Indy serves up the fairy tale: Helio's fourth win

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Editor's note: Since 1961, Mark Glover has attended 57 Indianapolis 500s, as both a spectator and a working journalist. Here's his take on Sunday's 105th running of the world-famous race:

Just when you thought that you had seen everything ... Even as you watched a series of remarkable, unforeseen occurrences repeatedly twist the plot of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 ... And just when it appeared that a new generation of race drivers would seize the day and the future ... The Indianapolis Motor Speedway served up the fairy tale.

Helio Castroneves, age 46, became the fourth four-time winner of the 500, beating 24-year-old Alex Palou to the finish line by less than a second, following a spellbinding late-race duel between the two drivers.

Just how that occurred was the stuff of a weepy, over-the-top sports movie.  And yet in the end, Helio winning his fourth 20 years after his first Indy 500 triumph made perfect sense.

On the sports movie side, who could have predicted that Stefan Wilson crashing in the pits on the 32nd lap would close the service area, force pre-race favorite Scott Dixon and Indy veteran Alexander Rossi to run out of fuel and effectively take them off the chess board?

Who could have predicted that Dixon and Rossi would continue in a race with a record-low two caution periods for another record low of only 18 laps, negating any chance they had to catch back up to the leaders?  The lack of cautions also doomed strong race teams that banked their race strategies on a typical day of half a dozen cautions or more.

Who could have predicted that Graham Rahal, a savvy, hard-driving veteran, would be in an ideal position up front, only to lose an untightened wheel leaving the pits and crash out on the 118th lap? Popular Conor Daly was running well at the time -- he led 40 laps compared with 20 for Castroneves -- but his prospects were crushed when he smashed into the wheel that left Rahal's car.

You could even point to Felix Rosenqvist's untimely speeding penalty on his last pit stop. Rosenquvist, who had led 14 laps earlier in the race, was on fresh tires and came out of the pits in front of Palou, who was then holding off Castroneves. Rosenqvist was flying along, and Palou was happily riding in his speedy wake ... until Rosenqvist was called back into the pits to serve his speeding penalty, removing Palou's helper from the scene.

In the end, all of that added up to this ancient axiom: That's racing.

Anything can happen in a 500-mile race conducted at bullet-like speeds. The events that brought Castroneves into Victory Lane might stretch the imagination of the wildest Hollywood film director, but they happened nevertheless.

And because they did, the table was set perfectly for Castroneves, the driver on the track with the most 500 wins, and the hard-won knowledge of how to make those wins happen.

Castroneves drove a textbook perfect Indianapolis 500 -- always running up front, staying out of harm's way, executing excellent pits stops and then charging hard when it was "go time" in the final 20 laps.  Looking back at it now, all the fates led to Castroneves, driving a perfectly balanced car tuned to his liking.

The gigantic history Castroneves made with his win was appropriately celebrated by tens of thousands of adoring fans.  And I'll bet that the young guns of Indy -- whose future is every bright -- marveled at Helio's limitless energy as he climbed the fence at the finish line, ran up the front stretch and partied just as hard as any 20-something long after the checkered flag fell.

Can we expect a run at an unprecedented FIFTH Indy 500 in 2022?  Judging from the super-high level of skill and energy Castroneves showed on Sunday, I'd say it's a slam dunk.

 

Indy 500 pros up front, but youth could be served

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Editor's note: Since 1961, Mark Glover has attended 57 Indianapolis 500s, as both a spectator and a working journalist. Here's his take on how Sunday's race, the 105th running, will go:

Their names drift through my consciousness and memory to this day: A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Rick Mears. Legends of the Indianapolis 500, decades removed from competition in what many consider a golden age of open-wheel auto racing.

And in the case of Bobby Unser, we recently bid him farewell forever.

I have the legends and Indy 500 veterans on my mind as the 105th running of the race prepares to unfold on Sunday, with some COVID restrictions but with nail-biting expectations as the fastest field in the history of the world-famous race gets ready to take the green flag.

The latest generation of graybeard legends are among the top nine starters -- Scott Dixon on the pole, Indianapolis hometown hero Ed Carpenter starting fourth, fan favorite Tony Kanaan in the fifth starting spot, 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay starting seventh and three-time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves going off eighth.

All stand a chance to win on Sunday.  But youth could be served in a big way.

Seemingly fearless youngsters posted top qualifying speed among the veterans. Colton Herta, 21, came within an eye-blink of grabbing the pole position from Dixon. Rinus VeeKay, a 20-year-old Dutch racing sensation, is on the outside of the front row. Starting directly behind him in the sixth hole is Alex Palou. He's a comparative grandpa among the youthful pilots, 24 and loaded with talent.

My heart tells me the veteran pros know how to win at Indy, but my head tells me one of the youngsters could win it.  That's how good -- and brave -- they are.  Passing of the torch?  Absolutely.

I'm sure the names of the young drivers will be spoken with reverence by race fans 10, 15 or maybe even 20 years from now.  And rightly so.

I consider myself fortunate to see this changing of the guard in my lifetime.

Among the young guns, I like Herta.  He hustles the bullet-like Indy cars with a maestro's touch.  Nothing seems to intimidate him.  And he has some attitude in the cockpit, a necessary variable in this race where blinding speed is constant and mere inches separate winners from crashed-out competitors.

Believe it: Herta, VeeKay, Palou or maybe one of the other young guns could end up in Victory Lane on Sunday, vaulting from a driver known to some dedicated racing fans to a world-famous celebrity, with his name and image carved on the Borg-Warner Trophy for eternity.

As for me, I can't take my eyes off Dixon.  He had this race in the bag last year, only to fall short in the late going to a relentlessly charging Takuma Sato.  Despite a stellar career that has seen him claim six IndyCar series championships, he has only a single Indy 500 victory, that one coming in 2008.

Does Indy owe Dixon a break?  Dixon says no.  And Indy has shown time after time that it can be a ruthless temptress.  Even so, I like Dixon to win it.  He has the fastest car, a fabulous and experienced team and a ton of motivation.

Do you like sentimental favorites?  Then count on weeping joyously Sunday if Carpenter or Castroneves come home first under the checkered flag.  Carpenter has taken three Indy 500 poles and been close to winning the race several times.  His fellow Indianapolis citizens will likely throw a weeklong parade if he wins.

Castroneves came within an eyelash of winning his first three 500s in 2001-03.  As it stands, he has three victories over 20 years (plus three super-close second-place finishes) and is trying to become only the fourth four-time winner in a one-off IndyCar appearance at Indianapolis this year.  The driver with the million-watt personality stands a good chance of pulling it off, in my view.

My dark horse pick is Northern California's own Alexander Rossi, flying under the radar all this month and starting 10th.  He was a surprise rookie winner in 2016 and has come oh-so-close to winning a couple more times.  He knows how to drive this race.  He drank the winner's milk five years ago, and  I wouldn't be surprised if he's back Sunday for a second gulp.

 

Big vehicle-maker Cadillac changes gears with XT4

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- That can't be a Cadillac ... Does Cadillac make a vehicle that small? ... I didn't realize that was a Cadillac until I saw the badge on the vehicle.

Those were just some of the unprompted comments I received during my week with the tested 2021 Cadillac XT4 AWD Sport.  It just goes to show you that long-standing reputations die hard.

Cadillac's burden -- or maybe it's a blessing -- is that it has long been a maker of large luxury vehicles costing a fair amount of cash. While that still remains true to some degree, Cadillac does have an entry in the luxury compact crossover SUV market, and this tester is it.

Potential purchasers need to do their homework ... and significant test driving.  Why?  Because crossover SUVs are not only as numerous as Hershey's candy cars, the luxury compact crossover segment is brutally competitive, with strong entries from Volvo, Acura, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

And if you pull the trigger on purchasing one of these luxo rides, you're looking at anywhere from $40,000 to more than $80,000.

The tested XT4, dressed up with plenty of state-of-the-art options, came in at $52,785. With that kind of coin on the line, careful consideration is recommended.

Bottom line: The XT4 does everything well, as it should for this segment and that price.

Exterior sculpting is precise and sporty. The interior of my ride was relatively roomy for a compact, and a full suite of features were within easy reach.  The all-around view from the driver's seat was excellent, and bolstered by rearview cameras and an overhead view.

The power rear liftgate opens wide and takes in a good amount of cargo.

While other reviewers have expressed a desire for more power, I found the 2-liter turbo-4 engine with 237 horsepower to be competent for this compact offering.

Another plus: Strong safety ratings, including a max five-star crash test rating from the federal government.

Fuel mileage is pretty good at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway for this all-wheel driver.

The Cadillac XT4 is a quiet, comfortable freeway cruiser, and it makes cuts and corners with effortless ease.

All in all, it competes straight-up with the heavyweight competition.

In my mind -- and I could be delusional in this respect -- the appeal of the XT4 might simply boil down to this boast: My crossover SUV is a built-in-America Cadillac.

Not everyone can say that.  But is that enough to lighten your assets by 50K?

Well, in some quarters, I would guess that the answer is, Yes.

 

Hybrid adds muscle to Ford F-150 pickup package

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- Back in January, the latest-generation Ford F-150 turned out to be a capable survival vehicle during a 48-hour power outage at my home.

Besides an occasional oasis of warmth, its Pro Power Onboard system -- essentially a vehicle-mounted power generator -- brewed coffee and charged other essentials.

So, when a hybrid-powered 2021 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew Platinum pickup was delivered to my driveway recently, I figured it couldn't do much more to impress me.

Big swing and a miss on my part.

The 3.5-liter PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 blew me away with awesome displays of acceleration, muscular performance and hill-climbing ability.

Numbers tell only part of the story.  The Full Hybrid is rated at 430 horsepower and 570 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm -- both substantially higher than the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that was under the hood of the January delivery.

Beyond the numbers, the tested F-150 with the hybrid system was a bloody marvel.

It takes a lot to move a full-size pickup with a boxed steel frame and military-grade aluminum body, but this power plant did it with amazing ease.

Many times, I was thinking: "I can't believe I'm going this fast so quickly in this pickup."

And it wasn't just the rush of the surging engine. It was the power plant's ability to effortlessly hold the higher revs.  I was cruising and darting around in freeway traffic with sports cars, horsepower-laden sedans and big-engine sport-utility vehicles ... almost like I was driving a sport-tuned midsize sedan. That gives you a clue of how well the suspension is married to the body of this F-150.

It takes some getting used to ... The last thing you expect when you hit the starter of a full-size pickup truck is silence and a "Ready" light showing up in the dash.  Never mind that. The truck more than makes up for it on the fly.

Beyond the hybrid system, the tester was loaded up with the full lineup of perks that the Janauary-delivered SuperCrew had, which is to say that you could live comfortably in this pickup for days at a time. It's a rolling hotel room.

In fact, I've stayed in hotel rooms that had much less.

On top of scores of comfort/convenience and one-of-a-kind features, the newly reworked 2021 F-150 is loaded with state-of-the-art safety and driving-enhancement systems.  For those who are nervous about maneuvering a full-size pickup in some urban/suburban/country settings, fear not.  This F-150 has first-class systems to help you park, back up and thread on-road needles.

All this costs some cash, of course.  On the tester, the bottom line was a hefty $72,310.

That's a serious investment, but for the devoted pickup fan who wants a long-term vehicle with plenty of bells and whistles, and a hybrid system to boot, it's a price worth paying.