The Indycar iRacing Challenge overall was a fun diversion. It kept Indycar in the public eye, allowed sponsors some publicity, and gave fans something to look forward to during the lockdown. I appreciate the time the drivers put in to making this work.

The first five races were fun, but the disappointing ending to Saturday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway left me with a sour taste. The last lap wrecks, at least one of which was unnecessary, showed that iRacing is, after all, just a computer game.

The end of Saturday’s race reenacted the movie Turbo.

I did like several aspects of the six week series. I enjoyed the all star fields with drivers from different series joining every week. I thought it was nice to see some names who might not get much notice when the season actually begins have time at the front of the pack. the cars were realistic although I thought some of the tracks were not quite as I remember them.

The time slot probably wasn’t the most ideal for getting a large audience. I doubt if the series created any new fans because of this. In fact i know many diehard Indycar fans who didn’t watch any of the series.

There is not much from the results of these races we can transfer to the real thing. Some drivers who will not contend for the title are better sim racers than some title contenders. Alexander Rossi did not seem to enjoy this at all.  Simon Pagenaud and Will Power performed about the same as in real life, but they were about the only ones that did.

There has been talk of a winter iRacing Series after the season is complete. I don’t know that I would watch it again.  This was pretty much enough for me. I would prefer replays of actual races. The delayed start to the season is the perfect argument to bring back the equivalent of Speed channel.

The Month of May

It’s still may and I plan to continue Bump Tales on Thursdays. I will also look back at some Official Programs of the past on Tuesdays. In addition, i will repost some of my essays from the past. If you have a particular year you would like for me to talk about, let me know. Thanks for continuing to read during these strange times.