Due to family commitments I was unable to make the annual party but I'm happy to say that I've secured my spot and fully prepared for the remainder of the event. Despite my absence I've spoken with the PLM crew and the party continues, albeit on a somewhat down note. I did manage to fire up my own grill today and to enjoy the Radio Le Mans coverage while hanging out on the porch with the new "big sister". She was more than happy to help me paint our affiliation on the front driveway, though I doubt non-Corvette Racing fans will recognize the Bad Boy Vette logo.

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Time again to head to the hills of the Rhineland for the Nürburgring Nordschleife 24 hour race. The course was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The northern loop or Nordschleife has hosted everything from Formula 1 races to ill fated amateur hot laps where wrecked cars are often found with running stopwatches still inside.

Whereas most road courses of similar vintage have either succumbed to modern safety efforts or have been demolished completely, the Nordschleife survives largely unchanged since 1976 when the last F1 race was held. For over 80 years it has remained a one-way public road and can be driven by tourist for a mere 21 Euro per lap. The mystique and history of the track is relived every year during the annual 24 Hours Nürburgring where over 250 cars campaign against one another and the track dubbed the "Green Hell" by legendary driver Jackie Stewart.

News, updates and team information is available on the official site. English language coverage begins on Friday for Qualifying on Radio Le Mans and race day video will be available via the event site. Last year's Radio Le Mans coverage was excellent and a great warm up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 3 weeks.

Nürburgring 24 Hour Race on Radio Le Mans:

Live at the track on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for coverage of practice and the race:

Friday 18:00 Qualifying

Saturday 13:30 Pre-race Show

Saturday 14:00 Race Start

In the mean time here's your moment of drunkard German fan Zen.

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Big congrats to de Ferran Motorsports including owner-driver Gil de Ferran and "secret weapon" Simon Pagenaud. De Ferran's flawless stint put the Acura ARX-01b in a great position among a shuffled P1 and P2 category. Pagenaud took the helm and unleashed a series of laps that rivaled class and overall winner the Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Bernhard and Dumas's best time.

Overall it was a surprise to see the Acura's excel on the permanent course especially for a brand new team like de Ferran. In the words of one Speed commentator: "The Acuras are here and they are coming".

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What a strange weekend. Danica Patrick joins the winner's circle and Will Power thunders to the last ever Champ Car victory. While it's possible to believe that Danica would someday win an Indycar event, few would have taken a bet both Indy and Champ Car would someday unite.

I must admit, I was doubtful of Danica Patrick. Not of her driving ability though, but of the media machine that she seems to be. In many ways she was more hype than substance, at least until that first victory, which some critics decried would never come. Much like Dale Jr. she was more of a media personality than a real race car driver to many. And while I congratulate her on the victory we should bear in mind that the triumph will do little to quell the criticism.

The problem is that until a race car driver wins several championships or at the very least several major races in different disciplines they will rarely have the respect of most critics. It's a hard feat to achieve, and few are able to make the grade. Still we all secretly pulled for the first girl open wheeler and the son of a NASCAR legend.

On the other hand the Champ Car / IndyCar feud was something that we blocked from memory. Though I grew up in the South, less than 30 miles from NASCAR central I still managed to watch a few Indy 500s and to marvel at the most venerable event in motor racing history. Indianapolis was the center of open wheel racing and for the longest time I couldn't understand why a dispute would shatter the sanctity of gasoline alley. But it did and in the absence of a cohesive formula I watched as open wheel spiraled into oblivion.

Truth be told I never expected a reconciliation, and in some ways that belief came to pass. It's not so much as Champ Car merged with Indy but that the series could no longer shoulder the cost of sustaining the war between them. Thankfully Indy extended the olive branch to Champ Car's abandoned teams and though the adjustment has been tough I think many will survive the transition.

And while it's great that the world of open wheel is finally reunited I think many Champ Car fans wanted nothing less than one great hurrah. Today Will Power, one of the series most promising young drivers, won the last ever Champ Car event at the historic Long Beach course in California. Power dominated the event and lead all but two laps.

While neither happenings surprise me I do find it quite coincidental that both managed to happen while America's most popular motor sport, NASCAR Sprint Cup, was off lollygagging. In some ways it's only fitting since both series have hemorrhaged fans to stock car racing and in all honesty have only managed to earn headline status while the good ole boys were on vacation.