IndyCar Watkins Glen Saturday notebook
Krohn, a 22-year-old nicknamed "The Viking," competes full time for Andersen Racing in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. He also has competed for the team in the Cooper Tires presents the U.S. F2000 National Championship.
Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and the Cooper Tires presents the U.S. F2000 National Championship are the three series in the Road to Indy developmental ladder system to the IZOD IndyCar Series.
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IZOD IndyCar Series fans have selected racing icon Mario Andretti as Indy car road racing legend to be honored by the series.
Fans selected Andretti as the honoree for the road championship trophy with 44 percent of the vote through a poll on indycar.com, the official website of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Alex Zanardi was second with 25 percent of the vote. Other nominees were: Dan Gurney (12 percent), Al Unser Jr. (10 percent) and Mark Donohue (8 percent).
Andretti was one of the most successful Indy car drivers with 52 victories – second to A.J. Foyt on the all-time list- and a record 67 pole positions. He won four Indy car titles in his career and won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969.
Among his 23 road course victories were wins at Indianapolis Raceway Park (4), Mont Tremblant (4), Long Beach (3), Road America (3) Portland (2), Riverside (1), Cleveland (1), The Meadowlands (1) Caesars Palace (1) and Mid-Ohio (1).
A.J. Foyt was selected as the honoree for the oval championship in June by the vote of the fans.
MARIO ANDRETTI: "I was full of pride when I learned the road racing trophy would bear my name and that it was determined by a fan vote. It's the ultimate compliment years after I retired, to have the fans remember me this way. That's the really great thing about fans. They keep you humble and grounded. They let you know when you mess up and applaud your successes. And if you're fortunate along the way, you make a lot of friends for life. Throughout my career, there was a thrill in knowing and feeling that fans were connecting with me. They certainly knew that road racing was my passion since the 60s. I am honored to have this trophy in my name and cherish the opportunity that it gives me to have a lasting bond with this series. I am genuinely appreciative of all the fans who continue to acknowledge my part in racing history every day. In the future, I will certainly enjoy watching young drivers in pursuit of this trophy."
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KV Racing Technology driver E.J. Viso talked about his crash in IZOD IndyCar Series practice this morning.
E.J. VISO: (About accident during morning practice): "We made a big improvement with the car today. The car was running nicely. I got a little wide in Turn 1 and was going through the grass area. I believe the skid plate under the car broke and lifted the front part of the car in the air. I couldn't steer the car at all. At that point, I was basically a passenger. I just couldn't do anything. I put my hands up by my helmet and took the hit into the wall. I feel badly for the crew because our PDVSA car was very good this morning. Now we have to go to the backup car for qualifying."
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IZOD IndyCar Series driver Raphael Matos is featured in a story in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine about how soccer shaped the sports careers of various world-class athletes. Other athletes featured in the story include Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash and Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, who played collegiately at nearby Syracuse University.
An accompanying interview also was televised this morning on "SportsCenter."
Story link: http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=5344098
Video link: http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=5344015