Indycar Opens Season with Thermal Club Test

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Indycar Spring Training returns with an open test at The Thermal Club in California. Two other open tests are scheduled for 2023. The release from Indycar:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES To Host Open Test
at The Thermal Club 

 Three Open Tests in 2023 Include Annual Indy 500 Open Test, 
Test at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Oct. 10, 2022) – INDYCAR will conduct three Open Tests for 2023 in preparation for key moments during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
The first Open Test of 2023 will feature the series’ initial trip to The Thermal Club for a season preview Thursday and Friday, Feb. 2-3. The private, world-class facility, located just outside of Palm Springs, California, opened its 470-acre property in 2012 and is known as a premier circuit for club racers and sports car enthusiasts.
INDYCAR will use a combination of the North Palm and South Palm circuits to create a 17-turn, 2.9-mile layout for the 2023 test.
“We liken this to a preseason scrimmage,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “The teams will be doing everything it takes to prepare for a run at the 2023 championship at a new and unique backdrop for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The facility is spectacular, and I know everyone at The Thermal Club cannot wait to welcome our paddock.”
Located at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains and known as the ultimate destination for driving-minded motorsports enthusiasts, The Thermal Club has everything from luxury homes to a motorsports village and gourmet restaurants. The facility was named “Professional Motorsport Facility of the Year” at the 2017 Professional Motorsports World Expo in Germany.
“For us, it means every INDYCAR fan is going to get an inside look at the best cars in the world on what we think is the best track in the world,” said John Rogers, owner, The Thermal Club.
“It’s a wonderful thing, and we’re very happy it’s worked out with INDYCAR and Thermal.”
The Indy 500 Open Test is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, April 20-21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The annual test on the famed 2.5-mile oval provides crucial preparation for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, scheduled for Sunday, May 28. The entire field for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is expected to participate in the test.
The third and final Open Test of the 2023 season comes Thursday, Sept. 7 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, just three days before the Astor Challenge Cup is awarded to the season champion at the same facility after the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
Drivers at the Laguna Seca test will get an extra day to come to grips with the planned repave of the legendary 2.238-mile facility, which is expected to be completed by June 2023.The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 5 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Coverage will be available on NBC, Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

2023 Indycar Grid Nearing Completion

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Withe A. J. Foyt Racing signing Santino Ferrucci to a full time ride for next season, the 2023 Indycar grid stands at 25 full time confirmed entries with possibly one or two more to come. Ferrucci’s signing is not one that excites me. He has had some success, especially at Indy, but he’s not a driver I care for. It sounds like Dalton Kellett will not have a third spot at Foyt, nor will J. R. Hildebrand have a third Foyt entry at Indianapolis.

The question marks are3 the second Juncos car and the fourth car at Chip Ganassi Racing.

Juncos has yet to name a driver for their second entry, and Ganassi still has plans to run the fourth car which Jimmie Johnson drove the last two seasons. I don’t see Johnson running anything except the 500, and I have doubts that that will happen.

If the full time grid ends up with 27 cars, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for Indianapolis 500 extra entries. Arrow Mclaren SP will likely run a fourth car for the 500, and Ed Carpenter racing may also have a fourth car with Paretta Autuosport.

I don’t think any NASCAR drivers will be in the field in May. Kyle Kirkwood will be the only Kyle taking the green flag on May 28th.

The grid as it stands now. I have listed confirmed cars only.

Penske (3) Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Scott McLaughlin

Ganassi (3) Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Marcus Ericsson

Andretti (4) Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean, Devlin DeFrancesco, Kyle Kirkwood

Carpenter (2) Conor Daly, Rinus VeeKay; Ovals only-Ed Carpenter

Foyt (2)- Benjamin Pedersen, Santino Ferrucci

Meyer Shank- (2) Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud

Rahal (3) Graham Rahal. Christian Lundgaard, Jack Harvey

Coyne (2) David Malukas, Takuma Sato

Arrow McLaren (3) Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Alexander Rossi

Jumcos/ Hollinger (1) Callum Ilott

Foyt Signs Ferrucci to the 14

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Photo from A. J. Foyt Racing

A. J. Foyt Racing has signed Santino Ferrucci to a full ride for 2023 inn the NTT Indycar Series. Ferrucci has been a substitute driver the last couple of years for various teams and was on standby to fill in for Josef Newgarden for the Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS. The team has yet to announce whether Dalton Kellett will return.

The announcement from A. J. Foyt Rracing:

HOUSTON (Oct. 6, 2022) — Santino Ferrucci is once again a full-time driver in the NTT INDYCAR Series as he has been named to pilot the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet in 2023. Ferrucci is the latest hire for the legendary team, which will field the car from its Waller, Texas headquarters.

Last week, AJ Foyt Racing announced that Benjamin Pedersen would make his INDYCAR debut in a Chevrolet-powered Dallara fielded out of their Indianapolis race shop.

For the last two years, Ferrucci seemed to be the “go-to” guy when race teams needed a substitute

driver. While appreciative to receive the calls, Ferrucci is thrilled he won’t be available for subbing in 2023.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back in the INDYCAR Series full-time,” said Ferrucci. “Being a part-time driver over the last two years has been hard for me, personally. I’m a racecar driver and I want to compete. Working with different teams has been exciting, and I’m proud that no matter which car I’ve raced, I’ve always shown speed and consistency. I couldn’t be more excited to join AJ Foyt Racing in the 14 Chevy. I can’t wait to make the best of it.”

Team President Larry Foyt consulted with his famous father about bringing Ferrucci into the fold for 2023. The senior Foyt had chatted with the curly-haired youngster on several occasions this year and liked his attitude.

Larry and A.J. Foyt at Indy in May. (AJ Foyt Racing Photo)

“I am thrilled to welcome Santino to the team,” Larry Foyt said. “He’s shown a knack for getting towards the front of the field, and I think he is a racer who moves forward on race day. A.J. sees the fire in him and has enjoyed their meetings together. I think Santino’s experience will help his rookie teammate as well, so he is a great addition to our roster.”

Ferrucci is equally enthused about the move to AJ Foyt Racing.

“It’s going to be a very unique opportunity to work with both A.J. and Larry closely to build a new program,” he said. “To race for a legend like A.J. Foyt — it’s a dream come true. I like to think of myself as an “old school” driver who likes loose race cars and gets behind the wheel of anything with four wheels and an engine. So driving for a guy like A.J., knowing that he drove everything throughout his career, it’s going to be a chance of a lifetime for me.”

Ferrucci chatted with Foyt at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring.

The Connecticut native made his debut in America’s premier open wheel series in 2018 when Dale Coyne Racing tapped him to drive for Pietro Fittipaldi, who was injured in a sports car crash. Until then, Ferrucci had been focused on driving in Formula 1, having moved to Europe at the age of 14 to compete in various junior formulas. Ferrucci holds the record for the youngest British Formula 3 Series winner at the age of 16 and has also raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. He has also driven for the Haas F1 team as a development driver from 2017-2018.

“INDYCAR became my goal after leaving F1 in 2018,” Ferrucci revealed. “I finished up my season in Europe and was asked to fill in for Pietro (Fittipaldi) in the Detroit Grand Prix. I instantly fell in love with the cars, the style of racing and the people. That’s when I knew that INDYCAR needed to be my new home.”

Ferrucci signed a full season deal with Dale Coyne Racing in 2019 and earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first Indianapolis 500 after finishing seventh. Since, he has competed in three additional Indianapolis 500 races, and Ferrucci has never finished outside of the top-10. In 2020, Ferrucci had his best finish of fourth.

When a full season ride didn’t materialize in 2021, Ferrucci found himself in the role of an INDYCAR “supersub” driver. However, Ferrucci didn’t sit idle waiting for the phone to ring. He inked a deal to drive for Sam Hunt in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – making nine starts over the last two years. In just his second start, he had a career- best finish of 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ferrucci participated in the 2021 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals where 300-plus midgets race over the course of six nights on a quarter-mile clay track inside the Tulsa, Okla. Expo Center. Ferrucci didn’t make it to the final 24 car field, but his debut in midgets was memorable enough that he’s interested in doing it again.

When Ferrucci was asked if his varied experience helped him to adapt quickly to the Indy car, he replied, “Yes and no. I’ve driven everything from dirt cars to stock cars to go-karts to Indy cars to F1 cars, and driving Indy cars demands a very unique driving style. It’s definitely the type of car where uncomfortable is fast — and it’s very hard to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Apparently the 24-year-old has figured out how to enjoy being uncomfortably fast, as he added,

“There’s nothing like being on a short oval ripping through the gears three-wide at a place like Iowa Speedway or going 240mph at Indy. There’s just nothing like that in existence anywhere else in motorsports. Bring on 2023.”

And that is something his 87-year-old boss can appreciate.

(All photos credited to INDYCAR except where noted.)Post not marked as liked

AMSP Names Ward Team Manager; Sets Driver Lineup

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Photo from Arrow McLaren twitter page

From Arrow McLaren SP, a release announcing Gavin Ward as team manager. The team also confirmed their 2023 driver lineup today. Pato O’Ward stays in the number 5, Felix Rosenqvist moves to car 6, and Alexander Rossi takes over car 7.

The announcement from AMSP:

ARROW McLAREN SP ANNOUNCES NEW TEAM MANAGEMENT FOR 2023

“Gavin Ward to become Racing Director for AMSP”

October 4, 2022

Entering the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Gavin Ward, who joined the team in July this year as Director of Trackside Engineering, will take on the role of Racing Director at Arrow McLaren SP. Brian Barnhart is a new addition to the McLaren Racing family in the role of General Manager for the team.

In the role of Racing Director, Gavin will lead the technical performance team of Max Neyron (Director of Operations), Nick Snyder (Director of Performance) and Billy Vincent (Director of Competition), which will collectively drive the future performance of the racing team in the 2023 season and beyond. 

The car communicator for Pato and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet is still being finalized, while Billy will stay in his role on the radio with Felix Rosenqvist for the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, and Brian will be the car communicator for Alexander Rossi and the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. 

Gavin Ward, Racing Director, Arrow McLaren SP said:

“I’m honored to step into this role and work alongside the other leaders to continue elevating Arrow McLaren SP and our competitiveness on the track. Max, Nick, Billy and I have worked really well together this past season, so we already have established an impressive baseline that will lead to a smooth start for 2023. I’m really excited to see what the team will do and welcome Brian to the team as well.”

Brian Barnhart, General Manager, Arrow McLaren SP said:

“I’m excited to join McLaren Racing as General Manager for Arrow McLaren SP. The team has made incredible strides in challenging the top teams for the championship over the past two seasons. AMSP is full of talent, from their drivers to the mechanics and every position in between, and I’m honored to join them.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing said:

“This leadership team has decades of racing success, with each bringing their own expertise to the group which will be a differentiator for the team as we grow to a three-car lineup in 2023 and continue to build on our heritage in the sport. Gavin has made a solid impact in the few short months he’s been with the team, and we welcome Brian and the years of INDYCAR experience he brings to the team.”

Who is the Third Member of Indycar’s Big Three?

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Virtually from the beginning of the unified Indycar series in 2008, fans have talked about the Big Three- Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti. Each team has had cycles of success. Penske and Ganassi seem to be far ahead of Andretti the last few years. Arrow McLaren SP seems to have caught up to the tail end of what has been Indycar’s elite trio. Do we still have a Big Three, or is it now the big Four?

Rinus VeeKay’s pole at Barber was the only pole not won by one of the top four teams in 2022.

Arrow McLaren SP is making a big push to join the elite group, and this year they caught up to Andretti. While Penske dominated 2022 with nine wins, Ganassi won four races. The four remaining race wins were split between Andretti and AMSP.

My research of 2022 race results shows that Andretti and AMSP finished in a dead heat in number of poles, podiums, wins, Top 5s, and Top 10s.

AndrettiAMSP
Wins22
Poles33
Podiums55
Top 51211
Top 101817

The slight Andretti edge is due to Romain Grosjean, the third Andretti car. Grosjean had a second place at Long Beach and a seventh place at Barber. The top two at Andretti, Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta, accounted for the rest of the Andretti statistics.

For 2023 Rossi moves to AMSP and joins Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.The third car should help the team gain ground in the series. Andretti will still have Herta, but the rest of the team consists of two second year drivers, and Grosjean, entering his second full time season.

I can see a shift in who we call the Big Three next year. I wouldn’t mind if there were actually a Big Four and the victories were more spread out among more teams.

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Pedersen Joins Foyt for 2023

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For the second year in a row A. J. Foyt Racing will feature a rookie driver in one of their cars in the NTT Indycar Series. Benjamin Pedersen, winner of the Portland Indy Lights race in 2022, has a multi -year deal with team. The announcement for Foyt Racing:

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 28, 2022) – AJ Foyt Racing Team President Larry Foyt has hired Benjamin Pedersen, the 23-year-old Indy Lights veteran, to drive one of the team’s Chevrolet-powered Indy cars in the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series.

The agreement spans multiple seasons as the team plans to develop the young rookie and is aligned to a longer-term plan for AJ Foyt Racing.

“I’m super excited to get going with the team,” said Pedersen, a dual citizen (Danish and American) who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, raised in Seattle, Wash. and is currently living in Indianapolis. “I’ve spent a lot of time this season with AJ Foyt Racing learning the ins and outs of making the jump to INDYCAR and it’s been really nice to do that in conjunction with my Indy Lights season. INDYCAR has been my target goal since I started open wheel racing in 2016. The racing, atmosphere, fans, events, tracks, etc. are all awesome.”

Foyt’s interest in the young rookie began early in the season when a trusted colleague suggested Pedersen to him. Pedersen and Foyt met, and Pedersen started shadowing the team, which included standing on the No. 14 pit box, monitoring the radio and intercom communication during the practices and races plus sitting in on team meetings.

“We are really looking forward to having Benjamin as part of the team,” Foyt said. “His enthusiasm is infectious, and he is 100% committed to INDYCAR, AJ Foyt Racing, and doing the best he can to win races. It’s been great to have him embedded with the team this past season, and everyone is excited to hit the ground running when testing begins. It is also great to have a multi-year program in place, which will help him and the team grow together.”

Pedersen moves to INDYCAR after two seasons in the Indy Lights Series where he claimed his first pole and victory at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway earlier this month. Having stood on the podium 11 times over the past two seasons, the young Dane spoke about the benefits of having participated in the top rung of the Road to Indy ladder series.

Pedersen enjoys the Champagne celebration after his Indy Lights Series victory in Portland. (INDYCAR Photo)

“The Indy Lights Series and car serves as the ultimate transition into INDYCAR,” he offered. “From a series perspective, Indy Lights goes to the INDYCAR events, so we share the same weekend format, points, rules, race director, etc. This makes the transition very natural to INDYCAR as all of these things will stay the same.

Pedersen in the Lights Series season opener in St. Petersburg where he finished second. (INDYCAR Photo)

“From a car perspective, I can say firsthand that the Indy Lights car is a great car to transition from since it really rewards pushing to a high limit and almost over-driving a bit on the peak of the tire.”

Pedersen, who tested an Indy car for another team several months ago, noted the differences between the two formulas.

“When I had my debut Indy car test a few months ago, it was a very successful day topping the time charts and I found it very natural to transition into the Indy car,” said Pedersen, whose car will operate out of Foyt’s Speedway, Ind. shop. “The biggest differences were the brakes, dampers, tires, and aero. You have a much higher sensation of grip compared to the Indy Lights car and I actually felt the Indy car was a bit easier to drive in many regards. The carbon brakes are the biggest difference, and they allow you to brake so late and hard, and when combined with all the other things mentioned above, it’s nearly impossible to lock the brakes on the initial brake phase due to how much grip there is. It’s just a really enjoyable car to drive that really rewards attacking the brakes and also asking a lot of the tire laterally (side to side).”

The team will begin testing in January as they prepare for the 2023 season which will open on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday, March 5th.

Pedersen indulges in an ice cream – straight from the Foyt Racing ice cream freezer chest – along with crew members O’Ryan Bosek (left) and Jeremy Levenson. The Freezer filled with assorted Good Humor ice cream and ice pops has become a popular staple in Foyt’s Indy 500 garage.

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2023 Schedule- Some Thoughts

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Yetserday’s schedule reveal produced some f the predictable hand wringing, and while there are some disappointing aspects to the new lineup, there are some good things about it.

Better Spacing

Except for a four week stretch in May and the first week of June, the series races virtually every other week until the final three consecutive weeks of the season. The May/Detroit run used to also include a fifth weekend, which was a grind for teams and fans alike. Since three of the four weeks are at IMS, it shouldn’t be as rough on everyone involved.

I am glad Texas remains on the schedule, at least for one more year. I’m not sure if the reconfiguration will be Indycar friendly.

Ther are no conflicts with Sebring or LeMans in 2023.

Changes and Other Issues

The series just can’t seem to close the season opening gap. There are still four weeks between the first two races of the season.

Detroit moves to a circuit on the streets of downtown and off of Belle Isle. I’m not a fan of the proposed circuit from the drawings I’ve seen, but I need to see how it will race before I pass final judgment.

Moving the World Wide Technology race to a Sunday afternoon may not be good for attendance. I hope it is run earlier in the afternoon to avoid some of the heat and humidity.

I hope this is the final year of the second road course race at IMS. Irt is Indycar’s worst weekend as Indycar plays second fiddle to Nascar.

What happened to night racing? I wonder if it is a television issue, but I don’t know why a night race can’t be on USA network or Peacock exclusively.

A Better 2024?

I hear things may improve in 2024. Marshall Pruett posted on Racer yesterday that Indycar is looking at adding a venue, hopefully Milwaukee, in 2024.

We shall see.

Until then, make your plans for next season. St. pete is just a little more than five months away, and the Indianapolis 500 is eight months from today.

Johnson Won’t Return Full Time; May Still Run 500

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Photo- James Black, Indycar

Jimmie Johnson said today in a newly released video that he will not un the 2023 full time Indycar schedule.

He said,

“I will not compete full time in 2023. I’m not saying that I am out of a race car or not competing at all. I still very much have the desire to compete.”

Johnson hinted that he is looking to run sports car races, mainly the IMSA endurance races and possibly Le Mans. H esaid he is still talking to Chip Ganassi, but didn’t specify whether he would an oval only program, just the Indianapolis 500, or no Indycar races at all.

Photo-Chris Owens, Indycar

My guess is he does the Indianapolis 500 only in Indycar. The Rolex 24 hour, Sebring, and Le Mans. He hinted that if a Nascar fits his schedule, he will run one as well.

Johnson did well in 2022 in his first year on Indycar ovals, with a fifth place at Iowa in Race 2 and a sixth place at Texas. He struggled on the road and street courses both in 2021 and 2022.

I thought it took a lot of courage for Johnson to take on the challenge of Indycar after a successful career in NASCAR. I admire his effort. Johnson is true racer, the likes of which is all too rare in this era of specialization. I thuink given the right situation in sports cars, he will do well/