Musings From the Weekend: 2022 Possible NASCAR Achievements

The Los Angeles Rams are Super Bowl champions. Conor Daly has too many football jerseys. The Supercross season completed six rounds, half of which have been in Anaheim, and it is a good opening third of the season. The Asian Le Mans Series started this weekend and the championship is halfway over, as it heads to the season finale next week. MotoGP tested in Indonesia and conditions were challenging. Formula One cars are being unveiled. NASCAR will not stop letting you know the Daytona 500 is next weekend. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking. 

2022 Possible NASCAR Achievements

I have done this before ahead of an IndyCar season, and we will do it again ahead that season opener, but it works for any series. With NASCAR's season about to officially start, this is a good chance to look ahead. This season will be different, with the new car, a new track, a new order of races and plenty of driver changes. 

But what else could we see this year? 

Kurt Busch: Winning a NASCAR Cup race with fourth different manufacture

Busch is entering his 23rd NASCAR Cup season, and it will be with a new team, 23XI Racing. 

The 2004 Cup champion has 33 Cup victories, putting him tied for 25th all-time with Fireball Roberts. Busch has won a race in eight consecutive seasons and in 18 of his 21 full-time seasons. But Busch could join an exclusive club this year. 

He will be driving a Toyota for the first time in the Cup Series. He won with Ford at Roush Racing, and later Stewart-Haas Racing. He won with Dodge at Penske Racing. He won with Chevrolet at Stewart-Haas  and Chip Ganassi Racing. 

If Busch were to win this season with Toyota at 23XI Racing, he would become just the 19th driver to with four different manufactures in the NASCAR Cup Series. That might sounds like a high number, but this achievement is rarer than it sounds. 

Of those 18 drivers, only five have won with four different manufactures in NASCAR’s Modern Era (Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker and Neil Bonnett). However, Busch would join Bonnett as the other driver to start a career in the Modern Era to win with four manufactures. 

Some drivers have been close and a few active drivers have won with three manufactures. Brad Keselowski is on three, but he remains with Ford as he purchased into the Roush Fenway organization. Kasey Kahne won with three manufactures but couldn’t get a win with Ford. Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray each won with three manufactures but neither ever drove a Toyota in the Cup Series. 

It could be a long time before any other driver comes close to joining this club again. NASCAR has only had three manufactures since the start of the 2013 season. With Dodge gone, and no other manufacture seriously considering entering the Cup Series, these drivers will likely never have the opportunity to win with four makes. 

Busch is it for the time being. 

Wood Brothers Racing: 100th Cup victory

We have been sitting on this for five years. Ever since Ryan Blaney won at Pocono in 2017, the Wood Brothers have been stuck on 99 Cup victories. It is not quite as long as the six years between 98 and 99 nor as long as the nearly ten years between 97 and 98. 

The Wood Brothers have another young driver, rookie Harrison Burton behind the wheel. He is looking to become the 19th driver to win for the team, joining the following drivers:

Glen Wood - 4

Speedy Thompson - 2

Tiny Lund - 1

Marvin Panch - 8 

Dan Gurney - 4

A.J. Foyt - 5

Curtis Turner - 1

Cale Yarborough - 13

Donnie Allison - 1

David Pearson - 43

Neil Bonnett - 9

Buddy Baker - 1 

Kyle Petty - 2

Dale Jarrett - 1

Morgan Shepherd - 1

Elliott Sadler - 1

Trevor Bayne - 1

Ryan Blaney - 1

Kaulig Racing: Multiple winners in one Cup car

Kaulig Racing is expanding into Cup full-time in 2022, and Kaulig is doing it with two cars. Justin Haley will be full-time in the #31 Chevrolet, but the #16 Chevrolet will be split between three drivers. A.J. Allmendinger and Noah Gragson will each get 14 races, while Daniel Hemric is looking to make eight starts. 

Last year, Allmendinger scored Kaulig Racing's first Cup victory at Indianapolis. Another road course victory is highly probable for Allmendinger and Kaulig, but with the new car, and after seeing Kaulig's pace as a part-time team, it is possible either or both Gragson or Hemric could be a surprise winner. 

Hermic has already been a full-time Cup driver. He is also the defending Grand National Series champion. Gragson is still looking to make his first Cup start, and it could come at the Daytona 500 with Beard Motorsports, but Gragson showed good speed in 2021 and it felt he reined in his aggression. 

Neither driver can be ruled out, but should Kaulig Racing have multiple winners, it begs the question, when was the last time one car had multiple winners in a single Cup season? 

It was 2002. Sterling Marlin won twice in the #40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing, but a broken neck late in the season forced him out of the car. In slid Jamie McMurray, who won in his second Cup start at Charlotte.

There have only been two other occasions in NASCAR’s Modern Era where one entry has had multiple winners. It happening in 1979 with Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson in the #2 Chevrolet for Rod Osterlund, and it also happened in 1972 with A. J. Foyt and David Pearson in the #21 Mercury for the Wood Brothers.

This could really happen for any team, but Kaulig Racing is the most likely option with its lineup. 

Jeremy Clements and Justin Allgaier: 400 NASCAR Grand National Series starts

There is more than just the Cup Series and there are plenty of drivers in NASCAR's lower divisions looking to reach milestones in 2022. 

Clements and Allgaier established themselves as second series regulars in the 2010s. Allgaier has been a regular championship contender while Clements has had some competitive moments and his only victory was at Road America in 2018. 

Four-hundred starts might not sound like a lot, but only eight drivers have reached 400 starts in NASCAR's second division. Kenny Wallace is the all-time leader at 547 starts ahead of Jeff Green (535), Jason Keller (520), Mike Wallace (497), Joe Nemechek (453), Morgan Shepherd (463), Tommy Houston (417) and David Green (404).

Clements only needs two starts to reach 400, and he will likely end the season seventh all-time in starts. Allgaier has a little more work to do. He needs to make 28 starts, so he is on track to join the club at Talladega. 

In case you are wondering, the next active driver in starts is Kyle Busch at 362, but with Busch being full-time in Cup, and Busch announced he will not run in this series in 2022, it is unlikely he will reach 400 starts. The next driver is J.J. Yeley on 351 starts.

Matt Crafton: 500 NASCAR Truck Series starts

Crafton is already the all-time leader in Truck starts, and he is 138 starts ahead of Ron Hornaday, Jr. in second all-time. The closest active driver in Truck starts is Johnny Sauter on 311 starts. Only seven drivers have reach 300 starts. Only 15 drivers have reached 200 starts.

There have been 643 Truck races all-time. Crafton has been in 498 Truck races, 77.449% of every Truck race to take place in 27 seasons. Crafton should reach 500 starts at Las Vegas. Here are his other milestone starts:

1st start: Fontana October 28, 2000 (9th)

100th start: Atlanta March 18, 2005 (14th) 

200th start: Atlanta March 7, 2009 (11th)

300th start: Iowa July 11, 2014 (3rd)

400th start: Las Vegas September 14, 2018 (5th)

Kyle Busch: 8th all-time in Cup Series laps led

Busch has accomplished a lot in his Cup career and he still has a few years before he turns 40 years old. While being the active leader in Cup Series victories, Busch is also the active leader in laps led, but we kind of lose track of how many laps he has led. 

Currently tenth all-time with 18,281 laps led, Busch is 2,499 laps led ahead of the next active driver, Kevin Harvick. Busch has a chance to put a few drivers between him and Harvick. Busch needs to lead 661 laps to pass Jimmie Johnson for ninth all-time, but eighth is highly likely, as Busch only needs 671 laps to pass Rusty Wallace for eighth. Seventh is not really practical, as Busch is 4,853 laps behind Darrell Waltrip.

What is the likelihood Busch gets to eighth? He only led 516 laps in 2020 and 334 laps last season, his lowest total as a full-time Cup driver, but he did lead over 700 laps in each season from 2015 through 2019, he led over 1,000 laps in four of those and he led over 2,000 laps in 2017. 

It could be a stretch, but Busch hits it off in the new car, he could be moving up the laps led order.

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick: 60th career Cup Series victory

Speaking of Busch and Harvick, they both have a historic milestone in reach. Only eight drivers have won at least 60 Cup races. For the longest time, there was a massive gulf in the record book with Dale Earnhardt's 76 victories to Rusty Wallace's 55 victories. While, now Busch and Harvick fill that gap, but they have some work to do before they will get to Earnhardt. 

Sixty is the next thing in each of their windscreens. Busch only needs one more victory. Harvick needs two after coming off a winless season. Both driver should win races, and both drives should reach this milestone. But who gets there first? 

Harvick is more hungry after a disappointing 2021 season. They should both get to 60 early in the season.

Denny Hamlin: 50th career Cup Series victory

While Busch and Harvick are going for 60, Hamlin is four victories away from 50 Cup victories. He would become the 15th driver with 50 career victories, but more importantly if he gets to 50, he will tie Junior Johnson's record for most victories for a driver without a championship. 

Of course, Hamlin is looking to shed that distinction as well. I think he would rather take three victories and a championship than five victories and still without a championship. 

Hamlin only won two races last year, but he won six times in 2019 and seven times in 2020. In only three other seasons has he won at least four races (2009 - 4, 2010 - 8 and 2012 - 5). Four victories is not a guarantee for Hamlin, but none of us would rule him out. 

Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland: First 21st century Cup winner

We are entering the third year of this decade and we are also entering the point where the children of the 21st century are now becoming adults. Odd, I know. We have yet to have a 21st century driver win a Cup race. Justin Haley is the closest, born April 28, 1999. 

Gilliland was born May 15, 2000, and will drive the #38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports this season. We know Burton will drive for the Wood Brothers, and he was born October 9, 2000. 

It is not highly likely either driver will win a race this year, but we know they will have a shot, and should it happen, we will hear nonstop that they were born in the year 2000. Oh joy!

Winners From the Weekend

You know about the Los Angeles Rams, but did you know...

Pascal Wehrlein won the Mexico City ePrix, his first career victory.

Jason Anderson won the Supercross race from Anaheim, his second of the season. 

The #4 Nielsen Racing Oreca-Gibson of Matt Bell, Ben Hanley and Rodrigo Sales swept the two Asian Le Mans Series race from Dubai. In race one, the #3 CD Sport Ligier-Nissan of Nick Adcock, Edouard Cauhaupé and Michael Jensen won in LMP3, the #7 Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport McLaren of Ben Barnicoat, Brendan Iribe and Ollie Millroy won in GT. The #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Axcil Jefferies, Roman Ziemian and Francesco Zollo swept the races in GT-Am. 

In the second Asian Le Mans Series race from Dubai, the #8 Nielsen Racing Ligier-Nissan of Colin Noble and Anthony Wells won in LMP3, and the #55 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of Rino Mastronardi, David Perel and Davide Rigon won in GT. 

Coming Up This Weekend

Daytona 500.

The final two Asian Le Mans Series races from Abu Dhabi.

Minneapolis hosts Supercross.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Chip Ganassi Racing

Our final IndyCar team preview has arrived, and it is the defending champions. Chip Ganassi Racing won its second consecutive title with an unlikely source. Álex Palou, in his sophomore IndyCar season, but first with Ganassi, showed he was up for the promotion from day one winning at Barber Motorsports Park. For the first time in a decade, Scott Dixon had a challenger for best in the team. 

Palou wasn't the only one carrying the weight. Dixon won and was never far off his teammate. Marcus Ericsson had a surprising breakout, not surprising that the Swede broke out but how he broke out, with victories from out of nowhere. 

While Ganassi made team history with three different drivers winning a race in a season, it also made history with its fourth entry, primarily with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion moved to open-wheel racing and struggled, but made strides as he endeavored on a road/street course program while Tony Kanaan handled the ovals.

In 2022, there are no changes to the Ganassi lineup, other than Johnson stepping up to full-time competition. 

2021 Chip Ganassi Racing Review

Wins: 6 (Barber, Texas, Belle Isle I, Road America, Nashville, Portland)

Poles: 2 (Indianapolis 500, Portland)

Championship Finish: 1st (Álex Palou), 4th (Scott Dixon), 6th (Marcus Ericsson), 23rd (Jimmie Johnson), 27th (Tony Kanaan)

Marcus Ericsson - #8 Huski Chocolate Honda

After a suitable first season with Chip Ganassi Racing, Ericsson opened 2021 with a pair of top ten finishes. Another promising Texas result was lost in the pit lane when a tire was not properly fasten in the first Texas race. He fell into a mid-pack groove after that with finishes of 12th, tenth and 11th in the next three races. 

Ericsson benefitted from the chaotic nature of the first Belle Isle race and was looking to get a podium finish out of nowhere. Then Will Power's car would not restart after the red flag was lifted with five laps to go. Ericsson assumed the lead and would have a sprint to the finish with Rinus VeeKay on his heels. Ericsson was not all that challenged, and he picked up his first career IndyCar victory basically out of nothing. He followed it with a ninth in race two. 

After finishing sixth at Road America, Ericsson was strong at Mid-Ohio, spending most of the race in second position, but a speck in Josef Newgarden's mirrors. However, in the closing laps of the race, as Newgarden's tire wore and as Newgarden negotiated traffic, Ericsson closed. The Swede was there in case Newgarden made a mistake, but had to settle for second in one of his strongest IndyCar drives. 

Nashville has been covered many times already for Ericsson. He ran over the back of Sébastien Bourdais and nearly retired the car until his damaged wing became unstuck from beneath his tires. In the Simon Pagenaud/Will Power incident on the lap 20 restart, Ericsson nearly stalled, but the car re-fired in time. The team kept making pit stops, topping off for fuel and the disjointed nature of the race saw about eight-dozen different pit strategies. With the leaders caught out, Ericsson cycled to the lead and green flag racing resumed. 

Ericsson kept the lead while some of the faster cars, notably Colton Herta, had to fight from the back. Ericsson faced no pressure, but Herta was moving forward, and Herta had more fuel to burn. In the closing laps, Herta was ready to pounce, but one bad pass attempt caused the American to lose ground. Then Herta got into the tire barrier and ended his race. The race was restarted with two laps to go and Ericsson held on for his second victory of the season. 

The Swede would finish in the top ten of the four races after that, but a collision in the turn one tire barrier at Long Beach meant he was the first driver to start his 2021-22 offseason.

Numbers to Remember:

1,864: Laps completed in 2021, fourth most in IndyCar, behind Simon Pagenaud, Scott McLaughlin and Patricio O'Ward.

10: Races led in his IndyCar career.

1: Race with more than five laps led (Nashville 2021, 37 laps led).

What does a championship season look like for him?

It starts with Ericsson being the top Ganassi driver immediately. A pair of podium finishes out of the box, and no other driver with multiple podium finishes in the first two races. That will have him in the championship lead. Then he wins and he is the only driver with three podium finishes to open the season. 

A slight dip follows and that dip is a top five finish. He is only in the top ten in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but a top ten finish in the Indianapolis 500 doesn't feel as bad, as it will be his best finish in the race and it will pay double points. At Belle Isle, he is on the podium again and he gets another victory at Road America before winning at Mid-Ohio. 

A poor Toronto race is cancelled out with two top ten finishes in Iowa. He gets a top five finish in Nashville, but one he deserves with top five pace. He finishes in the top five at Gateway and it sets him up so a top ten in Portland and a top five at Laguna Seca is enough for Ericsson to make it three different Ganassi drivers with a championship in three seasons.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Ericsson is the best good driver there is in IndyCar right now. While he won two races in 2021, neither were all that impressive from him, and both were frankly down to circumstances. I don't want to belittle the man too much, because he has shown respectable pace in each of his IndyCar seasons, and the results have followed. 

He has been a top ten finisher and a quick driver, but he is rarely the quickest driver. While he won two races in 2021, Ericsson still has not had a race where he has been the man to beat. He needs that in year four of IndyCar. He needs a few races where he starts right at the front, leads lap and forces others to beat him. He can do that in 2022, but most likely he will be a solid driver. He will finish in the top ten and those results compiling will lead to another respectable championship finish. 

The key thing for Ericsson is turning some of those top ten results into more top five results. Three top five finishes is not enough in a season. I think he can make that marginal gain, but not necessarily see him leap further up the championship. 

Scott Dixon - #9 PNC Bank Honda

With a sixth championship claimed, Dixon entered 2022 with a shot at history. Another title would tie him with A.J. Foyt for most all-time. Two more victories and he would equal Mario Andretti for second all-time with three victories enough to put Dixon second on his own, only behind Foyt. 

The season was a classic Dixon start: third, fifth, first and fourth with the championship lead. We hadn't even made it to Indianapolis and people were ready for Dixon to retain the crowd. Indianapolis started with a ninth-place finish on the road course and pole position for the Indianapolis 500. The title appeared close to being claimed on Memorial Day weekend, but Dixon stumbled. 

Stefan Wilson's spin caught Dixon out before his first pit stop. Dixon was going to lose ground anyway, but he was forced to make an emergency stop due to his low fuel level. The car stalled and the electronics had to be completely recycled before he could restart. This cost him a lap and the race wasn't even 100 miles old. 

With a lack of caution, Dixon did not get back on the lead lap until after halfway. The team tried to work a Hail Mary strategy to get a decent result, but all the team could manage was 17th. 

Dixon went on a run of five consecutive top ten finishes after Indianapolis, the last three all being top five finishes, but his summer ended poorly. Indianapolis was not kind to Dixon in 2021. A spin in qualifying meant he had to start 26th. He moved up the order, but finishing on the less ideal primary tires knocked him back to 17th. He was taken out at Gateway when Rinus VeeKay made an ambitious move into turn one. Dixon was third at Portland, but he was collected in Takuma Sato's spin at Long Beach, knocking Dixon down to 13th. Dixon's season ended the way it started, a third-place finish.

Numbers to Remember:

401: Laps led in 2021, Dixon's most in a season since 2012.

369: Laps led at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021.

12: Race victory drought entering the 2022 season, his longest since a 12-race drought between his victories at Toronto in 2018 and Belle Isle in 2019.

What does a championship season look like for him?

Dixon has won six championships. He can win a championship any way. 

He can win the first three races and have a stranglehold on it from day one. He can start slow, not win until the 11th race, go on a late run and take the championship on the final day of the season. He can have a balanced season, winning a race in each quarter and always being better than his competition, but not being flashy. 

 

There are only two multi-time champions in IndyCar currently, Dixon and Josef Newgarden. There are only three other champions in IndyCar. For most drivers, there are only one or two possible ways to win a championship. For Dixon, the possibilities are limitless.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

In the case of Dixon, the question is not how good of a season can he have, but how bad of a season can he have? 

For most drivers, we want to know the ceiling. Dixon has been dancing on the ceiling for nearly 20 years. What is his floor?

We are used to him being in the top three or four of the championship with a handful of victories, but it has been a while since we have seen Dixon risk going winless. IndyCar was completely different when Dixon did not reach victory lane in 2004. Last year was a bad year for Dixon and he still had a victory and five podium finishes. He was fourth in the championship. Ninety-percent of IndyCar would have died for Dixon's 2021 season, and yet for Dixon, it was one of his worst seasons. 

 

The man will turn 42 years old this July. We know Dixon will not be around forever. The greatest all experience a drop off. A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti each had it. Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser and Gordon Johncock each hung around, no longer great threats for victories, but could pull out impressive results with little left on the tank late in their careers. Dixon's teammate Jimmie Johnson experienced it in NASCAR. 

None of us want to see Dixon end his career with four or five winless seasons and him drop from a championship contender to unable to make it into the championship top ten. We all fear that day coming for Dixon.

It is hard to classify last year as a down year, but for Dixon, I am using the rule of three approach. One bad season is happenstance, two bad seasons is a coincidence, three bad seasons is a pattern. Until Dixon has three consecutive bad seasons, we cannot say he is done. 

What is realistic for this season? It is Scott Dixon. A championship with six victories wouldn't be surprising. He is going to be there. 

Álex Palou - #10 NTT Data Honda

Palou could not have made a better first impression at Chip Ganassi Racing: A victory! With a proper set up and great tire management, the Spaniard led 56 of 90 laps at Barber Motorsports Park. He had a hangover at St. Petersburg and finished 17th, but he recovered with a pair of top ten finishes at Texas. 

At Indianapolis, he opened with a third on the road course and was a notable challenger to Romain Grosjean for the race lead. He qualified sixth for the Indianapolis 500 and spent nearly the entire race in the top five. Palou led 35 laps and was leading with two laps to go before Hélio Castroneves took the lead entering turn one. Palou was unable to counter, but he was second in his second Indianapolis 500 start, and that gave him back the championship lead.

The first Belle Isle race saw Palou serve a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change, and his qualifying effort didn't help. A 21st became 25th on the grid and all he could manage was 15th in the race. He responded with a third in the second race. Palou had an outstanding debut weekend at Road America in 2020 with a third and a ninth in what were the third and fourth races of his IndyCar career. He was at the front again in 2021, and he kept Josef Newgarden honest, but it looked like Newgarden would get the victory. The late caution and ensuing restart put Palou in position, but he would have to be precise to get the lead. However, Newgarden's gearbox let him down and Palou zoomed to the lead like it was nothing. A victory fell into his lap and so did the championship lead. 

Palou was not making any errors. He was third at Mid-Ohio and seventh in Nashville. No one was as consistent as he was and clinching the championship early was likely. He was in the top five of the August IMS road course race when his engine failed. That led to another grid penalty, this time nine position at Gateway. He started 21st and was caught in the VeeKay incident. He lost the championship lead. 

Playing from behind, Palou won pole position at Portland... and then missed the chicane at Portland in lap one. He was shuffled back, but topping off for fuel under that extended first caution meant the team could be a little more aggressive. Palou made up positions, but the cautions also fell his way. The race cycled Palou to the lead and he took his third victory of the season, handing him the championship for the fourth time. 

He would not slip up in the final two races. An incredible drive saw him second in Laguna Seca. He had a healthy margin for error at Long Beach, but still finished fourth, sealing him his first IndyCar championship. 

Numbers to Remember:

3: Palou's championship in 2021 made it the third time Chip Ganassi Racing has won consecutive IndyCar championships.

4: Each of Ganassi's previous two consecutive championship streaks lasted for four seasons (1996-99 and 2008-11)

7.3125: Average finish in 2021, second in IndyCar.

1: Palou was first in the championship, podium finishes, top five finishes, fastest laps and he was tied for first in victories, races led, Fast Six appearances and Fast 12 appearances last season.

What does a championship season look like for him?

We just saw it!

Win the season opener, bad second race, top five finish, pair of top ten finishes, pair of podium finishes, laps led in the Indianapolis 500, bad race, podium finish, victory at Road America after Josef Newgarden has a gearbox failure while leading with two laps to go, another podium finish, another top ten finish, engine failure while running in the top ten, taken out early at Gateway, surprise comeback victory at Portland, podium finish at Laguna Seca. 

We know what Palou's championship season looks like.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

There might have been some tough results for Palou in 2021, but there weren't many bad races. He didn't make any mistakes. He really didn't make many mistakes as a rookie with Dale Coyne Racing either. I don't see Palou having hiccups in 2022. If he is not going to beat himself, Palou is going to be in the championship battle again.

 

If it wasn't for the engine failure at Indianapolis in August and Rinus VeeKay having a brain fade, Palou would have likely clinched the championship a race early. He was that good. Now, if it wasn't for Newgarden's gearbox issue at Road America, the championship would have gone to the wire and Newgarden would have been more of a threat. A few strikes went against Palou, but he also had a few breaks. 

After winning a championship in a sophomore season, it is more likely to see a decline than the ascension continuing, but for Palou, I don't see him falling far. He is going to be in the top five of the championship. He could fall to sixth or seventh if Andretti Autosport and Team Penske are clicking at their highest levels, but Palou is going to be a threat. He is going to win multiple races. He will not go unnoticed. 

Jimmie Johnson - #48 Carvana Honda

After over 20 years in stock car racing, Johnson's open-wheel switch was highly anticipated when IndyCar rolled into Barber Motorsports Park. There were many growing pains. 

Johnson spun 11 laps into Barber and ended up 19th, three laps down. He had two incidents at St. Petersburg, finishing 22nd, five laps down. Things were better on the IMS road course in May, but he struggled with pace and was 24th, one lap down. Throttle issues ended his first Belle Isle race early and a spin late in the second race played significantly into the outcome of that race. For Johnson, his spin did not change much, other than settle that he would finish 21st. 

The spins became less frequent as the year went along. Johnson was finishing races but wasn't putting together a complete race. He was 22nd at both Road America and Mid-Ohio. He was collateral damage in the Simon Pagenaud/Will Power accident at Nashville, but things ended on the right note.

Returning to the IMS road course, he was 19th and finished on the lead lap for the first time. He was 20th and on the lead lap at Portland. Laguna Seca was better. He was a lap down, but he was 17th, his best finish. He ended his IndyCar rookie season with another 17th-place finish at Long Beach, but this time on the lead lap.

Numbers to Remember:

646: Oval starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

12.693: Winning percentage in NASCAR Cup Series oval starts.

874: Combined IndyCar oval starts between the other 23 full-time IndyCar drivers.

2: Of those 23 full-time drivers have made more than 100 IndyCar oval starts (Hélio Castroneves 194, Scott Dixon 172)

10: Of those 23 full-time drivers have made 15 IndyCar oval starts or fewer.

17,056: Days old on May 29, 2022, the day of the Indianapolis 500. If Johnson wins that day, he would tie Gordon Johncock for the sixth oldest IndyCar race winner.

What does a championship season look like for him?

A championship season for Johnson is based on strong oval results, and likely winning all of the oval races. If he wins all five oval races, with maximum points, he would have 328 points. Palou scored 549 points on his way to be champion last year, averaging 34.3125 points per start. Multiple that to a 17-race season, the total would be 583 points.

Based on a 17-race season, Johnson would need 255 points from his 12 road/street course starts, or averaging 21.25 points per race, or needing to average a finish of 9.75 or better. He would need to be bouncing between ninth and tenth for those 12 races with any finishes of 11th or 12th counterbalanced with finishes of seventh or eighth.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

I think Johnson could win an oval race. I am not saying it will happen, but I think he could find comfort on ovals. If the pace is there, and if he doesn't face any adversity, he could win. 

The problem is Johnson's opening oval weekend at Texas comes when his attention will be split with the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Texas could dictate how his oval results play out for the entire season. If he struggles getting a grip there, a track he has raced at plenty of times, it could stunt him for the remaining oval races. We already know how leery he has been about doing oval races. Going from Texas to Indianapolis is not the ideal 1-2 punch for adapting to IndyCar oval races. A rough Texas weekend could linger in his mind at Indianapolis. A strong Texas weekend could inject all the confidence in the world heading into the biggest race of the season. 

 

Indianapolis will be his toughest track mentally. He has won there in NASCAR, and Johnson is  one of the best NASCAR drivers ever at Indianapolis. There will be many competing things in his mind. His legacy at that track, the intra-Ganassi battle, the biggest race in the world and digesting it all at 230 mph.  

Iowa and Gateway will be interesting. Iowa is known for high tire wear, something Johnson has experienced, but these will be different tracks for him. I think he could figure these places out quickly. He will have two distinct seasons. A win might be a lot to expect for his first IndyCar season on ovals, but multiple top ten finishes is not crazy, and neither would be a top five finish. 

As for his road/street course output, Johnson was improving over the course of the season. Results got significantly better late in the season. Many of those tracks he tested at, notably Portland and Laguna Seca. His second race on the IMS road course was better than his first. His results still might not be spectacular, but I think he will be in the top fifteen multiple times after his best finish in 2021 was 17th. 

Better road/street course results paired with solid oval finishes could get him a top twenty championship finish.

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC's coverage will begin at noon ET.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Juncos Hollinger Racing

The penultimate 2022 IndyCar Team Preview looks at the only single-car team on the grid, Juncos Hollinger Racing.

An unexpected entry late in the 2021 season, Juncos Racing returned to IndyCar after over two years away with the introduction of co-owner Brad Hollinger, who was a shareholder and board member for Williams F1. With Hollinger a part of the program, the team brought in Callum Ilott for the final three races of the season, as the team was preparing for a full-time effort in 2022. Ilott was also considering a full-time IndyCar switch after being on the Formula One ladder system.

It just so happened that the two decided to partner for 2022 and now both team and driver look to complete their first full IndyCar season. 

2021 Juncos Hollinger Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 22nd (Laguna Seca)

Poles: 0

Best Starting Position: 18th (Long Beach)

Championship Finishes: 38th (Callum Ilott)

Callum Ilott - #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Ilott joined IndyCar for the final three races of the 2021 season in the #77 JHR Chevrolet. With no testing, his debut came at Portland, where he started 19th. He was hit at the start, but kept going, and was running solidly in the middle of the field. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue ended his race after 77 of 110 laps.

Laguna Seca was rougher on the Briton, as he qualified 26th out of 27 cars, and he had an accident in the morning warm-up. The team got the car repaired, and Ilott completed 94 of 95 laps, finishing 22nd. Long Beach mirrored his Portland outing. He qualified 18th, but the car broken down after 47 laps, and he was classified in 26th. 

Outside of IndyCar, Ilott spent 2021 as a Ferrari and Alfa Romeo test and reserve driver in Formula One, and also running GT sports cars for Ferrari teams. He ran the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, where he had two fourth-place finishes, and he was third in the GTE-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This came after he was vice-champion in the 2020 Formula Two season behind Mick Schumacher. Ilott won three races, finished on the podium six times and in the points 18 times out of 24 races.

Numbers to Remember:

20.842: Juncos Hollinger Racing's average finish in 19 IndyCar starts.

17: Top five finishes for Ilott in 47 Formula Two stars.

3: Drivers entered for the 2022 Formula One season that Ilott finishes ahead of in the 2020 Formula Two season (Yuki Tsunoda, Nikita Mazepin and Guanyu Zhou, who was Ilott's teammate that season).

What does a championship season look like for him?

Something incredible. 

Ilott's talent that led him to be a Ferrari Driver Academy member shines bright immediately in IndyCar. He goes out and wins the first race, stunning the IndyCar world, but having the Formula One world scoff at any thought of it being a respectable championship seeing as how a kid who was barely a test/reserve driver in Formula One won with a back-marker IndyCar team. 

In race two of the season at Texas, Ilott's first oval, he just survives, finishing the race, but he is multiple laps down. But he bounces back and wins at Long Beach and then Barber. Another podium follows at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and for the Indianapolis 500 he finishes on the lead lap. That is enough of an achievement for him. 

At Belle Isle, it is a top five finish before a podium at Road America and a victory at Mid-Ohio. He gets a top ten result in Toronto, before finishing off the lead lap in both Iowa races and outside the top ten in each. He is back in the top five on the IMS road course and he is on the podium at Nashville. For Gateway, he pulls out a top ten result, filling him for the final two races, which sees another victory at Portland and a top five at Laguna Seca.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Nothing like Ilott's theoretical path to the championship. It is a rookie with what is effectively a new team. Juncos Racing has dabbled in IndyCar, but it has never made a full run at it, and it will be learning along the way. 

Juncos Racing's best finish is 15th, which was in its first race back in the 2017 Indianapolis 500. Between René Binder, Alfonso Celis, Jr. and Kyle Kaiser, the team has yet to have a remotely competitive day on a road or street course. The team has brought on additional resources from Carlin, which has quietly exited IndyCar after four seasons, but I am not sure that will be enough to turn the team into a regular top ten contender. 

Ilott will be learning majority of these circuits, notably all the ovals. There might be a few days where it clicks, but with the depth of IndyCar, and this being the only single-car team on the grid, any top fifteen finish will be a great day, and any top ten finishes will be sensational. 

This is the team we know the least about entering the season. We know they will be there, but we don't know what sponsors it has. Ilott has mentioned that this is a "gap year" for him, as he is not officially a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy anymore, but he hints his plans are to be back in Formula One and involved in the European scene next year. 

We know Ricardo Juncos will be there. Juncos is committed to the Road to Indy, and he will keep those programs going, but after the struggles in his first launch into IndyCar and a tough three-race audition at the end of last season, combined with a driver that is new to North America and might not be fully invested, this is a questionable pairing for success.

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC's coverage will begin at noon ET.

Musings From the Weekend: Foyt's Fantasy Driver

Sébastien Bourdais is the best driver in the world, for the fifth time. Petter Solberg and Oliver Solberg won the Race of Champions Nations' Cup for Norway over Jimmie Johnson and Colton Herta for the United States. Joey Logano won NASCAR’s Clash at the Coliseum. MotoGP is testing in Sepang, and some riders (one rider, really) broke quarantine protocols. BMW will run one full-time GT Daytona Pro car in IMSA. Wayne Taylor Racing is helping run an Acura NSX with Racers Edge Motorsports in GT Daytona at Sebring. Danilo Petrucci is coming to America to ride in MotoAmerica. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.

Foyt's Fantasy Driver

Most IndyCar seats are accounted for, as we are less than three weeks away from the 2022 IndyCar season opener. All the seats for the opening round at St. Petersburg are full. We are looking at 26 cars, but the one opening remaining is the one we didn't know existed on January 1.

The surprise announcement of Tatiana Calderón in the #11 ROKiT Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Racing was a full-time entry seemingly out of nowhere. Calderón's IndyCar considerations had gone cold since her test in July 2021, and with Foyt having already announced Dalton Kellett's return and Kyle Kirkwood as full-time, it appears Calderón would not be on the grid, or at least would only be in a cameo role in 2022. 

Calderón will be a regular, but she will not contest the oval races, focusing on IndyCar's 12 road and street courses instead. The last opening for a full-time IndyCar entry are the five oval races in this #11 car. 

We will likely know soon who will be this driver, but let's have some fun. There are a few names that we can likely count on being candidates, but this is an open seat that is already funded. Any driver could be hired for these five races. Who are some of the wildest potential drivers? 

There are five fantasy examples I would like to play out, but to also keep everyone ground, I will also give out five of the usual suspects to remind everyone that Foyt's driver likely will not be as fun as we wish it would be. We are going to start grounded in reality. 

Usual Suspect #1: Ryan Hunter-Reay

Why he makes sense: Hunter-Reay wants to be in IndyCar, preferably full-time in IndyCar, but with no full-time seat, a five-race oval package would suffice. Not to mention it is already a funded seat with ROKiT sponsorship, and Hunter-Reay would not have to bring any money to the program. He has won the Indianapolis 500, he has won at Iowa, and he has been one of IndyCar's best oval drivers in the last decade. Hunter-Reay would bring veteran experience that A.J. Foyt Racing is lacking. He could help lift Kyle Kirkwood and Dalton Kellett, and that mentorship could play a crucial role in Kirkwood's development.

Why it will not happen: I bet Hunter-Reay thinks he can do better than A.J. Foyt Racing for the Indianapolis 500. Hunter-Reay was running in the top five for most of the Indianapolis 500 last year, and one pit lane speeding penalty late cost him an opportunity to possibly challenge for the victory down the stretch. Hunter-Reay probably feels like he should already have a second Indianapolis 500 to his name. In his early 40s, and fresh off watching 40-somethings Takuma Sato and Hélio Castroneves each pick up another Indianapolis 500 victory, Hunter-Reay knows it is possible, but is it possible at A.J. Foyt Racing? It doesn't appear likely. Hunter-Reay might rather do one race elsewhere than commit five races to Foyt.

Fantasy #1: A.J. Allmendinger

Why he makes sense: While Allmendinger will be full-time in the NASCAR Grand National Series and run 14 Cup races in 2022, none of his Cup races conflict with the five IndyCar oval races. He will have some practices clash, the first Iowa race clashes with the Pocono race, and Watkins Glen will end when Gateway begins, but it is possible for Allmendinger to make another Indianapolis 500 start. This would likely have to be pair with another driver, and while it isn't Team Penske, Allmendinger would get to drive for the A.J. that inspired his name. Why wouldn't he take the chance to get to say he drove for A.J. Foyt?

Why it will not happen: Allmendinger isn't returning to the Indianapolis 500. I think he will take his one start and a seventh-place finish and run with it. He got to do it. He got to do it with Team Penske. Who knows what would have happened if his seat belts did not become loose? His schedule is too busy and none of these races are worth it considering his NASCAR commitments. 

Usual Suspect #2: J.R. Hildebrand

Why he makes sense: Hildebrand drove for Foyt in 2021 at Indianapolis and has helped the team, including with Tatiana Calderón in her initial IndyCar test last July at Mid-Ohio. Hildebrand has nothing to lose. He has been an Indianapolis 500-only driver since 2018. He is going to be at Indianapolis anyway, why not take on an additional four oval races. He is only 34 years old, but any hopes of becoming a full-time IndyCar driver again are vanishing. Five races could be a chance to prove his talent and catch someone's eye again. 

Why it will not happen: It is hard to see this one not happening. The only way it doesn't happen is if Hunter-Reay takes the seat, or Foyt is more comfortable with another driver to run those five races. However, after finishing 15th last year at Indianapolis, the best Foyt finisher after being the best Foyt starter, this seems like a no-brainer on the Foyt side of things. 

Fantasy #2: Jordan Taylor

Why he makes sense: Taylor has been one of the best American sports car drivers for nearly the last decade. His IMSA prototype success led to a Corvette factory seat and he has won championships the last two years. He is already a Chevrolet driver. This would be a great opportunity to run some IndyCar races, run IndyCar's biggest race and he could broaden interest in his talents. It would be good for IndyCar and Foyt, as Taylor would definitely post about his IndyCar exploits on social media and it would be another personality for NBC to showcase on IndyCar broadcasts. There is one conflict with the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Texas IndyCar race, but the other IndyCar oval weekends have no conflicts.

Why it will not happen: I don't think Taylor's father would ever let him near an IndyCar oval race. It doesn't help that Taylor hasn't driven a single-seater since SCCA F2000 in 2008 with his only other single-seater experience being Skip Barber Eastern Regional Series, and he has never raced an oval. This isn't happening. 

Usual Suspect #3: Charlie Kimball

Why he makes sense: Kimball is an IndyCar veteran and he has spent the last two years with the Foyt program. He missed the Indianapolis 500 last year, but it was a difficult spot where Kimball was driving a hastily prepared car that had run the Grand Prix of Indianapolis the week before and was not specifically built for the 2.5-mile oval like many of his competitors. Historically, Kimball is a smart driver and can get results with cars. Plus, he would likely also bring some funding to the team. Not that it needs it with ROKiT funding the #11 Chevrolet, but extra associate sponsors are always welcomed.

Why it will not happen: Hunter-Reay and Hildebrand are better drivers, and maybe Kimball's Indianapolis 500 failure has left a bad taste in Foyt's mouth. Kimball is good, but not great. He can put the car solidly in the middle of the field, but not necessarily make a run for a top ten result. 

Fantasy #3: Tony Stewart

Why he makes sense: It is Tony Stewart. Stewart nearly drove for A.J. Foyt at the 2004 Indianapolis 500 when Stewart arrived on bump day and said he was going to make a qualifying attempt only for Joe Gibbs Racing and its sponsors to snuff out any run. Eighteen years later, Stewart doesn't have those same concerns. Better yet, he could use Texas as his race to get into shape for the Indianapolis 500 in May. He can then run Iowa and Gateway to experience two new tracks and close out his return to IndyCar racing.

Why it will not happen: There isn't a snowball's chance in hell this happens. Stewart has repeatedly said he cannot be competitive in an IndyCar. He isn't in IndyCar shape. He is 50 years old, newly married and owns a NASCAR Cup team, a dirt racing team and operates an entire racing series. This isn't going to happen... but wouldn't we love to see it?

Usual Suspect #4: Sébastien Bourdais

Why he makes sense: Bourdais spent the last two years with the Foyt program, and he is a four-time champion. Bourdais can out-perform the equipment he is in and take a non-top ten car and fight for a top five result with it. He has won at Milwaukee and he had a top five finish at Gateway last year. 

Why it will not happen: This will definitely not happen, even if it makes sense. Bourdais has moved on from IndyCar. He has a great sports car opportunity with Chip Ganassi Racing and his future goal is winning his home race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bourdais has said he has been open to IndyCar cameos, however, I don't think he wants to do the Indianapolis 500 or any ovals anymore. I think he would rather drive road/street courses and drive for teams other than A.J. Foyt Racing.

Fantasy #4: Kevin Magnussen

Why he makes sense: Magnussen enjoyed his IndyCar outing last year substituting for Felix Rosenqvist at Road America for Arrow McLaren SP. Magnussen has expressed IndyCar interest before, and while his main job will be the Peugeot Hypercar program, it does appear Magnussen has some wiggle room in this schedule. He will run the 12 Hours of Sebring for Chip Ganassi Racing, granted Peugeot has delayed the start of its WEC program, so he became available for that weekend, but it seems like Magnussen would have no problem just jumping on an oval, even if it meant his first oval outing would be the same weekend as another endurance race. Outside of the odd Sebring/Texas clash, Indianapolis is the weekend before the Le Mans test day, and both Iowa and Gateway occur in the two-month WEC break between Monza in July and Fuji in September. Magnussen will have the time.

Why it will not happen: I don't think Peugeot would let Magnussen do this much racing, but I could actually see this happening. It is a funded seat. Magnussen wouldn't have to spend a dime. It would be a chance to run the Indianapolis 500 and some other IndyCar races, see how he likes it and keep his options open. It might not be the greatest team in the world, but Romain Grosjean went from Dale Coyne Racing to Andretti Autosport after one year. Magnussen could do well enough to attract somebody. 

Usual Suspect #5: Tony Kanaan

Why he makes sense: Now, Kanaan is tied up with Chip Ganassi Racing for the Indianapolis 500, so Foyt would need a driver for that race (Hildebrand or Kimball), but why not have Kanaan for the other four oval races? Kanaan has already been focused on the ovals since 2020. He drove for Foyt for three seasons. I know Kanaan has done some racing in Brazil to fill his schedule since he has been part-time in IndyCar, but a five-race program could probably fit into Kanaan's plans. He is a fan favorite. It is a funded car. It is a win-win for Foyt.

Why it will not happen: Like Bourdais, this will definitely not happen. Kanaan is set to do one race with Ganassi. He isn't going to split his time with Foyt. He is going to focus on the Indianapolis 500 and whatever sports car racing he is doing in Brazil.

The one thing that bothers me with Kanaan is he is on 387 starts, only 20 behind Mario Andretti's record 407 starts. A few years ago I thought he was going to get 400 starts and break Andretti's record. However, being part-time the last two years have decreased the likelihood of that outcome. Running the Indianapolis 500 only crushes it ever happening. 

But it is still possible. Let's say Kanaan would accept the Foyt seat for the four races and runs Indianapolis with Ganassi. He would be on 392 starts at the end of 2022, eight away from 400 and 16 away from the record. All he would need is one more full season in 2023 to get there. I don't think Kanaan is the kind of guy to chase records. He wants to win races and be competitive, but maybe we convince him. It is not every day you get to break one of Mario Andretti's records. 

Fantasy #5: Kamui Kobayashi

Why he makes sense: Kobayashi is one of the quickest drivers on the planet. With two consecutive World Endurance Drivers' Championships, two 24 Hours of Daytona victories and a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory all occurring in the last four-plus years, he has been mentioned in IndyCar circles for the last few years. The bravery is there for him to jump on an oval and do something incredible. It would be a change of scenery, but one that could suit him well. We already know the IndyCar and WEC schedules are compatible. He would be a driver Foyt would not have to worry about taking long to get up to speed and it would be another world-class driver on the IndyCar grid.

Why it will not happen: Toyota is never going to allow it. One, there is still the Sebring/Texas clash, and Kobayashi is scheduled to run both the 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday and the 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday. There is no way he is running his very first oval race that Sunday at Texas. Two, Kobayashi was also named Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal this winter. He is more than a driver now. Though it would be thrilling to see, it just isn't responsible. 

We will likely see one of the usual suspects in Foyt's #11 Chevrolet for the ovals, and most likely one of the first three usual suspects. Foyt has surprised us before, but I think the team will make a safe pick. On that bland conclusion, wasn't it fun to fantasize about the possibilities? I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me. 

Champions from the Weekend

The #51 Iron Lynx Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi and Comê Ledogar clinched the 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge championship with a runner-up finish in the Kyalami 9 Hours. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Race of Champions and Joey Logano, but did you know...

The #89 Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG of Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon and Timur Boguslavskiy won the Kyalami 9 Hours.

Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Glendale after winning the first two of three races in the Triple Crown format. Chase Sexton won the third race. 

Coming Up This Weekend

The Asian Le Mans Series opens its season with a Dubai doubleheader.

Formula E has its second race of the season in Mexico City.

Supercross makes its third trip to Anaheim.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Dale Coyne Racing

We are nearing the end of these 2022 IndyCar Team Previews and preview #8 will look at Dale Coyne Racing. The 2021 season was another shakeup for Coyne. Two different drivers than the year before as its regulars, but one it had history with, and the other was a Formula One veteran. Ed Jones returned to the team, but Romain Grosjean was the big story. Grosjean was only going to run the road and street courses with Pietro Fittipaldi driving on the ovals in the #51 Honda, run in partnership with Dale Coyne Racing. 

With confidence from great road course results, Grosjean attempted an oval and Gateway, and was thrilling, though his oval inexperienced showed on cold tires. He was the best Coyne driver of the season and nearly won rookie of the year despite missing three races, including the Indianapolis 500. 

Grosjean is gone, and the sequel wasn't better for Jones. Two more new drivers will join the team. One is a rookie, and the other is a Formula One veteran. Only this time the rookie is a race winner from Indy Lights, and that Formula One veteran is also an IndyCar veteran with two Indianapolis 500 victories.

2021 Dale Coyne Racing Review

Wins: 0

Best Finish: 2nd (Grand Prix of Indianapolis, August IMS road course race)

Poles: 1 (Grand Prix of Indianapolis)

Championship Finishes: 14th (Romain Grosjean), 19th (Ed Jones), 32nd (Pietro Fittipaldi), 34th (Cody Ware), 39th (Ryan Norman)

David Malukas - #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda

Competing in his fourth Road to Indy season, Malukas returned to Indy Lights with his family's team. Contact in the season opener set him behind, but he won the second race of the Barber Motorsports Park weekend and would go on to have four more podium finishes in the next four races with a victory at each round in St. Petersburg and on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

He had a slight dip over the next three races with finishes of fifth and third at Belle Isle and seventh in the first Road America race. These results caused him to lose ground to Kyle Kirkwood, but Malukas won the second Road America race while Kirkwood hit trouble, and the championship gap closed. Malukas would be third in both Mid-Ohio races, but Kirkwood swept the races. 

Malukas swept the Gateway races and then won the first Portland race, but Kirkwood responded with four consecutive victories, while Malukas was second in three of the four and fourth in the other. Kirkwood locked up the title with a race to go. Malukas closed the season with a runner-up result in the final Mid-Ohio race. 

Numbers to Remember:

83.78: Podium finish percentage between Formula Regional Americas and Indy Lights in 2020 and 2021. 

2.9: Average finish in Indy Lights last year, tied with Kyle Kirkwood for best in the series.

2: Malukas could become the second Illinois-born driver to start an IndyCar race for Dale Coyne Racing. The other is Dale Coyne.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It begins with a top five on debut at St. Petersburg before a top ten result in his first large oval race at Texas. In Long Beach, Malukas picks up another top ten result before finishing in the top five at Barber Motorsports Park. 

The pattern continues at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, a top ten finishes, and in Indianapolis 500, he makes the Fast Nine on his way to a top five finish. The pattern is broken at Belle Isle, but in the form of a race victory and then he wins again at Road America, his de facto home race. A third-place finish at Mid-Ohio makes it three consecutive podium results. 

Results dip in the form of three consecutive top ten finishes between Toronto and the Iowa doubleheader. On his first visit to Nashville, he finishes outside the top ten and it looks like the championship is slipping from his hands. But then he wins at Gateway, he is on the podium at Portland and another podium finish at Laguna Seca clinches the championship.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

History points to Coyne rookies running respectable, and Malukas has that ability. He didn't make a lot of mistakes in junior series, and he was quick almost immediately when he first got into U.S. F2000 as a part-time driver. 

However, Malukas is a rookie, and this is a big leap into IndyCar. He was one of two great drivers in Indy Lights last year, but it wasn't the best class of Indy Lights drivers. This is stiff competition, and he will have difficulty keeping up at some races. Street courses are where we expect young drivers to struggle the most. His oval experience is limited. He will be most comfortable at the natural-terrain road courses, and that is where his best finishes should come. 

Among the rookies, Malukas is probably in the second-best scenario. It will be difficult to top Christian Lundgaard and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Road to Indy system has developed many quality drivers, but Lundgaard came in from Formula Two and adapted very well in his one start last year. The Dane is ready for IndyCar and RLLR has more resources than DCR.

Malukas' main rival will be his rival from last year, Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood is at Foyt and we know that program has been at the bottom for quite some time. Finishing ahead of Kirkwood wouldn't necessarily mean it was a great season for Malukas, but it would at least earn him bragging rights in that battle. A top fifteen championship would be a good year for Malukas with at least six to eight top ten finishes. Any race finishes in the top five or on the podium would be spectacular. 

Takuma Sato - #51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 

Fresh off his second Indianapolis 500 victory, and his best IndyCar championship finish, Sato had a fair start to the 2021 season: 13th at Barber, sixth at St. Petersburg and then ninth and 14th at Texas. 

His month of May was rather tame, 16th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and he followed up his 2020 Indianapolis 500 victory with a 14th, 18 positions better than when he followed his 2017 victory with a 32nd-place finish in 2018. 

He jumped to fourth in the discombobulated first Belle Isle race but was 12th the next day. Good results would follow with an eighth at Road America and tenth at Mid-Ohio. A retirement at Nashville was a blemish between his top ten summer with a tenth in the August IMS road course race and a sixth at Gateway following the street race result. 

The great day never really came for Sato. He ended the season with a 12th at Portland, but a spin in the corkscrew cost him a possible top ten result at Laguna Seca. He completed his season and his second stint with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in ninth at Long Beach.

Numbers to Remember:

0: Top ten starts in 2021.

17.7: Average starting position in 2021, Sato's worst in his IndyCar career by 3.6 positions.

13.1875: Average starting position for Dale Coyne Racing drivers in 2021.

13: Lead lap finishes in 2021, Sato's most in a season.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It starts with Sato getting down to business, pole position and victory at St. Petersburg. He follows it with a top five at Texas, and then another victory at Long Beach. He finishes in the top ten at Barber, but Sato is outside the top ten in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He doesn't do well on that track. 

However, in the Indianapolis 500, he is at it again, running in the top five, being a nuisance late, but he finishes second. The third Indianapolis 500 victory is just out of his grasp, but he gets over 80 points and extends his championship lead. 

At Belle Isle, Sato makes it three victories in three street course events. He is in the top ten at Road America but finishes outside the top ten at Mid-Ohio. Again, he doesn't do well there either. His perfect street streak does not continue at Toronto, but he finishes in the top five before getting a pair of top ten finishes at Iowa. 

He misses out on the top ten again on the IMS road course but gets a top ten in Nashville. In Gateway, he is in the top five and picks up another top five at Portland. Laguna Seca is a nervy day, and Sato gets the championship with a ninth-place finish, but he wins the title by only a few points, three or fewer. 

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Sato is Sato. Quick, breathtaking, not as reckless as he once was, occasionally lost and average, but he has some standout days where he shows he still has it. If he maximizes his best days, he can be in the top ten of the championship and have a victory or two. If he cannot get to that highest level, he will still be somewhere in the top fifteen of the championship.

For being the smallest team on the grid, Dale Coyne Racing regularly punches above its weight, and this car was fantastic last year with Romain Grosjean. It was competing for race victories and was a regular top ten finisher. Based on points per start, Grosjean's average would have put him tenth in the championship. That wasn't all the driver. The car contributed as well. 

Coyne does see a big shakeup in this crew. Not only is Grosjean, but engineer Olivier Boisson moved to Andretti Autosport as well. However, this team kept up its good form after Craig Hampson left for Arrow McLaren SP and Michael Cannon leaving for Chip Ganassi Racing a few years ago. Eventually, a shakeup will set the team back, but Coyne has a track record suggesting the team will not fall off much. 

Sato can improve his qualifying form. Prior to last year, qualifying was one thing we could count on for him. If he gets better starting positions, he will get better results. He just missed out on the top ten in the championship last year. IndyCar has about 18 drivers that could finish in the top ten of the championship. Sato is in that group that if he finishes outside the top ten, we are wondering how he didn't make it, but we will also be struggling to figure out who shouldn't have made it. 

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC's coverage will begin at noon ET.

2022 IndyCar Team Preview: Ed Carpenter Racing

We are moving back to a Chevrolet team with the sixth IndyCar Team Preview for the 2022 season. Ed Carpenter Racing went into 2021 without a victory in nearly five years. It took five races for ECR to be back on the top step of the podium and the team did it with sophomore driver Rinus VeeKay. 

The Dutch driver started 2021 with incredible form, six top ten finishes in the first seven races, but a cycling accident broke VeeKay's collarbone after the eighth race, and his season was not the same afterward. Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter continued to split the #20 Chevrolet in 2021, but neither could match VeeKay. Carpenter was fifth in the Indianapolis 500, but it was the only top ten result for an ECR driver other than VeeKay. Daly's best finish with the team was 11th and his oval results took a dip filling in the #59 Chevrolet for Carlin.

After eight seasons, ECR will field two full-time drivers, as Daly takes over the #20 Chevrolet permanently with Carpenter running a third entry for the Indianapolis 500 and possibly the other oval races. VeeKay will be back for his third season.

2021 Ed Carpenter Racing Review

Wins: 1 (Grand Prix of Indianapolis)

Poles: 0

Best Start: 3rd (Indianapolis 500, Belle Isle II)

Championship Finish: 12th (Rinus VeeKay), 18th (Conor Daly), 27th (Ed Carpenter)

Conor Daly - #20 BitNile Chevrolet

Daly was set for a full season split between two teams again in 2021. Starting with ECR, Daly qualified in the top ten at Barber Motorsports Park but fell back to 16th. At St. Petersburg, he started 19th and climbed to 16th. 

Moving to Texas, Daly shifted to Carlin's #59 Chevrolet. With qualifying rained out for both races, Daly was forced to start dead last in each race, as the 24-car grid was set via entrants' points. The difficult nature of Texas Motor Speedway trapped him at the back in race one and he finished 21st. In race two, he was caught in the accident at the start and went across the start/finish line upside down, a dramatic way to be classified 24th. 

Things turned around in Indianapolis. He qualified sixth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but contact with Simon Pagenaud sent him off course and he stalled. The gearbox was damaged and for the second consecutive race he was dead last in 25th. For the Indianapolis 500, he started 19th while his teammates both made the Fast Nine. However, Daly was able to run long on the first stint and took the lead under the first caution for Stefan Wilson's spin. He led 40 laps, 100 miles, but didn't have the pace as the race remained green and dropped back. He survived hitting Graham Rahal's loose tire after Rahal's spin exiting the pit lane to finish 13th. 

He was a mid-pack driver for the middle portion of the season, and it wasn't until the second IMS road course race he was contending for a top ten finish again. An off-track excursion dropped him from a top ten spot in the middle of the race and he finished 11th. He couldn't quite find the balance at Gateway, but with the number of cars falling out of the race, he made up positions and was 11th again. 

The season ended with three consecutive results outside the top fifteen. 

Numbers to Remember:

0: Top ten finishes in 22 starts with Ed Carpenter Racing.

80: Career starts, ninth most among the 25 announced full-time drivers for the 2022 IndyCar season, and the most among full-time drivers without a victory.

7: Drivers have taken more than 80 starts to get a first career victory (Michel Jourdain, Jr., George Snider, Ed Carpenter, Oriol Servià, Wally Dallenbach, Eddie Cheever and Alex Tagliani).

112: Drivers with at least 80 IndyCar starts.

19: Drivers with at least 80 IndyCar starts and zero victories.

What does a championship season look like for him?

It starts with a top ten finish in St. Petersburg, Daly's first with Ed Carpenter Racing. With one top ten under his belt, Daly heads to Texas and gets ECR its first oval victory since Iowa 2016. He gets another top ten at Long Beach but finishes 14th at Barber. 

Heading home to Indiana, Daly starts the month of May with a sixth-place finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He gets ECR back into the Fast Nine and qualifies on the second row for the Indianapolis 500. In the race, he leads 39 laps but one of those is the last lap and he becomes the first Hoosier to win the Indianapolis 500 since Wilbur Shaw in 1940. 

With two oval victories under his belt, he gets a top five at Belle Isle and Road America. He is 15th at Mid-Ohio but gets back into the top ten at Toronto. He makes it three oval victories at Iowa with a top five finish in the other Iowa race that weekend. Back in Indianapolis, he finishes in the top five for the second IMS road course race and he is ninth at Nashville. 

He does not pick up a victory at Gateway, but he finishes fourth and he is in the top five for the final three races of the season, with fourth and third-place finishes at Portland and Laguna Seca respectively. 

What does a realistic season look like for him?

Ed Carpenter Racing was finding its form last year before the second half of the season. The pace was there to be competitive and mix it up in the top ten. Daly can break the top ten funk in 2022. It could come at either a road/street course or an oval, and with one of each to lead off the season, he could have a top ten very early. 

However, there is clearly two sides to ECR. It went from Renaissance to spiraling down the drain all in 2021 alone. There is a middle ground. ECR is not set up to be a routine race winner, but it can be competitive. With Arrow McLaren SP making a leap forward last year, ECR is the third best Chevrolet team with at least five cars ahead of its pair. Throw in at least three Honda teams and another eight solid entries, it will be tough for either ECR car to break the championship top ten. 

Daly could get into the top fifteen and not surprise anybody. A top ten championship finish would require hands down his best IndyCar season, at least nine or ten top ten finishes, with a few podium finishes and a few top five finishes. I think Daly would be happy to get just five top ten finishes. Any finish in the top five is hard to imagine right now. If a top five finish were to come, it would have to be on an oval.

Rinus VeeKay - #21 Sonax Chevrolet

The 2021 season started with an impressive drive for VeeKay, from 14th to sixth at Barber. He was in the top ten for the entire St. Petersburg race and finished ninth. In the first Texas race, he was the only driver to make a pit stop before the James Hinchcliffe caution and that trapped him a lap down, leading to a 20th-place finish. In the second Texas race, he broke through to a ninth-place finish. 

In Indianapolis, VeeKay qualified seventh for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The team maximized the tires over each stint and VeeKay grew faster with each lap. He found himself challenging Romain Grosjean and Álex Palou and took the lead once and for all with 21 laps to go. His victory made him the third first-time winner through five races.

On the oval, he qualified on the front row, best of the team in third, and he led early in the race. Fuel mileage was his greatest enemy, and VeeKay was stopping earlier than the other front-runners. This cost him positions, but he took a respectable eighth-place finish. Through the craziness of the first Belle Isle race, VeeKay was second. For the second Belle Isle race, VeeKay started third, but he cut a tire after contact with Marcus Ericsson and finished 18th. 

The following Monday, VeeKay went for a cycling ride and fell off his bike, breaking his collarbone. The injury knocked him out for the Road America race that weekend and Oliver Askew filled in. VeeKay was not the same after the injury. He was 16th at Mid-Ohio, taken out early at Nashville and spun out in the second IMS road course race when Scott McLaughlin hit him. 

He made his own costly error at Gateway when he made contact with both Ganassi cars on a restart. He would be outside the top fifteen of the next two races purely on speed and fuel pressure issues ended his Long Beach finale early.

Numbers to Remember:

7.857: Average finish in his first seven starts of 2021.

9.0: Average starting position in his first seven starts of 2021.

20.375: Average finish in his final eight starts of 2021.

17.625: Average starting position in his final eight starts of 2021.

What does a championship season look like for him?

The season starts a lot like 2021, seventh at St. Petersburg, eighth at Texas, fifth at Long Beach and he winds up fourth at Barber. 

Back at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, VeeKay doesn't quite match his 2021 performance, but he is still on podium. In the Indianapolis 500, he is the best ECR entry all race but finishes third. At Belle Isle, VeeKay qualifies on the front row and pulls out his first victory of the season. He makes it four consecutive podium finishes, with a third at Road America, and his victory at Mid-Ohio makes it five consecutive podiums.

He falls back at Toronto, but he is in the top ten of both Iowa races. On the IMS road course, he is back on the podium before finishing seventh in Nashville. At Gateway, VeeKay is in the lead battle all night, but a great final pit stop is what gets him the lead and his third victory of the season. He follows it up with a third at Portland and a fifth at Laguna Seca.

What does a realistic season look like for him?

With how VeeKay started in 2021, he is clearly capable of more than how his season ended. The falloff was too great for it to be pure luck. He had strong results in 2020 at a few rounds, including Gateway and the Harvest Grand Prix. His collarbone injury knocked him off his form in 2021, and he never recovered. Fully fit, he should get back to that level occasionally in 2022. 

He can regularly finish in the top ten, and we saw he can win. He has been able to make up positions in races and turn an average starting position into a top ten or even top five finish, but his qualifying pace can limit those days. There should be plenty of races where he is in the top ten from the start of the weekend and remains there. 

ECR did fall off in 2021 that was more than the driver, and the team could hold him back from being incredible. There will likely be a few race weekends where it isn't there and a top ten is out of reach. That will bring his championship finish down. Limiting those days will be key. 

There is a chance VeeKay gets the same results he got in 2021, but instead of having all the good races and all the bad races clustered together, they could be mixed, and his season will look more average. He could also repeat his 2021 start and continue that form throughout the entire season. VeeKay could make a gain in 2022 and could break into the championship top ten. Victory will be difficult, but not impossible, as we saw last year. A few top five finishes are more practical for his season. 

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season begins on Sunday February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. NBC's coverage will begin at noon ET.

Musings From the Weekend: Getting the Most Out of It

Ten years after its first 24 Hours of Daytona victory, Meyer Shank Racing won its second with Hélio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist. Robert Wickens returned to competition and was third in the TCR class in the Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener from Daytona. Mark Wilkins deserves recognition for his final stint in the #33 Hyundai after swapping with Wickens. Colton Herta is going to Sweden. More NASCAR races are in Joey Hand's future. Kimi Räikkönen will be team principal for Kawasaki's Motocross World Championship team. Oliver Askew said Formula E was the "most fun I've had." Eat it, IndyCar. Dan Ticktum is already being blamed for things in his new series. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.

Getting the Most Out of It

NASCAR's most anticipated event in the last year because NASCAR comes up with an anticipated event every season, whether it deserves it or not, is almost here!

This time the anticipation is deserved with NASCAR's Clash moving to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It is the first time NASCAR has raced in a true stadium in over 50 years and it is one of the most historic in the United States. 

We do not know how this race will turn out, but it is something we have never seen in contemporary NASCAR, plus it is the debut race for the new car. There is plenty to be excited about. There is one problem. The NASCAR race is the only event taking place. Over a million dollars has been spent to convert a football stadium into a racetrack, and it will get used for one event in terms of a race. 

This is NASCAR's event, but this has been compared to the NHL's Winter Classic, when a hockey game is brought outside to a stadium, football or baseball. While the Winter Classic is the main event, these rinks do play host to other games. It becomes a weekend, or even week or in some cases weeks of hockey. There have been alumni games for the two NHL teams playing. College rivalries are played. Even high school teams get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only play outside but play outside in a historic stadium! It is a great way for the sport of hockey to shine from the highest level to the developing stars of tomorrow in that local area. It becomes a community event. 

For NASCAR, only the Cup guys will get on the track. This is year one, and in fairness, the first Winter Classic in Buffalo only had the NHL game. The extra events have come in the years since, but in the future, NASCAR should take advantage of this track and turn it into a week of racing and give other series a chance. I even have a few suggestions. 

Midget Car Race

We are fresh off the Chili Bowl, arguably the most important midget car race in the United States, and the Clash oval is a quarter-mile. The Chili Bowl is a quarter-mile, albeit a dirt oval. Midget cars are used to running on a track that small, and we see midget car races take place in arenas across the Midwest and other parts of the United States during the winter months. 

This is set up for a midget car race. Make it one night, and an invitational. We don't need 400 cars entering this like the Chili Bowl. Invite the top 50 or 75 midget car drivers in the world. Have five heat races, take the top three from each for the A-Main, and then break up the remaining 35 to 60 drivers into mains and have a smaller bowl of alphabet soup before determining an A-Main winner. 

Legends Car Race

Same vain as a midget car race. Legend cars are made for quarter-mile ovals. Invite the top 50 or 75, run some heats, have some preliminary main events, and then have an A-Main to decide the best of them all. 

I am not sure how popular Legend cars are in California. It does seem to be something that has stuck to the Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks (i.e. Charlotte and Atlanta) and has not grabbed the same national traction that you would think it would have. There are some Legend cars in California, but I am not sure enough to become a big event and I am not sure teams are going to cross the country unless there is a big prize for winning it all.

NASCAR Modifieds

Same as midget cars and Legends cars. Modifieds run quarter-miles. The series runs the quarter-mile Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. This Clash event could be the season opener. Like Legends cars, I am not sure the modified teams would want to travel across the country for one race, unless it was a massive prize. The furthest west the modified series will go in 2022 is New Smyrna, Florida! Can you believe it? I looked it up. New Smyrna is at 80.9270º W while Martinsville is at 79.8725º W, only 1.0545º further west, which is about 55 miles! 

Anyway, nobody considers a trip to New Smyrna Beach, Florida a trip out west. That gives you an idea how much of an Eastern series the modifieds are. 

It sounds great, but logistics might make it unfeasible. Even though it might be the best possible race of the weekend.

NASCAR West or East Series Race

Or ARCA West or East Series, whatever they are called now. NASCAR's regional series are used to running on quarter-mile ovals. This would just be another race for these series, but it would be a great season opener for these cars. It could be a 100-lap race, a few Cup guys could enter, and it would be a fun preliminary event. It would give some drivers that don't normally get such a spotlight onto a bigger stage. NASCAR should want to give its developing drivers and local heroes a moment in the sun. 

Celebrity Race

Los Angeles is known for being the playground for the rich and famous. With it being in their backyard, NASCAR should bring get a dozen celebrities and hold a 25-lap. The Grand Prix of Long Beach once held a celebrity race. This would be contained and require less training. 

I am not sure what car could be used. I am sure they could get a few Toyota Camrys and make those safe enough to race. 

Go-Kart Race

Find a local rent-a-kart place and get a dozen or two-dozen to race. A quarter-mile is plenty small enough for a 15-minute race. I want to see the actual Cup guys race these. But I would also make it open for one fan to race against the Cup guys. Set aside a day, have all the people who sign up qualify and race and the winner of that competition would get to run against 20 Cup drivers and get the chance of a lifetime. 

It would be the most neutral race and would be the one chance to truly decide who is the best driver in NASCAR. 

Formula E Race

You are probably wondering how Formula E and NASCAR cross paths, and they do not, but it would make a lot of sense for Formula E to run in a stadium. 

1. Formula E should run an oval event. There is no point in why it shouldn't. It needs to broaden its identity. 

2. A quarter-mile would be small enough and slow enough that I do not think Formula E would have to worry about a horrific accident. Formula E cars are just glorified go-karts anyway. 

3. Formula E's goal is running in city centers. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum could not be any more centered in a city. I understand Formula E wants street races, mostly because it does not have the vision beyond following what every other single-seater series has done before it, but this could be something different for Formula E. A 45-minute sprint race around a quarter-mile stadium course. 

If NASCAR can fit 23 cars on track, Formula E can fit 20 cars. It would be different, the drivers would get to do something different, and I think it would be a lot of fun. The drivers would get a kick out of it for sure. 

We don't know the future of this race, if it will remain in a stadium and possibly go around the country following the Super Bowl wherever it is held, or if it will return to a proper racetrack, possibly Daytona, but if NASCAR does this in the future, it should be more than the Cup Series with a practice day and race day. If it is going to cost a million dollars a year to convert a stadium into a racetrack, it should be a racetrack for more than two nights and be for more than one series 

It should be at least four days of action, Thursday through Sunday, with a different series featured each night. The track was ready this past weekend. It could be two weekends, six days of action, Friday through Sunday each weekend, building up to the Cup race. That might be overkill, but this should be more than the Cup Series for two days. More than 36 drivers should get the chance to say they raced in the stadium.  

If stadiums are the future for the Clash, NASCAR should expand the weekend and truly reach out to the grassroot series, making it an inclusive event that raises all boats. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Meyer Shank Racing, but did you know...

The #81 DragonSpeed Oreca-Gibson of Colton Herta, Patricio O'Ward, Devlin DeFrancesco and Eric Lux won the 24 Hours of Daytona in the LMP2. The #74 Riley Motorsports Ligier-Nissan of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, Michael Cooper and Kay van Berlo won in LMP3. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche of Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Felipe Nasr won in GTD Pro. The #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche of Jan Heylen, Ryan Hardwick, Zachary Robichon and Richard Lietz won in GTD.

Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara split the Riyadh ePrix races.

Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Anaheim, the fourth different winner in four races this season. 

Coming Up This Weekend

NASCAR's Clash from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Race of Champions from Sweden.

The delayed Kyalami 9 Hours.

Supercross will be in Glendale, Arizona.