Last Sunday, the final IndyCar race that will ever be run at Pocono in Long Port PA closed with a whimper rather than a bang. Will Power did end his 2019 winless streak by leading the field on the 128th lap when the rains came and the red flag was dropped, mercifully ending the gloomy event. The ABC Supply 500 featured yet another multiple car crash on the 1st lap that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and served to illustrate the big reason why IndyCars will not return to the Pocono Oval.
Rain canceled qualifying on Saturday, which meant the field would line up in the order of points earned for the 2019 season so far, so this rule placed Josef Newgarden on the pole with Alexander Rossi starting next to him. As the green flag dropped Rossi got off to a slow start which allowed Pagenaud, Dixon, and Power to slip by him. When he entered the back straightaway Power found an open lane and used it to roar past Newgarden to take the lead. Meanwhile Rossi found himself bunched with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takuma Sato, Coming on to the back stretch they were running 3 abreast. As turn 3 approached Sato, running in the outside lane, tried to cut in front of Rossi and Hunter-Reay. Sato and Rossi’s cars touched, sending both drivers sliding. Rossi hit the wall and Sato was hit by Hunter-Reay and both cars collected James Hinchcliffe and rookie Felix Rosenqvist. Just like that the 22 car field was reduced by one fourth on the first lap. After some extensive pit work Sato was able to continue and finished 18th. Rosenqvist had to be hospitalized, but his injuries are not considered serious. Rossi and Hunter-Reay were quite local in their condemnation of Sato and his reckless maneuver. They were supported in their opinion by driver/analyst Paul Tracy.
As to the rest of the race, when the green flag brought the field back up to speed, Power took control, his old Down Under nemesis, Scott Dixon, slid into 2nd but couldn’t catch him. At the half way point it was obvious that the rains were coming fairly quickly, so drivers started jockeying for position when the skies opened and the red flag ended the race. Power drove to his 1st 2019 victory. Dixon was 2nd, Pagenaud 3rd. Rookie Santino Ferrucci was 4th and Josef Newgarden was 5th which helped him extend his point lead over Rossi.
Pocono was been a dark cloud over the IndyCar series the last several years. Juan Pablo Montoya won the fastest Indycar 500 mile race in history in 2014 with an average speed of 202:604 mph. The very next year, however, popular driver Justin Wilson lost his life when young Sage Karam lost control of his car and crashed into the outside retaining wall on the back stretch. A large piece of debris flew over and hit Wilson in the head, knocking him out. He crashed into the inside retaining wall and was critically injured. He died the next day.
Last year, 2018, saw spectacularly talented rookie Robert Wickens involved in a horrifying crash on lap 6 when he and Ryan Hunter-Reay touched cars again on the dangerous back stretch. Wickens suffered critical injuries, among them, pulmonary contusion. He is still recovering from the effects of that crash.
NASCAR drivers have long maintained that the Indy Cars just go too fast to be safe on that track. It looks as though they are correct. Anyway the IndyCar series won’t be returning to Pocono. Say esta vien!.
The 15th race of the series race is this coming Sunday at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison Il for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Presented by Axalta and Valvoline (Try to say all that 3 times fast!).
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