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| July 2023 News |
| Article Index |
07/11 - IMS Museum Remodel Planned
07/03 - Music Acts for Iowa IndyCar Race
07/02 - Nascar Races On Streets of Chicago
07/01 - Pagenaud Survives Scary Crash
07/03 - Music Acts for Iowa IndyCar Race
07/02 - Nascar Races On Streets of Chicago
07/01 - Pagenaud Survives Scary Crash
Pagenaud Survives Scary Crash
July 1 - During IndyCar practice this morning at
Mid-Ohio, Simon Pagenaud of Meyer Shank
Racing, had a horrific wreck when he flew off the
track sideways at the end of the back straight.
His car went into a series of maybe 6 or 7 high-
velocity barrel-rolls across the gravel trap before
finally coming to rest against the tire barriers.
He calmly reported to the team over his radio that
his brakes had failed.
Right after going through what looked like a tornado
in a blender, I'm surprised a person would even be
conscious, let alone be able to speak coherently.
What fortitude he has!
Once extracted from the wreckage, he sat for a
moment and caught his breath, then stood,
removed his helmet and walked away.
He is apparently ok and said he is ready to head to
qualifying in his backup car, but they wisely told him
to sit that out. I would guess that he is going to be
really sore tomorrow and miss the race.
July 1 - During IndyCar practice this morning at
Mid-Ohio, Simon Pagenaud of Meyer Shank
Racing, had a horrific wreck when he flew off the
track sideways at the end of the back straight.
His car went into a series of maybe 6 or 7 high-
velocity barrel-rolls across the gravel trap before
finally coming to rest against the tire barriers.
He calmly reported to the team over his radio that
his brakes had failed.
Right after going through what looked like a tornado
in a blender, I'm surprised a person would even be
conscious, let alone be able to speak coherently.
What fortitude he has!
Once extracted from the wreckage, he sat for a
moment and caught his breath, then stood,
removed his helmet and walked away.
He is apparently ok and said he is ready to head to
qualifying in his backup car, but they wisely told him
to sit that out. I would guess that he is going to be
really sore tomorrow and miss the race.
| Simon Pagenaud - Mr. Fortitude |
July 2 Update - Medical staff wanted Pagenaud to sit out of the race, though he said he felt fine.
Conor Daly was tapped to drive his No. 60 backup car in the race for Meyer Shank Racing.
It was reported that Pagenaud experienced 82-gees in his barrel-rolls yesterday!
July 16 Update - Pagenaud was also made to sit out the race in Toronto. Filling in for him was
IMSA Champion Tom Blomqvist making his IndyCar debut.
Conor Daly was tapped to drive his No. 60 backup car in the race for Meyer Shank Racing.
It was reported that Pagenaud experienced 82-gees in his barrel-rolls yesterday!
July 16 Update - Pagenaud was also made to sit out the race in Toronto. Filling in for him was
IMSA Champion Tom Blomqvist making his IndyCar debut.
Nascar Races On Streets of Chicago
July 2 - The Nascar Cup Series held it's first street race ever in Chicago today.
The 12-turn track was between Michigan Ave. and Lake Shore Drive. It went around Grant park
and crossed in front of Buckingham Fountain. South Columbus Dr. was transformed into the pit lane.
With the park, skyscrapers and Lake Michigan, the course offered many scenic views during the
broadcast.
2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button competed today and finished 21st. He raced in his only
other Nascar race earlier in the year at COTA.
Supercars Championship driver Shane van Gisbergen, from New Zealand, came in as a ringer too.
He qualified 3rd. In the race, with five laps to go, he passed Justin Haley for the lead and led to
the end! It's been 60 years since a driver won in their first Nascar Cup race. Johnny Rutherford
last did it in 1963.
July 2 - The Nascar Cup Series held it's first street race ever in Chicago today.
The 12-turn track was between Michigan Ave. and Lake Shore Drive. It went around Grant park
and crossed in front of Buckingham Fountain. South Columbus Dr. was transformed into the pit lane.
With the park, skyscrapers and Lake Michigan, the course offered many scenic views during the
broadcast.
2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button competed today and finished 21st. He raced in his only
other Nascar race earlier in the year at COTA.
Supercars Championship driver Shane van Gisbergen, from New Zealand, came in as a ringer too.
He qualified 3rd. In the race, with five laps to go, he passed Justin Haley for the lead and led to
the end! It's been 60 years since a driver won in their first Nascar Cup race. Johnny Rutherford
last did it in 1963.
| Chicago Street Course Layout |
Chicago received a lot of rain over the weekend and the Cup race start was delayed.
Since the course is not lighted, Nascar decided to shorten the race from 100 to 75 laps.
It looked like a dry track. None the less, there were a lot of wrecks and nine cautions.
Since the course is not lighted, Nascar decided to shorten the race from 100 to 75 laps.
It looked like a dry track. None the less, there were a lot of wrecks and nine cautions.
Popular Music Acts Performing at Iowa IndyCar Race
July 3 - Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend returns to Iowa Speedway, July 21-23, 2023.
It is a double-header, with an IndyCar race on Saturday and one on Sunday. Both races will run
from 3 pm - 5 pm.
LIke last year, they are having some popular music acts perform over the weekend.
On Saturday, prior to the race, Carrie Underwood will perform. Underwood is a country singer
who has won many music awards.
On Saturday after the race, Kenny Chesney will play a concert. He too is a country music singer
with many music awards.
Prior to the race on Sunday, Zac Brown Band will perform. They are a Grammy-winning country
music band.
After the final race, there will be an Ed Sheeran concert. He is a Grammy-winning British singer-
songwriter.
All of the concerts are included with race tickets as each artist will perform on stage trackside, in
front of the main grandstands at Iowa Speedway. Both pre-race concerts will feature 60-minute
performances while each post-race concert will include a 90-minute show.
The INDY NXT series will also race on Saturday morning.
More than 80,000 people attended the Iowa IndyCar Race Weekend in 2022.
July 3 - Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend returns to Iowa Speedway, July 21-23, 2023.
It is a double-header, with an IndyCar race on Saturday and one on Sunday. Both races will run
from 3 pm - 5 pm.
LIke last year, they are having some popular music acts perform over the weekend.
On Saturday, prior to the race, Carrie Underwood will perform. Underwood is a country singer
who has won many music awards.
On Saturday after the race, Kenny Chesney will play a concert. He too is a country music singer
with many music awards.
Prior to the race on Sunday, Zac Brown Band will perform. They are a Grammy-winning country
music band.
After the final race, there will be an Ed Sheeran concert. He is a Grammy-winning British singer-
songwriter.
All of the concerts are included with race tickets as each artist will perform on stage trackside, in
front of the main grandstands at Iowa Speedway. Both pre-race concerts will feature 60-minute
performances while each post-race concert will include a 90-minute show.
The INDY NXT series will also race on Saturday morning.
More than 80,000 people attended the Iowa IndyCar Race Weekend in 2022.
| Kenny Chesney |
| Zac Brown Band |
| Ed Sheeran |
| Carrie Underwood |
07/11 - Reigning IMSA champion Tom Blomqvist will make his IndyCar debut for
Meyer Shank Racing this weekend in Toronto as the substitute for Simon Pagenaud,
whom doctors have not cleared to drive yet since his practice accident at Mid-Ohio.
Blomqvist drives for MSR in IMSA. (Conor Daly filled in for Pagenaud at Mid-Ohio.)
Meyer Shank Racing this weekend in Toronto as the substitute for Simon Pagenaud,
whom doctors have not cleared to drive yet since his practice accident at Mid-Ohio.
Blomqvist drives for MSR in IMSA. (Conor Daly filled in for Pagenaud at Mid-Ohio.)
IMS Museum Remodel Planned
July 11 - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum announced there will be a complete
transformation of the Museum, its first significant renovation in nearly 40 years.
The closing of the IMS Museum for construction will occur in phases, beginning in October 2023
with the closing of the basement exhibit area. The Museum will completely close to the public in
November 2023 and remain closed until April 2025 when the newly renovated IMS Museum will
reopen in time for the 109th running of the Indy 500. During the Museum’s closure, visitors can
still enjoy track tours.
$64 million is earmarked for the complete transformation of the interior of the IMS Museum building,
including new infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to create the immersive exhibitions and
experiences.
Part of the second phase of the project will be a new $15 million automobile and equipment
restoration facility allowing visitors to tour and see automobile restoration work being done in real
time.
The IMS Museum will also dedicate $10 million toward the creation of an endowment, allowing the
Museum to acquire additional artifacts that fulfill its mission of celebrating and preserving the history
behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum represents more than a century of motorsports history
and is driven by its mission to celebrate and preserve the history behind the Indy Speedway and
the Indy 500. Since 1956 when the IMS Museum first opened, it has been guided by its mission to
celebrate and preserve the history behind the Speedway and the 500. What began with only 12
cars on display has become one of the world’s premier collections of racing automobiles and
artifacts – with more than 55,000 artifacts and over 200 vehicles. The IMS Museum has 37,500
square feet of vintage cars, trophies, photographs, fine art, and other artifacts that capture the
cultural significance of motorsports. Each year, the Museum welcomes more than 150,000 visitors
and race fans from around the world.
The museum is an independent entity that lives on the property owned by Roger Penske but was
not included in the purchase of IMS by Penske Entertainment in 2020.
July 11 - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum announced there will be a complete
transformation of the Museum, its first significant renovation in nearly 40 years.
The closing of the IMS Museum for construction will occur in phases, beginning in October 2023
with the closing of the basement exhibit area. The Museum will completely close to the public in
November 2023 and remain closed until April 2025 when the newly renovated IMS Museum will
reopen in time for the 109th running of the Indy 500. During the Museum’s closure, visitors can
still enjoy track tours.
$64 million is earmarked for the complete transformation of the interior of the IMS Museum building,
including new infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to create the immersive exhibitions and
experiences.
Part of the second phase of the project will be a new $15 million automobile and equipment
restoration facility allowing visitors to tour and see automobile restoration work being done in real
time.
The IMS Museum will also dedicate $10 million toward the creation of an endowment, allowing the
Museum to acquire additional artifacts that fulfill its mission of celebrating and preserving the history
behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum represents more than a century of motorsports history
and is driven by its mission to celebrate and preserve the history behind the Indy Speedway and
the Indy 500. Since 1956 when the IMS Museum first opened, it has been guided by its mission to
celebrate and preserve the history behind the Speedway and the 500. What began with only 12
cars on display has become one of the world’s premier collections of racing automobiles and
artifacts – with more than 55,000 artifacts and over 200 vehicles. The IMS Museum has 37,500
square feet of vintage cars, trophies, photographs, fine art, and other artifacts that capture the
cultural significance of motorsports. Each year, the Museum welcomes more than 150,000 visitors
and race fans from around the world.
The museum is an independent entity that lives on the property owned by Roger Penske but was
not included in the purchase of IMS by Penske Entertainment in 2020.
07/22 - Josef Newgarden Won Iowa Race 1. Race Results
07/23 - In 1988, the McLaren Honda F1 team won eleven races in a row with drivers
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. They won 15 of the 16 races that year. With Max
Verstappen's win in Hungary today, the Red Bull F1 team has won all eleven races this
year. Taking into account that they won the last race of the year last year, they have
set a new record of twelve consecutive wins.
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. They won 15 of the 16 races that year. With Max
Verstappen's win in Hungary today, the Red Bull F1 team has won all eleven races this
year. Taking into account that they won the last race of the year last year, they have
set a new record of twelve consecutive wins.
07/23 - Josef Newgarden Won Iowa Race 2. Race Results
Controversy over the closure
of Chicago streets during a
holiday weekend was not
aided by the high admission
prices which many could not
afford.
(2-day generral admission
was $269 / reserved seating
$465)
Supporters countered that
Lollapalooza was priced at
$270 and this event was also
a festival and included full-
length concerts by The
Chainsmokers and Miranda
Lambert.
Nascar has a contract to
bring the race back for the
next two years.
of Chicago streets during a
holiday weekend was not
aided by the high admission
prices which many could not
afford.
(2-day generral admission
was $269 / reserved seating
$465)
Supporters countered that
Lollapalooza was priced at
$270 and this event was also
a festival and included full-
length concerts by The
Chainsmokers and Miranda
Lambert.
Nascar has a contract to
bring the race back for the
next two years.