When it comes to eating crow, I am a big believer in doing it – even when it applies to me. For years, I have disparaged Belle Isle every time the NTT IndyCar Series raced on the island in the Detroit River, in between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario to the south (yes, to the south). I figured about the only good to come out of the pandemic, was that it took Belle Isle off of the schedule last year. Readers here took me to task because of my opinions of Belle Isle and the shots that I took at the race weekend. When it became to only remaining double-header on the schedule, I winced that we had to endure it twice in one weekend.
Random Thoughts on Belle Isle
Posted in IndyCar on June 14, 2021 by OilpressureBelle Isle Preview
Posted in IndyCar on June 11, 2021 by Oilpressure
Over the years, I have been criticized for being too outspoken about my feelings for the site of this weekend’s NTT IndyCar Series event. To prevent offending anyone, let’s just say if I were to rank the thirteen venues that will host IndyCar races this season, Belle Isle world rank thirteenth. That doesn’t mean I don’t love it; I just love twelve other tracks more than this one. I’ll just leave it at that.
It’s Time to Turn the Page
Posted in IndyCar on June 9, 2021 by Oilpressure
We’ve all had a week and a half to unpack, digest and dissect the Indianapolis 500 – and to fully understand what an enjoyable race it was to watch in person, as well as on TV. When people at work who didn’t even watch it would ask me if we had a good time, my answer was always the same – Ten years from now, I think I will still look back at the 2021 Indianapolis 500 as one of my favorites in my lifetime.
Random Thoughts on the Indianapolis 500
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 31, 2021 by Oilpressure
I am going to insert myself into this a little bit, but when it’s my website, I guess I can do whatever I want. As I sit and type this in our hotel room on Monday morning, I am still amazed at what we witnessed yesterday. I’ve been to a lot of Indianapolis 500s in my lifetime, but I’ve also missed more than I care to admit – including a twenty-year gap between 1972 and 1992. If you look at those dates, you’ll notice that I was never there when the first four-time winners won their fourth. In fact, I never saw Rick Mears win any of his races.
Indianapolis 500 Wrap-Up
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 2021 by Oilpressure
Not only was the finish of the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 one of the most exciting I’ve seen in a while, this was a very popular win. It has been forty-four years since AJ Foyt became the first four-time winner. Ten years later, Al Unser joined the club. Just four years later, Rick Mears became the third four-time winner in 1991.
My Race to the Finish Line
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 2021 by Oilpressure
By Susan Phillips
I can’t believe I made it! Almost eleven months ago, I was definitely facing an uncertain future–and here I am at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making future plans when you have pancreatic cancer is like making a bet that you will be here. I reserved our golf carts at Road America in February—You have to bet on yourself and your will to survive. That sounds dramatic, but that is probably what the drivers face when they get in a race car. They have the heart and the will to get in their cars and rely on their skill to get them safely to the end of the race—and victory.
It’s Race Day for the 2021 Indianapolis 500
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 2021 by Oilpressure
Good morning from a chilly and still dark (but dry) Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was 44° driving in this morning. Some are comparing this to Race Day in 1992. I was here that day, and I don’t think it’s going to be near that bad. For one thing, the sun never came out that cold and windy day. I’m not sure the temperature ever got above 55° that day.
Oilpressure 