THERMAL, Calif. – After the ultimate checkered flag had fallen to shut Alex Palou’s dominant weekend at The Thermal Membership’s $1 Million Problem, IndyCar drivers and crew house owners remained blended on the legitimacy and success of a prolonged take a look at and race weekend that handed out a number of sizable checks however paid no factors.
Predictably, opinions have been largely left break up between those that achieved main paydays — $500,000 for Palou and CGR, $350,000 for runner-up Scott McLaughlin and Workforce Penske and $250,000 for Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing – and people shouldered with hefty restore payments and 0 factors for his or her troubles.
Opinions of a dozen paddock members IndyStar spoke with post-race on the observe, format and IndyCar’s first non-points race since 2008 ranged from calling it a largely profitable experiment, to one thing drivers and groups might contemplate boycotting if it’s introduced again in 2025.
“For us, it didn’t go too nicely. I might’ve simply as quickly not participated within the race portion, however the testing was helpful,” driver-owner Ed Carpenter informed IndyStar. “We’ll see what the decision is from the precise (TV) viewers on if it was impactful or not.
“Ideally, if it’s going to be a race, it must be an precise race. Factors, all of the automobiles, full distance, in any other case it feels a little bit gimmicky.”
However aren’t occasional gimmicks – Formulation 1 dash races, the NBA’s All-Star abilities problem and NASCAR’s All-Star race and revamped Conflict, to call a number of – exactly what a number of sports activities are discovering helps appeal to new viewers and clean up some, at occasions, boring competitors?
“Then I believe, at minimal, it must be more cash for individuals who make the ultimate spherical,” Carpenter continued. “And possibly a much bigger pot altogether. Have a look at (Sixth-place Linus Lundqvist and CGR); they bought the identical reward as us, and we bought crashed out on Lap 1 of the warmth.”
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An exhibition that started with carnage
The pair of $23,000 paydays ECR’s No. 20 and 21 Chevys took dwelling will seemingly take solely a good chunk out of the crash invoice associated to Rinus VeeKay’s machine being pile-drived by a skidding Romain Grosjean seconds after the inexperienced flag in Warmth 1 – marking the most important ‘wow’ second within the 38 laps turned Sunday morning. Maybe simply as stunning was that six-time sequence champ Scott Dixon was the instigator, having misjudged how Grosjean would play the jam-packed entry into Flip 1 whereas the entire 14-car warmth subject had push-to-pass at their disposal.
Although the idea there can be no passing on the Membership’s 3.067-mile everlasting street course was disproven all through the day, Grosjean wasn’t in any respect stunned the primary of 646 activates the day led to chaos. It did, although, solely inflame his frustrations that racing motion airing on an NBC community TV window didn’t have any factors on the road.
“Who’s going to pay for the injury?” he questioned, emphatically. “We didn’t do something flawed, and we bought completely destroyed.
“We come right here with no factors on the road and do nothing flawed, and the automotive is totally smashed. I don’t know, however that’s not what I signed up for.”
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‘Not eventful, not thrilling’
With the times of VeeKay and Grosjean over in a blink, and Dixon’s all-but ended after a drive-thru penalty for avoidable contact, the highlights of the remainder of IndyCar’s exhibition included mild-mannered spotlight moments centered across the three Arrow McLaren teammates dueling for a single advancing spot in Warmth 2, Alexander Rossi’s wheel-banging with Josef Newgarden in the principle occasion and Colton Herta’s launch from the back-half of the grid over the closing 10 laps with strategic – however authorized – gaming of the system in preserving his tires by working the primary half of the ultimate simply quick sufficient to easily not get lapped.
Herta ran 12 seconds slower than the leaders on Lap 1 of 10 earlier than the principle occasion’s halftime stoppage, a method that had been whispered about for days. However it match proper throughout the guidelines, which referred to as for a 10-lap stint, a halftime the place groups may refuel however not change tires after which a closing 10-lap dash to the end. With gas not a problem, tire life can be a prized possession, and with no distinction between trundling round in 12th or staying forward of the chief, the decision to best-position Herta for a top-half end was apparent.
Whether or not it made for entertaining tv – as principally the whole back-half of the principle occasion’s 12 automobiles adopted go well with – was a wholly totally different story. The time period “snooze fest,” first utilized by Andretti driver Marcus Ericsson, amongst these IndyStar spoke with post-race, proved fashionable.
“That was not eventful. It was not thrilling,” Pato O’Ward informed IndyStar, as he sat amongst his teammates and Arrow McLaren sporting director Tony Kanaan, because the group pow-wowed concerning the occasion’s questionable success. “Are you able to think about Flip 1 with 27 automobiles? That may’ve been superior, however Warmth 1’s begin was essentially the most eventful a part of all of it.”
Alexander Rossi, the crew’s sole driver who certified for the ultimate, described the occasion’s first half as nothing however “parade laps.”
“You’ve bought to permit pitstops (within the remaining). That’s the one strategy to change it. In any other case, if we do that once more, it’s going to be the very same factor, and there’s no level,” Rossi continued, pointing towards the finale’s finale 10 laps as a supply of lighthearted, low-risk run as he dueled with Josef Newgarden – “It’s humorous when folks harm themselves for the sake of wounding you” – and being witness to Herta’s roll-of-the-dice that left him 4th after beginning 12th. “It was fairly anti-climactic from our point-of-view.
“Actually, I would really like it to be an actual occasion, as a result of I believe this observe is fairly superior. Tire deg exists, and when you add an alternate to that, plus pitstops, after which technique on prime, it will be one among our traditional tire deg races. I simply would like to see an actual occasion right here, as a result of I believe it’s a fantastic place, an incredible one that appears good on TV.”
‘I do not suppose we’re displaying (again) up’
For some, although, the dearth of significant passes was the least of their frustrations.
Put up-race, Christian Lundgaard and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing officers have been enraged at what they deemed an absence of consistency in race management’s view on what groups may change or restore with out being disqualified. Whereas working on the skin of VeeKay whereas rolling via Flip 1 on Lap 1 of Warmth 1, the left facet of Lundgaard’s No. 45 Honda weathered a heavy blow from VeeKay’s No. 21 Chevy, Lundgaard managed to trundle on and grasp on to a top-6 spot to advance. When he pulled again into pitlane, although, his crew observed the sizable gash in his left sidepod. Conscious it will seemingly result in a visit to the again of the finale’s subject as a result of the repair seemingly wouldn’t be a real emergency, RLL officers have been puzzled after they have been informed swapping out the physique work was a stretch too far.
Achieve this, and their day can be executed. As an alternative, they grabbed a roll of BearBond restore tape – basically duct tape on steroids – and utilized the biggest Band-aid they might and accepted dropping again three spots from 8th to 11th.
So think about their shock after they realized Andretti World was permitted to swap out Colton Herta’s whole entrance wing after the No. 26 Honda’s Lap 1 contact with Dixon that sparked the following pileup. Race management dominated Herta must begin the finale from the again – which he already was to start with.
To make issues worse, RLL requested in the course of the break in the principle to chop off fraying items of tape from Lundgaard’s automotive that was flapping within the wind. Race management deemed even that emergency service, dropping him a pair spots earlier than the race’s remaining restart.
Bobby Rahal was beside himself post-race, telling IndyStar: “I don’t know who makes these choices, nevertheless it’s idiotic.”
Added Lundgaard: “If we’re voluntarily invited again right here subsequent yr, I don’t suppose we’re displaying up.”
Wait, you imply your complete crew?
“Yup. The way in which this has gone, simply, what’s there to realize, after we’re speculated to race, and we’ve got a bunch of injury, and we will’t even repair it?”
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Weighing the advantages of an imperfect occasion
As he begrudgingly sat on the sidelines this weekend, not with a full-time experience and as an alternative serving as one among IndyCar’s social media influencers for the weekend, Conor Daly had, maybe, a extra holistic view. Although the present Indy 500-only driver for Dreyer and Reinbold is basically unafraid to share his views on the sequence’ shortcomings from time-to-time, Daly’s weekend-long place – even regardless of the lengthy spurts of inaction that dominated Palou’s runaway win – boiled right down to this:
“At the very least we’re racing.”
Confronted with the sudden lack of the annual go to to Texas Motor Speedway within the spring, making a six-week hole between Race No. 1 (St. Pete) and Race 2 (Lengthy Seashore), IndyCar took that community TV window from NBC and made use of it. With an inventory of viable venues, frustratingly at 1, Penske Leisure executives took up The Thermal Membership’s invitation for a return journey that, even this weekend, was nonetheless being molded into its remaining product.
What got here of it, if nothing else based on Daly, ought to’ve quenched the fanbase’s thirst till the calendar begins rolling in earnest.
“I simply don’t know what our followers are in search of. It doesn’t matter what race it’s, you’re going to have a look at what technique you may play to win as a crew. We don’t present as much as end 4th,” mentioned Daly in response to the complaints of the principle occasion’s first half that proved to be a glorified warmup. “It performed out prefer it did, however for me as a race fan, I’m high-quality, as a result of I do know we’ve got the second half.
“Nobody’s ever going to be absolutely completely satisfied, and a few individuals are going to be indignant with every thing, however you bought free racing to observe on Sunday, and when you’re going to sit down there and say, ‘I don’t need to watch it’, nicely then, that simply means you’re not a race fan.”
Palou joked Saturday night, after he secured his warmth race pole, that he’d be strapping on a bumper to assist him stand up to his hard-charging friends. He admitted, like the remainder of the rostrum, that IndyCar’s $1 Million Problem wants some tinkering to succeed in its finest type. For one, he – like others – turned their nostril up at holding a non-points occasion outdoors the offseason. In its easiest type, he added, the format – 10-lap warmth races with half the sector, adopted by a 20-lap principal occasion with a break in between – left a lot to be desired, and in methods hindered the racing spectacle IndyCar so passionately boasts of.
Admittedly reflecting on the weekend with their glasses half-full, having completed on the rostrum, the trio of podium finishers largely agreed that IndyCar’s weekend-long experiment has a basis Penske Leisure officers can polish and mould into an occasion that even higher mix’s the looseness of an exhibition with the high-energy motion of a standard IndyCar weekend.
“I believe all of it comes right down to the help that we bought from The Membership,” McLaughlin mentioned. “I believe Thermal (members) have simply put their backs behind IndyCar for this and created an superior occasion. The chance for all of the groups to return out right here and earn cash, but in addition to placed on a present and actually have a take a look at for 2 days, you’ve bought to provide props to Thermal.
“This was an excellent alternative to attempt fully various things.”
And if it’s doable – admitting the quick oddity of the venue’s lack of ability to host quite a lot of thousand company – maybe IndyCar may step even additional outdoors its consolation zone and take full benefit of what Rosenqvist referred to as “essentially the most difficult observe we’ve been to shortly” and run a full-on common season occasion.
“This was an experiment, proper? I believe right now we proved we will race right here identical to every other observe,” he mentioned. “I believe an precise factors spherical can be actually cool.
“IndyCar has been very open with this occasion, and so they informed us to maintain an open thoughts moving into. I assumed it was nice – a lot enjoyable to be on the market doing one thing totally different than we do each weekend.”