Patrick finished third in this weekend’s Indy 500, her best finish in the event, and is sixth in the IndyCar Series point standings…
… Danica Patrick proved she still knows how to get around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a hurry.
It was at Indy in 2005 where Patrick made the splash that turned her into a sports celebrity. She briefly led and nearly won the Indianapolis 500, which would have made her the first woman to capture the famed race.
Patrick didn’t lead any laps in this year’s 500, but she ran near the front most of the day and finished third Sunday behind winner Helio Castroneves and second-place Dan Wheldon.
It was her best finish in five attempts to win the Memorial Day weekend classic, and one spot better than her 2005 finish. She’s now sixth in the IndyCar Series point standings…Â Details
Wearing a red cap and a wreath of flowers, Helio Castroneves perched atop his car in victory lane late Sunday afternoon and, for the first time in seven years, took a jubilant swig from the bottle of milk that is handed to the Indianapolis 500 champion.
Then Castroneves sank into the cockpit, bowed his head and sobbed. He won the race for the third time, becoming just the ninth driver to do so, but this victory had come under very different, and much more difficult, circumstances than his victories in 2001 and 2002.
“I think my tears speak for everything,†he said later.
Thirty-seven days before Sunday’s race, he was acquitted of federal income-tax charges, allowing him to drive an Indy car again for Roger Penske. Castroneves completed a superb month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by  … Details
During a scheduled pit stop, the team’s pit crew services the car as swiftly as possible, completing a number of different services. The most visible services performed are refueling the car and changing tyres.
Other services performed in routine pit stops include removing debris from radiator air intakes; cleaning the windshield; and making adjustments to tyre pressure, suspension settings, and aerodynamic devices to optimize the car’s performance for the current conditions. In endurance racing, scheduled driver changes and brake pad replacements are also considered “routine” service when done as part of a scheduled pit stop.
An unscheduled pit stop may see other service performed; because unscheduled stops are usually due to damage or mechanical problems, they frequently see emergency repairs performed on …Â Details
Today’s 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 is taking place at a weird time in motorsport. Actually, there really never isn’t a weird time in motorsport, but the ongoing financial collapse and tepid, sort-of, kind-of recovery, coupled with tanking sales and bankruptcies in the auto industry, has made this moment extra-weird.
Just for background, there are three main types of car racing that matter: IRL, of which the Indy 500 is a marquee event; Formula One; and NASCAR. Each has its own flavor. The first two are “open wheel” categories, featuring the exotic-looking race cars outfitted with sculptural aerodynamic technologies and uncovered wheels. NASCAR showcases “stock” cars that are supposed to be based on existing Chevys and Fords but that are, in fact, custom-built …Â Details
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