Tag: Alex Palou

Quick Thoughts- St. Pete

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It took 75 laps to make it a race, but what had been a processional event got suddenly interesting as Sting Ray Robb held up leader Alex Palou and allowed Josef Newgarden to inch closer. The early caution changed the race long term as several drivers ditched the primary tires. The move worked out for many of them.

Another near miss for Scott Dixon. Had his radio worked, he might have scored his first win at St. Pete. He ends the day with his fifth runner up, eighth podium, and 11th top five in the season opener. In the post race press conference Dixon said that he stayed out a lap too long, and was caught in traffic.

Of the top five finishers, four started the race on alternates and pitted during the only caution.

Alex Palou begins 2025 where he ended 2024- leading the points. Palou used an undercut pit stop to get to the front.

Pato O’Ward finished 11th after starting 23rd. O’Ward pitted during the first lap caution and pitted three more times during the race.

Bad Weekend– Will Power has had some rough weekends, and this one has to rank among one of his worst. A hybrid failure cut short Friday’s practice. He failed to make Round 2 in qualifying. This morning there was another hybrid issue in warm up. Power’s race ended just three corners into the race when he was caught up in the incident with Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster.

Strong team debuts– Alexander Rossi finished 10th in his first race for ECR. Rinus VeeKay came home in 9th as he begins his stint at Dale Coyne Racing.

PREMA had a solid debut with Callum Ilott finishing 19th and Robert Shwartzman 20th. Shwartzman was the top finishing rookie.

Keep an eye on Meyer Shank this season. Marcus Armstrong led three laps before a broken tow link ended his day. Felix Rosenqvist finished seventh.

Colton Herta had a disappointing day as he caught the wrong end of the pit cycle. he definitely had a car better than 16th. Teammate Kyle Kirkwood finished fifth, his fifth top five and 11th top 10 in his last 18 races.

I haven’t heard attendance figures yet, but I think the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg set another record.

That will do it for me this weekend. Thanks for following along. I will have more thoughts after I watch the FOX broadcast of the race.

Palou Tops IMS Test

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From Indycar”

 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 11, 2024) – There’s still one jewel missing from Alex Palou’s racing crown, but testing Oct. 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway showed he may be closer than ever to adding it next May.

Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou has won the championship three times in the last four seasons, but he still seeks his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory. But Palou led testing on the historic 2.5-mile oval Friday with a top speed of 224.342 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

.Palou’s best Indy 500 finish is second, behind Helio Castroneves’ historic fourth win in 2021. Palou earned his first “500” pole in 2023.
“It was a good day of testing,” Palou said. “We tried a lot of stuff. Yesterday was Firestone, today was more us, Ganassi and Honda. We’re happy. You want to come here, and even if you’re testing a bunch of stuff, you want to be first.”

Looming right behind Palou on the speed chart was two-time reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, second at 223.973 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Rinus VeeKay was third at 223.383 in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in his first day of testing with that team.

Graham Rahal was fourth at 222.650 in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, with 2022 “500” winner Marcus Ericsson rounding out the top five at 222.324 in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda.

Eleven car-and-driver combinations – one driver from each team – combined to turn 1,123 laps in six hours of testing Friday after four drivers tested tires Thursday afternoon for Firestone. A primary area of focus for all teams and drivers was the new hybrid system, which made its competitive debut in July 2024.

The hybrid system offers the competitors and their twin-turbo V6 engines an additional 60 horsepower. Previous iterations of the hybrid package were previously tested during the development process, but this test marked the debut of the system as it will race next May.

“I think the overtake we get (from the hybrid) is nice,” Palou said. “I think it’s good enough to set up a pass maybe in the middle of the pack. We’ll have to see.”

The 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is Sunday, May 25, live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Visit IMS.com for ticket and event details. 
 

Champions Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honored Again at Victory Lap Celebration

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From Indycar:

Foster Celebrated for INDY NXT by Firestone Title

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Sept. 30, 2024) – Alex Palou was honored for his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the past four years during the Victory Lap Celebration on Sept. 30, the headline of an incomparable 2024 season for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Palou won two races in the No. 10 DHL Honda and scored 13 top-five finishes in 17 races to become just the 13th driver in history to earn at least three INDYCAR SERIES championships. He is just the seventh driver to win three titles in four years and first since Dario Franchitti won three straight from 2009-11 – also for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Spanish driver Palou won the Astor Challenge Cup for the title by 31 points over Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian’s Colton Herta, earning the 16th INDYCAR SERIES championship for Chip Ganassi Racing and the organization’s fourth in the last five seasons.
Palou was one of four members of Chip Ganassi Racing to receive special honors at the ceremony, which took place in the Gallagher Pavilion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Linus Lundqvist of Sweden received the Rookie of the Year Award as the top-finishing first-year driver in the standings. The 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone champion recorded a pole, two podiums and four top-10 finishes in the No. 8 The American Legion Honda to surpass Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyffin Simpson by 97 points in the standings.
Team owner Chip Ganassi accepted the Championship Owner Award, and Palou’s chief mechanic, Ricky Davis, was presented the Pennzoil Chief Mechanic Award. Additional season honors for the Ganassi team included the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Team Manager award to Blair Julian and Mike LeGallic.
The awards haul was a reward for a dominant year by Indianapolis-based Chip Ganassi Racing. The team took the top spot in the driver standings and the Rookie of the Year title in the same season for the second straight year.
Much like the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and Rookie of the Year, the Manufacturers Award race had a familiar result. Chevrolet edged Honda by just 132 points to win its third consecutive engine manufacturer title and ninth overall since it returned to the series in 2012.
Eric Warren, General Motors executive director of global motorsports competition, accepted the award on behalf of the Chevrolet team. Team Penske took home a pair of end-of-season awards. Scott McLaughlin claimed the season-long NTT P1 Award, while Will Power accepted the Firestone Pit Performance Award on behalf of his No. 12 Team Penske crew.
INDYCAR’s development series was also recognized at the Victory Lap Celebration, as Louis Foster of Andretti Global was honored as 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, capping a dominant season.
Foster won a series-high eight of the 14 races this season in the No. 26 Copart / Novara Technologies entry. He led the series in wins, poles, podiums, laps led and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points.HMD Motorsports’ Caio Collet was named INDY NXT by Firestone Rookie of the Year. Collet, from Sao Palou, Brazil, finished third in the series standings with a victory. 

Palou Tops Nashville Practice

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

The weather has turned out beautifully, and it looks like we will get the entire day in.

Points leader Alex Palou was fastest in the prequalifying practice for the Music City Grand Prix. Palou turned a quick lap of 199.682 miles an hour. His closest challenger for the title, Will Power, was sixth fastest. Plaou leads by 33 points. While he could earn a point for winning the pole this afternoon, Palou can start no better than 10th. due to an engine change.

The session stopped early when Nolan Seigel crashed hard in Turn 2. The incident heavily damaged the wall and required a lengthy repair.

I sat in the grandstand for part of practice this morning. It is y first time at this track. It is a very well maintained facility. There is a shuttle from the infield to the grandstand-not just any shuttle. It is a luxury touring bus. I was expecting a tram or a fancy golf cart, but this is way beyond that. Nice work, Scott Borchetta,

Qualifying begins at 1:15 pm Central time.

Palou Slips by O’Ward for Historic Pole at Mid-Ohio

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

The first pole of the hybrid era goes to Alex Palou by a razor thin margin. Palou slipped by Pato O’Ward on his last lap by 0.0024 seconds, the closest front row difference since Indycar began knockout qualifying. Palou won the race at Mid-Ohio last year.

David Malukas will start third as he made his first Fast Six. Malukas has not finished worse than 10th in his career at Mid-Ohio. In his two starts with Meyer Shank Racing, and his first two races of the season, Malukas has gone beyond the first round. He started 12th at Laguna Seca.

Colton Herta will start 4th, followed by Marcus Armstrong and Marcus Ericsson.

Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power were eliminated in Round 1. Alexander Rossi had been fast in the practices, but went out in Round 2.

Youth Will Be Served

All the drivers in the Fast Six began their Indycar careers in 2019 or later. The youth movement has taken a little longer to assert itself than I expected, but we may be seeing the beginning of a power shift.

Close Qualifying

2024 will be known for the year of the hybrid, but it could also distinguish itself as the season with the closest front rows on road and street courses. Three of the six closest front rows have occured this year.

The top 10 closest qualifying sessons:

Results

Palou Leads Mid-Ohio Practice 1

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Alex Palou led the first practice of the hybrid era in a session interrupted by two red flags and cars electing to stay on pit lane when the rain began.

Agustin Canapino had what appeared to be a brake fire, which brought out the first red flag. Marcus Armstrong spun and could not refire the car. Elsewhere on track Jack Harvey spun. During the second red flag, rain began.

Cars sat on pit road until about 10 minutes left. Pato O’Ward ventured out for just a couple laps. Kyle Kirkwood then followed and stayed out for several circuits. Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta took a few laps just before the checkered flag.

Tracking the Hybrids

The Indycar app has added hybrid tracking tomits data. It is included in the all data section and also has a ndedicated section

The lightning bolt indicates the unit is deployed

NBC will also display a graphic showing deployment.

In a post practice media conference, Pato O’Ward said oft he hybrid, “You can definitely feel it when you engage it.”

He added that he tinks the unit is capable of so much more.

“Let’s really push this system and see how much you can really give us.”

Results

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Wrap Up

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Yesterday’s race ay Weather Tech Raceway was an entertaining one with battles for the lead, differing strategies, and tire calls that looked questionable at first, but proved correct at the end. Alex Palou once again put on a clinic at a track he has come to dominate the last four years.

Yesterday’s win was not a typical Palou beatdown. He was beaten to the second corner by Kyle Kirkwood on lap 1 and didn’t take the lead until lap 25. Although he lad 48 laps, he had to fight for the lead, and his laps in front were spread over four segments.

Some thoughts:

Delayed Yellow

Marcus Armstrong spun and stopped on track on lap 74. Indycar withheld throwing the yellow so that several cars who were on an alternate strategy could make pit stops. I’ve talked about my dislike for this procedure before.

This delayed yellow policy is dangerous and gives the pitting cars an advantage. At some point another car is going to collide with the disabled car. Indycar has been fortunate that an incident hasn’t occurred yet.

Josef Newgarden, who had cycled to second place because of pit stops, needed one more stop. Because of the delayed yellow, which was thrown while he was in the pits, allowed him to keep his position. He did not have a second place car yesterday. He spun with two laps to go and finished 19th, a little lower than where he should have finished.

I don’t care if it was Newgarden or some other driver, as he was not the only one still needing a final stop, but this policy is unfair. If a yellow is needed, just wave the flag. Race control should not concern itself with whether cars need to pit or not. That is a team decision. If a yellow comes out, well, that’s the way it goes.

Off Road Adventures

At times this weekend I thought I was watching the Baja 1,000. I don’t recall seeing so many cars go off track in one race weekend. Christian Lundgaard went airborne as went through the sand trap at the corkscrew.

The dust clouds were commonplace all three days. may=be the track’s new pavement is still slick. Fortunately, most drivers recovered and kept going.

Malukas, Siegel Debuts

David Malukas and Nolan Siegel had successful debuts at Laguna Seca. Malukas drove his first race of the season for his new team, Meyer Shank Racing, and finished 16th. he ran in the top 10 most of the day.

Nolan Siegel, in his first drive for Arrow McLaren, ironically in the car Malukas was supposed o run this season, finished 12th after starting 23rd and recovering from a spin and stall on lap 41.

Strategies

I love a race where pit strategies differ. On Palou’s first stop, the team decided to stay on primaries and save the alternates for the final stint. It seemed questionable at the time, but worked out as Palou was able to pull away once he regained the lead.

Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi just missed on fuel strategy, and they had to hold back to save fuel.

In two weeks at Mid-Ohio, the hybrid era begins. I am looking forward to seeing how the addition of this power component affects the dynamics of the racing and strategy.

Palou Continues Laguna Seca Mastery

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Alex Palou continues his command at Weather Tech Raceway as he won the pole for tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Palou entered the weekend with a podium finish in all three of his previous starts here, including a dominating win two years ago. He is so good at this track, the Hertas have made him an honorary family member.

“It was really tough, really tight all qualifying to get to the Fast 12 and then the Fast Six,” Palou said. “It was really tricky with track conditions. As soon as there was some wind, you couldn’t really finish the lap because there was no grip.

“Really happy. The car was on rails today, so the best starting position for tomorrow.”

Kyle Kirkwood will start outside on the front row. Colton Herta, who was the fastest in Practice two, will start fourth.

The biggest surprise of the day was David Malukas. In his first race of the season since he broke his wrist in preseason, Malukas took the Meyer Shank entry to the second round, He will line up 12th Sunday.

Today’s qualifying session was one of the best i have ever seen, definitely the best of the season. Each round was close, and the leaders changed throughout each round.
While Nolan Siegel struggled as expected, he still qualified 23rd, outqualifying veterans Jack Harvey, Sting Ray Robb, and Pietro Fittipaldi.

Provisional Lineup