End of season thoughts...

[mark123]

You would have to be dead to have not enjoyed the last month in the IRL.

lets hope that they can get a naming sponsor on board, increase the prize money and get a field of 22 genuine contenders out there for the whole 2008 season.

[xtlm]

Yes, this season has been a lot of fun

a lot of fun indeed!

[call_me_andrew]

I think the quality of racing has been down this year at most tracks. But the point results were certainly close.

[DavePI2]

highlight for me was and will always be midohio. Not just because of the great weekend but it was also my opportunity to introduce racing to my oldest daughter. A great father/daughter bonding exsperience indeed. Watching Marco flip was fun also.

David

[Old3Fan]

Will 2008 be the year that the IRL and CC FINALLY WAKE UP and realize that the both of them have just about completely KILLED OPEN WHEEL RACING and finally develop a brain at least the size of a pea that getting back together would be better for their sport and pocketbook. Probably not but I can keep hoping can't I.

[45 Below]

Will 2008 be the year that the IRL and CC FINALLY WAKE UP and realize that the both of them have just about completely KILLED OPEN WHEEL RACING and finally develop a brain at least the size of a pea that getting back together would be better for their sport and pocketbook. Probably not but I can keep hoping can't I.


Please don't turn this into a unification discussion thread - it only encourages trolls.

Let's just celebrate an enjoyable season's racing and a close fight for the championship. There's a whole (and extended) off-season for the unification bunfights.

[Komahawk]

This season was alot more exciting than the Red & White show last year. And the finale was just the icing on the cake. OK Miami, Richmond and Kansas were boring, but overall a great season! With Penske and Wheldon more consistant and with Danica and Marco getting more experienced, maybe Scheckter and Sharp in there as well...2008 should be great!

[F1boat]

great season with great champion!!!

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I think the best thing about this season was the total surprise that was Dario Franchitti.

I mean, seriously, would anyone, ANYONE, have picked Dario to win he 500 let alone the Championship ?

He was completely off my radar screen at the beginning of the season and the usual suspects, Wheldon, and the Penske guys were the ones to beat early on, especially Wheldon.

Wheldon just faded in my opinion, basically because I think he took the earliest opportunity to throw his team members under the bus when things didn't go right. Indianapolis was the culmination of this. I think his arrogance caught up to him. It's a team sport Dan, and you're only the quarterback.

Another big surprise was Dixon. The more I see this guy, the more I am impressed and wish him well. Well done Scott !

Good riddance Jeff Simmons and WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME Ryan Hunter-Reay.

I'm hoping a few seats do open up to give some of the promising IPS guys a chance in the senior series. Most deserving I think, Alex Lloyd, Wade Cunningham, Jaime Camara, Chris Festa, and of course Hideki Mutoh who WILL get the chance with Panther in 2008.

The most disappointing thing this season was enduring Milka Duno and her team.What an embarrassment to the League that touts itself as the pinnacle of open wheel racing. She was a nice story that went bad. And She should have been denied entry after her first 2 races. Hopefully she won't return until she has shown she AND her team can compete at this level.

Other disappontments: Sarah Fisher, Michigan off the schedule, Homestead,
defections to NASCAR, and the TV broadcast announcers.

I think the thing to watch for next year is the emergence of more good teams. Keep an eye on RHL, Panther, and Vision, even Dreyer & Rheinbold.

All in all, a wonderfully entertaining season that has me chomping at the bit for the return of the roar of the Honda engines next March.

Bring on the Chicago Bears (0-1) and their quest to return to the Super Bowl !!!!!!!!!

[NY2IA]

Congrats. to Dario and his team! It was great to see another Scot. do well. I bet Jimmy Clark was smiling in heaven with this victory. We need more Darios in Open Wheel Racing!

[1jsfan]

WOW! RHR won rookie of the yr. I could have beat out Milka for the prize blindfolded while riding my bike.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

WOW! RHR won rookie of the yr. I could have beat out Milka for the prize blindfolded while riding my bike.

It's not really a prestige award, but from a "WHEW!" standpoint I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO glad Milka Duno didn't get it. What a joke! THANK YOU RYAN !
And thank you Rahal Letterman for saving the Rookie of the Year Award.

[MAX_THRUST]

Didn't see much of the season due to coverage in the UK being on SKy tv. (I aint ever payin for SKY sports), those events I did see were good, very good. The points race is always tight in the IRL, so I kinda expect it to be that way. I think the series looked more proffesional this year and the additional road/street races made a huge difference to the series this year as well.

Is there going to be a season review DVD, (in PAL) so those of us that didn't see the season can enjoy Darios 500 and Championship wins again and again...Change tv stations in the UK and IRL could find them selve a whole load of new viewers enjoying 2008.

26 cars would be sweet too.

As for mergers, would be nice to see LongBeach, Surfers, Toronto, Cleveland, Mexico on the IRL schedule, oh Road America, and Portland but I guess that just makes it a 23 race season......OOOOOOHHHHHH BABY!!!!!

[Chris R]

I agree with the poster who siad that the IRL looked a lot more professional this season.... The addition of a variety of courses made a HUGE difference. I never gave the all-oval IRL a second look - but as the IRL morphs back into CART (not saying that for political reasons - just the variety aspect) it is gaining respectability....

Congrats to Dario. Congrats to the IRL for putting on a great point chase. Congrats to RHR (I agree - it would have been terrible if Duno had won anything...)....

Now lets get a 26 car field, 20+ events and perhaps a little chassis and engine diversity (I'll hold back from the "M" word...). Oh, and lets do away with races live in ESPN Classic - what an insult....

[FerrrariF1]

[quote="mark123"]You would have to be dead to have not enjoyed the last month in the IRL.
quote]

Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not dead (just checked and still in great health). The last month of the Indycar season resembled NASCAR. Staged wins, staged debris yellows, staged manipulation of the field during yellows, extra long laps under yellow to get everyone setup the way they want, drivers who purposely knock other drivers out and a series owner and president that fails to show up at the champion trophy presentation because the Indy 500 and series champ decided he didn't what to continue to be in a series where cars commonly flip over. Did the IRL resemble a racing series or a soap opera.

Don't forget they continue to promote one driver who has never won a race in the series no matter how hard they use the rules to favor her. Every racing series in the world weighs the driver and chassis so that everyone is on a level playing field yet the IRL doesn't and gives Danica a weight advantage, they provide her with "test" parts and have her and the team sign confidentiality agreements to again swaying the rules in her favor and they let another female runs laps 20 mph slower than anyone else just to prop up the field.

[mark123]

FerrairF1 - of course you would never see Ferrari employ team orders would you!!!

can you please enlighten us all as to what race you saw the staged debris yellow?

can you please enlighten us all as to what race you saw the staged win?

If Danica was the only one to receive the test parts, then what you are saying may be believable, but the reality is that she was one of a number of drivers to receive the assisted steering package. Also, if the weight advantage on the ovals was such a big deal, why is she not winning races? (and before you say it, she is peddling that car bloody well this year - getting on the front row of two road courses this year).

Mate, like i just said to someone else on another thread - you need to get a life. go and watch F1 and post comments on their forums.

[45 Below]

I agree with the poster who siad that the IRL looked a lot more professional this season.... The addition of a variety of courses made a HUGE difference. I never gave the all-oval IRL a second look - but as the IRL morphs back into CART (not saying that for political reasons - just the variety aspect) it is gaining respectability....


I have also enjoyed the addition of more road and street courses although I wish they could have done a bit better than Belle Isle where passing was all but impossible. If they are going to add more they need to be tracks where it is possible to have a real contest.

Unfortunately, the addition of more r&s courses could drive more of the long-time ICS fans away - although having said that I see some of them have gone to their first non-oval races and really enjoyed the picnic in the park feel of road course events like Mid Ohio and the carnival atmosphere of St Pete and Belle Isle.

I have to concede that sometimes it's as much about the occasion as the competition.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Oh, and lets do away with races live in ESPN Classic - what an insult....

:) You must have the IRL confused with CCWS. The IRL didn't play on ESPN Classic this year.

oops not scheduled anyway... only when there was a rain delay. Which is understandable right ? right ??

[Jonesi]

:) You must have the IRL confused with CCWS. The IRL didn't play on ESPN Classic this year.

oops not scheduled anyway... only when there was a rain delay. Which is understandable right ? right ??

The only races that were on ESPN Classic were the ones scheduled or changed after the original deal was made.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

The only races that were on ESPN Classic were the ones scheduled or changed after the original deal was made.

If you look at the ESPN schedule for IndyCar, there were ZERO races scheduled for ESPN Classic. The only ESPN Classic broadcasts were of the rain delayed Michigan Race and Nashville Race.

[Hiryu]

Will 2008 be the year that the IRL and CC FINALLY WAKE UP and realize that the both of them have just about completely KILLED OPEN WHEEL RACING and finally develop a brain at least the size of a pea that getting back together would be better for their sport and pocketbook. Probably not but I can keep hoping can't I.

Tell that to Honda and Penske, as it appears to me that they're responsible for killing reunification this time out.

[Civic]

How many years has RHR been out of open wheel? His last full open wheel season was 2003, right?

[Alexamateo]

How many years has RHR been out of open wheel? His last full open wheel season was 2003, right?

He ran 11 races in 2005 in CCWS.

[Jonesi]

If you look at the ESPN schedule for IndyCar, there were ZERO races scheduled for ESPN Classic. The only ESPN Classic broadcasts were of the rain delayed Michigan Race and Nashville Race.

I wasn't disputing that, I consider a rain delay to be a schedule change.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I wasn't disputing that, I consider a rain delay to be a schedule change.

ok thanks, I misunderstood

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well I didn't see a whole lot of the IRL season, but what I did see, I liked. I did like the fact that there was a good points battle and between two teams. I like the fact that the IRL has dropped the fiction that only races with left turns were worthy of their time. That is something they didn't want to acknowledge in the first decade of the IRL and it was the reason no one cared about it to the extent they do now.

Dario winning was fantatic, as was TK for his honesty and passion. Danica proved to me this year she has more than just her looks going for her, but she still needs a boot in the @ss for her attitude. Maybe that will come with maturity.

The Penske boys ran well, but not well enough. Dixon made Dan Wheldon's life hell by taking the number one status at that team, which made my day. Never thought Wheldon was as good as he thinks he is.

Sad to see Sarah struggle, but maybe she doens't have it. That said, she was there, and tries her best.

Scheckter is still untapped potential, as is a few other IRL drivers who have done well, but not really broken through. With Hornish and maybe Dario gone, who knows how well he may do?

Marco needs to just settle down and pay attention. I think his youth and attitude are hinderances to him. Just because his last name is Andretti doesn't mean he can do what he wants and engineers will just set him up with a winner every race. He needs to learn how to struggle and learn to adapt to a bad race car and make it better. He is fast enough to run up front when things are right, what he needs to do is make the car fast.


The negatives of this season as I see it? Well small fields, Jeff Simmonds, too much of that lame jingle and Gene Simmons, Milka (good lord will you NOT give it up lady?) and ABC. ABC's coverage and high jacking of the trophy presentation is a joke. A real TV partner would have prempted things for 10 minutes so Brian Barnhart could do the job in person, and the IRL should have had a plan to have him there or Tony George there to do the job. Either way, that was a fiasco that just soured me on where I thought this series was going. This series had turned a corner in the last two years, but I was never sure if it was by luck or by good management. After seeing that ....I still think it was more by luck than anything else. You cannot have your champion "crowned" by Jack Freaking Arute because you cannot get someone from the IRL there to do the job! ABC/ESPN have always driven me nuts with their IRL coverage and that was the capper for me.

That said, I could always find the race on TV up here in Canada, unlike the IRL's competitor....