Tag: Gallagher Garnd Prix

Some Very Quick Notes on the Gallagher Grand Prix

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s race was arguably one of the three best races on the IMS road course. The first turn move by Devlin DeFrancesco to take the lead from fifth was a thing of beauty. The crash six turns later set strategy in play that eventually decided the result. The last 30 laps were as exciting as any I’ve seen in the 500. Graham Rahal cut Scott Dixon’s lead from seven seconds to 0.04 seconds at the finish.

Overall, it was a great weekend for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Rahal won pole and finished second. Christian Lundgaard finished fourth. Rahal led the most laps. It is nice to see this team competitive again. I hope RLLR stays strong through the end of the season.

Linus Lundqvist had a solid day today for MSR, staring and finishing 12th. He ran in the top 10 quite a bit.

Alex Palou’s seventh place finish, his second worst of the year, actually increased his point lead as Dixon jumped ahead of Josef Newgarden. Palou takes a 101 point lead into the final three races of the year.

Newgarden had what was likely the worst Indycar weekend of his career. He was slow in practice, qualified 19th, missed the weigh in and lost 10 minutes in final practice; an unapproved engine change placed him six spots further back on the grid. Newgarden suffered the most damage in the turn seven pileup on lap1. He languished at the rea alld day, finishing 25th.

I don’t know what else to say about Scott Dixon. He was won at least one race every season for 19 straight years, added his 54th career win, moved into second place in the points, and again turned misfortune into a positive outcome. I firmly believe Dixon is an alchemist.

I will have a wrap up of the race up here in a day or two after I watch the replay. Thanks for following along the last two days.

Race Day at IMS

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Today’s Schedule. All times Eastern

7 a.m.-8 p.m.: Public gates open

9:30-10 a.m.:  Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard presented by Advance Auto Parts NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice

10-11 a.m.: Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard presented by Advance Auto Parts NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard NASCAR Cup Series Practice

12:30-1:30 p.m.: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying

2:30 p.m.: Gallagher Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race (85 laps) USA, Peacock, Indycar Radio

5:30 p.m.: Pennzoil 150 presented by Advance Auto Parts NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (62 laps)

Another friendly reminder that the over the air broadcast is on USA Network. The final three races of the year will be on NBC.

Weather may be a factor in the race this afternoon. We just had a brief shower on the northwest side of Indianapolis with thunder. This storm should clear out by mid-morning, but there is a chance of rain around the time of the green flag.

The starting grid is intriguing. Graham Rahal will try to turn his first pole in six years into his first win in the same amount of time. It will not be easy. Alex Palou should have no trouble getting to the front from eighth. Rahal’s teammate Christian Lundgaard starts second. Lundgaard has started on the front row for both IMS road courses in 2023.

Romain Grosjean and Pato O’Ward are still looking for their first wins of the season, and today may be their last good chance for victory.

The Curious Case of Alex Palou

It is time for summer reruns. In 2022, reports circulated that Palou was going to McLaren this year. An announcement, which Palou said he did not approve came out. Then Palou admitted that yes, he was moving from Ganassi. In the end, he stayed at Ganassi and is on the verge of clinching his second Indycar title in three years. The consensus was that he would go to McLaren in 2024.

Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press reported yesterday that McLaren CEO Zak Brown sent an email to company staff saying that Palou would not be joining McLaren in 2024.

I like Alex, but these contract games he plays are getting a little hard to take. I hope to find out more today about this. My guess is that the Ganassi lineup in 2024 will look just the same as this year’s lineup.

I will be back with tire selections in a bit. if you’re going to the track, br prepared for rain and remember to hydrate. it will still be warm.

Gallagher GP Qualifying- Some Thoughts

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The turnaround of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team since May has been nothing short of amazing-two poles, one win, five Fast Six appearances, five top 10 finishes.

The first three rows are comprised of teammates. Graham Rahal and Christian Lundgaard -RLL in row 1, Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward – McLaren in row 2, and Devlin DeFrancesco and Romain Grosjean -Andretti in row 3.

DeFDrancesco and Grosjean needed a strong showing as their jobs are likely on the line. They need to have a strong race as well.

Linus Lundqvist will start 14th Saturday, a little behind where he rolled off in Nashville. He continues to impress.

Jack Harvey’s eighth place qualifying run, one of his best this season, will be negated by a six place grid penalty.

Alex Palou starts ninth, which as we have seen doesn’t matter. He still starts 11 spots ahead of Josef Newgarden.

I found it odd to see a fast Six without a Ganassi or a Penske car in it. It took me a minute to realize the Fast Six had started.

I will have the official starting lineup and tire selections in the morning. I wll also have a story on the Mayer Shank news announced today. It wasn’t completely what I expected.

Rahal Redemption

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Legend has it that IMS chooses the winner. Most times it picks who doesn’t win. The Rahal Letterman Lanigam team struggled in May to get two cars into the Indianapolis 500.

Today two Rahal cars sit o. The front row for tomorrow ‘s Gallagher Grand Prix.

Graham Rahal won his first pole since 2017 and teammate Christian Lundgaard will start next to him.

Rahal led the morning practice and Round 2 of qualifying. He grabbed the top spot in the Fast Six on the final lap of the session.

I will have more details later this evening.

Results

Note; Jack Harvey, Helio Castro,and Sting Ray Robb will serve six place grid penalties

Gallagher Grand Prix Fast Facts

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My preview will be up tomorrow. In case you missed it, my story from yesterday:

The Storyteller’s Story-IMS Museum Looks Back as it Moves Forward

The Storyteller’s Story- IMS Museum Looks Back As it Moves Forward

From Indycar:

Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 11-Saturday, Aug. 12
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 85 laps / 207.3 miles | INDYNXT by Firestone 35 laps / 85.365 miles / 55 minutes
Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 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: Five sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Two new sets to be used during the one-day event. A carryover set from the Nashville event may be used during the first practice.
X (formerly known as Twitter): @IMS, @IndyCar, #GallagherGP, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @indianapolismotorspeedway, @INDYCAR, #GallagherGP, #INDYCAR
Threads: @indianapolismotorspeedway, @INDYCAR, #GallagherGP, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @indianapolismotorspeedway, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @indianapolismotorspeedwy, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @IMS, @INDYCAREvent website: www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2022 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda)
INDY NXT by Firestone (Race in May 2022)Linus Lundqvist (No. 26 HMD Motorsports)
2022 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Felix Rosenqvist (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet), 1 minute, 10.2265 seconds, 125.030 mph
2022 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Linus Lundqvist (No. 26 HMD Motorsports) 1:16.4266, 114.887 mph.
Qualifying records:NTT INDYCAR SERIES Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying)
INDY NXT by FirestoneLinus Lundqvist, 1:11:5149, 115.780 mph, April 16, 2021
USA Network race telecast: Gallagher Grand Prix, 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 12, USA Network (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for USA’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while the USA Network’s race telecast of the Gallagher Grand Prix will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Brad Gillie and Brett McMillian are the pit reporters. The Gallagher Grand Prix race (2 p.m. ET Saturday), the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix (4:45 p.m. ET Friday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
.At-track schedule (all times local):
FRIDAY, AUG. 11
9-10:30 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (75 minutes), Peacock
11-11:50 a.m.: INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE
12:30 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock
2:20-2:40 p.m.: INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying, INDYCAR LIVE
4-4:30 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice (30 minutes), Peacock
4:55 p.m.: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
5 p.m.: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock
SATURDAY, AUG. 12
2 p.m.: USA Network on air
2:23 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”
2:30 p.m.: Gallagher Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), USA Network (Live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship facts:· Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with four races to go for the second time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led the championship with four races to go in 2021 when he won the title. Palou has led the point standings after nine of the 13 races this season.· There are eight drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Will Power and Christian Lundgaard.
Any driver who trails the points leader by 162 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention.· Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship twice: Simon Pagenaud in 2016 and Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1.· Since 2008 when INDYCAR SERIES racing unified under the NTT INDYCAR SERIES banner, the eventual series champion has won the 14th race of the season four times. The most recent occurrence was in 2021 when Alex Palou won at Portland. Other drivers to win the 14th race of their championship season were Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Dario Franchitti (2009 and 2010) and Scott Dixon (2008)
.Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the largest deficit overcome by the eventual champion was 59 points by Dario Franchitti in 2010. Scott Dixon overcame Juan Pablo Montoya’s 54-point lead in 2015. The top two drivers in the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings are separated by 84 points.
Point differential: The 84 points that separate Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden is the largest point margin with four races to go since 2008. Before this season, the average lead with four races to go since 2008 was 35.7 points.

 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: The Gallagher Grand Prix will be the 15th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Active race winners expected to compete are Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Will Power.

ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS
Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018 (GMR Grand Prix); 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-2); 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Scott Dixon 1 2020 (GMR Grand Prix)
Colton Herta 1 2022 (GMR Grand Prix)
Josef Newgarden 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1)
Alex Palou 1 2023 (GMR Grand Prix)
Alexander Rossi 1 2022 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Rinus VeeKay 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix)
Five NTT P1 Award winners have won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from the pole: Will Power won the 2015, 2017 and 2018 GMR Grand Prix and the second Harvest GP race in 2020 from the pole.  Simon Pagenaud also won the GMR Grand Prix from the pole in 2016
.ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS
Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020 (GMR Grand Prix and Harvest Grand Prix-2)
Felix Rosenqvist 2 2019, 2022 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Christian Lundgaard 1 2023 (GMR Grand Prix)
Pato O’Ward 1 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Romain Grosjean 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix) Rinus VeeKay 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1)

Five drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, and Graham Rahal. All but Pagenaud are entered this weekend.Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Chip Ganassi has two wins – with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1 and Alex Palou in 2023-Race 1.
Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won the GMR Grand Prix with Colton Herta in May, while Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
.Five NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders are entered – Marcus Armstrong, Agustin Canapino, Linus Lundqvist, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb. All but Lundqvist raced in the GMR Grand Prix in May.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 319th consecutive start, which would break a tie with Tony Kanaan for the INDYCAR SERIES record streak … With his next win, Dixon will extend his INDYCAR SERIES record for consecutive seasons with at least one win to 19 … With his next win, WillPower will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
HMD Motorsports’ Christian Rasmussen returns to Indianapolis looking to solidify his grip on the INDY NXT by Firestone championship. The 23-year-old Danish driver earned his third victory in 2023 by winning Aug. 6 on the streets of Nashville. Rasmussen leads rookie teammate Nolan Siegel by 45 points, with Hunter McElrea of Andretti Autosport 59 points behind the leader.Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Indianapolis as INDY NXT by Firestone drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds.Matteo Nannini, Reece Gold, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster became first-time winners earlier this season. Will another talented prospect like Jacob Abel, James Roe, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. score a first INDY NXT win in 2023 in Indianapolis?