One Star Rises While Another Sets

As Simona De Silvestro takes seventh in qualifying at Edmonton, Milka Duno gets a finger-wagging rebuke from the league.

The cynical take: The series *needs* a female driver, preferably a good one. Prior to 2010, Milka Duno was the "backup gal" in case Danica bolted for NASCAR. Now that Simona looks like a solid female competitor who's here to stay, Milka is yesterday's fish wrapped in newspaper.

And to clarify for other readers out there like me: the 14th word in that Simona article is "throng", with an "r". Because that's not how I read it the first 3 times.

Simona Wristwatch, Anyone?

If you're a bit weary of the typical Indycar merch, like T-shirts, hats, and bum bags, then get a gander at this bit of bling from Team Stargate Worlds: a BRM watch themed for the Simona de Silvestro fan.

It'll set you back a cool $6,995.00, but hey... they take Visa. Now if I was a 24-year-old fan, I'd only drop that kind of cash if it came with a smooch on the cheek from the driver herself, but your mileage may vary.

You can part ways with your cash over at www.usrtonline.com.

Simona and Helio: Separated At Birth?

The more I see from new Indycar rookie sensation Simona de Silvestro, the more I like -- both on and off the track.

Check out Simona's VBlog from St. Pete:



Helio Castroneves' little sister, I say. She has the same natural charm and easy-going speaking manner. The way she says "crazy race", she's almost impossible to dislike.

My favorite part is when she said (about the race in Sao Paulo), "I did a few mistakes, you know... I sometimes hit the drink bottle instead of the radio, so I almost choked there in the car a few times. Sort of funny, maybe not so funny for the team."