http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/15 Recent Yardbarker articles: Indy Racing League en-us Paul Tracy slowly removed his helmet and balaclava, wiped the wide bead of perspiration from his eyebrows and then smiled to his crew. It was a long, but satisfying, first day on the demanding Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit. Tracy, competing in an IndyCar Series car for the first time since the 2002 Indianapolis 500, tested the limits of the No. 22 Subway/Vision Racing Honda-powered Dallara - and maybe his physical stamina -- during the two practice sessions under a bright sun. He took numerous grass shortcuts after being bounced by the curbing or over-steering on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn course, and spun and made light contact with the Turn 10 concrete barrier early in the second session. But the veteran road racer also surprised many by posting eye-popping competitive times. He was seventh in the first session (1 minute, 03.3745 seconds; 112.0877 mph best lap) - less than a half-second off the chart-topping Helio Castroneves - and eighth (1:02.6933; 113.294) in the second and overall. "Overall, I think we were pleasantly satisfied with how it went," Tracy said. ... notes from The EDJE Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:39:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295413 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295413 Been hearing stuff from the grapevine that Subway as title sponsor for the Indycar Series in the season 2009 season.... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:59:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294003 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294003 I'm not convinced Danica Patrick has what it takes to race right at the very top, but how many drivers do? To me it's beyond doubt she's plenty good enough to be where she is at the moment - in one of the best cars with one of the best teams. In F1 terms, she's a Jarno Trulli or a Nick Heidfeld rather than a Lewis Hamilton or a Fernando Alonso. But it seems that, for a lot of people, if she's not perfect she's not fit to be let out of the house. I hate that attitude, and as a result I love this Jack Arute column on the IndyCar site. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:42:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293782 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293782 I'm sure you've seen it all over the place now and I'm pretty sure your sick of it too. Why I do feel for Danica about being blocked by the rolling chicane that is Milka Duno. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:26:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293481 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293481 Seven lead changes from seven different drivers – not a bad display in open wheel racing for a road course. Heck, we even had some of the "T-Team Ten" take a legitimate turn at leading the parade. T-Team Ten race leaders included Justin Wilson (11), Mario Moraes (1), Will Power (3). At the end, however, in Mid-Ohio it was a Penske parade with Ryan Brisco and Helio Castroneves at positions 1 and 2. Will Power was looking at a podium finish but got passed in the closing laps, on the track, at race speed by Scott Dixon. This left the teammates of KV Racing Technology together rounding out the top five finishers. A similar move by Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was placed on Danica Patrick of Andretti Green Racing bringing his finish position at 11 after a mid-race spin incident on a restart placed his car back in the field. The racing trooper award of the day has to go to Mario Dominguez and the team at Pacific Coast Motorsports. An honorable mention needs to go to Jamia Camara of Conquest Racing for starting at position 25, racing clean and moving up eleven positions to finish at 14. On the HE SAID/HE SAID on-track restart incident touched off by Justin Wilson, it is the opinion of The EDJE that the incident was clearly the fault of Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver, Justin Wilson. The replay from the ESPN on ABC broadcast showed clearly that Wilson chopped down on Mario Dominguez (Pacific Coast Motorsports) driving line, touched tires, and spun out causing the incident. How the T-Team Ten Fared at Mid-Ohio: Qual./Pos. Driver Team Time 12./4. Will Power KV +12.7569 8./ 5. Oriol Servia KV +13.4713 4./11. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan +28.8880 9./13. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne +39.7940 25./14. Jaime Camara Conquest +51.5572 14./16. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan +1 lap 16./19. Mario Dominguez Pacific Coast Motorsports +2 laps 17./22. EJ Viso HVM +5 laps 19./24. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne +24 laps 18./26. Enrique Bernoldi Conquest +77 laps Silver linings for the T-Team Ten include KV Racing Technology's Oriol Servia return to the top ten in season points with his 5th place finish while teammate Will Power's 4th place improved his position in the Rookie-Of-The-Year point standings by moving within 31 points of Andretti Green Racing's Hideki Mutoh. … notes from The EDJE Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:47:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293327 Ryan Briscoe won on Sunday, but the Danica Patrick, Milka Duno tift highlighted the weekend. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:36:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293217 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293217 Do you think Duno was a bit upset with Danica over this incident? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:06:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293191 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293191 The claws came out between the IRL's two female drivers this weekend. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:54:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292967 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292967 Aside from not having a regular ride in the IndyCar Series, Townsend Bell has to deal with living in poverty. Apparently his part- time IndyCar deal doesn't provide the liquid assets needed to furnish a rental property. Check out Bell's pad on this MTV Cribs ripoff. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:28:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291668 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291668 Nashville showed the weakness of the way the merger between ChampCar and IndyCar has been handled. It's racing but not at its best primarily because the playing field has not been leveled enough to allow ANY of the former ChampCar teams to be competitive … not even where these teams would normally shine. It all comes down to timing, equipment transition, and the desire to have a truly competitive series. What with the series through eleven races having primarily small ovals and little variance in the level of support (few aero parts for ovals early on, equipment settings for consistent and progressive speed runs) the very best the T-Teams can muster as it relates to the points championship is 11th . Nashville was especially disheartening. Poor qualifying and only eight drivers competing with the best showing put in by Mario Moraes (Dale Coyne Racing) at tenth (his best oval race so far), one lap down in a rain shortened race on ESPN was anything but exciting for a longtime CART/CCWS fan. The "Elite Eight" were anything but elite. Yes, there was some pretty decent driving and risky passes by the established team drivers … but this is to be expected when nothing has changed much in seven years in terms of tracks, top teams, and equipment. The winner did not listen to the radio communications from the team pit captain and won by rain default. The ESPN broadcast announcing team thought that the reason Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) won at Nashville for the third time (yawn) was due to great pit strategy, but the truth came out making the whole affaire just another "round-and-round" IRL small oval production. The IRL had a chance to invigorate the BRAND … but through 11 races has done little to get the maximum benefit from the situation. If I were a driver from a T-Team, I would have wished I had the mumps like EJ Viso (HVM Racing) and pulled out, or had the guts not to show up at all as did Mario Dominguez (Pacific Coast Motorsports) if it meant going around in small circles while being placed at a disadvantage as it relates to having an improvement on the increase of speed (and limited set-up options) in the existing equipment. In this first transition year, there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel (on small ovals anyway). Honestly, small ovals can be exciting … but NOT as a steady diet. Here is hoping that the final seven races get a little better for the T-Team Ten and that they are able to creep back into the top ten in the point standings by years end. Mid-Ohio can not get here fast enough. How the Elite Eight Fared: Pos. Driver>Team +Time 10. Mario Moraes>Dale Coyne +1 lap 11. Will Power>KV +1 lap 12. Graham Rahal>Newman/Haas/Lanigan +1 lap 15. Bruno Junqueira>Dale Coyne +2 laps 16. Oriol Servia>KV +2 laps 18. Justin Wilson>Newman/Haas/Lanigan +28 laps 20. Enrique Bernoldi>Conquest +105 laps 21. Jaime Camara>Conquest +121 laps T-Team Ten Point Standings Through 11 of 18 Races Pos. Driver - - - - - - Points –Points Behind Leader 11. Oriol Servia - - - - - - 220 -200 13. Will Power - - - - - - 213 -207 16. Graham Rahal - - - - - - 201 -219 17. E.J. Viso - - - - - - - 190 -230 19. Justin Wilson - - - - - - 183 -237 20. Enrique Bernoldi - - - - - - 172 -248 21. Mario Moraes - - - - - - 160 -260 22. Bruno Junqueira - - - - - - 156 -264 24. Jaime Camara - - - - - - 98 -322 27. Mario Dominguez - - - - - - - 74 -346 ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:15:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289826 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289826 Ryan Hunter-Reay took his first Indycar victory at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:48:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286636 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286636 No, it is not what one would think given a headline posted here at The EDJE. We have had a focus in our posts on the teams and drivers that have merged and transitioned into the Indy Racing League and the IndyCar Series from the ChampCar World Series season for 2008. What with Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing qualifying so high on the grid at position #2 (just being bumped from the pole in the last minute by Penske's Ryan Briscoe) for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen, and good a showing from KV Racing Technology's Oriol Servia at position #5, one would think the headline would relate to them but, no … after competing for IRL established team Rahal Letterman Racing for the last part of 2007, and all of 2008, Ryan Hunter-Reay notches his first win. As for the T-Team Ten (the transition teams and drivers from the CCWS) they managed to capture four of the top ten finishing positions. The big surprise came from teammates for the Dale Coyne Racing organization, with Bruno Junqueira and Mario Moraes notching in at positions #6 and #7 respectively (Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing #8 and EJ Viso of HVM Racing #10 round out the places). ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:31:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286371 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286371 Jeff Simmons is back in Indy Lights. That is the good news... He has a ride, and he's doing well. That is also the bad news, in that he has been on the major league circuit, but hasn't been able to stick. Can he make it back to the major league circuit full time? Find out in the new SZ article on Simmons. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:37:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286240 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286240 The Indycar Series is in the state of New York this weekend for some road course action at Watkins Glen. The last few years have been pretty the same story, Helio Castroneves on pole and Scott Dixon taking the victory.... Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:53:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286046 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286046 After a five race absence, Jay Howard will return to behind the wheel of the 24 Roth Racing machine in the Indycar Series... Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:13:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285952 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285952 Mario Dominguez and the team of Pacific Coast Motorsports Racing will return to IndyCar Series action for 2008 this weekend at Watkins Glen International. PCM last competed at Texas Motor Speedway where Dominguez started 24th and finished 21st in the 28-car field. The team remained at their Southern California, Ventura County-based headquarters throughout the month of June to prepare for the remainder of their modified season. This activity included becoming more familiar with the Dallara chassis and building a back-up car for competition. This weekend's Camping World Grand Prix will be Mario's first time on the historic track, but the PCM team is familiar with the venue, they raced there twice in 2006 while competing in the Rolex Grand Am series, and earned two top-ten finishes. They finished eighth in the sprint race and 10th in the six-hour event. It is interesting to note that Dominguez scored 11 of his Champ Car podiums on road or street courses. ... notes from The EDJE Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:10:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285546 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285546 Victory Lane: Marco Andretti congratulates race winner Tony Kanaan. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008) Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:49:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283880 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283880 Tony Kannan took his first win of the Indycar Season last night in the Suntrust Indy Challenge in Richmond. Kannan dominated the race from pole... Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:59:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283798 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283798 Tony Kanaan knew it would be tough to win on the Richmond International Raceway with 26 starters - half of whom were making their first appearance on the 0.75-mile oval. But this tough? The race in Richmond was, let's be honest … a destruction derby. The race felt as though it would run a couple of laps and have to go to yellow flag conditions (105 laps of the 300 run) to clear up yet, another car getting light in the rear (I believe the term Jaime Camara used was "neutral"), swing around, and hit the SAFER barrier. The Fine Nine (the drivers fielded by teams transitioning into the IRL from the CCWS) did not do fine here in Richmond. The ones who finished, did well … but the rest of the T-Team field checked out early and/or often. The three drivers who did finish the race all finished in the top ten with Oriol Servia of KV Racing Technology posting a personal best fifth out of twenty-six cars who were entered in the race. The Fine Nine drivers checked out in the following order on this, the shortest oval the IRL competes on all season. OUT - POS./Qual./Car# - Driver - Hometown - Car - Name – Entrant Lap 6 - 25/26/36 - Enrique Bernoldi - Curitiba, Brazil - Sangari - Conquest Racing Lap 8 - 24/16/8 - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia - KV Racing Technology Lap 78 - 23/9/18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing Lap 131 - 18/10/16/06 - Graham Rahal - Columbus, Ohio - Hole in the Wall Camps - Newman Haas Lanigan Racing Lap 143 - 17/19/24/19 - Mario Moraes - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sonny's Bar-B-Q - Dale Coyne Racing Lap 217 - 14/20/21/34 - Jaime Camara - Goiania, Brazil – Sangari - Conquest Racing In the final laps, only twelve of the 26 cars were running on the track. As far as Rookie Of The Year honors race is concerned, Heideki Mutoh of Andretti Green Racing (out on lap 220 and finished in position 13) still leads in the points but lost a little ground back to Servia, Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (position 7) and EJ Viso of HVM Racing (position 10). ... notes from The EDJE Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:30:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283738 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283738 The rookie run of the Fine Nine continued its ninth start at qualifications in fairly good style. The short track yielded a few surprises along the way and a blend of drivers started to make a showing that even surprised some of the established teams. First off, Bruno Junqueira, read the riot act to his Dale Coyne team after not being able to compete last week in Iowa. His car crashed in Iowa and the team worried whither they would have it ready for Richmond or not. His car was not ready for the first practice session but everything turned out ok. When they hit the track in Virginia, the rebuilt Z-Line sponsored car ran well and was able to qualify in the top ten at position 9. In a special Rookie practice held on Thursday, the current leader in the Rookie Of The Year point chase, Heideki Mutoh from the established team, Andretti Green Racing, elected NOT to participate. This didn't bother his qualification though as he was able to clock in at position seven. The biggest surprise was delivered by the driver from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing who won the second race of the season by qualifying in position 3, right behind Andretti Green Teammates Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti. SP Car Driver Hometown Car Name Entrant Time Speed 3 06 R Graham Rahal Columbus, Ohio Hole in the Wall Camps Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:04.5740 167.250 9 18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing 1:05.0477 166.032 10 5 Oriol Servia Pals, Spain KV Racing Technology KV Racing Technology 1:05.1330 165.815 16 8 R Will Power Toowoomba, Australia Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia KV Racing Technology 1:05.7251 164.321 19 33 R E.J. Viso Caracas, Venezuela PDVSA HVM Racing HVM Racing 1:06.1887 163.170 20 19 R Mario Moraes Sao Paulo, Brazil Sonny's Bar-B-Q Dale Coyne Racing 1:06.4344 162.566 23 02 R Justin Wilson Sheffield, England McDonald's Racing Team Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:07.6470 159.652 24 34 R Jaime Camara Goiania, Brazil Sangari Conquest Racing 1:07.9741 158.884 26 36 R Enrique Bernoldi Curitiva, Brazil Sangari Conquest Racing Conquest Racing no time no speed ... notes from The EDJE Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:37:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283470 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283470 The Indycar Series is in Richmond for a little Saturday night, short track action. While Dan Wheldon may have won the race on his birthday and donated his winnings to charity the main focus was on Danica Patrick as her racing moves were called out by her fellow competitors. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:54:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283405 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283405 Darren Manning's IndyCar drive with Foyt Enterprises is in danger after his retirement from the Iowa Corn Indy 250 due to exhaustion led to a pitlane row between driver and boss. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:44:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283166 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283166 Dan Wheldon has ruled out a possible move to NASCAR in the future... Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:45:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283017 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283017 A good and competitive race was held near the corn fields and flooding of Iowa. The race was won through pit stop timing and fuel strategy. Dan Weldon in the Target Chip Ganassi Dallara took the checkered flag on the day he turned 30 in front of an appreciative crowd looking for an escape from the acts of God tumult this region of the United States has suffered from in recent weeks. After 8 of 18 races, Andretti Green Racing's Hideki Mutoh begins to lock down rookie of the year honors in the IndyCar Series championship by holding on to second place next to his teammate in third, son of the owner of the Andretti Green Racing team, Marco Andretti. To a fan of the former ChampCar, this is a very disappointing trend. The rookies are almost all drivers who drive for teams that made their calling card carrying on for a racing series that raced on a different type and configuration of race track every weekend. This was the fifth straight oval race in six weeks for the unified IRL drivers and, to be honest, the races are beginning to blend together. Cars try to run three (and maybe four) wide, tires in the open wheel cars almost touch (and sometimes do causing wrecks), suspension parts fail due to stresses of overloading the technology on tight lefthand corners sending cars into the outside wall, and at the end, the race will be won by one of three teams that have all the parts, back-up equipment, and teammates that will, hopefully, protect and keep them out of trouble. Next week is the track at Richmond, Virginia … which is just a slightly shorter version of this track here in Iowa … but with a little less banking, will see more of the same. The twist for Richmond (just like they did in Texas) is that the race will be run at night in the glow of specialized lighting. Unless the former ChampCar teams get an equalizing road course soon, and have five in a row to make things a little more even, this unification thing may begin to turn fans away, after all, there is still trouble getting all of the cars with sponsorship. Outside of the tradition a few oval tracks hold, the races play out pretty much the same no matter where one goes. There is not enough variation to really hold a rabid fans interest through the course of a whole season if every race has as its hallmark, higher banks, or shorter track, or the race will be held at night, or … this used to be a cornfield but now its an oval racetrack! How did the surviving eight drivers (of ten registered to compete) from teams that have transitioned from the CCWS? POS./Qual./Car# - Driver - Hometown - Car - Name - Entrant 9/11/8 - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia - KV Racing Technology 10/16/06 - Graham Rahal - Columbus, Ohio - Hole in the Wall Camps - Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 12/20/02 - Justin Wilson - Sheffield, England - McDonald's - Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 13/13/33 - EJ Viso - Caracas, Venezuela - PDVSA - HVM Racing 16/10/5 - Oriol Servia - Pals, Spain - KV Racing Technology - KV Racing Technology 17/17/36 - Enrique Bernoldi - Curitiba, Brazil - Sangari - Conquest Racing 19/24/19 - Mario Moraes - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sonny's Bar-B-Q - Dale Coyne Racing 20/21/34 - Jaime Camara - Goiania, Brazil – Sangari - Conquest Racing Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing and Mario Moraes's teammate hopes to have his damaged car ready for Richmond. No word at the time of this post if Pacific Coast Racing's Mario Dominguez will make the show in Virginia. If I were in the business of speculating, I'd say the chances are better than 50/50 that PCM may wait until Watkins Glen to rejoin the frey for the balance of the 2008 season, the week after the short oval at Richmond. … notes from The EDJE Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:34:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280900 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280900 The eighth race of the 2008 season is proving hard to make for a couple of drivers from teams that are transitioning from the ranks of the ChampCar World Series to the IndyCar Series. Mario Dominguez of Pacific Coast Motorsports and Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing will not be able to make it into the field of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer, both for different yet similar reasons. It is no secret that the teams that are new to the series do not have the same availability of parts, especially oval track aero parts, as do established teams that have been working with this Dallara chassis now for the better part of seven years. Heck, some of the teams may even have extra parts they have forgotten about that the kids are playin' with in the backyard at home (more about kids, later). Resource management and preparation kept the Pacific Coast Motorsports team at their headquarters here in Southern California whereas Bruno will join Marty Roth on the sidelines due to accidents each driver had in separate incidents in the morning practice session on the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway tri-oval. Bruno Junqueira, after the car was hooked-up and brought bach to the pits, speculated that he hoped the car would be ready for the next race in Richmond, Virginia. As for the grid of the Elite Eight, the highest position on points going in to the eighth race of the season goes to Oriol Servia at 10th position. POS./Car# - Driver - Hometown - Car - Sponsor Name - Team 10/5 - Oriol Servia - Pals, Spain - No Sponsor - KV Racing Technology 11/8 - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia - KV Racing Technology 13/33 - EJ Viso - Caracas, Venezuela - PDVSA - HVM Racing 16/06 - Graham Rahal - Columbus, Ohio - No Sponsor - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 17/36 - Enrique Bernoldi - Curitiba, Brazil - Sangari - Conquest Racing 20/02 - Justin Wilson - Sheffield, England - McDonald's - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 21/34 - Jaime Camara - Goiania, Brazil – Sangari - Conquest Racing 24/19 - Mario Moraes - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sonny's Bar-B-Q - Dale Coyne Racing ... notes from The EDJE Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:50:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280714 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280714 Can Leilani Munter combine her need for speed with her green environmental views to make a successful racing career in the IRL? Can a Munter "Eco-Dream-Team" attract green sponsors to the Indy Lights series? The Divine Ms. M. who once doubled for Catherine Zeta Jones in the movies, is the first driver featured in the new minor/junior race series at the digital magazine SZ (MLN Sports Zone). Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:45:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280645 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280645 The last IndyCar Series race in Texas proved to be a successful outing for the driver and team of Pacific Coast Motorsports. What team owner Tyler Tadevic was able to conclude by completing a full race on the high-banked one and a half mile oval track is that with limited resources, it might be better to take extra time and prepare the two Visit Mexico City Dallara cars in a proper way with the expectation that it would be better to compete through chasing the season as opposed to having the season chase them. So, instead of hitting the road on to Iowa and beyond for the next seven weeks, why not miss a race or two and rejoin the frey with the preparation and knowledge gained by the kind of shoptime a sponsored effort through the end of the 2009 ICS season would suggest. "I've decided to keep the team at our headquarters in California to re-evaluate and strengthen our program," said Team Owner, Tyler Tadevic. He continued, "Pacific Coast Motorsports and the Mexico City Tourism Board are committed to IndyCar. PCM has a contract with Mexico City through 2009 and this has always been our building year." "Along with our partners, we have determined we are going to take some time to re-evaluate our resources and determine how to strengthen our 2008 program and better prepare for a competitive 2009 season," said Team Owner, Tyler Tadevic. PCM was the last of the Champ Car "transition" teams to debut in the IndyCar series. Coming off their first podium finish at the Long Beach Grand Prix, PCM ran their IndyCar for the first time during rookie orientation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Despite a valiant effort throughout the month of May, the team did not qualify for the 92nd running of the Indy 500. One week later they made their first IndyCar start at The Milwaukee Mile. Experience, hard work and professionalism paid off for PCM at Texas Motor Speedway, two-weeks ago. Mario Dominguez and his crew enjoyed improved results at the 1.5 mile-speedway. Dominguez started 24th of 28 cars and finished the event in 21st position. While these are not the type of results Dominguez or his crew are used to, they were proof of PCM's expedited effort in learning and developing the set-up and strategies for their new environment, the IndyCar Series. Tadevic continued, "In light of where we are in our effort and the limited resources available, there is no sense in taking risks which could put us further behind. We came into the series late and we cannot compete for a top-ten position in the championship this season, so we are taking this time to build our second car and to focus-on and prepare-for the job ahead." "The transition has been extremely difficult, especially with the intensity of the IndyCar schedule. Despite our late start, we have been able to compete and garner publicity for our partners in Mexico City. We've also enhanced the fan base for the IndyCar series. The series has been very supportive and we look forward to our future in IndyCar," said Tadevic. Fans in Southern California and Mexico all look forward to the day when Mario Dominguez and the team at Pacific Coast Motorsports are able to take to the track, buttoned down and ready to go. ... notes from The EDJE Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:27:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280048 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280048 A close friend of Paul Newman, who one of the owners in Newman Hass Lanigan Racing team in the Indycar Series, has revealed that 83 year old actor is battling cancer... Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:42:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277243 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277243 The best thing that could be said for a race that was shaping up to be one of the most exciting in terms of finishes was that most of the T-Team Ten improved position over their qualifying position and none of the drivers that were out due to contact, did not take out other drivers ... when they retired. ... notes from The EDJE Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:33:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276083 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276083 Scott Dixon last night continued his path to a second Indycar Championship with another win in the Bombardier Learjet 550k. Dixon passed Marco Andretti with six laps to go to take his third victory of the year... Sun, 08 Jun 2008 11:43:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275826 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275826