Tag: NTT Indycar Series

DeFrancesco Happy with Rookie Season, Eager for 2023

thepitwindow

Rookie Devlin DeFrancesco has learned a lot and believes he has had a good first year in Indycar. I spoe with the Andretti Autosport driver this morning.

Assessing the season, Defrancesco said,

“You know, I’d say probably a 6.5 out of 10. Last race was a strong showing, for me; the test we had your week and a half ago was very strong for me by the end,. So understandingthe season has just been getting better and better and nothing more to secure two strong finishes.”

While DeFrancesco is happy with his improved qualkifying, he is hoping to translate starting positions into great results.

” I really think it’s all coming. I think this weekend could be a very strong weekend for me. I’m very comfortable with the car now knowing what I need to go faster what I need in certain times, with balance and things like that. And if you look at even the last few test days, we’ve done from start to finish, we don’t seem to get lost anymore. It’s just a constant progression through the day. And that was especially our day here. It’s what it seemed to be. So even our day in Laguna. You know, we started off fairly strong, we try to keep things Things seem to quite work. And we went back to where we we knew we were good in tuned on it. So that’s really been I think, what’s been helping me a lot recently.”

Leasrnuing how to work with the red alternate tires had been a work in progress this season for the rookie.

“Knowing what you need from the black to the red tire is tricky because you don’t get a lot of time on the right tires a lot more front a lot more grip in general. So I think knowing what you can balance and the balance when you have to take is critical and it’s been more often than I have gotten it right this year. But now knowing what I need it’s definitely coming to.”

For the final two races of 2022, DeFrancesco will be happy to match speed with his teammates/

“You know, just know similarspeed to my teammates and their security, this leader circle I know this is what’s important for myself. It’s a form of mentoring for my team and sponsors. “

DeFrancesco, like the rest of us, wishes for a shorter off season so he can apply this season’s lessons.

“100% That’s mainly what I’m looking forward to, you know, it’s a shame the offseason is so long, you know, I wish it wasn’t as long as it was but it’d be good to get into these last two races strongly and just build on this momentum going into next season.”

Grid Penalties for Newgarden and Kellett

thepitwindow

From Indycar:

INDYCAR Announces Portland Grid Penalties

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 2, 2022) – INDYCAR officials have announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 2 Team Penske and No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises for unapproved engine changes following the Saturday, Aug. 20 race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The teams were in violation of:

Rule 16.2.3.2 A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.

According to Rule 16.6.1.2, the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Sept. 4 at Portland International Raceway.

Portland Preview

thepitwindow

Colton Herta could play a spoiler role Sunday

Today’s Schedule. All times Pacific

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

9:05 AM – 9:35 AM USF2000 Qualifying
9:55 AM – 10:25 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying
11:20 AM – 12:05 PM USF2000 Race 1
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session
12:20 PM – 1:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1
1:25 PM – 2:15 PM Indy Lights Practice 1
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 Peacock
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM USF2000 Race 2
5:00 PM – 5:50 PM Indy Pro 200 Race 2
6:05 PM – 7:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Practice

Good morning from the Pacific Northwest. We are about 20 minutes away from the first track action of the day. Whiule the Grand prix of Portland isn’t considered Champiuonship Weekend, what happens here could go a long way toward determining the NTT Indycar Series 2022 champion.

It will come down to qualifying and who gets through turn 1 on lap 1 cleanly. Since Indycar returnbed to Portland in 2018, there has yet to be a clean start. Strangely, while two first turn disasters have involved championship contenders, they came back to get a result which propelled them to the title.

Scott Dixon in 2018 ended up in the dirt but kept going to finish fifth. Last year Alex Palou was involved in a pileup, restarted 20th, yet came back to win.

Chip Ganassi Racing decided not to test here last week, while Team Penske did. Ganassi felt their speed from 2021 gave them all the ibformation they need for Portland. We will see who made the correct decision.

Spoilers

Two teams could play thge spoiler role and keep the champion even more in doubt going to lagfuna Seca next week. Andretti Autosport I believe has one more win to come this season. Colton Herts is always fast on the west coast, and Alexander Rosi ahs had a strong second half of 2022.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan has improved tremendously in the second half as well. Graham Rahal and Christiuan Lundgaard have been in the top 10 consistently since August.

If either of these teams produces Sunday’s winner, and the four top title rivals have really bad days, it is possible here could more than five drivers with a realistic chance to win the title in the final race on September 11.

I pick Christian Lundgaard to win his first Indycar race Sunday, and either Josef Newgarden or Scott Dixon will hold a tenuous lead heading to Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca. Sound crazy? I think this scenario is perfectly in line with the wild season Indycar has had.

Portland Fast Facts

thepitwindow
From Indycar:
Race weekend: Friday, Sept. 2 – Sunday, Sept. 4
Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon
Race distance: 110 laps / 216.04 miles | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes
)Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
.Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires in the race. (Note: A seventh set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.)
Twitter: @Portland_GP, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCAR
Event website: www.portlandgp.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2021 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIESAlex Palou (No. 10 PNC Bank Honda)
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper TiresRace 1: David Malukas (No. 79 HMD Motorsports)Race 2: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 28 Andretti Autosport)
2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Alex Palou (No. 10 PNC Bank Honda), 58.7701, 120.306 mph
Qualifying records:NTT INDYCAR SERIESWill Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying)
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper TiresPato O’Ward, 1:02.8074, 112.573 mph, Aug. 31, 2018
NBC Sports race telecast: Grand Prix of Portland 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 4, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.
Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecast of the Grand Prix of Portland will be simulcast on the streaming service. Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. The Indy Lights Portland Grand Prix (1 p.m. ET Sunday) will be streamed on Peacock Premium with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR Live!
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman, Michael Young and Ryan Myrehn are the turn announcers.
Dan Rusanowski and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters. The Grand Prix of Portland race (3 p.m. ET Sunday), Indy Lights Portland Grand Prix (1 p.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, Sept. 2
1:25-2:15 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice 1, INDYCAR Live!
2:30-3:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium
Saturday, Sept. 3
9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes limited guarantee), Peacock Premium
11:15-11:55 a.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice 2, INDYCAR Live!
12:05 p.m. – Grand Prix of Portland NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium
3:25 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Qualifying, INDYCAR Live!
4:15-4:45 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium
Sunday, Sept. 4
10:15 a.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers Start Your Engines”
10:20 a.m. – Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes)
Noon – NBC on air
12:23 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”12:30 p.m. – Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), NBC (Live)
Championship facts:
Will Power leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with two races to go for the fourth time in his career. Power previously led the championship with two races in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2014.There are seven drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Power leads Josef Newgarden by 3 points with Scott Dixon (-14), Marcus Ericsson (-17), Alex Palou (-43), Scott McLaughlin (-54) and Pato O’Ward (-58) behind. Any driver who trails the points leader by 54 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention.Power assumed the point lead following the Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30. The lead has changed hands seven times between McLaughlin, Newgarden, Palou, Power and Ericsson.
Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 11 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004 and 2007) and Alex Palou (2021).
Point differential: The three points that separate Will Power and Josef Newgarden is the closest margin with two races remaining since 2008. The 43 points separating the top five drivers in the championship is the tightest title chase since 2003, when 41 points separated the top five. The average deficit with two races to go since 2008 is 24.3 points.
Key championship point statistic: No point lead is ever safe in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Since 2008, a driver has made up a deficit with two races to go and won the series championship five times. Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon have done it twice. Franchitti trailed Ryan Briscoe by 25 points in 2009 and Will Power by 17 points in 2010; Ryan Hunter-Reay tracked down Power in 2012 after trailing by 36 points with two races remaining, Dixon overcame an eight-point deficit to Helio Castroneves in 2013 and was in third place, 34 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya, in 2015.
CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 2 TO GO (2008-2022)
YEAR LEADER SECOND  LEAD CHAMPION
2008 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 43 Scott Dixon
2009 Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti 25 Dario Franchitti
2010 Will Power Dario Franchitti 17 Dario Franchitti
2011 Dario Franchitti Will Power 5 Dario Franchitti
2012 Will Power Ryan Hunter-Reay 36 Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013 Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon 8 Scott Dixon
2014 Will Power Helio Castroneves 39 Will Power
2015 Juan Pablo Montoya Graham Rahal 9 Scott Dixon (-34)
2016 Simon Pagenaud Will Power 20 Simon Pagenaud
2017 Josef Newgarden Scott Dixon 31 Josef Newgarden
2018 Scott Dixon Alexander Rossi 26 Scott Dixon
2019 Josef Newgarden Simon Pagenaud 38 Josef Newgarden
2020 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 40 Scott Dixon
2021 Alex Palou Pato O’Ward 25 Alex Palou
2022 Will Power Josef Newgarden 3 ?
Race notes: There have been eight different winners in 15 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2022 season. Scott McLaughlin (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Streets of Long Beach, Road America, Iowa Speedway-1, World Wide Technology Raceway), Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-2), Colton Herta (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Marcus Ericsson (Indianapolis 500), Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle Park), Scott Dixon (Streets of Toronto and Streets of Nashville) and Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-2) have all won in 2022. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.The Grand Prix of Portland will be the 28th INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the fourth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. 
Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Alex Palou won in 2021. Palou, Will Power and Takuma Sato are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.
Seven INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at Portland International Raceway from the pole – Danny Sullivan (1988), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004) and Alex Palou (2021).Team Penske has won six times at Portland International Raceway. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994 and 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000) and Will Power (2019). Chip Ganassi Racing has three wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021. Newman/Haas Racing won a record eight times at Portland.
Twenty-one drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Will Power each have five starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Castroneves 115, Power 66, Colton Herta 36, Graham Rahal 36, Alexander Rossi 32, Alex Palou 29, Pato O’Ward 28, Takuma Sato 25, Dixon 15, Josef Newgarden 8, Jack Harvey 5, Scott McLaughlin 5, Felix Rosenqvist 3 and Marcus Ericsson 1).
Pato O’Ward won both Indy Lights races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the series championship…Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now Indy Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 305th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history … With his next pole position, Will Power will break a tie with Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for most career poles. They both have 67 pole positions … With his next win, Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time victory list with 42.
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes: The Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland will be the series’ 21st race at Portland International Raceway. Previous Indy Lights winners at Portland include Paul Tracy, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Pato O’Ward and Rinus VeeKay. Current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood split the Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland doubleheader in 2021.Linus Lundqvist of HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing is enjoying a dominant season, leading the series in wins (five), poles (six) and top-five finishes (11) through 11 races. Lundqvist, a native of Sweden, owns a commanding 108-point lead over second-place Matthew Brabham of Andretti Autosport. Lundqvist can clinch the season championship by leading by at least 109 points after this event.Danial Frost, Christian Rasmussen and Hunter McElrea have all scored their first Indy Lights win in 2022. Just three races are remaining for other talented prospects such as Sting Ray Robb, Benjamin Pedersen, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. to score a first series win.
Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Portland as Indy Lights drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds. 
 

The 2023 Grid- Clearer and Murkier

thepitwindow

Photo: Devlin Defrancesco at Long Beach

Just when you thought Silly Season was over, the NTT Indycar Series grid for 2023 became both clearer and cloudier in the last week.

Devlin DeFrancesco will stay in the 29 car for Andretti Autosport in 2023. He has had a somewhat uneven season, but DeFrancesco has qualified well in several of recent races. He started ninth at Gateway

Colton Herta

Formula 1 rumors have again risen around Colton Herta. Red Bull has made inquiries about his filling one of the Alpha Tauri seats which may soon be vacant. Herta is still shy of the required 40 points for an F1 super license. My guess is he is back in the 26 for one more year. Herta would likely be a reserve driver in F1 in 2023.

The Newest Hottest Driver

I thought it was a foregone conclusion that David Malukas would be back with dale Coyne Racing next year. The rookie has begun to get notice from other teams, and his second place at gateway two weeks ago really cranked up the free agent buzz.

David Malukas

There seems to be great interest from Chip Ganassi Racing, which could have as many as two openings in 2023, depending on the Alex Palou situation with McLaren, and whether Jimmie Johnson returns with Carvana.

This puzzle may not be resolved for awhile. My fear is that Malukas may end up the odd man out. That would be a huge mistake for the series.

Where Do Indy Lights Drivers Fit?

Linus Lundqvist will most likely win the Indy lights championship and have three Indycar races, including the Indianapolis 500, guaranteed. If Malukas moves to Ganassi, could Lundqvist move into the seat at Coyne?

Matthew Brabham and Hunter McElrea are also seeking Indycar rides. Ernie Francis, Jr. may also be looking to move up, at least for the 500.

Indycar in2023 will have the usual problem of too many drivers seeking too few seats. The grid is expected to expand next season, but the driver situation will only improve when the elusive third OEM appears.

Grand Prix of Portland Schedule

thepitwindow

All Times Pacific

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

9:05 AM – 9:35 AM USF2000 Qualifying
9:55 AM – 10:25 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying
11:20 AM – 12:05 PM USF2000 Race 1
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session
12:20 PM – 1:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1
1:25 PM – 2:15 PM Indy Lights Practice 1
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 Peacock
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM USF2000 Race 2
5:00 PM – 5:50 PM Indy Pro 200 Race 2
6:05 PM – 7:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Practice


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 Peacock
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM USF200O Race 3
11:15 AM – 11:55 AM Indy Lights Practice 2
12:05 PM – 1:20 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying Peacock
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM Indy Lights Autograph Session
1:35 PM – 2:05 PM ARCA Menards Series West Qualifying
2:20 PM – 3:10 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 3
3:25 PM – 3:45 PM Indy Lights Qualifying
4:15 PM – 4:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice Peacock
5:30 PM ARCA Menards Series Race (57 laps)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

10:20 AM – 11:15 AM Indy Lights Race Peacock
11:40 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions
12:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Grand Prix of Portland (110
laps) NBC; Peacock
*Schedule subject to change without notice. All times PT

Points Battle- Spoilers, Helpers, Bonus Points

thepitwindow

Will Power has a very tenuous lead heading into the final two races

The Indycar title fight is down to four drivers who are separated by just 17 points. Three of the four have nine Indycar championships between them. 2022 is one of the closest four driver battles with two races left that I remember. It is also a team battle, Team Penske vs. Chip Ganassi Racing.

The standings:

I have shown the top six because Alex Palou drives for Ganassi and Scott McLaughlin drives for Penske. They are both a bit too far out to have a realistic chance at the title unless all four ahead of them have some extremely bad luck the next two weekends. but they have a role to play. Palou and Mclaughlin need to help their teammates by taking points away from the competitors on the other team.

If either Palou or McLaughlin should win of the last two races- Palou won at Portland last year- it doesn’t necessarily hurt their team members.

Bonus Points

The three point difference between Power and Newgarden can be contributed to the bonus points Power earned at Gateway last weekend. The championship could come down to who scores the most bonus points at Portland and Laguna Seca. The season long bonus point standings”

Dixon 21 (5 races)

Power 18 (10 races)

Newgarden 18 (9 races)

Ericsson 12 (5 races)

Dixon’s total is skewed by the 12 points he earned for winning the pole at the Indianapolis 500. He would have just 10 bonus points if Indianapolis awarded the normal ingle point for pole.

Power and Dixon are the only two of this group who have earned maximum bonus points for a race.

Testing as Strategy

Most Indycar teams have one test day left, and the top two teams have each chosen a different track to map the final push.

Today, Team Penske tests at Portland. Ganassi tests Monday at L:aguna Seca. Ganassi tested at Portland last year and took the pole and the race win.

Gateway Wrap Up

thepitwindow

There is nothing like an impending rain storm to liven up what began as a pretty dull race. The processional fuel saving start began to get intriguing when some cars began pitting around lap 51. The Coyne cars of Takuma Sato and David Malukas were among the early stoppers. Both had time leading. the race. As it turned out, Malukas was the eventual beneficiary of track position when the race resumed.

Forty laps of racing under the lights is nice for a sprint or midget feature. Indycar needs to seriously consider returning the non Indy ovals to night races. I don’t care if they can only be on Peacock. As I watched the Silver Crown cars Friday night under the lights, the feeling was bittersweet that Indycar would run in daylight the following day.

As Scott Mclaughlin mentioned after the race, the handling of the cars changes as the sun goes down and the track cools. This phenomenon is what makes night races more intriguing.

Outshining the Winner

The 2005 Indianapolis 500 saw Danica Patrick beco9me the first woman to lead the 500 . She eventually finished fourth. After the race race, and in the weeks following, if you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t knwo Dan wheldon actually won the race.

Saturday night was a bit like that. Second place David Malukas seemed to be the center of attention, while winner Josef Newgarden was the second biggest story. I am okay with this. Malukas has matured steadily throughout the season. he has been quick on ovals, and his road course game has improved tremendously.

It will be a while before the grin leaves David Malukas’ face.

To see him hunt down and pass Mclaughlin and nearly catch Newgarden was one of the highlights of the season.

Speculation has begun about where Malukas will race next year. Some say he will replace Alex Palou at Ganassi. I’m sure he got a call from Mclaren after the race.

Points Race Gets Even Tighter

I thought this race would shake up the points race, but only a couple positions switched and there are four drivers still with a realistic shot at the title.

Will Power holds a three point lead over Newgarden. His lead is basically the bonus points he earned for Saturday’s race. Scott Dixon is only 14 points behind. He has come back from farther than that to win with two races left.

Notes

I watched the first few laps of the race last night and I was surprised at the sparse grandstand crowd. Weather may have made some decide to stay home, but I wonder if the NASCAR race in June may have affected attendance as well. When tracks force people to decide which major event to attend, Indycar seems to take the hit. The promoters need to do a better job promoting all their bug events equally.

I have said this before, but I think it is time for Ed Carpenter to become an Indy only only driver for a couple more years. Carpenter has had a dismal season. His average finish in five races this season was 19.2 with a best of 13th. His third car could be the avenue for Paretta Autosport to have a full time entry in 2023.

The pits at night take on a kind of state fair atmosphere. It definitely has a different vibe after dark.

I watched the restart from a spot in the infield. I have never been as close to cars during a race as I was when the race resumed. The sound and the vibrations were overwhelming. Cars zipped by like I was using fast forward on my remote. I may have to be at this spot for the start next year.

Thanks for following my coverage this past weekend. Later this week, i will examine the points chase in more depth.

Rain Delay

thepitwindow

What bstarted out as a snoozer turn into a pretty good race. Pato O’Ward looked strong as he took the lead from Will Power on the only restart, but Josef Newgarden shot through the field to grab the lead and run away from the rest of the pack. The rain cam just after everyone’s last pit stop. 217 laps are complete and track drying continues.

Current standings:

I will have another update as soon as I have information on a restart.