Sunday, June 3, 2012

View from the Couch: Detroit Grand Prix


Well, that certainly was a long day from the couch. Congratulations first of all to the fans who stuck this one out from Belle Isle, as well as the folks who repaired the track.

It’s hard to not see Sunday’s events as a black eye for the city of Detroit, the IndyCar Series, Roger Penske and others. Which is unfortunate because the event seemed to be coming together nicely with a lot of coverage in the local outlets.

During one of the interviews, I heard Penske describe the situation as a “bump in the road.” Actually more like a hole in the road, but whatever. Kudos to ABC, though, for talking to just about everybody during the red flag. (Well, except for Randy Bernard, who was ... where?)

I found it strange that race officials initially stopped the race at 45 laps instead of 46 laps, the distance that would’ve made it an official race. What if repairs could not have been made – what then? Considering that the next race is Saturday night in Texas, it seems like a restart on Monday would not be an option.

From a fairness standpoint, awarding the victory to Scott Dixon at that point would’ve made sense, seeing as how he led the entire race (and would lead the entire race after the final “shootout”).

Dixon’s triumph, his first of the year after three runner-up finishes, led a 1-2-3 finish for Honda. I assume this result, coming at the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and on the heels of getting smoked at the Indianapolis 500, has the boys at the RenCen grinding their teeth.

Here’s the link to IndyCar’s news release on the race:

Photo credit: Jim Haines / Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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