Josef Newgarden turned the fastest lap in a disjointed opening practice for the Grand Prix of Portland this afternoon. After about 24 minutes of the session, the red flag came out for an unusual reason.
A video board on the front stretch opposite the pits began to lower itself. Hydraulic fluid was leaking from the arm, and the board could have potentially fallen ontop the racing surface.
Practice resumed one hour and 21 minutes later. The final 51 minutes were interrupted three times. Takuma Sato went off in turn 11 and the front of his car made contact with the tire barrier. Helio Castroneves had an off road excursion, then later spun and stalled. Pato O’Ward backed into the tire barrier. His car would not restart.
O’Ward’s car returning to the paddock after practice.
In addition to the red flags, Romain Grosjean’s day ended early with transmission issues.
The top three today- Nerwgarden, David Malukas, and Scott McLaughlin.
Three of the top five in points finished in a group. Alex Palou was ninth, Will Power 10th, ancd Scott Dixon 11th.
9:05 AM – 9:35 AM USF2000 Qualifying 9:55 AM – 10:25 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 11:20 AM – 12:05 PM USF2000 Race 1 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session 12:20 PM – 1:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM Indy Lights Practice 1 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 Peacock 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM USF2000 Race 2 5:00 PM – 5:50 PM Indy Pro 200 Race 2 6:05 PM – 7:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Practice
Good morning from the Pacific Northwest. We are about 20 minutes away from the first track action of the day. Whiule the Grand prix of Portland isn’t considered Champiuonship Weekend, what happens here could go a long way toward determining the NTT Indycar Series 2022 champion.
It will come down to qualifying and who gets through turn 1 on lap 1 cleanly. Since Indycar returnbed to Portland in 2018, there has yet to be a clean start. Strangely, while two first turn disasters have involved championship contenders, they came back to get a result which propelled them to the title.
Scott Dixon in 2018 ended up in the dirt but kept going to finish fifth. Last year Alex Palou was involved in a pileup, restarted 20th, yet came back to win.
Chip Ganassi Racing decided not to test here last week, while Team Penske did. Ganassi felt their speed from 2021 gave them all the ibformation they need for Portland. We will see who made the correct decision.
Spoilers
Two teams could play thge spoiler role and keep the champion even more in doubt going to lagfuna Seca next week. Andretti Autosport I believe has one more win to come this season. Colton Herts is always fast on the west coast, and Alexander Rosi ahs had a strong second half of 2022.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan has improved tremendously in the second half as well. Graham Rahal and Christiuan Lundgaard have been in the top 10 consistently since August.
If either of these teams produces Sunday’s winner, and the four top title rivals have really bad days, it is possible here could more than five drivers with a realistic chance to win the title in the final race on September 11.
I pick Christian Lundgaard to win his first Indycar race Sunday, and either Josef Newgarden or Scott Dixon will hold a tenuous lead heading to Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca. Sound crazy? I think this scenario is perfectly in line with the wild season Indycar has had.
From Indycar: Race weekend: Friday, Sept. 2 – Sunday, Sept. 4 Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon Race distance: 110 laps / 216.04 miles | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes )Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation .Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires in the race. (Note: A seventh set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.) Twitter: @Portland_GP, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCAR Event website: www.portlandgp.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2021 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIESAlex Palou (No. 10 PNC Bank Honda) Indy Lights Presented by Cooper TiresRace 1: David Malukas (No. 79 HMD Motorsports)Race 2: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Andretti Autosport) 2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Alex Palou (No. 10 PNC Bank Honda), 58.7701, 120.306 mph Qualifying records:NTT INDYCAR SERIESWill Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying) Indy Lights Presented by Cooper TiresPato O’Ward, 1:02.8074, 112.573 mph, Aug. 31, 2018 NBC Sports race telecast: Grand Prix of Portland 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 4, NBC (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 Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecast of the Grand Prix of Portland will be simulcast on the streaming service. Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. The Indy Lights Portland Grand Prix (1 p.m. ET Sunday) will be streamed on Peacock Premium with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR Live! INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman, Michael Young and Ryan Myrehn are the turn announcers. Dan Rusanowski and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters. The Grand Prix of Portland race (3 p.m. ET Sunday), Indy Lights Portland Grand Prix (1 p.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires 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, Sept. 2 1:25-2:15 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice 1, INDYCAR Live! 2:30-3:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium Saturday, Sept. 3 9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes limited guarantee), Peacock Premium 11:15-11:55 a.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice 2, INDYCAR Live! 12:05 p.m. – Grand Prix of Portland NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium 3:25 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Qualifying, INDYCAR Live! 4:15-4:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium Sunday, Sept. 4 10:15 a.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers Start Your Engines” 10:20 a.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes) Noon – NBC on air 12:23 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”12:30 p.m. – Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), NBC (Live) Championship facts: Will Power leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with two races to go for the fourth time in his career. Power previously led the championship with two races in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2014.There are seven drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Power leads Josef Newgarden by 3 points with Scott Dixon (-14), Marcus Ericsson (-17), Alex Palou (-43), Scott McLaughlin (-54) and Pato O’Ward (-58) behind. Any driver who trails the points leader by 54 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention.Power assumed the point lead following the Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30. The lead has changed hands seven times between McLaughlin, Newgarden, Palou, Power and Ericsson. Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 11 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004 and 2007) and Alex Palou (2021). Point differential: The three points that separate Will Power and Josef Newgarden is the closest margin with two races remaining since 2008. The 43 points separating the top five drivers in the championship is the tightest title chase since 2003, when 41 points separated the top five. The average deficit with two races to go since 2008 is 24.3 points. Key championship point statistic: No point lead is ever safe in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Since 2008, a driver has made up a deficit with two races to go and won the series championship five times. Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon have done it twice. Franchitti trailed Ryan Briscoe by 25 points in 2009 and Will Power by 17 points in 2010; Ryan Hunter-Reay tracked down Power in 2012 after trailing by 36 points with two races remaining, Dixon overcame an eight-point deficit to Helio Castroneves in 2013 and was in third place, 34 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya, in 2015. CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 2 TO GO (2008-2022) YEAR LEADER SECOND LEAD CHAMPION 2008 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 43 Scott Dixon 2009 Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti 25 Dario Franchitti 2010 Will Power Dario Franchitti 17 Dario Franchitti 2011 Dario Franchitti Will Power 5 Dario Franchitti 2012 Will Power Ryan Hunter-Reay 36 Ryan Hunter-Reay 2013 Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon 8 Scott Dixon 2014 Will Power Helio Castroneves 39 Will Power 2015 Juan Pablo Montoya Graham Rahal 9 Scott Dixon (-34) 2016 Simon Pagenaud Will Power 20 Simon Pagenaud 2017 Josef Newgarden Scott Dixon 31 Josef Newgarden 2018 Scott Dixon Alexander Rossi 26 Scott Dixon 2019 Josef Newgarden Simon Pagenaud 38 Josef Newgarden 2020 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 40 Scott Dixon 2021 Alex Palou Pato O’Ward 25 Alex Palou 2022 Will Power Josef Newgarden 3 ? Race notes: There have been eight different winners in 15 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2022 season. Scott McLaughlin (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Streets of Long Beach, Road America, Iowa Speedway-1, World Wide Technology Raceway), Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-2), Colton Herta (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Marcus Ericsson (Indianapolis 500), Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle Park), Scott Dixon (Streets of Toronto and Streets of Nashville) and Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-2) have all won in 2022. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.The Grand Prix of Portland will be the 28th INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the fourth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Alex Palou won in 2021. Palou, Will Power and Takuma Sato are the only former winners entered in this year’s race. Seven INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at Portland International Raceway from the pole – Danny Sullivan (1988), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004) and Alex Palou (2021).Team Penske has won six times at Portland International Raceway. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994 and 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000) and Will Power (2019). Chip Ganassi Racing has three wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021. Newman/Haas Racing won a record eight times at Portland. Twenty-one drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Will Power each have five starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Castroneves 115, Power 66, Colton Herta 36, Graham Rahal 36, Alexander Rossi 32, Alex Palou 29, Pato O’Ward 28, Takuma Sato 25, Dixon 15, Josef Newgarden 8, Jack Harvey 5, Scott McLaughlin 5, Felix Rosenqvist 3 and Marcus Ericsson 1). Pato O’Ward won both Indy Lights races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the series championship…Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now Indy Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 305th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history … With his next pole position, Will Power will break a tie with Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for most career poles. They both have 67 pole positions … With his next win, Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time victory list with 42. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes: The Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland will be the series’ 21st race at Portland International Raceway. Previous Indy Lights winners at Portland include Paul Tracy, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Pato O’Ward and Rinus VeeKay. Current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood split the Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland doubleheader in 2021.Linus Lundqvist of HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing is enjoying a dominant season, leading the series in wins (five), poles (six) and top-five finishes (11) through 11 races. Lundqvist, a native of Sweden, owns a commanding 108-point lead over second-place Matthew Brabham of Andretti Autosport. Lundqvist can clinch the season championship by leading by at least 109 points after this event.Danial Frost, Christian Rasmussen and Hunter McElrea have all scored their first Indy Lights win in 2022. Just three races are remaining for other talented prospects such as Sting Ray Robb, Benjamin Pedersen, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. to score a first series win. Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Portland as Indy Lights 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.
9:05 AM – 9:35 AM USF2000 Qualifying 9:55 AM – 10:25 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 11:20 AM – 12:05 PM USF2000 Race 1 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session 12:20 PM – 1:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM Indy Lights Practice 1 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 Peacock 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM USF2000 Race 2 5:00 PM – 5:50 PM Indy Pro 200 Race 2 6:05 PM – 7:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Practice
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 Peacock 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM USF200O Race 3 11:15 AM – 11:55 AM Indy Lights Practice 2 12:05 PM – 1:20 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying Peacock 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM Indy Lights Autograph Session 1:35 PM – 2:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Qualifying 2:20 PM – 3:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 3 3:25 PM – 3:45 PM Indy Lights Qualifying 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice Peacock 5:30 PM ARCA Menards Series Race (57 laps)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
10:20 AM – 11:15 AM Indy Lights Race Peacock 11:40 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions 12:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps) NBC; Peacock *Schedule subject to change without notice. All times PT
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.
The podium. Photo from my friend Brad Proctor
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.
Points as They Finished
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.
Alex Palou looks to take another step toward the mountaintop today. Indycar photo by Chris Owens
Good morning and welcome to race day at the Grand prix of Portland. Alex Palou has a golden opportunity to retake the points lead and possibly whittle down the number of realistically eligible challengers by a couple.
Today’s Schedule: All times Pacific. Race coverage begins on NBC at pm Eastern.
A few thoughts:
His teammate Scott Dixon lead the final warmup session yesterday evening, and could be a factor in the race. It’s hard to believe, but Dixon is third on the team as far as wins this season.
I would not count out Graham Rahal for the win. He definitely should end up on the podium.
If these last three races are indeed an audition for Oliver Askew in the RLL car 45, he is off to a fine start with a ninth place grid spot.
Callum Ilott acquitted himself well by qualifying 19th. He has two more races with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Lets look at his overall performance after Long Beach, but yesterday was a decent start.
While many are rightly concerned about turn 1 at the start, which has been a challenge in 2018 and 2019, later in the race the final corners are a place to watch. Yesterday saw numerous spins and barrier contacts there.
David Malukas won the first Indy Lights race and is on pole for today’s race. Malukas leads Kyle Kirkwood by 10 points.
They might have said this all season, but yesterday the NBC announcers kept using the term “championship points.” I find the term annoying. Are there other types of points drivers earn?
9/11
Yesterday the paddock held a moment of silence at 10:28 Eastern time. The entire paddock lined the pits and front straight.
All cars and AMR Safety Team vehicles bore a special sticker
Indycar photo by Matt Fraver
The stickers on the safety vehicles are especially poignant as some members of the team were at the Twin Towers that day.
Enjoy the race. I will be back later today with some quick thoughts and have a larger wrap up tomorrow.
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.
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.
Start of the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Indycar
The end of the Indycar season seems to come faster every year. This season has flown by, and it has been one of the best years I can remember. The close title fight, great racing, and a variety of winners have combined for a great 2021. While Indycar doesn’t have a playoff (thank goodness), the final three races will come as close to a playoff as any three final rounds have been. These races were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, so 20201 is also Indycar’s return to the west coast.
Portland is a two day event for Indycar, with the first practice Saturday at noon Eastern time on Peacock. Today is Indy Lights practice and qualifying for race one.
Indycar raced at Portland from 1984 through 2007 and was a casualty of unification. The race returned in 2018. While everyone will be watching the title contenders and eagerly awaiting NBC’s Points as They Run graphic every six laps, there are other storylines as well. Let’s start with the five contenders.
There seems to be a rivalry building between Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward. O’Ward has twice passed Newgarden late for his two wins this year. Newgarden held off O’Ward and Gateway to win. This pair have two of the three fastest cars in the field right now. I look for them to be the two fighting for the Astor Cup at Long Beach. along with Alex Palou.
Alex Palou has been nothing short of brilliant this year. I really like his race craft. He has lead the standings for most of the season by not overreaching what the car has on a given day. His last two finishes of 20th and 27th were out of his control. Before dropping out, he was in a position to maintain his lead.
Scott Dixon has been near the top but has been not talked about much this season. He has three finishes below 15th, which is atypical for him. Dixon has a lot of ground to make up. Except for his win in the first race at Texas, Dixon has been mostly a top five car, but not one to be contending for a win every weekend.
Marcus Ericsson has surged to within 60 points of O’Ward with an average finish of 5.4 over the last four races- the best of the five contenders. Ericsson has been one of the many pleasant surprises this season with two wins and a second.
The Spoilers
There are other drivers who can affect the points, mainly Colton Herta. In 2019 Herta won the pole at Portland and Weather Tech Raceway. Tire strategy cost him the win at Portland, but he came back to dominate the race in Monterey. Herta has one of the three fastest cars, and has a chance to win both of the next two races. Herta’s front row starts have not yielded great results this season, however. He won from the pole in St. Pete, but his other front row starts show mied results:
Gateway- Started second finished 18th
Indianapolis 500- Started second finished 16th
Detroit Race 2- Started second finished 4th
Road America- Started second finished second
Nashville- Started first finished 19th
Mid Ohio- Started second finished 13th
There is also a group of drivers looking for their first win of 2021. Alexander Rossi, Romain Grosjean, Jack Harvey, and Graham Rahal are all capable of taking maximum points away from the leaders.
First Turn Follies
To succeed at Portland a driver must get cleanly through turn 1 at the start of the race. In 2018 and 2019, turn 1 has seen multiple cars taken out of the race. In 2018 Marco Andretti flipped at the start. Scott Dixon somehow kept his car going and came back to finish fifth on the way to his fifth title. The key is top qualify up front and avoid the chaos behind.
The first turn pileup in 2018 nearly ended Scott Dixon’s title hopes. Phot by Chris Owens, Indycar
Notes
No driver has won more than two races this season. Usually someone has at least three wins by now and is in a good position to win the championship.
Scott Dixon is still looking for his 52nd win to tie Mario Andretti for second on the all time career victory list.
It is hard to believe Will Power has just one pole this season. He won the Portland race in 2019.
Oliver Askew will drive the 45 car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the final three races. I hope this gives Askew a second chance to be in the series full time next year.
With 27 cars expected to enter each of the three races, traffic for leaders could present a challenge, especially at Long Beach.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 