By Amy Konrath
Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines:
1. Cunningham’s opportunity arrives at Texas
2. Kanaan, Beatriz present Spirit of Sports Awards
3. Kanaan represents Dallas hospital in Prelude to the Dream
4. ‘Biggest Loser’ contestants, twins are grand marshals
5. Wheldon to present at CMT Awards:
1. Cunningham’s opportunity arrives at Texas: Wade Cunningham readily addresses the occasional impatience, the uncertainty and the business machinations of motorsports. In a more reflective tone, the New Zealander also speaks to how he believes he’s persevered, learned and grown in the past six-plus years competing in North American open-wheel racing and pursuing an opportunity to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
That time has come.
Cunningham, who announced his limited 2011 program with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in February, will join a track-record 29 other competitors for the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway on June 11. He’ll also participate in the Kentucky Indy 300 on Oct. 2 and the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16 in the No. 99 Creatherm Sam Schmidt Motorsports car (the one Townsend Bell drove to the fourth starting spot for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29).
The three-race program was by design.
“Our strategy for this year was to get my face out there and do as many events as possible and get as much experience as possible,” Cunningham says. “We could have done the ‘500’ or we could have done the program we’re doing. It’s such a tall ask showing up (at Indy) – the biggest race of the year with almost no prior testing other than what you get during the month – and then you’re expected to go out and race against the best guys in the series who have the best cars and shine and then expect something to happen from that one showing.
“And that’s assuming that it goes as good as it can. I thought that was too much risk for our sponsors and my exposure, so hopefully at the end of this year we get some exposure and we get momentum and next year I don’t think I’d make the same decision.
“I’ve been around the paddock since 2005 and maybe it gives you a bit more perspective than some of the young kids that keep sticking up year after year and eventually they’re going to hit the ceiling. I think my age now, 26, I’m a much more mature person and more mature driver and I’m going to make better decisions on the track and hopefully that plays into my hands when I do get the shot.”
Cunningham found success at every turn early in his motorsports career. The Asia-Pacific Karting champion in 2001 and winner of the World Karting Championship in 2003, Cunningham moved to the United States to race cars. He finished fifth in the 2004 Cooper Tires Formula Ford Zetec 2000 series, and claimed the Firestone Indy Lights championship with Brian Stewart Racing (finishing in the top five in 13 of the 14 races).
He competed in two Firestone Indy Lights races in 2010, winning the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a record third time and finishing third in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
“I’m 100 percent certain that if I had not won at Indy with Sam in 2009 and then 2010 I wouldn’t be here now,” says Cunningham, who sat out the ’08 season. “I would say my passion and success at Indy kept me going.”
Maybe those years in the wings will prove fruitful for Cunningham, who expected to slide into an IZOD IndyCar Series ride following his Firestone Indy Lights success in ’05. When that didn’t materialize, he began being more proactive with the business side of his career.
“It’s part of the process of going racing,” he says. “I’m used to it, especially the last few years when things were never going as planned or expected. I try not to get too ahead of myself, but it was pretty tough being at Indy for the Month of May and (seeing drivers) having a good time on the track, especially the rookies that I’ve been racing against.”
Thirty cars are entered at Texas – the largest field outside of the Indy 500 since 31 cars started at Las Vegas for the 1996-97 season finale (Oct. 11, 1997) – in the two 114-lap races on the same bill.
Cunningham advanced two positions to finish second at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in 2005 – the last time Firestone Indy Lights competed on the oval.
“It’s super-quick, and I love the mile-and-a-half racing and the pack racing,” he says. “It’s so close and that’s something the last couple of years in Lights the racing has been extremely close. That’s what I expect around Texas, just flat out on every lap in every corner.”
2. Kanaan, Beatriz present Spirit of Sports Awards: IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Tony Kanaan and Ana Beatriz will be presenters June 7 at the fifth St. Vincent Sports Performance Spirit of Sport Awards in Indianapolis.
Kanaan, the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion who drives for KV Racing Technology-Lotus, will present the Trinity Dove Award to Team Hoyt — father Dick (71) and son Rick (49) – which has competed in marathons and triathlons since 1977.
The Trinity Dove Award is awarded to a person/team that has inspired, moved or challenged the sports performance industry in a unique and personal way on their journey to healing mind body or sport. Rick Hoyt is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Kanaan, also a triathlete, will participate in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October.
Beatriz, of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, will present the Creativity Award for a team or individual that has the vitality, energy and enthusiasm to think creatively and problem solve in achieving a lofty goal.
“This is a celebration of the inspiring stories of individuals and teams,” said Ralph Reiff, director of St. Vincent Sports Performance. “This is an evening of recognizing the relationships built between our associates and those we are privileged to serve. We are honoring those who inspire all of us.”
3. Kanaan represents Dallas hospital in Prelude to the Dream: On June 8, Tony Kanaan will compete for the second year in a row in the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway in Ohio.
He’ll drive a 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock car around Eldora’s half-mile oval. The Prelude to the Dream is a team event. There is an individual race winner, but there is also a race within the race, with the field divided into four teams, each representing a children’s hospital.
Kanaan will join Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Dave Blaney and Aric Almirola on the team representing Team Dallas (Children’s Medical Center Dallas). Each hospital will receive a donation based on team finish.
4. ‘Biggest Loser’ contestants, twins are grand marshals: Texas Motor Speedway will salute the first-ever IZOD IndyCar Series twin races by having “The Biggest Loser” twin contestants Dan and Don Evans serve as the grand marshals.
The Evans brothers, 55, are Oklahoma City police officers. By the show’s finale on May 24, Dan and Don had lost 124 and 130 pounds, respectively.
5. Wheldon to present at CMT Awards: Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon will be a presenter during the CMT Music Awards on June 8 in Nashville.
Wheldon, whose Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian car carried sponsorship from leading Nashville record labels CURB Records and Big Machine, will rub shoulders with some of country music’s biggest stars on the red carpet before presenting an award during the show.
Marking the 10th anniversary of country music’s first fan-voted awards show, the 2011 CMT Music Awards will air live at 8 p.m. ET on CMT and CMT.com from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
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The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Firestone Twin 275s on June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the David Hobbs 100 at the Milwaukee Mile on June 17.