Morning Warm-Up: Gateway 2021

Álex Palou attempts to remain IndyCar champion leader at Gateway

IndyCar has made its way to Gateway, and this will be a one-day show for the 25 drivers competing in tonight's Bommarito Auto Group 500. The day will commence at 1:15 p.m. ET for a 90-minute practice session with qualifying following at 5:00 p.m. ET before an 8:40 p.m. ET green flag.

Álex Palou leads the championship with four races to go, but the Spaniard will have his work cut out for him again. After losing an engine at the IMS road course, Palou will take his third grid penalty of the season. Because this one comes at an oval, it will be a nine-spot drop for the championship leader instead of six like he experienced at the first Belle Isle race and Nashville. The last five seasons have seen the driver leading the championship with four races remaining go on to win the championship. Palou has led the championship after eight of 12 races including the last four. 

Palou's penalty opens the door for Patricio O'Ward, who trails the Ganassi driver by 21 points. Head-to-head, Palou has finished ahead of O'Ward in seven of 12 races, but O'Ward has the advantage on ovals 2-1. Both drivers have finished in the top ten of all three oval races. O'Ward is coming off a fifth-place finish on the IMS road course. O'Ward has always had consecutive top five finishes in his career. He has yet to have a top five finish without another top five finish preceding it or succeeding it.

Scott Dixon is right back in the championship fight, 34 points behind his teammate Palou. Dixon has finished on the podium in three of the last four Gateway races. Last year, Dixon won the first Gateway race to get his 50th victory. He has been stuck on 51 victories for the last nine races. This is Dixon's longest drought between victories since he went 12 races between his victories at Toronto in 2018 and the second Belle Isle race in 2019. Starting with Juan Pablo Montoya's CART championship in 1999, the last 30 champions between CART, Champ Car, the Indy Racing League and unified IndyCar have all at least been in the top three of the championship with four races to go. The last champion not in the top three with four races remaining was Greg Ray in the 1999 IRL season. Ray was sixth with four races remaining.

Josef Newgarden gained 20 points on Palou in Indianapolis and Newgarden is now 55 points back with four races to go. Last year, Newgarden was 76 points off the championship lead with four races to go and finished 16 points off the title, a 60-point gain over the final four races. Newgarden enters this weekend's race with 199 laps led. He has led at least 300 laps in six consecutive seasons. 

Marcus Ericsson enters Gateway on a career best six consecutive top ten finishes, but Ericsson has only started in the top ten for one of those races, third at Mid-Ohio. The Swede has started in the top ten for only four races all seasons, one of which was the first Texas race, where the championship positions set the grid. Ericsson's only oval top five finish was last year in the first Gateway race. 

Graham Rahal needs to make up ground quickly he would like to remain in the championship fight, but Gateway is one of Rahal's worst racetracks. His best Gateway finish was tenth in 2018. His average finish at Gateway is 15.6. The only track where Rahal has more than three starts and an average finish worse than Gateway is Indianapolis, where his average finish is 18.1 over 14 Indianapolis 500 starts.

 

Colton Herta is coming off a third-place finish on the IMS road course, and like Rahal, Herta needs to be flawless and then some for the remainder of the season. Herta has never had consecutive podium finishes in his IndyCar career and he has never finished on the podium on an oval. His best oval finish was fourth in the first Gateway race last year.

Simon Pagenaud has dropped to eighth in the championship, losing a position after each of the last three races. Pagenaud been the top Penske finisher in only one race this season, the Indianapolis 500 where he finished third. Pagenaud led seven laps last week on the IMS road course, the most he has led since he led 14 in last year's Indianapolis 500.

Will Power is coming off his 40th career victory, which puts Power in sole possession of fifth all-time. Power was the third fastest to 40 career victories, reaching the milestone in his 247th start. That is 13 fewer starts than Michael Andretti and 22 fewer starts than Scott Dixon. Power only took three more starts to get to 40 than Mario Andretti, but a whopping 93 starts more than A.J. Foyt. Power has not won consecutive races since he won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 in 2018. 

Rinus VeeKay finds himself in a funk. VeeKay has gone from fourth in the championship after the first Belle Isle race to tenth after the second IMS road course race. He has not been the top Ed Carpenter Racing finisher in any of his last four starts. VeeKay was in the top ten in both Gateway races last year, finishing sixth and fourth. He won at Gateway in Pro Mazda in 2018 and he was runner-up in the 2019 Gateway Indy Lights race. 

Takuma Sato has four consecutive top ten finishes at Gateway, which includes a victory and a runner-up finish. Sato has yet to start a race in the top ten this season and his best two starting positions were both Texas races, where points set the grid for each race. His best qualifying effort this season is 15th at St. Petersburg, the Indianapolis 500 and the second IMS road course race. 

Alexander Rossi is coming off his second top five finish of the season after finishing fourth on the IMS road course. Rossi has not had a top five finish on an oval since he was runner-up at Texas in 2019. Rossi has finished in the top five of the 13th race of the season the last three years. This is the longest Rossi has gone in a season without a podium finish. He had scored at least one podium finish within the first 12 races of his first five IndyCar seasons.

Scott McLaughlin is coming off the worst finish of his IndyCar career after finishing 23rd on the IMS road course. Despite McLaughlin's recent run of form, he has been 13th in the championship after the last three races and he was 12th in the two races prior to that. 

Jack Harvey will be looking for his second consecutive top ten finish and fourth of the season. Harvey has finished in the top ten of the 13th race of the season the last two years with a tenth at Mid-Ohio and a sixth in the second Harvest Grand Prix race on the IMS road course. He has started in the top ten of seven of 12 races this season, including three of the last four. 

Romain Grosjean was second last week at Indianapolis and Grosjean could become the first Dale Coyne Racing driver with three podium finishes in a season since Justin Wilson in 2013 when Wilson had fourth podium finishes but did not win a race. This will be Grosjean's first oval start. No driver has ever scored their first career victory at Gateway.

Ryan Hunter-Reay has won the 13th race of the season twice in his career. One was Loudon 2011 and the other was Iowa 2015. On both occasions those were Hunter-Reay's first victory of the season. He has not had a top five finish on an oval since fifth at Texas in 2019 and his last podium finish on an oval was third at Iowa in 2017.

Conor Daly is back in the #59 Gallagher Chevrolet for Carlin this weekend. He was 21st and 24th in the Texas races back in May. He has finished in the top ten in all four of his Gateway starts. Five of Daly's 16 top ten finishes in IndyCar have come with Carlin, equal with Dale Coyne Racing for Daly's most top ten finishes with one team.

Sébastien Bourdais was tenth on his Gateway debut in 2017, but he finished 21st and 19th in his other two starts on the 1.25-mile oval. Bourdais has not had a top five finish on an oval since he was fourth at Pocono in 2018. Since 2017, A.J. Foyt Racing has had at least one top ten finisher in three of five Gateway races, including two top five finishers, Conor Daly in fifth in 2017 and Tony Kanaan in third in 2019.

James Hinchcliffe will be making his 158th start this weekend. This will break a tie with Patrick Carpentier for third most experienced Canadian in IndyCar history. The only Canadians with more starts are Paul Tracy on 281 starts and Alex Tagliani on 205 starts. 

Ed Jones will make his 60th IndyCar start this weekend. The only driver in IndyCar history to pick up a first career victory in a 60th career start was Max Papis at Homestead in 2000. Nineteen drivers have taken 60 starts or more for their first career victory. Jones' most recent top ten finish on an oval was his eighth-place result at Gateway in 2018. 

Felix Rosenqvist was eighth and seventh in both Gateway races last year. Those were his first two oval top ten finishes in his IndyCar career. Rosenqvist's only top ten start this season was fourth at Nashville. Last year, the Swede started in the top ten for four of six oval races

Dalton Kellett will be making his first IndyCar appearance at Gateway. Kellett made three starts at Gateway in Indy Lights with finishes of seventh, seventh and sixth. Kellett has finished outside the top twenty in the last five races and in eight of 12 races this season.

Ed Carpenter will run the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet for the fourth time this season. This will be the fewest starts Carpenter has made in an IndyCar season since he only ran four races in the 2010 IndyCar season. He has finished 20th or worst in three of his five Gateway starts, though he was second to Sato by 0.0399 seconds in 2019, the closest Gateway finish. 

Tony Kanaan is back for his 387th career start. He has had top ten finishes the last two years at Gateway with a third in 2019 and a ninth in race one last year. This Gateway race falls six years, 11 months and 22 days after Kanaan's most recent IndyCar victory at Fontana in the 2014 finale. Kanaan has made 90 starts since that victory. There have been only two other instances of a driver going more than 90 starts between victories, Graham Rahal's 124 starts between his 2008 St. Petersburg victory and 2015 Fontana victory and Johnny Rutherford's 97 starts between his 1965 Atlanta victory and 1973 Ontario 100-mile heat race victory.

NBCSN's coverage of the Bommarito Auto Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 260 laps.

Track Walk: Gateway 2021

IndyCar begins its final quarter of 2021 at Gateway

The 13th race of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season takes place at Gateway Motorsports Park. Gateway marks the start of the final quarter of the IndyCar season and Gateway is the final oval of the season. This year's Gateway race will be longer, 260 laps for 325 miles, 523.12 kilometers. This will be the longest Gateway race in IndyCar's history. There have been three different winners in the previous three oval races this season. There have been nine different winners this season, two away from matching the single-season record. Three winners from the 2020 season are still winless in 2021. There have been five different winners in the last five races. 

Coverage
Time: Coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday August 21 with green flag scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET.
Channel: NBCSN
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will be in the booth. Kevin Lee and Kelli Stavast will work pit lane.

IndyCar Weekend Schedule 

Practice: 1:15 p.m. ET (90 minutes)*

Qualifying: 5:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN will have live coverage)

Race: 8:40 p.m. ET (260 laps)

* - All practice and qualifying sessions are available live on Peacock

One Engine Failure Opened Up The Championship

Through the first three quarters of the IMS road course race, Álex Palou was on his way to a 50-point championship lead with four races to go. Such a lead would raise the question not of how many drivers will be fighting for the championship at the finale, but could Palou lock up the title before the finale? 

One engine failure squashed thoughts of an early coronation ceremony for one week. The championship is much tighter entering Gateway and Palou has been brought to the pack. 

Palou's 415 points are only 21 points more than Patricio O'Ward, who picked up his seventh top five finish of the season on the IMS road course. Scott Dixon is 34 points behind his Ganassi teammate Palou. Josef Newgarden took 20 points out of the gap in one race and the most recent Gateway winner is 55 points off the championship leader. Marcus Ericsson has six consecutive top ten finishes, and the Swede rounds out the top five, 62 points behind Palou. 

There is a big drop from fifth to sixth. Graham Rahal has nine top ten finishes from 12 races, but Rahal is 106 points back. Colton Herta was third on the IMS road course, his third podium finish of 2021, but Herta trails Palou by 107 points. 

Simon Pagenaud's skid continued with a 16th-place finish at Indianapolis, his fourth consecutive result outside the top ten. Pagenaud has one top ten finish in the last six races after opening the season with five top ten results in the first six races. Pageanud is 120 points back. 

Will Power's victory lifted him back into the top ten of the championship, but Power is 137 points behind Palou. The Australian will need a mammoth finish to the season to get back in the championship conversation. Rinus VeeKay dropped to tenth, as VeeKay has not finished in the top ten in his last four starts and he is 146 points back. 

Takuma Sato has three top ten finishes in the last four races, but Sato dropped out of the top ten after Indianapolis. Sato is 164 points behind Palou with Alexander Rossi 169 points back in 12th. Rossi picked up his best finish of the season with a fourth on the IMS road course.

Scott McLaughlin and Jack Harvey are tied on 213 points, 202 points off Palou. McLaughlin has not had a top ten finish in the last seven races. Harvey was sixth on the IMS road course, ending an eight-race top ten finish drought.

Romain Grosjean remained alive for the championship with his runner-up result to Power. With Grosjean contesting the remaining four races, his mathematical chances are met with a practical chance the Frenchman could take the title, though he is 209 points back with only 216 points left on the table. 

While 15 drivers remain alive for the championship, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Conor Daly, Sébastien Bourdais, James Hinchcliffe, Ed Jones, and Santino Ferrucci were all eliminated from championship contention after the IMS road course race. 

Palou has already suffered a minimum points day at Indianapolis, and a second consecutive at Gateway would mean a driver would need to leave the 1.25-mile with at least 259 points to remain alive for the championship. 

Currently, Sato, Rossi, Harvey, McLaughlin and Grosjean are below 259 points. Grosjean can only reach that total with a race victory and at least three bonus points. Harvey and McLaughlin must win to remain alive. Rossi needs at least 13 points, meaning a finish of 18th or better. Sato needs just eight points to remain alive, 23rd or better on Saturday night will do. 

Of course, Palou could bounce back from a minimum points afternoon in the Hoosier State to a maximum points night on the banks of the Mississippi. Fifty-four points for Palou would have him on 469 points and raise the bar to 307 points, which would put Pagenaud, Power and VeeKay in peril. Pagenaud would need at least 12 points to stay alive, Power would need at least 29 points and VeeKay would need at least 38 points. A maximum points victory for Palou would eliminate everyone from Sato through Grosjean. 

Final Oval

Four oval races are the fewest on an IndyCar schedule since reunification in 2008, but this is it for drivers hoping to capitalize on these events in the championship. 

The top two in the championship are the top two in oval points, but O'Ward is the driver on top with 151 points while Palou is second on 145 points. O'Ward has finished third, first and fourth in the three oval races this season. Going back to 2020, O'Ward has five consecutive top five finishes on ovals and six consecutive top ten finishes with his worst finish being sixth. O'Ward was third and second last year at Gateway with 130 laps led between the two races. 

Palou has been fourth, seventh and second between the three oval races. He did not have a top ten finish on an oval during his rookie season last year. 

Dixon has 124 points from the three oval races after finishing first and fourth at Texas with a 17th at Indianapolis. Pagenaud scored 119 points through the first three oval races with his best finish being third at Indianapolis. Newgarden has won an oval race in the last five seasons, but he does not have one this year and he has 105 points from ovals. His best finish was second at Texas to O'Ward. He was sixth in the first Texas race and 12th at Indianapolis. 

Hélio Castroneves is the final driver alive for the oval championship despite having run only one oval race. Castroneves just so happened to win that one oval race, the Indianapolis 500, and along with that famous victory, the Brazilian picked up 103 points. The bad news is Castroneves is not entered for Gateway. 

Ed Carpenter will be back for his final start of 2021. Carpenter has 99 points from the first three oval races, the seventh-most in IndyCar. He is ten points ahead of his teammate VeeKay. McLaughlin has scored 84 points from three oval races and Tony Kanaan rounds out the top ten in the oval standings with 79 points. Kanaan will be back for his final race of 2021 in the #48 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. 

Rahal has 77 points from ovals, just ahead of Herta on 75 points. Herta is the top Andretti driver when it comes to oval points. Sato is only five points behind his teammate Rahal. Ericsson has not finished in the top ten on an oval this season and he has 68 points, just ahead of Harvey's 63 points. Santino Ferrucci has 57 points from the Indianapolis 500, four more than Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sage Karam. Karam's only start was the Indianapolis 500. Conor Daly is a point behind Hunter-Reay and Karam. 

There is a three-way tie for 20th in oval points, all on 44 points: Power, Rossi, and Juan Pablo Montoya. All of Montoya's points came from Indianapolis but Power has finished outside the top ten in all three oval races. Rossi's best finish was eighth in the first Texas race. 

Felix Rosenqivst sits on 42 oval points, five more than James Hinchcliffe, six more than Ed Jones, eight more than Pietro Fittipaldi, who is not entered for Gateway despite originally being reported he would run a third Dale Coyne Racing car, and nine more than Dalton Kellett. Sébastien Bourdais has the fewest oval points among the drivers who have started all three with only 27 points. Bourdais has finished 24th, 19th and 26th in those races.

Last year, Dixon was the top oval driver, and he went on to take the overall championship. Dixon was the first Honda driver to be the best on ovals since engine competition returned to IndyCar in 2012. He was also the first driver to be the best on ovals and win the overall championship since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012. A Team Penske driver has been the best on ovals for six of the last eight seasons. 

Grosjean's First Oval

While Gateway is the final oval race of the 2021 season, it will be Romain Grosjean's first oval start. 

The Frenchman has 206 points from nine road/street course starts this season. That is an average of 22.888 points per start. If we were to extrapolate that average over the three oval races Grosjean has not run, he would have 274.667 points through 12 races, which would put him tenth in the championship. He is one of ten drivers this season with multiple podium finishes.

With Grosjean adding Gateway to his schedule, he will run the final ten races of the IndyCar season and he has a strong shot at rookie of the year honors. Despite missing three races, Grosjean is only seven points behind Scott McLaughlin in the rookie of the year battle. McLaughlin is averaging 17.75 points per start, over five points fewer than Grosjean. 

McLaughlin has finished outside the top ten in seven consecutive races, and he has only two top fifteen finishes in that span. McLaughlin also ran the double points Indianapolis 500, while Grosjean will not contest a single double-point race all season. McLaughlin has only scored more than 17 points in one of the last six races and that was 18 points for his 12th place result at Mid-Ohio. Grosjean has scored more than 18 points in three of the last four races and in five of his nine starts. 

Head-to-head, Grosjean is significantly better than McLaughlin in almost every category. Grosjean's average starting position of 7.444 is fourth best in IndyCar among drivers who have started at least 70% of the races. McLaughlin is down in 20th at 16.7. Grosjean's average finish is 11.333 to McLaughlin's 14.417. Grosjean has led 49 laps this season while McLaughlin has not led this season. The one place McLaughlin has Grosjean beat is percentage of laps completed. McLaughlin has completed 98.8% of his total lap while Grosjean is only at 97.2%. 

Both rookies tested at Gateway last month. Unofficially, McLaughlin had the third fastest lap at 180.361 MPH (24.9499 seconds). Grosjean was seventh out of 11 cars at 177.445 MPH (25.3599 seconds).

Can Penske Finish Strong?

Team Penske will head to Gateway not only as the most recent Gateway winner but the most recent IndyCar winner, as Will Power scored his first victory of the season on the IMS road course. Team Penske has only two victories this season. Josef Newgarden was responsible for the other one just prior to the summer break at Mid-Ohio on Independence Day. While you may be concerned this has been a poor season for Team Penske, you may need to ease your nerves. Penske has been here before, most recently, last season.

Through eight races last year, Penske had two victories when Simon Pagenaud and Newgarden swept the Iowa doubleheader. Chip Ganassi Racing had won five of the first eight races and Takuma Sato's Indianapolis 500 triumph was the lone outside success. 

However, Team Penske ended 2020 with five victories in the final six races. It ended up with seven victories from 14 races and for the fifth consecutive season Team Penske was in sole possession for most victories in IndyCar. The organization has at least a share of most victories in a season for seven consecutive seasons. The last time Team Penske did not have the outright lead in victories was 2013 when Chip Ganassi Racing won five races. Team Penske has won 50% or more of the races in four of the last five seasons. 

Strong finishes are nothing new for Team Penske. In 2017, it won six of the final seven races. In 2016, it won four of the final six. 

Josef Newgarden is the most recent Gateway winner and Newgarden is also the only repeat winner in the history of Gateway. Newgarden has led 268 of 1,144 laps run at Gateway since it returned to the schedule in 2017. He has two victories, two seventh-place finishes and a 12th, and he has completed every lap in the five races. 

Will Power is another past Gateway winner, but his Gateway results have been sink or swim. Though Power has led in all five Gateway races since 2017, his 2018 victory and third in race two last year are cancelled out with finishes of 20th, 22nd and 17th in the other three starts. 

Simon Pagenaud had three consecutive top five finishes at Gateway prior to last year's doubleheader when he finished 19th and 16th. He has only led 13 laps at the track, all coming in 2017 when Newgarden successful pulled off an audacious pass for the lead on Pagenaud on the inside of turn one. 

Team Penske has had at least once instance of consecutive victories in 12 consecutive seasons. The last time the team didn't was 2008, where coincidentally Team Penske did win consecutive races, but one was a non-championship race. Hélio Castroneves won the Chicagoland season finale and Ryan Briscoe won the non-championship race at Surfers Paradise, IndyCar's last visit to Australia. 

Road to Indy

Indy Lights is back for the first time since Mid-Ohio at the start of July and Gateway is the only oval track on the schedule. This is a doubleheader weekend for Indy Lights. Each race will pay 45 points for a victory, 1.5 times the total for a road/street course victory. Second place will get 38 points with third through 14th receiving 33-29-26-23-21-20-18-17-15-14-12-11.

Kyle Kirkwood has won five of the last six races and Kirkwood leads the championship with 290 points. He won at Gateway in 2019 in Indy Pro 2000. That is his most recent oval start. David Malukas is 11 points behind Kirkwood. Linus Lundqvist is 25 points behind Kirkwood, but he has not finished on the podium in the last four races after having six podium finishes in the first eight races.

Danial Frost has three consecutive podium finishes, but he is 86 points behind his Andretti teammate Kirkwood. Toby Sowery has dropped to fifth on 201 points, three behind Frost, after three consecutive finishes outside the top five. Devlin DeFrancesco is 100 points back after finishing fifth in both Mid-Ohio races. DeFrancesco won at Gateway last year in Indy Pro 2000. 

Robert Megennis sits on 183 points, four points ahead of Benjamin Pedersen and Alex Peroni. Sting Ray Robb rounds out the top ten on 140 points, 14 points ahead of Antonio Serravalle, 15 points ahead of Christian Bogle and 17 points ahead of Nikita Lastochkin. Lastochkin is not entered this weekend.

Indy Lights will race at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday August 20 and at the same time at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday August 21. Both races are scheduled for 75 laps.

Christian Rasmussen leads the Indy Pro 2000 championship with 306 points and Rasmussen has six victories this season, including at Indianapolis Raceway Park in May. Braden Eves has not finished on the podium in the last five races and Eves has dropped 39 points behind Rasmussen. Eves was second at Gateway last year. 

Reece Gold has six podium finishes in 12 races, but Gold has not won yet this season and he is 52 points off Rasmussen. Artem Petrov has finished runner-up in three of the last four races and he is 56 points back in the championship. Hunter McElrea scored his second victory of the season at Mid-Ohio and McElrea is 75 points back. 

Manuel Sulaimán sits on 193 points, six points ahead of Jacob Abel. Kyffin Simpson has 177 points with James Roe and Wyatt Brichacek tied on 127 points.

Indy Pro 2000 will race at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday August 21. The race is scheduled for 55 laps.

Fast Facts

This will be the 13th IndyCar race to take place on August 21 and first since Dan Wheldon won at Pikes Peak International Raceway in 2005. 

That was the final Pikes Peak race for IndyCar. Three drivers who were in that Pikes Peak race are entered this weekend: Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, and Ed Carpenter.

Every IndyCar race that has been held on August 21 has been an oval race. 

The average starting position for a Gateway winner is 4.25 with a median of 2.5.

The last seven Gateway winners have started in the top five. Three of the first five Gateway races were won from outside the top five, including two races being won from 11th. 

Only two oval races since the introduction of the universal aero kit have been won from outside the top ten. The first was James Hinchcliffe from 11th at Iowa in 2018 and the other was Simon Pagenaud from 23rd in the first Iowa race last year.  

The last oval race won from outside the top ten that wasn't at Iowa was Texas 2016, when Graham Rahal won from 13th. 

Team Penske has won six of 12 Gateway races. The only other team with multiple Gateway victories is Chip Ganassi Racing with three. 

Since 2017, the average finish for the pole-sitter at Gateway is 11.2 with only one top five finish. Scott Dixon was third from the first starting spot in 2018, but that is the one year the starting grid was set via points as qualifying was rained out. Remove Dixon, the four pole-sitters via speed have an average finish of 13.75 and the best finish was seven for Josef Newgarden in 2019.

The average number of lead changes in a Gateway race is 8.667 with a median of ten. 

Seven of 12 Gateway races have had at least ten lead changes.

The fewest lead changes in a Gateway race is three in 1998 and the most lead changes in a Gateway race is 13 in 2019. 

The average number of cautions in a Gateway race is 4.25 with a median of four. The average number of caution laps is 38.5 with a median of 32. 

Since IndyCar returned to Gateway in 2017, every race has had either two caution periods or five caution periods. 

The fewest caution periods in a Gateway race was one in 2000. The fewest caution laps in a Gateway race were five in that 2000 race and five in the second race last year.

The most caution periods in a Gateway race are eight in 1997 and 1999. Those two races had 88 caution laps and 81 caution laps respectively. 

Since 2017, the average number of passes in a Gateway race is 194 with a median of 173 passes. The average number of passes for positions is 113.4 with a median of 105. 

Possible Milestones:

Scott Dixon is one victory away from tying Mario Andretti for second all-time with 52 victories.

Josef Newgarden is one victory away from the 20-victory milestone and Newgarden would be the 22nd driver to reach 20 IndyCar victories. 

Josef Newgarden is one podium finish away from his 40th podium finish.

Alexander Rossi is one podium finish away from his 25th podium finish. 

Will Power needs to lead one lap to become the ninth driver in IndyCar history to reach the 4,500 laps led milestone.

Josef Newgarden needs to lead six laps to surpass Johnny Rutherford for 20th all-time in laps led. Newgarden could also surpass Tony Bettenhausen with 159 laps led and Dan Wheldon with 168 laps led.

Sébastien Bourdais needs to lead 38 laps to reach the 2,700 laps led milestone.

Ryan Hunter-Reay needs to lead 47 laps to reach the 1,600 laps led milestone.

Takuma Sato needs to lead 98 laps to reach the 1,000 laps led milestone. Sato would become the 42nd driver to eclipse that milestone.

James Hinchcliffe needs to lead 19 laps to reach the 800 laps led milestone.

Graham Rahal needs to lead 46 laps to reach the 500 laps led milestone.

Predictions

Team Penske goes back-to-back with Josef Newgarden winning the race and Will Power will finish in the top five, making Gateway the first race of 2021 where Team Penske has multiple top five finishers. Álex Palou will end up starting worse than 15th and he will lose points from his championship lead. Scott Dixon will be the best finishing Ganassi driver. Patricio O'Ward clinches top oval driver of the season. At least two Andretti drivers finish off the lead lap. Romain Grosjean will qualify outside the top twenty, but he will see the checkered flag and make up at least five spots. Graham Rahal will be the top finishing RLLR driver. Tony Kanaan will beat Ed Carpenter head-to-head. Ed Carpenter will beat Rinus VeeKay head-to-head, but neither finish in the top ten. Conor Daly will have his worst career Gateway finish. There will not be an accident coming to the green flag, nor will there be a caution for a brief sprinkle of rain during a pit cycle. Sleeper: Jack Harvey.

2021 24 Hours of Le Mans Prototypes Preview

After previewing the GTE classes, it is time to look at the two prototype classes competing in the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

This year's race marks the inaugural appearance for the Hypercar class. Five entrants make up the premier class, but with Le Mans being an unknown for these cars, there is a belief one of the 25 LMP2 entrants could pullout an overall victory. 

Along with the 30 cars between the two prototype classes, this preview will also feature the one innovative, Garage 56 entrant. This year's Garage 56 entrant is a specially adapted Oreca 07-Gibson allowing two disabled competitors to take part in this year's race.

Like with the GTE preview, we will look over each entry, the drivers listed for each car and provide a little background on those lineups. 

Hypercar

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Mike Conway (8th), Kamui Kobayashi (7th), José María López (5th)

About This Team: The #7 Toyota has opened the season with finishes of third, second and first and the defending world champions are currently second on 69 points. Le Mans has been the one race that has escaped the #7 Toyota team. This car has been on the podium the last three years. The #7 Toyota has been snake-bitten more than its sister car, but Le Mans is bound to fall for this trio one of these years. The car is an unknown and Toyota has expressed concerns about if it can make it the distance without any issue, but Toyota can still pull out a victory. 

Test Day: 2nd

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Sébastien Buemi (10th), Brendon Hartley (8th), Kazuki Nakajima (10th)

About This Team: The #8 Toyota has won two of the first three races of the FIA World Endurance Championship season and leads the World Endurance Drivers' Championship with 75 points. Buemi and Nakajima have won Le Mans the last three years and Hartley won the race last year, the second time in his career. The car ran into fuel pressures at Monza, knocking it out of contention for victory.

Test Day: 3rd

#36 Alpine Elf Matmut Alpine A480-Gibson

Drivers: Nicolas Lapierre (14th), André Negrão (5th), Matthieu Vaxivière (5th)

About This Team: Alpine opened the year with three podium finishes, including two runner-up results. The car has had its maximum stint energy allowance reduced, which should give Toyota a greater advantage. What plays into Alpine's hands is this car is Le Mans tested and gone 24 hours. The Toyota is unknown. Alpine has been in the ballpark the entire season. If Toyota slips up, even with the energy reduction, Alpine should be there. Lapierre has been one of the best LMP2 drivers at Le Mans with four class victories in the last six years. Two of those were with Negrão.

Test Day: 4th

#708 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007 LMH

Drivers: Pipo Derani (6th), Franck Mailleux (7th), Olivier Pla (14th)

About This Team: Glickenhaus has been respectable in its first two races. This entry's Monza race ended with gearbox issues. Glickenhaus has completed a 30-hour test at Aragón. This car led the Le Mans test day, but one-lap pace is different than an entire stint. Derani has an overall 24 Hours of Daytona victory and three 12 Hours of Sebring victories. All these drivers have plenty of Le Mans experience, but Mailleux has not been in the race since 2014. 

Test Day: 1st

#709 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007 LMH

Drivers: Ryan Briscoe (7th), Romain Dumas (21st), Richard Westbrook (11th)

About This Team: The #709 Glickenhaus was fourth overall at Monza after a lengthy stop for a brake change. Dumas has won Le Mans twice overall. Briscoe and Westbrook ran four Le Mans together with the Ford GT program and they even had a class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Briscoe does have an overall 24 Hours of Daytona victory.

Test Day: 5th

LMP2

#1 Richard Mille Racing Team Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Tatiana Calderón (2nd), Sophia Flörsch (2nd), Beitske Visser (2nd)

About This Team: This is the second year for the all-female lineup. Their best finish was sixth at Portimão. Calderón has also paired another season in Super Formula with this WEC effort. Visser is competing in W Series, where she is ninth in the championship on 18 points after four races. Flörsch is running an Audi in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and her best result is 15th. 

Test Day: 18th

#17 IDEC Sport Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Ryan Dalziel (6th), Dwight Merriman (1st), Thomas Laurent (5th)

About This Team: Laurent was a late change to the lineup as Kyle Tilley had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. Laurent won in the LMP2 class on his Le Mans debut in 2017 and as second overall that year. He was third overall the following year. Dalziel and Merriman won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona earlier this year. Merriman ran in the Asian Le Mans Series and is currently running in the European Le Mans Series. His best finish in ELMS competition is 11th. Dalziel returns to Le Mans for the first time since 2016. He won in LMP2 with Starworks in 2012.

Test Day: 24th

#20 High Class Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Dennis Andersen (2nd), Marco Sørensen (7th), Ricky Taylor (7th)

About This Team: High Class Racing is splitting its deck for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Andersen has finished ninth in all three WEC races this season. Sørensen's previous Le Mans starts were all with the Aston Martin GTE program. Taylor has retired from his last two Le Mans starts and in four starts in the LMP2 class, his best class finish is ninth. 

Test Day: 14th

#21 DragonSpeed USA Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Henrik Hedman (5th), Ben Hanley (5th), Juan Pablo Montoya (3rd)

About This Team: DragonSpeed's best finish this year in WEC is sixth and its best finish in ELMS competition is 12th. It has never been competitive at Le Mans with two retirements and its best class finish being 12th. 

Test Day: 15th

#22 United Autosports USA Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Filipe Albuquerque (8th), Phil Hanson (4th), Fabio Scherer (1st)

About This Team: Albuquerque and Hanson have been on a tear in LMP2 competition since the end of 2019, and not just in WEC, but also the European Le Mans Series. Hanson leads the LMP2 championship on his own, as he had to run in the #23 United Autosport Oreca at Portimão after the #22 Oreca had to withdraw. Scherer has stepped in and kept up the pace. It is hard not to like this car at Le Mans. It cannot win every race, but it shows no sign of slowing down.

Test Day: 5th

#23 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Wayne Boyd (1st), Alex Lynn (5th), Paul di Resta (4th)

About This Team: Boyd has spent four of the previous five years in ELMS' LMP3 class and he won the championship last year with Tom Gamble and Rob Wheldon. Boyd did drive in LMP2 in 2018 but did not run Le Mans as Juan Pablo Montoya took his seat. Lynn won the GTE-Pro class at Le Mans last year and he just won his first Formula E race back in July. This will be Lynn's first time in an LMP2 car since 2017. Di Resta won in LMP2 last year at Le Mans, and he won four races with Albuquerque and Hanson last season.

Test Day: 5th

#24 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Gabriel Aubry (4th), Patrick Kelly (1st), Simon Trummer (5th)

About This Team: Kelly won the IMSA LMP2 championship last year and Aubry and Trummer were two of his co-drivers. However, Kelly's only start this season was the WEC round at Spa-Francorchamps, where he, Aubry and Trummer were 11th in class. Trummer's only other competition this year was Asian Le Mans in February, where he was third in three of four races. Aubry has been driving for Starworks in IMSA's LMP2 class.

Test Day: 9th

#25 G-Drive Racing Aurus 01-Gibson

Drivers: Rui Andrade (1st), John Falb (3rd), Roberto Merhi (3rd)

About This Team: Andrade is in his first year in sports cars. He spent the last few years in Formula 4 and Formula Renault series with no notable results. Merhi was 14th in LMP2 last year at Le Mans. Falb has been in the top ten in LMP2 the last two years at Le Mans.

Test Day: 16th

#26 G-Drive Racing Aurus 01-Gibson

Drivers: Franco Colapinto (1st), Roman Rusinov (11th), Nyck de Vries (3rd)

About This Team: This entry is currently second in the ELMS championship, and it won at Circuit Paul Ricard. Rusinov won the Asian Le Mans Series championship this year. De Vries won the Formula E championship last week and he had two victories. The Dutchman has been 15th in the LMP2 class in two Le Mans starts. Colapinto is 18 years old, and he was third in the Formula Renault Eurocup championship last year.

Test Day: 21st

#28 Jota Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Tom Blomqvist (2nd), Sean Gelael (1st), Stoffel Vandoorne (2nd)

About This Team: Blomqvist and Gelael won two races in the Asian Le Mans Series and they have two podium finishes in WEC this season with Vandoorne. Vandoorne had a respectable Formula E season, winning a race with Mercedes, while Blomqvist was stuck at the rear of the field with NIO, but Blomqvist did pick up a point in the finale last Sunday.

Test Day: 20th

#29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Frits van Eerd (5th), Giedo van der Garde (5th), Job van Uitert (3rd)

About This Team: Van der Garde and van Uitert missed Monza due to positive COVID tests. The Dutch team has always been respectable, and it had four podium finishes last season, but it won only one race and in the last three trips to Le Mans, its best finish is seventh in class. 

Test Day: 7th

#30 Duqueine Team Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: René Binder (3rd), Tristan Gommendy (12th), Memo Rojas (6th)

About This Team: Currently fifth in the ELMS championship, Gommendy has been runner-up in the LMP2 class three times at Le Mans. Rojas' best class finish at Le Mans was fifth in 2019. This is the third different team Binder has driven for in three Le Mans trips. 

Test Day: 10th

#31 Team WRT Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Robin Frijns (1st), Ferdinand von Habsburg (1st), Charles Milesi (2nd)

About This Team: While they were second in LMP2 at Monza, this is a young trio with Frijns leading the way. Habsburg has been transitioning to sports cars and won two races and the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 championship with G-Drive Racing. Team WRT's foray into prototypes has gone well and it has much endurance race success, albeit all in GT3 competition. 

Test Day: 8th

#32 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Jonathan Aberdein (1st), Nico Jamin (3rd), Manuel Maldonado (1st)

About This Team: Jamin and Maldonado drive this car full-time in ELMS and while they finished third at Circuit Paul Ricard, their next best finish is ninth. Aberdein drives the #22 United Autosport Oreca in ELMS and he is third in the championship with runner-up results in the last two races. 

Test Day: 11th

#34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Alex Brundle (8th), Jakub Śmiechowski (3rd), Renger van der Zande (4th)

About This Team: Inter Europol has been good since it moved up to LMP2 competition in WEC. Brundle and van der Zande are solid professional drivers to build around, though Brundle's recent years at Le Mans have not been great. He has finished outside the top ten in LMP2 in each of those years. Van der Zande has retired from two of his previous three starts. 

Test Day: 17th

#38 Jota Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: António Félix da Costa (4th), Anthony Davidson (13th), Roberto González (5th)

About This Team: United Autosports' foil, Jota won in Portugal and has been an LMP2 stalwart for years. It has won this race before. Davidson really should at least have a class victory at Le Mans considering how well he has done here in the past. Da Costa remains one of the least respected drivers in the world. González will be capable of competitive lap times among the amateur drivers. The #38 Oreca was second and first in the first two WEC races, but these drivers are 18 points behind Hanson in the championship. 

Test Day: 19th

#39 SO24-DIROB By Graff Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Vincent Capillaire (8th), Arnold Robin (1st), Maxime Robin (1st)

About This Team: This is a full-time ELMS entry, but its best finish is 13th through four races. The Robins spent the last few years in LMP3 competition between the V by V Endurance Series and ELMS. Capillaire was second in LMP2 at Le Mans in 2018. 

Test Day: 23rd

#41 Team WRT Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Louis Delétraz (2nd), Robert Kubica (1st), Ye Yifei (1st)

About This Team: The #41 Team WRT entry leads the European Le Mans Series championship after winning the first two races. Yifei also won the recent Asian Le Mans Series championship with G-Drive and he was the 2020 Euroformula Open Championship. Delétraz has moved into sports cars after four years in Formula Two. He was eighth in the championship the last two seasons. 

Test Day: 3rd

#44 ARC Bratislava Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Miro Konôpka (5th), Matej Konôpka (1st), Oliver Webb (8th)

About This Team: ARC Bratislava skips the even years, as it has run in 2017 and 2019 at Le Mans. This is typically not a threatening entry. Prior to this year, Matej Konôpka had a few starts in the 24H Series. Miro Konôpka did run an LMP3 car in the Asian Le Mans Series, but his best finish was sixth and ARC Bratislava was ninth in the championship. Webb spent the previous five years driving for ByKolles at Le Mans. He has retired in his last seven Le Mans starts. Only one of those entries made completed over 200 laps.

Test Day: 22nd

#48 IDEC Sport Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Paul-Loup Chatin (7th), Paul Lafargue (5th), Patrick Pilet (13th)

About This Team: Running full-time in IMSA, this team's best finish is sixth at Red Bull Ring. Chatin won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona with Era Motorsport. This is the fourth consecutive year Chatin and Lafargue are co-drivers at Le Mans. This is the second consecutive year Pilet is competing in LMP2 at Le Mans. He was 11th in class last year.

Test Day: 1st

#49 Sashi-High Class Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Anders Fjordbach (3rd), Jan Magnussen (23rd), Kevin Magnussen (1st)

About This Team: Fjordbach and Jan Magnussen move to this second entry to allow Kevin Magnussen to drive with his father once at Le Mans. Fjordbach and Jan Magnussen have been ninth in every race. Kevin Magnussen has started his sports car career this year with Chip Ganassi Racing's Cadillac program, and he won at Belle Isle. A flat tire derailed a podium finish in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Kevin Magnussen will be a part of the Peugeot hypercar program next year. 

Test Day: 12th

#65 Panis Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: James Allen (4th), Julien Canal (12th), Will Stevens (6th)

About This Team: Panis Racing won the most recent ELMS round at Monza and this car is fourth in that championship. Canal won his class in his first three Le Mans appearances and he was third last year in LMP2 in this entry. Stevens won at Le Mans in GTE-Am in 2017 and he has four WEC LMP2 class victories. He drove for Jackie Chan DC Racing last year and was fifth in the LMP2 championship with a victory and five podium finishes. 

Test Day: 2nd

#70 Realteam Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Loïc Duval (10th), Esteban Garcia, Norman Nato (4th)

About This Team: Duval is back after missing Le Mans last year for the first time since 2017. He was third in class in 2019 with TDS Racing, which operates the Realteam Racing effort. Nato was second overall last year with Rebellion Racing. Nato just won his first Formula E race on Sunday in Berlin. Garcia spent the last two seasons in ELMS' LMP3 class and was third in the championship last year.

Test Day: 13th

#74 Racing Team India Eurasia Ligier JS P217-Gibson

Drivers: Tom Cloet (2nd), John Corbett (1st), James Winslow (5th)

About This Team: Cloet returns to Le Mans for the first time since 2006 when he drove for Noel del Bello Racing and one of his co-drivers was Patrick Bourdais, father of Sébastien Bourdais. It was Patrick Bourdais' final of nine Le Mans starts. Cloet drove for ARC Bratislava's LMP3 entry in the Asian Le Mans Series over the winter and he has spent the last few years in LMP3 competition. Winslow has never finished in the top fifteen in class at Le Mans. Corbett started two Asian Le Mans Series races this past season and he has some LMP3 experience. 

Test Day: 25th

#82 Risi Competizione Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Ryan Cullen (3rd), Oliver Jarvis (10th), Felipe Nasr (2nd)

About This Team: Risi Competizione is making a switch this year at Le Mans, fielding an LMP2 entry instead of a Ferrari in the GTE-Pro class. Jarvis drove for Risi in 2019. Last year, Jarvis and Cullen paired in a G-Drive Racing entry. Nasr's only Le Mans starts was in 2018 and he was 11th in LMP2 with Cetilar Villorba Corsa. Jarvis and Nasr are both race winners in IMS this year. Jarvis won the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen with Mazda. Nasr has won the last two races with Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac.

Test Day: 6th

Innovative Car

#84 Association SRT41 Oreca 07-Gibson

Drivers: Takuma Aoki (1st), Nigel Bailly (1st), Matthieu Lahaye (5th)

About This Team: This year's Garage 56 entry features two disabled drivers. Aoki competed in grand prix motorcycle racing and was fifth in 1997 500cc world championship behind Mick Doohan, Tadayuki Okada, his brother Nobuatsu Aoki and Àlex Crivillé with his best finish being second in the season finale in Australian. Aoki was paralyzed in an accident during preseason testing ahead of the 1998 season. He has previously competed in the Dakar Rally. Bailly was paralyzed in a motocross accident when he was 14 years old. The Belgian has run in LMP3 competition across a few series since 2018. Lahaye was a late change for François Hériau, who was injured in a fall last week.

Lahaye has twice finished on the LMP2 class podium at Le Mans, but his last Le Mans start was in 2012. He did not compete at all in 2020, but he is running in ELMS this year and Hériau is one of his co-drivers. They have finish fifth in two races this season. Association SRT41 has run two ELMS races this season. The car completed 127 laps at Barcelona and 117 laps at Circuit Paul Ricard. 

Test Day: 28th overall (would have ranked 23rd in the LMP2 class)

The first practice session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday August 18. The session is scheduled for three hours. A two-hour second practice will be held later that day at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Hyperpole qualifying will be on Thursday August 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET. A two-hour practice session will follow at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Saturday August 21 opens with a 30-minute practice at 5:30 a.m. ET. The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

2021 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Preview

After another delay, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is here. It might be August, but the grand endurance race has arrived. Le Mans is the fourth round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship and it features 62 cars spread across four class and an invitational entry.

We will look at all 62 entries, but the first part of the preview will look at the 31 GTE entries. Split between eighth GTE-Pro cars and 23 GTE-Am entrants, the two classes have four manufactures taking part with Ferrari represented with 13 entries while there are a dozen Porsches, four Aston Martins and two Corvettes entered.

This preview will go over each car, give you the driver lineup and number of Le Mans starts and give a little information regarding these teams and drivers.

GTE-Pro

#51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: James Calado (6th), Alessandro Pier Guidi (6th), Côme Ledogar (4th)

About This Team: Calado and Pier Guidi won the 8 Hours of Portimão this year and been runner-up in the other two WEC races. This has the Anglo-Italian pair two points off the World Endurance GTE Drivers' Championship lead behind the #92 Porsche. They won the GTE-Pro class at Le Mans in 2019 and were runners-up last year. This is Ledogar's first time in the GTE-Pro class having driven in GTE-Am the last two years and LMP2 in 2018.

Test Day: 4th

#52 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Miguel Molina (5th), Sam Bird (8th), Daniel Serra (5th)

About This Team: Molina and Serra have opened the WEC seasons with finishes of third, second and fourth. Molina currently leads the European Le Mans Series GT class championship with two victories. Serra has two class victories at Le Mans in 2017 and 2019 and was second in class last year. He currently leads the Stock Car Brasil championship. Bird is substituting for Davide Rigon, who suffered injuries in the 24 Hours of Spa two weeks ago. His last sports car start was Le Mans last year as he focused on Formula E, where he two races for the Jaguar team. Bird has never finished on a Le Mans class podium with Ferrari. He was third in LMP2 in 2015.

Test Day: 5th

#63 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

Drivers: Antonio García (15th), Jordan Taylor (7th), Nicky Catsburg (3rd)

About This Team: Corvette is back after missing Le Mans last year and this will be the Le Mans debut of the C8.R. García and Taylor have won nine of 18 IMSA GT Le Mans races since the start of 2020, are the defending class champions and current class championship leaders. This trio won the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. García has three Le Mans class victories, but his last one was in 2011. Taylor has not been at Le Mans since 2017 and he won the GTE-Pro class with Corvette in 2015. This will be Catsburg first Le Mans with Corvette after two years with BMW. 

Test Day: 8th

#64 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

Drivers: Tommy Milner (12th), Nick Tandy (9th), Alexander Sims (3rd)

About This Team: Milner is the only hold off from the last time the #64 Corvette ran at Le Mans. Milner won the GTE-Pro class in 2011 and 2015. Milner and the #64 Corvette has failed to finish three of the last four Le Mans starts. After running in LMP2 last year, Tandy is back in GTE-Pro. Milner and Tandy won at Belle Isle. Sims makes his first Le Mans appearance since 2018 and he has spent this year running in Formula E. 

Test Day: 8th

#72 Hub Auto Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Maxime Martin (7th), Álvaro Parente (3rd), Dries Vanthoor (2nd)

About This Team: Hub Auto Racing earned this spot through the Asian Le Mans Series. Martin won in GTE-Pro last year with Aston Martin. Parente and Vanthoor are both back at Le Mans for the first time since 2017. Vanthoor won that year in the GTE-Am class while Parente was 11th in GTE-Am. 

Test Day: 6th

#79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Earl Bamber (6th), Cooper MacNeil (7th), Laurens Vanthoor (6th)

About This Team: MacNeil has been on an Le Mans podium in two of the last four years. MacNeil has won twice in IMSA competition this year, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the most recent race at Road America. Bamber has two overall victories at Le Mans and he is currently completing in the IMSA GT Daytona class, as is Vanthoor. Like MacNeil, Vanthoor won at Sebring and Road America in IMSA, but in the GT Daytona class. Vanthoor won the GTE-Pro class at Le Mans in 2018. 

Test Day: 3rd

#91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Gianmaria Bruni (13th), Richard Lietz (15th), Frédéric Makowiecki (11th)

About This Team: With finishes of fourth, fourth and third through the first half of the WEC season, the #91 Porsche brings up the rear in the GTE-Pro class and is 31 points behind its sister car in the championship. Bruni has three class victories and seven class podium finishes in his first 12 Le Mans appearance. Lietz has a near-identical Le Mans résume, three class victories and six class podium finishes. They have not won since the 2019-20 season opener at Spa-Francorchamps. Makowiecki has never won at Le mans, but he has three runner-up finishes in the GTE-Pro class. The Frenchman's most recent WEC victory was the 2015 Bahrain season finale. 

Test Day: 2nd

#92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Michael Christensen (7th), Kévin Estre (7th), Neel Jani (12th)

About This Team: The #92 Porsche leads the World Endurance GTE Drivers' Championship, having won pole position in all three races with victories at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza and a third at Portimão. Jani won Le Mans overall in 2016 and this will be the first time he is not competing in the top class after 11 starts in LMP1. Christensen and Estre won in the GTE-Pro class in 2018. They were the 2018-19 World Endurance GT Drivers' Champions. 

Test Day: 1st

GTE-Am

#18 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Andrew Haryanto (1st), Alessio Picariello (1st), Marco Seefried (2nd)

About This Team: These three drivers were in the #88 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche for two races in WEC, while Seefried had been in that car for all three races. Their best result was fifth. Picariello won the ELMS GT championship last year. Seefried was second in GTE-Am in his only prior Le Mans appearance in 2015. 

Test Day: 9th

#33 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Felipe Fraga (3rd), Ben Keating (7th), Dylan Pereira (1st)

About This Team: The #33 Aston Martin opened the season with a runner-up finish at Spa-Francorchamps. The car has won pole position for two of the first three races. Keating and Fraga are back together for the third consecutive year. This is the first time Keating does not have Jeroen Bleekemolen as a co-driver. Pereira was second in Porsche Supercup last year and he is currently eighth in that championship. 

Test Day: 22nd

#46 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Anders Buchardt (1st), Dennis Olsen (3rd), Robby Foley (1st)

About This Team: Team Project 1 had a rough start to the WEC season when both its cars did not start at Spa-Francorchamps. The #46 Porsche did run Monza but was 16th. Olsen won the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge championship. Robby Foley has won on a regular basis in IMSA's Sports Car Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge. Buchardt has a class victory in the 24 Hours Nürburgring back in 2009.

Test Day: 20th

#47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Antonio Fuoco (1st), Roberto Lacorte (5th), Giorgio Sernagiotto (5th)

About This Team: The surprise Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Drivers leaders, Cetilar Racing won at Portimão and was third at Spa-Francorchamps. Lacorte and Sernagiotto ran in LMP2 the last four years at Le Mans and their best class finish was seventh. Fuoco won the Italian GT Championship in 2020. 

Test Day: 10th

#54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Francesco Castellacci (6th), Giancarlo Fisichella (12th), Thomas Flohr (5th)

About This Team: The #54 Ferrari was third at Portimão. This will be this lineup's fourth consecutive year together at Le Mans. They were second in GTE-Am in 2018. Fisichella has stood on the podium in six of 11 Le Mans starts. 

Test Day: 12th

#55 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Duncan Cameron (5th), Matt Griffin (10th), David Perel (1st)

About This Team: The #55 Ferrari is second in the ELMS championship with podium finishes in all four races, including a victory in its most recent race at Monza. Griffin has long been a regular in the GTE-Am class, but his only class podium was third in 2013. 

Test Day: 8th

#56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Matteo Cairoli (5th), Riccardo Pera (2nd), Egidio Perfetti (4th)

About This Team: After missing the Spa-Francorchamps season opener due to a testing accident, the #56 Porsche has been second and fourth in the last two races. Perfetti won in GTE Am two years ago and he and Cairoli were fourth last year. Pera was second in GTE Am last year with Dempsey-Proton Racing. 

Test Day: 2nd

#57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Scott Andrews (1st), Mikkel Jensen (2nd), Takeshi Kimura (3rd)

About This Team: Jensen has spent much of his time in the LMP3 and LMP2 classes, winning the 2019 ELMS LMP3 title and he was third in ELMS' LMP2 class last year. Jensen currently leads IMSA's LMP2 class championship and he won in class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Andrews also won at the 24 Hours of Daytona, but in the LMP3 class. Kimura and Jensen won the final round of the Asian Le Mans Series season at Abu Dhabi.

Test Day: 11th

#60 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Raffaele Gianmaria (3rd), Paolo Ruberti (9th), Claudio Schiavoni (3rd)

About This Team: Ruberti and Schiavoni were 11th in GTE-Am last year. Gianmaria is making his first Le Mans appearance since 2015. Schiavoni is full-time in WEC, but he normally races with Matteo Cressoni and Andrea Piccini.

Test Day: 19th

#66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Jody Fannin (1st), Thomas Neubauer (1st), Rodrigo Sales (1st)

About This Team: Fannin won the 2017 ELMS GT championship. Fannin and Sales are fifth in the ELMS GT class this season through four races and their best finish were fourth at Monza. Neubauer has spent the last few seasons in GT World Challenge Europe and Ferrari Challenge.

Test Day: 3rd

#69 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Ralf Bohn (1st), Rolf Ineichen (1st), Robert Renauer (1st)

About This Team: Herberth is an endurance race experienced team, coming from the 24H Series, notably with an overall victory in the Dubai 24 Hours. Outside of 24H Series competition, Bohn and Renauer won the Asian Le Mans Series GT championship this year. Ineichen has previous won the Dubai 24 Hours overall and he has multiple GT Daytona class victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona. 

Test Day: 14th

#71 Inception Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Ben Barnicoat (1st), Brendan Iribe (1st), Ollie Millroy (1st)

About This Team: After finishing runner-up in the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 class, Barnicoat ran in FIA Formula Three and Euroformula Open last year. This lineup was fourth in this year's ALMS GT championship, and they were runner-up in the bookend races. Iribe and Millroy lead the International GT Open Pro-Am championship.

Test Day: 5th

#77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Matt Campbell (4th), Jaxon Evans (1st), Christian Ried (12th)

About This Team: After two retirements to open the season, the #77 Porsche sits on ten points from a fifth-place effort at Monza. Campbell has been on the GTE Am podium twice in his three Le Mans starts, and his worst finish is fourth. Each year the Australian has been with Ried. Campbell has won two IMSA races this year, both in GTLM with Cooper McNeil. Reid won the ELMS GT title last year. Evans won the Porsche Carrera Cup France title last year and was fourth in Porsche Supercup. He is currently second in Porsche Supercup with a victory and two runner-up finishes from four races. 

Test Day: 18th

#80 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Matteo Cressoni (4th), Callum Ilott (1st), Rino Mastronardi (2nd)

About This Team: Cressoni and Mastronardi race together in ELMS and they lead that championship with two victories, a runner-up and a third. With their normal third driver Miguel Molina in GTE-Pro, Callum Ilott makes his Le Mans debut. The Scuderia Ferrari test driver and Alfa Romeo reserve driver has run in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup this season.

Test Day: 13th

#83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Niklas Nielsen (2nd), François Perrodo (8th), Alessio Rovera (1st)

About This Team: Second in the Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Drivers, the #83 Ferrari won at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza but finished tenth at Portimão. Perrodo and Nielsen won the Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Drivers last year and they were third last year at Le Mans. Rovera has transitioned exceptionally well to the world stage after winning the Italian GT Championship last year.

Test Day: 21st

#85 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Sarah Bovy (1st), Rahel Frey (3rd), Michelle Gatting (3rd)

About This Team: The best finish for the #85 Ferrari this year in WEC competition is sixth. Bovy joined the team for the Monza round. She drove in three W Series races back in 2019 with her best result being 12th at Misano. Last year, Frey and Gatting had three podium finishes in ELMS. Their best finish this year in ELMS is fourth. 

Test Day: 15th

#86 GR Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Ben Barker (6th), Tom Gamble (1st), Michael Wainwright (7th)

About This Team: GR Racing has finished eighth in the last two WEC races. Barker and Wainwright's best class finish at Le Mans is fifth in 2016 and last year. Gamble won the ELMS LMP3 championship last year with three victories. 

Test Day: 6th

#88 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Julien Andlauer (4th), Lance David Arnold (1st), Dominique Bastien (2nd)

About This Team: Andlauer won in GTE-Am in 2018 and he won the Dubai 24 Hour earlier this year. Arnold has a history in Porsche Supercup, and he has run in the VLN and ADAC GT Masters. Bastien became the older driver to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year at 74 years and 300 days old.

Test Day: 4th

#95 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Ross Gunn (3rd), Ollie Hancock (1st), John Hartshorne (3rd)

About This Team: The #95 Aston Martin is full-time in ELMS, and it has finished eighth, eighth, seventh from pole position and eighth. There have been nine cars in class in the last three races. Gunn leads the IMSA GT Daytona championship with two victories. Hartshorne's previous Le Mans starts were 2005 in a TVR Tuscan T400R and in 2011 in a Lotus Evora GTE. Hartshorne and Hancock drove in the Michelin Le Mans Cup for the last three seasons.

Test Day: 23rd

#98 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Marcos Gomes (2nd), Paul Dalla Lana (9th), Nicki Thiim (8th)

About This Team: Dalla Lana, stunningly, does not have a Le Mans podium finish and his best result was sixth in class in 2014. Thiim won the GTE-AM class in 2014 and was this in GTE-Pro last year. The Dane took the 2019-20 World Endurance GT Drivers' Championship. Gomes was the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series GT champion. 

Test Day: 16th

#99 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Vuttikhorn Inthraphuvasak (1st), Florian Latorre (1st), Harry Tincknell (8th)

About This Team: This was a complete lineup change just about ten days before the event. Tincknell won in GTE-Pro last year with Aston Martin. Tincknell is third in IMSA's Daytona Prototype international championship with a victory in the 6 Hours of the Glen and five podium finishes this season. Latorre has been climbing up the Porsche ladder for a few years. The former U.S. F2000 champion has been third in Porsche Carrera Cup France in multiple seasons, and this is his fourth season in Porsche Supercup. He is fourth in the championship this year. Inthraphuvasak was the 2019 GT World Challenge Asia GT3 Pro-Am champion and was second in the overall GT3 championship.

Test Day: 1st

#388 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Jeroen Bleekemolen (16th), Pierre Ehret (9th), Christian Hook (1st)

About This Team: Bleekemolen makes his 16th consecutive Le Mans appearance this year. This is his first time driving without Ben Keating since 2014 when he and Cooper MacNeil drove a two-man Porsche effort in the GTE-Pro class. His lone Le Mans class victory was in LMP2 in 2008, sharing a Porsche RS Spyder with Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn, Sr. Ehret has not raced at Le Mans since 2014 and his best result was second in GT2 in 2006. He was also third in GT2 in 2007 and 2008. Hook won three of four GTE-Am races in the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series season and took that championship. 

Test Day: 7th

#777 D'station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Tomonobu Fujii (1st), Satoshi Hoshino (2nd), Andrew Watson (2nd)

About This Team: After finishing third at Monza, the #777 Aston Martin is seventh in the championship. Watson was fifth last year in GTE-Am last year at Le Mans. Hoshino ran at Le Mans two years ago and that race ended after 79 laps. Prior to this year, Fujii spent 16 setons competing in Super GT's GT300 class. He was second in that championship in 2012 and he had eight victories.

Test Day: 17th 

The first practice session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday August 18. The session is scheduled for three hours. A two-hour second practice will be held later that day at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Hyperbole qualifying will be on Thursday August 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET. A two-hour practice session will follow at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Saturday August 21 opens with a 30-minute practice at 5:30 a.m. ET. The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

Musings From the Weekend: Big For IndyCar's Britches

Will Power did not hit any teammates and that got him a victory on the IMS road course. It was a strong weekend for Team Penske in its own backyard. Alexander Albon visited central Indiana. Robin Miller was back at the racetrack. Bob Jenkins received a heartfelt tribute after passing away earlier in the week. The rain showed up just in time for the MotoGP race and made a thrilling race even more astonishing. Maverick Viñales' time with Yamaha may be ending months earlier than expected, and Viñales has already announced he will join Aprilia in 2022. Formula E closed another chapter on its history, and a few names will not be returning for 2022. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking. 

Big For IndyCar's Britches

IndyCar had 27 entries for Nashville last weekend. IndyCar followed that up with 28 entries for the IMS road course race this past weekend. Believe it or not, IndyCar still has more entries on the horizon.

For a series that has long battled with fluctuating grid numbers and been on the low side for most of the last decade, IndyCar in 2021 is somehow in a growth spurt that cannot be easily explained after looking at the numbers. 

Considering that television ratings are modestly up, but the overall size of the pie is dwarfed in comparison to other sports properties in the United States, IndyCar's recent grid success can only be viewed as surprising.

For years, teams were scrapping through and had just enough to get over 20 entries. It wasn't long ago Scott Dixon was without a sponsor, Andretti Autosport was struggling to stay at four entries and even Team Penske downsized. Many teams dropped out at the start of the DW12-era, either because they could not fund a car anymore or to race elsewhere. The number of teams didn't even fill two hands. There was no room for surprises, no chance at an extra seat popping up for a driver even if he or she had a sponsor and there was a sense IndyCar was hanging on and one misfortunate accident could take a chunk out of the grid, leaving it in the depressing shallow depths of the final Indy Racing League years.

The Indianapolis 500 was still drawing 33 entries with teams running one or in some cases multiple one-off entries, and there was still the one or two Indianapolis-only team, but the rest of the season could not warrant any other interest. 

The 2017 season saw 11 of 17 races with only 21 entries on the grid. Another five races had 22 entries and then the Indianapolis 500 was at full capacity with a certain Spanish world champion spending a holiday in the American Midwest instead of the Mediterranean coast. Things were on the low end, but good. While not at its fullest levels, the IndyCar grid was rich with talent. 

Four years later, and with a global pandemic taking up nearly half that time, somehow IndyCar has expanded to a size last seen when tobacco sponsorship was on half the cars on the field. When the pandemic started, everyone was concerned that teams would start falling off the grid because companies would be pulling back their multi-million dollar sponsorships. We braced for contraction and a year later we in the middle of unexpected expansion, expansion that will continue through the final race of this year. 

The year opened with 24 cars at Barber Motorsports Park, an unsurprising total as Team Penske recommitted to four full-time entries, Ganassi expanded back to four full-time entries and the likes of Carlin and Meyer Shank Racing have become full-time entries in the last four years. What has been rather odd is the number of part-time entries to come up this season. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has entered its #45 Honda for six of 12 races, an entry usually reserved for the Indianapolis 500 each May and never making any appearances at any other time. With Rick Ware Racing partnering with Dale Coyne Racing, that organization has rolled out a third car at a few events. Meyer Shank Racing introduced a part-time entry this year with plans to run a half-dozen races. On top of those three examples, Top Gun Racing has emerged and though it failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 it kept the lights on and made its IndyCar debut this past weekend in the second IMS road course race. 

And just when you thought all of that was spectacular for IndyCar, news came out last week Juncos Racing, which last participated in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 when it famously bumped McLaren and Fernando Alonso out of the race, would be returning for the final three races of 2021 with Williams F1 shareholder Brad Hollinger becoming a team partner. Juncos Hollinger Racing plans on being full-time in 2022.

Don't forget Paretta Autosport, which contested the Indianapolis 500 this year with Simona de Silvestro, also has hopes of returning for a few races at the end of the season and greater participation in the future.

Four years ago, IndyCar was a nose above 20 entries. Now, it is creeping up on 30 entries for races that are not the Indianapolis 500. That could be the norm at every race. Meyer Shank Racing plans on expanding to two full-time entries in 2022. Arrow McLaren SP has shifted its ownership structure with McLaren now in control of 75% of the team and it hopes to become a three-car team soon. RLLR is seriously looking at three full-time entries. 

Twenty-seven cars could be at every race next year. Such great news brings an underlying wave of concern. 

Twenty-seven entries? In IndyCar? How did we get to this? 

It feels too good to be true, especially with it all happening this quickly. We were used to IndyCar teams being buttoned up and having enough for a two-car team through the season, but now teams are finding the change to field an extra entry at the forgotten races of the IndyCar schedule. Everyone understands entering an extra car for Indianapolis, but Mid-Ohio? Gateway? Portland? Those races do not have the prestige and the profile for an extra entry and yet more entries are going to show up. 

I think back to the end of the Dallara IR05/IR07 chassis. The 2011 season had many one-off entries. Teams had a chassis and engine package that would soon be obsolete, and they were going to get their money's worth for the equipment they had left hanging around. If a driver had the money to run three races, he or she got on the grid. It was a final hooray. 

We know IndyCar will be introducing a new chassis and engine formula shortly, hopes are by 2023, and this current period reminds me of 2011. Though the current equipment has much more time to go, we are at a point where enough of everything exists that an extra car is not as much of a strain as it once was. For most of the DW12-era, we have talked about part shortages and a lack of everything, from chassis to engines to manpower to run the cars. It took until the tenth season of these regulations to find comfort. 

While thinking back to ten years ago and the end of the previous regulations, I also remember what followed when the new era was ushered in. There were a few good years with the DW12 chassis early on. We had 25-26 cars at every race, but teams were struggling to keep the doors open. In a blink, five teams shut down. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing scaled back to an Indianapolis 500-only entrant. Dragon Racing moved to Formula E. IndyCar went from two-dozen entries with comfort to just above 20 with fears it would get worse. 

For some reason, 20 is not viewed as a healthy number in IndyCar circles. Two-dozen is the unofficial benchmark for series health. If IndyCar is there, we are happy. If it is slightly below, we are concerned. Slightly above and we are joyous.

With 27 cars in the last two races and potentially more ready to enter the series, the IndyCar congregation is beyond joyous. And it is good to be happy, but after too many years watching IndyCar slog through financial difficulty, I cannot rest easy. I remember what the fall from grace felt like. The present is nice, but it would be foolish believing it will stay this way. I am not saying IndyCar will crater and in four years we will be back to 21 cars with three teams having closed shop since and another hanging by a thread, but all good things come to an end. 

An end does not mean disaster. Leveling out is natural. There is a point where IndyCar can no longer handle it. We can get 34 or 35 cars entered for the Indianapolis 500, but I don't expect that number of cars full-time. At some point, we will reach a tipping point. That doesn't mean the series will be in trouble. Not every team will be able to field three cars. Some will settle with two cars and just an Indianapolis one-off.

There can be too much of a good thing. You need balance, not too high and not too low. If IndyCar settles around 24 or 25 entries in the next year or two when the new chassis and engine is rolled out and the surprise part-time entries could become less frequent, but that should not sound the alarms. I think that would be a great place for IndyCar to be.

While going through this rapid expansion, we need to remember what is good for IndyCar and not lose sight of overall health. There is a level lower than what IndyCar is currently experiencing that is acceptable for the series. When this slows down or contracts a little, there should not be any panic. Level is good.

It is nice IndyCar is going through this, and it is great to see more cars on track and more drivers getting opportunities, but let's remember humble because that will be better for our long-term future. 

Champion From the Weekend

Nyck de Vries won the Formula E drivers' championship with an eighth-place finish in the final race at Berlin.

Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team won the Formula E teams' championship. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Will Power, but did you know...

Brad Binder won MotoGP's Austrian Grand Prix, his second career victory. Raúl Fernández won the Moto2 race, his fourth victory of the season. Sergio García won the Moto3 race by 0.027 seconds over Deniz Öncü, his third victory of the season. 

A.J. Allmendinger won the NASCAR Cup race from Indianapolis, Allmendinger's first Cup victory in 161 starts. Austin Cindric won the Grand National Series race. 

Lucas di Grassi and Norman Nato split the Formula E races from Berlin. It was di Grassi's 12th victory, second all-time, and Nato's first career victory.

Kyle Larson won the 60th Knoxville Nationals.

Thierry Neuville won Ypres Rally Belgium, his first victory of the season. 

Coming Up This Weekend

The 24 Hours of Le Mans! Finally!

IndyCar's final oval race at Gateway.

NASCAR returns to ovals and Michigan in particular. 

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters will be at the Nürburgring.

World Superbike makes its debut at Navarra.

Super GT is back in action at Suzuka.

World Touring Car Cup will be in Hungary.

First Impressions: Brickyard Weekend 2021

1. Will Power finally gets a breakthrough and after many bumps in the road over the course of the 2021 season, Power has his first victory of the season. It is a special one, number 40, and Power is just the fifth driver to reach the 40-victory milestone, breaking a tie with Al Unser for fifth all-time. 

Power was clearly the best driver today. Traffic (*cough* James Hinchcliffe *cough*) and two late cautions made this race closer than it was. Power had a great start to the second stint and was able to pass Patricio O'Ward, who led from the start. Power wasn't really challenged. He led 56 laps and while Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta closed on him, none threatened him. 

It has been an odd few years for Power. At no point this season has he felt like a championship threat. He still doesn't have a pole position and this weekend was the first time he has started on the front row. He tussled with two teammates last week at Nashville and it has felt he is withdrawn from the team. There is almost a sense he could walk away or be sent packing from Team Penske and neither would surprise me. 

But then there are days like this. When Power is on it, few can tough him. He was consistently running laps in the high-72 second range while most couldn't even break it. Grosjean had fresher tires in the final stint and Power was still faster. Power turned 40 this year. There are fewer seasons ahead of him than behind him. Over the last five years, he has been too streaky to be a champion, but the raw pace is still there for everything to click for Power. It likely will not be this year, but it could still happen.

2. Romain Grosjean must be loving Indianapolis even more after today. Qualified third and finished second, Grosjean was flawless. He drove a smart race and kept pace with Power and Herta. He was catching Herta in the middle of the race before the first caution closed the gaps. With the fresher tires, Grosjean easily took second, but didn't have enough for Power. 

That's ok. This has been a brilliant season from him and Grosjean has to come back for more in 2022. I think we all know he will. Next week, he makes his first oval start. 

3. After throwing away Nashville, third is the result Colton Herta needed. Herta probably should have been second. He was second for about 85% of this race, but I don't think he was as close to Power as the gap appeared. Herta benefitted from Power being stuck behind James Hinchcliffe for ten laps. That appeared to be the only way Herta would beat Power. 

Power was nine seconds in the clear. Then the gap was cut in half in a ten-lap run. It felt like Power would hold on, but Power was on the verge of boiling over. All it would have taken was one lock up and then the race was Herta's. That didn't happen. Still a good day for Herta.

4. Alexander Rossi get his best finish of the season in fourth. Every race it appears Rossi has one poor stint and goes three laps too long on a set of tires and loses a tremendous amount of time at the end of a stint. That happened today. Rossi was in the top five and then lost two spots before his second stop. He was almost two seconds slower than Power in the lead. 

Rossi recovered and looked strong at the end, but too often does he have a sluggish stint and that costs a driver. I don't know if it is a strategy thing or a setup thing or a Rossi thing and he needs to adjust his driving style. It costs him too often.

5. Patricio O'Ward doesn't have great tire strategy either. O'Ward took the primary tire on the second stint and lost the lead. Not the end of the world because the alternate tire would fall off, but O'Ward never really had the car in that groove to capitalize at the end of the second stint. He slid back and never really showed that top speed again. 

It hurt O'Ward at Barber and St. Petersburg. It cost him a victory at Road America last year. Strategy hurt him again today. I don't know if the team can manufacture a winning strategy from the lead. We know they can win from just off the lead, but this is something that needs to be corrected. The good news is O'Ward is now only 21 points back in the championship.

6. Why is O'Ward only 21 points back? Because Álex Palou lost an engine with 18 laps to go. Palou was in the top five, ahead of O'Ward and it looked like Palou was going to leave this race with at least a 50-point lead. I was getting ready to write that we need to start talking about Palou clinching the championship early. 

Instead, Palou's lead was halved, and we go into the final four race with Palou needing to recover, but he will have to take his third grid penalty of the season and at an oval it is a nine-spot penalty, not a six. The best Palou can start at Gateway is tenth. The championship just got more interesting.

7. Jack Harvey finally had a good day and finished sixth. The team didn't screw with the strategy. Harvey didn't run into anyone or have a pit lane penalty. It was a smart day and a result Harvey needed.

8. If Graham Rahal could qualify halfway decent, he might win a race. Rahal went from 16th to seventh. He was great in the opening half of the race and then seventh was kind of the top of the mountain. The top six were too far out of sight. Rahal does this all the time! If he could average a seventh starting position instead of 14th, he would have at least one or two victories and could be in the championship discussion.

9. Josef Newgarden fought hard for eighth. Newgarden started 20th after a six-spot grid penalty and he went off course early after contact with Max Chilton. That changed the strategy and Newgarden went long on the first stint. Those long stints went in his favor. The cautions likely gave Newgarden an extra three or four spots, but considering where the day started, Newgarden must be slightly pleased with this one.

10. Marcus Ericsson and Takuma Sato rounded out the top ten. Ericsson was kind of just on the fringe on the top ten and Sato did nothing splashy and was tenth. Sato could have been eighth, but Newgarden got him late. Good days for both drivers.

11. Conor Daly was 11th almost all race. He blew turn seven while running in the top ten. It could have been better today.

12. Christian Lundgaard lost eight spots from his starting position on his IndyCar debut, but I think this was a good day. This was a new car and new tires and probably the longest race Lundgaard had ever competed in. And he ended strong. He made up positions late. Not a bad first impression even if it was down from where he started.

13. Quickly through the field: Felix Rosenqvist was racy in the middle of the field and got 13th. Ed Jones snuck into 14th. Sébastien Bourdais went off course late, but 15th was about where he was all race. Simon Pagenaud was up around Josef Newgarden for most of this race, but ending on the primary tires and the late cautions made him a sitting duck. Scott Dixon looked like he could finish 12th from 26th, but he too had to finish on the primary tires and lost spots late. Ryan Hunter-Reay was behind Bourdais all race and went off road with him. That dropped Hunter-Reay to 18th

14. Jimmie Johnson gets his first lead lap finish in 19th! It is progress. Let's not act like Johnson is rubbing elbow with the big boys. Those coattails are just a little closer now.

15. Max Chilton was Max Chilton and finished 20th. Hélio Castroneves has a lot of work to do before returning to full-time competition. He was 21st and has a lot of work to do on road courses. James Hinchcliffe is a shell of who he was two years ago. He was behind Johnson all race. He was balking Power all race. I don't get it. It would be one thing if Hinchcliffe looked this way and was driving for A.J. Foyt Racing, but he is driving for Andretti Autosport and struggles to break into the top twenty.

16. Scott McLaughlin spun Rinus VeeKay on accident. Both cars were stuck in the middle. This has been a long season for McLaughlin and VeeKay just hasn't quite had it since his collarbone injury in a cycling accident. 

17. Cody Ware was two laps down in 25th. If you think Cody Ware is bad, Dalton Kellett was two laps behind him. Oof! The bar was low for Kellett, but this does not help his reputation. They both can go find other pastures in 2022. 

18. RC Enerson had a mechanical issue end his race and Top Gun Racing's first race after 12 laps. It is a long road to competitiveness. 

19. Overall, I have enjoyed this weekend with NASCAR. This didn't feel like IndyCar was second fiddle. It had a full day of practice and got a good time for a race. It is not ideal to race at 1:00 p.m. ET on a Saturday afternoon, but I don't think it was hidden in a NASCAR weekend. It led off Saturday. This is a full day of racing. I think we could see IndyCar and the NASCAR Cup Series race on the same day. This IndyCar race only took an hour and 49 minutes. IndyCar could start at noon on Sunday and the Cup race could begin at 3:30 p.m. I think that could be considered for the future. 

20. Only seven days until Gateway, the final oval of the season and one that is more meaningful to the championship after today's race.