IndyCars - Portland: The Western swing of the season begins

[MarkyS]

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With only three races left to determine who will be the 2021 IndyCar Champion, the series goes into the Western United States. Starting this Western swing is…

The Grand Prix of Portland

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There are no pictures from the GP of Portland for 2020, as the race was cancelled due to COVID-19, so there is a lot of anticipation for the return of the race to the schedule.

Portland International Raceway is a 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural road course built on the flats of the nearby Columbia River. It contains several spots for passing opportunities, including a hard-braking right-hander at Turn 7, leading onto the sweeping backstretch, and a three-turn complex leading back onto the fronstretch. Get that wrong and you end up in the weeds, instead of the front straight. But the heart-breaker and heart-stopper is the quick chicane nearer the end of the long front stretch, always inviting disaster.

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This weekend there are only 4 races on the quick schedule. They include:

• ARCA Menards series - 1 race on Saturday
• Indy Lights - 2 races, on Saturday and Sunday

And, of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday.

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Let’s look at the support racing:

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The ARCA Menards series - This is a feeder series for stock cars, holding events on super speedways, road courses and dirt tracks. The series basically uses older NASCAR Cup cars, making for great racing on a budget. As no IndyCar guys are here, we will wish them safe and happy racing and conentrate on the open wheel stuff, this weekend.

ARCA on track

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support Racing…(continued…)

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The Road to Indy is the ladder system that trains drivers to be ready to drive IndyCars. It is made up of three series - USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights. This weekend, the Lights will appear at Portland.

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Indy Lights is the top rung of the ladder and a fitting series to prepare to drive an IndyCar in battle. The car is the all-carbon composite Dallara IL-15. It has a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine, like the other two series cars, but it is turbo-charged, like the big cars, and produces 450 hp with additional power available with Push-to-Pass, again, just like the big cars. It has more wing and tires than the other two cars and so more downforce, braking and grip. It also has much more downloadable information available for engineers to use, and as such is an important training tool for them, too.

The drivers come from all over the world to compete and are usually among the highest level of junior formula drivers anywhere. The value of Indy Lights is evident when looking at the roster in IndyCars, where so many of the drivers are former Lights pilots, including many former champions.

After 14 rounds of racing, the current points leader is sophomore David Malukas for HMD Motorsports due to getting 12 TOP FIVES, with 11 of them podiums, including 6 WINS - the latest being the last 2 races at St. Louis. David’s on a roll. Only 3 points back is rookie Kyle Kirkwood for Andretti Autosport. Kyle also has 12 TOP FIVEs, with 9 podiums, including 6 WINS. It could hardly be a closer fight!

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Davis Malukas in his Dallara IL-15 for HMD Motorsports

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Friday will be a day devoted to the Lights, with two series tests, followed by 1 practice and then qualifying for Race 1 of the weekend. Let’s GO!!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Portland - the Lights test and practice…

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The only difference between a series test and a race weekend practice is the series pays extra for track time to do the tests, while a practice is part of a race weekend. The Road to Indy held two tests for the Indy Lights at Portland this morning, to make sure that all competitors were at there very best for the races.

The TOP FIVE drivers from both tests COMBINED were, in order of speed:

1 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports
2 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports
3 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport
4 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports
5 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport

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The TOP FIVE were covered by 0.30 seconds. The entire field was covered in the faster second session by 0.57 seconds. Following the tests the teams had time to adjust their cars once more before all came out again for the afternoon practice - the final chance to get it right before qualifying begins, late this afternoon.

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

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1 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:04.0267s for a speed of 110.429mph

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2 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:04.2103s for a speed of 110.113mph

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3 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:04.2555s for a speed of 110.036mph

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4 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.3682s for a speed of 109.843mph

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5 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.4201s for a speed of 109.755mph

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6 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
7 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport
8 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], HMD Motorsports
9 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
10 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
11 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• Clearly, the boys at HMD and GRG w/HMD have got it figured out. Linus was fastest in testing today and David is fastest in practice. The TOP TEN were covered by 0.89 seconds in this session.

• The series lost the participation of driver Nikita Lastochkin from HMD Motorsports afer Mid-Ohio. Since then we lost two more after Gateway. Toby Sowery decided his best bet was to lobby for an IndyCar ride in 2022 rather than keep beating the comparatively slow Juncos Hollinger Racing Lights car any further. Additionally, Alex Peroni decided he could do no more in the Carlin entry and also bowed out of competition.

• We gained 2 of those three back this week, as Manuel Sulaiman ended participation in Indy Pro 2000 and made the jump up to the Lights, driving the # 59 for HMD that used to be Nikita’s ride. And…

• We also saw Rasmus Lindh step in to drive the # 51 that Toby used to drive for Juncos Hollinger. Ras was supposed to drive in the Lights for Belardi Auto Racing in 2020, but lost that chance when COVID killed off the season. Both Manuel and Rasmus will do all 6 remaining Lights races for 2021.

Manuel Sulaiman (left) and Rasmus Lindh - to the end

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David Malukas

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The Lights will qualify for Race 1 later this afternoon.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday evening at Portland - the Indy Lights are qualified for Race 1…

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The Road to Indy holds a separate qually session for each race on a double-header weekend and the session for Race 1 for the Indy Lights came off without problems this late afternoon.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 15, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.7747s for a speed of 110.865mph

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P2 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.8622s for a speed of 110.713mph

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Row 2

P3 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.9223s for a speed of 110.609mph

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P4 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.9755s for a speed of 110.517mph

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Row 3

P5 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.0377s for a speed of 110.410mph

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P6 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:04.1861s for a speed of 110.155mph

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Row 4

P7 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport
P8 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing

Row 5

P9 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
P10 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 6

P11 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• The boys at HMD must know the secret to Portland because even stone cold rookie Manuel Sulaiman was able to best all the Andretti guys in qualifying. The pole will likely give David Malukas an unassailable race, unless one of his teammates takes him out. Linus is 3rd in the points and will want to beat David, but how badly?

• Antonio Serravalle is not racing this weekend, but his camp is saying that this is just for this weekend and Antonio will return to the fray for Rounds 17 and 18 at Laguna Seca.

Antonio Serravalle

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Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Portland - the IndyCars take to the track for the P-1 practice session…

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This will be the only practice before qualifying later today and most of the drivers are rusty on the track, with the series cancelling the 2020 race and only a handful getting in tests here, since then.

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

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1 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:58.7824s for a speed of 120.281mph

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2 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 00:58.8850s for a speed of 120.071mph

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3 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 00:58.8887s for a speed of 120.064mph

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4 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 00:58.8933s for a speed of 120.054mph

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5 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:58.8947s for a speed of 120.052mph

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6 - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
7 - Will Power, Team Penske
8 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
9 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
10 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

11 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
13 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
14 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
15 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises
16 - Oliver Askew, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
18 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner
19 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
20 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing

21 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - Max Chilton, Carlin
23 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
24 - Callum Illott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
25 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
26 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
27 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

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Notable:

• The TOP THREE guys in the points are all in the TOP FIVE on speed. Pato leads the points, followed by Alex with 2nd place points and Josef Newgarden is in 3rd place.

• There are 27 drivers this weekend, with the addition of Helio Castroneves (absent at Gateway), Oliver Askew in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan 3rd car and Formula 2 ex-pat rookie Callum Illott in for re-formed Juncos Hollinger Racing. Callum and Oliver will both take these cars to the end of the season, as will Helio.

• Meyer Shank is looking very strong, with Jack Harvey wanting to leave on a strong note and Helio wanting to prove he belongs, still. Castroneves has 6 previous starts at Portland, and so knows the little track as well or better than anyone here.

• Takuma Sato was out for much of the session with a mechanical and didn’t seem to have it fully resolved by the end.

• Jimmie Johnson is now besting some very good drivers. Can the haters all stop pretending he doesn’t have a clue? He truly gets better and better with each outing - as one would expect a 7-time Champion to do. TIME ON TRACK is all he needs.

Callum Illott (left) and Oliver Askew - to the end

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Alex Palou

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Next, the Indy Lights qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Portland - the Indy Lights hold their 2nd qually of the weekend…

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…and this one will set the stage for Race 2, to be run on Sunday.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 16, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.5727s for a speed of 111.218mph

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P2 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.6729s for a speed of 111.043mph

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Row 2

P3 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:03.6870s for a speed of 111.018mph

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P4 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:03.7346s for a speed of 110.935mph

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Row 3

P5 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:03.8560s for a speed of 110.724mph

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P6 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:03.9009s for a speed of 110.646mph

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Row 4

P7 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], HMD Motorsports
P8 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 5

P9 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
P10 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 6

P11 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• David grabs a second pole and another series point to go with it. Kyle Kirkwood will just have to work that much harder to recoup points lost in this way, and he will have to plow through David’s teammates to catch him, as well. It ain’t pretty for the Floridian.

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Davis Malukas

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Next up, the IndyCar qualify!

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Portland - The IndyCars are qualified for the Grand Prix of Portland…

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…and getting his first series pole, and the valuable series point that goes with it, is Alex Palou.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Season Round 16, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 58.7701s for a speed of 120.306mph

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P2 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 58.8573s for a speed of 120.128mph

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Row 2

P3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 58.8673s for a speed of 120.107mph

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P4 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 58.9505s for a speed of 119.938mph

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Row 3

P5 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 59.0067s for a speed of 119.824mph

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P6 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 59.2796s for a speed of 119.272mph

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Row 4

P7 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
P8 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan

Row 5

P9 - Oliver Askew, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P10 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 6

P11 - Max Chilton, Carlin
P12 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 7

P13 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner
P14 - Will Power, Team Penske

Row 8

P15 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
P16 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 9

P17 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
P18 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Row 10

P19 - Callum Illott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
P20 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 11

P21 - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
P22 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 12

P23 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
P24 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 13

P25 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P26 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 14

P27 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• While the pole is great for Alex, now only two points off Pato, qualifying was also good for Scott Dixon, 4th in the points, but not as good for Pato O’Ward, who almost made the Firestone Fast Six, but was bumped at the last second by teammate Felix Rosenqvist. It will all come down to who survives that first pluinge into the chicane on the opening lap.

• The qually was terrible for 3rd-in-the-points Josef Newgarden, who couldn’t get out of the first group and will start 18th - Disaster for his points chase. But then, none of the Team Penske guys were any good today and Simon Pagenaud was hopeless.

• Graham Rahal has been super quick in the races but always qualified badly, making his day a hopeless task. Today was his best qually of the year and he has a great shot for a WIN as a result.

• Also quick was his young teammate Oliver Askew, vying to get the seat in the # 45 in 2022.

• Whatever mojo the Meyer Shank boys had in practice flew out the window in qualifying, while Max Chilton reminded us that he is capable of much more than he usually shows us.

Max attacks.

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC on Sunday starting at 3:00pm EASTERN time…Next up, the Indy Lights hold Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 4…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Portland - The Indy Lights hold Race 1 of their weekend…

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…and David Malukas for HMD Motorsports cemented his lead in the points with his 7th WIN of the year and 3rd in a row, this one from pole. Taking P2 was Kyle Kirkwood in a stellar drive from his P5 start for Andretti Autosport, while P3 went to Linus Lundqvist for Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports, from a P2 start.

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The race started unhappily for Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Steinbrenner, who immediately experienced electronic gremlins that had him dropping out of P8 and falling to the rear. At the same time, David and Linus were contesting for the chicane and both failed to negotiate the corner, while P3 starter Bejamin Pedersen for GRG w/HMD didn’t even try, going straight through the cones. But, because of DeFrancesco making the track go Full Course Caution, no one was penalized for exceeding track limits and the race restarted - this time in single file - on lap 4, with virtually the same line-up as in qualifying - except for Devlin, 4 laps down. The beneficiary was Malukas, who was able to motor away cleanly, this time.

On lap 7 Ben and Linus were battling near the chicane when Kyle made a move past Manuel Sulaiman for HMD to take P4 on the front straight. He then quickly caught Ben who was by then out of shape in the chicane and took away P3. On lap 11 Rob Megennis for Andretti was the next guy past rookie Sulaiman, who put a wheel off in Turn 7 under pressure. One lap later Danial Frost for Andretti was past Manuel for the P6 spot. On lap 12 Kyle Kirkwood took P2 away from Linus in the chicane and set after David, who was about 3 seconds up the road.

Malukas was able to open up the gap and hold Kirkwood off about 5 seconds back by lap 21. On that lap Danial made a bid to take P5 from Rob in the chicane but went off, instead. By the time he recovered, he had dropped to P8 behind Megennis, Sulaiman and Rasmus Lindh for Juncos Hollinger. On lap 30 David crossed the line 5.4 seconds ahead of Kyle, who was 3 seconds ahead of Linus.

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Notable:

• David got points for the WIN, the pole and most laps led. Kyle did get Fastest Lap and the point that goes with it, but the important thing was getting P2 points instead of P5 points with his heroic efforts. Malukas now leads the series by 10 points.

• The race showed us what Kirkwood can do when he is determined, but it also proved how disasterous it is to start from mid-pack while your opponent is on the front row. Kyle will be starting from P4 tomorrow while David is again on the pole.

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Your happy podium - That’s Kyle Kirkwood in P2 on the left, David Malukas in P1 in the middle and Linus Lundqvist in P3 on the right:

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Next up, the IndyCar hold final practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Portland - The IndyCars hold final practice…

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A post-qualifying practice, known as a “warm up”, is very hard to read, because no one knows for sure what each team and even each car within the tream is trying to do. They are NOT trying to find a great qualifying set-up. That is all we know. They may still be looking for speed, but in race trim, OR they may be looking at tire wear over a long run at moderate speeds. Each program is different. Still, the fast guys in the warm up are fast guys who should be fast in the race…usually. Just remember that slow guys are not necessarily slow.

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

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1 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:59.4111s for a speed of 119.008mph

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2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:59.6296s for a speed of 118.572mph

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3 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - time of 00:59.6403s for a speed of 118.551mph

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4 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:59.7467s for a speed of 118.340mph

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5 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 00:59.8976s for a speed of 118.041mph

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6 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
7 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
8 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
9 - Oliver Askew, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing

11 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
12 - Will Power, Team Penske
13 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
14 - Max Chilton, Carlin
15 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
17 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
18 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
19 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises
20 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

21 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
22 - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
23 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
24 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
25 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner
26 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
27 - Callum Illott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

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Notable:

• Both Chip Ganassi title-contention cars, Dixon and Palou, are fast in race trim, and so is contender Josef Newgarden…But, Newgy is starting in P18 tomorrow.

• RLL must be delighted to have cars that are all fast in race trim - especially given that Graham’s will also be starting in the 3rd row.

• Romain Grosjean has been fast at all the new tracks he is getting to know…except for Portland. The speedy Frenchman has not been able to get the measure of the Columbia River flats.

• So, now we know. Jack Harvey’s guys just could not give him a good qualifying set-up. But they have no problem giving him a fast race car. Too bad he will have to start from P20 with it.

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Scott Dixon

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This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Sunday at Portland - the Indy Lights close out their weekend with Race 2…

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…and taking the WIN from his P4 start was Kyle Kirkwood for Andretti Autosport. Coming in P2 from pole was David Malukas for HMD Motorsports while P3 went to Linus Lundqvist for Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports, from his P2 start.

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The race started with David Malukas again on pole with teammate Linus Lundqvist beside him. Kyle Kirkwood was on Row 2, next to Benjamin Pedersen for GRG w/ HMD Motorsports. On lap 1 as the cars entered the chican Kyle was able to nip Pedersen and take over P3. Manuel Sulaiman for HMD punted Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the chicane and broke his rear wing. Sting Ray would have to pit and go several laps down while Manuel was called in for a drive through penalty, putting him a lap dow.

On lap 2 Linus and David ran to the right edge of the front straight, battling for the top spot. Kyle instead went wide to the left as all three cars neared the chicane. Kyle then drove right to the outside of the two HMD cars in the chicane and passed them both, taking over the lead as they all exited the three turns. David was now in P2 and within striking distance to use Push-to-Pass to regain P1. Devlin DeFrancesco passed his Andretti Teammate Danial Frost to take over P6.

Kyle drove perfectly, not allowing an opening for the Chicagoan to regain P1 and ever-so-slowly eked out a gap. It took several laps, but eventually Kirkwood was more than the 1.5 seconds ahead to make Push-to-Pass impossible to use for Malukas, who was just as worried that Linus would use it on him to take P2. On lap 21 Danial retook P6 from Devlin in Turn 7. That was the last pass of the race as Kyle WON on lap 30 by 2.5 seconds over David, who was 2.5 seconds over Linus.

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Notable:

• Kirkwood did exaclty what he had to, to stem the points loss over the weekend. He drove to P2 in Race 1 from a P5 start and drove to P1 today from a P4 start. Both guys are still tied for WINS on the season, now with 7 apiece. Malukas only gained 2 points over the weekend, due to his two poles. The battle between them now goes to Laguna Seca, separated by 5 points.

• Linus Lundqvist remains mathmatically in the title hunt but realitsically, it’s down to David and Kyle.

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Your happy podium - That’s David Malukas in P2 on the left, Kyle Kirkwood in P1 in the middle and Linus Lundqvist in P3 on the right:

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With these results, here are the TOP THREE in points leaving Portland:

1 - David Malukas, 429
2 - Kyle Kirkwood, 424
3 - Linus Lundqvist, 356

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The next outings for the Indy Lights will be a double-header at Laguna Seca, in support of the IndyCar race, September 17-19. Next up, the IndyCar race. The grid for this is in post # 7…
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M

[MarkyS]

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Sunday at Portland - The IndyCar race…

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…will be remembered for the comeback WIN of title contender Alex Palou for Chip Ganassi Racing, after being involved in a lap 1 incident in the chicane that had him fall from pole all the way to P16. P2 went to Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport - his first podium of the year - while P3 went to fellow title contender and fellow CGR pilot Scott Dixon, who was also involved in the opening-lap schlemozzle and also fell way back.

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At the start of the race, Palou and Dixon both overshot Turns 1 and 2 of the three-turn chicane after Dixon’s car was lightly punted from behind by Felix Rosenqvist for Arrow McLaren SP, who also went wide in Turn 1 along with Colton Herta’s Andretti Autosport Honda and others. Neither Palou nor Dixon suffered damage but at least 5 other cars needed to pit for repairs. IndyCar rules ended up placing Palou and Dixon in P16 and P17, Rosenqvist in P18, Rossi in P19, title contender Josef Newgarden for Team Penske in P20 and Herta in P22 for the lap 10 restart. It also put title contender Pato O’Ward in P1 .

Yet, because of the way the race played out it was eventually Palou in for the WIN and O’ Ward finishing the race in P14. Newgarden did himself some good by finishing P5 and title contender Marcus Ericcson for Chip Ganassi finished in P7. O’Ward, who drove well, but had the wrong strategy at the wrong time, went from leading the points by 10 to trailing Palou by 25 - a disasterous day for the young Mexican.

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When race highlights are given, we will present them here.

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Your happy podium - That’s Alexander Rossi in P2 on the left, Alex Palou in P1 in the middle and Scott Dixon in P3 on the right.

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Portland:

1 - Alex Palou, 477
2 - Pato O’Ward, 452
3 - Josef Newgarden, 443
4 - Scott Dixon, 428
5 - Marcus Ericsson, 402

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Next up for the IndyCars is the middle race of the Western swing, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, next weekend.

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