Tag: Bommarito Automotive Group

O’Ward Leads Practice

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Photo: Indycar, James Black

Pato O’Ward lead the field in the only practice session for the Bommarito Autuomotive Group 500 this afternoon. O’Ward turned in a 181.532 mph lap on the 66th lap of his 75 circuits.  Qualifying is at noon Eastern time tomorrow, followed by Race 1 at 3:40 Eastern Sunday’s race is also at 3:40 eastern. Both races will be on NBCSN.

Santino Ferrucci lost the drive in his car and sat out most of the session, turning just 40 laps. Ryan Hunter-Reay also had issues and ran a session low 32 laps. Points leader Scott Dixon was third quickest. The entire field was within 1.1 seconds of the leader.

I will be traveling to Gateway very early tomorrow morning and should arrive in time for qualifying. Look for a brief qualifying report. my Quick Thoughts on Race 1 will post late Saturday evening.

The time sheet:

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Bommarito 500 Preview-A More Traditional Schedule

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An oval the weekend after the Indianapolis 500 hasn’t happened for at least seven years. Milwaukee traditionally followed Indianapolis  on the schedule. One good thing all the schedule changes did was bring this bit of nostalgia. It’s not Milwaukee, but world Wide Technology Raceway, still called Gateway by many, has a double header this weekend.

It will be a different Gateway weekend in keeping with the adjustments 2020 has forced upon everyone. Both races will run in the daytime instead of at night as they have the last three years. The scheduled distance is 200 laps per race. The single race was 248 laps. Like Iowa, the racing should be different in the daytime from what it was like at night.

Gateway has hosted Indycar races since 1997, when CART ran a race the day before the Indianapolis 500 for three years. The last CART race was  September of 2000, as CART teams decided they wanted to go back to Indianapolis. The IRL raced at Gateway from 2001-2003. Indycar returned in 2017.

There are some oddities in the history of the track and the series. Tony Kanaan is the only driver participating this weekend who has driven in every race here, regardless of which series sanctioned the event. No driver has won the race at Gateway more than once. The only times the pole winner won were in 2002, when Gil de Ferran took the checkered flag, and 2003, when Helio Castroneves pulled the double.

Six active drivers have finished in the top ten twice- Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, and Takuma Sato. Pagenaud has the best average finish of fourth.

The weekend schedule can be found here:

https://thepitwindow.blog/2020/08/25/world-wide-technology-schedule/

500 Hangover?

The winner of the Indianapolis 500 goes on a whirlwind media tour after the race and sometimes struggles the following weekend.  Sato is the defending winner of this race. I look for him to be better on Sunday than he is on Saturday. It has been a while since the winner of the 500 won the next race.

More Success for Daly and Carlin?

This weekend marks the last two races for Conor Daly and Carlin Racing on the ovals. The results to date have been pretty decent. Daly won the pole for Race 1 at Iowa. He has scored  a sixth at Texas, and an eighth  in Iowa race 1. 72 of Daly’s 121 points have come in the Carlin entry.  Daly also has earned a fifth place at gateway driving for Foyt Racing.  I see daly as having another good weekend. in the St. Louis area.

Chevy Comeback?

After Honda’s domination at Indianapolis, Chevrolet looks to rebound. This is a strong track for the bow tie. Chevy powered cars had won three races in a row before Honda’s win last year.  Chevy did win the pole in 2019 and Ed Carpenter came within 0,03 seconds of winning.  Chevy should again have a strong performance at a track that has seemed to favor their engines.

Clean Start?

Since Indycar’s return to Gateway, clean starts have been an issue. Last year there was an incident on lap 2 involving Marcus Ericsson. The previous two years, issues at the start caused yellows just after the green flag. Will a daytime race fix the problem?

Dixon’s Title March

Scott Dixon’s runner up finish last weekend in the Indianapolis 500 gives him an 84 point lead over Josef Newgarden. No one else is within 100 points of Dixon. A pair of good finishes this weekend could put the title virtually out of reach. Dixon won the first three races of the season and has two seconds and a fifth place as well. The second race at road america is his only finish outside the top ten this season.I don’t see Dixon losing ground here. he is having one of the strongest seasons we have seen from a driver in a while.

Notes

Kody Swanson, five time USAC Midget champion, will again drive for Legacy motorsport in the Indy Pro 2000 race at 1 pm Central time on Saturday. Swanson drove the car to victory in his debut at Lucas oil raceway on Carb Night. The deal was put together at the last minute, and the crew worked without pay to get the car ready. Sw2anson drove a great race after starting second. Once he got the lead he pulled away from the field. He is a driver that i hope gets a shot at Indycar in the next couple of years.

Mid Ohio will rune September 11-13 pending government approval. The track plans to allow 10,000 fans. The doubleheader was postponed from August 8 and 9. it will stay as a double header. I wonder if they have already sold more than 10,000 tickets. if so, how will they resolve the excess tickets?

The Podium of Redemption- Quick Thoughts on the Bommarito Automotive Group 500

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Three drivers who needed a good result got the best results possible. Takuma Sato, maligned as the cause of the first lap crash at Pocono; Ed Carpenter, in his final race of the year and some questioning whether he should step out of the car; and Tony Kanaan, whose best finish to date was a quiet eighth, stood proudly on the podium after The Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Each of these drivers needed a good finish and they couldn’t have asked for more.

Josef Newgarden placed more distance between himself and his closest rivals.

Santino Ferrucci had the drive of the day. He led the most laps and made some incredible passes. It’s a shame the pit stops and yellows fell the way they did.

There was a great four way battle for the lead in the middle of the race with Ferrucci, Sebastien Bourdais, Newgarden, and Rossi.

In spite of all the yellows, some of which were a bit too long, this was a great race. The race had lots of passing, on track lead changes, pit strategy, and a close finish.

Sato has had a strange season- strong early, then a terrible middle, then he rebounds with another win.  He has two wins and a pole in this weird season.

Conor Daly grabs another top ten. I hope Carlin puts him in the car full time next year. He again shows that he can get the most out of a car.

Carpenter finishes his oval season with two straight top tens and three overall.

I can’t remember a race in which Will Power finished last and Scott Dixon finished 20th.  Dixon’s chance of winning the title may have suffered a fatal blow tonight.

Ferrucci now leads the rookie standings by two points over Felix Rosenqvist.

Five drivers in the top ten started 17th or worse.

I will update this post later.

Thanks for following along the last two days.

 

 

 

 

Mid Day at World Wide Technology Raceway

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We are four hours away from race time. There s a fairly decent crowd here already. Currently on track Indy Lights is 13 laps into their 75 lap race. A caution is out for a spin by Toby Sowery. Rinus VeeKay leads.

I arrived at the track  around 1 pm. The paddock was empty and all the equipment was under cover. The tires emitted that distinct rubber smell. The silence was eerie. Activity soon picked up and the track regained its usual energy.

I took some time to get a close look at the vintage cars. It was a trip down memory lane. Here are some photos. I did see ALL of these cars race, but I did see a lot of them on track.

Detail of the Olsonite Eagle
The Dowgard Special driven by Tony Bettenhausen
The Olsonite Eagle

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Steering wheel of a 1933 racer

I am still looking for the Stanley Cup.  That is my next mission. I will try to post again just before the race, but will definitely have Quick Thoughts up tonight.

Race Day at Gateway

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Good morning, race fans. We are about 10 hours away from the green flag for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The weather looks ideal for racing with the temperature in the high 70s at race time.

This race will determine what kind of championship fight we have for the last two races of the year. Can Josef Newgarden extend his lead to a comfortable margin or will Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud, and Scott Dixon close the gap?

Here a few photos from yesterday. One had a legend sitting in another legend’s car.

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Daly Fastest in Final Practice

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Photo: Kyle McInnes

Conor Daly recorded the fastest lap in tonight’s final practice for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 with a speed of 181.931. Daly turned his best lap late in the session, bettering a 181.312 circuit by Josef Newgarden about halfway through the hour long practice. Zach Veach had led early with a lap 0f 181.033. Veach’s lap was still good enough for third place in tonight’s practice.

The practice was green until Charlie Kimball brushed the wall in turn 4 with about six minutes remaining. He slowed and rolled down the front stretch, coming to a stop at the start/finish line.  The session was ended with about three minutes to go.

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Charlie Kimball  after brushing the wall in turn 4

Newgarden, the NTT Indycar Series points leader, reported a misfire toward the end of practice. The team is installing a new engine according to reports. As for the other championship contenders, Scott Dixon was sixth,  Simon Pagenaud seventh, and Alexander Rossi eighth. Rossi struggled early then found some speed late in the session.

Ed Carpenter continues to struggle. He was last in tonight’s practice after qualifying 17th.

Notes

The crowd today seemed smaller than the Friday crowds of the previous two years.

The matte black finish of Felix Rosenqvist’s car is disappointing. A gloss finish would have bee better. It doesn’t present well under the lights.

I am hoping the rubber laid down by the Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights Series will help establish a second lane for passing. I think getting around someone will be difficult tomorrow night.

The vintage car laps were great until one of them oiled down the track. I love this part of the day, but maybe scheduling it just before qualifying may not be the best idea.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a pre race edition around midday and my Quick Thoughts after the race. Look for a full race report on Wildfire Sports Sunday night.

 

Quick Thoughts- Bommarito 500 Qualifying

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Photo: Kyle McInnes

That was a very exciting qualifying session. Any time the pole is decided on the last lap adds drama to the day.

It must have been a great moment for Dale Coyne’s team to have both his cars on the front row for a few minutes.

Disappointed that the NTT IndyCar Series didn’t delay qualifying. and completely clean up the oil dry. The first ten cars to qualify were at a distinct disadvantage. I’m not saying one of them would have won the pole, but a fairer run might have helped them gain a spot or two.

Sanction Ferrucci qualified sixth after leading the early practice session. He was P 1 during qualifying for a few minutes until teammate Sebastien  Bourdais nipped him.

The top ten is a surprise outside of the expected Penskes’s top positions. Both Coyne cars, both Ganassi cars and only one from Andretti fill half of the top of the grid.

Josef Newgarden is in a position to take firm control of the championship tomorrow night. Alexander Rossi needs to get through the first lap cleanly.  Pit strategy will be an important factor in tomorrow’s outcome.

The way today’s action played out is why I prefer a draw or order based on practice speeds for oval qualifying. The series says the order system is part of the consistency they seek. Road and street course groups are based on practice speeds. Wouldn’t it be more consistent to base oval qualifying order on practice speeds as well?

If a title contender were to be one of the first to go out, that could make the race more interesting. Would the series let Newgarden or Rossi or one of the other contenders go out wit oil dry not completely cleaned up?