Tag: Indianapolis 500

Newgarden Leads Day 2

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The sun escaped its cloud prison and the Indycar series team got in a four hour practice at IMS today. The session saw cars running in groups and practicing passing. Teams ran together to get a feel for the draft..

Just two caution periods for track inspections interrupted today’s practice period.

Josef Newgarden led today’s session with lap at 229.519 mph. Takuma Sato also had a lap over 229 mph, just 0.0157 seconds slower. The next five drivers had speeds in the 228 mph range.

Newgarden has won the last two races and feels good about his chances in the 500. After the test ended, he told the media<

“I can’t deny things feel really good on the 2 car. They’re just progressing. It’s not like two steps forward, two steps back, or vice versa. I feel like it’s going forward every single time, and we’re just getting better.

We’ve been on a good trajectory at the moment. I don’t want to see it flatten too much; I want to see it go the other way. I feel confident with what we’ve got, feel good at showing up anywhere. Being at Team Penske makes that easier. I always feel confident in our group.”

Unlike Wednesday’s string of yellows for incidents, today was issue free. Drivers completed 3,267 laps. Marcus Ericsson completed he most laps, 148.

Marco Andretti climbs into the 98 to start his day.

The top 10 had three Chevys and seven Hondas. All five cars from Chip Ganassi Racing were in the top 10. Tony Kanaan was the fastest from the team at third place with a lap of 228.767.

Tony Kanaan in turn 2

Helio Castroneves did not run today. He is uninjured, but his car was not repaired in time from yesterday’s crash.

Notes

Marco Andretti was the only Andretti Autosport driver in the top 15 in sixth place. Romain Grosjean finished 16th. Alexander Rossi was 23rd and Colton Herta was 28th. Puzzling results for a team that used to be really good at IMS.

Colton Herta gets ready to start the test session

Sato was not driving the car he will drive in the 500 this week. The team did not want to risk damage to their speedway car.

Santino Ferrucci showed some speed . he finished twelfth today but was in the top 10 for a good chunk of the session. I don’t understand why he doesn’t have a full time ride.

Callum Ilott again led the pure rookies. Keep an eye on him next month.

Will Power pointed out at the end of the day that today’s results mean nothing for qualifying. The cars ran without their qualifying boost, and qualifying is one car on track, not several that can give the trailing car a tow.

“You need (extra boost for qualifying), with everyone going on single runs on exactly the same fuel load with no draft, all that. That’s the only way you’ll know,” Power said.

Thanks for following along these two days. It was great to be back at IMS with cars running on the oval.

Today’s time sheet

Mixed Feelings on a Lost Tradition

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Photo: Matt Kryger, Indystar

Balloons will no longer fill the race day sky over IMS after the singing of “(Back Home Again in) Indiana,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced earlier this week that the traditional balloon spectacle is “indefinitely paused.” The spectacle which inspired Wonder Bread is no more.

A speedway spokesperson said the “pause” is a result of environmental and wildlife concerns. Penske Entertainment will have a news conference tomorrow afternoon to announce key sustainability initiatives. The balloon halt is likely na part of that. The balloons haven’t been released on Race Day since 2019. the last two years the launches were cancelled as part of the Speedway’s COVID protocols.

I have mixed feelings about not seeing the balloons. It is one of the things I really look forward to in the pre-race ceremonies. Seeing the balloons means the command to start engines is just seconds away. The balloons were a fitting ending to the song, celebrating the fact that we have alln gathered again for the Memorial Day Classic.

On the other hand, I do recognize the environmental issue that balloons cause. I am glad the track is taking steps to be good corporate citizens. There are other environmental issues associated with the race that can’t be avoided, like vehicles and waste material.

The bigger issue I have is with the erosion of tradition. Over the years, traditions relating toi the 500 have disappeared or changed beyond recognition. Practice for the race used to begin May 1. Now there are four days of practice before qualifying. Qualifying itself has gone through numerous changes in the 105 year history of the event.

Some have suggested alternatives like hot air balloons or tethered balloons that can be popped after the race starts. I like those ideas, but I think it would take a long time for either one to gain acceptance. I don’t care for the speedway’s plan for a second flyover. That seems like an empty gesture with no real feeling of joy like the balloons deliver.

Pre race ceremonies as a whole have undergone a transformation over the last 60 years. There was not an invocation before 1974, when the race was moved to Sunday. The pre race used to be a tight 20 minute affair with just the national anthem, “Indiana”, and Taps. I am nt a fan of the extended pre race that we have now. I find it too long and drawn out.

Over time, everyone’s feeling about the balloons will subside. After Jim Cornelison belts out the last note of the word home, no one will be complaining about the lack of balloons. It will be time to go racing.

Test Day 2- Track Drying, Warm-up Lane Fix?

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Greetings from a cloudy wet Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Track drying is underway at the moment.

Today’s schedule:

10 AM Eastern- 4 PM Eastern Testing for all cars

Streaming available on Peacock.

I ran into Doug Boles on my way to the media center. He said the warmup lane sealant was applied the day after the track sealant last October. Last night IMS worked on the problem area. One thing they did was drag 18- pound tires to help create grip. Before any cars run today, the track, Firestone, and Indycar will discuss the situation and decide if it is safe.

The track is quite wet right now. I anticipate a delay in the start of practice.

9:15 AM

Helio Castroneves will not be on track today. He is fine, but his car will not be ready after yesterday afternoon’s incident.

Thew temperature is supposed to reach the mid to upper 60s this afternoon with a hint of some sun. Sun and wind would really help dry the track right now.

The time sheet from yesterday afternoon:

More than 1,500 laps were run through the three sessions on Wednesday. Look for track activity updates on The Pit Window on Facebook and @tutorindie on Twitter.

Dixon Leads Crash Shortened Afternoon Test

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Scott Dixon led both sessions involving veterans at the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. Dixon ran a lap of 227,187 in the afternoon session, which saw just 30 minutes of green flag time and ended 30 minutes early after two crashes exiting pit lane.

Conor Daly had the second fastest time, 226,985 mph.

Conor Daly

Four time and defending race winner Helio Castroneves spun on the pit exit lane and hit the outside wall in turn 2. Castroneves was unhurt. He could not explain what happened.

“I didn’t feel anything strange, anything bottoming, I wasn’t pushing,” Castroneves said. “And the rear just spun out. I was trying to control it, making sure I didn’t crash, and it was a very odd situation. Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid that. It was very unusual.”

Action resumed, and 21 minutes later, Will Power spun in the pit exit lane in turn 1. Colton Herta went wide to avoid Power, spun and brushed the outside wall, then slid down the track, narrowly missing a collision with Marcus Ericsson, who chose to go low to avoid Herta’s spinning car. Herta’s car came to rest nose first against the inside wall in turn 1.

Will Power talks to media between sessions.

Officials ddeclared the session over to have time to examine the pit lane. Alexander Rossi had spun in the lane as cars left the pits for the morning session.

Indycar, IMS, and Firestone were working together to find out what the issue with the pit lane is. There will be an update in the morning.

In the rookie/refresher session the five rookies passed all three phases of the rookie test. Callum Ilott had the fastest lap, 222,184 mph.

Callum Ilott waits for practice to resume.

Ilott talked about his day and learning ovals.

“It’s a real challenge, especially when it’s quite windy, trying to get the positioning in the field at that speed. And then, you know, when we come on after the rookie orientation, and you’re an adult with 33 cars on track, it’s, yeah, it’s a bit tough to find the space and, you know, you start to learn the technicalities of oval racing, which was something I had to learn quite quickly in Texas. But yeah, it’s awesome. The place is ginormous.”

Practice is scheduled to run from 10 AM Eastern time to 4 PM. All 32 cars are eligible to participate. We will wait for word on the pit lane issue. Work on that part of the track may delay the start, but Indycar will probably allow all six hours of running if possible. Tomorrow’s practice will be streamed on Peacock.

Dixon Fastest in First Veterans’ Session; Rookie Test Underway

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The open- test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway got underway after a 90-minute delay. The session begun under cool and cloudy conditions. As the two hour time period progressed, temperatures warmed a bit and some sun appeared and the wind got stronger.

Scott Dixon had the quickest lap of 225.622 mph. Dixon ran 20 laps, the fewest of the full time Chip Ganassi Racing team. Jimmie Johnson was sixth fastest in 37 laps, Alex Palou ran seventh in 25 laps, and Marcus Ericsson finished the session 20th, running 31 laps. Tony Kanaan, who is running the 500 only, ran just fourteen laps and ended 21st on the speed chart.

Pato O’Ward on a late session run

The rest of the top 5- Scott Mclaughlin, 223.984; Santino Ferrucci, 223,053; Romain Grosjean, 222.727; and Pato O’Ward, 222.660.

sIx Hondas and four Chevys made up the top ten. Three of the Hondas were from Chip Ganassi Racing.

I talked to Tony Kanaan after practice. He said the conditions were “Okay in the morning, then it got windy and cold. I didn’t do that many laps. It5’s not the same as it’s going to be race week, but it’s good to get a couple things out of the way.”

Tony Kanaan talks to media after the test session

He said “It felt 100% good to be back in the car. I think we can benefit from having five very experienced drivers on the team.”

Kanaan on track

Kanaan plans to run the 500 “As long as they keep bringing me back.” He noted that next year will be his 25th 500.

Currently halfway through the rookie /refresher session, David Malukas is the fastest rookie with a lap at 218.250. Times will vary depending on which phase of the test each driver is in at the moment.

Testing Delayed

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Good morning from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track is damp and things are delayed here. Indycar plans to run the full schedule when the track dries. The rain is expected to stop just before noon ET, in about 50 minutes. Running may extend past 6 pm today and possibly run longer tomorrow than the original 4 pm end time.

The Practice groups for today:

Notes-

Santino Ferrucci does not need a refresher test because he raced at Texas.

Romain Grosjean and Jimmie Johnson need to complete the last half of phase 3 of the rookie test. Because they need to run laps above 215 mph, they are allowed to practice with the veterans since they will be running comparable speeds.

Kanaan’s 500 Car Carries Number 1

Tony Kanaan and Chip Ganassi Racing unveiled the car Kanaan will drive in the Indianapolis 500.

The American Legion sponsored machine will carry the number 1. Chip Ganassi Racing has the rights to that number since Alex Palou won the NTT Indycar Series title in 2021. It’s great to have a car number 1 in the race. It would be even greater if the actual champion would use it.

The Search for 33 Continues

Still no word on who the 33rd 500 entry will be, but I understand that work toward that goal is ongoing. I am hoping we hear something during this test.

Several Indianapolis 500 liveries have come out the past few days. I will have a post up later today presenting the new liveries.

Coming in a bit, a story about news which burst onto the scene this morning and has many people up in the air.

Open Test Begins Prep for the 500

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The Schedule:

It isn’t opening day, but the first time Indycar takes to the IMS oval each spring is a day to celebrate.

Testing on the oval begins today as the 32 confirmed entries for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 take to the track. All sessions on both days will be broadcast live on Peacock.

The field includes the 26 car full time grid plus the Dreyer and Reinbold team of Sage Karam and Santino Ferrucci, Ed Carpenter in car 33, Juan Pablo Montoya in car 6 for Arrow McLaren SP, Tony Kanaan in a fifth Chip Ganassi car, and Marco Andretti in car 98 for Andretti Autosport.

Jimmie Johnson and Romain Grosjean are cleared to practice with the veterans, but they still have to complete the final phase of their rookie tests. Weather last fall prevented the drivers from finishing the required number of laps.

Taking refreshers tests will be Karam, Ferrucci, Montoya, Kanaan, and Andretti.

Beginning their rookie tests are Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Devlin De Francesco, Callum Ilott, and David Malukas.

Things to Watch For

In the first three races of the season, Chevrolet seems to be the better engine. Honda has been better at IMS the last two years. I’m not sure if either manufacturer wants to tip its hand before May officially begins, but I will be looking for trap speeds and the no tow sheets.

Among the Chevy teams, many eyes will be on Team Penske. The team that has won the most 500s has struggled the past two Mays. They have won the first three races of the season, and there are big expectations for Penske at IMS. Many have already installed Josef Newgarden as the favorite for the 500, but I’m not sure about that yet.

Rookies in Traffic

I like that the rookies get their own session in the middle of the day. They used to have to take their test within the regular practice periods.

When they are allowed to practice with the veterans, how will they handle the traffic? The pure rookies have very little oval experience. Did they learn enough at Texas to help them at IMS?

Weather

Wednesday looks to start off cool and may cause a delay in the start, but Thursday looks like a great day with warm temperatures in the afternoon.

Then track is open to spectators on the turn 2 viewing mounds near the museum. No grandstands are open.

I will be on site most of the day and I will have updates throughout the day.

AMSP 500 Liveries- 1Hit, 2 Misses

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Arrow McLaren SP revealed their liveries for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 today. They have added an olive color to their full time cars for Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. The car for Juan Pablo Montoya, which has a white base, is in my opinion the only one this new color works well with.

I think the orange and blue combination is great. I really don’t care for the olive patch on the 5 and the 7.

The official release from AMSP:

UNDEFEATED founder James Bond joins Arrow McLaren SP to collaborate on designs for the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29th

April 19, 2022

For the second consecutive year, Arrow McLaren SP and Vuse will partner with global sportswear brand UNDEFEATED, to collaborate on design and inspiration across the team for this year’s 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The unique partnership will see UNDEFEATED design all three Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolets, driver fire suits and the team garage for this year’s ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.

Arrow McLaren SP, Vuse and UNDEFEATED will look to elevate the partnership after last year’s first of its kind collaboration between a streetwear and lifestyle brand and an IndyCar team. This year James Bond, founder of UNDEFEATED, will lead the design of not one, but three racecars that will compete in this year’s Indianapolis 500.

Bond and his team took a new approach for this year’s livery designs, deviating from last year’s tiger camo by bringing an asymmetrical design across all three cars. The color schemes include UNDEFEATED’s signature olive green, along with the colors that Arrow McLaren SP has come to be known for: fluro papaya, blue and black. Each livery has a slightly different design with a similar color palette, forming a unified look across the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Pato O’Ward, the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Juan Pablo Montoya, and the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Felix Rosenqvist.

All three cars and drivers will take to track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tomorrow, as the team participates in the Indianapolis 500 Open Test on April 20 and 21. Follow along with the test live on Peacock and across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube at @ArrowMcLarenSP.

James Bond, Founder, UNDEFEATED said:

“Continuing our partnership with Arrow McLaren SP, and partner Vuse, for the second year to bring streetwear designs to racing canvases at the Indianapolis 500 is a huge opportunity for the brand and industry. I’m excited about the expanded design collaboration and to bring to life UNDEFEATED’s vision across the Arrow McLaren SP team, unifying our brands on and off the racetrack during the month of May.”

Taylor Kiel, President, Arrow McLaren SP, said:  

“With the success of last year’s design, the team was ecstatic to welcome back this partnership between Arrow McLaren SP, Vuse and UNDEFEATED to elevate our position on and off the track. Collaborating with a brand like UNDEFEATED through innovation and art during IndyCar’s biggest moment of the year helps to bring the sport forward, drive creative innovation, and foster additional interest in the sport.”

Pato O’Ward, Driver, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, said: 

“How cool is it to have special liveries across all three cars? I think once the fans see all three Arrow McLaren SP liveries on track, they will see how unique the collaboration with UNDEFEATED is. The Indianapolis 500 is the most special moment of the year for the entire team and these custom liveries just take it up a notch.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, Driver, No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, said:

“I can’t wait to get back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Arrow McLaren SP, this time with an UNDEFEATED design on the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. This partnership is close to home for me because my cousin was part of the design process with James [Bond]. To be able to drive a car that I know was designed by family, that’s special.”

Felix Rosenqvist, Driver, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet said:

“I am really excited for UNDEFEATED to return to the team this year for the Indianapolis 500 after last year’s successful partnership with Vuse on the No. 7 car. I loved how unique my car was last year and I think it will be even better this year to have three UNDEFEATED-designed cars on the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I have enjoyed getting to know James [Bond] and the team at UNDEFEATED and look forward to working closer with them.”

Entrant 33 Coming Soon: Let’s Stop There

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I’m hearing reports from several sources that the elusive 33rd entry for 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be announced soon, maybe later today. I will update this post should the announcement come later today. The entrant will not participate in the open test at IMS next week. It will be through Juncos Hollinger Racing, perhaps in an indirect way. I understand that Paretta Racing will be the entrant with Simona De Silvestro driving again.

I had no doubt that there would be 33 entries. Some traditions need to remain and the look of the 11 rows of three charging to the green flag is one that has to stay. The whole world is watching, and a row with a missing car would not be a good look.

There is some talk of a 34th entry as well. As much as I would like to see a large number of entries, 34 doesn’t excite me. Under the current qualifying format, Saturday’s qualifiers 31, 32, and 33 and any cars that didn’t make the top 33 need to requalify on Sunday. The fastest three of this group on Sunday make the race. Having four cars going for three spots is silly.

I think the Speedway would like an extra entry so they can l\have a more or less legitimate last chance session. If you have read this column for a while, you know my feelings on this segment of Sunday’s program. I do not think it fair for the last row to have to qualify again. This would especially be true if there are just 33 cars. Is starting 31st really better than starting 33rd?

I hope IMS and Indycar can show some flexibility if there are no more than 33 cars. Move the Fast Nine up to the first part of the day then open the track for practice in race trim.

There have been years in the past when no qualifier was bumped. 2022 should be one of those years. If a 34th entry shows up, just let it in the race. To make Sunday dramatic, the entry list needs to be at least 35 cars.

Qualifying on Saturday is exciting as drivers use the multiple attempts tor try to move into the first three rows or try to be one the fastest 33. There has been some great drama on Sunday with a lkarger entry list. In 2019 Kyle Kaiser bumped two time world champion Fernando Alonso on the day’s final attempt. Kaiser suffered a huge crash earlier in the week. The underfunded Juncos team rebuilt the car with a round the clock effort.

Last year the tension revolved around 2018 500 winner Will Power’s struggles to make the field, and veteran Charlie Kimball’s failure to qualify.

One extra car is simply not enough to make a show. I hope the entry list will be complete when the 33rd car is official. If another entry happens to materialize, just let them in. There have been several years when more than 33 cars started the race. We need at least 33 starters. One more won’t hurt.