A statement from the NTT Indycar Series:
Newgarden crashed on while leading on lap 235 of Sunday’s HyVee Salute to Farmers 300. He was released from the track medical center, then later lost conscious and received a cut to the back of his head.
Santino Ferrucci remains on standby should Newgarden not be allowed to continue after tomorrow morning’s practice.
One driver is now off the table with speculation building over who gets to drive the Ganassi 10 or the Andretti 1 next year. Callum Ilott and Juncos-Hollinger have a new two year agreement. Ilott a rookie, is 21st in points, but has qualified well on the road courses. He finished 11th and 12th last weekend at Iowa after starting 22nd in both races.
As for why he chose to stay at juncos-Hollinger Racing, Ilott said,
“At the end of the day Ricardo and Brad have put a lot of
investment in from the beginning, gave me the opportunity
to come out here. The trust in them and the trust in me,
vice versa, I really respected that.
We did the deal quite early on this year to continue. I’m a
man of my word. Of course, there was a lot of interest
from other people, but I was very honest from the very
beginning if anyone approached me, Look, this is what the
situation is.
But, yeah, I’m very happy to continue. I think we’ve got a
lot of momentum. Also there’s interest for engineers and
people to join as well. I think as a team we’ll grow,
hopefully quickly. It could be slowly, but we’re definitely on
the right track to improve.”
The team has done a great job as a one car team, but they are looking to expand. Co-owner Brad Hollinger announced,
“We’re targeting (a second car) next year right now.
Ricardo can allude to that a little bit more for that. We’re
happy to say that is the game plan for sure.
In terms of drivers, I’ll turn that over to Ricardo.”
Juncos added,:
“It is quite difficult, INDYCAR, right?
One of the key components is the system, the engineers,
how you apply all that.
We’re going to prioritize the quality. Having one car, you
still can perform quite okay. No question the second car
will put us to the next level. That’s intention. But, like I
said, we need to make sure is properly first, not just do two
cars just because, because otherwise can be the whole
program damaged.
We’re working very hard to see how we’re going to put the
program together. As of today, we don’t know that yet, but
that’s clearly the way to go.”
Ilott is looking forward to having an experienced teammate.
“I mean, from my side, I would like
someone to teach me what I haven’t been taught.
Obviously that’s a hard one to learn what you don’t know in
a sense.
So, yeah, if someone was super experienced and can
teach me some stuff on the oval, someone who can
develop the team. Otherwise I think they’re going to have
a tough time competing against me for speed. Otherwise,
yeah, help develop the team as much as possible, see
what I can get out of them. That’s my personal side of
things.”
Juncos explained why his team chose not to form a technical alliance with a larger team.
“If we are doing good now with one car team, no technical alliance, if you can add a second car, I think we’re going to be doing our own
things.
I’m quite happy and secure doing that more than a
technical alliance. Also there is no one that I can see
willing to align with us on the technical area as well.”
The team has performed quite well this year considering they are the only single car team on the grid and the driver is a rookie. It will be interesting to see how much they improve in 2023.
Race weekend: Friday, July 29 – Saturday, July 30Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 85 laps / 207.3 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary, four sets alternate (Note: A sixth set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.)Twitter: @IMS @INDYCAR, #GallagherGP, #IndyCar
Event website: www.ims.com
NTT INDYCAR SERIES website: www.indycar.com
2021 race winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet), 1:10.7114, 124.167 mph
Qualifying lap record: Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying)
NBC Sports race telecast: Noon ET Saturday, July 30, 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.
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. and NBC’s Gallagher Grand Prix 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 anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Chris Denari, Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Brad Gillie and Brett McMillan are the pit reporters. The Gallagher Grand Prix race (noon ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates (race only), SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
FRIDAY, JULY 29 (All times are local)
9:30-11 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (90 minutes), Peacock Premium
1 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock Premium(Live)
SATURDAY, JULY 30
8:15-8:45 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium
Noon:
NBC on air12:23 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”
12:30 p.m.: Gallagher Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), NBC (Live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship facts:
Marcus Ericsson leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with five races to go for the first time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Ericsson, who took the points lead at Road America in June, has led the point standings after six of the 12 races this season.
Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship twice: Simon Pagenaud in 2016 and Scott Dixon (2020-Race 1).
Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the championship leader with five races to go has gone on to win the championship eight times. Those drivers were: Scott Dixon (2008, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Alex Palou (2021).
Point differential: The eight points that separate Marcus Ericsson and Will Power is tied — with the 2009 season – for the second-closest point margin with five races remaining since INDYCAR SERIES racing was unified in 2008. Before this season, the average lead with five races to go since 2008 was 43.7 points.
| Six drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato. All are entered this year. Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won the GMR Grand Prix with Colton Herta in May, while Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay. Chip Ganassi Racing won with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1, and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Five NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas – are entered. All five raced in the GMR Grand Prix in May. Milestones: Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 370th INDYCAR SERIES start, which would break a tie with A. J. Foyt and give him sole possession of third on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time starts list … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 301st consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history … With his next win, Dixon will break a tie with Mario Andretti and take sole possession of second on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list with 53 wins … With his next pole position, Will Power will tie Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for most career poles with 67 … With his next win, Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list. |
Photo by Chris Jones, Indycar–
Chip Ganassi racing has filed a lawsuit in Marion County, Indiana, against Alex Palou, a driver for the team and current NTT Indycar Series champion. The complaint was sealed, but the suit likely involves Palou allegedly signing with McLaren for next season even though Ganassi exercised their 2023 option on Palou.
A team spokesperson said that Palou will drive the 10 car in this weekend’s Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS and is expected to drive the remaining 2022 races.
The filing
Ganassi has requested expedited discovery, within two weeks. as he wants to resolve this case as soon as possible.
I think this case will drag on awhile. McLaren said today they will not buy out Palou’s Ganassi contract, so a settlement doesn’t appear likely.
The implications for Palou’s Indycar career are troubling. Should he not work out at McLaren, I don’t think another Indycar team will touch him. McLaren has not even said that Palou will drive one of their cars in the series next season. AMSP driver Felix Rosenqvist said last weekend that he doesn’t think Palou will be driving at all next year.
It would be a shame if Indycar loses one of its brightest future stars, who already has a championship, because a team is trying to hoard all the top talent in the series.
I thought having a legendary brand like McLaren in the series was going to be great for the series. I really don’t like what they are doing. Their signing tactics are not good for the series as a whole.
I wrote about this subject just a few days ago:
Draining the Talent Pool
The Indycar schedule for this weekend:
Gates Open 8:30 AM
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM ET Practice 1 Peacock
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET Qualifying Peacock
SATURDAY, JUL 30
Gates Open 7:30
8:15 AM – 8:45 AM ET Warmup Peacock
SATURDAY, JUL 30
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET (Green Flag 12:30 PM) Gallagher Grand Prix NBC, Peacock
Indycar photo by Chris Jones
Before last weekend, Indycar at Iowa Speedway was some of the best racing no one came to watch. The big crowds in the early years had dwindled to a bout a third of capacity, typical of oval attendance everywhere. Iowa did not have a slot on the 2021 schedule.
Thanks to Hy-Vee, Indycar returned to Iowa, big time. The activation and programing drew two sellout crowds. The event will be back in 2023 and 2024.
In March, details about the weekend were laid out by Bud Denker of Penske Entertainment and Randy Edeker, CEO of Hy-Vee. I posted about it in this story.
From March-\https://thepitwindow.blog/2022/03/08/a-way-forward-for-ovals/
Everything they said would happen did happen. The track and grounds looked cleaner than I had ever seen t. The turn one and four suites gave the track a classy look.
In addition to the copious Hy-Vee signage, the company had a mobile store at the track with some grocery items and some camping supplies. If a desired item wasn’t stocked, Hy-Vee would deliver it to the fan at the track.
I visited a couple of their stores after i left the track. There were at least a half dozen cut outs of Jack Harvey’s Hy-Vee sponsored car displayed throughout the store. In addition signs with the logos of the two races hung prominently near the entrances and exits and above shelves. A racing related merchandise displayed greeted shoppers as they came in.
I don’t know the exact amount of money Hy-Vee put into this weekend, but it was substantial. I heard they weren’t interested in Return on Investment, but I think they got their money’s worth.
Indycar could use a couple more sponsors putting this kind of effort into the series.
While both days were sold out, the spectators in my area were different each day. I talked to several people Sunday who had never been to a race of any kind before. I’m positive some of them will return next year.
I have also heard some fans who did not come this year are making plans to some in 2023.
Were the concerts more of an attraction than the races? Perhaps in some cases, but the grandstands were filled for the races.
One of my concerns was that the crowd would filter out after the first concert and return for the post race performance. I was wrong.
This is the first oval race outside of IMS that I have been to, and I’ve been to a couple of them, where the atmosphere had the same buzz as the 500.
The series now has a template for a successful oval weekend. Will ovals not currently on the schedule now have an interest in bringing Indycar to their venue? Will a certain track in the south that had an Indycar race this spring take notice or do they not care whether the series returns?
Can Iowa Speedway and Hy-Vee sustain this dame level of energy for the next two years? As great a success as last weekend was, the real proof comes in years two and three.
I could see this event becoming the Hy-Vee company picnic, similar to what Honda does at Mid Ohio for their employees.
I would very much like for the Saturday race to take place at night, but I’m not sure now if that would help attendance without one more support race.
News bulletin from Team Penske:
MOORESVILLE, NC – Team Penske has announced that Santino Ferrucci will be on standby for INDYCAR SERIES Championship contender Josef Newgarden heading into this weekend’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Newgarden was released from MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center earlier this morning and returned to his home in Nashville. Per series protocols, Newgarden will be reevaluated by the INDYCAR Medical Team on Thursday to determine his status for the Gallagher Grand Prix. Should Newgarden not be able to race, Ferrucci will take the wheel of the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet.
Ferrucci has 43-career INDYCAR SERIES starts with four of these occurring at the IMS road course where he has two top-10 finishes. His career best IndyCar finish is fourth, on four occasions, and he has made three starts in 2022, with two top-10 finishes.
Deja Vu left the track with 65 laps to go, destroying any chance of a podium repeat from Saturday and smashing Josef Newgarden’s iron grip on Iowa Speedway. Pato O’Ward, who couldn’t figure out how get around newgarden Saturday, jumped to the lead and held on to win the Salue to Farmers 300.
Another huge crowd saw another entertaining race. Not quites as god as Saturday’s race, but still an entertaining event.
Today’s win is the third time Pato O’Ward has won the second half of a double header. His fourth career victory came in his 50th Indycar start.
O’Ward’s last three oval finishes- 2nd, 2nd, 1st.
Has Andretti been replaced by Arrow McLaren SP in the Big Three? This weekend’s results-six of Saturday’s top 10 were from Penske, Ganassi, and AMSP. Today’s top 10 had seven finishers from those three.
Romain Grosjean was the star of the wekend for Andretti with two top 10s- 7th and 9th.
Great Drives-
Jimmie Johnson finishedfifth today. yesterday he led 19 laps before fading to 11th.
David Malukas ended the day eighth and cut Christian Lundgard’s Rookie of the Year lead to four points.
Marcus Ericsson barely hung on to the points lead. He leads Power by eight points and Newgarden by 34. O’Ward is just 36 points behind.
I talked to several fans today who were at Iowa Speedway for the first time.One, a veteran race fan, was amazed at the racing. A couple was attending their first race ever, and they loved it.
I will have more later tonight and a full wrapup tomorrow afternoon. I Need to hit the roiad back home. This was a fantastic weekend, which I will talk about tomorrow.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 