Comments on: Brian And Helio: Not A Love Story

By: the american mutt

the american mutt — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:09:31 +0000

you must have been in a different part of the grandstands, as there was no gasping done in the area I was sitting in. Incidentily, she only lost two spots. While I certainly agree his on track behavior (which they all exhibit) was inexcusable you exagerate the severity substantially.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:17:35 +0000

Thanks for coming back Jeff! I still use your blogroll to find all the ones I like reading!

However, I disagree with you analysis on Will Power not being penalized. Will Power was attempting to advance position, not retain position like Helio. As for Dixon, we was running the racing line when he “chopped” Power. Helio was obviously not running the racing line and had altered his path to prevent passing. Dixon had completed a pass. Different circumstance.

By: Mike R.

Mike R. — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:54:24 +0000

I suspect that BB is probably the person most acutely aware of his inconsistent calls through the years…the Helio/Danica thing stands out in my mind so strongly, it still makes me wonder why there wasn’t any kind of penalty…but that may in fact be the reason why he did it. Include the “don’t climb the fence” transmission, and the multiple items that are pointed out, couple that with an apparent accusation that he has favored Penske due to the prior affiliation…I reckon maybe he (BB) is seeking to make some type of amends with the entire IICS community. I.e. “No, I’m NOT in Roger’s pocket” + “In hindsight, I should have called him on the blocking against Danica” + “the little prick didn’t listen to me at Indy last year”…so he’s (possibly) trying to make up for previous screw-ups.

Bottom line, I agree with Robin Miller (again), that the guy is in over-his-head with the position (promoted to his level of incompentence) and he has demonstrated that he really shouldn’t be making the final decisions on critical (to racing) matters. There are others who are vastly more qualified to make these calls.

By: Speedy Dave

Speedy Dave — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:10:42 +0000

I really think that IHJ’s lack of consistency is at the heart of the incredible display of fan anger. We can all name a half dozen or more missed calls from memory, and to be confronted with a rule we don’t know (NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS) that so obviously affected the race outcome was the straw that broke the camel’s back. IHJ may have been right about the call, but he’s earned a lot of the mistrust that fans have for him. It will be interesting to see how often he’s second guessed on this rule now that we know about it. Fans will be watching for it and asking why it doesn’t apply to one particular instance but not the next.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:09:38 +0000

Jeff,

You didn’t mention what your “official beer of the post” was, but it kicked in with a vengeance after the second paragraph. What a buzz.

By: pressdog

pressdog — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:12:02 +0000

I agree with criticism of Barnhart for inconsistency. Just one example: Belle Isle, when he was called for blocking Wilson (a universally approved call by fans including me), he only had to give the position to Wilson, NOT drive through, which the IHJ now says is required under the rules. Unless the rule has changed since 2008, but we don’t know that, since rules are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Don’t agree that this is a manifestation of the IHJ’s remorse over the PT at Indy thing, though.

By: Ron Ford

Ron Ford — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:53:57 +0000

I think Dr. Jeff’s take on the situation, while somewhat interesting, is a bit of a reach. I believe that at the heart of the matter is the fact that most of the road, street, airport races are as boring as a “dubya” speech. (we can’t allow any more of this liberal blockificatin’) During one of Barnhart’s tortured explanations of the need for the rule……safety, blah, blah, blah………..high cost of repairs, blah, blah, blah, he stated that the rule promotes passing and helps prevent boring follow-the-leader races. The Edmonton race (?), until Helio spiced things up a bit, was excruciatingly boring without any pastoral scenery or Brazillian babes as partial compensation. Belle Isle….beautiful but boring, Barber……..beautiful but boring…………Watkin’s Glen……..beautiful, charming and boring………Sonoma……….beautiful but boring, Edmonton………..just plain boring. What all this leads to is race announcers getting all giddy over a PASS. “Did ya see that folks?!! A PASS, an actual PASS!!!” Then we have post race bloggers saying “Well, not such a bad race. There were at least six non-Milka passes and gee, weren’t all those boats in the harbor a beautiful sight?”

There are rumors that the Sonoma race will include a reading of the IndyCar rulebook by Scott Dixon during a tour of the Foyt vineyard.

In the meantime I will be counting the days until Chicagoland and dreaming of the Izod girl in cut-offs. Thank you Helio for adding a little race and post race excitement to the Edmonton snoozefest. Almost as much fun as A.J. vs Arie, Danica vs Milka, etc.

By: Travis R

Travis R — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:39:14 +0000

Very interesting read, Jeff, and a lot of good thoughts all around.

I’m curious – does anybody know how many officials the IRL have watching for these infractions? Theoretically, if you have anything less than one person per competitor watching their every move, there’s a chance that things can get missed. Is it possible the IRL crew is inadequately staffed to catch and enforce all the infractions?

By: AZZO45

AZZO45 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:41:48 +0000

Thanks Jeff… you just ruined my Brainfart /Dancing with the Stars theory. I was convinced his Helio-Hate came from his wife after she watched HCN compete on DWTS. She spent thousands on dance lessons & demanded he attend those classes with her… explains his focus on Helio

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:12:53 +0000

Nice analysis! You may be onto something there. Some of the comments do provide a counter-argument, but I think you could be right. It may just be psychologically easier for him to call Helio for penalties for whatever reason.