Per the latest medical update issued by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports:
Hello from Portland
After a very long travel day, I finally made it to Portland International Raceway. The track is rather flat with an interesting set of curves on either end. Turn 1 is a challenge to navigate as it comes at the end of a long, fast front stretch and the track narrows. Several drivers needed the runoff area there yesterday.
A great viewing area I discovered is grandstand K located inside the track in turn 1. From the top row you can see the Festival curves, a series of esses and watch the cars hear to the back stretch.
Scott Dixon had the fastest time in Thursday’s test, 58. 3593 seconds. Alexander Rossi was ninth quick. Yesterday’s times mean nothing. Today’s first practice begins at 1:45 ET.
Here are a few photos from turn 1 yesterday. I hope to move around to some other spots today.
Remember, my coverage this weekend will be mainly on Wildfire Sports. I will still post my quick thoughts here tomorrow and Sunday.
Greetings from the Air Heading to Portland
I’m writing this as I fly to Portland. I am very excited for this event and to explore the city. My main coverage this weekend will be on Wildfireradiosports. My preview _Return of Another Classic_ posted this morning on Wildfire.
As usual, I will have my Quick thoughts h e re after qualifying and the race.
Bommarito 500- The Race with Many Faces
Another successful event at Gateway Motorsports Park ended with a race that had something for everyone. Will Power grabbed his third win of the season, closing some ground on points leader Scott Dixon. There were a couple of passes for the lead, pit strategy, and fuel saving. A driver charged from deep in the pack to earn a top five. The surprise was that it wasn’t Alexander Rossi or Sebastien Bourdais. As is typical of night races, the complexion changed as the track cooled.
Fortunately, setting the field by points did not affect the results. That is always a concern when the starting grid is set with no regard to speeds on a particular weekend. It was evident that Power had tje best car from the green flag when he jumped into second place behind Dixon as Rossi had an unusually bad start. Rossi at one point fell all the way back to eighth.
Drive of the Race
While positions remained fixed at the front, Zach Veach charged to tenth from sixteenth. He would remain in the top ten the rest of the evening and lead his first career laps before finishing fifth. Veach has four consecutive top ten finishes. Saturday was his second top five this year. Veach got credit for helping Andretti Autosport set up their cars for Pocono from Rossi in Victory Lane. He should be even stronger next year.
Caution Sets Up Fuel Run
The second caution on lap 173 for Ryan Hunter-Reay’s stalled car caused everyone to re-figure pit stops. The race went back to green with a distance remaining that was a bit too long to make the end on a full tank. Rossi was one of only three cars to not make a fourth stop. He has becoming a fuel saving master on the same level as Dixon and Power. He salvaged second as Dixon was indecisive on whether to save or go wide open. meanwhile, power had stopped with 17 laps left and go full speed.
Great Save
Several cars, including Power, tried to pass on the outside going into turn 1 and ended up getting very close to the wall. Rossi slid in turn 2 and appeared to be heading straight for the wall before getting the car under control. It must have made some dirt car drivers jealous. He lost the race by 1.3 seconds. The margin would have been closer if not for that adventure.
Gateway Hits Another Home Run
Gateway Motorsports park and the Bommarito Group put on a much improved event. They took feedback from 2017 and put more than 1 million dollars into making the fan experience better. There were many more food vendors, including several food trucks with quite a variety of offerings. The widened drive and paved parking made leaving smoother. My group was on the highway in about twelve minutes.
A couple things they might consider for next year- many workers still did not know where to redeem paddock vouchers for wristbands nor which seats were general admission. The track also could establish a number to text if a fan has an issue. There were people smoking in the grandstands in spite of signs prohibiting it.
Overall, this group knows how to promote and put on a race.
Sebastien Bourdais sits on track after hitting the wall on lap 1.
The first two rows line up on the backstretch for the start.
Quick Thoughts on the Bommarito 500
Thoughts still with Robert Wickens. Thanks to everyone at the track who wore Wickens gear or red today.
Much was improved as far as fan experience. Leaving the track for my group was fast and easy. We were on the highway 12 minutes after getting into the car. There were more food vendors, at least double the number from last year. Water was readily available. I assume even more improvements will come next year.
The second part of the race after the lap 183 restart was fun. Cars could finally pass and fuel strategy came into play.
Another great run for Zach Veach. He moved up steadily all night and led at one point.
Spencer Pigot also had a good race.
Passing in the first half of the race was due to mistakes by the drivers ahead. Quite a few in one race.
Power gained some points on Dixon, but not as many as he needed to. He will have to win out and hope Dixon finishes out of the top ten.
For a while Ed Jones was doing what Dixon’s teammate should do. He got between Dixon and the driver chasing him for the title. Too bad he couldn’t hold on to the end. He hasn’t done that much this year.
I still like Rossi’s chances to win the championship. If he can gain points on a night when his car was not that strong, I think he’s in good shape.
Did Dixon overthink his fuel strategy? Finishing third instead of second left seven points on the table.
Look for a full race recap on Wildfire Sports on Monday.
Quick Thoughts on Gateway Day 1
Qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was cancelled due to weather and the other events scheduled. According to rule, the fieldlines up for Saturday’s race in order of entrant points. Points leader Scott Dixon will start from the pole and Alexander Rossi is also on the front row. I understand this what the rulebook states. I also think there is a better way to set the grid.
Using times from the last practice session before scheduled qualifying would be fairer to teams and drivers who showed up with a really good setup. At Gateway Motorsports Park, there is no track action until noon tomorrow. A 10 or 10:30 am qualifying round would work. With the closeness of the points race, the field should be allowed to qualify. This situation has potentially cost someone a point in the title chase. There have been two ties for the season championship.
It was odd not seeing the 6 car on track. Robert Wickens was truly missed today.
It appears passing will be difficult in the race. Sebastien Bourdais looked like the only car that could get by others without much difficulty. Rossi also cold pass, but not quite as easily. Track position will be important.
The track has made several improvements which were noticeable. There is more parking on paved lots, the main roadway is three lanes wide, and there are more food vendors on the midway as well as in the infield. A second area to redeem pit/paddock pass vouchers is on the midway. The real traffic test comes tomorrow night. I heard from someone who went to last month’s truck race that traffic was still an issue then.
The weather made for a disjointed first practice session. It got off to a rocky start when Marco Andretti’s car stalled in turn 2 on the first lap.
Welcome to Gateway
It’s race weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park as preparations for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 begin today with practice and qualifying. Indycar’s first practice is scheduled for !:15 ET and qualifying begins at 5:15 ET. Pro Mazda and Indy Lights also have practice and qualifying today. Weather could be a factor pushing the schedule back today.
In the track’s continuing efforts to improve the fan experience, Gateway has added a second paddock/pit voucher redemption location. Last year there was one location staffed by one person on Friday.
Follow the Pit Window on Twitter and Facebook for live updates including weather and schedule changes throughout the day. I will have my Quick Thoughts on Qualifying here early tomorrow morning and race thoughts posted Sunday. A full race recap will be on Wildfire Sports on Monday.
Gateway- Therapy for the Indycar Community
The Bommarito 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park could not have come at a better time. The entire Indycar community- fans, teams, drivers, crews- needs to get right back to a race after last Sunday. When Dan Wheldon lost his life in Las Vegas in 2011, it was the season finale. That made the pain worse as we all had to wait until the following spring to get back to a track.
In 2015, after Justin Wilson’s accident, Sonoma was the following week. It felt comforting to be back at the track so quickly and to be with many Indycar friends. I remember the subdued tone to the paddock that Friday at Sonoma. I’m keeping Robert Wickens in my thoughts still, but I will feel better when I get to the track Friday.
Friday the paddock again may not have its usual frenetic short weekend buzz, but by Saturday things should get back to normal. Once the green flag drops everyone will focus on the race. There is still a tremendous fight for the season championship going on. Scott Dixon will try to extend his shrinking lead over Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power.
The Bommarito Group is expecting another huge crowd this year. To address some issues from last year’s event, they have undertaken a $1.1 million project. A new entrance, wider roadways inside, and more parking are just some of the items added to help fans have an easier time at the track.
Iowa or Phoenix?
The big question is will we see a race like we saw at Phoenix with no passing or an action packed race like Iowa? The Gateway track sits between those two distance wise. The banking more resembles Phoenix, as does the narrowness of the racing surface. Perhaps the shorter distance and the aero tweaks since Phoenix will make for a better race. After Sebastien Bourdais tested here, he said he thought a pass could be made one on one, but passing would be difficult in a group of cars. That could prevent the leader from getting away from whomever is chasing him if he has trouble getting through lapped traffic. Rossi is the only driver who has consistently been able to pass cars on difficult tracks this year. Bourdais has also shown the ability to pass to a lesser degree.
Chevy or Honda?
Honda cars have won the last three oval events despite a Chevy winning the pole. I suspect that is what will happen Saturday. The Chevy cars have not been great in traffic on ovals, while some Hondas seem to be able to work around slower cars easier. Hondas also appear to be getting better fuel mileage. In a normal year, which this hasn’t been, I wold this should be a Chevy track. But then, Pocono and Texas should have been also.
Can Dixon Hang On?
This will be the week Dixon extends his lead. I don’t think it will grow by much, but he will finish ahead of the three drivers chasing him. I’m not sure one of the contenders will win Saturday’s race. I think Dixon will leave St. Louis with a lead big enough to hold through Portland next weekend and be the man to catch going to the Sonoma finale.
Will Veach Continue His Late Season Run?
Zach Veach has finished in the top ten the last three races and should make it four at Gateway. Veach also had a fourth place at Long Beach. He sounds very confident and is someone to watch for the rest of the year. Veach has shown some flashes of good driving which have been spoiled either by on track missteps or pit fires.
Notes
Gabby Chaves returns to the number 88 Harding racing entry this weekend. Chaves began the season as Harding’s regular driver, but Conor Daly stepped into the car in Toronto. Daly gave the team its best qualifying spot and finish there and also drove at Mid Ohio and Pocono as the team looks for developmental help.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports will James Hinchcliffe as their only entry this weekend. The #6 car of Robert Wickens will return at Portland with a driver to be named.
Winner?
This is a tough one to call, but I’m going to say Marco Andretti breaks his long drought. I have a perfect record this year (all wrong), so don’t bet the house on this.
New Medical Update on Robert Wickens
The latest word on Robert Wickens from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports:
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 