St. Pete Day 1

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Good late morning from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The weather is perfect for racing. The organizers have done a great job putting protocols in place. I talked to a volunteer who told me having the race last October helped the get ready for this race. Their preparations show.

Today is tbe start of one of the fewthre day Indycar weekends. The crowd is smaller than the normal Friday crowd at St. Pete. It seems a higher percentage of fans are complying with the mask require than what I observed last weekend at Barber?

USF 2000 qualifying starts at 12:15 followed by Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights qualifying. USF2000 and Indy Lights also qualify for Race 2 later today.

Indycar takes to the track at 4:15 this afternoon. More later.

St. Pete Preview

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The good thing about Indycar back to back weekends is that the teams and drivers who had a hard time last week have a chance to recover immediately. The bad thing about this scheduling is that the teams who did well have pressure to stay op front. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is ususally a race where starting at the front is an advantage. Yet in 2018 Sebastien Bourdais won from last place. Last October’s race was a wild affair decided in the last few laps.

A few things to watch for this weekend.

Newgarden Rebound

Josef Newgarden should come back with a strong showing after his first lap mishap at Barber last weekend. Newgarden has won at St. Pete the last two years, continuing a pattern of back to back winners. Juan Pablo Montoya won in 2015 and 2016, Sebastien Bourdais won in 2017 and 2018. No one has won this event three years in a row. Newgarden doesn’t usually have two bad races in a row. If he isn’t the winner, I expect him to be on the podium.

Andretti Team Needs a Good Weekend

Andretti Autosport looked as if they were set for good results at Barber. Alexander Rossi started on the front row, and Colton Herta just missed the Fast Six despite a practice crash. Herta and teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay were taken out of contention before completing a lap. Rossi faded to a ninth place finish. James Hinchcliffe never found the pace.

In the October race, the entire team looked strong, and both Rossi and Herta had a chance to win until late accidents took them out. The rest of the team was doing well until late race mishaps ruined their days. The team needs to bring the strength they showed in the 2020 finale and complete the task. Last year they got off to a rough start, and a good showing at Str. Pete will help get them on the right path.

Foyt, Bourdais Hope to Build on Good Start

Sebastien Bourdais might be the driver who brings A. J. Foyt Racing back to competitiveness. Bourdais qualified eighth at Barber and finished fifth after leading a lap. At St. Pete last fall, Bourdais qualified well and finished fourth. Another good showing will give the team some momentum for the rest of the season. Bourdais has won at St. Pete twice.

I

think they will have another decent weekend. They won’t be contending for wins this season, but Bourdais should be fighting for spots in the top half of the field.

Rookie Challenges

Romain Grosjean, Scott McLaughlin, and Jimmie Johnson did reasonably well in their debut last weekend, but today begins a new challenge. Grosjean advanced to the second ropund of qualifying and finished 10th. McLaughlin finished 14th. Johnson escaped damage in the first lap incidenrt with some nice maneuvers and waa running at the finish.

Street courses are a different animal. I’m interested to see how the trio responds to the challenges of this tight short course.

I look for Newgarden to have a strong weekend and perhaps take his third straight St. Pete race. If he doesn’t win, Newgarden will take a big step toward getting back into the title chase. Scott Dixon has never won at this track, but given the Ganassi team’s great performance overall last week,

Andretti team recovery

Newgarden Bounces back

Rosenqvist

Can Foyt keep it going

AMSP- learn from strategy error?

Fans at the 500 – 40% of Capacity

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Just released from Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

Fans Set To Attend 105th Indianapolis 500 at 40 Percent of Venue Capacity
Vaccination Days To Continue at IMS throughout May INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 21, 2021) – Fans will attend the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with up to 40 percent of venue capacity permitted, totaling approximately 135,000 fans. The plan for the Sunday, May 30 race at the world’s largest sporting facility was developed in close consultation with state and local health officials and has been approved by the Marion County Public Health Department. In addition to limited attendance, further key health and safety measures at the 2.5-mile track include: Face coverings will be required and enforced throughout the venue. Temperature checks will be administered upon public gate entry. There will be spacing between customer groups in the grandstands. In addition, spacing will be enforced throughout the venue. Spectator viewing mounds will be closed to the general public throughout the Month of May, with no Race Day General Admission tickets sold. Frequent cleaning and sanitation processes will be in place, with hand sanitizer and washing stations readily available. “Our fans mean everything to us, and we can’t wait to welcome them ‘Back Home Again’ for this year’s Indy 500,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “The city and state have worked with us to identify the appropriate health and safety precautions so that we can successfully host a limited but very enthusiastic crowd. The health and safety of everyone coming to IMS, along with Central Indiana and the Hoosier State, have been paramount throughout this process.” “The number-one thing fans can do to ensure a great Race Day is get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles said. “We continue to offer vaccinations at IMS and will be extending our mass vaccination clinic throughout the Month of May. This is all part of the effort to continue getting Indiana back on track.” In addition to the planned vaccination days at IMS from April 24-30, vaccinations will now be available on select days from May 1-27, with additional details forthcoming. IMS and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will unveil a media campaign to encourage Race Day attendees – and all Hoosiers – to get vaccinated immediately. “The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to help us return to the activities we love and have missed over the last year, and every day, more members of our community receive the lifesaving protection it offers thanks in part to community partners like Roger Penske and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department. “Our vaccination rates, combined with the outdoor nature of the event, make it possible for fans to return to these hallowed grounds for the Indy 500 this year. We are grateful to the IMS team for their collaboration throughout this planning process and appreciate their work to ensure vaccines reach our neighbors. I continue to invite everyone in our community 16 and older to visit ourshot.in.gov or call 2-1-1 to sign up for the vaccine.” Additional items of note include: Fans who do not currently have Indy 500 tickets and are interested in attending can apply online at ims.com. If additional tickets are available, these fans will be given first opportunity to finalize purchases. Tickets for all other on-track days remain available, and the same health precautions for gate entry and grandstand access will be in place. With no General Admission access to the infield during the Month of May, the Friday, May 28 Carb Day concert, the Saturday, May 29 Legends Day concert and the Sunday, May 30 Snake Pit concert have all been canceled. IMS customers still have the option to roll their 2021 purchase into 2022, receiving an IMS event credit rather than attending this year’s race. A fan FAQ with additional details about Month of May and Indy 500 items has been posted to IMS.com/PlanAhead. Fans will continue to receive ongoing event information and plan-ahead updates from IMS in the weeks leading into the race. What They’re Saying About the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb: “Roger Penske and everyone associated with Penske Entertainment and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been incredible partners with us throughout the pandemic. It is high time for fans to return to the greatest motor speedway in the world with this safety plan in place. We’re going to have a great Month of May, so let’s go racing.” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett: “Today’s announcement demonstrates our continued commitment to safely hosting major events and showcases the strong collaboration between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and public health partners. We’re excited to have Race Day back in May, welcoming fans as we continue to promote vaccination for residents and visitors alike.” State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box: “IMS has been thoughtful and thorough in its approach to ensuring the safety of fans, teams and all who will visit the Speedway during the Month of May. The organization’s commitment to getting thousands of Hoosiers vaccinated is helping us all with a return to normalcy. The state Department of Health is grateful for the efforts of IMS and its partners.”

St. Pete Schedule, Ticket Update

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According to the GPStPete website, only General Admission tickets remain for Sunday. Saturday grandstand seats are available in socially distanced blocks. the entire block must be purchased. GA is available. Friday is General Admission. Three day grandstand ticket holders have first rights to their grandstand seats on Friday

The event schedule:

Schedule subject to change without notice
All times Eastern Time

Friday


Time		SeriesSession
7:45 AM – 6:00 PM Gate Hours
8:00 AM – 8:40 AMMX-5 CupPractice 1
8:55 AM – 9:25 AMUSF2000Practice 1
9:40 AM – 10:10 AMIndy Pro 2000Practice 1
10:25 AM – 11:05 AMIndy LightsPractice 1
11:20 AM – 12:00 PMMX-5 CupPractice 2
12:15 PM – 12:35 PMUSF2000Qualifying 1
12:50 PM – 1:10 PMIndy Pro 2000Qualifying 1
1:25 PM – 1:55 PMIndy LightsQualifying 1
2:10 PM – 2:40 PMStadium SUPER TrucksPractice/Qualifying
2:55 PM – 3:15 PMMX-5 CupQualifying
3:30 PM – 3:50 PMUSF2000Qualifying 2
4:15 PM – 5:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 1-Peacock
5:25 PM – 5:55 PMIndy LightsQualifying 2

Saturday

TimeSeriesSession
7:45 AM – 6:00 PM Gate Hours
8:00 AM – 8:20 AMIndy Pro 2000Qualifying 2
8:35 AM – 9:20 AMMX-5 CupRace 1
9:45 AM – 10:30 AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 2- Peacock
10:55 AM – 11:35 AMUSF2000Race 1
11:50 AM – 12:35 PMIndy Pro 2000Race 1
12:50 PM – 1:20 PMStadium SUPER TrucksRace 1
1:45 PM – 3:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESQualifying- Peacock
3:20 PM – 4:05 PMIndy LightsRace 1 Peacock
4:20 PM – 5:05 PMMX-5 CupRace 2
5:20 PM – 6:00 PMUSF2000Race 2

Sunday

TimeSeriesSession
7:45 AM – 4:00 PM Gate Hours
8:00 AM – 8:40 AMIndy Pro 2000Race 2
9:05 AM – 9:35 AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESWarm-Up- Peacock
10:00 AM – 10:50 AMIndy LightsRace 2 Peacock
11:05 AM – 11:35 PMStadium SUPER TrucksRace 2
12:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESDriver Introductions
12:42 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESGreen Flag NBC

Pre race show begins at noon on NBC Sunday.

NBCSN lists a delayed Practice show at 10 pm ET Saturday. I assume they mean qualifying, but I will try to get clarification.

Daly’s 500 Car Honors Tuskegee Airmen

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Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter Racing revealed Daly’s car for the Indianapolis 500 this morning. The car is a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. I’m happy to see this squadron recognized at the 500. The car will keep the number 47 that it ran in the 500 last year.

Conor Daly at Barber. Photo-Joe Skibinski, Indycar

The US Air Force posted a video about the Tuskegee Airmen. Copy the link below:

As a homage to the original trailblazers, the Tuskegee Airmen, our newest paint scheme isn’t just a visual cue, but a reminder that great things can happen when we celebrate our differences. https://t.co/Lguc9b5vUS

Karam, DRR Team with AES for 500 Entry

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And then there were (maybe) two. Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced their entry for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 Monday. The car will carry sponsorship from AES, the power company which serves Indianapolis. There may be two more entries for the race. The most likely is a sixth car from Andretti Autosport. Top Gun Racing is still trying to obtain an engine lease from Chevrolet.

The official announcement:

Sage Karam will team again with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to drive an entry for the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, in a partnership with the 500 Festival Foundation, AES Indiana and Omaze.

Karam, from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will attempt to make his eighth career Indy 500 start and seventh with Indianapolis-based DRR in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 30.

Sage Karam. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Indycar

The No. 24 Chevrolet-powered car will feature a new livery with branding from the 500 Festival Foundation, AES 500 Festival Parade, retail electric service company AES Indiana and fundraising platform Omaze.

“The 500 Festival is near and dear to me, and the whole team, as we have always admired and supported the work that the non-profit organization does in our community as well as the traditions it upholds for the Indy 500 and the entire month of May,” said Dennis Reinbold, DRR team owner and former 500 Festival board director. “We are grateful to longtime sponsor WIX Filters for working with us to create a platform to highlight AES Indiana, the AES 500 Festival Parade and the 500 Festival Foundation on our No. 24 car, and not to mention draw attention to the awesome Omaze prize that will benefit the 500 Festival Foundation.”

Omaze will support the 500 Festival Foundation on its unique fundraising platform this May with a sweepstakes that will allow Indy 500 fans to enter for the chance to win a very special prize and a dream-come-true package.

Due to unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AES 500 Festival Parade will not be held this year. Longtime parade title sponsor, AES Indiana (formerly Indianapolis Power & Light Company), has teamed up with the 500 Festival to create a unique partnership that will highlight the community initiatives of the 500 Festival and support the 500 Festival Foundation.

Quick Thoughts- Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

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Photo: A very happy Alex Palou. Joe Skibinski, Indycar

Maybe this is the year for the kids after all. Pato O’Ward won the pole and Alex Palou won the race after being in his first Fast Six yesterday.

I was not shocked by Palou’s victory. He was fast all weekend. Watching him yesterday just gave me a feeling that he was in for a big day.

Josef Newgarden didn’t kill his chances for another title, but he certainly made it more difficult. Barber is ne of his better tracks, so seeing him cause an accident was a surprise.

Nice Top Tens:

Sebastien Bourdais 5th , Rinus VeeKay 6th, and romain Grosjean 10th.

Bourdais led four laps as well. A good start for his time at A. J. Foyt Racing. The team improved every session.

VeeKay recovered from spinning in the first lap melee and a penalty for service in a closed pit.

Grosjean has impressed all weekend with his seventh place qualifying and a top ten finish. A very nice Indycar debut. Maybe the driver wasn’t the problem in F1 his last few years.

Chip Ganassi Racing had three drivers in the Fast Six Saturday and three drivers in the top 10 today. Along with Palou’s win, Scott Dixon finished third and Marcus Ericsson ended the day in eighth. This team could be the power this season.

Simon Pagenaud is starting 2021 the same 2020 went for him- poor qualifying result and a climb through the field. He didn’t get very far today, ending 12th after starting 15th.

Ryan Hunter-Reay begins the season with a DNF again. He has had awful luck in season openers the last few seasons.

Graham Rahal’s seventh place finish from an 18th starting spot must seem like a win for the team. Takuma Sato came home 13th from staring 19th. Both Rahal drivers struggled all weekend.

It felt great to get the season underway and to return to a track whose race was cancelled in 2020; The crowd was as large as it could be. The fans in Birmingham still love this race. They were happy to see it return.

I will have another story about Barber up tomorrow or Tuesday. Then it’s on to St. Pete. Thanks for reading this weekend.

It’s Race Day!

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Photo: Pato O’Ward goes for his first career victory today. Joe Skibinski, Indycar

Today’s schedule All Times Central

7:00am – 3:00pm: Will Call (Hampton Inn | 310 Rex Lake Rd, Leeds, AL 35094)

7:30am: Gates Open

8:00am – 5:00pm: Surgere Fan Zone / Hagerty Car Corral

9:15am – 10:05am: Indy Pro 2000 Race #2

10:30am – 11:00am: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-up

11:25am – 12:05pm: Porsche Sprint Challenge Race #2

12:20pm – 1:20pm: Indy Lights Race #2

2:42pm: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race (90 laps)

NBC coverage begins at 3pm EDT.

The Indycar season finally gets underway this afternoon when the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama takes the green flag. I am assuming the power issues have been resolved and that things will run on time. It should be an interesting race. Two ittle contenders, Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi, start on the front row. Two other favorites for the series championship, Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta, line up eighth and ninth respectively.

Tire strategy will be key today. How long will the red tires last? I expect a couple of caution periods today. The timing of those will also figure into the tire choices.

Rossi has had success starting in front. He usually wins when he is on pole or starts second. Turn one is going to be interesting. Enjoy the race. I think it will be a good one.

Notes

Saturday’s crowd was significantly larger than Friday’s, but still smaller than a normal qualifying day crowd.

The Fan Zone had more vendors and interactive booths yesterday.

Today is expected to be at capacity. All 20,000 available tickets are spoken for.

Another really good qualifying effort yesterday- Conor Daly in the Ed Carpenter Racing number 20 will start 10th.