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Transcript: Mark Miles and Will Power Talk about 2015 IndyCar Season

Transcript courtesy of IndyCar PR and presented unedited.

IndyCar Conference Call with Mark Miles and Will Power

10/30/2014

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to today's IndyCar conference call. Earlier today the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was released and features many highlights, including 17 race events, two new race venues, a total of six ABC and 13 NBCSN event broadcasts.

The diverse calendar of events, which features six ovals, six road courses, and four temporary street circuits, includes a total of 13 markets making a return to the calendar for 2015.

IndyCar Announces 2015 Schedule. What say Ye (BASTARDS)?

Drum rollllll. Here it is, the 2015 IndyCar Schedule:

3/8 -- Brazil (NBCSN)

3/29 -- St. Petersburg (ABC)

4/12 -- New Orleans (NBCSN)

4/19 -- Long Beach (NBCSN)

4/26 -- Barber (NBCSN)

5/9 -- GP of Indianapolis (Saturday, ABC)

5/16-17 -- Indianapolis 500 Qualifying (ABC)

5/24 -- Indianapolis 500 (ABC)

5/30-31 -- Detroit (Doubleheader, both ABC)

6/6 -- Texas (Saturday night, NBCSN)

6/14 -- Toronto (NBCSN)

6/27 -- Fontana (Saturday, NBCSN)

7/12 -- Milwaukee (NBCSN)

7/18 -- Iowa (Saturday night, NBCSN)

8/2 -- Mid-Ohio (NBCSN)

8/23 -- Pocono (NBCSN)

8/30 -- Sonoma (NBCSN)

Quick thoughts:

Is what is it. IndyCar is fortunate to have 16 venues, honestly. It's not like tracks are knocking down their door to get a date.

IndyCar at Dubai? It Just Doesn't Matter.

So the 2015 IndyCar schedule is allegedly coming out on Oct. 30. This is per Curt Cavin of the Indy Star. Fun-tastic.

BUT WAIT -- a glitch in the Matrix, a fly in the ointment -- somebody spotted something on a driver’s website that referenced an IndyCar race in Dubai perhaps on February 22, which, unless there’s a double-secret race before February 22, would make Dubai IndyCar’s season opener. IF it happens at all.

Ryan Newman Could Set off Umbrage Tsunami by Winning the NASCAR Championship

Spoiler chortling ... Ryan Newman (left) and Matt Kenseth could be the flies in NASCAR's win-focused ointment

I was actually contemplating how cool it was that NASCAR had created big incentives for drivers to go for the win this year when this popped into my head: Helllooooooo, NEWMAN.

Both Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth are winless this year, and if either wins the championship, the Festival of Rage, Chagrin, and UMBRAGE would be so delicious, that as a result I now want one of them to win, even though I picked Jeff Gordon in my bracket. No offense, Jeff!

Newman and Kenseth are two of eight still alive in the Chase, along with Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. Everybody but Kenseth and Newman has at least one win.

NASCAR Emperor Chortles all the way to the Bank

When it comes to Chase contenders like Kyle Busch, Talladega just don't give a shit.

Even a day after the NASCAR race at Talladega I hear the echoes of the chortle of the Emperor in Star Wars, Return of the Jedi.

But wait, it’s a hooded, ghostly white Brian France (BZF), not Ian McDiarmid.

"I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!”

What Think Ye of NASCAR “Drama”

 

Kevin Harvick winning at Charlotte actually Cued the Circus Music

Keep in mind that UMBRAGE is good.

So, last week Charlotte turned into a Festival of Spider Monkeys when Brad Keselowski — who gives me an Eddie Haskell vibe, which might just be due to physical resemblance — got crazy at the end of the race and started bashing people on the cool down laps.

Farewell, More Front Wing

Cue the sad circus music and DESPONDENCY. Just heard via The Twitter that MoreFrontWing.com is shutting it down. Paul and Steph and the posse over there did a great job for IndyCar fans. It certainly was a go-to site for all IndyCar news. And their event summary pages, which IndyCar should immediately copy but won't, were hugely awesome for the hardcore fans.

Alas, maintaining a site of that level requires a LOT of time and effort. Paul and Steph, in their farewell letters posted here, said they both were stepping away to use that time in other ways.

I've been operating pressdog.com in this form since 2005, and I can tell you that maintaining a blog is a volunteer effort. Even stuffing your site full of ads will only generate a few hundred dollars a year ($300 a year was my revenue zenith) which works out to about 25 cents an hour for your labor. So if you don't love doing it, or don't have the time to spare to do it, you gotta shut 'er down.

Like Steph and Paul, I've been devoting more of my time to my day job, which pays substantially more than 25 cents per hour, so I completely understand their decision.

Always sad to see good stuff from good people cease, but (cue the odious racing term) it is what it is. Thanks for all the massive effort and fan service and best wishes for the future to everyone at More Front Wing.