IndyCars - Indianapolis: Sharing the track with the tin-top brigade

[MarkyS]

This weekend the IndyCars return to the Indianapolis Road Course to share the track with NASCAR’s Cup cars and the Xfinity series as we do…

The Gallagher Grand Prix of Indianapolis

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Last year started what everyone hopes will be a tradition, as this is the one event where NASCAR and IndyCar share a track and a weekend. The Cup cars used to do the Brickyard 400 around the big oval but last year, they cut the race down to 200 miles and moved it to the Road Course, on the Sunday of the weekend. On the same weekend, the IndyCars and the Xfinity series held their own races on the same track, but on Saturday, and that will be the same program, this year.

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The Road Course is a 2.439-mile, 14-turn track that incorporates portions of Turns 1 and 2 and the front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, with the remainder of the circuit within the infield. With two long straights, it presents some great passing opportunities and usually very exciting races. The Turn 1 corner has as much drama with every lap as can be found with almost all the other corners combined.

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This will be a quick event, as most of our attention will be on the IndyCars, but there are a few IndyCar drivers in the NASCAR events and we will keep an eye on their progress, throughout the weekend.

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Friday is a day of race prep for everyone and the IndyCars will hold their one practice in the morning, followed by qualifying midday. Let’s get this thing GOING!!

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Indianapolis - the IndyCars hold their practice session…

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The P-1 session will be the only session before qualifying, later today. As such, it was a 90-minute session and included the use of both primary black tires and red alternate tires.

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

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1 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.0919s for a speed of 125.270mph

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2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:10.1121s for a speed of 125.234mph

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3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.1507s for a speed of 125.165mph

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4 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 01:10.2065s for a speed of 125.065mph

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5 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:10.2093s for a speed of 125.060mph

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6 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
7 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
8 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan
9 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
10 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

11 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
13 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
14 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
15 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
16 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
17 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
18 - Will Power, Team Penske
19 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

21 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
22 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
23 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
24 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
25 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Alexander Rossi had a fairly miserable weekend at Iowa, never in contention and never a factor. It has to be good to be back at a track where he traditionally does well.

• We are a bit befuddled to see so many guys who have WON here in the past do so poorly in this practice - Will Power has 5 WINS here while Simon Pagenaud has 3 WINS. other WINNERS mired in the middle or worse are Scott Dixon and Rinus VeeKay and Romain Grosjean has gotten two P2s out of this place. But former WINNERS Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden look like WINNERS out there, this morning.

• Newgarden was evaluated on Thursday and was deemed fit to drive in this practice, following his fainting at Iowa. He will now again be evaluated to see if he can continue to drive, this weekend. If he cannot, Santino Ferrucci is on stand-by.

• Adding to the drama of the weekend, it was announced yesterday that Chip Ganassi is suing Alex Palou over their contract dispute. Palou is determined not to let the off-track shenanigans distract him from his job.

Santino Ferrucci

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Alexander Rossi - TOPS in P-1

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The IndyCars will come out again midday to qualify for Saturday’s race.

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[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - The IndyCars are qualified!..

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…and getting the 3rd pole of his career was Felix Rosenqvist for Arrow McLaren SP.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Season Round 13, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 01:10.2265s for a speed of 125.030mph

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P2 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.5030s for a speed of 124.539mph

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Row 2

P3 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 01:10.6092s for a speed of 124.352mph

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P4 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:10.6224s for a speed of 124.329mph

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Row 3

P5 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:10.6968s for a speed of 124.198mph

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P6 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:10.7280s for a speed of 124.143mph

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Row 4

P7 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
P8 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 5

P9 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
P10 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 6

P11 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
P12 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 7

P13 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P14 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner

Row 8

P15 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
P16 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 9

P17 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing

Row 10

P19 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
P20 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 11

P21 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
P22 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport

Row 12

P23 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P24 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 13

P25 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

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Notable:

• This is the 2nd pole for Felix at this track and helps him make the case that he should be the 3rd IndyCar driver on the team in 2023, instead of a Formula E driver for McLaren. He also finished P1 in the Q2 Fast Twelve session and went into the Fast Six as the favorite to take pole - if he could beat Will Power.

• Will Power has 6 previous poles here, but couldn’t pull off the 7th pole he needs to match Mario Andretti’s record of 67 poles.

• This is Alexander Rossi’s best start here for Andretti Autosport.

• Points leader Marcus Ericsson left the pits for the first time in the Q1, Group 2 session and his engine promptly quit, stranding the Swede and bringing out a red flag, which immediately killed his chances to advance. They will determine if the engine is terminal before tomorrow.

• This is rookie Christian Lungaard’s 2nd Fast Six at this track. In 2021 he started in P4 here, at the only race of the season for him. He started P8 and finished in P9 at the GMR Grand Prix at the Road Course, earlier this season, so the track seems to favor the young Dane.

• A number of drivers who were fast in practice were surprised by their lack of pace in qualifying, and most blamed inconsistency in the tires, from session to session, saying that they could not rely on the tires to do what the same type had done in the previous session.

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Let’s hear from Felix on his pole:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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The IndyCars will have a “warm-up” practice session in the morning on Saturday, followed by the race, midday. The track now is given to the Xfinity series guys for practice and qualifying…

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Indianapolis - The IndyCars do the morning Warm-Up…

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The P-2 practice session, also known as the “Warm-Up”, is a post-qualifying session that is meant to give teams a chance to do any number of things they may want to try before the race, such as check tire wear, check track conditions, Check fuel mileage, check or even improve a race set-up…It’s just impossible to know what each team and each car is trying to accomplish. So, it’s foolish to say that the fast guys in the warm-up will be the only fast guys in the race., or even the fastest guys in the race. Your hero may not be seeking outright speed in the warm-up, so don’t get discouraged if they’re not on top.

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Here is the order of speed for the IndyCars P-2 practice, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:10.9281s for a speed of 123.793mph

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2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises - time of 01:10.9895s for a speed of 123.686mph

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3 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:11.0317s for a speed of 123.612mph

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4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.0529s for a speed of 123.576mph

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5 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.0530s for a speed of 123.575mph

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6 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
7 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
8 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
9 - Will Power, Team Penske
10 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

11 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
13 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
14 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
15 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
16 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
17 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
18 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
19 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
20 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports

21 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
23 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
24 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
25 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing

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Notable:

• Of the TOP TEN the outlier is Kyle Kirkwood in P2, but don’t be overly impressed. Kyle was one of the few drivers out there on red alternate tires and as such should have been comparatively quick.

• The reason that both Christian Lundgaard and Callum Ilott do so well on the Indy Road Course is because it is the most like the Malibu Grand Prix-style flat European road courses they are used to racing on.

• Points-leader Marcus Ericsson suffered an engine failure in qualifying yesterday and received a brand new Chevrolet overnight. He will have to make up a lot of spots from dead last, however, and his title rivals are all clustered at the front of the pack. But Ericsson is a born passer. He will impress.

Marcus Ericsson

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Josef Newgarden

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The race is scheduled for LIVE broadcast on NBC starting at 12:00 Noon EASTERN time, with concurrent broadcast on Peacock Premium.

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Indianapolis - The IndyCar race…

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Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport returned to the podium as a race WINNER for the first time in 49 attempts, the last WIN being his dominating drive at Road America in 2019. He started the day from P2. Coming in P2 was rookie Christian Lundgaard for Rahal Letterman Lanigan from his P6 start while P3 went to Will Power for Team Penske from a P4 start.

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Rossi (thumbs up) next to Michael Andretti (black shirt) with his team

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Rossi was P2 behind first pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist, who faded to a P9 finish, or behind teammate Colton Herta for half of the race. But after a great drive from P9 to P1, Herta dropped out of the race with a broken transmission and Rossi was pretty much in command from that point on. Lundgaard was Steady Eddy all day and slowly improved to P2 with a great and undramatic drive, giving himself his first IndyCar podium, but he couldn’t make any real ground on Rossi and in the end didn’t try to. Power had the most dramatic race of the three, making contact with Pato O’Ward in a three-wide traffic jam in Turns 1 and 2 on the first lap and also having a moment with Helio Castroneves that ended up putting him in 16th in the early laps. But he steadily fought his way back to the front, past teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, who finished P4 and P5 respectively. Newgarden remains 3rd in the points.

Power’s efforts were rewarded with the championship lead, as Marcus Ericsson was unable to get any better than P11 from his P25 start - a stellar drive that came up a bit short of his aspirations. Ericsson goes into Nashville next weekend 2nd in the points, but not by much. Scott Dixon also had a great day, going from a P20 start to P8 and that keeps him 4th in the standings.

Pato O’Ward started the day miserably, as mentioned, the P3 starter was turned and spun around in Turn1 / Turn 2 by Power, who was shoved into Pato by someone else - Probably Simon Pagenaud. O’Ward dropped all the way to P25 but fought back to end the day in P12 and that kept him 5th in the points. It helped that Alex Palou had an unremarkable race and went from P7 to P10 which kept him in 6th place.

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Here are some of the race highlights:

2022 RACE HIGHLIGHTS // GALLAGHER GRAND PRIX AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Notable:

• This is Rossi’s 8th WIN in his IndyCar career and one he wanted to get before leaving Andretti Autosport at season’s end for Arrow McLaren SP.

• This is not only Lundgaard’s best result of his career but also Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s best result of the year. The podium keeps Christian in the Rookie of the Year points lead. Graham Rahal had a good day, too, going from P17 to P7.

• This was Will’s 7th podium of the season and it is consistency that put him in the points lead for the 3rd time this year.

• The TOP FIVE in points are separated by 46 points. It’s still wide open.

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Alex on his WIN:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Christian on his podium:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Scott on his race and Will on his podium and points lead:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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The TOP FIVE in points leaving Indianapolis are:

1 - Will Power, 431
2 - Marcus Ericsson, 422
3 - Josef Newgarden, 399
4 - Scott Dixon, 393
5 - Pato O’Ward, 385

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The next race is the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, next weekend, with Road to Indy support.

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday and Sunday at Indianapolis - The IndyCar guys did well in the NASCAR races…

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In fact, one of them did GREAT! There were three guys with IndyCar backgrounds in Saturday’s Xfinity series race. They were Sage Karam for Alpha Prime Racing in a Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci for Sam Hunt Racing in a Toyota and AJ Allmendinger for Kaulig Motorsports in a Chevrolet.

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Sage started the day from P12 - a good qualifying position - and drove to a P13 finish, and so had a static day - not great, not bad.

Sage Karam

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Santino started the day from P30 and drove to a P17 finish, with 13 spots made up - Not too shabby!

Santino Ferrucci

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AJ Allmendinger, who last year WON the Cup race here and came in 2nd last year in the Xfinity race, started the day on pole and took it to the WIN, though not without drama. On lap 16 AJ had a bad pit stop, with a problem with the right rear wheel. He dropped from the lead to P13, but fought his way back to the lead with a pass on Alex Bowman for Hendrick Motorsports on a restart and WON about 20 laps later, though Bowman closed on him in the closing laps. AJ led 42 of the 62 laps of the event. This is his 3rd WIN of the season - all on road course. He was absolutely beside himself with joy, after the race.

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AJ Allmendinger takes another WIN at Indianapolis

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AJ Allmendinger

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Alex Bowman took P2 from his P17 start and Justin Allgaier for JR Motorsports went from a P10 start to finish P3 with a last lap pass on Ross Chastain. CONGRATS to both of them for their podium finishes!

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In the Cup race on Sunday AJ was the only IndyCar guy. He started 20th and ran as high as P2 in the race but ended the day in P7 - not bad at all.

The WINNER was Tyler Reddick for Richard Childress Racing in the 3CHI Chevrolet. P2 went to Austin Cindric in the Discount Tire Ford while P3 went to Harrison Burton in the DEX Imaging Ford. Congrats to all!

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That’s it for the Indianapolis Road Course weekend. The next race for the IndyCars will be the street course at Nashville, next weekend, with support from the Indy Lights, making their debut there.

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