This weekend in racing was all about Red Bull… & red flags!



Red flags waved in not only the weather beaten MotoGP race in Indy, but also in the AMA Flat Track race the night before and even in the NASCAR race as well.



But let’s get back to the Bull… All Red Bull all the time!



The Red Bull MotoGP in Indy was plain and simple, big time HISTORY! It was the first motorcycle race held at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1909… almost 100 years… and OH MY GOD was it amazing!! Amazing, not just because these riders have bigger huevos than any other athlete in the world running $1.90+ dragging a knee on the ground, but because on Sunday they were doing their thing in tropical storm conditions and still making it look easy. Winds were constant at at least 20 mph and gusting to as much as 60 mph at times. Rain was coming down in sheets, more or less sideways in sheets, as debris was flying onto the racing surface and large hospitality tents were topling. Need I emphasize it more? Hurricane Ike (obviously downgraded to a tropical storm) made it’s way to Indy (4 were killed in the Hoosier State due to the weather by the way) and wreaked havoc directly on IMS. Just ask the riders – winner Valentino Rossi, "They were the worst conditions that I've raced in during my career."



I could go on and on about how speechless most everyone was in attendance as they were losing their hats and being blown off of their feet in the process… but the bottom line is this: If you did not get a chance to see this race, you really missed out! Being there in person, at the Red Bull VIP area, was a one in a million opportunity, but just being there to witness history with Valentino Rossi taking the win, moving himself on top of the series all time as the winningest rider, and putting his name alongside Indy first timers Michael Schumacher, Jeff Gordon & Ray Harroun, all the while in some of the worst weather ever, was almost mind numbing. For a moment, it was the new ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’! Other notables must be our American riders – Nicky Hayden with the early lead and a 2nd place finish (his first podium since Aug. last year), Ben Spies in his 2nd GP race ever finishing 6th, and John Hopkins & Colin Edwards completing the distance in 14th & 15th.



On to that Red Bull Hospitality area in Turn 10… DAMN! I’ve been fortunate enough to have Red Bull as one of my sponsors with SpeedFreaks for several years now and they have treated us to many fabulous trips and VIP areas at tracks, but this one definitely took the cake! We basically owned all of the inside of Turn 10 with the two story Energy Station, two large white tents with white leather couches and private bars, our own personal grandstand and a couple of Red Bull tents filled with some of the best grub on the grounds. Add to that live art exhibits, mingling with celebrities, beautiful souped up vintage motorcycles, first class private restroom facilities and the ultra tight security and you have a VIP area worth much more than it’s price in gold! If you can fork out a few bucks for the Red Bull VIP package for the 2009 race, I would HIGHLY recommend it! THANK YOU RED BULL FOR ANOTHER AMAZING RACING EXPERIENCE!!!!



Sticking with the Bull theme, let’s turn to Formula One for a moment… again Red Bull made history. Rookie Sebastien Vettel took his maiden win and was not only the first Red Bull winner in F1, but also became the youngest winner in F1’s history when he crossed the line ahead of all others in Monza. My how quickly things change… remember race fans, he drives for the team formerly known as Minardi! Yeah, last place joke of a team Minardi turned frequent Top 8 contender Toro Rosso!



Oh, and the Red Bull driver that Sebastien Vettel replaced on the Toro Rosso team? That would be none other than America’s Scott Speed, who is leading the points in the ARCA series… even after going airborne this weekend in Salem, IN and managing an 8th place finish on a wrecked car. He was in great spirits in the Red Bull VIP area at the MotoGP race Sunday… seriously a great guy… I can’t wait to see him in Cup next year (though I would prefer IndyCar, but Cup is where he is going).



Oh, and you want MORE Red Bull? OK then… Travis Pastrana overcame a flat in the final stages of Rally Colorado to win the race and scoop up his 3rd consecutive championship. Then, just as his awards banquet began, he called the Freaks to chat about it all… hit this link for another good one from Pastrana.



OK, other goings on:

Greg Biffle won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Loudon, Kyle Busch fell from 1st to 8th in the points due to a 34th place finish (HUGE ouch!) and Ron Hornaday won the Truck race after he was hammered in the media the week prior for admitting his use of HGH (story here and here) for non-competitive and rather medical needs. Ronnie then came on SpeedFreaks Sunday night and admitted some other goings on that may happen at the Awards Banquet if he does pull out this championship (funny interview here)… and, well, no true winner was declared in the David Starr-Todd Bodine pit brawl. Freaks, could you believe that one? I never saw Starr as a fighter… but he was clearly egged on. Bodine was smart for staying in the Truck until the smoke cleared. Go anywhere on YouTube if you missed this fight… it’s worth a watch!



SpeedFreaks guest of honor Sunday night, Chris Carr, took a LARGE win in the Indy Flat Track race Saturday night. Basically, he won by a mere .028 of a second by catching the draft of championship winner Kenny Coolbeth after Coolbeth passed Carr on turn 3 of the last lap. Carr was having none of that obviously as he was the man to go home with the checkered flag… ungodly! For a snipit of Chris’ interview with us Sunday night, click here. For the whole show and the best way to hear his quick wit, click here. Chris will definitely make a good media man when he retires!



The NHRA began their ‘Chase’ (aka the Countdown to the Championship) on the weekend at the new drag strip in Charlotte. Yep, NASCAR’s backyard sold out for the more powerful and louder nitro breathing machines, Pro Stockers and some of the fastest bikes on the planet. The event was LARGELY successful, most particularly for winners Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Justin Humphreys (Pro Stock), SpeedFreaks Mojo’d Steve Johnson (Motorcycles) and Tony Schumacher who is now the winningest driver ever in the Top Fuel category. Is there any stopping that man? Don’t think so… until next year when he loses his crew chief to the Qatar-based Al-Anabi Racing team that is perplexing folks in and out of the NHRA paddock.



And finally, ’07 X Games Gold Medalist, Stunt Driver and Rally winner Tanner Faust won the Drifting event up in NoCal. His soon to be co-host on Top Gear visited the Freaks Sunday night… don’t know who that co-host is? Then click here to hear it.



Hmmm… what else went on this weekend that may be newsworthy to you all?

IndyCar: Well, I’m hearing Vitor Meira is pretty much locked in at the Luczo Dragon IndyCar team for 2009. Now that team is supposed to be a full time 2-car deal, but their part time driver from ’08, Tomas Scheckter, doesn’t seem to be factoring in to those plans. I’m sure Tomas will land somewhere as he is a marketable personality… and yeah, I know he has a reputation of wrecking a bit much, but who cares as the series needs his personality. (Easy for me to say as I’m not a team owner with bills to pay). And hey, what about Townsend Bell? We need Townsend full time, right? He’s another marketable personality. BUT, I’m hearing that some newcomers with money will seep their way into the series just like in the old days… talent questionable but money definite. And, that other stock car guy who was meeting with IndyCar officials last week… I just can’t tell ya yet… ha, ha, ha… but suffice it to say that he is best known for his stunt driving in Hollywood, is quite the hottie and pimps one of Red Bull’s competitors.



Sports Cars: Supercross/Motocross/Supermoto champ Jeff Ward let the cat out of the bag during the radio broadcast of the MotoGP race in Indy when he said he is trying to get a team of two wheel champions together to run the 24 Hours of Daytona. Riders he is talking to include the GOAT Ricky Carmichael and Miguel Duhamel. WOW!!



NASCAR: Speaking of RC, Hornaday told us Sunday night that Ricky will definitely be running a few ARCA races in ’09 and most likely some NASCAR Truck races for Kevin Harvick in ’09 as well. Speaking of ARCA, your future champion Scott Speed will depart ARCA and go Cuppin’ with Red Bull, leaving AJ Allmendinger the odd man out. I’m not quite sure what I think of that as I don’t want to see AJ out of a ride, but we’ll see how it shakes out in the long run… MAYBE they will have a 3 car team? MAYBE he’ll be convinced to come back to IndyCar (doubtful)? Or MAYBE he will land a ride elsewhere in Cup… I did hear Ganassi’s name thrown around as a possibility. Speaking of Ganassi, that reminds me of Dodge… Dodge is denying any Gillette Evernham buyout of Bill Davis that would enable a permanent switch to Toyota… however, aren’t they supposed to deny such rumors? What about Detroit’s Big 3 getting the big pressure to lessen their NASCAR presence and possibly halt racing in the Truck series? I find that one really hard to swallow as the Trucks produce the best racing in NASCAR, but stranger things have happened.



Drag Racing: NASCAR’s Mike Wallace is interested in getting his fuel license and possibly throttling Bob Gilbertson’s fuel coupe in the near future… stay tuned. And other than His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani entering the series next year, there aren’t any other really good nuggets to crack in drag racing… surely that will change in the coming weeks.



Two Wheel: What are we to believe… or better yet, which side are we to support? Much like the IndyCar – Champ Car split of the last decade, AMA Road Racing (Superbikes) are heading in that same direction. I can’t explain it any better than Cycle News has already done, so read this story, then this one and finally read this article and draw your own conclusions. But please folks, haven’t we learned that this is sooooo not good for the sport? I guess not…



And finally, after such a great weekend overall, it was very sad to learn the news of Pro Mod drag racer Steve Engel passing away due to complications from his accident at the Mac Tools US Nationals two weeks ago. Steve will definitely be missed by many… Godspeed!