Race conditions at the Detroit Grand Prix drove drivers up the wall. Over the weekend, the Grand Prix was stopped mid race because a piece of the track crumbled causing pot holes and asphalt to fly. The race was postponed for two hours and shortened from 90 laps to 60, while crews repaired the road.
Driver Scott Dixon won the shortened race, which was the first event the Belle Isle track had hosted since 2008. “We have to focus on the positives,” Dixon said. The same could not be said for driver James Hinchcliffe could not. Hinchcliffe crashed into the wall from the bad road conditions.
Hinchcliffe who finished 21st said, “I have never seen anything like it. We had these big pieces of tar just sort of ripping up from Lap 5. The debris was out there. It was tough to drive around it.” The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle was positioned to be Detroit’s homecoming racing event. The race and two hour delay were broadcasted on national television.
Congratulations to Ashley Judd on her husband Dario Franchitti’s third Indianapolis 500 win. Franchitti became just the 10th driver in the race’s 96 year history to win three or more 500s. With a record 30 lead changes, Franchitti won in the lap last with Takuma Sato losing control of his car. ”[It's] just such an extraordinary achievement,” Judd told the Los Angeles Times. “I am so proud of him.” Franchitti previously won the Indy 500 in 2007 and 2010.
In memory of Dan Weldon, Franchitti wore white sunglasses during the race. Weldon was a two-time Indy 500 winner who was killed in a crash last October in Las Vegas during the Indy 300. Weldon’s wife Susie congratulated Franchitti and Judd in Victory Lane and joined the couple in the pace car for the winner’s lap.
Judd and Franchitti married in 2001 in Scottland after meeting at racecar driver and 90210 almun Jason Priestley’s wedding. Franchitti’s victory just adds to a great sports year for Judd, after seeing her beloved Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA Championship in April.