New Layout, High Tempers Promise Excitement at Edmonton

A week off is not likely to cool the tempers resulting from the highly entertaining (and controversial) Honda Indy Toronto two week ago as the IZOD IndyCar Series continues its Canadian foray, heading west to Edmonton for the Edmonton Indy.

As much controversy as there was at Toronto, with three separate incidents not being penalized (to the chagrin of Tony Kanaan, Will Power and others), it was at Edmonton in 2010 where controversy reigned.

Leading in the closing laps, race officials ruled that then-leader Helio Castroneves came off his line to defend first place against teammate Will Power. Power had to check up, allowing Scott Dixon to pass; when officials ruled a drive-through penalty in the waning laps against the Brazilian, handing Dixon the victory.

Indycar Series 2010 Edmonton Controversial Finish (via Motorsports45)

While Canada is known as a relatively gentile country, fuses were short in Toronto, where Power repeatedly criticized points leader Dario Franchitti for triggering Power's spin on Lap 56. A wreck later in the race had Power fuming with Alex Tagliani, as well. Whether Power has cooled in the time off remains to be seen, but now trailing Franchitti by 55 points in the championship, Power will need to be nearly flawless the rest of the way if he wants to dethrone the two-time defending champion.

A new course awaits drivers at the Edmonton City Centre Airport; with some runways being shutdown, NZR Consulting drew up a new circuit on the airport land, a 13-turn, 2.3 mile course with plenty of opportunities to carry speed into turns and set up passing. Already, Tagliani has predicted multiple wrecks on the new venue. While drivers continue to whinge about the double-file restarts, the fact remains that only one of the several incidents at Toronto was in relation to the double-file restart, coming on Marco Andretti's admittedly shaky move at the end of the race.

Still, with the cars racing in close quarters and desperation growing in the heat of the summer, expect some fireworks at Edmonton.

What to Watch: Our words from the Toronto preview:

After five consecutive races on ovals, we may have forgotten how treacherous double-file restarts on the street circuits can be. Power lost valuable ground at Long Beach when taken out, while contact between cars at St. Petersburg, Barber and Brazil left tempers short.

Midway through the year, you mix in the emotions of drivers who are beginning to feel the pressure, whether to move up through the pack in order to possibly save a job or to challenge for a podium, and toss in the close-quarters of Toronto, it's a recipe for flared tempers and choice words.

'Wanker' qualifies as a choice word, correct? I'd say we pegged that one (about time we got something right this year). The same would still apply this week, as emotions are still high and each driver's level of desperation ebbs and flows depending on their spot in the points.

After a week of coming under fire from drivers and fans for a lack of penalties, keep an eye on race control; an early penalty for blocking or avoidable contact could be thrown to send a message that drivers' complaints were heard and that the stewards are keeping a close eye on the racing.

Who to Watch: A week after blasting Franchitti and Tagliani, keep an eye on Will Power. The Australian is always a treat to watch on road and street courses, but this week, I have a feeling Power is going to push the envelope more than usual. Whether it results in him blistering the field or spinning off course remains to be seen, but his expected on-track battles with Franchitti and possibly Tagliani will be highly entertaining. 

While none of the three are native to Alberta, the home crowd will once again be pulling for James Hinchcliffe, Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani. Hinchcliffe and Tracy were on to solid runs at Toronto before contact hurt both drivers, while Tagliani suffered the slings and arrows of Power after punting the No. 12 Verizon car. To add to the fracas, Tagliani was on his side just laps later, rolling on two wheels along the catch fence following a late wreck. 

Championship Race: Eight races left, and for the first time in recent memory, Dario Franchitti is threatening to make the championship run an afterthought. Franchitti's left front tire helped him turn a 20-point lead into a 55-point cushion over Power in the World Championship standings. While Scott Dixon is in third, 83 points back, the closest battle is for fourth, where Oriol Servia leads Tony Kanaan by a scant 11 points. In fact fourth through 10th in the standings are separated by as many points (39) as Servia is to Dixon.

Franchitti's efforts over the last half decade have the driver climbing open-wheel racing's all-time wins charts in a hurry, and the the Scotsman is beginning to cement a legacy that would put him in the company of some of the all-time greats. A fourth series championship rests in his hands, and were he to pair that with another Indianapolis 500 (he shows no signs of slowing down), Franchitti could begin to make the case for the most versatile driver in the history of Indycar racing. 

Picking a Winner(s): We backed Power in Toronto, and there is no reason not to pick the Aussie at Edmonton. Two years ago, he thoroughly dominated, setting the stage for a full-time ride with Team Penske. Last year, he arguably should have won the race. This year, the angry Power fuels him to the checkered flag.

On the TV: IZOD IndyCar Series continues on Versus this week, with qualifications airing at 6 p.m. ET Saturday night. Versus will bring all the emotion and excitement to air on Sunday afternoon, when coverage of the Edmonton Indy starts at 2 p.m. ET.

In a Year, Will You Remember Who Won Edmonton?

Quick question: what is in the water in Edmonton?

First, following up on Randy Bernard's comments about Milka Duno in Toronto, the drivers of the IZOD IndyCar Series weighed in, voicing their concerns and displeasure over Duno's driving.

That article, allowing with Bernard's statement, appeared to pave the way for Saturday's announcement that Duno would be placed on probation for the remainder of the 2010 season, marking the first step the series is taking to remove Duno from the series.

The Duno probation probably would have been enough of a story line coming out of what figured to be another Will Power-dominated day in Edmonton.  And true to form, Power did dominate, leading a race high 76 laps.  But in giving up the lead late, Power helped set the stage for maybe the most memorable/infamous moment of the 2010 IndyCar season.

Simple recap: Going back to green on lap 93, Will Power swung out wide of Castroneves in an attempt to pass.  Castroneves appeared to maintain his inside line, possibly swinging out a little wide, but closed the door on Power to hold first.  In the process, Scott Dixon took second from Power and abruptly cut Power off from trying to recapture the second spot.

Almost immediately, Race Control ruled Castroneves blocked and ordered him to pit road for a drive-through penalty.  Castroneves refused, and Dixon was declared the winner following 95 laps.  Neither the Versus crew nor the IMS Radio Network could figure out where the block is.  See for yourself:



And honestly, a week after the Internet was disappointed that the IndyCar Series went 0-for-2 in terms of physical confrontations following Toronto, but managed to hit 1.000 on Tweet-fights, Helio Castroneves changed all of that.  (Head to the 4-minute mark to watch.)

With cameras rolling, Castroneves went after anyone and everyone, seemingly looking for members of Race Control to find out why he had a win taken away.  By the end of the night, Castroneves would issue a statement apologizing for his actions, but frankly, his actions were welcome.  When this is the reason for stripping a win:



And when the logic (and consistent enforcement) behind the call is shaky at best, who among us would not be furious?  In any other sport, Castroneves' actions, in the face of a seemingly incorrect call, would be celebrated (aside from maybe grabbing Security Officer Charles Burns, but did anyone think Helio was going to do anything there?).  Hell, Lou Piniella is celebrated across the north side of Chicago for a tirade against a far better call by an official.

The drivers, for their part, were unanimous in their approval for the move, which Davey Hamilton felt would change upon viewing tape of the race.  And of the drivers interviewed (Dixon, Power, Dario Franchitii), who wouldn't be appreciative of someone else being sent from first to 10th?

For the IndyCar Series, however, the ruling will likely be viewed as a black eye for the sport.  For Brian Barnhart, it is another bullet in the chamber for those who disapprove of the job he does.  And while I haven't been in that camp, I will concede that this type of inconsistency can and will ruin the credibility of the series if it isn't dealt with appropriately.

The finish is the most controversial, non-Indianapolis result I can think of since June 7, 1997, when A.J. Foyt wound up punching Arie Luyendyk in Victory Lane at Texas.  And while the IndyCar Series has seen its share of incidents since then (Kanaan vs. Hornish Sr., the Danica-Milka towel toss, etc.), thankfully, Castroneves reintroduced some emotion and passion to the series.

Honestly, in a year or two, IndyCar fans won't remember that Dixon won the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton.  What will be replayed over the following days and months is Castroneves' display of emotion following the race.  Now it's a matter of getting those who witnessed the replays to make their way to Versus for Mid-Ohio in two weeks.