Speed announcers taking a break...

Not us!  I think they probably just wanted to go watch Driven.  Or watch the tennis final.

My laptop is nearing its retirement age and the cars keep pausing every now and then.  Or maybe they're just hitting the breaks.

They should all try to run each other off of the road like I was doing tonight!  Of course, I usually ended up running MYSELF off instead, particularly that one time when I missed Wedge and took a dive.

16 more hours of this?!?

Tennis Preview - Weather a big factor for Djoker

Rarely has one man's breath, or lack of it, been such a talking point before a major sporting event of any kind.

For Serbian Novak Djokovic, it could well be the factor that decides whether or not he takes the 2012 Australian Open Men's Single title.

While Djokovic is behind Rafael Nadal in head to head contents, Djokovic was won the last six head-to-head encounters between the two, including victories at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

In fact, Djokovic was virtually unbeatable in 2011.

But in this Australian Open, he's found a new opponent. Tougher than Nadal, and certainly tougher than Andy Murray who he beat in the semi final. His breath, and Melbourne's famous allergies.

In both the quarter and semi finals, Djokovic had what you'd describe as a blue moment. Unable to breathe in the second set against Andy Murray in the semi-final, he basically gave up the second set, before coming back to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5.

The weather forecast contains both potentially good and bad news for the Serbian: Possible thunderstorms.

A good dose of rain arriving early enough with the storm will inevitably force organisers to close the roof, making the finals indoors, which may help what appears to be an allergy problem.

However, thunderstorm conditions in Melbourne are known to make the pollen grains that float in Melbourne's air burst, and make respiratory problems worse.

While Djokovic can afford to give up a set to the Brit Andy Murray, whether he can afford to do this to Nadal, remains to be seen.

Stay tuned.

Observations So Far

Ok, so first of all, HUGE thanks to everyone who joined us for our 3rd year of blogathon Mario Kart Wii racing. What I think we all learned very quickly is that DJ CraqAttaq is the champ, but the rest of us had a lot of good tight racing for 2nd place, or top in the GT class, if you will.

While we were Mario Karting, I had a 2nd small screen on both the UFC fight and Daytona 24 and have come away with some more observastions:

-I find it interesting that Chael Sonnen gets cheered for... because its not that fans suddenly found him as a likeable guy all of a sudden; but due to the fact that the UFC simply managed to find a guy who is more annoying and hated in Michael Bisping.

-What does that loss mean for Phil Davis? Does he just start going through all the former champs that Jon Jones beat now? Either way, still can't avoid the fact that the guy is awesome in pink shorts.

-Marco Andretti, what can you say. He just tested an IndyCar all morning, didn't even get to Daytona until after 8pm, then jumped in a car he'd never seen before, on a track he's never raced, in a series he hasn't raced in.. and immediately went out there and turned some of the fastest laps we saw... wow.

The thing I come away from this with though, is that its not surprising. Every time Marco was in a ALMS race, and the few times he was in A1GP he looked quite good. He also looked very good at times in IndyCar, but you have to wonder if he simply thrives in out-of-the-box situations better. What I mean to say is that in ALMS, Grand-Am, and even in A1GP (though AGR ran the USA car) he didn't have the same comfort zone of his dad and his singular ride to fall back on, his performance was up for judgement because it directly affected teammates or his ability to keep the ride.

It really makes you wonder how good Marco would be if he didn't race for Andretti Autosport, maybe no better, but as a spectator I'd certainly like to see it.

Shuteye

Blame a poor caffeine and pre-race sleep strategy, blame having to work Monday, I can't stay awake another 16 hours after being up for 18 so I'll get a bit of kip now.

Mario Kart was great fun! Promised myself I wouldn't stay up to 4am this year like I did last, so I could wake up earlier for a long run to the finish. The pull of Mario Kart was just too strong, and it was absolutely worth it.

I've set my alarm to wake up in about 6 hours, but I know me so it might be a couple of hours later. In the fridge is a 500ml can of Relentless energy drink I could deploy, in the morning. Netbook in bed.. that's an option. I'm rambling.

I'll probably miss the tennis.. but that's okay, I hate tennis. Back and forth, one end to the other, over and over again.

Come on McNish and Popow, might've been a bad idea to pick two drivers from one car for my ARFL team and I'm relying on you guys to not screw it up.

Enjoy Drivel!

Silly Cautions

Would like to announce that I have dropped an olive on the ground and will be declaring a full course caution! Honestly, you can tell who pulls the strings for this championship. Some of these full course cautions are ridiculous and allowing all of these cars to catch back up. Heard a great comment on the SPEED coverage tonight that it was all about making it to the last caution and shooting it out from there.

While I think Grand-Am has certainly stepped up their game here in the states, I believe we need to evaluate how we throw these flags. Shouldn't be surprised I guess.

Other than that, this race has been pretty good with some heavy traffic jams! Big shout outs to Marco Andretti, Travis Pastrana, and Anders Krohn! Only what, 16 hours left? Roll on!

American Rally Season Kicks Off with Sno* Drift

So I am now into my second martini and still watching the Rolex 24. However, yesterday marked the start of a two day rally event that officially launched the 2012 Rally America championship. The event just ended a couple of hours ago and Subaru Rally USA driver David Higgins drew first blood in the title race against Antoine L'Estage.

The championship is comprised of six events across the US with a large variety of talent. Some like Higgins have won championships in other countries, while others are pure gentleman racers with the love of rally racing. This championship used to place host to the likes of Travis Pastrana and Ken Block.

The first round takes place in the most northern sections of Michigan for the Sno* Drift rally. The unique aspect of this event is the tire selection. While many rally championships across the world allow for the use of studded snow tires, Rally America outlaws these tires and forces the competitors to use street winter tires. Needless to say the product is always entertaining and yields some rather interesting results. Last year's event had very high attrition which seen Travis Hanson win in a super production (SP) class car. It marked the first time ever a SP car would win an event outright.

As far as the 2012 chapter went, the attrition was not as high and the pre rally favorites were able to keep the car on the ice. There were initial concerns with the amount of snowfall, but the solid sheet of ice that is typical of the event was there in full. Cars spent yesterday and today slipping and sliding in the pursuit of traction. It was the 2012 Subaru STi of David Higgins that would take the overall win with Canadian star Antoine L'Estage and his Rockstar sponsored Mitsubishi EVO X finishing runner up. Travis Hanson would take third place after Crazy Leo Urlichich was handed an eight minute penalty for missing a catalytic converter on his car.

Another fantastic Sno* Drift event and another fantastic start to the 2012 Rally America campaign (Hell no I am not talking about politicians). The next event will be the 100 Acre Wood rally in Salem MO. Judging by the crazy winter we have had so far, this will probably not have snow. Here is hoping at least! 

"Graham Rahal loves the Rolex he won soooo much...

"...he keeps it in a box," says Leigh Diffey.

Well, maybe.

It also could have something to do with this, between you and me.

Rolex shouldn't cry too much though. There are other international superstars around without watch deals. You know my number.

Welcome to the nightshift

Evening everybody,

Deputy Captain and International Superstar, Shane Rogers, speaking.

We'll be cruising into the overnight at top speed, with our destination being the AM, after a stop at the Australian Open Men's Tennis Final at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

In the meantime, feel free to join in our on board entertainment, which is basically me chucking this thing into Autopilot, and telling a wide variety of dad jokes. You will laugh, or you will GO TO YOUR ROOM.

If you're playing drinking games based on my blog posts, the key phrases are "track density," "discretion," and "cricket."

The schedule at the Tennis today:
* The Mixed Doubles Final between that involves four people you've never heard of before is at 16:30AEDT/00:30ET
* The Men's Singles final between Novak ("I may look like the IT guy but I can hit a ball better than I can install anti-virus definitions") Djokovic, and Rafa ("Can you girls stop fainting when I take my shirt off, it's really distracting") Nadal. This starts at 19:30AEDT/03:30ET.

To paraphrase Pink, "it's just you and [Joey] Hand tonight."

See you soon.

Marco

I'm playing Mario Kart at the moment, but a third party tells me that Marco just got into a car he's never seen on a track he hasn't driven since Skip Barber and took Dario to school on the last restart.

I need to think long and hard about that one.

Official OP Beverage for the 24 = VODKA!

Vodka martinis! Shaken, not stirred. Shaun chose Fuzzy's with no garnish. As for me, I selected my new fav vodka, Tito's, garnished with jalapeno-stuffed olives. Both were crafted with a touch of dry vermouth, shaken, and strained using a Boston shaker. (in other words, properly made!) Special thanks for tonight's tasty beverage goes to Meesh who turned me on to Tito's a week or so ago.

Mario Kart Time!

Mario Kart Wii Showdown (with chat room)

The clear hit addition for tha last 2 years is returning. In order to join in all you have to do is add these friend codes to your account and then post your friend code in the comments so we can add you as well:

Wedge = 2192-8881-7770
Furious = 2665-3459-4828

Join in here for some Mario Kart trash talking.

Blogathon 2012: Limerick #3

When a man's name is Freddy Poordad,
You would think he could not be more sad.
But I gave him a beer,
Then ol' Fred filled with cheer,
And, oh, what a night we sure had!

Indy Lights Drivers Showing Strong at Daytona

I love watching junior formula races, whether that's in open wheel such as with the Mazda Road to Indy program, or with the up-and-coming drivers in the 2WD class in the Rally America Series. Perhaps its part of why I enjoy teaching as a profession so much. I love watching these various young drivers evolve, learn, grown, and develop as they move up through the ranks and classes. One of the great things I've enjoyed about this year's Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona has been the participation of drivers from Firestone Indy Lights, Star Mazda Series.

Three of last year's Firestone Indy Lights drivers are competing in this year's race. Jorge Goncalves and Gustavo Yacaman, who raced for Belardi Auto Racing and Team Moore Racing, respectively, are joining forces and racing for Michael Shank Racing in the #6 Daytona Prototype car. As of right now, 2006h EST, they're running 10^th overall. Not too shabby for their first go in a DP car. Anders Krohn, who raced for Belardi along side Goncalves last year, is in the #36 Yellow Dragon Racing Mazda RX-8 GT car. Unfortunately for Anders, that car is way back in 49^th place. The Mazdas are completely outclassed with the inclusion of the GT3 cars such as the Ferrari 458.

There are many more drivers with backgrounds in open-wheel junior formula of various flavours competing this weekend. Joey Hand, Dane Cameron, and John Edwards all have competed in the Star Mazda Series, for example. I'll be keeping my eye on these young drivers throughout the night and toward the checkered flag tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping that Jorge and Gustavo can maintain their top-10 position. Best of luck, boys!

I Hate Heights

This has got to be the worst sport ever. Who deliberately chooses to ski off a cliff?



Eurosport switched away from Daytona so I'll look for a stream in a minute. Really though, I like some winter sports such as biathlon and there's probably some decent stuff tomorrow, but I hate heights and this sport scares me.

Adventures in race blogging with a toddler

Given how fervently I clamoured to participate in this year's blogathon, one would tend to assume I'd have been more active up to now.

However, there's one major factor that's new to me this year:  I have a toddler.

I've been balancing between: having her sitting on my lap pointing at the cars and making engine noises; reading books that continually get dropped in my lap while clandestinely keeping one eye on the television; trying to drown out the constantly repeating Alphabet Song emanating from several of her toys at once to keep tabs on the race broadcast; and getting her fed and bathed and changed for bed because, sadly, as awesome as my 13-month-old is, she isn't quite ready to do those things on her own quite yet.

Now, I'm sitting in a darkened living room thinking to myself, "Come on, kid -- go to sleep! I want to put the race back on!"

Ah, well. I'm really just here for the Mario Kart tournament, anyway.

Is it me...

or was that McMurray guy crying just now?

Eye of the Racer

Here is an "Eye of the Tiger" parody by me, about the 24 hour race.

Sittin' down
On our sofa
Got remotes
Got the t.v.
Hit the buttons
Go to six o seven
Watch the race
It's so late
Till midnight
So many times
He's lost the race
Turn to fast
Suffer crashes
Hit the wall
Then bouncin' back
To your doom
You must hope
That you are
Still alive
It's the
Eye of the Racer
It's the thrill
Of the night
Risin' up
To the challenge
Of his rivals
Yeah, his
Car's red and yellow
So we best win the race.
And he's
Seein'
It all
Through the Eye
Of the Racer
Turnin' left
Turnin' right
Got the wheel
Got the power
Push the pedals
And you're ready to race
Passin' cars
That all seem
Way to slow
It's the
Eye of the Racer
It's the thrill
Of the night
Risin' up
To the challenge
Of his rivals
Yeah, his
Car's red and yellow
So we best win the race.
And he's
Seein'
It all
Through the Eye
Of the Racer
This is it
Final lap
Worried down
To your toebones
Gettin' ready
Now you're ready
To rock
Push the gas
Make it past
Win the race
It's the
Eye of the Racer
It's the thrill
Of the night
Risin' up
To the challenge
Of his rivals
Yeah, his
Car's red and yellow
So we best win the race.
And he's
Seein'
It all
Through the Eye
Of the Racer
Of the Racer
Of the RAAAAAAcer

I Wasn't Going To Post My Snacks

..but what the hell.



I have actually eaten that entire bag of Sensations.

Another food picture

Jalapeno grilled cheese, Zapps Voodoo chips, Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss

The Important Thing to Note

About this whole blogathon and the Daytona 24, is that I'm coming back against Mike in this game of Word Feud we have going on. (Words With Friends for people with sucky phones).

The other thing to note, is that if you are in a UFC match and get punched in the face so hard that your mouthpiece flies out of your mouth, theres a good chance that will be on YouTube very soon.

Just saying you might as well start YouTube searching for Cub Swanson - George Roop now, crazy knock out.

This UFC event tonight is in Chicago, so you gotta imagine thats like the closest thing those people will ever get to hear about a Cub win. Ba-dum ching.... And now... back to racing.

Best driver name in the field right now: Fred Poordad

Blogathon 2012: Limerick #2

We've all heard of Allan McNish,
The man who ate off a big dish
'Til the dish fell and broke,
Causing Allan to choke
On the tartar sauce from his McFish.

Doomsday Preppers

This show looks pretty funny.  I'd rather it be called "Zombies Are Coming!"  Quality commercial.

My Fantasy Team

I know we always laugh about how clueless I am when it comes to the actual racing, but now that I've joined the guys in the fantasy league, I'm kind of trying to keep up.  Unfortunately, I can't tell who is driving which car and, therefore, I am still pretty clueless.  So... someone let me know if any of these dudes do something awesome or crash or anything noteworthy.

Scott Dixon
Scott Pruett
Ricky Taylor
Jorg Bergmeister
Memo Gidley

Snack picture time

OK, so I didn't find any Mardi Gras Bock like our Speedgeek, but I do have some Abita root beer, a few different beers, and some tequila. I also just yellow flagged one of those black-and-white cookies.  I don't know what that means, really, but I thought I should try to use some racing jargon.  I really meant that I just ate one of them.  And it was awesome.  Anyone else want to share a snack photo?

Fighting Back

Gianmaria Bruni started near the back (at the back?) and right now he's sitting 10th in GT. A gain of 35 or so positions in 90 minutes, that's pretty good going for a GT field as stacked as this! I'm keeping an eye on this entry, that's a quality line-up in a quality team.

Darren Law seems to be pushing in the #5 Action Express, after that early stop. He's already cleared the entire GT field.

Not sure who at Grand-Am's timing partner decided their live timing site would only show 9 cars in an artifically-limited screen height. When you're used to F1, IndyCar or ACO timing showing 20+ cars it is a bit annoying.

Eurosport just went to a 15-minute break to show handball. Why would you show handball for 15 minutes? They've also completely failed to sync their ad breaks to Speed's, and failed to fade up their pit reporters. I love Eurosport, they've been bringing us all sorts of good stuff on a shoestring for 20 years, I mean don't get me wrong I'm glad they are showing the race at all. Martin Haven's on his usual form, funny stuff, however Carlton Kirby is his usual diabolical self, the man is utterly clueless..

I can't be the only one who thinks...

"Waltrip" and "Ferrari" just seem so odd in the same sentence together.

Are there other combinations that would be as awkward?

-"Marty Roth" and "champion"
-"Milka Duno" and "awesome"
-"Porsche" and "underdog with only a few entries"
-Mike Conway" and "outspoken"
-"Pastrana" and "boring"

whats some other good ones?

A Tip o' the Hat

As a tip of the ol' hat to my fellow GBS boys, I selected Abita Mardi Gras Bock as my Official Beer of Blogathon. I just opened my first one. It is delicious.

What Does Porsche Aim to Prove?

This year is nothing new, but why is it that over 50% of the field in the GT class is Porsches? TRG fields 5 of them alone but there are 23+ Porches in the 40 total GTs this year. For that reason alone I almost always end up rooting against them all, at least in the GT class; but are there any racers out there that know exactly why there are so many?

Are they cheaper? More reliable, or is it just peer pressue to be trendy?


In the DP class its not looking good for the Corvette's introduction so far with one of its better bets (Suntrust racing) spending most of its time in the garage to work on an engine vibration. Already 14 laps down and in last place. sure its only 30 minutes into the race and there is plenty time to make up laps and pace, but they gotta get it right very soon.

In other quick observations:

-I miss the 58/59 cars being in the Prototype class, now that they are Porsche GT's they really, REALLY look like Herbie

-Is the #8 on the Ford DP car an hourglass, or a flipped up infinity sign?

-Exactly how many Potolicchios are racing in this thing? Enzo surely made his mark by taking over for Ryan Dalziel and promtly losing the lead, and 2nd, and 3rd places...

-Scott Pruett is a badass, has already picked up 9 places and is continuing to close the gap on the leaders.

Blogathon 2012: Limerick #1

There once was a man named Scott Pruett
With more gum than he knew what to do with.
He had so many packs,
He had piles, he had stacks,
But no teeth, so no way he could chew it!

I'm Here

Okay, I'm going to try to stay up all night this year. Just saw an awesome commercial ( ow, that jeep flipping must have hurt ).

I have to say...

I'm disappointed that I have not seen one commercial about a DVD kiosk.  I also have not yet been asked to join the military.

Time for the first Prince Fielder joke of 2012!

I know that we're all watching a race, but I've waited long enough.

You know who is happiest about Prince Fielder's new deal?  Every McDonald's franchise owner in the greater Detroit area!  Prince can now afford like 71 million Big Macs!

Thanks guys.  I'll be here all weekend.

Prince may be gone from Milwaukee, but he's always a Brewer to me.

Dempsey Ultimatium

So Patrick Dempsey says he won't be returning to Grey's Anatomy unless the show agrees to have shooting work around his full time Grand-Am schedule.

Good to see Patrick become a racer who acts, no longer an actor who races... but thats besides the point. While I don't want Brian Johnson quitting his day job in AC/DC, I think racing needs more utimatiums, how about these:

-KV Racing says that if E.J. Viso wrecks anymore he will be forced to go out and pick up all the pieces by himself.

-NASCAR says that unless Kurt Busch keeps his potty mouth clean, he will have to wash his mouth out with soap during pit stops.

-Roger Penske demands that Ryan Briscoe win this Daytona 24, otherwise he's getting the name changed to Kevin Briscoe on all the cars

-Darrell Waltrip demands that "Boogity" be added to the Oxford English Dictionary, until then he will continue to say it repeatedly

The Speedgeek's Quick Pre-Race Predictions

DP Class Winner - #99 Gainsco Corvette

DP First Out - #6 Michael Shank Racing With Curb-Agajanian Riley-Ford

GT Class Winner - (really going out on a limb) #59 Brumos Porsche 911 GT3

GT First Out - #22 Bullet Racing Porsche 911 GT3

First semi-insane pit report from Justin Bell (coming between his driving stints this year, since he's actually driving): 5:45 PM Eastern.

That's all for now. Enjoy the race!

Happy Racing Season Everyone!

So with 6 root beers, 4 black cherry sodas, bagel bites, sunflower seeds, 2 computers and a TV ready to display some sports, lets hereby declare the 4th Annual Blogathon open, and lets just say it people,  

Racing Season Has Begun!!

I'm looking forward to attempting this 24-25 hr marathon of zaniness, but of course, we'd be remiss if we pretended Mike, Andy and myself were going in this alone. We want to welcome a slew of victims guests this year who will be joining us throughout this festival of sports commentary and whatever-else-ness.

These great people are taking their time to come bunk up at Grab Bag Sports this weekend, but don't miss out on all the amazing news, insights and analysis they provide throughout the year; go visit them at their sites often this year!

Steph Wallcraft - More Front Wing

George Phillips - Oil Pressure

James Black - 16th and Georgetown

Shane Rogers - International Superstar

Michele-Marie Beer - What I'm Thinking and Open Wheel World

Pat Wotton - (I watch) Too Much Racing

Rick - Flat Into One

Doug, Mike and Shaun - Open Paddock.net

Thanks to all of them for joining us and making this event what it is.

For those watching the Daytona 24 Hours; here is your Live Timing and Scoring, and Live Streaming

Bonus behind the scenes interviews with The Racers Group and drivers of all 98 of their cars can be watched live here.

With our apologies to Supercross... Happy Racing Season Everyone!!!

The Scott Pruett "Hi to the Family" Sweepstakes

As we get ready to watch our unofficial opening to the racing season today and celebrate all the awesomeness of 24 hours of sports and endurance racing, we're bringing back a good ole tradition of ours.

You see, no matter what you like about The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, it frankly wouldn't be a fully fledged official Grand-Am race unless Scott Pruett said "hello to my family back home" during an in-race interview. Scott never disappoints, and by no means are we making fun of him; we absolutely love that Scott does it. Its a great show of a guy not only being a racer but also continuing to be a good family man.

By now, we're so sure of Scott's commitment to saying hi to his family that for the 2nd year in a row, we're holding a sweepstakes for all our fans (disclaimer: you don't have to actually be a fan of ours to play or win).

How to Enter:

Simply click on the comments below and predict when within the 24 hours of the race Scott will say hello to his family.

The race will start at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time this year and end 24 hours later; so all you have to do is pick a time between then (use ET).

The person who is the closest wins (none of that Price is Right "without going over" nonsense).

Actual disclaimer: We do not count if he does it in pre-race interviews, only in-race interviews.

Prize(s)
The winner will receive one, some or any of the following:
- Grand Am decals or a flag
- A 2012 IndyCar calendar
- Bacon flavored pop-corn
- Some Hot Wheels, likely IndyCar (we'd get Grand-Am ones if they made them)
- Or you can forfeit those and go for the Top Gear official board game!

Only 1 entry per person, and we'll accept entries all the way up until Scott says hi.

Oh, and hello to our families back home :)

24 Hours of Daytona - Daytona Prototype Class

OK, I promised a preview for the Daytona Prototype class in this weekend's 24 Hours of Daytona, and I am not about to let a promise go unfulfilled (well, other than the other six dozen times I've promised to write something here and then didn't...those do not count). It has been a crazy week at the office this week, so this will be brief, but as a result, I can promise you that I have not read any other DP preview columns this week (nor have I been keeping up with any of the usual racing blogs that I read in any given week or any of the regular videopodcasts that I watch, and apologies to anybody I might have missed there), so these thoughts are fresh.

OK, without any further ado, and because I have to get up to work in about seven hours (them French crullers and apple fritters ain't gonna bake themselves, kids), here is The Speedgeek's abbreviated preview of the 2012 Daytona 24 Hours Daytona Prototype class. Again, don't go adding these odds up and sending me irate comments. I'm not a bookie. You're getting exactly what you paid for here.

Er...No Way, Chester

#50 50+Predator/Alegra BMW-Riley - While this team may have some very capable hands at the helm for several of the 24 hours (that would be Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Jim Pace, Carlos de Quesada) there are a couple of pretty suspect drivers as well (that would be Bryon Defoor, who I've never heard of before and then AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson, who has never started such a major race in his life, to my knowledge). 40% sub-professional drivers? I don't like those odds. Odds - 100 to 1.

Jeez, Not With The Strength of this Top-10

#6 Michael Shank Racing With Curb-Agajanian Ford-Riley - There are a couple of future megastars in this car (namely, Felipe Nasr, last year's British F3 champion, who is probably bound for F1 in a couple of years after the way he dominated last year, plus Michael McDowell, who would be well served to get his arms around eventual stardom in sports cars instead of "starting-and-parking" 30 times per year in NASCAR), but the whole lineup is just too young. Young, impetuous drivers in a 24 hour race = somebody is gonna wad this car up. Odds - 75 to 1.

#76 Krohn Racing Ford-Lola - A pretty solid driver lineup, overall (Colin Braun and ex-F1 driver Ricardo Zonta, especially, though Nic Jonsson is quite good and team owner Tracy Krohn is no embarrassment), but just not a strong enough squad to beat the top few teams on sheer pace. Yeah, yeah, 24 hour, blah, blah, endurance, blah, blah. Too many tough teams up front. Odds - 50 to 1.

#2 Starworks Motorsports Ford-Riley - Three words: too many Potolicchios. Odds - 50 to 1.

It's Gonna Take Some Attrition

#77 Doran Racing Ford-Dallara - Jim Lowe, the Brothers Frisselle and (The Immortal) Paul Tracy are certainly a pretty stout lineup. I'm not sure I'm buying them winning the race in a Dallara (which has never won the 24 before)-Ford (which has historically had, um, a few reliability problems here). Odds - 40 to 1.

#60 Michael Shank Racing With Curb-Agajanian Ford-Riley - A dynamite driver lineup (IndyCar superstud Justin Wilson, new Roger Penske NASCAR and hopefully future Roger Penske IndyCar employee A.J. Allmendinger, the very quick regular duo of Ozz Negri and John Pew), potentially hamstrung by a hand grenade Ford engine. And, yes, I know full well that a Ford engine finished in the top-5 and on the lead lap last year, but the competition seems to have made a performance leap that may be a bridge too far for the Fords to keep the smoke inside the engine compartment. Besides, I have to start paring down teams sometime, right? Odds - 20 to 1.

#90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP - Yet another top-line driver lineup (filled with GM factory drivers, Jan Magnussen, Richard Westbrook, Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin), but the team itself had...well, they had some problems finishing races last year. They could make a breakthrough at Daytona, but it would take some help from the competition. Odds - 20 to 1.

The Contenders

#8 Starworks Motorsports Ford-Riley - A Great (with a capital "G") driver lineup (sportscar mega-megastar Allan McNish, one of the brightest upcoming sports car drivers in the world, Ryan Dalziel, winner of about 3,400 sports car races in Audi LMPs, Lucas Luhr, the two Venezuelan fellas that appeared out of nowhere to turn pretty respectable by the end of 2011), but I don't totally trust 40% of the drivers. And the teams ahead of them are just a little too good, even for the likes of McNish, Dalziel and Luhr. Yes, even though Dalziel put this car on the pole. I stand by it. Odds - 10 to 1.

#9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP - It's hard to argue with the driver talent (the three regular drivers, Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller and JC France did win a race last year, and for the sake of this race they've added Mad Max Papis, who was born at this track 15 years ago) and the team itself did win the 24 just two years ago, but the top few teams are just too stacked. Also, you have to wonder (OK, I have to wonder) if the Corvette DP is going to last the entire distance in its first race. Odds - 10 to 1.

#5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP - David Donohue, Darren Law and Christian Fittipaldi are a great lineup. The Corvette appears to be very fast (although the #5 car did not set a qualifying time, and so will be starting from the tail of the field). So, what's wrong? This team isn't one of the Ganassi, Gainsco or SunTrust cars, that's what. Odds - 8 to 1.

#10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP - You can not front on the speed of the car (on the front row, by a scant 0.121 seconds behind Dalziel in the Starworks Riley), nor can you front on the speed of the drivers (IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe, a guy who just goes by the name "The Axe", and Ricky Taylor, won something like 26 consecutive pole positions in GrandAm last year). But I just think the other teams are a tick better. Odds - 6 to 1.

#99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP - Yet another standout (to put it lightly) driver lineup (Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, who have won two of the last five Rolex Series championships, plus all-around fast guy in everything he touches, Memo Gidley), in yet another rocketship Corvette. They would be the prohibitive favorites (though I have to put them at Odds - 5 to 1), if it were not for...

The Prohibitive Favorites

#01 and #02 Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates BMW-Riley - The team that has won four of the last six 24 Hours of Daytona crowns, three of the last four Rolex Series championships, and something approaching 93% of the last five seasons' worth of races (all stats approximate), you'd be an idiot to put a whole lot of money on some other team without at least hedging a bit with a similar wager on one (or both) of the Ganassi cars. It's basically a pick-'em between the two. The #01 has the regular Ganassi GrandAm drivers of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas plus IndyCar star Graham Rahal and last year's breakout sports car megastar Joey Hand. The #02 car has IndyCar superduperstars Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon and Ganassi's regular NASCAR drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray. Those are two pretty unbeatable lineups. Incredibly, one of them won't win this race. Which one will come up short? Your guess is as good as mine. Odds - #01: 3 to 1; #02: 3 to 1.

So, there are your fields. And here are your qualifying results. What will happen? Well, one thing I can tell you is that there will be last minute predictions tomorrow. And we'll all have an unbelievably fantastic time watching the proceedings, of both the 24 Hours and of Blogathon. Tune back in on Saturday for all the shenanigans you can handle.

24 Hours of Daytona Preview - GT Class

Apologies to anybody who thinks that I'm riding the professionals' coattails and that I should leave the heavy lifting to them, but it's time for a Grab Bag Sports preview for the 24 Hours of Daytona! First up, we're going to take a quick look at the GT class.

GrandAm has taken the visionary step for 2012 of incorporating cars that are built to FIA GT3 specifications (a move that the American Le Mans Series could have done to help their car counts and instill extra interest via a larger variety of manufacturers as far back as the start of the 2010 season, but still has not, for reasons that I can not understand...this is a separate 6,000 word rant, so I'll just leave this right here), which has added to the regular crowd of Porsche GT3s, Mazda RX-8s, BMW M3s and Chevrolet Camaros (plus the occasional Cheverolet Corvette or Ford Mustang) the Audi R8 and the Ferrari 458. When you also take into account that in Europe, teams also currently run Aston Martin DBR9s, BMW Z4s, Lamborghini Gallardos, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGs and McLaren MP/4-12Cs, and we could see an incredible variety of cars in GrandAm's GT class down the road, not to mention gargantuan car counts.

Back to the present, though. Who are the favorites, the contenders and the pretenders in this year's field? I'm putting odds to win on the different levels of competitors, but please do note, I am not a professional odds maker, and so these odds will not add up, nor probably make sense. OK, let's get to the good stuff.

The Semi-Prohibitive Favorites

#59 Brumos Porsche GT3 - With a great driver lineup, including the defending Rolex Series GT champion co-drivers, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis, Porsche hired gun Marc Lieb, and 5-time overall winner of the Daytona 24 Hours, Hurley Haywood, there are no chinks in the personnel armor. Add in the tried and true Porsche 911 GT3, and the argument for the team best equipped to run at 100% for 24 straight hours begins and ends here. Odds - 3 to 1.

The Contenders

#62 and #63 Risi Ferrari 458s - Fantastic driver lineups (longtime GT frontrunner Gimmi Bruni, ex-F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella and ex- and possibly future-IndyCar pilot Raphael Matos in the #62; ex-longtime Corvette driver Olivier Beretta, and factory Ferrari GT drivers Andrea Bertolini and Toni Vilander in the #63) means that the Risi cars will be running flat out as long as they're running. The long-running Risi team, taking a step over the sports car fence for the first time from ALMS, means that the cars will run well as long as they're running. The 458s were fast (very, very fast) in pre-event testing. However, the 458 is brand new to GrandAm GT. Will it last 24 long hours on the high banks? Odds - #62: 5 to 1; #63: 5 to 1.

#45 Flying Lizard Porsche GT3 - The same guys who won the 2010 ALMS GT2 title, with the same bundle of drivers (Porsche factory drivers Patrick Long, Jorg Bergmeister and Mike Rockenfeller, plus team owner Seth Nieman), they're taking a step back from last year when they sat on the pole and set the fastest race lap in the Daytona Prototype class. With a car much more similar to what they're used to running in their ALMS "day jobs", they're bound to be up in the top-5 all day and all night. Odds - 5 to 1.

#66 and #67 The Racer's Group Porsche GT3s - TRG is running 5 (count 'em!) Porsches in this year's race, but the only two that are really in contention for a podium finish on pure speed are the #66 and #67. Filled with Porsche factory drivers (Patrick Pilet in the #66, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Wolf Henzler in the #67) and longtime sports car frontpackers (Dominik Farnbacher, Allen Simonsen and Ben Keating in the #66, Marc Goossens, Spencer Pumpelly and Steven Bertheau in the #67), the TRG cars are constantly in the top-5 at Daytona. Factor in that TRG won the race overall in at GT3 Porsche in 2003, and you have to figure that they'll be there or thereabouts when the clock ticks into the final hour. TRG is running 3 other cars, but the driver lineups are not nearly as strong as the #66 and#67. Odds - #66: 7 to 1; #67: 6 to 1; #64, #65 and#68: 12 to 1.

#69 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 - Moving over from a Mazda RX-8 in 2011, AIM's very capable driver crew are in a very fast car in 2012. Will the car last? Or will the new car blues get them down? Odds - 9 to 1.

#02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458 - Using the same four drivers that they use for their full ALMS effort, the ESM Ferrari should be fast. Very, very fast (Guy Cosmo, especially, can absolutely fly, though Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek are no slouches, and Patron Tequila CEO Ed Brown is getting better by the season), but again, will the Ferrari do the trick in its first year at Daytona? Or will something befall this team in the night, as tends to happen to them at Sebring? Odds - 9 to 1.

#23 Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3 - The stronger of the driver lineups between the two AJR cars (Porsche factory drivers Emmanuel Collard and Marco Holzer, sports car megastar Butch Leitzinger), this car could easily be in the top-3 come daylight. Odds - 9 to 1.

Sorry, It Ain't Your Year

#93 Turner Motorsports BMW M3 - Even with three factory BMW drivers (Bill Auberlen, Dirk Muller and Jorg Muller) on board, it's a huge question mark for what is basically a glorified sedan to outrun a field filled with Porsches and Ferraris for 24 hours. Odds - 12 to 1.

#57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro - They finished 2nd in the GrandAm GT championship last year, but the Camaro still appears to be a brick through the air on the highbanks. Even super-capable (and fast) drivers Ronnie Bremer, John Edwards and Robin Liddell can't run to the front at Daytona in this car. Odds - 15 to 1.

#88 Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro - See above entry for Stevenson, but sub in factory GM drivers Paul Edwards, Tom Milner and Jordan Taylor. Same result, though. Odds - 15 to 1.

#70 Speedsource Mazda RX-8 - The potentially best overall driver lineup of any car in the field, GT or DP (Jonathan Bomarito, Sylvain Tremblay, James Hinchcliffe and Marino Franchitti...that, friends, is a murderer's row), but they are saddled with a no-longer-at-the-sharp-end-of-the-field Mazda. Sorry, fellas. If you had a Porsche, I'd be etching your names on the trophy right now. Odds - 15 to 1.

#4 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 - Sneaky-fast mid- to front-pack Porsche team, but they're simply outgunned this year. Pencil them in for a top-5 at the end of the 24 hours, though. Odds - 20 to 1.

The Field

Plenty of interesting storylines abound (Michael Waltrip and Travis Pastrana in a Ferrari! Fantastic looking Audi R8s! About 239 other Porsche teams! A Corvette with drivers from Belgium and The Netherlands? A freaking Dodge Viper?!?), but make no mistake, the winner will be from the group above. Odds - 50 to 1.

Of course, with all of this said, I'm sure that the Yellow Dragon Mazda RX-8 is going to prove me to be a moron. Bring it. It's going to be a fascinating race.

Daytona Prototype preview to come...

GBS Blogathon 2012 Preview Podcast

Here is our annual podcast where we discuss this year's Blogathon.  See the full schedule here.

Blogathon 2012 Schedule

Our Blogathon Preview Podcast is now available, and Wedge and/or SpeedGeek may be posting some racing thoughts at some point this week.  For now, here is a schedule of events to watch on television and chances to interact with us throughout the 24 hours of the Daytona 24 and Blogathon 2012.

This year's features include another round of Mario Kart as well as a screening of the classic Sly Stallone film, Driven.  To participate in Mario Kart (9:00 p.m.), post a comment here or contact Wedge during Blogathon with your Wii ID so we can add you to the game.  This is a fun event each year and one of the highlights of the 24 hours for me.  If you want to watch Driven (1:00 a.m.) with me as I live-blog, see the end of this post for details.

Here is an updated schedule.

All times are Eastern. Last updated on 1/24/12.

January 28

2:30 p.m. - Coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona begins (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Tennessee Tech at Morehead State (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m. - PGA Tour Golf: Farmers Insurance Open (CBS)
4:00 p.m. - Winter X Games Snowboarding (ABC)
4:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Georgetown at Pittsburgh (ESPN)
4:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Purdue at Northwestern (ESPN2)
5:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Iowa at Missouri State (ESPNU)
6:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Aubrn at Tennessee (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Washington at Arizona (ESPN)
7:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Butler at Wisconsin Green Bay (ESPNU)
7:00 p.m. - NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition (NBC Sports)
8:00 p.m. - UFC: Evans vs. Davis (FOX)
8:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Virginia at North Carolina State (ESPN2)
9:00 p.m. - Live Mario Kart
9:00 p.m. - Winter X Games (ESPN)
9:00 p.m. - College Basketball: St. Mary's at BYU (ESPNU)
10:00 p.m. - SPEED race coverage ends for the night. Visit speed.com to watch online. 
10:00 p.m. - Australian Open: Women's final (ESPN2)
11:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State (ESPNU)

January 29

1:00 a.m. - Driven screening/live-blogging
3:00 a.m. - Australian Open: Men's final (ESPN2)
9:00 a.m. - Rolex 24 at Daytona coverage returns (SPEED)
12:30 p.m. - PBA Bowling: USBC Masters (ESPN)
1:00 p.m. - College Basketball: Michigan at Ohio State (CBS)
1:00 p.m. - PGA Tour Golf: Farmer's Insurance Open (GOLF)
1:30 p.m. - College Women's Basketball: Rutgers at Georgetown (ESPNU)
2:00 p.m. - Winter X Games (ESPN)
3:00 p.m. - PGA Tour Golf: Farmer's Insurance Open (CBS)
3:00 p.m. - College Women's Basketball: Penn State at Michigan State (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m. - College Women's Basketball: Florida State at Virginia (ESPNU)
3:30 p.m. - NBA Basketball: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat (ABC)

If you would like to watch Driven with us, we will use the clock (in the yellow box) on this page.  To get ready, start the movie in advance, but press pause as soon as you see the screen read "A Renny Harlin Film."  We will then all hit "play" right when that clock reads 1:00 a.m.  I will be posting my thoughts throughout the movie here on the blog.  Feel free to comment as you watch. If enough people are into it, we can probably set up a live chat somehow as well.  If you do not own the movie, it is streaming on Amazon (free for Prime members, or you can pay a small rental fee).  However, it is not currently streaming on Netflix.  If you are good at the internet, I'm sure there are other ways as well!  We'll have more details as the time gets closer.  (Note: People streaming the movie will not remain exactly in sync with those of us who are watching it from a non-internet source.)

And finally, here are some more scheduling notes from our good friend Pat of toomuchracing.com!

In-race alternatives seem a bit thin this year but some stuff beforehand could be interesting. Liverpool v Man Utd in the FA Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, and indoor athletics with four teams: GBR vs USA vs Russia vs Rest of World.

If Mr Shagers and Mr Wedge want to pick up from last year there's some cricket: Pakistan v England, Second Test from 6am GMT Sunday (1am Eastern). But that's the last day of 5 so it might've finished on Saturday.

Here in Britain, Eurosport has plenty of winter sports on Sunday, could be fun. Ski jumping, luge, alpine skiing. More FA Cup on Sunday. And there's always Bowls (not bowling, bowls) if you're desperate I suppose.

For the benefit of your other British reader, the Rolex 24 is on MotorsTV at 7.30pm and patchy coverage on Eurosport 2 from 8pm. Much better race coverage than previous years!

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Overall Rating

2/5

Barkley seemed out of his element tonight and the writing felt very lazy in general.  The only two skits that I feel were above average (Inside the NBA and Lord Windermere) were not because of Charles Barkley.  I don't know if it had anything to do with starting late after the NFL playoff games, or if the lackluster music guest dimmed the mood, but I think this episode rarely showed much energy, from Barkley to the regulars.  Most disappointing of all is that we did not get a MacIntosh reunion in a Scared Straight skit.

It's been fun though.  Thanks to my spam commentators for reading!

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Mayan Calendar

3/5

This was OK.  Barkley and the others play Mayans discussing how effective/ineffective their calendar is.

"It's not like it's carved in stone."  "Yes it is!"

"Man, you just ran out of space and stopped, didn't you?"

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Convoluted Jerry

1/5

This is getting out of hand.  This might have been the worst digital short ever.  Andy Samberg plays a singer whose songs have confusing lyrics.  Barkley barely qualified, with only one line.  Now we have another generic pop song from tonight's generic pop singer.  Will we get a "Scared Straight" skit or is this the end?

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Adult Movie Awards

1/5

Montage of "porn stars" who have passed away and are being honored at an awards show.  Maybe I am overrating Charles Barkley, but I feel like some talent is being wasted tonight.  This skit showed just how lazy most of this episode has felt.

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Lord Windermere

4/5

I love this character and Jason Sudeikis is great in these skits.  Barkley finally loosened up here.  "Pinch, pinch!"

(Once again, Barkley was absent for Weekend Update, which is unfortunate.  Also, Kelly Clarkson might be my least favorite music guest in a while, and that is saying a lot after some of the ones that have appeared in the last few years.)

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Postgame Translator App

3/5

Barkley explaining what athletes and coaches are really saying in interviews.  Pretty cliche, but decent enough.  "Everybody beats the Mets."

Our host is not very energetic tonight.  The best moment so far has been a mock ESPN "Bowl Madness" commercial.  Hoping things pick up...

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: I'm a Lesbian

2/5

Barkley dressed as a woman telling her friends and fiance that she is a lesbian.  Not funny, but you have to give him some credit for the wardrobe.

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Investigation Discovery (White People Problems)

1/5

A type of "Unsolved Mysteries" with white people complaining about petty problems and black people laughing about it.  Not very funny and it's not because of the stereotype stuff.  It just didn't work.

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Inside the NBA

4/5

Barkley as Shaq! 

This was actually pretty funny.  Kenan Thompson is great as Barkley.  "I'd rather be in Free Willy 2 than Kazaam 1."

Charles Barkley SNL 2012: Opening Monologue

3/5

Looking "less gigantic."  Can't really expect much more from an ex-athlete.  Not terrible.

Shut up, Michael Jordan!

Charles Barkley SNL: 2012

Let the live-blogging begin!  For this year's episode, I won't be using the the Charles Barkley heads.  I'll just give a rating for each skit on a scale of five.  Here we go...

The Return of Grab Bag Sports

I know what you've been thinking for the past three months.  Where are these losers from Grab Bag Sports?  Well, it's been a really busy time for all of us.  Allen has had a major transition at work, Andy has moved to a new state, and I have been writing my butt off about sports... just not here.

But have no fear.  Things will change soon.  We have the Daytona 24 approaching quickly and are beginning to plan this year's Blogathon and all the activities that will accompany it, including (hopefully) the preview podcast.  You can expect my annual Tecmo Bowl Super Bowl Prediction in a few weeks.  But before all of that happens, we have a major event taking place this very weekend.

I will be here tomorrow night, live-blogging once again, as Charles Barkley hosts another Saturday Night Live.  You can expect my "Charles Barkley head" ratings for each skit and some nonsense commentary.  Hopefully I'll be in a good mood following a Saints playoff win.

It's going to be a fun month here and it starts tomorrow.  Join us!

And by the way, I'm joining the guys in a racing fantasy league, so... get ready to make fun of me more than ever.

On the Passing of Dan Wheldon

I could write about the confluence of things that caused Dan Wheldon’s death, the fact that the owners of the series had refused for many years to go to a newer chassis in order to save money, that some of them are still angry about going to a new car cause its expensive to buy newer stuff… I could talk about how ISC and SMI have ruined all their oval tracks by making them incredibly high banked to create pack racing for the sake of “entertainment,” even though that banking always causes “the big one” or about how technical restrictions on the engineers cause the teams to be too even causing the big packs like we had today… or maybe it was just a fluke set of circumstances and physics like what happened to Jeff Krosnoff, or how ridiculously cruel it is that Dan has been using this year to help Dallara and Honda develop the new car that has aspects of its design done specifically to stop this exact kind of accident from happening, and the cruel irony that he was killed by the one thing he was working to prevent… and that we were just 1 race away from getting to that new car… but any real in-depth writing about that would be done out of anger…  so I just don’t feel like doing any writing in detail about that… the fact is Kelly (my wife) and I were both immediately horrified when we saw the accident and both cried when we heard the official news, because of who Dan was and how shocking and abrupt it all is.

Like I said on Twitter and Facebook, it’s not like I knew the guy as a friend, but I met him at both Richmond International Raceway and Indy as a “media” member for the Furious Wedge (as it was called then), and both times he was as kind and nice as could be to me. He didn’t ask who I worked for, didn’t look at my credentials to make sure I was legit, I asked a question after qualifying in Richmond in the media bullpen and he smiled and answered and was as nice as could be. There’s a lot of drivers in the series, and a lot of them are happy, distant, shy or pricks depending on how the day is, but I’ve watched Dan since he was in the minor leagues, and I seriously don’t think I’ve ever seen him be angry… ever… He always signed the most autographs and stayed the longest around for fans and to take pictures, and the year he lost the championship on a technicality of tie-breaker, he wasn’t angry, disappointed, but not angry and whining about rules; he took it in stride and came back the next year driven to not have a tie breaker get him again.

He simply loved racing, and loved life. One year my wife and I decided to vacation to Vegas for Thanksgiving week. I of course knew the karting SKUSA Supernats were in town that week so we fit it in for a day, and sure enough Dan was competing; and when he wasn't competing you found him talking to other aspiring karters and fans, that was Dan at his purest.


One year at a race in Homestead-Miami he was dominating the race when his team completely screwed up a pit-stop, and he lost like 16 places as a result, and instead of being angry on the radio, he told his team not to worry about it and that he’d do his part to get those spots back… and he did, coming all the way back to win.

Even when the Ganassi-Target team was found out to be negotiating with another driver (tony Kanaan) to replace him in 2008, he didn’t say anything bad about them, he went about his way behind the scenes and started negotiating with other teams but publicly kept plugging his sponsors at his current team, same thing for National Guard team when he was there… I seriously can’t say just how happy and full of life he was, and that’s what made his win at Indy this year so great, he was there celebrating with his son, even though he knew that was likely his only race this year, then he jumped in the broadcasting booth and immediately had all the fans loving him and wanting him to become a broadcaster if he wasn’t going to be racing because he was so good.

Like so many racers before him taken too young, he had so much ahead of him, the broadcasters were chatting with him from his car on the pace laps and Kelly and I were just commentating on how he is the best spoken driver in the series and a PR dream because he has mastered the talent of mentioning sponsors without making it sound forced. He not only won Indy, but not just 2 days ago it was announced that he had just signed a new contract with the Andretti team to be Danica’s replacement, he was about to go back to one of the best teams in the prime of his career. And outside of his career, he went from being a young 21 year old rookie talking about partying every night to married and just having had his second child... and that’s the part that really makes this a travesty, right now none of that other stuff matters.

A Fond Farewell for IndyCar

For the last 6 months I’ve been having a thought rolling in my mind that I haven’t been able to shake. It was really stewing for me Saturday night; but I wanted to be sure and give it a few more days to make sure I thought it out before putting it in print…

The IndyCar Series and its fans are going to regret leaving Twin Ring Motegi.

It really is a shame that the series may have turned its final lap in Motegi, Japan, because after you slice it up, you see that it was easily a net-positive for the series and its growth. It’s not to say that leaving Motegi is going to crush the series, just that the race was clear and definite positive for the series and fans, and it’s now going away.

Is the series justified in taking it off the schedule? Truly we don’t know that answer because we don’t know the financial situation of this race’s past agreements, but let’s just tackle a few obvious subjects that revolve races and what makes them tick, in terms of what normally kills off a race.

Was there a lack of support?

Fact is, this may have been the most supported race on the schedule outside of Indianapolis. It was 100% covered. The bill was footed to get teams there, put them in hotels, transport them around, and a sanction fee was paid on top of it. You can’t get around the fact that it was Honda’s race; they owned the track, they paid all the fees, and at no point were they threatening to pull support.  

Was there a lack of interest?

Had you looked at the stands of Twin Ring Motegi between 2006-2008, sure we’d suspect that the demand from fans was an issue. But in 2009 the stands began to get fuller, and then after they switched the race date to be later in the year, which meant much better and predictable weather and coordination with a Japanese holiday weekend; the stands were PACKED in 2010, AND 2011. Some sources in Japan estimate that Motegi on race day in 2011 swelled beyond 60,000 people; Motegi’s total population is under 25% of that; and its not like the track is near... anything; folks were traveling to get to the race.

Was the time-zone difference too much for TV?

For starters, the Olympics… and World Cup... and Formula One… and Australian Open and their subsequent ratings in North America would put the argument of time-difference to rest. But let’s push those aside and realize there is something clearer to see. This past Saturday in North America, the IndyCar race in Motegi finished just after the BYU-Utah football game ended, and BEFORE the Arizona-Stanford game ended, both being broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN2.

It’s actually a weekly practice for ESPN to put games on that late into the night, so obviously it can’t be too much to ask race fans to stay up a little later for 1 race out of the year (not to mention its staying up late on a Saturday!). We’re the ratings abysmal? No, over 100,000 people watched the race live on Versus Saturday, and keep in mind that was going against 3 College football games and the Floyd Mayweather fight.

Did it require too much travel time?

The way they planned the race the past few years, you’d think so; but none of it comes at the fault of Motegi’s logistics. Remember that Motegi used to be 1 week before Kansas on the schedule, and they did it multiple times like that, which means they surely could do that again.

Did it require a week off before the race? Likely, but it isn’t a bad thing, and it’s not the only break in IndyCar’s schedule, in fact there are 10 off-weekends in IndyCar’s schedule this year. That might be too many, but doesn't mean they couldn't cut 6 of them out and keep the one in front of Motegi. Is it harder to do a lot of back to back weekends, sure, but making things easy is a real poor reason to not do something, especially when things used to be tighter without catastrophe.

Was it disliked by the participants?

I have yet to ever see a driver or team member complain about Motegi, but more so, it’s never even neutral when it comes to Motegi, instead everyone involved is always ecstatic about the event, and its fans.

Tony Kanaan: "I had a gr8 time hr n Japan with @IndyCarSeries family. Japanese people were so welcome nd supportive. Thanks Japan hope to come back soon."

Will Power: "Nice to be home...but will miss Japan...it was a great event...sad to not be going back...great fans and good people"

Dario Franchitti: "Jet lag coming back from japan sucks... hope we go back there to race though, amazing fans, packed the place even after all their troubles."

Marco Andretti: "Tokyo is the coolest city. Going to miss all of my friends here. Heading home!!!"

James Jakes: "Early start on route to the airport, back to the states. What an event this was, I'm gonna miss this place."

Does it fit IndyCar’s best interests?

To a xenophobe it sure doesn’t, but neither does Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, undisclosed future China race, or street races, or road races, or whatever… but we need to ignore crazy internet people and some silly media folks for a second. IndyCar is an international racing series, no matter how you slice it. There are drivers from over 12 countries, and races in 4 countries, and they are about to add China (and there’s talk of returning to Mexico).

To thin the series should only be racing in the U.S.A. is incredibly shortsighted of the Series’ potential, not to mention bad strategy. The best way things grow in any market, is to fill voids no one is filling. Why get 25% of a track and fan’s attention because you end up being 1 of 4 races they hold in the year, when you can go to places where no one else is and take 100% of what is to take. 50K fans/ticket sales in Motegi without any competition.

Won’t China fill this void?

Not even close. For starters, even if you ignore the government difference, the culture and treatment of the events won’t be remotely alike. China is doing this for the same reason they wanted the Olympics, and the Race of Champions, because they want attention. China wants to use the race to show off their city and country, Japan wanted IndyCars because they wanted their engines and drivers to come home so they could see them in person; and they paid the Series for it, they bought tickets to do so; IndyCar support in Japan is no less worthy than IndyCar support in the States. China is also reported to be a street course (rumored to be building an Oval for the future though).

In fact, China getting added actually throws the reason behind leaving Motegi in the wind. The only reason cited by IndyCar and Honda for letting go of Motegi’s race was that it didn’t generate enough profit on either side for them to fight real hard for it… only except the Series will be visiting China now, meaning some scheduling could easily create a situation for both races to split some travelling costs. But let’s ignore hat aside, neither IndyCar nor Honda ever said the race lost them money/exposure... they just said it wasn’t “enough” to worry about compromising on.

Won’t another track fill this void, should it be easily replaceable?

Quick question, what is the only track in the last decade to regularly showcase 4 and 5-wide racing in IndyCar? Texas tops out at 3, Iowa at 2, and 3-wide at Indy gets Marty Reid into seizures; but it’s always been Motegi with its ridiculously wide track, that has drivers trying a million different lines. The front straight at Motegi is so wide, it could probably comfortably fit cars 13-wide.

Aside from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I think it’s safe to say that the egg shaped oval of Twin Ring Motegi is the most unique track on the schedule. It’s definitely been the only asymmetrical oval on the schedule for the last decade, and unless IndyCar gets Pocono or Walt Disney Speedway back on the schedule, there will never be another non-symmetrical track to challenge drivers muscle memory. Drivers have always voiced a love of the track because of the demands it had, it wasn’t artificially high-banked to create close racing, but it was so wide and with multiple grooves, than it never prevented passing, it very much encouraged it.

Most of all, the oval is the ONLY oval in the world that was built for AND used only by IndyCars. It was a haven that NASCAR would never penetrate.

Another interesting known fact is that this race was Honda’s, and you wonder if with the recent announcement of the return of Detroit Belle Isle (Chevy’s new home race) if Honda will stand for not having its own home race as well.

Beyond the track, is the fact that the fans of Japan are beyond unique; they have their own style, their own pre-race festivities from blue angels style motorcyclists, to insane aerial displays. 

But more than anything those things, fans filled the track for practice, for autographs, for anything… period, and they treated all the drivers greatly because they were just ecstatic that IndyCar was coming to their country… There was even an exchange program between schools in Motegi and Indianapolis… sorry but no other track will ever replace Motegi’s unique place as an IndyCar destination.

Though this isn’t the first time that IndyCar has parted with a track without attendance issues, unlike Richmond (promoter failed to secure sponsorship) and Nashville (promoter refused to pay non-discounted sanction fee), it is the first time that they’ve left a track without a foreseeable major issue, and worse yet, it was enjoyed by thousands.. and we’re all going to miss it once we realize it’s gone...

---

Sadly, since folks are too busy watching the championship or arguing about Brian Barnhart, Motegi was not given the kind of sendoff or thank you it deserves, so I’d like to at least end with 11 things I’m thankful Motegi gave us.

11. This ridiculous wreck

Watch it and think about it for a second. Sure we’ve seen wheel to wheel contact, we’ve seen cars get airborne, we’ve seen spins on restarts… but Jeff Simmons and Scott Sharp take it to a new level giving us all 3 including a high speed impact, with the backs of their cars! 

10. Roger Yasukawa lights it up, literally

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to fish out video of this; but in 2008 Roger Yasukawa had to come to an abrupt stop on the front stretch… because his brakes caught on fire! The strain Motegi put on cars is how you knew it was a driver’s track and not foot to the floor.

9. Egg-static egg-splanation

In case you didn’t know Motegi was shaped like an egg… and even if you did, too bad because Jack Arute Scott Goodyear and Marty Reid were bound to bring it up, or even show you an egg.

8. The advent of online streaming

Twitter, Apps and Timing and Scoring have spoiled the fans, but a small few like myself remember where it all started; as the only way to watch Motegi live. Just one screen and one radio feed, and no fancy anything.

7. Formula One Car vs. IndyCar … on an oval … with a standing start! 

As you might guess, considering the current IndyCar wasn’t made for standing starts nor the same amount of power, its beyond ridiculous.

This also wasn't the only time they did this, here's a video from the year before where the IndyCar stays more even

6. De Ferran’s non-spin/spin in 1999

CART was reversing time on car’s spinning out of turn 4 well before Brian Barnhart was even thinking about it.

5. Turn 2 (and 4) – the rookie eaters

Motegi’s turn 2 doesn’t have the storied history that Indianapolis’ 4^th turn has, but from a year-by-year percentage, it’s fairly even, it’s a car eater. The one thing Motegi 2 has over Indy 4, is that Motegi often struck in the opening lap(s):

Marco Andretti, Mario Moraes, Kosuke Matsurra and Bertrand Baguette were all recent opening lap Motegi victims. I’m still not sure what is worse, spending all May only to crash in turn 4, or travelling all the way out to Japan to crash in turn 2.

4. The 2009 race – a.k.a. Briscoe loses Championship

A lot of people seem to forget how close Ryan Briscoe was to winning a championship over Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. The 2009 Motegi race was a duel between all 3 drivers, including a lot of hard racing between both Ganassi drivers, until a yellow flag flew just as Briscoe was pitting, which should have given him the race (and locked up the championship)… should have. 

3. Danica’s win

Like her, love her, hate her, it doesn’t matter. Pretending this victory wasn’t significant, is like trying to pretend Barak Obama being the first black president wasn’t significant. But even if you don’t care for Danica too much, Motegi proves yet another thing… their race broadcasters are so much better than ours.

2. The 2003 race

A great race. If you can find it online, watch it. Think about this, Scott Dixon won the pole, Tomas Scheckter ran the fastest laps, Tony Kanaan led the most laps… and Scott Sharp won the race. 

Tons of action between Scheckter, Kanaan, Dixon, Kenny Brack, Michael Andretti and more, and ended with Dixon and Kanaan making contact and Scott Sharp winning.

1. The best command to start engines.. EVER

---

...and after that I just leave you with this... Tony Kanaan's on-board camera for an entire race at Motegi: