Tag: NTT Indycar Series

Some Notes and a Drive for Dyslexia

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I found out late last week about Driving for Dyslexia, a fund raising event for the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana. The late Justin Wilson worked with the students who received services, once hosting a group for a tour of his transporter at the speedway before practice. I don’t know if the kids or the parents were more impressed. As always, Justin was generous with his time helping kids who had the same issue he did.

The event is April 26 from 6 pm to 9pm at Speedway Indoor Karting. Tickets are $100 to drive and $20 just to watch. Kids 8 and under are free. More information is at this link

https://donate.diin.org/event/2019-driving-for-dyslexia/e224062

I have signed up to drive, so for just $20 you can watch me look foolish. Or you can just read my blog and watch me look foolish for free.

More 500 Entries?

Oriol Servia has said he is close to finalizing a deal to enter the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.  My guess is this will be the third car at Arrow Schmidt Peterson.

Harding Steinbrenner Racing has begun calling drivers for their second 500 entry.

If these two cars become a reality, I have thirty five entries. A. J. Foyt Racing may have a third, which would be 36. I think that will be the final number of entries.

J. R. and Salesforce?- J. R . Hildebrand and Salesforce sent out a cryptic tweet last week about their exciting plans for May. No car was mentioned, but a photo of the car Hildebrand drove in 2018 was in the photo. I’m not counting this as an entry yet.

 Winning Is Good for Business

Following Colton Herta’s win at the Indycar Classic in Austin last week, Team owners Mike Harding and George Michael Steinbrenner IV told Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star, that there is interest from possible sponsors. Harding sounded optimistic that they may have an announcement soon.

In 2010 Ryan Hunter-Reay was driving for Michael Andretti on a part time arrangement. After Hunter-Reay won at Long Beach, DHL began a sponsor relationship that kept Hunter-Reay on track the rest of the year and continues to this day. I hope HSR and Herta have the same good fortune.

Game Changers?

Jay Frye mentioned a while ago about two game changing announcements coming in May. Everyone assumes one is the elusive third engine manufacturer. The assumption has led to wild speculation. Cosworth has stated they are not involved.  The favorite seems to be a German manufacturer, Which one?

As for the second announcement, I have no idea.

Pruett- Indycar May Return to Watkins Glen

The most exciting news item last week came from Marshall Pruett who said there is a rumor that Indycar may be racing at Watkins Glen again, sooner rather than later. The Glen is a track Indycar needs to run. It is classic and fast. Going to Watkins Glen was one of my favorite race trips.

2020 Schedule

I look for some significant changes in the schedule for 2020. I’m basing this partly on Nascar’s schedule reshuffling and wondering how NBC had a hand in it. I have no knowledge of anything imminent.

This is why a return to Watkins Glen would make sense next season.  I’m not sure how long Iowa can remain without a title sponsor, but that is one race I hope never leaves the schedule.

Some COTA Leftovers

Some things from last weekend I didn’t get to:

I understand why the checkered flag has a Speedway logo on it. I am not opposed to having a sponsor logo on the flag, but this one seems larger than most. I found it a bit invasive on the purpose of the flag. Can we make it just a bit smaller?

NBC ran what I suppose was a promo for the Indianapolis 500, but it looked like it was more a promo for the fact Danica Patrick was going to be part of the broadcast.  I get that NBC thinks she will help ratings (maybe), but to make her out to be bigger than the race I found distasteful.

I have nothing against her being on the broadcast. I’m neutral on Danica. I just thought that promo could have been done better with more focus on the race and event itself.

Back Thursday with a Barber preview. I will be reporting for Wildfire Sports on site next weekend, but will still have my notes and quick thoughts here.

 

 

 

 

 

Indycar Classic at COTA- Quick Thoughts

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That was an entertaining and dramatic race. Good battles throughout and quite a twist of fate at the end for Will Power.

Congratulations to Colton Herta and the Harding Steinbrenner team. They have had this track figured out since the February test.  The win was a great team rebound from a rough Friday.

George Michael Steinbrenner IV looked stunned in the post race interview.

The rookies at fun to watch. What a great move O’Ward put on Rahal.

Great job for Jack Harvey with a second straight top 10. Meyer Shank Racing is doing a steady solid job this year.

Having the blend line right at the entrance to turn 1 made for some interesting moments.

Weird to see Ganassi struggle as a team like they did today. Yet somehow Dixon is third in points. He will be a factor by the halfway mark of the season.

Rahal had his best race in quite a while. This is the most comfortable I’ve seen him in the car since the UAK was introduced last year.

The no track limits call helped the racing and made for some great action. This rule can be COTA’s unique feature.

The caution period seemed to last longer than necessary.

O’Ward and Carlin need to practice pit stops. He lost at least two spots with his slow releases.

Power and Rossi got burned sticking to their strategy. This is not the first time Team Penske has been burned by a caution by not pitting early.  Rossi got caught out by this situation at Portland last year as well.

NBC Coverage

Great camera work on a very photogenic facility.

Does every pit stop by every driver need to be shown? A great pass was missed because NBC was showing a backmarker’s stop.

There were too many and too long replays of the start of the race and too many in race recaps. This isn’t F1 where there is nothing happening on track.

I like the side pylon where the whole field is shown at once. I like that the board shows the tire choices and the push to pass time remaining.  It’s way better than nothing than the intervals  all the time.

 

Look for my full race report tomorrow on Wildfire Sports. Back here next week with some Indycar news and another  Indianapolis 500 program feature.

 

 

 

COTA Qualifying-Quick Thoughts

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Will Power is trying to pass Mario Andretti’s pole record this season.

Another first round red flag cost Sebastien Bourdais a chance to advance. Has to be frustrating for him, especially since his teammate, Santino Ferrucci, advanced. The red flag to end group 2 may have cost Marco Andretti. Unlike St. Pete, the reds came with less than a minute left in each session, so no one can complain about not having a shot.

I’m not so sure now that the race will be caution free. Turn 19 could be an action packed spot tomorrow.

This rookie class is good. Four of the six advanced to the second round. Felix Rosenqvist was the only to get through to the Fast Six for the second race in a row. He has out-qualified Scott Dixon twice. Rosenqvist had the fastest qualifying lap, 1:45.5 in round 2.

It’s great to see the rookies contending for starting spots at the front every week.

Look for the Power-Rossi front row a lot this season, though not always in this order.

Cars are sliding a lot, which will make for some exciting racing.

Round 2 was one of the best qualifying rounds I’ve seen.

Thank goodness there are no track limits in turn 19. The series might want to move some Porta Potties around, however.

The cars of Pato O’ Ward and Kyle Kaiser look very similar. Doesn’t help that they are numbers 31 and 32.

The race could be 2 hours long at these speeds.

A full qualifying report will be on Wildfire Sports later this evening.

COTA Friday Impressions

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Some thoughts from afar:

The track appears to be going all out to make Indycar feel welcome. The $100,000 bonus for winning the race from the pole is something more tracks should consider, perhaps not on that scale if they can’t afford it, but some kind of bonus would be good. COTA is definitely a track where winning from the pole is more likely.

What a great touch having the drivers’ names painted in front of their pit boxes. It’s a nice idea for those in the stands opposite the pits and might help for television.

More engine problems for Honda. I hope they can figure out the cause quickly. Three engines from three different teams shows it’s manufacturer problem.

Colton Herta could be a sleeper this weekend.

I can see the race getting strung out quickly with pit strategy determined by tire wear determining the outcome.

I’m glad race control decide to allow use of the turn 19 runoff area. We could see some crazy moves there.

I watched on NBC Gold for the first time today. I was impressed with the depth of the coverage, especially the shots inside the Harding Steinbrenner garage this afternoon as they threw the car back together.

Tomorrow- I will have Qualifying Quick Thoughts here and a full report on Wildfire Sports.

COTA- Journey to the Unknown

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A new race on a new track  increases the intrigue of a race weekend. The NTT Indycar Series is at Circuit of the Americas in Austin this weekend for the inaugural Indycar Classic. I still wonder how a first race is already a classic, but I’m glad to see Indycar race here at last.  The 20 turn, 3.41 mile circuit is a composite of famous features of tracks around the world. Turns 19, 20 and the front straight reflect the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. F1 has raced at COTA since 2012.

Here are some things to look for, and one thing not to do, for this weekend.

First the don’t. Don’t compare this weekends times and speeds to F1. Each series has cars built for different purposes. Of course Indycars will be slower. Just accept it.

Will Rookies Continue to Impress?

Felix Rosenqvist led laps and finished fourth at St. Pete. Two other rookies finished in the top 10. Colton Herta led three of the four test sessions at COTA. Pato O’Ward makes his highly anticipated debut.  I look for another strong showing for this talented crop of rookies. One thing in their favor is that it’s the first race at this track for everyone. Marcus Ericsson has driven here in F1, although how that experience translates to this car remains to be seen.

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Pato O’Ward makes his highly anticipated season debut with Carlin Racing.

Honda Engine Issues Just a Fluke?

For Honda drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Ryan Hunter-Reay, their engine issues at St. Pete has some concerned that the engine has lost the reliability it had last year. 2017 saw  several Honda engine failures. I’d be surprised if the first race signals a year long trend, but there is cause for concern at the moment.

Hunter-Reay and Bourdais both need a strong showing this weekend to return to the points chase. I think Hunter-Reay will be a factor. Bourdais may qualify well, and should run a steady race.

Will Penske Momentum Continue?

Will Power won the pole and Josef Newgarden won the race in the season opener. Simon Pagenaud finished seventh and feels better about his chances this year. While Penske was just so-so in the test here, don’t bet against this trio. The team will at least win the pole and barring issues during the race should see all three drivers in the top 10.

Andretti Rebound?

Andretti Autosport hoped for better results at St. Pete. Besides Hunter-Reay’s engine failure, Alexander Rossi seemed off pace all weekend, and Marco Andretti had a problem at the start of qualifying. The team tested well here with Rossi leading the final session. The team should have a very strong weekend. Hunter-Reay needs a good finish to stay in title contention, and Rossi should improve on his fifth place in race 1.

Attendance

The track is projecting a race day crowd of at least 30, 000. While that is a decent attendance for an Indycar event,  especially a first time race, the audience will look very sparse inside that huge track.   I hope for tight crowd shots, but the overhead views will show lots of empty places. Despite how the crowd may look, I think 30,000 is a decent number to start from.

Look for my Quick Thoughts here after qualifying and the race. My full qualifying and race reports will be on Wildfire Sports Sunday and Monday.

Qualifying is live on NBCSN at 3 pm ET Saturday.

Race coverage begins at 1 pm ET Sunday on NBCSN. Engines fire at 1:37.

Bold yet inaccurate predictions:

Pole- Rossi

Winner- Rossi

Cautions- 0

Top Rookie finisher- Herta

 

COTA Entry List-O’Ward Debuts

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Patricio O’ Ward begins his rookie season at Circuit of the Americas as the NTT Indycar Series visits Austin for the first time.

O’Ward will join the 24 car field for his initial race of the year for Carlin Racing. Kyle Kaiser drives for Juncos in what is to date their only confirmed event. Juncos is expected to enter the Indianapolis 500.

The entry list:

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Watch for a race preview later this week.

Sebring 2019 – A Two World Show

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It’s called Super Sebring. The 67th running of the oldest sportscar race in the United States will also feature a 1,000 mile race featuring the World Endurance Championship series. The WEC cars look similar to the IMSA machines with a similar class structure. Most of the drivers who ran at the Rolex 24 will participate this weekend, although some will be in different cars.

The prime example of a driver switching to not only a different car, but the other series, is Fernando Alonso. Alonso was part of the winning Wayne Taylor Racing entry at Daytona. This weekend he drives for Toyota Gazoo in the WEC, his regular job. Toyota Gazoo is the top team in the WEC.

Indycar newcomer Ben Hanley’s Dragonspeed car will race in the WEC series Friday. Teams are not allowed to participate in both races. Jordan King, who drove the road course schedule for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2018 and will enter the 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will also drive the WEC event in LMP2 car 37.

Chip Ganassi’s LMGTE Ford entry for Friday has two driver slots listed TBA. There is speculation Ford may leave the GT program at the end of this season.

Indycar Drivers Return to Rolex Teams

Five Indycar regulars who drove in the Rolex 24 return to the same teams for the 67th 12 hours of Sebring. Alexander Rossi will drive car 7 and Simon Pagenaud car 6 for Roger Penske’s Acura team.

Sebastien Bourdais in car 66 and Scott Dixon in 67 again join Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford GTLM squad.

Colton Herta will again co drive car 25 for the Rahal BMW team.

Kyle Kaiser again drives for Juncos in car 50.

The Meyer Shank car 57 continues its all female lineup with Katherine Legge, Christina Neilsen, and Ana Beatriz. The team was disappointed this week to learn they did not receive an invitation to Le Mans.

The Disappearing Class

There are just two LMP2 entrants for the 12 hour. The class had just four cars at Daytona. As I wondered then, why does this class exist as a separate group? They qualify with the DPi cars and receive little recognition during the race. IMSA very much wants four classes, but they need to have a plan in place to develop the fourth class.

I am eager to see how this double header weekend works out. It will be interesting to compare the cars of the two series. I expect the WEC cars to be faster, but the IMSA racing to be better.

Watch for Updates Here

I will be posting updates all weekend, beginning with WEC qualifying tomorrow. Some will be quite brief.  I will have my Quick Thoughts column after each race. The WEC race ends at midnight, so look for that column Saturday morning (not early).

On Monday my full weekend wrap-u will be on Wildfire Sports.

Quick Thoughts – Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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A typical St. Pete race- action early then strung out the second half.  That’s not to say there weren’t some interesting things to watch. There was some good racing throughout the pack. It was fun to track the rookies, who did quite well.

Another huge crowd here. I talked to someone who has been to every St. Pete race who said this was the biggest crowd he’d seen.

What a great move by Rosenqvist to pass Power on the restart. He was a thorn in Power’s side all day.

Pit strategy once again determined the winner. Tim Cindric made the right call  by saving the new reds. Early in 2018, he made a couple of good calls on tires as well.

There were fewer cautions than I expected. One more could have changed the results.

Three rookies, Rosenqvist, Colton Herta, and Santino Ferrucci finished in the top 10. Marcus Ericsson ran in the top 10 a while before dropping out with mechanical problems. At COTA, Pato O’Ward joins the rookie crop. The battle for Rookie of the Year could be just as good as the championship fight.

Great drive by Jack Harvey to finish 10th.

Given the engine issues Bourdais and Hunter-Reay had, I hope we’re not seeing the Honda engine of 2017 return.

About a fourth of the cars had non functioning LED panels. I hope this is fixable.

It was great having Robert Wickens at the track. his presence electrified the atmosphere for the paddock and the fans. His absence on the track gives the series one less contender.

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Look for my full race wrap-up on Wildfire Sports tomorrow.