LEEDS, Ala.—Penske driver Will Power went flag to flag in the Honda IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park Sunday afternoon, running ahead of six restarts worth of chaos and destruction.
While the rest of the field collided in Turns Three through Six on almost every restart, Power motored away in a race he called easy; he said he had never felt so cool and relaxed in the car.
“I can’t think of as race where I have been so cool, so physically fine, and where we had everything go so right,” Power told the post-race press conference.
Power went on to clarify that he didn’t mean the race was easy. “I would definitely not say it was relaxing there at the end when Dixon was all over me. I meant that physically.
“At St. Pete I really suffered for some reason. I don’t know why. Maybe I was just dehydrated. Here I was really hydrated for the race—I felt physically great. I was relaxed and able to get the most out of the car.”
While the rest of the field collided in Turns Three through Six on almost every restart, Power motored away in a race he called easy; he said he had never felt so cool and relaxed in the car.
“I can’t think of as race where I have been so cool, so physically fine, and where we had everything go so right,” Power told the post-race press conference.
Power went on to clarify that he didn’t mean the race was easy. “I would definitely not say it was relaxing there at the end when Dixon was all over me. I meant that physically.
“At St. Pete I really suffered for some reason. I don’t know why. Maybe I was just dehydrated. Here I was really hydrated for the race—I felt physically great. I was relaxed and able to get the most out of the car.”
Power said it was the first time all weekend the car had good balance, and he made the most of it, stretching his fuel in the first stint and racing hard against Scott Dixon in the final stint.
“Dixon gave me a run for my money at the end—both of us were pushing as hard as we possibly could,” said Power. “It was great.”
Power said the first stint was challenging because he had to stretch his fuel—no one knew how many yellows might come. “We were saving fuel, so I had to lift going into the corners while trying to maintain laptime—it was quite difficult. And, the tires were going off.
“I tried to maintain a gap so the second-place car would have to push a little more, make his tires go off, and make a bit of a buffer—that was the key.”
“I tried to maintain a gap so the second-place car would have to push a little more, make his tires go off, and make a bit of a buffer—that was the key.”
Power was not challenged until the final twenty laps of the race when Scott Dixon pressured him. Dixon’s tires went off in the final five laps and Power motored home unstressed.
Chip Ganassi’s drivers filled the bottom steps of the podium: Scott Dixon finished second, while Dario Franchitti, who had used up all four tires and was fighting both under- and oversteer, struggled home third.
For Power the win was more satisfying because it was the first of the season, and because he felt hwe should have won at Barber in 2010.
Chip Ganassi’s drivers filled the bottom steps of the podium: Scott Dixon finished second, while Dario Franchitti, who had used up all four tires and was fighting both under- and oversteer, struggled home third.
For Power the win was more satisfying because it was the first of the season, and because he felt hwe should have won at Barber in 2010.
“I thought we should have won last year,” he said. “We and such a good car, we led every single practice session, and the pole, and we didn’t get it. I was very intent to [win] this weekend—in a relaxed way. I wasn’t going to overdrive and do something stupid. Just happy to get a win this year to get things rolling give the team some confidence. It all flows from there.”
A bit of controversy arose between Scott Dixon and Will Power regarding restarts. Dixon apparently thought the rule was that drivers on a restart could not cross the center line, while Will Power understood the rule to be no leaving one’s lane until the Start/Finish line, after which, anything goes.
Apparently Power pushed Dixon almost off the track on every restart, protecting his position and trying to avoid the dirty side of the track, where cars do not usually race travel and traction-robbing balls of rubber, called “marbles,’ build up.
As Dixon understood it, Competition Director Brian Barhart had said that on the restarts, drivers had to stay in their lanes, and Dixon felt that Power had crossed the centerline and squeezed Dixon almost off the track on every restart (in fact, video review showed this to be the case.)
Power had a different interpretation of the rule. “I think the rule is you can be anywhere on the track after the start/finish line, simple as that—that’s what they told us,” Power said.
Dixon admitted that he probably couldn’t have caught Power anyway. “All in all I don’t think it would have changed much, but I think it was a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
A bit of controversy arose between Scott Dixon and Will Power regarding restarts. Dixon apparently thought the rule was that drivers on a restart could not cross the center line, while Will Power understood the rule to be no leaving one’s lane until the Start/Finish line, after which, anything goes.
Apparently Power pushed Dixon almost off the track on every restart, protecting his position and trying to avoid the dirty side of the track, where cars do not usually race travel and traction-robbing balls of rubber, called “marbles,’ build up.
As Dixon understood it, Competition Director Brian Barhart had said that on the restarts, drivers had to stay in their lanes, and Dixon felt that Power had crossed the centerline and squeezed Dixon almost off the track on every restart (in fact, video review showed this to be the case.)
Power had a different interpretation of the rule. “I think the rule is you can be anywhere on the track after the start/finish line, simple as that—that’s what they told us,” Power said.
Dixon admitted that he probably couldn’t have caught Power anyway. “All in all I don’t think it would have changed much, but I think it was a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
Next: Restarts, Wrecks
Restarts, Wrecks
IndyCar’s second test for double-file restarts approximately as successful as St. Pete—the field made it through Turn One on each restart, but on almost every restart there was some trouble in the next several corners.
The whole field made it through Turn One on the start, though Graham Rahal went through the dirt and James Hinchcliffe spun—then J.R. Hildebrand and Raphael Matos banged wheels as Matos tried to pass on the outside through the hairpin.
The whole field made it through Turn One on the start, though Graham Rahal went through the dirt and James Hinchcliffe spun—then J.R. Hildebrand and Raphael Matos banged wheels as Matos tried to pass on the outside through the hairpin.
The subsequent restart went off well, and the next couple dozen laps saw spins and collisions but no cautions. Takuma Sato touched Helio Castroneves trying to push inside though the hairpin and spun, Graham Rahal tried an inside move through the hairpin, hopped a curb, and speared James Hinchcliffe, and James Jakes’ car caught fire, but he was able to drive it to the pits without incident.
On lap 37 Alex Tagliani spun and got his rear wheels stuck in the gravel past Turn 16, bringing out the second caution and starting a string of restarts and wrecks which ate up the middle of the race.
On the restart on lap 40, E.J. Viso made a strong passing maneuver around the outside of Simona Di Silvestro in Turn Five, but came across her nose too sharply at the finish. Her right front touched his left rear, spinning him. He had almost stopped the spin when James Hinchcliffe, coming around wide on the outside to avoid the mess, clipped the end of Viso’s car, putting them both out of the race. [etssp 336]
On lap 37 Alex Tagliani spun and got his rear wheels stuck in the gravel past Turn 16, bringing out the second caution and starting a string of restarts and wrecks which ate up the middle of the race.
On the restart on lap 40, E.J. Viso made a strong passing maneuver around the outside of Simona Di Silvestro in Turn Five, but came across her nose too sharply at the finish. Her right front touched his left rear, spinning him. He had almost stopped the spin when James Hinchcliffe, coming around wide on the outside to avoid the mess, clipped the end of Viso’s car, putting them both out of the race. [etssp 336]
On the next restart Mike Conway got too close to the car ahead, lost front downforce and drifted across the nose of his teammate Danica Patrick. The resulting contact sent him hard into the wall near Turn Four. Seconds later Justin Wilson cut across Takuma Sato, tearing off Sato’s front wing and cutting Wilson’s tire.
The field made it another seven laps without yellow. Then Ryan Hunter-Reay tried to squeeze inside Ryan Briscoe entering the very tight Turn Eight. RHR put a wheel on the grass, bounced off a curb, and bounced into the side of Ryan Briscoe, sending Briscoe into the gravel trap and out of the race. [etssp 337]
RHR was penalized for avoidable contact, dropping to 18th. He managed to finish 14th, but he could have been in the top five had he avoided wrecks and penalties.
The field made it another seven laps without yellow. Then Ryan Hunter-Reay tried to squeeze inside Ryan Briscoe entering the very tight Turn Eight. RHR put a wheel on the grass, bounced off a curb, and bounced into the side of Ryan Briscoe, sending Briscoe into the gravel trap and out of the race. [etssp 337]
RHR was penalized for avoidable contact, dropping to 18th. He managed to finish 14th, but he could have been in the top five had he avoided wrecks and penalties.
Ryan Briscoe, who finished 18th at St. Pete, ended up 21st at Barber after being wrecked, and he was understandably disappointed.
“Ryan [Hunter-Reay] was on the red tires and he was going quick, I’ll give him that much credit, but he was sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong,” Briscoe told Versus TV. “I tried to give him room when he went down the but I don’t know it looks like he jumped the curb and went straight into me it’s not a passing zone—Period. If he’s going that much quicker he can wait half a lap and pass me where there’s a braking zone.
“It’s just really frustrating because we had a great car today. We were just hanging in there until we got on Reds and then I was going to go race the Ganassi guys up front. They’ve penalized him—at least they’ve done something—but that isn’t going to change how our race ended today.”
Next: Danica’s Strategy Gamble
Danica’s Strategy Gamble
Danica Patrick made a big splash in the middle of the race with some innovative pit strategy which ultimately cost her.
Patrick pitted for fuel on lap 59, but took no tires. Her strategist, George Klotz, decided the scuffed reds she would have out on were in the same shape as the Reds on her car; plus she needed less fuel than the rest of the field, as she had pitted under yellow early. This allowed the crew to fill her faster and send her away ahead of the competition.
Patrick pitted for fuel on lap 59, but took no tires. Her strategist, George Klotz, decided the scuffed reds she would have out on were in the same shape as the Reds on her car; plus she needed less fuel than the rest of the field, as she had pitted under yellow early. This allowed the crew to fill her faster and send her away ahead of the competition.
Patrick left the pits in third place, and seemed destined for a top five finish until 20 laps from the end when her tires went away entirely. Patrick dropped to 17th by lap 84, and had to pit for fresh rubber. She finished 17th, one lap down.
“This is a frustrating way to finish what had been decent race for us,” Patrick told IndyCar.com. “We decided to gamble on our last stop. Sometimes those things pay off and sometimes they don’t. Today was one of those days.”
Marco Andretti saved the day for Andretti Autosport with a solid fourth-place finish. Andretti made no mistakes and avoided all the collisions. “We hung on and tried to get positions when we could on the restarts. The name of the game is to stay safe and avoid being taken out.”
On the restart after the RHR-Briscoe incident, Justin Wilson tangled with Raphael Matos through Turn Six. “Disappointing way to end the day,” Wilson told versus. “When I look back on it, it was a racing incident.
While I was racing with Raphael, he left me plenty of room on the way in. As we got halfway through the corner my car naturally pushes in the middle, I kept trying to tighten up but he has able to square it up a little and I couldn’t—I was full understeer. It’s just frustrating.”
Wilson was racing with a broken wrist sustained in a collision at St. Pete, the brace for which had broken early in the race, so he was probably as relieved as disappointed.
The final restart of the day, on lap 69, went without incident. Power cut across the track to enter Turn One to keep the lead, while behind him, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, and Orial Servia all passed Danica Patrick, whose aging tires simply didn’t have the grip.
Next: Fight for Final Positions
Marco Andretti saved the day for Andretti Autosport with a solid fourth-place finish. Andretti made no mistakes and avoided all the collisions. “We hung on and tried to get positions when we could on the restarts. The name of the game is to stay safe and avoid being taken out.”
On the restart after the RHR-Briscoe incident, Justin Wilson tangled with Raphael Matos through Turn Six. “Disappointing way to end the day,” Wilson told versus. “When I look back on it, it was a racing incident.
While I was racing with Raphael, he left me plenty of room on the way in. As we got halfway through the corner my car naturally pushes in the middle, I kept trying to tighten up but he has able to square it up a little and I couldn’t—I was full understeer. It’s just frustrating.”
Wilson was racing with a broken wrist sustained in a collision at St. Pete, the brace for which had broken early in the race, so he was probably as relieved as disappointed.
The final restart of the day, on lap 69, went without incident. Power cut across the track to enter Turn One to keep the lead, while behind him, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, and Orial Servia all passed Danica Patrick, whose aging tires simply didn’t have the grip.
Next: Fight for Final Positions
Fight for Final Positions
One benefit of all the yellows was that the leaders didn’t have to conserve fuel in the final laps—everyone could race until their tires went off.
The final 20 laps were a series of battles all around the track. Scott Dixon tried his best to chase down Will Power up front, while one by one other drivers worked their way past Danica Patrick and fought for better positions.
Meanwhile Tony Kanaan was fighting hard with old friend and rival Helio Castroneves to eventually take sixth. Kanaan, in only his second race for KV Racing, had qualified 24th. He gained ten places on the first lap, and kept charging that hard for the rest of the race.
Kanaan spent the final ten laps doing everything he could to get by Orial Servia, but just didn’t have enough. Still, watching Kanaan gain 19 places and fight for the top five at the finish was highly entertaining.
The final 20 laps were a series of battles all around the track. Scott Dixon tried his best to chase down Will Power up front, while one by one other drivers worked their way past Danica Patrick and fought for better positions.
Meanwhile Tony Kanaan was fighting hard with old friend and rival Helio Castroneves to eventually take sixth. Kanaan, in only his second race for KV Racing, had qualified 24th. He gained ten places on the first lap, and kept charging that hard for the rest of the race.
Kanaan spent the final ten laps doing everything he could to get by Orial Servia, but just didn’t have enough. Still, watching Kanaan gain 19 places and fight for the top five at the finish was highly entertaining.
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