Is Motorsport Speed or Competition?

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

Sunday’s IndyCar race at Texas was the answer to a classic question: Is racing speed or competition? It’s easy to say both but that borders on being a cop out.

There’s so much drama in wheel-to-wheel competition. Driver skill is tested.

Car setup. Team strategy. And so much more.

The breath-taking speeds at Texas introduce a level of luck to me. Can you avoid an accident when human reaction isn’t enough to avoid another car?

It’s good to have events like Texas in the calendar where we can test the driver’s skill AND luck.

Thinking aloud, though, speeds at Indy are greater but the drama of competition is higher as well. The longer lap makes both possible and makes the show at Indy so great. The shorter lap at Texas makes the show look like a video game and less like a contest of motor racing.

The frustration is how the race ended. Did Josef Newgarden win or did the race end while he was in first? It just seemed like there was too much random left in the winner’s cup at the end.

Peace.