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IndyCar
MILLER: An IndyCar Surprise In Southern California
I recall predicting 3,000 fans with all but one grandstand closed ala the old IRL days.
When Randy Bernard announced Indy cars were going back to Fontana, Calif., this year most of us let out a collective groan followed by incessant laughter and a universal message of “that’s a bad idea.” I recall predicting a crowd of 3,000 with all but one grandstand closed ala the old IRL days and questioning renewing a partnership with a track that could care less about open-wheel racing.
We all figured the 2-mile oval would feature good racing because it always had since Roger Penske built it in 1997.
But deciding the championship in front of a few friends and family didn’t sound like a good way to end a fantastic season of racing.
Thankfully, other than picking Ed Carpenter to win, I was wrong on all counts.
What we saw Saturday night was Indy car racing at its jaw-dropping best – a wild west show with 30 lead changes, non-stop passing, one game-changing accident, a spirited charge to the title, an impressive victory for a little guy and the kind of drama that can’t be scripted.
If you didn’t like the MAVTV 500, then you probably need to find another sport to watch.
“That was a helluva Indy-car race, one of the best I’ve ever seen,” praised some guy named Parnelli Jones afterwards. “I’d watch them race at California anytime.”
It was Ryan Hunter-Reay delivering under the kind of pressure that defines a champion and it was Will Power gutted by another mistake and denied No. 1 for a third straight year.
It was Ed Carpenter beating the big boys again and this time as an owner/driver.
It was race director Beaux Barfield calling for a red flag with eight laps left to give the paying customers what they deserved.
And that might have been the most encouraging thing about the first Indy-car race at Fontana since 2005. There were enough people to constitute a crowd. Of course it was nothing like the 70,000 that CART drew the first few years and there were still thousands of empty seats.
But the motor home lot on the backstretch was filled (roughly 8,000) and more than 21,000 seats were sold so there was probably an honest 30,000.
So how could that be considered anything but disappointing in a city the size of Los Angeles?
Because it was 103 degrees just before the green flag waved at 5:45 pm local time. It was stifling and miserable sitting in the shade, let alone those sun-soaked seats. Any chance of getting a decent walk-up was pretty much cooked by the temperature.
On top of that, there were three other motorsports going on nearby at the same time—USAC Sprint Cars at Perris, a vintage car event at Willow Springs and a free Route 66 event in San Bernardino.
Yet they stood and cheered many times during the course of three hours.
We all figured the 2-mile oval would feature good racing because it always had since Roger Penske built it in 1997.
But deciding the championship in front of a few friends and family didn’t sound like a good way to end a fantastic season of racing.
Thankfully, other than picking Ed Carpenter to win, I was wrong on all counts.
What we saw Saturday night was Indy car racing at its jaw-dropping best – a wild west show with 30 lead changes, non-stop passing, one game-changing accident, a spirited charge to the title, an impressive victory for a little guy and the kind of drama that can’t be scripted.
If you didn’t like the MAVTV 500, then you probably need to find another sport to watch.
“That was a helluva Indy-car race, one of the best I’ve ever seen,” praised some guy named Parnelli Jones afterwards. “I’d watch them race at California anytime.”
It was Ryan Hunter-Reay delivering under the kind of pressure that defines a champion and it was Will Power gutted by another mistake and denied No. 1 for a third straight year.
It was Ed Carpenter beating the big boys again and this time as an owner/driver.
It was race director Beaux Barfield calling for a red flag with eight laps left to give the paying customers what they deserved.
And that might have been the most encouraging thing about the first Indy-car race at Fontana since 2005. There were enough people to constitute a crowd. Of course it was nothing like the 70,000 that CART drew the first few years and there were still thousands of empty seats.
But the motor home lot on the backstretch was filled (roughly 8,000) and more than 21,000 seats were sold so there was probably an honest 30,000.
So how could that be considered anything but disappointing in a city the size of Los Angeles?
Because it was 103 degrees just before the green flag waved at 5:45 pm local time. It was stifling and miserable sitting in the shade, let alone those sun-soaked seats. Any chance of getting a decent walk-up was pretty much cooked by the temperature.
On top of that, there were three other motorsports going on nearby at the same time—USAC Sprint Cars at Perris, a vintage car event at Willow Springs and a free Route 66 event in San Bernardino.
Yet they stood and cheered many times during the course of three hours.
2013 INDY 500 Practice
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