Detroit Double-Up

Once again, the Dual in Detroit was a less-than-thrilling showcase for IndyCar in the week following its exhilarating Indy 500. How I wish they would wise up and move this race to another date. I would also be fine with just one race in the Motor City rather than a grueling doubleheader for teams and drivers following a busy, stressful month of May. Alas, I'm sure Graham Rahal enjoyed the weekend immensely.

Three Stars of the Weekend

#1 Star: Graham Rahal

In capturing the pole on Saturday and winning both races in Detroit, Rahal earned all but one of the available points from the weekend and catapulted to sixth in the championship standings. One word was used repeatedly to describe Rahal's performance but there really is no better label for it: He completely dominated the weekend. I'm not sure where this all came from, though some speculate it's because he finally had a teammate (and a great one at that) in Oriol Servia to share data with. Servia had a dismal weekend, though, so if was sharing feedback it might have been what not to do. Rahal has shown marked improvement over the past two years, and continues to impress for a (normally) one-car operation. He took great pride in taming the Penske beast in both races, as he should.

#2 Star: Scott Dixon

I'm never one to count out the Iceman, but Dixon displayed tremendous moxie by finishing second on Saturday and sixth on Sunday with an injured foot. As Josef Newgarden did last year, Dixon let adrenaline take over and downplayed the pain he must have been experiencing. One race alone would be punishing on broken body parts, let alone two in as many days--on a bumpy, twisty track no less. Thanks to his consistency, he sits atop the standings even though he has yet to win a race this year. You know a victory is just around the corner. There's a reason the other drivers, in their pointed comments toward Lewis Hamilton, argued that Dixie would be an F1 champ in a Mercedes. He's just that good--on all types of tracks and races.

#3 Star: Josef Newgarden

Newgarden turned the fastest laps on both Saturday and Sunday and was shaving off about a second per lap of Rahal's lead on Sunday before the red flag flew (more on that later). Newgy provided a bright spot for a startlingly disappointing performance for the Penske team on Saturday, though they rebounded nicely on Sunday. Newgarden was neck and neck with Hinch in the closing laps on Saturday, which unfortunately (but not surprisingly) ABC neglected to show us. I liked Newgarden better when he was with ECR (I think he's gotten too serious and corporatized now that he's with Penske) but it's great to see him doing well in his first season with the Captain. He is showing Roger that he definitely made the right choice in hiring him.

Honorable mention to Takuma Sato, who captured the pole on Sunday and followed up his Indy 500 victory with a strong performance, finishing eighth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. Indy 500 winners have historically not done well in Detroit, probably because of the busy sleep-deprived week leading up to it but Sato was the exception. He's a real contender for the championship.

Three Stories of the Weekend

#1 Story: The Red Flag Controversy

As you might expect, the decision to throw the red flag with less than 10 laps remaining in Sunday's race was met with both cheers and boos. I appreciate the series' effort to entertain the fans, especially in a race that, let's face it, nearly put us all to sleep. And I know it may be gimmicky but IndyCar is not NASCAR...yet. There's no "lucky dog," no competition cautions, no dividing the race into stages, and no post-race fist fights. Motorsports of all kinds are hurting for fans both in the stands and in front of the television. So they need to do whatever they can to keep people engaged. It's either that or they become extinct. The race was not lengthened, thus preserving some integrity. The result ended up being anticlimactic, thankfully, because if Newgarden had been able to overtake Rahal on the restart I think even he would feel bad about it. I do wonder if Newgarden would have been able to catch Rahal without a caution flag. The real loser in the decision appeared to be Conor Daly, who was in the top ten after looking strong all weekend (even with a mechanical failure in Race 1). Helio allegedly made contact with Daly on the restart, pushing him back to a 12th place finish. Helio made some questionable passes in Race 2, so I don't doubt that he did something sketchy on the restart.  All in all I don't have a problem with the red flag. Sports, after all, are entertainment.

#2 Story: Tires

I was quite fascinated with the different tire strategies, especially on Saturday when Daly was the only one to start on blacks. The black tires seemed to be faster and more preferred by drivers, and after watching how Daly was able to charge through the field early on Saturday, I thought it was a great choice to start on them. Several other drivers, including Alexander Rossi, must have felt the same way because they tried it on Saturday. Had Daly not experienced his mechanical problem in Race 1, I think he would've been right there with the leaders at the end. He was running in seventh at the time. Unfortunately we'll never know but it was fun to watch while it lasted.

#3 Story: Two Snoozers

Most of the race accounts that I've read seem to think that Sunday was the better race. I have to disagree, though I'm not sure why. True, there was a little more passing in Sunday's race, particularly early on, but the one pass for the lead happened in the pits when Rahal was able to stay out a lap longer than Sato and leapfrog him. I often judge a race by how much I tweet during it. If there's a lot going on, I have a lot to say and thus to tweet about. On Sunday I had little to say. I felt like we were just going through the motions, waiting to crown Rahal the victor again. I nearly dozed off at one point, and I NEVER do that during an IndyCar race. Saturday's race intrigued me with Daly's off-strategy, the Penske struggles and the all-Honda podium in a Chevrolet-sponsored race. I just felt there were more storylines to follow. But that's just me, and admittedly both races lacked excitement.

Now we move on to Texas, where I have no idea what awaits us. I doubt we will see the close finish of last year (though that would be awesome!) but with a repave and lowered banking, I think we're in for a surprise. I just hope it's a safe race and we don't have the scare we did last year with Newgarden's crash. I'll be there Saturday night to watch it all play out!