The Prey Finally Feeds Upon the Predator ...
NASCAR
NASCAR reduced the mileage at Fontana down to 400 miles and the move did wonders to spice up the event. See? We toldya.
Denny Hamlin appeared to hold the horses until the fire went out under the hood, thus leaving Killer (Kyle Busch) to pick up the scraps and sprint away for the win …
Oops.
On the last restart with nine laps to go, Jimmy Johnson and Kevin Harvick opt to join a race parade Busch had been enjoying all by himself for nearly a hundred circuits. Double J pours the rain and blows by Killer with just three to go before rushing away into the overcast for his first win on the season …
Oops.
As the white flag drops, Harvick rapidly slides into Johnson’s slipstream around the first curve and backstretch, then pulls off the clever by pressing up against Johnson’s rear bumper and bump drafting him hard into Turn 3. Unlike Daytona or Talladega, where a shove works in tandem with steep banking, Harvick’s help-along on the flat curve at Fontana works just the opposite. Johnson wobbles and lets off the gas in order to avoid sailing off the edge, allowing Harvick to sail past on the outside and boost his first victory on the season.
Oops. It hurts when you’re not even old and in the way.
Like A Steam Locomotive, Running Down the Track ...
Formula 1
The F1 Festival began a new run around the globe this past weekend at Melbourne, yet the scenery looked as if the 2010 race season was still under way. F1WC Sebastian Vettel continued with his mastery of machine and circuit with a thorough thrashing of the field at Albert Park, and no matter what the pundits claim, Ferrari and McLaren still have a lot a work to do to close the margin.
The race did produce some backstory; Vitaly Petrov’s impressive podium finish only promises more drama and copy for F1 enthusiasts when wonderboy Robert Kubica returns back to the team. Kubica purportedly stands as the team’s best driver, yet Petrov has now foiled a pass by Ferrarinista Fernando Alonso in two consecutive races … something Kubica has never been able to pull off. The Russian has improved in dramatic fashion, and the healing Kubica simply will not be able to glide back into the No. 1 Renault seat upon return. In other action, McLaren caught a triple reprieve at Melbourne … (1), the car actually worked, (2), the car actually survived the entire race despite a broken floor strut beneath the chassis that Hamilton dragged along for thirty laps and a P2 finish, and (3), the stewards did not penalize McLaren for being out of specification for the broken strut. If McLaren somehow nips out Red Bull for the Constructors’ Championship at season end, please note Race 1 at Melbourne and the magic of plain dumb luck.
Simona Steals the Show at Saint Pete ...
IndyCar
We admit sensing a bit of excitement as IndyCar St. Pete fired off the line … we so desperately want IndyCar to again climb back into the racing mainstream … and the event offered up some unexpected surprises that can only lift its brand in the short term.
Dashing Dario won the race with ease after his competition (teammate Dixon, rivals Briscoe and Castroneves) met with demise early … thus leaving us with another ho-hum parade … yet interest spiked with every restart and the dramatic moves made by Swiss distaff wonder Simona de Silvestro. Lost in the enormous shadow cast by CDP, de Silvestro broke out at St. Pete with a masterful drive that left her with a titantic P4 finish and Danica spitefully choking on her exhaust. SDS has never played the gimmick route via gender … she doesn’t carry the glamour or self promotional skills of series’ mate Patrick … but she is the real deal on the track. We were truly impressed at how she took advantage of each and every restart during the early chaos to advance her position. With a better ride, we seriously believe that the Swiss Miss could rewrite the gender story in IndyCar. Maybe even scratch CDP from the script? OK, so maybe we’re pushing things a bit too far …
Marco's Day Ends Quickly at St. Pete (Lap 1, Turn 1) ...
