IndyCars - Pocono: Who needs four corners?

The Sports Roundtable and Bar
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It’s time for the last super-speedway race of the year, as the IndyCars return to one of the most difficult tracks of their season - Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania - to do…

the ABC Supply 500

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It’s called “the Tricky Triangle” because the 2.5-mile track is a triangle in configuration but none of the corners is like any other, making it VERY difficult to set up for. Turn 1 is 14 degrees in banking modeled after the old Trenton Speedway in New Jersey. Turn 2 is 9 degrees in banking and is much like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Turn 3 is only 6 degrees in banking and is similar to the Milwaukee Mile. You can set a car up for maximum speed for one turn but be hopeless in the other two. This one brings tears to an engineers’ eyes and the pucker factor for drivers is exceedingly high.

The saving grace is the track is very wide, allowing for all sorts of racing lines and passing opportunities. At times, a restart can be 7 or 8 cars wide, going down the front straight.

Race fans who attend will see exhibitions of classic IndyCars on Saturday, as well as two IndyCar practice sessions and qualifying for the race, while the event, the 500-miler IndyCar race, will be on Sunday. The biggest concern at this point is the weather, as there is a threat of rain on Sunday.

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let’s get this thing going!

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Saturday at Pocono - Everything changes…

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This morning, the IndyCars were unable to practice, due to low-hanging clouds that prevented the medi-vac helicopter from getting to the track. No helicopter, no high-speed running on the track. Then, the rain came and that killed qualifying.

What this means is the field will grid based on series points entering the race weekend.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for the ABC Supply 500: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

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P2 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

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Row 2

P3 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

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P4 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

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Row 3

P5 - Will Power, Team Penske

P6 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

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Row 4

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

Row 5

P9 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
P10 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P12 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 7

P13 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
P14 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing

Row 8

P15 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
P16 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Row 9

P17 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
P18 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport

Row 10

P19 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P20 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Row 11

P21 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
P22 - Conor Daly, Carlin

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The IndyCars will hold a practice later today, weather permitting. The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC-SN on Sunday, starting at 2:00 pm EASTERN time.

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Saturday at Pocono - the IndyCars practice…

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In the early afternoon the weather cooperated enough for the grid to hold a practice. As the qualifying was knocked out and the field will grid based on points. The practice turned into a race-set-up session, rather than a top speed session.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCar practice session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises - time of 0:41.5984s for a speed of 216.354mph

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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 0:41.7128s for a speed of 215.761mph

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3 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing - time of 0:41.7128s for a speed of 215.377mph

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4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 0:41.7879s for a speed of 215.373mph

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5 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 0:41.7890s for a speed of 215.368mph

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6 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
7 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
8 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
10 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

11 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
13 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
14 - Conor Daly, Carlin
15 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
16 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
17 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
18 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
19 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
20 - Will Power, Team Penske

21 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing

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Notable:

  • It’s been a long time since we have seen Tony Kanaan at the top of a chart, but the guy just knows Pocono. He was not only the fastest of the day but he was also P2 on the no-tow list. The problem will be that he is starting so far back on the grid - but it is 500 miles. Tony gives Chevy a lot of hope.

  • Santino Ferrucci continues to impress, as the fastest rookie and in the TOP FIVE, besting his own 4-time-champion teammate, Sebastien Bourdais.

  • Charlie Kimball is proving that he has no rust at all from his lay-offs this season and is as fast on an oval as he ever was in his Carlin Chevrolet.

  • Simon Pagenaud missed about half the practice with a steering wheel issue that negated is ability to clutch and shift, yet he was easily the fastest Penske car and one of only three Chevys in the TOP TEN.

  • Ed Carpenter Racing is really struggling, despite Carpenter’s prowess on ovals. Both cars are in the cellar on speed, but Will Power is no better. Chevy is having the vapors.

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Spotter’s guide - changes in livery since Mid-Ohio…

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This week we have a few car changes and a few drivers changes and adds…

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Josef Newgarden was in the white and blue PPG Paints car at Ohio but reverts to his black and white Hitachi car for Pocono:

josef

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Felix Rosenqvist drove the Clover car of green and blue at Mansfield but brings his usual blue and blue NTT Data car to Long Pond:

Felix

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Graham Rahal was in the 5/3rd Bank car at Mid-Ohio but comes back to the red, black and white Total car for Pocono:

Graham

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It will be Ed Carpenter driving the # 20 Chevrolet for Sonax, with colors of red and silver on the car:

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Simon Pagenaud was in the screaming yellow Menard’s car at Mansfield but brings a different flavor of yellow to Long Pond, as he drives the Penske Trunk Rental car:

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Charlie Kimball returns to the fray in the pretty Tresiba car of black and green:

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Alexander Rossi was driving the NAPA car of blue and yellow at Mid-Ohio but is in the red and blue Military to Motorsports car for Pocono:

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Conor Daly will be subbing for Max Chilton in the # 59 Gallagher car of two-tone blue for Pocono and Gateway:

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Marco Andretti drove the white and green UniFirst car at Mansfield but returns to the familiar red and white US Concrete car for Long Pond:

marco

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Sunday - The IndyCar race…

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…as expected, was cut short due to inclement weather, but more than enough laps were gotten in to make it official, and officially the race was WON by Will Power for Team Penske, extending his streak of seasons with at least one WIN to 13. P2 at the end was Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi while P3 went to Simon Pagenaud for Team Penske.

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Will and Liz Power
WillWin

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Will was leading when the race was called on lap 128 of 200 due to lightning strikes that made the grandstands uninhabitable. Teammate Simon Pagenaud led the most laps, taking over early in the contest, but eventually losing the lead to Will after a yellow flag. At that point the lead kept switching from Power to Dixon to Pagenaud to Power and back again, until the weather finally ended the suspense.

The race started with a big crash on lap 1 caused by Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan making a feint to the left before he was fully clear of Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport, whom he was trying to pass. Takuma and Alex then collected Rossi’s teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay and all three collected James Hinchcliffe for Schmidt Peterson and Felix Rosenqvist for Chip Ganassi, who got the worst of it all. Luckily no one was hurt, but major contenders were out early and it will cost Rossi dearly in his quest for the title. His nemesis, Josef Newgarden for Team Penske, finished the race in P5, extending his points lead over Rossi.

Other full course cautions were brought out in single-car crashes by Spencer Pigot for Ed Carpenter, who had a suspension failure in Turn 1, and Colton Herta for Harding Steinbrenner who appeared to lose the rear in Turn 2.

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

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Podium

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Notable:

  • This is Will Power’s 3rd WIN at Pocono in 4 years. Alexander Rossi took the WIN from him last year. To get the lead Will put in the Fastest Lap of the race.

  • While Rossi lost ground to Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Scott Dixon got closer to him.

  • Dixon was almost 100 points behind Newgarden at Iowa, but has since collected 3 P2s and a WIN and he is now a threat to WIN his 6th title.

  • One of the biggest movers of the day was rookie Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne Racing who started 13th and finished P4, while running as high as P2, at one point.

Santino Ferrucci

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With this result, here are the TOP FOUR in points leaving Pocono:

1 - Josef Newgarden 535
2 - Alexander Rossi 500
3 - Simon Pagenaud 495
4 - Scott Dixon 483

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The next race for the IndyCars will be next weekend at Gateway - the final oval of the season.

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IndyCar has released race highlights:

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And here is NBC’s extended race highlights reel…

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