IndyCars: Elkhart Lake - The first double-header of the season!

[MarkyS]

+++

The next few weeks will be frantic, with lots of open-wheel racing to be seen and piled up and the place to start the frenzied pace than Road America, as we do…

.

The REV Group Grand Prix at Road America

.

.
.
And there’s no better place to present great racing to North Americans than Road America - one of the finest and most historic road courses in the continent and one of the most fan friendly places on Earth. And fans will be allowed to attend!

They will get to see a lot a open-wheel racing as there will be no less than 6 races, including two USF2000 races and two Indy Pro 2000 races on Friday, followed by an IndyCar race on Saturday and a second IndyCar race on Sunday.

.
.
The course has it all - 14 turns over 4 hilly miles, connecting three straights, including the long and hilly front straight. The turns at Road America have their own separate mystique and history. Turn 5 is the heartbreaker while Turns 9 and 10 are the Carousel. Turn 11 is the Kink and Turn 12 is Canada Corner. This is the favorite venue of most professional drivers in North America.

.

.
.
.
Let’s take a look at that great Road to Indy support racing, out for the first time since the COVID 19 lockdown spoiled the show at St. Pete, last March…

.
.
.
(continued)

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
The Road to Indy is where young talent develops the skills to eventually compete in IndyCar. The ladder system has three levels, but due to COVID 19 we only have two levels in 2020, as Indy Lights - the TOP level - will resume racing in 2021. The two levels left provide great racing that should not be missed - especially when it comes free with the package of big cars on the same weekend at the same venues - it’s just more!!

.
.
USF2000 - This is the bottom rung of the ladder - the entry point to young drivers who typically come out of karting or out of F1600 wingless formula cars. The Tatuus USF-17 is a carbon-fiber chassis with the latest in safety and performance features. The cars have wings and slicks - sometimes the first cars as such for many drivers - and a good deal of downforce and grip. They are powered by a 180 hp Elite Engines MZR 4-cylinder. Gearboxes are 6-speed sequential, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. Brakes are ZR24 4-piston monobloc calipers at all four wheels, by Performance Friction Brakes.

The fields are often quite large and quite eclectic, with talent coming from all over the globe. Recently, the Road to Indy nearly DOUBLED the prize for WINNING the title, with that scholarship applied to the following year, driving a season in the next step up, Indy Pro 2000.

.
Last season’s talented USF2000 Champion, Braden Eves

.
.
.
Indy Pro 2000 - The next step up the ladder is more than USF2000…More of everything, including power and grip. The chassis is essentially the same as the Tatuus USF-17 but it has more wing, more tire and more brakes and and it is pushed by more power. In this iteration it becomes the Tatuus PM-18. The engine is also an Elite Engines MZR 2.0 liter but it develops a snapping 275 hp and delightfully sounds a whole lot more powerful. The Sadev gearbox is a similar 6-speed sequential unit with paddle-shifters. The brakes are a similar PFB design 4-pot calipers but slightly bigger disks. The tires are substantially bigger, with the fronts of the PM-18 the same as the rears of the USF-17 and the rears of the PM-18 much bigger than that.

The fields are typically smaller in size than USF2000 but the level of talent across the board is much higher. Most of the drivers in this series have already cut their teeth for years in lesser series and have great racecraft in their back pocket. The competition level is therefore higher. Almost anyone in this field is capable of podiums and most are capable of WINS.

.
Last season the Champion of Indy Pro 2000 was Kyle Kirkwood

.
.
.
Thursday and Friday will be dedicated to the Road to Indy, and that started with both testing and practice for both series on Thursday. Let’s get this thing GOING!!

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Thursday at Elkhart Lake - the Road to Indy come out on track…

.
…with the goal to put in three test runs and an official practice run for each series. The first to get that seat time were the kids from USF2000.

Three different drivers were TOPS in the three USF2000 test sessions, with Cape Motorsports’ Reece Gold leading the T-1 session, Eduardo Barrichello for Pabst Racing leading the T-2 session and Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development leading the T-3 session.

The official practice session was delayed by lightning in the area and when it finally came off was in the rain with 18 of 20 entries on track and on rain tires. Cameron Shields and Aryton Ori - both for Legacy Autosport - decided not to risk their cars in the rainy session.

.
Here are the results of the USF2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

.
1 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 2:26.109 seconds

.
2 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 2:28.592 seconds

.
3 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 2:29.405 seconds

.
4 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 2.29.469 seconds

.
5 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing - time of 2:29692 seconds

.
6 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports
7 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
8 - Michael d’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports
9 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
10 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport

11 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing
12 - Nico Christodoulou [R], DEForce Racing
13 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport
14 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport
15 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development
16 - Bijoy Garg [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
17 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development
18 - Max Kaeser [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

.
.
.
Notable:

• Two of the three test leaders were also leaders in the rain. That bodes well for them, for though these times are not representative of the race pace, these performances are representative of talent in adversity.

• Max Kaeser for Miller Vinatierri and Christian Bogle for Jay Howard Driver Development were spinners who each bought out red flags in the session.

• Denmark’s Rasmussen also produced the best time of the 3 test sessions and therefore the best USF2000 time of the day. His 2:11.011 second time is much more representative of the expected race pace.

.
Christian Rasmussen - Great Dane

.
.
.
Next up, the gang from Indy Pro 2000 put tire marks on the track…

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Thursday at Elkhart Lake - the Road to Indy come out on track…(part 2)…

.
Also putting in 3 test sessions and a practice were the gang from Indy Pro 2000.

Singapore’s Danial Frost was supposed to be having his rookie season of Indy Lights for Andretti Autosport this year, but with the Lights on hold until 2021, Danial opted to run a sophomore season of Indy Pro 2000, rather than remain stagnant. He topped the T-1 session, driving now for Peter Dempsey’s Turn 3 Motorsport. Russian sophomore Artem Petrov took the TOP SPOT in both T-2 and T-3 for Juncos Racing. The St. Petersburg native is always fast. Following the tests the gang put in their one and only practice of the weekend.

.
Here are the results from the Indy Pro 2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

.
1 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 02:01.6593s for a speed of 118.778mph

.
2 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 02:02.1446s for a speed of 118.306mph

.
3 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 02:02.3789s for a speed of 118.079mph

.
4 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing - time of 02:02.4822s for a speed of 117.980mph

.
5 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing - time of 02:02.5933s for a speed of 117.873mph

.
6 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing
7 - Jacob Loomis [R], BN Racing with Team Benik
8 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport
9 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing
10 - Nate Aranda [R], Juncos Racing

11 - Antoine Comeau, Turn 3 Motorsport
12 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing
13 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing
14 - Sabre Cook [R], Team Benik
15 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!
16 - Bob Kaminsky, Pabst Racing (no time)

.
.
.
Notable:

• Just like USF2000, the IP2K practice started out a rainy one, though it was fully fast and dry by the end of it, so times are representative of the possible speeds in competition.

• Fastest time of the day was also by Danial Frost, as he put in a time of 02:00.9397 seconds for a speed of 119.484 miles per hour in the T-1 session. He will drive the # 68 car at Road America, rather than the # 30.

• 20-year-old Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco spent the last 9 years racing in Europe, where he collected WINS in F4 British, Eurofomula Open and Spanish F3. He also has GP3 experience and FIA Formula 3 experience. Expect Devlin to be a factor very quickly.

• Sabre Cook was supposed to be running in her sophomore season of the W series but they will not have a 2020 season due to Covid 19, so that allows Sabre to put in more IP2k races than she had originally planned.

• Bob Kaminsky is the father of Colin Kaminsky and a veteran driver in sports cars with many, many WINS in his resume. He’s having fun here, but we don’t know exactly how much fun he can afford to have. He drove in all three test sessions but put in no time in the practice.

• Not on the grid, unfortunately, is two-time iRacing Champion Phillippe Denes, as he was supposed to drive for Italian powerhouse team RP Motorsport USA, but they have elected NOT to participate in 2020, due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

.
fastest guy for the day in the wet and the dry was Danial Frost

.
Phillippe Denes - AWOL

.
.
.
Both Road to Indy series will qualify early on Friday and then spend the rest of the day putting in their two races each, starting near Noon.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - the Road to Indy starts a full day of racing excellence…

.
…and they start that with qualifying for the first of two USF2000 races to be held today. This is the only qually session for the series today, as Race 2 will grid based on lap times from Race 1. The driver with the Race 1 Fastest Lap will be on pole for Race 2, with the successive spots based also on fast laps times. In other words, the faster you go in Race 1, the better you grid in Race 2. In the absence of a 2nd qually session, we like it!

.
Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Race 1, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie
.

Row 1

Pole - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 02:26.1093s for a speed of 98.901mph

.
P2 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 02:28.5918s for a speed of 97.249mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 02:29.4052s for a speed of 96.720mph

.
P4 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 02:29.4694s for a speed of 96.678mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing - time of 02:29.6920s for a speed of 96.534mph

.
P6 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports - time of 02:29.6924s for a speed of 96.534mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P8 - Michael d’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
P10 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 6

P11 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing
P12 - Nico Christodoulou [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development
P16 - Bijoy Garg [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 9

P17 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development
P18 - Max Kaeser [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 10

P19 - Cameron Shields, Legacy Autosport
P20 - Ayrton Ori [R], Legacy Autosport

.
.
.
Notable:

• We saw the great strides Christian made at the end of his rookie 2019 season and all those strides are bearing fruit now. This, as we said then, is easily the guy to beat in 2020.

• We are also very impressed with Reece Gold, who is still but 15 years old. The kid didn’t knock us off our feet in 2019 but he has proven that he LEARNED a lot in his rookie season and the impressive races he had in the Lucas Oil Racing Series in 2018 were a prelude of things to come. Watch this guy get better with every race.

• Josh Green is proving the wisdom of the guys who chose him as one of the two Team USA Scholarship guys last year. Every outing is verification. Between Reece and Josh and Michael D’Orlando, the Cape brothers have got a stellar team with all the potential they are known for seeing in young talent. Add in a finally-emerging Kyle Dupell and you have a recipe for excellence across the whole squad.

.
.
.
The Race 1 start will be just before Noon. Next, Indy Pro 2000 qualify…

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 1…

.
…and just like USF2000, this will be the only actual qually session of the day for the series. Race 2 will grid based on each driver’s fast laps in Race 1.

.
Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Race 1, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 02:05.0198s for a speed of 115.585mph

.
P2 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 02:06.3742s for a speed of 114.346mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing - time of 02:07.2518s for a speed of 113.558mph

.
P4 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing - time of 02:07.5264s for a speed of 113.313mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing - time of 02:07.6940s for a speed of 113.164mph

.
P6 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 02:08.1789s for a speed of 112.736mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing
P8 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jacob Loomis [R], BN Racing with Team Benik
P10 - Nate Aranda [R], Juncos Racing

Row 6

P11 - Antoine Comeau, Turn 3 Motorsport
P12 - Sabre Cook [R], Team Benik

Row 7

P13 - Bob Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

Row 8

P15 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing
P16 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsports

.
.
.
Notable:

• The fastest lap of the session was actually put in by Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsport, but in post-quallifying tech his transmission had the wrong top gear for the series at Road America and his session was disqualified. Frost will have to start from the back of the pack and Devlin DeFrancesco gets the pole, as a result.

• Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Racing broke down in his qualifying lap early in the session and was never able to complete a lap. Look for both Sting Ray and Danial to come hard from the back during the race. They are too good to languish in the rear.

The smiling face behind the mask - Devlin on the pole

.
.
.
The race will quickly follow the USF2000 Race 1, this midday.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - Christian Rasmussen takes his 4th WIN of his USF2000 career…

.
The “Great Dane” fulfilled the promise of his 3 WINS in his rookie 2019 season by dominating the first race of 2020, leading from pole to checkers in his # 6 Tatuus USF-17 for Jay Howard Driver Development. P2 was taken by rookie Josh Green for Cape Motorsports while Eduardo Barrichello took the third spot on the podium for Pabst Racing.

.
From start to finish - Christian Rasmussen leads the crowded field to the WIN.

.
.
.
The race was plagued by yellow flags from the first lap with two more to follow, including an off by Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatierri that was too late in the process to clean up before Rasmussen took the checkers under the caution.

Josh Green took P2 from Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport on lap 4, with Brooks falling all the way to P7. With three laps to go Dudu Barrichello passed Matthew Round-Garrido for Pabst Racing to take the P3 spot. Through the first two yellows Rasmussen cemented his lead with great restarts that left no one a chance to catch him. He simply commanded the race.

.
.
.
Notable:

• The Danish sophomore not only took pole and then the WIN but also took Fastest Lap in the race, which gave him an additional series point and put him on pole for Race 2 - a perfect race.

• The biggest mover in the race was Cameron Shields for Legacy Autosport who moved from a P-17 start to a P7 finish.

• Christian Bogle, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Kyle Dupelkl each made up three spots in the race.

.
Your happy podium - That’s Josh Green in P2 on the left, Christian Rasmussen in P1 in the middle and Dudu Barrichello in P3 on the right:

.

.
.
.
Next up, the gang from Indy Pro 2000 take to the track for Race 1.

.
.
.
M

.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - Whoa, Nelly! What a barn burner the IP2K gang put on!..

.
The first race of the season for Indy Pro 2000 will certainly be remembered. The WINNER was Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsport - the first race ever in IP2K for the new team, helmed by former Indy Lights race-winner Peter Dempsey. P2 went to pole-sitter Devlin DeFrancesco driving in his rookie season for Andretti-Steinbrenner. P3 went to Colin Kaminsky in his Indy Pro 2000 debut race, driving for Pabst Racing.

.
Danial Frost for the WIN - and what a win!

.
.
.
What makes this really special is the fact that Danial Frost took the pole earlier in the day, then lost the pole when his car failed tech, then started from the very rear of the field, then plowed his way through every one of his 15 competitors and finally took race leader Devlin DeFrancesco after the final corner while both were screaming up the long, front straight on the way to the finish line. Danial WON by half a car length - 0.05 seconds ahead.

On the opening lap Devlin took off while P2 starter Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport attempted to pass the Canadian for the lead. While so occupied, he failed to keep P3 starter Kaminsky behind him as the rookie from Joliet, Illinois took away the P2 spot. At the end of the first lap Devlin had opened up a gap. By the end of the second lap he had Kaminsky and Parker Thompson for DEForce Racing a few seconds behind him and remarkably, Danial Frost was already up to P4 from his P16 start.

On Lap 4, Thompson had just turned the quickest lap of the race but was still five seconds behind DeFrancesco. On the next lap, Frost became the fastest driver on track and starting to put pressure on Thompson for P3 on the podium. The lead pack stabilized a bit but the rest of the field were swarming on each other and trading places with Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Racing making the most moves. By lap 8 he had gone from P15 to P6 and was all over Braden Eves in P5. Danial Frost moved into P3.

With five laps remaining, Frost gained another spot, getting past Kaminsky and taking off after DeFrancesco. He was eventually right on his tail on the final lap and got a better exit out of Turn 14, allowing him to just barely creep past the Canadian on that final run up the long, front straight. Game over.

.
.
.
Notable:

• The fastest lap of the race was put in by Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce Racing, after the Mexican had to pit for a problem. While it didn’t help him much in Race 1 it gave him pole for Race 2, later in the day.

• The WIN is Danial Frost’s 3rd WIN in Indy Pro 2000 competition, and certainly one of the best drives of his career.

• This is Colin Kaminsky’s 7th Road to Indy career podium and his first in Indy Pro 2000.

.
.
.
Your happy podium - That’s Devlin DeFrancesco in P2 on the left, Danial Frost in P1 in the middle and Colin Kaminsky in P3 on the right:

.

.
.
.
The first race of the season is often telling of what the season will be like. If this is the case here, we are in for a great season.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday afternoon at Road America - It’s deja vu for Christian Rasmussen…

.
…as the 20-year-old from Denmark WON his second USF2000 race in a row, again from pole, again leading every lap and again pulling in the Fastest Lap in the doing. He even crossed the finish line under a yellow for the 2nd time in the day. He once again had a perfect race, points-wise. P2 went to Michael D’Orlando for Cape Motorsports while P3 went to his teammate, Josh Green, earning his 2nd podium in his two Road to Indy starts.

.
Christian Rasmussen has a perfect day in USF2000

.
.
.
The real battle was almost never for the lead. That was effectively settled at the drop of the green flag, as Rasmussen took off. But make no mistake. There was more than enough battling for the rest of the podium to make for a very entertaining race, as Cape Motorsports and Pabst racing held a war.

The warriors were D’Orlando, Green and Pabst speedboys Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Eduardo Barrichello and Matthew Round-Garrido - all vying for the podium and trading positions for most of the race. At one point Green was even briefly in the lead, but Rasmussen retook the top spot before the lap had ended. Eventually it all shook out with the Cape boys in P2 and P3 and with D’Orlando overtaking Green.

The race ended when 14-year-old Josh Pierson for Exclusive Autosport flew off course in Turn 1 and went through and past the gravel trap and into a wall of tires. While he was safely extracted Christian crossed the line to end his perfect day.

.
.
.
Your happy podium - That’s Michael D’Orlando in P2 on the left, Christian Rasmussen in P1 in the middle and Josh Green in P3 on the right:

.

.
.
.
Points have yet to be awarded but Rasmussen will easily be in the series lead when they are, with two perfect races in his tally. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 finish the day.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - Artem Petrov takes his first series WIN …

.
…in only 7 starts, as the Russian driver gives Juncos Racing another WIN in their lengthy and successful Indy Pro 2000 history. Coming in P2 was Artem’s teammate Sting Ray Robb in his 8th IP2K podium. P3 was Race 1 WINNER Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsports, collecting their 2nd podium in as many outings as a team.

.
Artem (right) with the boss, Ricardo Juncos

.
.
.
The race started with Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce Racing on pole and Danial Frost next to him. Petrov started in P3 with Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing next to him in P4. As the cars ran up the front straight at the green flag Hunter and P6 starter Parker Thompson for DEForce Racing clashed, bringing out the caution flag and advancing Sting Ray Robb to P4.

On the lap 4 restart Frost got the jump on Sulaiman and took over the lead, while Sulaiman dropped to P3 behind Artem. Very quickly on lap 6 Artem pounced on Danial in the Carousel and took P1. He put a tiny gap between himself and Frost, who was feeling pressure from Sulaiman.

By lap 11 there was a five-way battle for the P2 spot between Frost, Sulaiman, Robb, Devlin DeFranseco for Andretti Steinbrenner in P4 and Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport in P5, with cars going three and four wide at times. The big loser was Sulaiman, who spun, but recovered to P12, with Robb taking over P3. On lap 13 Sting Ray finally nipped Frost for P2 and held him at bay for the remainder of the contest.

.
.
.
Notable:

• Petrov has always been very fast, but he has also been very reckless, at times, causing unnecessary wreckage. If he has found a way to temper that nature he will be a potent force for Juncos.

• The race Fastest Lap was put in by Braden Eves while the closest battle at the end was between Frost and DeFrancesco.

.
.
.
Your happy podium - That’s Sting Ray Robb on the left in P2, Artem Petrov in the middle in P1 and Danial Frost in P3 on the right:

.

.
.
.
With these results, here are the TOP FIVE in series points leaving Elkhart Lake:

1 - Danial Frost - 52
2 - Devlin DeFrancesco - 46
3 - Sting Ray Robb - 42
4 - Artem Petrov - 39
5 - Braden Eves - 37
5 - Colin Kaminsky - 37

.
.
.
The next outings for both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 will be two days of racing mid-week at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with 3 races for each series in a stand-alone event, apart from the big cars.

.
.
.
Next, the IndyCars come out for their practice session on Saturday morning…

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday morning at Road America - the IndyCars practice and qualify …

.
This morning was the one and only practice session before qualifying for Race 1, to be held later today. For much of the end of the practice session Jack Harvey for Meyer Shank Racing was the rabbit, but at the very end of the session Will Power for Team Penske put in a flyer that topped everyone. The first 21 cars were all covered by 1 second - That’s remarkable parity.

Following the practice the IndyCars qualified by splitting the field into two groups and each group going out for a qually session. The Fastest Lap guy of both groups would be on the pole and everyone else in that group would line up in order of speed in the odd-numbered slots, while the fastest guy in the other group would start in P2 with everyone else in his group taking the even-numbered slots. Simple!

.
Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Race 1, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:45.5191s for a speed of 136.946mph

.
P2 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 01:45.7290s for a speed of 136.674mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:45.6563s for a speed of 136.768mph

.
P4 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:45.7593s for a speed of 136.635mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:45.8244s for a speed of 136.551mph

.
P6 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - time of 01:45.7696s for a speed of 136.621mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner
P8 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 5

P9 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
P10 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta

Row 6

P11 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
P12 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

Row 7

P13 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P14 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh

Row 8

P15 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P16 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 9

P17 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
P18 - Max Chilton, Carlin

Row 10

P19 - Conor Daly, Carlin
P20 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport

Row 11

P21 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP
P22 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 12

P23 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC-SN starting at 5:00pm EASTERN time.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Road America - My Lord, who can stop Scott Dixon??..

.
The veteran driver for Chip Ganassi Racing has done it again, WINNING his third race in three start in the 2020 season - Though this time it wasn’t a blow-out, but was rather hard WON, as Dixon just beat Team Penske’s Will Power across the line by 2.5 seconds. Third place went to rookie Alex Palou for Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh, right behind Power.

.
Scott Dixon - three for three in 2020

.
.
.
This one actually had a number of other contenders for the WIN but most of them had the bad luck that Dixon seems immune to. Pole-sitter Josef Newgarden for Team Penske led with authority for his first stint but had a disastrous pit stop, stalling his car and falling way down the order. He would finish in P14. Ditto Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan who was TOP TWO and even P1 briefly before he too had a bad pit stop, when his fuel probe refused to emit fuel for about 7 seconds. Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne with Vasser Sullivan was TOP FIVE until he also stumbled in the pits, as Dalton Kellett for AJ Foyt crossed in front of him as he was trying to exit. He would recover to finish P6 and Rahal would finish P7 but any early hints of a podium or even a WIN disappeared. Even Will Power had his pit troubles, as he entered the pits in front of Dixon and left them behind him, due to a sticky air jack.

Unlike the most recent races at Elkhart Lake, this one was not trouble-free. In fact it had several incidents bringing out full-course cautions, including a total loss of rear brakes for Jack Harvey for Meyer Shank Racing who shot off course in Turn 1, ending a spectacular day for the Brit. Conor Daly for Ed Carpenter Racing and Pato O’Ward for Arrow McLaren SP tried to both occupy Turn 7 at the same time, sending Daly hard into a wall in what was deemed a racing incident. Daly DNF’d but O’Ward finished in P8. Perhaps the least lucky guy was Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport, who hasn’t caught a break all season. Today he managed to smash into a sign and carry it around the track for a lap and then later got a flat tire. Rossi is snake-bit.

In his interview Dixon said that his car was really lousy - a rarity for a driver to admit, especially a WINNING driver - but he also opined that everyone else had lousy cars, too.
It was a very entertaining race for the real live fans present - lousy cars or not. It will be hard for Race 2 on Sunday to match or better it.

.
.
.
Here is your happy podium - That’s Will Power in P2 on the left, Scott Dixon in P1 in the middle and Alex Palou in P3 on the right:

.

.
.
.
The IndyCars will qualify for Race 2 early Sunday Morning and then race later in the day.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Sunday at Road America - The IndyCars are qualified for Race 2 of the weekend…

.
Using the simple procedure that was used on Saturday, the IndyCars qualified for Race 2 this morning. The IndyCars qualified by splitting the field into two groups and each group went out for a quick qually session. The Fastest Lap guy of both groups got the pole and everyone else in that group will line up in order of speed in the odd-numbered slots, while the fastest guy in the other group will start in P2 with everyone else in his group taking the even-numbered slots. That fastest guy of all this morning was young Mexican 2018 Indy Lights Champion Patricio O’Ward for Arrow McLaren SP - his first IndyCar pole.

.
Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Race 2 [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

.
P2 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner

.,
Row 2

P3 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh

.
P4 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

.
Row 3

P5 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

.
P6 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

.
Row 4

P7 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
P8 - Will Power, Team Penske

Row 5

P9 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
P10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

Row 6

P11 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P12 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 7

P13 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
P14 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Row 8

P15 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
P16 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 9

P17 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
P18 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP

Row 10

P19 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
P20 - Conor Daly, Carlin

Row 11

P21 - Max Chilton, Carlin
P22 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 12

P23 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

.
.
.
Notable:

• Ryan Hunter-Reay flirted with the TOP TIME all during the Group 2 session but Pato secured it literally on his last lap and in the final corners of the session, stealing it from Group 1 leader Colton Herta.

.
.
.
The race will be broadcast LIVE on NBC, starting at 12:00pm EASTERN time

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Sunday at Road America - Felix Rosenqvist breaks through for the WIN….

.
The Swede has exhibited so much talent in the past - certainly in other series but also in IndyCar in the last two years. so, as the saying goes, it was only a matter of time and the time came today. Felix Rosenqvist took the lead of the race from Pato O’Ward for Arrow McLaren SP on lap 54 of the 55-lapper, handing Chip Ganassi Racing the 4th victory in a row in the first 4 races of this season. Pole-sitter O’Ward led the most laps of the race but had to settle for P2 - still his best IndyCar finish to date and we are all now saying of him, “It’s only a matter of time…” P3 went to a relieved Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport, hoping the monkey on his back plaguing him since the start of the season is dead, dead, dead.

.
Felix Rosenqvist - the floodgates are open.

.
.
.
The first lap of the race was NOT the best lap that Will Power for Team Penske ever had. First, he hit Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti on the front straight and spun the Floridian into the first turn wall, taking him out. Then, he popped left and sent Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan onto the curbing after Turn 3, which then sent Graham hard right into Felix Rosenqvist and then hard left into the wall, taking him out, too. Felix, despite the hard hit, was surprisingly undamaged. Power would suffer a penalty of going to the back of the field under the caution. Power then spun out himself on the restart Lap 3 right after Turn 13, spectacularly bouncing through the infield. His was the last yellow flag of the race.

For most of the race - 43 laps of it - O’Ward was in complete control in the lead, as Rosenqvist made attempts to catch him, thwarted by a comparatively bad pit stop and a bad in-lap for the next pit stop, but despite a perfect performance by Pato, his red alternate tires were shot at the end of the race, and Felix was on an unstoppable tear. As is typical with Road America, there was great racing going on all through the rest of the field, throughout the race.

.
.
.
Notable:

• This was a great day for the IndyCar youth movement. Not only were both Felix and Pato on the podium, but Marcus Ericsson for Chip Ganassi made up 12 spots from his P16 start to finish P4 while Colton Herta for Andretti Steinbrenner grabbed P5 - his 3rd TOP FIVE race finish in a row - while Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne finished P6 and teammate Alex Palou finished P7. The kids are all right!

• This was another great performance for Charlie Kimball who finished P10 to yesterday’s P11, matching his P11 at Texas. Kimball is giving AJ Foyt some of the best finishes in years. If he starts to qualify better they can look at podiums.

• It was a Honda day with seven of the TOP EIGHT cars from the mark, with Pato’s lone Chevrolet.

.
.
.
Here is your happy podium - That’s Patricio O’Ward in P2 on the left, Felix Rosenqvist in P1 in the middle and Alexander Rossi in P3 on the right:

.
.
.
With these results, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Elkhart Lake:

1 - Scott Dixon - 173
2 - Colton Herta - 119
3 - Simon Pagenaud - 110
3 - Pato O’Ward - 110
5 - Josef Newgarden - 106
.
.
.
The circus now quickly moves on to Iowa Speedway for another double header weekend with Race 1 to be held on this Friday night and Race 2 going on Saturday night.

.
.
.
M