Full Throttle

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Looking around the racing newswires this Tuesday has been an exercise in, not futility or uselessness, more like “Ho-hum that all there is.” In that light here are a few headlines that did spark a bit of interest.

Italian race-car chassis constructor Dallara released images on Friday illustrating three interpretations of what could be the 2012 Izod IndyCar Series car, based on criteria the Indy Racing League revealed on Thursday.

Dario Franchitti’s return to IndyCar racing couldn’t have gone better. He’s the IRL champion once again. Franchitti successfully emerged from one of the closest points races in series history, winning the season ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first caution-free IRL race ever.

Scott Dixon won the Indy Japan 300 on Saturday to take over the IndyCar series points lead with one race remaining.

Australian Ryan Briscoe grabbed the lead for good with two laps to go and edged rival Scott Dixon to win by 0.0077 seconds - the fourth-closest margin in Indy Racing League history - in a thrilling finish at Joliet’s Chicagland Speedway.

IndyCar Series drivers Will Power and Nelson Philippe were alert after being involved in a three-car incident during the morning practice session at Infineon Raceway, according to Indy Racing League medical director Dr. Michael Olinger.

Milka “Milkaluscious” Duno is taking some heat after last weekend’s event at Mid-Ohio when she failed to heed team instructions to pull over for the fast approaching leaders.

Tony George resigned Tuesday as CEO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ending a 19-year reign during which he brought NASCAR, Formula One and Moto GP to the famed race track but also divided (and unified) open-wheel racing by founding the Indy Racing League in 1996.

Scott Dixon held off teammate Dario Franchitti over the final 20 laps to win the Indy Challenge, his third IndyCar Series triumph of the year.

Only because I’m having trouble squeezing out anything but a couple paras at a time, and not tossing up something brings on withdrawal symptoms, below are a few of the stories that have caught my eye in the last few hours.

Ryan Briscoe leads the IndyCar championship after winning a thrilling and crash-strewn season-opener in St Petersburg, Florida Sunday. In his third season for highly-rated Team Penske, Briscoe, 27, grabbed the lead from a restart with 14 of the 100 laps to go and held out a fierce challenge from Ryan Hunter-Reay to win.

Allegedly an American team will be racing in Formula One next year, USF1 reportedly will be be unveiled Feb. 24, will have a staff of at least 100, a working budget of $64 million and an aim to put two American drivers on the starting grid.

Indy Racing League officials confirmed today that five engine manufacturers — Honda, Audi, Fiat, Porsche and Volkswagen - continue to participate in the IndyCar Series Automotive Manufacturers Roundtables.

Reports early in the day suggest Rahal Letterman Racing has pulled out of the 2009 IndyCar Series because it cannot find a sponsor to support its program.

Rumours suggest that the IndyCar Series could be eyeing the slot left vacant by F1’s decision to dump Canadian GP.

12 Women Drivers Confirmed for Lyn St. James’ Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation 2008/09 Driver Academy

Alan Jones, Formula 1 world champion in 1980, confirmed yesterday that A1GP had made a pitch to the Queensland Government should, as expected, the Indy Racing League withdraw from the Gold Coast.
“Sources” said the fact that the Government had started talks with rival events was the clearest indicator yet that this year’s Indy would be [...]

Tony Stewart
“Paul Newman was a phenomenal individual who made a profound impact throughout his life. His acting skills are well-known, but equally impressive was his desire to give back and help those who just didn’t get the same shake out of life that we did.
“I got to know him through our time helping build Victory [...]

Dixon staked his claim to the first Indycar/Champ Car combined series championship as Helio Castroneves claimed a photo-finish victory at Chicagoland Speedway.
Scott Dixon placed second, just centimeters away while Castroneves’ teammate Ryan Briscoe finished third to complete an impressive inaugural season for the highly-regarded Penske Racing team.
It was the closest finish in Indy racing history, [...]

Editor’s note: Say hi and welcome to Australia’s Peter G. He has been a long-time commentor at FT and has gotten the “bug,” (read, pissed off) to write this open letter to V8 Supercars boss Tony Cochrane concerning his letter relating to the Gold Coast IndyCar event scheduling.
As a side note, Peter may be [...]