Hamilton, Dixon, and Kahne Win the Big Ones!
Monday, May 26th, 2008By: Drew Hierwarter
We celebrate Memorial Day to remember all those who sacrificed everything in the service of our country. The brave men and women who died so that the rest of us can be free and safe. Free to live our lives and enjoy our many favorite activities in the safety of knowing that they are standing watch. One of those activities is auto racing and on Memorial Day we get to enjoy three of the biggest races of the year; The Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, The Indianapolis 500, and NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600.
The day begins in the tiny principality of Monaco. A glittering jewel on the French Riviera, Monaco is the site of the world’s oldest temporary street circuit. The sights and sounds are like nowhere else in the world as the race cars wind through the city around a five star hotel, a casino, and past multi-million dollar yachts lined up in the harbor. And every evening, at the conclusion of race activities, the barricades come down and the streets are once again open to the public. The famous and the not-so-famous alike can drive along the same stretch of pavement that, just moments before, was being taken at more than 100mph by the greatest racing drivers in the world. To win at Monaco is to solidify a Formula 1 driver’s career. It is one of the most difficult races on the circuit and it requires all of the skill, and precision that a driver has. The streets are narrow, the guardrails are close, and there is no margin for error. Miss a braking point or an apex by just one inch and the car goes into the barrier and your race is over. No other circuit in the world demands so much precision from the driver.
This year, the race was made even more difficult by rain. It began with everyone on wet weather tires and difficult conditions. The front row starting Ferrari’s of Massa and Raikkonen had their races slip away from them due to a spin by Massa on lap 16, and two incidents by Raikkonen, both of which required a pit stop for a new nose. Third starting Lewis Hamilton also had a brush with the wall that required a stop for new tires, but the team played their remaining fuel stop and several safety car periods to perfection and Hamilton achieved what he himself called the highlight of his career. The win put Hamilton back on top of the championship points.
After the glitz and glamour of Monaco, the attention of the racing world turned to the down home, mid-west American traditions of the Indianapolis 500. This was the 92nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and the first one since the unification of the IRL and Champ Car series and the excitement was everywhere. For the first time in thirteen years, all of the greatest open wheel drivers in America where racing on the same track, at the same time. The fans responded by filling up almost all of the 250,000 seats, with tens of thousands more in the infield. The Indy 500 was back! The big story was the “super teams”, with the cars of Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, and Andretti-Green Racing occupying the first six starting spots. Everyone was sure that the winner would come from one of those teams. Scott Dixon, driving for Ganassi-Target Racing, may have started from the pole but his journey to the winner’s circle was anything but easy. Nine different drivers swapped the lead 18 times with Dixon taking the lead seven times for a total of 115 laps. Teamate and fellow front row starter Dan Weldon lead four times for a total of 30 laps. Andretti-Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan was leading at the halfway point when a spin put him in the path of Sarah Fisher and the crash ended the day for both of them. Marco Andretti had a brilliant drive leading for 15 laps and being in strong contention at the end and finishing third. And of course, most eyes were on Danica Patrick. She struggled most of the day with an ill handling car that kept her mired in the bottom half of the top 12 when it all came to end on pit road. As she was exiting after a routine stop, Ryan Briscoe swung wide out of his pit stall and collided with Patrick, breaking the rear suspension of her car and ending her day. As for Penske Racing’s two super stars, the popular and two-time 500 winner, Helio Castroneves finished a respectable fourth, and the aforementioned Briscoe was credited with 23rd.
Now, all race fans looked 600 miles to the south and Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, just outside the Jewel City, Charlotte. The Coca Cola 600 is the longest race on the NASCAR circuit and is a severe test of man and machine. To make it even more difficult, the race starts in the heat of the afternoon and doesn’t end until well after dark. Drivers and crew chiefs must constantly adjust to the changing track throughout the 400 grueling laps.
Kyle Busch, by any measure, the hottest driver in NASCAR right now, jumped out to an immediate lead from his pole starting position. But it wasn’t long before his car was plagued with electrical problems that kept his crew concerned through most of the race. The team managed to stay on the lead lap however, in spite of a long pit stop to change the car’s battery, and finished a strong third, preserving his lead in the points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, had one of his best runs of the season so far and looked to be the odds on favorite to finally get his first win in over two years. He was able to run in the top three for most of the night and he seemed to be able to take the lead almost at will. But with just over 100 laps to go, he brushed the wall due to a cut tire and his night was essentially over. The team made several pit stops to repair the damage and managed to stay on the lead lap but fifth place was the best they could salvage from a night that had to be disappointing after looking like the team to beat for much of the race.
After Earnhardt’s crash, Tony Stewart looked like he would be the next one to break out and get his first victory of 2008. He was leading Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle by several seconds with just three laps to go when a blown tire put him in the wall and handed the race lead, and ultimately the win to Kahne. Kahne is now the sixth driver to win the Coca Cola 600 and the NASCAR All-Star race in the same year and this win moved him up two spots in the points to that all important twelfth position.
All in all, it was an exciting Memorial Day for race fans and we were treated to three excellent events. And the thanks for that goes not only to all the race teams that participated, but to all the military heroes, past, present, and future, who made it possible for us to enjoy this wonderful country and the freedoms we have.