According to the report, Senna has ruled out IndyCar because his family would not let him race in that series.

At a test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson said:

I wouldn’t run [IndyCar] on ovals. There’s just no need to. Those cars are fantastic for street circuits, for road courses. I hate, hate, hate that this tragedy took place. But hopefully they can learn from it and make those cars safer on ovals somehow. I don’t know how they can really do it. Myself, I have a lot of friends that race in that series, and I’d just rather see them on street circuits and road courses. No more ovals. … Their average was 225? I’ve never been 225 mph in my life – and that’s their average around an oval. They are brave men and women that drive those things. There’s very little crumple zone around the driver, it’s an open cockpit and then you add open wheels – it’s just creating situations to get the car off the ground at a high rate of speed. And you can’t control the car when it’s off the ground.

Johnson makes very valid points. To put things in perspective, this graphic shows the difference between an Indy car and a stock car. The most noticeable difference is the weight. A stock car weighs 3,400 – 3,450 lbs, compared to 1,525 – 1,600 lbs for an Indy car. Yet, a stock only produces 100 more HP than an Indy car. An Indy car’s light weight and aerodynamic shape in combination with long straightaways and banked corners makes them capable of achieving speeds in excess of 220 MPH on ovals.

At speeds that high, drivers have thousandths of a second to react, which leaves no margin for error.

In 2004, Rusty Wallace tested a stock car without a restrictor plate at Talladega Superspeedway. He reached a top speed of 228 MPH. He said afterwards:

There’s no way we could be out there racing at those speeds… it would be insane to think we could have a pack of cars out there doing that.

But, that’s what happens at every Indy oval. That’s what happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It’s not realistic to expect IndyCar to stop racing at ovals. I don’t think Johnson expects it either. He was reacting based on his emotion and the loss of a fellow racer. As the emotions subside as time passes, Johnson will surely see why that is highly unlikely. Instead, Indy should focus on making the cars safer and tracks safer; much like NASCAR did after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt.

IndyCar officials called the race after word of his death, but drivers performed a five-lap tribute to Wheldon, one of open-wheel racing’s most popular drivers.

IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard said:

IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race. In honor of Dan Wheldon, the drivers have decided to do a five-lap salute to in his honor.

Wheldon became the first IndyCar driver to die on the track since 2006, when rookie Paul Dana was killed in morning practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Wheldon was competing in his third race of the reason, to win the $5 million bonus that was a league promotion to any driver who didn’t compete full-time in the series this year.

Wheldon was expected to replace Danica Patrick, who is moving full time to NASCAR in 2012, at Andretti Autosport. The deal was agreed to before Sunday’s race and was expected to be signed after the race.

The wreck started when Wade Cunningham appeared to swerve on the track on lap 11. JR Hildebrand drove over Cunningham’s left rear. Cunningham hit the wall and Hildebrand went airborne.

As the cars wrecked, debris spread across the track and some cars burst into flames.

Wheldon’s car went airborne and flipped as it hit the catch fence.

Several drivers openly wept at the news of Wheldon’s passing. Dario Franchitti said:

One minute you’re joking around at driver intros. The next, Dan’s gone. I lost, we lost, a good friend. Everybody in the IndyCar series considered him a friend. He was such a good guy. He was a charmer.

Danica Patrick tweeted:

There are no words for today. Myself and so many others are devastated. I pray for Suzi [Wheldon's wife] and the kids that god will give them strength.

Juan Pablo Montoya tweeted:

life is not fair…. we are gonna miss a really great guy…….. Dan we r gonna miss u…

Brad Keselowski tweeted:

Nice touch with the 5 lap salute. Kudos to indycar and most importantly the Wheldon family.

Jimmie Johnson tweeted:

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Wheldon family… My heart hurts for all of the IRL community.

Denny Hamlin tweeted:

Life shouldn’t be one of those things [that we take for granted]. We lost a great driver in motorsports and he will not be forgotten. Rest in peace Dan Wheldon

Penske Racing, JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Whitney Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and others took to Facebook to express their condolences.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France also issued a statement:

NASCAR offers its deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Dan Wheldon, his teammates, and the entire IndyCar Series community for their tragic loss today. They will be in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.

With all of the technology and safety innovations in use and being developed today, sometimes we take for granted how dangerous auto racing really is. At the end of the day, though, no matter how much safety equipment you have, these guys and girls are still strapping themselves to 650 HP, carbon fiber machines and hitting 220+ mph.

Rest In Peace, Dan Wheldon. You will be missed.

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend, Earnhardt Jr said:

I feel confident that she’s content where she is and happy with what we’re doing. I think things are looking positive for us to put something together. … I would like for her to run full-time and I’m sure she is considering that, and I think she would enjoy it.

Patrick has driven 19 Nationwide races for JRM, finishing 15 of them. Her best finish came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where she finished fourth in the Sam’s Town 300. She is slated to drive six more races for JRM later this year.

At this point, it is unclear whether JRM would field three cars in the series or if Josh Wise would be released. Currently they split seat time in the No. 7 Chevy. Also unclear is whether or not Patrick’s deal will be structured in a way that allows her to race in the Indianapolis 500.

Menard becomes the only driver to earn his first career Cup victory in the Brickyard 400.  This is the fourth time this year we have had a first time winner.  This is also the first time in history that there’s been a first-time winner in the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 and  the Brickyard 400 in same year.

No. 24 Team Bringing Their A-Game

For Gordon, second place was bittersweet.  Gordon had a fast car throughout the race, and may have won the race if there were a few more laps.  Gordon’s finish kept him seventh in the standings and he is very upbeat about his chance to win the Sprint Cup championship.

“While we didn’t win, I think we definitely showed that we’re a championship-caliber team. We’ve been knocking on the door, getting closer every single weekend, won a couple races. For me, this is going to be a huge boost for this race team and hopefully a bit of a statement to the competition as well, that we’re serious about our efforts at a championship this year.” Gordon said after the race.  There is no doubt that the No. 24 team is on their game.

Stewart Rebounds From Early Mistake

Tony Stewart, being an Indianapolis native and having two wins at the famed track, was an automatic pick for this year’s race.  Unfortunately, early on in the race Stewart had trouble.  On lap 27 while pitting under green, Stewart hit the commitment cone and was forced to make a pass through penalty.  Stewart said that Clint Bowyer, who was pitting ahead of him, pushed him into the commitment cone.  Stewart made an awesome comeback and was leading the race with 15 to go.  He was forced to give up his lead, however, to pit for fuel. He managed to finish in sixth position.  This finish moved Smoke to ninth in points.

Is It Time for Earnhardt Jr Fans To Panic?

Last week I asked if it was time for Junior Nation to hit the panic button.  I was so sure that Indy would be where Dale Earnhardt Jr turned things around.  Earnhardt had a fast car and was gaining ground on the leaders early in the race when his oil temps shot up to 300 degrees.  He had grass on the grill from when he drove through the grass to avoid being in an accident.  Junior was then forced to pit at lap 45 to remove the debris.

Fortunately for him, a caution came out a few laps later, allowing him to stay out and take over the race lead.  Eventually Junior had to pit for right side tires and ended up losing positions on pit road.  Long story short, Dale finished the race in 16th position and dropped to 10th in points.  He is now just 19 points out of 11th position.  Now is it time to panic?

Let’s look at the facts.  The next two races are not Junior’s best tracks, Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International.  But, if he can have consistent runs and keep himself in the top 10 in points, he has better tracks coming up that may save his Chase hopes.  Michigan International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway are some of Earnhardt’s best statistical tracks.

Failing to make the Chase cannot be an option for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.  For the sake of his team and his fans, he has to make it in.  I think Junior will have great runs at his best tracks, but will it be enough?

Next week we head back to the tri-oval of Pocono.  Hopefully there will be just as much excitement as the Brickyard gave us!

Franchitti drove Ganassi’s No. 40 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series before the team was shut down due to a lack of sponsorship. Franchitti missed a few races because of an injury he sustained at the Nationwide race at Talladega Superspeedway. He also missed some races due to being outside of the top 35 in owner points.

Some believed that Franchitti was the frontrunner to replace Reed Sorenson, who is heading to Gillette Evernham Motorsports next season. Franchitti elected to return to IndyCar instead.

Franchitti said:

 I have really enjoyed this last season in stockcars and have not completely closed that chapter of my professional career but the opportunity that arose was just something I could not pass up.

Dan Weldon, the driver Franchitti will replace, agreed this week to a multiyear deal to return to Panther Racing, his first team, where he will drive the No. 4 car.

GEM said that a sponsor and number announcement would be coming soon. No word on plans for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 41 Target Dodge, currently driven by Sorenson. Also, no word on what will happen to Patrick Carpentier, driver of GEM’s No. 10 Dodge.

Sorenson will become a teammate to Kasey Kahne and Elliott Salder.

GEM’s CEO Tom Reddin said:

[Sorenson] is a highly marketable young driver who knows how to win races, and has a long career full of promise ahead of him.

Chip Ganassi said:

After much internal discussion over the last few months we agreed that parting ways with Reed was the right decision for all of us. The business side of sports is never easy and this was just a business decision that was made on both our parts. We wish Reed nothing but the best.

Hopefully this will be a positive change for Sorenson, who reportedly lost favor with the team after missing a sponsorship appearance. Some also questioned his dedication.

Moving over to GEM can be a fresh start for Sorenson, who drove for CGRWFS his entire Sprint Cup career.

Some have question Ganassi’s dedication to his NASCAR program, as his attention sometimes seems to be more focused on his Indy Racing League team.

Perhaps an owner who is focused on Cup may be better for Sorenson.

Dixon’s pit crew got him out with the lead on the final pit stop. He held off Panther Racing’s Vitor Meira to win Ganassi’s third Indy 500 victory.

Top 10: Dixon, Miera, Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Ed Carpenter, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Hideki Mutoh, Buddy Rice, Darren Manning, and Townsend Bell.

Notable: Dan Weldon (12th), John Andretti (16th), Patrick (22nd), and Tony Kanaan (29th).

Danica Patrick got hit by Ryan Briscoe on pit road, which broke the left rear suspension, ending her day.

After the incident, she slammed her steering wheel down in frustration. When her car was pushed back to the pits, she took off her gloves and began making her way, angrily, toward Briscoe’s pit. A track official stopped her.

He said:

I won’t deny that I’m thinking about it. It would be great to one day try the [stock] cars. But at this point I’m focusing on Indy cars and winning the Indianapolis 500 again.

Castroneves currently drives for Team Penske, which fields cars for Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Sam Hornish Jr., Castroneves’ former teammate who recently made the switch from IndyCar to NASCAR.

Castroneves’ contract is up for renewal this season, and he plans to discuss his options with Roger Penske after the Indy 500.

Of note, Penske could field one additional car without breaking the cap NASCAR set on teams.