Onward and upward to 2011

You’re always optimistic as one year ends and another begins that the next one will be better than the previous one. Whether or not that actually materializes is another matter entirely.

I guess then, I’ll count myself fortunate to consider 2010 a magnificent year that built off an excellent 2009. The greatest challenges and new horizon beckons next May when I graduate from Marquette, but rather than look ahead to the looming prospect of the job market, I’ll get up on the soapbox and actually file a blog entry (hey, it’s been since August. I must have been busy or, per usual, slacking on blogging).

Consider at the start of the year I had a new opportunity moving up to an editorial position at The Marquette Tribune. And 12 months later, that’s being repeated. Just take the assistant tag off assistant news editor and there’s my new position. That is both an opportunity and a challenge to make this college newspaper even better than it was this year, and I welcome it with open arms.

Consider I was so disillusioned with the direction of motorsports after a frustrating 2009, even after the most amount of coverage I had done on location. And then the chance to contribute to a completely new endeavor, the MichelinAlley.com blog, came about, and I had to take it with open arms. Now I was part of both a wide-ranging organization and a team of about eight at the track at each American Le Mans Series weekend. I felt a commitment to wanting to do the best for the whole, and still getting the chance to write, post photos and videos, and increase the social media blitz was fantastic.

Consider I sought a secondary income during the school year after ending my three-year tenure at the Phonathon, and the opportunity to intern at The Business Journal came about. That’s a rash way of looking at it on the surface. I learned so much from my time there, besides just the clips and the way of business reporting, but life in a real-world newsroom and how to interact with another awesome group of people. They go through interns like toilet paper, but to feel at home in just a four-month stint showed they could make a temporary worker feel like family. I can’t thank them enough.

And throughout the year I loved spending so much time traveling. Eight ALMS races (Sebring, Long Beach, Mazda Raceway in Monterey, Salt Lake City, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Elkhart Lake, and Atlanta), plus the Indianapolis 500, Arizona, San Diego, and stops in the Las Vegas and Detroit airports. I might be missing a couple places.

That’s all well and good, but such accomplishments and achievements might make me seem like an arrogant prick. I’d want someone to throw rocks at my head if I ever came off that way, because my goal throughout all of this is to remain grounded and humble at all times. It’s so vital to appreciate what you have, and I regret if I take any of it for granted.

So as 2011 beckons, I have only questions to ask. How can I get better at the things I’m involved with? How do I improve the organizations and their missions? What’s next? Can I get a job after graduating?

I’m just motivated to keep improving myself, and try to embody the “Can’t Stop” anthem played by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Except without doing all the crazy stuff they have in their video.

Hopefully I’ll update the blog more in 2011, but who knows. As for 2010, I’m out. Cheers.

Humble Beginnings

Well the last few days have been interesting. The last three days have been move-in days to the new digs. Or, as The Who would say, same as the old digs.

My new studio apartment is actually a friend and colleague's old apartment, so it’s a place I know pretty well. For a studio, it’s got more than enough space, plus separate kitchen and a walk-in closet that leads into a refurbished bathroom.

Seeing all the things that are in – bed, futon, cubes, TV, white cabinets and miscellaneous odds and ends – you see all the dollars and number of things that go into living on your own. There's not much food or drinks yet except the necessary ones.

Unfortunately, there is no cable or Internet yet, with that to be addressed in the next week. There is power, but no AC. And that is the biggest factor. The fan I got is the best investment of my life right now. $15 to not overheat is a price well worth it.

It's a lot different actually living on your own versus a couple nights in hotels in your own room on the road. And we'll see how it goes from here. Out for now though, cheers.

This Weekend Feels Like Home

You know you're a nerd, or at least a writing nerd, when you feel the desire to blog on a Friday night. Either way, the night before race day for ALMS at Mid-Ohio, finally, this is something I remember.

Having been to Mid-Ohio last year, I knew what to expect in terms of the layout between the paddock and media center. Plus, as a joint ALMS/IndyCar weekend, there's a lot of familiarity with the drivers, crewmembers and media members - this is who I grew up with while now starting to forge an identity in the sports car world.

Although on that note, I am already so thankful for the relationships with the PR and media members in ALMS that I have met in the past and then am growing to know better this season with a full-season opportunity.

The last three races - Monterey, Utah and Lime Rock - were all first-time events for me. While there you're doing two sorts of learning. There's the continuing education of the job at hand but also how each track works, in terms of layout, media center, and traveling. So having Mid-Ohio and Road America, my home track, as the last two races I will be at before my senior year at Marquette starts drastically alleviates stress.

A shame then, that Saturday's race at Mid-Ohio will not include the Muscle Milk Team CytoSport Porsche RS Spyder, which had a massive accident on Thursday that damaged the tub beyond repair. It's one less contender for the overall win which, when the field of prototypes is still small, is a negative. Still, given the level of intensity that most of this year's races have had, it's not like the quality of racing has suffered. My only hope going into tomorrow is that the quality continues.

Out for now on a relatively early night. Cheers.

Just Because Something Can Be Done...

Doesn't necessarily mean it should. Case in point - my travel day for the final flight before school starts for senior year (and until the ALMS season finale at Petit Le Mans).

Nearly 12 hours passed in-between leaving my house in Greendale, Wis. this morning and getting into my final destination in Mansfield, Ohio.

The Amtrak was at 6:30 a.m. out of the Milwaukee Airport location and got into Chicago Union Station approaching 8 a.m. Then, because I forgot to check the weather report, it was raining outside. Naturally.

Seven-tenths of a mile never feels as long as it does when you're getting drenched and carrying a backpack and rolling a suitcase through the streets of downtown to get to the CTA line. But made it there just fine and wet, but better than a cab since the traffic was horrendous and I saw a couple nearly get in accidents.

Oddly there is a long walk to get from the Midway drop-off point to the terminal, and then security is insanely long. From there it was an hour delay and a 10:55 a.m. flight instead left at 12:15, only for the 40-minute flight to have some severe turbulence. We landed fine in Columbus and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

By 2:15 it was off to Mansfield and a 3:45-ish arrival. Probably about the same as driving and leaving later. A long day for sure, but an eye-opening experience as most things on this season and year of travel have been.

There's still nothing like being at the track and that resumes tomorrow at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Out for now, cheers.

August means Favre-a-palooza

Brief entry this week as the next month will be a mix of going back-and-forth between home, moving into my apartment, and two more ALMS races before classes starts. The month of August will be crazy.

But not as crazy as the annual month of Favre-a-palooza - which at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 3 has once again taken over the sports landscape. ESPN has already moved into "DROP EVERYTHING, FAVRE MIGHT BE RETIRING, ALL HANDS ON DECK" mode.

This is so ludicrous because we don't have official confirmation. But it's not like facts mean anything, these days (why does FOX News exist, again?). We already know Favre has retired - and unretired - twice before. ESPN has such a soft spot for Favre coverage that they will lower their standards again just like they did with "The Decision" for LeBron.

Sometimes, it's all just a blur...

I don’t have a MasterCard but the last six weeks of summer for me might as well be a MasterCard commercial. Although it was a mix of different family, people, races, hotels, restaurants, cities, airports and time zones, the end result regardless of the costs was simple: priceless.

Getting back Sunday morning ended an epic stretch that in six weekends covered two American Le Mans Series races for MichelinAlley.com in Utah and Connecticut, a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Road America for Motorsport.com, two weekends in a 10-day period visiting family in Phoenix and San Diego and one weekend at home in Greendale, my adopted home and suburb of downtown Milwaukee.

It was a weird sense of déjà vu driving back from the track to a second hotel in as many days – from one in Great Barrington, Mass. on Thursday and Friday to one near the Hartford, Conn. airport Saturday night – and then wondering while in a tired haze, where am I? Another hotel? Same hotel lining? What state?

As it was, the capper to this stretch was the second in a period of four ALMS races in seven weekends, at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Certainly the area is beautiful and the drive scenic to and from, but perhaps I suffered this weekend from unreasonable expectations I placed on myself.

Whereas at Utah I had minimal expectations, going in dreading the heat and the area, I was pleasantly surprised with the experience. I was excited for Lime Rock thinking it would be cooler and the scenic atmosphere would more than make up for the tight track. But I can’t say this was my favorite weekend of the season.

Certainly the track and drives are gorgeous and I wish I had taken more photos. That said, the weather was miserable — constant rain on Friday left everyone soaked. On Saturday everyone was soaked again, but this time from the 90-plus degree heat coupled with I’d guess about 70-80% humidity. Not to mention the media center’s air conditioning was limited to a few vents (but a major improvement from trailers they’ve had in the past, I understand). I almost didn’t miss the much-touted Phoenix “dry heat” that everyone always says they prefer (of course I usually respond, ‘Well, yes, Phoenix at 115 is still a dry heat, but so too is a 400-degree oven…’).

It was another barnburner of a finish as the Muscle Milk Team CytoSport Porsche RS Spyder driven by Klaus Graf made a move to lap some slower GT traffic, contacting Patron Highcroft Racing’s David Brabham in the HPD ARX 01-c as he attempted to overtake. Graf got a stop-and-go penalty but Brabham suffered a delayed puncture that ruined his chances. A popular first overall win then for Graf, co-driver and team owner Greg Pickett.

GT and LMPC also had tight finishes – Patrick Long in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR holding off the pair of Rahal Letterman BMWs in GT with LMPC’s winner Gunnar Jeannette running out of fuel on the last lap but still managing to complete his final lap before the second-placed car took the checkers.

The weekend highlight for me was having the opportunity to meet racing legends Sam Posey and Skip Barber at Posey’s Connecticut cottage among other dignitaries and Posey’s friends for a Friday night dinner. Major thanks to my editor and adviser for that.

As this was a fairly busy weekend elsewhere, with F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, and MotoGP also on track, some other thoughts:

***

I never have liked Ferrari’s tactics, dating to the Michael Schumacher era of utter annihilation. Sunday’s farce of a Grand Prix at Germany — with Schumacher, “Schumi Jr.” Sebastian Vettel and their four countrymen in the field’s home race— brought back bad memories and re-anointed Felipe Massa as the role of Ferrari wingman.

The last time they pulled a stunt like this was in 2002 at Austria with Rubens Barrichello pulling over right before the flag. Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley not so subtly told him that teammate Fernando Alonso was faster and asked him to ‘confirm’ the message. What would have been a boon to the series with a popular win for the driver who a year ago to the day was struck in the face by a 2-pound spring dislodged from Barrichello’s car was instead turned into a political matter to ensure Alonso got the win he lost at turn one.

Massa, as ever, handled things bluntly but professionally in post-race. The team still would have gone 1-2 anyway for the vaunted Constructor’s Championship with Massa ahead, and Alonso is not going to leapfrog two Red Bull and two McLaren drivers in the Driver’s Championship, so why screw up the deserved winner’s race and blatantly disregard the regulations? Just a joke.

***

Oddly this was not the biggest racing scandal by the end of the day. Along with the human error of umpire Jim Joyce taking away a perfect game thrown by Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga in June, today IndyCar’s resident chief steward Brian Barnhart (I’ll refrain from negative nicknames) made his own gaffe of epic proportions. The difference between the two was the humility and acknowledgement of the mistake Joyce showed and the arrogance in Barnhart levying what was, frankly, a BS call on Helio Castroneves in the IndyCar race.

Castroneves appeared to hold his inside line, perhaps moving a fraction of a car length to the left entering the right-handed turn one at Edmonton while defending his position against teammate Will Power on a late race restart. And while anyone with half a brain could see it wasn’t a block, Barnhart thought otherwise, and Mount Helio erupted, thermonuclear style. Rightly so.

Barnhart defended the decision in a post-race interview on Versus.com suggesting that once a driver is on the inside line on a road course and not attempting to pass, that that is blocking. His inconsistencies and the lack of clarity regarding what’s blocking (apparently this) and what’s not (Danica’s near detonation chop on Kanaan at Texas) are damning and should be the impetus for Randy Bernard — a rodeo man — to pull the trigger and rid IndyCar of this man once and for all. His presence, like Milka Duno’s on track, is only hurting the series’ pub and credibility right now, not helping it.

***

This weekend (Friday, July 23) marked the one-year anniversary of starting my Twitter account. After being a vehement hater, some 3,400+ tweets and 285 followers later, plus running two other accounts, I think I can say I’ve changed my mind about the usefulness and practicality of Twitter. Thanks to those who follow (and have not yet got sick of my racing tweets), and also to those who influenced me to get off my rear end and get one going. I haven’t checked myself into “Tweet-a-holic’s Anonymous” yet…

Out for now and on to another rare stretch of a week and a half at home. Cheers.

Backwards working and thinking

It's weird but this weekend was only the second one this summer since my junior year of classes got done that I haven't either been covering a race or traveling. Every other one but the first in June, I've either been at a track, on the road, or covering a race from home.

So much of work is done during the week so the whole notion of always working weekends, in a different location but with the same sets of players, is highly opposite of most regular weekly warriors. I love it.

I'm not the office type and not having had a "normal" or "by the book" job during my high school and college summers, the nomadic lifestyle is a fun one - so much that a weekend like this having done nothing at all was hard to come to grips with. Being on the go so much, I almost feel guilty having a few days of just relaxing...

Some other weekend thoughts:

I NEED to get to Toronto at some point. Twice before (in 1998 and last year) I had opportunities to go but circumstances wound up prohibiting me from attending. Everything about Canada, particularly emphasized this year with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver plus the gosh-darn kindness of the Canadians I've met in my racing travels, has drawn me to getting there but so far it hasn't happened. That has to change.

***

Sunday marked the end of ABC's five-race run of inferior TV coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series. They weren't nearly as off-the-ball at Toronto as two weeks ago in Watkins Glen but the few folks that tuned in I'm sure will appreciate the treatment from Versus the rest of the way.

Toronto's ratings won't receive the standard British Open bump either since it wasn't on ABC as a lead-in but rather on ESPN. I'm wondering if those will be lower since Louis Oosthuizen turned the "birthplace of golf," St. Andrews, into his personal playland and sucked the life out of the tournament. Not his fault, as Louis seemed a pleasant enough chap who was a deserving winner, but a rout of the field does not compelling TV make (in fairness, not a lot of ESPN's programming these days is).

***

So last Wednesday IndyCar unveiled the "new car strategy" for 2012. A few positives are of course, the huge cost reductions on the new tub and new jobs created in Indiana. The negatives are a lack of a rolling tub or physical proof to showcase at the announcement beyond the holograms and 3D mockups of what the new spec IndyCar Safety Cell looks like.

That's one damning thing - that it's still spec. For all the talk about open competition, I'm not sure what manufacturers will be lining up to build the aero kits on the safety cell. Why would a company like Swift, Lola (which has now been spit on twice in two years losing an F1 entry and now the new IndyCar which could have served a dual purpose for IndyCar and Indy Lights) or BAT want to dole out kits and only be able to sell at a $70K price point? Especially after they've basically been spat on by the ICONIC committee? The R.O.I. is still too small for major manufacturers, chassis and engine providers alike, to sink more money in a tight economy.

I also can't help but think if this keeps the series stagnant in its Indy-centric mantra where everything revolves around the Speedway. Picking Dallara largely on the basis of its promise to build a new facility mere miles from the track alienates the series from expanding beyond its borders. And for what, 80 jobs?

The rollbacks of $150K on the tub to Indianapolis-based teams affects Penske, Newman/Haas, Dale Coyne and A.J. Foyt's operations, the four which are not based there. Penske will be fine of course but the other three still operate on relatively smaller budgets in comparison - and say what you will about Tony George but he would have never left Foyt's team in a compromised position in the early days of the IndyCar Series.

It's a weird direction to be going because at present, the new IndyCar is going to be a glorified kit car if it gets several other manufacturers. At worst, as others have said, it's 33 kit Dallara-Hondas - again - at Indianapolis come 2012. For all the hoopla surrounding the Centennial, the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, it will still be 33 of the same next year and a still cloudy outlook for what will be racing there the year after.

Too much of IndyCar's mantra and attitude has been big buildups and not huge, but somewhat resounding thuds, for major announcements such as this one. It's unfortunate and of course it's still more than 18 months before the 2012 opener, but hopefully manufacturers get interested in what is still an unfinished product.

It's back on the road Thursday to Lime Rock Park for the next ALMS race. Out for now, cheers.

Catching My Breath

Phew… I’ve used the term “incredibly whirlwind” quite a bit lately but since June 26, I’ve been in Phoenix, San Diego, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Milwaukee again in that order. So having 10 days in a row now in one place is quite abnormal for me this summer!

A brief recap of why I’ve been on the go as much as I have. My main job, blogging during American Le Mans Series events, involves traveling to each event. But we have just come off of a near two-month gap in-between our third race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. in May before our fourth this past weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, about half an hour southwest of downtown Salt Lake City.

In the interim I covered three races, two on site. Mid-June saw sports car racing’s most prestigious event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans take place while I had technical issues covering remotely from home. My old editor at Motorsport.com told me this weekend that the other two saw me “on loan” to her for two races, the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series weekend at Road America (I’ve spent a couple blog posts on both of those).

After Road America I shipped out to Phoenix to catch up with my dad, grandparents and other assorted family – with a trip within a trip to San Diego for the fourth of July. I can’t say as I miss Phoenix much with their constant political upheaval regarding immigration reform or the barrage of attack ads from John McCain. Or the heat – the temperatures ranged from 105 to 114 for highs.

San Diego is another story entirely and looking at houses there can be breathtaking. Some views overlook the harbor, downtown, and the skyline of what is such a beautiful city. If the situation was right I could potentially see myself there in the future.

Anyway it was back to Milwaukee for a day and a half and then out again to Salt Lake City, which going into, I’ll be honest, was the race I was least looking forward to all season! But I could not have been more off with my prognostication.

Salt Lake City is actually quite a vibrant downtown and after eating some great dinners with some great people, I really enjoyed my time away from the track. And to be honest, although everyone says Miller is “out of the middle of nowhere,” it’s not very far at all from downtown – only about a half hour. It’s a fantastic facility as everyone told me going in. And the Media Center ran flawlessly allowing for everything to get done as scheduled.

Not to mention what a great race! The Michelin technical partner teams were down on straight line speed in LMP since they have naturally aspirated engines as opposed to turbochargers and couldn’t make as much power with the high altitude. But they compensated with great handling and cornering speed, able to overcome the heat for a podium sweep. Simon Pagenaud starred for Highcroft and we all enjoyed having Emanuele Pirro back as well for Drayson. Michelin took the GT win as well with Risi Ferrari dominating.

The end of the race was another eye-opening lesson in how post-race PR gets done. We were short-staffed this weekend, with a number of our team members at other events. So a few minutes before the checkered flag, I rushed down to the pits to distribute Michelin hats to podium finishers – we have to get signage of the brand up in TV interviews and for the podium. Needless to say while in my firesuit and with ambient temperatures at more than 90 degrees, it was a hot, sweaty atmosphere!

The kicker was also when one of the ALMS’ PR staff asked if I could track down the GT-winning team in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge, which wasn’t present! So it was running back to the pits and then realizing they didn’t even know they had won the “race within a race” that rewards the teams that travel the farthest, fastest and with the least environmental impact.

Speaking of green racing, one of the weekend highlights was trying out a Green Racing Simulator that will be present at all remaining U.S. events this season. Here’s a teaser from the blog.

I flew back through Las Vegas on Monday and while part of me was tempted to play the in-terminal slot machines since I turned 21 last month, but opted against it since it was 7:30 a.m. and crowds at the machines were sparse.

Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport isn't as much an airport per se, as much as it is a casino with gates attached. If I'm going to go to 'Vegas, I might as well do it in the style that Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis did in The Hangover (what would a new blog post be without a recent comedy movie reference?).

Time to rest up for 10 days, take care of some odds and ends at home and then do it all over again in Lime Rock! Out for now, cheers.

Four for the road

Happy belated 4th of July. For me, the time encapsulating our nation's holiday has offered me the rare opportunity to be in four different cities in four days, thanks to some circuitous planning from a vacation and family visiting standpoint. It's sort of a microcosm of my summer of travel.

Today was packing up and leaving one potential place I hope to be next year, San Diego, to come home to Phoenix via a six-hour car ride. Tomorrow it's flying back to Milwaukee to change out the necessary items for the next trip to Salt Lake City on Thursday - which ironically includes a pit stop in Phoenix to change planes (and for good measure, passing through Las Vegas next week on the way back to Milwaukee). Salt Lake City marks the continuation of this year's American Le Mans Series season after nearly a two-month break since the last race in Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

I've been very fortunate to have traveled a lot throughout the years, but in 2010 especially with my racing commitments that amount of traveling has intensified. This current period is the stretch of being in six different places in six consecutive weekends. Flying all becomes a bit routine, much like George Clooney's character in Up In the Air. I hope that doesn't sound arrogant or over-the-top, but just a nature of the work I have got involved with this year.

One of the things I've taken most from my college experience at Marquette, especially in the last two years, is always being on the go - and never satisfied with what I have and always looking to do better and keep my eye on the next potential challenge. Working in the ALMS this season with MichelinAlley.com has already opened my eyes more than I could have imagined.

This is when things really get crazy since the next four ALMS races are in seven weekends, after having three races in three months (not counting the 24 Hours of Le Mans) prior. And when the last of those four clicks off, it's back to school and starting senior year. It sounds weird to say now but with how fast time flies, it's going to get here quickly.

The 4th offers a great chance for reflection, and it also has the unintended consequence of signaling the second half of summer. Best to live it up and make the most of the opportunities provided.

Out for now, cheers.

I’m at Road America… for NASCAR?!?

I’ve never seen an episode of The Surreal Life, but I feel like I’m living it in just one day at the track.

NASCAR, yes, NASCAR (!) is at Road America. And suddenly, this soon-to-be 21-year-old walks around the media center here a veteran of the circuit but a rookie to covering the Nationwide Series, while all the NASCAR crew are making their first appearances at this great track.

There have been plenty of odd couples throughout history but NASCAR and Road America is about as bizarre as it gets in racing terms. The only thing on par would be Formula One at Bristol.

This is strange. Four years here seeing Champ Car, ALMS, and the SCCA Runoffs, and now these lumbering beasts are pounding the surface. Beaching it in gravel. Braking early (waaay early).

You have greats like Jacques Villeneuve, Ron Fellows, Patrick Long and others in the field – a ton of young hotshoes (yes, as this is a non-joint weekend with Sprint Cup there are a BEVY of young stock car standouts), and those that fill out the field. At least one-third of the 43 cars are pure black or white blank canvasses that are likely to compete but a handful of laps because they “start-and-park.”

In other words, the teams don’t have the money for tires and crews, so they have skeleton efforts and retire due to “handling” or “rear end” issues. (Oddly, these are some of the issues people note about Milka Duno in IndyCar. Small world.)

The NASCAR mantra is also in full effect. ALMS embraces the open paddock, Champ Car certainly showcased its assets to fans here (cool cars, cool people), but at NASCAR? No way. This is OUR house and OUR rules.

The transporters are fenced off along the wall, preventing access to anyone without a pass even in a cold garage, and not only do you need credentials but a separate photo ID to get in. I hate to say I’ve become a “hard card snob,” but the unlimited access and small portability of the hard card versus a bigger, clunky, flipping and choking lanyard is night and day.

As for the race? There will be MANY cautions. When these cars go into the gravel, it takes at least 10 minutes between a crew arriving to dig them out and send them on their way.

The cars are slow. Sorry, but they are. Ten seconds slower than Trans-Am. Twelve than an ALMS GT2 BMW, Porsche, Corvette or Ferrari. Thirty-five (35!) slower than the overall lap record set by Dario Franchitti in a CART race. Yes, there’s more straight line speed, but getting these things slowed down is a Leviathan task. Michael McDowell, who’s won here in Star Mazda, said he needs a Sharpie to “draw in 6, 7, 8, 9 signs” for the earliest braking points.

Now that said, I think this will be a great EVENT. Certainly the Road America staff – despite their “Yellow shirt” tendencies on allowing access to certain points on the track (anybody who’s been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway should get that reference) – know what makes a great show. The NASCAR media people I met today seem quite nice and hospitable from their overall PR person (I think), to Justin Allgaier’s at Penske (granted, that’s a Penske PR person), to the ESPN crew of Dr. Jerry Punch, Mike Massaro, and the lovely Jamie Little.

Paraded as heroes, the drivers here will take a lap before the green. The ratings will probably be higher on ESPN2 for this race than any IndyCar event non-Indy 500. And I’m almost certain there will be a green-white-checkered finish, which at this track is another 8 MILES. Try stretching the fuel that long.

There’s no threat of rain – though severe storms and natural family concerns prompted me to instead book a hotel for the night rather than make trips to and from Milwaukee at the last minute (better to be lucky than good I guess as there was quite a nice room, close to the track, still available).

The initial reaction on day one is that I’m glad to have seen the way NASCAR operates from a media member perspective, but I can’t imagine covering this series full-time, with 36 races plus non-points events and a far less enjoyable atmosphere. As much as I love traveling (I’m almost as bad as George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air, but not quite), I can’t fathom doing this much.

Maybe that’s just me. That’s the uncensored version.

On the bright side, here’s my thoughts on Friday at the track. Out for now, cheers.

Le Mans reflections

Last week was all Le Mans, all the time – even if I wasn’t actually there. It's a lot different covering from home as opposed to at the circuit.

The week was all about our blog coverage to the MAX. Writing/editing blog posts, photo teasers and galleries, tweets, and other odds and ends. And then after a whole week of preparation, came the race.

Oh the race.

I stayed up all 24 hours, but had max technical issues, first my laptop crashing (the battery was the culprit, I found out a couple days later), the video stream cutting in and out since Time Warner Cable basic in Wisconsin doesn't include SPEED, Twitter crashing, and then my backup desktop computer locking up every hour on the hour with too many processes running. As it was, nobody saw the tech. issues I had because the blog looked great.

I don’t think anybody saw the Pugs having their issues either. Well-deserved win for Audi, Pug kinda shot themselves in the foot with their right bank engine issues. Davidson did likewise with the whole aggressive Corvette pass. Major props to Radio Le Mans and John Hindhaugh for their coverage.

My laptop now has its battery being sent back for repairs. I’ll be on the go the next six weekends in succession – Elkhart Lake this one for the Nationwide race, then seeing family in Phoenix and San Diego through July 6, back to Milwaukee for a day, leave for Salt Lake City (next ALMS round) on the 8th, there for a weekend, Milwaukee again, then Lime Rock for the following ALMS weekend.

Holy cow. This summer is intense. Out for now, cheers.

What a freaking joke.

Rare is the time that merits a Saturday night near-midnight blog post, but this has to be said. I have no other words to describe the complete ineptitude of the "Holmatro Safety Team" in response to Simona de Silvestro during the night's IZOD IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway other than the title of this post.

De Silvestro crashed from turn 2 and was in a fireball from where she hit the wall and came to rest on the inside of turn 4 on the oval.

The first truck rolled up and the guys looked like the three stooges, trying to roll out a fire hose (fire extinguishers, anybody?) and then just standing around asking themselves what to do.

All this while Simona is trying to get out and is in the middle of a burning crapwagon. Yes, I said it (full disclosure, since I don't cover the series full-time, I'm just saying it. PT might agree.) It was more than 30 seconds from when the car rested to get her out and nearly a minute from the time of the accident. In racing terms, that's an ETERNITY.

Thank goodness for the one guy who went in to help extract her from the car, but even that was more chaotic than it needed to be since he didn't get the fire out but instead pulled her out sideways.

Her grace and class in the face of a horribly bungled rescue attempt by a patchwork crew who have given themselves the same name as the completely different and actually legitimate crew that existed in Champ Car is a testament to her character and her resolve. If it's me, or likely anyone else in that situation, we're holding back f-bombs, and rightfully so because we're wondering why you screwed up so bad.

Not only that, but the usually on-the-ball Versus telecast neglected to show replays of the accident or talk to crewmembers in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Her excellent engineer Michael Cannon was visibly frustrated.

I realize I'm less than three weeks from turning 21 so can be considered "young," but I've watched IndyCar racing for 15 years and covered it for five. And that has to be the weakest exhibition I've EVER seen by a safety team. If that batch of characters was the crew on site for Alex Zanardi's near death accident in Germany in 2001, he would not have survived. Alex Tagliani might not have either.

This is not the same group that made their mark as the most renowned crew on the CART/Champ Car side with Drs. Steve Olvey and Terry Trammell. Randy Bernard's been open to many suggestions so far and one this renegade young scribe will suggest is pink slips to all bar the one member of this team who epically failed in this situation.

Thank God for Simona's sake (or anyone else who might have been in such an unfortunate position) it wasn't worse.

***

The race itself had more passing and genuine interest with Danica and Marco threatening the leaders and for another week running, the best car and driver won with Ryan Briscoe keeping the "Big Two" firmly entrenched in P1. The only addendum I'll add is that Danica should have received a black flag for an egregious blocking maneuver on her teammate Tony Kanaan. TK was rightly frustrated and if "what goes around, comes around," then by all means do so.

Another sad story for Andretti Autosport is that this is probably Ryan Hunter-Reay's last race for that team, and that's the epitome of unjust. He's currently sixth in points (first in the non-Penske/Ganassi class) with a win and several top fives - not to mention IZOD's poster boy. It's criminal he, Graham Rahal and so many others are on the sidelines. Hopefully there's something that sees his season continue but it would be an 11th-hour deal at this point, I think.

Out for now, and off to bed. Cheers.

Indy 500 post-mortem

Oops. Guess I was off the ball on every aspect of picking. But, hey, as a responsible member of the media, that's probably karma for picking anyway.

Congrats to Dario. Only him or TK should have been standing in Victory Lane after the race. And when TK said the best car and driver won today, that confirmed it. One front wing change proved the turn of mastery that launched Franchitti into another stratosphere on Sunday, leading 155 of 200 laps.

After that it was a bit of an odd finishing order. Thanks to the unsurprisingly abysmal ABC coverage, we didn't see much of Dan Wheldon, Alex Lloyd, and others who eventually wound up in the top 15.

So how far off were my picks? Briscoe - my pick to win - crashed out. Dixon - my backup choice - lost a wheel on the pit stops. Rookie-of-the-year pick Ana Beatriz lost a few laps early and the same befell "3B" (thanks, Marshall Pruett) Bertrand Baguette when he lost a mirror. And naturally, Mario Romancini not only wasn't first out, but he was first rookie to the finish in 13th.

As much as I like Simona de Silvestro and feel her winning the month's ROY award is deserved, Mario should have got a share of it for being the fastest qualifier and top finisher driving for Conquest Racing. Either way, good show by both of those two.

For now it's time for Le Mans prep, and although I won't be there this year, there will still be plenty of work involved. And should be at Road America in a couple weeks to see NASCAR's Nationwide Series. Goodness me, do those words hurt to type.

Out for now, cheers.

Indy 500 pre-race observations

Greetings and salutations from Speedway, In., the last night before the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500. It's been a whirlwind two weeks after just being in Monterey, Calif. last weekend for the ALMS race, which was just televised on CBS after being put together by an outside production firm, and now coming back to IMS for the first time since 2008.

I'll get the shameless plugs out of the way early. I'm helping Motorsport.com out for the week and articles so far have covered Community Day, the three women not named Danica, the mix of practice, pit stops and booze on Carb Day, and the highest profile driver not to qualify, Paul Tracy.

Some thoughts on the week. This is my second Indy 500, and I have to say a completely different experience from my first. My first was about taking it all in - much like the rookies - and maximizing the time and all the different events. This is shorter but still provides the great networking opportunities, and for me, particularly, the bloggers who really are the new face of journalism at the Speedway.

Between Paul and Steph (a.k.a. Fieldof33 and 99forever on Twitter) of Planet-IRL, Chris Estrada of IndyRacingRevolution and FOXSports.com, the My Name is IRL and Pressdog crowd, among others, are the fresh blood to get the next generation of fans interested in growing this series. They were part of an open forum this morning with IndyCar PR Amy Konrath and a couple IMS reps to discuss how to better integrate the new media that the bloggers have the handle on with traditional outlets and individuals.

It's completely different for me, too. At 20, I'm one of, if not the youngest person in the IMS pressroom. Yet this new batch of bright-eyed, intelligent, passionate group of individuals add a depth and commitment to growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

The other notables I've met include Randy Bernard and Paul Page. Bernard is the first person I've seen in 15 years of watching this series that I can tell just "gets it." Curt Cavin of the Indy Star - and Carb Night Burger Bash emcee - had a great and far more in-depth article on the Indy Racing League, IndyCar Series sanctioning body, CEO than I will have had.

His openness to hear both good and bad, positive and negative, and literally absorb anything and everything like a sponge can only be a benefit to getting this series back on track. Even the veteran Gordon Kirby, a senior member of the media, hinted Bernard was the right person to get IndyCar back on track. Oh, lame puns.

I won't say too much about the drivers other than a couple who have impressed. Simona and Bia are obvious. But one that's caught my eye is Conquest's Bertrand Baguette, the Belgian rookie. Baguette sounds like he understands the limit and challenges of this place. He's come out of nowhere, even despite winning the ultra competitive World Series by Renault last season, and qualified on the first day. He needs a good nickname, though. Him testing a Renault F1 car last year was near perfect, and if he was French, that would be good as well.

Okay, so predictions. I said back in March Ryan Briscoe would win this race, but despite driving for Team Penske, he isn't even in his teammates' same zip code. Hard to be anonymous when starting fourth, but that's the case.

I'm not going to be one of those people who reneges on a pick, so I'll bite it and take the lumps if he doesn't win. But Briscoe is still the pick for me for two reasons.

One, he needs a race for a coming-out party. You don't want to say he's fallen out of favor with Penske, but his countryman Will Power stole the show on the road and street courses earlier this year and Helio has been in another stratosphere this month. Briscoe is still sharp and last year proved he was a demon on the ovals - this could be his time. He's still close enough to the front, starting fourth.

Second, Helio's string of success here needs a break. This track is only good to you so often, and I can't help but think there will be at least one bad pit stop or something to take Helio out of contention. Selfishly, I can't say as I'm thrilled at the prospect of him becoming a four-time winner. It's completely different eras between Foyt, Unser, Mears and now. Not to mention some might say this would only be his third...

If it's not either of those two, Dixon wins, hands down. He's not my official pick but if I was betting on the race, I would bet on him. The six IndyCar races I have done for Motorsport.com since 2008 (Milwaukee twice, Indy, Edmonton, Chicagoland '08 and Mid-Ohio last year), "Dixie" has won four and finished second the other two. Look out, field. I'm here and Dixon is still here, and he hasn't forgotten how to win. Plus, he or Dario would give Chip both major 500 trophies in the same year.

I feel confident in saying Raphael Matos is my dark horse. Matos is very much under the radar, quick in race trim, ran top-5 here before his accident last year, and now has the benefit of working with a veteran teammate in Davey Hamilton and invaluable sage co-owner in Gil de Ferran.

First crash will be Mario Romancini, and the highest finishing female will be... Ana Beatriz. Beatriz has more miles at Indy than Simona and better cars than Danica or Sarah. Either her or Baguette will win Rookie-of-the-Year honors, but I'll take Beatriz.

Check back late Sunday night to see how far off the mark these predictions were. It's out for now, and cheers.

Push to pass... junior year gone

Hopefully, my racing friends will appreciate the title analogy. You see, this school year just completed was a lot like an extra power burst executed by IndyCar drivers for a short time period. The extra horsepower, in theory, gives them enough power to complete a pass, and is over in a blink of an eye.

As it relates to the school year, I needed several short power bursts to make it through what was unquestionably the toughest year at Marquette yet. It was also the fastest – I feel like I don’t even remember enough of it to properly recall things. Just a blur. But, the tough moments made it incredible.

You take a big step as an upperclassman, moving up from the ranks of residence halls and Sodexo-provided cafeteria food. You move into apartments, away from house parties into bars (okay, I haven’t got that far yet… next month), and into another level of responsibility and independence without the RAs there to watch your every move.

For me, I had yet another transition – no shock to anyone who knows me – to go from one roommate to three in a room in Humphrey. And first semester, living with Gags, Swee, and Mark was epic. Can’t relate how awesome it was. Swee went abroad spring semester to Madrid and Pat came back from Ireland, bringing his own story and style. It was different, but still mostly good times.

Academically, it was a challenging year coupling my commitments with the Marquette Tribune and Phonathon with classes. Fall I reported for the Tribune on a new beat, the consumer beat, which I highly enjoyed, and then moved into a leadership role as an assistant editor in the spring. I still consider it a fairly meteoric rise from the ranks of rookie reporter to helping the next group of prodigious talents with their work. I had a lot of fun and really got to appreciate the work of the seniors in their editorial roles.

Campus as a whole was really rocked by three things this year – the death of freshman Andrew Siebenaler, the retirement announcement of University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild, and the ongoing saga that has been the Arts & Sciences dean rescinding.

As a reporter, I had a role in all three stories even if I wasn’t the lead writer on any of them, but that is neither here nor there. What I saw with those events was, for the first few times in my Marquette career, the uniting of the student body in a combined group for a common cause – support for a victim’s grieving family, a president who has still given back immeasurably to this university, and rallying around whether something was done for the right or just reasons.

It was in those moments more than others this year that I saw myself as part of the “We are Marquette” mantra and mission statement, and felt better about the work I personally was doing to accomplish that.

And this is where I have to give thanks for everything I’ve done being able to help me take the next step. Without the Phonathon leadership position, I don’t think I would have been able to become an editor with the Tribune. Without the Tribune, I don’t think I could have landed the role I have helping Michelin in racing. And without all of those, I don’t think I would have an internship to look forward to for the fall with The Business Journal.

Looking back, I think I will feel more nostalgic about junior year as time passes, because so much of it was a whirlwind of getting things done without enough time to enjoy or appreciate everything I really accomplished. That’s probably the best description of the year just passed. Not the most eloquent piece of writing ever, but there you go. Cheers.

A true April Fool's entry

No joke, I'm actually submitting a blog entry on this day when so much of the news out there is a hoax!

Today was one of the strangest days I can remember. As a college student involved in several different aspects of work, as a full-time student with 18 credits, working as one of the editors on the school paper, a student manager at the Phonathon, and a blogger for Michelin during the American Le Mans Series season, usually I am consumed by one of those, if not several over the course of the day.



Although today was April Fool's Day, it was no joke that today I had none of that to worry about! I rarely get the time to update this blog - largely by my own choice and becoming more concerned about what can be said in a public forum - but sometimes I just need to take a minute and breathe and reflect on all that currently encompasses my life.

In the next couple days I will be registering for classes for my senior year of college at Marquette. It takes a minute to let that sink in. So much of this year has been a blur with my various activities, that I don't know how much of it I've actually taken the time to enjoy. Between late nights, early mornings, and everything in-between that makes up the day, there's no time to reflect. It's just going through the motions, and keep going. Don't stop.

Marquette means so much to me and I know I realize it, but it takes something like this break to embrace it more so. First off, my last break, I didn't really get the chance to have a "break" per se as I made my first appearance to Sebring for the ALMS season opener. I can't express thanks enough to everyone I worked with for their welcoming me into the "team," and I know I worked as hard as I did that week on our blog, MichelinAlley.com, to reward their trust in me. Anyway, the week involved a lot of 14-18 hour days and actually going to bed and waking up at civilized hours (trust me, 10:30 lights out and 6:30 a.m. wakeup call took some getting used to, again!). If you don't love racing, it's very hard to do well at given the hours. But needless to say, I didn't have much time to relax!

So, back on campus for the last week and a half and its back to living the student life. The classes. The tests. The papers. The newspaper. The Phonathon. My boss at the Phonathon jokes, as I have lost both my Sunday night shifts the last two weeks because of the break and thus have only a handful of hours on my paycheck, "Hey, maybe you should work more!" Maybe I would if I could... hence why I am evaluating my options for senior year.

When you take on the life of both a student and a student worker, you take on the persona of both. You embrace everything you get involved in, make it operate the best for both you and your co-workers, and keep on going.

I got home to Greendale (my Wisconsin hometown, although Arizona is still my roots) and had to make a pit stop with my mom for a work appointment of her's at MATC's Oak Creek campus. It's nice, but tucked away, has a lot of commuters and is just one large building. It felt like an office complex with classrooms instead of cubicles. No sense of it being a university like MU.

All told, it will be nice to calm down for this Easter break and reflect on everything I have been fortunate to be involved in, and where I'm looking to go next. Out for now, and cheers.

P.S. Physically, that next place is Long Beach in two weeks for the next ALMS race!

2010 racing reflections and predictions

It's been a while since I've posted a blog entry and have a lot to catch up on. This whole school thing has kind of been cramping my style, especially with a lot on my plate here.

First, it's one week until the respective season openers for Formula 1 and IndyCar apiece. My brethren in the IndyCar press have lamented the lack of American drivers - Graham Rahal in all likelihood will not be at the first race - while the latest wave of European and South American ride-buyers glide in on their golden wallets.

It's all something of a pointless exhibition, really. The question is not whether Penske or Ganassi will win, it's just which one of their five drivers will. The rest are there to pay for limited exposure in an overvalued product and battle for "best of the rest" status.

I don't need to elaborate on what the Millers, Kirbys, and Oreos of the world have all said, except that IndyCar holds so little interest to me nowadays and remains a far cry from the CART days. The most entertaining parts of the off-season have really been Paul Tracy's tweets (@paultracy3) saying as much. So sad.

F1 is another circus entirely and for Americans, will have suffered a serious setback thanks to the whole USF1 saga. Announced in February 2009, the project was woefully slow and rumors of funding issues plagued the team basically all year until they announced it was over a couple weeks ago. It leaves a serious amount of egg in the face of Americans hoping to get over there.

Otherwise there are the usual politics, combined with the new teams, points system adjustment, refueling ban, tire rules, elimination of KERS. All but three teams start with at least one new driver in their lineup. It should, as usual, be a fascinating year.

So, predictions. I don't know how much of either series I'll be watching this year, but will still make these for the heck of it.

***

IndyCar: Penske returns to the top after a three-year hiatus, Ryan Briscoe takes his first title and the year's Indianapolis 500. Dixon a close second with Will Power showcasing his talents in a full season. Dario and Helio falter a bit. Tony Kanaan gets at least one win but doesn't challenge for the championship.

Danica once again does not win, and gets her clocks cleaned by her female counterpart Simona de Silvestro on the road and street courses. There will be at least one "towel-esque fight" between Danica and either Simona, Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher or Ana Beatriz. PT will incite controversy in the races KK is actually smart enough to give him a chance.

***

F1: McLaren returns to the top even despite lack of works Mercedes support. Lewis for the title, Vettel a close second for Red Bull. Massa returns stronger than ever for Ferrari and upon giving Alonso headaches, the Spaniard will go nuclear on the Prancing Horse and promptly quit the sport (okay that might be a bit of a stretch, but think of the possibilities thereafter - Vettel to Ferrari and Kimi returns for Red Bull!).

Mercedes GP wins a couple races with Schumacher and Rosberg but isn't the contender it was last year largely because they had to focus on winning last year's title and car development more than 2010. Defending champion Jenson Button will win once or twice but otherwise pale in comparison to Hamilton. Williams for a podium or two, Force India could surprise, Renault will struggle. The new teams will be largely anonymous but I could see Lotus's package coming together as the season progresses. Driver changes in season will include the debuts of Paul di Resta (Force India tester), and Bertrand Baguette at Renault when Petrov's checks bounce.

Check back in October/November to see how far off the mark those all are.

***

A word on the final and unfortunate demise of the Atlantic Championship. Like my editor at motorsport.com, I grew a strong attachment to this series from a young age as I could relate most to these drivers, and I had the chance to interview so many of them between 2006-2009 (off the cuff, Hinch, Carrio, Skerlong, Bomarito, Edwards, Summerton, Simona, etc.) It was always one of my highlights to attend Atlantic races, especially with the people involved in the series - Vicki, Nate, Polly, Anne Roy, Phil and all the rest.

One of my best friends in racing, the recently married Aislinn Willander (nee Miller) dedicated herself to a series she could have fun with in shifting to Newman Wachs Racing PR after leaving HVM Racing in IndyCar. I loved the opportunities to hang out with her, her family and the whole NWR team in 2008 and '09.

Its history was so rich, but it was always on a road to nowhere after open-wheel "unification" as the red-headed and orphaned stepchild from Champ Car. IndyCar never picked it up to sanction and by design left it out of its "Road to Indy" program.

I was always more of a CART/Champ Car guy, and as a young reporter who would have been with the series full-time in 2008, the Atlantics were my one remaining link to the era. So, thank you, Atlantic, for what you gave me both personally and professionally.

After this week of school, I'll be in Sebring for the ALMS season opener, and will likely be updating the blog much more frequently. My primary tasks will include updating Michelin's trackside blog and also doing interviews. More on that as it develops.

Out for now, cheers.

End of two completely different eras

The luckiest number 13 and the individual whose influence single-handedly presided over the unluckiest period in American open-wheel racing have one thing in common as of 3:00 p.m. CT this afternoon.

They have both left the building.

And the entities they represented are likely to enter some dire straits going forward.

Otherwise there would be no other way to link Kurt Warner and Tony George. The two could not be any more different as individuals.

***

I'll start with Warner.

Warner's rags-to-riches, potential Hall of Fame NFL career was one of the most unlikely in the sport's history. Few could have imagined an unheralded former grocery store bagger and Arena Football quarterback jumping in at a moment's notice to take over the St. Louis Rams. The rest is history.

His first season was nothing short of stunning. As the architect of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Warner led the revival of an anonymous franchise to prominence and the Super Bowl championship.

Warner did a similar Lazarus-like revival of the Arizona Cardinals, the team that played in my hometown for all 18 years of my upbringing, but was never truly my "home" and favorite team.

You see, the Cardinals were another team mired in mediocrity before Warner's arrival. Growing up, I never got to see Cardinals home games because the team never sold out its games at Sun Devil Stadium (granted, from experience the place is a bit of a dump. But nonetheless...) and so more intriguing teams like the Packers, Cowboys or 49ers were always on due to the blackout.

My mom and I grew up scheduling our Sundays around the Packers game, not the Cardinals. I didn't know anything else. When the Cardinals were on TV, they were always on the road, and getting shredded to feathers by vastly superior teams as they were in the midst of a several year-long road losing streak. Any wonder the "fans" wouldn't support them?

But Warner led a recovery. Tossed out of New York following the arrival of their would-be "messiah" Eli Manning, Warner signed with the Cardinals for relative pennies and ushered in an era of respectibility, if not outright success. For this laughingstock of a franchise, even an 8-win season would be considered dynamite.

In 2008, the unthinkable happened. I didn't witness it as I was in Washington, D.C. for President Obama's inauguration, but I received a text from my dad that said the following. I kid you not.

"HOLY S--- THE CARDINALS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL! ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?"

If I hadn't got a new phone since, that would be one text I would forever hang on to. It was shocking.

A comparable example - the Clippers making the NBA Finals. The Pirates in the World Series. A start-and-parker not only running the entire race, but winning the Daytona 500. Again, something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

Suddenly, millions of new "diehard," "life-long" Cardinal fans were born. Everyone could name their three most memorable Cardinal games of their lives - the three playoff games that got the Cards to the Super Bowl.

Now granted, I was pulling like hell for the Cardinals in the Super Bowl because I figured this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime shot deal. When Santonio Holmes got his second foot down, my jaw dropped and a salty, watery discharge emerged from my eye (a Seinfeld reference to when Jerry "cries" and actually "feels" for someone rather than tossing them out like yesterday's lunch).

I was gutted. I knew this could not possibly happen again.

But the Cards rejoined my list of teams I no longer could give a crap about after this year's playoff game vs. the Pack. Even more frustrating than the lack of defense, the constant blown leads, the missed calls, etc., was when my dad screamed and celebrated on the final strip of Aaron Rodgers.

Warner played his heart out that game and ended with a truly incredible statistic, more touchdowns than incomplete passes. For now, it's his last victory.

If there's one thing Brett Favre has taught us, it's to not take retirement at the retirement presser's word. But Warner seems done for good and a much classier individual at the end of his line than does Favre. At least for now.

***

Now, Tony George is another matter entirely.

Anyone who knows me knows I was and still am a CART/Champ Car-guy. I was 7 when "the split" happened and naturally at that age, wasn't exactly an expert on the details or what it meant. But I knew that CART got me hooked on racing in 1996 and for 15 years I have followed it and other series religiously, and since 2005 have made it my work. The Indy Racing League never did.

George will always remain the most polarizing figure in the history of the sport. He came from riches in the Hulman-George family, and when armed with an open checkbook, complete and utter power, and a plan to wipe out the competition, had a nuclear combination. Look at where what's left of IndyCar is today versus 1995 and anyone with half a brain will tell you it isn't even close.

Yet for his flaws, George's accomplishments will still have a lasting effect. He single-handedly transformed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into the mecca it is today, not to mention one of the two most important safety innovations in my lifetime - the SAFER Barriers. He brought NASCAR to the Speedway, and also welcomed back F1 and MotoGP while adding the infield road course and building a new pagoda.

I was especially grateful to get the chance to cover the 2008 Indianapolis 500, the first after George extended the olive branch to what was left of Champ Car, at age 18 in the IMS press room. It remains one of my two most incredible experiences in motorsports, as there is still nothing like race morning at Indy.

That said, the scorched earth story has been told a thousand times over by other writers with far more experience. Just within the last two weeks, George's reign has ended completely.

Last week, he resigned from the IMS Board of Directors. Yesterday, he's told his staff at Vision Racing, his last remaining link to IndyCar, that the team would have to cease operations unless sponsorship could be found.

If that's not a damning indication of the direction IndyCar is headed in right now, when the series' founder announces even he can't find backing, than I don't know what is. I've been accused of being a "doom-and-gloomer" before but there's little positive news I can take out of it.

Another thing too. How ironic is it that two years after the unification that Kevin Kalkhoven, who sold the remnants of Champ Car, is now more directly involved with IndyCar than TG is?

I don't know how many IndyCar races I will make it to this year, but I'll be interested to see the reaction internally given everything that's transpired over yet another discouraging off-season.

***

On the bright side, the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the 2010 season this weekend. Meanwhile, the majority of my time is spent at school with 18 credits and my two campus jobs, working as an assistant news editor with The Marquette Tribune (follow us @mutribune on Twitter and on Facebook) and also as a student manager at the University Advancement Phonathon.

Hence, I'm pretty busy and therefore have neglected the blog, and I know I need to be better at updating. But the end of these respective eras very much warranted this post.

Out for now, cheers.