My Take On Mid-Ohio

Mid Ohio. It will likely be the place where Scott Dixon put himself back in the championship (though problems for Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves helped as well). Still, going into the final three races, we have an exciting championship battle.

Also, before I start, one comment that I wasn’t sure where it fit: I love that I actually am able to watch a race and have to beg that they go to a commercial so I could make a personal “pit stop” so I won’t miss much. You don’t get that when watching a NASCAR race. There are plenty of opportunities. Believe me.

Pre-Race: Like a majority of the pre-races have been on my local ABC affiliate this year… pre-empted for local programming again! So my review of the pre-race is nonexistent. Personally, I’m not a big fan of tuning in and them going to Mid-Ohio just in time to see the start.

The Race Broadcast: While this race was broadcast on ABC due to coverage of the Olympics, the on-air talent was similar to what fans see when they tune into a broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Actually, it was who they see on NBC Sports Network (except for Robin Miller). Due to NASCAR’s top two national series (both the Cup and Nationwide series are being shown on ESPN/ESPN2/ABC now) along with the NHRA running in three different states, the on-air motorsports talent (or “talent” according to some people) was committed so the NBC Sports crew was brought in.

I really have no major complaints about the quality of race coverage at Mid-Ohio. Yes. The camera angles could’ve shown more action in the back of the pack (because that’s where it was). But I have seen worse race coverage on ABC this season and this was not one of those races.

The Race: While Mid-Ohio wasn’t as exciting as it could’ve been (I think part of it had to do with the delayed “push-to-pass”), but all of the drivers did race clean for the most part and the championship battle got even more exciting with one contender winning, one finishing second, one running in the back most of the day, and one losing an engine. Other than that, I nearly fell asleep until there was a mention of Ryan Hunter-Reay having troubles (more about that in a bit) leading me to tweet, and I quote, “I’ve sort of woken up now.”

In conclusion, not the best race but the points standings afterwards have me extremely exciting for Sonoma.

French Connection: While the top two were familiar, usual frontrunners and they didn’t really fight for the lead on the track (just on pit road), the battle for 3rd at times was a heated one between INDYCAR’s pair of Frenchman – Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud.

Bourdais, who was almost Jimmie Johnson-like in Champ Car, has had a very up and down season with Dragon Racing. He started off the year in a Lotus (but the team switched to Chevy just before Indy) and was then bumped from a full-time to part-time schedule after one of the two full-time cars was dropped in favor of one full-time car split between him and teammate, Katherine Legge (he would run on road and street courses while she ran the ovals). He also has had several potentially good races go sour due to mechanical issues or crashes that have usually not been his fault. But Mid-Ohio was a different story. Bourdais ran up towards the front of the pack most of the race and finished a solid 4th, the team’s best result since 2010 when Gil de Ferran was involved with the team.

Pagenaud’s run at Mid-Ohio showed again why many have been so high on the rookie most of the season. It also just about cemented “rookie of the year” honors for him (he has to finish 8th or better at Sonoma to clinch). But going back to Mid-Ohio, it was Pagenaud’s third podium finish of his career (all at tracks where he has American Lemans Series experience). He has still completed the most laps out of any driver this season (but does share that stat with Helio Castroneves). But really. What else is there to say about Pagenaud that hasn’t already been said this year? He ran well again at Mid-Ohio after a bit of a slump.

Pantano Fills In and Has a Decent Day: For those who didn’t know the story going into Mid-Ohio – during the test the week before at the track, Charlie Kimball was involved in a crash and suffered an injured hand that required surgery. That left the 83 Ganassi team in need of a substitute driver.

Enter, Giorgio Pantano, who was one of the drivers who filled in for Justin Wilson after his back injury last year. Pantano proved at Mid Ohio that he deserves some consideration for a full-time ride next season. He hasn’t been an INDYCAR-style car since Motegi last fall and hadn’t driven the DW-12 until the race weekend. While he only qualified 24th, he ran a fairly decent race and ended up 14th. He could very well be a part of the silly season talk for 2013.

Hunter-Reay, Castroneves Struggle: While Will Power pretty much led the entire race until the final pit stop, his closest championship rivals – Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves – had multiple issues that gave Power the points lead and have given Scott Dixon a chance to win his third INDYCAR championship.

While Hunter-Reay started 7th and was running in the top 10 most of the race, his engine began to go south. He did try to complete all 85 laps but eventually parked the car on lap 79, a nice strategy if you think about it because he will not have to suffer a 10-grid spot penalty at Sonoma (unless, of course, he ahs to change to another engine race weekend). He left Mid-Ohio with his third DNF of the year (all due to mechanical issues) and 5 points out of the championship lead.

But Castroneves arguably had the worst weekend out of the championship contenders. After winning at Edmonton and moving to 2nd in the points standings, he was never a factor for Mid-Ohio. It all started with a test the week before when he was caught up in an accident with Ed Carpenter and had little track time. Then during Saturday morning practice, Castroneves made contact with Mike Conway and suffered an injured hand/wrist. The injury, though, was not severe enough for him not to race and he was quickly cleared. Then he qualified 13th and took a 10 grid-spot penalty for an engine change. On top of all of that, he was also fighting a summer cold. Despite the setbacks, the Brazilian still managed to bring home the car in one piece with a 16th place finish but went from 2nd, 23 points out of the championship lead, to 3rd, 26 points out.

I do have to give credit to both drivers despite their rough races – Hunter-Reay and his team for smart thinking when it came to their mechanical issues and Castroneves for simply finishing the race.

Other Notables: For the second race in a row, there were no cautions… Will Power led the most laps of the race with 57 and finished 2nd, reclaiming the points lead from Hunter-Reay… Tony Kanaan overcame illness and made up 12 spots to finish 6th… Marco Andretti finished 8th, his best finish of the year on a road or street course… Hunter-Reay was the only DNF of the 25-car field… Dragon Racing’s second car will return at Sonoma with Katherine Legge behind the wheel.

After the Checkers – Dixon Wins Another and Puts Himself Back in the Title Hunt: While Power dominated the race, the final round of pit stops ultimately gave the victory to Scott Dixon. It was his second win of the year and put him within 28 points of the championship lead. Seeing Dixon win at Mid-Ohio has become a common thing in the last several years and the win helped in his bid for a third INDYCAR championship. He’s 4th in points and is, along with Castroneves, the title contender with the most experience when it comes to fighting for championships.

There is one lurking issue when it comes to his title hopes, though – mechanical reliability. Dixon (and the entire Ganassi team) has had some issues when it comes to engines, mechanical gremlins, etc. Not to mention he is on his sixth engine (one more than the allowed five-engine rule). Should he have to change engines at any point between now and Fontana, he will suffer a 10-grid spot penalty regardless of situation. Thankfully, though, his championship rivals are all on their fifth engines now and will suffer the same penalty.

Next Race: August 26

GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

Sonoma

Sonoma, CA

4:30 PM ET (3:30 PM CT) – NBC Sports Network

Defending Winner: Will Power

INDYCAR 36 – August 25

Featuring Simon Pagenaud

7 PM ET (6 PM CT) following Sonoma Qualifying - NBC Sports Network

Replays at Various Times Throughout the week

Helio's Going "Dancing" Again

About five years ago, some laughed at the thought of an INDYCAR driver on Dancing with the Stars. When Helio Castroneves joined the cast for the fifth season of the dance competition show, a lot of fans tuned in just to see how he would do. Who knew that the popular Indianapolis 500 champion wouldn’t just be able to dance, but be able to dance well? And it would get him further in the competition than some expected?

To some DWTS fans at first, he was nobody. Most the people who had heard of Helio and knew who he was were racing fans, even some casual ones who mostly remembered him because he climbs the fence in celebration of every race victory. These people were the ones voting for him before the season even began. His other “for-sure” voters were fans of Hough, who’d won in the spring with Olympic speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno.

From the first foxtrot with professional partner, Julianne Hough, to his memorable quickstep inspired by The Mask (if you haven’t seen it; go Google it), Helio captured the hearts of fans watching at home and quickly built a fan base. Not only was his big, bright smile a factor but, for a racecar driver who’d never danced before, he was pretty good at it. Good enough to make it to the finals. And good enough to win the competion over Spice Girl, Mel B.

Many remember what has happened in the years following Helio’s win – his championship battle with Scott Dixon in 2008; his tax evasion trial and third Indy 500 victory in 2009; him publishing his autobiography, winning a few races, along with his meltdown at Edmonton in 2010; his horrendous and winless 2011 season.

Helio’s also had a few changes in his personal life. He split with his fiancé during his stint on DWTS and is now in a relationship with his girlfriend, Adriana Henao, who is also the mother of their two year old daughter, Mikaella.

Life has changed on and off the track for the Brazilian since he won the coveted mirror ball trophy, a trophy that he said looked good between the pair of Baby Borgs he’d won at Indy in 2001 and 2002. Now that he won three, the display is probably a little lopsided meaning that the trophy for winning for Dancing with the Stars: All Stars would make that trophy display look more even.

Yes. Dancing with the Stars: All Stars. Helio was recently announced as a part of the cast. While some were a little annoyed that past winners were a part of the cast or that he was chosen over Mel B. (who, like some on fans’ “all-star wish lists,” had other commitments that prevented them from participating), other were pleased with his selection.

I, for one, was surprised because I’d originally heard that past winners weren’t being invited back. But I have already figured out how I’ll spend my Monday and Tuesday nights starting September 24th (I’ll be doing schoolwork while watching) until finale night or the night he gets voted off (hopefully it’ll be the former again).

With that news out of the way, I just wanted to say that Randy Bernard will, hopefully, regardless where Helio finishes this season, make certain that INDYCAR is the only racing series in the world that has produced the ONLY driver who gone on a dancing competition, danced really well (Google his dances; he was pretty good especially that quickstep), won, and was even invited back as an “all-star.”

I really do think that this can be a good way to promote INDYCAR especially going into the off-season. Yes. The sport was in mentioned in the headlines long after the season finale last season but it was for very sad reasons. Helio dancing again would produce some headlines after the September 15th finale at Fontana but it would be a non-racing story but the sport is still mentioned. Personally, I’d rather see someone with INDYCAR mentioned in the news for something like this than for something like what happened at the end of last season or for possibly breaking the law.

Helio will be joined by 12 other “all stars.” Including the season 5 champion, the cast consists of six winners, three runner-up finishers, two third place finishers, and a sixth place finisher. The other 11 confirmed cast members (and their dance partners) are:

Kelly Monaco (Season 1) and Val Chmerkoviskiy

Drew Lachey (Season 2) and Anna Trebunskaya

Emmitt Smith (Season 3) and Cheryl Burke

Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4) and Karina Smirnoff

Joey Fatone (Season 4) and Kym Johnson

Shawn Johnson (Season 8) and Derek Hough

Gilles Marini (Season 8) and Peta Murgatroyd

Melissa Rycroft (Season 8) and Tony Dovolani

Pamela Anderson (Season 10) and Tristan McManus

Bristol Palin (Season 11) and Mark Ballas

Kirstie Alley (Season 12) and Maksim Chmerkoviskiy

The 13th cast member is currently being voted on DWTS fans and will be revealed at a later date (along with their dance partner). The three potential cast members are:

Sabrina Bryan (Season 5)

Kyle Massey (Season 11)

Carson Kressley (Season 13)

My thought on the “all stars” chosen – it’s a pretty talented group (though I’m unsure how two of the contestants are considered stars but I won't go into that). While it will be a little bit tougher this time, there is that chance that the fans came come through this again. It was revealed earlier this week that Helio will be paired with Chelsie Hightower this season. While Chelsie is no Julianne Hough and doesn’t have a mirror ball trophy (her best finish was 4th in Season 8 with Ty Murray) yet but with Helio, it’s possible that she can win her first trophy.

But they can’t do it alone. They’ll need the votes especially against some of the heavy hitters this season. So once the INDYCAR season ends, get ready and vote for “Team Chelio” (the currently unofficial name for Helio and Chelsie this season). And don’t forget to recruit other racing fans and your family and friends too.

Four to Go - Who's In, Who's Out, Who Has a Chance

Personally, I hate saying this but it’s true – after Edmonton, we have four races to go before the 2012 season is over and a new champion is crowned. Since we’ve had a nice little off-week between Edmonton and Mid-Ohio, I decided to breaking down the championship battle focusing on the drivers in, out, and those who just have a fighting chance for this year’s title.

Who’s In?

As of right now, I’m thinking that any combination of these three drivers will be in the title hunt come Fontana (with one or more of the drivers in the next category possibly mixed in as well). All three have been strong all season long and have scored 8 victories combined out of the 11 races this year. These will be the three drivers to watch at Mid-Ohio because any of them could leave with the points lead.

Ryan Hunter-Reay (Current Points Leader with 362 points)

He opened the season with a podium and was up and down until a three-win streak during races 8 through 10 (and poor finishes from the championship leader) propelled the American from 7th in championship points all the way to the lead. Hunter-Reay is in his third season at Andretti Autosport and has put the team in a situation that they haven’t been in since 2007 – contending for a championship. With 3 wins, 5 podiums, 5 top 5’s, 8 top 10’s, and an average finish of 8.0 this season, Hunter-Reay has been solid despite 2 DNF’s due to mechanical issues. He is strong on both types of racing circuits coming up and is racing for a champion-caliber team (who have three titles won in 2004, 2005, and 2007), but he does have one weakness – while his two closest rivals are from a rival team; they have also been in more than one championship fight in their INDYCAR careers. Hunter-Reay has not fought for a championship in this series. Will nerves get the best of him or can he overcome them to become the first American INDYCAR champion since 2006?

Helio Castroneves (23 behind Hunter-Reay)

Call him “Mr. Consistency” because that has been one of the biggest factors in Castroneves’ latest championship run. After a nightmarish winless 2011, the Brazilian has finished no worse than 17th all season, has finished every race, and has completed all but three laps all season (tying him with rookie, Simon Pagenaud). His record this season has been pretty solid as well – 2 wins, 3 podiums, 4 top 5’s, 9 top 10’s (the most of any driver this season), and an average finish of 6.7 (the best out of all full-season drivers this year). Not only has Castroneves had strong results this season; he also has experience on his side. He is in his 14th season and has already made many accomplishments, including 3 Indianapolis 500 victories, he has never won a championship. But it has not been from a lack of effort. He has been in the mix more than once against several different championship-caliber drivers – including his own teammates but has come up short every time.  Will this be the year that he finally scores that long-awaited title?

Will Power (26 behind Hunter-Reay)

He held the points lead from Race 3 until Race 10 when he lost the lead to Hunter-Reay. Power, who has been in the mix the last two seasons, is now the chaser in this championship with ground to make up. One factor that will assist the Australian in his quest for a first championship after coming up short to Franchitti in both 2010 and last year is that three of the final four races will on road or street courses – his forte. Despite one win on an oval (the second duel race at Texas last year), his oval record is not as stellar as his championship rivals’ (his only DNF’s this season – 2 – both occurred due to crashes on ovals). With 3 victories, 4 top 5’s, 7 top 10’s, and an average finish of 9.4 this season, Power is a huge threat for the championship but has one challenge coming up – racing at Auto Club Speedway, an oval, in the final race of the season. Like I said – Power’s strongest track layout is a road or street course.  If he can perform well at the final three this season, he’ll still have to survive the 500-mile finale. Can he do it?

Who Still Has a Chance?

Yes. It’s a bit of a long-shot for these three drivers (the only one I see with a legitimate chance is Dixon), but it’s amazing what can happen in a race or two. These guys, right now, if good luck comes their way and bad luck befalls the current contenders, they can be right back in this championship hunt. And the best way to do that would be winning.

Scott Dixon (61 behind Hunter-Reay)

The only reason the 2-time series champion isn’t in the same category as the drivers listed above him is because of one issue – engine reliability. Dixon is on his sixth engine. The allotted number was five. Every additional engine change he makes this season, regardless of reasoning or timing of engine change (based on what I get from the rule), will result in a 10-grid spot penalty. While Dixon is a very competitive, accomplished champion-caliber driver with 1 win (Belle Isle) this season, if he can make up positions lost if any additional engines have to be changed and maybe pull off another win or two, he is right back in the hunt.

James Hinchcliffe (76 behind Hunter-Reay)

The term “sophomore slump” has not applied to the Canadian this year. What’s actually a bigger story is how he came to race the GoDaddy.com car. When Danica vacated the ride at the end of the 2011 season, the intended driver was the late Dan Wheldon, who was a great fit for the GoDaddy brand. Out of the available drivers who could fill Danica’s heels and now Wheldon’s fancy Pumas, Hinch was the perfect choice with his engaging and entertaining personality. Along with being a great face for the sponsor, he’s had a pretty good season too and a mechanical failure.

Tony Kanaan (83 behind Hunter-Reay)

There have been a lot of changes in recent years for the 2004 champion especially regarding his racing career. But none of the issues regarding changing teams (twice during one off-season) and a winless streak that dates back to 2010 have damaged the Brazilian’s popularity. If it weren’t for two finishes near the back of the field at the beginning of the season, he could’ve likely been able to snatch the championship. Sadly, without a win, it sounds like Kanaan will be denied another chance to win a championship.

Who’s Out?

In reality, with the points system as it, I really feel like only the top 6 in points has a true fighting chance at this championship with four to go. Can you write these four off completely though? I personally think you can. But that doesn’t mean that any of these guys can still play a factor in this championship battle because they can outrun the title contenders by taking wins, podiums, and points away from the top dogs.

Simon Pagenaud (86 behind Hunter-Reay)

While the Frenchman will likely be crowned “Sunoco Rookie of the Year” and at various points this season had a chance to potentially pull off a huge upset in the championship, Pagenaud’s fizzled. While he has 6 top 10’s in 11 starts this year (including scoring his first podium at Long Beach back in April and a Kanaan-esque charge from last to 5th at Iowa) and is tied with Castroneves for most laps completed this season, his five other finishes are 12th or worse. His streak of finishing all races also came to a halt after being punted on the final lap at Edmonton and finishing 20th, his worst finish of the year. He has an opportunity to finish in the top 5 in points, which would be an impressive fete for a rookie running for a one-car team, his championship homes have gone out the window.  

Dario Franchitti (104 behind Hunter-Reay)

Did anyone see this coming? Last year’s champion (and the year before and the year before that and the year before the year he skipped to try his hand at NASCAR) is out of this year’s hunt. Despite his win at Indianapolis in May, Franchitti has had a dismal season. After four years (not counting the season he was not there) of winning races and finishing well, the magic has not been there this year for the four-time champion. Nobody knows exactly what’s wrong. Has he struggled with the new car? Is his career on the downturn? Or is he just having one of those years where nothing goes right for him? I sure don’t know why.

Everyone Else (125 or more points behind Hunter-Reay)

I feel for all of the Briscoe fans, Rahal fans, Servia fans, and the fans of everyone else outside of the top 8 in points. But please don’t let that stop you from cheering on your driver, whomever they may be. Like I said before, some of them have the chance to pull off a win before the season is over.

Has My Championship Prediction Changed?

I said in my “halfway through the season” post that I predicted that Will Power would win this championship. That was before Ryan Hunter-Reay’s winning streak and Helio Castroneves’ consistency overtook him in the points standings. That was when I really took a look at and compared the trio’s statistics. All three of them have reasons to think they could win this title but there are also strikes against them. I do think history will factor into this. I’ll delve into why I think this next month before Fontana. But right now, I think experience will play into this championship fight. Helio Castroneves will finally be an INDYCAR champion.