Indy 500 postscript

Montoya and Power put on quite a show

I doubt this was by design. However, if there was ever a better example of foreshadowing what lay immediately ahead than IMS chairman Mari Hulman George rather awkwardly rebuffing her daughter Nancy's assist to help complete another of her customary prolonged commands to start engines, I certainly don't remember it.

Shortly after Mrs. George's less than smooth command, A.J. Foyt Racing's Alex Tagliani would fail to start. By the end of the third pace lap the #43 Honda of Conor Daly was on fire, and the Noblesville, IN native out of the Indianapolis 500.

When the race began, Takuma Sato and Sage Karam came together forcing Karam out of the race, and Sato to the pits for repairs. Ryan Briscoe would also be caught up in the Sato/Karam mess. And when the field was getting ready to go back to green on lap 7? Simona de Silvestro ran into the back of Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya would drop to 30th position. And anyone who thought this might not exactly be a memorable day, had well, good reason.

However, like the race itself, Montoya, and to a lesser extent others like Sato and Briscoe would not allow an inauspicious start to define them. Yes, there would be some more mishaps along the way, including a few accidents on pit road. But let it be known that slow, clumsy, and awkward as it may have been, the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 did eventually roar to life.

Early going

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]In many ways, the race went just as expected. Chevrolet was the dominant engine/aero package, and more specifically Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing the dominant teams. This absolutely played out in the early going with Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan and Penske's Pagenaud establishing themselves as the pace setters with perhaps Dixon the favorite.

Meanwhile Montoya was methodically making his way through the field. Due to pit stops, the Colombian actually led laps 39-42. However, a more accurate reflection of Montoya's movement through the field is that he was 8th By lap 70, and regularly in the top-10.

Although it should be noted…

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]On his second pit stop (lap 41) Montoya ran over an air hose. INDYCAR Race Control chose to issue a warning, and Montoya was fined $500 Wednesday for violating rule 7.10.1.6. INDYCAR chose a similar method of not enforcing in-race penalties for in-race violations by cars 98, 4 and 19, as well.

Now, I strongly disagree with the procedure of not imposing racing violations during the course of the race. With the specific example of Montoya, you had a violation that is clearly a matter of safety, which can and should be administered during the race. This would be similar to the Castroneves GP of Indy penalty, which the series had 82 laps to administer a penalty, yet chose to take away points from the Brazilian 4 days later. Should competitors who fail to adhere to the rules of competition not be penalized within the framework of competition.

Whatever the case, INDYCAR chose the manner of enforcement outlined above with the penalties, which if you read the rule book they have the ability to do. And I can't say INDYCAR wasn't consistent administering punitive measures with Montoya relative to others during the weekend. I just think the way they went about it was flawed.

Of course…

You know what happened. Montoya made his way to the front by the closing laps, and joined Dixon, Will Power, and Charlie Kimball in a final shootout for the win. On lap 188, Power got around Dixon for the lead, which set the stage for a Team Penske shootout for the win. Montoya passed Power on lap 197, and led to the checkered flag winning his second Indianapolis 500.

And before getting into Montoya, one thing that certainly stood out was the quality of driving at the front of the field during the course of the day. Pagenaud, Dixon, Kanaan, Montoya, Power, etc. traded the lead back and forth multiple times (Penske and Ganassi drivers led 191 of the 200 laps). However, the racing was very clean, as drivers sliced and diced at 225 miles per hour, passing inside and outside, with Montoya ultimately emerging.

JPM

Juan Montoya

Montoya’s Indianapolis 500 record now sits at an impressive two wins, three top-5s, and 192 laps led in three races. However, when it comes to his career and his place in not only Indy Car but racing history, Montoya’s win Sunday probably creates more questions than it does answers.

The Colombian of course stormed on the CART scene in 1999 winning 7 races and the series championship. And it wasn’t so much the fact Montoya was so dominant, rather the irreverent who gives a f***manner in which he dominated that left the biggest impression. He brought that attitude to Indy in 2000 during the height of the CART-IRL war not the least bit awed by the Speedway’s history. To Montoya, all four corners at the famed Brickyard were the same, and despite the warnings to get his ego in line by veterans such as Al Unser, Jr. Montoya dusted everyone on race day, leading 167 of 200.

Of course, the inevitability then was that the grossly talented Colombian would be plying his trade at Monza, Monaco and Silverstone before long. Montoya bolted for Formula One in 2001, where he would remain until 2006. In displaying the same bravado he showed in IndyCar, Montoya won 7 Grand Prix before making a rather unconventional move to Ganassi’s NASCAR operation in 2007.

While it’s probably unfair to call Montoya’s time in NASCAR a failure, it certainly is something of a blight on his resume. Granted, Ganassi’s NASCAR operation has never been the equal of his IndyCar team. And although, he won two races and even made The Chase in 2009, Montoya never established himself as a regular contender in NASCAR.

By 2013, having not won in three seasons, an out-of-shape ever-growing more despondent Montoya had seemingly worn out his welcome in NASCAR. In August of that year, it was announced he would not be renewed at Ganassi for 2014.

Out of Nowhere

It was generally assumed that Montoya would find something in NASCAR. He spoke with Furniture Row Racing, and even flirted with Andretti Autosport about an IndyCar ride. However, in mid-September it was announced Montoya would be piloting a third Penske IndyCar entry for the 2014 season.

To presume a successful return to Indy Car racing for Montoya, 39, was a sure thing would be incorrect. There were questions about his conditioning and his desire after a run of less-than-impressive years in NASCAR.

Fast forward to Sunday, and Montoya now sits with 14 Indy car wins in 65 career starts and two Indy 500 victories to go along with his successes in Formula One and NASCAR. While there are clearly racing contemporaries who have amassed a greater volume of success than Montoya, there is no one in this era with anything coming close to approaching his diversity.

And like I said, his win Sunday probably elicits more questions than answers regarding Montoya’s accomplishments. But what we seem to know after Sunday, is that for now, the book on the Colombian’s career is still very much being written.

Looking Ahead

We all know that next year will be the Centennial running of the Indianapolis 500. It will be a welcome time in which to reflect upon the history (both good and bad) of this great sport and its marquee event. And I have no doubt the Centennial running will generate national and international interest we’ve not seen given to the sport in recent years. Great!

But my concern is not what will happen at the 100^th Indianapolis 500. My concern is what will the 101^st Indianapolis 500 look like?

A Few Notes

I heard some complaints from others at the Speedway. But from my experience the infamous Yellow Shirts at Indy, were much less unpleasant this past year.
Regarding the practice and qualifying leading up to the 500, I told one team member who asked that I didn’t make those weekends. His reply was “you didn’t miss much; it’s not like anyone else was here."
Talking to a few people at IMS, I got the sense that Honda’s problems are worse than they appear (and they were bad during May). It’s a directionless group of teams and drivers right now, who are scratching their heads, and don’t seem to be getting any answers.
The ABC 500 broadcast was by no means as embarrassing as the GP of Indy. And by the low standards I have for ABC it was probably half-decent. While I think Allen Bestwick does a fine job, neither Eddie Cheever nor Scott Goodyear bring a lick of passion. And it’s not like this is anything new, as both have been on the broadcast for years. For the sake of the IndyCar Series potentially engaging a broader audience I hope someone in Bristol notices and this weekend’s races in Detroit are the last we see of Cheever and Goodyear.
For the third straight race Graham Rahal was the best Honda finisher. I spoke with one member of another Honda team, who told me Rahal is by far the best hope Honda has of challenging the Chevy teams right now.

See related article "The Indy 500 was too good to not do it again"

Brian Carroccio is a senior motorsports columnist for AutoRacing1. He can be contacted at BrianC@AutoRacing1.com.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]