I watched it and thought it was a good race. No crowds sure, but who notices that when they are there? It's sort of stark when they are not, but for me this has little bearing on the race as a sporting event. The real let-down was the race finished under caution. That's never good, but the rules are the rules, and Indy Car has no NASCAR-like rule to stop the race in order to then finish under the green flag.
I wouldn't list wrecks as a reason a race is bad, I enjoy me some good ones, despite the threat to the drivers' safety. I don't want anyone maimed, but I'd be lying if I said anything else.
There was plenty of passing, and for me Sato is a popular winner for the neutral. My driver is TK and he never runs up front any more (finished 19th), and so I'm pleased a guy like Sato won.