| 19 February 2012
PHOTO CREDIT: Dana Garrett/INDYCAR
With the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season roughly one month away, testing will ramp up this week for drivers, teams, and, perhaps most importantly, the Dallara DW12.
The DW12 has had its share of problems in oval testing, but additional aero pieces and a new suspension system from Dallara seem to have helped matters as Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball gave the car solid reviews after a one-day session at Auto Club Speedway. But while it did well at the relatively flat, two-mile oval of ACS, the DW12 still must pass muster at the high-banked tracks.
One of those facilities, the 1.5-mile and 24-degree banked Texas Motor Speedway (above), will play host to a private test on Tuesday with Alex Tagliani (Barracuda-BHA/Lotus), Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology/Chevrolet) and Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske/Chevrolet). Next month will be even more important as the entire series descends upon TMS for an Open Test on March 13.
Considering the reduced amount of ovals on this year's schedule and the DW12's ongoing process of improvement, any news coming out of the Texas sessions will likely get a close look even though tomorrow's test only has three drivers and two of the three engine manufacturers.
Speaking of Honda, all five of its squads are starting the week with testing today and tomorrow at the Barber Motorsports Park road course in Alabama. Joining them are the other Chevy-powered Penske pilots, Helio Castroneves and Will Power.
Phoenix, Sebring and Infineon will also see sessions this week from IndyCar drivers and teams. The second linked story above contains the full testing schedule.
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Five years after Team Penske's Helio Castroneves stormed the dancefloor and won "Dancing With The Stars" with Julianne Hough, the IZOD IndyCar Series returned to prime-time reality TV last night as Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti began his run on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice."
Michael's son, current IndyCar driver Marco, was slated to join the cast, but after the death of good friend Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- which occurred last Oct. 16, one day before the start of filming -- Michael decided to take his grieving son's place on the show and compete for a $250,000 donation to Racing for Cancer.
The open-wheel legend was initially absent as the men's and women's teams (Unanimous and Forte, respectively) started on their first task: Creating and selling sandwiches for charity. Eventually, though, he joined the men while they prepared their sandwiches -- hoping to be, in his words, "an extra set of hands to help them."
It appeared that the women of Forte had a better time raking in big donations for their sandwiches. However, Donald Trump decided to have Food Network icon Rachael Ray judge both teams' culinary creations. That decision went to Unanimous and earned them an additional donation of $35,000.
In an upset, Unanimous -- led by project manager Paul Teutul, Sr. of "American Choppers" fame -- won out with a total amount of $367,120 to Forte's $126,962. Helping Unanimous along was a hefty single-person donation of $305,000.
Regardless, the win ensured another week on the show for Andretti, while "The Donald" proceeded to "fire" Forte member Cheryl Tiegs.
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