Blog Archives - Page 21 of 21 - Sopwith Motorsports

INDYCAR: Resurgent 500 Remains Pinnacle of Auto Racing

May 27, 2012

If there was ever any doubt that the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is still the Mt. Everest of motorsports, it is gone after today's record-breaking event. Yes, I have a few gripes about the DW-12 chassis and the lame, new re-start procedures. We'll get to those in a moment. But the race itself was a sight to behold.

SHORT TRACK: 2012 Hoosier Hundred Review

May 26, 2012

On Friday night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, several thousand die-hard race fans got a glimpse of what real auto racing is supposed to look like. The 59^th running of the Hoosier Hundred was held on the appropriately named “Track of Champions,” the historic one-mile dirt oval where Barney Oldfield drove a mile in less than a minute for the first time in history on June 19, 1903.

SHORT TRACK: Hoosier Hundred Still Reigns Supreme

May 23, 2012

I would like to invite you to attend an auto race with me this weekend. But first, let me tell you a quick story.

It was 11 o’clock on a Saturday morning and I was tired of job hunting. Since graduating from college the previous spring my time was consumed with courting my lovely bride-to-be and finding a job. But thank goodness, this particular Saturday was set aside for fun.

INDYCAR: Pippa Mann’s Courageous Effort to Return to Indycar Racing

May 22, 2012

The death of Dan Wheldon has justifiably become the overriding memory of last fall's tragic Indycar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

But lost in the shuffle were several other serious injuries that left both physical and emotional scars on the drivers. While the media quite naturally focuses on the loss of Dan Wheldon, other drivers who suffered serious injuries are unintentionally passed over.

One of those injured parties was Pippa Mann.

INDYCAR: Post Qualifying Report

It's really hard to say whether this is a whopping awesome year for the Indy 500 or an aggravating disappointment.

MECUM AUCTION: Live from Indianapolis

The 25^th edition of Mecum's Spring Classic was held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds last week, producing high-dollar sales on some of the most desirable automobiles in the world. Most of those sales made perfect sense. A couple of them surprised me.

INDYCAR: Practice Report from the Indy 500

The opening weekend of practice for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is behind us and things just get weirder and weirder. Rather than dwell on headlines that are already well covered in mainstream news releases, let me dive into a few behind-the-scenes observations and some educated guesswork.

VINTAGE RACING: Driving a 1969 Corvette

Have you ever wondered what it was like to drive a production-based sportscar in the golden era of American road racing? Me too. And now I know.

INDYCAR: Is the Dream Still Alive?

There was a day when the greatest race in the world - the Indianapolis 500 - was within reach of the average local racecar driver. Sure, it was a long shot for anyone, but it was within reach.

Larry Cannon was a barber from a small town in Illinois. He raced Indy in 1971. Long Beach hippie Jan Opperman ran Indy in 1976 after making a name in sprint cars. The dream was alive.

Roger Rager bought his first racecar at age 14. He paid $35 for it. I watched Rager drive - brilliantly - on Paragon Speedway's 3/8th's mile dirt oval in the 1970's. In 1980 he started in row 4 at Indy alongside A. J. Foyt. The dream was alive.

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