Comments on: Trouble In Texas http://blogs.wishtv.com/2009/06/11/trouble-in-texas/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:37:12 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Boo Boo http://blogs.wishtv.com/2009/06/11/trouble-in-texas/comment-page-1/#comment-8385 Boo Boo Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:05:06 +0000 http://blogs.wishtv.com/?p=14725#comment-8385 Personally, I thought the race was virtually a carbon copy of the same race during the season that Kanaan won the championship. That's going back a ways. That's back when there were 3 engine suppliers, two chassis suppliers, seriously sticky tires, no go-slow do-hickies on the rear wing, and no Danica Patrick. In that race, it was TK and Dario who checked-out on the field at the end of the race (AGR and RLR had Honda engines and dominated big ovals). There were long stints, green flag pit stops, and lots of running in line. So, I don't buy that a real crisis exists here. I do think they've inched and pinched and ethanol'd the current car until it really doesn't fulfill any of it's missions (oval, street, road) as well as it should. OTOH, I also think that there are more factors than just the car at play here; most importantly, money---something that those doing the complaining seem to be forgetting. Many teams are currently facing a gauntlet of five ovals in a row. Ovals, especially the big ones, extract maximum penalties for small mistakes. Losing it on a road course might mean replacing some bodywork or suspension pieces---or, perhaps nothing at all. Losing it at Texas can mean replacing gear boxes, weight jackers, engines, electronics, the monocoque chassis (tub) itself... Just replacing a weight jacker will run you $50,000. Crashing at 215 mph is very expensive. You have a bunch of teams with nothing to gain. They can't win the race, and in all probability they can't win the championship, but they can go bust. Many of them are barely hanging on in the current economy. Drivers for these teams know that tearing up equipment will cost them their ride, if for no other reason than their ride will no longer exist. In that kind of situation the primary goal becomes to have a careful, safe race, and put the car on the trailer in one piece at the end of the night. Ergo: long stints, green flag pit stops, and lots of inline running. Last year you had a lot more risk taking, by drivers that were running there for the first time. There were more yellows. Yellows beget restarts, which beget lots of passing and 2 or 3 wide situations, which beget more yellows. But, not every race is like that, and I don't see any reason to pretend that they are. Some of the people complaining the loudest (various bloggers and posters on discussion groups) sound like their memories of Indy Car races come from watching old 30 second Fox Sports promos on YouTube. As for Dixon, I think what he's complaining about is Penske having an edge, and them having stuff back at the shop all ready to go, but they can't use it under the rules tightening that's in effect this year. They want the rules loosened up. That doesn't have anything to do with a lack of wheel to wheel action at TMS. Personally, I thought the race was virtually a carbon copy of the same race during the season that Kanaan won the championship. That’s going back a ways. That’s back when there were 3 engine suppliers, two chassis suppliers, seriously sticky tires, no go-slow do-hickies on the rear wing, and no Danica Patrick. In that race, it was TK and Dario who checked-out on the field at the end of the race (AGR and RLR had Honda engines and dominated big ovals). There were long stints, green flag pit stops, and lots of running in line.

So, I don’t buy that a real crisis exists here. I do think they’ve inched and pinched and ethanol’d the current car until it really doesn’t fulfill any of it’s missions (oval, street, road) as well as it should. OTOH, I also think that there are more factors than just the car at play here; most importantly, money—something that those doing the complaining seem to be forgetting.

Many teams are currently facing a gauntlet of five ovals in a row. Ovals, especially the big ones, extract maximum penalties for small mistakes. Losing it on a road course might mean replacing some bodywork or suspension pieces—or, perhaps nothing at all. Losing it at Texas can mean replacing gear boxes, weight jackers, engines, electronics, the monocoque chassis (tub) itself… Just replacing a weight jacker will run you $50,000. Crashing at 215 mph is very expensive.

You have a bunch of teams with nothing to gain. They can’t win the race, and in all probability they can’t win the championship, but they can go bust. Many of them are barely hanging on in the current economy. Drivers for these teams know that tearing up equipment will cost them their ride, if for no other reason than their ride will no longer exist. In that kind of situation the primary goal becomes to have a careful, safe race, and put the car on the trailer in one piece at the end of the night.

Ergo: long stints, green flag pit stops, and lots of inline running.

Last year you had a lot more risk taking, by drivers that were running there for the first time. There were more yellows. Yellows beget restarts, which beget lots of passing and 2 or 3 wide situations, which beget more yellows. But, not every race is like that, and I don’t see any reason to pretend that they are. Some of the people complaining the loudest (various bloggers and posters on discussion groups) sound like their memories of Indy Car races come from watching old 30 second Fox Sports promos on YouTube.

As for Dixon, I think what he’s complaining about is Penske having an edge, and them having stuff back at the shop all ready to go, but they can’t use it under the rules tightening that’s in effect this year. They want the rules loosened up. That doesn’t have anything to do with a lack of wheel to wheel action at TMS.

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