After a two year absence due to COVID 19 the Honda Indy Toronto will return July 15-17. Tickets will go on sale April 14.
The announcement guarantees Indycar’s 17 race schedule for 2021.
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
Long Beach Preview-Teams on the Edge
Today’s Scehdule:
Friday, April 8, 2022- All Times Pacific
7:30 AM Spectator Gates Open
7:45 AM – 8:25 AM Porsche Carrera Cup (PCC) Practice #1
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM IMSA Practice #1
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM Historic IMSA GTP Challenge (GTP) Practice #1
11:05 AM – 11:35 AM PCC Practice #2
12:40 PM – 1:00 PM Stadium SUPER Trucks (SST) Practice #1
1:15 PM – 3:00 PM IMSA Practice #2
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM INDYCAR Practice #1– Peacock
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM PCC Qualifying
4:55 PM – 5:55 PM INDYCAR Autograph Session (INDYCAR Paddock – free to all spectators)
5:10 PM – 5:55 PM IMSA Qualifying
6:30 PM – 6:50 PM Super Drift Practice
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Formula D Super Drift Challenge Competition #1
Good morning from beautiful, very warm Long Beach. The temperature is forecast to be in the mid 90s today before cooling down for the weekend.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach returns to its traditional April date on the NTT Indycar Series calendar after moving to the season finale in 2021. Sunday’s race will be the 38th Indycar race on the streets of Long Beach, Formula 5000 held the first street race here in1975, followed by F1 until 1983. At that point, the Grand Prix Association decided F1 was too expensive and signed with CART to keep the annual event running. The pandemic year of 2020 was the only year there was no race here,
The Indycar paddock enters the third race of the season with two teams, Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, filling the top of the points standings. Penske drivers Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden have won the first two races. Defending series champion Alex Palou sits third behind Penske’s Will Power. Palou is just ahead of Newgarden. Two team which were expected to also challenge for first place have been noticeably absent.
Can Andretti and AMSP Rebound?
Andretti Autosport, perennially a factor in the title hunt, has been the victim of some bad luck and strategy this season. Colton Herta leads the team at seventh in the standings, The addition of Romain Grosjean was expected to strengthen the team, but the results haven’t been there yet.
Sunday’s race may help the team get back on track. Andretti cars and drivers have dominated this track the last four years. Alexander Rossi won this race back to back in 2018 and 2019. Herta won the season final last September. Sunday is Andretti’s best chance to begin the return to contention. I think they will have a good weekend,
AMSP Tries to Turn Season Around
The high hopes some fans had for the Arrow McLaren SP squad have not panned out. Felix Rosenqvist’s pole at Texas has been the high point of the year, but the joy of that moment faded before the end of the opening lap. Bad pit stops by Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward spoiled their races. Another bad weekend will make it difficult for either driver to get back into title consideration.
The team has had some decent street course results, and this weekend is almost a must to get a top five.
Harvey Returns
Jack Harvey sat out the Texas race after suffering a concussion in a hard crash at Texas. Harvey has been an enigma since joining the Indycar series. he is a talented driver, but has produced just one podium in his career, I thought the switch to a stringer team would help him, but we are still waiting for some good results.
The Race
Colton Herta has won the last three races in California, dating back to his 2019 victory at Laguna Seca. I think he will find a way to win again, and Rossi and Grosjean will also have good weekends.
Once a driver falls behind in points, it is difficult to catch up.
Newgarden, McLaughlin, Power, Palou, and Dixon will be chasing Herta and all will help their positions in the points.
Long Beach Spotter Guide
My Long Beach preview will be up after I get to Long Beach this afternoon. Probably an evening post for those back East.
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Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, April 8 – Sunday, April 10 Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California Race distance: 85 laps / 167.28 miles Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for Practice 1. Twitter: @GPLongBeach @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR Event website: www.gplb.com INDYCAR website: www.INDYCAR.com 2021 race winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) 2021 NTT P1 Award: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:08.2241, 103.846 mph Qualifying lap record: Helio Castroneves, 1:06.2254, 106.980 mph, April 8, 2017 NBC Sports race telecast: 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday, April 10, 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, Dave Burns and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. NBC’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service, while Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and turn announcers Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young. Ryan Myrehn and Joel Sebastianelli are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES 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, April 8 3:15-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (45-minute session), Peacock Premium (live) Saturday, April 9 8:45-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45-minute session), Peacock Premium (live) 12:05 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live) Sunday, April 10 9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium (live) Noon – Driver introductions Noon – NBC on air 12:38 p.m. – Start engines command 12:45 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (85 laps/167.28 miles), NBC and Peacock Premium (live) Race Notes: This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 38th INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race there in 1984. Colton Herta won the race in 2021. There have been two winners in two races in 2022 – Scott McLaughlin (St. Petersburg) and Josef Newgarden (Texas). The last time Team Penske won the first three races of an INDYCAR SERIES season was in 2012 when Helio Castroneves (St. Petersburg) and Will Power (Barber, Long Beach and Sao Paulo) claimed wins in the first four races. Since 2012, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has averaged just under nine different race winners per season, including a record-tying 11 winners in 2014. There were nine different winners in the 16 races of 2021, with equally tight competition projected for this season. There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Colton Herta and Scott McLaughlin). The only repeat winners in that stretch are Newgarden (Mid-Ohio and WWT Raceway in 2021 and Texas in 2022), Palou (Road America and Portland in 2021) and Herta (Laguna Seca and Long Beach in 2021). Three California natives are entered: 2021 Long Beach race winner Colton Herta hails from Valencia while Andretti Autosport teammate and 2018 and 2019 Long Beach race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jimmie Johnson is from El Cajon. Herta has won the last three INDYCAR SERIES races held in the Golden State (Laguna Seca 2019, Laguna Seca 2021 and Long Beach 2021). Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six). Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Power won in 2008 and 2012, and Rossi won in 2018 and 2019. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are Helio Castroneves (2001), Takuma Sato (2013), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016) and Colton Herta (2021). Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07) and Alexander Rossi (2018-19). Twenty-one of the 26 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 15 starts, most among all entered drivers. Ten entered drivers have led laps: Helio Castroneves 194, Power 170, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 104, Takuma Sato 67, Simon Pagenaud 54, Colton Herta 43, Josef Newgarden 22, Graham Rahal 4 and Jack Harvey 1. Six NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies – Tatiana Calderon, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas – are expected to compete. All but Ilott will be making their first INDYCAR SERIES start on the Streets of Long Beach. Milestones: Alexander Rossi will attempt to make his 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 291st consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history. |
Long Beach 2008- Champ Car’s Final Race
My friend Sally, who gave me the three Hulman glasses, also gave me a box of old Long Beach programs. I have a couple of Indianapolis 500 programs, and I find the programs from other races fascinating.
The programs provide a glimpse of local culture and lets fans see how other races are run. The better programs also provide some history of the race. I find that part of a program invaluable, especially for the races that have run for the longest time. The King Beach programs don’t disappoint in that area.
The program for the 2008 race caught my eye. The race was to be Champ Car’s last race, and coincide with the Champ Car drivers’ first IRL points paying race. IRL and Champ Car had agreed to merge in February 2008, and the Long Beach weekend would have the last separate races for the two series. The IRL raced Motegi, Japan on Saturday, April 19, and Champ Car’s last race took place the following afternoon. Drivers could only race in one of the races.
Champ Car Tribute
The program pays tribute to Champ Car with the feature “Champ Car’s Last Hurrah. CART began racing at Long Beach in 1984. Formula 1 had become too expensive for the Grand Prix Association.
Jim Michaelian, Long Beach Grand Prix President, concludes that
“Just like back in 1984, we’re not going to miss a beat. There will be more world -class racing in store when the Indy racing League(IRL)-which includes many drivers who battled it out on our streets-makes its debut…next year.”
The weekend included Formula Atlantics and ALMS. The Atlantics race had Jonathan Bomarito on pole with Simona De Silvestro also on the front row. James Hinchcliffe started 10th, and Dane Cameron started 11th.
IN ALMS, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta teamed up in an LMP2 Acura.
All series seem to get equal coverage in the program. The Champ Car driver features are divided by teams, which makes it easy to find a favorite driver.
Starting Lineup
A bonus I love finding in an old program is the starting grid sheet. This one is a treasure as it marks the end of a series. Most of the drivers did drive in the IRL at some point in their career. Will Power and Graham Rahal are the only two drivers still active in Indycar.
Power won the race. His photo from the 2008 program:
I am glad I have this program. It is arguably one of the four most important programs in Long Beach Grand Prix history. The others are the first F1 race, the CART race, and the first IRL race.
This weekend marks the 38th Indycar race at Long Beach, the longest running Indycar outside of the Indianapolis 500.
Twelve Years of Speed: The Roadster to Rear Engine Transition
Who knew that the tiny green rear engine Cooper Climax was a harbinger of sweeping change when it qualified for the 1961 Indianapolis 500? Jack Brabham drove to a ninth place finish in that race. What followed over the next five to six was a nearly complete switch to rear engine racecars. The transition resulted in a dozen years of record smashing qualifying and race speeds.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum opened its newest exhibit last week. Races2Records: 12 Years that Revolutionized the Indy 500, 1960-1972. The exhibit features 19 cars, many which are not usually seen on their exhibition floor. The cars include the last roadster to win the race, the last roadster to compete in the 500, and the first winged car to win the 500. Several of the cars on display never made the race, but are there to show some of the innovations and experiments during one of the greatest eras of creativity in Indycar racing.
Roadsters Go Down Swinging
By 1963, the rear engine cars were gaining momentum, but the roadsters still were strong enough to win the pole and the race. Parnelli Jones was the first driver to break the 150 mile per hour barrier in 1962. In 1963 Jones won the pole again and also won the race. Jim Clark finished second in a rear engine car.
In 1964 A. J. Foyt won the 500. The race was marred by second lap accident which took the lives of Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald. It would be the last victory for a front engine car.
After 1964 roadsters lingered in the race, and 1968 saw the last roadster, driven by Jim Hurtubise, compete in the 500. The car is on display. it is currently being restored.
Innovations
Two innovations in the exhibit that had little success on track are Smoky Yunick’s side car and the Liquid Suspension Special.
Smokey Yunick and George Hurst of Hurst Floor Shift fame collaborated on the design for the 1964 race. Track officials said the car had to do a “rookie test” to prove its safety and speed. The car passed the test, but driver Bobby Johns crashed on his warmup lap prior top a qualifying attempt.
The Liquid Suspension Special entered in 1964 used a hydraulic suspension system. Rubber bladders of hydraulic fluid were connected by a hydraulic line. The concept was to eliminate the need for shck absorbers. Walt Hansgen finished 13th in the race. He had run as high as ourth until a lengthy pit stop took him out of contention. One of the cars was sold to A. J. Foyt, who decided to use his roadster for the race. That turned out to be a pretty good choice.
The 60s saw many innovations from people like Yunick, Dan Gurney, and Andy Granatelli. Some of them like the turbine are not the xcope of this exhibit.
A Well Done Presentation
The Museum has done a great job with their special exhibits. The Unser Family was outstanding. I was very impressed with this display. Maybe because of the era it recalls, which is the one I grew up in. The murals behind the car displays are impressive. This one behind the Jones car (R) and the Jim Rathmann’s 1960 race winner is especially striking.
I also liked the graph showing the increase in speed during the 12 year time frame. The black line is the pole speed and the yellow line is the race average.
The exhibit has some other fun things and also one sobering display which is a tribute to Eddie Sachs. It is nothing gory. Sachs’ car from the 1964 race is completely reconstructed as it was on race morning. I didn’t take a picture of it. The car is a nice tribute, and I paused for a moment of silent reflection.
I will post some more photos on The Pit Window’s Facebook page in the next couple of days.
My Long Beach race coverage begins tomorrow with a bit of history.
Festival Event Cars First Hint of Spring
From IMS
| 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertibles Presented as 500 Festival Event Cars |
| INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 4, 2022) – A longtime tradition and another sign of the return of the Month of May took place April 4 as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet staged 50 identical 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertibles on the main straightaway at IMS.The “Festival Event Cars” have reminded Indianapolis-area residents of the upcoming Indianapolis 500 since the 1960s, and this year’s fleet of unique Camaros again will turn heads as they are driven around Central Indiana. Presenting the cars were Allison Melangton, Penske Entertainment Senior Vice President; Pat Merna, 500 Festival Vice President Strategic Partnerships; and Todd Christensen, Chevrolet Motorsports Strategic Marketing and Operations.The Festival Event Cars are a unique option code based off the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible and are powered by a 6.2-liter small block V-8, which offers 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque.The exterior of the car features Wild Cherry Tintcoat exterior paint with special decals from Chevrolet’s Performance Design Studio representing the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The car also features a Ceramic White interior, a power-folding convertible top that can be lowered while driving at speeds up to 30 mph, Brembo front and rear performance brakes with red calipers and 20-inch black-painted aluminum wheels. “We’re glad to continue the tradition of providing Festival Event Cars to build excitement for the Indianapolis 500,” said Dean Stramer, Chevrolet Camaro marketing and advertising manager. “Our Chevrolet Design team did a great job making this year’s Camaro a stand-out.” The 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 29, 2022. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS. Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com. |
New Engine Gets Some Running; Testing Cancelled; Notes
Weather was the big story at IMS last week, as the test planned for Thursday and postponed until Friday never happened. There were cars on track earlier int he week, however, as the new 2.4 liter engines from Honda and Chevy got its first track test.
Both OEMs said they were pleased with the test despite the limited test time. I lijke the sound of the new engine. It is a very deep tone. The video is of the Chevy.
Andretti Autosport and Team Penske will test at barber tomorrow before heading to Long Beach.
I understand a test on the IMS road course is scheduled for June.
Harvey Cleared to Drive
Jack Harvey is now clear to drive at the Acura Grand prix of Long Beach. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver had a hard crash during final practice for the EXPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway last month and was held out of the race.
Santino Ferrucci replaced Harvey in the race. Ferrucci started last and finished ninth.
Music City Presale
The Music City Presale begins at noon tomorrow for last year’s ticket holders. General public sales can’t be too far away.
I’m interested in seeing what improvements, if any the event has made after its first year. I hope they have made tickets easier to access and have employed a more fan friendly security company.
500 Festival Cars Debut
Tomorrow morning the 500 festival event cars will appear on the front stretch of IMS as we will be just 55 days away from the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.
While I am at the track tomorrow I will check out the new exhibit at the IMS Museum, Roadsters 2 Records, 1960-1972. The display covers the transition from front engine cars to rear engine machines and the golden age of driving talent and technology in the time period.
Reposted: Test Postponed to Friday, Roster Shrinks
Weather caused the Indycar road test at IMS to move to Friday, April 1. Seven drivers are scheduled Rd filed to test, down from the ten slated to appear Thursday.
Teams and drivers still in:
Andretti Autosport: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: Callum Ilott
Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud
Fans may still watch from the turn 2 mounds
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 