IndyCar drivers have varying opinions on Fontana controversy

The IndyCar Series returns to Iowa Speedway for its annual race on July 18.

And after a controversial race at Fontana last weekend, the series will bring a little bit of baggage to the 7/8-mile oval in Newton.

There are several opinions about last week’s “pack racing” that led to cars driving four- and five-wide at 200 miles per hour.

Dangerous or fun and exciting?

Well, it depends on who you ask.

Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter both ran several test laps at Iowa Speedway last week and both were asked their take on the controversial race at Auto Club Speedway.

Carpenter, who finished fourth in 2013 and fifth in 2014 at Iowa Speedway, has no issues with the racing and feels like the controversy is being driven on the actions of individuals off the track.

“I thought it was a great race. I think that as drivers we have a responsibility in our hands to race each other clean and with respect,” said Carpenter, who has raced at Iowa Speedway seven times and has an average finish of 9.6. “Some of the issues that are there are a result of some individual actions and not necessarily the package.”

Andretti is in the 50/50 camp. But he isn’t about to tell anyone in power how things should be done.

“I am sort of right in the middle,” said

Andretti, who won the Iowa Corn 250 back in 2011. “It was dangerous but at the same time, it was fun for the fans. It’s always a fine line, and it’s not my job to figure that stuff out.”

Two drivers who were outspoken against the “pack racing” were Team Penske teammates Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Montoya is the series points leader. But he feels like the series can do great things without having to drive four- and five-wide at super-fast speeds.

“I backed out of probably 20 situations where I gave up three, four positions because there (was) no point,” Montoya told USA TODAY sports. “I don’t race harder because there’s no point. I’m not interested in getting hurt.

“It’s stupid. It’s a shame because we have great cars and we can put on a hell of a show without doing this.”

Power compared Fontana’s controversial race to the 2011 IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the one that saw former IndyCar Series driver Dan Weldon killed in a tragic 15-car pileup.

“Someone is going to die. This is the Las Vegas situation all over again, but 500 miles,” Power told USA TODAY Sports. “Someone or multiple people need to lose their jobs over this, because this is an absolute disgrace.”

While opinions will never be the same across the board on this controversial topic, Carpenter was unhappy with how several drivers attacked the series after a race that was so well-received from fans.

"I hear a lot of fans cheering and having a good time watching the race and a lot of talk about IndyCar and I just hate that the first thing that guys do is get out and slam the sport we're a part of," Carpenter told USA TODAY Sports. "I don't think it does us any good. I'm not advocating pack racing. I'm not advocating anything other than support of this series.
"If you don't want to do it, go somewhere else. There's plenty of other guys who want to be here."

Carpenter also didn’t think the racing that took place at Fontana should even be considered “pack racing.”

“We were packed up for 8-to-10 laps,” said Carpenter, driver/owner at Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing. “That is not pack racing to me. It’s not like Vegas was. It’s not like Daytona or Talladega is for NASCAR. Guys would spread out enough. We’ve got to have some responsibility for all of it.”

Matthew Brabham is a third-generation IndyCar Series driver who has competed in 17 Indy Lights races the past two seasons. He is a part of Andretti Motorsports and also was in Newton with Andretti during the testing session last week.

While it’s hard for Brabham to comment on the controversy as a driver because he wasn’t involved in the race, he enjoyed the overall product as a fan of IndyCar racing.

“I could understand how someone would think it would be dangerous, but for me, I was watching the race thinking it was awesome,” said Brabham, whose grandfather is three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham. “I wanted to jump in there and race. It was the most incredible race I have ever seen. It was so tight and so close and it was real racing from my point of view.

“I have tremendous respect for those guys. At the end of the day, you want things to be safe, but the racing was awesome.”

James Jakes, driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil Honda, was in Iowa last week for the WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride. Before driving an antique tractor seven miles per hour for about 100 yards, Jakes took part in the Fontana race.

He is another driver who understands things from both sides.

“There has to be a happy medium,” Jakes said. “Not only could drivers get hurt but fans could get hurt, too.”

Fans in Newton won’t have to worry about injuries at Iowa Speedway. “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet,” won’t feature four- or five-car wide racing.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards 150 kicks off the weekend at 8 p.m. on July 17.

The Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tires will take place at 4:15 p.m. on July 18, followed by the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires at 5:20 p.m. and the Indy Car Series Iowa Corn 300 at 7:50 p.m.