Thoughts Before Austin and Homestead

With this upcoming weekend arguably being one of the biggest race weekends in the United States, I have a few thoughts before Formula One runs the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas and NASCAR wraps up their three national touring divisions seasons at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

1. With Formula One coming stateside, I can't fail to express how grateful I feel for having Formula One back in the States. After four years without a race, last year's race was comforting to know Formula One has a nice home in Austin. I won't be there but I am still grateful. Formula One belongs in the United States and the race should be supported by everyone. It is unfortunate the USGP and the final NASCAR race fall on the same weekend. More should be done to make sure the Formula One race is run unopposed by any other major American series.

In essences, the USGP should be the grand finale to the American racing season. After the NASCAR, IndyCar, sports cars and NHRA seasons have all concluded, the final event being the most-known series in the world would be a nice way to end the year.

2. While Formula One is going to Austin, Kimi Räikkönen will not be going to Austin or São Paulo after deciding to have back surgery. This will ends Räikkönen's two-year tenure at Lotus with two victories, fifteen podiums and four fastest laps to his name.

Davide Valsecchi is the likely replacement for Räikkönen. Valsecchi won the 2012 GP2 Series championship and won the 2009-10 GP2 Asia Series championship before becoming a Lotus test driver this year.

While Valsecchi will likely be in the car, I'd propose American Alexander Rossi to drive at Austin. Rossi had a decent season in GP2 and won at the final round at Abu Dhabi. Rossi is scheduled to drive Friday first practice for Caterham, his third with the team in the last two seasons, but I think it would be beneficial for this race if an American were to be on the grid.

If not Rossi, why not Conor Daly? Daly finished third in the 2013 GP3 Series final standings and scored points in GP2 at Malaysia, the only GP2 round he competed in 2013. Daly also competed in the Indianapolis 500 this year where he started thirty-first and finished twenty-second, two laps down. 2013 GP3 Series champion Daniil Kyvat will be making the jump to Formula One in 2014 driving for Toro Rosso. Why couldn't Daly make the jump for this one Formula One race? Not to forget mentioning the team Daly competed for in GP3, ART Grand Prix was by Lotus in 2011 and 2012.

I'm sure obtaining a FIA Super License would be an issue for both Rossi and Daly not to forget mentioning both have limited to no experience in a Formula One car. It would be wonderful to see either Rossi or Daly competing for Lotus at Austin but I can resign with the fact Valsecchi will finally get the opportunity he deserves to compete in Formula One.

3. NASCAR heading to Homestead and the three championships are in three different scenarios. All Matt Crafton has to do is start at Homestead and the championship is his. Austin Dillon leads Sam Hornish by eight in a battle that should come down to the final lap. Jimmie Johnson leads Matt Kenseth by twenty-eight points and Kevin Harvick by thirty-four in what appears to be Johnson's championship to lose with Kenseth and Harvick both in a must-win situation.

4. I was thinking, what if they made the final race at Homestead a winner-take-all event where the winner of the race would get the maximum 48 points and the remaining 42 drivers got naught? If that were the case, Johnson, Kenseth and Harvick would still be the only drivers eligible to win the title it's just Johnson can't rely on finishing twenty-third or better to win the title because if either Kenseth or Harvick were to win, they would become champion. Johnson couldn't just ride around, trying to avoid harms way, he would have to run at a comparatively more competitive pace.

I think it would be an interesting way to decide a championship not to forget mentioning it could  increase viewership if people knew the winner of the race could be the champion, regardless of where everyone else finished.

While it would be different from other races in that only the winner would get points, the winner of Homestead wouldn't be getting anymore points than any other winner during the season. In that sense it is fair with the only difference being second, third, fourth and so on down to forty-third would be worth nothing.

The amount of drivers mathematically eligible to win the title wouldn't change. It not's like all of sudden drivers who would not have been eligible after Phoenix would become eligible. So even if Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon won at Homestead, they wouldn't become champion, the best they could do would finish second in the standings.

5. Why couldn't IndyCar race as a support race to Formula One at Austin? I know this question has been brought up many times especially when the USGP was at Indianapolis and there are many reasons against it. But let's put aside the idea that it would be a sign of inferiority for IndyCar and that Formula One cars would be faster. It could make financial sense for IndyCar. Instead of running by themselves at Austin with possibly the other three divisions of the Road to Indy, IndyCar would be with Formula One and a race that drew over 250,000 people over the course of three days.

The IndyCars will be slower but slower does not necessarily mean the racing will be worse. I am sure there have been plenty of GP2, GP3 or Formula Renault 3.5 races that have been better races then the Formula One race they are the undercard to and if you compare the speeds IndyCars and stock cars run at Texas, Pocono and Fontana, the IndyCars are fasters, and arguably have put on the better racing, but NASCAR draws a crowd three times larger than IndyCar at those three tracks.

The same goes with Interlagos. Why couldn't IndyCar also join Formula One in Brazil? IndyCar is losing the São Paulo street race but wants to be in Brazil. Austin and Interlagos both have very few support events. Austin has Ferrari Challenge and two vintage car races. Other than that, their is plenty of  track time to make it happen. Bringing an established series such as IndyCar would give the tracks an event that may draw more people for Friday and Saturday. I am sure paddock space may be an issue but I am sure that can be worked out. If they can make Monaco work with F1, GP2, FR3.5 and Porsche Supercup, Austin and Interlagos can run F1 and IndyCar together.

I would have no problem if IndyCar ran Saturday after Formula One qualifying. Now there is a University of Texas football game next Saturday and hopefully in the future the track and the university can communicate with one another dates to avoid a game from happening race weekend. The main issue is Formula One Management and IndyCar. I am sure the fans wouldn't mind these two series running the same weekend together. This all comes down to the men in suits and them being able to put their differences aside.