Pre-Race: 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500

rd45usa said:
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It's amazing how telecommunications companies can spend this kind of money and set this type of stuff up for sports events and how they can get lightning fast internet in cities ... but this is them when it comes to getting high speed, even semi-high speed, internet to rural communities: :shrug:
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I really feel like NBC blew a huge opportunity here. I thought NBC would put more into this. I mean, nobody broadcasts major events better than NBC Sports. I expected to see at least some sort of practice coverage on NBCSN or something.

Have they been blowing it up on the NBC networks? I haven't actually watched any traditional television in weeks.
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I don't watch a whole lot of NBC but I have noticed they promote it pretty heavily during their hockey and horse racing coverage. Jr. and Danica will be their next weekend in guest analyst/reporter roles, Tirico will be there as host, I think Thursday the Today Show will be there. They have a live show from the track at 6 PM each day next week on NBCSN. So in a lot of ways it's clear it's one of their 'crown jewel' events of the NBC Sports Championship Season.

It's just that, literally, there are almost 30 hours of practice that most people can't watch. And even tomorrow, six of the first seven hours of Day 1 qualifying are on Gold. Only the final hour is on NBCSN.
 
Kiante said:
Glad Kyle is okay first off. Juncos knew what he was getting himself into. I'm certain they have another tub prepped. At least, I hope they do. They have been fast all weekend.
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Pato's new car is Chilton's road course car, converted.

 
Only one hour of qualifying on TV tomorrow, 5-6 pm on NBCSN? Is that right? Anybody know?
 
Alonso 20th...out of 20.

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Hinchcliffe's first run with the T-car waived after three laps.

Hanley, O'Ward, Karam, Kaiser, Alonso, Hinchcliffe are the six still outside of the locked-in positions.
 
Two most ecstatic groups have to be DragonSpeed and Clauson-Marshall. Awesome for them to make it in their first attempts here.

Alonso, Hinchcliffe, Chilton, O'Ward, Karam, Kaiser in the shootout. Can't say I'd 'like' any combo of three of them going home - but that happens when real bumping finally comes back.
 
gnomesayin said:
Were McLaren just arrogant that this was going to be easy, or?

Danica is actually pretty good so far, I'll say it.
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They've made it pretty apparent they want to go it alone this time and don't really want any help. Yesterday I read that a lot of GM teams in the Indy area reached out to them - even Wayne Taylor Racing from IMSA, who Fernando ran the Rolex 24 with this year - to try to assist them with the rebuild and whatnot and they were all rebuffed. I get that if they want to build for the future it makes sense to try to gel as a team and go through that stuff largely on your own, but I think it's pretty clear now just how far behind they are as a whole. And certainly Alonso's patience is wearing thin. If he decides to come back again at some point I have to doubt it's with McLaren, regardless of whether or not they make it in tomorrow.

I agree, Danica has been fantastic so far. Looking like an awesome addition for NBC so far.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Two most ecstatic groups have to be DragonSpeed and Clauson-Marshall. Awesome for them to make it in their first attempts here.
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Dragon Speed has just announced they are dropping out of WEC P1 after Lemans to expand their Indycar effort. So, glad to have them. Ben Haney had a great run.

Alonso, Hinchcliffe, Chilton, O'Ward, Karam, Kaiser in the shootout.
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At the beginning of the month, did you think any of those guys would be on the outside going into tomorrow? All of these guys were fast enough in practice before they (except Chilton) wadded the car up. Now they are fighting for their lives.

After last year, this has got to be especially cruel to Hinch. He's not going to sleep well tonight.

Can't say I'd 'like' any combo of three of them going home - but that happens when real bumping finally comes back.
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Sometimes I wish they would just start everybody because it's so sad for anyone to miss the show. Then again, that's part of what makes the show so great.

Mostly it's just more crazy Indy 500 qualifying. I think few would have bet on Pigot to be fastest and Alonso to be out. Of course, that's all provisional, but it's looking like 80% chance of rain. If that happens everything stays like it is and they have a last row shoot out on the first clear day.

I dunno. I think there's going to be at least one bizzarro world moment left before the field is set. It's already been pretty weird.
 
High drama on the track, but that last hour on NBC/SN was botched pretty badly, IMO. I don't think I can remember so many commercial breaks in one friggin' hour. I kinda like the double-bump-days format... bumping for top-30 today, and bumping for top-33 tomorrow. Hope it's dry on Sunday.

Does the Gold subscription have full day coverage complete with announcers and analysis? Or just video feed?
 
The shootout will feature a very interesting lineup.

Hinch is the face of Honda, and on all of their TV commercials. If he misses the show, imagine the embarrassment, especially considering he missed it last year too!
Alonso is a two time F1 world champion, a LeMans and Rolex winner, and current leader of the WEC driver's title. How embarrassing if he misses the show? How embarrassing for McLaren who can't seem to give Alonso a decent car no matter what they try! This has got to be the most tightly wound bunch in the paddock.

Chilton lead the most laps at the speedway two years ago. What the hell is he doing in the shootout?

And the rest are almost sure fire stars of the future. Missing this show could really hurt their careers, and making it will really help.

So, it's going to be hard to watch because all of these guys have an interesting story.
 
LewTheShoe said:
High drama on the track, but that last hour on NBC/SN was botched pretty badly, IMO. I don't think I can remember so many commercial breaks in one friggin' hour. I kinda like the double-bump-days format... bumping for top-30 today, and bumping for top-33 tomorrow. Hope it's dry on Sunday.

Does the Gold subscription have full day coverage complete with announcers and analysis? Or just video feed?
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Yeah, there's no reason for the regular TV broadcast to go to commercial in the final hour so much. Too many times they'd go to commercial and miss a lap or two of someone's run in either split-screen or even full-screen breaks. Not even ABC were that bad.

I do like the new format too. Only thing I might change would be to have enough time for a second run for the last row contenders, and see some more of the true bumping we had yesterday. But I think a lot of that comes down to what NBC wants and the idea that one solo run for each might be more dramatic.

Gold is good in the sense that the live broadcasts are commercial-free and the coverage is pretty strong. Anders Krohn was in the booth for the practice sessions and did very well, and I think he'd be great in one of the two main analyst spots. Dillon Welch has done well for a young reporter chasing stories in the pits and garage all week on Gold too. So it's better than what a normal practice or qualifying broadcast would entail and good for the niche hardcore fan.
 
Doc Austin said:
The shootout will feature a very interesting lineup.

Hinch is the face of Honda, and on all of their TV commercials. If he misses the show, imagine the embarrassment, especially considering he missed it last year too!
Alonso is a two time F1 world champion, a LeMans and Rolex winner, and current leader of the WEC driver's title. How embarrassing if he misses the show? How embarrassing for McLaren who can't seem to give Alonso a decent car no matter what they try! This has got to be the most tightly wound bunch in the paddock.

Chilton lead the most laps at the speedway two years ago. What the hell is he doing in the shootout?

And the rest are almost sure fire stars of the future. Missing this show could really hurt their careers, and making it will really help.

So, it's going to be hard to watch because all of these guys have an interesting story.
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If Hinch misses it again I'm not too sure what his future holds. He has speed at times but is generally very inconsistent I think. It doesn't help that his two immediate teammates, Servia and Ericsson, made the show fairly easily. The two best full-time drivers ASPM have had were Pagenaud and Wickens and if Pagenaud does become available after this season I think reuniting with his old team is not a far-fetched idea. Arrow and Honda can't be too happy with their poster boy missing two consecutive 500s.

I think Zak Brown has a similarly uncertain future if McLaren manage to miss this one too. The F1 team is performing better this year but still not close to what McLaren standards require. And as the main guy at McLaren who wants to to take in Indy he has to bear most, if not all, of the responsibility here. McLaren can't afford another PR disaster like this, not a couple of years removed from the end of their Honda association in F1.

Carlin just haven't fully grasped this place yet it seems. And O'Ward especially has been uncomfortable since they had to convert a road course car to superspeedway spec. But Kimball is also sitting up there in 20th, and this has been one of his stronger tracks through the years. I'm sure overnight and this morning they'll have tried to find what the #23 has that the #31 and #59 don't.

I think you're absolutely right on that last point. For a guy like Karam, making this or not could absolutely make or break his career, even as an Indy-only driver. Juncos and Kaiser badly need this, especially after a couple of sponsors pulled out last-minute before practice started last week.
 
FLRacingFan said:
If Hinch misses it again I'm not too sure what his future holds.
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Hard to imagine a more embarrassing scenario for everyone, especially after last year.

He has speed at times but is generally very inconsistent I think.
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Right now he's fastest of the six by far, so all he has to do is keep it off the walls.

It doesn't help that his two immediate teammates, Servia and Ericsson, made the show fairly easily.
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I always thought Ericsson was underrated, but it's hard to tell about anyone driving a Sauber. He was as good as any of his teammates right up until Leclerc.

..........if Pagenaud does become available after this season I think reuniting with his old team is not a far-fetched idea.
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Pagenaud has had a horrible time since his championship, but this year he has slowly been turning it around. It's not a bad thing to peak at the Indy GP, right? He's got the momentum going into the 500.

I also like the guy who has a quiet month and is usually 3-5th on the speed charts most days, and qualifies third. Something magical about flying under the radar, qualifying unspectacularly in a good spot and being overlooked right up until you win the race! That scenario has produced a lot of winners from Luyendyk in 90 to Will Power last year. Pagenaud is looking pretty good in my book. So, if he can convert, it's hard to see him becoming available.

I think Zak Brown has a similarly uncertain future if McLaren manage to miss this one too. The F1 team is performing better this year but still not close to what McLaren standards require. And as the main guy at McLaren who wants to to take in Indy he has to bear most, if not all, of the responsibility here. McLaren can't afford another PR disaster like this, not a couple of years removed from the end of their Honda association in F1.
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Brown is probably safe as long as the F1 team continues to improve.

Alonso looked so upset I can almost see a meltdown like his last tenure at McLaren. Here's a guy who has won LeMans and Daytona in the last year, plus other WEC races, and is leading that championship., so he is on a winning roll. Add to that he made his other Indy appearance look too easy, he was probably expecting an easy stroll to victory lane. The let down has got to be incredible. To go from being unbeatable in sportscars to fighting over the last row would give anyone a bad attitude. That, and right now he is slowest of the five that have posted times today.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
It's amazing how telecommunications companies can spend this kind of money and set this type of stuff up for sports events and how they can get lightning fast internet in cities ... but this is them when it comes to getting high speed, even semi-high speed, internet to rural communities: :shrug:
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Cost per home passed and ROI can be a biyatch.
 
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