April isn't quite over yet, we have two days left, and it is a race weekend. The month is basically over, and we are into it for most motorsports seasons. The only notable series yet to start its season is Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
The FIA World Endurance Championship is on the verge of Le Mans. IndyCar is on the verge of Indianapolis. Formula One is coming back after a month off and it will run ten of the next 14 weekends, starting with another new sprint weekend format. There is plenty going on and we will be busy for the next couple of months. It will only get more intriguing from here.
Kyle Kirkwood's Last Laugh
Kirkwood started April being labeled as a zero, but he will entering the final weekend as a hero.
When IndyCar returned to competition after a month break at Texas Motor Speedway, Kirkwood was coming off a disappointing St. Petersburg round, and he was not showcasing great speed at Texas. During the first round of pit stops, Kirkwood had yet to reach his pit stall as the leaders were exiting. Alexander Rossi was one of those exiting as Kirkwood was turning into his pit stall. The cars collided. Both cars were damaged, but Kirkwood was already at the rear of the field. Rossi had been contending for a top five and had a hope for competing for the victory over the final 75% of the race.
In that moment, Kirkwood was labeled as at fault and received significant backlash after the incident. His rookie season and poor opening round did not help his case. His reputation was already drawing criticism. He had no defenders.
However, as the replay was broadcasted multiple times, people started easing on Kirkwood. The worst had already been done, but Kirkwood at least got some relief.
Then came Long Beach, and Kirkwood silenced all the critics with his first career victory from pole position and defeating Josef Newgarden, Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson in the process.
It is only one race. Kirkwood could fall into his old traps, but he showed what he is capable of and that last season was not the definitive answer for his ability.
The strange thing about Kirkwood's rebound is it somewhat mirrors what Takuma Sato did in 2019, and involved the same players.
Sato was pinned for causing the accident in turn two on the opening lap of the Pocono race after contact with Alexander Rossi. Many were harsh on Sato though Sato maintained his innocence. In the next race, Sato pulled out an unexpected victory at Gateway. Sato may have been more at fault for the Pocono incident than Kirkwood at Texas, but he didn't let the incident ruin his confidence.
One thing to take away from this is if any driver wants to win in IndyCar he or she should get in an incident with Alexander Rossi that Rossi will be infuriated about.
IndyCar's Podcasting Prowess
IndyCar has a strong selection of intelligent podcasts/radio shows at the moment.
There is the stalwart that is Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, our weekly two-hour gathering to talk about everything surrounding IndyCar, from the past races, what will happen in the next race, rumors and plenty of interviews with drivers from the big series to the development rungs of the Road to Indy and even strategists, team owners and others involved in the series.
Trackside has been around for over 15 years. It is integral to IndyCar. It is a comfort to listen to each week. Cavin and Lee are both honest, but fair. They treat the listeners as adults, and they don't act juvenile with their thoughts. If they believe something they are going to say it and when they are playing Devil's Advocate they are at least sensible.
I think the best IndyCar show is The-Race's IndyCar Podcast with Jack Benyon and J.R. Hildebrand. Benyon is knowledgable and Hildebrand is what you expect from a driver who could have gone to M.I.T. The post-race analysis from Hildebrand is as insight as they come. It is definitely the best in IndyCar and maybe the best across multiple forms of motorsports. I don't know of a NASCAR analyst who is as good as Hildebrand. Formula One is good with Karun Chandhok and Anthony Davidson. Hildebrand is exceptional dissecting strategy choices and how a driver is handling those moments in a car when it comes to pit stops, cautions, restarts and the closing laps.
Race aside, Benyon and Hildebrand's interview with Kyle Kirkwood was informative and causal. Hildebrand clicked Kirkwood and got a lot out of that interview. Their familiarity with one another from last year at A.J. Foyt Racing likely helped elevate that interview, but every interview they have it engaging.
Speaking of analyzing races, Off Track with Hinch and Rossi takes it a little more in-depth. Alexander Rossi is pretty open about his race and what he saw on track. James Hinchcliffe is a close second to Hildebrand breaking down a race, but what makes Off Track outstanding is neither Hinchcliffe nor Rossi are afraid of saying something unpopular. If either is upset with something that happened they do not sugarcoat it, but they never take it too far. They aren't taking shots for the sake of taking shots.
Besides IndyCar, Hinchcliffe and Rossi are pretty good breaking down other races as well, whether it be Formula One, IMSA, NASCAR or anything else. They are drivers. They know what is going on out there.
Rossi isn't the only active IndyCar driver with a podcast. Conor Daly's Speed Street with Joey Mulinaro provides great insight. It is done only how Daly can do it. He is self-deprecating at times, but he doesn't hide anything from a race weekend. For the last few seasons, Daly has struggled. I don't think any of us thought he would struggle as much as he has with Ed Carpenter Racing, but he doesn't hide from that.
Daly is also open to ideas. If he thinks something could be done better, he says it. He is good guy and down-to-earth. He isn't a showboat. He is an ambassador for IndyCar and engages with people while trying to expand the reach of the series in a more grassroots way.
Beyond those four shows, you have Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin doing Bus Bros. Marcus Armstrong and Callum Ilott have a podcast that has nothing to do with racing but they are reaching people in a different way. Those in and around IndyCar are making plenty of noise, much of it is enjoyable. There is plenty to choose from for anyone currently interested or anyone new to IndyCar who is hoping to become immersed in it. Everyone should keep up the good work.
May Preview
It isn't often an exhibition race is worthy of great attention, but the NASCAR All-Star Race will be at North Wilkesboro Speedway in a few weeks, the track's first NASCAR event since 1996.
The facility has been revived after almost three decades of sitting dormant, collapsing and being overgrown. It has been incredible watching this track be brought back to life and not just maintained, but properly refurbished.
Even better is NASCAR nailed the format for this race. North Wilkesboro didn't need four segments with average finish determining the order for a ten-lap sprint. It needed to be a proper race. I was thinking 300 laps, but 200 laps is fine. With the race surface remaining unpaved from what was last raced on, tires are going to fall off and drivers will really need to manhandle the cars late in a run. In this case, teams will have to be careful with their strategy on when to take tires, especially if there ends up being a long-run to end the race.
Twenty-two drivers are already locked into the main event. A minimum of three more drivers will be added through the Open and the fan vote. After probably a decade or so of the All-Star Race feeling stale, this is the rejuvenation it needed. Thinking long-term, I don't know where we go from here.
With all the work being put into North Wilkesboro, I don't think this is a one-time thing or a two-time thing. This almost has to be it for the All-Star Race. It is going to be at North Wilkesboro every year. Will people in 30 years time become bored with the yearly event at North Wilkesboro? Perhaps. It depends on what is North Wilkesboro's future beyond this race.
Will a points race return to North Wilkesboro? Will there be enough interest for North Wilkesboro to host the All-Star Race in May and then another race later in the season?
I cannot imagine NASCAR is not going to have a points race at North Wilkesboro in the next five years. The track is only going to have about 25,000 spectators for the All-Star Race. While the work has been done to make the track operational, there is no sense the place could expand to hold 40,000 or 50,000 people. I don't know if that is a dealbreaker over whether it gets a points race, but if the race is good and the demand remains high, I think NASCAR will take it, especially if it is a playoff race.
If you polled NASCAR fans now, what would they rather have as the second cut-off race, North Wilkesboro or the Charlotte roval?
Putting short track package concerns and the fact we still have seen these Cup cars race at the track aside, I think North Wilkesboro would win out.
Whatever happens this May, I hope we find out a whether or not North Wilkesboro has long-term stability soon after this event, because this should be more than just a two- or three-year experiment. It should have a yearly place on the schedule.
Other May events of note:
The Indianapolis 500 and more for IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Formula One starts in Miami and ends in Monaco with Imola in-between.
Before North Wilkesboro, NASCAR heads to Kansas and Darlington before ending the month with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
MotoGP has one race: The French Grand Prix from Le Mans.
Supercross will crown its champion.
