2005 IRL IndyCar Series Half-Year Awards
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:23 pm
I got the idea for this thread from an F1 magazine, F1 Racing if I'm not mistaken. I was reading the year-end edition from 2004 w/all of its' awards, and I thought to myself recently, what notable items have occured this year? So, here's a couple of awards that seem appropriate for the first half of the season. If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to comment.
Driver of the Half:Dan Wheldon. He has 4 wins so far(including Indy), has 15 top-10 finishes dating back to mid-2004, and has a 76-pt lead on 2004 champion Tony Kanaan.
Rookie of the Half:Danica Patrick. She's clearly out-classed the other two rookies in the series this year, she's led at Motegi and Indy(first woman to do so at the Brickyard), has one pole(Kansas) and has had 4 top-5 starts in her last five races(w/the exception of Richmond).
Team of the Half:Andretti-Green Racing. Once again, they're the class of the field. All four of their drivers(Wheldon-1st, Kanaan-2nd, Franchitti-4th, and Herta-tied 7th) are in the top 10, and no other team has challenged them for team supremacy yet.
Race of the Half:Indianapolis. With everything that happened there the month of May, including the late-race duel between Patrick and Wheldon, no other race come close, period.
Surprise Race of the Half:St. Petersburg(street race). When the IRL put this race on the '05 calender, the critics were out in force saying it wouldn't succeed, that the cars couldn't handle the stresses of a non-oval race, etc. The race was a resounding success, the cars handled the track w/out problems(one car did retire w/mec. problems) and the crowds loved the event weekend. So much for the critics, hmm?
The Hard-Luck Award of the Half:Panther Racing's Tomas Enge. At Richmond, Enge was fighting for 3rd place w/Patrick Carpentier when he dived to the inside to avoid a backmarker. Race control, however, ruled that Enge had "blocked" Carpentier, forcing Enge to take a drive-through penalty and forcing him to finish in 7th even though had he not avoided the backmarker, there would've been at least two cars into the turn 3 wall, and probably one or two more as well.
Feel-Good Award of the Half:This one's about as easy to pick as the one for rookie of the half. After 14 tries as a driver at the Brickyard, Wheldon's win this year may have lifted the dreaded "Andretti Curse" off of the backs of the Andretti family, particulary Michael Andretti, who got to finally drink the milk at Indy this year, albeit as an owner. His quote said it all--"It's the sweetest milk I've ever drank." Enough said.
Thankfully, there were a few other good things this year, as well. No one's been seriously hurt this year in any of the various crashes this year(including Patrick's at Homestead back in March, a right-side frontal crash that was recorded at 153.4 G's on impact; she only suffered a mild concussion and a left forearm bruise--her wreck would've been a lot worse w/out the SAFER barrier along the outside wall.) The racing's been close, clean, and exciting, and there should be plenty more as the series rounds the corner at Nashville, Milwaukee, and Michigan and heads towards the season finale in Oct. at California. As always, I'll provide race previews, qual. and race summaries, storylines, commentaries, and whatever else comes to find. Thanks, and don't hesitate to comment on whatever comes to mind.
Driver of the Half:Dan Wheldon. He has 4 wins so far(including Indy), has 15 top-10 finishes dating back to mid-2004, and has a 76-pt lead on 2004 champion Tony Kanaan.
Rookie of the Half:Danica Patrick. She's clearly out-classed the other two rookies in the series this year, she's led at Motegi and Indy(first woman to do so at the Brickyard), has one pole(Kansas) and has had 4 top-5 starts in her last five races(w/the exception of Richmond).
Team of the Half:Andretti-Green Racing. Once again, they're the class of the field. All four of their drivers(Wheldon-1st, Kanaan-2nd, Franchitti-4th, and Herta-tied 7th) are in the top 10, and no other team has challenged them for team supremacy yet.
Race of the Half:Indianapolis. With everything that happened there the month of May, including the late-race duel between Patrick and Wheldon, no other race come close, period.
Surprise Race of the Half:St. Petersburg(street race). When the IRL put this race on the '05 calender, the critics were out in force saying it wouldn't succeed, that the cars couldn't handle the stresses of a non-oval race, etc. The race was a resounding success, the cars handled the track w/out problems(one car did retire w/mec. problems) and the crowds loved the event weekend. So much for the critics, hmm?
The Hard-Luck Award of the Half:Panther Racing's Tomas Enge. At Richmond, Enge was fighting for 3rd place w/Patrick Carpentier when he dived to the inside to avoid a backmarker. Race control, however, ruled that Enge had "blocked" Carpentier, forcing Enge to take a drive-through penalty and forcing him to finish in 7th even though had he not avoided the backmarker, there would've been at least two cars into the turn 3 wall, and probably one or two more as well.
Feel-Good Award of the Half:This one's about as easy to pick as the one for rookie of the half. After 14 tries as a driver at the Brickyard, Wheldon's win this year may have lifted the dreaded "Andretti Curse" off of the backs of the Andretti family, particulary Michael Andretti, who got to finally drink the milk at Indy this year, albeit as an owner. His quote said it all--"It's the sweetest milk I've ever drank." Enough said.
Thankfully, there were a few other good things this year, as well. No one's been seriously hurt this year in any of the various crashes this year(including Patrick's at Homestead back in March, a right-side frontal crash that was recorded at 153.4 G's on impact; she only suffered a mild concussion and a left forearm bruise--her wreck would've been a lot worse w/out the SAFER barrier along the outside wall.) The racing's been close, clean, and exciting, and there should be plenty more as the series rounds the corner at Nashville, Milwaukee, and Michigan and heads towards the season finale in Oct. at California. As always, I'll provide race previews, qual. and race summaries, storylines, commentaries, and whatever else comes to find. Thanks, and don't hesitate to comment on whatever comes to mind.