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Jason Bowles (number 5) and Kyle Larson battle for position during a qualifying race at Eldora Speedway.
What retirement? I never used the r-word. OK, maybe I “retired” from taking notes on every IndyCar race, but still, there are burning issues of world consequence to discuss, like dirt track racing, a beer-accompanied chat I had with my friend Erin Crocker, and fendered vehicles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So let me pour my second cup of extremely dark roast and let’s discuss.
In one of the recent blizzard of stories about the making of the movie Turbo, Dario Franchitti said the filmmakers were so obsessed with detail that they asked him what pulling multiple Gs would do to a snail’s shell.
But with Turbo, the real question is “what does having the hopes of an entire form of racing riding on it do to a snail's shell?”
Continue reading "Leave Your Baggage at the Door and Enjoy Turbo" »
I was standing in the middle of the Hy-Vee grocery store near pressdog WORLD headquarters tonight when I thought ..."Geez, I still have to do race notes" and then sighed a sigh that's usually connected with having to get your tires rotated or keeping a dental appointment or spending a weekend with your politically opposite relatives.
And it shocked me ... but not really. Because I knew, standing there by the asparagus, the notes were fini.
When I founded this blog in May 2005 I said "I'll do it as long as it remains fun."
For reasons that have much more to do more with changes in me than in IndyCar -- reasons that would be completely self-indulgent to get into here -- I've reached the point where race notes are more drudgery than delight.
For about a year or so now, cranking out the notes hasn't been noticeably fun and has burned a lot of creative fuel that I could and should have put into my day job.
PLUS after eight years in the arena, I find myself looking for a seat in the gallery, removed from the More Serious Than Cancer debate over the state of health of this, that or the other connected to racing in general and IndyCar in particular.
And so ... adieu from the circus clowns who glide gracefully into retirement ... after banging each other on the head with rubber chickens. pressdog.com will continue, I think, perhaps with interviews and maybe Uncle pressdog postings. I am honestly not sure what's next. But for now, a hiatus.
The knowledge that least a few people enjoyed my race notes is a big big part of what kept them going this long. I sincerely thank you for eight years of warm fuzzies that came from that, and your kind and insightful comments that more often than not made me say "that's a good point."
So, one last time, Cue the circus music.
Pippa Mann waits to qualify for the Indy 500 in 2013.
Pippa Mann's fans are convinced of several things ..
1.) She's among the most fan-friendly, accessible drivers in IndyCar. The Ipswich, England, native now lives with her husband in Indianapolis turns up at virtually every fan event she's invited to in Indy. She's also a regular attender of most Tweet ups and other fan gatherings at most IndyCar race locations, even if she's not driving that weekend.
2) She uses her tools ... in the social media realm. From having twitter-based conversation with fans to writing columns for Racer Magazine and her own site, to Behind-the-Scenes photo galleries and Facebook updates, Pippa relentlessly works the social media channels to connect with fans.
3) Despite the struggles and trials that the majority of IndyCar drivers go through -- not to mention the harsh critics and haters sniping from the anonymous shadows -- Pippa remains remarkably positive in public.
Continue reading "Pippa Mann Uses Her Social Media Tools, Copes with Driving Uncertainty" »
Word, everybody. Have a good 4th (at least you Americans out there)? No hard feelings to my U.K. friends, I hope, what with us celebrating our break away from the empire and all. Hey, we’ve been tight since 1815, right?
A few things to get through before I have to start the day job, so …
IndyCar at Pocono Raceway — (Race notes here.) It was going to be hard for this race to suck in many people’s eyes just because they were so jacked up that IndyCar was going back to Pocono Raceway.
And I get that, because it is exciting to have IndyCar back on a track that was designed for IndyCar (to the best of my knowledge), and another non-street/road course (calling Pocono an "oval" is a stretch).
Continue reading "Uncle pressdog’s Fireside Chat — Pocono, Daytona and MIA F1 Edition" »
Team Chippy goes 1, 2, 3 at Pocono Raceway
Notes taken during the ABC broadcast of the Pocono IndyCar 400 Fueled by Sonoco on July 7, 2013.
Welcome to Long Pond, PA and the 2.5-mile, three-turn “Tricky Triangle” for the return of IndyCar after a 24-year hiatus. pressdog® Beer of the Race is Stella Artois.
Cue the historic montages. This is the final IndyCar race on ABC for this year. Marty Reid, Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear in the booth, Jamie Little with the Man Killing Ponytail deployed, Rick DeBruhl and Vince Welch in the pits.
Continue reading "Notes from the 2013 IndyCar Race at Pocono" »
