MISCELLANEOUS

* Andre Ribeiro was the first to earn an IndyCar win for Honda back in 1995. Coming out of Indy Lights with the Tasman team, Ribeiro was followed at Tasman in 1996 by a couple of fellow Brazilians in Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves. We were surprised to learn of Ribeiro’s death earlier this month at 55. I had to smile on Sunday, knowing how much he influenced Kanaan and Castroneves, when Helio won the race for Honda and bookended, at least for now, what Andre started.

* If there’s a positive I’d love to see come from Top Gun Racing’s ill-fated attempt to make the Indy 500, it’s for teams to take a deeper look at RC Enerson as a talent they need to seriously consider if and when they’re in the market for a new driver. Is he better than 2019 Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew? Not sure I’d go that far, but at only 24 years of age, Enerson deserves a test with a leading team to gauge whether he should be on a short list to backfill some of the looming vacancies.

* Let’s take another opportunity to heap praise on CGR’s Ricky Davis and all of the team members who helped Alex Palou’s crew chief turn the smashed No. 10 Honda around in time to make the Fast Nine. Davis was duly rewarded with the Clint Brawner Award and the $10,000 award for his mechanical excellence.

* Not to be outdone, Palou’s sponsor NTT Data sent out a cowboy-friendly press release that said it would “present the Indianapolis 500 winner with a custom-made, sterling silver belt buckle highlighted by three types of 14-karat gold during Monday’s media photo shoot on the yard of bricks.” Yeehaw!

* I am by no means questioning the quality of math education being offered in the Speedway and Indianapolis school systems, but did that look like 135,000 fans to you, or a whole lot more?

* It wasn’t a rocket ship, but kudos to Mike Colliver and his driver JR Hildebrand for being the top A.J. Foyt Racing entry in qualifying at P22 and in the race with a 15th.

* RACER’s Robin Miller had the chance to honor the ailing announcer Bob Jenkins on Friday, as Bob received the Robin Miller Award, as chosen by IndyCar and IMS, for a person who’s made invaluable contributions to the sport. On the same day, Miller received the Bob Russo Award, given by the AARWBA club for having “demonstrated profound interest, tireless efforts and undying dedication to auto racing, as exemplified by founder Bob Russo, throughout his lifelong career.” I’m told Miller arrived in his finest pair of dress sweatpants to be honored.

* The chassis Castroneves drove to victory was purchased from DragonSpeed in the offseason. It’s the same Chevy-powered Dallara DW12 Ben Hanley used at a few races in 2019 and 2020, and was converted to Honda spec by MSR. It’s also, by way of social media posts, the car Top Gun Racing inspected at DragonSpeed and considered buying before going in a different direction…

When this photo was taken last year, who would have guessed that Dallara was speeding towards a future place in Indy history? Cantrell/Motorsport Images

* The overall quality of racing photography generated throughout Indy was remarkable. Chris Owens and Joe Skibinski from IMS Photo were featured with a local news segment, and as usual, the team from LAT, Dream Digital, and others produced genuine art with their cameras. There was a time, not so long ago, where most of the shots were boring and predictable; these days, the output is breathtaking.

* Why were so many laps burned at the first caution for a short pit lane crash? The series said the extra time was needed to reorder the field after reviewing a number of violations and handing out penalties. It seems like whenever there’s a really long caution that doesn’t make sense, it’s for the same review/reorder process. Maybe that’s the default answer to go with in the future.

* You know you’ve had a terrible season when you get through the first six races, as Alexander Rossi has, and you’re overtaken in the championship by Helio Castroneves, who’s done one. With his win, the Brazilian actually moved ahead of Rossi and seven other full-time drivers in the standings. Ooof.

* One of the themes coming into Indy was whether Chevy would beat Honda due to a fuel mileage advantage. I believe that theory was expressed during a TV broadcast, and it was nonsense.

* Unrewarding finish for Simona De Silvestro and the Paretta Autosport team. After her spin and crash on pit lane, the team went about repairing the broken rear suspension. But when Hunter-Reay went whistling by at a high rate of speed with a brake malfunction of his own and came close to Paretta’s crew, she pulled the plug on the repairs and retired the car.

* Last note, and it’s a sad one, is that I learned my friend Tom Schryer, a life-long IndyCar fan, died by suicide on Memorial Day. If it can ever be of use for you, a loved one, or just a casual acquaintance, here’s a good number to know: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255