RACE: Those last five laps or so were some of the most tension filled, exciting five laps we've seen in a long time. Then the two leaders going side-by-side through the Peraltada and the final jump-out-of-your-seat pass on the last lap. We'll take those five laps of thrilling race action over a billion passes in a NASCAR race any time. The memory of those five laps should get us through the next five months...

TRACK: We understand why, but it sure would have been cool to not have that chicane before the Peraltada.

THE BIG PICTURE: Mexico City puts on a good show, but the space between Australia and Mexico is simply too long of a time between races. The series needs to space its end of the season races much better, because the casual fans have moved on by now.

START: Okay at the front, a cluster exercise at the back. It's a bit embarrassing when you can't even make it to the start line.

BOURDAIS: If the roles were reversed, Sebastien would have made sure nobody forgot what happened to him. Heck, he probably would have blamed Tracy who wasn't even in the country. Remember that Sebastien.

WILSON: A heroic drive with a broken wrist. Newman/Haas should watch his post race interview to see how a real champion handles himself when something controversial happens.

POWER: He can run with the big boys and not be intimidated.

JUNQUEIRA: Another uninspired drive.

TAGLIANI: Tags led a lap and finished fifth. A typical Tags day -- run at the front, but not win.

SERVIA: Oriol ran up at the front all day, but was never a factor for the pole or the win all weekend.

PHILIPPE: Not really a factor all weekend, but didn't break like his teammate.

RANGER: We're never sure about Andrew. He seemed pretty mediocre all weekend, but he finished ahead of his teammate.

MARTINEZ: Not surprisingly, considering his performances in the Atlantic series with seriously underfunded teams, an impressive debut by the Mexican driver.

RICE: Started out slow, but got faster and faster as the weekend went on, and ended up turning in the fourth fastest lap of the race. But, he's no Dinger.

FORSYTHE: Can't tell their drivers without a scorecard.

ZWOLSMAN: Like his teammate, a mediocre weekend.

PIZZONIA: Yawn.

BRISCOE: He looked to be having an amazing drive until he had that massive tire failure.

WIRTH: Andreas certainly did no worse than anyone else Coyne had in the car this year (not counting Dominguez).

LEGGE: We hope that first lap crash doesn't hurt her chances of coming back next year.

DOMINGUEZ: A disappointment due to a first lap crash with Legge. However, Mario's lucky to be racing in front of his hometown fans with good Mexican sponsorship on any day.

CLARKE: It's a shame to see Rookie of the Year decided by an engine failure, but that’s racing.

ALLMENDINGER: Yes, we know it's all about money. And, we could say that money isn't everything. But, what really leaves a bad taste in our mouths is how the whole thing was handled.

TRACY: It's one thing to be a fanatical fan of Paul. It's another thing to not hold him accountable for his off track behavior.

BRANDI: We're going to miss the perfect Face of Champ Car. Future winners are going to have a very hard act to follow someone who was not just beautiful, but classy, race knowledgeable, and a diehard Champ Car fan her whole life.

LOLA: Farewell. We'll probably see you sometime down the road. Thanks for building such a great racecar all these years.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Decisions.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 23 -- The number of Champ Car races won in a Lola by Sebastien Bourdais, second only to Michael Andretti's 32.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Lola has won 194 Champ Car races dating back to 1966 with Graham Hill at Indy and ten championships.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Paul Newman: "That's what it's all about. God, that was fantastic stuff."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Carl Haas on the end of the Lola era, "It should be a smooth transition. But, it's going to be difficult for any manufacturer to follow Lola's performance. They were the best."

SCHEDULE: For the first time in a long time, we can look forward to next year with complete optimism. A new car, new teams, larger fields, and some great new venues.

Copyright © 2006 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.