Reaction to Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix

What's more broken? The patch-work on the Belle Isle streets in Detroit? Or the questionable decision-making by race directors of the IndyCar Series?

The answer: Both are bad, but there is something much more to blame for the disappointing occurrences today on the streets of Detroit.


From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows....


After one of the greatest Indianapolis 500s in history, a week later is one of the most disappointing events in the history of the IndyCar Series.

Let's start with the most obvious of flubs from today's race: The Streets of Belle Isle.

Through a shortened weekend for IndyCar practice (rain-shortened on Friday), teams and officials were never able to get a full reading on any possible track issues. The 68 straight minutes of racing (with over 21 cars still in the race at the time of the Hinchcliffe and Sato crashes) was longer than any practice session all weekend.

IndyCar was not the only series on the streets of Belle Isle this weekend. The Indy Lights Series also raced, like they normally do, on the same circuit this weekend. Further, the Grand-Am Rolex Series raced on Saturday after the Indy Lights race. In that series, nearly 30 cars were on track for the two-hour event. Through all of those events, there were no issues with the track at all. There weren't even any concerns. So there's no possible way that the Series or the race directors could have foreseen this.

I mean, let's be honest, the patch-job wasn't the greatest, but it's very standard for city streets. But city cars don't create the downforce at anywhere near the level of the DW12.  Nobody expected those patch jobs to come up. Why would they? So fans, stop complaining about stupidity that they patched the track as they did. It's a rough circuit (which is now being resurfaced for next year, and the layout adjusted and lengthened as well to provide more passing zones because too many people apparently complained about lack of overtakes...I thought there were plenty of great ones but who am I to say...that's another story for another day). Be mad at something else, but don't be mad at the city and at the track. They did everything to make this event happen, and when adversity decided to strike, the workers fixed up the track using a concrete filler and made it suitable for racing. Good for them. They did all they could do.

It also opened the door for doubters of road racing. Besides the complaints about passing opportunities, tweets from the typical American fan saying "road courses are boring, ovals are fun" returning, and "when you can go 200 why do you go 30" ideas, another big complaint resurfaced even quicker than the workers resurfacing the track. This complaint is on the circuits being used in the first place. With so many street courses that have roads used in everyday life, it's quite difficult to have a good racing circuit. Sao Paulo struggled the first year, but it was improved for the following season. Let's hope Belle Isle does the same. But why must we keep going to these tracks? Why can't we have more courses like Barber, Infineon, and Mid-Ohio? I mean there's still places like Leguna Seca and Watkins Glen. And IndyCar BETTER race at the new Road of the Americas when it's finished later this year......again, another rant for another day.

Let's find something else to blame instead of the track. Let's look at blaming Beaux Barfield and the IndyCar Officials.

No, I'm not blaming the series for choosing to race here. I'm blaming them for the way the race ended, because they did something that made very little sense.

Due to uncertainty of the longevity of the patch repair, combined with the dwindling light hours in the day and possibility of inclement weather incoming, the race was shortened from 90 laps to 60. So, instead of 45 laps to go after the red flag, only 15 laps remained in the race.

This didn't bother me at all. All cars had fuel for the 15 laps left, so nobody was given an advantage/disadvantage. It's just like any restart.

Teams could also change their tires before going back on track...but there was a restriction. A team could only change tires to a set that matched what was already on their car. So if the car was on the primary (harder, longer-lasting, "blacks") tires when the red flag came out, they could change to another set of the blacks. If a car was on the option (softer, quicker-deteriorating, "reds") tires, they could switch to a new set of reds only.

Along with this decision, the mandated rule requiring cars to use both a set of reds and blacks during the race was rescinded. Most cars had at that point gone from starting on the softer reds to the harder blacks for the second stint. Some who tried an alternate strategy of going red-red (or even going black-red) got a HUGE advantage, as they got sticker reds for the final laps. That "strategy" put Dario Franchitti into second place, as the reds were much more effective for the restarts, and he was the only one in the top seven running on the softer-compound tires. The Scot (who seems to always have the horseshoe stuck...well...ya) got a lucky "break" yet again.

Now, in possible defense to Beaux Barfield, IndyCar race director, I honestly have no idea who made this executive decision. Whoever did, sorry, I don't agree with it.

Still, even with this very poor ruling (second in dumb IndyCar rulings only to New Hampshire last year), there is somebody else who we need to blame most of all for how this race ended.

Who to blame most? ESPN.

ANY NASCAR RACE AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE RACE IS TAKEN OFF OF THE AIR. If the race this week was on NBC Sports Network, there's no way the race is taken off of the air. But, instead of pushing back the evening news or even coming back on the air when the race was to continue (or even run the finish with tape delay!), they decide to shift coverage over to ESPNews. That was no problem for me, and for a good number of other fans out there. But, for a great percentage of devoted fans, ESPNews is not available. On the east coast, the switch still happened during the delay. On the west coast, the switch occurred with ten laps left. YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT ABC/ESPN THINKS INDYCAR ISN'T IMPORTANT FOR 15 MORE MINUTES? FOR TEN MORE LAPS!?!?!? C'mon people.

The IndyCar Series is not given a chance because the powers that be don't give them a chance. They choose to trample on the series. And then unforeseeable and unfortunate circumstances put a damper on what should have been a great weekend returning to the Motor City. And add on to that a questionable ruling that gives an unfair advantage, and all of a sudden IndyCar is open to doubters again.

It all began with an unfortunate track problem that nobody expected and nobody could have foreseen. Instead of a great story of track maintenance guys fixing the track, a revitalizing story perfectly in line with the city of Detroit itself, they get kicked off of the air. ESPN, you continue to upset me.

The biggest sports broadcasting company in the world playing favorites. That, my friends, is what's wrong with sports.