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penske-slut · 5 years

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so i’m new to indycar but my brother just got us both tickets for pocono so what’s the tldr on the sport? who’s your favorites? also who’s the shitty drivers personality/beliefs wise to stay away from?

i know you said tl;dr but i literally can’t be brief in this context so i’m just gonna give you a short little profile of each driver (just the ones you’ll see racing at pocono) in order of the current championship standings (also i’ve realized i have a hard time explaining indycar to people who don’t already know formula one because i make a lot of comparisons so if you don’t watch formula one just ignore those parts i’m sorry):

1. josef newgarden: basically the personification of a golden retriever puppy. super high energy, gets along with everyone, and a super talented and FAIR driver (see: the newgarden move). he won the championship in 2017 and is currently leading this year’s championship by 16 points

2. alexander rossi: confirmed trump supporter, comes off as an arrogant asshole in interviews, but everyone loves him because of his talent. it’s so hard to hate him because he’s literally that good (here’s an example, and another example), i honestly think he could make max verstappen weep if they were on the same terms

3. simon pagenaud: quickly becoming my all time favorite driver (i love almost everyone on the grid but as i’ve now met simon twice i think he’s my top fave). he won the indy 500 this year and the championship in 2016. he’s very quirky and goofy, kind of like an older version of josef. team penske truly needs will power’s chilled out & relaxed persona to dilute the feral energy from josef & simon lmfao (here is a video that really captures his essence)

4. scott dixon: the most successful driver on the current grid and one of the most successful in history. i don’t know much about him personally but he seems like a father figure to whoever his teammate is (felix this year) and he has a really cute family too

5. will power: the old, relaxed energy to mellow out team penske. he had a streak of success in the early 2010′s and kind of had a reputation as an arrogant asshole around that time but i think he’s gotten a lot better since then. he won the indy 500 for the first time last year, and the championship in 2014

6. ryan hunter-reay: nicknamed “captain america”, another dad figure on the grid, has a pretty decorated career. don’t know much else about him but he’s very highly respected on the grid, josef newgarden once said he is “just too polite”

7. takuma sato: very sweet and level-headed, 42 years old and still going strong, has a really comforting presence on the grid. in races he’s generally in the midfield but is capable of surprises, like winning in alabama this year and very shockingly winning the 500 in 2017

8. graham rahal: son of indycar legend bobby rahal. he’s very honest, straightforward, WILL tell you the truth even if it hurts and i respect him for that. has a bit of a temper but always races fair and expects the best out of everyone. he also does a lot of fundraising and charity work for veterans which is coolio (i jokingly refer to him as my brother because his dad and my dad look VERY similar, it’s uncanny)

9. felix rosenqvist: rookie fresh off the boat from formula E. also don’t know much about him but he’s been very exciting to watch so far this year and just got his first podium this weekend at mid-ohio which was very well deserved (he did once say the n-word on instagram, many years ago, and he’s swedish so i don’t expect him to know the history, but... it happened)

10. james hinchcliffe: literally everyone’s fave, not one single person hates him. he’s the beaming ray of sunshine on the grid and gets along with everyone, very similar to josef. if josef is a golden retriever, james is a cuddly little labrador (here is a video of them together from a LONG time ago but nothing has changed)

11. sebastien bourdais: another old boy but a true legend. he won 4 consecutive championships in champ car (indycar’s predecessor... kind of... it’s a long story) and continues kicking ass today. he was in a really scary crash during qualifying at the indy 500 a few years ago and made an impressive comeback.

12. spencer pigot: i honestly truly do not know anything about him, i didn’t even know he was a full time driver until right now, he just kinda fades into the background...

13. santino ferrucci: another confirmed trump supporter, was kicked out of formula 2 for deliberately making contact with his teammate, using his phone while driving his car, allegedly making racist remarks towards his teammate, etc. (you can read about it here). some people will say he’s had a really successful rookie season but honestly he just got lucky a few times and isn’t that good overall. he comes from money which explains a lot lmfao

14. colton herta: the BABY of the grid. he won his second ever indycar race at COTA this year, becoming the youngest race winner in indy history at 18 years old, one week before his 19th birthday. aside from his mega talent on track, he’s a respectable guy off track and is very mature for his age. if you watch F1 i’d compare him to a slightly more laid-back version of lando norris

15. marcus ericsson: if you’re coming from F1 then you already know him pretty well. he didn’t have much success in F1 but has found his niche in indycar, already scoring a podium in his rookie season. he’s chill and quiet but overall a nice young man

16. marco andretti: a third generation andretti, honestly has no real purpose on the grid aside from being the descendant of two racing icons (his grandfather is mario andretti, his dad is michael andretti), but uhhhh he’s been racing for about 15 years and only has two wins, so... take that as you will. you’ll almost always find him at the back of the grid these days

17. zach veach: by far the tiniest driver on the grid. i stood very close to him this weekend and he was shorter than me (i’m 5′1″) and i wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t broken 100 pounds. i don’t know much about him other than his very inspiring backstory (read here), and he has a strong religious background as well.

18. tony kanaan: a fucking FIXTURE on the indy grid. another old man but a legend. he has been racing in indycar for 17 years and did champ car for 5 years, so essentially he’s been at the top class of american single seaters for almost as long as i’ve been alive. he has one championship win (2004) and one indy 500 win (2013)

(skipped ed jones, not racing at pocono)

20. matheus leist: the first driver i ever met in person. he’s really nice and chill, but honestly not much to write home about on track. he’s solid and fairly consistent, but i wouldn’t bet money on him

(skipped jack harvey, max chilton, patricio o’ward: not racing at pocono)

24. ed carpenter: nicknamed “the oval master” because... he’s really good on oval circuits. he races the ovals for his own team. that’s all i know tbh

(skipped conor daly, sage karam, james davison, helio castroneves: not racing at pocono)

29. charlie kimball: don’t know much about him other than that he’s diabetic, and there was a pretty interesting article about how he manages his blood sugar during races (read here). he also has a bit of reputation for being rude/dismissive to fans but i can’t confirm that, i’ve never met him

so that’s it for your grid. you can take that information however you want, they’re just my opinions, someone else might have the complete opposite. also i should add, i really don’t wanna scare you if this is your first race, but pocono is one of two races on the indy calendar that makes me so viscerally nervous i almost can’t watch it (the other is texas motor speedway). again, i don’t want to freak you out, but just so you’re prepared, you will probably see quite a bit of crashing during the race. the AMR/holmatro safety team is one of, if not THE best in all of motorsports, here’s a little (slightly dated) video you can watch about how they do what they do in the event of crashes (warning tho: there is graphic crash footage in that video). despite what some people may say (i’m looking at you, felipe massa), indycar is the hallmark of motorsport safety and most other series have followed them in terms of safety technology innovations over the last 20 years (e.g., indycar has been using safety cars since the 70s, mandated a pit speed limit in 1991, CART mandated HANS for all tracks in 2001, indycar has used safer barrier since 2002, etc.) so if you do see crashing, take a deep breath and remind yourself that they have the world’s best crew taking care of them instantly. if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask, & i know you’ll have tons of fun at the race hehe :^)

#indycar #long post #sorry i can't be brief and sorry if this isn't what you asked for fjgslbidfg i got feral #Anonymous

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