Round 12--Amber Alert Portal Indy 300

[mlittle]

Round 12 of the 2005 IndyCar Series schedules takes us to bluegrass country--Sparta, Ky., for the Amber Alert Portal Indy 300. The low-banked, 1.5-mile track is known for being fast and wide, providing for two and three-wide racing in the turns. The race has been on the IRL schedule since 2000, and has seen some of the series' best moments. Prior to Kansas this year, Kentucky was the only track to see a woman win the pole position--Sarah Fisher accomplished this in 2002. Two years ago, two-time series champion Sam Hornish, Jr. all but lapped the entire field in dominating the 2003 race. However, as has been the case this year, anything can happen. Here are some of the mid-week storylines for the race weekend....

1}Can Wheldon continue to dominate? So far, no one has been able to knock the Englishman off of the top-step in the standings. If anyone wants to challenge him for the series title, they'll need to do it now, with only 6 races left in the season.

2}New engines for Foyt Racing. After struggling with an underperforming Toyota powerplant, Foyt Racing surprised everyone by announcing their intent to switch to the bow-tie engine for the rest of the year. Even though Chevy had already announced that they were leaving at the end of 2005, this may put pressure on them to stay, which could help relieve pressure on series officials w/regards to the 2007 engine specs.

3}Rookie battle to continue.... After tightening up the points battle for the Bombardier Rookie-of-the-Year Award last race, Rahal-Letterman Racing's Danica Patrick still holds the lead over Target/Ganassi Racing's Ryan Briscoe. Question is, can she expand the lead out some more, or can the Aussie tighten the points differential more?

As always, I'll provide a qual. and race summary, w/commentaries, observations and anything else that comes to mind.

[JayVee]

Amber Alert Portal
What on earth is that

Only in the USA

[Julian Mayo]

Amber Alert Portal
What on earth is that

Only in the USA

A watchful orange hole

[mlittle]

Begun in the late 1990's, the Amber Alert system was designed as a way to help the authorities find missing and abducted children across the United States. When police receive a report that a child has either been abducted, taken by a non-custoidial parent, or has been missing for several hours, the authorities put out an 'Amber Alert' which goes out on television, radio, electronic highway signs, etc., in order to notify the public as to what's going on. The "portal" is an expansion of the amber alert system, which broadcasts the alerts on cell-phones, the Internet, pagers, PDA's(personal digital assts.), and so forth.

Now, the reason the race is named the Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 this year is that Kentucky will be the seventh state to begin using the portal addition to its' Amber Alert system, and the system is set to be activated at the beginning of the race.

[Julian Mayo]

Begun in the late 1990's, the Amber Alert system was designed as a way to help the authorities find missing and abducted children across the United States. When police receive a report that a child has either been abducted, taken by a non-custoidial parent, or has been missing for several hours, the authorities put out an 'Amber Alert' which goes out on television, radio, electronic highway signs, etc., in order to notify the public as to what's going on. The "portal" is an expansion of the amber alert system, which broadcasts the alerts on cell-phones, the Internet, pagers, PDA's(personal digital assts.), and so forth.

Now, the reason the race is named the Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 this year is that Kentucky will be the seventh state to begin using the portal addition to its' Amber Alert system, and the system is set to be activated at the beginning of the race.

The Authorities are just about to start such a system here, in New South Wales. Twas on TV last night JV!

[mlittle]

Panther Racing officials announced today that series rookie Tomas Enge, driver of the #2 Rockstar Energy Drink Dallara/Chevy, has been cleared to race in Sunday's Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 by IRL medical personnel. Enge expressed his thanks to the series' medical staff, saying that, "...this is a big relief for me. I have been dying to get back in the Rockstar car for three weeks now. The IRL medical staff is one of the best in all of motorsports and they've taken good care of me this season." Enge was injured in a hard crash at Nashville a few weeks back and suffered minor compression fractures of the T-12 and L-1 vertebrae as a result of the crash.

[JayVee]

Thanks mlittle for that information. Now that you mention it I did notice some talk about it recently!
julian, I wasn't aware it will be started here too!

Does this mean that we will be getting SMS's on our mobile phone everytime a child goes missing

[mlittle]

If the system that julian's referring to is similar to the Amber Alert system w/in the States', then I would assume so. The portal addition to the Amber Alert System expands the broadcasts of those messages to include cell phones(mobile phones), PDAs(personal digital assts., like the Blackberry, Palm Pilot, etc), the Internet, and pagers, JayVee.

[Julian Mayo]

Thanks mlittle for that information. Now that you mention it I did notice some talk about it recently!
julian, I wasn't aware it will be started here too!

Does this mean that we will be getting SMS's on our mobile phone everytime a child goes missing

as I understand it there will be instant, repeated radio and television broadcasts with as much detail as possible about the missing child, and anyone who could be involved, vehicles etc.,....mobiles, I don't know about.
The idea is to get as much public awareness and involvement as soon as possible.

[mlittle]

My point exactly.

[mlittle]

While Saturday's two practice sessions were held under humid, but sunny skies...qualifying for the Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 was washed out due to rain, meaning that the field will be set according to the combined practice times. If anyone saw the last 30 or so laps of the 89th Indianapolis 500, then you probably know who will sit 1-2 on the grid. Only this time, their places are reversed. For the second time this year, Rahal-Letterman Racing's Danica Patrick(#16 Argent/Pioneer Panoz/Honda) will start from the pole w/a practice time of 24.495 secs.(217.516 mph), and Andretti-Green Racing's Dan Wheldon(#26 Jim Beam/Klein Tools Dallara/Honda) will start 2nd w/a time of 24.497 secs.(217.500 mph). Staring in row 2 will be a familiar pair--Tomas Scheckter and Sam Hornish, Jr. Behind them in 5-6 are Target/Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Wheldon's AGR teammate, Tony Kanaan. Rounding out the top 10 are Vitor Meira, Scott Sharp, Buddy Lazier and Dario Franchitti.

When asked about winning the pole, Patrick replied, "(Qualifying) is the true-earned way for sure, but that doesn't make practice any less difficult. You're definitely putting yourself out to see what your car will do in qualifying, and that's what I was doing. My engineer, Ray Leto, and I--he came up with a good plan, and I just went 'OK'. He planned it right. A pole is a pole. I really think we had a good shot at it."

Echoing that sentiment, ironically, was Wheldon, who believes that "this could be a race where she could score (that) breakout win." He has history backing him up....the last two drivers to start P1 at Kentucky, Sam Hornish, Jr(2003) and Adrian Fernandez(2004) both won each of those years. However, Wheldon also opined that, "With the championship in mind, you like to start up front. I've seen (Hornish, for instance) come from the back here. The key is to have a car that will handle for the race. If you can run fast, you can get to the front real quick."

How will round 2 of the "Dan and Danica show" turn out? The race is set for 3:30 PM EDT(19:30 UTC 14 August) on ABC Sports, w/radio coverage courtesy of the IMS Radio Network(domestic air/webcast) and XM Satellite Radio.

[Julian Mayo]

I hope it turns out to be the "Danica and Dan Show"

[mlittle]

It could be, julian, it could most certainly be.

NOTE:Although Tomas Scheckter was third in the practice charts prior to qualifying, both he and his Panther Racing teammate, Tomas Enge, will start 22nd and 23rd since the team swapped the engines from both of their cars. The top 10 order will therefore be:

1}Danica Patrick(R)
2}Dan Wheldon
3}Sam Hornish, Jr.
4}Scott Dixon
5}Tony Kanaan
6}Vitor Meira
7}Scott Sharp
8}Buddy Lazier
9}Dario Franchitti
10}Buddy Rice

[Julian Mayo]

Lets hope they all stay off the wall, and it is a good clean race

[mlittle]

Ah, Kentucky.....Home to Jim Beam, Churchill Downs, beautiful bluegrass country, and one very female-friendly racetrack. Since Kentucky Speedway opened in the late 1990's....

2002:Sarah Fisher becomes the first woman to win an IndyCar Series pole; she would finish 8th.

July 2005:ARCA/ReMax Series driver Erin Crocker wins the pole for an ARCA race and comes w/in half-a-carlength of winning the race, finishing 2nd.

Aug. 2005:Danica Patrick becomes the second woman to qualify on the pole for an IndyCar Series race(albeit because qual. was rained out)

Here are some observations from the bluegrass state....

1}New look for Foyt Racing? Granted, this team's been shooting blanks all year w/a "Tayota"(AJ jr's pronunciation) but w/a new ChevWorth engine, maybe they can turn the corner. After all, A.J. IV'th qualifies 12th for the race.

2}Powerteams back? With the exception of Scott Sharp(Fernandez Racing), all the racers in the top-10 are w/the larger teams. Andretti-Green has 3(Wheldon-2nd, Kanaan-5th and Franchitti-9th), Rahal-Letterman has 3 also(Patrick-1st, Meira-6th and Rice-10th), while Marlboro-Team Penske(Hornish-3rd), Panther Racing(B. Lazier-8th) and Target/Ganassi(Dixon-4th) are in w/one each. The big losers? The other two Panther entries, as both Scheckter and Enge will ride "shotgun" on the entire field.

3}Can History Be Made Sunday? In regards to Patrick, it most certainly can be. All the breaks just have to go her way. If so, some in the IndyCar paddock may turn a glance at their ChampCar counterparts and say, "Katherine Who?".