Can anyone elaborate on why we can't seem to get back to the side by side we had for many years in the IRL? Why can't the engineers or the League figure out what they were doing back then and bring it back? I'm not trying to be a whiner, I still think there's some decent racing going on, however, it was more exciting prior to last year. What's going on? Enlighten me, please!
Kansas just doesn't seem to produce it anymore for some reason.
I'd say this was the same package that did well at KY and Chicgoland and those were fantastic races.
Those were great races. Let's hope we can get back to that. It sure would be nice to have one of those on ABC so people can see what's going on outside of Indy from time to time.
One thing I remember about that side by side racing we used to have. Nobody, I mean nobody, could pass the leader for the lead. Remember that?
Ganassi ruins everything as usual.
Not surprising that ratings have tanked since they joined the IRL.
What Kansas was 5 years ago:
side by side racing
faster cars
sunny, warm days
big crowds
Warm????Originally Posted by jkg
Warm????
Hotter than Hell would probably be more accurate. Funny that they move to April/May and get the other extreme.
Center Grove Trojans
2008 5A Football State Champs
2011 Track State Champs
Fair enough, but hotter than hell is far is a heck of lot better for drawing crowds than cold dreary days. Kansas in late April / early May is a horrible decision. Saturday afternoon races are dumb too. The Saturday afternoon debacle was the death knell for Phoenix and probably will be for Kansas too.
Side by side racing has never been exciting. It's just scary. It's an I-hope-nobody-gets-hurt "excitement". Oval races can be very spectacular, but side-by-side racing doesn't belong to open wheel racing. If you want it, watch NASCAR...
There was a good amount of side by side racing. It's not like it was a single file race like last year's Kansas. 2-6 seemed to have someone side by side most of the race. With that said, for whatever reason, Kansas doesn't seem to provide the racing like a Kentucky or Chicago does.
Why not?
Uh... pretty sure I saw lots of side by side racing today. I really don't think the field was any more spread out than they were at Kentucky last year. Perhaps what you're referring to is pack racing?
I think Kansas used to be more of a pack racing track, but they used to run stickier tire compounds back then, and the track was newer too. Every year after a track gets built there's going to be less grip than the year before. Although, this year they brought stickier tires, I think. The weather was different back then too. The races since they moved the date have had windy conditions. I imagine it's pretty hairy running with someone on your right, lap after lap, when an unpredictable blast of wind can take you up the track without warning.
But, again, people were going side by side all over the place today. Long stints spread the field, but there was still racing going on even then. I thought the coverage of the race was pretty good in terms of the camera work. Not great, but better than last year at Texas, for instance. There were four yellows/restarts. There were green flag stops. The last caution (Mutoh, Sato) was a real drag though. Spoiled the end of the race.
Overall, I thought the race was kind of blah. Not really sure why. It just didn't get me going. Probably just the fact that Dixon led so many laps with a big lead. I did end up enjoying RHR's drive. He did a great job of keeping himself in the points. Now all he needs is ride after Texas.
My guardian angel, she wears a hard hat.
And if you don't want to watch it don't. The problem started when the IRL adopted r/s races, and Barnhart started telling the drivers to "Get in line" I heard that on the scanner at several races. Then he stared changing the package to "break up the packs." Since then it has gone down hill. I remember when we had close racing and there was passing at the front. Watch a Texas race from the 99-02 era. The fans loved it. We saw today what the fans think of the current oval package.
Possibly that a Saturday day race is not what they want?
Up the power to 700hp and mandate a higher rear wing AOA to control speed and they'll form up like NASCAR at Daytona. I don't think that was great racing when everyone ran in a pack and the danger of having 25 open wheel cars running in a giant wolf pack is something we don't need.
The real question is why Ganassi killed the field today. Everyone else was in a lower class today.
To me, the real question is whether or not this will mark the second year in a row when the road and street courses outshine the ovals for entertainment value? I wouldn't bet against it if this is a true indication.
No man can cause more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors. - William Faulker
Because if there is side by side racing, people might just find it entertaining and that would cause those who want no ovals outside of Indy on the schedule to own up to their agenda's of hating ovals.
Only those who agree with our "vision" are allowed to speak their opinions. All others will be silenced.
Why do you need side by side racing when you have side by side coverage every 8 laps on ABC?
Find a serious post on Trackforum where someone advocates for no ovals outside of Indy.
O-Qua Tangin Wann
Qua Omsa Lagee Wann
TCG ruined the race....beyond Dixon the racing was side by side
Whatever. If you don't have drivers who can drive that way lap after lap......
On the Internet, as in life, there is no Shortage of Information, but Wisdom is a Valued Commodity. Spelling101, free and easy to use
Along with no side-by-side as in the past and foreigners a plenty. Add to that the likelihood of 2, if nothing goes wrong, teams having a legit chance at winning. Whoopty do.
The whiners complained because the season started with four street/road races. Now they complain because they didn't get exactly the kind of oval race they wanted. The problem is easy to see. Look in the mirror, whiners.
What can I say? Welcome to Kansas!!
Seriously--if tomorrow there were no more books, movies, TV or (gasp) Internet, we'd still have all the entertainment we need in Kansas just watching the weather. (And lots of folks do. It's the only thing keeping some small town radio stations alive out here...)
Historically, we rarely saw the kind of constant side-by-side racing that we saw at times in the IRL. We didn't see it all that much in the IRL, except when everyone was figuring out the "new" specs.
I suspect we don't see it so much, and it keeps "going away", because side-by-side isn't the fastest way around or the best way to win races.
I find racing, and these races, very exciting and interesting, anyway. But then, I guess I always have, since I started when I was six and was at least 40 when I first saw the non-stop s-b-sI guess I just look for other things. I do appreciate the side-by-side stuff, but just maybe more on the level of appreciating it as a rare thing.
I don't appreciate contrived, forced stuff, just as I didn't enjoy the handford device race at Michigan, with 950,000 lead changes so much, even though MA & JPM did most of the changing
I don't harp on race control for not manufacturing s-b-s at every different venue year after year because I understand that that would be ridiculously contrived.
IMO.
I still enjoy the world's fastest open wheel oval races. How could ya not?
Last edited by Turn13; 05-01-2010 at 09:53 PM.
"Each day well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this one day for it, and it alone, is life"
~ Sanskrit poem attributed to Kalidasa, "Salutation to the Dawn"
Brian's Wish
Quit making sense T13. I think it might get you banned (or at leasted shunned by the members here)
Life's too short to worry/Life's too long to wait
Too short not to love everybody/Life's too long to hate
"There are a number of very knowledgeable and entertaining race fans here. There are also a number of morons. Your job is to figure out which is which." - Rev-Ed
Ganassi didn't ruin the race. Everyone else stunk. Don't blame the achievers for some one else's poor performance.
Yay!
All side by side racing means is that you can't complete a pass.... no thanks.
The real problem is the dominance of two teams... but that can largely be explained by the fact that they have been racing this chassis longer than almost anyone. Too long, really. (A lot more $ doesn't hurt either.)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks