Scott McLaughlin turned a sizzling final lap as time expired to win the pole for tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by RP Funding. He edged teammate Will Power, who will start on the front row for the 12th time at St. Pete.
Scott McLaughlin on his pole winning lap
Group 1 in Round 1 ended with six different teams advancing, including A. J Foyt Racing with Kyle Kirkwood, Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus Veekay. Colton Herta led the round with a time of 59.466 seconds, followed by Graham Rahal, VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Kirkwood, and Josef Newgarden.
Group 2 saw Power lead with a lap of 59,394 seconds, followed by McLaughlin, Romain Grosjean, Simon Pagenaud, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palou. Palou and Grosjean recovered from heavy damage in the morning practice.
The second round saw a great battle for the lead between Power, Grosjean, McLaughlin, and Herta, with Power taking the round. Power set a track record with his lap of 59.346 seconds.
Will Power
The Firestone Fast Six looked to be comfortably in Power’s grasp as Herta, Grosjean, and Pagenaud all failed to beat his time. McLaughlin’s final lap was 0.12 seconds better than his teammate. The second year driver has earned his first career pole.
Two drivers and teams who had great drives today- Kyle Kirkwood of A. J. Foyt Racing and Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing. Neither team is known for their prowess on road and street courses, nut today may be a sign that the situation could be about to change. Kirkwood finished fifth in Round 1. The rookie has shown in two days how talented he is.
VeeKay appears to be fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered mid -season last year. VeeKay was third in Round 1, sixth in Round 2, will start fourth tomorrow.
The eighteenth Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg began late this morning with a gala luncheon. Drivers from each of the series racing on the downtown streets were present. Mayor Ken Welch, who will serve as the race’s Grand Marshall, welcomed everyone. The race expects a record crowd for the three day long event.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch
The drivers each gave brief remarks.
I chatted with Takuma Sato, David Malukas, and Kyle Kirkwood.
Sato is enjoying his new team, Dale Coyne Racing.
Takuma Sato
“I love it. Right obviously you know some nervousness but it’s a lot of excitement in a new team new boys engineers and you know, I’m happily settling. So very, very good.”
About his rookie teammate, Sato said,
“…he’s obviously the one of the upcoming young drivers, is very bright and cheerful and he’s been quick to learn so I think we have a really good opportunity to work together.”
Sato is excited for this weekend, but thinks there are a lot of unknowns.
“Well, I would say you know, re are little unknown factors but yeah, that’s how it is and in particular for the first practice for the day.”
David Malukas
Sato’s teammate, David Malukas is eager to begin his Indycar career. He ha d a lot of praise for Sato, who was on his radio during the first test day at Sebring.
“Sebring was great. I mean, the first day was amazing, I think we ended up being like P two on the time. It’s like I was always surprised. Second day, we tried many different changes, because the whole goal we’re not winning Sebring. We didn’t want to chase the car to try to get ready for today. And we found some pluses somewhere like confusing, but in the end we were exactly right. After three months off, I was like really impressed with the car. I was like, What do I do? Takuma has been a big help. Oh, of course. I mean, he has so much expertise and he helped me so incredibly. Like he helped me so much the first day; he didn’t actually drive so like he had the headset on and he was talking to me telling me some information like what I should do. He’s awesome. He’s so friendly.”
Malukas is concerned about pit stops and driving on the alternate tires. About the red tires, he said,
“So I hear rumors. I heard some rumors that like actually sometimes the car’s slower with it because it’s so much grip and it’s so hard that they don’t want you to stand on it, I don’t know. Hopefully we could see like, I mean, there’s a big jump with it. Hopefully we can figure it out and hope like I still hold on to the wheel. Because I heard it gets even heavier.”
Pit stops are totally new to Malukas, but he thinks the walls and the limiter may help him.
“Oh, that’s still very new to me. We did some practice and man I’m not gonna lie I was pretty bad. Takuma did it like perfectly every time so that’s gonna be, I think, the hard part for me is getting it right. I’ve never done that my whole life. So we’ll see how it goes. I think now you know that I like an actual wall and there’s people everywhere. I think it’d be a bit easier because you know, at Sebring we’re trying to simulate a situation with tires, everything and it just wasn’t good. So we’ll see.”
Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood is happy with how testing went last week and appreciates the help he has received from his A. J. Foyt Racing teammates, Dalton Kellett and Tatiana Calderon.
“Dalton has obviously a wealth of knowledge as well as engineering capabilities and Tatiana hsa a lot of experience. She n a lot of different cars, so there’s a lot of things that she’s been able to add to the team that are just like I’ve never really thought to do that.”
Kirkwood is uncertain how the alternate tires will perform.
“They changed this weekend. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I think from my knowledge, looking at the seat they’re gonna be quicker but they’re going to go away faster. I don’t know what made you know, I’ll let you know I’ve never driven on red tire so that’s what I was wondering. Yeah, anticipation. I’ll let you know after the first practice.”
Kyle Kirkwood is excited to begin his first NTT Indycar Series season. The driver of car 14 for A. J. Foyt Racing shared his outlook on the 2022 campaign this morning at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg First Block event.
Kirkwood’s background and winning ways n the Road to Indy should serve him well in Indycar. He is the first driver to win the championship at each rung of the ladder system, with 31 victories in 50 races.
As far as what will make the 2022 season successful, Kirkwood isn’t setting specific goals. He is looking at each round and then will total everything up at the end. What will be a successful season?
” I’m not going to really pinpoint it. I can’t say right now. Oh, if we finish top 10 in the championship that will be successful. It’s gonna be very situational. It depends where we’re at on pace, how strategy goes how everything plays out, and we’ll just have to have to pick it off weekend by weekend and not be upset about a weekend because I feel like we should have done better than we did. Yeah, obviously I’ll be disappointed but if we do better than we think that we should have even though it might be a 15th place finish. From the outside it looks bad but from within the team, it’s a success. So yeah, so we just have to take it weekend by weekend and piece everything together throughout every single weekend and if after 17 races and we have a good season, then I’ll be satisfied.
Kirkwood talked about his experience at the Rolex 24. His GTD Pro Lexus was fighting for a podium finish, but faded near the end of the race. He talked about how driving sports cars gives him the experience that the Road to Indy doesn’t cover,.
” I learned actually a lot in sports car stuff. The consequences are massive in a sports car compared to an Indy car. If you slide the car, you lose a lot of time so you have to be very precise. Also, one thing that you don’t get in the lower categories that you do in IMSA, and IndyCar or that you have to do is pitstops and a wall and tire and fuel saving. Those are all things that you don’t get in the lower series. So by me running an IMSA. It’s a lot that I can carry over to the IndyCar season. “
Kirkwood plans to do “four or five more sports car races” this year.
Unfamiliar tracks may be a bit of a challenge, but Kirkwood is eager to learn them. His favorite tracks seem to be those run by Green-Savoree, the St. Pete promoters. He talks about his favorite tracks and which tracks he needs to learn.
“St. Pete because it’s it’s a home track for me. I get a lot of family friends to come out to it. The weather’s always great. There’s just something unique about it. Even though it’s a street course it promotes a lot of good racing, a lot of good passes. And then Mid Ohio, but that’s a bit of a bias because I’ve won probably 13 or 15 races that I’ve run there. So every time someone asked me that (my favorite tracks) it’s either here or Mid Ohio, which is ironically a Green-Savoree event as well. Yeah, but they do a handful of them. Those are two of my favorites.”
Challenging tracks?
” Most likely one of the new places. I don’t have a lot of oval experience. So learning the dynamics of Indianapolis or Iowa is going to be tough for me because I haven’t been to either one of those places or driven around it. But yeah, so those will be one of the toughest I think some of the road courses that I have been to or the street courses I’ve been to will be a bit more of a breeze but the ovals will will definitely be tough.”
In just 24 days Indycars will take to the track in St. Petersburg for the first practice of the 2022 season. The process of building the track began this morning with the ceremonial first block set into place along Dan Wheldon Way.
The race retains Firestone sponsorship and has added RP Funding as presenting sponsor.
Speakers at today’s event included Ken Welch, new mayor of St. Petersburg, who touted the $40 million impact the race has for the city, and the race’s 29% attendance increase from 2017-2019. The growth was interrupted by the pandemic and attendance restrictions. 2022 marks the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg’s return to its traditional spot as the opening race of the NTT Indycar Series season.
It appears attendance will grow again this year. All the spots in the marina have been sold.
Indycar rookie Kyle Kirkwood noted that he is not a rookie at St. Pete since he has driven here on each step of the Road to Indy. He said St. Pete is his favorite track. Kirkwood compared the setting to Monaco with the backstretch running alongside the water.
Kyle Kirkwood
The best line of the day belongs to Selin Rollan, a Mazda MX-5 Cup driver. Rollin is a commercial pilot as well as a race car driver. He said he flew in this morning to Albert Whitted Airport next to the track.
“This track doubles as my favorite racetrack and my favorite airport.”
Mark Miles, President of Penske Entertainment, who talked about the promotions for the race NBC will present during the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Miles is happy to have the Indycar schedule back to its normal order.
Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree Promotions, owner of the event, named St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch as Grand Marshall of the race.
The track build will take about 22 days, but will be torn down in six days, Kim Green said. I noticed the scaffolding for grandstands in turn 10 and the front stretch already assembled. Some seats are in place in the turn 10 stand.
As we begin the most festive week of the year, I have some holiday wishes for Indycar. The first practice at St. Pete is just two months from Christmas day. Knowing that should make the holiday better. Here are six things I wish for in 2022.
A Full 17 Race Schedule
Indycar has not run its complete, originally announced schedule in two years. 2021 looked promising, but Toronto again was cancelled due to COVID-19. The border has reopened, but will the Omicron variant close it again? If it does, for how long?
I hope by July that things will have settled down enough to allow the race to go on.
I am not concerned about St. Pete or Texas yet, but the situation warrants wartching.
The Unicorn
I wish for the elusive third OEM to be announced. An announcement in 2022 means the new engine will appear in 2024. With the growth in entries anticipated for next season and a number of other teams looking to join Indycar, a third engine is a necessity. Honda is maxed out for the season and the Indianapolis 500. Chevrolet is close to capacity as well.
A third engine opens the possibility for 30 cars at some tracks and 39 or more entries at the 500. I think one of the bigger teams will align with the new manufacturer.
A Sold Out Indianapolis 500
Conditions permitting, it would be great if the 106th running of the 500 would be a sell out. Local television might show the race live again if all tickets are sold. Many fans who skipped the 2021 race plan to return. The 135,00 or so at the 2021 race seemed larger than that to those who were there, but the partially empty grandstands did not look good on television.
I spoke briefly with Doug Boles at the PRI show. He said that ticket sales are looking good.
A Title Fight Between O’Ward and Herta
Just like 2021, 2022 will bring more of the younger kids contending for the championship. This coming season I would love to see a battle for Astor Cup between Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta. The youngsters had two the fastest cars last season. Herta was never really in title contention because of some early DNFs. He still tied for the most wins in the series with three, and he had four poles.
O’Ward had some early issues with team strategies and setup problems. He finished third in the standings after being taken out of the finale early. His two wins in 2021 kept him in the hunt. I think he is ready for an even bigger season.
Some Top 5s for Kirkwood
First of all, I am happy that Kyle Kirkwood has a full time ride. Of course, I wish he were on a more competitive team. But I hope he can raise the bar at A. J. Foyt Racing and maybe squeeze a top 5 or two out of the car. It will be a challenge. His best chance for a good finish will be at World Wide Technology Raceway, where Foyt cars have a third and two fifth place finishes.
Kirkwood might sneak in a good finish at a road course somewhere as well. Realistically, I can see him getting some top 10s in 2022.
The Biggest Wish of All
Well, maybe the second biggest after the third OEM, but an announcement of a 2023 IMSA race at IMS would make me very happy. The odds are long as IMSA has established a May race at Mid Ohio. The sports car series seems happy with their schedule. I don’t think they are looking for new venues or to switch any dates around.
I have also heard IMSA is not happy with Indycar putting Texas on the schedule on March 20, the day after the Sebring 12 Hour race. Many Indycar drivers participate in the 12 hour as an extra driver. Some plan to do double duty that weekend.
All, or possibly none of my wishes may come true, but I hope that all of your holiday wishes do. I will have a post next week before moving to winter headquarters. Happy holidays, everyone.
Kyle Kirkwood is used to making teams more competitive. He sees the same potential at A. J. Foyt Racing. His ride for next year, the 14 car, had two top 10s and two top fives in 2021 and finished 16th in the final standings. One top 10 and one top five came in the first two races of the year. Kirkwood believes he can improve he team’s results.
“I’ve worked in positions before where I’ve started with a lower level team, if I look back at Indy Pro 2000, and I was racing for RP Motorsports, I think they finished fifth or sixth in the championship, they missed a couple races, but I saw what the team wanted to do, and I believed in them, and we ended up winning nine of the 16 races with the championship,” Kirkwood said yesterday in a press availability.
He gets more satisfaction out of moving up during a race than he does out of winning from the pole.
“I get more satisfaction from progressing than I do just from winning. We go out front, and like quite honestly, if I have a race where — like for instance, Laguna this past year. I started from the pole and just led the entire race, but there’s no progression throughout the weekend because we just had a car that was good and we just kept — which those ones aren’t the ones that are super enjoyable for me. The ones like Portland where we’re qualifying fourth or fifth and being able to go right to the front again based off of what I’m able to do and what we’re able to do with the car and progress through the weekend I think pays way more satisfaction to me than anything else.
If we can take a car that, hey, maybe we don’t qualify that well but we put together a really good race car and we’re able to make up a bunch of positions, that’s way more satisfactory to me than just being out front and sailing off into the distance. Yeah, so at the end of the day I think progression creates a lot more satisfaction for me,” Kirkwood explained.
Kirkwood’s path to Indycar began when A. J. Allmendinger selected him out of a karting program. He has progressed wirth the help of scholarships earned by winnuing at every level. Kirkwood doesn’t think he would be where is today without the start from Allmendinger.
“Pretty much my entire career has been based off of scholarships and people bringing me along, so I’m very thankful. Really that starts all the way back from AJ Allmendinger back in 2012 where he sponsored me in a karting scholarship. From there I had a Skip Barber scholarship, a Team USA scholarship, and then F4 I had the scholarship to F3, and then from USF2000 I had the scholarship Indy Pro, scholarship into Indy Lights. Without any of that, I definitely wouldn’t be in this position right now because as everyone knows, it costs a lot of money to do racing, and in those lower levels you can’t really bring sponsorship along because there’s not much return on investment for sponsors. Without the scholarships I would not be at this point,” he said.
“At the time I was racing — what was I, 13 years old racing Minimax, I believe, and we did a national race together. He (Allmendinger) had the scholarship program come out, and I had a fantastic season and he decided to pick me. That’s how the relationship came about, and yeah, I don’t think — I probably wouldn’t have been able to compete in a lot of the races that I raced in in 2012 and 2013, I believe, if it wasn’t for him.”
While some fans may be disappointed that A. J. Foyt Racing is where he will start his Indycar career, Kirkwood is happy to be with the team.
“Oh, man, I’m absolutely over the moon right now to be driving for AJ Foyt Racing in the No. 14, filling in some really big shoes with Bourdais leaving like Larry mentioned and doing some sports car stuff. I’m at a loss for words because I’m ecstatic.”
Kirkwood has one year deal with Foyt. Is next season just a stepping stone as he waits for a seat at Andretti to open? Several drivers have tried to make the 14 car competitive and have fallen short. I think Kirkwood gives them the best chance move up in the standings, but it depends on the team Larry Foyt assembles behind him.
2021 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood signed with A. J. Foyt Racing for the 2022 Indycar season. I will have some thoughts on this tomorrow.
The team’s announcement:
WALLER, Texas (Nov. 10, 2021) — There is a buzz around the No. 14 Chevrolet fielded by A.J. Foyt — and it is not killer bees. AJ Foyt Racing has hired 2021 Indy Lights Champion Kyle Kirkwood to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR Series next year.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kyle to the team,” said Team President Larry Foyt. “Obviously, he has been very successful on his climb through the Road to Indy Championships and his record speaks for itself. This deal came together rather quickly, but I’ve already been impressed with how Kyle thinks about racing and the maturity he seems to have for such a young driver. The NTT INDYCAR Series is as competitive as ever, and the challenges are great, but we feel Kyle will be a great asset as we take on those challenges and work to grow as a team.”
Kirkwood, 23, is the only driver to win championships in all three divisions of the Road to Indy (RTI) presented by Cooper Tires ladder system, and he did it in consecutive seasons: USF2000 in 2018, Indy Pro 2000 in 2019 and Indy Lights this year (the 2020 Indy Lights season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Kirkwood poses with his Indy Lights championship trophy at the Road to Indy Awards Dinner.
“I actually met Larry [Foyt] for the first time in 2018 at Road America when I was driving in USF2000 with Cape Motorsports,” revealed Kirkwood, who lives in Jupiter, Florida. “He was the first person in the INDYCAR paddock to show me around the car and explain the dynamics of what it takes to be an Indy car team and driver. From that moment, I felt very comfortable with the atmosphere of the team and now it has come to fruition that I will be driving the No. 14. It’s hard to explain in words the excitement I have to drive for such an experienced and legendary team. I know I will be filling some very big shoes, but I think it’s the perfect timing and group to be able to do so.
“Considering I have 19 years of experience driving, and it’s all led to this moment to becoming a full time Indy car driver — It’s truly a dream come true,” the Floridian continued. “It’s incredible seeing the completely unexpected path I took in previous years blossom into something I’ve always hoped for as a kid in karting.”
Kirkwood notched his 10th victory in the Indy Lights Series in the season finale doubleheader at Mid-Ohio. He won the first of two races.
This season’s Indy Lights championship battle came down to the final race weekend in October at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Driving for Andretti Autosport, Kirkwood clinched the title over runner-up David Malukas after winning the first race of the doubleheader and finishing fifth in the season finale. Kirkwood won 10 races (tying Greg Moore’s series record set in 1995) and seven poles in 20 races.
Kirkwood received his first kart at age four and began racing them a year later. He won numerous races and titles before moving into cars in 2016 when he competed in the inaugural F4 series. That same year he won a Team USA scholarship and competed at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. In 2017, Kirkwood dominated the F4 U.S. Championship with nine victories and six poles in 20 races.
The following year, he won the Cooper Tires USF2000 title with 12 wins in 14 races driving for Cape Motorsports. He won 15 of 17 races to claim the F3 Americas Championship powered by Honda. Driving for RP Motorsports in 2019, he won the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires with nine victories and five poles in 16 races. His move to the Indy Lights division was delayed when the pandemic halted racing in the Road to Indy ladder series in 2020.
Kirkwood poses with his team after winning the Indy Pro 2000 title in 2019.
Kirkwood has tested an Indy car three times, most recently at the Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.
“What I’ve learned in my three Indy car tests is that the Indy Lights car and the Indy car are not massively different,” Kirkwood explained. “As we’ve seen with many drivers, it’s quite an easy transition. The best thing that you can take away from the RTI is the track experience. With minimal time during weekends, it’s crucial to maximize practice, having the track experience eliminates a period of time spent learning so you can solely focus on the car and driving.
“The biggest difference I’ve noticed in my tests is the tire. The Firestone tire creates a lot more grip. There are other differences, like steering weight, downforce and braking capabilities, but all of those are just a nice step forward from the Indy Lights car.”
When asked what he thinks his biggest challenge will be as a rookie driver entering the very competitive NTT INDYCAR Series, he responded, “I’m sure I will know more as I enter the season, but I know I will be against some drivers that have years and years of experience in the car and with the tracks. I know my lack of experience will hurt in some aspects, but hopefully my driving will be able to make up for most of it.”
Spoken with the confidence of a champion.Post not marked as liked
Photo: Kirkwood tests the car he thought he would be driving in 2022. Joes Skibinski, Indycar
There will be at least 25 cars on the grid when the NTT Indycar Series begins February 25-27 at St. Pete. There could be even more. What we still don’t know is who will be in those cars?
Some drivers are set, others are believed to be in place but not formally announced, and others are still looking for a ride. The biggest name seeking employment right now is Kyle Kirkwood. The 2021 Indy Lights champion became a free agent Monday when his contract with Andretti expired.
Andretti’s failed attempt to buy Sauber F1 probably cost Kirkwood a full time ride in the 26.
Kirkwood’s choices are limited. Filled and presumed seats make up most of the grid. Possible openings are at Foyt, Ed Carpenter Racing, Carlin, and Juncos /Hollinger.
Kirkwood has suddenly become the key to the silly season.
Foyt- More Questions than Answers
Until A. J. Foyt Racing resigns sponsor ROKIT, don’t expect a lot of movement. Dalton Kellett is likely to return in car 4, but car 14 is in limbo. Sebastien Bourdais may run a few races in the car, but who else? If ROKIT returns, Tatiana Calderon is good possibility. Kirkwood would not be likely to be in the 14. Could Foyt add a third car if a partner comes on board?
Second Car for Juncos/Hollinger? Carlin Merger?
It’s great to see Juncos racing back. They are set with Callum Ilott in the 77. Ricardo Juncos wants a second car. It’s possible that the team might partner with Carlin. I think Carlin is on shaky ground and also needs a second car.
A partnership could help both teams and keep the Carlin name in Indycar. I expected good things from Carlin. I liked the way they ran an Indy Lights program before they moved up to Indycar Things just haven’t worked out for them in this series.
Carlin has yet to confirm a driver. It is not known whether Max Chilton will be back. If he returns, another driver needs to run Texas, Gateway, and Iowa. Conor Daly has filled that role in the past and might do so again.
Carpenter Has Many Choices
Ed Carpenter Racing needs a driver for the road and street races in the 20, which he plans to drive on the ovals. The deal usually includes a third car for the Indianapolis 500.
It has been Conr Day’s seat for the past two years, and may well be again. ECR is waiting to see if the US Air Force returns as sponsor. If they do, Daly will probably get the ride. If not, Ryan Hunter-Reay or Oliver Askew have a chance at the seat.
Kirkwood wants a full time deal, so I don’t think ECR is where he s looking.
I think it is important for the series to have Kirkwood in a full time ride. He is the next link in the generational shift that we witnessed in 2021.
Indycar photo: Kyle Kirkwood on track by Chris Owens
The top three 2021 finishers in Indy Lights, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, and Linus Lundqvist, talked about their very cold test day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. The trio had the opportunity to test an Indycar on the IMS road course. It was the first time in an Indycar for Lundqvist. Kirkwood and Malukas tested at Barber. Kirkwood also had a test at Sebring.
Kirkwood and Lundqvist drove cars prepared by Andretti Autosport; Lundqvist drove the number 2 car of Team Penske.
Much of the post test discussion centered on the Indycar prospects for the drivers.
All driver photos by Joe Skibinski
Kirkwood, the first driver to win the championship on all three levels of the Road to Indy, still has no ride for 2022, but he hinted that things are moving in a positive way.
“We have an idea, yeah. I think we have a direction. It’s not all said and done yet. As of today, which today is November 1st, I’ve been given permission to look elsewhere. I haven’t been able to have conversations. I don’t know exactly what I can and cannot say, so I’m going to keep my mouth shut on the direction “.
Malukas is strongly thought to have a ride with Dale Coyne Racing for 2022. In response to a question about how far along his deal is, he would only say, “We will do 99.9%”
As for Lundqvist, it appears he has very little going on at the moment. He replied to questions about his Indycar future,
“Unclear I would say. You never really know what’s going to happen. I would love to stay here in the U.S. to start off with. Obviously I would love to be in INDYCAR next year. If that doesn’t happen, then I’m looking to do Lights another year. You never really know because budget-wise it’s a very big question. We’ll see what we can do during the winter, after this test as well, what pops up. I’ll keep digging no matter what.”
Tire Heat Biggest Surprise
All three drivers seemed most impressed by how quickly the tires got warm. It caught a couple of them by surprise.
Lundqvist commented, “Actually the Firestone tire, the grip that they have just straight out of pit lane was a lot better than what I experienced in Indy Lights. Obviously it takes a little bit of time for the pressure to come up, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected it. You just had to be a little bit careful. It was not too bad. Obviously I think it would have been even better when it was warmer. Within a lap or two the tires were in.”
Malukas agreed with Lundqvist, “Comparing to Indy Lights, it’s like night-and-day difference. With Indy Lights in this weather, it would have taken quite some time.”
Kirkwood noted, “One thing I did notice that was pretty big, especially compared to the Lights car, is the tires switch on so quickly even in the very cool conditions, which I was not expecting on the first few laps.”
Lundqvist concluded with a comment about how well Indy Lights prepares drivers for Indycar.
“What you learn in Indy Lights, you can definitely bring on here. The cars are very similar in some sense but quite different in others. I think what I learned in Indy Lights is that you’re able to drive a car just on the limit. That really rewards you in INDYCAR as well. It’s that you have so much more grip to play with. It’s not as much on a knife edge, I would say, as the Lights car is. You got so much more to play with here. I think you’re extracting a lot of lap times if you’re having a similar driver style in the Indy Lights car if you bring it to INDYCAR.”
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 