Hopefully the lockout gets lifted and some NFL can take place so we are not forced to do yard work, shovel, laundry or anything else we should do on Sunday, but instead sit on the couch for ten hours, eat boxes of pizzas, cases of beer and not even think about Monday, except for what it will take for our fantasy team to win if we have players playing Monday Night. Many experts have debated the top quarterbacks in the league, if my projections are right for starters, I rank all 32 probably starting Quarterbacks in the league.
1 Aaron Rodgers -GB
2 Peyton Manning-IND
3. Tom Brady-NE
4. Mike Vick-PHI
5. Drew Brees-NO
6. Ben Roethlisburger- PITT
7. Phillip Rivers- SD
8. Matt Ryan-ATL
9. Matt Schaub-HOU
10. Mark Sanchez-NYJ
11. Eli Manning -NYG
12. Tony Romo-DAL
13. Jay Cutler-Chi
14. Joe Flacco-Bal
15. Matt Hassellback-SEA
16. Sam Bradford-STL
17. Matt Stafford-DET
18. Matt Cassell -KC
19. David Garrard-JAC
20. Josh Freeman-TB
21. Tim Tebow-DEN
22. Donovan McNabb-WAS
23. Colt Mccoy -CLE
24 Chad Henne-MIA
25. Cam Newton-CAR
26. Kerry Collins-TEN
27 Christian Ponder-MIN
28 Jason Campbell-OAK
29. Derek Anderson-ARI
30 Alex Smith.-SF
31 Andy Dalton-CIN
32 Ryan Fitzpatrick-BUF
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
2011 Indy Car Power Rankings- Iowa
What an awesome event at the Iowa Speedway under the lights for the first time Saturday night for the IZOD Indy Car Series. Marco Andretti Snaps a 78 race win less streak that dates back his rookie season in 2006 when he won at Sonoma. Here's this Weeks Power Rankings.
1. Dario Franchitti- Dario continues his dominance after leading 172 laps Saturday night, a bit disappointing to not get the victory, but will Will Powers incident, Dario adds to his points lead.
2. Scott Dixon(+1)- Another podium for the Ice Man this weekend, even more satisfying after qualifying in the 23rd position, his worse qualifying effort of his Indy Car career.
3. Tony Kanaan(+3)- TK quickly put Milwaukee behind him with a runner up finish at Iowa. It is only a matter of time before TK and KV Racing Technology grad a win.
4. Will Power (-2)- Iowa was good at all to Will. A single car accident in turn 2 on lap 89 put Will 21st. A slight concussion was reported, the series couldn't return to a road course fast enough for this guy.
5. Oriol Servia- Servia had a solid run going throughout most of the night, the next few races are crucial for Servia, we will find out if he is a contender or a pretender.
6. Marco Andretti (+6) What a huge win it was for Marco and all of Andretti Autosport. He hadn't led a lap all season until Iowa. Iowa has always been a great track for AA, Congrats on his 2nd win.
7. Graham Rahal (-2) Graham just didn't have it at Iowa finishing 15th after starting 20th. Sometimes you just totally miss the set up
8. Takuma Sato- (+1) I'm going to move Takuma up one spot for his first ever pole effort. He lead seven laps, but, as we have grown use to , his night ended earlier after contact.
9. Ryan Briscoe (-3) Briscoe was 6th at Iowa, something tells me his seat is really getting hot at Penske, just hasn't had the results we are use to when it comes to the 6 car at Penske.
10. Danica Patrick (-2) A solid top 10 for Danica after starting on the outside of the front row. Shes ripped off 3 straight top 10's. She really did nothing to lose two spots, just how the ball rolls sometimes.
11. JR Hildebrand (+3) JR had a solid 4th place finish, leading 7 laps on Saturday night. He hhadn't finished higher than 18th since the 500.
12. James Hinchcliffe (+1)- The Rookie continues to impress on the Short ovals with a 9th place finish. I except Hinch to contend at Toronto in his homeland
13. Helio Castroneves(-2)- Helio scores his 4th straight top 10 with a 7th place run. He has been quiet most of the season, but its time for Helio to make some noise in the next few races.
14. Alex Tagliani (-4) Tags is struggling. He ran mid pack at Iowa and hasn't had the results that are expected. Maybe Schimdt's return is catching up to the team, but losing an engineer never helps.
15. Justin Wilson (+1) Wilson was 12th in Iowa. Fortunatly, the series will head for a few road courses to revamp the #22 cars season.
16. Ed Carpenter ( +3) - Don't be fooled by Ed moving up 3 spots, but an 11th place finish at Iowa is solid for the 67 team. Taking the next three races off, I except Carpenter to return to the ovals with a chip on his shoulder.
17. E.J Viso(-2) Viso's night ended early after handling issues, Toronto hasn't been to kind to EJ, the goal here should be to keep it on the asphalt.
18. Alex Lloyd(New) Lloyd breaks into the rankings with a solid 13th place finish, more importantly finishing on the lead lap. He ran solid at Milwaukee, unfortunately, Sebastian Bourdais will be in at Toronto.
19. Vitor Meira (-1) Vitor needs to finish a race, plain and simple. AJ cannot be happy, what so ever.
20. Charlie Kimball- Basically 20th by default, Its surprising that Charlie has not had better results to speak of.
1. Dario Franchitti- Dario continues his dominance after leading 172 laps Saturday night, a bit disappointing to not get the victory, but will Will Powers incident, Dario adds to his points lead.
2. Scott Dixon(+1)- Another podium for the Ice Man this weekend, even more satisfying after qualifying in the 23rd position, his worse qualifying effort of his Indy Car career.
3. Tony Kanaan(+3)- TK quickly put Milwaukee behind him with a runner up finish at Iowa. It is only a matter of time before TK and KV Racing Technology grad a win.
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| Photo Taken by : Eric Schwarzkopf |
5. Oriol Servia- Servia had a solid run going throughout most of the night, the next few races are crucial for Servia, we will find out if he is a contender or a pretender.
6. Marco Andretti (+6) What a huge win it was for Marco and all of Andretti Autosport. He hadn't led a lap all season until Iowa. Iowa has always been a great track for AA, Congrats on his 2nd win.
7. Graham Rahal (-2) Graham just didn't have it at Iowa finishing 15th after starting 20th. Sometimes you just totally miss the set up
8. Takuma Sato- (+1) I'm going to move Takuma up one spot for his first ever pole effort. He lead seven laps, but, as we have grown use to , his night ended earlier after contact.
9. Ryan Briscoe (-3) Briscoe was 6th at Iowa, something tells me his seat is really getting hot at Penske, just hasn't had the results we are use to when it comes to the 6 car at Penske.
10. Danica Patrick (-2) A solid top 10 for Danica after starting on the outside of the front row. Shes ripped off 3 straight top 10's. She really did nothing to lose two spots, just how the ball rolls sometimes.
11. JR Hildebrand (+3) JR had a solid 4th place finish, leading 7 laps on Saturday night. He hhadn't finished higher than 18th since the 500.
12. James Hinchcliffe (+1)- The Rookie continues to impress on the Short ovals with a 9th place finish. I except Hinch to contend at Toronto in his homeland
13. Helio Castroneves(-2)- Helio scores his 4th straight top 10 with a 7th place run. He has been quiet most of the season, but its time for Helio to make some noise in the next few races.
14. Alex Tagliani (-4) Tags is struggling. He ran mid pack at Iowa and hasn't had the results that are expected. Maybe Schimdt's return is catching up to the team, but losing an engineer never helps.
15. Justin Wilson (+1) Wilson was 12th in Iowa. Fortunatly, the series will head for a few road courses to revamp the #22 cars season.
16. Ed Carpenter ( +3) - Don't be fooled by Ed moving up 3 spots, but an 11th place finish at Iowa is solid for the 67 team. Taking the next three races off, I except Carpenter to return to the ovals with a chip on his shoulder.
17. E.J Viso(-2) Viso's night ended early after handling issues, Toronto hasn't been to kind to EJ, the goal here should be to keep it on the asphalt.
18. Alex Lloyd(New) Lloyd breaks into the rankings with a solid 13th place finish, more importantly finishing on the lead lap. He ran solid at Milwaukee, unfortunately, Sebastian Bourdais will be in at Toronto.
19. Vitor Meira (-1) Vitor needs to finish a race, plain and simple. AJ cannot be happy, what so ever.
20. Charlie Kimball- Basically 20th by default, Its surprising that Charlie has not had better results to speak of.
Monday, June 20, 2011
2011 Indy Car Power Rankings After Milwaukee
Yes, I do realize we are about half way through the season, but I realized it would be a cool idea to do, Indy Car Power Rankings. Power Rankings are huge during the NFL and NBA season, so maybe it will take off. I will do 20 drivers, quickly recap their last race and as we move forward, where they were the week before. I will take in account results, streaks and qualifying performances, just because I rank a driver 7th doesn't mean he or she is 7th in points. Obviously it will differ every week, and it will mostly be drivers that run full time. Hope you Enjoy!
1. Dario Franchitti- No Surprise here, he has won two races in 8 days to tie Will Power at the top of the IZOD Indy Car Series Standings. Dario has three wins on the season and has Top 10's in 7 of 8 races.
2. Will Power. Tied atop the Indy Car Series standings, won his first race on an oval last week in Texas. Will came from 17th to 4th at Milwaukee and is tied with Dario with three wins this season.
3. Scott Dixon- Dixon sits 4th in points, but a seventh place finish at Milwaukee to go with a pair of runner ups at Texas has Dixon back on track after finishing outside the top 15 in two of the first three races. Dixon struggles a bit at Iowa, he has yet to land a podium there.
4. Graham Rahal- A quiet runner up at Milwaukee, Rahal quickly put his 30th place finish in the second race at Texas behind him. The only laps Rahal has led this year came at Indianapolis.
5. Oriel Servia- Oriel sits third in points but could easily be flipped with Graham on these rankings. Besides finishing 15th and 21st at Texas, Servia has scored top 10's in each race, including his season high in Milwaukee of 3rd. He has not raced at Iowa since 2008.
6. Ryan Briscoe- Briscoe has had a pretty quiet season so far, he struggled at Indy but scored a 3rd and a 6th place finish in Texas. Briscoe was 11th at Milwaukee
7. Tony Kanaan- TK had a solid run going at Milwaukee, and had the best chance of anyone to beat Dario, but a turn four wreck ended his day early. He led 33 laps in Milwaukee and 39 in Race 2 at Texas, TK heads to Iowa as the defending champion.
8. Danica Patrick- This may be a surprise to most but Danica is starting to gain momentum. She earned her first top five of the season at Milwaukee and was eighth in race 2 at Texas. Maybe focusing on Indy Car will help her over the next few races.
9. Takuma Sato- After finishing dead last at Indy, Sato has put together three consist oval runs. He was 8th at Milwaukee and scored a top five in race #1 at Texas. The addition of TK to KV Racing seems to have helped the entire three car operation.
10. Alex Tagliani- Tags has started on the pole two out of the last four races, two out of three if you take out Texas's blind draw. But the results have not been there. Outside of his fourth place run in race 1 at Texas, he has finished 14th or worse dating back to Sao Paulo.
11. Helio Castroneves- Helio wound up a disappointing 9th at Milwaukee. He lead 31 laps after starting on the front row. After a disappointing 17th place run at Indy, Helio has been in the top ten the past three races.
12. Marco Andretti- Marco is yet to lead a lap this season, and has a season best of only 6th coming in race two at Texas. He has two podiums at Iowa back in 07 and 08.
13. James Hinchcliffe- Hinch Town had his best oval performance at Milwaukee finishing 6th. He quietly has three top tens on the season.
14. J.R Hildebrand- Living off the momentum, or lack their of after Indianapolis, Hildebrand has struggled most of his rookie campaign. Outside of Indy, his best finish is 10th, He has finished 18th or worse in the three races since the 500.
15. E.J Viso- Yes, he did put it into the wall, yet again at Milwaukee, but before that it was a pretty solid weekend at the Mile, qualifying 6th. He had two top tens at Texas, Viso was third at Iowa last year, avoid contact and Viso could move up this list.
16. Justin Wilson- Wilson has struggled for most of the season. He picked up his best oval result (10th) at Milwaukee. He hasn't had the results he is capable of, even on the road courses where he has a high of 7th at Sao Paolo.
17th. Vitor Meira- Meira has be inconsistent to say the least this season. He had a season best 8th place finish at the first Texas race, Meira has only one top ten start this season, that being on a blind draw at the second Texas race.
18th. Mike Conway- After the win in Long Beach, its been all down hill. His first year at Andretti Autosport hasn't gone as smooth as planned, following a 6th at Sao Paolo, Conways best finish is 12th. The road courses cant come soon enough.
19th. Ed Carpenter - Ed has not been up to speed outside of Indy. He is yet to break into the top 10 this year, and has been 16th or worse since Indianapolis.
20th. Charlie Kimball- Three drivers could be consider at the last spot on the list. Charlies has shown promise, despite wrecking at Texas, he placed 14th at Milwaukee
On the Outside looking in is Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alex Lloyd and Simona De Silvestro. Don't forget to watch the Iowa race on Saturday evening at 8 E.S.T on Versus and 1070 The Fan here in Indianapolis
1. Dario Franchitti- No Surprise here, he has won two races in 8 days to tie Will Power at the top of the IZOD Indy Car Series Standings. Dario has three wins on the season and has Top 10's in 7 of 8 races.
2. Will Power. Tied atop the Indy Car Series standings, won his first race on an oval last week in Texas. Will came from 17th to 4th at Milwaukee and is tied with Dario with three wins this season.
3. Scott Dixon- Dixon sits 4th in points, but a seventh place finish at Milwaukee to go with a pair of runner ups at Texas has Dixon back on track after finishing outside the top 15 in two of the first three races. Dixon struggles a bit at Iowa, he has yet to land a podium there.
4. Graham Rahal- A quiet runner up at Milwaukee, Rahal quickly put his 30th place finish in the second race at Texas behind him. The only laps Rahal has led this year came at Indianapolis.
5. Oriel Servia- Oriel sits third in points but could easily be flipped with Graham on these rankings. Besides finishing 15th and 21st at Texas, Servia has scored top 10's in each race, including his season high in Milwaukee of 3rd. He has not raced at Iowa since 2008.
6. Ryan Briscoe- Briscoe has had a pretty quiet season so far, he struggled at Indy but scored a 3rd and a 6th place finish in Texas. Briscoe was 11th at Milwaukee
7. Tony Kanaan- TK had a solid run going at Milwaukee, and had the best chance of anyone to beat Dario, but a turn four wreck ended his day early. He led 33 laps in Milwaukee and 39 in Race 2 at Texas, TK heads to Iowa as the defending champion.
8. Danica Patrick- This may be a surprise to most but Danica is starting to gain momentum. She earned her first top five of the season at Milwaukee and was eighth in race 2 at Texas. Maybe focusing on Indy Car will help her over the next few races.
9. Takuma Sato- After finishing dead last at Indy, Sato has put together three consist oval runs. He was 8th at Milwaukee and scored a top five in race #1 at Texas. The addition of TK to KV Racing seems to have helped the entire three car operation.
10. Alex Tagliani- Tags has started on the pole two out of the last four races, two out of three if you take out Texas's blind draw. But the results have not been there. Outside of his fourth place run in race 1 at Texas, he has finished 14th or worse dating back to Sao Paulo.
11. Helio Castroneves- Helio wound up a disappointing 9th at Milwaukee. He lead 31 laps after starting on the front row. After a disappointing 17th place run at Indy, Helio has been in the top ten the past three races.
12. Marco Andretti- Marco is yet to lead a lap this season, and has a season best of only 6th coming in race two at Texas. He has two podiums at Iowa back in 07 and 08.
13. James Hinchcliffe- Hinch Town had his best oval performance at Milwaukee finishing 6th. He quietly has three top tens on the season.
14. J.R Hildebrand- Living off the momentum, or lack their of after Indianapolis, Hildebrand has struggled most of his rookie campaign. Outside of Indy, his best finish is 10th, He has finished 18th or worse in the three races since the 500.
15. E.J Viso- Yes, he did put it into the wall, yet again at Milwaukee, but before that it was a pretty solid weekend at the Mile, qualifying 6th. He had two top tens at Texas, Viso was third at Iowa last year, avoid contact and Viso could move up this list.
16. Justin Wilson- Wilson has struggled for most of the season. He picked up his best oval result (10th) at Milwaukee. He hasn't had the results he is capable of, even on the road courses where he has a high of 7th at Sao Paolo.
17th. Vitor Meira- Meira has be inconsistent to say the least this season. He had a season best 8th place finish at the first Texas race, Meira has only one top ten start this season, that being on a blind draw at the second Texas race.
18th. Mike Conway- After the win in Long Beach, its been all down hill. His first year at Andretti Autosport hasn't gone as smooth as planned, following a 6th at Sao Paolo, Conways best finish is 12th. The road courses cant come soon enough.
19th. Ed Carpenter - Ed has not been up to speed outside of Indy. He is yet to break into the top 10 this year, and has been 16th or worse since Indianapolis.
20th. Charlie Kimball- Three drivers could be consider at the last spot on the list. Charlies has shown promise, despite wrecking at Texas, he placed 14th at Milwaukee
On the Outside looking in is Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alex Lloyd and Simona De Silvestro. Don't forget to watch the Iowa race on Saturday evening at 8 E.S.T on Versus and 1070 The Fan here in Indianapolis
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bittersweet to Say the least.
What a day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After being towed from Georgetown Road The night before, I was stressed to the max about getting my car from the tow lot, paying the fine at the Police station, getting my car, and making the race. After little to no sleep, I decided to worry about my car after the race, and the 165 dollars it would take to get it. Traffic was horrid, but luckily we made it to our seats in plenty of time to cheer for Dan Wheldon and Tomas Scheckter. Of course, Dan took the win and Tomas finished top 8, this had me in a great mood and I quickly forgot about the towing disaster.
After the unpredictable finish, as Wheldon crossed the stripe and the reality of his win set in, I got a bit emotional. It was great for him, Dan is an excellent guy, surrounded by excellent people from his crew, family and his friends. He was patient all day, and the disappointment of the last 2 years is now gone.
Hats off to JR Hildebrand for a great drive. Sitting in 3 he had been off the throttle for the last 2 laps saying fuel, I'm not 100% sure but I think he ran out in T4, what a finish and glad everyone was safe.
I decided to try to get down to victory circle seeing is I knew a few people close to the team. I ran into friend Bayleigh who is very close with Dan, I talked up the yellow shirt and we got in ( I'm sure someone would have gotten us in anyway, but hey, I felt like a BA) It was a blessing to be in victory circle with Dan, and some friends. As I stopped to remind myself that this may be a once in a lifetime moment that thousands of people would kill to have, I took a breath, fist bumped Mr. Wheldon and shed a tear. What a race, what a great, and what a great deserving champion.
After the unpredictable finish, as Wheldon crossed the stripe and the reality of his win set in, I got a bit emotional. It was great for him, Dan is an excellent guy, surrounded by excellent people from his crew, family and his friends. He was patient all day, and the disappointment of the last 2 years is now gone.
I decided to try to get down to victory circle seeing is I knew a few people close to the team. I ran into friend Bayleigh who is very close with Dan, I talked up the yellow shirt and we got in ( I'm sure someone would have gotten us in anyway, but hey, I felt like a BA) It was a blessing to be in victory circle with Dan, and some friends. As I stopped to remind myself that this may be a once in a lifetime moment that thousands of people would kill to have, I took a breath, fist bumped Mr. Wheldon and shed a tear. What a race, what a great, and what a great deserving champion.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Breaking Down the 500
As the 100th anniversary of the 500 nears, I thought I would take a stab at handicapping the field, who has the best and worse odds to win, based on starting position, crew and past experience in the race. As we all know the 500 is the hardest race and for that matter hardest sporting event to predict, but hey, its worth a shot so here we go, I'm putting all my fan hood aside on this..
2-1 Scott Dixon
3-1 Will Power
4-1 Dario Franchitti
5-1 Townsend Bell
6-1 Helio Castroneves
7-1 Dan Wheldon
8-1 Alex Tagliani
9-1 Ed Carpenter
10-1 Buddy Rice
11-1 Oriol Servia
12-1 Ryan Briscoe
13-1 Tomas Scheckter
14-1 Tony Kanaan
15-1 JR Hildebrand
16-1 Vitor Meira
17-1 Graham Rahal
18-1 Paul Tracy
19-1 Justin Wilson
20-1 Marco Andretti
21-1 James Hinchcliffe
22-1 Danica Patrick
23-1 Bertrand Baguette
24-1 Davey Hamilton
25-1 Simona De Silvestro
26-1 John Andretti
27-1 Alex Lloyd
28-1 Takuma Sato
29-1 Ryan Hunter Reay
30-1 Ana Beatriz
31-1 EJ Viso
32-1 Charlie Kimball
33-1 Jay Howard
34-1 Pippa Mann
2-1 Scott Dixon
3-1 Will Power
4-1 Dario Franchitti
5-1 Townsend Bell
6-1 Helio Castroneves
7-1 Dan Wheldon
8-1 Alex Tagliani
9-1 Ed Carpenter
10-1 Buddy Rice
11-1 Oriol Servia
12-1 Ryan Briscoe
13-1 Tomas Scheckter
14-1 Tony Kanaan
15-1 JR Hildebrand
16-1 Vitor Meira
17-1 Graham Rahal
18-1 Paul Tracy
19-1 Justin Wilson
20-1 Marco Andretti
21-1 James Hinchcliffe
22-1 Danica Patrick
23-1 Bertrand Baguette
24-1 Davey Hamilton
25-1 Simona De Silvestro
26-1 John Andretti
27-1 Alex Lloyd
28-1 Takuma Sato
29-1 Ryan Hunter Reay
30-1 Ana Beatriz
31-1 EJ Viso
32-1 Charlie Kimball
33-1 Jay Howard
34-1 Pippa Mann
Friday, May 20, 2011
Pole Day Qualifying
As I did last year, and probably failed miserably, I am going to attempt to predict the 33 starters for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. I said it last week, and I will stand by it, their are 13-15 legitimate contenders to win this years Indy 500, but drivers still have to run the first race, and that's 4 laps, 10 miles around the worlds greatest race course. So here we go.
I'm going to take Scott Dixon for the pole. It would be Dixon's 2nd pole position at the Brickyard, but really you can take all the Ganassi and Penske Guys, throw them in a hat and pick one. Filling out the front row, ill take Helio Castroneves and Will Power. Lets run through the rest of the 22 starters that will be locked in as of 6pm tomorrow.
Row 2- Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti Townsend Bell
Row 3- Graham Rahal Alex Tagliani Ed Carpenter
Row 4- Dan Wheldon Bertrand Baguette JR Hildebrand
Row 5- Vitor Meira Marco Andretti Davey Hamilton
Row 6- Buddy Rice Oriel Servia Tony Kanaan
Row 7- Takuma Sato James Hinchcliffe Tomas Scheckter
Row 8 Danica Patrick Justin Wilson and Paul Tracy
There is my top 22- this leaves, Ana Beatriz, , , Alex Lloyd, Jay Howard ,Ho Pin Tung, Pippa Mann ,EJ Viso, Bruno Junqueira, Ryan Hunter Reay, John Andretti, Ralphael Matos, Mike Conway, James Jakes, Sebastian Saavedra, Simona De Silvestro and Scott Speed to qualify on Sunday. Who knows if Speed will last, and I hope to see Sarah Fisher Racing turn out the 57 car and get in. Hope everyone enjoys Pole Day as I know I will.
I'm going to take Scott Dixon for the pole. It would be Dixon's 2nd pole position at the Brickyard, but really you can take all the Ganassi and Penske Guys, throw them in a hat and pick one. Filling out the front row, ill take Helio Castroneves and Will Power. Lets run through the rest of the 22 starters that will be locked in as of 6pm tomorrow.
Row 2- Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti Townsend Bell
Row 3- Graham Rahal Alex Tagliani Ed Carpenter
Row 4- Dan Wheldon Bertrand Baguette JR Hildebrand
Row 5- Vitor Meira Marco Andretti Davey Hamilton
Row 6- Buddy Rice Oriel Servia Tony Kanaan
Row 7- Takuma Sato James Hinchcliffe Tomas Scheckter
Row 8 Danica Patrick Justin Wilson and Paul Tracy
There is my top 22- this leaves, Ana Beatriz, , , Alex Lloyd, Jay Howard ,Ho Pin Tung, Pippa Mann ,EJ Viso, Bruno Junqueira, Ryan Hunter Reay, John Andretti, Ralphael Matos, Mike Conway, James Jakes, Sebastian Saavedra, Simona De Silvestro and Scott Speed to qualify on Sunday. Who knows if Speed will last, and I hope to see Sarah Fisher Racing turn out the 57 car and get in. Hope everyone enjoys Pole Day as I know I will.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Opening Weekend
Although the rains dampened the afternoon yesterday and all day today, it was a great opening weekend at the worlds greatest race course. Saturday got off to a delayed start, not by rain, but a sprinkler on the backstretch. Hope this isn't a sign of whats to come with the weather, as today was a wash, and the next 6 days have rain in the forecast.
32 drivers logged laps at the Brickyard yesterday with local Ed Carpenter taking the top speed at 224. 786. Ed shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. He has ran well at the speedway, leading laps two years ago at the 500, and making the Top 11 in qualifying last season. The Surprise should be in Sarah Fisher Racing. SFR has made significant strides in the off season, and with an experienced driver in Carpenter, along with long time engineer Nathan O'Rourke. Rumor is Buddy Lazier could be in line for the #57 ride with SFR if Ed makes it safely into the field on Pole Day.
I think this will be one of the most competitive fields in recent history. I feel their are 17 drivers that have a legit shot at winning, I guess I should back, in no particular order. 1. Dan Wheldon 2. Helio Castroneves 3. Will Power 4. Ryan Briscoe 5. Scott Dixon 6. Dario Franchitti 7. Tomas Scheckter 8. Tony Kanaan 9. Graham Rahal 10. Justin Wilson. 11. Marco Andretti 12. Mike Conway 13. Ed Carpenter 14. Paul Tracy 15. Ryan Hunter Reay 16. Townsend Bell 17. Alex Tagliani.
Right after that list there are a few that wouldn't be shocking, such as Danica, Simona Oriel Servia, Buddy Rice, JR Hildebrand, Bertrand Baguette and Alex Lloyd. There should be a good battle for Rookie of the Year as well, with James Hichcliffe, Scott Speed and JR Hildebrand, not to mention a few others. Not that I have crazily said that half the field could contend, Ill be back Friday for my pole day predictions.
It was great to see familiar faces at the speedway all weekend, and hopefully more to come. Ill continue to be that guy that roams around the pits by himself, taking pictures like an Asian in a parking lot, but I'm OK with that, this only comes around once a year, got to soak it up while I can.
32 drivers logged laps at the Brickyard yesterday with local Ed Carpenter taking the top speed at 224. 786. Ed shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. He has ran well at the speedway, leading laps two years ago at the 500, and making the Top 11 in qualifying last season. The Surprise should be in Sarah Fisher Racing. SFR has made significant strides in the off season, and with an experienced driver in Carpenter, along with long time engineer Nathan O'Rourke. Rumor is Buddy Lazier could be in line for the #57 ride with SFR if Ed makes it safely into the field on Pole Day.
I think this will be one of the most competitive fields in recent history. I feel their are 17 drivers that have a legit shot at winning, I guess I should back, in no particular order. 1. Dan Wheldon 2. Helio Castroneves 3. Will Power 4. Ryan Briscoe 5. Scott Dixon 6. Dario Franchitti 7. Tomas Scheckter 8. Tony Kanaan 9. Graham Rahal 10. Justin Wilson. 11. Marco Andretti 12. Mike Conway 13. Ed Carpenter 14. Paul Tracy 15. Ryan Hunter Reay 16. Townsend Bell 17. Alex Tagliani.
Right after that list there are a few that wouldn't be shocking, such as Danica, Simona Oriel Servia, Buddy Rice, JR Hildebrand, Bertrand Baguette and Alex Lloyd. There should be a good battle for Rookie of the Year as well, with James Hichcliffe, Scott Speed and JR Hildebrand, not to mention a few others. Not that I have crazily said that half the field could contend, Ill be back Friday for my pole day predictions.
It was great to see familiar faces at the speedway all weekend, and hopefully more to come. Ill continue to be that guy that roams around the pits by himself, taking pictures like an Asian in a parking lot, but I'm OK with that, this only comes around once a year, got to soak it up while I can.
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