Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Mid Summer Nights and Chevy still leads the way in Indy Cars...




Joseph Stud! Newgarden, who's having the Breakout season of his young IndyCar career - Hero Card obtained at 2014 Sonoma IndyCar race. (The Tomaso Collection)
As I previously mentioned before, I began compiling my thoughts upon this year's grid prospects prior to St Pete, and then attempted picking up thy ball after some 'lil 'Ol race at Mother Speedway, which as typical has since slipped 'til Fourth 'O July...

Chevy's simply been Kicking ARSE  and Taking Names ever since the season began, having won 8-of-10 races prior to Fontana; with Honda's two wins coming in Rain fest races...

As Curty' Cavin pointed out the obvious in the middle 'O June by noting that Chevy's won the past 19 Poles and 16 Races preceding the Fontana 500-mile Oval  race; which Y'all know how that turned out...

And while I' was still a Wee bit embarrassed over Honda's LAME ARSE excuse (Pre-Fontana) that they'd focused their Aerokit efforts solely on winning the Indianapolis 500; Hmm?  May be, just may be? the race would have turned out different if the Aerokit War hadn't been turn on its head after Chevy's three major accidents and the subsequent Aero modifications, eh?

Thus, having only scribbled down my initial Bowtie Brigade thoughts Pre-St Pete for another story that didn't get bottled in time, I'll take up with the remaining Full-season Chevy runners plus add my  Honda teams thoughts from midway thru the 2015 season, following Belle Isle's wacky weather induced "Double your Trouble" weekend!

CHEVROLET (12-cars)
Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing, (2) KVSH Racing, (2) Target Chip Ganassi Racing (4) and Team Penske. (4)

Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2 Wins)
Obviously 'Cheep (Ganassi) AIN'T pleased with being Second Fiddle to 'El Capitano. (Roger Penske( And although 'TK "Follow-your-Schnoz!" (Kanaan) is still hungry, witness his runner-up finish at Texas, along with another two podiums, (St Pete, Fontana) not to mention having just crossed the holy grail of 300 career starts at 40. He's now the sport's elder statesman, turning 41 on the final day of December.

Scott Dixon continues chipping away at moving up the All-time win stats whilst in search of a fourth championship, having pushed his win tally to 37 with victories at Long Beach and Texas to date. Moving him just two wins shy of tying fourth All-time winner B-I-G' AL's (Unser) tally of 39 and then zeroing in on Mikey' Andretti's record of 42, third overall; CRIKEYS! Which Y'all would ARSE-sume he'll surpass them while having just celebrated his 35th birthday on July 20th.

Only "Wildcard" seemingly for Ganassi is rookie Sage Karam, although he's supposedly extremely talented and most likely will push Charlie "Murphy;" Err Kimball for best of the "Ganassi rest."

As why did hearing "The Voice," aka Paul Page describe Kimball's livery at Fontana immediately make me think of that 'Ol Judas Priest song Green Manalishi!

although the somewhat curious late addition of "S2," aka Sebastian Saavedra as a partial season driver makes me wonder what's really going on here?

Hmm? Me thinks Cheep was eager to take Gary Peterson's Moolah, eh? Or is this some sort of "Insurance Policy" if Karam doesn't Pan Out? Although it now appears a clever way to fund Karam's ride, since initially I wasn't too sure how this fourth seat was gonna play out. As the rookie appears to be getting more 'N more comfortable as a TCGR regular, while look for Saavedra to replace Karam at the season finale at Sonoma...

Yet the brash 20yr old Karam led his first laps ever at Fontana and wasn't afraid to stick his nose into the brawl, especially when running the "High-line" against the series "Heavy Hitters!" While Ditto at Milwaukee before he hit the wall...

CFH Racing (2 Wins)
It'll be interesting to see if Ed, Sarah & Andy and wink 'lil racing  team can upset the Chevy "Heavy Hitters" parade, with Joseph Newgarden hopefully "Breaking his Duck" this season, whilst can the speedy Italian Luca Filippi be tempered into a race finishing winning driver?

Obviously the year's been a major success for Joseph STUD! Newgarden, now having scored his first two IndyCar career victories! First breaking out at Barber Motorsport Park and then leading the team's debutant 1-2 finish Up North Eh! Where Twisty's Wingman Filippi  smartly followed him home instead of breaking racing's Golden Rule: DON'T take your team-mate out when fighting for the lead.

OOPSADAISY! That's exactly what team boss "Fast Eddie" did to his No. 1 driver Joseph Newgarden at Fontana, before lamely blaming his accident upon his spotter.

Next, Newgarden scored his maiden IndyCar Pole at the fabled Milwaukee Mile - as Y'all gotta be mightily impressed with this 'lil Two-car effort that's supplanted Schmidt Peterson Motorsports as the "David" Giant Killers of the sport this season!

KVSH Racing (2 Wins)
While I've totally overlooked le 'Hamburgular, nee Sebastain Bourdais, who I've really never been a fan of. The Frenchman was pretty humble  upon comparing his latest win, his 33rd overall, with the majority coming during his four successive championships in Champ Car vs. his second in the mergified IndyCar series.

As le 'Hamburgular's career win total first put him a single W' behind someone named 'lil Al before putting on a driving Clinique at Milwaukee where he tied Al Unser Jr's career tally with his 34th win.  Putting him three wins clear of his good buddy 'PT (Paul Tracy) and Dario Franchitti - and just one shy of tying thee legendous' "Uncle Bobby!" (Unser)

And while I've been curious over how Bourdais new rookie team-mate Stefano Coletti from Monaco gets on? As the eight times GP2 winner seems to acclimated himself to Indy Cars pretty easily and should win the rookie Of the Year contest. Nevertheless, I wonder how many Gray Hairs he's caused to sprout up on Jimmy Vasser's du, eh? Especially with the number of crashes to date, as I'm sure Jimmy's deferring to  Kevin "Smiley Face" Kalkoven to write the cheques; Hya!

Yet I didn't get any closer to the Honda Boyz before my Sabbatical to thee "Other Florence" and Summer got in  Duh Way, and hence, I'll attempt wrapping things up immediately after thee 4th 'O July, when there will only be five races remaining on the 2015 calendar; SHEISA!

For which IndyCar Curmudgeon 'R, aka Robin Miller so rightly pointed out HOW ludicrous the current ending of Indy Cars season before Labour Day is in his pointed message lambasting Mark "I've Got a Plan! Miles after the season's Humdinger at Fontana. (Especially since the media keeps rubbing our noses with the news of IndyCar Post-season testing taking place in September, and may be October? And why the BLEEP aren't we just racing instead...)


2015 INDYCAR SEASON
16 Rounds: 5 Road Courses, 4 Street Circuits* and 6 Ovals.
(Detroit's Belle Isle Double Header weekend marks season's Halfway point)

(Rd/Date/Venue/Winner/Team/Engine)
9) June 6: Dallas, TX; Scott Dixon, Ganassi (Chevrolet)
2nd: Tony Kanaan, Ganassi/Chevrolet; 3rd: Helio Castroneves; Penske/Chevrolet.
10) June 14: Toronto, ON, Canada; Joseph Newgarden, CFH Racing (Chevrolet)
2nd: Luca Filippi, CFH Racing/Chevrolet; 3rd: Helio Castroneves; Penske/Chevrolet.
11) June 27: Fontana, CA; Graham Rahal, RLLR (Honda)
2nd: Tony Kanaan, Ganassi/Chevrolet; 3rd: Marco Andretti, Andretti/Honda.
12) July 12: Milwaukee, WI; Sebastain Bourdais, KVSH (Chevrolet)
2nd: Helio Castroneves, Penske/Chevrolet; 3rd: Graham Rahal, RLLR/Honda.
---------------------------------
13) July 18: Des Moines, IA
14) Aug 2: Mid-Ohio, OH
15) Aug 23: Pocono, PA
16) Aug 30: Sonoma, CA#
(Double Points race)