By Aaron Bearden
Between my daily racing newsletter, weekly written pieces and the countless hours I spend each week watching, reading, listening and discussing the various racing tours around the world, I wager I may follow and interact with more of the motorsports industry than just about anyone else in media circles.
At times that works to my detriment. It keeps me from being a stalwart of any one particular series or discipline. I don’t immediately gain the niche followers of certain tours like other media members, and occasionally it keeps me from being part of the “in” crowd that gets told of certain circumstances, events or opportunities.
But while it does cost me certain benefits, my position in the industry gives me a unique perspective that offers me a fresh look at the actions within each discipline.
In an effort to share that perspective with the greater racing world, I’ve elected to launch a weekly column to run each Wednesday here at Motorsports Beat.
The name reflects who I am – a longtime fan and observer that’s gained a platform by equal parts luck and effort.
Topics and length will vary each week depending on the news of the moment. One week may be strictly focused on NASCAR, while another may delve into sprint cars, Formula E, drag racing or any other discipline.
This is a column centered on the overall industry, for fans of the industry at large. Each week you’ll get a taste of my observations from the sport, backed with statistics and outside sources where possible.
Let’s dive right in.
After months of hype and anticipation, NASCAR’s new 550-hp rules package was on display for all the (racing) world to see on Sunday. For 400.5 miles, we were treated to a showcase of the package’s initial strengths and weaknesses.
The race itself wasn’t bad – a clean affair with comers and goers, pit strategy and a dramatic conclusion courtesy of Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.
By all accounts the event was an entertaining affair.
But it fell short of expectation.
Why? Perhaps because our expectations were too high to begin with.
NASCAR entered the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with equal parts eagerness and trepidation. Six seasons removed from the launch of the Gen-6 cars, the sanctioning body was set to try something entirely new and different this year.
In an effort to bring cars closer together and encourage passing, NASCAR unveiled plans to implement a new rules package this season. Cars would be reduced to 550 mph and see the introduction of a .922-inch tapered spacer, a larger rear-spoiler and aero ducts for use on most tracks.
The plan behind the changes was simple. By slowing the cars down NASCAR was essentially allowing drivers to run wide-open for the majority of each lap. With the massive rear spoiler and aero ducts came a large hole punched in the air, promoting drafting on most tracks in an effort for the trailing car to close up on, and ultimately slingshot past their competitor.
Opinions on the package were mixed before it even saw a lap. Drivers collectively bit their tongues, but many in the industry lamented the loss of braking and throttle management. Others looked to the package as an opportunity for a vastly-improved product, dreaming of races with a large number of passes and lead changes in the draft.
The initial test of the package at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in January showed promising signs, so by the time the real race in Las Vegas came the hype and anticipation had built to a fevered pitch.
Viewers expected a game-changer. They pictured side-drafting, heavy passing and, dare I say it, pack racing.
What they got instead was a race that looked standard, if above average.
There were things to celebrate – a record number of green-flag passes and lead changes, and an intense battle to the finish after a 100-lap green flag run among them. But mixed with the positives was a race with fewer overall lead changes and seemingly less drama than last fall’s playoff race with the old package.
Restarts were thrilling, but they were also rare. The lone cautions during Sunday’s race came on Laps 80 and 160, a pre-planned stoppage at the end of the race’s first two stages.
There was no door-slamming, save for an early run-in between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Erik Jones. The most dramatic contact came on pit road, where the hands of two crew members touching the ground led to penalties for 2014 Rookie of the Year contenders Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson.
No one spun either, though a few drivers did have close calls along the way. The massive hole each car punches in the air led to ill-handling machines in the pack, trapping many drivers with otherwise competitive cars in the midpack. But the slower speeds and lack of braking seemingly made them easier to drive otherwise.
The biggest positive came in the way of pit strategy. Even with the lengthy green-flag runs, the presence of stages and importance of track position saw drivers like Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and William Byron try unique strategies in an effort to gain ground.
Keselowski took two tires on an early round of stops to move up the field. Busch long-pitted both Stage 2 and the final stage in order to avoid pit road during the Stage 2 break and inherit the lead. Both drivers profited from the moves with top-five results.
Byron’s strategy didn’t work out as well, but crew chief Chad Knaus pitted the sophomore for a splash of fuel to try to score stage points in Stage 2. He ultimately fell just short, dropping out of the top 10 in the final laps.
Passing proved difficult, with many drivers claiming they had to run the opposite lane of the car in front of them to get out of their aero wash and attempt an overtake. Remember those two drivers that were penalized early in the race? Larson took all day to rebound to 12th. Dillon never recovered, slotting in 20th at race’s end.
One driver proved that passing can be done, though. Kyle Busch overcame a speeding penalty from the lead to march through the field, rising inside of the top five with the laps winding down.
Had a caution flown, the Nevadan likely could have contended for the win. He was up to third when the checkered flag flew.
Like any standard product launch, there were both positives and clear opportunities for improvement to take from Las Vegas.
That probably should have been anticipated. Few debuts are overwhelming successes from the start. Even the first iPhone had initial issues and sold “just” 1.4 million units in 2007 before marching up to sales figures of 200+ million in recent years.
As someone that prefers low downforce and high speeds, the new NASCAR rules package will likely never be my personal favorite. But its initial race was far from a dud, and there’s still a chance that the package could provide highly entertaining races in the future – particularly given the varied types of race tracks on the Cup Series schedule.
A reader shouldn’t write off — or overwhelmingly endorse — a book based on the opening chapter. And so we shouldn’t be overly critical or positive about the full 2019 rules package based on one race.
This package isn’t going away any time soon, so the onus is on each of us to have patience and give it a few races before allowing it to fully sway our opinion.
Buckle down, NASCAR fans. This package is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Of course if you want to see something different, the start of another tour’s season is on the horizon…
After an offseason that felt like an eternity, the NTT IndyCar Series is set to roar to life this weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In typical IndyCar fashion, it’s difficult to make any predictions entering the year. But the tour seems poised for a fresh feel this season.
Scott Dixon is back for another season with Chip Ganassi Racing, and the veteran is on the hunt for his first repeat title. Given his spectacular resume, Dixon would figure to be a safe pick for the 2019 championship. But he’s poised to face stiff competition from a host of talented competitors.
Chief among Dixon’s challengers is the Team Penske trio of Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Each of the teammates is a previous champion – Pagenaud and Newgarden each won in their debut seasons with the Captain in 2016 and ’17, respectively, while Power’s lone championship came in 2014.
Bolstered by a new “All Andretti” slogan, Andretti Autosport has a pair of drivers that figure to be strong title threats.
Former F1 competitor Alexander Rossi has improved in each of his three seasons, proving his clutch-and-coasted Indy 500 win in 2016 was no fluke and serving as Dixon’s fiercest rival in 2018. He figures to be among the favorites to claim the title if the team’s cars have the necessary pace.
Ryan Hunter-Reay endured two winless seasons in 2016 and ’17, but bounced back in 2018 with two wins and a fourth-place finish in the championship. The Floridian was right in the midst of the championship battle leaving Belle Isle in June, but faded late. If he can find consistency, the 2012 champion could claim a second title at year’s end.
The team’s other two drivers hope to prove themselves. Zack Veach wants to breakout after a quiet rookie campaign, and Marco Andretti is seeking to live up to the Andretti name after his seventh-consecutive winless season. He’ll be the lone Andretti with an opportunity to win the Indy 500 on the 50th anniversary of grandfather Mario Andretti’s lone triumph in the event.
The Rookie of the Year battle promises to entertain, with a pair of fast Swedes challenging with top teams in CGR’s Felix Rosenqvist and Schmidt Peterson Motorsport’s Marcus Ericsson. They’ll battle with Harding Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta for the award.
Though he won’t run the full schedule as intended, defending Indy Lights champion Patricio O’Ward also has the potential to turn heads in what starts he does make after scoring a ninth-place finish in his debut.
The IndyCar field will visit two new locales in 2019 – one for the first time, and the other in a return to a classic venue. First comes a trip to familiar F1 track Circuit of the Americas later this month. The latter won’t arrive until the end of the season, when IndyCar travels to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Sega.
IndyCar’s 2019 schedule will benefit from being its first in years with one consistent TV partner. NBC Sports Group will broadcast every event between its NBC and NBCSN channels, and it will offer an INDYCAR Gold package that features practice and qualifying for the tour, along with Indy Lights broadcasts for fans of the Road to Indy. The series has also reached an international TV broadcast deal for fans overseas.
While many other sectors or motorsport have seen their entry lists constrict, new teams are slowly popping up in the IndyCar field. DragonSpeed completed its first test laps earlier this week with driver Ben Hanley, while dirt track team Clauson Marshall Racing is planning an Indy 500 entry with Pippa Mann.
Positives aside, there are a few lingering questions entering the season.
The true value of the championship’s Road to Indy ladder system has come under question with the leave of longtime sponsor Mazda, recent struggles with car counts in Indy Lights and the financial difficulties and lost ride of series champion O’Ward.
Safety also continues to be a chief concern of INDYCAR officials, particularly after Robert Wickens’ harrowing crash last season at Pocono Raceway. Wickens will be present at St. Pete, but only as a spectator as he continues on the lengthy road to recovery.
The tour is steadily researching features to improve the safety of the sport, with a new debris deflector expected to be implemented later this year. But progress is often slow, leading to criticism from others like former F1 competitor Felipe Massa, who endorsed F1’s recently-launched Halo safety device.
Most important to IndyCar, as always, is the upcoming Month of May.
Last year’s ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ was a tame one compared to recent years, but still provided an entertaining event in front of another massive crowd. That followed the previous week’s qualifying, which finally saw the return of Bump Day after topping 33 entries.
The 2019 edition is already beginning to build in hype, with Fernando Alonso returning with McLaren to chase the Triple Crown of Motorsport. Ticket sales are reportedly matching last year’s event thus far, and a host of entries have begun to flow in over the past few months. The tour will account for this with an altered qualifying format this May, allowing for both pole qualifying and bumping on the Sunday of qualifying weekend.
When it comes to ratings, IndyCar is often still dwarfed by NASCAR – outside of the Indy 500, at least. Barring a sharp drop in ratings for NASCAR, that’s likely to continue in the near future.
But for fans disgruntled by NASCAR’s shift to less power, IndyCar may provide a refreshing option. INDYCAR officials claimed last may that the open wheel series will head in the opposite direction in 2021, adding upwards of 100 horsepower with an increased engine formula.
The two tours have always had differences, but currently they seem to be heading in opposite directions in philosophy. Neither direction is necessarily “wrong” or “right,” but with both occurring at the same time NASCAR and IndyCar should provide two unique, interesting viewing options for American race fans.
So if you’re a passionate NASCAR fan hopeful for the future – keep that hope. If you’re feeling discouraged, give it a few more races before making any decisions on it.
But if you want to try something altogether different, consider giving IndyCar a chance when the tour gets underway this weekend in St. Petersburg.
