I was fortunate to attend the St. Petersburg race a few years ago, and as I watched the race on TV yesterday I longed to go back. Perhaps next year! I remember when I checked into my hotel, the front desk clerk asked me if I was there for the "grand prix." When I confirmed that I was, he nodded and said, "Gets bigger and bigger every year." As an IndyCar fan, I loved hearing this. St. Pete is a fabulous venue to kick off the season, and they were excellent hosts. The weather is usually beautiful, and the track has a breathtakingly scenic view. Couple that with a busy weekend that is rarely devoid of racing action, and St. Pete is a must-see for IndyCar fans. This year's race wasn't the most scintillating but certainly gave us some good stars and stories to track this season.
Three Stars of the Race
#1 Star: Felix Rosenqvist
The talented Swede showed why Chip Ganassi was so excited to sign him, and why the IndyCar community has been buzzing about him for awhile. Reminiscent of last year's rookie of the year Robert Wickens, Rosenqvist advanced to the Firestone Fast Six and led 31 laps in his first IndyCar race. He nearly stood on the podium, but for some great strategy by Team Penske, and finished fourth. While there are some notable rookies in the field this year, I think it will be tough for anyone to truly challenge Rosenqvist for rookie of the year. He will be fun to watch this season.
The talented Swede showed why Chip Ganassi was so excited to sign him, and why the IndyCar community has been buzzing about him for awhile. Reminiscent of last year's rookie of the year Robert Wickens, Rosenqvist advanced to the Firestone Fast Six and led 31 laps in his first IndyCar race. He nearly stood on the podium, but for some great strategy by Team Penske, and finished fourth. While there are some notable rookies in the field this year, I think it will be tough for anyone to truly challenge Rosenqvist for rookie of the year. He will be fun to watch this season.
#2 Star: Josef Newgarden and Tim Cindric
It shouldn't be a surprise that Team Penske won at St. Pete, as they have crossed the finish line first eight times in the race's 16-year history. But they weren't remarkable in practice, and have had some issues the past few years. This year, smart strategy by Cindric and smart driving by Newgarden brought home the win. While most other drivers opted for black tires, Newgarden and Cindric chose used reds for a stint after Josef had taken the lead. With a clear track in front of him and some outstanding in-laps and out-laps, Newgarden was able to gap the field. He was briefly held up by Marco Andretti at the end of the race, but ultimately he prevailed, beating Scott Dixon by nearly three seconds. The three drivers on the podium--Newgarden, Dixon, and polesitter Will Power--figure to be top contenders for the championship this year, and they got off to a great start with these strong results.
#3 Star: Robert Wickens
How can you not marvel at this young man? Chronicling his recovery from the spinal cord injury he suffered at last year's Pocono race has, I'm sure, been difficult. For us, though, following his progress has truly been an inspiration. Wickens returned to St. Pete, the track where he shined as a rookie polesitter last year, with a smile on his face. He signed autographs, visited with fans and fellow drivers, and cheered on his fellow Arrow Schmidt Peterson teammates. He is determined to return to a race car, and while it might not be an IndyCar, I have no doubt that he will achieve this goal. It was a joy to see him at the track again.
I want to give an honorable mention to DragonSpeed's Ben Hanley. This team provided a great story for the weekend, though it went largely overlooked. As the team noted on social media, they were late to the IndyCar party and managed to cobble together a capable racecar in just a few weeks. Hanley was the beneficiary of two red flags in qualifying, but he did not cause any problems and finished the race--running--just two laps down in 18th place. An encouraging start for a fledging team, and I'm eager to follow their progress.
How can you not marvel at this young man? Chronicling his recovery from the spinal cord injury he suffered at last year's Pocono race has, I'm sure, been difficult. For us, though, following his progress has truly been an inspiration. Wickens returned to St. Pete, the track where he shined as a rookie polesitter last year, with a smile on his face. He signed autographs, visited with fans and fellow drivers, and cheered on his fellow Arrow Schmidt Peterson teammates. He is determined to return to a race car, and while it might not be an IndyCar, I have no doubt that he will achieve this goal. It was a joy to see him at the track again.
I want to give an honorable mention to DragonSpeed's Ben Hanley. This team provided a great story for the weekend, though it went largely overlooked. As the team noted on social media, they were late to the IndyCar party and managed to cobble together a capable racecar in just a few weeks. Hanley was the beneficiary of two red flags in qualifying, but he did not cause any problems and finished the race--running--just two laps down in 18th place. An encouraging start for a fledging team, and I'm eager to follow their progress.
Three Stories of the Race
#1 Story: Honda's Issues
First, Sebastien Bourdais' rear caught fire. Then, Ryan Hunter-Reay, who seems to have angered the IndyCar gods or something, blew an engine, in a cloud of smoke that was eerily similar to the Honda issues of a few years ago. Seriously, can this guy catch a break? He looked so good in practice, and qualified fifth, but a good race result was not to be. Takuma Sato and rookie Marcus Ericsson were also forced to retire from the race with mechanical problems. Evidently not all Hondas had problems, as seven finished in the top ten. But given Honda's history with engine gremlins, this may be cause for concern and definitely something to monitor as the season continues.
#2 Story: A Tale of Two Halves
The first half of the race was highly entertaining, with some exciting passes for the lead and wheel-to-wheel action. But once Newgarden took the lead, he checked out and the race essentially became a parade. They can't all be winners, and admittedly, St. Pete is usually not the most dramatic race of the season. Hopefully it was enough to keep some new eyeballs on the screen, though...
#3 Story: The Debut of NBC
I think all IndyCar fans are thrilled to have NBC as the full-time TV partner this year and for years to come. But encountering some technical difficulties in your first race leaves a bit of a black eye on the network. We missed some key action, and were briefly treated to Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and Paul Tracy describing a race with no video, with audio that sounded like it was 1945. Fortunately these difficulties did not last for the remainder of the race, and the app still provided in-car cameras. I was pleased to finally have a pre-race and post-race for the season opener, so for the most part they can be forgiven. And three cheers for NTT, who seem to be a highly supportive and visible partner for IndyCar.
Up Next: IndyCar's debut at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. I am approaching this race with cautious optimism, and an open mind. I just hope all the F1 and IndyCar fans can enjoy the race without getting into belittling comparisons between series. See you in two weeks, IndyCar!
First, Sebastien Bourdais' rear caught fire. Then, Ryan Hunter-Reay, who seems to have angered the IndyCar gods or something, blew an engine, in a cloud of smoke that was eerily similar to the Honda issues of a few years ago. Seriously, can this guy catch a break? He looked so good in practice, and qualified fifth, but a good race result was not to be. Takuma Sato and rookie Marcus Ericsson were also forced to retire from the race with mechanical problems. Evidently not all Hondas had problems, as seven finished in the top ten. But given Honda's history with engine gremlins, this may be cause for concern and definitely something to monitor as the season continues.
#2 Story: A Tale of Two Halves
The first half of the race was highly entertaining, with some exciting passes for the lead and wheel-to-wheel action. But once Newgarden took the lead, he checked out and the race essentially became a parade. They can't all be winners, and admittedly, St. Pete is usually not the most dramatic race of the season. Hopefully it was enough to keep some new eyeballs on the screen, though...
#3 Story: The Debut of NBC
I think all IndyCar fans are thrilled to have NBC as the full-time TV partner this year and for years to come. But encountering some technical difficulties in your first race leaves a bit of a black eye on the network. We missed some key action, and were briefly treated to Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and Paul Tracy describing a race with no video, with audio that sounded like it was 1945. Fortunately these difficulties did not last for the remainder of the race, and the app still provided in-car cameras. I was pleased to finally have a pre-race and post-race for the season opener, so for the most part they can be forgiven. And three cheers for NTT, who seem to be a highly supportive and visible partner for IndyCar.
Up Next: IndyCar's debut at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. I am approaching this race with cautious optimism, and an open mind. I just hope all the F1 and IndyCar fans can enjoy the race without getting into belittling comparisons between series. See you in two weeks, IndyCar!
