Time's up........................first off, I'd like to congratulate jacfan, cmlean, GhoGho, gkaytaz and goggles pisano for sending in answers to quiz #3.......
Here are the answers and some explanations.............
1}
The Scotsman. In NA motorsports, the Scotsman refers to Andretti-Green Racing driver Dario Franchitti, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland. Two answers w/David Coulthard, who also hails from Scotland(1/2 pt. to both)
2}
Big Al. Three drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 four times, Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, Jr. and "Big Al" Unser, Sr. The "Big Al" appellation is used to differentiate him from his son, "Little Al" Unser, Jr.
3}
SuperTex. Celebrating his 50th year of involvement in Indy Car Racing is none other than SuperTex himself, Anthony Joseph(A.J.) Foyt, Jr., who was born Jan. 16, 1935 in Houston, Texas.
4}
SeaBass. Chalk this one up to Speed Channel's resident curmudgeon, Robin Miller, who gave 3-time ChampCar series titleist Sebastien Bourdais the name back in 2003.
5}
The Roscoe Rocket. This nickname refers to Andretti-Green Racing driver Danica Patrick, who hails from Roscoe, Illinois. Chalk this nickname to two people--IMS Radio Network announcer Mike King, who said it during qualifying for the Chicagoland race in 2005, and motorsports journalist Ed Hinton, who, when asked by Speed's Dave Despain whether she would win in 2007, said, "H--- yes; they'll put a rocket under her next year and she'll finally win."
6}
the Thrill from West Hill Scarborough, Ontario's Paul Tracy got this nickname due to his driving style; it's either checkers or wreckers when PT's on-track. The West Hill part of the nickname refers to a nearby Toronto suburb.
7}
Tag. This nickname refers to fellow Canadian Alex Tagliani, who hails from Montreal, Canada and will be racing for Rocketsports in 2007.
8}
Smoke. This nickname is a reference to 1997 IndyCar Series and 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart for his aggressive style of racing(think burnouts and tire smoke......
)
9}
Dapper Dan. Another one of Robin Miller's nicknames and references(along w/once referring to him as "that cheeky little b------"....
) concerning 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon; the nickname's a jab at the way Wheldon keeps his appearance(..he could walk through a hurricane and not get one hair out of place.......
)
10}
Little Al. This nickname is a reference to "Little Al" Unser, Jr., 2-time Indy 500 winner; see #2 for explanation.
11}
Lone Star J.R.. This one refers to another Indy legend, Texan "Lone Star J.R.", 3-time(1974, 1976 and 1980) Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford.
12}
The Ovalmeister. This nickname could refer to three people; the correct answer, though, is that of 4-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, who was legendary for his abilities on oval tracks during his open-wheel career. Two entries mentioned the late Greg Moore, who was Mears-like during his tragically short career on ovals(1/2 pt. to both). A third possible answer could've been Sam Hornish, Jr., who has 19 wins in his first 100 Indy Car starts(only A.J. Foyt, Jr., Mario Andretti and Rick Mears have more wins at that point in their respective careers.......
)
13}
the Invisible Man. In the
Stories from the Paddock thread, there is a posting about the IRL's resident Invisible Man, Vitor Meira(who in 2005, was driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing alongside Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick). One person answered with Bryan Herta(1/2 pt. to them); Herta's a quiet-spoken driver who lets his on-track efforts speak for him(Herta currently drives for Andretti-Green Racing's ALMS program).
14}
the Flying Dutchman. This nickname refers to 1997 Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, Sr., who holds the record for the fastest qualifying speed ever recorded at the Brickyard at 236.986 mph back in 1996.
15}
Spiderman. Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves got the nickname for his habit of, after winning a race, running to the catchfencing and climbing to the top in celebration.
16}
Silent Sam. Prior to joining Team Penske in 2004, Sam Hornish, Jr. got the nickname for his sometimes painfully shy, introverted personality. It's also a reference to his on-track driving skills(I mean, why boast when you can let your driving do all the talking......
)
17}
Junky. Over the years, I've heard countless announcers mangle and sometimes nearly butcher Bruno Junquiera's last name(......
..........); hence, the nickname Junky.
18}
the Kiwi. This nickname goes to New Zealander Scott Dixon, 2003 IndyCar Series champion who hails from Auckland, New Zealand.
19}
Il Commendatore. Late last year, the Italian Consulate in New York honored legendary racer Mario Andretti; part of the award included the appellation
Il Commendatore...(think Order of the British Empire for a similar reference)
20}
Mad Max. Referring to open-wheel and sportscar racer Max Papis(one of several nicknames I've heard over the years.....others include Happy Max, Glad Max, etc......
)
Points for the round....................
goggles pisano 17.50 pts
cmlean 11.00 pts
gkaytaz 10.25 pts
GhoGho 10.00 pts
jacfan 3.50 pts
Points after three rounds(w/one round remaining.......)
cmlean 22.25 pts
goggles pisano 17.50 pts
gkaytaz 13.50 pts
GhoGho 10.00 pts
jacfan 6.50 pts
One round remains; I'll give one hint.......it refers to the women of the Brickyard.....
