***Texas Spoiler Alert***

[Chamoo]

So, what is everyones opinion on the Andretti/Hunter-Reay accident with 5 laps to go in the Texas 550? Either Andretti didn't leave him enough room, or Hunter-Reay can't drive a car.

I'm of the opinion that Marco pushed Ryan past the white line, the car lost grip and shot up the race track. Marco could had easily given him an extra foot or so and he could had taken 3rd place, or maybe compete for 2nd or 1st.

I didn't catch the comments after the race, but I bet Michael didn't think Marco did anything wrong.

[johnny shell]

looks like marco should/ve given him some more room to me.

just like with TK at indy, marco thinks that leaving exactly one car with is OK.... but you need to leave at least a LITTLE room between the cars!

[NickFalzone]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't RHR need to pit anyway? As in, he only got tires on the last stop. Yes, Marco didn't cut him any slack, but Ryan was also pushing too hard to maintain position. Sometimes you have to give up position, that's smart racing.

So I guess it's both their faults. Anyway, it sucks to have another finish under yellow. And man even under tape delay the middle of that race felt long. Some great moments in the first and last third though.

[NickFalzone]

Also, was I the only one stumped on the lead-lap driver changes? I was following timing and scoring and pits as well as I could on espn and it just seemed random the way especially Briscoe and Castroneves went from lap or 2 down to lead lap. Then to finish in 2nd and 3rd, wow.

[Chris R]

Andretti seems to get involved in a whole bunch of these questionable crashes - granted he is an Andretti and brings a certain amount of bad luck with him, but I have to wonder if he is the common element - perhaps he is the "problem". I cannot escape the conclusion that, if Marco did not drive for the family team, his ride would be in jeopardy.....

[FIAT1]

Andretti is not a good racer and with all honda help he managed to f..t up.

[Yankee Racer]

I think RHR is a good driver, but he looked like an idiot to me. I saw a whole hell of a lot of room down there, and as one of the radio announcers said, RHR has two pedals in his car and he needs to learn to use both of them. When there's 8 laps to go, of course Marco's gunna race him hard, but it looked like he left a decent amount of room (I'm also not the brightest one, so maybe not), and if RHR was a better driver, he would've backed off if he thought there wasn't enough room. I know it's easier said than done, but it was just a dumb move for RHR to continue going in there. Maybe Marco ran him too hard, and making decisions that fast is hard, but I wouldn't solely place the blame on Marco.

It really sucks, because we were going to have a hell of a finish. I'm still impressed with Marco and Graham. I know a lot of people are fed up with them, but I would much rather have two young drivers who have moments of brilliance with a few kinks to get worked out than have a bunch of Marty Roths.

[Easy Drifter]

Once RHR was down onto the white line he was in trouble. No grip on the paint and an unbanked track below it. Braking abrubtly or even backing off suddenly in a corner at those speeds when you are near the limit of adhesion will almost certainly result in a spin or at the very least sliding up the track.
I am not saying RHR was blameless but most of the fault goes to Marco.
We all yap about Danica blaming everyone within sight when she has an incident but Marco is having even more and it is never his fault either.

[Yankee Racer]

Once RHR was down onto the white line he was in trouble. No grip on the paint and an unbanked track below it. Braking abrubtly or even backing off suddenly in a corner at those speeds when you are near the limit of adhesion will almost certainly result in a spin or at the very least sliding up the track.
I am not saying RHR was blameless but most of the fault goes to Marco.
We all yap about Danica blaming everyone within sight when she has an incident but Marco is having even more and it is never his fault either.
Yeah, it might be unrealistic to say RHR could've backed off. Marco gave him the inside line on the straight, so I guess it was normal to assume he'd have it in the corner.

As for Marco, he did say St. Pete was his fault, but in the end, everyone at AGR besides Mutoh is never wrong, it's always someone else's fault for those guys. And Mutoh has yet to be in an incident, so God knows what will happen then...(I secretly am becoming a Mutoh fan, actually).

[markabilly]

Andretti seems to get involved in a whole bunch of these questionable crashes - granted he is an Andretti and brings a certain amount of bad luck with him, but I have to wonder if he is the common element - perhaps he is the "problem". I cannot escape the conclusion that, if Marco did not drive for the family team, his ride would be in jeopardy.....

these things happen in split second and at that speed, it is over before anyone knows it happenned.

But when the name is andretti, it gets more attention, and perhaps if andretti had just given a bit more room, then no accident. After all, just the name is not enough to give him absolute ROW.

Besides when he went high, Dixon was around. When Hunter went low, then Adretti decides he is not going so high, well that is just a little too late. Keep it low and the car behind you, if u do not want to be passed. He was too late with Dixon and too late with with Hunter

Andretti seemed to have taken as much wing out as possible, and did not seem to be capable enough of keeping it low and not being subjected to a draft pass. That was a problem he should have lived with, rather than crash in a futlie attempt to keep someone who is already beside and below you..............

[harvick#1]

It was Marcos fault, Marco even was pushing Ryan to the inside wall on the back stretch.

that incident has been made so many times, people will say its Ryans fault because he got just below the line, but Marco put him there, Marco was running the top groove just about the whole race, but decided to pinch Ryan, and Ryan lost it.

it was ashame because Ryan had such a good race, only to be pinched and then taken out at the end of the race by an Andretti

[ACTF_ZETT]

Wow I thought Marco might finish a race tonight, LOL. His post-race interviews are HILARIOUS.

Anyways, down to business. Texas is easily the 2nd most exciting race of the year, incredible racing. Great crowd on hand again, every event every year I see more and more people in the seats.

First question, why did that last caution come out? (I guess the 2nd to last caution, the one before the RHR Marco wreck). If they said why it came out, I missed it....

I would also like to personally thank Scheckter for another good laugh.

[FormerFF]

Marco had been taking a higher line through that turn all evening long. On that lap, RHR was racing him hard and was going to try to go side by side through the turn and pass Marco on the straight. Marco altered his line and RHR did not or was not able to react quickly enough. That's the risk when a driver does something unexpected.

[NickFalzone]

Maybe Marco altered his line, but watching this from the in-car cam I think RHR needed to back off. He pushed it way too far into the turn, much like what Marco did to Kanaan at Indy. And it also looks like Dixon moved to an exceptionally low line that Marco was trying to follow in the draft. If Dixon had stayed a bit higher Marco would not have taken such a low line.

http://www.indy500.com/videos/watch/1083-Marco_Andretti_and_Ryan_Hunter_Reay_make_contact_a t_Texas_

[Old3Fan]

Andretti seems to get involved in a whole bunch of these questionable crashes - granted he is an Andretti and brings a certain amount of bad luck with him, but I have to wonder if he is the common element - perhaps he is the "problem". I cannot escape the conclusion that, if Marco did not drive for the family team, his ride would be in jeopardy.....

You have to remember that in the IRL Rule Book their is the Andretti Rule. Applied to Mario, Michael and now Marko. Rule is if you hit me its YOUR fault. If I hit you its YOUR fault. Art. 9, Sec. 7, page 69. :)

[CARTDM15]

Andretti seems to get involved in a whole bunch of these questionable crashes - granted he is an Andretti and brings a certain amount of bad luck with him, but I have to wonder if he is the common element - perhaps he is the "problem". I cannot escape the conclusion that, if Marco did not drive for the family team, his ride would be in jeopardy.....
Not bad luck.Bad driving

[guysky]

I had never been an Andretti fan, but do like Marco. I'm rooting for him, for he will be the face of the sport. However, especially in light of recent wrecks, the blame for this one is his. Leave a little more room. Marco is not afraid of driving on the edge, which makes him fun to watch. But he better find control of that edge soon.

Has anyone noted? - RHR had been twitching all afternoon. Clearly the space Marco left him was tight, but either RHR's car was tough to work with all day, or "there are some people you just can't race close with". (which was hilarious, btw, such bravado gives the competition more flavor)

[bravefish]

it was a racing incident - no blame on either - they just came together and stacked - simple

[jimispeed]

On an oval, you're supposed to be able to trust the one that's beside you.

Marco can't be trusted!!

[beachbum]

it was a racing incident - no blame on either - they just came together and stacked - simpleI was wondering how long it would take before someone would write it off as a racing incident. IMHO, that is basically what it was. Both drivers placed themselves in situations will a low percentage of success. But racing is about taking risk and weighing the risk vs reward. In this case, there was no reward. But if RHR had made the pass.....

What is do find disturbing are the internet experts claiming it was all RHR because he had room - at least 6 inches. Or he could back off. Maybe, but this was happening on a very windy track at over 200 mph in the last few laps of the race. If he used all of the 6 inches, maybe he could have squeezed in. But the in-car doesn't give any indication that Marko was going to leave that much as he moved down. He did, but making the instant judgment Marco might go all the way to the line was a reasonable assumption. Cars were also moving around a lot in the wind, so it looked like almost everyone was giving more room that usual when running around each other. From the in-car, when they started into the turn, it looked like there would be enough room. To suggest he could jump on the brakes with his front wheel inside the wheelbase of Marko was not realistic. The result may very well have been the same.

In one way I agree with Davey Hamilton as RHR could have braked before the turn and not stuck his nose in there. After being pushed down on the straight, he should have expected to be pinched. Marko wasn't giving anyone much room, so that was a clue. Like many others, Marko gave every indication he was going to chop or block RHR. By now, Marko should recognize that one of the potential penalties of throwing the block, or even appearing to block, is that some drivers will stick their nose in, with inevitable results. He left enough room - barely, but if RHR didn't trust Marko to stop coming down, his move was the only one he had.

IMHO, both need a little to sit back and think about the incident. To me, it was 2 drivers who were willing to take big chances to stay in front or make the pass. Racing can be a big chess game and Marko's move down looked like a pretty desperate intimidation move. RHR took a big chance trying to get around a driver not known as one who will give any room. Both showed poor judgment, but for different reasons.

If any blame must be assigned, I would put it the majority on Marko. He seems to find himself in these situations far too often and doesn't seem to have learned the give and take of racing. He is far too prone to make low percentage moves and place other drivers in high risk situations. IMHO, RHR made an error in judgment about how much room he was going to have, but I suspect he didn't trust Marko to give him enough room.

But it was still mainly a racing incident. A racing incident is the result of 2 (or more) racers making decisions at the same that put them at risk. If either driver did something just a bit different or with different timing, no problem. But the collision of circumstances resulted in a collision of vehicles.

[maxmach]

If it's true that RHR had to pit....well it doesnt make it his fault but questionable judgement. If He didn't have to pit then Marko should have given him another foot and a half. No way that RHR had time to brake, and there is a reason he hit the white line. Mostly, a racin accident.

[xtlm]

week in and week out it becomes even more clear to me

marco is a punk and cant drive

he said something like
"some people can ride close"

bah!, if he was in ryans position, i guarantee he would say "he cant drive, he should have gave me more room, but thats why some drivers can ride close and some cant"

[beachbum]

If it's true that RHR had to pit....well it doesnt make it his fault but questionable judgement. If He didn't have to pit then Marko should have given him another foot and a half. No way that RHR had time to brake, and there is a reason he hit the white line. Mostly, a racin accident.It is always a wonder to me how rumors begin, such as RHR having to pit, when the internet makes finding facts so easy. IndyCar.com lists the pit summary for every race. RHR's last stop was on the same lap as Dixon, Helio, Marco and others. It was going to be close for all of them, but if RHR was going to have to pit, Marco was equally likely to have to pit.

[NickFalzone]

Beachbum, I don't know if the announcers were right, but they did say that RHR only took tires on his last pit. If that's the case, and he was going to have to pit before the end, racing Marco like that was idiotic.

Ryan was running a very good race for Rahal, but he was also loose and all over the track. He got more aggressive than his car could take at the end, even if it was at least partially Marco's fault. I'm totally happy to blame Marco for ****ing up, just look at his incident with Scheckter last year at TMS... or look at half the races this season or last. But I do not think Marco was primarily the one at fault here. If Marco made a major mistake, it was dealing with Dixon about a minute earlier and going way too high.

[beachbum]

Beachbum, I don't know if the announcers were right, but they did say that RHR only took tires on his last pit. If that's the case, and he was going to have to pit before the end, racing Marco like that was idiotic.

Ryan was running a very good race for Rahal, but he was also loose and all over the track. He got more aggressive than his car could take at the end, even if it was at least partially Marco's fault. I'm totally happy to blame Marco for ****ing up, just look at his incident with Scheckter last year at TMS... or look at half the races this season or last. But I do not think Marco was primarily the one at fault here. If Marco made a major mistake, it was dealing with Dixon about a minute earlier and going way too high.If he only took tires, he should have already been out of fuel unless he was running extreme fuel conservation. He stopped at 153 and 168. Since the most anyone had run on fuel was 61 laps (RHR), he should have run out about 214-215. 10 laps under yellow would stretch that, but the crash was at lap 222, already 69 laps. Considering the other teams thought that 60 laps (including about 6 laps under yellow) was going to be close, it is hard to think RHR could go 69. In another forum, it was reported that his team thought he was good to the finish. I don't always believe the announcers, especially when they don't have time to double-check the facts. There was more than one time where they got the reports backwards.

The blame game will go on forever as fans support their favorite driver. But at some point, you have to look not at the one event, but at the number of incidents or close calls. Marco has developed a history of dive bombs and unexpected moves that have even caught out his teammate (Kanaan at Indy). A driver that is unpredictable is going to get in a lot of incidents. Sooner of later, this was bound to happen. While we will never know, I wonder if a contributing factor was RHR being caught by an unexpected pinch by Marco. He all but said as much when he stated Marco had been high all night and then suddenly dived low. If you don't know what the driver beside you is going to do, I would think you tend to give them more room. Certainly more than the 6 inches or so he had. Another factor is that any open wheel driver with a brain will do almost anything to prevent wheels interlocking. If RHR though Marco was going to continue coming down, he had few options. On the other hand, by now he should know about Marco's driving "style" and expected almost anything.

Overall, still a racing deal. Two cars occupying space where only one could safely fit.

[jimispeed]

If he only took tires, he should have already been out of fuel unless he was running extreme fuel conservation. He stopped at 153 and 168. Since the most anyone had run on fuel was 61 laps (RHR), he should have run out about 214-215. 10 laps under yellow would stretch that, but the crash was at lap 222, already 69 laps. Considering the other teams thought that 60 laps (including about 6 laps under yellow) was going to be close, it is hard to think RHR could go 69. In another forum, it was reported that his team thought he was good to the finish. I don't always believe the announcers, especially when they don't have time to double-check the facts. There was more than one time where they got the reports backwards.

The blame game will go on forever as fans support their favorite driver. But at some point, you have to look not at the one event, but at the number of incidents or close calls. Marco has developed a history of dive bombs and unexpected moves that have even caught out his teammate (Kanaan at Indy). A driver that is unpredictable is going to get in a lot of incidents. Sooner of later, this was bound to happen. While we will never know, I wonder if a contributing factor was RHR being caught by an unexpected pinch by Marco. He all but said as much when he stated Marco had been high all night and then suddenly dived low. If you don't know what the driver beside you is going to do, I would think you tend to give them more room. Certainly more than the 6 inches or so he had. Another factor is that any open wheel driver with a brain will do almost anything to prevent wheels interlocking. If RHR though Marco was going to continue coming down, he had few options. On the other hand, by now he should know about Marco's driving "style" and expected almost anything.

Overall, still a racing deal. Two cars occupying space where only one could safely fit.


Well, maybe Tony Cotman still has big enough Kahuna's to do something about this if it continues....

[wedge]

Looks like a racing incident because both were at fault and both racing hard.

RHR got a wheel on the white line/transition and loses it just as Marco comes down on him. Marco shoulda given RHR more room in to T3.