McLaughlin, Simpson Assessed Engine Penalties

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Photo b y Kyle McInnes

From Indycar:

McLaughlin will start 20th tomorrow.

INDYCAR Announces Portland International Raceway Grid Penalties 
 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024) – INDYCAR officials have announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 3 Team Penske and No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing for unapproved engine changes following qualifying at Portland International Raceway.The teams were in violation of:Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Aug. 25 at PIR.

Shock Pole for Foyt Team

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Hiring Michael Cannon has paid off handsomely for A. J. Foyt Racing. Santino Ferrucci sits on pole for tomorrow’s Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland. Ferrucci sits 11th in the points with several top 10 finishes this year as gthe Foyt team has had a resurgence in 2024.

Ferrucci played a waiting game and was the last car to get on track in the Fast Six. It was an unusual Fast Six, with Will Power and Alex Palou the only regular guests. Besides Ferrucci, Kyle Kirkwood, Graham Rahal, and Christian Lundgaard made it through to the final round.

Round 1 saw Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas, who were fast in the two practice sessions, eliminated. Scott Dixon and Colton Herta went out in the Fast 12, as did Josef Newgarden, Romain Grosjean, Marcus Armstrong, and Marcus Ericsson.

Alex Palou was leading the second round when he spun exiting turn 12. He was able to keep the car running, and returned to the track. The spin cost him his best lap up to that point, but he recovered to advance to the final segment.

Notes

Kirkwood and Rahal will star 11th and 12th, respectively when their six place grid penalties are assessed. Malukas will line up in row 13 with his penalty.

Today’s attendance is probably the best I’ve seen for a Saturday at Portland.

Points leader Palou will start third. Will Power, fourth in the standings is the only contender ahead of him.

Power still has not won a pole this season.

Results

McLaughlin Stays on Top

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Scott McLaughlin continues to pace the Indycar field at Portland after the second practice. McLaughlin turned a lap 0f 58.8605 seconds this morning under cool conditions. David Malukas was just two hundredths of a second behind. Malukas will serve a six spot grid penalty for the race.

The field is quite tight. 26 of the 28 cars were within seven tenths of the leader. Only Felix Rosenqvist and Toby Sowery were more than a second behind the leader.

Felix Rosenqvist had a wild ride over the turn 1 curbing, captured by Peacock. He is now just two hours short of getting his pilot’s license.

Three red flags stopped the session briefly, but the field id get the full 45 minutes of green flag time allotted. Will Power spun and stalled in the first five minutes of the session. Sting Ray Robb went off track in turn 11 and went nose first into the tire barrier. Toby Sowery went off tack requiring a stoppage near the end of the session.

Qualifying begins at 12:30 pm Pacific Time.

Results

Notes

Get your spotters guide handy. There are nine cars this weekend with a shade of red and white liveries here. Several cars, notably the number 14, are in a livery that is a complete departure from their usual colors.

It is warming up quickly, and conditions for qualifying should near ideal.

Saturday at Portland

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Today’s Schedule: All Times Pacific

8:30 AM Gates Open
9:00 AM – 10:00 AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 2
10:20 AM – 11:00 AMUSF2000Race 2
11:20 AM – 12:05 PMINDY NXTPractice 2
12:00 PM – 12:30 PMUSF Pro 2000 & USF2000Autograph Session in Speed Zone
12:30 PM – 2:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESQualifying/Firestone Fast 6
12:40 PM – 1:10 PMUSF JuniorsAutograph Session in Speed Zone
2:15 PM – 2:55 PMUSF JuniorsRace 3
2:15 PM – 3:00 PMINDY NXTAutograph Session
3:10 PM – 4:00 PMUSF Pro 2000Race 2
4:20 PM – 4:50 PMINDY NXTQualifying
5:15 PM – 5:45 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESFinal Practice
6:05 PM – 6:45 PMUSF2000Race 3

It looks like te rest of the weekend will be dry, but today will begin cool. The temperature will be 5

7 degrees for the start of practice this morning, but when qualifying begins, it will be a near perfect 65 degrees. Tomorrow calls for a high of 80 degrees.

The slight contact between Romain Grosjean and Graham Rahal in Friday practice didn’t look like much of a big deal to me. I think the incident is magnified because Grosjean was involved. Grosjean has had a decent year, but he the clashes he has had with other drivers during his time at Andretti causes him to take the blame for each incident. I think he has been better this season, and maybe people should not be so quick to point hte finger at him every time.

I’m not sure if we will see a lap in the 57 second range today, but conditions should be ideal. It will be an interesting fight for the Fast Six. This morning’s practice may give us more clarity of hwo will be challenh[ging for pole.,

I’m heading to the track now. I will be back after morning practice. IndyCar has a compact, early schedule today, with a final practice four hours after qualifying ends.

McLaughlin Tops First Portland Practice

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Photos by Kyle McInnes

Scott McLaughlin led today’s opening practice round for the Portland Grand Prix this afternoon. McLaughlin’s fast lap of 58.3 seconds came in the small group session which followed the 45 minute all cars session. Alexander Rossi led the all xars portion of the practice period, and Marcus Armstrong was fastest in the second small group.

The rain cleared for practice, but it returned later this afternoon. We should not see any more this weekend, although temperatures will be cooler than normal.

I arrived in Portland just a few mionutes before practice began, and rental car issues and traffic made getting my credentials a longer process than I had anticipated. I will be at the track early tomorrow for the first practice.

I did watch practice on Peacock. Turn 1 is still a problem spot as several drivers locked up and missed the corner.

Results

Portland Preview

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Today’s Schedule: All Times Pacific

8:30 AM Gates Open
9:00 AM – 9:30 AMUSF JuniorsQualifying
9:45 AM – 10:15 AMUSF2000Practice 
10:30 AM – 11:00 AMUSF PRO 2000Practice 
11:15 AM – 11:55 AMUSF JuniorsRace 1
12:00 PM – 1:00 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESAutograph Session
12:10 PM – 12:40 PMUSF2000Qualifying
12:55 PM – 1:25 PMUSF Pro 2000Qualifying
1:45 PM – 2:30 PMINDY NXTPractice 1
2:55 PM – 4:10 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIESPractice 1
4:30 PM – 5:10 PMUSF2000Race 1
5:25 PM – 6:05 PMUSF Pro 2000Race 1
6:20 PM – 7:00 PMUSF JuniorsRace 2

The last road course of the season takes place Sunday in the Pacific Northwest. The main drama is in the first turn of the race, where chaos usually reigns. For the first time since IndyCar returned to Portland in 2018, the Bitnile.com Grand Prix will not be the penultimate race on the schedule.

Three oval races, two at Milwaukee next week, will end the 2024 season. Still, Portland could go a long way toward determining the outcome of the championship. Points leader Alex Palou has won the race two years in a row, and he has to be the heavy favorite coming into the event. In 2023, he clinched the title here, the earliest the championship has been decided since 2005.

Palou brings a 59 point lead to Portland. Colton Herta, his closest pursuer, has won a pole at this track, but if the points leader is looking over ghis should er at anyone, it should be Scott McLaughlin. Mclaughlin is coming on strong with a win and a second place since Iowa.

Although Portland is earlier in the schedule than it normally has been, the off track drama that occurs at this venue remains. While the hard feelings from gateway have been erased, will they return in Turn 1 Sunday? Will there be any Silly Season movement this weekend?

I will be onsite tomorrow. I am currently sitting out a long layover in Las Vegas, and I will not arrive in time for the first practice. It is possible that practice could be run under wet conditions, but the rest of the weekend looks dry.

I still think Palou wins again here. He has mastered this race course, and I’m sure he is anxious to put a little more distance between himself and the rest of the top 5.

Where Is Rossi Heading?

I have heard from a very reliable source that Alexander Rossi’s options have narrowed. My guess is that he will sign with Rahal Letterman Lanigan. I base this on the options still available.

I will be back with a post practice report later today.

BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Fast Facts 

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 Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 23-Sunday, Aug. 25Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIESBITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland 110 laps / 216.04 milesI
NDY NXT by FirestoneINDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland 35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes
Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
INDY NXT by Firestone150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 260 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver
INDY NXT by Firestone Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.

X: @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARInstagram: @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARThreads: @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARFacebook: @PortlandGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCARTikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCARYouTube: @INDYCAREvent website: www.raceportland.comINDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2023 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIESAlex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda)
INDY NXT by FirestoneLouis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport)2023 NTT P1 Award winner: Graham Rahal (No. 15 PeopleReady Honda), 58.3195 seconds, 121.236 mph
2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport), 1 minute, 2.6302 seconds, 112.891 mph
Qualifying records:NTT INDYCAR SERIES Will Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying)
INDY NXT by Firestone Louis Foster, 1 minute, 2.6302 seconds, 112.891 mph, Sept. 2, 2023
USA Network race telecast: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 25, USA Network (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for USA Network’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.
Peacock live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecast of the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. DJ Clark, Ryan Myrehn and Michael Young are the pit reporters. The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland race (3 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (1:05 p.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, Aug. 23
1:45-2:30 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, INDYCAR LIVE
2:55-4:10 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (45 minutes for all cars, followed by two groups for 10 minutes each), Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 24
9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes green flag or 1 hour total), Peacock1
1:20 a.m.-12:05 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, INDYCAR LIVE
12:30 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock
4:20 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (two groups/12 minutes each), INDYCAR LIVE
5:15-5:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 2510:15 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines”10:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock (live)Noon – USA Network on air12:23 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines”12:30 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), USA Network (live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts:· Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with four races to go for the third time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led the championship with four races to go in 2021 and 2023, when he won the title. Palou, who has led the point standings after eight of the 13 rounds this season, took the point lead at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in June.· There are 14 drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci, Christian Lundgaard, Marcus Ericsson and Marcus Armstrong. Any driver who trails the points leader by 163 points or more following this race will be eliminated from contention.· Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 12 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2007) and Alex Palou (2021, 2023).· Since 2008 when INDYCAR SERIES racing unified under the NTT INDYCAR SERIES banner, the eventual series champion has won the 14th race of the season four times. The most recent occurrence was in 2021 when Alex Palou won at Portland. Other drivers to win the 14th race of their championship season were Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Dario Franchitti (2009, 2010) and Scott Dixon (2008).Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the largest deficit overcome by the eventual champion was 59 points by Dario Franchitti in 2010. Scott Dixon overcame Juan Pablo Montoya’s 54-point lead in 2015. Fifty-nine (59) points separate the top two drivers in the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings.
Point differential: The 59 points separating Alex Palou and Colton Herta is tied for the fourth-largest point margin with four races remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with four races remaining is 38.75 points.
   Race notes: There have been seven winners in 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2024 season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-1), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500, World Wide Technology Raceway), Will Power (Road America, Iowa Speedway-2) and Colton Herta (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2024. The modern record (1946-present) for the most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland will be the 30th INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the sixth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Alex Palou won last season. Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.
ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS
Alex Palou 2 2021, 2023
Scott McLaughlin 1 2022
Will Power 1 2019
Eight INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at Portland International Raceway from the pole – Danny Sullivan (1988), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004), Alex Palou (2021) and Scott McLaughlin (2022).
ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS
Graham Rahal 1 2023
Scott McLaughlin 1 2022
Alex Palou 1 2021
Colton Herta 1 2019
Will Power 1 2018

Team Penske has won seven times at Portland International Raceway. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000), Will Power (2019) and Scott McLaughlin (2022).
Chip Ganassi Racing has four wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021 and 2023. Newman/Haas Racing won a record eight times at Portland.Twenty-three drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Scott Dixon and Will Power each have seven starts, most among the entered drivers. Twelve entered drivers have led laps at the track (Scott McLaughlin 109, Alex Palou 98, Power 68, Graham Rahal 59, Colton Herta 36, Alexander Rossi 32, Dixon 30, Pato O’Ward 28, Josef Newgarden 8, Felix Rosenqvist 6, David Malukas 2, Marcus Ericsson 1 and Christian Lundgaard 1).Five drivers have won INDY NXT by Firestone races at Portland before moving up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Pato O’Ward won both races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the INDY NXT by Firestone championship. Rinus VeeKay and Toby Sowery split the doubleheader races in 2019, and Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas split the doubleheader races in 2021 … Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 336th consecutive start, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak … With his next podium finish, Dixon will break a tie with Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time record with 142 podium finishes.
INDY NXT by Firestone notes:
Andretti Global’s Louis Foster is enjoying a historically dominant season, leading the series in wins (six), poles (four), laps led (207 of 450), top-five finishes (10) and top-10 finishes (11) through 11 races. Foster, a native of England, owns a 91-point lead over second-place Jacob Abel of Abel Motorsports. Foster can clinch the season championship by leading by at least 108 points after this event.The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland will be the series’ 23rd race at Portland International Raceway. Previous Indy NXT by Firestone winners at Portland include Paul Tracy, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Toby Sowery, David Malukas, Kyle Kirkwood and Benjamin Pedersen. Current INDY NXT by Firestone point leader Louis Foster won the INDY NXT Grand Prix of Portland in 2023.