Off Topic » helmet hell need now that hes back

INDIANAPOLIS -- Canadas James Hinchcliffe has a bruise on the bridge of his nose, a black-and-blue reminder of his big wreck. He can hide it with the helmet hell need now that hes back in the race car. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., was cleared to drive Thursday by IndyCars medical team following a concussion Saturday in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He passed the post-concussion tests and should be all set to qualify this weekend for the Indianapolis 500. He couldnt wait another day, hopping in the No. 27 Honda with 2 minutes left in practice to turn his first lap of the month on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I went overkill on resting because I really wanted to get back out here," he said. "I think a big part of it was my nose is so big it absorbed a lot of the impact and it left my head relatively unscathed." He can laugh about it now, but it wasnt so funny Saturday when debris from Justin Wilsons car flew into the cockpit, striking Hinchcliffe in the head. He was taken away from the track on a stretcher, transported to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. "Luckily, I dont remember most of it," he said. "Its a scary situation any time an injury like that happens." Hinchcliffe suddenly pulled off the road course at IMS following a restart and could be seen holding his head with both hands as he exited his car. "Everybodys been giving a lot of credit for the heads up decision to pull off, but that must have been a subconscious thing because I have no memory of that," he said. "I guess I was very lucky to come in time to not get into the wall there." Series officials said concussions are handled on a case-by-case basis and that drivers with head injuries must pass an ImPACT test before theyre cleared to compete by series medical director Dr. Michael Olinger. The 27-year old Canadian passed his after doing nothing more this week than some light training. He woke up Sunday with a headache but said he was fine by Monday. He was back in the gym Wednesday and ready to resume racing for Andretti Autosport. "I went overkill on the rest," he said. "Everything that they asked me to do I did, and then some. Ive been wearing my sunglasses for like 96 straight hours, staying away from all electronics. Anything they asked me to do I went overkill because I knew the goal was to get back and I really wanted to qualify this car, and it looks like Im going to be able to do that now." E.J. Viso replaced Hinchcliffe in practice this week and got a double dose of bad news: He was out of work and the engine in the No. 27 Honda blew during Thursdays practice. "I really expect that the help, effort and input I gave during these past few days are going to reflect in a good way in the coming days and during the Indy 500," Viso said. "I feel really proud to be able to help Andretti Autosport and I hope to be driving with them again sometime in the future." Here are five other things to know from Thursdays practice: PRACTICE: Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves turned a lap of 227.166 mph -- becoming the first driver to top 227 this week. Ed Carpenter was second at 226.257 and Will Power Townsend Bell and Ryan Hunter-Reay round out the top five. Kurt Busch, attempting to race in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCARs Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, was ninth. There were 34 drivers on the track who turned 2,516 laps. Castroneves said hes ready for the weekends two-day qualifying runs. "You dont realize how tough it is at this place," he said, "so to do two days in a row, itll be really tough." HELIO SWAP: Helio Castroneves is trading in the firesuit for a chance to show "who wears the pants in my family" on "Celebrity Wife Swap." The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion appears on the May 27 episode on ABC. Adriana Henao, the mother of Castroneves 4-year-old daughter, Mikaella, moved into the home of Larry Birkhead in December, while he opened his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home for Birkhead. Birkhead had a daughter with late former Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. "I think it was a great experience for Adriana to try a different family," Castroneves said. HELMET AUCTION: Takuma Sato will put his Indy 500 helmet up for auction. Sato, who drives the No. 14 Honda, will give up his race-worn helmet to raise money for "With you Japan" charity, which Sato founded to help the victims of the 2011 tsunami that wreaked havoc on the island country. The helmets red, white and blue scheme echoes Satos distinctive helmet but also integrates elements from Japans only IndyCar race winner and the Speedways first four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, who owns the No. 14 car. The helmet will feature Satos car number plus bricks to represent the historic Brickyard. The four white stars atop the helmet were included as a tribute to Foyts four Indy victories as a driver. CALLING THE ACTION: Former Indy car driver and team owner Robbie Buhl will join chief announcer Paul Page and Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson as an analyst for the IMS Radio Network broadcasts of Indy 500 qualifying and the race. HAWKSWORTH BACK: English rookie Jack Hawksworth only turned one lap a day after he became the first driver to crash on the oval this month. He waited for the call to the track in the IMS media centre while his Bryan Herta Autosport team worked on the No. 98. "Im going to give it the beans and see what weve got," he said. Yan Gomes Jersey . -- Syracuse was dangerously close to letting another less talented opponent pull off the upset when C. Cleveland Indians Jerseys . The Miami Heat star tops the leagues global list of top-selling jerseys for the 2012-13 season, edging Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Heat teammate Dwyane Wade for the No. http://www.authenticindiansproshop.com/i...j-upton-jersey/. - Nikita Jevpalovs scored 6:22 into the second overtime as the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada edged the visiting Rimouski Oceanic 2-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Joe Carter Jersey . - Gary Kubiak is John Elways No. Cody Allen Jersey .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Knicks are on a roll. The Knicks are riding a mini-run with three straight wins and look to keep it going Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. New York remained in the win column with a 113-106 victory over the Orlando Magic Friday at Madison Square Garden and was led by Carmelo Anthonys 25 points on 10-of-24 shooting. Jason Smith tallied 19 points and Lance Thomas provided 16 off the bench. Were competing and playing for each other, Thomas said. Its working for us and we have to keep it going. The Knicks, who failed to reach 100 points in their previous 11 games, have won three in a row for the first time this season and made 47.3 percent from the field. They closed out last season with four straight wins. New York is only 3-19 away from home and will host Sacramento and Oklahoma City after this brief trip down south. Charlotte looks to rebound from Fridays 129-90 blowout loss at Cleveland. LeBron James and J.R. Smith scored 25 annd 21 points, respectively, to lead the Cavaliers, who shot 51.dddddddddddd7 percent for the game and had a 56-42 rebounding advantage. Smith made 7-of-11 3-pointers and the Cavs hit 15-of-28 from downtown. The Hornets were led by Al Jeffersons 22 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist netted 15 points for Charlotte, which made 40.4 percent for the game and only 2-of-16 3-pointers. The Hornets scored only 13 points in the first quarter and trailed 75-40 at halftime. We just didnt have the right intensity or approach to play a team like that, said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. Cliffords squad entered the night having won three straight and eight of its previous nine games. Charlotte will try to push its home winning streak to four games and is 11-13 as the host. It will start a three-game road trip Wednesday against San Antonio, Denver and Washington. The Hornets have won two of the three matchups with New York this season. New York is 53-40 all-time against Charlotte. 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