Being a race official is one of those things that nobody notices until it goes wrong. And wrong it went this past weekend in New Hampshire.
The IndyCar race there was stopped eight laps from the end due to wet conditions, but rather than call the race there or wait for the weather to clear up, the league's competition chief Brian Barnhart evidently opted to restart the race over the vehement objections of many drivers and team chiefs.
Few were as livid, however, as Will Power. The Australian multi-race winner was one of several who were taken out of the race when Danica Patrick spun out, but it was what transpired next that caught the eye of many observers. After climbing out of his wrecked car unscathed, Power made a b-line to the race officials he blamed for the bad call. And just to drive the point home, he flipped them the double birdie. On camera.
Even though his frustration seemed justified, the Penske driver (who finished second in the championship last year and was hoping to take the lead in this year's standings after Dario Franchitti retired earlier in the race) will likely face some sort of punitive measures for his conduct. Follow the jump to watch the ABC Sports video that includes the entire restart (with Power's angry gesticulation around the four-minute mark) and the link for more on the incident.
The IndyCar race there was stopped eight laps from the end due to wet conditions, but rather than call the race there or wait for the weather to clear up, the league's competition chief Brian Barnhart evidently opted to restart the race over the vehement objections of many drivers and team chiefs.
Few were as livid, however, as Will Power. The Australian multi-race winner was one of several who were taken out of the race when Danica Patrick spun out, but it was what transpired next that caught the eye of many observers. After climbing out of his wrecked car unscathed, Power made a b-line to the race officials he blamed for the bad call. And just to drive the point home, he flipped them the double birdie. On camera.
Even though his frustration seemed justified, the Penske driver (who finished second in the championship last year and was hoping to take the lead in this year's standings after Dario Franchitti retired earlier in the race) will likely face some sort of punitive measures for his conduct. Follow the jump to watch the ABC Sports video that includes the entire restart (with Power's angry gesticulation around the four-minute mark) and the link for more on the incident.
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