Latest news with #Detroiters
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Detroit Grand Prix: Cooler temperatures could force IndyCar drivers to adjust
Fans during morning practice laps at the Detroit Grand Prix course in downtown Detroit on Saturday, May 31, were seen wearing jackets and keeping their hands in their pockets as drivers zoomed around the track. In short — it was cold. Not frigid, but certainly a lot colder than Detroiters are used to in late May. Advertisement By the time Indy NXT qualification kicked off, around 10:30 a.m., the outside temperature was in the mid-to-high 50s. But winds gusting over 20 miles per hour brought it to a 41-degree "feels like" temperature, which seemed to have a noticeable effect on the race. For the second consecutive year, Colton Herta snagged pole for IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix, the Andretti Global driver's first IndyCar pole of 2025. THE FIELD: 2025 Detroit Grand Prix: Full list of drivers for IndyCar and Indy NXT races That's far from the typical temperature this time of year, which according to Weather Spark averages around 74 degrees. And as many regular drivers will tell you, the cold can have a big impact on how a car drives. The same goes for IndyCar vehicles — especially their tires. Advertisement "It seems like the tires are kind of slow to come in with how low of a temperature it is and how cold it is today," said Christian Rasmussen, who qualified 12th for Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix. When temperatures are low, it takes longer for tires to warm up, which makes for slower lap times and potential grip issues around the track. That sounds like bad news, but there is a flip side to low temps. If tires take longer to warm up, drivers can potentially drive on them for more laps, which in turn could lead to better overall times even if they're slower on each lap. "It's like, I could stay out for five more laps, but I might lose 6 or 7 seconds here," said Colton Herta, who won the Grand Prix's pole position for the second straight year. Advertisement "So with it being cooler, you could see, I mean, I don't want to put a number on it, but you could see a lot more laps than we have in the past." With cooler temperatures than expected during qualifying, Herta (and the rest of his Fast Six competitors racing in the final round of qualifying) used the new alternate softer tires to try to get a faster qualifying time. It worked out especially well for Herta, who set a track record with a 1:00.48 track time (beating his own record from 2024). Andretti Global/Curb-Agajanian's Colton Herta enters Turn 3 as NTT IndyCar Series drivers compete during Detroit Grand Prix in downtown Detroit on Sunday, June 2, 2024. REVVED AND READY: Detroit Grand Prix: 5 narratives to watch during 2025 race downtown "I think this is probably the most difficult street circuit, and maybe the most difficult circuit to create tire temp," Herta said. "Like I said, this race is crazy. Like, you just never know what's gonna happen." Advertisement Herta is looking to avoid a repeat of the 2024 Grand Prix — last year he also entered in the pole position but finished in the back half of the field during a caution-filled race. As for 2025 circuit leader Álex Palou, he seemed to take it easier during the practice rounds than the rest of his competitors, but turned it up to a sixth-place finish during a challenging qualifying round. "It was tough for everybody," he said after his morning practice laps. "The good thing is that hopefully it's going to make it a bit better tomorrow with the conditions we're going to have." The "conditions" he's referring to is the weather, currently forecasted at sunny and 62 degrees when the race starts. If the wind dies down, it should create a more optimal environment for racing (and for fans). Advertisement And for a race that for years had the reputation of being oppressively hot, cooler temps might create some more intrigue on Sunday. You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Grand Prix: Strategies may get tweaks with cooler weather
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Detroit Grand Prix: A quick history from F1 to Belle Isle to downtown
Downtown racing may feel like a new phenomenon for many Detroiters, but the history of the Detroit Grand Prix actually stretches back decades. If you want to get really historical, open-wheel racing in metro Detroit actually stretches back a century, back when Grosse Pointe hosted a non-championship event on Aug. 8, 1905. The winner of that race, by the way, was Jay Webb, who was born (1870) when there were only 37 states in the United States. Advertisement But that's ancient history — let's fast-forward a bit. GET READY TO RACE: 5 narratives to watch during 2025 Grand Prix downtown The modern edition of the Detroit Grand Prix started in 1982 and has had a bit of a bumpy existence (almost as bumpy as the downtown track itself). With a handful of starts and stops, open-wheel racing in Detroit could have ended as the result of many different events in the city's history. But 43 years after the first downtown race, the Grand Prix is back as a fixture on the IndyCar calendar. Here's a quick history of the many faces of the Detroit Grand Prix: 1982-88: The Formula 1 era Believe it or not, the Detroit Grand Prix started out as an Formula 1 race, not an IndyCar race, in downtown Detroit. Advertisement It was also arguably the least popular race on the F1 schedule at the time. The 1982 Detroit Grand Prix, on a course that included Beaubien, Congress and Larned streets in addition to Jefferson and Atwater along the river, was marred by scheduling issues, rain during the qualifiers and crashes during the main event, partially caused by a bumpy track (a recurring theme for the downtown course). The bumpy track, June heat and safety issues caused F1's governing body (FISA) to bow out of Detroit after the 1988 race, leaving the U.S. without an F1 race for the first time in 30 years. It wouldn't take long for open-wheel racing to return to the city, however. 1989-2001: CART and move to Belle Isle Walker Racing Team's driver Gil De Ferran, signs Wayne Ramocan's, 13, of Detroit, shirt of the Detroit Area Pre-college Engineering Programs summer PVP program, at the Grand Prix on Belle Isle, on August 5, 1999. The Paper Vehicle Program, is geared at introducing kids to the field of engineering. Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), a predecessor (and eventual competitor) to IndyCar founded in 1979, brought a race back to downtown Detroit in 1989 and moved it to Belle Isle in 1992. Belle Isle hosted the race under CART until 2001, two years before the circuit folded. Advertisement The Belle Isle race provided some advantages to drivers (like a less bumpy ride) and some disadvantages for organizers and fans, who now had to make their way to an island to watch the event instead of landing downtown. The Belle Isle track lay dormant to open-wheel's biggest circuit as the sport reorganized itself in the early 2000s, but the Grand Prix returned to the island a few years later. 2007-19: Return to Belle Isle and doubleheader era IMSA Sports Car Classic competitors drive by James Scott fountain during the Detroit Grand Prix on Saturday June 1, 2019, on Belle Isle. IndyCar, the biggest current American open-wheel circuit, came back to Belle Isle in 2007 to a big crowd but shut down from 2009-2011 due to the recession and its economic impacts on Detroit. Advertisement When the race returned to Belle Isle in 2012, IndyCar turned the Detroit Grand Prix into a doubleheader, for a while the only doubleheader on the circuit's schedule. That meant drivers had back-to-back races during race weekend, often driving in three races during a seven-day span with the Indianapolis 500 usually scheduled for the weekend before the Detroit Grand Prix. The Grand Prix on Belle Isle had another pause in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but returned to its doubleheader schedule in 2021. IndyCar returned in 2022 but dialed it back, turning the Grand Prix into a single race for its final event on Belle Isle. 2023-present: Return downtown Alex Palou (10) drives on the Detroit Grand Prix race track during the NTT IndyCar Series qualifying in downtown Detroit on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Palou won his second consecutive NTT P1 Award. After 32 years of pauses and Belle Isle races, the Grand Prix returned downtown with mixed results in 2023. Heat and a modest turnout for the refreshed event gave it a slightly muted feel for some, but organizers have been building up the event over the past two years to turn it into a staple of the IndyCar season. Advertisement Though the downtown course retains its trademark bumpiness (making it once again one of the most challenging races for many IndyCar drivers), the race weekend has turned into one of Detroit's can't-miss annual sporting events and (for many) the unofficial start to summer in the city. You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Grand Prix: Quick history from F1 to Belle Isle to Downtown
Axios
a day ago
- Business
- Axios
Two takeaways from business-focused Detroit mayoral debate
Candidates for Detroit mayor butted heads on what constitutes "experience" during a debate Thursday evening at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Why it matters: In the debate and throughout the conference, candidates are showcasing their platforms, leadership abilities and willingness to work with businesses, while courting potential supporters — including those with deep pockets. State of play: The annual convening of political and business leaders is organized by the Detroit Regional Chamber, whose political action committee board members could be among business leaders to offer support. The board will meet in June to discuss if they'd endorse a mayoral candidate before or after the primary. Those debating were City Council member Fred Durhal III, City Council president Mary Sheffield, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins, Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. and former police chief James Craig. Here are two takeaways from the debate, which included rebuttals, unlike previous discussion forums. "Experience matters," as Jenkins said and others expressed. But candidates disagreed about what having experience means, and whose history of impact inside or outside government will help Detroiters the most. "Talk to the people in the neighborhood and see whether or not they agree with the past performance. It doesn't matter how experienced you are if your experiences don't change the experiences of the people that live in this city," said Kinloch, who has argued that Detroiters want to see a different kind of leader. Durhal said that he disagreed, that "we are in a critical time here in the city of Detroit, and we cannot turn that over to someone who has to have on-the-job training." Weighing in on Duggan: Candidates were asked what Mayor Mike Duggan has done right and wrong on business issues. Jenkins said the mayor did well attracting business and jobs, and rebuilding confidence in the city. Now, though, Detroit needs to assure the same growth is happening equitably in neighborhoods outside greater downtown. Craig said Duggan did a "phenomenal job" returning services to Detroiters after the bankruptcy, but the next mayor needs to make it easier to open a business here. Meanwhile, Sheffield highlighted Duggan's partnership with the City Council and the mayor's "foundation," while saying poverty needs to be dealt with and neighborhoods need more investment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tina Castleberry, owner of The Garden Bug, empowers Detroiters one yard at a time
Growing up during the 1970s on California Street in Highland Park, Tina Castleberry enjoyed outdoor activities, including riding a Big Wheel tricycle, which was later replaced by a Sweet & Sassy girls bicycle with a handlebar basket. Basketball and making mud pies after a significant rainfall also were parts of Castleberry's outdoor adventures. A self-described tomboy as a kid, most of Castleberry's fun took place alongside her two brothers and other boys on her block. However, there was one outdoor activity where Castleberry welcomed the presence of a special woman, and this occurred regularly when she tended to her family's garden under the direction of her late mother, Henrietta Thomas. 'Gardening gave me a connection with my mother,' the now-56-year-old Castleberry explained, while describing some of the fundamental skills she learned from her mom like the best ways to weed, water and harvest a garden, which ultimately led to mouth-watering meals for her family. 'My mother had three kids to support and not a lot of money, so she did things out of necessity. Most of the food we grew went straight from the garden to the skillet and my mother was a phenomenal cook. She could cook anything from African food, to Chinese, to soul food. That was during a time when families didn't just jump up and go to Farmer Jack or Kroger. About 70% of our food was grown at home and we ate well.' And it is Castleberry's enduring connection to her mother, along with a concern for the overall wellness of Detroiters, that inspires Castleberry today as the owner of The Garden Bug, a seasonal garden center that sells a large selection of flowers and flower pots, potting and garden soil, soil mulch and compost, vegetable seeds, plants, garden accessories, hanging baskets, lawn decor and more at two Detroit locations that are open seven days a week from May through July 4, and during October and December through Christmas Eve. The Garden Bug also is open on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in November. 'People don't always value everything we do in Detroit, but we love our yards and our gardens, and growing food just as much as anyone,' said Castleberry, who opened her first location at 18901 Grand River in the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood 12 years ago. 'My passion is helping people get to the next level and helping people to be successful, and that happens each time I help someone create their own beautiful yard. I've had customers say that they feel like they have stepped into a beautiful oasis, but then they take what they purchase back to their homes and neighborhoods and create their own magic in those spaces.' One of the primary ways that Castleberry helps customers create 'magic' relates to growing food. In this instance, the magic has nothing to do with sleight-of-hand tricks, but instead focuses on old school, in-person communication where Castleberry and her dedicated team members like Dee Hudson and Kim Halley share information that has been passed down for decades, including lessons Castleberry learned from her mother who came to Detroit at the age of 16 from Mobile, Alabama. 'It's a good feeling to know that you can help feed people,' Castleberry, who opened her second location at 4225 W. Davison four years ago, explained. 'For $20, you can grow vegetables to feed two people for six months — we're talking about vegetables like squash, cucumbers and collard greens. But people can tailor their gardens to their own tastes and it doesn't matter how much space you have. You can pop vegetables into a flower bed or a container. We can show people how to do those things and it's an empowering experience.' A 1992 graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy, where Castleberry earned a degree in marketing and public relations, she has used her power of persuasion to garner financial support and other forms of business assistance from sources like Detroit Means Business, TechTown, Motor City Match and Huntington Bank during her entrepreneurial journey. It's a journey that has seen Castleberry transform two locations requiring substantial repairs and renovations into vibrant spaces that address community needs. Nonetheless, at her core, Castleberry says she is still the same person who used to look forward to waking up early on summer mornings as a youngster to assist an elderly neighbor in Highland Park who needed help maintaining her garden. More: Eagle sightings are a norm for this unique Detroit troop with a rich tradition of service 'I just want to be known as the girl next door — I'm no different from anyone else. I just own something now,' stated Castleberry, the loving mother of two supportive adult children — Maya and Marcellus — who stepped away from a career in marketing to care for her son born with special needs for 18 years prior to launching her business. 'When I opened our Grand River location, I said to myself: 'This is my mom's vision.' The tenacity, sticking with it, believing failure is not an option — that comes from my mom. And I have to say that this entire experience has made me one grateful, humble and shy individual.' One person who is glad that Castleberry did not let her shyness get in the way of sharing with the community is Earlene Hall, who has lived in the Grandmont neighborhood for 36 years. 'The Garden Bug on Grand River is a focal point and a vital hub for the community,' Hall, a past president of the Grandmont Community Association, said during the afternoon of May 28. 'I like to say that it's a place for people that don't want to meet the standard, but instead want to set the standard with their yards. You can even come there with a picture of your yard and tell them what you're trying to do, and someone with The Garden Bug will talk to you and give advice on how to create your vision. More: He 'loved' Barry Sanders as a Lions staffer, and Jocko Hughes still loves Detroit today 'But more than that, The Garden Bug represents the values that we share in our community. And those values are community pride, neighborhood beautification and education, because there is quite a bit of education that takes place within that space. All of those values are exemplified at The Garden Bug and you can tell from the yards in our neighborhood, which keep getting better and better as our neighborhood transitions, that we are fortunate to have The Garden Bug in our community." What: The Garden Bug, a seasonal garden center that sells a large selection of flowers and flower pots, potting and garden soil, soil mulch and compost, vegetable seeds, plants, hanging baskets, lawn decor and more at two Detroit locations that are open seven days a week from May through July 4 and during October and December through Christmas Eve. The Garden Bug also is open on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in November. In October, The Garden Bug sells only pumpkins, straw, mums and corn stock. During December, The Garden Bug only sells fresh-cut wreaths, holiday porch pots and garland. Owner: Tina Castleberry Locations: 18901 Grand River, Detroit, 48223, and 4225 W. Davison, Detroit, 48238. Hours of operation at both locations are 9:15 a.m.-7 p.m. (Monday through Saturday) and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays and during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in November. Learn more: Please visit Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city's neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@ or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tina Castleberry, owner of The Garden Bug, empowers Detroiters
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
No civility, no democracy? These writers say it's vital we talk to each other
No civility, no democracy? These writers say it's vital we talk to each other | Opinion The growing inability – or even desire – to engage with people who hold opposing views is leading to fractures that aren't harmful only to personal relationships. They're hurting our country. Show Caption Hide Caption These writers say it's vital we talk to each other Two veteran journalists fear the nearly 250-year-old American experiment is at risk if we can't get back to talking to each other in meaningful ways. If it weren't for bourbon, veteran Detroit journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson would not be friends. Frequent sparring partners? Sure. But not friends. When they discovered a shared love of the famed Kentucky beverage, however, they started meeting at Motor City bars and really talking to each other. And even though they are about as far apart on the political spectrum as you can get, they realized they had more in common than they thought. Mutual respect then evolved into friendship. Finley, a conservative, and Henderson, a liberal, have appeared frequently together on Detroit TV shows, debating the news of the day. Yet, people would be surprised when they discovered they were more than competitors in the world of ideas. They were friends, too. So Finley, the editorial page editor of The Detroit News, and Henderson, a Pulitzer Prize winner who has worked across journalism mediums, decided to start bringing together diverse groups of their friends and acquaintances at 'bourbon nights.' At these events, a cross section of Detroiters who would have probably never hung out otherwise realized they enjoyed the conversations. Those events later morphed into The Civility Project, with Finley and Henderson holding workshops about how to cross ideological divides. Now, Finley and Henderson, along with author and writing coach Lynne Golodner, have turned what they've learned into 'The Civility Book,' which will be released in early June. (Full disclosure: Finley was my boss when I worked at The Detroit News and is one of my closest friends. I consider Henderson a friend as well.) I recently spoke with them about their book and why civility is more important than ever in our deeply divided country. There's value in getting out of our own echo chambers Finley and Henderson say the driving principle of their book is the value in engaging with those who hold different views and come from different backgrounds. As they write, 'Embracing empathy and respect for 'the other side' doesn't mean abandoning your own convictions.' Opinion: Is it me or ChatGPT? As AI grows smarter, I have a down-to-earth worry ‒ my job. 'All good people come to their opinions in the same way,' Finley says. 'They take the information available, run it through the filter of their own experiences, and they come up with an opinion.' And it's OK if the opinion is different from your own, Finley says. 'It doesn't make them evil and it doesn't mean they're out to destroy you. It just means they've lived different life experiences.' Simply hearing out someone else is not the same thing as 'giving in.' After all, changing someone's mind is close to impossible. Trust me, I know from experience after years as an opinion columnist. Yet, I consider it a victory when I hear from a reader who will say they're on the opposite side of the political spectrum but still respect my views and take time to read my column. After years of battling out their ideas without really changing the other's mind, Henderson and Finley say there's still value in having the debate. 'While it's true that we don't change each other's minds and we don't find each other on the same side of most issues, when we talk about those things, I think we both would say that we're learning from the other person,' Henderson says. 'Maybe one of us has come across some information about something that the other hadn't seen. That happens a lot. And there is value in understanding the perspective of people who disagree. It strengthens your argument.' What's on the line if we can't be civil with one another? A lot. The growing inability – or even desire – to engage with people who hold opposing views is leading to fractures that aren't harmful only to personal relationships. They're hurting our country. After the contentious 2024 presidential election, many of us know of family, friends or coworkers who no longer talk because of their political differences. Members of Congress scream at each other instead of working together. And we live in our own social media and cable TV silos, where we can have our views confirmed and never challenged. Opinion: Salman Rushdie canceled? Pro-Palestinian groups hamper speech for everyone else. Finley and Henderson are concerned about what Americans' unwillingness to engage constructively with others portends. 'There's something fundamental about the exchange of ideas in a democracy,' Henderson says. 'That may seem like an obvious observation, but right now I'm not sure it is. The democratic experiment that this country represents depends on the honest exchange of ideas.' Henderson fears the nearly 250-year-old American experiment is at risk if we can't get back to talking to each other in a meaningful way. 'Do we want to keep trying to perfect democracy in this country, or are we just kind of done with it?' he asks. Finley and Henderson hope their book can serve as a guide to healing this coming apart. And it starts one conversation at a time. 'Civility means learning to engage without the hatred and learning to disagree with someone without devaluing that person,' Finley says. 'And I guess that would be it in a nutshell for me.' Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@ or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
