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Better late than never, here are my talking points from another huge weekend at the best racetrack in North America.
Josef Newgarden wins
Look at the box score of last Sunday’s race and you’d see that the Tennessean in his Penske Chevrolet led 53 of 55 laps in the caution-free race, perhaps assuming that the reigning IndyCar Series champion had an easy day at the office. But you’d be wrong, because Newgarden was made to earn his win, hounded every step of the way by savvy veterans Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon, who finished second and third respectively.
Problems for Will Power
Starting from the front row, the Australian had a mechanical issue that reared it’s ugly head when the green flag dropped. The Indianapolis 500 champion was swamped on both sides when his car failed to accelerate down Road America’s front straight. The second-lap retirement has really hurt his championship aspirations.
Road America is amazing
Outside of Indianapolis, there’s no better place to see IndyCars racing than at the 4-mile racetrack that winds through Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine Valley. The uphill run to the start/finish line, the carousel, the kink, Canada Corner – brilliant sections of a racetrack that is without peer in North America. It’s definitely on my IndyCar Bucket List.
Scott Dixon to McLaren?
That was the big rumour prior to the Road America weekend and by all accounts, it gained momentum across the weekend. Dixon is out of contract with Chip Ganassi Racing, his home for twenty IndyCar Series seasons, and McLaren, who seems more likely than not to enter the IndyCar Series in 2019, perhaps with Fernando Alonso in tow, has made a huge offer to Dixon.
Spearheading McLaren’s full-time entry into IndyCar racing must be a strong lure for the Kiwi: the chance to drive for the brand started by New Zealand’s greatest ever racer – although Dixon himself is close to snatching that title – with all the resources that the famous organisation could provide.
Not a bad way to finish a legendary career.
Dixon’s potential move is a huge piece of the silly season puzzle. A move to McLaren opens up a very attractive seat at Ganassi. On top of that, there are whispers that Indy Lights competitor Colton Herta is seeking to move to the IndyCar Series next year, with backing from George Michael Steinbrenner and, also, the potential for Scuderia Corsa, who entered the Indianapolis 500 this year, to expand to a full-time entry.
With plenty of dominoes to fall, the 2018 silly season promises to be sillier than ever.
Three more years at Road America
Track president George Bruggenthies announced a three-year extension between IndyCar and Road America. And why not? The crowd was as big as there’s ever been at the picturesque Wisconsin racetrack – both a tribute to the way the track markets their biggest weekend of the year and a clear indication that fans want to come to venues where the cars are at the absolute peak of their powers.
With the demise of the Milwaukee Mile, it’s good to see that IndyCar racing in Wisconsin isn’t dead. Long may the series return to the Kettle Moraine Valley.
Next race: Iowa
From the fast, flowing Road America to the tight, fast Iowa Speedway, a 7/8 mile short oval in the middle of corn country, where Helio Castroneves won a season ago. It’s live on ESPN2 next Monday morning, AEST.
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