Indycar: Watkins Glen rewards
July 5, 2009 by Negative Camber
Filed under Other Racing, Parc Fermé
After 23 years, Dale Coyne has finally found victory lane with Justin Wilson at the wheel. Winning the race was a milestone for Dale Coyne Racing and proved once again that Indycar has a long way to go to improve the racing. Yet the shining moment was a dominant performance by Wilson and yet another reminder that when Indycar throws in a road course; the real drivers emerge.
The race at Watkins Glen was better than the recent slew of ovals that has marred this season with processional, boring racing but even a grand equalizer like right turns still found the cars difficult to overtake with little racing to be found. Indycar has perfected the concept of a series that is crushed under the weight of its own spec’ cars and engines. Is it better to claw desperately at the history of the Indy 500 or actually create a series that people like? Times have changed. Technology has changed and the CHAMP merger should have brought a host of concepts that Indycar could have learned from.
I’ve spoken with many American open-wheel fans and they all will tell you that CART/CHAMP car racing was a superior product and series. Merging the series into Indycar and removing the DNA of CHAMP Car racing was a mistake born from bravado and a sad devotion to a single oval track in the middle of America. Yes it is a palace of speed and historically rich but one oval does not a series make. It should be the exception and not the rule.
Congratulations to Justin Wilson and Dale Coyne.
1. Justin Wilson Coyne
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 4.9906s
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 5.1632s
4. Helio Castroneves Penske + 7.0755s
5. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 8.5595s
6. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold + 9.3646s
7. EJ Viso HVM + 11.3804s
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green + 13.0020s
9. Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 13.2633s
10. Dan Wheldon Panther + 18.0412s
11. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 18.5656s
12. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon + 18.9342s
13. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 23.0413s
14. Mario Moraes KV + 23.3821s
15. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 1 lap
16. Ed Carpenter Vision + 1 lap
17. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold + 2 laps
18. Richard Antinucci 3G + 13 laps
You sound a bit like Robin Miller.
Ahh yes, there was a pass for the lead and lots of passing throughout the field at the Glen and you lambaste it as “difficult to overtake with little racing to be found”. Really. Did you watch the race?
Granted, the oval product has been tedious this year, but judging from the past decade or so, the IRL has put on a fantastic show. I trust that this will be corrected.
Nice diatribe on CCWS and sad devotion to IMS. Tells me all I need to know about your opinions on IndyCar.
Are you knew to my diatribes on Indycar? :)
The race was more interesting than recent ovals. I do agree and I also think the road course races produce better racing. I did watch the race and there were some moments but after Wilson checked out on the last restart, it difficult for anyone to make a real run at Dixon or Wilson. Like F1, they seem to struggle in dirty air and lose front grip. Unlike F1, they have a spec series which makes it difficult for anyone to have an edge to overcome the issue. They patiently wait for mistakes. That’s part of racing but I think we all would agree that Indycar could be a really good series with some key tweaks to the formula.
I am not sure I followed the Red Stripe versus Black tire issue in the race as well. Lap times didn’t seem to definitively demonstrate an advantage while the commentators were making over the sheer brilliance of the red stripe performance (maybe I dozed off and missed the obvious information on this). I am sure there was a difference and Penske, Coyne and Ganassi know exactly what that was but the commentary team seemed bereft of the data other than lap times. They called a good race but I think their theories, especially Jack’s, always center on rubber (rightfully so) but somehow don’t seem to bear fruit when it all is said and done. Fuel mileage became a factor and usually is in Indycar. Not knocking it, that’s just an element of the series.
As for IMS. If you suggest that I am not honoring the memory or history of the great track, I have done a poor job explaining myself. I have as much respect for the oval as anyone but a series can’t be based on one oval track. IMS is a race, not a series and the series has to embrace many other circuits to be viable. Long Beach, Watkins Glen etc. Indycar has all the trappings of a great series but is missing key elements to make it so. The sisters feel the same and have voted for Tony to step down. The teams are concerned about the long-term viability and support they will get from the sisters and I don’t blame them. If things don’t pan out, look for a new series of CART/CHAMP to break away from the sisters and start under the leadership of Penske, Ganassi, Panther, Coyne and Andretti/Green.
In closing, I know you love Indycar and that’s a noble cause but taking an inventory of the ills of Indycar is not a sport for me, it is a critique in the hopes that the series will get it right and provide an alternate open-wheel series to F1 here in the states. For my money? Combine ALMS and Indycar on race weekends at road courses and we got ourselves an open-wheel series! ;)
Kudos to Dale Coyne for his perseverance. That was his first win as either a driver or owner in 558 tries!
Agreed. Great race for Dale. After that long I can imagine they were elated with Justin’s performance.