Category: Auto Racing

Good Morning from Portland

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I finally arrived in Portland after nearly 11 hours of travel time. I felt as if I was taking a trip to Europe. My body clock is still adjusting.  The track opens soon and I will be there covering all Indycar sessions this weekend. Today’s schedule in Eastern time:

Practice 1- 1:50-2:35

Practice 2- 5:40-6:25

Pit Stop Practice  6:40

Yesterday’s big news was about Conor Daly replacing Marcus Ericsson in the number 7 Arrow Schmidt Peterson car this weekend. Ericsson has been a reserve driver for Alfa Romeo all season. This situation was always a possibility.

ASPM will be the third team Daly has driven for in 2019. Including the finale at Laguna Seca, Daly will have participated in eight races this season. He has a chance to finish 20th in points with just eight races. I really hope this year’s efforts lead to his landing a full time ride next year.

Charlie Kimball returns in the number 23 Carlin car.  Portland is an addition to Kimball’s announced five race schedule.

I’ll be back after the first practice session. All of today’s track action is on NBC Gold.

 

Portland Preview- Can Newgarden Clinch?

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And then there were two. It’s hard to believe Sunday will be the next to last race of the NTT Indycar Series. Portland International Raceway hosts the race for the second consecutive year after a successful return in 2018.  CART race on the island track from 1984 until 2003. Champ Car then sanctioned the event for four more years. Indycar returned last year ending an eleven year absence.

There have been some close finishes at Portland. Mark Blundell beat Gil De Ferran by 0.027 seconds in 1997. Mario Andretti beat son Michael to the line when the younger Andretti ran out of fuel in the last corner. Most of the time, however, the victories have been decisive. Al Unser, Jr. beat Geoff Brabham by 39.61 seconds in 1984.

Takuma Sato, winner of last week’s thriller at World Wide Technology Raceway, won last year’s Grand Prix of Portland by taking advantage of a caution period to move into the lead. His 20th starting position was the farthest back a driver has won from at this track.

While one eye will be on the race itself, the other one will be looking at the championship. Josef Newgarden leads Simon Pagenaud by 38 points and Alexander Rossi by 46. I think it will take two very bad races by Newgarden for him to lose the title. Portland is Rossi’s last chance to go into the finale at Laguna Seca with any hope of capturing the title. Pagenaud has been lurking all year and took over second place last weekend. I wouldn’t count him out. Both Pagenaud and Rossi need help from Newgarden, however, and I don’t see Josef cooperating.

Portland’s festival curves have been the sight of many first lap incidents. Lastyear a five car pileup nearly cost Scott Dixon the title. He somehow got the car refired and after some repairs in the pits, he wen. t on to a fifth place finish. The flat course has some other areas to be wary of. Turn 11 can be tricky.

In 24 Indycar races at Portland, only four drivers have won the race from the pole. In 2018, Will Power won the pole, but a gearbox issue put him seven laps down and he fished 21st. Power is not having the best of seasons this year. Although he has a win and three poles, which would be a great season for many drivers, this year’s results are far below his typical season.

Rossi needs to win this race and i think he will.  Newgarden and Pagenaud could be having their own battle.  They are too good to ruin each other’s races. One of the issues I have with the double points in the finale is that it can widen the gap between contenders more than it can bring them closer. The points difference between points is wider, giving the points leader an advantage. As close as the points chase usually is going into the finale, double points in my opinion have never been a necessary thing to make a closer title fight.

Portland Spotter’s Guide

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/90591962/posts/2394022689

I will be on site in Portland with updates after each session and will also keep you posted on the Road to Indy championships.

Notes

Per Adam Stern, the 202 schedule could be released at the end of the week.  It appears Pocono will not return.  My thoughts on that when the announcement is official.

Who would have thought that there would be a season where Sato would have more wins than Will Power has?

Indycar now has two last laps to incorporate into next year’s commercials- the final lap at Mid Ohio and last Saturday night’s run off turn 4 to the checkered flag. I’m hoping for another promo worthy finish on Sunday.

Charlie Kimball has added Portland to his original five race schedule. He was originally sitting out this week and just running the finale in three weeks.

Reminder: The race is on NBC. The big network. You might need to make sure your DVR is set to record the correct channel.

Richmond Returns

As reported yesterday, Adam stern tweeted that Richmond Raceway will be on the 2020 NTT Indycar Series schedule. The 3/4 mile D shaped oval will be the shortest oval on the schedule. Iowa is 7/8 of a mile. I’m not sure how I feel about two short tracks of nearly identical length. It takes away some of the series’ diversity.

Late Breaking News

There are reports that Marcus Ericsson will be in Spa with Alfa Romeo this weekend instead of racing for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Conor Daly will drive the 7 car at Portland.

There seem to be conflicting reports about whether Ericsson is driving or there in his reserve role. In any case this is a huge opportunity for Daly. ASPM will be the third team Daly will have driven for this season.

The statement from ASPM:

Richmond Set to Join Indycar Schedule in 2020

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From Adam Stern in a Tweet this afternoon:

 

 

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This is a replacement, not an addition. It’s great that a track is returning to the schedule. It’s sad that Pocono will not be back.  I think six ovals is the correct number to have a balance of the types of courses for Indycar. More thoughts when the schedule is official in a couple of days.

The Podium of Redemption- Quick Thoughts on the Bommarito Automotive Group 500

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Three drivers who needed a good result got the best results possible. Takuma Sato, maligned as the cause of the first lap crash at Pocono; Ed Carpenter, in his final race of the year and some questioning whether he should step out of the car; and Tony Kanaan, whose best finish to date was a quiet eighth, stood proudly on the podium after The Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Each of these drivers needed a good finish and they couldn’t have asked for more.

Josef Newgarden placed more distance between himself and his closest rivals.

Santino Ferrucci had the drive of the day. He led the most laps and made some incredible passes. It’s a shame the pit stops and yellows fell the way they did.

There was a great four way battle for the lead in the middle of the race with Ferrucci, Sebastien Bourdais, Newgarden, and Rossi.

In spite of all the yellows, some of which were a bit too long, this was a great race. The race had lots of passing, on track lead changes, pit strategy, and a close finish.

Sato has had a strange season- strong early, then a terrible middle, then he rebounds with another win.  He has two wins and a pole in this weird season.

Conor Daly grabs another top ten. I hope Carlin puts him in the car full time next year. He again shows that he can get the most out of a car.

Carpenter finishes his oval season with two straight top tens and three overall.

I can’t remember a race in which Will Power finished last and Scott Dixon finished 20th.  Dixon’s chance of winning the title may have suffered a fatal blow tonight.

Ferrucci now leads the rookie standings by two points over Felix Rosenqvist.

Five drivers in the top ten started 17th or worse.

I will update this post later.

Thanks for following along the last two days.

 

 

 

 

Mid Day at World Wide Technology Raceway

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We are four hours away from race time. There s a fairly decent crowd here already. Currently on track Indy Lights is 13 laps into their 75 lap race. A caution is out for a spin by Toby Sowery. Rinus VeeKay leads.

I arrived at the track  around 1 pm. The paddock was empty and all the equipment was under cover. The tires emitted that distinct rubber smell. The silence was eerie. Activity soon picked up and the track regained its usual energy.

I took some time to get a close look at the vintage cars. It was a trip down memory lane. Here are some photos. I did see ALL of these cars race, but I did see a lot of them on track.

Detail of the Olsonite Eagle
The Dowgard Special driven by Tony Bettenhausen
The Olsonite Eagle
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Steering wheel of a 1933 racer

I am still looking for the Stanley Cup.  That is my next mission. I will try to post again just before the race, but will definitely have Quick Thoughts up tonight.

Race Day at Gateway

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Good morning, race fans. We are about 10 hours away from the green flag for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The weather looks ideal for racing with the temperature in the high 70s at race time.

This race will determine what kind of championship fight we have for the last two races of the year. Can Josef Newgarden extend his lead to a comfortable margin or will Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud, and Scott Dixon close the gap?

Here a few photos from yesterday. One had a legend sitting in another legend’s car.

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Daly Fastest in Final Practice

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Photo: Kyle McInnes

Conor Daly recorded the fastest lap in tonight’s final practice for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 with a speed of 181.931. Daly turned his best lap late in the session, bettering a 181.312 circuit by Josef Newgarden about halfway through the hour long practice. Zach Veach had led early with a lap 0f 181.033. Veach’s lap was still good enough for third place in tonight’s practice.

The practice was green until Charlie Kimball brushed the wall in turn 4 with about six minutes remaining. He slowed and rolled down the front stretch, coming to a stop at the start/finish line.  The session was ended with about three minutes to go.

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Charlie Kimball  after brushing the wall in turn 4

Newgarden, the NTT Indycar Series points leader, reported a misfire toward the end of practice. The team is installing a new engine according to reports. As for the other championship contenders, Scott Dixon was sixth,  Simon Pagenaud seventh, and Alexander Rossi eighth. Rossi struggled early then found some speed late in the session.

Ed Carpenter continues to struggle. He was last in tonight’s practice after qualifying 17th.

Notes

The crowd today seemed smaller than the Friday crowds of the previous two years.

The matte black finish of Felix Rosenqvist’s car is disappointing. A gloss finish would have bee better. It doesn’t present well under the lights.

I am hoping the rubber laid down by the Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights Series will help establish a second lane for passing. I think getting around someone will be difficult tomorrow night.

The vintage car laps were great until one of them oiled down the track. I love this part of the day, but maybe scheduling it just before qualifying may not be the best idea.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a pre race edition around midday and my Quick Thoughts after the race. Look for a full race report on Wildfire Sports Sunday night.