Portland GP Entry List
Tag: Grand Prix of Portland
Grand Prix of Portland Fast Facts
From Indycar:
Race weekend: Saturday, Sept. 11 – Sunday, Sept. 12
Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon
Race distance: 110 laps / 216.04 miles
Media Links: Entry List (PDF) | Driver Video Quotes
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 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
2019 race winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
2019 pole winner: Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine Honda), 57.8111 seconds, 122.302 mph
Qualifying record: Will Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying)
NBC television broadcast: Race, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.
Peacock Premium Live Streaming: Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Nick Yeoman will be the lead announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn and Alex Wolff will report from the pits. The Grand Prix of Portland will air live on network affiliates, Sirius XM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Saturday, Sept. 11
9 – 10:15 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium (live)
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live)
3:15 – 3:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium (live)
Sunday, Sept. 12
12:05 p.m. – Driver introductions
12:35 p.m. – Command to start engines
12:42 p.m. – Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), NBC (live)
Championship facts:
- Pato O’Ward leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with three races to go for the first time in his career. O’Ward also led the points after his win in the second race of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit in June.
- Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 10 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).
Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the driver who has led the championship with three races to go has won the championship eight times – Scott Dixon in 2008, 2018 and 2020, Dario Franchitti in 2011, Will Power in 2014, Simon Pagenaud in 2016 and Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2019.
Point differential: The 10 points that separate Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou is the fourth-closest point margin since 2008. Prior to this season, the average lead with three races to go since 2008 was 31.7 points.
Championship-eligible drivers results at Portland International Raceway:
- There are 11 drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud, Graham Rahal, Will Power, Takuma Sato and Rinus VeeKay. Any driver who trails the points leader by 108 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention.
CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THREE TO GO (2008-2021)
| YEAR | LEADER | SECOND | LEAD | CHAMPION |
| 2008 | Scott Dixon | Helio Castroneves | 78 | Scott Dixon |
| 2009 | Ryan Briscoe | Dario Franchitti | 4 | Dario Franchitti |
| 2010 | Will Power | Dario Franchitti | 23 | Dario Franchitti |
| 2011 | Dario Franchitti | Will Power | 26 | Dario Franchitti |
| 2012 | Will Power | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 5 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
| 2013 | Helio Castroneves | Scott Dixon | 49 | Scott Dixon |
| 2014 | Will Power | Helio Castroneves | 4 | Will Power |
| 2015 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Graham Rahal | 42 | Scott Dixon (-48) |
| 2016 | Simon Pagenaud | Will Power | 27 | Simon Pagenaud |
| 2017 | Josef Newgarden | Scott Dixon | 18 | Josef Newgarden |
| 2018 | Scott Dixon | Alexander Rossi | 29 | Scott Dixon |
| 2019 | Josef Newgarden | Alexander Rossi | 35 | Josef Newgarden |
| 2020 | Scott Dixon | Josef Newgarden | 72 | Scott Dixon |
| 2021 | Pato O’Ward | Alex Palou | 10 | ? |
Race notes:
- There have been nine different winners in 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Alex Palou (Barber Motorsports Park, Road America), Colton Herta (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway-1), Pato O’Ward (Texas Motor Speedway-2, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Rinus VeeKay (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500), Marcus Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1 and Streets of Nashville), Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and World Wide Technology Raceway) and Will Power (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-2) have all won in 2021. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
- There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves, Alex Palou, Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden and Will Power) The only repeat winners in that stretch are O’Ward (Texas-2, and Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1 and Streets of Nashville) and Newgarden (Mid-Ohio and WWT Raceway).
- The Grand Prix of Portland will be the 27th INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, but the third since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Will Power won the most recent race in 2019. Power, Takuma Sato and Sebastien Bourdais, who won in 2004 and 2007, are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.
- Six 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) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004).
- 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 two wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998. Newman/Haas Racing won a record eight times at Portland.
- Seventeen drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Sebastien Bourdais has seven starts, most among the entered drivers. Ten entered drivers have led laps at the track (Bourdais 149, Will Power 66, Colton Herta 36, Alexander Rossi 32, Takuma Sato 25, Ryan Hunter-Reay 19, Scott Dixon 11, Max Chilton 10, Josef Newgarden 8 and Felix Rosenqvist 3).
- 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. James Hinchcliffe claimed his first Atlantics Championship win in Portland in 2006.
- Four rookies – Romain Grosjean, Callum Ilott, Jimmie Johnson and Scott McLaughlin – are expected to compete. Ilott will be making his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut. The four rookies, along with veteran drivers Oliver Askew, Marcus Ericsson, Dalton Kellett, Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay, will all be making their first INDYCAR SERIES at Portland International Raceway.
INDYCAR To Commemorate 9/11 Through Charitable Activations, Special Race Weekend Ceremonies
9/1/2021
The next Indycar race at Portland falls on the weekend of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Indycar and Portland international raceway have special activities on Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the event. The hat pin mentioned in the news release is $10. The press release from Indycar:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021) – INDYCAR will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on America through a variety of special activities leading into Saturday, Sept. 11.A commemorative charitable pin, a blood donation call-out in partnership with the American Red Cross and a moment of silence Sept. 11 during the Grand Prix of Portland NTT INDYCAR SERIES race weekend are planned as memorials honoring the victims of the attacks and commemorating the heroes of the response and recovery effort. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost and thousands more were injured Sept. 11, 2001, in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “9/11 was a tragic day, and the heartbreak and sorrow of our grieving nation still feels raw two decades later,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “The entire INDYCAR family of drivers, teams, officials, partners and fans is committed to honoring the memory of those we lost and recognizing the heroes who contributed to the response effort and who have protected our freedom since Sept. 11, 2001. We also encourage everyone to join us in marking this solemn anniversary by supporting the vital mission of the American Red Cross, which played such a crucial role in the aftermath of the attacks and continues to faithfully serve all of our communities today.” The commemorative pin, available for pre-order now at shop.indycar.com, features a logo including the date 9.11.2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the outline of the Pentagon and the motto “Together We Stand.” Net proceeds of pin sales will benefit the American Red Cross, and the pin also will be worn by members of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock during the Grand Prix of Portland race weekend. The logo also will be on display on all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights race entries across the weekend. Fans are encouraged to donate blood through the American Red Cross as part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for blood donations across America. INDYCAR and the Red Cross will issue several callouts to fans ahead of this year’s solemn anniversary. Visit redcross.org/give-blood.html to find out how to give blood in your area and to learn about more opportunities to support vital Hurricane Ida relief efforts. Alongside Portland International Raceway, INDYCAR also will hold a venue-wide moment of silence at 7:28 a.m. (PT) – the time the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed Sept. 11, 2001 – on Saturday morning, Sept. 11 to honor the memory of those lost during the attacks. In addition, INDYCAR and PIR will include a tribute during pre-race ceremonies Sunday, Sept. 12.Visit this site for more information about INDYCAR memorial activities surrounding the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. |
Portland Weekend Schedule
The schedule for the Portland Grand Prix came out a couple days ago. It will be another two day show for Indycar with one 75 minute practice before qualifying and a 30 minute practice after qualifying. Friday is dedicated to Indy Lights and ARCA Menard’s Series West.
I hope the series goes back to three day programs next year. Although Iu am not going to Portland this year, if I travel that far, I’d prefer to see Indycars on track all three days of the event.
Portland International Raceway recently issued a masking requirement for fans which applies both indoors and outdoors.
Times listed are Pacific Time and is scheduled for broadcast on NBC.
Next week I will discuss what we know about the 2022 schedule.
Grand Prix of Portland- Quick Thoughts
Will Power has returned. After finally winning a race this year at Pocono, he has now won two out of the last three races. Two wins and htree poles is still a somewhat substandard year for Power, but he has come alive in the last part of the season. One of the things that didn’t feel right about this season was Power not being a threat to win every week.
A great run for Spencer Pigot in sixth. Pigot is another driver who has begun to show better the last third of the year.
Matheus Leist earned A. J. Foyt Racing another top ten. This is the team’s fourth top ten since Iowa.
While Alexander Rossi gained on Josef Newgarden, Newgarden still increased his lead. Rossi is back in second place, 41 points behind. Simon Pagenaud is just one point behind Rossi.
Scott Dixon is likely done as far as the championship is concerned. Has to be a frustrating day for him.
The first lap yellow seemed to take a long time to clean up. It looked like the wreckers had hard time hooking the cars up to the trucks.
I’m not sure what Ryan Hunter-Reay was thinking on the restart.
I feel awful for Conor Daly not getting a chance to show what he could do for Arrow Schmidt Peterson. This is the second race in which both ASPM cars were taken out on the first lap.
Felix Rosenqvist has two second place finishes in the last five races. Here is another driver finally emerging late in the year.
Here are two photos I took of the start and the chaos that followed. if you look from Veach and behind him, you can see how it developed.
Look for a full race report tomorrow on Wildfire Sports. I’ll be back next week with comments on the 2020 schedule and the changes at A. J. Foyt Racing. Thanks for following along this weekend.
Race Day at Portland
Good morning from the Great Northwest as the NTT Indycar Series is about six hours away from the start of Round 16. It has been a tough week in the motorsports community. It always helps to get back to racing. Today will also be a busy news day.
The 2020 NTT Indycar Series schedule will be announced during the pre race show which begins at 3:00 pm Eastern on NBC. The green flag will fly at 3:40 Eastern time. I don’t expect more than one change to next year’s races. I will have my thoughts on the schedule in a couple of days.
Today is about the Grand Prix of Portland. Yesterday’s scrambled qualifying should make for an interesting race. The outcome, and a possible effect on the championship, could be determined by who and who doesn’t get through the first set of turns. After that, pit strategy and yellow flags will play a big part in the final result.
After Practice 3 yesterday the drivers lined up for a moment of silence for F2 driver Antoine Hubert, who died in an accident at Spa yesterday. It was a touching moment and a reminder of how the racing community is not just each separate series in isolation. Photo from Indycar
Quick Thoughts- Grand Prix of Portland Qualifying
Photo: Kyle McInnes
Was that qualifying or boxing match? What a tremendous battle between Colton Herta and Will Power. They traded the lead back and forth for three rounds before Herta emerged on the pole. Power’s miscue in turn one on his next to last lap may have cost him the pole. Herta was quick all weekend, though, and the result isn’t a surprise.
This session was the best road/street course qualifying of the year. There was drama throughout.
Scott Dixon is the only one of the top four in points to get in the Fast Six. Leader Josef Newgarden starts 13th, a dangerous place to be going into turn 1 at the start here. Simon Pagenaud starts 18 and Alexander Rossi 7th. Watching the championship contenders’ progress in the race will be an interesting task tomorrow.
Jack Harvey has done a great job all year. In eight races to date, he has finished in the top ten in four of them. Today is the fifth time Harvey has advanced to at least the second round of qualifying. Today is his second Fast Six. I can’t wait to see what he does as a full time driver next year.
Conor Daly did it again. He jumps into a car for a different team and puts it into Round 2. Daly will start 9th, his best starting spot of the season. This is his second time in Round 2. He also has two top ten finishes. Daly deserves a full time ride in 2020. I don’t know what else he can do to prove himself.
Great job the Arrow Schmidt Peterson team to get both cars into Round 2.
Five teams in the Fast Six always makes the final round fun.
Felix Rosenqvist missed turn1 in two consecutive rounds but still made the Fast Six.
Power said after qualifying that there is not as much difference between the red and black tires this year as there was last year at Portland. He still thinks cars will be able to pass during the race.
Herta gambled by waiting to run one final lap on reds. He was nearly as fast on blacks.
Chalk up another one for the 2019 rookies. The scoreboard- 3 poles, 1 win.
Back tomorrow morning with a race preview. It looks like we will have a fun race tomorrow.
Herta Fastest in Practice 3; Qualifying Groups Set
Photo: Kyle McInnes
First, news I hate reporting about. Sad news from Spa. F2 driver Antoine Hubert suffered fatal injuries in a horrific crash at the start of the race this morning.
Colton Herta led his second session of the weekend in final practice this morning for the Grand Prix of Portland. Herta was the only drive to turn a lap in less than 57 seconds and turned the weekend’s fastest lap yesterday morning. His time of 57.9939 seconds beat the second quickest time of series points leader Josef Newgarden by 0.1083 seconds. Will Power was third, followed by Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi.
Red flags flew twice. Matheus Leist spun in turn 2 and stalled as he attempted to restart the car. Late in the session Santino Ferrucci’s car stopped just after exiting the pits. Practice resumed after the car was towed back to his pit. It was an adventurous session for Ferrucci. Rossi was coming out of the pits as Ferrucci entered turn 1. The cars nearly touched and Ferrucci needed to go through the chicane. He was not happy with Rossi.
Hondas again dominated practice. The Team Penske cars of Newgarden and Power were the only Chevys in the top ten.
Qualifying Groups
Group 1` Group 2
Newgarden Herta
Dixon Power
Hunter-Reay Rossi
Rahal Harvey
Bourdais Rosenqvist
Sato Chilton
Hinchcliffe Ferrucci
Veach Andretti
Daly Pagenaud
Leist Pigot
Kanaan Kimball
Jones
Notes
Katherine Legge will drive the 2 seater at the start of tomorrow’s race. She says she is working on a ride for next year’s Indianapolis 500.
The 2020 schedule will be released near the beginning of the pre-race show on NBC tomorrow.
Another nice crowd on hand at Portland International Raceway today.
From earlier today:
https://thepitwindow.blog/2019/08/31/qualifying-day-at-portland/
Qualifying Day at Portland
Good morning from Portland International Raceway for Day two of the Grand Prix of Portland. Today’s NTT Indycar Series schedule: All times Eastern
Practice 3– 2:00 pm-2:45 NBC Gold
Qualifying- 6:00 pm- 7:15 NBC Sports
In addition to the Indycar action, all three steps on the Road to Indy run their first of two races today. Rinus VeeKay has the pole for the Indy Lights race at 4:50 pm Eastern.
Sebastien Bourdais’s practice yesterday afternoon was similar to last year’s Saturday practice here. In bot sessions he set the fastest lap then ran off course in turn 11. The difference is this year the nose of his car barely nudged the tires. Last year’s damage had Bourdais qualifying and racing a car made up of a mixture of parts.
I will try to find out about the 2020 schedule today and see if I confirm some other things I’m hearing. I’ll be back after practice 3.
Here are a couple of photos from Kyle McInnes. One is of Bourdais, the other is Simon Pagenaud preparing for next week’s BC39 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 