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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Side-by-side racing will be the norm
By Jack Arute
Special to ABC Sports Online
When the Indy Racing League makes its first-ever appearance at the 2-mile Michigan Speedway this Sunday (ABC, 3 p.m. ET), will MIS replace Texas as the site of the IRL's most exciting finishes?
The folks at Texas Motor Speedway hope not.
But Michigan's Indy Car history makes a case for that possibility. This is the IRL's first-ever appearance there, but since its construction, Michigan has hosted Indy Car races --first under USAC sanction and then under CART sanction -- that have produced heart-stopping performances as well as first-time winners.
|  | | Patrick Carpentier, bottom, edges out teammate Alex Tagliani to win a tight finish in CART's race at Michigan last year. |
Size and configuration account for a lot of MIS's competitive Indy Car history. The 2-mile D-shaped oval is banked everywhere. A 12-degree frontstretch connects 18-degree turns. Even the backstretch carries a banking of 5 degrees. Coupled with excellent width (45 feet on the straights and a whopping 73 feet in the corners), Michigan presents an assortment of racing lines.
Like Texas and Fontana, Michigan is all about taking as much downforce out of the car as possible and reducing drag. The IRL's mandated wing angle rules create more than ample downforce. So much in fact, teams use reverse rake -- raising the fronts of the cars -- to lower the rear wing.
What will be interesting is to see if the cars stack up side-by-side several rows deep as they do in Texas, or if the wide turns promote multiple lanes and side-by-side - by -side racing. Unlike the FedEx Champ cars, the IRL cars produce less dirty air in tight formations. This means this weekend's Michigan 400 should see large groups of cars tightly bunched for extended periods. It will also subtly change the passing maneuver.
The Indy Car "dart" -- when a car uses a stiletto like move by another to gain a position -- remains in play. Increased stability, though, increases the likelihood that drivers will look for partners. It's all about drafting at tracks like Michigan. The wake behind a car increases the overall speed of two cars coupled together.
We saw drafting and dancing reward Jeff Ward with his first career Indy Car win at Texas. Being in the right place on the last lap remains a crucial key to victory at Michigan. What is debatable is whether or not it's best to be leading under the white flag or running second or third.
The heavy emphasis upon drafting gives us this week's "X-Factor" -- fuel. At Fontana, we saw Jaques Lazier stretch his 35-gallon methanol load a bit too far and come precariously close to running dry between stops.
The vast discrepancy between Chevrolet and Infiniti when it comes to fuel mileage is one issue. Chevy engines historically gulp less fuel than their Infiniti counterparts. All the telemetry in the world cannot compensate for an empty tank. Because keeping packed up is so crucial, teams like to make green flag stops with partners so that upon return to the track they can use the draft.
Not wanting to lose the leader, a driver will stay out longer than necessary hoping that he can pit with the leader. It's a chancy game, but one teams accept if they have any legitimate hope for a win.
Until it is otherwise knocked off the top, Texas remains the most exciting track on the IRL circuit. You can be sure that the folks in Fort Worth will be glued to the TV to see if they retain that title after the Michigan 400 this Sunday.
Jack Arute writes a column every Monday for ABC Sports Online.
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 Alex Barron takes control of the restart with three laps remaining to capture his first IRL victory.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Alex Barron is joined by ESPN's Jack Arute following the victory.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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