By Al Stilley
Editor

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) teams go into the new season with a new package that will keep them guessing early in the year. Series officials are throwing away the restrictor plate after the Daytona 500 Sunday (Fox, 2:30 p.m.) and replacing it with a tapered spacer to affect carburetor air flow to limit horsepower.

Cars will run with 550 horsepower at all tracks 1.33 miles and larger which includes the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Aero ducts also will create a wake to lessen “dirty air” that effects a trailing car at most larger tracks. At lesser size tracks, 750 horsepower will be available. The tapered spacer eliminates imperfections in restrictor plates that can lead to more slightly more or less horsepower. NASCAR officials are hopeful the new package, effective with the Feb. 24 race at Atlanta, produces closer racing.

Cindric’s rising star
Austin Cindric is looking forward to continuity this year. Last year, the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric, split his NASCAR Xfinity Series between Penske and Roush Fenway teams. He raced for 12 different primary sponsors, five different crew chiefs and finished 10th in points. Cindric, 20, is rising fast, having raced in the 2017 ARCA Racing Series and 2018 Xfinity Series. His dad played basketball at Pike High School and RoseHulman Institute of Technology and has risen through the ranks with Penske. “Indianapolis is definitely his stomping grounds,” Austin said. “I’ve been to the Indy 500 every year since I was a little kid, so I’ve been able to follow his passion. I try to apply his passion to what I have for the sport.”

Musical chairs
Six NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series drivers are driving for new teams this season. They are: 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr., from disbanded Furniture Row to Joe Gibbs; 2004 champion Kurt Busch, from Stewart-Haas to Chip Ganassi; Ryan Newman, from Richard Childress to Roush Fenway; Daniel Suarez, from Joe Gibbs to Stewart-Haas; Matt DiBenedetto, from Go Fas to Leavine Family; and Corey LaJoie, from Tri-Star to Go Fas. A.J. Allmendinger, Trevor Bayne and Reed Sorenson are among Cup drivers without rides this season. Popular Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray have no plans to race.

Planning ahead
Dates of NASCAR Monster Energy Cup races in the Midwest: June 9, Michigan International Speedway (MIS); June 30, Chicagoland Speedway; July 13, Kentucky Speedway; Aug. 11, MIS; Sept. 8, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt vs. Gordon
One of NASCAR’s most heated on-track rivalries, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1, Thursday at 10 p.m. “Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon” features the on-track rivalry between seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and four-time champion Jeff Gordon. Each driver had a great impact upon NASCAR’s popularity. The 60-minute documentary also explores the two icons on and off the race track.

Best pre-season quote
During a pre-season media get-together at Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson was asked how he and new crew chief Kevin Mendering became better acquainted. Johnson simply replied, “A few cold beers help.’

By Al Stilley
Editor

Jeff Gordon’s two kids stole the show with the motorsports media after his induction earlier this month into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Gordon, who grew up in Pittsboro, brought daughter Ella and son Leo into the media room and they were asked about the honor bestowed upon their dad.

“It was very cool,” said Leo, 8, barely visible seated behind the table. “I’m very happy that I got to hug him after he gave his speech,” Ella, 11, said, “It was very amazing to see how much he’s accomplished. It was really cool to see him inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

After their comments, their dad commented, “They handled that like pros.” Earlier, Ella, Leo and team owner Rick Hendrick presented the Indiana product with his Hall of Fame ring onstage at the Charlotte Convention Center. Gordon, Roger Penske, Jack Roush were the 2019 inductees along with the late Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison. Gordon and Penske were honored for their NASCAR achievements.

Gordon notched four NASCAR driving championships, 81 poles and 93 wins, including a record five Brickyard 400s. Penske drivers have won 114 Cup races and two Cup championships. He also built Auto Club Speedway in California and owned Michigan International Speedway.

They proudly looked back at their past that featured milestones in Hoosierland Gordon, now a motorsports announcer for Fox, recalled 1989 when he was hired in Indiana by USAC midget car owner Rollie Helmling. His USAC roots as a teen driver are legendary, winning 1990 USAC midget and 1991 Silver Crown championships.  His big break came when Hendrick witnessed his Busch Series triumph at Atlanta in March 1992.

“Timing is what got me here (Hall of Fame),” Gordon said. “All the hard work, seizing the moment in any good car that I had the opportunity to drive and hoping the right car owner would take a chance on me.” Penske added to the Indianapolis flavor with two Brickyard 400 wins and record 17 Indianapolis 500 wins.

His NASCAR championships were earned by Brad Keselowski in 2012 and Joey Logano last year. The Penske organization also claimed it 500th win in motorsports last year. Penske, a former driver who won a NASCAR road course race at Riverside, Calif., in 1963, tried to put his team ownership career in perspective.

“I’m always looking out the windshield; so, I’m looking for the next opportunity – it keeps you young and motivated,” Penske said. “But the history when it all piles up and you step back for a minute, it’s hard to believe. It has taken thousands of people in our organization and our partners are what you build on for that continuity. Human capital is our secret weapon.”

His motorsports roots began by watching the 1951 Indianapolis 500 with his father that launched his interest in cars.

“I was able to take the racing instincts that I had and put all that together to help the drivers who have raced for us and the superstars driving for us today,” Penske said. “We look at a driver as who you are and what we think we can do with you as a partner.”

​When asked about future goals, Penske replied that he would like to win more championships and the coveted 24 Hours of LeMans.

By Al Stilley
Editor

Mario Andretti discovered in 1969 what every Indianapolis 500 winner has learned. “Winning the Indy 500 changed my life,” Andretti said recently at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It opened so many doors, creating immense opportunities. It was career-changing. If only Andy Granatelli could be here today to see that we’re still celebrating 50 years later. Because what happened in 1969 was just as important to him.”

Oddly, the Italian-born driver won in a back-up car, the No. 2 STP Hawk III Ford, one that was not planned on being raced at Indy. Team owner Granatelli and car builder Colin Chapman came to IMS with three four-wheel drive Lotus cars to be driven by Andretti, Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt. However, two days before pole day, Andretti crashed due to a broken hub and the Lotus cars were withdrawn. Andretti persevered and qualified the Brawner-Hawk car for the middle of the front row between A.J. Foyt and Bobby Unser.

On race day, Andretti overcame a few car problems and led the final 95 laps.

“Crossing that finish line was just the greatest moment of my life,” Andretti recalled. “It was just amazing, just like the 900-pound gorilla was lifted off my shoulders. I figure from here on, it’s going to be easy to put half a dozen together.”

In one of the Speedway’s fateful twists, the 1969 classic was the only 500 that Andretti won. He is third in all-time laps led (556) and laps completed (3,040) in 29 starts. At 78, the popular 500 winner has many business interests, including Mario Andretti’s Driving Experience and Andretti wines.

Nationally and internationally, no driver has surpassed Andretti’s feats of winning: the Indianapolis 500, a Formula 1 championship, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, 24 hours at Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring, “The jewel obviously was the 500,’ Andretti said. IMS president Doug Boles said that Andretti’s 500 win was “one of the iconic moments in the history of the world’s greatest auto race.”

​Motorsports columnist Robin Miller, a Southport High School alumna, contends that Andretti has been “the Indianapolis 500’s best ambassador for six decades.” At a ceremony June 9 at IMS, a commemorative 50th anniversary logo of his 500 win was unveiled that depicts his winning wave and autograph. His likeness will be on IMS silver and bronze badges, the cover of the 500 official program and officially licensed Mario Andretti and IMS merchandise.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

American pilot Michael Goulian of Massachusetts fought back tears twice Sunday after an emotional triumph in the third annual Red Bull Air Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Goulian not only won his second air race of the season but vaulted from third place to take a slim lead in the world championship with one event remaining at Texas World Speedway Nov. 17 and 18.

The 50-year-old pilot began tearing up during the winner’s interview and when he stood on the podium during the national anthem. He becomes the first American in 10 years to win a Red Bull Air Race in the United States.

“Right now, the season (championship) doesn’t even mean anything – to win at Indy is amazing,” Goulian said before kissing the bricks. “Sometimes the day just works out for you and today did.”

He said he grew up watching the Indianapolis 500 on TV with his dad and began flying at 15 years. The pilot recalled that many 500 drivers were his idols.

“It still feels like a dream,” Goulian said. “I kept wondering how I ever got to this point in my life, doing something that I never dreamed of when I started flying and to win here.”

Goulian was edged by Canadian Pete McLeod in the first heat but advanced by posting the fastest time among the seven pilots who lost heat races. He was faster than Cristian Bolton in the Fast Eight. Flying an Edge 540 V2 aerobatic airplane, Goulian (1 minute, 6.208 seconds) then edged McLeod (1:06.736) in the final four by a halfsecond. 

A crowd of 40,000 watched pilots reach speeds of 230 mph, endure 10G forces and fly between 80-foot-high air-filled pylons. The point chase tightened dramatically in the first round when slowest qualifier Kirby Chambliss of Texas outed points leader Martin Sonka of Czechoslovakia by 1.32 seconds.

Chambliss, the last American pilot to win in the United States in 2008 over Detroit, erred in his second run.

“Winning is any pilot’s most difficult maneuver anywhere,” Chambliss said. “I love racing here because of the history of the track. For me, being here to race is always significant.” Retired four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt served as grand marshal.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Whiteland Raceway Park’s new owners, husband and wife Andy O’Gara and Sarah Fisher, have not wasted time in making improvements to the outdoor karting track and facilities. O’Gara, a Beech Grove native, and Fisher, who live in Franklin Township, bought the track with Wink Hartman, a Midwest oil company owner, last month and held the first practice for karting enthusiast Saturday and Sunday.

They bought the track from longtime Mike Swails on short notice after learning that it would be torn down The facility features a nine-turn road course with a high-banked wall and oval where Andy and younger brother Kyle O’Gara, a developmental drive for Sarah Fisher Racing, began racing karts owned by father John O’Gara, former IndyCar team manager.

“When Andy called to tell me that Mike had offered us the purchase of WRP, we immediately agreed to work through the details of the renovation effort,” Fisher stated in a news release.

The renovation began immediately with ridding the grounds of weeds, moving the property and resealing the oval and road course and entrance. Open practices will be from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. the next two Sundays. Fisher and Hartman formerly owned Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series from 2008-14.

The first racing program under new ownership is Saturday, Oct. 13, for karts with practice at 4 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m. The owners are planning a vintage midget car and IndyCar displays, autographs with IndyCar drivers and a $1,000 kart feature winner’s prize. They are hopeful of rescheduling another event Oct. 20 or Nov. 3.

“First and foremost, please know that our ultimate goal is to restore Whiteland Raceway Park to its former glory,” the new owners said in a joint statement. “We want to preserve the history and heritage of WRP while bringing new life to the facility.”

A grand opening will be held in 2019 with plans for quarter-midget racing on the oval and to have rental karts. Upgrading rest rooms and lighting is a priority. Future improvements also call for a new banked wall, repairs to fences, bleachers and flag stand, new picnic tables, parking lot expansion, new electronic timing system and in-ground roll-on kart scaling system plus sales of kart apparel and parts.

The facility opened in 1958 and is considered the oldest kart track in the United States. It is located at 654 N. Front St., between Tracy and Whiteland roads, in Whiteland. O’Gara and Fisher also own Speedway Indoor Karting. For updates visit www.racewrp.com or call 317-800-1648.

Pit notes
• Southsider Mark Tunny outraced Mark Hadley of Greenwood for first place and $20,000 in the rain-delayed 42nd running of the World Figure-8 three-hour championship last month. Tunny completed 396 laps and edged Hadley, last year’s winner, by three-quarters of second. Hadley led Laps 244-272, but Tunny passed him in slower traffic for his second World Figure-8 title.
• South Bend’s Ryan Newman has signed with Roush Fenway Racing to drive the No. 6 Ford in the 2019 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series.

The car has been driven by Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth this season. Newman has 18 career Cup wins, including a Brickyard 400 triumph. He wraps up a five-year tenure with team owner Richard Childress. The Cup series continues Sunday at Dover, Del.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

History has been rewritten at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Originally scheduled for five days, USAC midget car and NASCAR racing stretched over six days due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon, which dumped more than 5 inches of rain on the Speedway.

Veteran NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer said it best: “When there’s a storm with a name after it headed your way, you’re in trouble.”

The trouble from the tropical storm forced a four-hour delay in the first midget car race on a quarter-mile dirt track at the Speedway, canceled practice and qualifications for the Xfinity 250-mile and Monster Energy Cup 400-mile races, rescheduled for a doubleheader Monday.

The anticipated FGL Fest with headliners Florida Georgia Line was canceled Saturday at the Speedway.

The winners were:

• Hoosier Zeb Wise, a 15-year-old Bryan Clauson protégé, who won the Stoops Pursuit on the dirt track Sept. 5.

• Brady Bacon of Oklahoma captured the Driven2SaveLives BC39 midget feature Thursday night after a four-hour delay in heat races earlier.

• On the same history-making Monday, Justin Allgaier took the seventh annual Lilly Diabetes 250 and Brad Keselowski won the Brickyard 400 for team owner Roger  Penske – his first – whose drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 17 times. Penske becomes the second team owner to win the 500 and the 400 at the Brickyard.

Speedway President Doug Boles said the 650-mile doubleheader was unprecedented in IMS history; so were the two nights of midget car racing. Emotions ran wild at the midget car event that honored the late Clauson, who was killed in a race in 2016. Two recipients of organs from him were the grand marshals.

Clauson’s father, Tim, noted that a double rainbow Thursday meant that his son was watching over the festivities. An estimated 13,000 spectators viewed the two nights of racing, which raised hopes that the event would be held annually.

The NASCAR events took on a mind of their own with three days of rain that set up the historic twin bill of racing Monday. Of interest, retired NASCAR champion Tony Stewart told an NBCSports Network reporter that he has received offers from team owners Bobby Rahal, Roger Penske and Michael Andretti to race in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 but might consider the 2020 race.

However, he could run in a few selected Indy car races next year because he would want to return to the 500, not to be a sideshow but to win it. He last raced in the 500 in 2001, finishing sixth for team owner Chip Ganassi. Dale Earnhardt said he would compete in the Xfinity Series race Sept. 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The NBC analyst served as the Chevrolet Camaro pace car driver for the Brickyard 400.

“The only reason you get behind the wheel of a race car is because it’s fun and you enjoy the competition,” Earnhardt said of his racing return. “I don’t want to sweat over every lap and how fast we are in practice and all those things and make it a miserable experience because most race car drivers tend to do that if you’re not careful.”

Of interest, Allgaier’s winning Chevrolet was one of three cars owned by Earnhardt that competed in the Xfinity race.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Popular NASCAR driver Kyle Larson, a graduate of USAC midget and sprint cars, said he believes that the Driven2SaveLives BC39 midget car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will grow into something special. But he is passing up the inaugural dirt track race Thursday after recently racing four nights in winged sprints in Pennsylvania.

The winner will take home $15,000 of the $75,000 purse. The two-day event has attracted a series record 118 entries and will precede three days of NASCAR events on the 2.5-mile oval.

“For Indy to put up a purse like that is very special; hopefully it will allow them to build something huge at the Speedway,” Larson said. “I would like to see this race grow into something bigger and better. “Short tracks like this are good for midget racing. The dirt track has a good surface and is wide. Anytime you put midgets on a small track, it’s a good race. It will be fun to watch.”

The Chip Ganassi driver is hopeful of snapping a 34-race winless drought by winning the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup race at the Brickyard. Larson, 26, has five runner-up finishes this season and has confidence heading into the Brickyard 400.

“We are solidly in the playoffs,” he said. “Our game plan hasn’t changed; we’re going out and trying to win.” Larson is known for his bold rim-riding style on pavement, a style that was developed on various dirt tracks.

“Racing on dirt in all sorts of different race cars has helped me to adapt on pavement and get up to speed quickly,” he said. “Dirt track change lap after lap, so I never considered running the same line lap after lap. That has helped me because racing on pavement changes during each race too.”

Larson was in Indianapolis Aug. 22 to hang a street sign with his name at the corner of Georgia and Illinois streets.

The 25th running of the Brickyard 400 unfolds Sunday at 2:09 p.m. Defending winner Kasey Kahne will take the green flag at Indy for the last time as he is retiring at the end of the season. Former winners in this year’s field include Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick.

The race is the final event to determine the 16 drivers in NASCAR’s playoffs. Johnson and Denny Hamlin were expected to qualify for The Chase at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway Saturday night. However, Newman and Kahne are among many drivers who need a win at the Brickyard to make it into the playoffs

In an Aug. 29 interview at the dirt track inside Turn 3, IMS President Doug Boles said, “We have received unbelievable support across the board from the short track, racing and NASCAR communities. We knew we would get support, but the amount of support has been overwhelming.”

Boles said the track needs more banking in the corners. Some of the Musco LED lights used at the U.S. Nationals will be moved to the track for temporary lighting tonight and Thursday. The track, slightly under one-quarter of a mile, utilizes part of the ground where a smaller dirt track was developed for Tony Stewart. Bryan Clauson was part of that special day.

The race (BC39) is named for Clauson, who was killed last year in a midget car accident in Belleville, Kansas. Boles made his remarks after watching former 500 driver Sarah Fisher, who raced USAC midgets, take the first official laps around the track. Fisher is married to Beech Grove native Andy O’Gara, and they reside in Franklin Township.

Team owner Fisher has entries for twotime USAC national midget champion Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind., Kyle O’Gara of Beech Grove and Ryan Smith of Pennsylvania. J.J. Yeley, who has raced in the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Landon Cassill, Xfinity series driver Christopher Bell and Eldora Speedway truck series winner Chase Briscoe are among NASCAR drivers in the dirt race.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

The tributes to NHRA Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden, who died Dec. 17, 2017, poured in during the 64th Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg. The tributes took place Friday:

• Widow Etta Glidden accepted Indiana’s highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash, presented in memory of her husband, who won nine Nationals and 10 Pro Stock championships.
• Opening day of the Nationals pro competition will be known as Bob Glidden Day at the track and throughout Hendricks County.
• Pro Stock cars and drivers lined the return road adjacent to the drag strip in his honor. • Two white and blue 1978 Pro Stock Ford Fairmonts went down the strip in Glidden’s honor.
• Funny Car competitor Bob Tasca III raced a 2018 Mustang with red and white Motorcraft colors of Glidden’s famed 1988 Thunderbird.

“When the cars lined the return road, it brought tears to my eyes,” son Rusty Glidden said. “It was an unbelievable tribute from Pro Stock competitors.” Tasca was 12 years old when he met Bob Glidden at an NHRA race. “That was the first car I saw him drive,” Tasca said. “He was more than a driver and champion. He took me under his wing and showed me that it took determination and passion to win.”

Glidden’s older son, Billy, competed in Pro Mod, where he continued to struggle at the Nationals. Racing a smaller Ford engine boosted by nitrous oxide, he was mired in last place until his final run of 5.955 seconds, too slow to make the 16-field finals. His crew chief is wife and Greenwood native Shannon Springer Glidden.

Whiteland native and second-generation racer Joey Shipp reached Stock Eliminator and Super Gas semifinals Monday before being eliminated. Shipp, 30, made it to the four-car finals by outracing five foes in each class through Saturday night. His best run in SE was 8.74 seconds.

The Franciscan Health respiratory therapist was edged by only 3 feet by Texan Jerry Emmons in SE semis Monday. In Super Gas the difference was eight-hundredths of seconds to winner Steve Hoyt. Each run ended Shipp’s best experience in the Nationals.

“This was really exciting because this is my home track. All my runs were good and without any real trouble. All my races were so close.”

He was the most successful of four Shipp family racers at the track. Patriarch Randy Shipp reached the third round before outed, while daughters Randi Lynn and Kristi did not make it past the first round. Greenwood’s Rob Goodrich fell in the first round.

Defending Pro Stock champion Drew Skillman qualified 12th (207.43 mph) with a new motor that powered him to a semifinal berth. In his first elimination race Monday, Skillman edged No. 5 qualifier Chris McGaha with a perfect .000 hole shot by eightthousandths of a second.

Later he was slower off the line by thirteen-thousandths of a second and lost to former teammate Erica Enders. U.S.

Nationals pro winners: L.E. Tonglet, ’03 Suzuki TL, motorcycle; Tanner Gray, ’18 Camaro, Pro Stock; J.R. Todd, ’18 Camry, Funny Car; and Terry McMillen, ’18 DSR dragster, Top Fuel.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

When Greenwood’s Mike Hadley Jr. raced in his first two World Figure-8 championships, he figured that it took more luck than speed to win. He reversed his thinking last year when lining up for his third three-hour high-speed endurance race at the Indianapolis Speedrome – and won, completing 406 laps.

“I always thought I had to be lucky than fast,” Hadley said while recalling his $20,000 payday. “I was able to get by a few of the early incidents, but I also had the fastest car so I could stay in front at the end.”

Hadley proved that his No. 4 winged Chevrolet with a 350-cubic-inch engine and 650 horsepower was fast. He held off runner-up Ben Tunny for the final 30 minutes, never making a mistake and getting through lapped traffic without getting passed.

“My mindset early in the race was to stay out of trouble, and we led early,” Hadley said. “Then for the last part of the race when I was leading, I knew I couldn’t worry about the lapped traffic. I had to keep the lead.”

Hadley and former champions Doug Greig of Southport and Mark, Ben and Austin Tunny also return for the 42nd running of the event, which attracts drivers from several states. Greig will be competing for the 29th time. Racing for Hadley is a family affair with wife Katie, mom Tracie and brother Mason with him at the Speedrome.

Away from the track he is a construction worker. He began racing quarter midgets at the age of 5 at the Mini-Indy track at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. He has raced at various venues in Indiana but considers the Speedrome home, where he races in the longer distance figure-8 chases.

“I just don’t like doing the 50-lappers,” Hadley said. “I would rather race in the one-hour, 90-minute, 150-lap races and the three-hour."

He finished second in the Jake’s 150-lap figure-8 earlier this season in a Chevrolet owned by Jon Wilson of Plainfield and third in the onehour figure-8 Saturday. Third-generation driver Chad Sizemore won his first one-hour race in a final 32-second dash with third-place Jesse Tunny claiming his fourth season championship.

More than 50 entries are expected with 28 starters and all drivers who qualified going into the race as cars drop out. The race is the brainchild of former track owner and Greenwood business owner John Stiles.

Open practice at the track, corner of Kitley Avenue and Brookville Road, is Thursday at 5 p.m. Qualifying races are Friday at 7:30 p.m. with Thundercar and FWD competing in figure-8 races. The World Figure-8 starts Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Info: 317-353-8206 or www.speedrome.com.

Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brenneman was the honorary pace car driver. It was the first NASCAR race he has attended since 1967 when he was a sports reporter for a radio station in Salisbury, N.C., and covered the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“It was so loud that I made a pact with God: Do not send me to another NASCAR race,” Brenneman said. That pact was in effect for 40 years until Saturday night when he ceremoniously led the 40-car field. “I think they’re crazy, but I have a lot of respect for these drivers,” he said. “I was only one car out there, so multiply that by 40. These drivers are so precise to be able to do what they do.”

Brenneman said the Cincinatti Reds should not fire first-year manager Jim Riggleman because he manages with an iron hand and the players know it.