FanHouse IndyCarSeries

FH writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller are taking part in both major American races this weekend. Here, they go Wheel2Wheel on some major issues facing each sport.

There's been lots of talk about Danica Patrick this week moving to NASCAR. We'll ask again: is this for real?

Holly Cain: While Danica is clearly enjoying her flirtation with NASCAR, I don't think it's a real option - yet as much as a bargaining ploy to land a good IndyCar ride.

Geoffrey Miller: I couldn't agree more, though a move by her would be a tremendous short-term gain for NASCAR in terms of a new character in the garage.

IndyCar driver, and perhaps more notably the former champion of TV's Dancing with the Stars, Helio Castroneves will have to wait at least two more days to learn the fate of his future.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and driver for the esteemed Penske Racing operation faces charges of tax evasion, along with his sister Katitucia and attorney Alan Miller for what the Internal Revenue Service says was millions of dollars worth of evaded and unpaid tax returns.

And Friday, after both the prosecution and the defense finished their final statements, the jury deliberated for over two hours before closing up shop for the weekend.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -- IndyCar Series sources said Friday that Richard Petty Motorsports, in conjunction with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, will field a car for John Andretti in this year's Indianapolis 500. A formal announcement is set for Monday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A news release was issued Friday saying only that it would be a NASCAR team owner and NASCAR driver setting off speculation in the IndyCar paddock as teams prepare for this weekend's season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Every once and a while, I'll find an article that shines a completely different line of a topical subject and really makes you think a lot.

This week's example? A blog post by ESPN's Ryan McGee titled "The Fall of Al Unser Jr."

Unser Jr. -- in case you missed it -- made more headlines the way he hates to last week when an indictment involving a prostitution ring listed him as an extortion victim thanks a tape that supposedly showed the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion in a compromising situation.

The owner of the tape allegedly wanted $750,000 to keep the video from going public and Unser Jr., was close to paying it to avoid breaking a "morals clause" in a racing contract.

McGee's post, however, focused on nothing of like and instead talked about how far Unser Jr. has fallen from his incredible win over Scott Goodyear in 1992 Indianapolis 500 and his second in 1994.

In the post, McGee talks about how Unser Jr. could have had a legitimate NASCAR career and how the driver found himself living out of a motor home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a just a few years ago.

Thursday afternoon, word came out that two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves was facing an indictment of tax fraud charges in Florida for allegedly hiding $5 million in income.

Helio, along with his sister and his attorney Alan Miller, was called in to a courtroom Friday morning in the Sunshine State and he pleaded not guilty to a lot of charges that could put him in the slammer for a long time.

The folks in the courtroom must have seen Helio's fence-climbing techniques after winning races and had the guy in handcuffs, as well as chains around his ankles. I mean, come on, I know the guy is fast on a race track and a decent dancer, but I'm highly doubting he's much of a flight risk.

Anywho, Helio was released on bail of $10 million, but was ordered not to leave the country and could only travel for work -- meaning he will miss the upcoming non-points IndyCar event in Australia.

This situation, though, doesn't stop with the winged open-wheel cars because it turns out that Castroneves' attorney -- Alan Miller -- is the same guy who represents many, many NASCAR drivers including Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.

Dario Franchitti is done with NASCAR, and if you're surprised, then, well, you shouldn't be.

Franchitti announced Tuesday that he'd be heading back to life in the IRL IndyCar Series with the same owner who drove for in NASCAR, Chip Ganassi. The move was a little puzzling especially knowing that Franchitti would be replacing Dan Wheldon -- one of the series' top drivers.

But more telling of Franchitti's move was how quickly the idea by NASCAR owners to bring open-wheel talent to NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series with limited stock car experience at best became a bust.

Franchitti is the third driver to take the reins in NASCAR with intentions of making a long-term career move at the beginning of 2008 to succumb to the economics of NASCAR. In other words, open-wheel drivers with limited experience struggle early in their stock car careers and sponsors just don't want to spend money and time on such a move.

That list includes Franchitti, Jacques Villenueve and Patrick Carpentier, and leaves just one question.

Who's next?

While I know it isn't NASCAR, it's still fun to watch two female drivers in the IRL IndyCar Series get after it. As we talked about Saturday, Danica Patrick and Milka Duno had a bit of tiff on pit lane after practice for Sunday's race at Mid-Ohio.

Today, we've got the video. Finally.

In the flick, you'll get to see what led to the confrontation on pit road between Danica and Milka. Judge for yourself, but to me I can understand fully why Danica would be so ticked.

Danica initially vents about the incident to her team, and later, she decides to head down pit road to find out whether or not Milka actually saw her. That, my friends, is when the action gets fun.

Danica brings the words, Milka brings the towel. Cha-Ching!

Click the link below to check out the video.

For the first time since open-wheel racing in America split prior to the 1996 season, the two factions were back together racing on the same track Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was Scott Dixon, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, that would ultimately pick up the historic win in the Gainsco Indy 300 following leader Tony Kanaan getting taken out in a late wreck.

Kanaan, who Dixon was catching during the closing laps, got taken out of the event after driver Ernesto Visto lost control and Kanaan couldn't avoid him, damaging his front suspension. From there, Dixon sailed to the win.

Marco Andretti, Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, and Ed Carpenter rounded out the top-5 of a relatively clean race with only two crashes and three caution periods.

Next week, the series heads to St. Petersburg, Fla. for its first street course event of the season -- a race that many of the former Champ Car drivers are viewing as something much more suited to their driving experience.

Nearly 12 years later, a few people at the top of the open-wheel racing world finally got their heads screwed on straight.

The Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin is reporting that sometime on Friday, both the IRL IndyCar Series and the Champ Car World Series will announce a merger effective for the coming 2008 season. From the article:

Barring an 11th-hour snag in negotiations between IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, who planned to meet Thursday night, the two Indianapolis-based sanctioning bodies are expected to officially become one, potentially as soon as a 11:45 a.m. news conference Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Cavin, as well as SPEED's Robin Miller (who, interestingly enough, departed ways from the Indianapolis Star many years ago on not-go-good terms) have been the two primary leads on the story about the two factions who split in 1996 for a few weeks now.

Cavin's "Racing Expert" blog has been a beacon of hope for open-wheel/Indianapolis 500 race fans for the past few weeks as Cavin used subtle hints to indicate he had sources telling him that a unification of the two rival series was in the works.

It's been fun to read the progress of the merger, and it brings excitement to this stock car fan to know that -- regardless of what ISC & Daytona say -- the nation's biggest race will again have some its biggest teams and drivers involved. More importantly, though, reaching 33 cars to start the race won't be as difficult of a process.

The IRL has 16 confirmed teams for 2008, and with the influx of the Champ Car folks expect that number to rise near 25.

Will the racing be great in 2008? No, but it will certainly get better as time goes on. It does leave me with a couple of questions, though.

Good afternoon, folks, we're less an hour from the green flag.

Remembering Alan Kulwicki 14 Years Later.
The NASCAR world lost Alan Kulwicki 14 years ago today to a plane crash. Kulwicki was the 1992 Winston Cup Champion and the last driver to win it who also doubled as an owner. In addition, Kulwicki came from a 278 point deficit with 6 races to go in 1992 and beat Bill Elliott by 10 points in one of the most dramatic final races ever for a NASCAR season. The world lost a great man in that plane crash, and NASCAR lost one its truly iconic figures. Godspeed, Alan.

50% Chance of Rain and Thunderstorms at Martinsville Today.
Right now, there's no rain falling, but there is a line of showers coming out of the southwest towards speedway. Everybody do your anti-rain dance and hope for 500 laps today. Follow the weather radar from the National Weather Service.

IndyCar Series Looks Into New Fencing
The Indianapolis Star has an article today talking about Brian Barnhart's (IRL Prez) new initiative to find a new type of fencing that sits above the concrete walls at race tracks. He has already commissioned the University of Nebraska's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility to start working on the project. It comes about after several drivers in IRL have gotten airborne and into the metal catch fencing causing severe leg trauma in the past few years. Most recently that was Pablo Perez of the Indy Pro Series who was hurt so bad at Homestead last week that amputation was considered. If the IRL is nothing else, it's sure working for safety and you have to applaud that.