Saint Petersburg INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

Saint Petersburg INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

On a beautiful West coast of Florida day, the 2009 IndyCar Series got under way. Watching the race on VERSUS and seeing commentary on Twitter provided a unique way to experience the beginning of one of the most longed for seasons in North American Motorsports in recent years.

Today held out a great hope for a grand showing for all of the teams to race with an amount of parity. Ever since the rushed merger last year, many fans that followed the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series wondered if this would all turn out to be good for the sport of open wheel automobile racing?

With the race in the can, it can be said ... Yes!

Ok! So Penske Racing won another race, but the 100 laps that made up the race, and the practice and "Knock-Out" qualifying sessions that took place before today, paid many dividends to the fans from both cultures that have now become one.

The following "Tweets" were excerpted and edited from Twitter via TheEDJE account during the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:

Tweet: TheEDJE - Let's light this rocket - GO Justin! Go Graham! Leave a CCWS sophomore mark on this ICS season before going into our house at Long Beach GP!

Tweet: VisionRacing - Vision cars are on the grid. Crews are in their firesuits. Nice little breeze to stop them from melting on the spot.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Danica on a pre-race fluff piece on VERSUS - Good short interview! Followed by DP GoDaddy.com advert!

Tweet: VisionRacing - For the record, black firesuits are NEVER a good idea but it was short notice + all. Poor Vision 21 crew. They look good but are withering.

Tweet: FilipCleeren@VisionRacing I hope you supplied 'em with loads of black towels as well.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Vision drivers have um... Taken care of business (aka gone potty) and are now at their cars. TMI?

Yes! Definitely.

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL[blog update] LiveBlog: St Petersburg 2009

Tweet: TheEDJE - The Super Team - Target Chip Ganassi with two past ICS Championship and INDY 500 winners - Dixon and Franchitti

Tweet: TheEDJE - Transition Players - CCWS Sophomores - Rahal, Wilson, Power, Tagliani, Doornbos, Viso, and Moraes - Go out and change the paradigm!

Tweet: TheEDJE - GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - The 2009 IndyCar Series season is underway! Cameras are great! Black and Red tires!!!

Tweet: TheEDJE - Five wide - Franchitti swoops to the lead! Gets passed by Justin Wilson. TK punts Rahal off of the track! Sonny's BBQ in the lead.

Tweet: NowPublic@TheEDJE we dig your motorsports coverage.

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL - Good grief. These are professionals, right?

Tweet: TheEDJE - Restart - Wilson looks strong - TK trying to make up ground after pitting to get a new nose. Rahal doing the same.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Report from pit lane: #24 Conway has gone behind the wall to repair damaged suspension.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Dale Coyne's Dallara driven by Justin Wilson is doing very well against Franchitti's Target car.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Lap 15 update: #19 Wilson has led every lap so far. He led 18 laps here a year ago.

Tweet: TheEDJE - First 12 to 13 cars are running close - Top Five - Wilson, Franchitti, Briscoe, Power, and Manning on LAP 20

Tweet: TheEDJE - AGR's Hideki Mutoh is first in on pits to change from Reds to Blacks on tires - Viso in because the Reds were a problem.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Ed told by engineer Jeff Britton that they will opt for primary black Firestone on next stint instead of Reds as originally planned.

Tweet: IndyCarNation - At lap 25, Justin Wilson leads Darion Franchitti. Pole sitter Graham Rahal has fallen back to 15th due to an early incident.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Justin Wilson on Reds for first stint hoping to get 30 laps. Dario Franchitti on Blacks with Wilson leading by 1.2 seconds. LAP 26

Tweet: FastMachines - It is so nice to have good pit reporters this year for Indy Car. #indycar on VERSUS

Tweet: VisionRacing - 10 laps to pit for #20 menards car. Mutoh behind but Ed is running same lap times as him.

Tweet: UpdateF1 - 25/100 laps completed: Wilson leads Franchitti. Pole man Graham Rahal in 15th after first turn incident with Kanaan. Conway out.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Rahal is waiting to punt TK ... or at least pass the AGR driver. LAP 29

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR complaining he doesn't have any straight line speed.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - update: Full Course yellow for contact in Turn 12 between #7 Patrick and #2 Matos. #5 Moraes had the incident in Turn 4.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Before pits open Ed will be in 14th place in 20 Menards car after all the incidents. Will take on black tires.

Tweet: FastMachines - Tagliani tangled with Meira & has a flat. Matos just took out Danica in a big crash. Moraes out too. #indycar craziness on VERSUS

Tweet: TheEDJE - Patrick pinches down on Raphael Matos. Tagliani gets tagged - flat tire. Briscoe in and out of the pits. YELLOW Flag - Briscoe takes lead.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR took on Red Firestone tires on his stop just as the caution flew.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Leaders pit under caution. #9 Dixon has terrible stop after crew can't get fuel hose to the car.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR being told to save as much fuel as possible so Vision can shoot for a Top-5.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Update on pit road: #6 Power overshot his pit stall, forcing the issue with #9 Dixon.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR up to P4 as he was pitted legally just as yellow waved. Great timing for 21 Vision team.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Ed finds himself in lucky P13. Has understear through turns 1, 2+5.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Restart on Lap 39 - Briscoe leads the field, Doornbos and Franchitti are getting into it!

Tweet: VisionRacing - Wilson got past RHR. RHR now in 5th

Tweet: FastMachines - Indy Car: Briscoe Wheldon Viso RHR Wilson on lap 42. Wilson is looking FAST! #indycar on VERSUS

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL - Wheldon in 2nd. On a street course. Who saw this coming?

Tweet: TheEDJE - Top five on LAP43 - Briscoe, Weldon, Viso, Wilson and Ryan Hunter-Reay!

Tweet: TheEDJE - LAP 50 - Near halfway, top cars are running smoothly and in order nose to tail. Franchitti in 6th, Rahal in 7th.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Wilson pounces on Viso after Viso locks up brakes.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Lap 52: #19 Wilson passes #13 Viso for third place in Turns 2 and 3.

Tweet: FilipCleeren - Stanton "moving chicane" Barrett finally out. Just like his illustrious predecessor Roth, he's doing a great job influencing race results.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Full Course Caution: Stanton Barrett off. This'll tighten things up a bit. Pits are open. Viso takes to the pits.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Vision team is staying out during this caution. 1 to go at the line.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Restart - LAP 57 - Wilson looks racy against Weldon who is in second, led by Briscoe.

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL - Congrats to Stanton Barrett for not taking anyone out today. He was the lone GT 2 entry.

Tweet: TheEDJE@MyNameIsIRL - NICE!

Tweet: FuriousWedge - I'm really wondering what Wilson would have for Briscoe if he could get around Wheldon who seems to be just quick and wide enough to stay P2

Tweet: TheEDJE@FuriousWedge I think that the Dale Coyne Dallara and Wilson have the Hot Sauce!

Tweet: FilipCleeren@MyNameIsIRL Same goes for Manning. Wheldon's doing great as well considering his record on road courses.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Teams coming in for their finals stops.

Tweet: VisionRacing - 4 laps until No.20 Menards car pits. Heavy traffic in pits.

Tweet: TheEDJE - LAP 67 - Viso, Power, in pits and taking on Reds - Briscoe and Weldon in - Scuff Blacks.

Tweet: VisionRacing - No.21 Engineer Neil Fife to RHR : " It's all yours from here Buddy"

Tweet: FastMachines - Last round of Indy Car pit stops already? Time flies when you are having fun. #indycar on VERSUS

Tweet: TheEDJE - Justin Wilson stays out in order to build up a gap from the pitted leades. Franchitti, Rahal in - Dario takes Reds.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Ed running 3rd heading into pits. Will cycle back... but still. Nice to say that.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Wilson goes into pits and comes out AHEAD of Briscoe ... and on cold tires! A run to the end.

Tweet: FuriousWedge - What a great stop for Dale Coyne Racing! and Carpenter is in the tires we go yellow with parts scattered on track

Tweet: VisionRacing - Ed is in the tires. He's fine. Apologies to team. Engineer Jeff Britton assures him he did a good job. Made a lot of progress this weekend.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR asked team if he should be saving fuel under yellow. Team says no. We are good to go.

Tweet: FastMachines - What a thrill it would be if Justin Wilson could give Coyne his first win in the big cars!! #indycar on VERSUS

Tweet: TheEDJE - Franchitti loses a couple of spots! Justin Wilson shows why he was the class of the CCWS Transition Players.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Weldon gets booted to sixth - Reds vs. Blacks - Dixon into the tires - YELLOW Flag.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Mutoh pinches Dixon and breaks the left side A-Arm struts.

Tweet: FastMachines - Dixon hit the wall pretty hard and is out of the Indy Car race. A tangle with Mutoh didn't end well. A tough weekend for Scott. #indycar

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Lap 81: Full Course Caution for #9 Dixon who hit the tire barrier in Turn 3 after making contact with Mutoh in Turn 1.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR is in third spot and does not need to pit again. Lots of happy people in 21 Vision pits no matter how he finishes.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Sixteen laps to go and Dale Coyne (and all the former CCIC fans) are feeling the pressure - can Justin Wilson do it?

Tweet: TheEDJE - Penske and Briscoe pass Wilson in turn one on restart - many other drivers pile up after the corner - 6th caution.

Tweet: IndyCarPR - Full Course YELLOW. Turn 3 for multicar incident. Cars invilved are No. 4 Wheldon, #27 Mutoh, #06 Doornbos and #26 Andretti.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Before it went full course RHR took 2nd place! Seriously.

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL - The storyline may have just shifted from Dale Coyne to Tony George winning his first IRL race. Wow.

Tweet: FastMachines - Doornbos made a bonehead move on Wheldon, took him out. 12 to go, under FC yellow. #indycar on VERSUS

Tweet: TheEDJE@VisionRacing - RHR - Great grab of a driver for Vision!!!

Tweet: FuriousWedge - The best part about VERSUS; 10 minutes to 5pm yet not a single bit of talk about a timed race : )

Tweet: IndyCarNation - If you are watching Race Control...SORRY!!! Good news is that it got better, bad news is that there are a TON of things to do.

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL@TheEDJE Agreed, a great race so far. I just hope we have a little passing here at the end.

Tweet: TheEDJE@MyNameIsIRL Boy, who would have thought of the changes in this first race. Great first race so far - its not over!

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR challenging Ryan Briscoe for the lead!! How many friggin' laps to go???

Tweet: TheEDJE - RHR pushing, pushing, pushing and making the Penske Dallara of Briscoe a nosecone logo!

Tweet: VisionRacing - 5 laps to go. Vision to RHR: "Nice job. No pressure. No pressure."

Tweet: TheEDJE - RHR pushing, pushing, pushing and making the Penske Dallara of Briscoe a nosecone logo!

Tweet: VisionRacing - Local yellow turn 10. Trying to not go full yellow.

Tweet: VisionRacing - Going green... And 2 laps to go.

Tweet: TheEDJE - One lap to go and it is nose to tail for the first 7 cars!

Tweet: TheEDJE - Briscoe WINS, RHR with his new Vision ride second, and a Transition Player on the podium with Justin Wilson for Dale Coyne! WOW!

Tweet: FuriousWedge - That would be 9 different teams in the top 10; Congrats to Briscoe and also Hunter-Reay, Wilson.. and Stanton Barrett finishes 12th!

Tweet: MyNameIsIRL - Congrats to Briscoe, even though he totally spolied two fantastic storylines. No hard feelings though.

Tweet: VisionRacing - RHR out of car congratulated by TG and ED. About to do VERSUS interview. Stay tuned!!

Tweet: VisionRacing - Ryan: "That was a really physical race. Can I have some more water. I almost had Ryan Briscoe. I wanted to try. Unreal day."

Tweet: FilipCleeren - congrats to Briscoe, RHR and Wilson, three excellent performances.

Tweet: TheEDJE - Dale Coyne stated that this race shows that Sonny's BBQ has a faster drive-thru than McDonald's

HOW THEY FARED (** denotes Transition Player merged from CCWS):

Pos  Driver            Team                 Gap
 1.  Ryan Briscoe      Penske
 2.  Ryan Hunter-Reay  Vision               + 0.4619s
 3.  Justin Wilson**   Dale Coyne           + 0.9490s 
 4.  Dario Franchitti  Ganassi              + 1.5230s
 5.  Tony Kanaan       Andretti Green       + 2.3214s
 6.  Will Power**      Penske               + 3.4622s 
 7.  Graham Rahal**    Newman/Haas/Lanigan  + 4.0672s 
 8.  Dan Wheldon       Panther              + 4.7283s
 9.  Vitor Meira       Foyt                 + 5.9559s
10.  Alex Tagliani**   Conquest             + 1 lap   
11.  Robert Doornbos** Newman/Haas/Lanigan  + 4 laps  
12.  Stanton Barrett   3G                   + 4 laps

Retirements:

     Driver            Team                 Laps
     Marco Andretti    Andretti Green       94
     Dan Wheldon       Panther              86
     Hideki Mutoh      Andretti Green       86
     Scott Dixon       Ganassi              80
     EJ Viso**         HVM                  75 
     Ed Carpenter      Vision               71
     Danica Patrick    Andretti Green       31
     Raphael Matos     Luczo Dragon         31
     Mario Moraes**    KV                   31 
     Mike Conway       Dreyer & Reinbold    1
(ht: autosport.com)

Tweet: TheEDJE - IndyCarPR, MyNameIsIRL, VisionRacing, FilipCleeren, FastMachines, and FuriousWedge - Thanks for sharing! I'll be at the track in Long Beach.

... notes from The EDJE