Sunday, April 15, 2012

Long Beach: First Impressions

1. Chevrolet has the upper hand. They aren't miles ahead but they are clearly ahead of Honda after today's race. Will Power fuel conservation was truly impressive, especially after the worries Takuma Sato's crew had about making it to the finish when they pitted more than a half dozen laps after Power. Not to mention the drives by Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan and Rubens Barrichello.

2. Simon Pagenaud proved his talent once again and it would not be crazy to think he could win a race or two.

3. I disagree with the penalty to Hunter-Reay. He was clearly side-by-side with Sato and was going for it on the last lap when he could make it to the finish and Sato was stretching it.

4. Sad news: In a report from Marshall Pruett, it appears Paul Tracy has decided to retire and will not attempt Indy this year. The 2003 CART Champion appeared to try to get a deal with Mike Shank for the season but sponsorship and engine manufactures seemed to get in the way of a farewell tour for the Thrill From West Hill.

Keep an eye out for a full report on the action from Long Beach.