All posts by Frank Santoroski

February 14, 1944 – September 11, 1978 Ten-time Grand Prix Winner Runner-up in F1 Championship 1971, 1978 Over the past 65 seasons, 846 drivers have competed in Formula One competition. Of those, only 32 have gained the title of World Champion. In order to be crowned champion, a driver must not only possess the talent and determination, but also have the circumstances put them in the right place at the right time. As you can imagine, the history books are filled with stories about drivers that probably should have beenRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer There was a new face in the Verizon IndyCar Series pit lane as 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski, took some laps in a Dallara DW-12 for the first time. The occasion was an open test at the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, WI in preparation for the upcoming Kohler Grand Prix for the IndyCars June 23-26. Keselowski, who drives the #2 Miller Lite Ford for Roger Penske in the Cup Series, accompanied the team to the test during an off-week for NASCAR.Read More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As the Verizon IndyCar Series opened up the month of June with a double-header in Detroit, I found myself reminiscing about many fine races held at the Milwaukee Mile. The venerable one-mile oval first acquired the date after the Indianapolis 500 in 1949, and the tradition carried on until the open-wheel split in 1996. The CART series maintained the early June date after the split, although their competitors were not running at Indianapolis. The track, located within Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, hadRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 600, continuing the 2016 season. The race will be held on Saturday evening under the lights. The event is slated for June 10-11, 2016. About the Race The Firestone 600 is round nine of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. The event is held on an oval track, one of five such races on the calendar. The defending race winner is Scott Dixon in the TargetRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Verizon Indycar Series has concluded their action-packed weekend featuring two races on the Raceway at Belle Isle, with Team Penske’s Will Power coming home victorious in Race Two of the doubleheader. Here are five takeaways from the second half. 1 ) Are separate qualifying procedures necessary?  Double-header weekends for the Verizon Indycar Series feature an abbreviated qualifying procedure for the second race of the weekend. With the dual-race format having disappeared at Toronto, and Houston leaving the schedule entirely, Race 2 at Detroit isRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit for the Verizon IndyCar Series is halfway down with KVSH Racing and Sebastien Bourdais taking a big win in Race One. Let’s take a look at some of the talking points coming out of Saturday. 1 ) Is Detroit really the place to be after Indianapolis?   The Verizon IndyCar Series is coming off of the biggest Indianapolis 500 in the League’s history and heads straight to Detroit, a city that has been suffering from population loss, urban decay, highRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Raceway on Belle Isle for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, continuing the 2016 season. The race weekend will be the only double-header of the season featuring two full races. The event is slated for June 3-5, 2016. About the Race The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit comprises rounds seven and eight of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016.  The event is held on a temporary street circuit, one of five such races onRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer I have now had a day to process the events leading up to and including the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, as well as an opportunity to digest the opinions expressed by the drivers and teams, various sources in the media, and fan reactions. I could easily write 20 or 25 takeaways, but here are five. 1 ) Was the finish a letdown? There are some out there that were left feeling a bit empty with the way theRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Armed Forces Pole Day is behind us, and the grid is set for the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. While many of the old-timers, like myself, miss the days of packed grandstands and true bump-day drama, the events of this past weekend produced a number of compelling stories. Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the on-track action. 1 ) Who’s sand-bagging now? Get your tin-foil hat ready, here’s a conspiracy theory for you. Amidst all ofRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer One of the more iconic images in auto racing is the familiar helmet design utilized by the Andretti family. Starting with a simple silver helmet, with a strip of red tape on the side, Mario Andretti added a wide red stripe over the top of the helmet in the 1970s. The stripe ended in a point above the visor, and it represented the logo of then-sponsor, Viceroy cigarettes. Andretti liked the design and stuck with it for the rest of his racing career. When son,Read More