And I'm back! (Again!)
So my hiatus ends after 93 days...I hope no one took it personally. It was a busy summer for me, and something had to give. Between a couple of vacations, work, the start of school (for the kids, not me) and training for a marathon (which I have been blogging about instead), I got a little bit overextended.
And frankly, this had stopped being fun. I'm not going to get into reasons why, which is also why I didn't see the need to actually announce my hiatus in order to find out how many people loved me. I simply needed a break.
Which may continue after this post, I don't know, but today's news about IndyCar racing on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to start next month is intriguing enough to get me in front of the keyboard.
Oh crap, you know what I just thought? In 2014 there will be 18 days in May...not 15. Ugh, I'm outdated.
Anyway, I think this was a move we all saw coming from the time Mark Miles mentioned the possibilities and Graham Rahal and Ryan Briscoe showed up to do some testing. It looks like it will be May 8-10, with the race set to go on Saturday afternoon.
I can see both sides of this coin, but I have to say I am interested in next week's official announcement -- meaning I want to see the improvements they plan on making before I set my opinion in stone. One thing for sure, the road course needs to change. In it's current configuration, it's a dog. There needs to be more straights and braking zones in order to set up more passing. That's a no-doubter. It has to be super fast too. After all, this is Indianapolis!
Not to mention, I think there needs to be more seating throughout the course. In the current configuration, the cars go down the front straight and disappear into the infield, which I guess would work if there were better video screens and other options to watch the race. Plus, I think that some people would like to sit in other areas of the course. If there is another passing zone added in the back 40, I bet that would be a popular spot.
I think if done right this could be a success, albeit so long as we keep our expectations low. There aren't going to be 100,000 people there for the race, although maybe in three days' time perhaps that many people will show up in total. And it is going to look weird with 30,000 people there on race day in a cavernous, 240,000 seat stadium. Sort of like the Nationwide race.
On a tangent...send them back to IRP. Stat.
I know a lot of people are already pooh-poohing the idea, and they have their reasons. But this whole idea of it devaluing the 500 is bunk. The 500 is the 500, and over a century of tradition is not going to do anything to the event. There will still be almost a quarter-million people in the stands on race day (which is my birthday, BTW), and it will be a great show as always.
I know it's apples to oranges, but my opinion on the road course changed when I was in Daytona for the Coke Zero 400 back in July. If you remember, I also went to the Daytona 500 in February.
I'll be honest, I thought both events were awesome...and here's why. Because they were different. Different distances, different ways of qualifying, one race was in the day and another at night. In fact, I liked the Coke Zero 400 a little better, to be honest. Daytona pops a little bit more at night, and outside of getting home at 2:30 a.m. I just enjoyed the experience a little bit more.
So in my opinion, for the road course to succeed, it has to be different. It has to be something that is totally, 180 degrees from the 500. That's what people will embrace the most. No doubt qualifying will be different with the Firestone Fast 6, but with the long straight in play we could have a pretty good standing start and a lot of room for double-file restarts. That could be fun.
And here's the deal: if they make the right changes to the course, the drivers will put on a great show, because they always do. Color me one of those people that is starting to enjoy the twisties a lot more over the last couple of years. They have been awesome, and don't you think running the road course will jack the drivers up a little bit more?
I know I've mentioned this before: I'm a college dropout who works in IT and does writing on the side. I know nothing about business models, TV ratings, sponsor activation or any of the other stuff people talk on Twitter about. Honestly, I don't care about that stuff because I do my part. I go to races and I buy stuff and I watch the races on TV. I do all that I can control.
Yes I know all of that has to happen for the series to survive, but whatever happens, happens. All I care about is The Show, I'll just keep watching the series until it's no longer around.
I love this series because the drivers are awesome both on and off the track and right here, right now they put on one of the best shows in the world. Hell, at this point I'd watch them race around the Castleton Mall.
You guys know, I'm not a cheerleader, I sit squarely in the middle. I just don't get how to some every decision IndyCar makes is life or death. But I also know we aren't like NASCAR, we don't have billions of dollars to play with, a monstrous TV and advertising package, and sponsors waiting at the door to write big checks. In IndyCar people need to come up with creative ideas in order to keep the series moving forward. Some work, some don't.
Give things time. Two years ago I remember people calling the DW12 a dog because ballast problems were causing the car big problems. Last year I remember others saying the doubleheaders would never work. If you looked at everything in an objective manner (as I do a lot because half the time that is my job), IndyCar has hit on a lot more than it has missed in the last couple of years. They have to take chances and have to do things a little differently, because how was what they were doing in the early part of the Millenium working? It wasn't. The folks who ran the series at the time thought...this is Indy, we'll build it, and they will come. They were narrow-minded and couldn't come up with an original idea to save their lives.
This group of people are different. Have they made some mistakes? Oh yeah, and a couple of bad ones. Don't even get me started on race control (who I think on the whole do a great job but have made some whoppers of controversial decisions lately), and the constant delaying of the schedule, and the ambiguity that is accompanying it, which is maddening. Speaking of the schedule, the month-long break is killing me too!
(For the record, I am for a February to Labor Day setup. Lots of sports survive with a 6-month break)
Still, I don't think that this is going to be a bad decision. It might take some time to get used to, but in the end it just may work.And if it doesn't, it doesn't. Life will go on, and we'll race another day.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Iowa!
I'm a little disappointed that I got too busy this past week to put out my Milwaukee wrap-up, so I'm jumping on this one right away.
For the third straight year, I went with Iowa! as my wrap-up title, because 1) I was born in Iowa, 2) Iowans are great peeps who show up and support the event and 3) as usual, IndyCar put on a great show. There apparently was a rumour that Iowa may not be on the schedule next year, which I hope is just someone talking out their rear ends, because it would be a HUGE mistake to leave this off the schedule. People support this race and IndyCar needs to reward that loyalty.
Anyhow, what a great race today! Not necessarily up front, where James Hinchcliffe led 226 laps on his way to his third win of the year, but all over the rest of the field as there was plenty of action. Although it wasn't like Hinch had an easy cruise because everyone was in traffic pretty much all day long so there was still plenty of work to be done.
On to the top 5!
Winner: James Hinchcliffe. Leaving Detroit three weeks ago, Hinch had been unable to put together two consistent weeks in a row...good or bad. But after going P9 at Texas, P5 at Milwaukee and now a P1 today it seems like he is finally finding his footing. Taking the lead from the green flag, Hinch picked up the first oval track win of his IndyCar career and his first on an oval since winning at Chicagoland in the Indy Lights series in 2010. Despite as many finishes of P21 and worse as wins, Hinch is now fourth in points, and a doubleheader in his hometown of Toronto lurks just three weeks away.
Runner-up: Ryan Hunter-Reay. While Hinch won the race, RHR might have had the best car, but was sent to the back of the field after needing his front wing replaced after contact with Graham Rahal. He was stalking Hinchcliffe in the closing laps before being pinned behind lapped traffic which ended his rally. Still, with five podiums in the last six events, is there a hotter racer on the planet right now? He is now just nine points behind Helio Castroneves in the standings, and that's only because Helio won the final heat race for the pole position and picked up those same number of points.
Third place: Tony Kanaan. Winning the 500 was a good kickstart for TK heading into the ovals, as he has gone P1, P3, P10 and P3. Like RHR, Kanaan had some adversity to deal with as his weight jacker was broken so he couldn't make any on-board adjustments, and he had to pit another time with an overheating issue.
Fourth place: Ed Carpenter. Carpenter has had some great stretches on each of the four oval races but hasn't had (at least in his mind I'm guessing) a lot to show for it. Sunday seemed like it might be going in that direction, because he was challenging Hinch for the lead prior to the first round of pit stops, then dropped back into the midfield before making a charge late in the race. The fact he hasn't had a podium on any of the ovals is a bit of a disappointment, but Pocono in two weeks is right up his alley.
Fifth place: Graham Rahal. Talk about a driver -- and team -- that needed this one badly. Rahal had a good weekend, winning a heat race and running as high as second before being passed by TK and Carpenter late. Still, it's hard not to feel good about the result given the P21 and P16 finishes the last two weeks at Texas and Milwaukee, not to mention the cluster that was his month of May. Hopefully they get their stuff together, because it's fun to see a Rahal up front, and his battles with Marco Andretti today was good theater.
A few other ideas:
Oriol Servia, stepping into the Panther Racing entry this weekend, looked good in both the heat races and the main event, and finished a solid seventh. Forget the "auditions", just put the Voice of God in the car permanently, please?...Helio Castroneves took an engine change and went from the pole to 11th starting position, but was never a factor in finishing P8. Still, it's his ninth Top 10 in 10 races...Marco Andretti was up front early but ended up P9 and is third in the points...What is going on with Target Chip Ganassi? Scott Dixon was three laps down in 16th and Dario Franchitt was four laps down in 20th. Sure, Honda has been behind the 8-ball on ovals all season, but these guys in the past have been good enough to work around it...Green was the name of the game, again, as 221 laps were run under green, including the last 91. As crazy as it sounds, that marks the first time in four oval races we didn't have a 100-lap green flag run. Hope that trend continues!
After six races in five weeks, the drivers and teams get a breather before reconvening at Pocono in two weeks. The Tricky Triangle will host IndyCar for the first time in 24 years and will be the second leg of the Triple Crown.
For the third straight year, I went with Iowa! as my wrap-up title, because 1) I was born in Iowa, 2) Iowans are great peeps who show up and support the event and 3) as usual, IndyCar put on a great show. There apparently was a rumour that Iowa may not be on the schedule next year, which I hope is just someone talking out their rear ends, because it would be a HUGE mistake to leave this off the schedule. People support this race and IndyCar needs to reward that loyalty.
Anyhow, what a great race today! Not necessarily up front, where James Hinchcliffe led 226 laps on his way to his third win of the year, but all over the rest of the field as there was plenty of action. Although it wasn't like Hinch had an easy cruise because everyone was in traffic pretty much all day long so there was still plenty of work to be done.
On to the top 5!
Winner: James Hinchcliffe. Leaving Detroit three weeks ago, Hinch had been unable to put together two consistent weeks in a row...good or bad. But after going P9 at Texas, P5 at Milwaukee and now a P1 today it seems like he is finally finding his footing. Taking the lead from the green flag, Hinch picked up the first oval track win of his IndyCar career and his first on an oval since winning at Chicagoland in the Indy Lights series in 2010. Despite as many finishes of P21 and worse as wins, Hinch is now fourth in points, and a doubleheader in his hometown of Toronto lurks just three weeks away.
Runner-up: Ryan Hunter-Reay. While Hinch won the race, RHR might have had the best car, but was sent to the back of the field after needing his front wing replaced after contact with Graham Rahal. He was stalking Hinchcliffe in the closing laps before being pinned behind lapped traffic which ended his rally. Still, with five podiums in the last six events, is there a hotter racer on the planet right now? He is now just nine points behind Helio Castroneves in the standings, and that's only because Helio won the final heat race for the pole position and picked up those same number of points.
Third place: Tony Kanaan. Winning the 500 was a good kickstart for TK heading into the ovals, as he has gone P1, P3, P10 and P3. Like RHR, Kanaan had some adversity to deal with as his weight jacker was broken so he couldn't make any on-board adjustments, and he had to pit another time with an overheating issue.
Fourth place: Ed Carpenter. Carpenter has had some great stretches on each of the four oval races but hasn't had (at least in his mind I'm guessing) a lot to show for it. Sunday seemed like it might be going in that direction, because he was challenging Hinch for the lead prior to the first round of pit stops, then dropped back into the midfield before making a charge late in the race. The fact he hasn't had a podium on any of the ovals is a bit of a disappointment, but Pocono in two weeks is right up his alley.
Fifth place: Graham Rahal. Talk about a driver -- and team -- that needed this one badly. Rahal had a good weekend, winning a heat race and running as high as second before being passed by TK and Carpenter late. Still, it's hard not to feel good about the result given the P21 and P16 finishes the last two weeks at Texas and Milwaukee, not to mention the cluster that was his month of May. Hopefully they get their stuff together, because it's fun to see a Rahal up front, and his battles with Marco Andretti today was good theater.
A few other ideas:
Oriol Servia, stepping into the Panther Racing entry this weekend, looked good in both the heat races and the main event, and finished a solid seventh. Forget the "auditions", just put the Voice of God in the car permanently, please?...Helio Castroneves took an engine change and went from the pole to 11th starting position, but was never a factor in finishing P8. Still, it's his ninth Top 10 in 10 races...Marco Andretti was up front early but ended up P9 and is third in the points...What is going on with Target Chip Ganassi? Scott Dixon was three laps down in 16th and Dario Franchitt was four laps down in 20th. Sure, Honda has been behind the 8-ball on ovals all season, but these guys in the past have been good enough to work around it...Green was the name of the game, again, as 221 laps were run under green, including the last 91. As crazy as it sounds, that marks the first time in four oval races we didn't have a 100-lap green flag run. Hope that trend continues!
After six races in five weeks, the drivers and teams get a breather before reconvening at Pocono in two weeks. The Tricky Triangle will host IndyCar for the first time in 24 years and will be the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday At The Mile
After last week's slightly disappointing race at Texas, the IndyCar series headed to the Milwaukee Mile Friday, and after practice and qualifying it seems like things are getting back to normal.
Normal, as in, crazy and unpredictable.
Yeah, I know Andretti Autosport dominated qualifying by taking four of the first five spots, and Honda was again left in the dust as Josef Newgarden's eight-place starting spot is the best of any Honda team, but the top 20 cars were separated by roughly 1.3 seconds over two laps. Still, I think tomorrow's race will still be a battle because if you look at the field as a whole, there is still a lot of parity and some of the drivers who had less-than-stellar qualifying efforts have a history of going fast here.
Friday Andretti Autosport definitely had the field covered, as Marco Andretti took the pole and James Hinchcliffe shook off a brush with the wall in the morning practice to take the outside of the front row. Ryan Hunter-Reay goes off third, Will Power fourth and EJ Viso takes the inside of row three to cap AA's dominance.
While speeds topped out in the 167-168 mph range in practice, it really cooled down by the time qualifying started at 4:15, and while there was a bit more wind it was still ideal conditions to going fast.
Hinch was the first driver to crack 170 mph in his qualifying run and stood atop the pylon for quite some time before Marco came along and delivered his pole-winning speed of 170.515. In all the top 11 qualifiers went faster than Dario Franchitti's pole speed of a year ago.
All told those 11 drivers represent seven different teams (hence the parity). A couple of other highlights include Sebastien Saavedra qualifying a career-best P6, while Tristan Vautier will go off in P10 after winning the Indy Lights race here a year ago.
A few drivers will have some work to do Saturday, as Takuma Sato, Alex Tagliani, Franchitti and points leader Helio Castroneves will go off P15 through P18, respectively. Drivers talked about track position being so important, so it will be interesting to see this group do work.
This year is my second trip to the Mile, and the more time I spend here the more I am fascinated with the track. Historically, of course, the track has hosted racing for over 110 years (in fact it opened six years before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), meaning that any open wheel driver who has ever raced in this country has more than likely turned laps here.
I also like it because it takes a lot of technical skill to get around. In a Q&A session before qualifying, Viso said the radius and lack of banking to the turns means half of the track drives like a road course, and the other half (the straights) are like an oval. When you look at the list of drivers who have won here over the years it reads like a who's who of drivers who have a high level of technical skill.
That's why I'm not counting out a driver like a Franchitti or Castroneves working their way through the field to the front. It's one thing to post two fast laps, it's another to manage a car on this circuit through an entire stint. Indy and Texas both had green flag runs of over 130 laps, and while that would be tough to do here with the tight spaces the drivers are working in, they might stretch out a couple of runs, making the driver (and setups) even more important.
Patience comes in here as well. This isn't like Indy where you can jump in a draft and out-run a car down the straight before making a pass, instead it might take one lap to set up the car in front for a pass, and another one to actually complete it. When all of the cars were on the track for practice, I saw a good bit of passing, but it takes a little longer to get it done.
Predictions: So many choices! You know what? I'm taking the easy pick (at least to me) and going with Hunter-Reay to win for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. Since his win here a year ago he has gone P1 (Iowa), P4 (Fontana), P3 (Indy) and P2 (Texas) on the ovals. He's hooked up.
As for the rest of the podium, I think Hinch, Marco and Indy 500 champ Tony Kanaan (who starts seventh) as possibilities, and as I mentioned earlier, don't be surprised to see a guy like Helio in the mix at the end. This is the type of race Roger Penske likes, I bet they will do something like go off-cycle on pit stops for track position and do something creative to get him moved up.
So that gives Helio darkhorse status, and I'll throw Scott Dixon in that category too, because I think the Hondas will run better in the race. He's due a little luck as he was lost during the 500 had had that unfortunate gearbox issue last week at Texas.
Don't forget, this race is 250 laps, which makes it 25 miles longer than last year. Hopefully that takes the whole fuel-mileage thing out of the equation. Oh who am I kidding...but I hope it's not a big factor.
Now all we have to do is hope the weather cooperates! Like last year, there is a chance of rain in the forecast and with a 3:40 p.m. start local time there isn't a lot of wiggle room in terms of windows. Crossing fingers they get this one in as it should be a good show.
Normal, as in, crazy and unpredictable.
Yeah, I know Andretti Autosport dominated qualifying by taking four of the first five spots, and Honda was again left in the dust as Josef Newgarden's eight-place starting spot is the best of any Honda team, but the top 20 cars were separated by roughly 1.3 seconds over two laps. Still, I think tomorrow's race will still be a battle because if you look at the field as a whole, there is still a lot of parity and some of the drivers who had less-than-stellar qualifying efforts have a history of going fast here.
Friday Andretti Autosport definitely had the field covered, as Marco Andretti took the pole and James Hinchcliffe shook off a brush with the wall in the morning practice to take the outside of the front row. Ryan Hunter-Reay goes off third, Will Power fourth and EJ Viso takes the inside of row three to cap AA's dominance.
While speeds topped out in the 167-168 mph range in practice, it really cooled down by the time qualifying started at 4:15, and while there was a bit more wind it was still ideal conditions to going fast.
Hinch was the first driver to crack 170 mph in his qualifying run and stood atop the pylon for quite some time before Marco came along and delivered his pole-winning speed of 170.515. In all the top 11 qualifiers went faster than Dario Franchitti's pole speed of a year ago.
All told those 11 drivers represent seven different teams (hence the parity). A couple of other highlights include Sebastien Saavedra qualifying a career-best P6, while Tristan Vautier will go off in P10 after winning the Indy Lights race here a year ago.
A few drivers will have some work to do Saturday, as Takuma Sato, Alex Tagliani, Franchitti and points leader Helio Castroneves will go off P15 through P18, respectively. Drivers talked about track position being so important, so it will be interesting to see this group do work.
This year is my second trip to the Mile, and the more time I spend here the more I am fascinated with the track. Historically, of course, the track has hosted racing for over 110 years (in fact it opened six years before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), meaning that any open wheel driver who has ever raced in this country has more than likely turned laps here.
I also like it because it takes a lot of technical skill to get around. In a Q&A session before qualifying, Viso said the radius and lack of banking to the turns means half of the track drives like a road course, and the other half (the straights) are like an oval. When you look at the list of drivers who have won here over the years it reads like a who's who of drivers who have a high level of technical skill.
That's why I'm not counting out a driver like a Franchitti or Castroneves working their way through the field to the front. It's one thing to post two fast laps, it's another to manage a car on this circuit through an entire stint. Indy and Texas both had green flag runs of over 130 laps, and while that would be tough to do here with the tight spaces the drivers are working in, they might stretch out a couple of runs, making the driver (and setups) even more important.
Patience comes in here as well. This isn't like Indy where you can jump in a draft and out-run a car down the straight before making a pass, instead it might take one lap to set up the car in front for a pass, and another one to actually complete it. When all of the cars were on the track for practice, I saw a good bit of passing, but it takes a little longer to get it done.
Predictions: So many choices! You know what? I'm taking the easy pick (at least to me) and going with Hunter-Reay to win for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. Since his win here a year ago he has gone P1 (Iowa), P4 (Fontana), P3 (Indy) and P2 (Texas) on the ovals. He's hooked up.
As for the rest of the podium, I think Hinch, Marco and Indy 500 champ Tony Kanaan (who starts seventh) as possibilities, and as I mentioned earlier, don't be surprised to see a guy like Helio in the mix at the end. This is the type of race Roger Penske likes, I bet they will do something like go off-cycle on pit stops for track position and do something creative to get him moved up.
So that gives Helio darkhorse status, and I'll throw Scott Dixon in that category too, because I think the Hondas will run better in the race. He's due a little luck as he was lost during the 500 had had that unfortunate gearbox issue last week at Texas.
Don't forget, this race is 250 laps, which makes it 25 miles longer than last year. Hopefully that takes the whole fuel-mileage thing out of the equation. Oh who am I kidding...but I hope it's not a big factor.
Now all we have to do is hope the weather cooperates! Like last year, there is a chance of rain in the forecast and with a 3:40 p.m. start local time there isn't a lot of wiggle room in terms of windows. Crossing fingers they get this one in as it should be a good show.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Texas
Just going with a one-word title this week because, really, what's bigger than Texas? So 'nuff said about that.
The race? Weeeeellll, it was...OK. There were some great moments to the race and some great stuff on the track, and I especially liked how the cars would fall off during stints and the lap times were absolutely all over the place. The drivers wanted to drive and, well, they got it.
Still, there just seemed to be something missing, which is all right. I'm enough of a realist (and race fan) that I don't need a pin-my-ears-back race every weekend. It was still an enjoyable race to watch, it's just that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did last year's race.
So anyway, on with it. Here's the Top 5 and a few notes:
Winner -- Helio Castroneves. Someone on Twitter said that this seemed like a mid-90s type of race, and I agree, especially given the fact that a Penske driver absolutely dominated the race. It just never seemed like Helio had the same struggles everyone else had, and when he had the lead he never let anyone get close to challenging him. This was vintage Penske...everyone was absolutely locked in yesterday, and the cream truly rose to the top.
We are two races away from the halfway point of the season, and Helio is doing what he does well, running consistent races and staying out of trouble. Three podiums and four Top 5 finishes, and in the 17 races since Texas last year he has finished outside of the Top 10 just twice. And on a historical note, it was the 28th win of his career, breaking a tie with Johnny Rutherford for 12th all-time. He has been solid in every discipline so far this season, is he on the way to his first title?
Runner-up -- Ryan Hunter-Reay. RHR spent 35 laps in front of the field Saturday night and has to love where he is at this point of the season. Sitting in third place and just 27 points behind Castroneves (and five behind teammate Marco Andretti) in the points, he's had three finishes of 18th or worse -- but four podiums balances that out fairly well. He's now heading to Milwaukee, a track that he loves and his win there a year ago kickstarted his championship push.
Third place -- Tony Kanaan. TK had an interesting night as he was pretty much everywhere in the field, starting 13th and at one point falling a lap down. But at the end of the race he was the fastest car on the track and moved past Andretti late in the race to make it 2-for-2 in podium finishes on the ovals. Oh and look, there are three ovals coming up on the schedule!
Fourth place -- Ed Carpenter. Another guy who had an interesting night as he had to pit twice early under yellow when a crew member's glove got stuck on one of the pins used to adjust the front wings. Like Kanaan, Ed came on late and notched his best finish of the season. He is another guy who has to be crazy excited at the next three weeks.
Fifth place -- Marco Andretti. After just killing the field through the first 50-plus laps of the race, Bad Marco showed up and he had his first emotional meltdown of the season. Still, I'll give him a lot of props for holding it together and grinding out a Top 5, because I'm wondering if in the past he would've kept his head in it enough to post a finish like that. Like Castroneves, he's been hella consistent all season, with six finishes of P7 or better.
Look, consistency is what is going to win a championship. If the first seven races are any indication (and I think they are), no one is going to win a boatload of races. This isn't going to be a season where someone wins five, six or seven times. In fact I wonder when we may see that again with the depth this series has now. And if it does, it sure isn't going to happen this year.
So the driver holding up the big trophy and taking home the big check at Fontana in October will be the one who can make the most of every weekend and come home with solid finishes.
Other notes -- Actually, I could've highlighted all the way through eighth place as I was impressed with the next three finishers. At the beginning of the race I was thinking Dario Franchitti was just running a replay of a year ago, where he looked spooked and uncomfortable the whole day. Dario dropped like a stone at the drop of the green but rallied back for a sixth-place finish. Will Power, who started on the pole, led four laps and finished seventh, which means while he lost more ground on the points leaders he still put together a good run on an oval.
Josef Newgarden game home in eighth place and now has four Top 10 finishes on the season. A couple of things are significant: 1) he is finishing races and 2) he is competitive on a more consistent basis.
I was also impressed with James Jakes coming home in 12th. If you had to give a Most Improved award at this point of the season, Jakes would certainly be a finalist. He's got four finishes of P12 or better and stands 14th in points, and given the quagmire that is teammate Graham Rahal's season, it's a pretty admirable effort.
The oval portion of the schedule continues next week at the historic Milwaukee Mile. Kevin and I will be there again this year, and while I'm not part of the credentialed media, I will be on the ground and blogging on the festivities. If you are going to be there, hopefully we will run into each other!
The race? Weeeeellll, it was...OK. There were some great moments to the race and some great stuff on the track, and I especially liked how the cars would fall off during stints and the lap times were absolutely all over the place. The drivers wanted to drive and, well, they got it.
Still, there just seemed to be something missing, which is all right. I'm enough of a realist (and race fan) that I don't need a pin-my-ears-back race every weekend. It was still an enjoyable race to watch, it's just that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did last year's race.
So anyway, on with it. Here's the Top 5 and a few notes:
Winner -- Helio Castroneves. Someone on Twitter said that this seemed like a mid-90s type of race, and I agree, especially given the fact that a Penske driver absolutely dominated the race. It just never seemed like Helio had the same struggles everyone else had, and when he had the lead he never let anyone get close to challenging him. This was vintage Penske...everyone was absolutely locked in yesterday, and the cream truly rose to the top.
We are two races away from the halfway point of the season, and Helio is doing what he does well, running consistent races and staying out of trouble. Three podiums and four Top 5 finishes, and in the 17 races since Texas last year he has finished outside of the Top 10 just twice. And on a historical note, it was the 28th win of his career, breaking a tie with Johnny Rutherford for 12th all-time. He has been solid in every discipline so far this season, is he on the way to his first title?
Runner-up -- Ryan Hunter-Reay. RHR spent 35 laps in front of the field Saturday night and has to love where he is at this point of the season. Sitting in third place and just 27 points behind Castroneves (and five behind teammate Marco Andretti) in the points, he's had three finishes of 18th or worse -- but four podiums balances that out fairly well. He's now heading to Milwaukee, a track that he loves and his win there a year ago kickstarted his championship push.
Third place -- Tony Kanaan. TK had an interesting night as he was pretty much everywhere in the field, starting 13th and at one point falling a lap down. But at the end of the race he was the fastest car on the track and moved past Andretti late in the race to make it 2-for-2 in podium finishes on the ovals. Oh and look, there are three ovals coming up on the schedule!
Fourth place -- Ed Carpenter. Another guy who had an interesting night as he had to pit twice early under yellow when a crew member's glove got stuck on one of the pins used to adjust the front wings. Like Kanaan, Ed came on late and notched his best finish of the season. He is another guy who has to be crazy excited at the next three weeks.
Fifth place -- Marco Andretti. After just killing the field through the first 50-plus laps of the race, Bad Marco showed up and he had his first emotional meltdown of the season. Still, I'll give him a lot of props for holding it together and grinding out a Top 5, because I'm wondering if in the past he would've kept his head in it enough to post a finish like that. Like Castroneves, he's been hella consistent all season, with six finishes of P7 or better.
Look, consistency is what is going to win a championship. If the first seven races are any indication (and I think they are), no one is going to win a boatload of races. This isn't going to be a season where someone wins five, six or seven times. In fact I wonder when we may see that again with the depth this series has now. And if it does, it sure isn't going to happen this year.
So the driver holding up the big trophy and taking home the big check at Fontana in October will be the one who can make the most of every weekend and come home with solid finishes.
Other notes -- Actually, I could've highlighted all the way through eighth place as I was impressed with the next three finishers. At the beginning of the race I was thinking Dario Franchitti was just running a replay of a year ago, where he looked spooked and uncomfortable the whole day. Dario dropped like a stone at the drop of the green but rallied back for a sixth-place finish. Will Power, who started on the pole, led four laps and finished seventh, which means while he lost more ground on the points leaders he still put together a good run on an oval.
Josef Newgarden game home in eighth place and now has four Top 10 finishes on the season. A couple of things are significant: 1) he is finishing races and 2) he is competitive on a more consistent basis.
I was also impressed with James Jakes coming home in 12th. If you had to give a Most Improved award at this point of the season, Jakes would certainly be a finalist. He's got four finishes of P12 or better and stands 14th in points, and given the quagmire that is teammate Graham Rahal's season, it's a pretty admirable effort.
The oval portion of the schedule continues next week at the historic Milwaukee Mile. Kevin and I will be there again this year, and while I'm not part of the credentialed media, I will be on the ground and blogging on the festivities. If you are going to be there, hopefully we will run into each other!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
More Indy 500 Stuff
I finally got a chance to view the ABC broadcast of the
race, and there were definitely a few things I missed from being at the track.
Not only that, it gave me a chance to see what happened and
give a few things some more thought. I have to say, still two days later, I
keep thinking about the race and how amazing it was. Tony Kanaan winning, and
the crowd’s reaction, was something I will remember the rest of my life.
Crazy as it sounds, about a month ago I was giving thought
to passing up the 500 this year and maybe going to Iowa or someplace else
instead. Don’t get me wrong, it was a completely economic discussion but I
thought with the things I have coming up this summer that maybe I should sit
this one out.
But my biggest argument was this: what if something
memorable happened and I missed it? What if Helio or Dario won their fourth?
What if Hinch won?
Or even, what if Tony
Kanaan won the race and I wasn’t there to see it?
Yes, that was an exact thought that I had over a month ago.
What if TK won the race and I missed it? The opportunity to see him win the
Indy 500 was the biggest reason I decided to go. And now? No regrets.
So here are a few more things that crossed my mind:
TK could do anything
he wanted with his car. No doubt his gaining five spots just after the drop
of the green flag was not surprising, but what was so noticeable was the fact
that he could put the car anywhere on the track and it would stick. He was
hooked up all day long and amazingly enough took no adjustments to the car
during pit stops.
I’m still surprised
by Carlos Munoz. But then again, this is what Colombians do when they get
to the Speedway. In fact, his runner-up finish is the second-best rookie run by a Colombian as Juan Pablo Montoya won in
his first (and only) start in 2000. Also having a tremendous debut was Roberto
Guerrero – a big favorite of mine back in the day – who was second to Rick
Mears in 1984. That was the start of a four-year run where he went P2, P3, P4
and P2. I’d like to see him on a little more of a variety of tracks at the big
league level before I declare Munoz the goods…but he’s off to a good start.
Outside of TK, my
epic-run-of-the-day still goes to Charlie Kimball. I tweeted Kimball
yesterday and asked him what the problem was with his car but never got a
reply. I’ve heard it was electrical, but when he came by it sounded like he was
about to lose a cylinder, or had one of the infamous header problems a few
others had experienced during practice and qualifying. When the race went back
to green after JR Hildebrand’s crash he was lagging so far behind the pack that
there were people in my section sort of laughing about it. One person had him
in a driver pool and was rooting for him to drop out so he finished last and
she got her money back (she wasn’t paying attention to the fact Hildebrand was
already out).
Most impressive about his run was the fact there were very
few cautions where they could use some sort of strategy to move him up the
field. No, he did it the hard way, by passing cars. I think there are some
people who are down on Kimball for some reason, but he is becoming a solid Top
10 performer. Lots of guys make a long career of doing that. Plus, when you
look at how teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon performed, it’s even
more impressive.
About Dario. It
was crazy to hear how Sunday was the first time he had ever hit the wall at the
Speedway. He had turned 1,940 race laps without an incident, and probably two
to three times more than that in practice and testing.
I was amazed at how quick people were to jump on the
conspiracy theory that once he realized TK was in the lead he walled his car to
give his friend the win. Watching the tape it was obvious that he turned the
car and it just didn’t go anywhere. Remember they hadn’t changed his tires
after his last stop so he was on old kicks, not to mention he had been
struggling with handling all day.
Not to mention, it would have taken help from his spotter (as Turn 1 is pretty blind and Dario would never seen TK in the lead) and an incredible presence of mind to 1) find out your best friend is in the lead and 2) decide within a fraction of a second "you know, I'm going to help him out and wall the car". Please. You'd have to have a pretty big screw loose to crash a car at speed on purpose.
Readers of this space know I’m not a huge fan of his, but I
find it ludicrous that anyone would think he would do something like that.
Dario is a sportsman and a man of great integrity who knows how much of a
privilege it is to win the 500. He wasn’t going to hand a win to anyone.
Speaking of Dixon. His
performance Sunday was very non-Dixie-ish. For a guy where top-5 finishes are
almost a way of life around there, he was never a factor, although he did complete every lap of the race for
the seventh year in a row. That’s some amazing consistency from both Dixon and
his team, because prior to Dario’s crash he had completed every race lap since
2007 (save 2008 when he did not compete).
Where was Hinch? His
up and down season continued. Two wins and now three finishes of 20th
or worse. It’s crazy how Andretti Autosport absolutely nailed the setups on
Munoz, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and EJ Viso’s cars but missed so badly
with Hinch. He was saying that getting too close to a car in front of him was
making the car unstable. And given the way he was in sprint car mode and power
sliding through some of the corners, there just wasn’t much he could do.
Still, he is fifth in points and I think he could be someone who could make a big move over the weekend. I have a feeling after the two races at Belle Isle are done the standings will look a lot different a week from now.
G/W/C. Thankfully
lots of people are starting to come to their senses about this. Look, G/W/C
doesn’t work in IndyCar (especially at IMS) for one singular reason: it’s
dangerous. Stuff that works in NASCAR doesn’t always work anywhere else, and
this is one of them.
It was a hot topic on ESPN's Turn 4 today, and thankfully they pretty much all have the same consensus most of us do. It's just not necessary, and in most instances, just isn't feasible.
What works for NASCAR is that the G/W/C, and in the same
vein, plate racing, has a sort of demo derby feel to it. The wrecks that happen
during many G/W/C finishes are spectacular because they involve lots of cars
bouncing off of each other and for the most part no one gets hurt.
Restarts at a place like Indy are hairy enough, can you
imagine a one-lap sprint (and I call it one lap because once you get to the
white flag the next flag is the checker for all the marbles at Indy? Can you
imagine the carnage, injury or damage involved if that dash to the finish
produced a multi-car crash? It wouldn’t look as funny as Cup, where mayhem
ensues and everyone pretty much hops from their cars, then two guys might fight
and everyone cheers. A 5-or-6 car crash at an oval in IndyCar sends someone to
the hospital, guaranteed.
Plus, NASCAR and IndyCar are apples to oranges economically.
Most of the Cup teams can absorb the cost of some dented sheet metal, most
IndyCar teams can’t afford to be constantly fixing wrecked cars. So why would a
series where cost containment is a priority put their cars/drivers/teams in the
position of having to pay for unnecessarily wrecked race cars?
For a couple of TV ratings points? Look, fans aren’t going
to flock to IndyCar just because they adopt the G/W/C. it’s deeper than that,
and we all know it.
Which brings me to my last point.
TV. If I win the
lottery someday, I will personally help buy IndyCar out of its current TV
package, which hamstrings the series more than any other factor. From a
production/camera aspect, ABC’s coverage was great…but it ends there. The
series needs to demand a better partner that will be with them for every race,
as well as online and social media content.
OK. One more thing. The
#Indy500orBust campaign was a huge success, and is further proof that the
inroads to growing the fanbase lies in social media. But I came across a story
today that is a must read. It is the #Indy500orBust story about Felipe Guerra,
a young man from Chile who dreamed of going to the Indy 500.
You can read it here.
Felipe, along with his father, got to come to the US to see
the race for the first time this weekend. Give his story a read, it’s very,
very cool.
It’s fascinating to think that people come from all over the
world to go to the 500. What’s even more fascinating is the fact that there are
many people who are fans of the race (and the series) who have never seen an
IndyCar race in person, yet they are still fans.
Maybe I take it for granted. The fact is, I’ve never lived
more than three hours from IMS since I became a fan in 1979. I always knew that
my next trip there was only a year away, and when I lived in Indy for five
years in the early 90s, I drove by the track several times a week. Even if it
meant taking a special trip.
I was a fan from the first day I walked in there, not the other way around. Others
have to wait years (or even decades) to make it to Indy. I can’t imagine what
it would be like to see Indy for the first time when the only time you have
seen it is on TV or in pictures or in your mind’s eye. I bet it’s pretty
awesome.
You want to know what Indy means? That’s it. The dream of
making it to Indy isn’t just for the drivers, it’s for the fans too.
Felipe hopes to make it back in 2016. So I say,
#Felipe2016orBust!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
The Indy 500 Just Did A Mic Drop
As I posted on Twitter right after the race ended:
Today is why I love racing. Today is why I never gave up on IndyCar.
It was almost like the field of 33 drivers walked up to the mic, said "we just put on the best race in the universe today", and walked away. Yeah, it was that good.
Where to begin? With the 68 lead changes? The fastest Indy 500 in history? The incredible racing throughout the field? The coronation of Tony Kanaan as the official Indy 500 People's Champion?
I was going to list some of the numerous records set today, but there are so many I'm just going to refer to the IndyCar website. Check it out.
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So that I don't write an epic post, I'm just going to go through the Top 10 and a few other story lines, and my views from the Southwest Vista. For the third straight year, Matt accompanied me to the race. So he's seen Dan Wheldon win on the last lap, watched Dario Franchitti win his third while Takuma Sato crashed almost right in front of us, and TK win on one of the most historic days the Speedway has ever seen. The kid's spoiled, I'm telling ya.
Winner -- Tony Kanaan. Am I really, truly able to type his name in this space? Yes. Wow, what a run by TK. When he quickly moved from his P12 starting position to near the front of the field at the start of the race, you had the feeling right then it was his day. I've been going to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 34 years now, and I have never heard cheers like I did today. Last year I said if the fans could will a driver to a win, TK would have a couple of Borg-Warners by now. What we love about Tony is that he goes out and races hard, and he pours his heart and soul into the car every time he drives it. He did that today and it finally, FINALLY paid off for him. I don't think there is anyone in the racing world that isn't happy for him today.
Runner-up -- Carlos Munoz. The 21-year-old Colombian started second and finished second. I have to admit when Andretti Autosport announced he would be driving a car this year, I pretty much figured this year would be for experience and that maybe he would be a factor someday down the road. Instead, he has driven well beyond his years all month long, and was impressive in this one, driving clean but at the same time giving no quarter. An obvious choice for Rookie of the Year.
3rd -- Ryan Hunter-Reay. As expected, Andretti Autosport was the dominant team on Sunday, putting two drivers on the podium and three in the top four. The only AA car who didn't perform well was James Hinchcliffe, who looked lost all day and finally fell to 21st in the final classification. Hunter-Reay had the misfortune of being as sitting duck in the lead on the final restart, and had the race gone to the end would've probably teamed up with TK, Munoz and Marco Andretti for a four-wide finish similar to Friday's Indy Lights race. Still, he's further proving that last year was no fluke. I think he is driving even better.
4th -- Marco Andretti. Marco was happy for TK but visibly disappointed after leading 31 laps and at times having the car that could do almost anything. On the flip side, he is the new points leader and his maturation process continues. In this era where the reliability of the cars is close to impeccable, he will get more opportunities to win and don't forget, he's still only 26. He's going to get a lot more chances.
5th -- Justin Wilson. The highest-finishing Honda in the field, Wilson now has three top-7 finishes in his last four runs at the 500. Like Oriol Servia placing fourth last year, Wilson snuck up on the field Sunday with a solid, workmanlike effort. Wilson also had the fastest lap of the race at 226.9 mph.
6th -- Helio Castroneves. The last time two three-time winners drove in the 500 (1987), Al Unser Sr. took a Penske car and rolled to his fourth win. Helio didn't have that same luck Sunday, but always seemed to be in the hunt and led a lap in a fantastic move where he went from fourth to first in on fell swoop. Since Helio captured his third win in 2009, he has inexplicably not been a huge factor on race day. But like Marco, he can find the silver lining that he brought the car back in one piece and heads to Detroit's twinbill next weekend third in the standings.
7th -- AJ Allmendinger. With each good finish, I hope more and more that this guy finds a way to stay in IndyCar. Taking on a big oval for the first time in his career, he fell back at the start of the race but gained confidence with each lap and by the midway point of the race was sticking his nose in there and taking people on. He had to pit off-sequence when a part of his seat belt came loose, which put him out of cycle with the leaders, but with the long green he was able to battle back and was in the mix late. Still, leading 23 laps in your debut for the Captain is a good day and usually gets you an invite back.
8th -- Simon Pagenaud. See Wilson, Justin. Pagenaud started 21st but was pretty good in traffic and just methodically worked his way up into the fight. While he was never a factor from the front of the field, Sam Schmidt should be happy to see him recover from some struggles earlier in the season.
9th -- Charlie Kimball. Kimball missed the Saturday pre-race activities with the flu, and just a few laps into the race his car sounded just as sick. I don't know what they did to fix his problems, but after spending a lot of time by himself just logging laps, the field came back to him and he started moving up. Impressive run. Raise your hand if you had Kimball as the highest finishing Ganassi car in the field.
10th -- Ed Carpenter. Ed was hooked up to start the race, leading 34 laps (a race high) early. Then he started dropping like a stone, and while his team tried to say he was settling in for the long haul, his in-car camera showed his right hand getting pretty high when he was turning, which is the sign of a car that refuses to turn. This was Carpenter's best chance to win the 500, and you think he will have some more. He will still win an oval race (or two) this year.
Rookies. Although there were only four in the field, they all represented themselves well. I've already documented Munoz' and Dinger's days, but a little further back in the field Tristan Vautier finished on the lead lap in P16 and Conor Daly was two laps down in P22. What Munoz and Dinger did were a bonus, if a rookie logs a ton of laps, stays out of trouble and picks up some valuable experience, that's all you can ask.
133 laps. Since they began keeping records of separate green/caution laps in 1976, the 133 lap stretch between laps 60-194 is the longest green flag run they have ever had here. Think about it, 133 laps is 332.5 miles, or roughly the distance between Indy and Madison, Wisc. And at the pace the cars were going, the cranked those laps out in about 90-95 minutes, representing probably the most intense 90-95 minutes they have ever experienced in a race car. It wasn't like this was a single-file parade, guys (and ladies) were having to defend their positions lap after lap without having the chance to take a mental break of sorts during a caution. That stretch was a real testament of the skill of the drivers in the IndyCar series.
That long green stretch helped TK break Arie Luyendyk's 22-year-old race record (185 mph) as he covered the distance in two hours, 40 minutes, 3 seconds to average 187.433 mph. The race average actually reached as high as 192 before the two late cautions.
Honda. As the day went on I heard faint sounds of a guitar strumming and the strains of Kumbaya wafting over the Speedway. Unlike last year when the Hondas came alive on race day, it just didn't happen this time. Chevy took seven of the top 10 spots and Honda led just eight laps, with James Jakes leading the brigade with five. Honda puts a lot into winning the 500, so there are probably a lot of people that won't be sleeping well tonight.
Finishing under caution. For the third straight year, the race finished under yellow, and the green/white/checker (or wrecker) debate was resurrected anew. A couple of things here: if you were left with a "bad taste in your mouth" (as a caller to Kevin Lee's show said he was afterwards) after 68 lead changes and some of the best racing the Speedway has ever seen, you need to either lower your expectations of happiness or find another sport to follow.
Was I a bit disappointed that the race didn't go down to a final, last lap knife fight? Hell yeah, but at the same time, I believe in the integrity of the race distance. The rules say the person who covers 500 miles first, wins. It doesn't say "let's keep trying until we get a finish we are happy with", it's pretty simple. I'd rather see a red flag than a G/W/W finish, and while many may think that is splitting hairs, I don't ever want to see an IndyCar race go beyond its scheduled distance. Either way, 500 miles is 500 miles, and it should be kept that way.
And besides, let's get something straight and clear. While the previous two years also finished under yellow, the G/W/W would not have applied either time as the leader of the race had taken the white flag. So let's put this discussion to bed, shall we? I don't know about you, but the last three years haven't left me disappointed. At. All.
So another 500 is in the books. When the day started, I was hoping to see a repeat of last year's race, but this year's just blew it away. Is the bar getting set too high? Who knows, but ever time I watch the DW12 race on an oval, it gets prettier by the day. The other two Triple Crown races should be awesome, but first, it's on to Belle Isle!
Today is why I love racing. Today is why I never gave up on IndyCar.
It was almost like the field of 33 drivers walked up to the mic, said "we just put on the best race in the universe today", and walked away. Yeah, it was that good.
Where to begin? With the 68 lead changes? The fastest Indy 500 in history? The incredible racing throughout the field? The coronation of Tony Kanaan as the official Indy 500 People's Champion?
I was going to list some of the numerous records set today, but there are so many I'm just going to refer to the IndyCar website. Check it out.
.jpg)
Winner -- Tony Kanaan. Am I really, truly able to type his name in this space? Yes. Wow, what a run by TK. When he quickly moved from his P12 starting position to near the front of the field at the start of the race, you had the feeling right then it was his day. I've been going to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 34 years now, and I have never heard cheers like I did today. Last year I said if the fans could will a driver to a win, TK would have a couple of Borg-Warners by now. What we love about Tony is that he goes out and races hard, and he pours his heart and soul into the car every time he drives it. He did that today and it finally, FINALLY paid off for him. I don't think there is anyone in the racing world that isn't happy for him today.
Runner-up -- Carlos Munoz. The 21-year-old Colombian started second and finished second. I have to admit when Andretti Autosport announced he would be driving a car this year, I pretty much figured this year would be for experience and that maybe he would be a factor someday down the road. Instead, he has driven well beyond his years all month long, and was impressive in this one, driving clean but at the same time giving no quarter. An obvious choice for Rookie of the Year.
3rd -- Ryan Hunter-Reay. As expected, Andretti Autosport was the dominant team on Sunday, putting two drivers on the podium and three in the top four. The only AA car who didn't perform well was James Hinchcliffe, who looked lost all day and finally fell to 21st in the final classification. Hunter-Reay had the misfortune of being as sitting duck in the lead on the final restart, and had the race gone to the end would've probably teamed up with TK, Munoz and Marco Andretti for a four-wide finish similar to Friday's Indy Lights race. Still, he's further proving that last year was no fluke. I think he is driving even better.
4th -- Marco Andretti. Marco was happy for TK but visibly disappointed after leading 31 laps and at times having the car that could do almost anything. On the flip side, he is the new points leader and his maturation process continues. In this era where the reliability of the cars is close to impeccable, he will get more opportunities to win and don't forget, he's still only 26. He's going to get a lot more chances.
5th -- Justin Wilson. The highest-finishing Honda in the field, Wilson now has three top-7 finishes in his last four runs at the 500. Like Oriol Servia placing fourth last year, Wilson snuck up on the field Sunday with a solid, workmanlike effort. Wilson also had the fastest lap of the race at 226.9 mph.
6th -- Helio Castroneves. The last time two three-time winners drove in the 500 (1987), Al Unser Sr. took a Penske car and rolled to his fourth win. Helio didn't have that same luck Sunday, but always seemed to be in the hunt and led a lap in a fantastic move where he went from fourth to first in on fell swoop. Since Helio captured his third win in 2009, he has inexplicably not been a huge factor on race day. But like Marco, he can find the silver lining that he brought the car back in one piece and heads to Detroit's twinbill next weekend third in the standings.
7th -- AJ Allmendinger. With each good finish, I hope more and more that this guy finds a way to stay in IndyCar. Taking on a big oval for the first time in his career, he fell back at the start of the race but gained confidence with each lap and by the midway point of the race was sticking his nose in there and taking people on. He had to pit off-sequence when a part of his seat belt came loose, which put him out of cycle with the leaders, but with the long green he was able to battle back and was in the mix late. Still, leading 23 laps in your debut for the Captain is a good day and usually gets you an invite back.
8th -- Simon Pagenaud. See Wilson, Justin. Pagenaud started 21st but was pretty good in traffic and just methodically worked his way up into the fight. While he was never a factor from the front of the field, Sam Schmidt should be happy to see him recover from some struggles earlier in the season.
9th -- Charlie Kimball. Kimball missed the Saturday pre-race activities with the flu, and just a few laps into the race his car sounded just as sick. I don't know what they did to fix his problems, but after spending a lot of time by himself just logging laps, the field came back to him and he started moving up. Impressive run. Raise your hand if you had Kimball as the highest finishing Ganassi car in the field.
10th -- Ed Carpenter. Ed was hooked up to start the race, leading 34 laps (a race high) early. Then he started dropping like a stone, and while his team tried to say he was settling in for the long haul, his in-car camera showed his right hand getting pretty high when he was turning, which is the sign of a car that refuses to turn. This was Carpenter's best chance to win the 500, and you think he will have some more. He will still win an oval race (or two) this year.
Rookies. Although there were only four in the field, they all represented themselves well. I've already documented Munoz' and Dinger's days, but a little further back in the field Tristan Vautier finished on the lead lap in P16 and Conor Daly was two laps down in P22. What Munoz and Dinger did were a bonus, if a rookie logs a ton of laps, stays out of trouble and picks up some valuable experience, that's all you can ask.
133 laps. Since they began keeping records of separate green/caution laps in 1976, the 133 lap stretch between laps 60-194 is the longest green flag run they have ever had here. Think about it, 133 laps is 332.5 miles, or roughly the distance between Indy and Madison, Wisc. And at the pace the cars were going, the cranked those laps out in about 90-95 minutes, representing probably the most intense 90-95 minutes they have ever experienced in a race car. It wasn't like this was a single-file parade, guys (and ladies) were having to defend their positions lap after lap without having the chance to take a mental break of sorts during a caution. That stretch was a real testament of the skill of the drivers in the IndyCar series.
That long green stretch helped TK break Arie Luyendyk's 22-year-old race record (185 mph) as he covered the distance in two hours, 40 minutes, 3 seconds to average 187.433 mph. The race average actually reached as high as 192 before the two late cautions.
Honda. As the day went on I heard faint sounds of a guitar strumming and the strains of Kumbaya wafting over the Speedway. Unlike last year when the Hondas came alive on race day, it just didn't happen this time. Chevy took seven of the top 10 spots and Honda led just eight laps, with James Jakes leading the brigade with five. Honda puts a lot into winning the 500, so there are probably a lot of people that won't be sleeping well tonight.
Finishing under caution. For the third straight year, the race finished under yellow, and the green/white/checker (or wrecker) debate was resurrected anew. A couple of things here: if you were left with a "bad taste in your mouth" (as a caller to Kevin Lee's show said he was afterwards) after 68 lead changes and some of the best racing the Speedway has ever seen, you need to either lower your expectations of happiness or find another sport to follow.
Was I a bit disappointed that the race didn't go down to a final, last lap knife fight? Hell yeah, but at the same time, I believe in the integrity of the race distance. The rules say the person who covers 500 miles first, wins. It doesn't say "let's keep trying until we get a finish we are happy with", it's pretty simple. I'd rather see a red flag than a G/W/W finish, and while many may think that is splitting hairs, I don't ever want to see an IndyCar race go beyond its scheduled distance. Either way, 500 miles is 500 miles, and it should be kept that way.
And besides, let's get something straight and clear. While the previous two years also finished under yellow, the G/W/W would not have applied either time as the leader of the race had taken the white flag. So let's put this discussion to bed, shall we? I don't know about you, but the last three years haven't left me disappointed. At. All.
So another 500 is in the books. When the day started, I was hoping to see a repeat of last year's race, but this year's just blew it away. Is the bar getting set too high? Who knows, but ever time I watch the DW12 race on an oval, it gets prettier by the day. The other two Triple Crown races should be awesome, but first, it's on to Belle Isle!
Friday, May 24, 2013
The 500...Let's Do This
Holy cow, I am blown away by how quickly this month has gone. Here it is three days from the race, and I am just getting caught up that it is May as it is. Which is unfortunate, because for a lot of reasons May is my favorite month of the year. Oh well, I'm going to be in the house at the Speedway on Sunday, and in the end that is all that matters.
But this year, the 500 isn't the biggest race I'm going to watch this year. Nope, that comes tomorrow when my son Matt runs the 4x800 for Aurora Central Catholic High School at the Illinois State Class 2A track meet to be held at Eastern Illinois University.
Can I brag for a moment? Thanks. It's such an amazing thing when someone you love works hard and succeeds at something. I am super proud
of him. He and his teammates had worked so hard over the past year, and
now he has a state track qualifier to his name to go with qualifying
for the state cross country meet last fall.
What is even cooler is the fact that because of a "multiplier" attached to private schools, Central runs a class up against schools that are twice its size. With 590 students, Central regularly competes against schools that have over 1,000 kids, and they hold their own.
They are the little school that could...sound familiar?
So there are two segues I can use from this story: first is that just like tomorrow, a year's worth of work will go into one race (or hopefully two if they qualify for Saturday's final). Matt decided after track season last year that he really wanted to dedicate himself to his running, and 2,000 miles of training later, he is where he wants to be. He ran a career-best 2:04 for his 800 leg in winning the sectional on Friday night, so he is ready to go.
The peeps in IndyCar have done the same thing. Since Memorial Day last year, no doubt the drivers and their teams have been working hard to figure out how to do even better on Sunday. Make no mistake, from the front to the back of the field, everyone wants to win this race. Lots of them have that chance.
Second, just like the movie Hoosiers, there is always room for the little school (or race team) to get a chance. Ed Carpenter, a native Hoosier, won the pole for Sunday's race and has a great chance to win the 500. For Carpenter, it would be a lifetime dream, and would add to the craziness that has become IndyCar racing the last couple of years.
Because let's be real, did any of us see Dan Wheldon winning the race in 2011? How about Dario Franchitti last year? After a putrid start to the season, Dario was slogging along all month with the Honda engine, then was spun by EJ Viso just 15 laps into the race and dropped to 29th place. Somehow he found his way back to the front and held off Takuma Sato in one of the best races ever run here.
Best races until this year, because I think with a year of experience (and if you count Fontana two 500-mile races) under their belts, the racing come Sunday could be epic...again.
So far this month, practice has given us a pretty good show, and that will transfer to the race. At least once a day during practice, a dozen cars (or more) would get together and it looked like it was the real thing with the passing and dicing that was going on. In fact, Marco Andretti radioed to his team at one point that he thought he was in the middle of the race by how hard the drivers were going.
Crazy. With Marco's name fresh on my mind, let's go through some predictions and story lines.
First, I'm sticking with my previous thoughts of the last few weeks that Marco Andretti will win the Indianapolis 500. In years past I don't know if those thoughts would ever come from my keyboard, but he was hella fast last year, and this year combines it with some calmer, smoother driving. One thing about the DW12 on an oval is that if your car is fast, you just have to stick with it and the car will take you to the front. You don't have to try so hard, which is what I think both Marco and Carpenter did last year when they spun late. Marco has been fast each of the last two years, but last year (well, in lots of years) he let his emotions get the best of him. This year he has proven to be a different guy, but it remains to be seen if he can stay that way when the pressure is on.
The weather. Thankfully, it won't be the blast furnace that it was the last couple of years. I know that I am a distance runner and all, but walking about six miles during the course of the day last year was a killer! Looking at the current forecast, it looks like it will be cloudy and about 25 degrees cooler, which is much more to the cars' (and drivers) liking. Cooler temperatures means a cooler track, which means the cars should handle a lot better.
Carpenter will be a factor. If I were throwing down odds, I'd set Ed as second to win behind Marco. Ed's fast when it counts, and don't forget he has an oval win in this car. Like James Hinchcliffe, if you are talented, winning once opens the door to winning again. With oval wins each of the last two years Ed's confidence has to be at an all-time high.
Andretti Autosport. With five drivers in the field, and all of them the Fast Nine in qualifying last weekend, there is a good chance one of them will win the race. Given past history, however, I'm thinking that should Andretti falter, two others: Ryan Hunter-Reay or Hinchcliffe, would be the ones to step up.
If you want to talk about drivers whose confidence is at an all-time high, look no further than RHR. After winning the championship in 2012 he's driving with the confidence and passion of someone who thinks they are one of the world's best, and right now he just might be. With two wins this year, Hinch is right there with him.
On the other hand, I don't see Munoz winning based on his inexperience, and Viso based on past experience. While I think EJ is slowing improving, I don't see him taking this kind of a leap. This race is won by winners, and I don't put him in that category quite yet.
Penske. One of the biggest story lines is the run for a fourth 500 win for Helio Castroneves. Since last winning in 2009 he has had little luck, including last year when he hit a loose tire from the Will Power/Mike Conway crash and had suspension issues all day. Is this his year?
I don't know, but I do know it won't be Power's. I feel bad when I write things like that about Will, but let's face it, he struggles in traffic on ovals. The only oval win he has (Texas) came in a race that he led almost the whole way and lasted about 45 minutes. I don't see him winning a marathon like this.
However, I wouldn't be surprised to see AJ Allmendinger in the mix. He's been fast all month and is experienced enough that he can run at the front. Plus I've got to admit to liking the guy, he has said and done all of the right things, and he gets it.
Dark horses. Maybe this is a bit of a misnomer, but it's a catch-all for everyone who I think can win but I haven't listed yet. And this list starts (and should end) with Tony Kanaan. It's crazy to look at TK's career and for everything he has accomplished it isn't accompanied by a Borg-Warner trophy. How many chances does he have left? Should he win it would be one of the most popular victories in 500 history.
While I don't see either of them winning, it wouldn't surprise me if Oriol Servia and/or Townsend Bell make a push to the front by the end. The same is true with Simona de Silvestro.
Hondas. I'll throw everyone in this group together too, because this is one of the great unknowns. If last year is any example, the Hondas will be better on race day, but the Honda peeps were hoping for the kind of weather they got last year, and that didn't happen. Still, Dario Franchitti topped the speed chart one day during practice and the Hondas did work well in traffic in practice. But outside of Alex Tagliani, who is starting P11, the fastest Hondas have nearly a dozen cars with Chevy power in front of them. This could be a taller task than last year.
With that in mind, you know Franchitti and Dixon will make themselves some sort of factor on Sunday. Dixon has completed every lap of the race since 2006 and has never finished worse than P6 over that span, while Franchitti is, well, Franchitti.
Bottom line. If we thought last year was the most wide-open in recent history, this year it is that times two. I could honestly see anyone from a pool of 20 drivers winning this race. Believe it or not, Sunday will be the 20th race run with the DW12, and in that span there have been 10 different winners.
But what will make this race memorable will be the passing throughout the field. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we set a record for lead changes, and it wouldn't surprise me to see 40 of them by the time the day is through.
I also think the winning pass for the lead will also come within the final two laps, maybe even down to the last straightaway. Yeah, it's gonna be that good.
Last, and certainly not least, best wishes and Godspeed to the drivers and crews who will put it all on the line Sunday. And in honor of it being Memorial Day weekend, thanks to all veterans, past and present for their service, especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
But this year, the 500 isn't the biggest race I'm going to watch this year. Nope, that comes tomorrow when my son Matt runs the 4x800 for Aurora Central Catholic High School at the Illinois State Class 2A track meet to be held at Eastern Illinois University.
What is even cooler is the fact that because of a "multiplier" attached to private schools, Central runs a class up against schools that are twice its size. With 590 students, Central regularly competes against schools that have over 1,000 kids, and they hold their own.
They are the little school that could...sound familiar?
So there are two segues I can use from this story: first is that just like tomorrow, a year's worth of work will go into one race (or hopefully two if they qualify for Saturday's final). Matt decided after track season last year that he really wanted to dedicate himself to his running, and 2,000 miles of training later, he is where he wants to be. He ran a career-best 2:04 for his 800 leg in winning the sectional on Friday night, so he is ready to go.
The peeps in IndyCar have done the same thing. Since Memorial Day last year, no doubt the drivers and their teams have been working hard to figure out how to do even better on Sunday. Make no mistake, from the front to the back of the field, everyone wants to win this race. Lots of them have that chance.
Second, just like the movie Hoosiers, there is always room for the little school (or race team) to get a chance. Ed Carpenter, a native Hoosier, won the pole for Sunday's race and has a great chance to win the 500. For Carpenter, it would be a lifetime dream, and would add to the craziness that has become IndyCar racing the last couple of years.
Because let's be real, did any of us see Dan Wheldon winning the race in 2011? How about Dario Franchitti last year? After a putrid start to the season, Dario was slogging along all month with the Honda engine, then was spun by EJ Viso just 15 laps into the race and dropped to 29th place. Somehow he found his way back to the front and held off Takuma Sato in one of the best races ever run here.
Best races until this year, because I think with a year of experience (and if you count Fontana two 500-mile races) under their belts, the racing come Sunday could be epic...again.
So far this month, practice has given us a pretty good show, and that will transfer to the race. At least once a day during practice, a dozen cars (or more) would get together and it looked like it was the real thing with the passing and dicing that was going on. In fact, Marco Andretti radioed to his team at one point that he thought he was in the middle of the race by how hard the drivers were going.
Crazy. With Marco's name fresh on my mind, let's go through some predictions and story lines.
First, I'm sticking with my previous thoughts of the last few weeks that Marco Andretti will win the Indianapolis 500. In years past I don't know if those thoughts would ever come from my keyboard, but he was hella fast last year, and this year combines it with some calmer, smoother driving. One thing about the DW12 on an oval is that if your car is fast, you just have to stick with it and the car will take you to the front. You don't have to try so hard, which is what I think both Marco and Carpenter did last year when they spun late. Marco has been fast each of the last two years, but last year (well, in lots of years) he let his emotions get the best of him. This year he has proven to be a different guy, but it remains to be seen if he can stay that way when the pressure is on.
The weather. Thankfully, it won't be the blast furnace that it was the last couple of years. I know that I am a distance runner and all, but walking about six miles during the course of the day last year was a killer! Looking at the current forecast, it looks like it will be cloudy and about 25 degrees cooler, which is much more to the cars' (and drivers) liking. Cooler temperatures means a cooler track, which means the cars should handle a lot better.
Carpenter will be a factor. If I were throwing down odds, I'd set Ed as second to win behind Marco. Ed's fast when it counts, and don't forget he has an oval win in this car. Like James Hinchcliffe, if you are talented, winning once opens the door to winning again. With oval wins each of the last two years Ed's confidence has to be at an all-time high.
Andretti Autosport. With five drivers in the field, and all of them the Fast Nine in qualifying last weekend, there is a good chance one of them will win the race. Given past history, however, I'm thinking that should Andretti falter, two others: Ryan Hunter-Reay or Hinchcliffe, would be the ones to step up.
If you want to talk about drivers whose confidence is at an all-time high, look no further than RHR. After winning the championship in 2012 he's driving with the confidence and passion of someone who thinks they are one of the world's best, and right now he just might be. With two wins this year, Hinch is right there with him.
On the other hand, I don't see Munoz winning based on his inexperience, and Viso based on past experience. While I think EJ is slowing improving, I don't see him taking this kind of a leap. This race is won by winners, and I don't put him in that category quite yet.
Penske. One of the biggest story lines is the run for a fourth 500 win for Helio Castroneves. Since last winning in 2009 he has had little luck, including last year when he hit a loose tire from the Will Power/Mike Conway crash and had suspension issues all day. Is this his year?
I don't know, but I do know it won't be Power's. I feel bad when I write things like that about Will, but let's face it, he struggles in traffic on ovals. The only oval win he has (Texas) came in a race that he led almost the whole way and lasted about 45 minutes. I don't see him winning a marathon like this.
However, I wouldn't be surprised to see AJ Allmendinger in the mix. He's been fast all month and is experienced enough that he can run at the front. Plus I've got to admit to liking the guy, he has said and done all of the right things, and he gets it.
Dark horses. Maybe this is a bit of a misnomer, but it's a catch-all for everyone who I think can win but I haven't listed yet. And this list starts (and should end) with Tony Kanaan. It's crazy to look at TK's career and for everything he has accomplished it isn't accompanied by a Borg-Warner trophy. How many chances does he have left? Should he win it would be one of the most popular victories in 500 history.
While I don't see either of them winning, it wouldn't surprise me if Oriol Servia and/or Townsend Bell make a push to the front by the end. The same is true with Simona de Silvestro.
Hondas. I'll throw everyone in this group together too, because this is one of the great unknowns. If last year is any example, the Hondas will be better on race day, but the Honda peeps were hoping for the kind of weather they got last year, and that didn't happen. Still, Dario Franchitti topped the speed chart one day during practice and the Hondas did work well in traffic in practice. But outside of Alex Tagliani, who is starting P11, the fastest Hondas have nearly a dozen cars with Chevy power in front of them. This could be a taller task than last year.
With that in mind, you know Franchitti and Dixon will make themselves some sort of factor on Sunday. Dixon has completed every lap of the race since 2006 and has never finished worse than P6 over that span, while Franchitti is, well, Franchitti.
Bottom line. If we thought last year was the most wide-open in recent history, this year it is that times two. I could honestly see anyone from a pool of 20 drivers winning this race. Believe it or not, Sunday will be the 20th race run with the DW12, and in that span there have been 10 different winners.
But what will make this race memorable will be the passing throughout the field. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we set a record for lead changes, and it wouldn't surprise me to see 40 of them by the time the day is through.
I also think the winning pass for the lead will also come within the final two laps, maybe even down to the last straightaway. Yeah, it's gonna be that good.
Last, and certainly not least, best wishes and Godspeed to the drivers and crews who will put it all on the line Sunday. And in honor of it being Memorial Day weekend, thanks to all veterans, past and present for their service, especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
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