1. A great run by Ryan Hunter-Reay. He was up front all day. Fell about eleven seconds back when Takuma Sato and Helio Castroneves were running away early but never gave up. Now is second in the points and a much bigger threat in the championship.
2. Helio Castroneves is going to be tough to beat this season. He is unbelievably consistent and had a great drive from seventeenth on the grid to second.
3. Great race for Will Power after a difficult first quarter of the season. First podium of the season.
4. An impressive weekend for Andretti Autosport. Two wins, two poles, four podiums, six top fives across the Pro Mazda, Indy Lights and IndyCar races at Milwaukee IndyFest. Great day for EJ Viso who has finally shaken the wreck bug. Another good race for James Hinchcliffe. It isn't checkers or wreckers like it was the first four races. Tough day for Marco Andretti. One bad pit stop cost him a lot of time and then a electrical failure was the knife through the heart, ending any chance of a win.
5. Great run by Takuma Sato but had trouble getting trough lap traffic and it cost them.
6. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished sixth and eighth respectively. If the Ganassi cars could start in the top five, they would have a much better chance at getting a win this season.
7. Justin Wilson had another top ten. Another good day for Dale Coyne Racing. No offense to Ana Beatriz but if Coyne could find a oval equivalent of Mike Conway, they would be in great shape.
8. Good for Tony Kanaan finishing tenth and giving Chevrolet six of the top ten.
9. Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Sebastián Saavedra all had good runs.
10. Ed Carpenter finished fourteenth but he had a much better first third of the race before fading late.
11. Great job for Ryan Briscoe getting fifteenth as he heads to Le Mans.
12. I was right saying Graham Rahal would finish ahead of James Jakes but neither would be in the top ten. They finished sixteenth and eighteenth respectively with Charlie Kimball sandwiched in between.
13. ABC. Were you watching? That is how you call an auto race. Good luck with Iowa and Pocono.
14. Dear God did I miss NBCSN. There excitement is so comforting. Great to hear David Hobbs and Will Buxton. Hopefully they will be able to do more IndyCar races in the future. No offense Wally Dallenbach and Marty Snider.
15. Thank you Michael Andretti for saving Milwaukee. It is a race that must be on the schedule and it's a damn shame Loudon pulled the plug on IndyCar after one year and a damn shame Phoenix isn't on the schedule.
16. Not a phenomenal crowd but a respectable crowd for IndyFest. It is slowly getting there and it's more proof you can't go to a track for one season and hope it is a full house. Keep going back to places, keep dates consistent and fan bases will grow.
17. Noticed there was no title sponsor for this event. That's not a massive deal considering how much exposure the Andretti Autosport sponsors got but it's always nice to get a sponsor to kick in some money to help with the bills.
18. I hope Milwaukee will be back. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported it was on the fence and Road America and Chicagoland are interested in returning to the schedule. IndyCar is in a place where they need a few more races. I don't see why all three couldn't coexist although it will be tricky.
19. Seemed like this makes up for any one that was moaning over the Texas race.
20. Now it's on to Iowa and what should be another terrific event.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Morning Warm-Up: Milwaukee 2013
Andretti Autosport looks to sweep the weekend at Milwaukee IndyFest and they are starting on a good note today with Marco Andretti on pole and the other three IndyCar teams starting in the top five. Not to forget mentioning Zach Veach is starting second in the Lights race and Carlos Muñoz rolls off fourth. Matthew Brabham, grandson of triple World Driver's Champion Jack Brabham, son of overall 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Geoff Brabham, won the Pro Mazda race Friday evening driving for Andretti Autosport.
Marco Andretti is also looking to take the points lead today from Helio Castroneves and starts seventeen positions ahead of the Brazilian. James Hinchcliffe looks to pick up his third win of the season and join fellow Canadians Greg Moore and Paul Tracy as winner at the Milwaukee Mile. Will Power starts third as he looks for his first win of the season. Ryan Hunter-Reay looks to win back-to-back at the Milwaukee Mile and looks to take the points lead from Helio Castroneves and jump his teammate Marco Andretti in doing so. EJ Viso starts fifth as he looks to pick up his first career victory. He'd be the first driver to win their first career victory at Milwaukee since Michel Jourdain Jr. did it a decade ago.
Sebastián Saavedra starts a surprising sixth, a career best as he looks for his first career win as well. Tony Kanaan is going for his third career win at the Mile and second win of the season. Josef Newgarden starts on the outside of Kanaan. Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Racing occupy row five with Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier. Scott Dixon looks to avenge a penalty last year for jumping an aborted restart that cost him a shot at victory. He starts eleventh. James Jakes starts twelfth as he continues an impressive 2013 season. Sébastien Bourdais starts fourteenth in his first start at the Milwaukee Mile since his win there in 2006. Takuma Sato starts fifteenth. His car owner AJ Foyt will not be able to attend the race due to pain in his leg. Alex Tagliani starts sixteenth and looks to get his second career victory. His first came in 2004 at Road America.
Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves start on row nine. Castroneves is looking for his first career win at Milwaukee. Ryan Briscoe starts nineteenth as he looks to repeat his winning efforts of 2008. Ana Beatriz starts twentieth after missing the last three races. Mike Conway and Pippa Mann drove in replace of Beatriz the last two weeks. Americans Ed Carpenter and Charlie Kimball start on row eleven ahead of Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro.
Update: Both Dario Franchitti and Graham Rahal made engine changes prior to Milwaukee IndyFest and will start twenty-third and twenty-fourth respectively.
Today's forecast at Milwaukee calls for scattered thunderstorms and a high of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a sixty percent chance of rain. However the chance of precipitation drops to thirty percent around the time of green flag. NBCSN's coverage starts at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Marco Andretti is also looking to take the points lead today from Helio Castroneves and starts seventeen positions ahead of the Brazilian. James Hinchcliffe looks to pick up his third win of the season and join fellow Canadians Greg Moore and Paul Tracy as winner at the Milwaukee Mile. Will Power starts third as he looks for his first win of the season. Ryan Hunter-Reay looks to win back-to-back at the Milwaukee Mile and looks to take the points lead from Helio Castroneves and jump his teammate Marco Andretti in doing so. EJ Viso starts fifth as he looks to pick up his first career victory. He'd be the first driver to win their first career victory at Milwaukee since Michel Jourdain Jr. did it a decade ago.
Sebastián Saavedra starts a surprising sixth, a career best as he looks for his first career win as well. Tony Kanaan is going for his third career win at the Mile and second win of the season. Josef Newgarden starts on the outside of Kanaan. Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Racing occupy row five with Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier. Scott Dixon looks to avenge a penalty last year for jumping an aborted restart that cost him a shot at victory. He starts eleventh. James Jakes starts twelfth as he continues an impressive 2013 season. Sébastien Bourdais starts fourteenth in his first start at the Milwaukee Mile since his win there in 2006. Takuma Sato starts fifteenth. His car owner AJ Foyt will not be able to attend the race due to pain in his leg. Alex Tagliani starts sixteenth and looks to get his second career victory. His first came in 2004 at Road America.
Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves start on row nine. Castroneves is looking for his first career win at Milwaukee. Ryan Briscoe starts nineteenth as he looks to repeat his winning efforts of 2008. Ana Beatriz starts twentieth after missing the last three races. Mike Conway and Pippa Mann drove in replace of Beatriz the last two weeks. Americans Ed Carpenter and Charlie Kimball start on row eleven ahead of Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro.
Update: Both Dario Franchitti and Graham Rahal made engine changes prior to Milwaukee IndyFest and will start twenty-third and twenty-fourth respectively.
Today's forecast at Milwaukee calls for scattered thunderstorms and a high of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a sixty percent chance of rain. However the chance of precipitation drops to thirty percent around the time of green flag. NBCSN's coverage starts at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Marco Andretti Wins Milwaukee IndyFest Pole
Friday afternoon saw only one name on top of the time sheet at the end of each IndyCar session: Marco Andretti.
Andretti won his third career pole and second at Milwaukee with an average speed of 170.515 MPH. Andretti Autosport put all four cars in the top five with Will Power spoiling the party late and breaking up what would have been a 1-2-3-4 sweep for Andretti Autosport. James Hinchcliffe tied his best career starting position in second just ahead of Power in third with Ryan Hunter-Reay and EJ Viso rounding out the top five.
Sebastián Saavedra will start a career best sixth ahead of Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan in seventh. Chevrolet swept the top seven positions but Honda took the next six positions on the grid. Josef Newgarden was the fastest Honda in eighth ahead of the Schmidt Peterson Hamilton cars of Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier. Scott Dixon was just outside the top ten with the Brits James Jakes and Justin Wilson behind him. Sébastien Bourdais starts fourteenth in his first trip to the Milwaukee Mile since he won there in 2006. Takuma Sato starts fifteenth with Alex Tagliani joining him on row eight. Last year's Milwaukee pole sitter Dario Franchitti rolls off from the seventeenth position with points leader Helio Castroneves starting on the outside of row nine.
Two drivers returning to IndyCar this weekend make up row ten. Ryan Briscoe and Ana Beatriz start nineteenth and twentieth respectively. Ed Carpenter and Charlie Kimball make up row eleven with Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro rounding out the field.
Coverage of tomorrow's Milwaukee IndyFest begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN with green flag scheduled around 4:40 p.m. ET.
Andretti won his third career pole and second at Milwaukee with an average speed of 170.515 MPH. Andretti Autosport put all four cars in the top five with Will Power spoiling the party late and breaking up what would have been a 1-2-3-4 sweep for Andretti Autosport. James Hinchcliffe tied his best career starting position in second just ahead of Power in third with Ryan Hunter-Reay and EJ Viso rounding out the top five.
Sebastián Saavedra will start a career best sixth ahead of Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan in seventh. Chevrolet swept the top seven positions but Honda took the next six positions on the grid. Josef Newgarden was the fastest Honda in eighth ahead of the Schmidt Peterson Hamilton cars of Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier. Scott Dixon was just outside the top ten with the Brits James Jakes and Justin Wilson behind him. Sébastien Bourdais starts fourteenth in his first trip to the Milwaukee Mile since he won there in 2006. Takuma Sato starts fifteenth with Alex Tagliani joining him on row eight. Last year's Milwaukee pole sitter Dario Franchitti rolls off from the seventeenth position with points leader Helio Castroneves starting on the outside of row nine.
Two drivers returning to IndyCar this weekend make up row ten. Ryan Briscoe and Ana Beatriz start nineteenth and twentieth respectively. Ed Carpenter and Charlie Kimball make up row eleven with Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro rounding out the field.
Coverage of tomorrow's Milwaukee IndyFest begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN with green flag scheduled around 4:40 p.m. ET.
Andretti Sweeps Practice
For the second consecutive session Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay took the top two times on the speed charts in practice for tomorrow's Milwaukee IndyFest. Andretti set the fastest time at 21.6811 seconds, 0.0501 seconds ahead of Hunter-Reay. Takuma Sato jumped up to third in the second session ahead of EJ Viso and Scott Dixon.
Helio Castroneves was sixth leading the Hondas of Justin Wilson, James Jakes and Alex Tagliani. Sébastien Bourdais rounded out the top ten. Dario Franchitti was eleventh fastest with James Hinchcliffe in twelfth. A half second covered the top twelve in this session. Sebastián Saavedra was only three positions and a little less than eight hundredths back of his Dragon Racing teammate in thirteenth. Josef Newgarden dropped to fourteenth in the second practice with Simon Pagenaud rounding out the top fifteen.
Ryan Briscoe was sixteenth ahead of former Penske teammate Will Power. Tony Kanaan fell ten positions to eighteenth in the second practice ahead of Ana Beatriz and Graham Rahal. Tristan Vautier and Simona de Silvestro were two driver that fell out of the top ten from the first practice. They were twenty-first and twenty-second respectively. Charlie Kimball and Ed Carpenter rounded out the field. Carpenter was 1.3142 seconds back of Andretti in this session.
Qualifying takes place at 5:15 p.m. ET with NBCSN airing the session at 7:00 p.m. ET. IndyCar's most recent winner and the points leader Helio Castroneves will roll out first. Some key drivers to look out for are Takuma Sato going out fourth, Dario Franchitti going out seventh, Ryan Hunter-Reay going out ninth, EJ Viso going out tenth, Marco Andretti going out seventeenth, Will Power going out nineteenth and Scott Dixon going out twenty-first. Ana Beatriz will be the final driver to take time.
Andretti Autosport 1-2 in Milwaukee First Practice
Marco Andretti led first practice for Milwaukee IndyFest with a fastest lap of 21.9217 seconds. Andretti Autosport teammate and defending IndyFest winner Ryan Hunter-Reay was second, just 0.0183 seconds back of Andretti. The two most recent Indy Lights champions were third and fourth quickest. Josef Newgarden was the fastest Honda ahead of Tristan Vautier. Will Power rounded out the top five.
Chevrolets took the final five spots of the top ten. EJ Viso was sixth quickest ahead of points leader and most recent race winner Helio Castroneves. KV Racing's two entries were the next two fastest on the speed charts. Tony Kanaan was eighth quickest ahead of his teammate Simona de Silvestro. James Hinchcliffe was tenth, bookending the top ten for Andretti Autosport.
Ana Beatriz was eleventh in her first race back for Dale Coyne Racing. Alex Tagliani was twelfth ahead of Scott Dixon, Sebastián Saavedra and Ryan Briscoe. Charlie Kimball was sixteenth fastest ahead of Justin Wilson and former Ganassi teammate Graham Rahal in eighteenth. Sébastien Bourdais was nineteenth with Long Beach winner Takuma Sato in twentieth.
Dario Franchitti was twenty-first ahead of Belle Isle winner Simon Pagenaud, James Jakes and Ed Carpenter. A half second covered the top twenty-two cars with only 0.6554 seconds between Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter.
Second practice will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET with qualifying starting at 5:15 p.m. ET. NBCSN coverage of qualifying will air at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Chevrolets took the final five spots of the top ten. EJ Viso was sixth quickest ahead of points leader and most recent race winner Helio Castroneves. KV Racing's two entries were the next two fastest on the speed charts. Tony Kanaan was eighth quickest ahead of his teammate Simona de Silvestro. James Hinchcliffe was tenth, bookending the top ten for Andretti Autosport.
Ana Beatriz was eleventh in her first race back for Dale Coyne Racing. Alex Tagliani was twelfth ahead of Scott Dixon, Sebastián Saavedra and Ryan Briscoe. Charlie Kimball was sixteenth fastest ahead of Justin Wilson and former Ganassi teammate Graham Rahal in eighteenth. Sébastien Bourdais was nineteenth with Long Beach winner Takuma Sato in twentieth.
Dario Franchitti was twenty-first ahead of Belle Isle winner Simon Pagenaud, James Jakes and Ed Carpenter. A half second covered the top twenty-two cars with only 0.6554 seconds between Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter.
Second practice will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET with qualifying starting at 5:15 p.m. ET. NBCSN coverage of qualifying will air at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Track Walk: Milwaukee 2013
Helio Castroneves took the points lead after his first win of the season last Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway and leads the Izod IndyCar Series to the Milwaukee Mile. Last year at Milwaukee Ryan Hunter-Reay picked up his first of four wins during his championship season.
The Death of Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler died last night after succumbing to injuries suffered in a sprint car accident at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Leffler, 37, is survived by a son Charlie.
A diverse racer, Leffler won three consecutive USAC National Midget Championships from 1997 to 1999 and the 1998 USAC Silver Crown Championship. Leffler made three starts in IndyCar over two years with a career best fifteenth at Las Vegas in 2000. He started the 2000 Indianapolis 500 where he started and finished seventeenth. In 2000, Leffler ran the full NASCAR Busch Series season for Joe Gibbs Racing before moving up to the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2001. In his rookie season for Ganassi, Leffer struggled, failing to qualify for five races and having an average finish of 27.7. He did have one bright spot scoring the pole position in the inaugural race at Kansas Speedway. Leffler would score his lone career top ten in NASCAR's top division in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It would be another four years before Leffler got another shot at driving full-time in the top division of NASCAR.
In the interim, he drove in the Truck and Busch Series where Leffler found success. In 2002, driving for Ultra Motorsports, Leffler won eight poles, scored eleven top fives and fifteen top tens in twenty-two races and finished fifth in the point standings but did not win a race. In 2003, Leffler won the Truck race at Dover for his first career win in NASCAR. By 2004, Leffler was back in the NASCAR Busch Series driving for Gene Haas and won at Nashville Superspeedway.
Leffler's return to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was not highly successful. He only raced nineteen times for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, scoring a best finish of twelfth at Martinsville Speedway with the low point being failing to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. Leffler returned to the Busch Series in 2006 and ran every race from 2006 to 2011, picking up his second career win at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2007, the first first win for Toyota in the Busch Series. Leffler made his final career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start last Sunday at Pocono Raceway, completing eight laps before retiring, finishing forty-third.
Briscoe Is Back
Ryan Briscoe will have a busy few weeks. Last week, when IndyCar was in Texas, Briscoe was in Le Mans, getting his first test laps done on Circuit de la Sarthe in preparation for the the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 22nd and 23rd. This week he is flying back to the United States to drive the National Guard Chevrolet for Panther Racing at Milwaukee. This will be his third start with the team after running the doubleheader at Belle Isle. Briscoe won his first career IndyCar race at Milwaukee in 2008 and would finish second in 2009 but has not finished in the top ten at the Milwaukee Mile since it returned from it's one-year sabbatical in 2010.
Races for the rest of 2013 are up in the air for Briscoe. Next week, he will be racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Level 5 Motorsports, while Oriol Serviá will be in the #4 at Iowa. The American Le Mans Series is at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut the day before the Pocono race. Other possible conflicts for Briscoe are October 5 when the Houston doubleheader and Virginia International Raceway are head-to-head and October 19 when both series have their season finales, IndyCar at Fontana and ALMS with Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Both IndyCar and ALMS race at Baltimore on Labor Day weekend.
IndyCar in Forza Motorsport 5
The IndyCar of Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon and Will Power will be included in Forza Motorsport 5, a racing simulator for the new Xbox One due to be released this fall. This is the first time open-wheel race cars will be included in the game. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will also be in the game. Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden were on hand for the announcement last night in Los Angeles.
Forecast and A Potential TV Conflict
Friday at the Milwaukee Mile calls for sunny conditions with a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, chance of rain at ten percent. Saturday's forecast is scattered thunderstorms, a high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit and chance of rain at fifty percent.
Rain on Saturday could cause a television conflict. Green flag time for Saturday is scheduled around 4:40 p.m. ET and the NBCSN television window goes to 7 p.m. ET. The pre-game show for game two of the Stanley Cup Final follows the race with game two starting at 8 p.m. ET. Should a delay last any longer than an hour, IndyCar will be between a rock and a hard place with no backup plan having been announced. Let's keep an eye on that.
Track Facts
Andretti Autosport has won five of the last six races on ovals under a mile and a half. Active drivers who have won at Milwaukee Mile are Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan and Sébastien Bourdais. Hunter-Reay, Franchitti and Kanaan each have two wins at the track.
In the last twenty races at Milwaukee, the winner has come from pole six times, with Dario Franchitti in 2011 being the most recent. The farthest back a winner has come from in the last twenty races is eleventh, done by Ryan Briscoe in 2008.
Extra Notes
25 More Laps: For the first time since Ryan Hunter-Reay led flag-to-flag in 2004, the IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile will be 250 laps. Since reunification, Milwaukee has only been a 225 lap race.
As of Thursday morning, the driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Honda has yet to be announced.
Prediction
Give me Ryan Hunter-Reay. He has won the last two races on short tracks and Andretti Autosport has shown to be the best team on ovals the last two seasons. Last week Andretti Autosport had all four cars in the top ten. I think they will get three cars in the top ten this week. Penske Racing has not won on a short track since Briscoe's win at Milwaukee in 2008. I think neither Will Power or Helio Castroneves score a top five this week. Tony Kanaan will pick up another top five. Graham Rahal will finish ahead of his teammate James Jakes but neither will be in the top ten. Scott Dixon is the top finishing Ganassi driver and top finishing Honda. Sleeper: EJ Viso.
The Death of Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler died last night after succumbing to injuries suffered in a sprint car accident at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Leffler, 37, is survived by a son Charlie.
A diverse racer, Leffler won three consecutive USAC National Midget Championships from 1997 to 1999 and the 1998 USAC Silver Crown Championship. Leffler made three starts in IndyCar over two years with a career best fifteenth at Las Vegas in 2000. He started the 2000 Indianapolis 500 where he started and finished seventeenth. In 2000, Leffler ran the full NASCAR Busch Series season for Joe Gibbs Racing before moving up to the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2001. In his rookie season for Ganassi, Leffer struggled, failing to qualify for five races and having an average finish of 27.7. He did have one bright spot scoring the pole position in the inaugural race at Kansas Speedway. Leffler would score his lone career top ten in NASCAR's top division in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It would be another four years before Leffler got another shot at driving full-time in the top division of NASCAR.
In the interim, he drove in the Truck and Busch Series where Leffler found success. In 2002, driving for Ultra Motorsports, Leffler won eight poles, scored eleven top fives and fifteen top tens in twenty-two races and finished fifth in the point standings but did not win a race. In 2003, Leffler won the Truck race at Dover for his first career win in NASCAR. By 2004, Leffler was back in the NASCAR Busch Series driving for Gene Haas and won at Nashville Superspeedway.
Leffler's return to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was not highly successful. He only raced nineteen times for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, scoring a best finish of twelfth at Martinsville Speedway with the low point being failing to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. Leffler returned to the Busch Series in 2006 and ran every race from 2006 to 2011, picking up his second career win at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2007, the first first win for Toyota in the Busch Series. Leffler made his final career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start last Sunday at Pocono Raceway, completing eight laps before retiring, finishing forty-third.
Briscoe Is Back
Ryan Briscoe will have a busy few weeks. Last week, when IndyCar was in Texas, Briscoe was in Le Mans, getting his first test laps done on Circuit de la Sarthe in preparation for the the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 22nd and 23rd. This week he is flying back to the United States to drive the National Guard Chevrolet for Panther Racing at Milwaukee. This will be his third start with the team after running the doubleheader at Belle Isle. Briscoe won his first career IndyCar race at Milwaukee in 2008 and would finish second in 2009 but has not finished in the top ten at the Milwaukee Mile since it returned from it's one-year sabbatical in 2010.
Races for the rest of 2013 are up in the air for Briscoe. Next week, he will be racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Level 5 Motorsports, while Oriol Serviá will be in the #4 at Iowa. The American Le Mans Series is at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut the day before the Pocono race. Other possible conflicts for Briscoe are October 5 when the Houston doubleheader and Virginia International Raceway are head-to-head and October 19 when both series have their season finales, IndyCar at Fontana and ALMS with Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Both IndyCar and ALMS race at Baltimore on Labor Day weekend.
IndyCar in Forza Motorsport 5
The IndyCar of Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon and Will Power will be included in Forza Motorsport 5, a racing simulator for the new Xbox One due to be released this fall. This is the first time open-wheel race cars will be included in the game. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will also be in the game. Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden were on hand for the announcement last night in Los Angeles.
Forecast and A Potential TV Conflict
Friday at the Milwaukee Mile calls for sunny conditions with a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, chance of rain at ten percent. Saturday's forecast is scattered thunderstorms, a high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit and chance of rain at fifty percent.
Rain on Saturday could cause a television conflict. Green flag time for Saturday is scheduled around 4:40 p.m. ET and the NBCSN television window goes to 7 p.m. ET. The pre-game show for game two of the Stanley Cup Final follows the race with game two starting at 8 p.m. ET. Should a delay last any longer than an hour, IndyCar will be between a rock and a hard place with no backup plan having been announced. Let's keep an eye on that.
Track Facts
Andretti Autosport has won five of the last six races on ovals under a mile and a half. Active drivers who have won at Milwaukee Mile are Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan and Sébastien Bourdais. Hunter-Reay, Franchitti and Kanaan each have two wins at the track.
In the last twenty races at Milwaukee, the winner has come from pole six times, with Dario Franchitti in 2011 being the most recent. The farthest back a winner has come from in the last twenty races is eleventh, done by Ryan Briscoe in 2008.
Extra Notes
25 More Laps: For the first time since Ryan Hunter-Reay led flag-to-flag in 2004, the IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile will be 250 laps. Since reunification, Milwaukee has only been a 225 lap race.
As of Thursday morning, the driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Honda has yet to be announced.
Prediction
Give me Ryan Hunter-Reay. He has won the last two races on short tracks and Andretti Autosport has shown to be the best team on ovals the last two seasons. Last week Andretti Autosport had all four cars in the top ten. I think they will get three cars in the top ten this week. Penske Racing has not won on a short track since Briscoe's win at Milwaukee in 2008. I think neither Will Power or Helio Castroneves score a top five this week. Tony Kanaan will pick up another top five. Graham Rahal will finish ahead of his teammate James Jakes but neither will be in the top ten. Scott Dixon is the top finishing Ganassi driver and top finishing Honda. Sleeper: EJ Viso.
Monday, June 10, 2013
On To IndyFest
For the one hundredth and eleventh time, American open-wheel racing heads to the Milwaukee Mile. Milwaukee IndyFest takes place this Saturday afternoon and there are a few things to look forward to.
Who Will Be Driving For Panther And Dale Coyne Racing?
There are two vacant seats for Milwaukee as of today. Oriol Serviá and Pippa Mann drove for Panther and Dale Coyne respectively but neither have been announced for Milwaukee. Serviá has been announced for Iowa in a fortnight but has not been announced for Milwaukee, a track where he has finished in the top ten in his last seven appearances at the track, including five top fives. Mann only got to complete two laps at Texas last week before the engine expired.
Ryan Briscoe is in France testing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and it appears unlikely he will be driving at Milwaukee. Briscoe drove the doubleheader at Belle Isle for Panther Racing. Townsend Bell and Buddy Rice have been drivers linked to the National Guard Chevrolet. Bell has three starts at Milwaukee with finishes of thirteenth, sixth and eleventh. Bell will be at Milwaukee as he is one of the color commentator for NBCSN. Rice has two top tens in five starts at the Mile including a second place in 2004. Rice retired for each of his other three starts.
Ana Beatriz drove for Dale Coyne in the first five races of 2013 and finished seventeenth in her only start at Milwaukee in 2011. She was reportedly still looking to find the funding to race after Indianapolis. Other drivers who have raced recently looking for rides include JR Hildebrand and Katherine Legge. Hildebrand has finishes of twenty-first and twenty-second in two starts at the Mile while Legge finished sixth and eighteenth in two starts at Milwaukee. Legge also led her first career laps at Milwaukee in 2006 and drove for Dale Coyne in 2007.
Road To Indy Returns
The ladder system returns to racing this weekend at Milwaukee. Pro Mazda hits the track for the first time since the Night Before The 500 at Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park). Matthew Brabham has won the last four races and leads Diego Ferreira by thirty-one points. Four Americans occupy the next four positions in the standings. Shelby Blackstock is third after four straight podiums ahead of Spencer Pigot, Scott Anderson and Kyle Kaiser. This is the final oval event for Pro Mazda in 2013.
Firestone Indy Lights returns to racing after a four-wide photo finish at the Firestone Freedom 100 saw Peter Dempsey pick up his first career Indy Lights win ahead of Gabby Chaves, Sage Karam and Carlos Muñoz. Muñoz leads Dempsey by twenty-seven points. Muñoz is also coming off a great month of May which saw the Colombian finish second in the Indianapolis 500 and win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Chaves and Karam are twenty-eight and twenty-nine points back of Muñoz. Karam won at Milwaukee in the 2011 Star Mazda race.
A Taste of Formula One At Milwaukee
It's not Jim Clark showing up in 1963 and going head to head with the likes of AJ Foyt, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones and USAC's best but they are Brits. David Hobbs and Will Buxton will be added to the NBCSN crew this weekend. Hobbs will join Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell (should he not be racing) in the booth as Wally Dallenbach will be in Michigan calling the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for TNT. Will Buxton will be working the pit lane for Marty Snider who will also be in Michigan working as a pit reporter for TNT. Buxton worked as a pit reporter on Pole and Bump Day at Indianapolis this year.
NBCSN's coverage of Milwaukee IndyFest begins Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Who Will Be Driving For Panther And Dale Coyne Racing?
There are two vacant seats for Milwaukee as of today. Oriol Serviá and Pippa Mann drove for Panther and Dale Coyne respectively but neither have been announced for Milwaukee. Serviá has been announced for Iowa in a fortnight but has not been announced for Milwaukee, a track where he has finished in the top ten in his last seven appearances at the track, including five top fives. Mann only got to complete two laps at Texas last week before the engine expired.
Ryan Briscoe is in France testing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and it appears unlikely he will be driving at Milwaukee. Briscoe drove the doubleheader at Belle Isle for Panther Racing. Townsend Bell and Buddy Rice have been drivers linked to the National Guard Chevrolet. Bell has three starts at Milwaukee with finishes of thirteenth, sixth and eleventh. Bell will be at Milwaukee as he is one of the color commentator for NBCSN. Rice has two top tens in five starts at the Mile including a second place in 2004. Rice retired for each of his other three starts.
Ana Beatriz drove for Dale Coyne in the first five races of 2013 and finished seventeenth in her only start at Milwaukee in 2011. She was reportedly still looking to find the funding to race after Indianapolis. Other drivers who have raced recently looking for rides include JR Hildebrand and Katherine Legge. Hildebrand has finishes of twenty-first and twenty-second in two starts at the Mile while Legge finished sixth and eighteenth in two starts at Milwaukee. Legge also led her first career laps at Milwaukee in 2006 and drove for Dale Coyne in 2007.
Road To Indy Returns
The ladder system returns to racing this weekend at Milwaukee. Pro Mazda hits the track for the first time since the Night Before The 500 at Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park). Matthew Brabham has won the last four races and leads Diego Ferreira by thirty-one points. Four Americans occupy the next four positions in the standings. Shelby Blackstock is third after four straight podiums ahead of Spencer Pigot, Scott Anderson and Kyle Kaiser. This is the final oval event for Pro Mazda in 2013.
Firestone Indy Lights returns to racing after a four-wide photo finish at the Firestone Freedom 100 saw Peter Dempsey pick up his first career Indy Lights win ahead of Gabby Chaves, Sage Karam and Carlos Muñoz. Muñoz leads Dempsey by twenty-seven points. Muñoz is also coming off a great month of May which saw the Colombian finish second in the Indianapolis 500 and win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Chaves and Karam are twenty-eight and twenty-nine points back of Muñoz. Karam won at Milwaukee in the 2011 Star Mazda race.
A Taste of Formula One At Milwaukee
It's not Jim Clark showing up in 1963 and going head to head with the likes of AJ Foyt, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones and USAC's best but they are Brits. David Hobbs and Will Buxton will be added to the NBCSN crew this weekend. Hobbs will join Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell (should he not be racing) in the booth as Wally Dallenbach will be in Michigan calling the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for TNT. Will Buxton will be working the pit lane for Marty Snider who will also be in Michigan working as a pit reporter for TNT. Buxton worked as a pit reporter on Pole and Bump Day at Indianapolis this year.
NBCSN's coverage of Milwaukee IndyFest begins Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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