In the final weeks of the year, Jason McVeigh takes an alphabetical look through the highs, lows, ins and outs of the 2016 Indycar season.

​Another season and another year of Chevrolet dominance. How dominant you ask? How about 13 Pole Positions and 13 race wins! The bow tie brigade didn't return to Indycar just to be subservient to Honda and 2016 was a landmark year for the American manufacturer. The disparity between the 2 engine suppliers was striking, in fact, the lone blemish on Chevy's season was not taking victory at the Indy 500, something i'm sure they'll look to rectify next year.

​What do you do if you're an underfunded race team close to shutting it's doors or a talented young American racer who just lost his Formula one ride? Well, if you're Bryan Herta Autosport and Alexander Rossi, you join forces, move into Michael Andrettis garage and then go win the Indianapolis 500 together. It can be talked about and debated about the late race win and the fuel conservation but a win is a win and there is none bigger than winning at Indy. The emotion on the faces of Herta and Rossi said all when they were in victory lane at The Brickyard on a day that was surely vindication for both.

​I'll just let the video do the talking here...

​7 Pole Positions, 6 races with most laps led, 5 race wins and 1 Championship. No one had a season quite like Simon Pagenaud in 2016. After a mediocre first season with Team Penske, the Frenchman bounced back in spectacular fashion this season and for almost all of it, seemed like he was in a league of his own. Even though Will Power was still in with a chance when the finale at Sonoma rolled around, most people knew that he had an uphill fight to get there and as expected, he didn't get there and Pagenaud won his first Indycar series Championship. Although back to back titles is a big ask, Simon has the talent and the team to do it and if his 2017 is anything like his 2016, he's going to do it and do it easily.

​With heavy hearts, the racing world said goodbye to Bryan Clauson in 2016. A talented young sprint car driver who competed at several Indy 500s, Clauson was everything that the future of Indycar racing should be; young, fast and fearless as well as someone who understood history and the importance of Indianapolis. At the time of his death, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said "Anybody who witnessed Bryan behind the wheel of a racecar can attest to his elite ability, relentlessness and unbridled willingness to race anything on wheels. While he'll be remembered most as a legend of short-track racing, his participation in the Indianapolis 500 exemplifies his fearlessness, true versatility as a competitor and the pure depth of his talent as a driver."

​These guys literally cannot get enough credit every year. The work they do in Indycar literally can mean the difference between life and death but 2016 was an extra special year for one team member, Mike Yates, who after 30 years on the job called it quits after the seasons end.  “They say when you’re ready, you know you are,” said Yates, 66. “I think I’m ready now. I’m going to miss the guys, the safety team, because they’re the best bunch of guys around, not only professionally but their personal lives. They’ve all got it together. It’s a privilege to be a part of that group. I’ll still be around. We’ll have our meetings; we just won’t live together on the road anymore.”

​Indianapolis is still the crown jewel and although the open wheel split of 1996-2008 did its fair share of damage to the speedways standing as THE race it has since returned to sell-out crowds and excitement that made it that in the first place. This year saw the 100th running of the event and although there have been better races, in a month that was all about the history of the race, what better nod to the future than having a young American win his first race at the hallowed brickyard. Here’s to 100 more. 

​2016 may go down as the final full time Indycar season in the illustrious career of Juan Pablo Montoya and while it was fairly uneventful besides his one lone win at the season opener in St Peterburg, you could do worse things than ride it out as part of the Team Penske juggernaut. Juan will be back next year for an Indy 500 only outing but for those of us who saw him burst onto the scene in 1999 with Chip Ganassi, seeing the Colombian hang up his helmet full time is bittersweet but what a career it’s been, don’t be surprised if he adds another Indy 500 win to his resume someday though.

​Still what every driver dreams of and this year it belonged to Alex Rossi...

I’m not saying that David Letterman’s sweet new beard is the sole reason that his driver Graham Rahal is doing amazing things with a little one car team but there is a distinct correlation between Graham’s uptake in performance and the growth of Dave’s facial hair. If he keeps it going, young Rahal may be your 2017 Indycar Champion. Also, Graham seriously needs to consider a moustache of his own, Check out that cardboard replica of him just over Lettermans’s shoulder!

​Whilst it was great to see Road America finally return to the Indycar schedule, it sadly may have come at the expense of another historic track in Wisconsin and that’s the Milwaukee Mile. What was once the annual follow up race after Indianapolis, Milwaukee has seen a lot of changes throughout its years, bouncing back and forth between CART and the IRL and switching dates between Spring and Summer. For the last few years Milwaukee seemed to have found a settled place on the calendar but promoter issues prevented it from running this year and it won’t return in 2017 either. When you look at the list of names who have won at The Mile, it’s a shame to think that some of the current generation of Indycar drivers may not get to add their names to the list.

​7 men stepped into cars either full or part time that were classed as rookies for the 2016 season but when you take into account the age of the entire field in general, the future of Indycar looks quite bright. Carlos Munoz, Marco Andretti, Alex Rossi, Max Chilton, Conor Daly, Spencer Pigot, Mikhail Aleshin and Josef Newgarden are all in their twenties and James Hinchcliffe is the old man at 30 Years of age. While we are going to miss the likes of Kanaan, Dixon, Bourdais and Montoya when they all decide to hang up their helmets, there is a wealth of talent waiting in the wings and 2016 gave us a good taster of that.

​… which is exactly what the two friends in the previous picture must have been thinking when this happened between them on Lap 42 of the Texas race in June before it was stopped due to rain. The fact that Newgarden only suffered a broken shoulder and hand incident and Daly walked away unharmed, speaks to the safety of the Dallara cars as well as the SAFER barrier at the track. None the less, the state of the cars still shows just how dangerous Indycar oval racing is and is testament to the bravery of those who do it.

​After 11 years, Phoenix returned to the Indycar series schedule and in the process ticked several boxes that people had been calling for, namely; more classic tracks and more ovals. While the desert has hosted better races than the 2016 edition, just the fact that Indycar's are once again racing on the track that they first raced on in 1915 is a big thing. Here's hoping that it's back to stay.

​Sure the Indy 500 qualifying format has changed over the years and the current one may not be to everyone's taste but there is something quite pure about a man and a machine going on track and being told to make it go as fast as you can. This year it was James Hinchcliffe who topped the speed chart at 230.760 mph and the fact that he did it 1 year after almost losing his life at the fabled track was enough to choke up even the most hardened of race fans and was proof that even qualifying can tell some pretty cool stories. 

​Rossi, Chilton, Daly, Pigot, Brabham and even RC Enerson. 2016 was a pretty good year for the men carrying the (R) beside their names. While Chilton had a tough year, he showed occasional flashes of ability as did Brabham in his brief outings with KV. Spencer Pigot showed some great pace on his limited schedule both with ECR and RLL and RC Enerson came from out of nowhere and shocked a lot of people with how well he handled himself in his few outings with Dale Coyne. Stars of the class though we're undoubtedly Conor Daly who turned a lot of heads, not least of which was AJ Foyts who signed the young American for 2017, and Alex Rossi who won some little race in May. Years from now we could look back and say that 2016 gave us our first glimpse of drivers who can someday be fighting for championships.

​With the limited rides that are available in Indycar, it goes without saying that some good drivers will be left out but for me, there is one that should have a ride and that is Sage Karam. After a full season with Chip Ganassi Racing where he damaged as much equipment as he did friendships, Sage was left with only an Indy 500 outing with Dreyer and Reinbold in 2016 where he finished a very disappointing 32nd. As someone who has been watching American Open Wheel racing since the 90s, Sage Karam is as close to Paul Tracy as i've seen and this sentiment has been echoed by PT himself. He's fast, fearless and doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks, all of which are things that are sorely needed as Indycar strives to market its drivers. The fact that Karam is only 21 and is also American should have Indycar teams reaching out in droves. Alas, that's not how the lay of the land is at the moment and often times, talented drivers are shunned in favour of those who bring more funding. I just hope we haven't seen the last of Sage in an Indycar and Paul Tracy agrees.  

​And in 2016, there was no better team than Team Penske. 10 wins out of 16, 11 Pole Positions, 8 Races with Most laps lead and 1 Championship all attest to how dominant the Captains Crew were this season. When the final race of the season rolled around it was no surprise that it was 2 Penske drivers, Power and Pagenaud who were the last 2 men still eligable to lift the Indycar crown. Although Juan Montoya had a down year, all 4 of the Penske men, rounded out by Helio Castroneves, we're a threat at most races and by adding Josef Newgarden to the ranks for next year, look for this storied franchise to continue their winning ways. 

​Ed Jones, Aaron Telitz and Anthony Martin. Remember these names because quite possibly they could be winning Indycar races someday. These are the 3 men that took championships on each rung of the Roady to Indy ladder in 2016. Jones, your Indy Lights Champion has already signed on with Dale Coyne to race in Indycar in 2017 and be on the lookout for Telitz, your reigning Pro Mazda Champion, to make some waves when he moves up to Indy Lights next year with Belardi Racing and likewise for USF2000 Champ Martin wherever he lands. The Mazda Road to Indy does a lot for the future of Indycar and we all owe it to ourselves and the sport we love to show some support to these talented youngsters bubbling under the surface.

​In this day and age, a good title sponsor is a must for a series and Indycar has a good one in Verizon. Not content with just sponsoring Will Powers car, Verizon took on series sponsorship in 2014 and they deserve a lot of credit for their commitment to the series. At a time when even the mighty Nascar had to downgrade to a smaller deal with Monster Energy than they had with Sprint, Verizon and Indycar continue what has been a good partnership that seems to have been beneficial for both. Lest we forget it's not too many years ago that rumours swirled about how the series was in dire financial straits. Since Verizon came on board that talk has all but disappeared so thumbs up to the communications giant for that

​Sometimes unfairly labelled as "Boring" or worse "A Fuel Saver" the fact remains, Scott Dixon is one of the best drivers to ever set foot in a race car. Sure, he's not flashy, doesn't have a big personality but guess what? He wins! More specifically, he wins 40 times. While we may not think it, every time we watch Scott Dixon win a race we are watching history. Right now he stands 4th on the all time win list, 2 races behind Michael Andretti and don't be shocked to see Scott take that number 3 position as soon as next year. Whether or not he can catch Mario Andrettis record of 52 wins or AJ Foyt seemingly untouchable 67 remains to be seen but when you think that the quick Kiwi is only 36 years old, don't put it beyond Dixon to be able to do it. While he had a down year in 2016 he still bagged 2 wins so expect more in 2017 and expect more history to be written about one of the all time greats. 

​Whilst there will always be calls for more American drivers in Indycar, one of the things the series should be proudest of is how open it has always been in welcoming drivers of other nationalities into the fold and just how much the fans take to those drivers. Look no further than how popular Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan are in the States where they have more or less been adopted as Americans. In 2016, there were 12 Nations represented by Indycar drivers from 5 different continents. The Indycar series really is a melting pot where talent and bravery transcends nationality and it's a damn good thing.  

​Whilst racing lost its share of talented racers in 2016, Indycar lost a true titan in Carl Haas. The Co-Founder of the insanely successful Newman/Haas team alongside Paul Newman, Haas helped guide a legendary list of names to open wheel glory between 1983 and 2011. Famous for chomping on a huge cigar which he rarely lit, Haas was every bit the racer having been in and around race cars since the 1950s. "The thing that I always appreciated always about Carl was the fact that he was 110 percent racer," Mario Andretti said. "He depended on racing, on the sport, 100 percent for his financial success. Racing was his only focus every day." For younger fans out there who may not be familiar with Newman/Haas, go check them out now. 107 wins and a who's who of driving talent, you owe it to yourself and the great Carl Haas to find out about them.

Ok, so I struggled for a word here but the fact remains, I am really going to miss seeing this car. Long time Ganassi sponsor Target announced that 2016 would be their last hurrah in Indycar and although we live in an age where sponsors come and go, we always thought the one constant was the red machine driven by Scott Dixon. This iconic sponsor was around long before I started watching Indycar and has been driven by some pretty talented racers along the way so it's with sadness, we say goodbye to an all time great sponsor. Thanks Target.

Now, who's #excitedforIndycar2017? 

​Dan Wheldon was with us for much too brief a time, but in those years he touched a huge number of lives. And I can genuinely say, hand on heart, that he helped to change mine forever....

​It’s hard to comprehend that five years have passed since that fateful, awful day in October 2011, when the racing world lost a great champion and we all lost a dear friend. There will be many words spoken and written about Dan Wheldon this weekend, by people far more important than me, but this is my personal story. My journey with a mouthy little karting star who grew into a truly remarkable man, and had a much bigger influence on my life than I could ever have imagined.
​
I first met Dan back in the mid-nineties, when he was racing Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Ford with, among others, future F1 world champion Jenson Button, Le Mans winner Anthony Davidson and the also greatly-missed Justin Wilson. Even then Dan had that characteristic air of confidence and, yes, cockiness, that more than made up for his lack of stature at the time. His lifelong friend, three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, described him best, calling him a “mouth on legs”!

​The telling part with Dan though is that he had the natural talent to back up all the bravado and swagger. As his fiercest FFord rival Button admits, “He was always the guy to beat”. I feel incredibly privileged to have seen DDub race in those early days, as he learned, often the hard way, how to control, manage and cope with the undoubted skills he had. That raw speed, intense competitiveness and fearless determination, nurtured by his father Clive through the karting years, grew with each race; staying with him throughout his career and serving him well in future battles.
​
The other thing I remember vividly about those days, is how even as an awkward, scrawny teenager, Dan had that special ability to make people happy. For example, when Jenson nearly ran me over following a FFord meeting, Dan’s hysterical ‘piss-taking’ amusement made us laugh so hard that our ribs hurt more than any dented pride ever could!
When Dan left for America, sadly our lives took very different paths. As his career finally started to flourish, mine disintegrated, with injury and illness forcing me to quit my beloved job training horses. To be honest my life was in tatters afterwards, as I lost so much more than just a career. My future, my dreams, my identity.... everything that defined me was gone, and I had no idea what, if anything, was left.

​As I struggled to rebuild my life, one of the few constant pleasures I clung to was following Dan and Dario in Indycar. Whether bemoaning close calls, dodgy decisions and dreaded politics or celebrating hard earned victories, championships and Indy 500 wins, these drivers I had watched since we were just kids, helped give me a focus again.
​
The road hadn’t always been smooth for Dan either, so the pure joy, pride and happiness I felt when he took the chequered flag on that extraordinary day in May 2011 was off the chart. As he stood with his family on the iconic yard of bricks, beaming that whiter-than white smile, all the memories of cold, wet, muddy but marvelous days at Oulton Park, Croft, Silverstone etc came flooding back. The cocky little kid with the precocious talent had grown up to become a true legend of the sport, respected on and off the track and adored by the fans he always had time for.

I deeply regretted that I never got to see DDub race in the US, a feeling only compounded by Dario’s career ending crash in 2013. So I decided that in spite of the many hurdles in the way, in honour of Dan I was going to, somehow, get to the Indianapolis 500. Unfortunately three major surgeries in 2014 meant my hopes were dashed, but it only made me more determined that I would make it the following year, come the proverbial hell or high water!  

After so many setbacks, challenges and doubts it took a while to sink in when I finally set off from Heathrow in May last year. But as we descended into Indianapolis with the iconic IMS Pagoda and oval track coming into view, the reality suddenly hit. I’m unashamed to admit that my eyes were leaking a lot as we touched down. And my first words in Indy? “I made it Danny Boy!”

To my absolute amazement, the motorsport family I had become part of went out their way to make my first trip to Indy beyond my wildest dreams. The whole week was magical, but the emotion of just being there was mind-blowing. My first glimpse of that track, the bricks, the pagoda, was spine-tinglingly overwhelming. I well and truly earned the nickname ‘Alice in Wonderland’, spending much of the time in wide-eyed wonderment! Standing next to Dan’s 2011 winning car in the IMS museum with his sister Holly in particular was an experience far beyond any describable emotion.

As I stood on the grid before the big race and thanked DW for the journey he’d helped me take, I could have no idea that it was about to go from amazingly surreal, to downright mind-boggling though. That same week, I fell in love with my partner Andy Hallbery, who was putting into place the final pieces of a puzzle that would take us both on an incredible rollercoaster ride together, and give me chance to truly thank Dan.

From that Indy trip, I ended up being heavily involved in the production and promotion of the book, ‘Lionheart – Remembering Dan Wheldon’, a stunning tribute to DDub. The project was a real labour of love and a massive learning curve. I wasn’t so much dropped in the deep end, as out in the middle of the ocean! But working with Andy, Jeff Olson, Steve Moore and the amazing team of talented people, was also a wonderful experience. I learned so much about Dan and myself, as I took on challenges I never thought I could. It certainly wasn’t an easy path, but I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved. Through personal, poignant, moving and often funny stories from his family, friends, teammates, rivals and colleagues from across the world of motorsport, we were able to create a real tribute to Dan Wheldon and his extraordinary legacy.

I never imagined in a million years when I made it to Indy last year, that 12 months later I would be returning for three weeks to help launch and promote a book I helped create about a man I wouldn’t have been there without! May 2016 was an incredible, intense, challenging, stressful, rewarding and utterly overwhelming month. The 100th running of the Indy 500 will always stick in people’s minds, but it will always hold extra levels of memories for me....because of Daniel Clive Wheldon.

​Danny Boy, I owe you so much. It might be five years since you left us, but you’ll never stop touching people’s lives and inspiring them. The leaps of faith I have taken because of you have given me a whole new future to build on; things I thought I’d never find. I have a new career, a wonderful partner, new dreams and hopes to chase and achieve..... I only wish you could be here to see it.

Thank you Lionheart Xx

To celebrate the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year, we will profile all the British, and British born drivers who have taken on the speedway since 1911, looking at their time at IMS, results and in some cases interviews with some of the drivers. In our final part, we look back at the careers of three drivers whose names have become synonymous with British success at the Indianapolis 500 with six combined victories.

When you look back at the career of Jim Clark, it is apparent that he was one of the best, not just Formula One, not just at Indy, everything he turned his hand, and wheel too. ​​Victorious in 1965 but that was not the whole story.

The British invasion did not only come in the form of the Beatles, but on the track too in the form a team, Lotus, with a new way of thinking to run at Indianapolis, a rear engine car, and some drivers who would go down in history, messes Clark, Hill and Stewart.

Jim Clark was a runner up in his debut year behind Parnelli Jones in 1963. Engineers and competitors remarked at the time that no matter what the equipment Clark had, he looked, and drove perfectly. Clark took pole position in 1964 with a then record speed of 158.828 mph, before retiring with broken suspension placing 24th.

But 1965 was his year, starting in second, Clark would put in one of the most dominating performances seen in history at the Speedway with his Lotus leading 190 of 200 laps, and a winners purse of over $166,000. The story of the race is told below.

Another front row start in '66 resulted in a runners up place behind Graham Hill (along some may dispute this with timing as the scoring maybe being 'mis-aligned'). In his first four 500 races, Clark would lead laps in everyone. His final 500 race would be in 1967, his worst qualifying saw him start down in 16th place and matched with his worst finish of 31st, retiring with a broken piston on lap 35. In 1968 Jim Clark was scheduled to run the Pratt & Whitney Turbine 'Wedge' in a Lotus before he tragically lost his life at Hockenhiem the month prior. 

At Indianapolis this May, I had the chance to talk with Dario Franchitti about Jim Clark and what made him so special.

​When the home grown legends of Indianapolis look back at his time on track, what he achieved and say he was one of the best, he truly was.

Twice a victor, twice a runner up with two further top fives, Dan Wheldon just clicked with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ​

He made his first start in 2003 starting in an impressive fifth before a solo crash in turn four, flipping his car in the process. 2004 started in the middle of the front row and claimed a podium finish in third. By the time the following season came round, Dan had a brilliant start to the season with three victories in the opening four races, so would enter Indy in a confident mood, he qualified down in 16th, but we will let this video tell the rest of the story...

After winning the championship that year with Andretti, a switch of teams to Ganassi came in 2006 and the success continued with another high finish in fourth, followed by a retirement in 2007 after being involved in the crash that took out Marco Andretti and Buddy Rice on lap 162. Dan qualified well again in 2008 in the middle of the front row for a final run with Ganassi and a twelve place finish was the result.

Wheldon moved teams to Panther which returned with a pair of eighteenth place qualifying efforts and a pair of runner up results missing out to Castroneves in 2009 and Franchitti in 2010, in a run of four runner up finishes in a row for the team, Panther.

​Out of a drive in 2011 Wheldon announced that he would be entering the Indy 500 as a one off entry with former team mate Bryan Herta (Autosport) who were at the time an established Indy Lights team with aspirations to move into Indycar full time. Starting the race in  sixth, people were respectful of his efforts, but not expectant. The race was dominated for the most part by Dixon and Franchitti but a late yellow and a change to the fuel strategy left teams trying to eek out every last drop of fuel, various drivers led but had to give up the lead, Bertrand Baguette led, but pitted, the rest they say is history...

Dan Wheldon only led one lap, well, maybe the last hundred feet, but it gave him his second Indianapolis 500 victory, becoming the 18th driver to win two or more. Sadly, Dan would not return to the grounds that he loved, he passed away after a multiple car crash on the 16th October at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The new Indycar introduced for the 2012 season, built by Dallara, and tested by Wheldon during 2011 would be named the DW-12 ensuring his legacy would live on.  

​His record at Indianapolis was remarkable, twice a winner, and runner up with a third and fourth to add, shows he really was at one with the Speedway, but what else was it about the man himself that made him such a great racer, and a person, in May I spoke with his team mate and friend Dario Franchitti.

​What was Dan like away from the track, the brother, the family man, I had the chance to speak with Holly Wheldon about Dan at Sonoma, reflecting on him as a racer and as a brother.

Five years on from his passing, he is still revered, remembered, and talked about around the paddock and grandstands, the mark of a true champion and gentleman.

Only three men have four Indy 500 victories to their name, Dario Franchitti retired in 2013 with three.

Starting his motorsport career in Europe, karting, Formula Vauxhall, then Lotus before F3, but that was to be the end of the single-seaters, for a couple years at least, a move to the German Touring Car series with Mercedes followed for the 1996/7 seasons.

During this time Franchitti had the chance to test for Hogan Racing in CART, an option he took up full time in 1998. A switch to Team Green followed in 1999 winning his first race at Road America. Nine further victories followed including his first on an oval came at Rockingham in 2002 before joining the movement that saw a number of the teams and drivers moving to the IRL. This gave Dario his chance to compete at Indy in 2002 as part of an effort with Team Green, it was a tough debut, qualifying 28th, finishing three laps down in 19th. Sitting out 2003 due to injuries sustained in a motorbike accident. He returned in 2004 with Andretti-Green starting on the front row, finishing in 14th. Two top ten finishes would be scored in the next two years before he finally took home a victory, under tricky conditions.

​Dario took the lead for the first time on lap 74, giving up the lead on 89 when pitting. The race was red flagged due to rain on lap 113, the restart came just after 6pm. On lap 151, Marty Roth crashed, some pitted, some stayed out, including Franchitti. Two further incidents caused yellow flags, during the final caution, before all the cars could be cleared, a deluge from the sky fell and on lap 166 the chequered flag fell and Franchitti notched up number one. To date, this was the last Indy 500 to not reach the full 200 lap race distance.

Missing 2008 due to competing in NASCAR, Dario returned in 2009 with Ganassi, replacing Dan Wheldon in the #10. a front row start resulted in a seventh place finish despite leading 50 laps.

​Victory number two came in 2010. Qualifying again on the front row, for the fourth time in third, taking the lead by the time the yellow flag came out for Davey Hamilton who crashed out on the back straight. Franchitti would be a dominant force throughout the race, with only pit stops and the odd over take allowing another driver to lead the race (he would lead 155 laps). After a spell in the mid pack after a late race caution and subsequent pit stop, Dario would take the lead back on lap 192 and lead all the way despite some serious fuel saving to the chequered flag ahead of a hard charging Dan Wheldon. The race ended under yellow due to a crash involving Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay on their penultimate lap.

2011 saw Franchitti in a prime position to claim a front row start, but he ran out of fuel on the final lap of his qualifying run and had to settle for ninth. The race itself would see Franchitti take the lead though various segments in the middle of the race, leading 51 laps in total. Dario was in contention for a win until late on when fuel conservation saw him drop back from the leaders and eventually pitting for fuel leaving him in twelfth place.

A new car for 2012 and a new number, 50, to celebrate the fiftieth year of main sponsor Target opening for business in the US. Qualifying in 16th place, Dario would work his way through the field, eventually taking the lead for the first time on lap 153, trading places with team mate Scott Dixon before Tony Kanaan entered the fray in the closing laps, as did a Japanese driver...

A final time at Indianapolis came in 2013, again qualified in the mid pack, and was running in the top ten at the time of what would be the final restart on lap 197, would hit the wall in turn one.

Back in May I spoke with Dario about his time at Indianapolis, his victories, life after and what Indy means to him.

Donald Davidson tells the story of Dario sitting on the yard of bricks at Indianapolis in 2007 after the victory banquet, in the dark, to take in the the atmosphere of the empty track, as it could have been his last time at the Indianapolis 500. It could well have been had the NASCAR switch worked out, thankfully though, he came back.

Thank you to everyone who has read our feature leading up to the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 profiling all the drivers who were either born or represented Great Britain at the race, you can find them all below, in a slightly easier fashion to find a particular driver.

- Part One 
Hughie Hughes, Graham Hill & Mark Taylor
- Part Two
Ernest Eldridge, Jim Crawford & James Jakes
- Part Three 
John Duff, Justin Wilson & Mike Conway
- Part Four 
Alfred Moss, Jeff Ward & Katherine Legge
​- Part Five
Johnny Jenkins, Nigel Mansell & Alex Lloyd 
- Qualifying Weekend Special - Bump Day 
All the drivers who attempted, but did not make the 500
- Part Six 
Dario Resta, Sir Jackie Stewart & Jack Hawksworth
- Part Seven  
Noel van Raalte, Henry Banks & Martin Plowman 
- Part Eight 
Count Louis Zbrowoski, George Robson, Darren Manning & Pippa Mann
- Part Nine 
W Douglas Hawkes, David Hobbs and Jay Howard
- Part Ten 
Jim Clark, Dan Wheldon and Dario Franchitti

How do the Pro Mazda cars compare to what you’ve driven in the past? 

The Pro Mazda car is really interesting to drive actually, as it’s so different from the other cars I’ve driven. Every car has its own style, its own raw finesse and things it does and doesn’t like. What I’ve driven in the past, from Formula Ford through BMW into the Masters car, they’ve been quite a smooth transition, in a way that it was a very natural progression. In the Pro Mazda car, the wheel base is quite a bit shorter, making it more oversteery and sensitive on the entry to corners. You have to understand that balance and adjust yourself a little bit to make the most of it, so it was a bigger adjustment from the other cars. I’d say about 80% was similar; it was just that last bit. The tyres make a big difference too, we’re really conscious to manage the tyres. It’s a good skill going forward to the future though, as you learn to manage what you have, to feel what works and then you can capitalise on that.

What about the tracks? What’s your favourite of the ones you’ve raced on this year in the US? 

There are some really good tracks here in the US, and they’re different to what I have encountered. Being in Asia we did a lot of the F1 circuits, like Shanghai, Malaysia that kind of thing.  The format of those tracks is very big, open and fast, and I really like those. In the US we have a lot more tight, winding tracks like Barber and Mid-Ohio, which I’m also having a lot of fun on. I think they’re some of my favourite tracks. Road America is probably more like the fast, open circuits I’m used to though. We were super quick there. I love Laguna Seca too of course; you can’t help but grin going through the corkscrew! I’ve enjoyed them all really, especially the diversity that we get out here with street courses, ovals and road circuits.

What’s been your highlight of the season? ​

​Yeah we got to see the 100th running of the Indy 500 which was probably the best way to get an intro into what it’s all about. It was really cool as we hung out a lot of the time with Pirtek Team Murray, who were running Matt Brabham. Having that connection with Brett Murray the team owner we got to be really closely linked to it all. We watched qualifying from the pit lane. The event was on a massive scale and it was just cool to be part of that. So many people there for one thing, to see the race and be part of the event. It was a really inspiring thing to see as a driver. That’s what I’m aiming for, and I can kind of taste it now. It feels like it’s in reach, which is great.

How have you found living in Indianapolis?

I’ve really loved it actually. It’s been cool moving out of home too. It’s not just been moving to another country, but also my first time living by myself full time. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve been really self motivated the whole year which is great. You know training every day in PitFit and working on promotional stuff. I can enjoy all the cool stuff I like doing too, rather than having to stay focused through a school test. I couldn’t wait to get out of school, but that was because I wanted to fully focus on what I’m doing right now.

Do you have any recommendations for things to do and places to go in Indy?

There are some pretty cool areas here. The canal area is probably one of my favourite parts of Indianapolis. It’s near down town but has really nice walk ways through the city and restaurants etc. It’s close to the zoo and you can have a lot fun on Segway’s down there too! There’s a really cool vibe down there. I would definitely choose to live in that area.

One last thing I have to ask about...... The chameleon! 

Scholarship Sunday last week at MRLS, it's Showdown Sunday today at Sonoma Raceway as Simon Pagenaud and Will Power battle it out for the Indycar title. Power won the title back in 2014, this would be Pagenaud's first. 

:​So who holds the advantage? Pagenaud has a lead of 44 points after securing pole position for today's race and the basic equation to become champion is finish 5th or better, Power can not match him with that outcome. So it's fairly safe? Not at all, Indycar, well motorsport in general can throw you some curveballs, 'like some %&8!£$ taking you out' as Power quipped on the media luncheon on Thursday afternoon. The turn one-two combination has a habit of causing some chaos on the first lap so a clean start for both is essential, especially for Power starting back in fourth.

​Today's on track action starts with a 30 minute warm up at 11:30 /  19:30 live on Race Control and the race from 15:30 / 23:30 live on BT Sport ESPN. Clear blue skies, busy paddock, teams are prepping for the warm up, speaking of warm, the temperature could hit the early 90's / low 30's (depending on what you use) during the race.

Final warm up concludes and fastest was Josef Newgarden ahead of Scott Dixon, who won here last year, Sato, Kimball and Rossi rounded out the top five, championship contenders Simon Pagenaud was 18th, Power was 21st. Due to the rough abrasive nature of the track, tyre strategy will be key, when to use up the red alternate and then manage the black primary. 

Day two, coming up a practice session this morning followed by qualifying later this afternoon. First up two press conferences, firstly James Hinchcliffe briefly talking about his race weekend and then it switches to that dancing show he's on. hilarity ensues, audio posted later because who doesn't want to listen to James!

The second is with Roger Penske, Simon Pagenaud and John Menard for a sponsorship announcement. In essence the bright, very bright Menards car will be on track for 10 of the 17 races in 2017 (the others will be HPE). The circular from Penske / Menards is the best release i have seen all season.

The practice session resulted an impressive showing for the Andretti Honda team, occupying four of the top seven places with Marco fastest. The session was halted twice for incidents involving firstly Josef Newgarden who ran off the track at the top of turn two gently caressing the tyre barrier. The second was for James Hinchcliffe exiting the final turn / hairpin making contact with the outside wall, damaging the front of the car. The qualifying groups have been drawn up, and bad news for the Andretti team, all four cars are in group two, along with Dixon and Castroneves who have been quick all weekend long. Power and Pagenaud are in group one.

In the lead up to the Indianapolis 500 you may remember a feature I ran profiling all of the British drivers who raced at the 500 and those who made the attempt, well there is still one part missing which will be corrected this weekend! Thanks to Holly for taking some time out to talk about her brother, Dan and his relationship with the Indy 500, this will be posted over the weekend.

Qualifying and the dominance of the Andretti cars in final practice ended as the Penske four all progressed through to the Firestone Fast 6 along with Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal. Castroneves set the early pace but Pagenuad jumped into pole position with his final attempt, no one else could match and Simon claims the bonus point. Power will start in fourth.

Not a great session for the Brits in the field, Jack Hawksworth will start in 17th, along side him Max Chilton in 18th. Coverage of the Go Pro GP will start at 23:30, live on BT Sport ESPN. 

As is accustom to this daily diary posts, I begin the day before. Downtown San Francisco, lunchtime, the roads fell quiet, the sounds of police escort sirens and a roar of a pair of Chevy Indycars filled the air driving along the famous Embarcadero towards their end destination of Pier 39.

Yes, thanks for the shove and thumb entry at the wrong moment! And the following photo op, including a life sizes, well bread size replica of the Astor Cup made by the Boudin Bakery on Pier 39.

And so to today, Friday, practice sessions for the Indycar series to come, a championship battle to be settled between Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Practice happened, practice passed, practice finished and a very strong performance from the Honda drivers occupying seven of the top ten spots for the fastest times. Still leading the way was Castroneves, followed by Andretti, Rahal, Hawksworth and Hunter-Reay. Championship contenders Pagenaud and Power were tenth and seventeenth respectively. A few shots from the paddock this morning including a new livery for Alexander Rossi.

We have been handed this hand sheet ahead of Sundays race, it won't be the last time we look at it!  ​

A press conference with Simon Pagenaud and Will Power took place, they talked about the importance of winning a championship for Roger Penske in his 50th Despite being teammates, it will be hard with no shared data or helping each other out but both are embracing the challenge. With regards to double points, Will commented that drivers will drive just as hard as they usually do, but worried that someone might do something 'crazy' with more points on the line.

And that's day one, tomorrow, a practice session in the morning followed by qualifying in the afternoon, a point up for grabs, you never know how crucial that might be!

Four races, three champions to be crowned, one of whom will get the chance to compete at the 101st Indianapolis 500. Its Ed Jones v Santi Urrutia in Indy Lights. In Pro Mazda Pato O'Ward v Aaron Telitz and in USF2000, Anthony Martin has an 18 point lead over Parker Thompson.

Again the fog delayed proceedings, and the first Pro Mazda race of the day got underway at 9:55. Telitz on pole, title rival O'Ward starts second. And they touch, O'Ward spins but recovers the car well, but picked up suspension damage after the contact. Telitz is penalised with a drive through penalty and drops to 11th, one place ahead of title rival O'Ward. Deparo takes over the lead of the race. A lap with a great pass at the corkscrew, another lap with a not so great pass at the corkscrew results in Fisher and Parsons going out, FCY, the filed bunches up but Dapero holds on for the win ahead Owen and Jamin, Burton Harris takes fourth in his debut weekend ahead of the hard charging Telitz.

Couple hours to go and despite the freedom that all there series have this weekend without Indycar being present, you can feel the tension in the paddock today. It is a day which can make or break your career, drivers who have competed in various series around the world know the importance of today, same goes with the teams, 'a bundle of nerves' was one comment when asked how are you feeling?

Timings for the remaining races are USF 2000 at 12:50, Indy Lights at 14:15 and Pro Mazda at 15:35, add 8 hours for those back in the UK. A reminder you can watch all the streaming and timing right HERE

Next up is the final race in USF2000. I'll own up, I took a cart up to the corkscrew, because, y'know you have to! So in terms of knowing what went on with no signal, pass, other than Franzoni checking out and dominating I'm done. But the views, it's a must if you come here.

With the result it means that Anthony Martin from Australia takes the USF2000 title and a scholarship to take him into Pro Mazda next season. After a break for lunch the Indy Lights finale will be on track.

The tension on the grid pre race was intense, add in a waved off start for a messy mid pack, its take two... And jones has a good start, challenged by Veach who takes the lead, drops Jones to fifth, Urrutia up to second. Race settling down, as thing stand, its tied on points, Urrutia on top with extra wins this season. Third distance and Veach extending his lead, Urrutia and Kaiser are close. Jones still back in fifth, the joker is his team mate Serralles who is in fourth. In the mid pack, Dean Stone ran wide going up the hill and lost two place, no changes up top.

Half way, no changes, Veach claims the most laps led point. Will a switch call come from TC? Heading down to the pits with a few to go... tension...

Catching up from being down in the pits, I was there for the last 5 laps, the Carlin crew were hands on their heads, was a call needed but it is a horrible one to make. Last lap, Trevor Carlin comes behind his pit stall, gets his phone out, messages someone, we make eye contact and resigned smile, shrug of the shoulders. Motor racing is a team sport, you win together, you lose together. Sam Schmit approached Trevor Carlin in Victory Lane, told him you should be ashamed, but you tell me, if the roles were reversed and Negrao had to yield, you telling me that call wouldn't be made? Ed Jones is the champion for amassing the most points over a season, and will have a chance to compete in the 101st Indy 500. Santi Urrutia is a damn fine driver, a rough diamond, but he will be in Indycar.

Post race I sat down with Trevor Carlin, team boss to talk about the race, championship and future plans in America

One final interview for the Soul Red Finale, and to USF2000 and the championship runner up Parker Thompson, I spoke with him about his year, his driver safety awareness program and also a radio project he is involved with.

That's a wrap on the Soul Red FInale weekend from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a memorable action packed weekend with so many stories from all three ladder series. A British perspective, Ed Jones, a champion representing Britain, (from Dubai, we'll settle on DuBrit) for Carlin Racing although not without controversy, but that aside, a great achievement for a team who only started racing in Indy Lights last season, are expanding to USF2000 in 2017, and... who knows what the future holds. 

Previous days posts with new, stories, interviews and more...
Day One 
Day Two 

Three qualifying sessions and three races for the drivers in the MRTI today. Races which will inevitably eliminate some drivers from championship contention so those who are 4-6th in the Indy lights championship will be looking for nothing short of victory today. Again the schedule for the day has been delayed by fog but this time the Californian sun burned it off pretty quickly. 

All live streaming and timing can be found HERE

Qualifying for Pro Mazda Race 1 - Pole position for title contender Aaron Telitz, ahead of rival Pato O'Ward and Nicolas Dapero in third.

The sessions fly by here at MRLS, Indy Lights up next and pole plus the bonus point goes to Kyle Kaiser, second is Ed Jones and third Santi Urrutia. The race starts at 23:10 this evening and will be well worth watching. 

​USF2000 on track next, and Victor Franzoni takes pole, Anthony martin in second and Park Thompson in third. All three series have their first races of the weekend later today, And again tomorrow with the additional round for Pro Mazda from the cancelled event back at Iowa.

A reminder the winner of the Indy Lights championship with gain a three race deal in Indycar for 2017 for three races, including the 101st Indy 500.

Max Chilton is at MRLS this weekend supporting Carlin a team he has a history with throughout his career and we had the chance to talk about his time in Indy Lights, the preparation and a reflection on his debut year in Indycar.

One driver making his debut racing in America at MRLS is Joseph Burton-Harris. Racing for World Speed Motorsports in  Pro Mazda. Born in Reading, raised in Australia with a New Zealand mother now living in the US, it's been a varied life for the nineteen year who I spoke with earlier today. By the way, he supports the right cricket team!

An amazing last lap in Pro Mazda, a late FCY for a spinning Enders brought the field together, Telitz passed O'Ward into the hairpin at turn one, before O'Ward got the place back at turn five and held on for the victory.

Onto the main event of the day, race one in Indy Lights, this race could knock a few drivers out of contention, a waved off start resulted in a second attempt in which Urrutia dropped to fifth, Jones remained in second behind leaded Kaiser, Stoneman dropped to tenth after contact with Serralles. Lap 10 and an incident between Stoneman and DeMelo puts Dean down to 12th and further back with a drive through penalty for the incident. Fun fact, top speeds on the front straight with Indy Lights cars, 150mph. In the end no one had the pace for the hometown hero Kyle Kaiser, a second victory of the season, in second, Ed Jones who now takes back the lead of the championship with seven point advantage over Santi Urrutia, and in third, Zach Veach who has had a strong end to the season. From the British perspective, Dean Stoneman had a race to forget, double contact, and a penalty means he finished in thirteenth and out of the title hunt. After the race I caught up with Ed Jones, who finished second but retook the championship lead.

Back in the Carlin truck I caught up with Ed and spoke with him about finishing second and retaking the the championship lead, after not too many races!

Like magic, there is another race just going green, this time USF2000, the winner was Victor Franzoni just under thirteen seconds ahead of Parker Thompson with Anthony Martin in third place, Franzoni has an 18 point lead in the championship.

That's a wrap on day two, its title deciding Sunday tomorrow, someone will be booking their place at an attempt to run the st Indianapolis 500...