Indycar Season Preview- Racing in Place While Waiting for 2018

March 6, 2017March 6, 2017 thepitwindow4 Comments

Some news updates this morning:

Jay Howard will be in the No. 77 car, the one Tony Stewart’s Foundation is running under Sam Schmidt’s team, for the Indianapolis 500. This will be Howard’s second 500. His first was in 2011, where he started 20th and finished 30th.

Scott Dixon’s car will be sponsored by GE LED light bulbs at St. Pete this weekend. The team is still looking for a season long sponsor and hopes to have something in place by Long Beach..

This will be a year of waiting. We are waiting for the new look car in 2018; waiting to see if a third engine manufacturer is on the horizon. Meanwhile, we should see a year similar to last year. Aerokit development was frozen for this year, meaning Chevy cars will win most of the races, and a Honda will win Indy and likely Pocono and Texas. A Penske driver will win the championship after a tough battle with a teammate.

No season is entirely predictable. There are some wild cards out there. First, there were some significant driver moves. The largest move is Josef Newgarden going to Penske. Carlos Munoz moves to Foyt, joining Conor Daly. Sebastien Bourdais moves into what was Dal y’s ride at Coyne last year. Takuma Sato goes to Andretti replacing Munoz.

The second wild card is teams that switched engines. Chip Ganassi Racing returns to Honda power, and Foyt now is a Chevy team. At the Phoenix test both teams seemed to be still learning their new aero kits and engines. Will Ganassi be the team that makes Honda more competitive the entire season?

J. R. Hildebrand returns to the Verizon Indy Car Series full time with Ed Carpenter Racing, replacing Newgarden. Spencer Pigot will drive the No. 20 on road and street courses.

Will Andretti Autosport have a better year? Marco Andretti seems more focused. Having Bryan Herta call strategy for him is a good move. Herta is a great race strategist. Exhibit A- last year’s Indy 500. Will Alexander Rossi be hurt by having a new strategist? Time will tell. I think there won’t be much of an effect. Ryan Hunter-Reay was in position to win both 500 mile races last year, but some strange things happened. His pit road collision at Indianapolis took him out of contention, and a brief power hiccup late in the race at Pocono cost him the victory there. I think he will win a race this year.

Schmidt Peterson retains James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin. Both drivers were on the verge of winning last year. I look for Aleshin to get his first victory this season. Hinchcliffe should also have a good chance as well. This is one of my sleeper teams.

My other sleeper team is Dale Coyne Racing. They have upgraded the team off the track and Bourdais is a big addition on the track. Coyne is tactical. he knows what his cars need to do to qualify well, and he knows how to get them to the front on race day. If pit strategy falls their way, there could be some good results this year for them. Rookie Ed Jones joins the team. He had two great years in Indy Lights, winning last year’s title. He will need to have patience as he learns to race in IndyCar.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has been the top finishing Honda the last two years. They could very well keep that distinction with a strong start to the year. Graham Rahal will keep his streak of winning races in consecutive years alive.

Ganassi may have a slow start as they figure out the Honda package, but Scott Dixon will likely have a better year than he had last year, when early issues pushed him down the standings. Ganassi will finish the year strong. It will be another solid year for Tony Kanaan. Max Chilton should show some improvement in his second year. Charlie Kimball will continue to be steady.

Team Penske will again lead the pack most if not all the way. It will be another battle between Will Power and defending champ Simon Pagenaud all season, with Power prevailing this time. Helio Castroneves will have another consistent year with several podiums. Josef Newgarden appears to be adjusting well to his new team. Moving Tim Cindric to his car from Power’s car shows that Penske is putting Josef on an accelerated path to success. He may not win a race, but he should have a better season than Pagenaud did his first year at Penske.

It should be an interesting season. There are enough X-factors to provide some intrigue. Enjoy the first race next Sunday from beautiful St. Pete.

Here are my pre-season predictions, with apologies to all my picks. You don’t have a prayer now. These picks are subject to change as the year goes on.

Season Championship- Will Power

Indianapolis 500- Scott Dixon

First time winner- Mikhail Aleshin

Different race winners- 8

Who Will Make the Cut?

March 2, 2017 thepitwindow1 Comment

Thanks to all who nominated drivers for the Greatest 33 Non Winners project. I have learned a lot from doing this. First, Indycar fans not only are passionate, but they are knowledgeable and respect the sport’s past. I always thought that, but in discussions with some people, including some I do not know well, this came through loud and clear. Second, some drivers I thought would look great statistically did come out so well in comparison. I was quite surprised by some drivers’ overall records, both good and bad. In any case, this has been a lot of fun so far.

I am looking to cut my 58 nominees down to 50. After the race at St. Pete next week, I will announce the 50 finalists for you to choose and grid. I am using a statistical formula based on poles, front row starts, laps led, top 5 and top 10 finishes. I have not been surprised by who the top 10 are, although the order was not quite what I though it would be. A couple current drivers fared very well.

Part of the grid will be chosen with my head and part of it with my heart. That is just natural. Keep in mind this is all for fun. I hope this helps fill the gap between St. Pete and Long Beach.

Here are the drivers with the most nominations:

Michael Andretti 8

Rex Mays 5

Scott Goodyear 5

Lloyd Ruby 5

Harry Hartz 4

Ted Horn 4

Vito Meira 4

Robby Gordon 4

I’ll be back Monday with the dreaded season preview and some Indycar news.

Update- Greatest 33 Non-Winners; 57 Drivers Nominated to Date; Nominations Close Wednesday Night

February 27, 2017 thepitwindow

So far,57 drivers have received at least one nomination. Michael Andretti is the clear runaway leader with 7. Five drivers, Rex Mays, Vitor Meira, Scott Goodyear, Lloyd Ruby, and Robby Gordon, have 4 nominations.

Nominations close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time Wednesday. Not a minute later, because that would be Thursday. I will narrow the list down to 50 and then ask each of you to choose the final 33 in gridded positions. Friday I will announce the finalists and present some race statistics for each driver.

I haven’t decided on a grid deadline yet. It will most likely be after the St. Pete race.

Thanks to all who have participated so far.

Indycar News ; The Greatest 33 Non-Winners, A Reader Particicpation Event

February 23, 2017 thepitwindow

The long offseason enters its final fortnight in just two days. I thought this was a much more tolerable one than most because of what seemed like nearly constant news.

The big news this week is Juncos racing, a pillar of the Mazda Road to Indy, purchased cars and equipment from KV Racing, and will enter at least one car, likely two, in the Indianapolis 500. Juncos’s long range plan was to move up to Indycar in a couple of years. The sad demise of KV allowed them to move up their plans. Additional races this year don’t look likely, but eventually, possibly by 2019, they will be full time.

Other announcements- Lear Corp, which had sponsored the outstanding volunteer staff at the Detroit GP, is now the presenting sponsor of the race… Andretti Autosport. confirmed they will run a fifth car at Indianapolis. The driver has not been named. Last year Townsend Bell drove their fifth car.

In 2011, The Indianapolis Star and IMS invited fans to participate in finding the Greatest 33 drivers of the 500. The majority of the drivers who made the final list were race winners, of course. I would like to do another Greatest 33 for the non-winners. These are the guys who consistently came close but never got their face on the Borg-Warner Trophy. I invite those of you who read this blog (both of you) to submit your suggestions and how you would grid them, Indy style. I would like to find fifty, then have you vote on gridding them. You do not have to name 33, just as many as you feel like. Criteria is up to you.

Drivers that come to mind for me are Rex Mays, Ted Horn, Harry Hartz, Michael Andretti, Lloyd Ruby. I look at laps led, top five finishes, and qualifying results. Who else can you add to this list? Let me know.

Next week will be my long awaited (dreaded?) season preview. Hope to hear from you soon.

A New Look for Indycar Weekends; P2P Revised; Reds GetMore Track Time

February 7, 2017 thepitwindow

Yesterday Indycar announced format changes for race weekends. Most of the new procedures affect road and street course events. The oval races at Phoenix and Gateway will have a new prerace look also. Some of the changes affect certain tracks only. Here are the changes, followed by my thoughts. Thanks to Eric Smith of Race Review Online for providing the list.

• Phoenix and Gateway qualifications: Qualifying at two oval tracks – Phoenix Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park – will be held on the same day as those Saturday night races. The first day of those two-day event weekends will focus on a pair of practice sessions, the latter falling within the same evening time slot as the race.

• Firestone alternate tires: At road and street courses, each car will receive an additional set of Firestone’s red-sidewall alternate tires, bringing the total to four sets of the softer-compound Firehawks available for the weekend and allowing teams to better gauge performance characteristics of the alternate tires in comparison to Firestone’s more-durable, black-sidewall, primary-compound tires prior to qualifications. Each entry must return one set of tires – either primary or alternate – following the first practice session of a weekend and another set – the opposite compound from the first returned set – following the second practice session.

• Overtake assist time allotment: Push-to-pass overtake assist in road and street races will be based on a maximum time allotment for each car instead of the number of uses. The events at the streets of St. Petersburg, Raceway at Belle Isle Park and Sonoma Raceway will have a total overtake time allotment of 150 seconds for each race, with the other road/street races set for 200 seconds. When a driver engages the overtake via a button on the steering wheel, it increases engine turbocharger boost pressure by 15 kilopascals (kPa) to 165 kPa – good for about 60 added horsepower. Once engaged, push-to-pass will run for a pre-established duration equivalent to approximately the time needed to drive the length of the track’s main straightaway (15-20 seconds). Drivers will now have the ability to disengage an overtake activation midway through its use to save time for a later use. In addition, push-to-pass will not be available at the start of a race or for any restarts, with the exception of a restart commencing with two laps remaining in the race.

• INDYCAR Grand Prix schedule: Verizon IndyCar Series on-track action at the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course will consist of two days, Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, to create a more action-packed event. All three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder will still have track activity on Thursday, May 11.

• Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix qualifications: For the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix doubleheader in June, qualifying sessions for each race will see the field divided into two groups based on practice times, with 12 minutes of track time allotted for each qualifying group (with five minutes of guaranteed green-flag time). Previously, qualifying for the first race followed the advancement round format used at other road/street events. Qualifying groups for Belle Isle will be based on best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding Race 1 qualifications. If a car causes a red-flag situation during a qualifying session, its best two timed laps will be disallowed and it will not be permitted to continue in the session. One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group on both days.

• Standardized road/street practice times: Practice sessions on the first day of most road/street course event weekends will have standardized start times of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. local. Each session will be 45 minutes in duration.

My thoughts:

I love same day qualifying. It is hectic for the teams, but it really provides value for the fans. I have been to many races where the race starts in late afternoon and there are no support events. A night practice for a night race makes sense, especially in the same time slot as the race. Indycars under the lights are an amazing sight. Unless there is a drastic change in weather in 24 hours, this will help teams know what to expect.

About time drivers are allowed to practice on the alternate reds during practice. I’ve always thought it was silly to not be able to practice on what you would use in qualifying. Another step helping the teams put on a better qualifying show. Thanks to Firestone for the extra work this involves making the extra sets available.

The push to pass change will make starts and restarts fairer and possibly safer. I really like that a driver can decide not to use a full burst and save time for later. This is essentially is the same amount of time as before, but a driver could get more uses from it. I wonder if all teams and the fans will be made aware of how much time other drivers have left. Indycar attempted to keep that information hidden for awhile last year, but that policy seemed to fade away.

Compressing the Indycar Grand Prix of Indianapolis schedule is a good idea. Thursday was mainly just let’s get the dust off the track day. I like the idea of the three Mazda Road to Indy series getting the entire Thursday to themselves. Anytime the future stars can get a showcase can only help Indycar in the long run.

The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix qualifying format makes sense for a couple reasons. The schedule at Belle Isle is really packed. It will free up 30-45 minutes of track time. This is the procedure used for race 2 qualifying, so it standardizes the weekend’s qualifying procedure. One thing I would change is have the groups on Sunday based on Saturday’s starting positions rather than have the same groups both days.

I will like going to a track on the first event day knowing when the practice sessions are. I always take a copy of the schedule with me, but it will be nice to know the first session is at 11 and the second one is at 3. Shortening the practice sessions to 45 minutes and allowing practice on the reds should make for more on track action during the sessions.

These are great changes for the Verizon Indycar Series. I like that they are trying to have practice sessions simulate qualifying and race conditions while providing more on track running. Adapting procedures to the situations of different tracks is helpful as well.

Notes:

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced Copper Moon Coffee will be the team’s official coffee supplier through 2018. Will the steering wheels have an espresso button?

Zachary Claman DeMelo signed with Carlin for his second Indy Lights season. I thought he showed steady improvement during the year. It appears there will be 12-14 cars on the Indy Lights grid. Considering that Schmidt is not entering the series this year, that is a nice number.

We are just 32 days away from the first practice day at St. Pete. I’m ready.

I’m working on my season preview, which I plan to publish March 1. I will be back before then. You can’t get rid of me that easily.

Indycar Silly Season- It Was Done, Now It Isn’t; My Season Begins

January 24, 2017 thepitwindow

Just when we thought all the rides were filled, one may be open again. Spencer Pigot returns to Ed Carpenter Racing to drive the 20 car on road and street courses. He joined the team after the 500 last year and drove the remaining street/road courses. This is a great move by ECR. They have a driver they are familiar with and who worked with them last year. Continuity is always an advantage for a young driver.

Almost at the same time, doubt was cast on Mikhail Aleshin’s ride in the 7 car for Sam Schmidt. This is most likely a funding issue. Aleshin had some great races last year, winning the pole at Pocono and nearly winning the race at Mid-Ohio. Things have been very quiet about what will happen there.

It appears we have seen the last of KV. Nothing new has surfaced since reports of talks with former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado a couple of weeks ago.

In a great move for A J Foyt racing, Will Phillips joins the team. Phillips is the latest addition to a team that is building toward having a much improved season.

Next week: My thoughts on the new season.

……………………………

My at track season begins this weekend with the Rolex24 at Daytona. I hope to have reports all weekend as I track the Indycar drivers taking part. There are a lot of them. I will get a list out later this week. As a free service for the race, I will telephone you personally at 3 am Sunday morning with a live in-race update. Just DM or message your number.

A Spine Chilling Roar

January 10, 2017January 10, 2017 thepitwindow

It was the same weather that fans endured for the 1992 Indianapolis 500 and last year’s Angie’s List Grand Prix. Fans arrived to a cold, windy, rainy track. But it is January, What else can you expect in India- oh, wait. This is Florida. The Roar before the 24 it’s called. I’m not sure if the name refers to the cars or the wind.

. I have begun to rekindle my interest in sportscar racing. Before the Indycar season gets started it’s a nice way to see some racing early in the year. Since it is the off- season, several Indycar drivers drive in both the Rolex24 in Daytona and the Sebring 12 hour race.

The IMSA Weather Tech Sportscar Series holds this annual test the first weekend in January, three weeks before the Rolex 24. It is a chance to test new cars and see what improvements have been made to returning machines. The three day test consists of seven practice sessions.

Fans who have purchased tickets to the Rolex24 receive free admission which includes paddock access. The garages at Daytona are very open, providing easy viewing for spectators. Some garages have windows in the rear outside the paddock for viewing. This is more than a test; it’s an event. Driver and officials make scheduled appearances at the plaza for question and answer sessions and to talk about technical aspects of the series.

Yes, there are race cars. Lots of them. All four classes participate in the test. The prototype class has changed to a new formula this season. The cars are now known as DPi, Daytona prototype international. There are three engine manufacturers in DPi- Cadillac, Mazda, and Nissan. Oreca, Dallara, and Cadillac supply the chassis. The cars have distinct body styles, mainly in the front. All of them in my opinion are quite beautiful. They have brought back some of the shape of cars of the past. The other classes are basically the same as before.

I was impressed by the size of the crowd. The infield parking lots were quite full. Some people were brave enough to camp. The greatest part of the weekend, though, was the fact it was the first week of January and I was watching race cars on a track. That went a long way toward taking my mind off the weather.

Below are some prototypes. Notice the differences in design.

Silly Season Semi-Final Update- Filling Up Fast

November 22, 2016 thepitwindow

It’s great to be back. Many things have intruded on my writing time- health issues, home repair issues, yard work. I think things have settled down and I can get back to this fun project. I have missed this greatly.

We now have a nearly complete Indycar lineup for the entire season. There are a scattered few left including one unconfirmed seat.

The biggest and best news was Conor Daly and Carlos Munoz signing with A. J. Foyt Racing. Munoz will drive the 14 and Daly the 4. Foyt has used the number 4 occasionally. I am glad the 41 is gone. It is such a strange number. Will the team be better? They should. Daly usually makes a team better. Munoz will get more attention on a smaller team. I think Munoz has a great chance to win a race next season. Daly might steal one. Last year Conor got to the front on strategy and was able to have the pace to stay there. Chevrolet power should help both start closer to the front.

The other good news item is J. R. Hildebrand returning full time for Ed Carpenter Racing in the 21 car. Hildebrand puts another former Indy lights champion in the field. J. R. has run well in the 500 the last couple of years. It’s great to have him back full time. Still no word on who will drive the 20 car on road and street courses. Not sure if Spencer Pigot is still under consideration.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this fall full of surprises is Dale Coyne having both of his cars assigned before the end of the year. Ed Jones, this year’s Indy Lights champ, joins Sebastian Bourdais. in the Coyne stable. This will be an interesting team to watch.

Our scorecard of open seats now looks like this:

0.5- Car 20, Ed Carpenter Racing

1 – Car 8 at Ganassi. I understand Max Chilton is negotiating a contract to keep the ride.

1- Car 26 at Andretti. Takuma Sato, though likely, not confirmed yet.

1- Car 11 at KV or KV/Carlin? This is still questionable whether they will field a team other than for the 500.

There are a lot of drivers looking to get these open seats. Some possibilities: R. C. Enerson, Spencer Pigot, Zach Veach, Oriol Servia likely part time with Schmidt in a third car); Jack Harvey, and Kyle Kaiser. Enerson did an impressive job For Dale Coyne in the last three races of the season. I think he will get one of the openings.

Next week, I’ll reveal my 2017 tentative race schedule. Anyone guessing what races I’m attending in May gets a free grandstand seat any practice day during the month. You just pay track admission and the seat is on me.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Silly Season Update- A Trade in the Works; It’s Almost Done

November 1, 2016 thepitwindow

Yesterday was a busy news day in Indycar Silly Season. News that Takuma Sato will be in the #26 car at Andretti Autosport really should not be a surprise. Andretti needs funding for that car. Honda funds Sato as they did when he was with Foyt. This solves two problems. It appears likely that Carlos Munoz will be going to Foyt. In effect, they traded drivers.

The other big story yesterday was Juan Pablo Montoya accepting Penske’s offer to drive the Indianapolis 500 only with the promise of a sportscar ride when Penske puts a program together. Again, this proves a part-time gig with Penske is better than a full time ride elsewhere. This arrangement also gives Team Penske a built-in substitute driver should a situation arise as when Will Power couldn’t race at St. Pete this season.

The biggest beneficiary of yesterday’s moves is Conor Daly. Taking Montoya away opens the remaining seats up more for him. What seats remain? There are just a few:

1 at Foyt

1.5 at Carpenter

1 at KV/Carlin?

1 at Ganassi?

1 at Coyne

I think that’s it. I don’t see a completely new team next year, since the aerokits have just one season left. Economically, it doesn’t make sense. The full time field should be between 20-22 cars.

For the 500, it will likely still be a struggle to get to 33, even with a 5th Penske car.

It’s possible we could know the entire lineup by December. The more time I have to learn who is which car the better.