IndyCars - Mid-Ohio: Doin' what comes naturally on a natural road course

The Sports Roundtable and Bar
1

+++

.
This weekend the IndyCars come back to one of America’s older and more famous natural road courses, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio, to do the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio!

.
.

.
.
Mid-Ohio is a fan favorite because of the camping opportunities and the many great sight-lines for watching the racing. A wanderer can get several different great views of the race during the day. For the drivers the track is the most technical track they race on during the year. That is, to get the most from Mid-Ohio you have to concentrate all race long and make every corner as perfectly as possible. It rewards skill more than bravado. Mid-Ohio has it all - tight corners, flowing corners, a carousel, a keyhole turn and some long straights, all on hilly terrain.
.

.
.
.
Those happy camper race fans will have a full weekend of racing, as no less than TEN races will take place, but bring your umbrellas, as there may be rain on both Friday and Sunday. That won’t stop the action on a road course, however. That action will be provided by:

  • Mazda Global MX-5 Cup - two races, on Saturday and Sunday
  • USF2000 - three races, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
  • Pro Mazda - two races, on Saturday and Sunday
  • Indy Lights - two races, on Saturday and Sunday

…and, of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday.

.
.
Let’s take a look at that support racing:

.
Mazda Global MX 5 Cup - This is an IndyCar-sanctioned series but is the first step for SportsCar drivers from all over the world to learn their craft. The cars are race versions of the venerable Miata SportsCar, inexpensive but fast and competitive in the one-make spec series. The fields are always HUGE because of the low cost to run a season. No IndyCar folks are in this series, however, so we will wish them safe and happy racing and concentrate on the rest.

Global MX5 Cup cars in action

.
.
.
continued…

.
.
.
M

2

+++

.
Support racing…(part 2)…

.
USF2000 - This is the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system that develops IndyCar drivers and the cars will often be the first winged car with slicks that these young drivers will try. Despite their size, the racing is fast and furious with typically huge, international fields. Such will be the case at Mid-Ohio. The cars were replaced with an entirely new version in 2017, the Tatuus USF-17, and it has been a wonder, breaking records at all the series venues. Gifted with 175 hp from its 2.0 liter Mazda MZR inline 4 cylinder, the transmissions are paddle-shifted 6-speed sequential boxes and the brakes are Performance Friction Brakes ZR24 4-piston calipers, front and rear, with a driver-adjustable bias - It’s all great stuff to learn to race with.

The current points leader is Floridian Kyle Kirkwood for Cape Motorsports. With 7 WINS on the season - the last six in a row - his points lead is so formidable that all he has to do is collect 34 points out of the 3 races they will do and he is the 2018 Champion. He almost has to crash out of all three races to need to go on to Portland. The real fight from now on will be for Vice-Champion.

Kyle Kirkwood.

.
.
.
Pro Mazda - This is the middle car on the ladder. Entirely new for this year, it uses the same chassis as the Tatuus-USF17 but comes equipped with a much more powerful engine, much bigger tires and brakes and more wings, creating more downforce. In this iteration the car is the Tatuus PM-18. Even MORE than the USF2000 car, the PM-18 is heads and tails above the car it replaced and it too is shattering track records - sometimes by more than 4 seconds! The field is FULL of very talented kids from all over the globe, wanting to get in on the new car. Any one of ten series drivers at a minimum is capable of a WIN on any given weekend.

The points leader coming to Mid-Ohio is Canadian rookie Parker Thompson, driving for Exclusive Autosport. Parker had a substantial lead going to Toronto but was effectively taken out of both races, while his nearest rival, Nederlander Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing, WON both races and closed up the points battle. Mid-Ohio will be BIG in this series.

Parker Thompson hangs on to the lead - but barely

.
.
.
Indy Lights - The Lights are the top step on the ladder and a fitting stepping stone to the big cars. The Dallara IL-15 was new in 2015, replacing a decades-old chassis. It has a 450 hp Mazda 2.0 liter turbo-charged engine that is equipped with “push-to-pass” - the button on the steering wheel that releases additional turbo boost for a limited time, adding 50 additional ponies to the engine - just like on the big cars. The tires, wheels, brakes and downforce are all bigger and more than Pro Mazda, as are all the electronics, making the IL-15 a great place to not only train drivers but also their race engineers. The series drivers are superb talents and the proof of that is that so many current IndyCar drivers are very recent Indy Lights drivers.

The points leader coming to Mid-Ohio is Mexican teenager Patricio O’Ward driving for Andretti Autosport. Pato led the series early in the season but teammate Colton Herta passed him and was leading the points as they went to Toronto. In Toronto, Colton suffered a thumb injury during practice that caused him to crash in Race 1 and finish P6 in Race 2, while Pato took a WIN and a P2 - and the points lead, again.

Pato O’Ward - back in the lead

.
.
.
Friday will be a day of practice for all, qualifying for some and even racing for USF2000. Let’s get this thing going!

.
.
.
M

3

+++

.
Friday at Mid-Ohio - USF2000 holds their practice session…

.
Practice in racing is NOT driving around to get better and better at what you do. Practice is that time when the driver and the car’s engineer work together to best adjust the infinitely-adjustable car for the particular track configuration, the track condition at the time and the expected weather that the race will be run under. It optimizes the car so the driver can get the most out of it. It is essential to any race weekend.

This weekend, each of the Mazda Road to Indy series will get just one practice session, so they have to make it count. The first out on the track this morning for practice were the kids from USF2000.

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

.
1 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:21.3989s for a speed of 99.864mph

.
2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:21.6611s for a speed of 99.543mph

.
3 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK - time of 01:21.7352s for a speed of 99.453mph

.
4 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing - time of 01:21.7584s for a speed of 99.425mph

.
5 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey - time of 01:21.7973s for a speed of 99.377mph

.
6 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports
7 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing
8 - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing
9 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing
10 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

11 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing
12 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing
13 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey
14 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing
15 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
16 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport
17 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing
18 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Exclusive Autosport
19 - James Raven [R], DEForce Racing
20 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey

21 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing
22 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing
23 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK
24 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing

.
.
.
Notable:

  • Swedish karting multi-champion Rasmus Lindh has been a top performer all season, with 3 podiums, but he’s yet to score his first WIN.

  • Michael D’Orlando had to sit out Toronto due to budgetary woes but he’s clearly not slowed in the interim.

  • Keith Donegan, the 2017 MRTI Shootout winner, has blossomed since moving from ArmsUp Motorsports to BN Racing. Bryn Nuttall’s BN Racing squad is an English team and may be better at communicating with the Irish lad.

  • It’s strange to see Jose “Pepe” Sierra in P21. He is usually a top performer, so we woll keep an eye on him.

  • Not racing this weekend is Alex Baron - another top performer. Alex is as always experiencing budget problems.

Alex Baron - it’s always finding the money that is toughest.

.
.
.
USF2000 will come out to qualify for Race 1 of their weekend just before Noon. Next, the Indy Lights hold their practice…

.
.
.
M

4

+++

.
Friday morning at Mid-Ohio - The Indy Lights hold their practice session…

.
Just as with USF2000, the Lights will have just this one session to sort out their cars. The rains came hard last night, washing what little rubber there was on the track, and that makes practice sketchier to get right.

.
Here was the order of speed for the P-1 session for Indy Lights, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

.
1 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 01:12.5332s for a speed of 112.070mph

.
2 - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:12.6098s for a speed of 111.952mph

.
3 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:12.8025s for a speed of 111.656mph

.
4 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:12.9179s for a speed of 111.479mph

.
5 - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:13.0546s for a speed of 111.270mph

.
6 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:13.3214s for a speed of 110.865mph

.
7 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:13.9320s for a speed of 109.950mph

.
.
.
Notable:

  • Colton Herta’s displaced thumb was reset between Toronto and now. That eased his pain and improved his ability to grip - so he says. The time he posted at least proves he can peddle with the injury - but can he do it for an entire race?

  • Victor Franzoni is going to be racing this weekend, despite his budgetary woes, but can he race full out, knowing he cannot break the car?

  • Santi Urrutia is a top performer at Mid-Ohio with 3 WINS and a P2 in the Lights. Look for him to advance, and soon.

.
.
.
The Lights will qualify for Race 1 of the weekend just a little after Noon. Next, Pro Mazda hold their practice…

.
.
.
M

5

+++

.
Friday morning at Mid-Ohio - Pro Mazda hold their practice…

.
The Pro Mazda gang has changed since Toronto, with 4 new faces on the grid, including Brazilian Felipe Drugovich for RP Motorsport Racing, who is currently leading the EuroFormula Open F3 series, with 4 WINS in 5 races. This will be Pro Mazda’s only practice for the weekend.

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

.
1 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:15.9420s for a speed of 107.040mph

.
2 - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.0825s for a speed of 106.842mph

.
3 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.3413s for a speed of 106.480mph

.
4 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:16.4442s for a speed of 106.336mph

.
5 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.4750s for a speed of 106.294mph

.
6 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey
7 - Felipe Drugovich [R], RP Motorsport Racing
8 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], RP Motorsport Racing
9 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey
10 - Kris Wright [R] BN Racing

11 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports
12 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

.
.
.
Notable:

  • Rinus VeeKay topped most of the session but Parker put in a flyer at the very end. The TOP THREE guys here are also the top three in points and in order.

  • Not practicing were David Malukas for BN Racing and Moises de la Vara for DEForce Racing. They are here, so expect them to show up in qualifying.

AWOL in practice, David Malukas (left) and Moises de la Vara

.
.
.
Pro Mazda will qualify for Race 1 of the weekend in the early afternoon. Next, the IndyCars hold their first practice…

.
.
.
M

6

+++

.
Friday morning at Mid-Ohio - The IndyCars practice…

.
The big cars will have 3 total practice sessions before qualifying and two of them will be today.

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

.
1 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan - time of 01:05.5784s for a speed of 123.955mph

.
2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:05.9167s for a speed of 123.319mph

.
3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:06.2157s for a speed of 122.762mph

.
4 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:06.2424s for a speed of 122.713mph

.
5 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:06.2546s for a speed of 122.690mph

.
6 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
8 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
9 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

11 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
12 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
13 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises
14 - Will Power, Team Penske
15 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport
16 - Max Chilton, Carlin
17 - Pietro Fittipaldi [R], Dale Coyne Racing
18 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
19 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin

21 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
22 - Jack Harvey [R], Meyer Shank Racing with SPM
23 - Rene Binder [R], Juncos Racing
24 - Conor Daly, Harding Racing

.
.
.
Notable:

  • Scott Dixon has 5 previous WINS at Mid-Ohio. He may as well own the deed to the track.

  • Josef Newgarden is the defending race Champion, so he too knows the track.

  • There were 3 red flags in the session, due to cars spinning and stopping. The worst was when Will Power spun to avoid hitting Simon Pagenaud and then Charlie Kimball hit Tony Kanaan, who slowed to avoid the stalled car of Power. No injuries - except to wallets.

  • Other past winners at the track who will compete this weekend are Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Kimball and graham rahal, who considers Mid-Ohio to be his home track.

Past winners (left to right) Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Kimball and Graham Rahal

.
.
.
The big cars will hold a 2nd practice later in the day. Next, the kids of USF2000 qualify for Race 1…

.
.
.
M

7

+++

.
Friday at Mid-Ohio - USF2000 qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

.
In the Mazda Road to Indy each race gets its own qualifying session, instead of using the 2nd-fastest lap of a single qualifying session for a 2nd race. It takes a little more time but it allows the teams to make adjustments between qualifying sessions that can improve their performances.

Here is the way USF2000 will grid Season Round 10, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:20.5527s for a speed of 100.913mph

.
P2 - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing - time of 01:20.8521s for a speed of 100.539mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:20.8866s for a speed of 100.496mph

.
P4 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing - time of 01:21.0593s for a speed of 100.282mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK - time of 01:21.3109s for a speed of 99.972 mph

.
P6 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing - time of 01:21.4016s for a speed of 99.860mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing
P8 - James Raven [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing
P10 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing
P12 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey
P14 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing

Row 8

P15 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
P16 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing

Row 9

P17 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P18 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey

Row 10

P19 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey
P20 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 11

P21 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P22 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK

Row 12

P23 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P24 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports

.
.
.
Notable:

  • This is Kyle Kirkwood’s 4th pole of the year and gives him one more point that he didn’t need. Kaylen Frederick keeps his title hopes alive by sticking close to Kyle.

  • The “speed boys” - Pabst Racing - put all 4 of their drivers in the TOP SIX. All four DEForce Racing drivers would have made the TOP TEN but Colin Kaminsky stopped on course and caused a red flag, losing his best lap in the process.

  • Dakota Dickerson had transponder problems and posted no times. He will have to start dead last as a result but look for him to advance a lot during the race. The guy is a rocket.

Dakota Dickerson

.
.
.
USF2000 will hold this race later in the day - last on-track activity. Next, the Lights qualify for their Race 1 of the weekend…

.
.
.
M

8

+++

.
Friday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - Indy Lights qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

.
The Lights were the next qualifiers on track as they set the grid for their Saturday race

.
Here is the way Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 13, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.3118s for a speed of 113.990mph

.
P2 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.7350s for a speed of 113.317mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 01:11.8219s for a speed of 113.180mph

.
P4 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:11.8376s for a speed of 113.155mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:12.1122s for a speed of 112.724mph

.
P6 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:12.2953s for a speed of 112.439mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:12.3803s for a speed of 112.307mph

.
.
.
Notable:

  • This is Pato’s 7th pole for the season. He held the top time throughout the session.

  • This is Ryan Norman’s best qualifying effort in Indy Lights. He took the spot on his penultimate lap and improved on that on his final lap.

  • Aaron Telitz came together with Dalton Kellett during qualifying and had to get a new front wing.

  • All 7 cars were within 1 second of each other over the entire course.

.
.
.
This race will be run on Saturday afternoon. Next, Pro Mazda qualify for Race 1 of their weekend…

.
.
.
M

9

+++

.
Friday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - Pro Mazda get to qualify for Race 1…

.
The last qualifiers on the day will be the gang from Pro Mazda and this session will be for the Race 1 of their weekend on Saturday.

.
Here is the way Pro Mazda will grid for Season Round 12, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.4461s for a speed of 107.743mph

.
P2 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:15.5946s for a speed of 107.531mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:15.7600s for a speed of 107.297mph

.
P4 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.9677s for a speed of 107.003mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.0132s for a speed of 106.939mph

.
P6 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:16.0933s for a speed of 106.827mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P8 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey

Row 5

P9 - Felipe Drugovich [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P10 - Kris Wright [R] BN Racing

Row 6

P11 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey
P12 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

.
.
.
Notable:

  • With the exception of gentleman driver Charles Finelli, the entire field broke Nico Jamin’s old track record. Rinus bested it by 2.7 seconds. The TOP NINE are all within less than a second of each other. This is a fast group driving a great car.

  • The pole gives Rinus one more point closer to Parker in the title hunt. He is now only 7 points behind. Carlos Cunha is 3rd, David Malukas is 4th and Oliver Askew is 5th so the title contenders are all in the first three rows.

  • NOT on the grid are Raul Guzman and Harrison Scott for RP Motorsport Racing or Antoine Comeau, whom we were told would debut for DEForce Racing. Of the three, Harrison promises to be back for Gateway in August, but insists the team asked him to sit this weekend out, following his big crash at Toronto.

  • Also not on the grid is 15-year-old Antonio Serravalle for Exclusive Autosport. We are being told Antonio will be racing in Europe for the rest of the season.

MIA for Mid-Ohio - Raul Guzman (left) and Harrison Scott…

.
…and Antoine Comeau (left) and Antonio Serravalle

.
.
.
The next outing for Pro Mazda will be on Saturday morning, when they will qualify for Race 2. Next, the IndyCars hold another practice session…

.
.
.
M

10

+++

.
Friday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - The big cars hold their second practice on the day…

.
The IndyCars held their P-2 session this afternoon and everyone went faster than in the morning, as expected, with one exception - Sebastien Bourdais put in a faster time in the P-1 session.

.
Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars in the P-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

.
1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:05.1950s for a speed of 124.684mph

.
2 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:05.3371s for a speed of 124.413mph

.
3 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:05.4141s for a speed of 124.267mph

.
4 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:05.4312s for a speed of 124.234mph

.
5 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:05.4526s for a speed of 124.194mph

.
6 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
7 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
8 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
10 - Jack Harvey [R], Meyer Shank Racing with SPM

11 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
12 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport
13 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
14 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan
15 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
16 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Max Chilton, Carlin
18 - Pietro Fittipaldi [R], Dale Coyne Racing
29 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
20 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises

21 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Conor Daly, Harding Racing
23 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
24 - Rene Binder [R], Juncos Racing

.
.
.
Notable:

  • There were several incidences of cars spinning off track, as everyone is testing the limits with the new aero kit, but unlike the P-1 session, no one touched anyone else.

  • Nice mix of Hondas and Chevys in the TOP FIVE, but in the TOP TEN it’s 7 Hondas.

  • Great showing for Jack Harvey to make TOP TEN, given that he hasn’t raced since the Indy 500.

Ryan Hunter-Reay (left) and Jack Harvey

.
.
.
The IndyCars will have a 3rd practice on Saturday before they qualify. Next, USF2000 hold Race 1 of their weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 7…

.
.
.
M

11

+++

.
Friday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend…

.
…and a Champion was made, as Kyle Kirkwood for Cape Motorsports went flag-to-flag to take his 7th WIN in a row and 8th for the season, and the 2018 USF2000 Championship with it. P2 at the end was Lucas Kohl for Pabst Racing while his teammate Calvin Ming took P3.

.

.
.
.
The race itself had a number of incidences, the first of which was on lap 1 as Rasmus Lindh collided with his Pabst Racing teammate, Kaylen Frederick, in Turn 4, punting him off course. That brought out a caution and sent Kaylen to the rear. Lindh would also go to the rear on a drive-through penalty for the incident. Michael D’Orlando for Team BENIK dropped from P5 to P17 trying to avoid the two. Kohl took over P2, while Keith Donegan for BN Racing moved into P3 from his P7 start. Really impressively, Dakota Dickerson for ArmsUp Motorsports went from P24 to P16 on the first lap.

By lap 6 Calvin Ming had taken P4 from Darren Keane for Newman Wachs who took P5 from James Raven for DEForce Racing. On lap 7 Kaylen Frederick and Russ McDonough for BN Racing took each other out in Turn 3, for another full-course caution. On the lap 8 restart Jose Sierra for DEForce got by Darren Keane to take P5 while Dakota was now up to P10. On lap 12 Calvin Ming finally took Keith Donegan for the P3 spot. One lap later Oscar DeLuzuriaga for Newman Wachs Racing spun in Turn 9, bringing out yet another caution.

On the lap 14 restart as the field took off and then checked up, Darren Keane speared Jose Sierra in the rear on the front straight, taking off Jose’s rear wing. Darren stalled on the straight while Jose spun in Turn 1 without a rear wing. Trying to avoid Darren’s stalled car, Bruna Tomaselli for Team Pelfrey was obliged to go off course and grazed a wall, putting her out. On the lap 19 restart Kyle did what he had done through all the other restarts - jump cleanly away. He was almost 2 seconds ahead of Kohl at the end, two laps later.

.
.
.
Notable:

  • With 4 races left to run Kirkwood could set a record for the most WINS in a season.

  • When Lucas and Calvin came home P2 and P3 they gave Pabst Racing the points lead in the team Championship.

  • Dakota Dickerson was P6 at the end from his P24 start and well-earned the Tilton Hard Charger award for most on-track passes.

Dakota Dickerson

.
.
.
Here is your happy race podium - That’s Lucas Kohl in P2 on the left, Champion Kyle Kirkwood in P1 in the middle and Calvin Ming in P3 on the right:

.
.
USF2000 will be the first guys on track in the morning, as they qualify for Race 2 of the weekend. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

.
.
.
M

12

+++

.
IndyCar has released a Day 1 highlight reel…

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
M

13

+++

.
Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett talks with Sebastien Bourdais about Friday…

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
M

14

+++

.
Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio - USF2000 qualify for Race 2…

.
First on the track this morning were the kids from USF2000 as they set the grid for their 2nd of three races this weekend - this one to be run this afternoon.

.
Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 11, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing - time of 01:20.6447s for a speed of 100.798mph

.
P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:20.6675s for a speed of 100.769mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:20.7041s for a speed of 100.724mph

.
P4 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing - time of 01:20.8968s for a speed of 100.484mph

Row 3

P5 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.9811s for a speed of 100.379mph

.
P6 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing - time of 01:21.1093s for a speed of 100.220mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK
P8 - James Raven [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
P10 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports
P12 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing

Row 7

P13 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey
P14 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing
P16 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing

Row 9

P17 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey
P18 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey

Row 10

P19 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing
P20 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 11

P21 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing
P22 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK

Row 12

P23 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P24 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing

.
.
.
Notable:

  • The Championship may already be decided but the competition is just as fierce. The same guys that have been competing for the title are still the same guys at the top. This is Kaylen’s 2nd pole of the year.

  • James Raven is impressing everyone with his debut performance in the series, this weekend. James is a Formula Ford star from England.

  • Jose “Pepe” Sierra only posted 1 lap and it was not at speed. He either has a mechanical problem or they were doing an installation lap on a new engine. He will have to start dead last as a result.

James Raven (left) and Jose Sierra

.
.
.
USF2000 will hold this race just before Noon, today. Next the Indy Lights qualify for Race 2…

.
.
.
M

15

+++

.
Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio - The Indy Lights qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

.
Though they have yet to run Race 1 - that will be later today - the Indy Lights came out to qualify for Race 2, which will be run on Sunday.

.
Here is the way Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 14, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.1591s for a speed of 114.234mph

.
P2 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:11.1757s for a speed of 114.208mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 01:11.1976s for a speed of 114.172mph

.
P4 - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:11.5509s for a speed of 113.609mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:11.5565s for a speed of 113.600mph

.
P6 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.9459s for a speed of 112.985mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.9727s for a speed of 112.943mph

.
.
.
Notable:

  • All 7 cars were within 0.8 seconds of each other.

  • Pato now has 8 poles on the season and also that valuable extra point in the title hunt over Colton Herta.

.
.
.
The Lights will do their first race of the weekend later this afternoon. Next, the IndyCars hold their final practice session before qualifying…

.
.
.
M

16

+++

.
Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio - The big cars hold final practice…

.
A P-3 session is always a bit of a mystery, because one never knows what program each car is trying to follow. Are they checking their qualifying set-up? Are they confirming a race set-up? Or, are they throwing the kitchen sink at the car to try to salvage the weekend? A car may be doing one, two or all three at one moment or another, during this session.

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

.
1 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:05.2067s for a speed of 124.662mph

.
2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:05.2470s for a speed of 124.585mph

.
3 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:05.3367s for a speed of 124.414mph

.
4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:05.3865s for a speed of 124.319mph

.
5 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:05.4553s for a speed of 124.189mph

.
6 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
7 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan
8 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
9 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport

11 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
12 - Max Chilton, Carlin
13 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
14 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
15 - Conor Daly, Harding Racing
16 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
17 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
18 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
19 - Jack Harvey [R], Meyer Shank Racing with SPM
20 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta

21 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
22 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises
23 - Pietro Fittipaldi [R], Dale Coyne Racing
24 - Rene Binder [R], Juncos Racing

.
.
.
Notable:

  • There were several off-course excursions again, during the practice, but nothing was seriously damaged.

  • The Carlin boys - Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton - both had good sessions, with Max even leading the overall, at one point. Charlie is a former WINNER at Mid-Ohio while driving for Chip Ganassi

  • Conor Daly also improved the Harding car and was TOP FIVE for a time.

Getting better, left to right, Max Chilton, Charlie Kimball and Conor Daly

.
.
.
The IndyCars will qualify for the Sunday race this afternoon. Next Pro Mazda qualify for Race 2…

.
.
.
M

17

+++

.
Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio - Pro Mazda qualifies for Race 2 of the weekend…

.
The middle series of the Mazda Road to Indy will hold their first race of the weekend later today but this morning they qualified for their 2nd race, which will be held tomorrow.

.
This is the way Pro Mazda will grid for Season Round 13, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:14.8576s for a speed of 108.590mph

.
P2 - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 01:14.9387s for a speed of 108.473mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.0816s for a speed of 108.266mph

.
P4 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:15.1360s for a speed of 108.188mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.1743s for a speed of 108.133mph

.
P6 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:15.2995s for a speed of 107.953mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey
P8 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], RP Motorsport Racing

Row 5

P9 - Felipe Drugovich [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P10 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey

Row 6

P11 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports
P12 - Kris Wright [R] BN Racing

Row 7

P13 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

.
.
.
Notable:

  • This is the same front row as Race 1 but reversed, with David getting the pole, this time. These two each SWEPT a weekend in the last four races with two WINS apiece and they are both chasing Parker Thompson for the points lead.

  • 15-year-old Mathias Soler-Obel is impressing everyone with his speed in his debut weekend in Pro Mazda.

Mathias Soler-Obel

.
.
.
Pro Mazda will hold their first race of the weekend late today - last on-track activity. Next, USF2000 hold their 2nd race of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 14…

.
.
.
M

18

+++

.
Saturday Noon at Mid-Ohio - USF2000 hold Race 2 of the weekend…

.
This one was a little less fractured than Race 1, with fewer full-course cautions and all grouped at the start but the result was the same, as newly-crowned Champion Kyle Kirkwood claimed yet another WIN for Cape Motorsports - his 9th of the season and the 8th in a row. P2 at the end was Lucas Kohl, once again, for Pabst Racing. P3 was Igor Fraga for Exclusive Autosport in his 3rd podium of the year.

.

.
.
.
Kaylen Frederick for Pabst Racing started on pole and wanted to get away from P2 Kyle Kirkwood, but in the attempt he overcooked it in Turn 2 and went off, bringing out a caution as the field streamed by him and Kirkwood assumed the lead. Kyle would never be challenged from then on. Before the yellow flag Calvin Ming for Pabst was able to take P9 from Danial Frost for Exclusive Autosport and Lucas Kohl was able to pass teammate Rasmus Lindh for P2. After the restart On lap 6 Oscar DeLuzuriaga for Newman Wachs Racing looped it in Turn 11, bringing out another caution. On the same lap Dakota Dickerson for ArmsUp Motorsports had moved from P11 to P7.

On the lap 7 restart Dakota took P6 from James Raven for DEForce Racing, who then dropped all the way to P13. At the same moment Kaylen Frederick in an attempt to climb back up the order from a lap down collided with Sabre Cook for Team BENIK, in Turn 4, taking them both out of the race and bringing out yet another caution. Cook, on a very tight budget, was understandably livid.

The race restarted on lap 10 and Igor Fraga took P3 from Rasmus Lindh while Dakota Dickerson took P5 from Michael D’Orlando for Team BENIK. D’Orlando headed to the pits for reasons unknown. The field stretched out, with a train forming behind Dickerson. Several attempts to pass him failed until Calvin Ming finally took him on lap 19. All the while Kirkwood was sailing away. He would cross the finish line one lap later a full 5.7 seconds to the better of Kohl.

.
.
.
Notable:

  • On a 3-race weekend the grid is set for Race 3 based on the fastest lap of each driver in Race 2, so a number of cars pitted late in the race to get fresh tires, so as to put in great laps for a better Race 3 spot.

.
.
Here is your happy podium - That’s Lucas Kohl in P2 on the left, Kyle Kirkwood in P1 in the middle and Igor Fraga in P3 on the right:

.
.
.
USF2000 will hold Race 3 of the weekend on Sunday. Next, the IndyCars qualify!

.
.
.
M

19

+++

.
Saturday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - the IndyCars are about to qualify!..

.
…and that means we are about to try to explain how this works. It’s always true that we are unloved for this but we feel we must help newbies to the extent we can, so they will be able to watch it on TV and get what is going on. We KNOW that in reality that isn’t the case but our crack team of lawyers (our 2nd cousin Murray), tell us that we gotta pretend otherwise.

.
.
+++

.

So, how does this work? Around ovals qualifying is simple: One car at a time runs the fastest they can for 2 hot laps (after a warm-up lap) and the fastest average speed is the pole sitter, but…

On road and street courses it gets complicated - The Firestone Fast Six
.

.
Qualifying is done in three segments of TEN MINUTES for the first two and SIX MINUTES for the last. Today, there are 24 cars attempting to qualify. In Segment One, the first 12 cars will be sent out for ten minutes. During that time they will run as fast as they can, being timed. The fastest SIX advance to Segment Two. Then, the 12 remaining cars are sent out for ten minutes to do the same. The fastest SIX from that group also advance to Segment Two. The 12 cars that did NOT advance line up in grid spots P13 through P24, based on their times.

In Segment Two, the 12 that advanced once again run as fast as possible for ten minutes. The fastest 6 of this group advance to Segment Three. The other 6 line up on the grid on spots P7 through P12, based on their times.

Segment Three is also known as The Firestone Fast Six. These cars go out and run as fast as they can for only six minutes and then line up P1 through P6 on the grid, based on their times, and that is how pole is set.

Don’t screw it up! - You have to go as fast as you can but you CANNOT afford to over-cook it: If a car causes a red or full course yellow condition in any segment, the car’s best two timed laps of the segment will be disallowed and that car will not be allowed to advance to the next segment. If a car causes two red or full course yellow conditions in any segment, all segment times shall be voided and the car shall not be permitted to participate in the remainder of qualifying.

Qualifying can be very exciting to watch, as it looks like a very fast race going on, but the cars try to stay separated from each other, so as to get the best possible time without someone mucking up their hot laps. You will see the pole switch SEVERAL TIMES from car to car, as the time runs down.

The pole winner not only gets to start on pole but wins the Verizon P1 Award and the valuable series point that goes with it.

.
.
.
The pole of 2017 was taken by Will Power for Team Penske with a time of 01:04.1720 seconds for a speed of 126.672 miles per hour.

.
.
.
M

20

+++

.
Saturday afternoon at Mid-Ohio - The IndyCars are qualified!

.
…and on the pole for the Honda Indy 200 of Mid-Ohio will be Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport, but a surprising P6 was Max Chilton for Carlin, equaling his best qualifying effort ever and the best ever for the new Carlin team.

.
Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for the Honda Indy 200, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

.
Row 1

Pole - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.6802s for a speed of 125.677mph

.
P2 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:04.8939s for a speed of 125.263mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.9896s for a speed of 125.078mph

.
P4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:05.1335s for a speed of 124.802mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 01:05.1747s for a speed of 124.723mph

.
P6 - Max Chilton, Carlin - time of 01:06.6172s for a speed of 122.023mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P8 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 5

P9 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
P10 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
P12 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
P14 - Conor Daly, Harding Racing

Row 8

P15 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
P16 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 9

P17 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
P18 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 10

P19 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P20 - Jack Harvey [R], Meyer Shank Racing with SPM

Row 11

P21 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P22 - Pietro Fittipaldi [R], Dale Coyne Racing

Row 12

P23 - Rene Binder [R], Juncos Racing
P24 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan

.
.
.
Notable:

  • This is Rossi’s 3rd pole of the season and the 4th in his career.

  • During the Q2 session James Hinchcliffe spun off in Turn 2 late in the session and that brought out a red flag, ending the session before a number of fast guys could put in their best laps. Among those caught out besides Hinchcliffe were Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, Zach Veach and Takuma Sato, who all lost their chance to go for the Fast Six

  • Max Chilton had banked a fast lap early in Q2 and that allowed him to get into the Fast Six despite Hinchcliffe’s red flag, but of course the Carlin driver had been fast enough to get into Q2 to begin with.

  • Sebastien Bourdais had brake problems in the Q1 session and went off, bringing out a red flag that had him ending up dead last.

Red flags for James Hinchcliffe (left) and Sebastien Bourdais

.
.
NOTE: The IndyCar race is scheduled to have the pre-race broadcast start at 3:00pm EASTERN time on CNBC, instead of NBC-SN, with the race starting at 3:30pm EASTERN time, again on CNBC.

If you don’t get CNBC the race will be same-day re-broadcast on NBC-SN starting at 6:30pm EASTERN time, but - spoiler alert! - We will likely be reporting on it soon after the live broadcast on CNBC.

.
.
.
Next up, the Indy Lights hold Race 1 of their weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 8…

.
.
.
.
M

.
.
.