It’s Race Day

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Photo: Romain Grosjean will the field to the green today. Walt Kuhn, Indycar

Today’s schedule:

All Times Eastern

Saturday

7:30am 5:00pm Gates Open

7:50am 8:40am Indy Pro 2000 Race 2

8:55am 9:25am Indy Lights Qualifying 2

9:40am 10:20am USF2000 Race 3

10:45am 11:15am NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-Up Peacock

11:40am 12:30pm Indy Pro 2000 Race 3

12:45pm 1:45pmINDY LIGHTS Race 2 Peacock

2:39pm ‘Drivers Start Your Engines’ NBC

2:45pm GMR Grand Prix – Green Flag NBC

Welcome to the first May race day at IMS in two years where fans will be in the stands. This will be an interesting race with many of the favorites starting in the middle or back of the back. After yesterday’s wild qualifying and the way the season has begun, maybe it’s time to consider other drivers besides the usual favorites. Alex Palou and Jack Harvey deserve special attention today. Palou has already won on a similar course, and Harvey always does well at the IMS road course. Pit strategy and track position will be key as always at this track.

In the 2020 version of this race which was held in July, cautions played a huge role in the outcome. Graham Rahal was on an alternate pit strategy that appeared to be working out. The yellow flag dashed his hopes of winning.

Team Penske dominates the GMR Grand Prix and it looks like all four drivers could be contending today.

I think we will have the fifth winner in five races this season. The series has already seen five different drivers on pole, although two were by point standings,

Notes

Andretti Autosport regular drivers had a best qualifying of eighth with Colton Herta yesterday. Alexander Rossi led the first practice session, but faded in qualifying and will start 14th. It is puzzling what’s going on with the team.

Josef Newgarden’s Snap-On car is this weekend’s best looking livery.

, IndycarPhoto by Joe Skibinski

It was a decent sized crowd yesterday, and I will be interested to see how many attend today’s race.

Mask compliance was very high yesterday. The Speedway has hired Mask Ambassadors to give people gentle reminders to wear their face coverings. The ambassadors carry a fan like placard with the phrase “Face Coverings Required” I saw them remind some people of the requirement. certain other tracks I have been to this year could have use a system like this.

The race is on NBC with coverage beginning at 2:30 pm Eastern. Green flag is at 2:45.

I watched the replay of qualifying on NBCSN. The broadcast carried no graphics of any sort, and it was hard to follow the action during the rounds of qualifying. I heard graphics appeared on Peacock. Is NBCSN having a fire sale since they are 2winding down the network? This was a huge disservice to fans who don’t or can’t have Peacock for whatever reason. You still have a contract NBC. Honor it.

The Starting Lineup:

  1. (51) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 1:09.4396 (126.447 mph)
  2. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 1:09.5665 (126.216)
  3. (60) Jack Harvey, Honda, 1:09.6528 (126.060)
  4. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 1:09.7118 (125.953)
  5. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 1:09.7140 (125.949)
  6. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 1:09.8662 (125.675)
  7. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 1:09.8185 (125.760)
  8. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 1:09.8222 (125.754)
  9. (18) Ed Jones, Honda, 1:09.8548 (125.695)
  10. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 1:09.8722 (125.664)
  11. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 1:09.9060 (125.603)
  12. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, No Time (No Speed)
  13. (7) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 1:09.8243 (125.750)
  14. (27) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 1:09.9012 (125.612)
  15. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 1:09.8382 (125.725)
  16. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 1:09.9512 (125.522)
  17. (30) Takuma Sato, Honda, 1:09.8665 (125.674)
  18. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 1:10.0726 (125.304)
  19. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 1:09.8759 (125.657)
  20. (14) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 1:10.1830 (125.107)
  21. (11) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 1:10.6810 (124.226)
  22. (29) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 1:10.6174 (124.338)
  23. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 1:11.0455 (123.588)
  24. (4) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 1:10.9312 (123.788)
  25. (86) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 1:11.1370 (123.429)

Grosjean Pole- From Flames to Fame

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Photo: Romain grosjean hug chief mechanic Olivier Boisson after winning the pole. Photo by Mike Silver

Romain Grosjean leaping from his burning car in Bahrain is finally put away. Grosjean won the pole for tomorrow’s GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He did not win the pole by default. Grosjean had to hold off two time series champion and multiple pole winner Josef Newgarden to achieve the top spot for the race. The pole is just the third all time for Dale Coyne racing and the first on a natural road course. Sebastien Bourdais won a pole on the oval at Phoenix in 2018. Mike Conway took the pole for Detroit Race 2 in 2016.

In a qualifying session which saw points leaders Scott Dixon and Pato O’Ward struggle and pokle master Will Power cause a red flag in Round 2, Grosjean joined three other fast six newcomers- Conor Daly, Alex Palou, and Scott McLaughlin to fight for the pole along with Jack harvey and Newgarden.

“Amazing,” Grosjean said. “When I saw the (first qualifying) group I was in, I was like, ‘Oh, dear, if we can get out of the first group, we’re going to be OK,’ and we did. That last few laps, we were on it. What a day for us.

“I’m happier than I have been in a very long time.”

In the only other natural road course run this year, at Barber, Grojean started 10th and finished seventh. His getting to the Fast Six wasn’t much of a shock, but earning the pole was.

Notes on a Strange Day

The wierdness wasn’t reserved for qualifying. The practice sessions had some odd happenings as well. In session 1, Alex Palou’s team discovered a water leak before he got on the track. Palou missed the entire session. Palou bounced back to get in the Fast Six.

During the first practice we learned that Max Chilton and Carlin Racing withdrew from this weekend. Chilton was unable to return from England because of a travel issue. Today’s issue has no effect on their 500 entry.

Scott Dixon developed a clutch issue during the afternoon practice, Unlike Palou, he did not recover in qualifying and will start 16th. two spots ahead of Pato O’Ward. Dixon and O’Ward are first and second in points. Newgarden and Palou,, third and fourth in points, start second and fourth.

Juan Pablo Montoya looked quite uncomfortable in the third Arrow McLaren SP entry. He struggled to get the car through the final turns.

Conor Daly made the Fast Six for the first time. It has been a long time since Ed Carpenter racing has been in the Fast Six.

Newgarden and Palou were the only members of the Fast Six who have won a race. The series is on about as level a playing field as it has ever been.

Team Penske still does not have a pole this season.

A. J. Foyt Racing had a promising beginning to the season. All thee cars will start 20th or worse tomorrow.

Newgarden Leads Chevy 1-2-3 in Practice 2

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Josef Newgarden led the final practice round before qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix at 4: 30. Newgarden edged Rings Veekay and teammate Will Power in a Chevy sweep of the top 3. All four TeM Penske cars finished in the top 10, with Scott McLaughlin fifth and Simon Pagenaud eighth.

Pato O’ Ward struggled for most of the session but salvaged a ninth place at the flag.

Scott Dixon had a clutch failure and ended 23rd.

Juan Pablo Montoya struggled the entire practice period and was the slowest car

The top 12:

In

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:

Toronto Cancelled

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Not a surprise, but good t6 know early. I look fo r a double header at either Mid Ohio or Portland. The official announcement from Indycar:

2021 Schedule Update
INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 14, 2021) – Due to ongoing restrictions in Ontario focusing on COVID-19 health-and-safety measures, organizers for the Honda Indy Toronto and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES jointly announce that this year’s event, July 9-11, will no longer be a part of the 2021 schedule.“The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race around Exhibition Place and Princes’ Gates is a hallmark of our summer schedule,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “To have that void for a second straight year is heartbreaking. We deeply miss our fans there and urge them to remain safe during these unprecedented times. INDYCAR looks forward to a high-powered return in 2022 and for years to come.”The festival atmosphere on the Streets of Toronto has been a staple of the INDYCAR SERIES since 1986. The list of champions includes legendary names such as Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Alex Zanardi, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon.INDYCAR is considering various scenarios for the remainder of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar as it relates to the cancellation of the event on the Streets of Toronto.The current mid-summer portion of the schedule will resume Sunday, Aug. 8 for the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville, with live coverage on NBCSN. That event is the first of three races on consecutive weekends for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with the Nashville race followed by another historic NASCAR-INDYCAR weekend Saturday, Aug. 14 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and then the exciting oval at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Opening Day at IMS at Last!

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Good morning from the cozy confines of the IMS Media Center Northwest Annex at 71st and Michigan Road.The Pit Window will soon be heading to its annual opening day staff breakfast at Charlie Brown’s (table for 1, please.)

Two practice sessions and qualifying are on tap for Indycar today.

From last night:

GMR Grand Prix- Time For a Penske Bounce Back?

Today’s Schedule

All Times Eastern

Friday

7:30am 6:00pm- Gates Open

8:00am 8:20am- Indy Pro 2000 Quals

8:35am 9:05am INDY LIGHTS Q1

9:30am 10:15am INDYCAR Series Practice 1 Peacock

10:40am 11:20am USF2000 Race 1

11:45am 12:35pm Indy Pro 2000 Race 1

1:00pm 1:45pm NTT INDYCAR Series Practice 2 Peacock

2:10pm 3:10pm INDY LIGHTS Race 1 Peacock

3:25pm 4:05pm USF2000 Race 2

4:30pm 5:45pm NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qual. / Firestone Fast 6 Peacock (live)

NBCSN– 6 pm ET (Delayed)

Today is a day for reunions with friends and to scout viewing spots for tomorow’s race if you have a flex ticket. If this your first time at the track since 2019, take some time to notice the improvements Roger Penske has made. They are noticeable and impressive.

I will post brief reports on session results and have a full wrap up later tonight. Enjoy the day;.