All posts by Frank Santoroski

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Treacherous, perilous, dangerous, precarious, and tricky: these were some of the adjectives used to describe the new-look Kentucky Speedway following Saturday night’s Quaker State 400. The Speedway, located in Sparta, midway between the large population centers of Louisville and Cincinnati, recently completed a total replacement of the 16-year old asphalt. In addition to the repave, turns one and two were reconfigured adding 3° of banking, while turn four was narrowed to allow for a wider pit lane entrance. To say that the facility has raisedRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer All of us at Motorsports Tribune are saddened to report that Carl Haas has passed away at the age of 86. A statement issued by the Haas family this morning read “Carl Haas’ incredible journey came to a peaceful end on June 29, 2016, at his home that he loved, surrounded by family.” The sight of cigar-chomping Carl Haas, and his business partner, movie star-turned racer Paul Newman, in the pit lane during the heyday of the CART series was a familiar image as theirRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer One year ago, two days of on-and-off rain plagued the NASCAR triple-header weekend at the Kentucky Speedway.  Attempts at drying the track became an agonizingly long and frustrating process as persistent weepers came up through the surface. It was at that moment that Speedway officials realized that it was time for drastic measures. The track surface, that had survived fifteen winters of freeze/thaw cycles and become as bumpy as a washboard, would be replaced. More than 17,000 tons of asphalt was torn out and hauledRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 300, continuing the 2016 season. The event is slated for July 9-10, 2016. About the Race The Iowa Corn 300 is round ten of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. The event is held on an oval track, one of five such events on the schedule. Andretti AutoSport driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, is the defending race champion, and 2016 will mark the tenth IndyCar race held onRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As recently as a week ago, three-time World Driving Champion, Lewis Hamilton, was quoted in the press as stating that his relationship with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was better than ever. The two had evidently spent some quality time together poolside and hashed out their differences. Fast forward to this morning, where Hamilton came out as the winner following a last-lap collision between teammates in the Austrian Grand Prix, and that is sure to change. In a series where races are often decided by obsceneRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer After tremendous anticipation, the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America for the Verizon IndyCar Series is now in the books. At the end of the day, it was Team Penske driver Will Power who led from pole and took the victory. Looking back, here are five takeaways from the days action. 1 ) The event was everything we had hoped it would be The last time Indy cars graced the Wisconsin countryside was 2007. With its high speed corners, long front straight, and a lapRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer On Friday, the Verizon IndyCar Series hit the track for a race meeting at the picturesque Road America Circuit, and it was a welcome return. Open-wheel Indianapolis-style cars last raced on the 4.048 mile, 14-turn track back in 2007 when the OWRS/ChampCar Series ran there for the final time, ending a tradition that began in 1982. That tradition is now reignited after an agonizingly long wait, and motor-homes and campers are already lining the hillsides for the KOHLER Grand Prix that is slated to runRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The nominees for the annual ESPY awards were announced recently and there will be four different racing series represented in the category of Best Driver. The ESPY awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) are presented by ABC/ESPN and will be broadcast live on July 13, 2016. WWE wrestling personality, John Cena, will host the awards ceremony. The Best Driver category has been a part of the ESPYS since its inception in 1993, with Briton Nigel Mansell being the first winner. Nominees are selected byRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer When the Verizon IndyCar series announced Watkins Glen International as a replacement venue for the failed Boston Grand Prix, there was immediately speculation as to what type of speeds we might see. The iconic 3.4 mile road course was recently repaved and now offers an ultra-smooth driving surface. Five drivers took to the track, located in upstate New York, participating in a test session to supply Firestone technicians with data to allow for tire compound selection.  During the five-hour session, all five drivers posted timesRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will make their much-anticipated debut at Road America for the Kohler Grand Prix, continuing the 2016 season. The event is slated for June 23-26, 2016. About the Race The Kohler Grand Prix is round nine of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016.  It is, however, the tenth race start, with Texas having been rained out, and its completion slated for August. The event is held on a permanent road course, one of six such races onRead More