What Controversy?

The Indycar world is abuzz about the closing stages of last weekend's race at Sonoma, where Scott Dixon's championship drive took a hit when he was penalized for causing an incident in rival Will Power's pit. I wasn't sure what to think at first, and might have even leaned to the pro-Dixon side. By the time I turned off the broadcast after hearing Beaux Barfield's explanation for the penalty, I was convinced it was the right move.
Dixon drove through part of Power's pit stall, where he made contact with a crewman and/or equipment. That's it, that gets a penalty. Period. Where he drove in prior or later stops is irrelevant. He was in Power's pit stall and hit one of Power's crewmen. Things were kind of vague until Barfield explained where exactly the pit stall boundaries were, but once that was clarified, it was an easy call to make. Power's guy was where he had every right to be, doing what he had every right to do. Dixon got too close and there was an incident. Therefore, the penalty was just and should stand.

For what it's worth, the real 'Dick Move' was Dixon accusing Power's crewman of cheating (i.e. being where he shouldn't have been). Not that I blame Dixon, his emotions were understandably high at the moment. (See! Scott Dixon does have emotions!)

The last few races might just be a bit more fun to watch now that Badass Scott Dixon has a few more points to make up. I'm looking forward to them!

Now There's an Idea...

(Yes, more of the Manifesto is coming. It's just that other news items are cropping up...)

Once again, racer.com is reporting interesting Indycar news. This week, it's that a series of high-paying international races are being considered for the off-season. My opinion is that Indycar should focus on the North American market for several reasons (see the upcoming Manifesto entries for elaboration). However, what is being proposed is apparently something slightly different from what I expected. If international races are run outside the championship (or under a second championship) and during the off-season, they could resolve a few problems. First, money. If the international races pay and the series needs money, then go for it. Second, a half-year off-season. Stay out of the domestic market when football and NASCAR rule it, but keep on the fan's radar. Use the time to build or maintain international fans, make some money, AND keep us die-hard domestic fans happy. I was dead-set against racing outside of North America, but this makes sense. I'm intrigued. It's an example of some new, fresh thinking that we feared was lost with the departure of Randy Bernard. Could it still fail to deliver? Sure, but I'm willing to see where this goes.

Until next time,

(Don't forget about the shirt above-you'll be the envy of all the new global Indycar fans! Thanks!)