Tag: Detroit GP

Indycar begins the second half of its all too short season Sunday at Road America. The first half was a combination of strange and wonderful, which has led to several curiosities in the standings and results. The points leader hasn’t won a race, nor has one of the larger  teams. Penske drivers have won half the races and small teams have won most of the rest.  What will happen in part two?

We may see a return to more normal results with a couple more surprises thrown in. Scott Dixon continues to lead the points despite not having won a race yet. Helio Castroneves, second in points right now, has not won a race either. No one has more than two wins. I can’t remember the last time a season went this long with no one winning more than twice. No driver from Ganassi has won yet while Coyne, Schmidt Peterson, and Rahal all have won races.

Other surprises to me are the disappointing performance of Mikhail Aleshin and the fact that Alexander Rossi hasn’t won a race.  I thought at least one of them would have won a race this season.  While there is still time, there aren’t many tracks remaining where Honda  should do well.

The only constant is Team Penske.  Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud each have won once, while Will Power has two victories.  should succeed.  A win for Will Power at Road America, where he dominated last year, should give him a big boost toward his second title-except for one thing.

Scott Dixon usually begins a season slowly then comes on strong at the end. If he has another strong second half, he could extend his lead significantly. It is not usual for him to be leading the points at this juncture.  He can surely hear Power’s footsteps. It is hard to imagine Dixon not winning a race in any year. To maintain his lead, Dixon needs to avoid any more mishaps like he had at Indy and Texas, and take advantage of the tracks that favor the Honda package.

However it turns out, it is going to be a most intriguing eight races. I can’t wait to get started this weekend.

Notes:

A huge shoutout to Dale Coyne Racing crews who got cars together to test at Road America just three days after the carnage at Texas. Coyne has had five cars severely damaged in crashes this season.

Ryan Hunter-Reay has possibly three more shots at finding Victory Lane this year- Iowa, where he has won twice,  Pocono, and maybe Gateway. Can his engine hold together for an entire race? If it does, can he avoid getting caught up in someone else’s accident?

I hope Indycar has learned its lesson from Texas and has a couple more tests at Gateway before they race there. The trucks looked awfully fast there Saturday night.  The series cannot afford another bad oval show this year.

Le Mans was an incredible race this past weekend. It strengthened my resolve to go there next year.

Back later this week with a Road America preview.

The Verizon Indycar season improbably reaches the halfway mark this weekend with The Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit.  It seems way too early in the year to be talking about the halfway point, but with a 17 race schedule, , Sunday is number 8. After next weekend’s race at Texas, the schedule slows down and the races are spread out more.  Texas will be the fifth straight weekend Indycar has been in action, plus the week of practice at IMS. Crews must be exhausted. Here are some thoughts on the Belle Isle event.

This is a very nice event. The volunteer staff is friendly and helpful, and GM throws a lot of support toward the race. The track is not one that produces great racing. Drama usually is dependent on how cautions fall and the weather. The last two years weather has had an effect on the outcome in at least one race of the weekend.  This year, there is the added drama of Honda unreliability and the lingering question of whether Helio Castroneves will break his three year victory drought. There have been six different winners in six races this season. How long will this continue? I think it goes for one more race, then Sunday will see the first repeat winner of the year.

Other things to look for- Will Ed Jones back up his third place finish in the 500? How will Esteban Gutierrez do in his role subbing for Sebastien Bourdais? What effect will Dixon’s foot injury have on his chances? Can A. J.  Foyt Racing finally have a successful race? Conor Daly has three finishes in the top six here.

This track should give Honda a slight edge as we witnessed in the street courses at St. Petersburg and Long Beach. Chevy won the poles there, but Hondas were strong in the races.  I look for the same situation in race one and a Chevy pole and win in race two. Remember, this is a home game for Penske.

My picks- Tony Kanaan will win Saturday’s race.  Sunday Will Power wins from the pole.  The points race will continue to be topsy-turvy at least through Road America. As long as there so many different winners at the beginning of the season, no one will take command for a while.

Both races are on ABC at 3:30 pm Eastern time both days. Practice and qualifying will be live streamed.

The Victory Banquet

As much as I look forward to the Indianapolis 500 every year (already excited for the 102nd running), I also eagerly anticipate watching the Victory Banquet the day after the race.  Each driver gets to speak about his race and thank those who helped him compete.  It used to be a clean, straightforward program. Short clips of the driver in action preceded each driver’s appearance, there was a brief chat with the emcee, then the racer spoke.  I miss those days.

I have seen this program deteriorate for a few years. Last Monday’s edition was the worst abomination yet. From the dreadful jazz number that began the show to Dave Calabro’s constant attempts at hipness, I finally stopped watching until the time Takuma Sato was about to accept his reward.  He had a long speech, not necessarily unprecedented for winners, and Calabro tried to get him to wrap it up.  If someone wins the Indianapolis 500, he or she should get to talk as long as they want to. Next year, I will most likely record it and skip right to the winner’s presentation.  The late night talk show bit with two drivers interviewed at once takes away from each of them a chance to talk to the fans directly.  I’m not sure how the selections for the  chair talks are made, but it classifies the field into those more important to talk to, and those who are just supposed to just get their check and sit down.

I realize the old format was dated and changes occur over time, but this format needs to go.  It was tedious and over the top Hollywood wannabe.  I don’t even recognize this Monday after the race thing.  End Rant.

Enjoy the races this weekend. I will be back next week with thoughts on the action from Detroit, a Texas preview, and possibly another feature.

I have seen a lot of 500’s, but never one as strange as this one.  There were really three parts to this one, each with its own subplot. There was great racing, there were horrific accidents, and there was  a great finish.  If you were in a pool where you had to pick the top ten, you probably didn’t fare well.  No one else in the pool did either.

The first 50 laps had some of the best, cleanest racing I’ve ever seen at Indy. There was passing galore and blinding speed. I knew it wouldn’t last, but it was sure fun. After the first yellow and the ensuing red flag, there was no flow to the race. Cautions came with regularity, interrupting any chance at a rhythm.  Many of the accidents seemed more severe than usual this year.

My seat was right in front of the Howard/Dixon accident.  It was one of the most horrific accidents I have seen at the Speedway. I would rank it second behind the 1964 lap 2 accident. I’m  talking about accidents that were in my view from my seat. The flying car and and flying debris were frightening. Fortunately all the safety features of the track and the car did their job. It was a relief when Dixon got out of what was left of the car. More on this in the notes.

Eleven cautions will chop up any race.  Several yellows were just a few laps apart. While this changes race strategies, it does not help the racing.  What it did, however, was set up a terrific finish.  In the end , Takuma Sato erased the disappointment of his failed attempt to win the 2012 race.

The last twelve laps were great. After the cleanup from a wild five car melee, Max Chilton gamely tried to hold his lead,  but he had more fuel than he needed and his tires probably cooled too much during the yellow. Chilton had pitted before everyone else so his tires had less life in them. It came down to a shootout between Sato and Helio Castroneves. When Sato took the lead with 5 to go, he was able to hold off Castroneves for a popular win. Sato’s unbridled screaming on the radio was a joy to listen to. Quite a contrast from Rossi’s stunned shock last year. Rossi, however, grew into a great champion, and Sato will also be a very good one.

Overall, it was a good race, not a great one.  With fewer cautions this race had the makings of a classic. There was the drama of contenders dropping out, unexpected drivers surging to the front, amazing rookie performances, and a furious duel to the finish.  The 500 continues continues to be the best race of the year.

Notes:

The Howard/Dixon accident emphasized the need for some form of cockpit protection. A piece of Dixon’s car nearly landed on Howard’s head, and Dixon’s car almost landed on Castroneves. I am not in favor of completely closed canopies, but something over the driver’s head should be developed. The outcome may have been worse had Dixon hit a fence post. He broke the fence above the tunnel entrance. Fortunately it didn’t appear anyone was walking or driving in the open area at the time.  A net over the tunnel might be a good safety addition.

What was the deal with Tony George and, “Drivers Start Your Engines?” That is NOT how you start the 500. Other races, yes. Not this one. IMS needs a rethink on this issue.

Jim Cornelison did a fantastic job singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” and arrangements should be made to have him sing it every year.

Fernando Alonso proved what a talented driver he is. He adapted and learned quickly all month.  He figured out how to race here quickly and looked very smooth all day.  He had a most impressive rookie month. Alonso adapted to the hectic schedule of Indy and enjoyed it all. His return is not a sure thing yet, but I hope we see him here again.  Alonso brought an electricity to the Speedway I haven’t felt from a driver in a long time.

Ed Jones also deserves a shout out as a rookie. Jones has had a great season so far and did very well all month, finishing third in the race.  I was skeptical of how he would do in Indycar as I had attributed his Indy Lights success to being with Carlin. But he has talent. Watch out for him the rest of the year.

Honda engines continued their unreliability. Ten engines were lost in May, including those in the Grand Prix. The three blown engines Sunday belonged to contenders. Andretti seems to have had more than their share of lost engines this year.  They were going for power over reliability. This decision could have championship implications. It is a trend to keep an eye on as the series moves to Detroit.

I do not enjoy the breaks in the opening ceremonies. They take away from what used to be a dramatic buildup to the start.  The ceremonies need to be shortened and put in one block culminating with the start.

The points battle has really tightened up. Castroneves leads with three drivers just eleven points behind.  Look for another new leader after Belle Isle. The six Indycar races to date have had six different winners.  It is hard to believe Scott Dixon is not one of them. There may not be a definitive leader until after Iowa.

Michael Andretti couldn’t win the 500 as a driver, but he now has tied Lou Moore for second place with five wins as an owner. Andretti cars has won five times in thirteen years, and three of the last four.   Sato’s only two career wins have come in Indycar’s most prestigious events, Long Beach and Indianapolis.