Andretti Green Racing

A couple weeks ago on Wind Tunnel on Speed , Dave Despain hinted at a possible oval championship on the side of the overall championship for the IZOD IndyCar Series. He stated that, in his opinion, it was a Danica Patrick Conspiracy as they want to see their star driver be in the championship hunt. Though is what he saying true if this does come to pass?

 

Patrick statistically runs better on the ovals as shown by her average finish. In 16 road course starts in the IZOD Indy Car Series, she has two top-fives and an average finish of 12.3. On the ovals, her average finish is higher with 11.9 on super speedways (+2 miles), 9.4 on intermediate tracks (1-2miles), and 8.8 on short tracks.

 

But how does she rank against top IndyCar drivers? Well, in most cases, they’re better than her.

 

Dario Franchitti, who won the championship in 2007 and then again in 2009, betters Patrick in every category. He has an average finish of 12 on the road courses, 9.7 on the super speedways, 7.6 on the intermediates, and 3.1 on the short tracks.

 

Scott Dixon, the 2003 and 2008 champion, also ranks higher than Patrick. He has an average finish of 4.1 on the road courses, 9.4 on the super speedways, seventh on the intermediates, and 6.7 on the short tracks.

 

Tony Kanaan, the 2004 champion, has an average finish of 7.1 on the road courses, 9.2 on the super speedways, 5.9 on the intermediates and 10.6 on the short tracks.

 

Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2007 rookie of the year, has an average finish of 12.3 on the road courses, 14.7 on the super speedways, 13.2 on the intermediates and 14.5 on the short tracks.

 

Will Power, who leads the point standings currently, has an average finish of 11.8 on the road courses, 9 on the superspeedways, 15.8 on the intermediates, and 17 on the short tracks.

 

Helio Castroneves, who currently sits third in the standings, has an average finish of 7.9 on the road courses, 8.1 on the super speedways, 6.1 on the intermediates, and 8.4 on the short tracks.

 

In looking at the stats, Patrick doesn’t top any of the four categories that the average finishes are grouped into.

 

For intermediates and short tracks, she does beat Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power, though that could easily be changed this year with how well both are running.

 

Therefore, there really is no big chance of a big conspiracy if this does come into play.

 

Darrell Waltrip’s knowledge would tell you otherwise, however, as he says that she’ll be a better IZOD IndyCar driver due to NASCAR experience. His example of this is Franchitti. Though what he forgets to add is that Franchitti won a championship before NASCAR and after NASCAR. He just proved with the second championship that IndyCar Series racing is where his nitch is.

 

Overall, I think Despain was just trying to reach new boundaries and get people talking. Congratulations Dave! You’ve achieved that successfully.

Ryan Hunter-Reay drove to a win for Andretti Autosport at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.  He was the first American to win at the prestigious race since his boss, Michael Andretti in 2002.

The 85-lap race on the 1.968-mile course was quick with only one full course caution.  Justin Wilson made contact with the rear wheel of Alex Tagliani's car, as he was unable to make a clean pass on the lapped car.

Despite taking more time than expected to swap out the damaged front wing for a new one, Wilson's Z-Line Designs car powered back to finish second.

The course in Long Beach is considered the premier open-wheel street race.  Hunter-Reay, a former California resident, was thrilled to take his IZOD car to a win in his fourth race.

Will Power, the points leader and pole sitter, finished in third position.

Danica Patrick remained near the rear of cars on the lead lap.  She finished 14th after qualifying in 20th place.  She is presently 16th in the point standings.

If Danica is to improve her performance perhaps it will be when she returns to oval racing at the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway on May 1.

The time of the race was 1:47:12 with an average speed of 93.619.  There were five lead changes and five caution laps.

Danica mania was a big part of Speedweeks in Daytona this February when Patrick raced her first NASCAR race in the Nationwide Series. Crowds of media and others with pit road access swarmed her and her car at every available moment. 

The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's biggest race of the year, so media numbers are measured by hundreds, not scores.

Fast-forward to springtime in the same state, and move from Florida's East Coast to the West Coast for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Quiet downtown streets bordering the harbor near the southern tip of Tampa Bay became a twisting street circuit for sleek open-wheel cars. While the popular race didn't draw nearly the number of fans or media that Daytona did, Patrick attracted crowds here too. 

The show at St. Pete is a demanding road course requiring skills that oval racing won't develop. Since motorsports remains a male-dominated sport even with female open-wheel drivers such as Sara Fisher, who opted to be a team owner for the first two U.S. IndyCar races this year.

Graham Rahal was behind the wheel of Fisher's IndyCar for this race because he is a more proficient road racer. Rahal will race the upcoming road course in Alabama also. 

Fisher thinks Patrick is good for their sport, but she has reservations too. "Long term it is not in your best interest to hinge yourself on one person." Fisher said. "If Danica were to leave, even today, right now, I would hope that the series and everyone, including media members, focus on everyone and not just one person."

While the left and right turns of road racing are more trying, it shouldn't eliminate females from performing competitively. Three females: Danica Patrick, Simona De Silverstro, and Milka Duno, raced 21 males for qualifying positions in the St. Pete Grand Prix but none could secure a spot higher than 14th place.

Rain pushed the event to a more sunny day, and during the race Duno went out early. De Silvrestro had contact that resulted in a 16th place result, while Patrick surged to the front later in the race to finish seventh. 

Penske Racing's Will Power won Monday's rain-delayed St. Pete race in the No. 12 car, his second win in a row. 

Patrick naysayers out there might notice that her seventh place at St. Pete was well ahead of the other two females in the race. Of the 21 males to take the green flag, only six finished ahead of her at the checkers. 

More than a year ago Eddie Cheever said Patrick proved him and others wrong by being competitive in open-wheel cars. This past February Cheever repeated his belief that she will make it in NASCAR.

Doubters often point out that Patrick has won only one IndyCar race in her career, but they might notice too that winning at top levels like IndyCar and NASCAR are rare events for most.

In NASCAR's 37-race Sprint Cup season, Keven Harvick hasn't won a race in 113 attempts. Open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoyo who hasn't won in 98 races. The 2005 IndyCar champion, Dan Wheldon, hasn't won an IndyCar race in 29 attempts, with a 17-race schedule each season.

Next event: IZOD IndyCar at Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit

Location:  Barber Motosports Park in Birmingham, Ala., plays host to the IZOD IndyCar Series for the first time in 2010. BMP is 2.38 miles long and 45 feet wide with 17 turns, most of which are flowing.

Track record: Race car—1:09.455, avg. speed—119.213 mph, Will Power—March 2009

Power set the qualifying record for the St. Pete Grand Prix also, and the skilled driver with the energetic name will undoubtedly be looking forward to repeating his excellence in Alabama. 

Twenty or so males, along with a few females, will be out there to thwart his expectations. 

And yes, Danica mania will no doubt follow. 

Photo Credit: Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com

So let me get this straight.

In the early 90's, CART was huge. It had mega crowds at every race, great TV ratings and lots of exposure. The series had become so popular that even Bernie Ecclestone started getting worried, especially when his world champion, Nigel Mansell, came over. There was also a large array of engine and chassis manufacturers which is what racing is all about.

But then came Tony George. His family gave him the keys to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and also gave him an open checkbook.

George tried to give his opinions to the CART owners, but they weren't listening. George wanted to be a part owner of CART, but they told him it wasn't for sale.

So what does he do? He takes out his checkbook and selfishly takes away the Indianapolis 500 from CART, possibly THE biggest race in the world, and takes it to his new series called the IRL. In doing this, he spent millions and millions of wasted dollars over the next couple of years, just to keep his new series afloat. It is estimated that he spent $50 million a year!

Why did he do this? He wanted power, he wanted things done his way.

CART tried to get the Indy 500 back and call it truce, but George wasn't having any of it, so both series continued on. As both series continued on, they kept losing attendance ratings and TV ratings, while NASCAR was laughing as they're series just kept getting bigger and bigger.

Over time, CART went bankrupt and found itself some new owners who now called it Champcar. The war kept on until 2008, when finally a unification happened! But it was too late, too much damage had been done, because of one irresponsible man given too much power.

Tony George had won the war, he finally had full power of American open wheel racing.

But for how long would it last? Why just a bit over a year after unification, the IMS board (which is owned by Tony George's own family by the way) ousted Tony from president and CEO of the IRL. Then half a year later, he resigns from the IMS board. Then, only about one week later, he shuts down his team, Vision Racing.

The man created the split to have full power. Think about this for a second. His major intention on creating the split, was to have full power. And only about a year and a half after finally getting it, HE'S NOTHING BUT A SPECTATOR!!!! 

Now we are stuck with a series that is virtually unknown to the general public. The attendance and some of the races are just flat out embarrassing. The TV ratings are so low that sponsors laugh when a team asks them for support. Well, it doesn't help when your races are on a sports network that is invisible on most channel guides in America. Team owners are crying for change and cost cuts, but we have an idiot like Brian Barnhart running the show, and he's not doing anything about it. Let's not forget that we've been watching the same old, ugly Dallaras for quite some time. We have one engine manufacturer, one chassis manufacturer, and one tire manufacturer. It's become a spec series, and that sucks! Indy used to be about innovation and creativity, but that is all out the window now!

So once again, thanks Tony George! Thanks for ruining the sport we love! I'm obviously infuriated.

There are many things to look for during the upcoming IZOD IndyCar Series. Although there have been some changes to the series, the excitement and anticipation should be as high as ever before.

With Dario Franchitti winning the Championship last season, the focus will again be on the two strong teams, Target Chip Ganassi and Penske Racing. While Andretti Green Racing has some stars in their stable, the results just weren't there last year. Obviously the return of Danica Patrick will be the main headline, but there are other questions that await answer for AGR.

Will this be the year that Marco Andretti can live up to expectations? Has Tony Kanaan's bad luck finally run out? It seemed as if in every race last season where things were going well for AGR, there was always a bucket of bad luck waiting around the corner; or in this case, in the final laps.

This might be the year that someone out of the top three stables is finally able to establish themselves as a serious championship contender. Will Graham Rahal, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson, or Ryan Hunter-Reay be able to get to the top?

Another big headline will come towards the end of April, when the focus turns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Indianapolis 500. It was announced less than two weeks ago that the schedule for the month of May will be shortened by one practice week. This will leave teams with less time to practice, but in the end will save precious dollars, which is very beneficial to the smaller teams.

I don't think this will have any negative effect on the racing that we will see on race day, and I still plan on attending the Speedway every day that the cars are on it. These are some of the best days leading up to the race, and that will remain the same.

Another obvious headline everyone will be talking about will be the record that Helio Castroneves will be chasing; his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. Only three drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 four times; A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser. Helio will look to join these three drivers this May.

The finish to the 2009 season was great, and having the Championship come down to the final race was something everyone wants to see again this year.

Yes, Christmas is just five days away; but I can't wait until March.

It seems like wherever I go these days, I cannot escape Danica Patrick.

This morning, while attending class at Boston University, I listened to a presentation on sexuality in the media by Dr. Patrice Oppliger, one of our assistant professors of communication. She noted that many female celebrities, as they grow out of young adulthood, use sex as a way to keep the public's attention on them, citing Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Miley Cyrus as three prominent examples.

All was well until one of my classmates asked a question about wanting "to be taken just as seriously in the office in a miniskirt as in pants." In response to this question, Danica came up as an example of a prominent celebrity who wants to be taken seriously, but still has no problem doing Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoots.

Right then, right there, I decided that I had had it with Danicamania.

Danica Patrick has been more celebrity than race car driver ever since she first signed with the newly-rechristened Andretti Autosport, back in 2007. Blame it on the GoDaddy ads, blame it on the IndyCar Series using her as their only real marketing tool, blame it on whatever else you'd like, but she is no longer a race car driver first.

She is a celebrity and a brand first, and a race car driver second, and that's a problem.

I'm sick of the fact that everybody is making a big deal about her supposed jump to the Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports, after a graphic of her in a JR firesuit appeared briefly on the web yesterday. Since when have we cared this much about the Nationwide Series? Have we ever?

Even more troubling, since when have we cared this much about a driver who has never shown the ability to consistently win?

That's the one difference between Danica and her closest parallel in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., her potential Nationwide owner. We all know that they're both highly overrated by an adoring public. But Junior has won races - plural. Danica hasn't.

Both have had segments of their careers where they have been in top-flight equipment, albeit not quite as good as some of the other cars out there. Junior has 40 wins in NASCAR's top two series, now known as Sprint Cup and the Nationwide Series, although he has struggled recently.

With the sheer amount of Cup drivers moonlighting in Nationwide, and their general dominance of the series, with at least 15 Cup drivers entered in the majority of the races, I am calling those wins just as legitimate for the sake of argument. Bear with me.

To put Junior's statistics in those two series in perspective, note that Jimmie Johnson has 48 combined wins, Kevin Harvick has 46, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart have 45 apiece, and Carl Edwards has 41. All of these drivers, except for Busch and Edwards, entered NASCAR at around the same time. Overrated as he may be, Junior isn't that far off NASCAR's best when looking at his career statistics.

He's performed on the track while also establishing himself off of it, running one of the better teams in the Nationwide Series and launching the career of "next big thing" Brad Keselowski.

As for Danica? Well, she has one win, which came on an IndyCar-Champ Car split weekend, and it was cemented by fuel mileage. She's improved in the points every year, and was the best non-Penske or Ganassi driver in the IndyCar standings last year, but that's about it for her accomplishments on the track. I don't think I need to describe her "brand."

Patrick's one win in 81 big-league starts yields a winning percentage of 1.23. In 476 combined Sprint Cup and Nationwide starts, Junior has a winning percentage of 8.4. And let's not forget the two championships Junior won in 1998 and 1999 driving in NASCAR's No. 2 series. Patrick never won any races in the Toyota Atlantic Series, neve rmind championships.

The fact of the matter is, at least Juniormania has some stats to back it up.

I know that Danica Patrick isn't Milka Duno, running ten miles an hour off the pace in every race she enters. I know that she's more than just eye candy, that she's led laps at Indianapolis and whatnot.

I also know that stereotypes about racing exist, including that it takes no talent, the fans are a bunch of idiots who choose favorite drivers based on long-standing loyalties, the only drivers that matter are the marketable ones, and so on and so forth.

But I'm a racing fan, not a marketing fan. I don't think I'm the only one. I grew up before the racing series put more into marketing the products off the track than the racing product on the track, and I know when a driver deserves the publicity that they are receiving.

Sorry, Danica, you're not a winner.

I want to see a commitment to the race car first and a commitment to the celebrity second. I think the real reason why Junior has been suffering recently is because his celebrity began to outrun his on-track performance, and thus he lags behind the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Before the plethora of marketing deals he inked over the past few seasons, Junior was one of the best drivers in NASCAR.

If Danica refocuses on driving the IndyCar and forgets about her celebrity for a while, she'll be a much better race car driver. She'll win races. She'll earn a NASCAR contract if she wants it by bringing more to the table than just her sponsorship dollars.

And when all is said and done, we'll be able to look back on her career and say "Wow, there's a driver who really accomplished a lot."

Until then, have fun with your hype, everybody. I'm done with Danicamania.

A couple of notes from the open-wheel world in America.

First off, rumors have circulated that Danica Patrick will try to get the best of both worlds by keeping a full IndyCar schedule while also running a dozen or so races on NASCAR’s Nationwide series.

Here’s the skinny from ESPN:

IndyCar Series and crossover media star Danica Patrick is nearing completion of a two-year contract with JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Nationwide Series operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a source close to the negotiations described the talks as being “in the final phase.”

A second source close to the situation confirmed the deal is moving forward, saying “talks are moving in a very positive direction and it would probably be a surprise if it didn’t happen.”

[snip]

Sources also told Smith the first race on Patrick’s tentative schedule is the ARCA event at Daytona Speedweeks. Depending on whether or not she is approved by NASCAR to run the Daytona Nationwide Series event in February, Patrick plans to run 12 or 13 Nationwide races in 2010, sources said.

If Patrick is not approved by NASCAR, she would likely debut at Auto Club Speedway the following week.

[snip]

Sources said GoDaddy.com, which already sponsors Patrick in the IndyCar Series, is expected to be the primary sponsor for the car.

Contrary to reports that Patrick will make $300,000 a race, sources said she would make in line of the typical Nationwide salary—between $50,000 and $100,000 a race. “She’s not in it for the money,” a source said. “She’s in it for the experience.”

Patrick, the 2005 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, will continue to race full-time for Andretti Green Racing in IndyCar.

The other news, expected to be announced officially later today, is that Izod—yes, the clothing company responsible for those alligator shirts—will come on as the title sponsor for the IndyCar series.

And thus, Izod IndyCar shall be born.

More from ESPN :

INDIANAPOLIS—IndyCar officials are expected to announce Thursday that clothing maker Izod will become the series’ title sponsor next season.

A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed the move Wednesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced. The league has scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon.

It would be the first time since 2002 that the IndyCar series has had a title sponsor, and it comes at a time when some companies have been tightfisted because of the tough economy.

Speculation has grown this week that Izod, which became a key player in the series last year, would take on a bigger role in the series in 2010.

This should mean we get to see Danica in a tight Izod shirt instead of just Ryan Hunter-Reay.

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I hate to tell you I told you so but I will, (lol) Danica will be in NASCAR in 2010 as reported by ESPN. 

She will race part time in the ARCA, trucks and Nationwide series, they will work around her IRL schedule.

Can you say, "ticket sales here they go". Up!

Here is an article I wrote about three months ago, you know, back then when BR gave me an opportunity to be seen online or on the board. A shot there. Can I laugh out loud?

HERE It IS, ENJOY.

 It's been my experience as a web browser, the more web content on a particular subject is, the better odds of it happening, and there is a lot of chatter on the web about Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR.

I tell you folks this subject is buzzing, there is something going on, the marketing machine is out surveying the territory. I would venture to say some of those releases are self inflicted, if you get my drift.

The Patrick folks are exploring the North Carolina backwoods looking for wine and cheese, a good place to eat and drive.

Just guessing or maybe not.

The Indy Racing League has some problems. It looks like Tony George is not a favorite of the George family, allegedly he was or will be thrown out as CEO of the Indy track.

Maybe he will go back and sell backing powder, does that family still sell foods?

There is also much talk by fans and some drivers, well I should say, one driver, that thinks Ms. Patrick is overrated or not ready to race in NASCAR.

I'll take issue with that. I don't care if you're a "ten-pete;" how does anyone know how good someone can be, especially without having their gluteus maximus in a seat and race the car?

When those statements are made by anyone, I can assure you "WE ARE ALL GUESSING" whether your a fan, a champion driver or the king of rock & roll, Elvis.

Agree?

In today's slow economy a race car team owner has to be saying to himself, I've got to have her, and it would have nothing to do with her pictures in SI.

It would have everything to do with the amount of press and fans she could being to his team, all this adds to money, lots of it.

If they get lucky, and she can run in top 15 week in and out, you just got cha-ching and lots of it. If it doesn't work out, you grab all the money you can, say see you and all is well. 

The hiring of Patrick is a no-brainer move for a team, especially for NASCAR, and is a win-win situation—even if it doesn't workout.

NASCAR would love for one of the top teams to grab her. It would give them a legit lady to advertise for diversity.

I know many NASCAR fans hate to admit it, there is talent needed to drive any car 220-plus MPH without crashing.

We can all agree on that.

If things at Indy get worse, get your pink hats out ladies, tie down and blind fold your husbands, Patrick is a coming.

Since Danica Patrick's last IndyCar season on contract with Andretti Green Racing began, racing fans and analysts alike have been prophesying the beginning of the media darling's NASCAR career.

When Patrick visited the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters on Monday, July 13, the fanfare heated up once again, eliciting the question of whether the visit was a legitimate business talk on Danica's stock car future, or whether it was merely a publicity stunt to force a bigger contract from Andretti Racing.

If you aren't familiar with motorsports, Tony Stewart, one of the two behind Stewart-Haas, is a former IndyCar driver that has seen much success after his switch to NASCAR. He has won two championships, and will likely be a contender for another this upcoming season. With his tutelage, Patrick would be learning from the perfect mentor.

Stewart also recently said that he's open to adding a third car to the team if the right driver or sponsor became available. “If the right situation came along, we would entertain it,” Stewart told Terry Blount of espn.com. To make things even more confusing/interesting, Stewart began to downplay the third-car scenario after Patrick's visit.

“As far as a third team goes, I think right now the biggest thing is you've got to make sure you can fund it first. You can build a team, but if you don't have the money to run it, it's not going to work. So, making sure that you've got proper funding is obviously the biggest thing,” Stewart was quoted as saying in a Yahoo! Sports article by Jay Busbee.

There's no doubt that Danica Patrick would bring sponsors galore to whatever NASCAR team she hypothetically decides to choose from. Companies would be lined up to have their name next to hers. That's not really the concern for anyone involved in bringing Patrick to NASCAR, though. The concern is in her racing ability, and the fact that she seems to be very much at home on the IndyCar circuit.

The IRL season is only 17 races long. A cup series is more than double that at 35-36 races. For Danica to jump into the schedule this coming year, that is a lot of racing in a heavy, unfamiliar car.

IRL IndyCars are, of course, a lot different than NASCAR stocks. It has taken Sam Hornish, an IRL driver who made the switch to NASCAR in the prime of his career, more than a year and a half to run smoothly in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. She also finished third in this year's Indy 500, and could very well take the cake next year if she stays.

When asked about the possible switch to NASCAR, Patrick made it clear that she believes in her ability to succeed. “Any time I've been tested and put in a car, in something I've never driven before. . . . I've always done really well. It's going to take some getting used to. But I can't make everyone think I'm a good driver. I used to be more intimidated by the length of the season, but I spend so very little time at home and I am always on the road. I'm much less intimidated by that”, she told the LA Times.

She has also confirmed with the LA Times that she will not drive with F1 next season, so that can be ruled out. She has stated that she enjoys being in America with her family and wouldn't want to tour around Europe.

The most likely NASCAR scenario, despite the Stewart-Patrick meeting, is for her to sign with Ganassi Racing. Chip Ganassi, the team's owner, has cars in both IndyCar and NASCAR. The team is successful, and can bring Danica a lot of money and sponsorships, which she hasn't been shy about desiring. To me, the Stewart-Haas prospect is a lot more exciting, but for Patrick's sake, the safe switch to NASCAR is the right one.

Without a carefully calculated to switch to stock cars, Danica could make a grave career decision.

All things aside though, wow, is Danica Patrick gorgeous. Ahem. Back to business. You can view my weekly sports commentary every Friday on ultimatesportsrankings.com.

Although open wheel racing has often provided the passing lacking in F1 and the pure sense of speed and agility lacking in NASCAR, the IndyCar Series has recently been fighting a lack of both passing and excitement.  The a lack of passing is crippling the quality of racing. In addition, the domination by both Penske and Ganassi have caused smaller budget teams to be shut out of Victory Lane.

For the IndyCar Series, 'short' ovals have never been its strength. However, in recent years, these events have become more and more like the F1 parade, and less like the agility fans are used to seeing.

For example, the series' premiere event at Indianapolis is a driver-friendly track known as the Milwaukee Mile. Although drivers may love the Mile, the 2009 parade caused fans to question if the Mile should be on the schedule for future years.

The race featured Tony Kanaan leading laps 1-25 (and likely the rest of the race, had he not crashed), Ryan Briscoe leading laps 26-132, Scott Dixon laps 133-134, Dario Franchitti laps 135-153, Ryan Briscoe laps 154-200, and finally Scott Dixon wins after leading laps 201-225.

Now, one might say that four lead changes in one event isn't all that bad, however, the lead change from Briscoe to Dixon took place in the pits, rather than on the track.

In addition to the race at Milwaukee, the series' event at Richmond International Raceway also served as a cure for insomnia. If one thought that Milwaukee's lead changes were bad, Richmond was worse.

This race featured only three different leaders, and the race more closely resembled a parade than, well, a race. Dario Franchitti was quoted as stating "I apologized to the fans because they came out to see good racing...I didn't feel [the race] was that," and when drivers are apologizing, changes must be made. It can also be duly noted that while it took the leaders approximately 20 laps to reach the back of the pack, it took them nearly 50 laps to complete a pass and place the last driver a lap down.

According to IndyCar series officials, various options are being investigated, with the hopes of bringing more side-by-side racing back to the series. One such option may be 'push to pass,' in which drivers can push a button on the steering wheel in order to provide a slight boost in power.

However, until the IndyCar Series learns that identical cars will perform at identical levels, processional racing is here to stay.

If IndyCar series officials wish to bring the excitement and subsequent fan revenue back to the series, they must allow teams to either tinker with the cars more in order to get more speed, or they must change the chassis away from the 7 year old Dallara they currently use.

Drivers, most notably Scott Dixon, are getting bored with the ease of the current racing environment. Although changes are in the works for a completely new car at the start of the 2012 season, changes must be made sooner, rather than later, if the series wishes to push to the forefront of American racing and keep its signature drivers.