It's been a rough year for me, sporting-wise.
The Colts lost the Super Bowl. (ok, that happens, I reasoned.)
Butler damn near won the NCAA title, but their half-court heave missed by about 1 inch (man, the city of Indianapolis cannot catch a break this year I remarked in the media room that night. To which I was reminded that the Indiana Fever lost in the WNBA championship, too.)
Tony Kanaan nearly restored my sporting faith on May 30, until a late pit stop cost him a chance at the most thrilling Indianapolis 500 victory many of us would have ever seen. It also fueled some serious dehydration-related rage on my part for the better part of an hour.
I'm a Cubs fan. They're miserable to watch most days, except for the 2-3 per week they actually play to their capabilities.
On Saturday, the high school baseball team I help coach lost 1-0 in 9 innings in the state finals. (I'm still fairly numb over that one.)
Upon waking up on Sunday, I could not shake reviewing the play-by-play from the previous night. I wasn't sure how I would get through the day, to be honest, other than to immerse myself in the fridge full of Miller Lite in the garage.
Thankfully, the IZOD IndyCar Series came through with their most thrilling race of the season later in the afternoon, helping lift the malaise (for a while, anyways). Furthermore, Tony Kanaan won the race. Not a Penske or Ganassi driver, but Tony Kanaan. And while people talk about Andretti Autosport being one of the "Big Three," let's be honest: Ganassi and Penske have ruled this series with an iron fist since the 2008 season, I reckon.
But perhaps AA is ready to take that step back into regular contention - they now have two wins this season (Ryan Hunter-Reay - Long Beach) - and if their road/street program is as good or better than they showed earlier this year (Kanaan, Hunter-Reay and Andretti have all been in contention in races), it's within reason to think that they could be back.
And, fortunately, Tony Kanaan helped restore my faith that 2010 won't completely be a lost sporting season for me. Even if the Cubs continue to suck.
Showing posts with label Iowa Corn Indy 250. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa Corn Indy 250. Show all posts
21 June 2010
22 June 2009
Can Anyone Turn Left Properly?
The first half of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 was exciting to watch from some angles - how does Tomas Scheckter pass six cars in one lap, yet can't find a full-time ride (those answers may go hand-in-hand)? How many laps can Tony Kanaan run before needing to fuel? If Tony Kanaan didn't have bad luck, would he have any luck at all? How many different pit strategies will be employed during the race? And, how many people can forget to turn left?
As it turns out, seven cars of the 20 entrants wound up in accidents on the day, the last coming on Kanaan's crash on lap 109. Ironically, it was Kanaan who would have benefited the most from a yellow, as he would have gained the lap he had just lost on the field by staying out. Maybe he'll find his luck in Richmond, where he won last year.
Over the first 123 laps of the race, 48 were under yellow, creating a slow pace. However, the final 127 laps were contested under the green flag, allowing for some exciting side-by-side racing (though not nearly as exciting as earlier in the race, when Helio Castroneves clipped Scott Dixon's left rear, bringing out a yellow). Once Dario Franchitti got by Ryan Briscoe with 50 laps to go, it was all over, as the TomTom car pulled away to win by five seconds.
The good news for fans of the race is that Terry Angstadt confirmed that the Iowa race will be back on the 2010 schedule (an 18-race schedule, apparently, which is an increase of 1 race from 2009). The Newton, Iowa community does an excellent job filling the track and bringing in a road-racing type of atmosphere to the track, so rewarding them for their support of the IndyCar Series is a no-brainer.
Looking at the season points race, it is shaping up to be a four-driver fight, among the Penske and Ganassi stables. Briscoe leads Franchitti by three points, while Scott Dixon and Castroneves are 15 and 29 points behind, respectively. The crash at Iowa has all but ended Kanaan's attempt at a second IndyCar title (he's currently seventh, 79 points back), while Danica Patrick (fifth, 52 points back) and Dan Wheldon (sixth, 57 points back) theoretically could strike if the wheels fell off for the Penske and Ganassi cars (it might have to literally happen).
In any case, hats off to the folks of Iowa for putting on a good show, despite some tricky weather during the weekend.
As it turns out, seven cars of the 20 entrants wound up in accidents on the day, the last coming on Kanaan's crash on lap 109. Ironically, it was Kanaan who would have benefited the most from a yellow, as he would have gained the lap he had just lost on the field by staying out. Maybe he'll find his luck in Richmond, where he won last year.
Over the first 123 laps of the race, 48 were under yellow, creating a slow pace. However, the final 127 laps were contested under the green flag, allowing for some exciting side-by-side racing (though not nearly as exciting as earlier in the race, when Helio Castroneves clipped Scott Dixon's left rear, bringing out a yellow). Once Dario Franchitti got by Ryan Briscoe with 50 laps to go, it was all over, as the TomTom car pulled away to win by five seconds.
The good news for fans of the race is that Terry Angstadt confirmed that the Iowa race will be back on the 2010 schedule (an 18-race schedule, apparently, which is an increase of 1 race from 2009). The Newton, Iowa community does an excellent job filling the track and bringing in a road-racing type of atmosphere to the track, so rewarding them for their support of the IndyCar Series is a no-brainer.
Looking at the season points race, it is shaping up to be a four-driver fight, among the Penske and Ganassi stables. Briscoe leads Franchitti by three points, while Scott Dixon and Castroneves are 15 and 29 points behind, respectively. The crash at Iowa has all but ended Kanaan's attempt at a second IndyCar title (he's currently seventh, 79 points back), while Danica Patrick (fifth, 52 points back) and Dan Wheldon (sixth, 57 points back) theoretically could strike if the wheels fell off for the Penske and Ganassi cars (it might have to literally happen).
In any case, hats off to the folks of Iowa for putting on a good show, despite some tricky weather during the weekend.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)