Countdown anyone? I should probably leave that to Will at Is it May Yet? to handle.
I almost put my life on hold for the 500. However, due to the amount of caution flags and other things, I didn’t actually watch the last 4 laps. I know, shoot me now. Thankfully, my dad had the radio on already in the car so I missed less than a lap. The transition between standing in front of my TV nervously jumping up and down to sitting at the edge of my seat in the car would be amusing, I’m sure.
Overall, I’m pleased with the outcome of the race. I’m also pleased that I called the race winner. Alright, I gave myself some wiggle room, but I had it down to two drivers. You can see the proof HERE in the comments section in addition to my reasoning behind it. This race had excitement. By far, one of the best stories was the performance given by TK; that was some crazy awesome driving! I would loved to have seen him have a chance to win. But alas, fuel is rather important (just ask Scott Dixon).
Another factor was pit mishaps. Although, some were driver-induced, most were made by thew crew. Uncharacteristically, two mishaps were from two different Penske teams. Never mind that the only Penske team to not have issues, had their car in the wall shortly thereafter. The complexion of the race was changed by these mishaps. Strong cars had issues. Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Rafael Matos, and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Also making an appearance were black flags for blocking. Cool, Barnhart, cool. If he wishes to enforce the blocking penalty as strongly as he did at Indy, he better continue it or there will be numerous complaints. I found the one on Townsend Bell to be a stretch, but if that’s to be the minimum for a block, then it should be held up as a standard. We’ll see how this all plays out, I suppose.
It was exciting to see not just one or two, but three Dreyer and Reinbold cars lead at one point. That team has been interesting to watch with four cars this month and showed nicely in the race. My prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Mike Conway. After seeing the replay, I’m glad I didn’t get to see that live as it would have definitely hampered my enjoyment of my boyfriend’s grad party.
I’m excited for next year’s race already. However, I can now focus on the championship battle which I’m sure will shape up to be excellent as always.