The month of May is arguably the peak of the motorsports season. If you think about it that sounds right. Motorsports do not go from January to December, at least not at a consistent rate. There are a few events spread around but we do not see regular competition until late-February or March, it increases when spring returns to the Northern Hemisphere, it is busy throughout the summer and come September it starts to wind down.
The end of May is a middle point. Championship pictures are becoming clearer. Races are becoming tenser. It will be over before we know it.
If your name is in the headlines it is either because of a great achievement or a colossal failure and McLaren is getting the recognition for its colossal failure. This is a McLaren heavy edition of This Month in Motorsports Headlines and it mostly circles on its inability to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and some other Formula One notes.
Once again, this is just for fun. In case you are new, this is my gut reaction to headlines without reading the article. Of course, the gripes I have may be answered in the article.
McLaren has "no excuses" for Alonso's Indy 500 failure
Except for its backup car was in the paint shop for weeks because it wasn't the correct shade of orange and that in turn cost the team the Thursday practice day and Fernando Alonso did have an accident in practice but hey, accidents happen.
And the team didn't have a great partnership with any IndyCar team. It was in bed with Carlin but it was de-emphasizing that partnership leading up to the month of May, minimizing it as more of a support role, a neighbor who lets you borrow a lawnmower after you move in and have yet to get one, but then McLaren was ready to pass some of the failure onto Carlin.
And there is the fact the team was having electrical issues since the start of testing in April and the team was making mistakes in terms of using metric measurements instead of the imperial measurements.
And the team had the wrong gear ratio in the car for qualifying.
And the team might not have had an experienced enough team when it came to the Indianapolis 500 and did not have the right group of people working on that car.
So there are plenty of excuses it is just a matter of none of them being acceptable.
McLaren will consider "strategic alliance" for Indy 500
I think we have to talk about McLaren's multi-year tease with IndyCar.
The entity went from partnership with Andretti Autosport in 2017, which was just an Andretti car with the McLaren logo and sponsors plastered on the bodywork to the team could be full-time to not around at all for 2018 to possibly courting Scott Dixon for a full-time IndyCar effort in 2019 to not being full-time in 2019 to running a car for Fernando Alonso at Indianapolis.
Zak Brown has already come out and said failing to make this year's Indianapolis 500 has squashed any chance the team will be full-time in 2020 but Indianapolis is still a possibility.
I am going to say McLaren is at a point where it has to rip off the Band-Aid. Either commit to IndyCar or don't. The first five races of 2019 might have been road and street courses but I would argue committing to full-time and at least working on the car on a regular basis and getting used to the Dallara DW12 chassis and Chevrolet engine would have better prepared the team for this Indianapolis 500 attempt than the team was.
I get that Alonso might not want to be full-time in IndyCar but there are plenty of drivers out there that could have set up on the team and made sure all the kinks were worked out for when Alonso arrived.
It appears 2020 will look more like 2017. I am sure McLaren will have its finger prints on the car but another team, whether that is Ed Carpenter Racing, Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosport or Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, is going to make sure the team is heading in the correct direction.
If there is anything McLaren should have taken away from this month is it needs to be in IndyCar more. It would be beneficial for the team to show up at Pocono later this year and maybe even Gateway, Portland and Laguna Seca just to get reps and build up muscle memory.
McLaren isn't going to do that but man does it seem like full-time participation could be the best way for the team to prepare for an Indianapolis 500 attempt.
Brazil government wants Petrobras' McLaren deal terminated
And this had nothing to do with the Indianapolis 500 failure. McLaren couldn't get a break this May.
Indy 500 win could be most important of my career - Alonso
Alonso would become the second driver to complete the Triple Crown. It might be the most important victory in motorsports history.
That is a bit of hyperbole but consider that no one really knew what Graham Hill had done when he won the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans but the legacy of Hill's achievement grew over time and after the likes of Mario Andretti didn't win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya won the Monaco Grand Prix.
If you talk about the greatest oval race, the greatest grand prix and the greatest endurance race, after all these years, pretty much nine decades, minus a few years because of war canceling the events, only one man has won all three. Nearly nine decades and only one man can claim victory in each!
There have been some great drivers, a handful have won two of the three. Graham Hill sits alone.
It would definitely be the most important victory of Alonso's career but it would arguably the greatest accomplishment in the 21st century for motorsports.
Alonso: No regrets over lack of competition in LMP1 stint
This was out of Alonso's hands.
He couldn't control Audi and Porsche leaving. When the door finally opened for him to take a shot at Le Mans and in turn run the entire FIA World Endurance Championship, Toyota was the only manufacture at the party. The best driver paired with the best team. It made perfect sense.
I am sure Alonso would have loved to have had more competition, heck, he was ready to give Le Mans a go with Porsche and that victory went to Nico Hülkenberg, but he cannot control what other manufactures do and he cannot control how the ACO and FIA handle the LMP1 regulations.
Timing is everything and he entered at the right time where he could win Le Mans on debut and he has one hand on another world championship.
Kvyat: F1 needs to do away with Friday running
I feel like this is a Ping-Pong match.
One driver says Friday practice is meaningless.
Another driver says Friday practice is the only real track time we get consider how little testing there is in 2019.
I don't think it matters. I don't think taking away Friday practice makes the races any better. I am not sure it makes the race weekends better for fans. You have some places where Friday is a ghost town and then you have Montreal, Silverstone, Mexico City, Monza, Spa-Francorchamps and Austin where all three days have respectable crowds.
Would it save the teams money?
No, they would spend it elsewhere. There is no need to get rid of Fridays.
F1 teams not willing to accept more than 21 races
I am somewhat believing this is where the teams are digging in their heels because we know Vietnam and the Netherlands are going to be on the 2020 schedule and it seems like Zandvoort's return will come at the expense of Barcelona and Vietnam's inclusion means one of Mexico, Germany or Silverstone will fall off the schedule but that brings us to our next headline...
Return to Africa a priority for F1 owners
What is priority, no more than 21 races or a race in Africa?
I would all be for a race in Africa. I am still not sure what the best place to go would be. There are really only two contenders: Morocco or South Africa.
The question is do the teams buckle and let an African round be the 22nd race or do the teams sacrifice another European round and remain at 21 races? Have you ever realized it is never Russia, Bahrain, Azerbaijan or Singapore that are considered to be dropped for a new race? It is always a place we love like Silverstone or Monza or Spa-Francorchamps.
I would also say Africa hasn't hosted a grand prix since 1993 so I am not sure if it is really a priority. We have had a lot of races come and go in the 26 years since Formula One last went to Africa and none of them have been in Africa.
It would be nice for the World Drivers' Championship to have a round take place on every continent but if that was really a concern concessions would have been made and we would have been racing in Africa already.
May is done. June is here. Summer is near in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. There is plenty of racing ahead of us including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Track Walk: Belle Isle 2019
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| IndyCar has hit the busy portion of the schedule and treks up to Detroit |
Coverage:
Time: Coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday June 1st with green flag scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday June 2nd, coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
TV Channel: NBC
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will be in the booth. Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast, Marty Snider and Robin Miller will be on pit lane.
IndyCar Weekend Schedule
Friday:
First Practice: 10:55 a.m. ET (45-minute session)*
Second Practice: 2:50 p.m. ET (45-minute session)*
Saturday:
Qualifying: 10:45 a.m. ET (NBCSN will have taped coverage at noon ET)*
Race: 3:30 p.m. ET (70 laps)
Sunday:
Qualifying: 10:45 a.m. ET (NBCSN will have live coverage)
Race: 3:30 p.m. ET (70 laps)
* - All practice and qualifying sessions are available live with the NBC Sports Gold IndyCar pass.
Championship Catch Up
Simon Pagenaud entered the month of May 11th in the championship. He exits the month of May in first overall with 250 points after a pair of victories in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 and taking 163 of a possible 166 points from the two Indianapolis Motor Speedway races. This is the first time Pagenaud has led the championship since after the 2017 Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Pagenaud has been in the top five in the championship for the last two races after not being in the top five of the championship for the previous 21 races.
Josef Newgarden lost the championship lead for the first time this year but he is one-point behind Pagenaud in the championship. Newgarden has five top five finishes from the first six races and he has led a lap in four of six races this season. Alexander Rossi remained third in the championship after the Indianapolis 500 but he went from 36 points behind the championship leader to 22 points back. Rossi has been in the top five of the championship for 23 consecutive races.
Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon are tied for fourth in the championship on 203 points with the tiebreaker going to Sato. Sato has four top ten finishes from the first six races and two of those were top five finishes. Last year, Sato had two top ten finishes from the first six races and he did not get a top five result until the seventh race when he finished fifth at Belle Isle. Will Power remained in sixth in the championship for the third consecutive race. Power is 66 points behind his Team Penske teammate Pagenaud.
Ryan Hunter-Reay gained two positions after the Indianapolis 500 and he heads into Belle Isle seventh in the championship, 93 points behind Pagenaud and as the most recent Belle Isle race winner. James Hinchcliffe finished outside the top ten for the second consecutive race but Hinchcliffe's 11th place finish in the Indianapolis 500 moved him up to eighth in the championship, 105 points back. Spencer Pigot may have finished 14th in the Indianapolis 500 but it moved him to ninth in the championship, the first time he is in the top ten of the championship in his IndyCar career and he is 117 points back.
Santino Ferrucci rounds out the top ten of the championship and he is the highest rookie in the championship on 129 points. Ferrucci is also five points ahead of his Dale Coyne Racing teammate Sébastien Bourdais, who lost three spots in the championship after his retirement in the Indianapolis 500. While Bourdais dropped three spots, the driver he made contact with, Graham Rahal, dropped five spots from seventh to 12th after his accident. He is 127 points behind Pagenaud.
Jack Harvey and Ed Jones are tied for 13th on 118 points with the tiebreaker going to Harvey after his third place finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but Harvey will not be at Belle Isle or Texas with Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing only running four of the final 11 races. Jones will be back this weekend in the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet.
Felix Rosenqvist rounds out the top fifteen on 117 points and he is seven points ahead of Colton Herta and Tony Kanaan. Herta has dropped from second in the championship after his victory in Austin to 16th after four consecutive retirements. Kanaan's ninth place finish in the Indianapolis 500 was his first top ten finish since he finished sixth at Toronto last year. Matheus Leist is two points behind his A.J. Foyt Racing teammate while Marco Andretti has fallen to 19th in the championship on 105 points.
Zach Veach rounds out the top twenty on 83 points, two ahead of Marcus Ericsson, followed by Patricio O'Ward on 67 points, Ed Carpenter on 65 points and Max Chilton on 59 points. Conor Daly round out the top twenty-five with 40 points after finishing tenth in the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter and Daly will not be competing at Belle Isle.
Pagenaud's Run at History
Last year, Will Power became the ninth driver to win the race before the Indianapolis 500 and then gone on to win the Indianapolis 500. This year, Simon Pagenaud became the tenth driver to achieve the accomplishment. It is the first time this has happened in consecutive seasons since 1934-35 when Bill Cummings and Kelly Petillo each did it.
No driver has won the Indianapolis 500 and then the following race since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000. Pagenaud could not only end a near two-decade drought but he could join the likes of Petillo, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser, Jr. as drivers to win the race before the Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the race after the Indianapolis 500.
Petillo won the 1934 season finale at Mines Field in Los Angeles, California before winning the 1935 Indianapolis 500, the first race of the season. The next race was on July 4, 1935 at the Minnesota State Fair Speedway and Petillo won the 100-mile dirt event.
Foyt's 1964 season is remembered because he won the first seven races that year with Indianapolis being the third of those victories.
In 1994, Unser, Jr. won at Long Beach, then the Indianapolis 500 and followed it up with a victory at Milwaukee.
On all three occasions, Petillo, Foyt and Unser, Jr. went on to win the championship that year.
Belle Isle is the location of Simon Pagenaud's first career IndyCar victory, which came in the second race of the doubleheader in 2013. The Frenchman has had respectable results since at Belle Isle but his average finish of 9.5 makes it one of his worst tracks on the IndyCar schedule. He has four podium finishes at the track but he has finished outside the top ten in four of the last eight Belle Isle races, all eight coming with Team Penske. He has only led in three Belle Isle races, the last two being both 2016 races where he started on pole position for both races.
Dixon Déjà Vu
Like 2018, Scott Dixon heads to Belle Isle without a victory to his name this season. Like 2018, Dixon has the fourth-most points heading into Belle Isle, though he is fifth in the championship because Takuma Sato holds the tiebreaker.
The good news for Dixon is he has double the number of podium finishes through six races as he did last season. He has four podium finishes from six races while he only had two podium finishes after six races last year. Dixon went on to pick up his first victory of what would be his fifth championship season last year in the first Belle Isle race.
While Dixon is coming off a 17th place finish, his worst since he finished 32nd in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 after contact with Jay Howard but his track record points to him bouncing back. In the last three races Dixon has finished outside the top fifteen, he has finished on the podium in the following race. After that 32nd place result at Indianapolis two years ago, Dixon was runner-up in the first Belle Isle race. He finished 17th in the 2016 season finale at Sonoma and he wound up finishing third in the 2017 season opener at St. Petersburg. He was classified in 19th after the ever-memorable 2016 Texas race that stretch over three months only for Dixon to dominate the next race at Watkins Glen and take the victory.
Dixon has not won at the same track in consecutive years since 2014 and 2015 at Sonoma.
ECR Teammates Connected at the Hip
Ed Carpenter Racing had its best two weekends of the season at Indianapolis and while Ed Carpenter's second place starting position and sixth place finish helped, Spencer Pigot and Ed Jones had two respectable results and the two drivers have been comparable this season.
Jones and Pigot have started within a position of each other in three races this season. They have finished within three positions of each other in five of six races this season with St. Petersburg being the exception after Jones made contact with the damaged car of Matheus Leist. Both drivers have one top ten finishes and both drivers have two top ten starts.
While Jones has been the top ECR qualifier in four of six races, Pigot has been the top ECR finisher in four of six races. Jones finished ahead of Pigot in the Indianapolis 500 but he did by only one position with Jones in 13th and Pigot in 14th.
Despite their similarities Pigot is five positions and 15 points better than Jones in the championship. Jones holds the upper hand in career results at Belle Isle. Jones has three top ten finishes from four Belle Isle starts and he finished 11th and third in the races last year. Pigot has six starts at Belle Isle but his best finish was tenth twice and he has never started better than 12th at Belle Isle.
Rookie Shuffle
The Rookie of the Year battle has flipped tremendously since the end of April.
Before the month of May, Colton Herta was the top rookie, tenth in the championship on 88 points and he was eight points ahead of Felix Rosenqvist. Marcus Ericsson was the next best rookie at 61 points with Patricio O'Ward and Santino Ferrucci tied on 56 points despite O'Ward having made one fewer start.
Ferrucci will head into the month of June on 129 points, tenth in the championship and as the top rookie. Rosenqvist, Herta, Ericsson and O'Ward have all dropped positions in the championship since Barber. Rosenqvist is 15th in the championship, 22 points behind Ferrucci. Herta is seven points behind Rosenqvist. Ericsson is 48 points behind Ferrucci with O'Ward rounding out the five rookies, 62 points behind Ferrucci.
While Ferrucci has three top ten finishes from six races, Rosenqvist has the most top ten finishes of the rookies with four. Herta is the only rookie with a top five finish this season but since his victory at Austin, Herta has had four consecutive retirements with his average finish being 25.75. Ericsson has had four finishes of 20th or worse with his only top ten finish being seventh at Long Beach.
Ferrucci and O'Ward have each raced at Belle Isle but Ferrucci is the only of the two to run an IndyCar on the track. Last year, Ferrucci made his IndyCar debut in the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda filling a vacancy after Pietro Fittipaldi was sidelined due to his injuries from an accident driving DragonSpeed's LMP1 entry at Spa-Francorchamps for the opening round of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship. O'Ward won at the track in 2017 in the IMSA Prototype Challenge class.
Carlin Comeback
Carlin is returning with its tail between its legs.
Neither O'Ward nor Max Chilton were in the Indianapolis 500 with the only Carlin driver to make the Indianapolis 500 field was Charlie Kimball, who has three more starts this season and will return next week at Texas.
Things had been promising for O'Ward. He has started in the top ten twice this season and while his only top ten finish was eighth at Austin, O'Ward was the top Carlin finisher in three of four starts with Chilton finishing 18th at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, one spot ahead of O'Ward after the Mexican driver had to serve a penalty for running in the back of Alexander Rossi at the start and had to make an additional pit stop after the rain started due to tire pressure issues. O'Ward has been the best Carlin starter in each of his four starts.
Chilton heads to Belle Isle after hitting rock bottom of what has been a terribly long fall. Before failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, Chilton had not finished in the top ten in the previous 23 races. Chilton has started in the top ten only once over the previous 25 races. This year Chilton has started outside the top twenty in three of five starts.
Belle Isle is where Chilton picked up his best result in 2018 when he finished 11th in the second race. He has never finished in the top ten at this track and he has only started in the top ten twice in six starts.
IMSA
This weekend will be the final time IndyCar and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship share a bill with the Daytona Prototype international and GT Daytona classes running a 100-minute race around Belle Isle. There will be 11 DPi entries and 12 GTD entries.
The #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac of Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr lead the DPi championship with 120 points. The Brazilian duo has finished off the podium in the last two races after finishing second and first at Daytona and Sebring respectively. Four points behind the Brazilians are Ricky Taylor and Hélio Castroneves in the #7 Acura Team Penske entry. The #7 Acura is the only car to finish in the top five of every race this season.
Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande are third in the championship on 113 points with Mid-Ohio winners Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya tied with the Long Beach winners João Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque. Advantage goes to Cameron and Montoya in the championship as both the #6 Acura and the #5 Mustang Samplings Cadillac each have a victory and a third place finish but the #6 Acura's next best result is sixth, better than the #5 Cadillac's seventh.
The Mazdas are tied on 100 points apiece. The #77 Mazda of Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez are coming off a runner-up finish at Mid-Ohio while Jonathan Bomarito finished third in the #55 Mazda with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Harry Tincknell is back in the #55 Mazda this weekend after he missed Mid-Ohio due to FIA World Endurance Championship responsibilities with the Ford GT program at Spa-Francorchamps.
Colin Braun and Jon Bennett are tied on 94 points with Simon Trummer and Stephan Simpson with the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac of Misha Goikhberg and Tristan Vautier a point back of the #54 Nissan and #84 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac. Will Owen has scored 90 points in the #50 Juncos Racing Cadillac. Victor Franzoni will join Owen in the #50 Cadillac. Franzoni spent the last two years racing for Juncos Racing in Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. He won the 2017 Pro Mazda title with the team and he won an Indy Lights race at Road America before finishing fifth in the championship last year. Franzoni made his IMSA debut in the GTD class at Daytona and he took the class pole position in the #13 Via Italia Racing Ferrari. The team went on to finish eighth in class.
Belle Isle counts only to the WeatherTech Sprint Cup championship for GTD teams and not the full GTD championship. The WeatherTech Sprint Cup consists of the seven races, all of which are two hours and 40 minutes in length or shorter.
Because of this change, some of the notable GTD teams will not be participating at Belle Isle. Ben Keating and Jereon Bleekemolen will not be at Belle Isle in the #33 Mercedes-AMG as the duo will focus on the Le Mans test day and their GTE-Am Ford GT entry. Pfaff Motorsports will not bring the #9 Porsche to Belle Isle for Scott Hargrove and Zach Robichon. The #19 Moorespeed Audi of Alex Riberas and Will Hardeman will not compete this weekend.
Leading the Sprint Cup standings is the Mid-Ohio-winning #14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus of Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand with 35 points. The #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Trent Hindman and Mario Farnbacher are three points back in second with the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini of Bryan Sellers and Ryan Hardwick rounding out the top three on 30 points.
Patrick Long is fourth in the championship on 28 points and he will have Zach Robichon join him in the #73 Park Place Motorsport Porsche. Robichon will be going after the Sprint Cup while Long's regular co-driver Patrick Lindsey will be at the Le Mans test day. Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo bookend the top five in the Sprint Cup championship for AIM Vasser Sullivan Racing with the #12 Lexus drivers nine points back.
Cooper McNeil and Toni Vilander are 11 points back in the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari with the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini of Andy Lally and John Potter 12 points back. Ryan Dalziel and Parker Chase are on 22 points in the #8 Starworks Audi with the #57 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen on 21 points.
The Sprint Cup-only #74 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG of Gar Robinson and Lawson Aschenbach on 20 points with another Sprint Cup-only entry, the #76 Compass Racing McLaren of Matt Plumb and Paul Horton on 18 points. Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley round out the Sprint Cup championship on 16 points in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW.
Since returning to Belle Isle in 2012, General Motors has won the Belle Isle race seven consecutive years with Wayne Taylor Racing responsible for four of them and Action Express Racing responsible for the other three. Meyer Shank Racing has won the last two years in GTD with Legge in each winning entry with Andy Lally as her co-driver in 2017 and Mario Farnbacher as her co-driver last year.
NBCSN's coverage of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday June 1st.
Fast Facts
Saturday's race will be the seventh IndyCar race to take place on June 1st and first since Hélio Castroneves won at Belle Isle in 2014.
Two drivers have had their first career victory come on June 1st. Greg Moore picked up his first career victory on June 1, 1997 at Milwaukee. Ryan Briscoe matched Moore's achievement with Briscoe's first career victory coming at Milwaukee 11 years to the day of Moore's maiden victory.
Last year, Scott Dixon picked up his first victory of the 2018 season on June 2nd at Belle Isle. Sunday will also be the six-year anniversary of Simon Pagenaud's first career IndyCar victory, which came at Belle Isle.
Pagenaud is one of three drivers to have their first career victory come at Belle Isle. The other two are Hélio Castroneves and Carlos Muñoz.
American drivers have won three of the last four Belle Isle races after American drivers had not won the 16 previous Belle Isle races.
Honda has swept the Belle Isle races the last two years and Honda has won eight of 13 Belle Isle races since 2012.
The last two Indianapolis 500 winners have finished in the top ten of both Belle Isle races.
Last year, six drivers finished in the top ten of both races, the fourth time six drivers have finished in the top ten of both Belle Isle races along with 2013, 2014, and 2017.
Since Belle Isle became a doubleheader there has never been more than six drivers to finish in the top ten of both races.
Last year, Ryan Hunter-Reay became the fourth driver to finish on the podium in both Belle Isle races joining Mike Conway in 2013, Will Power in 2014 and Graham Rahal in 2017.
Three of the last four Belle Isle races have had an average speed above 100 MPH. Only once before 2018 did a Belle Isle race have an average speed above 100 MPH and that is when Alex Zanardi won the 1998 race with an average speed at 100.052 MPH.
Six consecutive Belle Isle races have had an average speed above 95 MPH after none of the prior ten Belle Isle races had an average speed over 95 MPH.
Chip Ganassi Racing is one victory away from 107 victories, which would tie the team with Newman-Haas Racing for second most in IndyCar history.
The average starting position for a Belle Isle winner is 5.76 with a median of fourth.
The average number of lead changes for a Belle Isle race is 4.4 with a median of fifth.
Eleven consecutive Belle Isle races have had five lead changes or more. In the 14 Belle Isle races prior to this streak the most lead changes in a Belle Isle race was five and that happened on three occasions.
Only twice has a Belle Isle winner led fewer than ten laps. In 1996, Michael Andretti led seven laps on his way to victory. In 2015, Carlos Muñoz led eight laps in the rain-shortened first race of that doubleheader.
The average number of cautions in a Belle Isle race is 4.12 with a median of four. The average number of caution laps is 14.32 with a median of 14.
Six consecutive Belle Isle races have had three or fewer cautions. Five of those six races have had less than ten caution laps.
Possible Milestones:
If Ryan Hunter-Reay takes the green flag in both Belle Isle races he will become the fifth driver to achieve 200 consecutive starts.
Scott Dixon, Sébastien Bourdais, Will Power and Graham Rahal could all surpass Hélio Castroneves' record of three Belle Isle victories. All four drivers have won twice at the track.
Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud and Ryan Hunter-Reay could all equal Hélio Castroneves' record of three Belle Isle victories.
Scott Dixon needs to lead 59 laps to reach the 5,500 laps led milestone.
Will Power needs to lead 59 laps to become the 11th driver to reach the 4,000 laps led milestone.
Ryan Hunter-Reay needs to lead 45 laps to reach the 1,500 laps led milestone.
James Hinchcliffe needs to lead 44 laps to reach the 800 laps led milestone.
Graham Rahal needs to lead 16 laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Predictions
Alexander Rossi makes up for Indianapolis and a lost podium finish here last year and Scott Dixon replicates his 2018 Belle Isle weekend and those two drivers split the weekend. Rossi will leave Belle Isle as the championship leader. Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta both get top ten finishes. Josef Newgarden will be the best Team Penske driver in the championship after this weekend. At least three drivers that finished outside the top twenty in the Indianapolis 500 get a top ten finish in the first Belle Isle race. Sleepers: Ed Jones and Sébastien Bourdais.
Monday, May 27, 2019
Musings From the Weekend: They Know What They Are Doing
Simon Pagenaud got Team Penske its 18th Indianapolis 500 victory and it was a stellar weekend for Team Penske. Monaco was interesting... I don't know. It was a repeat of 1992 but it is 2019 and the performance that what we hold as evidence for Ayrton Senna's greatness is unacceptable with the contemporary set of drivers. Elsewhere, Chris Windom is glad this weekend is over. Formula E is winding down its season and was in Berlin. The Hoosier Hundred had one final race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
They Know What They Are Doing
IndyCar made a seismic announcement on Carb Day morning. The series announced a partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on an aeroscreen planned for introduction to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2020.
The announcement is a leap forward for IndyCar after having preliminary tests with the first prototype early last year with Scott Dixon at Phoenix and Josef Newgarden at Indianapolis. It had been over a year since Newgarden tested the aeroscreen at the Speedway and all had gone quiet on the latest safety enhancement, making the jump from two tests in 2018 to full implementation for 2020 a surprising turn of course.
It is going to be a jarring change for IndyCar. The car is going to look different and it will take time to adjust. The problem is with any change, people quickly come up with every flaw in the book to discredit the change and hope for a reversal so the status quo remains.
I have news to all those who discredit the aeroscreen: Engineers are working on this and they have taken into consideration all your qualms.
They know about smudges, water and oil. They know about rain. They know about debris, glare, fog, etc. Everything concern you have they have in mind and will work to correct. You aren't smarter than the engineers working on this that IndyCar and Red Bull employ.
Do you really think these people are daft enough to produce an aeroscreen and not taking into consideration that IndyCar races in the rain? Better yet, do you really think if a problem occurs they aren't going to work on it? The aeroscreen isn't going to be attached, the engineers slap their hands clean and declare job done and move on. This is going to be a process that is worked on constantly.
They aren't winging it. They are going to test it and test it in multiple conditions. They are going to fix any problems that crop up and problems will crop up during and that is ok. That is part of science. You test something, you get a result and if it is not desirable you work to fix it.
IndyCar is going to find a solution. This isn't going to be the first series in the world that runs with what is just a windshield in front of the drivers, in fact it seems like nine in ten series run with a windshield in front of a driver and these series are all doing fine. How does a Toyota LMP1 car handle when it gets fluid on its windshield or a NASCAR Cup car or a GT3 Ferrari? An IndyCar is going to be no different. The aeroscreen is going to get a ton of garbage splattered on it and drivers will adapt and if it gets to a point that visibility is so poor it forces a driver to pit then so be it. The same can happen in dozens of other series around the world and it is one consequence between putting that barrier around the driver.
It is going to be different for IndyCar. It is going to be a difference in the careers of A.J. Foyt and Colton Herta but there are a lot of things that separate the drivers of each generation. A.J. Foyt never raced with a riding mechanic and how many greats from the early 20th century did? We don't look down upon Foyt's career because of how IndyCar evolved and we shouldn't do the same for the drivers who will race with the aeroscreen for the entirety of their careers.
As for rain, maybe the solution is as simple as windshield wipers, an invention we are accustomed on our daily road cars. Sure, no IndyCar has ever featured it, no single-seater race car has ever featured it but there was a time when no IndyCar ever had seat belts and nobody is in a huff that the current drivers are strapped in tightly behind the wheel. It would just be a part of the evolution and soon it would not seem out of place but just part of an IndyCar.
We have to look at what the aeroscreen for not only what it is but what it could be.
It is evolution. The same way rules evolved in the 1960s to control how much fuel one car could hold in the day of safety. It took incinerating two drivers in front of over 250,000 people to enforce fuel cells to be introduced so the cars weren't ticking time bombs. It shouldn't take another serious accident for cockpit safety to be improved.
It could save a life and prevent injuries, whether severe or a simple concussion. We shouldn't be against it and there will still be risk in IndyCar with it. The aeroscreen can only do so much and for all the good it will do it will not make drivers invisible. When cars are driving at 220 MPH there is always a chance of injury or death. We saw a gnarly accident in the Freedom 100 with Chris Windom and David Malukas where both drivers could have been seriously hurt. Windom's car split in half but the car did its job and the monocoque remained in one piece, keeping Windom safe but Windom's car was inches from the helmet of Malukas. Both drivers walked away but we should not be pushing the limits of how close we can get a race car to a driver's head without a fatality occurring.
The Freedom 100 accident does raise questions about how long until the aeroscreen makes its way down the ladder system. Formula One introduced the Halo and Formula Two and Formula Three followed suit. Super Formula in Japan even adopted the device. It became clear the way the world was going and it was not going to wait to follow Formula One's lead. Things move a little slower in North America and lack of funding is one reason but if we are going to have this device in IndyCar it should be on Indy Lights cars and Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 to decrease the risk of injuries in those series as well as help those drivers adapt to the device from a young age that way if they make it to IndyCar it is one fewer hurdle a driver has to clear.
The aeroscreen is change. Change is tough. We will get used to it. We got used seat belts. We got used to fuel cells. We got used to drivers with closed face helmets. We got used to HANS devices. We got used to catchfences and the SAFER Barrier. We got used to rear-engine cars. We got used to rear wings. We got used to pneumatic jacks. We got used to Ethanol. We got used to the apron! We got used to the current Pagoda and the current victory lane. We get used to so many things and this will be different to look at but the IndyCar of 2019 doesn't look anything like the Marmon Wasps or the Duesenbergs or the Millers or the Kurtis Krafts or the Eagle.
In ten years, we will look at the cars and not even think of the aeroscreen or whatever evolution could come after that. It will just be apart of an IndyCar, the same we are used to seeing rear-engined vehicles powered by an Ethanol blend with rear wings and drivers wearing fully enclosed helmets in fire-retardant suits drive within an inch and a half of the SAFER Barrier.
We are going to adapt. The aeroscreen is coming and the engineers are one step ahead of you.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Simon Pagenaud but did you know...
Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix for the third time.
Nyck de Vries won the Formula Two feature race from Monaco. Anthonie Hubert won the sprint race.
Oliver Askew won the Freedom 100. Daniel Frost won the Freedom 90. Cameron Shields won the Freedom 75.
Martin Truex, Jr. won the Coca-Cola 600, his second Coca-Cola 600. Tyler Reddick won the Grand National Series race.
Lucas di Grassi won the Berlin ePrix.
Scott McLaughlin swept the Supercars races from Winton Motor Raceway.
The #38 Lexus Team ZENT Cerumo Lexus of Kazuki Nakajima and Yuhi Sekiguchi won the Super GT race from Suzuka. The #11 GAINER Nissan of Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda won the GT300.
Tyler Courtney won the 64th Hoosier Hundred. Kyle Hamilton won the Dave Steele Carb Night Classic from Indianapolis Raceway Park. Kody Swanson won the Little 500 from Anderson Speedway for the second consecutive year and third victory in four years.
Coming Up Next Weekend
IndyCar has a doubleheader at Belle Isle.
IMSA joins IndyCar for the Saturday at Belle Isle.
MotoGP heads to Mugello.
NASCAR will be at Pocono.
Blancpain Endurance Series has a 1000km race at Circuit Paul Ricard.
World Rally Championship has a round in Portugal.
The Le Mans test day.
They Know What They Are Doing
IndyCar made a seismic announcement on Carb Day morning. The series announced a partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on an aeroscreen planned for introduction to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2020.
The announcement is a leap forward for IndyCar after having preliminary tests with the first prototype early last year with Scott Dixon at Phoenix and Josef Newgarden at Indianapolis. It had been over a year since Newgarden tested the aeroscreen at the Speedway and all had gone quiet on the latest safety enhancement, making the jump from two tests in 2018 to full implementation for 2020 a surprising turn of course.
It is going to be a jarring change for IndyCar. The car is going to look different and it will take time to adjust. The problem is with any change, people quickly come up with every flaw in the book to discredit the change and hope for a reversal so the status quo remains.
I have news to all those who discredit the aeroscreen: Engineers are working on this and they have taken into consideration all your qualms.
They know about smudges, water and oil. They know about rain. They know about debris, glare, fog, etc. Everything concern you have they have in mind and will work to correct. You aren't smarter than the engineers working on this that IndyCar and Red Bull employ.
Do you really think these people are daft enough to produce an aeroscreen and not taking into consideration that IndyCar races in the rain? Better yet, do you really think if a problem occurs they aren't going to work on it? The aeroscreen isn't going to be attached, the engineers slap their hands clean and declare job done and move on. This is going to be a process that is worked on constantly.
They aren't winging it. They are going to test it and test it in multiple conditions. They are going to fix any problems that crop up and problems will crop up during and that is ok. That is part of science. You test something, you get a result and if it is not desirable you work to fix it.
IndyCar is going to find a solution. This isn't going to be the first series in the world that runs with what is just a windshield in front of the drivers, in fact it seems like nine in ten series run with a windshield in front of a driver and these series are all doing fine. How does a Toyota LMP1 car handle when it gets fluid on its windshield or a NASCAR Cup car or a GT3 Ferrari? An IndyCar is going to be no different. The aeroscreen is going to get a ton of garbage splattered on it and drivers will adapt and if it gets to a point that visibility is so poor it forces a driver to pit then so be it. The same can happen in dozens of other series around the world and it is one consequence between putting that barrier around the driver.
It is going to be different for IndyCar. It is going to be a difference in the careers of A.J. Foyt and Colton Herta but there are a lot of things that separate the drivers of each generation. A.J. Foyt never raced with a riding mechanic and how many greats from the early 20th century did? We don't look down upon Foyt's career because of how IndyCar evolved and we shouldn't do the same for the drivers who will race with the aeroscreen for the entirety of their careers.
As for rain, maybe the solution is as simple as windshield wipers, an invention we are accustomed on our daily road cars. Sure, no IndyCar has ever featured it, no single-seater race car has ever featured it but there was a time when no IndyCar ever had seat belts and nobody is in a huff that the current drivers are strapped in tightly behind the wheel. It would just be a part of the evolution and soon it would not seem out of place but just part of an IndyCar.
We have to look at what the aeroscreen for not only what it is but what it could be.
It is evolution. The same way rules evolved in the 1960s to control how much fuel one car could hold in the day of safety. It took incinerating two drivers in front of over 250,000 people to enforce fuel cells to be introduced so the cars weren't ticking time bombs. It shouldn't take another serious accident for cockpit safety to be improved.
It could save a life and prevent injuries, whether severe or a simple concussion. We shouldn't be against it and there will still be risk in IndyCar with it. The aeroscreen can only do so much and for all the good it will do it will not make drivers invisible. When cars are driving at 220 MPH there is always a chance of injury or death. We saw a gnarly accident in the Freedom 100 with Chris Windom and David Malukas where both drivers could have been seriously hurt. Windom's car split in half but the car did its job and the monocoque remained in one piece, keeping Windom safe but Windom's car was inches from the helmet of Malukas. Both drivers walked away but we should not be pushing the limits of how close we can get a race car to a driver's head without a fatality occurring.
The Freedom 100 accident does raise questions about how long until the aeroscreen makes its way down the ladder system. Formula One introduced the Halo and Formula Two and Formula Three followed suit. Super Formula in Japan even adopted the device. It became clear the way the world was going and it was not going to wait to follow Formula One's lead. Things move a little slower in North America and lack of funding is one reason but if we are going to have this device in IndyCar it should be on Indy Lights cars and Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 to decrease the risk of injuries in those series as well as help those drivers adapt to the device from a young age that way if they make it to IndyCar it is one fewer hurdle a driver has to clear.
The aeroscreen is change. Change is tough. We will get used to it. We got used seat belts. We got used to fuel cells. We got used to drivers with closed face helmets. We got used to HANS devices. We got used to catchfences and the SAFER Barrier. We got used to rear-engine cars. We got used to rear wings. We got used to pneumatic jacks. We got used to Ethanol. We got used to the apron! We got used to the current Pagoda and the current victory lane. We get used to so many things and this will be different to look at but the IndyCar of 2019 doesn't look anything like the Marmon Wasps or the Duesenbergs or the Millers or the Kurtis Krafts or the Eagle.
In ten years, we will look at the cars and not even think of the aeroscreen or whatever evolution could come after that. It will just be apart of an IndyCar, the same we are used to seeing rear-engined vehicles powered by an Ethanol blend with rear wings and drivers wearing fully enclosed helmets in fire-retardant suits drive within an inch and a half of the SAFER Barrier.
We are going to adapt. The aeroscreen is coming and the engineers are one step ahead of you.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Simon Pagenaud but did you know...
Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix for the third time.
Nyck de Vries won the Formula Two feature race from Monaco. Anthonie Hubert won the sprint race.
Oliver Askew won the Freedom 100. Daniel Frost won the Freedom 90. Cameron Shields won the Freedom 75.
Martin Truex, Jr. won the Coca-Cola 600, his second Coca-Cola 600. Tyler Reddick won the Grand National Series race.
Lucas di Grassi won the Berlin ePrix.
Scott McLaughlin swept the Supercars races from Winton Motor Raceway.
The #38 Lexus Team ZENT Cerumo Lexus of Kazuki Nakajima and Yuhi Sekiguchi won the Super GT race from Suzuka. The #11 GAINER Nissan of Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda won the GT300.
Tyler Courtney won the 64th Hoosier Hundred. Kyle Hamilton won the Dave Steele Carb Night Classic from Indianapolis Raceway Park. Kody Swanson won the Little 500 from Anderson Speedway for the second consecutive year and third victory in four years.
Coming Up Next Weekend
IndyCar has a doubleheader at Belle Isle.
IMSA joins IndyCar for the Saturday at Belle Isle.
MotoGP heads to Mugello.
NASCAR will be at Pocono.
Blancpain Endurance Series has a 1000km race at Circuit Paul Ricard.
World Rally Championship has a round in Portugal.
The Le Mans test day.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
103rd Indianapolis 500: First Impressions
1. How could anyone have doubted Simon Pagenaud over the last season and a half?
I get he had won a race and never really had a race he dominated but he kept finishing in the top ten. He kept starting in the top ten. He kept up his streak of consistency and bringing the car home in one piece.
Pagenaud had 14 top ten finishes in the 17 races last year and ended the season with ten top ten finishes on the trot. He ended the month of May with three top ten finishes from four races. Not a bad record. In the 54 races before the start of May 2019 he had 27 top ten finishes, 44 top ten finishes and ten finishes outside the top ten. He might not have won a race but he had not lost a step. He was putting himself in the right position for the results to come.
Pagenaud had the best car today, if only by 0.2086 seconds. He controlled the field from the get go and led laps. He did not face early challengers for the lead and his dominance nearly cost him. The fuel mileage was not there for any of the Chevrolets but with Pagenaud being the knife cutting through the air, the drag led to shorter stints and it nearly cost him the Indianapolis 500. The Hondas were making better fuel mileage and it was falling into Alexander Rossi's lap. Rossi ended up controlling the pace from second position. Pagenaud was trying to slow the field to 215-216 MPH laps but Rossi was running 223 MPH and forced the Chevrolets to increase their pace.
The race was turning into Pocono 2018 and Rossi was set to tell the field to keep up and it looked to be his with just north of 20 laps to go when Rossi took the lead into turn three. Seconds later, Sébastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal made contact and that accident turned the race into a 32.5-mile sprint with no fuel conservation necessary and it allowed for Pagenaud to have a straight fight with Rossi.
The final 32.5 miles was a back-and-forth battle the likes we had not seen all year for the lead. Pagenaud took the lead at the restart, Rossi took the lead the following lap and the drivers traded the lead down the stretch. With three laps to go, Pagenaud left the inside open into turn one and Rossi took the victory. This race was not the slipstream affairs of the 2012-2017 where the leader appeared to be a sitting duck at the end of each straightaway. It could have been Rossi's but Pagenaud made the move Rossi couldn't, to the outside and it allowed the Frenchman to regain the lead entering turn three with two laps to go.
Rossi's car was not capable of making the same outside moves that he was known for last year. Many times Rossi looked to the outside when trying to make up a position but he stalled out at the entry of the corner and he had to rewind and do it all over again.
In the closing laps, it became Pocono 2017 where Will Power had Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi following but unable to make a pass with Power's ever changing line to break the draft. Pagenaud kept his car active on the final lap, diving to the inside early before jumping out in the middle of the straightaway and then getting back to the inside before the corner. The final time into turn three Pagenaud was able to seal up the inside, forcing Rossi to make a futile look on the outside. Rossi stalled out and the only hope was to draft off the Frenchman and win a drag race.
Pagenaud was gone. The draft was not going to be there for Rossi and Pagenaud became responsible for Roger Penske's 18th Indianapolis 500 victory.
This May was damn close to perfection for Pagenaud. He won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, taking 51 of a possible 54 points. He took the nine points for pole position, he led over half the race, he won the race and now he has the championship lead, though by a single point. Every driver enters May just wanting to win the Indianapolis 500, taking 163 of 166 points from the two races is more than any driver could imagine.
One year after Will Power won his first Indianapolis 500 years after winning a championship and many race victories, Pagenaud adds the Borg-Warner Trophy to his Astor Cup and he no longer finds himself in the group of champions without an Indianapolis 500 victory. An Indianapolis 500 victory should not be the end all be all in a driver's career, it shouldn't be validation of a driver's greatness and like Power, Pagenaud can silence whatever critics linger around.
2. Alexander Rossi had the drive of the day. He was controlling this race and it all came after two pit stops with re-fueling issues. It is hard to say the Bourdais-Rahal caution bit Rossi considering the caution for Marcus Ericsson's pit lane spin save Rossi from losing incredible amounts of time. It all leveled out, Rossi didn't lose time because of his fuel probe issue, Pagenaud didn't lose time because of fuel conservation.
I wish the race would have played out without that caution because it would have been interesting to see if Rossi and Honda could have taken over and a day that saw Chevrolets take up the top three positions for great majority of this race.
Rossi came back from the issues. We have seen drivers face the adversity, bang on the steering wheel out of anger and unravel, spin making an aggressive move, slapped the wall due to a lack of concentration and leave a race even angrier. Rossi didn't over step the line but he was taking all the risks. He went one-handed into turn one after the lapped car of Oriol Servià held him up. He went to the edge of the grass entering turn three, forcing it three-wide with Bourdais and Conor Daly and came out the other side clean and one position up the order. Rossi wasn't going to blink today and it was going to take someone beating him for him not to win this Indianapolis 500.
Pagenaud beat Rossi today but it wasn't because Rossi made a mistake. It was a one-on-one battle and Pagenaud made the moves at the right time.
3. Where did Takuma Sato come from?
Sato was not mentioned once until the final restart and he benefitted from the Bourdais-Rahal caution. Sato had just made his final stop and instead of going to the tail end of the lead lap cars he ended up in the middle of it all and the first time Sato was positioned to make meaningful passes he completed each one.
He lost a lap early and was as low as 31st but Sato kept going and in his 40s he has found control and not sacrificed a lick of speed. A fantastic result for him and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
4. Josef Newgarden didn't have what it took to match Pagenaud today and Newgarden took the lead mostly to help give Pagenaud the tow the Frenchman had not received all day. Newgarden loses the championship lead but he is one-point behind his teammate in what should shape up to be a great title fight with not only the two Penske drivers but Rossi and others.
5. Will Power had his own comeback after being sent to the rear of the field after making contact with a crew member on a pit stop.
Prior to the Bourdais-Rahal incident, Power was in a similar spot as Sato. If that caution does not come he drops outside the top ten and that is where he likely finishes. He made his stop before that caution, came out in the middle of the front-runners in the back half of the top ten and in the final 13 laps he charged to fifth.
IndyCar race control was consistent with the calls for pit lane infractions and it is good the officials were enforcing the rulebook.
6. Ed Carpenter finished sixth in a day where he may have been too patient. He was set running behind Pagenaud because he did not want to be the driver burning the fuel and stopping two or three laps earlier than the rest but in his waiting, he allowed Pagenaud to stay ahead, allowed Rossi and Newgarden to get pass and in the end Carpenter didn't have the fire for a late fight. Sixth place is a great result but Carpenter wants more than that.
7. Santino Ferrucci will win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year with his seventh place finish in what was a great driver for the Nutmegger. Ferrucci was making passes throughout the field. He was not wild and he didn't over step the line. He made a great save on the Bourdais-Rahal caution, sliding through the turn three grass but keeping the car straight. It was a nice drive and he will deserve this honor.
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay did not have his greatest Indianapolis 500 car but he likely knew that and the veteran didn't overdrive the car. He knew the limits and got an eighth place finish, which will be good for his championship hopes. He was pretty equal to Ferrucci and those two ran around each other all race.
9. Another man who was around Ferrucci and Hunter-Reay all race was Tony Kanaan and Kanaan got off the snide with a ninth place finish, his first top ten finish in ten races. Kanaan was not a front-runner but it was great to see he was able to complete all 500 miles and pull out a top ten finishes.
10. Conor Daly had never finished all 500 miles in the Indianapolis 500 before today's race and somehow he should be disappointed with a tenth place finish. Daly was in the top five late and that Bourdais-Rahal caution may have cost him a few spots. Daly could not do what Rossi did but he was in the top ten for nearly the entire race and I can only hope this career day leads to more offers down the line for Daly.
11. James Hinchcliffe goes from 32nd to 11th and bravo to him after a hairy qualifying weekend last week. It was a promising result for him.
12. James Davison jumped into the top ten early but he was spun on pit lane on his first stop when Hélio Castroneves got into the rear of the Australian. Davison may have been on his way to overshooting his pit stall but Davison rallied and it was another great one-off for him.
13. This was kind of the race I expected from the other two Ed Carpenter Racing: Both cars would be strong but faded and Ed Jones was not really in the discussion after the first 200 miles. He still came home in 13th, not bad but that has to be a tad disappointing after all the pace he showed during the race.
14. Spencer Pigot was one of the few cars not to stop before the Bourdais-Rahal caution and while he was the leader at that time he was sent to back after his pit stop and it dropped him from top ten contention. It was a good day for Pigot but the result might say otherwise.
15. Matheus Leist finished 15th and I am not sure he was mentioned once during the race.
16. Pippa Mann finished 16th and I am not sure she was mentioned once during the race. Leist and Mann just kept running and stayed on the lead lap.
17. Scott Dixon got a bit of damage in the Bourdais-Rahal accident after contact with Charlie Kimball and that ruined a top ten finish for Dixon. He was around Ferrucci, Hunter-Reay and Kanaan all race and he worked his way into the top ten but was never a factor for the lead outside of when he cycled to the front during pit stops.
18. Hélio Castroneves got a penalty for his contact with Davison and he was multiple laps down all race. Then he got in Rossi's way while at least two laps down. It is purely coincidentally Rossi was the driver each time lapped cars notably impeded a lead lap car but for the consistency with pit lane infractions the blue flag is consistently not used and that is a shame because it puts the leaders at a disadvantage and hat shouldn't be the case.
19. Sage Karam was not a factor but moved up to a 19th place finish.
20. J.R. Hildebrand rounded out the top twenty and he was a bit stronger than that and was on the edge of the top ten early. This wasn't the greatest Indianapolis 500 for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing but both cars made the race.
21. Jack Harvey was not a factor and finished 21st. It was a respectable six races for Meyer Shank Racing and now the team will take off the next three races.
22. Rossi came Oriol Servià a hard time when he was getting squeezed to the pit wall and it seems odd Servià would race a lead lap car like that. He wasn't impeding Rossi but trying to keep Rossi behind him and it was to no benefit of Servià to hold up Rossi. I wish IndyCar did a better job displaying blue flags, especially on an oval where a lapped car could easily take out a front-runner and that is a precedent IndyCar should not allow to be established.
23. Marcus Ericsson was running well all race and month. He was keeping his nose clean and was in position for a top ten finish and then he spun entering the pit lane and there went his chance at Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.
24. Jordan King's first Indianapolis 500 was not great and it was worse that one of his pit crew members was hurt. I am not sure if we see King again. He is back in Formula Two. He showed pace on road and street courses last year. I think he is a good driver and he could be a full-time IndyCar driver but it appears he is still feeling out where he could land permanently in motorsports.
25. Charlie Kimball found himself in the top ten late and this was a great Charlie Kimball-esque day until he had nowhere to go where Bourdais and Rahal got together. I do not know if Kimball could be in contention for a full-time seat down the road but I got to think he could help A.J. Foyt Racing. He drives into the top ten constantly and he did it today as Carlin's only driver in the field and the two regular drivers were on the sidelines.
26. This was the race from hell for Marco Andretti. He dropped from 10th to 22nd before the first caution on lap six. He was struggling with handling all race and he was quickly multiple laps down. He finished five laps down in what was pegged to be a dream race for the Andretti family. I know it was the 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti's only Indianapolis 500 victory but it might be time to slide into the shadows. No more tribute liveries, no more big television reveals, no more appearances on late-night television and it is not because Andretti is a bad guy. I am ok with him being in IndyCar because he finishes in the top ten of the championship more times than he doesn't but let's keep in check the expectations. He is only 32 years old but it is pushing eight years since his last victory. He is a good guy but when it comes to a face of the series there are other drivers that should get the spotlight.
27. Graham Rahal and Sébastien Bourdais got together and ruined both their chances at top ten finishes, one of them could have finished in the top five. It kind of sucks neither got the result they deserved because both were strong.
28. Felix Rosenqvist and Zach Veach were caught in the Rahal-Bourdais incident. Rosenqvist was getting fuel mileage akin to Dixon and I don't know if it would have got him a top ten result but he seemed to get into a groove and improve as the race went on. Veach was not really mentioned in this race aside from the Gainbridge commercials that were paired with an uninterrupted onboard from Veach's point of view.
29. Let's finish up the field, Kyle Kaiser got in the marbles, spun, saved it and then overcorrected and the Fairy Tale for Kasier and Juncos Racing ended in the turn four wall. I hope to see them back and not just at Indianapolis. I wish Kaiser got a greater opportunity at IndyCar.
30. Ben Hanley had his car break early and while DragonSpeed should be thrilled to make the race I bet they wanted more from this experience. Hanley wasn't the only one to break and Colton Herta had a gearbox failure after three laps. Since winning at Austin, Herta has finished 24th, 23rd, 23rd and 33rd. The high is gone for the kid. He is facing reality.
31. NBC did a great job with its coverage. The expanded pre-race covered pretty much everything. It wasn't a rushed pre-race and trying to jam in a few big stories in an hour. Everyone got some recognition.
I will admit, it wasn't the clean race from the booth, notably Paul Tracy. He makes four or five minor mistakes a race, whether it is misidentifying a corner or a car or a date and those add up. He said Kaiser's accident was in turn two; it was turn four. He was about three laps late on Rossi's pass on Daly. He said Andretti got into the back of Davison on pit lane when it was Castroneves.
On top of that, he mispronounces at least three or four names incorrectly, most notably, Hélio Castroneves, he gets the name of a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner wrong nine times out of ten and that isn't good. If he is doing it on purpose because of 2002 it is not funny and it definitely is not professional.
I think Tracy could be better in a limited role, like on the pit box. I am not sure Danica Patrick should come back. She is a recognizable name but I am not sure she added to the broadcast and it seemed like every comment related to her.
Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell were strong. The pit lane reporters were strong. Kevin Lee was on top of the Castroneves contact with Davison and quickly explained what happened. I want more Jon Beekhuis. He is technically minded and great at explaining not only what happens during a pit stop but also what that does to a race car with the best example being front wing changes on Newgarden to increase downforce. Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast were clean professionals.
I said this after the 24 Hours of Daytona but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. does his homework. He asked poignant questions during this race and brought more to the broadcast. At Daytona, I wanted him and Beekhuis paired on the pit box because I think they would play off each other well with Beekhuis able to answer and thoroughly explain Earnhardt, Jr.'s inquiries. I would be slow to shift Beekhuis to the pit box and take him off pit lane and Tracy would not mesh with Earnhardt, Jr. I don't know if the answer is in another person to fit in between Mike Tirico, who was fine, and Earnhardt, Jr. and I can't put my thumb on who that could be.
One final thing on talent, Robin Miller was underused. The man just got acknowledged for 50 years of work at the Speedway and his dedication to IndyCar racing and he got a brief word during the pre-race. I would not have put him on the pit box but if we are going to be hitting up Rutledge Wood for 30 seconds every hour from a different spot around the racetrack, we could have hit up Robin Miller even if it is a brief word with an older face or adding a historical perspective to this race, somewhat akin to what Donald Davidson does on the radio.
Overall, this felt like a big event again. It got the time it deserves. Adjustments can be made and I think the network will work on the kinks for 2020.
32. How do I want to end this? There are 100 things I want to say.
I am happy to see John Menard get his Indianapolis 500 glory after all these years.
I want the start time of the race to move up a little bit. A race like this does not need a longer pre-race show. People are tired of waiting. The gates open at 5:00 a.m. Let's get it going. Can we get start time closer to 12:25 p.m.?
I don't know where this race stands but it had 29 lead changes, the lowest of the DW12-era but it was fantastic. This was the first time a driver led more than 50% of the race since 2010 but it was fantastic. It was the first time the pole-sitter won since 2009 but it was fantastic.
I don't know what a great race is but it is not easily defined in number of lead changes, number of laps led, number of laps led by the driver that led the most laps, lead lap finishes, lap of the final lead change and margin of victory. A great race does not meet a minimum criteria in a multitude of categories. A great race just happens. It draws out a physical response.
Stomach aches, gasps, shakiness, fist pumps, migraines, tears, shrieks, yelps, cheers, deep breaths, goosebumps, twitches, leaps of excitement, weak knees, sweatiness, heart palpitations, smiles, high-fives, hugs.
A great race is not something you can measure. It is something you feel. I felt something today.
33. 363 Days until the 104th Indianapolis 500.
I get he had won a race and never really had a race he dominated but he kept finishing in the top ten. He kept starting in the top ten. He kept up his streak of consistency and bringing the car home in one piece.
Pagenaud had 14 top ten finishes in the 17 races last year and ended the season with ten top ten finishes on the trot. He ended the month of May with three top ten finishes from four races. Not a bad record. In the 54 races before the start of May 2019 he had 27 top ten finishes, 44 top ten finishes and ten finishes outside the top ten. He might not have won a race but he had not lost a step. He was putting himself in the right position for the results to come.
Pagenaud had the best car today, if only by 0.2086 seconds. He controlled the field from the get go and led laps. He did not face early challengers for the lead and his dominance nearly cost him. The fuel mileage was not there for any of the Chevrolets but with Pagenaud being the knife cutting through the air, the drag led to shorter stints and it nearly cost him the Indianapolis 500. The Hondas were making better fuel mileage and it was falling into Alexander Rossi's lap. Rossi ended up controlling the pace from second position. Pagenaud was trying to slow the field to 215-216 MPH laps but Rossi was running 223 MPH and forced the Chevrolets to increase their pace.
The race was turning into Pocono 2018 and Rossi was set to tell the field to keep up and it looked to be his with just north of 20 laps to go when Rossi took the lead into turn three. Seconds later, Sébastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal made contact and that accident turned the race into a 32.5-mile sprint with no fuel conservation necessary and it allowed for Pagenaud to have a straight fight with Rossi.
The final 32.5 miles was a back-and-forth battle the likes we had not seen all year for the lead. Pagenaud took the lead at the restart, Rossi took the lead the following lap and the drivers traded the lead down the stretch. With three laps to go, Pagenaud left the inside open into turn one and Rossi took the victory. This race was not the slipstream affairs of the 2012-2017 where the leader appeared to be a sitting duck at the end of each straightaway. It could have been Rossi's but Pagenaud made the move Rossi couldn't, to the outside and it allowed the Frenchman to regain the lead entering turn three with two laps to go.
Rossi's car was not capable of making the same outside moves that he was known for last year. Many times Rossi looked to the outside when trying to make up a position but he stalled out at the entry of the corner and he had to rewind and do it all over again.
In the closing laps, it became Pocono 2017 where Will Power had Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi following but unable to make a pass with Power's ever changing line to break the draft. Pagenaud kept his car active on the final lap, diving to the inside early before jumping out in the middle of the straightaway and then getting back to the inside before the corner. The final time into turn three Pagenaud was able to seal up the inside, forcing Rossi to make a futile look on the outside. Rossi stalled out and the only hope was to draft off the Frenchman and win a drag race.
Pagenaud was gone. The draft was not going to be there for Rossi and Pagenaud became responsible for Roger Penske's 18th Indianapolis 500 victory.
This May was damn close to perfection for Pagenaud. He won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, taking 51 of a possible 54 points. He took the nine points for pole position, he led over half the race, he won the race and now he has the championship lead, though by a single point. Every driver enters May just wanting to win the Indianapolis 500, taking 163 of 166 points from the two races is more than any driver could imagine.
One year after Will Power won his first Indianapolis 500 years after winning a championship and many race victories, Pagenaud adds the Borg-Warner Trophy to his Astor Cup and he no longer finds himself in the group of champions without an Indianapolis 500 victory. An Indianapolis 500 victory should not be the end all be all in a driver's career, it shouldn't be validation of a driver's greatness and like Power, Pagenaud can silence whatever critics linger around.
2. Alexander Rossi had the drive of the day. He was controlling this race and it all came after two pit stops with re-fueling issues. It is hard to say the Bourdais-Rahal caution bit Rossi considering the caution for Marcus Ericsson's pit lane spin save Rossi from losing incredible amounts of time. It all leveled out, Rossi didn't lose time because of his fuel probe issue, Pagenaud didn't lose time because of fuel conservation.
I wish the race would have played out without that caution because it would have been interesting to see if Rossi and Honda could have taken over and a day that saw Chevrolets take up the top three positions for great majority of this race.
Rossi came back from the issues. We have seen drivers face the adversity, bang on the steering wheel out of anger and unravel, spin making an aggressive move, slapped the wall due to a lack of concentration and leave a race even angrier. Rossi didn't over step the line but he was taking all the risks. He went one-handed into turn one after the lapped car of Oriol Servià held him up. He went to the edge of the grass entering turn three, forcing it three-wide with Bourdais and Conor Daly and came out the other side clean and one position up the order. Rossi wasn't going to blink today and it was going to take someone beating him for him not to win this Indianapolis 500.
Pagenaud beat Rossi today but it wasn't because Rossi made a mistake. It was a one-on-one battle and Pagenaud made the moves at the right time.
3. Where did Takuma Sato come from?
Sato was not mentioned once until the final restart and he benefitted from the Bourdais-Rahal caution. Sato had just made his final stop and instead of going to the tail end of the lead lap cars he ended up in the middle of it all and the first time Sato was positioned to make meaningful passes he completed each one.
He lost a lap early and was as low as 31st but Sato kept going and in his 40s he has found control and not sacrificed a lick of speed. A fantastic result for him and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
4. Josef Newgarden didn't have what it took to match Pagenaud today and Newgarden took the lead mostly to help give Pagenaud the tow the Frenchman had not received all day. Newgarden loses the championship lead but he is one-point behind his teammate in what should shape up to be a great title fight with not only the two Penske drivers but Rossi and others.
5. Will Power had his own comeback after being sent to the rear of the field after making contact with a crew member on a pit stop.
Prior to the Bourdais-Rahal incident, Power was in a similar spot as Sato. If that caution does not come he drops outside the top ten and that is where he likely finishes. He made his stop before that caution, came out in the middle of the front-runners in the back half of the top ten and in the final 13 laps he charged to fifth.
IndyCar race control was consistent with the calls for pit lane infractions and it is good the officials were enforcing the rulebook.
6. Ed Carpenter finished sixth in a day where he may have been too patient. He was set running behind Pagenaud because he did not want to be the driver burning the fuel and stopping two or three laps earlier than the rest but in his waiting, he allowed Pagenaud to stay ahead, allowed Rossi and Newgarden to get pass and in the end Carpenter didn't have the fire for a late fight. Sixth place is a great result but Carpenter wants more than that.
7. Santino Ferrucci will win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year with his seventh place finish in what was a great driver for the Nutmegger. Ferrucci was making passes throughout the field. He was not wild and he didn't over step the line. He made a great save on the Bourdais-Rahal caution, sliding through the turn three grass but keeping the car straight. It was a nice drive and he will deserve this honor.
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay did not have his greatest Indianapolis 500 car but he likely knew that and the veteran didn't overdrive the car. He knew the limits and got an eighth place finish, which will be good for his championship hopes. He was pretty equal to Ferrucci and those two ran around each other all race.
9. Another man who was around Ferrucci and Hunter-Reay all race was Tony Kanaan and Kanaan got off the snide with a ninth place finish, his first top ten finish in ten races. Kanaan was not a front-runner but it was great to see he was able to complete all 500 miles and pull out a top ten finishes.
10. Conor Daly had never finished all 500 miles in the Indianapolis 500 before today's race and somehow he should be disappointed with a tenth place finish. Daly was in the top five late and that Bourdais-Rahal caution may have cost him a few spots. Daly could not do what Rossi did but he was in the top ten for nearly the entire race and I can only hope this career day leads to more offers down the line for Daly.
11. James Hinchcliffe goes from 32nd to 11th and bravo to him after a hairy qualifying weekend last week. It was a promising result for him.
12. James Davison jumped into the top ten early but he was spun on pit lane on his first stop when Hélio Castroneves got into the rear of the Australian. Davison may have been on his way to overshooting his pit stall but Davison rallied and it was another great one-off for him.
13. This was kind of the race I expected from the other two Ed Carpenter Racing: Both cars would be strong but faded and Ed Jones was not really in the discussion after the first 200 miles. He still came home in 13th, not bad but that has to be a tad disappointing after all the pace he showed during the race.
14. Spencer Pigot was one of the few cars not to stop before the Bourdais-Rahal caution and while he was the leader at that time he was sent to back after his pit stop and it dropped him from top ten contention. It was a good day for Pigot but the result might say otherwise.
15. Matheus Leist finished 15th and I am not sure he was mentioned once during the race.
16. Pippa Mann finished 16th and I am not sure she was mentioned once during the race. Leist and Mann just kept running and stayed on the lead lap.
17. Scott Dixon got a bit of damage in the Bourdais-Rahal accident after contact with Charlie Kimball and that ruined a top ten finish for Dixon. He was around Ferrucci, Hunter-Reay and Kanaan all race and he worked his way into the top ten but was never a factor for the lead outside of when he cycled to the front during pit stops.
18. Hélio Castroneves got a penalty for his contact with Davison and he was multiple laps down all race. Then he got in Rossi's way while at least two laps down. It is purely coincidentally Rossi was the driver each time lapped cars notably impeded a lead lap car but for the consistency with pit lane infractions the blue flag is consistently not used and that is a shame because it puts the leaders at a disadvantage and hat shouldn't be the case.
19. Sage Karam was not a factor but moved up to a 19th place finish.
20. J.R. Hildebrand rounded out the top twenty and he was a bit stronger than that and was on the edge of the top ten early. This wasn't the greatest Indianapolis 500 for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing but both cars made the race.
21. Jack Harvey was not a factor and finished 21st. It was a respectable six races for Meyer Shank Racing and now the team will take off the next three races.
22. Rossi came Oriol Servià a hard time when he was getting squeezed to the pit wall and it seems odd Servià would race a lead lap car like that. He wasn't impeding Rossi but trying to keep Rossi behind him and it was to no benefit of Servià to hold up Rossi. I wish IndyCar did a better job displaying blue flags, especially on an oval where a lapped car could easily take out a front-runner and that is a precedent IndyCar should not allow to be established.
23. Marcus Ericsson was running well all race and month. He was keeping his nose clean and was in position for a top ten finish and then he spun entering the pit lane and there went his chance at Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.
24. Jordan King's first Indianapolis 500 was not great and it was worse that one of his pit crew members was hurt. I am not sure if we see King again. He is back in Formula Two. He showed pace on road and street courses last year. I think he is a good driver and he could be a full-time IndyCar driver but it appears he is still feeling out where he could land permanently in motorsports.
25. Charlie Kimball found himself in the top ten late and this was a great Charlie Kimball-esque day until he had nowhere to go where Bourdais and Rahal got together. I do not know if Kimball could be in contention for a full-time seat down the road but I got to think he could help A.J. Foyt Racing. He drives into the top ten constantly and he did it today as Carlin's only driver in the field and the two regular drivers were on the sidelines.
26. This was the race from hell for Marco Andretti. He dropped from 10th to 22nd before the first caution on lap six. He was struggling with handling all race and he was quickly multiple laps down. He finished five laps down in what was pegged to be a dream race for the Andretti family. I know it was the 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti's only Indianapolis 500 victory but it might be time to slide into the shadows. No more tribute liveries, no more big television reveals, no more appearances on late-night television and it is not because Andretti is a bad guy. I am ok with him being in IndyCar because he finishes in the top ten of the championship more times than he doesn't but let's keep in check the expectations. He is only 32 years old but it is pushing eight years since his last victory. He is a good guy but when it comes to a face of the series there are other drivers that should get the spotlight.
27. Graham Rahal and Sébastien Bourdais got together and ruined both their chances at top ten finishes, one of them could have finished in the top five. It kind of sucks neither got the result they deserved because both were strong.
28. Felix Rosenqvist and Zach Veach were caught in the Rahal-Bourdais incident. Rosenqvist was getting fuel mileage akin to Dixon and I don't know if it would have got him a top ten result but he seemed to get into a groove and improve as the race went on. Veach was not really mentioned in this race aside from the Gainbridge commercials that were paired with an uninterrupted onboard from Veach's point of view.
29. Let's finish up the field, Kyle Kaiser got in the marbles, spun, saved it and then overcorrected and the Fairy Tale for Kasier and Juncos Racing ended in the turn four wall. I hope to see them back and not just at Indianapolis. I wish Kaiser got a greater opportunity at IndyCar.
30. Ben Hanley had his car break early and while DragonSpeed should be thrilled to make the race I bet they wanted more from this experience. Hanley wasn't the only one to break and Colton Herta had a gearbox failure after three laps. Since winning at Austin, Herta has finished 24th, 23rd, 23rd and 33rd. The high is gone for the kid. He is facing reality.
31. NBC did a great job with its coverage. The expanded pre-race covered pretty much everything. It wasn't a rushed pre-race and trying to jam in a few big stories in an hour. Everyone got some recognition.
I will admit, it wasn't the clean race from the booth, notably Paul Tracy. He makes four or five minor mistakes a race, whether it is misidentifying a corner or a car or a date and those add up. He said Kaiser's accident was in turn two; it was turn four. He was about three laps late on Rossi's pass on Daly. He said Andretti got into the back of Davison on pit lane when it was Castroneves.
On top of that, he mispronounces at least three or four names incorrectly, most notably, Hélio Castroneves, he gets the name of a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner wrong nine times out of ten and that isn't good. If he is doing it on purpose because of 2002 it is not funny and it definitely is not professional.
I think Tracy could be better in a limited role, like on the pit box. I am not sure Danica Patrick should come back. She is a recognizable name but I am not sure she added to the broadcast and it seemed like every comment related to her.
Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell were strong. The pit lane reporters were strong. Kevin Lee was on top of the Castroneves contact with Davison and quickly explained what happened. I want more Jon Beekhuis. He is technically minded and great at explaining not only what happens during a pit stop but also what that does to a race car with the best example being front wing changes on Newgarden to increase downforce. Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast were clean professionals.
I said this after the 24 Hours of Daytona but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. does his homework. He asked poignant questions during this race and brought more to the broadcast. At Daytona, I wanted him and Beekhuis paired on the pit box because I think they would play off each other well with Beekhuis able to answer and thoroughly explain Earnhardt, Jr.'s inquiries. I would be slow to shift Beekhuis to the pit box and take him off pit lane and Tracy would not mesh with Earnhardt, Jr. I don't know if the answer is in another person to fit in between Mike Tirico, who was fine, and Earnhardt, Jr. and I can't put my thumb on who that could be.
One final thing on talent, Robin Miller was underused. The man just got acknowledged for 50 years of work at the Speedway and his dedication to IndyCar racing and he got a brief word during the pre-race. I would not have put him on the pit box but if we are going to be hitting up Rutledge Wood for 30 seconds every hour from a different spot around the racetrack, we could have hit up Robin Miller even if it is a brief word with an older face or adding a historical perspective to this race, somewhat akin to what Donald Davidson does on the radio.
Overall, this felt like a big event again. It got the time it deserves. Adjustments can be made and I think the network will work on the kinks for 2020.
32. How do I want to end this? There are 100 things I want to say.
I am happy to see John Menard get his Indianapolis 500 glory after all these years.
I want the start time of the race to move up a little bit. A race like this does not need a longer pre-race show. People are tired of waiting. The gates open at 5:00 a.m. Let's get it going. Can we get start time closer to 12:25 p.m.?
I don't know where this race stands but it had 29 lead changes, the lowest of the DW12-era but it was fantastic. This was the first time a driver led more than 50% of the race since 2010 but it was fantastic. It was the first time the pole-sitter won since 2009 but it was fantastic.
I don't know what a great race is but it is not easily defined in number of lead changes, number of laps led, number of laps led by the driver that led the most laps, lead lap finishes, lap of the final lead change and margin of victory. A great race does not meet a minimum criteria in a multitude of categories. A great race just happens. It draws out a physical response.
Stomach aches, gasps, shakiness, fist pumps, migraines, tears, shrieks, yelps, cheers, deep breaths, goosebumps, twitches, leaps of excitement, weak knees, sweatiness, heart palpitations, smiles, high-fives, hugs.
A great race is not something you can measure. It is something you feel. I felt something today.
33. 363 Days until the 104th Indianapolis 500.
Morning Warm-Up: 103rd Indianapolis 500
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| Race day is here |
Starting Grid
Row 1:
Simon Pagenaud
This will be Pagenaud’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 6th (2018).
Car #22 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Twenty times has the pole-sitter won the race, most recently Hélio Castroneves in 2009.
Simon Pagenaud enters this race on 99 career top ten finishes.
Pagenaud could become the 11th driver to win the race before the Indianapolis 500 and the Indianapolis 500. His teammate Will Power did it last year.
Pagenaud is the third Frenchman to start on pole position for the Indianapolis 500 and the first since René Thomas in 1919. The other Frenchman to start on pole position was Jean Chassagne in 1914.
This is Pagenaud’s third pole position on an oval. The other two came at Fontana in 2015 and Iowa in 2016. In those two races, Pagenaud led a combined 14 laps. Pagenaud did not lead the first lap in either of his prior two pole positions on ovals.
Four of Pagenaud’s 12 victories have come from pole position.
The pole-sitter has not won the last nine Indianapolis 500s. If Pagenaud does not win this year, it will tie the longest drought between pole-sitters winning the Indianapolis 500 with the ten races between 1939 and 1952.
Ed Carpenter
This will be Carpenter’s 16th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2018).
Car #20 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times but not since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989.
Eleven times has the winner started second, most recently Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000. This is Carpenter’s third consecutive front row start and fifth in his career.
Carpenter could become the 15th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 the year after finishing second in the race. The last driver to do it was Dan Wheldon in 2011.
Carpenter needs to lead 61 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500.
No driver has ever won the Indianapolis 500 in a 16th start in the race.
Carpenter could become the ninth driver to lead the first lap of the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years joining Jimmy Murphy (1922-23), Leon Duray (1928-29), Rex Mays (1935-36 and 1940-41), Jack McGrath (1954-55), Jim Clark (1964-65), Bobby Unser (1972-73), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989-90) and Tony Stewart (1996-97).
Carpenter could become the first Illinois-born driver since Floyd Davis in 1941.
Spencer Pigot
This will be Pigot’s fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 18th (2017).
Car #21 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Last year, Will Power became the 12th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 from third position.
The last time a starting position has produced Indianapolis 500 winners in consecutive years was 2008 and 2009 when Scott Dixon and Hélio Castroneves both won the race from pole position.
Pigot is coming off a fifth place finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, his third top five finish in the last 12 races after not having a top five finish through the first 32 starts of his career.
This is Pigot’s first career top five starting position in his IndyCar career.
Pigot could become the tenth youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history at 25 years, seven months and 27 days old.
Last year, Pigot led three laps and those were the first laps he has led on an oval in his IndyCar career. Pigot could become the eighth Californian-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with Indiana for most different Indianapolis 500 winner by state.
Row 2:
Ed Jones
This will be Jones’ third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2017).
Car #63 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Seven times has the winner started fourth, most recently Takuma Sato in 2017.
This will be Jones’ 40th career start. No driver has scored a first career victory in the 40th start of an IndyCar career.
This matches Jones’ best career starting position. He started fourth in last year’s second Belle Isle race.
Jones enters with one lap led in his career.
Jones could become the sixth youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history at 25 years, three months and 14 days old.
The United Arab Emirates could become the 14th different country to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Colton Herta
This will be Herta’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #88 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Seven times has the winner started fifth, most recently Buddy Lazier in 1996.
Herta’s father Bryan made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1994. Bryan started 22nd and finished ninth. Bryan made five Indianapolis 500 starts. His best starting position was 16th in 2006 and his best finish was third in 2005. Bryan also was the fourth place finisher in 2004.
Bryan Herta led three laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, all coming in the 2004 race.
Colton Herta has finished outside the top twenty in the last three races and the last driver to finish outside the top twenty in consecutive races entering the Indianapolis 500 and then gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 is Kenny Bräck in 1999.
Herta could become the first driver born in the 21st century to start the Indianapolis 500.
Herta could become the youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history at 19 years, one month and 26 days old.
This is the first of four attempts Herta will have to be the youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history.
Herta could become the eighth Californian-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with Indiana for most different Indianapolis 500 winner by state.
Will Power
This will be Power’s 12th Indianapolis 500 start.
2018 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Power’s victory last year was the second time car #12 has won the Indianapolis 500.
The other was Peter DePaolo in 1925 driving the #12 Miller.
Five times has the winner started sixth, most recently Dan Wheldon in 2011.
This is Power’s 11th consecutive start in the first three rows of the Indianapolis 500 grid.
Power could become the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years joining Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al Unser (1970-71) and Hélio Castroneves (2001-02).
Power has led a lap in six consecutive Indianapolis 500s. He is only one lap led away from tying Tony Kanaan’s record for most consecutive Indianapolis 500s led. Kanaan did it from 2002 to 2008 and Kanaan has an active streak of seven consecutive races led form 2012 to 2018.
Will Power needs to lead 66 laps to reach the 4,000 laps led milestone. He would become the 11th driver to lead 4,000 laps joins Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Hélio Castroneves, Al Unser, Scott Dixon, Bobby Unser, Dario Franchitti, Paul Tracy and Tony Kanaan.
Row 3:
Sébastien Bourdais
This will be Bourdais’ eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 7th (2014).
Car #18 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Five times has the winner started seventh, most recently A.J. Foyt in 1961.
This is the sixth race of the season and the only time Bourdais has won the sixth race of the season was in the 2004 Champ Car season at Toronto. His only other podium finish in the sixth race of the season was second at Mont-Tremblant in 2007.
The last driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in an eighth start in the race was Takuma Sato in 2017.
Josef Newgarden
This will be Newgarden’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2016).
Car #2 has won the Indianapolis 500 nine times, most recently in 2015 with Juan Pablo Montoya.
Twice has the winner started eighth, most recently Kenny Bräck in 1999
The last time the championship leader entering the Indianapolis 500 won the race was Montoya in 2015.
This is the fourth time Newgarden has started on row three in the Indianapolis 500.
Every Indianapolis 500 to take place in a year ending in the number nine has been one by one of the top eight starters.
Newgarden could become the first Tennessean to win the Indianapolis 500. Tennessee could become the 22nd state to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Alexander Rossi
This will be Rossi’s fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
2016 Indianapolis 500 Winner.
Car #27 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Dario Franchitti in 2007.
Only once has the winner started ninth and that was Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.
Last year, Rossi started 32nd and finished fourth. It was the first time an 11th-row starter finished in the top five in the Indianapolis 500 since Scott Goodyear finished second in the 1992 race to Al Unser, Jr.
The last driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in an eighth start in the race was Takuma Sato in 2017.
Josef Newgarden
This will be Newgarden’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2016).
Car #2 has won the Indianapolis 500 nine times, most recently in 2015 with Juan Pablo Montoya.
Twice has the winner started eighth, most recently Kenny Bräck in 1999
The last time the championship leader entering the Indianapolis 500 won the race was Montoya in 2015.
This is the fourth time Newgarden has started on row three in the Indianapolis 500.
Every Indianapolis 500 to take place in a year ending in the number nine has been one by one of the top eight starters.
Newgarden could become the first Tennessean to win the Indianapolis 500. Tennessee could become the 22nd state to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Alexander Rossi
This will be Rossi’s fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
2016 Indianapolis 500 Winner.
Car #27 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Dario Franchitti in 2007.
Only once has the winner started ninth and that was Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.
Last year, Rossi started 32nd and finished fourth. It was the first time an 11th-row starter finished in the top five in the Indianapolis 500 since Scott Goodyear finished second in the 1992 race to Al Unser, Jr.
This is the fifth time Rossi has started ninth in his career. In his previous four starts from ninth his best finish is sixth, on two occasions and his other two finishes are eighth and 11th.
Rossi has led 38 laps in three Indianapolis 500 starts and he has led a lap in each of his three starts but Rossi has never led more than 23 laps in this race.
Row 4:
Marco Andretti
This will be Andretti’s 14th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2006).
Car #98 has won the Indianapolis 500 four times, most recently Alexander Rossi 2016.
Twice has the winner started tenth, most recently Gil de Ferran in 2003.
This is the tenth time Andretti has started in the top ten for the Indianapolis 500.
Andretti could break Sam Hanks’ record for most starts before first Indianapolis 500 victory. Hanks’ won the 1957 Indianapolis 500, his 13th start in the race.
Andretti needs to lead 59 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500.
The last driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 14th start was Rick Mears in 1991, Mears’ fourth career Indianapolis 500 victory.
Andretti could become the first Pennsylvanian-born winner since Bill Holland in 1949.
Conor Daly
This will be Daly’s sixth Indianapolis 500 and hopefully fifth start.
Best Finish: 21st (2018).
Car #25 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Al Unser in 1987.
Three times has the winner started 11th, most recently Alexander Rossi in 2016.
Daly’s previous best starting position in the Indianapolis 500 was 23rd.
Daly has never finished in the top twenty in the Indianapolis 500 and he has never finished on the lead lap in the Indianapolis 500.
Daly has equaled his father Derek’s number of Indianapolis 500 qualifications this year. His father Derek’s best Indianapolis 500 finish was 12th in 1985 albeit Derek completed only 189 laps that year, the most laps he completed in an Indianapolis 500. Conor has completed 198 laps as a rookie in 2015 and 199 laps last year.
Daly could become the first Hoosier to win the Indianapolis 500 since Wilbur Shaw in 1940. He would also become the eighth Hoosier to win the Indianapolis 500 and put Indiana in sole possession of most different Indianapolis 500 winners by state.
Hélio Castroneves
This will be Castroneves’ 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
Row 4:
Marco Andretti
This will be Andretti’s 14th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2006).
Car #98 has won the Indianapolis 500 four times, most recently Alexander Rossi 2016.
Twice has the winner started tenth, most recently Gil de Ferran in 2003.
This is the tenth time Andretti has started in the top ten for the Indianapolis 500.
Andretti could break Sam Hanks’ record for most starts before first Indianapolis 500 victory. Hanks’ won the 1957 Indianapolis 500, his 13th start in the race.
Andretti needs to lead 59 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500.
The last driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 14th start was Rick Mears in 1991, Mears’ fourth career Indianapolis 500 victory.
Andretti could become the first Pennsylvanian-born winner since Bill Holland in 1949.
Conor Daly
This will be Daly’s sixth Indianapolis 500 and hopefully fifth start.
Best Finish: 21st (2018).
Car #25 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Al Unser in 1987.
Three times has the winner started 11th, most recently Alexander Rossi in 2016.
Daly’s previous best starting position in the Indianapolis 500 was 23rd.
Daly has never finished in the top twenty in the Indianapolis 500 and he has never finished on the lead lap in the Indianapolis 500.
Daly has equaled his father Derek’s number of Indianapolis 500 qualifications this year. His father Derek’s best Indianapolis 500 finish was 12th in 1985 albeit Derek completed only 189 laps that year, the most laps he completed in an Indianapolis 500. Conor has completed 198 laps as a rookie in 2015 and 199 laps last year.
Daly could become the first Hoosier to win the Indianapolis 500 since Wilbur Shaw in 1940. He would also become the eighth Hoosier to win the Indianapolis 500 and put Indiana in sole possession of most different Indianapolis 500 winners by state.
Hélio Castroneves
This will be Castroneves’ 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, 2002, 2009).
Car #3 has won the Indianapolis 500 eleven times, the most victories for a car number. Castroneves’ 2009 victory is the most recent victory for car #3.
Twice has the winner started 12th, most recently Tony Kanaan in 2013.
This is the first time Castroneves has started on row four since he won from 11th as a rookie in 2001.
This is the tenth Indianapolis 500 since Castroneves’ third victory. A.J. Foyt’s fourth Indianapolis 500 victory came ten years after his third Indianapolis 500 victory.
Castroneves could also set the record for most Indianapolis 500s between first and last victories as it has been 18 years since he won in 2001. Al Unser currently holds the record at 17 races between his first victory in 1970 and his fourth victory in 1987.
If Castroneves starts this race he will tie Bobby Unser and Al Unser, Jr. for ninth all-time in Indianapolis 500 starts.
Bobby Unser is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
Castroneves could become the fifth oldest winner at 44 years and 16 days old.
Row 5:
Marcus Ericsson
This will be Ericsson’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #7 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice but not since Bill Holland in 1949.
Four times has the winner started 13th, most recently Hélio Castroneves in 2002.
Car #3 has won the Indianapolis 500 eleven times, the most victories for a car number. Castroneves’ 2009 victory is the most recent victory for car #3.
Twice has the winner started 12th, most recently Tony Kanaan in 2013.
This is the first time Castroneves has started on row four since he won from 11th as a rookie in 2001.
This is the tenth Indianapolis 500 since Castroneves’ third victory. A.J. Foyt’s fourth Indianapolis 500 victory came ten years after his third Indianapolis 500 victory.
Castroneves could also set the record for most Indianapolis 500s between first and last victories as it has been 18 years since he won in 2001. Al Unser currently holds the record at 17 races between his first victory in 1970 and his fourth victory in 1987.
If Castroneves starts this race he will tie Bobby Unser and Al Unser, Jr. for ninth all-time in Indianapolis 500 starts.
Bobby Unser is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
Castroneves could become the fifth oldest winner at 44 years and 16 days old.
Row 5:
Marcus Ericsson
This will be Ericsson’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #7 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice but not since Bill Holland in 1949.
Four times has the winner started 13th, most recently Hélio Castroneves in 2002.
Stefan Johansson and Kenny Bräck are the only two Swedes to start the Indianapolis 500. Johansson finished 11th as a rookie in 1993 and Bräck did not take the green flag as a rookie in 1997 because he was caught in a three-car accident on the final parade lap. Bräck is classified in 33rd for the 1997 race.
Ericsson could become the first driver to start the Indianapolis 500 with a last name starting with the letter “E” since Tomáš Enge in 2005. Enge started tenth and finished 19th in his only Indianapolis 500 start.
Thirteen drivers have started the Indianapolis 500 with a last name starting with the letter “E.” The average number of Indianapolis 500 starts for drivers with a last name starting with the letter “E” is 2.6923.
Takuma Sato
This will be Sato’s tenth Indianapolis 500 start.
2017 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #30 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Arie Luyendyk 1990.
Only once has the winner started 14th and that was Bob Sweikert in 1955.
Sato needs to lead 16 laps to reach 600 laps led in his IndyCar career.
Ericsson could become the first driver to start the Indianapolis 500 with a last name starting with the letter “E” since Tomáš Enge in 2005. Enge started tenth and finished 19th in his only Indianapolis 500 start.
Thirteen drivers have started the Indianapolis 500 with a last name starting with the letter “E.” The average number of Indianapolis 500 starts for drivers with a last name starting with the letter “E” is 2.6923.
Takuma Sato
This will be Sato’s tenth Indianapolis 500 start.
2017 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #30 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Arie Luyendyk 1990.
Only once has the winner started 14th and that was Bob Sweikert in 1955.
Sato needs to lead 16 laps to reach 600 laps led in his IndyCar career.
Sato enters this race with 75 laps led this season, the third most in a season in his IndyCar career. He led 76 laps in the 2012 season and 187 laps in the 2013 season.
Sato has only led twice in the Indianapolis 500. He led 31 laps in 2012 and 17 laps on his way to victory in 2017.
James Davison
This will be Davison fifth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 16th (2014).
Car #33 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Four times has the winner started 15th, most recently Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015.
Australia could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
This is Davison’s best starting position in his IndyCar career. His previous best was 16th on debut at Mid-Ohio in 2013.
Row 6:
Tony Kanaan
This will be Kanaan’s 18th Indianapolis 500 start.
2013 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #14 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times, most recently with Kenny Bräck in 1999.
Twice has the winner started 16th, most recently Dario Franchitti in 2012.
The other driver to win from 16th was Dan Wheldon in 2005.
Kanaan could break his own record of most consecutive Indianapolis 500s, extending it to eight consecutive years if he leads one lap.
Kanaan has led 346 laps in the Indianapolis 500, the second most amongst active drivers.
Tony Kanaan could become the fifth oldest winner at 44 years, four months and 26 days old.
The only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in an 18th start was Gordon Johncock in 1982.
Kanaan was fastest on Carb Day. The last driver to be fastest on Carb Day and win the Indianapolis 500 was Dario Franchitti in 2012. Franchitti started 16th in 2012.
Graham Rahal
This will be Rahal’s 12th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2011).
Car #15 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Buddy Rice in 2004.
Twice has the winner started 17th, most recently Eddie Cheever in 1998.
Rahal started 17th in 99th Indianapolis 500 and he finished fifth on that day.
If Rahal takes the green flag this will be his 200th career start. He will be the 24th driver to reach 200 starts in an IndyCar career. No driver has ever won in their 200th career start with the best result in a 200th start being second, occurring for Al Unser, Jr. at Michigan on July 30, 1995 and Paul Tracy at Portland on June 22, 2003.
Rahal’s father Bobby finished 21st in his 200th start, which as on April 9, 1995 at Long Beach.
Rahal could become the sixth Ohioan to win the Indianapolis 500 and first since Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.
Scott Dixon
This will be Dixon’s 17th Indianapolis 500 start.
2008 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #9 has won the Indianapolis 500 four times with Dixon’s 2008 victory being the most recent.
The best finish for the 18th-starter is second, which occurred in 1920 by René Thomas and in 2009 and 2010 by Dan Wheldon.
This is Dixon’s worst starting position in the Indianapolis 500. His previous worst was 16th.
Dixon leads all active drivers with 439 laps led in the Indianapolis 500, tenth all-time. He is one lap behind Bobby Unser for ninth, 46 laps behind Bill Vuckovich for eighth and 43 laps behind Parnelli Jones for seventh. If Dixon leads 61 laps, he will become the seventh driver to lead 500 laps in the Indianapolis 500 joining Al Unser, Ralph DePalma, Mario Andretti, Wilbur Shaw and Emerson Fittipaldi.
This is the 11th Indianapolis 500 since Dixon’s lone victory in 2008. The only driver with more races between Indianapolis 500 victories is Juan Pablo Montoya, though Montoya did not start every race between 2000 and 2015.
The only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 17th start was Johnny Rutherford in 1980.
Row 7:
James Davison
This will be Davison fifth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 16th (2014).
Car #33 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Four times has the winner started 15th, most recently Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015.
Australia could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
This is Davison’s best starting position in his IndyCar career. His previous best was 16th on debut at Mid-Ohio in 2013.
Row 6:
Tony Kanaan
This will be Kanaan’s 18th Indianapolis 500 start.
2013 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #14 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times, most recently with Kenny Bräck in 1999.
Twice has the winner started 16th, most recently Dario Franchitti in 2012.
The other driver to win from 16th was Dan Wheldon in 2005.
Kanaan could break his own record of most consecutive Indianapolis 500s, extending it to eight consecutive years if he leads one lap.
Kanaan has led 346 laps in the Indianapolis 500, the second most amongst active drivers.
Tony Kanaan could become the fifth oldest winner at 44 years, four months and 26 days old.
The only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in an 18th start was Gordon Johncock in 1982.
Kanaan was fastest on Carb Day. The last driver to be fastest on Carb Day and win the Indianapolis 500 was Dario Franchitti in 2012. Franchitti started 16th in 2012.
Graham Rahal
This will be Rahal’s 12th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2011).
Car #15 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Buddy Rice in 2004.
Twice has the winner started 17th, most recently Eddie Cheever in 1998.
Rahal started 17th in 99th Indianapolis 500 and he finished fifth on that day.
If Rahal takes the green flag this will be his 200th career start. He will be the 24th driver to reach 200 starts in an IndyCar career. No driver has ever won in their 200th career start with the best result in a 200th start being second, occurring for Al Unser, Jr. at Michigan on July 30, 1995 and Paul Tracy at Portland on June 22, 2003.
Rahal’s father Bobby finished 21st in his 200th start, which as on April 9, 1995 at Long Beach.
Rahal could become the sixth Ohioan to win the Indianapolis 500 and first since Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.
Scott Dixon
This will be Dixon’s 17th Indianapolis 500 start.
2008 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #9 has won the Indianapolis 500 four times with Dixon’s 2008 victory being the most recent.
The best finish for the 18th-starter is second, which occurred in 1920 by René Thomas and in 2009 and 2010 by Dan Wheldon.
This is Dixon’s worst starting position in the Indianapolis 500. His previous worst was 16th.
Dixon leads all active drivers with 439 laps led in the Indianapolis 500, tenth all-time. He is one lap behind Bobby Unser for ninth, 46 laps behind Bill Vuckovich for eighth and 43 laps behind Parnelli Jones for seventh. If Dixon leads 61 laps, he will become the seventh driver to lead 500 laps in the Indianapolis 500 joining Al Unser, Ralph DePalma, Mario Andretti, Wilbur Shaw and Emerson Fittipaldi.
This is the 11th Indianapolis 500 since Dixon’s lone victory in 2008. The only driver with more races between Indianapolis 500 victories is Juan Pablo Montoya, though Montoya did not start every race between 2000 and 2015.
The only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in a 17th start was Johnny Rutherford in 1980.
Row 7:
Oriol Servià
This will be Servià’s 11th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 4th (2012).
Car #77 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Twice has the winner started 19th, most recently Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.
Oriol Servià will have the second most starts for a European driver in the Indianapolis 500 if he takes the green flag behind only Arie Luyendyk’s 17 starts. Servià is currently tied with Dario Franchitti for second.
Servià could become the fourth oldest winner at 44 years, ten months and 13 days old.
Spain could become the 14th different country to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Charlie Kimball
This will be Kimball’s ninth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2015)
Car #23 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice not since Floyd Roberts in 1938.
Three times has the winner started 20th, most recently Al Unser in 1987.
Kimball has never started better than row five in the Indianapolis 500.
This will be Kimball’s 73 start since his only IndyCar victory at Mid-Ohio in 2013. It would be the fifth longest streak for most starts between victories. Mario Andretti has the fourth longest streak at 74 starts between his penultimate victory at Cleveland in 1988 and his final victory at Phoenix in 1993 and Marco Andretti has the third longest streak at 77 starts between his victory at Sonoma in 2006 and Iowa 2011.
J.R. Hildebrand
This will be Hildebrand’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2011).
Car #48 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Bobby Unser 1975.
This will be Servià’s 11th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 4th (2012).
Car #77 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Twice has the winner started 19th, most recently Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.
Oriol Servià will have the second most starts for a European driver in the Indianapolis 500 if he takes the green flag behind only Arie Luyendyk’s 17 starts. Servià is currently tied with Dario Franchitti for second.
Servià could become the fourth oldest winner at 44 years, ten months and 13 days old.
Spain could become the 14th different country to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Charlie Kimball
This will be Kimball’s ninth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2015)
Car #23 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice not since Floyd Roberts in 1938.
Three times has the winner started 20th, most recently Al Unser in 1987.
Kimball has never started better than row five in the Indianapolis 500.
This will be Kimball’s 73 start since his only IndyCar victory at Mid-Ohio in 2013. It would be the fifth longest streak for most starts between victories. Mario Andretti has the fourth longest streak at 74 starts between his penultimate victory at Cleveland in 1988 and his final victory at Phoenix in 1993 and Marco Andretti has the third longest streak at 77 starts between his victory at Sonoma in 2006 and Iowa 2011.
J.R. Hildebrand
This will be Hildebrand’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2011).
Car #48 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Bobby Unser 1975.
Only once has the winner started 21st and that was L.L. Corum and Joe Boyer in 1924.
A total of four IndyCar races have been won from 21st position, the 1924 Indianapolis 500, Las Vegas 2000 with Al Unser, Jr., Michigan 2001 with Patrick Carpentier and St. Petersburg 2017 with Sébastien Bourdais.
This is the fourth time car #48 has made the Indianapolis 500 in the 21st century (Andy Hillenburg 2000, Felipe Giaffone 2005 and Alex Tagliani 2015).
Row 8:
Ryan Hunter-Reay
This will be Hunter-Reay’s 12th Indianapolis 500 start.
2014 Indianapolis 500 winner.
His 2014 victory is the only Indianapolis 500 victory for car #28.
Twice has the winner started 22nd but not since Kelly Petillo in 1935.
Five times has 22nd starting position produced a winner in IndyCar history, the 1927 Indianapolis 500 with George Souders, the 1935 Indianapolis 500 with Petillo, Phoenix 1987 with Roberto Guerrero, Orlando 2000 with Robbie Buhl and Mid-Ohio 2014 with Scott Dixon.
Hunter-Reay has led a lap in five of the last six Indianapolis 500s and he has led the most laps in the race twice in that timespan.
Hunter-Reay needs to lead 37 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500.
This is Hunter-Reay’s worst starting position since he started 22nd at Pocono in 2016. In that race, Hunter-Reay finished third and he led 31 laps.
Santino Ferrucci
This will be Ferrucci’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #19 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 23rd-starter is second by Wilbur Shaw in 1933.
Ferrucci could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 20 years and 360 days old.
This is one of two chances Ferrucci will have to become the youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history.
This matches Ferrucci’s worst career starting position. He started 23rd for the St. Petersburg season opener and he finished ninth in that race.
Only one IndyCar race has been won from 23rd on the grid. It was Scott Dixon’s first career victory at Nazareth in 2001.
Ferrucci could become the first Nutmugger to win the Indianapolis 500. Connecticut could become the 22nd different state to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Matheus Leist
This will be Leist’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 13th (2018)
Car #4 has won the Indianapolis 500 five times but not since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.
The best finish for the 24th-starter is fourth on five occasions (Denny Hulme in 1967, Mel Kenyon i 1969, Sammy Sessions in 1972, Eliseo Salazar in 1995 and Townsend Bell in 2009).
The 24th starting position has never produced a race winner in IndyCar history.
Leist is coming off his career best finish in IndyCar when he finished fourth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The last time the Indianapolis 500 winner finished fourth in the race prior to the Indianapolis 500 and then gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 was Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006. Hornish had finished fourth at Motegi the race before.
Leist could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 20 years, eight months and 18 days old.
This is the fourth time car #48 has made the Indianapolis 500 in the 21st century (Andy Hillenburg 2000, Felipe Giaffone 2005 and Alex Tagliani 2015).
Row 8:
Ryan Hunter-Reay
This will be Hunter-Reay’s 12th Indianapolis 500 start.
2014 Indianapolis 500 winner.
His 2014 victory is the only Indianapolis 500 victory for car #28.
Twice has the winner started 22nd but not since Kelly Petillo in 1935.
Five times has 22nd starting position produced a winner in IndyCar history, the 1927 Indianapolis 500 with George Souders, the 1935 Indianapolis 500 with Petillo, Phoenix 1987 with Roberto Guerrero, Orlando 2000 with Robbie Buhl and Mid-Ohio 2014 with Scott Dixon.
Hunter-Reay has led a lap in five of the last six Indianapolis 500s and he has led the most laps in the race twice in that timespan.
Hunter-Reay needs to lead 37 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500.
This is Hunter-Reay’s worst starting position since he started 22nd at Pocono in 2016. In that race, Hunter-Reay finished third and he led 31 laps.
Santino Ferrucci
This will be Ferrucci’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #19 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 23rd-starter is second by Wilbur Shaw in 1933.
Ferrucci could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 20 years and 360 days old.
This is one of two chances Ferrucci will have to become the youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history.
This matches Ferrucci’s worst career starting position. He started 23rd for the St. Petersburg season opener and he finished ninth in that race.
Only one IndyCar race has been won from 23rd on the grid. It was Scott Dixon’s first career victory at Nazareth in 2001.
Ferrucci could become the first Nutmugger to win the Indianapolis 500. Connecticut could become the 22nd different state to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.
Matheus Leist
This will be Leist’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 13th (2018)
Car #4 has won the Indianapolis 500 five times but not since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.
The best finish for the 24th-starter is fourth on five occasions (Denny Hulme in 1967, Mel Kenyon i 1969, Sammy Sessions in 1972, Eliseo Salazar in 1995 and Townsend Bell in 2009).
The 24th starting position has never produced a race winner in IndyCar history.
Leist is coming off his career best finish in IndyCar when he finished fourth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The last time the Indianapolis 500 winner finished fourth in the race prior to the Indianapolis 500 and then gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 was Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006. Hornish had finished fourth at Motegi the race before.
Leist could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 20 years, eight months and 18 days old.
Row 9:
Jack Harvey
This will be Harvey’s third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 16th (2018).
Car #60 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Only once has the winner started 25th and that was Johnny Rutherford in 1974.
Three races have been won from 25th starting position in IndyCar history, the 1974 Indianapolis 500, Milwaukee 1981 when Mike Mosley won as a promoter’s option and Laguna Seca 2001 with Max Papis.
This will be the 14th time the #60 will be in the Indianapolis 500 and the first time it will be used in consecutive years since Scott Brayton and Mike Groff used it in 1995 and 1996.
Harvey is the first driver to use the #60 in multiple Indianapolis 500s.
The best finish for car #60 in the Indianapolis 500 is fifth at the hands of Johnny Parsons in 1977.
Harvey could become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 after finishing third in the race prior since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015.
Jordan King
This will be King’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #42 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 26th-starter is third by Don Freeland in 1956 and by Paul Goldsmith in 1960.
Only one IndyCar race has been won from 26th starting position and that was with Buddy Lazier at Phoenix in 2000.
This will be King’s first oval start in IndyCar. He started 12 races last year, all on road and street courses.
King returned to Formula Two competition this season and he is missing the Monaco round. King finished third in the Baku feature race, eighth in the Bahrain sprint race and he had a pair of seventh place finishes at Barcelona.
King could become the ninth youngest winner in Indianapolis 500 history at 25 years and three months old.
Ben Hanley
This will be Hanley’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #81 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Only once has the winner started 27th and that was by Fred Frame in 1932.
Frame’s victory is the only time 27th starting position has won a race in IndyCar history.
This is the first time car #81 has made the Indianapolis 500 since Katherine Legge since 2013 and only the second time car #81 has been in the Indianapolis 500 in the 21st century.
Hanley won the European Le Mans Series season opener from Circuit Paul Ricard earlier this year with DragonSpeed.
Row 10:
Zach Veach
This will be Veach’s third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 23rd (2018).
Car #26 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice including last year with Takuma Sato.
Twice has the winner started 28th, inaugural winner Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936.
Besides those two Indianapolis 500s, the only other IndyCar race won from 28th position was with Hélio Castroneves at Chicagoland in 2008.
The 28th-starter has not finished in the top ten of the Indianapolis 500 since Eliseo Salazar finished seventh in 2001.
Since finishing fifth at Gateway last year, Veach has finished outside the top ten in the last seven races.
All three of Veach’s Indianapolis 500 starts have come from row nine or worse.
Veach could become the seventh youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 24 years, five months and 17 days old. He would be three days older than Billy Arnold when Arnold won the race in 1930.
Veach could become the sixth Ohioan to win the Indianapolis 500 and first since Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.
Felix Rosenqvist
This will be Rosenqvist’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #10 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Dario Franchitti 2010.
The best finish for the 29th-starter is second in 1911 by Ralph Mulford and in 2002 by Paul Tracy.
The last Swede to start the Indianapolis 500 was Kenny Bräck in 2005.
Bräck has the best starting position for a Swede in the Indianapolis 500 when he started third in 1998.
Sweden could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
Pippa Mann
This will be Mann’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 17th (2017)
Car #39 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 30th-starter was fourth in 1936 by Mauri Rose.
Mann has never started better than row eight in the Indianapolis 500.
This will be the 20th consecutive Indianapolis 500 to feature at least one female driver.
Row 11:
Sage Karam
This will be Karam’s sixth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 9th (2014).
Car #24 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Graham Hill 1966.
The best finish for the 31st-starter is fourth in 1951 by Andy Linden.
Since Karam finished ninth on his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2014, his average finish in the race is 29.5 and he has averaged 93 laps completed.
Karam has retired from his last four IndyCar starts and from five of his last seven starts.
The last time the 31st-starter finished in the top ten of the Indianapolis 500 was in 2014 when Karam finished ninth.
Karam could become the sixth youngest winner at 24 years, two months and 21 days old.
Karam could become the first Pennsylvanian-born winner since Bill Holland in 1949.
James Hinchcliffe
This will be Hinchcliffe’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 6th (2012).
Car #5 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times but not since Arie Luyendyk in 1997.
The best finish for the 32nd-starter is second in 1957 by Jim Rathmann and 1981 by Mario Andretti
Canada could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
This is Hinchcliffe’s worst career starting position. His previous worst was 22nd at Phoenix, Road America and Iowa with all three times occurring in 2016.
This is only the fourth time Hinchcliffe has started outside the top twenty in his IndyCar career.
Kyle Kaiser
This will be Kaiser’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 29th (2018)
Car #32 has won the Indianapolis 500 but not since George Souders in 1927.
The best finish for the 33rd-starter is second in 1980 by Tom Sneva and 1992 by Scott Goodyear.
Kaiser is coming off his first career lead lap finish at Austin earlier this season.
Kaiser could become the fourth youngest winner at 23 years, two months and 21 days old.
The last time the 33rd-starter finished in the top ten of the Indianapolis 500 was in 2001 when Felipe Giaffone finished tenth.
Kaiser could become the eighth Californian-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with Indiana for most different Indianapolis 500 winner by state.
NBCSN's pre-race coverage will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. NBC's coverage of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 200 laps.
Bräck has the best starting position for a Swede in the Indianapolis 500 when he started third in 1998.
Sweden could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
Pippa Mann
This will be Mann’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 17th (2017)
Car #39 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 30th-starter was fourth in 1936 by Mauri Rose.
Mann has never started better than row eight in the Indianapolis 500.
This will be the 20th consecutive Indianapolis 500 to feature at least one female driver.
Row 11:
Sage Karam
This will be Karam’s sixth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 9th (2014).
Car #24 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Graham Hill 1966.
The best finish for the 31st-starter is fourth in 1951 by Andy Linden.
Since Karam finished ninth on his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2014, his average finish in the race is 29.5 and he has averaged 93 laps completed.
Karam has retired from his last four IndyCar starts and from five of his last seven starts.
The last time the 31st-starter finished in the top ten of the Indianapolis 500 was in 2014 when Karam finished ninth.
Karam could become the sixth youngest winner at 24 years, two months and 21 days old.
Karam could become the first Pennsylvanian-born winner since Bill Holland in 1949.
James Hinchcliffe
This will be Hinchcliffe’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 6th (2012).
Car #5 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times but not since Arie Luyendyk in 1997.
The best finish for the 32nd-starter is second in 1957 by Jim Rathmann and 1981 by Mario Andretti
Canada could become the sixth nationality with multiple drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 joining the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy.
This is Hinchcliffe’s worst career starting position. His previous worst was 22nd at Phoenix, Road America and Iowa with all three times occurring in 2016.
This is only the fourth time Hinchcliffe has started outside the top twenty in his IndyCar career.
Kyle Kaiser
This will be Kaiser’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 29th (2018)
Car #32 has won the Indianapolis 500 but not since George Souders in 1927.
The best finish for the 33rd-starter is second in 1980 by Tom Sneva and 1992 by Scott Goodyear.
Kaiser is coming off his first career lead lap finish at Austin earlier this season.
Kaiser could become the fourth youngest winner at 23 years, two months and 21 days old.
The last time the 33rd-starter finished in the top ten of the Indianapolis 500 was in 2001 when Felipe Giaffone finished tenth.
Kaiser could become the eighth Californian-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with Indiana for most different Indianapolis 500 winner by state.
NBCSN's pre-race coverage will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. NBC's coverage of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 200 laps.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Track Walk: 103rd Indianapolis 500
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| We are three days and one practice session away from the Indianapolis 500 |
Coverage
Time: Pre-race coverage begins at 9:00 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET.
TV Channel: NBC.
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will be in the booth. Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast, Jon Beekhuis and Marty Snider will work pit lane. Robin Miller and Dillon Welch will be working the garage. Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will participate in pre-race and post-race coverage.
Indianapolis 500 Weekend Schedule
Carb Day:
Practice - 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET (1.5 hour). NBCSN will have live coverage.
Pit Stop Competition - 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET (1.5 hours). NBCSN will have live coverage.
Sunday:
Race- 12:45 p.m. ET (200 laps).
Indianapolis 500 Weekend Schedule
Carb Day:
Practice - 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET (1.5 hour). NBCSN will have live coverage.
Pit Stop Competition - 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET (1.5 hours). NBCSN will have live coverage.
Sunday:
Race- 12:45 p.m. ET (200 laps).
Review the Practices Before The Carb Day Practice
Simon Pagenaud enters as the fastest man in Speedway, Indiana.
Not only did Pagenaud win pole position with a four-lap average of 229.992 MPH but the Frenchman topped Monday practice at 228.441 MPH. Pagenaud has been in the top five in two of five practice sessions and in the top ten for four of five practice session and Pagenaud has been the fastest Team Penske entry in three of those five sessions. Josef Newgarden was second to the Frenchman on Monday and the man that will start in the middle of the third row topped the Wednesday practice.
No driver has been in the top five of more than two practice days but besides Pagenaud and Newgarden, five other drivers have been in the top five of two practice days. Front row starter Spencer Pigot was third on Wednesday and fourth on Friday. Pigot was 17th in the Monday practice. Colton Herta will start in the middle of row two, fifth on the grid and Herta's best practice result all week was fifth on Tuesday and Thursday.
Hélio Castroneves was fourth on Tuesday and fifth on Wednesday but he was not in the top ten for the following two practice days and he will start 12th in the race. Castroneves did move up to seventh in the Monday practice. Takuma Sato was second and third on Wednesday and Thursday and he will start 14th. Monday's practice was Sato worst showing of the month as he finished 22nd fastest. Scott Dixon was second in the Wednesday practice and he ended up fourth on Monday but he will start 18th on Sunday.
No driver has been in the top ten of every practice session but Pagenaud and Ed Jones have been in the top ten of four practice days. Jones will start fourth but the only day he was in the top five was when he was fastest on Thursday. Jones was 30th on Monday. Ed Carpenter starts second next to Pagenaud and he was in the top ten on three days. Other drivers to be in the top ten on three days are Sébastien Bourdais, Zach Veach, Castroneves, Dixon, Pigot and Charlie Kimball.
We Have to Talk Andretti
It is hard to ignore the 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti's victory, the only victory for the Andretti family as drivers and this will be Marco Andretti's 14th start in the race.
The Andretti family's long drought is stuff of legend. Since Mario's only victory in 1969, the family has started this race 68 times, led 998 laps, 15 top five finishes and 30 top ten finishes but the family has yet to produce a second victory.
Marco has had a remarkable track record in the Indianapolis 500. His first race is the most notable of his career, leading coming to the checkered flag only to have Sam Hornish, Jr. slingshot pass and win the race in 2006 leaving Marco in second and his father Michael in third. Marco has completed all 500 miles ten times in his career, more than his grandfather and father completed combined (Mario and Michael completed 500 miles five times and four times respectively) and he has the best average finish in the race amongst him family members at 10.846 to his father's 11.75, uncle John's 18.0833, grandpa Mario's 18.333 and uncle Jeff's 20.667.
Marco has not led a lap in the last four Indianapolis 500s after leading a lap in seven of his first nine Indianapolis 500 starts. Andretti will start tenth in this year's race, the fourth time the Andretti family has started tenth in this race. His father Michael started tenth in 1988 before he went on to finish fourth, one lap down. Uncle John started tenth in 1990 and retired due to an accident, classifying him in 21st position. In 1994, John started and finished in tenth position, four laps down.
The Andretti name has been in victory lane since Mario's victory. Andretti Autosport has five Indianapolis 500 victories, all happening in the last 15 years and with five different drivers. Two of those race winners are still with the team. Alexander Rossi was the only Andretti Autosport entry to make the Fast Nine and he will start ninth. Rossi was fifth in the Monday practice and eighth in the opening practice last Tuesday. He has finished in the top ten in all three of his Indianapolis 500 starts. Ryan Hunter-Reay will start 22nd, his worst Indianapolis 500 starting position driving for the team. Hunter-Reay was only in the top ten on one of the previous five practice days.
Conor Daly was fastest in Thursday practice and he will start a career best 11th in the Indianapolis 500. Zach Veach was in the top ten over the first three practice days but he dropped to 17th on Fast Friday, dropped to 28th in qualifying and he was 26th in the Monday practice. And then there is Marco, who was in the top ten twice during the practice week.
Passing Predicament
Last year's Indianapolis 500, despite having 30 lead changes, more than every Indianapolis 500 from 1911-2011, was not as favorably remembered as the first six races to take place during the DW12-era. The main reason for the dissatisfaction was a decrease in passing.
While the universal aero kit was applauded for its look and decreased downforce, that decrease in downforce combined with one of the hottest Indianapolis 500s on record made for handling issues and prevented drivers from making passes that were possible with the original DW12 aero package and the manufacture-specific aero kits.
On top of the 30 lead changes; the 102nd Indianapolis 500 had 15 different leaders, matching the record set in the 101st Indianapolis 500. Last year's race had 633 total passes, 428 of those were passes for position.
This year's race will see additional front wing extensions and rear wing wickers that teams can use to generate more downforce and improve the stability of the car.
Keeping an Eye on the Championship
While this is in the Indianapolis 500 and many put all their attention on this one race, this is the sixth race of the 2019 season and 11 races follow. This is also the first double points event of the season paired with the Laguna Seca season finale.
After qualifying eighth and being awarded two points, Josef Newgarden holds an eight-point lead over Scott Dixon heading into the race. Newgarden had four consecutive top five finishes before he finished 15th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis while Dixon has four podium finishes from five races including three consecutive podium finishes.
Alexander Rossi and Simon Pagenaud are tied on 147 points after qualifying but Rossi holds the tiebreaker. Both drivers have won a race but Rossi's next best finish is fifth while Pagenaud's is seventh. Takuma Sato rounds out the top five on 132 points with Will Power in sixth on 123 points. Sébastien Bourdais' qualifying effort leapfrogged him over Graham Rahal with Bourdais' three points from qualifying putting him on 114 points, one more than Rahal. Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe round out the top ten on 109 points and 107 points respectively.
Felix Rosenqvist took lead in the Rookie of the Year fight after the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but Colton Herta picked up five points from Indianapolis 500 qualifying and has closed the gap with the Swede on 106 points to Herta's 100 points. Herta is tied on 100 points with Jack Harvey and Spencer Pigot after Pigot picked up seven points from qualifying, but Herta holds the tiebreaker with his Austin victory and Harvey holds the tiebreaker over Pigot with a third place finish being his best result versus Pigot's best finish being fifth.
Marco Andretti has dropped to 15th in the championship on 95 points as he has one top ten finishes this season and he has finished 13th in the last two races. Ed Jones sits on 84 points after qualifying fourth and he is six points ahead of Matheus Leist. Santino Ferrucci is two points behind Leist and Zach Veach is three points behind Ferrucci.
Marcus Ericsson entered tied with Patricio O'Ward for 20th in the championship on 67 but with O'Ward not qualifying Ericsson will have a gap over his fellow rookie in the championship after this race. Tony Kanaan is 22nd on 66 points with Max Chilton is 23rd on 59 points.
Ben Hanley is 24th in the championship with 21 points from two races. Charlie Kimball has 13 points from his one start this season at St. Petersburg. Kyle Kaiser will add to the 12 points he received at Austin. Hélio Castroneves scored nine points in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Ed Carpenter rounds out the championship with eight points after qualifying second for the Indianapolis 500.
J.R. Hildebrand, Jordan King, James Davison, Conor Daly, Pippa Mann, Sage Karam and Oriol Servià will all score their first points this season.
Freedom 100
Indy Lights is back for its first oval race of the season and it will be 17th Freedom 100.
This year's race will have ten cars take the green flag and regardless who wins the race it will be the tenth different winner in the last ten years.
Juncos Racing's Rinus VeeKay enters with a one-point championship lead over Andretti Autosport's Oliver Askew. Both drivers have two victories this season while Askew has five podium finishes from the six races to VeeKay's four but VeeKay has finished in the top five of every race this season. Robert Megennis split the IMS road course races with VeeKay and he trails the Dutchman by 21 points in this championship. Zachary Claman is fourth in the championship on 124 points, men behind Megennis but Claman has announced that he will not be able to continue this season.
Toby Sowery rounds on the top five on 110 points, nine ahead of BN Racing teammate David Malukas. Ryan Norman has one top five finish from the first six races and he sits on 89 points. Lucas Kohl and Dalton Kellett round out championship on 77 points and 75 points respectively.
Two drivers will be making their Freedom 100 debut. Jarett Andretti, son of John Andretti, will drive the #18 Window World Mazda. Andretti has been driving in the GT4 America AM class in a McLaren for Andretti Autosport and he swept the Mosport round last week in class, giving him the Sprint AM class championship lead.
Chris Windom will drive the #17 NOS Energy Drink Mazda in a partnership between Belardi Auto Racing and Jonathan Byrd's Racing. Windom was entered for last year's race but an accident in testing kept him from participating. Windom won the 2016 USAC Silver Crown championship and the 2017 USAC Sprint Car championship. Over the last two years, Windom has made five starts in the NASCAR Truck Series.
Megennis topped the test at Indianapolis on Monday at 197.714 MPH and VeeKay posted the second fastest time at 197.390 MPH. Norman posted the third fastest lap at 197.157 MPH with Askew and Andretti posting the fourth and fifth fastest laps at 196.989 MPH and 196.348 MPH.
Last year's Freedom 100 featured 20 lead changes, more than doubling the previous record, which was nine.
The Freedom 100 will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday May 24th.
Carb Night Classic
The other two Road to Indy series will be at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Pro Mazda has 13 cars on its entry list for the Freedom 90.
Rasmus Lindh swept the IMS road course races and he has three podium finishes from four races this year, giving the Swede 109 points and the championship lead. Parker Thompson swept the St. Petersburg races but he trails Lindh by 11 points. Daniel Frost has finished third in the last three races and he is third in the championship, 24 points behind Lindh. Sting Robb Ray is two points behind Frost with top five finishes in all four races this season.
Kyle Kirkwood has two runner-up finishes this year but he has two results outside the top ten and he finds himself 41 points behind Lindh and he is four points ahead of Nikita Lastochkin. Moisés de la Vara, Jacob Abel, Phillippe Denes and Antontio Serravalle round out the top ten on 53 points, 51 points, 48 points and 46 points respectively.
Frost led all three test sessions held at IRP last week and in each session Frost was over 4/10ths of a second faster than the second fastest car. Frost's best lap was 20.2860 seconds with Lastochkin posting the second best time at 20.7516 seconds. De la Vara had the third best time at 20.7641 second with Kirkwood in fourth at 20.8025 and Abel rounding out the top five at 20.8098 seconds.
The best laps from the test for Lindh and Thompson were 20.8376 seconds and 21.0458 seconds.
Thompson won last year at IRP in Pro Mazda and Kirkwood won last year in U.S. F2000.
The Freedom 90 will take place on Friday May 24th at 7:50 p.m. ET.
Braden Eves heads to IRP with four victories from four U.S. F2000 races and Eves leads the championship with 127 points. Eves has a 33-point lead over Hunter McElrea, who has four podium finishes from the first four races. Manuel Sulaimán and Darren Keane are tied for third on 65 points apiece with Sulaimán holding the tiebreaker with a second and a third place finish while Keane's two best finishes are second and sixth. Zach Holden rounds out the top five on 54 points.
Manuel Cabrera topped the IRP test last week with a lap of 21.1141 seconds and Yuven Sundaramoorthy had the second best lap at 21.1174 seconds. McElrea was ahead of Eves in test with a best lap go 22.2410 seconds versus 22.2477 seconds.
The Freedom 75 is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday May 24th.
Fast Facts
This will be the eighth Indianapolis 500 to take place on May 26th (1974, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2013). The winners were Johnny Rutherford, Rutherford, Danny Sullivan, Rick Mears, Buddy Lazier, Hélio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan.
May 26, 1996 was also the date of the U.S. 500 from Michigan International Speedway and Jimmy Vasser won that race.
The last seven Indianapolis 500s have had the seven most lead changes in the event's history.
Last year, Will Power became the tenth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in less than three hours.
Five of the ten Indianapolis 500s to be completed in under three hours happened since 2011 and Alexander Rossi was 2.09 seconds away from winning the 2016 race in under two hours.
This year's grid features...
15 Americans.
Four Britons.
Three Brazilians.
Two Frenchman.
Two Australians.
Two Swedes.
One Emirati.
One Japanese.
One New Zealander.
One Spaniard and...
One Canadian.
Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, Jack Harvey, Matheus Leist or Colton Herta could become the first driver to win the Freedom 100 and the Indianapolis 500.
Simon Pagenaud, Sébastien Bourdais, Marco Andretti, Ed Jones and Kyle Kaiser look to join Alex Lloyd, Jack Harvey, Dean Stoneman, Will Power and Colton Herta as the only drivers to win both on the oval and road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The pole-sitter has failed to win the last nine Indianapolis 500s.
The only time the driver who led the most laps has gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 in the DW12-era was Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.
The average starting position for an Indianapolis 500 winner is 7.53 with a median of 4.5.
Last year, Will Power became the first Indianapolis 500 winner from the front row since Dario Franchitti won from third in 2010.
The average starting position for an Indianapolis 500 winner since 2012 is 11.4285 with a median of 12.
Jack Harvey, Jordan King and Ben Hanley make up an all-English row nine. It is the first time one nationality has swept a row on the starting grid for the Indianapolis 500 since Americans A.J. Foyt IV, Scott Sharp and Sarah Fisher all started on row seven in 2009.
The average number of lead change in the Indianapolis 500 is 13.392 with a median of ten.
The average number of cautions in the Indianapolis 500 is 7.772 with a median of eight. The average number of caution laps is 44.659 with a median of 43.5
Twenty-eight consecutive Indianapolis 500s have had at least five cautions. The last race to have fewer than five was the 1990 race with Arie Luyendyk taking the victory.
This will be the 70th Indianapolis 500 victory for Firestone.
This will be the 19th Indianapolis 500 victory for Dallara. Dallara is the all-time leader in Indianapolis 500 victories for chassis manufactures.
If Honda wins it will be the manufacture's 13th Indianapolis 500 victory, breaking a tie with Miller for second all-time in engine manufacture victories.
If Chevrolet wins it will be the manufacture's 11th Indianapolis 500 victory, breaking a tie with Cosworth for fourth all-time.
Possible Milestones:
If Graham Rahal takes the green flag, he will become the 24th in IndyCar history to reach the 200 career starts milestone.
Simon Pagenaud is one top ten finishes away from 100 top ten finishes.
Will Power needs to lead 66 laps to reach the 11th driver in IndyCar history to reach the 4,000 laps led milestone.
Ryan Hunter-Reay needs to lead 45 laps to reach the 1,500 laps led milestone.
Simon Pagenaud needs to lead 59 laps to reach the 1,000 laps led milestone.
Alexander Rossi needs to lead 78 laps to reach the 700 laps led milestone.
Takuma Sato needs to lead 16 laps to reach the 600 laps led milestone.
Ed Carpenter needs to lead 23 laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Graham Rahal needs to lead 16 laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Oriol Servià needs to lead 12 laps to reach the 300 laps led milestone.
Conor Daly needs to lead 79 laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone.
Predictions
I shouldn't love this race as much as I do because there are 15 drivers I could see winning this race. I think Simon Pagenaud will be strong but if there is one Team Penske driver that finishes ahead of him it will be Josef Newgarden. I think Alexander Rossi will be heading to the front. I think Scott Dixon will get into the top ten but not quite have it to get to the very front of the field. Ed Carpenter will stick to the front but his teammates will fade in the final half. I think the top two rookies will finish within three positions of one another. Sleeper: Charlie Kimball.
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