Simon Pagenaud is ready for some victory crepes.
Notes taken during the ABC broadcast of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Race 2, Detroit Belle Isle, June 1, 2013. (Notes from Race 1, held a day earlier, are here.)
And we’re back in Detroit on Sunday for race two. IndyCar is trying this doubleheader format at three tracks -- Belle Isle, Houston and Toronto -- as a way to increase race count without increasing track count, so these are two full-length, full-points races on one track.
In BREAKING NEWS, Jamie Little has re-deployed the man-killing pony tail! I’m pretty excited by this. Same booth and pit posse as Race #1 -- Scott Goodyear, Marty Reid and Eddie Cheever in the booth, Jamie, Vince Welch and Rick DeBruhl in the pits.
So cue the HAT (running order at the top of the screen) and let’s hit the Trackside Online starting lineup for Race #2
Starting order (Position, Car, Name, C/E/T, Starting Tire Selection)
1. 18 Conway, Mike D/H/F Primary
2. 16 Jakes, James D/H/F Primary
3. 12 Power, Will D/C/F Alternate
4. 1 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D/C/F Primary
5. 5 Viso, EJ D/C/F Primary
6. 77 Pagenaud, Simon D/H/F Alternate
7. 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F Primary
8. 19 Wilson, Justin D/H/F Primary
9. 3 Castroneves, Helio D/C/F Primary
10. 27 Hinchcliffe, James D/C/F Primary
11. 6 Saavedra, Sebastian D/C/F Primary
12. 2 Allmendinger, AJ D/C/F Primary
13. 4 Briscoe, Ryan D/C/F Alternate
14. 25 Andretti, Marco D/C/F Alternate
15. 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F Alternate
16. 10 Franchitti, Dario D/H/F Alternate
17. 78 De Silvestro, Simona D/C/F Alternate
18. 83 Kimball, Charlie D/H/F Primary
19. 11 Kanaan, Tony D/C/F Alternate
20. 55 Vautier, Tristan (R) D/H/F Primary
21. 14 Sato, Takuma D/H/F Alternate
22. 7 Bourdais, Sebastien D/C/F Alternate
23. 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/F Primary
24. 67 Newgarden, Josef D/H/F Alternate
25. 98 Tagliani, Alex D/H/F Alternate
Pursuant to Rule 14.14.6.4.1 (you have to let IndyCar know within a certain time period what tires you are starting on or you have to start on primaries), Car 20 will start on Primary Tires.
(R) Rookie (C)hassis: D=Dallara | (E)ngine: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (T)ire: F=Firestone
Let’s light this candle … we’re green green green.
Turn 1 is clear. Clowns are once again disappointed. But not for long ..
Cue the circus music! AJ Allmendinger fish tails out of a corner, loses it and biffs the wall. Yellow yellow yellow. Doesn't take anyone else out this time.
Somehow Power got in front of Conway. JoeNew and Carpenter dive into the pits to top off. IndyCar taking a look at when Power passed Conway and if it was before or after the yellow. Later determine it was a legit pass.
Lap 4 -- GREEN. Goodyear talks about how physically demanding Belle Isle is, so DRINK, ye BASTARDS.
Cue the circus music again.
Lap 10 -- Yellow yellow yellow. Simona walls it. Replays. Coming into a left hander and her car goes straight … biff. Something must have broken. Later Simona tells Rick that it just wouldn’t turn. Simona’s crash set off a Festival of Pitting in the back half of the field.
Lap 13 -- green.
Lap 14 -- Turn 3 Tag slides into the run off. We say green. Viso is working on Chuck Kimball. Newgarden has power issues … and now we’re yellow yellow yellow for Tag.
He gets back underway. Ed has a mangled front wing. Replays.
Holy Myron Floren! Ed boots Tag from the rear and set’s off the Dreaded Accordion Effect.
Both Eddie and Goodyear say “accordion effect” so that means we …. DRINK, ye BASTARDS.
Lap 15 … green. Helio and Viso touch. Viso is dragging part of his front wing. Circus Clowns hoping hard Viso’s end plate will turn into a tire-chopping Frisbee of Mayhem. But no such luck as Viso pits for a new front wing.
Lap 17 -- RHR is toast. His car is crabbing back to the pits. Replays. BIFF, he glances off one corner wall and then BAM, ricochets off another corner wall and manages to keep going around to his pit.
Lap 19 -- Conway up by 4.7 seconds.
Lap 20 -- Yellow yellow yellow for day-bree (debris). More pitting. Half the field is on a different strategy. JoeNew is five laps down. (Might have gotten caught up in the Carpenter/Tag deal) Rick says it’s a gearbox issue.
Jamie with Allmendinger who apologizes to everyone including the entire population of Detroit for walling it. He’s so despondent I think someone should get him a paper suit (comment below if you got that one).
Lap 23 -- Green. Oh for eff’s sake, we’re yellow yellow yellow …
Cue the circus music again
… Sato in the tires in turn 3. Replay. Vautier and Sato have contact and it’s tireland for Sato. Jamie says RHR is back out to salvage more points.
Lap 27 -- Green.
Festival of Circus Clowns! Power gets punted from behind by Bourdais on the restart, puts it sideways in the middle of the pack and touches off a 10-car FUBAR and the track is momentarily completely blocked.We're all professionals here.
A tiny bus pulls up and 19 clowns get out and start punting footballs into the crowd.
Briscoe was caught up in it and was stalled. Trying to get someone to restart him. The safety posse is a bit too casual for his liking so he gives them the universal sign for “WTF?” (two hands out to his side with palms up). Replay of Bourdais booting Power. Goodyear: “NASCAR style!”
Power is being restrained by some safety guys because he’s pissed. Eventually Bourdais comes around and Power whips his gloves at Bourdais. Bourdais throws a hand up in the universal sign for WTF? Shades of Tomas Scheckter throwing gloves at Marco at TMS (name that year!)
Wilson got caught up in that too and he tells Jamie that everybody is crazy today. Theorizes everyoen was careful yesterday to feel the track outand make it to today and now they are goin insane. Lots of optimistic moves (that's euro road course talk for BANZAI). Trying to make things happen.
Jamie with Power … Power says “Bourdais was once a champ and now is a chump.” BEER SPEW. My twitter comes alive with tweets about that one. Helio in for a new rear wing. It is now a full-on Festival of Carbon Fiber.
Goodyear says “accordion effect” so DRINK.
This is a nine lap yellow that seems like 90 minutes. IndyCar has to reorder the field because we got blend line issues to consider, etc. Bourdais gets a drive-through penalty for the punting ("avoidable contact").
Lap 38 -- GREEN. Conway is clearly driving angry as he inhales three cars at a time in spots, including both Target Twins and Chuck. Goodyear says it’s physical at Belle Isle, so drink … ye BASTARDS.
Lap 39 -- Conway overtakes TK for P2. Rampaging.
Lap 40 -- Vautier pits and Conway takes over the lead.
Lap 46 -- Earth stops spinning momentarily as Conway is overtaken for the lead by Kimball. Mr. Supersonic Saturday isn't quite as dominant today. Booth guys speculate that Conway’s red sidewall tiers are going to CRAP.
Lap 47 -- Now Pagenaud overtakes Conway. Conway and Dixon pit. Conway gets rid of the crap reds and is out in P8. Dixon out in P11.
Lap 54 -- Conway back out and driving angry again. Chasing Dario.
Lap 56 -- Meanwhile, somehow, and it seems to be NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, while we were focused on Conway, Pagenaud in P1 and Jakes in P2 have open up a huge gap on P3 so Pagenaud can pit from P1 and come out in P2. Bad news for Conweezy who is P4 behind Dario who is in extreme fuel saver mode.
Lap 57 -- Conway overtakes Dario who is trying to stretch fuel to the end. Eddie refers to how physical the place is by saying training makes a difference at this point … so DRINK.
Lap 58 -- Jakes pits from the lead and is back out in P2. Pagenaud leads. Conway is P3 and posts his fastest lap of the race. CAN HE CATCH THE LEADERS? … Stay tuned!
Lap 60 -- Pagenaud, Jakes, Conway, Dario, Dixon, Marco, Kimball, Rahal, TK, Helio.
Lap 60 -- Pagenaud is three seconds ahead of Jakes. Power is back out but driving a crazy clown car that swerves randomly. Just trying to get as many points as he can. He stays well out of the way of the leaders, though.
Lap 63 -- Dixon working on Dario. No team orders here as Dixon overtakes Dario who is now traveling at the speed of smell to try and make it to the end on fuel.
Lap 65 -- Vautier biffs the tires but gets restarted. No yellow. Goodyear wonders if the drivers are getting fatigued at this point. Slam round!
Lap 66 -- Page has a 4.7 second lead. Conway is dirt tracking all over coming out of the turns. Can’t close the gap. Pagenaud will win barring air strike.
White … Conway all up in Jake’s business but barring super brain lock up from Jakes Conway is stuck.
Pagenaud wins by 5.6 seconds. Crepes for everyone! Pagenaud is the seventh winner in eight races this year. Both Ganassi and Penske are winless this season, something that is causing the earth to randomly lose mass and us all to float weightlessly for several seconds at a time. Jakes holds onto P2, Conway P3. Jamie gives owner Sam Schmidt some air. Pagenaud with DeBruhl thanks everyone including Honda. Jakes also gives a shout out to Honda who won twice in Chevrolet’s city says the car was “just magical.”
IZOD IndyCar Series Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Race 2
DETROIT - Results Sunday of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans #2 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.35-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (6) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
2. (2) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
3. (1) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
4. (7) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
5. (16) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
6. (14) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy, 70, Running
7. (18) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
8. (9) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 70, Running
9. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 70, Running
10. (11) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 70, Running
11. (22) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 70, Running
12. (19) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 70, Running
13. (13) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Chevy, 69, Running
14. (20) Tristan Vautier, Dallara-Honda, 69, Running
15. (23) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy, 66, Running
16. (24) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 64, Running
17. (5) EJ Viso, Dallara-Chevy, 61, Running
18. (4) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy, 59, Running
19. (10) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy, 57, Running
20. (3) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 53, Running
21. (25) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 27, Contact
22. (8) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 27, Contact
23. (21) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 23, Contact
24. (17) Simona De Silvestro, Dallara-Chevy, 8, Contact
25. (12) AJ Allmendinger, Dallara-Chevy, 0, Contact
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 84.906
Time of Race: 01:56:14.7861
Margin of victory: 5.6274
Cautions: 6 for 22 laps
Lead changes: 8 among seven drivers
Point Standings: Castroneves 206, Andretti 206, Hunter-Reay 191, Dixon 186, Pagenaud 177, Sato 175, Wilson 169, Kanaan 160, Hinchcliffe 154, Kimball 149.
That’s it from Belle Isle Race 2. (Notes from Race 1 are here.) Thanks for reading the dog blog! Next race: Texas, June 8, 8:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
"Shades of Tomas Scheckter throwing gloves at Marco at TMS (name that year!)"
2007!
Posted by: Npssandy | June 03, 2013 at 07:08 AM
Newgarden was punted by Rahal, broke gear box. Six laps to replace gear box.
Have to wonder about DW12 steering as Simona was not the only one to have that happen recently.
Posted by: Swordedge | June 03, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Why is it always 19 clowns?
Posted by: Dustin Dearman | June 03, 2013 at 05:11 PM
Because 20 won't fit in the tiny bus.
Posted by: Andrew | June 05, 2013 at 07:57 AM
Clown union rules say "less than 20."
Posted by: pressdog | June 05, 2013 at 08:04 AM
lol all around to the clowns!
Posted by: cartracer20 | June 06, 2013 at 12:35 PM