The Pit Window by Mike Silver

Herta Leads Warm Up

July 28, 2019 thepitwindow

Colton Herta led his third session of the weekend, recording a time of 1:05.7048 in the final warmup before this afternoon’s Honda Indy 200. Spencer Pigot was second jus0.06 seconds behind HeHarding Steinbrennerrta. Pole sitter Will Power finished seventh. Alexander Rossi, who starts alongside Power in row one, was third fastest.

The session was green the entire time. Many teams used part of the time to scuff in red alternate tires. Sebastien Bourdais ran the most laps, 25, and Marco Andretti ran the fewest, 17.

Tire choices will be announced shortly.

Race Day at Mid Ohio

July 28, 2019 thepitwindow

Photo: Kyle McInnes

We are ready for Round 13 of the NTT Indycar Series, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio. Yesterday’s qualifying will make this an interesting race. Can Will Power break his winless streak? Can Alexander Rossi gain ground on Josef Newgarden? How aggressive will Rossi be at the start? Will a two or three stop strategy lead to victory?

Power said that he is planning on three stops. Rossi used a two stop strategy last year on his way to a convincing win. Teams may not decide until after the noon warmup. The heat may be a factor today as well.

Qualifying Doesn’t Reflect Practice

Six of the top ten in final practice failed to advance in qualifying. Santin Ferruci, Graham Rahal, and Spencer Pigot didn’t get out of Round 1. Pigot was second fastest in the morning practice. Colton Herta, who led the last two practices, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and James Hinchcliffe fell out in Round 2.

Power ran two laps at the end of the Fast Six on reds. He had a slower first lap, saving his tires for the final circuit. He beat Rossi by 0.38 seconds.

Sebastien Bourdais made it to the Fast Six after flirting with it for the last few races. he has been a consistent Round 2 member this season.

DVR Reminder

The race is on NBC. You may need to set your DVR.

Back after the noon warmup and then after the race with Quick Thoughts. Look for a ful race report on Wildfire Sports.

Quick Thoughts- Mid Ohio Qualifying

July 27, 2019 thepitwindow

I sure didn’t see this pole coming. Power’s season has been difficult, and he has been out of the conversation for most of the year. He seemed almost as relieved after qualifying as he was after winning the 500 last year.

Rossi can take consolation that he is starting ahead of Newgarden this race. The first turn after the green will be interesting.

Power’s pole takes a point away from all the championship contenders.

Disappointing qualifying for Colton Herta and Spencer Pigot. Neither made the Fast Six. Herta led the last two practice sessions. Pigot was second quickest this morning.

A Ganassi car made the Fast Six, but not the one I expected. Felix Rosenqvist had decent times in practice, but was 11th overall. He had also had a couple off track excursions. Scott Dixon looked as if he had recovered from his early weekend struggles.

Rossi said he hasn’t had time to think about his renewal with Andretti yet. I still think he will win the race tomorrow.

Bourdais has been a regular in the Second Round of late. It would be great to see him get a pole this year.

All three Arrow Schmidt Peterson cars got to Round Two. James Hinchcliffe, Marcus Ericsson, and Jack Harvey all advanced. This is Harvey’s first race since Road America, which makes his advancement more impressive. I would love to see what that team can do full time. Harvey made the Fast Six at the Indycar Grand Prix and finished third.

Tomorrow looks to be the hottest day of the weekend with temperatures around 90 degrees at race time. It should make for an interesting race.

Power said his team is planning on three stops in the race.

Power felt that he would eventually get another pole. “It just got the point where God said, ‘Let him have it.’ ”

Back later with a full qualification report. Thanks for following along today.

Qualifying Groups

July 27, 2019 thepitwindow

Rossi, NAPA, Honda Stay with Andretti

July 27, 2019 thepitwindow

Photo: Rossi in his dominant Road America win in June

Andretti Autosport put an end to Silly Season this afternoon, announcing that Alexander Rossi will be driving for the team in 2020 “and beyond.” NAPA will continue to sponsor Rossi in nine races next year. Auto Nation will sponsor the number 27 car in seven 2020 races. Honda will continue to power Andretti cars. The announcement ends the rumors that Rossi might sign with Team Penske and the Andretti was switching to Chevrolet engines for 2020.

“It feels good to continue with Andretti Autosport,” said Rossi. “Over the past four years, we’ve built a very strong team with great chemistry and I believe that we have the tools necessary to win races and championships. I’m looking forward to not just calling this my team, but my home in the IndyCar Series. Michael [Andretti], J-F [Thormann], Doug [Bresnahan] and the entire team have been working very hard to put all the pieces of this deal together and it’s definitely a relief to have the future settled and be able to focus on the championship fight ahead of us.

“It’s fantastic to have NAPA AUTO PARTS, AutoNation and Honda supporting the 27 program. I’ve had the pleasure of developing a great relationship with both NAPA and Honda and couldn’t imagine not having them in my corner. AutoNation has always had a strong partnership with the team through Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to represent the Drive Pink campaign and getting to know the AutoNation team better.”

Had Rossi signed with Penske, four of the arguably five best drivers in the series would be on one team. An Andretti switch to Chevy would give the engine seven of the best cars on the grid. With Rossi and Honda staying put, the balance of power in the series is preserved. I’m not sure how Honda would have replaced Andretti in the series. The options are somewhat limited.

Herta Fastest in Practice 3; Qualifying Next

July 27, 2019 thepitwindow

Photo: Colton Herta exiting the keyhole in Practice 3. Photo: Mike Silver

Colton Herta picked up where he stopped yesterday afternoon, leading the NTT Indycar Series final practice session this morning. The results of this session determine the groups for the 2:35 pm qualifying rounds. Herta will lead Group 2 in Round 1. Group 2 will also include Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden, and Sebastien Bourdais.

Herta’s time of 1:05.704 was 0,058 seconds better than Spencer Pigot. Alexander Rossi was third quickest. Rossi struggled in both sessions yesterday and early in today’s round. Graham Rahal ended Practice two slowest of the 23 cars, but finished sixth this morning. Felix Rosenqvist dropped to twenty in today’s practice after posting a top ten speed yesterday. Scott Dixon, seventh yesterday, finished 15th today.

Qualifying Day at Mid Ohio

July 27, 2019July 27, 2019 thepitwindow

Photo: Kyle McInnes

Good morning. It’s qualifying day at Mid Ohio for the Honda Indy 200.

Today’s schedule:

10:30 Practice 3 NBC Gold

2:35 Qualifying NBCSN

Andretti Autosport has announced a media availability at 12:30 today. Could Silly Season come to an abrupt end?

Noticed some improvements at the track yesterday. The stairs leading up to the keyhole have been replaced with a new wooden staircase. It looks nice. A new grandstand is at the exit of turn 2. I understand it was put up for the ARX event earlier this year. I might check it out during this morning’s practice.

Some questions for today:

Can Colton Herta win his second pole of the year?

Will Simon Pagenaud continue his hot streak?

Will Alexander Rossi have a better day than yesterday?

Back with a post practice wrap-up.

Herta Leads Second Session with Day’s Quick Lap

July 26, 2019 thepitwindow

Colton Herta led Practice 2 for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio with the day’s quickest lap, 1:05.729. It was a session punctuated by spins and off course excursions. The mist severe came with about six minutes left when Josef Newgarden got off track in turn 9 and backed into the tire barrier. The rest of the field was allowed one more lap. No one got a clean lap as none of the cars could create a big enough gap to make a decent run. e

Cars didn’t start using the red alternate tires until about 12 minutes remained in the practice period. I’m not sure anyone has a decent feel for how they will do in qualifying or the race. Simon Pagenaud said in the press conference following practice, “We’ll find out in the warmup (Sunday morning).”

Pagenaud finished second after after posting the third place time this morning. Pagenaud was 0.202 seconds behind Herta. Will Power was third this afternoon. Points leader Newgarden finished the afternoon 11th after his crash. Alexander Rossi continued to struggle ending session two in 13th, which is the same position he finished this morning’s practice.

Felix Rosenqvist improved on his eighth place from the morning session to fourth quickest this afternoon. Jack Harvey was 11th this morning and improved to eighth in session two. Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe switched fifth and sixth spots in the two sessions. Hinchcliffe was fifth this morning.

R. C. Enerson (above photo) made great strides this afternoon in his Indycar return, going from 21st this morning to 15th this afternoon.

Tomorrow’s schedule calls for a 10:30 practice and qualifying at 2:35.

Dixon Fastest in Mid Ohio Practice 1

July 26, 2019 thepitwindow

Scott Dixon led the opening practice for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio. The NTT Indycar Series session ended with a mix of Hondas and Chevys in the top ten. Dixon’s best lap was 1:06.097. Spencer Pigot finished second with a 1:06.245 circuit. Points leader Josef Newgarden was fourth quick, 0.209 seconds behind. The other championship contenders had mixed results. Simon Pagenaud was third, 0.169 behind Dixon. Alexander Rossi ended the session 13th, more than a second down to the leader.

Jack Harvey was 11th quick in his return to the series with Meyer Shank Racing. R. C. Enerson, driving his first Indycar race in three years for Carlin Racing, was 21st. Enerson completed a session high 24 laps. Felix Rosenqvist was the fastest rookie. He finished eighth, 0.508 seconds off Dixon’s lap.

The next Indycar practice is at 3:15 pm EDT.

A couple more photos from this morning: