Planet-IRL

My Visit to the Surface of the Sun

I decided on the spur of the moment to go to the IRL finale,to my surprise Homestead Speedway had been moved to the surface of the sun.Only took me two planes and one layover to get there, eat your heart out NASA you ain’t got jack on me.If you weren’t at the race and want to know exactly what it felt like to be there, grab a gallon of gasoline dump it on your head and light it, multiply that feeling by ten and you’ll get pretty close. I had a blast at the race, my buddy Paul Dalbey (aka @fieldof33 for the twitter folks, he’s IRL Editor for Planet-IRL) and I roomed together for the weekend, he hooked us up with media passes, so I got to wear a blue vest and take some radical photos with my disposable camera that I took with me. You should have seen the looks I was getting from the teams, heck I should have mounted a tripod underneath it for good measure. The media room there was top notch, any time someone would walk by I would be typing away, sometimes even with the computer off, hopefully they didn’t notice. The only other thing I could have used but didn’t think of it until later was a nice pair of bi-focals to add to the ambiance. On the first day at the track we took a lot of photos. Paul was scoring a bunch of really good interviews. I was getting some really good pics, all into myself and my photog skills. Low and behold I scope out Emma Dixon in the pits, so all cool I stroll up by her and start focusing, bad ass photog I’m thinking to myself, and then reality sets in…I hear a voice near by and it’s Paul stating and I quote “take your lens cap off dude you look like an ass” at that point he could have thrown me in his pocket I felt so small.

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Homestead-Miami Speedway Wrap-Up: One Fan’s Impressions

I will leave it to my colleagues Paul and Matt to give you in-depth overviews of the weekend (after all, Paul seemed in high spirits running around with his Rock Band microphone and snagging some interviews). But since the season is over, I thought I would share my thoughts of the weekend from one race fan’s stand point. As we all sulk into a long “cold” winter, keep this in mind: St. Petersburg is ONLY five months away (and time does fly, so it will be here before we know it)!

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Franchitti Clinches Indycar Series Championship

Dario Franchitti has won the 2009 Indycar Series championship. The Scotsman clinched the points title this evening after his fuel strategy gamble allowed him to take the lead late in the race.

Staying in third position for most of the race meant most people counted Franchitti out long before the race came to a close; but he proved them wrong. Using an alternative fuel strategy after his second stint meant Dario could stay out just a few laps longer than fellow title contenders Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon.

This victory is made even more special due to the fact that this year was Franchitti’s first season back in the IRL Indycar Series after a failed Nascar attempt.

I think I speak for the whole Planet-IRL team when I say congratulations to Dario Franchitti and Chip Ganassi Racing. You guys earned it.

(Picture Credit: Reggie Brown)