Greetings from the gray-and-overcast Kansas Speedway.
With storms allegedly bearing down on the track like a blogger bearing down on the media center buffet, the IRL has changed the schedule a bit. Here's the skinny right now:
9 a.m. -- Two Seater on the track. I hear it now. If Davey Hamilton is driving, he's likely trying to break the N-word Cup qualifying pole speed with it, which he usually manages.
9 a.m. -- Firestone Indy Lights driver's meeting. They were processing in there as I arrived at the media center. Arni the Indy Insider is Chief PR Guy for the FIL and was managing the herd.
9:45 a.m. -- Grid the FIL.
9:55 a.m. -- Start your engines.
10 a.m. -- FIL is .... green-green-green.
11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- IndyCar Series morning practice (take that, Rusty Wallace!). All cars on the track at once.
Race time for IndyCar remains the same. You might say "They could run it now and show it tape delay." Except that would be taking a shit on many, many paying customers, so they are trying not to do that. Good for them.
That's it for now. More soon.
Can somebody explain the Rusty/practice jokes both here and on My Name is IRL? I so don't get it... Is this something stupid he said in his deplorable commentary during the 2006 Indy 500?
Posted by: Sean | April 26, 2009 at 11:08 AM
A few years ago the IRL stopped having race morning practices. In part because Paul Dana died in a race morning practice. But us cynical bastards thought that it was more to do with Rusty Wallace going on and on about how unsafe morning practices are. So it became the Rusty Wallace rule. I think honestly a big part of it is the drivers can't stop themselves from being stupid and they tend to run in packs and do goofy shit in the morning practice, crash, then reduce the car count.
Posted by: pressdog | April 26, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Arni looks like he's reciting the first 50,000 decimals of pi in his head.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm ... pi.
Posted by: Roy Hobbson | April 26, 2009 at 01:54 PM
WTF is Arni? Is he some child prodigy or does the IRL care so little about FIL that its made the "Marketing" position a jr. high school internship? No pay, but all the hospitality food & IZOD gear you can grab? I'm serious. What is the deal with this?
Posted by: Jeff-O | April 27, 2009 at 01:53 AM
What are you talking about, Jeff-O? Arni is a most excellent professional PR person of many years who has mad skillz. Don't let his youthful appearance fool you. The Insider is definitely sidepod worthy.
Posted by: pressdog | April 27, 2009 at 10:16 AM
No doubt. I only know Arni from his "Indy Insider" appearances, but those taught me one thing: don't front on Arni. He will break you.
I'm all for repealing the "Rusty Wallace Rule." His nauseating "We don't have morning warm up in NASCAR, blah, blah, NASCAR's better" stuff during IRL races was just awful. They should go back and digitally alter the race footage from 2006 to elimiate his voice completely.
BTW, big thanks for the Sunday morning schedule heads-up, 'Dog. Our leisurely Sunday morning got a whole lotta hectic at about 9:30 when I read this update. Between this and the early-race crash-o-rama, I was actually able to see 40+ laps of the Lights. Nice.
Posted by: The Speedgeek | April 27, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Agreed, Geek. Beneath that boyish exterior is a stone cold gangstah.
Posted by: pressdog | April 27, 2009 at 11:39 AM