I'm not Kevin Mc or Greg C, but here's my Indy observations: I watched Indy... Boy did I watch it... Greg C had gotten me wired in to watching ALL of the practice, qualifying, carb day, pitstop challenge.... and I watched it all thanks to it being on Peacock and available whenever I had time to watch. On raceday, I watched the pre-race and all of this year's race, although I have to admit that I fast forwarded whenever Danica was being featured (I can't explain it... I just don't like listening to her and I can think of 100 former Indycar racers that I'd rather listen to.) I really enjoyed watching the race. I thought the coverage was great, but two things I didn't like: The first is the wheel and possibly part of an axle that through an absolute miracle, missed going into the crowd by what looked like less than 20'. You can't protect against everything, but hopefully the current tether system they have can be improved (?) or the height of the catch fence (?) increased. Like I said, you can't protect against every situation, but I'm sure there is something that can be learned from reviewing the incident, and hopefully some improvement will be made. (I've sat in the section that was just missed (Southwest Vista I think it's called.) I was sitting there when Sullivan did his spin and later went on to win.) The other thing that I didn't like was the last red flag. Nobody was on their roof... The track was not blocked... And in the probably 20+ hours of TV coverage starting a few weeks ago, that I have been a student of, the commentators (Lee Diffy, James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Dave Burns, Dillon Welch...and you can add Mike Terico, Dale Jr and Steve DeHart, discussed almost every scenario of cars/drivers/track rules, etc., some numerous times... but you know what was never mentioned? Nobody every mentioned that if a yellow flag situation occurred late in the race (or more specifically, as late as lap 196, meaning that as the leaders came back around and drove slowly through the area of the accident, and then crossed the starter's stand under yellow, (which would then be "3 to go"), that they would then go around, only to then be directed to the pits... where a red flag would be given..., and then more surprising (or more ridiculous depending on your outlook) is the cars would actually then would roll off pit lane, getting the two to go sign as they were rolling through the pits... and would then get the green and white the next time around. My question is, when was that decided? Sure it made for a more dramatic finish for those who don't give a rat's ass about tradition, and maybe it provided enough excitement for those who do consider themselves as traditionalists to look the other way just this once, but for me, it was a definite Jump the Shark moment, which is something I hoped I'd never see when it comes to the Indianapolis 500. It was a cheap, desperate, over the top Nascar influenced move. Most of all, it was disappointing. I would be less disappointed if the scenario had been discussed any time before it happened as even a possibility (unnecessary red, followed by taking the two to go from pit lane, followed by the white and green next time around), regardless of how unlikely the scenario may have seemed. I would also be less disappointed if it was something that was in writing, and had been shared with the competitors, the raceteams, and the media prior to the start of the event. From where I sit, and from all the TV coverage I absorbed throughout the entire month of May... and from the way the commentators reacted, I don't think it did exist in writing/was shared in advance with anyone. An amazing month of May at Indy... With the tradition, the respect to history, and the integrity that I've always felt that the Indianapolis 500 deserves... Until lap 197. Lucky Dog?.... An Indycar "Chase?".... What's next?.... Maybe they can book Cypress Hill to sing Back Home Again in Indiana in 2024 in Nascar hasn't booked them already for Charlotte.
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