Dixon Seeking Better Results, Not Planning to Retire Soon

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Indycar photo by Joe Skibinski

Scott Dixon heads into this weekends Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio still looking for his first win of 2022. Dixon has won at least one race every year since 2005. The Chip Ganassi driver has won six times at Mid Ohio. Dixon currently sits sixth in points, 69 behind leader Marcus Ericsson. He talked about the team’s season at a media availability yesterday.

“I think as a group and as a team, we just haven’t been
getting the job done. We’ll keep after it. I think Marcus has
had a fantastic run, leading the points right now; Alex has
had a little bit of bad luck. Just hoping for the whole team
we can get ahead down here and fight for another
championship for Chip.”

Some of the results Dixon attributed to overthinking situations.

“There’s been some easy misses. I think
we’ve had speed. There’s some areas where we could
definitely do a better job in getting more speed out of the
car, but even Road America I think from our Q1 time would
have got us through to Q3, but we overanalyzed the
situation, made a very big shift in balance and that knocked
us out of Q2.
I think at some points we’re overtrying, and it’s easy in this
scenario where it’s not as relaxed or just rolling as
smoothly as it could be, that whether it’s me or the team or
the adjustments that we make, we just may be going over
the top. We’ve just got to find our groove.”

Dixon talked about how thin the margin for error is in setting up the car.
“Right now it doesn’t take much to kind of fall out of a cycle
or fall out of where you need to be. So we’ve just got to
keep doing what we typically do, not try to make a big deal
of each situation, and hopefully get on a roll here soon.
Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s one or two big things. I think it’s just us not doing what we normally do well.”

If people are having
those conversations I haven’t been a part of them. For me
I love doing what I’m doing, I love being a part of the team
that I’m with, and who knows what comes in the future, but
as of right now just focusing on this season. Yeah, that’s
all I’ve got to say really. There’s nothing to it.

Not Going Anywhere

Rumors have been circulating about Dixon going to Arrow Mclaren SP or simply retiring. Dixon was quick to shoot that talk down.

“I think for me, I don’t see giving up anytime soon. I feel like in motorsport it’s hard to make a decision from one year to the next, as
opposed to kind of looking five years down the road or
more. For me right now, it’s just enjoying INDYCAR, trying
to win races, trying to get back to where we need to, so
that’s where the focus is.
You know, the possibilities after I’m done, trust me, I’d love
to still be a part of the sport. What that means and in what
capacity, I have really no idea. But I love the sport. It’s
been my passion since I was five or six years old, so it’s
definitely something I want to be a part of for many more
years. As of right now, it’s not on the radar.”

Mid Ohio Fast Facts

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The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R
Fast Facts  
Race weekend: Friday, July 1 – Sunday, July 3Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13-turn, a 2.258-mile road course in Lexington, Ohio.

Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 80 laps/180.64 miles | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 35 laps/79.03 miles or 55 minutes

Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. One additional set of primary tires may be used by teams fielding a rookie driver. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
Twitter: @Mid_Ohio, @IndyCar, #Honda200, #INDYCAR
Event website: www.midohio.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2021 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet)
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Race 1: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Andretti Autosport)
Race 2: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Andretti Autosport)
Race 3: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Andretti Autosport)
Race 4: Linus Lundqvist (No. 26 Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports)
2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet) 1:06.6739, 121.919 mph.
Qualifying lap record:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Simon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Oliver Askew, 1:10.8079, 114.801 mph, July 27, 2019
NBC Sports race telecast: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 3, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.
Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecast of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R will be simulcast on the streaming service. Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. The Indy Lights at Mid-Ohio will be streamed on Peacock Premium with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR Live!
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Joel Sebastianelli and Alex Wolff are the pit reporters. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R race (noon ET Sunday), Indy Lights at Mid-Ohio (10:30 a.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, July 1
2:20-3:10 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Practice 1, INDYCAR Live3:30-4:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, Peacock Premium (Note: One set of alternate tires may be used during this session and all teams must return that set after the practice)
Saturday, July 2
8:35-9:15 a.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Practice 2, INDYCAR Live9:30-10:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes limited guarantee), Peacock Premium
1:45-2:05 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Qualifying, INDYCAR Live2:45-4 p.m. – Qualifying for NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium
Sunday, July 3
9:45-10:15 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, Peacock Premium
10:35 a.m. – Indy Lights at Mid-Ohio “Drivers, start your engines”
10:40 a.m. – Indy Lights at Mid-Ohio (35 laps/79.03 miles or 55 minutes), Peacock Premium
Noon – NBC on air
12:46 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R “Drivers, start your engines”
12:53 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R (80 laps, 180.64 miles), NBC (Live).
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
There have been six different winners in eight NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2022 season. Scott McLaughlin (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Streets of Long Beach and Road America), Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park), Colton Herta (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Marcus Ericsson (Indianapolis 500) and Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle Park) have all won in 2022. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.There have been six different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Colton Herta, Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson and Will Power) The only repeat winners in that stretch are Herta (Laguna Seca 2021 and Long Beach 2021) and Newgarden (Texas 2022, Long Beach 2022 and Road America 2022).
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be the 39th INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Josef Newgarden won the race in 2021. Johnny Rutherford won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio in 1980.
Scott Dixon is the winningest INDYCAR SERIES driver at Mid-Ohio with six victories. Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Josef Newgarden, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser and Alex Zanardi all won at Mid-Ohio twice. Dixon, Castroneves and Newgarden are expected to compete. Other previous Mid-Ohio winners entered include Graham Rahal, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, Will Power and Colton Herta.
ACTIVE RACE WINNERS
Scott Dixon, 6- 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019
Helio Castroneves, 2-2000, 2001
Josef Newgarden, -22017, 2021
Graham Rahal, 1-2015
Simon Pagenaud, 1- 2016
Alexander Rossi, 1-2018
Will Power, 1-2020 Race #1
Colton Herta, 1-2020 Race #2
Fifteen drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Teo Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990, 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003), Scott Dixon (2011), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race 1), Colton Herta (2020-Race 2) and Josef Newgarden (2021). Power has won five poles at Mid-Ohio, the most of any driver.
ACTIVE POLE WINNERS
Will Power-5-2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 Race #1
Helio Castroneves-2-2007, 2008
Scott Dixon-2-2011, 2015
Simon Pagenaud-1-2016
Alexander Rossi-1-2018
Colton Herta-1-2020 Race #2J
Josef Newgarden-1-2021
Twenty-one drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon (18) has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers.
Ten drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 261, Will Power 205, Josef Newgarden 162, Alexander Rossi 71, Colton Herta 66, Simon Pagenaud 37, Graham Rahal 27, Takuma Sato 16 Felix Rosenqvist 15 and Marcus Ericsson 3).
Chip Ganassi Racing has won 11 times at Mid-Ohio, including eight of the 16 races sanctioned by INDYCAR at the track. Ganassi’s winning drivers are Alex Zanardi (1996, 1997), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Scott Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019), Dario Franchitti (2010) and Charlie Kimball (2013).
Team Penske has 11 wins at the track with Emerson Fittipaldi (1992, 1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Helio Castroneves (2000, 2001), Ryan Briscoe (2008), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017 and 2021) and Will Power (2020-Race 1)Scott Dixon has finished in the top five in 12 of his 18 starts at Mid-Ohio, including six wins between 2007 and 2020 … Will Power has finished in the top five in nine of his 14 starts at Mid-Ohio … Simon Pagenaud has finished on the podium four times in his previous 12 starts. Rookie Kyle Kirkwood won eight of nine Road to Indy starts from 2018-2021.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 297th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history… Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 250th INDYCAR SERIES start.
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes:
Linus Lundqvist is on the verge of building an insurmountable lead in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires point standings. The 23-year-old Swede leads Sting Ray Robb by 92 points heading into the weekend at Mid-Ohio, where Lundqvist won the 2021 season finale with an impressive drive in the rain.Danial Frost and Christian Rasmussen became first-time winners in the first half of the season. Will another talented prospect like Sting Ray Robb, Benjamin Pedersen, Hunter McElrea, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. score a first series win in 2022? Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Mid-Ohio as Indy Lights drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds. 
 

Mid Ohio Schedule

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All times Eastern; Practices, Qualifying, and Indy lights race on Peacock. Indycar race on NBC and Peacock.

Friday

Festival Gate Hours: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

TimeSeriesSession
8:00 AM – 8:30 AMIndy Pro 2000Practice
8:45 AM – 9:15 AMUSF2000Practice
9:30 AM – 10:10 AMPorsche Sprint ChallengePractice
10:25 AM – 10:50 AMIndy Pro 2000Qualifying 1
11:10 AM – 11:40 AMUSF2000Qualifying
11:55 AM – 12:25 PMStadium Super TrucksPractice
12:40 PM – 1:20 PMPorsche Sprint ChallengePractice 2
1:35 PM – 2:05 PMIndy Pro 2000Qualifying 2
2:20 PM – 3:10 PMIndy LightsPractice 1
3:30 PM – 4:45 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 1
5:15 PM – 5:55 PMUSF2000Race 1

Saturday

Festival Gate Hours: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

TimeSeriesSession
8:00 AM – 8:20 AMPorsche Sprint ChallengeQualifying
8:35 AM – 9:15 AMIndy LightsPractice 2
9:30 AM – 10:30 AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 2
10:45 AM – 11:25 AMUSF 2000Race 2
11:40 AM – 12:30 PMIndy Pro 2000Race 1
12:45 PM – 1:30 PMPorsche Sprint ChallengeRace 1
1:45 PM – 2:05 PMIndy LightsQualifying
2:45 PM – 4:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESQualifying
4:15 PM – 4:45 PMStadium Super TrucksRace 1
5:00 PM – 5:40 PMUSF2000Race 3
5:55 PM – 6:40 PMIndy Pro 2000Race 2
After DuskFireworks

Sunday

Festival Gate Hours: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

TimeSeriesSession
8:30 AM – 9:15 AMPorsche Sprint ChallengeRace 2
9:45AM – 10:15AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESWarm-Up
10:35AM – 11:35AMIndy LightsRace
12:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESDriver Introductions
12:55 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESRace (80 Laps)
3:00 PM-3:45 PMStadium Super TrucksRace 2

Comeback Complete: Wickens Wins at Watkins Glen; Some Notes

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It was only a matter of time before Robert Wickens would win a race. Saturday at Watkins Glen Wickens and co driver Mark Wilkins won the TC/R class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge race. The team finished at Daytona during the Rolex 24 weekend.

Wickens started the race, the Tioga Downs 250, in the Hyundai Elantra owned by Bryan Herta Autosport. He took the lead, then handed the car to Wilkins to finish the race.

In a weekend of national turmoil, it was nice to see a positive, uplifting story like this. Wickens’ comeback story has been an inspiration to many since his paralyzing accident at Pocono in 2018. (Thanks, NBC, for continuing to show it. We don’t need to see it anymore.)

Notes

I’m hearing rumors of a car dropping from the grid due to nonpayment by the sponsor. We may not be able to confirm this until the Mid Ohio entry list comes out. Losing a car would be a bit of a blow to the series, which has had a mostly positive season to date. If you have looked at other sources, you have an idea who I’m talking about.

I am curious about how you view races. Do you still watch on NBC? How many of you watch exclusively on Peacock? Please let me know. If you watch on Peacock, what do you like about it compared to the network broadcast? Thanks.

I believe 2014 was the last season in which the defending series champions dii not win a race in the first half of the year. Will Alex Palou break through sometime before September? I wouldn’t bet against it. I’m not sure it is going to be this weekend though.

Mid Ohio coverage starts tomorrow. I’ll be on site starting Friday with my usual drivel and boring stories.

Herta, Rossi Lead IMS Road Test Day

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Simona De Silvestro on track at Thursday’s test

Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi were the tow fastest drivers in Thursday’s test on the IMS road course. Eight drivers from four teams turned laps on a day that might closely reflect the conditions for the Gallagher Grand Prix July 30.

Herta was happy to drive the track on which he won the GMR Grand Prix in May in dry conditions.

“It’s good to get an understanding of what its going to be like that day,” Herta said.

Colton Herta

Grosjean Talks about May

Romain Grosjean had an issue with his car in the morning and only ran two laps. he talked about his experience in his first Indianapolis 500.

“I was annoyed with the car. I hope I never have that car again,” he told the media. Asked his impression of the opening ceremonies, Grosjean said “That was really cool.”

Romain Grosjean

Kirkwood Excited for Mid Ohio

Kyle Kirkwood is looking forward to next weekend’s race at Mid Ohio. The rookie for A. J. Foyt Racing has had a lot of success there when he was driving in The Road to Indy.

“Mid Ohio is my number one track. I can’t wait to go to that one,” Kirkwood said. he also noted that the Lexington track is probably the best road course for the team.

“I just love driving that track” he said.

Kirkwood said Iowa was “a lot of fun to drive.”

Kirkwood thought the 500 pre race was “Amazing. I don’t think anything really compares to that. You sit on the grid, and I’ve never had that sensation of the crowd and the prerace ceremonies. I thought it was pretty big at St. Pete. Pretty much every other grid I go to will be less nerve wracking because of the experience I had at the 500.”

Kyle Kirkwood

Photo Gallery

Simona De Silvestro prepares to go on track
Pato O’Ward
Alexander Rossi
Devlin Defrancesco
Much of test days is sitting in the car

Rosenqvist Stays with McLaren Team

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Image from McLaren

The announcement doesn’t say whether he will remain in Indycar or move to Formula E, but it does confirm that Felix Rosenqvist has a job in the Mclaren family for 2023 and beyond.

The official news release from McLaren:

McLaren Racing has signed a multi-year deal with Felix Rosenqvist to remain on the team’s driver roster from 2023 and beyond.

McLaren Racing is currently in the process of evaluating its driver line-ups for 2023 with the newly formed McLaren Formula E Team set to embark on its debut season in the all-electric racing series and plans to expand Arrow McLaren SP into a three-car team with Felix set to be driving in one of the two series.

McLaren Racing is currently in the process of evaluating its driver line-ups for 2023 with the newly formed McLaren Formula E Team set to embark on its debut season in the all-electric racing series and plans to expand Arrow McLaren SP into a three-car team with Felix set to be driving in one of the two series.

Felix, from Värnamo, Sweden, joined Arrow McLaren SP in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2021. Since joining the series in 2019, when he was named Rookie of the Year, Felix has secured three podiums and two pole positions. Felix recently finished the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in an impressive fourth place, and currently occupies a spot in the top-10 among a competitive drivers’ championship.

Rosenqvist’s racing career also includes a stint in Formula E, having raced in the series for three seasons from 2016 to 2019, winning three races, securing six pole positions and seven podiums.

The full Arrow McLaren SP and McLaren Formula E 2023 driver line-ups will be confirmed in due course.

Felix Rosenqvist, said:

“I’m delighted to be remaining with McLaren for 2023 and beyond. With the team expanding into Formula E next season, it provides additional opportunities for me both in the USA and Europe and I look forward to being in a position to announce my plans in the coming weeks. I’ve loved my time with the Arrow McLaren SP Team in IndyCar driving the No. 7 car and we’ve had some great moments together, including securing pole earlier this year in Texas and coming home P4 in the Indy 500. I’m excited and grateful to be given this opportunity to explore the new options available to utilise my experience to help McLaren start 2023 on the strongest possible footing.”


Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“I’m delighted to be continuing our relationship with Felix. He’s a fantastic racer, with a lot of experience in many different types of racing cars. As a proven race winner in both categories, it was important for us to secure his talent withing the McLaren Racing family as we work to finalise our plans for 2023. His experience in Formula E would be invaluable as we head into this exciting new era of racing for McLaren Racing but he has also made a fantastic contribution to our IndyCar team. I look forward to working together with him to finalise the best opportunity for him next season.”

Indy Lights Switches to Firestone

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This is big. Firestone Tires will be the new tire supplier for Indy Lights beginning in 2023. Cooper Tires had been the official tire of the Road to Indy for many years. Last year Indycar purchased the Indy Lights Series. From that perspective, the move makes sense. Running on the same tire as Indycar should also help drivers when they move to Indycar.

The official release from Indycar:

Firestone Announces Plan to Return
as Exclusive Tire Supplier for Indy Lights 
 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 22, 2022) – As part of the grand opening of Firestone’s Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in Akron, Ohio, INDYCAR and Firestone officials announced plans for Firestone to become the sole tire supplier for Indy Lights beginning in 2023.The announcement highlights Firestone’s plans to expand its partnership with INDYCAR as the company is also the exclusive tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, North America’s premier open-wheel series.
“Firestone continues to be a phenomenal partner,” said INDYCAR President Jay Frye. “We are proud to see that our relationship is expanding into supplying tires for both of our series. Their attention to detail, safety and performance is unmatched. Supplying their world-class product to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights reflects Firestone’s commitment to INDYCAR’s present and future.”
The move will mark a return for Firestone to INDYCAR’s developmental series as the Bridgestone brands Firestone and Dayton supplied tires for Indy Lights from 1991 to 2013.
“We look forward to expanding our partnership with INDYCAR to supply tires for Indy Lights starting in 2023,” said Lisa Boggs, director of motorsports, Bridgestone Americas. “We know the importance this series has for technology advancement and driver development and are proud to be a part of the journey.”
In the fall of 2021, INDYCAR assumed total control of Indy Lights operations. The 2022 season began a more inclusive atmosphere with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with integration in marketing, digital assets and race officiating.“
We want to thank Cooper Tires, who has been a partner with Indy Lights since 2014,” said Indy Lights Director Levi Jones. “Their assistance while INDYCAR assumed operational control was crucial to our success. With Firestone, we cannot wait to begin this new era, which will align the entire INDYCAR paddock and help our rising stars reach their goal of competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”
The 2022 Indy Lights championship continues Sunday, July 3 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Coverage begins at 10:35 a.m. (ET) on Peacock Premium. Coverage is also available from the INDYCAR Radio Network with audio available via the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

Eight Drivers Testing on IMS Road Corse Thursday

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Eight drivers from four teams will participate in a test on the IMS Road Course Thursday. The test is a makeup from a scheduled session that was rained out in April.

Drivers taking part:

Kyle Kirkwood (A.J. Foyt Racing)

Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist (Arrow McLaren SP)

Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport)

Simona De Silvestro (Paretta Autosport)

Fans may watch from the turn 2 mounds east of the museum. No time frame has been posted, but generally tests at IMS run from 9-5 approximately. There will be a one hour break at noon. The test will not be streamed since it is considered a private test.

Notes

Indy Lights driver Benjamin Pederson will test for Juncos Hollinger Racing next Monday at Sebring. Pederson is looking to move up to Indycar in 2023.

Team Penske swept the top three spots at the 19 car test at Iowa Speedway yesterday. Indycar races at Iowa July 23 and 24.

Indycar at the Halfway Point- Good Racing, Tight Points Battle

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It’s hard to believe the NTT Indycar Series is already at the halfway mark of the season. It has been one of the best first halves I remember. No one is running away with the points lead, the racing has been really good, and one team is in position to play spoiler in the second half. As usual, Team Penske is dominating the stats with five wins in eight races, but Marcus Ericsson from Chip Ganassi Racing leads the standings. Each race has had a different driver, representing five teams, on the pole, something that hasn’t happened since 1961. Here are a few of my thoughts on the season so far.

Team Penske: Strong Return to Form

The team which usually leads the series in wins and poles won just three races in 2021 and had five poles, four by Josef Newgarden. This season the team has won five times, three by Newgarden and one each for Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. The team already has three poles.

Power is second in points, Newgarden third, and McLaughlin has faded to ninth after a strong start.

Josef Newgarden is the only driver with multiple wins in 2022

Newgarden looks to be in a good position to win the championship, just 32 points behind Ericsson and with a lot of momentum following his win last Sunday at Road America. Newgarden is the only driver with more than one win this season.

Eight Interesting Races

In a set of eight races we can normally expect a clunker or two, but I think every race in 2022 has held my interest. There has been more passing than I expected, and plenty of twists and turns with collisions and mistakes to change the complexion of several races.

My two favorite races were the GMR Grand Prix on the IMS road course and the Detroit Grand Prix. The GMR GP was a wild affair in the rain with teams flipping strategies nearly every lap. This is a much better race when it rains.

The Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit was a beautiful mix of tire strategies. Each of the first four finishers were on a different path.

Andretti Poised for Second Half Run

Aside from Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport has been mostly invisible the past season and a half. Herta has won four races in the past season and a half, but there has not been much else from the team. The trend is beginning to change. Herta won the GMR Grand prix in May, and Alexander Rossi is beginning to return to his old form. Rossi has five top 10s this year, including top fives in the last three races. He won the pole at Road America last weekend, and he has finished on the podium the last two times out. Rossi entered the Indianapolis 500 18th in points and is now 7th.

Rossi on his way to the pole at Road America

The team finish last week of Rossi third, Romain Grosjean fourth, and Herta fifth was its best overall showing in a while. I look for Andretti drivers to be more of a factor in the second half of 2022.

Notes

Some other things to look for staring at Mid Ohio in two weeks:

Will Arrow McLaren SP develop the consistency they seem to be lacking? Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist each have a pole, and O’Ward won at Barber, but we never know which team will show up at any race.

O;’Ward is fourth in the standings, but it seems like he should second or third. Rosenqvist has improved to eighth place, and is driving well enough to save his job, but when they are off they are way off.

Kyle Kirkwood has raised the bar at A. J. Foyt Racing. He has a top 10 finish and has made the second round of qualifying twice. Some of the teams best tracks are on the second half of the schedule, and I look for a couple of decent results before the end of 2022.

Will Scott Dixon win again? The last win for the active career leader in victories was May 1, 2021, 21 races ago. Since that time his teammates Alex Palou and Ericsson have won six times. It has been 17 years since Dixon went through a year without winning at least one race. Mid Ohio or Toronto may be his best two chances. Dixonb has won three times at Toronto and five times at Mid Ohio.