I admit that I’ve always liked Long Beach. Never knew why. I guess the location looks good on TV (and I love the dolphin fountain). Plus, the racing has failed to disappoint in recent years. This most recent race did not disappointed. I spent all 85 laps in front of the living room’s projector screen (No NASCAR race = no banishment to my parents’ bedroom for the INDYCAR race) and by the end I was actually pacing because I was so excited.
In the end, I got to see a great looking podium – my former Team Australia boys (I liked Will because his name was funny and Simon because he was cute) and probably INDYCAR’s next big personality.
Pre-Race: Again, another great pre-race show. The most important stories were discussed and the interviews were excellent. James Hinchcliffe standing behind Josef Newgarden during his interview was priceless and I sensed a touch of foreshadowing watching Townsend Bell interview Simon Pagenaud pre-race - these two are going to be teammates at Indy. Again, Robin Miller’s grid walk was ill-timed but at least he was able to interview a handful people and it was amusing.
The Race Broadcast: Again. Another A+ broadcast on NBC Sports Network that makes ABC/ESPN look ridiculous. Where there slip-ups? Of course. But they were much less than any INDYCAR broadcast on their other television partner and even more less than on NASCAR broadcasts.
Also, kudos to NBC Sports did not cut off right at the bottom of the hour to go to NHL pre-game programming and gave them another five minutes.
Now if we can just get the network tweeting about INDYCAR and including their news on the homepage before NASCAR and F1 news.
The Race: Another great race. Personally, I found Long Beach to be the best one this season. It was very exciting and had both its share of pit strategy and a little bumping and banging. Also, there was one driver who probably was the class of the field all day (and his name was NOT Will Power).
A very disliked moment for several fans, including myself, was Marco Andretti launching off Graham Rahal and taking flight. Still a scary sight. And the war of words in result of the incident I will discuss in-depth sometime during this evil off-weekend we have coming up.
Unlike some, I didn’t expect the possible launch of a car in a crash to go away and instead hoped that the risk was lowered. What we saw was a big test with the new car and I feel that it passed. Andretti did not land on his head like has in previous years. Also, the most important thing of all was that he was unhurt.
A Bit on the Chevy Penalty: I know I should discuss it here and I will, despite the fact I’m about sick of hearing about it. Actually, I’m ready to say that it’s time to move on from it. Looks like INDYCAR can’t do anything to the Chevys to keep them from running up front (though a Honda just about nearly won).
Proving His Talent: I’m probably going to say what most have said about Sunday’s race – what an amazing drive by Simon Pagenaud. Most laps led and nearly wins the race. What more can be said? I’ll say a little bit more sometime later this week or next week because there is too much to say here.
I will say here that Sam Schmidt hired a good racer for the 77 car. After the heartbreak in Las Vegas last October, it’s nice to see that number with some new good memories (and likely soon victories) tied to it
Another First-Time Podium Finisher: OK. It came because his own team (Ryan Hunter-Reay) received a 30-second penalty for punting Takuma Sato but, hey, it’s a podium finish and James Hinchcliffe, was on the third step. I hope the people at GoDaddy are noticing this young man and how well he’s done this season (a lot better than their driver in NASCAR has) and makes sure he gets his own TV ad and a spot on GoDaddy.com’s homepage. Like Pagenaud, Hinch will be in victory lane this year.
Inconsistently Rearing Its Ugly Head (Again): There were four incidents in which a driver was punted by other driver. Three were penalized (one drive-thru; two 30 seconds in the finishing order). Guess who wasn’t? Yes. While Viso received a drive-thru (felt like he regressed yesterday after many recent races of fairly clean driving and no stupid mistakes) for a punt of… I don’t even remember whom now, and both Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves were penalized 30 seconds in the finishing order - Hunter-Reay for a punt on Takuma Sato and Castroneves for a punt on Rubens Barrichello - Dario who clearly hit Newgarden early on in the race (though he says he didn’t) was found not guilty of “avoidable contact” again.
A kind message to Beaux Barfield: I love what you’ve done so far this year but there has to be some consistency in penalties. Signed, all INDYCAR fans (including myself).
Other Notables: Before the incident with Hunter-Reay, Sato was on his way to a 3rd place finish… Tony Kanaan finished 4th after two difficult races and is now 11th in the standings… Dario’s rough season continued with a 15th place finish… Mike Conway, Simon de Silvestro, and Alex Tagliani all retired from the race with mechanical issues along with Scott Dixon, who dropped to 4th in points
After the Checkers – Power Again But Not By Much: At the end of the race, you thought that maybe there was going to be a final lap pass but, like many road/street courses races before, Will Power took his second victory of the season putting both Penske and Chevy at 3-0 to start the season.
Again, I’m still trying to figure out how he saved fuel. Of course, he does drive for Penske and he is good on twisties. Plus, Tim Cindric was Helio’s strategist for a long time and they won many races together.
Will Will’s domination continue? We’ll see in Brazil. He does already have the first two victories.
INDYCAR 36: This week’s episode featured Graham Rahal. While a pretty good episode, it seemed like Rahal came off as a bit of a complainer in response to some situations (ex: Hunter-Reay’s crash in Round 2 of quals, Helio defending 3rd place). Still, it was very nice to see the relationship between Bob and Graham. Personally, I thought Tony Kanaan’s was even better.
Also, a small piece of “INDYCAR 36” news – during last Tuesday’s episode of “Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee” (while I don’t listen live; I download the podcasts every week), Kevin mentioned that there have been two more episodes of the series added to the 10 already planned meaning a season of 12 episodes. Not bad for the motorsports series NBC sports actually broadcast but has an issue with not promoting it on their homepage and their Twitter page.
Next Race: April 29
Sao Paulo Indy 300
Streets of Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo, Brazil
12 PM ET (11PM CT) - NBC Sports Network
Defending Winner: Will Power
INDYCAR 36
Featuring Ryan Hunter-Reay
11:30PM ET (10:30PM CT) - NBC Sports Network
Replays at Various Times Throughout the week
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