It could have been a great weekend for IndyCar. A Sunday afternoon race with very little head-to-head TV competition, on a beautiful road course in Alabama, with drivers still fuming from the last event. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas. Still, fans were treated to a good race with more than one unpredictable turn of events, amd some good passing thrown in as well.
You never like to say the top story was the weather, because that usually means something bad happened. But the rain was the story of the race for a number of reasons. The lengthy rain delay closed a normally open TV window and forced race control to make this a timed event rather than one with a set number of laps. Timed races are nothing new, and they are certainly done with great success in other motorsports. Scott Dixon was critical of the decision because it forced teams to revisit the strategy they had originally planned. I think the rain forced all teams to alter their original strategy, so at least that leveled the playing field a bit.
The rain also separated the rookies from the veterans, and showed that experience in the rain does matter. Mikhail Aleshin spun twice (once with the help of Sebastien Bourdais--more on that later), and his late crash forced the race to end under caution. Carlos Munoz spun during a caution, as he had difficulty adjusting to his new red tires on a slick track. He would later re-enter the race but exit shortly thereafter with mechanical issues. Carlos Huertas also spun off the track. Only Jack Hawksworth seemed to avoid trouble, which further cements how impressive he has been so far this year. But all in all, it was not a good day for the rookies.
I'll be honest, I completely expected Will Power to run away with the race. He had the pole and quickly started distancing himself from the rest of the pack. But he proved, as runner-up Marco Andretti noted, that he is human and does occasionally make mistakes. It's still amazing that he managed to avoid crashing into the wall of tires and was able to drive back onto the track, losing only a few seconds to Hunter-Reay. He wound up finishing fifth, which is a great result considering what happened or what could have been.
Speaking of Marco, how impressive was he? He made a wickedly good pass on Power and might have challenged Hunter-Reay for the lead had there been one final restart. He proved he can compete with the big boys and beat them. But Tony Kanaan might have had the drive of the day, finishing ninth after starting last.
Race control will have some more explaining to do after they opted to penalize Bourdais for punting Aleshin when it was still wet. Bourdais' move looked no more egregious than some of the non-calls at Long Beach, so it's difficult to follow or predict the thinking at this point. There's no denying that Bourdais made contact with Aleshin, but was it "unavoidable?" Especially considering the wet conditions? I'm not convinced of that.
I did not want the race to end under caution, but I understand why it did and I can accept that. Once the decision is made to run a timed, 1:40 race, you can't change that. Teams developed their strategies around that set endpoint, and I think it added an extra layer of intrigue (it at least allowed Sebastian Saavedra to lead a few laps!). Fans had to be disappointed but that's racing. There are always a thousand "what if's" after each race, such as "what if Aleshin hadn't crashed?" Well if Aleshin hadn't crashed Hunter-Reay would likely still have won, by more than a 5-second margin it would seem. Four minutes doesn't seem like a long time to clean up a wreck when it happens in the middle of the race, but at the end it can feel like an eternity. You want to egg the safety crew on and tell them to hustle, but safety should be the priority and that takes time to do it right. The real story was that the race needed to conclude so that NBC Sports Network could start its scheduled (and important) playoff hockey game on time. The outcry they would receive from hockey fans would far outweigh the number of complaints from IndyCar fans, so that decision was understandable. If we don't want our races to be dictated by television, then perhaps we should consider going to pay-per-view. That would certainly eliminate the ridiculous amount of commercials we saw during the race--and almost all without side-by-side action!
Despite the outcome of the race being influenced by outside factors, Ryan Hunter-Reay was the star of Barber Motorsports Park once again. Once Will Power went offroading, RHR roared past and never looked back. He clearly had a superior car all weekend, and capped off a strong qualifying effort with a repeat win at Barber. What a nice way to rebound from his mishap at Long Beach.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Long Beach 2014
Welcome to the 40th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, where the veterans drive like rookies and the rookies drive like veterans. Where penalties may or may not be called for aggressive driving. Where tempers flare, and a past winner on a one-car team comes out on top. We promise thrills, entertainment, and surprises; Long Beach does not disappoint! Here's a look back at the three stories of the race:
Top Story of the Race: A lot of people, including his own teammate and owner, criticized Ryan Hunter-Reay for his impatient pass attempt on Josef Newgarden--a move that ended the day for Newgarden, RHR, teammate Hinchcliffe, and a host of other innocent victims just trying to pass through. On cold tires, Newgarden had come out of the pits in the top spot, but it was probably only a matter of time before he lost the lead to RHR or Hinch. After taking the pole, Hunter-Reay led almost the entire race up to that point and looked to be the car to beat. Newgarden also looked strong, and he was in a great position to contend for his first IndyCar Series win. Unfortunately, we'll never know how that battle would have turned out, which hurts the fans, too, because I think that would have been exciting to watch. Was RHR too impatient and aggressive? Probably. But as he put it and as Sarah Fisher initially described on TV, "That's racing." Both Hunter-Reay and Newgarden desperately wanted to win. RHR wants to prove that 2012 was no fluke, and Newgarden wants to get that first win for his loyal team owner. RHR went for it, and paid the price. It's just a shame that his move had to cost so many other drivers a chance at winning, too.
There was also some criticism that Hunter-Reay didn't own up to his mistake and admit fault, as other drivers do. I don't agree with that. Newgarden was about as diplomatic as you can be after being knocked out of a race, but I also think RHR was remorseful. He said he needed to look at it again, which is really what all drivers should say after an incident like this occurs. He said it was "probably" his fault, and apologized and seemed genuinely gutted that he'd ended so many other drivers' day. It's not easy for a champion to admit he was to blame. I wonder how many couch critics out there freely admit their own mistakes when they make them; I know I have a hard time doing that. I imagine that RHR had a private talk with Newgarden, and I imagine that Michael Andretti and Hinchcliffe also had a private, stern conversation with Ryan. All will learn from this experience and move on. Credit Newgarden for his maturity, and Hinchcliffe for his honest assessment of the situation. There were no winners in that crash. Except for Mike Conway, who may not have won the race were it not for that multi-car pileup.
Top Story #2: To Penalize or Not to Penalize? RHR wasn't the only veteran to make a rookie mistake. Early in the race, Will Power made contact with Simon Pagenaud, which temporarily derailed Pags' chances at a top finish. (He ended up in fifth place, so he rebounded nicely.) When I initially saw the contact, I thought it was just a "racing incident," with two gritty, skilled drivers fighting for position. But Pagenaud was fuming after the race, and Power even admitted he thought he should have been penalized for "avoidable contact." This adds even more weight to the Verizon conspiracy theory. One more incident and I might even start to become a believer. And why does Power always find himself mired in controversy?
Scott Dixon made an aggressive move on Justin Wilson toward the end of the race, which ultimately ended Wilson's good day. He was also not penalized. But Graham Rahal did receive a drive-through penalty for clipping someone early in the race. Apparently Beaux Barfield had announced before the race that he would let everyone "have at it" and try to limit the number of penalties called. He was true to his word it would seem, but I bet Wilson and Pagenaud will be lobbying for a return to the old way of calling penalties. The "boys, have at it" mentality might work in NASCAR, but it has no place in open wheel racing. It's dangerous and selfish to allow that to continue. Avoidable contact will always remain subjective, but we must trust the panel of officials in race control to make those decisions. I commend Scott Dixon for coming in to get a late splash of fuel, saying he didn't want to risk causing a big accident by running out of gas on the last lap. That had to be disappointing for Dixon, who has never won at Long Beach. Karma, perhaps?
Top Story #3: Ed Carpenter's Decision Pays Off: When Carpenter made the decision to drive only on ovals and hire another driver to handle the twisties, he was largely praised for being wise and selfless. Some still criticized the decision, acknowledging that he could not possibly win the championship with two part-time drivers. And that's true, but Sunday further justified his decision. Mike Conway, who had already previously won at Long Beach, drove a consistent race with a little bit of luck and put the Fuzzy's Vodka Chevy in victory lane. Conway showed his driving chops once again, and he'll be a serious contender at all of the road/street courses this year. With Ed's prowess on ovals, they have vaulted themselves to among the top teams in IndyCar. There is a lesson in this for all of us: when we put the team first, good things can happen. I think Carpenter was as thrilled as Conway to get that win, and it was great to see.
Other Stories of Note: Carlos Munoz proved that slow and steady wins the race...or at least gets you on the podium. Jack Hawksworth has been the most impressive rookie so far in my opinion, but unfortunately he has two DNF's to show for it. He's been the victim of circumstance, finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time two races in a row now. Still, Bryan Herta Autosport has to be pleased with what they've seen from the young Brit. Good things must be just around the corner.
I heard a lot of praise for Paul Tracy in the NBCSN booth, but I have to say I was not really a fan. It's nothing against what Tracy said, as he did have some insightful analysis and perspective, but it's his voice. He has a monotone, low voice that doesn't quite jive well with Leigh Diffey's enthusiasm and Townsend Bell's pleasant cadence. To me, Tracy didn't inject the same level of excitement into the broadcast that Diffey, Bell, and Jon Beekhuis do. That may be just a personal preference I'll have to deal with I guess.
It was encouraging to hear about the large turnout for the entire weekend, even qualifying. Hopefully that sends a message to the city council of Long Beach that fans like having an IndyCar race there and want it to stick around for another forty years.
Top Story of the Race: A lot of people, including his own teammate and owner, criticized Ryan Hunter-Reay for his impatient pass attempt on Josef Newgarden--a move that ended the day for Newgarden, RHR, teammate Hinchcliffe, and a host of other innocent victims just trying to pass through. On cold tires, Newgarden had come out of the pits in the top spot, but it was probably only a matter of time before he lost the lead to RHR or Hinch. After taking the pole, Hunter-Reay led almost the entire race up to that point and looked to be the car to beat. Newgarden also looked strong, and he was in a great position to contend for his first IndyCar Series win. Unfortunately, we'll never know how that battle would have turned out, which hurts the fans, too, because I think that would have been exciting to watch. Was RHR too impatient and aggressive? Probably. But as he put it and as Sarah Fisher initially described on TV, "That's racing." Both Hunter-Reay and Newgarden desperately wanted to win. RHR wants to prove that 2012 was no fluke, and Newgarden wants to get that first win for his loyal team owner. RHR went for it, and paid the price. It's just a shame that his move had to cost so many other drivers a chance at winning, too.
There was also some criticism that Hunter-Reay didn't own up to his mistake and admit fault, as other drivers do. I don't agree with that. Newgarden was about as diplomatic as you can be after being knocked out of a race, but I also think RHR was remorseful. He said he needed to look at it again, which is really what all drivers should say after an incident like this occurs. He said it was "probably" his fault, and apologized and seemed genuinely gutted that he'd ended so many other drivers' day. It's not easy for a champion to admit he was to blame. I wonder how many couch critics out there freely admit their own mistakes when they make them; I know I have a hard time doing that. I imagine that RHR had a private talk with Newgarden, and I imagine that Michael Andretti and Hinchcliffe also had a private, stern conversation with Ryan. All will learn from this experience and move on. Credit Newgarden for his maturity, and Hinchcliffe for his honest assessment of the situation. There were no winners in that crash. Except for Mike Conway, who may not have won the race were it not for that multi-car pileup.
Top Story #2: To Penalize or Not to Penalize? RHR wasn't the only veteran to make a rookie mistake. Early in the race, Will Power made contact with Simon Pagenaud, which temporarily derailed Pags' chances at a top finish. (He ended up in fifth place, so he rebounded nicely.) When I initially saw the contact, I thought it was just a "racing incident," with two gritty, skilled drivers fighting for position. But Pagenaud was fuming after the race, and Power even admitted he thought he should have been penalized for "avoidable contact." This adds even more weight to the Verizon conspiracy theory. One more incident and I might even start to become a believer. And why does Power always find himself mired in controversy?
Scott Dixon made an aggressive move on Justin Wilson toward the end of the race, which ultimately ended Wilson's good day. He was also not penalized. But Graham Rahal did receive a drive-through penalty for clipping someone early in the race. Apparently Beaux Barfield had announced before the race that he would let everyone "have at it" and try to limit the number of penalties called. He was true to his word it would seem, but I bet Wilson and Pagenaud will be lobbying for a return to the old way of calling penalties. The "boys, have at it" mentality might work in NASCAR, but it has no place in open wheel racing. It's dangerous and selfish to allow that to continue. Avoidable contact will always remain subjective, but we must trust the panel of officials in race control to make those decisions. I commend Scott Dixon for coming in to get a late splash of fuel, saying he didn't want to risk causing a big accident by running out of gas on the last lap. That had to be disappointing for Dixon, who has never won at Long Beach. Karma, perhaps?
Top Story #3: Ed Carpenter's Decision Pays Off: When Carpenter made the decision to drive only on ovals and hire another driver to handle the twisties, he was largely praised for being wise and selfless. Some still criticized the decision, acknowledging that he could not possibly win the championship with two part-time drivers. And that's true, but Sunday further justified his decision. Mike Conway, who had already previously won at Long Beach, drove a consistent race with a little bit of luck and put the Fuzzy's Vodka Chevy in victory lane. Conway showed his driving chops once again, and he'll be a serious contender at all of the road/street courses this year. With Ed's prowess on ovals, they have vaulted themselves to among the top teams in IndyCar. There is a lesson in this for all of us: when we put the team first, good things can happen. I think Carpenter was as thrilled as Conway to get that win, and it was great to see.
Other Stories of Note: Carlos Munoz proved that slow and steady wins the race...or at least gets you on the podium. Jack Hawksworth has been the most impressive rookie so far in my opinion, but unfortunately he has two DNF's to show for it. He's been the victim of circumstance, finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time two races in a row now. Still, Bryan Herta Autosport has to be pleased with what they've seen from the young Brit. Good things must be just around the corner.
I heard a lot of praise for Paul Tracy in the NBCSN booth, but I have to say I was not really a fan. It's nothing against what Tracy said, as he did have some insightful analysis and perspective, but it's his voice. He has a monotone, low voice that doesn't quite jive well with Leigh Diffey's enthusiasm and Townsend Bell's pleasant cadence. To me, Tracy didn't inject the same level of excitement into the broadcast that Diffey, Bell, and Jon Beekhuis do. That may be just a personal preference I'll have to deal with I guess.
It was encouraging to hear about the large turnout for the entire weekend, even qualifying. Hopefully that sends a message to the city council of Long Beach that fans like having an IndyCar race there and want it to stick around for another forty years.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Competition Caution
Rain, rain, go away...that was the refrain from NASCAR fans this weekend (and really all season, not just this past weekend) as stormy weather forced the race at Texas Motor Speedway to be moved to Monday. Weather delays and postponements are common in many sports, particularly baseball, but this one had some added intrigue to it, and got me to thinking about the competition between motorsports and other professional sports.
TMS made the decision to host their spring NASCAR race on Sunday afternoon instead of the usual Saturday night time. Why? Because North Texas was also hosting the Final Four and there would be too much competition--for both ratings and attendance. Unfortunately, Mother Nature interfered with these plans, causing the race to be rescheduled for Monday at 11am CST. Many fans complained, suggesting that the race start in the evening so more people can attend (presumably after work and school are finished). Oh no, we can't do that, said NASCAR. It would conflict with the NCAA championship game.
Now, let me be clear: I'm not really sure who "we" is, or who exactly made the initial decision to avoid competing with the Final Four. Was it Fox, who knew that anything televised against the championship game is doomed to be a ratings failure? Was it NASCAR, who wanted all eyes solely on their sport and not another one? Or was it Texas Motor Speedway, who wanted to give fans the opportunity to attend not one but two big sporting events in one weekend? Whatever the reason, these decisions beg the question: should motorsports be worried about other sports stealing their thunder, or their attendance? Or are the two audiences different enough that both can be satisfied?
This of course comes on the heels of IndyCar's decision to end the season before Labor Day in order to avoid head-to-head collisions with the NFL (was that a poor choice of words? Oops.). Many have criticized IndyCar for doing this, rightly acknowledging that no one can compete with the NFL right now. They are in a league of their own, and they know it. They are the most popular sport in America, and I don't see that changing any time soon, even as concussion controversies cloud the league. It's interesting to note that NASCAR doesn't worry about competing with the NFL, as their season continues well into November (too long, in my opinion).
I do believe two separate fanbases can and do coexist. Many fans of motorsports are not fans of "stick-and-ball" sports, and vice versa. Motorsports fans watch for a variety of reasons: the technology, fast cars, daredevil excitement, the drivers, sponsors, etc. These are not the same reasons that would draw them to other sports. I myself am a fan of many sports: baseball, basketball, football, tennis, and even golf. When the Olympics are on, I'm glued to the TV. But if I have a choice between watching an IndyCar race and a baseball game, I'll choose the IndyCar race every time. After all, there are 162 baseball games but only 18-20 IndyCar races! I imagine many fans feel the same way. We go where our passion takes us. We also have the capability nowadays to record one event and watch another live, or to actually watch multiple live events at once on multiple devices! What we need to be concerned with is creating and maintaining that passion among fans, which will lead them to seek out the sport no matter what else is competing with it.
There will always be competition with something. Our cable and satellite providers give us over 100 channels, so there are plenty of choices. We could spend an entire day scouring the internet and still not even come close to exploring all the videos, information, and activities that exist in cyberspace. Our families demand our attention. We can spend time outdoors. We might even have to *gasp* work! If we constantly worry about what else we're competing with, we're never going to be successful. The best piece of advice I've ever been given is this: "Compete with yourself." Strive to make each day, each skill, each performance better than your last. Let that be what drives you. Perhaps this should be motorsports' mantra. Worry about yourself, not what others are doing.
With regard to ratings, let me go on a soapbox for a moment: I personally think the Nielsens are an archaic, political system that should not be taken as seriously as they are. Apparently the new system now includes tweets, which is a step in the right direction, but still not an accurate representation of what and how people watch TV these days. The NCAA men's final had approximately 21 million viewers and a 7.2 rating, which was down ten percent from last year's final. NASCAR races, meanwhile, have also suffered ratings declines in all of their races this year. Yet both continue to be among the most-watched sporting events of the weekend. The men's final also had record attendance, and even though the race was moved to a less-than-ideal Monday morning start time, thousands of fans still turned out to watch it at Texas Motor Speedway. Evidently it is possible for both sides to win.
TMS made the decision to host their spring NASCAR race on Sunday afternoon instead of the usual Saturday night time. Why? Because North Texas was also hosting the Final Four and there would be too much competition--for both ratings and attendance. Unfortunately, Mother Nature interfered with these plans, causing the race to be rescheduled for Monday at 11am CST. Many fans complained, suggesting that the race start in the evening so more people can attend (presumably after work and school are finished). Oh no, we can't do that, said NASCAR. It would conflict with the NCAA championship game.
Now, let me be clear: I'm not really sure who "we" is, or who exactly made the initial decision to avoid competing with the Final Four. Was it Fox, who knew that anything televised against the championship game is doomed to be a ratings failure? Was it NASCAR, who wanted all eyes solely on their sport and not another one? Or was it Texas Motor Speedway, who wanted to give fans the opportunity to attend not one but two big sporting events in one weekend? Whatever the reason, these decisions beg the question: should motorsports be worried about other sports stealing their thunder, or their attendance? Or are the two audiences different enough that both can be satisfied?
This of course comes on the heels of IndyCar's decision to end the season before Labor Day in order to avoid head-to-head collisions with the NFL (was that a poor choice of words? Oops.). Many have criticized IndyCar for doing this, rightly acknowledging that no one can compete with the NFL right now. They are in a league of their own, and they know it. They are the most popular sport in America, and I don't see that changing any time soon, even as concussion controversies cloud the league. It's interesting to note that NASCAR doesn't worry about competing with the NFL, as their season continues well into November (too long, in my opinion).
I do believe two separate fanbases can and do coexist. Many fans of motorsports are not fans of "stick-and-ball" sports, and vice versa. Motorsports fans watch for a variety of reasons: the technology, fast cars, daredevil excitement, the drivers, sponsors, etc. These are not the same reasons that would draw them to other sports. I myself am a fan of many sports: baseball, basketball, football, tennis, and even golf. When the Olympics are on, I'm glued to the TV. But if I have a choice between watching an IndyCar race and a baseball game, I'll choose the IndyCar race every time. After all, there are 162 baseball games but only 18-20 IndyCar races! I imagine many fans feel the same way. We go where our passion takes us. We also have the capability nowadays to record one event and watch another live, or to actually watch multiple live events at once on multiple devices! What we need to be concerned with is creating and maintaining that passion among fans, which will lead them to seek out the sport no matter what else is competing with it.
There will always be competition with something. Our cable and satellite providers give us over 100 channels, so there are plenty of choices. We could spend an entire day scouring the internet and still not even come close to exploring all the videos, information, and activities that exist in cyberspace. Our families demand our attention. We can spend time outdoors. We might even have to *gasp* work! If we constantly worry about what else we're competing with, we're never going to be successful. The best piece of advice I've ever been given is this: "Compete with yourself." Strive to make each day, each skill, each performance better than your last. Let that be what drives you. Perhaps this should be motorsports' mantra. Worry about yourself, not what others are doing.
With regard to ratings, let me go on a soapbox for a moment: I personally think the Nielsens are an archaic, political system that should not be taken as seriously as they are. Apparently the new system now includes tweets, which is a step in the right direction, but still not an accurate representation of what and how people watch TV these days. The NCAA men's final had approximately 21 million viewers and a 7.2 rating, which was down ten percent from last year's final. NASCAR races, meanwhile, have also suffered ratings declines in all of their races this year. Yet both continue to be among the most-watched sporting events of the weekend. The men's final also had record attendance, and even though the race was moved to a less-than-ideal Monday morning start time, thousands of fans still turned out to watch it at Texas Motor Speedway. Evidently it is possible for both sides to win.
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