Well once again the IndyCar season did not disappoint. Although it did go by way too fast. Here is what I will remember from the 2017 season.
Racing highlights-
- Penske and Chevy were dominate. Not much different from other seasons.
- Josef started strong and just kept going. Winning in his first season with Penske was impressive. Winning the Championship was amazing. No one really saw that coming- not in his first season. He is such a talented young driver.
- Stefan Wilson gave up his ride for Fernando Alonso. Professionally it might not have been his best decision, time will tell, but it was an incredibly selfless gesture and I’m very hopeful that IndyCar will honor that selfless act by making sure he is in a great ride for the 2018 Indianapolis 500. Stefan Wilson is a class act and as good as they come. Justin would be so proud.
- Helio won at Iowa and fans might have seen his last fence climb in IndyCar.
- Sebastian Bourdais had a horrible crash at Indianapolis, many feared he wouldn’t race again. He returned at the end of the season racing at Gateway, Watkins Glen and Sonoma.
- Scott Dixon walked away from a horrific crash during the Indy500.
- Takuma Sato won the Indy 500. It was a popular win and the first time a Japanese man has won.
- The championship went down to the last race with four strong contenders and others still mathematically able to win. It was Josef Newgarden who won the honor.
My Race Highlights-
- I met Arie Luyendyk on Mothers Day at the IMS museum. He helped me with a trivia contest I was working on from George Phillips at oilpressure.com
- Curt Cavin now recognizes me and was kind enough to offer me a garage pass the day of the GP of Indy.
- Spent time at the races with my IndyCar friends. I always love meeting up with my friends at races. This year I saw Mike Silver at every event I attended. The same can be said of my friend Lisa. Lisa and I also went out for several meals before or after races. Thanks to Mark and his big blue tarp we had a great place to watch the GP of Indy again this year. Always fun to see Mike Knapp- my oldest racing/Twitter friend. He had the honor of working with Buddy Lazier’s team at the 500.
- My good friend, Kristen, attended the Iowa race with me after not attending a race the two previous seasons.
- Saw Helio climb the fence at Iowa.
- Met many drivers including once again meeting Stefan Wilson. He needs a full time ride!
Silly Season-
Many things have already been decided. Some have been announced some are still in the works but there is a general consensus as to how the 2018 season will look. Here are a few that stick out to me.
- Tony Kanaan is expected to sign with AJ Foyt racing. Not everyone thinks this is the best idea but I love it. I think TK can help the team and I want TK to continue in IndyCar. It’s a win win. Many say that if he signs with AJ he will be gone after he drives for them. Well duh- he is 42. If he signs a two year contract which is what we are hearing he will most likely be retiring no matter who he drove for. Drivers don’t usually keep driving into their 40’s. Let’s just enjoy the time we have and if TK can offer valuable insights and advice to AJ’s team then that is great. Oh and did I mention that AJ and TK are my two favorites. I love these guys and think they will make an amazing team. Larry Foyt get ready because I’m expecting good things from your team.
- New teams. I’m excited about the new teams looking to join IndyCar.
- Ganassi moving to a two car team. That is going to mix things up a bit.
- No official word on Helio but sounds like he is moving to sports cars.
All in all it was such a fun season and I’m already missing it terribly. The day after the Indy 500 is always so depressing but just a few days after the 500 we have a double header in Detroit to look forward to. The end of the season doesn’t offer as much. Thankfully we still need a few pieces from silly season to fall into place. I’m also a huge fan of Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee. I can get a small IndyCar fix listening to their podcast every week.
I will occasionally blog during the off season but will be back at it in March. Thanks to all who read. I really enjoy sharing my thoughts here and appreciate those who take the time to read it.
ikissedthebricks 