ESPN Got It Right This Time

This past week, ESPN announced two moves concerning their coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and the IZOD IndyCar Series. Not that it matters to them what an over-aged blogger in Nashville, TN thinks – but I heartily approve of both moves.

Who Should Educate New Fans?

When we were at Barber Motorsports Park a couple of weeks ago, one thing I wrote about was how a large number of those in attendance for qualifying seemed to have no clue what was going on. When I mentioned it here, there were varying opinions on the subject.

Random Thoughts On Long Beach

Unless someone grew up an avid Mario Andretti fan in the sixties and still carries a grudge against AJ Foyt from those days – you’ll be hard pressed to find many people that didn’t come away from yesterday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with a very happy feeling. To see Takuma Sato win the race in dominating fashion was justification for Larry Foyt and all of the hard work he has put into rebuilding his famous father’s team. The only thing that would’ve made it better was to have seen AJ himself on hand to witness the victory. Unfortunately, the elder Foyt is getting ready for surgery on Wednesday to repair his sciatic nerve. Having had a few bouts with that myself over the years, I can relate. He wants to be mobile for the month of May.

Long Beach Preview

Last week, with no IndyCar race to watch, Susan and I did a lot of yard work – and I mean, a lot of yard work. While planting trees along the property line, we finally met the neighbor directly behind our house. After we exchanged a few pleasantries, we revealed that we were still technically newlyweds and that we had exchanged vows at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the evening before Pole Day last year. I figured we’d get the same blank stare from him that we get from most people here. Instead, he revealed he is a west-coaster and an IndyCar fan who always used to go to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He immediately began telling us stories of watching Al Unser, Jr., Danny Sullivan and Mario Andretti conquer The Beach. Knowledgeable IndyCar fans are hard to come by in Nashville. We may have met a new friend.

Normalcy Will Prevail

Different people deal with tragic events in different ways. That doesn’t mean that one person cares less than another – they just deal with things differently. After the events that unfolded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, many people took to social media to express their shock, their anger and their sympathy. If that’s what helps some people cope with the emotions they’re feeling – that’s fine. Personally, that’s not how I deal with things. That’s fine too.

Changing My Opinion On Charlie Kimball

Those that know me well know how much I absolutely hate to admit that I am wrong. My family will say that I was hard-headed growing up and they probably don’t think much has changed to this day. Susan, my wife, might say I am less than humble. My ex-wife would probably say…well, there’s no telling what she might say and chances are it wouldn’t be true anyway. Whatever the case, suffice it to say that I don’t usually admit when I’m wrong – even if I am.

A Day At The Museum

Since the IZOD IndyCar Series held a session of spring training at Barber Motorsports in 2009, I have been going to the scenic track on an annual basis. Until a few hours before last Sunday’s race however, I had never been to what everyone described as a major attraction on the grounds – the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.