Indycar 2024

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Team Penske redeemed themselves today . Good job 👏

Crazy how Power is no the points leader even though he was docked some points.

He was also given a fine of $25,000 for having software on board that he did have anything to do with and didn't use. I lost all respect for Indycar.

I've been a huge fan of racing all my life, been on a pit crew and worked safety. I'm just about done with all of it. Too many circuses that happen to have a race sometime on Saturday night or Sunday as a side show.

[astrochex]

It was a good race.

Except for Georgina, it was very rough for her.

[CurtEgerer]

[Zeke]

Yeah, that stunt was in very poor taste. It's not unheard of to have some wanker run out on the track. People just don't think.. It didn't fall there on its own. I hope they got a shot of the person who was responsible and escorted them out of the track with a lifetime ban and maybe a summons.

Lucky enough it didn't cause any harm to the race. It very well could have.

[rfuerst911sc]

David Malukas fired from McLaren without ever starting a race . That doesn't look good on the resume 😕 .

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60636164/mclaren-drops-indycar-driver-injured-mountain-bike-crash/

[astrochex]

Post race

[Deschodt]

I enjoy Indycar on tracks or street courses (ovals are not for me but that's cool), the more or less spec series aspect of it, the physicality of it etc..

But each time I watch a race I walk away thinking "it' s a show, not a race". I think they go too far with the yellow flag.. I hate seeing the best driver get a gap, and it's wiped out not once but like 4x a race. And the fact that the ever present yellow flag affect the strategy and number of stops and it becomes a complete bleeping lottery. I can say this honestly because I have no favorite in the series at all - but it's a bleeping lottery 1/2 the time. You win the title by virtue of driving for Penske (or the best engine that year) and "averaging" good finishes where you get caught or helped by yellows. 50% skill, 50% dumb luck average.

Similarly, HOw many times this w/e did a guy put his front wheel on a sidepod and nerf another driver, and it's all good ? Come on !! If you wanna allow that make it a demolition derby.

I really enjoy the tracks they visit (aside from ovals), all of them really - I even miss the canadian airport from years back - that was wild, but the racing is a complete crapshoot 50% of the time IMO. Some may like it for that reason, I tire of it for that reason, talent is unrewarded too often, I'd like to see virtual safety car and gaps maintained more like F1 (sorry). Take nothing else from F1 but VSC is fair... And maybe a little more avoidable contact...

[astrochex]

^One of the broadcast crew made a comment about F1 driving standards. Guess what he was referring to?

I dislike the wheel to wheel too. Its more impressive a display of skill when they don’t hit each other.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

David Malukas fired from McLaren without ever starting a race . That doesn't look good on the resume 😕 .

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60636164/mclaren-drops-indycar-driver-injured-mountain-bike-crash/

I feel bad for him. Seems like a great kid with some genuine talent and McLaren was his very big break. But what else could McLaren do?? Sounds like he would not have been ready for Indy and that was the final straw. Hopefully, he can pick up the pieces once he's recovered. He's got to be devastated.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I feel bad for him. Seems like a great kid with some genuine talent and McLaren was his very big break. But what else could McLaren do?? Sounds like he would not have been ready for Indy and that was the final straw. Hopefully, he can pick up the pieces once he's recovered. He's got to be devastated.

You think that's bad.. Think of Kubica. By all accounts (including world champions) one of the most talented drivers F1 had (and great Nosferatu impersonator). Got his big break, had a Ferrari contract in his backpocket. Goes rallying, freak accident and the guardrail severs his arm. Bye bye F1.

IMO if you get a lucky break like Malukas, you go train on a stationary bike and run on a field, you don't go biking on public roads (alonso, stroll), mountain biking, skiing, enduro racing, Rallying or skydiving until you have impressed people enough that they'll wait for you to recover ;-)

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ yeah, I'd like to know the details of his MTB crash. Was it a freak accident during some moderate riding .... or was he doing some crazy downhill high-speed stuff, jumping or whatever?

And Kubica is finally in a Ferrari in WEC and doing fairly well!

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

And Kubica is finally in a Ferrari in WEC and doing fairly well!

yeah it's good to see him back but what a wasted talent. He is still essentially driving one handed in terms of finesse. BTW WEC is on Paramount +, I watched the entire 6h of Imola over the past week in small increments of replay, and it was good... rain, passes, crashes, love to see those ferraris, Peugeots, porsches and bimmers battling...

I saw them live at Le mans last year - great trip that, except for my driver's license which still sits in a drawer at a french police office somewhere- and as a Porsche fan, I was smitten by those Ferraris instead (much prettier than the platypus porsches), man do they look great at speed too !!

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

- great trip that, except for my driver's license which still sits in a drawer at a french police office somewhere-

Ouch

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I feel bad for him. Seems like a great kid with some genuine talent and McLaren was his very big break. But what else could McLaren do?? Sounds like he would not have been ready for Indy and that was the final straw. Hopefully, he can pick up the pieces once he's recovered. He's got to be devastated.

Then he can pull a Helio Castroneves and beat the old boss in his first year on someone else's payroll.

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ There ya go Realistically, I could see Graham Rahal calling it quits at the end of year and Malukus taking that seat.

[chapo]

Helio got a free 500 win due to his boss. listened to a bunch of podcasts centered around the sport, he's not liked as much as the public does

[URY914]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

^^^ There ya go Realistically, I could see Graham Rahal calling it quits at the end of year and Malukus taking that seat.

PLEASE let this happen.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by URY914

PLEASE let this happen.

Agreed, that would be a win-win on many fronts.

[rfuerst911sc]

GM doing their own investigation regarding the Penske software issue to see if any GM employees were involved .

https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/40075659/chevrolet-conducts-review-team-penske-indycar-cheating

[Zeke]

Maybe Graham can follow Tony into drag racing. Both married to NHRA drivers.