I can’t believe I live in a country where I will only be able to watch ONE of the three Yankees-Red Sox games. I’ll be exploring all the bars on Sunday by myself looking for one with a dish that gets ESPN.

Following the disappointment of Korea, now things seem to quickly be on the upswing with the announcement of another HVM driver and suddenly the car-count for Mexico City looks pretty decent. I applaud Champ Car for being able to bounce back relatively unscathed.

Chip talking about running some races next year in Champ Car, Cotman eluded to a couple of teams in discussion with Champ Car about returning, Honda being at the Vegas race ‘visiting’ old friends. There’s a good bit of buzz about 2006 and beyond right now and Champ Car needs to pounce. I know there’s a lot of mix feelings about having the defectors come back. Should they come back, it demonstrates how much of a business it is to these people, as opposed to Newman/Haas or Forsythe who didn’t bail and showed their passion for the sport. But, we should welcome back these teams if for the only reason that it affects their car-count and definitely continues the momentum building.

Personally, I welcome them all back, except MAYBE Andretti, since he really seemed to not just leave, but also burn everything on his way out. But you can’t say no to an Andretti. Its that simple. Fortunately, I think he’d quit all racing or join a NASCAR outfit before returning to Champ Cars. He’s got a big ego and he’s very proud.
Hopefully it works out that a few teams come back. If they do, we’ll have some teams to root against!

Just landed from a Red Eye back from Vegas. Don't get me started on Red Eye's.

Well Vegas has come and gone and now Korea is cancelled, essentially giving Bourdais the championship for 2005 and killing a lot of momentum that the Champ Cars had been experiencing throughout the summer. I don’t know how I feel about Korea, except that I don’t like the fact that it’s still on the schedule for 2006. I have no insider information as to why Korea didn’t pan out this year. I know what you know. But at this point it would appear to me that going back there would be a mistake. I guess I shouldn’t say a mistake, but announcing that we are going back after failing two years in a row is where I think the mistake lies. Will Champ Cars be heading to Philly for a July 4th race next year? I don’t know, but the rumors are rampant. Better that way then announcing it as an official event and then having it fall-through because of logistics. With Champ Car saying that they will head to Korea in 2006, will anybody really believe it until it actually happens? I think that they should have suspended Korea from the 2006 schedule and leave that space open. Better to have rumors about it happening then to have doubters that it will take place. Just my opinion

The Vegas race was really cool. It was one of the events I enjoyed the most professionally. Maybe it was because the entire facility is pretty new and I sat at the top of the grandstands with a phenomenal view of the track (as opposed to Milwaukee where I am up on a scaffold in the infield). I truly felt like a fan sitting in the grandstands. Not often do I get to see everything in front of me without the aid of television. You come to appreciate both; the view of the entire track and the help of television when it comes to figuring out who was in the right when it comes to cars bumping each other. That was the big question on Saturday and it was the most enjoyable moment of the year for me. Listening to both camps argue with each other. Seeing the passion displayed by Gerry Forsythe. Having the debates with my colleagues in the booth after we saw the replay. Moments like that are what racing is all about and though I may have an opinion as to who I think was in the fault, it doesn’t really matter because it’s about the moment and the discussion it brings and not about the actual ‘who’ was in the fault.

Too bad about Bjorn. He really turned it on this race. Racing is such a bizarre and fickle business where one can taste success one moment and then failure the next. Money is such a reality in this game that it can become annoying. I wish Bjorn the bext. He was one of the drivers that I actually considered a friend. He was always nice to me, recognized me and stopped to chat with me. He was an asset to the series and I hope he finds his way back as soon as possible.
I want to thank all the people in Vegas who stopped me Saturday evening to tell me how much they enjoyed Overheard at the Track. It makes it so worthwhile knowing that its appreciated. We’re all in this together and if I can bring a little something extra, then it makes everything worth it. Expect a new Overheard shortly (for those who saw me in Vegas, you’ll probably note that it will be Overheard in the Paddock as opposed to the Track). The Fan Forum was also really fun. It’s the last of the year and a great way to go out. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.