1. Let's start in Korea. Another dominating performance for Sebastian Vettel but he wasn't the main story for me. Nico Hülkenberg finished fourth in an impressive drive for Sauber and he still doesn't have a ride for 2014. He has driven exceptionally better than his teammate all season but for 2014 the choices are slim pickings. Apparently Lotus is running low on money and he hasn't been getting paid by Sauber for most of 2013. You want to repeat that in 2014? McLaren is going into a lame-duck season before Honda returns in 2015. Sergio Pérez is going to have a seat because he has Telmex support. Jenson Button's future is uncertain. While some think he will return, he isn't confirmed as returning. It would make sense, especially when Honda returns knowing his relationship with the manufacture.
After that, where would be a beneficial place for Hülkenberg? Red Bull? Full. Ferrari? Full. Mercedes? Full. Force India? Is it all that better than Sauber? Williams? Been there, done that. Toro Rosso is Red Bull's junior team and Catheram and Marussia aren't in the discussion. Hülkenberg is too talented to not be paid but currently there are no paying rides that will compliment Hülkenberg's driving ability. He isn't going to IndyCar. He is only goes to sports cars if it's Porsche's LMP1 program but that is nearing capacity with Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Neel Jani and it appears Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb and Brendon Hartley are front runners for the final two spots. I don't envy Mr. Hülkenberg at this current time but where ever he lands, he will be competitive.
Meanwhile, Felipe Massa finished 9th and made a move by Pastor Maldonado, Esteban Gutiérrez and Sergio Pérez in one lap that showed he is too talented to be completely left off the grid. Not many driver's could have done what Massa did, especially the three driver who were passed by Massa. He's in a similar situation as Hülkenberg but is more likely to find the funding to land at Sauber especially since they will be Ferrari powered in 2014.
2a. Let's go to IndyCar and Houston. Not much more left to be said. Glad Dario Franchitti is ok. Glad the championship will come down to the final race. Of course there are the questions over safety and future safety standards at events, especially those on temporary circuits.
The fact the catch fence was separated from the barrier and thrown into the air when Franchitti's car made contact is most concerning. The fence kept the car on the circuit but the fence then became a projectile into the crowd. Should the stands have been place there in the first place? It's easy to bring hindsight into the equation but the stands were there because fans were going to be able to see the cars fly by a high speed. It would give the fans the adrenaline rush of a car going by when it's pushing it's limits. Move those seats, you remove the fans from what they came to see.
No fan goes to race wanting to be in harms way but at the same time fans don't want to sit somewhere and watch cars go by at 35 MPH. It's a double-edge sword and as a fan who has been to races, the fans have to realize what they could be getting themselves into in if they are sitting in row one. Racing isn't alone. At other sporting events, fans run the risk of injury. Whether it be a foul ball in baseball, puck over the glass in hockey or shanked drive at a golf tournament, fans are at risk but a race car going over 100 MPH coming at you is understandable more frightening than a golf ball.
I've thought what if there was another catch fence that went over the grandstand to further protect fans from flying debris? At the same time, another catch fence would obstruct the view of the fans. What if the grandstands were raised higher? That could be an option but how much would it cost a promoter to raise a grandstand say twenty feet off the ground?
Money is the one thing that hinders further advances in safety and while that doesn't seem like a good enough excuse to way things aren't being made safer, it's the truth. Should there be a safety standard all venues from ovals to road course to temporary street courses have to adhere to? Of course but you run the risk of losing events because a promoter can't afford it and that creates a catch-22: Yes, a racing series should not go to a place that doesn't meet a safety standards but the series risks losing races, sponsorship dollar and support from different markets.
2b. Racing is funny isn't it? When it comes to an event and a sponsor getting behind it, location takes over as to whether to gets involved or not. What prevented Mike Lanigan and Shell from having last weekends races at Circuit of the Americas over a temporary circuit at Reliant Park? Key word: location. Shell wanted a race in Houston because they are based at Houston but is sacrificing safety and a proper racing circuit to meet a sponsors demand worth it?
Here is where it get funny to me: Shell sponsors the Shell Houston Open a PGA golf tournament but they don't want the tournament played in downtown Houston, it is played at Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas, about a half hour outside the city. Circuit of the Americas isn't a half hour outside of Houston but it is a venue up to standard to host a proper racing event. If Shell wouldn't host a golf tournament at a course where bunkers are grown over and the course if full of divots, why would you host a auto race on a circuit that launches cars and doesn't drain properly? Some concessions have to made by a sponsor to put on a proper event over a convenient event. Shell and Lanigan could have very well run an event at Circuit of the Americas or Road America or any oval and it be just as successful if not more than Houston was this weekend but Shell wanted a home race.
Should all temporary circuits go away? No. If they are up to standard and are suitable for a proper race, they can be on the schedule.
3. Unfortunately, it appears Dario Franchitti will likely miss the season finale at Fontana. Unless he pulls a Buddy Lazier, we won't be seeing Franchitti on track again until 2014. With that said, who would substitute for him at Fontana? The real question is does Ganassi even run the #10 at Fontana? They could easily put all their focus on Scott Dixon who is going for the title and Charlie Kimball. I think they should run the #10 at Fontana. No need to sit out for one race and why not give a deserving driver a good ride at Fontana? And not running the #10 could hurt Dixon's title hopes. The #10 could take points away from Castroneves and remember last year? Ryan Hunter-Reay was stuck in sixth and needed to finished fifth. Marco Andretti fell back, got penalized (whether intentional or not, doesn't matter) and Hunter-Reay benefited by moving up to 5th. Will Power winning on Sunday and leading the most laps dropped Dixon's possible points lead entering Fontana from 38 to 25. Who is to say Dixon won't need that kind of help at Fontana?
If a driver is put in the #10 for Fontana, it likely won't be a driver moving from a current IndyCar team. So Tony Kanaan isn't leaving KV a race early, Hinchcliffe won't volt from Andretti even if the team announces he will become the fifth Ganassi driver as the team expands even more in 2014 (Note: I have no idea what Hinchcliffe is doing).
Ryan Briscoe is out of the question because he will be at Petit Le Mans. My short list for the seat is Alex Tagliani, Townsend Bell and Conor Daly in that order. Tagliani has shown pace on the big ovals and was a contender for the race win last year at Fontana. Bell is another guy who can always find speed especially on the ovals. Daly is young talent who has shown flashes of talent but is inexperienced.
A sentimental pick for me would be Bruno Junqueira. He has raced for Ganassi before, his last couple of appearance at Indianapolis he has gotten about six practice laps and then went out and qualified with one of the top ten four-lap averages of the month but he will be at Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans like Briscoe except driving for RSR Racing in the PC class.
4. Kevin Harvick won at Kansas from pole position and keeps his Chase hopes alive. Jimmie Johnson finished sixth and Matt Kenseth in eleventh, reducing Kenseth's lead over Johnson to three points. Harvick is now twenty-five back in third with Jeff Gordon in fourth, thirty-two back. Kyle Busch fell to fifth, thirty-five back after retiring after an accident. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne round out the top thirteen.
I'll be honest. The Chase just isn't doing it. It's a two horse race and we're only halfway through the ten races. Meanwhile, while the point system was reconfigured to make winning worth more and has done that with the top two having the most wins but you have four of the top ten winless and two of the three drivers in the Chase but outside the top ten have multiple wins. Having one point increments between positions have actually made it worse. I tout the 9-6-4-3-2-1 point system Formula One used for thirty seasons because their was a substantial difference in position. You didn't race for points. You raced to be up front where it matters. You can argue every position matters now it NASCAR but do you really have to make 24th matter more than 25th. You're not even in the top half of the field.
Then there is the Nationwide Series championship. 29 races in and 25 have been won by drivers not eligible for the title. It has merely become a great way promote another two-horse race but this time for the owner's championship between two teams who could be labelled as the Joe Gibbs All-Stars vs. the Roger Penske All-Stars. It's not that it is boring, it's just doesn't pique my interest. The drivers in the car are racing to win but they aren't doing in for a championship they are eligible for. They have no reason not to take risks but it isn't exciting. Probably because they race in Cup and that's what they care about. These aren't two drivers such as Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish who are potentially racing for their future or how about Regan Smith trying to race his way back into the championship picture. Let's not forget to mention Dillon has yet to win in 2013 and could win the title. That just doesn't sit right. Something has to change.
5. Sébastien Ogier clinched the World Rally Championship with two rounds to go while Sébastien Loeb retired from his final career rally after an accident. Ogier is the first champion not named Sébastien Loeb since Petter Solberg in 2003. It's amazing to think Loeb won nine straight championships. He won the 2006 title despite missing the final four rounds due to injury and Marcus Grönholm winning three of the final four. Loeb came from behind to Grönholm in the final two rounds in 2007 to win by four points. In 2009, Loeb was one point behind Mikko Hirvonen entering the final round at Rally GB. He went on to win the race and the title, extending his streak to then six consecutive world titles. If Jimmie Johnson had a golden horseshoe, Loeb had one for each foot.
As for WRC's future, Citroën will return, Volkswagen appears to be the new top dog with Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala and we will have to see how Hyundai does when they enter next year. There are reports of "radical format changes" for WRC in 2014 and they sound interesting. We will have to wait and see what happens.
As for Loeb, he's already had success in the FIA GT Series and next year he will lead Citroën into the World Touring Car Championship where they will take on the likes of Honda, Lada and customer Chevrolets.
Also, Robert Kubica picked up his fourth win in the WRC-2 season as he leads that championship. I really hope to someday see Kubica in single-seaters again.
6. Congratulations to Pickett Racing for their eighth consecutive win in the LMP1 class by taking the win at VIR over Dyson Racing in a hard fought battle. Pickett Racing will look to go out with a bang at Petit Le Mans in just under a fortnight. Ryan Briscoe and Scott Tucker won their second consecutive race at VIR and that locked up the LMP2 team title for Level 5 Motorsports. Kyle Marcelli and Chris Cumming won the PC class for the second consecutive race as Marcelli keeps his championship title hopes alive. He trails Mike Guasch by 11 with one to go.
In GT, Risi Competizione with Matteo Malucelli and Olivier Beretta won their first race since Road America in 2011. The CORE Autosport Porsche of Patrick Long and Colin Braun finished second as Jan Magnussen and Antonio García finished third and increased their lead over Dirk Mùller. With Corvette finishing in third, they locked up the GT title with one round to go. Damien Faulkner and Ben Keating won in GTC at VIR with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Cooper MacNeil heading to Petit as GTC point leaders over Henrique Cisneros.
It's sad realizing there is only one round of the ALMS championship to go before it is all gone. Despite their being two sports car series, each had their own aurora. The glory days of ALMS for me were the Audi LMP1-Penske Porsche LMP2 battles especially when the Acura program entered the equation. Interclass battles for overall were exciting and showed the all powerful Audi program wasn't as invisible as they seemed in Europe. I'm going to miss seeing LMP1 cars at Sebring, Petit and Road America and hope one day we could see LMP1 cars fly around the high banks of Daytona for the 24 Hours of Daytona.
7. The Indy Lights championship comes down to the hire with Sage Karam leading over Gabby Chaves by 16 points. Jack Hawkswoth is all not mathematically eliminated if twelve or more drivers enter at Fontana. Should twelve enter, and Hawksworth score max points and have Karam finish twelfth or worse and Chaves finish fourth or worse, Hawksworth will win the title on a tiebreaker of four wins to Karam's three. If thirteen drivers enter Fontana, Carlos Muñoz is alive for the championship but he would need to score max points, have Karam finish thirteenth or worse and Chaves finish fourth or worse to win the title on a tiebreaker over Karam. Muñoz would have four wins to Karam's three.
The events of this season is not on Hawksworth's or Muñoz's side. The most cars to enter an oval race this year is 11, with 12 entering at Houston being the largest field this season. However, three of the drivers at Houston have never raced on an oval before. Those three are Axcil Jefferies, Giancarlo Serenelli and Matthew Di Leo. Eight cars have entered every race this season and Kyle O'Gara who entered Indianapolis with Sam Schmidt's team will return for Fontana. That brings the grid up to nine with the #22 Team Moore Racing entry being the next likely car on the grid. Conor Daly finished third driving the #22 at Houston.
If either Karam or Chaves win the title, I don't think they have to rush into IndyCar. Karam turned 18 only weeks before this season began. He could easily spend another year or two in Lights and then go to IndyCar in 2016 when he is 21 years old. Chaves is 20 but another year in Indy Lights wouldn't hurt him either.
That's will be all for now. Keep an eye for more as IndyCar's season finale is fortnight away, Formula One heads to Japan, NASCAR heads to Charlotte and MotoGP returns to the track in Malaysia.
