TRACK: A real road course. Now they need to put together better support races, so it's more of an event and less of a blip on the radar.

RACE: Typical Mexico City season finale -- without rain, it's not very exciting up front, but some cool racing around mid-pack.

EVENT: Attendance may not be what it was when this event first appeared, but it still outdoes NASCAR.

THE BIG PICTURE: Okay, for starters, there is way too much time between the previous race at Surfer's Paradise. Casual fans, forget it, they are long gone, at least for 2007. This late in the year, even hardcore fans have trouble remembering when this race is.

START: Three non-starters. Not a pretty sight. And why didn't they let them race through the first few corners before throwing the full course yellow? That's the most exciting part of the race that cannot be equaled by a single file restart.

BOURDAIS: Talk about making a statement, showing once again how profound the difference is between a great driver and a phenomenal driver. Au revior, Sebastien et Claire. Bonne chance en F1, mes amies.

NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN RACING: Becoming the New England Patriots of Champ Car.

POWER: Totally screwed up the restart and his last chance to win. Well, he was third in 2006, second in 2007, so in 2008...

SERVIA: Bourdais may have had the drive of the day, but Oriol provided the most exciting race performance with the drive up through the field and a great end of race run.

PKV RACING: What was that reason again for not hiring Servia at the beginning of the season?

RAHAL: A fine run to end a fine rookie season.

TRACY: Since when is a fifth place finish reason for Paul to be happy? Strange times.

MARTINEZ: Meanwhile, David did well in front of his fellow countrymen and got second fastest lap of the race.

FORSYTHE: Glimmers of competitiveness.

PAGENAUD: Talk about lightning quick reactions at the start. Wow!

JUNQUEIRA: Who would have thought at the beginning of the season, a seventh place finish for Bruno in a Dale Coyne car would be a disappointment?

DOMINGUEZ: While he moved up in the race, Mario was ultimately a mid-packer in his own country.

JANI: Outdone by a new teammate. Again.

WILSON: Can't buy a break in Mexico.

FIGGE: Well, Alex didn't spin ... if you don't count practice.

PHILIPPE: Once again, Nelson was not really a factor all weekend just like last year. But, we are glad he's back.

TAGLIANI: Tags was in the race? We didn't notice. Sorry.

LEGGE: What a heartbreaker. Katherine was running so well until she broke. Was it her last Champ Car race?

CLARKE: The best thing we can say about Dan's first lap mechanical failure is it kept him from hitting anyone else.

DOORNBOS: There was nothing wrong with what Robert and his team did to get the bonus point for fastest lap. However, there is something wrong with the rules that allow someone to treat the race like a qualifying session when that's not the point of fastest race lap. Just like GP2, there should be circumstances where a driver is not eligible for fastest race lap.

TEAM MINARDI USA: Clutch in one car ... BAM! Clutch in the other car ... BAM! What the...?

TROUBLE LAUNCHING: Team Minardi USA.

NEVER A FACTOR: Alex Tagliani.

SHOULD REMAINED PARKED: Minardi's clutches. Oh wait, they were parked.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Farewell.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: You pick it. 4 for the number of championships (all consecutive, most ever), second best all time. 17 for the number of career wins from pole position, third best all time. 31 for the number of career victories (out of 73 starts, for a whopping .425 winning percentage), sixth best all time. 8 for most wins in a season, fourth best all time. 31 for career pole positions, sixth best all time. 4 for number of consecutive wins, fourth best all time. 2,103 laps led (out of 6,905), 15th best all time. 5 for the number of years this was all done.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Bourdais was the first driver to win four consecutive championships, topping Ted Horn who won three. A.J. Foyt came mighty close to five consecutive titles when he won in 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964, finishing second in 1962 to Rodger Ward.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Sebastien Bourdais on the emotions of the moment, "Everybody was really emotional today, and I was, too. I had to leave a couple of times before jumping in the McDonald's car. I couldn't hold it. It was really, really strange just to finally realize that it was going to be the last time."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: And just to make sure that Bourdais doesn't leave without a good whine, his reaction to the penalty for laying down rubber in his starting spot with video evidence to prove it, "Bullshit! I've been busted a few times this year for things I haven't done."

SCHEDULE: Announced just before the season ended. What timing ... NOT!

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