"The All Time IndyCar Series Victory Leader--Scott Dixon"

By taking a dominating (by time) 29.7 second lead over challenger Ryan Briscoe, Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon accomplished a number of feats:

1. Achieved career victory number 20 in the IndyCar Series, breaking a tie with Sam Hornish, Jr. at 19
2. Won his 4th race of the 2009 season
3. Retakes the series point lead, 460 to 457 over challenger Ryan Briscoe (finished 2nd, 6th time he's done that in 2009 for Roger Penske)
4. Reminds us that he has a figurative and literal "Target" on his back for Briscoe and his teammate, Dario Franchitti as the defending series champion and point leader. In 13 races this season, the points lead has changed 12 times.

Some Attaboys: Ryan Hunter-Reay gets a 4th place finish for owner AJ Foyt. Hideki Mutoh upholds the Andretti-Green Racing honor with a 5th place finish. The "Thrill from West Hill", Paul Tracy, gets a top 10 (7th) subbing for Mario Moraes. Justin Wilson for another stellar road course performance leading early, but burping out of contention with a late race pit stop with lower than low fuel, finishing 13th.

We'll rejoin you from Michigan International Speedway next week with blogging and Tweeting, and radio next weekend with "Race-Talk".

"The Captain Wins Again in St. Pete; Briscoe Takes IndyCar Green-White-Checker"

Ryan Briscoe survived a challenge by Ryan Hunter-Reay in the last two laps, to notch his third career win, and owner Roger Penske's third win here on the temporary downtown 1.8 mile street circuit. Justin Wilson was the beneficiary of a first lap incident that punted polesitter Graham Rahal from the lead. Wilson led the most laps, but was caught by Roger Penske's strategy, which put Briscoe in the lead. Hunter-Reay was catching Briscoe, but thought better of a last lap banzai move in the late stages of a caution filled Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The green-white-checker evolved because the last green flag of the race flew on lap 99 (green). The next lap was the white flag lap (100) and then the checker was shown first to Briscoe.

The win is the Captain's 30th victory since Penske Racing joined the IndyCar Series.

We'll blog from the NY International Auto Show later this week...and don't be surprised if you see something about our 800th Road Test somewhere else.

Catch Up Weekend

• Laptop crashes are no fun...especially at a race track. Hence, no pix or blogging from a popular win by Bobby Rahal's driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, at Watkins Glen International.
• EJ Viso has the mumps, and won't be racing tonight at Nashville, where Helio Castroneves is on the pole...Helio's Indy Car ship needs to be righted...and with the Captain, Roger Penske, returning to the track...the inspiration sits on the pit box.
• The NASCAR beat media has gone ga-ga over the rumor that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama would sponsor the BAM Racing machine in a one race deal at Pocono Raceway in August. Chris Jenkins of the AP did some homework, called the Obama campaign, and Jenkins reported the Obama campaign said (in so many words) "that dog won't hunt". I wonder whether Grant v NASCAR drove that few million dollars away.
• So Tony Stewart and Gene Haas combined to form Stewart-Haas Racing for 2009 and beyond. An interesting development...but not one that deserves the wall-to-wall coverage it is getting. On a personal business level, I wish "Smoke" great success as an owner.
• This is the first weekend of the NHRA's 1000 foot experiment...and still the nitro Top Fuel cars ran over 300 miles an hour and covered 1,000 feet in under 4 seconds at Bandimere Speedway outside Denver, the first part of the Western Swing. Shortening the distance for nitro cars an interim measure which will buy the NHRA time as their newly convened panel studies the issue on how to enhance nitro car (Top Fuel and Funny Car) safety. Bandimere has installed a cooling system under the 1/4 mile track...a first.
• Senator John Warner (R-Va.) is a distinguished public servant, who is retiring from the Senate. Warner's record in national defense issues cannot be faulted. His suggestion that the 55 mile an hour speed limit be reinstituted is not such a good idea, and, like those who oppose drilling for our own oil in our own country, relies on outdated thinking not grounded in the real world of today. In 1973, when edition one was tried, the fleet of cars on the road was mostly comprised of carbureted V8 rear wheel drive sedans. That rear wheel drive V8 configuration exists mainly in today's full size sport utility fleet. You would be hard pressed to find a new car or truck that comes with a carbureted engine. Most of the vehicles sold in the US are front wheel drive. So technology has advanced, and it will continue to do so, if driven by the market. Want proof? Look at Honda's sales numbers and compare them to sales of manufacturers that rely primarily on SUVs to make their profit in the past few months. The market will take care of the problem if it is allowed to work, by increasing supply (which means drilling for oil in United States possessions and offshore, accelerating the use of E85 and its manufacture from cellulosic ethanol, more use of bio diesel and enhancing economy with real world improvements like more five and six speed automatic transmissions on even the smallest of vehicles) to meet our demand. The drilling technology has advanced since edition one of the "energy crisis". As for conservation: it will come naturally with more real world improvements like five, six and even seven speed automatic transmissions, better fuel management thanks to direct injection, and more efficient aerodynamics. The hybrid, fuel cell and all electric vehicles are only part of the answer and should be further developed. As more five speed automatics replace older three and four speed automatic transmision cars...the efficiency will go up.
• The enforcement of a 55 mile an hour speed limit also poses a public safety issue: We need our policemen to protect us from murderers, sex offenders, robbers, and those whose actions pose a forcible threat to our lives and property. As eyewash with a 55 mile an hour speed limit, state and local governments would take cops off the job they do best--protecting our neighborhoods, since all law enforcement is local--and in essence turn them into "tax collectors" with stepped up 55 mile per hour speed enforcement operations, because that is an easier way to raise revenue than taxes. That is, unfortunately, easier for governments than actually enacting policies that facilitate an increase in supply of fuels whether locally or nationally.
• In my opinion, the ideal car (and this comes from someone who's driven more than 770 to produce a national radio program) is one that is fast, safe, functional and thrifty. That would mean the car would have to have a 9 second or faster 0-60 time; a five star front and side crash rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat four, carry their luggage and entertain them; not cost an arm and leg to insure and maintain and get between 20-22 miles per gallon in traffic and 30-34 miles per gallon on the highway. That is why GM's Chevy Tahoe and Yukon SUV hybrids are such an engineering feat. They won't get 30 on the highway...but to have a three ton SUV move from a standing start to almost 25 miles an hour on electric power...that is neat. There will be more on this in next week's Radio-Road-Test. You can go to our road test data page to see how mileage and acceleration function in the real world.
• All things equal, we'll resume our blogging from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when the ALMS and IndyCar Series have a double header weekend next week.

Kanaan, Andretti Sweep Front Row for Andretti-Green; Rahal 3rd

Qualifying for the SunTrust Indy Challenge is done here at the 3/4 mile Richmond International Raceway, with Tony Kanaan winning his 2nd pole of 2008, with an average qualifying speed of 167.876 miles per hour on the "Action Track". That knocked teammate Marco Andretti off the pole for this week Marco's 167.795 was nothing to sneeze at. Graham Rahal could back up his St. Petersburg win with one here if he gets a break or two...the son of Bobby Rahal starts 3rd. Indy Car series point leader and Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon starts 4th. In the hard luck department, Ryan Hunter-Reay of Rahal-Letterman Racing was fastest in practice...but his car wouldn't start and had to be pulled from the qualifying line--so he could not qualify and will start the race in 25th.

All of the drivers say the extra 50 laps will make this race more interesting than it already is. Dixon says the race won't be won on lap #1, nor will it be won on lap 200. Seems obvious, but drivers don't think ahead sometimes in the heat of racing. Speaking of which...the shower seemed to break the back of the humidity...and qualifying was downright comfortable on an early summer evening.

Helio Castroneves was not pleased with his speed...though the two time Indianapolis 500 winner exhibits a happy go lucky persona most of the time, he is a dedicated hard competitor and was grumpy after his qualifying run. Castroneves will start the Indy Challenge from 18th.

That's it for this evening...we'll post up tomorrow.