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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Post-Chicago Notebook
If you enjoy a pack of 15 drivers playing dodgeball for 90 minutes at 215 mph, last Saturday night was your cup of tea.
The four AGR cars were a terror to themselves, as were most of the cars directly behind the leaders. Saturday's race was like a restrictor-plate CUP race...thankfully, the 'Big One' never happened. (LAT)
The oval races on 1.5-mile tracks were yawners all season until IndyCar made a couple tweaks and loaded more downforce into the cars earlier this month. The result? Back-to-back photo finishes at Kentucky and Chicago.
Ryan Briscoe's winning margin for his sweep and commanding lead in the championship was a total of about five feet and, in both cases, it left the fans on their feet and, the television audience that could find VERSUS, presumably entertained.
If you enjoy a pack of 15 drivers playing dodgeball for 90 minutes at 215 mph, last Saturday night was your cup of tea. That's been the Indy Racing League's calling card since 1997 when six rows of two cars were first glued together.
There's no denying it's riveting to watch and has no peers in the 4-wheel world in terms of showmanship. But that swarm of cars darting, sliding and trying to avoid each other in every corner also makes some of us want to look away.
Because this low horsepower/high downforce formula guarantees nobody can get away -- or out of the throttle.
On several restarts, the entire field was covered by about 100 yards at Chicago, which was both breathtaking and insane.
"There was a lot of close racing all night but I thought we did a good job taking care of each other," understated Ed Carpenter after running sixth.
Did they ever. Despite the tight quarters, speeds and non-stop squirming around, the IndyCar boys and girls avoided The Big One once again.
This mile-and-a-half track mentality requires rational-thinking young talents like Graham Rahal to morph into a combination of a young Paul Tracy and Greg "Red Mist" Ray as he did in the closing laps (Rahal went from fifth to almost first back to fifth).
So it's always interesting to see the drivers reactions as they exit their cars following a session of IRL Rollerball. They always seem to wear a mixture of exhileration, pride and relief.
"I had fun because the car was good but, to me, right now I think this is a little too close, too crazy," said Oriol Servia, who started ninth and finished seventh in his usual efficient effort. "We all seem to be in a pack and I think it's all a little too much. "I don't know how it looked on TV those last few laps, but from inside the car it seems like you are at the mercy of too many people who are around you. Like to have four cars around you and they don't know you're there and they move.
"It's so easy right now but if something goes wrong, we're going very fast you know. I think it's a good step but maybe it's a little too much downforce."
Servia is a savvy veteran who measures his risks yet knows you have to play the game differently at Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Chicago and Homestead.
Rahal, whose marked improvement on ovals are a reflection of his maturation and the Newman/Haas/Lanigan team getting a grip on the Dallara, didn't let his apprehension slow him down.
"Before this race was the most nervous I've ever been," admitted the 20-year-old second generation star. "I was watching people darn near hit each other on the backstretch last night in the final warmup so I knew it would be a crazy race.
"It was pretty insane when Marco (Andretti) made it three wide and stayed there because he knew I had Mario (Moraes) on the inside of me."
Of course drivers are going to do whatever is necessary to get to the front and this package breeds lunacy on these tracks. With the aero and power assists, plus Firestone's flawless tires, the pack racing looks like it's back for good.
The drivers were very vocal about the boring racing earlier this year and even apologized to the paying customers after Richmond. Last Saturday night was anything but boring, yet the degree of danger has always seemed extreme.
"We had spread out races to start with and now it's kind of like pack racing and, you know, when you're going three or four wide in an Indy car it's probably not the smartest thing," said Scott Dixon, who lost by 28 inches at Chicago.
"I think we need to find a good balance and everyone would be happy. But, it's definitely putting on a good show at the moment."
And that's exactly what it is, a show. Locked together and wide open is much more about theater than the art of driving. Milwaukee, Iowa, Phoenix, Loudon and Indy are still the purist form of oval racing, while road courses and street circuits require even more from the cockpit.
Briscoe chasing Dario Franchitti around Sonoma for 75 laps was good, hard racing and all the passing at Toronto was entertaining. Ditto for Milwaukee. But none made good television or left the spectators buzzing.
Nothing creates the wow factor like IndyCar on the 1.5-milers. People were still talking about Saturday night's finish on Monday and it's a badge of honor for IRL officials and fans.
Personally, that inescapable pack racing scares the hell out of me because of the reality of what can happen. One little mistake and you have flying Indy cars like Kenny Brack at Texas in 2003. The IRL dodged a major bullet in that one because it happened on the backstretch where there were no spectators.
But IndyCar has somehow avoided The Big One as long as its had this package. Still, it would be nice to see a little more separation in 2010. And it would be even nicer to see Phoenix, Loudon and Milwaukee replace Kansas, Chicago and Homestead by 2011.
Indy car racing should be challenging and dangerous, just not suicidal.
Ryan Briscoe's winning margin for his sweep and commanding lead in the championship was a total of about five feet and, in both cases, it left the fans on their feet and, the television audience that could find VERSUS, presumably entertained.
If you enjoy a pack of 15 drivers playing dodgeball for 90 minutes at 215 mph, last Saturday night was your cup of tea. That's been the Indy Racing League's calling card since 1997 when six rows of two cars were first glued together.
There's no denying it's riveting to watch and has no peers in the 4-wheel world in terms of showmanship. But that swarm of cars darting, sliding and trying to avoid each other in every corner also makes some of us want to look away.
Because this low horsepower/high downforce formula guarantees nobody can get away -- or out of the throttle.
On several restarts, the entire field was covered by about 100 yards at Chicago, which was both breathtaking and insane.
"There was a lot of close racing all night but I thought we did a good job taking care of each other," understated Ed Carpenter after running sixth.
Did they ever. Despite the tight quarters, speeds and non-stop squirming around, the IndyCar boys and girls avoided The Big One once again.
This mile-and-a-half track mentality requires rational-thinking young talents like Graham Rahal to morph into a combination of a young Paul Tracy and Greg "Red Mist" Ray as he did in the closing laps (Rahal went from fifth to almost first back to fifth).
So it's always interesting to see the drivers reactions as they exit their cars following a session of IRL Rollerball. They always seem to wear a mixture of exhileration, pride and relief.
"I had fun because the car was good but, to me, right now I think this is a little too close, too crazy," said Oriol Servia, who started ninth and finished seventh in his usual efficient effort. "We all seem to be in a pack and I think it's all a little too much. "I don't know how it looked on TV those last few laps, but from inside the car it seems like you are at the mercy of too many people who are around you. Like to have four cars around you and they don't know you're there and they move.
"It's so easy right now but if something goes wrong, we're going very fast you know. I think it's a good step but maybe it's a little too much downforce."
Servia is a savvy veteran who measures his risks yet knows you have to play the game differently at Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Chicago and Homestead.
Rahal, whose marked improvement on ovals are a reflection of his maturation and the Newman/Haas/Lanigan team getting a grip on the Dallara, didn't let his apprehension slow him down.
"Before this race was the most nervous I've ever been," admitted the 20-year-old second generation star. "I was watching people darn near hit each other on the backstretch last night in the final warmup so I knew it would be a crazy race.
"It was pretty insane when Marco (Andretti) made it three wide and stayed there because he knew I had Mario (Moraes) on the inside of me."
Of course drivers are going to do whatever is necessary to get to the front and this package breeds lunacy on these tracks. With the aero and power assists, plus Firestone's flawless tires, the pack racing looks like it's back for good.
The drivers were very vocal about the boring racing earlier this year and even apologized to the paying customers after Richmond. Last Saturday night was anything but boring, yet the degree of danger has always seemed extreme.
"We had spread out races to start with and now it's kind of like pack racing and, you know, when you're going three or four wide in an Indy car it's probably not the smartest thing," said Scott Dixon, who lost by 28 inches at Chicago.
"I think we need to find a good balance and everyone would be happy. But, it's definitely putting on a good show at the moment."
And that's exactly what it is, a show. Locked together and wide open is much more about theater than the art of driving. Milwaukee, Iowa, Phoenix, Loudon and Indy are still the purist form of oval racing, while road courses and street circuits require even more from the cockpit.
Briscoe chasing Dario Franchitti around Sonoma for 75 laps was good, hard racing and all the passing at Toronto was entertaining. Ditto for Milwaukee. But none made good television or left the spectators buzzing.
Nothing creates the wow factor like IndyCar on the 1.5-milers. People were still talking about Saturday night's finish on Monday and it's a badge of honor for IRL officials and fans.
Personally, that inescapable pack racing scares the hell out of me because of the reality of what can happen. One little mistake and you have flying Indy cars like Kenny Brack at Texas in 2003. The IRL dodged a major bullet in that one because it happened on the backstretch where there were no spectators.
But IndyCar has somehow avoided The Big One as long as its had this package. Still, it would be nice to see a little more separation in 2010. And it would be even nicer to see Phoenix, Loudon and Milwaukee replace Kansas, Chicago and Homestead by 2011.
Indy car racing should be challenging and dangerous, just not suicidal.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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