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.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
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.
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.
Friday, June 6, 2014
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.
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.
Monday, June 2, 2014
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!
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!
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