Scott McLaughlin led as Penske 1-2 in Saturday’s practice at Portland. The defending race winner turned the fastest lap of the weekend, 58.1516 seconds, edging teammate Josef Newgarden by 0.1179 seconds..
Team Penske dominated the weekend in2022 and it appears they are looking to do it again.
Scott Dixon was third and points leader Alex Palou was fifth. Dixon has a slim chance of catching Palou for the title. He must win Sunday to keep his hopes alive.
Good morning.
Today’s schedule: All times Pacific
| 8:30 AM | BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland | Gates Open |
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Practice 2 |
| 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM | U.S. Touring Car Championship | Race 1 |
| 11:20 AM – 12:05 PM | INDY NXT | Practice 2 |
| 11:20 AM – 11:50 AM | USF2000 | Autograph Session in SpeedZone |
| 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | USF Pro 2000 | Autograph Session in SpeedZone |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Qualifying |
| 2:15 PM – 2:55 PM | USF2000 | Race 2 |
| 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM | INDY NXT | Autograph Session in SpeedZone |
| 3:10 PM – 4:00 PM | USF Pro 2000 | Race 2 |
| 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM | INDY NXT | Qualifying |
| 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Final Practice |
| 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM | U.S. Touring Car Championship | Race 2 |
Higher temperatures are on tap today. After a cool 69 degrees for morning practice, it will be 78 for qualifying and about 86 for final practice this afternoon. Rain will not be an issues.
If the field improves on yesterday’s speed, Will Power’s track record of 57.2143 seconds could be threatened. Christian Lundgaard was just nine tenths off the record speed yesterday.
Lundgaard ran 39 laps with his fast lap on his 26th circuit. Kyle Kirkwood, on the other hand, ran just 18 laps, and his best lap came on lap 13.
Myles Rowe can clinch the USFPro2000 championship this afternoon,
We may get some more silly season confirmations today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Christian Lundgaard led a fast first practice sessionfor the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland. as 14 drivers turned laps under 59 seconds. Lundgaard led most of the session and waqs the first to go to the red tires.
Jyke Kirkwood was second quickest, and Alex Palou was third. Lundgaard’s best lap was 58.177 seconds, 15 hundredths of second better than Kirkwood and 18 hundredths ahead of Palou.
The session stopped three times to retrieve stalled cars. Felix Rosenqist went off track just before turn 12 and stopped just short of the tire barrier. Santino Ferrucci spun in turn 11 and stopped on track. Ryan Hunter-Reayspun n turn 12 and stalled facing the wrong way.
Scott Dixon, the only driver with a chance to catch Alex Palou for the championship, was 19th fastest.
Practice 2 is tomorrow morning at 9 am Pacific time.
The skies have cleared, the rain chances are dropping for the weekend, and we have a pleasant morning here at Portland International Raceway.
There are a good number of fans already at the track enjoying the USF and touring car action, as well as wandering through the paddock.
PIR has made some facility improvements. First, the media center has moved to the opposite end of the paddock into a nice temporary glass and metal building. It is a nice change from the trailers media used my first trip out here.
The main pedestrian bridge looks new and freshly painted.
I wandered through the paddock this morning as cars were emerging from their transporters. Here are a few photos. I’ll be back in a bit with more.
From Indycar:
INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 1, 2023) – INDYCAR fans can participate in the salute of 2023 season champions in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone at the INDYCAR Victory Lap Celebration on Thursday, Sept. 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Doors open for the event, hosted by NBC NTT INDYCAR SERIES announcer Leigh Diffey, at 7 p.m. ET at the Gallagher Pavilion in the Pagoda Plaza at IMS. Fans can register for free tickets at www.indycar.com/victorylap. Quantities are limited, so fans are encouraged to register promptly.
Awards will be presented to the 2023 champions in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone during the program that starts at 7:30 p.m. Drivers finishing second through fifth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings and the 2023 Rookie of the Year also will attend and be honored. The Manufacturers Championship trophy also will be presented.
Both series have two race weekends remaining, Sept. 1-3 at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, and Sept. 8-10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.
Today’s schedule. Times are Pacific
| 8:30 AM | BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland | Gates Open |
| 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | USF2000 | Practice |
| 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM | USF Pro 2000 | Practice |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | U.S. Touring Car Championship | Practice 1 |
| 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM | USF2000 | Qualifying |
| 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | USF Pro 2000 | Qualifying |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Autograph Session in SpeedZone |
| 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM | U.S. Touring Car Championship | Practice 2 |
| 1:55 PM – 2:40 PM | INDY NXT | Practice 1 |
| 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Practice 1 Peacock |
| 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM | USF2000 | Race 1 |
| 5:30 PM – 6:20 PM | USF Pro 2000 | Race 1 |
| 6:35 PM – 7:05 PM | U.S. Touring Car Championship | Qualifying |
Good morning from Portland. Yesterday was a gloomy, rainy day, but chances of rain over these next three days are diminishing. With the championship pretty much decided, it would seem there is little of interest to look for in Sunday’s 110 lap race. Some intrigue still remains, and part of it brings attention to the bottom of the grid. A former champion has a season win streak on the line, and another possible 2024 full timer gets his first chance to show what he can do.\
Scott Dixon saved his string of winning at least one race for 19 straight years by taking the checkered flag at the Gallagher Grand Prix. He added the Bommarito 500 for good measure last weekend, dominating the field.
Will Power has won at least one race every year for 16 straight seasons. 2023 has not seen Power in Victory Circle. With two races to go, we may see a desperate Power with a sense of urgency. Last year he won just oine race on the way to the title.
Alex Palou can clinch the championship by finishing fifth or higher Sunday, no matter what Scott Dixon does. Dixon would have to win maxiumm points in both remaining races (he won’t) to have a chance.
Palou has won at Portland before, and I think he would like nothing better to cap his second title with a victory.
Up for grabs in the final two weekends is a spot in the Leaders’ circle, wotrth almost 1 million dollars to a team.
Herev are the current standings. The fourth Ganassi car, which is ineleigibke for the money, holds one of the top 22 spots, so 23rd place is the actual cutoff.
Yuri Vips will make his Indycar debut in the number 30 car for RLL this weekend. Vips is a possible candidate to drive that car full time in 2024. He has essentially a two race tryout.
I understand giving someone a tryout, but the 30 is on the cusp of the leaders’ circle. I’d rather have someone with experience in the car here.
Not Indycar exactly, but news yesterday that the USF championships will switch to Continental Tire in 2024. Cooper tire had been the tire supplier for the Junior series for so long that I just thought it was part of the series name. Thanks to Cooper Tires for providing a great tire for the kids all these years.
I find it hard to believe it appears probable that Pato O’Ward, and the entire Arrow McLaren team will go winless this season. O’Ward was in a position to win at least three races early in the year, but the fickle racing gods intervened.
Last year Indycar moved the start zone back to the exit of the final turn. While it prevented the usual first lap mess in the Festival Curves, it made for a rather dull race.
From Chip Ganassi Racing
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2023) – Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that the team has signed Linus Lundqvist to a multi-year contract.
Lundqvist is set to bring his championship credentials to Chip Ganassi Racing for his first full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2024.
“Joining Chip Ganassi Racing is an absolute dream come true for me,” said Lundqvist. “Stepping up to race full-time in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and to do so with one of the most successful teams in the history of the championship, is the moment I’ve been working for throughout my career. It is hard to explain how much this means to me. I am incredibly grateful to Chip, Mike and to everyone who has backed me on this journey, including of course my family.”
“It’s terrific that the opportunity to hire Linus, a proven winner, plus the reigning 2022 INDY NXT Champion is now a reality at Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull. “He has shown that his on-track performance creates the racecraft separation that’s required in INDYCAR today. Growing together with Linus is what comes next.”
After winning the 2022 INDY NXT championship, Lundqvist made the jump to compete in three INDYCAR races this season with Meyer Shank Racing.
Lundqvist wasted no time making his mark, setting the fastest lap time among all drivers in two of his first three races in the series.
“I have dipped my toes into INDYCAR racing in recent weeks, which will give me a little bit of a head start going into 2024,” said Lundqvist. “Coming up through INDY NXT has provided me with some important experience that will help me get up to speed. Having said that, this is an entirely new challenge as I prepare to join an established top team at the highest level of the sport. I know there is a lot of hard work ahead, but having a team like Chip Ganassi Racing put their trust in me is the greatest motivator I could ever have. I intend to do everything in my power to grab this opportunity and I look forward to all the moments ahead, next year and beyond.”
Lundqvist dominated throughout the 2022 INDY NXT season, clinching the championship by a margin of 92 points after earning five wins, nine podiums and seven pole positions. He made his series debut in 2021, where he finished third in the points standings with three wins, 11 podiums and three pole positions.
Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Lundqvist previously won the 2020 Formula Regional Americas Championship, the 2018 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and the 2016 Formula STCC Nordic Championship.
Lundqvist will be embedded with the Chip Ganassi Racing team for the final two races of the season as he prepares for the next step in his career.
Source: Chip Ganassi Racingex
From Indycar. My preview will post tomorrow evening after i arrive in Portland.
| Race weekend: Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 3 Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland 110 laps / 216.04 miles | INDY NXT by Firestone: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland 35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation. Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. A carryover set from the Indianapolis GP event may be used during the first practice. X (formerly known as Twitter): @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARInstagram: @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARThreads: @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARFacebook: @PortlandGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCARTikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCARYouTube: @INDYCAREvent website: www.raceportland.comINDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2022 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet) INDY NXT by FirestoneBenjamin Pedersen (No. 24 Global Racing Group with HMD)2022 NTT P1 Award winner: Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet), 58.2349 seconds, 121.412 mph 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Benjamin Pedersen (No. 24 Global Racing Group with HMD), 1 minute, 3.6698 seconds, 111.048 mph Qualifying records:NTT INDYCAR SERIESWill Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying)INDY NXT by FirestonePato O’Ward, 1 minute, 2.8074 seconds, 112.573 mph, Aug. 31, 2018 NBC Sports race telecast: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 3, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters. Peacock live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecast of the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters. The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland race (3 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (1 p.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times local): Friday, Sept. 1 1:55-2:40 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, INDYCAR LIVE3-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Saturday, Sept. 2 9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes green flag or 1 hour total), Peacock 11:20 a.m.-12:05 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, INDYCAR LIVE 12:30 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock 4:25 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying, INDYCAR LIVE 5:15-5:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Sunday, Sept. 3 10:15 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers Start Your Engines” 10:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock Noon – NBC on air 12:23 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines” 12:30 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), NBC (Live) Championship facts: Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with two races to go for the second time in his career. Palou previously led the championship with two races in 2021 when he won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. There are two drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Palou leads Scott Dixon by 74 points. Palou will clinch the championship if he leads Dixon by 54 points at the end of the race. Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 11 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2007) and Alex Palou (2021).Point differential: The 74 points that separate Alex Palou and Scott Dixon are the largest margin with two races remaining since 2008. The average deficit with two races to go since 2008 is 24.3 points. Key championship point statistic: It’s been 16 years since an INDYCAR SERIES title was clinched before the final race of the season. The last time was when Sebastien Bourdais was crowned the 2007 Champ Car World Series champion following the penultimate round at Surfers Paradise, Australia. CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 2 TO GO (2008-2022) YEAR LEADER SECOND LEAD CHAMPION 2008 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 43 Scott Dixon 2009 Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti 25 Dario Franchitti 2010 Will Power Dario Franchitti 17 Dario Franchitti 2011 Dario Franchitti Will Power 5 Dario Franchitti 2012 Will Power Ryan Hunter-Reay 36 Ryan Hunter-Reay 2013 Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon 8 Scott Dixon 2014 Will Power Helio Castroneves 39 Will Power 2015 Juan Pablo Montoya Graham Rahal 9 Scott Dixon (-34) 2016 Simon Pagenaud Will Power 20 Simon Pagenaud 2017 Josef Newgarden Scott Dixon 31 Josef Newgarden 2018 Scott Dixon Alexander Rossi 26 Scott Dixon 2019 Josef Newgarden Simon Pagenaud 38 Josef Newgarden 2020 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 40 Scott Dixon 2021 Alex Palou Pato O’Ward 25 Alex Palou 2022 Will Power Josef Newgarden 3 Will Power 2023 Alex Palou Scott Dixon 74 ?? Race notes:There have been seven winners in 15 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2023 season. Marcus Ericsson (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500, Iowa Speedway-1, Iowa Speedway-2), Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Nashville), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1, Streets of Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio), Christian Lundgaard (Streets of Toronto) and Scott Dixon (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-2, World Wide Technology Raceway).The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland will be the 29th INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the fifth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Scott McLaughlin won last season. McLaughlin, Alex Palou and Will Power are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.Eight INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at Portland International Raceway from the pole – Danny Sullivan (1988), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004), Alex Palou (2021) and Scott McLaughlin (2022).Team Penske has won seven times at Portland International Raceway. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000), Will Power (2019) and Scott McLaughlin (2022). Chip Ganassi Racing has three wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021. Newman/Haas Racing won a record eight times at Portland.Twenty-one drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power each have six starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Castroneves 115, Scott McLaughlin 109, Power 68, Colton Herta 36, Graham Rahal 38, Alexander Rossi 32, Alex Palou 29, Pato O’Ward 28, Dixon 15, Josef Newgarden 8, Felix Rosenqvist 3, Marcus Ericsson 1, Callum Ilott 1 and Christian Lundgaard 1).Pato O’Ward won both Indy NXT by Firestone races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the series championship … Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 321st consecutive start, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak … With his next win, Will Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time victory list with 42 … Scott McLaughlin will attempt to make his 50th INDYCAR SERIES start. INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland will be the series’ 22nd race at Portland International Raceway. Previous Indy NXT by Firestone winners at Portland include Paul Tracy, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood. Current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Benjamin Pedersen won the INDY NXT by Firestone race at Portland in 2022.Christian Rasmussen of HMD Motorsports is enjoying a dominant season, leading the series in wins (four), laps led (240 of 475) and top-10 finishes (10) through 11 races. Rasmussen, a native of Denmark, owns a 50-point lead over second-place Hunter McElrea of Andretti Autosport. Rasmussen can clinch the season championship by leading by at least 109 points after this event.Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Portland as INDY NXT by Firestone drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds.Matteo Nannini, Reece Gold, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster became first-time winners earlier this season. Will another talented prospect like Jacob Abel, James Roe, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. score a first INDY NXT by Firestone win in 2023 in Portland? |
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 