ESPN2 To Air IndyCar Series Opener
ESPN2 will have live, primetime coverage of the 2007 IndyCar Series opener from Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET. Though the IndyCar Series has been racing at the 1.5-mile oval since 2001, this year’s race will be the first to be run at night, presenting an entirely new set of circumstances for drivers and race teams. ESPN’s Marty Reid will call the race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by former IndyCar Series driver Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute, Vince Welch and Brienne Pedigo will report from the pits.
All 17 races in the IndyCar Series this year will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN on ABC, the 12th consecutive season that series events have appeared on ESPN networks. ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 in May for the 43rd year, the second-longest running relationship in television sports history between an event and a network. Only The Masters and CBS have been together longer.
Former Sprint Car Driver Frank Riddle Dies
Former sprint car driver Frank Riddle died Wednesday afternoon (March 14, 2007) in hospice care. He was 78. One of the most accomplished drivers in sprint car racing, Riddle was inducted into the Little 500 Hall of Fame in Anderson, Ind., in 1996. The first Floridian to receive that honor, Riddle is a two-time winner (1984 and '85) and five-time polesitter (1980, 1983-86). The race is held annually during Memorial Day weekend, the day before the Indianapolis 500 some 30 miles away.
Riddle began his career at Phillips Field in Tampa in a 1935 Ford Coupe and won his first race March 3, 1951, setting a track record. Riddle, who was born in Jacksonville, raced at Tampa's Gold Gate Speedway in the 1960s. He won 95 features with the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association during the 1970s and '80s. In 1980, at age 51, Riddle became the oldest rookie of the year in USAC. He retired from racing in 1997 having won more than 250 feature races in 48 years.
Special Helmet To Benefit Charity
One of the most prized and unique pieces of motorsports memorabilia - a racing helmet signed by all 25 living winners of the Indianapolis 500 - is up for auction in March, with all proceeds to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Award-winning veteran motorsports journalist Al Pearce created the idea of the auction and obtained all of the signatures on the helmet, either in person or through shipping the helmet across the United States. Pearce covers NASCAR for leading automotive publication AutoWeek, which is assisting with the auction. Bids can be submitted via e-mail at apearce@crain.com, with bidding opening at $10,000. Bidders should include their name, address and telephone number.
The winning bidder will be informed in early April. As a special bonus, Pearce will keep the helmet updated if the winning bidder desires, obtaining signatures of new Indianapolis 500 winners and returning the helmet to the owner. Drivers whose signatures appear on the helmet: Mario Andretti, Kenny Brack, Helio Castroneves, Eddie Cheever Jr., Gil de Ferran, Emerson Fittipaldi, A.J. Foyt, Sam Hornish Jr., Gordon Johncock, Parnelli Jones, Buddy Lazier, Arie Luyendyk, Rick Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby Rahal, Jim Rathmann, Buddy Rice, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Unser, Jacques Villeneuve and Dan Wheldon.
Pearce has conducted similar auctions of helmets with signatures of NASCAR Cup champions and Daytona 500 winners, with each auction raising thousands of dollars for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The Victory Junction Gang Camp enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment.
The racing-themed camp, located in the forests of the beautiful Piedmont Triad in North Carolina, was founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, in honor of their late son, Adam, and opened in June 2004.
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