Category: Auto Racing

Coyne’s Short List

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Three drivers appear to be in the running for the number 18 car in 2020. James Hinchcliffe, who lost his ride at Arrow McLaren SP last month; Sergio Sette Camara, who drove in F2 in 2019 and had two wins and eight podiums; and Alex Palou, who scored one win and finished third in the season standings in Super Formula.

While Hinchcliffe would be the most popular choice with the fans, I think the ride will go to one of the other drivers. Palou is likely the front runner. He was impressive at a Coyne test at Mid Ohio. He is also a Honda driver. Sette Camara has done three seasons in Formula 2, and needs to move up. He is also talking with Carlin Racing.

Coyne has not set a deadline for a decision. There may also be a fourth driver in the mix.

Still Quiet at Foyt and Carlin

I’m not confident about hearing any news from Carlin or A. J. Foyt Racing before Christmas. There is simply no news from either camp. We could be in for some surprises from both teams.

Ganassi Out of IMSA for Now

Chip Ganassi Racing will not participate in the IMSA Weather tech Championship for the first time in 16 years. Their GTLM Ford program has ended. Ganassi cars have three overall wins and two class wins at the Rolex 24. The team has not ruled out returning to the series, possibly in the new prototype cars.  More on this story in my Wildfire Sports column tomorrow.

 

 

The Pit Window Holiday Gift Guide

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It seems as if I did this column just twelve months ago. Anyway, it is that time of year again. If you’re unsure what to get the race fan in your life, here are some suggestions.

Race Tickets

Buying race tickets for friends and family is a great gift and may help someone make it to another race or two next season. Today, December 2,  is the last day for buy one, get one free general admission tickets to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Honda Indy Toronto, and the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.  Websites: gpstpete.com; hondaindy.com; midohio.com.

Road America also has discounted tickets for now. A general admission ticket includes parking and a paddock access as well.

DVDs

Two new DVDs are about to release.  Rapid Response, which had a limited theatrical run in late summer, is available December 10. It can be pre-ordered now at a lower price.

The link: rapidresponsedvd.com

I reviewed the movie September 9-

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/111149089/posts/10539

Uppity, a documentary of Willy T. Ribbs’ career, comes available January 7. It can be pre-ordered at chassy.com.  Adam Carolla is coproducer of the film.

Books

If you enjoyed Ford vs Ferrari and want to learn more about the story, Go Like Hell by A. J. Baime is a great quick read. Baime tells the story from both the Ford and the Ferrari viewpoints. The book is available at Amazon.

My review from earlier this year:

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/111149089/posts/10959

wp-15736940676688611459715949472014.jpg

As always, I highly recommend Gentlemen, Start Your Engines, Wilbur Shaw’s autobiography with an updated section written in part by his son Bill; Black Noon; Beast; and Vukovich.

Other Suggestions

Here is one I recommended last year:

Adam’s Wooden Creations makes wooden coasters and other items. He creates coasters with tracks and driver names and numbers. In addition to Indycar tracks, Adam also will do a NASCAR or Formula 1 circuit.

You can order from Adam’s Etsy shop, Adam’s Wooden Creations. Here is the link:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdamsWoodenCreations?ref=search_shop_redirect

If you have something special in mind, leave Adam a note and he will be happy to discuss it with you.

A gift membership to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Foundation might make someone happy.

Barber Motorsports Park also has a museum membership available. If you know somebody who lives close enough to attend the track regularly, this might make a nice present.

Track Time

Do you know anyone who always wanted to go for a ride in a 2-seater? This would make a nice family gift for someone.  Contact Indy Racing Experience at indyracingexperience.com. Prices vary. It can cost as little as $249 through Groupon.

Last year someone asked me if this gift guide was my personal Christmas list.  Obviously not all of it is since I have all of the books.    I hope this helps some of you with your shopping.

 

A Word of Thanks

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I have  a few words of thanks to those who made 2019 such an amazing year.  While writing this column annually seems like a trite exercise, I enjoy expressing my appreciation for those who helped the sport and also those who helped me get through the season.

Thank you to:

The Hulman-George family for their 74 years of stewardship and building the Indianapolis 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into the great event and facility it is today. Thanks also for handing the track to someone intent on preserving the traditions of the place.

Roger Penske for buying IMS, The NTT Indycar Series, and IMS Productions. If the track had to be sold, I’m glad it was to someone who understands what this is all about

Fellow media members for their help and advice. In particular, Eric Smith of Race Review Online, George Phillips of Oilpressure, and Mike Joachim of Pit Lane Parley.

The communications staff at Indycar and IMS.

Track PR and communications directors for their assistance in facilitating onsite coverage.

Everyone on “Team Silver” headquartered in G Stand on Race Day.

The wonderful people in my writing class at the Life Enrichment Center in Tampa. They continue to be a huge inspiration in writing this humble column.

Finally, certainly not least, each one of you who take the time to read The Pit Window. I am humbled by your loyalty and very much appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

 

Bourdais Leaves Coyne; Signs with IMSA Team

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Editor’s note: I just arrived at Winter Headquarters and saw the news. Here are some brief thoughts. I will follow up in a day or two.

Photo: Kyle McInnes

The NTT Indycar  Series November of change added another shock today with the announcement of an amicable separation of Sebastien Bourdais and Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan. The news follows the November 4 sale of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the series to Roger Penske and the release of Spencer Pigot from Ed Carpenter Racing. The 2020 grid will look very different from the 2019 grid. Bourdais will race for JDC -Miller in the number 5 Cadillac prototype with Jaoao Barbosa, who drove the same car last year fro Action Express.

The opening raises several questions. Is this where James Hinchcliffe will land? I’ve seen different answers from different sources. Since Honda pulled its support from Bourdais, is that money available for Hinchcliffe? Could Conor Daly take the seat? I’m not sure his Air Force money is enough for a full season. Will we see another driver from Europe driving for Coyne next year?

The 2020 grid is now missing three full time drivers from 2019- Hinchcliffe, Pigot, and Bourdais. I’m still not sure Tony Kanaan will be full time next season.

Meanwhile, the rookie battle for 2020 is set with Oliver Askew at AMSP and Rinus VeeKay at Ed Carpenter Racing. It could be close as both are on teams with fairly similar results in 2019. The outcome may depend on which team improves. AMSP with its new influx of resources or ECR, which is still looking for funding.

Goodbye to a Champion

Bourdais, who will 41 years old by the time the season begins, likely will not return to Indycar. His deal with JDC-Miller is for the next two seasons. Bourdais had a great career in Indycar. He is a four time season champion in ChampCar (2004,2005,2006,2007), has 37 wins, which ranks fourth all time, and  earned 34 poles.

In late 2016 he returned to race in the last couple if races in that season after his horrible crash in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. In 2017 Bourdais won the season opener at his hometown of St. Pete and repeated the victory the following year.

I was fortunate to see several of his wins. My favorite was at Milwaukee in 2015 when Bourdais took the lead halfway through the race and ran away from the rest of the field.

 

 

 

VeeKay Signs with ECR

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From Ed Carpenter Racing this morning. more this evening.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RINUS VEEKAY SELECTED BY ED CARPENTER RACING TO CONTEST FULL 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON
19-Year-Old Dutch Driver Joins ECR Full-Time in the No. 21 Chevrolet
(INDIANAPOLIS) November 20, 2019 – Ed Carpenter Racing announced today it will welcome Rinus VeeKay as the full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. The 19-year-old joins ECR after a meteoric rise through the Road to Indy ranks and a second-place finish in this year’s Indy Lights championship. As VeeKay begins his Indy car career, he will benefit from the guidance of team owner Ed Carpenter, who will be driving in his 18th season.
Born in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the NTT IndyCar Series, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. He found immediate success, following up a second-place finish in the 2017 USF2000 standings with the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 title. His championship season included seven wins, 10 podium finishes and the Road to Indy career advancement scholarship, which placed him just one step below his ultimate goal. For the 2019 Indy Lights season, VeeKay claimed six race wins and finished on the podium 14 of 18 times en route to a runner-up finish in the standings. In all, the Dutch teenager earned 16 Road to Indy victories and 36 podium finishes in just 48 races.
The newest addition to ECR is ecstatic to have reached the pinnacle of North American open-wheel racing. “I’m so happy!” exclaimed VeeKay. “It’s a dream come true and something we have worked extremely hard for over the last couple of years. To step up from USF2000 to the NTT IndyCar Series in three years is really special.”
VeeKay got his first taste of an NTT IndyCar Series car in August when Carpenter selected him for an evaluation test at Portland International Raceway. A second successful test followed at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in October, confirming VeeKay’s compatibility with the Indianapolis-based team. Days later, he stepped back into an Indy Lights car at the Chris Griffis Memorial Road to Indy Test and set the fastest time in all six sessions. VeeKay will now focus solely on the NTT IndyCar Series, competing with ECR as a true Indy car rookie throughout the 2020 season.
“I have been following Rinus’s path through the Road to Indy, especially the past two years,” commented Carpenter. “It was clear to me that he deserves to be in an Indy car. After his first day in a car at Portland this past season, that feeling became even more apparent. His pace, feedback and demeanor inside the car was very impressive for such a young driver.”
Since ECR’s inception in 2012, the No. 21 Chevrolet has always featured an Indy Lights graduate, a trend that will continue with VeeKay. ECR has shown versatility by earning seven wins on each style of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. The team currently boasts 28 Top 5 finishes, 20 of which have been podiums. ECR Chevrolets have started on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 six of the past seven years, including Carpenter’s three pole positions. In 2019, ECR was the only multi-car team to have their entire lineup make a run for the coveted first starting position and would ultimately start second, third and fourth.
“I would like to thank Ed Carpenter and his partners for this great opportunity and trust,” continued VeeKay. “The number of available seats in the NTT IndyCar Series is very limited, so it’s a great honor that they have chosen me to join their team. I would like to thank Jumbo, La Place, KNAF TeamNL, my new partner Basic-Fit, all my other partners, my manager Charles Crews, but most all my family who made this all happen. I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”
Carpenter echoed VeeKay’s enthusiasm for the upcoming year. “We’re very excited for the 2020 season to get here and have an ECR car return to Victory Lane!”
The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series will see ECR continue to compete with two full-time entries, the No. 20 and No. 21. While the No. 21 will feature VeeKay for the full season, Carpenter will continue as oval driver of the No. 20 in his 18th season of Indy car competition. The road and street course seat for the No. 20 is still under consideration and will be announced at a later date. VeeKay will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut with the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 15, 2020.
After a meteoric rise through the Road to Indy ranks, Rinus VeeKay has joined Ed Carpenter Racing as driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. VeeKay, a native of the Netherlands, will be the team’s full-time driver for the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series season. The 19-year-old will make his Indy car debut on March 15, 2020 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
With his sights set firmly on the NTT IndyCar Series, Rinus VeeKay transitioned to the Road to Indy. In only three years, VeeKay finished second in the 2017 USF2000 points, won the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 championship and was runner-up in the 2019 Indy Lights standings. VeeKay will now focus solely on the NTT IndyCar Series as driver of Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 21, a car that has always featured an Indy Lights graduate.
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) first entered the NTT IndyCar Series in 2012. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting seven wins on each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). The 2020 season will see Dutch teenager Rinus VeeKay make his Indy car debut as full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. Carpenter will compete in his 18th season, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet in all oval events. More information on Ed Carpenter Racing may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
About Rinus VeeKay
19-year-old Dutch phenom, Rinus VeeKay, will achieve his dream of becoming a full-time IndyCar driver, piloting the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. The Hoofddorp, Netherlands native arrives on the grid as the youngest competitor in the field and with high honor after a successful career in the Road to Indy development series. After finishing runner up in the 2017 USF2000 Championship, VeeKay graduated to the Indy Pro 2000 championship, where he dominated the 2018 season and won the Road to Indy scholarship to compete in Indy Lights in 2019. After six impressive victories leading to a runner-up result in the Indy Lights championship, VeeKay tallied an impressive 16 race wins and 36 podium finishes in just 48 races in his Road to Indy career. You can follow the Dutch rookie via his website RinusVeeKay.com as well as his Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

iRacing: Constantini Wins Open-Wheels .com 500

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Michele Constantini saved enough fuel on Sunday to win the inaugural open-Wheels.com 500 Presented by Mitchell transmissions. In contrast to Saturday’s Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window, when he ran out of fuel on the last lap, Constantini began saving fuel after the first caution at the midway point of the race. The final caution with four laps to go erased any doubt that he had enough to complete the distance.

Constantini led a race high 63 laps, first taking the lead on lap 29 and assuming the point for the last time on lap 190. “I was good to go even without the caution,” he said after the race.

“I began saving fuel after the first caution. Yesterday really helped me.”

The win was Constantini’s first in a major event. “The car was amazing,” he said.

Runner-up Liam Quinn admitted he could’nt have caught the winner. Third place Henry Bennett lurked in second place while trying to save fuel and hoping Constantini would need to get a splash of fuel at the end. Quinn passed him as he was going slow. bennett admitted afterwards that the race ending caution saved his third place.

Pole sitter Yang Ou had issues from the start and was never a factor in the race. He finished 24th, three laps down.

The top five:

Michele Constantin

Liam Quinn

Henry Bennett

Simon Briant

Adam Blocker

Notes

The race was extremely clean with just two cautions for seven laps. The first yellow came on lap 98 and the second one on lap 196 efffctively ended the race.

There were 52 lead changes among 12 drivers.

24 cars were running at the finish. Dylan Freckelton did not start and was awarded 33rd place.

despitre his lap 196 incident, Jeff Drake still came home in 10th on the lead lap.

17 cars finished on the lead lap.