IndyCars - Fort Worth: The first SuperSpeedway of the season

[MarkyS]

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This weekend, the IndyCar do their first of 5 oval races this season as they do…

The XPEL375 at Texas Motor Speedway

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The venue at TMS is a 1.5 mile oval with 20 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 24 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4. Speeds well exceed 200 miles an hour and some drivers have experienced bruising from the G-forces breaking blood vessels in their extremities.

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This one is short and sweet, as there is only one series and one race for the weekend. The IndyCars will practice once, qualify, and then practice two more times on Saturday and follow that up with the race on Sunday, starting at 12:40pm EASTERN. The race is 248 laps, which is 600 kilometers. All practices, and qualifying will be broadcast on Peacock.

The first practice will be on Saturday at 10:45 am EASTERN with Peacock coming in at 11:00am.

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Let’s GO!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Fort Worth - The IndyCars hold first practice…

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The P-1 session is the only chance the teams have to set up their cars before qualifying, so it is of critical importance.

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Here was the order of speed for the P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denote rookie

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1 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 00:23.2376s for a speed of 223.087mph

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2 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 00:23.2594s for a speed of 222.878mph

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3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:23.2690s for a speed of 222.786mph

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4 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Racing - time of 00:23.3243s for a speed of 222.257mph

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5 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 00:23.3268s for a speed of 222.234mph

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6 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
8 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
10 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

11 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
12 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
13 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
14 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
15 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
16 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
17 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan
18 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
19 - Will Power, Team Penske
20 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

21 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
23 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
24 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
25 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
26 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
27 - JR Hildebrand, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Pagenaud has always been fast at Texas and he was delighted to see that this remains the same on his new team.

• Fastest rookie was Callum Ilott who is both an oval rookie and a series rookie.

• Five different teams were in the TOP FIVE But Chip Ganassi had 3 cars in the TOP TEN, while both Arrow McLaren cars were in the TOP SEVEN, including last year’s WINNER in Race 2 Pato O’Ward.

• Scott McLaughlin is on a roll, with his WIN at St. Pete in his rearview mirror. He was always fast at Texas and stands a good chance of making it two in a row.

• No-tow speed will be considerably different and the track will also be hotter during qualifying.

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Simon Pagenaud on his practice:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Next up is qualifying…

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M

[MarkyS]

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The downforce is up on the cars, this year…

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IndyCar has changed the downforce package on the cars for Texas in 2022, compared to the recent past and it’s making a difference already in the composure of the cars as they run near each other.

Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett explains the small changes that make for big gains in downforce:

Marshall Pruett

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In an attempt to enhance the racing, one of the post-qualifying practice sessions is going to have the cars running in the upper groove through the corners, in order to hopefully to lay down sufficient Firestone rubber to open up a 2nd lane above the bottom lane.

We’ll see if this works, later today…

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M

[MarkyS]

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The IndyCars are qualified!..

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…and collecting his first oval pole is Felix Rosenqvist for Arrow McLaren SP. Qualifying on the ovals is dirt simple: Each car goes out one at a time and puts in a warm-up lap followed by two hot laps. The speeds of those two laps are averaged and the fastest guy is on the pole. Today, that guy was Felix.

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Here is the way the IndyCar will grid for Season Round 2, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; times are for two laps total; speeds are the average of those two laps

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Row 1

Pole - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 00:46.8906s for a speed of 221.110mph

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P2 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 00:46.8936s for a speed of 221.096mph

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Row 2

P3 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing - time of 00:46.8940s for a speed of 221.094mph

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P4 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 00:46.9106s for a speed of 221.016mph

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Row 3

P5 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:46.9116s for a speed of 221.011mph

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P6 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 00:46.9633s for a speed of 220.768mph

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Row 4

P7 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
P8 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 5

P9 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
P10 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

Row 6

P11 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
P12 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
P14 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 8

P15 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
P16 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 9

P17 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
P18 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 10

P19 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
P20 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 11

P21 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
P22 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 12

P23 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
P24 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 13

P25 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P26 - JR Hildebrand, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 14

P27 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

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Notable:

• Felix made his run fairly early in the session and had to watch other guys go after him as the track got more and more rubber on it. He was justly afraid of the efforts by Sato, Power, Dixon, Castroneves and McLaughlin and they all gave him heart attacks as he waited them out. It’s no surprise that 4 of the TOP SIX are series veterans who have done this many, many times before. This is Felix’ 2nd IndyCar pole and first on an oval.

• The TOP SIX guys were separated by only 0.342 miles per hour.

• The Rahal Letterman Lanigan boys apparently pulled too much downforce off their cars, looking for speed, but the result was they slid all over the track, instead. Finding the balance is critical and they muffed it, badly. Their hope is that they will still have good cars in race trim, but they will have to come from the back.

• This was Jimmie Johnson’s best qually effort in his IndyCar career, which is understandable, given how well he has raced here in his NASCAR career.

Jimmie Johnson

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Felix reflects on his pole:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Next up is the P-2 practice session, in which the series will get 7 cars to drive up on the 2nd lane, attempting to lay down Firestone rubber and open up the prospects for more passing opportunities. It should be an interesting attempt and is one that has been championed by Will Power for quite some time. This will be followed quickly by a full practice.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon - the IndyCars hold the P-2 and P-3 sessions….

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The P-2 session wasn’t really a practoce so much as an attempt to get the 2nd lane on the track to “come in” with racing grip, despite the PJ1 traction coating on it good for NASCAR but horrible for IndyCars. 7 IndyCars went out on Firestone rubber and deliberately used the lane to lay that rubber down. Whether or not they were successful enough for full-speed IndyCars to venture up there on race day is still a question to be answered. We will see.

The seven drivers were all volunteers who risked breaking loose and hitting a wall to do the deed, though none did. They were Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter, Pato O’Ward and polesitter Felix Rosenqvist. God bless 'em for giving it a go.

Following the P-2 session the full-grid P-3 session was held. It was very quick, with a number of cars in race trim exceeding the qualifying times, mostly due to there being a tow for them in traffic.

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Here was the order of speed for the P-3 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:23.2354s for a speed of 223.108mph

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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:23.2752s for a speed of 222.726mph

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3 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 00:23.2819s for a speed of 222.662mph

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4 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:23.3730s for a speed of 221.794mph

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5 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:23.3776s for a speed of 221.751mph

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6 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
7 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
8 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
9 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
10 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner

11 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
13 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
14 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
15 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
16 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
17 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
18 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
19 - Will Power, Team Penske
20 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing

21 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
23 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
24 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
25 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
26 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
27 - JR Hildebrand, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Since everyone was in race trim, the fast guys here are likely to be the fast guys in tomorrow’s race.

• The gang at Rahal Letterman Lanigan said their cars were much better in race trim than in qually trim and they were right, with Christian Lundgaard making P4 - the fastest rookie and the fastest oval rookie - and Graham Rahal making P7. Jack Harvey was attempting to make speed when he lost it in Turn 2, bounced off the outside wall and smashed hard into the inside wall. The tub may be a write-off. The team unloaded his Indy 500 chassis and will have it ready for the race on Sunday. Jack was okay.

• The TOP TEN is top-heavy with Hondas, as only Newgarden and Rosenqvist were in Chevys.

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Josef Newgarden - past race winner looking good

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday on both NBC and Peacock. Peacock will also have a pre-race and a post-race show, starting at 12:00pm EASTERN time. NBC starts their race broadcast at 12:30pm EASTERN time.

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This was the last on-track activity of the day

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M

[MarkyS]

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Sunday - The XPEL 375 exceeds all expectations!

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This year’s race at TMS was the best one we’ve had for a number of years, with significantly more passing, lots of on-track action and drama and a whiz-bang finish as Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden made a last-lap, last corner pass on teammate Scott McLaughlin to WIN by 0.0669 of a second - a few feet of separation at the line. McLaughlin, who led 186 laps of the race, was obviously heartbroken and crushed by the ending, but eventually accepted his fate. P3 went to Marcus Ericsson for Chip Ganassi Racing in a stellar drive from a P14 start, with 11 positions gained.

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A delighted Josef Newgarden - P7 to the WIN.

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It was a high-attrition race with 9 retirements - three from mechanicals and the rest from contact - and four cautions. It was also a race with some fantastic efforts on display:

• Jimmie Johnson for Chip Ganassi ran as high as P5 from his P18 start and finished in P6 - his best ever in an IndyCar. 13 positions gained.

• Santino Ferrucci was a last-minute substitute for Jack Harvey in the # 45 Hy-Vee Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan, when the Englishman was not cleared to drive, following his big shunt on Saturday. Ferrucci, with virtually ZERO time in the car and many months out of IndyCars, went from dead last at P27 to P9 at the end - 18 positions gained. Remarkable!

• David Malukas was the highest-performing rookie, going from P19 to P11 at the end for Dale Coyne.

• JR Hildebrand gave AJ Foyt Enterprises a good run from P25 to P14, with 11 on-track passes.

• Rookie Christian Lundgaard also had a great race but eventually succumbed to late-race problems, dropping him 15 laps down at the end, by contact. Many others had great races going at one time or another, but either faltered or were taken out in shunts or pit-lane mistakes.

The 2nd lane that they attempted to “bring in” on Saturday never factored in as much as the added downforce on the cars, allowing them to close tightly without the usual wash-out, but some did use the 2nd lane at times - especially Johnson. Newgarden’s race-WINNING pass developed in the 2nd lane in Turns 3 and 4.

Said he, "Man, I was loose; I was driving the thing sideways off (Turns) 3 and 4. I was trying to get a win. I’m just so pleased for everybody. Last lap, last corner – that’s what it’s all about at Texas.”

The WIN gave Newgarden a big boost in the points standing, going from 16th to 4th. It was also the 600th team WIN for Team Penske. Will Power came home P4, so the team almost swept the podium.

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The difference at the line

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Retiring from the race were, in order:

Alexander Rossi, lap 11, mechanical
Romain Grosjean, lap 103, mechanical
Kyle Kirkwood, lap 114, contact
Devlin DeFrancesco, lap 129, contact
Graham Rahal, lap 129, contact
Helio Castroneves, lap 129, contact
Felix Rosenqvist, lap 138, mechanical
Takuma Sato, 140, contact
Christian Lundgaard, lap 233, contact

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Here are just some of the race highlights:

2022 RACE HIGHLIGHTS // XPEL 375 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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Here are the TOP TEN in points leaving Fort Worth:

1 - Scott McLaughlin - 97
2 - Will Power - 69
3 - Alex Palou - 67
4 - Josef Newgarden - 65
5 - Marcus Ericcson - 58
6 - Scott Dixon - 55
7 - Rinus VeeKay - 50
8 - Colton Herta - 50
9 - Simon Pagenaud - 39
10 - Romain Grosjean - 35

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The IndyCars now take a bit of a break and then return to Long Beach for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 8-10.

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