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Sarah Fisher/Susan G. Komen Merchandise Available

Now you too can pink it up to celebrate Sarah's pink car and support the Susan B. Komen for a Cure effort. The shirts were in the IndyCar merchandise tent at Chicagoland.

Not only is Dollar General, Sarah's primary sponsor, allowing her car to be painted pink, but they're kicking out $25,000 as well.

View Sarah's big promo page on dollargeneral.com for a hat/hero card offer or surf to the IndyCar.com store here.

News release below ...

Deluxe Notes from the 2009 IndyCar Race at Chicagoland Speedway

Notes taken at the track and from the VERSUS broadcast of the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL 8/29/09.

Welcome to Joliet where it's colder than crap at race time. Temps hovering just under 60 and we got wind chill. We got blankets in the grandstand. Freakish weather for Aug. 28 in Chicagoland.

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/30/09 -- Chicagoland in the Rear View

We're up for the day here at the Joliet Super 8, temporary WORLD Headquarters for the pressdog empire. A few tidbits to share before I depart for a lovely brunch with MyNameIsIRL.com contributor mmack and mrs. mmack and then back to Des Moines.

Plenty of rage communicated over start time. If you're pissy over the start time of the race (10 p.m. Eastern) don't worry, the league got an earful over it. Terry Angstadt popped into the media center and had a little cluster up with the Big Hitters -- Cavin, Miller, Olson, Oreo, Bruce Martin, Trackside Online's Joe Berkemeier -- and talked about sundry issues that came up at the owner's meeting Saturday.

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/29/09 -- Part 3 -- Post Race

Ryan Briscoe wins by 28 inches. Ho-hum. Just another day at Chicagoland Speedway.

The race is done and I'm about to pack it up and head for the Super 8. Deluxe Notes coming sometime tomorrow after I've had a chance to view the DVR.

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/29/09 -- Part 2 -- Tweet Mania

A special thank you to Curt Cavin, who I now owe a tire slashing, for forcing me to stand in front of the Tweet Up and try to talk. Nice. Yeah, that's my favorite thing right there.

I'd much rather blog than speak. That whole "imagine them naked" thing doesn't work. Jussayin.

We're glad to say the police didn't come, and that it was a very mild event, featuring short Q&As with several interesting drivers (as opposed to uninteresting bloggers).

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/29/09 -- Part 1 -- A Blustery Quest for Food

Chicagoland Speedway is acting like someone with a hangover -- very slow to awake, groggy, staggering around.

This night race is kind of throwing me off. I got to the track around 10 a.m., which is like showing up at the track at about 5 in the morning for a regular 2 p.m.-ish start. It's blustery here, about 61 degrees right now, headed into the mid-50s by tonight. 

Locust Watch in Effect for Chicagoland

Giancarlo Fisichella's winning the pole for the F1 Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps is apparently having repercussions thousands of miles away in Joliet, IL.

Track officials here Saturday issued a "Locust Watch" in effect through tonight's race (9 p.m. eastern on VERSUS).

"The saying 'when Giancarlo wins the pole' used to be like saying 'when pigs fly,'" said a Chicagoland official. "So now that he HAS won the pole, seriously, we're wondering if it might not just be the coming of a new age."

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/28/09 -- Part 5 -- What Have We Learned?

Ensconced in the Super 8 with the day over, it's time to consider just what we have learned so far?

The rain stayed away. I'll take full credit. There was some very light misting during qualifications that even delayed things for a bit, but other than that we stayed dry. The forecast for Saturday says "Windy with a few clouds from time to time. High 66F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Low 48F. Winds NW at 10 to 20. Low 48?

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/28/09 -- Part 4 -- Qualification Madness

Qualifications are done and the 2009 Chicagoland Bullpen is history. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

To recap, the "bullpen" is an area along the pit wall where many of "the media" stand during qualifications. Then the team PR people bring the drivers over one at a time and we quiz them up. Usually it's like a sea of digital recorders stuck into the faces of various drivers.

Live from Chicagoland Speedway 8/28/09 -- Part 3 -- Banan-o-gram

When you're out on the road all the time, inhaling ethanol fumes constantly, you start coming up with nutty stuff to keep yourself entertained. For Vision Racing, it's the giving and receiving of "banan-o-grams." Vision PR Super Star Michael Kaltenmark just presented me with this banana. (Note: I said THIS banana, not HIS banana. Simmer down.) Manly tears were wiped. Pretty sure they are trying to get me to buy them beer. It's working.