The Racing Pollyanna

Apparently, I'm an incurable optimist. I suspect you wouldn't think so if we met, but I'm always searching for the upside in every situation. I don't know how this happened. It's the sort of thing that makes people nauseous. I'm guessing it's a coping mechanism. Why work hard at something if you're certain it's going to end in failure?
It's been a good trait, I think, to have as a race fan. Even if it has created some delusions.
I believed well into 2004 that Champ Car represented the future of American open wheel racing. It took until 2009 to realize that sports car racing just wasn't going anywhere.

As I've spent the last few years thinking about Indycar and its future, I've developed other hopeful, forward-looking thoughts.
Dallara was the right choice to build the 2012 car, even though I proclaimed the DeltaWing concept to be the last, best hope for Indycar.
The series will be stronger without Danica Patrick. (Even though I once wrote something like the opposite of that statement on this blog.)
The Lotus engine will be the equal of the Chevrolets and Hondas by mid-season.
Last October's events will bring the series, drivers, and fans together and make all of us stronger and raise the profile and image of Indycar in the public eye.
June's Milwaukee Indyfest will rile a now-dormant race fan hotspot and become a tradition all over again.
Coverage on NBCSNCNSN-er, NBC Sports, will pull in and keep new fans who won't be confused by the name or location of "Vs" any more. It will even spur ABC to improve its coverage.
Channel surfers and casual viewers will be pulled into said broadcasts, and be made fans for life.

Am I right? Wrong? Dangerously misguided? And please share what about the future of Indycar you're optimistic about.

The Race Indycar Needed

Well, who would have thought that? General Internet Buzz has it that today's Izod Indycar series race at Alabama's Barber Motorsport Park was a FANTASTIC show. Based on the broadcast I saw, I'm going to agree. I think that race had everything one could want.

If St. Petersburg was the race Indycar needed after Las Vegas and this off-season, Barber is the race Indycar needs for the future.

A few points:

1. Near to my heart-because it's what I last wrote about-is Lotus' performance. Sebastian Bourdais whipped his Lotus-powered Dragon Racing Dallara to a hard-earned 9th place finish. Oriol Servia climbed from 26th (DFL) to 13th, on the lead lap. In fact, all but one of the Lotii were classified as "Running" at the conclusion of the race. Only Alex Tagliani's car failed to finish, but it was embarrassingly the first lap, and I'm not sure Lotus was pleased with him saying the engine blew up in interviews... In contrast, the best Lotus at St. Petersburg finished 15th, one lap down. Three more didn't finish the race. The NBCSN crew reported that Lotus will actually be skipping this week's Indianapolis test because of a lack of engines and spares. I understand their concern, but skipping that test sounds like a very, very bad idea.

2. Speaking of the NBCSN crew, they were great. The whole broadcast was great, especially when compared to ABC's last week. If Townsend Bell can't be driving race cars, at least he can be telling us about them. Jon Beekhuis' technical pieces were excellent. I have a hard time criticizing Bob Jenkins' gaffes, since he's been making them for 20+ years, but he tested me this afternoon. After defending him in a conversation Saturday, it seemed that Bob went on to confuse every blue-and-red car in the field, mispronounce names, cut names short, etc. Maybe he's rusty, or maybe he needs to study the Spotter's Guide, but I hope the guy who embodies "Racing Announcer" for me comes up better over the next few races. Overall, however, the crew showed how it was done. Hint: ABC, don't show us the leader all by his lonesome when there is dicing and passing for position back in the field.

3. Will Power won on a road course-but not from the pole, and not by dominating. I am slightly surprised by this. It should frighten the rest of the field.

4. I thought Barber, as a narrow motorcycle track, was impossible to pass on. Or so went conventional wisdom. Most laps looked like someone was challenging someone else for position, to the point where I started to wonder what the leaders looked like... What struck me most, however, was how many (all) of the passes were "Real"-none were caused by bumps between cars, none were the artificial results of underpowered engines and pack racing, etc, just real driver skill getting the job done.

More to come soon. What do you think the most promising part of the 2012 season is so far?

See! I'm Still here!

Wow, uh, yeah, I'm back... I know I promised to update more frequently, but that hasn't been happening. I'm very sorry, but things will change. It's been a tumultuous past few months. BUT, Wisconsin's typically frigid winter, well, hasn't been. There are some interesting irons in the fire here, and as I've been promising since this blog's very first post, some very exciting news is coming. I swear.

In the meantime, a lot has happened in the world of Indycar. Newman-Haas closed, Dragon re-opened, Milwaukee might be back on the schedule, the DW12 might not be a turd on the ovals after all, Lotus got some engines in cars, Oriol Servia and Sebastian Bourdais have jobs, Brian Barnhart doesn't, and so on. Oh, and it seems there might actually be too many entrants for the number of available engines. Is this a problem? Definitely. But I'm going to throw out there that I'd rather have more entrants than engines than the other way around.

I'll have plenty to say about all these events (and more) in the coming weeks, but for now I'll focus on one subject. It would be great if the rumors of Milwaukee's return to the schedule are true.
1. The 2012 schedule, at 15 races, is on the light side.
2. The 2012 schedule is light on oval races. Indy, Texas, Iowa, and Fontana. I'm not an oval purist, but the right oval tracks have a place on the schedule and are (allegedly) popular with the fans. Now, if only every fan who claimed to want more oval races would actually go to them, maybe we wouldn't have these problems.
3. Milwaukee produces great Indycar races. I attended twice, in 2009 and 2011. The series was at a low point in 2009, when drivers would actually apologize for boring events. Still, there was a real, live, actual, on-track pass for the lead at Milwaukee that year and it was interesting start to finish. The 2011 race was a great one, with close competition, leaders throwing it away, pit road insanity, incompetent officiating (oh, wait, that was every race in 2011), and the best, fastest driver showing the field how it's done.
4. It's in a large metropolitan area FULL of racing enthusiasts. It becomes a huge metro area when Chicago is factored in.
5. Summer in Wisconsin is a good time and place to spend an afternoon outdoors.
6. Beer. Brats. And Beer.
7. The history. This track is older than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The list of winners is about as storied, too, plus 50+ years of stock car races, too.
8. Finally, selfishly, it's close to home. I think it's actually a shorter drive to the Mile than to my workplace, which gives me another chance to share my impressions of a real, live Indycar race with you.

More coming soon, thanks for reading!

Dan Wheldon, Briefly

After the conclusion of the centennial Indy 500 this May, unlikely winner Dan Wheldon took the traditional post-race lap in the pace car. As he came by our turn 3 seats, he thrust his fist in the air in celebration and what felt like a personal salute to us, his fans. It was easy to cheer for someone so obviously jubilant and excited about his accomplishment. The gesture made us even happier for him.

Sunday's sadness and anger will linger, but my thoughts are with Dan Wheldon's family and friends.

Sanity returns in Canada at AntiToronto

Today's Edmonton race saw a return to sanity and normalcy for the Indycar series. As far as normalcy, Will Power led the bulk of the way and won over another Penske car and Dario Franchitti. Regarding sanity, little of the crazy driving seen in Toronto was present. In the most jaw-dropping development, Indycar series officials handed down penalties when the "avoidable contact" rule was broken-which it was, several times.
Even when Tagliani pitted for repairs after knocking Graham Rahal out before the first lap was complete and wound up at the back of the field, he still had to serve a green-flag drive-through penalty, like he should have. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue.

Rahal and Paul Tracy were completely knocked out of the race by incidents, and Simona de Silvestro suffered a rare (for the technologically mature Dallara/Honda combination) mechanical failure. Graham made a good contribution to the broadcast by joining the TV crew after he was out. Every one else continued in some fashion. After a promising Toronto race, Scott Dixon's championship hopes took a hit when EJ Viso inexplicably (well, maybe not considering the perpetrator) rammed him, breaking his radiator and flooding the cockpit with hot coolant. Still, his team effected repairs and he returned to the hunt. Normally clean Oriol Servia was taken out by Mike Conway in one of those incidents that is maddening for its lack of a clear camera angle.

I thought one of the most interesting parts of the race was the good showings of a number of drivers that are supposed to be really good at this, but have been largely invisible all season. Justin Wilson came out with a top 5 and Sebastian Bourdais was 6th without the assistance of severe attrition (18 cars finished on the lead lap). The Andretti cars were notable for either their absence from the spotlight, or their propensity to run into others. Seventh, 8th, and 9th belonged to RHR, Conway, and Patrick, respectively. A fuel strategy gone awry relegated Briscoe to 10th, and JR Hildebrand showed a respectable 11th.

The closing laps promised a three-way battle for the lead as Helio sniffed at Power's rear wing and Dario laid back, waiting for an opportunity. Power (despite claiming afterwards that his tires had gone off) appeared better able to put power down and stay in front of Helio until the end, despite some aggressive braking moves. Alas, the last 20 laps gave no more changes at the top and that's how they finished.

I thought it was a decent race, though not spectacular. Again, the most newsworthy item was the enforcement of the rules by race control, which is a positive development. Even if it shouldn't be.

The series moves to a sentimental favorite track of mine in two weeks: Mid-Ohio. Again, I anticipate few lead changes, but hope for a solid, entertaining race. More to come this week...

Who Will Go To Milwaukee?

A question was Tweeted this evening by the one and only Pressdog about the state of the Milwaukee Mile race track and what could be done to attract fans. I understand that the track is owned by the state, as part of the State Fair Park complex. The past couple of years have been tumultuous for the century-plus old facility: After successful events in 2009, NASCAR and Indycar stayed away in 2010 when sanctioning fees went unpaid. I still don't know exactly how or if anything was resolved, but the NASCAR Nationwide series has moved on to Elkhart Lake's Road America road course, the Camping World Truck series has moved on, and Indycar ran a great race last month. Trouble is, few showed up to see that great race.
Drivers and fans love the Milwaukee Mile. In contrast to the Charlotte Motor Speedway clones that dot the countryside, the Mile requires braking and real handling finesse to successfully negotiate. Its long, long history also give it a special pedigree.
The question was posed, if a private company were to clone the track, set it elsewhere in the greater Milwaukee area, and add parking, luxury boxes, and fan amenities, would attendance improve? After all, the existing goodness of Milwaukee (challenging track to drive) is retained, while modern race fans (and sponsors!) get everything they're accustomed to.

I believe the answer to that question is "No." After all, the 2009 races were well attended, and there were no suites then, either. So why did fans show up in 2009, but not in 2011?
Was it promotion and marketing? I doubt it. Looking back, I think I heard less about the race beforehand in 2009 than I did this year.
Was it the weather? Possibly, race day this year was cold and rainy until a couple of hours before race time. A less intrepid (or more distant) fan may not have risked the trip for a wet, raceless day.
Who attended in 2009? The guys I bought my ticket from were servicemen who got freebies. A co-worker said he used to go every year-when his buddy got freebies from Marlboro.
Was it the quality of racing? The 2009 race wasn't nearly as exciting as the 2011 race.
Maybe it was promotion during prior races. In '09, the race was held less than a week after a relatively dull Indy 500. In '11, it was three weeks after the most exciting and interesting 500 in recent history and one week after a buzz-heavy doubleheader at Texas.

Most things point to the '11 race as one that should have been better attended. Maybe "promotion and marketing" are to blame... Yes, some was done, but maybe the wrong kind. I recall the days of the "Detroit Grand Prix", whether or not it was held on Belle Isle. That was a big, big deal in the Detroit media market. The buzz cranked up more than a week ahead of time, and local TV and newspapers kept everyone abreast of all the news, developments, and what the stars were doing. Everyone could go to practice on Friday's "Free Prix Day" for no charge. There were races all weekend, with Saturday's action capped by a Trans-Am race. One might also see stars of tomorrow in smaller Indy-like cars, cars like one drove on the street in the NATCC or World Challenge races, or your favorite radio or TV personality in the Neon Challenge. I saw or heard nothing like this in the lead-up to either Milwaukee race.
Somehow I think the race and the surrounding activities (lots of on-track action, for instance-something done well in 2011) need to be assimilated into the annual summer activities here. We have the Summerfest Music festival, numerous ethnic festivals, the State Fair, the Brewers, several racing weekends at Road America, even June's annual Bead and Button show gets a fair amount of press. Local media has to get talking about the race and let the population know about it. I'm no marketer, but I'm guessing there are defined ways to do this sort of thing? Can they distribute videos to the media outlets? Run drivers and personalities through every major TV and radio station? Give away (or discount) tickets at every turn?

I hope something happens and the race at the Milwaukee Mile becomes an annual institution once again. Not only because it's my "home race," but because it's an interesting, historical track located in a hotbed of racing enthusiasm.

The Armchair Course Marshall

This weekend the Indycar series continues its swing north of the border as it returns to a reworked Edmonton airport circuit. Nothing happened there last year, did it? Oh, wait, yes it did. And its fallout continues to affect the series, at least in the eyes of die-hard fans.

To refresh your memory, Helio Castroneves was leading the race late when, on a late restart, he took an unapproved line through turn 1. He was black flagged, but remained in the lead until the conclusion of the race when, despite finishing first, he was not shown the checkered flag and was instead scored last on the lead lap. The emotional Brazilian then went on a memorable rampage that culminated in begging Security Chief Charles for his life. (Citation needed)
Seriously, Helio received that elusive gift-a penalty for blocking. Often discussed but seldom seen, it's a rule that purports to improve the racing by facilitating passing.
As I watched the replay last year, I realized that Helio was, in technical terms, a sitting duck. Will Power had a monster run on him on the restart and would surely have overtaken his teammate. Helio countered by taking a 'bad' line through the corner-one that would have slowed him, but also prevented Power from making the inevitable pass. Castroneves didn't, in my opinion, have much of a choice.

The outcry was fierce, and nearly unanimously negative. I think of myself as a pretty informed race fan, and I'm still not sure I understand why a driver shouldn't be allowed to defend his position.

This event, along with events in races earlier this year (Long Beach, Milwaukee, and Toronto, to name three) have brought up a number of questions, in no particular order, about the officiating:
Why don't they consistently call penalties for "avoidable contact", blocking, and failure to properly restart?
What are the policies for said infractions?
Why aren't penalties consistently handed down?
Why does this climate exist in the first place?

Starting with the last item, I'm going to go way out on a limb here and speculate that this climate exists as a holdover from the Tony George era. While Tony is obviously knowledgeable and passionate, he never struck me as a particularly friendly or gregarious individual-a man of few words who doesn't speak unless he thinks it necessary. These are not necessarily bad qualities, but race fans have grown extremely frustrated with the (non-) calls made this year and last. If this is the culture within the organization (and I will be the first to say that I'm just thinking out loud here, and that I don't know), then it needs to change. We're seeing the beginnings of this, and Al Unser, jr's appearance during the Toronto broadcast was a big step in the right direction.

As for consistent penalties, the officiating team came out and said that Paul Tracy was penalized for a move similar to one made by Helio Castroneves (who was not penalized) because Helio's actions had already sent him to the rear of the field, and serving a drive-through would not have cost him anything. Now this just doesn't make sense. Do the crime, do the time. It doesn't matter whether or not he loses anything as a result, the scorecard needs to show that he was treated fairly and equally.

Yes, I do have some suggestions, some of which are so obvious I can't believe I have to spell them out:
1. Obtain and use the equipment necessary to police the race. Justin Wilson said on Trackside last week that race control had fewer camera angles available than even TV-and I thought the broadcasters were sorely lacking in options. I don't know all the technical details behind this, but something should be investigated.
2. Define blocking and enforce it consistently. Perhaps race control can put together a highlight reel of historical "blocks" and "non-blocks"-called or not-and use it to clarify the rule to drivers, teams, and fans.
3. Define the double-wide restart rule and enforce it consistently. Perhaps this means that the standard for enforcement changes race by race-it's apparently extremely difficult or impossible to line up the entire field in two rows at Toronto and Long Beach. Fine. Tell everyone ahead of time and outline the expectations. For example, "at Toronto, we expect the first two rows to be lined up side-by-side when the race goes green" or "at Milwaukee, all cars should be lined up in two rows when the race goes green". Any driver who does not obey race control will receive one warning. The second time, he or she is moved to the back of the field.
4. Enforce the rules consistently. If someone makes "avoidable contact," he or she must serve a drive-through penalty. If his or her car is too damaged to continue or the race ends before the penalty can be served, then that driver will start last in the next race.
5. Explain penalties and potentially controversially non-calls. Put the information in a "Steward's report" on the Indycar website Sunday night or Monday morning.
6. There shall be no favortism due to driver popularity, points position, team owner, etc.

I think that's all I have in me for brain dumps right now.
Oh yeah, the race. Um, Power is hungry and Dixon is on the cusp of a great second half of the season. So watch them. Rahal's been nigh unstoppable as of late, and Ryan Hunter-Reay looks back in his element. Finally, Tony Kanaan is a perpetual threat and hungry to win one.

Going (Back) to California (Speedway)

It was announced last week that Indycar will return to the oval at California’s Auto Club Speedway (the Track Formerly Known As Fontana, or California Speedway). This is good news for several reasons. It’s another oval race, something most fans seem interested in keeping for at least half the schedule. It’s a track that, despite its relative youth, has some open-wheel history: Both the world closed-course speed record and the fastest 500-mile race in history came here. It’s also a track owned by ISC, indicating that at least some part of that company is interested in investing in Indycar’s product.

I’d like to see it run as a 500-miler, but I’m not sure that will happen since it was also announced that it would be a night race. I think the area’s climate would make the race a good fit either early or late in the season-but the night race part of that might mean that Indycar has other ideas. Adding Auto Club to the schedule is also a good move since it only hosts a single NASCAR Cup race. This means that there is less competition for ticket sales than somewhere like, say, Phoenix that hosts two NASCAR weekends per year.

This announcement raises other questions. Open-wheel racing at California under IRL sanction had trouble drawing enough fans to fill up a small track like Milwaukee. One hopes Indycar has learned a lesson and will hire a promoter willing and able to sell enough tickets to make the track at least look full. ISC had been so lax in promoting Indycar events at their tracks that they disappeared from the schedule in 2010. The return of an ISC track would seem to indicate that they are, in fact, interested in Indycar and would presumably be interested in investing in advertising and promotion.

After next season (and the 2012 Dallaras have ample test and race miles to sort out teething problems), I’d like to see a 500 mile race run in early February-before the Daytona 500. Whether or not this would be allowed to happen at an ISC track remains to be seen (especially with a NASCAR Cup race run a month or so later), but I’d pitch it as a chance to feed hungry race fans early in the year and to steal some attention from NASCAR.

Wings get Eaten in Toronto

Well, that was, um, exciting. Interesting. Hope you all have your spoons ready, because the pot is getting stirred...

It sounds like this race has already created a lot of anger-between drivers, between teams, between fans and race control, and I don't think Versus did anyone any favors. Well, let's get started.

Right away, Briscoe (on the inside) makes contact with TK's right rear, and takes him out. The booth guys seemed to dismiss it as "a bit of oversteer", which, based on my experience (though I'm not a professional race car driver), seems pretty reasonable. His car slipped. TK happened to be in the way. Didn't stop him from being pissed, though. And I don't blame him for that, though I would think he'd change his mind when seeing the replay. (TK has been more than fair to other drivers when he's had trouble due to their mistakes this year).
The pivotal moment of the race (and, by my count, at least the third pivotal moment in the championship battle) came shortly after the second round of pit stops. Like many incidents today, analysis of this one was seriously hampered by the lack of any alternate camera angles. What could be gleaned, though, was that Power led Dario into the corner, Dario made a pass attempt, Power was hit and spun. By the angle that was shown, it looked to me like Power had left room for Dario on the inside, then took an odd line through the corner that had him close back up and make contact, so that Dario's left front hit Power. I got that feeling again, knowing that the anti-Franchitti crowd would have a field day with this. I'm pretty sure, however, that Power was more at fault (despite Dario's post-race acceptance of "50% of the blame"). His line just looked strange. A post-race interview with the Target driver confirmed this. What will end up worst of all for Franchitti's image (tarnished by whining this year and apparently being able to capitalize on lucky situations), Versus reported on TV that he would be served with a drive-through penalty. He never appeared prepared to serve it and Chip Ganassi professed ignorance of any penalty. Eventually the broadcast crew reported that the penalty had been "rescinded." Apparently, race control never issued a penalty. I don't know why Versus would have reported that they had, or what the punishment would be.
Power's day would end for good several laps later when he and Alex Tagliani would hit. It was after this car-parking incident that Power would complain about Dario's "dirty driving" and wonder why he never got penalized. Will would go on to call Tagliani a "wanker" and blame the crash on him. I didn't see any interviews with Tags, but I did see that he replied via Twitter, saying (among other things) "Problem with Will is that he drives like nobody exist around him". I think I've seen this. Power has no problem leading and winning-so long as he's out front and not near traffic. Put him around other cars, and he seems to lose his edge. His numerous poles may have allowed him to break out and put him into position to exploit his strengths and translate those into wins. If anyone has more/different insight, I'd love to hear it.
The rest of the race was, well, carnage. A strong Rahal got punted to the rear of the field, and the strongest car not sponsored by Target was newlywed and hard-luck champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. Great for him. An invisible (save for taking out a bunch of cars late) Marco Andretti and Vitor Meira rounded out the top 5. Other top 10 drivers included:
Sebastian Bourdais-right after I wondered if he'd been sorry he came back this year for a bunch of DNFs and a DNS.
Ryan Briscoe-The most trouble-free of the Penske cars. At least the only one who didn't need a new wing and alignment, or worse, on pit road.
JR Hildebrand-What? He was in this race?
EJ Viso-Somehow, this is the KV car that makes it to the end?
Simona de Silvestro-Her Yo-yo season seems headed back towards the top...
Two of my other favorites, Servia and Rahal, finished on the lead lap in 12th and 13th.

I guess I was a little disappointed that one of the usual suspects won such a strange race, but I really can't fault him. I really think that none of the above incidents were intentional (Race Control seemed to agree, but they don't always appear to be very consistent. Props though to Al Unser, Jr, who went on Versus immediately following the race and explained why penalties were not issued in each situation.) I'm not looking forward to wading into the blogosphere's fray tomorrow, but I guess that's the price of an interesting race. Talk to you all soon (and don't be afraid to leave a comment).

Toronto Mini-Preview

It feels like forever since I’ve posted any updates. The holiday/Indycar-free weekend didn’t help, and the NASCAR race I watched the conclusion of did its best to crush my soul. But things are looking up this weekend…

After four (or five, depending on how one counts) consecutive oval races, the Indycar series returns to the road and street courses. Sunday will see the teams and drivers in the Land of Labatt’s, at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.

While those were all great races, I’m happy for the series to start making right-hand turns again. It’s a reminder of the versatility of the series’ drivers and cars.

Will Power once again threatens to dominate, provided he’s recovered from the concussion he suffered at Iowa. For that matter, the whole of the Penske/Ganassi contingent will, as usual, be tough. Dixon, Briscoe, and Castroneves (a contender until undone by punctured tires at the last two races) are particularly hungry. Other notables include part-timers Paul Tracy and Sebastian Bourdais, guys-on-a-roll Graham Rahal and Oriol Servia, plus Justin Wilson and Mike Conway will hopefully start making the noise they deserve to, being back in their element.

On Pit Penalties

One of the themes of Sunday's Milwaukee 225 Indycar race was pit road chaos.
Eclipsing the Takuma Sato Keystone Kops routine in the first round of stops in controversy was something I didn't notice while watching the race. During the second round of stops, Dario Franchitti clipped one of the tires (and knocked the tire changer off-balance) set out for Will Power's imminent stop. No penalty was assessed, even though the rule book apparently clearly forbids any car from making contact with pit equipment or personnel. After the race, officials clarified their position by sharing the detail that crews had been instructed to move right front tires to give drivers pitting immediately ahead of them (as Dario was Power) room to pull in. Power's crewman, therefore, should have moved the right front tire out of the way of Dario Franchitti on his way in.

This might surprise any of my readers who think that I'm in the bag for Dario, but I think he should have been penalized. Intentional or not, he hit a piece of equipment on pit road and created a situation even more dangerous than the pits already are. Even if the equipment and/or crewman were in the wrong place, hitting them is still worthy of a penalty. (If one comes across a pedestrian in the middle of the road, is one allowed to go ahead and hit him?)

That said, if the crew did receive instructions to make way for drivers in downtrack pit stalls, then Power should have been penalized, as well. After all, they broke a rule/ignored a command by race officials.

As it stands, it appears that the accusations of inconsistent or unclear officiating continue to have merit. Just because an infraction causes no inconvenience or injury does not mean that no penalty should be issued. In fact, it's necessary for a penalty to be issued in order to maintain consistency and rules clarity. Conversely, if a driver's questionable actions cause a drop in position for him or her, that is not sufficient punishment. The infraction needs to be recognized, called out, explained, and enforced. Doing otherwise brings the credibility of the series into question.

All that said, history shows that there probably won't be any changes to Sunday's results. It's time to put this issue in the past and leave it there. Like it or not, there are no asterisks in the history books. It's not the first, nor will it be the last time that the dominant/popular car/team/driver was shown favortism. The best that can be done is to make our feelings known and hope that series officials and leadership take notice.

While on the subject of Dario, he's not doing his image any favors. Right or wrong, his consistent complaining (even in the face of success) is a huge fan turn-off. Maybe he should air his complaints to the officials behind closed doors (and he might be, for all I know). Besides, I'll admit to not being an expert, but I'm not sure where Helio blocked him late in Sunday's race.

Milwaukee Review

I attended my second Indycar race of the season at the Milwaukee Mile today. Overall: A great race, and it sounds like more even more drama has come to light since I got home.

I waited to buy my ticket, keeping my eye on the promotions and available tickets. It didn't seem like much had been sold even up until last Thursday, when I went to take advantage of one of the promotions and got pretty much the exact ticket I wanted (South Terrace, bleacher FF, row 18).
Both the fact that most seats were unsold and that the people selling the tickets seemed very confused about when their own promotions began and ended were troubling. It also bugged me that, aside from some radio ads, I saw about zero promotion for this race. Hopefully everyone (ahem, Randy B.) sees this as a building year and will come back bigger and better in 2012.

I enjoyed following the buildup to the race in the usual media outlets. It was especially fun seeing the drivers tweet about the local places I know about.

In unsurprising developments, Dario won the pole. Helio qualified in second, with Dixon in third. Lest you think this was more domination by the Galactic Empire, starting spots 4 through 6 were taken by the KV Racing entries. Championship leader and three-time (so far) winner this year Will Power started a surprising 17th. Simona De Silvestro made yet another trip to the hospital when she wrecked in qualifying.

Sunday morning broke rainy. At least in my neighborhood. Checking the weather turned up a window in the weather that would be open at least until the race started. I was worried about rain all day, but no more came.

I parked right outside the main gates of State Fair Park, near many other enthusiastic race fans. Good for me (especially when I figured out how to leave quickly), but worrisome that these prime parking spots were available just a couple of hours before race time.

First up was a tour of the usual merchandise trailers and souvenir tents. (Great to see one for Newman-Haas drivers Hinchcliffe and Servia) I think the caliber and quantity of apparel has improved since even Indy. This is a subject I'll be tackling further in the near future...

I scored a Spotter's Guide (great for new fans and a perfect souvenir for myself) at the Izod area, and checked out the 2012 Dallara oval car mock-up. I still like it and hope that something with its wheel shields and shark fins makes it to the grid in 2012.

Pippa Mann was onstage for a Q & A session, and demonstrated why she should be a star in the series. Her bubbly personality came through, and she actually suggested taking questions from the audience.

Up here, Danica Patrick still gets the loudest cheers during driver introductions. Simona, Kanaan, and Castroneves were far behind. Interestingly, the only driver to get no applause whatsoever was EJ Viso.

Finally, the start of the race. Immediately the intimacy of Milwaukee compared to, say, Indy was apparent as the field thundered into turn one. Unfortunately, Ryan Hunter-Reay didn't make it very far past turn one after spinning by himself and backing into the wall. At least no one would confuse he and his GoDaddy colors with Danica Patrick and her goDaddy colors for the rest of the day.

Dario quickly asserted himself as the car to beat, though the rest of the field was up for grabs and positions changed hands often. I hope there was no complaining about the racing today... Sebastian Saavedra and Vitor Meira took turns being "uncharacteristic guy in the way of the fast cars." Vitor would eventually park the car with handling problems (Did someone at Foyt misplace the Milwaukee notebook? Paul Tracy's car in 2009 was notably awful, as well). Saavedra would end up being in the wrong place when Alex Lloyd spun later. All three KV cars were in the mix, at least until the first pit stops.

First, I'm finding that I need more practice watching live pit stops. For all the open-wheel races I've been to, I realize now that the pits were clearly visible at only a few. Second, a lot happened in the pits in this race. Takuma Sato ("The KV Racing Driver Who Wrecks a Lot, But Not As Much As Viso") looked like he wanted to pit in Scott Dixon's stall. One result was a loose tire that made everyone downstream on pit road thread the needle to avoid it. I think he also hit one of his own crewmen and may have made Dixon's spotter drop an F-bomb on ABC. Unmitigated disaster, in other words.

I'm not sure happened with the Will Power tire and Dario on the second pitstops, though I have an interesting photo that might shed some light on it... I'll have to wait for the video.
Tony Kanaan passed Franchitti for the lead late in the second stint, and promptly left him behind.

On final pit stops, Helio Castroneves got past the leaders to control the race for himself. He raised Dario's ire by his behavior on the restart (again, I'll have to see the video), but word soon spread that he had a left rear tire going down. Before he could pit and give away his lead (and a lap or two), Tony Kanaan spun by himself in turn 4 and knocked a couple of corners off of his car. Helio could now pit to replace his tire with minimal loss of position and Dario was relieved of his primary competition for the lead.

The last restart had the leaders lined up: Dario, Graham Rahal, Will Power, and Oriol Servia. When the green flew, Rahal's efforts were for nought as Dario held his lead. Servia capitalized on the opportunity and passed Power for third. Helio tried using his fresh tires to advantage, but really didn't make much progress. Dario pulled out about a 1.6 second lead on Rahal that he would hold for the rest of the race (I timed the interval every lap-Rahal had nothing for Dario).

The finishers:
1. Dario-the class of the field. Dominated without running away, if that makes any sense. I think he has a lot of legitimate complaints, but maybe he should air them in private, especially after winning. I'm a big Dario fan, but sometimes its hard to spread his gospel...
2. Graham-Had a quiet day of slowly moving up. Almost surprised to see him up this high at the end. If I'm counting right, that's 3 top 5s in 4 races. Won't be long before he wins a few of these.
3. Servia-Another guy who was in the hunt all day. One wonders how much better he could have done without the pit stop that dropped him to ninth mid-race. Again, I'd like to see the video.
4. Power-Again, quietly picked his way to the front position-by-position. Did exactly what he needed to in order to pick up points.
5. Patrick-What? Where did she come from? I'm not even sure she was in the top ten for most of the day. On the lead lap, sure, but silent otherwise.
6. Hinchcliffe-He hung around in the top 10 all day, finally getting up to sixth as the best-finishing rookie.
7. Dixon-For every bit of good luck Dario gets, Dixon gets a bit of bad. I heard he had a broken front wing today, and there was the pit incident with Sato.
8. Sato-What? The sole surviving KV car, yet he still suffered through plenty of problems.
9. Helio-I feel a little bad for him, but if Dario is right I'll change my mind when I see the video.
10. Justin Wilson-Looked racy early on, but had to settle for 10th. For someone who is supposedly only good on road courses, he acquitted himself well.

Overall, I thought it was a great race, even if the drama wasn't (usually) about the leader. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after watching a replay, but for now I'll go to bed happy and hope that my next Indycar race will be sooner than 11 months from now...

On Randy Bernard

Once again, the world of Indycar racing has not failed to give its legions of fans something to talk about. Thursday night, series CEO Randy Bernard appeared on the Trackside with Cavin and Kevin radio show (also available in convenient podcast form, so none of the aforementioned legions has an excuse for missing this essential weekly discussion show). He talked about a number of things, some expected and some not.
First, the events and opinions surrounding the Texas Twin races last weekend. It's well known that not everyone was pleased with the halftime show and blind draw for the second race's grid. The good and the bad were pointed out and discussed. The good: the fans in the stands seemed to love it, every driver got some TV time, interest was created. The bad: Race One winner Dario Franchitti was relegated to the 28th starting position while his nemesis Will Power drew the 3rd starting place, the show ran a little long, and TV ratings didn't improve as much as was hoped-a situation exacerbated by the long intra-race break. To Bernard's credit, he admitted that a mistake was made and that at least two changes would be made for next year's Twin races (even if they aren't held at Texas): A blind draw will not be used to set the field for the second race, and the halftime show will be shorter. Good moves, and probably the best compromise even with all this year's format's advantages.
He also pointed out that, with tobacco sponsorship out of the picture, Indycar is free to market to kids again. They've already begun with reduced minimum ages for pit and paddock passes this year, but I'm looking forward to whatever else they have in mind. Naysayers may observe that 10 year olds can't buy tickets, souvenirs, concessions, etc, but they have parents who do. Parents that might indulge their children's interest and take them to races, buy merchandise, etc, and create fans for life.
While ratings were up less than hoped for at Texas, Bernard also pointed out that ratings number will be slow to improve and that we should not be discouraged by slow short-term growth. Many things in life happen much slower than we'd like, and this is no different. We should not expect Milwaukee to sell out this weekend, nor should we expect its ratings to beat those for NASCAR at Michigan (though anyone flipping channels between races will likely find the better one to be on the West side of Lake Michigan). Groundwork will be laid, however, and after a couple of years much more progress should have been made.
The big moment was when he talked about working on getting a race run at Phoenix International Raceway. The understanding was that Bernard wished to run a race early in the year, before NASCAR's flagship Daytona 500 in February. His hope was to run on the oval at Phoenix, but he revealed tonight that, after placing a number of calls to the track president there, none were returned. Bernard was clearly insulted by this and had some choice words for PIR's leadership. Good for him. Talk tough with the ISC tracks (which are, in essence, controlled by NASCAR's leadership). It is baffling that they wouldn't want to talk about holding an event that would make them money... There is a precedent, however. (And I'm going partially on memory and partially on search engine results here) In Champ Car's final years, they made overtures to run a race at PIR. They were offered an embarrassing Thursday night date before the NASCAR weekend. Rejecting this proposal, the Champ Car leadership pursued a street race in downtown Phoenix. As they dealt with the local government to make it happen, PIR's track leadership (the same individual who allegedly hasn't returned Bernard's calls) and NASCAR stepped in and offered opinions that such a race would not be worthwhile, again using pointed language. That race was eventually cancelled, and Champ Car merged with Indycar not long afterward.
From an outside observer's perspective, it appears that Indycar isn't wanted at PIR. As long as the current leadership is in place, it should probably stay away. Which is just as well. Two Cup dates at the track (that I doubt sell it out) are very steep competition.
Instead, I suggest another venue for an early-season race. A 500-miler at California Speedway. The climate should be good and there is only one NASCAR date to compete with.

Milwaukee Preview

This weekend, the Izod Indycar series returns to the venerable Milwaukee Mile after a year’s absence. Its return to the schedule was requested by fans, series CEO Randy Bernard, and (especially) the drivers. Unlike the cookie-cutter mile and a halfs, Milwaukee is a bullring that cannot be taken flat out and requires more driver activity and skill.

Before moving to the greater Milwaukee media market (I don’t think my current municipality of residence can be considered ‘suburban’), I honestly hadn’t given the race much thought. I’d been aware of its place in history, but aside from a couple of ghastly incidents, I don’t think I ever paid much attention. Even after moving here, personal turbulence kept me away from races. In 2009, I was suffering through the middle of a period of extended unemployment when attending the Indy 500 after a six year hiatus proved therapeutic. I debated off and on attending the Mile race before finally deciding that a half hour drive and a parking-lot ticket were small prices to pay for another great time at the races. The race did not disappoint, and I now always make an effort to attend whatever races I can.

I think this race has real potential for being a community event and a highlight of the calendar. And I’m not just saying that because it’s my home track. Milwaukee (like Indianapolis) is that rare major race track that’s actually located well within a city. As part of the state fairgrounds, it is surrounded on all sides by business districts and residential areas. Those potential spectators and profit-making businesspeople stand to benefit in ways not possible for even neighbors of downtown street circuits. They have a literal home race, one that could actually be in their backyard. And it’s an oval-arguably the easier race for the new or inexperienced fan to get into and follow. Hopefully the current promoters will be able to exploit the track’s advantages in location, layout, and race-loving residents and return Milwaukee to a place of prominence on the schedule.

Since May began with a fly-away event in Brazil and continued with the extravaganza that is the run-up to Indianapolis, and was followed by the experimental Texas Twin 275s, Milwaukee is the first “normal” race in more than two months. There will be no Byzantine qualifying procedure, no parade, no halftime show draw, nothing fancy-just a race. Which is kind of refreshing. After a month of May most of them would rather forget, the five Penske and Ganassi drivers showed last week that the world is not ready to spin off its axis. With two wins and seven top fives between them, the paddock was reminded who the dominant forces in the series are.

Will Power has to remain the favorite after tossing the oval monkey off his back last week. I’ll spare my readers further discussion of the other Galactic Empire drivers. Graham Rahal qualified on the front row here in 2009 and finished best-in-class (4^th) in a Newman-Haas car. I’ll make the logical extension and mention current Newman-Haas pilot, veteran Oriol Servia, as well. Danica Patrick strikes me as the most likely of the Andretti Autosport drivers to have a good day. Tony Kanaan can’t ever be counted out (and is a two-time winner here), and it’s entirely possible the Sam Schmidt Motorsports stable will surprise again. Most wins among active drivers is Paul Tracy with 4, but it remains to be seen if his team can keep up with Penske and Ganassi on an oval.

I’m looking forward to a good race, with double-file restarts, some passes for the lead, and a lot of action through the field.

Texas Preview

If there’s an event on the schedule that can rival this year’s Indianapolis 500 in excitement, speed, and unpredictability, it’s the doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

Last week, 65 year-old NASCAR team owner Richard Childress took exception with driver Kyle Busch’s actions, reportedly put him in a headlock, and punched him several times. Allegedly. Indy car fans may note that this is not the first time a cantankerous car owner has physically assaulted another team’s driver. Allegedly. Fourteen years ago, what was then called the IRL ran for the first time at the new-for-1997 Texas Motor Speedway. AJ Foyt driver Billy Boat was flagged the winner and his team gathered in victory lane to celebrate. Freshly crowned two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk felt differently and was on his way to discuss his opinion of the results with… someone? AJ apparently didn’t appreciate this and kind of slapped/pushed Arie to the ground. Allegedly. The following day it was revealed that sanctioning body USAC had made a scoring error (allegedly), leading to the erroneous flagging of Boat as the winner and that the real winner was, in fact, Arie Luyendyk. (This was the second embarrassing public gaffe made by USAC in less than a fortnight. Allegedly. On the final lap of the Indianapolis 500, the flagman waved the green flag to unexpectedly end the last caution period. Adding to the confusion, the yellow caution lights remained on around the speedway as Arie took the green flag on the way to his second victory. Allegedly. The Texas race would be the last one sanctioned by USAC.)

Since 1997, Texas has become one of the cornerstones of the Indycar schedule. Well attended and adored by fans for its lap-after-lap side-by-side action, it is somewhat less popular with drivers. The current generation of Indy car is underpowered and overgripped here, leading to a situation not unlike restrictor plate NASCAR races: Drivers are forced to run side-by-side, in close quarters, and are unable to accelerate away from potential danger. The constant threat of danger makes watching a Texas race an exercise in breath-holding and nail-chewing. It’s not a condition I enjoy, but like NASCAR restrictor plate races, its popularity with the general fan base ensure that it will be a part of the Indycar series for the foreseeable future.

Two new factors will shape this year’s race, or I should say “races.” The 550 kilometer race has been separated into a pair of 275 kilometer events, each with its own winner and each paying half points and prize money. The grid for the first race will be set by traditional qualifying; the second by blind draw during the one hour inter-race break. Already nerve-wracking racing at Texas promises to be more so, compounded by the double-file restart procedure. I'm surprised the drivers aren't making a big stink about the rules here like they did at Indianapolis.

On to the handicapping. It was clear that everyone, from the loftiest media outlet to nearly every fan, wanted to pick someone from outside the Big Five Galactic Empire teams to win. It was also clear that no one wanted to lose any money on the race, so almost no one actually chose a non-Penske or Ganassi car to win the race. In fact, the Galactic Empire's Indy meltdown was surprising in its totality. One wonders if these five teams will show their usual invincibility, or if every air gun and fuel rig on pit road will simultaneously fail again. My picks:

1. Dario Franchitti - (Hey, I'm hedging my bets. Again.) Will be on a mission after Indy. Do not get in his way...

2. Tony Kanaan - He's Tony Kanaan. And he's tasted the podium this year. Won't be long before the KV car is in victory lane. Maybe that podium flavor will inspire team leadership to find a way to crash less often.

3. Graham Rahal - Momentum + Galactic Empire Equipment =He's coming to the front or will wreck trying.

4. Will Power - May get as close to an oval win as ever.

5. Marco Andretti - Most Likely to Succeed of the Andretti cars

6. JR Hildebrand - New fan favorite would be higher up, but a) his knee appears to be injured, though he'll still drive and b) I gotta be contrarian.

I'm looking forward to Saturday night's races and will come back with a full report.

Also in the near future: My Sports Car Racing Manifesto.

2011 Indy 500 Notes, Continued

I’ll take one more look back at some items from the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 and the stories surrounding it.

Hot Wheels “Fearless at the 500” World Record Jump: Basically, a full-size Hot Wheels track (100’ tall) was built in order to launch a car on a world record jump attempt. Gimmicky? Sure, but if all the 8 year olds in the audience were as thrilled as my inner 8 year old was, it did its job.

Race finish controversy: It had to happen. As I mentioned before, there was no controversy about the finish of the race: the track was still green when Wheldon passed Hildebrand’s crippled car. Or so I thought. Race control has been criticized for waiting to throw the yellow, when it had done so much quicker in response to incidents earlier in the day.
Without considering any of the reasons they may have had for not throwing the yellow quicker, it probably would not have made a difference in the race’s outcome. When informed that Hildebrand had wrecked, Wheldon had two choices: maintain speed and attempt to pass Hildebrand before reaching the start/finish line, or slow down, where he could settle for second place or hope that the crippled car would stop before the line.
Wheldon had nothing to lose. By maintaining speed, he was able to pass Hildebrand, and did so before the yellow light came on.
If the yellow light had come on before he completed the pass, all hope was not lost. In the worst case scenario, he would have been moved behind Hildebrand in the final running order and finished second. In the best case scenario, the finish (with Hildebrand first) would have been reviewed or protested, based on the argument that Wheldon had no expectation of remaining behind a terminally damaged car under yellow or that Hildebrand had not maintained adequate average speed under the yellow (Marco Andretti was moved in front of Alex Lloyd in the 2010 race’s finishing order for this reason). Again, the worst case scenario in this situation is that he finishes second. The presence or absence of a yellow light on the last corner of the last lap of the race would not have affected Dan Wheldon’s actions, and would not likely have affected the outcome of the race.

Double-file restarts: Yes, they were hairy, but no one seemed to have a problem making them work. I mentioned before that some of the restarts had lapped cars in some of the top positions, which I have yet to hear an explanation for. The point of double-file restarts is line cars up in their running order: 1st place on the inside of the front row, 2nd place outside of the front row, 3rd place on the inside of row 2, 4th on the outside of row 2, and so on. I wonder how the restarts would have played out if they’d been prevented from accelerating until the middle of the front stretch, as had been the original plan. I guess the question would be, how fast would they be entering turn one and how many wide could they go at that point? In retrospect, perhaps having the acceleration point in the north short chute was the best possible move in that it allowed the big mess to occur on the front stretch and get sorted out before turn one. Personally, I’m more concerned about double-file restarts during Saturday night’s doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway. The current Indy car has too little power and too much grip for the speeds at that track as it is. Bunching everyone up for all the restarts seems like a bad idea, but that’s for another blog post.

Hmm. Well, that’s it for now, I guess.

I do owe you some photos from the race weekend, please bear with me. I’ll get them up.

I’ll just add a shameless request: I’m planning to attend the June 19 Indycar race at Milwaukee, but have not yet secured a ticket. If any of my readers has an extra or knows of someone with an extra, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Why Indycar Will Race In Japan

One good thing about blogging about the Izod Indycar series is that there never lacks for subject matter. I had started a “Final Indy Review” post, plus I still owe you some photos, but something else has been on my mind.

Apparently the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster/breach of hell’s gates that struck Japan earlier this year damaged the racing surface of the oval track at Twin Ring Motegi-site of a September 17 Indycar race. Indycar announced last week that the race will be held, but moved to the road course located on the same site as the oval. This sounded to me like the nearest thing to an ideal solution possible at this point. I was surprised to discover that many do not share my opinion, with much of the vitriol focused on the replacement of one of the series’ oval races with another road course. The benefits of holding the race on the road course outweigh those of canceling the event or moving it to a stateside oval.

A race, particularly one held on another continent, is not a trivial undertaking. It is a business in and of itself that must on some level take care of facility scheduling, maintenance, staffing, promotion, marketing, organization, cleanup, race control, sanctioning, traffic flow, safety, and probably a thousand other items. This business protects itself and its investment with a contract negotiated and enforced by an army of lawyers. It will not allow itself to be easily cancelled or removed without significant penalty.
On the other side, Indycar also has an investment in the event. It expects a significant sanction fee from the promoter, has engaged in its own marketing, has a TV deal, and has worked out the logistics of moving two dozen race teams from middle America to the Far East and back.
Simply canceling the event would incur whatever penalties are specified in the contract. Considering the investment and work put into the event by the Motegi personnel, this is certainly significant. Add in Indycar’s marketing cost, the portion of the TV deal, logistics (I’m pretty sure that scheduling a pair of 747 cargo planes isn’t like a Hertz rental car that can be cancelled with a week’s notice) and the sanctioning fee, and cancellation becomes an extremely expensive propositon.
Instead, a solution has been found where the biggest change is which suspension and aero parts the teams pack with their cars. Oval track racing fans aren’t happy that they’ve lost a date on the schedule at their favorite type of track, but I have trouble seeing how the alternative (no race at all) is preferable.
It’s been suggested that, if the race were cancelled, a North American track could step up and take the date over. I am skeptical of this. Right now, there are just over three months before September 17. In order for a track to put such an event together, it would have to: Have the date free, have the track configured and equipped for an Indycar race, have resources to pay the sanctioning fee, have personnel ready to work, and promote and sell tickets. The last item sounds particularly tough. Many events on the schedule have trouble selling many tickets, even with 8 or 9 or more months of promotion. Do they expect to sell similar or greater numbers of tickets with less notice? Every schedule printed to date has “Motegi” in place for September 17. How does a promoter change that in people’s minds?

Now I’m not a fan of this event. I can’t believe that many people stay up late to watch a race from a series they’re barely aware of in the first place. It does nothing to improve or sell the product to the intended (read: American) audience. I understand that it is on the schedule as a favor to engine supplier Honda, who I believe owns the track. Indycar management appears to realize this, and the 2011 event is scheduled to be the last at the facility.

The fact remains that this event is on the 2011 schedule, and Indycar is legally and morally obligated to make every attempt to run it, even under mitigating circumstances. When a set of those circumstances arose, Indycar came up with a simple solution to what could have been an expensive, messy problem.

Who? She's Going Where?

Car trouble on my home from the race meant that I've had to spend the last two evenings crawling on my garage floor looking up into a rain of dirt, rust, and gasoline. Most of it is out of my eyes now. Oh, and the neighbors have a decaying elephant or something on their back patio, which adds a certain pungence to the night air. Come to think of it, maybe those gasoline vapors aren't so bad...
Anyway, that was time that couldn't be spent reading about the race, rewatching the race, blogging about the race, reminiscing about the race, sorting photos of the race, boring family members with details of the race, accomplishing work around the house, or spending time with the wife and kids.

To make amends, I’ll just pick a topic of recent interest and jump in.

Word on the street is that Danica Patrick is on her way to NASCAR (talk about the Galactic Empire…). Reactions, as might be expected, run from “good riddance, she’s an awful driver who torments America with exploitative lowest common denominator commercials and hates puppies” to “Indycar is over! It will never recover from losing the only star it’s ever had and we might as well shut the lights out now!!!”

While all speculation, it sounds as if she hasn’t yet made a decision. Those whose minds lead them to shadowy corners will note that ESPN (who "broke" the "story") has an interest in promoting a new superstar coming to a property they broadcast a couple dozen times a year. Otherwise, Danica is just another star in another sport that might get a mention on SportsCenter.

My opinion is that she’s headed for stock cars next year. Aside from the Indy 500, I’ve heard nothing from her about love for the sport, appreciation of heritage, building for future seasons, or trying out the 2012 cars. Without an apparent interest and a fan backlash in progress (Bertrand Baguette received as big a cheer for taking the lead from her as she did taking the lead herself), I would speculate that she’ll take her services to NASCAR’s GoDaddy-green fields and cash the checks.

Her departure would be a loss to Indycar. First, GoDaddy would presumably not return to the Indycar series. Insufferable commercials aside, any sponsor is a good sponsor. When times are tough and your series is nigh invisible, anyone who wants to write you a check so you can continue to pursue your chosen profession should be welcomed.
Second, she’s a mid-to-upper level driver running for the organization that is still the third best team in the paddock. In 2009 she finished best-in-class, scoring more points than any other non-Penske/non-Ganassi team. She also had two second place finishes last season and is always a contender at Indy, leading a number of laps late this year.
More importantly (sadly) is that she has become the most (only?) recognizable name to a series that runs under the layman’s radar. I suspect that few outside of the hardcore fan base gave much thought to the Indy 500 in the years prior to her breakthrough 2005 year. She is still probably the only recognizable name in the series-in fact, I don't doubt that she has more name recognition than "Indy car racing." Resentment of her off-track celebrity is understandable, but she is still the most powerful marketing weapon the series has. She attracts the most attention and, despite Izod's best efforts, could probably do more to sell tickets than anyone else. Would it take more than a few "Danica Patick is coming to town" billboards or local news reports to bump ticket sales? Should the series rely on a single driver for attracting fans? Of course not. If a single driver, however, can attract huge numbers of fans, the series should absolutely use her to do so. Not using her or choosing a less effective marketing tool would have the same result: lower ticket sales, lower TV ratings, and fewer fans.

Danica Patrick is neither my favorite nor my least favorite driver, but I hope she stays in Indycar.

Preliminary Race Picks

With race day fast approaching, it's time to start winnowing the field and picking the one guy who's going to win the race. But that's really hard and not much fun, so I'm going to pick a top 10. It's called "hedging my bets."

Much has been made of the Galactic Empire-like dominance of the Penske and Target Gannassi cars. They have won 8 of the last 11 500s and all but three races in the last two seasons. Popular sentiment, as one might imagine, runs against these 5 cars, and that's been buoyed by a front row containing cars from two other teams. The 500 is a different kind of race: since 2008, only 6 of the 15 available top-5s have gone to Galactic Empire teams. First, the 500 is a long enough race that alternative strategies have time to play out and work-something that doesn't happen in a 300 miler at Chicagoland or a sub 2 hour street circuit race. Second, when bad luck bites at Indy, it tends to bite hard. Recent years have seen a rash of pit road mistakes by the major teams. Only Sam Hornish was able to overcome one of these, in 2006, and then just barely.

So think of this as a "who to watch" list for the race. I'm trying to maintain a positive tone, so I'm not mentioning those teams/drivers that I think will encounter trouble (and I do think some will). I also reserve the right to change my mind up until leaving the Coke lot on Sunday morning, and may make major adjustments after carb day.

Without further ado:

1. Scott Dixon – Could have been on the pole if not for fuel issue. The most effortless, deadly fast of the Galactic Empire cars.
2. Dario Franchitti – Ordinarily a number 1 pick, but he didn’t have quite the speed Dixon did in qualifying. His experience and savvy make him likely to be up front at the end. (Now I'm wondering if his slower-than-Dixon pace in qualifying was the result of an optimized race setup insufficiently trimmed out for qualifying, which-combined I think with a great pit selection-may make him more dangerous in the race.)
   
3. Oriol Servia – Will probably be a popular pick to win, the better for taking down the Penske/Gannassi onslaught. He just might do it, and nothing would make me happier.
4. Townsend Bell – Fast in qualifying after two straight strong results as a one-off.
5. Marco Andretti – Honorary member of the Galactic Empire (his car owner father may be the least popular person in Indianapolis this week). Truth is, he’s always fast at Indy (Three podiums in five starts) and has demonstrated much-improved maturity this year.
6. Dan Wheldon – Veteran steps into the cockpit and picks up right where he left off. Seems happier and more relaxed with former teammate Herta’s team and after four race “vacation.”
7. JR Hildebrand – He’s a fast rookie with the 2^nd place team from the last three years.
8. Justin Wilson – Despite popular opinion, one of the top five drivers in the series, on road courses and ovals.
9. Tony Kanaan – Is he ever not a threat? Especially at Indy? Much better off than last year’s 33^rd place starting position. And he ran as high as second then. I'm not concerned about his KV team.
   
10. Alex Lloyd – Another driver hoping to follow up a great 2010 finish. Pulled out a great qualifying run when it counted.

Oh-I seem to have left off a Penske car. That might be a problem. I had better hedge my bets and add one more:

11. Will Power – Strongest Penske driver in the field. Riding momentum and desire.

Nostalgia and Sentimentality and my History with the 500

I was going to expand on the last post and complain about the lack of comprehension or understanding of the role money has played in racing since, oh, about the beginning of time. But I've decided I'm tired of the whole thing and am not really interested in rehashing or explaining it further.
I'm preparing my picks for the race, but I don't think I'm ready to share those, either. So I'll go with something a little more positive.
I love the 500. I was 17 when I first visited the track, went to the museum, stayed at the Brickyard Crossing Motel, and took the bus tour. The receipt from that tour "Certified that the bearer of this ticket has completed one lap of the '500' mile race course," or words to that effect. Awkward grammar aside, I thought it was so cool that they still referred to it as the "Indianapolis 500 Mile Race"-it sounds so old-school. That ticket went on the wall of my bedroom where it reminded me of what was really the most prestigious race in the world was.
I can't pretend to have watched every race since I became a race fan (a preoccupation with NASCAR, allowing real life to interrupt, etc kind of kept me from it), but the seeds were really planted when I found myself among a group of die-hard race fans. Unfortunately, this was at the Split's beginning and I had never heard of the vast majority of the race's entrants. In those first years of the Split, I gravitated towards the CART side of the room and ignored most of the IRL races. Save, of course, for the 500. By 1999 or so, I had tired of NASCAR and had become a huge CART fan. In 2000, Chip Gannassi became the first CART owner to cross the picket line and enter the 500 with phenom Juan Montoya and veteran Jimmy Vasser. It was a week before the race when a good friend offered me a ticket. This moment, I realized later, had a big impact on, well, the rest of my life. I was excited. Even though the field wasn't what it had been in the CART years, I was still going to the Indianapolis 500!!! That weekend, not only did I take in the race, but I met up with old friends and kindled an enthusiasm for attending actual, live, professional car races. No longer was watching on TV good enough. I returned in 2001 (Tony Stewart doing the double! Helio climbing the wall!), 2002 (I am absolutely certain that Paul Tracy did NOT win that race), and 2003. Personal life intervened, and I stayed home for the 2004 race. It was not fun, and the rain delay kept me from watching the whole thing. I missed the races in '05, '06,'07, and '08 for various reasons.
In the midst of some great personal difficulty, I found myself able to attend once again in 2009. I had forgotten how good, how right, how at-home I felt in the stands with a good friend and a stopwatch. The race seemed to have waned a bit more, even since 2003, but there was a little spark-something that, despite the lack of passing and the spec car and a red-and-white-clad winner, said that the 500 was on its way back.
At home, things were improving as the 2010 race approached and I found myself able to attend again. As good as 2009 was, 2010 was better. My friends and I took part in a "fan forum" as part of the series' leadership sought to improve the sport we loved. I met bloggers and fellow fantasy racers and good friends, and even saw midgets race at IRP the night before the 500. Race day saw the most electric atmosphere I had yet seen at the track. The race didn't disappoint, as my favorite driver showed the world just how good he is, then won in a thrilling conclusion.
This year promises even more. I've listened to every one of the daily episodes of Trackside, The Talk of Gasoline Alley, the Centennial Celebration, and MoreFrontWing's Centennial Interview Series. Somehow, I'm not burned out. I'm looking forward to Sunday's race more than ever-the marching bands, taps, box lunches, flyovers, Jim Nabors, Gentlemen Start Your Engines, the Coke Lot, Union Jack's, vintage race cars, friends new and old, and all the other pieces that make up the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Hope to see you there!