Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by harvick#1

has she ever passed a CGR or Penske car with under 20 to go on a oval?

---

Sure, when Castroneves ran out of fuel at Motegi in 2008. That was for the lead and the win...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FormerFF

A big thumbs up to Justin, getting the D & R car up to second shows he is one of the best road course drivers in the series. Also, a nice job by Tags and Graham for getting two low budget/inexperienced teams up towards the front of the field.

---

It's clear that on road and street circuits, more teams are capable of challenging Penske and Ganassi. It makes for a great on track product.

Let's see how the ovals work out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NickFalzone

Justin Wilson is just a huge talent imo, right up there with Will Power as a road/street racer. To think that he has gone from one average team to another (I include 2008 NHL in that mix) and gotten these kinds of top finishes is amazing to me. A win at NHL, a win at Coyne, and 2nd race of the season, a 2nd place at D&R. Dale and D&R haven't gotten those kinds of results in years, and it's not like Justin's equipment is suddenly a step up from everyone else that has had it. You give him a very mid-pack level car and he'll get it right to the front on the roads/streets, not many drivers that you can say that about. Almost any other driver in that car and you're looking at 10th place or worse finishes.

---

Will Power is a great talent, no doubt. But based on your argument (which I heartily endorse), I give JW a slight edge over WP.

This past weekend's results also show (so far) where the real competition is in the series- road and street circuits.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

But back to the race, I enjoyed it. Im looking forward to Barber but Im worried that the track may be to narrow for a lot of passing. It may be the least exciting road course they have but that remains to be seen.

---

If that's true, then qualifying speed will mean a lot because starting at the front is what will keep you at the front. Then again, you can go with pit stop strategy and hope for some luck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by px400r

This past weekend's results also show (so far) where the real competition is in the series- road and street circuits.

---

Which is a big problem for the sport, if it ever wants to get popular in America again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scotty G.

Which is a big problem for the sport, if it ever wants to get popular in America again.

---

Was the IRL really all that popular when it was an all-oval series?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by px400r

Was the IRL really all that popular when it was an all-oval series?

---

The problem with the all oval aspect of the series was that it was a niche version of AOWR.

The problem with niche products is that their life span is low. People will tune in for the first little bit, but they grow tired of it.

Look at the Nascar Truck Series. The first year or two, they had surprisingly high ratings into the 2's and 3's. Now they are hovering around 1, the stands are empty during their races.

AOWR was built on road and ovals. That isn't a niche concept, it is the way it was produced.

Problem we face now, is Indycar a niche sport?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chamoo

AOWR was built on road and ovals. That isn't a niche concept, it is the way it was produced.

Problem we face now, is Indycar a niche sport?

---

I'd say that AOWR was built on dirt tracks, with the Indy 500 as the marquee event. It was CART that took AOWR to the road courses and the street circuits, and one could argue that AOWR reached it's commercial zenith with CART.

The American public can only make room for one top level sport, and it has not distinguished between they type of cars and the type of circuits. Split or no split, there were a number of things working against CART and in favor of NASCAR. The American public decided that NASCAR is that one professional auto racing series, elevating it on the same level with MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.

So yes, Indy Car racing, along with other professional forms of motorsport in the US, is second-tier (or niche if you prefer) motorsport. I'm sure NASCAR would love nothing more than to relegate the Indy 500 to the other race on Memorial Day.

Whether that's a bad thing or not is up to the fan.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

bzcam, I dont even know who you are. I never heard of you, 50 some posts in 3 years... hmmm :confused:

Im no troll, just a die-hard Indycar fan with a strong passion for the sport and I have a strong support for Danica. This is something I wont deny. I dont see the reason to deny it or hide from it. She is a great person and I enjoy talking to her when I see her and her family several times during th....

---

Whatever.

Oh and BTW, I'm an FBI agent in the Phillipines...

BZ

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TURN3

Don't know if anybody has any theories or if it was just coincidence but Danica aside, the other 3 AA cars looked so strong during qualifying. None of them really had much race pace. Again, not including Danica, enough has been suggested about her. I know Marco and TK had their circumstances through the race but so did Dario (twice in fact). Seems to me like AA is making a little comeback this year so far but seems sporadic.

BTW, Hoop, very good analysis on Danica and Simona comparison. I would agree with most of it. But, caution my friend, dare to compare and a handful here will get dizzy of actual sense!

---

I did say I preferred Simona's style, but that got missed and I think I got lumped in as a race not to lose fan.

rh