Thursday, August 30, 2007

Aug. 30 newsstand

Better late than never ... a long day at the office necessitated a very late posting.

Driver/other stories
Indianapolis Star: Team issues come to fore at Sonoma
The dreaded "team orders" are discussed in Curt Cavin's pre-Detroit piece.
Says Bobby Rahal on TK's blocking: "It's been done before; it's called teamwork."
Says Rick Mears: "That's not competing. Franchitti made a mistake and Tony protected him from (the repercussions). The people behind them didn't get the chance to capitalize on somebody else's mistake. I don't like it for the sport; it's not racing."

Detroit Free Press: IRL points leader Dixon not happy with driving tactics
Dixon not happy with AGR's blocking, although Dan says he'd do it for Scott.
Says Scott: "I know it's going to happen. No one ever gets penalized for it, the blocking tactics."

Detroit News: Second place unfamiliar to Franchitti
A story that focuses on Dario somehow drags in a quote from Mad Max Papis, saying, "Dario was a little impatient, but who's not impatient when you're going after a championship?"

Detroit Free Press: Wheldon drives with style, aggression
Dan expects a lot of "overtaking" to take place on the long backstretch between Turns 7 & 8 at Belle Isle. On this side of the pond, we call it "passing."

Royal Oak Daily Tribune: Castroneves wants to be out front
Says Mr. Samba, "I'm going to try to spoil a little bit of their celebration and be in front of them. I don't want to get in trouble."

CanWest News Service: Castroneves hoping for victory dance
Expect to see that headline overdone over the next few weeks.

AP: In the spotlight: Helio Castroneves
Another Dancing with the Stars story.

IndyCar.com: Mike King says the final two races are important whether or not you're in the title chase.
http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9824

WTHR: Sarah's finally getting hitched
Says the soon-to-be Sarah O'Gara: "I'm a simple person, so it's simple," referring to her dress. "But to see me in a white dress, I think it's going to freak a lot of people out." No further comments.

This Memphis Commercial Appeal story has a brief note on Sam's attempt to qualify for a few end-of-the-year Cup races on time.

DGP stories
CanWest News Service: DGP pivotal in IRL championship
TK is happy Roger changed the course from the CART days. “I think Roger (Penske) listened to me and changed the corner where I crashed twice and broke my arm so I’m feeling much more comfortable. I don’t remember the number but it’s on the back straightaway. It’s a lot tighter and wider.”

Grand Rapids Press: Grand Prix returns to Motor City
Says Bud Denker: "When people come back this weekend, they are going to say, 'Wow.' We have been talking about bringing this race back for the last two years, and the challenges weren't to bring it back but to ensure the facilities meet the world-class standards set by Roger Penske."

Detroit Free Press: Penske says Detroit's auto fortunes will revive
DFP columnist Tom Walsh checks in.

IndyCar.com: Take a lap around Belle Isle with Helio

AP: If you go to the DGP
Please take note of the parking regulations. There is no parking on Belle Isle.

Windsor Star: DGP notebook

IndyCar.com: Detroit mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick says this is "our time to shine" as a city.

MLive: Labor day weekend brings racing back to Detroit

MLive: Five reasons to watch racing this weekend

Detroit Free Press: Ethanol fuel pumps up racers

Firestone press release

Today's IRL news & notes press release includes several quotes from P.J. Chesson. He likes being a part of Roth Racing. "The way I look at this, this is the greatest thing that's happened. I believe that everything happens for a reason." Helio Castroneves is also quoted ... and the Belle Isle course is discussed in-depth.

And finally
The Windsor Star's Bob Duff takes a spin in an IndyCar

You can read Robin Miller's latest SpeedTV chat here. The CC-Phoenix cancellation is a major topic of discussion. Suicide watch is on over at ChampCarFanatics.com.

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