After a 250-lap race on the historic Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin, there’s plenty going on in the IndyCar Series paddock:
Attendance
With recent comments by Michael Andretti, who is a partner in the group who has promoted the Milwaukee Mike event for the last few days, about the possible discontinuation of the race without a good crowd, the attendance was not as bad as what I expected.
Despite the ridiculously late 4:40pm green flag – on a Sunday, no less – the crowd was estimated by various IndyCar scribes as being around 12,000, but track officials suggested it was a bigger attendance than that. Robin Miller, the veteran IndyCar reporter, decided that probably a third of the 37,000 seats at the oldest racetrack in America were full on Sunday, so that puts the attendance at around the above figure. The sad fact is that oval races, outside of the Indianapolis 500, just don’t draw crowds like they used to.
The late start is another example of IndyCar not looking out for their fans. Maybe a Saturday afternoon 4:40pm green flag might’ve worked, when fans coming from across the Midwest had Sunday to drive home. If you lived in Chicago or somewhere like that, you’re looking at a minimum 2-hour drive to get home, meaning a pretty late arrival back in your neighbourhood on a Sunday night with work on Monday. Sunday afternoon races should have a 1:00pm green flag, at the very latest.
I still believe the Milwaukee Mile – a staple on the IndyCar Series schedule since the very first IndyCar-type race – should reclaim it’s traditional date, the weekend after the Indianapolis 500, but with Roger Penske’s race on Belle Isle in Detroit, heavily sponsored by Chevrolet, Quicken Loans and others, that’ll sadly never happen. We can only hope that the Mile continues to be on the IndyCar schedule for years to come.
Sebastien Bourdais
Back in the CART days, Bourdais dominated at the Mile like he did on Sunday, but the fields weren’t as stocked with talent as this year’s IndyCar Series grid is. That makes Bourdais’ drive on Sunday even more impressive. For want of another descriptor, what the Frenchman, more known for his ability on road and street courses, dominated the second half of the race, scoring his thirty-fourth IndyCar victory, good enough to tie him with the legendary Al Unser Jr. on the all-time win list.
Bourdais led 118 of the last 150 laps, actually lapping the field at one point before a round of pit stops. He was as fat as anyone we’ve ever seen at the historic 1.0-mile flat speedway, and even Paul Tracy, Bourdais’ old nemesis and now a commentator with NBC, was effusive in his praise, calling it “nothing short of impressive!” High praise from a guy who never, ever saw eye-to-eye with the Le Mans native.
Sunday’s win for Jimmy Vasser, Kevin Kalkhoven and James Sullivan was definitely one for the ages.
Graham Rahal
After the year – or, more accurately, about a decade’s worth – of struggles, Rahal is the lead Honda runner, scoring yet another podium in a year that’s featured a bunch of memorable ones, not to mention a memorable win last start at Auto Club Speedway Fontana. Rahal, son of Indianapolis 500 winner, Bobby and the fiancé of NHRA funny car driver Courtney Force, is having himself an epic year, showing the multi-car Honda operation of Andretti Autosport, and trailing only Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Dixon in the overall IndyCar Series points race.
Points Race
A bad day for Australia’s Will Power – the victim of someone else’s mess – saw him drop to third in the overall IndyCar Series points championship. Juan Pablo Montoya, whose own bad day, featuring a drive-through penalty, was nullified by Power’s on troubles, extended his lead, and New Zealander Scott Dixon took over second in the championship. Power is tied for third with Rahal.
The wily Montoya has lead the points since his victory at the season-opening Grand Prix of St Petersburg, and will be tough to catch from here – but, even so, with four races to go (Iowa, Mid-Ohio, Pocono and Sonoma), anything is possible. He wouldn’t be completely comfortable with Dixon now surging into view.
As for Power, he’ll need one or two more wins to get back into the fight, and probably have to rely on Dixon and Montoya having issues of their own. Given their consistency, I’m not sure how likely that is to happen.
American Success
If you’ve read any of my IndyCar commentary before, you know that I often say how IndyCar is better off when there are Americans at or near the front of the field. 2015 has been good for the local contingent, with Tennessean Josef Newgarden really coming of age with two victories, and Graham Rahal making himself a feature on the podium. If this continues, the future is bright for IndyCar racing.
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