Round 4: Grand Prix of Indianapolis, 8 - 10 May, 2014

[JacobP]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The Autosport race report explains what happened to Hawksworth.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113896

Though basically Hawksworth and Pagenaud pitted during the yellow after Dixon went off and Pagenaud got out of the pits ahead of Hawsworth, who then got bogged down in traffic, with different cars on different strategies.

This kind of confusion happens in IndyCar more often than I like. There are too many full course cautions that are always followed by chaotic pit stop action. At some point I just lose the track of why the cars are in front, good strategy or a lucky yellow? IndyCar is one of the sports where "rolling the dice" with respect to predicting future yellows is part of the strategy. Something like this happens in NASCAR too. IndyCar would be a lot better on the road courses if they didn't evacuate stranded cars under full course yellow.

[marcostraz]

Originally Posted by JacobP

This kind of confusion happens in IndyCar more often than I like. There are too many full course cautions that are always followed by chaotic pit stop action. At some point I just lose the track of why the cars are in front, good strategy or a lucky yellow? IndyCar is one of the sports where "rolling the dice" with respect to predicting future yellows is part of the strategy. Something like this happens in NASCAR too. IndyCar would be a lot better on the road courses if they didn't evacuate stranded cars under full course yellow.

On the contrary, this is one of the things that I like more in IndyCar, because you have to be ready to every situation...it's another aspect that makes this series the most difficult and complete in the world, with drivers that have to be able to control so different aspects, not only speed...for this, IndyCar drivers and teams have to be more prepared than drivers and teams...this is my opinion...

[werner]

Having to be prepared for everything is one thing, being lucky another...

[JacobP]

Originally Posted by marcostraz

On the contrary, this is one of the things that I like more in IndyCar, because you have to be ready to every situation...it's another aspect that makes this series the most difficult and complete in the world, with drivers that have to be able to control so different aspects, not only speed...for this, IndyCar drivers and teams have to be more prepared than drivers and teams...this is my opinion...

I disagree. Pitstop randomness is something that most pit crews, strategists, and drivers can't control. It's literally like rolling the dice. If someone wins under these conditions, it's not because of what they have done, they just got lucky. I have seen so many times fast drivers who made an excellent start and drove a good race fall to the back for no good reason because of these yellows. And then this is happens all the time at nearly every race. Making sense of a mass pit stop involving half of the field or more is hard to follow or comprehend for a casual viewer. I think even TV commentators contradict themselves. I can't remember how many times I have heard "oh no, he pits under green, this is very costly" "He has to pit under yellow! This is so bad, etc", as 90%+ of viewers don't even understand what's going on.

Moreover, a race that gets interrupted by multiple yellows is not only boring, but it also breaks the spirit of "sprint racing". An open wheels series should be about fast sprint races instead of spending a bunch of their time behind the safety car or in the pits.

I understand that on tight street courses or on ovals you can't continue a race after an accident that block the road, but on a road course things should have been better if the car that's off the track was evacuated under a local yellow.

[Burp]

Im happy with it just the way it is, its always been that way to a lesser or greater extent. As has been said its one of the things that makes it Indycar.

"hes trying to stay on the lead lap so he can get to the back of the pack if there is a yellow" etc

Cars running off strategy and pitting at different times hoping for yellows etc. Mid-Ohio last year was a cracking Indycar race. some choose to save fuel and some choose to run flat out, then some changed their minds. I prefer that kind of race to one where they spread out bsed on pace and theres very little passing or cars near each other