While trying to recover the body of a recent suicide, Coast Guard servicemen in the UK narrowly avoided being killed when another person determined to die drove into the water near where they were working. The suicide attempt succeeded, but fortunately, nobody else was hurt. Here’s the news:

• While the Viper is one of the greatest examples of sheer American bad-assery ever produced, Ma Mopar’s money problems have made its future uncertain. But don’t count the burly snake out just yet—Chrysler might sell the Viper division to an outside investor. Detroit News
• Ok, I’m totally not hating, but the more I hear about Ferrari’s California, the more skeptical I get. The latest announcement is that it will be available with a stick—uh, thanks—and that an advanced handling package will be an option. I’m sorry, but should a Ferrari really need a "handling package?" World Car Fans
• Making a Lamborghini Murcielago look ugly isn’t easy, but the folks over at Hamann have proved they’re up to the task. What’s up with this "chrome" paint? And am I the only one that thinks it’s completely hideous? CarScoop
• Right now, Honda is the only company which makes engines for the IndyCar, but the series is currently in discussions with other manufacturers. Hopefully, we’ll see some real competition come 2011. AutoWeek

The Indy cars are practicing here at Mid-Ohio this weekend, too—their race is on Sunday. I heard that unmistakable can-full-of-angry-hornets sound that the IRL cars give off, and high-tailed it to my favorite rooftop perch to snap a few pics. See a sampling after the jump!

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Drunk driving is a serious crime, and if you get busted doing it in Arizona, the authorities make sure you pay. Check out this article on how the Grand Canyon State treats people convicted of DUI. The first paragraph is a little weepy, but I thought the rest was interesting. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Engineers over at the General are working their tails off to get the Volt ready for production in 2010, but John McCain apparently thinks that a super-battery is just around the corner. Of course, this is the same guy who thinks you’ll believe he’s completely different from a man he voted with more than 95% of the time. Jalopnik
• GM is going to begin airing a commercial that’s basically a "Dear John" letter to Big Oil. It’s a funny concept, but something tells me this relationship isn’t completely on the skids. Automotive News
• As sales of full-size trucks and SUV slow to a trickle, Ford is planning to reconfigure some truck plants so they can produce small cars. Sounds like a smart move to me. Detroit News
• The Indy Racing League probably won’t be too stoked if she jumps ship, but it looks like Danica Patrick is getting pretty friendly with Honda’s F1 team. Winding Road
• Getting lost sucks, and it sucks even worse when you’re burning up $4-per gallon gas. So have you ponied up and bought a GPS? Or are you just using mapping sites more? Our buddies at Automotive Traveler want to know. Automotive Traveler

I had a blast at the Indy 500, but getting pics of the actual race was practically impossible. The credentials departments at most tracks seem to dismiss anyone who writes for anything internet-based, and to be honest, I didn’t have a camera decent enough to capture the cars in motion. After all, 220 miles an hour is pretty quick! But I did manage to get shots of virtually everything in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. Since I’m a total geek, I also took pictures of the signs which explain the details of all the cars on display. What can I say? I read everything. Head over to the events section and check them out, and don’t miss the shots I took while walking the garages before the Indy Lights Freedom 100. What I wouldn’t give to get behind the wheel of one of those babies! Enjoy!

This clip of Danica Patrick getting wrecked by Ryan Briscoe is in Spanish, and it’s not the best—€”read: really crappy—€”quality, but it does have the several different angels of the wreck. There’s also some good footage of her marching toward his pits. I still think it was Briscoe’s fault. What’s your opinion?

Most of the time, the driver that takes the pole doesn’t wind up taking the checkered. But today, Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon proved that "most of the time" doesn’t mean "all of the time." The New Zealand driver yielded his first place position several times during the 92nd running of the Indy 500, but ultimately, it was his day. A disastrous pit stop and handling issues kept teammate—and 2005 Indy winner—Dan Wheldom out of contention, and Dixon was able to hold off inspired challenges from Marco Andretti and Tony Kannan to take home the Borg-Warner trophy.

Photo courtesy Indianapolis Star

All day, Danica Patrick was reporting that her car was slow, but she still managed to keep it in the top ten for most of the race—until a collision with Ryan Briscoe in the pits ended her chances for victory on lap 170. Once out of her crippled car, she marched straight toward Briscoe’s pit, but was stopped by security before getting near the rival driver. As someone who wanted to see her win, I’m just sorry I didn’t have a chance to lean over the wall and hand her a 3/4 torque wrench so she could give him a couple of payback bruises. She didn’t have anywhere to go when Briscoe got loose after completing his stop, and she had every right to confront him. And those that call her too emotional? Please. Racing has seen more than a few champions reduced to tears, and from what I saw, she had every right to be pissed. Better luck next year Danica, I’ll be pulling for you!

Photo courtesy Associated Press

Marty Roth was the slowest driver on the grid for this year’s 500, and he probably wouldn’t have even gotten the opportunity to race if Mario Dominguez hadn’t crashed during qualifying. But his luck ran out on lap 133, when he went wide into turn four and wound up hitting the wall. Check out this clip of his mangled car being brought back to the barn.

This clip is about as far from broadcast-quality video as you can get, but I think that’s what makes it so cool. When you watch the race on the tube, it’s impossible to grasp how incredibly fast the cars are moving, because there are fancy cameras—which probably cost more than a new BMW—constantly tracking them. But chalk one up for my trusty little $200 Casio, as it manged to capture exactly how it looks when the cars come ripping past with the hammer down. Enjoy.

When I went to the Indy Hall of Fame yesterday, my camera battery died while I was only halfway through, so I went back early this morning to get shots of the cars I missed. I’ll get all my pics posted when I get back to CarDomain World Headquarters on Tuesday—sometimes even the wicked get to rest—but I thought this turbine-powered Indy car warranted it’s own blog post. With legendary driver Parnelli Jones behind the wheel, the STP Studebaker lead for 171 laps in the 1967 500, but a spun bearing in the gearbox caused it to lose steam just four laps from the checked. It was the first and last time a turbine-powered car completed in the race, as they were banned the following year. Two more pics after the jump.

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