I don’t blame the track. I blame the aero kits on the cars. It is so hard to pass which causes drivers to be way to aggressive on the first lap. The series puts an emphasis on being in the front which basically caused the crashes the last 2 years
Have you ever seen such a bizarre crash where a car gets launched and flipped the way Rosenqvist's did. He must have been going full throttle to get through that accident, but I have never seen that sort of rollover on a oval, it REALLY shocked me Flips normally happen when the car behind launches over he back of another, here it was way different
@@BlackDiamondProductions Partially agreed. Racing drivers will be racing drivers, after all. Nothing's gonna stop these guys from sending it at the start, when there is everything to gain and, for some, nothing to lose. They need to get a hold of themselves, but knowing the nature of racing drivers is to push, we should make sure that, when they do, it isn't a repeat of this year and last year.
I definitely agree the wall needs to be higher. But, the main issue is: for two consecutive years, drivers have been trying to win the race on the first lap and making foolhardy moves like Sato did today and like Wicky did last year that are causing these huge crashes. Is it the configuration of the track? Is it the 2018 changes to the chassis? Is it the personalities of the drivers in the cars? I hope Indycar figures it out and finds a way to stay at Pocono, but this is a dangerous trend that needs a solution right now. If Rosenquvist had been any higher up in the fence, he might have suffered the same fate as Wicky.
I completely agree with you on the three-wide start. The straight is so long that they don’t need to bunch up the field like a road course. I think they only did the three-wide start that one year because they still had the triple crown, and all of the races in the triple crown had three-wide starts. If they do end up scrapping Pocono from the schedule, they should replace it with 500-mile races at Michigan and/or Fontana, potentially bringing back the triple crown of 500 mile races.
Again I'm saying this for the second year in a row, You can't blame Pocono. The safety fencing design is outdated and needs changing everywhere, ovals aren't the problem, I think people are forgetting that Franchitti's career was ended by a street circuit with the same sort of crash. It can happen anywhere and not just with single seaters. The trouble with this is it'll only be done when the cost of life outweighs the cost of a re-design. Indycar will use this as an opportunity to get rid of Pocono and claim it was done on safety grounds to pat themselves on the back. That doesn't change the problem though, and that is that the current safety fence design is running on borrowed time and we're gonna see a crash way worse than this again, it's just a matter of time.
Pocono as an idea is a great circuit. Three unique and different turns providing a great challenge. But this circuit has an abysmal safety record, I mean there wasn’t even an all encompassing catch fence around the track until about ten years ago
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it blows my mind how anyone can even put 1% of blame for what happened on RHR or Rossi for the first lap clusterfark. Sato obviously went for a gap that wasn't there. You can't run three wide through the tunnel turn. You can't, yet Sato is the one who did. So, Sato, imo, is 100% to blame and should absolutely be suspended for this weekend's race at Gateway. Now, whether he is depends on whether Indy Car has a spine or not. I am not holding my breath. However, Sato could have easily have killed himself or another driver with that asinine move. This was alluded to by RHR, post-wreck. He said track position is important at Pocono. Only way one can gain is on the start or re-starts. Why is that? The current aero package stinks at Indy and Pocono. Don't say the last 10 laps at Indy were awesome. The first 190 were a snooze fest, just awful. If they had a more suitable aero package for these two tracks, then maybe, just maybe we wouldn't see guys trying to pull off these idiotic moves on the first lap. Racing is inherently dangerous and that is what makes it thrilling but got to use some common sense when out there with 22 other guys.
Was reading the comments: On the subject of safety - There have been many suggestions about improving the track, from making the SAFER barrier taller, track limit revisions and formulating new catch fence designs for the ovals. Given the track's layout, instability at high speed and the added human error make for a dangerous formula. I think that, while the issues have shown themselves at Pocono, every oval has the capacity to have these kinds of accidents. Suggestion 1: While it would encroach on the traditions of oval racing, maybe the answer is slowing the cars down marginally. This could be done via added downforce, restrictors, or modifying the layout of the track itself. The later point meaning the series could utilize part of the infield or add a roval-style chicane (or chicanes) to the front stretch (which is wide enough to accommodate them). IndyCar also has the power to "strongly suggest" the track add a new route to accommodate the series (Lets be honest, the road course isn't fit for a televised race). Suggestion 2: Regarding the talk of car instability, why not add a shark fin to the aero kit for this track (or all ovals)? It seems to work for prototypes (WEC and IMSA) and F1, with a modified style found in NASCAR. If they're worried about aesthetics the piece can be made clear, although it makes a prime position for sponsorship. Suggestion 3: Additional protection for the driver. While the aeroscreen/halo hybrid will be coming soon, I doubt it's ability to ward off one of the fence poles at speed. While it wouldn't look the best, maybe a full cage could offer adequate protection or (dare I say) a closed cockpit w/ integrated protection may be a viable alternative. I do have some faith in the aeroscreen, and hope it proves to be stronger than my expectations. Personally, I love Pocono. When there aren't major accidents, it has great racing and offers a unique challenge to the drivers and teams alike. As I stated last year, we should deeply consider the safety of other ovals also. Some solutions, such as redesigned catch fencing or car modifications, have the potential to improve safety at every circuit. If safety is the #1 goal, and Pocono is dropped due to safety concerns, IndyCar needs to talk a close look at the other ovals as well (including Indy). Resources need put towards developing solutions to these problems if IndyCar wants to keep ovals on the schedule. While I hope that the aeroscreen is the solution we've been waiting for, we very well may need more than that.
David what is your take on Wickens saying Indy Car racing at Pocono is "TOXIC". You got to hang out with Sam Hornish? That's awesome! Sam is a cool guy. I got to meet him when I was younger in 2002 at Phoenix in the garage area before early on race day before warm up. He let me watch them prep the car in the garage. It was awesome.
Video Description should state "horrific crash on lap one started by Takuma Sato" Ryan and Alex were just innocent bystanders as Sato thought he was a bowling ball all of a sudden lol
What would make IndyCar fantastic again would be to have two or more tire manufacturers, multiple chassis manufacturers, multiple engine manufacturers and about 24 race events per season.
a casuals thoughts, I think Pocono can host IndyCar races with modifications to improve safety and I think we need to take a serious look at a good replacement to the catch fencing at ovals
This was so crazy and disheartening in person. I hope this isn't the last race they hold here, it'd be a shame if this was the end for Pocono. At least it was nice to see you on track!
Because they are bias against Pocono Raceway. You have many, many more nasty accidents happen at Indianapolis, yet not a single peep from the same crowd.
@@billymc2681 Yep. Way back, even people in the grandstands died and got injured at Indy. Happened at Daytona with NASCAR too. The catch fences were for race fans first, then for drivers.
We argue wether or not INDYCAR should return to Pocono. But we all agree that we can’t have massive crashes on the same track on back to back years or 3 times in the last 5 years. This gotta stop
@@tommiles6004 I'm not saying they should never come back to Pocono. But it's not a coincidence having 3 bad crashes including a fatal one in 5 years at the same track. We don't see that at Indy. Something has to be done, whether it's restricting the speed or whatever the engineers think it's better. Because cars at Pocono go up to 7-wide in the frontstretch and there's no space for all of them on turns. I also think we should have more 500 mile races on the schedule
@@gocanuckgus the fatality at Pocono wasn't due to a crash. It was a fluke. An absolute fluke. Let's look at Indy for a second in the same time frame. Since 2015 Hinch nearly died in 2015. Dixon got launched into the fence in 2017. 2017 Bouradais broke his hip and could have been killed easily. 2019 there was a wild pile up in turn 3 thay could have gotten ugly. To say Pocono is unique in its danger is to ignore everything. Indy makes serious money and Pocono doesn't. That's why they are gonna dump Pocono. Not because it's extra special dangerous.
@@tommiles6004 Good point! I think people talk about Pocono because we did have a fatality and a driver that might never come back. I agree with you in terms of Indy not being cut because they make so much money out of it. But safety is a concern, as it should be. After JW crash in 2015, many series like the F1 and Formula E adopted the halo. Maybe it would be a fatal crash if they had the halo back then.
What people need to understand is this, yes Pocono needs some safety upgrades. However it’s not the track that is causing these scary accidents. It’s the drivers not respecting the layout and the distance of the race. These same accidents have happened at Indy and other superspeedways. But in this modern era, it’s a bigger deal because of the safety aspect. This sport was brought up by speed and danger. I disagree with some of the drivers comments on twitter but I do agree with Dixon when he said that Pocono is unlucky with these accidents. I hope Pocono stays man. #keeppocono
Big taku fan here but he really needs to calm down. He was wearing a freaking special 10 years in Indycar helmet today and he's still making some crazy shit like this after all this time in the series
All motorsports have an impulse problem where a series feels they need to change things because they are pressured to. Hopefully Indycar keeps their head and not immediately get rid of Pocono. It would definitely be a blow to us traditionalists who want more ovals as well as the return of the Oval Triple Crown. I fear that if hysteria becomes too much the series will become a one oval series (Indianapolis). As you have said previously: Indycar needs more events. Everything else right now is just a support race for the Indianapolis 500, and Pocono was the only other race that doesn't feel like "just another Indycar race". Indycar needs these tracks to maintain prestige so that the series can draw more attention. Pocono stays and Sato receives a one race ban. He didn't show very much remorse and he has been involved in multiple incidents over the years (Indy 2012, Texas 2018, and Texas 2019 to name a few) If Karam deserved a penalty for his crash at Iowa, Sato deserves an even worse one due to the higher risk. Also, Wickens needs to realize that the track didn't injure him, he injured himself. You have to respect the track and neither Wickens nor Sato did so. Therefore the track should not be removed due to these accidents and should be continued as IndyCar's second biggest event. I will not stand for oval racing being disrespected by people who don't care to be good at it. Chilton didn't say "get rid of ovals" he just decided not to race at them. If Karam and Wickens don't like Pocono, then they just shouldn't race there. Done, thanks for reading if you did.
I mean I love the tradition of Pocono but calling it IndyCars second biggest event defies reality. Long Beach and Road America both easily out sell Pocono and both get network over cable coverage for a reason (I am very partial to Road America I will admit, I feel it's America's greatest road course and I love the good road courses as much as the ovals, the mix of oval, road, and street circuit makes IndyCar so great in my opinion, I do want more ovals though). Pocono probably doesn't even get the second best attendance out of the ovals in IndyCar sadly. There is also no doubt that Pocono has been slow throughout its history to add newer safety features. Just look at the catch fencing there compared to the catch fences you see at other super speedways, it's outdated to say the least and until about ten years ago or so they didn't even have catch fencing around the entire track. I love Pocono and I think it's one of the great technical speedway ovals in Motorsport, I put it up there with Indy, and Darlington but it needs to be held accountable for how slow its been to make much needed improvements compared to other ovals of it's age. I would hate to see it off the schedule and hope something can be worked out with IndyCar but with so many Ovals out there if they don't address these concerns it will be replaced. Personally the idea of Richmond instead of Pocono sucks and thats not an insult to Richmond, it's a hell of short track but IndyCar losing another speedway would be a blow. I would love to see the old triple crown back, but I don't think Michigan is ever coming back and Pocono has got to make some improvements plane and simple because you cannot expect drivers to never make over aggressive moves or mistakes, it happens. Plus tires go down, suspensions break, lots of things can lead to catch fences incidents other than driver error.
I agree totally, man. But the drivers complained in the past about the track itself forever because of the bump here and a bump there, last year as well as this year. The facility owners need to bring up taller safer barriers and deal with the track surface in critical areas IMHO. Also, IMHO Indycar should look for options to slow them down to prevent them go flat out in the corners. They shouldn't take away their engine power. The 80s and 90s races were perfect on ovals but it's hard to go against all the tech.
@@felixseven8958 Dixon, Power, and Pagenaud have also made statements supporting the continuation of IndyCar at Pocono: www.google.com/amp/s/www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/dixon-power-defend-pocono-reputation/4515394/amp/
With NASCAR only having one race weekend at Pocono Raceway and Indycar status being in doubt: how long does the Mattioli Family keep the track if there is only one race weekend? Would IMS want to buy Pocono Raceway if the Mattioli Family wanted to sell? Would NASCAR/ISC, Speedway Motorsports, or Andretti Family be interested in buying Pocono? One date a year tracks without corporate ownership just don't make it these days.
Buncha racers with pent up energy wanting to go at it hard from the drop of the green. You make a good point. Think it was even mentioned on the race broadcast.
EliteFlite didn’t they say a win is 50 points, so if metaphorically the points gap stays the same, the double points, assuming a win is 50 points, and if newgarden has issues, and Rossi wins, then he’s all good
35 points is nothing. Heck, even 35 points before the final (double points!) is not hopeless - you just win and the other guy finishes 4th, you're the champion. All 4 at the top can take it, especially given the momentum both Rossi and NG recently had.
Seems like the crowd was pretty good from the TV cams. This track is pretty good for Indy cars. I hope they return. David, there was one crash and it was driver error. I understand where you're coming from with being distraught at the site of a near Wickens repeat crash; however, it didn't happen. I agree that IF Indycar returns they should likely raise the turn 2 wall to avoid having jump the fence. Though the same can likely be said for any oval that Indycar goes to where the cars get air borne. I think this is very unique track and it would be a shame if it were off the schedule.
It’s a lot of discus about the the Indycar at Pocono! This racing start needs to be addressed and needs to be kept on the schedule! Heavy hearts for those who were in the wreck
After watching Sato’s onboard a few times, it really looks like he holds it straight and gets hooked in the left rear by Rossi. It’s hard to tell exactly who moved where at those speeds but I agree with David’s assessment after seeing those additional angles. People should really watch those before demanding Taku be reprimanded so harshly.
I am very interested in hearing why you believe Hunter-Reay is to blame for the wreck. I'm not disagreeing, I just want to hear why you think so. To me off of 1, Ryan had a run and he had the choice to either A, make it 3 wide. Or B, cut across the field to follow Dixon. Sato then had the same choice and he chose to keep it three wide. Sato clearly cuts across the front of Rossi. Whether he was thinking he was clear, was told he was clear, or expected Rossi to back out sooner is only known to him and his spotter. But I don't think Hunter-Reay being under Rossi had much to do with the accident. Again this is just my opinion and I look forward to hearing your opinion and explanation. I'm a big fan of you and all your content, I think this is the first time I have disagreed with you on something.
Hey man, I think Sato lost Rossi in the mirrors at the moment he was passing him. He had a better run on him than RHR. And then as he was half a width in front, he decided to move across for the pass but at the same time Rossi made a small twitch to the right because of RHR. He didn't anticipate both of them getting closer to him. And that's when their RF and LR touched. RHR was pushing them slowly to the right through out that pass. But it wasn't really something we haven't seen before. Seconds before, Dixon was moving down low wheel to wheel on Rossi to make his exit out of turn 1 even worse. It's an unfortunate collection of factors that turned out to be this horrible crash.
Rossi did move up but I think Sato wasn't aware of that at the split second. He had a huge run on Rossi. But Rossi moved for RHR because he was moving them all up. And Rossi made a small twitch to the right just when Sato thought he can cut across. It's so difficult for them to judge properly at these speeds and sometimes all the factors come together to make an awful crash. Of couse we don't want to see it. But also no driver wants to hang out in the dry with no draft even if it's such a wide track with plenty of room. And it's so easy for us to judge when we see much more than drivers in the cockpit together with their spotters. At these speeds, even spotters may mess up and be late in responses too.
Yeah, people jumped too emotionally since Pocono is a really touchy place since last year and that's how it happened from what I've seen too. RHR was pushing everyone up slowly for a better line because he would mess up his tunnel turn entrance. Eventually Rossi made just a small twitch further to the right just before the crash, but Sato wasn't aware of all that at the split moment. It's questionable if he had Rossi's car in the mirror anymore. That's why he said that he thought he was clear.
This race was an absolute disaster!! Between the rainouts, the fencing, and Sato has absolutely NO excuse for what he did. Hunter ray stayed in a straight line. Sato first hits Rossi and takes both of them into RHR. Oh, and Sato is supposed to be a Honda ambassador, he took out 6 Honda’s and ZERO chevys in less than a lap. If Rossi wins the championship, it will be with the worst luck throughout a season than I have ever seen. Not only being crashed out not his fault multiple times, but his competition (usually always a Penske) winning under yellow, pit strategy or shortened races.
KosmicHaynerRacingTeam Lmao Sato's a Honda ambassador, just took out their main championship contender, their 2012 champion, James Hinchcliffe, and Rosenqvist Only way it could have been worse if he took the Honda of Dixon with him
It’s probably true that these things could happen at a lot of places but it’s also true that it keeps happening here. Either major changes to the way they start or give it a break.
I like Sato, but that was a stupid move. I don't see anyone else at fault. It wasn't the tracks fault. I say give Sato a 2 race suspension. I also agree they should start 3 wide. In fact, I'm surprised the green flag was initially waved.
I totally agree about the starts. Other than that I think it's just a horrible run of bad luck that all of these crashes happened at Pocono. If you look at each crash individually, each of them could've happened just as well at Indy. It's nothing you can blame the track for.
YES DAVID, YES! I've been saying that for the last 24 hours!!! It's all on IndyCar! The start was a complete joke! You can't pin it all on Sato. "If you no longer go for a gap, you're no longer a racing driver." - Ayrton Senna Also Sam Hornish was my boy back in the day! Awesome that you know his family!
weemissile You watched Rossi's onboard and see Sato just smash across him? I can't put blame on anyone else, look at the spas Sato had to his right lol
There's an inaccurate remark instantly after the crash from a TV commentator that Sato turned into Rossi and now there are so many idiots jumping Sato everywhere. Never knew that Indycar had so many blind fans. As for him being in this sport for 10 years and him should be knowing to leave more room, there was a certain other driver having full 12 years of Indycar experience involved in BOTH 2018 and 2019 crashes who did the same thing on the opening laps here - pushing the competitor out of their lane hoping that they yield. Don't get me wrong - I like RHR and respect him, but let's be fair here.
Pocono is good for Indycar and needs to stay but two changes need to be made. One, have the cars do a three wide start which I'm pretty sure they did before and idk why they stopped and two, raise the walls with an added safer barrier.
I have also been calling for a three wide start at Pocono and Texas. I want to see Pocono at least one more year so people can have some sort of closure. Sato was definitely a big factor to the crash. He dive bombed into the rest of the cars. Once Felix was taken to the hospital it spelled the end for Pocono. Hopefully if they do leave it will be for something else hopefully it will be the same area unfortunately I only know of Watkins Glen as the only track suitable for Indy Cars in the area. A better replacement would be going to a track in another country. (Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Japan to name a few).
Perhaps lacing in a plexiglass layer over the fence at a good way above the wall. It would make any hits into the catch fence be a lot better cause you have a flat surface the cars would run along. it wasnt that bad of a wreck for indycar standards but I dont want to lose another oval in Indy. we only have 5 ovals and another one down just gets us closer and closer to being F2 USA. Indy is diverse enough that you can say these guys are the best in the world since they can race and win on so many types of tracks. I dont wanna lose that part of Indycar
I’m not surprised by the Lap 1 crash. As fun as the racing is at Pocono, it’s an extremely dangerous event; I _am_ glad Will Power finally won a race, though.
James Gentry Not quite, although Maldonado had 7 DNFs in 19 races in his rookie season, 3 of them crash-related (Monaco, Canada, Brazil) Colton Herta this season has had the same number of DNFs in only 14 races, with 7, including 4 crash-related DNFs (Long Beach, Indy GP, Texas, Pocono) He has failed to finish half of the 14 races run thus far (Barber, Long Beach, Indy GP, Indy 500, Texas, Iowa, Pocono) Get this, he is yet to finish on an oval in his Indycar career Maldonado somehow managed a finishing streak of 8 races in his rookie season, while Colton's top finishing streak this season is just 2 races, the first two, and the Detroit 2. He does have a streak of DNFs spanning 4 races from Barber to the 500 Not saying he is a bad driver, but the comparisons are there...
@@Duval-In-The-Wall it's expected for rookies to not have good results. Pretty stupid to say Colton is going to suck like Maldonado. Want to know a rookie who had a shit rookie year? Jeff Gordon
What I don't get is when Indy (cart) ran at Pocono back in the day when the cars were much faster and less safe and the track was less safe we didn't have this debate.
Drivers did not expect as much safety back then, they drove on more ovals and more superspeedways than they do now, the cars were faster on the straights but slower in the corners, it's apples and oranges comparing now to back then. So many things have changed and the other series in relation to IndyCar have so many fewer major injuries now compared to how it was back then. Driver expect the cars and tracks to be safer nowadays and when they feel they are not they don't mind opening up about it nearly as much as the past generations did. You can see a big difference in attitude just hearing guys like Dixon talk about it compared to the younger drivers.
@@chrish931 tracks and cars are as safe as they are going to get now. My point is when you compare the old Pocono races to the ones the last few years. Pocono didn't have many injuries back then. Seems like today's drivers drivers don't respect the ovals especially the foreign drivers. It's a damn shame we are losing ANOTHER OVAL. we need to keep the traditional 500 mile ovals and a few shorter ovals. If you want American open wheel racing to survive you need the ovals
Back then when it wasn't as safe drivers had a lot more respect because they knew they could get hurt. Now that things are "safer", they drive like complete idiots running over everybody in their way. It's not just Indy Car, it's everywhere. When the NASCAR drivers put their helmets on, it's like their brains fall out.
Pocono, should they or should they not run here? Here is my 2 cents worth. 1st off again the safety built in to the cars shows again. I'd really hate to see this race go away but changes do need to be made. The biggest problem I see is you don't put spotters on a damn trailer and have them eye level on the inside of the track. Pocono must build spotter towers on the outside of the turn. If this had been done I do believe this would not of happened today. I also think that the start on a long wide track should be a possible 3 wide start and no passing from back rows until past the start line. 6 wide before you get to start line is a little crazy. I hope this wasn't the last run here because ovals are important to make the series grow.
The three leaders of the championship, (Dixon Power and Pagenaud) has say that they want to come back to Pocono, and it's not fault of track for what's happen, yesterday, 2018 and 2015.
Its unfortunate for Pocono, but cars going into the tunnel for some reason have a tendency to get up on the wall (not just indycar). Wish they would have put up a Lexan or plexiglass sheet in front of catchfence after Kasey Kahne's incident
I left this comment on Indycar's video of the crash: "First of all, I know more about NASCAR than Indycar. The biggest complaint that I hear about this track is that the Lond Pond straightway is too wide, and narrows sharply entering Turn 2. As much as I hate the yellow line rule in NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega, does anyone think it would work for Indycar at Pocono?" Again, I hate the yellow line rule in NASCAR, but I was thinking about what Sage Karam said about the track being too wide. It's like how drivers use to pass on the apron at Daytona, and then not get back on the track before the corner. Personally, I think that drivers should police themselves, but would a rule like this save Indycar at Pocono? (If this a stupid idea go ahead and tell me.)
@@MannyZtheWolfWarrior Ok. That was a last resort idea anyway. Do you have any ideas? I just think that Pocono may be in trouble if they lose both an Indycar race and a NASCAR race. A lot of NASCAR fans hate that place.
These kinds of wrecks could happen at any track. Didn't a driver today say, "this isnt Poconos fault, these types of things could happen at any track."
Joshua Castanza they interviewed Scott Dixon I don’t remember what he said exactly but he said he felt bad for Pocono basically just bad luck like the Justin Wilson was crash idk how people blame the track that could happen anywhere idk I can’t blame the track thoug
I know for a fact he said something along those lines I don’t remember the exact words but this is just bad luck what sato did has nothing to do with the track idk if it’s cause it’s late in the season being over aggressive who knows but dude wasn’t even close to clear and again like the Wilson crash was horrible luck idk people hate the halo in f1 for reasons like that I like it maybe it would’ve stopped that from happening who knows but that isn’t the tracks fault
I used to race Pro F2000 and SCCA Formula Continental and guys were getting injured and actually dying there back in the day (early 2000's) in SCCA National races on the Long Course. I think the track is is a great relic from a day before safety but maybe it's time has come as it doesn't seem to be able to update itself. Also... Absolutely Sato's fault. He's a victim of the red mist too much. and...boring, boring, boring.... There has to be some way to get back to Watkins Glen or cut the horsepower in half and let them race at Lime Rock!
The start-line incident was 75% Sato's fault and 25% Rossi's fault. I think we can all agree that Sato caused the accident but if you look at Rossi's onboard camera you will notice that Sato hit Rossi first which caused Sato to slide sideways across the track into Hunter-Reay. Rossi was only there because he got a bad start and if he didn't get a bad start Sato would never have hit him in the first place which caused the chain of events. Also, I found it funny that Hunter-Reay called for Sato to have a race ban. It seems perfectly acceptable for Hunter-Reay to hit Sato as he has done in one race either this year or last year but when Sato hits him he doesn't like it.
Justin S. The crazy thing to me is. It sounds like David thought Power could have dominated and pulled away the whole race. This did look to be the case with the 2 Penske early. But as adjustments were made it also looked to be the case with the 2 Honda’s after that. And then the power run after they made the wrong adjustments to Dixon’s car, which you’d think they would fix at the next pit stop, but RAIN ended all of it.
Shout out to Sam, one of the nicest dudes around. I think Sato deserves a 1 race suspension. That was pretty obviously a misjudgment on his part and a large one on the second corner of the race. I'm sure they harped on using your head in the driver's meeting after last year and he went out and didn't use it at all. As far as the track, David, if they closed tracks because ppl got hurt or killed at them, Daytona and Indy would be closed. ITS A PART OF RACING.
Don't think RHR is much at fault since he could not know that Sato would fly up the outside and then - and Sato admitted - moved down into Rossi (he 'thought' he was clear). Without Sato turning left into Rossi, they get thru the corner, it would be tight but they could have gotten thru. Sato has had a reputation for just stuffing a car in and then he hopes for the best. Earlier this year he seemed to have found how to drive a lot better and not getting into those situations - problem is he has gone back to his old ways. RHR - he thought he was passing a single car and would clear Rossi and he likely would have, if not for Sato. Sato was far more of a problem than the other 2 drivers involved in the initial incident.
I, too, like Sato. But he really mis-judged his pass, causing the multi car crash. SorryDavid, I don't see anything RHR did to cause that wreck. Good stratagy for this track for IndyCar is pull to thr inside on the start, for mid-pack starters, let the chaiose develope, then spend the race picking off ars ahead one by one.
They need to fix something with pocono but don’t get rid of it. They have the windscreen next year and you could put some track limits on pocono so they don’t run so wide and push people into bad spots in the turns.
Such a cool track, but like I said; Wicken's injuries furthered the line in the Sand. I agree with the idea that Pocono should be 2 weeks, but if no one shows up... It's a big loss to the crazy world of oval racing. I'm bummed too.
If Sato was already above Rossi I’d agree with pinning blame on RHR. Heck, if Sato and RHR both split Rossi at the same time, I’d get it. However, RHR was beyond beside Rossi before Sato game burning in on the outside and subsequently turning down. This and they were still a good ways before the turn. Sato and/or his spotter were absolutely to blame.
what i might do resurface it to iron out those bumps away and put higher walls to t2 too bad i dont think there is good replacement for catchfences there is reason why most larger tracks in the world uses them
Rossi made a bad start he should have backed off knowing or should have known that 2 cars were fastly approaching him on both sides going into the turn, but he didn't. RHR approached fast from his left which spooked him causing him to move to the right which then hits the left rear of Sato's car. Sato is the real victim in all of this, he was just holding his line straight through only to get taken out. Check out the onboard video of Sato, he never turned left into Rossi..... only turned right to counter-steer after Rossi clipped the rear of his car! Rossi knew he messed up, that's why he wasn't that angry as a driver should be if they really were the victim in this incident although he tried to act as one and lay blame on Sato!
100% Sato's fault; everybody else was just trying to make it through without slowing down ridiculously. Given that this is far from being Sato's first time putting others in danger (think 2013 Houston), he needs to be calmed down, and time off is how to do that. I hope that the good crowds are enough for a great track with terrible luck, but I am doubtful of a return.
Sato came down on Rossi. Tohught he was clear but not quite. But with a bunch of apex predator type guys not sure you're going to keep them in line on lap 1 or 2. Place is so wide they get baited into 5 wide. And the fencing sucks.
The crash wasn't really horrific. There was one about as bad at Indy this year. This track isn't exceptionally dangerous. Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power have all voiced their support for keeping Pocono because they know this.
Yeah and they are all older drivers that remember when Indy raced on more superspeedways than they do now. I agree to a point, but Pocono has been slower to add safety changes and repairs to the facilities compared to Indy, for one thing they just don't have the money Indy has. You are right though, Indy and Pocono have a lot of similar characteristics and in many ways what makes Pocono dangerous also makes Indy dangerous. Indy has had a long run of extremely good luck in many ways, but give Indy credit for being very good throughout its history of evolving it's safety standards and facilities with the times. I can remember being a kid when Indy added the dedicated slow down lanes off track instead of on the apron as well as many of the other safety features. Sadly I'm old enough to remember when Indy didn't have the best run of luck in regards to deaths and injuries too. One thing is for certain though, there is just only so many ways you are going to make 220 plus mph open wheel oval racing safe. Its always going to be the most dangerous form of Motorsport outside of rally, I just don't see any way around it. I think it and rally share a lot in common in that way, they both are just inheritly more risky than other Motorsport. Drivers go in though knowing the risk and considering the danger involved it's pretty damn amazing just how safe it has become compared to the old days.
@@chrish931 I think the matter is very simple. If the drivers want to race there, and the fans are showing up, then you race. This isn't like Las Vegas 2011 where everyone is denouncing it. The majority of the paddock wants to go back to Pocono.
Interesting idea on a three-wide start, but the track can't account for stupidity. I've always like Takuma Sato, but thought his move on this one was stupid. irresponsible and unprofessional. Ryan Hunter Ray to blame?? What? that's like blaming the third guy in the fight for starting it. Seldom disagree with you David, but you're very wrong on this one. A lot of explanation is needed to defend that position. Always cheering for ABP (anyone but a Penske) but glad that Power had to win if it had to go to a P-Team. Like the three wide idea and wonder "what if" that had been the case. Hope 2020 has a 500 miler in Pocono.
I get it that drivers make mistakes, but this wasn't Sato's first race or season, he's had experience in f1 and indycar to know when it's clear to pull out, he had spotters and mirrors and went blind to it all, I think definitely a race ban at minimum, maybe more because of the impact it had on the points of those involved, I don't think banning him will do justice, I could see that if someone was killed as a result of the crash. But to try and defend his actions on track and then to try and blame Rossi for coming up into him? Liked Sato, but not as much anymore with that driving.
Whether it be the tracks fault, race control's fault, or the drivers fault, that was a shit show that could have been avoided. Shouldn't be racing like that on Lap 1, should spread the field out to make it safe, and the fencing/walling should be changed. It's really a fault on all parts if we are gonna be honest. Other than that it's a pretty good race. It's a shame how this track will lose out on yet another date but if it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be. Especially a superspeedway race.
Like I said before, they should run 199 laps under caution and the last one as the FINISH lap for the win..Indy car needs a NAME to follow not CRASHES !!
Please talk about the suspicious 10 lap penalty for Rossi. I get working on your car under red but the duration of the hold was far too harsh. He was already 78 laps down when he came back, then with the penalty, it turned into 88 laps. Had it been Newgarden or Pagenaud, the penalty for working on the car would have been more lenient due to Penske's influence in Race Control. This seems rather suspicious that such a harsh penalty was handed out for a driver involved in a crash that just happened to be the biggest threat to Newgarden in the championship.
My opinion only, I think it was a guesstimate of how many laps would have been run were they not under the red flag. And they did treat everybody the same {fair) and the strategy of taking the penalty did improve Rossi's finish (well played) But the 10 lap duration, again, is just a guess.
I will be talking more in-depth about IndyCar's relationship with Pocono in my next video.
David Land Crazy and stupid first lap and the rest of the race was pretty good 👍
David Land also I know you didn’t watch the NASCAR race but Matty D almost won. Well except for Newman 🙄
I don’t blame the track. I blame the aero kits on the cars. It is so hard to pass which causes drivers to be way to aggressive on the first lap. The series puts an emphasis on being in the front which basically caused the crashes the last 2 years
@@ThePeoplesChamp42 honestly, one of the most reasoned responses to the issue's indycar is having at pocono.
Have you ever seen such a bizarre crash where a car gets launched and flipped the way Rosenqvist's did. He must have been going full throttle to get through that accident, but I have never seen that sort of rollover on a oval, it REALLY shocked me
Flips normally happen when the car behind launches over he back of another, here it was way different
I love Pocono and hope IndyCar stays. What's so hard about making the turn two wall high enough to keep the cars out of the fence?
I agree. Why not just see what the biggest problems are, and make fixes based on that?
I agree I love it at Pocono the problem is drivers are running balls to the wall on the first lap when there is 200 laps to go
@@BlackDiamondProductions Partially agreed. Racing drivers will be racing drivers, after all. Nothing's gonna stop these guys from sending it at the start, when there is everything to gain and, for some, nothing to lose. They need to get a hold of themselves, but knowing the nature of racing drivers is to push, we should make sure that, when they do, it isn't a repeat of this year and last year.
I definitely agree the wall needs to be higher. But, the main issue is: for two consecutive years, drivers have been trying to win the race on the first lap and making foolhardy moves like Sato did today and like Wicky did last year that are causing these huge crashes. Is it the configuration of the track? Is it the 2018 changes to the chassis? Is it the personalities of the drivers in the cars? I hope Indycar figures it out and finds a way to stay at Pocono, but this is a dangerous trend that needs a solution right now. If Rosenquvist had been any higher up in the fence, he might have suffered the same fate as Wicky.
Why can’t they build a car that won’t kill you.
You're friends with the Hornishes? They could definitely get you a job with Indycar
I don’t think it’s THE hornishes, I think it’s a different one
TheRacersTV Cousins
I completely agree with you on the three-wide start. The straight is so long that they don’t need to bunch up the field like a road course. I think they only did the three-wide start that one year because they still had the triple crown, and all of the races in the triple crown had three-wide starts. If they do end up scrapping Pocono from the schedule, they should replace it with 500-mile races at Michigan and/or Fontana, potentially bringing back the triple crown of 500 mile races.
Hell, why not bring 'em all back? Quadruple crown, anyone? Or just make Fontana a 400 mile race.
Great/Sad example use Dario's crash. Dixon is absolutely correct, could happen anywhere (and sadly has)
I hadn't thought much about it, but you are absolutely right about the 3-wide starts and how those are better in terms of spacing everybody out.
Again I'm saying this for the second year in a row, You can't blame Pocono. The safety fencing design is outdated and needs changing everywhere, ovals aren't the problem, I think people are forgetting that Franchitti's career was ended by a street circuit with the same sort of crash. It can happen anywhere and not just with single seaters. The trouble with this is it'll only be done when the cost of life outweighs the cost of a re-design. Indycar will use this as an opportunity to get rid of Pocono and claim it was done on safety grounds to pat themselves on the back.
That doesn't change the problem though, and that is that the current safety fence design is running on borrowed time and we're gonna see a crash way worse than this again, it's just a matter of time.
The indy cars are way more enertaining than the nascar races at pocono. Its unfortunate there have been awful crashes there
Pocono as an idea is a great circuit. Three unique and different turns providing a great challenge. But this circuit has an abysmal safety record, I mean there wasn’t even an all encompassing catch fence around the track until about ten years ago
Frank the NOOB Yes but now there is and that's why IndyCar didn't race here 10 years ago and now does
If it wasn’t for that crash we would have got the whole 200 laps
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it blows my mind how anyone can even put 1% of blame for what happened on RHR or Rossi for the first lap clusterfark. Sato obviously went for a gap that wasn't there. You can't run three wide through the tunnel turn. You can't, yet Sato is the one who did. So, Sato, imo, is 100% to blame and should absolutely be suspended for this weekend's race at Gateway. Now, whether he is depends on whether Indy Car has a spine or not. I am not holding my breath. However, Sato could have easily have killed himself or another driver with that asinine move.
This was alluded to by RHR, post-wreck. He said track position is important at Pocono. Only way one can gain is on the start or re-starts. Why is that? The current aero package stinks at Indy and Pocono. Don't say the last 10 laps at Indy were awesome. The first 190 were a snooze fest, just awful. If they had a more suitable aero package for these two tracks, then maybe, just maybe we wouldn't see guys trying to pull off these idiotic moves on the first lap.
Racing is inherently dangerous and that is what makes it thrilling but got to use some common sense when out there with 22 other guys.
Was reading the comments: On the subject of safety - There have been many suggestions about improving the track, from making the SAFER barrier taller, track limit revisions and formulating new catch fence designs for the ovals. Given the track's layout, instability at high speed and the added human error make for a dangerous formula. I think that, while the issues have shown themselves at Pocono, every oval has the capacity to have these kinds of accidents.
Suggestion 1: While it would encroach on the traditions of oval racing, maybe the answer is slowing the cars down marginally. This could be done via added downforce, restrictors, or modifying the layout of the track itself. The later point meaning the series could utilize part of the infield or add a roval-style chicane (or chicanes) to the front stretch (which is wide enough to accommodate them). IndyCar also has the power to "strongly suggest" the track add a new route to accommodate the series (Lets be honest, the road course isn't fit for a televised race).
Suggestion 2: Regarding the talk of car instability, why not add a shark fin to the aero kit for this track (or all ovals)? It seems to work for prototypes (WEC and IMSA) and F1, with a modified style found in NASCAR. If they're worried about aesthetics the piece can be made clear, although it makes a prime position for sponsorship.
Suggestion 3: Additional protection for the driver. While the aeroscreen/halo hybrid will be coming soon, I doubt it's ability to ward off one of the fence poles at speed. While it wouldn't look the best, maybe a full cage could offer adequate protection or (dare I say) a closed cockpit w/ integrated protection may be a viable alternative. I do have some faith in the aeroscreen, and hope it proves to be stronger than my expectations.
Personally, I love Pocono. When there aren't major accidents, it has great racing and offers a unique challenge to the drivers and teams alike. As I stated last year, we should deeply consider the safety of other ovals also. Some solutions, such as redesigned catch fencing or car modifications, have the potential to improve safety at every circuit. If safety is the #1 goal, and Pocono is dropped due to safety concerns, IndyCar needs to talk a close look at the other ovals as well (including Indy). Resources need put towards developing solutions to these problems if IndyCar wants to keep ovals on the schedule. While I hope that the aeroscreen is the solution we've been waiting for, we very well may need more than that.
David what is your take on Wickens saying Indy Car racing at Pocono is "TOXIC".
You got to hang out with Sam Hornish? That's awesome! Sam is a cool guy. I got to meet him when I was younger in 2002 at Phoenix in the garage area before early on race day before warm up. He let me watch them prep the car in the garage. It was awesome.
They are cousins, I've never met Sam lol
I was lucky enough to see you in the paddock on Saturday. Nice to finally see you in person.
First lap was stupid. Everything else was pretty good.
Video Description should state "horrific crash on lap one started by Takuma Sato" Ryan and Alex were just innocent bystanders as Sato thought he was a bowling ball all of a sudden lol
What would make IndyCar fantastic again would be to have two or more tire manufacturers, multiple chassis manufacturers, multiple engine manufacturers and about 24 race events per season.
a casuals thoughts, I think Pocono can host IndyCar races with modifications to improve safety and I think we need to take a serious look at a good replacement to the catch fencing at ovals
The flips today we're aero related a car gets spun out at speeds like that so quickly and the wings create lift
@MetalMastodon that blue car that flipped he was spun out to quickly
This was so crazy and disheartening in person. I hope this isn't the last race they hold here, it'd be a shame if this was the end for Pocono. At least it was nice to see you on track!
I'm from Pennsylvania, but we've seen drivers die, almost die, or have horrible crashes at Indy, why does my track get all the blame.
Because they are bias against Pocono Raceway. You have many, many more nasty accidents happen at Indianapolis, yet not a single peep from the same crowd.
That's a good point. Dozens have been killed at Indy over the years. Heck, a mechanic got ran over by a wrecker once!
@@billymc2681 Yep. Way back, even people in the grandstands died and got injured at Indy. Happened at Daytona with NASCAR too. The catch fences were for race fans first, then for drivers.
Very fair point.
We argue wether or not INDYCAR should return to Pocono. But we all agree that we can’t have massive crashes on the same track on back to back years or 3 times in the last 5 years. This gotta stop
What if we have back to back fatalities at Indy in consecutive years. Do you shut them down?
@@tommiles6004 I'm not saying they should never come back to Pocono. But it's not a coincidence having 3 bad crashes including a fatal one in 5 years at the same track. We don't see that at Indy. Something has to be done, whether it's restricting the speed or whatever the engineers think it's better. Because cars at Pocono go up to 7-wide in the frontstretch and there's no space for all of them on turns. I also think we should have more 500 mile races on the schedule
@@gocanuckgus the fatality at Pocono wasn't due to a crash. It was a fluke. An absolute fluke. Let's look at Indy for a second in the same time frame. Since 2015 Hinch nearly died in 2015. Dixon got launched into the fence in 2017. 2017 Bouradais broke his hip and could have been killed easily. 2019 there was a wild pile up in turn 3 thay could have gotten ugly. To say Pocono is unique in its danger is to ignore everything. Indy makes serious money and Pocono doesn't. That's why they are gonna dump Pocono. Not because it's extra special dangerous.
@@tommiles6004 Good point! I think people talk about Pocono because we did have a fatality and a driver that might never come back. I agree with you in terms of Indy not being cut because they make so much money out of it. But safety is a concern, as it should be. After JW crash in 2015, many series like the F1 and Formula E adopted the halo. Maybe it would be a fatal crash if they had the halo back then.
What people need to understand is this, yes Pocono needs some safety upgrades. However it’s not the track that is causing these scary accidents. It’s the drivers not respecting the layout and the distance of the race. These same accidents have happened at Indy and other superspeedways. But in this modern era, it’s a bigger deal because of the safety aspect. This sport was brought up by speed and danger. I disagree with some of the drivers comments on twitter but I do agree with Dixon when he said that Pocono is unlucky with these accidents. I hope Pocono stays man. #keeppocono
Looking forward to the in-depth video. Thank God everyone was okay yesterday. Heavy deja vu.
Santucchi is the show!
He's won me over.
Ferrino Santucchi
The kid can't stop smiling.
ohhhh yeah
Big taku fan here but he really needs to calm down. He was wearing a freaking special 10 years in Indycar helmet today and he's still making some crazy shit like this after all this time in the series
Just watched his onboard on his twitter aaaaand it's true that I don't see him changing his line... That's weird.
All motorsports have an impulse problem where a series feels they need to change things because they are pressured to. Hopefully Indycar keeps their head and not immediately get rid of Pocono. It would definitely be a blow to us traditionalists who want more ovals as well as the return of the Oval Triple Crown. I fear that if hysteria becomes too much the series will become a one oval series (Indianapolis). As you have said previously: Indycar needs more events. Everything else right now is just a support race for the Indianapolis 500, and Pocono was the only other race that doesn't feel like "just another Indycar race". Indycar needs these tracks to maintain prestige so that the series can draw more attention. Pocono stays and Sato receives a one race ban. He didn't show very much remorse and he has been involved in multiple incidents over the years (Indy 2012, Texas 2018, and Texas 2019 to name a few) If Karam deserved a penalty for his crash at Iowa, Sato deserves an even worse one due to the higher risk. Also, Wickens needs to realize that the track didn't injure him, he injured himself. You have to respect the track and neither Wickens nor Sato did so. Therefore the track should not be removed due to these accidents and should be continued as IndyCar's second biggest event. I will not stand for oval racing being disrespected by people who don't care to be good at it. Chilton didn't say "get rid of ovals" he just decided not to race at them. If Karam and Wickens don't like Pocono, then they just shouldn't race there. Done, thanks for reading if you did.
Gabe Marques thank you for being real.
I mean I love the tradition of Pocono but calling it IndyCars second biggest event defies reality. Long Beach and Road America both easily out sell Pocono and both get network over cable coverage for a reason (I am very partial to Road America I will admit, I feel it's America's greatest road course and I love the good road courses as much as the ovals, the mix of oval, road, and street circuit makes IndyCar so great in my opinion, I do want more ovals though). Pocono probably doesn't even get the second best attendance out of the ovals in IndyCar sadly. There is also no doubt that Pocono has been slow throughout its history to add newer safety features. Just look at the catch fencing there compared to the catch fences you see at other super speedways, it's outdated to say the least and until about ten years ago or so they didn't even have catch fencing around the entire track. I love Pocono and I think it's one of the great technical speedway ovals in Motorsport, I put it up there with Indy, and Darlington but it needs to be held accountable for how slow its been to make much needed improvements compared to other ovals of it's age. I would hate to see it off the schedule and hope something can be worked out with IndyCar but with so many Ovals out there if they don't address these concerns it will be replaced. Personally the idea of Richmond instead of Pocono sucks and thats not an insult to Richmond, it's a hell of short track but IndyCar losing another speedway would be a blow. I would love to see the old triple crown back, but I don't think Michigan is ever coming back and Pocono has got to make some improvements plane and simple because you cannot expect drivers to never make over aggressive moves or mistakes, it happens. Plus tires go down, suspensions break, lots of things can lead to catch fences incidents other than driver error.
I agree totally, man. But the drivers complained in the past about the track itself forever because of the bump here and a bump there, last year as well as this year. The facility owners need to bring up taller safer barriers and deal with the track surface in critical areas IMHO. Also, IMHO Indycar should look for options to slow them down to prevent them go flat out in the corners. They shouldn't take away their engine power. The 80s and 90s races were perfect on ovals but it's hard to go against all the tech.
@@felixseven8958 Dixon, Power, and Pagenaud have also made statements supporting the continuation of IndyCar at Pocono: www.google.com/amp/s/www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/dixon-power-defend-pocono-reputation/4515394/amp/
This is where the fun begins
With NASCAR only having one race weekend at Pocono Raceway and Indycar status being in doubt: how long does the Mattioli Family keep the track if there is only one race weekend? Would IMS want to buy Pocono Raceway if the Mattioli Family wanted to sell? Would NASCAR/ISC, Speedway Motorsports, or Andretti Family be interested in buying Pocono? One date a year tracks without corporate ownership just don't make it these days.
The race shouldn't be the 1st race after summer break. I think that alone can help it
Buncha racers with pent up energy wanting to go at it hard from the drop of the green. You make a good point. Think it was even mentioned on the race broadcast.
If they races in Pocono again they should increase the safety
Maybe make the safety barrier higher coz Wickens And Rosenqvist’s accident
That (higher walls) might be the best possible solution for the time being.
I think Rossi’s champ hopes are pretty much done. He’s going to need to win the next 3 and pray that Josef has problems the next 3
35 points is nothing he’s still in it for sure. remember double points at laguna seca
It's not over yet I'm a Newgarden fan but double points at Laguna Seca
EliteFlite didn’t they say a win is 50 points, so if metaphorically the points gap stays the same, the double points, assuming a win is 50 points, and if newgarden has issues, and Rossi wins, then he’s all good
35 points is nothing. Heck, even 35 points before the final (double points!) is not hopeless - you just win and the other guy finishes 4th, you're the champion. All 4 at the top can take it, especially given the momentum both Rossi and NG recently had.
Watching replay...Sato was coming fast on Dixion...and turned left to avoid rear ending Dixion...Sato gets 100% of the blame.
Good that no one was hurt in any of the accidents. And really good to see Rossi finish 18th!!
Seems like the crowd was pretty good from the TV cams. This track is pretty good for Indy cars. I hope they return. David, there was one crash and it was driver error. I understand where you're coming from with being distraught at the site of a near Wickens repeat crash; however, it didn't happen. I agree that IF Indycar returns they should likely raise the turn 2 wall to avoid having jump the fence. Though the same can likely be said for any oval that Indycar goes to where the cars get air borne. I think this is very unique track and it would be a shame if it were off the schedule.
It’s a lot of discus about the the Indycar at Pocono! This racing start needs to be addressed and needs to be kept on the schedule! Heavy hearts for those who were in the wreck
After watching Sato’s onboard a few times, it really looks like he holds it straight and gets hooked in the left rear by Rossi. It’s hard to tell exactly who moved where at those speeds but I agree with David’s assessment after seeing those additional angles. People should really watch those before demanding Taku be reprimanded so harshly.
I am very interested in hearing why you believe Hunter-Reay is to blame for the wreck. I'm not disagreeing, I just want to hear why you think so. To me off of 1, Ryan had a run and he had the choice to either A, make it 3 wide. Or B, cut across the field to follow Dixon. Sato then had the same choice and he chose to keep it three wide. Sato clearly cuts across the front of Rossi. Whether he was thinking he was clear, was told he was clear, or expected Rossi to back out sooner is only known to him and his spotter. But I don't think Hunter-Reay being under Rossi had much to do with the accident. Again this is just my opinion and I look forward to hearing your opinion and explanation. I'm a big fan of you and all your content, I think this is the first time I have disagreed with you on something.
Hey man, I think Sato lost Rossi in the mirrors at the moment he was passing him. He had a better run on him than RHR. And then as he was half a width in front, he decided to move across for the pass but at the same time Rossi made a small twitch to the right because of RHR. He didn't anticipate both of them getting closer to him. And that's when their RF and LR touched. RHR was pushing them slowly to the right through out that pass. But it wasn't really something we haven't seen before. Seconds before, Dixon was moving down low wheel to wheel on Rossi to make his exit out of turn 1 even worse. It's an unfortunate collection of factors that turned out to be this horrible crash.
Or they should run/try an IndyCar race @ the Charlotte ROVAL.
If they do remove the turtles or they are dead
That would make for incredible racing
@@WhosTrashcan Laguna Seca has them too though not quite as extreme.
No
The track can't be blamed for three incidents that were all caused by driver error.
Sato’s response was basically “I’m sorry for coming over but Rossi moved up on me”
Rossi did move up but I think Sato wasn't aware of that at the split second. He had a huge run on Rossi. But Rossi moved for RHR because he was moving them all up. And Rossi made a small twitch to the right just when Sato thought he can cut across. It's so difficult for them to judge properly at these speeds and sometimes all the factors come together to make an awful crash. Of couse we don't want to see it. But also no driver wants to hang out in the dry with no draft even if it's such a wide track with plenty of room. And it's so easy for us to judge when we see much more than drivers in the cockpit together with their spotters. At these speeds, even spotters may mess up and be late in responses too.
FieryWolf 39820 it was a racing incident. It happened so fast, sato moved but Rossi drifted right.
IndyCar returns to Watkins Glen!!!!
They should run the Pocono Road Course for IndyCar.
I'd say just make the wall higher.
Yeah, people jumped too emotionally since Pocono is a really touchy place since last year and that's how it happened from what I've seen too. RHR was pushing everyone up slowly for a better line because he would mess up his tunnel turn entrance. Eventually Rossi made just a small twitch further to the right just before the crash, but Sato wasn't aware of all that at the split moment. It's questionable if he had Rossi's car in the mirror anymore. That's why he said that he thought he was clear.
This race was an absolute disaster!! Between the rainouts, the fencing, and Sato has absolutely NO excuse for what he did. Hunter ray stayed in a straight line. Sato first hits Rossi and takes both of them into RHR. Oh, and Sato is supposed to be a Honda ambassador, he took out 6 Honda’s and ZERO chevys in less than a lap. If Rossi wins the championship, it will be with the worst luck throughout a season than I have ever seen. Not only being crashed out not his fault multiple times, but his competition (usually always a Penske) winning under yellow, pit strategy or shortened races.
KosmicHaynerRacingTeam
Lmao Sato's a Honda ambassador, just took out their main championship contender, their 2012 champion, James Hinchcliffe, and Rosenqvist
Only way it could have been worse if he took the Honda of Dixon with him
It’s probably true that these things could happen at a lot of places but it’s also true that it keeps happening here. Either major changes to the way they start or give it a break.
I like Sato, but that was a stupid move. I don't see anyone else at fault. It wasn't the tracks fault. I say give Sato a 2 race suspension. I also agree they should start 3 wide. In fact, I'm surprised the green flag was initially waved.
Luckily, you aren't an IndyCar Official, because you're talking out of your ass. lol Go watch Sato's onboard.
I totally agree about the starts. Other than that I think it's just a horrible run of bad luck that all of these crashes happened at Pocono. If you look at each crash individually, each of them could've happened just as well at Indy. It's nothing you can blame the track for.
YES DAVID, YES! I've been saying that for the last 24 hours!!! It's all on IndyCar! The start was a complete joke! You can't pin it all on Sato.
"If you no longer go for a gap, you're no longer a racing driver." - Ayrton Senna
Also Sam Hornish was my boy back in the day! Awesome that you know his family!
There's an old saying in Motorsport that you can't win the race on the first lap but you can lose it and this is a clear case of what happened here.
3:12
You are NOT being prejudiced, that was 100% Sato's fault
Idiotic driving on lap 1
Hunter Reay pushed Rossi up, then Sato came down a little on him. It was on both of them.
weemissile
You watched Rossi's onboard and see Sato just smash across him?
I can't put blame on anyone else, look at the spas Sato had to his right lol
@@Duval-In-The-Wall Watch Sato's onboard it's clear Rossi moved up as well. It's not on Rossi thought because he was pushed up by Hunter Reay.
There's an inaccurate remark instantly after the crash from a TV commentator that Sato turned into Rossi and now there are so many idiots jumping Sato everywhere. Never knew that Indycar had so many blind fans. As for him being in this sport for 10 years and him should be knowing to leave more room, there was a certain other driver having full 12 years of Indycar experience involved in BOTH 2018 and 2019 crashes who did the same thing on the opening laps here - pushing the competitor out of their lane hoping that they yield. Don't get me wrong - I like RHR and respect him, but let's be fair here.
So, you think its a big conspiracy?
Pocono is good for Indycar and needs to stay but two changes need to be made. One, have the cars do a three wide start which I'm pretty sure they did before and idk why they stopped and two, raise the walls with an added safer barrier.
I have also been calling for a three wide start at Pocono and Texas. I want to see Pocono at least one more year so people can have some sort of closure.
Sato was definitely a big factor to the crash. He dive bombed into the rest of the cars. Once Felix was taken to the hospital it spelled the end for Pocono. Hopefully if they do leave it will be for something else hopefully it will be the same area unfortunately I only know of Watkins Glen as the only track suitable for Indy Cars in the area. A better replacement would be going to a track in another country. (Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Japan to name a few).
I don't know if this would be possible with the state of they infield bit what about running the roval configuration?
Perhaps lacing in a plexiglass layer over the fence at a good way above the wall. It would make any hits into the catch fence be a lot better cause you have a flat surface the cars would run along. it wasnt that bad of a wreck for indycar standards but I dont want to lose another oval in Indy. we only have 5 ovals and another one down just gets us closer and closer to being F2 USA. Indy is diverse enough that you can say these guys are the best in the world since they can race and win on so many types of tracks. I dont wanna lose that part of Indycar
Why are the walls still not raised higher? These catchfences are too dangerous
I’m not surprised by the Lap 1 crash. As fun as the racing is at Pocono, it’s an extremely dangerous event; I _am_ glad Will Power finally won a race, though.
I'm hesitant to call Colton the new Maldonado, but look at his retirements!
You forget he's very very young. Sure he's talented but maturity isn't there
He won a race as well
Parallels are there...
@@Duval-In-The-Wall so he's already a bust like Maldonado?
James Gentry
Not quite, although Maldonado had 7 DNFs in 19 races in his rookie season, 3 of them crash-related (Monaco, Canada, Brazil)
Colton Herta this season has had the same number of DNFs in only 14 races, with 7, including 4 crash-related DNFs (Long Beach, Indy GP, Texas, Pocono)
He has failed to finish half of the 14 races run thus far
(Barber, Long Beach, Indy GP, Indy 500, Texas, Iowa, Pocono)
Get this, he is yet to finish on an oval in his Indycar career
Maldonado somehow managed a finishing streak of 8 races in his rookie season, while Colton's top finishing streak this season is just 2 races, the first two, and the Detroit 2. He does have a streak of DNFs spanning 4 races from Barber to the 500
Not saying he is a bad driver, but the comparisons are there...
@@Duval-In-The-Wall it's expected for rookies to not have good results. Pretty stupid to say Colton is going to suck like Maldonado. Want to know a rookie who had a shit rookie year? Jeff Gordon
What I don't get is when Indy (cart) ran at Pocono back in the day when the cars were much faster and less safe and the track was less safe we didn't have this debate.
There was no TH-cam or Social Media.
@@billymc2681 drivers didn't complain back then. Stands were alwayse packed. It was fine back then it's fine now.
Drivers did not expect as much safety back then, they drove on more ovals and more superspeedways than they do now, the cars were faster on the straights but slower in the corners, it's apples and oranges comparing now to back then. So many things have changed and the other series in relation to IndyCar have so many fewer major injuries now compared to how it was back then. Driver expect the cars and tracks to be safer nowadays and when they feel they are not they don't mind opening up about it nearly as much as the past generations did. You can see a big difference in attitude just hearing guys like Dixon talk about it compared to the younger drivers.
@@chrish931 tracks and cars are as safe as they are going to get now. My point is when you compare the old Pocono races to the ones the last few years. Pocono didn't have many injuries back then. Seems like today's drivers drivers don't respect the ovals especially the foreign drivers. It's a damn shame we are losing ANOTHER OVAL. we need to keep the traditional 500 mile ovals and a few shorter ovals. If you want American open wheel racing to survive you need the ovals
Back then when it wasn't as safe drivers had a lot more respect because they knew they could get hurt. Now that things are "safer", they drive like complete idiots running over everybody in their way. It's not just Indy Car, it's everywhere. When the NASCAR drivers put their helmets on, it's like their brains fall out.
Pocono, should they or should they not run here? Here is my 2 cents worth. 1st off again the safety built in to the cars shows again. I'd really hate to see this race go away but changes do need to be made. The biggest problem I see is you don't put spotters on a damn trailer and have them eye level on the inside of the track. Pocono must build spotter towers on the outside of the turn. If this had been done I do believe this would not of happened today. I also think that the start on a long wide track should be a possible 3 wide start and no passing from back rows until past the start line. 6 wide before you get to start line is a little crazy. I hope this wasn't the last run here because ovals are important to make the series grow.
The three leaders of the championship, (Dixon Power and Pagenaud) has say that they want to come back to Pocono, and it's not fault of track for what's happen, yesterday, 2018 and 2015.
Its unfortunate for Pocono, but cars going into the tunnel for some reason have a tendency to get up on the wall (not just indycar). Wish they would have put up a Lexan or plexiglass sheet in front of catchfence after Kasey Kahne's incident
I enjoyed the race! Accidents are part of the sport! I think a one-race penalty for causing the accident. Example start 10 grid spot penalty!
I left this comment on Indycar's video of the crash:
"First of all, I know more about NASCAR than Indycar. The biggest complaint that I hear about this track is that the Lond Pond straightway is too wide, and narrows sharply entering Turn 2. As much as I hate the yellow line rule in NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega, does anyone think it would work for Indycar at Pocono?"
Again, I hate the yellow line rule in NASCAR, but I was thinking about what Sage Karam said about the track being too wide. It's like how drivers use to pass on the apron at Daytona, and then not get back on the track before the corner. Personally, I think that drivers should police themselves, but would a rule like this save Indycar at Pocono?
(If this a stupid idea go ahead and tell me.)
It's a stupid, horrible, no good, farcical idea because let's face it, you bunch up the cars more, you get another Dan Wheldon.
@@MannyZtheWolfWarrior Ok. That was a last resort idea anyway. Do you have any ideas? I just think that Pocono may be in trouble if they lose both an Indycar race and a NASCAR race. A lot of NASCAR fans hate that place.
These kinds of wrecks could happen at any track. Didn't a driver today say, "this isnt Poconos fault, these types of things could happen at any track."
Joshua Castanza they interviewed Scott Dixon I don’t remember what he said exactly but he said he felt bad for Pocono basically just bad luck like the Justin Wilson was crash idk how people blame the track that could happen anywhere idk I can’t blame the track thoug
@@strawberry97ish I thought it was him, that was his quote, I didnt want to mis quote the wrong driver.
I know for a fact he said something along those lines I don’t remember the exact words but this is just bad luck what sato did has nothing to do with the track idk if it’s cause it’s late in the season being over aggressive who knows but dude wasn’t even close to clear and again like the Wilson crash was horrible luck idk people hate the halo in f1 for reasons like that I like it maybe it would’ve stopped that from happening who knows but that isn’t the tracks fault
Also big difference between Felix and Roberts wrecks. Nose first vs side pod first.
I used to race Pro F2000 and SCCA Formula Continental and guys were getting injured and actually dying there back in the day (early 2000's) in SCCA National races on the Long Course. I think the track is is a great relic from a day before safety but maybe it's time has come as it doesn't seem to be able to update itself. Also... Absolutely Sato's fault. He's a victim of the red mist too much. and...boring, boring, boring.... There has to be some way to get back to Watkins Glen or cut the horsepower in half and let them race at Lime Rock!
A.J. Decided to stay home this weekend.........I wonder why?
The start-line incident was 75% Sato's fault and 25% Rossi's fault. I think we can all agree that Sato caused the accident but if you look at Rossi's onboard camera you will notice that Sato hit Rossi first which caused Sato to slide sideways across the track into Hunter-Reay. Rossi was only there because he got a bad start and if he didn't get a bad start Sato would never have hit him in the first place which caused the chain of events. Also, I found it funny that Hunter-Reay called for Sato to have a race ban. It seems perfectly acceptable for Hunter-Reay to hit Sato as he has done in one race either this year or last year but when Sato hits him he doesn't like it.
Hornishes? As in Sam Hornish Jr?
Scott Dixon 2nd. I feel like he may get the 6th Championship this year.
he has a lucky horseshoe up his ass doesn't he lol
Justin S. The crazy thing to me is. It sounds like David thought Power could have dominated and pulled away the whole race. This did look to be the case with the 2 Penske early. But as adjustments were made it also looked to be the case with the 2 Honda’s after that. And then the power run after they made the wrong adjustments to Dixon’s car, which you’d think they would fix at the next pit stop, but RAIN ended all of it.
Shout out to Sam, one of the nicest dudes around. I think Sato deserves a 1 race suspension. That was pretty obviously a misjudgment on his part and a large one on the second corner of the race. I'm sure they harped on using your head in the driver's meeting after last year and he went out and didn't use it at all. As far as the track, David, if they closed tracks because ppl got hurt or killed at them, Daytona and Indy would be closed. ITS A PART OF RACING.
I think the drivers just need to respect the track more.
And realize a 200 lap race has never been won in the first lap, but sure can be lost there.
Don't think RHR is much at fault since he could not know that Sato would fly up the outside and then - and Sato admitted - moved down into Rossi (he 'thought' he was clear). Without Sato turning left into Rossi, they get thru the corner, it would be tight but they could have gotten thru. Sato has had a reputation for just stuffing a car in and then he hopes for the best. Earlier this year he seemed to have found how to drive a lot better and not getting into those situations - problem is he has gone back to his old ways.
RHR - he thought he was passing a single car and would clear Rossi and he likely would have, if not for Sato. Sato was far more of a problem than the other 2 drivers involved in the initial incident.
Not gonna lie sato did a really stupid move trying to go 3 wide on lap 1 smh honestly smh
You act like that was the only group of cars 3 wide on lap one. Get real
I, too, like Sato. But he really mis-judged his pass, causing the multi car crash. SorryDavid, I don't see anything RHR did to cause that wreck. Good stratagy for this track for IndyCar is pull to thr inside on the start, for mid-pack starters, let the chaiose develope, then spend the race picking off ars ahead one by one.
Yeah it looked to me like Sato just turned right down into them. Seemed like it was his fault to my eyes.
I think Indycar should give Pocono another chance, but only with the 3 wide start
They need to fix something with pocono but don’t get rid of it. They have the windscreen next year and you could put some track limits on pocono so they don’t run so wide and push people into bad spots in the turns.
Such a cool track, but like I said; Wicken's injuries furthered the line in the Sand. I agree with the idea that Pocono should be 2 weeks, but if no one shows up... It's a big loss to the crazy world of oval racing. I'm bummed too.
If Sato was already above Rossi I’d agree with pinning blame on RHR. Heck, if Sato and RHR both split Rossi at the same time, I’d get it. However, RHR was beyond beside Rossi before Sato game burning in on the outside and subsequently turning down. This and they were still a good ways before the turn. Sato and/or his spotter were absolutely to blame.
[Removed]
Everyone seems to forget that there's a nasty wreck at Indy almost every year...
I think that 3 wide mint winner at Pononco, I think David Night or two to think on it
what i might do resurface it to iron out those bumps away and put higher walls to t2 too bad i dont think there is good replacement for catchfences there is reason why most larger tracks in the world uses them
Sato was only going straight to pass Rossi. He didn’t turn in. You'll see if you watch Sato 's onboard video. Just unfortunate.
Rossi made a bad start he should have backed off knowing or should have known that 2 cars were fastly approaching him on both sides going into the turn, but he didn't. RHR approached fast from his left which spooked him causing him to move to the right which then hits the left rear of Sato's car. Sato is the real victim in all of this, he was just holding his line straight through only to get taken out. Check out the onboard video of Sato, he never turned left into Rossi..... only turned right to counter-steer after Rossi clipped the rear of his car! Rossi knew he messed up, that's why he wasn't that angry as a driver should be if they really were the victim in this incident although he tried to act as one and lay blame on Sato!
The way they start is the problem. They bunch the rows up like its a road course for no reason. Once they get under way the track is fine.
Just tell them if you try to pass in the tunnel turn,on lap 1 -> 2 lap penalty. The Cup boys kinda police themselves there.
Yup, double the height of the safer barrier in the turns! Problem solved! Whats taking indycar so long to do something...... anything with Sato!!!
Can we just run the road course at pocono?
100% Sato's fault; everybody else was just trying to make it through without slowing down ridiculously. Given that this is far from being Sato's first time putting others in danger (think 2013 Houston), he needs to be calmed down, and time off is how to do that. I hope that the good crowds are enough for a great track with terrible luck, but I am doubtful of a return.
Sato came down on Rossi. Tohught he was clear but not quite. But with a bunch of apex predator type guys not sure you're going to keep them in line on lap 1 or 2. Place is so wide they get baited into 5 wide. And the fencing sucks.
The crash wasn't really horrific. There was one about as bad at Indy this year. This track isn't exceptionally dangerous. Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power have all voiced their support for keeping Pocono because they know this.
Yeah and they are all older drivers that remember when Indy raced on more superspeedways than they do now. I agree to a point, but Pocono has been slower to add safety changes and repairs to the facilities compared to Indy, for one thing they just don't have the money Indy has. You are right though, Indy and Pocono have a lot of similar characteristics and in many ways what makes Pocono dangerous also makes Indy dangerous. Indy has had a long run of extremely good luck in many ways, but give Indy credit for being very good throughout its history of evolving it's safety standards and facilities with the times. I can remember being a kid when Indy added the dedicated slow down lanes off track instead of on the apron as well as many of the other safety features. Sadly I'm old enough to remember when Indy didn't have the best run of luck in regards to deaths and injuries too. One thing is for certain though, there is just only so many ways you are going to make 220 plus mph open wheel oval racing safe. Its always going to be the most dangerous form of Motorsport outside of rally, I just don't see any way around it. I think it and rally share a lot in common in that way, they both are just inheritly more risky than other Motorsport. Drivers go in though knowing the risk and considering the danger involved it's pretty damn amazing just how safe it has become compared to the old days.
@@chrish931 I think the matter is very simple. If the drivers want to race there, and the fans are showing up, then you race. This isn't like Las Vegas 2011 where everyone is denouncing it. The majority of the paddock wants to go back to Pocono.
Interesting idea on a three-wide start, but the track can't account for stupidity. I've always like Takuma Sato, but thought his move on this one was stupid. irresponsible and unprofessional. Ryan Hunter Ray to blame?? What? that's like blaming the third guy in the fight for starting it. Seldom disagree with you David, but you're very wrong on this one. A lot of explanation is needed to defend that position. Always cheering for ABP (anyone but a Penske) but glad that Power had to win if it had to go to a P-Team. Like the three wide idea and wonder "what if" that had been the case. Hope 2020 has a 500 miler in Pocono.
I get it that drivers make mistakes, but this wasn't Sato's first race or season, he's had experience in f1 and indycar to know when it's clear to pull out, he had spotters and mirrors and went blind to it all, I think definitely a race ban at minimum, maybe more because of the impact it had on the points of those involved, I don't think banning him will do justice, I could see that if someone was killed as a result of the crash. But to try and defend his actions on track and then to try and blame Rossi for coming up into him? Liked Sato, but not as much anymore with that driving.
They should start under yellow.
Whether it be the tracks fault, race control's fault, or the drivers fault, that was a shit show that could have been avoided. Shouldn't be racing like that on Lap 1, should spread the field out to make it safe, and the fencing/walling should be changed. It's really a fault on all parts if we are gonna be honest.
Other than that it's a pretty good race. It's a shame how this track will lose out on yet another date but if it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be. Especially a superspeedway race.
128 laps
Like I said before, they should run 199 laps under caution and the last one as the FINISH lap for the win..Indy car needs a NAME to follow not CRASHES !!
woke racing twitter wouldnt shut up about ferrucci all day they were so upset that the announcers would be impressed by an impressive performance🤦♂️
Not the tracks fault at all this can happen at Indianapolis or and oval. Maybe raise the wall a bit but this accident is on the drivers. Sato mainly
Please talk about the suspicious 10 lap penalty for Rossi. I get working on your car under red but the duration of the hold was far too harsh. He was already 78 laps down when he came back, then with the penalty, it turned into 88 laps.
Had it been Newgarden or Pagenaud, the penalty for working on the car would have been more lenient due to Penske's influence in Race Control. This seems rather suspicious that such a harsh penalty was handed out for a driver involved in a crash that just happened to be the biggest threat to Newgarden in the championship.
Three cars were worked on during the red period and all three got the same penalty. I don't see a problem.
My opinion only, I think it was a guesstimate of how many laps would have been run were they not under the red flag. And they did treat everybody the same {fair) and the strategy of taking the penalty did improve Rossi's finish (well played) But the 10 lap duration, again, is just a guess.