So, it's been awhile. Not just awhile since I've written, but it's also been awhile since we witnessed the kind of pack racing that occurred at Fontana this past weekend. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject, so let me weigh in with a few thoughts. Although I must preface this by saying my opinion can be summed up with "I don't know." Indecisive maybe, but also able to understand both sides of this issue.
I did not get to watch the race live because I was traveling (well, I did catch a few laps on the NBC Sports Live Extra app but that was early in the race). However, I followed along on Twitter and Timing & Scoring, so I knew what was happening. I also knew the race results and who had crashed. I was just too curious to stay away. So when I sat down to watch the race on Sunday night, I was prepared. Or so I thought. Even though I knew the race outcome and the conflicting opinions about the racing, I still found myself riveted and edgy. My stomach was in knots a few times, particularly in those closing laps after a restart.
It was indeed an entertaining race, but I'd stop short of calling it the "best race I've ever seen." For one, it made me extremely nervous, and I could not believe some of the crazy moves the drivers were making--Tony Kanaan in particular. I saw cars swerving and darting all over the race track, with no one seemingly able to hold a line. There were a record number of lead changes, though no one really held a lead for long. Instead it was wheel-to-wheel, side-by-side action, which is also thrilling I admit. I may be more likely to call it the best had I watched it live, I don't know. I didn't have the surprise element going for me unfortunately.
Now the drivers and teams are clearly divided. In one corner you have Will Power, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon, who were not fans of that type of racing. (And all of those guys race for the top two owners, Penske & Ganassi. Hmm...coincidence?) In the other corner you have Ed Carpenter, Ryan Briscoe, Marco Andretti, and AJ Foyt, who support this kind of racing and even call it "fun." Briscoe's opinion should matter the most, because he experienced the most frightening crash of all. More on him in a moment. After I read tweets about Will's comments, I was expecting to hear whiny, misguided comments when I finally watched the telecast. But I don't think Will sounded whiny. I thought he sounded passionate. He was merely asking, "what are we doing?" And "should we be doing this?" We have to remember that Will was also severely injured in that Vegas pileup, and I'm sure that's in his mind when he's force to race in these conditions. I think those are good questions to ask, and good points for IndyCar to consider.
I'm not a fan of being reactionary and saying well, nothing happened this time, so everyone just relax. That kind of complacency often leads to trouble, and we see it all the time in business and politics. Each time NASCAR hosts a race at Talledega or Daytona, they worry about "the big one," and there have been some "big ones" in the past few years. I do think that if IndyCar keeps up the Fontana style of racing, we will see a "big one," and it won't be pretty. Yes, we were fortunate that the only accidents were single- or dual-car wrecks. And it was awe-inspiring to see these drivers go three-, four-, or five-wide (!) for so long without bumping into each other. But IndyCar should try to be proactive as much as it can and listen to drivers' concerns. We must also realize that Fontana is not Vegas. It's a bigger, wider track with less banking, and there's no one at the back of the field driving for a $5 million bonus. It's a perfect IndyCar oval track, and I hope it stays on the schedule. The bottom line is that we need to find a happy medium. Something that doesn't bore fans like a single-file parade, but something that doesn't lead to "the big one," either.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, Saturday's race at Fontana got noticed. NASCAR drivers were tweeting about it. Casual fans dropped what they were doing to watch the last 20-50 laps. It even got mentioned on SportsCenter, which is truly miraculous. This is the kind of race IndyCar needs, even if they may not want it. The element of danger and the action-packed racing bring eyeballs to the TV and bodies to the race track. Sure, the crowd was extremely thin at Auto Club Speedway this year. (The June date, coupled with a NASCAR race in Sonoma on the same weekend, likely contributed to that.) But people are talking about IndyCar in late June. When's the last time we can say that happened?
A few other thoughts: one, if I read between the lines of TK's comments, I would say he is seriously contemplating retirement. I sort of heard him thinking out loud about whether or not he wants to do this anymore, especially with a young child. He just sounded resigned, and who can blame him? As he said, he did lose one of his best friends, and saw the career of another close friend in Dario Franchitti end with a violent crash. He has the elusive Indy 500 win now, so it would certainly be understandable if he decided to call it a career.
Two, I continue to be amazed and impressed by Ryan Briscoe. I've liked him ever since I met him at Texas a few years ago and discovered he is incredibly sincere and nice. He put on a show at Texas this year, and I was fascinated. It's one of the reasons I didn't find the Texas race as boring as others did, because I simply watched him the entire night. He has had some questionable drives in the past, but this year he's really showing his skill and why he deserves a full-time ride. And he was so calm and jovial after the race! He even took part in a funny post-race video where he returned to the scene of his accident. It's the disappointing reality of racing now, though, that you can't just get a ride based on merit and charisma alone. You have to bring money, especially in IndyCar. If I had money to start an IndyCar team, Briscoe would be at the top of my driver list. I can only hope his temporary driving this year impresses other teams enough to give him a shot next year.
Lost in all of this pack racing debate is that Graham Rahal ended a long winless drought and drove one heck of a race. Yes, there was the issue with the fuel hose. That doesn't bother me because I liked seeing a different winner. (Had it happened to Montoya, I'd be much more upset.) The ill-advised decision to re-insert the fuel hose wasn't Graham's fault, and it shouldn't overshadow a terrific drive. We're seeing a new and improved Rahal this year, and it's been fun to watch.
Two weeks off now, then Milwaukee IndyFest. What new adventures will we see there? I can't wait to find out!
