August 2005 (8/19) - The IRL is racing at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point) this weekend - it's first ever permanent road course race! F1 is racing at a new track in Turkey this weekend - this is the 2nd Muslim country that has been added to the F1 calendar. (8/13) - A.J. Foyt has been known to stir up a hornets’ nest in his career but it was bees that brought him to his knees this past weekend. Clearing brush with a bulldozer at one of his ranches Saturday afternoon, Foyt disturbed a beehive and he was immediately swarmed. He hopped off the ‘dozer and made his way to a creek about 150 feet away but stumbled to the ground twice over the rough terrain. A ranch hand working in another field rushed to his aid and called 9-1-1. Indy’s first four-time 500 winner was treated by paramedics but he refused to go to the hospital. He was stung over 200 times mostly in the head and neck area. Returning to the scene on Monday with members of the Texas A&M Agricultural Department, Foyt said they collected over 60,000 bees. “I’ve hired someone to clear out the rest of that stuff,” said Foyt. “I’ve been hurt pretty bad in a race car but this was one of the worst things I ever went through. When I fell the second time, I was ready to give up right then. It’s a good thing I didn’t because the Ag guys who came out Monday told me that bees will keep stinging you until they kill you.” Last September Foyt slipped when stepping off a large backhoe and tore his rotator cuff in his right arm severely enough to require surgery and a three-month re-hab program. Foyt, 70, last competed in a race in 1996 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) but it appears lately that working on his ranches is proving to be a challenge to his staying healthy. (8/10) - Champcar's Paul Tracy spent Monday and yesterday testing a car at Michigan International Speedway. If car owner Richard Childress is pleased with the results, he'll let Tracy compete in the race here later this month. The 36 y/o is thinking of switching to stockcar racing. (8/10) - Rumors that Panther Racing was leaving the IRL are apparently false. (8/10) - NASCAR Silly Season Update - 2004 NASCAR Champion Kurt Busch wants to ditch Rousch Racing and replace retiring Rusty Wallace at Penske South. He is under contract to Rousch though, so he'll have to see if they will let him go. Jamie McMurray is also wanting to go there to replace retiring Mark Martin, however he is under contract to Ganassi next year and they reportedly are holding him to it. Martin is thinking of not retiring now anyway since he has had such a good year. (8/8) - Andretti-Green Racing may be winning most of the races in the IRL this year with their 4-driver powerhouse team, but evidently that is not enough. At Milwaukee, they forbid their drivers from participating in an IRL autograph session. The reason was Danica Patrick's popularity! Wristbands had to be given out to limit the line for her autograph to 300 people, while the Andretti-Green drivers were to have a separate autograph line. Andretti-Green says it is segregation of drivers, but it sounds like pure green jealousy to me. They were subsequently fined by the IRL, as driver promotions are a part of the IRL contract, so they showed up for the autograph session at Michigan the following week. Wait until they hit Kentucky this weekend - the IRL has put up 15 billboards in the area instead of the usual 3 to promote the race - and ALL of them have Danica's picture on them! (8/1) - Rubens Barrichello, long-time teammate to Michael Schumacher, will be leaving Ferrari a year before his contract expires and moving to B.A.R. Honda. Felipe Massa from Sauber will take his place on the Ferrari team next year.

2005 ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD Tony "forgot to shave" Stewart won the 400 in a final battle with Kasey Kahne. Little E got wrecked out and bounced around like a pinball in the middle of the race. He finished in last place. Jeff Gordon had his ups and downs finishing 8th. After the tire debacle at the U.S. Grand Prix, NASCAR's tire problem at the Brickyard stood out as eight cars shredded their front left tires. However they blew 12 tires last year at the Brickyard 400, and 21 left front tires at Pocono just this past June. BRICKYARD 400 RACE RESULTS Pos  St  No    Driver  Make  Points  Bonus  Laps    Status  1.  22  20    Tony Stewart  Chevrolet  190  10  160    Running  2.  4  9    Kasey Kahne  Dodge  175  5  160    Running  3.  5  25    Brian Vickers  Chevrolet  170  5  160    Running  4.  2  19    Jeremy Mayfield  Dodge  160    160    Running  5.  20  17    Matt Kenseth  Ford  160  5  160    Running  6.  40  41    Casey Mears  Dodge  155  5  160    Running  7.  10  6    Mark Martin  Ford  146    160    Running  8.  7  24    Jeff Gordon  Chevrolet  142    160    Running  9.  8  40    Sterling Marlin  Dodge  138    160    Running  10.  16  5    Kyle Busch *  Chevrolet  134    160    Running  11.  12  0    Mike Bliss  Chevrolet  130    160    Running  12.  38  99    Carl Edwards  Ford  127    160    Running  13.  28  45    Kyle Petty  Dodge  129  5  160    Running  14.  24  88    Dale Jarrett  Ford  121    160    Running  15.  15  43    Jeff Green  Dodge  118    160    Running  16.  3  15    Michael Waltrip  Chevrolet  115    160    Running  17.  23  42    Jamie McMurray  Dodge  112    160    Running  18.  37  97    Kurt Busch  Ford  109    160    Running  19.  14  29    Kevin Harvick  Chevrolet  106    160    Running  20.  29  31    Jeff Burton  Chevrolet  103    160    Running  21.  31  16    Greg Biffle  Ford  100    160    Running  22.  11  49    Ken Schrader  Dodge  97    160    Running  23.  33  91    Bill Elliott  Dodge  94    160    Running  24.  13  7    Robby Gordon  Chevrolet  96  5  160    Running  25.  41  2    Rusty Wallace  Dodge  88    160    Running  26.  26  22    Scott Wimmer  Dodge  90  5  160    Running  27.  35  104    Bobby Hamilton  Dodge  82    160    Running  28.  19  01    Joe Nemechek  Chevrolet  79    160    Running  29.  34  23    Mike Skinner  Dodge  76    160    Running  30.  30  07    Dave Blaney  Chevrolet  73    160    Running  31.  32  136    Boris Said  Chevrolet  70    160    Running  32.  1  38    Elliott Sadler  Ford  72  5  159    Running  33.  18  11    Jason Leffler  Chevrolet  64    159    Running  34.  6  12    Ryan Newman  Dodge  61    158    Running  35.  21  10    Scott Riggs  Chevrolet  58    152    Running  36.  43  44    Terry Labonte  Chevrolet  60  5  151    Out of Race  37.  39  77    Travis Kvapil *  Dodge  52    146    Running  38.  42  48    Jimmie Johnson  Chevrolet  49    144    Out of Race  39.  25  32    Bobby Hamilton Jr.  Chevrolet  46    119    Running  40.  36  18    Bobby Labonte  Chevrolet  43    116    Out of Race  41.  9  21    Ricky Rudd  Ford  40    73    Out of Race  42.  17  1    Martin Truex Jr.  Chevrolet  37    62    Out of Race  43.  27  8    Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Chevrolet  34    62    Out of Race                        * Series rookie                       INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005 -- Indiana native Tony Stewart finally lived the dream he has coveted since childhood: winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by taking the checkered flag at the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7. Stewart, who was born in Rushville, Ind., and grew up in nearby Columbus -- less than an hour from the legendary 2.5-mile IMS oval, led 44 hard-fought laps of the 160-lap race, which saw numerous cautions and was highlighted by a nail-biting duel between Stewart and Kasey Kahne toward the end of the race. The result left Stewart overcome with emotion and exhaustion, but he celebrated by taking a slow lap the wrong way around the oval, punctuated by two climbs up the IMS catch fence: in front of his Turn 2 suite filled with family and friends, and at the Speedway's famous Yard of Bricks. "I'm dying right now," Stewart said with a laugh, after climbing off the main straightaway fence and lying down on the outside retaining wall. "I'm too tired to chase fences right now. Give me five minutes, and I'll be ready. "I wish I could put it in words," Stewart said, on what it meant to fulfill his dream. "Today has been my entire life. This is one of those days I don't want to end; I don't want to see the sun set. This is definitely the greatest day of my life, professionally, personally. I couldn't ask for more. Part of it hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure when I'm over there with my family and friends, it will hit me." Stewart's win in the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet makes him the first Indiana-born driver to win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the first Indiana-born driver to win at the Speedway since Shelbyville, Ind., native Wilbur Shaw won the 1940 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. The emotion of the day also overcame Stewart's crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, immediately following the checkered flag. "I thank the good Lord, man, I've never prayed that much in my life," said Zipadelli, his voice cracking. "Just to see the _expression on his face when I get over there will be worth everything." Stewart recently moved from North Carolina, headquarters for his Joe Gibbs Racing team, back to his childhood home in Columbus. Kahne finished second in the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge, Brian Vickers was third in the No. 25 Garnier Fructis Chevrolet, Jeremy Mayfield was fourth in the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge, and Matt Kenseth finished fifth in the No. 17 DeWalt Power Tools Ford. The race saw 10 cautions for 43 laps, slowing the average speed to 118.782 mph, the second-slowest Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in history. The 2004 race was slowed by 13 cautions for 47 laps, with an average speed of 115.037. Pole winner Elliott Sadler looked strong at the beginning of the race, pulling out to a 1.340 second lead by the end of Lap 2.! He led the first 22 laps in the No. 38 M&M's Ford, lost the lead for a lap to pit and then led another 15 laps before surrendering the lead to Vickers. Sadler remained in the top 10 for most of the race until he had a tire go flat on Lap 150, forcing a pit stop. He lost a lap and finished 32nd. Stewart took the lead for the first time on Lap 100 -- amid thunderous applause from the throng of Allstate 400 at the Brickyard spectators -- and stayed in control of the race until Lap 134, when Kahne moved past him in Turn 4. But Stewart kept the pressure on Kahne, and as the two drivers dueled, they pulled away from the rest of the field. Fuel mileage became a concern as the leaders approached Lap 150, since most of the field last pitted on Lap 118 during a caution period. Jimmie Johnson, who entered the race as the NEXTEL Cup points leader, gave the leaders the break they were looking for on Lap 146, when a tire problem caused him to hit the SAFER Barrier ! in Turn 4. The green flag flew on Lap 150, and Stewart got a good run on Kahne through Turn 1 and took the lead at the exit of Turn 2. "You can imagine my surprise when we take the green and go into (Turn 1), and he (Kahne) gets tight and can't close the door," Stewart said. "Knowing Kasey as well as I do, and the respect we have for each other, that's the guy I wanted to race with for the win. "When I sailed off into (Turn 2), I had the attitude that I was going to win it or wear it. I knew I was going to do something stupid, I knew Kasey wouldn't. He knows what this race means to me." Stewart weaved back and forth down the straightaways after taking the lead to break Kahne's draft. The maneuvering was successful as Stewart gradually pulled away, winning by a margin of .794 of a second. Johnson's accident marked the end of a disastrous day for him, which started with a spin without contact exiting Turn 2 on Lap 75 fo! llowed by an unscheduled pit stop after his Hendrick Motorsports crew left the catch can in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. Following the Lap 146 accident, Johnson brought the car back to pit lane with a fire beneath the hood. Johnson made a hasty exit from the car but was briefly overcome by smoke. After the race, Johnson was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for further evaluation and released. Four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had mixed results in their attempts to qualify for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Earnhardt started 27th and immediately struggled with handling on the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet. But his crew hardly had an opportunity to work on the car, as Earnhardt was bumped from behind by Mike Skinner on a restart on Lap 61. Earnhardt hit the inside retaining wall head-on on the main straightaway, then rebounded and hit three other cars, including teammate Martin Truex Jr.,! who was eliminated. Earnhardt finished 43rd and Truex 42nd. Gordon started seventh in the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet but ran outside the top 10 for much of the race. He strategically pitted on Lap 124, however, while the leaders stayed out. After pitting, Gordon was at the back of lead-lap cars, and was 23rd on Lap 130. He rapidly moved through the field and finished eighth, gaining a spot in the NEXTEL Cup points. BRICKYARD 400 QUALIFYING Pos Car# Driver Car Make Sponsor 1 #38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&Ms 2 #19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge UAW 3 #15 Michael Waltrip Chevy Napa 4 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge UAW 5 #25 Brian Vickers Chevy Garnier Fructis 6 #12 Ryan Newman Dodge Alltel 7 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevy DuPont 8 #40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coor Light 9 #21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft 10 #6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 11 #49 Ken Schrader Dodge Red Baron 12 #0 Mike Bliss Chevy NetZero 13 #7 Robby Gordon Chevy Fruit of Loom 14 #1 Martin Truex Jr Chevy Bass Pro 15 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevy Goodwrench 16 #43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios 17 #5 Kyle Busch Chevy Kelloggs 18 #11 Jason Lefler Chevy FedEx 19 #01 Joe Nemechek Chevy Army 20 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford DaWalt 21 #10 Scott Riggs Chevy Rallys 22 #20 Tony Stewart Chevy Home Depot 23 #42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Havoline 24 #88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS 25 #32 Bobby Hamilton JR Chevy Tide 26 #22 Scott Wimmer Dodge Caterpillar 27 #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy Budweiser 28 #45 Kyle Petty Dodge Georgia Pacific 29 #31 Jeff Burton Chevy Cingular 30 #07 Dave Blaney Chevy Jack Daniels 31 #16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 32 #36 Boris Said Chevy Centrix 33 #91 Bill Elliott Dodge Stanley 34 #23 Mike Skinner Dodge History Channel 35 #04 Bobby Hamilton Dodge BHR 36 #18 Bobby Labonte Chevy Interstate 37 #97 Kurt Busch Ford Crown Royal 38 #99 Carl Edwards Ford AAA 39 #77 Travis Kvapil Dodge Kodak 40 #41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 41 #2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 42 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy Lowes 43 #44 Terry Labonte Chevy Ditech.com (8/6) - Casey Mears was the fastest in morning practice at 184.873 mph. (8/5) - The Brickyard 400 race weekend shrank from three days down to two as rain fell on Indianapolis all day, cancelling NASCAR's Friday practice. It was the first complete rainout of an official Brickyard 400 event day in the 12-year history of the event. NASCAR star Ryan Newman caught this fish in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during his unexpected day off Friday. The Pace Vehicle is a 2006 Chevy SSR The rain also forced a shuffle of the schedule for Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Qualifying Day on Saturday, Aug. 6. The schedule (all times local): 7 a.m.: Public gates open 8-9 a.m.: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice 9:30-10:30 a.m.: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice 3:10 p.m.: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard qualifications (best of two laps) The rainout also forced the event to become an impound race, in which NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams can only do very limited work on their cars between the end of qualifying and the start of the race at 1:30 p.m. (local time) Sunday. Some drivers turned out in the morning to sign autographs for fans. They also had a R/C car race which pit drivers against some fans. (8/5) - NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park was ran last night. Dennis Setzer won. (8/4) - The final USAC Silver Crown Series pavement event of 2005 was completed at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Part of the three-day Kroger Speedfest, the J.D. Byrider 100 was the last pavement race for the current Silver Crown chassis. Bobby East NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler and Carl Edwards strapped into a Silver Crown sprint car for the night. Leffler, driving for Panther Racing, qualified on the pole with a fast lap of 21.115 seconds on the one-mile oval. Defending event champion Jay Drake drove his Tony Stewart owned car to the outside of row one. Tony Stewart was also on hand helping out the pit crew. Kahne started directly behind Leffler on the second row after running the third quickest qualifying lap. In front of packed stands and a full grassy hillside Drake took the lead as the green flag waved. Kahne and Leffler drove side by side the first few laps. On lap 14 a strong Bobby East in the Klatt Enterprises machine took the lead from Drake. On lap 98 Kahne bumped the wall in turn 1 and brought out the final yellow of the night, eliminating his hopes for a podium finish. But the yellow set up a dash to the checkered with Leffler immediately behind East on the restart with 2 laps to go. East's Ford motor had what it needed to pull off the victory. He was joined on the podium by Leffler and Josh Wise.