Mini Book Review: Fast Girl

Photo  courtesy of Seal Press

For many years, my "hobby" has been driving a car fast on the racetrack. I don't race, but I do get to drive my car at high rates of speed on tracks throughout the Northeast. I mean how else am I going to find out where my limits (and the limits of my car) are? Needless to say, there aren't many women at these events. And I often find it difficult to explain exactly what it is I'm doing at the track on the weekend.

Well, author Ingrid Steffensen didn't have that problem. In her new book, Fast Girl: Don't Brake Until You See the Face of God and Other Good Advice from the Racetrack, Ingrid documents her first year of participation in high-performance driving events, from finally accepting her husband's invitation to join him at the track to, well, I don't want to give away the ending. (For those wondering, she started driving her everyday car (a Mini Cooper) before graduating to a Lotus Elise.) Throughout the book, she weaves her experiences behind the wheel with stories from off the track, proving that one definitely can have an effect on the other.

As a woman participating in the same activity, I totally related to Ingrid's stories. As I read, I could picture the tracks she described and recalled having similar experiences and feelings. But this book is about more than just driving fast -- it's about stepping out of your comfort zone and finding out how that can affect your life. Join Ingrid on her journey -- from the pit lane, through the esses, and to the checkered flag. 

Grand-Am/ALMS Merger: Remember, It's a Job

When I first heard about the Grand-Am/ALMS merger, I had the same questions as everyone else -- what classes will run in the new series, what tracks will they run at, what manufacturers will be involved. But it was this tweet from Guy Cosmo that changed my train of thought:

If you don't like it, well, too bad. I plan to stay employed as a race driver & if I stay in Sportscars, this new venture is my ONLY choice.

As race fans, we see this as a merger of two racing series. But at the end of the day, this is a business transaction in which one corporation has acquired another corporation. Mergers and acquisitions of businesses affect the livelihoods of people -- me included -- every day. It's just that Grand-Am and ALMS are fun businesses.

Four years ago, I lived through rumors that a competitor was going to buy my publication and shut it down. Those rumors eventually became reality, but all the speculation can wear you down.

For at least the next few months, there's going to be a lot of speculation about the future of sports car racing in the United States. While I really want to know all the details, there are drivers and crew members in two racing series wondering about their jobs. I just need to remind myself of that every once in a while.

Monday Musings - 8/20/12

To quote my husband, "The racing the past couple months has been absolutely amazing." Much to muse about this week. So here we go!

Nationwide - Montreal always proves to be an interesting race. Sometimes it's racing the rain, but this year it was hard racing. I've always been a Jacques Villeneuve fan, but he's making it harder and harder to root for him. He always seems to be in the hunt when he runs a Nationwide road course race, but his aggressiveness always seems to bite him in the last couple laps. While Villeneuve's aggressiveness did not cause his last lap spin, I feel it was karma paying him back for spinning Alex Tagliani just a few laps before.

A note to ESPN -- I understand that Danica is a big draw for the Nationwide series and NASCAR. But there was a point in the middle of the race that you would have thought she was the only one running. There were other drivers who had mechanical issues (for instance, Michael McDowell had lost a couple of gears), but no one got the in-depth coverage that Danica got. ESPN was so eager to broadcast her radio transmissions that it let an expletive slip on the air. Like Tim Tebow and the Jets, ESPN is going to keep going to this well.  I guess I'm just going to have to live with it.

Sprint Cup - As a Carl Edwards fan, Brad K. has never been one of my favorites. However, over the past year or so, it's been kind of hard not to root for him. He's winning without being overly aggressive (OK, maybe he was a little aggressive at Watkins Glen last weekend). I was just as surprised as anyone when I found myself rooting for him to win his hometown race yesterday (and it's not just because I had him in my Yahoo! fantasy team). And him "challenging" Jimmie Johnson after the race makes things interesting. Also, the last three races before the Chase may actually be interesting because there are drivers actually racing for a WIN, not points.

ALMS - After four hours of racing, Guy Smith's margin of victory over Lucas Luhr was 0.083 seconds, the closest overall finish in ALMS history. This race wasn't just close on the last lap -- Smith and Luhr battled each other for the last 20 minutes of race. It was get another great finish at Road America this season.

Rolex - Congrats to Ganassi Racing for win number 150. Paul Tracy made the most of his time in the No. 5 Action Express, rallying from a first-lap incident to take the third step on the podium. And tough luck for Magnus Racing with a punctured radiator. Saturday was one of those days I wished Porsches were still air cooled.

Trucks - Congrats to Nelson Piquet, Jr. on his first Camping World Truck Series win. Maybe he should honor his dad on his car every week. Might be his good luck charm.

F1 - There's been a lot of F1 chatter in the New York metropolitan area this week about F1 and the race in New Jersey next year. David Coulthard brought the Red Bull show car to the area and drove the proposed course. He also took the car through the Lincoln Tunnel. Everyone in the area wishes they could go through the tunnel this quick Check it out below:

Best Finish in a Long Time

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

\After two awesome races on Saturday, it was time for the main event on Sunday at Watkins Glen. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this race, especially when the only thing memorable about the Sprint Cup season is a driver running into a jet dryer. But as you well know (and as the photo above shows), I was completely wrong. And I'm OK with that.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

We started our day early, staking out a great table at the Glen Club. We had an awesome view of Turns 1 and 2 and the Sprint Vision, so we could see what was happening on the rest of the track. As you can see, Matt enjoyed his morning coffee while checking out the views of the track and Seneca Lake.

While there are cars on the track almost every minute of the day on Friday and Saturday, Sunday is so different because there is not a peep out of the cars until the command to start engines is given. So it can be quite peaceful in the morning, and it is fun to watch the track fill up with fans.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

But eventually, the day got going. First, there was the flyover with the C-130 (and apparently a seagull too).

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

This is how most of the race went. Kyle Busch led the most laps. But then that spin that happened right in front of us (see photo above) changed everything.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

And it ended like this. With Marcos Ambrose celebrating in Turn 1. I'd fill in the blanks between what happened after the spin and how Marcos got to Victory Lane, but that could take a while. If you don't know what happened (or if you want to watch it again), check out one of the best finishes in Sprint Cup racing in a long time. (And sit through the commercial -- it's worth it!)

Rolex Watkins Glen 2 in Pictures

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Race number two of the weekend (and Saturday) was the Rolex Grand-Am Series. Because this was a two-hour race, it was a fun "sprint" race that also had a great ending. The race didn't end until after 8 p.m., so the light was perfect for my intrepid photographer (that's not him in the photo above). So rather than tell you about the race, I'll let the photos do the talking.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Scott Pruett finishing the race for the Telmex team at dusk.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

GT class winner Turner Motorsports with Bill Auberlen behind the wheel.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Brumos #59 Porsche, driven by Leh Keen.

What Happens When Your Driver Doesn't Win?

Photo  by Matthew Lowell Thompson

The first race of the weekend was the Nationwide, and it was the first of three great races that weekend. Needless to say, I was pretty happy that my driver -- Carl Edwards -- won the race. Because the race is always better when your driver wins, right?

Which got me to thinking about racing and what sets it apart from other sports. If I go to a hockey game, it's usually to see my team play another team. At the end of the game, I'm either happy because my team has won or unhappy because my team has lost. And generally speaking, I have only one favorite hockey team. But's not so simple in racing, is it?

Let's use this past week's Nationwide race as an example. For me it was simple because Carl was in the hunt the whole race and he won it. But what if Carl had an issue and was knocked out early in the race? What's a fan to do? Give up on the race altogether because my driver isn't in it any more? Unlike most sports, there's more than two teams to root for. Is it OK to root for another driver? Is it OK to have more than one favorite driver?

Me personally? I seem to have more than one favorite in each racing series. So if they win, I'm happy. Then I have some not-so-favorite teams. I'm not happy when they win. (And no, I'm not naming names.) And then there are some winners that just come from out of the blue and make you smile -- like Marcos winning on Sunday.

WGI Infield: Where Fans and Drivers Come Together

Photo by Jennifer Thompson

I've been to my share of NASCAR races, but the one that the most fan friendly is the race at Watkins Glen. Unlike other tracks, everyone and everything are in the infield -- the garages, the drivers, the crews, the fans. So chances are pretty good that you're going to have a driver sighting during the race weekend. Matt and I have had the chance to meet several drivers during NASCAR weekend, and this year as no exception.

Our biggest sighting was Rusty Wallace. Rusty wasn't scheduled to appear at the Glen Club, our home for the weekend. Nope, apparently Rusty stopped by for the food and the view (the same reasons why we were there!). Rusty is Matt's all-time favorite NASCAR driver, so needless to say he was grinning ear to ear when he met him (see the photographic evidence above). Rusty liked the food so much, he had both breakfast and lunch!

Photo by Jennifer Thompson

Photo by Jennifer Thompson

One of the perks at the Glen Club is the driver appearances. We had visits from defending Watkins Glen winner Marcos Ambrose (left),  Marcos' teammate Aric Almirola (right), and Bobby Labonte.

For some reason, the Glen Club attracted NHL players this year. Dustin Brown of L.A. Kings, was the honorary starter, and rumor has it New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundquist was there. As Devils fan, I can't say was really excited to see either. (Oh yeah, and former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer was there too).

Photo by Jennifer Thompson

On Sunday morning, I attended my first Tweetup. Watkins Glen hosted the meeting of fans on Twitter in Gatorade Victory Lane. All you needed to get in was the password, which was "Follow Me to the Glen." Jeff Gluck, motorsports editor for SBNation.com, brought along Brian Vickers as his guest.

Brian answered the fans' questions, and he signed autographs and took pictures with everyone there.  I hope we see Brian back in a full-time ride next year.

Thanks to the Glen (@WGI) for hosting all of us fans who follow the track on Twitter.

Photo by Mike Meadows (ISC)

One of the things I absolutely about the Rolex Series is the access to its drivers. On Friday afternoon, we headed over to the team haulers for autographs. I had all the drivers sign a poster from the Sahlens Six Hours at the Glen -- a nice souvenir from our vow renewal.

On a side note, during the Rolex race on Saturday night, we spotted Jimmie Johnson, his wife, and daughter watching the race from their golf cart and talking to Jamie McMurray. Since it was family time, we stuck with a sighting from afar.