Road America weekend, part one: Back at the track

Working in baseball, it's usually a pretty busy summer during the season. I try to balance things out with some relaxation and fun things on the off days. Then there's the annual trip to Road America to take a weekend off and enjoy some IndyCar racing. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a great tradition in my family that I love.

I think I've covered the history we have with Road America on my blog in the past so I won't get into those details. When the open-wheel racing series merged back together a few years ago, Road America was left off the season schedule. I hope the strong attendance numbers the past three years since IndyCar's return in 2016 are speaking volumes as to what a mistake it was to leave this four-mile road course off the calendar. It's a favorite among many drivers who've had the privilege to race on the permanent road course.

We did the usual travel plan, which includes driving over on Thursday and taking in racing activities for the next three days. Get tickets early and in advance, and it's just $100 for the weekend. The biggest crowds always arrive on Sunday for the main event, the 55-lap Kohler Grand Prix. Though Friday and Saturday crowds are typically lighter, I will say that just from the eyeball glance it seemed like more and more race fans are making the trek to Elkhart Lake for the race weekend.

Picture perfect weekend, pretty much
The weather is always a concern, and with a baseball season already filled with a blizzard, snow-out weekend, I wasn't sure what to expect. The good news is no raindrops fell. That's always the best news, and we like to think we contribute to that by coming prepared with umbrellas and carrying around ponchos. Racing will still go on with a little rain on a road course, but it's not exactly the best atmosphere.

Friday was probably the worst day, relatively speaking. It was cloudy (which is noted in most of my racing photos) and cool. I'm making good use of the Road America hoodie I bought a couple years ago; last year's race day wasn't exactly hot and humid either.

Finding new spots to watch
For the first practice session to see the IndyCars, we ventured to a new spot on the inside of turn one after the cars come flying in from the long main straightaway. That's one of the best things about Road America, all the different vantage points you can set up to take in the action. It's also why attending multiple days is such a good idea.

Anyway, Dad and I were trying to remember, and I think it used to be that the inside of turn one was off limits to fans. It's a grassy area with a fence separating fans from the track, keeping some distance between us. It's a good photo spot now because there is no debris fencing on the inside of the turn, allowing us to get some shots without focusing through chain-link. Part of the area in turn one is opened up for camping as well. (Just off the eyeball glance again, it seems like Road America has more camping areas than in previous decades if that's your thing. You could camp out and never leave the track the entire weekend.)

Graham Rahal in turn one.

I always love finding new spots to watch the cars at Road America, and it was clear in 2016 that they've made improvements and added access for fans. Practice is always a little interesting, especially if you're going to take photos. You're never sure which drivers are going to run laps right away, who are waiting or who might still be working on the car setup. It's different than racing, because the cars space out enough, for the most part, that they kind of come by one at a time.

I got adjusted with my point-and-shoot digital, took some photos with my phone as well, along with covering some of my social media bases. I also made sure to look over to the outside of turn one and recall A.J. Foyt's bad crash in 1990 where he nearly died.

Meeting the drivers
After practice, we went through the paddock area to get an up-close look at the cars. It's always worth the extra time, and another reason to spend multiple days at the track. Then, we actually went to wait in the autograph session line. We don't usually do that, but Dad really wanted to get Scott Dixon's autograph on a couple photos he's taken. You get lucky sometimes, running into drivers in the paddock. Of course, most of the time we aren't quick enough or don't have the desired photos with us when that happens.

As we waited, it turned out we were in a good spot, able to see the drivers speed down the hill on their scooters and arrive for the session. The drivers were split into two lines, so I also had a few photos I've taken that I got signed by the drivers, like Dixon, Graham Rahal and Tony Kanaan. We also got signatures from a driver making his IndyCar debut over the weekend, 21-year-old Alfonso Celis Jr., from Mexico.

We watched afternoon practice from another new spot, along the hill about where the Billy Mitchell bridge used to be before they took it out (the one Memo Gidley crunched into a few years back). After slowing way down at Canada Corner in turn 12, the cars pour on the speed up the hill and toward the final turn before making their way up to the start/finish line. Celis Jr. lost it just before turn 14 during the session, connecting hard with the tire barrier and causing some damage. Not a surprise to see from a rookie trying to feel out his new car and a new track.

Other than that, it ended up being a pretty clean weekend as far as damage and crashes were concerned.

Read part two of the weekend:

Road America weekend, part two: Paddock and race day

Dixon, one of the best of all time, looks to continue momentum at Road America

Scott Dixon during 2017 practice at Road America.

Scott Dixon walked away from a debris-filled crash with an inside wall at the 2017 Indianapolis 500. His demeanor for an on-camera interview during the live ABC broadcast was cool as a cucumber. As expected for the IndyCar driver nicknamed the Ice Man. He's also leaving his mark as one of the greatest drivers in the sport's history, joining the ranks of guys named Foyt, Andretti and Mears.

Heading into this weekend for the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., Dixon will try to win the event for the second year in a row. Last year, Dixon hadn't ever led a lap at the four-mile road course until that Sunday. (To be fair, IndyCar had a long break from the course with a triumphant return in 2016.) But Dixon passed Josef Newgarden on a restart in turn one to grab the lead and hang onto it the rest of the way for his 41st career victory. His win also spoiled the weekend for Team Penske, whose four cars dominated the road course last year, starting 1-2-3-4 on the grid.

This season, Dixon, 37, won the first race of the Detroit doubleheader and followed that up with a victory deep in the heart of Texas on the oval. His latest victory (No. 43 in his career) moved him into sole possession of third place on the all-time victory list in IndyCar racing, passing Michael Andretti. Dixon trails only A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti on the victory list.

The two victories this season have put Dixon, already a four-time series champion, in the points lead this season with 357. Alexander Rossi with Andretti Autosport, and the 2016 Indy 500 winner, is second 23 points behind Dixon. Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Newgarden round out the top five in the standings.

Ice Man just doing his thing 
Dixon has an IndyCar career that spans 18 seasons. He's inched his way up on the victory list, raced for one of the top teams in Chip Ganassi Racing, made it to victory lane for the 2008 Indy 500 and does it all with a calm focus. Actually, 2008 was one of Dixon's best efforts, with six total victories (including the big one at Indy) and his second series championship.

Watch him on the race track, and it's amazing the ground he can make up to gain positions. He's just an all-around good race car driver, and he doesn't seem to make a big deal out of his success either. He's pretty even-keeled.

Plus, in a time when IndyCar ratings and attendance are generally up as the sport gains traction, Dixon is putting on a show for the fans. It's not easy to stand out sometimes with such a diverse field of drivers, several winners, and a dominant Team Penske. But Dixon is showcasing what a talented race driver can do. He's one of the best if not the best of his era. After all, A.J. and Mario raced throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s and early 90s. Michael followed along and overlapped before becoming the team owner he is now.

Scott Dixon will go down as the first top driver of this century.

Kohler GP back for a third year
This year's entry list for Road America contains 23 drivers, including 21-year-old rookie Alfonso Celis Jr., of Mexico, making his IndyCar debut. Indy Grand Prix and Indy 500 winner Will Power won Road America when the series returned to the track in 2016.

The 55-lap race on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course is set for about noon on Sunday.

April baseball is filled with blizzards and down time

The backyard.

It's April 15, and it hasn't stopped snowing for two straight days. Hello, blizzard of 2018.

This also means that the Minnesota Twins haven't played much baseball lately. They beat the White Sox at home on Thursday, the start of what was supposed to be a four-game series at Target Field. Instead, the final three games of that series were postponed (not canceled; there's a difference) because of inclement weather. In this case, "inclement weather" means there was a gigantic blizzard that hit the Twin Cities.

First, Friday was a mix of cold temps, sleet and rain that contributed to the game getting called off for the night. At that point (and even earlier in the week), everyone pretty much figured Saturday's game wasn't going to happen, with the snow arriving later Friday night. Yes, Saturday was also postponed as of that morning.

Sunday was initially questionable, because who wants to postpone three games in a row? But as the feet of snow kept falling, they canned Sunday's contest late Saturday afternoon. The White Sox could head out for their next road series in Oakland (enjoy!) while the Twins flew down to Puerto Rico Sunday afternoon to prepare for their two-game series there against Cleveland this week.

Oh, and last Sunday's game was postponed, too. That was against Seattle, a day after the coldest game in Twins history was played. The Twins already have four postponements on their schedule - and again, it's only April 15. The season just started.

Of course, it's been a very odd start to the season, thanks to the weather. When they've played, the Twins have been good. Jose Berrios has pitched well; he tied his career-high with 11 strikeouts in the first-and-only game against the White Sox. Joe Mauer reached the 2,000 hits milestone that same night, and it was cool for him to accomplish the milestone in front of the home crowd on a chilly April evening.

They opened the season in Baltimore on March 29 and lost in extra innings, but they recovered to win the series. They split a couple games in Pittsburgh, where the weather wasn't much better than Minnesota with heavy snow flurries and wind for the game-two night game.

The Twins won their home opener on April 5 to start a 10-game homestand with a few home runs in a 4-2 victory over the Mariners. Technically, the homestand is a season-long 12 games, since the Puerto Rico games are considered home games for the Twins. Still, having the Twins play 10 games in April to start their home schedule is kind of asking for the baseball-weather gods to screw you over.

With spring really not arriving at all so far, temperatures have been frigid for the brave fans who venture to the outdoor ballpark. Note: I will not get into a stadium debate in this blog. The coldest game in Twins history was 27 degrees at first pitch. The Twins lost to Seattle 11-4 that day. Technically, it was series split since the finale was postponed.

April 7, 2018: The coldest Twins game in history.

When the Twins start play in Puerto Rico, they'll hold a 7-4 record with 11 games played in 19 days. That will be the fewest number of games played in baseball, I believe. Let me also point out that the Twins aren't the only ones that have had weather issues this season. On April 15, no team from the American League Central finished a baseball game.

There are plenty of off days to start anyway. With each team's home opener in a cooler city, there's an off day after the opener. So, the Twins had two off days after they played the first games in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Then there was the off day after the home opener. They also have two off days built in around the Puerto Rico series.

It's just a strange start to the season, for all involved. First, they started the season in March. Then it's just been tough to get into a rhythm with so much cold weather and days without a baseball game. Because even when games have been played, the only relatively nice weather the Twins have experienced was in Baltimore. They came home to host the Mariners and then took two-of-three games from the defending-champion Houston Astros the beginning of last week.

Of course, there's nothing anyone can do about the weather. We just have to react to it and try to plan accordingly. In baseball terms, that usually means making up games with doubleheaders and taking away previously-scheduled off days to get the games in later in the season.

It's disappointing because the start of the baseball season is exciting. Opening Day is always fun and full of anticipation. Players are looking to get started on the right foot with their seasons individually. Teams hope to gain some momentum on their way to a division title or playoff berth at the end of 162 games. To borrow from a quote in car racing, you can't win a race on the first lap (April for baseball), but you can lose it.

It's just frustrating to not get the season started without a bunch of weather getting in the way. Here's to hoping better weather and more victories are in the future!