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The Race We Needed

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Photo by Karl Zemlin, Indycar

We needed to have the 500 Mile Race, and we needed to have the race that happened. It was one of the best 500s ever- one of top three I have witnessed. Many eyes were on Indianapolis yesterday with the pandemic slowing. It was a test to see if a large crowd could safely gather without any health issues. We will know in two weeks. We got what we needed.

I thought history would be made yesterday at the Indianapolis 500. I didn’t think it would the history that happened. Helio Castroneves won his fourth Indianapolis 500, joining an exclusive club of three other legends, A.J,. Foyt, Al Unser, Sr., and Rick Mears. Castroneves won the race in a thrilling down the stretch duel with Alex Palou, a 24 year old from Spain who won his first Indycar race just two months ago.

The 105th 500 had so many layers, and it played out almost perfectly. There was youth vs. veteran, pit performance, one off drivers vs. regulars, and just darn good racing.

The Over 40 Group vs. The 20s Crowd

The final margin of victory. 0.04928 seconds, sums up the difference between the two groups. The top ten has five drivers at least 35 years old, and five drivers aged 26 or younger. The veteran won this round, but the race easily could have gone to a youngster. The young guns led the majority of the 200 laps.

Photo by Matt Fraver, Indycar

Pitfalls

It was safer to be on the track than in the pits yesterday.

Of the 15 penalties assessed during the race, 14 were for pit violations. There were three spins on pit lane, Stefan Wilson’s spin knocked him out of the race. Will Power’s spin was just one part of arguably his worst career day ever. Simona De Silvestro’s spin cost her a credible run in Paretta Autosport’s debut.

The worst uit error may have cost Graham Rahal a shot at victory. A loose left rear tire came off as he was on the exit lane in turn 2, putting him into the outside wall. The loose tire hit Conor Daly’s car, effectively removing another contender from a chance at victory.

Pole winner Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi also had early pit problems when their cars stalled after refueling. Dixon recovered to finish 17th, and Rossi ended up in 29th.

One Offs

Drivers who aren’t series regulars took five of the top ten spots in yesterday’s race. Helio Castroneves, Ed Carpenter, Santino Ferrucci, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Tony Kanaan, all had top 10 finishes. None had competed in more than two 2021 races before Sunday. Castroneves is the first non regular driver to win the race since 2011, when Dan Wheldon won in a one off effort. I don’t think we are seeing the start of a trend of Indy “specialists,” but these experienced drivers returning to the race sure helped the racing.

Photo by Chris Owens, Indycar

Some Last Words

From my observations and based on comments from some other people present yesterday, the 135,000 fans limit was exceeded. From my seat in G Stand the Southeast Vista looked packed, and the Southwest Vista looked pretty full as well. I hope we hear how many people actually attended, but at 135,000, there should have been more space in the stands, and there should not have been the traffic issues after the race.

After the race my group usually leaves the speedway at the first open gate. I walked all the way to gate 1, wanting to linger at he track as long as possible. After 2020, I will never again take my time at IMS for granted. I felt the need to spend as many stolen moments there as I could. The 106th Indianapolis 500 is just 363 days away. I can’t wait.

Carb Day-Looking for a Dry Window

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Today’s Schedule:

Gates Open 8:00am 2:00pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice 11:00am 1:00pm

Gates open

1,3,4, 2(credentials only), 6N, 6S, 7, 7S, 10A, 11A

Stands open

Northwest vista and deck, Paddock and penthouse. A penthouse, B penthouse, E and penthouse, Southeast Vista, Tower Terrace. NOTE; Most stands are only partially open.

Watching the skies is the name of the game as scattered showers are expected through most of the day. Indycar hopes to get at least one hour of practice completed today.

My race preview will be posted within the hour. Have a great Carb Day.

1981: Controversial Third Win for Bobby Unser

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The decade of the 80s could arguably be called the decade of multiple winners. Only in 1983, 1985, and 1986 did the Indianapolis 500 produce a single time winner. Every other race had a winner that had either won before or would go on to win the race again.

Johnny Rutherford set the tone in 1980 with his third victory. The starting grid for 1981 included three multiple winners and two other former winners. A repeat champion was a distinct possibility.

The 1981 program had a three page article celebrating Rutherford’s win the year before, making him the fourth driver with at least three wins. A. J. Foyt had won his fourth 500 in 1977.

A Pennzoil ad may have been the first ad I had seen which included a driver’s wife.

The program noted the 70th anniversary of the first race in 1911, featuring a photo of the inaugural race’s last survivor, Ed Towers.

The 1941 race also received recognition on it’s 40th anniversary. It was the past race before racing was suspended because of World War II, and it was nearly the last Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Generations

The starting grid feature four second generation drivers, Geoff Brabham, Gary and Tony Bettenhausen, and Pancho Carter. Also starting was Bob Lazier, father of future winner Buddy Lazier. The second generation would expand in the soon as Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti joined the ranks and competed against their fathers.

The Race

On his way to victory, Bobby Unser pitted under a caution flatg. As he exited the pits, he appeared to blend into the field incorrectly, passing 11 cars and getting an advantageous position, which allowed Unser to beat Mario Andretti to the checkered flag.

Bobby Unser after qualifying on the pole.

The official results the next morning showed Andretti as the winner. Unser was penalized a lap for passing under the yellow. An appeals committee returned the win to Unser but fined him $10,000.

Unser’s third win gave the Unser brothers three wins each in the 500. Al would break the tie six years later, and Al’s son, Al, Jr., would add two more wins to the family total in the 90s.

The following year saw Gordon Johncock win his second Indianapolis 500. For the third in a row the race saw a multiple winner. There were more to come in the decade, with a future multiple winner, emerson fittipaldi, getting his first win in 1989.

NTT, Indycar Extend Title Agreement

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Indycar and NTT have extended their title sponsorship agreement. This is great news to kick off the 10 biggest days of the season with qualifying and the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. The agreement calls for enhanced data, and more information during the race on the giant video board on the back of the pagoda.

The official press release:

NTT and INDYCAR Extend Entitlement Partnership, Welcome Fans Back to the Indy 500 with Smart Venue Operations
at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NTT and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES set to enhance the Indy 500 viewing experience by powering real-time, data-driven technology at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”
INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 20, 2021) – NTT is continuing its multi-tiered partnership with INDYCAR, signing a multi-year extension as the entitlement sponsor of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. In doing so, NTT will continue to deliver the smart technology backbone that will enhance the race experience for INDYCAR fans attending the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 – and from wherever else they may be watching – on Sunday, May 30 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Technology from NTT will further enable the return of fans to the iconic race after last year’s event was postponed until August and held without fans on-site due to COVID-19 precautions. This year, additional solutions and services will help bring the race to life for those in attendance, as well as the millions of fans following the race around the world. NTT, a global technology and business solutions provider and Fortune Global 500 company, became the title sponsor of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at the start of the 2019 season and has extended this agreement, and its Official Technology Partner status with INDYCAR, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Brickyard Weekend.
“With world-class technology and innovation, NTT has helped take the INDYCAR SERIES to the next level,” said Roger Penske, Founder and Chairman, Penske Corporation. “Over the first two years as entitlement sponsor of the series, the dedicated team at NTT has helped INDYCAR become more efficient and effective through smart technologies. As our sport continues to grow by connecting with a new generation of fans, NTT helps take us down new roads by creating more engaging experiences through our shared digital platforms. We thank NTT for the long-term commitment to the INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we look forward to driving the future of our sport forward, together.”
NTT remains committed to accelerating the future of smart communities and has developed an enhanced digital experience powered by real-time, data-driven insights, analytics and machine learning that will enable race fans to enjoy the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” like never before across multiple channels and environments. At this year’s Indianapolis 500, fans will experience a whole new level of engagement, whether they plan to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in person, or to soak in all of the excitement from the comfort of their homes through an amplified, virtual experience.
“With no spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for last year’s Indianapolis 500, due to the pandemic, we were set a new challenge – to think outside of the box in terms of leveraging our technology to bring the race to fans at home,” said Simon Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, NTT Ltd. Americas. “Enhancing the viewing experience and creating the next generation of INDYCAR followers – wherever they are – is a critical objective for INDYCAR and NTT, and we look forward to continuing our work with INDYCAR and the broader Penske Corporation and serving as a trusted partner to help the organization continue their digital transformation and achieve their ambitions.”
“The past year has significantly changed the way people engage with sports. NTT is helping INDYCAR adapt by creating new ways for fans to engage and connect through digital,” said Bob Pryor, Chief Executive Officer, NTT DATA Services. “We’re excited to enhance the enjoyment and experience of motorsports for more fans. As the digital partner of choice for our clients, NTT DATA is proud to grow with INDYCAR and help fans enjoy their racing experiences—on and off the track.”
The key to this unique fan experience is NTT Smart Solutions . The secure, distributed platform captures data via sensors and micro data centers in designated areas through video and sound. The platform also integrates historical data sources, such as traffic, weather and social media to leverage cognitive analytics, learn regular patterns and detect and alert operations teams to the presence of abnormal ones. Dynamic visual environments featuring the most exciting data-led content and storylines are enabled by machine learning and AI to bring the race to life for fans both at IMS and off site.
New features and enhancements this year include: NTT Smart Venue: AI-enabled optical detection technologies, combined with real-time entry gate flow rate data, give the IMS operations and security teams better visibility into current and possible scenarios, enabling them to see a bigger, more real-time picture of the venue that includes visitor and vehicle traffic flow and congestion, social distancing, etc. These enhancements will allow the event teams to optimize their resources in real time with faster, more data-driven decision making to focus their resources on areas where race attendees can benefit the most. At-gate IMS personnel also now have mobile POS capabilities at their fingertips for digital ticketing and parking transactions – all to help manage the event venue more safely and efficiently, providing a more positive and consistent experience for attendees at the world’s largest sports venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
INDYCAR Data Experience: Powered by NTT, fans can now engage with more race and driver data than ever before via multiple channels, including the INDYCAR Mobile App , the IMS Media Wall (a 100-foot wide, high-resolution LED data display on the Pagoda) and more as they engage with real-time, data-driven racing insights powered by NTT. The multiple track views stay up to date with real-time leaderboards and provide access to more exciting, easily shareable data and stats coming off of more than 140 different data points from each car and the track itself. Among other events highlighted by the data experience will be a live race view of all competitors, biggest movers, featured head-to-head battles, race team and pit stop performance impact, as well as highlighted race events such as the green flag, yellow flags and the checkered flag.
INDYCAR Mobile App: Powered by NTT DATA, fans can now enjoy an enhanced user experience and virtually ride along with their favorite driver athletes and teams as they tear down the course at 200+ mph. With additional live, in-car cameras and new video feeds, users can see up to five drivers from a first-person perspective. In addition, fans this year will also get to enjoy live streaming and a more integrated INDYCAR Fantasy League and e-commerce experience. Global usage of the mobile app continues to expand, with usage during live racing events continuing to grow. The free app is available for year-round use around the world via download from the iOS App Store or Google Play.NTT’s proprietary Smart Solutions consumes, analyzes and transforms massive amounts of data (supporting an organization’s full data lifecycle) to deliver valuable insights driving technology-enabled business outcomes and helping organizations like INDYCAR further along their digital transformations. NTT Smart Solutions can be applied in a multitude of environments, whether a sports venue, like Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a city, like Las Vegas, a national landmark, like Chicago’s Navy Pier, or a major transportation center such as Edmonton International Airport. NTT is committed to developing and delivering disruptive technology that helps solve challenges and deliver the best outcomes for its clients.
About NTT

NTT believes in resolving social issues through our business operations by applying technology for good. We help clients accelerate growth and innovate for current and new business models. Our services include digital business consulting, technology and managed services for cybersecurity, applications, workplace, cloud, data center and networks, all supported by our deep industry expertise and innovation. As a top 5 global technology and business solutions provider, our diverse teams operate in 80+ countries and regions and deliver services to over 190 of them. We serve over 80% of Fortune Global 100 companies and thousands of other clients and communities around the world. For more information on NTT, visit www.global.ntt.
About NTT Ltd. NTT Ltd. is a leading, global technology services company. To help our clients achieve their digital transformation goals, we use our global capabilities, expertise, and full-stack technology services delivered through our integrated services platform. As their long-term strategic partner, we help them enhance customer and employee experience, transform their cloud strategy, modernize their networks and strengthen their cybersecurity. And across their transformation priorities, we automate their business processes and IT, drawing insights and analytics from their core business data. As a global ICT provider, we employ more than 50,000 people across 57 countries, trading in 73 countries and delivering services in over 200 countries and regions. Together we enable the connected future. Visit us at hello.global.ntt.
About NTT DATA

NTT DATA – a part of NTT Group – is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, digital & IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables them, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients’ long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries around the globe. Visit us at nttdata.com.

Rossi Leads Practice 1

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Alexander Rossi led the first practice for the GMR Grand Prix this morning at IMS. Rossi was the first driver to turn a lap under 1 minute 10 seconds.

The day is sunny but cool. Track temperature at the start of the session was 73⁰. The top 6:

Bobby Unser, Three Time 500 Champion, Dies at 87

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Note: I am posting this statement from IMS now. I will have my own story up later today.

www.IMS.com Facebook             Indianapolis Motor Speedway Press ReleaseFor Immediate Release Three-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner Bobby Unser Dies at 87INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 3, 2021) – Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser, one of the most colorful, outspoken and popular drivers in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” died Sunday, May 2 at his New Mexico home. He was 87. Unser won the Indianapolis 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981. He is one of just 10 drivers to win the “500” at least three times and is a member of numerous motorsports Halls of Fame, including induction into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1990. Unser and Rick Mears are the only drivers to win the “500” in three different decades. He was one of six members of the Unser family to race in the Indianapolis 500. Bobby and his brother Al, a four-time winner, are the only brothers to win the race. Bobby Unser also was renowned and admired for his work in and out of the cockpit before his Indianapolis 500 and INDYCAR driving career started and after it ended. He dominated the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb before he ever turned a lap at Indianapolis, and he was a popular INDYCAR color analyst on national telecasts in the 1980s and 1990s after retiring as a driver. Unser was born Feb. 20, 1934 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the third of four brothers. When he was 1, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico – the city forever associated with the Unser family racing dynasty. In 1949, Unser started racing at Roswell (New Mexico) Speedway. In 1950, he raced at Speedway Park in Albuquerque and won his first championship in Southwestern Modified Stock Cars. After serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-55, Unser and his brothers Jerry and Al decided to pursue racing careers in United States Auto Club (USAC) competition. Bobby Unser raced successfully in USAC Sprint Car, Midget and Stock Car competition. He earned seven career USAC Sprint Car feature victories and placed third in the standings in 1965 and 1966. He also won six USAC Stock Car races and three USAC Midget features. Unser’s career in Indy cars started in the end of the 1962 season. He spent three years driving Novi-engined cars for Andy Granatelli, including the No. 6 Hotel Tropicana, Las Vegas Kurtis/Novi roadster in which he qualified 16th and finished 33rd and last as an Indianapolis 500 rookie in 1963. Unser’s day ended after completing just two laps due to an accident. In fact, Unser’s first two career Indy starts gave no indication of his future success. After completing two laps and finishing last as a rookie in 1963, he completed just one lap in 1964 and was credited with 32nd place in the four-wheel-drive No. 9 Studebaker-STP Ferguson/Novi fielded by Granatelli, getting caught in the multi-car accident that claimed the lives of Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs. Unser earned his first career top-10 finish at Indy by placing eighth after starting 28th in 1966 for Gordon van Liew’s team. In 1967, he moved to Bob Wilke’s Leader Card team for a four-year stint, which resulted in even greater fortune at Indianapolis and on the USAC Championship Trail. Unser earned his first Indianapolis 500 victory in 1968 in the No. 3 Rislone Eagle/Offy, one of the most iconic and beautiful rear-engine cars in Indianapolis 500 history. His first spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy came after a spirited duel with Joe Leonard in one of Granatelli’s famous STP Lotus cars powered by a Pratt & Whitney helicopter turbine engine. Unser led 118 of the first 191 laps but was running second to Leonard when Leonard’s fuel shaft broke on Lap 192, with Unser powering past for his first “500” victory. Later that year, Unser won the first of his two USAC National Championships, ending the season with five victories and edging Mario Andretti by a scant 11 points. In 1972, Unser earned the first of his two Indianapolis 500 poles during his successful five-year partnership with Dan Gurney’s All American Racers. Speeds skyrocketed that year with the legalization of bolt-on wings to chassis, and no one took better advantage than Unser. His four-lap record qualifying average speed of 195.940 mph in the No. 6 Olsonite Eagle was more than 17 mph faster than Peter Revson’s pole speed from the previous year – the largest year-to-year increase in “500” history. Unser won his second and final USAC National Championship in 1974 after finishing runner-up to Johnny Rutherford in the Indy 500. In 1975, Unser won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time, driving the No. 48 Jorgensen Eagle fielded by Gurney’s team. Unser led only 11 laps, taking the top spot from Rutherford on Lap 165 and holding it until the race was ended by a downpour on Lap 174 of the 200 schedule laps. He drove for Fletcher Racing in 1976 and 1977, returning to Gurney’s All American Racers for one season in 1978. Unser joined Team Penske in 1979 for the start of a three-year stint in which he won 11 races and finished second in the CART standings in 1979 and 1980. But perhaps his most famous race during his Penske tenure was the 1981 Indianapolis 500, which he won from the pole in one of the most controversial and contentious outcomes in the event’s storied history. Unser beat Mario Andretti to the finish by 5.18 seconds in the No. 3 Norton Spirit, but USAC officials ruled Unser passed cars illegally while exiting the pit lane during a caution on Lap 149. Unser was penalized one position, with Andretti elevated to the winner. But after a lengthy protest and appeals process, Unser’s penalty was rescinded, and he was declared the winner of the race Oct. 9, 1981. That victory became the last of Unser’s storied INDYCAR career, as he skipped the 1982 CART season to serve as driver coach for Josele Garza and decided against a planned comeback in 1983 with Patrick Racing. He finished his career with 35 career INDYCAR victories and two championships among his eight top-three finishes in the season points. Unser ended his driving career as one of the greatest performers in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” He produced 10 top-10 finishes in 19 career “500” starts. Unser led in 10 races for a total of 440 laps, still 10th on the all-time list. Unser’s nine front-row starts included poles in 1972 and 1981. His speed in qualifying at the Speedway was exceptional, as he was one of the 12 fastest drivers in 18 of his 19 starts. Fourteen of his 19 starts came from the first three rows. While those statistics are among the greatest in Indy history, Unser produced even more eye-popping numbers at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, nicknamed “Unser Mountain” due to his family’s success in the longtime race in Colorado Springs. Unser won 13 class titles at Pikes Peak and earned “King of the Mountain” honors 10 times during his career as the fastest driver overall up the famed mountain, tops among the racing Unser family that dominated this event. Unser also had a keen engineering mind that always searched for a technical advantage over his rivals. He sometimes would call his crew chief well after midnight with an idea for chassis setup or another technical issue, and his prowess as a test driver was highly regarded because he turned every lap at the car’s limit. Every angle was pursued by Unser when it came to trying to find the edge against his foes. Team owner Jim Hall’s famous Chaparral chassis – the first Indy car with ground-effects aerodynamics underneath the car – got upside-down when Rutherford crashed in 1980 in the CART season finale at Phoenix. Unser learned of a photographer who took pictures of the closely guarded aero channels and tunnels beneath the car, and he obtained the photos, which were used in the development of Team Penske’s 1981 ground-effects chassis. After his driving career ended, Unser combined his vast racing experience and considerable skills as an outspoken raconteur to become a popular broadcaster on ABC, NBC and ESPN INDYCAR telecasts and on IMS Radio Network race broadcasts. The booth trio of play-by-play announcer Paul Page and the opinionated Unser and the erudite Sam Posey – with Unser and Posey’s styles and comments almost always contrasting and often clashing — was one of the most entertaining and popular in INDYCAR television history. Two of Unser’s proudest moments in the TV booth came when he called the finish in 1987 with play-by-play announcer Jim Lampley as his younger brother, Al Unser, earned his record-tying fourth “500” victory and again in 1992 when he and Paul Page called the race when his nephew, Al Unser Jr., won Indy for the first time in the closest “500” finish ever. Unser also was part of the ABC Sports broadcast team that won an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Live Sports Special” for its coverage of the 1989 Indianapolis 500. After his TV career ended, Unser continued to visit IMS every Month of May. In 1998 and 1999, he served as driver coach and assisted with race strategy on the radio for his son Robby Unser during his two starts in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Robby finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in those two starts with his father’s help. Fans always flocked to “Uncle Bobby” to get a picture or autograph, to share their memories or to hear one of Unser’s countless colorful stories about his career and fellow racers. He also savored spending time in the Media Center swapping tales with many veteran journalists every May, as Unser was a tireless ambassador for IMS and the Indianapolis 500 until the end of his life. Unser is survived by his wife, Lisa; sons Bobby Jr. and Robby; and daughters Cindy and Jeri.