Indy 2023...wheee!

For the first time, perhaps in 15 years, I’m actually sitting down and watching the Indy 500: it dawns on me, I only know about four of the names… :slight_smile:

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Just shut it off. Can’t deal with the split screen commercials. Will watch highlights on the news.

imagine–all the prep and practice and mechanical checks–and that at the “Drivers–start your engines” a dead starting battery…ugh. So .the 4 names-: Rahal (tho not the ol Rahal),-Kanaan, Castroneves, Andretti–not Mario).
Nick

Crew Chief will be looking for a new job

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Absolutely disgusting…awful…junk…perpetual left turn…just junk…I turned it off.
Hopefully I never watch it again…
been there done that…junk
Mitch

Go A.J.! Long hiatus since the sixties.

Clearly, you don’t understand and/or appreciate the skill and training ‘just going left’ – at 220 mph, average, over 500 miles --entails.

Don’t get me wrong: I was a road racer, through and through, and kinda looked down my nose at 'toilet bowl racing, too… till I did it.

Oval racing aint easy, nor less rigorous than road courses: just a different skill set.

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Just watched the hi-lights of the Monaco F1 talk about changing conditions!

I’m not sure what’s going on this year, but they seriously need to get their poop in a group, what an absolute circus:

https://twitter.com/YahooSports/status/1662903742532837378/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1662903742532837378&currentTweetUser=YahooSports

Jeff… racing happens.

I don’t say that flippantly, and said from experience, there are some accidents that happen that are not forseeable.

Not necessarily: a battery can be outwardly perfectly good, then just die: had it happen, more than once.

Of course, but you have to admit today’s showing had an inordinate amount of unforeseeness. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

been there done that you say–tell more about your 200mph, junky, simple left turns–can’t wait to hear !!
Nick

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I do think the restart from cold–no tire /brake etc warm up was a risky idea…that is not what drivers are experienced at doing…and add one lap for the win…yes, it is entertainment–but …
Nick

I still don’t get Alonso’s tire strategy. Even if they weren’t sure about the rain, he was on the hard compound and should have outlasted Verstappen, at least to stay out a couple more laps to see what the rain would do. I would have loved to see him win.

As for Indy, boooooring. On top of that I can’t watch the Indy car telecasts because of the commentators. Too much screaming hype from Leigh Diffey and all those fluff pieces - I really don’t care. Although if there is nothing else to watch and I am in couch potato mode I’ll turn the sound down and put some music on.

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My father would watch sports on ABC. If Howard Cossell was on he turned off the sound and listened to the radio.

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I absolutely detest the “cult of personality” interviews and fluff pieces: it’s not just for racing, that silly shit seems to be completely diffuse through the entertainment milieu. I mostly just shut the sound off and watch the racing.

Might I suggest…:wink:

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He was drunk half the time, I remember a Monday night game and he couldn’t say “Philadelphia”, haha.

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I’m backing @Wiggles on this one. I’ve driven road course laps at VIR, Road Atlanta, Road America, Mid Ohio, Laguna Seca and IRP. I’ve done more than 160 mph on a motorcycle at Laguna Seca. I did 20 laps in a NASCAR Cup car at more than 150 mph on a mile and a half banked oval and I’m here to tell you that the lateral G’s lapping an oval will beat the crap out of you. Every corner requires your highest level of concentration. If not, there’s a concrete wall never more than 20 feet away to remind you. It is very demanding, mentally and physically.

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The first time that I ever raced on a paved oval, one that was fairly well banked, I was amazed at the sensation that it always kind of looked like you were going uphill!

That was in a Mazda-powered mini-stocker, and it alarmed the officials, because until they learned what a Mazda engine could do, they got very, very concerned by the bright red-hot exhaust pipes, redness that would extend 6 to 8 feet behind the engine!

Another major lesson I learned, was when I first raced on dirt, and went into a turn a little bit hot, and it started to understeer. My road racing instincts kicked in, so I lightly tapped the brakes… Which sent me right over the edge of the (thankfully) non-guard railed outside banking!

Nothing particularly bad happened to me, but I did murder quite a few hundred sun daisies… :slight_smile:

It was then I learned that on dirt, if the car understeers, you plow into the loud pedal.

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