RACE: All those fans who laughed at the IRL for a lousy TV package that forced them to put their rain delayed Michigan race on cable at midnight are probably feeling pretty stupid right now. Champ Car's TV package is so bad, they couldn't even get anyone to show the race till a week and a half later! Only about 124 people got to see it live on the Internet. That will bring in the sponsors...

TRACK: This track is perfectly suited for open wheel cars, whether F1 or Champ Cars. It is perfectly not suited for big lumbering stock cars. Gilles Villeneuve must be spinning in his grave.

THE BIG PICTURE: FNL.

START: Slo-mo thriller.

BOURDAIS: Just like that, after all the excitement of the championship battle getting close, Sebastien puts in a perfect race and virtually claims his third consecutive Vanderbilt Cup.

ALLMENDINGER: First championship letdown after grabbing the race lead.

WILSON: Second championship letdown after a stirring drive through the field.

TAGLIANI, PHILIPPE, RANGER: Three of the four French guys spun. So much for home crowd advantage.

TRACY: Paul added lots of fun and excitement off the track, but he was very quiet on the track despite a second place finish.

PHILIPPE: Nelson must be seeing red after seeing the yellow one lap after he pitted.

PASTORELLI: Let's see. Nicky didn't get lapped. He finished in sixth place (and nearly fifth), and that was not from backing into it. Was this bizarro world?

ZWOLSMAN: Out of this world restart to resume the race.

LEGGE: She goes round and round as consistently as the wheels in the Bridgestone commercial.

RANGER: Three cheers for Wal-Mart sticking with Andrew for the last three races.

ATLANTIC: It was always assumed this series would be the better one this year, and the championship will indeed go down to the last race, with Simon Pagenaud not quite having a comfortable lead over Graham Rahal.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Rain.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 25 -- The number of career poles for Bourdais and the percentage of poles he now owns for the Newman-Haas team since they entered the sport. Considering some of the great drivers they've had, that is either quit a feat by Bourdais or it says something about the lack of depth in the series the past few years. We think it's a bit of both.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: The last time a champion got eight wins was in 1994 when Al Unser, Jr. took the title. Bourdais has to win two of the next three to equal that.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Who else on this weekend but Paul Tracy, "The one thing that does kind of piss me off is that I read where Bourdais said that I'm involved in 40 or 50% of the accidents in Champ Car. I don't know where he got those numbers. It's more like 70%."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Paul Tracy again, on the crowd's reaction to him, "Heck, this is racing. It's not curing cancer. It's not Formula 1. It's supposed to be fun, and the fans are allowed to have fun."

SCHEDULE: Back to Road America where the Champ Cars belong.

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