Train Of Thought: The Aero Kit Dilemma

It is clear the price tag on the new DW12 chassis is more than first estimated and the owners aren't happy. Due to the extra costs, the aero kits that were postponed to 2013 and the owners are now calling for another delay. I want aero kits. The fan base wants aero kits. However, the series front office and car owners are split.

What led to this situation is the ICONIC Committee and their selection back in 2010. Looking back, the selection of Dallara was a political decision by the series because they were willing to build a factory in Speedway, Indiana and create jobs. We all know that. Don't get me wrong, jobs are fantasitc in this economy, but the fact is Dallara could have very well built their factory and not needed IndyCar's decision to have them be the sole chassis manufacture. Most, if not all, the five parties with proposals, DeltaWing, Dallara, Swift, Lola and BAT thought they were vying to become the new sole supplier of IndyCar chassis. In the past two decades we have grown to accustomed to the series making the decision of what the car will be. Maybe the series should not do that anymore. The series should regulate the chassis and if a proposed chassis does not fall into the guidelines set forth then they should take action. But if the car is legal, then it should be allowed to race regardless. My opinion has not changed, the series should have allowed all five parties to take part. We would have had five different looking cars this year and no worry about this aero kit garbage.

Randy Bernard has done a great job on different levels but it has been said time and time again; he does not know what it is like to be a car owner and needs help with decisions concerning them. We have heard suggestions of a hiring former team owner to help Bernard when it comes to those decisions and that is what he needs. He needs a Derrick Walker, Steve Horne, Ron Hemelgarn, Gil de Ferran, Jim Hall, Pat Patrick, Mo Nunn or Dan Gurney to, in a way, be a representative for the team owners, just like other professional sports leagues that have a representative for the athletes through a player's associations. Not saying the team owners need to form a union, the last thing we need are lockouts and boycotts, but someone to help Bernard understand what the owners needs and why a decision is not well recieved.

We can learn from this. I still want aero kits next year but maybe introducing them halfway or two-thirds of the way in would be better. Dallara has to work with the car owners are give them some type of deal. Randy Bernard would benefit from a liasion to the car owners and the series should be PREPARING NOW for the next wave of cars. They should invite the four parties that were not selected in 2010 and other potential chassis manufactures to build cars for, let's say the 2016 season, give them a set of rules and say as long as it falls within this criteria, you will not be turned away and if teams buy that car, then they can run it.

The Call For More Horses

With the return of the Push-2-Pass for the remaining road and street course races being announced yesterday, the true issue is still not being resolved. After the dull race at Belle Isle, it has to be considered that the return of the system is prevent another dull show on the streets of Toronto and on two tracks that are tight and difficult to pass at, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. After great races at Barber and Long Beach, two tight tracks where passing is tough, it seemed that passing and finding places to pass were not a problem with this new car. Now, doubt seems to have set in.

The heart of the issue is the overall power of the car. The turbocharger boost levels will now be 150 kPa, instead of 155 kPa and Push-2-Pass will give the drivers a 10 kPa boost. The cry from drivers, media and fans has been to turn up the turbochargers and produce more horsepower. Frankly, who disagrees? While these engines are developing, increasing the overall boost level should be made one step at a time. More power will produce faster times and partnered with tires that fall off will create passing that we all want to see.

What started with ChampCar, then brought and modified by IndyCar, has worn out it's welcome. ChampCar gave the drivers 60 seconds of P2P for each race. If a driver used it all up in the first 5 laps, then so be it. When it was brought to IndyCar, the series gave each driver a set number of pushes a raceand each push lasted the same amount time, normally anywhere from 12-20 seconds. But the Push-2-Push moniker has been the opposite in reality. Especially since being brought to IndyCar, the system has been used more by the drivers to protect themselves from being passed, than actually making a pass.

American open-wheel racing once had cars that produced 900 horsepower that really separated the top drivers from the bottom and great racing. While not at that point yet, the series should slowly turn up the power. Starting with the beginning of next year and at some point in the middle, the series and the engine manufactures should turn up the boost levels to realistic levels that do not put too much wear on the engines. It would be greatly appreciated by all.

Could This Be It For The Most Influential Person In NASCAR's Modern Era?

He didn't have famous last name, nor was he labeled as "greatest thing since sliced bread." He wasn't "discovered" by Jeff Gordon, but that did not stop him from becoming champion. He was not a part of a development program from the time he started in late models at age of 15 and was never considered the fans' favorite driver, but Matt Kenseth has been the most influential person in the modern-era of NASCAR.

With the announcement that Kenseth will be leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of 2012, many believe he is likely to end up at Joe Gibbs Racing. But what if Kenseth is calling it quits? Hard to believe, but Kenseth is now 40 years old. Not that Kenseth can't still win, he proved he can at Daytona, but Kenseth has hit every great mark in NASCAR. He has a championship, two Daytona 500 victories, twenty-two career Cup wins, was rookie of the year and even won an IROC Championship. Kenseth has had a great career and few can agrue against that. Kenseth very well may continue into 2013 and beyond, but if he is done, his résumé is full to the brim with accomplishments and his legacy is unquestionable.

Matt Kenseth's championship season in 2003 has reshaped NASCAR forever. With only one lone win that year, many called for change. People wanted to see winning rewarded more, not just consistent finishes. In 2004, the Chase was introduced to prevent another season like 2003. Since then we have seen three alterations to the Chase and the biggest being completely rehauling the points system before the 2011 season. In the pre-Chase part of the Modern Era (1972-2003), 17 times the champion did not have the most wins and only 15 times the champion did. In the Chase era (2004-2011), only 3 times has the champion had the most wins and last year we were only one point away from having another champion with only one win but this time under the Chase format.

Was the Chase bound to happen as then-Nextel was stepping up as title sponsor of NASCAR's top division? Maybe but, at that time, people were calling it "The Matt Kenseth Rule." Think about Matt Kenseth. How many drivers have completely changed the system? In all of sports, Bob Gibson and the season 1968 is credited for lowering the pitcher's mount and the lane was widen, inbound passes over the backboard and running starts on foul shots were ban because of Wilt Chamberlain. Like it or not, whose actions have caused as much change to NASCAR in the Modern Era as Matt Kenseth?  Notably though, while all those changes have taken place, there is still one problem. NASCAR has yet to find the system that rewards winning races the most.

Now That 2012 Is Set...

Let's ponder what venues appear possible for 2013. More oval races seem to be wanted by a fair share of the fans and with the races we have seen so far in 2012, who can blame them, especially with the decrease in downforce. When the AJ Foyt Oval and Mario Andretti Road Course Championships were created, many felt a 50-50 split of the races should make up the overall schedule but that has yet to happen. We are currently at 10 road/street course events and 5 oval. With the most recent China situation and the search for a "plan B," a few tracks were interested in taking over the vacated date but ultimately, the series felt it would be better to not pursue a new venue with a very short time for promotion. With that said, these tracks are still in play for 2013 and many have a past history with American Open-Wheel racing. We already know Houston will be added to the 2013 schedule but will any other venues join the Texas street race set for that October?

Possible Tracks:

Road America (Traditional Date- Mid/Late August): Majority wanted to see Road America be the "plan B" and IndyCar to join the American Le Mans Series in August but it was not to be. One has to feel that with the amount of fans and drivers who want this event to happen that it is inevitable. Many fear that the inclusion of Road America would hurt the Milwaukee race, but both races coexisted for many years with the Mile in June and Elkhart Lake in August. I think Road America will be added to the 2013 schedule.

Phoenix (Traditional Date- March/Early April): A return to Phoenix would be highly welcomed, especially if the Copper World Classic returns. Partnering Phoenix as a back-to-back with Long Beach makes the most sense and if the season starts in Early March, Phoenix could easily slide into an early April date, especially since the NASCAR weekend was moved up to the second race of their season. There were some talks of Phoenix being "plan B" and added after Fontana. I think we will see Phoenix in 2013.

Michigan (Traditional Date- Late July/Early August): Another track that was interested in being "plan B" and become the season finale. Track president Roger Curtis was a little disappointed that IndyCar did not select Michigan to be "plan B" but IndyCar is under pressure to put on a good event, with a great crowd and can not afford to have a season finale that does not look respectable or does not turn a profit. I would love to see Michigan added but the date seems to be an issue. The NASCAR races are mid-June and mid-August and those dates haven't changed since CART and/or the IRL ran their race in the middle but what has changed is the economy. The two NASCAR races do not sell out and an IndyCar race in the middle of them could split the fan base once more and you could be left with three dismally attended events. From 1973-1986, USAC or CART had two races at Michigan and the second was in mid-September. Two things with that date is the weather and IndyCar going up against the NFL season. Unless the race is on ABC, IndyCar has an extremely slim shot of good ratings on a Sunday. Could a Saturday race work? Maybe, but college football is just as popular as the NFL and if Michigan or Michigan State is playing then forget anyone showing up. I see Michigan as a possible venue but the date being the key factor.

Pocono (Traditional Date- USAC: mid-June CART: mid-August): Pocono, in my opinion, seems to be the most interested in hosting an IndyCar race come 2013 with recent improvements to the track and the attendance of the St. Pete race by track president Brendon Igdalsky. The range of possible dates for Pocono seems wide open. A race in late April is doable but the weather is unpredictable in the northeast until mid-May (trust me, have lived in the northeast my whole life). The race could be a nice spring or cold reminder that winter didn't end that long ago. A summer date would have to be squeezed between the two NASCAR races which are only seven weeks a part. A possible late August race or a back-to-back the week after Baltimore is possible. Pennsylvania has a lot of racing fans and with this practically a home race for the Andretti family, it could get a nice draw, especially if it is well promoted in the Philadelphia and New York. markets. I think Pocono is a legitimate possibility for 2013.

Richmond (Traditional Date- Late June): Richmond has been thrown around but no serious talks that we know of. I would love to see another short oval and Richmond produced some good racing. The draw was good and it wasn't a bad market. Due to the NASCAR dates, a late June race worked for the IRL but now June is the busiest month for IndyCar. You could add it at the final weekend of June and create a six race stretch. An idea I have had is Richmond would be a good venue for an IndyCar race the Wednesday night after the MLB All-Star Game, a date that has normally been dead sports wise and a chance for IndyCar to capitalize, but I will divulge on that later. I say Richmond is a long shot for 2013 but would be a great choice.

Circuit of The Americas: The track being built for this year's Formula One United States Grand Prix has expressed interest in an IndyCar date and with the Australian based, V8 Supercars series go there in 2013, a possible IndyCar-V8 Supercar doubleheader is possible, seeing as how V8 Supercars and CART/ChampCar/IndyCar used to run together at Surfers Paradise. No word yet on the date of the Austin V8 Supercar event but if it is like other international event the series has run, a date early or late in the calendar year seems most likely. With the United States Grand Prix being in November and the V8 Supercars being in Abu Dhabi at that time, I think the V8 Supercar date will be sometime in January or February. This would work as that early season opener IndyCar has been looking for but nothing has been announced and we will have to wait and see. The American Le Mans Series has already announced their intention to race at Austin in 2013. I would not rule out IndyCar joining them.

Others:
Watkins Glen was talking to IndyCar about a return last winter but all has gone quiet on that front.
I wouldn't rule out an attempt at China in 2013.
A Fort Lauderdale street race has been mentioned but we have yet to see that materialize.
Surfers Paradise is still interested in IndyCar and with Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon is makes a lot of sense to go back there.
No word on a second Brazil race, that once seemed a guarantee up until last year.

The Uncomfortable Trend in IndyCar's Second Half

With every race but Belle Isle being outstanding and a season that has seen six different winners from four different teams so far, IndyCar has to look at the remaining six (maybe seven) races and feel a little uncomfortable about what they are seeing. They shouldn't feel uncomfortable about the races themselves; those look pretty good. Last year Toronto was not bad and with the racing we saw at St. Pete, Barber and Long Beach, Toronto and the other non-permanent circuits in Edmonton and Baltimore should be decent races. Mid-Ohio and Sonoma have been duds but as I said before, if the racing can be that good at Barber, then Mid-Ohio may put on a good show and as for Sonoma, if you look at past race results you will see a fair amount of movement in the middle of the field but not a lot up front. Hopefully the series makes the decision to change the layout IndyCar runs on from the motorcycle circuit to the sportscar circuit that uses the hairpin. But what IndyCar should really notice in the remaining races is the lack of title sponsorships.

As of today, only two of the remaining six scheduled race have title sponsors. Those races are Toronto and Mid-Ohio and both are sponsored by Honda. Over the years, Honda has done a great job stepping up and sponsoring races and sponsored St. Pete and Barber at the beginning of this season, but with the fate of four of these races uncertain, a title sponsor would help ease any tension over the future. Sonoma is in the final year of it's contract, and while the racing has not been great, the crowd has been improving since reunification in 2008. The circuit itself is only located about an hour from downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area, the 11th largest market in the United States, much closer than Laguna Seca which is a little more than two hours away. Edmonton is only on the schedule until 2013 and it appears that may be the final year for the race, at least at City Centre Airport as the city of Edmonton is redeveloping it. Baltimore is on the fence after the debacle with the previous promoter. Michael Andretti stepped up to take over this race at the last minute but with ticket sales starting at the end of May and not a lot of support from the city, another street race could be gone before you know it. After seeing what Michael Andretti did with Milwaukee and the fact they found a title sponsor in XYQ for that race in the 11th hour, I have some faith that Andretti could find something for the Baltimore race. That leads us to Fontana. What once drew great crowds for CART saw poorly attended IRL races before it was remove from the schedule after the 2005 season. It is looking for this year's race to be a hit but the race is only set for 2012.

IndyCar is not necessarily responsible for the title sponsorship of a race. That is usually the tracks job, but with this appearing trend, one has to think that IndyCar has to start taking this situation into their own hands. Title sponsors, for the most part, are guaranteed money. They can pay off sanctioning fees, promotion expenses and make it possible for the track to be financially in the green before tickets are even sold. Finding title sponsors would take some pressure off IndyCar, their sanctioning fee and a major sponsor could get IndyCar more exposure through TV and Internet advertisements. Not to forget mentioning it will help keep IndyCar in good terms with these race tracks moving forward. While it may be too late to get major title sponsors for these four races, anyone that is willing to pay sponsorship dollars for these races is a start in the right direction for 2013.

Iowa: First Impressions

1. I am tired.

2. I don't care. This race was worth it.

3. Great job by Ryan Hunter-Reay again. He has won the last three races on short ovals.

4. Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport are still the only two teams to win at Iowa.

5. Great race for Marco. This has been a terrible year for him before tonight.

6. Pagenaud had the drive of the race and Kanaan did a hell of a job picking up positions.

7. Hinchcliffe, Power and Franchitti all retiring seemed very unlikely at the beginning of the night.

8. If the racing is this great at Iowa, the series needs to add Richmond, New Hampshire, Phoenix, hell get somebody to spend a little money and resurrect Nazareth or take a shot on an unknown market like Memphis.

9. This five week block of races was fantastic (other than Belle Isle). Four or five consecutive races followed by a week off is what the series needs for momentum, especially with great races like the four oval races we have seen. It gets pretty choppy for the rest of the season but hopefully that changes in the future.

10. GREAT NEWS! MORE RACING AND IT'S ALMOST 1AM! I am staying up for the Lights race.

Morning Warm-Up: Iowa 2012

SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU ARE WAITING TO WATCH THE HEAT RACES TOMORROW BEFORE THE INDYCAR RACE AND DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE RESULTS, THEN DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT.

Dario Franchitti won the third heat race and will start on pole position for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Following Franchitti will be Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Briscoe, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon. Tony Kanaan and Graham Rahal won their respective heats and would be on row five, but both have 10 grid spot penalties to serve for engine changes. Alex Tagliani and Josef Newgarden will move up and become row five. EJ Viso and Simon Pagenaud will also serve 10 grid spot penalties for engine changes. Viso finished fourth in heat one and Pagenaud last in heat two.

The heat races were decent. A few drivers felt that Kanaan and Rahal should have been allowed to transfer to the final heat. As I said in the Track Walk, I agree and also think some extra points should be given for winning a heat and the final heat. I would not be against the heat race format being expanded to Milwaukee or other short ovals added in the future. It's just an idea, and I am not saying it should be done, but maybe requiring a green flag, four tire pit stop would make things interesting.

This is the final race of five consecutive race weekends dating back to the Indianapolis 500 on May 27. Four of the five races were on ovals, with Belle Isle being the exception. This could be the final oval round until the Fontana race on September 15th. Depending on the decision of where to run a 16th race, Fontana could be the final round of the 2012 Izod IndyCar Championship as well. After a weekend off, the IndyCar series will head to the Honda Indy Toronto on July 8. This will be NBC Sports Network's last race until the Edmonton Indy on July 22.