Indy Pre-Race Thread

by **Cynon** Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:04 am

Pole qualifying has concluded. This would have been a much closer battle for the pole had Adrien Devereux and several other cars not had to dodge the dangerously slow MRD Motorsports #67 car of Morgan Hamburg, who was cruising around the track going over 50 miles per hour slower than everyone else and nearly causing a few crashes.

Hamburg was immediately summoned to the Steward's Office after pole qualifying. Adrien Devereux and Tony Durbin were seen having an argument with Hamburg separately. Durbin reportedly said to Hamburg; "Drive like that again and I'll wreck your shit."

Elina Varjo came out of nowhere and snatched 6th place in the underpowered and underfunded Kallela Motorsports team. Varjo is driving the same car Joonas Hannula drove at Karjala. Tony Durbin, Carlos Donzelo, Carla Rosinski and Kevin Dwyer round out the top 10. Kevin Dwyer's time was .007 faster than Tom Delgado, and .011 faster than Greg Woodard.

Row 1
9 Arto Kekkonen
2 Packer Carroll

Row 2
4 Leonid Roderick
74 Mélanie Clévenot

Row 3
10 Mathias Taube
59 Elina Varjo Shocked

Row 4
33 Tony Durbin
21 Carlos Donzelo

Row 5
330 Carla Rosinski
72 Kevin Dwyer

by PackerMan71 Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:08 am

Cynon wrote:Row 1
9 Arto Kekkonen
2 Packer Carroll

by Magus978 Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:44 am

Delgado Will Have to Race Way In, as Will Hamburg & Tucker

Tom Delgado had a pole qualifying day to forget, as he was not able to put himself into the top 10 on speed. Neither were his MRD Motorsports entries of Morgan Hamburg & Ashley Tucker. All three will have to race their way into the Round of Indianapolis, and with the rumors that this could be Tom Delgado's last race if he fails to qualify, the weight of the world has to be on his shoulders.

"I gave it all I had, and we just fell short. Congratulations to Kevin (Dwyer) for pulling off that lap and knocking me out of the top 10, he's a great talent and he's gonna be a star" Delgado said after failing to time his way in. When asked about rumors that he would pull Morgan Hamburg from the #67 due to his erratic driving during the proceedings, Delgado dismissed those. "Absolutely not. Morgan has a contract with MRD Motorsports and we will honor it. You can put that kind of talk to bed, and I suggest not bringing it up again if you know what's best for you" Delgado said angrily before walking away from reporters, and going over to congratulate Kevin Dwyer on knocking him out of the field for now.

by **SnakePlissken** Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:02 am

PSI Wants Griffith Banned From Indy

PSI owner William Power commenting on the incident that led to the Griffith/Plissken fisticuffs:

"What a waste. Both guys were having top 5 runs and Anthony Griffith just threw them both away out of spite. That was a microcosm of what it's been like to deal with him. He's shown flashes of brilliance when properly motivated as he demonstrated today by flying up through the field in the manner he did. What's proper motivation for him is unhealthy. But the wiring in his head is bad or something. He just self destructs and sabotages his own efforts. He's on the path to self destruction, that's for sure. He needs help from competent mental health professionals for his anger and other toxic behavioral patterns including his issues with women," Power stated.

When asked about possible sanctions against Griffith, Power responded "I was willing to let bygones be bygones and let this chapter come to an end, but he threw that out the window too. He's a danger to himself and others and I can only hope TMMC does the right thing and suspends him indefinitely. He should be kicked out of the Master Cup and for sure denied entry to the Round of Indianapolis at the very least."

Spoiler:

by gwoodard41 Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:11 am

Woodard just shy of timing into the race, will head straight into the qualifiers.

"Indianapolis, we made our debut as a team and manufacturer last year and were noticed. This year we once again nearly got into the grid through pole qualifying but fell short." Woodard smiled, "We will head into the qualifying races. Hopefully we can pull what we did last year, make it into the race and do really well."

"The team set up our cars well, Sarah actually got as high as 14th during her round and Durbin got into the upper 20's I think. Congratulations to those who did get into the top 10. They had better cars and were able to use what power they had to get in."

Woodard would head back to the team's hauler for a debriefing session with the team.

by Kornography Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:50 am

Hamburg "not phased" by Durbin's remarks

Morgan Hamburg made it clear that he wasn't amused by Tony Durbin's threats following Pole Qualifying (which he would later say was due to mechanical issues), saying "I'm not phased by his...choice of words. I don't even know why he's complaining, he's in the damn race! He can go race his race, and I'll race mine."

Shortly after qualifying, rumors immediately sprung up that Hamburg was to be dumped from MRD following the race, these were later found to be untrue.

by RocketKnight Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:14 am

Calhoun Runs Quietly, will have to race in

Bill Calhoun was not talked about furing pole qualifying, and he did not run fast enough to skip the qualifyers.

"eh, it's just one of those days. when nobody talks about you and you don't do terribly well. anyway, on to the qualifyers".

by RyanB06 Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:03 am

Matthews misses on time, will have to race in:
Ryan Matthews will make the most of his first trip to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though he probably wishes he wouldn't.

Matthews missed timing his way into the Round of Indianapolis, which means he will have to race his way in if he wants to avoid his second DNS of the year.

"I really wished we had timed our way in," he said after the pole qualifying session ended. "At least we weren't as slow as Hamburg was. So that's something, I guess."

Matthews is doing double-duty (sort of) in the Round of Indianapolis: besides his driving duties for Majestic Motorsports, he has his own team's car attempting to make the race: the No. 06 Azzatek Matthews M12 Aspira driven by ASCC regular Joe Olenick.

"I'm going to pay those guys a visit when I'm done here," Matthews said. "They could use a pick-me-up."

by JMac525 Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:15 am

Moore and Yamada Miss Top 10

Big Mac Racing's two drivers, Thomas Moore and Makoto Yamada missed top ten qualfying after a day of work. Moore told us, "It's a shame I couldn't get enough speed out of the car to qualify yet, but I think we can definitely get in during the qualifying races. Greg [Woodard] almost made it in his Lycoia, and I know ours can be just as fast. It would be a great honor to run at our team's home race." Yamada wasn't available to comment.

by **Ben Atkins** Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:08 pm

Rosinski makes field on speed; shocks self

"DID WE MAKE IT?" Rosinski screamed over the radio to her crew, and upon hearing she did, she pulled up into the pits and got out of her. Upon word that she made it is, she started pumping her fists in the air over and over, screaming "I can't believe it!" over and over again. This is similar to how boyfriend Ben Atkins made his TMMC debut, when he made it into the field in pole qualifying, and then finishing well, so could this rub off on Rosinski?

by **Cynon** Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:30 pm

Devereux Critical of Slower Cars

While he was expected to time into the Round of Indianapolis during either pole qualifying or the last chance qualifying session, Frenchman Adrien Devereux found himself 7 places shy of making the field as of now. Devereux pointed the blame on slower cars that had impeded him on several occasions.

Devereux hit out on some of his competitors by name.

"Some of those guys are so slow they are dangerous. Morgan Hamburg stayed on the track for 5 laps going 50 miles per hour off the pace." Devereux stated. "Then when I came behind ... I think it was [Cody] Keaton, it was hard to predict where he was going because he was so nervous behind the wheel."

Cody Keaton is attempting to make his TM Master Cup series debut, and was one of two of the first-time entrants to have not earned his Master License during the first day of practice. Keaton obtained his Master License on the second day of practice.

The other driver to have not earned his Master License on day one of practice was Reese Biehn, however Biehn's delay was a result of complications with the innovative electronics and fuel injection system of the brand new Terminator car.

FPO Bidding for Terminator?

Marcos Leonard was sighted in the Terminator garage after the top 10 qualifying session. Leonard reportedly has been interested in the Terminator project for FPO's TM Master Cup series tilt for next season. Neither Leonard or a Terminator spokesperson would comment on Leonard's visit.

Clévenot, Varjo, Rosinski to Make Superspeedway Debuts

Ever since the pole qualifying session has been introduced at Indianapolis, it has always turned out a fair share of drama. Upsets such as Tyrone Stanley's underfunded team on the front row, Jim Hayes's run to tenth on the grid, and Tom Delgado's dramatic maiden pole highlighted the format last year. This season, however, saw a different kind of drama altogether.

Some of the quickest cars were not able to set decent times due to not being able to maintain drafts with other cars in the straights, such as Adrien Devereux or Brian Sendack. It left the door open for an upset qualifier such as Mélanie Clévenot, who followed expert oval racers Leonid Roderick and Packer Carroll to learn how to drive the track. While it was no surprise that a Saar-powered driver made the top 5, few expected the inexperienced Clévenot to pick up the art of driving on a superspeedway quickly.

Clévenot admitted that she was 'a little scared' at the constant speed at first but that she felt more comfortable once she was on track. "The way this track is, you don't really notice it. I was more worried about crashing the car then I was qualifying it!" she said. "Once I made it I wanted to do one of Alexis [Rainsford]'s little happy dances!"

Elina Varjo, the Finnish motorsport journalist, was the second shock story after she qualified the underpowered and improperly set up Kallela Motorsports #59 car. Varjo, 31, is making her first TM Master Cup start on an oval track, but Varjo made three TM Europe starts on oval tracks in 2012, and she passed her rookie test.

"The car was Joonas's Karjala car." Varjo said to the American press.
"It was not made for an oval course so I am happy we did well."

Varjo ran 4 laps, the fewest of any car that made the field, but was quickest in the 45 minute last chance qualifying session. She has never started a race on an oval larger than 1 mile.

Dash Cup regular Carla Rosinski was the third shock story of the top ten qualifying sessions. Rosinski drives for Dash Cup frontrunners Atlantic Motorsports, who are new to TM Master Cup competition. Rosinski clearly had not expected to qualify in this session, and could be heard screaming "DID WE MAKE IT?!" over her radio when her crew informed her that her time was good enough for 9th on the grid -- and equal with Carlos Donzelo.

Should the second Atlantic Motorsports entry of Ben Atkins qualify, Atkins and Rosinski will become the second romantic item to qualify for a race together this season. Alexis Rainsford and Chris Davenport, who are in South Korea for a Champ Car race, were the other pair.

by **SnakePlissken** Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:58 am

Spoiler:

RMC Schedules "More In-Depth Meeting" With FPO

Rogue Motor Corporation CEO Cameron James stated today that they have established "preliminary exploratory discussions" with Fluffy Penguin Onionburger. "Yes. We had a casual conversation with Marcos Leonard and liked the direction things were heading so we've scheduled another more formal meeting to discuss the possibility of the Rogue TERMINATOR being FPO'c chassis of choice for the 2013 TMMC season. RMC has accomplished phase 1 of our goal of just being noticed. We've caught the eye of FPO and that will hopefully we can use this as a launching point for other teams to express interest in our unique product. We here at RMC look forward to more in-depth discussions with Marcos and FPO. Does anyone know where we can get a translator who speaks "Leonard?"

by **SnakePlissken** Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:14 pm

PSI Rolls Out Red Carpet Treatment For Roderick

As the Round of Indianapolis draws nearer, PSI is amping up its preparation for Leonid Roderick's impending visit. "There's no more dress rehearsals," said a visibly excited William Power. "It's do or die time for us where he's concerned. We have a full slate lined up for him and we'll be making our final push to sway Leonid to come join us here. Hopefully he will see how well our ARLA program has performed and he will factor that into his decision. Our goal is to make his decision as easy as possible to join us here or as difficult as possible to consider anybody else. The ball's in his court now."

Master Cup Officials Nix Plissken "Double Duty" Attempts

When TMMC officials got wind of what paint scheme Kurt Plissken was planning to run for his Round of Indianapolis qualifying attempt, they quickly stepped in to put a halt to it. Here is what Plissken's car looked like:

Spoiler:

Plissken was obviously taking the TMMC officials to task for not allowing Aussie Dusty Road Series and Road Warrior Street Series Max Goose to compete by repeatedly denying Goose his Master Cup license. This was Plissken's attempt to publicly protest the behavior and decisions of the Master Cup officials.

Plissken responded by saying, "Another blow for freedom of speech and expression."

TMMC officials quickly ordered Plissken to go to his backup car to run his qualifying heat and nixed the possibility of attempting to qualify both PSI cars into the field.

"I anticipated that little maneuver so I actually had the "protest car" painted onto the backup car to start with. When they ordered me to switch them out, I actually went to my primary car," Plissken explained.

Who tipped off TMMC officials is still a mystery, but Plissken has his suspicions. "Anthony Griffith. Our garage is missing a tool right now, and it's a better place because of it."

Libby Bell, who subbed for Plissken at the Round of France when he was suspended after events that transpired at Brands Hatch, will handle the driving duties for the #08 car.

by **Cynon** Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:27 am

Race 1: Chris Johaanes led the opening laps but Brian Sendack came to the front IN A HURRY. Once the 90 car got to the front, the race was for second. The Lycoias on the other hand were trying to figure out how to throw their chances away, and boy did they succeed. For the most part anyway. Sarah Xavier hit the pitlane in the very nice-looking #65 car and lost three laps. Mika Tervo, Tyson Lautenschlager and Dan Leckliter all cut tires in the second half of the race and each lost a lap.

Louis Kingston drove the wheels off his Nemoto to qualify. All three of the Nemotos and the Nemoto powered MRD Motorsports car were not expected to make it past pre-qualifying due to their lack of speed.

1 15 90 B Sendack 199.060 16 9* 185 Running
2 22 13 A Hodges -0.14 16 0 170 Running
3 4 57 R Griffin -R- -0.23 16 0 165 Running
4 11 984 R Biehn -0.43 16 0 160 Running
5 12 8 Y Nosova -0.49 16 0 155 Running
6 8 0 G de Sousa -I- -0.59 16 0 150 Running
7 9 17 L Kingston -0.63 16 0 146 Running
8 10 60 P Eichholtz -0.66 16 0 142 Running
9 18 256 F Jaeger -0.76 16 0 138 Running
10 6 38 B Calhoun -R- -0.85 16 0 134 Running
11 16 25 Y Tenchi -0.88 16 0 130 Running
12 17 77 A Griffith -0.93 16 0 127 Running
13 19 6 D Henton -1.01 16 0 124 Running
14 3 64 C Johaanes -1.09 16 6 121 Running
15 7 48 E Draachreider -1.12 16 0 123 Running
16 14 126 C Taylor -RI- -1.22 16 0 115 Running
17 13 68 I Durbin -1.42 16 0 112 Running
18 23 16 K Plissken -1.47 16 0 109 Running
19 20 96 C Hobbes -R- -1.52 16 1 111 Running
20 21 86 J Rodriguez -1.89 16 0 103 Running
21 25 339 M Blackwell -6.36 16 0 100 Running
22 29 61 D Mackay -11.40 16 0 97 Running
23 24 83 D Predikin -11.57 16 0 94 Running
24 28 71 C Allen -I- -19.81 16 0 91 Running
25 26 30 C Waters -19.97 16 0 88 Running
26 30 517 N Dawson -20.19 16 0 85 Running
27 31 69 C Jonser -22.27 16 0 82 Running
28 2 110 D Leckliter -I- -1L 15 0 79 Running
29 5 20 M Tervo -I- -1L 15 0 76 Running
30 27 42 T Lautenschlager -1L 15 0 73 Running
31 1 65 S Xavier -3L 13 0 70 Running

Other then Ryan Matthews blowing up and Matt Taylor being tooled into the wall by Vitaly Karpenko and Alli Culotta, not much happened here.

1 1 3 L Soveral 198.779 16 5* 185 Running
2 8 55 Z Ashby -0.21 16 0 170 Running
3 11 22 D Roswell -0.29 16 1 170 Running
4 27 84 V Karpenko -I- -0.41 16 0 160 Running
5 6 426 A Kinasa -0.48 16 1 160 Running
6 7 39 K Eckerton -0.60 16 1 155 Running
7 10 7 J Martinez -0.61 16 1 151 Running
8 12 19 P Short -R- -0.67 16 0 142 Running
9 17 312 A Rossini -0.74 16 1 143 Running
10 23 14 J Bouvier -0.83 16 0 134 Running
11 19 5 Z Duff -0.83 16 1 135 Running
12 4 28 A Culotta -0.93 16 0 127 Running
13 18 999 M Leonard -0.99 16 1 129 Running
14 2 44 M Sykes -1.09 16 0 121 Running
15 22 08 L Bell -1.21 16 0 118 Running
16 3 78 V Simonov -1.22 16 1 120 Running
17 28 720 N Kastapolous -1.31 16 0 112 Running
18 29 58 J Fischer -R- -1.37 16 0 109 Running
19 5 00 B Tissom -1.49 16 1 111 Running
20 13 114 B Morris -R- -1.57 16 0 103 Running
21 14 36 J Kard -1.65 16 0 100 Running
22 21 52 T Moore -RI- -1.69 16 0 97 Running
23 15 87 A Tucker -1.76 16 0 94 Running
24 16 75 M Yamada -R- -1.78 16 1 96 Running
25 31 51 A Virtanen -1.92 16 0 88 Running
26 20 91 T Adams -RI- -1.98 16 0 85 Running
27 26 98 N Ferguson -2.06 16 0 82 Running
28 9 23 N Tolonen -2.13 16 1 84 Running
29 30 50 S Steudler -16.94 16 0 76 Running
30 24 31 M Taylor -6L 10 0 73 Running
31 25 11 R Matthews -R- -10L 6 0 70 Header

Where the hell is that sleeping medication? Oh well, Indy Prequalifiers are seldom exciting anyway...

... some shenanigans were going on between Mika Paasonen and Joe Olenick on lap 4 and it allowed the top 13 cars to pull away for a bit. That list included Cody Keaton, who was oddly fast. Greg Woodard and Noella Castillo were not playing too nice on the racetrack with each other, but I'll get to that later.

The battle for the lead was for the most part the only not-single-file race going on, but it was pretty clear that one of the two EFR cars was going to win if Blake Camphausen didn't.

After the checkered flag was where the fun started. That is if you call Noella Castillo smashing on the brakes in front of Greg Woodard in turn 1 immediately after the checkered flag fun. Since the field was still going fairly fast at the time, this wasn't a one-car wreck. Harold Smith went on two wheels and several cars in the back received a fair amount of damage. Despite finishing the race, a good number of the cars at the back half of the field had their cars totaled immediately after finishing the event.

As you can probably imagine, the stewards were none too happy and excluded Castillo from the results.

Cody Keaton also failed post-race tech inspection, however no penalty has been issued yet.

1 3 777 I Cooper 199.965 16 4 180 Running
2 4 88 S Bates -0.16 16 1 175 Running
3 18 79 A Harris -0.17 16 0 165 Running
4 2 04 J Kivela -0.23 16 0 160 Running
5 1 1 A Devereux -0.26 16 5 160 Running
6 14 56 B Atkins -I- -0.37 16 0 150 Running
7 8 76 E Everett -0.38 16 0 146 Running
8 5 15 B Camphausen -R- -0.45 16 6* 152 Running
9 11 70 B Stephans -0.52 16 0 138 Running
10 12 460 F Azure -0.54 16 0 134 Running
11 17 99 C Keaton -0.63 16 0 130 Running
12 20 12 M Paasonen -R- -0.69 16 0 127 Running
13 26 73 N Castillo -0.77 16 0 124 Running
14 7 41 G Woodard -RI- -0.97 16 0 121 Running
15 25 24 B Lareau -RI- -1.06 16 0 118 Running
16 6 06 J Olenick -1.13 16 0 115 Running
17 15 37 T Delgado -1.43 16 0 112 Running
18 10 80 L Azarov -1.57 16 0 109 Running
19 13 29 S Rosenstreter -2.02 16 0 106 Running
20 23 115 K Mummert -2.36 16 0 103 Running
21 9 94 N Azure -2.43 16 0 100 Running
22 16 158 H Smith -R- -2.82 16 0 97 Running
23 24 18 A Kazeyama -3.23 16 0 94 Running
24 21 43 B Koumoundorous -3.84 16 0 91 Running
25 19 231 J Eichholtz -RI- -4.10 16 0 88 Running
26 22 82 Y Kuznetsov -4.27 16 0 85 Running
27 29 32 P Nelson -5.08 16 0 82 Running
28 28 62 M Howard -5.31 16 0 79 Running
29 31 85 L Vladimirovich -5.63 16 0 76 Running
30 32 45 B Hurran -19.46 16 0 73 Running
31 30 09 V Pushanda -19.55 16 0 70 Running
32 27 67 M Hamburg -I- -19.62 16 0 67 Running

by **crl** Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:08 am

MT Motorsports drivers Morris and Mummert fail to pre-qualify at Indianapolis

MT Motorsports didn't expect to do much at the Round of Indianapolis.

But not making it past pre-qualifying is something they don't want to make a habit.

The team's TM Lights driver, Brian Morris, along with new dad Kraig Mummert, each finished 20th in their respective pre-qualifying races, Morris in the second race, and Mummert in the third. Both drivers finished on the lead lap, but were unable to navigate through the big, superspeedway-style packs the cars were tucked into.

"We just didn't have the speed to move up," the Alberta-born Morris said. "This car is still underfunded, despite our 102.5 The Game sponsorship."

Mummert, whom, as previously mentioned, became a father to a son, also named Kraig, with his wife, Jennifer Putnam the day after the Round of Wisconsin (OOC: Lance should shout him out on the Failed to Qualify graphic Wink

), claimed the same problem.

"We weren't fast in the packs, and the stuff going on early in the race between Mika [Paasonen] and Joe [Olenick] didn't help matters, either," Mummert said. "It's more disappointing for me, because I've failed to pre-qualify at Indy for two consecutive years now. I want to change that in 2013."

MT Motorsports owner Fred Caldwell said the TM Master Cup effort will now focus on the final round of the season in Decatur, unless they can get a spot in an upcoming race.

"I kind of figured we'd have trouble with the speed," Caldwell said. "It's definitely something we'll look at for Decatur. That's a road course, and everyone's spread out, so we'll hope to be able to find the race craft there."

by conrail1990 Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:43 am

Blackwell's wait continues

Another one off, another failed pre qualifying attempt for a one off race for Mark Blackwell. Blackwell finished 6 seconds behind the leader in his race and failed to make a qualifying spot for the round of Indy. " I got out of the groove late and suffered" Mark Stated. Mark will have to wait until the round of Decatur to try and make his first TM Master Cup start.

by RyanB06 Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:10 am

Disappointment all around for the Matthews bunch:

Pre-qualifying races are usually crapshoots, and there almost always are a few drivers left scratching their heads.

The races for the Round of Indianapolis were no exception.

Race 2 ended for Ryan Matthews before it started, as his Gasnier gave out six laps in.

He was visibly frustrated after exiting his car. This is the second of the one-off races he will not qualify for.

"I don't get it," he said. "That's the second straight race with a failure for us. The engineers need to get their acts together, because we can't keep this up. I really want to keep driving in this series, and this kind of stuff doesn't do us much good. Oh well, I guess I'll see you at Calder Park."

Though he wouldn't make it in the race as a driver, he still had a shot to make the race as a car owner, as ASCC regular Joe Olenick was attempting to put his team's entry into the field in Race 3.

It didn't happen, as early shenanigans with, of all people, Matthews' teammate Mika Passonen, put Olenick behind the 8-ball early and though he finished 16th, he missed transferring by one spot.

"Did Mika know that's my car?" Matthews joked after the race. "Oh well, it looks like I've got no more business here. I hate it for Joe. He's become a good friend of ours and he's a hell of a driver. I really wish we'd have gotten him in the show."

by Jason Hamilton Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:33 am

Mika Paasonen wrote:Oh crap, I didn't realise to halfway through the race

by gwoodard41 Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:02 am

Woodard in the qualifiers, not without nearly losing it with Castillo.

"The jerk drives like a tool and when we finish the race, he decides to brake check half the field?!" Woodard complained to reporters, "I'm happy that he got dq'd, but still, he nearly totaled the back half of the field after the checkered flag flew." Woodard's words with Castillo weren't nice, so far as Woodard warning him [Castillo] to stay away from him. It was bad enough that he was involved but he nearly took out others in the process.

"He's a total A**hole," Woodard spoke out of character, "I don't know how the other teams will deal with him but he may get something coming."

When asked about Xavier and Durbin failing to make the race, "Hey, things happened that weren't within their control. I guess Durbin will stay on with us going into Decatur as he didn't wreck out. Xavier may not attempt Decatur due to obligations elsewhere."

Woodard will once again go into the qualifiers alone, where he hopefully can make the race. If he can get permission from officials, he may switch paintschemes, there is a backup 41 phoenix performance car that's scheduled to run later in the season.

by Magus978 Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:01 pm

Delgado DNPQ's, Retires Effective Immediately

Tom Delgado has failed to pre-qualify, and true to his word coming into the race weekend, has retired from full-time competition effective immediately.

"Nothing more we could have done. I gave it all I had, just wasn't enough. I'm a man of my word though, I'm done. I have nothing left to give to this sport as a driver, and Star Team Nemoto deserve so much better" Delgado said, emotionless as he walked back to the paddock. He was seen thanking his crew members for a good effort, and wishing Louis Kingston well in qualifying and in the future.

Delgado, 38, calls time on his driving career with 2 TM Master Cup series victories.

by Cardinals5 Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:17 pm

Olenick Misses by One Spot

"Damn, sorry guys." That was all Joe Olenick had to say to his crew after missing the cut for the Round of Indianapolis by one spot.

"Seven-thousandths of a second...that was damn close," Olenick said in a post-race interview. "I hate it for these guys, especially Ryan. I really wanted to get him into the show, at least as an owner."

When asked about the incident with Mika Paasonen, Olenick stated "that was just a racing deal. Nothing big. I think cooler heads could have prevailed, but no one got hurt."

When asked about Cody Keaton failing post-race inspection, Olenick said "It's up to the officials, but as of now I'm a spectator."

UPDATE: Keaton Out, Olenick In to Qualifying Race

Cody Keaton's team has been disqualified from the Pre-Qualifying Race, meaning Joe Olenick will advance. Olenick needs to finish 30th or better to transfer into the Round of Indianapolis.

by Rykia Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:16 pm

Durbin Mixed Feelings About DNQ

Ike Durbin came into Indianapolis with the simple goal of not wrecking and slipping through the pre-qualifiers and main qualifiers to put the #68 Skullcandy Lycoia into the field. He accomplished one goal, but missed out on the more important one. After the race, he was interviewed and had this to say, "Less than a half a second was the difference. If I would have been a half a second farther ahead, I would have made it to the qualifiers," Durbin said with a sigh, "I did my best, but clearly not enough. These guys at TIMmy built me an amazing car, and I didn't do enough to get the result deserved. I feel bad for Sarah [Xavier], I know she coulda made it if she didn't have that problem. Greg made it, and I know he can get through the main and get into the race, like he did last year."

Durbin finished 17th, narrowly misssing out on advancing to the main qualifier.

by Blake Camphausen Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:43 pm

Camphausen Thrilled to be In Indy Field. Thinks he is a threat to win
"If this car stays this fast, there is no doubt in my mind we will be a threat to win. Our main competition in my eyes is those Team EFR cars. They are bad fast! Anyway, I'm glad to be in the field, I love this place."

by PackerMan71 Fri Sep 28, 2012 9:28 pm

Blake Camphausen wrote:Camphausen Thrilled to be In Indy Field. Thinks he is a threat to win
"If this car stays this fast, there is no doubt in my mind we will be a threat to win. Our main competition in my eyes is those Team EFR cars. They are bad fast! Anyway, I'm glad to be in the field, I love this place."

You're not in the field yet, dude. There's still the main qualifier to be run... but you have a 76% chance of making it in. Cool

by **SnakePlissken** Fri Sep 28, 2012 9:31 pm

Plissken Wants To Buy Way Into Indy Qualifying Field

Kurt Plissken has made it known that he desperately wants into the Round of Indianapolis Qualifier and in the worst possible way. So much so that he's willing to buy it out of his own pocket.
When asked why, Plissken icily stated, "Unfinished business."
That can only mean that it would not bode well for former PSI teammate Anthony Griffith.

"It's a travesty that that lunatic is in the main qualifier after what he pulled at Wisconsin," PSI owner William Power expounded. "I'm willing to buyout any ride that is available so that Kurt gets his shot at reven... er... redemption where Griffith is concerned."

by TheRacingExperts Sat Sep 29, 2012 3:06 pm

Nikos Kastapolous fails to qualify Indy, 0/2 in major TMMC Events

"Aw man, the last few laps i could slowly see my chance of getting in slipping away like it was torture. We certainly had the car, don't get me wrong, the boys did awesome today. I got the blame on my own driving this time around. Well, I guess we gotta enjoy the round of Indy as a spectator and shift our focus to decatur and the end of the ARLA season."

by racingfreak1999 Sat Sep 29, 2012 11:50 pm

Frank Azure ecstatic on getting through pre-q; Nick DNPQ

Frank Azure was relieved to have in his third attempt, the ASCC regular finally got through pre-qualifying for a TM Master Cup race. After getting out of his car, Frank was heard saying "it's about f***ing time!" after finishing 10th in the third pre-qualifier, moving into the main qualifier. "That was nerve racking. Usually I'm pretty calm at superspeedways, but when your trying to make the field it's insane. Our job's not done yet. All we need is a decent run in the qualifier and we're in the race."

The same can't be said about Nick Azure, who after a 21st place finish failed to pre-qualify in the RROL driver's first Master Cup attempt. "We lost the main pack, and after that we were pretty much screwed. I wanna thank Frank for giving me the opportunity to attempt a Master Cup race and we'll be back next year."

by Alpineopossum Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:25 am

Cameron Taylor: It was a real challenge. Close but no cigar. But getting that close shows how far we have come this year as a team.

by **Cynon** Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:27 am

Good day to be a fan of Michael Sykes. If this counted for points then he would have notched a perfect 70. But it doesn't.

Bad day to be a fan of Blake Camphausen, he jumped the start, got a black flag, and then lost a lap.

Lap 4, Alessandro Rossini drops out due to mechanical problems.

Friedrich Jaeger and the Wernstrom were having problems keeping that car on the pace and lost a lap after pitting for a cut tire. In other words, Murphy's Law.

Jacques Bouvier was rather rudely shoved aside by Bob Stephans and nearly wadded up the 14 car midway through the race. Bouvier didn't recover, and DNQ'd.

1 1 44 M Sykes 198.794 16 6* 185 Running
2 6 3 L Soveral -0.12 16 0 170 Running
3 4 1 A Devereux -0.13 16 0 165 Running
4 8 64 C Johaanes -0.20 16 2 165 Running
5 2 90 B Sendack -0.24 16 1 160 Running
6 11 28 A Culotta -0.30 16 0 150 Running
7 26 25 Y Tenchi -0.36 16 1 151 Running
8 14 6 D Henton -0.44 16 1 147 Running
9 20 79 A Harris -0.47 16 0 138 Running
10 9 777 I Cooper -0.53 16 1 139 Running
11 23 55 Z Ashby -0.59 16 1 135 Running
12 5 04 J Kivela -0.63 16 0 127 Running
13 15 70 B Stephans -0.70 16 0 124 Running
14 16 41 G Woodard -RI- -0.78 16 1 126 Running
15 12 8 Y Nosova -0.89 16 0 118 Running
16 3 88 S Bates -0.92 16 1 120 Running
17 7 13 A Hodges -0.98 16 1 117 Running
18 29 999 M Leonard -5.28 16 0 109 Running
19 28 460 F Azure -5.34 16 0 106 Running
20 27 22 D Roswell -5.43 16 0 103 Running
21 25 5 Z Duff -5.53 16 0 100 Running
22 19 7 J Martinez -5.59 16 0 97 Running
23 36 24 B Lareau -RI- -5.61 16 0 94 Running
24 21 38 B Calhoun -R- -5.69 16 0 91 Running
25 31 426 A Kinasa -5.71 16 0 88 Running
26 24 0 G de Sousa -I- -5.78 16 0 85 Running
27 22 984 R Biehn -5.81 16 0 82 Running
28 30 56 B Atkins -I- -5.85 16 0 79 Running
29 13 77 A Griffith -6.04 16 0 76 Running
30 35 17 L Kingston -6.06 16 0 73 Running
31 17 60 P Eichholtz -6.15 16 0 70 Running
32 37 12 M Paasonen -R- -6.21 16 0 67 Running
33 18 39 K Eckerton -6.26 16 0 64 Running
34 34 19 P Short -R- -6.32 16 0 61 Running
35 33 76 E Everett -6.38 16 0 58 Running
36 41 84 V Karpenko -I- -6.50 16 0 55 Running
37 32 57 R Griffin -R- -6.62 16 0 52 Running
38 39 06 J Olenick -15.81 16 0 49 Running
39 40 14 J Bouvier -23.88 16 0 46 Running
40 10 15 B Camphausen -R- -1L 15 0 43 Running
41 38 256 F Jaeger -1L 15 0 40 Running
42 42 312 A Rossini -12L 4 0 37 Piston

by Tanrar Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:00 am

Spoiler:

by gwoodard41 Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:15 am

Woodard to make Indy for the 2nd time in a row after notching a top 15 finish

"We raced a clean race and got through the whole ordeal without TIRE issues!" An ecstatic Woodard told reporters, "Now for the main event, time to burn rubber."

by RocketKnight Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:04 am

Bill Calhoun overjoyed about making Indy

"we made it! we made it!" could be heard over the radio when Bill Calhoun, a ASSC rookie with a underfunded team, made the TMMC Round of Indianapoilis.

"this is just an amazing feeling. i'm going to get to race against the best racecar drivers in the world on one of my favorite racetracks!"

by **Ben Atkins** Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:10 am

Atkins makes it 2/2 Atlantic Cars in the race

The Independent's Trophy team Atlantic Motorsports, which originated from Dash Cup, shown how much as a team they have grown by having both the #56, piloted by Ben Atkins as an Independent's Trophy effort, and the #330, piloted by Carla Rosinski, the teams second car which shows up for one off races only make it is, with Atkins racing his way in, but Rosinski making it in through pole qualifying.

"It's overwhelming." said Atkins "I just can't believe this is how far this team has come. We've got two cars in one of the biggest races in the world, and we're looking at a potential Dash Cup title for the second season in a row, and perhaps the Independent's Trophy. It really just unbelievable. It makes me proud as an owner and a driver. I'm just happy I'm gonna be in the race too!"

While another Dash Cup driver entered with a different team, that being Harold Smith, he did not have the luck, or skill that Rosinski had. Rosinski made it in through pole qualifying, and she will start 9th. With Atkins and Rosinski being a couple as well, they will be the second couple to race in the Master Cup this season, with Alexis Rainsford and Chris Davenport being the first couple. Rosinski is also the driver that is fighting for the Dash Cup title for Atlantic Motorsports, so Rosinski is showing how much talent she has in every series this season.

by Blake Camphausen Fri Oct 05, 2012 2:23 pm

Blake Camphausen livid over radio, refuses post race interview.
"I jumped the start? I jumped the f**king start? Wonderful...wonderful. Well this sucks just about as bad as the rest of our season. At least I didn't wreck this piece of crap." Camphausen screamed over his radio, shortly after receiving the message he jumped the start. He declined comment after the race.

by RyanB06 Fri Oct 05, 2012 2:51 pm

Matthews disappointed over DNQ:
Ryan Matthews' race team didn't race in the Round of Indianapolis in 2011.

It won't in 2012 either.

Matthews Motorsports failed to transfer out of the main qualifying, sending the No. 06 M12 Aspira driven by ASCC regular Joe Olenick back to Connecticut early.

"Man, am I disappointed," Matthews said. "I really thought we'd have had a good shot at making the race after our pre-qualifying gift. It wasn't meant to be, I guess."

"We'll try it again at Decatur," he added. "That place has been lucky for us in the past, so who knows."

by **SnakePlissken** Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:46 am

Plissken Unable to Get Into Indy Field?

Kurt Plissken was watching as his options to make it into the 2012 Round of Indianapolis dwindled even further. Rumor had it that Majestic Motorsports is rather short on cash and that if both the #12 the #14 cars both made it onto the grid, that Plissken and PSI may have been able to swing a deal to get Plissken into the race. The #14 car stood a good shot of making it into the race and the car was being driven by Jacques Bouvier, who previously filled in for Anthony Griffith at the Round of France. But Jacques Bouvier was rather rudely shoved aside by Bob Stephans and nearly wadded up the #14 car midway through the main qualifier race. Bouvier didn't recover, and DNQ'd pretty much ending Plissken's quest to get into this particular field.

"Our options are pretty much used up at this point," Plissken lamented. "When Bouvier DNQ'd, my chances when down the the crapper."

PSI owner William Power said that he was going to try and negotiate a deal with possibly his last option: Rogue Motor Corporation. RMC just gridded their new experimental TERMINATOR chassis with Reese Biehn at the helm. "Our chances are slim and none at this point," Power stated.

by **SnakePlissken** Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:26 pm

RMC Willing to Sell Seat to Plissken-- But at an Extrememly Inflated Price?

William Power commented that Rogue Motor Corporation may have been willing to sell their spot on the Round Of Indianapolis grid, but PSI claims that RMC wanted it for "a ridiculously exorbitant price."
"I was stunned when I heard the figure that they were asking," Power explained. "That was so far out there that it was almost incomprehensible. Then I got wind that Marcos Leonard and FPO may have been encouraging RMC to ask us to pay a rather hefty sum so they can keep developing the TERMINATOR car for a future FPO tilt. Wow, it seems like everyone is taking their shots at us this season."
Kurt Plissken and Power both consider the Indianapolis race as their home race since PSI is headquartered in Indianapolis, within a stones throw of the famous track. Plissken, the winner of the 2009 Round of Indianapolis, followed up his best career with a top 5 in 2010. He missed the 2011 running of the event when the crew didn't put enough fuel into car on the previous pit stop. Then he just didn't make it through the pre-qualification rounds this season.

by **SnakePlissken** Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:19 pm

Spoiler:

RMC To FPO: "We Issued No Ultimatium"
May Sell Seat To Plissken Anyway?

Rogue Motor Corporation head Cameron James said that he wanted to issue a statement and that he wanted to point it directly at FPO. "I think that they (FPO) made it seem as if we tried to force Reese Biehn on them."
"That is unequivocally false. We issued no such ultimatum to FPO concerning Reese Biehn and his continued employment with them. At least that's what we think Mr. Leonard meant by that statement. We didn't try to force anyone to do anything. We did think that including the driver who has spent the most time in the cockpit of this vehicle would have just made good sense."

Smelly leaves do not pull us. Reese Biehn may reveal extraordinary hammock turkeys, but remember that the yellow acorns are not flammable when refrigerated." - Marcos Leonard

"Their actions concerning this matter have made us reevaluate our own earlier actions where PSI is concerned. We may now very well be game to sell our spot to Mr. Plissken. But again, we're not 100% certain just what Mr. Leonard was trying to communicate to us. Does anybody understand this man is trying to convey?"

PSI Calls Woodard Meeting "Enlightning"

Owner William Power said that when Greg Woodard stopped by the PSI facilities recently, they had some very "enlightening exchanges." "He was very cordial and excited to visit us in order to prep for his Round of Victoria event tryout. It was nice to have someone who was actually interested in being here stop by and spend some time. He also did a pretty darn good job of talking up Lycoia-- so much so that we've decided to check Lycoia out a little more thoroughly and see what our investigation can turn up."

by gwoodard41 Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:01 pm

Woodard visits PSI, pleased with how he was treated.

"All it takes is communication and you never know how far you can get with people." Woodard told reporters post visit, "I was fitted into the car for the upcoming race in Australia and I talked with the team owner about Lycoia, he [Power] seemed interested in it." He continued, "Of course he wants to make sure it's an American company, sure it has a worldwide market, but it's based here in the States. What do you mean why I talked about Lycoia? I'm their face in the series, and I'm... free to spread the information, it's a free country!" One of the reporters yelled 'sellout' and got a few laughs, Woodard merely stated, "Really? It's not selling out if most of my paycheck goes to charity or taxes. I make a living doing this, it's like how you're sell outs for supporting political candidates and getting kickbacks, am I right?" That shut them up... then someone asked about how PSI was to him.

"All in all, I was treated rather well during my visit, it wasn't the 'red carpet treatment' that Roderick received, but I was okay with that. They weren't jerks to me and I even met Plissken." When asked about what Plissken thought of him, Woodard merely replied, "No clue, why don't you ask him?" The reporters shook their heads or laughed nervously. When asked about the reverse, "Look he's a good driver with a good organization behind him. He may be a little rough, but I guess he had to deal with a lot of crap in the past and he grew some skin. If I didn't know any better, he and I may make one hell of a team or may be at each others' throats, but let's hope it's the prior."

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