DataGrange Motorsport

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go ...

IndyCar fans suffered a shock when veteran racer Tony Kanaan lost his 2011 ride this week after team owner Gil de Ferran unexpectedly shut down his racing operations.

Times must be tight … de Ferran and Little Penske unable to chase up sponsorship loot? Come on, now …

Fans truly lose in the deal, since Kanaan stands out as one of the few IndyCar drivers who can offer up a compelling chat to the cameras … instead of the typical bromides uttered by the other corporate robots, Kanaan actually interacts with the motorsport world with both emotion and humor. We race fans listen to his chatter with sincere interest.

Let’s hope that SOME TEAM will not allow IndyCar’s most compelling driver to slip away in 2011 …

Kanann Loses 2011 IndyCar Ride as de Ferran Dragon Closes Shop

Fort Lauderdale resident Gil de Ferran had high hopes that his IndyCar team, de Ferran Dragon, would be gearing up for its best year ever after de Ferran signed another South Florida resident and fellow Brazilian, Tony Kanaan, for the 2011 season. But the dream died Thursday, when de Ferran Dragon closed its doors, unable to find sponsorship.

For more, read on …

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Man Among Boys ...

Kyle Busch again shows at Phoenix how his skill and equipment easily rates him in a class by himself within the Truck Series. Closest competitor Clint Bowyer in the Tide 2 simply could not touch the 18 all night.

A great night for ‘Wild Thing’ Nation, but for the discerning race fan, a complete snore …

No Truck driver can touch KB on the asphalt … the owners need to come up with some quality equipment in order to fire some spark into a Series that needs more competition in order to revive fan interest.

Busch Dominates the Trucks at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Win the race off pit road. Win the race.

After taking the lead under caution on Lap 44 of Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, Kyle Busch led the final 107 laps to post his second win at the 1-mile track and his 25th in the Camping World Truck Series.

For more, read on …

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For All Ye Fans of Olde, Do Not Despair ...

Just days ago DGM slated IndyCar for its somewhat dubious forward promotion ability … and we stand prepared to eat our words.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced yesterday provisional plans to expand the final series race at Las Vegas in October into a super-race … one that offers any non-Izod Series racer with the wherewithal to enter the event a cool $5 Meg for victory. Yes, that’s $4 million more than the bonus paid to the Series winner at season end.

Now here’s the type of creative thinking we’ve been seeking out of IndyCar for some time now. We would love to see Sam Hornish, Jr. put together a ride and steal himself a paycheck from the likes of Dixon and Franchitti.  We WOULD LOVE IT! Same goes for any other open wheel candidates (JPM, for instance?). Dress the show up with some Sergio Leone flavored theme like ‘For a Few Dollars More’ and we think that many racing fans will actually circle the date on our calendars.

Some will say this is just another case of IndyCar calling for the crash cart … but we disagree. IndyCar has always held a strong pulse, yet still remains bedridden from injuries suffered during the CART-IRL debacle. A winner-take-all spectacle at season end just might serve as the remedy for its ills.

IndyCar Issues $5 Million Challenge to Non-Series Drivers

Quote by IndyCar CEO Randy Benard —

“We showcase our drivers as being the very best, fastest and most versatile in the world,” he said, “and we are putting our money where our mouth is. If any race car driver in the world outside of the IZOD IndyCar Series can win the Vegas race, we will give you $5 million. We will accept five entries for this challenge, with entrants being determined by a selection committee by mid-summer.”

For more, read on …

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F1 Wants No Parts of Tough Town ...

Taking the only prudence course possible, the Formula 1 Carnival opts to bypass Bahrain (Race 1) on its 2011 calendar.

Safely ensconced here in the USA in our faux-fleece Snuggies, the final decision comes off as a bit smug. F1 asks the Bahrani Royal Family to make its unruly kids play nice when the guests finally arrive for dinner. Bahrani Royal Family reaches under its diamond studded pillow and pulls out its entire army to chase the kids back into the backyard. Kids stick out their collective tongues and insist on rough-housing for as long as they want. F1 puts away the champagne fountain and softly mutters over the lenient manner in which the Bahranis raise their children …

Stay tuned …

Formula 1 Nixes Bahrain Off 2011 Calendar

The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) announced on Monday that the Kingdom of Bahrain would withdraw from hosting the opening round of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship so that the country can focus on its process of national dialogue.

For more, read on …

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More Merc ...

Despite Norbert Haug’s protestations that Mighty Merc did not even rate as a top ten team in 2011, Nico Rosberg tosses off the veil and posts the best times during the final practice session at Catalunya, Spain.

Rosberg Shows Form at D3 Catalunya

Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets on the third day of F1 testing at the Circuito de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain.

For more, read on …

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Into the Great Wide Open ...

What a stunner …

20-year-old kewpie doll Trevor Bayne pulls off the biggest heist since Danny Ocean and utterly boosts the Harley Earl Trophy from a talented gaggle of veterans still gagging over Bayne’s unfathomable feat.

With 20 laps remaining, the Ryan Newman-Denny Hamlin duet lead the show, yet given the nature of Daytona, few watching believe that the pair will cross the finish intact. Newman-Hamlin do indeed survive Kasey Kahne’s wall banger two laps later, only later to helplessly watch Clint Bowyer-Kyle Busch rush on past with eight to go. Regan Smith-Kurt Busch take their turn at P1-P2 one lap later, yet contact between front runners Tony Stewart and Big Busch with four remaining triggers a shunt that collects contenders Smith, Newman, and Hamlin. Junior Nation also suffers a mortal blow at said point, since Stewart’s scuffle ruins the final 14-88 charge to the front. After the dust settles, David Ragan sits at P1 prior to the Green-White-Checker.

Earnhardt loses track position during the warmup to the G-W-C after dropping a left rear tire, and then P1 sitter David Ragan suffers the heartbreak of his career after a false start (changes lanes before the start line) earns him a black flag penalty. A dustup between Robby Gordon, Regan Smith, and Ryan Newman along the backstretch ends up in a predictable shunt, yet the DIS crowd groans in agony when the spill collects Earnhardt and plants him into the outer barrier.

As the cars line up for the second G-W-C, the motorsport world shakes its collective head as young tiro Trevor Bayne idles at P1, whose spotless ride weaves its way to the front during the backstretch mayhem. Bayne gets a tremendous push from veteran Bobby Labonte to win the restart, and NASCAR’s new fresh face gamely holds off a fabulous late charge by Carl Edwards and David Gilliland to boost the world’s greatest stock car race. Bayne becomes the first driver since the great Lee Petty (1959) to win the Daytona 500 in his maiden attempt.

Junior Plants Another Flag on Heartbreak Ridge ...

Newcomer Bayne and the Wood Brothers Pull off Stunning Daytona Victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Leading on the final lap of the Daytona 500, a pack of veterans baring down on his bumper, Trevor Bayne didn’t panic.

He figured it would be a cool story to tell someday, how he led a lap in NASCAR’s biggest show.

For more, read on …

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Tale of the Tape ...

T-Stew again puts his raw skill on display with another dramatic NNS victory at Daytona (fourth consecutive).

Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart lead the race as a two-car tandem with only 16 laps to go, yet a nasty shunt (Cassill turns Bra. Keselowski in tr-oval) brings out a red flag condition, yet an unanticipated pit by Stewart sends him back to P11 for the restart. Bowyer wins the restart with six laps to go and immediately teams up with hard charger Dale Earhardt Jr. for the final sprint as Stewart matches up with Landon Cassill for a desperate charge to the front.

Bowyer-Junior battle with Ky. Busch-Logano on the white flag lap before Logano breaks loose in Turn 1 and hits the outer wall. NASCAR allows the race to finish under green and fans catch a thrill as Stewart-Cassill, charging hard from the midpack, rapidly close on the leaders (Bowyer-Earnhardt). On the final exit into the tri-oval, leader Bowyer first blocks Earnhardt left, then Stewart right. The weave costs Bowyer precious momentum and Stewart, riding a critical push from Cassill, turns right up the banking, pulls alongside Bowyer, and snatches the race victory by less than a meter.

T-Stew Pulls Off Another NNS Daytona Victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — You couldn’t blame Clint Bowyer if he’s getting tired of being beaten — barely — by his teammates.

With a shove from Landon Cassill, Tony Stewart surged past Bowyer, his teammate for a day at Kevin Harvick Inc., to win Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300, Stewart’s fourth consecutive victory in the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

For more, read on …

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Where Is The Love? ...

Race fans love to kick around IndyCar and its lack of romance … nondescript drivers (not you, Danica), cookie cutter machines, and a somewhat underwhelming show.

For us here at DGM, it comes down to preseason hype …

We know money remains tight and that IndyCar views itself with a snobbish air towards race fans in general, but let’s face it … fans simply do not buy the notion that an entire race series revolves around ONE Memorial Day event.

Want to mix it up some and generate fan excitement?

… how about a preseason test day or days?

… how about a preseason race for just first and second year drivers?

… how about a preseason race pitting the drivers against one another in an IROC format?

… how about a preseason race featuring all female drivers?

… how about a preseason race featuring American drivers against the world?

And the list goes on.

We believe that a big gold nugget lies hidden beneath the layers of snobbery inimical to IndyCar. Just put down the airs and start mining … NOW.

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Don't Y'All Forget About Me ...

RBR and Sebastian Vettel again climb out of the weeds and show their talent during D1 testing at Barcelona. Is anyone truly surprised?  We love how Red Bull keeps both Ferrari and McLaren back on their collective heels …

Vettel Leads the Pace at D1 Barcelona

Sebastian Vettel admitted he was frustrated by a lack of track of time despite setting the pace on the opening day of F1 testing at Catalunya.

For more, read on …

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The Trucks Choose To Tear Up Some Pricey Sheet Metal at DIS on Friday Night ...

We here at DGM generally get down on NASCAR and its well scripted SpeedWeeks formula, yet 2011 so far reveals just the opposite … the Frances truly want to spruce up the show and add a bit of unpredictability to the annual snore circus (D500 excepted, of course).

Shootout

Big Busch and Denny Hamlin ambush race leader Ryan Newman entering the tri-oval for the final time, and the 22’s decision to go high and right earn him the victory despite Hamlin (DQ) beating him to the tape. The race features 200+ mph speeds for the first time since the late seventies … the fans enjoy the thrill yet NASCAR, with one eye on the frontstretch catchfence, wags its finger at the event with sincere concern for safety.

Qualifying

NA-ZZZ-CAR catches an enormous tailwind when the moribund 88 team comes out of nowhere and snatches the D500 pole on an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon.

Junior Rolls Craps Once Again

Just as  Junior Nation squirms in delight over his breakout qualifying performance, injudicious driving during Twins’ practice ends up in a shunt that robs the 88 of P1 and the spotlight. Junior Fans groan and stumble off to take a cold shower.

Twins Find A Pulse

NASCAR slows down the cars with a tighter plate and more coverage on the air inlets, yet two car drafting still dominates both twins. In Race 1, Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya appear as the pair for the final lap showdown, yet a caution with four to go (Michael McDowell) opens the Green-White-Checker door. Kahne and Montoya again try to slip away into the afternoon sun, yet Big Busch and upstart Regan Smith form a two-car jailbreak that overwhelms the leaders on the backstretch.  The Double Deuce (Busch) holds off Smith for his second victory at SpeedWeeks.

RCR dominates the final laps of Race 2 as Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer ‘two-car’ their way through a late caution and roar to victory over a feeble pack of chasers. The final lap tears up some costly sheet metal, yet the final story revolves around how comer Brad Keselowski, guaranteed a spot in the D500, dedicates his Twin to pushing brother Brian into the Big Race.

Trucks Burn Up Money Like Firewood

Most folks expect a wild and wooly event when the trucks race at DIS, yet Friday’s show proved over the top … we here at DGM winced in pain as three major wrecks tore up machines and left sulking team owners facing hundreds of thousands in repair costs after Series Race 1. The third shunt brings out a red flag condition and the fans get to watch veterans Elliott Sadler and Michael Waltrip fight over the scraps for checkers … Waltrip slingshots around a stunned Sadler while exiting the white flag final turn and snatches an emotional victory  … ten years to the day since his star-crossed win at Dark Daytona.

Add some spice to your race viewing weekend and play Fantasy Cup Series (NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar).