Frequent readers of this blog may notice I haven't written a ton about the IZOD IndyCar Series, although I am a big follower of the series. I get most of the IndyCar writing out of my system through my Marco Andretti Examiner articles on Examiner.com.
But I thought I would jump over to the blog to give my thoughts on the controversial and much-talked-about Honda Indy Edmonton race from Sunday. If you didn't see the race, take a look at this video. The first 93 of 95 laps didn't seem to matter, it was just the final restart and ending that became the focus.
Basically, Helio Castroneves was leading on the last restart, he went on the inside of the first turn with his Penske teammate Will Power on the outside. Castroneves was penalized for blocking Power, resulting in a drive-through penalty. Since it was almost the end of the race, Helio took the checkereds anyway, but Scott Dixon (who was in second) was the winner.
Castroneves was officially placed in 10th, behind the last driver who finished on the lead lap.
Control your emotions
Afterward, Helio got out of his car and starting screaming, gesturing at and grabbing collars of any race official who happened to be in his path. Some referred to this as passion, but I think his actions were uncalled for. Yes, you thought you got screwed, but cool your jets and get your head together before you make a spectacle of yourself. (He later apologized.)
Did Paul Tracy make a huge scene after the 2002 Indy 500 was taken away from him and Helio came out victorious? No, I don't think so. And that's a race where you really should expect to see fireworks for miscues.
Following the rules
The gist of the rule for blocking in a corner is that a driver can only be on the inside if he or she is trying to overtake another for position. The driver also must hold the same line. In this case, Helio took the inside when he was already leading, therefore blocking Power.
I'm not the best judge of the rule, that's the job of the officials, but I will say I've seen worse moves than that have no repercussions. From what I've heard and read, this rule is talked about at all the driver's meetings, and many of the driver's agree with the call that was made. Even Power admitted he was being blocked.
Slippery slope
What's important going forward is that IndyCar doesn't fall down the slippery slope of inconsistency that the NHL has taken (not having the same measuring stick for penalties, suspensions and fines). Since this call was made (the right one, in many views) that essentially changed the race result, the series needs to be consistent in the races to come.
That means if a driver looks to be blocking in any way according to the rules, assess the penalty - no matter when during the race or which driver it is. The key is consistency. Drivers need to be responsible enough to have clear knowledge of the rules so they know their limits on the race track.
So, to sum up: Helio's tantrum was a bit much (But on the plus side, it helped give the series some publicity, even if it was negative.), it appears the correct call was made regarding the blocking penalty and series president Brian Barnhart needs to be careful and consistent to avoid any further controversy.
I'd get into the Penske/Ganassi series dominance and the head-shaking mess that is Milka Duno, but those are two other cans of worms.
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