I can no longer judge how things are. Scott McLaughlin went off strategy and won IndyCar's second iRacing event. IndyCar may or may not be tilting the iRacing schedule to get better cameos. This weekend was an unexpected chance for IndyCar fans to really think about NOLA Motorsports Park and Jolyon Palmer might have a point. People are fighting in NASCARLand because that is what we need right now. Dinner with Racers put on a great show Thursday night and had Dave Despain on the broadcast. Jan Magnussen has still got it. It is now April. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Eight Years Later
Yesterday marked the eighth anniversary of writing this blog and I knew the day was coming and wanted to do something introspective.
I had not planned on doing this after three weeks of quarantine, three weeks of next no motorsports in any corner of the globe and everyone watching video games to get their fix. It just goes to show how quickly things can change.
I wanted to look back and see where I am at, how things have changed and look forward to see what is next.
I don't like putting myself out there. I know where I stand and I do not matter. That sounds harsh but this is a hobby and to act like it is anything greater would be foolish. Writing has been a hobby and throughout my life I didn't have many people I could talk to about the various forms of racing I watched. This has been a chance to share when I otherwise had no one to share with.
Do I think this is important? No. I am not changing the world but that has not really been the goal. I just wanted to write about a joy of mine.
At one point there might have been a hope that this hobby could have become more and become a career. That is a silly thought. There are probably a hundred thousand people who hope to be a motorsports writer or be involved in the circus. There is not enough money or opportunity out there for us all to make a living. I have always had a good balance though where I could work and do something I love and still have time for this hobby. If that balance maintains where I can make a living doing something I love and I can keep doing this for fun then I will take that.
We are all human. There are times when work takes over and we have to put hobbies aside. We all have busy periods but they pass and life resumes a normal order. I am fortunate for the life I have.
There has been a good pattern I have developed with this and it took time to figure it out. The early stuff was terrible. I am not going to lie but I wasn't sure what I was doing eight years ago. I wanted to write but what was I going to write about and how much should I write? I am not news. I know that. I knew it was not going to be practical to post every news story under the sun. That would have taken too much time, required too much attention and it would have been done for nothing in terms of pay.
It took some time to develop into a less is more mindset. I could have posted every news related story but if it is just regurgitating what every other motorsports news outlet said then what is the point? If I am not adding something new there is no reason to read this.
What I have tried to develop into is an educated commentator. I do not want to shoot from the hip and say something just to make waves and get attention. If I have a thought I want to flush it out and look see if I am right or wrong. Sometimes I convince myself I am wrong. I think it is important to admit when you are wrong.
This is a place to let ideas develop and also look at things with common sense. Let's just take the IndyCar schedule revision. We do not know if Belle Isle will happen on time or when St. Petersburg will be rescheduled but common sense says October. It would be ridiculous if one proposal would be IndyCar should go to Michigan with NASCAR in June if Belle Isle doesn't happen or Homestead should be a makeup venues or Cleveland should come back. None of those three things are happening. Common sense says so.
I try to look at things and not have a hot take. I want to sound smart and in some recent things I think I do my best thinking things through, may I suggest when the increased Indianapolis 500 purse was announced or when IndyCar announced it was bringing back grid penalties for engine changes or digesting the revised IndyCar schedule as recent examples.
Sometimes I do something a little crazy but I do it for fun. This is a place to try stuff. That is why I have broken IndyCar up into a league format or I comment on headlines at the end of each month. For the most part when I do something I try to be at least intelligent with it.
If I can be a resource to people then great. That is why I do three posts each IndyCar weekend. I do the Track Walk the Thursday before a race to set the stage for the weekend. Who is good and who is struggling? What should people know going into the weekend? Then on race day morning I do the Morning Warm-Up, another preview but more focused with the grid set and then I do First Impressions after the race, one to comment because we all watched the race and have comments, but the second reason is to look at where we are afterward.
I do previews and reviews because I think it is important to see where everyone is at and set expectations. Facts are important and facts should influence opinion. If there is a driver who has made 175 starts, has no victories, five podium finishes but hasn't had one in four years and has averaged a finish of 15.8 over the last five years that should be known. That driver should not be a favorite even if the testing pace is encouraging. What has happened the last few seasons must be known and what happened five minutes ago should not be the only thing we base our expectations on.
I was taught your previous writing should influence your current writing. It is a circular nature. I had one professor who believed if you were having trouble with an ending go back to the beginning. How does this story make sense? Complete the circle of the story.
I try to be efficient with my writing. All these previews I do shape the reviews at the end of the year. When I make predictions I go back and check those predictions. Once again, I think it is important to show when you are wrong and hold yourself accountable but in the case of predictions it creates writing in the future. It is a great way to avoid writer's block. You always have something to fall back on.
I am not going to lie and act like this is something great. I know it is niche of niche. A million people are not reading this stuff each week and I am fine with that. I love writing. It is a chance to clear and expand the mind. This might not seem worth it but I am going to hang on and continuing doing it. A day may come where the time is no longer there or it is no longer fun or the world passes by and no one is stopping to read. Until that time comes I am going to stick around.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Scott McLaughlin but did you know...
Will Rodgers won Dinner with Racers' Thursday Night Blunder from Virginia International Raceway.
Jan Magnussen and Rubens Barrichello split The Race's Legend Trophy races from NOLA Motorsports Park.
William Byron won the NASCAR video game race from Bristol. Logan Seavey won the race for non-Cup drivers.
Charles Leclerc won the Formula One video game race from Melbourne.
Coming Up This Weekend
It will be Easter weekend.
IndyCar's third iRacing event will be at Michigan, the "drivers' choice."
Dinner with Racers will run at Martinsville with Trucks on Trucks on Trucks.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
