1 Helio Castroneves
2 Marco Andretti
3 Dario Franchitti

Considering how many F1, Nascar and other racing podcasts are online, it’s
surprising to think there are are virtually no podcasts dedicated to
Champcar. So after a little bit of work, and a heck of a lot of coding, we
are officially launching www.champodcast.com just in time for the 2007
Champcar season.

Champodcast was created by fans, for fans, with previews and reviews of
races, as well as topical discussion on issues and news surrounding the
world of Champcar. The podcasts are of course completely free, and as a nice
little bonus, you don’t even need a Media player to listen. We’ve added a
small flash player to our home page, so you can listen in directly from the
website. Or of course you can also subscribe the normal way, using your
favorite podcatcher, or by finding us on iTunes.

And don’t forget to head on over to www.champodcast.com and sign up to our
forums and let us know what you think, or to get in on the discussion.
Because the website is brand new, we don’t have a heck of a lot of
subscribers yet, but with your help we can make Champodcast one of the best
racing podcasts online. So make sure to mention our site to all of your
racing buddies, and spread the word that yes indeed, there is finally a
Champcar podcast …

So there you have it!, Champodcast.com, The World’s Fastest Podcast

www.champodcast.com

news:E6ednYn6QaZP44_bnZ2dnUVZ_uiknZ2d@giganews.com…

>I had no idea American open wheel racing had plummeted to such depths. I
>knew it was bad, but sheesh.

> http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/35227/

Oops. meant to post to RASC also

    Wow, what a broadcast and line up of driver talent:  Papis, Moreno,
Tracy, Vasser,
Carpentier, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Nakano, Tagliiani, Kanaan, Franchitti, da
Matta, Blundell,
Jourdain, Fontana, Gugelmin, Garcia, Brack, Servia, Salles, Fernandez,
Andretti, Montoya,
Kurosawa, Castroneves.

    Twenty five drivers.  There wasn’t much of a crowd but the pit lane
looked busy and full of people behind the pit wall.  This race looked like
an event.  Also a great broadcast crew.  There were even cool commercials
featuring Cristiano da Matta for Toyota.

    I remember watching this race live on TV.  I remember taping it on a
VCR.  Back then I liked ChampCar and disliked the IRL.

    The announcing crew talks about who will challenge for the championship.
They start off with Michael Andretti.  They said lots of people where
picking him to win the Championship.  They mentioned some others to
challenge.  Michael looked good in that big black car with K-Mart
sponsorship.

    Oh, and the sponsorship:  K-Mart, Marlboro, Shell, Nextel, Motorola,
Pioneer/MCI,
Miller Lite, and others.

    After the race ends they take a ton of time doing post race interviews
with a lot of drivers.

    Watching the race again a few nights ago I realized something – There
were two strong American drivers in the line up – Michael Andretti and Jimmy
Vasser.  But where was the young American talent?  Twenty five drivers and
only two Americans?  Ok, that would be fine.  The race was fine.  The season
was fine.  But in future seasons who in the world replaced Andretti and
Vasser?  Who would replace them?  And that’s the problem right there –
Americans were on the way out all the way back then.  There should have been
two or three more young rookie Americans in that field.  There should have
been some American Up and Comers.  Was Andretti and Vasser suppose to last
forever?  Were they suppose to have remained forever young?  What clowns in
ChampCar neglected and Americans?

    We are talking about a series back then that had many races on ABC and
ESPN and one or two on ESPN2.  ABC – American Broadcasting Company.
American!  Races on Sunday!  And only two freaking Americans in the whole
line up?  Ok, it was fine with me back then.  I loved all the drivers.  I
still do.  But not one or two American rookies?

    You know those families that look good on the outside but have horrible
secrets in their closet?  That was ChampCar back then.  I was fooled back
then.  I loved the racing back then.  I wasn’t concerned with the future
back then.  But some one at ChampCar should have been concerned about the
future.  They should have tried really hard to get one or two more Americans
in the line up.

    Would anybody really have missed Mark Blundell?  Would anybody have
missed Gualter Salles?  Hey, I love Roberto Moreno.  I remember almost every
race Moreno would have a smile on his face at the end of the race during
interviews.  He had a look on his face that he was just happy and honored to
be racing.  I always wanted to meet Moreno.  I still do.  But would anybody
really have missed him if he was replaced with a young American back then?

    If only that driver line up could have been frozen in time.  If only
that driver line up could have raced in every ChampCar race since then.  All
would be fine.  But times change.  Drivers come, they go, and they are
replaced.  Only they weren’t replaced with American drivers back then.  And
that trend in ChampCar continues today only it’s too late.  It’s too late to
save ChampCar.  Just shut it down and end it all.

  Tell me, where was the young American talent back then?  Was the
attraction to NASCAR so strong that 100% of the talent got sucked in?  I
can’t believe that.  I can’t believe they couldn’t find two or three jewels
in the rough to take the place of Andretti, Rahal, and Mears.  Unless the
owners of the ChampCar teams were greedy bastards.  Unless they wanted every
penny a driver could bring.  Unless they chose a wealthy Brazilian with good
talent over a decently funded American with exceptional talent.  I have to
believe that’s what happened.  ChampCar/CART back then was famous for
letting the animals run the farm with no strong man like F1 has had.

    Go ahead and blame Tony George.  But the team owners in ChampCar back
then deserve just as much blame and probably more.  They haven’t gotten the
message yet have they?  Oh well, I still got the 2000 season on tape.  It
was good.

- — -

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CszWe0LXsWM

> neither series is spared by RM.

> He calls it like it is…