Not history, but one hell of a finish

An amazing and unbelievable finish to the centennial anniversary of the Indy 500. Words cannot adequately describe what happened. Even if you are not an auto racing fan, you will understand the wide range of emotions. Check out the video below.

Read Full Post »

Hoping for history at the 2011 Indy 500

UPDATE – What a finish! Dan Wheldon wins his second when the leader, JR Hildebrand wrecks on the final turn. Danica led the race for the second time. On both occasions, Dan Wheldon became the eventual winner. Congratulations to Dan Wheldon. 

In its centennial year, the Indianapolis 500 contains a very competitive field of 33 drivers. It is my hope that this is the year when a woman driver or owner celebrates in victory lane. I have been hoping for this important breakthrough for many years. Several times Danica Patrick has come very close to achieving this milestone.

In 2011, there are four excellent lady drivers in the field (Simona De Silvestro, Danica Patrick, Pippa Mann, and Ana Beatriz) and one woman car owner (Sarah Fisher). While my personal choice to win as a driver is Simona De Silvestro, I think the best opportunity comes from Sarah Fisher’s team. Though she is not driving, she is the owner of the car being driven by Ed Carpenter, which starts the race in 8th position.

No matter what happens today, Let’s all pray for a safe and exciting race. This month of May has already had its share of scares at the track, including for Simona De Silvestro. Wouldn’t it be spectacular to watch history take place too. I know I cannot wait for the day that a woman wins at Indy.

Here are the five great ladies of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.

Simona De Silvestro

Danica Patrick

Pippa Mann

Ana Beatriz

Sarah Fisher

Read Full Post »

The ladies of Indy: Simona’s heroic effort

Last week, 2010 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Simona DeSilvestro had a part break on her race car during practice, causing a scary and fiery crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Saturday, despite second degree burns to her hands, this fantastic driver from Switzerland qualified for the May 29th race in her back-up car. Kudos to Simona for her inner strength, her driving skills, and her tenacity! Two videos of  last week’s crash are provided below.

Read Full Post »

A legendary sports voice has passed

 

Tom Carnegie (1919-2011) c/o motortrend.com

On the trip down to Indianapolis this weekend to celebrate my mom’s 85th birthday, I was saddened to hear on the car radio that Tom Carnegie had passed away at the age of 91. Many of you from outside of Indiana may ask, who is Tom Carnegie? However, anyone who is familiar with the Indianapolis 500 or the Indiana state high school basketball tournament would recognize his name immediately.

Tom Carnegie was the legendary voice of the speedway between 1946 and 2007. He also was the voice of the state high school basketball tournament in its glory years, when all of the schools, no matter their size, played in the same, single-elimination tournament. He was the public address announcer during the most famous of these games in 1954, when Milan won the state championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse. This game was lovingly portrayed in the classic movie Hoosiers, in which he briefly appeared, playing himself.

My most lasting memories of listening to Mr. Carnegie come from the 1970s and 1980s when his voice would electrify the the crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each time a driver broke the old one lap speed record, “It’s a newwww track record” rang across the grand old brickyard. No one ever heard the actual speed, because Tom Carnegie had already notified us that a new record had been established through the strength and emotion of his voice.

I became a huge fan of IndyCar racing partially because of Mr. Carnegie. During my youth, the time trials and race were not broadcast live locally; you could only go to them, hear them on the radio, or see highlights on the news. Drivers like A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser, Tom Sneva, Rick Mears, Janet Guthrie, Graham Hill, Gordon Johncock, and Jimmy Clark became larger than life heroes to me through his vocal depictions, interviews, and announcements. It was nice to hear his golden voice on the public address system once again prior to the 2008 race, as he was being interviewed. It was obvious how much he loved auto racing and especially the Indy 500. According to the Indianapolis Star, he never had a contract and was rarely paid for his efforts.

As we continue completing laps at our own brickyard each year, certain individuals that we never meet, but become familiar with through television, movies, radio, music, or some other medium, will remain in our memories forever. Each time one of these folks passes away, I feel like part of my childhood has disappeared. Tom Carnegie fits into this group. His announcements at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hinkle Fieldhouse are among my favorites, because both events epitomize my childhood home of Indiana.

p.s. Personally, I think it would be very appropriate for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to rename the Pagoda broadcast building at the track in Tom Carnegie’s honor — it seems a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated so much of his life to the speedway.

Read Full Post »