Indy 500 Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Sopwith Motorsports

Indycar Could Use a Few More Heroes

November 18, 2013

The Stephen Cox Blog is presented by McGunegill Engine Performance

The trouble with Indycar is not that there's no one available to take Dario Franchitti's place. The trouble with Indycar is that no one cares who takes Dario Franchitti's place. The series is fast running out of heroes and reinforcements aren't arriving quick enough. This is bad business.

RACING PAST 40, Part 1

June 10, 2013

I have wonderful news. Being twenty-one years old doesn't really make you good at anything. It just makes you twenty-one.

INDY 500: Success Built on Thin Ice

May 27, 2013

The 97^th running of the Indianapolis 500 was widely lauded as a tremendously entertaining event. The grandstands were nearly full, every fourth lap or so produced a new leader, and Tony Kanaan became the most popular winner in years.

INDYCAR: Five Minutes With IRL Driver John Hollansworth

May 20, 2013

It was Sunday afternoon, May 30, 1999 and John Hollansworth, Jr. had his hands full. Early in the 83rd running of the Indianapolis 500, his Oldsmobile-powered Dallara picked up a massive understeer condition. A car passed him on the inside. Caught up in the dirty air, Hollansworth's mishandling car brushed the wall hard in Turn 3.

INDYCAR: Who Cares Who Was the Worst?

What a great way to kick off the Indycar season.

So I’m sitting here browsing articles and I run across a piece that attempts to name the “worst drivers in Indycar history,” as if such a determination was possible. I figured it was a waste of time, so I passed.

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.

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: 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.

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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