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IndyCar Calendars Benefit Schmidt Foundation

What could be better than to gaze upon your calendar in January and see a deluxe, full-color photo of an IndyCar at top speed? Very little.

Except knowing said calendar helped fund the highly sidepod-worthy Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. It's a festival of warm fuzziness.

The foundation is selling IndyCar calendars -- ideal for the IndyCar zealot(s) on your list -- for just $13.99 + $3 shipping and handling. Order before Nov. 30 and save a buck! Click here.

Calendars should ship Mid-December for holiday gift giving. Quantity discounts available for dealers and for corporate gifts; please email info@irlcalendar.com for more information.

You need a 2009 calendar, so make it an IndyCar calendar. Order yours today.

Happy Thanksgiving from pressdog

Happy Thanksgiving from pressdog World Headquarters where we just consumed 12 metric tons of turkey.

Be thankful that ...

• You don't have to try to find sponsors for a race team in today's cash crunch environment
• Your livelihood probably won't disappear on the whim of a sponsor
• You don't have your every move scrutinized and criticized by word butchers with no skin in the game
• You are free to gorge yourself and ignore all things N-word related
• You care enough to get frothed up about every move the IndyCar Series makes
• The Internet makes it possible for everyone with an Internet connection to suddenly become an expert on all things racing

Here's to extra helpings of pumpkin pie and sponsors coming out fo the woodwork soon.

Live Fast Podcast #21

Johnny and the Duke are back -- and more saucy than ever -- with their blazing Live Fast Racing podcast #21.

It's a special Thanksgiving edition podcast that's ideal for listening to as you try to recover from turkey-and-dressing holiday bloat. The podcasters focus on the state of affairs with the Formerly Big 3 and how it will impact racing, especially in the N-word. 

Naturally there's also a segment on the two-wheeled wonders and even some ethanol talk. Always worth a listen.

Listen here.

Jeffy Raises the Bar on Podcastery

Our boy Jeff Iannucci (ee-ah-new-chee) over a the standard-setting MyNameIsIRL.com raises the bar with a brand new 30-minutes-or-less podcast.

Jeff is kickin' it here. pressdog get monster air. Of course, I sound like I'm on a ventilator and my Skype connection sucks. This is my standard podcast sound. I whine about Brazilian ethanol and Hugo Chavez oil money, blah blah blah.

Tune in for the breathtaking sound effects, vaguely Ted Baxter-ish news roundup and, mostly, Jeff's wit and wisdom (plus, in a bold move to enhance his brand at home, he includes the kids). A stunning breakthrough in podcast production values. pressdog gives it two paws up. Listen RIGHT NOW.

IRL Ditches American Ethanol, Plans to Start Races with a Green Card Rather than Flag

In a bold move designed to appeal to all-American fans, the Indy Racing League recently announced it will run its Italian chassis-Japanese engine combination on Brazilian ethanol in 2009.

"This is a tremendous day for American race fans," the league said in an announcement. "Now they have the exciting opportunity to pay upwards of 50 American dollars each to watch non-American drivers, cars, engines and fuel compete here in America."

The league's innovative America Last strategy has caused a buzz among the IndyCar's Midwestern-heavy fan base. "Everyone knows America's heartland loves a good Italian car. And they for sure will line up to watch a racing series that promotes a competitor to American ethanol, which puts hundreds of millions of dollars into the Midwestern economy each year."

Welcome to the Sponsorship Desert

Not so good ... various sources are reporting that both the Indy Racing League and the N-word are facing serious sponsorship issues.

The irascible Robin Miller reports that a shocking number of drivers are walking around looking dazed and confused because they are, for now, rideless.

Many other sources like this one say that Nov. 17 -- the day after the N-word season mercifully comes to an end, finally  --  will be BLACK MONDAY for N-word with a ton of people laid off.

Why? Aside from potential sponsors hacking their marketing budgets to the bone, the return on investment of racing sponsorship is more dicey than ever.

Live Fast Podcast #20

Johnny and the Duke kick it -- with authority -- on Live Fast Racing podcast #20.

It's their usual full-immersion show about two-wheel madness, the super-zany F1 word, N-word, open-wheel and so much more.

Listen to here here.

pressdog gets Major Air on 1070 The Fan

The extreme financial meltdown has hit 1070AM The Fan radio in Indianapolis. It's made them so strapped for content they opened the phones to -- deep breath -- BLOGGERS. The pdog gets major air. Actually pressdog.com was born with notes on the Motegi race in April 2005, not 2006, as I said on air. I'm older than I realize. At one point I thought Curt Cavin called me a racist.

Dude. Not true! I voted for Barack! I figured he was calling me a race-ist, as in someone who likes racing, and it was an inside gag or something, since Curt is a quality guy and wouldn't go all Sharpton on me out of the blue. Turns out I misheard him, as he explains on air. Funny stuff.

The far-more-intelligent Jeff from MyNameIsIRL.com got air as did the bloggers from motorracingonline.blogspot.com, 16thandgeorgetown.com and speedgeek.blogspot.com along with the most excellent Sarah Fisher!

Listen HERE