Tag: NBCSN

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach- Fast Facts

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From Indycar. Look for my preview tomorrow morning.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts

Race weekend: Friday, Sept. 24 – Sunday, Sept. 26

Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California

Race distance: 85 laps / 167.28 miles

Media Links: Entry List (PDF) | Driver Video Quotes | Trackside Media Guide (PDF)

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for Practice 1.

Twitter: @GPLongBeach, @IndyCar, #AGPLB, #IndyCar

Event website: http://www.gplb.com

INDYCAR website: http://www.IndyCar.com

2019 race winner (most recent): Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda)

2019 NTT P1 Award winner (most recent): Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda), 1:06.4811, 106.569 mph

Qualifying lap record: Helio Castroneves, 1:06.2254, 106.980 mph, April 8, 2017

NBCSN telecasts: Qualifying, Saturday, Sept. 25 (3 p.m. ET, live); Race, Sunday, Sept. 26 (3 p.m. ET, live). Leigh Diffey will be the play-by-play announcer for NBCSN’s telecast of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.

Peacock Premium Live Streaming: This weekend’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and NTT P1 Award qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes will be the lead announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn and Alex Wolff will report from the pits. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 205 and 211, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, Sept. 24

3-3:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium (live)

Saturday, Sept. 25

  • 9-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2, Peacock Premium (live)
  • 12:05 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), NBCSN/Peacock Premium (live)

Sunday, Sept. 19

  • 9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium (live)
  • Noon – Driver introductions
  • Noon – NBCSN on air
  • 12:38 p.m. – Start engines command
  • 12:45 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (85 laps/167.28 miles), NBCSN (live)

Championship Facts:

  • Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with one race to go for the first time in his career. Palou has led the point standings after 10 of the 15 races this season.
  • There are three drivers mathematically eligible for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden. Neither Palou nor O’Ward has won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. Newgarden has won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship twice in the last four seasons (2017 and 2019).
  • This is the 37th INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of Long Beach and the first time that the INDYCAR SERIES championship will be decided at the track. The temporary street circuit routinely hosts an April race.
  • The winner at Long Beach has gone on to win the championship in the same season 14 times: Mario Andretti (1984), Al Unser Jr. (1990 and 1994), Jimmy Vasser (1996), Alex Zanardi (1997 and 1998), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Paul Tracy (2003), Sebastien Bourdais (2005, 2006 and 2007), Dario Franchitti (2009), Scott Dixon (2015) and Simon Pagenaud (2016).

KEY CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STATISTIC: This is the 16th consecutive year that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion will be determined at the final race of the season.

CHAMPIONSHIP WITH ONE TO GO (2008-2021)

YEARLEADERSECOND LEADCHAMPION
2008Scott DixonHelio Castroneves30Scott Dixon
2009Scott DixonDario Franchitti5Dario Franchitti
2010Will PowerDario Franchitti12Dario Franchitti
2011Will PowerDario Franchitti11Dario Franchitti
2012Will PowerRyan Hunter-Reay17Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013Scott DixonHelio Castroneves25Scott Dixon
2014Will PowerHelio Castroneves51Will Power
2015Juan Pablo MontoyaGraham Rahal34Scott Dixon
2016Simon PagenaudWill Power43Simon Pagenaud
2017Josef NewgardenScott Dixon3Josef Newgarden
2018Scott DixonAlexander Rossi29Scott Dixon
2019Josef NewgardenAlexander Rossi41Josef Newgarden
2020Scott DixonJosef Newgarden32Scott Dixon
2021Alex PalouPato O’Ward35?

Race Notes:

  • There have been nine different winners in 15 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Alex Palou (Barber Motorsports Park, Road America, Portland International Raceway), Colton Herta (Streets of St. Petersburg, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway-1), Pato O’Ward (Texas Motor Speedway-2, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Rinus VeeKay (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500), Marcus Ericsson  (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1, Streets of Nashville), Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, World Wide Technology Raceway) and Will Power (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-2) have all won in 2021. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
  • There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Helio Castroneves, Alex Palou, Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Colton Herta). The only repeat winners in that stretch are, Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1 and Streets of Nashville), Newgarden (Mid-Ohio and WWT Raceway) and Palou (Road America and Portland).
  • This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 37th INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR race there in 1984. Alexander Rossi won the race in 2018 and 2019. No race was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sebastien Bourdais (2005-2007) was the last back-to-back-to-back winner at Long Beach.
  • Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Sebastien Bourdais, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Bourdais won three straight races from 2005-2007. Power won in 2008 and 2012, and Rossi won in 2018 and 2019. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are Helio Castroneves (2001), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2010), Takuma Sato (2013), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016) and  James Hinchcliffe (2017).
  • Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07) and Alexander Rossi (2018-19).
  • Twenty of the 28 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power each have 14 starts, most among all entered drivers. Eleven entered drivers have led laps: Helio Castroneves 179, Bourdais 173, Power 170, Hunter-Reay 151, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 103, Takuma Sato 67, Simon Pagenaud 54, James Hinchcliffe 25 and Josef Newgarden 4.
  • Four California natives are entered: 2018 and 2019 race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City, while Andretti Autosport teammate Colton Herta hails from Valencia. Charlie Kimball is from Camarillo, and NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Jimmie Johnson is from El Cajon.
  • Four NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies – Romain Grosjean, Callum Ilott, Jimmie Johnson and Scott McLaughlin – are expected to compete. The four rookies, along with veteran drivers Oliver Askew, Dalton Kellett, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay, will all make their first INDYCAR SERIES start on the Streets of Long Beach.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Full Event Schedule

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All Times Pacific;

Reminder-Race is on NBCSN.

Indycar activities in bold italics.

Friday, September 24

7:30 AM Gates Open
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge Practice
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM IMSA Practice
11:10 AM – 11:30 AM Stadium SUPER Trucks Practice
12:35 PM – 1:00 PM Global Time Attack Practice
1:20 PM – 2:35 PM IMSA Practice #2
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM INDYCAR Practice #1
4:00 PM – 4:20 PM Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge Qualifying
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES All-Driver Autograph Session (INDYCAR Paddock – Open to all race attendees)
4:45 PM – 5:55 PM IMSA Qualifying
6:15 PM – 6:35 PM Super Drift Challenge Practice
6:45 PM – 8:15 PM Formula D Super Drift Challenge Competition #1

Saturday, September 25 

7:30 AM Gates Open
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM INDYCAR Practice #2
10:05 AM – 10:35 AM Stadium SUPER Trucks Race #1
10:40 AM IMSA Race Pit Set Up
11:05 AM – 11:20 AM Global Time Attack Competition #1
12:05 PM – 1:20 PM INDYCAR Qualifying & FIRESTONE FAST 6
1:30 PM IMSA Pre-Race Ceremonies Begin
2:06 PM – 3:46 PM IMSA SportsCar Grand Prix of Long Beach (100 min)
4:30 PM – 4:50 PM Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge Race #1
5:30 PM – 5:50 PM Super Drift Challenge Practice
5:30 PM Vince Neil Concert Presented by Acura and ASM Global
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Formula D Super Drift Challenge Competition #2

Sunday, September 26

7:30 AM Gates Open
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM INDYCAR Warm Up
10:10 AM – 10:25 AM Global Time Attack Competition #2
10:45 AM – 11:05 AM Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge Race #2
11:10 AM – 11:20 AM Acura NSX Hot Laps
11:25 AM – 11:40 AM Mothers Exotic Car Parade
11:54 AM INDYCAR Pre Race Ceremonies Begin
12:05 PM Indy Cars to Grid
12:38 PM “Drivers Start Your Engines”
12:39 PM INDYCAR Pace Laps
12:45 PM – 3:00 PM ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH (Season Finale of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES – 85 Laps)
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Stadium SUPER Trucks Race #2

TIME CERTAIN SCHEDULE – All sessions, except as noted, to start and finish on schedule

Subject to Change without Notice

Download 2021 Event Schedule here (PDF)

Racing Takes a Back Seat

thepitwindow4 Comments

As I mentioned yesterday when I posted qualifying results, I am back in Indy. Friday Last night I could not reach Marti, my significant other. I didn’t think much of it because sometimes she retires early. An attempt to call yesterday morning also went unanswered and I became concerned. I received a text from her just as I got to the track. She said she was in the hospital. I turned in my golf cart, went to back to my Airbnb and packed, and headed for home.

It turns out Marti fainted Friday afternoon. She was able to reach her phone and call 911. We are awaiting the results of one test. The other lab work does not indicate anything serious, perhaps just a severe electrolyte imbalance. She is resting comfortably. Tanks to everyone who reached out with good thoughts yesterday afternoon.

I will watch the REV Group Grand Prix from home today and post my thoughts either later this evening or tomorrow. It looks like a really good chance of rain late n the race. Who goes to rain tires first? In 2018 at Barber in the rain postponed race, Josef Newgarden went to rain tires before the track got slippery. The move paid off as he retook the lead when everyone else had to pit for the treaded rubber.

How will the same front row as Detroit’s Race 2 last Sunday play out today? In consecutive races weekends we have had two multiple pole winners and our first multiple race winner. I see our eighth race winner of 2021 happening today.

If you are at Road America, have fun and be prepared for the weather. For those of you driving back to Indy, Chicago traffic was a nightmare yesterday. Be careful coming back. I will keep you updated on things here at home. Thanks for reading.

Pole Fight and Last Chance Battle Involve Former Winners

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Today’s Schedule; All Times eastern

Gates Open 9:00am 7:00pm

Last Chance Practice 11:00am 11:30am

Firestone Fast Nine Practice 11:30am 12:00pm

Last Chance Qualifying 1:15pm 2:30pm


1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET

Firestone Fast Nine 3:00pm 3:45pm


2:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET

NTT IndyCar Series Practice 5:00pm 7:00pm


4:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

Grandstands open:

Paddock, Paddock Penthouse, A Penthouse, B Penthouse , E, E Penthouse, Tower Terrace, Northwest Vista and Deck, Southeast Vista and deck.

Note: only limited sections open in all stands.

Parking:

North 40 is free. All other lots are paid. $10

Four former winners have a shot at the pole this afternoon in the Fast Nine shootout. That is a routine occurrence. Onf ormer winner will fight to make the field. That doesn’t happen often.

Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, and Ryan Hunter-Reay earned a chance to run for the pole this afternoon. Dixon had the fastest time yesterday, Kanaan was third, Castroneves sixth, and Hunter-Reay eighth.

I think the pole battle is between Dixon, Kanaan, and Colton Herta. Dixon is favored, but don’t dismiss Herta’s chances.

On the other end of the field, five drivers, including 2018 winner Will Power, need to qualify for the final three spots in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Power had the 31st fastest time yesterday, but the if three of the other four can outrun him, the 2014 series champion will sit out next Sunday. Power, one of the greatest qualifiers in Indycar history, will get one of the spots, but it may be tight. The cars are competing just against each other today, and not against the rest of the field.

Also looking for a spot on next Sunday’s grid are Simona DeSilvestro, Sage Karam, Charlie Kimball, and R C Enerson.

Stay tuned. this will be a fascinating day at both ends of the field.

Some photos from yesterday:

Can Helio Castroneves win another pole?
Always nice to see Robert Wickens at the track
Simona DeSilvestro after her first qualifying run.

Dixon Leads as Some Contenders Struggle

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Scott Dixon qualified first and no one has been able to match his four lap average of 231.320 mph. Colton Herza, Tony Kansas, and Ed Carpenter put up a challenge for two laps, but their last two laps brought their average below Dixon’s.

The Fast Nine as of 3:15 Eastern:

Dixon

Herta

Kanaan

Ed Carpenter

Rinus VeeKay

Helio Castroneves

Alex Palou

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Marcus Ericsson

The botzom five, two of whom will miss the race:

Saze Karam

Will Power

Charlie Kimball

Simona De Silverstro

R C Emerson

Qualifications run until 5:50 Eastern. Coverage is currently on NBCSN as well as on Peacock

It’s Qualifications Day!

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Photo: Can Conor Daly win the hometown pole?

It’s time to build the grid. For the first time in two years, fans will get to witness qualifying in person. The size of yesterday’s fast friday crowd indicates there could be a huge turnout today. More grandstands are open today, including parts of the Northwest and Southeast Vistas.

here is what you need to know:

Today’s Schedule:

Gates Open 8:00am 6:00pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice 9:30am 10:30am

Indianapolis 500 Qualifying 12:00pm 5:50pm


12:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET


2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET


3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Grandstands open:

Paddock, Paddock Penthouse, A Penthouse, B Penthouse , E, E Penthouse, Tower Terrace, Northwest Vista and Deck, Southeast Vista and deck.

Note: only limited sections open in all stands.

Parking:

North 40 is free. All other lots are paid. It cost $10 Friday; may be $15 today.

From last night:

https://thepitwindow.blog/2021/05/21/dixon-goes-233-pole-battle-wide-open/

Qualifying Order:

Draw #Car #DriverEngine
    
19Scott DixonHonda
298Marco AndrettiHonda
328Ryan Hunter-ReayHonda
406Helio CastronevesHonda
518Ed JonesHonda
629James HinchcliffeHonda
725Stefan WilsonHonda
848Tony KanaanHonda
92Josef NewgardenChevy
1021Rinus VeeKayChevy
113Scott McLaughlinChevy
1230Takuma SatoHonda
1345Santino FerrucciHonda
1424Sage KaramChevy
1551Pietro FittipaldiHonda
1686Juan Pablo MontoyaChevy
171JR HildebrandChevy
1812Will PowerChevy
1920Ed CarpenterChevy
205Pato O’WardChevy
217Felix RosenqvistChevy
2259Max ChiltonChevy
234Dalton KellettChevy
2447Conor DalyChevy
2515Grahal RahalHonda
2660Jack HarveyHonda
2775RC EnersonChevy
2810Alex PalouHonda
2922Simon PagenaudChevy
3026Colton HertaHonda
3127Alexander RossiHonda
328Marcus EricssonHonda
3316Simon De SilvestroChevy
3411Charlie KimballChevy
3514Sebastien BourdaisChevy

Since cars and drivers can make multiple attempts, the order doesn’t matter as much as it used to. The heat of mid day will probably determine when a second run occurs. It will be interesting to see who pulls out of the line to wait for better conditions.

I hope to have an update around 3 pm. Enjoy the day no matter where you are viewing from.

EXPEL 375- Another Dixon Runaway?

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Tonight’s EXPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway could possibly be a repeat of lat night’s race. There are a couple of factors that may change the outcome. The race is 36 laps longer, 248 laps, which will require an extra pit stop. The temperatures will be warmer, which will increase tire wear. Whether these things are enough to make a better race I’m not sure. It will be just be different.

The starting lineup- Entrant points once again determine the lineup. The points used for today’s race reflect the standings following last night’s race. Setting the lineup when qualifying is washed out is a no win situation for the series. There is no way to make everyone happy. Some fans have said there is plenty of time to qualify today. That may be true, but there is no broadcast window for it, and the rules for this situation are in the rule book.

Here is how the grid looks. Green flag is at 5:15 pm Eastern on NBCSN. Coverage begins at 5 pm Eastern.

I will be back with my thoughts on Race 2 later tonight.