Ragin’ Graham Rahal recently said “there’s no fake news” in IndyCar.

Photo from twitter.com

Russian Reruns, Again: SPM confirmed what most expected in the return of Russkie Mikhail Aleshin to the number 7 car for the 2017 campaign. He’ll be paired with comedic Canuck James “happy to be alive” Hinchcliffe for the second consecutive season. Reigning champ and Frenchman Simon Pagenaud called the series “better and way more fun” with the cruisin’ Cossack back in the car. For once, we agree with the fickle frog.

Media Day Matters?: Apparently another IndyCar media day came and went, with the usual lack of real news. Same schedule, largely the same roster of drivers, etc. Here’s a tip for the series: choose another time besides Super Bowl week – any other time – if you truly want to stand out. Also, try generating some real news. Otherwise, it’s worse than fake news – it’s no news at all.

Out of Date Oreos: ESPN’s highly overrated John Oreovicz wrote a puff piece on IndyCar’s “bucking the overall trend of auto racing’s decline” recently. Perhaps. The entire story was a rehash of items we’d previously reported, but with a positive spin. Distressingly, Oreo not only lifted our earlier “Back to the Future” idea, but also screwed up the timeline in his story, writing that Pags will utilize the “No. 1 in 2016.” Back to the future, indeed!

Still Needs More Sage: In yet another sign of IRR’s increasing influence on IndyCar, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced that Sage Karam will drive the number 24 car for them again in the 101st Indy 500. The Pennsylvanian drove for them in last year’s 500 and raced well before crashing spectacularly in turn 1. It’s a start, but we still advocate a full time ride for Sage.

Photo from twitter.com

Remember to shop IRR for all your Valentine’s Day shopping needs!