IndyCars: Indianapolis - The season kicks into high gear, finally

[MarkyS]

+++

.
This weekend the IndyCars will hold their 2nd race of the 2020 season, following the race at Texas Motor Speedway about a month ago. This is the start of a flurry of races in the next few weeks that will severely test the mettle of the crews and the metal and carbon fiber of the cars, as the 2020 season kicks into overdrive. We’re celebrating the 4th of July by doing…
.

The GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis

.

.
This one is history in the making, as this will be the first time that NASCAR and IndyCars will be sharing the same venue on the same weekend. NASCAR will hold an Xfinity race on the Indy Road Course on Saturday, right after the IndyCars use the same track for their own race. Then, on Sunday the Cup cars will do the Brickyard 400 on the big oval. There will be no fans in the stands to watch any of it, due to Covid 19, but all three races will be broadcast LIVE on NBC.

The track that the Xfinity boys and the IndyCars are using is 2.439-miles in length, with 14-turns, incorporating portions of Turns 1 and 2 and the front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and the remainder of the circuit is within the infield. Known for its need for precision, if a driver misses one corner, it’s difficult to make it up on following corners. This one is highly technical.

.

.
.
.
The schedule for the IndyCars is short and sweet - a practice on Friday followed by qualifying and then the race on Saturday, midday.

LET’S GO!

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
The IndyCars are qualified!..

.
Following a scintillating practice session, wherein several cars took top spot at one time or another, the IndyCars came out midday Friday to qualify, and on the final lap of the Firestone Fast Six Will Power for Team Penske took pole away from a very fast Jack Harvey for Meyer Shank Racing.

.
Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:10.1779s for a speed of 125.116mph

.
P2 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/Andretti Technologies - time of 01:10.3653s for a speed of 124.783mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner - time of 01:10.5197s for a speed of 124.510mph

.
P4 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:10.5844s for a speed of 124.396mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP - time of 01:10.8404s for a speed of 123.946mph

.
P6 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - No Time, No Speed

.

Row 4

P7 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
P8 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 5

P9 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
P10 - Max Chilton, Carlin

Row 6

P11 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
P12 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
P14 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 8

P15 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P16 - Spencer Pigot, Rahal Letterman Lanigan w/ Citrone/Buhl Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 10

P19 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport
P20 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 11

P21 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh
P22 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport

Row 12

P23 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
P24 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 13

P25 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
P26 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

.
.
.
Notable:

• In the six previous outings, this race has been WON three times by Simon Pagenaud and three times by Will Power. Power first took pole in all of his WINS. He is now only 9 poles shy of Mario Andretti’s all-time record.

• Pagenaud practiced well, but had a poor qually and didn’t get out of the Q1 session.

• Practicing very well were Santino Ferrucci, Spencer Pigot and Rinus VeeKay but it didn’t translate to good qualifying. Conversely, Graham Rahal and Alexander Rossi practiced poorly and qualified much better than expected.

• Conor Daly, Oliver Askew and Jack Harvey were good in practice and great in qualifying, as was the case with Will Power. This is a good race for Jack. Last year he collected his first IndyCar podium here, in the rain.

• This is Sage Karam’s first road course race in a very long time, as he has been exclusively an Indy 500 driver for Dreyer & Reinbold for many years.

• Josef Newgarden left himself only a few minutes to lay down a pole-sitting lap in the Fast Six, but muffed his one chance and slid down an escape road, failing to set a time for a lap.

.
Pole-sitter Will Power - another WIN in the offing?

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for LIVE broadcast on NBC starting at 12:00 Noon EASTERN time on Saturday, the 4th of July.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
On Saturday, Scott Dixon finally made the grade at the Indy Road Course…

.
Three time previously, the veteran driver for Chip Ganassi Racing has pulled in P2 at this venue, but on the historic Saturday afternoon race the Kiwi finally pulled in P1, thanks to an overabundance of skill, a great car and a bit of luck, catching a yellow right after pitting. P2 went to Graham Rahall for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in his best-ever finish of any kind at Indy while P3 went to a hard-charging Simon Pagenaud for Team Penske who crawled all the way up from a seemingly hopeless P20 start.

.
Scott Dixon dominates the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis

.
.
.
There was only one full course caution during the very fast race and it happened when Oliver Askew for Arrow McLaren SP spun coming off of Turn 14 at the beginning of the long, front straight, destroying the rear of his Honda. Scott Dixon had just pitted for the second of three times while his competition all needed to get in their second stop still. That put Scott into P2. He then made his way up into P1 and then went off and hid, ending the day about 20 seconds ahead of Rahall.

Dixon now has WON the first two races of the season, creating a formidable lead in the points:

1 - Scott Dixon - 104
2 - Simon Pagenaud - 75
3 - Josef Newgarden - 64
4 - Colton Herta - 58
5 - Graham Rahal - 54
6 - Zach Veach - 50
7 - Conor Daly - 46
8 - Pato O’Ward - 42
9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - 41
10 - Marcus Ericsson - 40

.
.
.
The next races for the IndyCars will be a double-header weekend at Road America, next weekend, with support from the Road to Indy’s USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 series.

.
.
.
M