Tag: Alex Palou

Mid Season: Ganassi Dominates as Big Four Collects All the Hardware

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Some number crunching proves the obvious-Chip Ganassi Racing is dominating the 2023 NTT Indycar Series season. The other teams in the Big Four are not doing badly, although Team Penske is a not so close second.

Alex Palou has won four times, including the last three races, and could win as many as six races this year.

How strong are the Big Four? 26 of the 27 podium spots have gone to the four top teams. Santino ferrucci of A. J. Foyt Racing, wjo finished third in the Indanapolis 500, is the only driver outside of the top four teams to have apodiumin 2023.

Only four drivers not on a Big Four team have top five finishes- Christian Lundgaard has two fourth place results, Callum Ilott, David Malukas, and Ferrucci.

One odd statistic- Team Penske has yet to earn a pole position this year. Will Power, the career leader in poles earned, has not even made the Fast Six. Andretti Autosport has the most poles- 5- but has only one win. The team is fourth in top five finishes.

TeamWinsPolesPodiumTop five
Ganassi521016
Penske3078
Andretti1535
Arrow McLaren01611

As much as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has struggled this season, Christian Lundgaard has a pole and two fourth place finishes, the best among the rest of the field.

Usually the second half of the season belongs tothe front runners. Just five different drivers have won race thgis year. i think we are on a path where eight ifferent winners is optimistic. It has been an abnormal season in the variety of teams finishing in the top positions.

I’m hoping the second half provides some surprises and bit of drama.

Palou Streak Continues; Mid Ohio Win Third in a Row-Quick Thoughts

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I am going to save this headline and just change the name of the race each week. Alex Palou’s five second win over Scott Dixon moves Palou one step closer to tying Dixon’s four straight to start the 2020 season.

A. J. Foyt won the first seven races of the 1964 season. I don’t think we need to start discussing that record yet.

Palou’s lead is 110 points over Dixon and 116 points ahead of Josef Newgarden. Palou leads the top five by 127 points. I can’t recall when a driver dominated the field like this in the modern era.

Lundgaard Saves Rahal’s Day

The great weekend for RLL- withdrivers starting second, fifth, and 11th, fizzled in the race. Graham Rahal was in a close battle with Colton Herta for the lead early in the race. Rahal had a fueling issue on his first pit stop and then stalled the car on his second stop. Rahal finished seventh.

Jack Harvey lined up 11th and faded to 18th. Christian Lundgaard came home fourth, salvaging complete disappointment on whqat looked to be a promising day.

Andretti Still Searching for a Complete Weekend

Andretti Autosport won its fifth pole of the season, and also had a river starting third. Colton Herta jumped out to an early lead over Graham Rahal, and Kyle Kirkwood maintained third for a while, but spun as Palou battled him for position.

Herta also had pit issues and served a penalty for a pit speed violation.

Herta finished 11th, and Kirkwood took the checkered flag in 17th.

Daly Returns to Super Sub Role

Conor Daly returned to his role as one of the best substitute drivers, taking ober for Simon Pagenaud, who was not cleared to drive following yesterday’s horrific accident.

Daly started last and moved up to 20th by the end of the race. It was an admirable job considering he was driving what uis usually the Indianapolis 500 car, and had just 30 minutes in the car this morning.

The Event

It was a decent race, better than most at Mid Ohio. There were a lot of position battles and passing in the esses.

Tiday’s crowd was the largest I have seen at Mid Ohio in many years. Every Indycar event this year has seen increased attendance over last year, and not just by a little.

While I enjoyed the race, I think this race is better at 90 laps. The longer distance would allow for an alternate strategy to have a better chance of working. Pato O’Ward tried an undercut today, but the lack of yellows didn’t help him.

Thanks for folowing along this weekend. I will have a wrap up at some point tomorrow,

Road America Wrap Up- Should We Spread Out the Crown Jewels?

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Another outstanding Road America event ended with a great race a little more than 24 hours ago. I have seen a lot of comments today on social media about post Road America depression. I still get post 500 depression at the end of May- I have for more than n50 years. After the htiurd Road America race in the cy=urreent series, in 2017, I had a weird feeling leaving the track. A couple of days later, I realized it was post race depression.

I don’t get this feeling after every race. It is a given after Indy; I have also felt it each time after the two times I have been to Long Beach; and now, every time I leave Road America. Maybe it’s Crown Jewel Syndrome. Indycar’s three Crown Jewel races- Long Beach, the Indianapolis 500, and Road America- occur in a span of 65 days. That is a lot of emotion crammed into slightly more than two months. Maybe that is the source of thefeelings following the last event.

Perhaps Indycar should spread the Crown Jewels out a little more. I would love to see Road America in September. I bet the place looks spectacular with the leaves changing colors. I realize there are many reasons why this will never happen, but it might stave off some depression among fans.

Here is a quick review of the weekend.

The Race

The Sonsio Grand Prix of Raod America was an intricuing race. There was drama in the first half of the race with cars driving off track, and the different pit strategies.

Will Power probably needed a second half yellow to make his strategy work, but it was a brilliant drive to see him dart in and out of the pits and actually lead after starting 22nd.

Speaking of needing a yellow in the second half of the race, Colton Herta’s crew put him in a vulnerable spot asking him to go 15 laps on a tank of fuel yet maintain a leading pace. For a team and driver that despeartely needed a win, it was a questionable move.

I don’t know what else can be said about Alex Palou. there is no better driver in the series right now, nor has there been since he won the season finale at Laguna Seca last year. Including that race Palou has finished in the top eigtht nine straight races. Only at St. Pete in March has Palou finished outside the top 5.

While many fans are wondering if he will stay with Ganassi for 2024 (doubtful), my friend Tony dizinno pointed out that we should probably worry more that he leaves Indycar.

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The Crowd

If you thought there wer a lot of people at road America yesterday, you were right. I hear dthird hand thatb it was arecord crowd for the track, possibly by as much as 10% above the previous mark. I sensed it all weekend. In talked to a friend after qualifying, who said the crowd reminded him of the 2017 race day crowd. I could not disagree.

Yesterday I watched the warmup from the the top of the nturn 5 hill. Normally it is crowded, but I can always find a space for my golf cart. Yesterday it was atight squeeze to fit my vegicle into a tiny space by the road.

I watched the start of the race from the turb 7 area. The concession stand there is usually one of the easier ones to get something to eat quickly. Sunday the line stretched to the cart parking entry and kept growing. The workers handled it well. =they make food to order, and despite the demand, things moved smoothly.

I watched the end of the race from turn 3. It’s a great spot for restarts as you see the field come down the hill from turn 2.

The Atmosphere

Road Anerica is for race fans. People coma and watch the races, no matter which series. They have a good time, and nthey have fun, but this track is all about the racing. I see that atmosphere at sports car races, but the atmosphere is unique to Indycar events. I have heard fans at dinner talking about the next day’s races and thqt they want to get to the track for the first race.

Thanks for following along this weekend. I will be on here just occasionally the rest of this week, then be back to get ready for Mid Ohio at the end of next week.

Quick Thoughts- Road America

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Jusrt a few quick notes before I head home. i willhave a full wrap up tomorrow.

Are we seeing the second coming of Scott Dixon? A;lex Palou is the collest customer since Dixon. Seven wins in 55 races. 19 top 5s. Palou has won three of the last four races, and he has been inn the top five innthe last seven races. He has extended his lead to 74 points over Marcus Ericsson.

The race was better than I expected. I was surprised it came down to a fuel race rather than a tire race.

Great drives-

Scott Dixon to fourth from 23rd.

Will Power from 22nd to13th.

Kyle Kirkwood, shiuffled to the back of the field on the opening lap finishing 9th.

A great run by Marcus Armstrong ended with an off track excursion pushed him back to 24th at the end. We haven’t heard the last of him.

Where did Alexander Rossi’s speed go? Rossi led all three practices, but didn’t have the speed for qualifying or the race. A 10th place finish has to be disappointing.

What is it going to take for Colton Herta to win a race? The strategy was one lap off.

Finally a podium for Pato O’Ward. O’ward drove a steady race and didn’t let anything bother him today.

A good day for Rhal letterman Lanigan Racing. Christian Lundgaard finished seventh and Graham Rahal fnished 11th.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was 17th in his ECR debut.

I don’t think Road SAmrica can ever officially sell out, but today’s crowd was about as close as it can come to a full house.

I need to get on the road home. Thanks for following along this weekend. More tomorrow.

Quick Thoughts-Detroit Grand Prix

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I was wrong, as were many others. The wreck fest did not happen. The Detroit Grand Prix turned out to be an entertaining race with two on track passes for the lead and late caurions creating some drama toward the end. We laso a battle between teammates. Some storylines from today.

Palou on a Roll

Alex palou’s resume since May 13:

May 13- Wins the GMR Grand Prix

May 21- Wins pole for the Indianapolis 500

May 28th- Finishes fourth in the 500

June 3- Wins pole for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

June 4- Wins the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

Not a bad month’s work at all. Palou now has a 51 point lead over Matcus Ericsson for the championship.

Digital painting by Kyle McInnes

Asked at the winner’s press conference which drivers concern him mostm Palou priceeded to name seven drivers and he said he could name several more. The points chase will tighten up in the next month, and he is aware of it.

The Curious Case of Pato O’Ward

Pato O’Ward continues to confuse me. Great skill, usually good equipment, but he seems to get into hiw=s own head too much. An ill fitting wheel nut on his pit stop set him back, Just a few minutes later, he crashes. Last week we saw him try to gain in a spot on a questionable pass.

I like Pato, and I think he is great for the series, He seems to have what I callan “inner Senna” which takes over at the most inopportune times. I hope he can start being more consistent and star winning races again. The series needs O’Ward victories.

Kirkwood Comeback

The race started as a typical Kirkwood race, as he was involved in an early incident when Callum Ilott ran over the back of Kirkwood’s car in turn three of lap 1. Kirkwood got a new rear wing and worked his way through the field , even leading a lap, His sixth place finish on the box score shows he officially gained six spots from wher he started. he in fact gained 20 spots.

Split Pit Not an Issue

The split pit lane did not cause any issues in today’s race. It was barely noticeable. The modifications Indycar made after Friday’s practice seem to have helped.

What Happened to Crash Fest?

This was not the raqce drivers or a lot of fans expected. Third place finisher Felix Rosenqvist said, “The track came alive.” Rosenqvist said the surface got grippier as the race went on

.Will Power believes nif the second half of the front stretch is repaved there will be more passing next year.

We ended up with an entertaining race.

A Final Thought

I haven’t heard attendance figures for the weekend, but today’s crowd was huge. The grandstands and garage rooftops were packed. Most fans standing along the fence between turns three and four stayed there the entire race.

I hope the level of entusiaqsm and civic pride I saw today can be sustained.

I will have a more detailed wrap up tomorw. Thanks for following along . Special thankd to Kyle McInnes for his outstanding photo work this wekend.

Palou Takes Second Straight Pole

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

What an incredible four weeks Alex Palou has had. He won the GMR Grand Prix, followed that the next weekend with the pole for the Indianapolis 500, came back after a pit incident to finish fourth, and today he wins the pole for tomorrow’s Detroit Grand Prix. Palou’s lap of 1:01.8592 beat Scott McLaughlin by three tenths of a second.Palou has now won a polreon each of the types of tracks Indycar runs on- an oval, a road course, and a street course.

Despite he carnage in the two practice sessions, qualifying was relatively clean with just a few light wall types. The only major issues came in the second round when Kyle kirkwood tore left front wheel off his car after hitting the wall. kirkwood will start 121th.

Andretti Autosport, which had won poles in theother two street course to date, only had one Fast Six representative. Romain Grosjean will start third. Colton Herta has struggled so far this weekend and will start 24th.

The Rahal team continues to lag. Graham Rahal will start 27th. Christian Lundgaard admitted the team is just not fast.

Someone to watch tomorrow is Simon Pagenaud. He starts eighth and has looked good every time out the last two days.

Notes

We are nearly halfway thriough the season and Will Power has yet to win a pole.

Chip Ganassi Racing has qualifying figured out. Team Penske is starting to catch up to them.

I never thought I’d miss Belle Isle. The past few years it had turned into a racy track. Will this course take 10 years to create a decent show?

Results

1. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:01.8592 (95.734)
2. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:02.1592 (95.271)
3. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:02.2896 (95.072)
4. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:02.4272 (94.862)
5. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:02.5223 (94.718)
6. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:02.6184 (94.573)
7. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:02.1817 (95.237)
8. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 01:02.1860 (95.230)
9. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:02.1937 (95.219)
10. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:02.2564 (95.123)
11. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:02.2958 (95.063)
12. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:04.6075 (91.661)
13. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:02.5714 (94.644)
14. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:02.1911 (95.223)
15. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 01:02.9522 (94.071)
16. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 01:02.2644 (95.111)
17. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 01:03.0017 (93.997)
18. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:02.6495 (94.526)
19. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 01:03.1599 (93.762)
20. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:02.9071 (94.139)
21. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 01:03.2126 (93.684)
22. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:02.9589 (94.061)
23. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:03.3879 (93.425)
24. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:03.4165 (93.383)
25. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:03.7728 (92.861)
26. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 01:03.7496 (92.895)
27. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:03.8663 (92.725)

Palou Wins Pole; Harvey Squeezes In

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It was a game of thoudandths at both ends of the field this afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jack Harvey earned the final spot on the grid on the final lap of his third attempt. Alex Palou edged Rinus VeeKay by six thousandths of a mile per hour to win the pole for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Jack Harvey

In the last chance shootout, Christian Lundgaard and Sting Ray Robb easily secured spots 31 and 32. Jack Harvey qualified next. Graham Rahal quickly bumped Harvey out of the field. Harvey took a second try, but failed to beat out his teammate.As time ran out, Harvey returned to the track. After three laps, he was still behind, but close. His fourth lap was good enough to earn the final starting position by sevn thoiusandths of a mile per hour.

The Fast Six run for the pole saw Palou post a 235 mile per hour lap on his first circuit. he ended with a 234.217 mile per hour average. It was just enough to edge Rinus VeeKay by six thousandnths of a second. Fekix Rosenqvist was third after an anticlimactic run.

Notes

Today continued the drama of yesterday. The only issue I had is with the last cg=hance qualifying. It needs at least 5 cars to work. Havign justfour cars left too much diwn time as Harvey tried to run out the clock before his final runs. Six cars would be ideal in the last chance.

The pole was definitely earned. Having to make three qualifying runs over two days is a grind for the drivers qand the teams. The money awrd for the pole needs to be bigger. The points award should go up as well.

This week was devastating to the Rahal team., One the biggest stars of the series is on the sidelines for the biggest race in the world. it is not the first time this has happened. I believe this isw the first time that a father and son have both had the misfortune to be bumped from the race. Bobby waqs bumped in 1993.

Today’s attendance was the largest I’ve seen on a qualification day in at least 10 years, maybe longer.

I’ll Have some more thoughtson the weekend tomorrow. Thanks for following along this weekend.

Quick Thoughts- GMR Grand Prix

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Photo by Kyle McIness

Alex Palou set the tone early with a first lap pass on pole sitter Christian Lundgaard, then took the lead for good on lap 65. He cruised to victory by 16 seconds, a huge margin nby Indycar standards.

Pato O’Ward’s third runnerup finish of the year led a gret team finish for Arrow McLaren. Alexander Rossi finished third, and Felix Rosenqvist was fifth. All three drivers led laps.

It should have been a better day for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, but it was still their best result of the the season. Lundgaard ended fourth after going with scuffed reds. Graham Rahal was 10th. Jack Harvey spun early and endedthe day 20th.

Just when you think Harvey has put it together, something happens to thwaqrt him.

In many wqys it was atypical GMR Grand Prix- early chaos and few yellows. In other ways, I found it a more interesting race than usual. The varying tire startegies were fascinating to watch.

Five races into the season there have been five different wiunners from three different teams.

Will Power made a nice recovery to finbish 12th after being spun by Kyle Kirkwood early. Kirkwood got back to 14th.

Weird Fact- Today is the sixth time a driver whose last name begins with the letter P. Will Power has won the May race three times, and Simon Pagenaud has won twice.

The biggest surprises of the weekend were how uncompetitive Team Penske and Andretti autosport were. The two teams have dominated the earlier races with victories and mpoles. I hope we see stronger results beginning Tuesday from them.

I will have a wrap up tomorrow. Thanks for following along these two days. I cannot wait for Tuesday.

Palou Leads Session 2, Helio Loses Engine

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Alex Palou Turned the fastest lap as session 2 came to a close as teams and drivers made final preparations for qualifiying for the GMR Grand Prix. The practice was green the entire time.

Helio Castroneves lost an engine about halfwaythrought the session but was able to get his car to a spot off track to avoid a red flag. The engine was a new one the team had plannee to use for qualifying for themIndianapolis 500.

Pato O’Ward, who led the morning practice, was third this afternoon. All four Ganassi cars again ended in the top 10,with rookie Marcus Armstrong fourth.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing continued their strong morning with Christian Lundgaard in second and Jack Harvey fifth. harvey also ended the morning round in fifth. The IMS road course is site of Harvey’s best career finish, a third place in2017.

Castroneves’ engine is the second problem today for an Andretti autosport related car. Kyle Kirkwood has led the team in both sessions. He was 12th this mornng and 13th this afternoon.

A New Look in the Plaza

In 2022 the Speedway and Caesar’s made a splashy announcement of a Caesar’s betting parlor on the south side of the plaza. My undertanding is that there was a multi year deal in place. As I walked through the Pagoda Plaza this afternoon, I noticed the caesar’s space is now a Grab nGo Market. Ilearned that Caesar’s decided not to come back. It appeared to be a popular spot last May.

Next uo is qualifying at 4 pm Eastern. Qualifying groups should be out soon.

Results