Good Ol' American Short Trackin'

IndyCar's annual stop at Iowa Speedway has become a yearly highlight for a reason, and last night's race was no exception. Like any short track race, some ended the night happy, some ended it frustrated, and some ended it pissed off. Already there's been a lot of talk about the latter. In a race that produced a lot of talking points, let's start by giving the winner his due.

Hunter-Reay Breaks Through

To say RHR needed that win is a massive understatement. What had been a miserable year to date becomes somewhat more tolerable after this win. Hunter-Reay didn't start at the front of the pack, but he slowly worked his up to the front as the race went on. On the final pit stop, he beat out Josef Newgarden out of there, and held him off after the final restart. Hunter-Reay only led 37 laps, but they were the last 37. It was a bummer for Newgarden, who led a race high 111 laps. Once again, he drove a great race and ended up disappointed with in the long view was a good result. A superstar may be growing before our eyes.

MURICA

The big story coming out of the race that didn't involve one driver yelling at another was that Americans finished 1-2-3-4. Americans actually were 6 of the top 7, with 5th place Carlos Munoz being the only interloper. The usual suspects are likely thrilled by this, and hey, it's always good to see the good old USA kick some ass. That said, I've always been skeptical that "more American stars" in the panacea that will save IndyCar. It's likely part of the equation, but not the whole thing. The key is for guys like Newgarden, Rahal, Andretti, and yes, Karam, to be up there on a consistent basis. In two of those cases at least, that has been happening this year. It's a start.

The Elephant in the Room

In the end, all we cared about was the Ed Carpenter/Sage Karam confrontation. Sage drove like Sage has been driving all year: on the edge to the point of recklessness. From Ed's onboard, it sure looked like Sage wasn't giving him a lot of room. It wasn't the only instance of close calls we saw during the race, but Karam has earned a reputation for this stuff. Remember Briscoe's consternation at Fontana? That frustration at the kid continued, as we saw with Ed's one fingered salute.

Of course, we weren't done, as after the race, Ed headed straight to Karam. Jake Query tweeted out the transcription of Ed's words. Save the profanity, it reminded me of a Dad lecture. Any parent can probably relate to Ed, trying to talk some sense in their obstinate teenager. The rest of us could relate to Sage, hearing an adult lecture to us but not listening it. Not that it was right necessary to not listen, but this is how teenagers are.

Karam clearly has some talent, but he has to relax and has to get better at playing well with others out there. I get that he's young and will (presumably) mature, but it needs to start happening and fast. I'm enjoying Sage becoming more and more like a cartoonish supervillian, but not that as the expense of the safety of the competitors.

As for Ed, others have noted how he went from calling out people at Fontana for not liking the racing to complaining that Sage is going to get himself or others hurt. It seems hypocritical, but I'll be charitable and say it's just him voicing his frustration on what has been a difficult year for him behind the wheel. However, if I were to give him some advice, it's don't ignore your wife like that after your interview. That's not going to end well for you.

Better to be Lucky than Good

On a night where he crashed on lap 10 and finished last, it's weird to put Juan Pablo Montoya in this category. Look what happened to most of his rivals in the title race though.

• Scott Dixon suffered a mechanical problem and had to pit for repairs, eliminating a likely top 10, if not top 5, finish.
• Helio Castroneves was a factor in the first half of the race, but faded in the second half and finished 11th.
• Will Power was invisible all night and ended up 10th.

The only contender to not have a bad night was Graham Rahal, and if it wasn't for luck, he would have as well. He had to pit early because of a cut tire, then had problems getting out of the pits due to gear box difficulties. He was a lap down most of the early going, but the yellows fell at the right time to get him back on the lead lap. On the final caution, Graham pitted for tires, and used those to get himself a 4th place finish. As a result, he's now 2nd in the championship, 42 behind Montoya. Dixon is 48 back, Helio 54 back, and Power 55 back. For both the top two, it went as well as it could have been given their circumstances.

Other Observations

After tagging the wall while trying to avoid a group check up caused by a struggling Pippa Mann, Justin Wilson radioed "What was that Coyne car doing?" That's a question that's been asked a lot this year.

Do we know yet why TK dropped out? He was only told to pit and shut it off. He was never told why. Very frustrating.

Charlie Kimball wrecked, another down note is what has quietly been not a great year, His only top fives this season remains the two races at Indianapolis.

Sometimes a team just needed a solid top 10 run with no incidents. That's what Ryan Briscoe and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports got last night with an 8th place finish.

Leigh Diffey mentioned on the broadcast that Stefano Coletti's future in IndyCar is uncertain. That rumor seemed to take the chattering class by surprise, but when you think about, it shouldn't be. The guy has had an awful year results-wise. He's competed in every race, but is behind both Karam *and* Luca Filippi in the points.

Given how practice and qualifying went, seeing Honda win the race on pace and get three of the top five feels more noteworthy than the attention it's been given.

IndyCar racing on short ovals is awesome, but you knew that.

On Tap

After a week off, it's on to Mid-Ohio. Try to act excited.