Ryan Hunter Reay Is A Go For Iowa

It's a match made in heaven. A beautiful little slice of heaven, where a top American driver finds support from the American ethanol industry to race at the track where the corn is grown. It's the intersection of Americana and Rightness, a mid-season kismet for the Indycar world.

Andretti Autosport has announced that Ryan Hunter Reay, winner of the Long Beach Grand Prix, will drive the Ethanol-sponsored car in the Iowa Corn 250.

Had the ethanol industry not stepped up to the plate, Hunter Reay was in danger of sitting out his first race of the season despite being 6th in the championship points.

(Photo credit Andretti Autosport.)

Kim Kardashian Cheers On Graham Rahal

Still no sign of Kim at the Indy 500 yet, but she's weighing-in on Graham's P7 qualification result over at celebuzz.com:

"225.6 mph!! WOW! That means we are starting 7th in the Indianapolis 500 (inside 3rd row) and I’m going to be there at the race next weekend to watch Graham win!"

OK guys, quick show of hands -- and just the guys, we're not concerned about where the gals' hands are right now: Who doesn't want to have Kim Kardashian gushing over how fast and impressive they are in a race car?

I mean, it's got to be distracting. Every time Graham gets out of the car he has to slide over Kim's body on the sidepod. When he checks his mirrors, there's Kim's face in his peripheral vision. At least she's facing forward, I guess.

But once again, Graham's girlfriend Katie Osborne has nothing to worry about. All Kim's got is world-wide market appeal, her traffic-stopping figure, a saucy attitude that just makes... um... sorry, I wandered off there again.

F1 in Austin? Someone Might Tell the Mayor

So much bluster about Bernie's announced 2012 F1 race in Austin, Texas, and so little actual information. SpeedTV is reporting that the "City of Austin and Austin Chamber of Commerce officials were unfamiliar with race organizers’ plans".

Odd. Seems that you'd want to let these folks in on the secret if you actually wanted construction permits.

With just a handful of Texas dollars know to be available for track construction (at this point), someone will have to appear from the wings with $250M-$300M in hand to make this happen. I'd like to meet this person and buy them a $4 gin and tonic.

They'll have to buy land, design, contract, and build a world-class F1 facility in something like 11 months. You'll need a few months to actually run some laps on the track before the Gran Prix.

Add to the mix all of Austin's political environmentalism, and I don't see this happening. What I do see happening goes something like this: USGP announcements continue to move forward, pressure continues to mount on the Austin planning group (much like it did on Donnington), Bernie will reiterate that F1 will never return to Indianapolis (much like Silverstone), and eventually the Austin plans will implode and the USPG will return to Indianapolis, where -- surprise! -- there happens to be a world-class F1 course already (just like Silverstone).

Kim Kardashian Indy Watch

Score one for Graham Rahal. Make that two, actually: he secured a fast ride for the Indy 500 and he landed sponsorship from Quick Trim and their sultry promoter, Kim Kardashian.

Not that we're star struck or anything. I mean sure, she's got a mane of flowing onyx hair, curvy hips like Saharan sand dunes, eyes like a summer's tempest, and huge... hmmmm... wait, sorry, was I saying something?

And now that Sports Illustrated has confirmed that Kim will be at the track this month, the only question remaining is "when"? (Oh, and "what will she be wearing?" So I guess that's two questions.)

Now wait -- what about Graham's current girlfriend, you ask? Don't worry, Katie Osborne... If Kim's too old for Justin Beiber, she's too old for Graham Rahal. Besides, Katie's a Hoosier, and you don't mess with karma during the Month of May.

Anyway, this whole Kardashian conversation is pointless without pictures. So I'm throwing the gauntlet down (or laying it down, or whatever you do with a gaunlet): I want Kim Sightings, Indy 500 bloggers, and I want them immediately.

The clock has started.

Window Over Terre Haute

How's this for a classic "Window Over Terre Haute" satellite image? :)

Why Not Go Back To Charlotte?

Who's up for an evening Indycar race in Charlotte? I think it's time to return.

With Indycar cowboy Randy Bernard's creation of a separate Oval Championship, there's reason to hope for a 50/50 split between oval tracks and road/street courses on the 2011 schedule. If we end up 1 or 2 ovals short of that, then I ask you all to close your eyes for a moment and remember those IRL races at Charlotte in 1997-1998.

Attendance was good, consistently in the 50,000 - 70,000 range. The layout is pretty similar to Texas, so teams can roll off the truck with pretty good setups already dialed in. And with ISC on the outs with Indycar, Charlotte is one more step toward NASCAR independence.

The tragic events of 1999 were a very long time ago, and neither the track nor the current cars are to blame. Let's start a new chapter in this racefan-rich region.

We Were Warned...

At this moment, www.trackforum.com is down.

They warned us. They told us this was coming. They said that this update package was necessary and the time was very soon. It's for our own good.

But 'fess up now: how many of you TF'ers are staring wide-eyed at the blank browser window, hands trembling just a little, that nervous vein on your neck standing out, wondering exactly how you are supposed to cope with the withdrawal? You know who you are, you 10,000+ post-count members.

I know a thing or two about being responsible for the uptime at a high-traffic web site, and believe me no one want this racing communication institution up more than the operators -- especially when they are paid per-view for every Chevy ad you see.

So switch to decaf, practice your cleansing breath exercises, pet a cat, open a window... perhaps even go outside. Trackforum... it will be back.

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.

Barber By-The-Numbers: 53,555

Another successful inaugural Indycar race is in the books, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the usual game of "guess the attendance" -- where one blogger announces that there were 142,000 paid racefans in attendance while another says that there was only 46 including himself -- was completely unnecessary. The Birmingham News is reporting 53,555 in attendance, a very solid number.

"Crowd estimates for the weekend totaled 84,000, with 53,555 for the main race on Sunday. Angstadt said the turnouts were higher at the league's first two races of the year in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and St. Petersburg, but he said attendance in Birmingham was excellent for an inaugural year."

While I certainly don't think that big numbers are everything, the crowd was much larger than I thought would turn up for in the middle of rural Alabama for a non-NASCAR event.

And just to close out Pressdog's new drinking game... "beautiful beautiful beautiful".

Wild Idea for an Indy Lights Venue: Cooper Park Complex

Here's a proposed new oval speedway that's getting lots of buzz here in Central Ohio: the Cooper Park Complex. With it's easy access to the interstate and state-of-the-art facilities, wouldn't this be a great (if not downright wild) venue for Indy Lights?

When the Columbus Clippers baseball team moved downtown into their tony new ballpark, it opened the door for the Cooper Park concept on the site of the old Cooper Stadium. Looks like the proposed track will be a 1/2 mile bullring, with perfect banking for Indy Lights.

The proposal appears to feature a large parking garage and several restaurants with fake names but which are obvious stand-ins for a Rally's, Olive Garden, and a Quaker Steak 'n' Lube. There's also a Marriott Suites, although I'm not sure who wants a room overlooking a race track in this town.

Jeff Gordon Inc. is a partner on the project, and they seem to be downplaying the noise factor in order to get past city counsel. This may be a tough sell, but the proposed Automotive Research and Technology Center may bring in a few jobs that would be tough for the city to pass up.

Check out the video -- I suggest skipping the first 45 seconds, it's unnecessary. :)



Will we see Indy Lights at Jeff's new playground? Unlikely, but it's fun to dream.