Miles: Focused on May; Looking for Fullest Season Possible

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Mark  Miles addressed the media this afternoon following the mid day cancellation of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He said the series felt it was the right thing to do for everyone’s well being. More cancellations of other sporting events after yesterday’s announcement that the race would be held may have been a factor. NASCAR also cancelled its race slated for Sunday. But Miles is looking ahead.”…we are absolutely focused on May,” he said. The series will continue to evaluate the situation and adjust accordingly. Miles hinted that there might be adjustments to the May schedule.

In cancelling the first four races of the season, Miles explained that it was in everyone’s best interests. He has the support of the NTT Indycar Series’ partners.

“We’re going to race as much as we can race. It was clear to us from overnight and this morning that the right thing to do right now was to suspend our competition, really all on-track activity through April…But really I think what happened subsequently was the sense that it’s not responsible to ask people to get together. ”

Asked about possibly running doubleheaders to increase the number of races, Miles said the idea will be “taken into account, when we make the plan going forward. What can a broadcaster cover? What can the promoters do? What works for Honda and Chevy and our suppliers? We’ll do whatever is possible to do to create the fullest season. ”

Some Thoughts

In the 1950s the Indianapolis 500 was the first race of the season, so starting in May is not unprecedented.

Double headers would be nice at some places, but not at the expense of the Road to Indy or other support series.

Long Beach as the season finale would be great. Both IMSA and Indycar will be out there anyway.

I appreciate Indycar making every possible effort to run the race this weekend.

 

Acura GP of Long Beach Cancelled for Now, Possibly Rescheduled?

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A statement from the Grand Prix of Long Beach this afternoon:

STATEMENT ON 2020 ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

March 12, 2020

In light of today’s announcement from the City of Long Beach prohibiting all large-scale events in the City through April 30, 2020, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will not take place as scheduled on April 17-19. While we recognize that this is a serious inconvenience for our loyal attendees, sponsors and other clients, nevertheless, this action is consistent with our primary objective of assuring the public’s safety and well-being at our event.

We are in conversation with the City of Long Beach, various race sanctioning bodies and the Long Beach Convention Center to discuss the viability of rescheduling this event at a later time in the year. If that is not possible, then we look forward to presenting the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16-18, 2021. Further details about possible refunds or credits will be forthcoming.

 

The City of Long Beach has cancelled all large gatherings through April 30, 2020. Long Beach is one city that could reschedule a street event. I hope Indycar can find an alternate date. Long Beach is one of the races Indycar shares with the IMSA Weather Tech Championship. No Grand Prix in Long Beach this year would end a 45 year run for the event.

 

The Race Will Go On; No Spectators

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The good news is there will be a race Sunday. The bad news is there will be no spectators. With other sports suspending their seasons and postponing or cancelling events, it is a relief that Indycar decided to press on. Any distraction from the Coronavirus is welcome.

The Indycar schedule is for one practice Saturday followed by qualifying. I assume thes sessions take place at the originally scheduled time. I will publish he schedule when it comes out.

All team personnel on the grounds will have a health screening.

The Road to Indy’s three series will each have one practice and one qualifying session. I assume some of these will be tomorrow, since Indycar won’t be on track. The qualifying round for each rung covers both races. The schedule should be out soon.

Here is the official announcement from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:

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New Eras and Young Guns- The Future Begins at St. Petersburg

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Race weekend is finally here. After a long, eventful off season, Indycar returns with a new series owner, a new advancement in safety, and some rule tweaks. Another great rookie class is waiting for their first round of competition. Several races will host expanded fields.

Two new eras begin tomorrow at 10:45 am when the NTT Indycar Series has its first practice session of the year. The 17th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the first event with Roger Penske in charge of the series. It also will be the first official session in which the aeroscreen becomes a part of Indycar safety.

The Kids Are Alright

One of the things to watch over the weekend is the young drivers. Last year’s outstanding rookie group and this year’s equally talented first year drivers make up almost a third of the grid for Sunday’s race. The rookie battle between Oliver Askew and Rinus VeeKay should be fun to watch all season. Alex Palou is the mystery rookie. He is quick, but is he on a team that can get him to the front? Felipe Nasr is new to Indycar, but his F1 and sports car experience should help him find speed quickly. These rookies not only have to battle the veterans, but also the second year drivers who amassed some stellar statistics in 2019. These nine drivers could be considered a class to watch by themselves.

The Aeroscreen and Pit Stops

This weekend will be the first time the aeroscreen is tested under race conditions. How will it affect the car’s handling in traffic? Will passing be easier, more difficult , or about the same? Teams need a couple of races to get a handle on the effects of the new safety attachment.

An extra crew member will be allowed over the wall this season to exclusively tend to the aeroscreen. The crew member can only work on the screen when the rear wheels of the car are off the ground. The duties are limited to tear offs and cleaning the screen.  Since St. Pete is the first race with the aeroscreen, could we see some teams have pit stop issues? I’m sure the teams have practiced the new procedures, but in the heat of competition, things happen. I plan to watch pit stops closely Sunday.

Pit Strategy

The race distance has been shortened to 100 laps this year from the 110 it has been since 2013. 100 laps was the original distance beginning in 2005. I think it was probably done for television purposes. This shouldn’t change the need for three stops, but the timing of the final stop could depend on when the yellows fall. A team that pits late enough could end the race on red tires and have a speed advantage. Normally a team would want to be on blacks at the end of this race.

The Winner

If the recent trend holds, Josef Newgarden will win. His victory last year made him just the third winner since 2015. Juan Pablo Montoya won the first of back to back races in St. Pete then. Sebastien Bourdais went back to back in 2017 and 2018. Newgarden was just the fourth winner of this race to go on to win the series championship. Will Power was the last driver to win both in 2014.

Predictions

The race has had few caution periods for the most part in recent years. Qualifying position is the key to success. The pole winner doesn’t necessarily win, but with the exception of Bourdais’ two victories, starting near the front helps.

When we talk qualifying, we usually mean Will Power. He is the active leader in career poles and won the pole last year.  Look for him to repeat as the top qualifier, but I look for Scott Dixon to finally win at this track.

Schedule Changes

It is possible the schedule may be adjusted during the weekend. I will keep you posted on any changes that occur. If you’re coming to the race, stay safe and wash your hands.