Room for improvement in major racing series

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California – With the waving of the checkered flag at Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, motor sports fans went into their annual, painful hibernation.

Two long months must pass before the Rolex 24 at Daytona gives us our next fix.

A look back at some of the major racing series is in order.  Hopefully, some of the things we saw in 2017 will prompt the respective racing bodies to make some changes where they’re needed.

In some cases, major surgery is needed. And by that, I mean…

FORMULA 1: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a microcosm of the entire season: a Mercedes parade at the front and absolutely no drama whatsoever.  I actually found myself wanting to get to the end of Sunday’s race to have it over with.

Even the drivers complained about the lack of passing opportunities.

OK, Formula 1 remains the world’s most cutting-edge form of motor sports.  But given that, shouldn’t it also be a little more exciting to watch?

Sure, hybrid power plants and budget-limiting measures are stylish, but they’re adding no drama to the globe-hopping series.

Admit it, wouldn’t you like to see just one heart-stopping finish for the victory at a single venue?  Not happening.  You get drama at the start, but things are pretty much written in titanium by the end of the first lap.

Hopefully, the recently minted F1 ownership will remake the playing field and convert the high-speed sport to something more than a single-file snooze-fest.

INDYCAR:  Yes, there is variety here.  A dozen or so drivers have a chance to win every time out.  As a bonus, a new car is coming to the tracks next year.

And yet, I sometimes wonder if the Indy folks get it.

The Indianapolis 500 remains the jewel of the series – and arguably, all of American racing – and it’s hard to imagine another race ombining the spectacle, speed and dramatic finishes that we’ve seen at Indianapolis over the past decade.

The 500 keeps me on the edge of my seat, with heart racing and palms sweating as the four-wheeled missiles duel inches apart for the big prize.

However, when that kind of racing is seen elsewhere, what do I hear?: driver complaints.  Too much “pack racing,” they say.  Wow, really?  So, high-speed racing among cars in tight formation is a bad thing?

Apparently.

Yes, I get the idea that crashes can occur in such situations, and the sanctioning lords want to keep as many drivers as possible healthy.  Good on them. But isn’t the high-speed edge what Indy Car racing has always been about?  The skill, courage and mind-blowing action are what separates it from the rest.  I’d hate to see that erode even more over time.

NASCAR: Praise to NASCAR for letting the young guns take charge of the Xfinity Series.  While the top-tier NASCAR drivers still race there, the rules limiting appearances and negating series points enabled the up-and-comers to battle it out. That’s the way it should be.

And if you don’t feel good about Martin Truex Jr. winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, well, you probably don’t have a pulse.  What a well-deserved championship with multiple emotional stories attached to it!

Still, I think the “playoff” system needs work.  Do you realize that we came within one late-race pass for position at Phoenix to avoid a “Final Four”-qualifying driver who has yet to win his first Monster series race (Chase Elliott)?

That’s a serious flaw that needs to be fixed.  And I still hate the fact that one bad-break race late in the season can eliminate a driver who has perhaps put up an otherwise extraordinary season.

That’s it.  Enjoy the holiday season, and brace yourself for a couple months without big-time racing.  The wait will be over before you know it.