Just released from Indycar. i will have my thoughts about the race up in a bit.
Alex Palou Fast Facts
Tag: Alex Palou
Day 2 at Long Beach- Starting Spot Key to Race Success
Photo: Chris Owens, Indycar
Today’s schedule: Times Eastern
“Going into qualifying I think it’s
important to find a good package because this place is,
from my experience, I’ve only done one race here, if I
remember it was a lot of fuel save, not a lot of passing.
Just in the pit stop sequences. I feel like you need to focus
on that. Qualifying up front will probably pay off a lot more
than if you qualify in the back, unless it’s Portland .”
Pato O’Ward stated the importance of qualifying near the front today for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The track for the final race of the NTT Indycar Series season is difficult to pass on, and pit strategy is crucial. Oddly, the race has only been won 10 times from the pole by just five different drivers.
Qualifying order could have an effect on who wins the championship Sunday. Points leader Alex Palou needs to finish 11thg or better Sunday to win the title. O’Ward needs to earn the maximum points available (54) to have a chance to take the Astor Cup. If O’Ward does not win the pole, Palou will just need a 12th place or better finish. Don’t look for Palou to aim for a result that low.
Notes
Olivier Boisson, will be going with Romain Grosjean to Andretti Autosport in 2022. Boisson has been Grosjean’s crew chief this season, and the pairing has clicked.
Palou said he has spent about 15 hours on the simulator preparing for Long Beach. This is his first time driving the track. Palou had not driven any of the three final tracks, Portland, Laguna Seca, or Long Beach. he has done okay at the first two.
I’ll be back after the noon practice to set up qualifying, and then have a qualifyinq wrap up tonight.
Long Beach Preview-A New Champion Awaits
The Astor Cup will add a first time name Sunday. Indycar Photo by Chris Owens
Today’s Schedule: Eastern Time
Indycar Practice 6:00 pm-6:45pm
I am always shocked when the weekend of the last Indycar race of the season arrives. I’m excited for the race, but sad that I have to wait several months for the cars to hit the track again. Fortunately the gap until next season is shorter than in most years with St. Pete coming up in February.
Indycar returns to the longest running street race in the United States. In a normal season, Long Beach would be the third race of the year, but the event has been hit hard by the pandemic. The race was cancelled last season, and the promoters moved it to the fall in hopes that the COVID restrictions would ease enough to run the race. The Acura Grand pPx of Long Beach will go on with the specter of the Delta variant still lurking.
To gain entrance to the track, fans must show proof of vaccination or a negative test result no earlier than 72 hours prior to the day of entry.
The championship is all but over although most writers have amused themselves this week presenting scenarios in which Alex Palou could lose the title. This has been a crazy year, but I don’t think he is in danger. If neither Josef Newgarden nor Pato O’Ward win the pole Saturday, the chase is essentially over. There is still a points battle to keep an eye on.
Tight Battle for Rookie of the Year
The 2021 rookie class, though small, has impressed. Scott McLaughlin leads Romain Grosjean by 20 points. Grosjean has won a pole and been on the podium three times. McLaughlin has one podium and a couple of top fives. McLaughlin has run every race, while Grosjean skipped the first three ovals.
The Long Beach will not allow Grosjean to make some of the spectacular passes he did last week, but he will still do well. I’m not sure he can catch McLaughlin in points, but I have been most impressed with Grosjean.
I have a new level of respect for Jimmie Johnson. After a long career in NASCAR, to step in an Indycar and try to learn on the job, takes courage I’m not sure I have. He has improved tremendously since the start of the year, and he has been racing people the last two weekends.
The Kids Did All Right
The new Indycar champion will be no older than 24 years old. Alex Palou, who has a fairly comfortable lead, has shown patience and maturity despite two consecutive hard luck DNFs late in the season.
Pato O’Ward has had one the three fastest cars on the grid in 2021. Pato has a reputation for overdriving the car at times and using up his tires too quickly. A couple of bad results early in the year may have cost him a better chance at the title going into this weekend.
Palou needs to finish 11th or better to clinch the championship.
Last Rides
Ryan Hunter-Reay will drive his final race for Andretti Autosport Sunday. The 11 year affiliation produced an Indianapolis 500 win and a series championship. Hunter-Reay will most likely be driving in the 500 next season, but whether he runs full time is not known.
James Hinchcliffe will also have his last run in the 29 car for Andretti. I think his Indycar options are limited.
Is this Takuma Sato’s last drive for Rahal Letterman Lanigan? We should know next week. Sato won the 500 for the team in 2020.
Simon Pagenaud will leave Team Penske after Sunday. I believe he has another team lined up for 2022. Pagenaud won the 500 in 2019 and the series title in 2016.
The Race
Before the pandemic, Long Beach belonged to Alexander Rossi. In 2018 and 2019, Rossi won the pole and the race. In 2019, he won by 20 seconds. I look for him to be strong again. Rossi has had a frustrating season, but the last few races he has qualified well, but hasn’t always had the results to show for how he raced. He is especially hungry after the first lap incident last week put him out of contention for the win.
Rossi will win for the third straight time at Long Beach. Grosjean will make the rookie race even tighter but McLaughlin will prevail for the season.
Herta Holds Home Court; Palou on the Brink of a Title
Colton Herta leaves the pits after a stop. Indycar photo by Chris Jones
Some rambling thoughts on a race with some entertaining parts:
Colton Herta’s win in today’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but there was some entertaining action behind the front two.
Herta’s two wins this year have come from the pole position. In his two victories Herta has led 188 of 195 laps.
Romain Grosjean put on quite a show, in moving from 13th on the grid to third at the end. He made some excellent passes, especially in the Corkscrew, and his altercation with Jimmie Johnson was probably the highlight of the race. Grosjean caught Johnson at the top of the hill leading to the Corkscrew, but he appeared to misjudge his speed. His car got airborne as the two collided, and Johnson was forced to go off track in the turn. How Grosjean did not have damage to nd his race I don’t know.
Grosjean is now just 20 points behind Scott McLaughlin for Rookie of the Year honors although he has run three fewer races.
Alex Palou started fourth and seemed content to run the entire day in second place after he fell into the position. Alexander Rossi collided with Herta in an attempt to take the lead. The two touched wheels and Rossi spun into the dirt and stalled. A lap later Will Power, who started third, pitted with an engine issue.
Palou is now very close to winning the series title next week at Long Beach. He extended his lead over Pato O’Ward to 35 points. Josef Newgarden, the only other driver who is still in contention, is 48 points behind. Newgarden needs to get the maximum 54 points while Palou finishes 25th or worse. An 11th place result next week will give Palou the title if O’Ward wins the maximum number of points. Palou is taking nothing for granted next week. After the race, he said,
“INDYCAR you cannot relax at any moment. We just keep
doing what we’ve been doing, race hard, race smart, and
hopefully we can get that championship without needing to
finish 11 or anything. We will try and get the best result as
possible.”
Another nice run for Ed Jones today with a 10th place finish. Jones is ending his time with Dale Coyne Racing on a high note. He has qualified and raced well except for Gateway.
Simon Pagenaud ‘s eighth place was his best finish in a while. This has been Pagenaud’s best weekend of the year.
Oliver Askew has done enough this weekend to earn a ride somewhere for 2022. In just his second race for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the former Indy Lights champion qualified fifth and came home ninth. I’m not sure theses last three races are an audition for RLL, but I’m sure someone in the paddock has noticed what he did.
O’Ward’s fifth place seems surprising. He was fighting the car and the tires all day, yet pretty much maintained his spot in the top five. he will be a champion some year.
Scott Dixon charged into the top five on the first lap, then faded after colliding with Takuma Sato. I can’t remember the last time Indycar went into the season’s last race without Scott Dixon having a chance at the championship. Still, he will finish fourth in the standings.
Jimmie Johnson recorded his best Indycar finish, 19th. He showed some competitiveness, making a couple of passes for position and had that great battle with Grosjean.
I thought that NBC could have spent some time in the prerace show talking about the schedule for 2022. I didn’t like seeing it mentioned during the race when it cut away from on track action. You would think they would have given it more emphasis since 14 of the races will be on NBC.
Honda clinched the engine manufacturer’s title with Herta’s win.
Portland Finish Makes Monterey Grand Prix Key for Palou
The keys to the kingdom lie just beyond Alex Palou’s grasp. Another good result at Weather Tech Raceway this coming weekend could make Long Beach a little easier for the second year Spanish driver. There are some clinching scenarios for next Sunday, but they all involve Palou getting maximum points. I don’t think that is likely to happen. His main goal is just to finish ahead of his two main competitors.
The Rookie of the Year is still up for grabs. Scott McLaughlin finished ninth and lead five laps yesterday to increase his lead over Romain Grosjean to 38 points. Grosjean had closed to within seven points in August. Grosjean sat out the first three ovals of 2021. This race is much closer than it should be, since one of the races Grosjean missed was the double points Indianapolis 500. The French driver has looked forward to Laguna Seca all year, and I suspect he will do well there. The Rookie award will not be settled until after Long Beach.
Entrant Points- The Race for 22nd
Two full time entrants will miss receiving Leaders’ Circle money for 2022. Car 7, Felix Rosenqvist currently sits 23rd with 189 points, Followed by the 59 of Max Chilton at 144 points and the number 4 of Dalton Kellett.
Car 45. driven by Santino Ferrucci, Christian Lundgaard, and Oliver Askew. in 2021, lost the 22nd spot yesterday with a 24th place finish. The car has 171 points, but my understanding is that it is not eligible for the Leaders’ Circle because it did not run the full season.
Final Thoughts on Portland
For a track with no elevation changes, yesterday’s race had quite a few ups and downs for several drivers. Credit to the top three starters, who fought back to finish where they started.
Alexander Rossi’s first podium of the season may give him the momentum to score well in the final two races. In 2018 and 2019 he dominated at Long Beach, winning the last race there by 20 seconds. I think he breaks his winless drought in the season finale.
Good results at last- Jack Harvey and Felix Rosenqvist ended a season of with top 10 finishes Sunday. Harvey finished fourth, finally having a trouble free race. Rosenqvist crossed the line sixth. He has struggled at times this season, and has been unable to give much help to teammate O’Ward in his battle for the championship.
Callum Ilott had a respectable debut. The 2020 F2 runner up qualified 19th but finished 25th due to a mechanical issue.
Chip Ganassi Racing has won six of the 14 races this year. Scott Dixon is third on the team in number of victories. I can’t believe I had to write that.
Engine count– Palou, O’Ward, and Newgarden have all reached or exceeded their engine allowance for 2021. Scott Dixon has one engine remaining.
Quick Thoughts- Portland Grand Prix- Invert, Reset
Alex Palou celebrates his third win of the year and retaking the points lead. Indycar photo by Chris Owens
Pit strategy and cautions can make or break your race. They hurt Graham Rahal, who arguably should have won the race, and Pato O’Ward, who lost the lead in the points standings They helped Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, and Scott Dixon, who ended the day on the podium. Palou’s team waiting an extra lap to call him in on lap 44 was the winning move today.
Why can’t Indycar drivers get through the first turn at Portland cleanly? Today’s melee wasn’t as destructive as the first two years after Indycar’s return, but it turned the race on its head, especially with the way Race Control reordered the field. It took a later caution to reverse what happened at the beginning.
Is Alex Palou the next Scott Dixon? Nothing seems to faze this kid-neither two consecutive finishes in the 20s, nor being shuffled to the back of the field after winning the pole. He just does what he needs to do in order to win the title. Today was a big step in that direction.
Palou not only leads O’Ward by 25 points, he now owns the first tiebreaker with his third win of the year. I really didn’t think we would see a driver win three times this season.
The points chase realistically is down to three-Palou, O’Ward, and Josef Newgarden. Dixon is 49 points behind, essentially a full race in arrears. Marcus Ericsson was barely hanging on, and losing 15 more points to the leader pretty much ends his title bid.
I hope in their new television deal that indycar has forbidden NBC from using the “Points as They Run” graphic. It is pointless and meaningless. Drivers don’t earn point as they run. They earn points when they finish. This graphic was displayed at least five times in the first 28 laps, a time in the race where it is totally not necessary.
It seems that the Team Penske drivers have had a lot of contact with each other during races this season.
Nice to see Alexander Rossi finally get on the podium in 2021. I think he will win one of the next two races. Rossi dominated two years in a row at Long Beach.
Palou’s repeat win means the series can only tie the record for most different winners in a season with a maximum of 11.
I will be back tomorrow with more on today’s race. Thanks for following along this weekend.
Palou Puts Other Contenders on Notice with First Career Pole
Alex Palou celebrates his first career pole. Indycar photo by Joe Skibinskii
Anyone worried about Alex Palou fading out of the championship hunt can breathe easier now. Palou backed up his top speed in practice with his first career pole, nipping Alexander Rossi by 0.087 of a second.
The day did not start well for Palou with a spin and a light tap of a barrier about halfway through the practice session. He rebounded to finish with the fastest time in the practice and in Round 2 of qualifying.
The biggest surprise of the day was that title contenders Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward did not advance. Newgarden will start 18th and O’Ward will start 7th. Scott Dixon starts 3rd. The irony for O’Ward is that teammate Felix Rosenqvist knocked him out of the Fast Six as round 2 ended.
Takuma Sato took a six place grid penalty for an engine change and will start 24th. Ryan Hunter-Reay did not participate in qualifying as his team could not repair the car in time. Hunter-Reay had an unspecified electronics issue.
Notes
Graham Rahal had a great day making the Fast Six. i would not be surprised to see him on the podium tomorrow.
Max Chilton qualified a career best 11th.
Meyer Shank cars driven by Helio Castroneves and Jack Harvey were second and third in the morning practice, but had no pace in qualifying. Castroneves starts 17th and Harvey 20th.
Simon Pagenaud continues to not qualify well. He starts 26th.
Tomorrow is Alexander Rossi’s best chance for a win in 2021. The series still has a chance to set a record for the most different winners in a season, but it will take a different new winner in each of the last three races to accomplish it.
I believe this is the first all Alex front row in Indycar history.
Thanks for following along today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a race preview and a post race recap.
Palou Quickest in Morning Practice
Alex Palou led the only practice for the Grand Prix of Portland despite causing a red flag with a spin about halfway through a wild session. Palou is second in points and looking to rebound from consecutive finishes in the 20s.
Trailing Palou were the two Meyer Shank cars of Helio Castroneves and Jack Harvey.
The top 10:
Qualifying begins at 3:15 Eastern time on Peacock and re airs at 11: 30 Eastern on NBCSN.
Notes
A nice tribute to Robin Miller I’m the media center this morning.ore food was added later to make it more authentic.
Callum Ilott confirmed he is “in discussions” with Juncos Bollinger Racing about the ride in 2022.
Marcus Ericsson has signed a multi year deal to stay at Chip Ganassi Racing.
I hope that Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay can be ready for qualifying. Sato needs an engine change and RHR could not get the car to go through the gears.
I’ll be back after qualifying.
Palou Leads Practice; Herta Struggles
Points leader Alex Palou had the fastest lap in the only practice before qualifying begins tonight at 7 pm for the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix. Palou’s lap of 1:10.883 was 0.023 seconds faster than Rinus VeeKay, winner of May’s GMR Grand prix on the IMS road course. VeeKay also won the pole for race 1 of last fall’s Harvest Grand Prix.
Pato O’Ward, Jack Harvey, and Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five. Newgarden will have a ix place grid penalty for the race due to an unapproved engine change following the Music City Grand Prix.
The big surprise of the session was Christian Lundgaard, driving for Rahal Letterman Laniqan Racing. The Danish F2 driver was seventh in his first Indycar session, jus 0.030 seconds behind Will Power.
The practice round also saw Colton Herta, who has started on the front row for the last four races, struggle. He had a lockup, overshot turn one, aned had his car stall leaving the pits. Herta was 26th on the time chart, only completing 16 laps.
Qualifying this evening is the same format used in Detroit. The normal first round is followed bay a round of 12 to determine the pole. NBCSN will broadcast qualifying live
The top 12:
I’ll be back later tonight with a qualifying wrapup. Going out to buy spikes for my cooler. I want to look fashionable tomorrow.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 