First off, if you're like me and you're trapped in Indiana, which had a ton of rain yesterday followed by chilly wind, doesn't that picture make you hate the people who went to St. Pete this weekend?
This season is a strange one for the IndyCar Series because not only is it the first time they open the season with a non-oval, but they're starting the season with two of them (Long Beach in a couple of weeks). The great thing is that, after two races, it will be ridiculous to see who is leading the points race.
So, this weekend's race. St. Pete is a beautiful location, as you can see from that photo, but like most street courses, the quality of the racing had to be sacrificed a bit. There are two or three actual passing zones on the course (T1, T4, T10), but if you're being realistic, Turn 1 is the only place to really make it happen. Turn comes off of the gigantic runway onto a narrower bit of road that is bordered by grass. So, if you make a move going into T1, and it turns out not to be the wisest move in the world, there is a bunch of grass to catch you. Everywhere else on the track, there are concrete walls and tire barriers that aren't quite as nice to a car as an empty field. This being the case, most of the real passing moves will come at Turn 1, while the moves that put cars into walls will happen at the other turns.
Who will win the race? Judging by the practice times, I'm going to throw my hat into the ring for Dario "I married Ashley Judd" Franchitti. Franchitti was the only driver to beat a 100 m.p.h. average in practice 1, and he came third in practice 2. The man just knows how to drive a car smoothly (unless his team forgets to tell him that the race is over). He's one of the best to ever pilot an IRL car and now he drives for one of the two best teams. That's a recipe for success right there.
Dark Horse? Justin Wilson, driving for Dale Coyne. Wilson sat third in practice 1, behind the Ganassi Racing guys. Then he got the second-best time in practice 2 behind former teammate Graham Rahal. Who knows if the tall man from England likes good ol'-fashioned barbecue, but his new sponsor (Sonny's Pit B-B-Q) might drown him in ribs if the circumstances work out for him.
Ninja Dark Horse (so shadowy, you don't know he's there until...he's there): E.J. Viso. Viso is in the top five on the time sheets of both practices and he finished 5th in his second-ever IndyCar race on this very track in 2008. More likely than not, his ninja dark horse ways will probably put his car into Tampa Bay, on fire. But if things work right, and his crazy passing moves don't kill him and several innocent bystanders, he could put HVM into victory lane.
Danica Watch: I think she will be somewhere between the pit wall and her motorhome by the time the race is over. Her form has been terrible so far this weekend, and I don't expect it to be much better during qualifying. Therefore, she will be mired deep in the field and will probably have a run-in with one of the other drivers...or a manatee.
Qualifying is at 5PM Saturday on VERSUS, Race is at 2:45, with a 45-minute pre-race show starting at 2. Watch it!
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