Comments on: Random Thoughts On Fontana

By: billytheskink

billytheskink — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:08:32 +0000

I especially liked Power’s flabergasted look when he exited the team trailer in his street clothes to see the Penske army reassembling his car, followed by him running back into the trailer to change back into his coveralls.

By: JHall14

JHall14 — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:13:34 +0000

Let me say it here, I am not a Penske Racing fan, however what that team did to get Power back out on the track to run 12 laps, was remarkable. 18 – 20 people working to piece that car back together. The foresight to have a rear end section already assembled just in case, points to the detail of how that team thinks. Well done TEAM Penske!!!!!

By: james t suel

james t suel — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:02:47 +0000

I hate the red flag deal for a one car crash! That is not racing,its pure gimmick BS ! Sorry but the fans that like that kind of crap ,wouldnt know a real race if it ran over them. On Power hes a great road & street racer, but when we get on the ovals we separate the boys from the men Will is lacking! His team get some of the cerdit for telling him he had to pass Hunter RAY before the 2nd pit stop! Great drive for Hunter Ray & Ed Carpenter AMERICAN WIN!!!

By: don newcomb

don newcomb — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:17:13 +0000

again whinning and belly aching about the red flag! i thought was a great idea and it was the wise thing to do. who wants to see thetitle decided under yellow. good call beau!

By: redcar

redcar — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:06:59 +0000

agree about that trophy. compare that to the naked dude on a unicycle they used a couple years ago…

By: manik56

manik56 — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:59:50 +0000

I am a GWC guy.

How about the selflessness of Marco and Helio at the end of the race. Ruining their own races just to help out a teammate.

The Astor Cup is georgous.

Solution to all of Will Power’s problems #1: Call Ferrari about their opening
Solution to all of Will Power’s problems #2: He said it-be more conservative. Shoot for a top 15 finish on ovals. Forget winning them, just mitigate your damages, especially when the schedule is all out of balance.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:48:12 +0000

Ed Carpenter effectively won the season finale the last two seasons. I am sure he is going to start pushing for the season to end at the end of May.

By: Carburetor

Carburetor — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:36:28 +0000

I thought this was a very entertaining race and was an excellent finish to the season. I would hope that this race can gain traction in the marketplace and become a ‘tradition’ to ending the season. There is just something right about a 500-mile oval being the finishing race for Indycar.

I’m not a great Penske fan, but agree with you that they must be scratching their heads a bit after yet another near miss. My guess is that next year they will be more determined than ever–and agree that they’ll likely keep to a two-car team–which has historically been favorable for them.

I’m looking forward to next year already. I suspect that Honda will be working double-time to get back the engine manufacturer’s championship–which should make the racing even better. And I would look for more tinkering with the chassis not that it is a year old as teams look for any advantage they can get.

Here’s hoping that Simona gets a ride she is truly deserving of and can get an engine/team that gives her at least a fighting chance!

By: Savage Henry

Savage Henry — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:22:43 +0000

I haven’t gone back and checked on the points standings so this may be inaccurate, but I think that the big under-eported story of Ed’s win was that it puts ECR into the TEAM money. I remember that he was hanging out right around 22nd position in the points, which is the last position that pays TEAM money. That would make sense due to his poor performances on twisties and crash at Indy. This win lifted him into 18th in the points, which qualifies him for the TEAM money. That win probably earned him over a $1 million paycheck for next year.

By: Brian from NY

Brian from NY — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:18:00 +0000

Not that long ago, there was a waging debate about races finishing under yellow. The majority of fans were in agreement that something needed to change, and most were in favor of a red flag being used. At that time I believe Beau told teams and drivers that a red flag might be used depending on the circumstances. In my opinion, the timing was spot on for a red flag.

Like most fans, I’m opposed to the Green, White, Checkered nonsense that we see in NASCAR. The primary reason is because it artificially extends the length of a race by several miles. With most teams on the knifes edge in regards to fuel, a GWC punishes teams that had manged fuel correctly and can reward teams that otherwise would have no chance for a win. It’s unfair to tell a team that the race is 500 miles and then at the end say “well it’s actually 504 miles.”

The red flag does a few things that I like. One, it maintains the race distance. A 500 mile race is a 500 mile race and teams can plan accordingly. Second, it prevents teams from wining that would normally have to pit, but are praying for a caution. It drives me nuts when a team that has been mid-pack all race finds itself up front and benefiting from a caution at the end of a race to stretch it to the end. A red flag would force those teams to pit, and reward the best drivers, not the luckiest. Third, I get to see more laps under green flag racing. The fact is that anything can happen under green flag and not to throw a red flag because it could change the outcome is the point. I don’t hear anyone saying poor Sato, he wouldn’t have crashes if they hadn’t thrown the red flag. It’s called racing and the drivers understand that it’s not over till the checkered flag waves. Hell, if the race was only 50 laps instead of 250 would the points have been different? Of course, that’s the point.