Saturday, June 6 IndyCar finally had its season opener at Texas Motor Speedway. The NTT IndyCar series would be racing in front of empty stands and in a shortened race but the Genesys 300 would still provide lots of good racing and fun for all watching.
I however had to watch from my car. Due poor planning on my part we planned our vacation beginning on June 6. I would be arriving at brother-in-laws house right in the middle of the race. Well we left a bit later than planned and I was able to watch most of the race. Traveling doesn’t provide the best coverage and it did cut out some. I missed the last accident but caught the final laps. No surprise at all when Scott Dixon won his 47th career IndyCar victory.
It has been an odd year beginning with St. Pete looking set to run as the season opener only to be cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. IRacing helped get us through the beginning of the pandemic but it sure is not as good as the real thing. Thankfully Texas stayed on the schedule. The race was shortened and no fans were allowed. It became a one day show with practice, qualifying and the race all happening on the same day. None of that mattered, it was just great to have IndyCar back.
Plenty of news sources and blogs can break down the race events so I will just share my thoughts.
AJ Foyt racing had a strong start to the season. The end results might not show it with Tony Kanaan finishing 10th and Charlie Kimball in 12th but both had great potential. Kimball ran up near the front for the most of the race but contact on the last lap while trying to improve his position did the opposite and set him back. It’s the kind of determination AJ likes to see but hopefully Kimball will have better results next time. TK did well in qualifying and might have had a better race if not for a pit speed violation that resulted in a drive through. Still this is better than the Foyt team usually does and both showed great potential.
The Penske team while strong did not dominate. Both Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden complained of a vibration in the rear tire. Odd for the Penske team.
Andretti Autosport was all over the place. Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay both had issues before the green flag and made unapproved changes to the car resulting in them starting in the back of the field. Marco Andretti finished 14th and Colton Herta in 7th. Not much was heard about either during the race. Zach Veach had a great night just missing the podium with a fourth place finish. Loved seeing Zach up front.
Such a disappointing race for Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus Veekay and Dale Coyne Racing’s Alex Palou. Veekay hit the wall and Palou was gathered up in it. So frustrating for the rookies.
Scott Dixon proved why he is a multi champion in the series. He qualified second and moved up the one position he needed to take the checkered flag.
Such a fun race. Thankful no one was hurt and so grateful we are back to racing.
ikissedthebricks 