Category: Auto Racing

Dixon Leads Warm Up

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Scott Dixon had the fastest lap in the final tune up for this afternoon’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio. Dixon starts 17th this afternoon, but he has won here from last place. It will still be a difficult climb through the field.

Pole sitter and defending race winner Alex Palou was second fastest The session stayed green, but Agustin Canapino went of track, spun, and returned to the track.

Colton Herta, Scott Mc Laughlin, and Marcus Armstrong were the rest of the top five. Armstrong will serve a six place grid penalty at the start of the race.

Scott McLaughlin remains the fastest of the Team Penske cars this weekend. He was fourth in the warmup. Josef Newgarden finished 10th, his best session so far. He has complained of understeer all weekend. Newgarden starts18th. Will Power was 26th this morning. He starts 16th today.

Tire selections should be out after the Indy NXT race which is going on now.

Results

Race Day at Mid Ohio

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s Schedule:

Gates are open.

9:15 am: USF2000 Race
10:25 am: INDYCAR Warmup
11:20 am: INDY NXT command
11:25 am: INDY NXT Green Flag
1:05 pm: Driver Intros
1:34 pm: Invocation
1:35 pm: Anthem
1:46 pm: Command
1:53 pm: Green Flag

Good morning from Mid-Ohio. It will be a beautiful day with he temperature around 80 degrees at the green flag and no rain in sight. Today is the race debut of the new Indycar hybrid system.

Alex Palou will attempt to win from the pole again. He has won from the pole four times in five attempts. the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 was the only time he failed to win from the pole.

I would not count out Pato O’Ward or Colton Herta today. They have been strong all weekend.

How much will the hybrid unit play into race tactics today? Will it make any difference at all? I am interested n post race comments from the drivers.

More Hybrid News

IndyCar expects the hybrid unit to last 5,000 miles, which means two per car per full season. There will be no penalties for a change this year if approved by Indycar.

A mockup of the unit is on display in the media center. I am amazed at how compact it is.

Yesterday during qualifying I followed Alexander Rossi on the Indycar app just to see when he used the system. He seemed to deploy it in short bursts three to four times a lap. Unlike push to pass, there is no limit on the use of the hybrid.

Simon Pagenaud

One year ago today Simon Pagenaud crashe in practice whe his brakes failed entering turn four. His car rolled several times and came to a stop upside down near the ntire barriers. he has been in recovery for a head injury ever since. He issued a statement on Xwitter yesterday:

I wish Simon the best. His absence has left a void in the paddock. I’m not sure if he will ever race again, but I hope he can at least get back gto help a team in some way.

\I will be back after Warmup with results and tire selections.

Palou Slips by O’Ward for Historic Pole at Mid-Ohio

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

The first pole of the hybrid era goes to Alex Palou by a razor thin margin. Palou slipped by Pato O’Ward on his last lap by 0.0024 seconds, the closest front row difference since Indycar began knockout qualifying. Palou won the race at Mid-Ohio last year.

David Malukas will start third as he made his first Fast Six. Malukas has not finished worse than 10th in his career at Mid-Ohio. In his two starts with Meyer Shank Racing, and his first two races of the season, Malukas has gone beyond the first round. He started 12th at Laguna Seca.

Colton Herta will start 4th, followed by Marcus Armstrong and Marcus Ericsson.

Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power were eliminated in Round 1. Alexander Rossi had been fast in the practices, but went out in Round 2.

Youth Will Be Served

All the drivers in the Fast Six began their Indycar careers in 2019 or later. The youth movement has taken a little longer to assert itself than I expected, but we may be seeing the beginning of a power shift.

Close Qualifying

2024 will be known for the year of the hybrid, but it could also distinguish itself as the season with the closest front rows on road and street courses. Three of the six closest front rows have occured this year.

The top 10 closest qualifying sessons:

Results

O’Ward Tops Practice 2

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Pato O’Ward led the morning practice at Mid-Ohio with a lap of1:05.9862, edging Graham Rahal by 0.0423 seconds. Five teams placed a car in the top five:

Teams were allowed to use alternate tires this morning because the rain yesterday didn’t allow for a good read on how the red tires would work with the added weight.

Colton Herta brought out a red flag when he slid into the tire barrier in turn 12. Kyffin Simpson later stalled his car and caused another stoppage. The hybrid system which is supposed to allow drivers to restart their cars without assistance is not operational because of a software glitch. It is one of the teething problems of a new technology I suppose. Several drivers had off course excursions as they adjust to the added weight of the hybrid unit..

Indycar qualifying begins at 3 pm Eastern.

Results

Mid-Ohio Saturday- Another Test for the Hybrid

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s schedule:

Gates open at 7:00 AM

8:25 AM – 9:15 AM USF Pro 2000 Race 1

9:40 AM – 10:25 AM INDY NXT Practice 2

10:50 AM – 11:50 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 Peacock, Indycar radio

12:10 PM – 12:50 PM USF Juniors Race 2

1:05 PM – 1:45 PM USF2000 Race 2

2:05 PM – 2:35 PM INDY NXT Qualifying

2:20 PM – 2:40 PM USF Pro 200 Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

2:45 PM – 3:05 PM USF Juniors Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying Peacock, Indycar radio

3:10 PM – 3:30 PM USF2000 Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

4:30 PM – 5:15 PM INDY NXT Autograph Session at American Legion in Midway

4:50 PM – 5:40 PM USF Pro 2000 Race 2

Dusk Fireworks Display Sunset is 9:04 PM ET

Good morning from Mid-Ohio. Today the new hybrid unit gets its first test in qualifying. How will it be used? How much difference will it make?

Yesterday’s limited practice time did not allow the drivers and teams to learn as much as they wanted to. The morning practice will be quite busy today.

Alex Palou told the media last night, “I think everybody with the hybrid system wants to get reads on all the stages and also get the car where we want because with the repave, everything changed quite a lot,” Palou said. “It’s going to be exciting tomorrow.”

Notes

There is no rain in the forecast the rest of the weekend. High today should be 80 degrees.

It’s nice being back at an Indycar race, and it is a strange feeling that this my first Indycar race since the 500. Familiarity and comfort are always a good thing.

I learned that the fire on Agustin Canapino’s car yesterday was from a loose oil line, and not related to the hybrid unit or the engine.

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Palou Leads Mid-Ohio Practice 1

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Alex Palou led the first practice of the hybrid era in a session interrupted by two red flags and cars electing to stay on pit lane when the rain began.

Agustin Canapino had what appeared to be a brake fire, which brought out the first red flag. Marcus Armstrong spun and could not refire the car. Elsewhere on track Jack Harvey spun. During the second red flag, rain began.

Cars sat on pit road until about 10 minutes left. Pato O’Ward ventured out for just a couple laps. Kyle Kirkwood then followed and stayed out for several circuits. Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta took a few laps just before the checkered flag.

Tracking the Hybrids

The Indycar app has added hybrid tracking tomits data. It is included in the all data section and also has a ndedicated section

The lightning bolt indicates the unit is deployed

NBC will also display a graphic showing deployment.

In a post practice media conference, Pato O’Ward said oft he hybrid, “You can definitely feel it when you engage it.”

He added that he tinks the unit is capable of so much more.

“Let’s really push this system and see how much you can really give us.”

Results

The New Power Era Begins- Mid Ohio Preview

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It has been a tough hill to climb, but Indycar finally debuts its hybrid power system this weekend at Mid Ohio as the series launches the second half of the season.

The new unit is an energy recovery system developed collaboratively by Honda and Chevrolet. It sits behind the engine at the rear of the car.

In a media availability Tuesday, jay Frye talked about the ERS’s use as a compliment to Push to Pass. It can be used with P2P or separately. While P2P still has a limit for the race, there is no limit on deploying the hybrid system.

Will the new system help fuel mileage? It is possible, but maybe not right away. It would be nice to not have fuel saving races anymore.

The one immediate benefit the hybrid presents is the ability for drivers to restart their stalled cars without assistance. We could see fewer red flags in practice and qualifying, and fewer cautions during the race.

Will we see improved racing? The jury is out on that, but I don’t think we will see much difference, at least not this year. The system only provides 60 additional horsepower. The horsepower will be raised for 2025 according to Frye. The series wants to use the rest of 2024 to see how it performs and get everyone acclimated to it.

Fans will be able to monitor hybrid usage on the Indycar app. NBC will also display its usage on a graphic during the race. The system is allowed in practice and qualifying.

Another Repaved Track

Mid-Ohio joins Laguna Seca and road America as tracks that have been repaved in the last two years. This weekend is IndyCar’s first time on the new surface at Mid-Ohio. We have seen lots of slipping and sliding on new pavement at other tracks, so this could be a wild weekend.

Drivers will be dealing with new slick pavement and a new engine propulsion system. I can’t wait.

Silly Season

Christian Lundgaard and Alexander Rossi enter the Mid-Ohio weekend after announcing they will have new teams in 2025. Lundgaard will replace Rossi at Arrow McLaren. Rossi is optimistic that he will be in Indycar next year. I don’t expect to see much change in their performances the rest of the year.

It is possible we hear more news at the track about 2025 lineups.

As far as who will win, I am going with Alexander Rossi. He has been close nearly every weekend. I think this is the Sunday he finally breaks through.