Author: thepitwindow

Indycar photo by James Black

I stated my thoughts yesterday on the finish, and I will just say the series is walking a very fine line between racing and entertainment. I hope in the future they decide to lean more toward the racing. It is entertaining enough. Let’s wrap up what has been one of the best overall Mays in a long time.

The Last Brazilian

Tony Kanaan’s final race did not have the outcomehe or his many fans hoped for. iy was evident eartly that he would struggle for a good result. Kanaan provided a highlight when he went into the grass to make a pass late in the race.

Kanaan summed up his day.

“I think I would do a disgrace to almost 400,000 people that
were there that made me feel the way they did to say I’m
sad. I had a laugh. Helio and I battling for 15th and 16th
on the last lap like we’re going for the lead. It was like,
who’s playing pranks with us.
We both went side by side on the backstretch after the
checker and we saluted with each other, and I just told him
actually I dropped a tear because of that, and he said, I
did, too.
It was a good day for me, man. What can I say? We cried
on the grid.
Yeah, not the result that we wanted. I went really
aggressive on the downforce to start the race. It was
wrong. Then I added downforce towards the end of the
race and it was wrong. So it was just one of those days.”

With Kanaan gone, Helio Castroneves is the last Brazilain driver in the series, which at one had almost a third of the grid representing the Sout American nation. Castroneves is 48 years old. he may e a 500 only driver next year, but fior how many years will he be here?

Rough Day for Rookies

Benjamin pederesen wasthe highest finishing rookie in 21st, taken out in a front stretch crashon the lap 196 restart. None of the rookies were running ay yjr finish. Pedersen will likely win Rookie of the Year tonigh.

R C Enerson finsihed 32nd with mechanical problems. Abel Motorsports can’t be too disappointed. It was a hug accomplishment to qualify as solidly as they did. The race was abonus for this very young program. I hope they come back nexrt year.

Agustin Canapinio ran a good race which unfortuntely ended in a collision with Pato O’Ward. he was headed for a very good result. I am impressed by how quickly Canapinoi has adapted to Indycar.

Sring Ray Robb got caught up in the marbles on lap 90, ausig the first yellow.Robb is still learning Indycar, and I hope he can turn things around in the second half of the season.

Rahal’s Forgettable May

Graham Rahal failed to qualify for the race. he got a reprieve when Dreyer &Reinbold and Cusick Motorsports asked him to sub for the injured Stefan Wilson. Rhahl’s miserable month got een worse when his car wouldn’t and had to be wheeled to his pit to change the battery. Rahal started the race two laps down and never caught up.

The entire rahal team didn’t fare much better. jack Harvey in 18th was their best result.

The Race

The ending aside, I thought this was one of the best 500s I’ve seen. I have been to a few of them. Once again, I did not see the 1911 race,-thanks for asking. Yesterday was fascinating for the great racing early and the strategy discussion I had with my friends in the stands. I loved how the first two yellows changed the pit strategy for some teams.

I agree with what winner Josef Newgarden said in his press confer3nce last night that the cars should be mnore difficult to drive, and then leader should nor be a sitting duck on restarts..

How to Celebrate a 500 Victory

Newgarden did it right. His post race celebration of unbridled joy was how winning the 500 should be handled. Yes the there are traditions, but they can wait. Indycar needs to allow the drivers to have a few moments of spontaneous exuberance after a win. We need more of this at every race rather thanhaving the driver sit inhis car until a television producer gives the okay to get out.

Pato

What does Pato O’Ward have to do to win an oval rtace? Stymied by a yellow flag in texas, only to be foiled by red flags ijn the 500. O’Ward had the strategy figured out, and if the race had not been halted, he would be the winner.

I hope he sweeps Iowa and wins Gateway. It has to be frustrating for him. O’Ward could potentially have had his third win of the season Sunday.

I have yet to watch the replay and I ight have some comments on that later this week. I’m off to the Victory Celebration in a bit, then we look to Detroit.

hank you for followingduring May. It wa sone of the best Mays I remmebr.

I tweeted the following after the final red flag. I still stand by it.

Indycar is trying too hard to finish this race under green under 10 laps to go istoo late just to get a green finish.

If the track were blocked, if the SAFER barrier were damaged, if there is a weather situation, then yes, a red flag is warranted. But to stop the race just to have a green flag finish just isn’t right.

Yellows breed yellows, but wethe series doesn’t need to be at the point where reds breed reds. End of rant

Other than That..

This was a terrific race. The first 90 laps were green with very good racing. Fifty two lead changes is a huge number for the 500. There was passing throughout the field. The second cautionn on lap 150 caused some teams to rethink strategy. Pato o’Ward tried to pit ahead of everyone else. It might have worked had there not been another caution.

O’Ward once again became his own worst enemy with his inside pass attempt, I thought Pato was a bit slow on the restart, thus putting himself in that position.

As is typical in a 500 mile race, early contenders fallmout of contention. Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay looked like the two strongest cars early. VeeKay made contact with Palou inn the pits, ending both their chances for the win. Palou did come back to finish fourth and retain the championship lead. VeeKay came back from the penalty to finish 10th.

jJosef Newgarden ran a very smart, steady race. He deserved the win, but would he have won with out the two red flags?As drivers often say, it is what it is.

Slaying the Dragon

It’s time for Indycar to ban the dragon move that the leaders late in the race have used the last few years. One day the leader will hit hte pit wall and possiblyn take out some cars behind him.

I would prefer to see a straight fight for the lead. i remember when drivers used to just mnake their cars a bit wider on the track.

Tether Flaw?

The accident involving Felidx Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood may have exposed a flaw in the wheel tether system. I have never seen a tire sail like that since the tehers were intorduced.

Fortunately, the wheel landed in the space between the Riley suites and the grandstand and no one was injured.

I’m sure there will be an investigation and a modicfication of the sysstem.

I will have a complete race wrap up sometime tomorrow. Thanks for following this month.