IndyCars - The 104th Running of the Indy 500

[MarkyS]

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For a time it looked like the Indy 500 would fall victim to the COVID-19 disaster, but the clear-thinkers in the Penske organization kept their focus and we are about to celebrate the greatest spectacle in Racing once again, as we do…

The 104th Running of the Indy 500

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At first, they hoped to do the great race in front of a 50% capacity crowd. Then it went to 25% and now there will be no crowd at all. No fans in the stands. But the race will go on, albeit in late August, instead of late May… But it’s GOING TO HAPPEN!

This year there are 33 cars starting, as usual, and all 33 cars have been at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this last week practicing for the race, to be held on Sunday, August 23rd. As usual,there will be support for the great race with the Road to Indy ladder system, but unfortunately, Indy Lights will not be a part of it. That means no 2020 Freedom 100 at the Speedway. Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000 will, again, as usual, be racing on Carb Day (next Friday) at Lucas Oil Raceway, a few miles from IMS, doing the Freedom 90 and the Freedom 75, respectively.

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Let’s look at those two support races and the series they will represent…

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(continued…)

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support racing - The Road to Indy is where young talent develops the skills to eventually compete in IndyCar. The ladder system has three levels, but due to COVID 19 we only have two levels in 2020, as Indy Lights - the TOP level - will resume racing in 2021. The two levels left provide great racing that should not be missed. This coming race weekend will feature both of them - USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000.

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USF2000 - This is the bottom rung of the ladder - the entry point to young drivers who typically come out of karting or out of F1600 wingless formula cars. The Tatuus USF-17 is a carbon-fiber chassis with the latest in safety and performance features. The cars have wings and slicks - sometimes the first cars as such for many drivers - and a good deal of downforce and grip. They are powered by a 180 hp Elite Engines MZR 4-cylinder. Gearboxes are 6-speed sequential, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. Brakes are ZR24 4-piston monobloc calipers at all four wheels, by Performance Friction Brakes.

The fields are often quite large and quite eclectic, with talent coming from all over the globe. Recently, the Road to Indy nearly DOUBLED the prize for WINNING the title, with that scholarship applied to the following year, driving a season in the next step up, Indy Pro 2000.

It’s easy to figure the current points leader in USF2000. Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development has WON all five of the first five races of the season, so far.

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Current points leader Christian Rasmussen

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Indy Pro 2000 - The next step up the ladder is more than USF2000 …More of everything, including power and grip. The chassis is essentially the same as the Tatuus USF-17 but it has more wing, more tire and more brakes and and it is pushed by more power. In this iteration it becomes the Tatuus PM-18. The engine is also an Elite Engines MZR 2.0 liter but it develops a snapping 275 hp and delightfully sounds a whole lot more powerful. The Sadev gearbox is a similar 6-speed sequential unit with paddle-shifters. The brakes are a similar PFB design 4-pot calipers but slightly bigger disks. The tires are substantially bigger, with the fronts of the PM-18 the same as the rears of the USF-17 and the rears of the PM-18 much bigger than that.

The fields are typically smaller in size than USF2000 but the level of talent across the board is much higher. Most of the drivers in this series have already cut their teeth for years in lesser series and have great racecraft in their back pocket. The competition level is therefore higher. Almost anyone in this field is capable of podiums and most are capable of WINS.

Unlike USF2000, no one driver has dominated Indy Pro 2000 this year. We have 4 different drivers winning the first 5 races, yet the points leader has WON none of them. He has just been consistently up there - Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Steinbrenner Racing.

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Current points leader Devlin De Francesco, leading by 1 point coming to Indy

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Both series will have three practice sessions followed by qualifying on Thursday, the 20th. They will both then race at Lucas Oil Raceway on Carb Day - Friday, the 21st.

In the mean time the IndyCars have been practicing and qualifying for the Indy 500. The info for that has been covered in the “Off Season” thread up to now. Go there to catch up.

Let’s get this thing GOING!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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On Saturday, the 15th, the entire field qualified for the Indy 500…

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…and the field was set for rows 4 through 11, grid spots 10 through 33. The TOP NINE were not set, but instead qualified to run the “FAST NINE” on Sunday, the 16th.

This morning that “FAST NINE” shoot-out took place and that set the first three rows of the grid for the 2020 Indy 500, including the pole. And on that pole is Marco Andretti for Andretti Herta - the first time an Andretti has taken pole at the Indy 500 since Marco’s grandad Mario Andretti did so in 1987.

Marco, the last to attempt to take pole, had to beat Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing, who had laid down a superior 4-lap average, besting all the other Andretti Autosport drivers and almost spoiling the party, though still a Honda driver. Marco bested the Kiwi by a mere 0.017 miles per hour four-lap average.

Here is the final grid for the 2020 Indy 500, with speeds for the TOP NINE collected today: [R] denotes rookie at Indy in 2020, though not necessarily for the IndyCar series. Speeds are a four-lap average.

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Row 1

P1 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta - speed of 231.068mph

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P2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - speed of 231.051mph

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P3 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - speed of 230.725mph

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Row 2

P4 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 230.704mph

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P5 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - speed of 230.848mph

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P6 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport - speed of 229.870mph

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Row 3

P7 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh - speed of 229.675

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P8 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - speed of 229.380mph

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P9 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - speed of 229.234mph

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Row 4

P10 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner
P11 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P12 - Spencer Pigot, Rahal Letterman Lanigan w/ Citrone/Buhl Autosport

Row 5

P13 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
P14 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
P15 - Pato O’Ward [R], Arrow McLaren SP

Row 6

P16 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
P17 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
P18 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 7

P19 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P20 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
P21 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP

Row 8

P22 - Will Power, Team Penske
P23 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P24 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 9

P25 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
P26 - Fernando Alonso, Arrow McLaren SP
P27 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing, BYRD and Belardi

Row 10

P28 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
P29 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
P30 - Max Chilton, Carlin

Row 11

P31 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
P32 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
P33 - Ben Hanley, DragonSpeed Racing

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Notable:

• Andretti was the last driver to qualify and at the time he went out, Scott Dixon was the only driver to average over 231 miles per hour. The three other Andretti cars in the FAST NINE had thus failed to knock Dixon off the top. Marco not only took pole but also salvaged the team pride.

• Andretti is one of the most popular drivers among the driver corps, so this was a very popular pole in the paddock. Almost every driver at the track came up to Marco to congratulate him after his four-lap run.

• Rookie Rinus VeeKay was the lone Chevrolet-powered car in the FAST NINE and he almost made the front row.

• Unlike Saturday with its calm conditions, Sunday saw winds of up to 18 miles per hour crossing the track, making all the attempts much more difficult and dangerous. All nine drivers - including the two rookies - were still up for it.

• With exactly 33 entries, there was no chance for bumping in qualifying, but the race will likely be a position race, so grid spots were determined to be very important, even over 500 miles.

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Marco Andretti - on the pole

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Here are Qualifications Day 2 highlights:

2020 Indy 500 Qualifications day 2 Highlights

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The IndyCars can now concentrate on race set-up, and that will be the focus of Sunday afternoon’s practice session.

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M

[GrandWazoo]

So Roger spends the big bucks and then spends more big bucks for new stuff and paint. And now no fans to help his re-coup his investment. I don’t feel sorry for him, but it is a bummer.
Kudos to Honda for doing their homework. I figured that last year when Rossi said that he lost because of Chevy power it would rile them up. But I never expected that there would be only one Chevy in the fast nine and it wouldn’t be a Penske car.
Very impressed with Palou. Too bad his weight jacker failed on his last lap. He might have put it on the front row. For a guy with so little oval experience I must say he is learning fast.
Looking forward for next Sunday!

[MarkyS]

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Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis - The field come out for the penultimate practice…

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…before the true final practice on Friday - Carb Day. This Sunday practice is dedicated to setting up the car in race trim - wholly different from qualifying trim. It didn’t seem to make any difference to pole-sitter Marco Andretti who topped this session as well in the closing minutes. That speaks volumes about Marco and the Andretti team. Marco finished his rookie Indy 500 in 2nd place in 2006. This year, he truly has another legitimate shot at a WIN and he knows it.

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Here was the order of speed for the final Sunday practice session, with speeds for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie at the Indy 500, though not necessarily for the series.

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1 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta - speed of 224.122mph

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2 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske - speed of 224.067mph

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3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - speed of 223.686mph

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4 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - speed of 223.327mph

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5 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - speed of 223.127mph

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6 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
7 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
8 - Pato O’Ward [R], Arrow McLaren SP
9 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
10 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh

11 - Fernando Alonso, Arrow McLaren SP
12 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
13 - Will Power, Team Penske
14 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
15 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
16 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
17 - Spencer Pigot, Rahal Letterman Lanigan w/ Citrone/Buhl Autosport
18 - Max Chilton, Carlin
19 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

21 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner
22 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
23 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
24 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
25 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
26 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
27 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
28 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport
29 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP
30 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

31 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
32 - Ben Hanley, DragonSpeed Racing

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Notable:

• All the FAST NINE cars were late to the session, as they had to be converted from qualifying trim. The first out of that group was Scott Dixon and he promptly lost it on a warm-up lap in Turn 4, barely brushing the wall while spinning. He would then pop all four tires and then bang the front left into the Pit Lane wall while sliding down the front straight. His team quickly repaired the car and his later P3 is testimony that he too came to play.

• Scott and Marco were joined by Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Palou as FAST NINERS that were also TOP TEN in race trim. Alexander Rossi, another FAST NINER, was P12 - bodes well for all of them.

• Helio Castroneves just lost his job in 2021, as Team Penske will NOT be racing in the IMSA WeatherTech series. While he always wants to race at Indy he is also auditioning for a full-time IndyCar ride with someone other than Penske in 2021.

• This is the best that Santino Ferrucci has driven so far this week and the first time he has out-paced his remarkable rookie teammate Alex Palou. Santino probably got tired of hearing how remarkable Alex is. Ferrucci was FAST here in 2019, earning 2019 Indy Rookie of the Year, so Dale Coyne has an embarrassment of riches.

• This session the TOP rookie was Pato O’Ward instead of Alex Palou. Pato probably got tired of hearing how remarkable Alex is.

• Conor Daly has regained his mojo, as his car is clearly better in race trim than it was in qualifying trim. Luckily for Conor, they race in race trim.

• The real mystery is what happened to Charlie Kimball, who was great in race trim last Thursday. We don’t know why he plummeted. Was it something they were trying today that didn’t work out? Can he get back to where he was?

• There were only 32 cars on track because James Davison was driving at Daytona today for Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR race on the road course. JD has to hope that Friday’s final practice for the 500 isn’t rained out.

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The man to beat - Marco Andretti

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The drivers will now fan out for a few days to do public relations for the race. They will be back on track on Friday - Carb Day - for their final practice before the race. USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 will hold practice and qualifying at Lucas Oil Raceway on Thursday for their Carb Day races.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway - The Road to Indy series prep to do the Freedom races…

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Usually on Carb Day - the Friday before the Indy 500 - the Road to Indy holds three races: The Freedom 75 with the USF2000 series, the Freedom 90 with the Indy Pro 2000 series and the always awesome Freedom 100 with the Indy Lights series. The Freedom 100, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is ALWAYS one of the best and most exciting oval races of any series, anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19 the Indy Lights series was suspended for 2020 and along with it, the Freedom 100.

BUT, we still have what is known as the “Carb Night Classic” as the Freedom 90 and Freedom 75 will go on, as usual, at the little 0.686-mile oval at Lucas Oil Raceway, a few miles east of the Speedway.

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The oval at Lucas is just a part of a huge racing complex there, which also includes a road course, a 1/4-mile drag strip and a karting track, but it is the oval which gets our attention, as this is one of two ovals contested each year for Indy Pro 2000 and the ONLY oval contest each year for USF2000. It is so important as a training ground that the Road to Indy always holds an oval racing clinic there for both series, staffed always by some big racing names familiar with the craft of oval racing. The intent is to teach the kids the ins and outs of oval racing - an art and skill they will need to master to have a full IndyCar career. In addition, SimMetric_Labs is bringing a few of their simulators to let drivers practice both in and out of their cars.

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The oval at LOR

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Thursday had 3 practice sessions of 30 minutes each for both series, followed by qualifying for tomorrow’s races. Let’s see how they did, starting with the kids in USF2000…

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(continued…)

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway - The Road to Indy series prep to do the Freedom races…(part 2…)

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First out on track were the kids from USF2000 and the earliest session also proved to be the fastest session of the day, due to the cooler temperatures. All three sessions saw a lot of the same names in the TOP TEN and even a few repeaters in the TOP FIVE, which we have here for each session:

The TOP FIVE from the P-1 session: [R] denotes rookie; times are for one lap

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1 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 00:22.7838s for a speed of 108.393mph

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2 - Eduardo Barrichello, Pabst Racing - time of 00:22.7843s for a speed of 108.390mph

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3 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 00:22.8318s for a speed of 108.165mph

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4 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:22.8356s for a speed of 108.147mph

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5 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 00:22.8525s for a speed of 108.067mph

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The TOP FIVE from the P-2 session: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development

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2 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

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3 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport

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4 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports

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5 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing

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The TOP FIVE from the P-3 session: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport

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2 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development

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3 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing

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4 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development

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5 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing

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Next, the results from qualifying for the Freedom 75…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway - USF2000 is qualified…

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…for Friday’s Freedom 75 - the one and only oval race on the USF2000 schedule and always a source of inter-series bragging rights. Qualifying is done with each car on track alone, taking one warm-up lap followed by two hot laps. Those laps are added together and their average speed sets the grid position - fastest car on top.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for the Freedom 75, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; times are the total of two laps while speed is the average

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Row 1

Pole - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 00:45.4353s for a speed of 108.708mph

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P2 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 00:45.5238s for a speed of 108.497mph

Row 2

P3 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports - time of 00:45.6961s for a speed of 108.088mph

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P4 - Michael d’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 00:45.7051s for a speed of 108.067mph

Row 3

P5 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:45.7283s for a speed of 108.012mph

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P6 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 00:45.8487s for a speed of 107.728mph

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Row 4

P7 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports
P8 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing

Row 5

P9 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
P10 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing

Row 6

P11 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development
P12 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Bijoy Garg [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P14 - Cameron Shields, Legacy Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Max Kaeser [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P16 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 9

P17 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport
P18 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 10

P19 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport

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Notable:

• Last year, Christian Rasmussen could do no better than a P15 start at LOR, while eventual race-WINNER Cameron Shields started P2. This year Cam will start P14. Things can change a lot in a year.

• Jack William Miller and Reece Gold are two of the youngest drivers in the field but they are also both sophomores and learned well in the rookie year in 2019. Seat time makes a huge difference.

• Nolan Siegel was fast in practice but couldn’t back it yup in qualifying, while Prescott Campbell was also fast in practice, but his times were disqualified for unknown reasons.

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Christian Rasmussen - freight train heading down the track

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Next up, Indy Pro 2000 practice and qualify…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway - Indy Pro 2000 hold practice and qualifying…

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…for Friday night’s Freedom 90. As with USF2000, the Indy Pro 2000 gang held 3 practice sessions of 30 minutes each, followed by qualifying for tomorrow’s race. We will give you the TOP FIVE of each session, but first an announcement, as a BIG name in racing will be joining the fray tomorrow.

USAC 5-time Silver Crown Champion and all-time Silver Crown race-WIN leader Kody Swanson will join Legacy Autosport as their only Indy Pro 2000 entry for the Freedom 90. Swanson has lots of Silver Crown open-wheel experience at Lucas but has never raced a rear-engine open-wheeler there. With his experience in racing in general, we fully expect Kody to make a splash. Legacy’s Louis Meyer says this may NOT be the only time Kody races for the team.

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Kody Swanson with the Legacy Autosport # 20 Tatuus PM-18

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Kody Swanson

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The three practice sessions where close on speed with the last one producing the best times, but not by much. That one has times listed.

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The TOP FIVE from the P-1 session: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport

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2 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing

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3 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing

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4 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing

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5 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing

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The TOP FIVE from the P-2 session: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsports

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2 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing

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3 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing

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4 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport

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5 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing

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The TOP FIVE from the P-3 session: [R] denotes rookie; times are for one lap

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1 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 00:21.0932s for a speed of 117.080mph

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2 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:21.1959s for a speed of 116.513mph

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3 - Kody Swanson [R], Legacy Autosport - time of 00:21.2095s for a speed of 116.438mph

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4 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 00:21.2178s for a speed of 116.393mph

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5 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 00:21.2355s for a speed of 116.296mph

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Notable:

• Kody Swanson posted a P9 in the P-1 session and a P11 in the P-2 session. It took him just three sessions in the brand new car before he was TOP FIVE material.

• Artem Petrov has proven to be an outstanding road course racer for Juncos Racing, WINNING two of the season’s five races thus far, but these are his first laps ever on an oval. He posted P11, P14 and P11.

• Sabre Cook is not at Lucas this weekend for Team Benik. This may be a budget thing or it may be her European focus, which has no use for oval training.

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Artem Petrov (left) and Sabre Cook

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Next, the Indy Pro 2000 gang qualify for the Freedom 90…(continued…)

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway - Indy Pro 2000 hold practice and qualifying…(pt 2)…

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Following practice the Indy Pro 2000 series qualified, using the same format as USF2000: Qualifying is done with each car on track alone, taking one warm-up lap followed by two hot laps. Those laps are added together and their average speed sets the grid position - fastest car on top.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for the Freedom 90, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; times are the total of two laps while speed is the average

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Row 1

Pole - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:41.8379s for a speed of 118.056mph

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P2 - Kody Swanson [R], Legacy Autosport - time of 00:41.8859s for a speed of 117.920mph

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Row 2

P3 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 00:41.9852s for a speed of 117.641mph

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P4 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 00:42.0172s for a speed of 117.552mph

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Row 3

P5 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 00:42.1035s for a speed of 117.311mph

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P6 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 00:42.1444s for a speed of 117.197mph

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Row 4

P7 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing
P8 - Braden Eves [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 5

P9 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing
P10 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P12 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Antoine Comeau, Turn 3 Motorsport
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

Row 8

P15 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing

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Notable:

• Virtually everyone in the TOP SIX should be there, based on past performances, with the possible exception of Kody Swanson, who has no past performances in the Tatuus PM-18 car. It is completely new and different from a front engine USAC Silver Crown car - his usual mount. But Swanson makes his living on little ovals like Lucas. This is stuff he lives and breathes.

• We are truly impressed with the P7 showing of Artem Petrov, given that this is his first weekend on an oval and yet he bested guys like Braden Eves, Parker Thompson and Colin Kaminsky - old hands. The young Russian has a lion’s heart.

• Both Charles Finelli and Moises de la Vara DNQ’d for reasons we don’t know.

• Nate Aranda for Juncos practiced all three sessions with a high of a very respectable P8 yet he posted no qualifying times. We are not sure if the Albuquerque native will be in the race.

Nate Aranda

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On the pole - Mexican Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce Racing

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Both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 will have a practice session on Friday afternoon, as a tune up to the Carb Night Classic, which begins at about 5:45pm Central time.

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Next on the weekend schedule for the Indy 500 is Carb Day - the final day of practice for the big cars before Sunday’s race. Carb Day practice begins about 10:00am Central time.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at the Speedway - Carb Day!.. The field holds their final practice before the 500…

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…on Sunday. This morning the 33 starters of the 104th Indy 500 all got out on track to make their final changes or cement their set-up for the race. For some it was a last-ditch chance to try something new but for most it was a confirmation and a tiny tweaking of what they hoped to run on Sunday. The track was constantly full of cars, so the ability to run in traffic was tested most.

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Here was the order of speed for the Carb Day final practice, with speeds for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie for the Indy 500, though not necessarily for the series

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1 - Pato O’Ward [R], Arrow McLaren SP - speed of 225.355mph

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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - speed of 224.646mph

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3 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - speed of 224.599mph

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4 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - speed of 224.580mph

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5 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP - speed of 224.128mph

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6 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
7 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
8 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
10 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh

11 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
12 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport
13 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner
14 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
15 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
17 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
18 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
19 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
20 - Dalton Kellett [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

21 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
22 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
23 - Fernando Alonso, Arrow McLaren SP
24 - Will Power, Team Penske
25 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
26 - Spencer Pigot, Rahal Letterman Lanigan w/ Citrone/Buhl Autosport
27 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
28 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
29 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing, BYRD and Belardi
30 - Max Chilton, Carlin

31 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
32 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
33 - Ben Hanley, DragonSpeed Racing

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Notable:

• Pato is not an IndyCar rookie. He is a sophomore in the series, after taking his Indy Lights Championship in 2018. He IS A ROOKIE at the Indy 500, however. Today he knocked it out of the park besting arguably the best driver in the series (Dixon) by more than .700 seconds, and easily topped the other talented Indy rookies in this field. He will start the race from the middle, in P15.

• Pato’s talented teammate, fellow rookie and fellow Indy Lights Champion (2019) Oliver Askew also made the TOP FIVE while their superb teammate, two-time Formula One Champion Fernando Alonso, was back in P23.

• While those two rookies made the TOP FIVE, there were also three former Indy 500 WINNERS in that TOP FIVE: Scott Dixon, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato. All are very, very good at the Speedway in this race, and have proven their ability and willingness to pass when and where others fear to tread. They have the obvious speed.

• Other former WINNERS didn’t fare so well in this practice, with Simon Pagenaud in P14, Helio Castroneves in P17, Tony Kanaan in P19 and Will Power in P24. It is a long day, however, so don’t count any of them out.They will adjust their cars all day long until they work and work well.

• We are gratified to see Charlie Kimball return to form and almost make the TOP TEN. We believe that CK wiil give AJ Foyt Enterprises the best Indy 500 they have had in a while. He’s always good at Indy.

• Maybe pole-sitter Marco Andretti felt he had nothing left to prove but he was the LEAST speedy Andretti car in this practice.

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Pato O’Ward - best rookie, fastest driver of the day

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The next time these 33 drivers take to the track will be on Sunday for the 104th running of the Indy 500, with LIVE broadcast on NBC starting at 1:00pm EASTERN time.

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway - USF2000 does the Freedom 75…

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The junior series from the Road to Indy started their day with a final practice this afternoon, in which the TOP FIVE were in order Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport, Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development, Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Matt Round-Garrido and Dudu Barrichello, all for Pabst Racing.

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Following that practice the Freedom 75 was held with the starting grid shown in post # 9. At the end of the all-green-flag event Denmark’s Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development collected his 6th WIN in the first six races of the season, crossing the line just over 6 seconds ahead of 15-year-old Reece Gold for Cape Motorsports, who collected his 4th podium of the year. Grabbing back some early lap losses, young Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports took his first series podium in P3.

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Rasmussen ( # 6) leads the field on the first - and last - lap of the Freedom 75

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As the race started Jack William Miller in P3 found himself in the wrong lane and dropped back to P4 behind Cape Motorsport’s Michael d’Orlando, then fell again to Josh Green, also for the Capes. Miller was very quickly in P5 before the first lap ended. Reece Gold, starting P2, was after pole-sitter Christian Rasmussen from the start and put in the race’s Fastest Lap on lap 6, but was unable to find the spot to get past the Dane.

They remained very close until midway through the race, when the front began to catch the lapped traffic. Rasmussen seemed to find the holes through that Gold could not and Christian slowly edged away with an ever-increasing lead over Reece that he held to the end.

Gold also had to contend with d’Orlando and they developed a battle over several laps for P2. Jack William Miller was able to first sneak past Josh Green to reclaim P4 and then come upon the Gold / d’Orlando battle. Three laps from the end Miller was able to use traffic to pull past d’Orlando to retake P3 - the first series podium for the sophomore.

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Your happy podium - That’s Reece Gold in P2 on the left, Christian Rasmussen in P1 in the middle and Jack William Miller in P3 on the right:

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points, leaving Lucas Oil Raceway:

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1. Christian Rasmussen, 211

2. Michael d’Orlando, 126

3. Reece Gold, 124

4. Eduardo Barrichello, 107

5. Josh Green, 101

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The next scheduled races for the series, Rounds 7,8 and 9, will take place on the Indianapolis Road Course, September 3-4, assuming no COVID-19 changes.

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Next, the Freedom 90…

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M

[GrandWazoo]

I liked Marco’s post Carb Day interview. It was interesting on how his team focused on what made the car uncomfortable. And they learned a lot doing it.
It was also interesting to see that about half the field actually practiced pit stops.
And I was pissed off that they didn’t show the pit stop competition this year.
I went to the Festival Parade site and they post that it will be broadcast on NBCS network. But I did not see it on my guide. Mistake?

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway - Indy Pro 2000 does the Freedom 90…

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The middle series from the Road to Indy took off for a final practice this afternoon, with the TOP FIVE speedsters were in order, Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsports, Kody Swansdon for Legacy Autosport, Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport, and Parker Thompson and Moises de la Vara, both for DEForce Racing.

Following that practice the series held the Freedom 90 as gridded in post # 10 and made history today as USAC’s 5-time Silver Crown Champion Kody Swanson took the WIN in his Indy Pro 2000 and formula car racing debut, driving for Legacy Autosport. Coming in P2 was Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing while P3 went to pole-sitter Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce Racing.

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Rookie Kody Swanson leads the way in the Freedom 90

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Manuel Sulaiman led the field away at the green flag and quickly put a comfortable gap between himself and P2 starter Swanson, who was struggling to keep his Tatuus straight on cold tires. Kody was also under intense pressure from P3 starter Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Racing. Swanson, using his wealth of oval-racing experience, stayed on the high groove, making Sting Ray go low and too tight to make a pass stick without spinning out. eventually Robb faded as his tires heated up trying to pass Kody on the low side. He would then fall to P4 behind Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsports.

By then Swanson was closing in on Sulaiman who was trapped behind back-marker Antoine Comeau for Turn 3 Motorsports. Kody used Comeau as a pick and got by Manuel on the high side in a spectacular pass for the lead. Swanson never looked back, eventually taking the checkered flag almost a quarter-lap clear of the field.

Hunter McElrea had started the race in P6 but took P5 from Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Steinbrenner on the 1st lap. It took him 59 more laps to advance to P4 past Sting Ray. Ten laps later he passed Danial for P3. A few laps later he was able to nip Sulaiman for the P2 spot but he ran out of time to catch Kody Swanson.

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Notable:

• Swanson had never driven a mid-engined formula car in anger before the Freedom 90 and had never raced on radial tires before (Silver Crown front-engined cars use bias-ply tires and not Coopers.) But what he lacked in car experience he more than made up with oval racing experience. He knew where to place the car and use the traffic and it paid off handsomely.

• 32-year-old Kody Swanson has wanted to race in the Indy 500 his whole life but knew that USAC racing was no longer the path to IndyCars that it was for greats like Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt. A few USAC drivers have gone from an Indy Lights ride to the 500, but Swanson wisely used Indy Pro 2000 instead. It is a far less intimidating car and far cheaper to run. If Swanson and the guys at Legacy are smart, he will ALSO run in the Indy Pro 2000 race at Gateway at the end of the month. Then a 2021 assault on the Indy 500 becomes closer to reality.

• On the podium Swanson was hugely affected and emotional at the WIN - so important to his Indy 500 ambitions. He was extremely grateful to Legacy Autosport’s co-owner Mike Meyer, whose great-grandfather Louis was the first-ever three-time Indy 500 winner.

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Your joyful podium - That’s Hunter McElrea in P2 on the left, Kody Swanson in P1 in the middle and Manuel Sulaiman in P3 on the right:

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Lucas Oil Raceway:

1. Devlin DeFrancesco, 136

2. Sting Ray Robb, 129

3. Danial Frost, 127

4. Artem Petrov, 118

5. Braden Eves, 115

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The next race for the IP2K gang will be their 2nd oval race of the year,as they go to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, August 28-29 for Round 7, unless COVID-19 changes things.

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M

[MarkyS]

I’m betting you will see an abbreviated look at the pit stop competition during the NBC pre-race show, starting at 1:00pm EASTERN time, GW.

We have missed a lot this year, but at least we get the race!

M

[Mortis]

Flag drop is 2:30

[GrandWazoo]

Pigot will be feeling that hit for many days. I’m sure glad that he was not seriously injured.
Kudos to Sato and the RLL team for a 1st and 3rd.
I’m not sure that Dixon could have caught him if it had stayed green. And I agree with the decision not to red flag the race. The broadcast was pretty good. And you could tell that Roger was jazzed about giving the command.

[MarkyS]

+++

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The 104th running of the Indy 500…

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With no less than 8 former WINNERS in the race there stood an excellent chance we would have a repeat winner…and we DID!

Takuma Sato, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan, WINS his 2nd Indy 500!

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Report to follow on Monday…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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The 104th Indy 500 was WON by Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan…

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…at the start of the 196th lap of the 200 lap event when Spencer Pigot, also driving for RLL, crashed really ugly in Turn 4 and on the front straight, as the former Indy Lights champion slammed sideways into the large tire attenuator that separates the pit lane from the front straight. IndyCar saw the carnage and knew that it would be close to an hour before the race could resume, if they red-flagged the event, and wisely allowed it to end instead under yellow. We were all delighted to see that Pigot was soon able to climb out of the car and was later cleared after taking a trip for a true and thorough check-up at the local hospital.

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Takuma Sato on the line of bricks - two-timer!

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The guy who was a bit stunned and disappointed at the choice NOT to go red was of course Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing, who was in P2 at the end after giving up the lead on lap 185. The gap between Sato and Dixon had grown slightly in the preceding lap as the two cars threaded through backmarkers but Dixon calculated that he had more fuel than Sato, who would run out before the end - a claim that RLL denies. We will never know.

What we know is that both Chip Ganassi and RLL were superb this year, as P3 at the end was Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan - his best ever result. More superb perhaps that Andretti Autosport, which dominated the week prior to the race. Their best finisher was James Hinchcliffe in P7 while pole-sitter Marco Andretti faded to P13.

It’s true that Andretti’s Alexander Rossi was the thorn in Dixon’s side for much of the race, taking the lead from him a few times, until he was poorly released from the pits and into the side of Sato in the pit lane. Though neither car was damaged, Rossi was given a penalty of going to the end of the lead lap. He passed several cars in a mad dash attempt to get back to the front, but it eventually ended in the Turn 1 wall.

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Crossing the bricks at the end - That’s Takuma Sato in P1 out front, Scott Dixon in P2 (far car) and Graham Rahal in P3 (near car). That’s Santino Ferrucci in P4 on the left:

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Notable:

• Sato, already a rock star in Japan, will receive well-deserved Emperor-like status for his 2nd Indy 500 victory. The Japanese driver has proven to be one of the best Indy 500 drivers of his era. It is not at all hard to imagine him collecting more WINS there in the future.

• Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne Racing came home P4 in yet another great 500 for the young American. He probably didn’t have the car to WIN but he was definitely making it interesting. Ferrucci remains fearless.

• Josef Newgarden was the TOP Chevrolet and the TOP Penske driver to finish, in P5.

• Indy 500 Rookie of the Year was Pato O’Ward for Arrow McLaren SP who came home P6. He well earned it, going from a Row 5 start to as high as P2 during the race. Quite a nice climb for a guy who was bumped out of the 103rd Indy 500.

• Fellow rookie Oliver Askew for Arrow McLaren crashed out, (not his fault) and rookie Alex Palou for Dale Coyne crashed out (yes, his fault) while rookie Rinus VeeKay for Ed Carpenter looked truly wonderful early on but made a mistake in the pits that cost him a penalty and a full lap. All in all, the rookie class actually acquitted themselves very well all week.

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Patricio O’Ward - Indy 500 Rookie of the Year

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Here are the TOP TEN in points leaving Indianapolis:

1 - Scott Dixon, 335

2 - Josef Newgarden, 251

3 - Pato O’Ward, 218

4 - Graham Rahal, 214

5 - Simon Pagenaud, 212

6 - Takuma Sato, 206

7 - Colton Herta, 189

8 - Santino Ferrucci, 181

9 - Will Power, 175

10 - Felix Rosenqvist, 151

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Despite the lack of crowd, the drivers all drove like they were in the Indy 500 and we had another great contest to the end, albeit 4 laps short of the hope. Next up for the IndyCars will be another oval, as they do the double-header at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway - the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. That will feature two 200-lap events, Saturday night and Sunday, August 29th and 30th, with support from Indy Pro 2000.

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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It took them a while…

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…but IndyCar has finally released a race highlights reel from the 104th running of ther Indy 500…enjoy!

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2020 RACE HIGHLIGHTS // 104TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

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M