The rest of the year

[TravelGal]

Not a peep on the Rahal weekend? Okaaaaaaay. I admit it, I binge watched both races on Sunday night after being gone all day Saturday and Sunday. The first of Belle Isle was deadly dull to me. I dreaded cuing up the second. Then, all of a sudden, a race broke out. I thought it was the most entertaining one of the year. The announcers notwithstanding. And kudos to Graham, who was obviously in another zone this weekend.

[G.]

HEY! SPOILERS!

j/k.
I think the DVR got bumped by the PWC race, or something.
I'll have to check to see if I got Race#2 to see Rahal#2 drive...

edit: I can't fathom an IRL race being entertaining at Detroit. I believe you, I just can't process it.

[nissan gtp]

The first race was boring, but I found the second one to be pretty good, with some good passing. Good job by Rahal, and Dixon's drive was outstanding (championship winning?).

[opinionated ow]

I'll get to it at some point. Last to first for Wayne Taylor Racing was probably the bit that piqued my interest. Plus Katherine Legge and Christian neilsen on the podium in GTD

[Mary]

Naw, watching the Indy 500 wasn't bad, but it gave me absolutely no desire to watch any other Earl race. Alonso, or Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, et. al. could come and run in Indycar full time and it wouldn't make me watch some random race (like Belle Isle) again. I'd watch them on a super speedway or somewhere like Road America, though. There is no there there anymore for me.

Mary

[TravelGal]

Naw, watching the Indy 500 wasn't bad, but it gave me absolutely no desire to watch any other Earl race. Alonso, or Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, et. al. could come and run in Indycar full time and it wouldn't make me watch some random race (like Belle Isle) again. I'd watch them on a super speedway or somewhere like Road America, though. There is no there there anymore for me.

Mary

If you're including Texas Motor Speedway in that mix, I sure hope you didn't watch this one. It reminded me of a baseball game. They packed 30 minutes of action into two hours (plus red flags, etc.). What was there was good but what remained was not. Must have been brutal for the drivers.

[opinionated ow]

If you're including Texas Motor Speedway in that mix, I sure hope you didn't watch this one. It reminded me of a baseball game. They packed 30 minutes of action into two hours (plus red flags, etc.). What was there was good but what remained was not. Must have been brutal for the drivers.

Open wheel cars shouldn't be anywhere near that place

[TravelGal]

Open wheel cars shouldn't be anywhere near that place

Agreed. Even with the repaving and rebanking. I'm all that sure it helped. Maybe if Ed Severson is reading, he can fill us in on that.

[Ed_Severson]

Let me start by saying this ... I hate Texas, because the guy that runs the place is a bozo and it's usually hot as hell and every year, without fail, some disaster befalls me there no matter how good our car is.

That said, there's nothing inherently wrong with running an IndyCar race at Texas, provided it's done the right way. Last weekend was not the right way.

The reprofiling in Turns 1 and 2 was no big deal. But, the repaving made the place a lot grippier, and smoothed out most of the bumps. Teams were able to run 3 to 5 flats less ride height compared to prior years -- that's a big gain. And, unfortunately, the tire that was tested in April with the new surface did not degrade much at all. Firestone made some changes to the tire after that test, but there was never an opportunity to come back and test the redesigned tire.

What we ended up with was too much downforce and a tire that didn't fall off. It wasn't exactly IRL-style pack racing, but it wasn't far off. Luckily, nobody got hurt.

Even so, a lot of the issues were exacerbated by guys driving like *******s instead of respecting each other. IndyCar has to be more willing to issue severe penalties to curb that sort of stuff, or they'll never fully solve the problem, regardless of aero and tire performance.

[SteveH]

Too many cars ruling flat out with no mechanical separation. Throw on an extra 100 hp and reduce some downforce. Then we'll see who can take the car to the limit and who can't. Will eliminate pack racing, the winner may even lap the field. But there would be no doubt that he was the best that day.

[TravelGal]

Started yesterday and finished today the DVR of Road America. Kudos to the camera crew for showing a lot of the racing, not ONLY the leaders. Looked liked a pretty good race overall. Couldn't tell about the crowd but it didn't seem anything like what they showed from last year.

[stroker]

So what sorta lap times are they running at Mecca?

[opinionated ow]

So what sorta lap times are they running at Mecca?

They qualified at about the same speed as Bourdais did in the dp01. Best race lap was a 1:43.

[TravelGal]

Must have been a bear to drive it. Makes our San Fernando Valley temps look positively mild. Why do they keep moving Iowa earlier in the day? Booth announcers were stoked. It held my interest. Tech segment by Beekhuis was the best he's done in a long time. Kudos to Daly for having more sense than Aleshin. Mixed feelings on Spider Man. (OT: Did I tell you I drove past the red carpet opening here in Hollywood last week? By mistake, of course.)

[opinionated ow]

Must have been a bear to drive it. Makes our San Fernando Valley temps look positively mild. Why do they keep moving Iowa earlier in the day? Booth announcers were stoked. It held my interest. Tech segment by Beekhuis was the best he's done in a long time. Kudos to Daly for having more sense than Aleshin. Mixed feelings on Spider Man. (OT: Did I tell you I drove past the red carpet opening here in Hollywood last week? By mistake, of course.)

Iowa's not a half bad racetrack. Is it worth me finding the replay?

[TravelGal]

Iowa's not a half bad racetrack. Is it worth me finding the replay?

I dunno. It wasn't as awful as many a race. No MAJOR crashes with interminable yellows, though there were a few. Can't say what you'd think though.

[Lux Interior]

Just drove past Iowa Speedway yesterday. Made me remember that Mid-Ohio is just around the corner. May have to run down there and see the race. It's a fun track.

[gerhard911]

Just drove past Iowa Speedway yesterday. Made me remember that Mid-Ohio is just around the corner. May have to run down there and see the race. It's a fun track.

Not when the crapwaggons are on track. GFY biffy :irked:

[nrc]

Not when the crapwaggons are on track. GFY biffy :irked:

Not cool. We don't have enough people left here that we should be telling someone they should GFY because they consider attending a crapwagon event. Crapwagons will always be a third rate imitation of a once great form of racing but I always remember Railbird saying something like "A bad day at the track is better than a good day just about anyplace else." Fair enough.

[Lux Interior]

You also get Pirelli World Challenge, Pro Mazda, and USF2000. On a road course to boot. :thumbup:

[TravelGal]

Just drove past Iowa Speedway yesterday. Made me remember that Mid-Ohio is just around the corner. May have to run down there and see the race. It's a fun track.

Didja go? The grounds looked packed. At least the parts they showed. I thought it was interesting for about the first half. Then I sort of dozed.

[Lux Interior]

Unfortunately daughter spent the day at the ER and I had to watch our young son. Next year though.

[TravelGal]

LUX! Geez, I just got back to this thread. I hope everything is okay now with the kidlets.

As for "Pocono." First, I had to find it on a map. You must really want to go to that race to get out to the middle of NO WHERE. Nevertheless, just seeing something green is entertaining for us folks from the parched desert.

TravelGuy and I must have missed the race last year (a few got screwed up by then Time-Warner). I really don't remember 7 wide and pea pod slingshot racing. I was exhausted by the end. Loved some of the driver comments. Pags: This is real driving. You have to figure out [while you're driving] how to go faster. It's the way racing is supposed to be. TK: Rahal is someone I can really trust. He figured out right away what we were doing. Helio: whine, whine, whine. (Oh, did he say something?)

[opinionated ow]

LUX! Geez, I just got back to this thread. I hope everything is okay now with the kidlets.

As for "Pocono." First, I had to find it on a map. You must really want to go to that race to get out to the middle of NO WHERE. Nevertheless, just seeing something green is entertaining for us folks from the parched desert.

TravelGuy and I must have missed the race last year (a few got screwed up by then Time-Warner). I really don't remember 7 wide and pea pod slingshot racing. I was exhausted by the end. Loved some of the driver comments. Pags: This is real driving. You have to figure out [while you're driving] how to go faster. It's the way racing is supposed to be. TK: Rahal is someone I can really trust. He figured out right away what we were doing. Helio: whine, whine, whine. (Oh, did he say something?)

I've started watching this season's races in order and to be honest it's not too bad. OK it's not peak CART. The cars are uglier and they don't sound as good but the driving standard has been pretty high, the races have been entertaining and the at the track crowds are fairly reasonable. Yes it's got a long way to go to get back to where it was but there is a certain something there that says it has potential. I've enjoyed what I've watched (although I will not watch TMS because no open wheel car should ever be on that track). I'd like to see a few more of the traditional venues added (Milwaukee Mile, Laguna Seca, Portland, Cleveland Airport) and I desperately think they need to get another couple of ovals on it (Michigan/Fontana and maybe New Hampshire?) but it's fairly good.

[TravelGal]

I've started watching this season's races in order and to be honest it's not too bad. >>snip<< and I desperately think they need to get another couple of ovals on it (Michigan/Fontana and maybe New Hampshire?) but it's fairly good.

You can skip Gateway. This is not the oval you want (said in best Obi Wan voice). Kudos to Connor Daly though. Not sure he'll ever be a champ but good to see him doing well.

[opinionated ow]

You can skip Gateway. This is not the oval you want (said in best Obi Wan voice). Kudos to Connor Daly though. Not sure he'll ever be a champ but good to see him doing well.

Pity. Indy Lights race had some great passing. Worked for passes...not Hanford style

[Ed_Severson]

You can skip Gateway. This is not the oval you want (said in best Obi Wan voice).

Really?

Sometimes it's tough for me to tell, being in the middle of it and kind of focused on my own little corner of the universe, but the race at Gateway seemed to me like it must have been fairly entertaining. I damn near fell asleep on the timing stand at Phoenix; Gateway at least held my attention.

[TravelGal]

Really?

Sometimes it's tough for me to tell, being in the middle of it and kind of focused on my own little corner of the universe, but the race at Gateway seemed to me like it must have been fairly entertaining. I damn near fell asleep on the timing stand at Phoenix; Gateway at least held my attention.

Yes, if you were watching what certain drivers were doing. Overall, overhead shots, a big parade for the majority of the time. Not saying there was no action but, like a baseball game, it packed 20 minutes of action into 2 1/2 hours.

[TravelGal]

So, are we happy with the new champ? (I know, we're not happy but maybe we like HIM?). TravelGuy and I watched the race and felt that, as with many races this year, either the racing actually IS better or the camera work is dramatically better. I think both.

I know y'all hate spec cars but I did notice that one driver (forgot who) said they were looking forward to the standard aero kit because "no more excuses." Loved Seb with his candid post-race comments. He would make a good exec if they could handle the truth as he sees it.

[stroker]

So, are we happy with the new champ? (I know, we're not happy but maybe we like HIM?). TravelGuy and I watched the race and felt that, as with many races this year, either the racing actually IS better or the camera work is dramatically better. I think both.

I know y'all hate spec cars but I did notice that one driver (forgot who) said they were looking forward to the standard aero kit because "no more excuses." Loved Seb with his candid post-race comments. He would make a good exec if they could handle the truth as he sees it.

They just don't get it, and I don't mean the drivers. If the drivers are essentially driving the same car (F1) or literally (IRL) then they run right into the problem of being unable to pass, which equals carnage or boring. They need a completely different philosophy in rules structure. Until that happens it is going to be the same old, same old.

[SteveH]

So, are we happy with the new champ? (I know, we're not happy but maybe we like HIM?). TravelGuy and I watched the race and felt that, as with many races this year, either the racing actually IS better or the camera work is dramatically better. I think both.

I know y'all hate spec cars but I did notice that one driver (forgot who) said they were looking forward to the standard aero kit because "no more excuses." Loved Seb with his candid post-race comments. He would make a good exec if they could handle the truth as he sees it.

no more excuses..... as well as an expected reduction in downforce


PRUETT: Farewell, aero kits (http://www.racer.com/more/viewpoints/item/144120-pruett-farewell-aero-kits)


With every possible airfoil element and Gurney flap installed, and those wing angles dialed up to the max, Chevy's road course/short oval (RC/SO) package was capable of generating 6,826 pounds of downforce.

SIX THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED, and TWENTY-SIX.

Honda's kit, in full RC/SO insane mode, reached similar numbers, good for 6,683 crushing pounds of aero assistance.



Tim Cindric's aero kit story:
We haven't seen the strain on the cars on the short ovals that we've seen here. The first time our car came back from Iowa with an aero kit, and you start finding bent push rods and cracked wheels...and you haven't hit the wall...

That was our first big indication that the downforce levels we were seeing went beyond anyone's furthest expectations.


It will seem like an entirely new car. And one that might make discrepancies in talent quite obvious.

Hello, Marco.

[TravelGal]

It will seem like an entirely new car. And one that might make discrepancies in talent quite obvious.

Hello, Marco.

:D . Yeah, Cindric was already moaning about the new aero kits. Well, it will make it more eggsziting for the fans, won't it? Cars breaking apart willy nilly? That's what they want, isn't it? Isn't it? :tony:

[TKGAngel]

So, are we happy with the new champ? (I know, we're not happy but maybe we like HIM?). TravelGuy and I watched the race and felt that, as with many races this year, either the racing actually IS better or the camera work is dramatically better. I think both.

I have no problem with Newgarden as champ. He appears to be a fairly genuine guy with driving talent.

I thought the NBC races were nicely covered, and the PT/TB banter in the booth is good; much, much, much better than those two former drivers on ABC.


It will seem like an entirely new car. And one that might make discrepancies in talent quite obvious. Hello, Marco.

No kidding. The initial storyline at the start of this season was that this was going to be MA's year since he now had Herta calling his race strategy. When all was said and done, it was same old Marco.

[stroker]

This thread needs a heaping dollop of Chief.

:D

[rabbit]

FWIW, I watched a handful of races this year, and frankly, I enjoyed them. Yeah, it ain't CART. But it ain't the IRL either. The cars aren't what they used to be, but I think they're getting closer. (And don't forget, the merger happened right before the "Great Recession" hit, which completely changed the financial landscape of motorsports in general, not just open wheel.)

There is definitely talent in the series. Newgarden is a deserving champ and is going to be a rock star for years to come. If you haven't seen the Zanardi-esque passes for wins that he made at Mid-Ohio and Gateway, you owe it to yourself to watch them (see below).

Tracy and Bell don't pull punches -- "He just pulled a Pruett." -- and might be the best color tandem in the business.

So yeah, I enjoy the IndyCar series. And I plan on watching even more races next year.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woQt2aaO4-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWT8tTjRoPM

[opinionated ow]

FWIW, I watched a handful of races this year, and frankly, I enjoyed them. Yeah, it ain't CART. But it ain't the IRL either. The cars aren't what they used to be, but I think they're getting closer. (And don't forget, the merger happened right before the "Great Recession" hit, which completely changed the financial landscape of motorsports in general, not just open wheel.)

There is definitely talent in the series. Newgarden is a deserving champ and is going to be a rock star for years to come. If you haven't seen the Zanardi-esque passes for wins that he made at Mid-Ohio and Gateway, you owe it to yourself to watch them (see below).

Tracy and Bell don't pull punches -- "He just pulled a Pruett." -- and might be the best color tandem in the business.

So yeah, I enjoy the IndyCar series. And I plan on watching even more races next year.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woQt2aaO4-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWT8tTjRoPM

Yep. Count me in the same group. Next year without the downforce will be much better, particularly on the short ovals