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Notes Taken During the 2008 F1 Grand Prix in Singapore

Notes taken during the SPEED broadcast of the 2008 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, Sept. 28, 2008.

pressdog beer of the race is Taj Mahal, brewed in Bombay, India. Salute to the late Paul Newman, racing ambassador, who died last week at age 83.

pressdog Howls for Paul Newman

The AP reports that Paul Newman, actor and friend of racing, died of cancer Friday at age 83.

Along with legendary acting skills, Newman was an accomplished racer and passionate supporter of the sport. Newman was lately involved in Newman Haas racing which dominate the Champ Car World Series before the league merged with the Indy Racing League.

F1 announcer and former driver David Hobbs said recently that Newman would have most likely won championships as a driver if he hadn't pursued acting.

Newman was also a generous philanthropist giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children.

I literally wiped a manly tear this morning when I read the news. I'll watch the Singapore F1 race tomorrow in Newman's honor, and salute him with the beer of the race.

Go with God, Paul. Rest in peace.

Read the AP story here.

Update: Oreo tosses up a nice remembrance of the racing side of Newman.

McLaren F1 Humor!

Those wacky funsters at McLaren Mercedes! Getting giddy about the night race at Singapore! It's good to know that in the $500 MILLION race team budget there's a line item in there for humor. To wit ..

Bloggers get Still More Monster Air on 1070 The Fan

pressdog and other bloggers got some major air in the Trackside call-in show on Indianapolis radio station 1070 The Fan Sept. 26.The show is co-hosted by Curt Cavin of the Indy Star and Kevin Lee of 1070 radio.

I've taken the liberty of saving the blogger discussion as a mp3 file here. The discussion came in response to an email from Will McCarty over at IsItMayYet.com.

Check out the whole 90 minute show here.

Sarah Fisher Wins Indy's Best & Brightest Under 40 Award

pressdog's fav Sarah Fisher won a Major Award recently! Check this 100% legit news release from Sarah Fisher Racing:

Sarah Fisher Racing Announces Fisher wins in Media, Entertainment & Sports Category; First athlete to win award

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Sep 25, 2008) IndyCar Series driver and owner of Sarah Fisher Racing, Sarah Fisher, was stunned when her name was called as the winner of the fifth annual Indy's Best & Brightest under 40 Awards Thursday afternoon at the Gene B. Glick Jr. Achievement Education Center in Indianapolis, Indiana in front of a crowd of 650 business professionals. Fisher beat out nine other finalists in her industry specific category-Media, Entertainment & Sports-one of 100 total finalists across 10 categories.

IndyCar Observers Fear "Severe" Humor Drop in 2009

IndyCar observers Friday expressed concern that the possible departure of Darren Manning will "create an extreme drop in the humor level" in 2009.

"Any time you toss someone that says 'more pints of beer!' right on national TV and uses the word 'knackered' here and there, that really hurts," said one IndyCar observer.

Bloggers get Monster Indy Star Air

None other than Curt Cavin gives the pdog and my boy Jeff over at the smartly redesigned MyNameIsIRL.com a shout out in his latest blog. I appreciate the shout outs from Curt and may have to give him a festive hug when next we meet in the media center. Witness:

Sept. 25: On Australia, Pressdog and others

Iowa Speedway Goes Into Grand Mal Froth Over Nationbusch

The Iowa Speedway Wednesday announced its 2009 racing schedule and immediately experienced sustained "konipshun fits" over events scheduled for August 1.

Track president Jerry Jauron was clearly speaking in tongues, for example, when he declared the Iowa Speedway "one of the finest racing venues in the world."

Catching Up to Katherine Legge

Check the latest diary entry from former Champ Car driver Katherine Legge.

You'll learn about her season thus far, her lack of desire to come back to the US, her turns at a TV commentator and a bit more.

Read it here or check out Katherine's site, www.katherinelegge.com.

IRL Sends Terse Letter to F1 Decrying "Unwise Excitement"

The Indy Racing League, distressed over what it saw during an F1 race at Monza, has sent a terse "letter of concern" to Formula One officials, according to insiders.

The letter apparently criticizes F1 for "egregious and gratuitous overtaking" during the F1 race at Monza, Italy, on Sept. 14.

The race featured a half a dozen or more on-track, on-camera passes.