HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO QUALIFYING RESULTS

LEXINGTON, Ohio - Qualifying Saturday for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio IndyCar Series event on the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and speed:

1. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 120.878
2. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 120.846
3. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 120.586
4. (02) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 120.348
5. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 120.293
6. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 120.261
7. (15) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 119.973
8. (5) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 119.815
9. (18) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 119.772
10. (27) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 119.712
11. (4) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 119.535
12. (8) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 119.422
13. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 118.950
14. (06) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 119.461
15. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 118.939
16. (96) Mario Dominguez, Dallara-Honda, 119.411
17. (33) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 118.726
18. (36) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 119.078
19. (19) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 118.568
20. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 118.910
21. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 117.543
22. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 117.756
23. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 117.196
24. (25) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 114.629
25. (34) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 115.284
26. (23) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 112.477

Delaware Speedway: Saturday Enduro called due to weather

From Delaware Speedway: Unfortunately, due to the rain falling at the speedway and the threat of lightning approaching, today's Transmission Direct Enduro has been cancelled.

Stay tuned to the website for more information. www.delawarespeedway.com

From: John Houghton // Announcer / PR // Delaware Speedway

OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: Kevin gets the 'Job' done

By Tommy Goudge (July 18, 2008) - Kevin Job has been close to victory lane at Ohsweken Speedway on numerous occasions, but the top spot has always eluded him.  That changed on Friday night as the Campbellville resident drove his #21x under the chequered flag first during Round #6 of the Southern Ontario Sprints 2008 season at Ohsweken.  It was his first feature win of 2008 after taking a win during his rookie season in 2006 at Humberstone, and two wins last season, which came at South Buxton and Brighton.

Ryan Hunsinger and Derek Jonathon led the field to the green flag to start the 20 lap feature, with Hunsinger getting the early lead, but 4th starter Keith Dempster immediately glued himself to the rear nerf bar of Hunsinger's #77x.  Rookie Kris Root found the going rough in turn 1 as his #69r bicycled and then made contact with another car, breaking the front end on Root's car and bringing out a caution.  At the same time, a fine run in the top 5 for Dick Mahoney ended in a plume of smoke as the #79's oil filter was dislodged.  Teammates Hunsinger and Dempster opened a gap on the field on the restart and quickly approached lapped traffic, which proved to be the undoing of Hunsinger, who spun out of the lead in the 4th turn while attempting to put a lap on Mike Ferrell's #15.  Meanwhile, the front wing on the Dempster machine had collapsed for a second week in a row, and on the restart 10th starter Kevin Job had moved in behind the #5 machine of Dempster, with Adam West up to 3rd and Rob Pietz in 4th.  Incredibly, Job's front wing also collapsed, but the 2 front running cars still ran at a very fast pace, while Hunsinger quickly charged through the field after restarting at the tail. 

Adam West's fine run came to an end when his engine quit on the backstretch, bringing out a caution flag and sending the #30 to the pit area.  Job was able to get by Dempster shortly after the green flag came back out, taking a lead he would not relinquish.  The race was halted one more time when Jim Porter got sideways coming out of the 4th corner, causing Joel Lehman to spin and then roll over.  Lehman climbed from his machine uninjured, but the #4z suffered extensive wing and front end damage.  The race went back green for a dash to the finish, but Job was not to be denied victory on this night.  Just a lap short of the finish, Ryan Hunsinger pulled off the track with apparent mechanical issues, while Kyle Patrick spun out of the 4th position in corner 3 on the final lap.  Job crossed the finish line first followed by Dempster, Warren Mahoney, Pietz, and Glenn Styres, who twice charged through the field after starting 17th, making his way into the top 10, then catching a bump in turn 1, falling back, and charging back up through the pack again.  Craig Downie, Keith Dempster, Ryan Hunsinger, and Dick Mahoney took the heat race victories.

NOTES:
- 9 drivers competed in their first SOS action of the season on Friday night, including Frank Baranowski, Joe Middlemiss, Brad Malloy, Kyle Patrick, John Riegling, Jim Sweers, Tom MacLeod, James Evans, and Kris Root.  Middlemiss, a winner of 2 SOS events last season, was behind the wheel of the Turford #29 for the evening, but power steering issues caused him to scratch out after his heat race.  MacLeod's appearance was the first behind the wheel of a sprint car for the pavement modified driver who is the son of former SOS driver and car owner, the late Dave MacLeod.  Root and Evans also made their SOS debuts on Friday night.

- Attrition was heavy on Friday night, as only 12 cars were able to finish the feature event due to a combination of mechanical issues and heavy track conditions.  The attrition was beneficial for James Evans and John Burbridge, Jr. who came home with 11th and 9th place finishes respectively after starting on the back row of the feature.

- Chris Jones, who entered the evening tied with Glenn Styres for the SOS points lead, was not in attendance on Friday night.  As a result, Jones unofficially dropped all the way to 7th in the standings, but Styres has very little breathing room at the top as both Warren Mahoney and Keith Dempster gained on the leader, and are now just 14 and 15 points behind, respectively.  Adam West, who entered the night 3rd in the points, also stood a good chance to finish in the top 5 and close the gap with Styres, but mechanical problems halted his race while he was running 3rd.

RACE REPORT - Friday, July 18, 2008
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS 2008 SEASON Event #6
Ohsweken Speedway - Ohsweken, Ontario

HEAT RACE #1
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 71 Craig Downie (2)
2. 30 Adam West (1)
3. 25 Warren Mahoney (4)
4. 5m Brad Malloy (5)
5. 0 Glenn Styres (3)
6. 14 Jim Porter (7)
7. 90 James Evans (6)

HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 5 Keith Dempster (2)
2. 33k Kyle Patrick (6)
3. 69p Rob Pietz (5)
4. 15 Mike Ferrell (1)
5. 75 Jim Sweers (7)
6. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (3)
7. 99c Nick Cupolo (4) DNF

HEAT RACE #3
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1)
2. 21x Kevin Job (5)
3. 1a John Riegling (7)
4. 10 Bob Crawford (2)
5. 94 Stan Zanchin (4)
6. 9jr Tim Zack (3)
7. 66 Frank Baranowski (6)

HEAT RACE #4
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 79 Dick Mahoney (2)
2. 81 Derek Jonathon (1)
3. 7 Jim Price (4)
4. 69r Kris Root (5)
5. 4z Joel Lehman (3)
6. 29 Joe Middlemiss (6)
7. 22 Tom MacLeod (7)

'B' FEATURE
(12 laps - Top 4 Transfer to A-Main)
CANCELLED - 4 cars scratched after heats:
22 Tom MacLeod
29 Joe Middlemiss (mechanical)
66 Frank Baranowski (mechanical)
99c Nick Cupolo (crash)

'A' FEATURE
(20 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 21x Kevin Job (10)
2. 5 Keith Dempster (4)
3. 25 Warren Mahoney (8)
4. 69p Rob Pietz (9)
5. 0 Glenn Styres (17)
6. 5m Brad Malloy (13)
7. 71 Craig Downie (6)
8. 10 Bob Crawford (15)
9. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (24)
10. 7 Jim Price (7)
11. 90 James Evans (23)
12. 94 Stan Zanchin (19)
13. 33k Kyle Patrick (11) DNF
14. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1) DNF
15. 1a John Riegling (12) DNF
16. 81 Derek Jonathon (2) DNF
17. 14 Jim Porter (21) DNF
18. 9jr Tim Zack (22) DNF
19. 4z Joel Lehman (20) DNF
20. 30 Adam West (5) DNF
21. 15 Mike Ferrell (14) DNF
22. 79 Dick Mahoney (3) DNF
23. 69r Kris Root (16) DNF
24. 75 Jim Sweers (18) DNF

Hard Charger: Burbridge, Jr. (Gained 15 positions)

UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 IN POINTS AFTER ROUND #6
Rank. Number Name Total (positions gained/lost)
1. 0 Glenn Styres 818 (--)
2. 25 Warren Mahoney 804 (+2)
3. 5 Keith Dempster 803 (+2)
4. 30 Adam West 750 (-1)
5. 10 Bob Crawford 718 (+1)
6. 79 Dick Mahoney 673 (+1)
7. 11j Chris Jones 670 (-6)
8. 81 Derek Jonathon 591 (+2)
9. 15 Mike Ferrell 588 (+1)
10. 42w Rick Wilson 521 (-2)

NEXT SOS RACE:
Saturday, August 2 @ South Buxton Raceway - South Buxton, Ontario
www.SouthBuxtonRaceway.com
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com

PHOTOS: Capital City Speedway July 16, 2008 from Rick Young

 

 

David Ostella FBMW Lime Rock Report

Open-wheel rookie David Ostella had his best outing to date last weekend as the Formula BMW Americas Championship raced in support of the American LeMans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. While he fell short of returning to the podium, the sixteen-year-old produced a pair of problem-free runs to collect a sixth and fifth-place finish.

 

“I think this past weekend was the best so far since I finished both races without problems,” Ostella said upon his return to Canada. “The track was a very fast one, and I figured out how to reach the ultimate pace more quickly, but I still have to get better at it going forward. I’ve just got to put it all together!”

 

The data once again supports his words as Ostella produced times of 59.839 seconds and 59.374 seconds in back-to-back qualifying sessions on Friday, improving by very nearly a half-second. Returning to the track early Saturday morning for race eight of the Championship, the teenager from Maple, Ontario, then had a quick time of 58.560 seconds on his way to running from eighth on the grid to sixth, eight-tenths better than his qualifying pace. “In the race I had a good start, lost one position on the second lap but then incidents happened on the track and I ended up sixth,” he said. “I was the fifth fastest car, which was encouraging.”

 

In the second start Saturday Ostella had truly found the zone as he turned the second quickest lap in the field and climbed all the way to fifth from tenth on the grid. “Off the start I gained one position and then we had a red flag when a driver hit the wall,” he said of race nine of the Championship. “At the same time a driver drove off and I was able to take seventh, and on the restart I stayed in my position until another driver had an off to give me sixth. I passed my teammate for fifth-place, and was still gaining time until the checker came out.”

 

Gaining time indeed. Racing in a three-pack for positions second through fourth, Ricardo Favoretto and Mikael Grenier were the quickest pair and set personal best laps on lap 21 at 58.70 seconds. Ostella set his best time on the same tour, a 58.38 second lap! It was a consistent pattern, with the young racer nearly reaching Grenier’s rear wing when the checkered flag waved. The checker also brought to a close the first half of the season, and overall Ostella says he is having the time of his life.

 

“I am having the greatest time in the world racing cars, Montreal was just incredible,” he said in summing up the first half events. “Overall though, the first half wasn’t as good as I would have liked, but I’m taking it all as a learning experience and staying positive about everything involved with the racing. I’ve got a great support team, a great race team, and just can’t wait to get back at it in the second half of the season.”

 

Next up for the Formula BMW Americas Championship is an official test session at Putnam Park before all head to famed Road America for three races early in August. David will once again be racing with support from Global Precast Motorsports, Alpinestars, and RAW Integrated Ltd. For more information visit www.davidostella.com

 

From Jason Holland

Yokohama Tire Opts for More Testing and Development Before Returning to ALMS

LEXINGTON, Ohio - July 17, 2008 - For the remainder of the 2008 American LeMans Series season, Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) will reduce its presence at races to concentrate on tire development and testing for the future. During this time the Mazda LMP2 team will be using other tires.

"Our short-term ALMS results with the Mazda LMP2 team have been a little disappointing, but we're confident our long-term goals will be fulfilled, including helping a team consistently reach the podium in the near future," says Mark Chung, YTC director, strategic marketing. "We're working diligently on tire development and will examine all ALMS options for 2009.

"Yokohama has a long history of international racing success, so we're going to take some extra time to focus on development, constructing new tires that will live up to our heritage of championship racing. In fact, more tire tests are planned in the coming weeks and we plan to continue until we can deliver the lap times and reliability we expect from our products."

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama's extensive product line, visit http://www.blogger.com/www.yokohamatire.com. For details on Yokohama's environmental efforts, go to http://www.ecotreadsetters.com/.

Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the "Taking Care of Your Tires" section at http://www.blogger.com/www.yokohamatire.com.

Jacques Villeneuve to race in Montreal Nationwide Series race

TSN is reporting that Jacques Villeneuve will drive for Braun Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, next Month, at the track named for his late father.

Ohsweken Speedway - World of Outlaws - July 22nd - July 23rd

If you missed this show last year, don't miss out again. Get your tickets today.

GM Canada VP plans to save money by cutting NASCAR sponsorship. Feel free to read that line again...

In a story in today's Toronto Sun, GM Canada VP David Paterson says the company's plan to save money includes "cutting funding for community programs it supports and also plans on trimming wages paid to salaried workers."

The item quotes Paterson directly as saying, "Instead of being 'Generous Motors' and sponsoring everything left, right and centre, we'll have to do less things (such as) sponsoring motorsports like NASCAR."

Huh?! What?!

Does Paterson actually think GM HAS BEEN sponsoring NASCAR in Canada the past decade? Or CASCAR? Or anything related to Canadian motorsports? If so, this explains a lot.

By my math, if GM Canada totally slashes 100% of its NASCAR / motorsports budget in Canada, they will save exactly.... nothing. Zilch. Bupkiss. Nada. As the song goes, 'nothing from nothing leaves nothing'... and that's what they'll save.

I couldn't stop laughing/crying long enough to finish the reading the rest of the story, but I imagine some of Paterson's other cost-cutting measures to fix GM include things like ending funding for their invisible car program and their "cars for Martians" charity program.

GM has had nothing to do with Canadian racing for years... and their VP blames some of the red ink on their mythincal "generous" sponsorship of NASCAR? In our opinion, GM would easily have sold more cars to the 100s of thousands of Canadian racing fans if they hadn't ignored them for the past decade.

Wow.

p.s. - The story also noted that none of GM Canada's white collar staff would be affected. Shocker.

TSN: PT driving for Vision Racing in Edmonton, with sponsorship from Subway

From TSN: "There will be some Canadian flavour when the IndyCar Series stops in Edmonton later this month. Paul Tracy has been entered into the event, driving the No. 22 Subway sponsored car for Vision Racing...."

... click here for the full TSN story

SIDE NOTE: Remember a few months back when Paul Tracy announced he "wouldn't race for hot dogs" ??? In the wake of the Subway sponsorship announcement, it's clear that he will, however, "race for cold cuts." Myself, I would race for smoked meat.

Drastic cutting at General Motors... including "motorsports"

I listened to the press conference on this on the way into work... I believe Chairman / CEO Rick Wagoner mentioned the cuts would also involve "motorsports." GM is already virtually absent from Canadian motorsports, but it would be a different landscape in American racing if this involved backing away from NASCAR. He wasn't specific on that point, so we'll have to see where and how deep the axe falls.

BUSCH ON HISTORIC COURSE

Kyle Busch is having a banner year.

Halfway through the 2008 season, the phenom racer has won 7 Sprint Cup Series races in a Toyota no less. This time last year, Toyota was still struggling just to make races and Busch was struggling to find the finish line in quality Chevrolet equipment.

It would take a complete meltdown on the part of Busch and his team, to prevent them from claiming a spot in the annual Chase for the Championship. As it stands right now, Busch will have at least a 70 point lead over his closest challenger (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) come September.

“I really don’t believe how good things are going," Busch admitted after his seventh win, third in four events. "It’s just been a phenomenal year. Something just so special. I have to thank the good Lord from up above.

"I don’t know where this is coming from, but he’s blessing us all at Joe Gibbs Racing this year. This is just a privilege to be a part of and we’re so proud.”

Busch's banner year has fans asking, "Can a guy we hate really be that good?" They said the same thing about Jeff Gordon, which makes for a simple answer. The fans don't have to love you in order to be successful.

IHRA: Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend Next Up

Grand Bend Next Stop on 2008 IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Schedule

IHRA will make last Canadian stop of 2008 season at Grand Bend Motorplex July 18-20

 

Norwalk,Ohio (July 14, 2008) – After setting ticket sales records in Edmonton, IHRA will close out the Canadian portion of its schedule in Grand Bend when the professional points chases will heat up at the Mopar Canadian Nationals.

 

The Nitro Funny Car class is not wide open as the top gun in the class, two-time defending World Champion Dale Creasy Jr., is sidelined due to injuries sustained in a semifinals crash in Edmonton. Creasy is expected to miss the rest of the season, leaving a large void at the top of the points standings. Creasy remains in the lead with 392 points, but the top driver behind him is two-time winner this season, Matt Hagan.

 

Though his season is over, Creasy had a message for his fans.

 

“You haven’t seen the last of me. We’re going to see how long it takes to recover and do what we can to make a safer race car, but this isn’t the end of the line for me,” Creasy said from his hospital bed in Edmonton. “It’s a tough deal but if you fall off the horse you have to do everything you can to get back on it. I just want us to figure out how to make these cars safer because no one should have to go through this…this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

 

Hagan, a Nitro Funny Car rookie and teammate of Creasy, claimed his first career event championship at the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham. He also captured the Ironman in Edmonton and has 348 points heading into Grand Bend Motorplex. Terry Haddock, with 293 points, sits third while San Antonio winner Steven Macklyn (283 points) and Milan winner Paul Lee (271 points) are also in the championship mix.

 

“Right now I’m not as concerned with points; just want to take it race by race, lap by lap,” Hagan said. “If we can just win the small races, win the first and second rounds, that leads to the bigger races and the points will take care of themselves. But the last thing on my mind now is running for the championship…I’m just worried about qualifying well in Grand Bend, then winning the first round. I haven’t been doing this long enough and am in no position, in the middle of the season, to think about breezing through the rest of the year and walking away with the championship. That’s not realistic thinking. I just have to do my job, hope my crew does its job, depend on (Crew Chief) Jay (Lewis) to do his job and see how things play out.”

 

Hagan also wants to make sure his teammate is a big part of the rest of the season in whatever capacity he can.

 

“I would love to see Dale get back involved in this race team and be able to make decisions on this race car to help us win the championship,” he said. “In Edmonton we wanted to go out and win the race for him. Hopefully we can go rounds because I think every round we win will help him feel a little better. I want to encourage him every way I can to get him back racing, to get his legs rehabilitated and get him back on that horse.”

 

Defending champion Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) leads the Torco Pro Nitro Top Fuel points chase, but his lead is tenuous. Top Fuel rookie Spencer Massey (Fort Worth, Tex.) has won twice on tour this season and sits just 33 points behind the defending champion. Bobby Lagana Jr. is in striking distance as well, 67 points behind Litton. Mike Strasburg is two points behind Lagana, causing quite a logjam at the top of the standings.

 

“I’ve been saying it all year long, this class is tough,” Litton said. “Any of the cars that qualify can end up winning the whole deal on Sunday. That makes things great for the fans but really tough for us racers. I love the competition, though, and get excited every time I put on the fire suit. Look at the guys right behind me…Spencer is in his 20’s and Bobby is in his late 20’s. Mike Strasburg is not as old as me, but he knows what it’s like for us old guys to try to hold off these young guns. But I’m having a ball.”

 

Canadian Kenny Lang (Grande Pointe, Mb.) has won twice on the 2008 Nitro Jam schedule and leads the points chase heading into Grand Bend Motorplex. But his once wide lead is closing rapidly. He missed a golden opportunity to put some distance between himself, Mike Castellana and defending World Champion Scott Cannon Jr. in Edmonton, but all three lost in the quarterfinals leaving room for Tommy D’Aprile to move back into contention. D’Aprile lost to event champion Carl Spiering in the semifinals, but kept within striking distance of the leaders in the class.

 

Lang enters Grand Bend with 377 points followed by Castellana (303), Cannon (295) and D’Aprile (265).

 

“With half the season left there are so many good cars in this class…any one of them can win,” D’Aprile said. “In Edmonton we were the car to beat, everyone knew it, but we missed the clutch set-up in the semifinal and that was that. But I don’t think about the points, I just love driving this race car. We’ve worked so hard and I’m tickled with how this team has come together.”

 

D’Aprile is looking forward to returning to Grand Bend Motorplex.

 

“The fans in Grand Bend are great,” he said. “We set the track record in 2006 and I’m looking to do it again. The Canadian fans are really cool and I look forward to going up there. I’m really excited and want to put on a great show for those fans.”

Laurie Cannister (Johnstown, Ohio) added to her already huge points lead in the Alcohol Funny Car class, winning her fourth national event of the season. Unless someone else steps up soon Cannister is threatening to run away with the 2008 world championship.

A number of the top drivers in the Torco Pro Stock class are also expected to make the trip to Grand Bend as well, including Edmonton Pro Stock winner Bob Bertsch. 

 

From IHRA 

PHOTOS: Ohsweken Speedway feature winners July 11, 2008 by Rick Wellman

Ohsweken Speedway feature winners on July 11, 2008 courtesy of Rick Wellman

 

www.rickwellmanphotography // 905 354-4445

PHOTOS: GRAND PRIX De MIRABEL , Quebec (ICAR CIRCUIT) 12 July 08 by Rick Young

Thanks to Rick Young for these shots from the GP de Mirabel at the new ICAR Circuit in Mirabel, QC