The 94th Indianapolis 500 was this past Sunday. I'm a little late with a blog entry, mostly because I've been writing so much about the race for my Marco Andretti Examiner page. So if you want more extensive coverage, take a gander at my articles.
Being at the race last year was amazing, and trust me, you want to go back every year after you've been there in person. But this year we stayed home, which was alright too. In fact, with my good buddy Twitter, watching the race on television wasn't so bad. I'll say it again, being able to converse with Twitter peeps who are watching the same sporting event as you makes it so much better.
One complaint: ABC
The race coverage on ABC wasn't the greatest, however. Viewers missed seeing the first two lead changes, one time so that we could listen in on Danica Patrick's pit radio. Of course there was also the side-by-side commercial break coverage, versus just straight commercials that were, coincidentally or not, poorly timed out between yellow and green flags.
But my biggest beef with the coverage was at the end of the race. It finished under caution, so we saw the winner Dario Franchitti followed closely by Dan Wheldon cross the bricks. Those were the only two cars viewers saw cross the line, and then the race results didn't scroll across the top of the screen under a few minutes later.
Part of this may have been for good reason, there was a horrific crash with Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay on the last lap. Showing that scene instead of the finishers is understandable; cutting to shots of Franchitti's wife Ashley Judd is not. Plus, the race ended with a little controversy involving Andretti, but we didn't see the finish.
All the while, I needed to write an article about Marco, and I still had no idea where he finished because ABC couldn't even give us the results right away. There were more than a few complaints on Twitter. ABC rant: over.
Watching, writing, Tweeting
Marco was eventually awarded third place after video data showed he was passed by three cars that didn't slow down for the crash. This gave me a lot to write about, and it was nice to see Marco run a good race and do well at Indy.
Watching the race and then writing about it took up most of my Sunday, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It only comes once a year, and for race fans, the Indy 500 is our Christmas. I still wish Paul Tracy would have been in there vying for the win, but I guess we'll have to wait until next year.
One of the other feel-good stories of the race was Tony Kanaan, who made a strong run through the field all the way from the back. He was trying to be the first driver to make it from the 33rd spot and come back to win the race. It would have been an instant classic he had succeeded. But Franchitti was too good with a strong race car. Kanaan ended up 11th after making a late pit stop.
No history for Helio
I was also glad that the much-hyped story of the day didn't pan out: Pole-sitter Helio Castroneves did not get his fourth victory at Indy, which would have put him in elite company. He stalled in the pits, on a day where pit lane was a flurry of activity and mistakes. Will Power and Scott Dixon also had issues in the pits, proving how costly mistakes are.
It was another great race at the Brickyard, and I really hope I can make it back there next year. Of course, this year's race was one of the warmest on record, so Murphy's Law would suggest that next year might be unseasonably chilly, but we'll see. I'd love to go back to the greatest race track and see the greatest spectacle in racing.
No comments:
Post a Comment