Category: Auto Racing

Music City Grand Prix Preview

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Photo: Jimmie Johnson’s livery for this weekend.

After nearly a year of buildup, the NTT Indycar Series has finally arrived at the inaugural weekend for the Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville. Can the race and the event live up to the hype? I think the event can. I am more confident of a decent race than I was a few days ago. The action on and exiting the bridge should make for some good racing.

All the elements for a successful street race are in place- sponsorship, government support, and community buy-in. People I spoke ith in Nashville last week are aware of the race and looking forward to it.

The organizers hope fans make it an entire day at the track. There are five concerts scheduled over the three days, one each day after track activity ends.

In addition to the race there is a weekend in Nashville. I have already spent a week there, and I like the city a lot. There are lots of great restaurants, the city is clean, and Centennial park is a nice place to go just a break from all the hectic action.

Writing about a new track is hard. There is no history, I’m not sure where the tricky parts are, and we don’t have a driver who has dominated the venue. Still, there are things to watch for as this race is the first of the final third of the season.

The teams and drivers have just two hours total practice time to figure out the new circuit. The 75 minute Friday practice will be interesting.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Fast Facts

https://thepitwindow.blog/2021/08/04/big-machine-music-city-grand-prix-fast-facts/

Helio Returns

Helio Castroneves returns to action for the first time since winning his fourth Indianapolis 500 in May. This time, he isn’t going anywhere. Castroneves will drive in five of the last six races in 2021 and will be full time with Meyer Shank racing in 2022.

Castroneves return is great news for the series as he is part of an expanding 2022 grid.

27 Entries- 2022 Preview?

The 27 entries for the Nashville race is the largest non-Indianapolis field since 2013 at Long Beach. That number could be the size of the full time grid next season. There will be several driver changes, which I will discuss next week, but I look for larger grids overall for 2022. I anticipate at least 25 cars for each race the rest of this year.

That many cars on a narrow street circuit means more traffic for the leaders to get through later in the race. It could make for some interesting situations in the later laps.

Palou Looks to Expand Lead

Alex Palou will seek to widen his lead in the championship. He leads Pato O’Ward by 39 points, Scott Dixon is 56 points behind, and Josef Newgarden trails by 69 points.

Alex Palou

Palou’s third place at Mid Ohio showed that he has learned to maximize the points he can get. I think he will be tough to beat.

This weekend is a home game for Newgarden, but no one has been able to win twice in a row this season. I think that trend continues.

I think this race goes to a veteran, and Will Power will break both his pole slump and his win slump by the end of the day Sunday. I am not surprised Power hasn’t won a race yet this season. Last year he didn’t win until Mid Ohio in the middle of September. I am surprised that he has not won a pole yet in 2021.

I will be attending the race and I will have reports each evening and at the beginning of each day.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Fast Facts

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Photo: Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves returns to the track this weekend in a different livery.

Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 6 – Sunday, Aug. 8

Track: Streets of Nashville, an 11-turn, a 2.17-mile temporary street course in Nashville, Tennessee

Race distance: 80 laps / 173.6 miles

Media links: Entry List | Driver Video Quotes 

Push-to-pass parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. One additional set of primary tires may be used by teams fielding a rookie driver. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.

Twitter: @MusicCityGP, @IndyCar, #MusicCityGP, #INDYCAR

Event website: www.musiccitygp.com/

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2020 race winner: Inaugural event

2020 NTT P1 Award winner: Inaugural event

Qualifying record: Inaugural event

NBCSN telecast: 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBCSN (live). Kevin Lee is the lead announcer for NBC Sports telecasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Marty Snider and Dave Burns will report from the pit lane.

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.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analysts Davey Hamilton and Rob Blackman. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers with Ryan Myrehn and Michael Young in the pit lane. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 205, Sirius 119, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, Aug. 6

3:10-4:25 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium (live)

Saturday, Aug. 7

Noon-12:45 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2, Peacock Premium (live)

3:30–4:45 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live)

Sunday, Aug. 8

Noon-12:30 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium (live)

4:30 p.m.: NBCSN on air

4:38 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”

4:45 p.m.: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix (80 laps/173.6  miles), NBCSN (Live)

Race notes:

  • There have been eight different winners in 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Alex Palou (Barber Motorsports Park, Road America), Colton Herta (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway-1), Pato O’Ward (Texas Motor Speedway-2, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Rinus VeeKay (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500), Marcus Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1) and Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) have all won in 2021. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
  • There have been eight different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves, Marcus Ericsson and Josef Newgarden) The only repeat winners in that stretch are O’Ward (Texas-2, 2021 and Belle Isle-2, 2021) and Palou (Barber 2021 and Road America 2021)
  • The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will compete on the streets of Nashville for the first time using a new street circuit that incorporates some of the city’s most iconic sites. Among the landmarks incorporated into the 2.17-mile, 11-turn track is the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge and the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. The race’s start of the race will take place over the bridge’s eastbound lanes between Turns 8 and 9.
  • Middle Tennessee hosted INDYCAR SERIES racing from 2001-2008 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. Scott Dixon, who won three consecutive races at the 1.33-mile oval from 2006-2008, is one of five drivers entered who raced in the most recent Nashville event along with Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power and Graham Rahal.
  • The last driver to win an inaugural event was Will Power, who won the Grand Prix of Baltimore in 2011. The last driver to win the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship after winning an inaugural event at a track was Dario Franchitti in 2007. Franchitti is grand marshal for this weekend’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
  • The 27 cars entered in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is the most in a non-Indianapolis 500 NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since Long Beach in 2013 when 27 cars started that race.

Juncos Returns to Indycar as Juncos Hollinger Racing

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From the Juncos Racing website this morning:

Indianapolis, Indiana (August 3rd, 2021) – Ricardo Juncos announced today he has partnered with Brad Hollinger to form Juncos Hollinger Racing which will field one NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry for the final three events of the 2021 season, along with a full season 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry and multiple cars running in the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder series.

The partnership between Juncos and Hollinger brings an expansive future for the race team and the state-of-the-art headquarters located just half a mile away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“The opportunity to partner with someone who shares many of the same values, passion, determination, and is forward-thinking like Brad Hollinger makes this an incredible moment in our team’s history,” said Ricardo Juncos. “Brad has a lot of experience at one of the highest levels in racing and brings resources that will create more opportunities and growth for all of our programs. I am looking forward to what our future holds at Juncos Hollinger Racing and taking our team to the next level.”

Hollinger brings multiple years of experience and resources in motorsports after being the second-largest shareholder and board member in the Williams Grand Prix Holdings Formula One team. Once he ended his time in Formula One, Hollinger looked for an opportunity to be involved in the INDYCAR SERIES. He met Juncos during the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and they formed a friendship over the next few years. Both Juncos and Hollinger saw the opportunity to combine their passion for motorsports which led to the partnership and formation of Juncos Hollinger Racing.

“I am very excited to join Ricardo and the Juncos Racing team,” said Hollinger. “Since we first met, Ricardo’s relentless drive for success, knowledge of open-wheel racing, and engineering expertise were quite apparent. His winning spirit along with our shared vision and commitment to be a front running team made my decision to join Juncos Racing a simple one. I recently transitioned from the Formula One world, where the sport entertained an international audience, yet had limited fan participation in the United States. My view of INDYCAR SERIES, in light of Formula Ones’ limited exposure, is that significant growth opportunities exist. This premise prompted me to seek an INDYCAR SERIES team with a combination of engineering acumen, a culture of excellence, and a track record of success. With an infusion of funds to obtain the best equipment and INDYCAR SERIES talent, Juncos is a team poised to be fiercely competitive in the INDYCAR SERIES. Further, the INDYCAR SERIES is an American-born motorsport with a significant spectator platform that has major growth potential. The racing is very competitive and exciting, creating a viewer experience that is attractive to businesses focused on national and international branding. In addition, all major networks are seeking live sports content at an unparalleled level.”

Juncos Racing began competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2017, running two drivers in the Indianapolis 500, and then competed in select events with multiple drivers during the 2018 season. Juncos Racing made headlines during the 2019 Indianapolis 500 qualifying after knocking Fernando Alonso out of the field for the final position on the grid with their backup car.

“Since the Indianapolis 500 in 2019, we have been looking for the right opportunity to get back on track in the INDYCAR SERIES,” said Juncos. “After a difficult 2019 year and then with us all facing the terrible and unfortunate times during COVID-19 in 2020, our efforts were derailed until this year. Once we committed to a full 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, we made the plan to get on track this year for the final three races this season to begin our preparation for next year. To be back on track and to get to this point would not have been possible without the support we have received from Chevy, Firestone, INDYCAR SERIES, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thank you to everyone who has continued to believe in our program and we look forward to seeing you all on track in September!”

Juncos Racing has competed in the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires for over 10 years. The team has claimed two Indy Lights driver championships, five Indy Pro 2000 driver championships, and five Indy Pro 2000 team championships.

“Ricardo and Juncos’s winning history in open-wheel racing and their state-of-the-art engineering platform not only position us for future success but also advances Juncos’s Road to Indy driver development program,” said Hollinger. “The combination of Ricardo’s racing expertise and Hollinger resources positions Juncos for success on multiple levels of open-wheel racing.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing will compete at the Grand Prix of Portland, Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this September and is currently preparing for full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2022. A driver will be announced soon.

INDYCAR, IMS Partner with Imagen To Debut New Digital Content Site

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From Indycar and IMS:

SiteCloud-Based Platform Streamlines Access to Rich Archive
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Aug. 2, 2021) – Penske Entertainment Corp. has launched a new digital asset site in partnership with intuitive rich media management platform Imagen, providing modern, comprehensive access to the vast archive of digital content of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The new site can be accessed at content.indycar.com or content.ims.com. The site uses the Imagen Pro platform for media, race teams, race promoters, domestic and international broadcast partners and corporate partners to download video, audio, images, news content, publications and much more.
“Digital assets are essential to help tell the stories that continue the growth of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Allison Melangton, Penske Entertainment Corp. senior vice president. “The cloud-based Imagen Pro platform makes it easy for media, race teams and partners to find and access this content quickly and efficiently from any connected device while also providing us with many tools to build and manage our library and track its usage.”
Users can begin to register for the new site immediately at content.indycar.com or content.ims.com, with content from the 2021 INDYCAR and IMS racing season available. The previous INDYCAR and IMS media sites also will remain functional through the end of this year during the transition to the new platform.
The tools built into the Imagen Pro platform offer detailed information on each piece of content, with additional related content available just a click or tap away. The Imagen Pro platform also will allow Penske Entertainment to provide much more video content and clips, a mainstay of social media and other popular digital platforms.
Imagen Pro also provides Penske Entertainment Corp. with full control over storing, managing and tracking the INDYCAR and IMS media libraries, with automated processes for ingest, tagging and distribution.
“I’m delighted to be working with INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as their need for a flexible and agile solution that scales with the growth of their business made Imagen the perfect fit,” said Nick Ashwin, Imagen vice president of sales. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to streamline their content lifecycle and ultimately maximize the value of their content.
”Imagen is an intuitive and highly customizable rich media management platform that enables sports organizations, media companies and enterprise sectors to intelligently manage their video and creative content. Imagen is used by globally to manage, gain insight into and distribute organizations’ expanding video and media libraries – enabling fast, easy and secure access to content.
With offices in the United Kingdom and New York, Imagen’s customers include the English Premier League, Penske Entertainment Corp., St. Louis Zoo, America’s Cup, Major League Baseball, Women’s Tennis Association, BP, Reuters, BBC, Team Rubicon, the UK’s Ministry of Defence, IMG and many more.For more information visit, imagen.io/products/platform/.MEDIA CONTACTSAlex Damron
Vice President, Corporate Communications,
Penske Entertainment Corp.
+1-317-492-6734, adamron@brickyard.com
 Dave Furst
Vice President, Communications
INDYCAR
+1-317-492-6244, dfurst@indycar.com
 
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An Afternoon at the Track

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I had some free time yesterday afternoon and I drove to Nisissan Stadium to see how much of the track I could see. It was an adventure. The streets of downtown Nashville are very narrow, but the stadium was easy to find. It is a very nice looking stadium.

Not only could I se the track, part of it is still open t traffic, including the bridge. The bridge will be fast. There is a rise in it and a downhill. The turnaround ds at each end could make for some action. As for a car going off the bridge and into the water, I don’t see that even remotely happening. This isn’t Driven.

Here are a few photos I took from my car. I wanted to stop to get some better shots but the cars behind me didn’t realize or care that I was doing important research.

From the bridge

Approaching the bridge

I turned right to enter the track and access the bridge here

Othan than the bridge the track looks very tight. Most passing will be on the bridge or just coming off of it. I’m looking forward to the event and the race.

A Yard of Bricks with Two Feet of Bronze

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Photo: The four 4 time winners. Chris Owens, Indycar

  • Marti Uprate. She is at Vanderbilt Hospital and saw numerous doctors today. I had to come home to take care of a problem and will be heading back tomorrow. Her length of stay is unknown, but I might still be there for the race next weekend.

Just Catching Up

It’s the little things Roger Penske thinks of that make him a success. The photo above is an example of one of those little things- getting the four four time Indianapolis 500 winners together for a group photo. There might not be many more opportunities to get this group together. A. J. Foyt, the first four time winner, had a commemorative bronze brick installed in the yard of bricks at the start/finish line. The other three will have their own bricks installed this fall.

It is a fitting tribute to these four drivers who have collectively won 15% of the 105 Indianapolis 500s. Will more of these bricks appear in the future? It will be a long time before that happens, if ever. Only two other drivers in this year’s race, Juan Pablo Montoya and Takuma Sato, have won twice. Whether either of them runs another 500 is uncertain right now.

I will be on the road during tomorrow’s Jimmie Johnson media conference tomorrow, but I will get up to date on it tomorrow night and share what I find out.