1007 replies to this topic

[JHS18]

Massa, on 05 June 2012 - 08:31 PM, said:

Dario Franchitti was on David Letterman's show last night.  Letterman owns Sato's car.

http://www.cbs.com/l...osk1sVRcD9YpSCV

Nice guy when he's winning.

Apparently Vettel's going to be on Letterman the Monday after the Canadian GP too.

I bet hardly anyone who watches that will know who he is. Saying that, I doubt many of them knew who Dario was either...

[Massa]

Who?

[Massa]

I remember Letterman rejecting Lewis Hamilton in 2007 during the Montréal/Indianapolis swing because he had already had Franchitti on for winning the 500 and said they didn't want to show too many racing drivers.  Surprised if Vettel is on.

Dario Franchitti is actually moderately well-known in the U.S. because he's won the 500 three times and is married to Ashley Judd.  By name, no, people might have to really think about it, but when you see him, the general person says "oh, that's Ashley Judd's husband, he races."

Vettel...yeah, no one knows who he is when they say him or his name.

[Rainmaster]

Vettel should wear red and pretend he's Schumacher and see if anyone notices.

[JHS18]

Rainmaster, on 05 June 2012 - 10:02 PM, said:

Vettel should wear red and pretend he's Schumacher and see if anyone notices.

Well if rumours are to be believed, it won't be long before he IS wearing red anyway.

I think Vettel is probably a guy a lot more people like away from F1 than when he's actually racing. I remember when he appeared on Top Gear last year a lot of people afterwards were saying "I didn't know he was that nice" etc. He's got a good sense of humour, so I guess he is one of the "better" international racing drivers to have on a show broadcasted to a majority of people who have probably never heard of him...I guess.

Letterman strikes me as knowing a decent amount about racing so that it won't be too awkward as well with stupid questions, so we'll see.

[Massa]

Letterman grew up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  His TV career began as a pit reporter for the Indy 500.  The guy absolutely loves IndyCar and Formula One and NASCAR and always has the 500 winner and the NASCAR champion on.

Of course I don't find his show all that great but that's personal preference.

[JHS18]

Massa, on 05 June 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

Letterman grew up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  His TV career began as a pit reporter for the Indy 500.  The guy absolutely loves IndyCar and Formula One and NASCAR and always has the 500 winner and the NASCAR champion on.

Of course I don't find his show all that great but that's personal preference.

Yeah, I'm not a great fan of talk shows either on the basis that almost all of them revolve around "So you've got a new book/film/single/album/TV programme coming out/that is out tell us all about it."

[Massa]

I noticed something.

The Indy 500.

"The preceding program was paid for by the GoDaddy Corporation."

It used to say "The preceding program was paid for by ESPN, Inc."

The 500 is an infomercial.  They have to buy the time now.  We're ****ed.

[Massa]

Danica Patrick will be a character in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.  I am more concerned with what's going on with her hair.

http://blogs.sega.co...ng-transformed/

[Massa]

I guess the aerokit stuff is about team owners wanting a fully spec car, and not so much about cost (aerokits may actually be cheaper than the current DW12, though the advertised price always goes up on everything).

Why?

Because TV ratings are low, so you have to be competitive.  IndyCar team owners saw with Lotus this year that not everything is equal in competition (wow, good job figuring that one out, guys, that's sort of the point of it all ), and when you have ratings as low as Indy does, your sponsors don't have time for "well we chose the wrong aerokit you see, Wirth got it all wrong for HPD and..."

The only way they can all guarantee their sponsors are getting some kind of exposure during a race is to have a spec car.

I'm not presenting that as right or wrong, just presenting it.

[Massa]

FOX Sports got the rights to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcasts in the U.S. from ESPN.  Presently, big games (the final and any knockout games the U.S. may be in, which is usually between 0 and 1 ) are on ABC, and the others are on ESPN and ESPN2.  FOX can't possibly show every match, and thus they will need FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 and maybe even FOX Sports 3 to show the World Cup.

SPEED's contracts with NASCAR are up after 2013, and the new channel is rumored to begin in 2014.  I don't know the status of F1 on SPEED, but Le Mans is a multi-year deal.

SparkNotes: This basically just confirmed that SPEED Channel has come to an end because you cannot get broadcasting rights to something that big without a whole arsenal of channels to put games on.  I just hope that SPEED stays around as a website because it's actually a pretty good site.

[Massa]

Prelude to the Dream is tonight at Eldora.  Some just okay drivers are running.

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Aric Almirola
Dave Blaney
Clint Bowyer
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Bill Elliott
David Gilliland
Jimmie Johnson
Kasey Kahne
Bobby Labonte
Ryan Newman
Ken Schrader
Tony Stewart
J.J. Yeley

NASCAR Nationwide
Justin Allgaier
Austin Dillon
Danica Patrick
Kenny Wallace

NASCAR Camping World Truck
Ty Dillon
Jason Leffler

NHRA
Ron Capps
Cruz Pedregon

World of Outlaws
Steve Kinser
Donny Schatz

IZOD IndyCar Series
Tony Kanaan

Other
Ray Evernham

[JHS18]

Is there a way to watch it online? Would be kinda cool to see it if it's not on too late my time on the basis of that YouTube clip you posted of last year's race. Had a look on regular sites but haven't seen anything to say it'll be broadcasted yet.

[Massa]

It starts at 8:00 PM my time, which is 1:00 AM your time.

I'm hoping someone streams it, but I doubt they will.  It's on TV exclusively in Australia.  In the U.S., you have to buy the race (pay-per-view).  If it isn't streamed, I'll be waiting for it on YouTube.  No complaints because it's for charity so pay-per-view made the most sense.  Only complaint is about me hyping up a race no one is going to be able to watch.

[Massa]

This weekend in U.S. racing: Trucks on a speedway tonight, IndyCar on a death trap during the Stanley Cup Finals, Sprint Cup on a newly-paved Pocono overlapping with Montréal.  I might try the NASCAR race...it's been a while since I've watched the stock cars.

NASCAR.com and TNT will be offering RaceBuddy during the event.  It isn't as good as a live stream, but it has a few different static camera angles to watch.  Better than nothing.

One complaint?  Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR.  I like that Pocono is now 400 miles instead of 500.  I don't like that a hashtag is presenting the race.

[HandyNZL]

Well perhaps you should send in a #protest to @inform #nascar that you are @displeased.  Tell 'em to #hashtag on that!

[Massa]

Mark Martin's trap speed at the end of front straight?  213 mph.  This track is fast.  That's terrifying going into Pocono's turn one at 213 mph.  This is the very definition of a drivers' track.  A lot of braking and shifting and all that.  It, like Indy, drives like a road course more than an oval.  They're flying...

[Massa]

I have to figure with how fast they're going at Pocono (they're using restrictor plates for ARCA, like they do at Daytona and Talladega, but not for NASCAR.  The talent level in ARCA is quite frankly pathetic, so I think even ARCA knows those guys going into turn one that fast was a bad idea), we won't be seeing that rumored IndyCar race next year.  Although Pocono made safety improvements, this track is too fast for them.  Today's IndyCar would be doing a trap speed of literally 240 mph into turn one.  Average would likely be in the 230s with the grip they have.

Despite safety improvements, it's still a dangerous track.  You hit the wall hard and fast, and at a bit of a weird angle.  And just because turn one has a catch fence now doesn't mean it's safe; it may be safer to hit a catch fence than to just go over the wall and into the ground, yeah, but...open-wheel car in a catch fence...we've seen that before...

Track's too fast and too unsafe for IndyCar.

Should be fun for NASCAR on Sunday, though.

[Massa]

American chokes, hits the wall, unlikely Brit wins.

It's Indy 2011.  And Texas tonight.

Never though I'd see Justin Wilson win an oval race, or Dale Coyne, good for them.  And no, James, it's not going to be on your local news so don't even ask.

Rahal, ahahahahah.  I really don't like the guy so I'm glad he didn't win.

I was watching the Devils/Kings game.  Had IndyCar on during commercials/intermissions/after the game.  Caught bits and the final four laps.  Finish was cool and all but damn the rest of the race sucked.  Banked ovals ain't your scene, IndyCar.

[Massa]

Félix Serralles: P3 in British F3 race one at Rockingham.

Eddie Cheever, III.: Winner in race one wherever Italian F3 is.  Won both poles as well today.

Now fix the flags on your FIA licenses, kids.

[JHS18]

Yes! Perfect excuse to give them some grief again! Thank you Wilson!

I kid (maybe), good job by Wilson. Nice recovery after going out so early at Detroit.

[Massa]

Yeah, between Indy and Texas, he's finally figured out the ovals.  Took him a few years.  Indy's always been a driver's track, and now they're lifting at Texas and can't run in a pack, so there's more driver input.  Probably helped Wilson a lot.

The race was, from what I saw, 1,000,000 times better than the old-style pack racing ****.  It was still horribly boring.  But at least it wasn't stupid.

I want so badly to enjoy U.S. racing but man...just ain't coming together this year and there aren't enough F1 races on the calendar or ALMS races on TV for me to just enjoy that...when will they just start showing USAC...

[Massa]

For those of you who are enjoying IndyCar this year, the international TV rights package is being renegotiated for 2013+.  Currently, ESPN International owns the rights to the international broadcast, and can sell them to non-ESPN properties if they want to, but often don't.  They just announced that the Canadian broadcast is moving from TSN (Canadian ESPN) to Rogers Sports Net, so it looks like they're going to get away from ESPN-based coverage for 2013.  Obviously, I don't expect IndyCar to be aired internationally on channels that people actually have, but just a note that coverage changes may be coming.

[Massa]

Dale Coyne Racing and Justin Wilson failed tech inspection and were penalized five points.

Couldn't have been too severe, because a win minus 5 points is still more points than second gets.

But still, those cheaters.

It does make you wonder about why Wilson's been so much better on ovals this year.  Must have figured something out...and IndyCar must have figured out that they figured it out...

[Massa]

Ford tweaked the 2013 Fusion Cup car.  The grille bars are no longer a sticker...they're actually real.  That's pretty cool.



This is the 2013 Fusion production car, for comparison.

[Massa]

Who will be driving those 2013 Ford Fusions, Toyota Camrys, Dodge Chargers, and Chevrolet Super Sports?

Don't know.  We have some drivers who don't have contracts signed for 2013 yet, in order by points standings:

1. Matt Kenseth (he isn't going anywhere)
7. Martin Truex, Jr. (working on a long-term deal to stay)
14. Joey Logano (seemed to be Logoner, but then he won)
15. Ryan Newman (sponsorship will determine what happens)
19. Jamie McMurray (seemingly a better driver than he gets to show at EGR)
20. Aric Almirola (has been pretty steady)
25. A.J. Allmendinger (huge disappointment with Penske, though not entirely his fault)
27. Kurt Busch (he never intended to stay there, and I'm not sure they'll want him around.  Dodge is interested if they can find a team).

I'm sure there are plenty of others after that, but those are the bigger ones.

And since I did that by points rank, I'll give you another fun fact: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is second in points.  He still hasn't won a race since 2008.

He's behind Matt Kenseth.  Just as they were after Daytona.  Last time Kenseth and Earnhardt were 1-2 in points?  After the November 2, 2003 race in Phoenix.  Kenseth won the title a few weeks later; Earnhardt fell to third in points behind Jimmie Johnson.

The more you know...

[Massa]

http://www.theonion....organize,28467/

[Massa]

There have been rumblings about IZOD leaving IndyCar early, or being moved to a different role, or something like that.  It looks like IndyCar is trying to make it the IZOD IndyCar Series presented by xxxxxxx so that they can shift to the xxxxxxx IndyCar Series when IZOD leaves.

http://www.sportsbus...od-IndyCar.aspx

And you know what?

They just don't get it.  There's a big problem here.  The name IndyCar Series.  It sucks.  Here's why: you hear people call it Indy, IndyCar, some people still call it IRL even though it no longer is, all that stuff.  Never, ever, ever are you going to hear IZOD IndyCar Series outside of the TV broadcast, and you certainly aren't getting IZOD IndyCar Series presented by something.

NASCAR got it perfect.  No one ever calls it "Cup."  Everyone said Winston Cup, NEXTEL Cup, and now Sprint Cup.  The name works perfectly because you are always saying the sponsor.  You never hear the sponsors with IndyCar and adding another sponsor to an already clumsy name isn't so good.  They need a new name for this series.  It's not like they have any viewers to lose and it's not like anyone knows IndyCar exists.  There's that Indy 500 "NASCAR" race in May but other than that...it's time to give this series a name where the sponsor is actually part of it.

It's the same thing in a lot of sports.  BTCC, not the MSA Dunlop presents the whatever whatever it is or was.  Champ Car, not Bridgestone presents the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford.  ALMS, not the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series.

That's bad value.  It isn't a deal breaker, but it's bad value.  You can't put a name on it that isn't going to last, I get that; IZOD was a short-term deal and if you suddenly make IZOD the focus of the name, in three years you have a whole new name to sell.  So it works with NASCAR because their sponsors are long-term because NASCAR is pretty stable.

Still, it's those little things, and if you're going to make this name even bulkier than it is, I don't know...

...to me it's always the Indy Racing League Pep Boys Indy Racing Northern Lights IZOD IndyCar Series in DIRECTVHD anyway.

[JHS18]

Technically, the BTCC is the MSA British Touring Car Championship sponsored by Dunlop. But I know what you mean.

[Massa]

See, the name sucks so much no one can even remember it, let alone choose to use it.

Allegedly, and that's a big allegedly given that the source is AR1, but allegedly Richard Petty Motorsports (Marcos Ambrose #9 and Aric Almirola #43) will be switching to Dodge next year from Ford.  Richard Petty has a big Dodge connection and the team, as Petty Enterprises, was part of Dodge's return to NASCAR in 2001.  Over many years and many names, they fielded Dodges through 2009.

Dodge still does not have an engine supplier for 2013.

On top of that, does this not change the future for Marcos Ambrose?  His whole reason for going to RPM was to reunite with Ford.  Ford wanted him back in the fold and he has a nice loyalty with them.  Is he going to move to a Ford team?

And if A.J. Allmendinger is on the hot seat, and since that 22 car is a Ford next year, do we start the Ambrose to Penske rumors now?  Roger has a thing for Aussies [not as much as he does for Canadians, though, having picked up a young Paul Tracy and a young Greg Moore, and then fielding an old Jacques Villeneuve and an old Alex Tagliani in NASCAR...we can only assume James Hinchcliffe is his next IndyCar signing and David Empringham or Claude Bourbonnais (don't Google Image that) or Patrick Carpentier is his next NASCAR one :P] and Ford has a thing for Marcos and Marcos has a thing for Ford and Allmendinger hasn't done a whole lot this year and Ambrose is a good sponsors guy and all that...

But that's baseless so we'll go one step at a time and the first step is seeing if RPM announce a Dodge move on Friday as rumored.