Inside Line: Biggest Indianapolis 500 Takeaway?
Today's question: What was your biggest takeaway from the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge?
Curt Cavin: Alex Palou's first '500' victory and the second grandstand sellout of the modern era were huge stories, to be sure. But the most significant development of this month was the television rating associated with FOX Sports' first race broadcast. Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said officials had modeled what a 5 percent year-over-year increase in Indy ratings would mean to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as a whole, and it was a difference-maker. But a 40 percent increase, which is what was achieved? Well, that required a whole new model calculation, and Miles said the impact from the business side of the sport will be felt in a massive way.
Eric Smith: My biggest takeaway was how much of an impact pit road had on the outcome of Sunday's race. While I do believe the best car and best driver won, I was shocked to see so many drivers were plagued by the slowest part of the track. Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay have three '500' victories between them and led 99 of 200 laps, but each had issues on pit road, dropping them from winning contention. 2016 winner Alexander Rossi and two-time '500' winner Josef Newgarden both saw their days end on pit road, albeit not necessarily pit road problems, but mechanical failures while on pit road. Rookie pole winner Robert Shwartzman, Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay each had brake problems entering their pit stops, effectively ruining any shot of victory. Not saying any of those drivers had a car capable of stopping Palou, but each could have fared better in the final results.
Arni Sribhen: After three weeks at home in Indianapolis, the only thing I'm taking away from the Month of May is something I already knew coming into the two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Alex Palou is really good at INDYCAR SERIES racing. Numbers back it up. Five wins in six races. Six straight podiums. Three-hundred six points out of a possible 334. Face it guys, we're watching the 1927 New York Yankees, Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls win 72 games or the early 2000s Ferrari F1 of Michael Schumacher, only it's a yellow-and-red NTT INDYCAR SERIES car and a driver having an 'amazing' year.
Paul Kelly: Along the lines of Arni's thoughts, I'm beyond impressed at the history Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing are making this season. Let's get real: The championship race is probably all but over, and Palou could almost canter to his fourth Astor Challenge Cup in five years. But I don't want to see Palou and the No. 10 DHL team nickel-and-dime their way to a third straight title this summer; I want to see them crush the field like a relentless steamroller. I want Palou to challenge and even break the all-time record for victories in one INDYCAR SERIES season, 10, by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970. Remember when the New England Patriots went 16-0 during the regular season in 2007? Their games became appointment TV that season, whether you liked Tom Brady and Co. or not (as a lifelong member of Bills Mafia, I loathe the Pats). The Indy 500 just drew its biggest TV audience since 2008, and continued Palou trips to Victory Lane may keep more of those fans around their sets than a couple more wins and a handful of top-fives through Nashville in August. Let's see the Palou wagon keep rolling at maximum speed.
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