The Duals in Detroit

Two weekend days, two Indycar races this weekend.  Yeah!

How cool to get to watch races Saturday and Sunday.

Each race will be 70 laps and will be shown on ABC tv at 3:30 EST.

Qualifying for Saturday's race was today, in the rain, with Dario winning the pole.
Qualifying for Sunday's race will be Saturday morning.


Drivers you won't see racing in Detroit.

JR Hildebrand and Panther racing ended their contract and JR will be replaced by Ryan Briscoe this weekend.

Ana Beatriz is being replaced by Mike Conway in the Dale Coyne Racing car.

2013 Indy memories

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 On to Detroit...

If Giant Chickens Invaded the Indy 500

 

Back home from Indy

Got back from Indy tonight.
Tired.
A 10+ hour drive and too many days of getting up really early to go to the track.
It must be really tiring being a driver or crew person.

Went to the Indy building and renewed our Indy 500 tickets for next year already.
Stopped by the new Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing shop to show Alex where they work on Josef's car.

Watched the awards banquet last night on Indianapolis tv.
Tony Kaanan got over two million dollars!
Dario and Helio sprayed whipped cream and marshmallows on his head.
Conor Daly was funny and of course Hinch was too.

Will post more photos and stuff tomorrow.

The Indy 500

To get to the Indy 500 race in time, we had to get up at 4:30 in the morning, none of us liked that, but it was definitely worth it, this was one of the most exciting races ever.

* It was the first time the number 11 car has won

* There were a record 133 consecutive green flag laps

* It was the record for the fastest average speed of the race

* There were a record 68 lead changes, which doubled the old record of 34

* It was the record for the fewest cautions laps (21 laps) since they started recording them in 1976

* Carlos Munoz set the record highest speed for a rookie (187.433)

* Scott Dixon has completed 1,566 Indy 500 laps without a crash

Alex was kinda bored with the pre-race activities, so she was really excited when the WWII planes did the flyover before the race started.

 

LEGENDS DAY at INDY

Legends Day was another really fun day at IMS.

Parnelli Jones the 1963 Indy 500 Winner was honored at the track today and led a whole bunch of old Roadster cars around the track. 
 Mom said those are the cars are mammy and pappy used to watch during the 50's and 60's and they sounded really loud and cool.

We went to the track early for the driver autograph session just so Alex could see Josef (Newgarden).  Alex was thrilled that Josef recognized her from all the emails and mail she sends him.   Needless to say she was beyond thrilled.

The public drivers meeting was really neat, although the speedway people should maybe put names on the chairs because some of the drivers, like Josef, had trouble finding their seats.

There was the Kids Fun Zone, which had racing simulators, a bounce house, music by Radio Disney and other stuff.

The best part was that the garages were open to everyone.  Luckily a nice lady who worked at the track told my mom as we were passing near the garages.  Even Alex, who's only five was allowed in.

Most of the garages were closed, but about 5 were open, and we did see a few drivers who were there after the parade.  Rookie Tristan Vautier was out signing autographs (and knew us from kindly answering our blog questions a few weeks ago.), plus we spotted AJ Allmendinger, Pippa Mann, and Ryan Briscoe.  And we got to see Jerry Punch (the ABC tv guy) setting up for an interview or something.

So the garages were really, really, cool!  We'll definitely be doing that again next year.

CARB DAY at INDY

Super fun day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Last practice for all the drivers.

 

 

The Indy Lights race with four, yes four, cars crossing the start finish line side by side. 
Peter Dempsey won the race by .002 seconds.  Wow!


The pit stop competition won by Helio Castroneves and his crew.

We stayed from 9 till 4 and got Mario Andretti and Arie Luyendyk's autographs.  
We saw lots of drivers, including almost running into Takuma Sato. 
Alex got waved to by Josef Newgarden's crew from pit road since she was wearing a t-shirt with Josef's picture on it. 
However, she didn't see Josef, so Alex is a little bummed.

Can't wait till Sunday!!!



Racing for Kids Charity

Indycar drivers aren't just great racers, they also do a lot of great stuff through charities.   
Racing for Kids is a charity that consists of drivers.  The drivers visit kids in hospitals wherever they race.

 

 

Racing for kids was founded in 1989 and since then drivers from many forms of motorsports have visited more than 25,000 kids in 500 hospitals worldwide and raised more than 6 million dollars.

  Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Tristan Vautier, Michael Andretti, Katherine Legge, Justin Wilson, Simona deSilvestro, Oriol Servia, and Graham Rahal, are just some of the drivers who have made a sick kid feel special in the past year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuff to do at the IMS

If you have extra time while attending this year's Indy 500, make it a point to visit the Indianapolis Museum on the grounds of the Motor Speedway. 
The museum is open on race day, so if you get to the track early, you can pop in and visit the museum before the race.
They have the old winning cars lined up by year, so you can see all your favorites.

One of our mom's favorites.  Bobby Unser's first win in 1968.

They also give track tours (in a bus) when the track is not in use.  So if you're around at the right time you may get to take a ride around the track.

Other stuff to do at the track on race weekend.

Friday is Carb Day, which is the drivers final practice time.  Plus there's the Indy Lights Freedom 100 race and the pit stop competition after that, and then a music concert, so there's lots to see and do for a full day  at the track.

Saturday is Legends Day.  There's a roadsters lap led by 1963 winner Parnelli Jones, an autograph signing session with all 33 drivers, there's a vintage sprint and midget car display and a memorabilia show, plus the annual Public Drivers Meeting.

Plus there's a free Kids Zone open most days with music, dancing, games and prizes! (We'll be checking that out.)

Josef Newgarden Apparel

'All Josef.  All the time'.
Indy Apparel.

 

 

If you read our blog, you may already know that our little sister, Alex, is crazy about driver Josef Newgarden ever since he signed an autograph for her at last year's race.

Since they don't make many driver items in kids sizes, especially newer drivers like Josef, Alex bugged our mom to make her what we have dubbed the 'All Josef, All the time' Indy apparel collection for our trip to Indianapolis.     She wanted a different outfit for every day we're in Indy, but she settled for four outfits and is re-wearing some of them.



This is her absolute favorite.  She's holding her signed photo from Josef,

Josef dress #1.

Josef Dress #2,  an adult Josef t-shirt made into a dress.. Plus her autographed photo from when she met Josef at last year's race.



Josef t-shirt with checkered flag skirt.

 



Update: 

 Here is more Josef apparel.





Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens

If you have some extra time in Indy, the zoo is a ton of fun and White River Gardens right next door is the prettiest gardens we're ever seen!  Plus, they're right in downtown Indianapolis.
We spend an extra day after the race every year so we can visit the animals and go on the mini roller coaster and Alex likes the carousel.













The Indianapolis Zoo is one of the nonracing parts of our trip that we really look forward to.  It's so beautiful and there's so many things to see and do, here are some of the things to enjoy there.

Our favorites are the dolphin show and the birds!

The bird exhibits

* Feed different types of kid-friendly small birds.                                                            

* Watch rare, gorgeous birds doing their thing.                                               

* Let your child play in the Little tots treehouse play area.


The forest exhibits

* Walk under the dense trees spotting different types of birds.

* Marvel at the Red pandas, Amur tigers, brown bears, and other animals frolick, eat, or rest.        

The ocean exhibits

* Touch real sharks in the shark pool.

* See penguins, moon jellies, and more.

* Look at an underwater veiwing for polar bears, sea lions, and many more ocean creatures.        

* Watch dolphins do tricks.


The desert exhibits

* See rare animals that live in the desert.

* Watch the meerkats jump and play below the giant dome.                                      


The plains exhibits

* Try your luck at beating a cheetahs speed.

* See cheetahs, elephants, white rhinos, warthogs, and many, many more animals.            
    

White River Gardens

* Marvel at the beauty of exotic plants and trees.

* Learn about, feed, and watch 40 different species of butterflies in the butterfly house.          

* See fish swimming by in the beautiful ponds.

* And have fun and take lots of pictures!

And more!!

Qualifying Overview

 

Bump Day Sunday

 

 

* Michel Jourdain Jr got bumped from the field and will not start the 500.

* Josef Newgarden was the fastest Bump Day qualifier and will start in the 25th position.

 

* Katherine Legge, who first sat in her car on Saturday, made the race in the 33 starting spot.

 

* Four Indy 500 winners, with a combined total of 8 Indy 500 wins, will start the race. 

Helio Castroneves (3), Dario Franchitti (3), Buddy Lazier (1), Scott Dixon (1).

 

* Four women will start the 97th running of the 500.  Simona deSilvestro (24th), Ana Beatriz (29th), Pippa Mann (30th), and Katherine (33rd).

 

*  Four rookies will start the race.  Carlos Munoz (2nd), AJ Allmendinger (5th), Tristan Vautier (28th), Conor Daly (31st).

* Drivers from 13 different countries will compete in the race.  United States (11), England (4), Brazil (3), France (3), Australia (2), Canada (2), Colombia (2) and 1 each from Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.

* Youngest driver in the field is 21 (Munoz), the oldest is 45 (Lazier).

* Marco Andretti became the first Andretti to qualify for the 500 on the front row in 20 years.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Dixon fun facts

   Scott Dixon fun facts

* Has a total of 28 race wins and 20 poles in Indycar.

* Is the son of two dirt track racers.


* Wanted to be a race car driver since he was 5 but first climbed inside a car when he was 13.                                             

* His "secret obsession" is chocolate.

* He can't stand airport security lines, or slow people in fast lanes.

* His pets are two Maltese dogs, George and Arthur, named after two kings.

* His nicknames are "Iceman" and  "Dixie".

                                   

 

 

Here's the 2009 ticket showing Scott Dixons 2008 Indy 500 win

                                                             

Pole Day

Ed Carpenter will be on pole for the 97th Indianapolis 500!

 

 

His average four lap speed was 228.762

He is the first American pole sitter since Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.

He is the first Indiana born pole winner since Pat O'Connor in 1957.

Carpenter is the step son of Indy Racing League Founder Tony George, the grandson of Tony Hulman who brought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway back from near ruin after WWII.

Carpenter is on a one car team that he owns.

Marco Andretti and 21 year old rookie Carlos Munoz will join Carpenter on the front row.

All 5 Andretti Autosport cars as well as 3 Penske Racing cars were in the Fast Nine and had a chance at the pole position.

All Fast 9 Cars were Chevy powered.

For the complete list of who filled the top 24 positions for the race click here.

Ten drivers will compete tomorrow for the remaining nine positions in the race, since Katherine Legge was added as a late addition in the #81 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Marco Andretti

Here are some fun facts on Marco Andretti

 

 

 Marco was nice enough to answer some questions for us about himself.

 

*Doesn't have his own pets because of traveling, but takes care of his moms dogs Bo, Dallara, and Manola when he is home

 *He said his worst habit is sleeping in

                                                                           

 *His least favorite childhood chore was picking up the leaves

 

*If he was stranded on a deserted island and had to pick a driver to stay with him,

    he would pick James Hinchcliffe, because Hinch is funny

 

*Was the 2006 Indy 500 and the Indycar series rookie of the year

 

*Finished second in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 as a rookie, after getting passed on the 4th turn of the last lap by Sam Hornish Jr

*Became the 4th Andretti to win the Rookie of the year award

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



Entrant list for the 2013 Indy 500

This weekend all of these drivers will be attempting to qualify for the 97th running of the Indy 500.

 NBC Sports Network will have coverage
 

Saturday 11:00 - 2:30 & 4:30 - 6:30
Sunday noon - 6:30

 

Former Winners

 

Helio Castroneves (2001, 02, 09)   *226.988

 

Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012)   *227.080

   

Buddy Lazier (1996)    *222.464

 

Scott Dixon (2008)    *226.162

 

Rookies

 

AJ Allmendinger    *227.199

 

Conor Daly    *220.780

 

Carlos Munoz    *228.520

 

Tristan Vautier    *223.369

 

Indy 500 Veterans

 

Marco Andretti    *228.754

 

Ana Beatriz    *224.476

 

Townsend Bell    *227.160

 

Sebastien Bourdais    *226.736

 

Ryan Briscoe   *225.265

 

Ed Carpenter    *226.768

 

Simona de Silvestro    *225.518

 

JR Hildebrand    *227.549

 

James Hinchcliffe    *226.983

 

Ryan Hunter-Reay    *226.919

 

James Jakes    *224.632

 

Michel Jourdain, Jr.    *223.266

 

Tony Kanaan    *226.822

 

Charlie Kimball    *225.616

 

Pippa Mann    *225.077

 

Josef Newgarden    *226.372

 

Simon Pagenaud    *225.853

 

Will Power    *228.401

 

Graham Rahal    *226.152

 

Sebastian Saavedra    *222.127

 

Takuma Sato    *227.038

 

Oriol Servia    *227.237

 

Alex Tagliani    *226.812

 

E. J. Viso    *229.537

 

Justin Wilson    *226.043

                                                                                                                             

* fastest practice lap of the month

 

The Andretti cars are looking strong with E.J. Viso and Marco Andretti posting the fastest two times of the month. 

There are currently two additional cars slated to qualify, #40 and #99, that do not have a driver assigned to them.

 

Rain ended qualifying at 3:00 on Friday making it a green track for Saturday's qualifying. 

 

According to the weather channel there is a 30-40% chance of scattered thunderstorms in Indianapolis tomorrow during qualifying.

 

 

 

Gates open at the track at 6:30 am.

Cars will be on the track for practice 8:00 - 10:00.

Qualifying begins at 11:00.

Here is a list of the Qualifying Order.

 

                                                                                                            





Race Car Decanters

 

 Pappy always had old Indycars on a shelf in the living room.

Turns out they were liquor decanters.

 

 

 

  

Our mom said that every year when she and mammy and pappy went to Indy they stopped at practically every liquor store in the area so pappy could run in the stores and find race car decanters. 



Bobby Unser

Mom put these two together and asked what year finish it was, and who were the drivers.
I got pretty close to getting the drivers right.
( hint: The 40 car was a somewhat different color scheme that year)
 

 

Mom's Thoughts

Keeping up with the action at the track in the 21st century. 

 

 How cool is technology that you can just turn on your computer wherever you are and watch live practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

 I will admit, we keep the live feed from the speedway on in the background as the kids are doing schoolwork and stuff (one of the benefits of homeschooling) because I just love the sounds of the cars on the track and hearing the announcers.

Of course my kids think nothing of it, it's all they know. 

So to help them appreciate the how lucky they are, I've told them about the 'old days'.

To keep up with what was happening at the track in the 70's and 80's my dad got a May monthly subscription to the Indianapolis Star newspaper.   Problem with that was that till the mail delivered them here to Eastern Pennsylvania it was three or four days old.  
I'm not complaining though, it was still great and I read the all the Indy news as soon as I got home from school each day.  My favorite columnist was Robin Miller because he knew lots of drivers and had the inside scoop of what was going on behind the scenes.
Now the inside scoop comes from drivers themselves from facebook, twitter or videos, which is fine with us, since we can never get enough of Indy.