Monday, May 26, 2014

A tight Indy 500 finish follows red flag

From where I sit it looks like IndyCar is taking a tentative step towards the edge...



via usatoday.com

It should be first pointed out that throwing a red flag due to a crash isn't new. The horrific crash of Swede Savage comes quickly to mind. Although in 1973, the track was almost blocked and the severity of the crash was fully apparent. This crash was clearly not serious and the track was damaged; however cars could have continued rolling and it would have meant the race finished under caution. Certainly not the optimal result. I can see both sides of this issue. At the very least IndyCar managed to avoid the dangerous NASCAR idea of extending the race distance in a vainglorious attempt give fans a green flag finish, or to wreck more cars, it's hard to tell which. That being said if a race ends under caution, it ends under caution. It's that simple. This juvenile attempt to placate part-time fans is quite needless. Somehow a thrilling 470-or-so miles isn't enough to create a fan? Not every race is going to be decided by inches. That's the reality of racing. In fact these forced finishes are just as likely to crate carnage as they are to stage a perfect ending.

At least that's how I see it, and I sit in the cheap seats.

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