Coyne: Ed Jones losing Indy 500 rookie honor to Alonso is a travesty
Ed Jones finished third in the Indy 500 but it wasn’t enough to win him Rookie of the Year honors over Fernando Alonso and team owner Dale Coyne is furious.
Ed Jones earned himself a podium finish in Sunday’s Indy 500, but he didn’t earn Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Instead, that honor went to Fernando Alonso and Jones’ boss Dale Coyne is not mincing his thoughts on the matter.
“Who in the hell votes for these things?” Coyne said, according to a Tuesday report from Racer. “It’s not fair and at least it should have been co-Rookie of the Year.
“[Jones] set the fifth-fastest lap of the race. He was five spots ahead of Alonso when he went out and he ran the last how many laps with a hole in the nose cap, which just crippled him for straightaway speed or he might have won the thing.
“Everybody on the Internet is saying Ed got robbed and I agree. It’s a travesty.”
Contrary to popular belief, the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award is not given to the top finishing rookie driver in the race. The honor is voted upon by a select group, who chose to name two-time Formula 1 champion Alonso the 2017 Rookie of the Year despite the fact that Alonso did not finish the Indy 500 due to a blown engine.
Up until that point, Alonso had been impressive throughout the race and even beforehand. He made it into the Firestone Fast Nine in qualifying, started fifth, and led 27 of the 200 laps on Sunday.
However, a case can be made that he also had advantages that contributed to his success. Fernando Alonso is widely regarded as one of the best drivers in the world, and he was driving for one of the biggest teams in IndyCar in Andretti Autosport, who are historically superior at Indianapolis—including winning three of the last four Indianapolis 500’s.
Meanwhile, Jones was driving for one of IndyCar’s smallest teams in Dale Coyne Racing, and he had to deal with more adversity on track. The 22-year-old started 11th had his car damaged by debris from Scott Dixon’s violent crash and was forced to pit which turned him into the last car on the lead lap. Despite that, he worked his way back up to third place.
Does Ed Jones deserve to be Indy 500 Rookie of the Year because he accomplished more with less? Does Fernando Alonso deserve it for what could have been an equally strong performance if he hadn’t had an engine fail?
Or was Alonso given credit for how much extra publicity and attention he brought the race by deciding to compete in it? Fernando Alonso was the top story throughout the entire Month of May, and received the lion’s share of media coverage before and during the race, while Jones flew under the radar until he was running up at the front.
There are many different factors to consider in what was a subjective award vote—but you can’t fault Dale Coyne for being angry when Ed Jones nabs his first IndyCar podium in the biggest race of the year and still can’t get ROY honors. There’s also the $50,000 check that comes with the award which could make a real difference to a smaller team like DCR.
What everyone can agree on is that both Ed Jones and Fernando Alonso acquitted themselves very well in this year’s Indy 500, and both drivers have a lot to be proud of.
The good news for Ed Jones is that he may still end up with some hardware. Although he didn’t win Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, Jones remains eligible for IndyCar Rookie of the Year, which is not subjective. It’s given to the rookie who finishes the highest in the IndyCar championship standings.
Next: Complete finishing order for the 2017 Indy 500
Who would you have given Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors to – Ed Jones or Fernando Alonso? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. For the latest IndyCar news, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided here.