With the winds of NBA wars grabbing headlines, last weekend was refreshing in presenting an event that has recouped much of it lost prestige. Even the ratings that came out Tuesday showed a 4.38 share, up .32 from last year and the most-watched race since 2008. That's a huge victory for IZOD Indycar.
The race could not have been more successful as a sports spectacular. First, there were crashes. Clean crashes with no serious injuries. Dramatic crashes as in the last lap of the race. Second, there was drama, with an all-time record of lead changes due to the equality of the cars and the advantages of drafting from behind. Third, there was class, with a gracious international winner and his movie-star wife saying all the right things at the right time. Fourth, there were legends, with the presence of Mario Andretti and A. J. Foyt (see last week's post on their incredible status) in the pit area.
However, there were a few losers. Takumo Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti on the last lap. That's not so bad, but he tried to do it on turn one, not a straightaway. Even though it was his third race at Indy, it was a rookie move. Later, he whined that Franchitti squeezed him down to the apron, where his car got loose and he spun out. Franchitti did what any driver who wanted to win would do: he kept his position, his line, in the turn and wouldn't give way. The only person I felt bad about there was David Letterman, who is a co-owner of Sato's driving team.
Another loser was Roger Penske. His cars may have been faster in the time trials, but they were not tuned as well for the long haul. Chip Ganassi's team finished one-two, with Franchitti and Scott Dixon.
It's hard to say Lotus was a loser, even though both Lotus cars were black-flagged in the first ten laps for failing to have a competitive speed. Why? The Indy 500 was far richer for having three manufacturers of engines (Honda/Chevy/Lotus) rather than the Honda monopoly. With its illustrious history, Lotus will only get better if it wants to.
While the viewer was a winner, he was also a loser for being inundated with scores of commercials, most with a 30/70 "split-screen" where the ad dominated, but some that were full ads, and driving time was missed. Please, bring back the closed circuit theatres or pay-per-view option so the race can be watched without interruption.
As usual, the ABC/ESPN broadcasting team was exceptional. A little more Brent Musberger would have been okay in my book.
Still, the Indy 500 is back, and that's good news for racing fans everywhere.
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