Final practice, air demonstrations and music acts round out schedule Friday, May 24 at IMS. Read More>
Two departure times provide more flexibility for fans who want to commute to the track on their bike on Race Day. Read More>
This partnership represents the first time a major athlete's sponsorship has been decided by a vote using blockchain technology. Read More>
View images from the shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 Open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
View images from the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
Josef Newgarden unveils the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Ticket View Photos>
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway prides itself on its fire rescue and medical response teams that arrive to the scene of an accident within seconds. But how do they get that good? On Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles takes you through the annual Motorsports Safety Training at IMS, which features specific training scenarios for INDYCAR, NASCAR, IMSA and more to make sure every driver at IMS is safe. Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson sits down with Doug Boles to talk about the pain of coming so close to scoring back-to-back wins, how he wanted to compete on ovals after his Formula 1 career and the transition to Andretti Global. Watch Video>
Why does Scott McLaughlin move his hands around so much in the car? What "button" is he pushing? What's the pressure of the iconic Yellow Submarine like? We cover that and so much more with Scott McLaughlin on the latest Doug and Drivers. Watch Video>
May 09, 2013 | By Marshall Pruett
It’s not a Scandinavian flick. It’s not Hooning. So what is it? What’s the name for the fairly common practice among IndyCar drivers of executing a power half-spin in a runoff area when they make a mistake and run too long into a braking zone? The Spin-Flick. The Snap-Spin? The Roasty-Table-Top-180?
“Hmmn, I have no idea,” said Panther Racing IndyCar driver JR Hildebrand. “That’s a good question, and it needs a name, for sure.” I figured if Hildebrand, IndyCar’s resident drifting expert (he’ll compete in two Formula D rounds later this year driving for his friend Tyler McQuarrie) doesn’t know what to call the maneuver, it’s time to take it to the fans for input. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and maybe it will get picked up by drivers and commentators at the next street race, held one week after the Indy 500 on June 1-2 in Detroit. And while we’re at it, like drifting, this IndyCar Whatd’ya-Call-It move is worthy of being judged. Five drivers took trips into the runoff last weekend in this clip from the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and perform the yet-to-be-named turn, so which one do you think did the best job from start to finish? Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s James Jakes kicks things off and does a nice spin but doesn’t power away after getting pointed in the right direction. Big loss of points on my scorecard. Brazil’s Ana Beatriz is impressive in how close she executes the move next to the barrier—risked bashing the right rear wheel of her Dale Coyne Racing car—but takes her time getting back to the action. Also a big loss of points. Next up is four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, who is pretty smooth and fluid every step of the way and does a marvelous burnout in his Dragon Racing machine to leave the runoff. It’s a contender for the Whatd’ya-Call-It win. Three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti gets high marks for the start of his move, but the Target Chip Ganassi driver only turns the car about 130 degrees—not even a proper rotation—but does keep the car moving and pulls back onto the track. He might make the podium, but certainly not the top step. The champion, at least during qualifying at Brazil, is Andretti Autosport’s E.J. Viso. He brings the car to a stop, lets the revs rise, drops the (hand) clutch, spins the car and even gasses it up with a bit of opposite lock once he’s on the course. Which one do you like most and why? Share your rankings below. Marshall Pruett is a contributor for IMS.com and also writes for SPEED.com, Racer and Road & Track.