Tag: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Penske Entertainment Announces Next Phase of Transformational Sustainability Initiatives 

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From Penske Entertainment. Follow up commentary tomorrow:

 Indy 500 Continues To Set Industry-Leading Pace on Environmental Impact Firestone To Introduce New Race Tire with Sustainable Natural Rubber at Indy 500 Carb Day

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, April 22, 2022) – Penske Entertainment announced a robust and innovative lineup of environmental impact initiatives this afternoon, aiming to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint for this year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and significantly boost sustainability efforts within the sport of INDYCAR. These steps are the latest and most comprehensive elements of a long-term strategy for the organization that has been developed over the last two years.
The announcements made today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway DEX Imaging Media Center coincided with wider efforts across the nation and globe to celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 22. They were unveiled in partnership with Firestone, Shell and additional corporate partners, which have worked with IMS and INDYCAR on a comprehensive sustainability strategy for the venue and sport.
“This will be the most sustainable Indy 500 in our 100-plus year history,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles said. “Moreover, through excellent coordination and teamwork with partners who are true innovators in this field, we’re moving INDYCAR toward industry leadership when it comes to environmental awareness and impact.”
Month of May – Fueling Progress & Building Toward a Greener Future
Longtime series partner and tire supplier Firestone will play a key role in efforts surrounding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and throughout the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Firestone is a trailblazer in the charge for alternative and renewable sources of natural rubber and will debut a new and eco-friendly tire this May.
The Firestone Firehawk guayule race tire will be used for the first-time during Miller Lite Carb Day’s INDYCAR Pit Stop Challenge and will make its competition debut as the alternate race tire in August at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. It is partially composed of a new sustainable natural rubber derived from the guayule shrub, which requires less reharvesting than traditional sources of rubber
.“It will take partnership and collaboration to combat the impacts of global climate change, and we are proud to partner with Penske, INDYCAR and IMS to advance the future of sustainable mobility,” said Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer and group president, Solutions Businesses, Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
“The introduction of guayule natural rubber to America’s preeminent open-wheel racing series speaks to the confidence we have in the technology and its promise as a scalable, sustainable and domestic raw material.”
Firestone, IMS, the state of Indiana and veteran motorsports partner Shell also announced today that all race tires being supplied for Indy 500 practice, qualifications and Race Day will be delivered to the “Racing Capital of the World” from their Central Indiana warehouse using the Freightliner eCascadia from Penske Truck Leasing’s fleet of electric vehicles. To assist with the effort, a 150kW, high-power electric charger is being installed on the IMS grounds, in coordination with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Shell Recharge Solutions. The EV charging station is manufactured by BTC Power (Broadband TelCom Power, Inc.).“We’re working every day to make sure Indiana is a leader when it comes to renewable energy solutions,” Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “I can’t think of a better way to show our commitment to cleaner energy than by putting it on display during the largest sporting event in the world.”
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway also will take significant steps toward cleaner energy consumption and a lowered carbon footprint across the Month of May. Like in 2021, all electricity consumed throughout the facility in May will continue being purchased via 100 percent renewable energy credits. In addition, IMS has teamed up with Shell and climate technology company CHOOOSE on the implementation of a new customer program that allows fans to offset their travel footprint through a nominal contribution to the GreenTrees reforestation project. IMS also will offset its entire operational carbon footprint during the Month of May through its contributions to GreenTrees, a vital effort that restores natural habitats in more than 1 million acres across seven states in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.
“At Shell, we aim to provide more and cleaner energy solutions in a responsible manner – in a way that balances short- and long-term interests,” explained Dani Silva, Shell vice president of Enterprise Accounts. “We are very pleased to be a part of Penske Entertainment Corp.’s efforts in increasing the sustainability of motorsports and the off-track potential it also enables.”
Other initiatives of note during the Month of May include:Increased waste diversion efforts throughout the facility with expanded recycling and food recovery programs.
Legends, the official IMS retail partner, will open a fully sustainable store inside an electric truck. All items sold in the truck will be reusable or designed from recycled plastic bottles.
Last year, the Indy 500 was certified at the Silver level by the Council for Responsible Sport after achieving 37 social and environmental standards of good practice. The venue implemented facility upgrades to increase both energy and water-use efficiency, calculated a robust greenhouse gas emissions inventory and enhanced its “Bike to the 500” program. IMS is working toward becoming the first sports facility in the world to become a Responsible Sport Certified venue.
INDYCAR’s Sustainable Path ForwardAlongside work with Firestone on expanded use of the guayule natural rubber, INDYCAR also announced today that starting with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear in June, all 26 NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars will be transported by trucks that are fueled by renewable diesel, which significantly reduces travel-related emissions.
“The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and its partners are continually evaluating ways to lower our footprint and create a more sustainable future,” said INDYCAR President Jay Frye. “We’re looking forward to using renewable diesel in our transporters beginning in June and expect to have several more important initiatives to unveil in the near future.”
This year’s Indianapolis 500 at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place on Sunday, May 29 on NBC, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The schedule for the 17-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES season can be found here and is available to fans to watch across NBC Sports platforms. 

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.

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.