Chevrolet bid to claim Honda’s Indy 500 crown

36 comments on “Chevrolet bid to claim Honda’s Indy 500 crown”

1. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   24th May 2013, 13:51

   Not my thing, but I try not to miss the 500.

   You got to watch everything to have arguments, like it or not….
2. 

   TommyB (@tommyb89)
   24th May 2013, 13:53

   This weekend is pretty much a religious holiday for me.
   1. 

      OmarR-Pepper (@)
      24th May 2013, 14:14

      hahaha… yep, but as an atheist I am, it looks much the same as a religious holiday to me too… boring (I don’t like both Monaco or Indy 500)
      1. 

         Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
         25th May 2013, 7:04

         you must like soap opera.
         1. 

            OmarR-Pepper (@)
            25th May 2013, 13:57

            @peartree which means?
      2. 

         Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
         25th May 2013, 12:08

         @omarr-pepper despite my atheism I consider this weekend to be a sporting Christmas: I don’t like the Indy 500 particularly, but Monaco and the champion’s league final is a pretty good weekend for me!
   2. 

      Justin (@thejwooly)
      25th May 2013, 1:51

      @tommyb89 Amen.
3. 

   Retired (@jeff1s)
   24th May 2013, 14:08

   I love and watch Indycar as much as I can. I enjoy both street and road course but ovals are way too dangerous and boring. Anyway, Indy 500 is a must-see.
   1. 

      William Katz (@hwkii)
      24th May 2013, 19:06

      I don’t understand the double standard of the F1 race-fan hivemind. Now, @Jeff1s this is not an accusation because I don’t know you, but it just made me feel compelled to respond to a commn train of thought:

      If you browse the comments section of this site you’ll see a split, pretty much right down the middle, of F1 fans at the current state of the sport: Are the tires too much, is DRS good for F1, is the racing too artificial? But what we can’t deny is that we’re here because of the outcry of fans at a lack of close, wheel to wheel racing and overtaking.

      Ignoring, for a minute, that F1 may or may not have gone too far, all the things the fans are looking for from a race are a part of IndyCar racing, and yes, that includes ovals. We fall all over ourselves when the calendar rolls around to Monza, a circuit where high top speeds and daring overtakes on very high speed, open corners are the highlight. We talk up a storm about how slip streaming is crucial and about the thrill of watching F1 cars drive around with next to no downforce. Why then should we deride the Indianapolis 500? Or Oval racing in general?

      Maybe people think that every oval is the same, and you just fly around in a circle at full throttle?
      http://www.indycar.com/Schedule has track maps and as you’ll notice, none of the ovals are big lazy circules. Pocono is a triangle, Dallas and Iowa are asymetrical ovals of different sizes, Indy and Milwaulkie are drastically different squared-ovals.

      Is it because Monza is the exception? I’ll grand you that 1 race in 19 is more rare than 6 in 19, but still; most Indycar racing is done on incredible road circuits, and the street courses tend to generate better racing than most of the F1 street racing venues.

      It would seem to be that if the current form of F1 is up someone’s alley, than Indycar oval racing should be on that same person’s radar; it’s everything you want out of F1 and nothing you don’t. If it’s just a matter of the course having 3 or 4 corners, or if it’s the atmosphere, well… That’s just snobbery.
      1. 

         Retired (@jeff1s)
         25th May 2013, 12:16

         @hwkii

         Yo man, good you had COTD, but illegitimatly.

         First off I’m not a “F1 race-fan” only.

         I watch F1, GP2 Series , Formule Renault 3.5 Series , GP3 Series, IndyCar & Moto GP. So I have a very clear mind of what I’m saying.

         I saw Greg Moore dying in 1999 at Fontana to Dan Wheldon death in 2011 at Las Vegas. So it is dangerous, too much dangerous!

         If you’ve ever attended a Nascar race, you’d agree. When a pack crashes in the corner you sit you can feel that spectators safety is a bit just, a bit unconscious.

         Anyway, I like Indy races on ovals but 200 laps mate! It’s long.
         1. 

            William Katz (@hwkii)
            27th May 2013, 7:35

            Like I said, @jeff1s, I was absolutely not wanting to criticize you. I just read a lot of ‘nose in the air’ type comments about Indy/Oval racing and wanted to talk about why that might be. Your post just happened to be the thing that triggered it in my mind.

            I don’t disagree that Oval racing is dangerous, but that wasn’t what I was talking about.

            Anyway, cheers.
4. 

   BasCB (@bascb)
   24th May 2013, 15:27

   Would be great to have another tense finish this year, I really enjoyed last year.
5. 

   StefMeister (@stefmeister)
   24th May 2013, 15:31

   Indy 500 is the Biggest race of the year for me. Despite Indycar’s various attempts at self implosion, I still love the Indy 500 more than anything else.

   I remember watching the 1992 race on ScreenSport as an 8 year old kid & getting hyped up over this odd American event I’d heard talked about many times where they only went left, It lasted a month with practice/qualifying & there was all this build-up on race day with balloons, jet planes, Parades, Jim Nabours singing back home again in Indiana, The US anthem & a command to start the engine’s.
   All this massive build-up & hype unlike anything i’d seen in F1 & I just fell in love with it. Then there was that brilliant finish, 2 drivers on the edge for the final laps with less than a car length separating them at the flag & all this emotion post race from Little Al, I’d never seen anything like it & it all just sucked me in. I’ve never missed a 500 since.

   Now if ESPN would suddenly decide to have a freeview weekend that would be great, Make watching a bit more simple!
6. 

   R.J. O'Connell (@rjoconnell)
   24th May 2013, 15:56

   Allmendinger was the best open wheel driver in North America by the time he left for NASCAR, and he’ll prove it again this weekend – having Penske support helps, too.
7. 

   tmax (@tmax)
   24th May 2013, 16:17

   @KeithCollantine Nice of you to report on the Indy 500. It is going to be a one heck of a weekend. I am having a busy Sunday Monaco in the morning , Indy 500 and Charlotte 600 later during the day.
   1. 

      DanimalHouse (@thrillerwa09)
      24th May 2013, 17:50

      Boogity Boogity, AMEN!
8. 

   mantresx (@mantresx)
   24th May 2013, 16:32

   What are the odds that either Carpenter, Muñoz or Andretti will win on Sunday?
   As always I enjoy this race but only the last half hour, too many cautions and commercials (I get the US feed unfortunately).
9. 

   Alexis (@carrick)
   24th May 2013, 16:52

   Hi, I haven’t been watching Indy car for very long but I do find it interesting.
   This may seem like a stupid question, but is there any difference at all between the cars?

   I imagine there’s difference in mechanical set up and balance, but do the engineers go beyond this?
   I heard in the highlights that they were changing fuel mixtures, are there other things you can change in race?
10. 

    safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
    24th May 2013, 17:04

    Marco to break the Andretti curse, surely he’s going to win it at some point.
11. 

    schooner (@schooner)
    24th May 2013, 17:33

    Even as an American, I’ve never been much of a fan of US style oval racing. That said, I usually try to catch the last 50 or so laps of the Indy 500. The end of this race is often quite gripping.
12. 

    Spawinte (@spawinte)
    24th May 2013, 17:36

    3 hours of waiting for ridiculous looking hot wheels type cars and their sketchy drivers to crash into the wall followed by what may or may not be an exciting finish.

    bleh
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       24th May 2013, 17:46

       @spawinte I don’t get why people scoff at IndyCar like this. They have some excellent drivers and great racing. They don’t have DRS and every race doesn’t end with a row about whether the tyres were too soft. And I’ll take tracks like Barber and Indianapolis over Bahrain and Yas Marina any day. It’s not perfect, but nor is F1, and I enjoy both.

       I think some people just like having something they can turn their nose up at, especially when IndyCar proves you can create racing every bit as good as F1 for a fraction of the price.
       1. 

          Spawinte (@spawinte)
          24th May 2013, 17:58

          I really truly honestly gave it a chance but it just seems like such a second rate series. The racing only seems good because the drivers are all accidents waiting to happen. Most of the tracks they go to are shockingly bad considering the wealth of choice they have in the North America (and without FIA track constraints). The cars look silly.

          It’s nice that they’re trying but they could do so much better. The fact that it has never reclaimed its former glory as a legitimate F1 rival says it all. Last time I watched an Indy 500 huge sections of the stands were empty. It’s dying on its behind.
          1. 

             verstappen (@verstappen)
             24th May 2013, 18:15

             FOM makes sure you don’t see F1’s empty seats… Which are plenty.

             If you ask teens now, driving fast is uncool and bad for ‘The climat’.

             Enjoy your motorsport while it lasts! – I do
          2. 

             Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
             24th May 2013, 18:30

             @spawinte If you’ve drawn the conclusion that drivers of the calibre of Dario Franchitti or Scott Dixon or are “accidents waiting to happen” then I don’t believe you “really truly honestly” have given it a chance. And it’s certainly harder to look flawless in a series where the circuits aren’t wide enough for cars to go ten abreast in places and bordered by flat kerbs and miles of tarmac.

             And as for race attendance I have to say – as an F1 fan as well as an IndyCar fan – that’s a bit of a “people in glass houses” remark. The crowd figures at some grands prix are pathetic.
          3. 

             beneboy (@beneboy)
             24th May 2013, 19:16

             @spawinte

             The cars look silly.

             The cars look unusual but I’ve really grown to
             love them; the simple front wing, clean body, those fins that curl up around the rear wheels and the wide and low rear wing look far better to me than current F1 cars with their snow plow front wings and high rear wings.
       2. 

          Justin (@thejwooly)
          25th May 2013, 1:54

          If it makes you feel better Keith this IndyCar season has converted at least one friend of mine from F1 fans to F1/IndyCar fans. I just hope he’ll try ovals out for viewing. What better race to be someone’s intro to ovals though
13. 

    sushant008 (@sushant008)
    24th May 2013, 17:37

    Never discount those Ganessi cars..last year they also started outside top 10 (15th & 16th) and went on to finish 1st & 2nd..Franchitti and Dixion are masters of Indy..I guess they are the biggest contenders with Andretti,Sato and Kanaan also having a great chance to make it to top step..Its going to be a fascinating race!
    1. 

       David-A (@david-a)
       24th May 2013, 18:07

       I’d also not count out 3 time winner Helio Castroneves.
14. 

    RACERNORRISKI (@racernorriski)
    24th May 2013, 18:22

    the management of the Indycar series turned it into a FORMULA Honda series for many years and that is why we quit watching it after a life time as a fan. I am glad to see some engine competition making it more interesting. Raycernorriski
15. 

    BasCB (@bascb)
    24th May 2013, 19:32

    Well, if the finish is anywhere near as close as the Indy Lights race today was, it will be a shocker! 4 wide over the line, winning by a couple of centimeters!
    1. 

       Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
       24th May 2013, 20:08

       I was about to post the same thing! Absolutely mental finish!! Puts the GP2 drivers to shame!
16. 

    Sasquatsch (@sasquatsch)
    24th May 2013, 19:52

    Last year the Chevrolet car out qualified the Honda cars, but in the end the Honda cars fought for the win because of better fuel consumption. I wouldn’t be surprised if this would also be the case this year.
17. 

    muz (@murray1964)
    25th May 2013, 6:13

    I must have some strange disease, I love plenty of different types of motor sports. If it has an engine and wheels I will probably watch it. Although F1 is my first love Im equally happy to watch Indy, NASCA, Aussie V8s, MOTO GP, WRC. Well you get the picture whatever I have, I have it bad.
    Big weekend this weekend so Im sure I will get my fix and not much sleep.
    I suppose its a bit too much to ask for a Webber, Power and Ambrose show.
    I hope you all have a great weekend.
18. 

    Mike Kelso
    26th May 2013, 20:33

    “The blue riband races …”? I think you meant “blue ribbon”.
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       26th May 2013, 21:19

       I didn’t.

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