I am going to try something new. We all know the cliché "a picture is worth 1,000 words" and for some reason over the last few days I was thinking a person is worth at least 1,000 words, probably if not definitely more. What this new feature (if you want to call it that) will be is at least 1,000 words about a person in motorsports or a person that was in motorsports, a historic event I want to revisit, a track or something in between. It will be a way to pay tribute to somebody or something or it will be a way to open a discussion or just be a way to share stories. I am not sure how often these "1,000 Words" pieces will be. I think one a month is a good start. I will do it for the rest of 2016 and if people like them, I will continue into 2017.
Without further ado, let's get into the first 1,000 Words and as you can tell from the title, it is about an inspiring man.
Just over four years ago, Alex Zanardi won two gold medals and a silver medal in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and he was impressive. He won the time trail by over 27 seconds. He won the road race and he and Italians Vittorio Podesta and Francesca Fenocchio finished second in the mixed team relay.
His Paralympic success shouldn't have surprised me or anyone who has been following the Italian for the last twenty-five years. Despite losing his legs nearly fifteen years ago, Zanardi has not stopped proving himself. Less than two years after his accident at the Lausitzring with 13 laps to go, he returned and completed those 13 laps with the help of hand controls. His fastest lap would have put him fifth on the grid for the CART race that weekend. The following year, he returned to full-time competition in the European Touring Car Championship. He would transition with the series to the World Touring Car Championship and would win a race at Oschersleben.
After his second season in WTCC, which saw Zanardi win a race at Istanbul, he tested a BMW Sauber Formula One car. He continued racing in the WTCC and added two more victories over the next three seasons. While running in the WTCC, he picked up hand cycling and competed in the New York City Marathon, finishing fourth despite limited training. He made a goal for himself to compete in the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games.
As someone who didn't get to see Zanardi in his prime giving Bryan Herta nightmares with absurd passes at Laguna Seca and Long Beach, I really hoped his on-track success, in car and hand cycle, would lead to more. If he could win in the World Touring Car Championship, if he could test a Formula One car, if he could finish fourth hand cycling in the New York City Marathon, why couldn't he return and become the first man without legs to compete in the Indianapolis 500? There have already been three one-legged men to compete in the race and they all competed in an era without much technological advancement for people with disabilities. Zanardi could easily compete in the Indianapolis 500. He might have to train and become race fit but so far he hasn't failed in any goal he has set for himself. He returned to racing once before and found the pace needed to win. He has become one of the best hand-cyclists in the world. The question is not if he could qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but where on the first three rows would he start?
Zanardi is in a small grouping of great IndyCar drivers never to race the Indianapolis 500. Him and Greg Moore are the two that stand out. It is a shame the American open-wheel politics of the 1990s robbed these two drivers and others from shining on the grandest stage in American motorsports and it also robbed us fans from marveling at their greatest. He said he was interested in Indianapolis after his Paralympic success in 2012. It didn't happen, or rather it hasn't happened yet but it is understandable why Chip Ganassi or Jimmy Vasser would be hesitant to put him in a car. Nobody wants to see Zanardi get in another big accident and neither would want that on their conscience and nobody can blame them. Despite not attempting the Indianapolis 500, since 2012 Zanardi has tested a DTM car, raced in the Blancpain Sprint Series and competed in the Spa 24 Hours last year with Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler. Not to forget mentioning that Zanardi completed the 2014 Ironman World Championship in less than ten hours.
It is kind of amazing when you consider Zanardi's career and he has been legless for most of it. I think many of us, especially in the United States, either forgets or doesn't even know he made 25 Formula One grand prix starts before coming to CART in 1996 with Chip Ganassi Racing. He was the guy who replaced the guy (Roberto Moreno) who replaced Michael Schumacher at Jordan Grand Prix in 1991. His lone Formula One point was after finishing sixth in the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix, the final time Ayrton Senna won in front of his home crowd. Zanardi's career stretches back over a quarter of a century and his glorious ability behind the wheel of a car is captured in three mesmerizing years. Maybe he got his shot at Williams a year too early or maybe, considering his teammate in 1999 Ralf Schumacher finished in the points in 11 of 16 races, Zanardi's skills would have never crossed over well into Formula One. Motorsports is much more complex than Formula One is the best series and if a driver can't succeed there but can succeed elsewhere than elsewhere is crap. Zanardi might not have succeeded in Formula One but he was one of the best of his era.
Alex Zanardi motivates me everyday. Seeing him continue his racing career and start another successful career hand cycling inspired me to start running on regular basis and slowly work my way from two-mile laps around the block twice a week to regular 10-kilometer runs and now preparing to compete in a half-marathon and after that making the step to compete in a marathon. Blisters don't stop me, knee aches don't seem so bad, only a really cold day, I am talking below 20º Fahrenheit, or days with rain and/or snow pelting down will keep me in. I am sure I am not the only person inspired by Zanardi to become physically active and challenge myself. Seeing him competing again at the Paralympics and the fact he will be competing on the 15th anniversary of his Lausitz accident shows that the accident didn't end his career but rather caused a short hiatus. He returned from what was near fatal and continues to challenge himself. I don't know how Zanardi will do in this year's Paralympics. I don't know if he going to defend his two gold medals or fail to get on the podium altogether but that isn't going to change how I see him. He is an inspiration to not quit and if he can achieve all that he has in the last fifteen years considering all that he lost than the everyday obstacles in front of you and me are surmountable.
Perhaps Zanardi, who turns 50 years old this October 23rd, will again find himself in a race car. Maybe it will be in a LMP2 car or a GTE car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Maybe he will race in GT3 or return to touring cars. Or maybe Zanardi gets his chance at Indianapolis. Even if he doesn't, don't expect Zanardi to slow down.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Musings From the Weekend: A Million For Virtual Reality
Ed Jones took the Indy Lights championship after a late pass on his Carlin teammate Félix Serrallés. Wisconsinite Aaron Telitz won the Pro Mazda championship. Kalgoorlie, Australia's Anthony Martin won the U.S. F2000 title. The Chase field is set and Chris Buescher did make the Chase. Now we have to live through ten weeks of insufferable, cliché commercials about championships from NASCAR. Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart butted heads. Dani Pedrosa made MotoGP history. Italians booed Jorge Lorenzo. A Belgian won in Japan. A German won in Germany as did an Italian. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
A Million For Virtual Reality
If there is one series that has connected more with virtual racing it is Formula E. While there has been an era of NASCAR video games, multiple editions of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport and iRacing, no series has really gravitated to trying to draw gamers until Formula E came around. Nissan and Gran Turismo partnered for the GT Academy, which has turned Wolfgang Reip, Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordóñez into professional racers after they starting out in gaming but Formula E is putting out large purses without having a gamer ever get behind the wheel of a race car.
The Las Vegas eRace is scheduled for January 5-7th during the Consumer Electronics Show and has a $1 million purse that the 20 Formula E drivers and ten gamers will compete for. That is a purse larger than most IndyCar races. It is more than most sports car races. That is more than what the 24 Hours of Le Mans pays.
It is kind of jarring when you consider how much people could be paid to play a video game but in an ever-changing world, we need to consider why a racing video game could pay more than actually getting behind the wheel. Virtual racing is affordable. You pay for a game or a monthly subscription and then you might pay a couple thousand for a special wheel and seat as your controller and that is it. You don't have to spend to go testing and fly across the country or the Atlantic. You aren't worrying about getting in an accident and having to buy a new tub. You aren't crossing your fingers that a check clears and you are able to race the following week. It is pretty much a one-time cost and once you pay it, you are good to go and compete. It is what we wish motorsports, especially development series, could be but it is in the wrong dimension.
To many, it makes no sense why any one would be paid for competing in a video game and I can understand that but the celebrated skill sets are changing and it was only a matter of time. These aren't the days of Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt and company where you could spend a couple hundred bucks and race a jalopy and slowly get noticed and move your way to a midget car or a sprint car. People aren't growing up with a local short track in town or the next town over that people flock to on Friday and Saturday night. People aren't watching a race and being inspired to give it a shot and either be scared and never do it again or find out it is something they are pretty good at and continue doing. Now you spend a couple hundred bucks on a video game console and you can race with a handful of friends and strangers with everyone in their own houses.
The interesting thing is the crossover of the skills. How will the drivers do in a simulation? Will it be a bloodbath with the gamers bringing up the rear? If a gamer beats one of the professional drivers in the Las Vegas eRace, it doesn't mean he or she can jump right in the car and be competing for victories in Formula E but is a day coming when that won't matter and the person who can be victorious in virtual reality will be more desired and appreciated than someone who can be victorious in Formula E or IndyCar or NASCAR or Formula One? While all can be done to make motorsports series cheaper, the days of it being affordable are just about over. We live in an era where if you want to make it in motorsports, you are going to need to come from a wealthy background. In virtual reality, you can become a star and come from a working-class background. You don't need rich parents to succeed and moving to the top level isn't dependent on raising a couple million dollars.
While some believe racers, whether it is IndyCar or sports cars or motorcycle racing, are paid a disappointing amount when you consider the risks that are being taken, pay isn't determined by how dangerous your job is. If that were the case, soldiers and firefighters would be richest people in the country. Everyone has a market value and you get paid accordingly. If racers want to be paid more for what they do they either need to increase their market value by drawing more viewers to the track and television screen or find someone willing to inflate their market value through a gargantuan title sponsorship or television contract. Some might not value the skills it takes to be a top eRacer but the market is saying it is worth having a $1 million purse to be split among the best.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about what happened at Laguna Seca but did you know...
Dani Pedrosa won MotoGP's San Marino Grand Prix. He is the eighth different winner in eight MotoGP races, a series record. Lorenzo Baldassarri won in Moto2, his first career grand prix victory at his home track and Brad Binder won in Moto3, his second consecutive victory and fifth of the season.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond. Kyle Busch won the Grand National Series.
Marco Wittmann and Edoardo Mortara split the DTM doubleheader from the Nürburgring. Wittmann leads the championship by 33 points over Mortara with two rounds left in the championship.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Yuji Kunimoto split the Super Formula races from Okayama.
Coming Up This Weekend
The IndyCar season finale from Sonoma.
Pirelli World Challenge will also be in Sonoma.
Formula One will be in Singapore.
FIA WEC and IMSA partner for one final Lone Star Le Mans.
The Chase begins at Chicagoland.
Blancpain Endurance Series ends its season at Nürburgring.
Supercars run its first endurance race of the season, the Sandown 500.
World Superbikes returns after two months off at Lausitzring.
A Million For Virtual Reality
If there is one series that has connected more with virtual racing it is Formula E. While there has been an era of NASCAR video games, multiple editions of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport and iRacing, no series has really gravitated to trying to draw gamers until Formula E came around. Nissan and Gran Turismo partnered for the GT Academy, which has turned Wolfgang Reip, Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordóñez into professional racers after they starting out in gaming but Formula E is putting out large purses without having a gamer ever get behind the wheel of a race car.
The Las Vegas eRace is scheduled for January 5-7th during the Consumer Electronics Show and has a $1 million purse that the 20 Formula E drivers and ten gamers will compete for. That is a purse larger than most IndyCar races. It is more than most sports car races. That is more than what the 24 Hours of Le Mans pays.
It is kind of jarring when you consider how much people could be paid to play a video game but in an ever-changing world, we need to consider why a racing video game could pay more than actually getting behind the wheel. Virtual racing is affordable. You pay for a game or a monthly subscription and then you might pay a couple thousand for a special wheel and seat as your controller and that is it. You don't have to spend to go testing and fly across the country or the Atlantic. You aren't worrying about getting in an accident and having to buy a new tub. You aren't crossing your fingers that a check clears and you are able to race the following week. It is pretty much a one-time cost and once you pay it, you are good to go and compete. It is what we wish motorsports, especially development series, could be but it is in the wrong dimension.
To many, it makes no sense why any one would be paid for competing in a video game and I can understand that but the celebrated skill sets are changing and it was only a matter of time. These aren't the days of Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt and company where you could spend a couple hundred bucks and race a jalopy and slowly get noticed and move your way to a midget car or a sprint car. People aren't growing up with a local short track in town or the next town over that people flock to on Friday and Saturday night. People aren't watching a race and being inspired to give it a shot and either be scared and never do it again or find out it is something they are pretty good at and continue doing. Now you spend a couple hundred bucks on a video game console and you can race with a handful of friends and strangers with everyone in their own houses.
The interesting thing is the crossover of the skills. How will the drivers do in a simulation? Will it be a bloodbath with the gamers bringing up the rear? If a gamer beats one of the professional drivers in the Las Vegas eRace, it doesn't mean he or she can jump right in the car and be competing for victories in Formula E but is a day coming when that won't matter and the person who can be victorious in virtual reality will be more desired and appreciated than someone who can be victorious in Formula E or IndyCar or NASCAR or Formula One? While all can be done to make motorsports series cheaper, the days of it being affordable are just about over. We live in an era where if you want to make it in motorsports, you are going to need to come from a wealthy background. In virtual reality, you can become a star and come from a working-class background. You don't need rich parents to succeed and moving to the top level isn't dependent on raising a couple million dollars.
While some believe racers, whether it is IndyCar or sports cars or motorcycle racing, are paid a disappointing amount when you consider the risks that are being taken, pay isn't determined by how dangerous your job is. If that were the case, soldiers and firefighters would be richest people in the country. Everyone has a market value and you get paid accordingly. If racers want to be paid more for what they do they either need to increase their market value by drawing more viewers to the track and television screen or find someone willing to inflate their market value through a gargantuan title sponsorship or television contract. Some might not value the skills it takes to be a top eRacer but the market is saying it is worth having a $1 million purse to be split among the best.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about what happened at Laguna Seca but did you know...
Dani Pedrosa won MotoGP's San Marino Grand Prix. He is the eighth different winner in eight MotoGP races, a series record. Lorenzo Baldassarri won in Moto2, his first career grand prix victory at his home track and Brad Binder won in Moto3, his second consecutive victory and fifth of the season.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond. Kyle Busch won the Grand National Series.
Marco Wittmann and Edoardo Mortara split the DTM doubleheader from the Nürburgring. Wittmann leads the championship by 33 points over Mortara with two rounds left in the championship.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Yuji Kunimoto split the Super Formula races from Okayama.
Coming Up This Weekend
The IndyCar season finale from Sonoma.
Pirelli World Challenge will also be in Sonoma.
Formula One will be in Singapore.
FIA WEC and IMSA partner for one final Lone Star Le Mans.
The Chase begins at Chicagoland.
Blancpain Endurance Series ends its season at Nürburgring.
Supercars run its first endurance race of the season, the Sandown 500.
World Superbikes returns after two months off at Lausitzring.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Scripting 2016-17 IndyCar Silly Season
The IndyCar season is winding down and with one round remaining, it is perfect timing to start looking toward the 2017 season. The schedule is already out. We know Gateway is back and we know the IndyCar offseason will be 174 days from Sonoma this year to St. Petersburg on March 12, 2017. What we don't know is who will be driving where come the 2017 season. Some IndyCar offseasons provide surprises but sometimes it is a lot of hype for very little action. Many it should be scripted.
There are some drivers that aren't moving anywhere. Will Power is safe at Penske, as is Simon Pagenaud. Despite losing Target sponsorship, Scott Dixon should be fine at Ganassi. Andretti Autosport would be crazy to let Ryan Hunter-Reay walk away. Other seats, such as both AJ Foyt Racing entries, appear to be up in the air. How should the offseason play out?
Let's just start with AJ Foyt Racing. That team has been stuck in an IndyCar purgatory since AJ Foyt retired. It had some success at the start of the IRL and with Kenny Bräck but you would think a team that has been around this long would start getting some good results but after four years with Takuma Sato and one mythical run at the start of the 2013 season where Sato won at Long Beach, finished second at São Paulo and ended up leading the championship entering the Indianapolis 500, it has been more of the same disappointed for AJ Foyt Racing. I can't see how Sato can stay. He can be quick but he is never consistently up front. He needs to go. Jack Hawksworth has had a rough two seasons with the team despite having an impressive rookie season with Bryan Herta Autosport. I think Hawksworth should get one more year with the team because there is no way someone is that consistently quick in Friday practices not to have race pace but he needs another wingman in the #14 Honda. The #14 Honda needs a veteran and just because I would love to see it happen I want Juan Pablo Montoya with AJ Foyt Racing. I think he could help Hawksworth out, he would revive a legendary team after decades of mediocrity and I think him and AJ Foyt would have interesting conversations.
Andretti Autosport is the one team that I think would be better off keeping all its pieces in place. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the leader and is under contract for another season. Carlos Muñoz has come on strong this season and all circuits and while many peg him as the driver that could be out of the Andretti Autosport fold, I think there are only a handful of drivers the team could bring in that would be an upgrade over Muñoz. Alexander Rossi has had a respectable rookie season and that isn't even taking the Indianapolis 500 victory into consideration. Marco Andretti has had a dismal season but he has consistently been on the fringe of the top ten with six finishes of 12th or 13th this season.
Moving on to Chip Ganassi Racing. Target is gone but it appears Scott Dixon will stay. Where else would he go? Tony Kanaan isn't getting any younger but he has had a really impressive season. Charlie Kimball is having a spectacular 2016 season. Max Chilton has struggled as he still lacks experience on the tracks and is still learning the DW12 chassis. However, after seeing Team Penske dominate 2016 like they have, Chip Ganassi Racing needs a splash. They need to bolster the arsenal for 2017. Ganassi could do that is a straight swap of Chilton to KV Racing for Sébastien Bourdais. Chilton gets to keep his IndyCar career going with a decent team and Bourdais finally gets back to a top-tier IndyCar seat.
Chilton can't be alone at KV Racing though. He is going to need a partner. Someone who can help him develop and learn the cars and show him the ropes. He is going to need a grizzled veteran with an ocean of experience. Oriol Servià checks both boxes and he has turned less than spectacular rides into top ten championship finishes.
While we are talking about Chevrolet teams, two remain: Ed Carpenter Racing and Team Penske. Ed Carpenter has a golden goose. Roger Penske buys golden geese and has an open seat should Montoya depart. Penske can't wait any longer. He needs to get his hands on Josef Newgarden now before Newgarden thinks he is better off staying with the little guys. This opens the door for J.R. Hildebrand to return to full-time competition. The second Ed Carpenter Racing entry should be full-time to Spencer Pigot. He has done well considering his lack of track time and I think a full offseason of testing will only make him better. Where does this leave Ed Carpenter? I think he could expand his operation but with some help. If Ed Jones wins the Indy Lights title, he will need somewhere to drive in IndyCar and Carlin is interested in expanding to IndyCar in the near future. Carpenter and Carlin could partner to run a third car for Carpenter on the ovals and Jones for the three race scholarship he would get as Indy Lights champion. It keeps Carpenter on the grid and gets Jones and Carlin IndyCar experience before potentially expanding to competing full-time in 2018.
As for Penske, other than bringing in Newgarden to fill the opening left by Montoya, there is no reason why the team wouldn't bring Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Hélio Castroneves back but Castroneves might have to look out come the end of 2017.
With all the Chevrolet teams out of the way and two Honda teams complete, we have three teams left to shuffle.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports seems keen on keeping James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin and it should be. Hinchcliffe has a couple of podiums and has arguably been the best Honda driver in road and street course qualifying this season. Aleshin's return to full-time IndyCar competition has given us plenty of breathtaking moments. While Aleshin might need to hone it in a bit, that is a better problem than needing him to find more than a half-second at every race. However, Aleshin can't be tearing up too much equipment, otherwise he will become another Takuma Sato: a driver with all the pace in the world but unable to keep it out of the barriers.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing needs to expand. The team has shown they have made a comeback to being a team that can fight with the big boys and Graham Rahal is driving at his best and won't turn thirty until 2019. While the team made clear in 2014 they didn't want to run a second car if it meant robbing Peter to pay Paul, it needs a second car if anything to increase data coming in and possibly find that extra bit to be a championship winning team. Who could RLLR bring in? Preferably, someone who can add to the engineering conversation. The problem is there aren't many of the veterans that would fit what RLLR would be looking for. Alex Tagliani is well past his prime. Ryan Briscoe fits it but he has a great paying gig with Ford and Chip Ganassi Racing. Jenson Button will be available but I don't know if RLLR knows the right people. They might. Bobby Rahal did work in Formula One when Jenson Button started his career at Williams but Button might be too big to field a call from Rahal. Gabby Chaves fits what RLLR is looking far. He isn't oozing experience but in his short time in IndyCar, he has been quick and clean.
That leaves Dale Coyne Racing. Of course we would leave Dale Coyne Racing for last. They are likely to be the last team to confirm its drivers anyway. While Conor Daly deserves a promotion, I can't see him getting it just yet. He had an impressive rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing but he has to do it a second time before the bigger fish bite. Plus, I don't think Foyt or KV are enough of a step up to leave Coyne considering Daly has a podium and five top-six finishes. RC Enerson has everyone's attention after two races with Coyne. It is a small sample size and Coyne is the best strategist in IndyCar but the kid deserves a full-time shot. It might been too much too soon but let's see what Enerson can do.
The above would bring the IndyCar grid up to 24 full-time entires, a dozen for each manufacture, with an additional Chevrolet for the Carpenter/Carlin at some races. Despite the proposed growth in the IndyCar grid, still absent would be Sage Karam, Takuma Sato, Matthew Brabham, Dean Stoneman, Zach Veach, Santiago Urrutia and a handful of other young drivers putting out feelers to IndyCar that we don't even know about. Having a few left standing when the music stops is a good problem for IndyCar to have but it is a frustrating problem. We want to see Karam, Brabham, Stoneman and more getting an opportunity to show their talent at a top level. IndyCar needs a few more teams and hopefully Carlin can expand its operation as well as Juncos Racing and maybe even a GP2 team or two will take a dip into IndyCar.
With that said, IndyCar is still in a great situation. There are plenty of talented drivers. While Penske dominated 2016, seven teams won this season and eight different drivers have stood on the top step of the podium and there is still one race to go to add to both categories. Not much needs to change for 2017 but small changes could yield an entirely different narrative.
There are some drivers that aren't moving anywhere. Will Power is safe at Penske, as is Simon Pagenaud. Despite losing Target sponsorship, Scott Dixon should be fine at Ganassi. Andretti Autosport would be crazy to let Ryan Hunter-Reay walk away. Other seats, such as both AJ Foyt Racing entries, appear to be up in the air. How should the offseason play out?
Let's just start with AJ Foyt Racing. That team has been stuck in an IndyCar purgatory since AJ Foyt retired. It had some success at the start of the IRL and with Kenny Bräck but you would think a team that has been around this long would start getting some good results but after four years with Takuma Sato and one mythical run at the start of the 2013 season where Sato won at Long Beach, finished second at São Paulo and ended up leading the championship entering the Indianapolis 500, it has been more of the same disappointed for AJ Foyt Racing. I can't see how Sato can stay. He can be quick but he is never consistently up front. He needs to go. Jack Hawksworth has had a rough two seasons with the team despite having an impressive rookie season with Bryan Herta Autosport. I think Hawksworth should get one more year with the team because there is no way someone is that consistently quick in Friday practices not to have race pace but he needs another wingman in the #14 Honda. The #14 Honda needs a veteran and just because I would love to see it happen I want Juan Pablo Montoya with AJ Foyt Racing. I think he could help Hawksworth out, he would revive a legendary team after decades of mediocrity and I think him and AJ Foyt would have interesting conversations.
Andretti Autosport is the one team that I think would be better off keeping all its pieces in place. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the leader and is under contract for another season. Carlos Muñoz has come on strong this season and all circuits and while many peg him as the driver that could be out of the Andretti Autosport fold, I think there are only a handful of drivers the team could bring in that would be an upgrade over Muñoz. Alexander Rossi has had a respectable rookie season and that isn't even taking the Indianapolis 500 victory into consideration. Marco Andretti has had a dismal season but he has consistently been on the fringe of the top ten with six finishes of 12th or 13th this season.
Moving on to Chip Ganassi Racing. Target is gone but it appears Scott Dixon will stay. Where else would he go? Tony Kanaan isn't getting any younger but he has had a really impressive season. Charlie Kimball is having a spectacular 2016 season. Max Chilton has struggled as he still lacks experience on the tracks and is still learning the DW12 chassis. However, after seeing Team Penske dominate 2016 like they have, Chip Ganassi Racing needs a splash. They need to bolster the arsenal for 2017. Ganassi could do that is a straight swap of Chilton to KV Racing for Sébastien Bourdais. Chilton gets to keep his IndyCar career going with a decent team and Bourdais finally gets back to a top-tier IndyCar seat.
Chilton can't be alone at KV Racing though. He is going to need a partner. Someone who can help him develop and learn the cars and show him the ropes. He is going to need a grizzled veteran with an ocean of experience. Oriol Servià checks both boxes and he has turned less than spectacular rides into top ten championship finishes.
While we are talking about Chevrolet teams, two remain: Ed Carpenter Racing and Team Penske. Ed Carpenter has a golden goose. Roger Penske buys golden geese and has an open seat should Montoya depart. Penske can't wait any longer. He needs to get his hands on Josef Newgarden now before Newgarden thinks he is better off staying with the little guys. This opens the door for J.R. Hildebrand to return to full-time competition. The second Ed Carpenter Racing entry should be full-time to Spencer Pigot. He has done well considering his lack of track time and I think a full offseason of testing will only make him better. Where does this leave Ed Carpenter? I think he could expand his operation but with some help. If Ed Jones wins the Indy Lights title, he will need somewhere to drive in IndyCar and Carlin is interested in expanding to IndyCar in the near future. Carpenter and Carlin could partner to run a third car for Carpenter on the ovals and Jones for the three race scholarship he would get as Indy Lights champion. It keeps Carpenter on the grid and gets Jones and Carlin IndyCar experience before potentially expanding to competing full-time in 2018.
As for Penske, other than bringing in Newgarden to fill the opening left by Montoya, there is no reason why the team wouldn't bring Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Hélio Castroneves back but Castroneves might have to look out come the end of 2017.
With all the Chevrolet teams out of the way and two Honda teams complete, we have three teams left to shuffle.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports seems keen on keeping James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin and it should be. Hinchcliffe has a couple of podiums and has arguably been the best Honda driver in road and street course qualifying this season. Aleshin's return to full-time IndyCar competition has given us plenty of breathtaking moments. While Aleshin might need to hone it in a bit, that is a better problem than needing him to find more than a half-second at every race. However, Aleshin can't be tearing up too much equipment, otherwise he will become another Takuma Sato: a driver with all the pace in the world but unable to keep it out of the barriers.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing needs to expand. The team has shown they have made a comeback to being a team that can fight with the big boys and Graham Rahal is driving at his best and won't turn thirty until 2019. While the team made clear in 2014 they didn't want to run a second car if it meant robbing Peter to pay Paul, it needs a second car if anything to increase data coming in and possibly find that extra bit to be a championship winning team. Who could RLLR bring in? Preferably, someone who can add to the engineering conversation. The problem is there aren't many of the veterans that would fit what RLLR would be looking for. Alex Tagliani is well past his prime. Ryan Briscoe fits it but he has a great paying gig with Ford and Chip Ganassi Racing. Jenson Button will be available but I don't know if RLLR knows the right people. They might. Bobby Rahal did work in Formula One when Jenson Button started his career at Williams but Button might be too big to field a call from Rahal. Gabby Chaves fits what RLLR is looking far. He isn't oozing experience but in his short time in IndyCar, he has been quick and clean.
That leaves Dale Coyne Racing. Of course we would leave Dale Coyne Racing for last. They are likely to be the last team to confirm its drivers anyway. While Conor Daly deserves a promotion, I can't see him getting it just yet. He had an impressive rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing but he has to do it a second time before the bigger fish bite. Plus, I don't think Foyt or KV are enough of a step up to leave Coyne considering Daly has a podium and five top-six finishes. RC Enerson has everyone's attention after two races with Coyne. It is a small sample size and Coyne is the best strategist in IndyCar but the kid deserves a full-time shot. It might been too much too soon but let's see what Enerson can do.
The above would bring the IndyCar grid up to 24 full-time entires, a dozen for each manufacture, with an additional Chevrolet for the Carpenter/Carlin at some races. Despite the proposed growth in the IndyCar grid, still absent would be Sage Karam, Takuma Sato, Matthew Brabham, Dean Stoneman, Zach Veach, Santiago Urrutia and a handful of other young drivers putting out feelers to IndyCar that we don't even know about. Having a few left standing when the music stops is a good problem for IndyCar to have but it is a frustrating problem. We want to see Karam, Brabham, Stoneman and more getting an opportunity to show their talent at a top level. IndyCar needs a few more teams and hopefully Carlin can expand its operation as well as Juncos Racing and maybe even a GP2 team or two will take a dip into IndyCar.
With that said, IndyCar is still in a great situation. There are plenty of talented drivers. While Penske dominated 2016, seven teams won this season and eight different drivers have stood on the top step of the podium and there is still one race to go to add to both categories. Not much needs to change for 2017 but small changes could yield an entirely different narrative.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Road to Indy Championship Weekend Preview
While IndyCar has a week off before the champion will be decided, the three Road to Indy series conclude at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend. All three championships are on the line to be decided over seven races this weekend. Thirteen drivers could leave with silverware this weekend.
Indy Lights
After Santiago Urrutia had a tire failure at Watkins Glen, dropping him to a last-place finish, his championship lead is one-point over Ed Jones entering Laguna Seca. The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver had entered Watkins Glen with six consecutive top five finishes including three victories. Last year, Urrutia clinched the Pro Mazda title with a pair of second-place finishes at Laguna Seca. Jones finished third last year in Indy Lights after a third-place and fourth-place finish at Laguna Seca. Urrutia leads all drivers with four victories while Carlin's Jones has two victories but has not won since the first race of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis weekend.
Thirty points behind Urrutia is Andretti Autosport driver Dean Stoneman, who has two victories this season but hasn't won since the Freedom 100. Stoneman is coming off a tenth-place finish at Watkins Glen after having tire degradation force him to stop late in the race but he did pick up a point for fastest lap. Zach Veach's victory at Watkins Glen vaulted the Belardi Auto Racing driver to fourth in the championship, 31 points back. Veach's best championship finish was third in 2014. Félix Serrallés has two victories but has had one top ten finish in the last three rounds. The Carlin driver trails by 39 points. Last year, Serrallés finished 13th and eighth at Laguna Seca. Kyle Kaiser is the final contender in Indy Lights. He is hoping to get Juncos Racing its second consecutive championship. Kaiser has 16 top ten finishes from 18 races.
Since joining Indy Lights when it was Indy Pro Series in 2002, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has never gone more than two years between titles. Jack Harvey finished second in the championship the last two years for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Carlin is going for its first Indy Lights championship. Andretti Autosport hasn't won an Indy Lights championship since 2009. Belardi Auto Racing could win its second title in three years.
Fifteen cars are entered for the finale. Sean Rayhall returns to the series with Team Pelfrey. The DeltaWing driver won on the IMS road course and Mid-Ohio last season with 8Star Motorsports, whose Indy Lights equipment was purchased by Team Pelfrey over the winter. He finished fourth and second last year at Laguna Seca. Davey Hamilton, Jr. makes his debut with McCormack Racing. He has been racing in USAC's HPD Midget division with races mostly in California. Heamin Choi returns to the #77 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports entry.
The first race of the Indy Lights weekend will be at 6:00 p.m. ET. The final race of the Indy Lights season will be at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Pro Mazda
The last time Pro Mazda competed, Aaron Telitz took the championship lead and pulled away slightly from his Team Pelfrey teammate Pato O'Ward. The Mexican driver O'Ward had won six of the first seven races with a second-place finish in the middle but he has not been on the podium since his victory at Indianapolis Raceway Park while Telitz won four consecutive races and has six consecutive podium finishes. Telitz leads O'Ward by 14 points heading into the triple header finale after the Iowa round was postponed due to a low entry list. Telitz finished fourth and second last year at Laguna Seca in U.S. F2000. O'Ward had finishes of 18th and sixth in last year's Pro Mazda finale.
Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing's Nico Jamin swept the Mid-Ohio weekend and he has five consecutive podium finishes. Jamin swept the Laguna Seca weekend last year in U.S. F2000 to cap off his championship season with six consecutive victories. He trails Telitz by 74 points. Will Owen racing is alive by a thread. The Juncos Racing driver is 91 points behind Telitz, meaning he would need to sweep the weekend and have Telitz fail to start at least two races to win the championship. Owen has six podium finishes this year and he has two second-place finishes. He finished third and fourth at Laguna Seca last year in Pro Mazda.
Telitz or O'Ward could get Team Pelfrey its second consecutive title. Cape Motorsports is looking for its first Pro Mazda championship. The Pro Mazda grid balloons to 12 entries with additional National class entries for Americans Dan Swanbeck and Kory Enders, Mexican Moises de la Vara and Briton Joseph Burton-Harris.
Race one of the weekend will be 5:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. The second race will be at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday with the final race that afternoon at 5:35 p.m. ET.
U.S. F2000
After a disaster first race at Mid-Ohio for Parker Thompson, his Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Anthony Martin went on to sweep the weekend and take the championship lead from the Canadian. Martin leads Thompson by 21 points. Martin has seven victories to Thompson's four while Thompson has ten podiums to Martin's nine. However, Martin has 13 top ten finishes to Thompson's 12 top ten finishes. The Australian finished second and fourth last year while Thompson finished fifth and 14th. Martin and Thompson finished fourth and fifth in last year's U.S. F2000 championship. Cape Motorsports is going for its fifth consecutive U.S. F2000 championship.
Victor Franzoni trails Martin by 53 points heading into the final weekend of the season. His only victory was at Toronto and he has nine podium finishes as well as 13 top ten finishes. The ArmsUp Motorsports driver competed at Laguna Seca last year in Pro Mazda but had a finish of 19th and did not start the second race. He finished fifth in the 2014 U.S. F2000 championship.
Eighteen cars are entered for Laguna Seca. Team Pelfrey's Robert Megennis is the top American in the championship, sixth behind Australians Jordan Lloyd (Pabst Racing Services) and Luke Gabin (Jay Motorsports). Pabst's Garth Rickards finished third in the most recent race at Mid-Ohio and Afterburner Autosport's Dakota Dickerson has three top fives in the last five races. An American driver has yet to win a race this season in U.S. F2000. Since U.S. F2000's revival in 2010, at least one American has won a race.
U.S. F2000 rounds out the day on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET and will race at 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Indy Lights
After Santiago Urrutia had a tire failure at Watkins Glen, dropping him to a last-place finish, his championship lead is one-point over Ed Jones entering Laguna Seca. The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver had entered Watkins Glen with six consecutive top five finishes including three victories. Last year, Urrutia clinched the Pro Mazda title with a pair of second-place finishes at Laguna Seca. Jones finished third last year in Indy Lights after a third-place and fourth-place finish at Laguna Seca. Urrutia leads all drivers with four victories while Carlin's Jones has two victories but has not won since the first race of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis weekend.
Thirty points behind Urrutia is Andretti Autosport driver Dean Stoneman, who has two victories this season but hasn't won since the Freedom 100. Stoneman is coming off a tenth-place finish at Watkins Glen after having tire degradation force him to stop late in the race but he did pick up a point for fastest lap. Zach Veach's victory at Watkins Glen vaulted the Belardi Auto Racing driver to fourth in the championship, 31 points back. Veach's best championship finish was third in 2014. Félix Serrallés has two victories but has had one top ten finish in the last three rounds. The Carlin driver trails by 39 points. Last year, Serrallés finished 13th and eighth at Laguna Seca. Kyle Kaiser is the final contender in Indy Lights. He is hoping to get Juncos Racing its second consecutive championship. Kaiser has 16 top ten finishes from 18 races.
Since joining Indy Lights when it was Indy Pro Series in 2002, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has never gone more than two years between titles. Jack Harvey finished second in the championship the last two years for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Carlin is going for its first Indy Lights championship. Andretti Autosport hasn't won an Indy Lights championship since 2009. Belardi Auto Racing could win its second title in three years.
Fifteen cars are entered for the finale. Sean Rayhall returns to the series with Team Pelfrey. The DeltaWing driver won on the IMS road course and Mid-Ohio last season with 8Star Motorsports, whose Indy Lights equipment was purchased by Team Pelfrey over the winter. He finished fourth and second last year at Laguna Seca. Davey Hamilton, Jr. makes his debut with McCormack Racing. He has been racing in USAC's HPD Midget division with races mostly in California. Heamin Choi returns to the #77 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports entry.
The first race of the Indy Lights weekend will be at 6:00 p.m. ET. The final race of the Indy Lights season will be at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Pro Mazda
The last time Pro Mazda competed, Aaron Telitz took the championship lead and pulled away slightly from his Team Pelfrey teammate Pato O'Ward. The Mexican driver O'Ward had won six of the first seven races with a second-place finish in the middle but he has not been on the podium since his victory at Indianapolis Raceway Park while Telitz won four consecutive races and has six consecutive podium finishes. Telitz leads O'Ward by 14 points heading into the triple header finale after the Iowa round was postponed due to a low entry list. Telitz finished fourth and second last year at Laguna Seca in U.S. F2000. O'Ward had finishes of 18th and sixth in last year's Pro Mazda finale.
Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing's Nico Jamin swept the Mid-Ohio weekend and he has five consecutive podium finishes. Jamin swept the Laguna Seca weekend last year in U.S. F2000 to cap off his championship season with six consecutive victories. He trails Telitz by 74 points. Will Owen racing is alive by a thread. The Juncos Racing driver is 91 points behind Telitz, meaning he would need to sweep the weekend and have Telitz fail to start at least two races to win the championship. Owen has six podium finishes this year and he has two second-place finishes. He finished third and fourth at Laguna Seca last year in Pro Mazda.
Telitz or O'Ward could get Team Pelfrey its second consecutive title. Cape Motorsports is looking for its first Pro Mazda championship. The Pro Mazda grid balloons to 12 entries with additional National class entries for Americans Dan Swanbeck and Kory Enders, Mexican Moises de la Vara and Briton Joseph Burton-Harris.
Race one of the weekend will be 5:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. The second race will be at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday with the final race that afternoon at 5:35 p.m. ET.
U.S. F2000
After a disaster first race at Mid-Ohio for Parker Thompson, his Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Anthony Martin went on to sweep the weekend and take the championship lead from the Canadian. Martin leads Thompson by 21 points. Martin has seven victories to Thompson's four while Thompson has ten podiums to Martin's nine. However, Martin has 13 top ten finishes to Thompson's 12 top ten finishes. The Australian finished second and fourth last year while Thompson finished fifth and 14th. Martin and Thompson finished fourth and fifth in last year's U.S. F2000 championship. Cape Motorsports is going for its fifth consecutive U.S. F2000 championship.
Victor Franzoni trails Martin by 53 points heading into the final weekend of the season. His only victory was at Toronto and he has nine podium finishes as well as 13 top ten finishes. The ArmsUp Motorsports driver competed at Laguna Seca last year in Pro Mazda but had a finish of 19th and did not start the second race. He finished fifth in the 2014 U.S. F2000 championship.
Eighteen cars are entered for Laguna Seca. Team Pelfrey's Robert Megennis is the top American in the championship, sixth behind Australians Jordan Lloyd (Pabst Racing Services) and Luke Gabin (Jay Motorsports). Pabst's Garth Rickards finished third in the most recent race at Mid-Ohio and Afterburner Autosport's Dakota Dickerson has three top fives in the last five races. An American driver has yet to win a race this season in U.S. F2000. Since U.S. F2000's revival in 2010, at least one American has won a race.
U.S. F2000 rounds out the day on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET and will race at 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Musings From the Weekend: Rotating Tires
Scott Dixon spanked the field in New York. Martin Truex, Jr. won the Southern 500. NASCAR was brushed by a hurricane. Meanwhile in Canada, the Truck series had a finish to forget. Felipe Massa announced he would be leaving Formula One at the end of the season. Jenson Button announced he will not be racing in Formula One in 2017 but he left the door open for a return. A champion was crowned this weekend and it wasn't the IndyCar champion despite being Labor Day weekend. A manufacture won for the first time in over nine years. A Frenchman took out a Brit at Silverstone. Monza featured a tremendous drive but a local lad. Rain greeted the FIA WEC's debut in Mexico. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Rotating Tires
IndyCar qualifying has become predictable on road and street circuits. The Chevrolets will take eight or nine of the top ten spots, a Chevrolet will be on pole and that will set the course for the race to come.
With all signs pointing to an aero kit development freeze for 2017, it means Honda will be stuck in the mud for at least one season. The Hondas need to roll the dice just to get into the conversation each week let alone become the topic of the conversation. Granted, some have broken through. Graham Rahal has found success and nearly won at Barber. Ryan Hunter-Reay has two podiums on street circuits. James Hinchcliffe has consistently been one of the best in qualifying. Conor Daly has made top six finishes out of nothing but very few times has Honda been able to compete with Chevrolet for the top spot.
Honda appears to have taken a big whiff at making up the aero deficiency through more power and in turn that has made the engines less fuel-efficient. While that worked at Indianapolis and Texas, it bit the Hondas at Pocono and really hasn't paid off at any road and street circuits. Honda has won two races this season and would be lucky if it won a third. Somehow the manufacture regressed from 2015 when it appeared it couldn't get any worse.
I have come up with ideas before and here is another because we all want to see Honda make a step forward considering how unpredictable IndyCar is already with half the field with a hand tied behind its back. My idea revolves around tires. The one way Hondas have made the second round of qualifying is by putting on both alternate sets of tires allowed for qualifying in the first round. It is how Dale Coyne Racing has made the second round of qualifying on every occasion this year. After the first round of qualifying these teams have slim hopes of making the final round of qualifying as most if not all the Chevrolet teams have at least one set of fresh alternate tires available.
Here is the proposal:
The top six in qualifying from the previous road/street course round are not allowed to use the alternate tires in the first two rounds of qualifying OR the top six in qualifying from the previous road/street course round are allowed to only make one lap in either the first or second round of qualifying on the alternate tires.
The cars that qualified seventh through 12th from the previous road/street course round are not allowed to use the alternate tires in the first round of qualifying.
All cars that failed to make it out of the first round of qualifying from the previous road/street course round have unlimited use of alternate tires.
This is balance of performance without worrying about the ramifications of giving more manufacture extra turbo boost or extra fuel or adding weight to cars. It gives some of the lower teams a chance to move up and not having to burn through both sets of alternate tires in the first round of qualifying while the top teams aren't significantly disadvantaged as they could still be quick enough to advance on the primary tires. The other good thing about this is it wouldn't affect the race itself. While it could mix up the starting grid, these limits are only for qualifying. If a team wants to start on alternate tires and then switch to the primaries on two pit stops it still can.
It is not a perfect idea, no idea never is. I am sure some drivers wouldn't like it but it is something that might bite them in one race weekend and then benefit them the next. It isn't IndyCar playing with the engines and holding back Chevrolet or giving Honda a shot in the arm and it objectively balances the field. If a Honda makes the final round than it is limited on its use of the alternate tires just like the Chevrolets that make the final round. If a Chevrolet fails to advance from round one than it has unlimited use of alternate tires in the next race just like any Honda that makes it out of round one.
It is worth trying for 2017. A slight leveling the playing field can only make IndyCar better.
Antonio Giovinazzi won the GP2 feature race from Monza from last on the grid. Norman Nato won the GP2 sprint race. Jake Dennis and Nyck de Vries won the GP3 races.
Rotating Tires
IndyCar qualifying has become predictable on road and street circuits. The Chevrolets will take eight or nine of the top ten spots, a Chevrolet will be on pole and that will set the course for the race to come.
With all signs pointing to an aero kit development freeze for 2017, it means Honda will be stuck in the mud for at least one season. The Hondas need to roll the dice just to get into the conversation each week let alone become the topic of the conversation. Granted, some have broken through. Graham Rahal has found success and nearly won at Barber. Ryan Hunter-Reay has two podiums on street circuits. James Hinchcliffe has consistently been one of the best in qualifying. Conor Daly has made top six finishes out of nothing but very few times has Honda been able to compete with Chevrolet for the top spot.
Honda appears to have taken a big whiff at making up the aero deficiency through more power and in turn that has made the engines less fuel-efficient. While that worked at Indianapolis and Texas, it bit the Hondas at Pocono and really hasn't paid off at any road and street circuits. Honda has won two races this season and would be lucky if it won a third. Somehow the manufacture regressed from 2015 when it appeared it couldn't get any worse.
I have come up with ideas before and here is another because we all want to see Honda make a step forward considering how unpredictable IndyCar is already with half the field with a hand tied behind its back. My idea revolves around tires. The one way Hondas have made the second round of qualifying is by putting on both alternate sets of tires allowed for qualifying in the first round. It is how Dale Coyne Racing has made the second round of qualifying on every occasion this year. After the first round of qualifying these teams have slim hopes of making the final round of qualifying as most if not all the Chevrolet teams have at least one set of fresh alternate tires available.
Here is the proposal:
The top six in qualifying from the previous road/street course round are not allowed to use the alternate tires in the first two rounds of qualifying OR the top six in qualifying from the previous road/street course round are allowed to only make one lap in either the first or second round of qualifying on the alternate tires.
The cars that qualified seventh through 12th from the previous road/street course round are not allowed to use the alternate tires in the first round of qualifying.
All cars that failed to make it out of the first round of qualifying from the previous road/street course round have unlimited use of alternate tires.
This is balance of performance without worrying about the ramifications of giving more manufacture extra turbo boost or extra fuel or adding weight to cars. It gives some of the lower teams a chance to move up and not having to burn through both sets of alternate tires in the first round of qualifying while the top teams aren't significantly disadvantaged as they could still be quick enough to advance on the primary tires. The other good thing about this is it wouldn't affect the race itself. While it could mix up the starting grid, these limits are only for qualifying. If a team wants to start on alternate tires and then switch to the primaries on two pit stops it still can.
It is not a perfect idea, no idea never is. I am sure some drivers wouldn't like it but it is something that might bite them in one race weekend and then benefit them the next. It isn't IndyCar playing with the engines and holding back Chevrolet or giving Honda a shot in the arm and it objectively balances the field. If a Honda makes the final round than it is limited on its use of the alternate tires just like the Chevrolets that make the final round. If a Chevrolet fails to advance from round one than it has unlimited use of alternate tires in the next race just like any Honda that makes it out of round one.
It is worth trying for 2017. A slight leveling the playing field can only make IndyCar better.
Back to the Roots
A lot has been made of NASCAR's throwback weekend at the Southern 500 and it has been great. NASCAR made the bonehead decision to move the Southern 500 from Labor Day weekend and it took 11 years too many to put it back where it belonged. When it returned, teams and drivers turned it in a celebration of the past and has featured jaw-dropping retro paint schemes to honor the past. While I am nervous it could be taken too far and the retro paint schemes could become stale in the next few years it is a fun event and you really don't know what will be rolled out.
The Southern 500's return to Labor Day weekend has been tremendous but it doesn't nullify the fact that NASCAR is much different than it was 15 and 20 years. Rockingham has been gone for over a decade and the Trucks revival of the track sadly did not work. While Cup never went to tracks such as Milwaukee, Memphis, Gateway, Pikes Peak, Mesa Marin and Indianapolis Raceway Park were all hosts to the lower two national touring division and those tracks are missed. The Grand National Series has out grown being an affordable series for small teams and drivers. A simply weekend with fancy paint schemes are dressing in 1970s attire won't bring the philosophies that could potentially revive these series.
A few tracks NASCAR's lower divisions cannot return to but perhaps it could turn smaller tracks into a promotional events. The Truck series was built on short tracks. The non-sexy short tracks. The short tracks that held less than 10,000 spectators. Instead of running Trucks on mile-and-a-half tracks with less than stellar racing, why not return to a short track or two or three and why not tie these short track visits into Cup weekend. When the Cup series is at a big track, the Grand National series and/or Truck series goes to a short track in the area. If Cup is in at Fontana, run a Truck race at Kern County Raceway Park, the successor of Mesa Marin, the Friday night before and have Cup drivers come out and give local fans who might not necessarily be able to afford a Cup race a chance to see their favorite drivers in-person either doing autograph signings and taking photos or maybe even competing.
During All-Star weekend, have the Grand National Series run at Hickory Motor Speedway on the Sunday afternoon. Both junior series should return to Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Trucks shouldn't be at Atlanta or Kansas. Take the Trucks back to Milwaukee and Memphis. The Grand National Series doesn't need two races at Dover. Run a race at South Boston and pair it with a Martinsville weekend.
Of course, none of this will happen because the bigger tracks need dates. Pocono got a Truck and Grand National Series race because it needed more than just ARCA races to pair with Cup races. It is why the Truck series races on a Thursday night at Kentucky with a crowd that makes an IndyCar rainout at Pocono seem respectably attended. It would be nice to see NASCAR return to tracks that are excited about having a race, even if it is just one of the lower two divisions than have a race in an indifferent market. It would be nice if NASCAR embraced its roots more than just one weekend of the year and return to some of those left behind.
A Few Words on Felipe
Felipe Massa will never be World Drivers' Champion but few know what is feels like to be as close as he was on November 2, 2008. He was world champion for all of 30 seconds. He did all he could do and when it appeared that would be enough an act of God and a tiptoeing Timo Glock nullified his run. It is easy to pinpoint the lose of a championship on one race, especially the final one but Massa left the pit lane while leading with the fuel hose trailing behind him at Singapore. He spun five times in the British Grand Prix. He had a trip into the kitty litter at Malaysia when he was challenging teammate Kimi Räikkönen for the lead and both were running seconds faster than the rest of the field. One point from any of those three and he is world champion.
We are seven years removed from his near-fatal accident at the Hungaroring. Many probably thought in the days afterward his career was over. Others probably thought he would have come back but only competed for another year or two. I don't think anyone expected Massa compete to compete until 2016. While he hasn't won since that day in Brazil and the most notable moment in his career since his accident is a win being taken from him by the Ferrari team, Massa's career should be remembered for perseverance.
I am not sure where Massa ranks among greatest drivers never to be world champion but he should be remembered as an outstanding driver who kept trying after a brush with death and finding a place in the modern-era of Formula One when it appeared to have passed him by.
Provisional Champion From the Weekend
José María López provisionally won the 2016 World Touring Car Championship with a fourth-place and second-place finish this weekend at Motegi. It is his third consecutive title in the series. López will race in Formula E this upcoming season for DS Virgin Racing.
A Few Words on Felipe
Felipe Massa will never be World Drivers' Champion but few know what is feels like to be as close as he was on November 2, 2008. He was world champion for all of 30 seconds. He did all he could do and when it appeared that would be enough an act of God and a tiptoeing Timo Glock nullified his run. It is easy to pinpoint the lose of a championship on one race, especially the final one but Massa left the pit lane while leading with the fuel hose trailing behind him at Singapore. He spun five times in the British Grand Prix. He had a trip into the kitty litter at Malaysia when he was challenging teammate Kimi Räikkönen for the lead and both were running seconds faster than the rest of the field. One point from any of those three and he is world champion.
We are seven years removed from his near-fatal accident at the Hungaroring. Many probably thought in the days afterward his career was over. Others probably thought he would have come back but only competed for another year or two. I don't think anyone expected Massa compete to compete until 2016. While he hasn't won since that day in Brazil and the most notable moment in his career since his accident is a win being taken from him by the Ferrari team, Massa's career should be remembered for perseverance.
I am not sure where Massa ranks among greatest drivers never to be world champion but he should be remembered as an outstanding driver who kept trying after a brush with death and finding a place in the modern-era of Formula One when it appeared to have passed him by.
Provisional Champion From the Weekend
José María López provisionally won the 2016 World Touring Car Championship with a fourth-place and second-place finish this weekend at Motegi. It is his third consecutive title in the series. López will race in Formula E this upcoming season for DS Virgin Racing.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Scott Dixon and Martin Truex, Jr. but did you know...
Nico Rosberg won the Italian Grand Prix.
The #1 Porsche of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley won the 6 Hours of Mexico City. The #43 RGR Sport by Morand Ligier-Nissan of Ricardo González, Felipe Albuquerque and Bruno Senna won in LMP2. The #97 Aston Martin of Darren Turner and Richie Stanaway won in GTE-Pro. The #88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche of Patrick Long, Khaled Al Quibashi and David Heinemeier Hansson won in GTE-Am.
Maverick Viñales won MotoGP's British Grand Prix, his first career MotoGP victory and the first for Suzuki since the 2007 French Grand Prix with Chris Vermeulen. Thomas Lüthi picked up his second victory this season in Moto2. Brad Binder won in Moto3 and extended his championship lead.
Zach Veach won the Indy Lights from Watkins Glen.
Zach Veach won the Indy Lights from Watkins Glen.
Antonio Giovinazzi won the GP2 feature race from Monza from last on the grid. Norman Nato won the GP2 sprint race. Jake Dennis and Nyck de Vries won the GP3 races.
Norbert Michelisz and Yvan Muller split the WTCC races from Motegi.
Elliott Sadler won the NASCAR Grand National Series race from Darlington. John Hunter Nemechek won the Truck race from Mosport after running Cole Custer off the track.
Coming Up This Weekend
All three Road to Indy series crown champions at Laguna Seca.
The 26th race of the NASCAR season will be at Richmond.
MotoGP returns to Misano.
DTM has a doubleheader at the Nürburgring.
Super Formula has a doubleheader at Okayama.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
First Impressions: Watkins Glen 2016
1. Scott Dixon dominated this race but he and the rest of the field nearly pooched it. Dixon was miles ahead of everybody today. He was the only guy running in the 84-second bracket while the rest of the field was toiling in the mid-85 range. This is his 40th IndyCar victory, his fourth at Watkins Glen and he has won at the track with three different manufactures. The only drivers ahead of him in victories are AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti and Michael Andretti. He is an all-time great. He might not win his fifth championship in 2016 but don't rule him out for 2017.
2. Josef Newgarden finished second from 12th on the grid. He made it on fuel mileage while others didn't and he benefitted from pitting before the first caution for Mikhail Aleshin's accident. This has been a good year for Newgarden and he won't be in the championship fight at Sonoma like last year. Had he not had so much unfortunate turns (electrical problem at St. Petersburg, getting clipped by Juan Pablo Montoya at Toronto, getting clipped by Will Power at Mid-Ohio) he might have been contending. Maybe 2017 will be his year.
3. Hélio Castroneves finished third after it appeared he would have been out of luck. He went off strategy, appeared to be a few laps short, got a caution, ended up being a few laps short but was in good position and gets a podium out of it. This was a textbook Castroneves day. He never bosses a race but he still ends up with a finish at the front.
4. Like Newgarden, Conor Daly benefitted from the Aleshin caution and he stayed toward the front. He was nearly on the podium but had to coast home and finished fourth. This is still a great run for Daly. Dale Coyne is the master of strategy in IndyCar, arguably as good as Roger Penske considering the lack resources Coyne has. He should be working for Haas F1 considering how terrible they have been with strategy this year. Maybe Gene Haas and Coyne can form some type of partnership and bolster Coyne's IndyCar team to become a contender each week. Coyne already has one driver talented enough for the job and he might have another but more on that in a minute.
5. Sébastien Bourdais was next to the tires at pit exit after the first turn of the race. He was nearly 40 seconds behind Dixon. Then he had a trip through the grass at the chicane and had to give up a position and he still finished fifth. What a day. He might be on the move but he seems to be a great fit at KV Racing. Maybe a teammate, a veteran teammate would help him there but it appears it maybe be too little too late for KV.
6. Charlie Kimball didn't want to save fuel and went balls out, made a stop and charged to sixth after his final stop. He also made contact with Graham Rahal and Will Power and both those drivers retired. Kimball isn't a dirty driver. He never really runs people off the road but he is consistently able to bring cars home. I think his consistency is what other drivers are jealous of.
7. Simon Pagenaud hung around Will Power all day. When Power thought he could jump Pagenaud by pitting early, Power ended up in traffic and Pagenaud ended up staying at the front. Power ended up in the barrier after racing Kimball, Pagenaud limped home to seventh. He leads Power by 43 points heading to Sonoma. Scott Dixon over came a 47-point difference last year. If Power wins and gets three bonus at Sonoma and Pagenaud finishes third with no bonus points, Power would win the championship on tiebreaker. It isn't over. It is very much alive for Power but he crumbled today when in direst. He can't do that in Sonoma.
8. Alexander Rossi limbed home to eighth but he was a hard charger at the start and was in the top ten on speed. He won the Indianapolis 500 and is in the catbird seat for Rookie of the Year. Most years that would be a great year but it has been frustrating as none of the Andretti Autosport teams have been consistently quick this year. If anything, the team has regressed since the first round of the season. They are going to need to make big strides in the offseason but that might not matter for Rossi. I am sure others are knocking at his door. Will he want to take a risk though?
9. RC Enerson started 11th, avoids the first lap incident and was running sixth. He got caught out by the Aleshin caution and really wasn't a factor. On the final stint, he was able to run harder than most other drivers and ended up in ninth, his first career top ten finish. Coyne may have had the steal of the season by promoting Enerson to IndyCar so quickly. He will race at Sonoma next week but after that, his future in IndyCar is up in the air. He definitely deserves a shot in 2017.
10. Max Chilton had a good car today and gets his first top ten since Phoenix. He was second after the Aleshin caution but it was clear he didn't have the pace of some of the car behind him. He and Kimball carved up the field before their final stops but while Kimball got up to sixth, Chilton was stuck and could only manage tenth. It is still a good day but could have been better.
11. Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti both didn't stop after the Power caution and stopped about 3-5 laps later. They were able to make it on fuel and ended up on the edge of the top ten. This is where Andretti Autosport has been this year: needing to roll the dice to get a decent finish. That isn't a good thing.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to be on his way for a top five finish and then stopped soon after the Power caution instead of trying to conserve fuel. He then spun and it cost him a few positions. It has been that type of year for Montoya.
13. Quickly through the rest of the field: Ryan Hunter-Reay looked to be on his way for a top ten but had to conserve fuel. The Hondas have sacrificed fuel efficiency to make up some speed on the Chevrolets and other than at Indianapolis, Texas and Pocono it hasn't been worth it. Spencer Pigot crawled home in 15th. He has had a decent year and deserves a full-time ride in 2017. Jack Hawksworth started ninth but finished 16th. Takuma Sato was on the Muñoz-Andretti strategy and got up to eighth and then spun. I can't see how Foyt keeps him for another year but he kept him this year and I thought he was going to be gone after 2015. Who knows? Foyt might boot him before Sonoma. James Hinchcliffe was third at the start of the final lap and he ran out of fuel and didn't even make it back to the line. How unfortunate for a guy who charged to the front just like Rossi did.
14. Tony Kanaan had a rear suspension issue cost him a top five finish. We already went over Will Power's day. Graham Rahal had a fast car, got into the top ten, got caught out by the Aleshin caution and then got into Kimball after Kimball bottomed out on the curbs and Rahal was in the worst position. Mikhail Aleshin had a tire failure. It might have been something else, maybe rear suspension failure like Daly at Road America but either way it ruined his day.
15. I thought this was a great return for IndyCar to Watkins Glen. The crowd looked better than I expected. The race was better than most expected. I really hope it works this time. Labor Day weekend may be tricky, especially if traffic is nightmare for the holiday weekend. That is what is going to keep people from coming back but hopeful the experience is good enough to bring them back. If IndyCar can get all three Road to Indy series and maybe a sports car series to Watkins Glen next year, it could be something that rivals Road America in terms of a jam-packed weekend.
16. One race remains and it is two weeks away. The Road to Indy series will crown its champions next week at Laguna Seca and then the focus turns a few hours north to Sonoma. Will the Astor Cup return to Will Power or will Simon Pagenaud add his name to the list of Penske champions? Two weeks my friends. That is all that remains for IndyCar in 2016.
2. Josef Newgarden finished second from 12th on the grid. He made it on fuel mileage while others didn't and he benefitted from pitting before the first caution for Mikhail Aleshin's accident. This has been a good year for Newgarden and he won't be in the championship fight at Sonoma like last year. Had he not had so much unfortunate turns (electrical problem at St. Petersburg, getting clipped by Juan Pablo Montoya at Toronto, getting clipped by Will Power at Mid-Ohio) he might have been contending. Maybe 2017 will be his year.
3. Hélio Castroneves finished third after it appeared he would have been out of luck. He went off strategy, appeared to be a few laps short, got a caution, ended up being a few laps short but was in good position and gets a podium out of it. This was a textbook Castroneves day. He never bosses a race but he still ends up with a finish at the front.
4. Like Newgarden, Conor Daly benefitted from the Aleshin caution and he stayed toward the front. He was nearly on the podium but had to coast home and finished fourth. This is still a great run for Daly. Dale Coyne is the master of strategy in IndyCar, arguably as good as Roger Penske considering the lack resources Coyne has. He should be working for Haas F1 considering how terrible they have been with strategy this year. Maybe Gene Haas and Coyne can form some type of partnership and bolster Coyne's IndyCar team to become a contender each week. Coyne already has one driver talented enough for the job and he might have another but more on that in a minute.
5. Sébastien Bourdais was next to the tires at pit exit after the first turn of the race. He was nearly 40 seconds behind Dixon. Then he had a trip through the grass at the chicane and had to give up a position and he still finished fifth. What a day. He might be on the move but he seems to be a great fit at KV Racing. Maybe a teammate, a veteran teammate would help him there but it appears it maybe be too little too late for KV.
6. Charlie Kimball didn't want to save fuel and went balls out, made a stop and charged to sixth after his final stop. He also made contact with Graham Rahal and Will Power and both those drivers retired. Kimball isn't a dirty driver. He never really runs people off the road but he is consistently able to bring cars home. I think his consistency is what other drivers are jealous of.
7. Simon Pagenaud hung around Will Power all day. When Power thought he could jump Pagenaud by pitting early, Power ended up in traffic and Pagenaud ended up staying at the front. Power ended up in the barrier after racing Kimball, Pagenaud limped home to seventh. He leads Power by 43 points heading to Sonoma. Scott Dixon over came a 47-point difference last year. If Power wins and gets three bonus at Sonoma and Pagenaud finishes third with no bonus points, Power would win the championship on tiebreaker. It isn't over. It is very much alive for Power but he crumbled today when in direst. He can't do that in Sonoma.
8. Alexander Rossi limbed home to eighth but he was a hard charger at the start and was in the top ten on speed. He won the Indianapolis 500 and is in the catbird seat for Rookie of the Year. Most years that would be a great year but it has been frustrating as none of the Andretti Autosport teams have been consistently quick this year. If anything, the team has regressed since the first round of the season. They are going to need to make big strides in the offseason but that might not matter for Rossi. I am sure others are knocking at his door. Will he want to take a risk though?
9. RC Enerson started 11th, avoids the first lap incident and was running sixth. He got caught out by the Aleshin caution and really wasn't a factor. On the final stint, he was able to run harder than most other drivers and ended up in ninth, his first career top ten finish. Coyne may have had the steal of the season by promoting Enerson to IndyCar so quickly. He will race at Sonoma next week but after that, his future in IndyCar is up in the air. He definitely deserves a shot in 2017.
10. Max Chilton had a good car today and gets his first top ten since Phoenix. He was second after the Aleshin caution but it was clear he didn't have the pace of some of the car behind him. He and Kimball carved up the field before their final stops but while Kimball got up to sixth, Chilton was stuck and could only manage tenth. It is still a good day but could have been better.
11. Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti both didn't stop after the Power caution and stopped about 3-5 laps later. They were able to make it on fuel and ended up on the edge of the top ten. This is where Andretti Autosport has been this year: needing to roll the dice to get a decent finish. That isn't a good thing.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to be on his way for a top five finish and then stopped soon after the Power caution instead of trying to conserve fuel. He then spun and it cost him a few positions. It has been that type of year for Montoya.
13. Quickly through the rest of the field: Ryan Hunter-Reay looked to be on his way for a top ten but had to conserve fuel. The Hondas have sacrificed fuel efficiency to make up some speed on the Chevrolets and other than at Indianapolis, Texas and Pocono it hasn't been worth it. Spencer Pigot crawled home in 15th. He has had a decent year and deserves a full-time ride in 2017. Jack Hawksworth started ninth but finished 16th. Takuma Sato was on the Muñoz-Andretti strategy and got up to eighth and then spun. I can't see how Foyt keeps him for another year but he kept him this year and I thought he was going to be gone after 2015. Who knows? Foyt might boot him before Sonoma. James Hinchcliffe was third at the start of the final lap and he ran out of fuel and didn't even make it back to the line. How unfortunate for a guy who charged to the front just like Rossi did.
14. Tony Kanaan had a rear suspension issue cost him a top five finish. We already went over Will Power's day. Graham Rahal had a fast car, got into the top ten, got caught out by the Aleshin caution and then got into Kimball after Kimball bottomed out on the curbs and Rahal was in the worst position. Mikhail Aleshin had a tire failure. It might have been something else, maybe rear suspension failure like Daly at Road America but either way it ruined his day.
15. I thought this was a great return for IndyCar to Watkins Glen. The crowd looked better than I expected. The race was better than most expected. I really hope it works this time. Labor Day weekend may be tricky, especially if traffic is nightmare for the holiday weekend. That is what is going to keep people from coming back but hopeful the experience is good enough to bring them back. If IndyCar can get all three Road to Indy series and maybe a sports car series to Watkins Glen next year, it could be something that rivals Road America in terms of a jam-packed weekend.
16. One race remains and it is two weeks away. The Road to Indy series will crown its champions next week at Laguna Seca and then the focus turns a few hours north to Sonoma. Will the Astor Cup return to Will Power or will Simon Pagenaud add his name to the list of Penske champions? Two weeks my friends. That is all that remains for IndyCar in 2016.
Morning Warm-Up: Watkins Glen 2016
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| Scott Dixon has led every session in IndyCar's return to Watkins Glen |
Sébastien Bourdais makes his Watkins Glen debut from third on the grid. The Frenchman qualified just over a quarter of a second behind Dixon. This is Bourdais' best starting position of the season and his best starting position since starting third at Mid-Ohio last year. He finished 17th in that race. Hélio Castroneves joins Bourdais on row two. Castroneves has started in the top five in all but three races this season. All nine previous Watkins Glen IndyCar races have been won from within the first two rows. Tony Kanaan and Max Chilton make it an all-Ganassi row three. Kanaan has started in the top six in four of his previous six Watkins Glen start. He finished 21st in the 2010 Watkins Glen race. Chilton made the final round of qualifying for the first time in his career. His only top ten finish this season was seventh at Phoenix.
Simon Pagenaud starts seventh after missing the final round of qualifying for the first time this season. He had been the only driver to make the Firestone Fast Six session in the previous eight qualifying session this season. Pagenaud's best finish from seventh on grid was fourth and both came in Canada (Mont-Tremblant and Edmonton 2007). Juan Pablo Montoya makes it an all-Penske row four. Montoya won the Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup race from third on the grid in 2010. The only time Montoya has won from eighth on the grid was Mid-Ohio in 1999. The top Honda qualified was Jack Hawksworth in ninth position. This will be the third time Hawksworth has started ninth this season. He started ninth at St. Petersburg and finished 11th and went from ninth to 19th in the second Belle Isle race. Mikhail Aleshin's penalty dropped him to tenth on the grid. Aleshin's two top ten finishes on permanent road courses both came at Sonoma.
RC Enerson made the second round of qualifying for the first time in his career in his second start. He started 18th and finished 19th in his debut at Mid-Ohio just over a month ago after running out of fuel while in the pit lane on his first stint. Josef Newgarden will Join Enerson on row six. Newgarden had an accident in turn seven during the third practice session of the weekend. Newgarden had started five consecutive races in the top ten. This will be his sixth start from 12th on the grid. His only top ten from 12th starting position was ninth at NOLA last year. James Hinchcliffe had advanced to the second round of qualifying but was penalized for interfering during qualifying and he will start 13th. He is looking to match his career-best of six consecutive top ten finishes. Charlie Kimball joins him on row seven. This is Kimball fourth time starting outside the top ten in the last five races.
Alexander Rossi was the top Andretti Autosport qualifier in 15th position and he will be joined on row eight by Carlos Muñoz. Both drivers are making their first start at Watkins Glen. Rossi hasn't had a top ten finish in four races while Muñoz has three top ten finishes on the trot. Rossi's only top ten on a permanent road course this season was tenth at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Muñoz has finished in the top ten in the last two permanent road course races. Conor Daly starts 17th next to Marco Andretti. Daly ran at Watkins Glen last year in the IMSA Six Hours of the Glen in a Prototype Challenge car. Andretti's only top ten finish this season was ninth in the second Belle Isle race. He has three fifth-place finishes in five starts at Watkins Glen. Andretti's worst starting position at Watkins Glen prior to this year's race was eighth.
Ryan Hunter-Reay will start 19th, his career worst starting position at Watkins Glen. Hunter-Reay has two top ten finishes in five starts from 19th position. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2014 from 19th and finished 10th at Sonoma in 2011 from 19th position. Graham Rahal had advanced to the second round of qualifying but, just like Hinchcliffe, an interference penalty dropped Rahal to 20th on the grid. Rahal went from 24th to fourth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis earlier this season. He has only finished in the top ten once after his three previous victories. He finished third at Milwaukee after his victory at Fontana last year. Spencer Pigot will start 21st and Takuma Sato rounds out the field after losing his two fastest laps after causing a red flag. This will be the fourth time Pigot has started 21st this season. His best finish from 21st on the grid was 14th at St. Petersburg. This will be the 20th time in 117 starts Sato will start outside the top twenty.
NBCSN's coverage of the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen is 2:00 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 2:37 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 60 laps.
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