Power Quickest in GMR Practice; Good session for Young Guns

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It’s probably bad news for the rest of the field. Will Power lead the only practice session for the seventh running of the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this morning.  Power languished near the back of the pack through the first hour of the 90 minute session, then slowly began moving toward the front, topping the charts with about  15 minutes remaining. He was the only driver to crack the 1:10 mark.

The results:

1 12 Will Power Team Penske 1:09.949 –.—- 30
2 18 Santino Ferrucci Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan 1:10.124 0.1755 21
3 8 Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing 1:10.165 0.2161 28
4 5 Pato O’Ward Arrow McLaren SP 1:10.187 0.2387 29
5 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 1:10.205 0.2567 25
6 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 1:10.285 0.3359 25
7 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske 1:10.313 0.3642 27
8 10 Felix Rosenqvist Chip Ganassi Racing 1:10.362 0.4132 29
9 45 Spencer Pigot RLL with Citrone/Buhl Autosport 1:10.363 0.4146 23
10 7 Oliver Askew Arrow McLaren SP 1:10.364 0.4154 30
11 88 Colton Herta Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport 1:10.385 0.4360 17
12 1 Josef Newgarden Team Penske 1:10.386 0.4375 26
13 60 Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing 1:10.455 0.5063 24
14 98 Marco Andretti Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian 1:10.486 0.5372 30
15 27 Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport 1:10.520 0.5717 21
16 30 Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 1:10.538 0.5894 25
17 21 Rinus VeeKay Ed Carpenter Racing 1:10.606 0.6571 36
18 59 Max Chilton Carlin 1:10.611 0.6627 26
19 15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 1:10.685 0.7367 31
20 20 Conor Daly Ed Carpenter Racing 1:10.694 0.7448 26
21 26 Zach Veach Andretti Autosport 1:10.709 0.7602 27
22 55 Alex Palou Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh 1:10.886 0.9376 26
23 4 Charlie Kimball AJ Foyt Enterprises 1:10.980 1.0312 25
24 29 James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport 1:11.227 1.2783 26
25 14 Dalton Kellett AJ Foyt Enterprises 1:11.448 1.4997 42
26 24 Sage Karam Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:11.616 1.

The rookies and younger drivers had some time at the top. Felix Rosenqvist, last byear’s pole sitter, led for a while, as did Pato O’Ward and Marcus Ericsson.

Oliver Askew is the only rookie in the top 10. The biggest surprise in the top 10 is Spencer Pigot in 9th.  His team, Citrone Buhlo in partnership with RLL Racing,  team is making their Indycar debut this weekend.

the practice was stopped twice. Santino Ferrucci bumped Ryan Hunter-Reay around the 45 minute mark. Hunter-Reay was getting his tires up to temperature when Ferrucci tried to pass him pon the inside going into turn 7. Hunter-Reay spun and stalled. Ferrucci received a 5 minute stop and hold penalty for avoidable contact.

With about 30 minutes left, Sage Karam lost power on the access road by turn 12.

Notes

Except for Hunter-Reay, the rest of the Andretti Autosport struggled in the middle of the pack.

A dozen or so fans stood at the ,main gate watching the video board facing the entrance.

It was frustrating hearing the cars but not seeing them. It was still better than nothing.

I have never seen the Speedway look nicer.

A few photos:

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Back tonight after qualifying.

Today’s GMR Grand Prix Schedule

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Good morning from my Pandemic Media Center nine miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today’s schedule for Indycar practice and qualifying: (All Times Eastern)

11:30-1:00   Practice    NBC Gold

4:30-6:00      Qualifying    NBCSN

Times given are broadcast windows.

A few other notes:

Gary Trout, co-owner of Top Gun Racing, has announced the team will attempt to run in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and two other races. Earlier this week the team said they would wait until 2021. Top Gun plans to have R C Enerson drive in the 500, the Harvest grand Prix at IMS, and the season finale at St. Petersburg.

The 26 entries for this weekend’s race is a record number for this event. Had the race run on its original date there may have ben as many as 30 cars taking the gren flag. The most notable absence is Scott McLaughlin. The two time Australian Supercars champion looked to make his Indycar debut in this race for Team Penske, but the quarantine and pandemic have delayed his first race in the series until 2021.

I will be back after practice with a summary before qualifying.

 

GMR Grand Prix- Another Serving of P Soup? A Preview of an Historic Weekend

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Photo: Simon Pagenaud can win his 4th GMR Grand Prix and third straight race at IMS this weekend.

The race that made history  becomes a part of a bigger history Saturday. No fans will be present to witness it. The GMR Grand Prix began as a prelude to the Indianapolis 500 in 2014. It was the first time a race other than the 500 had been run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1911. Saturday the race is the first part of the first Indycar/NASCAR doubleheader. Thrown together by the Coronavirus pandemic, the long overdue coming together of the two series could not happen anywhere else. IMS is the place that comes to mind when you talk about racing history.

The GMR Grand Prix winners club is the most exclusive group in racing.    There have been just two winners- Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Each driver has won three times. Is Saturday Game 7? Team Penske has won the last five races. Schmidt Peterson won the first one. Power has also won the pole three times. Pagenaud has started from the point once.

Last year’s race was arguably the best of the six.  The event was plagued by rain throughout. Simon Pagenaud made the right call on which tire to use in the final segment. He sliced to the front, passing Scott Dixon late on the final lap to take what would be the first part of his May sweep.

Weather, Endurance

The race has run in different weather conditions. In 2016 was an  unseasonably cold day, 2019 had rain. Saturday looks to have temperatures near 90 for the start. Will the heat in the cockpit caused by the new aeroscreen be a factor?

The Grand Prix is the first leg of a five race in fifteen days stretch for the NTT Indycar Series.  Drivers have talked about how fit they have become during the delayed start to the season. Saturday’s heat will be a good test for the mupcoming doubleheaders at Road America and Iowa, two physical tracks.

Rookies

Three full time rookies, Oliver Askew, Rinus VeeKay.and Alex Palou join part time rookie Dalton Kellett in the field.  It is the first race for all of them at IMS. Kellett will drive the road course races in car 14 for A. J. Foyt Racing. He shares the car with Tony Kanaan, who drives the oval races.

Askew, VeeKay, and Kellett  have raced on this track in the Road to Indy. Will their experience help them this weekend?

First Lap Tradition

The GMR Grand Prix has yet to have a clean first lap.  In the inaugural race pole sitter Sebastian Saavedra stalled at the start most cars got by him, but two cars starting in the back rows plowed into him. Fortunately no one was injured. Turn 1 has seen spins and collisions each year at the start. Last year contact ruined Alexander Rossi’s chances of having a good finish.

Debuts

Conor Daly makes his debut for Ed Carpenter Racing Saturday. Daly is driving the road and stret courses for ECR and driving the oval races for Carlin. I have never seen Conor this well prepared for a season. This will be just his second full time year. His sixth place for Carlin at Texas should give him a lot of confidence heading into this marathon stretch. I have said before that Daly in the cockpit improves whichever team he drives for.

This will also be Charlie Kimball’s first road course race for A. J. Foyt Racing. Kimball finished 11th at Texas, a respectable showing for the team. In 2019, Matheus Leist finished 4thin the GMR Grand Prix for Foyt.  The potential is there for another good result.

Another Red Letter Day for the P’s?

I think the letter P finally falls from the top of podium Saturday. Scott Dixon, who has finished second three times in this race, finally gets to move up a step. His performance at Texas, along with the great  of teammate Felix Rosenqvist, showed me that this team is ready for a very strong season. Rosenqvist won the pole in 2019 and could also be a factor.

Don’t feel sorry for the two race winners. At least one of them will still be on the podium.

 

 

GMR Grand Prix Entry List- Pigot, Karam Return

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Spencer Pigot and Sage Karam join the Indycar regulars and part timers this weekend in the seventh annual GMR Grand Prix. the race has served as a prelude to the Indianapolis 500 on Mother’s day weekend the last six years. Could this be a new permanent date for this race?  Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin was scheduled to drive for Team Penske had this race taken place on its original date.  Carlin has entered just one car for this event. Had the race been run uin May there was a potential for 30 entries.
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GMR Grand Prix Fast Facts

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From Indycar:
Race weekend: Friday, July 3 – Saturday, July 4

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)

Race distance: 80 laps / 195.12 miles

Media Links: Entry List (PDF) | Trackside Book (Interactive PDF)

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate (Note: An eighth set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.)

Twitter: @IMS @IndyCar, #INDYGP, #IndyCar

Event website:www.ims.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2019 race winner: Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet)

2019 NTT P1 Award winner: Felix Rosenqvist (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), 1:08.2785, 128.597 mph

Qualifying lap record: Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying)

NBC Sports telecasts: Qualifying, 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, July 3, NBCSN (live); Race, noon ET Saturday, July 4, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey will be the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s telecast of the GMR Grand Prix alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. The GMR Grand Prix race airs live on network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product.

At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, July 3
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, NBC Sports Gold

4:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), NBCSN (Live)

Saturday, July 4

9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, NBC Sports Gold

Noon – NBC on air

12:01 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
12:08 p.m. – GMR Grand Prix (80 laps/195.12 miles), NBC (Live)

Alonso’s Entry for the Indianapolis 500

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Arrow McLaren SP and Fernando Alonso revealed the two time Formula 1 champion’s car for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 this morning.  It’s a different look for Alonso, with only the mirrors in the McLaren papaya orange.
The car is sponsored by Ruoff Mortgage, which was the sponsor on Takuma Sato’s 2017 winning 500 car.

A couple more views

 

1

Tweet

Conversation

Fernando Alonso
@alo_oficial

Love it

😍

!

@ArrowMcLarenSP
@TeamChevy

#66

@RuoffMortgage

car it’s ready. #indy500

🤝

Image

Image

Image

Image

10:20 AM · Jun 30, 2020Twitter for iPhone

1

Tweet

Conversation

Fernando Alonso
@alo_oficial

Love it

😍

!

@ArrowMcLarenSP
@TeamChevy

#66

@RuoffMortgage

car it’s ready. #indy500

🤝

Image

Image

Image

Image

10:20 AM · Jun 30, 2020Twitter for iPhone

1

Tweet

Conversation

Fernando Alonso
@alo_oficial

Love it

😍

!

@ArrowMcLarenSP
@TeamChevy

#66

@RuoffMortgage

car it’s ready. #indy500

🤝

Image

Image

Image

Image

10:20 AM · Jun 30, 2020Twitter for iPhone

1

Tweet

Conversation

Fernando Alonso
@alo_oficial

Love it

😍

!

@ArrowMcLarenSP
@TeamChevy

#66

@RuoffMortgage

car it’s ready. #indy500

🤝

Image

Image

Image

Image

10:20 AM · Jun 30, 2020Twitter for iPhone

Zanardi Update: More Surgery; Top Gun Waits for 2021

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Photo: Alex Zanardi at Belle Isle

Former Indycar champion Alex Zanardi underwent a 2 1/2 hour brain surgery yesterday. The operation  was anticipated by his medical team. Zanardi suffered facial and neurological trauma in a hand bike crash during a race in Italy June 20. He remains in a medically induced coma.

The doctors say he  is stable metabolically and from a cardio-respiratory standpoint, but his neurological condition is described as “grave.”

Zanardi was expected to awake from the coma this week. I believe another update will come today.

Top Gun, Enerson Will Wait Until Next Year

Top Gun Racing has tabled their debut in the NTT Indycar Series until 2021. The team owned by Gary trout and Bill Throckmorton, planned to field a car for R C Enerson in the 2020 Indianapolis 500.  Top Gun participated in the Indycar  irace at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway early this spring.

The team will use the postponed entry to acquire assets to start next year. The announcement removes one possible entry from the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 August 23.

The Weekend the Tree Fell in the Forest

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Photo: The start of the 2019 GMR Grand Prix

Suppose history was made and no one was there to  see it? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has an historic weekend planned, but fans will not be there to see it. I think this hurts more than the Indianapolis 500 not taking place this past May 24. Then, you knew there weren’t any cars running. This weekend, cars are running, but you can only watch them on television.

The time for an Indycar/NASCAR doubleheader is long overdue. I assume that officials of the two series and IMS thought that a limited amount of  fans would be allowed to attend races on the July 4 weekend when the deal was signed. But when a virus controls things, there are no guarantees. Fans are not allowed to witness what should be a significant event in American racing history on Independence Day weekend.

I have seen many firsts at the Speedway (NOT the first 500, thanks for asking)- the first 150 mile an hour lap, the first 200 mile an hour lap, the first Formula 1 race, the first Brickyard 400- and as much as I understand what’s going on, it’s frustrating not to be there this coming weekend. I stopped going to the NASCAR race after 2007. I thought the first few were good, but when the cars changed the racing changed. I  lost interest in it.

I was interested to see the Xfinity Series on the road course. That might be the way to go for the Cup cars in the future. I enjoyed the USAC stock cars when they raced on the road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park (remember the Yankee 300?).  This combined event may not be repeated. When things get back to normal, the GMR Grand Prix will move back to the second weekend in May. I hope the two series, and maybe IMSA as well, can find a mutual weekend that works for all series to run together.

We need to treat this IMS race meet like the  first moon landing. It is too far and too risky to be there in person, so we must be content to watch it on television.

Better times are ahead. Wash your hands and mask up. We will get there sooner.