While I’m sure that Danny B’s post race thoughts will be much more insightful than mine. (Which hopefully he’ll write after drying off) Nevertheless I’ll give my 12 cents worth…
Talk about a wacky way to end the Month of May. Was it an omen of things to come with Jimmy Neighbors NOT singing Back home in Indiana for the first time since 1986?
Obviously the most heart broken driver of this year’s “Indee 415” has to be none other than Tony Kanaan, whom most definitely deserves to taste the milk in victory circle. And I sat there torn between Kanaan winning in what would have been the shortest race in history vs. the fact of barely going half distance.
Yet ironically I made a lucky guess when picking Dario “REO Speedwagon” Franchitti as it seems fitting that the number 27 would find it’s way to victory circle on the 25th Anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve’s death... Along with what must be some sort of payback for the Speedway’s torture on Pole Day. Snatching P1 away from the Scotsman after waiting a ridiculous five hours to see it all slip away.
“Wundering” if the weathermen had been correct? I tuned in via the internets early and listened for the first hour plus via WIBC. It was kind of funny listening to the interview of “The King.” No, the other king. (Richard Petty) and AJ Foyt. Then I switched over to the TV broadcast just prior to the green flag being dropped.
But I elected to TURN OFF ABC immediately and return to the “live” IMS radio broadcast instead. As there’s just something about Rusty “Left Turn Only” Wallace’s voice that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
And I found it entertaining that the first yellow waved on lap 12. “Whoa Nellie,” this could be a long day. Which I guess was a major understatement? As the first caution flew for John Andretti who’d LOST one of his mirrors.
Doing their best George Foreman “Rope-A-Dope” impersonation, Andretti’s pit crew sent him back out without making the mandatory mirror replacement. As supposedly the team couldn’t find a spare and ended up borrowing an extra from AJ Foyt.
And speaking of “Super Tex,” what in the HELL was WRONG with Little Al (Unser Jr.) today? That seemed to be a really PATHETIC driving display as ‘lil Al ran LAST for the majority of the race. I mean c’mon! Even Marty Roth was way ahead of him.
Adding insult to injury was John Herb’s impatience to pass the #50 Unser chicane, causing Herb to hit the wall instead. And although Unser trundled along, ‘lil Al ran over a crew member’s foot during the ensuing caution flag pit stop! And if I was Unser Jr. I’d be really embarrassed to have moved up to third overall in most laps completed at the Brickyard by today’s performance.
Then “Milk ‘N Doughnuts” as Danny b. nicknamed her before Robin Miller used the moniker during his OTB interview with Tom sneva HIT the wall on lap 65 while running in 22nd. Yet Duno was just one of the slower drivers to succumb to Indy’s Safer barriers. Other drivers suffered the same fate while trying to move off line to let the leaders go by.
Barely passing the halfway point, Tony Kanaan swept past Marco andretti, whom in turn led Princess Danica. And then the skies opened as the rainfall came down hard ‘N heavy, causing a nearly three hour rain delay. And I sat there hoping that this wouldn’t be the end of the race, since it had only gone 113 laps and I really didn’t want to hear all of the accolades that would be bestowed on Princess for finishing third!
And the post race interviews were pretty entertaining, with Kanaan being most gracious in defeat. Along with Marco just happy to be uninjured after barrel rolling down Indy’s straightaway, bringing out the yellow before the rain returned. Marco claimed he’d never seen Dan Wheldon when they hit due to having no mirror.
By the way Princess, who’s that finishing three places AHEAD of you in 5th! Looks like your friend Ryan Briscoe whom you said crashes a lot and won’t go the distance?
