Well after numerous flight delays leading to missed connections and late-arriving luggage, I have finally returned from a visit to the Poconos and Pocono Raceway. I attended the race with my parents (I'm 37 years old so this was quite an accomplishment), so this race recap is divided into two parts: the race itself and the family experience.
First, the race itself was quite enjoyable. The event began auspiciously with Hinch crashing on the first lap, much to my boyfriend's dismay as he had just bought a hat to support his favorite driver (jinxing him, perhaps??). Hinch's year has been feast or famine: he has the most wins of any driver in the series, but he has also finished last or next to last three times. Championships in motorsports tend to reward consistency, which is why Helio continues to lead and why Hinch has now dropped to fifth in the standings. We'll see which James Hinchcliffe shows up in Toronto this weekend, but we know he'll have the full support of the crowd.
After that initial crash, Marco Andretti settled in. He led the most laps and appeared to have the edge early in the race, but once again, he could not sustain the lead. That seems to be the story of Marco's season: He starts well but cannot finish strong. This time, he lost the lead because of poor pit strategy. Grandpa Mario Andretti even admitted that his crew played it "too conservatively," pitting earlier than anyone else in the lead group and ultimately leading to Marco running out of gas immediately after crossing the finish line. Marco was definitely the crowd favorite, and we would have heard a TK-winning-Indy-like roar if he would have held on and won, but Honda and Ganassi had other ideas.
Speaking of TK, depending on your point of view, it was either bad luck or bad driving that cost him this win and a shot at the Triple Crown. He made a bold, aggressive move on Scott Dixon but clipped Dixon's wheel and had to change his front wing. That move cost him a shot at the win or at least a top-five finish, but we'll never know for sure how much his car would have held on because the Chevys were not as strong as the Hondas this time. You can't blame TK for going for it; $1 million was on the line! Now, however, we have two drivers going for $250,000 at Fontana, which adds even more intrigue.
That other driver who will be going for $250K is Scott Dixon, who really came out of nowhere to win this race. Even he acknowledged the win was a surprise. I was watching the race and I still can't explain how he got to the front. He did it steadily and quietly. (I was also pleasantly surprised to see Josef Newgarden cross the finish line in fifth place; he is really showing nice growth and improvement in his sophomore season.) Team Ganassi waited a long time to get their first win of the season, and they announced their arrival with a bang. Sweeping the podium? Extremely impressive. All of the Ganassi cars pitted at the same time, so it was evident they strategized and worked together effectively. This was truly a team effort, and even more surprising given Andretti's dominance in qualifying and the woeful season Ganassi has had so far.
The week off between races definitely seemed to benefit Honda. The Hondas got better fuel mileage and performance at Pocono than they've had all year, so whatever changes they made during the week really paid off. Will Power's fourth-place finish was the only Chevy in the top seven. Now, as we move on to the road and street courses once again, where Honda has already had some success this year, you have to wonder if Chevy will be the one lagging behind.
The most memorable image from Pocono for me, though, will be Takuma Sato running over Ryan Hunter-Reay in pit lane. I watched it unfold as it happened, and Sato was just way too fast entering the pits, as RHR was trying to get to his pit stall. I was angry with Sato, I can only imagine RHR's frustration. RHR was running second at the time, and he looked to be in contention for the win and perhaps even first place in the points standings. But Sato quickly ruined his day. Just when you think Sato has it all figured out, he makes a boneheaded move and reminds us that he's still "Captain Crash." It's one of the most unfortunate, frustrating things about racing that your good day can be completely wiped out by someone else's mistake. RHR had this happen to him last year, too, when Alex Tagliani ran into him at Sonoma, and he still won the championship, so his year is not over yet. If anyone has shown he has the ability to overcome bad starts and poor results, it's Hunter-Reay. But boy it will be a shame if he loses the championship by just a few points.
All in all, I would say IndyCar's return to Pocono was a success. It was not the best race of the year, but it also wasn't the worst. I would like to see more cars on the track, since it is so big and wide, and I would also like to see this race go 500 miles in the future. But I was impressed that the drivers handled a new, tricky track with few incidents, and I liked how strategy played a role in the results. I've been reading fans' comments on social media and in local news articles, and it seems that the overwhelming majority were pleased with the race. I actually can't remember seeing and hearing so much positive rhetoric following an IndyCar race. Brandon Igdalsky did a terrific job promoting the race, and IndyCar at Pocono Raceway seems to be a mutually beneficial partnership, so hopefully they will stay there for many more years to come.
Now, on to my family. I can tell you honestly that my parents, even though they live close to the track, will not be back next year, and it has nothing to do with IndyCar. It was very hot and sunny, and the traffic was not as well-managed as it could have been (Igdalsky addressed this in a statement following the race). I'm used to those conditions at races and sporting events, but this was my parents' first professional race of any kind so I think they would have preferred to sit at home in the air-conditioning, away from the crowds and the traffic. I think they enjoyed the race for the most part, and I know they liked the displays and activities in the fan village, but that is not enough for them to return. My dad is rather high-strung, and he couldn't wait to leave as soon as Dixon crossed the finish line. That disappointed me greatly. I am not nor will ever be the type of fan who leaves a sporting event early, or even immediately following its conclusion. I like to stay and watch the celebration, mingle, and take my time leaving, especially when I know I'm just going to sit in traffic anyway. If I do attend this race again, and I hope I do, I doubt my parents will be in attendance with me, and even if they are, I will make sure to drive separately!
I had hoped to make some new IndyCar fans, though, and I think I mildly succeeded at that. My dad was impressed with the speed, and my mom appreciated hearing about some of the drivers and the storylines. At the very least, I exposed IndyCar to people who would not be aware of it otherwise, and they got a glimpse into one of my greatest passions. I would not have attended this race if my parents didn't live so close to the track. Thank you, IndyCar, for coming back to the Poconos.
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