Danica's "spin out"?

[Rogelio]

Although I am a CC fan, I watched the Chicago race and I must say that it was a very good race. Another reason why CC needs ovals. Did Danica's "spin out" have an effect on Dixon running out of fuel? Or would Dixon have run out anyway?

I would have preferred to see an all out battle to the end, rather than a two lap race. I was glad to see Gnassi lose, but I honestly dislike Andretti just as much. And of course, it is nice to see Penske lose.

Regardless, congratulations Dario!

[xtlm]

Although I am a CC fan, I watched the Chicago race and I must say that it was a very good race. Another reason why CC needs ovals. Did Danica's "spin out" have an effect on Dixon running out of fuel? Or would Dixon have run out anyway?

I would have preferred to see an all out battle to the end, rather than a two lap race. I was glad to see Gnassi lose, but I honestly dislike Andretti just as much. And of course, it is nice to see Penske lose.

Regardless, congratulations Dario!



Nah, Dixon would have run out anyway

but...Franchitti would have most likely ran out too.


So ya, her spinning out helped both of them, but Franchitti more (because he was getting the better mileage the whole race)

[mark123]

dixon would have run out of fuel earlier if not for Danica. The 1 million dollar question is how much fuel did Dario have and would he have made the finish. I suspect that he would have been fueled to the end.

I did think that the time of Dixon's splash and go that it was a very short stop.

Danica drove a great race today.

On this occasion and it pains me to say it - but AGR deserved the win.

[Skid Marx]

But since Dario's last pit stop was 2 laps after Dixon's, IF (and it's a big IF) they could have timed Danica's spin-out just right, and made sure the caution lasted just long enough, it could have helped Dario just make it while Dixon still ran out of fuel. But, you'd have to have a real good idea what kind of mileage Dixon was getting vs. Dario to pull something like that off. Probably a 1000 to 1 shot, at the least. But I wouldn't put it past AGR to try something like that, seeing as how Herta's spin out helped Marco secure his first win last year.

[nigelred5]

He was running a couple laps longer each stint and I don't think there was any intention of stopping after that last stop.

[45 Below]

They both stopped for a top-up after the pits opened in the long yellow after Vitor's crash. It's been suggested Dixon's crew may nat have topped him up completely to make sure he stayed ahead of Dario who had pitted more recently.

It would have been a complete lottery if Danica hadn't spun because I doubt if Daio had enough for five laps of hard racing either. It could have come down to who ran out nearest the pits. Or if Dixon had gone in Dario might have slowed right down to cruise knowing Dixon couldn't make up a lap with the time left ... but even that would have been risky.

As much as I am gutted for Dixon I don't mind seeing Dario finaly win a crown. He's always been a good, clean competitor.

[Komahawk]

Danica just needs practicing pit-entrance and -exit.

[nigelred5]

oh the thoughts going through my mind.......... :devil:

[Montoya Fan]

They both stopped for a top-up after the pits opened in the long yellow after Vitor's crash. It's been suggested Dixon's crew may nat have topped him up completely to make sure he stayed ahead of Dario who had pitted more recently.

I was at the race and watched this unflod and still cannot understand HOW dario and Scot were the race leaders....
This is a run down of what happened


A few cars down the order pit
Penske Cars pit together from P1-2
Wheldon takes lead
Wheldon Pits from P1
Scott Dixon Pits from P1
Vitor crashes.
Dixon come out of pits and blends in behind the field.
Dario (P1) does not pit Pits are closed.
Pits open.
Dario Pits from (P1)
Entrie field goes by due to yellow.
Dario slots in 2 car behind dixon.
work on track......
Scott and Dario top off slot in behind everyone else.

Saftey car waves everyone by,
Everybody now is one lap down????

Can somebody explain this to me???


BTW
Hats off to a great event!!

[Rogelio]

I was at the race and watched this unflod and still cannot understand HOW dario and Scot were the race leaders....
This is a run down of what happened


A few cars down the order pit
Penske Cars pit together from P1-2
Wheldon takes lead
Wheldon Pits from P1
Scott Dixon Pits from P1
Vitor crashes.
Dixon come out of pits and blends in behind the field.
Dario (P1) does not pit Pits are closed.
Pits open.
Dario Pits from (P1)
Entrie field goes by due to yellow.
Dario slots in 2 car behind dixon.
work on track......
Scott and Dario top off slot in behind everyone else.

Saftey car waves everyone by,
Everybody now is one lap down????

Can somebody explain this to me???


BTW
Hats off to a great event!!

Are you suggesting that the IRL somehow had the race "rigged" to make the race more entertaining? Of course, it would make for great tv. My complaint of the IRL over the years has been there so-called "close" finishes. No other racing series has these "miliseconds" finishes.

Then again, unfortunately, racing is now about entertainment.

[Montoya Fan]

Are you suggesting that the IRL somehow had the race "rigged" to make the race more entertaining?

Then again, unfortunately, racing is now about entertainment.

I would not say rigged for entertainment, but just a very, very bad call on race control. If all those cars had been waved by the pace car, then they should have all been on the same lap....NOT one lap down.

[Alexamateo]

I was at the race and watched this unflod and still cannot understand HOW dario and Scot were the race leaders....
This is a run down of what happened


A few cars down the order pit
Penske Cars pit together from P1-2
Wheldon takes lead
Wheldon Pits from P1
Scott Dixon Pits from P1
Vitor crashes.
Dixon come out of pits and blends in behind the field.
Dario (P1) does not pit Pits are closed.
Pits open.
Dario Pits from (P1)
Entrie field goes by due to yellow.
Dario slots in 2 car behind dixon.
work on track......
Scott and Dario top off slot in behind everyone else.

Saftey car waves everyone by,
Everybody now is one lap down????

Can somebody explain this to me???


BTW
Hats off to a great event!!

I think you're confusing the two different yellow flags. That time, everybody did get the wave around and got back on the lead lap after Dario pitted. They had started another pit stop cycle with splash and go's for those last couple of laps of fuel. Danica spun going in for her's to get the yellow, everybody else had pitted save Dario and Dixon. I am sure they would have had to stop too without the yellow as Dixon of course ran out on the last lap and Dario on the cool-down lap.

[Alexamateo]

Per the Lap chart, this is what happened. It confused me at the time, but it makes sense now.

Vitor crashed at lap 136 in the middle of a greenflag pit stop sequence. Everybody had pitted except Dixon who was entering pit lane, and Dario. This trapped everyone a lap down except Dixon.

Dario pitted under yellow on lap 140 giving the lead to Dixon, and then they both pitted on lap 148 to top off. On the wave around 8 cars were on the lead lap. Hornish, Castroneves, Patrick, Wheldon, Sharp, and Kanaan in addition to Dixon and Dario.

They got going again and Hornish shot through the field to take the lead again until he started the next cycle of green flag pitstops on lap 184. (Kanaan had been off sequence all day and stopped at lap 174) Then Castroneves pitted on 186, Sharp on 193, and Patrick on lap 194 where of course she spun to bring out the yellow.

About this time, Wheldon ran out of fuel (last stop was lap 135). I think Ganassi ran him out on purpose to see how far they though they could go with Dixon.

When the yellow came out, Dixon and Dario of course had never stopped and were a lap ahead of the field, and it set up the finish.

I wish the announcers would have told us, I kept thinking Hornish et al were on the lead lap.

[45 Below]

A good summation Alexmateo. Dixon very nearly lost a lap to Dario. If you watch the replay you will see him leave the pits just before Dario gets by him.

I believe Dario was stuck behind Milka under the yellow and that is what saved Scott. When Dario pitted shortly after that gave Scott his lap back on Dario.

[mark123]

Alexmateo & 45 below, you are both spot on. I'm not sure what is so confusing about this. Helio may have shot off his mouth without taking a few minutes to consider he facts which are very simple - if you pit under green - you lose a lap. When the yellow came out, scott and dairo were the only ones to have not completed their pit stop. simple ah.

[xtlm]

Nah, it was not rigged

The 2 for the championship risked it by not pitting and got lucky with a yellow...they would not have finished if not for that yellow.

[NoFender]

^ Very true

As far as Danica spinning on purpose, I don't buy it. She was having a great day, and when she entered pit road she was heading in quite quick.I heard her down shift, and right away she spun. If anyone needs to be looked at it's Weldon. That guy (or the 4th female in IRL) ran out of gas in turn 1 and putted around the back straight never attempting to get his car off track. He parked in turn three. That's BS imo.

[Hoss Ghoul]

The question in my mind is this: Since Dixon and Franchitti were the only two cars on the lead lap after the caution came out, why not come in and pit to ensure you have enough fuel? I guess the rest of the field would get the wave-around, but you will still be 1-2 and in no danger of running out of fuel. The risk of getting passed and finishing 3rd or 4th in a 2lap shootout seems less than the risk faced by not having enough fuel to finish the race(especially for Dixon, who should have known finishing 2nd to Dario would be irrelevant). CGR must have just bungled the fuel numbers.

[Alexamateo]

The question in my mind is this: Since Dixon and Franchitti were the only two cars on the lead lap after the caution came out, why not come in and pit to ensure you have enough fuel? I guess the rest of the field would get the wave-around, but you will still be 1-2 and in no danger of running out of fuel. The risk of getting passed and finishing 3rd or 4th in a 2lap shootout seems less than the risk faced by not having enough fuel to finish the race(especially for Dixon, who should have known finishing 2nd to Dario would be irrelevant). CGR must have just bungled the fuel numbers.

I think they both had made the decision to do whatever the other was doing, and neither one blinked in this case. I also think that since they ran Dan Wheldon out of fuel and he had run more than 52 laps, they figured Dixon was going to make it. They must not have gotten all the duel in Dixon's car or else there was an air pocket or something, because he should have been able to make it.

[tstran17_88]

Chicagoland always produces great races...that's why I've only missed two of the races down there. Last year and the year that Buddy Rice was upside down sliding down the backstretch. I believe that was 2004? It's pretty easy getting the tickets from the Nascar fans who aren't open wheel fans.

[Mark in Oshawa]

A great finish, and everyone is looking for a conspiracy. Sometimes, it is what it is.


THey both gambled on fuel, Dixon lost. It is that simple.

As for the timing and scoring and going a lap down stuff, as someone who has 22 years in that business, let me assure all of you that there was no mistakes made, no hocus pocus. TV does a lousy job of showing how things happen, and if you are at the track and not privy to a scoring monitor or race control's handling of the race, you could be confused, but believe me, the people on pit road know how this works and understand what they were watching.

It was a great finish to one unusual year, and Dixon lost by some bad luck. That's racing......