Tag: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

Race Preview- Detroit Grand Prix

thepitwindow

The high from last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 still lingers as the Indycar series moves on to Detroit for its second race on the downtown streets. This race is always a bit of a letdown after Indianapolis. It seems more so this year.

I don’t think the series does itself many favors by going from the 500 on national television to a slow street race on a cable channel. Not a great way to build on the momentum they received from Indy this year.

But the championship chase goes on, and there are cars on track. It’s a home game for Chevrolet, as they look to continue their early season dominance.

Here are some things to watch for.

Honda Rebound?

In 2023 Alex Palou and his Honda won the pole and dominated the race. In 2024, Palou and Honda have one win, the Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS.

2023 was a great year for Honda on street courses, with Andretti Global winning twice, and RLL and Ganassi each winning once. Detroit is where they need to start their comeback.

500 Champ Letdown?

The winner of the Indianapolis 500 usually has a letdown at the following race. It has been severe in the past, but lately the trend is turning around. In 2023, Josef Newgarden finished 10th at Detroit. Marcus Ericsson was seventh in 2022.

The strength of Team Penske could carry Newgarden to a podium, but I don’t think he lands on the top step.

Second Year Improvement

2023 was the first year for this tight, narrow circuit with just one decent corner, turn 3. The turn has been changed a bit to allow less congestion. Seven cautions slowed last year’s race. I think the teams will have a better handle on the track this time around, and we should see a cleaner event.

The split pit road went very smoothly in 2023, and is not a cause for concern this year.

Notes

I’ll be watching to see how Helio Castroneves does in his return to a street course.

I hope Tristan Vautier will get a decent result for Dale Coyne Racing.

Will Power is my pick to win this weekend in a race that could scramble the points standings.

Reminders

The race is on USA and Peacock. Green flag is 12:45 pm Eastern on Sunday.

Today’s practice is split- 45 minutes for everyone then two groups for 10 minutes each. Practice is 3:00 pm Eastern on Peacock.

Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear Fast Facts 

thepitwindow

From Indycar. My preview will be up tomorrow.

 Race weekend: Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2
Track: Streets of Detroit, a 1.645-mile, Nine-turn temporary street course (counterclockwise)
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 100 laps / 170 miles | INDY NXT by Firestone: 45 laps/55 minutes
Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Six sets primary, four sets alternate (weekend). Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires in each race. 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 race weekend. Two carryover sets from the Indianapolis event may be used in practice sessions before qualifying.
X: @DetroitGP, @IndyCar, @INDYNXT, #DetroitGP, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @DetroitGP, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #DetroitGP, #INDYCAR
Threads: @DetroitGP, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT
Facebook: @DetroitGP, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #DetroitGP, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @INDYCAR @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @DetroitGP, @INDYCAR
Event website: www.DetroitGP.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2023 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Alex Palou (No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda)I
INDY NXT by Firestone Race 1: Reece Gold (No. 10 HMD Motorsports) Race 2: Nolan Siegel (No. 39 HMD Motorsports)
2023 NTT P1 Award winner: Alex Palou (No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda) 1:01.9410, 95.734 mph
2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winners: Race 1: Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport) 1:06.9468, 88.458 mph Race 2: Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport) 1:06.8374, 88.603 mph
Qualifying lap record: NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Kyle Kirkwood, 1:01.5305, 96.245 mph, June 3, 2023 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying)
INDY NXT by Firestone Louis Foster, 1:06.8374, 88.603 mph, June 2, 2023
USA Network race telecast: Noon (ET) Sunday, June 2, USA Network (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe
.Peacock live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. NBC’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear race telecast for the USA Network will be simulcast on the streaming service.
The INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix will be streamed on Peacock with practice and qualifying shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young and Ryan Myrehn are the pit reporters. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear race (noon ET Sunday), INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix (10:15 a.m. 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, MAY 31 (All times local)
1:50-2:35 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone practice #1, INDYCAR LIVE
3-4:15 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice #1 (45 minutes all car session followed by two 10-minute group sessions), Peacock

SATURDAY, JUNE 18-
8:45 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone practice #2, INDYCAR LIVE
9:10-10:10 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice #2 (45 minutes), Peacock
11:20-11:50 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12-minute session), INDYCAR LIVE
12:15-1:45 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock (live)
SUNDAY, JUNE 2
9:30-10 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock
10:25 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Command to start engines
10:30 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix (45 Laps/55 minutes), Peacock (U.S.)/INDYCAR LIVE (Most international markets)
Noon USA Network on air
12:38 p.m. Command to start engines
12:45 p.m. Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear (100 laps/164.5 miles), USA Network (live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
There have been five winners in the five NTT INDYCAR SERIES points-paying races to start the 2024 season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course) and Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500) have all won in 2024. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear will be the second INDYCAR SERIES race held on the new nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street circuit and the 34th INDYCAR SERIES race held in the Motor City. A 2.5-mile street circuit in downtown Detroit hosted CART events from 1989-91 before the event moved to Belle Isle Park in 1992.
Will Power, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves each won three times at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park and are tied for most wins by an INDYCAR SERIES driver in the Detroit Grand Prix.
In addition to Power, Castroneves and Dixon, other previous Detroit Grand Prix race winners entered include Alex Palou (2023), Pato O’Ward (2021 Race #2), Marcus Ericsson (2021 Race #1), Josef Newgarden (2019 Race #1), Simon Pagenaud (2013 Race #2) and Graham Rahal (2017 Race #1 and Race #2).
ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS
Helio Castroneves 3 2000, 2001, 2014 Race #2
Scott Dixon 3 2012, 2018 Race #1, 2019 Race #2
Will Power 3 2014 Race #1, 2016 Race #2, 2022
Graham Rahal 2 2017 Race #1, 2017 Race #2
Josef Newgarden 1 2019 Race #1
Marcus Ericsson 1 2021 Race #1
Pato O’Ward 1 2021 Race #2
Alex Palou 1 2023

The driver who has gone on to win the championship has won at Detroit eight times. Alex Palou won on the streets of downtown Detroit in 2023, Josef Newgarden won Race #1 on Belle Isle in 2019, Scott Dixon won Race #1 on Belle Isle in 2018, Will Power won on Belle Isle in 2022 and won Race #2 on Belle Isle in 2014, Alex Zanardi won on Belle Isle in 1998, Bobby Rahal won at Belle Isle in 1992 and Emerson Fittipaldi won in downtown Detroit in 1989.
Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 328th consecutive start, extending his record streak…Dixon will pass Tony Kanaan for third all-time in INDYCAR SERIES starts should he start on Sunday. The pair is tied with 390 starts

.INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
The ultra-competitive INDY NXT by Firestone season resumes with a downtown Detroit street circuit event. Jacob Abel leads the point standings on the strength of two wins in the first four races, but the other two race winners this season, HMD Motorsports’ Nolan Siegel and Andretti Global’s Louis Foster, remain threats to win the title and the financial benefits to advance to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix will be the 500th  race for the INDYCAR SERIES’ top level developmental series, currently known at INDY NXT by Firestone.
The 2024 season features a deep and talented field with INDY NXT race winners such as Nolan Siegel, Louis Foster and Reece Gold joining a promising rookie class that includes Myles Rowe (2023 USF Pro 2000 champ), Callum Hedge (2023 Formula Regionals America champion), Michael d’Orlando (2022 USF2000 champion) and Caio Collet (Formula 3 race winner/Nissan Formula E reserve driver). Other contenders include returning drivers Jacob Abel, Josh Pierson, James Roe and Jamie Chadwick.
For the second consecutive season, INDY NXT by Firestone has added a new team. Miller Vinatieri Motorsports – co-owned by former INDYCAR SERIES competitor Dr. Jack Miller and former NFL standout Adam Vinatieri – debuted at St. Petersburg with driver Jack William Miller.
Group qualifying will decide the starting grid on road and street circuits. Based on the best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding qualifying, the fastest driver in that session will choose which group will compete in the first of the two qualifying sessions. With 12 minutes allotted for each group (with a guarantee of one timed lap), the fastest driver between the two sessions will be awarded pole position with the drivers who finished behind that driver, in order and in that group, occupying the odd-numbered starting positions (3, 5, 7, etc.) for the race and the drivers who finished in order from the other group occupying the even-numbered starting positions (2, 4, 6, etc.). One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group. 

Detroit Wrap Up

thepitwindow

Photo: Fireboat salute to the winner

180 degrees. It’s how much most observers turned their thoughts about the Detroit Grand Prix from Friday to Sunday. All new events experience growing pains and discover what changes need to be made. The Grand Prix made adjustments to the track after Friday’s practice, and I think they helped.

I was one of the skeptics. The track layout I saw did not impress me, and when I arrived the entire venue appeared to be shoehorned into a very tight space.

It was an event that grew on me and seemd to grow anidentity as the weekend moved on. Afyter Saturday’s relatively normal qualifications, I had a bit of hope for Sunday. The waved off start and the the first lap crash caused by Callum Ilott dashed those hopes momentarily, but once the gren falg waved again, the race turned out to be decent.

This race has the potential to be another great event. Its goal is to bring peoplke to downtown Detroit. It succeeded in that aspect. I talked to several residents of Detroit, most of whom never went to Belle Isle, but decide to check out the event since it was near where they worked or lived. The test is whether they return next year. People seemed happy that the race returned to the streets.

Fans Came and Stayed

Ususally fans who line fences in the general admission sections along the fence come and go during the race. The area typically looks less dense by the end of the race. Along the fence between three and four, fans lined up and stayed for the entire race.

Fans lined up along the fence between turns 3 and 4.

Tweaks

I am not pals with Bud Denker, so he probablywon’t listen to me, but here are some things I would like to see done differently. While there was lots of signage in the central area around Jefferson Street, directions to turn three were scarce. The track maps were fine, but they were confined to the back end of the rtack.

I understand the geography limits what can be done, but virtually all the concession and merchandise tents were near turn three. The turn three vendors area was huge, but not everyone got there. A few more concessions at the other end of the track would be welcome.

I am not a track engineer, but I tink the runoff areas could be a bit longer and wider. That might have prevented two of the caution periods. Sting Ray Robb had trouble turning his car aroundin one area.

Up on the Roof

I venture to twqo rooftops Saturday and Sunday. The veiws were amazing. It was quite a party going, on, especially at the Center Garage. The roof was quite full.

Fans lined the wall to watch. There were a couple of lounge areas with viewing screens .Concessions not found at ground level were available.

View from Center garage roof. during Indy NXT race

The view was amazing. The roof was the only way to see turns 5 and 6.

I left Detroit with a much better impression of the event than I had when I arrived. Events like this take years to grow. Detroit seemed to grow over just three days. We wil see how well the promoters can sustain it. I’m guessing this is going to be a gem.

Quick Thoughts-Detroit Grand Prix

thepitwindow

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.

Pagenaud Leads Warmup

thepitwindow

Photo: Simon Pagenaud leads Benjamin pedersen and Helio Castroneves through turn 3

Simon Pagenaud Had the fastest lap in the just concluded warmup session for the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit. It was the cleanest full car practice of the weekend. the only red lfag came with less than a minute to go for debris.

Pagenaud’s time of 1:02.3615 beat Callum Ilott by 12 hundredths of a second. Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, and Josef Newgarden complete the top five.

Pole sitter Alex Palou was seventh and Scott McLaughlin, who starts second, was 16th.

I ventured to turn three for the warmup. It is a great spot for viewing. Fans are very colse to the action. The area provides one of the best views of the track. The merchnadise are is located at Hart Plaza. It was the first time this weekend that I actually felt immersed in the race event.

Turn three is also the bs=est photo spot I have found.

Racee Day at Detroit

thepitwindow

Today’s schedule:

8 am: Gates Open

10 am: IndyCar Warmup

11 am: TransAM Race

12:45 pm: Command For Indy NXT

12:50 pm: Green flag for IndyNXT Peacock

2:31 pm: Cars to grid

3:09 pm: Invocation

3:10 pm: Canada then USA Anthems

3:14 pm: Drivers to cars 3:23 pm: Command

3:30 pm: Green Flag NBC, Peacock

Good morning from a mnuch cooler Detroit. High today for the race should be around 78 degrees, a nice break from the high 80s and 90 degrees of the past two days..

The warmup should be interesting. No one wants to have a car damaged before the race. Indy NXT showed tha this track can produce a mostly clean, entertaining race. Will Indycar be able to have a race like Indy Nxt had?

The starting lineup:

I haven’t been able to get around the track as much as I had hoped yet, . I have no feel for the attendance. This track layout is very segmented and difficult to get from end to the other.

I will be back after the warmup. Here are some photos from yesterday. The first was taken by Kyle McInnes, qwho has produced outstanding work this weekend. The rest, which pale in comparison, are from the roof of a parking garage.

by Kyle McInnes
Scott McLaughlin
Scott Dixon
Fekix Rosenqvist in turn 9
Left side pits at the start of qualifying

Palou Takes Second Straight Pole

thepitwindow

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)