I am so impressed with the drivers that have come into the series the last three years. It was an impressive win for Alexander Rossi, and a good drive to second for Robert Wickens.
Rossi’s fuel saving drive was Dixon-like.
Scott Dixon is now 46 points ahead of Rossi, who leaps to second. Rossi expressed confidence he has time to take the lead.
Disappointed to see Max Chilton not take advantage of his sixth place starting spot.
Conor Daly ran another good race for Harding. A shame he ran out of fuel on the last lap. If a team needs to develop a car, Daly is the driver they want.
The attendance was the best I’ve seen at Mid Ohio since my first year there in 2008.
Sebastien Bourdais put on quite a show coming from last to a top ten on a track where passing is difficult. Not many of his position gains were in the pits.
Dixon did what he needed to do, hang close and get another top 5.
The cloudy skies and cooler temperatures allowed more grip contributing to the surprisingly caution free race..
My more detailed race report will be up no later than tomorrow morning on
Good morning race fans. This afternoon’s race at Mid Ohio could be an action packed affair. If the trend of cars going off track that we saw in practice and qualifying continues, we could see several full course yellows. Depending on when cautions occur, they could have a big effect on pit strategy. A yellow on lap 6 is different than one on lap 15, which would be the start of the first pit window.
Things to Watch For
How much if any will points positions two through five change? How big will Scott Dixon’s lead be after the race? Dixon still has a chance to win from ninth. Alexander Rossi looks to become the third multiple race winner this season.
If the race is caution free, who does that favor? Team Penske is known for their great pit work, and Tim Cindric has made some great calls getting Josef Newgarden in the pits at the proper time. however, there have been times at Mid-Ohio when Team Penske has stayed out too long and been caught by a full course caution. We might see some teams playing it very close to the vest on pit windows.
How will Max Chilton perform from Carlin’s best starting spot? Charlie Kimball finished fifth for the team at Toronto. Can the team keep its momentum?
How will Pietro Fittipaldi do in his first race since his injury?
Can Graham Rahal move up and contend in his home race? His victory in 2015 was a very popular one.
Some Good Schedule News
Iowa will be a Saturday night race again in 2019. The race is scheduled for July 20, two weeks later than the date it has held. I think we will see a lot of races with new dates next year. I also heard Detroit may not be the week after the 500.
Alexander Rossi is the master of the banzai one lap qualifying run. Similar to his pole at Watkins Glen, Rossi waited until he last possible moment to get in one flying lap.
The red flag plague continued in qualifying. Hinchcliffe’s incident probably cost Scott Dixon and maybe one other driver a chance at the Fast Six. My thought is if you see a trend developing, stay ahead of it. Bourdais’ accident in Round 1 should have served as a warning. get your laps in an don’t wait, especially on a weekend like this.
Great for Carlin and Max Chilton getting their first trip to the Fast Six. Chilton said that testing here helped. Carlin will test at every remaining track except Pocono.
Rossi has three poles this season. He won Long Beach from the pole and was in position to win at Detroit until Ryan Hunter-Reay forced him into a mistake. He should be strong tomorrow.
The red flag stoppages the last two days point to some full course cautions tomorrow. Pit strategy may decide the winner.
Rossi said he knew the tires had just one lap in them. I’m sure it was nerve wracking waiting considering the session could have been stopped before he went out.
A full qualifying story will be up later tonight on
Welcome to Day 2 at Mid Ohio. Indycar practices at 10 am and then qualifying begins at 1:35. The qualifying session will be carried live on NBCSN beginning at 1:30.
Drivers are hoping for an uninterrupted practice session this morning. Scott Dixon said last night that he was hampered by the red flags in really finding speed.in yesterday’s start and stop sessions.
The track has added some new features this year. First, the main entrance road up to the infield bridge has been repaved. A new Victory podium has been built. There is a new digital scoring pylon located in turn 6, which doubles as a Verizon cell tower. See the photos below.
I will be back here later with some quick thoughts on qualifying. My full report on the day will appear on Wildrieradiosports.com later tonight. I also posted my Day 1 summary on wildfire last night. Check it out.
The new Victory Lane Podium at Mid OhioThe scoring pylon and cell tower
Programming note- Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio will be televised live on CNBC at 3 pm ET and re-aired on NBCSN at 6:30 pm Sunday.
It seems as if Indycar has a news item or two every day lately. Here are a few tidbits.
Mo Nunn
Mo Nunn died last Wednesday after battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Nunn was the engineer who helped Chip Ganassi’s team first taste success with Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya. Mike Hul credits Nunn for his current success Ganassi has.
A former Formula 1 driver and team owner, Nunn also owned teams in CART and the IRL. Tony Kanaaan drove for Nunn in CART before going to Andretti Green in 2003.
My friend George Phillips wrote a nice tribute to Nunn on Monday. you can read it here:
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio will see the return of Jack Harvey in the number 60 Meyer-Shank racing entry. This is a home race for Michael Shank, who is looking to eventually become a full time Indycar team.
Pietro Fittipaldi, recovered from fracturing both legs in a practice accident at Spa two months ago, returns to the 19 car for Dale Coyne Racing. His absence allowed Zachary Claman De Melo toget more time in the car. DeMelo did a nice job. I’d like to see him in a full time ride.
Conor Daly will again be driving for Harding Racing. He took Gabby Chaves’ place in Toronto, giving the team its best qualifying and finishing position of the year. Chaves is still under contract with the team through 2019. He will be back in the car at some point. The team is pleased with the technical information Daly is providing. Harding is hopeful of having a two car team next season.
Rahal Says Steak n Shake May Return
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing owner Bobby Rahal said that Steak n Shake may return as a sponsor of Graham Rahal’s car in the future. The company withdrew this year to redirect funds elsewhere. It would be great to see them back. Steak n Shake did a lot of activation with signs and prerace weekend appearances by Rahal at their restaurants.
Wildfire Sports is My Home for Mid Ohio
I will be reporting for Wildfire Sports this weekend Friday through Sunday. You can find my columns at wildfireradiosports.com.
I will post quick thoughts here and live tweet during the weekend. Follow along on the blog’s Twitter account @PitWindow.
Mid Ohio usually produces some big announcements about the next season. Stay tuned
1956 started a new chapter in American open wheel racing and also saw the preliminary beginnings of today’s modern Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Automobile Association had announced in August 1955 that it would no longer sanction racing after the season ended. It had been the deadliest year in history. Three starters from the 1955 500 were killed racing, including Bill Vukovich in the horrific crash during the 500. Jerry Hoyt, the pole sitter, suffered fatal injuries in July, and former pole sitter Jack McGrath died in a crash in November. The United States Auto Club formed in September 1955 and the transition was nearly seamless. USAC sanctioned open wheel racing until CART was formed, then continued to sanction just the 500 through 1997.
Another Good Find
My annual visit to the memorabilia show the day before the Indianapolis 500 yielded another great bargain – the 1956 500 program. Last year I bought a mint 1954 program for $20. I later found a sticker inside the front cover indicating an $80 price tag. The 1956 program was not in mint condition and was just $7. Like the program I got last year, there were bonuses inside. The owner had stapled newspaper articles about qualifying and the race inside the program.
The cover was one of the first white background covers with the traditional flags over the wing and wheel. This cover lasted into the early 70’s. I wouldn’t mind a return to this cover instead of the artsy fronts that change every year now.
The ticket envelope, white in those days, is also attached. Some photos follow at the end of the article. The owner of the program wrote qualifying lap speeds in the entry list section of the program and also the number of laps each driver completed in the race. A newspaper clipping of the 500 entry list taped on an ad page had the names of drivers added to cars written in ink. From that list, Eddie Sachs took over the number 58 car from Len Duncan and Dempsey Wilson got a ride in the vacant car 22. Sachs did not qualify and was first alternate.
The story of the 1955 race had just one sentence alluding to the Vukovich crash, and no photos of the accident. The two time winner’s photo on the very crowded memorial page with the date of date of the race was the only other hint of what happened.
The pre-race ceremonies were a crisp, compact 40 minutes before “Gentleman, Start Your Engines” and the green flag at 10 am Central Time. Pat Flaherty won the race from the pole, followed by the next year’s winner, Sam Hanks. Flaherty won $93, 819 for his victory. Paul Russo, the 33rd place finisher, received $3, 974.
After the race, the speedway removed an iconic feature, the pagoda, which had stood since 1926. A steel and glass master control tower replaced it. A wall separating the pits from the track also appeared for 1957. The Museum opened in the east wing of the building at 16th and Georgetown, built for $100,000.
In some ways it seems the Speedway never changes. The basic look remains the same. Race Day pretty much follows the same pattern, although some changes have lengthened the prerace program. Yet it is still the original track from 1909, paved over many times. What we see today is the result of Tony Hulman’ vision after his first decade of owning the track.
The new Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at the corner of 16th and Georgetown.The entry list with qualifying lap speeds and race laps completed. This program spent a lot of time at the track.A group of spinning cars on the front stretch. Hanks would recover and finish second. The scramble happened on lap 23.
The Verizon Indycar Series announced today that Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca will host the Indycar season finale in 2019. The event is scheduled for September 20-22 Indycar raced at the northern California track from1983- to 2003 under CART sanction. Champ Car sanctioned the last race in 2004.
The announcement most likely means that Sonoma will not return to the schedule. Remarks by Sonoma Raceway president Steven Page indicated that Sonoma would “seek other opportunities” if the finale moved. I think it would be difficult for that area to support two Indycar races, even though they would be at opposite ends of the calendar.
Pros and Cons of the Move
Pros
Sonoma’s attendance has been flat the last four years. I have attended since 2014, and didn’t notice an appreciable difference from year to year. Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca has a chance to build a crowd at an historic venue for Indycar. I’m not saying the racing will be better, but the opportunity to build an audience over the next three years is there. The track will be another chance to see how the new aerokit works. Sonoma this year may give us a clue.
Monterey has a larger, closer population base to draw from. The Monterey area is as beautiful as Sonoma, and is closer to more potential fans.
The track has fourteen months to promote. The management should be on the phone to Gateway to find out how to promote a race.
The race is a week later than the finale is later. Keep pushing the season toward October.
Cons
The finale is still on a road course. A road course gives the points leader heading into the event a big advantage. An oval would give the drivers behind more of a chance.
The race will finish late on a Sunday afternoon or early evening in the East, meaning less recognition for the series champion.
If Portland is still the next to last race on labor Day weekend, there will be a three week gap until the final. That is too long to build momentum for the race that could determine the championship.
I’m always willing to give tracks a chance. It will be fun watching how this event turns out.
Indycar put together another good race. The Honda Indy Toronto was a great follow-up to the great race in Iowa last week. This was a street brawl. Cars banged together, fought for position, went wider than anyone thought possible at Toronto. The race played well on television.
The new aero kit has definitely improved the street course races. They have all seen more passing and action than in year’s past. I hope what we saw last weekend means they have finally figured out the oval configuration. Pocono and Gateway will provide those answers. I’m not sure if there is much to be done on road courses. At Road America Newgarden didn’t run away and hide from Hunter-Reay, but Hunetr-Reay couldn’t pass.
Good Days Spoiled
Marco Andretti had fourth place locked up until he pitted for fuel with two laps to go. Was there a fueling issue on his last stop?
Spencer Pigot was on his way to his second good finish when he hit the wall and had to retire.
Josef Newgarden had the race in hand, and would probably have had a close fight for the win with Scott Dixon when he brushed the wall on a restart. He clawed his way back to 9th, but lost a lot of ground to Dixon in the title chase.
Good Days Rewarded
Simon Pagenaud had his second podium of the season in what has been a frustrating year for the former series champion. The next race at Mid Ohio is a track where he done well. It will be interesting to see if his success carries over.
Tony Kanaan’s sixth place was AJ Foyt Racing’s best result of the year.
Robert Wickens reached the podium in his first home race. Teammate James Hinchcliffe finished fourth. This is the third straight year a Canadian driver has been on the Toronto podium. Hinchcliffe finished third the last two years.
Conor Daly stepped into the 88 Harding Racing car this week. He started 11th and finished thirteenth, Harding’s best overall weekend of the year. Daly is a master of jumping in a car at the last minute and doing well. Harding is looking to put a second car on the grid in 2019. Could Fall be a candidate for that seat?
Charlie Kimball in fifth was the best result for Carlin Racing this year.
Zach Veach finished seventh after starting 22nd.
Dixon in Control of the Title
Dixon’s quest for a fifth championship is looking better. he now leads Newgarden by 62 points. I believe this is the biggest lead this late in a season since Juan Pablo Montoya held a commanding lead in 2015. Dixon has done very little wrong this year, taking as high a finish as he could, then finally breaking through at Detroit for his first 2018 victory. He and Newgarden now lead the series with three wins each.
Dixon has now won 44 races, just 8 behind Mario Andretti. If you don’t appreciate this future legend yet, start now. He definitely belongs with the greats of old.
My full Toronto recap will be on wildfireradiosports.com Tuesday. Wednesday watch this column for a story on the 1956 Indianpolis 500.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 