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| For the fifth time, Scott Dixon is victorious at Mid-Ohio |
He barely made it, running out of fuel in turn one right after taking the checkered flag but it still counts. He and Mike Hull worked the strategy to perfection. A once-in-a-lifetime drive by Dixon deserved this victory.
2. Sébastien Bourdais has to be thinking he should have pushed the Kiwi a little harder when Dixon stayed out under caution and the Frenchman came in for fuel and tires. The pole-sitter comes home second but he very well could have won if he had only pushed a little harder.
3. James Hinchcliffe went from seventeenth to sixth on lap one when Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti got together. The all-out move leapfrogged the Canadian into position for his first podium of 2014 and he took advantage coming home in third. It's been a rough season for Hinchcliffe. He has the second best average starting position but always appears to find something to ruin his day. It was a much needed run with a month to go.
4. Carlos Muñoz came home where he started in fourth. He had a solid day as he looks to cement his rookie of the year status. He has rarely put a wheel wrong this year and don't rule him out for a victory in one of the final three races.
5. A career best fifth for Graham Rahal at his home race. I feel every time he gets a top ten we are saying he is turning it around. I'd like to believe it but we've seen him get a top five or top ten and then follow it up with poor result after poor result, some are not of his doing. Rahal was strong all weekend but can he have another strong weekend in a fortnight at Milwaukee and then another one the week after that at Sonoma and another a week after that at Fontana? It's easy to have one great weekend, the top drivers have great weekends every time out.
6. Will Power came home where he started in sixth while Hélio Castroneves had a throttle issue before the race even began dropping him to nineteenth and handing Power a four point lead with three races to go. It's anyone's championship but Penske showed it's human today. The team that seems to always avoid mechanical gremlins had one catch them out today. While Power and Castroneves have separated themselves from third in the championship but as close as it is, one minor issue could sink championship hopes.
7. Charlie Kimball and Ryan Briscoe went from row ten to top ten finishes. Kimball had some great battles with Will Power while Ryan Briscoe had been fast all weekend before his spin in qualifying set him back. Nice comeback for both but I will say it again, if only Charlie Kimball could qualify in the top ten, he would be a championship contender.
8. Simon Pagenaud finished where he started in ninth. He never seemed to have the umph to challenge at the front. Meanwhile, Ryan Hunter-Reay went from the thick of the championship picture to shooting himself in the foot twice to salvaging a top ten. Had he not been caught speeding after his first pit stop, he may have won this race and if he hadn't caused a caution, Scott Dixon may have not been in victory lane. Hunter-Reay made a last lap pass on Juan Pablo Montoya for tenth and, like Dixon, had barely enough to make it to the end as he ran out around turn eleven after the checkers.
9. But the team that shot themselves in the foot the hardest was Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. They had the pace but on their final pit stop, a miscue, they left the air hose out as Newgarden came in. He ran over it, they had a slow stop because he ran over it and right rear tire changer stumbling, was penalized and came home twelfth. What could have been. We keep saying a win is coming for Newgarden but what if it doesn't? He is approaching his 50th career start and only twenty-seven drivers have picked up their first career win in their 50th start or later. He is only 23 but time is ticking. In motorsports, career can end very young despite talent. SFHR is a nice team but imagine if Newgarden was with Penske, Ganassi, Andretti, Schmidt or KV. What could he be able to accomplish?
10. To reiterate, Will Power holds a four point lead over Hélio Castroneves. Ryan Hunter-Reay made up a minuscule amount of ground and barely hung out to third. He is 63 points back with Simon Pagenaud 64 back and Juan Pablo Montoya 101 back in fifth. Scott Dixon is 108 back after his victory. The top thirteen drivers remain eligible for the championship. If anyone want to challenge Power or Castroneves they are going to need to win one of the two races before Fontana. It wouldn't be wise to rely on double points to win the championship.
11. Another week off before a three week sprint to the championship. The season and summer ends simultaneously. Labor Day weekend is going to be rough.
