My Take on Texas

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

My Take On Brazil, Indy, and Detroit

I sincerely apologize for my lack of posts since the off-week between Long Beach and Brazil. Since the end of April, my schedule’s been nuts. I finished the final assignments and projects needed to finish my sophomore year of college, had finals, then my dad underwent a quadruple bypass on May 18th (also known as “Fast Friday” this year to us Indy fans). He was home within a few days and continues to recover and feel better. Last weekend my brother graduated from high school (Dad was in attendance) and Friday night I attended a banquet for the local press club (I received a scholarship from them).

I have kept up with all of the races though and am set to watch all the others this year. It’s been a pretty good season so far and hope this continues.

Since I don’t have enough time (or a good enough memory) to take apart and recap the three races leading up to Texas along with a few small notes.

My Take On Brazil – Power Wins Another (Yawn): What can I say about Brazil besides the fact that Will won again. Kind of boring if you ask me. The highlight for me was Takuma Sato’s third place finish. I thought that was more exciting than another goofy (and slightly disturbing) leap off the car from Power.

My Take On Indy – It’s Now a Fight to Four: Up until last night, this was the best race of the year. A lot of passing and a lot of twists and turns. Justin Wilson impressed. Marco Andretti impressed. James Hinchcliffe Impressed. Sato impressed and was on his way to victory… until the spin on the final lap. In the end, it was Dario Franchitti scoring his third “500” victory followed by Scott Dixon, and Tony Kanaan.

While Indy was wonderful, Dan Wheldon’s absence was felt by all. I was glad to see that once the green flag waved, the “sad” tributes stopped and was replaced with great racing – just what Dan would’ve wanted. Not to mention three of his closest friends finished 1-2-3.

It’s now a fight between Dario and Helio Castroneves to see who wins his fourth “500.” I know some have said Franchitti’s the one, but I’ve seen what happens when you issue “Spiderman” a challenge (Did anyone see how he nearly snatched the champion from Dixon in 2008?). These two will fight it out for four and the best man will score it first. When? Who knows?

My Take On Detroit – A Long Day: Well. INDYCAR returned to Detroit for the first time since 2008. After multiple exciting and good races, this one failed to impress. The highlight was after the long red flag to repair the track. Multiple cautions but Dixon led all through the shortened race and went to victory lane.

Power Still Leads Despite Indy Crash: Winning three out of five road and street course events really helps one who is not as good on ovals keep his points lead.

Like it has before, Power was involved in someone else’s crash. After a pit road incident, Mike Conway suffered a broken wing and went back out on the track. Not long after, Conway suffered another scary Indy crash and took Power with him.

Other than his Indy crash, going into Texas, Power continues to hold the points lead which makes me wonder, “What if we had a more math-friendly points system?” I’ll offer my version of an answer that question later in the season.

“Mayor Hinch” Continues to Impress: The term “sophomore slump” is not in the vocabulary of nor describes James Hinchcliffe’s second season in INDYCAR. Other than his crash at Detroit (which was in no way his fault; it was the track’s), Hinchcliffe has scored a podium finish, two top 5’s, 5 top 10’s and sits fourth in the standings going into Texas.

Now if we can just get him on the GoDaddy.com homepage (go and vote if you have yet to do so).

He Sure Doesn’t Drive Like a Rookie: He didn’t win the Indy 500 rookie of the year (the honor went to Rubens Barrichello whom I also feel should be in this overall fight), but Simon Pagenaud has had one of the best INDYCAR rookie of the year campaigns in a long time. Watching him, you would think he’s had years of experience not nine races under his belt.

Going into to Texas, his second oval race, he has two podiums, three top 5’s, and four top 10’s with a respectable 16th place finish in his first oval race. He’s finished every race so far this season and sits sixth in points.

Are we absolutely sure he’s a rookie? Also, did you know that he was Jean Girard in “Talladega Nights” but is not gay? Yeah. Me neither.

I Promise This Won’t Happen Again: Again. I apologize for my lack of updates but I’m sure many of you understand why. This won’t happen again.

Stay tuned for “My Take On Texas” coming soon (I mean it for real).

The Next Big Thing?

French. Talented. Handsome (the opinion of some female racing fans including myself).

These and other words can be used to describe rookie, Simon Pagenaud, who is currently 3rd in INDYCAR points standings behind only Will Power and Helio Castroneves and is well on his way to being named series Rookie of the Year over Josef Newgarden and Katherine Legge. While loyal fans know who this young man is and at least some of his background, the casual fan might. Here is a taste of his history (mostly racing) and also what I think about the fast Frenchman and whether or not he is the next big thing in INDYCAR.

First, the basics: Simon is from Pointiers, France, almost in the center of the country (I’m serious; I got bored and looked for it on a map one time). He chose racing over eventually running the family business. He wears a ring on his left pinkie finger, a family heirloom given to him by his grandfather. He will turn 28 on May 18th, Fast Friday. His nickname is “Jean Girard” after Sacha Baron Cohen’s character in Talladega Nights with one exception: Simon prefers women.

As for racing, he raced karts, Formule Renault, and World Series Renault in France and other parts of Europe and was very successful. When he came to the U.S. in 2006, he made a name for himself in open wheel cars and sports cars. In 2006, he won both the rookie of the year title and championship in the Champ Car Atlantic Series. The following year, 2007, was his rookie year in Champ Car where he raced for Team Australia with Will Power as a teammate.

After reunification in 2008, Simon was one of the Champ Car drivers left out when some teams made the move to the IndyCar Series. Enter two-time CART champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion Gil de Ferran who was making his return to racing in the American Lemans Series and searching for a co-driver. Ironically enough, both drove for Derrick Walker at points in their careers which likely led to Simon signing with de Ferran Motorsports for all but the first three races of the season. While they didn’t win, they came very close with two podiums - a 3rd in their debut at Miller Motorsports Park and a 2nd at Leguna Seca Raceway - both with Simon behind the wheel for the final stint.

The following year, 2009, the only accomplishment not made by de Ferran Motorsports was not winning the championship and only because Simon and Gil failed to score points in two races. They won five out of ten races including four in a row. Simon was behind the wheel when the 66 crossed the finish line at both Miller Motorsports Park and Lime Rock. All through the season, there was talk that the team might make the move to the IndyCar Series.

But alas, that did not become reality. For 2010, Simon moved to Highcroft Racing who was his former team’s championship rival the year before. The team scored 4 wins (including Long Beach where Simon chased down and passed Adrian Fernandez’s Aston Martin for the victory in the final laps) and the title. Simon also won the 1000km of Spa with the Peugeot team.

In 2011, due to lack of funding, the Highcroft team only ran at the 12 Hours of Sebring and scored a 2nd place finish. He also raced for Peugeot at Silverthorne (where they won) and at the 24 Hours of Lemans (and scored a 2nd place finish). He also raced a V8 Supercar at the Gold Coast 600 and finished 3rd in the second of the two races held that weekend. Simon also got a taste of the series he’d been working hard and waiting patiently to join. He ran 3 INDYCAR races last year, all filling for drivers - two due to injuries (Ana Beatriz and Justin Wilson) and one due to issues with customs (Simona de Silvestro). He used these opportunities to his advantage. He took three not-as-competitive cars and scored reasonable finishes, including a top 10 in his first INDYCAR race at Barber Motorsports Park.

His performance caught the eyes of several teams for their 2012 programs. At the end of the summer, the rumors started swirling that Simon was going to race for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. In December, the worst-kept secret in INDYCAR was revealed and Simon was officially named the driver of the 77. So far this year, Simon has netted 3 top 10’s and 2 top 5’s including a 2nd place finish at Long Beach where he led 26 laps. He also appeared in the Firestone Fast 6 once and probably would have had an even better finish in the season opener at St. Petersburg if it weren’t for a 10-grid position penalty following an engine change. Going into Brazil, he is both the top rookie contender and top Honda driver and has the potential to have another good run.

Simon’s ultimate test will come next month at Indianapolis. He has almost no oval experience but is officially licensed to race on them after a recent test at Texas Motor Speedway. He does have the benefit of racing for the team that won the pole and provided some technical assistance to the race winning team, Bryan Herta Autosport. Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports is also adding a second car to its “500” lineup and the driver is rumored to be Townsend Bell, who has run fairly well on ovals in the past.

Now here’s my take on Simon - I love him and have since 2007. One of my goals if I make it to the Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway in June is to meet and take a picture with him. I find him to be both talented and easy on the eyes as well.

I first noticed him back when he was a rookie in Champ Car. I lost track of him after reunification, though, for a few months until I watched Petit Lemans and saw that he was in the field. Since then, I’ve kept a eye on his career. From the moment I heard he hoped to one day race in INDYCAR, I crossed my fingers waiting for a team to hire him. I am glad that Dreyer and Reinbold (twice) and HVM gave him his first opportunities and that Schmidt-Hamilton hired him for this season. Simon has shown speed everywhere he has raced this year and I think with some track time on the ovals, he will run well.

As for the question "Is he or is he not the next big thing?" I think we'll just have to see. So far, I'd say yes but time will tell whether or not Simon will one day be an INDYCAR champion or eventually become the 4th (or 5th if you say French-born) Frenchman to win the Indianapolis 500.

The end of last season was tough on Sam Schmidt and his race team with the sudden passings of Indy Lights team manger Chris Griffis and driver Dan Wheldon within a few short weeks. Both men’s memories are not far from the minds of anyone on the team and even its newest driver. My fingers are crossed that 2012 continues to be a year of great accomplishments for Schmidt-Hamilton Racing and they celebrate some wins on the INDYCAR side (it nearly happened at Long Beach), a rookie of the year title (highly possible), the Mario Andretti road course championship trophy (if he can get past his old buddy Will), and maybe even contend for the overall title (as of right now, it’s looking like a big possibility).

My Take on Long Beach - Power Wins But Pagenaud Steals the Show

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

My Take on Barber - And Will Wins Again In Sweet Home Alabama

Note: Sorry this is later than I expected it to be. Last week was insane as my daily schedule was a little out of whack. Also had a mock employment interview (if you follow me on Twitter, you know how nervous I was) and top of that was battling some annoying effects of sinus drainage (stupid weather and pine pollen). Anyway, here is my take on the race at Barber.

“You’re not going to see much passing.”

“You’re not going to see any passing.”

“Passing will be almost nonexistent.”

How many times did we hear these and similar phrases regarding passing leading up to the race at Barber? Too many to list. Sunday, we saw more passing than we’d seen in the races first two years. The team and face on top of the podium? All too familiar.

Pre-Race: Yay. I got to watch the pre-race Sunday. I’m not 100% sure that I like the new feature of the crowd behind the stage. Too NASCAR on SPEED for me. But I did think they were less loud and annoying than the others. There was also no booing when any names were mentioned (unlike SPEED where “Kyle Busch” earns a great chorus of boos which I don’t understand).

Other than that slight issue, very good pre-race show. Kevin Lee was again on the pre-race stage and I‘m a huge fan of his. Important stories were covered and the tribute to Dan was short but excellent. He would’ve made a great broadcaster once his racing career ended. Robin Miller stole the show during his “grid run.” Not very good timing obviously but did birth my newest favorite quote: “What the hell? They’re all praying!” Classic Robin Miller.

The Race Broadcast: While the St. Pete broadcast on ABC was not very good, the broadcast on Versus - excuse me, NBC Sports Network, was an A. All of the guys on the broadcast team (yes, even Bob Jenkins with his mispronunciations at times and Robin Miller being Robin Miller) were fantastic.

I miss Lindy Thackston like crazy, but NBC did hire a good pit reporter in Townsend Bell. I’ve always liked him and am hoping he gets an Indy 500 ride this year (hearing he might be driving for Schmidt-Hamilton). He, Kevin, and Marty reported on what needed to be reported on; little fluff.

As for Jon, Wally, and Bob in the booth, thank you for reporting on the race and NOT trying to be cute and funny like the three in the booth on FOX during NASCAR races. I don’t think any brain cells died while watching the Barber race. Bob was a professional as always (I grew up with him in the broadcast booth) but did make a few mispronunciations during the race. I actually found them funny especially, “Katherine’s leg is in the gravel.”

In all, I’m sad that after Long Beach and Brazil we have to go back to ABC. Hopefully they improve their coverage especially since it’s Indy but and so happy to see the NBC Sports Network is doing a great job so far.

The Race: The racing on the track was excellent. The drivers again treated each other with respect (though I kept feeling like Marco was going to accidentally hit someone before the race was over). I’m also glad that these drivers can defend their position now. Defending is part of racing and I think Beaux Barfield is policing these guys and girls well. Passing was quite frequent and there were some exciting ones. My only disappointment was there wasn’t a huge battle for the victory at the end and the best one was for third.

There were only three mechanical failures this time around - two from Honda (Charlie Kimball and Takuma Sato) and one from Lotus (Alex Tagliani, who never completed a lap). While I feel for those teams, it does keep things interesting. So far, none of this season’s front-runners have fallen victims to issues. Should be interesting if it does happen in any of the upcoming races.

Passing Here, Passing There, Passing Everywhere: So how many people lost money for betting that there would be little passing at Barber this year? I would say that there were more passes Sunday than the first two races combined. There were some great passes. The early three-wide pass starring EJ Viso, Will Power, and Simon Pagenaud was probably the most exciting. I’m not sure what caused this great amount of passing. Maybe the new car; maybe it’s the fact that INDYCAR has gained some great talent.

“Frenchy can drive.” They came very close to winning at Lemans last June with Peugeot. One is now a (sort of) rookie running the second-best Honda this season for a team with something to prove owned by two men who have been the odds stacked against them. The other is running a Lotus for a team that has been through many team name changes and many other changes in general (especially drivers). If you don’t know who I was talking about, I’m talking about Simon Pagenaud and Sebastien Bourdais. Both have been impressive in the first two races of the 2012 INDYCAR season.

Despite fading at the end in St. Pete, Bourdais was running in the top three… in a LOTUS for DRAGON RACING. I think before this season, the last time, Dragon had really had a sniff of the front was sometime in 2010. Fast-forward to Barber. I was impressed with Bourdais at Barber. Lotus’ first top 10 in 2012 with a 9th place finish. Not bad. I can easily see more success from Sea-bass and Dragon. Hope to see the same for Legge eventually.

What can I say about Pagenaud that hasn’t already been said by someone else somewhere else? He’s good. Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton (technically Schmidt’s decision rather than Hamilton’s) made a great choice. Most impressive rookie/”newbie” so far in my opinion. One top 5, two top 10’s, one Firestone Fast Six appearance, fifth in points behind Castroneves, Dixon, Power, and Hinchcliffe and ahead of Dario. And we’re absolutely sure he’s a rookie right?

Dario, Where Are You? And now we move from some of the biggest surprises of the good variety to a shocking negative one - the defending champion has led only one lap this season, has one top 10, and is 10th in points. Not only that but he didn’t even make out of Round 1 during qualifying at Barber. Yeah. I’m surprised too. Only thing right now that is similar to last season is that his hair’s still long and curly and he’s still Mr. Ashley Judd.

It seems that Dario does not have a full grasp on the new car yet while his teammates, especially Dixon, seem to have. It’s a bit surprising but it’s also a little reassuring. Many expected the front-runners (Franchitti, Dixon, Power, Castroneves, Briscoe) to almost immediately figure out the DW-12. While I don’t expect it to last long, for now I will enjoy the fact that Dario is not running at the front at his moment in time.

Will he figure out the DW12? Probably. Might there be a new champion this season after four out of five years of Dario? Right now, it’s highly likely.

Other Notables: Scott Dixon finished 2nd again and is still 2nd in points… James Hinchcliffe scored another top 10 with a 6th place finish… Rubens Barrichello scored his first top 10 of the year with an a finish of 8th… Oriol Servia and his smooth Spanish accent finished 13th, the second highest finish for Lotus… the bad luck keeps coming for Tony Kanaan; he finished 21st and is currently dead-last in points.

After the Checkers - Oh, It’s Power Again: When the checkered flag waved it was not a surprise to see who was the winner - Will Power. After starting 9th after a qualifying that knocked him out of the Fast 6 for what felt like the first time since he filled in for Helio in 2009 during his tax evasion trial (a small note that tomorrow is the third anniversary of his acquittal), he came back to win.

This was actually my favorite win by Power because he had to work hard for it and have good pit strategy to get to the front. Now if we can just forget him and Tim Cindric (whom I usually love) complaining up until green flag time about the tires.

Also, in my opinion, Mr. Power seriously needs a new victory celebration. I mean the leap is cool and all but then it’s a little boring and sort of makes him look stupid.

INDYCAR 36: I don’t know who watched but I watched and loved INDYCAR 36. For those who didn’t (or couldn’t) see it, the first featured driver was Tony Kanaan and cameras followed him at St. Pete. Great work by NBC Sports for not only featuring the weekend’s activities (including that very emotional and sweet exchange between Kanaan and Dan Wheldon’s little sister, Holly) but also talking about what got him started in racing. I give INDYCAR 36 an A+ and hope the next nine episodes are just as good.
　
Next Race: April 15
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Streets of Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
3:30 PM ET (2:30 PM CT) - NBC Sports Network
Defending Winner: Mike Conway

INDYCAR 36
Featuring Graham Rahal
3:00 PM ET (2:00 PM CT) - NBC Sporrts Network
Replays at Various Times Throughout the week

My Take On St. Pete - Helio Does It His Way on Dan Wheldon Way

Note: I’m going to try and do my own review of each INDYCAR race this season at some point between the Monday and Thursday of the week following with even larger reviews about Indy (because it’s Indy) and Texas if I am able to attend in June (will have a full weekend recap; maybe even daily). Please note that I am not a technical expert and don’t know a lot about what’s going on under the hood so I will be recapping more on the drivers and the racing itself. Oh and TV too.


Everyone - fans, teams, drivers, media members alike - knew that beginning the new INDYCAR season was not going to be easy. Beginning on the streets of St. Petersburg, Dan Wheldon‘s adopted hometown? Even more difficult. The loss of Dan last October at Las Vegas is still fresh for everyone who is involved with or a fan of the series. On Sunday, one of the first hurdles we had to cross after Dan’s death was crossed and the race concluded with a few surprises near the front and a driver on top of the podium who hasn’t seen victory lane in awhile.

Pre-Race: I missed the entire pre-race show thanks to local programming that was replayed later Sunday evening. Not to mention they could have shaved off the 30 minutes of paid programming they’d shown before this hour-long program. Believe me, I emailed the station regarding this and will continue to do so if they continue to do things like this.

I was able to view the Wheldon segment online Monday morning and it was beautifully done and brought some tears to my eyes (which will cause people I know to make fun of me after they read this).

The station DID join the broadcast just in time for the start. Lovely to see Holly Wheldon in attendance and waving the green flag. Her brother would’ve been proud.

The Race Broadcast: I do agree that the race was a tad boring based on was on TV but I believe that part of it was a failure of whomever produced the race to show the right camera angles when needed. We missed a lot of passes including what led up to the crucial pass that ultimately determined the winner (whom I will discuss in detail later).

The Race: While I give the broadcast a C (only because I heard that the pre-race was good), I would the racing itself a B+. There wasn’t much passing (on TV) but the drivers mostly raced each other clean and with respect. There was no lap 1 crash that many were expecting.

In all there were only two major incidents involving contact - James Jakes in the tire barrier and Helio Castroneves getting into Ed Carpenter, deemed a racing incident by race control, sending the newest owner/driver spinning.

All but one (Jakes) of the retirements during the race were due to mechanical failures. KV Racing’s Tony Kanaan was first followed by Simona de Silvestro, Katherine Legge, Takuma Sato, Sebastien Bourdais, Mike Conway, and JR Hildebrand. In all, eight cars, three Hondas, two Chevys, and three Lotuses, did not finish; one due to contact and the rest due to some kind of mechanical issue.

Lotus: I was probably one of the many people who weren’t expecting much out of Lotus at St. Pete. It was known that they were the manufacture who had had the least amount of the track time and develop unlike Chevy and Honda. While the finishes (15th, 16th, 21st, 23rd, and 24th out of 26 cars) partially reflect expectations, Lotus did have a better showing than predicted. Sebastian Bourdais in a Dragon Racing Lotus (probably the team I tend to expect the least out of at times) ran in the top five for a short time before having to pit.

Will things improve for Lotus teams? With more track time and testing, I believe so.

Where Were Dario and Will? One of the most surprising performance this past weekend in St. Pete was the fact that neither Dario Franchitti or Will Power finished in the top five. Will sat on the pole (for what felt like the millionth time) and led for 11 laps before his first pit stop just before the first caution came out and never found the front again. Dario missed the Firestone Fast Six and never seemed to be a factor. At the moment, I’m not concerned about these two. Now if it was summer? Yeah. I’d be wondering what is wrong with them. As of right now, my verdict is that they’ll both be fine and we will see them both up front again soon.

Manica-Mania: Like I said earlier, I missed the pre-race which meant I missed the initial shot that has been replayed on both SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel - James Hinchcliffe in his black wig. As the new GoDaddy.com guy, replacing Danica at Andretti Autosport this year and probably for many years to come, the “Mayor of Hinchtown” had some big shoes (or is that heels?) to fill.

Anyway, on the track, Hinch did a fine job finishing fourth, the second highest finishing Andretti driver after 3rd place finisher Ryan Hunter-Reay. I’ve got a feeling that the 27 Chevy will be making at least one appearance in victory lane this year. Now the only concern is what he will actually do when he gets there.

The Three Rookies (Four If You Wish to Count Rubens): I do admit that I wasn’t completely shocked by Rubens Barrichello’s lack of performance Sunday. After all, despite what some may say, INDYCAR and Formula 1 are different and he will have to adapt to things that are done in INDYCAR that aren’t done in Formula 1. Given time, he will improve at KV Racing.

Also feel sorry for Katherine Legge. I do believe that she has talent and can get the job done but she is at a big disadvantage because of where she’s at and what she’s driving as well as her lack of driving open wheel cars in recent years. Given time, she, Dragon, and Lotus will improve.

I am very surprised by Josef Newgarden’s performance Sunday for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. While I expected him to have a decent showing, seeing him around the top 10 was a delight. Maybe this rookie battle won’t be the runaway we’re expecting. Also, there has been a lot of talk about Walgreens sponsoring the 67. Come on Walgreen! Do it! Sponsor this little team with big talent.

The best performing rookie this past weekend was Simon Pagenaud in his first start for Schmidt-Hamilton Racing. After a 10-position penalty at the start for an “unapproved engine change” (which sounded more like a “better safe than sorry” move by both Honda and the team), Pagenaud scored a sixth place finish right where he originally qualified. Imagine if he’d gotten to start sixth originally. He probably would’ve been a factor. I do have a gut feeling that he will win a race this year, likely on a road or street course (I’m thinking maybe Long Beach or Mid-Ohio).

By the way, I do have to admit that I’m still picking Simon to be rookie of the year (though I have a feeling that Newgarden will be right behind him) not just because of how he will perform on the road and street courses, a majority of the schedule, but because I absolutely love him. I first noticed Simon at Walker in the 2007 Champ Car Series and have followed him through the various series he’s competed in since. So I apologize in advance if I express some love for Simon.

Other Notables: Target-Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished 2nd and led the most laps (37)… KV Racing’s EJ Viso finished 8th... Ganassi Racing’s Charlie Kimball tied his career best finish of 9th… The highest finishing Lotus was Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport… Takuma Sato, driving in his first race for Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing led 11 laps but retired on lap 73 due to mechanical issues.

After the Checkered Flag - A Moment of Celebration and Reflection: At the end of 100 laps, Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, after a nightmare 2011 season, ended up back in victory lane and on the fence but there was a small twist to his well-known victory celebration this time around.

Helio coincidentally celebrated his victory on Dan Wheldon Way climbing the fence twice. The first time in front of the stands as expected. Afterwards, a track official pointed out the fence across the track and Helio did what only Helio would do – climb the fence and give a pat to the sign in memory of one of the series’ favorites – leaving many fans with tears of both joy and sadness. And, from what I hear, several photographs of that moment of Helio on the fence with the Dan Wheldon Way sign were in many newspapers around the country (not mine of course; it wasn’t even mentioned in the sports section).

As a fan of Helio, I was thrilled to see him back on top of the podium. A very emotional victory. This was his first win since what turned out to be the final oval race at Motegi, Japan in 2010 and, as I said earlier, the first race since Vegas. Helio’s tribute was very touching.

A huge congratulations to Helio on his third St. Pete victory and a big thank you for the salute to such a great champion. Up in heaven, Dan was smiling

Next Race: April 1
Honda Grand Prix of Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, AL
2 PM ET (1 PM CT) - NBC Sports Network
Defending Winner: Will Power

A Tribute to Dan Wheldon

“…Sunny days seem to hurt the most. I wear the pain like a heavy coat. The only thing that gives me hope is I know I’ll see you again someday…”
-Kenny Chesney “Who You’d Be Today”

I will always remember the finish of the centennial running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2011. While most will remember JR Hildibrand’s hit in turn four, I will always remember who was able to capitalize on this young rookie’s mistake - Dan Wheldon. His second “500” win was a bit of an upset - no full-time ride, one-off with Bryan Herta Autosport. It was exciting. A special day that should be the story of the year with Dan as the lead character.

But less than five months later after that victory, we are being forced to deal with the fact that Dan will never again defend his win. I hope we never have to experience a day like yesterday again.

I admit that I wasn’t originally a fan of Dan’s. His attitude at times was a turn-off for me. But in recent years, I had become a fan. I found myself rooting for him along with my other favorite INDYCAR drivers. I was screaming and cheering when Dan crossed the finish line to win Indy in May.

I was in shock after the crash much like everyone else. Despite what some claim, things like this don’t frequently happen. Then I felt this sick feeling in my stomach. Something wasn’t right. I’d never felt this feeling after seeing a racing accident before and I never ever want to feel that feeling again.

I watched the aftermath unfold on television like so many others. I also was tweeting about what was going and reading the tweets of others. As time went on, I knew it was bad. The mood was somber. I could not shake off that sick feeling.

I knew before the official announcement - Dan was no longer with us. The faces of the drivers and crew members said it all. I struggled not to cry through the announcement and the five pace laps driven in honor of such a great champion. The emotion was unreal.

I am old enough to remember the death of Dale Earnhardt. It didn’t affect me, though, as much as Dan’s has. I’ve followed INDYCAR racing almost full-time since 2005 and have slowly drifted away from NASCAR. I watch but I don’t feel like I do when I watch INDYCAR. The fan base, I feel, is tighter than any motorsports fan base I have been a part of. Regardless of our opinions, we always share something special - our love for the sport. We know that every time these drivers strap into these cars that they may never climb back out.

I have seen Dan grow into a fine racer. He was a great ambassador and champion in this sport. But most of all, he was a loving husband, father, son, brother, and great friend to so many.

Some ask, “What now?” I believe that right now it is the time for us, INDYCAR drivers, team members, officials, and fans, to not only grieve but celebrate Dan’s life and the legacy he has left in this sport.

But soon it will be time to race again. And when these drivers race competitively again it will be in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dan’s adopted hometown. They will be racing an all-new Dallara chassis, the very same chassis that Dan had helped develop and test, that is said to protect these drivers.

I wish he was going to be on the starting grid with everyone else. But this part of me knows that Dan will be there in spirit and in the hearts of everyone.

Rest in peace Dan Wheldon. We will never forget you or any of your accomplishments. Heaven has gained another special (and fashionable) angel.