Back Porch FanHouse http://backporch.fanhouse.com Back Porch FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Back Porch FanHouse http://backporch.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/IRL Revving Up Without Castroneveshttp://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/25/irl-revving-up-without-castroneves/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/25/irl-revving-up-without-castroneves/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/25/irl-revving-up-without-castroneves/#commentsFiled under: ,

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- There was the typical air of optimism and eagerness at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the IndyCar Series teams gathered Tuesday for their first official day of testing for the 2009 season.

Yet something didn't feel quite right. One of the series' brightest personalities was noticeably absent from the paddock and press conferences.

Instead of shaking down his famous No. 3 Penske Racing Honda, two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, 33, is spending the week a few miles away at his Miami home -- preparing to go to trial Monday on federal tax evasion charges."I hope he can prove what he's trying to prove and he can come back and make all of us laugh," said fellow Brazilian and longtime friend Tony Kanaan. "You think as a series as well, we need him. He's a personality, he's a character. He's just Helio and if he doesn't come back we're definitely going to miss that part."

"I'm sad at what's going on and I definitely don't like to see him in that position no matter what the outcome of what is going to happen to him."

Castroneves is free on $10 million bail and could face more than 30 years in jail if convicted on all counts -- which include charges he failed to report more than $5 million in income from1999-2004.

The serious nature of the situation is in stark contrast to the happy-go-lucky Brazilian with the wide smile who won over America first with his trademark Spiderman-like victory fence climbs and then as the smooth-moving champion of the "Dancing with the Stars" television series.

On his website, Castroneves reiterated his innocence and has thanked fans -- in Portuguese and English -- for their support.

"It is extremely hard to know everyone is here (in Miami) and I am not there," Castroneves posted Tuesday on heliocastroneves.com. "We may start the season a little late, but I will always be ready behind the wheel."

In a previous update, Castroneves assured, "It's getting kind of busy, but everything is going in the right direction in my case."

Only a few weeks ago, he stood alongside his Penske Racing team in Indianapolis as it introduced his substitute, Australian Will Power. Team president Tim Cindric reaffirmed the team's commitment to Castroneves since he "hasn't been found guilty of anything yet."

And he promised the No. 3 is Castroneves' car should he be cleared. But Powers is handling the preseason testing -- he was fifth-fastest on Tuesday's speed chart - and will take over one of the most prestigious jobs in racing should Castroneves not be cleared.

"We're going to stand behind Helio and in the meantime, we're going to get ourselves as prepared as we can be to go win races this year," Cindric said.

The topic was obviously -- and understandably -- awkward for Castroneves' competitors on Tuesday. Several, including Marco Andretti and his Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe, said they have kept in touch with Castroneves.

"I've never talked about his case, I just give him support as a friend," Briscoe said.

Kanaan, who has raced against Castroneves for decades, said he hasn't spoken with him in months.

"In these types of moments, the best thing to do is leave the person alone and let him deal with the issues he has," Kanaan said, adding, "Myself, I will miss my reference that there was a guy I raced against all my life and every single time we were on the race track, he raised my game and I raised his game."

The trial is expected to last about 20 days, which would put its ending only days prior to IndyCar's April 5 season-opener on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

The series has also been publicly supportive of Castroneves, acknowledging that there is a large personality and competition void without him. Not only is he a perennial championship contender (he finished runner-up in 2008), but he is among the most popular drivers in series history.

"We wish Helio the best ... we would love to not have had this happen," said Terry Angstadt, president of the IndyCar Series' Commerical Division. "But we're going to focus on the things we can control and improve ... and look forward to hopefully Will having a good experience for however long that exists for him."

As for Castroneves, Briscoe summed up the feelings of most.

"We have our fingers crossed for him."

IRL Revving Up Without Castroneves originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>helio castronevesHelioCastronevesHolly CainWed, 25 Feb 2009 12:27:00 EST Patrick, Andretti Say F1 Talk Prematurehttp://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/24/patrick-andretti-say-f1-talk-premature/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/24/patrick-andretti-say-f1-talk-premature/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/24/patrick-andretti-say-f1-talk-premature/#commentsFiled under: ,

Danica Patrick, Marco AndrettiHOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti are here at Homestead Miami Speedway for the first official test session of the IndyCar Series. But it's a possible future in Formula One that keeps coming up.

The F1 buzz is in reaction to the newly-formed USF1 team which was unveiled by owners Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday.

"I'm very flattered to be thought of, for sure. ... Formula One is a very competitive platform, but I don't necessarily know why no one ever spoke to me,'' Patrick said Tuesday after the team mentioned her as a potential driving candidate.

"It's not like they contacted me and I gave them the 'oh yeah, that sounds very interesting.' I never heard from anyone.''

Danica Patrick Snapshots

    ** FILE ** In this May 30, 2008 file photo, IRL Series driver Danica Patrick speaks at a news conference in West Allis, Wis. Patrick says she has not been contacted by anyone from the new American-based Formula One team and has no plans to leave the IndyCar Series. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

    AP

    ** FILE ** In this May 10, 2007, file photo, Michael Andretti, left, and Danica Patrick stand in the pits during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Andretti, who co-owns the team for which Patrick drives, will be strategist for Patrick in the 2009 IndyCar season, the team announced Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. The decision allows Kyle Moyer, who made the calls for Patrick's car last season, to fill the same role for Andretti's son, Marco. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman, File)

    AP

    DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JANUARY 24: Danica Patrick, driver of the #2 Childress-Howard Motorsports Pontiac Crawford reacts to her lap times during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 24, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JANUARY 24: Danica Patrick, driver of the #2 Childress-Howard Motorsports Pontiac Crawford drives during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 24, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JANUARY 24: Danica Patrick high fives a young fan during the autograph session prior to the Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 24, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 26: Danica Patrick drives the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda during the IRL Indy Car Series Nikon Indy 300 on October 26, 2008 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Danica Patrick drives the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda during the qualifying session for the IRL Indy Car Series Nikon Indy 300 on October 25, 2008 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Danica Patrick drives the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda during the qualifying session for the IRL Indy Car Series Nikon Indy 300 on October 25, 2008 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Danica Patrick driver of the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda sits in her car during practice for the IRL Indy Car Series Nikon Indy 300 on October 24, 2008 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 24: Danica Patrick drives the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda during practice for the IRL Indy Car Series Nikon Indy 300 on October 24, 2008 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

    Getty Images



Andretti's grandfather, the legendary racer Mario Andretti, told the Associated Press that Marco would be the ideal fit for the new team, which plans to debut on the F1 grid in 2010 with a pair of American-born drivers.

Andretti, however, was apparently unaware of his grandfather's comments.

"It would be risky because it's such a new team, that's all I would say,'' Andretti, 21, said, brushing off the question on his way into a drivers meeting before practice.

Patrick's name came up even before the team's official announcement. But like her Andretti-Green Racing teammate, she didn't indicate it would be a realistic situation for her at this time.

"They probably just used my name a little bit,'' Patrick said. "But again, they used my name so I'm flattered. I would think they wouldn't just bring up my name unless they had some reason.

"People bring my name up, especially during this time where you've got Super Bowl commercials out there and Sports Illustrated and all this other stuff. It's a bit more of a hot button right now than other times of the year.''

Patrick, Andretti Say F1 Talk Premature originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>danica patrickDanicaPatrickmarco andrettiMarcoAndrettiHolly CainTue, 24 Feb 2009 16:43:00 EST Danica Patrick Talks About Back-to-Back Swimsuit Appearances http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/14/danica-patrick-talks-about-back-to-back-swimsuit-appearances/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/14/danica-patrick-talks-about-back-to-back-swimsuit-appearances/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/14/danica-patrick-talks-about-back-to-back-swimsuit-appearances/#commentsFiled under: ,

This past week, FanHouse ran our behind-the-scenes video interview with Danica Patrick as she was between takes at the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot here in New York. While it's tough to get enough of DP, we weren't able to fit the entire interview in the video, so here's a transcript of the rest of our chat with Danica. She talks about everything from how she stays fit to guilty food pleasures. Enjoy.


Randy Kim: So I've got to say, doing that shoot looked like harder work than I would have imagined ...

Danica Patrick: Well, you definitely cheat the pose a little to look good for the camera, not to mention all of the things that are on the car; things to lift the hood up that are daggers in my side and things like that, but it's not that bad. But I'm sure my back will feel a little weird tomorrow from all of the arching and twisting and turning, and my head might have some bruises from the windshield, but it's, of course, worth it.

RK: It basically looked like you were taking a yoga class on the hood of the car with all of the contortions.

DP: It was definitely a little bit of contorting, but luckily I didn't have to put my legs in any completely inappropriate ways like we do in yoga, so we kept it to mostly the midsection moving.

RK: This is your second year in a row doing the Swimsuit Issue, so can you talk about how much of an honor that is for you?

DP: It is really an honor. I was talking to my husband the other day and he was wondering if an athlete's gone back-to-back in the issue before, and I don't know that answer. They might have, there might be some other ones, but I don't think it's incredibly common, so I'm really, really flattered that SI would have me in the issue again, and, you know, I would love to be a regular in the issue. I'm going to work hard this year to try and earn that spot again. (Laughs)

RK: Last year you shot on a beach in Florida. This year you're in New York with a sportscar ...

DP: Yeah, I thought maybe we were going to go to the Hamptons and shoot on the beach, but then we were here so I figured that wasn't the case.

RK: Was the car your idea?

DP: No, you know, Diane Smith is the senior editor for this whole issue and she comes up with all of the concepts, all of the ideas, and, well, I'm sure she probably has some help, but she has such an eye and a feel for this stuff. Even just flipping through swimming suits, Diane is able to just pull one and go, "Hmmm, try this one." And you might not think it looks good, and then you put it on and you're like, "Wow!" You really ... you feel this, you know this, and she has a lot of experience, so I leave it up to her and her people to make the decisions on how to shoot me. It's, after all, their issue, not mine.


RK: Well, you looked great in the shoot. So is this body by IRL? How much work does it require for you to stay in tip-top shape?

DP: Well, it's an ongoing fitness regimen for the on-track stuff, and for being strong and having endurance. But this is a little bit different. I actually used Body By Jake to get fit for (the photo shoot). I did it on my own last year and thought, "You know what? Let's just give this a whirl." So, it was a really cool experience, and it was a lot of hard work, but it's different training for swimsuit, and it's not so much about being as strong or to have as much endurance as much as it is to kind of be lean and mean.

RK: Everyone has their guilty food pleasure. What's yours?

DP: Actually, I'm really sad that I didn't eat the pizza (that was served during the shoot). I had some rice and some chicken and some salad, and that's sick. Why did I do that? I should be having pizza today. It's the day that it doesn't matter anymore! I think my body's pretty used to the whole clean foods right now, so I'll ease into it for the next couple of days. But I'd say chocolate. I love chocolate. Pizza. Chocolate. Candy ... No, I'm a healthy person, so everything in moderation.

RK: So you're no Tony Stewart health-wise?

DP: Well ... I mean, Tony Stewart is fit too. He's not as lean as I am, probably, but there's no doubt that if you're going to go out there and run a four-hour race, you have to have a reasonable amount of fitness too.

RK: What is your best feature?

DP: I don't think that I'm the one that's supposed to say what my best feature is. I think I leave that up to everyone else, or else it's just Danica being vain, so I don't think I have any good features.

RK: Worst feature?

DP: All of them. They're all the worst. I wish they were all better. I wish they were all a little bit better, a little bit more enhanced, a little bit more perfect. But, you know, I think what makes a woman really beautiful is when she's confident and comfortable in herself and the way she looks, and so as I get older I get more and more comfortable with it, so maybe that's part of why I'm in the issue again? I don't know. (Laughs)

RK: Well, I noticed you have a tattoo on your lower back.

DP: I do?

RK: Maybe you don't? Maybe I'm making that up?

DP: Yeah, I have a huge tattoo on my lower back. Yeah.

RK: Well, if you had to get another one, what would it be?

DP: I love tattoos, actually. I know that's probably not the most popular thing to say, but I just like that something means enough that you can put it on your body. Something that is that meaningful that it's there forever. Man, if I got another one ... I want something with words in it next time. Mine is a checkered flag-American flag with some angel wings and some stars and stuff. It's a two-part thing, I got the first half of it when I was 19 and I got the rest of it just a few months ago, and I'm 26 now. So, some words. Some writing. Some meaningful writing.

RK: Who is tougher to work with, a crew chief or a fashion photographer?

DP: (Laughs) Well, I think that a crew chief is reacting, and a photographer is proactive, so you definitely are playing off of a photographer more than you are off of a crew chief, let's say. Or off of an engineer or anything like that, even. With a photographer, they're leading the way a little bit more. In racing, I'm the one that comes in off the track and says, "Look, it's under-steering, it's over-steering, this is what it's doing," and then they react from my comments. I'm a little bit more at the mercy of everyone else at a photo shoot. But that's OK, because I'm not a professional model, so I want to take their lead.

RK: And your dog's name is Ricky Bobby?

DP: Nope. My dog's name is Billy Bob, or "William Robert." My sister's dog's name is Ricky Bobby. We have Pete, Billy and Ricky.

RK: Well, I was going to ask you about car-racing movies.

DP: Oh yeah, so of course "Talladega Nights" comes up. Well, that was why my sister named her dog Ricky Bobby. But I've got to say, I like "Days of Thunder", man. I think it's a strong racing movie. I wasn't such a fan of "Driven" or anything like that. The likelihood of someone pulling over to get out of their car to help a teammate? (Shakes head)

RK: OK, well, one more question. Checkered-flag bikini: Best idea ever or worst idea ever?

DP: I think that if people follow racing at all or sports or anything, then they kind of know who's who and I'd kind of like to branch out from the whole logo-ing of myself and be able to be recognizable without a checkered flag and without all those kinds of things. I do like black and white, and I like stripes and all that kind of stuff, and I like checkered flags, because it's, like, part of me. But checkered-flag swimming suit? Little cheesy.

RK: You like winning them, not wearing them.

DP: Little cheesy.

(Check out SI.com's special Swimsuit '09 section for more coverage from this year's issue.)

Danica Patrick Talks About Back-to-Back Swimsuit Appearances originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>danica patricktony stewartRandy KimSat, 14 Feb 2009 21:22:00 EST Behind the Scenes at Danica Patrick's SI Swimsuit Shoothttp://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/10/behind-the-scenes-video-from-danica-patricks-si-swimsuit-shoot/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/10/behind-the-scenes-video-from-danica-patricks-si-swimsuit-shoot/http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/02/10/behind-the-scenes-video-from-danica-patricks-si-swimsuit-shoot/#commentsFiled under: ,

FanHouse was recently fortunate enough to go behind the scenes with Danica Patrick for her 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue photo shoot here in New York. Patrick talked to us between takes about what it means to be in the Swimsuit Issue in consecutive years, as well as her secret to staying in shape. Watch the video below to see what Danica had to say about this and more, and check back in a few days for a transcript of the full interview.

And don't forget to check out SI.com for an in-depth look at the 2009 Swimsuit Issue.


More Swimsuit '09 Coverage:
-- SI Swimsuit '09 section
-- More Danica Patrick photos
-- SI's Danica Patrick video
-- Bodypainting
-- NBA dancers
-- Tennis stars

Behind the Scenes at Danica Patrick's SI Swimsuit Shoot originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>danicadanica patrickDanicaPatrickRandy KimTue, 10 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST