THE LINE

August 17, 2011

(Bret Kelley/INDYCAR)
Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Honda-powered Dallara/Firestone) holds a really big lobster after winning the MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 INDYCAR race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday. The controversial finish followed a chaotic race which tore up a lot of equipment and made INDYCAR officials look incompetent, at best. Not one of INDYCAR's shining moments to be sure. It was Hunter-Reay's first win in 2011 and the fifth of his INDYCAR career. His last win was at Long Beach in April 2010. "I knew we had a good car this weekend and in practice we've been making the car better and better," Hunter-Reay said after the race. "They have done such a good job. We have great chemistry on this team and it's a great result. I feel like the race turned with Dario and Sato getting together. I don't know who's fault that was. That's for them to decide. My car was so good in traffic. The guys deserve this win. This one is for them. I wish that it was different, but we'll take it after the year that we've had."

(Bret Kelley/INDYCAR)
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Nikon D/H/F), shown here during the morning warm-up) looked good for the win until the restart on Lap 118 when he touched tires with Takuma Sato (No. 5 KV Racing Technology-Lotus D/H/F) and ended-up on the inside wall near the start/finish line, his day done. Franchitti, who earned the three bonus points for the pole and leading the most race laps, had been running at the finish in 43 consecutive races. Will Power, who started 13th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, finished fifth, then promptly registered his disgust with officials with a rare double-finger salute. Power's result cut 15 points from Dario's series championship points lead. The gap is now 47 points.

(Bret Kelley/INDYCAR)
Oriol Servia finished a season-high second in the No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing D/H/F car, but he wasn't happy. At the final restart - a restart that never should have happened by the way - he and Scott Dixon passed Hunter-Reay, but to no avail. "It will be an aborted restart. It was a mistake on Race Control's part and the only right thing to do and the fair thing to do is to go to the running order before the restart," said INDYCAR president of competition and operations Brian Barnhart, the chief steward of the series. The finish order was set based on the Lap 215 running order under caution, before a Lap 217 restart that went awry because of a slick racing surface. Servia was justifiably pissed-off with the decision.

(Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
Scott Dixon - shown here before the start with wife Emma and daughter Poppy - finished 3rd, his second consecutive podium finish (he won at Mid-Ohio last week) in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing D/H/F machine.

(Lusa - LAT Photo)
Tony Kanaan, into the tire barrier and upside down. Yeah, it was that kind of day.

(Bret Kelley/INDYCAR)
Helio gets a cake from Roger Penske and Tim Cindric honoring his 200th Indy car start before Sunday's race. Little solace for a very disappointing year.

(Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
Ryan Hunter-Reay and wife Becky celebrate his win in Victory Lane. Next up is the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 28 at Infineon Raceway. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network.

(Bret Kelley/INDYCAR)
Pole sitter Josef Newgarden (No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo Pong/SSM) had put all but the No. 7 Lucas Oil entry driven by teammate Esteban Guerrieri a lap down by Lap 65 in the New Hampshire 100 on the 1.025-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After Guerrieri spun on Lap 69, Newgarden didn't have any challengers. Jorge Goncalvez (No. 4 Belardi Auto Racing Special) finished a season-best second and Duarte Ferreira was third in the No. 28 Bryan Herta Autosport car. Newgarden increased his Firestone Indy Lights championship points lead over Guerrieri with three races remaining. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Baltimore 100 on Sept. 4 at the Streets of Baltimore. VERSUS' coverage of the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres will air at 4 p.m. on Aug. 17.

Randy Bernard. INDYCAR. Editor-in-Chief's Note: He made the tough, but unpopular call (in some quarters) to postpone the new aero kits until 2013. It was primarily a cost decision and a necessary one. There will still be an all-new car in 2012, plus three manufacturers (Chevrolet, Honda, Lotus) participating with three all-new turbocharged V6 racing engines. I expect 2012 to be a huge improvement for INDYCAR and once the more diverse "looks" from the various manufacturer body kits arrive in 2013, it will be even better. - PMD

(c)2011, Nigel Kinrade - Autostock
Australian Marcos Ambrose (No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports DeWalt Ford) captured the first win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career at Watkins Glen International on Monday in a wild, hotly-contested race. “I’ve sacrificed so much to get here and to finally win and be here in Victory Lane in the Cup Series is a dream come true," Ambrose said. "I flew the kids home yesterday. It was the little one’s first day at school. I was desperate to be there for her and this kind of makes up for it. I’ve just got to thank the Richard Petty Motorsports team, Stanley, DeWalt, everybody involved. Mrs. Petty is not doing so well at home. We wish her the best. This win is for her and the whole Petty family. Richard and everyone else who gave me the chance, thank you very much. Winning in the Cup Series for Stanley is just an incredible feeling and I’m very, very proud.”

(c) 2011, Tyler Barrick Autostock USA
Marcos Ambrose's perseverance finally paid off. The talented Aussie made countless sacrifices and put everything on the line in order to come here and compete at the top level in NASCAR. Now he's a Sprint Cup winner.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Think racing's a tough and brutal sport now? Watch this video of historic racing footage. CAUTION: Not for the squeamish. - PMD

(Image © 2011 - John Thawley)
This upcoming weekend is a big one at Road America, with both the ALMS and the Corvette World Tribute on the docket.  "Road America is the circuit in the U.S. that's most like Le Mans," Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin said. "It's fast and challenging, with sweeping corners followed by heavy braking. Every driver loves the elevation changes and the nature of the track. You've got to have finesse to be quick, but also guts to get through the Carousel and the Kink – corners we take right on the limit. We've tested previously at Road America in preparation for Le Mans, and I'm confident that the team will have two strong Corvettes for the ALMS race." Fellow Corvette pilot Tommy Milner agreed: "You hold your breath when you get a quick lap at Road America," said the American ace. "You approach Turn 1, Turn 5, and Canada Corner at huge speeds and then brake heavily. That makes for good racing because braking zones allow passing." Jan Magnussen, one of the most talented racers in the world, scored Corvette Racing's last GT1 win at Road America in 2008 with co-driver Johnny O'Connell, and he is anxious to return to the winner's circle there. "Road America is a huge challenge because it is so fast and there is a lot of time to be gained in the Kink and the Carousel," said the Dane. "If you're willing to take a risk, you can gain a lot – or lose a lot. That makes it really exciting." Corvette Racing returns to Road America in the midst of a ferocious battle for the ALMS GT class championships. After a victory in Mosport and a runner-up finish in the rain-shortened Mid-Ohio round, Corvette drivers Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen are second in the GT driver standings, 17 points behind the leaders. Teammates Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner are fifth, and Chevrolet is second in the manufacturer standings, 19 points behind BMW. With 25 points on the line for a victory in Saturday's four-hour race, the championship races are wide open. The other highlight for this weekend at Road America is the Corvette World Tribute organized by the Registry of Corvette Race Cars. Chevrolet will celebrate its homecoming to Road America on Sunday morning with a ceremony at the Corvette Bridge, the track's signature landmark that first appeared in 1963 – the year when the split-window Sting Ray Corvette made its debut. The Corvette World Tribute will feature a display of historic Corvette racing cars, panel discussions, a racers reunion, a concours, autocross competition, touring sessions, and races for vintage and contemporary Corvettes. Information on the Corvette World Tribute is available at http://registryofcorvetteracecars.com/ee/index.php/site/ra-cwt. The four-hour ALMS Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 20. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the U.S. and americanlemans.com for international users. ABC will televise the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase on Sunday, August 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Ken Block's latest epic - Gymkhana FOUR: THE HOLLYWOOD MEGAMERCIAL - is up and running. Check it out here. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD

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