What Else Happened Over The Weekend?

With a busy weekend at Toronto a lot of things happened this past weekend and have yet to be discussed.

AJ Allmendinger
Rough weekend for Allmendinger after being banned from the NASCAR race in Daytona for a failed drug test. He has until noon today to submit a "B" sample to be tested. If the "B" test is negative then Allmendinger may come back to NASCAR, another positive test means Allmendinger must go through the Road to Recovery program. Unlike other sports associations, in NASCAR a driver is not suspended for only two races and then they can comeback. The road back is long and all suspensions are indefinite. If the "B" test is positive, we do not know when Allmendinger will be allowed to return. It could be sometime later in 2012, it could be the beginning of 2013, it could be midway through the 2014 season, we do not know. Sam Hornish Jr. is currently scheduled to race this weekend at New Hampshire.

The news of Allmendinger's failed test was surprising. Especially when it came, just hours before the Daytona race. I hope NASCAR considers reworking their system so any suspension or ban is announced on a Monday or Tuesday of a week, that way a driver can get their "B" sample before a race weekend and there is a chance they can clear their name and be allowed to race that weekend.

2013 Schedule
Randy Bernard said at Toronto that Road America and Michigan International Speedway are out of the running for hosting a race in 2013. Bernard will be meeting with Phoenix International Raceway this week and Pocono Raceway is still a possible venue for the 2013 season. The problem with Road America and Michigan is a conflict with sanctioning fees. Phoenix feels that eight month is not enough time to promote a successful race, most likely to be held before the Long Beach race on the weekend of April 13-14, 2013. Bernard has made it known that his goal is 19 races for the 2013 season, 4 more than this season.

I really hope Bernard can work something out with Road America for 2013. It is a fantastic track, seems like everyone and their brother wants IndyCar to go there. I hope IndyCar and ALMS can help the track find a title sponsor for a doubleheader weekend and then the sanctioning fee will not be as big of a problem. As for Phoenix, go talk to Michael Andretti about promoting a race. He did Milwaukee in only about four months and took over promoting the Labor Day weekend Baltimore race in late May. Also, Phoenix, if you are worried about not having a enough time to promote a race then stop dilly-dallying and a sign deal with IndyCar tomorrow that way you have maximum amount of time.

If Bernard keeps all 15 races on the schedule for next year and has already added Houston, the series is only three away from their goal. It seemed Phoenix, Pocono and Road America were the likely three but that no longer seems certain. With Phoenix and Road America hanging on the fence, other possible venues are really unknown at this time. Even with the difficulty of bringing races, old and new, to the schedule, Bernard still has to re-sign Texas, Sonoma, Fontana, Mid-Ohio and Baltimore for 2013.

Hinchcliffe Got On GoDaddy's Homepage
This actually happened yesterday but it is great for Hinchcliffe. A good driver gets some exposure for the series and may draw interests from the average and non-fans. Ryan Hunter-Reay got some nice exposure after his third straight win in the USA Today, let's hope some more IndyCar drivers can get their names known.