I
swear I was headed to Texas
until about four weeks ago when my dad was scheduled to undergo heart surgery.
So instead I got to watch home. At least it was some good racing. Hope last
night’s race will help keep INDYCAR at Texas Motor Speedway.
Pre-Race: Another good pre-race show
but I could’ve done without two things – the picture of last year’s Vegas crash
and the track worker in the background being treated for injuries sustained
after an issue with the driver intros stage.
Robin
Miller’s “grid run” (thank you Dan for suggesting that this wonderful idea
continue) was the best this season and the most well-timed. He got several
interviews including Randy Bernard, Helio Castroneves, and others. Shame the
ones he tried to find who qualified in the top 10 were not present. Other than
that, great and hilarious grid run.
Also,
Mr. A.J. Foyt gave the best pre-race command ever, “Boys and girls, start your
engines!”
The Race Broadcast: Yet another great broadcast from NBC Sports after two
races of ABC (though I give ABC props for their excellent red flag coverage).
With Wally Dallenbach Jr. off “on assignment” along with Marty Snider (also
known as covering NASCAR on TNT), Miller stepped in as a sort of pit reporter
(minus a fire suit) and Bob Jenkins and Jon Beekius were joined in the booth by
Tommy Kendall.
I do admit that I don’t know
a lot about Tommy’s racing career but from his tweets and from what I’ve seen
on TV, I like him. He, Bob, and Jon all were great in the booth. I would
definitely at Mr. Kendall to a list of people I would like to see in the booth
next year following Bob’s retirement.
Another race, another great
broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Makes me sad to know that Saturday’s Milwaukee race is on ABC.
The Race: Four words is all I need to describe the race and
they’re all four-letter words – Best. Race. This. Year. I was entertained
throughout the broadcast. There was action throughout the field and the camera
angles were great.
Dear ABC, what was shown
Saturday night is what should be shown on TV.
Ganassi’s Bad Luck: It was an up and down night for Chip Ganassi’s entire team. Half the
team struggled throughout and the other half had much better nights and one
even finished 2nd. But the night still ended with three out of four Ganassi cars
with damage (I have no idea if the 10 had some or not).
It all started with
Franchitti simply having a bad night. He was not up front at all and ended up
several laps down. Charlie Kimball was involved in an accident. Scott Dixon was
headed to victory until crashing late. That left Graham Rahal who was likely
going to win until he hit the wall with two to go, still finishing 2nd.
With 2nd, 14th, 18th, and
23rd place finishes Saturday, the Ganassi team is looking to step it up for the
Milwaukee Mile.
Kanaan v. Power: One of the biggest stories of the night came late in the race when Tony
Kanaan made an attempt to pass for the lead and things got a little crazy. The
replay shows the obvious – he was chopped by Will Power. While some blocking
(also known as defending) is allowed this season, Power’s move was one that
could have caused an accident and was penalized.
While there was obvious
displeasure with the move (Kanaan) and penalty (Power), both handled it in a
professional manner post-race with Will even admitting that he screwed up.
I still wonder – which of
these two would win in a fight? Hm.
“The Mayor” and “Jean Girard” Continue to Stick With
Penske/Ganassi Guys: The top 6 in
points at this point in the season, halfway after Milwaukee on Saturday,
consists of four of the usual suspects – two of Penske’s drivers (Power (1st)
and Castroneves (4th)) and two of Ganassi’s (Dixon (2nd) and Franchitti (6th)).
Separating Scott, Helio, and Dario are two young 20-something’s with about 2
season’s worth of starts between them.
Sitting 3rd is James
Hinchcliffe who has had an impressive season thus far. With a 4th place finish
Saturday night, he’s finished every race but Detroit (blame the track) and has
finished in the top 10 at every race he’s completed in 2012, 3 of those being
top 5 finishes including his first podium finish at Long Beach. He’s been very consistent
in only his second year and first at Andretti Autosport and could actually be
higher in points (or at least closer to the points lead) if it hadn’t been for Detroit.
The driver 5th in points has
probably been one of the biggest positive surprises this year in only his first
full season of INDYCAR competition. In only his second oval start Saturday
evening, Simon Pagenaud finished 6th after falling behind due to a pit road
penalty for hitting a tire in his pit box. At this point in the season, he has 2 podiums,
3 top 5’s, and 5 top 10’s, finished every race, and has completed all but one
lap run, the most of any driver. He is also leading the rookie points.
Two young drivers with very
little experience (especially compared to the rest of the top 6) have a chance
at a championship after seven races. There’s still plenty of racing to go, but
it does not hurt to keep an eye on both “The Mayor” and “Jean Girard.” I know I
will be.
Other Notables: Ryan Briscoe finished 3rd, his best finish of the
year… 6 drivers finished on the lead lap (Justin Wilson, Rahal, Briscoe,
Hinchcliffe, J.R. Hildebrand, and Pagenaud)… Katherine Legge, who is now
splitting driving duties for Dragon Racing with Sebastien Bourdais, finished
15th, her best finish of the season… Rubens Barrichello and Simona de Silvestro
did not start the race due to mechanical problems discovered before pace laps.
After the Checkers – Wilson Ain’t Just Good On
Road and Street Courses: At the end of a fun and crazy 228 laps, there was a different face and
team in victory lane – Justin Wilson with Dale Coyne Racing.
Yes.
There was a penalty handed down earlier this week for a rules violation that
may have or may have not helped the 18 get to victory lane but that should not
take away from Justin’s driving all race long. He was in or near the front the
entire time. This was not a “lucked into” victory. He was going to be leading
whether or not Rahal hit that wall.
Over
the years, many of labeled Justin as a “road course expert” but this year he
has run better on ovals that road or street courses with a 7th place finish at
Indianapolis and his win this past Saturday. Not to mention that the two finishes
have resulted in him leading the points for the oval championship.
Congratulations
to Justin, Dale, Bill Pappas, and the entire DCR team on being the most recent
non-Penske or Ganassi team to go to victory lane since Sarah Fisher Hartman
Racing (then just Sarah Fisher Racing) won at Kentucky last fall.
INDYCAR 36: While I missed the airing of
INDYCAR 36 this weekend (I was at a banquet), I DVR’d and watched it after I
returned home later. This episode covered Indy and one of the most experienced
drivers in the “500” field this year, Helio Castroneves. Now I am a huge Helio
fan and loved watching him that Saturday and Sunday in Indy but I think I
would’ve enjoyed it if I was a non-fan as well. INDYCAR 36 again provided a
fascinating and interesting behind-the-scenes look.
I
am unsure who the next featured driver is yet but there going to be a new
episode of INDYCAR 36 sometime Iowa
weekend. I will try and find that information and include it in my
post-Milwaukee blog.
PLEASE Come Back to Texas! I end my race recap with a
plea to Randy Bernard, INDYCAR, Eddie Gossage, and others involved in the
decision of whether or not to return to Texas Motor Speedway in 2013 – PLEASE
DO IT!
This
race was one of the best in years and provided so much excitement for fans
watching at home or in the stands at the track. Not to mention that after
several expressed concern early in the week about the race (the first 1.5-mile
oval since Las Vegas),
a majority of the drivers were very happy post-race.
Also,
TMS has been on the schedule for at least one event since its first year
(1997). I feel like it’s a staple for the series. It’s no Indy or Long Beach, but it feels right for INDYCAR to be at Texas.
I
just hope to see this series at Texas Motor speedway again in 2013 (and be in
the stands as well). Make it happen please.
Next Race: June 16
Milwaukee IndyFest
The Milwaukee Mile
West Allis, WI
1 PM ET (12 PM CT) - ABC
Defending Winner: Dario
Franchitti
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