INDYCAR News, Notes & Happenings
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| Rossi thinking – how the hell am I going to beat powerful Team Penske |
Rossi: Title contenders must be 'inch perfect' in Laguna Seca quals
A week from INDYCAR's return to historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda) is convinced that NTT P1 Award qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 21 will play a key role in determining which driver wins the NTT IndyCar Series championship the next day in the season-closing Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
The reason: With the field of 24 competitors as close in performance as any group in Indy car history and all four title contenders capable of winning the 90-lap race, scoring the pole's bonus point and getting early track position on the 11-turn, 2.258-mile permanent road course figures to be critical.
Then there's the fact that 14 times in the 22 Indy car races at Laguna Seca the pole winner went on to win the race. Twelve drivers contributed to that distinction.
The Firestone Fast Six qualifying, a 75-minute, three-round knock-out format, will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 4:35 p.m. ET (1:35 p.m. PT local).
"I've been saying for a while this championship very well could be decided in qualifying at Laguna," Rossi said. "It's no secret that we're expecting it to be a challenging race to pass just because of (the track's) history.
"So, yeah, it's 100 percent going to be a critical qualifying session that you're going to have to be inch perfect and nail it through all three rounds," Rossi said. "The guy that's on pole, if he's one of the guys that is in the championship fight, it's going to make their job to win the thing a whole lot easier."
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| Rossi can wave goodbye to driving for Team Penske, which has amassed 15 series championships, 18 Indianapolis 500 victories and 212 victories |
Series leader Josef Newgarden of Team Penske (No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet) leads Rossi by 41 points and teammate Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet) by 42 points. Newgarden can clinch his second career title by finishing in the top four. Rossi and Pagenaud likely need to win the race to win the title, and Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Honda) is in a must-win situation if he hopes to claim his sixth series championship.
In terms of one of the contenders taking the pole position, Team Penske has dominated the season with Newgarden, Pagenaud and Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet) sitting on the pole in nine of the 16 races. Newgarden earned poles at Belle Isle (2nd race), Pocono and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway while Pagenaud collected his at the Indianapolis 500, Toronto and Iowa.
Rossi has been one of the few to break through the Penske dominance with a pair of poles, the first at Long Beach and most recent at Belle Isle (1st race). Dixon has yet to win a pole this season, but has started on the front row three times (Long Beach, Indianapolis Grand Prix, Texas).
Dixon is the only one of the four title contenders with Indy car experience at this track, but those two starts came in 2001 and '02. This will be the first Indy car race at the track since 2004, which means this generation of competitors and equipment face a variety of unknowns heading into the four days of track activity. The first action is Thursday, Sept. 19 with six hours of testing beginning at 9:15 a.m. PT local.
"It's a blank slate for everyone, (and) that's exciting," Rossi said. "It will definitely reward the team and the drivers that come to grips with everything the quickest. It will probably reward them in a championship."
The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will be Sunday, Sept. 22, with television coverage on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 p.m. PT local) and radio coverage on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM 205, Sirius 98, Internet/App 970.
Experience counts
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| Tony Kanaan |
Next week's Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will be the first Indy car race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since 2004, but several of the NTT IndyCar Series drivers have open-wheel experience there.
Tony Kanaan (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) made five Indy car starts at the track, finishing as high as third as a rookie in 1998. Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Honda) made two starts, with a best of fourth in 2001. Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda) and Sebastien Bourdais of Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan (No. 18 SealMaster Honda) each made two starts. Bourdais won the pole in that last visit in 2004, which was a Champ Car event.
Kanaan (1997) and Dixon (2000) also won Indy Lights races at the track.
The current Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires era has raced at Laguna Seca since 2015 and the top three finishers that season – Spencer Pigot (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet), Jack Harvey (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) and Ed Jones (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet) – are on the entry list for this NTT IndyCar Series race.
Pigot won both Indy Lights races that year to capture the championship for Juncos Racing. Zach Veach (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) of Andretti Autosport won the 2016 Indy Lights race for Belardi Auto Racing. Jones finished second and fourth in '16 to secure the season title.
Max Chilton (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet) finished fifth in Indy Lights in 2015 for Trevor Carlin's team, and he still holds both the qualifying and race records for the series at Laguna Seca.
Even the NBC broadcasters who will call the Sept. 22 race have experienced driving success at Laguna Seca. Paul Tracy won the CART race in 1993 and '94. Townsend Bell led all 34 laps of the Indy Lights race in 2001, and Jon Beekhuis finished second in the 1988 Indy Lights race
More finale news …
- Ryan Hunter-Reay’s No. 28 DHL Honda will have a special paint scheme for next week’s race as the sponsor honors the 50th year of the company being founded by three entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 1969. The special livery leads with the historic red and white DHL branding of 50 years ago, then transitions into the modern-day, iconic yellow branding at the back half of the car.
- Scott Dixon is scheduled to make his 321st career Indy car start in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, which would give him sole possession of sixth place on sport’s all-time list. Dixon currently is tied with Al Unser, and he can tie Al Unser Jr. for fifth place at the eighth race of next season. Mario Andretti has the record at 407.
Halo and Aeroscreen update
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| Scott Dixon behind the new IndyCar Halo |
INDYCAR is scheduled to perform its first on-track test of the Aeroscreen driver safety initiative Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing and 2014 series champ Will Power of Team Penske have been selected to take part in the full-day test session on the 2.5-mile oval. Dixon previously conducted a simulator test of an Aeroscreen prototype in July at the Dallara Research Center in Speedway, Ind.
INDYCAR, in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, is designing the Aeroscreen for enhanced driver cockpit protection and plans to have the component implemented for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The RBAT design encompasses the cockpit with a ballistic Aeroscreen anchored by titanium framework. The design will consist of a polycarbonate laminated screen that includes an anti-reflective coating on the interior of the screen, an anti-fogging device through an integral heating element and possibly tear-offs, all of which will be produced by integrated third-party companies. There also will be a cockpit cooling option that will be designed by Dallara in conjunction with RBAT.
The test will be open to the media with additional details to follow.
Power players
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| The Captain comes in at #16 |
Autosport recently released its 2019 Motorsport Power List that covers the 50 most powerful people in global motorsport and eight have direct connections to the NTT IndyCar Series. The subjective list from the Autosport staff identified individuals in and out of the spotlight that wield influence and impact in the world of motorsports.
The INDYCAR-affiliated group, led by Roger Penske, consisted of three team owners, three official partner executives, a new team executive and an INDYCAR executive.
Penske checked in at No. 16 while fellow INDYCAR owners Michael Andretti and Chip Ganassi were ranked 29th and 41st, respectively. Team Penske has amassed 15 series championships, 18 Indianapolis 500 victories and 212 victories since the organization’s first season in 1968. Andretti Autosport, formed in 2003, owns four series titles, five Indy 500 wins and 64 victories. Chip Ganassi Racing has collected 12 series championships, four Indy 500 crowns and 108 wins since forming in 1990.
The sole chassis supplier – Dallara – and the two engine manufacturers – Honda and Chevrolet – for the NTT IndyCar Series were represented among the top 30 on the list. Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo was No. 17 and was followed by General Motors Director of Motorsports Competition Mark Kent at No. 27 and Dallara CEO and General Manager Andrea Pontremoli at No. 28.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown ranks 18th on the organization’s Formula One foundation, but McLaren Racing announced in August a return to full-time INDYCAR competition beginning in 2020. McLaren will forge a strategic partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and be renamed Arrow McLaren Racing SP.
INDYCAR President Jay Frye is the final individual of this group, coming in at No. 45 in the rankings. He was named president in December of 2018 after serving as the sanctioning body’s president of competition and operations the previous three years. According to the Autosport , “Frye has earned the respect of IndyCar team owners by asking their opinions, carefully considering their answers and leaving this largely experienced body to sort out potential problems before returning to him to present their cases. He then reaches conclusions that he and his technical experts consider compatible with IndyCar’s purpose of improved competition and also satisfy the majority of team owners."
FIA President Jean Todt was given the No. 1 ranking on the Motorsport Power List.
Road to Indy titles up for grabs
[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]All three Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires championship chases have come down to a duo duel in the #RTIFinale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
For Indy Lights and USF2000, it’s been a season-long battle between the top two while in Indy Pro 2000 one driver has emerged on top with an impressive second-half surge.
In Indy Lights, Oliver Askew and Rinus VeeKay have battled for the championship in each of their three Road to Indy seasons. Askew defeated VeeKay for the 2017 USF2000 Championship while VeeKay captured the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 title with Askew third.
Askew, 22, stands poised to claim the 2019 Indy Lights title and with it, a guaranteed entry into three 2020 NTT IndyCar Series races, including the Indianapolis 500. With VeeKay, who turned 19 on Wednesday, announcing his intentions to work toward an IndyCar ride as well, the distance between their karting days and the start of their NTT IndyCar Series careers could be an astounding three years. Both drivers tested an Indy car last month to rave reviews from Chip Ganassi Racing (Askew) and Ed Carpenter Racing (VeeKay).
Askew holds a 41-point lead with a race doubleheader remaining at Laguna Seca. If Askew finishes fifth or better in the opener on Saturday, Sept. 21 or if VeeKay does not win, Askew will clinch the title. If VeeKay wins that race, Askew need only start the second race on Sunday, Sept. 22 to clinch.
Kyle Kirkwood, the 2018 USF2000 champion, took his first championship lead of the Indy Pro 2000 season with a sweep of both races at Portland. Kirkwood, 20, driving for RP Motorsport USA, holds a 20-point lead over Rasmus Lindh, 18, who drives for the 2017 and ‘18 champs Juncos Racing.
California-born, Australia-raised Kiwi Hunter McElrea, 19, took his first points lead of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship season at Portland, with a sweep of both poles and both victories. He holds a slim six-point lead over 20-year-old Braden Eves who drives for Cape Motorsports, winner of eight consecutive championship titles. McElrea earned the Mazda scholarship into the series this season with a victory in the Road to Indy Shootout last December