Another Crazy, Diverse Weekend ‘O Motor Racing

As Thar were so many series racing, I couldn’t get to them All, and that Don’t even include RASSCAR’, Yeehaw!

 

This weekend’s Cornucopia ‘O Motor Racing was “action Packed!” Although I only could “Watch,” err listen to two different racing series, albeit a total of three races, i.e.; IndyCar’s Double Header at Detroit’s Belle Isle and the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) event at Stafford Springs, Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. Since the Truncated Airing for the FIA’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) 8 Hours of Portugal on Motortrend TV conflicted with Sunday’s IndyCar race.

 

OOPS! I almost forgot the IMSA Sports Car race that felt like an After thought following the Day’s Insane IndyCar race!

 

As it’s kind of enjoyable in a Strange, Surreal way how the IndyCar season has been Split into two separate entities, i.e.; the Twisties’ (Road Courses & Street Circuits) portion being the Mainstay with the Ovals as Supporting Cast.

 

Since I was looking forward to the return of Romain Grosjean to “See” what the Frenchman could do for the Minnowecqe Dale coyne team, whilst I’m certain Jimmie Johnson will continue as Tail gunner Charlie. But will he finish ahead of Dalton Kellett, Survey Says?

 

Not to mention that “The Great Santini” continues his part-time IndyCar campaign running with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in it’s third #45 chassis. Which just makes me hope he doesn’t pull an Allmendinger Thar, Yikes!

 

Although I have to say when I thought of Belle Isle this year, the first thing I thought of was the GM Mucky Muck Vice President who Crashed the Corvette Stingray Pace Car there a few years ago!

 

Then just having listened to another Zany Speed Freaks interview with A.J. Allmendinger following his latest victory at Mid Ohio’s Gup lite’ race, ‘Ol Walldinger’ probably wouldn’t want to be reminded of when he Crashed during the opening laps of each day’s Belle Isle Duelie’ driving for El Capitano’ (Roger Penske) with the Race Sponsor Quicken Loans on the Sidepods of his Team Penske IndyCar, el Correctomundo!

 

http://www.nofenders.net/2016/06/belle-isle-recollections.html

 

And C’mon, Put them Hands up, how many of Yuhs Tuned in Saturday Nite’ to check out the Mucho Ballyhooed Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) Short Track race? Where some IndyCar drivers including What’s His Name? That guy who just won another Indianapolis 500 competed…

 

And I was mainly interested in the Portimao Sports Car race to “See” if Glickenhaus showed up, and more importantly if Ryan Briscoe got to race one of it’s brand new racecars, since there’s just the 6 Hours of Monza on July 18^th before le 24 Heurs du Mans in August, which will include 20% Crowd Attendance.

 

Naturally with this being a Double Header weekend, Qualifying for IndyCar was only available behind the Gilded Peacock Paywall! And then we went thru a Rollercoaster ‘O Emotions. From Nothing But commercials (NBC) every 7-9mins to Felix rosenqvist’s Narly Accident! To NBC going Nonstop Commercials for over an Hour before Hosing Us by having to immediately go to Thar Fucking, Are You Kidding Me? NBC Sports App for the Podium Celebration and Post Race coverage over Debutante IndyCar winner

 

As serves you right NBC! Having read that they had Technical Difficulties with the Bullshit Sports App Streaming portion, which Not everybody either Does, or has Access to, so Shame On You NBC!

 

Then simmerin’ over Not being able to “See” the IndyCar Post Race celebrations, I decided to Tune-in to the IMSA Sports Car race via Zed Internets. And for reasons unknown, either my computer or the broadcast decided to Dump at race’s Start, for the second gory time, as I scrambled to reboot my Confuzer and missed the first 7mins of the Sports Car race a la IndyCar!

 

Then I switched Thy Telie’ back on Justin-time to catch the entire “Made for TV:” Debutante SRX race, for which I have to say I actually enjoyed Alan Bestwick and Danica Patrick’s commentary. And when I told Florentine’ F1 Spotter Jeannie that I actually enjoyed queen Danica’s announcing, she promptly asked me how many Beers have you been Drinking?

 

As it was even better having the local Short Track Ace Doug Coby “School” All of the all-stars, not only winning Heat 2, but the 100 lap Feature race ahead of The Biffster’, aka Greg Biffle and SRX Series Co-founder Smoke’. (Tony Stewart)

 

But Hands Down, the Best race of the entire weekend for Mwah was Belle Isle’s Sunday IndyCar race, where my Numero Uno IndyCar Driver Shellacked the entire Grid! Having rolled off P16, Pato O’Ward methodically worked his way forward. As it was funny hearing his Strategist telling him to Focus forwards but Conserve his Push-to-Pass and presumably Save Fuel!

 

O’Ward made to Monster Passes on Scott Dixon and, Uhm? Before lining up fifth on the final restart on lap 67 and carving up Graham Rahal and Alex Palou as I think he passed both of them in one fell swoop? Then he tracked down Colton Big shot! Herta and Overtook him for second before Hunting Down Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden who’d led the entire race.

 

Newgarden who was the only one on used Red rubber Alternate Firestone tyres luridly slid exiting a corner and Pato swiftly sized him up and said Slingshot ON! Pardon Me, Playing Thru! As they made wheel-to-wheel contact before O’Ward took the lead for good enroute to his second career IndyCar win! As I yeled outloud O’wards and Animal!

 

And I understood Newgarden’s Post race Funk after finishing runner-up when being interviewed and saying it was Sad Sad Sad, after leading the first 67-of-70 laps. But just busted up laughing when he paused when asked about the move Patricio put on him for the win. Pausing mightily before saying Deadpan into the Camera, What are you gonna do? Which I took to mean it’s literally like trying to stop a Bull!

 

As O’Ward not only becomes the first repeat IndyCar winner this year, but with his Pole from Race-1 and two podium finishes at Belle Isle vaults from third in the championship, 37 points behind to One point ahead of previous points leader Alex Palou, who finished third today after starting 15^th. While as Claudio’ said, it was a Colton Who? Day with Herta finishing fourth and Graham Rahal rounding out the Top 5 with an unimpressive 5^th place finish. 

Remembering Roseburg's Art Pollard

Once again, it’s Art Pollard Day here in Nofendersville. And whilst I'm aware there's countless fallen racing drivers out there, a la George Amick, Gonzalo
Rodriguez, Gordon Smiley or Rafael Sperafico who make up just a few of the many forgotten Unknowns.

 

Unfortunately, Forty-eight years ago Today, Art Lee Pollard, Jr. lost his life during a qualifying attempt for the Ill-fated 1973 Indianapolis 500. For which it was George Phillips of Oilpressure fame, Ye Elder Statesman of IndyCar Bloggers who introduced Mwah to him posthumously many years ago. Ok, nearly a decade ago now when he originally wrote his story about  Art on February 27, 2012 titled Art Pollard: Always Overshadowed, which you can find upon his Oilpressure.com blog.

 

As I was only vaguely aware of Messer Pollard's name due to his association with one of my most favourite racing cars of all-time, the unique Lotus 56 Turbine! Which Pollard drove for Andy Granateli in the 1968 Indy 500 - five years before his unfortunate death during that Ill-fated Qualifying attempt  at Mother Speedway a week after his 46^th birthday.

 

But I was simply more amazed over Art's Off the Track efforts with Handicapped Children, not to mention his  overall good nature vs his driving abilities, and was surprised to learn Wayback’ then that he was a transplanted Oregonian.

 

Feeling even more chagrined to discover that Messer Pollard hailed from Roseburg, Oregon. Which is now right in my proverbial Backyard, some 95 miles Southeast of Mwah, being a 2hr drive.

 

Not to mention that Portland International Raceway was my IndyCar Home-track for two-plus decades. Whilst it was even funnier yet to learn that Art dominated the Pacific Racing Association series plus West Coast Super Modifieds before finally graduating to the “Big Cars,” i.e.; Indianapolis’s Champ Cars.  

 

As I was then also unaware of the fact that Lone Star J.R. (Johnny Rutherford( was one of Art’s close personal friends - as Rutherford ironically captured his debutant Indy 500 pole the very same day as Pollard’s death and dedicated this achievement in honor of Art.

 

While I also know that numerous drivers are diligent souls in giving back to their respective Communities and us the Fans, but the part that really hits home with me is Pollard’s immense contributions towards the La Rue Carter Hospital mentally-ill children. Making yearly visits without camera crew or media to the Hospital’s Psychiatric ward - talking with them, telling stories, playing basketball, etc. As a single sentence in one of the countless storiesI’ve read ‘bout Art personally paying for them to attend Day Camp left your stoic No Fenders scribe teary-eyed…

 

As it seems a truly fitting tribute that La rue Carter named their play area the Art Pollard Playground  in honor of him.

 

Robin Miller

Riley Hospital for Children had a special wing for kids with emotional issues and that was LaRue Carter where Art would go at night and sit with the kids for a few hours. After his death we had a picnic for those kids every May, drivers played softball, hung with the kids and that went on for 20-plus years before it was stopped.

 

Art got a late start in racing but was a bad ass in super modifieds and adapted quickly to Indy cars. He was always aggressive and real brave. But there was never a better person, great with the fans and well liked by the other drivers.

 

He got me started in racing when we bought a Formula Ford from Andy Granatelli (Art was driving for him then) and he was my chief mechanic (on crutches from his broken leg suffered at Indy in 1972 when the hub broke) for my first couple runs. Alley Oop (his nickname) was one of those special people who come along every now and then…

 

As Art left the racing arena way too early with only 83 USAC Champ Car starts and two IndyCar victories to his credit, which George Phillips notes occurred in 1969 at Milwaukee and Dover, along with a second place finish at Langhorne that year.

 

Pollard also finished a tantalizing runner-up to Jim McElreath at Ontario in 1970 after leading the race by 1-lap before victory slipped away due to a slow tire leak!

 

Yet it’s Art’s unyielding patience for making time for anybody, regardless of the moment that tends to make me think of another fallen driver named Dan Wheldon…

 

Meanwhile, another forgotten Driver's name I tend to overlook typically, and knew Nothing about his career initially was Gordon Smiley, who reputedly was the first Driver to Die at Mother Speedway during a Qualifying run on May 15th, 1982 since Pollard's and Swede Savage's Deaths at Indianapolis, nearly four decades ago. Which I highly doubt any mention of will be made during this Saturday’s Indy GP.

 

As the Acclaimed D-Squared', aka Donald Davidson,  now the recently retired Official Historian of Indianapolis Motor Speedway has noted previously how Gordon rubbed many Indy 500 veteran Drivers the wrong way by proclaiming publicly that Indy was just a "Business" Stop along his way to his ultimate goal of becoming a Formula 1 Driver, which never happened.

 

As Smiley is just loosely intertwined with Pollard, due to dubious circumstances, both being just brief footnotes in the countless numbers of drivers to have perished at Mother Speedway over it’s Century-plus existence.

 

As Art Pollard raced in only five Indianapolis 500 races between 1967-1971, with a best finish of 8^th place in 1967. Ironically the second best rookie Driver that year, with only Rookie Of the Year Denny Hulme finishing ahead in 4^th place. But it’s Art Pollard the person who captivates me with his amazing Humility towards others, especially the Disadvantaged, who makes up just one of the countless “good guy, No Name” Drivers who’ve raced at Indianapolis…

 

And whilst I was trying to “See” if the old Art Lee Pollard Family website was still available, I inadvertently came across a link to ‘Ol r’, akak Robin Miller for a Racer.com article upon 2019 Christmas book ideas including Art Pollard: The Life and Legacy of A Gentleman Racer written by a Hillsboro, Oregon Author which was then available at Coastal181.com. 

INDY 500: Now and Then

When the virtual road meets the reality of Real World Driving...

Yeah, I know Thars absolutely NO Correlation, but... I found the Speed Freaks interview with Conor Daly, Thee Hardest Working Driver in IndyCars, Tuh-duh! Enjoyable as always.

As Conor was fairly philisophical about his runner-up finish in the IndyCar i Racing Indianapolis 175 Virtual Race. Saying he'll take it, but Tank Gawd' for Guaranteed Starting Spots, which Daly was filling in for Carlin that week, albeit Conor's a Fulltime Driver this year courtesy of two race teams, i.e.; (ECR) Ed Carpenter Racing and Carlin.

Yet Daly Mused He'd have Never Qualified - Presumably on Speed alone due  to his running the Barest Bones Sim Rig Set-up of All...

Conor Daly on New Fans, Anger and Monkey Butt

As I Don't know 'bout Y'all, but just Thee Mention of Guaranteed Starting Grid Slots for the Indianapolis 500 absolutely makes me Shudder!

Which is why I suppose I found 'Ol R', aka Racer's Robin Miller, Ye Curmudgeon of IndyCar's following yarn so refreshing.

As Miller harkens back to another obscure name from the past, another of his Sprint Car Heroes Me Thinks? Noting how Jan Opperman put an underperforming Champ Car into the Field of The Fastest 33 Starters at Mother Speedway Wayback in 1976!

RETRO: Jan Opperman's Bump Day Brilliance

And speaking 'O Bump Day's of Past, Robin Miller tells us 'bout three Drivers who persevered to land starts at Indianapolis despite long odds...

MILLER: Heroes of Bump Day

Daly to get Dirty at Chili Bowl

It's good to hear Conor Daly's name again, along with 'Ol r', aka Robin Miller returning to his trusty keyboard for Racer Magazine, after his brief hiatus due to the lingering effects of Chemotherapy...

Although I still strongly believe that Conor needs to be a Fulltime IndyCar Driver with a Bonafied, legitimate IndyCar ride, for which his only remaining option for next year is part-time duties for Juncos Racing. Nonetheless, Daly's at least keeping his name out Thar in racing circles, even if it's just Midget Cars.

As who knows? Perhaps his Jonathan Byrd's connection will lead to bigger 'N better things, beside just another "One-off" at Indy next May...

Daly set for Chili Bowl runoffs