19 Years Ago

1996 has rightfully gone down as an infamous year in American open wheel racing history. It was of course the first year of the CART/IRL Split, the catalyst that began the sport's precipitous decline in the eyes of the sporting public. Personally though, it was the first year I watched an entire IndyCar season. My fandom was in its early stages, and I recall watching bits of the 1995 season, particularly the 500 and the Nazareth race, my first in person experience. Even that early, I was still mostly hooked, to the point where I was the only fifth grader on the block with an opinion on the Split (CART all the way, my dad and I called the IRL "rookies with rocket ships").

It is with that that my freshly minted 11 year old self sat down on September 8, 1996 to watch the CART season finale at Laguna Seca. Jimmy Vasser was in prime position to win the championship, but it was his Ganassi teammate Alex Zanardi who started from pole. Most of the race was a battle between Zanardi and Bryan Herta. Herta led at the laps ticked down. You know what happened at the famed Corkscrew on the final lap.

 

I was already getting really in to IndyCar racing, but this moment is when it truly became a part of me. At that moment, Zanardi became my favorite driver. What kid couldn't be awed at someone who could do that, who could change what the art of the possible was? It turns out Alex was just getting started, dominating CART in '97 and '98 before going back to Formula One. Again, you know the rest of the story, as Zanardi continues to be an inspiration to this day. Last month there were murmurs that he might try and run next year's 500. If he does (and I have no idea if it's possible or even that good an idea), I'll be cheering for him as loud as anyone else.

In the wake of Justin Wilson's passing, there's been a lot of talk about why we do this. Tony Kanaan wrote today on that question from a driver's perspective. From a fan's perspective, I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's about the thrill of watching men and women do incredible things in badass race cars, things I can't even fathom. It's about hoping to see a moment like above, a moment that will take my breath away and go Wow! That's what keeps me going in the sport, not just through the tragedies but all the other garbage and negativity that seems to follow IndyCar wherever it go. The allure of wanting to be 11 years old again and amazed at what I just saw is too powerful.

And it all started with The Pass 19 years ago.

The Ever Present Champion

Going into yesterday’s season finale at Sonoma, the championship talk (muted as it was given recent events) centered on Juan Pablo Montoya and Graham Rahal, but he was there, in striking distance as always. Scott Dixon came into the day third in the championship, and after a brilliant performance, some luck, and another Penske meltdown, he walked away with his fourth series title. The only person in the history of the sport with more is A.J. Foyt.

Dixon first got around the other title contenders on the race track on a pit stop. The Ganassi team came through when it mattered, and Dixon got out ahead of polesitter Will Power, Josef Newgarden, and Montoya. The caution that brought those on that particular strategy was dubious at best, but such were the circumstances. That pit stop set the tone for the rest of the race. Dixon led those not on an alternate strategy, while Power and Montoya were mired farther back, in position to throw it all away.

The official turning point came when Power and Montoya collided. Power spun into the dirt to cause the yellow and essentially end his title defense. For his part, Montoya suffered front wing damage and was forced to pit for repairs. The incident sent both cars to the back of the field, and for Montoya it meant a race to get far enough through the field to save his championship. He was one spot short, even after getting some help with other competitors’ mistakes in the closing laps.

In the end, Dixon and Montoya ended up tied with 556 points. However, Sunday’s win was Dixon’s third of the year, giving him one more than Montoya and thus the championship on tiebreak. Naturally, talk led to the fact that this race was double points. Montoya in particular was upset about it, complaining about it after the race both on television and at the press conference. Now, double points at this race were stupid, and are in fact stupid for any race, especially in IndyCar where such things have never proved necessary. However, Montoya conveniently forgot that he won the other race that paid out double points this year: the Indianapolis 500. Take the double points out of the both races and Montoya would’ve won by four points, 478-474. That said, these were the rules going in. Montoya had his chances to pull away for good, but since Indianapolis, he scored just one podium finish (3^rd last week at Pocono). Knowing it was all on the line yesterday, Montoya made the mistake and this is the result.

Graham Rahal, for his part, dealt with a recalcitrant car all day and was thus never in position to take the title. In fact, he complained after not having grip, which I’m taking as a shout out. His day was ruined for good when punted by Bourdais late, although I need to see a replay because it sure looked Graham was swerving in the approach to the corner. Sunday’s race was a disaster, but Rahal and the team have a lot to be proud of this season. They proved a lot of detractors wrong, and it will be exciting to see if they can keep it up and remain a top team in 2016.

As for the rest of those who were mathetically alive for the title, Power ended up 7^th the incident with his teammate, then called the racing casino-like. Not a good look for the defending champ, who just sounded whiny. Helio Castroneves never got going, pitting for a new front wing on lap 3 on the way to a 15^th place finish. Josef Newgarden’s chance of winning the race ended when he stalled in the pit lane and then the car caught on fire. It was fitting that his potential final pit stop at CFH Racing ended in disaster.

Turning back to the champ though, it’s hard to overstate the accomplishments of Scott Dixon. Even more than the four titles and one Indy 500 victory, this season marked the 9^th in a row where he finished in the top three in points. He’s been the driving the #9 car for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2003. To put that in personal context, that’s the year I graduated high school. In a sport of endless turnover and churn, Scott Dixon has been an oasis of consistency. He is arguably the most respected driver in the paddock in terms of talent, and with good reason. In 2015, he did what he always does: find a way to be in the mix late, and get it done in crunch time. On Sunday in wine country, that formula produced a fourth IndyCar championship and another feather in the legacy of one of the best drivers ever.

Other Observations

More important than crowing the champion, Sunday was about honoring Justin Wilson. NBCSN did a fine job of this, particularly Robin Miller’s touching tribute. The support the IndyCar family has given to the Wilsons has been amazing, and here’s hoping it keeps coming. I’m looking forward to the auction, even as I suspect most of the items will be too rich for my blood (hopefully they will be).

More kudos to Graham for again spearheading the auction. May this be the last time it’s necessary. Also a round of applause for Oriol Servia. He came until terrible circumstances and admitted his own rustiness, but still came home 12^th. If only the team’s alternate strategy had worked out enough for the 25 car to lead a lap.

Finally, Stefan Wilson has proven to be an incredible man throughout this ordeal. His big brother would be proud.

The way Ryan Hunter-Reay closed out the season (adding a 2^nd place yesterday) shows that he could be a force to be reckoned with in 2016. With RHR and Rahal in the fold, if Honda can add Newgarden, the disparity in driver talent between the manufacturers doesn’t look nearly as daunting.

Charlie Kimball also had a fine race to complete the podium. He needed after what had been a fairly disappointing year.

If anyone can shed insight on why the hell Pagenaud parked his car in the pits, forcing Newgarden to literally drive through Simon’s pit, I’m all ears. Of course, Race Control found it as something not to worry about until Wednesday. /wanking motion

Rodolfo Gonzalez somehow finished 9^th, allowing the #18 Rent-a-Coyne car to take the 22^nd and final Leaders Circle position. The #18 nipped the #4 car for that final spot, adding a final ignominy to Stefano Coletti’s season. I can’t imagine he returns next year (and he appears close to a Formula E ride anyway), and if the second KV returns, it’s going to have to come with a big check now.

Speaking of drivers that had horrible years, Jack Hawksworth ended his sophomore struggles by punting Carlos Munoz, throwing away a top ten after the resulting drive through.

Up Next

Well…uh…there isn’t a race for another seven months, and so begins the long offseason. The first order of business will be memorializing Justin Wilson and taking care of his family. After that comes the schedule machinations and driver changes and whatever other strangeness will inevitably occur. Thanks for reading during the rookie season of Need More Grip. I’ll be around as things warrant news wise, and hopefully have some other things to post and we approach the 2016 season.

Justin

(Obviously this post is late, and there have been many tributes to Justin Wilson through IndyCar land. It took me a while to get more complete thoughts in order, save for something quick I wrote on Facebook Monday night, of which this post is based on.)

At its best, auto racing is exhilarating and adrenaline pumping. At its worst though, it is random, capricious, and cruel, and so it was Sunday. Eleven other cars had made it through Sage Karam's accident. A nosecone completes its descent as the twelfth car goes through, lands at the exact wrong time and place, and just like that there's goes a respected racer and more importantly, a father of two.

Back in the day, Wilson could've been a Formula One driver. He in fact made for one year, but was just too damn tall for those cars. So, he came stateside and made it as IndyCar driver, never complaining even when the business of racing shit on him so many times. He won 7 races even though he was never with a top team. He won twice with Dale Coyne Racing, which is like the Pirates winning the World Series at the height of their cheapness. His nickname as a driver was Badass because of his skills behind the wheel, an ironic nickname given his personality out of the car.

The tributes that have come in tell the story of Justin Wilson the man. I never knew him, or really talked to. (I'm a little shy when it comes to interacting with drivers) However, he's the one driver that I've never, ever heard a bad thing about. Not from other drivers, press, fans, officials, no one. Everyone liked Justin Wilson. He was arguably the nicest guy in the entire sport, which just makes it more gut wrenching. Add that his daughters are 7 and 5 and it just makes the pain more exponentially awful. It always hurts bad when we lose a racer, but this one hurts especially bad, and it's shown.

The best thing about the rise of the Internet is that it's given IndyCar fans a sounding board with each other. Sometimes that doesn't end well (see: TrackForum), but it's especially important for fans in times like these, especially those that do not live in the Indianapolis area. There was just no one in my real life that I could discuss what happened and have them understand completely. We've all needed that this week.

Discussions on where we go from here have started in fits and spurts, and will certainly compose much of the off season. It's beyond past the point where something has to be done to protect drivers. Fully open cockpits just aren't acceptable anymore. If the solution is canopies, let's do it. If it's something else, let's do that. I'm under no delusion that a solution is immediate, but it's a time for study and a time for action, because we've had way too many deaths and injuries from cockpit intrusions.

In the immediate aftermath, there have been some that have questions whether they can continue following this sport. This is of course well within their rights. Other sports don't have this specter of death and pain and loss attached to it. Racing is unique in that terrible way where everyone knows death is possible every time a car goes onto the track, and that it's always a question of when, not if, no matter what progress is made towards safety. It is perfectly understandable if anyone decides they can't do it anymore. I had those thoughts myself Monday night, and this offseason, will have some thinking to do.

In the end, there are only two things I know for sure: 1.) This loss is indescribably heartbreaking, and 2.) This weekend we will head to Sonoma, race, crown a champion, and most importantly, honor Justin Wilson, one of the finest men to grace the sport of motor racing.

RIP Justin. To say you will be missed is a gross understatement.

On Maturity and Graham Rahal

One of the stories of the 2015 season is the emergence of Graham Rahal. After years in the wilderness, he and his dad's team have come out of nowhere to sit just 9 points out of the championship lead with two races to go. Prior to this year, the only real highlight for Graham recently was his 2008 win at St. Petersburg. The next year, he finished a credible 7th in points for Newman/Haas at the age of 20 and looked like a future star.

Unfortunately for Graham, Newman/Haas did not have sponsorship for a full-time ride for 2010, and so began a whirlwind year where he drove for four different teams: Fisher, Rahal, Dreyer & Reinbold, and Newman/Haas. Given the circumstances, Graham did his best, but overall it was hard to call this anything but lost.

Despite the difficult 2010, things appeared to perk up when Graham was hired by Chip Ganassi as one of the two cars in Ganassi's new "G2" program. At the time, it was considered a separate entity to the Target cars, and as teammates with Charlie Kimball, Graham finished 9th in the points in 2011 and 10th in 2012. On paper, two OK but not great seasons. However, things never seemed to click at Ganassi, and for 2013 Graham came home to drive for his father.

To say those first two years with his dad were a disaster is a big understatement. The team was frequently out to lunch as a mix of engineers, while individually well regarded, did not mesh well. Two years ago, Graham finished 18th in points, beating just three drivers who completed every race. Going into the last season, the thought was the team would rebound, having won the National Guard sponsorship. The result? 19th in the points, behind every full-time competitor except Huertas and Saavedra. In those two years, Rahal tallied just two podiums and just two other top fives.

As team and driver struggled, public perception of Graham declined as well. Before I continue, let me make it clear that I have never met Graham, nor have I interacted with him on social media. I am solely talking about the perception of him, and I hope it's not stepping out of bounds with this piece. That said, Graham's perception with many fans had turned into an entitled brat who wasn't taking any responsibility for his failures. He was seen as a whiner, and there were plenty of interviews and tweets that fueled those opinions. As a result, going into this season, many were writing off both drivers and team, especially once it became clear that Honda was behind Chevy.

It's safe to say that those of us who wrote Graham off this year (self included) were very wrong. Starting with his brilliant drive to second at Barber, he's finished outside the top ten all of twice and picked up the 2nd and 3rd wins of his career. Yes, he needed luck in both of those races (cautions at Mid-Ohio and the benevolence of Race Control at Fontana), but the pace and the tenacity have been there, and his spot in the title hunt is very much deserved.

There are a couple of theories as to why Rahal/Letterman has turned the corner. They ended the too many cooks engineering situation and gave the keys to veteran Eddie Jones. Bobby is no longer calling Graham's races, and I'm guessing it's a bonus not to hear "Babe" in your radio all the time. These changes have clearly helped, but I have another theory, this involving Graham himself.

This year, Graham turned 26 years old. Research has indicated that 25 is about the age where the brain becomes fully developed. I'm a few years older than Graham, and I remember who I was before 25 and who I am now. It's quite a difference, and 25 is about the age where it changed for me. That's when I decided to get some help for some issues and when in generally I started to calm down and be more friendly and open. In Graham's case, by most accounts, he's been happier and more accessible to fans and sponsors alike. The on track success may help, but I suspect the attitude is more a part of the success than the other way around.

To make a long story short, I think a lot of what we've seen from Graham this year has to do with him maturing, and the past issues we have perceived with him might have just been part of growing up. He has grown up in 2015 and appears more at peace with himself (finding love assuredly helped as well). Him and his team have made changes, and as a result, IndyCar may finally have that breakout American star.

For Want of a Caution

One full course caution during a pit cycle worked out for Juan Pablo Montoya yesterday at Mid-Ohio. He had pitted right before it came out, allowing him to eventually cycle through to the lead, with early dominator Scott Dixon suddenly mired in mid-pack. Yes, 2^nd place in the championship Graham Rahal also benefited, but for Montoya, a potential win at this late stage of the season would have been a giant step towards a championship. 

The next caution during a pit cycle came at the perfect time for Rahal and the worst time for Montoya. Rahal won the race, Montoya finished 11^th, and suddenly we have a title race.

There was obviously more to the race than that, but in the end the timing of the cautions had a lot to do with how the race was decided. Passing was at a premium and starts and restarts were critical, as they always are at Mid-Ohio. That’s not a knock on the track. It’s an enjoyable track to look at, the crowd was great, and it’s clearly a challenging track for the drivers. The racing will never be thrill-a-minute, but IndyCar needs tracks like this as part of its road course portfolio.

I’ve buried the lede enough on this race, so let’s discuss it. I have no idea if Sage Karam intentionally spun. Those in the booth thought it was kind of suspicious, but as a layman, there’s no way for me to tell. Of course, we’ve seen instances of this recently in F1 and NASCAR, so to say it couldn’t happen here is naïve. If it can somehow be proven it was on purpose, then we have a shitstorm that makes all the other controversies this season look like mild disagreements easily settled by sharing a glass of brandy and a cigar. IndyCar is looking into it, but what can they really do now? They can’t change the result, at least not for Rahal and Montoya (For Ganassi, it’s obviously a different story).

Rahal needed luck with the caution to get the win, but any griping that the victory wasn’t deserved ended with that final restart. With Justin Wilson on the push-to-pass and unable to defend with his own, Graham outbraked Wilson into Madness like, well, a mad man. Even Wilson was impressed with how deep in the corner Graham went. From there, that was ballgame. If even Mid-Ohio master Scott Dixon couldn’t pass after restarts, then it wasn’t going to happen for anyone else.

With that, Graham gets an emotional home area victory, and now sits just 9 points back in the championship. The turnaround of driver and team is officially the on-track story of 2015. The last few years, the Rahal team and Graham himself were jokes. No one would’ve had them anywhere close to the title race going into the year. Doing it with the inferior Honda program just makes it more impressive. Montoya will be tough to beat, and arguably the final two races favor him, but Rahal and company aren’t going away quietly. Hopefully it’s selling lots of Steak n’Shake.

Other Observations

I’m still not a fan of Graham per se, but I certainly respect the effort and the results. The main thing that bothers me now is how the NBCSN booth is reacting to it. I’ve heard the grumbles the last few weeks of favoritism, and this week, it felt like it crossed over to cheerleading. I legitimately wondered who was more excited for the win: the crowd or the booth. The crowd at least had a reason.

“Karma is a bitch.” Good to know what Juan’s thoughts on Sage-Gate (ugh) are. 

Fantastic drive for Justin “Badass” Wilson. His outside pass of both Rahal and Montoya was the highlight of the day. As he said afterwards, the performance couldn’t hurt in his quest for a full-time drive at Andretti next year.

Today in Race Control Complaining: They gave out more warnings than an ineffective parent. Next time they’ll count to three: 1…2…2 ½…

Takuma Sato had to retire because the Foyt team ran out of parts. How exactly does that happen? Awful way for Sato’s 100^th career start to end. At least Foyt got a top ten out of Jack Hawksworth, who had arguably his best weekend of the year after months of anonymity. 

Charlie Kimball: Human Piñata returned. Except for the two Indianapolis races, it’s been a terrible year for him.

Bad luck for Luca Filippi, who ran out of fuel on the last lap, turning a 7^th place into a 21^st place finish. (Thanks to my Twitter friend @EJGoose for letting me know that when I asked what happened)

On Tap

Pocono! The last oval and 500 miler of the year, presumably with less horrific pit lane accidents than what we saw there this week. The defending race winner is some guy named Montoya.

The Churn Continues

In hindsight, it’s amazing that Derrick Walker lasted for three whole seasons as IndyCar’s President of Competition and Operations. With one elephant in the room size exception, leaders in IndyCar don’t seem to stick around for very long. The other stakeholders in the sport, and by that I mostly mean team owners, will always find something to complain and something to be unhappy about. Taking a leadership job in IndyCar means having that complaining in your ear all the time. Walker always seemed unhappy when making public comments, and without getting into his head, I wouldn't be surprised if that had a lot to do with. Today, he decided he had enough, and will resign effective at the end of the season (which btw, is a month from today).

Looking back on Walker's tenure, the main issues were Race Control and the debacle that was Indy qualifying. When Beaux Barfield left after last season, Walker replaced him in Race Control with a multi-headed committee headed by the infamous Brian Barnhart. This is also the year IndyCar collectively decided to penalize pit road infractions post-race, which came to a head after Graham Rahal's non-in race penalty at Fontana helped him win the race. This wasn't all Walker's fault. Robin Miller noted today that Walker was directed not to hire anyone outside due to budget concerns. The Indy qualifying disaster isn't entirely his fault either, as that was an across-the-board embarrassment, but when your job title is President of Competition, the buck mostly stops with you. These are the main demerits for Walker with fans.

Of course, there were good points with Walker in charge. He oversaw the implementation of the aero kits, and after some early teething, they've produced from differentiation and exciting racing. He's worked to make the cars safer, and if the rumors are true, will have played a big part in bringing back Road America. In the end, even if one disagreed with something Walker did, one had to respect his experience and love for the sport. He's been around IndyCar for 40 years, and hopefully this isn't the absolute end of his invovlement.

As for IndyCar itself, the problem is what it's always been: dysfunction at the top. Names like Randy Bernard, Jeff Belskus, Walker, and others have come and gone. It's not just a recent things, as anyone that remembers CART's endless parade of CEO's can attest. It's not a good look for multiple reasons. One, it's hard for anyone to plan long-term when there's no guarantee they won't be around to see the fruits of their labor. In an interview with RACER, Walker noted that the aero kits were a step towards the 2018/2019 car concept. With him gone, that plan is apparently gone as well. That does not bode well for movement in the future. A lot of the time, it feels like IndyCar as an organization just lumbers from short-term plan to short-term plan, and this only enhances that perception. Second, the frequent turnover does not project stability, which can only hurt when it comes to attracting sponsors and other stakeholders.

So, where does IndyCar go from here? The search for a replacement has begun, but given the challenges of the job, who would really want it? The article mentions Mike Hull, which sounds good from my untrained eye. What I fear, what many fans I suspect fear, is that while they search, Brian Barnhart will ascend to the job on an "interim" basis. From there, the temptation to make it permanent might be too much, especially for a group that seems loathe to find outside talent. Track Forum and Robin Miller's Mailbag might catch fire from the hot takes if that happens.

In the end, it's another off track blow with awful timing. For now though, I'm going to consciously decide to not think about it and enjoy the final three races of the season. They'll be plenty of time to hand wring about the state of IndyCar in the offseason.

Mindbogglingly Stupid and Tone Deaf

Controversy sells. So does conflict. I don't make a judgment on that. I'm just stating a fact. IndyCar has had its share of both in recent weeks: the former in the debate over safety and pack racing at Fontana, and the latter in the Ed Carpenter/Sage Karam feud Saturday night at Iowa. Both have gotten IndyCar more publicity than they would normally get this time for year. Ratings have also been on the uptick, and while there are many possible reasons for that, I doubt this is hurting them because, again, this stuff sells.

IndyCar's formal response to all this? Bad drivers! Bad! Stop that!

The immediately infamous rule is 9.3.8, and it reads as follows:

Competitors must be respectful, professional, fair and courteous to others. At all times, Competitors must not, attempt to, or engage in conduct or statements that in the judgment of INDYCAR:
a) Threatens or denigrates any Official, fellow Competitor or the INDYCAR brand;
b) Calls into question the integrity or legitimacy of the Rules or their application, construction or interpretation;
c) Denigrates the IndyCar Series racing schedule or Event(s);
d) Threatens or denigrates any INDYCAR business relationship, including those with sponsors or broadcasters;
e) Otherwise threatens the integrity, reputation or public confidence of the sport, INDYCAR, or IndyCar Series.

The most obvious question is what constitutes a violation? It could be just about anything IndyCar decides hurt their wounded fee fees. This includes a driver complaining about safety. Remember, the backlash to Fontana was the impetus for this. Mark Miles talked about adding a rule, and that's exactly what he has done. The Internet commentariat is already ablaze with claims of censorship, and it's hard to argue, because that's exactly what it looks like. Also not mentioned is what the penalty would actually be.

Hours later, realizing damage control was necessary, IndyCar released a "clarification." It's pretty much nothing but corporate weaseling wording, as Miles tries to say "See, it's not a gag order. Really." So, there's a vague policy that appears to stifle conflict and emotion with no one knowing what the alleged consequences are, released at an absolutely terrible time? As Gabbo from the Simpsons would say: Ay yai yai.

As we've established, controversy and conflict sell. Naturally, IndyCar has decided to try and rid themselves of that. It's a complete misread of the situation from a leadership that seems to thrive on complete misreads. Just when things may have been looking up for the sport, those in charge of running it find a way to shoot themselves in the foot and take a step back. It would be laughable if it weren't so sadly predictable.