Thoughts on IndyCar in Toronto 2014

A couple thoughts on last weekend’s IndyCar doubleheader in Toronto. (Story with results here)

First, the decision to not race on Saturday. At first I thought it was bullshit, or horseshit or some kind of shit. You got rain tires, put them on and drive with your brain engaged. But, then again, I’m no race car driver, and it’s usually folly to try to judge such matters based on TV images.

So here I give credit to IndyCar for hustling out president of competition and operations Derrick Walker to explain what the official thinking was. Walker was on TV twice, as best I can recollect, including a good little Q & A with host Bob Varsha who, rather than lob in the softballs (“IndyCar really does put driver safety first, doesn’t it?”) he asked the simple questions about why they were not racing. Not the leading questions, just the questions viewers were all wondering about.

It is possible to ask questions of someone for just the sake of getting information, as opposed for the sake of validating your viewpoint or trying to trip up the interviewee. Afterward Walker again talked to the media. Transcript here.

So, they postponed the whole deal to Sunday, and I thought hte reasoning was adequately communicated. Whether or not you agree with the reasoning is a whole different issue. At least we heard from IndyCar as to why they were doing what they were doing.

Sunday's Double Dip

Sunday was two races, each a bit shortened, primarily (we were told) so IndyCar didn’t hog up the track time. Unlike the ovals, when IndyCar goes to a street race there are usually many other races on that track that weekend. So you have cars on the track all day. Those races got rained out too Saturday so IndyCar had to share. I had no problem with it.

The drivers were willing to drive two street races in a row, which we’re told are grueling, so I appreciated that. It seemed like IndyCar did the best it could with a challenging situation, track schedule wise. Sebastien Bourdais won the first race and Mike Conway won the second. Story here.

The second race turned out to be a timed race, so that raised some UMBRAGE among some people. Remember UMBRAGE is generally good. I think one of the issues was, rather than have a big pre-race ceremony etc. given the limited track time, why not just get the kids in their cars and go racing as soon as possible to get all the laps in? The answer to that depends on if the driver introductions and podium ceremonies are important or at least sacrificable. Me, I could do without both, honestly. But for other fans that’s a big deal. They like to see their driver introduced, walk across the stage, etc. Sponsors of the event like to step up to the mic at pre-race and get their name out over the public address system. Likewise the post-race stuff. Some fans and sponsors are big into it, so having it going on while another series is on the track warming up if not racing would make them churlish.

So I’m not bunched up about the conduct of Sunday’s races.

Red Flag!

You’ll notice that there is a lot of positive above this point. There's a lot of credit to IndyCar for doing things right (in my opinion). Please look above this right now and say “pressdog is giving them credit for some stuff up there.”

IndyCar has a red flag problem. Late in Race 2, IndyCar officials red flagged the race with about four minutes remaining after a crash. It seemed pretty clear to me – although I’ve seen no reporting on it so far – that the red was thrown to preserve a green finish. In other words, get the cars off the track, stop them clicking down laps (or time in this case), get the mess cleaned up, restart the race, finish green … rather than just have the cars continue to circulate under yellow and run out the clock/click off all the laps while the cleanup continued.

Whether or not that was right is one debate, but the problem I see is inconsistency.

Again, I don’t know what the official reason for the red flag was. Was it a legit track blockage or safety concern? Was it a “track blockage” (wink wink). Or was it straight up to preserve the green finish, which is not provided for in the rulebook to the best of my knowledge, aside from the 18-mile-wide “discretion of the stewards” provision.

I’m actually OK with using the red to reserve a green finish. It seems to be a nice compromise between finishing yellow and the NASCAR overtime Green-White-Checker rule. The principle argument against the GWC rule (aside from hating anything from NASCAR) is that it artificially extends the race distance by adding laps under certain circumstances.

But, at least the GWC rule is a rule, and ..

• it’s written down and understood by everyone
• triggered under certain non-subjective circumstances
• in effect for all races.

IndyCar’s red flag “rule” is none of the above. So what IndyCar needs to do is go all or nothing with the red flag thing. Either make a rule, write it down, get it to all the teams and put it into effect for ALL races or don’t.

Maybe the fans at Toronto “deserved” a green finish for sitting in the rain all day. I don’t argue that. But if they “deserve” a green finish, how come the fans at Barber or Houston didn’t deserve one too? You see the problem of treating groups of fans unequally. I’d be pretty pissed right now if I paid to see a race that finished under yellow that was avoidable by discretionary use of the red flag. I’d be saying “I guess other fans are more deserving and loved than me.”

So here’s how you begin to draft a red-flag rule for IndyCar (note to the anal, this is just a starting point that would have to be reviewed and tweaked by all the shareholders in said decision, so simmer down):

“If the yellow flag is displayed within as many as 10 laps or as few as 5 laps from the end of a race, if, in the opinion of the stewards, cleanup will take longer than the laps remaining under yellow will allow, the red flag will be displayed, and all cars parked until the track is ready to resume racing. Once the track is ready, the field will take two yellow laps, then receive the green flag. If the yellow flag is again displayed before the end of the race, the red flag will not be displayed again for the purposes of preserving a green finish, only for the purposes of a blocked track or safety worker safety.”

Or words to that effect. You’d want to tweak the red flag window, of course, etc. etc. I spent 49 seconds on the draft above. I don’t think writing a real rule and having it be reviewed and commented upon and finally adopted would be too difficult.

But if you codify it, then it removes some of the subjectivity. Sure, race control will still have to judge if the track can get cleared late without having to use the red. Maybe someone rolls it with 10 to go, but it’s a simple clean up, and the track is green again with 7 to go so there’s no need for the red flag. That sort of thing.

As it is now, IndyCar has ripped open a Pandora’s Box. Fans are going to expect to see the red late in the race if there are enough laps remaining to stop the race, have a couple of yellow laps to warm back up and go racing for at least two final laps. It’s the Red-Yellow-Yellow-Green-White-Checker rule.

All I ask is to make the decision, get it down in writing, and go forward. Now it’s too subjective. But, the beauty of doing it this subjective way is that it avoids the heat from people who would oppose it. I think there’s a de facto rule in IndyCar right now, even if it’s not written down. So write it down, deal with the debate honestly, and move on.

Comments

[Swordedge]

Indy car also needs to respond to team rule questions in a more timely matter. SFHR ask for clarification on working on Newgardens car during red flag for race one. Officials did not respond. Dale Coyne did and that was via TV. The rule said that if they worked on car during red, they would receive a penalty that included waiting 20 seconds. SFHR did that so they could remain on the lead lap.

The commentators all thought Sarah made the right decision.

Apparently, Dale Coyne knows the rule book as well as anybody in the league. I wonder how thick that rule book is.

[OSCA]

Pressdog: Not only RYYGWC is now in play, so is every decision the "Three Stooges" make. We can't race in the rain....err, maybe we can if there is no spray (Quote from Mario), or if the rain starts after we start we can race....."HUH"!!

And how about what is a "RED" flag? Well, it is a firm "maybe" if the race has started, but before we have a green flag....it is legal if your name is Penske, and not-legal if you are anyone else.

Then if you do work on you car..it is go to the back....well, another firm "maybe", unless you are Penske and the race is postponed....not cancelled....postponed.

See what you get when team owners and drivers run the series?

The sanctioning body should be separate and constructed to represent the fans.

One last thing.....spin off the IRL Dba as IndyCar to the team owners....and run the Indy 500 as a stand alone race.

Too expensive?? That is pure horse shit....put in place a formula that has true cost controls, engines based upon stock blocks, and horsepower limits....say 900 HP, and we'll see some interesting cars, and a lot more of them.

And oh, by the way, watch CART Jr (IRL) collapse and a new series appear!!

But till then we'll see a rule book that should be titled...A LIST OF MAYBES....translated by Larry, Moe and Curly!!

[Dennis]

I was prepared to agree that consistency was the correct course. Being primarily a NASCAR fan and seeing the inconsistency there, it's frustrating. However, after seeing your proposed rule (a quick try, I understand) it's convinced me that a hard and fast rule would create its own problems. It would put IndyCar in a box where if the circumstances didn't fit the rule well, they might be backed into making a bad decision.

I applaud the decision to red flag the race and hope, going forward, that IndyCar makes every attempt to end races under green.

[E.M.H.]

Call me crazy, but I simply thought there wasn't enough room to get everyone through the wreck scene, especially with the safety trucks out there. That inside line was a squeeze as it was, and that was before the Holmatro guys rolled.

That said, I really wish Race Control would've just come out and said why they did it. If it was indeed because the course was too blocked up, some may disagree but at least we'd have a reason. And ditto, some might have trouble with the R-W-C improvision, but again, we would've at least been told the reason.

[pressdog]

A very fair comment, EMH. I'd also be happy to know the justification for the red (whatever it is) or have some Real Media report on why the read, but as of now I haven't seen anything. Doesn't mean the story is out there, so if someone finds it please share the link. Or, it could be NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

[TheAmericanMutt]

Somebody must have put ACs in hell...Pdog and I totally agree on something.

[Alan K - Raleigh, NC]

I wonder if the decision to not race on Saturday had something to do with needing to have some cars and drivers available for Sunday. I know Penske/Ganassi/Andretti have spares, but what about smaller teams?

On the other hand, maybe the decision to cancel was easier knowing that everyone was going to be there Sunday anyway?

I certainly don't envy the officials and their efforts to try keeping everyone happy.

[pressdog]

SATAN SHOPS FOR A SPACE HEATER, Mutt.

[Chiefswon]

I don't think it matters what you or I or anyone else thinks. There some key owners who drive this show. They make the rules. I agree with your idea in principal. Who would enforce it...knowing they will just get ousted by next year.

[Brett Smithson]

The issue with both races being pushed back to Sunday was that many FANS paid REAL MONEY to attend the Saturday race. The move, albeit forced to some extent by mother nature, screwed some of them, cost others additional money, or both. The first race Sunday was dry and still look at the resulting (1st lap!)carnage - it's the nature of Toronto and of concrete canyons elsewhere. Not a fan of red flags, P-dog? Then why are you such a fan of the (street) twisties? They're a package deal, IMO.

[DZ]

The only constant is inconsistency. Drama, intrigue, umbrage, all brought into play on a race-by-race basis... "comedie dramatique".

When I think about it, Indycar ceased to be a real sport a loooooooong time ago (c. late 1970s) and to this day has yet to figure out whether it is entertainment or sport.

Rarely do the two co-mingle as entertainment ultimately becomes a function of economy/profit, and pure sport exists for the accomplishment 'at all costs'.

When viewed through the lens of 'entertainment' and not 'sport', Indycar is fine and chock-a-block full of drama and intrigue... including race control. I suggest viewing Indycar (or any other 'sport' for that matter) as such. Your blood pressure and heart will thank you.