2. Will Power finished fourth in the championship after winning three of the final five races. Compare to the last three years, this was a terrible year for Power but he picked up a win in a five-hundred mile race and his second career oval win. He will be carrying momentum into 2014.
3. Ed Carpenter got a well earned second. Tony Kanaan finished third in his quest for the $250,000 bonus and James Hinchcliffe finished fourth after being a lap down most of the night.
4. Scott Dixon finished fifth, directly in front of Helio Castroneves to take his third career championship. Dixon earned this title and luckily didn't have his engine go like his teammate Charlie Kimball. Dixon was on a tear all summer and it paid off winning a season-high four races to take the championship. I'll be honest, I think if you put them in the same car, Scott Dixon could hang with Sebastian Vettel anytime, anywhere and I think he could hang with any driver on the Formula One grid, anytime, anywhere. He is that good of racer and it can't be ignored.
5. As for the rest of the top ten. You have Marco Andretti two laps down in seventh, Simona de Silvestro pick up her first career oval top ten in eighth three laps down and Ryan Hunter-Reay and Charlie Kimball both get top tens despite retiring. You couldn't have scripted this race.
6. Can someone get JR Hildebrand a ride next year? Top Honda at the start of the race and made the full-time Honda teams and John Barnes look silly. He was in the top five until his car quit on him the same lap Kimball's did and he comes home in eleventh. Someone get him a ride.
7. Sébastien Bourdais gets twelfth in his final race for Dragon Racing as he will move to KV. He had a great day before something broke on his car. Dragon Racing's future isn't certain either. They will be fielding a Formula E team along with Andretti Autosport but that doesn't mean they will continue in IndyCar full-time. Something to keep an eye on over the winter.
8. Not a bad day for Alex Tagliani before his spin. He was a threat. I hope he can find a ride somewhere for 2014.
9. Justin Wilson went to hospital after an accident with Tristan Vautier. According to his brother Stefan, he suffered a small pelvic fracture. Still will undergo an MRI. Let's wish him the best.
10. Such a shame seeing AJ Allmendinger day ended with an accident. This will likely be his final career IndyCar start as he will be full-time in NASCAR in 2014. Maybe he runs the Double at Indianapolis but we'll have to wait and see. This part-time IndyCar gig wasn't all bad. Wasn't great but he needed more time in the car.
11. EJ Viso should get the flu for all of 2014. Carlos Muñoz is beyond ready to make the jump to IndyCar full-time next year. No in all seriousness though, Viso is sick enough to be in hospital. Muñoz accident was a tough blow for him because he was fast as anyone out there.
12. IndyCar needs a few more ovals. This car would produce great racing at Michigan, Phoenix, Loudon, Kentucky, Richmond and a few other places. There has to be a way for IndyCar and other oval tracks to find a business model to make the races profitable because the level of racing that the DW12 chassis produces on ovals should be featured more on the schedule and to different fan bases around the country.
13. Well another season in the books. I want to thank all my readers for making this a successful 2013 season. Just cause the season is over doesn't mean there isn't more racing to cover and I will wrap up the 2013 IndyCar Season tomorrow. Or later today as I can see it is nearly 1 a.m. ET.
