Rain dampens testing of new Indy-style car at Auto Club Speedway

Two IndyCar drivers came to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to test the series' new race car Wednesday, only to have the test washed out by rain after it barely had started.

But one driver, Charlie Kimball of Camarillo, said that was enough to get him excited about racing the new car around the two-mile oval where the cars top 200 mph.

"We did a few laps before the rain came," said Kimball, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing and arrived Wednesday with teammate Graham Rahal. The new car "is going to lend itself to really good racing," Kimball said.

The Izod IndyCar Series is rolling out a newly designed Dallara chassis this season with safety enhancements, and teams have the option to use engines from different manufacturers. Ganassi is using Honda power.

"Everyone is figuring [the new car] out and going in different directions," Kimball said. As a result, "you'll see a bigger disparity" in how well different cars and drivers perform compared with last season, he said.

Auto Club Speedway also is a new venue on the IndyCar calendar this year, with a night race planned Sept. 15, currently the finale on the series schedule.

ALSO:

Sources say Peyton Manning might not play again

Peyton Manning is reportedly cleared by two doctors

Peyton Manning: Is the decision to return to Colts his to make?

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: The new IndyCar Dallara race car last September at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Credit: Jim Haines / Izod IndyCar Series

Danica Patrick, now in NASCAR, will skip Indianapolis 500

Danica Patrick said Monday she will not race in the Indianapolis 500 this year as she focuses on her shift to NASCAR stock-car racing.

The former IndyCar driver said she would race that day, May 27, in NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of 10 races she plans in NASCAR's premier Sprint up Series this year driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

She also is driving a full schedule in NASCAR's second-level Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Patrick shot to fame when she nearly won the 2005 Indy 500 as a rookie. Given her love of the Memorial Day weekend classic, there was speculation she might enter the race despite her move to NASCAR.

But she told reporters at NASCAR's media tour in the Charlotte area that "I'm not going to do the Indy 500" this year although she added that "I hope to do it in the future."

Patrick also did not rule out driving this year in the Brickyard 400, the NASCAR race held each summer at  Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

--Jim Peltz

Photo: Danica Patrick signs a fan's shirt during the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction festivities Saturday in Charlotte, N.C. Credit: Bob Leverone/Associated Press

IndyCar unveils tentative full schedule for 2012

The Izod IndyCar Series finally released its full schedule for 2012 — sort of.

The series listed 15 races starting with a street race in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 25 and ending with a new night race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on Sept. 15.

But IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard said Thursday that "we are exploring adding additional events to the 2012 schedule."

"We're in the process of confirming a 16th event while also considering adding a 17th race to the calendar," he said in a statement without identifying the possible venues.

In the current 15-race schedule, there are races on only four oval tracks — at Fontana, Texas Motor Speedway (June 9), Iowa Speedway (June 23) and the famed Indianapolis 500 (May 27). And all of those races except the Indy 500 will take place at night.

Three of IndyCar's races also are in California: At Fontana, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (April 15) and at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma (Aug. 26).

IndyCar' schedule also includes a new street race in China on Aug. 19.

— Jim Peltz

Photo: IndyCar drivers on the first lap of the race at Edmonton City Centre Airport on July 24, 2011, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Credit: Nick Laham / Getty Images

Chip Ganassi backs IndyCar chief Randy Bernard

Randy Bernard's stewardship of the Izod IndyCar Series has been controversial at times, but one of the series' leading team owners, Chip Ganassi, said Tuesday he supports Bernard.

Bernard is wrapping up his second year as the series' chief executive, a season marred by the death of Dan Wheldon in a 15-car crash at the last race Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Bernard, hired to reverse a drop in IndyCar's popularity following a bitter, 12-year split among series participants, heavily promoted the Las Vegas race, one of several steps he's taken in a bid to grow IndyCar's following. IndyCar also plans to introduce a new race car starting in 2012.

"Just about every time he comes up for air, [Bernard] gets pushed back under the water again," Ganassi told reporters on a teleconference. "The good news is I think Randy's shown great ability to breathe under water.

"There's a lot of facets in this sport that someone coming in from the outside has to learn," said Ganassi, whose driver Dario Franchitti won his third consecutive championship this year and fourth overall.

"No one has been a more willing learner than Randy Bernard," Ganassi continued. "Look at the things that have gone on since he came into the sport  . . . a new car, a new engine formula, a new rules package, [a] new way of buying and distributing the cars. So he's doing fine, I think."

--Jim Peltz

Photo: Randy Bernard, chief executive of the Izod IndyCar Series, during a memorial service for the late driver Dan Wheldon on Oct. 23 in Indianapolis. Credit: Michael Conroy/Associated Press

A.J. Foyt signs IndyCar driver Mike Conway

A.J. Foyt said Tuesday he hired Mike Conway, who won this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, to drive for Foyt's team next season in the Izod IndyCar Series.

Conway, 28, is a specialist on street and road courses and "with the series having twice as many road courses as ovals, we looked for a driver who is fast on those tracks," Foyt said in a statement.

Foyt, who won the Indianapolis 500 at the rectangular Indianapolis Motor Speedway a record four times, added that "I may even be able to give [Conway] a little advice when it comes to the ovals."

The reserved, soft-spoken Conway was seriously hurt in the 2010 Indy 500 when the Englishman's car collided with one driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay, went airborne and then crashed into the catchfence.

But after months of rehabilitation, Conway bounced back with the victory in Long Beach in April while driving for the team of Andretti Autosport.

"Hopefully we can hit the ground running with off-season developments and be quick out of the box," Conway said of the Foyt team. "I'm counting the days until the first test and the start of the season."

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Mike Conway celebrates after winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17. Credit: Chris Carlson/Associated Press

IndyCar releases findings of crash that killed Dan Wheldon

The ability of IndyCar drivers to have "almost unlimited movement" at high speeds around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was among the factors in the 15-car crash that killed driver Dan Wheldon during a race Oct. 16, the Izod IndyCar Series said Thursday.

Releasing the results of its investigation into the accident, the series indicated that the 1.5-mile speedway's high banking and the race's relatively high 34-car field were not by themselves at fault.

But the series said that although most tracks have one or two "grooves" on the racing surface that curb how much drivers can maneuver their cars, the Las Vegas oval -- combined with the design and performance of the IndyCar race cars -- gave drivers "almost unlimited movement" leading up to the fatal wreck.

"The combination of the track geometry factors allowed for relative unrestricted movement within the racing pack that had not previously been experienced," Brian Barnhart, IndyCar's president of operations, told a news conference in Indianapolis.

"This movement not only allowed for increased car-to-car contact but made it more difficult for drivers to predict the movement of other drivers around them," he said. "As a result, the opportunity for this accident was increased.

"While the accident could have occurred at any track at any time, the dynamics of the current car and the overall track geometry at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway under race conditions appear to have been causal to this accident," he said.

Wheldon, 33, had won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time this year. He was running 24th in the race at 224 mph when the chain-reaction crash started in front of him, IndyCar said.

Wheldon's car was among four that went airborne as the fiery crash unfolded, with Wheldon's car striking a catch-fence pole that caused the driver fatal head injuries, IndyCar said.

IndyCar is rolling out a new race car for 2012 that it expects will be safer, but the series recently said it would not return to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway next year as planned, citing a need for further testing there with the new car.

"I don't want to go back there if the conditions aren't right and it's not safe for our race cars," IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard said Thursday.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Cars go airborne in the 15-car crash that killed driver Dan Wheldon on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Credit: Barry Ambrose / Reuters

IndyCar Series will not return to Las Vegas next year

The Izod IndyCar Series said Thursday it would not return next year to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where driver Dan Wheldon was killed Oct. 16 in a horrific 15-car crash.

The series is rolling out a newly designed car next season and "we need to give our technical team ample time to conduct thorough testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway" after a probe into the crash is completed, IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard said in a statement.

IndyCar has yet to release its 2012 schedule but previously had said it planned to again hold its season-ending race at the track north of the Las Vegas Strip.

But some critics questioned whether IndyCar should be racing at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval where cars reached speeds of more than 220 mph on highly banked corners.

The speedway's president, Chris Powell, likewise said in a statement that it was “in everyone’s best interest to give the experts at IndyCar as much time as possible to compile their findings and conduct tests with the new car here at the speedway before we host another IndyCar event."

"We are very hopeful that the Indy Cars will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2013," Powell said.

IndyCar will open next year's season with a street race March 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the complete 2012 schedule "will be announced in the coming weeks," IndyCar said.

ALSO:

Lakers to acquire Chris Paul for Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom

Albert Pujols probably won't energize L.A.'s Latino community

Bill Plaschke: Angels hit it out of park with Albert Pujols signing

--Jim Peltz

Photo: A makeshift memorial Oct. 17 outside Las Vegas Motor Speedway for IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, who was killed the previous day in a racing crash there. Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images

IndyCar Series removes controversial race steward

The Izod IndyCar Series shuffled top management Wednesday, including removing controversial Brian Barnhart as director of race operations.

In announcing the changes, IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard said the series was reviewing candidates to replace Barnhart as race director but that Barnhart would remain at IndyCar as president of operations. He previously held both positions.

Bernard also said Terry Angstadt resigned as IndyCar's commercial division president and was succeeded by Marc Koretzky. The position oversees sales, business planning, marketing and public relations.

Barnhart repeatedly came under fire by some drivers, crew chiefs and team owners this season for his oversight of IndyCar's races. Critics complained he was inconsistent in levying penalties for drivers' improper moves on the track and showed poor judgment in how some races were restarted after caution periods.

Perhaps the most glaring example was the Aug. 14 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, when the race was restarted while the track was still wet from rain.

A multi-car accident immediately ensued, collecting championship contender Will Power of Penske Racing and Danica Patrick, among others. As a furious Power walked back to the garage, he was caught on camera showing his displeasure with Barnhart and others in race control:

 

Koretzky previously had been IndyCar's director of corporate business development. Barnhart has been with IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1994.

-- Jim Peltz

 

 

Funeral services for Dan Wheldon set for Saturday in Florida

Funeral services for Dan Wheldon, the IndyCar driver who was killed Sunday during a crash in Las Vegas, will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. Eastern time in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Wheldon's wife, Susie, issued a statement saying that “although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days. The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers.”

"Dan touched the lives of many people, and I would like to invite those citizens in our community who knew and loved my husband to attend his funeral service. Though we won't be able to fit everyone inside, I know that Dan would have wanted the community to share in the celebration of his life and to grieve his passing. Thank you again. I am forever grateful for your kindness."

IndyCar said the public can send donations to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust, set up for Wheldon's survivors, to: Fifth Third Private Bank, Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust, 251 N. Illinois St., Suite 1000, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Those wishing to send their condolences to the Wheldon family can address letters to: The Wheldons, 600 Koger Blvd. N, Suite 105, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.

MORE:

NASCAR's plans to honor Dan Wheldon

Dan Wheldon's death raises questions about IndyCar racing

— Jim Peltz

Photo: A bottle of milk sits among flowers and mementos at a memorial for Dan Wheldon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gate. Credit: Matt Kryger / Associated Press

NASCAR plans car and helmet decals in memory of Dan Wheldon

NASCAR plans to provide its teams with decals honoring the memory of Dan Wheldon at this weekend's NASCAR races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Wheldon, a 33-year-old Englishman who this year won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time, was killed Sunday in a 15-car crash at the Izod IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR said its car and truck teams would place decals on the so-called B post of their vehicles next to the side windows. NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series is racing Saturday and its Sprint Cup Series on Sunday.

The decal design includes a Lionheart Knight image that was a fixture on the back of Wheldon's racing helmets, NASCAR said, adding that it also was providing a version of the decal to NASCAR drivers to place on their helmets this weekend if they desired.

A moment of silence in Wheldon's memory also will be held prior to the invocations before both races this weekend, NASCAR said.

IndyCar plans a public memorial for Wheldon on Sunday in downtown Indianapolis.

RELATED:

Dan Wheldon's death raises questions about IndyCar racing

Dan Wheldon's death hits racing community especially hard

Bill Dwyre: Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

— Jim Peltz

Photo: The decal honoring Dan Wheldon that NASCAR plans to provide for teams to place on their cars this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Credit: NASCAR

Dan Wheldon crash: IndyCar revises team members in probe

The Izod IndyCar Series on Wednesday revised its information about the team investigating the death of driver Dan Wheldon from injuries in a 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The series initially said Tuesday that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula One racing, and the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, an umbrella organization of racing sanctioning bodies, would assist in its probe of Sunday's accident.

But "it was incorrect to state that either ACCUS or FIA are formally involved," IndyCar said without explanation in a revised statement. It added, however, that "individual members of various motorsports bodies" would help in the investigation.

IndyCar reiterated that it hoped to report preliminary findings about the crash "within the next several weeks."

A public memorial for Wheldon, who was 33 and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, is scheduled Sunday in Indianapolis.

RELATED:

Dan Wheldon's death raises questions about IndyCar racing

Dan Wheldon's death hits racing community especially hard

Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Dan Wheldon after winning the Indianapolis 500 last May 29. Credit: Paul Sancya/Associated Press