[MotorSports News]

NEWTON, Iowa - Without much ceremony, but nonetheless with symbolism, Steve Luczo sprinkled soil onto the nose and into the cockpit of the No. 2 Luczo Dragon Racing car for luck before the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer.
Luczo gathered a few ounces of soil from the land in Corleone, Italy, where his grandparents once lived ("I'm not sure I marked that on my customs form") during a recent trip to present scholarships and receive honorary citizenship in Corleone. His grandparents were next door neighbors growing up.
"The trip was fantastic and very fulfilling," said Luczo, who first visited the homeland five years ago. "We presented 10 scholarships - six to students with high academic achievement and four hardship scholarships to students who have lost both parents but also had high academics. All are going to university, and this was the difference between going and not."
Luczo and his wife Agatha have been invited to have their daughter (Rosealee Antonia, due in October) baptized in Corleone.
Luczo plans to repeat the process at Richmond International Raceway on June 27 and beyond -- anything to help IndyCar Series rookie driver Raphael Matos.
"We'll sprinkle a little good luck from Corleone on the car for the rest of the season," he said.
Father's Day recognition
Iowa Speedway had "Happy Father's Day" stenciled in white letters on the frontstretch grass and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing applied a "Happy Dad's Day" sign on the pit wall. The No. 24 entry driven by Mike Conway had principal sponsorship from Dad's Root Beer.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt paid tribute to his father Tony and the example he lived every day.
"He was a hard-working mechanic all his life and he had race cars and always had winning race cars," Foyt said. "I enjoyed going to the races with him. He taught me all about building race cars and building motors and being a mechanic. The only advice he'd give me on driving was when I screwed up and he'd tell me how I made a bad mistake. Daddy was pretty tough on me, but I think that he had a lot to do with my desire to win, because there were many times I wanted to win just to show him I was right about this or that."
Don't want to weep no more
Iowa Speedway designer Rusty Wallace said track officials will seek a resolution for the "weepers" that forced cancellation of PEAK Performance Pole qualifying June 20.
"First time we've ever seen it," he said.
The 0.875-mile racetrack was designed/constructed with a 14-foot drain circling the inside of the oval.
"For this to happen is a bit confusing," Wallace said. "Hopefully what we find will help other speedways."
Kanaan backed into a corner
Tony Kanaan was the race leader until having to pit under green on Lap 106 (he completed 86 laps on a 22-gallon tank of ethanol). Four laps later, the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car bounced off the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.
"I've crashed in that corner the last three years," he said. "It just stepped out on me. Everybody has been complaining about the bumps but I can't blame anything. I think was a combination of the cold tires and me pushing a little too hard. I tried to get it back after the pit stop. Maybe it was my mistake. It's been quite a different year for me so I guess I have a lot of catching up to do."


6/21 :: Extra measure of luck