1. Turn Two
This weekend, several drivers have mentioned how the progressive banking — which is trouble enough — drops off quickly off of Turn 2 going into the backstretch. That can spell calamity for a loose car, so I expect a couple of incidents in this part of the course today.
2. Track position
A second groove could be tough to create, and as a result, guys like front-row starters Dario Franchitti and Oriol Servia did themselves favors yesterday in qualifying. Expect the front-runners to do what they can to keep position, even if a second groove eventually emerges.
3. Attendance
A decent crowd in the 30-35K range would be an OK baseline for New Hampshire Motor Speedway to improve upon for next year. Of course, a good show today at Loudon from the IndyCars can certainly help matters. They need to make this Northeast expansion work.
4. Championship
For Will Power, it’s time to make a move on Dario Franchitti. He’ll have a tough go of it, starting 13th on the grid today, but he can’t give up much more points to the Scotsman if he wants to rally for a championship. Meanwhile, Dario sits on pole and, perhaps, in the catbird’s seat as well if he keeps out of trouble.
5. Interlopers
Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe are in the first two rows for Newman-Haas, while Tony Kanaan and Takuma Sato of KV-Lotus are also starting up front. They’ve shown good speed this weekend, but could any of them score a surprise win on the Magic Mile? Keep an eye out for Ryan Hunter-Reay, too.
