Three Stars of the Race(s)
#1 Star: Will Power
After more than a year without a win, Power finally returned to Victory Lane on Sunday. He earned it with a perfect pass on Pagenaud and he held off his hard-charging teammate on the closing lap. Power's result is even more impressive considering his DNF on Saturday and his nullified would-be track-record qualifying lap because race control deemed him guilty of blocking. Now we are only left to wonder how much of a championship contender he would be had he raced at St. Pete. I'm still not counting him out yet.
#2 Star: Sebastien Bourdais
Bourdais' team called a winning strategy, timing his pit stops perfectly. Bourdais needed a perfect drive, too, and he nailed the win with a strong out-lap that put him ahead of Pagenaud. A few fortunate yellows fell KV Racing's way, and Bourdais found himself in victory lane at Detroit for the second year in a row. Race sponsor Chevrolet had to be grinning from ear to ear after seeing two of their cars atop the podium this weekend.
#3 Star: Conor Daly
Daly earned his first IndyCar podium on Saturday, finishing second and never putting a wheel wrong. He followed up Race 1 with a sixth-place result in Race 2, an especially strong finish considering he started 21st. Daly seems to be gaining momentum as the year goes along, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him in Victory Lane before the year is over. We have one heck of a rookie-of-the-year competition between him and Alexander Rossi.
Three Stories of the Race(s)
#1 Story: Strategery
It was like watching a chess match seeing all the different strategies for both races. Carlos Munoz got it going by being the only one to start Race 1 on black tires, and this strategy worked okay. Some drivers, including Bourdais, pitted extremely early in Race 1 to change from reds to blacks, and this strategy definitely paid off. Sunday's race saw different pit stops again, and for a fleeting moment when he took the lead I wondered if Alexander Rossi could pull off another amazing fuel-saving stint. Some drivers wondered if fans could follow all these different strategies, and I can say that yes, since I was following on Timing & Scoring, it was easy to see when everyone would pit and who could make it to the end. If you were attending the race, however, you might have been confused. Lesson learned for me as I attend Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, where we'll probably see even more different strategies playing out. I like the different strategies; it keeps the race unpredictable and challenging. And it was nice not to see a fuel-mileage race this weekend--both Bourdais and Power went flat-out until the end. The fastest car did indeed win.
#2 Story: Qualifying Penalties
Several drivers were doomed by penalties assessed in qualifying, though I have to say I don't think it affected the outcome terribly. Daly was perhaps most upset, as he felt he would have qualified in the top six had his top lap not been taken away when he spun out during Sunday's qualifying session. We also saw some drama with teammates Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay furious at each other. Marco felt RHR impeded his fast lap, but RHR was perhaps also impeded by Bourdais ahead of him. I'm sure they hugged it out and all was fine. Considering Power nearly set a new track record with his qualifying effort on Sunday, it didn't really matter that he started eighth. He had the fastest car on Sunday, and again, the fastest car won.
#3 Story: Podium Parity
For awhile, especially on Saturday, it looked like we were watching reruns of the Simon Pagenaud Show. Pagenaud dominated the early part of both races, and I found myself thinking, ho-hum, another Pagenaud victory. Then cautions and different strategies threw all of that out the window. Pagenaud still has a stranglehold on the championship lead, and it will be very difficult for anyone to catch him. But it was great to see four different teams and six different drivers on the podium over the weekend, including two Hondas: Bourdais, Daly, and Montoya on Saturday, and Power, Pagenaud, and Hunter-Reay on Saturday. Team Penske still set the pace for the weekend, but the other teams are showing they can compete. This is one of the many exciting things about IndyCar right now: anyone can win on any given weekend.
Now, the series shifts back to ovals with a stop in Texas. This track has been the source of much analysis and criticism over the past few years. I always love attending, and I'm hoping the teams figured out an aero package that will give us some close racing. If not, maybe it will comedown to strategy or fuel mileage again. Can't wait to watch!
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