IndyCars - Portland: Heading into the worst first turn in motorsports

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Portland - Indy Pro 2000 ends their season with Race 3…

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…and taking his 3rd podium and 2nd WIN of the weekend was 2022 IP2K Vice-Champion Reece Gold for Juncos Hollinger Racing from his pole position. Taking P2 and his 2nd podium of the weekend was DEForce Racing’s Kiko Porto from a P3 start, while P3 went to teammate Nolan Siegel from a P4 start.

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As Reece led the field down to Turn 1 on the opening lap 2022 Champion and P2-starter Louis Foster for Exclusive Autosport got squeezed into the run-off and ended up P15. Bijoy Garg for DEForce Racing dropped from P9 to P13, Jordan Missig for Pabst Racing went from P13 to P8 and Marcos Flack for Jay Howard Driver Development took the escape and went from P15 to P7. On lap 2 Josh Green for Turn 3 Motorsports took P8 from Jordan Missig, Braden Eves for JHDD took P10 from Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst Racing and Jonathan Browne for Turn 3 took P13 from Bijoy Garg. Meanwhile, Kiko Porto set Fastest Lap. By lap 3 Louis Foster was up to P11, past Yuven as Nolan Siegel set Fastest Lap. On lap 4 Reece responded with his own Fastest Lap. Marcos was called to the pits for a drive-thru penalty for improving his track position on the opening lap by using the run-off. He rejoined in P15, where he started.

On lap 5 Reece reset Fastest Lap to a new figure. Jonathan Brown took P11 from Yuven. Lap 9 saw Reece again improve the Fastest Lap number. On lap 10 Louie Foster passed Braden Eves to take P9. On lap 11 Foster reset Fastest Lap, chasing down Jordan Missig. On lap 12 he passed Jordan to take over P8. On lap 14 the Champ reset Fastest Lap while chasing down Josh Green. L18 saw Yuven reclaim the P11 spot from Jonathan Browne. On lap 20 Louie passed Josh to take over P7 in Turns 1 through 3.

Foster’s next target was Salvador de Alba for JHDD. For several laps Louie crept up to de Alba and hung there, a car-length off his tail, looking for a way past the Mexican. As the two battled, they were creeping closer and closer to Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri w/ Exclusive Autosport in P5. On the final lap, lap 30, Louis finally took a swing with a line drive on de Alba in Turn 1 and passed him for the P6 spot. Reece crossed the finish line 3.6 seconds ahead of Kiko, who was 1.9 seconds ahead of Nolan at the line.

Another WIN for Reece and a driving clinic put on by the Champion, Louis Foster.

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Notable:

• Reece Gold ends the season with 4 WINS and 7 podiums. Reece is expected to join Louis Foster in the Indy Lights in 2023.

• With his P4 showing Enaam Ahmed ends his season in 3rd place with Nolan Siegel coming in 4th place. Siegel was just happy to finally have a race where he could get through Turn 1 unscathed.

• Kiko Porto ended the season strong, with two podiums. He is expected to return to IP2K for a sophomore season in 2023.

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Your happy podium - That’s Kiko Porto in P2 on the left, Reece Gold in P1 in the middle and Nolan Siegel in P3 on the right:

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That’s it for the 2022 season of Indy Pro 2000. Louis Foster proved to be an unstoppable force, once he mastered the Cooper tires. We can’t wait to see what the Brit will do on a set of Firestones that the Indy Lights will be switching to in 2023. He will be announcing his team plans for 2023 in a few weeks’ time.

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Next up, the Indy Lights hold qualifying for their Sunday race…

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Portland - Indy Lights qualifies for their Sunday race…

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On the pole for the race will be Benjamin Pedersen for Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports, befitting the consistent front-running status of the Dane, this weekend.

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

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Row 1

Pole - Benjamin Pedersen, GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.6698s for a speed of 111.048mph

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P2 - Danial Frost, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.7830s for a speed of 110.851mph

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Row 2

P3 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:03.8546s for a speed of 110.727mph

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P4 - Linus Lundqvist, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.8606s for a speed of 110.716mph

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Row 3

P5 - Sting Ray Robb, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:03.9390s for a speed of 110.580mph

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P6 - Matthew Brabham, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.2610s for a speed of 110.026mph

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Row 4

P7 - Hunter McElrea [R], Andretti Autosport
P8 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Ernie Francis, Jr. [R], Force Indy
P10 - Kyffin Simpson [R], HMD Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Christian Bogle, HMD Motorsports
P12 - Flinn Lazier [R], Abel Motorsports

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Notable:

• This is Benjamin’s first pole of the season and he clearly earned it. Now, let’s see if he can collect his first WIN of the season, too.

• Today is Sting Ray Robb’s 21st birthday.

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Benjamin Pedersen on his pole position:

INDY NXT

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on Peacock Premium starting at 1:05pm EASTERN time on Sunday. Next up, the IndyCars hold their P-3 practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

a good +++

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Saturday afternoon at Portland - the IndyCars hold their “Warm-Up”…

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The P-3 practice is called the “Warm-Up” because it is usually that last practice the cars have on the morning of the race, in order to make sure all systems are “Go” for the race. In this case, the practice was scheduled for today, instead.

Like all post-qualifying practice sessions, it is difficult to read the results of the Warm-Up, because we do not know what program each team or each car was trying to use the session for. Was it to confirm a race set-up? Was it to find a decent race set-up? Was it to check the way the car will respond to a full tank of fuel? Tire wear? All we know is no one is looking for a qualifying set-up. We don’t know why our favorite driver was suddenly slower than earlier. But don’t assume the worst. We know that the fast guys in the Warm-Up will be fast in the race. We just also know they won’t be the ONLY fast guys in the race.

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

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1 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:59.0532s for a speed of 119.729mph

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2 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:59.1806s for a speed of 119.472mph

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3 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:59.2196s for a speed of 119.393mph

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4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:59.2662s for a speed of 119.299mph

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5 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:59.2731s for a speed of 119.285mph

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6 - Will Power, Team Penske
7 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
8 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
9 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP

11 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
12 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
13 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
14 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
15 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
17 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
18 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
19 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
20 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner

21 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
22 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
23 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
24 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
25 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing

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Notable:

• No one was using red alternate tires in the Warm-Up. That tells is everyone has calculated that the reds will be crucial in the race and they are hording them.

• The TOP THREE cars for the best ten-lap average during the session were, in order, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Josef Newgarden. If you have the feeling that Team Penske may have this thing dicked, you might be right. Of course, all three of them have to get through Turn 1 on the opening lap…

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Alexander Rossi - TOPS in the Warm-Up

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The race is scheduled for LIVE Sunday broadcast on NBC starting at 3:00pm EASTERN time, with concurrent broadcast on Peacock Premium. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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[MarkyS]

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Sunday morning at Portland - The Indy Lights race…

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…saw Benjamin Pedersen for Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports cap off a near perfect weekend with his first series WIN from pole. P2 went to Matthew Brabham for Andretti Autosport from a P7 start, while P3 went to Linus Lundqvist for HMD Motorsports from his P6 start.

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The start saw everyone get through Turn 1 with a minimum of rubbing. Matty Brabham passed Linus Lundqvist and ended up P4 with Linus behind him in P5. The big loser was Sting Ray Robb for Andretti who dropped from P3 to P10. Series newbie Flinn Lazier for Abel Motorsports, starting at the tail end in P12, made up 4 positions and was going for a fifth spot when he overcooked it in Turn 6, spearing Christian Bogle for HMD and sending both cars off the track, damaged and out of the race. A full-course caution came out as Bogle motored to the pits for an attempted repair that eventually failed.

On the lap 6 restart P2 Danial Frost for HMD and P3 Christian Rasmussen for Andretti were running side-by-side down the back straight, with Matty Brabham on their gearboxes. As the pair entered Turn 10 they touched, sending Danial fast off the track and into the tire barriers as Rasmussen used the escape road there to rejoin the race in P10. Another caution came out to retrieve an unhurt Frost and repair the tire wall damage.

On the lap 16 restart Benjamin again got away cleanly with Matty and Linus in pursuit. P6 Ernie Francis for Force Indy and P7 Sting Ray Robb battled side-by-side through Turn 1, allowing Christian Rasmussen to catch them, making it a three-way battle for position. Rasmussen got into the rear of Francis in Turn 4 as Robb was pushed off to the side, but all three cars survived and carried on. The field then stretched out with cars close but not close enough to make passes, until lap 30, when Robb finally passed Francis for P6. On lap 32 Rasmussen was also able to get past Francis for P7. Although Brabham closed on Pedersen for the final laps, Benjamin held on for the lap-35 WIN over Matthew by 0.9 seconds, with Linus crossing the line 5.4 seconds behind in 3rd.

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Notable:

• This is Pedersen’s 6th podium of the year, but first WIN in racing since an F3 WIN in Europe in 2020. With pole, most laps led and the WIN he almost had a perfect weekend. Matthew Brabham was able to secure Fastest Lap of the race. Pedersen was also TOPS in both practice sessions.

• Pedersen should soon announce that he will be moving into IndyCars next season, driving for AJ Foyt Enterprises, if the rumors are correct.

• Linus Lundqvist needed to beat both Brabham and Sting Ray Robb today to secure the title in Portland, but he leads Brabham by 103 points and so only needs to show up at the Laguna Seca double-header next weekend to be Champion.

• Jacob Abel’s P4 was his best showing all year. A podium can’t be far off.

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Benjamin’s reaction to the first WIN:

INDY NXT

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Your happy podium - That’s Matthew Brabham in P2 on the left, Benjamin Pedersen in P1 in the middle and Linus Lundqvist in P3 on the right:

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The Indy Lights will close out their season with a double-header at Laguna Seca next weekend, in support of the IndyCar season finale. Next up, the IndyCar race. The race is scheduled for LIVE broadcast on NBC starting at 3:00pm EASTERN time, with concurrent broadcast on Peacock Premium…
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[MarkyS]

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Sunday afternoon at Portland - The IndyCar race…

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It was a surprisingly trouble-free race day at Portland as the IndyCars almost went without caution and dominating to the end was Scott McLaughlin for Team Penske, going from pole to checkers and leading 104 laps of the 110-lap contest. Coming in P2 from his P2 start was teammate Will Power while P3 went to Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi, all the way from a P18 start. He was the biggest mover of the race.

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The expected schlemozzle in Turn 1 at the start never materialized, perhaps because of the decision to actually green-flag the race a lot farther down the track away from the corner than usual, allowing the cars to get better set up to funnel into the turn. In any case, McLaughlin immediately set out to gap the field, and while he was never more than a few seconds out front he always looked completely in command of the race.

The race really became one of tire choices and driver positions ebbed and flowed, depending often on the tire of the moment, but Will Power was always present behind McLaughlin, regardless. P3 starter Christian Lundgaard started the day well but the first and second pit stops for the young Danish rookie were a relative disaster and cost him a lot of time. He eventually made it worse by cutting the Turn 1 chicane, collecting one of the signs and dragging it around the course for a lap. He finished the day in P21.

The one caution was brought out late in the race when Rinus Veekay passed Jimmie Johnson on the front straight and pulled back in front of him before he was completely by, pushing Jimmie into the wall. The necessary full-course caution hurt P4-runner Josef Newgarden for Team Penske the most, as he was at that time the only guy on black primary tires and on the restart he was eaten alive, losing several positions over a few laps until he ended up in P8. Also on the restart, P3 runner Pato O’Ward for Arrow McLaren SP tried an unsuccessful move on Will Power in Turn 1 that had the pair banging into each other, while Scott Dixon used the chaos to sneak in behind O’Ward. Race Control eventually called O’Ward for a block and required he give up P3 to Dixon. Pato ended the day in P4 - despite damage from his bang-up with Will Power - but that was enough to eliminate his title hopes for 2022.

Marcus Ericsson for Chip Ganassi Racing had a mostly unspectacular day, going from a P18 start to finish in P11, with a great effort that saw him pass four cars near the end of the race, and that keeps him a long shot for the title, still. Alex Palou for Chip Ganassi went from a P4 start to P12 at the end and that was enough to eliminate him from the title chase.

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Here are some of the race highlights:

2022 RACE HIGHLIGHTS // GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

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Notable:

• With the WIN Mclaughlin keeps his title hopes alive, as the farthest out of the five remaining drivers mathematically able to take it at Laguna Seca. He is 41 points out from Power. Josef Newgarden in still 2nd in the points, but now 20 points out, as is Scott Dixon in 3rd. Marcus Ericsson is 4th, 39 points out. This is realistically down to Power, Newgarden and Dixon, and all Will needs to grab his 2nd IndyCar title is to finish 3rd or better at Laguna Seca.

• Team Penske tested for Portland and that obviously helped to make them spectacular, here, but they therefore could not test at Laguna Seca, while the Chip Ganasssi boys did, and ran well, there. Scott Dixon could easily pull off his 7th IndyCar title with a great race at Monterey, depending on how well Will Power also does.

• Josef Newgarden was pragmatic about his bad luck with the caution, noting it’s been that way all season for him with luck: Either feast or famine. He knows he will need some luck to take his 3rd title, but it’s entirely do-able.

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WINNER Scott McLaughlin on the perfect weekend:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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P2 Will Power on the prospects for the title:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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P3 Scott Dixon on his spectacular run to the podium:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Portland, and the only contenders left, mathematically:

1 - Will Power, 523
2 - Josef Newgarden, 503 (-20)
3 - Scott Dixon, 503 (-20)
4 - Marcus Ericsson, 484 (-39)
5 - Scott McLaughlin, 482 (-41)

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The season finale will be the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 11, with support from the Indy Lights, doing their season finales double header.

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Thanks, Portland for a grand show - ESPECIALLY the splendid finales for USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. The title grab for USF2000 could hardly have been more dramatic!
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