Editorial Comment: The IRL Report Card

The Engines and Chassis:

Considering the short time frame imposed by the league, the two engine manufacturers (Oldsmobile Aurora and Nissan Infiniti) have done a splendid job. Both companies went from drawing board to product deliveries in less than twelve months. The Oldsmobile engineers have surged ahead in the young battle. They have won every race hands down. The Oldsmobile has had reliability problems, but they seem to be working that issue quite well. During the Indianapolis 500, there were only seven cars eliminated due to engine failures (Olds and Nissan combined). The Infiniti is down on power, but has proven quite reliable. Be assured, the Infiniti crew is committed to the series and will be a force as engine development continues. Grade: B

The chassis manufacturers for the series are G Force and Dallara. Riley and Scott of Indianapolis will throw their hat in the ring this summer. The chassis are in a dead heat. It doesn't seem to matter which chassis a team chooses. They are both fast. Most teams have not complained of any chassis problems. Grade: A

The Competition:

The Orlando race was hard to figure. It ended with a red flag in the rain. Eddie Cheever won with timing rather than track passing. In any event, he had put himself in a position to win. It paid off, giving him his first IRL victory. Grade: B

Phoenix was without a doubt, a Cinderella story. Jim Guthrie just plain beat the competition. There was drama, strategy, and good racing action. The league made big impressions with Guthrie's low budget victory. It proved the little guy could be competitive in the league. Grade: A

Mother nature played havoc with Indy. After two rain delays, the race was finally ran on Tuesday, May 27. The race was as good as any in recent memory. It was better than most of the 500's throughout the 80's and 90's. There were lead changes, a rookie leading late in the race, and close competition at the end, with Arie Luyendyk winning his second Indy classic. Besides the weather, the only let down was the mis-communication at the end of the race (Timing and scoring will be graded in another section). Grade: B.

The IRL cars ran under the lights for the first time in Texas. The race appeared to be one of the best on record. Another Timing and Scoring fiasco proved that the race was a blowout. Arie Luyendyk won by two laps (I believe this is the latest story). There were blown engines on the first lap. Before the scoring error, this race would have easily been graded "A". Due to the blowout, the grade must be lowered. Grade: C.

The Rules Makers (USAC and IRL):

These people should be invisible to the race fan. As long as things are going smoothly, they are. No one heard much from the IRL and USAC at Orlando and Phoenix.

The IRL worked with the manufacturers closely for the Orlando race. There was much to accomplish in a short time. They put on a good show and gave the credit to the manufacturers. Good job...smiley face... and all that stuff. Grade: A.

In Phoenix, the league and USAC made sure the pace car went slow enough so that a hole in the turn 4 wall could be repaired. This allowed the race to end under green. The action was transparent to the spectators. Another good show. Grade: A.

The League went from champ to chump at Indy. They began making "rules as you go". At the end of the last qualifying day, the league announced thirty-five cars would start the race instead of the traditional thirty-three. They wanted to remain true to the IRL regulars who were guaranteed spots in the field while at the same time rewarding the fastest cars at the track. This in itself was a good idea. They did not follow through. Their communication was terrible. Some teams obviously knew very early that the league was going to add cars to the field. The drivers that were bumped from the field (but were in the fastest thirty-three) were very relaxed. They knew of the league's plans. Other teams did not. The league's lack of communication could have cost Scott Harrington his life. He destroyed his car trying to qualify above 214 mph. Under the "fastest thirty-three" scenario, he would have been in the race at a speed of 208 mph. He had not been informed of the league's plan to start the fastest thirty-three cars. Add this to the miscue at the end of the race (yellow...green....yellow), the grading for Indy is a no-brainer. Grade: F.

At Texas, USAC screwed every respecting race fan in the grandstands as well as those watching at home. Most fans were thrilled with the outcome of the race. Texan A.J. Foyt's cars were shown in first and second. It was a storybook ending. The storybook turned into a twisted Stephen King nightmare. USAC informed the world the next day that Arie Luyendyk was two laps ahead (he went 210 laps while announced winner, Billy Boat, went the scheduled 208 laps). If report cards went lower than "F", this section would be a triple "Z-". But, staying with tradition....another no-brainer. Grade: F.

Final Thoughts:

The League announced this month that USAC was out of the picture. IRL will be performing their own timing, scoring, and sanctioning of the events. This would be a good move if they really make the change. There are many functions and jobs to fill in a short time. Be sure to look real close at the "new" officials. Chances are, the majority of them were wearing a USAC uniform a couple of weeks ago.

Other than scoring, the league has done well. If you are looking for close, competitive racing where a new winner is probable, go see an IRL race. It is a good show. If the timing and scoring remains the same, who knows, you might get to see a fist fight for free with your paid race admission.

Terry Callahan