IndyCar News

George Mack's dream of becoming an open-wheeled oval racing star is one step closer to reality this weekend after the former karter sailed through his Indy Racing League rookie orientation test at the Homestead-Miami Speedway where he hopes to make his IRL debut on March 2nd.

The merger between Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Treadway-Hubbard Racing appears to be paying dividends before the 2002 Indy Racing League season begins with newly appointed driver Anthony Lazzaro turning some highly impressive laps in his first off-season test with the team at the Homestead-Miami

Team Xtreme, one of the most exciting prospects of the Indy Racing League in the past three years, has shut its doors after failing to secure the budget to compete in 2002 leaving driver Airton Dare out in the cold and without some of the money owed to him by the three-year old team.

After a miserable debut in which they failed to qualify for last year's Indy 500, Brayton Racing have secured the funds to complete a full 15-race Indy Racing League programme in 2002 with sponsorship from Pit Bull Energy Drinks and a number of other associate sponsors including the fans themselv

All full-time Indy Racing League entrants will be allotted a total of 183 sets of Firestone Firehawk tyres for the 2002 season, with 138 sets designated for race use, 15 sets for open tests and 30 sets for private testing.

CART has revealed veteran racing engineer Lee Dykstra as its new director of technology and competition, with one eye on formulating new rules for future series.

Blair Racing officials announced Jan. 9 that the team will compete in the Indy Racing League in 2002 with driver Alex Barron. Barron, from San Diego, will drive a Dallara chassis with Chevrolet engines.

The Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series has appointed veteran publicist Ashleigh Higgins as its first manager of media relations for its debut year of competition in 2002 as support for the still-to-race series slowly begins to gather momentum ahead of its debut race next July at Kansas.

Americans Craig Baltzer, Colin Flemming, and Charlie Kimball along with Canadian Ward Imrie each claimed a coveted Barber-CART Karting Scholarship that grants them a full season of racing in the 2002 Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Championship.

New CART President and CEO Chris Pook was subject to a media grilling shortly after his appointment to the hot seat in the troubled US series.

In addition to finishing second in the 2001 CART Toyota Atlantic championship in his second year with the team, Lynx Racing driver David Rutledge found himself being nominated for several end-of-year awards.

Canadian standout Michael Valiante has cemented his deal with Lynx Racing for the 2002 Toyota Atlantic campaign, and will act as team leader in his second season in the class.

Rick Galles is facing an anxious Christmas period as the clock ticks down to a self-imposed sponsorship deadline that should decide whether both his eponymous team and driver Al Unser Jr are on the 2002 Indy Racing League starting grid when the season opens at Homestead in March.

Every season, the reigning US Formula Ford 2000 Champion receives a CART Toyota Atlantic Championship Series sponsored test with an Atlantic team.

Buddy Lazier showed off the speed and durability of the new Chevy Indy V8 engine during a two-day test this week at California Speedway, turning consistent laps of 223mph and topping out at 225.15mph.

Roberto Moreno, one of the most popular drivers in the entire CART FedEx Championship Series, looks set to miss out on a drive in the Championship next year after new Patrick Racing signing Townsend Bell was allocated the team's No.20 Reynard-Toyota driven by the veteran Brazilian in 2001.

New CART President and CEO Chris Pook was subject to a media grilling shortly after his appointment to the hot seat in the troubled US series.

U. E. "Pat" Patrick announced today that the team has signed 2001 Dayton Indy Lights Champion Townsend Bell to drive the #20 Visteon/Patrick Racing Toyota Reynard during the 2002 FedEx Championship Series season.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kenny Brack took the seat of his new 2002 Lola for the first time on Monday and Tuesday in Sebring, Florida. Last year's runner-up in the CART FedEx Championship series turned a total of 300 miles in the new car and came away impressed by the new Lola.

An adjustment to the event length at Pikes Peak International Raceway and confirmations of distances for two other events highlight the final 2002 Indy Racing Northern Light Series schedule released yesterday by Indy Racing League officials.

Christian Fittipaldi is scheduled to run at California Speedway today [Tuesday] in Newman-Haas Racing's first outing since the end of the 2001 season.

Veteran car owner Angelo Ferro and his well-known team, Genoa Racing, recently ordered its first Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series car.

Sigma Autosport owner Tom Wieringa is one of the few CART FedEx Championship Series owners who does not mind getting his hands dirty once in a while.

Sigma Autosport owner Tom Wieringa announced that European businessman Gerard Hermsen, has been named as the new Managing Director for the team. Hermsen, 44, is from Veghel, The Netherlands, and will assume his duties in January of 2002.