Norris McDonald's Auto Racing Blog

Tony Stewart tells NASCAR to let drivers fist-fight

Tony Stewart, who won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville, told USA Today afterward that the 18 caution flags thrown during the contest were inexcusable and that the NASCAR "have-at it,-boys" philosophy should extend to the boxing ring.

"NASCAR is going to have to, at some point, make these drivers be responsible for their actions," Stewart said when asked by reporter Nate Ryan to comment on what was going on out there. Every little bump, accidental or otherwise, was met with instant payback, it seemed.

Stewart was not impressed.

"Let them get their butt kicked," he said. "That's what used to happen in the old days. You let a guy get his butt kicked once or twice, he'll quit doing stupid stuff like that.

"As soon as they get done with the victory celebration, set a boxing ring on the front stretch, give the fans a real show they paid for. Have a boxing match with each of the guys that had a beef with each other."

Stewart said he was once a hothead but that the late Dale Earnhardt and the retired Dale Jarrett slapped some sense into him.

"The veterans would grab you, pull you out of the car, rip your head off talking to you (and) intimidate you into understanding why you didn't do that.

"I used to be as bad as anybody about taking a cheap shot, but (after Earnhardt and Jarret got finished with him) you realize that it's not about the two guys driving the cars. There's a car owner that spends a lot of money. There's a bunch of crew guys that put a lot of heart and soul into these cars. At times we forget about that."

Stewart, who’s part-owner of his own racing team, trails Chase for the Championship leader Carl Edwards by eight points with three races to go. Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Cup champion, is on a roll to perhaps nail down his third.

All hail Sebastien Vettel, F1 superstar

There’s a great old newspaper story about the time that Herbert Whittacker, the late theatre critic for the Globe and Mail, finished the first parapgrah of a review of the Broadway musical Oklahoma with the words: "What more can I say?" before going on for another 15 paragraphs.

Patrick Scott, a hardboiled copy editor, promptly put "30," after that first paragraph – "30" being an old telegraph symbol used throughout the industry meaning "the end."

And that’s what appeared in the next day’s Globe: a one-paragraph review of Oklahoma, ending with: "What more can I say?"

I was reminded of this Sunday night as I sat down to pontificate about Sebastien Vettel’s latest triumph in Formula One racing – what some people are calling his "grand slam" at the first Grand Prix of India Sunday in which he won the pole, led every lap while winning, set fastest lap of the race and set the record for number of laps led in a season – 711 as of now but still counting.

What more can I say?

Jenson Button was second in the race in his McLaren-Mercedes, 8.5-seconds behind Vettel at the checkers, while Fernando Alonso was third in a Ferrari, another 16 behind Button.

Yes, Vettel has the best car and he has the best crew and the best engineers and the best of everything.

But he still has to drive the thing and it takes a special skill to do that , something that few mortals possess.

The delightful thing about Vettel, who’s still just a kid of 24, is that he seems – seems – to be completely down to earth. Not for him the rock ‘n roll lifestyle of clubbing his way around the world. Any paparazzi photos out there? I haven’t seen any. In fact, his favourite form of recreation seems to be watching football or hockey games featuring the teams that represents the community where he lives in Switzerland.

Despite the number of times he’s won (11 times this year; 21 times in his career), he still seems to get a huge kick out of it all. Shortly after he took the checkered flag Sunday, he shouted over his team’s radio: "Yes, boys! Yes, we did it! Winner of the first Indiana Grand Prix. Enjoy the moment."

That he is a perfectionist, let there be no doubt. He appeared to be quite concerned, during the post-race press conference, that he had lost time to second-place finisher Button during pit stops.

"We pushed very hard on the in-lap and the out-lap, but Jenson closed on us. We will have to investigate why that was."

He says he is looking forward to the next race, at Abu Dhabi, in two weeks. "I am still hungry and I love what I do," he told reporters later.

Which is not particularly good news for F1 because the best anybody else will be able to do for the rest of the 2011 season is shoot for second place.

Four quick notes: The Felipe Massa-Lewis Hamilton "war" continued at India with Hamilton running into the side of Massa as they fought for a corner. Massa was given a drive-through penalty that, to my mind, was unfair. However, perhaps the stewards didn’t want to make Hamilton’s weekend any worse – he’d been penalized three grid positions (he qualified second, but started fifth) for ignoring waved yellow flags during Friday practice. . . Everybody talks about Mark Webber’s poor starts this season (he finished fourth in Sunday’s Grand Prix after starting second). I thought he got away really well and had to check up (I think) to avoid running into the back of Vettel going into the first corner and that loss of momentum is why Button got past him two corners later. . . Lotus wouldn’t let Karun Chandhock race in his home Grand Prix, saying before the weekend that they preferred to stay with Jarno Trulli because they didn’t think the Indian could handle the pressure and Trulli would deliver a better result. So Trulli finished in 19th place, four laps behind, and was the last car still running at the finish. Could Chandhock have done any worse? Could anybody? . . Hey, look who finished in fifth place Sunday? Michael Schumacher, that’s who. There’s still life in the old boy yet. One of these days, he’ll be on the podium. . . Full results story here.

Joe Gosek, at 55 the Oswego Speedway supermodified track champion and one-time Indianapolis 500 racer who was a 2011 Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame inductee on Saturday night, put the death of Dan Wheldon into perspective for me during a post-induction chat we had.

"All of us in racing, whether’s it’s NASCAR or Indy car or Formula One – whatever – whenever something like this happens we all pull together. We’re all affected by it. We might not all watch a particular form of racing, or sometimes even like it, but when something happens like happened to Dan, we all feel it and it has an effect on us all."

I’m glad I talked to Joe about this, because after NASCAR paid its tribute to the two-time Indy 500 champion last weekend at Talladega, Formula One held a minute of silence in memory of Wheldon and motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli, who was killed last weekend, before Sunday’s Indian Grand Prix.

Afterward, Jenson Button suggested the race be dedicated in memory of the fallen warriors.

"The last two weekends have been very, very difficult. We have had two fatalities so it is very difficult, especially with Dan. I knew Dan from a very early age, he was the guy we always had to beat in the early formulas. So I think we should dedicate this first Indian race to Dan and obviously Marco, another super talented youngster. He was the most amazing guy to watch on a bike so I think we should dedicate this to them."

Moments before, Vettel had made mention of the fatal accidents in his post-race comments: "Looking back to last weekend, we lost two of our mates. I didn't know Dan Wheldon but he was a big name in motorsport. I got to know this year Marco Simoncelli and our thoughts are with them.

"Yes, we are ready to take certain risks when we jump into the car but we obviously pray that every time nothing happens but sometimes you get reminded and it is the last thing that we want to see. So, as I said, it is a bit mixed emotions and our thoughts are with them at this moment."

Ferando Alonso added: "As Sebastian and Jenson said, mixed feelings this weekend with sad weeks for motorsport with the two accidents. I think we all raced for them today and try to go ahead but always remember these two fantastic people."

I had a friend at the Indian race, Clive Rayman of Toronto, a Formula Ford driver from the early 1970s who was a real balls-to-the-walls kind of guy in the cockpit. He sent me this report Sunday night:

Hi Norris,

Another boring F1 race. From what I saw from my seat at the hairpin, there was hardly any passing. There was a half-hearted attempt by Webber to pass Button at the end of the straight. Other than that, the only passing done was the lapping of slower cars.

The Buddh track was designed supposedly to increase overtaking. Is race craft in F1 a thing of the past? They may as well just have time trials. The rules, political correctness and technology have turned F1 into a boring sport.

It seems that the only people that get a kick out of the race are the drivers, engineers, designers, aerodynamists and computer nerds. I spoke with some of the spectators after the race and they also found it quite boring. This is definitely the last F1 race that I will attend.

As far as the paying public is concerned, getting tickets, etc., was to say the least a bit of a joke. There were many empty seats in my stand and in the other stands that I could see. Bookmyshow, who were the ticketing agent, had a website that did not function properly. In September, unless one had an address in India, you could not get a ticket online.

I had to contact Jaypee sports, the organizers. I spoke to the Commercial Officer who had not a clue as to how disorganized the sale of tickets was. She eventually said to use her office address to have my ticket sent to me. Bookmyshow's website would not accept Jaypee's address, as it was so long. After numerous attempts, she said to use her home address.

When I did eventually get to book both my race ticket and my shuttle bus ticket to the track, the
final window just showed payment of my entry ticket but no bus ticket and there was no way to correct it. The result being that I needed to book my bus ticket separately, resulting in another booking charge and additional courier costs. I would suggest this was a deliberate rip-off.

Some stands were oversold and people were moved into stands less filled when they arrived at the circuit. Incredible.

To purchase food, one had to join a long line to get coupons, then join another line to get food, water and pop. One could not take food or water into the circuit – not unusual in some venues today. However, on Saturday, the first day I went, after purchasing a bottle of water (only sold in 1 litre bottles), I headed for my seat, only to be told I could not bring it into the stand!

Fortunately there were some Buddh officials at a table close by. I went to them and basically gave them a piece of my mind. Did they think that people would sit in the hot sun without anything to drink and after purchasing a 1 litre bottle of water? Were you expected to drink it all at once before going to your seat? Well, they changed it (the rule) pretty quickly and I was allowed in and everyone else. too.

Holwever, the TV screen in my area was better suited for a living room. The result being that you could not read the times or the order of the cars during the race and of course, due to the noise of the cars, you could not hear the speakers. Other than first, second and third, one had not a clue where anyone else was in the race.

It is one thing to put on an F1 race and get the track ready, etc., but a very important part that seems very much forgotten here was the comfort of the paying spectator. I would not be surprised if the Indian GP went the way of the Turkish GP.

You asked me to send my impressions of the GP. Well, the race you know all about, so I thought I'd let you know about the BS that spectators had to put up with and that does not include the horrendous dust and smog.

Cheers, Clive

Thanks Clive. And, finally, Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville, Va., Sunday (full race report here). He’s nipping right at Carl Edwards’s heels as the Chase winds down. Jimmie Johnson is out of it. NASCAR will have a new champion in less than a month.

Indian Grand Prix preview

From Pirelli

The recently-constructed Buddh International Circuit, scene of this weekend’s inaugural Grand Prix of India,  represents brand new territory for all the teams.

With the track never having been used before, Pirelli has opted for a tire nomination that should cover every eventuality, with the P Zero Silver hard tire — making its final appearance of the season — alongside the P Zero Yellow soft tire.

Contrary to convention though, the softer tire has been nominated as the prime choice in India with the harder tire as the option. This means that the teams will have more of the softer tires than the harder tires at their disposal during free practice on Friday: the first opportunity that the teams will have to run on the 3.19-mile track.

In addition the teams will also get an extra set of soft tires on Friday, allowing them to maximize their running and provide Pirelli with some valuable information for the future.

Collecting as much data as possible prior to qualifying and the race will be a priority for everybody, but the track is likely to be green and slippery, as it has never been used before. Just as was the case at the last race in Korea, there is likely to be considerable circuit evolution over the course of the weekend as more rubber gets laid down and the amount of grip changes.

One of the highlights of the clockwise Buddh circuit is Turns 10 and 11, which is similar in its characteristics to the famous Turn 8 in Turkey. It is fast and long, putting a lot of lateral energy through the tires, but unlike Turkey’s Turn 8 it tightens rather than opens.

“We’ve opted for a deliberately conservative nomination in selecting the hard tire alongside the soft, simply because on a brand new circuit you are never quite sure of the exact race conditions you will encounter,” said Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director.

WHAT THE DRIVERS ARE SAYING

Narain Karthekiyan (Hispania Racing Team): “This is going to be one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar and, as new tracks are always a bit of an unknown I can understand the choice of compounds Pirelli has made. The texture of the tarmac is exceptionally smooth compared to most circuits on the calendar, so I think that’s a plus.

“The lap time difference between the hard and soft tires is going to be huge, maybe in excess of two seconds a lap. I’d expect the teams to use the hard as less as possible: maybe just a short final stint in the race as the benefits in lap time produced by the soft tire should outweigh its shorter life as the track surface isn’t abrasive at all and track temperatures I think should be under 104° (F) during the weekend.

“The long pit lane will play a part in strategy as well with teams trying to get through the race with as few stops as possible. The layout itself is going to put tremendous energy through the tires — especially the banked Turn 10, which is a long, multiple-apex right-hander, somewhat similar to Turn 8 in Turkey. The front-left will definitely experience a lot of load through there — and there are a couple of slow speed corners that will challenge the rears on exit.

“So overall it will be a great challenge for the tires and it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. I am so looking forward to it.”

TECHNICAL NOTES

— The simulation data for the Buddh International Circuit, which has 16 corners, suggests a lap time in the region of 1m27s. Average speed will be approximately 130mph, and the cars will reach nearly 200mph on the main straight, which will be the longest on the current Formula One calendar at just over .6 of a mile long.

 —  The circuit contains a number of elevation changes, increasing the vertical energy that is put through the tires. The entry to the corners tends to be wide in order to promote overtaking, with Turns 10 and 11 being one of the key places for passing, overlooked by a 13,000-capacity series of grandstands.

 —  The pit lane is one of the longest in Formula One, at over 1,969 feet, which will increase the time spent in the pits and therefore influence the race strategy. The race is scheduled for 60 laps, with a compromise medium downforce set-up needed. The weather should be warm and dry, in the region of 86° F.

NASCAR clamps down on cheating; Will Power injures back

Three crew chiefs working for cars out of Michael Waltrip Racing have been suspended for the four remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship races and fined $50,000 apiece after windshields on cars driven at Talladega last weekend by Bobby Labonte, David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. were found to be illegal.

As NASCAR always does, the drivers were allowed to keep their finishing positions but were docked driver points, as were the three car owners.

Bobby Kennedy, director of competition for MWR, said it was a mistake in fabricating that resulted in the cheating.

“Michael Waltrip Racing is ultra-sensitive and very serious about working within the guidelines of NASCAR policy,” the team said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “We do not condone this type of activity, and, as such, we will take appropriate internal corrective action immediately.

"We thank NASCAR for providing a fair and equitable platform for all of its competitors and respect its decisions; therefore, we will not appeal.” 

Boy, those guys can sure suck up, can't they?

TICKETS DISCOUNTED FOR FIRST INDIAN GP

My friend Clive Rayman, a wildly talented Canadian Formula Ford driver in the 1970s (some would say he was just plain wild . . .) is travelling the world and has stopped off in India for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix that will be held this weekend.

An aside: because of the time difference - 9.5 hours - the race will be shown Sunday by TSN at 5:25 a.m. (qualifying Saturday is at 4:25 a.m.) and won't be repeated on TSN2 till 9 p.m. Sunday night. So fire up the PVR or your video recorder and watch it when you wake up Sunday morning.

Anyway, Clive reports that he's really pleased he didn't pay top price for a ticket because tickets for race day have now been seriously discounted in hopes of attracting more people.

So far, organizers have only been able to sell 80,000 tickets and capacity for the new Buddh circuit is 120,000.

In other Formula One news, the injured Robert Kubica's doctors have said he's well enough to try to race again so Renault is expected to put him to the test in a private session in the near future. Adrian Sutil is telling Force India to hurry up and confirm him for 2012, or buy him out, in reaction to rumours that Nika Hulkenburg is in line for his race seat. And Karun Chandhok, who won't be driving at his home Grand Prix this weekend because Lotus thinks Jarno Trulli has a better chance of doing better (doing better than what? finishing last?) warns against trying to make racing too safe:

"It's an exciting career and the essence of excitement would get lost thinking of too much safety measures. You have to take your chances on the track. No one asked us to join Formula One or placed a gun on our head that you have to race. It's a career we chose." 

Although the first Indian race has yet to be held, there is talk of applying for a second Grand Prix.

UPDATE ON RACING DRIVER WILL POWER

Team Penske communications director Merrill Cain reports that IndyCar driver Will Power underwent further testing in Indianapolis on Monday for a back injury suffered in the multi-car accident that killed Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16.

It was determined by IndyCar Series orthopedic specialist Dr. Terry Trammell that Power suffered a compression fracture of his fourth thoracic vertebra in the accident. Trammell expects Power to recover from the injury with rest and rehabilitation.

Power hopes to be able to continue testing the 2012 IndyCar in the coming weeks and he is expected to be fully healed and ready to compete in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series.

UPDATED: NEW U.S. GP ANNOUNCED, COULD THREATEN CANADIAN RACE

The United States, which hasn’t had Grand Prix since Indianapolis in 2007, is officially getting two in the next two years.

The Grand Prix of the United States will be held next year in November on a purpose-built Formula One track just outside Austin, Tex.

Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that another F1 race, the Grand Prix of America, will take place in the Township of Weehawken and the Town of West New York in New Jersey, directly across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan, in June 2013.

Race officials and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie announced a 10-year agreement to hold the race along a 3.2-mile course that will run along the river before going uptown and looping around through city streets - very much like Monaco.

Weekhawken Township, about the size of the principality, is where traffic between New Jersey and New York goes through the Lincoln Tunnel. It is also home to the Port Imperial ferry terminal, where the start/finish line will be.

Bernie Ecclestone has long lusted after New York. An attempt to get an F1 race there in the early 1980s (a promotion that involved the then-owners of Mosport International Raceway, Harvey Hudes and Bernie Kamin) that would have been run either through parkland and some city streets in Lower Manhattan or at a site on Long Island, never really got off the ground.

But since then, Ecclestone has talked to any number of groups and finally struck a deal. Interestingly, Ecclestone was not present for the announcement, reportedly because he was travelling to India for this weekend's inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Now, it’s one thing to announce something of the magnitude of an F1 Grand Prix and another thing to get it formally approved, once the NIMBY crowd gets wind of it.

But if it does get the OK, and it goes ahead as scheduled, I remain apprehensive about the future of the Grand Prix of Canada at Montreal. Many millions of dollars are going into the pockets of Ecclestone and his F1 partners as a result of the deal in Austin and you can bet there will be as much, or more, for the race in the New York area.

Canada’s race is a cheap one, by F1 standards – $15 million a year with the current contract scheduled to end in 2014, which presents a problem.

Ecclestone will not agree to continue racing in Montreal if the accounts receivable side of the ledger is millions of dollars short of the total being paid for another race that’s almost next door. And the New Jersey organizers say they'll market the new Grand Prix throughout the northeastern U.S., where many of the fans who travel to Montreal for the Canadian GP come from.

So enjoy our GP while you can. I fear its days are numbered.

Wheldon cherished as great man, champion at Indy memorial

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was remembered as a great race driver - but more importantly, as a wonderful father, husband, friend and man - at a public memorial service Sunday, Oct. 23 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

A large crowd, including Wheldon's wife, Susie, and family, gathered to cherish the life of Wheldon, who suffered fatal injuries in a racing accident Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Speakers shared thoughts, memories, laughter and tears about 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Wheldon, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011. Many anecdotes during the 90-minute ceremony centered on Wheldon's skill as a driver, zest for life and practical jokes, love of family and friends, and obsession with neatness.

"I love him like a brother," said former teammate Tony Kanaan, a close friend of Wheldon. "I'm grateful for the time we got to spend with him on Earth. Although that time here is done, our time together is not over. We have our memories. We have our feelings. And one day we will be together again.

"For that reason, I'm not saying goodbye to Dan. Not today. And not ever. Goodbye is final, and our friendship won't end. So for now, I'm simply saying I'll see you later. I love you."

Said two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, another former teammate and close friend: "At first, Dan was pretty much the little brother we didn't want. And now, we would do anything to have him back. We miss you, D-Dub."

Other speakers included team owner and former teammate Bryan Herta, Wheldon's representatives Adrian Sussman and Mickey Ryan, INDYCAR Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Belskus, Target Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Mike Hull, friends and associates Mike Kitchel, Benito Santos and Misty Gibbs, INDYCAR Ministry Director and Chaplain Bob Hills, and masters of ceremonies Bob Jenkins and Marty Reid.

Musical performances also were poignant during the one-hour ceremony. Country music superstar Reba McEntire sang "If I Had Only Known" at the start of the service, while rising stars The Band Perry performed "Amazing Grace." Country superstar Garth Brooks closed the ceremony with an acoustic version of his hit "The Dance."

Also performing were the Indianapolis Children's Choir and the "Indianapolis 500" Gordon Pipers bagpipe group, an Indianapolis Motor Speedway tradition during Wheldon's beloved Month of May.

Numerous still photos and video clips from throughout Wheldon's life captured his skill, flair, spirit and warmth during the ceremony, including a video of thanks from his family.

Decorating the stage were the Borg-Warner Trophy awarded to the winner of the Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis 500 winner's wreath, two bottles of milk signifying Wheldon's two Indy 500 victories, the Indy Racing League championship trophy that Wheldon won in 2005 and a 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series car painted in the St. George's cross of Wheldon's native England.

Other tributes to Wheldon included Franchitti, Kanaan and Herta wearing Wheldon's 2005 championship ring and Franchitti wearing white shoes in honor of Wheldon, a noted aficionado of style, fashion and shoes.

Fans were able to participate by signing banners in Conseco Fieldhouse, leaving condolences and memories.

The Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund has been established for the financial security of his family. The public can make contributions to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund at:

Fifth Third Private Bank

Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust

251 North Illinois St.

Suite 1000

Indianapolis, IN 46204

All of Fifth Third Bank's Indianapolis branches also are accepting contributions in person, which will be routed to the account.

In lieu of flowers, friends and fans also can choose to make a donation to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund or the Alzheimer's Association, a cause close to his heart. For more details, visit

www.alz.org or www.danwheldonmemorial.com

which is a GoDaddy.com-created memorial site, which includes a Facebook link to leave condolences and remembrances and a career photo retrospective.

Those wishing to send their sympathy and condolences to the Wheldon family can address letters to:

The Wheldons

9600 Koger Blvd N, Ste. 105

St. Petersburg, FL 33702

Press release received from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sun., Oct. 23, 2011

Do you now cancel a race when someone's killed?

The question must be asked:

Would the Moto GP Grand Prix of Malaysia motorcycle race have been stopped and subsequently cancelled Sunday, after Italian star Marco Simoncelli was killed early in the race, if the IZOD IndyCar Series hadn’t stopped the race at Las Vegas a week ago in which Dan Wheldon died?

In a decision that continues to attract comments from both the pro and con sides, the IndyCar organization opted not to restart the Las Vegas race after Wheldon was killed in a 15-car pileup, which was arguably the worst crash in the history of Indy car racing.

It was also the first time a major league auto race was cancelled following a fatal accident.

At the Sepang course in Malaysia Sunday, Simoncelli – who, at 24, was seen as a future world champion but had a huge reputation for recklessness – collided with two other motorcycles and died in the ensuing crash (link here).

The decision by race officials not to restart the race was a first for top-flight motorcycle racing. As was the case with the IndyCar decision, it had never happened before.

At the 2010 Moto GP meeting at the San Marino course in Italy, 19-year-old Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa was killed in a Moto2 race but that didn't stop anything. At Suzuka, in 2003, during the Japanese Grand Prix, another Japanese rider, Daijiro Kato, was killed and yet the racing continued. At the Ilse of Man Tourist Trophy Races, three riders were killed in August and - well, you know the rest.

There is no doubt that IndyCar’s actions have set a precedent. Before Wheldon, the show always went on. From now on, though, maybe not.

Tony Stewart has finally commented on the Wheldon accident:

Although several stock car and formula car drivers commented on the Dan Wheldon accident at Las Vegas, others remained silent. One in particular, Tony Stewart, is an open wheel racing veteran who was an IRL champion in the 1990s before going to NASCAR. He broke his silence at the weekend, when reporters asked him about it:

"It's part of racing, it's part of what can happen.

"Everybody is a back chair quarterback going, ‘No, we should do this or we shouldn't do that.’ It's racing; I mean it's always been racing. Auto racing as a whole is safer than it's ever been.

"It still boils down to the people that are steering the cars around. It's not that the cars are unsafe, there's still people that tell the cars where to go so we've got to take responsibility. There is no reason for anybody to point fault anywhere. There's no fault in it. It's racing.

"Racing has always been dangerous. That's why people come to watch races because there is an element of danger involved. You're never going to get it all out but like we said it's safer than it's ever been. It's a freak thing that happened and it can happen every race.

"I think everybody has got to take a deep breath and let the emotions settle down. Everybody is obviously thinking about Dan and his family, his wife and two children. There's a lot of great charity stuff coming up to help them out which we are really proud to be a part of but I think everybody has to take a step back from it and realize this is auto racing.

"It's always been dangerous but everybody still does it. If it was so bad, none of us would want to do this but we still love doing this every week and it's just part of the sport unfortunately. It's never going to be 100 per cent safe."

Dan Wheldon knew the dangers. In 2003, he told a British interviewer this:

"Formula One drivers think their branch of motor racing is dangerous, but it's a lot safer than roaring round an oval. There are no gravel traps on this circuit. If you touch another car or make a mistake, there are two ways you can go - towards the relative safety of the infield or bang into concrete.

"But it’s the risk factor that makes it so appealing to me. You are driving on the limit, knowing if you go beyond it you could be history."

Here is something Sebastien Bourdais said, as reported in the Nov. 2011, edition of Racer magazine:

"... Contrary to rumors that Bourdais and his wife Claire had decided ovals were too dangerous, "Seabass" insists his Peugeot sports car commitments prevented him from doing a full campaign in 2011. It's something he wishes to remedy in 2012.

"Claire wouldn't be thrilled to see me do the 1.5 mile ovals" he shrugs, "but I'm pretty good at it. I won the Las Vegas Champ Car race twice. Sure, for me, banked ovals don't create good racing. It's dangerous and it doesn't allow good drivers to shine.

"All they show is that you're as stupid as anyone else. So, do I like them? No. Am I good at them? Sure – I'm as stupid as anybody else out there."

Wheldon's funeral was held in Florida Saturday and a public memorial service was held Sunday in Indianapolis (see post below). Today, CEO Randy Bernard has asked the drivers to attend a meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It will be a "drivers-only" affair, but the drivers will undoubtedly talk afterward.

Okay, moving right along.

Marco Andretti is reportedly going to be a contestant this season on Celebrity Apprentice. The last time an IndyCar driver went on TV to do something other than race, Helio Castroneves won Dancing With the Stars. Can Marco do as well?

And here’s a "he-said-she-said" for you. Lewis Hamilton told the Daily Mail in England that he ended his relationship with ex-Pussycat Dolls singer and current talent show judge Nicole Scherzinger and she told the entertainment website TMZ that she ended her relationship with him. Regardless, they’ve broken up – again.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said this during the extremely boring NASCAR race from Talladega Sunday: "This isn’t my kind of racing." Mine neither. Another one like that and NASCAR is going to have to revisit restrictor plate racing at that speedway.

Clint Bowyer won, with Jeff Burton second and – what??? – Dave Blaney third. That had to have been Blaney’s best finish of his entire NASCAR Sprint Cup career. In fact, his best previous finish was – are you ready for this? – 19^th in a race back in 2002.

With four races to go, Carl Edwards still leads the Chase, with Matt Kenseth second and Brad Keselowski third. Tony Stewart is fourth and knockin’ at the door. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are really too far out of first place to be thinking of winning, ergo NASCAR will crown a new Sprint Cup champion this year.

Finally, drag racer Ike Maier of Vaughan will close out the 2011 NHRA Drag Racing Series season at Las Vegas next weekend at the 11^th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals.

He’ll be driving the all-Canadian Paton Racing Top Fuel Dragster with sponsorship from Tim Hortons. Maier says he’ll leave his ‘63 Corvette Pro Mod at home this time to concentrate on the Top Fuel car.

He says he’d like to go out with a qualifying run and a round or two.

Go get ‘em, Ike.

NASCAR honours Steckly, Dumoulin with reception

ALLAN McDONALD, left, Senior VP of Automotive for Canadian Tire stands with NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion SCOTT STECKLY following the season finale at Kawartha Speedway.

When Scott Steckly won his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship in 2008, he had a full-time job and all the responsibilities that go with being a husband and father.

This year, he won his second title and although he still goes to baseball and hockey and grocery shopping and all those other things a husband does with the wife and kids, there’s one big difference:

He’s now a full-time racer.

Steckly and all the other drivers and crew members who raced in Canada’s only national auto racing series this year were honoured Friday night at a VIP reception at the Old Mill Inn and Spa in West Toronto.

The invitation-only event also included sponsors, media partners and participating race track operators as well as representatives from NASCAR’s Canadian and U.S. offices.

They made a big deal over Steckly, of Milverton, Ont., as well as series Rookie-of-the-Year Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, of Trois-Rivieres, Que., among others.

The 32-year-old Dumoulin, a member of the Dumoulin Competition motor racing family (father Richard and uncle Gerald started the team 40 years ago) who’s raced in Formula Atlantic, the Grand Am Rolex, Formula Ford and Koni Challenge series, couldn't attend but was represented by his racing brother, Jean-Francois, who said he'd like to follow Louis-Philippe into the Canadian Tire series, if he can find the sponsorship.

“I’m very sorry I can’t be in Toronto,” Louis-Philippe told me by phone this week from Daytona, Fla., “but I’m busy working here as a driver coach and I’m testing some cars. I hope to race a car in the Daytona 24 next year.”

His coaching client list includes retired Montreal Canadiens defenceman Patrice Brisebois, who’s raced primarily in the Ferrari Challenge series but has also dipped his toe in the stock car waters. For instance, he finished 14^th in the Canadian Tire race at Circuit ICAR in June.

Dumoulin said that although the types of cars he’s raced have been many and varied, he found himself “veering toward NASCAR” because there are more opportunities to race.

“Hopefully, my rookie achievement will help me get sponsorship for a full-season program next year,” he said, “and if I could drive the road courses in the (NASCAR) Nationwide series, I would be very happy.” (He raced his first Nationwide race at Montreal in August and finished 28th after starting 41st.)

Dumoulin said he found the Canadian Tire stock cars challenging because he hadn’t raced on oval tracks before.

“I’m not used to that type of racing. It’s fun — but I found out there’s no way you can complete a race without a big donut on the side of your car!

“But I like NASCAR, because it’s really up to the driver to make the difference. The cars are pretty even. It’s a pretty tough series because you are fighting with the best stock car drivers in the country.”

Somebody who’s been doing that for years is Steckly, who started out the 2011 season determined to win the championship.

“We went to the first race (at Mosport Speedway) with the full intent of winning that race, which we did,” Steckly told me in a recent interview. “You have to come out of the box really strong and then keep the momentum going. You have to believe in the team and go into every race believing that you’re going to win it and that’s what we did at every race this season.”

Steckly said that while he won the title in 2008, he knows exactly what the problem was in 2009 and 10:

“I didn’t win that first race,” he laughed. “It might be hard to understand, but in this series, if you fall behind even a bit, it’s just so hard to catch up. When you’ve got things going for you, you’ve just got to keep ’em going and by winning the first race, that’s a big step.”

Steckly is known to be a tough racer, but also a fair one. Unlike some drivers who’ve raced in the series, he doesn’t believe in “moving someone out of the way” to gain a position or a victory.

He was asked at this year’s Honda Indy, where he’d finished second, if he’d given some thought to perhaps giving winner Andrew Ranger a little tap in the closing stages of the contest. Just enough to get past him, perhaps?

“No,” said Steckly, in reply to the speculative question. “I’m not out here to win just one race. I’m running for the championship and I won’t do anything to jeopardize the points.”

Steckly said that when he won his first championship in ’08, it was “do-able,” even though he worked full-time. Now he prepares cars for other drivers to race, as well as his own (four came out of his shop for the final race of the season at Kawartha Speedway), and the additional income allows him to just be a racer.

“It’s very hard to work and do it (racing) full-time,” he said. “It’s different when you’re 18 or 22, when you’re not married and you don’t have kids, and all your crew guys are 18 and they would all come (to work on the car) every night of the week.

“The stage I’m at in racing now — I‘m 39 years old — most of my crew guys are the same age as me and we all have wives and we all have kids and we have hockey to go to and baseball so we can’t commit ourselves five nights a week. The point where I’m at in racing is, you have to be able to be at the shop during the day so you can spend time with your family at nights.”

Steckly said that when he was younger he’d go south in the New Year to get in some winter racing at places like New Smyrna Speedway, south of Daytona.

“But now, I like to spend the winters with my family,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t want to race — I’d love to go race — but I like spending the winter with my wife and kids and them playing hockey and that. And I enjoy working on the cars without all the pressure. It’s not nearly as stressful working on the cars, making new things, trying new suspensions, stuff like that.”

Steckly lives in Milverton — “I have a shop about two miles from my house; it’s a big property with plenty of room for trucks and trailers” — and he feels like the whole town is behind him.

“When I race at Barrie, or Kawartha, half the stands are made up of people from Milverton. Everybody supports me and I’m proud to live there. When I was champion, there was a sign at both ends of town saying Milverton was the home of the national champion.

“I’m really glad that I got that sign back.”

Another driver talks stupid about Dan Wheldon

As I’ve written a column about Dan Wheldon for the Saturday Star Wheels section (online tomorrow), I’m about to move on. But here are some parting thoughts.

As Jimmy Durante used to say, “Everybody wants ta get inta da act.” 

So Jimmie Johnson was first out of the gate to say IndyCar shouldn’t be racing on ovals. The five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, who’s never raced an Indy car, has since modified his position because of the backlash, but he’s still talking about something he doesn’t know anything about.

Then retired F1 driver David Coulthard, who’s never raced an Indy car, spouted off with his two cents.

Now we have Mark Webber, who’s never etc., saying that “what organisers certainly have to do is work out how to stop cars leaving the ground and flying into the air in such situations.”

What?

Isn’t this the same guy who nearly went into orbit last year when he ran into the back of Heikki Kovalainen at the Valencia circuit in Spain (watch video here)? I didn’t see a quote from him after he landed in which he said that F1 organizers “certainly have to work out how to stop cars leaving the ground and flying into the air in such situations.”

Did you?

Then we have Jean Alesi, who’s never etc., saying that the Wheldon crash hasn’t spooked him about racing in the Indianapolis 500 next May. Why?

“What happened at Las Vegas can't happen in Indy: the banking there is negligible and most of all you never take it flat out except in qualifying." 

Huh?

How does he know?

Who are these people?

Don’t you find it interesting that the two guys who know what racing an Indy car is all about – Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya – haven’t said squat about the Wheldon crash?

So here is a quote to chew on:

Confucius: “It’s better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

That kind of fits, doesn't it?

Somebody wrote in their blog that auto racing should be outlawed as a result of the Wheldon accident.

In the last three weeks, three people participating in city marathons (including one in Toronto last weekend) died of heart attacks.

I think marathon running should be outlawed...

By the way, most auto racing websites are reporting that the FIA and ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee for the United States) are part of the team investigating the Wheldon accident.

IndyCar revised that this morning:

“As part of our standard safety protocol, a full investigation has been launched by IndyCar, with assistance from individual members of various motorsports bodies. It was incorrect to state that either ACCUS or FIA are formally involved.”

Bob Winegar, who’s been around racing forever, works for a courier company. He makes a run to Buffalo every couple of weeks and keeps me up to date on what’s happening at the site of the proposed Canadian Motor Speedway in Fort Erie (which is, according to his latest report, nothing).

Bob emailed me this yesterday:

“At a time in my life when I should probably be developing a Bucket List, I've opted instead to put the pedal to the metal and create an IZOD IndyCar List.

My suggestions (some borrowed):

 - reduce speeds on ovals

 - have more street or road races, less roundy-round

-  design catch fencing with flex

 -  add roll cages similar to supermodifieds

 - reduce fields from 33 (or 34) to 24 on ovals

 - starts 2 wide, restarts single file

 - eliminate big dollar prizes for winning from scratch position

Will these suggestions ever be enacted by an IndyCar hierarchy soaked with rodeo machismo, cowboys who say, "You just gotta get back on that bull, boy!"

The answer is yes, if you believe;

  - that Elvis will make a personal appearance at Collingwood next summer

 - that Charlie Sheen will become a Tibetan monk, go to India and become known as Father Teresa

 - that Bill Barilko, haggard and gnarly, will re-emerge from the wilderness to lead the Leafs to their first Stanley Cup in 45 years.

It will only be through media pressure that meaningful changes in safety will come to IndyCar racing.”

I mostly agree, Bob. Thanks.

NASCAR back in Montreal after all

The NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal is back on for 2012 and it will be held, as usual, in August.

It will be the only Canadian race. There had been speculation that the Nationwide race might either leave Montreal or an additional Canadian race added to the schedule after Mosport International Raceway changed hands last June and improvements to the circuit were started.

François Dumontier, president of Octane Management, said today (Wednesday) that his company, which also promotes the Grand Prix of Canada, will become the new promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge, on Aug. 17-18 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Between 2009 and this past August, Octane acted as the delegated promoter of the event under the auspices of Stock-Car Montreal. With SCM no longer involved (having failed to secure provincial government funding to cover an operating deficit), Octane is taking over.

In order to stage the race, Octane had to make a deal with La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau for the rental of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

“As president of the Board of Administration of La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, I have spent a lot of time and energy to ensure the presentation of a NASCAR race in Montréal for 2012,” said Normand Legault, who has promoted races in Quebec for years.

“I am very happy that today's announcement guarantees the coming of a second international motorsports event on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve."

The Nationwide schedule was nearly a month late being posted. When Jayski, a NASCAR Internet site operated by ESPN, “released” a speculative Nationwide schedule in September, it had the Montreal race taking place in October.

Don't bet on Paul Tracy retiring

Paul Tracy told CTV’s Beverly Thomson Tuesday that he was thinking of retiring in the aftermath of the crash at Las Vegas Speedway Sunday that killed Dan Wheldon.

Tracy, Canada’s fastest, badest, daredevil racing driver whose nickname is “the Thrill from West Hill,” said his mother and wife had encouraged him to consider hanging up his helmet.

Now, I don’t really know Paul Tracy. I’ve interviewed him a bunch of times, had dinner with him, hung around a little and so-on, but I don’t really know what’s going on inside his head.

Having said that, and knowing what I do about what makes racing drivers tick, I suspect at the end of the day that he won’t say he's quitting. Now now, anyway.

I wouldn’t bet my house on it, but if Paul Tracy decides to call it a day eventually, I think it will be on his terms and not in the emotional aftermath of tragedy.

Paul Tracy is 42 and has been racing almost his entire life. When he was a kid, his dad would drop him off at a kart track while he was on his way to work and pick the boy up on the way home. He was in formula cars as a teen (he was Canada’s youngest Formula Ford champion at 16) and drove in — and won — the last Can-Am Series race ever held when he was 17. He was a record-setting Indy Lights champion before he was 20 and then started driving for Roger Penske. He's been an Indy car driver ever since.

In his time, Tracy's been in races where people were killed, most notably Greg Moore in 1999. I don’t think he considered giving up then and I don’t think, at the end of the day, that he’s seriously considering giving up now.

Yes, this is a time of grieving for a racing life lost, a time of personal reflection and of respect for the wishes of others. But Paul Tracy is a racing driver. It’s what he does and it’s who he is.

And he’s still got races to win and projects to complete. He’s got a book in him (I’ve had my hand up to help him with that for awhile now) and sports car races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring to run.

And then there’s that little bit of unfinished business called the Indianapolis 500. He won it in 2002 but his name and mug still aren’t on the Borg-Warner Trophy and I suspect he’ll want to try to change that before calling it a day.

Paul Tracy has said he wants a farewell tour. He wants one more trip around the circuit to say goodbye. If that’s not possible — if the sponsorship isn’t there to support him and his team for a season — then he’ll likely settle for Toronto, Edmonton and Indianapolis.

For a guy like Tracy, you want to go out with your head held high. You want to do it your way.

With your fist in the air and the checkered flag flying.