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Grand Prix at the Glen: 3 takeaways from IndyCar at Watkins Glen

By Brittany Frederick

WATKINS GLEN, NY - SEPTEMBER 03: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda, celebrates with his crew members in victory lane after winning the INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on September 3, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY - SEPTEMBER 03: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda, celebrates with his crew members in victory lane after winning the INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on September 3, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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What did we learn from Alexander Rossi’s win in the Grand Prix at the Glen? Here’s what we took away from the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen.

The penultimate race of the 2017 IndyCar season was a wild one, as the Grand Prix at the Glen gave Alexander Rossi his second career win just days after Rossi announced his return to Andretti Autosport for two more seasons.

But meanwhile at Watkins Glen, Rossi’s teammate (possibly soon to be ex-teammate) Takuma Sato was going in circles, Josef Newgarden was being introduced to something he didn’t want to meet, and Scott Dixon was, well, being Scott Dixon. Under constant threat of rain that never turned up, the Grand Prix at the Glen turned out to be 60 laps of slightly moist and wild racing that ensured the IndyCar season will end on a high note.

That means there’s a lot to talk about if you’re Monday morning strategizing. What did we learn and what did the drivers learn as they prepare for the Sept. 17 season finale?

Here’s what we took away from the Grand Prix at the Glen:

1) You get by with a little help from your friends

If the Grand Prix at the Glen had a theme song, it would’ve been Joe Cocker’s “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Because we saw at Watkins Glen how teammates can both help and hurt one’s races. Not to take anything away from Alexander Rossi’s victory, but what put him back in the lead was unquestionably the single-car spin from his colleague Takuma Sato, which brought out a full course caution.

The NBCSN analyst desk wondered if Sato spun on purpose to allow Rossi to reclaim the lead; you’ll have to decide that for yourself. But who was in the lead when that happened? Well, it was Rossi’s other teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay. So what helped the No. 98, you could argue actually hurt the No. 28. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

What else doesn’t make sense? It was Josef Newgarden’s attempt to race Team Penske teammate Will Power off pit lane that caused him to lock up his tires and destroyed his entire race day (not to mention large parts of his race car). Drivers might have the same teams, but when you’re on track it’s every car for himself, and we saw that emphatically in the Grand Prix at the Glen.

2) Championships always have to have a wrench somewhere

And that somewhere recently has been Watkins Glen. Newgarden’s shunt into the pit lane wall may be the thing that costs him the 2017 IndyCar championship. And does anyone recall last year’s race at Watkins Glen, where contact with Charlie Kimball crushed what was left of Will Power’s hopes for the title? Then before that, remember how Power and Juan Pablo Montoya making contact at Sonoma was the thing that kicked open the door for Scott Dixon to take the 2015 title?

It’s going to be a huge heartbreak for Josef Newgarden if he has this championship slip away and looks back at that one slip in the Grand Prix at the Glen as the thing that started it. But it also is a reminder of how unpredictable any form of motorsports (or really, any sport) is. You can drive your tail off, and all it takes is one crazy thing like Sebastien Bourdais getting accidentally in the back of you to spoil the whole day. Better luck at Sonoma, Josef.

3) Scott Dixon is a machine

The Grand Prix at the Glen provided us another reason to wonder if Scott Dixon isn’t secretly a driving robot. With all of this craziness going on, the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda quietly began the race in the second position, and calmly drove unruffled for most of the rest of the day to finish there, too.

Whereas every other driver in the field has their ups and downs, Dixon seems to be pure consistency (except for that time he went up in the Indy 500). Admit it, would anyone be shocked if he steals a fifth IndyCar championship? No, you wouldn’t. Because he’s Scott Dixon, and that’s all you really need to know.

Next: Complete Grand Prix at the Glen results

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