December 4, 2023

In 2000, the CART Racing Series was becoming a mess with the Indy Racing League trying to take control of the series.

Only one CART team showed up at the Indy 500 in 2000 and it was Chip Gannasi Racing with Juan Pablo Montoya in an IRL car. He easily won the Indy 500.

CART tried to have their own Indy 500 with the Michigan 500 in July but it wasn't anything like the famed Indianapolis 500.

Fresh from his Indy 500 win, the following weekend on June 6, 2000 Juan Pablo Montoya put his car on pole position in Milwaukee.  For the Miller Lite 225 presented by Kmart race, Juan Pablo had the fastest laps during the race and won.

DailmerChrysler/Mercedes would withdraw their engine program and the series was becoming a mess thanks to Tony George and his Indy Racing League trying to take over.

Helio Castroneves was in his first of many successful years in a Penske Indy Car. That car was to be Greg Moore's ride but Greg died tragically in 1999 at the California race.

Greg was missed and we can only imagine what he would have done during his racing career.

Helio would go on to win many races through the years including 4 Indy 500's! Maybe Helio can get Indy win number five next year!

Gil de Ferran would win the championship in 2000 and Kenny Brack was the rookie of the year in 2000.

Enjoy a look at the Milwaukee Mile where the Indy Cars are coming back in 2024 after missing the last 8 years there.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Juan Pablo winning the Milwaukee CART race a week after wining the Indy 500 in an IRL car. 

Here in Wisconsin, snow is on the ground and it's going to be 6F tomorrow with a crazy windchill!! We should be seeing daffodils and rabbits outside instead of snow, ice and cold.

On February 28th, two of my favorite race car drivers celebrated their birthdays. Mario Andretti turned 79 and still drives the two seat Indy Car. I still want a ride in that car Mario! Sebastien Bourdais turned 40 on the same day!

On March 10th, the Indy Cars have the first race of the season in St. Petersburg, Florida. Sebastien Bourdais has lived in St. Petersburg for a few years and won that race twice I believe.

To get ready for the season let's take a look back at the birthday boys and some of the Indy Cars.

Last year Scott Dixon won the championship and I think he could do it again! Good luck Scott!

Stay warm and get ready to hear the awesome sounds of Indy Car again!

See how many drivers you can recognize here.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

July 18, 2016

Finally catching up with editing the photographs that I took on Saturday of the Indy car weekend at Road America! On that Saturday I only took 739 photos, so there are just a few to edit.

I don't want you all to see the bad stuff, and yes I shoot bad ones. So I go through every shot and check them out and get rid of the bad ones.

What you see here are just a few that I like and find interesting.

Marco Andretti's shoes are interesting in that you will see his initials sewn into them.

Helio, Graham Rahal and a few guys bouncing over the bumps in Canada Corner is something to witness, not just to see, but to hear their cars going over the bumps, because they come into the corner a little too fast. It's something! It also must hurt the bum bouncing on them like that! They are just inches off the ground and there is not much padding for the driver in his seat.

I have also included a couple photos of Zak Veach and James French from the Indy Lights cars that raced that weekend too. Zak has won just about everything this year and was on the pole. James French is our local boy from Sheboygan who usually races in an IMSA car but did the Indy Lights as a substitute driver for the weekend.  It was a different environment for him. He is young and going to be good. Wish our local boy all the best in the future!

Enjoy a look from the roof of the media center by the start/finish line. It's a very cool view and you can see into the cars a bit.

Have a good week and please join me on Facebook if you haven't for more fun photos!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

June 27, 2016

It was fun this past weekend with Indy cars back at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Not enough time to go into everything and edit a million photos today though.

So here are a few photos from Sunday, with our race winner Will Power and my new friend, Indy Lights driver, James French.

Enjoy, and more coming soon.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

May 25, 2015

It's Sunday evening here as I write my blog in Wisconsin.  It's  a cool, rainy, sleepy day, and good day to sit and watch the Indy 500.

My blog today takes a look at Jeff Beck, who I had the pleasure of photographing Friday night at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater. He is so good and my favorite guitarist.

We sat and watched Juan Pablo Montoya win the Indy 500 today! He was in last place for a bit, and then wins it all!! Congrats to him, wife Connie and family.

For fun, I have included my first ever Indy car photos from the Milwaukee 1971, Rex Mays Classic race at the Milwaukee Mile. Dad wouldn't take me, so the photos are done with a tripod and shot through the television!!! Bobby Unser won it and looks so young!  A.J. Foyt has a plain old white helmet with AJ written on it! Funny stuff to look at until you see the one photo of someone's car in flames on the track. Love the #1 Bardahl car of Joe Leonard!

Thanks and have a good week,

Rich Zimmermann

Juan Pablo Montoya, racing in CART at the Milwaukee Mile and Road America in 1999 and 2000.

March 31, 2014

To all of my rock'n'roll friends, we need to take a break from my rock blogs please! The Indy car season starts today as I am writing this blog on Sunday afternoon!

Juan Pablo Montoya, raced Indy cars a while back when the cars looked and sounded a lot better.

In the attached photos you will see that he was driving for Target and Chip Ganassi Racing in 1999 and 2000. He won the championship, many races and the Indy 500. Then he went to Formula 1. After that, he came back to the States and tried Nascar. He didn't do as well as he did in an open wheel car.

Thankfully, he has come back to Indy cars and team Penske, which is Target Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing's rival! He is older, wiser and a married man with kids now.

I wish him the best of luck. He will help to make the season exciting!

Time for me to go watch the race and I hope Juan Pablo does well.

Please join me on Facebook at Rich Zimmermann Photography to keep in touch with some nice rock'n'roll and racing photography.

Have a great week.

Rich Zimmermann