NASCAR at Watkins Glen, sports cars at Road America, another weekend off for IndyCar, the final episodes for Speed Center and Wind Tunnel. That sums up this past weekend but there are a few more items to get to.
First, happy 80th birthday to the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones.
Second, I really do enjoy NASCAR on road courses. The down side is there is a good chance of their being a caution every twelve laps. I still don't understand and disagree with closing the pits, regardless of it being an oval or road course, especially with electric timing an scoring. Closing the pits is part of the problem why cautions last so long. Think about it this way, caution comes on, pits close. They do one lap with the pits closed, pits opens on the second lap, third lap they make sure the running order is correct, fourth lap they line up and go green. The way it's set up is for a minimum of four laps and that's if their isn't a large clean up. If they just left the pits open, everyone would come in, by the end of the first caution lap, mostly everyone would have service done, beginning of second caution lap the last few cars get service and the field can line up to go green with those final cars getting lined up at the back of the line. It seems simple enough to me.
Third, last night was the final episodes of Speed Center and Wind Tunnel. It was sentimental as I watched two shows I grew up with for over ten years say goodbye. I will miss Dave Despain. I will miss racing series of all disciplines from around the globe getting a place where they could get some of the same spot light NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One got. Racing needs a show. I've been thinking this for a while but if NBCSN wants to compete with ESPN and now Fox Sports 1, they need daily shows dedicated to different sports. It's absurd to think NBCSN will show both the English Premier League and Major League Soccer but won't have a daily soccer show and ESPN and FS1 will. Hockey should have a daily presence as well. In my opinion, Tuesday through Friday NBCSN should have a soccer and hockey show on at 3:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET with on Wednesday the soccer show being at 2:00 p.m. and a weekly racing show covering everything at 3:00 p.m. That's just my opinion.
Also, if I am IndyCar, I try to budge the network to show a Friday IndyCar practice either followed by or preceded by an IndyCar talk show from the track from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. So either the talk show is 1:30 to 2:00 with practice 2:00 to 3:00 or practice 1:30 to 2:30 with the talk show closing out the broadcast. NBCSN needs more live content and I don't think it would hurt to show a live practice on Friday afternoon. I'm wouldn't ask for every practice be shown live, heck I am fine with qualifying shown taped but showing a practice where things are calmer than a qualifying session and allowing the guys in the booth to calmly talk about the series, the same way it is done for Formula One Friday practice, would be beneficial to IndyCar, IndyCar sponsors would get more air time on television and I think it could draw more viewers than what is shown currently at 2:00 p.m. on a Friday.
It's likely not going to happen but if I am IndyCar, I got to try and budge the network into doing it because the way I look at it, Formula One gets a practice shown live and when NASCAR returns to NBC in a few years they will probably have at least one practice session shown live. IndyCar has got to look and see if NBCSN can throw them a bone every now and then.
Fourth, I'd like to see NASCAR run the boot section of Watkins Glen one year. I am not sure it would make for a better race but I'd like to see NASCAR try it.
Fifth, can someone explain to me why Penske Racing would allow Sam Hornish, Jr. to finish second in Nationwide races to his teammates who are ineligible for the championship? Brad Keselowski won at Watkins Glen this weekend with Hornish finishing second and it's the third time Hornish has finished second to Keselowski or Joey Logano this year. Hornish is three points behind Austin Dillon in the Nationwide standings. If Hornish had won those three races he finished second in, he'd be up six points on Dillon. It makes no sense to me and yes I understand the #22 Discount Tires Ford is in the hunt for the owner's championship but if the #22 doesn't win the owner's championship and Hornish loses the Nationwide title by single digits, what does that accomplish? I understand Cup guys run Nationwide races to please sponsors, help sell tickets and draw viewers to the television but in Penske Racing's case, Hornish should be the number one guy on that team, not the slew of drivers who jump in and out of the #22.
I think back to the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Ron Hornaday finished second to his teammate Ryan Newman in a one-off at the fall race at Atlanta. Hornaday could have scored fifteen more points had he won over Newman. At Homestead, Hornaday lost the title by seven points to Johnny Benson. I hope Penske Racing doesn't repeat the same mistakes Kevin Harvick Incorporated did five years ago.
I know team orders aren't a thing in NASCAR but you have a guy who can't win that series championship taking away points from his teammate who can win the championship. If anything, the #22 should be running block for Hornish.
Sixth, how about a NASCAR endurance race on a road course with co-drivers? Now, I propose this for the Nationwide Series race and not the Cup race so I don't freak everyone out. How about, at Watkins Glen, a four hour Nationwide race where a driver cannot do any more than ninety minutes in one stint? You could see Cup regulars and Nationwide regulars teaming up, sports car guys brought in, maybe even two sports car drivers teaming up. I think it would be fun to try. Kind of like the V8 SuperCar events.
Seventh, I did not see Brandon Hartley and Scott Mayer, the man who failed Indianapolis 500 rookie orientation twice winning the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Road America but they did. It's going to be a good battle for the Daytona Prototype championship between Starworks, Gainsco, Action Express, Wayne Taylor Racing and Ganassi. I don't expect Kansas Speedway to be a great race next week and to be honest, I'll be a little disappointed if that ends up on the 2014 USCR calendar over places such as Mosport, Mid-Ohio, Barber, Lime Rock and Long Beach.
Eighth, Pickett Racing won another ALMS race as they approach Audi R8 dominance territory but the DeltaWing finally finished a race on the lead lap this year. It has been a tough year but Andy Meyrick and Katherine Legge did a really good job yesterday. Congratulations to SRT Viper as they picked up their first GT win since returning to ALMS with Dominik Farnbacher and Marc Goossens. Congratulations to Simon Pagenaud winning in place of the injured Ryan Briscoe in LMP2.
Nine, next year for United SportsCar Racing is going to be really interesting. The Road America doubleheader was a great litmus test. The LMP2 pole time from Level 5 Motorsports was 5.222 seconds faster than the Daytona Prototype pole sitting BMW/Riley from Team Sahlen and they are going to be in the same class next year. It's also going to be fun to try and explain to my father (who knows nothing about racing) why the GTLM Ferrari 458 Italia is 6.272 seconds faster than the GTD Ferrari 458 Italia, though they look alike. Trust me, I have been trying to explain the difference between the two GT classes in ALMS and Grand-Am for years and he still doesn't get it.
Ten, Matthew Brabham (the American Wallaby as I have nicknamed him) won the Pro Mazda championship this weekend at Trois-Rivières with one round to spare. He's with Andretti Autosport, I expect they'll just plop him to one their Lights cars next year. Heck, why not plop him into a car for Houston and Fontana? After seeing how good he was in Pro Mazda, I wouldn't rule him out for the win if he was in the Lights field for Houston. Though the grid size isn't massive, there are some pretty talented drivers in the ladder system. Diego Ferreira has been impressive. Spencer Pigot and Scott Anderson can hold their own. I'd even like to see Shelby Blackstock get a shot in Indy Lights. In U.S. F2000, a dozen drivers have shown potential. Scott Hargrove, Neil Alberico and Garrett Grist all appear ready for Pro Mazda next year. Danilo Estrela, Florian Latorre, Wyatt Gooden. Henrik Furuseth and Peter Portante all have promise and a bunch of other young guys should improve with another year in U.S. F2000.
It's important though that we realize it is unrealistic to expect every driver to move a step up each year. What Tristan Vautier did winning then Star Mazda and Lights back-to-back years to get to IndyCar and what Brabham has done winning U.S. F2000 and now Pro Mazda back-to-back years to land in Indy Lights won't happen for everyone. Just because one driver stays an extra year in U.S. F2000 or Pro Mazda or Indy Lights doesn't mean they don't have what it takes to make it to IndyCar. Some need a little extra time and there is nothing wrong with that.
Lots of interesting racing coming up this weekend. MotoGP returns to Indianapolis, NASCAR at Michigan, Nationwide Series at Mid-Ohio and Grand-Am at Kansas and I bet there will be plenty of news that arises over the course of this week.
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