[3WideLife]

For motorsports enthusiast, there is no better place to be during the month of May than living it up in Indianapolis. For sure the 500 is King, but for those real racers out there, those that aren’t afraid to get a little dirt under their nails, they know all about the amazing grassroots races that may not get the glamour, but have just as much historical significance. And it is obvious there are a lot of real racers out there, because you can be in Terra Haute, Indiana on Thursday night for the “Tony Hulman Classic” and you can’t find a seat. The green grassy infield is packed, just like the stands at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Saturday for the “Night Before the 500.” From the “Hut Hundred” to the “Little ‘Five,” the fans are out, and so are the drivers. And not just from today’s era, because you might just run into AJ Foyt or Parnelli Jones reliving their glory days and searching for the next great open wheel gasser.

At 3 Wide Life, we think we have found just the man to take that title. Shane Hmiel proved once again that he can drive anything and drive anything well. At the 58th running of the Hoosier Hundred, once the 2nd highest paying race in the USA behind the 500, Hmiel dominated on the mile long dirt track at the Indiana Fair Grounds in his Silver Crown race machine. Already making noise earlier in the month by setting the world record for fastest speed ever in a Sprint car, Hmiel opened a ton of eyes to his potential as an open wheel ace. After finishing 3rd in the event the year before, Hmiel had his eyes set on getting it done this time around.

“Pretty cool for a stock car guy from North Carolina, to come to Indianapolis and win on dirt,” said Hmiel in victory lane. “This may not be where I came from or even where I was trying to go, but this feels like where I am supposed to be.”

In addition to highlights from the Hoosier Hundred, this week’s episode of 3 Wide Life sticks with the Indy theme. From meeting with first time qualifier for the 500, Ana Beatriz, to heading inside the Tech Zone to learn about the newly installed “Push to Pass,” the show doesn’t miss a beat. We even head over seas to the top Indy car chassis builder, Dallara, for a tour of the factory and a lesson in how to make cars go 220 mps. Tomas Shecter, Will Power and Justin Wilson stop in to talk about how they train with iRacing and how much fun they have as members of the 16th Street online racing league. And finally we pay tribute to one of our lost friends Jesse Hockett ,who passed away while preparing his cars for the Tony Hulman Classic. The 26 year old, newly married wheelman, was known as the last great racing “outlaw,” because of the way he did everything himself. Nicknamed “The Rocket” for how much he won on the track, 3 Wide Life will remember him as a caring, friendly and generous person who personified the word racer. He will be greatly missed.

[sc17x]

Nascars loss is open wheels gain , i have watched Shane in open wheel cars for 2 years , does a nice job!
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