Sebastien Bourdais notched a victory and runner-up finish in the two-race V8 Supercars weekend at Surfer's Paradise, Australia to lead a strong contingent of IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and come away with the Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy.

Bourdais co-drove with three-time Supercars champ Jamie Whincup this past weekend on the Gold Coast, and the duo were able to hang on late for a win in Race No. 1. In Race No. 2, Bourdais and Whincup were once again in the hunt for victory, but couldn't get past the team of Will Davison and Mika Salo and were forced to settle for second.

Still, it was enough for Bourdais to successfully defend the Wheldon Trophy, named after the late IndyCar star and given to the top international co-driver at Surfer's. He was also able to help Whincup extend his lead to 218 points over Mark Winterbottom in the Supercars standings.

“I couldn’t be any happier for Jamie," said Bourdais. "He leaves the Gold Coast with an even bigger points lead, so it’s been great today."

Obviously, Whincup was equally thrilled with Bourdais' help on the weekend.

“It’s almost déjà vu, we had a win and a second last year and two poles too," the Aussie said. "I can’t thank Seb and the team enough."

Team Penske's Will Power also had a strong weekend. Co-driving with Winterbottom, the 'Toowoomba Tornado' netted a pair of third-place finishes.

Other IndyCar drivers taking part in the event at the Gold Coast were Ryan Briscoe (finished 4th and 5th with Garth Tander), Graham Rahal (finished 8th and 11th with Rick Kelly), Justin Wilson (finished 13th and 20th with Greg Murphy), Mike Conway (finished 14th and 16th with Taz Douglas), James Hinchcliffe (two DNFs with Michael Caruso), Simon Pagenaud (one DNF and 8th in Race 2 with Lee Holdsworth), and Marco Andretti (two DNFs with Tim Blanchard).

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New IZOD IndyCar Series champ Ryan Hunter-Reay will be honored in a public celebration this Wednesday night in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The celebration is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. local time outside of YOLO Restaurant in the city's downtown section, and Hunter-Reay will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures. He'll also be presented with a proclamation by Fort Lauderdale mayor Jack Seiler at 7:30 p.m.

One day before, Hunter-Reay will turn laps in a Firestone test session at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That test is closed to the public and will be the first time that Hunter-Reay's been back in his No. 28 Andretti Autosport machine since winning the championship last month at Auto Club Speedway.

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Speaking of Andretti Autosport, the team has announced that Carlos Munoz will race for their 2013 Firestone Indy Lights program and also step up to the big cars for the 97th Indianapolis 500 next May.

Munoz, a native of Colombia, had a fine rookie season in FIL this past year, claiming two victories (Edmonton and Auto Club Speedway), five podiums and nine top-10s -- good enough for fifth in the standings.

"It means a lot that they trust in my capabilities with it being my first IndyCar race," said Munoz of his Indy 500 drive in a press release. "It's a great honor, and I know that there will be some pressure there to do a good job.

"My first priority is to start the Indy Lights season on a positive note and work each weekend at winning the championship. Once that happens, I think we will be very successful for the Indy 500."

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Take a moment to pause and remember Tony Renna, the young American driver that was killed nine years ago today in a test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Renna was testing for Chip Ganassi Racing -- where he was slated to race in 2004 -- on October 22, 2003 when his car spun out, got airborne, and hit the catch fence in Turn 3. The 26-year-old died instantly.

Before joining Ganassi, Renna had acquitted himself well in a handful of races in 2002 and 2003 for the now-defunct Kelley Racing team. Considering Renna's talent and Ganassi's resources, the future appeared bright for the young racer.

Sadly, that future was never realized. May God continue to comfort his family and friends.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that Tony George has resigned from the Hulman and Co. Board of Directors due to his involvement in a group that is pursuing a purchase of INDYCAR from the Hulman group -- which has said that the series is not for sale on multiple occasions.

Hulman and Co. own the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation and its affiliated companies, including INDYCAR.

After creating the Indy Racing League in 1994, George was ousted as CEO of the series in 2009 and was eventually replaced by its current leader, Randy Bernard, in 2010. Since then, George has served primarily as a team owner and currently is a co-owner at his stepson Ed Carpenter's team.

"I realize that my recent efforts to explore the possibility of acquiring INDYCAR represent the appearance of a conflict, and it is in everyone's best interest that I resign from the Hulman & Company board," George said in an IMS statement. "It goes without saying that I want to do what is best for this organization."

The statement also said that Hulman and Co. CEO Jeff Belskus indicated that George's position on the board would not be filled immediately.

"Tony has been involved with our businesses for many years and has contributed significantly through his leadership role with IMS and INDYCAR and as a member of this board," Belskus said. "We wish Tony much success in the future."

George has reportedly put together a group of investors that includes multiple current team owners in an attempt to purchase INDYCAR.

 

Firestone Indy Lights' 12-race run for 2013 will feature new stops at Pocono Raceway and the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, as well as a return to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The season will once again begin at St. Petersburg, Florida on March 23 and 24, and end at Auto Club Speedway outside Los Angeles on Oct. 18-19. All event weekends for FIL in 2013 will be run in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series and will also feature events from the other levels of the Mazda Road to Indy.

"We feel it's important to create opportunities to expose the talents of our Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy drivers alongside the IZOD IndyCar Series," said Lights director Tony George, Jr. in a statement. "We want to showcase the strength of our ladder system and there is no better way to do that than to run at the tracks where the IZOD IndyCar Series competes."

2013 television dates and times have yet to be announced for FIL, which will once again have its races broadcast on NBC Sports Network.

2013 FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS SCHEDULE
March 23-24 -- Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Apr. 6-7 -- Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (road course)
Apr. 20-21 -- Streets of Long Beach, Calif.
May 24 -- Freedom 100, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval)
June 14-15 -- The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (oval)
June 22-23 -- Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa (oval)
July 6-7 -- Pocono Raceway, Pocono, Pa. (oval)
July 12-13 -- Streets of Toronto, Ontario
Aug. 3-4 -- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Oh. (road course)
Aug. 31-Sept. 1 -- Streets of Baltimore, Md.
Oct. 5-6 -- Streets of Houston, Tex.
Oct. 18-19 -- Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif. (oval)

I suppose, in some ways, I have moved on.

As tragic as it was to lose Daniel Clive Wheldon one year ago, it's safe to say that our Lionheart would not want us to forever shed tears for him. He'd want us to keep enjoying the sport, and he'd want us to enjoy life to the fullest, preferably with a smile on our faces.

After all, that's what he did. So that's what I've tried to do as well.

Even with all the accomplishments he achieved on the track -- including the two Indy 500 victories, the 2005 IndyCar Series title, and the Dallara DW12 that he helped develop in the final months of his life -- I remember Wheldon for that happy, indomitable spirit and for being able to pass that along to the fans whenever he met them.

Here was a guy that could've thought he was "too cool for school" so to speak, and he'd have good reasons for adopting that mentality; after all, two Indianapolis 500 wins does automatically make you rather cool, indeed! But he absolutely loved the fans every bit as they loved him. He made them all feel like they were his pals. The relationship between him and them was very much a genuine one.

That's how I'll always think of him.

I wish I had more to say, but my mind is now flooding with thoughts, so I'll end it with this. We would give anything to have Dan Wheldon back with us, but we are also grateful for the time we were able to have with him. I'm sure I've written this before, but I'll write it again: We don't have an infinite amount of time on this world, and thus, our goal is to make sure we have lived out our lives here with as many good memories as possible.

Dan did that. And so should we.

May God comfort his family and his friends, today and always.

Formula One joining IndyCar on NBC Sports Network starting next season

After 17 seasons with SPEED Channel, Formula One will have a new Stateside television home in 2013.

And they've proverbially bought a nice little place in the NBC Sports cul-de-sac...right next door to the IZOD IndyCar Series. NBC Sports Group has signed a four-year pact with F1 that will see the majority of its 20-race campaign play out on its cable outlet (and IndyCar's, as well), NBC Sports Network. In addition, all 20 events will be live streamed online and on mobile and tablet devices.

Yes, you should feel more than a little annoyed that IndyCar can't live stream their own races as well. But that's not the point of this article...Although the issue must be addressed sooner rather than later, in my opinion.

In my mind, F1 on NBCSN could actually be a benefit for IndyCar. Let's start with the obvious: NBC Sports Network has to keep building itself up and while Formula One isn't the most popular sport in the United States, it's still very high in prestige.

At the least, it's more programming for NBCSN to have at its disposal alongside the likes of IndyCar, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League (when they're actually playing, of course). It's also a bigger opportunity for cross-promotion, and we know NBC can be very good at that.

Going further, why not put the two together somehow? Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press has tweeted that five IndyCar events in 2013 will be sharing dates with F1 races that will be on NBCSN, so that's something. But a bigger approach is needed. Pressdog has an idea:

"If NBC has BOTH F1 and IndyCar it could maybe launch an "embrace the twisty" initiative. THAT, in my view, would benefit IndyCar. Since most twisty fans (that I know) are fans of all twisty racing, associating IndyCar and F1 by a common network would help both."

Before we go further, "twisty" is a short name for road/street courses. I like this concept, because it sets up NBC Sports Network to be a bigger source of alternative programming for race fans that aren't quite in love with NASCAR and its oval-centric antics.

And as Pressdog further details in his link above, it's not like IndyCar and NBC Sports Network have anything to lose with the idea. Overall IndyCar ratings took a steep dive in 2012 on NBCSN, so why not take a chance?

Bud Denker and his Detroit Grand Prix team are certainly doing all they can to ensure a more exciting event at Belle Isle Park in 2013.

Construction teams have been busy recently on the Detroit island with a major project around the oft-maligned street circuit. After last year's race there was shortened considerably due to a disintegrating track surface, a fully repaired (and mostly repaved) Belle Isle will await the IZOD IndyCar Series when it returns for its first 2013 doubleheader weekend next June.

Not to mention a longer Belle Isle, as well. Yesterday, it was announced that the Belle Isle course will extend one quarter-mile into Turn 3, pushing the total length to 2.346 miles and potentially adding a passing zone as well. If this sounds familiar at all, it should -- this is the same configuration that was used by CART from 1997-2001.

An Associated Press report quotes Denker, the Detroit GP's event chairman, as saying that the current project will be completed in three weeks. The story also features positive comments from Chevrolet-powered drivers who visited Belle Isle yesterday to see the work being done.

The 2013 "Dual in Detroit" will feature 70-lap races on both Saturday and Sunday for the IndyCars.

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Helio and Chelsie done on DWTS: All-Stars

Helio Castroneves won't be adding a second Dancing With The Stars championship to his resume.

Castroneves, who won Season 5 of DWTS, and his professional partner Chelsie Hightower netted a strong score of 25.5 (out of 30) for their Quickstep on Monday night, but were unable to receive enough fan votes to move further into the 'All-Stars' competition on Tuesday night's results show.

Former boy-band singer Drew Lachey (a champion in Season 2 of DWTS) and his partner Anna Trebunskaya were also eliminated on Tuesday.

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IndyCars in Italy?

The Ferrari-owned Mugello Circuit, long known for its role as a Formula One testing site, has entered the fray as a candidate for a possible 20th race in 2013. SPEEDTV.com's Robin Miller is reporting that series CEO Randy Bernard has had, in his words, "initial, exploratory discussions" with the Italian facility, as well as other potential sites.

This comes despite Bernard recently saying that he thought adding a 20th race in 2013 wasn't in the series' best interest. Next year's schedule currently sports a major gap between the Baltimore Grand Prix on Sept. 1 and the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader on Oct. 5 and 6.

But considering how IndyCar used to travel to the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, it wouldn't be too surprising if he chose to bring his series to the homeland of another major series partner -- in this case, the homeland of chassis constructor Dallara.

Another possible reason: Miller also cites in his report Bernard's past talks with Ferrari's parent company, Fiat, which has been rumored in the past to be interested in building an IndyCar engine. With Lotus contemplating an early exit from the series, one can jump to the assumption that Bernard's searching for another brand to be his series' third motor alongside Chevrolet and Honda...

After introducing new cars and engines last season, INDYCAR has decided to reduce testing for IZOD IndyCar Series manufacturers and teams in 2013.

INDYCAR president of operations Brian Barnhart cited team owners' concerns over costs, as well as the DW12's stellar performance on the track, as reasons for the decision.

"We listened to the owners talk about the need to reduce the cost of participation, and one of the ways of doing that is to examine the testing rules that were allowed and necessary in 2012 and revising them for 2013," Barnhart said in a league statement.

"With the car performing as well as it did and the competition at a high level, there simply isn't the need for as much testing. Teams will benefit from a sizable cost reduction through this more restrictive testing plan."

Manufacturers will be limited to two days of private testing in both the offseason (before Dec. 31) and pre-season (Jan. 4, 2013 to the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 24, 2013) periods. In-season manufacturer test days have been cut from six to four, with a rule of two manufacturer days per team.

As for teams, they'll only get two days of private testing across all periods -- off-season, pre-season, and in-season -- as well as four total engine manufacturer test days each. In addition, full-season programs will receive 16 sets of tires (half as much as they got in 2012) for private test days. Teams and drivers that are new to the series shall have a handful of additional days and sets of tires to work with.

Four Open Tests are slated to take place during the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (April), Barber Motorsports Park (race week in early April), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (early August), and Sonoma Raceway (late August). A pre-season Open Test site has yet to be determined.

Finally, full-size wind tunnel testing will be restricted to two days per team and four days per engine manufacturer; model wind tunnel testing is permitted.

A proposed street race in Providence, Rhode Island did not make the cut for next season's IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, but remains one of several potential new venues that the series could visit in 2014.

Based on series CEO Randy Bernard's comments on Monday regarding the proposed Providence round, re-establishing an event in New England seems to remain a high priority for IndyCar. The series visited New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2011, but low attendance doomed that race to one-and-done status.

"I think Providence did a fantastic job, a marvelous job, of really trying to come together and putting it together," said Bernard in regards to Providence's efforts on Monday. "Putting on a street race is a monumental task, and I think that they want to make sure that they have all their ducks in a row -- just like we want to see it.

"They couldn't meet all of our deadlines. They were working diligently on trying to get it done, but unfortunately, it falls into a crunch period where they just ran out of time."

Despite the time issues, Bernard still hailed the Providence group for its "passion and energy" about staging an event in Little Rhody's capital city. But he also issued a warning to Providence and the other potential new markets in 2014 -- a group that also includes New Orleans and several markets in Canada.

"If they are going to do [a race], it needs to happen sooner rather than later because we are not going to increase our schedule by a significant amount of events, which means there's a very limited amount of races that we are going to bring on anew," said Bernard.

"There's not room for everybody, but I guess the big key here is which ones get onto our schedule early enough to be on 2014."

Pocono Raceway ready to return to open-wheel racing in 2013

For two decades, the heroes of open-wheel racing’s golden age visited the 2.5-mile oval at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. The list of winners in those USAC and CART events is a stellar one, featuring names like Mark Donahue, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Mario Andretti.

In 2013, open-wheel racing’s current stars will get the chance to join them on that list. Pocono will host a 400-mile event on July 7 and be one of two new venues (the other being Houston’s Reliant Park) to be visited next season by the IZOD IndyCar Series.

For many longtime fans, the return of open-wheel racing to ‘The Tricky Triangle’ had been a desired wish. On Monday, track president/CEO Brandon Igdalsky credited those fans for helping revive a piece of Indy-car history.

“Tickets went on sale this morning and we have been inundated with phone calls all morning with people wanting to buy tickets,” said Igdalsky, who confirmed that the race would be on the IndyCar schedule for at least the next three seasons.

“They are there. They are ready. Now that they have the opportunity, they are showing it. And we will just continue to promote it locally in the market and in our neighboring areas where we know the fans are at and keep driving to get them there.”

Igdalsky would not reveal what kind of attendance would render the Pocono 400 a success in his eyes, but expressed confidence in netting a good crowd that would draw in fans from New York, Philadelphia, and overseas to compliment the aforementioned diehards.

Adding to the excitement of Pocono’s return in 2013 is its role as part of an oval-track Triple Crown that will also feature the Indianapolis 500 in May and the 500-mile season finale in mid-October at Auto Club Speedway outside Los Angeles. A $1 million bonus will be awarded to the driver that can win all three of those events.

“As everyone knows, tradition is so important to the sport,” said INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard. “And if you are going to bring Pocono back, I think it makes the most sense to bring the Triple Crown as well.

“Thanks to Brandon and his family, the fans are going to get to see what they have been wanting -- both Pocono and the Triple Crown.”

The ties between the Igdalsky/Mattioli families and Pocono Raceway bear a striking resemblance to those of the Hulman-George family and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brandon Igdalsky is a grandson of the late Dr. Joseph Mattioli, who founded Pocono Raceway in the early 1960s and led the facility until his August 2011 retirement.

By the time Mattioli died this past January at the age of 86, Pocono had long cemented its place in NASCAR history (the track hosts two Sprint Cup weekends each year). But a nasty feud that stemmed from the USAC-CART split of 1979 and ended with CART leaving his track in 1989 permanently soured him on open-wheel.

However, despite those problems, Igdalsky thought that IndyCar’s return to Pocono would have occurred even if his grandfather was still alive.

“You saw him in his latter years, and my grandmother [Dr. Rose Mattioli] has always been a huge supporter of IndyCar,” he said. “The two of them always went at it on their own in regards to IndyCar being here over the years. And you know, obviously he went through a lot of turmoil back with the USAC-CART split, and that took a toll on him.

“But I think INDYCAR is doing a great job and hopefully, they are past all that, and with what Randy is doing, there's a great future ahead…and we are excited to be part of that.”

Bernard is equally excited about working with Pocono -- a sorely needed new oval for the schedule and a track that will be featured on network television as one of ABC’s IndyCar dates for 2013.

“We know we are going to have great racing here,” he said. “…This track is one of those great tracks that you really want on your series.”

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PAST OPEN WHEEL WINNERS AT POCONO (Credit: Racing-Reference.info)

USAC

1971 - Mark Donahue

1972- Joe Leonard

1973, 1975, 1979, 1981 -A.J. Foyt

1974 - Johnny Rutherford

1976, 1978 - Al Unser

1977 - Tom Sneva

1980 - Bobby Unser

CART

1982, 1985, 1987 - Rick Mears

1983 - Teo Fabi

1984, 1989 - Danny Sullivan

1986 - Mario Andretti

1988 - Bobby Rahal

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All quotes used in this article were taken from Monday's INDYCAR teleconference.

One day after revealing the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule to the world, INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard met the media in a Monday afternoon teleconference to discuss the ins and outs of the expanded 19-race docket.

Bernard spent the morning at Pocono Raceway -- one of two new venues that the series will visit in 2013 – to promote the Pocono 400, which will go off on July 7, 2013 and serve as part of a revived Triple Crown that will also feature the Indianapolis 500 and the season finale on Oct. 19, 2013 at Auto Club Speedway in California. Pocono CEO Brandon Igdalsky, who was also a guest on the teleconference, confirmed that his track will be on the IndyCar schedule for the next three years.

The other new venue, Houston’s Reliant Park, will be one of three stops to feature doubleheader races next season. Detroit’s Belle Isle Park and Toronto will also have races on Saturday and Sunday at their events.

Here are some of the more interesting takeaways from this morning’s teleconference:

Bernard said that the fan will be the big winner with doubleheaders in 2013, saying that he expects the average race travel distance from fans to increase with Detroit, Toronto and Houston due to them having two races on the same weekend. He also said that the decision to go with doubleheaders was made "with the understanding of a long-term strategic move." In short, they’re staying.

But why did INDYCAR choose to stage all their doubleheaders on street circuits? Bernard cited these factors.

- Belle Isle got the nod due to Roger Penske and Bud Denker’s work in revitalizing the race there and the current, multi-million dollar project to repave and improve passing on the much-maligned track. Last year’s race on Belle Isle may be remembered as the worst of the 2012 campaign by everyone save winner Scott Dixon due to widespread track surface problems. That forced the race to stop at 60 laps instead of the original 90 after lengthy repairs.

- Toronto got its doubleheader in order for INDYCAR to maintain two races in Canada for the time being after the recent demise of the Edmonton Indy. Bernard also mentioned a new Canadian TV deal with Rogers Sportsnet (owned by Rogers Communications, which in turn owns MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays) as a reason of importance to keep the two races north of the border.

- The reasoning for Houston was simple enough: Its major-market status (4^th-largest city in the United States) made it "imperative," in Bernard’s words, to add a doubleheader there for early October.

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The 2013 schedule features a very noticeable gap between the Baltimore Grand Prix on Sept. 1 and Houston on Oct. 5-6, but don’t expect INDYCAR to plug in a 20^th race for that period as Bernard said that he didn't think that additional races for 2013 was in the series' best interest. He also said that the layoff of more than a month between Baltimore and Houston was “unavoidable,” but that it was important to end the season with the 500-miler at ACS.

That led into discussion for the 2014 campaign. Bernard mentioned Providence, R.I., New Orleans, and some Canadian markets as possible venues, but also stated how important it was for those groups to get their ducks in a row early.

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Igdalsky said that he knew what kind of crowd the IZOD IndyCar Series would need in 2013 at his track to call the race a success, but wouldn’t reveal it to the press. That said, he expressed confidence that he would be able to bring in a good attendance. He also told of how he decided to bring the IndyCars back to Pocono, mentioning that he wasn’t looking to do so when he made an appearance at the 2012 season opener this past March at St. Petersburg.

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An interesting piece on the TV side is Texas Motor Speedway netting a Saturday night spot on ABC for its Firestone 550 on June 8, 2013.

IndyCar racing at TMS has been known for pulse-pounding action, and Bernard revealed his excitement about having the ability to showcase his series in prime-time – a situation he said he wished for just a few years ago.

"Big things will happen," said Bernard, who also expressed his thanks to the Alphabet Network for the spot and said that TMS president Eddie Gossage was "elated" with the opportunity.