If it’s early May in Indianapolis, you will find Will Power on the pole. Power won his fourth GMR Grand Prix pole and fifth on the IMS road course. Power snatched the pole from Alex Palou on the final timed lap of the Firestone Fast Six. His time of1:09.766 beat Palou by 0.043 seconds.
The pole was Power’s 64th of his career. He is just three behind Mario Andretti’s record of 67.
Will Power talks about his 64th career pole
The entire qualifying ran without issues. Only one Honda, the car of Alex Palou, made it to the final round. The rest of the Fast Six, in order, are Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly, Pato O’Ward, and Felix Rosenqvist.
Conor Daly earned his best starting spot of the season
Some pole contenders struggled during qualifying. Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay did not make it out of the first round. Herta will start tomorrow’s race in row 7 and VeeKay in row 8. Jack Harvey, who usually qualifies well at this track, will start 9th Saturday.
The 2021 polesitter, Romain Grosjean, starts 10th.
Unfamiliar Territory
Simon Pagenaud starts 20th and Scott Dixon starts 21st. Pagenaud won the pole at the GMR Grand Prix in 2016 and has won the race three times. Dixon has won once and is usually a top finisher. Watch for this pair to move forward tomorrow.
Notes
The scoring pylon showed the time remaining in each round. This is something that wasn’t always done in the past. I’m glad they had it up there.
I found a lot of nice shirts while making a brief pass through of the merchandise shop behind the pits. If anyone has a dresser I can have, I will add to my T-shirt collection.
The speed difference for the starting grid from first to 27th is 1.68 seconds.
Palou had the fastest lap in qualifying, 1:09.411 in round 2.
Thanks for following along today. I will have some follow up on today tomorrow morning.
The kids took over in GMR Grand Prix practice in the second session. The top five drivers are all 25 years old or younger.
Pato O’Ward grabbed the fastest time late in the session from Alex Palou. The top four drivers recorded laps in the 1:09 bracket. The top 23 cars are within one second of O’Ward’s time. Practice had two red flag interruptions, both within the first seven minutes of the session.
Alex Palou was first in the morning practice and second in the afternoon.
Dalton Kellett spun off track into the sand trap and could move. David Malukas went off track to avoid Kellet’s car. Malukas was able to continue back to the pits.
Jimmie Johnson went off track min the same area a few minutes later. The rest of the practice was green.
As I expected, some drivers who were down nthe chart in the morning practice improved their times. Rinus VeeKay was fourth this afternoon after ending the morning session 21st. Veekay was the first driver to turn a lap under 1:10.
Callum Ilott dropped to 19th from second in the just completed round. Christian Lundgaard, fifth in the just completed practice, improved from14th this morning.
Notes
I noticed a few more new things around the speedway.
BMW has a new building in turn three. I am not sure what the building will be used for.
Recycling cans are prevalent throughout the grounds next to trash cans. It’s nice to see some tangible environmental commitment by IMS.
Series points leader Alex Palou posted the fastest time of the first practice session as th NTT Indycar Series began preparing for tomorrow’s GMR Grand Prix. Palou’s lap of 1:10.4555 nipped rookie Callum Ilott by 0,0038 seconds.
The session was green for the first 43 and a half minutes. Helio Castroneves spun and stalled at pit in bringing out the red flag. There was enough time for one more flying lap, and Palou edged Ilott, who had led for the previous eight minutes.
At one point three former pole winners for this race were at the top of the pylon. Will Power led Felix Rosenqvist and Simon Pagenaud. While the top ten contains no real surprises, Rinus VeeKay, the 2021 winner in 21st is puzzling. Also Josef Newgarden in16th and Scott McLaughlin in 17th is a shock. I think these three will show better in session 2, which begins at 12:45 pm.
I spoke with Callum Ilott after practice.
He told the run was “really good. I just thought we had to improve a couple of things and then at the end we put it together and it was quite good’ We got the new tires I think a lot of other people used the new tires.”
Ilott described the track as “Really green because as the painted part for the oval transferring off of that onto the road course was a little bit different so we had to rubber it in.”
As far as changes for session two, Ilott thinks the team will make a few.
“I think so. I just haven’t told them everything I was feeling so I think they’re making the changes. “
Notes
Fans are slowly entering the track.
It has been nice seeing people I haven’t seen since 2019. I’m glad to see that they are healthy.
The Wifi in the stands seems to be improved.
I continue to be impressed by the cleanliness of IMS since Roger Penske bought the track.
Matthew brabham won the pole position for Indy Lights Race 1.
Photo: Rinus VeeKay on his way to victory in the 2021 GMR Grand Prix
Today’s Schedule:
All times local
FRIDAY, May 13 (General admission $20)
Paid public parking is available in Lot 1A, Lot 2 and Main Gate parking lots. Motorcycle parking is also available in South Carousel Lot via Gate 2. Paid ADA parking is available in Lot 3P and Lot 2. Parking is $10 on Friday.
Free parking is available in Lot 7 (North 40) and Infield Turn 3.
7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Public Gates Open- pedestrian gates open on Friday, May 13: Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7, Gate 7S, Gate 9, Gate 10 and Gate 10A. 8-8:30 a.m. USF2000 Qualifying 8:45-9:15 a.m. Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 9:30-10:30 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 (45 minutes) Peacock 10:45-11:30 a.m. Indy Lights Practice 1 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. USF2000 Race 1 12:45-1:45 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes) Peacock 2-2:30 p.m. Indy Lights Qualifying 2:45-3:35 p.m. Indy Pro 2000 Race 1 4-5:15 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES NTT P1 Award Qualifying Peacock 5:35-6:30 p.m. Indy Lights Race 1 (35 laps or 55 minutes)
Good morning from IMS! It’s great to be back at the Speedway to kick off the fortnight of May with the GMR Grand Prix weekend.
2022 will be the first time since Roger Penske bought the track that the May schedule will operate in mostly normal fashion, with infield viewing and no crowd restrictions or other COVID limitations.
Saturday’s race is the ninth GMR Grand prix, which has been run every year except 2020 two weekends before the Indianapolis 500. In 2020 the race moved to July 4 due to COVID. No fans were allowed inside the track, a policy that continued for the 500 that year.
The race began as a way to bolster track attendance during May for the days leading up to practice for the 500. The event appears to do what it was intended to do- bring fans in on what used to be a sparsely attended opening day of practice.
Team Penske has dominated this race. Will Power has three poles and three wins in this race. Simon Pagenaud has won three times, twice while driving for Penske. Power also has two poles and two wins in the road course race held later in the year. Team Penske drivers have owned this track configuration.
The armor took a big dent in 2021 when Romain Grosjean won the pole and Rinus Veekay won the race. Will things return to normal things year? I’m not so sure. Veekay hopes to back up his pole and third place finish at Barber with another pole and a win.
VeeKay told the media Wednesday,
“…we know we have a very good car here. We’ve always been fast here since my first-ever race here. I think I was a little sad after the race that I didn’t win last weekend. I think we had the opportunity to, and of course you want to grab it and take it. Yeah, had a few bad sleeps because of that, but I think right now, I’m just extra motivated to go for that win this weekend and defend my win from last year.”
Some other things to look for this weekend:
Honda Catching Up?
Chevrolet power has won all four races this season. Honda is just a tick behind. Will May be the month they close the gap? In spite of being shut out of the winner’s circle, Honda driver Alex Palou leads the points standings. The only Honda wins on th IMS road course belong to Pagenaud when he drove for Schmidt-Peterson and Dixon in 2020.
Will Track Experience Help the Rookies?
Four of the six rookies have driven on the road course in the Road to Indy. Only Tatiana Calderon and Callum Ilott will see the track for the first time. The junior experience may help this rookie class have their best performances of the season.
Grosjean Breakthrough?
Last year Romain Grosjean broke the Penske grip on the pole and led much of the race. He ended the day in second place. I think his first Indycar win will be at this track. I’m not sure whether it will be this weekend or at the end of July.
Power at Texas
I think it is time for Will Power to finally win a race in 2022. he has been hanging around the front all season. A poor qualifying run at Barber probably cost him a victory two weeks ago. Power does not have poor qualifying in the GMR Grand Prix.
Just a few notes about the past few days in Indycar.
IMS at last got the pace car driver right. I cringe every year when a celebrity is named to drive the pace car. A professional driver should lead the field to the green. If the track had a celebrity passenger, I’d be fine with that. Sarah Fisher is the best choice. I hope they make her the permanent pace car driver for the 500.
I love the look of the pace car.
The Never Ending Silly Season
News this week that Alexander Rossi’s 2023 plans are settled come a week after Pato O’Ward’s new contract extension came to light. Will we know every driver’s 2023 plans by Mid Ohio? What fun is that?
Rossi at Barber
I would like to just enjoy the year as it unfolds with the championship, surprise pole and race winners, and jus the fun of an Indycar season. In season future driver placement is not enjoyable. Can we wait until September?
The talk is reaching the same level of annoyance I feel during early December college basketball games when the “experts” start to talk about tournament seeding.
Carvana Trouble
Last night Carvana laid off 1,200 employees. Does this move put Jimmie Johnson’s funding in jeopardy? I hope not, but the news is troubling.
Johnson at IMS rookie test last fall
Carvana has had great sponsor activation with great television spots featuring Johnson and displays at the races. I would hate to see them leave Indycar.
This is a developing story. I hope the 48 car can finish the season.
Race weekend: Friday, May 13 – Saturday, May 14 Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise) Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 85 laps / 207.3 miles | Indy Lights: 35 laps/55 minutes 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 (Note: A seventh set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.) Twitter: @IMS @INDYCAR, #ThisIsMay, #IndyCarEvent website: www.ims.com NTT INDYCAR SERIES website: www.indycar.com | Indy Lights website:www.indylights.com 2021 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet) Indy Lights: Linus Lundqvist and David Malukas 2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Romain Grosjean (No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda), 1:09.4396, 126.447 mph. Qualifying lap record: Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying) NBC Sports race telecast: 3 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 14, 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, and NBC’s GMR Grand Prix race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service, while 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 Grand Prix of Indianapolis doubleheader will be streamed on Peacock Premium with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR Live! INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn and Rob Blackman are the pit reporters. The GMR Grand Prix race (3 p.m. ET), Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis doubleheader (5:25 p.m. ET Friday and 1:10 p.m. ET Saturday) 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, MAY 13 (All times are local) 9:30-10:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (45 minutes), Peacock Premium10:45-11:30 a.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice, INDYCAR LIVE!12:45-1:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, (45 minutes) Peacock Premium2-2:30 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying (Sets lineup for Race 1 and Race 2), INDYCAR LIVE!4 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock Premium(Live)5:30 p.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 1 “Drivers, start your engines”5:35 p.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 1 (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock Premium SATURDAY, MAY 1410:30-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium1:15 p.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 2 “Drivers, start your engines”1:20 p.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 2 (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock Premium3 p.m. – NBC on air3:39 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”3:45 p.m. – GMR Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), NBC (Live) NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: Pato O’Ward broke Team Penske’s three-race win streak by winning the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on May 1. Alex Palou’s third podium finish of 2022 gave him the series points lead for the first time this season. Palou, the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, leads Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin by three points and the top four drivers in the standings are separated by just 10 points heading into the critical Month of May, which has more than 250 points to offer with races on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, PPG Armed Forces Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 and the double points-paying Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the next three weekends. The GMR Grand Prix will be the 12th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. Active race winners who are expected to compete are: Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018 (GMR Grand Prix); 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-2); 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix)Simon Pagenaud32014, 2016, 2019 (GMR Grand Prix) Scott Dixon 1 2020 (GMR Grand Prix) Josef Newgarden 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1) Rinus VeeKay 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix)Four NTT P1 Award winners have won the GMR Grand Prix from the pole: Will Power in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and Simon Pagenaud in 2016. Power also won the second Harvest GP race from pole in 2020. ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020 (GMR Grand Prix and Harvest Grand Prix-2) Pato O’Ward 1 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix) Romain Grosjean 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix) Rinus VeeKay 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1) Felix Rosenqvist 1 2019 Simon Pagenaud 1 2016 Sebastian Saavedra 1 2014 Eight drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato. All but Hinchcliffe and Hunter-Reay are entered this year. Scott Dixon has finished first or second in four of the last five GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Dixon won his first race on the IMS road course in July 2020.J osef Newgarden can clinch the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge’s $1 million prize by winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – where he won in 2020 in the Harvest Grand Prix. Newgarden has won on an oval (Texas Motor Speedway) and street circuit (Streets of Long Beach). A win on a road course would earn him a $500,000 bonus and a matching $500,000 donation for his charities, Wags and Walk Nashville and SeriousFun Children’s Network. Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Ed Carpenter Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay. Chip Ganassi Racing won with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1, and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. ix NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Tatiana Calderon, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas – are entered. All but Lundgaard will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at IMS for the first time. Lundgaard made his series debut at the track last summer in the Gallagher Grand Prix. Twenty-two of the drivers entered in the event have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races on the IMS road course. Twelve entered drivers have led laps in the GMR Grand Prix: Will Power 210, Scott Dixon 69, Simon Pagenaud 68, Romain Grosjean 44, Graham Rahal 36, Rinus VeeKay 33, Josef Newgarden 25, Felix Rosenqvist 15, Alexander Rossi 2, Marcus Ericsson 1, Jack Harvey 1 and Alex Palou 1.Milestones: Felix Rosenqvist will attempt to make his 50th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 293rd consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes: Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires will conduct the first of three doubleheader weekends with a pair of 35 lap races on Friday and Saturday. Linus Lundqvist, who won one of the two races at Indianapolis in 2021, took the series points lead with his win at Barber Motorsports Park on May 1. The field for the weekend’s doubleheader races will be set by a single qualifying session on Friday. The two drivers who have won Indy Lights races this season – Matthew Brabham of Andretti Autosport and Linus Lundqvist of HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing – are also the only entered drivers to have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brabham won Race 1 of a doubleheader at IMS in May 2014 while Lundqvist won Race 1 of last season’s doubleheader.
INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 10, 2022) – Former INDYCAR SERIES driver and team owner Sarah Fisher, who remains the fastest woman in Indianapolis 500 history, will drive the 2023 Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition Pace Car to lead the field to the green flag for the 106th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ohio native Fisher started “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” nine times between 2000 and 2010, a record for female drivers. Her fastest four-lap qualifying speed of 229.439 mph in 2002 also remains an event record for a female driver. Fisher also was the first woman to win the pole position for a major North American open-wheel event, for the INDYCAR SERIES race in 2002 at Kentucky Speedway. She also was the first female driver to earn a top-three finish in INDYCAR SERIES competition, placing third in 2000 at Kentucky Speedway and second in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After her driving career, Fisher turned to team ownership, providing two-time series champion Josef Newgarden with his first ride in the INDYCAR SERIES. Since her team ownership role ended, she stayed involved with the sport by serving as the Pace Car driver at selected NTT INDYCAR SERIES events. She now co-owns with her husband, Andy O’Gara, the successful Speedway Indoor Karting facilities in Speedway, Indiana, and Daytona Beach, Florida, and is the mother of two children. “Every time I’ve had the opportunity to drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it’s been special – from INDYCAR SERIES cars to two-seaters to vintage cars,” Fisher said. “Driving the Pace Car is just as special of an honor. And to have served in that role for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since Johnny Rutherford retired, I’ve had many great memories to add to my career. “I am humbled and proud to become the official Pace Car driver for the 106th Indianapolis 500 and to represent the hard work and development that Chevrolet puts into these fantastic pieces of automobile advancement and technology. ”The 2023 Corvette Z06 is powered by the all-new 5.5L LT6 which creates 670 horsepower, making it the highest-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 ever to hit the market in any production car. The Indianapolis 500 Corvette Z06 Pace Car exudes confidence with a wide stance and exotic mid-engine proportions. This year’s Pace Car is equipped with the available Z07 Performance Package, featuring a carbon fiber rear wing, aerodynamic ground effects, carbon ceramic brakes and more, for maximum track capability. With a nod to Corvette’s 70-year history, the Pace Car is a model year 2023 70th Anniversary Edition Z06, finished in a special White Pearl Tri-Coat Metallic paint. Unique to this package on the production car and the Pace Car are 70th Anniversary Edition exterior badging, including special Corvette crossflags, Edge Red brake calipers and the 70th Anniversary Edition logo on seats, steering wheel and sill plates. Chevrolet’s Performance Design Studio created an asymmetric stripe package specifically for the Pace Car that draws inspiration from the 70th Anniversary Edition badging on the door of the Z06. “The Chevrolet Team is proud to pace the Indianapolis 500 for the 33rd time, while celebrating 70 years of Corvette,” said Steve Majoros, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “It’s only fitting the Indianapolis 500 will be the first race the 2023 Corvette Z06 paces, a truly special moment for Corvette and INDYCAR fans around the world.” Chevrolet and Corvette have led the starting field more than any other manufacturer and nameplate, respectively. The 2022 race marks the 33rd time for Chevrolet to pace dating back to 1948, and the 19th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car. “Sarah Fisher is an Indianapolis 500 icon who always takes the time to appreciate her fans and represent the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ with class and humility,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “She is such a fitting person for this honor, and it will be such a thrill and privilege to see her lead the field of 33 cars to the green flag before a huge crowd at the track and a global television audience. “I’m sure Sarah will enjoy driving the 2023 Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition, which is an incredible car with the performance to match its great looks.” Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS. Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 