2 great final laps today!
- Thread starter Mafesto
- Start date
Yeah would hav e liked to see Junior pull it off but Kevin needs a win to. Beside both Weldon and Kevin have greaty looking wives. Swampy
Although I dont follow it as closely as i used to I remain a major fan of open wheel racing so to see such a class act as Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta come home with the win is amazing. These are two of the good guys in the sport.
Anybody to have seen last years post race interview with Dan Wheldon after finishing second in the National Guard/Panther Racing car would be a huge fan of Dan Wheldon. He didnt mention a word about himself or the disappointment of coming in second but all he did was go on and on about the honor of driving the National Guard car....it was great. Even the people who he beat today had nothing but good things to say about him.
Sad to see the sport is nowhere near what it used to be especially when most of it has been self inflicked and the ABC television coverage is atrocious with easily 50% of the broadcast as commercials.
What a great finish.....my heart was pounding!!!
By the way the other guys who seem to have thier chit together is the Panther Racing Team owner and his young rookie driver who drove his mangled car over the finish line to finish second....I hope these guys have a great year.
Back to the turbos for next year....cant wait.
One last thing on Wheldon....winners dont stay with losers.....thats why both Wheldon and Kanaan are no longer with Andretti Racing.
Anybody to have seen last years post race interview with Dan Wheldon after finishing second in the National Guard/Panther Racing car would be a huge fan of Dan Wheldon. He didnt mention a word about himself or the disappointment of coming in second but all he did was go on and on about the honor of driving the National Guard car....it was great. Even the people who he beat today had nothing but good things to say about him.
Sad to see the sport is nowhere near what it used to be especially when most of it has been self inflicked and the ABC television coverage is atrocious with easily 50% of the broadcast as commercials.
What a great finish.....my heart was pounding!!!
By the way the other guys who seem to have thier chit together is the Panther Racing Team owner and his young rookie driver who drove his mangled car over the finish line to finish second....I hope these guys have a great year.
Back to the turbos for next year....cant wait.
One last thing on Wheldon....winners dont stay with losers.....thats why both Wheldon and Kanaan are no longer with Andretti Racing.
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J.R. Hildebrand made is MAJOR mistake getting too cocky with lapped traffic. Earnhardt's team just rolled the dice and came up short. He gave a good post race interview as always. Class act there for sure. Chad Knaus was the one who dropped the F bomb and he is a douschbag!
Not one to offer excuses for Hildebrand and Panther Racing but I would like to know:
1.) if his spotter alerted Hildebrand to slowing traffic immediately in front of him coming into Turn 4.
2.) the speed of the car (Kimble??) that Hildebrand had to move out to avoid in Turn 4. I think the car may slowed prematurely sensing the end of the race or slowed hoping that the race leader would have passed him between Turn 3 and 4. My theory is that this car (whoever he was) did not hold his speed and presented a sudden and serious and completely unexpected obstacle to Hildebrand.
3.) if Wheldon was rapidly closing or not over the last 2 laps and, if so, did Panther Racing encourage Hildebrand to stay on the gas through Turn 4 or did Hildebrand possilbly have enough of a lead to back out of it and bring it home safely through Turn 4 and on to the finish line.
What would be shocking is if we learn that Hildebrand was told that he had a comfortable gap between he and Wheldon and to back off through Turns 3 and 4 AND that his spotter aleted him to slow traffic ahead in Turn 4.
Great race! One to remember for a long time.
I wish i could get a commercial free HD disk of the race dubbed over with a quality radio broadcast. That would be amazing.
I am still amazed the Hildebrand has the pressence of mind to drive his demolished car home to 2nd place after a major hit.
1.) if his spotter alerted Hildebrand to slowing traffic immediately in front of him coming into Turn 4.
2.) the speed of the car (Kimble??) that Hildebrand had to move out to avoid in Turn 4. I think the car may slowed prematurely sensing the end of the race or slowed hoping that the race leader would have passed him between Turn 3 and 4. My theory is that this car (whoever he was) did not hold his speed and presented a sudden and serious and completely unexpected obstacle to Hildebrand.
3.) if Wheldon was rapidly closing or not over the last 2 laps and, if so, did Panther Racing encourage Hildebrand to stay on the gas through Turn 4 or did Hildebrand possilbly have enough of a lead to back out of it and bring it home safely through Turn 4 and on to the finish line.
What would be shocking is if we learn that Hildebrand was told that he had a comfortable gap between he and Wheldon and to back off through Turns 3 and 4 AND that his spotter aleted him to slow traffic ahead in Turn 4.
Great race! One to remember for a long time.
I wish i could get a commercial free HD disk of the race dubbed over with a quality radio broadcast. That would be amazing.
I am still amazed the Hildebrand has the pressence of mind to drive his demolished car home to 2nd place after a major hit.
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Good points. Just going by what JR had to say after the race....."I guess that's why rookies don't win these things much" leads me to believe he knew all of the dynamics of the finish. It certainly would be interesting to know all of the communication going on in that last lap. He was pretty cool at the post race interview.
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