All times Eastern. Morning IndyCar practice on FS2.
Qualifying on FS1
Today’s schedule:
Number change– Conor Daly’s car will be number 76 this weekend as Juncos Hollinger Racing has a new sponsor in Union 76 gasoline. We’ll see if this number stays throughout the season or just at select races. One positive is that the 76 in an orange circle on the side if the roll hoop makes the JHR easier to tell apart.
FOX first broadcast– The biggest complaint about yesterday’s practice on FOX was ta plethora of commercials. Comments I have seen on social media say that the content was very good and that the raphics looked great.
Last night the network said that all commercials during the race will be side by side. It’s a step n the right direction.
This morning’s practice will give a better idea of who will contend for the pole. Andretti looked strong yesterday with Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta each leading a segment. Kirkwood led the session overall. Don’t count out Team Penske, McLaren, or Ganassi cars thought. They all had good runs.
I’ll be back after practice with a quick qualifying preview.
And so it begins. Another IndyCar season is a little more than 48 hours away. Off seasons seem to get longer with each passing winter, and to arrive at the St. Pete track on Friday of Race Weekend is the true beginning of spring.
2025 brings a new television partner, FOX, which has done an amazing job with promotions since January. I hope the momentum continues through the season. Sunday’s broadcast will be their first big test.
The 2025 season brings a few rules changes. IndyCar will allow drivers to start a stalled cr on pit lane with the self starter of the hybrid component. Last yearthis was not allowed. This makes sense.
Tire allocations have changed for road and street courses. Teams now have an extra set of alternates and one less set of primaries. The new allotment may allow teams to be more aggressive in qualifying and still have a set of new alternates for the race.
The extra alternate set may also play into race strategy. Teams that didn’t advance in qualifying were thought to have a bit of an edge because they saved a set of alternates. That advantage is now neutralized to some extent.
Rookies
Three rookies- Jacob Abel, Louis Foster, and Robert Shwartzman, make their IndyCar debuts this weekend. Only Shwartzman has not raced at St. Pete before.
I always find it fascinating to watch how rookies do at St. Pete. I remember Robert Wickens did pretty well his rookie year here.
In addition to rookie drivers, IndyCar has a rookie team. PREMA makes it series debut with Shwartzman and Callum Ilott. I look at this race as shakedown for them. Anything inside the top 20 would be a good showing.
No Change at the Top
Team Penske has dominated this event, winning seven of the last 10 races, They have not won the last two. Marcus Ericsson won in 2023 driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Pato O’Ward won last year for McLaren after finishing second to Ericsson the year before. I look for another O’Ward victory Sunday.
Like they did with the broadcast booth, FOX Sports has kept faces familiar to IndyCar fans on pit road as the network announced its pit reporters. Kevin Lee and Georgia Henneberry return along with driver Jack Harvey. Jamie Little will begin the season as Henneberry tends to her newborn and will come on in June.
The pit road crew compliments the trio in the booth where Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will join Will Buxton. Ony Buxton and Harvey are new to IndyCar broadcasts.
The news is a great relief to me, especially where Lee is concerned. I can’t imagine an IndyCar television broadcast without him. From some comments he has made on Trackside this winter, I did not think there was any chance he would return to the series.
Little has worked the pits for the Indianapolis 500. She is a consummate professional.
Henneberry is an outstanding reporter who has gotten better every season.
Harvey has expressed an interest inthe broadcasting sid eof racing, and i am glad he will get a chance. I will give him a pass at St. Pete and Thermal as he settles into his new role. Harvey will be driving for DRR in the 500.
FOX has done a great job with creative promotiions this year. They have assembled a competent, knowledgeable crew to call the race. The question is, how will the production look? Will there be fewer intrusive commercials? Will we see excessive replays of the same action?
One of the ways I judge a race broadcast is by the number of green laps shown. I hope time returning from commercial breaks isn’t cluttered with race recaps or prolonged aerial shots of the surrounding area. Save that for prerace.
I am excited to see what the race broadcast looks like.
For thise who want to see qualifying and practice, IndyCar Live is providibng a 24 hour delay vieweing for just $19.99 a year. This is probably the best alternative to those who don’t have FS1 or FS2.
The package includes, per the the site:
Available after 24 hrs:
INDYCAR Races plus practice and qualifying
INDY NXT Races plus practice and qualifying
Replays from the 2022, 2023 & 2024 seasons
Live INDYCAR in-car cameras
Plus Race, team and driver video-shorts and classic racing
The price is less than a full IndyCar season on Peacock cost.
FOX will have a streaming service available by the end of the year, so hopefully 2025 is the only season where some fans might be inconvenienced.
Replays
FOX is offering severalreplays on FS1 and FS2.
This is great for those who have access to the alternate channels.
New leadership, new team, new broadcast partner, new teams for several drivers, but will the results be the same? IndyCar 2025 offers an intriguing mix of drama on and off track.
With Doug Boles assuming the role of IndyCar president, I don’t look for much change right away, but by mid- season we might see some movement. Off track, talk of a new chassis and whether Honda will remain in the series are the big things to watch.
But it’s been a long winter, and I’m ready to see cars on track starting next Friday. Let’s/ talk about the season.
3 Peats?
Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden are each going for three in a row. Palou seeks his third straight championship, and Newgarden his third straight Indianapolis 500. Palou has the better chance of repeating. While Newgarden may contend, I look for a different driver and team to be drinking the milk May 25.
New Teams, New Looks
The offseason saw several drivers switch teams.
Alexander Rossi joined ECR, Christian Lundgaard went to McLaren, Rinus VeeKay took the final grid spot with Coyne last week, and Marcus Armstrong will drive for Meyer Shank.
Alexander Rossi
While the lineups will take a bit of time to adjust to, radical new liveries have appeared. ECR now sports yellow and black cars, Marcus Ericsson is now a red and black machine while Will Power has gone to red and white. As I mentioned in an earlier post, study your spotters’ guide.
Will Power
Rookies
Three rookies will vie for Rookie of the Year honors. Jacob Abel with Dale Coyne Racing, Louis Foster with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and Robert Shwartzman with Prema. I look for a close race between Foster and Abel, with Foster squeaking by for top honors.
PREMA Joins the Series
PREMA brings their winning junior FIA team to IndyCar for a full season. Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman will drive the two cars with liveries representing the Italian flag. Unlike Carlin, which spent two years in Indy Lights before joining IndyCar, PREMA is jumping in with both feet.
While they had top 10s in the Sebring test, the season is a different animal. I will wait to see how they perform the second half of the season before passing judgment. I think the ovals will be a struggle for them.
No Change at the Top
The top four teams will once again get most of the victories and podiums, but we may see a surprise winner or two. I look for improvement from RLL and some better results for EGR.
David Malukas has the best chance of notching his first series win.
Series champion- Scott McLaughlin
Indianapolis 500- Pato O’Ward.
Can FOX Match Their Pre-Season Hype?
FOX has done an outstanding job promoting the series and the 500 during their football and basketball broadcasts, including significant time during the Super Bowl.
Will the promotional blitz carry over to the race broadcasts? With Will Buxton doing play by play, the booth isn’t a concern. I’m waiting to see how the production runs, how well the action gets covered, how often full screen commercials run, and just who will be covering the pits.
I hope I will be able to see a race replay, since I will be unable to record this week’s race.
Competition Updates Begin on Streets of St. Petersburg for NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDY NXT by Firestone
INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025) – A late-winter thaw is well underway for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as anticipation heats up for next week’s start to the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons. Championship campaigns begin in the Florida sunshine with a two-day group test Feb. 17-18 at Sebring International Raceway ahead of the Sunday, March 2 season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding is expected to set the stage for what will be another thrilling season on track and on television. FOX Sports launches its inaugural season of INDYCAR coverage with the season’s first practice in St. Pete on Friday, Feb. 28 on FS1. All 17 races for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will air on FOX, with two additional days during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying May 17-18 ahead of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge creating a series-record 19 network windows. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the only premier motorsport series in North America with all races broadcasting on network television. All INDYCAR programming also streams live on the FOX Sports app. “This will be a season of unrivaled exposure for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” said INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles. “With phenomenal support of our sport across multiple massive platforms – including Super Bowl LIX – FOX Sports has proven to be a superb partner and promoter. With the season approaching, we know their unique style of engaging and innovative broadcasts will continue to raise the bar and drive an unparallelled growth opportunity for INDYCAR.” With an eye on the fierce and intense competition of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, several updates will be featured in 2025: More Time, More Action To maximize the thrilling, wheel-to-wheel racing action for fans during the record number of FOX race broadcast windows, lap counts at several NTT INDYCAR SERIES races have been extended in 2025, creating added dynamics for race teams.
Race distances have been updated for: Streets of Long Beach – 90 laps (+5 laps) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – 90 laps (+10) Iowa Speedway doubleheader – 275 laps (+25) Streets of Toronto – 90 laps (+5 )Nashville Superspeedway – 225 laps (+19
)Hybrid Highlighted 2025 will feature the first full-season integration of the hybrid power unit, including the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for the first time. Hybrid assist – developed specifically for INDYCAR through a first-of-its-kind collaborative effort by Chevrolet and Honda – provides an added boost of 120 horsepower when used with traditional Push to Pass on road and street circuits. Used in tandem, a total of 800 horsepower is available to drivers for the first time in two decades. New this season, use of the hybrid power unit will be allowed to start or restart the 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engines on pit lane. As in 2024, hybrid assist will be allowed to restart a stalled race car on the racetrack on non-ovals. After meticulous development, the INDYCAR hybrid power unit made its successful race debut July 7, 2024, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. From its full-field integration at the Milwaukee Mile Open Test on June 11 through the end of the 2024 season, 94,244 miles were completed with the system. Overall use and influence of hybrid assist increased race-over-race on road and street circuits and ovals. Twelve of the 14 on-track passing records broken during the 2024 season came after the introduction of the hybrid power unit.
Practice Makes Perfect Some NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions will have an updated look in 2025. At select road and street circuits (Streets of St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit and Toronto; Barber Motorsports Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Portland International Raceway), weekend tire allotments this season will include: One additional set of Firestone Firehawk alternates (five total) One less set of Firestone Firehawk primaries (five total) Race teams will be allowed the freedom to use their weekend allotments as they see fit, reserving one set of new alternates, per the rulebook, for use during the race. Tire allotments for event weekends at The Thermal Club and Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course remain unchanged from last year. Also on road and street circuits, split group practice sessions in Practice 1 will expand to all tracks except for Road America and its lengthy 4.014-mile layout. All cars will receive an initial 45-minute practice session before the start of two 10-minute segments, with groups split by odd and even numbered pit boxes. As in qualifying, the clock in Segments One and Two will stop for the first red flag condition of each practice segment. Popular high-line practice sessions will continue on all short ovals in 2025. The additional track time allows for drivers and teams to work in the upper groove of the racetrack, providing more grip ahead of the race. Race Ready An annual INDYCAR review also has led to adjustments to procedures and rules for the upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES season: Ahead of a race start on ovals, there will be a mandatory “pair up” location with “one to go” to reduce the chance of incident and the need for waved-off starts. Where feasible for oval restarts, INDYCAR will extend the beginning of the restart zone to give the leader wider discretion on the choice to accelerate. The ending location of oval restart zones will remain the same as in previous seasons. A multistage pit lane speed limiter, as utilized at pit in at Road America and at pit out at World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway, will be expanded to pit lane entry at WWT Raceway, Iowa Speedway and Nashville. The update prevents cars from overextending from the apron onto the racetrack after the pit-in commitment point. The 2024 road and street circuit restart line, where drivers must remain in single file and are prohibited from passing until reaching the designated line in the last corner, remains intact for 2025 .Additional EM Motorsport light panels, first used in 2022, will be used at all circuits. The additional lights will enhance the forewarning of conditions, particularly around blind corners. Also for safety, drivers will be alerted of local yellow conditions by a notification on driver cockpit dashes in addition to the light panels and traditional cloth flag notifications at marshal posts around each circuit. Also noteworthy, alternate tires at Nashville Superspeedway again will be available for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Last season, the breathtaking championship race featured 653 on-track passes – the most on record for the series at the track .“From the mid-year integration of the hybrid power unit to the on-track passing records and another championship decided at the final race, 2024 was truly a phenomenal year for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” INDYCAR Senior Vice President, Competition and Operations Mark Sibla said. “This is a testament to the hard work by the teams, drivers and naturally our partners Chevrolet, Honda, Firestone and Shell. As our attention turns toward 2025, we will continue the series’ energy, momentum and incredibly close competition on the track. We are excited to get the new season started.” Talented, Packed Field, Live Television Highlight INDY NXT by Firestone For the first time, an entire INDY NXT by Firestone season will be featured on live television. Announced in December, 12 INDY NXT races will appear live on FOX Sports’ FS1, with two airing on FS2. Additionally, all practice and qualifying sessions for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ development series will air on a combination of FS1 and FS2. Which driver will receive the most attention from FOX’s cameras is anyone’s guess. After last season averaged the most starters (19.5) since 2009, the 2025 season is expected to match or exceed that number – in a field featuring drivers from 10 countries. Chip Ganassi Racing will add even more intrigue to the championship as it fields cars in INDY NXT for the first time since 2007.Building on the series’ continued momentum, 2024 featured on-track passing records at four circuits, with qualifying records broken at six. Sixteen of the 33 starters in last year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge were graduates of INDY NXT. After the launch of a reimagined look in 2023, this is the fourth season that INDYCAR’s development series will feature continued integration with INDYCAR as the sanctioning body. In 2025, INDY NXT chassis will showcase updated and stylized rear wing end plates featuring LED rain lights, matching the safety component available in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The pathway to North America’s premier open-wheel series once again features a total purse of $1.4 million. The series champion will receive $850,000 to be applied to a rookie oval test, the Indy 500 Open Test and Rookie Orientation Program, an entry for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and an entry for an additional 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES event. The 2025 championship team will receive a prize of $35,000. “This will be a season of incredible and unprecedented exposure for INDY NXT by Firestone,” series director Richard Buck said. “The continued integration of this series with INDYCAR has clearly raised the quantity and quality of INDY NXT. The championship has never been more fierce and difficult to win, but it will prove to be all the more gratifying for the driver advancing to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.” Coverage of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season debut Sunday, March 2 begins at noon ET on FOX. A Spanish-language version will be available on FOX Deportes.INDY NXT by Firestone’s season opener begins earlier that day at 10 a.m. on FS1.The award-winning INDYCAR Radio Network will provide coverage of both races with audio available on SiriusXM channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
IndyCar on FOX will have a new lead play by play (lap by lap?) man teaming with two faces familiar to IndyCar fans. Will Buxton, who has covered Formula 1 extensively for more than a decade, will join IndyCar broadcast veterans James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell in the broadcast booth.
Buxton has followed IndyCar but has never been to the Indianapolis 500. He did visit IMS on a qualifying weekend in the mid 2010s. I think he is more than up to the challenge, and I am looking forward to him as the lead.
I am relieved that Hinchcliffe will remain. He brings great insight with his experience in the car as it is currently configured. I have never been a fan of Bell’s style. I find him a bit condescending at times, but I can’t think of another former driver who is prepared to step into the analyst role.
Pit reporters will be announced later. I’m hearing a couple former drivers are under consideration, but I’m not hearing Kevin Lee’s name much. FOX would be making a huge mistake not to include him, in my opinion.
Content Day Continues
The second half of Content Day begins at 8 am Eastern this morning with more driver interviews. The main takeaway from yesterday is universal and effusive praise for the work FOX has already done for the upcoming season.
Another theme was the new car. Drivers want something sexy, loud, and fast. I think they will be disappointed on the first part.
I hope to avoid any more home disasters today and check in on a few more interviews.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 