#Rick Ferran

[indycar-series]

QUICK FACTS: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Final Round of the NTT INDYCAR Series Championship.

Nicknames: Laguna Seca, Monterey

Location: Monterey, California, USA

Track Type: Road Course

Track Length: 2.238 miles (3.602 km)

Number of Turns: 11 (7L, 4R)

Year of First Race: 1983

INDYCAR Lap Record: 1:10.148 (Alex Zanardi, 1996)

Winner's Farthest Start: 25th (Max Papis, 2001)

Defending Winner: Colton Herta

Previous Winners: Teo Fabi (1983), Bobby Rahal (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987), Danny Sullivan (1988, 1990), Al Unser Jr (1989*), Rick Mears (1989), Michael Andretti (1991*, 1991, 1992), Paul Tracy (1993, 1994), Gil de Ferran (1995), Alex Zanardi (1996), Jimmy Vasser (1997), Bryan Herta (1998, 1999), Helio Castroneves (2000), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano de Matta (2002), Patrick Carpentier (2003, 2004), Colton Herta (2019, 2021)

*Marlboro Challenge Exhibition Race

Event Name: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

Event Dates: Friday September 9 - Sunday September 11, 2022

Race Distance: 212.61 miles (312.16 km)

Lap Count: 95

Weekend Schedule:

Practice 1: Friday @ 5:30 pm EDT (9:30 pm UTC)

Practice 2: Saturday @ 1:15 pm EDT (5:15 pm UTC)

Quali R1G1: Saturday @ 5:05 pm EDT (9:05 pm UTC)

Quali R1G2: Saturday @ 5:25 pm EDT (9:25 pm UTC)

Quali R2: Saturday @ 5:45 pm EDT (9:45 pm UTC)

Firestone Fast 6: Saturday @ 6:05 pm EDT (10:05 pm UTC)

Warmup: Sunday @ 12:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm UTC)

Race: Sunday @ 3:30 pm EDT (7:30 pm UTC)

Got any questions about Laguna Seca or INDYCAR in general? Send me an ask, and I'll respond as soon as I'm able!

Want to get into INDYCAR but need friends to talk to? Need a way to watch the race? Join the INDYBLR discord server!

#indycar #laguna seca 2022 #indycar quick facts #fyi the race is on 9/11 so if you dont want to watch the american nationalism pageant you may want to skip the pre-race show #also interesting fact: the polesitter has won 64% of the time #and front row starters have won 80% of the time #combined with the fact that the pole position bonus point is important for championship reasons #qualifying could be a really big deal here

[dashagirl]

[unclesamsmisguidedclub]

The Wuhan Coronavirus - Update (Video)

The Wuhan Coronavirus – Update (Video)

On Thursday, January 30, the World Health Organization declared an international emergencyover the Wuhan, China strain of Coronavirus. What the governments are not telling you is that the situation in China is extremely bad – as their government run system panics over their situation. While the declaration of international emergency typically brings more resources to bear, it can also cause…

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#Beijing #China #Communist government #Hubei Province #President Trump #Public Health emergency #Rick Ferran #Uncle Sam&039;s Misguided Children #WHO #Wuhan #Wuhan Coronavirus

[tracerye]

soccer & R & M

#football #soccer #painting #art #digital art #arts #erling haaland #ferran torres #eric garcia #gavi #rick and morty #r&m #morty #rick

[smd5116]

[resolutionsolange]

BILAN CULTUREL - MAI+JUIN 2019

Cinéma :

The Dead Don’t Die - Jim Jarmusch

Parasite - Bong Joon-ho

La Reconquête - Sabrine Kasbaoui   (festival Patriarchy Is Burning)

J’veux du soleil - Gilles Perret, François Ruffin

Livres & bandes dessinées :

Le camphrier dans la ville flottante - Nicolas Labarre

Le Sillon - Valérie Manteau

Holly Ann : L’année du dragon - Kid Toussaint, Servain

Pause - Fabcaro

La vieille dame qui n’avait jamais joué au tennis, et autres nouvelles qui font du bien - Zidrou, coll.

Il fallait que je vous le dise - Aude Mermilliod

L’enfant et la rivière - Xavier Coste, d’après Henri Bosco

Le Chat du Rabbin, tome 6 à 8 - Joann Sfar

Ted, drôle de coco - Émilie Gleason

Pièces radiophoniques :

L’amie prodigieuse d’Elena Ferrante, tome 1 - France Culture

Expos :

Angelica Mesiti : Quand faire c’est dire // Julius Von Bismarck : Die Mimik der Tethys // Theaster Gates : Amalgam // etc. - Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Électro : de Kraftwerk à Daft Punk - Philharmonie, Paris

Paris Romantique, 1815-1848, “Les salons littéraires” - Musée de la Vie Romantique, Paris

Projections privées :

Escape Game - Adam Robitel

Ralph 2.0 - Rich Moore, Phil Johnston

Tout ce qu’il me reste de la révolution - Judith Davis

Astérix : Le Secret de la potion magique - Alexandre Astier, Louis Clichy

Bird People - Pascale Ferran

Game of Thrones, saison 8 - D. B. Weiss, David Benioff

Grey’s Anatomy, saison 15 - Shonda Rhimes

American Gods, saison 1 - Bryan Fuller, Michael Green

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, saison 2 - Noelle Stevenson

Rick et Morty, saison 1 à 3 - Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon

What We Do In The Shadows, saison 1 - Jemaine Clement

Z Nation, saison 1 - Karl Schaefer, Graig Engler

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman

Découvertes musicales récentes :

( Matt Pond PA - Canada   /   Cloud Cuckoo Land - Molpee’s Song )

#solange te parle #bouffer la culture #bilan culturel #résolution solange

[indycar-series]

QUICK FACTS: Indianapolis 500 Mile Race

Round 6 of the NTT INDYCAR Series Championship.

Event Name: 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge

Nicknames: Indy, Indy 500, the 500

Event Dates: Tuesday May 17, 2022 - Sunday May 29, 2022

Location: Speedway, Indiana, USA

Track Type: Superspeedway

Track Length: 2.5 miles (4.023 km)

Banking: 9.2 degrees (corners), 0 degrees (straights)

Race Distance: 500 miles (84.672 km)

Number of Laps: 200

Year of First Race: 1911

INDYCAR Lap Record: 37.895s or 237.498 mph (Arie Luyendyk, 1996)

Winner's Farthest Start: 28th (Ray Harroun in 1911 and Fred Frame in 1932)

Defending Winner: Helio Castroneves

Previous Winners (since 1960): Jim Rathmann (1960), A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Rodger Ward (1962), Parnelli Jones (1963), Jim Clark (1965), Graham Hill (1966), Bobby Unser (1968, 1975, 1981), Mario Andretti (1969), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987), Mark Donohue (1972), Gordon Johncock (1973, 1982), Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980), Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991), Tom Sneva (1983), Danny Sullivan (1985), Bobby Rahal (1986), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989, 1993), Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997), Al Unser Jr. (1992, 1994), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Buddy Lazier (1996), Eddie Cheever (1998), Kenny Brack (1999), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Gil de Ferran (2003), Buddy Rice (2004), Dan Wheldon (2005, 2011), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012), Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Simon Pagenaud (2019)

Schedule:

Practice 1 (Veterans Only): May 17 @ 9:00 am EDT/1:00 pm UTC

ROP and Practice 2: May 17 @ 1:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm UTC

Practice 3: May 18 @ 12:00 pm EDT/4:00 pm UTC CANCELLED

Practice 4: May 19 @ 12:00 pm EDT/4:00 pm UTC

Fast Friday: May 20 @ 12:00 pm EDT/4:00 pm UTC

Practice 6: May 21 @ 8:30 am EDT/12:30 pm UTC

Qualifying Day 1: May 21 @ 11 am EDT/3:00 pm UTC*

Practice 7: May 22 @ 12:30 pm EDT/4:30 pm UTC

Top 12 and Fast 6: May 22 @ 4:00 pm EDT/8:00 pm UTC

Practice 8: May 23 @ 1:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm UTC

Final Practice (Carb Day): May 27 @ 11 am EDT/3:00 pm UTC

Pit Stop Competition: May 27 @ 2:30 pm EDT/6:30 pm UTC

Race: May 29 @ 11 am EDT/3:00 pm UTC

*Inclement weather expected, check your local forecasts and stay weather aware

Got questions about the Indy 500 or INDYCAR in general? Send me an ask, and I will respond as soon as I can!

Want to get into INDYCAR and need people to chat with? Join the INDYBLR discord server!

#indycar #indy 500 2022 #indycar quick facts #SORRY THIS IS SO LATE i legitimately like spaced out the last week #i have absolutely no idea what happened #i will be at the track again this weekend and next weekend so im gonna be pretty nonexistent on tunglr dot com except if anyone sends asks #if it ends up storming in the afternoon tomorrow i may (dont quote me) get some free time to answer shit

[dashagirl]

[unclesamsmisguidedclub]

Communist Cuban Newspaper Praises Bernie

Communist Cuban Newspaper Praises Bernie

The Miami Herald reported that Granma, the state-run Communist Cuban newspaper in Havana, praised Bernie Sanders on its front page after he praised Fidel Castro on 60 Minutes on Feb 23rd. Make no mistake, Bernie Sanders is a Communist, and his infatuation with the dead Cuban dictator is delusional.

Even a leftist Democrat noted that Sanders’ position is wrong:

https://twitter.com/ananavarro/statu…

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#2020 elections #Bernie Sanders #communism #Communist survivor #Cuba #Democrats #Fidel Castro #Granma #Rick Ferran #Uncle Sam&039;s Misguided Children

[theamericanpatriotpage]

Pay attention, America. This man's story echoes our own Rick Ferran. And it is imperative that we listen and learn.

~ The Wolfdragon

[bridgetbosch-blog]

Patriots of America, President Donald Trump supporters we need to share this message to everyone. George Soros and the DNC are funding these false flags attacks, they are behind the ANTIFA Fascist organization who looted the businesses, burned the cars, beat innocent people (both democrats and trump supporters) attacked police officers, etc. They are using the same techniques the Black Lives Matter organization has used. They are trying to create more division in the hopes of destroying our Country. Even the news media and social media like Google is showing fascism which is a Socialist, extreme left view of progressive liberalism. They use violence and intimidation to break countries from within.

They are using the same techniques they have used to dismantle governments worldwide to put in place tyranny worse that you can ever imagine. ANTIFA must be considered a domestic terrorist group immediately and George Soros must be arrested for his crimes. He once collaborated with the Nazis, and is now collaborating once again to destroy the nation.

 Google has changed the definition of ‘Fascism’ and is blaming it on the right wing. Let the record show, it’s we, Conservatives on the right, who support and defend women by fighting against Shariah law. It's we who defend freedom of speech by attacking political correctness. It’s we who protect human rights like gay rights by bringing to light the crimes committed by Moslem nations all around the world against gays. It's we who defend Israel and its people. It's we who believe in one Republic, one people, united under one language and one flag in support of our American values no matter what color of skin or religious preference. It's we who support capitalism that gives everyone an opportunity to be successful and create his/her own wealth. It’s we who believe and support our Constitutional rights like the 2nd Amendment to defend against a tyrannical and oppressive government.

This is the #1 reason why our nation is all screwed up. The news media and social media companies with their own ulterior motives are using their power to replace the truth with fake news and lies. We must not let them.

Rick Ferran Communist Survivor and US Marine Veteran

[viewsofmyviews]

If you are offended by words, dont watch this. https://bit.ly/3ahgMmr

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1304

Monday, March 9, 2020

 I want to thank my partner Chris for another successful Capital Comic Book Con at the Delta Hotel in downtown Ottawa yesterday. All of his hard work pricing and preparing our stock and setting up our booth paid off. I am glad that I get a day to recover as the old muscles are aching today. I saw many old friends and customers which made for a fun social event as well. There's a full moon out tonight so get out there and give a howl. Then come back inside and wash your hands.

 Daredevil #19 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Mattia Iacono (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). A gang of super villains paid by the Stromwyns is destroying Hell's Kitchen. Can Daredevil save his home? There's a lot of destruction and the citizens try to defend themselves but it doesn't look good. I like the wild card showing up. I wonder if they will help or hurt?

 Lois Lane #9 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Andy Troy (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Lois and Renee need to find the assassin Kiss of Death and they get some help from a friend. Batman's appearance was a hoot. This story has been great so far. You should also be watching Greg's TV show Stumptown. Cobie Smulders is killing it as Dex.

 Doctor Strange #6 - Mark Waid (writer) Kev Walker (art) Java Tartaglia & Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Someone has stolen Stephen's magical artefacts and could be mass producing them for evil purposes. He has to team up with Doctor Druid to stop that from happening. This new story is spellbinding.

 Superman: Villains #1 - Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction & Jody Houser (writers) Art, colours and letters done by a bullpen full of others. This $5.99 US one-shot is a muddled mess. It confused me right out of the gate when Superman visits his parents on the farm. Ma and Pa Kent are there. I thought Pa died. Then Superman tells Pa that some Batman tech is going to keep them safe like it does for the Batcave. That was four pages of WTF for me. So that segues into a scene with Lois, Clark, Perry and the new owner of the Daily Planet, Marisol Leone. We find out later that Ms. Leone is the head of some sort of Mafia. Then there's two pages of Lex Luthor and a laughing answering machine message that made me think it was the Joker calling to mock the bald baddie. I can go on and on, like why Bizarro? I hate Bizarro. Also, what is up with Supergirl? Is she still infected from Year of the Villain? All the different art styles didn't help either. This did not make me want to read more DC comics.

 Black Cat #10 - Jed MacKay (writer) Kris Anka (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). It's a fun-filled, action-packed team-up with Wolverine in Madripoor. How do you like them hyphens?

 Savage Avengers #11 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Butch Guice (art) Alex Guimaraes (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Doctor Strange's astral form observes the origin of the evil wizard Kulan Gath. It's this story that reveals the way to finally kill the sorcerer. But first, he and Elektra must find Conan. This was my favourite issue of the run so far.

 Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown #2 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I love these outrageously improbable adventures. Conan chases the Black Cat to get a ring back. This issue takes place in Las Vegas so it's a good chance for the Scarlet Spider to make a guest appearance. Conan does retrieve the ring but how he does made me go "huh?". I really got a chuckle when I saw where Conan and Nyla are zapped to. I'm sure this will cross over with Savage Avengers at some point.

 Strange Academy #1 - Skottie Young (writer) Humberto Ramos (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I expected a fun debut from Skottie Young and he delivers. We meet a lot of kids and a lot of teachers in this new magical school of magic. This reminded me of Avengers Academy and I think I'll like this new crop of young magicians.

 Batman #90 - James Tynion IV (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Catwoman has a secret that will destroy Batman's love for her and this flashback story tells us what it is. It was disappointing that I guessed what it was before the big reveal on the last page. This new villain, the Designer is kind of interesting and I want to see if Mr. D succeeds in his goal.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Cory Smith (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). There are two stories this issue. The first has Miles babysitting his little sister and you just know that things are going to get hairy. Then Uncle Aaron walks into a trap laid by his new boss Ultimatum. What happens next doesn't bode well for Miles. This is another book that I'm thinking of benching. My fondness for the character is waning but I do still like the art.

 Marauders #9 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue has Emma and Bishop dealing with the bad guys. It's really cool how Emma can mess with minds.

 Dryad #1 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Justin Osterling (art) Jim Campbell (letters). This new fantasy story is about Morgan and Yale and their two teenage offspring Griffon and Rana. There are big swords and monsters and a mysterious ancient race. The mixed race marriage reminded me of Saga. Morgan is an elf and Yale is human. The kids go exploring and open a door leading to a peck of trouble. The characters didn't grab me and this issue didn't spark enough interest in me to want to read the next issue. You might like this if you enjoy books like Rat Queens.

 Strange Adventures #1 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads & Evan "Doc" Shaner (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). Adam Strange is back on the racks in this 12 issue maxi that has him being framed for murder. When Batman passes up the case he's got to go with another hero to clear his name. I really liked how Alanna was handled and that's why I will read the next issue.

 2020 Rescue #1 - Dana Schwartz (writer) Jacen Burrows (art) Scott Hanna (inks pages 17, 19, 20) Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I know from reading Avengers that Tony is alive and well trapped in the past but Pepper Potts thinks he's dead. This story has Pepper trying to find a way to clone Tony using his biological parents' DNA. I picked this off the rack because of Jacen Burrows's art but the writing wasn't even half as good as the old Ironheart used to be so I won't be reading any more.

 Spider-Man Noir #1 - Margaret Stohl (writer) Juan Ferreyra (art) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is Peter Parker as Sam Spade, the Shadow and Spider-Man all rolled into one circa 1939. The web-shooters and 45s are jarring to me. Anyways, the art is suitably dark and gorgeous and the murder mystery will have Peter globe trotting to find the killer. If you like hard boiled crime this is the 5-issue mini for you.

 Doctor Doom #6 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is like a Bing Crosby and Bob Hope "Road to Terlingua, Texas" movie starring Doctor Doom and Kang. Doom is trying to find a way to keep a black hole from destroying the earth and Kang is just tagging along for giggles. Doom does get what he's after, rids himself of the annoying Kang and figures out how to save the earth. Now he's heading back home with the device and I want to see how he uses it.

 Marvel #1 - this $4.99 US 6-issue mini is for all those Marvel Maniacs pining for stories from the days of yore. Alex Ross curates this anthology of new stories that read like reprints from the sixties. The two stories this issue are:

 "Spider-Man: Make My Day" by Sajan Saini (writer) Frank Espinosa (art) & VC's Clayton Cowles (letters) features a fight with Rhino and an argument with Mary Jane.

 "The Boy…and the Brute" by Kurt Busiek (writer) Steve Rude (art) Steven Legge (colours) & Steve Rude (letters) features Rick Jones, the Hulk and the Avengers.

 These are nice little vignettes and are interesting for the creators involved. They're fun to read and that's what comic books are all about.

 The Flash #750 - It's been a while since I've read a Flash comic so I thought I'd catch up by snagging this $7.99 US anniversary issue off the racks. There are 6 stories inside featuring a bunch of Flashes but mostly concentrating on Barry Allen. Jay the Golden Age Flash and Wally West are here too. There is also a lot of hopping around in time, dimensions and universes that left my head reeling. It looks like future issues of the Flash are going to speed through many divergent plots and I don't want to work that hard to keep track of everything. This issue did not make me want to return to the Flash fold.

[republicanationnews]

Battle-Hardened On Social Media: Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children

Battle-Hardened On Social Media: Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children

The following article, Battle-Hardened On Social Media: Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, was first published on Conservative Firing Line.

Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children is appealing Facebook’s decision to take down our page and ban our founder Rick Ferran (Tank) yet again. Appealing is a long ugly process against hostile forces who hate us and everything we stand for. They attempted to take our…

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[indycar-series]

ROUND 15: Laguna Seca

Some quick facts:

Location: Monterrey, CA

Track type: Road course

Track length: 2.238 miles (3.602 km)

Number of turns: 11

Fun facts: The track was built in 1957 on part of Fort Ord, a US Army maneuver area and field artillery target range. Hosts the Corkscrew, a one of a kind sequence of turns that boasts a 6 story drop in elevation.

Indycar Stats:

Defending winner: Colton Herta

Past winners: Teo Fabi (1983), Bobby Rahal (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987), Danny Sullivan (1988, 1990), Rick Mears (1989), Michael Andretti (1991, 1992), Paul Tracy (1993, 1994), Gil de Ferran (1995), Alex Zanardi (1996), Jimmy Vasser (1997), Bryan Herta (1998, 1999), Helio Castroneves (2000), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Patrick Carpentier (2003, 2004), Colton Herta (2019)

Year of first race: 1983

2021 Event:

Event name: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterrey

Duration: 90 laps/212.61 miles (341.16 km)

Dates: September 17 - 19, 2021

Weekend Schedule:

Practice 1: Friday 5:30 - 6:15 pm ET (9:30 - 10:15 pm UTC)

Practice 2: Saturday 1:45 - 2:30 pm ET (5:45 - 6:30 pm UTC)

Quali R1G1: Saturday 5:05 - 5:15 pm ET (9:05 - 9:15 pm UTC)

Quali R1G2: Saturday 5:25 - 5:35 pm ET (9:25 - 9:35 pm UTC)

Quali R2: Saturday 5:45 - 5:55 pm ET (9:45 - 9:55 pm UTC)

Firestone Fast 6: Saturday 6:05 - 6:20 pm ET (10:05 - 10:20 pm UTC)

Warmup: Sunday 12:00 - 12:30 pm ET (4:00 - 4:30 pm UTC)

Race: Sunday 3:00 - 6:00 pm ET (7:00 - 10:00 pm UTC)

Got any questions about Laguna Seca or Indycar in general? Send me an ask, and I'll get to you as soon as I can!

#indycar #laguna seca 2021

[theloudpedal]

The Finale-GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

It was perfect weather for a championship celebration with temperatures in the 70s, down from the triple digit daze (see what we did there) that have plagued Northern California in the weeks prior to the weekend.  We were in the California Wine Country (somebody has to do it!) and it was the 17th and final race of the Verizon IndyCar Series season at the best track possible (says us!) to declare a champion.

To win it all on Sunday, Joseph Newgarden simply needed to keep his foot down and drive a clean race from his front row pole position.  Newgarden was one of four Penske drivers starting in the first four positions, coincidentally all in contention for the championship title.  As the race unfolded, Newgarden had  to contend with an urge to win the race itself, as well as a final push from last year's IndyCar Series champion, and Penske teammate, Simon Pagenaud.

The subplots were thick over the last race weekend for IndyCar in 2017.  There wasn't just a championship to win at the final race as one other driver, also in title contention, would be looking at driving in his last IndyCar race.  For two decades Helio Castroneves has raced in open-wheel racing, 17 of those years with Penske team.  Sunday at Sonoma may be the last time Castroneves competes full time in IndyCar as many indications point to his moving to sports car racing to join with Penske's Acura DPi effort in the IMSA Sports Car series in 2018. Helio has been an integral part of IndyCar becoming a name synonymous with the sport.  Turn on the television on a random Sunday and hear his name you know you're watching an open wheel race.  Castroneves entered Sunday only 22 points behind Newgarden but was only able to manage a 5th place finish.  While never winning a season title, he has three Indianapolis 500 wins and overall is a class act.  

Newgarden's championship journey began when arriving at Team Penske from Ed Carpenter Racing.  He won four races in '17, building up a points lead going into the finale.  At just 26 years old, while not the youngest driver, was a in a field that's tough to break into.  Numerous seasoned veterans and previous champions made up sharp end of the field of the IndyCar series meaning that that racing talent and a reliable car are not the only things needed to take a title.  He came to Sonoma leading in wins and with 9 top ten finishes.  It was this consistency that kept him in the title hunt in spite of a crash while exiting pit road at Watkins Glen, an error that would allow Scott Dixon to reduce Newgarden's lead to just three points.  After grabbing pole position on Saturday it would be his race (and series title) to win.  

Newgarden's championship in his first year with Team Penske would bring him the Astor Cup, joining Rick Mears ('79), Al Unser Jr. ('94) and Gil de Ferran ('00) as drivers also winning the title in their first year with Penske.  He is only the second American in 11 years to win the championship.

The race itself was entertaining as always.  Sonoma raceway never fails to deliver the goods.  Rolling hills and twists and turns keep the action tight and constant, and the narrowness of the track ensures that any successful pass on the track is done at considerable risk/peril.  We've observed over the years that when we watch races at Sonoma on TV we stay fixed on the action everywhere because know...we're just certain...that at any moment, either gravity or poor discretion will take a driver out of the running.    

On lap 64, Simon Pagenaud would make his fourth pit stop and emerge back in the lead that he gained earlier when Newgarden pitted.  (It must be noted that Pagenaud was the only driver in the top ten finishers to pit four times!) For a time Newgarden, not needing to win the race to win the championship, charged toward Pagenaud like a man possessed.    Caution and patience were tossed aside both drivers scorched the timing sheets up until the last few laps of the race.  In a show of discretion and maturity, or rational fear of angering Roger Penske, Newgarden accepted his 2nd place race position and maintained a small gap to Pagenaud for the last couple of laps, accepting that it better to lose the battle for the race win in order to win the war for the season title. 

Not to be overshadowed by Newgarden clinching the series cup, Pagenaud did this year, exactly what he did last time he came to Sonoma.  He showed up to the last race of the year and taught a master class on how to win at one of the more difficult tracks on the calendar.  He did it by racing clean and sticking to his team's race strategy (however unorthodox). 

Everyone in attendance got their moneys worth because all of these drivers left everything on the track.  

Team Penske initially met with Newgarden when he was 21 years old, but declined to sign him, as he was seen as brash and prone to crashing.  Honestly, who really knows if that was a good idea.  In many cases it's probably a good call for a team to look at an untested prospect and think in might be a good idea to pass on an opportunity in order to let a driver, well, wiggle their giggles out.  Though young, he is no rookie, having raced in IndyCar for 5 years before joining Penske.  Maybe this gap in time was just the stuff of that old Penske magic.  Newgarden winning at Sonoma earned Team Penske their 15th IndyCar Series title.

With the 2017 season coming to a close, IndyCar once again shows itself as one of the most competitive racing series around.  Few other series, specifically open wheel racing series, can claim to have multiple drivers in contention for the title at the last race of the season.  IndyCar is clearly in a strong position going forward, into the 2018 season.  New teams are on deck to join in 2018, and they'll have a new car design that many drivers already believe will make the racing even more competitive.  Newgarden's championship will serve to propel him as the face of IndyCar for 2018 and hopefully draw even more young people to the sport as he has a media and track personality that is just what racing needs.  Sunday in Sonoma may have officially been an ending, but to us it looks like the beginning of something special for American open-wheel racing.  

#Indycar #Sonoma Raceway