RACING SCENE Column – (Indy Car Fontana 500) Sept. 15, 2012
By noderel:
Los Angeles, CA. - The 2012 IZOD Indy Car season finale on Sat., Sept. 15 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was an outstanding, suspenseful race deserving praise for all involved. It merits revisiting. The MAVTV 500 (250 laps) has to rank as one of the best ever conclusions to a season. The race victory and season championship both came down to the final lap before the race winner and 2012 championship were decided. As icing on the cake, American drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay (H-R) won the race and championship. Both are deserving winners who persevered for years. Media coverage on TV, internet and in newspapers should whet the appetite for the 2013 IZOD Indy Car season. Attendance estimates by media ranged from 25,000 to 30,000, about the same as the last Indy Car race at Fontana in 2005. Southern California's September heat wave had a 102 degree race day high in Fontana. That cut into the number of likely race day walk-up ticket buyers. It could have reduced the crowd by 10,000. In fact, some already purchased tickets went unused because of the stifling heat. NBC-Sports reported before the race that the temperature was 98 at 5:00 pm with 7% humidity. It was still 89 degrees at lap 170.
A 26-car field took the lap 1 green flag at 5:52 in bright sunlight and concluded in darkness at 8:54 pm. NBC-Sports coverage was on air live five hours from 4:30 to 9:30 pm PDT. On-air broadcasters were: anchor Bob Jenkins, analysts Jon Beekhuis and Wally Dallenbach, Jr, plus from the pits—host Kevin Lee and pit reporters Robin Miller, Marty Snider and ex-sports car racer Chris Neville. Chris subbed for Indy 500 driver/pit reporter Townsend Bell, who was racing elsewhere. The Fontana 500 pre-race telecast included a deserved five minute tribute to Bob Jenkins before his retirement after calling his final race. It showed him on air during ESPN's inaugural year in 1979. Racing luminaries who gave heartfelt video tributes to Bob in order were: Paul Page, Dave DeSpain,Ned Jarrett, TV motor-sports producer Conrad Piccirillo, Jeff Gordon, Tony George, Roger Penske, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan with all Indy Car drivers in the Fontana drivers' meeting behind him, Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Donald Davidson, and Indy 500 turn 4 reporter Bob Lamey. He introduced Bob's famous call of the 1992 Indy 500 close victory by Al Unser, Jr. over Scott Goodyear. Fellow TV booth broadcasters Beekhuis and Dallenbach also praised Bob. He said, “I'm going to cry.”
Pre-race coverage included driver interviews with key drivers and recapped the competitive 2012 Indy Car season. It showed highlights of Hunter-Reay's victory in the last street race in Baltimore that moved him from a mid-30 point deficit to -17 points behind leader Will Power. Both drivers were pursing their first Indy Car driving championship. The Fontana 500 outcome was a Cinderella or Hollywood movie like ending. It was dramatic, edge of your seat racing excitement all the way to the checkered flag. The title was not decided until the final lap concluded. On-board TV cameras were on cars of Ryan Briscoe, JR Hildebrand, Power, Hunter-Reay, Simon Pagenaud, and Charlie Kimball. The wide, banked speedway allowed side-by-side, three-wide racing and frequent passing throughout the field. Powers started 13th and Hunter-Reay started 22nd after ten positions penalties for many drivers because of engine changes. On lap 55 the key incident in the championship duel occurred. Power, who only had to keep H-R in sight, tried to pass him for 13th position after a radioed request from his Penske team. Power went lower than he had run, caught a seam and spun left side first hard into the crash-wall. His car almost clipped the left rear of H-R's passing car. An impact would have decided their championship battle then and there.
Hunter-Reay's team radioed him that he only had to finish 7th to become 2012 champion. There were still 23 cars on the track. Penske Racing mobilized about 20 crewmen to repair Power's severely damaged car. Power had changed from his driving uniform. With his car almost ready to return to the track, Power changed back into his uniform. Amazingly, Power returned to the track about 70 laps down at lap 123. He had to run speeds within 105% of the race speed (about 202 mph per TV) and he ran laps of 191, 195 and 192 before pitting for an adjustment. Eventually Power logged 11 more laps to move from 25th to 24th position. His race point total went from 10 to 12 points. He ran 66 laps to 65 for retiree E. J. Viso. Hunter-Reay was in P. 8 then P. 7, but he needed more positions to pass Power for the title. Adding to his concerns, he had his oil temp red warning light come on about lap 135. At lap 160 his team told H-R he needed to gain five more points by the lap 250 finish. Ahead of him in P 1-7 were: Kanaan. Dixon, Castroneves, Sato, Carpenter, Franchitti and Tagliani. His task would not be easy.
Then wild things started happening. On lap 182 P. 10 Briscoe hit the turn 4 wall and lost laps. Power still led H-R by one point. Michael Andretti radioed that H-R had to finish fifth or better to become the champion because Power had gained two more points. Kanaan and H-R were racing for the 2012 oval track championship trophy within the overall championship. At lap 195 H-R was in P. 6 and Kanaan was in P. 7, so both titles were in doubt. With only 50 laps remaining H-R trailed race leader Carpenter, Dixon, Tagliani, Sato and Franchitti. With 25 laps to go H-R was still in P. 6 trailing Power by one point . The top three—Tagliani, Sato and Carpenter—were changing positions frequently. Target Ganassi Team drivers Franchitti and Dixon ran 4-5 and kept H-R from his critical fifth place.
At lap 229 Tagliani's engine blew and H-R had his critical fifth place and a one point edge over Power for the championship. However, Kanaan was right behind him in P. 6. To complicate matters, Castroneves and Marco Andretti pitted under caution for new tires to charge to the front. Starter Paul Blevin, from Riverside, waved the green flag on lap 235 and H-R passed Dixon for fourth place on the outside entering turn 1. That move gave him a 3-point lead over Power, who lost the 2010 and 2011 Indy Car championships narrowly to Franchitti. Then determined H-R took P. 3 from Sato on lap 238, lost it back on lap 239, and regained it on lap 240. That gave him a 6-point edge over Power. On lap 241 P. 6 Kanaan hit the turn 4 wall and spun out. That decided the 2012 oval track title in H-R's favor. Race Director Beaux Barfield called for a red flag to clear the wreckage and give spectators a chance to see green flag racing to the conclusion. That set a precedent in such cases for him.
The green flag flew at 8:52 pm for lap 244 with H-R in P. 3. A lap later Dixon dropped him to P. 4. Owner Andretti reminded H-R, “Remember you only need to finish in P. 5.” The lap 248 order was Franchitti, Carpenter (-0.31l8 back), Dixon H-R and Sato, who took P. 4 from H-R on lap 249. Castroneves was flying on new tires and threatened to overtake H-R for the vital P. 5. On the final lap Sato was at the left rear of H-R for P. 4 and spun out as he did on the final lap in the 2012 Indy 500 trying to pass Franchitti for the 500 victory. Sato's car hit the turn 2 crash-wall hard and caused a yellow flag, but not before Carpenter had passed Franchitti for the lead exiting turn 2 and on the backstretch. He did so before the caution light flashed. TV live coverage missed the pass for the lead while focusing on the Sato, H-R and Castroneves battle. TV later showed Carpenter's winning pass for his second Indy Car victory. He also won the 2011 season finale at Kentucky Speedway driving the Sarah Fisher-Hartman Racing No. 67.
H-R and Carpenter performed burnouts on the front straight simultaneously. H-R and Michael Andretti (his fourth Indy Car owner title) were interviewed on TV first. Then race winner Carpenter received his deserved attention and air time. Robin Miller had predicted on air before the race that Carpenter would win the 500 that night. Pit reporter Neville was the only TV personality who predicted H-R would win the 2012 season championship. Carpenter's victory came for his own team sponsored by Fuzzy's Vodka (golfer Fuzzy Zoeller). Former car owner/team manager Derrick Walker joined Carpenter's new team this year and the victory also rewarded his input.
Deflated Power could only watch from the pits as another Indy Car title slipped from his grasp. It was his title to lose and he did so. As a good sport, Power came to victory lane and congratulated new champion H-R, and called him one of the best drivers on the circuit. H-R finished with 468 points to 465 for Power, who had crashes on three ovals in 2012. Dixon was third, 33 points off the lead. Castroneves was fourth, -37 points. Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud was fifth, -81 points. Andretti Autosports won the car owner trophy. Chevrolet, which returned to the series in 2012, won the Manufacturer Championship over Honda. Chevrolet won 11 of the 15 races this season. H-R received the Astor Cup and a $1,000,000 check during post-race ceremonies.
RACE SUMMARY: Race time: 2:57:34.7433. ... Average speed: 168.939 mph. ... Victory margin: 1.9132 seconds. ... Most laps led: 62 by Carpenter. ... Fastest lap: 216.561 mph on L 228 by Franchitti. ... Caution laps: 43. ... Lead changes: 30 among 12 drivers, counting pole starter Marco Andretti losing the lead to Kanaan on lap 1. . ... Race leaders (in order): Kanaan, Andretti, Hildebrand, Briscoe, Sato, Newgarden, Carpenter, Jakes, Dixon, Castroneves, Tagliani and Franchitti. ... Cars running at the finish: 16 (62%).
Media coverage: So Cal coverage in various newspapers praised the Indy Car Fontana 500. That included the Los Angeles Times, San Bernardino Sun, Riverside Press-Enterprise, Orange County Register, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Long Beach Press-Telegram, and the national USA Today. Color photos of smiling H-R, holding an American flag behind him, accompanied the race story in most papers. The LA Times Jim Peltz story ran under the headline, “What a show!” Peltz' LA Times 20 paragraph, sports page 9 second story on Mon., Sept.17 had the headline, “Racing final at Fontana is great theater.” The story said despite recent problems (attendance, TV ratings & cable contract) the series can still put on a compelling show. ... Inland Empire columnist Gregg Patton led with “Now, those are race cars. The race featured the classic, open-wheel vehicles that leave us family car drivers a bit awe-struck. Maybe even intimidated. It's not like NASCAR.” ... Columnist Bob Keisser on Sept. 18 called Indy Car racing “a hidden gem.” He wrote about the 2012 Indy Car season, “The product on the track was the finest in a decade with more power and more passing and all around better competition. Muscular engines and a new chassis advocated passing.” The 2012 season averaged ten lead changes per race.
The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) recognized the long service to racing by TV broadcaster Bob Jenkins. President Dusty Brandel and 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones made the presentation to Bob at Auto Club Speedway. The plaque read: “BOB JENKINS. In warmest appreciation and admiration for the classy way that you've reported on motorsports for all these years. Thank you! Your friends in the business at AARWBA. MAVTV 500—Auto Club Speedway—September 15, 2012.” He will be missed. I hope NBC-Sports gives someone knowledgeable, such as Kevin Lee, the anchor job next season. ... On Sun., Sept.16 at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Joliet, IL, Tony Stewart was interviewed prior to his race. He congratulated “Hunter-Reay, Michael Andretti Autosports and Chevrolet for winning the 2012 Indy Car championship.” He also congratulated “Bob Jenkins on calling his last race. Enjoy your retirement Bob.” In his final on-air TV sign-off (at 9:35 pm PDT) emotional Jenkins said, “It was a great race and a great race to call. May all your troubles be small ones and may the good lord bless and keep you until we meet again.” He added that he will still be around. Hopefully, he will continue to anchor the annual Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade coverage every May.
RELATED NEWS: The IZOD Indy Car Fontana 500 was the MAVTV 500 and the firm signed a sponsorship with the track for three more years. The MAVTV channel will be known as American Real starting in 2013. The national network, owned by Lucas Oil Products, offers TV content for an action-oriented family audience. ... With the Indy 500 and Fontana 500 on the schedule and the Pocono (PA) 500 set for July 2013, the Indy Car Triple Crown championship should be reborn to give interest in Indy Car racing a boost in media and fan interest. A sponsor for a $1,000,000 Triple Crown championship would be ideal. If there were two different winners after the first two 500 milers in 2013 a $250,000 bonus paid to a driver who won two of the three 500s would make things interesting.
> The 2012 Indy Car season--with 5 oval, 7 street and 3 road races--had eight different race winners. H-R won 4, Power 3, Castroneves & Dixon 2, Franchitti , Justin Wilson, Briscoe and Carpenter 1 each. All winners had won prior Indy Car races. Five racing organizations won: Penske- 6; Andretti-4; Ganassi-3, Dale Coyne and Carpenter-1 each.
> Hunter-Reay is one of the best success stories in all racing over the past decade. Tragically his supportive mother died from cancer a few years ago before she could see his greatest racing achievements. In fact, Ryan and his wife, the former Beccy Gordon (sister of driver Robby Gordon) met thanks to Ryan's mom. During 2006 Ryan was between Indy Car rides and raced the No. 21 Speed Wong Racing NASCAR super late model at the Irwindale Speedway half-mile twice and finished in the top eight in 20+ car fields.
> On Fri., Sept. 14 in Fontana H-R and Andretti inked a contract to remain a team for two more years. I was happy H-R remained loyal to Andretti Autosports, which gave him his chance. He is number one with Andretti and would have been the newcomer or number three on the Penske team. I hope Briscoe retains his Penske ride. He had a lot of bad luck this year.
> Auto Club Speedway President Gillian Zucker, 43, had to miss the Indy Car 500 at Fontana. She fought hard to add the race to her track's 2012 schedule after it lost the fall NASCAR Sprint Cup race. She had a brain tumor that required surgery a month earlier. After coming back to work briefly, her doctor said rest and recuperation were necessary. She deserves the Indy Car 500 to become a major event on the Fontana schedule. The track's Dave Allen, VP Sales & Marketing, ran things for the MAVTV 500.
> Team owner Roger Penske built the Fontana track for $130,000,000 and it opened as California Speedway in 1997. NASCAR and Indy Car racing were the major attractions each year through 2005. Penske sold the track to International Speedway Corp. which stopped scheduling Indy car races and ran two of its Sprint Cup races. It moved the fall race to ISC's Kansas Speedway. That is why the track rescheduled Indy cars as the major fall event. Penske said a 500 mile race at Fontana should be the Indy Car season finale every year because of the close, competitive racing. It just needs to be developed as the economy improves and a fan-base must be increased with proper marketing to attract present and new fans. Moving the Indy Car race from hot September to cooler October would help attract fans.
> A. J. Foyt's driver Mike Conway declined to race at Fontana or oval tracks any longer. Wade Cunningham subbed for him. I wonder if Conway also will skip the Indy 500. Wonder who A.J. will hire to drive his No. 14 Dallara next season. Indianian Bryan Clauson, a 2012 Indy 500 starter, is leading the USAC National Drivers Championship points over Tracy Hines. Clauson could again receive the scholarship dollars to apply towards a 2013 Indy 500 ride. That would make USAC midget, sprint car and Silver Crown racing fans happy and would create additional Indy Car interest for American oval track racing fans. Maybe A.J. will tab A. J. Allmendinger, who has won CART Indy Car races before going to NASCAR.
> Helio Castroneves, champion of the 2007 ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars with pro dancer Julianne Hough, is back on the all-star DWTS show currently. His 2012 dancing partner, blond Chelsie Hightower, attended the Fontana 500 as his guest. She even had a speedy ride around Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 15 in the IZOD Indy Car two-seater driven by Mario Andretti.
> Past Indy Car Fontana 500 winners in order from 1997-2005 were: Mark Blundell, Jimmy Vasser, Adrian Fernandez, Christian Fittipaldi, Cristiano daMatta, Vasser, Sam Hornish, Jr., Fernandez, and Dario Franchitti. Ed Carpenter became the eighth different Indy Car winner at Fontana. Racing lost talented Greg Moore at the track in 1999.
> 2012 was the first year a Target-Chip Ganassi driver was not in contention for the Indy Car championship. Penske Racing last won that championship in 2006 with Hornish.
> I hope those who allegedly are intent on removing IZOD Indy Car CEO Randy Bernard get a clue soon. Get off his back. He is a mover & shaker idea man and is the right man for Indy Car. He wants to add oval tracks and increase Indy Car races to 19 in 2013. He is on the right track. The 2012 race was the best Indianapolis 500 in many years. The entire 2012 season (oval, street & road races) was the best in decades competition-wise with numerous winners and winning teams. The exciting championship battle was “the icing on the cake”. Randy is on the right track. Bring on 2013 ASAP.
VICTORY TOUR: Following his first Indy Car championship, H-R, 31, made a whirlwind tour of Manhattan with the huge silver IZOD Indy Car Championship Astor Cup. On Wed., Sept. 19, Ryan posed with his wife in his DHL/Sun Drop yellow driving uniform on the Empire State Building observation deck and a private viewing deck on the 103rd floor. Earlier, Ryan also had on-set interviews on CNN shows, on radio, appearances on four Sirius XM Radio channels, and at the Wall Street Journal before noon. He then had a Twitter chat on NBC Sports Network; interviews with Sports Illustrated, Bloomberg TV and Men's Health followed. He concluded his big New York PR junket with a late day appearance on the CBS Late Show with David Letterman. Ryan was guest # 2, following actor Nathan Lane. Ryan stated the Letterman set was about 40 degrees. He wore a brand new three-piece Tommy Hilfiger dark suit, white shirt, and blue tie; he was GQ cover material.
Ryan was on air with Letterman from 12:22-12:27 am (PDT). Dave mentioned he was the first American Indy Car champ since Sam Hornish in 2006. He mentioned that he drove for Dave and Bobby Rahal for a year and a half.(2007-08). “You can thank Bobby,” Dave joked. The host questioned how many Americans race Indy Cars now. Ryan mentioned Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, JR Hildebrand and Ed Carpenter. (add Josef Newgarden). Dave asked him about the new 2012 Dallara. Ryan replied, “I like them a lot. The narrow cockpit feels like you're riding a jet engine.” Dave asked him how fast he has run. “Close to 240 mph at Fontana in a test seven or eight years ago. I got close to four and a half Gs in the corners and pressed my face in. Don't ask me to demonstrate that.” About learning to drive so fast, Ryan said, “It is something you gain experience at by doing it. Things slow down eventually.” He added, “It hurts when you crash in these things.” Dave said late actor/racing driver Paul Newman “drove me around Fontana and tried to scare me to wet my pants. All I saw was the wall.”
RE: his championship race in Fontana, Ryan stated: “ I was second in points, 17 in back of Will. When he crashed I still had to finish. The Penske team did a great job repairing his car and then I had to finish fifth or better.” Letterman held aloft the large Astor Cup. He also showed a video of Power's turn 2 crash and said “he almost hit your car.” Dave added, “You're coming back next year with Andretti. Congratulations. Thanks for coming.” Affable Ryan replied, “Thanks for having me.” He was an excellent representative for Indy Car racing in front of the national TV audience. A day later Ryan appeared on Fox News Channel and the Golf Channel, plus more radio and print interviews before flying home to Fort Lauderdale. He hopes to repeat the Manhattan media tour following a 2013 Indianapolis 500 victory.