Yup. Is Mirkwood the old bald guy?
They should rename this "The Yellow Flag GP of Nashville". I guess the last car still running will win.
Crazy race. Mega Dixie . . . Yeah, this race has to be tremendously expensive with all of the damage to the equipment.
Homemade Banjo? (Think "Deliverance". ) "Music City" -- Music to crash by. Half the grid didn't finish. Looking for C&W crash songs, I noticed that Thomas Rhett's "Crash and Burn" video opening scene appears to be the Veteran's Bridge we see in the Indycar race.
The event didn't look very well attended. A friend lives within walking distance of the circuit reported during the weather delay, “Monsoons, sideways sheets of rain, thunder, lightning, power out. We were going to walk over there but...” so sounds like a wing-ding of a storm came through. She reported last year that their vantage point was compromised due to trees being between their spot and the track and so I watched for this and, yes, can see where spectator sight lines are blocked by trees. Even though it was reported that there were improvements to the track, mainly the transitions going on to and off of the bridge, the rest of the circuit is a joke. There are sections where it seems the circuit could just as easily go straight on but instead chicanes are added, it all comes off as very Mickey Mouse. Nashville's reputation as a charming party town is well-known and the announcers sure did their part to sell this aspect. Even with all this, the grandstands looked to be at half-capacity but from the aerial views, the bars looked full. Nashville seems to be a novelty venue. But, weather issues and the ensuing crash-fest certainly takes off some of the edge. That said, great that Dixon won and has made the championship more intriguing. BHW
it wasn't a sellout but I have a feeling a lot of people left during the storm and didn't return. why sanctioning bodies continue to post start times mid afternoon during time of year when mid afternoon thunderstorms are likely are beyond me (looking at you too, NASCAR). start this race at noon or 1pm, and they would have gotten most done during their major network window. let the support series close out the day. I like being in Nashville, I think it's good for the series but they need to do something with this track layout. doing a U-turn on the downtown side of the bridge and eliminating turns 4-8 would be a good start. Using the restart area before T9 as the official start/finish would help too. and getting rid of, or opening up, the T1/T2 chicane as well, mainly to keep pit exit from dumping onto the exit of a corner. I think if they don't make big changes to the layout and promote those changes hard, you won't see much of a crowd next year. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Newgarden defiant regarding tangle with Grosjean. https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/newgarden-unrepentant-over-grosjean-clash-power-happy-to-survive/10350372/
that was a highly optimistic move and Newgarden is lucky to have escaped unscathed from it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Race beginners book chapter one page one; thou shalt not ruin the race of the guy in front, you are responsible for your move. I did that mistake once at a small kart race in 1985, the other guy, my victim, was very restrained and dignified in how he reacted which made me feel very small and stupid; I really learned that lesson and never did it again in karts or single seaters. Newgarden obviously did not learn, he also shoved Pagenaud out of the lead on an oval a few years ago, way out of line and if that wasn't bad enough it was with a teammate.
Kind of looks like the Big Dipper in reverse. Marshall Pruett on events at Nashville. The big winner was Dallara (again). https://racer.com/2022/08/08/pruetts-cooldown-lap-nashville-edition/ BHW
The Rahal team extends the contract of impressive rookie Christian Lundgaard. https://racer.com/2022/08/16/rll-extends-lundgaard-deal/?fbclid=IwAR0xLaHf8WsBscczDGHermZxhYDgO8xQNCYF51TfTnP7cQzvEaQcIE1aWjk
IndyCar at Gateway weekend schedule. The race is Saturday evening on USA Network at 5pm EDT. https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/indycar-at-gateway-start-time-how-to-watch-entry-list-more/10354108/
