The Texas race was pretty good, in my opinion. There seemed to be solid action throughout the pack all night long. Penske and Ganassi did not finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, which I had feared might occur.
Unfortunately for IndyCar, Ryan Briscoe won the race. I say unfortunately because, had Danica Patrick finished 1st rather than 2nd, IndyCar would have been the lead story on Sports Center and would have owned the front pages of sports sections throughout the United States.
Victories by Ryan Briscoe, a nice guy and a talented driver, are typically deemed to be irrelevant.
I suspect that this one shall be no different.
Roggespierre
I had exactly the same thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYup. I always root against Dixon and Briscoe. Are they great guys? Yes. Awesome drivers? Yes. Is it bad for the sport when they win? Yes.
ReplyDeleteThat's called being a realist.
I always root for Danica and Marco. Can they be bratty jerks? Yes. Are they far better for the sport than the aforementioned robots? Oh my yes.
Demond Sanders
18to88.com
I am rooting for somebody, anybody to punt Danica the next time she pulls that bullcrap blocking/weaving she does in almost EVERY race.
ReplyDeleteShe is known in the sport as one of the dirtiest drivers out there. She proved it again tonight.
The race was decent. Not anywhere near past Texas standards, but better then the snooze-fests we have seen lately.
The crowd was bad though. Looked like the worst Texas crowd ever.
And lots of amatuer-hour mistakes tonight. From the safety team's performance (what the hell was that???), to the numerous pit mistakes to the typical bonehead moves by the usual bonehead drivers, it wasn't a sterling night for the supposed top rung of AOW.
And I am sure the Nationwide race slaughtered them in the ratings.
Hey Desmond, nice pot-shot you took at Roggespierre over at TurdForum.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have much use for the writer, then stay over with the other lap dogs and kiss the moderators ass over there.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI read it and I'm okay with it. I suspect that Demond isn't the only one who doesn't have much use for my opinions. Pretty much anyone who likes IndyCar's present direction probably should not like what I have to say.
But I'm a big boy. I want this sport to succeed and I think that many mistakes have been made since Mergification. The facts tend to support my conclusions, so I'm comfortable with that.
If the facts lead in another direction, then I'll be glad to admit that I was wrong. But the truth is that post-Mergification IndyCar is less popular than the IRL ever was. The TV ratings provide the proof - even if people don't like hearing it.
I welcome Demond and anyone else who disagrees. I invite them to explain why I'm wrong. I can be persuaded if ample support is provided.
And I hadn't read TF in months until I saw your note tonight. It doesn't seem that I'm missing much. Too bad - it used to be a great place to talk racing.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
Bob White,
ReplyDeleteI agree. The crowd was small by Texas standards.
Then again, IndyCar really isn't much of a Texas product these days.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
Looks like everybody got it pegged from this seat, too. Except Briscoe is no robot, he's a great driver and ambassador for the sport. Nobody knows or cares, I can't argue with that for a second.
ReplyDeleteDanica blocks like everybody else blocks. It's a constant game of chicken, and the spotters don't prevent a lot of occasions when it happens unintentionally.
The Holmatro Safety Team are paid professionals, flown to each race along with their custom equipment. They appear to be accomplished at picking up trash and sweeping kitty litter.
Andy
Feeling a little burned.
The crowd sucked. There was hardly anybody in turn 4 and it was thin heading towards S/F.
ReplyDeleteI'd guess no more then 60,000 (which would be hailed as a rousing success if it was a street race). Which is nowhere close to the 90,000-100,000 they ALWAYS got in the late 90's and early 2000's. Twice a year (although I think the 2nd race was always lighter then the first).
I think the race fans in Texas are also making their thoughts known on the series. And its not good.
Danica's move on Kanaan was bush-league. And dangerous. I guess only the one-off entries at Indy were black-flag worthy. Danica is not allowed to be penalyzed. But John Andretti and Townsend Bell? Suck on it boys.
ESPN was glad she finally did something in a race positive. They can now hype her again for her Nationwide return in a few weeks.
She ran a good race, but her lack of regard for her team is startling. And honey, TK is that team.
Penske won the Nationwide race too tonight. His two young guns were 1st and 4th. Looked like a nice crowd at Nashville. Remember when Indy Cars used to race there?
Nice start tonight. I just love when the pole sitter has the lead on the field in turn 4. Its not like the Penske's and Ganassi's don't have enough of an advantage already. These starts look like something you'd see in SCCA racing. I guess some of these "stars" didn't learn much coming up through the F1 ladder system on how to properly start and restart a race.
Keep on keeping on, Roggespierre. You talk sense, and I can only hope that ANY of the minds directly involved in shaping the future direction of IndyCar approach the problem as systematically as you.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that almost all who speak negatively of this blog either 1) don't like dealing in ugly truths or 2) don't like the fact that you keep delivering the same message (albeit in diverse and thought-provoking ways).
But as long as IndyCar maintains its current direction (though I AM increasingly optimistic that Randy Bernard will not passively allow it to do so) that message will continue to apply. And I'd sure rather see you delivering it cool calm & collectedly than see it merely percolating haphazardly through internet forums, among the many conflicting fan agendas.
For what its worth, my heart definitely sped up with visions of press coverage and fanbase energy when Danica took the lead. The HD television set here demonstrated that nearly ALL of the fans at the track were standing, too. And I think I even heard crowd noise. Would have been really good stuff if she'd won. At least it was a real oval race, in which green-flag racing determined the outcome. Got to figure those in attendance felt that they got their money's worth this year.
Mr. Dickle,
ReplyDeleteMaybe Eddie should sell 3-day tickets at the current price, claim 150,000 fans, and seek subsidies from the municipal and state authorities!
That's how it's done at street races.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
More subsidies RP?? Next you will want a bailout for Indy Car! Will we need the UAW to come in and tell us how to run it also? Or will we just wait for a new managment team full of goverment officals determining a new set of rules to race by? If that is the case....Order me the 15 liter bottle of Glenlivet as I think we will all need a big drink!!!
ReplyDeleteOldwrench,
ReplyDeleteI compliment you for your choice of Scotch. Unfortunately, single-malt fits in quite nicely at street racing parties.
Remember when we had sponsors like Schaeffer, Black Label, and the Genesee Beer Wagon? Okay, so one is out of business. But the other two would look pretty good on the sidepods of Indy cars right about now.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
The day any "supporter" of the IICS mourns the fact that the best car wins the race is the same day the IICS takes another step backward towards the edge of the cliff. Roggespierre, I used to respect your views, but not anymore. If you're the best IICS has to market to, then I now understand why they have been in such a bad way for so long.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThe IndyCar Series can not continue unless it attracts fans in the United States. The only point that I had intended with this post was that a Danica win might have increased interest and, therefore, future television ratings.
That is valuable currency for this series.
Of course I want the best car and driver to win. However, if the series ceases to exist, then it does not matter who wins. Perhaps we disagree regarding just how close to the brink IndyCar finds itself at present.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI am not alone in making the point. The following is from Anthony Schoettle of the Indianapolis Business Journal.
"Like it or not, no IndyCar driver’s success is more important than Patrick’s because of her stature in this league. She’s the only real star, and that was evident Saturday, with a huge Danica poster greeting race fans. TMS boss Eddie Gossage took a little heat for that move—highlighting a driver who has had little success this season. But it turned out to be the right move.
The Texas Motor Speedway crowd went bonkers cheering when Patrick took the lead on lap 192 of the 228-lap race. Saturday, she must have seemed a long way away from the booing masses at Indianapolis. The crowd continued to cheer Patrick all the way to the end and even after the race as she exited her car. And the contingency in her post-race press conference was predictably sizable."
Fans cheering - that's something that IndyCar needs. It's also something Danica has demonstrated that she can accomplish. Ryan Briscoe has not.
That's neither fair nor particularly sporting, but that's business, and so is IndyCar.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
I stroked it hard to Tyesha Holliday's voluptuous black ass last week. Girl is sexy and has got a vish ass!
ReplyDelete