Category: Auto Racing

Day 2 Wrap-up

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Photo: Felix Rosenqvist at the Indycar Grand Prix. Photo by Kyle McInnes

Felix Rosenqvist spun in turn two at 5:02. His car snapped as it appeared he caught the grass with his left front tire. He backed into the outside wall the went head on into the tire barrier on the inside.  His spinning car just missed clipping Will Power and Jack Harvey just missed running into Rosenqvist. He was checked and released from the infield medical center.

After just a few minutes of green flag running, the yellow flew for a track inspection. Another track inspection with seven minutes left, the track closed for the day.

Josef Newgarden’ s earlier time of 228. 856 held as the fastest of the day. Alexander Rossi was 34th quickest but had the fastest no tow speed.

Alonso talked to NBC Sports about his accident.

“It was understeer on the car, and even if I lifted the throttle on the entry of the corner, it was not enough, and I lost completely the front aero. The wall came too close and too quickly. Unfortunately, it happened today. We will lose a little bit of running time again. I’m sorry for the team, but we will learn and hopefully, we will come back stronger tomorrow. I’m disappointed and sad for the team and for the guys. We worked quite a lot on the car and definitely now it’s quite damaged, so I feel sorry for the team and for my mistake. We will learn from this and hopefully tomorrow we’re back on track and back stronger”

McLaren is repairing the primary car and also building the backup car. they will try both tomorrow and decide which car to qualify.

Notes

The F1 grid lines are slowly returning as the sealant lightens.

Newgarden said that like last year it is difficult to follow especially in a deep pack of cars. He thinks the race will be similar to last year, but it will depend on the temperature. A cooler day might see better racing than a warm day. Newgarden also noted that the team or other teams as well have not tried all the downforce and aero tools Indycar has made available this year.

Rossi said the team completed their checklist for today and then parked the car. He didn’t seem concerned about his speed ranking today and thought being first on the no tow list was irrelevant.

Mid Day Update- Alonso Crash; All Rookies Complete ROP

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It’s 3:300time for the 3 o’clock update.

Fernando Alonso crashed in turn 3 just after noon today, the first yellow for an accident in practice. Alonso exited the turn and hit the the outside wall, slid backwards toward the infield.  The rear of the car hit the inside wall hard and it rebounded back to the outside wall . There was heavy contact with the left rear. Alonso was uninjured. The team will assess the damage and decide whether to repair this car or prepare the backup machine.

A few minutes before Alosno’s crash Graham Rahal made quite a save exiting turn 2 It looks like understeer is an issue. teams may be experimenting with the different downforce levels and wing settings allowed.

Pato O’Ward completed his rookie test in a special pre practice session this morning. Ben Hanley completed the last phase around 1 pm. All rookies are now eligible to practice and qualify.

Josef Newgarden just had the fastesy lap of the day, 228.856, nipping Scott Dixon’s time by 0.02 miles an hour.

Conor Daly and Dixon did some pit stop practice.

Zach Veach and Colton Herta teamed up to work on drafting.

McLaren has decided to repair their car.

 

Hulman & Company Sells Clabber Girl

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Some interesting news this morning – Hulman & Company has sold Clabber Girl Baking Powder to B&G Foods. Clabber Girl has been part of Hulman & Company for more than a century. Mark Miles, Hulman CEO, said the sale was “to fully focus on the continued growth and direction of Indycar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and IMS Productions.”

Here is the news release. I will have some thoughts in my 3 pm update.

Hulman & Company Sells Clabber Girl Corporation to B&G Foods, Inc.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., May 15, 2019 – Hulman & Company announced today the sale of Clabber Girl Corporation to B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS), a leading manufacturer, seller and distributor of shelf-stable and frozen foods across North America.

“Our core focus is the pursuit of world-class motorsports competition and entertainment,” Hulman & Company President & CEO Mark Miles said. “This decision positions us to fully focus on the continued direction and growth of INDYCAR, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions. It also provides Clabber Girl with a well-prepared owner ready to use its vast expertise and considerable resources to accelerate the growth of the newest member of its impressive portfolio.”

“The Hulman-George family takes great pride in the Clabber Girl brand’s success, history and critical role in the development and rich cultural fabric of Terre Haute,” Hulman & Company Chairman of the Board Anton Hulman “Tony” George said. “Clabber Girl will always be a cherished and celebrated part of our legacy, and we’re excited we’ve found a strong steward for its very bright future.”

Like Clabber Girl, B&G Foods has spent more than a century in the food business. The company maintains more than 50 brands and 2,500 employees across North America. This includes Ortega, Green Giant, Cream of Wheat, Mrs. Dash, Back to Nature and many others.

“We are excited to join the B&G Foods family as we add our iconic Clabber Girl brand to its impressive portfolio of brands consumers both recognize and trust,” Clabber Girl President and COO Gary Morris said. “Clabber Girl will benefit from the knowledge and reach B&G Foods will provide as a seasoned food manufacturer and distributor. Together, we will continue to grow this historic business.”

Guggenheim Securities, LLC acted as Hulman & Company’s financial advisor for this transaction.

 

Source: Hulman & Company PR

 

 

500 Practice Day Two

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The second day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 gets a bit of an early start today. Pato O’Ward will have the track to him self from 10:20 -11:00 to complete his rookie test. the 31 car had mechanical issues yesterday which prevented him from getting all three phases done.

At 11 the track opens until 6 for all cars to practice. The current weather forecast calls for a 20% chance rain early. The predicted high is 67 degrees.  Conditions should be good for some more high speeds.

We should get a better idea of which cars and teams are strongest today. yesterday was mainly just feeling out the track, the new Firestone compound, and the aero tweaks that Indycar has allowed for the race this year.

Today’s practice will be on NBC Gold with continuous coverage from 11-6.

As of now, Bump Tales will be posted tomorrow morning. The schedule may change, however. I will let you know tonight.

Unless something major happens, i will have a 3 o’clock update and an end of day wrap up. Thanks to everyone who followed along yesterday.

if you’re going to the track, be safe and have a great time.

Day One Final Thoughts

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It was a very busy day with speeds higher than expected. The conditions were nearly perfect for running.

The three drivers who spoke to the media after practice, Will Power, Kyle Kaiser,  and Colton Herta, agreed that know one knows what anyone has yet. Will Power admitted the top speeds were all with a huge tow.  He was 30th on the no-tow chart.

Kaiser was asked about the team’s sponsor situation. He replied, “I don’t care what color the car is, my job is to drive it. I will do my job and the financial situation will take care of itself.” He was happy with what the team did on track today.

Herta said his incident happened because, “I bit off a bit more than I could chew.”

Power acknowledged repeating his victory last year would be very tough. “There are no bad teams and no bad drivers anymore. The team standards are higher now,” he said.

One nice touch at the track this year is dedicated garage space for the Indy Lights Teams. The former F1 garages on the south end of tower terrace have team signage above the doors. They have been used for staging the Lights cars for their practice/qualification day and the Freedom 100.  I think it’s great to make the Indy lights teams feel as if they are an important part of the entire 500.

James Hinchcliffe got a lot of track time today driving all four of the cars Arrow Schmidt Peterson is involved with this month. I wonder if he gets to pick the one he likes best?

Here are a couple more pics from today.  See you all tomorrow.

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Power Quickest on Day 1

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Team Penske’s Will Power had the fastest lap of the first day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 today. His speed of 229.745 was just slightly quicker than teammate Simon Pagenaud’s best lap of 229,703. Power said that the speeds were the result of a huge tow and no one really knows their true speed yet.

Nine drivers were in the 228 or above range in near perfect running conditions.

The only incident of the day was Colton Herta spinning as he exited pit lane. Herta said he accelerated too quickly on cold tires. The only damage was a punctured tire.

Zach Veach exited the pits and immediately went to the high side of the track causing Josef Newgarden to check up quickly. There was no contact.

Pato O’Ward did not complete his rookie test and will have an opportunity tomorrow at 10:20. The track will open for the second practice day at 11:00.

I will have a complete day’s roundup later.

Practice Update

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Will Power has today’s fastest time of 229.745 and teammate Simon Pagenaud is second at 229.703. Seven cars have speeds over 228 mph. Power and Pagenaud qualified in the first row in 2018.

Some quick thoughts:

The video boards show the car’s best speed of the day rather than the last lap they turned. I would much prefer to see the current laps and have the best lap just on the pylon.

There are some very nice looking cars here. Felix Rosenqvist has a great design. Marco’s car in the Mario tribute colors really pops.

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And of course, Fernando

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Back later with a final wrapup of the day.

Carpenter Leads Veterans’ Session; Rookies and Returnees Set to Complete Tests

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Ed Carpenter had the fastest time in the first two hour veterans’ session as practice began for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.  His Preferred Freezer Services Dallara turned a lap at 228.653. Helio Castroneves had the next fastest time at 228.441. Castroneves turned his lap early in the session. Colton Herta was third at 228.284.Sebastien Bourdais (228.242) and Spencer Pigot (227.661) round out the top five.

Ed Jones was eighth quickest, putting all three Ed Carpenter Racing cars in the top eight.

James Hinchcliffe drove each of the four cars in the Arrow Schmidt Peterson stable.

 

Rookies and drivers needing refresher tests will have exclusive use of the track for the next two hours. Back with more after the next session.

 

 

Track Action and Temperatures Warm Up

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Good morning from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Practice begins at 11 this morning for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Today’s schedule:

11-1  Veterans practice

1-3 Rookies and refresher tests/practice

3-6  Free practice

You can follow all the action on NBC Gold today. If you haven’t purchased Gold, it is only $40 this month.

I will have updates after each session. I hope to get photos of all the cars over the next two days.

Enjoy the day.