All to best to everyone for 2012, our 20th year on the air!
Thanks seems so inadequate.
Back Live the week of January 8th y’all!

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCES 2012
SCHEDULE

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011) – A first-ever event in China and two
venues that return after multi-year absences highlight the IZOD IndyCar Series
schedule for 2012 announced today.

The 2012 season, which will feature the return of engine manufacturer
competition and a new universal chassis produced by Dallara Automobili, kicks
off Sunday, March 25, with the eighth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The IZOD IndyCar Series again presents the most diverse schedule in
motorsports with the challenges of races on temporary street circuits, permanent
road courses, superspeedways and short ovals in four countries.

“To be crowned IZOD IndyCar Series champion, the driver must be able to
master a diversified race schedule that truly challenges the best in the world,”
said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. “The 2012 schedule offers our drivers and
teams the test of conquering both ovals and road and street races. Adding to the
diversity of the season, we’re excited with the launch of three engine
manufacturers vying for the Manufacturers Trophy.”

The scenic Belle Isle park circuit will be the site of the recently announced
Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Sunday, June 3. The IZOD IndyCar
Series had competed at the Raceway at Belle Isle in 2007 and ’08. Also returning
to the schedule is the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, Calif., for a
race under the lights Saturday, Sept. 15. INDYCAR sanctioned four races at Auto
Club Speedway between 2002 and ’05, while CART hosted events at the track from
1997 to 2002.

Night races also will be held at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 9,
and the .875-mile Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 23.

The Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 27, with Pole Day on
Saturday, May 19.

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Barber Motorsports Park for the third
consecutive year on Sunday, April 1, and the 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach will be held Sunday, April 15. Also, the series will compete on the
streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the third time on Sunday, April 29, as the
lead-in to Indianapolis 500 activities.

Back-to-back races in Canada highlight July – on the streets of Exhibition
Place in Toronto on Sunday, July 8, and on the exciting City Centre Airport
circuit in Edmonton, Alberta, on Sunday, July 22.

The permanent road courses of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Sunday, Aug. 5)
and Infineon Raceway (Sunday, Aug. 26) also retain their traditional dates. On
Sunday, Sept. 2, the IZOD IndyCar Series will electrify the streets of downtown
Baltimore for the second consecutive year.

“INDYCAR is excited about the confirmed races announced today,” said
Bernard. “With the new car and engine manufacturer competition, we believe they
will be tremendous events that will help INDYCAR grow.

“We are exploring adding additional events to the 2012 schedule. We’re in the
process of confirming a 16^th event, while also considering adding a
17^th race to the calendar.”

In addition to the race schedule, the series’ annual preseason Open Test will
be held at Sebring International Raceway on March 5-8.

The television lineup and event start times will be announced soon. Also, the
2012 Indy Lights schedule will be announced soon.

Schedule subject to change.

AJ Allmendinger will replace Kurt Busch at the wheel of the #22 car at Penske
Racing after the latter parted company with the team earlier this month.

Busch’s position was in doubt since he was caught on camera making an obscene
gesture in his car at the season finale at Homestead.He was later filmed while verbally abusing a member of the media and the team and Busch parted ways on December 5.

We’ll get AJA back on Raceline in the New Year!

ET Raceline

For the second time in his Sprint Cup Series career, an off-track issue has cost Kurt Busch his job.

Busch will not return next season to drive Penske Racing’s No. 22 Dodge. An official announcement came Monday, worded to sound like it was a mutual parting of the ways.

Just over a week ago NASCAR fined Busch $50,000 for the use of an obscene gesture and a profanity-laced tirade directed toward a media member during the Cup series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The incident with ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, which took place in the garage after Busch’s car broke its transmission, was caught on video and posted on YouTube.

At the time, Penske Racing officials issued a statement saying they were reviewing the matter internally.

In November 2005, less than one year after winning his first Cup series championship, Busch was fired by Roush Fenway Racing after he was cited for criminal recklessness in Avondale, Ariz., in what police described as an alcohol-related incident.

Busch sat out the remaining two races of the 2005 season. He began driving for team owner Roger Penske in the 2006 season.

Since joining Penske, Busch has won 10 races and his highest finish in the series standings was fourth in 2009.

This decision comes very late in the year and puts both Busch and Penske in a difficult position.

As the old saying goes, ” you’ve made your bed, now lie in it!”

Kurt says he’s seeing a sports psychologist to try and get his act together.

There are no quality rides currently available for next season for Busch to pursue, and no drivers with a resume on the track similar to Busch’s available for Penske to hire.

Kurt’s younger brother Kyle was also fined late in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season for unsportsmanlike conduct for wrecking Ron Hornaday in the truck race in Texas.

ET

Newman/Haas Racing, which has been a mainstay in Indy car racing since its founding in 1983 by Carl Haas and Paul Newman, announced that it will not enter cars in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series.

This past season, Oriol Servia finished fourth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship and Toronto’s James Hinchcliffe earned the Rookie of the Year award.

“The economic climate no longer enables Newman/Haas Racing to participate in open-wheel racing at this time,” Haas said in a statement.

The team has earned eight championships in CART/Champ Car with Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Nigel Mansell (1993), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). It accumulated 107 race victories and 109 pole positions.

The team joined the IndyCar Series full time in 2008. In September of the same year, co-owner Newman passed away.

I have to think Hinch will latch on to another team.

He better..

ET