Winning the Indianapolis 500 appears to have not affected Takuma Sato. He won the pole for tomorrow’s second Bommarito Automotive Group race and starts fifth in this afternoon’s race.
Power inches closer one more pole closer to Mario Andretti. It’s his second pole of the year.
Why is Sato that much quicker than Graham Rahal?
Simon Pagenaud starting 13th today in one of his better qualifying efforts this year.
Conditons at the track two hours before race time are overcast and windy with a hint of moisture in the air. The temperature has cooled since qualifying.
Dont count out Pato O’Ward as a possible winner today.
The crowd is light and well spread out. Definitely more mask wearing here than at Iowa or Road America.
It is finally time. The Indianapolis 500 will run Sunday as a very different event than we normally witness. It’s been delayed three months, a safety plan developed, and attendance was limited then done away with. Now the race is set.
The field is mixture of current and future stars of the series. Two rookies start in the first three rows surrounded by long time veterans. The rookie class has done very well this season, and I look for some of them to do quite well Sunday. I think one of the veterans will win, but I expect three rookies in the top ten at the finish.
Here are some things to look at for the 104th running:
Last Rides?
Sunday may be the final 500 for some popular drivers, particularly Helio Castroneves and Fernando Alonso. Castroneves is in the final year of a three year deal to drive in the 500 with Team Penske. With the disbanding of Penske’s IMSA team, Castroneves has nothing secure for next season. he is looking for a full time Indycar ride. Penske said the other day he would not rule Castroneves out for next year. The team looks like it will be pretty full already. Castroneves has been one of the greatest drivers in 500 history with three wins and three second place finishes.
Alonso’s contract with Renault in formula 1 for the next two seasons precludes him from racing in the 500. He has said he will come back after his Renault contract ends, but he will be 42 years old then.
Could Ryan Hunter-Reay be retiring at the end of this year? His contract is believed to be up, and DHL’s sponsorship agreement also ends after this season. Will he come back for Indianapolis one offs?
Watch and enjoy these three drivers Sunday. We don’t know if they’ll be back.
Charging from the Back
Will Power starts 22nd, Simon Pagenaud rolls off 25th, Castroneves starts 28th. despite the poor qualifying runs, look for the three penske drivers to be near the front by the end of the race. Pagenaud has not qualified well all season. He won at iowa after starting last, but this is a different situation.
Watch for the Ed Carpenter and Conor Daly to im prove from their sixth row grid positions. The ECR cars disappointed a bit in qualifying, but they should be good for the race..
Passing
Drivers are saying passing will be difficult and may take four to five laps instead of two or three. Today’s practice might give us a hint. Passes need to be planned and executed wisely. Team penske cars appeared to have little trouble passing cars during the first two days of practice.
Pits- Strategy and Mistakes
We have seen virtually every team have an issue in the pits through the frist six races. The mistakes could be from the delay in starting the seaon and the lack of practice time for crew members. A mistake Sunday could be costly, especially on one the later pit stops.
Will a team gamble on fuel strategy? It depends on how the race plays out with the cautions. How much will the 58 pounds of the aeroscreen affect fuel mileage and tires?
The Rookies
Rinus VeeKay qualified fourth and Alex Palou starts seventh. VeeKay has improved since his shaky debut in Texas, but I’m not sure what to expect from him here. Driving for Ed carpenter racing is a plus at IMS. He should end up in the top ten.
Palou has been fast, and I am interestef to see how he handles a longer race. He needs flawless pit stops and smart strategy calls.
Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew start a bit further back than i expected. If they can avoid trouble, look for the Arrow McLaren SP cars to move up steadily during the first half of the race. At Iowa both cars stuck to their plan and were contending.
And the Winner Is…
While Marco Andretti wowed everyone with his dominant pole run, I am going with Scott Dixon to win his second Indianapolis 500. Dixon has been steady all year in winning the first three races to begin the season. He has been quietly quick during practice and qualifying. This team is prepared to go to Victory lane. A win would would put Dixon in a favorable spot to win his sixth championship.
Could Scott Dixon win his second 500 and 50th Indycar race Sunday?
For Rookie of the Year, look for Rinus VeeKay to take the honor. th 19 year old loves the speedway. Carpenter said he has taken to the track quicker than Josef Newgarden did.
The US Air Force Thunderbirds will perform the flyover prior to the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. The unit is normally not available to do the flyover for the race on Memorial Day weekend, “It’s a unique opportunity because it’s August,” Speedway president Doug Boles said in a news conference this morning. The pre race will likely include the traditional singing of “(Back Home again in) Indiana” by Jim Cornelison and have many, but not all of the usual festivities.
Letter from Boles in Program
In the 2020 program, which shipped this morning to those who pre-ordered it online, Doug Boles wrote the following letter:
As Mark Miles said in today’s briefing, not allowing fans was strictly the Speedway’s decision after consulting with state and local health officials. No one told IMS they could not have fans.
Watch from Home: Boles
Although he enjoyed his time with fans outside the track on Pole Day, Doug Boles encouraged fans to watch the race on television from home rather than coming out to the track. He asked that those who do come out to please wear masks and social distance, but he prefers fans stay home and watch the race on television.
The media briefing featured Boles, Mark Miles and Jay Frye. Boles heaped praise on Roger Penske, saying that the past few months have been an emotional roller coaster.”I don’t know how we could have gotten through this without the leadership of Roger Penske,” Boles said. He also said the facility looks 30-50 years younger.
Miles said he hopes to release the 2021 schedule by the end of September. Indycar is looking to run the postponed Mid Ohio race the second weekend in September, Miles said.
“The race is something we feel we have to keep up. It’s important to our stakeholders,” Miles said. He added that the series is in good shape. Miles said that navigating through the pandemic has taught the series leadership to be more agile and flexible.
Frye believes having two oval races before the 500 helped reduce incidents on track. He said the series has every intention of sticking to their plan although the pandemic may alter the timeline a bit. Frye continues to be optimistic about a third OEM.
My impressions from the briefing is that the series and the Speedway are still in good shape and optimistic about the future. All three principals agree that Roger Penske is the glue that held everything together during these difficult months, not only with his business decisions but also by providing emotional support. While Penske’s purchase of the Speedway and the series may seem like it happened at a bad time for the penske Entertainment group, it could not have happened at a better time for IMS, the NTT Indycar Series, and the fans.
We could see history tomorrow. Scott Dixon could win his 50th race. Only two other drivers have reached and surpassed that number.
The second half of the race was quite interesting. Newgarden’ s stall in the pits began to turn the race around. The yellows really made for an exciting finish.
What is going on with Team Penske pit stops? They have had problems e every race this year. They aren’t the only team with pit issues, but the bar is much higher for them.
Drive of the day goes to Alex Palou. A rookie recovering from a long pit stop to finish on the podium is quite a frat. He had a great pass of Ryan Hunter-Reay to get the position.
Signs of the times at Road America.. Except for the gift shop not many masks in evidence. Fans entering the track had temperature taken. Did not receive mask or hand sanitizer. I talked to some friends who are camping andIand arrived yesterday. They received a mask and sanitizer upon entry. There are sanitizer stations at various points. Seems as if there are fewer vendor tents. Maybe more will set up tomorrow
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 