Olympic Games

Cupping USA Swimming chiropractor keeps Phelps tuned like an Indy car

As a spotted Michael Phelps won his 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals Tuesday in Rio, the Twitterverse was abuzz with chatter about the 2,000-year-old Chinese therapy of cupping that is leaving round bruises on him and other Olympians as it works to increase their range of motion.

And that brings us to the Verizon IndyCar Series, thanks to a comparison on ESPN.com from USA Swimming chiropractor Kevin Rindal.

“Think of us as an Indy car pit crew,” Rindal said, according to ESPN, “looking at the structure and alignment of the vehicle to see if there is any kind of drag or anything. And if you think of how close these racers are, a little bit of restriction adds up in each stroke and can prevent a full reach. It’s basically the fine-tuning of tissue.”

Read the full story here.


#RioOlympics2016

Comparisons noted, Indy car drivers are apparently loving Olympic competition along with the rest of us.

The games remind Brazilian drivers Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves of home. Kanaan offered travel tips to USA Today’s IndyCar Destinations podcast here.

Castroneves retweeted fan @juliagulia809’s hilarious selfie of the pair:

Meanwhile, from his living room, American Josef Newgarden was cheering on Team USA.


Boys in a bubble

Back in Indiana, Gabby Chaves and Spencer Pigot were playing games with Indiana’s pro soccer team, Indy Eleven. They were VIPs at a game Saturday and, as such, got to play sports while encased in big plastic bubbles.


Marco and Marta’s date night

In Pennsylvania, Marco Andretti was busy with a few overdue Marco things, including taking fiancée Marta Krupa on a date night to Kingfish American Bistro & Wine Bar in Bethlehem, Pa., where you can get everything from sushi to pizza and it all looks pretty good.


#BCforever

This week, Verizon IndyCar Series drivers’ social media feeds are full of condolences following the tragic loss of champion sprint car racer Bryan Clauson, who died Sunday after having been severely injured in a crash the night before. He raced three times in the Indianapolis 500, most recently in May.

Here are a few of the sentiments: