS is going to be limited to a shit load of pictures.

I will tell you that the absolute highlight of the show for me was turning a corner and seeing the Borg-Warner Trophy, in all its glory, standing out in the open, waiting for me to drool on it. Rather than just the usual gearhead drool, this was a chance for me to truly experience a bit of family history that I have never actually been close enough to embrace. Seeing my Grandfather’s Cousin’s name and face on the trophy was quite the moment for me. You can read more about my connection to George Robson here.

Now, head past the jump to see all sorts of stuff from the show.
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In His Words – Alex Tagliani

May 24, 2011 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Alex Tagliani chats with John Bassett

While I was busy cavorting with the kids, John Bassett took some time with Alex Tagliani and asked some real questions.

Alex Tagliani has been the story of the month at Indy and will start SundayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s race from the pole, the first ever Canadian to grab the pole. Here are portions of the interview I had with Alex.

John Bassett: WhatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s winning the pole do for the team?
Alex Tagliani: Ã¢â‚¬Å“It rewards all the effort that the guys put into this program. They said we believe in Tag, we believe in the program, we have a good chemistry, I like working with you, we like working with each other, and just put our heads down and see what we can do. And after a year and a half taking pole from Penske and Ganassi at the biggest race ever, the Indy 500 Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ for our guys itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s their moment of pride.Ã¢â‚¬Â

JB: Any new phone calls and sponsorship opportunities since Saturday?
Tag: Ã¢â‚¬Å“I think the phone has been ringing off the hook. But I am not deciding on the commercial side of the business anymore, it all goes through Sam (Schmidt). I think Joe has a pretty big say, as heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the title sponsor of the car, so we have some responsibility towards him. We cannot put any name that will effect the brand, Bowers & Wilkins, but to answer the question, yes, I think it will definitely help.Ã¢â‚¬Â

JB: Obviously you want to win Indy, but failing that, whatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a good day for you?
Tag: Ã¢â‚¬Å“Thanks to the 15 points I got for winning the pole, weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re now one point out of 6th place in the title. WeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re within striking distance of coming out of Indy 3rd in the championship. So itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s really important. Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ Every race is going to play a big role in the championship and we have to continue what weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re doing if we want to finish in the top 3 at the end of the year.
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Watch Indy 500 and party with Hot Wheels in Toronto

May 18, 2011 by Media press release Leave a Comment

Honda Indy Toronto & Hot Wheels press release

Where will you be watching the Indianapolis 500?
Join us in Toronto as Hot WheelsÃ‚Â® rolls out the orange carpet for media, VIP guests and fans of all ages on Sunday, May 29th, 2011, to witness a world record-breaking stunt at the Hot WheelsÃ‚Â® Fearless at the 500TM Toronto event. For a sneak peak of the stunt, check out this video teaser.

WHAT

Watch Team Hot WheelsTM, a real-life crew of mystery stunt drivers, as they attempt the outrageous Ã¢â‚¬â€ a world record distance jump at the 100th running of the Indy 500Ã‚Â®. A life-sized version of the iconic Hot WheelsÃ‚Â® V-DropTM stunt will be set up in the middle of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where a team member will race down a 10-story high drop, launching his car across the field. The stunt will attempt to break the current distance jump world record of 301 feet.

WHERE

Evergreen Brick Works, Holcim Gallery 550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4W 3X8
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Breaking News: Panther Racing fails to secure LeBron James for 2011 Indycar season

July 8, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Panther Racing press release

National Guard Panther Team Fails in Attempt to Sign Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – (July 8, 2010) Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Panther Racing regrets to announce today that it was unable to come to a contract agreement with reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, who plans to announce his future destination live on ESPN this evening at 9 p.m. (EST). Several attempts to reach JamesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ agent were unsuccessful as Panther Racing management had hoped to lure LeBron to Indianapolis to sign with the two-time IZOD IndyCar Series champions.

The team intended to add James in 2011 as a teammate to current No. 4 National Guard driver and former Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“I think, like a lot of teams, we really felt like it was our obligation to give our best efforts to sign LeBron to join Panther Racing,Ã¢â‚¬Â team co-owner John Barnes said. Ã¢â‚¬Å“HeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a tremendous athlete and obviously he would have been a great addition to both Panther and the IZOD IndyCar Series, but we knew it was a long shot going into negotiations. We wish LeBron and his family all the best in his future endeavors and hope that when he hits the free agent market again heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll consider Panther Racing.Ã¢â‚¬Â

Source: Panther Racing

Canadian Tire rolls out some fun at today’s sponsorship announcement

June 17, 2010 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

Canadian Tire announced today that they are ramping up their involvement in Canadian racing, starting with sponsorship of the upcoming Honda Indy Toronto. The are also sponsoring the Edmonton Indy and are funding a ride for Big Ron Fellows at in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal.

For a change, this was actually a fun press conference! While there was a bit of talk to start things off, in just a few minutes Scott Steckly had fired up his Dodge Avenger and come out of the shop in a cloud of smoke. As the red & white Dodge came front and center, the pit crew scurried out and gave a quick pit stop demo. Fun stuff, but I think the guys need some practice, as they were more than a little slow! Also on hand was the PartSource Dodge of Mark Dilley. Steckly and Dilley are both NASCAR Canadian Tire Series regulars.

Canadian Tire has been involved with Canadians in racing since the late Sixties, so the racing history runs deep. Back in the mid Eighties, Jacques Villeneuve Sr. spent a few years racing Indy cars and was fully supported by none other than Canadian Tire. It was fitting then that they dragged the Canadian tire branded 1983 March out of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame for the day.
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Incredible capture: Mike Conway’s Indy 500 crash

June 1, 2010 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

By now, most of our readers have likely seen the video coverage of Mike Conway’s frightening crash at this year’s Indy 500. Thankfully, the car did its job and protected Conway and luck was on his side too. He is recovering in hospital from fractures in his right leg and a compressed vertebrae.

Now that his good health is out of the way, we can concentrate on the topic of this post: The incredible photos captured by Scott Richardson. The shot above is just one in a sequence that includes the entire incident in all too scary detail. In Richardson’s words:

the unthinkable happened instantly right in front of my eyes. I still donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know what caused me to react and start shooting the car flying by in front of my eyes; somehow I managed to quickly compose and then follow the action as Mike ConwayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s #24 car disintegrated right before me. Once the accident was over, my first thoughts were of the driver; I thought there was absolutely no way that he had survived the wreck.

Just as there is an element of luck involved in surviving a crash of this magnitude, so is there an element of luck for a photographer to be in the right place at the right time. That is when skill comes into play. Richardson’s full sequence of photos is stunning and far more telling than the video. You can find the whole sequence at his website.

For those who haven’t seen the video yet, we have it after the break.
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Indy 500 promo video

April 24, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

To the more recent race fan, the Indy 500 might not hold quite the shine that it does for those of us who have been around the sport for a while. I remember as a kid in the Seventies that absolutely everyone I knew watched the 500 on TV. It was a huge part of our culture back then. It wasn’t just the race though, it was the sheer spectacle of the event. The cars, the stars and the magic that is Indy.

You might not realize it, but the Indy 500 is still a huge part of popular culture.

Shutter Speed: Motorcycles, Racing and a New Camera

February 25, 2010 by Allan De La Plante 8 Comments

1972 had it’s ups and downs for me. The emotional effect of my marriage falling apart had taken me to a serious low. I decided to move back to Toronto to be near my son. Suddenly one day my wife appears and wants to give it another go. I was delighted! We moved into an apartment just north of the 401 near Bayview. I got a job at ‘The Bay’ selling cameras. It was a natural. I still had my Duker for transportation. Naturally three on a bike in this country is not accepted as it is in some other parts of the world, so riding with our son was not on the agenda. When I did ride with him I strapped him in a rig much like a parachute harness. He was strapped to my back with his little behind sitting on the seat. Helmet and all, he sat behind his old man through many a ride rain or shine. He generally just fell asleep. I began to notice many women pulling up beside me slowly and smiling. I liked that. It did not take long for my wife to decide again that this marriage was not for her and she departed. This time she left our son. Fortunately I had my Mother living close by and without her things would have been very difficult.
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