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.
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