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TV Ratings for NASCAR Cup at Talladega Up Nearly 10%

From ESPN PR (motto: Ratings ARE Your business) ...

ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 23, earned a 3.9 national household coverage rating, averaging 5,430,000 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. The rating is up from a 3.6 for last year’s race that also aired on ESPN.

The ratings were delayed due to an internal coding issue with ESPN and Nielsen that affected four days of programming.

McIntosh Endures Engine Trouble During Indy Test

Woman of pressdog® Shannon McIntosh participated in a Road to Indy test on the IMS road course with Pabst Racing Services. Two questions, 1) is "Pabst" related to the beer and 2) is Pabst the team of 2012 for Shantastic? I'll get on that, while you read this news release:

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEST FOR MCINTOSH A STRUGGLE

Testing At IMS Doesn't Go As Planned But Shannon McIntosh Remains Optimistic

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 31, 2011) – Mazda Road to Indy driver Shannon McIntosh had a flurry of emotion as she sped across the 100-year-old “Yard of Bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in her USF2000 machine this past weekend during a two-day test as apart of the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test. 

Jenna Fryer's IndyCar Trial by Fire

Sitting at home in Charlotte, N.C. on Oct. 16, Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press was geared up to watch the IndyCar race from Las Vegas in 2011.

Instead she ended up flashing back to Daytona 2001.

Pippa Mann Undergoes Pinky Reconstruction Surgery, Will Power Also on the Mend

An update on Pippa Mann from her PR posse:

Pippa Mann underwent surgery on Tuesday to reconstruct the side of her right hand, including the little finger. The operation itself took approximately four hours to complete, but was deemed a success and Pippa is now at home in Indianapolis, recovering. In what was an intricate and expert procedure, doctors have moved nerves, blood vessels, tendon and skin grafts from her ring finger and forearm, in an effort to rebuild the little finger.

Mann’s right arm is now extensively set in a bandaged cast, but doctors are confident that Pippa will be sufficiently recovered to be back in a car in January, and have a fully functional hand within six months.

Pippa talked about how the crash unfolded and defended the rookies in an interview HERE.

Will Power, who like Pippa went airborne in the crash, suffered a compression fracture in his spine. He is expected to make a full recovery without surgery. Read about Power's injury HERE.

The Quest for Dangerous-ish Racing

I have a confession to make ...

I love three-wide IndyCar racing. I love IndyCar racing at Chicagoland. It's thrilling. It's heart-in-your-throat, pulse-in-your-neck thrilling. Three-wide. It's Eddie Cheever screaming "LUNACY."

There, it feels good to come clean about that. Ever since Dan Wheldon died I've felt guilty about it. Maybe I still do. But God I love it; God help me, I do love it so.

Wheldon Memorial Auction Opens .. BID, ye BASTARDS

The Dan Wheldon memorial auction opened for bids today. To view the wonderment, go HERE (and scroll down). The auction is the brainchild of Graham Rahal. Ebay and auction organizers have waved their fees and all items are donated, so 100% of proceeds go to a fund to support Wheldon's family.

Note: New items are being added to the auction continously, so check back for more stuff.

Donations to a trust fund for the benefit of Wheldon's wife and two sons can be sent to:

Fifth Third Private Bank
Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust
251 North Illinois St.
Suite 1000
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All of Fifth Third Bank's Indianapolis branches also are accepting contributions in person, which will be routed to the account.

Fans also can choose to make a donation to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer's Association, a cause close to his heart. For more details, visit www.alz.org or www.danwheldonmemorial.com, a GoDaddy.com-created memorial site, which includes a Facebook link to leave condolences and remembrances and a career photo retrospective.

Those wishing to send their sympathy and condolences to the Wheldon family can address letters to:

The Wheldons
9600 Koger Blvd N, Ste. 105
St. Petersburg, FL 33702

IndyCar Updates on Investigation Progress

From IndyCar PR ...

INDYCAR CONTINUES INVESTIGATION OF 15-CAR INCIDENT AT LAS VEGAS INDY 300

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Oct. 24, 2011) - INDYCAR continues to move forward with its investigation into the 15-car accident on Lap 11 of the Oct. 16 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in which two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon sustained unsurvivable injuries.

As part of Phase 1 of the investigation, an internal team led by series safety and competition officials is evaluating data to make a factual determination of the circumstances surrounding the entire incident.

The investigation team will utilize outside, independent experts and consultants for analysis of various aspects of the data. The results of the investigation will be turned over to an independent, third-party group for validation.

"We must continue to move forward with a thorough investigation," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "Fortunately, that has already begun, and we have the protocols in place to get this done. This was a tragic accident, and INDYCAR needs to understand everything possible about it."

INDYCAR anticipates Phase 1 will be complete in several weeks. Phase 2 of the investigation will utilize the information learned in Phase 1 to minimize risks in the future.

Wheldon Memorial Auction Kicks off Oct. 24

From IndyCar PR/Web ...

Graham Rahal didn’t know what he was starting when he offered to auction the race-used helmet, gloves and shoes he used in Las Vegas to raise money for the family of the late Dan Wheldon.

Rahal’s gesture began an outpouring of support from celebrities and athletes around the world who wanted to donate memorabilia to raise money for the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund.

Auctions for donated items will begin on Monday, Oct. 24 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund.  The auction will be run by online auction site eBay, which has waived all fees, and Auction Cause, a Los Angeles-based auction management agency specializing in high profile corporate, celebrity, and nonprofit eBay auction events.

Funeral for Wheldon set for Oct. 22, Susie Wheldon Releases Statement

From IndyCar PR ...

Funeral services for IZOD IndyCar Series driver Dan Wheldon will be held at 10 a.m. (ET), Saturday, Oct. 22, at First Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg, 701 Beach Drive N.E. in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Wheldon's wife, Susie, released the following statement on behalf of the family, inviting members of community to attend the service:

NASCAR to Honor Wheldon with Silence, Special Decal

NASCAR will distribute a special vehicle decal (left) to teams with cars and trucks participating in this weekend's races at Talladega.

NASCAR also is producing a version of the decal for helmets for any of the drivers who would like one. Some drivers my also have additional, personal plans to honor Dan this weekend.

NASCAR will also have a moment of silence prior to the invocations in pre-race activities both Saturday and Sunday.