Donovan & Associates

Having worked with Dan Wheldon in 2000 at PPI Motorsports, it was no surprise to me when he won the Indianapolis 500 back in 2005 and it was no surprise to see him back in the winner’s circle at today’s Centennial running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. It was clear to me back when Daniel (I still have a hard time calling him Dan, but I’m trying) raced in the Toyota Atlantic series that he is an incredibly talented driver in addition to being an absolutely wonderful person. I’m happy for him and his family and hope to see them back fulltime in the near future.

Oriol Servia was also part of that 2000 PPI Motorsports team and I was incredibly excited to see him leading several laps in today’s race. I was of course routing for him last weekend when he was so close to winning the pole and very happy that he was able to finish in the top 10 today. I know he wanted to win, but I’m also sure that he’s happy for his old teammate. He’s a great driver as well and an all-around nice guy and I’m confident that he’ll continue to be successful this season. I can’t wait to see Oriol in the winner’s circle soon!

Last, but certainly not least, is the man that could always make me smile… Tony Kanaan was ABSOLUTELY amazing today! I’d really like to see a total for the number of cars he passed in his incredible run to the front not once, but twice! It’s easy to see why he’s such a fan favorite… charming, funny and a wicked good race-car driver.

All-in-all, it was an exciting race and a great 100th anniversary for the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Great job guys, I’m proud of you all!!!

HPD 100th Win Signed Lithograph

Having recently started working with The Julian Center, a unique nonprofit agency providing counseling, safe shelter, case management, advocacy, and education for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other life crises, I oddly enough found myself reaching back to my racing roots.

I had almost forgotten the kindness, the generosity, and the big heartedness you find in the racing community. I haven’t actively participated with the IndyCar® Series since shortly after Paul Dana died in March 2006. Yet, when I started calling teams and drivers looking for donations for the silent auction portion of The Julian Center’s Starlight Ball fundraiser, it was as if I’d never left. “How can we help?”, “What do you need?”, and “When do you need it by?” were the only questions anyone asked.

Given the extremely short notice I gave everyone (I didn’t start helping out until three weeks before the auction donation deadline), I was joyfully surprised with the number of items that came in. I know I could have gotten much more if there had been more time. From signed driver’s shirts, shoes, visors, and even a helmet, the donations will add a diversity to our auction that can only increase the excitement and the funds raised for this great cause. Honda Performance Development and U/S Sports Advisors even donated a framed lithograph that celebrates Honda’s 100^th IndyCar® win and is signed by both Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan. Racing people are simply a great group of people and there’s no way anyone can ever make me believe otherwise.

So, just so everyone knows, the wonderful folks in racing not only entertain the community, they contribute to it on so many other levels as well. Kudos to all those who use their powers for good! Here’s to a safe and successful 2011 IndyCar® Series season!!

When you think road-course racing you seldom think of passing, but yesterday’s Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen, had a surprising amount of passes that kept the entertainment factor high.

The best performance of the day, in my opinion, was Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon who started 20^th, spun and stalled the car early in the race, and still managed to come home with a 6^th place finish. Very impressive!

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay also had a great day, starting with the announcement that the he has secured funding for the remainder of the season. Add to that a 7^th place finish after starting 16^th, Hunter-Reay was a happy man at the end of the weekend.

On the other side of the coin you find Tony Kanaan  and the ladies of the series. Kanaan was running in the top 10 when he had to dash into the pits on the final lap for a splash and go. Kanaan stalled the car and would ultimately finish 21^st.

Simona De Silvestro, who I expected to do extremely well with her significant road-course experience, tried to do a little too much on her first lap out of the pits and crashed on lap 39. Danica Patrick, a great oval driver, didn’t fair so well on the more physically demanding course finishing 20^th. Milka Duno finished 3 laps down in 23^rd.

While passing was prevalent at Watkins Glen, I don’t anticipate that will be the case in Toronto on July 18. Street courses are typically much tighter and this one is no exception. A beautiful location and fun event, the Honda Indy Toronto will air on ABC at 12:30 p.m. ET.

From short oval to road course, the Indy Racing League switches gears (and setups) for this weekend’s Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.

One of my favorite things about the IRL series is the accessibility of drivers to fans and that’s definitely the case this weekend. In addition to the standard driver autograph session for all fans, there are a couple of additional opportunities that fans need to know about.

Castroneves is fast both in and out of his racecar

Helio Castroneves will be autographing his new book on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Izod Indy Car Store located on the south side of the garage area. The book sells for $24.95 plus tax, which is reasonable even without the autograph.

Dan Wheldon also has a new book out and will be available to autograph copies of it on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to noon at the same location. Fans should also check the schedule at the store for the times of special appearances by Justin Wilson and Vitor Meira.

Meira, Castroneves and Hideki Mutoh stopped by medical centers to visit patients in Elmira, N.Y., and Rochester, N.Y., on July 1 before heading Watkins Glen International. The drivers signed autographs, posed for photos and talked racing in their effort to raise the spirits of the individuals they spent time with. Yet another example of the IRL’s community outreach efforts.

If you’re not able to make it out to the track, make sure to watch the race which will be aired Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

No IRL race this week, but some fantastic sports non-the-less. Wimbledon, World Cup and Formula One topped my list.

I, along with millions world-wide, were amazed by the incredible display of athleticism demonstrated by American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut over an epic three-day span at Wimbledon. In the tournament’s longest match ever, Isner ultimately prevailed over Mahut with a final score of 70–68 in the fifth and final set.  For 11 hours and 5 minutes, the world of tennis was focused squarely on court 18 and the fierce completion displayed by both athletes.

The American World Cup team made headlines by winning their group in South Africa only to turn around and lose their Round of 16 match to Ghana on Saturday. In typical fashion, the US gave up an early goal, was able to come from behind and tie the match in regulation, but allowed the winning goal from Ghana only three minutes into extra time. Landon Donovan didn’t help the US cause with his lackluster effort relying on teammates to cover for him. Having met Donovan after the last World Cup in 2006, his performance didn’t really surprise me. He seemed completely indifferent about their loss then and appears not to have changed his attitude for this World Cup. Not what you would like to see from one of the team’s major stars.

Finally, the Formula One European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain had drama of its own. Australian Mark Weber suffered a horrific crash with his car going airborne early on, Lewis Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty that didn’t really penalize him and 10 drivers were issued post-race penalties. Meanwhile, Weber’s Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel finished first, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished second and third respectively.

Congrats to IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan! After three consecutive DNFs at Iowa, Kanaan and the Andretti Autosport No 11 Team 7-Eleven not only finished, but finished first. Using the ‘push to pass’ technology at just the right times, Kanaan was able to pass Helio Castroneves to take the lead with 10 laps to go ending his unlucky streak at the Iowa track in great fashion. The personable Brazilian dedicated his Father’s Day win (his first since June 2008) to his son Leo who was finally able to see his dad take the checkered flag in first place (albeit from home).

The 15 lead changes and 7 leaders were the most in the history of the Iowa Corn Indy 250, but that wasn’t the only drama of the race. A lap 1 accident took out both Justin Wilson and Mario Moraes, while Sarah Fisher and Takuma Sato both hit the wall in separate incidents after getting into the marbles.

Even consistently normal pit stops were not so routine in Sunday’s race. In an effort to avoid hitting Kanaan while leaving the pits on an early stop, Castroneves swerved left at the same Scott Dixon was leaving his box resulting in contact. Fortunately neither car suffered extensive damage. Later Simona de Silvestro’s crew had an issue with the air-jack which resulted in a crew member being slightly injured and a drive-through penalty for de Silvestro. Ryan Hunter-Reay also received a drive-through penalty after hitting one of the tires set out in Kanaan’s pit. No-one was injured in that incident.

Sunday was not a good day for the ladies… Of the four women to start the race only Danica Patrick finished.While Patrick finished 10^th (her third consecutive top 10 finish), Milka Duno only completed 31 laps before handling issues forced her to retire from the race, Fisher’s crash put an end to her day, and de Silvestro also had to retire with handling issues after 128 laps.

The drivers and teams will now shift their focus from ovals to road courses as the IRL’s next stop is the famed Watkins Glen on Sunday, July 04 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on ABC.