Category: Auto Racing

Qualifying Day at Barber

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Good morning. Indycar qualifying is later this afternoon. The morning practice should be dry, but Round 2 and the Fast Six qualifying could see some rain.  Tomorrow looks like a dry race day with just a slight chance of showers.

Tires were a big concern yesterday as the primary black tires seemed to be quicker than the reds. Rain could throw another variable into the equation.  I’m not sure this morning’s practice will answer any questions.

James Hinchcliffe said yesterday that the support series preceding an Indycar session affects tire wear. Porsche GT3 qualifying is right before this morning’s practice. A Lamborghini Super Trofeo race is just before qualifying.The Porsches run on Yokohama tires and the Lamborghini series uses Pirelli rubber. R C Enerson mentioned on the track walk that Pirelli has the most adverse affect on the Firestone tires. The order the support series run should probably be taken into consideration in the future.

Where’s the Green?

Barber Motorsports Park on race weekend is usually resplendent in green with spring flowers in bloom. This year it is very brown with not much blooming. The race is two weeks earlier than usual due to Easter.  A colder than usual winter has also contributed to the look. I hope the race will return to its normal spot on the calendar next year.

Today’s Schedule (Local Time)

Practice #3- 10:45-11:30

Qualifying  -3:00-4:15

Practice is on NBC Gold. Qualifying is live on NBCSN.

Back later with qualifying quick thoughts and a full day’s report on Wildfire Sports.

Quick Thoughts on Barber Day 1

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Red flags continue to disrupt Indycar sessions. There were three in morning practice and one in this afternoon’s run. The red flags in the morning session were spaced far enough apart that no one was able to get a decent run.

Felix Rosenqvist led session 1 and James Hinccliffe was fastest this afternoon. The fastest time was on black tires.

It may have been because of the weather, but the crowd seemed less than the usual Friday attendance here.

At a press gathering this morning to introduce Mario Andretti as the Grand Marshall for Sunday”s race, track president Gene Hallman said Barber has sold tickets in 42 states and eight countries for this year’s event.

Hinchcliffe said in the press conference after practice that teams need to figure out why the blacks were faster and what to do if it rains. Hinchcliffe was the only driver faster on reds.

The track seems more slippery than usual this weekend.

From earlier today, a story about last night’s track walk. The link:

https://wordpress.com/post/thepitwindow.blog/9135

Back tomorrow with quick thoughts on qualifyimg. Will the red flag stay furled?

A Walk on the Track

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Last night I had the opportunity to walk the Barber track with Indycarnation. TSO’s Steve Wittich led the tour. As a bonus, driver R C Enerson provided insights on how to drive the track. It was quite an educational hour.

Some things I learned:

The different tires used by support series all interact differently with Indycar’s Firestone tires. Pirelli has the most adverse effect on the Indycar tires.

Drivers can feel the cracks and patches on the track surface sometimes.

The car’s air is disturbed less when a competitor is more than 10 car lengths ahead. The drivers still feel a tow, however.

Turn 5 is the best and ususally only passing zone on this track.

Missing the entry to one turn can cause a driver to not get the next few turns wrong as well.

Some photos:

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R C Enerson (L) and Steve Wittich lead the track walk
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Rumble strips in turn 1
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Turn 3 
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Approach to turn 5
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Arachnaphobic drivers may struggle through this part of the track
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Looking for a good spot to see the action
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Start zone

Barber Preview: Newgarden’s Playground

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The NTT Indycar Series heads to Birmingham for the 10th Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.  The 17 turn, 2.38 mile course  features beautifully landscaped hills and border areas with whimsical artwork scattered throughout the grounds. It is worth taking a tram ride around the entire facility to see everything.

Two things can always be expected at Barber- decent racing and rain. It seems as if rain falls at some point during the weekend every year. The forecast for this weekend calls for scattered showers and thunderstorms each day, with some breaks in the weather. The latest Sunday forecast as I write this is for late afternoon showers.

Rain is one of the storylines this weekend. Here are four things to look for.

Can Newgarden Win Three in a Row?

Josef Newgarden has turned what he considers his home track into his personal playground. He has won three of the last four races, including the last two. Will Power won two consecutive races in 2011 and 2012, and Ryan Hunter-Reay won back to back in 2013 and 2014. Newgarden is the first driver to win at Barber three times, and he can become to the first to win three in a row. His chances seem even better since Team Penske has won six of the ten races here.

The other championship contenders probably isn’t happy that Newgarden enters this race with an 18 point lead. He has a chance to significantly distance himself from the rest of the field.

Does Rossi Begin His Challenge for the Title?

Alexander Rossi had a difficult time at St. Pete with a car that wasn’t quite on pace, but he still managed a fifth place finish. At COTA he qualified second and was heading for a runner-up finish behind Will Power when they were both caught out by the late caution. Rossi salvaged ninth place.

Rossi is 40 points behind Newgarden, which is really not that far back at this point in the season, but he needs a podium and to finish ahead of Newgarden. Rossi was masterful at Long Beach in 2018, so he will have a chance to make up a lot of ground next weekend.

Will Indy Lights Wins Help Herta and O’Ward?

Colton Herta, winner of the COTA Indycar Classic, and Patricio O’Ward have won at Barber in Indy Lights. O’Ward won bot Lights races last season. How much will their experience help them this weekend? Both had strong showings at COTA. In addition to winning, Herta made the Fast Six and O’Ward advanced to round 2 of qualifying, starting eighth. I think both rookies will have good weekends again.

We can’t forget about the other rookies, Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson. The Swedish pair have done a great job to date, although contact and mechanical issues have seen them drop in the standings. They stiil could contend for a top ten this weekend.

The R Word

This was race day at Barber last year:

wp-15543260678727616567479605581005.jpgThe forecast looks as if there might be rain during the race, which would be an improvement. It will make for some interesting strategy. Newgarden won the rain postponed race last year when Tim Cindric called him in for rain tires before the rain began while Sebastien Bourdais tried to finish on the black primary tires.

The former Formula 1 drivers- Bourdais, Rossi, Ericsson, and Takuma Sato- along with Rosenqvist and Ben Hanley-likely have more experience driving in the rain. The weather could help them. At any rate, it should be an interesting Sunday afternoon.

Totally inaccurate predictions:

Pole- Newgarden

Winner-Rosenqvist

Cautions-0 if it doesn’t rain; 3 if it does

I will be on site beginning Thursday. While I will mainly be reporting for Wildfire Sports, I will still post my quick thoughts and possibly a couple other items here. Please check Wildfire Sports beginning Friday for my full Race Weekend reports.

Hoosier Hundred, Once the World’s Richest Dirt Race, to End May 23

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Another part of Indycar’s heritage dies at the conclusion of the May 23 Hoosier Hundred. The Indiana State Fairgrounds will convert the famous one mile dirt oval to an all weather track for harness race training year round.

I find sadness in this announcement for many reasons.  The Hoosier Hundred was the first major race I attended in 1958. I loved watching the cars slide through turns 1 and 2 with the dirt flying behind them.  This race was at one time one of the best paying races on the USAC Championship Trail.

The early September date gave me one more day of racing before winter came to Indiana.  It was something to hold onto until the following May. School had started about a week before the race, so it was also one of the last weekends to relax before the homework load got heavy.

Closing this track is another loss of racing heritage as the sport on all levels seems to be divorcing itself from its roots. The dirt tracks are where the eventual stars of the Indianapolis 500 honed their skills.  While there used to be many one milt dirt tracks- the Fairgrounds, Langhorne, Sacramento, Springfield, Duquoin, and some others I’m not remembering right now- I believe only Springfield and Duquoin remain. I have always thought removing dirt tracks from the Indycar championship was a mistake. Today’s news reinforces that view.

The link below contains the release from USAC.  I have been planning a series on the old dirt tracks. My timeline has just moved up.

 

The Indianapolis 500 Pace Car

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Today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the pace car for the 103rd running ofm the Indianapolis 500 made its debut.  The Corvette Grand Sport will lead the field to the green flag on May 26th.

I really like the color of this car. I thought they might go with a Camaro resembling the pace car from 1969 to continue the Mario Andretti tribute. This Corvette is a nice alternative.

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Some Notes and a Drive for Dyslexia

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I found out late last week about Driving for Dyslexia, a fund raising event for the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana. The late Justin Wilson worked with the students who received services, once hosting a group for a tour of his transporter at the speedway before practice. I don’t know if the kids or the parents were more impressed. As always, Justin was generous with his time helping kids who had the same issue he did.

The event is April 26 from 6 pm to 9pm at Speedway Indoor Karting. Tickets are $100 to drive and $20 just to watch. Kids 8 and under are free. More information is at this link

https://donate.diin.org/event/2019-driving-for-dyslexia/e224062

I have signed up to drive, so for just $20 you can watch me look foolish. Or you can just read my blog and watch me look foolish for free.

More 500 Entries?

Oriol Servia has said he is close to finalizing a deal to enter the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.  My guess is this will be the third car at Arrow Schmidt Peterson.

Harding Steinbrenner Racing has begun calling drivers for their second 500 entry.

If these two cars become a reality, I have thirty five entries. A. J. Foyt Racing may have a third, which would be 36. I think that will be the final number of entries.

J. R. and Salesforce?- J. R . Hildebrand and Salesforce sent out a cryptic tweet last week about their exciting plans for May. No car was mentioned, but a photo of the car Hildebrand drove in 2018 was in the photo. I’m not counting this as an entry yet.

 Winning Is Good for Business

Following Colton Herta’s win at the Indycar Classic in Austin last week, Team owners Mike Harding and George Michael Steinbrenner IV told Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star, that there is interest from possible sponsors. Harding sounded optimistic that they may have an announcement soon.

In 2010 Ryan Hunter-Reay was driving for Michael Andretti on a part time arrangement. After Hunter-Reay won at Long Beach, DHL began a sponsor relationship that kept Hunter-Reay on track the rest of the year and continues to this day. I hope HSR and Herta have the same good fortune.

Game Changers?

Jay Frye mentioned a while ago about two game changing announcements coming in May. Everyone assumes one is the elusive third engine manufacturer. The assumption has led to wild speculation. Cosworth has stated they are not involved.  The favorite seems to be a German manufacturer, Which one?

As for the second announcement, I have no idea.

Pruett- Indycar May Return to Watkins Glen

The most exciting news item last week came from Marshall Pruett who said there is a rumor that Indycar may be racing at Watkins Glen again, sooner rather than later. The Glen is a track Indycar needs to run. It is classic and fast. Going to Watkins Glen was one of my favorite race trips.

2020 Schedule

I look for some significant changes in the schedule for 2020. I’m basing this partly on Nascar’s schedule reshuffling and wondering how NBC had a hand in it. I have no knowledge of anything imminent.

This is why a return to Watkins Glen would make sense next season.  I’m not sure how long Iowa can remain without a title sponsor, but that is one race I hope never leaves the schedule.

Some COTA Leftovers

Some things from last weekend I didn’t get to:

I understand why the checkered flag has a Speedway logo on it. I am not opposed to having a sponsor logo on the flag, but this one seems larger than most. I found it a bit invasive on the purpose of the flag. Can we make it just a bit smaller?

NBC ran what I suppose was a promo for the Indianapolis 500, but it looked like it was more a promo for the fact Danica Patrick was going to be part of the broadcast.  I get that NBC thinks she will help ratings (maybe), but to make her out to be bigger than the race I found distasteful.

I have nothing against her being on the broadcast. I’m neutral on Danica. I just thought that promo could have been done better with more focus on the race and event itself.

Back Thursday with a Barber preview. I will be reporting for Wildfire Sports on site next weekend, but will still have my notes and quick thoughts here.