The MAVTV 500 was one of the most exciting Verizon IndyCar Series races in a long time. Because of its level of excitement and controversy following the checkered flag, a few IndyCar writers of the VAVEL USA Racing section decided to piece together their opinions on a few topics regarding the race. After reading, take to Twitter with your thoughts; use the hashtag #VAVELIndyCar and let your thoughts on the race and our opinions be known.

Do you think the race was dangerous, exceeding a level of thrill necessary for a good race?

Aaron Durant: I definitely wouldn't say so. On-board cameras showed close racing - but fair, good racing. Racing is dangerous, period, and I don't think just because of the nature of the race that last Saturday's MAVTV 500 should be singled out in this regard. It hasn't been a fantastic year overall when it comes to motorsports crashes, but the Fontana race was quite low on major crashes. I'd rather every oval be like that then Texas was, and I think this is a popular opinion.

Cathy Shumaker: Any race on a superspeedway is dangerous, and it did not seem any more dangerous than usual. The fact that there was green flag racing for the first 135+ laps with the first incident being a minor spin illustrates that this was not an overly dangerous race. Given how close the racing was, it was amazingly safe; I expected to see many more accidents than there were. The drivers chose to race in the manner that they did; they can complain about “pack racing” but that was how they all raced. As Ed Carpenter said to his fellow drivers, if you don’t like to race that way maybe it’s time to retire as there are other drivers wishing to drive in IndyCar.

Pedro Liguori: No. The new DW12 chassis are safer than the old ones, which were in use when Dan Wheldon had his accident. As a matter of fact, Ryan Briscoe’s car only took off because he spun on grass, as the changes made to the aerodynamics after the incidents at Indy proved to be successful in avoiding unnecessary danger to the drivers.

Arnau Viñals: It had a danger factor like any other superspeedway race, but I do think it exceeded a line of safety. We don’t want something similar to Las Vegas in 2011. The fact is that danger will be always there, but we haven't seen an oval race like that all year for sure. I think that the Indy 500 accidents were worse than those in Fontana. To me, the track plays more of a factor in this. 

Would you say Graham Rahal deserved to win the race even with his fuel hose issue in the pits (that resulted in a caution for debris)?

Aaron: I think so. I've been pulling for him to win one since Alabama when he had that incredible surge to second. For one, he's on my fantasy team so I'll definitely take it, but with how close he has been this year, it was great to see him finally win. When the fuel hose incident took place, I thought he was toast. I thought his great race was over, and it was really disappointing. I was glad he wasn't assessed an in-race penalty and was able to take the checkers.

Cathy: Absolutely, he drove a great race and was in the mix the entire time. He was no more aggressive than anyone else. The fueling issue was unfortunate and was caused by a crew member reinserting the fuel nozzle; not a fault of the driver, as Graham was told to leave by another crew member. I am very happy that Graham won the race; he has gotten close to winning several times this season and he finally pulled one off!

Pedro: He totally did. He’s doing a terrific job this year. Keep in mind he drives for a single-car operation whose budget doesn’t even come close to IndyCar titans such as Penske, Ganassi and Andretti. And yet, he’s the best Honda in the standings - and by a good margin. His refuelling incident did not help him one bit, and almost hurt his shot at winning. Graham was fearless for the better part of the race, so in my opinion his win was well-deserved.

Arnau: I'm not sure. He was as aggressive as everyone else out there and I wonder what would have happened if he was issued a penalty for the fuel hose mistake during the race; I think it would've been a great battle between Kanaan, Andretti, Briscoe, and others for the win had he been penalized before the checkers. Overall, I'm okay with the fact that he won.

How should fans of the series feel after Fontana?

Aaron: Really happy, I think. The "on-track product" is one of many things so-called "fans" complain about, and I think the race last Saturday really cleared up that the racing of this series is some of the best there is. Then again, it was one of the greatest races I can remember, and barely anyone was there to witness it in person. Many of those fans call out for more ovals on the calendar... but they don't show up to them. I know the right track and date and time is necessary, but this is disappointing.

Cathy: I was actually in attendance at the race and can truthfully say that it was one of the best races I have ever seen (I have been to dozens of races over the years so that is saying something!). It cannot be sugar coated: the fan turn-out was pathetic. However it was understandable to a point because of the race date as well as the forecasted extremely hot weather. Fans should be thrilled at the exciting race but also a bit ashamed that they did not come to the track and see it in person. You missed a heck of a race and a bit of history!

Pedro: Rejoice, my friends, because we saw actual oval racing! It was a thrilling race, despite the rather buzz-kill finish with Briscoe's scary crash. If every race was like that, IndyCar’s TV ratings and such would skyrocket.

Arnau: Fans of the series should be joyful, but fans of the drivers who crashed out due to the tight racing are of course upset. I believe that fans are pretty good at gauging races, and last Saturday's race was a great one. The record number of lead changes and other statistics paint the picture of a really impressive race, and fans should be happy about that.

The Verizon IndyCar Series races next at the historic Milwaukee Mile for the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250. Be sure that you're following @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter for coverage throughout this week leading up to the race and during the weekend. 

Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.