2012-13 Motörsports Thread - Pray for NNS Fans

[Deleted]

Some final numbers from the 2012 IndyCar Series season:

Most wins - 4 (Hunter-Reay)
Most podium finishes - 6 (Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Power)
Most top-fives - 8 (Dixon)
Most top-tens - 12 (Castroneves)
Most pole positions - 5 (Power)
Most laps complete - 1,965/1,968 (Castroneves)
Most laps led - 456 (Dixon)
Most DNF - 9 (Sato)

Hunter-Reay averaged a finish of 9th, while Power's average was 9.13. The best average finish was Helio Castroneves' 7.4. Simon Pagenaud also averaged a better finish than the champion, at 8.53.

Eight different drivers on four different teams earned pole positions, with Team Penske taking eight of fifteen between Briscoe, Castroneves, and Power. Dixon and Franchitti took four for TCGR, Andretti and Hunter-Reay each had one for Andretti Autosport, and Tagliani was on the pole for Texas with Bryan Herta Autosport.

Scott Dixon led the most laps in four races, more than anyone, including leading all 60 in Detroit.

Will Power and Josef Newgarden set the fastest lap in three races each, more than anyone else.

Eight different drivers won a race, for five different teams. Team Penske won six races between it's three drivers, Andretti Autosport won four with Hunter-Reay, and TCGR had three victories including the Indianapolis 500 win by Franchitti. Dale Coyne Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing each had one victory - Texas with Justin Wilson for DCR and Fontana for Carpenter.

Hunter-Reay is the first American champion since 2006 (Hornish), and the first non-Ganassi champion since 2007 (Franchitti with Andretti Green).

Hunter-Reay's 3 point championship victory is the closest non-tie championship finish since 1985, when Al Unser Sr. bested Al Unser Jr. by 1 point.

Will Power took the road/street course championship for the third year in a row, while Hunter-Reay captured the oval championship. Simon Pagenaud was the Rookie of the Year and Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship.

Final championship standings:
1 Hunter-Reay / #28 Andretti Autosport / Chevrolet 468 pts
2 Power / #12 Team Penske / Chevrolet -3
3 Dixon / #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Honda -33
4 Castroneves / #3 Team Penske / Chevrolet -37
5 Pagenaud / #77 Schmidt/Hamilton Motorsports / Honda -81

6 Briscoe / #2 Team Penske / Chevrolet -98
7 Franchitti / #10/50 Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Honda -105
8 Hinchcliffe / #27 Andretti Autosport / Chevrolet -110
9 Kanaan / #11 KV Racing Technology / Chevrolet -117
10 Rahal / #38 Chip Ganassi Racing / Honda -135

11 Hildebrand / #4 Panther Racing / Chevrolet -174
12 Barrichello / #8 KV Racing Technology / Chevrolet -179
13 Servia / #22 Panther DRR / Lotus/Chevrolet -181
14 Sato / #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing / Honda -187
15 Wilson / #18 Dale Coyne Racing / Honda -190

16 Andretti / #26 Andretti Autosport / Chevrolet -190
17 Tagliani / #98 Bryan Herta Autosport / Lotus/Honda -196
18 Carpenter / #20 Ed Carpenter Racing / Chevrolet -207
19 Kimball / #83 Chip Ganassi Racing / Honda -208
20 Viso / #5 KV Racing Technology / Chevrolet -224

21 Conway / #14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises / Honda -235
22 Jakes / #19 Dale Coyne Racing / Honda -236
23 Newgarden / #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing / Honda -268
24 de Silvestro / #78 Lotus HVM Racing / Lotus -286
25 Bourdais / #7 Dragon Racing / Lotus/Chevrolet -295

26 Legge / #6 Dragon Racing / Lotus/Chevrolet -331
27 Saavedra / #17 AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport / Chevrolet -427
28 Cunningham / #41/14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises / Honda -439
29 Beatriz / #25 Andretti Autosport / Chevrolet -440
30 Bell / #99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports / Honda -442

31 Pantano / #83 Chip Ganassi Racing / Honda -452
32 Jourdain Jr. / #30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing / Honda -452
33 Clauson / #39 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing / Honda -455
34 Alesi / #64 Lotus Fan Force United / Lotus -455



Overall this was the best season of IndyCar in a long time. It's a shame more people aren't watching.

[Gus Richlen: Ruffian]

Sept 16, 2012 16:25:26 GMT -5 @vyse said:

Keselowski wins in Chicago!

Is he in the Chase? If he is, he's my pick to win it all.

[Richard]

Sept 17, 2012 11:44:17 GMT -5 Gus Richlen: Ruffian said:

Sept 16, 2012 16:25:26 GMT -5 @vyse said:

Keselowski wins in Chicago!

Is he in the Chase? If he is, he's my pick to win it all.

Yeah and he's now in the lead I believe.

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2012 11:44:17 GMT -5 Gus Richlen: Ruffian said:

Sept 16, 2012 16:25:26 GMT -5 @vyse said:

Keselowski wins in Chicago!

Is he in the Chase? If he is, he's my pick to win it all.

Yep. The win sent him into 1st place in the standings

Keselowski	2056
Johnson	-3
Stewart	-8
Hamlin	-15
Kahne	-15
Bowyer	-15
Earnhardt Jr.	-17
Biffle	-19
Truex Jr.	-21
Harvick	-24
Kenseth	-26
Gordon	-47

[Richard]

Tony Eury Jr. out as Danica's crew chief at JR Motorsports and possibly JR Motorsports as a whole.
msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Tony-Eury-Jr-released-from-role-as-Danica-Patrick-crew-chief-091712

[Burst]

As a random complaint, I love how half of the commenters on Miller's Indy blog on Speed's website would rather kill the series and "end its misery" than even try to recover it under the current management, while taking any chance they can to insult NASCAR.

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2012 15:31:50 GMT -5 Burst said:

As a random complaint, I love how half of the commenters on Miller's Indy blog on Speed's website would rather kill the series and "end its misery" than even try to recover it under the current management, while taking any chance they can to insult NASCAR.

I'm not a big NASCAR fan but the only real complaint I have with it is how every sports media entity just about ignores every other form of racing in the US. Which isn't even a complaint against NASCAR.

I always get the feeling that a number of the commenters on any Robin Miller article are ones who won't let the Split die and will never be happy with anything that happens.

[BR329]

Sept 17, 2012 15:31:50 GMT -5 Burst said:

As a random complaint, I love how half of the commenters on Miller's Indy blog on Speed's website would rather kill the series and "end its misery" than even try to recover it under the current management, while taking any chance they can to insult NASCAR.

You would love trackforum.

[Richard]

NASCAR has reinstated AJ Allmendinger after successful completion of the Road to Recovery program.

[Deleted]

Sebastian Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix

[Deleted]

Hamlin takes Loudon!

Johnson	2096
Keselowski	-1
Hamlin	-7
Stewart	-10
Kahne	-15
Bowyer	-15
Earnhardt Jr.	-26
Harvick	-31
Biffle	-33
Truex Jr.	-34
Kenseth	-35
Gordon	-45

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2012 9:40:18 GMT -5 @vyse said:

Sebastian Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix

In the first non-rainy timed race since the 1991 US Grand Prix.

[Burst]

[BearDogg-X]

Kurt Busch will replace Regan Smith in the #78 Furniture Row car next season.

[EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese]

Lewis Hamilton to move to Mercedes for 2013, replacing Michael Schumacher.

Sergio Perez to replace Hamilton at McLaren.

[G✇JI☈A]

Sept 28, 2012 7:01:25 GMT -5 EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese said:

Lewis Hamilton to move to Mercedes for 2013, replacing Michael Schumacher.

Sergio Perez to replace Hamilton at McLaren.

Wow, I would not be surprised if Hamilton walked right into Mercedes's pit garage after his car broke down again during the last race and signed the deal right there.

[Deleted]

www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/more/chris-economaki-dies-at-age-91/

[Lupin the Third]

Motorsports FANs, it's the Chase for the Cup, it's the Monster Mile in Dover, and it's time to go racing. So reach up and pull those belts tight ONE MORE TIME!!!

[Deleted]

Keselowski tames the monster at Dover!

[Burst]

USAToday lists this as the tentative 2013 Indycar Schedule:

2013 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE

March 24--St. Petersburg, Fla. (street course)

April 7--Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (road course)

April 21--Long Beach, Calif. (street course)

May 5--Sao Paulo, Brazil (street course)

May 26--Indianapolis 500 (oval)

June 1-2--Detroit doubleheader (street course)

June 8--Texas Motor Speedway (oval)

June 15--Milwaukee (oval)

June 22--Iowa Speedway (oval)

July 7--Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (oval)

July 13-14--Toronto doubleheader (street course)

Aug. 4--Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (road course)

Aug. 24-25--Sonoma Raceway doubleheader (road course)

Sept. 1--Baltimore (street race)

Oct. 6--Houston (street race)

Oct. 12--Fontana, Calif. (oval)

With maybe Rhode Island being added as a street course. Sounds good, though I still wish we could get some classic CART tracks back like Surfer's Paradise or Cleveland, though if I had to guess it looks like they're shooting for just one big overseas trip each season.