Happy IndyCar New Year

As 2014 winds to a close, we reflect back on the year that was and look forward to 2015, which promises to be an interesting one in the Verizon IndyCar Series. I know it's been awhile since I've written, but rest assured that IndyCar is never far from my mind and I have been keeping up with the latest developments. But before I offer my two cents on the upcoming changes, let's look back on 2014. I realized I never handed out my annual awards, so let me do that now. It's hard to remember everything at this point, but I will do my best!

Best Race: For me, Iowa was the best race. I know a lot of people would vote for the Indy 500, but I think that was the best finish, not necessarily the best race. Iowa featured nonstop close action as well as a thrilling, unexpected ending. Strategy played out nicely for both Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden.

Worst Race: This was a tough decision, because I enjoyed almost all of the races this year. Some say Texas was boring, but I was there and it was a much different experience from viewing it on TV. Pocono lacked excitement for me, but it did have some drama with Will Power getting into trouble again--with his own teammate, no less. I would say the worst race was Toronto, mainly because of the controversial decision to move the rain-soaked first race to Sunday and have teams run two races on one day. Though I applauded this decision, it did give IndyCar a bit of a black eye. IndyCar needs as much positive publicity as it can get, and the Toronto doubleheader didn't help that at all. The races themselves were alright, but this decision clouded any possible excitement from the racing.

Rookie of the Year: I know Carlos Munoz won the official rookie of the year, but I gave him this award last year so I can't really repeat that. We had a terrific rookie class this year. Carlos Huertas actually won a race, but his fear of ovals prevented him from being competitive during the rest of the year. Jack Hawksworth will be one to watch next year, but I have to give this award to the fearless Mikhail Aleshin. True, he didn't make a lot of friends with some of his daredevil moves. But boy was he exciting to watch. All of the rookies appeared on the podium at some point this year, so this was also a tough call. It's too bad Aleshin will not return next year. His year-end crash was scary, and I'm glad he is making a full recovery. Thank you for the year of entertainment, Mikhail.

Most Improved Driver: Undoubtedly, the most improved driver was Josef Newgarden. We all wonder what he could do in a top team, but he was competitive all year for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. His talent and skill have never been questioned, and we finally saw evidence of those skills this year. He led several races (oh, what might have been at Long Beach!), and made a couple of trips to the podium. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in 2015 as the lead driver for the newly merged Carpenter/Fisher Racing team.

Move of the Year: This should be the one award we all agree on, because we're still talking about it six months later. Ryan Hunter-Reay's "grass pass" on Helio Castroneves to win the Indy 500 was knock-your-socks-off, stand-up-and-cheer thrilling. I don't know if we'll ever see something so intense again. RHR had to be controlled, daring, and focused to make that move and he pulled it off with room to spare. He really did win the greatest spectacle in racing; Helio didn't lose it.

Best Moment: If I was from Colombia, I would say the podium sweep from Houston Race #1 was the best moment, and it was certainly a day of national pride since the World Cup team also won. In a season filled with some interesting moments, nothing really stands out to me as poignant or touching. Kurt Busch's attempt at "the double" was pretty cool, but he didn't actually complete it and some new developments surrounding him and his relationship have darkened that story. So I would have to say Will Power finally capturing his elusive title was the best moment. It wasn't easy for Will this year, but I enjoyed watching the journey. I have been so impressed with his growth and development as a complete, all-around driver. He deserved to win the championship this year.

Biggest (Pleasant) Surprise: I was most pleasantly surprised by the rookies this year. All of them were competitive and each one had a legitimate chance to win a race. We will still have Hawksworth to watch next year, but he might be the only one returning for a sophomore season. Munoz is also a good possibility, though I haven't heard for sure he will be back yet.

Biggest Disappointment: The air-hose disaster for Josef Newgarden's team at Mid-Ohio was definitely disappointing, as it likely cost him his first IndyCar series victory. In terms of drivers, though, the biggest disappointment was James Hinchcliffe. He seemed to take a step backward this year after winning three races in 2013. I had high hopes he would be right in the thick of the championship fight. Now he has left Andretti Autosport and become the lead driver for Simon Pagenaud's former team, so we'll see if he can rebound in 2015. I also feel for Ryan Briscoe, who has been pushed out by Ganassi and will probably remain an Indy 500-only driver for the rest of his career. I think expectations for Briscoe may have been too high, especially for a Ganassi team that failed to compete for the first half of the year. I know I'm in the minority, but I'd rather see the humble, friendly, nice Briscoe in IndyCar over the arrogant, cocky, risk-taking Sage Karam. Oh well--best of luck to Briscoe in sports cars.

Quote of the Year: We had some good ones this year so I can't choose just one. Instead, I pasted some of the best quotes I collected below:

"We were friends before this happened. We won't be going on any vacations together." --Simon Pagenaud, in response to Will Power's "apology" for hitting him at Long Beach

"At the end of the day, patience is a virtue and someone wasn't very virtuous today."--James Hinchcliffe, talking about teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay's ill-advised move at Long Beach

"I just won the Indy 500, and I'm going to Detroit!" --Ryan Hunter-Reay, closing his banquet celebration speech

"They're all a bunch of g-----n idiots." --AJ Foyt, with some choice words on NBC Sports Network during Houston race 1

"I love winning on ovals!" --Will Power, after winning at Milwaukee

On to 2015: The upcoming IndyCar season will, I think, be vastly different from 2014. For one, we have a new schedule with some new tracks in Brazil and New Orleans and a concluding race at the boring Sonoma track. We also have a new super-team to watch, as Simon Pagenaud forms a four-fecta of insanely talented and competitive drivers at Penske. Personally, I'm not convinced this is good for IndyCar because it sets up a clear divide of haves and have-nots. The best thing about IndyCar over the past few years has been its parity and equal competition. We never knew who was going to win each week, and we never saw one driver or team dominate like we used to. My not-so-bold prediction for 2015: I suspect we will see Penske dominate in 2015, and we won't see any small teams win, especially with the introduction of aero-kits. On the other hand, we could also see some drama with intra-team competition. All four of Penske's drivers desperately want to win a championship, so that will keep things interesting. Whatever happens next year, though, I hope we witness some exciting, safe races. May 2015 bring everyone a year of happiness, health, and success. Happy New Year!

Finally!

Yes, finally. I say that for two reasons: one, I am finally getting around to writing this blog. Better late than never I suppose. And two, Will Power finally has his championship.

It's been a long time coming for Power, who very much earned and deserved this year's IndyCar title. He has been the bridesmaid too many times. Think about just the last two years. In 2012, Power held the lead going into the final race but spun and crashed at Fontana, giving Ryan Hunter-Reay the title. Last year, Power was never really a factor and had an uncharacteristically down year. Coupled with previous years' disappointments, one was starting to wonder if the Toowoomba native was cursed. But he did come on strong in the final weeks of last season, capping it off with a win at that same Fontana track that had been his undoing just a year prior. To me, that was Will Power's turning point. He finally figured out how to win on an oval. He carried that momentum into 2014 all the way to the winner's circle.

After 2012, Power knew he had to get better on ovals. He'd always realized it I'm sure, but the 2012 Fontana race was perhaps a bigger wake-up call. As should be the case in IndyCar in my opinion, you cannot win a championship unless you have demonstrated prowess on all types of tracks: road courses, street courses, short ovals, and superspeedways. The IndyCar champion is and should be a jack of all trades; truly the most versatile driver in the world. And Will Power can now stake that claim. I am incredibly impressed with his commitment and determination to improve his oval results. He should serve as a role model not just for young racers, but for anyone who is looking to improve at his or her craft. First, figure out what you need to improve. Then, determine how you can improve it. Finally, put it into practice and voila! Admire the fruits of your labor. Power called the 2013 season finale his most satisfying victory ever, and it's easy to understand why. He had exorcised the oval demons and was ready to capture that elusive title. Congratulations, Will.

I wasn't always in Power's corner this year. He did make some boneheaded moves, most notably cutting off his teammate at Pocono. I also like to see parity so I was cheering for some different people to win. But I was rooting for him to win the championship in Fontana. He deserved it. And all the other drivers should watch out--because now that Power has that metaphoric monkey off his back, he'll be back better than ever next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him win three championships in a row. Helio, you're next. I want to write this same story about you before you retire.

The Fontana race itself wasn't nearly as exciting as last year's, but it still captured and maintained my interest. I was enthralled by the side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel action and I really had no idea who was going to win the race until the checkered flag dropped. I said this on Twitter, but I will reiterate: in my opinion, Fontana is the perfect location for the IndyCar season finale. It showcases the best aspects of IndyCar: high speeds, close action, and 500 miles. Other than Indy, I don't know of another track that can offer that. However, the race should be in October, not August or early September. It sounds like this race is in limbo as the season finale, unfortunately. I sincerely hope it stays as the last race, no matter when that is.

The schedule will be announced in due time, but it's driving me crazy already that a) the season is over and it's not even September 21 and b) next year's schedule has not yet been released. We know of some dates already, but if I'm planning vacations for next year it would be most helpful to know when and where IndyCar races will be held. And how much is IndyCar kicking itself in the foot right now, given all the bad publicity surrounding the NFL? They didn't want to compete with the NFL (an argument I still take issue with) but they could really be capitalizing on the NFL's negative image. In any case, they've just given us more reasons to support IndyCar: no drivers getting arrested, and to my knowledge, these drivers treat their ladies and children pretty well. Sure, some sponsors may pull out, but all in all I'm happy with IndyCar and I can't wait for next season. I just wish I didn't have to wait six months for it!

A Look Back and A Look Forward

First let me say that my thoughts are with Mikhail Aleshin after his scary crash in practice Friday night. They are also with Dan Wheldon, as I am reminded how he helped improve the safety of these cars and how his loss encouraged us not to be complacent. I am grateful we did not witness another horrific tragedy.

But before we look ahead to tonight's Verizon IndyCar Series finale, let me take a look back at the past couple of weeks. I have not had much time to record my thoughts on the last two races but I have certainly had impressions of them!

I enjoyed the Milwaukee race, though I know some found it boring. Will Power dominated the race, it's true, but we were treated to some intense side-by-side action, particularly between Power and Tony Kanaan. I also felt Ryan Hunter-Reay's charge through the field was more impressive than Scott Dixon's run at Mid-Ohio. Unfortunately RHR did not have nearly as good of a result as Dixon on a track that has been good to him recently. It was overall a bad day for Andretti Autosport, and for Honda in general, as they really seemed to lag behind the competition. Josef Newgarden, however, had another good run, finishing fifth on a day when it was announced Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing would merge. I see this as an incredibly positive move for both teams, and I think it will greatly benefit Newgarden. Josef has shown such promise in the latter half of this season, and I think having a teammate (or two) will help him get over the hump and earn his first IndyCar victory.

Sonoma was more entertaining than Milwaukee, in my opinion. At first I thought it was going to be the Will Power steamroller show, as he pulled away from the field on a track he has owned in the past. Indeed, the race was a procession for awhile, until Power inexplicably spun and nearly collected other cars. Suddenly there was a changing of the guard and Mike Conway took over the lead, followed by Graham Rahal. I feel for Rahal, who was in a position to finally end his winless streak, but had to pit for fuel with just a few laps left. Those last laps were some of the most exciting we've seen all year. Cars were going 3-4 wide, fighting for a final position while Conway ran out of gas on the final turn and limped across the finish line in 14th place. Power was perhaps a little too aggressive in trying to pick up a few extra points, but he sure gave us a show. As a result of his difficulties and Helio's car troubles, this championship is not yet decided. So once again it all comes down to the final race.

Last year's Fontana finale was a fascinating spectacle to watch, but also a tale of attrition. Only nine cars finished the race. This year's race has the added drama of double points and intense summer heat. We know attendance is down, and quite frankly, we should not be surprised by that. Why would I sit and bake outside in 100F temps when I can sit inside in my A/C and watch it on TV? I do not support the decision to end the season by Labor Day AT ALL, and I know I'm not in the minority on that. Hopefully, though, we are treated to an action-packed thriller just like last year, whether it's in person or via our television sets.

The championship really feels like it's Will Power's to lose. He has made some unforgivable errors this year, to be sure. But he has also won three races, including one oval. He has been on the podium four times and nearly won another oval at Texas. He has won the pole four times this year. He has truly blossomed from a road- and street-course specialist to a strong all-around racer. He does deserve this championship, probably more than any other year, for that simple reason. An IndyCar Series champion should be a jack of all trades; someone who can win on different types of tracks and be a threat to the field every week. We can finally say that Will Power is that person.

On the other hand, so is Helio Castroneves, who is Power's main competition for this championship. Just like Will, Helio has come close several times but has never won the title. Certainly Helio can hang his hat on those three Indy 500 wins and be proud of those, but we also know he really wants to win a championship. And he deserves to as well. But I don't feel like this is his year. He has won only one race--Detroit--and has been on the podium five times. He's had some bad luck with mechanical gremlins late this year, too. Even though he won the Fontana pole and picked up a bonus point, he's still 50 points behind Power. Power had a disastrous qualifying effort, one that I'm mildly suspicious of. (How do the other Penske cars finish 1-2 in qualifying but Power is nearly last?) I don't see Simon Pagenaud or Ryan Hunter-Reay seriously challenging either Power or Helio, but having this race be worth double points definitely makes things interesting. I think Pagenaud needs to improve his oval skills to be an IndyCar champion. RHR might be in closer contention were it not for his mistake at Long Beach, but he did win the biggest race of the year so his season can still be called a success. Whether it's for Will Power or for Helio Castroneves, I think we'll be seeing Roger Penske holding the Astor Cup tonight.

We have a lot to watch for tonight, not just the championship. Some drivers are still looking to impress their current or future employers so they have jobs next year. Oval master Ed Carpenter returns. I wish we had some other cars in the race, like we do for the Indy 500, and like we did last year, but I think we'll see a good race. All in all I hope we see a safe race. That matters more than anything.

Thoughts on Mid-Ohio

I am in the midst of a job transition so I have not had as much time for IndyCar as I would like. I may be in the minority, but I like that there are only three more races left this season. The timing is perfect for me as I begin this new role. Of course I will still maintain the same interest and enthusiasm for IndyCar, even during the off-season. However, I may need to take a break from this blog for a bit.

That being said, I do belatedly have some reflections on Mid-Ohio. Typically this is not the most exciting track on the schedule, which is an understatement, but this year Mid-Ohio gave us a surprisingly racy event. I thought we saw a good number of passes, and my heart was pounding at numerous points during the race. We also saw more cautions than we perhaps have ever seen at this track, no one bigger than the one before the first lap was even completed.

Everyone is raving about Scott Dixon's charge from last to first, calling it an astonishing victory and the drive of a true racer. I have to respectfully disagree. For one, Dixon got a huge break on the first lap when several cars (including his teammate Tony Kanaan) wrecked in front of him, and several others had to swerve out of the way. He was able to pass about eight cars in that melee. While it's true that he skillfully maneuvered his way around the carnage, he was also a lucky beneficiary that others were caught up in it. Throughout the race, I never really saw him pass many cars to charge to the front, like we did with Josef Newgarden (more on him in a minute). When someone says "he went from worst to first" I expect that he was slicing and dicing his way through the field. That wasn't the case with Dixon. He got a few timely or lucky cautions, capitalized on Newgarden's pit crew's mistake, and saved fuel until the end, as he always does. Sunday's win marked Dixon's fifth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, so we shouldn't be surprised that he was standing atop the podium. (Take that, Jeff Gordon and your five Brickyard 400 wins!) I just could not get excited about seeing Dixon in Victory Lane, even though it did give Ganassi their first win of the year and IndyCar its tenth different winner this season.

It would have been a far more interesting and heartwarming story had Josef Newgarden been able to hold on and claim his first IndyCar victory. He sliced and diced his way through the field (after initially falling back) and made some masterful passes. I would be surprised to find anyone who wasn't rooting for Newgarden to win, or anyone who didn't feel at least a little deflated when he encountered pit problems. I have to say, I was kind of expecting a problem, though not quite in the way we saw. To leave an air hose out so blatantly just screams of a rookie, nervous mistake. I think the crew felt pressured because they had the lead and had to nail that final pit stop. Later, we learned that the original plan was for Newgarden to stay out a lap longer, so perhaps they didn't have time to gather themselves. The Newgarden incident should be a required training video for all new pit crews. It reminded us why racing is a team sport, and why the top teams only hire the best. It was just a gut-wrenching experience to watch. To his credit, Newgarden did not throw anyone under the bus, which only makes me and many other fans like him even more. His day is coming, and hopefully he can give Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing their second IndyCar win and earn his first, well-deserved victory along with it.

With Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves both having issues during the race, that allowed Will Power to reclaim the championship lead, albeit by a measly four points. Simon Pagenaud is another contender to watch, but he also did not have a great race. It's exciting to watch this championship play out because it's still anyone's to win (or lose). IndyCar has a great battle ahead of them in these remaining three races, all without a playoff or "chase" format. That's one thing they definitely have going for them. Can't wait to see how it all plays out!

TO Weeks of Craziness

It's been an eventful couple of weeks in the Verizon IndyCar Series, to say the least. First off, because of an eventful personal week, I neglected to post a review of the Iowa race so let me start with a quick recap of that before moving on to the madness that was Toronto.

The Iowa Corn Indy 300 was a spectacular race, and reaffirmed to me why Iowa Speedway is my favorite IndyCar track. After a rainy start, the race resumed and provided us with some action-packed excitement. This race will be remembered for how it ended, not how it began. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Honda literally stole this race out from under Tony Kanaan's tires. You have to feel for TK, who dominated the race but didn't quite have enough to push the Chevy across to victory lane. It turned out to be a brilliant call by Michael Andretti--and Josef Newgarden's crew, who also changed tires during the final caution and managed to charge to a podium finish, his first of the year. The last ten laps reminded me of what I witnessed in person at the Texas race. I remember watching RHR quickly pass everyone after he had fresh tires. It was literally like watching a video game, and as both RHR and Josef noted, it felt like that while driving it, too. In my opinion, the Iowa race has been the most entertaining one this year. It's a perfect fit for IndyCars, and I'm glad they're sticking around for awhile.

Now, on to Toronto. Unfortunately Toronto will be remembered for being a bit of a mess, leaving IndyCar with a black eye and some lost credibility in the eyes of drivers and fans. But I think they made the right call. It's a delicate balancing act, trying to please drivers and fans equally. And I think they did the best they could given the circumstances. Sure, it'd be great if the entire weekend was dry and we were able to follow the preplanned schedule. But to quote a line from one of my favorite movies, Bull Durham, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes it rains." When it rains, there are no winners really. No matter what race control decided to do, someone would have been unhappy. In the end, they listened to the drivers--and to the fans, believe it or not--by deciding to postpone Saturday's race and host two mostly full-length races on Sunday. Had they opted to go with only one race, there would have been more of an uproar, I'm sure.

Let's start with what IndyCar did right. They still gave the fans two full races to watch. Both races counted for full points. They wisely avoided further carnage by using a rolling start in race #1. If fans had tickets for Saturday, they got in free on Sunday. They made the decision relatively early enough that fans did not have to wait until darkness fell to leave the track or their TV's. They threw red flags when the track was impassable (more on those later). They listened. They televised both races, even though one had to be moved to CNBC. They provided entertaining races for fans. We are a fickle bunch if that's simply not good enough for us. Rainouts do not happen that often in IndyCar, and I'm thankful for that.

I was appalled and angered by some of the comments I saw--from respectable journalists, no less--after IndyCar canceled all track activity on Saturday. Robin Miller wrote a piece claiming "they should have raced," where his main argument was that "well, they did it in the 60's and 70's so why can't they do it now?" Any argument that starts with "back in the day..." is fatally flawed to begin with, so he lost me right there. In case you hadn't noticed, Robin, we do not live in the 60's or 70's anymore. The world has changed a lot since then, and some of it for the better. After reading his article, I immediately thought of all the "old-school" professors at my campus who continue to use the same teaching methods (the so-called "sage on the stage," lecture-style methods) they used in the 70's, regardless of how much technology is now available or how much students have changed since then. Those methods are simply not as effective anymore, so good teachers will adapt. And IndyCar has adapted as well. Yes, the cars are safer now. But we have seen too many tragedies, including ones that could have been prevented. I'm sorry, but the risks outweighed the rewards. Most of the drivers admitted Saturday's rain made for dangerous conditions, and we even saw a scary incident with Mikhail Aleshin on Sunday that had us all holding our breath. That happened on a track that wasn't nearly as wet as the one on Saturday, so you can imagine what might have happened if they had raced Saturday. I cannot believe some people said they watch racing to see these drivers essentially cheat death. For example:

I will be refraining from tweeting until I calm down. My one comment… when I was a paying fan, I paid to see drivers risk their lives.

— Steve Wittich (@stevewittich) July 19, 2014

If you want to watch death, go visit the local morgue. It's not something I want to see. Just typing this is getting me fired up again. I should save some additional thoughts for another blog.

Now, what did IndyCar do wrong? For starters, they should not have made teams keep wheeling cars out to the grid repeatedly, teasing fans that they would start the race. A decision probably should have been made earlier, but having been in some difficult situations I can tell you that decision-making is a process and it's not something that should be rushed. When it is, bad things usually happen. All angles have to be considered, feedback needs to be received, and all affected parties must be questioned. Those things take time, so I understand the delay. I also understand fans' frustration, though. We live in an instant-gratification era, so we want things NOW. Sometimes that's just not possible.

Another thing I think IndyCar did wrong was switching from a 65-lap race to a timed race halfway through Race #2. I did not see the reason for that. Some claim that it's because other races and series were scheduled that day but as a fan that's not acceptable. IndyCar is supposed to be your main draw for the weekend. You advertise this as the "Honda Indy 2inT.O.," not the Pirelli World Challenge featuring IndyCars. Your main event should not take a back seat to other series. To me, that signals IndyCar lacks power. They should not be taking orders from other series. I can't imagine another major motorsports series (that shall remain nameless) doing that. As a fan, I felt cheated by the shortened second race. What would have happened had we gone an additional nine laps as was originally scheduled? We'll never know.

We saw so many red flags this weekend I thought I was at the beach during a hurricane. The first one on Saturday was certainly understandable. A massive pile-up caused the track to be impassable so that one was justified. Some, including eventual winning owner Ed Carpenter, questioned the final red flag in race #2. The track was somewhat blocked because of a crash involving the two Carloses, among others. But they probably could have gotten through (they did last year at Detroit after a similar incident). Carpenter's frustration was not with the red flag per se, but rather that there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when they're thrown. I think Carpenter and everyone else should just get used to them. The red flag is IndyCar's answer to the green-white-checkered. It's their way of pleasing fans who want to see a race end under green but not add any additional laps. Fans like it, and I think IndyCar realizes they need to make fans happy or else they'll be extinct. I personally didn't have a problem with it.

The bigger issue with the red flags seems to be with the rules. I always thought you were not allowed to work on your car during a red flag. That rule was thrown out the window on Saturday because technically the red flag was thrown before the race started. So Will Power, who spun just as the race was getting ready to go green Saturday, Ryan Briscoe, and Juan Pablo Montoya were allowed to make repairs but had to move to the back. Moving to the back and going a lap or several laps down is a huge difference, though. Sunday was a different story. A first-lap incident brought out the red flag, and officials told teams they could not work on their cars until the yellow came out. I loved Sarah Fisher's response to the orders given on Sunday. After waiting for a bit and getting no response from race control, she said fine, we'll just take the penalty. That's the kind of quick decision-making we need! At times it felt like IndyCar was making up the rules as they went along, though. And maybe they are. After all, these doubleheaders are a new, unique experience. They call for some new, unique thinking.

With all of that, we did seem some actual racing on Sunday! The two races in T.O. could not have been more different. Sebastien Bourdais led start to finish in a dominating, dry-track performance in race one. Clearly he is Mr. Toronto, having achieved much success at the track, including two podiums last year. It was nice to see the old Seabass back. We knew he had it in him. It was more a question of when he'd return to victory lane, not if. Congratulations on earning his thirty-second career IndyCar win and joining some elite company.

Race #2 featured some rainy conditions, albeit more manageable than what we saw on Saturday. The rain allowed for some strategy to come into play, and Mike Conway proved to be the smartest strategist. He was the first to call for his rain tires to be replaced with slicks, and it paid off. He earned his second win of the season, and made Ed Carpenter look like a genius once again for splitting the ovals and road/street courses between drivers. Props also to Tony Kanaan, who rebounded from a disappointing Iowa loss with two strong performances and two podiums this weekend. As unbelievable as it is that Chip Ganassi has not won a race this year, you have to think a victory is just around the corner. They seem to be inching ever closer.

One final note: Paul Tracy has officially won me over. I didn't like him at first, but he is a great addition to the booth. He adds another layer of insight and provides honest, sometimes funny commentary. He also admits when he doesn't know something, as when he asked Townsend Bell a question about the current car because he hadn't driven it. Hope he sticks around for the rest of this year and the future.

All in all, after a bumpy start, I enjoyed both Toronto races. We saw wheel-to-wheel action, some bold passes (such as Ryan Hunter-Reay in race #1 and Graham Rahal in race #2), and two different winners from smaller teams. As Will Power, who is now only 13 points behind Helio in the championship battle, put it: "Typical IndyCar race, throws everything at you." What more could an IndyCar fan want? Should IndyCar consider holding doubleheaders on the same day? It's definitely something to think about. Then again, I think all involved with IndyCar--including its fans--have a lot to think about after this weekend. Good thing we have a week off to process it all!

Pocono Power

IndyCar's Pocono 500 on Sunday will not go down as the best race of the year. Until Graham Rahal's spin brought out the caution on lap 159, it lacked excitement and passing, at least for my taste. I'm sure it was much better in person. I had no idea what I would write about in this blog, because it didn't seem there was much to say. However, thanks to some great action in the last 36 laps, the race did produce some good talking points. I think the best way to analyze the fastest 500-miler in IndyCar history is to go driver by driver, starting with the race winner.

Juan Pablo Montoya
Welcome back, JPM! After watching Montoya's slow and steady progress this season, it seemed it would only be a matter of time until he found himself atop the podium. Understandably, it took a few races for Montoya to get accustomed to the car and familiarize himself with the tracks. Though he denied that his years in NASCAR helped him at Pocono, I think it played a role, albeit a small one. With the return of Pocono to the schedule after a long absence, he had more track time than the IndyCar veterans. I think experience helps to understand some of the subtle nuances of the track, especially a "tricky triangle" like Pocono Raceway. Montoya didn't win this race because of his NASCAR experience, though. He drove a consistent, smart race, and even finished with a broken front wing! He ended the curse of the pole winner this season, becoming the first pole sitter to win a race. Consequently, Montoya has not only ended his IndyCar series victory drought, he has also wedged himself into the championship battle. He now sits in fourth place, 55 points behind Will Power and Helio Castroneves. He has shown you can go home again.

Will Power
Oh Willy P. Where to start? Power started strong, as he did at Texas, and demonstrated how much he has improved on ovals. I've always said Pocono favors Power, because it's a road-coursey oval that plays to his strengths. But then Will made that blatant chop block on Helio--his Penske teammate no less! He can complain all he wants, but just like Helio in Houston, this one was easy to call. Power was at fault, and I think he knew it as he watched the replay. That was some very entertaining television, by the way. Will was rendered speechless, and you could tell he realized he'd messed up...again. If Will loses this championship, he has only himself to blame. It seems every race he earns a penalty, and his 39-point lead has now evaporated into a tie with Helio. NBC Sports Network did a good job displaying his "rap sheet" this year. Pit speeding penalties, avoidable contact penalties, blocking penalties...he's had a little bit of everything. Power has acknowledged that he needs to stop making those stupid mistakes, yet he keeps making them. Tim Cindric has his hands full this year, as does Roger Penske. Power is clearly a talented driver, but how long is his leash? How many more mistakes will Team Penske tolerate? Right now all this drama is good for IndyCar, but I also worry that his aggressive, shortsighted moves will result in casualties. If I'm Cindric, I think I advise Power to take it easy at Iowa. Of course, it's up to Will to heed the advice.

Tony Kanaan
As expected, the Ganassi cars were strong at Pocono. Ryan Briscoe finished a season-high fourth, with Scott Dixon right behind him. But questionable strategy may have cost Tony Kanaan a win. His team chose to pit under caution, perhaps expecting another one late in the race. TK tried to save fuel, even slowing down to 199 mph at one point, but he still needed to stop for a splash and dash with three laps remaining. It was another disappointing end in a season full of them for TK. But he can hold his head high after showing a good competitive performance for the second weekend in a row. Naturally he and his boss want a win, especially after taking over such a prestigious ride. One might be just around the corner.

Simon Pagenaud
A sixth place finish for Pagenaud put him firmly in third place for the championship, only 44 points behind co-leaders Power and Castroneves. Ovals have not been Pagenaud's strength, so he has to be pleased with that result. I took issue with his animated gestures toward Charlie Kimball, though. Kimball, who was a lap down, had been shown the blue flag, yes. But I don't think Pagenaud should just expect Kimball to immediately move over. He had to close the gap and still make a pass. It is racing, after all. And once Pagenaud had gotten close enough, eventually Kimball did allow him to pass, quite easily. Call me crazy, but I think part of being a skilled driver is learning to navigate through lapped traffic. You should have to earn your position, not have it gifted to you.

Other drivers of note: Josef Newgarden, on the same strategy as Kanaan but not nearly as criticized for it, also had to come in for a late splash and dash. I was so hoping we'd see Newgy's first win, but it wasn't to be. More mechanical problems ended Ryan Hunter-Reay's shot at the Triple Crown, but his team did manage to repair the car and salvage some points. He's not completely out of it yet, but he needs some good results fast. Jack Hawksworth's injury sounds scary. I think the right decision was made to keep him out of the race, and to take time to safely repair the car. I think I speak for all fans when I wish him a speedy recovery. He's been so exciting to watch this year, but his health and safety come first.

And now, for some final thoughts on the race track itself.

Pocono
Much has been written about the poor advance ticket sales and the doubtful future of an IndyCar race at Pocono. Track president Brandon Igdalsky more or less threatened fans if they didn't come out, the event would be pulled. On television, the crowd looked fairly sparse, but I would gather they had about 20,000 fans in attendance. The place seats up to 70k, and it was slightly less than half full. Is that enough to keep them around for another year, or will Igdalsky opt out of the contract? I don't have the answer. I would like to see them give it one more year or try a Saturday race instead of Sunday. Everyone and their uncle has a theory for why the event has seen such a sharp attendance decline in one year. Some of these theories are ignorant and misguided--such as the person who commented it's because he can't pronounce 90% of the drivers' names. Others have more merit. Truth be told, I don't think there's one clear-cut reason why fans did not return. I think it's a combination of many factors, and maybe there are too many problems to fix. As someone who went to the race last year but not this year, let me offer my own "expert" opinion.

Last year I brought my parents to Pocono, their first professional race of any kind. My dad loves cars, especially fast ones, so I thought he would enjoy the event. Though they live only about ten miles from the track, I'll tell you why they didn't return. The number one reason was traffic. My dad got extremely frustrated sitting in traffic both before and after the race. I am normally laid back, but my dad is not, and having to listen to his incessant complaining about how "stupid" the routes were really took away from what was otherwise an enjoyable experience for me. (I live in a major city; I'm used to traffic by now.) Reason number two was the weather. It was as hot as Houston that day, and my dad has already had a minor bout with skin cancer so sitting in unshaded grandstands was not a wise idea. I understand why they would not want to go back this year. After reading numerous comments, online, it appears there were a lot of fans who felt the same way. Why should they be forced to sit in traffic and heat for a race that only lasts a few hours? Isn't it easier just to stay home and watch it on television? This is the sad reality of motorsports today.

I did not attend because I'm making a trip out there later this month, for my brother's 30th birthday. I cannot afford to make multiple trips to the Pocono area; in fact, I could barely afford the plane ticket home for this birthday. It's not an easy area to fly in and out of. So this means that (gasp!) I chose family over IndyCar this year. But I would try very hard to attend next year, if the race happens. When I first learned IndyCar would be racing at Pocono, I was ecstatic. It allowed me to visit my family and enjoy one of my passions. I would love for that opportunity to continue, but sadly, I doubt it will.

I have heard some other reasons for poor attendance that I also agree with. For instance:

• Ticket cost: Lower-level tickets were only $25, the same price as last year. That's very reasonable. However, at Pocono, you really need to sit in the more expensive, upper-level seats in order to see the track. It would be great if there were stands overlooking one of the turns. But the viewing experience at Pocono is restricted. Again, you can see more on TV (though you won't experience the sounds, sights, and speeds).
• Lack of racing: Ovals have a problem. Road and street courses see a lot more action, and I'm not talking about passing, though some could argue that too. Ovals seem to expect fans to show up and watch only one race. But I can pay the same price at a road or street course, see a lot less of the track, and watch three times as many races. I wish more oval tracks would adopt the Milwaukee IndyFest model, or at least compact qualifying, Indy Lights, and the IndyCar race into one day. Fans today want more bang for their buck, and I don't blame them. There's only so much time you can spend in the IndyCar Fan Village. This might be one of the biggest reasons why oval track attendance has soured. After all, declining attendance is not just an IndyCar oval problem; NASCAR is feeling it as well.
• The date: I personally don't think Fourth of July weekend is a bad time to host a race. After all, as Igdalsky has noted, many people are in the area anyway, and a lot of them are looking for things to do. But I think a Saturday race would be better than the Sunday event. After taking an Independence Day vacation, I think most people would be heading back home on Sunday, not looking to prolong their trip by attending a race and sitting in traffic afterwards. It would be ideal if IndyCar could condense the weekend to one day, Saturday, and then fans could stick around for fireworks after all the racing was complete. (This also allows for the event to be moved to Sunday in case of rain.)  I think this approach would attract non-race fans as well--people who just want to see the fireworks. A later time on Saturday would be most beneficial.

Those are the biggies I think, and there are actually reasonable solutions for all of the above problems. Is Igdalsky willing to solve them, though? Has he done any research to uncover why fans did not show up this year? A final decision should be an informed decision, not one made just by looking at grandstands. I hope all is not lost for IndyCar at Pocono.

Houston, We Have Rookies

Where to begin after that intense, unpredictable, wild weekend in Houston? The races themselves were enjoyable enough, but there were so many other sub-plots you'd think we were watching The Young and the Restless. I have boiled it down to three main storylines from the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston: rookies, Marco, and #IndyRivals.

Rookie Performances
Saturday's rain-soaked timed event featured an all-Colombian podium on a day when the country also won its World Cup match against Uruguay. On that podium were two rookies, including first-time winner Carlos Huertas. Dale Coyne proved he has mastered the art of the timed race, as a good strategy and the ability to stay out of trouble handed Huertas the win. To say it was a surprise victory would be the understatement of the year. Huertas has had only two top tens this year, with his previous best finish an eighth-place result at Detroit race 1. I would not have picked him to be the first rookie to win this year, but that's one reason why IndyCar is so exciting right now. You just have no idea who's going to win one weekend to the next. I noticed a lot of people criticized Huertas for not showing more emotion after winning. Having also noticed this trait in Carlos Munoz, who finished third in race 1, I wonder if it's a cultural thing. Or perhaps just a Carlos thing.:)

Unfortunately Huertas was the first car to retire in race 2, but the rookies weren't done for the weekend yet. Mikhail Aleshin scored his first podium, as did Jack Hawksworth, who finally, finally got some good luck. These results were, to me, less surprising than Huertas's victory. It was only a matter of time until we saw one or both of them on the podium. Aleshin was guilty of some overly aggressive driving on Saturday (though he was not alone in that characteristic this weekend, that's for sure) but he bounced back Sunday. Hawksworth's battles with Juan Pablo Montoya were some of the best racing we've seen in a long time, despite Montoya's complaints about it. Welcome back to IndyCar, JPM. These rookies aren't going to move over for anyone. They're here to play, and they showed their chops this weekend. The rookie of the year fight is going to be as exciting as the one for the championship!

Marco
The big talking point of the weekend was Marco Andretti's failure to obey a blue flag command, and subsequent $2500 fine and probation. There seems to be a great divide among fans (and drivers) on whether or not Marco should have even received the blue flag. He was the last car on the lead lap but not of his own doing. He had pace and was understandably fighting to avoid getting lapped. I see nothing wrong with that. Some, such as AJ Foyt, called it gamesmanship, as Marco held up Takuma Sato to allow his teammate James Hinchcliffe to close the gap. Perhaps that's true, but I don't think Marco was feeling too friendly toward his teammates at that  point after Munoz punted him. And if Sato was faster, he could have passed Marco easily.

That being said, Marco did opt to ignore the commands from race control to move over and was justifiably black-flagged for it. I applaud people for standing up for their principles and fighting for what's right, but a better solution might have been to file a protest right then and there rather than disobey authority. After reading Derrick Walker's comments after the race, too, it seems Andretti Autosport would have had a case because he implied they had made up a new rule. All this has done is make Marco look like the bad guy, when really he wasn't. And a three-race probation, really? Are you really going to enforce that as Marco heads to his home track of Pocono? Would you deny the fans a chance to cheer for their favorite driver?Obviously race control considered these questions because Marco had some questionable moves in Sunday's race that could have warranted parking him for a race. All in all, a precedent has now been set. My take is that Marco shouldn't have been blue-flagged, but he also shouldn't have ignored official orders.

#IndyRivals
Was there anyone who came away from Houston liking each other? Graham Rahal and Tony Kanaan probably have the biggest reason to dislike each other, as Rahal's blatant running into TK cost both of them a shot at a victory or at least a podium. My initial reaction was to get pissed off, for two reasons. One, Rahal took out my favorite driver. Whatever, I can get over that because I like a lot of drivers in the field. But more significantly, Rahal's ineptness cost the fans a shot at an exciting finish. Instead the race ended under caution, which was a huge let-down after great racing the last few laps. Everyone was on the edge of their seat on that restart. Who knows what might have been.

After watching the replay, though, I'm not sure the fault lies entirely with Graham, though I'd say he shares the vast majority of the responsibility. TK did not seem to be speeding up for the restart, and Graham may have been anticipating that. But new restart rules this year probably complicated things even more. And it didn't look good for Graham. He looked, quite frankly, like a bad driver, and all the recent criticism against him seemed justified. TK showed remarkable composure during Graham's apology and the post-race interview. I grew to respect and admire him even more after that.

Helio Castroneves' strong Sunday drive quickly came to an end because of one ill-advised move. Helio seemed to place the blame on Sebastien Bourdais, but come on, Helio. The wreck was caused by you. Helio moved up like he was going to pass Simon Pagenaud, and when Bourdais saw that, he rightly moved into the opening that Helio had left. Bourdais had to be anticipating a pass there, not a quick cut back in front of him. Helio's day was over (which was unfortunate because he looked strong, and would surely have improved his championship standing), while Bourdais went on to finish fifth with a broken front wing. That's impressive.

Why does it seem like drivers are unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions, more so this year than ever before? Instead they blame other drivers or label these crashes "racing incidents" rather than acknowledge their role in causing them. Helio and other drivers are guilty of what we in my field call the self-serving bias. This means that when we fail at something, we are more likely to attribute our failures to circumstance or some other external characteristic, rather than an internal one. We blame the situation. When we achieve success, though, we attribute it to internal characteristics, such as "I'm talented" or "I worked hard." We do the opposite when we observe others' successes and failures; this is called the fundamental attribution error. We saw the fundamental attribution error in effect this weekend, as many fans claimed Huertas had the win "handed to him," (including me, above) rather than saying his win was the result of talent or skill. Research shows that the most successful, elite athletes avoid those external attributions. They take ownership of both their successes and their failures, which leads them to keep improving. So these drivers would be wise to own up to their mistakes. Even Rahal, who apologized to TK and accepted some responsibility, didn't fully do this. He said he "couldn't see" and blamed the restart confusion from this year. This is something I'll be keeping an eye on as the season progresses.

Other Random Notes
The wet standing start seemed like a bad idea, but amazingly went off with only a minor hitch (Rahal's car stalled but quickly recovered). It seemed odd that they did a standing start in the rain but not in dry conditions on Sunday.....Reigning champ Scott Dixon is having a tough year, and doesn't seem to be driving like a champ. All of Team Ganassi appears to be struggling this year. Charlie Kimball has been the most consistent, and he's the least experienced IndyCar driver on the team.....I'm very glad I did not go to the races this year. I went to Houston last year, and last year's Saturday was insanely hot and humid. I can only imagine how much worse it was this year, and we've had fairly mild summer weather in Texas so far. Houston in June is a bad idea, and I felt for the drivers as they climbed out of their cars on Sunday. I have to say I'm not really a fan of the doubleheaders, though both races were highly entertaining. It was tough to commit to watching two races in one weekend. However, I much preferred watching the races in my AC than in the Houston heat!

The Cost of Racing

While I know IndyCar teams and drivers have been enormously busy since Texas, to me and other fans it feels like it's been an eternity since we've had a race or even some interesting IndyCar news to talk about. The three-week "break" between Texas and Houston allowed teams to get in some oval testing at Iowa, Milwaukee, and Pocono. But it's been a drag waiting for the next race.

Still, I saw a statement on Racer.com in the comments section underneath Robin Miller's mailbag and it got me thinking. The writer remarked that he took up dirt bike racing because it was much cheaper and more accessible than go-kart racing. I think this is a trend we will continue to see across the U.S., and I think it may lead to two things: one, racing becoming even more of a family affair, and two, a steady decline in the appeal of motorsports in general. I don't like to spell out all doom and gloom for anything, as I'm mostly an optimist, but I think the facts speak for themselves. Motorsports do not have the same appeal they did in the 1980's and 90's, and perhaps one of the biggest reasons can be traced back to the reason this person described: Racing is really damned expensive, and not just anyone can do it.

If you are a parent whose child wants to play a sport, chances are you're going to have to shell out some dough. Few sports these days are inexpensive. You have to buy clothing (which kids grow out of quickly), shoes, and equipment, and you may be faced with hefty medical costs if your child gets injured while playing the sport. Additional costs may arise for participation fees and travel. These rising costs may have, in part, led to the decline of children participating in organized team sports, as noted by the Wall Street Journal. If kids aren't participating in team sports, then they likely aren't karting, either, which is much more expensive. The go-kart alone will cost thousands of dollars, and there are many more costs associated with competitive karting: helmets, suits, repairing and maintaining the kart, fees to participate in events, etc. In his autobiography, Helio Castroneves talked about the financial struggles his family faced while trying to support his interest in racing as a young boy. You have to have a family willing and able to spend lots of dollars, and that limits the amount of kids who can participate in karting. If we continue to allow racing to only be for the elite, I think that also makes the drivers less relatable to the general public. There should be more stories of drivers who fight their way to the top with their own money.

Not only is racing expensive, it's not readily available to anyone who wants to "play." If someone wants to take up soccer, football, or tennis, they can join their school's team, enroll in an after-school program, or participate in a recreational league. I would not even know where to begin if I had a child who mentioned an interest in racing. It's not easy, for sure. Tryouts are often held for kids interested in sports, but I can't say the same is true for those who want to take up go-kart racing. I don't have kids, so I'm purely speculating. I do know that when I was younger, the idea of karting was never brought up by my parents, even though my dad loves cars. I don't even recall seeing any flyers or promotional material encouraging kids to check it out. You also can't just race anywhere. It's not like running, where you can just jog around your neighborhood. To start and to improve as a race car driver, you have to have a track on which to practice, and it may be a challenge trying to find one nearby.

I imagine some parents are also afraid to put their kids into a race car, even one that only goes 50 mph. We've all seen horrific, tragic crashes, and no parent would want that to happen to their child. (Ryan and Nicole Briscoe have already acknowledged they hope Finley chooses a different profession.) Some parents these days are even reluctant to have their kids play football, because of all the recent attention on concussions and the long-term effects of various injuries. And of course, sadly, today's youth is quite content with their smartphones and video games. All of these factors are reasons why participation in racing at a young age may be waning, and by extension, interest in motorsports is also declining. People often whine that there are not enough Americans in IndyCar racing, but this is why. It's not that simple to just grab some people and throw them into a car to race. As with any sport, change has to start at the lowest level.

So how do we reverse this trend? I would like to see some programs like the USTA has set up to make tennis more accessible to at-risk youth. They host charitable matches, with grants going to help children participate in tennis programs. How cool it would be to have a charity race, with drivers from all motorsports, and proceeds donated to buy at-risk kids their first go-kart. I know there are charity karting events, and those are hosted for much more notable causes. I'm just throwing out ideas. Unfortunately I don't think there are many good solutions, short of making karting less expensive.

This is one reason why I believe racing will continue to be a family affair. It helps to have a parent who has participated in racing him/herself, because he/she will know how to get started, and may have the resources or connections available to make it happen. If the parent is also a successful, professional race car driver, he/she may also have the required funds to support a child's involvement in racing. That's why we see so many second- and third-generation drivers now, like Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, Casey Mears, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, and others. So in twenty years will we see Ryden Hunter-Reay, Mikaella Castroneves, and Cruz Carpenter in IndyCar racing? It wouldn't be surprising to see at least one of them (and my money's on Ryden). Let's just hope IndyCar racing is around 20 years from now to see it happen.

Texas Reflections

I guess you had to be there.

That's how I feel after the Texas race this past weekend, and after reading copious amounts of comments once again calling the race "boring" or "uninteresting." I attended the race and watched the telecast the next day, and I have to say the live event was about 300% better than what was shown on TV. It made a good case for why you should buy a ticket to a race instead of sitting on your couch watching one. I also brought someone to his first-ever race and he was in awe. As I watched him look upon the cars with virgin eyes, mesmerized by their speeds and size, I was reminded of my first experience watching an IndyCar race. I felt like I was able to experience it through him all over again, which was immensely gratifying.

As for the race itself, I was highly entertained. Did I like watching Will Power immediately pull away from the field and start lapping cars 40 laps into the race? No, certainly not. But the race did not lack drama or passing, and it was overall much better than last year. It was obvious that Power's car did not handle well in traffic, as Tony Kanaan was able to close the gap rather quickly once Power came up on those lapped cars. And Ed Carpenter certainly took advantage late in the race, passing Power for good and proving his oval prowess once again. That gave me something to watch. I really thought TK would catch Power, but Power just had more speed than the Ganassi cars. With two cars on the podium and a win last year, I would say Team Penske has figured out Texas pretty well.

Watching the race in person, the impact of fresh tires was even more obvious than watching it on TV. "Tire degradation" was an oft-used phrase during the telecast, but they were absolutely right. James Hinchcliffe set a record number of pit stops I think because his car (or the driver) could not handle the tires very well. After Ryan Hunter-Reay made a pit stop midway through the race, I watched him charge through the field like they were slow-moving turtles. And the strategy to put fresh tires on Will Power's car for that final restart looked genius as he flew past cars in those final laps. One more lap and he surely would have caught and passed Carpenter. Tire wear put the race in the drivers' hands, as the one who could best handle the degradation would emerge victorious. That may not be what the fans like to see, but that's what the drivers wanted. Power seemed to be one of the few drivers to take the high line, so maybe that was the secret to protecting your tires.

We actually were setting up for a great battle between Power and Carpenter in the closing laps until Will got that penalty for speeding on pit lane. Will's penalty seemed to emphasize his over-eagerness this season. He's definitely going for it during every race, points be damned. Winner take all, and take no prisoners. But his eagerness and desire to come out ahead of Carpenter on what was supposed to be the last pit stop backfired in this race. He was about to be lapped by Carpenter until Takuma Sato brought out that final caution. (The third Honda engine failure of the race, and the second one to catch fire. Clearly they have some work to do before Houston.)

When Sato's engine failure yielded a caution, the crowd in my section literally cheered. I cannot fathom ever cheering for a caution, but this is a NASCAR-dominated track and probably a NASCAR-dominated crowd. They wanted a caution to generate some drama. And I understood it. Carpenter had a 15-second lead at that point, and was in cruise control. He had a half-lap advantage over the next competitor, and the field was so strung out that there were no mysteries as to who would finish on the podium. To me, that's probably where the comments about the race being "boring" stemmed from. As a reminder, though, the race was pretty good up until Will's penalty, and his penalty essentially cost the fans a chance at witnessing a close contest in the final laps. As it was, we more or less got a green-white-checkered finish so I suppose some fans left happy with that. Carpenter won by less than a second, which will make the race seem a lot more exciting than it probably was.

The Texas race really makes one think. What do we want, as IndyCar fans and as racing fans? Do we want to be awestruck by high speeds, daredevils, and skilled drivers? If so, then prepare for a spread-out field because some cars are faster than others, and some drivers are better than others. Do we want to be entertained, no matter the cost? Do we want to see technological breakthroughs that may one day make their way into our own personal vehicles? Do we want to play mental chess with the teams and try to figure out which strategy will work best? The answer, perhaps, is all of the above. But it also varies from person to person. I for one like entertainment, but I value safety more. I do not want to see risky pack racing, I'm sorry, and I know the drivers don't either. And they're the ones putting their lives on the line for our entertainment. Those who argue for a return to the "old IRL-style" on 1.5-mile ovals need a reality check I think. It's kind of like saying I want to see big hits in football, but not if it gives my favorite player a concussion or ends his career. Well what do you want then?

While this race was better than last year's, I think IndyCar still has some work to do on this track to put forth the best, most appealing product. Will Power claimed the downforce levels were "perfect." The problem seems to be the tire wear. There's nothing wrong with the tires per se, but if Firestone were to create a compound that would degrade more slowly, we might see some better battles on the track. Then again, is that making the cars too easy to drive? What if we were to move the race to a time of year when it's not so warm in Texas? What impact would that have on the engines and tires? It's funny how we went into the Texas race with so many questions, and I think we're leaving with even more. To me that's exciting. If only other fans could see it that way too.

Looking Forward to Texas

IndyCar races at Texas Motor Speedway have produced some exciting, edge-of-your-seat, down-to-the-wire thrillers, but last year was not one of them. After a gripping contest in 2012, with a surprise victor in Justin Wilson, IndyCar tweaked the 2013 package so much that only five cars finished on the lead lap. Helio Castroneves dominated the race, which most agree was a snoozefest. In response, teams tested at the track this year to come up with a new, more fan-friendly and balanced downforce solution. All of this leads to a great mystery. We really have no idea what to expect from the Firestone 600 tomorrow night. I think everyone is hoping for a better race than last year but in reality we just don't know. I can't remember a race with more technical question marks than this one.

We do know that things will be at least a little different. For one, the race is longer than last year (50 kilometers--and yes, it's the Firestone 600 kilometer race, not 600 miles. Guess that sounds better than the Firestone 372.8, which is how many miles it actually is.) That in itself will lead to some new fuel and pit strategies. Furthermore, when teams tested in April, the weather was much cooler so it's difficult to predict how the cars and tires will respond to the heat that is typical of Texas in June. Temperatures will be in the mid-90's when the green flag drops Saturday evening, with the track temp even higher. Temps will continue to fall as the race goes along, and who knows how the cars will respond to those changes. IndyCar announced this week that it would allow teams some flexibility with the downforce restrictions, giving them the option to increase downforce as they desire (up to a point). So we might see a preview of what may happen with the introduction of aero kits next year, with one team running away from the rest of the field. This decision does seem to favor the big teams like Penske and Ganassi. I really don't know what we'll see though, which makes this race both interesting and tense.

I expect to see a good crowd tomorrow evening, with myself one of many in attendance. From a fan's perspective, Texas Motor Speedway really spoils us. In addition to allowing coolers and free parking, this year they offered a promotion where you could purchase 4 tickets plus 4 hot dogs and Cokes for $79. That amounts to less than $20 per person, and it was actually cheaper to do that deal than to buy three tickets separately. Thus, I am only bringing two people with me (including a new IndyCar fan experiencing his first race ever!) but I bought four tickets. I imagine this is a creative way to increase attendance figures. It might lead to some empty seats if others followed my strategy, which will set the television viewers into a tizzy, but this track still draws one of the biggest IndyCar crowds and they will again this year. TMS has another attraction, the world's largest HDTV ("Big Hoss") and that has already generated a good deal of buzz from people who just want to see it. And this is one of the rare combined NASCAR-IndyCar weekends, with the truck race Friday evening. Iowa also has this arrangement, and it works well for both series.

There has been a great amount of confusion this week regarding the telecast, and understandably so. NBC had originally scheduled the second game of the Stanley Cup finals on NBCSN, but they have now moved that to the network channel, which is rightly where it should be in my opinion. That meant the IndyCar race was originally scheduled to be aired on CNBC, which was even promoted during Carb Day. That would have been a ratings disaster for IndyCar, so I'm thankful it has been moved to its usual home of NBCSN. Hopefully viewers will be able to find it now. I know some guides were slow to update the change but all appears to be okay now.

I don't usually make predictions as to who will win the race, and I feel even less confident with this race because of all the unknown factors, but I will say there are several drivers to keep an eye on. I think Ed Carpenter will be one to watch, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him do well. Ryan Briscoe has had good success at Texas in the past, too, and is coming off a promising weekend in Detroit. Helio has the hot hand right now, and certainly handled Texas well last year. Tony Kanaan had the fastest time in practice this morning, and has proven he can master the ovals. He was the most exciting driver to watch last year, passing multiple cars as usual, as he sliced and diced his way through the field on his way to a podium finish. So no predictions per se, but these are the drivers who I expect to have good results at Texas tomorrow night. It will also be interesting to watch the rookies, because this is a track unlike many of them have raced before, particularly Mikhail Aleshin. Above all else, though, I hope we see a safe and entertaining race.

A Power-ful Dual in Detroit

Sometimes it's not the fastest car or the team with the best strategy who wins the race. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck, too. Until Helio took the checkered flag on Sunday, that was how I felt about the Dual in Detroit. I do think Helio had the best car on Sunday and probably all weekend. Strategy certainly played a role in both races, but even the best-laid plans can go awry.

The story of the weekend was Will Power. He generated the most conversation for sure. I will admit, I was in Will's corner before this weekend. When he and Dario had one of their many battles, I would always take Will's side. But after this weekend I am no longer a Will Power supporter. He drove aggressively with blatant disregard for the other drivers on the track, and didn't even seem apologetic about taking out multiple cars. And he did this in both races. The worst part is, he was essentially rewarded for his reckless driving (with merely a warning in Race 1) and he continued to make the same moves even after receiving a penalty in Race 2. To be honest, though I didn't like Will's attempt to go three-wide in a corner, I would've understood if race control decided not to penalize him. Did Newgarden turn into him, as Power claimed? Who knows? But I think race control has let Will slide too much and needed to quiet the conspiracy theorists who believe they're giving him a pass because Verizon is his primary sponsor. And he did end THREE other drivers' races, including Graham Rahal, who had shown such promise in Race 1 (kudos to Charlie Kimball, who managed to avoid getting caught up in the wreck and worked his way back up to finish on the podium). Though Power came out of the weekend with the points lead, he likely didn't make many new friends or fans. IndyCar has its villain, though, and they've already started marketing it with their #IndyRivals campaign.

Ryan Briscoe said that Detroit was basically a "lottery," where anyone can be the beneficiary of luck and circumstances. This means that the fastest car, the team with the best setup, or the best strategy could still lose depending on when the yellow flags fly. And Briscoe experienced that firsthand on Saturday, as he was the victim of a late caution that upset his whole fuel strategy and may have cost him a victory or a podium. (However, Briscoe probably should have been penalized for spinning Sato on Sunday. I think the only reason he wasn't is that it didn't bring out a full-course caution.) Halfway through Race 2, I thought to myself, "don't pay any attention to who's leading because it will change." Relying on luck or cautions should not win a race. Call me old-fashioned but I still think the fastest car should win. Fortunately I think it did on Sunday.

We did see a variety of fuel and tire strategies being played out, which made things very interesting. Mike Conway's strategy of being the only one to start on black tires Sunday certainly backfired. He had an 11-second lead at one point, but once he switched to reds he really had to fight to keep pace. He ended up pitting a lot earlier than planned just to get the reds off. I felt it was necessary to follow timing & scoring on IndyCar.com, to understand when everyone had last pitted and which tires they were using. Seriously, how did people watch races without timing and scoring before? It really enhances the viewing experience and gives you so much more information than the telecast. I think more people would get into IndyCar racing if they knew all this technology was available (thank you Verizon for getting the word out on this).

Ryan Hunter-Reay had a weekend to forget. He seemed to struggle with the car all weekend, qualifying in the last row for both races. He also visited the wall on multiple occasions, and had a DNF in Race 2 due to electrical issues. After the whirlwind week RHR had as Indy 500 champion, it's natural to speculate that fatigue may have been a factor in the poor results. Any momentum he might have had after winning the greatest spectacle in racing was lost this weekend, and he's ready to move on. I think RHR's struggles helped make a good case for why 500-milers are worth double points. They help balance out the amount of points that can be gained (or lost) from doubleheaders. Usually the cars that are good in Race 1 of a doubleheader are also good in Race 2, because you can use the same setup. We sort of saw that this weekend--Helio's car was good both days, as was Power's. Rahal's might have been equally as good had Power not taken him out (the same goes for Justin Wilson, who finished 4th in Race 1 but was also an innocent victim in the first crash of Race 2).

Conversely, it was a magnificent weekend for Team Penske. At their "home track," they won both races and swept the top two spots on Sunday. You know Roger has been wanting that for awhile, and he definitely wanted good results for Chevy in the land of GM headquarters. Chevy now has a commanding 218-point lead in the engine manufacturer race. The weather was perfect all weekend, and the event had good crowds both days. Detroit looked beautiful on TV, showing the rest of the world that it still has life despite its economic turmoil. They have made some nice improvements to the track, and the races the past couple of years have been much less boring than the first year. Many might root against Will Power, but Helio's enthusiasm is unparalleled and you cannot help but smile as he climbs the fence with his team and oozes excitement in post-race interviews. That was great for the fans well. The only Penske question mark was Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished 12th and 13th respectively. Still learning his way, perhaps.

And now, a rant. Thank goodness we are finished with the ABC/ESPN telecasts for the year. Just as you think they're starting to make strides of improvement, they show you that they have not shed their old ways just yet. Their coverage of the Dual in Detroit was abysmal. They consistently cut away just as one car was getting ready to pass another. Hello, passing  is one of the major reasons we watch racing. Just because it's not for the lead doesn't mean we don't want to see it. They completely missed the first restart on Saturday because they were showing a replay of last year's Long Beach race. They also missed the restart after Newgarden's crash. And does Josef Newgarden run and hide after a race? Why is he never interviewed? I would've loved to hear his perspective on Sunday in particular. He is a likable personality and the public should get a chance to know him. I commend Allen Bestwick for injecting some life and intelligence into the booth, and he is light-years better than Marty Reid ever was. Unfortunately he has to contend with the Cheever and Goodyear sideshow. It seems like those two are constantly disagreeing or fighting with one another, and they have no chemistry. I blame the arrogant Cheever more ("I won LeMans?" Really?), and he really seems to dislike Goodyear. A fresh start with new analysts would be welcome. Can they keep trying to persuade Dario to join them?

One small, positive change I did notice was that they regularly gave race control updates in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. They informed viewers when something was under review, when no action was taken, and when a penalty was issued. I hope this feature stays, as that was most helpful. But ugh, as a whole their coverage aggravated me, and in talking with others who were watching, I know I'm not alone. I am glad we're moving on to NBC Sports Network now. I don't think the Dual in Detroit fully capitalized on the positive momentum generated by the Indy 500 but I still think IndyCar is moving in a positive direction. On to Texas, where I will be in attendance and am proud to say I'm bringing a new IndyCar fan along with me. Can't wait!

Ryan Hunter-Reay: Portrait of a Champion

Indy 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay's life reads like a Hollywood movie, or at least a compelling autobiography that I'd love to read and write. It has all the components of an inspirational docudrama: personal triumph over tragedy and professional obstacles, a family history shrouded in deception and illegal activity, and a romance brought together by destiny. I attended the luncheon in his honor on Wednesday, hosted by Texas Motor Speedway, and I loved hearing his story. Unfortunately my view was obstructed by a tree, but I was able to peek through the trees to see Ryan as he was interviewed!

Ryan Hunter-Reay was born on December 17, 1980 in Dallas, TX, though he didn't live in Texas very long. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL and has for many years. He certainly played to the Texas crowd during the luncheon, mentioning his gun collection, his desire to fire the six shooters in victory lane, and the fact that he's the only IndyCar racer to drive a pickup truck. Even though the mayor's office made RHR an "official resident of Fort Worth" and presented him with a silver cowboy boot, RHR is a Floridian at heart. He loves the water and finds peace in it. To relax, he enjoys free diving (which also helps him work on his breathing, to develop stamina during a race), spear fishing, and looking at his 150-gallon custom-built aquarium, which was featured on National Geographic's Fish Tank Kings. Evidently his son Ryden has inherited Dad's love of the water, as he played in the fountain on Wednesday:

Life is good for RHR right now, but that wasn't always the case.

Not much has been written about RHR's father Nick and his alleged ties to a Colombian drug lord, and that's good for RHR. From what I can tell, Nicholas Hunter-Reay smuggled cocaine out of the country, was indicted for it, and fled before he could stand trial. That all took place before Ryan was born, though Nick was eventually caught in 1988. Apparently he has served his time, because he was at the Indy 500 banquet, where Ryan also thanked him for buying his first go-kart and for supporting him all these years. I will not speculate or comment further on this situation, because I don't know many of the details. But if Ryan had to deal with this while he was growing up, that would certainly be difficult. So his life has not been all wine and roses.

Not only did RHR face difficulties in his personal life, but his climb up the racing ladder was also not easy. In a way, he embodies the struggles of many race car drivers today, who clearly have the talent but are unable to land a full-time ride. Despite scoring a win (at Surfers' Paradise) in his first year of Champ Car (2003), and winning rookie of the year honors in both IndyCar (2007) and the Indy 500 (2008), he has frequently found himself without a ride at the start of a season. The reason most often given for his lack of ride? Not talent, that's for sure, but a lack of funding and sponsorship. And until Andretti Autosport signed RHR midway through 2010, after a series of successful races, he jumped from team to team hoping to be signed by someone.

The year 2010 had to be a difficult one for Hunter-Reay. He had just lost his mother to colon cancer in late 2009, and his professional career seemed to stall. He showed admirable fight and determination in winning Long Beach, a race that had been one of his mother's favorites. Long Beach is a special place for RHR, as it's also where he met his wife Beccy. But 2010 was also the year RHR's racing career really took off. He signed a two-year contract with Andretti, and finished 15 of 17 races.

RHR was not on the radar in 2012. Sure, he had won races and scored some impressive podiums, but I don't think many people outside of the Andretti camp considered him a legitimate championship contender. The championship was expected to be a close battle, once again, between Will Power and Dario Franchitti. Well they got half of that prediction right. The championship came down to the final race at Fontana. With a 17-point advantage going into the race, it looked like Power would win it until he spun and crashed on lap 55, nearly taking out RHR in the process. The team managed to repair the car enough so that Power could return to the race and gain a few more points, but RHR finished fourth to claim the title by just three points.

I tell the Ryan Hunter-Reay championship story in my classes, because it's an excellent example of how teamwork leads to both success and loyalty. RHR was an unexpected (but not undeserving) champion, so naturally he was asked what was the difference this year compared to years past? Why was he able to be so successful in 2012? He said, quite simply, because he was finally part of a team. A team that had chemistry and worked well together. That didn't happen overnight, but it happened with the stability that RHR had not had previously in IndyCar. He valued team Andretti Autosport so much that he turned down an offer from Roger Penske, considered to be the most prestigious ride in IndyCar. At the time his decision was mildly criticized, with some saying "You don't turn down the Captain!" Hunter-Reay, though, is having the last laugh now, as the same team that led him to the 2012 series title also helped him win the 2014 Indianapolis 500. And RHR made sure to thank them during his post-race interview. During the Q & A at Wednesday's luncheon, one fan commended him for this comment, calling it classy. But clearly RHR knows what many people don't: racing is a team sport, and it takes more than one talented individual to achieve success.

I have argued in other blog posts that RHR is the best all-around race car driver in the world today, and I stand by that claim. He has won on all types of tracks: road courses, street courses, and ovals, both here in the U.S. and internationally. He has also been on the podium of endurance races such as the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He now has the elite Indy 500 win to go with his IndyCar series title, and is a favorite to win the title again this year. He's come a long way, and it's hard to imagine he'll have to fight for a ride again any time soon.

Some people, when they experience struggles in life, make bad decisions. When Ryan lost his mother, it was devastating. We saw him tear up as he talked about her following the Indy 500. But rather than let it tear him down, he channeled his emotions into fighting for a cause. He became the global ambassador for Racing for Cancer, an organization that seeks to fund cancer research and support early detection. He also is actively involved in Livestrong, and drives the #28 to represent the 28 million people living with cancer (it's also the day his son Ryden was born). And may I say, having interacted with him and listened to him this past week, RHR is a genuinely nice guy. He is almost impossible to root against (though my boyfriend does, because RHR took out his favorite driver at Long Beach). IndyCar has its long-desired American champion, and if more Americans knew his story, I think they'd all support him. Now it's up to IndyCar to tell that story, promote him, and make him a household name.

Sources
www.ryanracing.com
IndyCar website
Wikipedia
RHR Facebook Page
Carleton Place, April 18, 2010
Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 25, 1987 & September 24, 1988
Orange County Register, April 19, 2010
Seattle Times, September 10, 2012

Indy 500 Hangover

The first IndyCar race I ever watched was the 1992 Indianapolis 500. As is well-known, that was the closest finish in Indy history, with Al Unser Jr. holding off Scott Goodyear on the final straightaway. From that moment, I was hooked. I'm grateful that I finally have the personal and professional life schedule that allows me to follow IndyCar more religiously, and the racing has only gotten better in the past few years. I hope that yesterday's Indy 500, the second closest finish in history, generated some new fans just like me.

The finish was the story of the race of course. I applaud the decision to red-flag the race with less than ten laps to go, which set up a thrilling sprint to the finish between eventual winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and runner-up Helio Castroneves. Fans were treated to IndyCar racing at its finest, with good clean back-and-forth action between the top two drivers. Hunter-Reay's bold pass on Helio in Turn 3, where he almost ended up on the grass, showed that he wanted and deserved this win. It was a heartbreaking loss for Helio, trying to join elite company by winning his fourth 500. But I want to say thank you to both drivers for having all of us on the edge of our seats, hearts pounding, as we watched that final lap play out. The finish created a lot of positive rhetoric about IndyCar, which the series desperately needs. It was truly awesome.

I was incredibly surprised that we went almost 150 laps without a caution. I think everyone just tried to settle into a rhythm, saving the aggression for the last 20 laps. We didn't see as much artificial passing with cars drafting each other as we did last year, and that was just fine with me. We still saw plenty of passing and lead changes, and even after 150 laps I had no idea who would win the race. Kudos to the drivers and teams for driving so smartly and safely for so long. That had to be difficult; your arms never get a break when the race stays under green like that.

The crash between James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter, and Townsend Bell really changed the complexion of the race. I do think Carpenter had an excellent shot to win the race at that point but he was an innocent victim and justifiably upset with Hinch. Who was more to blame for the incident, Hinch or Bell? That's tough to say, though the jury of professional opinion seems to argue it was Hinch. Credit Hinch for accepting the blame, too, and acknowledging he made a mistake. Bell, who was quite impressive again, did punt Carpenter a little bit, which may have set off a chain reaction.  But Hinchcliffe also stuck his nose where he probably shouldn't have, causing an ill-advised three-wide situation going into a turn. After listening to Bell's comments on the radio and after the race, it appears he did not realize they were three-wide going into that corner. Karma is a bitch, though, isn't it? Bell eventually crashed, setting up the red flag. The wreck also echoed the one at Long Beach earlier this year, when Hinch criticized his teammate, Hunter-Reay, for making a "rookie move," the exact same term Carpenter labeled Hinch's move at Indy. It's fair to say they won't be vacationing together any time soon.

What a race to forget for the Ganassi cars. Ryan Briscoe had a slight spin on the first lap and had to pit early. Surprisingly, he ended up as the top-finishing Ganassi car, at 18th. He was in the top ten until the last few laps, when he had to deal with a broken front wing. The other Ganassi drivers all had issues. Charlie Kimball's spin brought out the first caution. Scott Dixon inexplicably crashed a few laps later. And reigning Indy 500 champ Tony Kanaan ran out of gas as he pulled into the pits for his first stop, causing all sorts of problems that never went away. For a team that normally impresses and wins at Indy, these results likely do not sit well with its owner.

How impressive was Sage Karam? The rookie started on the last row, but charged all the way to the front and finished ninth. He had some fearless passes during the race. Ganassi might be looking to make a switch this year after witnessing that result!

Unfortunately, though Karam had the drive of the day in my opinion, he won't be winning the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award. That honor goes to sixth-place finisher Kurt Busch, who stayed out of trouble and just seemed to be enjoying the ride. I think his crash in practice put things in perspective for him, and he was content just to hang back, find a comfortable rhythm, and finish the race. He avoided wreckage in front of him a couple of times, perhaps because of luck, skill, or both. Busch's attempt to complete the "double" fell short due to engine problems in the Coca-Cola 600. I think his entry in the Indy 500 undoubtedly brought more interest and viewership to the event, which was beneficial for IndyCar. He also earned a great deal of respect with a good result. I felt, however, that all the post-race comments about Busch overshadowed Hunter-Reay's victory. I understand the attention, since so few drivers have attempted the double and since he is a NASCAR star. I was most bothered by some ignorant comments made after Busch had such a good finish. Some fans (mostly of the NASCAR variety) claimed that IndyCars, and the Indy 500 in particular, must not be too difficult to drive if someone in their first IndyCar race can finish sixth. Ugh, that angers me. I hate the NASCAR vs IndyCar battle, because I wishfully hope that the two series can successfully coexist (and help each other out) without fighting each other. I think Busch had a successful Indy 500 because he is a talented race car driver, number one, who also had several weeks of practice in an IndyCar, including a big learning experience by crashing in practice. And it's not like he's never driven on an oval, or at Indianapolis before. It seemed like those fans thought Kurt was just thrown into an IndyCar the day of the race without any training or discussion with his team. Was his top ten rookie-of-the-year performance impressive? Yes, definitely. But it should not diminish the performance of the five who finished ahead of him, including the WINNER, nor all the other regular IndyCar drivers. I hope Busch's success leads other NASCAR drivers to participate in the Indy 500. The publicity it generates helps both series, though it certainly helps IndyCar more. We'll see how those other drivers do.

I do not understand what is going on with Graham Rahal. He was the first car out of the race with electrical issues. But his part-time teammate Oriol Servia finished 11th. How is this possible? Don't they compare data? We should not see that much of a discrepancy between drivers on the same team. It baffles me. I keep hoping Graham has good results, but he keeps disappointing. Kurt Busch actually has one more championship point than he does now (a result of the double points earned from Indy), which is a sad reality.

What was up with the pre-race show on ABC? The feature on TK and his medallion/good luck charm was excellent. But the segment with Josef Newgarden and some Catwoman-like thing in a bathtub of milk was incredibly bizarre. Granted, Newgarden showed he might have a future in horror films when his racing career is over, but that whole bit was unnecessary. I think it would be better if the pre-race focused more on the drivers. When NBC televises the Olympics, they spend a great deal of time telling athletes' stories, particularly the unique or interesting ones. That gives viewers more understanding of who these people are, since most of them are unknown to the public, and it gives them someone to root for. The same approach would be beneficial for ABC's pre-race coverage. All of these drivers have a story, and some, like Hunter-Reay's, are actually fascinating and inspirational. IndyCar fans are familiar with most of them, but these stories should be told to all the viewers that just turn in for the Indy 500 each year. Give them a driver to watch and root for.

A lot of people criticized ABC for showing a split-screen on the last few laps with the racing on one side and the drivers' significant others' reactions on the other side. Truth be told, I didn't even notice this was done until I read about it later. I was solely focused on watching RHR and Helio battle it out. So it didn't bother me at all, but I understand why it would be aggravating for some viewers. ABC/ESPN still has some improvements to make in their motorsports coverage, that's for sure, but this year has been light-years better than last year with Marty Reid.

I want to devote a blog entry to Ryan Hunter-Reay later this week, because he deserves the recognition. I will be attending a luncheon in his honor on Wednesday, so stay tuned! For now, though, let's savor and celebrate that fantastic Indy 500. I'm glad we have less than a week until the next IndyCar race, too!

My Media Day Adventure

I had the great pleasure of participating in Indy 500 Media Day this past week. I had not realized how big and spread out Media Day was, but IndyCar does a great job of sending its drivers all over the country to promote not only the Indy 500 but upcoming races as well. (Except for California; why weren't any drivers sent to Fontana or Sonoma?) I don't know how they determine which driver gets to go to which location, but I think Tony Kanaan got a pretty good assignment.

TK was the lone driver sent to promote the Firestone 600, and someone saw this as an excellent opportunity to jointly promote Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. Six Flags is debuting a new ride this season, called the Wahoo Racer. The ride pits six competitors against one another, who race down a waterslide head-first on a  foam toboggan. What a perfect promotion for a race car driver! TK was one of the first people to christen the new ride, along with an Arlington, TX city manager (who ultimately won) and members of the Arlington police and fire departments. As I watched TK's splashdown, I wasn't convinced he fully enjoyed it but he gamely participated anyway. He also rode the "Mega Wedgie," which is a thrill ride like a halfpipe. Typically two people ride a raft down the halfpipe, but TK did it all by himself. I rode both of these rides, and they were a lot of fun. My boyfriend, who is much taller than me and can get better angles, took some pictures:

TK, moments after finishing last in the inaugural Wahoo Racer 500

After the race, TK presented the trophy to the winner, along with a pair of "six shooters" (water pistols in this case), as is tradition for anyone who wins a race at Texas Motor Speedway. He also donned the traditional cowboy hat:

In keeping with Indy 500 tradition, all six participants also received a small bottle of milk:

After drying off and changing clothes, TK did some interviews and joined some fans for lunch. Since this was announced as a "meet and greet," I had expected a more organized fan Q & A experience, but I still greeted TK and had my picture taken with him. When TK left, we were invited to ride the open rides, but most people left instead. (Not me! I had never been to Hurricane Harbor, and I love riding some waterslides so I took full advantage of the free opportunity to enjoy the Wahoo Racer and other rides multiple times.) I think the Six Flags employees got a little bored, and the poor DJ was left to play music for about ten people. The event was supposed to be free for the first 100 fans (plus a guest) to sign up, but I don't think there was anything close to 100 fans there. I suspect that's because the event was scheduled from 9:30am-2:00pm on a Tuesday, when kids were still in school and most people were working. But it also wasn't publicized very much in my opinion. I'm not sure if TMS season ticket holders were invited, but that would have been a nice touch if they had been. It sounds like other cities had much better Media Day turnout, especially Milwaukee. Nonetheless, I appreciated the opportunity to take part in some fun water rides and meet one of my favorite IndyCar drivers, so thank you Texas Motor Speedway. My first (and hopefully not my last) Indy 500 Media Day was a blast!