"Taking Crazy Chances to Please a Lady"

The Mrs. adores old movies—speaking frankly, a crack addiction would likely occupy less of her psyche than a Fred Astaire film. But I digress...

So, recently, during one of her epic TCM sessions, she came across the 1950 flick, To Please a Lady, starring Clark Gable, Barbara Stanwyck, and [4-year-old-boy voice] WACE CARS!

The Mrs. is smart, beautiful and, without question, thoughtful, so she quickly snapped it to the DVR for me.

Simmer. This isn't going to be a long-winded cinematic critique. Just wanted to give my peeps a heads-up that there's a lot of awesome racing footage that lies within. In fact, the writer definitely had the dudes in mind, because it's equal parts dialogue and racing porn.

Some killer midget footage (which I had no idea was as big a phenomenon as it was back in the day), but the real star? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. kaBOOOM. Awesome scenes in the latter half of all the sights and sounds of a 50's-era Brickyard spectacle—crowd shots and all kinds of rare delights.

Here's the point: Watch. It. Even you cynics who wouldn't normally have anything to do with a black and white film or a movie made before, say, Meatballs (highly, highly underrated for its cinematic importance, by the way).

Here's the official trailer, but WHOA UP, there, quick-draw. The trailer is short on the race scenes I speak so highly of, so don't turn your nose up until you've laid eyes on the full-length feature (it's a quick 90 minutes, or so).



Check your local listings on TCM, dial up Netflix, whatevs... just do it.

Two thumbs up!

—JM

52-card Pickup

On the morning of October 16th, in Las Vegas, Randy Bernard had IndyCar's deck stacked perfectly—nary a card or corner out of place.

That afternoon, fate took that carefully laid plan into its hands and fanned it callously into the air—in some respects, drawing the very existence of the sport into question.

Many urgent and highly consequential challenges are now being faced.    

Patience and understanding...

—JM

A Letter to Dan Wheldon

Hey, bud...

Wow, WTF, as they say?! You really caught us by surprise, dude. And, man, did you make me look foolish, Sunday. When the news came, "Fuck that!" leaped off my lips as fast as a blink. Then came the tears—and, oh, did they come. One after the next with gobs of sobs thrown in for good measure. Thanks, dude! :]

Kind of embarrassing, really. Of course, just my wife was there (she wasn't in any better shape), but I don't cry. Not out of some dumb responsibility to "be a man," it just doesn't come very easily to me, I guess. It's so rare, in fact, when the tears started flowing, I think I scared myself! LOL.

It's been a melancholy few days, and I haven't been on Twitter since Sunday. If you knew me, you'd know that's way out of character. Not sure why, really, I guess I just feel like I would be capitalizing on what happened, in some way, and it just hasn't felt right. I'll be back at it soon enough, I suppose.

I have to say, I'm kinda pissed, brother! We were supposed to meet, you know?! :) Despite my inclination not to meet my heroes, for fear of shattering my image of them, I guess I always felt like I'd bump into you at a kart track, or somewhere "comfortable"—you in your too-tight fire suit and me in my middle-age drag. I'd actually cast off my shyness, for a moment, and share a quick hello. Maybe you seemed more approachable than the others, I'm not really sure.

Guys like you aren't supposed to die, you know?! :) You had the kids...and Susie. Plus the comeback! We were SO looking forward to that. I just don't get it, man. It's senseless, really. Of course, you're not the first person with everything going for them to die young, but I really just don't understand it. Guess I should stop struggling and just accept it, huh?!

For now, I've been clinging to something Oriol said: "They always take the good ones. The rest, we still have a lot of growing to do." It's something, anyway. Smart man, is the Catalonian!

Hey, BTW, don't worry about Susie and the kids, we'll take good care of them—as if you had any doubts! IndyCar rawks! \m/

Well, I guess I've said all I need to say. Must be time to say goodbye.

Thanks, Dan, you brought a lot of joy to IndyCar fans and, apparently, you weren't a half-bad human being, either. :) Gotta say, I sure hope you found there is a heaven and you're circulating some kart track up there. After I've done sufficient growing up, I wanna bump into you, sometime.

Rest easy, man.

—JM

IndyCar.com

We Saw It All

This year's IZOD IndyCar Series race at Kentucky Speedway brought stellar racing, chaos in the pits, and a fairy tale finish.

Tuck in to these (very) random thoughts and observations:

• Could the weather over the weekend have been any different within a span of 24 hours? Welcome to the Tri-state...
• Newman Haas (P4 and P6): Overachievers. Period.
• Charlie Kimball stepped out of his car after the race, took a very animated deep breath, then grinned. Mile-and-a-halves are killers. Respect to all the drivers.
• With two second-place finishes in two years, Kentucky is Eddie Carpenter's best track. With it on the bubble for '12, Ed was, essentially, running out of chances to seal the deal for his first win--but he did.
• The award for most impressive entourage goes to rookie and part-timer, Wade Cunningham. Post-race found him swallowed up in a scrum of tats and long hair you simply couldn't ignore. BTW: P7 in his third start and besting his mile-and-a-half master teammate, Wheldon, by seven spots? Are you kidding me?!
• Post-race presser saw Dario being interviewed for his P2 finish while Willy P's ubiquitous Verizon advert played on the monitors above. Irony...
• When you encounter the Sarah Fisher Racing organization, it looks more like a family reunion than a race team. Makes the win even more miraculous.
• During the Indy Lights broadcast, Michael Andretti said he would like to see other IndyCar owners step up and support the Road to Indy program--I would too.
• Our .3 megapixel pics from race tracks have GOT TO GO (don't hold your breath).
• Simona in Switzerland County, Indiana: a little awkward for me.
• Buddy Rice getting some fresh looks for '12 because of his development background--kool.
• For the ladies: Dan Wheldon's driver suit is obscenely tight. You're welcome.
• On Will Power: What do you say? He's not out of it, but DAYUM.
• Townsend Bell goes from 26th to 11th for DRR. Underrated?
• Tag steps out of the car and into the booth: team player.
• Note to Versus: Please don't play radio chatter on air without, somehow, identifying the source.
• Mrs. Power's team sends their driver rocketing into the side of Mr. Power, possibly screwing him, royally, with regard to the championship. Awkward?
• Tag says he thinks "Vegas will be a fantastic race." I like the sound of that.
• Graham Rahal, not outwardly angry, but very emotional in his post-race interview. Tells you what a competitor he is, and I don't blame him--this was supposed to be "the year."

Finally, a few shout-outs:

To those injured, yesterday, a big AHOI get well soon!

To Kentucky Speedway: Thanks for the great hospitality and for putting on another stellar show. May not be next year, but we WILL be back.

Lastly, to you folks. Thanks for reading our tweets, viewing our hideously poor-quality pics, and hitting up our posts, this weekend. Truly one of the greatest experiences I've had in racing, and without an audience, it's just me, if you know what I'm sayin'?

--JM

Kentucky Speedway: How it All Went Down--Day 1

*touches fingers to keyboard; they shatter like candy glass*
The weather predictor says it's supposed to be sunny and 77 degrees, NEXT Saturday. Right. Shuttin' up.

Stellar day at the big bowl in the Bluegrass. Here's how it all went down--in random, unedited, unproofread blurts.

RAIN. Just a few drops on the windscreen as I hammered down I-71 toward Kentucky Speedway. It obviously didn't amount to anything, but was momentarily PANICKED.

The drive flew by, thanks to a little help from a Fat Man In The Bathtub and a Freebird. Ah, to be young again [adjusts Depends undergarment].

Arrived at the track in record time. Eased the CR-V into its spot, and kaBOOM, brush with greatness. R. Miller steps out of his rental next to me. Knew it was going to be a day to be remember.

Settled in. Bumped into @KimJackson of @FollowAndretti fame. Two words: lovely woman.

Strode out to pit lane to watch a bit of IndyCar FP1 and RUH-ROH, problem. Crackberry battery takes a crap, and phone SEIZES. Implemented "emergency half-hour drive back to Florence Y'all" to replace said battery. 25-minute wait, cell phone dude rummages through every drawer in store--nothing. PANIC. *Finally* turns up a second-hand battery that's completely flat (BONUS). Back in my sleigh, charging all the way to the speedway.

Stalked, met, and exchanged pleasantries with Paul Dalbey (@Fieldof33) of @MoreFrontWing fame. Kind gentleman.

Stumbled upon a nice-sized hole in the pit wall that an out-of-control car could either drive through and endanger those behind the wall, or cut a car in half. Me thinks it should be addressed.

Sought warmth, intermittently [insert my wife--and you--saying "WHAHH" here].

Nearing the end--you're welcome.

Wound up the day with an enjoyable exchange with THE Curt Cavin. Good man, and you know what? He took time out from interviewing qualifiers coming off track to chat with me--to boot, I'm nobody. BAM.

Couple random observations:

1. Cars' paint jobs aren't in their usual flawless, gleaming brilliance. Why pay for paint with just a couple of races left?
2. TK (P 19). Sato (P 22). Viso (P 23). KV canned their hot-shot engineer with multiple races to go in the season... O_o 

Finally, killer lineup for tomorrow. DON'T miss the action (Graham says three-wide possible). Race airs at 2:00 ET on Versus.

Thanks for reading and supporting AHOI, my friends. Till tomorrow--or later.

--JM

"Testing... one-two. Is this thing on?"

IndyCar.com

I could go on, ad nauseam, as to why this space has been silent for the past months but, really, who cares?! Right. Let's move on.

What up, peeps? It's been TOO long. So... the natural question is, what's gotten me off my arse? Simple. Just one of the most epic IndyCar events on the calendar--Kentucky Speedway, 2011, of course.

Continually one of the most competitive venues, conveniently located near casa Montona, and rumored to be a question mark for 2012; all reasons why it's only right we dedicate some semi-well-thought-out keystrokes.

So, I pulled "The Man" into my office (I don't have an office) and advised him not to look for my sad mug till Tuesday, next. That means the next days are just you, me, and the big bowl in the Bluegrass--condolences.

Crackberry in hand, we'll be boots-on-the-ground, all weekend, doing our level best to share all the excitement with those unable to make it to what could be the last go-round for Kentucky on the IZOD IndyCar schedule [insert well-chosen expletive here].  

Herewago! Pending adequate cell coverage, expect copious tweets; vivid, .3 megapixel pics; and as many posts, here, as we can squeeze out [insert low expectations here].

IT'S ON, bitches (I heart you, Monica--in a I'm happily married sort of way). Let's do this...

--JM

The '12 car WILL turn a wheel—posthaste

In round about 20 days, to be exact. Check this tweet from the Car Czar, Tony Cotman, then go below for all the deets.

What: 2012 IndyCar Inaugural Test

Pilot: Dan "Two-time" Wheldon

Team: Bryan Herta "One-shot" Autosport

Where: Reportedly, Mid-Ohio (IndyCar races there the day before)

(IndyCar.com)

I, for one, never seem to be fully satisfied with the present, so this bit of news has yours truly sincerely STOKED.

Stay tuned, peeps.

—JM

You’ll be getting it every night and LOVING it

(1070TheFan.com)

With the month of May comes the running of the greatest race on earth, but it also signals the beginning of something of equal gravitas.

May is when the 1070 The Fan brass loosen the reigns on Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee and allow them to give it the large by going nightly with their epic IndyCar-oriented radio talk show, Trackside.

That’s right. Put your teeth back in, pa-pa, ’cause I’m crappin’ ya’ negative.

Beginning next Monday, May 2nd, Trackside airs every weeknight at 7:00 eastern, through the entire month, followed by the walking encyclopedia of the “Indianapolis 500 Mile Race,” Donald Davidson and “The Talk of Gasoline Alley” at 8:00.

No more agonizing waits until Thursday, I said EVERY NIGHT.

On the precipice of the 100th anniversary of the ‘500,’ they’ll be boatloads to talk about, so be sure to tune in, as well as check Kevin’s blog, regularly, for updates on guests, time changes, etc.

In the words of Shelby Stanga from “Ax Men,” HEREWAGO!

—JM

The "Fab Five" Shouldn't be Invited to Crash the Party

I'm guessing, other IndyCar drivers
have similar sentiments to Will's
Photo: indycar.com

Leave it up to the quiet speedster, Will Power, to be the voice of reason with all the frothing going on over the IndyCar Vegas finale. I had just put the finishing touches on my list of five favorites ("Cha Cha" Muldowney, Alberto Contador, Shaun White, Kenny Roberts, and Joey Chestnut) when William had to get all up and reasonable in this piece by Marshall Pruett.

“You just need to be careful who [is invited]. It has the potential to be pretty dangerous if the wrong people are let out there because you can’t have a guy who doesn’t have a lot of experience running in a top category like this on a fast oval. I know before I ever did ovals, I looked at them and thought how scary they looked. Kind of crazy, really. After a few years of doing them now, you forget about how fast you’re actually going and forget about the stuff that used to scare you. But, for a guy coming over and doing his first proper oval race in an IndyCar, and it doesn’t matter who it is, it’s still a pretty eye opening thing. It’s no joke.”

Yea, no joke. 220, 221... whatevs. Four open wheels and a bunch ballers vying for the season IndyCar crown is no place for Dennis Anderson, or the like.

It's the proverbial double-edged sword: in some ways, you want the drivers with the least experience, for the pub; on the other hand, the ones with the most experience, for safety and to maintain the integrity of the event.

So, Randy, when it comes to the Sin City Shootout, I am ALL IN, bud. But let's keep the sentiments of one Willy P. in mind: sometimes, even in Vegas, you have to play it SAFE.

—JM

Where in the world is Conor Daly?

Daly will balance a full season of GP3 (above) with
selected events in the Firestone Indy Lights Series 

Think your 2011 is shaping up to be a busy one? Let’s see how your itinerary stacks up against my man Conor Daly’s.

Competing in both a full season of GP3, plus selected events in the Firestone Indy Lights Series, to say Conor will be racking up the frequent-flyer miles is an understatement.

Here it is in a nutshell: 21 races (GP3 holds two per weekend) and the potential to run on 12 test days scattered across 10 countries, 4 states, and only 6 months.

Check out the full list of events, below, then stop back over the course of the 2011 racing season to see where in the world is Conor Daly.

Date                   Series     Race/Test         Venue

March 3-4          GP3         Test                     Paul Ricard, France

March 27            FILS         Race                   St. Petersburg, FL

March 29-31      GP3         Test                     Silverstone, GB

April 10               FILS        Race                    Birmingham, AL

April 12-14         GP3        Test                      Barcelona, Spain

April 17               FILS        Race                    Long Beach, CA

May 7-8              GP3         Race                    Istanbul, Turkey

May 21-22         GP3         Race                    Barcelona, Spain

June TBD          GP3         Test                      TBD

June 16-17        GP3         Test                      Valencia, Spain

June 25-26        GP3         Race                    Valencia, Spain

July 9-10            GP3         Race                    Silverstone, GB

July 23-24          GP3         Race                    Nurburgring, Germany

July 30-31          GP3         Race                    Budapest, Hungary

August 7             FILS        Race                    Trois Rivieres, Quebec

August 27-28     GP3        Race                    Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

Sept. 4                FILS       Race                     Baltimore, MD

Sept. 10-11        GP3       Race                     Monza, Italy

—JM

P.S. Hey, CD... better print this and strap it to your wrist like an NFL QB, you’re going to need it.

Sammy Speaks

Will he, or won’t he?

Photo: IndyCar

I’ve seen plenty of quotes from Sam Hornish, Jr. as to whether he will run the "Indianapolis 500" again, but audible interviews seem to be a bit more scarce.

Last night, 1070 The Fan’s, JMV, caught up with Sam and asked him about Indy, NASCAR, Tom Carnegie, and more. Take a listen here, decide for yourself whether you think he’ll return to the '500', then share your opinion via our poll. 

—JM    

Saying Good-bye to the "Sound of Speed"

It's a sad, sad day, to say the least. Tom Carnegie, the inspiration for the naming of this website, has died at age 91.

As I stated earlier on Twitter, there's no better way to understand how we felt about Mr. Carnegie than to read our very first blog post, which I've included below.

Nothing sums up his impact on the "Indianapolis 500" and Indycar racing better than the last sentence, which reads, "...on behalf of the millions, Tom, we miss you, and thanks for the memories." 

When it came to titling this blog site, I was charged with distilling what 35-plus years of open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 meant to me into a scant handful of words—no easy task, I assure you. The words themselves are plain to see, but to the uninitiated, their intended meaning is predictably elusive and mysterious at best.

But to the millions of souls that have heard those same utterances echo contemplatively, grandstand-to-grandstand, across the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they hold true reverence. They are iconic, hair-raising, and for those whose house of worship resides at the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown, I unabashedly say biblical.

Tom Carnegie’s voice is an instrument; more precisely, a drum. Not a child’s toy, but the deepest orchestral timpani in full roll at the hands of the most proficient percussionist. It’s low-boiling thunder, truck tires on a gravel road. Launched from loudspeakers at the world’s greatest and most historic sporting venue, it’s aural fireworks—simply magic.

Mr. Carnegie didn’t just serve as public address announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he institutionalized the position. From 1946 to 2006 his voice was as much a part of the month of May as the cars, the fans, the drivers.

Quite reasonably, one would expect that the 500-mile race would be his brightest stage, and without question, his performances over the years were legendary. But in this writer’s opinion, the 33 snarling engines on race day only served as recurring and rude interruptions to his impeccable skill. During an era when the word “Indy” meant an ongoing quest for faster and faster speeds, the qualifications for the race are where Mr. Carnegie’s talent truly shown.

With only one race car on the speedway at a time, he had the captive ear of thousands. His dramatic delivery, tone, and inflection had fans hanging on every word in a one-way dialogue of the most engaging sort. Having performed so brilliantly for so long, Mr. Carnegie has become well known for a number of famous phrases, but to me, there is only one.

For an Indycar driver, competing in the Indianapolis 500 each year is second only to winning it. That makes a qualification attempt at Indy one of the most dramatic 10 miles in motorsports. To accomplish qualifying successfully is a triumphant victory of the grandest character, to fail is a tragedy of the greatest proportions—Tom Carnegie knew that as well as anyone.

After circling the oval on his warm-up laps and being presented with the green flag, Carnegie would skillfully and ceremoniously launch the driver into racing’s stratosphere, as if journeying to the moon, with four simple, monosyllabic words: “annnd he’s on it!” No one on the grounds, including the brave soul behind the wheel, knew what would happen over the next four laps. That’s what made those words so powerful... the suspense; the agonizing, all-consuming suspense.

Those famous words are what the singular pursuit of Indycar racing means to me. They simply and wholly encapsulate my decades-long love affair with the sport I just can’t seem to shake. To me, if they were to be linked so closely with this brave new adventure of mine, I felt it only just to pay proper tribute to the man who spoke them so nobly.

To put it more succinctly, on behalf of the millions, Tom, we miss you, and thanks for the memories. 

—JM

“...and he’s on it” gets its head out of its a**

There was a time—not so long ago—when I felt if I was going to add a fellow blog brother to my sidebar that they had to be worthy of some sort of inherent “stamp of approval”—an unspoken “I recommend this person, I like what they do.”

Well, now that I’ve had an opportunity to reflect on what that, indeed, means, I’ve come to one conclusion: what an arrogant PRICK I am. [stabs self in thigh with Bic]

Just exactly, who the hell am I?! Who gave me the right to pass judgment on what you may or may not like to read? [furiously bangs head on table]

After all, we’re in this together, right? The totality of readers and writers alike—we’re just passionate about American open-wheel racing and like to share in each other’s opinions.

When one blogger succeeds, we all succeed. We feed off each other’s prosperity.

So... what’s this all mean? This: my acute attack of rectal-cranial inversion is OVER. Some of you may have already noticed that I have opened up the ...and he’s on it sidebar to include a plethora of sites that focus on IndyCar.

Brilliant idea? Yes! But not mine. IndyCar blogging pioneer, Jeff Iannucci over at mynameisirl.com (and more recently onelapdown.com), is where I stole this little gem of a concept from, and I know there are others out there that boast an equally stout blog roll.

And let’s be absolutely clear: this is NOT an indictment of others who choose to do differently. Everyone has their preferences and, as far as I’m concerned, individuality is what makes the world go round, so you’re encouraged to patronize whatever sites peg your tach.

Bottom line? Want to find out where the latest in IndyCar opinion/editorial, news, and humor is hidden? Swing by ...and he’s on it (or the site of your choosing) daily and GET READING. And don’t forget to comment—your thoughts are always welcome and encouraged.

Lastly, I’d like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all IndyCar bloggers, to say thank you for your patronage. We appreciate it.

63 days, my friends...

—JM

The Skinny on Soucek: A Brief Bio

Andy Soucek is under consideration for
a ride with Andretti Autosport

It came to light, yesterday, via Curt Cavin’s Q&A that Andretti Autosport is considering a 2011 IndyCar program for Spain’s Andy Soucek.

I thought it might be nice to know a bit more about him before he joins our little party.

Here's the Cliffs Notes version of his bio:

Nationality: Spanish

Age: 25

Racing Career:

• 2010 Superleague Formula (partial season); Test Driver, Virgin Racing F1 Team 
• 2009 F2 Champion
• 2008 GP2 Series, (14th in Championship); Superleague Formula (partial season)
• 2007 GP2 Series (16th in Championship)
• 2006 Test Driver, Toyota F1; World Series by Renault (4th in Championship)
• 2003–2005 Spanish F3
• 2002 Junior Spanish F3 

Want to know more? Cool. If you’re fluent in Spanish, you’ll LOVE Mr. Soucek’s official site.

BTW: Andy's on Twitter, so give him a follow, if you so choose.

—JM

A Backstage Conversation from the “State of IndyCar” Address

FILS Dude #1: [casually] “So, you called Conor’s rep, right?”

FILS Dude #2: “Uh... no, I thought you called him?”

FILS Dude #1: [agitated] “No. I didn’t call him. I’m on confetti, remember?”

FILS Dude #2: [confused] “I thought I was on confetti.”

FILS Dude #1: [angry] “No. DUDE. You are NOT on confetti. And if you didn’t call his rep and I didn’t call him that means they have no fu**ing clue about what is... [stops abruptly]

LOOK. Forget it. He’s about to make the announcement, and we’re completely fu**ed. Get back! I’m doing the confetti.”

[Moments later (in a biblical downpour of diced paper) Roger Bailey, Executive Director of the Firestone Indy Lights Series, announces that 2010 Star Mazda Champ, Conor Daly, will be stepping up to FIL, sharing driving duties for next season with USAC scholarship winner, Bryan Clauson—participating in the road/street races that Clauson does not take part in.]

[Daly’s thought bubble] “WTF?!?”

**************************************************************************************************

Okay. So the conversation may be something I conjured up, but the announcement of Daly’s ride, and the fact that he didn’t know a thing about it, was NOT [insert favorite farcically-induced acronym here; ROFLMAO]. Here’s the proof:

Now, you might think this would be stellar news for Conor but, ruh-roh, PROBLEM. It’s no secret that Daly has his eyes set on Formula One, which means the next logical step for him is Europe’s GP3 Series.

Did Conor already have a GP3 deal done when the announcement came? Was he set to do some FILS races with a team other than the one associated with Clauson’s scholarship? Who knows... since the above tweet, Conor’s been pretty quiet on the subject, so we’ll have to see how this one plays out.

Regardless, this is one wickedly funny episode in the life of a race car driver.

Stay tuned...

—JM

Randy’s listening... No, REALLY, he’s listening.

Tweeting? Maybe...
Photo: Paul Dalbey, morefrontwing.com 

[1/15/11: 4:54 pm] Editor's Note: Since this update was originally posted, Arni Sribhen has clarified that Randy Bernard is "...not on twitter yet...but he's nearly there." In addition, Sribhen indicated that, when Bernard is active on Twitter, it has yet to be determined whether his account will be "open," or whether his identity will be concealed. Stay tuned, peeps...

Knowing Randy Bernard’s kooky philosophy of actually wanting to hear what fans have to say about the state of the IZOD IndyCar Series, I’ve often wondered if, maybe, he was covertly monitoring Twitter as a way of gauging fan feelings. After all, Twitter’s where it all goes down, right?

Well, we now have confirmation he does, indeed, walk among us.

After Tony Kanaan met with Mr. Bernard, yesterday, he tweeted this:

Shortly thereafter, Arni Sribhen, Media Relations Coordinator for IndyCar, responded with this:

BAM.

The point? The leader of the IndyCar Series is a fan-friendly STUD (until proven otherwise) and he is listening to what you have to say.

So, all the more reason to (respectfully) tweet your concerns, or votes of confidence, about the greatest racing series on the planet, because who knows what the Series’ response might be?

Tzit...

...and, Mr. Bernard, if you’re in earshot, I heart you, man.

—JM

Standing “O” for the Supporting Cast

Randy Bernard is the front man,

but he’s not accomplishing the Series’ goals alone

Photo: Ron McQueeney, IndyCar.com

There’s been a virtual tsunami of epic IndyCar news over the past several months, with the latest wave coming via Tuesday’s “State of IndyCar” address in Indianapolis.

Much of the credit has been thrown Lord Randall’s way and, for the record, I AM ALL ABOUT THAT—you’ll find no bigger supporter of Randy Bernard than I. But... as the saying goes [it either really is a saying, or I’m just making it up... whatevs], “no great leader goes it alone.”

The plans laid out by the Series are ambitious, at a minimum—and there’s a shizzle-load of work that’s already been accomplished and that still lays ahead. That requires an entire TEAM of very talented, hardworking, and motivated people. Randy has that and, in my mind, they need to be recognized.   


I won’t begin to try and name all those involved because, frankly, I have no clue as to who they all are. Let’s just assume it’s pretty much everyone at IndyCar, plus peeps at IMS and, I’m sure, a whole lot of other folks. A big round of applause to you all, plus I’d like to throw in some special recognition for the car czar, Tony Cotman.

I’m fairly certain my schilling of Tony’s brand only runs second to Robin Miller’s, but that’s neither here nor there. The fact is this 2012 car thing is HARD. T.C. has a new safety cell to worry about, four-ish body kits and three engine manufacturers to get all dancing in a 230-mph ballet, and it all has to be accomplished in an insanely short amount of time. 

Despite all that, Tony just quietly goes about his business GIT'N R DONE. For that, Mr. Cotman, I say good on ya’, sir. 

I think we’re done here... just 72 short more days, peeps. ;)

—JM 

Grand Finale: Part V of Pressdog’s Twitter Opus

Bill saves the best for last. Today’s installment—the final in his epic series—is all about YOU: the soon-to-be Twitter follower/followee.

WARNING: Read with extreme caution. @andhesonit receives MAD PUB in this post (very small type, buried waaaaay at the bottom amongst 341 other tweets) that may aggravate some heart conditions.

Thanks, peeps, this week’s been fun. Props to the almighty Pressdog!

—JM 

“Resistance to Twitter is futile.” —Pressdog

WORD, Bill. You WILL succumb, sooner or later, so why not now? Carpe tweetem, peeps!

Today, Part IV of Pressdog’s epic Twitter tome focuses on the all-important driver presence. Many IZOD IndyCar pilots are on Twitter, which gives followers an unparalleled peek into their private lives.

Plus, when the mood strikes, drivers aren’t shy about communicating directly with fans via tweets, so jump on Twitter, NOW, and your own personal brush with greatness may be in the offing.

Time to hit that LINK, and savor the P-dog prose…

—JM

Day 3: @Pressdog Digs Deep

IndyCar public relations experts Michael Kaltenmark, Pat Caporali, Kim Jackson, and Amy Konrath comment, in detail, on Twitter as a powerful new PR tool.

I think you know the routine by now... hit that LINK.

—JM

Pressdog's The Rise of Twitter in IndyCar, Part Deux

Yes, Twitter is that important. It’s an incredibly easy (and fun) way to become an IndyCar “insider” and really feel a part of the sport.

Hit the link for the second installment in Bill’s awesome five-part series, then swing by here, again, tomorrow, or just run straight to Pressdog.com.

Get your tweet on! Have I ever been wrong? Never mind…

—JM

Pressdog Helps You Get a Handle on Twitter

You found this post by some means other than Twitter? RUH-ROH. PROBLEM. If you’re an IZOD IndyCar enthusiast, you have to be on Twitter. Period.

Great minds think alike—or so they say. And, in fact, I had plans to do a post on how utterly awesome Twitter is when it comes to being a fan of IndyCar, myself, but the honorable Bill Zahren of Pressdog.com beat me to it.

Am I disappointed? Not a smidge. Here’s why: based on “Part 1” of Bill’s five-part series, he’s doing, oh, maybe, a 10,000-times better job than I would do.

So, without further ado, get your non-tweeting (or currently-tweeting) butt over to Pressdog.com and dive into Bill’s killer Twitter primer.

—JM