Author: thepitwindow

I'm a retired educator and lifelong racing fan. I hope to return to fostering greyhounds in the near future. Living mainly in Indy and wintering in Florida. I attend about 10 Indycar races a year as well as some sports car events

Dixon’s Late Lap Fastest in Friday Practice

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In the end, the kids had to let the veterans through. Kyle Kirkwood led most of the last half of practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. In the last five minutes,first Alex palou then Scott Dixon beat his time. Colton Herta slipped into secpnd just before the checkered flag.

Dixon’s time of 1:01.6146 beat Herta by0.0329 swconds. The top five had a separation of 0.084 seconds.

Results:

Three red flags interrupted the session. Several cars had issues in turn 3. The Rahal letterman Lanigan Racing cars of Christian Lundgaard and Graham Rahal suffered brake issues.

I will have more about the day later this evening.

Rossi Making Smooth Transition to New Team

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Alexander Rossi is happy with his move to Arrow McLaren for 2023. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 spent his first seven Indycar seasons with Andretti Autosport before signing with Arrow McLaren in early June last year. This morning Rossi said there is still a learning curve not only for him, but also for all the new personnel McLaren is bringing in. He thinks he will get a better idea of the differences between his old and new team after the race,.

“It’s hard to say immediately because we’ve got a race weekend.” Rossi said. “You know, there’s just a lot of obvious structure that exists in an organization from top to bottom. And I’m sure a lot of it comes from, you know, the overarching brand, getting out and about doing things and running race teams. You know, like, there’s pros and cons that are two ways you go about it, you can run them and be like, Oh, I kind of want to vice versa. So there are some some differences that can ultimately be successful if you have anything else. It’s been nice to see areas that they are different in various matters.”

Rossi explained that hisn transition was a little more challengin vecause McLaren hired 40 new people during the off season to accomodate the third car.

” Because we had so many new people in general, like everyone just kind of going through a process. It is challenging in terms of the actual application, being easy to get to work doing what we need to in our condensed timeframe.”

Rossi’s biggest concern this weekend? Driving into the pit of his former team.”This weekend my pit box is right in front of my old 27, so I’m just like please do not drive into that one. So that’s my only concern. It’s pretty easy now to think that you know, the seven car driver tweeted at me like I had to read it a couple of times because I was like, Am I allowed to say this? I mean, it’s been everyone’s been super welcoming.”

Rossi said it was sad to leave his old team after seven tears.

“But you know, I still I’m still very close with Jeremy and Scott and obviously, I’m still in communication with them. So I don’t feel like a whole life changing. ”

Rossi is ot changing his driving approiach with his new team.

“I’m just going out and execute,” he said.

The difference between the Chevroley and Honda engines surprised him.

“I was surprised that engines with basically the same architecture could be that different. They are very different in the way they make power and deliver it. It took some gettinmg used to,” he said.

Alexander Rossi left a formerly elite team that has struggled recently to join a team that is on the verge of joining the top of the grid. I look for have some struggles early, but by Road America Rossi should return to his championship form.

St. Pete Preview

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Today’s schedule:

FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2023
TIME SERIES SESSION
7:50AM – 8:20AM Mazda MX-5 Cup Practice 1
8:35AM – 9:20AM SRO GT America Practice 1
9:35AM – 10:10AM USF Pro 2000 Practice
10:25AM – 11:00AM USF2000 Practice
11:15AM – 11:45AM Mazda MX-5 Cup Practice 2
12:00PM – 12:25PM SRO GT America Practice 2
12:30PM – 12:45PM SRO GT America Qualifying 1
12:30PM – 1:30PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session
1:00PM – 1:30PM USF Pro 2000 Qualifying
1:55PM – 2:40PM INDY NXT Practice 1
3:00PM – 4:15PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 Peacock
4:30PM – 5:00PM USF2000 Qualifying
5:15PM – 5:35PM Mazda MX-5 Cup Qualifying
5:55PM – 6:35PM SRO GT America Race 1

Indycar returns after what seemed like an unusually long offseason. We need to discuss its length at some point, but today we will just be happy that the series is. The Firestone Grand prix of St. Petersburg begins with a 3 pm eastern practice session. I find it hard to believe that tSunday will be the 20th runnong of this street race, which I have seen grow tremendously since my first visit in 2013.

Today’s 75 minute peractice might see more track action. Each yeam has an additional sert of alternate tires and an additional set of primaries, which must be returned after the practice today. Indycar hopes the additional rubber will allow teams to run more laps rather than sit and save their alternate tires for the race. The alternate tire may be used in both practice sessions instead of toaday only as in the past.

This weekend will be the saecond race for the quayule tires, markd the debut of Shell biofuels and lubricants in the series. I don’t expect a driop off in performance. The green brandedquayale tires will be in use at all street courses ub 2023.

WHile the openeing race won’t tell how a team will perform over the entire season, we may get some hints. The big questions- has Andretti Autosport improved? Is Arrow McLaren ready to consistently run up front? Will we see a sophomore surge from David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood? Today may give a ckue, but a bigger hunt will come in tomorrow’s qualifying.

St. Petersburg is a rac that Team Penske has dominated. The team has won 11 of the races since 2004, Will Pow2eer alone has nine poles, and just missed in 2018 and 2022. The track has produced a series of back to back winners- Helio Castroneves in 2006 and 2007; Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015 and 2016; Sebastien Bourdais in 2017 and 2018; and Josef newgarden in 2019 and 2020, If nthis trend holds, Scott McLaughlin will win again Sunday.

I think we will have a different winner from a deifferent team this year. I look for Colton Herta to come out strong and win the race.

Follow along all weekend for coverage of all on track sessions and some interviews I’m looking to secure.

New-Look INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA Available Now

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I just installed the new app and I like what I’ve seen so far.

From Indycar:

Many Innovative Features Bring Action, Excitement to Fans Everywhere

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, March 2, 2023) – INDYCAR and NTT DATA have joined forces to reimagine and redesign the popular INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA, with the new-look app available now internationally for all Android and iOS devices.

The INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA gives fans the insider’s edge on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, North America’s premier open-wheel championship and one of the most competitive racing series globally. With the power of NTT DATA’s best-in-class mobile technology, the INDYCAR App in 2023 provides a better experience for fans by fully capitalizing on the capabilities of modern iOS and Android devices and platforms.

“While downloads and use of the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA grew to unprecedented levels in 2022, we wanted to continue to work with our innovative partner NTT DATA to make this an even more essential way for fans to follow the world’s most exciting racing series,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “Mobile continues to be one of the most popular ways to engage our new and existing fans, and we want to bring the action, excitement and personalities of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to our fans wherever they are, whenever they want.”

Among the highlights and features of the new INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA:

  • Live timing and scoring leaderboard data in near-real time, with an enhanced 2D track map and driver-specific telemetry information
  • Single sign-on feature for fans to seamlessly enjoy the race across multiple Android and/or iOS devices, connect through social channels and access premium features
  • Exclusive livestream videos, along with highlight clips, race recaps and video features
  • Integration with INDYCAR Fantasy Challenge driven by Firestone, the official fantasy racing game of INDYCAR
  • New for 2023: Users can select multiple favorite drivers and teams, allowing fans to stay up to date on what matters most to them
  • A minimum of 11 in-car cameras during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and up to 15 in-car cameras for select races
  • Detailed schedule with a list of races, locations, session times and broadcast channels for the entire season
  • Race-specific content, including INDYCAR’s interactive spotter guide, pit assignments and the full weekend schedule
  • Custom push notifications for race start times, news updates, special announcements and more

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Penske Entertainment to bring new digital technologies to help expand and enhance the racing experience, especially on race day. That’s what the redesigned NTT INDYCAR Series mobile app accomplishes,” NTT DATA Services CEO Bob Pryor said. “We expect INDYCAR’s passionate fan base will appreciate the new app to debut now, so they can have it on hand for the 2023 season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.”

The robust new app debuts just before the 2023 season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on March 3-5 at St. Petersburg, Florida. Fans can download it at Google Play for Android devices and the App Store for iOS devices. The app automatically will update for existing users who have automatic updates turned on their devices. This new app launch comes after the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA reached more fans than ever in the 2022 season. Growth increased to 68,000+ users on race weekends, and over 110,000+ users during the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, both all-time records. There were more than 188,000 new app downloads in 2022, the most in a single racing season

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Fast Facts

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From Indycar:

Race weekend: Friday, March 3 – Sunday, March 5

Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport

Race distance: 100 laps / 180 miles (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) | 45 laps / 81 miles / 55 minutes (INDY NXT by Firestone)

Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum single duration of 15 seconds. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. | 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 primary sets, five alternate sets (teams must return a set of each before qualifying). One additional set of primary tires is available to rookie drivers for use in the Friday afternoon practice session.

Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

Instagram: @GPSTPETE,@INDYCAR, @INDYNXT #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

Facebook: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT  #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

TikTok: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT #FirestoneGP #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

YouTube: @INDYCAR, @greensavoreeracingpromotions

Event website: www.gpstpete.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2022 race winners:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet)

INDY NXT by Firestone

Matthew Brabham (No. 83 Andretti Autosport)

2022 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet), 59.4821 seconds, 108.940 mph

Qualifying records:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Will Power, 59.3466 seconds; 109.189 mph, Feb. 26, 2022 (set in Round 2 of qualifying)

INDY NXT by Firestone

David Malukas, 1 minute, 4.6491 seconds, 100.233 mph, April 23, 2021

NBC Sports telecast: Race, noon ET Sunday, 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. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee and Dave Burns are the pit reporters. Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast.

Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions, qualifying and races as well as INDY NXT by Firestone races will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Alex Wollf and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 160 and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All INDY NXT by Firestone practice and qualifying sessions and races are available on racecontrol.indycar.com, the INDYCAR App and SiriusXM 160.

At-track schedule (All Times Local/Eastern Time):

Friday, March 3

1:55-2:40 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE

3-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock

Saturday, March 4

9-9:45 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE

10-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (Limited guarantee of 45 minutes of green flag time), Peacock

1:35-1:55 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (15-minute session or eight minutes of green condition, whichever comes first), INDYCAR LIVE

2:15-3:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock

Sunday, March 5

9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock

10 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (45 laps / 81 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock (Live)

Noon – NBC Sports on air

12:23 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”

12:30 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (100 laps / 181 miles), NBC, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and Peacock (Live)

“3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR” AT ST. PETERSBURG:

1. Can anyone dethrone the kings? Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske have won the past 10 titles with Scott Dixon, Will Power and Josef Newgarden combining for eight of them.

So, who breaks the streak? It’s best to look Arrow McLaren, where Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), Felix Rosenqvist (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) and Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) are employed, or Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda).

Those four drivers were the highest-placed drivers in the championship who didn’t drive for Team Penske or Chip Ganassi in 2022. Herta, O’Ward and Rossi are the only three in that group to find victory last season.

Just remember, if you come for the kings, you better not miss.

2. Power Plays Poles at Will. Will Power is the greatest qualifier in modern INDYCAR SERIES history, as his 68 career poles are the all-time series record.

The tale of Power’s qualifying success can best be told through the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he has won nine of the last 13 poles.

The only drivers to score a pole in the last 10 years in St. Petersburg not named Will Power are Takuma Sato in 2014, Robert Wickens in 2018, Colton Herta in 2021 and Scott McLaughlin last season. In total, Team Penske has won the pole position in 11 of the past 16 St. Petersburg races.

Power has scored at least one pole position in each season since 2009, including five NTT P1 Awards last year. It’s a sure bet that the reigning series champion will add to his record this season, and don’t be surprised if it starts during NTT P1 Award qualifying Saturday afternoon.

3. Dixon seeks his first win on the streets of St. Petersburg. Who wouldn’t take Scott Dixon’s resume as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver?

He has six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships, which trails only the seven INDYCAR SERIES titles collected by A.J. Foyt. His 53 wins rank second on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES victory list, behind Foyt’s 67, but Dixon has never won at St. Petersburg.

Still, he has been successful on the streets of the Florida Gulf Coast city.

Dixon has four runner-up finishes at the circuit and has an average finish of 7.88 in his 18 previous starts. He has finished in the top 10 in his last seven starts.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

  • The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will be the 20th INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of St. Petersburg, dating to 2003. Scott McLaughlin won the 2022 race after starting from the pole position. Paul Tracy won the inaugural race on Feb. 23, 2003, under CART sanction, while Sebastien Bourdais started from the pole that year.
  • The St. Petersburg INDYCAR SERIES race has been run every year since 2003 except for 2004. No driver has competed in every St. Petersburg race, but Scott Dixon has started 18 consecutive races.
  • The 27-car field for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding is the largest NTT INDYCAR SERIES field at St. Petersburg. The previous high for the race was 26 in 2008, 2012 and 2022.
  • Helio Castroneves (2006, 2007 and 2012), Will Power (2010 and 2014) and Josef Newgarden (2019-2020) are the only entered drivers to win at St. Petersburg more than once. Six past winners are entered: Castroneves, Power, Newgarden, Graham Rahal (2008), Colton Herta (2021) and McLaughlin.
  • For the first time since 2015, Team Penske’s Will Power arrives at the season opener as the defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion. The two-time champion made history in 2022 as he became INDYCAR’s all-time qualifying king by winning his record-setting 68th pole in September at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he also clinched the title. He will look for more history by becoming the first to repeat champion since Dario Franchitti won three in a row from 2009-11.
  • Team Penske has won at St. Petersburg 11 times, including seven of the last 11 races with Castroneves (2012), Power (2014), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015-16), Newgarden (2019-2020) and McLaughlin (2022).
  • Four drivers have won the race from the pole – Castroneves (2007), Power (2010), Herta (2021) and McLaughlin (2022). The St. Petersburg winner has qualified fourth in four of the last 10 seasons.
  • Dixon is expected to make his 369th INDYCAR SERIES start, tying A.J. Foyt for fourth on the all-time list.
  • Dixon has made 305 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
  • Simon Pagenaud is scheduled to make his 200th INDYCAR SERIES start.
  • Rookies Marcus Armstrong, Agustin Canapino, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debuts at St. Petersburg.
  • The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 100% Renewable Race Fuel will make its competition debut in St. Petersburg. Created by Shell, this new product consists of a blend of second-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuels to create a fuel that is 100% comprised of feedstocks categorized as renewable under the applicable regulatory frameworks. The fuel will enable a 60% life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction compared to fossil-based gasoline.
  • As with all street courses on the 2023 schedule, the Firestone Firehawk alternate tire will be made with sustainable, domestically sourced guayule rubber. For the 2023 season, Firestone will supply more than 1,900 tires using a sidewall material made exclusively with rubber derived from the guayule woody desert shrub grown on the company’s own farm in Eloy, Arizona. The initiative builds on the 2022 competitive debut of guayule race tires at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville last August.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:

  • The 19-car field for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the largest INDY NXT by Firestone field at St. Petersburg since 2009.
  • The 2023 season features a deep and talented field with INDY NXT race winners such as Hunter McElrea, Danial Frost and Christian Rasmussen joining a promising rookie class that includes Jamie Chadwick (three-time W Series champ), Louis Foster (USF Pro 2000 champ), Jagger Jones (USF2000 Rookie of the Year) and rising stars Nolan Siegel (USF Pro 2000) and Josh Pierson (World Endurance Championship’s youngest winner). Other contenders include returning drivers Jacob Abel, Rasmus Lindh, Kyffin Simpson and Ernie Francis Jr.
  • Two teams with championship pedigree have rejoined the series for 2023. Two-time champions Juncos Hollinger Racing will field a pair of cars for rookies Reece Gold and Matteo Naninni. Cape Motorsports – which last fielded a team in the INDY NXT in 2010, will field cars for Enaam Ahmed and Jones.
  • A new qualifying format will place a premium on banking a quick lap around the 1.8-mile street circuit. Teams will have a single 15-minute session or eight minutes of green flag running, whichever comes first. If an entry does not set a time, their order will be based on entrant points. (At St. Pete, it will be based on 2022’s entrant points.) If a team doesn’t have previous year points, then their spot will be placed after those that do.

Since 2005, the driver who won at least one of the races at St. Petersburg has gone on to win the INDY NXT by Firestone title six times, the most recent being Kyle Kirkwood, who won the first race of the doubleheader in 2021.

Dallara Supporting INDY NXT by Firestone with New Awards Package 

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From Indy NXT by Firestone:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023) – Dallara, the exclusive chassis manufacturer for INDY NXT by Firestone since 2002, will continue its strong support of INDYCAR’s development series with a robust contingency awards package for the 2023 season.The 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone season starts March 3-5 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding in St. Petersburg, Florida. The race starts at 9:50 a.m. ET Sunday, March 5, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

“Dallara has been a steadfast partner of INDYCAR’s top development series for more than two decades, and we’re grateful for this meaningful enhancement package for our teams and drivers,” INDY NXT Director Levi Jones said. “This unique program is tailored toward promoting continued skills growth for the future stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, which matches the goal of the series perfectly.”

The 2023 prize package blends parts support and skills development for INDY NXT drivers and teams, including:
•A $10,000 credit for parts and services to the highest-finishing INDY NXT by Firestone championship driver participating in the Dallara contingency program.

•A full-day simulator session for the highest-finishing driver in the INDY NXT by Firestone season standings participating in the program.

•A half-day simulator session for the second- and third-place finishing drivers in the season standings participating in the program.

Dallara is developing a social media program to promote its INDY NXT by Firestone contingency award program and the Italian manufacturer’s partnership with the series.

Drivers become eligible for the Dallara contingency awards package by promoting Dallara’s involvement in the sport a number of times per season on their social media channels, including Dallara social tags.

This program deepens Dallara’s commitment to INDYCAR as the exclusive chassis manufacturer and supplier for INDY NXT by Firestone and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

“We are thrilled to offer this INDY NXT award to the series,” Dallara CEO Stefano dePonti said. “There are only three Dallara professional driving simulators in the world, and one of them is located at our U.S. headquarters in Speedway. This award aims to provide a great resource and training tools for INDYCAR’s developmental series.

Thank you to INDY NXT by Firestone for this opportunity. Best of luck to all the drivers as they kick off their season this weekend.”

Indycar 2023 Season Preview- Papaya Rising

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We are just three days away from the first practice of the 2023 NTT Indycar Series season. The largest field in about a decade-27 cars- will participate. Oval fields will have at least 28 cars.

Last week I talked about drivers to keep an eye on. Today, I’ll look at which teams to watch for, and make bold predictions written in sand.

The Big Four?

Arrow McLaren will join the traditional Big Three for good this season. Pato O’Ward will win at least two races, and Felix Rosenqvist will gave a year which will land him a ride with another team in 2024. Alexander Rossi will struggle early, but his experience will give the team a big boost. Rossi may even squeeze out a win.

Andretti will be better, but they are in danger of being passed by Arrow McLaren. Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean, and Kyle Kirkwood should all have improved seasons over 2022. Herta should win at least twice in 2023, and I think Grosjean can get his elusive maiden victory.

Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing will continue to dominate the top step of the podium, but to a lesser extent than 2023, when the two teams combine to take 13 of the 17 races.

Sleeper?

Dale Coyne Racing may surprise some folks. David Malukas matured so much during the second part of 2022 that I think he is ready to have more consistent good results, maybe even a win somewhere. Rookie Sting Ray Robb may have the same pattern of growth that Malukas had last year, but I think he comes into the series with a bit more maturity. Robb will hit his stride by the time the series gets to Barber.

Can Ferrucci Deliver for Foyt?

Is Santino Ferrucci the driver A. J. Foyt has been seeking to make the program competitive? He just might be. Ferrucci has had some great drives as a last minute fill in, and he has an outstanding record in the Indianapolis 500, but is the equipment disadvantage too much of a handicap?

Unlike Kirkwood, Ferrucci has the experience to not try to drive over the car’s limits. I think we will see more consistent top 15s and top 20s from the 14.

Don’t Put Money on These

It’s a Pit Window tradition to ruin a driver’s season with season predictions, but I’m going to do it again.

Series champion- Scott McLaughlin. Mclaughlin showed last year that he is ready to contend for the title. He came close to winning five races in 2022, and a more consistent season will put him over the top.

Indianapolis 500 winner- Pato O’Ward O’Ward wasn’t quite ready last year, but he seems to have a knack for getting things right the next time he visits a track where he just missed.

Rookie of the Year- Sting Ray Robb. Robb finished second in Indy Lights in 2022 by showing consistent results. He will use that consistency to take rookie honors.

Records extended- Scott Dixon will reach 55 career victories, and Will Power will earn his 70th career pole in 2023. Power’s career pole mark will be like A. J. Foyt’s career win total- untouchable forever.

Look for a lot of St. Pete information the next few days and my race preview at the end of the week.