Comments on: The Dreaded C-Word

By: The Speedgeek

The Speedgeek — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:56:16 +0000

I actually think the winner of the championship this year is going to be…Honda. As in, Honda’s high speed excellence is going to shine through at Fontana, thereby not allowing RHR to outscore Power by enough to win the title. Should Hondas go 1-2, like they did at Indy (and I think they will, if not even sweep the top-3 or 4), RHR’s point ceiling for the night will be 35 for 3rd place. At that point, Power would only have to finish in the top-11 to clinch, which, barring pit issues or getting taken out in somebody else’s wreck, should be well within Will’s…well…Power. 17 points is just too much to overcome, unless things go spectacularly poorly for Power.

By: Carburetor

Carburetor — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 03:27:40 +0000

If Power loses, I would not label him a choker. That said, I believe he will win–or at least finish the race ahead of RHR, which will give him the championship. Penske is simply too strong on 500-mile ovals.

By: Savage Henry

Savage Henry — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:56:04 +0000

I hope that this championship comes down to the stripe on Lap 250. I really hope that it doesn’t end up like Homestead a couple years ago where nobody else in the field showed up to race and the title contenders lapped the field of disinterested bystanders. That was embarrassing. I understand that people want to stay out of the way, but jeez. I hope that they put up some major prize money at Fontana as an incentive for the whole field to try to win it.

I don’t see how anybody could tag Power with the choker label this year. He had bad luck in the pits in Mid-Ohio and Sonoma that cost him probably easy wins. Then his team made a tough call in a dry-wet-dry race in Baltimore. If that rain had held on for another couple more minutes, the result could have been much different. If he puts it in the wall by himself again at Fontana that could raise some eyebrows, but he could very easily had this title wrapped up already.

By: JB

JB — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:17:39 +0000

I was talking about 2011.

Whatever.

By: Sparky

Sparky — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:24:50 +0000

The Braves teams of the mid to late 90′s were huge chokers, but I don’t get what your point is about the Brewers, Phillies and Rangers except to assume that you don’t recognize a choke. They just got beat. As for Will Power, NOT winning this year makes him a CHOKER!

By: Penskefan

Penskefan — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:12:12 +0000

I am a Will Power fan but I truly belive that Hunter-Reay will win the championship due to the fact that he is a better oval track driiver than Will, as he will show at Fontana, and he appears to be more “hungry” for the title at this time. In the past, Will has had some unfortunate pit stop errors which he will need to eliminate at Fontana in order to stay in contention for the title. If Will loses the title to Hunter-Reay he will not be considered a “choker”. He will simply have lost to someone who, for various reasons, was able to persevere and conquer.

By: billytheskink

billytheskink — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:34:22 +0000

He’ll probably be called a choker if he doesn’t win the title, but I don’t think he’ll have earned it. There are so many things beyond a driver’s control in racing that the term should be used very sparingly, if at all.
I’ll listen to arguments for “chokes” when drivers leading a championship or big race inexplicably wreck themselves, but that’s about it. I don’t see that with Power.

While his mistake at Homestead was bad, his loss in 2010 seemed almost inevitable once the series began its final 4 races, all on large ovals where Power’s racecraft was not yet in the same galaxy as Franchitti’s.

Last year, Power erased season second-half deficits of 55 and 62 points to lead Dario going into Kentucky, only to be taken out through no fault of his own there and at Las Vegas.

This year, he’s made his share of mistakes, but lost each of the last 3 races because of pit issues and was far from lucky at Indy, Toronto, Detroit, and St. Pete.

By: JB

JB — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:31:08 +0000

I guess there are different interpretations of Chokers, you just let the Braves, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers off the hook.

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:27:21 +0000

I am pretty excited about Ryan Hunter-Reay and his momentum going into this last race. a 500-miler, too!! WIth that said, I like Will Power and I know he is a top of the list driver, however this is a TEAM sport and if Will were to lose then Cendric gets some of the blame as well. A bad pit stop can knock you out of a good finish as anything else. That is also something that keeps us all on the edge
as fans, the performance of the pit crews. Good luck to all.

By: manik56

manik56 — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:27:19 +0000

Just eatch the post race interview from Baltimore and you can see the stress already getting to him. Watch the pre race interview from two years ago and compare it to Dario’s and you could tell the championship was already decided. Power will tell me all I need to know when he gives his interview pre race. Lucky for him if RHR can’t handle it either Power wins. Unlucky for Power RHR seems like the coolest cat in the room these days.