[Stevensville Mike]

I am surprised that it has taken a day and no thread has been started. Allow me.

I thought Sato's win was GREAT! Hats off to the guy! Although Alonso garnished heaps of press coverage, and rightly so, for he put on an EPIC performance, one must remember that Sato is also an ex-F1 pilot, along with that Rossi kid who stole the show last year.

Yes.... Andretti Auto sports and Honda might have had the upper hand this year, despite the two big blowups by Hunter-Reay and Alonso, but all in all, between Fernando's showing and Sato tying up that loose end from the 2012 finish..... A top shelf event!

And..... we had one Penske car right there when it counted as only the Captain and his guys might have been able to do with the Andretti Hondas so strong.

Not forgetting Scott Dixon getting out and walking away, too.

Once again, hats off to the Sato, Alonso, and all the rest. Bravo, folks!

[jdull99]

Agree with all that above - including the part a little surprised it took a day for anything to come up...it was simply an amazing Indy 500... it had every element of everything -
EXCEPT american drivers finishing up front & like only Ed that actually came from any short track ovals (where people buy tickets to watch)...is what it is tho...current/ex F1 drivers have lots of followings tho...the top 2 finishers for sure have paid their dues in the great race & anybody that casually pays attention to these forms of racing "knows" them at least...they both are "older" too - in modern racing times anyway)...In addition to THIRTY FIVE passes for the lead, u gota have engine blowups & wrecks of some sort (coulda gone without seeing them take the HARD "licks" tho...thankfully the worst - of the race, not counting the practice wreck for Sebas that has him hoping to return for the last race of the year - may "only" have a broken foot...amazn he didn't get smashed! ...everybody that ever designed/or made a rule for, those type of cars deserves praise!).

As far as Helio (2nd); racing for his 4th win, I really think he could be about the last with a chance to do so...career's are shorter nowdays (even tho the cars are "safer")...I didn't like him at 1st, but it woulda been cool to see a 4th happen in my entire lifetime of following the event - altho his 2001 win caused me to care less about the 500 - after I was a devote fan in the IRL years from 1996...

As far as any American driver in the top 5, JR Hildebrand was one of the closest at the end...he had missed all the wrecks & was running 5th, b4 a penalty for passing too soon on restart (I believe) sent him back outside the top 10 - even with all the attrition, it was still a RACE, with many on the lead lap still & all right in line to take a spot as things happened...

But ya...with a race flavored more towards people with F-1 connections; it would sure be nice for another round of the IRL...but that won't happen again...it didn't really connect with the masses (even the SC@M fans weren't jumping on board enough when Dismore, Kite, Davey Hamilton, Billy Boat, Beechler, etc WERE getting top 10s - it was cool I believe the later 3 were part of ystrdy's pre-race, putting on race dress & running AJ Foyt cars around - celebrating his 60 years at the track & 40 since his 4th win...)

[Backitin]

The first thing I read about Indy was from a article on yahoo news. A writer demanded that Indy switch over to a closed cockpit TODAY to protect the drivers from incidents such as yesterdays race which could have possibly ended with a head injury. I have never seen anyone so attacked in the comment section afterwards.

[Brickyard]

Originally Posted by jdull99 As far as any American driver in the top 5, JR Hildebrand was one of the closest at the end...

You must have missed the runs by two Americans, Rossi and Hunter-Reay. They led a combined total of 52 laps. Engine failure late in the race placed Hunter-Reay in 27th and pit stop trouble led to Rossi finishing in 7th.

Originally Posted by jdull99 it would sure be nice for another round of the IRL...

Judging by comments off this site both online and in person I can without hesitation say....No, but thank you for the offer. Been there, got the t-shirt, saw it destroy a great series, don't want to do it again.

[Brickyard]

Originally Posted by Backitin The first thing I read about Indy was from a article on yahoo news. A writer demanded that Indy switch over to a closed cockpit TODAY to protect the drivers from incidents such as yesterdays race which could have possibly ended with a head injury. I have never seen anyone so attacked in the comment section afterwards.

He's attacked for the same reasons they all get attacked.

One, they don't pay attention to the series unless it's the 500 or a wreck so they can get their click bait. It's typically someone who covers NASCAR until a big wreck happens and it's the same article pretty much verbatim every single time.

Two, nearly none of them sit down with the safety team and sanctioning body to understand what is being done or not done. Protection is always a moving target and one that they are always working on. After the Wilson accident they started tethering particular pieces of the body work. They also started looking into head protection. However, they haven't found a solution that will protect the driver while not creating other issues such as cockpit overheating, visibility, and driver extraction problems.

They are currently visiting a taller windscreen for debris protection. Until they can fix the driver extraction issues, the ability to immediately get to the driver as in Hinchcliffe's accident, visibility, and cooling issues a total cockpit might be off the tables.

[GYATK94]

I believe we had a fantastic Indianapolis 500.

First off, thanks to Fernando Alonso for attempting the race and bringing the international attention. It took him no time to adapt, and even with the devastating engine failure, he handled it with class. That must've been tough considering his troubles in F1 this year, but he gave a few waves to the crowd and kept his head up in his interview. Also, I'm glad our fans gave him such a roaring applause after he climbed out for his efforts. Hope to see him back next year.

Following the trends of the past 6 or 7 years, the racing, especially up front, was fantastic. Once I realized it was either going to be Sato or Castroneves, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed either way. I was either going to see Sato avenge his heartbreak from 2012 or witness Helio join the four-time club. Congrats to Sato for winning the duel.

I'm a dirt track guy, but there is nothing in the dirt track world that compares to watching the last few laps of Indy wind down in my opinion, especially now that the cars race so closely. The way the crowd cheers as the leaders slice it up at 220+ mph with the Borg Warner on the line is so enjoyable to be a part of.

Another great Indy 500 in the books. Only 364 more days until the 102nd. Until then, I've got some dirt track races to attend!

[6565]

Thought it was a great race. Alonso seemed genuine and happy and certainly never put a wheel wrong. Made a new fan of me. "Back home again in Indiana" seems to be in good hands, also (Maybe do without the yell at the end). For the first time in probably over a decade (including the series races I've seen also), it appeared on TV that we actually had a very nice 3 abreast start. Not at the flag stand, but coming out of turn 4 at least.

Overall was a very good Indy 500!

[Jonr]

Originally Posted by Backitin The first thing I read about Indy was from a article on yahoo news. A writer demanded that Indy switch over to a closed cockpit TODAY to protect the drivers from incidents such as yesterdays race which could have possibly ended with a head injury. I have never seen anyone so attacked in the comment section afterwards.

The TV announcers went on and on about the safety of the cars. I just thought to myself about how lucky we were that the car landed at the angle that it did. If it had rotated a few more degrees, it would have been Scott's head that would have hit first. Cars landing on fences are always bad news. There have been many serious injuries and deaths because of a car landing on top of a wall.

I love the Indy 500. It is one of the few races on TV that I will watch from start to finish. However, having a closed cockpit is something that could definitely help with the safety. We already have two versions that we could modify to these cars. The one's being used on the Top Fuel drag cars or the ones' being used on a fighter jet. I also do not believe in the argument that the drivers need to be able to get out of their cars on their own. After watching the driver in every wreck/mechanical failure need assistance to get out of the car now.

Finally, I saw the pictures later of the BC tribute on lap 100. I do not remember seeing that on TV. Was I not paying attention, or did TV miss the tribute?

[Stevensville Mike]

Originally Posted by 6565 ..."Back home again in Indiana" seems to be in good hands, also...

Yes it does! I personally liked the ending 'yell'! But either way, what a great way to carry this on with Jim Cornelison at the mike!

[racer-x]

Finally, I saw the pictures later of the BC tribute on lap 100. I do not remember seeing that on TV. Was I not paying attention, or did TV miss the tribute?[/QUOTE]

I didn't see that on TV either so maybe they were talking about something else..

The story they did before the race on Brian's family meeting the man that received BC's heart was a tear jerker and very well done.

I am like many on this board and still watch the race but don't think it is near as good when someone who has very little American fan base win the so called American race..

I still think I saw the best 500 this weekend at Anderson the night before!