WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- The overall vibe is certainly interesting at Watkins Glen International for the Camping World GP at the Glen.
Starting with the reason we're all here: The drivers, with rare exception, are delighted to be back on a road course after a series of six consecutive ovals. For someone like Justin Wilson, who qualified on the front row for Dale Coyne Racing after struggling through the oval stretch, never finishing better than 14th, it was pretty much a new lease on life.
For the second time this year, Indy car racing's favorite underdog team went head to head against the might of the traditional giants -- Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing -- and almost pulled off a major upset. Penske's Ryan Briscoe ultimately claimed pole position, but Wilson outqualified Ganassi's Scott Dixon (third) and Dario Franchitti, who will start sixth after crashing during the Firestone Fast Six session.
Wilson also has the potential advantage of two sticker sets of the red-sidewall alternate Firestone tires for Sunday's 60-lap race (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
The drivers raved about the grip of the alternate tires at Watkins Glen. Briscoe set a track record of 1 minute, 28.597 seconds using the "reds." It's the Australian driver's second consecutive pole at The Glen.
"The Firestone red tires made things tricky with strategy during qualifying, but for me, the reds were a lot of fun today," observed Briscoe.
Mario Moraes (KV Racing) and Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) also infiltrated the top six, while Helio Castroneves failed to advance out of his group qualifying session and will start 14th.
Andretti Green Racing was down the order again, led by Danica Patrick in eighth place. But rising American star JR Hildebrand gave the beleaguered team something to celebrate by winning the Firestone Indy Lights race.
The mood among the team owners was uncertain. They met Saturday evening in the Watkins Glen paddock for an informal briefing from Indy Racing League management in the wake of Tony George's departure as IRL CEO.
"Almost nothing has changed" was the message communicated by commercial president Terry Angstadt to the owners, and again a few minutes later to the media.
"We received direct assurance from the board that they are pretty pleased with the direction and the management of the company,"
Angstadt said. "We have taken on the challenge started three years ago to make this a very viable and sustainable entity on its own and we are well on the way to achieving that. We are going to exceed the plan that was signed off on by our parent organization, and I think you'll see a continually improving financial picture from this year forward.
"I want to erase from anyone's minds concerns about not having an Indy Racing League. That's what we do."
If the Watkins Glen crowd knew about the management shake-up at the IRL, they didn't seem to care. There appear to be more campers on site than a year ago, possibly due to unseasonably cool weather and a more fan-friendly 1:30 race starting time on Sunday.
George appeared to be in escapist mode at The Glen. Vision Racing announced that the IRL founder will not address the media in the near future, and instead plans to issue a statement on the Vision Web site later next week.
At the track, George traded in his trademark Segway in favor of a shiny black scooter, which he rode briskly through the paddock.
IRL racing division president Brian Barnhart talked about George's surprise departure as the figurehead of the league he founded.
"I guess I am wishing the best for Tony," Barnhart said. "He met with Terry and Charlie [Morgan, IMS Productions president] and I on Wednesday night before we went to Richmond and left us with good indications.
"The best thing that I got out of it was that Tony had a good peace of mind. He seemed very comfortable with his decisions and very excited about the challenge he faces with Vision Racing.
"Tony has been in this position for nearly 20 years," Barnhart added. "I think he's done a great job and enjoyed it to that point.
While he's no longer CEO in the positions that he held before, the fact that he signed on to be a steward of open-wheel racing in the future is a lifetime commitment for him. It's going to be ongoing, no doubt."
John Oreovicz
