Indianapolis 500 – Page 56 – The Pit Window by Mike Silver

Kanaan Fastest as Speeds Dip; Ferrucci Crashes

May 20, 2021 thepitwindow

Veterans continue to set the pace in practice for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Today was 2013 race winner Tony Kanaan’s turn. Conor Daly led throughout much of the afternoon before Kanaan ran the fast lap of the day. Santino Ferrucci had the third quickest speed before crash in in turn 2 with a little less than two hours left in the six hour session.

Kanaan is running an ovals only program for Chip Ganassi Racing. Jimmie Johnson drives the number 48 car on the road and street courses. The 500 is Kanaan’s third race of the year. He will have one more race, at gateway, in August.

In addition to Ferrucci’s crash, there was a minor incident between Scott McLaughlin and Colton Herta, Herta came out of turn four as cars ahead of him slowed. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan team cars had slowed near the finish line for a team photo op. My understanding is that Rahal did not inform Indycar of their plans, and the other teams were caught by surprise. Herta mad slight contact with the wall and McLaughlin’s car. both cars spent some time in the garage for repairs.

Santino Ferrucci about an hour before his crash.

From earlier

https://thepitwindow.blog/2021/05/20/the-never-ending-quest-for-the-fastest-33/

Rahal’s team received a penalty for their actions and the three cars will have to sit out the first 30 minutes of tomorrow’s practice.

Ferrucci was sent IU Methodist for additional imaging on his left leg. Dr. Billows, the chief medical officer of IMS, said Ferrucci was able to put weight on foot. I have just learned that Ferrucci has been released from the hospital but has not been cleared to drive as of yet.

Today’s results:

RA	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	ENGINE	FASTEST LAP (mph)	TOTAL LAPS
1	48	Tony Kanaan	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	225.341	80
2	47	Conor Daly	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	225.245	90
3	45	Santino Ferrucci	Rahal Letterman Lnigan Racing	Honda	224.922	50
4	2	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske	Chevy	224.885	121
5	9	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	224.666	65
6	21	Rinus VeeKay	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	224.409	96
7	6	Helio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda	224.393	114
8	8	Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	224.273	89
9	30	Takuma Sato	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	224.232	93
10	26	Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport	Honda	223.944	104
11	10	Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.679	125
12	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda	223.548	81
13	3	Scott McLaughlin	Team Penske	Chevy	223.491	60
14	5	Pato O’Ward	Arrow McLaren SP	Chevy	223.333	64
15	12	Will Power	Team Penske	Chevy	223.230	82
16	7	Felix Rosenqvist	Arrow McLaren SP	Chevy	223.199	85
17	60	Jack Harvey	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda	223.116	91
18	98	Marco Andretti	Andretti Herta-Haupert w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian	Honda	222.623	123
19	18	Ed Jones	Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan	Honda	222.604	63
20	20	Ed Carpenter	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevy	222.441	96
21	27	Alexander Rossi	Andretti Autosport	Honda	222.412	94
22	86	Juan Pablo Montoya	Arrow McLaren SP	Chevy	222.384	73
23	22	Simon Pagenaud	Team Penske	Chevy	222.364	42
24	4	Dalton Kellett	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevy	221.926	71
25	25	Stefan Wilson	Andretti Autosport	H	221.804	102
26	15	Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	221.748	70
27	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Dale Coyne Racing w/Rick Ware Racing	Honda	221.602	71
28	24	Sage Karam	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Chevy	221.411	86
29	11	Charlie Kimball	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevy	221.251	57
30	1	JR Hildebrand	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevy	221.173	62
31	16	Simona De Silvestro	Paretta Autosport	Chevy	220.911	81
32	29	James Hinchcliffe	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	Honda	220.822	97
33	59	Max Chilton	Carlin	Chevy	220.489	61
34	14	Sebastien Bourdais	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevy	219.876	81
35	75	RC Enerson	Top Gun Racing	Chevy	217.444	50

Sloide bar to right for speeds

Tomorrow the cars receive a an 85-90 horsepower addition for qualifying, which should push the top speeds to 230 mph.

Cashless Concessions

All merchandise shops and food concessions at IMS are cashless in 2021. For someone who does not have credit cards, items can still be purchased.

This machine will convert your cash to a debit card to be used at the track. I’m not sure I the card is honored outside of IMS.

After you’ve maxed out your credit cards at the gift shop, this should be your next stop.

The Never Ending Quest for the Fastest 33

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021 thepitwindow2 Comments

Indycar qualifying used to be pretty straightforward. A car and driver qualified, some with a safe speed, others with a speed that put them on shaky ground where they might miss the field. This system worked when the Indianapolis 500 drew upwards of 60 or more entrants. After the split, when the race struggled to get 33 cars, everything changed. Much of the change was out of necessity, and I get that, but I haven’t always agreed with the procedures.

2021 presents a challenge because of the number of entries. 35 is a difficult number to work with. If there were 34 entries, I would say let them all start the race. If there were 36 or more, by all means have a bumping program. I am almost inclined to say let all 35 run on May 30. The complication is in the procedures for Indianapolis 500 qualifying in the rule book.

Per the rulebook, on Saturday the fastest 30 cars are locked into the field, and the three cars in the last row must requalify Sunday along with any cars outside the first 33. With just 35 cars, I don’t think it is fair for the 31st fastest car to be put at risk. that car earned a safe spot based on the number of entries. The 75 minute last chance qualifying session on Sunday could see multiple attempts among the four cars, which I think will be pretty equal this year.

As we saw in 2019, locking in 30 cars pretty much guarantees that the fastest 333 will not start the race. In 2019, a car that did not qualify had a faster average speed than the 30th qualifier. The made for television (streaming?) show hurts the credibility of the field.

From last night

https://thepitwindow.blog/2021/05/11/dixon-leads-on-a-day-that-felt-like-may/

How to fix this? First, don’t lock in cars. Second, allow,say, the six slowest cars to be prepared to defend their spot on Sunday, depending on the number of entries. Third, the 33 fastest cars, regardless of qualifying day, make the race. This might require more time on Sunday, but I have a solution for that as well.

Eliminate the Fast Nine. It is a tired, played out made for TV (streaming?) show. Like interleague play in baseball, its time has come and gone. Give this time to the cars trying to make the grid. Determine the pole sitter the old fashioned way, by the fastest time on Saturday. Then you have a pole winner available all day Sunday for interviews and television time, rather than a quick three minute interview on Sunday.

Put Up or Shut Up

A couple of other changes that are sorely needed. Limit each car to three attempts per day. If you can’t make it in three attempts, you’re probably not going to. having a car limited to three attempts provides more drama.

Finally, eliminate the lane in which a car can make an additional run but keep its previous time if it can’t better the speed. If a car goes out more than must, they must withdraw their time.

I understand it is a hard job to balance all the factors that go into qualifying cars for this very special event. But I think we can get back to a race where we truly have the fastest 33 cars line up on May 30. the current system doesn’t necessarily get us there.

Today at IMS

May 20, 2021 thepitwindow

Thursday’s Schedule:

Gates Open 10:00am 6:00pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice 12:00pm 6:00pm Streaming on Peacock 12-6

Gates open:

Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 6S, Gate 7 South, Gate 10, Gate 10A

Grandstands open:

B Penthouse (17-25), E Penthouse, E Stand (1-4), Paddock (9-12), Paddock Penthouse (10-20), Tower Terrace (37-42), Tower Terrace ADA

The top of the speed chart had been a mix of veterans and the ypounger drivers, although the =veterans seem to have a bit of an edge. Will that trend continue. Another question that we won’t find an answer to until tomorrow or maybe Saturday- Is Team Penske not showing their hand? Other than Will Power having the fast lap Tuesday, we haven’t heard much from them. In the past, this doesn’t mean much.

I will have another post in a short while up about my thoughts on the qualifying procedures. It’s a column that xcomes around each year, just like Santa Claus.

Ericsson Fastest After First Hour

May 19, 2021 thepitwindow

Marc7s Ericsson has the fastest time as action halted for a track inspection. It has been a busy morning with 34 cars on track.

R C Emerson completed his rookie test thisorning.

The fast six as of 1 pm:

Practice Day 2- Warmer, Drier Day

May 19, 2021 thepitwindow

Juan Pablo Montoya’s car waits to begin practice yesterday.

Today’s schedule:

Gates Open 10:00am 6:00pm

Open Gates: 10 7, 7S, 6S, 2, 1, 4

Open stands- Paddock- a section directly across from the Pagoda; Penthouse B and E; a section in the Tower Terrace near the victory podium. The Pagoda Plaza is open. Concessions limited.

Indianapolis 500 Practice 12:00pm 6:00pm

Streaming on Peacock 12-6

The schedule will be the same for tomorrow and Friday as well.

From last night

Power Leads First Day

Today should be a less disjointed program with the one six hour session. R C Enerson will complete his rookie test beginning at 11 this morning.

It is nice having Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves back for the 500. They add to an already strong field.

Sebastien Bourdais will receive a new engine after his mechanical issue and fire yesterday afternoon.

Will Power said he had a big tow on his fast lap, which is usually the case during practice.

Conor Daly had the fastest trap speed of 232 mph.

I will post updates as the day goes on.

Tomorrow a Pit Window tradition continues with my annual steps to fix qualifying. I just know Roger is going to listen to me this time.

Power Leads First Day

May 18, 2021 thepitwindow2 Comments

Photo: James Black, Indycar

Will Power ran the fastest lap on the opening day of practice for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. with a speed of 226.470 late in the afternoon portion of the day. The fist two hours of veteran practice had two rain interruptions in the first hour, and a third stoppage near the end of the session. Practice never restarted. The Rookie and refresher tests, scheduled to begin at noon suffered a two hour delay.

Graham Rahal led the early practice round. Stefan Wilson and J. R. Hildebrand completed their refresher tests. R. C. Enerson still has one phase to complete of his rookie test due to a mechanical issue. Indycar will allow him to finish the test at 11 am tomorrow, ahead of the noon start of the six hour practice period.

Power was asked if he felt casrs would be able to follow more closely and have more opportunities to pass this year. He thinks so

“…as far as stuck in traffic I felt pretty good just running with two or three cars in front. Felt more comfortable than I have for awhile.That was promising, and yeah, I think cooler conditions can make everything feel pretty good. I think when the heat comes it’ll certainly change everything and become harder to follow.I think adding that downforce is certainly going to help theracing. I think you’re going to have one of the old style races where the front three are just swapping positions constantly because you can follow so close now. I think,yeah, it’s good for the fans,” Power answered.

Today’s results:

Rank Car Driver Name C/E/T Session Time Speed Total Laps
1 12 Power, Will D/C/F Practice 2 00:39.7403 226.470 87
2 28 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D/H/F Practice 2 00:39.7578 226.371 55
3 30 Sato, Takuma D/H/F Practice 2 00:39.7998 226.132 76
4 24 Karam, Sage D/C/F Practice 2 00:39.8332 225.942 69
5 47 Daly, Conor D/C/F Practice 2 00:39.8865 225.640 82
6 22 Pagenaud, Simon D/C/F Practice 2 00:39.9592 225.230 81
7 5 O’Ward, Pato D/C/F Practice 2 00:39.9740 225.146 78
8 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.0021 224.988 68
9 18 Jones, Ed D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.0621 224.651 77
10 8 Ericsson, Marcus D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.0686 224.615 85
11 48 Kanaan, Tony D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.0725 224.593 68
12 86 Montoya, Juan Pablo D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.1099 224.384 63
13 16 De Silvestro, Simona D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.1373 224.230 81
14 2 Newgarden, Josef D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.1714 224.040 48
15 21 VeeKay, Rinus D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.2158 223.793 82
16 29 Hinchcliffe, James D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.2180 223.780 78
17 7 Rosenqvist, Felix D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.2246 223.744 63
18 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.2377 223.671 69
19 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F Practice 1 00:40.2776 223.449 82
20 98 Andretti, Marco D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.2980 223.336 73
21 26 Herta, Colton D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.2993 223.329 84
22 06 Castroneves, Helio D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.3480 223.059 63
23 27 Rossi, Alexander D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.3581 223.004 74
24 10 Palou, Alex D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.3792 222.887 71
25 3 McLaughlin, Scott (R) D/C/F Practice 1 00:40.3885 222.836 68
26 11 Kimball, Charlie D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.3938 222.806 36
27 4 Kellett, Dalton D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.4729 222.371 61
28 1 Hildebrand, JR D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.4928 222.262 22
29 45 Ferrucci, Santino D/H/F Practice 1 00:40.5034 222.204 42
30 60 Harvey, Jack D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.5199 222.113 56
31 59 Chilton, Max D/C/F Practice 2 00:40.5606 221.890 70
32 51 Fittipaldi, Pietro (R) D/H/F Practice 2 00:40.7657 220.774 80
33 14 Bourdais, Sebastien D/C/F Practice 1 00:40.8402 220.371 38
34 25 Wilson, Stefan D/H/F Practice 2 00:41.1762 218.573 25
Total Laps for Combined Sessions: 2255

Notes

As wonderful as Saturday was, watching the cars on the oval in mid May was the most welcome sight yet. Everything was as I remembered- the blur of colors whizzing by, the smell of ethanol, the vibration of the fences, the hustle bustle of each team running, stopping, for adjustments, and going out again- and it made me happy. There are even better days to come.

On my walk through Gasoline Alley I noticed two women working on the Paretta Autosport car of Simona De Silvestro. I also saw several other women on crews for other teams. It is a welcome sight and about time Indycar offered opportunities for everyone.

Paretta Autosport crew members. 75% of the crew are women. Indycar photo by Joe Skibinski

A. J. Foyt Racing did an outstanding job with the throwback livery on J. R. Hildebrand’s car. It is difficult to represent a roadster livery on a rear engine car. This is one of the best I’ve seen.

The Top Gun entry shows a hint of the Johnny Lightning Special, but also reminds me of the Konstant Hot Special.

Tomorrow will see warmer temperatures than today. It should be interesting to see which cqars maintain the day to day consistency despite the weather difference.

Rahal Fastest in Session 1

May 18, 2021 thepitwindow

Graham Rahal led the first two hour practice session for thee 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Rahal’ quick lap beat out Scott Dixon and Scott Mc Laughlin. Eight drivers topped 222 mph.

The practice round was interrupted three times for rain. The final stoppage occurred with just 15 minutes left. A fleet of trucks is now circling the track as the rookie/ refresher session is on hold.

Stefan Wilson and J. R. Hildebrand will take their refresher phases. R. C. Enerson needs to complete his rookie test.

Some photos from this morning.

500 Practice Begins

May 18, 2021 thepitwindow

Today’s Schedule

Streaming on Peacock, 10-2, 3-6

Gates Open 9:00am 6:00pm

Open Gates: 10 7, 7S, 6S, 2, 1, 4

North 40 parking- free

Indianapolis 500 Oval Veterans Practice 10:00am 12:00pm

Indianapolis 500 ROP & Refreshers 12:00pm 2:00pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice 3:00pm 6:00pm

Wednesday Streaming on Peacock 12-6

Gates Open 10:00am 6:00pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice 12:00pm 6:00pm

It is nice to say that practice for the Indianapolis 500 begins today as scheduled in May. For many fans today will be the first time in two years they have entered the track to watch cars run on the oval.

The weather looks to be cloudy with slight rain chances. There may be a slight delay as the track is dried from yesterday’s rains.

Many teams will probably run race set ups today and tomorrow, then get into qualifying mode Thursday and Friday. The early weekend forecast shows temperatures in the upper 80s.

I’ll be back throughout the day with reports on the action.

1975- Unser Wins in the Rain

May 17, 2021 thepitwindow

For 1975 the Indianapolis 500 hoped to build off of the momentum generated by a smooth 1974 event which was much needed after the disastrous race in 1973. That race took three days to run, finishing after just 332 miles because of rain, and marred by the death of driver Swede Savage and crew member Armando Teran.

The 1975 program celebrated the 1974 race and Johnny Rutherford’s great victory. Rutherford, by some accounts, “saved” the 500. I wouldn’t go that far, but he did restore a sense of order and propriety to an event that probably should have been cancelled the year before.

The program in 1975 was the last one to have the wing and wheel emblem and the race flags on the cover. Beginning in 1976, the speedway went for artsy covers with, in my opinion more misses than hits.

The tire war between Goodyear and Firestone still raged. In 1974 Goodyear tires were on Rutherford’s winning car and the rest of the top 10 finishers.

The 1975 program heralded the under construction Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, scheduled to open in time for the 1976 race. It is hard to believe that the building is now 45 years old.

The Electropacer lights were still in use for 1975. The eight light panels, 1,650 feet apart, were to aid drivers in maintaining their “relative position” during a caution period. Prior to 1972, when the system was first put in place, drivers were trusted to slow down and stay in the same basic position. Many drivers took advantage of the rules to actually gain time under the yellow.

, I didn’t think this system worked much better than the old honor system. A driver would see a number on the first panel he passed when they yellow flag came out. He should see that number on each panel as he drove past it. Just watching from the stands, I’m not so sure the drivers adhered to this all the time. The speedway eventually adopted the current system of packing up behind the pace car.

An ad which I found odd to be in the program was for a book published in reaction to the 1973 race. The Indy 500, An American Institution Under Fire by Ron Dorson, promised to tell the real inside story of the 500 based on interviews he conducted with some prominent people in the paddock. I have never read the book. The ad contained a coupon to mail order (remember that?) and get a free bonus book.

The program included what was one of the last ads for Stark & Wetzel, the meat packing company which sponsored the Rookie of the Year award. They would be gone by the next decade. I loved their radio commercials with the whistle.

Bobby Unser won his second Indianapolis 500 in a race shortened to 174 laps when a rain storm flooded the track after what had been a nice day. Unser had retaken the lead just nine laps before the race was stopped. Wally Dallenbach seemed to have the race in hand, leading 96 laps, but a burned piston dropped him from contention on lap 162. he had led the 37 previous laps. Unser only led 11 laps.

Unser’s second win tied him with his younger brother Al, who won back to back in 1970 and 1971. The Unser clan was now almost halfway to its total of nine victories in the 500 Mile Race.

The rain shortened race was the second of what would be three rain shortened races in a span of four years. The 1976 race was called at 102 laps, just one lap than needed to make the race official.