Indianapolis 500 – Page 52 – The Pit Window by Mike Silver

Jimmie Johnson Goes Full Time

December 15, 2021 thepitwindow

The announcement this morning that Jimmie Johnson would enter the Indianapolis 500 was not a surprise, but the fact that he will run the four other oval race was. The seven time NASCAR champion announced that he will run the entire NTT Indycar Series season in 2022. The Chip Ganassi Racing entry will bear Carvana as his primary sponsor for 16 of the 17 races. The American Legion will be on the number 48 car for one of the two Iowa races. Carvana was Johnson’s amin sponsor in 2021.

The announcement came on NBC’s Today Show. Johnson followed with this Tweet:

In 2021 Johnson only ran the road and street courses in the series. He showed steady improvement throughout the year. His best qualifying spot was 22nd, where he started in three races. Johnson had a best finish of 17th in each of the final two races at Laguna Seca and Long Beach.

Johnson tested the oval at Texas and ran a rookie orientation program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. He did well at IMS. Johnson needs two more laps to complete the rookie test.

The 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May 29, now has six rookies who will attempt to qualify. The other rookies expected to enter are Kyle Kirkwood, Callum Ilott, David Malukas, Devlin DeFrancesco, and Christian Lundgaard. There may be one or two more rookies on the entry list.

Al Unser, Sr. – Simply One of the Best

December 10, 2021December 10, 2021 thepitwindow4 Comments

This morning has been devastating. I woke up to the news that my beloved sister-in-law died last night. Five minutes later I stumbled across the news about Al Unser, Sr. Please forgive me if this seems somewhat random. We have lost one of the best ever.

There is a bit of irony in his passing. Last evening, the newest four time winner, Helio Castroneves, unveiled the ticket for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves was the first back to back winner of the 500 since Unser turned the double in 1970 and 1971.

Unser’s older brother, Bobby, died in May of this year. It is hard to believe that Racing’s First Family has been taken away within seven months.

Al’s driving style was one of patience. I remember many races where he wasn’t even in the conversation until the final stages, but when the checkered flag waved, he saw it first. His fourth win and final 500 was like that. He only got into the 1987 race after Danny Ongais was injured in practice. Roger Penske pulled a show car out of a hotel and Al qualified 20th. He took the lead when Roberto Guerrero stalled in the pits on his final stop and led the rest of the way.

Unser still is the all time lap leader at IMS, with 644 laps at the front of the field. His 39 race wins is sixth on the all time list. Unser is the only driver to win the Triple Crown, the three 500 mile races at Indianapolis, Pocono, and Ontario in the same year, 1978. He won eight different 500 mile races.

Fortunate that this photo was taken earlier this year.

I was fortunate to see all four of his Indianapolis 500 wins. I will remember his smooth driving, his taciturn interviews, and his interactions with fans. The last time I saw Al was at the 2018 PRI show. He and his son, Al, Jr., were the keynote speakers at the opening breakfast. They kidded each other and told stories about each other. Someone asked Al Sr. where he learned to drive. Jr. suggested his brother Bobby taught him. I will never forget the look the elder Unser gave him.

Please take some time next time you see A. J. Foyt at a track next year to say hi and thanks. We are quickly losing our legends.

If a Ticket Sprouts Can Spring be Far Behind?

December 9, 2021 thepitwindow

Ticket unveiling day always brings the promise of May. It serves as a mid winter lift of the spirit. We are just a little more than five months away. The ticket for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 was unveiled tonight by the 2021 winner Helio Castroneves. Castroneves, the fourth four time winner, will drive full time for Meyer Shank Racing in 2022.

The May 29 race will mark the first time in 30 years that a driver will have a chance to win a fifth 500. Rick Mears was the last driver to have that opportunity in 1992.

I think they could have chosen a photo with a more expressive Helio. The posed shot seems very static, especially for the spontaneous Castroneves, whose display of exuberance after winning last May was a joy to watch.

The unveiling capped the opening day of the PRI show, which returned to Indianapolis after a two year COVID induced absence. 62,000 people are attending this year’s show which has displays in the Indianapolis Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.

Some photos from this evening taken by The Pit Window camera crew (me):

Doug Boles, IMS President, introduces Castroneves

Castroneves gets his first look at the ticket bearing his image.

DRR Adds Two Cars for Indy with Karam and Ferrucci

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 thepitwindow1 Comment

Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced a two car effort for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, featuring two drivers who finished in the top seven in last year’s race.

Sage Karam, who will look to be in his ninth 500, eighth with this team, finished seventh in 2021. He returns in car 24.

Santino Ferrucci, who has finished in the top 10 in each of his 500 mile races to date will drive car 23. Ferrucci drove several races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2021, including a sixth place finish at Indy. Ferrucci also had a couple of top fives for RLL.

The announcement raises the confirmed car count for the 500 to 29, with a total of 36 entries expected. Chevy and Honda should each power 18 cars.

Indianapolis 500 Ticket; Juncos Hollinger Unveils 2022 Car

December 6, 2021 thepitwindow

This Thursday, December 9, The ticket for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be revealed at the PRI show in downtown Indianapolis. 2021 winner Helio Castroneves will be on hand for the ceremony. The event will be streamed beginning at 5:45 Eastern Time on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Facebook page.

Juncos Hollinger Car Keeps Juncos Green

The livery for Juncos Hollinger for 22 has the familiar look of a car from the Juncos stable. The number 77 car, to be driven by rookie Callum Ilott, has the green and white with black trim we saw when Juncos last had a car in the Indianapolis 500.

Photo from Juncos Hollinger Facebook page

The unveiling may mean the team will not be partnering with Carlin as some thought. Will getting a sponsor change the livery? It is entirely possible, although it seems in the past Ricardo Juncos has been able to keep this color scheme no matter what sponsors he gets.

Grosjean, Johnson Take IMS Rookie Tests Wednesday

October 4, 2021 thepitwindow

From Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

Note

I understand that fans may view the tests from the turn 2 viewing mounds.

Remembering Robin Miller

August 25, 2021 thepitwindow

IMS Photo

Late to the party, and less eloquent than much of what I have read today, but please indulge me my thoughts regarding Robin Miller, Indycar’s voice in print and broadcasting. I find it ironic that during one of the best Indycar seasons in years we have lost two great voices of the sport within less than 20 days.

I knew Robin Miller for years before I met him. I may have read every story he put in the Indianapolis Star when it was a real newspaper. he covered racing, high school sports, and the pacers included. I liked his frank, forthright style. Euphemisms were for the other writers to use.

I’m not sure where Indycar would be today without Robin Miller. He helped drivers get rides in the series, he has pushed for races to get on the schedule, most recently Gateway, and his tireless touting of the series and the Indianapolis 500 have contibuted to the staus the series enjoys now.

We have lost a fierce Indycar advocate, a man who would help a struggling driver or team owner whenever and however he could, and someone who made the paddock and the media center come alive. I remember the first race for which I had media credentials at St. Pete how Miller’s charisma gave an energy to the compact crowded room. When Miller left, the stillness in the room was palpable.

I first actually met him in the IMS media center that year. I happened to be wearing one of the shirts I had purchased from one of his numerous fund raisers. We rode the elevator up to the fourth floor together.

“Nice shirt,” he said. I thanked him and introduced myself. After that he always greeted me with a smile. I felt comfortable going to him with questions which he always took time to answer. he didn’t seem to care what out let you wrote for, if you were in the media center, you were a comrade.

My best memories of Miller come from Portland. In 2018, the year the venue returned to the series, his fist comments upon entering the media center were about how little money had been spent on the place in 11 years.

The next year, I sat near him in the Portland media center as he took a call from A. J. Foyt. It was a cordial conversation about when Robin would release a story. He wouldn’t share the news with me at the time, but when it broke, I asked for a clarification and he calmly explained it to me.

Please don’t ask who will replace Robin Miller at Racer magazine. The answer is no one. Someone might take over the mailbag (I hope not), and someone might step into his reporting role. But replace? No way.

A Yard of Bricks with Two Feet of Bronze

July 26, 2021 thepitwindow2 Comments

Photo: The four 4 time winners. Chris Owens, Indycar

Marti Uprate. She is at Vanderbilt Hospital and saw numerous doctors today. I had to come home to take care of a problem and will be heading back tomorrow. Her length of stay is unknown, but I might still be there for the race next weekend.

Just Catching Up

It’s the little things Roger Penske thinks of that make him a success. The photo above is an example of one of those little things- getting the four four time Indianapolis 500 winners together for a group photo. There might not be many more opportunities to get this group together. A. J. Foyt, the first four time winner, had a commemorative bronze brick installed in the yard of bricks at the start/finish line. The other three will have their own bricks installed this fall.

It is a fitting tribute to these four drivers who have collectively won 15% of the 105 Indianapolis 500s. Will more of these bricks appear in the future? It will be a long time before that happens, if ever. Only two other drivers in this year’s race, Juan Pablo Montoya and Takuma Sato, have won twice. Whether either of them runs another 500 is uncertain right now.

I will be on the road during tomorrow’s Jimmie Johnson media conference tomorrow, but I will get up to date on it tomorrow night and share what I find out.