Juan Pablo Montoya, Arrow McLaren SP and Mission Foods will team up for a second consecutive year, with the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion competing in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet for both the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Montoya will again join full-time Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist to complete the team’s lineup for the Month of May.
Montoya returns to Arrow McLaren SP after competing for the team last year, finishing ninth in the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. This year will see him attempt to qualify for his seventh entry into the race, having competed six times in his career, including winning as a rookie in 2000 and again 15 years later in 2015.
The MISSION brand will be represented on the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet and Montoya’s race suit during both races, as well as continuing to be featured on the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by O’Ward and the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Rosenqvist.
Mission Foods first partnered with Arrow McLaren SP in 2020 and the successful partnership continues to find new and exciting ways to activate and reach new consumers through the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
The 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place on May 29, 2022 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Follow along with Arrow McLaren SP all season long on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube at @ArrowMcLarenSP.
Juan Pablo Montoya, Driver, No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet:
“I’m excited to return to Indianapolis with Arrow McLaren SP and Mission, to once again compete in a race that holds a special place in my heart – the Indianapolis 500. I had a great experience with the team last year and look forward to building on the progress we made in 2021. I think we have a real shot at competing at the front of the field and challenging for the win.”
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing:
“We’re delighted to have both Juan Pablo and Mission Foods back for another Indianapolis 500. Juan Pablo is an institution in motorsport, with two Indianapolis 500 victories and an impressive Formula 1 career with multiple wins for McLaren. He adds experience that really benefits our team, giving us another driver with the potential to win anytime he steps into the car.”
Juan Gonzalez, Mission Foods Chief Executive Officer:
“We are thrilled to partner again with Juan Pablo Montoya and Arrow McLaren SP for the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis 500 and Juan Pablo are legendary to racing and loved by race fans everywhere. It’s an honor for our brand to align with icons like these.”
Photo of Josef Newgarden by Joe Skibinski, Indycar
On a day that I wish we could save for may, 31 cars hopeful of making the field for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 completed the second day of open testing. Josef Newgarden, two time NTT Indtcar Series champion, had the quickest time of the two days, 226.819 miles an hour.
The first hour of the morning allowed the rookies, Pietro Fittipaldi and Cody Ware, to complete their rookie tests, and the drivers who needed to complete their refresher tests to co mplete their two phase runs.
Conor Daly led the veterans session from 10-11 before all cars were turned loose on the track. The day was interrupted twice for brief rain sprinkles and the afternoon action stopped for some track inspections.
Newgarden summed up his day in a zoom call with media after the session finished.
“It was a pretty good day,” Newgarden said. “I was happy enough with the car. I think we still need some work, for sure, but to just get an initial read on where we’re at is good. Obviously, there are a lot of new parts and differences to the last couple of years, so we’re just trying to assess what we need to really work on these last couple of weeks before we get back here in May. But I’m pretty happy.”
He responded to questions about the duifference between this year’s car and last year’s car. he likes the changes and thinks the racing will be better.
“Yes, definitely. It’s easier to follow. It’s still tough. You’ll still get a big front wash in traffic. 10 cars back, it’s always going to b e difficult. But I think they’ve made the ability to follow better. That balance separation between clean air and dirty air is definitely reduced.Some of them are tricky to drive, some of these parts. I think you’re seeing some split camps here along pit lane. Not everybody is running the same stuff. That’s been interesting to watch. There’s more downforce on the car. I think the balance shift in traffic is less.Yeah, the ability that we’re going to have to race compared to last year will be better.
I think you have a better opportunity this year looking at the amount of downforce we have, the balance shift in and out of traffic. I think you have a better opportunity to fight for the win in the third or fourth car inline.I think more than that, you are a quick car during the race,you somehow find yourself in the back, I think you have abetter opportunity of making your way forward. Those two elements will automatically help the show. But you don’t want to have it so easy where we’re packed up the entire field the entire time. I think that’s something that you would want to avoid.It’s a balancing act. I think it will be a lot better than last year as far as the ability to race up front. Time will tell. But I think you’ll have a better show.”
Juan Pablo Montoya. Photo by James Black, Indycar
Juan Pablo Montoya, two time Indianapolis 500 is returning to the race after a three year absence. He gave his thoughts on the Arrow McLaren SP Chevy he drove in the test to the Indycar he last drove.
“They’re a little harder to drive, I think. I think the difference between clear air and dirty air is a little bigger. I think the changes from what INDYCAR did, from what everybody says, it’s a little harder as before, but not that bad.”
As for adjusting to the aeroscreen, Montoya felt the aeroscreen was similar to the sports cars he drove the last three years.
“It wasn’t too bad to get used to it. I thought it would be a little more intrusive. It’s definitely a pain in the butt to get in and out of the car, and it’s a lot hotter. I know like here it hasn’t been that bad in the oval. I did a test in Laguna. In a road course, you don’t get a lotof air. That was kind of shocking.Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of weird because, like, you’re really in a little bubble. It feels a little bit once you’re driving like a sports car.”
Notes
Andretti Autosport seemed to be struggling a bit as they did last year. The team did not have a driver in the top 10 today.
Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal look to be right wher they were last year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato won the 2020 race and Rahal finished third.
Montoya and Helio Castroneves were quick in their first outing in cars not owned by Roger Penske. It’s still odd seeing them in non-Penske cars.
Arrow McLaren SP could be a factor in the 500 as well as during the rest of the season. Montoya’s input should help push the team up a notch this year.
Today’s results, followed by the no tow time sheet:
RANK
CAR NO.
DRIVER
TEAM
ENGINE
SPEED
LAPS
1
2
Josef Newgarden
Team Penske
Chevy
226.819
121
2
30
Takuma Sato
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
226.396
60
3
86
Juan Pablo Montoya
Arrow McLaren SP
Chevy
226.123
68
4
9
Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
225.906
126
5
15
Graham Rahal
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
225.644
157
6
47
Conor Daly
Ed Carpenter Racing
Chevy
225.639
137
7
12
Will Power
Team Penske
Chevy
225.501
162
8
60
Jack Harvey
Meyer Shank Racing
Honda
225.266
140
9
5
Pato O’Ward
Arrow McLaren SP
Chevy
225.118
156
10
6
Helio Castroneves
Meyer Shank Racing
Honda
225.074
128
11
22
Simon Pagenaud
Team Penske
Chevy
225.001
184
12
28
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Andretti Autosport
Honda
224.949
134
13
26
Colton Herta
Andretti Autosport
Honda
224.203
164
14
20
Ed Carpenter
Ed Carpenter Racing
Chevy
224.146
146
15
10
Alex Palou
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
224.134
112
16
7
Felix Rosenqvist
Arrow McLaren SP
Chevy
223.973
126
17
18
Ed Jones
Dale Coyne Racing With Vasser-Sullivan
Honda
223.905
104
18
3
Scott McLaughlin
Team Penske
Chevy
223.808
195
19
27
Alexander Rossi
Andretti Autosport
Honda
223.636
136
20
45
Santino Ferrucci
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
223.519
137
21
16
Simona De Silvestro
Paretta Autosport
Chevy
223.458
92
22
29
James Hinchcliffe
Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
Honda
223.458
127
23
48
Tony Kanaan
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
223.101
99
24
24
Sage Karam
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Chevy
223.095
81
25
98
Marco Andretti
Andretti Herta-Haupert w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian
Honda
222.815
138
26
14
Sebastien Bourdais
AJ Foyt Enterprises
Chevy
222.627
125
27
59
Max Chilton
Carlin
Chevy
222.258
114
28
8
Marcus Ericsson
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
222.135
188
29
51
Pietro Fittipaldi
Dale Coyne Racing w/Rick Ware Racing
Honda
221.943
144
30
4
Dalton Kellett
AJ Foyt Enterprises
Chevy
220.196
97
31
52
Cody Ware
Dale Coyne Racing w/Rick Ware Racing
Honda
218.438
58
Indianapolis 500 test – Friday all-skate – no-tow timesheet
Juan Pablo Montoya will drive car number 86 in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 in a car trimmed with the famous McLaren papaya orange. The 86 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1971 pole winning McLaren of Peter Revson, who stunned the crowd with his average time of 178.696, which beat out Mark Donohue for the pole. Revson finished second in the race to Al Unser.
Peter Revson prepares for his qualifying run in 1971Top view
Montoya, 500 winner in 2000 and 2015, will also drive in the May 15 race on the IMS road course.
Arrow McLaren SP is the third team Montoya will have driven for in the 500. He won the 500 while driving for Chip Ganassi in 2000 and for Team Penske in 2015.
The three car AMSP effort at Indy, with full time drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, should be a strong contender in May.
Santino Ferrucci will drive in 20 Xfinity Series races for Sam Hunt in 2021 as he begins the road to a NASCAR Cup ride. Ferrucci spent the last two years in Indycar driving for Dale Coyne with Vasser Sullivan Racing. He was Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2019, finishing seventh.
Ferrucci is the latest driver who has found work in another series after losing their Indycar ride. Many factors have caused the drivers to go a different direction. Sometimes it is a budget issue, other times team owners have made the choice.
Zach Veach, released by Andretti Autosport before the end of the 2020 season, will drive full time for Vasser-Sullivan’s GTD team in IMSA. Veach replaces Townsend Bell in the number 12 Lexus, and he will team with veteran Frankie Montecalvo. The car was a series title contender last year.
Helio Castroneves moved to the Team Penske Acura prototype in IMSA in 2018. That program ended with Castroneves winning his first title. He has a busy year coming up. Castroneves will drive in six Indycar races for Meyer-Shank Racing- Barber, Long Beach, the 500, the IMS Road Course race on August 14, Portland, and Laguna Seca. He will also participate in Tony Stewart”s and Ray Evernham’s new SRX series in addition to sports car races in the United States and Europe.
Juan Pablo Montoya was also out of work with the ending of the Team Penske Acura program, but he will return to the Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren SP in May. Montoya will be one of the added drivers for Meyer-Shank’s Acura prototype in IMSA’s four endurance races. The rest of his 2021 season will be in Europe driving Dragonspeed’s LMP2 car in the WEC series.
I really enjoy seeing a driver run in several different series during a season. It would be nice if contracts allowed for more of this.
Two time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya will once again drive in the Indianapolis 500, this time with Arrow McLaren SP. Montoya will pilot a third car for the team, alongside reglkar drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.
Montoya spent the last three season driving for Team Penske Acura in the Weather Tech Championship Series, winning the championship in 2019. He also has won a CART title. Montoya has driven just about everything. He will drive next season for Dragonspeed in the WEC. Monotya has also .won races in Formula 1 and NASCAR.
With Montoya’s entry into the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, the field has the potential to include eight former winners. Montoya’s former Penske teammate, three time winner Helio Castroneves, will be driving for Meyer Shank Racing. May 30 will be the first time the pair will be driving on different teams.
Hoosier Hundred Gets Another Chance
The Hoosier Hundred returns to the USAC Silver Crown Schedule at the Indiana State Fairgrounds May 27. 2019 was expected to be the final running of the 65 year old race. The track was schedule to be resurfaced for the sole use of the trotting and pacing horses which normally run during the Indiana State Fair. The COVID pandemic has prevented the track work from being done. The longer the work is delayed is more time to convince the fair board to keep this race.
The night following the Hoosier Hundred is the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway/ The schedule also includes the Silver Crown’s first visit to Winchester Speedway.
The full schedule:
Gift Ideas
My friend Johanna, (@writebend) has compiled a list of some small businesses that sell racing related items. These businesses have had a difficult year and could use any support you can give. Here is the link to her post:
Some good news for Indy Lights. HMD is teaming with Global Racing Group to field a total of four cars in the Indy Lights field in 2021. Global Racing won the 2020 Formula Regional Americas title with Linus Lundqvist driving. HMD, owned by Henry Malukas ran David Malukas and Toby Sowery in 2019 Indy Lights. Sowery won a race in 2019.
The four car effort will double the current size of the field with the four cars from Andretti Autosport. Dan Andersen, owner of the Road to Indy, expects 11-13 cars on the grid in 2021.
Ganassi to Run DPi Cadillac in IMSA
Chip Ganassi Racing reenters IMSA with a DPi Cadillac entry next year. Ganassi ran the top class of prototypes in the Grand Am series and also entered Fords in the GTLM class through 2019. He takes over the Cadillac entry from Wayne Taylor, who is switching to Acura. Drivers have not been named, but I expect Scott Dixon to be the extra driver for the endurance races.
Montoya Signs with Dragonspeed
Juan Pablo Montoya will drive for Dragonspeed int he World Endurance Championship in 2021. The two time Indianapolis 500 winner drove for Team Penske Acura in IMSA the last three years, winning the championship in 2019. he finished the season with a second place overall at the Sebring 12 Hour race last Saturday.
Montoya will team with Henrik Hedman and Ben Hanley. Hanley drove Dragonspeed’s entry in the last two Indianapolis 500s. The team will not compete in any Indycar races in 2021.
Quiet at Coyne
We may have gotten spoiled the last couple of years as Dale Coyne Racing had their driver lineups set by Christmas. The quiet from the Coyne shop seems strange, but this is the way it used to be with the team.
I think some news may be coming soon, and it involves a possible new owner in Indycar. Stay tuned.
Requests
What stories would you like to see for the final six weeks of 2020? History? Reprints of previous articles? Let me know. I’m thinking of publishing some my non-racing creative writing, but I like you guys too much to bore you with that.
I will have at least one more column before Thanksgiving. Stay safe, mask up, and wash your hands.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 