IndyCars - St.Louis: A fast oval at night, so what's not to love?

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This weekend the IndyCars are after their last oval race of the 2019 season and it’s going to be on the uniquly-shaped oval at Gateway … and it’s going to be at night! Let’s do…

The Bommarito Automotive Group 500

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Officially, it’s World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. It’s actually in Illinois, on the other side of the Mississippi River from St. Louis and literally in sight of the Gateway Arch. Egg-shaped, like Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, the 1.25-mile oval has a large and and a smaller end. Turns 1 & 2 have characteristics similar to New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Turns 3 & 4 are similar to ISM Raceway in Phoenix - Both tracks that IndyCars have raced on in the past.

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The Gateway Arch is visible from the top seats of the grandstands

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The fans who come to Gateway this weekend will get to see four races. They are:

  • NASCAR K&N Pro series - Saturday afternoon
  • Indy Pro 2000 - Saturday afternoon
  • Indy Lights - Saturday afternoon

…and, of course, the IndyCars will race on Saturday night.

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Let’s look at that support racing:
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NASCAR K&N Pro Series - This is a regional stock car series operated by NASCAR. No IndyCar drivers are competing here so we will wish these guys safe and happy racing and watch the open-wheel racing instead.

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continued…

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Support racing… (part 2)…

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Indy Pro 2000 - This is the middle rung of the ladder system designed to train IndyCar drivers known as the Road to Indy. IP2000 uses the PM-18 car from Tatuus - all new in 2018. The Elite Engines 2.0 liter puts out 275 hp. The brakes are 274mm disc, front and rear, and bias is driver-adjustable. Transmissions are six-speed sequential transmissions, controlled by paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. With big tires and large wings, the cars have a substantial amount of downforce for a junior formula car.

The fields are typically graduates from the bottom rung series, USF2000, or from European F3 and GP3, all used to more power and grip and endowed with great racecraft. The level of competence across the board is high and more even, from team to team, though the fields are smaller than USF2000. The last oval outing for these cars was at Lucas Oil Raceway in May, where the WINNER was Danial Frost for Exclusive Autosport but current points-leader Rasmus Lindh, driving for Juncos Racing, was on the podium, too.

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Rasmus Lindh in the # 10 PM-18 for Juncos Racing

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Indy Lights - The car is the Dallara IL-15 and is substantially bigger and better than the PM-18. It is much closer to an IndyCar in performance and feel - a great training ground to step up to the big cars. The Dallara uses a 450 hp turbo-charged engine from AER. The adjustable brakes are by PFC and are the biggest in the Road to Indy. The transmissions are 6-speed sequentials, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. The cars have much bigger wheels than the PM-18, providing much more mechanical grip, and the aero load is much higher, providing more downforce.

The drivers are typically graduates of USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, but can often come from GP3 or GP2 in Europe. These drivers are ready to make the move to the big cars by season’s end and a huge number of the drivers in IndyCars are recent graduates of Indy Lights - many of them Champions. The last oval outing for the Lights was at the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, WON by current points-leader Oliver Askew for Andretti Autosport, after a fierce battle with teammate Ryan Norman and championship nemesis Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing.

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Oliver Askew in the # 28 IL-15 for Andretti Autosport

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Friday will be a day of practice and qualifying for all series racing on Saturday. LET’S GO!!

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Friday at Gateway - The IndyCars come out for their first practice…

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…and it was a rookie who took the top spot as Santino Ferrucci for Sale Coyne Racing backed up his great oval performances at both Texas and Pocono with a P1 in the P-1 practice session. Making it a day for the rookies, P2 was pulled down by Marcus Ericsson for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

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

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1 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing - time of 0;24.350s for a speed of 184.804mph
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2 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsport - time of 0:24.387s for a speed of 184.527mph

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3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 0:24.399s for a speed of 184.433mph

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4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 0:24.410s for a speed of 184.384mph

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5 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - time of 0:24.428s for a speed of 184.213mph

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6 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
7 - Will Power, Team Penske
8 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
10 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing

11 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
12 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
13 - Conor Daly, Carlin
14 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
15 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
18 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
19 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
20 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing

21 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
22- James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

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Notable:

  • Ferrucci took the top spot late in the session. Ericsson soon followed.

  • It was strange that Marcus should do so well while teammate James Hinchcliffe is struggling, but Ericsson was able to get a good test day at Gateway in the recent past and he credits that to hos good performance today.

  • Also struggling compared to his Team Penske teammates was Simon Pagenaud who has led the Bommarito 500 in the recent past.

Struggling James Hinchcliffe (left) and Simon Pagenaud and Santino Ferrucci (right)

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The IndyCars will hold qualifying later today and that will be broadcast on NBC-SN in the late afternoon.

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Friday at Gateway - Indy Pro 2000 hold practice…

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Following the IndyCar practice the kids from IP2K held their one and only practice before qualifying later today.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 practice, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:31.2966s for a speed of 143.786mph
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2 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 00:31.2978s for a speed of 143.780mh

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3 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:31.3229s for a speed of 143.665mph

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4 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports - time of 00:31.4685s for a speed of 143.000mph

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5 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 00:31.5257s for a speed of 142.741mph

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6 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
7 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
8 - Artem Petrov [R], RP Motorsport Racing
9 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing
10 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport

11 - Antoine Comeau [R], Turn 3 Motorsport
12 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

  • Indy Pro 2000 came to test at Gateway last week and both guys from DEForce Racing were top performers then, so this is no surprise to see Kory on top and Moises P3. While impressive, they cannot resuscitate the season, even with a WIN this weekend.

  • Points-leader Rasmus Lindh, on the other hand, could use a WIN to extend his lead over Kyle KIrkwood and this practice shows he’s capable of it on the oval, while Kyle is also no slouch.

  • 9 of the 12 drivers unofficially broke the track record. This is a fast and talented group.

Kory Enders

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Indy Pro 2000 will qualify later today for Saturday’s race.

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Friday at Gateway - The Indy Lights hold their practice session…

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Just like Indy Pro 2000, the Lights came out this afternoon to hold a practice before they qualify, later this day.

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

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1 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 00:27.9503s for a speed of 161.000mph
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2 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 00:28.1909s for a speed of 159.626mph

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3 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 00:28.1997s for a speed of 159.576mph

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4 - Toby Sowery [R], HMD Motorsport / Team Pelfrey - time of 00:28.2203s for a speed of 159.460mph

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5 - David Malukas [R], HMD Motorsport - time of 00:28.2461s for a speed of 159.314mph

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6 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport
7 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing
8 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

  • It was Toby Sowery who was tops in the Indy Lights test at Gateway a week ago, while Oliver Askew was P4 so we’ve flipped on that, but the margins are so tight in this series that all one need do is sneeze and things change.

  • The TOP FOUR were within 0.05 seconds of each other! That translates to about 0.3 miles per hour difference around the 1.25-mile track. The field is very, very close.

  • BN racing has become HMD Motorsport

  • NOT at the race is Aaron Telitz for Belardi Auto Racing. A shame, as Telitz would have done very well on the oval.

Oliver Askew (left) and Aaron Telitz

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The Lights are scheduled to qualify late in the afternoon.

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Friday afternoon at Gateway - the IndyCars qualify!

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Qualifying on the oval for the IndyCars is easy - Take each car one at a time on track for one warm-up lap followed by two hot laps. The speed of those two laps are averaged and the fastest guy is on pole.

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Here is the way the IndyCar will grid for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; the time is the combined time of two laps; the speed is the average of those two laps.

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Row 1

Pole - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:48.2554s for a speed of 186.508mph

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P2 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - time of 00:48.4062s for a speed of 185.927mph

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Row 2

P3 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 00:48.4142s for a speed of 185.896mph

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P4 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 00:48.6110s for a speed of 185.143mph

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Row 3

P5 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:48.6356s for a speed of 185.050mph

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P6 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing - time of 00:48.6934s for a speed of 184.830mph

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Row 4

P7 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
P8 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 5

P9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P10 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 6

P11 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
P12 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing

Row 7

P13 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
P14 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Row 8

P15 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
P16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 9

P17 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
P18 - Conor Daly, Carlin

Row 10

P19 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
P20 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Row 11

P21 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P22 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport

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Notable:

  • This was not a question of just speed but also luck, as the early qualifiers had to contend with a lot of oil dry on the track due to an oil spill right before qualifying. With each qualifier the track got noticeably better and the times showed it. Newgarden was fast and he was also the last qualifier, taking the pole from Bourdais who held it for a while.

  • Marco Andretti got the worst of the oil dry and almost lost it after getting into it.

Marco Andretti

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The IndyCars will now hold a final practice tonight, to simulate race conditions. Expect everyone to be in race trim and in traffic a lot to see what they can do in traffic. The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC-SN starting at 8:00pm EASTERN time on Saturday night.

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Friday afternoon at Gateway - Indy Pro 2000 qualify…

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Following the IndyCar qualifying the kids from IP2K came out for their own shots at qualifying points.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 12, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:03.0001s for a speed of 142.857mph

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:03.1522s for a speed of 142.513mph

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Row 2

P3 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:03.2925s for a speed of 142.197mph

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P4 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:03.6294s for a speed of 141.444mph

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Row 3

P5 - Antoine Comeau [R], Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 01:03.8120s for a speed of 141.039mph

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P6 - Artem Petrov [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:03.8615s for a speed of 140.930mph

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Row 4

P7 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing
P8 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 5

P9 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport
P10 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!
P12 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

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Notable:

  • Kory Enders held pole for most of the session but just at the end Kyle Kirkwood, 2nd in the points, took it away. Then Rasmus Lindh, the last qualifier and the points leader, took it away from Kyle, earning a valuable series point in the doing.

  • This is Rasmus Lindh’s 4th pole of the season.

  • Great qualifying efforts from Canadian Antoine Cameau and Russian Artem Petrov - both very recent rookies in the series who bested some seasoned veterans.

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The race is scheduled for a 2:45 start on Saturday afternoon, EASTERN time.

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UPDATE!

After qualifying ended Kyle Kirkwood was gigged for breaking Rule # 8.4.4 which states that a driver’s team cannot adjust anything but front wing flaps and tire pressures, once the car is in line to qualify. Kirkwood’s team adjusted his rear wing while in line and thus he will be moved to the rear of the field for the race

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Friday evening at Gateway - The Indy Lights qualify…

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The last qualifiers for the day were the young lions from Indy Lights, just before the Sun began to set.

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

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Row 1

Pole - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 00:56.2790s for a speed of 159.918mph

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P2 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 00:56.5013s for a speed of 159.288mph

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Row 2

P3 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 00.56.5156s for a speed of 159.248mph

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P4 - David Malukas [R], HMD Motorsports - time of 00.56.5992s for a speed of 159.013mph

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Row 3

P5 - Toby Sowery [R], HMD Motorsport Motorsports / Team Pelfrey - time of 00.56.6299s for a speed of 158.927mph

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P6 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing - time of 00.56.7788s for a speed of 158.510mph

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Row 4

P7 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport
P8 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

  • This is Oliver Askew’s 7th poke of the season. He was the last qualifier and took the pole from 2nd-in-the-points Rinus VeeKay, who had just taken it from Ryan Norman.

  • Falling on his face was Rob Megennis who practiced much better than he showed in qualifying. It was Rob’s first lap - way off song - that doomed him, but given his practice speeds we expect him to do much better in the race.

Robert Megennis

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The race is scheduled for a 4:25 start on Saturday afternoon, EASTERN time.

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Friday night at Gateway - The IndyCars hold their final practice…

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…and it was at night, just as the race will be on Saturday. That gave the teams a more realistic look at what their race trim will be doing. Unfortunately, it ended with a bang as Charlie Kimball for Carlin lost it in Turn 4 and slapped the wall hard.

It’s often hard to make judgments about a session that involves race-trim only, as one never knows what programs the teams are trying to accomplish, but as usual, the fastest guys are able to be the fastest guys and that bodes well for them
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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Conor Daly, Carlin - time of 00:24.7346s for a speed of 181.931mph
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2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:24.8191s for a speed of 181.312mph

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3 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:24.8574s for a speed of 181.033mph

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4 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:24.8691s for a speed of 180.947mph

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5 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:24.8885s for a speed of 180.806mph

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6 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
8 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
9 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
10 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

11 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
12 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
13 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
14 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
15 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
18 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
19 - Will Power, Team Penske
20 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin

21 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
22 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing

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Notable:

  • It’s not so strange to see Conor Daly top the charts as this is a place where he pulled in one of his best-ever IndyCar finishes - a P5 for AJ Foyt Enterprises.

  • The same is true for Zach Veach who has also had great success at Gateway in the past. Zach was P5 in 2018 for Andretti Autosport from a P16 start.

  • Good friends Zach Veach and Felix Rosenqvist were teammates in Indy Lights, where they drove the 2016 season for Brian Belardi at Belardi Auto Racing. They got 3 WINS apiece for Brian that year.

  • Charlie Kimball will be able to be repaired in time for the race tomorrow.

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Conor Daly (left) and Charlie Kimball

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IndyCar has released qualifying highlights…

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Spotter’s Guide - changes in livery since Pocono…

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There are a lot of the usual suspects making changes this week.

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Josef Newgarden was in the black and white Hitachi car at Pocono but will drive the blue and white PPG Paint car at Gateway:

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Felix Rosenqvist was in his regular blue NTT Data car for Pocono but will introduce a new car, the all-black Monster car, for Gateway. Monster Energy has been an associate sponsor for many cars for years, but this is the first IndyCar with a primary sponsorship:

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Graham Rahal was in the red, black and white TOTAL car at Long Pond but drives a black and white Mi-Jack car for St.Louis:

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Simon Pagenaud drove a yellow car for Penske Truck Rentals at Pocono and brings a different color yellow car to Gateway, as he returns to the Menard’s car:

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Takuma Sato was in the two-tone blue and white Mi-Jack car at Long Pond. He keeps essentially the same colors but will be sponsored by Japanese carburetor builders Keihin this weekend at St. Louis:

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Marco Andretti was in the white and red US Concrete car at Pocono. He will be in the Oberto car for Gateway, with colors of white, black, red and green:

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Alexander Rossi drove the red and blue Military to Motorsports car at Pocono but returns to his blue and yellow NAPA car for Gateway:

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Charlie Kimball was in his familiar green and black Tresiba car for Long Pond but brings a new car for Ripkurrent of two-tone blue to St.Louis:

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Saturday afternoon at Gateway - the Indy Pro 2000 kids race!..

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Kyle Kirkwood from Jupiter, Florida was penalized overnight for a rules infraction during qualifying and was dropped from his P2 starting position to dead last on the grid for the start. It didn’t make any difference to Kirkwood who pulled in another WIN for RP Motorsport Racing. Points-leader and pole-sitter Rasmus Lindh for Juncos racing gets 2nd place, but not without a ton of work and considerable drama, while P3 went to Kory Enders for DEForces Racing.

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KyleWIN350

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On the start of the race both Kory Enders and teammate Moises de la Vara got the jump on Rasmus, as the field went three wide into the first turn, with Moises getting the lead, followed by Kory. Throughout the field there was battling that had cars going four wide down the straights and two and three wide in the corners. By lap 7 Kyle Kirkwood had moved all the way from last place to take first place from de la Vara as Rasmus Lindh dropped all the way to P6.

For several laps de la Vara and teammate Kory Enders battled for P2 as Kirkwood began to edge away to a safe lead. The DEForce drivers traded the P2 spot a few times as Enders set Fastest Lap. Eventually, the American passed the Mexican and took the spot, and began to eat away the lead of Kirkwood.

In the mean time Rasmus Lindh had himself recouped spots until he was behind Moises and looking to take P3 from him, but in his mirrors was Danial Frost for Exclusive Autosport who was looking to take P4 from Lindh. At one point Frost was beside Lindh through Turns 3 and 4 but Rasmus was able to hold him off. For several laps Lindh tried to find a way to de la Vara’s inside but eventually made an outside pass on lap 40. As Lindh passed Moises the Mexican lost aero on his front wing and his ends swapped in Turn 3 as he backed in hard into the Turn 3/4 wall, bringing out a caution.

On the lap 48 restart Kirkwood got away clean but Lindh was all over P2 Kory Enders. Despite several attempts he was again unable to find passing ground to the inside. On lap 55, the final lap, he again chose the outside lane instead and was aside Enders through Turns 3 and 4, just able to edge past him to take P2 by 0.09 seconds at the line. Kirkwood would finish 0.86 seconds ahead of Ras.

A great race, with action throughout the field and battles to the very end!
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Notable:

  • This is Kirkwood’s 6th WIN in the last 7 races. It took a while for him to gel with Italian team RP Motorsport Racing, but now he is looking as invincible as he did during his rout of USF2000 with Cape Motorsports in 2018.

  • Lindh is driving extremely well and his charge from P6 to P2 was absolutely necessary to keep his lead in the points, but he has to do better that podium in the final races, if he is to beat Kirkwood in the title hunt. He has to beat Kirkwood every time.
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    Here is your happy podium - That’s Rasmus Lindh in P2 on the left, Kyle Kirkwood in P1 in the middle and Kory Enders in P3 on the right:
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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Gateway:

1 - Rasmus Lindh 323
2 - Kyle Kirkwood 317
3 - Parker Thompson 259
4 - Danial Frost 254
5 - Sgting Ray Robb 241

It is effectively now a battle between Lindh and Kirkwood.

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There are only 4 rounds left in the season - two at Portland International Raceway, August 29-September 1, and two at Laguna Seca, September 20-22, all in support of the IndyCar races at each venue.

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Saturday afternoon at Gateway - The Indy Lights race…

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Pole-sitter Oliver Askew lost the lead on the opening lap but the series points leader bided his time to retake the lead when he had to and sailed to the WIN for Andretti Autosport. P2 was the only other race leader, Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing, while P3 went to David Malukas for HMD Motorsport - nee BN racing.

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Michael Andretti congratulates his driver
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On the opening lap Rinus VeeKay got the drop on Oliver Askew and took the lead. David Malukas was also able to get by Ryan Norman for Andretti Autosport to take P3 and Toby Sowery for HMD Motorsport was passed by Dalton Kellett for Juncos Racing to take P5. Toby would then spend several laps trying to get the P5 spot back, often getting beside Kellett in the corners, but Dalton had learned where to put his car to make it hard for Sowery to keep in it long enough to seal the deal. Sowery once almost lost it, trying to stay with it around two corners.

On lap 7 Sowery finally got past Kellett for the P5 spot and attempted to get away, but on lap 12 Sowery spun in Turn 2 on his own. He was able to keep the car from hitting anything and was not hit by anyone behind him. He was also able to keep the car running and rejoin under the yellow he brought out. He went to the pits and changed all four tires without losing a lap.

On the lap 16 restart VeeKay was able to keep the lead. By lap 25 Rob Megennis for Andretti Autosport was able to take Kellett for the P5 spot. By the halfway point in the race VeeKay and Askew had gapped the rest of the field by over 6 seconds, as they ran a few feet apart. Oliver was waiting for the moment to pounce and it came on lap 52, as he breezed by Veekay on the outside. He would go onto WIN by almost 7 seconds as Rinus faded. Dave came in 1.13 seconds behind Rinus.

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Notable:

  • Juncos had trimmed out VeeKay’s car to be fast on the straights, but it cost him in the corners, where he degraded the tires. By the time Askew was ready, VeeKay had run out of good tires, even slightly slapping the outside wall once. It was really just a matter of waiting for it and Oliver wisely waited.

  • This is Oliver’s 4th WIN in a row.

  • The P3 was great for David, who is from Chicago, as lots of supporters came down from the Windy City to see him.

  • Normally getting new tires should have benefited Toby, but he had no new tires to put on his car, but rather had a set that already had 15 laps on them, so no advantage. He finished in P8 as a result.
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    Here is your happy podium - that’s Rinus VeeKay in P2 on the left, Oliver Askew in P1 in the middle and David Malukas in P3 on the right:

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

1 - Oliver Askew 395
2 - Rinus VeeKay 343
3 - Ryan Norman 295
4 - Rob Megennis 275
5 - Toby Sowey 270

This is now down to Oliver and Rinus, and Oliver will need to have some bad luck for VeeKay to have any chance to catch him.

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The last four outings of the season will be two at Portland International Raceway, August 29-September 1, and two at Laguna Seca, September 20-22, all in support of the IndyCar races at each venue.

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Saturday night at Gateway - the IndyCar race…

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Takuma Sato answered his critics the best way and the only way he could, by WINNING the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 for his team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - his 2nd WIN of the season. P2 at the end, and only a few thousandths of a second behind, at that, was Ed Carpenter for Ed Carpenter Racing, while P3 was Tony Kanaan for AJ Foyt Enterprises, again answering his critics with a podium.

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Sato qualified very well, at P5, but on the opening lap found himself dropping like a stone through the field, with bad luck and bad decisions. He ended up dead last in a few laps and spent most of the race working himself back up to the front of the field. While he was doing that rookie Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne Racing was leading the race with authority for the most laps, after taking the lead in the early stages and holding it for most of the contest. Ferrucci delivered the most excitement of the night and often.

It was a late-race yellow brought out by his teammate Sebastien Bourdais that lost him the lead and sent Sato, Kanaan and Carpenter into the top three spots. Late in the race Carpenter passed Kannan for P2 and then went after Sato. He almost got him, and as the two crossed the finish line one could see the noses of both cars within a foot of each other. It was that close.

Points leader Josef Newgarden was in P5 when Santino tried to pass Kanaan on the final lap to take away P3 but ended up in the marbles and almost in the wall. Instead, he dove back down into the racing line. Newgarden had to make a huge correction to avoid hitting him and in the doing spun out to be passed by several cars - some for position. That turned Newgarden’s night into a much smaller points benefit than might have been, as rivals Alexander Rossi and Scott Dixon were both behind him on track.

Gaining points on him was teammate Simon Pagenaud, who took over 2nd place from Rossi in the points chase.

A great night of racing viewed by the biggest crowd yet for the IndyCars at Gateway - they got their money’s worth!

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Here is your very happy podium - That’s Ed Carpenter on the left in P2, Takuma Sato in P1 in the middle and Tony Kanaan in P3 on the right:

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

1 - Josef Newgarden 563
2 - Simon Pagenaud 525
3 - Alexander Rossi 517
4 - Scott Dixon 493
5 - Will Power 416

Effectively, all five are still in it mathematically, but in reality this is now down to Newgarden, Rossi and Pagenaud.

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The next outing for the IndyCars will be next weekend, when they return to the natural road course Portland International Raceway, with support from all three Road to Indy series.

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NBC has released extended race highlights…

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