Baltimore Recap

Well, Baltimore was...interesting. The street circuit definitely did not lack drama, with so many storylines I'm sure I'll leave one out. We had caution-filled carnage, an unexpected podium, a new rivalry, and a whole host of drivers upset with one another after the race. Not to mention that this all took place in Iron-Man city, at a venue with an uncertain future. So let's take a look at each one of these stories in turn.

Caution-Filled Carnage
We should expect some full-course cautions and bottleneck crashes on street courses like Baltimore. We have seen them elsewhere this year and in years past. Naturally when you try to squeeze 20 cars through a tight opening, when everyone wants to win or improve their position, there's bound to be some wreckage. Some drivers blamed the crashes on double-file restarts, but I'm not convinced eliminating them will prevent these issues. If anything we might see even more aggressive driving. Once everyone started driving more cautiously and less aggressively, we saw fewer problems.

Not only did cars exit the race because of crashes, but it seemed like there were more mechanical gremlins than usual. Mechanical problems unfortunately victimized Dario Franchitti, who had been on a roll, and championship contender Ryan Hunter-Reay, giving the title fight a whole new look. It appears RHR's chances for a repeat are all but done, as he falls to fifth place, 74 points behind Helio.

An Unexpected Podium
In between the wrecks and the cautions, we saw some fantastic racing and passing. Simon Pagenaud scored his second win of the year, and the second of his young IndyCar career, with a determined late pass on his fellow countryman Bourdais (Bourdais took issue with the contact but was more restrained than we've seen him be in post-race interviews). I think we all knew Pags would be someone to watch out for, especially on street courses. He showed us last year that he has some serious driving chops. Not only can he win on these tracks, but he is now a serious championship contender, catapulting up to third place in the standings. To me, that's more surprising than his victory in Baltimore.

And how about Josef Newgarden, who earned his first IndyCar podium with a car that looked strong enough to win all weekend? Honestly, even though he took second place, it felt like he won the race. I was more excited for his finish than Pagenaud's win. This was an outstanding result for a small team that really needed it. We should see Newgarden in victory lane soon enough--he has shown some good patience and improvement as a driver this year.

A New Rivalry
Will Power and Dario Franchitti have had their issues over the years, even as recently as last weekend in Sonoma. But it appears Power has found a new rival on the Ganassi team. We have discussed the Scott Dixon Sonoma penalty ad nauseum the past few weeks, but that controversy ignited this new rivalry. Now, in Baltimore, Power chopped Dixon on a restart, ending Dixon's day and significantly affecting his championship chances. The initial camera angle made Power's move look blatantly intentional, but subsequent replays and Power's explanation afterwards showed it was more carelessness and lack of awareness than malice. Power has to feel terribly about causing Dixon to spin and hit the wall, but that move points to a bigger concern in my opinion. Power has always been one of the best drivers on road and street courses, but this year his results have not reflected that talent. I would be more likely to expect that kind of ill-advised move from Luca Filippi or some other rookie who lacked IndyCar experience. Has Power lost his mojo? And how much patience will Roger Penske have if Power keeps making these silly mistakes?

Scott Dixon had a legitimate gripe, though he may want to start showing more restraint if he wants to get race control on his side. He seemed more upset that IndyCar officials would not let him bring his car back to pit lane to work on than he was at Power. I would like to hear race control's explanation as to why Dixon's car was not towed back to pit lane, but he wasn't the only driver who was denied access. The past two races have not gone Dixon's way, and he has every right to be frustrated about it. But I'll be honest, his comments and reactions have forced me to root for his rivals rather than him. He showed a lack of compassion for an injured crew member after Sonoma, and he called for race officials to be fired after this race (which, in any other sport, he would receive a hefty fine for). He also seems to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, accusing Penske of gamesmanship at both Sonoma and Baltimore. I think back to Pocono, where he was helped out by Sato running into Hunter-Reay on pit road. Race results are often the result of good teamwork, strong driving, and a little bit of luck, let's face it. Lately Dixon has not had the luck, but it's not like he hasn't had any luck this year. He is not out of it. He swept the doubleheader in Toronto, so he can definitely do it again in Houston, which would be a huge swing in the points standings.

Upset Drivers
Is there anyone who wasn't upset with another driver after the race? Bourdais didn't like Pagenaud's pass. Justin Wilson was unhappy with Bourdais for clipping him. Bobby Rahal called Tony Kanaan a punk on Twitter. Simona DeSilvestro also had less-than-flattering words for her teammate. Oriol Servia and Will Power both served drive-through penalties for avoidable contact, and Dixon believed Graham Rahal should have been penalized as well. Wow! You know it's a good race when you have this many drivers complaining afterwards! If it was an easy race where everyone was civil to one another, that would not be good entertainment. So thank you, drivers, for adding a little bit of drama and intrigue into the remaining races! Let's just be mature about it and discuss it with each other instead of airing out grievances through social media, okay?

Baltimore the Venue
Some questions remain about whether or not Baltimore will be back on the schedule next year. It will definitely not have the Labor Day date, because of a scheduling conflict at M & T Bank Stadium and because Mark Miles wants IndyCar's season to be finished by Labor Day. It appears Baltimore will return for 2014 but beyond that we will just have to wait and see. It's a shame that the event has had so many financial issues because it truly is a beautiful venue that has produced some exciting racing these past three years. I loved the overhead views of downtown Baltimore with cars zooming right past Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore is one of those tracks I hope to see, so I hope it's still around for me to visit in a few years.

Finally, we must give congratulations to Iron Man Tony Kanaan, who broke the all-time IndyCar starts record this past weekend. TK has now started an astonishing 212 races in a row, which is extremely impressive in a dangerous sport. The fact that he broke this record in front of where the other Iron Man, Cal Ripken, played for so many years, just felt incredibly fitting. A special accomplishment in a special place.