Sonsio Grand Prix

This year I was able to continue my tradition of attending the road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Mother’s Day weekend. This has become such a fun way to spend time with my boys and do exactly what I want on my special day. Unfortunately, Matthew was unable to join Zach and I. How dare these kids grow up.

I drove down to Indy on Friday morning so I could attend qualifying but Zach had a flight lesson (he is working on getting his private pilot license) so he drove up Friday evening. On Friday, I walked through the garage a couple times before finding seats up in turn one of the oval for qualifying. I saw Conor Daly and was able to get a picture. As I left the garages I made my way to the Indy NXT garages to find Scott on the HDM team. It’s always fun to catch up with him at the races.

I love sitting high in the paddock boxes for qualifying. If i could afford those seats I would attend the 500 every year. I enjoyed a snack, the beautiful day and cars on track. Alex Palou won the Pole and he is Zach’s favorite so that was fun. After qualifying I walked back to Pagoda Plaza in hopes of seeing James Hinchcliffe but no luck. I watched the start of the Indy NXT race and then left to get settled at my friend, Lisa’s for the week plus I am in town. Zach arrived around 8:00.

Race Day

I let Zach sleep in sine we had plenty of time before the 3:30 green flag. We arrived at the track and set up our chairs in our usual spot near turn 7. We watched the end of the Indy NXT race and made our way to Pagoda Plaza to grab some lunch for Zach. We checked out the gift shop and the fan village and walked by the corvette parking to take in all the sights before the race.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was warm but plenty of cloud coverage to keep you cool. Zach chose Alex Palou and I chose Will Power for the win. It wasn’t an overly exciting race but the day was still very enjoyable. Palou won and Power was second. Christian Lundgaard continues to impress on the Rahal team and finished third. I owe Zach a Starbucks for his win with Palou.

We made our way back to Pagoda Plaza in hopes of seeing Hinch but missed him again. We did see Allen Bestwick and friends, Jeff and Maggie. They love Will Power so were there to celebrate the podium finish. Zach and I made the long trek back to the car and enjoyed dinner at home while watching Survivor (something we always do together). We also took a late night drive in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights but had no luck.

Mother’s Day

I woke Zach up around 10:00 so we could go to breakfast at Charlie Brown’s in Speedway. There were open seats at the bar so we didn’t have to wait for a table. Zach asked as we sat down if any famous drivers were there. I started to respond that i didn’t see any but as I turned to tell Zach, I noticed he was sitting next to Bryan Herta. Bryan won a handful of races in Cart and IndyCar before starting his own team. He was won the Indianapolis 500 twice as an owner with drivers, Don Wheldon and Alexander Rossi. Bryan did not even make eye contact when I said his name so we did not bother him at breakfast. I couldn’t resist taking a sly picture though. Per my usual, I started a conversation with the men sitting on my side asking if they were race fans. Turns out they both work for Team Penske and offered a bit of insight in the Push to Pass drama. Of course they were very vague but did say it was a mistake and the one who made the mistake is just distraught over it. Maybe one day we will truly know the whole story but for now I am ready to move on and trust that it was the end of any wrong doing, intentional or not. As we were finishing our breakfast we saw good friends, George and Susan Phillips. I chatted with them and hope to see more of them next weekend.

Zach and I then went to IMS to get my Mother’s Day gift. The gift shop is smaller and I didn’t really need anything so I told Zach I would see what I might be able to find during the week. We ran into Bob, who often helps with my trivia contest every year and I told him how I have a piece of the museum at my house now.

One last stop across the street at the photo shop but it was closed.

Bryan Herta

Penske Team

Bob

Also a stop at Crown Hill cemetery

Carl Fisher- founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Zach got on the rode for home around 2:00 and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon, talking to my sis and taking a walk. Lisa arrived home from a weekend with her family around 10:00 pm.

It was a wonderful weekend and now it’s time for practice for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing! I can’t wait!

George Robson 1946 Indianapolis 500 Winner

By now everyone knows how much I love my timeline piece from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. After nearly three months it is officially mounted on my basement wall and I am trying to put together a fun IndyCar area in my basement. As I’ve worked on this I realize how little I know about the men who won the Indy 500 between 1946-1956. I’ve decided to do my own countdown to the 500 where each week I showcase a different winner on my timeline. Since both Mauri Rose and Bill Vukovich have back to back wins I will combine 1947/48 and 1953/54 allowing for a post a week until race day. The posts won’t be extremely detailed but hopefully are a fun way to learn more about the drivers from the era.

George Robson, winner of the 1946 Indianapolis 500, is probably the driver I know the least about and one of the reasons I came up with this blog series. Even his name is not familiar to me.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was closed during World War II. The Indianapolis 500 was not run but the track was also not in use as it had been during the First World War. The use of the Speedway was offered to the government but due to increases in airplane technology the facility was too small to serve as a base for the military aircraft as it had in World War I. The entire Speedway was in shambles. Weeds and trees were growing up through the track and owner Eddie Rickenbacker was open to selling the facility. Former winner, Wilbur Shaw, set out to find a buyer for the Speedway and met with Anton “Tony” Hulman. Rickenbacker sold the Speedway to Tony Hulman and Wilbur Shaw became president and general manager of the Speedway.

The task of repairing the Speedway was a huge one. Grass and weeds were waist high and bleachers were falling down. The work was done, including new bleachers and even a new Pagoda, and fans flocked to the Speedway eager to see cars back on track. The cars were all prewar models and at the end of the 1946 race only 9 cars were still running. George Robson took the checkered flag.

George was born in England in 1909. In 1911 his family moved to Canada and then moved to the United States in 1924, settling in Huntington Park, California. He married Marjorie June in 1933 and had a son the following year named George William. George began his racing career in the mid 1930s and his first experience at the Indianapolis 500 was as a relief driver. Robson would qualify for both the 1940 and the 1941 Indianapolis 500, finishing in 23rd and 25th place.

In 1946 Robson qualified on the fourth day of qualifying but with the fifth fastest time. He started in 15th position and took the lead on lap 56. With the exception of pit stops he held onto the lead the rest of the race. After the race there was a bit of controversy as Robson was accused of not following the rules by staying in his car during the pit stops but it was determined that he was the winner.

The Indianapolis 500 win must have given Robson a boost of confidence because he went on to win 6 races (these were non points races) and was second in the points standings among championship races. Unfortunately, George Robson would lose his life at a race at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. It was a track know for being dusty and visibility was poor. George tried to avoid hitting Billy DeVore and was hit by George Barriner. Robson was not able to avoid DeVore. DeVore’s car went over a stone wall and he landed upside down in a creek. People from the crowd rescued him. Barringer had massive internal injuries and died a few hours later. George Robson’s car rolled and he was thrown to his death.

I guess I am not surprised to learn that George died shortly after his Indianapolis 500 win, it was often the case in these early days of racing. I do wish though that this first driver profile had ended on a happier note. While sad and tragic, I do hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about the 1946 winner and I look forward to posting each week about the men who won the Indianapolis 500.

This is my 200th blog post.

Gateway, Championships and Dixon

Before I begin blogging, two personal notes. My son Matthew earned his private pilot license. It’s been a long time in the making and we are so proud. Second, I must be the world’s worst blogger. I always have a blog post thought up in my head but I never get around to posting it. I appreciate all of you that show up and check out my blog, even when I’m not faithful about posting regularly.

So before we get into the latest news let me quickly cover a few things.

• Wow! So great seeing Graham Rahal on the pole for the Indy road course race. I so desperately wanted him to win. I was looking for any reason to disqualify Scott Dixon so I was not happy with the fact that the red light on the back of his car was blinking red for the entire race. I don’t care what you say, muscle memory will make you slow down when you see that. It might not be why he won but it was definitely an advantage. I wish they would have called him into the pits for that. However, I will admit, if it were a driver trying to catch back up to the lead I’d be furious if IndyCar call them in for that. I know, you can’t have it both ways. I just really wanted Graham to win.
• When did Josef Newgarden become such a whiner. I was such a huge Newgarden fan when he was racing for Sarah Fisher and Ed Carpenter. I am not such a big fan now. If things don’t go his way or he has an off week he won’t even give an interview and stalks off. Grow up Josef! It’s racing. You won the Indy 500 and drive for the best team. Suck it up, smile for the camera and admit that not everything always goes the way you want it. It’s okay and we will all respect you more if you aren’t pouting about it. And just to clarify, I’m not talking about complaining or being mad but when he literally walks away and won’t speak it drives me crazy. It wasn’t this way before so we know he can pull it together and respond to the interview.
• Jack Harvey was dropped mid season. I am not okay with this. I understand the reason but he had a contract and once we start dropping everyone just because they aren’t having good results it opens the door to this happening much more often. If you sign for a season you should be allowed to continue. I didn’t see Jack returning but this still irked me.
• Simon Pagenaud. My heart breaks for him. Watching him walk away from that crash I thought wow how amazing, he is not even hurt. However, it appears he had a concussion and is still suffering from the effects of that. I did not expect him to be out this long, and I don’t think this is good for his future. Praying Simon makes a full recovery and his back racing soon.

OK, so I think that quickly caught us up on the things I wanted to cover. So let’s move on to Gateway. I know the official name is World Wide Technology Raceway but it will always be Gateway to me.

I was so disappointed to miss this race for the second year in a row. IndyCar, please please please make this a night race again.

Saturday had a severe rain delay and the cars were only on track for a practice session. Qualifying took place on Sunday morning just a few hours before the race. This is not ideal but so much better than running bases on points. I was glad to see qualifying happen. Personally, I prefer if we went back to a qualifying draw so that sometimes the underdogs can catch a break.

The race took place on Sunday afternoon and besides the several obstacles that kept me from attending I didn’t push too much because an afternoon race in St Louis in August sounds sweltering but the weather actually cooperated on Sunday and temps weren’t too hot.

So let’s look at the race

• The flyover. Matthew is in the Air National Guard and his base is Scott Air Force Base. Two years ago he was in awe watching the KC 135 perform the flyover so I asked if anyone there could send a video of the flyover since there was no prerace show on NBC. I don’t think I ever seen a more pathetic flyover. It appeared to be a small private jet. I sent the video to Matthew and he responded, “Well, that is pretty lame.” Huge disappointment.
• Josef Newgarden had won every oval race so far this year. I made the mistake of picking him for my fantasy league figuring even if he didn’t win he would finish up top but a brush with the wall put him in 25th position and he did not earn enough points to challenge Alex Palou in the championship run. Miraculously, he did give an interview after.
• David Malukas was again so fun to watch. He has Gateway figured out and had another fantastic race there finishing in third. There is lots of speculation about which team he will be driving for next year and I can’t wait to see what he can do.
• Scott McLaughlin won the pole but had to take a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. He still looked fast in the race but ultimately he did not get his first oval win.
• When all was said and done it was Scott Dixon that won the race. I wouldn’t call myself a big Scott Dixon fan. I get tired of watching him win. He isn’t showy like Helio Castroneves, there is no fence climb or big celebration. He isn’t wild like Will Power so no dramatic post race interview. His driving isn’t aggressive like Takuma Sato so no crazy moves on the track. He isn’t exceptional on restarts like Tony Kanaan gaining several positions. Scott Dixon is quiet and methodical. He is the best at saving fuel and always seems to find his way to the front of the race. Once he is there it’s usually over because he doesn’t make mistakes and he never runs out of fuel. Many are calling Dixon the GOAT. I won’t go that far, I honestly don’t feel that todays drivers can even compare to AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, the Unsers and so many from the past. I also don’t think he is the most popular driver for many of the reasons I listed above. However, you have to respect Scott Dixon and if you aren’t paying attention you are missing out because one day your kids or grandkids will ask if you ever saw Scott Dixon race because he will be compared to the best of the best. His championships, race wins, Indy 500 win are all things that put him in the exact same company as Foyt, Mario, Al and Bobby. What do they say? It’s always the quiet guy you need to look out for. Haha. That’s Dixon, The Iceman, for sure.

And then there were two. Two races, Portland and Laguna Seca and two drivers, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon. Dixon is the only driver with a chance of taking the championship from Palou but it would have to be two disastrous races for Palou and wins for Dixie for that to happen. My money is on Palou but it would be a very Dixon like move for him to somehow find himself the champion.

2023 Season Takes Off!

Haha! Not too original, I know, but that is exactly what happened.

After a long offseason, it’s always too long, the 2023 NTT IndyCar series finally began with the traditional season opener on the streets of St. Pete. The Firestone GP of St. Pete is always a favorite for several reasons, not the least of which is because it’s the first race and fans are so ready to see cars on track. Once again all prerace coverage is available on Peacock. I happen to get Peacock as part of my Comcast subscription but I would definitely pay for it if needed. I love all the coverage it provides.

Sunday morning I wore all my racing gear to church and knew I’d be watching on my DVR. I prefer to watch live but it is not always in the cards. So after church we watched the pre-race show before the race and enjoyed the season opener for as long as we could. The race did not disappoint with plenty of action.

Romain Grosjean won the pole and led the field to the green flag. I didn’t think the cars would make it through turn one but miraculously they did. However, they did not make it much farther before Santino Ferruci seems to have caused an accident which took out himself, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, Benjamin Petersen and sent Devlin Defrancesco flying into the air. Devlin’s car had come to a stop when Benjamin Pedersen, rookie on the AJ Foyt team hit Devlins car at speed. Devlin’s car took off and was several feet off the ground. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Fortunately, all drivers were fine. Helio suffered a mild leg injury but thankfully no really damage, just sore.

A red flag was flown and the debris cleaned up. The race restarted and was going along fine until Kyle Kirkwood was not going to let Devlin be the only one experiencing airtime and launched his car over an accident involving Rinus VeeKay and Jack Harvey. Kirkwood’s car flew up and landed hard but both driver and car were fine, although I’m sure sore this week, and able to continue racing. Jack Harvey did not look well and was taken to the local hospital for observation. He tweeted later that he is fine. He did not look fine, I wonder if we will hear more information about his crash.

After dominating the first part of the race Romain Grosjean wasn’t able to keep Scott McLaughlin behind him and a battle ensued. After a pit stop by McLaughlin the two were side by side when Scott exited the pit lane. But fought for the first place spot and McLaughlin on cold tires couldn’t get his car from going wide and put both himself and Grosjean into the tire barrier. It was absolutely heartbreaking for both drivers.

Now the two drivers that were dominating are out of contention and Pato O’Ward inherits the lead. Marcus Ericsson is close behind and closing the gap in the final laps. I was pulling for Ericsson but really felt Pato would take the checkered flag. However, Pato had a weird, random engine sputter, I don’t fully understand what the issue was but he lost all power for just a second or two. That is all it took though for Marcus Ericsson to get around Pato and with only two laps left he was able to maintain the lead and win the season opener.

During the post race show and interviews I’ve don’t recall a time when I saw so many drivers so dejected. Romain was completely crushed to lose the win. McLaughlin I think was both upset about the loss but also about ending Grosjean’s day. Pato was near tears and could hardly speak during his interview. Michael Andretti probably had a few choice words as well as Larry Foyt and Michael Shank as everyone on those teams were involved in the accidents. The repair bill for this race will be high.

A couple things I want to mention-

– Scott Dixon did what he always does and finished well.

– Alexander Rossi was impressive in his debut race with Arrow McLaren.

– Graham Rahal would be a much bigger contender if he could figure out qualifying. He always moves up positions but has too much of a deficit to make up from his starting position.

– Loved seeing David Malukas in the top ten.

– Agustin Canapino was the best finish for a rookie.

So after all the excitement we now have to wait a month for the next race. I won’t pretend to know all that is involved with scheduling a race or a race season but IndyCar sure does seem to be feast or famine. I would love to see a schedule where races are closer to two weeks apart. So we wait a month to see the cars on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway. That race is always interesting too but hopefully all cars stay on the ground.

Will Power still Impressive

Let me start by saying I’m sorry I haven’t kept up with my blogging this summer. No excuses really, just busy with Matthew finishing his training with the Air National Guard and getting ready for school. Zach entered his Senior year and enjoys his job at Sonic. We usually attend the race at WTT Raceway but that was the weekend we moved Matthew to SIU. Ironically, his roommate drove up for the race. It was super tempting to make a last minute decision to attend also but with Steve with us and the threat of rain we remained in the Carbondale area and watched on TV. I regretted that decision when Will Power made history by tying Mario Andretti for the most poles but was glad for our decision when the race was red flagged for over two hours due to rain.

This past weekend the NTT IndyCar Series wrapped up its season at Laguna Seca. Five drivers were still eligible for the championship but in reality it was really down to Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon. The funny part is I was rooting for Will Power. How many times have we seen a race where Will Power wins the pole, dominates the race and wins? More times than I can count and more times than I care to recall but he doesn’t do it as much as he used to and more recently it’s his teammates that are dominating the race so when Will win the pole I was thrilled. Sadly, IndyCar ruined it for me by announcing it on my phone notification before I was able to watch qualifying. I try so hard to stay off social media when I can’t watch live so it was disappointing to glance at my phone and see who won from my Lock Screen. Nevertheless, it was exciting to watch.

Qualifying

So while IndyCar ruin the pole results, I didn’t know how everyone else did. While we know that Josef should have qualified much farther up I was glad to see that he would have to fight his way up from the back. Josef brought out a red flag when he messed up on the corkscrew and that put him starting in the second to last position. The red flag also caused havoc with Scott Dixon’s qualifying attempt and Scott did not advance to the fast 12. Power’s race was looking a lot more straightforward now.

Power advanced to the fast 6 and won his 68th pole in IndyCar, beating Mario Andretti’s record. Mario was among the first to congratulate Will and it was a sweet moment to watch. Power won 5 poles in the 2022 season so one can only assume that at least a few more poles will be added to his tally before he retires.

Race Day

With both Josef and Dixon starting significantly farther back it seemed Power should have the best chance of winning but one can never count out the iceman, Dixon or Team Penske. Scott Dixon was unimpressive this race though and hovered near the middle never really posing any threat. Josef Newgarden was quite the opposite. Josef had a great day and a yellow flag work in his favor. He was quickly passing cars and eventually passed Will Power on track. However, no one could come close to Alex Palou who won with a 30 second gap to Josef. Power finished third but solidly in first for the championship.

So Alex Palou got a win that he desperately needed for himself as he continues to wait and see what his future holds. Personally, I think he is crazy. He should have stayed with Ganassi but I don’t know him or what his goal in racing is but I would rather drive for a winning team and fight for an Indianapolis 500 win than be a no one in F1. Palou is well liked among fans and this whole mess might have derailed his career- that’s a post for another day. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.

Josef Newgarden proved that he is definitely at the top of his game. He had a few hiccups this year, including qualifying this past weekend but working your way from the back to the front is quite a feat and I expect both a 500 win and more championships in his future. He will come back in 2023 even stronger and you’d be crazy to bet against him next year.

Will Power! Wow, what a weekend. Honestly, I’m more impressed seeing the pole position record broken than the championship won. Years from now people will talk about the poles more than him winning another championship. Hopefully, now that the championship is won he can allow himself to celebrate the history he made by breaking Mario’s record. While I said earlier I have seen Will win the pole and dominate races many times, it does seem to be slowing down a touch and among the three Penske drivers, Will had the least amount of race wins. Once a driver is not on top I start cheering for him more. I guess you can argue that Will is still very much on top. You would be correct, but I think he had to fight harder for this one, or at least in a different way. He had to keep himself calm and recognize the talent he is up against without letting that intimidate him into making mistakes. He was calm and consistent and that is how he won the championship. Congratulations Will Power!

So let’s discuss the race itself.

Corkscrew- Such a fun turn to watch. It’s ironic that what messed Josef up in qualifying was also the same place he made many of his race passes. Always exciting watching cars go through the corkscrew.

Yellow flag- While I can understand IndyCars decision to not throw a yellow right away, I do not agree with it. While other racing series try and create drama, IndyCar avoids it by trying to “play fair” and waiting for all cars to pit before the track goes yellow. I don’t like this for two reasons. First, it’s only a matter of time until that backfires and someone is hurt because the yellow was delayed. Second, while a poorly timed yellow can ruin a drivers day, that is racing, that is part of the drama. IndyCar doesn’t need to create drama but can allow regular circumstances to play out and either ruin or make a drivers day. I don’t like yellows because I like seeing all the carnage of crashed race cars. I like yellows because it changes up the flow of the race and sometimes works in the favor of the small teams or struggling drivers and can provide a career and moral boosting win. A yellow should be thrown as soon as a car stops on the track or hits the wall.

Rookies- Christian Lundgaard won Rookie of the Year honors. He did great and deserves it. It was a highlight for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team because honestly they struggled most of the year. However, I was really pulling for David Malukas to win. All the rookies were fun to watch this season. I had thought at the beginning of the season I would be most closely watch Kyle Kirkwood but sadly the Foyt team continues to struggle and I grew tired of watching Kyle. David Malukas took over as my favorite rookie but unfortunately he was not able to overcome the points deficit and was runner up for ROY.

A couple final tidbits-

James Hinchcliffe is great in the booth. I love that he is still a part of the series.

Double points for the Indy 500 are not needed. I’m all for Indy qualifying to pay more points but they are not needed for the race.

Peacock is great and well worth the price. My only real complaint is I’d love to be able to start it at anytime. I don’t always make it in time to watch live but then I need to wait until an hour or so after practice or qualifying is over to watch the replay. I’d love to be able to start that at anytime.

Thank You! I sure appreciate all who read my blog. I have a couple things I hope to write about soon sharing ways to keep enjoying IndyCar during the off season. Hope you will check them out.

Texas

Wow! We just never know what to expect when we watch the Texas race. We’ve seen scary pack racing, we’ve seen parade racing, Scott Dixon dominate, unexpected winners, crazy rain delays, snoozers and edge of your seat racing. When Texas was announced as being in March and during the day my wheels started going because my son is stationed at Shepherd Air Force Base so maybe this could be the year we attend the Texas race. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us this year. Now I’m concerned IndyCar may not return to Texas and we lost our chance. That would be a shame if IndyCars no longer raced there.

Qualifying on Saturday was enjoyable. I always like watching the cars go out and see what kind of time they can put down. Felix Rosenqvist won the pole. Then that afternoon there was a special practice period for a few “lucky” drivers to try and lay some rubber down to make a second lane for racing. For whatever reason NASCAR can not be content with regular racing and consistently finds new gimmicks and ways to make the racing “better”. In my opinion they ruin it and I can’t follow all the crazy ideas that go on over there. To each their own but in this case it messes with IndyCar. The JP1 compound that they put on the track for NASCAR makes it incredibly slippery for IndyCar. I honestly don’t understand why NASCAR or Texas Motor Speedway sees the need to do this. If you can’t race on asphalt get off the track. If the compound will ruin the track for all other types of racing then it is even more ridiculous. Will Power has been pushing an idea though for several cars to run as many laps as possible and rubber in a second race line to help with passing. IndyCar approved having seven cars run laps with last years tires to try and put some rubber down. I saw enough passing to say that it must have helped a bit. We also saw enough crashes to say it still was a hazard.

The race itself was very entertaining, many had feared it would be very dull with little chance for passing. That was not the case. Let’s look at some highlights.

Santino Ferruci

Jack Harvey took a hard hit on the wall and was not cleared to drive in Sunday’s race. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver was determined to be suffering from a concussion and Santino Ferruci was asked to sub for him. RLLR might be reconsidering not keeping Ferruci as a driver. He jumped right in with very little practice and drove the car from the back of the field to a 9th place finish. I hope this reminds the paddock what a talent he is.

Jimmy Johnson

Jimmie Johnson made his oval track debut at Texas Motor Speedway. He was all anyone could talk about but until race day I wasn’t too impressed. He qualified in 18th position and I honestly didn’t think he would advance much. I could not have been more wrong. Jimmie had his best race in his IndyCar career and I’m guessing he wishes he had done the ovals last year. He finished in 6th position and was fun to watch. Hopefully, this will boost his confidence and skills for the road and street courses where I think he still struggles more than he should.

Kyle Kirkwood

Kyle Kirkwood started 23rd and finished 25th. The middle part of that saw him running around the 10th spot and I was hopeful he would finish with a top ten. Unfortunately, he hit the wall on lap 114 after getting fresh tires. However, he must be the real deal because we don’t see much from the Foyt team and yet this rookie is often in the mix these last two races.

Scott McLaughlin

While Felix Rosenqvist won the pole, Scott McLaughlin quickly passed him and led a majority of the race. It really seemed that he would win his second race in a row. Unfortunately, Scott ran into lapped traffic at the wrong time and on the last turn of the last lap Josef Newgarden made it passed McLaughlin for the win. It was the 600th win for Team Penske and Roger Penske presented Josef six Hundred dollar bills in victory lane. Scott was crushed to lose after dominating all race. Penske is looking as strong as ever.

Peacock Coverage

I love the coverage Peacock provides. There are some commercials but during some commercial breaks we just get to watch and listen to the cars. I love that. Having a post race show is important to grow fans so I’m thankful for the option. I know some don’t want to pay for the channel. I am a Comcast customer so I don’t have to pay but gladly would. It is well worth it.

The race also had some problems

Alexander Rossi

Honestly, what in the world is up with this guy? He can’t catch a break. He jumped the start so looked to maybe be penalized. It was decided he just needed to give the spots back however, he had car problems and was out of the race after only a few laps. Even if Andretti Autosport wanted to resign Rossi, I think he needs a fresh start. He has been struggling way too long.

Race Attendance

Poor race attendance was named as everything from bad promotion to church attendance. I saw several posts on Twitter and Facebook stating that the facility itself was run down and not family friendly. It sounds like very little promoting was done. The early start time could have been a problem. Church attendance was even listed as a reason people stayed away. I attend church faithfully but I make an exception if I’m attending a race. I can always stop in and see the IndyCar Misistries devotion they offer on Sundays at the track. TMS is a huge facility but even I could tell attendance was down from previous years. Changing both the date and time and then not promoting it properly surely hurt the attendance. Texas is almost always entertaining and we really can’t afford to miss any more ovals on the schedule. I hope Texas returns next year.

Looking Ahead

Well, two races in and I’m loving the 2022 IndyCar season. I also have some fun news to share. This year I will be in attendance for all three weekends at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and most of the practice days. This is something I have wanted to do for as long as I have been attending activities at the track. I look forward to spending my afternoons watching and listening to the cars, then blog about my experience at the end of the day. It’s a dream come true. Is it May yet?

IndyCar Season Finale and Wrap Up

The NTT IndyCar Season Finale took place over a week ago on the Streets of Long Beach and I am just now getting to my blog post. I’ve actually been stuck in quarantine so you’d think I would have had plenty of time to get to this. My oldest has Covid. We were preparing for him to go to Basic Training for the Air National Guard when he started feeling sick. He was unable to attend his drill weekend which pushed back his Basic Training dates. He will now leave on November 16. Thankfully, he was sick less than a week and no one else in the house is sick (yet). So now that things have settled down here let’s discuss IndyCar.

Covid continued to change plans and dates. While we knew for quite some time that Long Beach would be the season finale it was still quite strange. The beautiful views of the fountain usually mean it’s Spring and we have plenty more racing to look forward to. This year it marked the end of the season. It looked like a great place for the finale and I heard several fans and drivers say they wished the season always ended in Long Beach.

Alex Palou was the points leader going into Long Beach and even after a crazy qualifying session that had him starting mid pack he was able to maintain the points lead and become the 2021 Champion. Wow! In his Sophomore season and first with Chip Ganassi racing that is fairly incredible. Watch out Scott Dixon! It’s really to soon to say if he will continue to be a driver to watch for the next decade or two but right now I’d definitely say he is one to watch. Drivers often seem to struggle in the sophomore year but Palou showed that is not always the case. He won 3 races, 1 pole and of course was crowned champion. Alex has a sweet tradition of eating fried chicken after a win. He enjoyed it after winning the championship too.

Colton Herta would also be on that list. Colton won the race and made it all look easy. He started 14th but it didn’t take him long to be leading. When he is out in front he just pulls away from everyone, every race. Colton sometimes needs to learn patience but in general he is a fast, entertaining driver to watch. I’m sure he will be fighting for that Championship in the next few years. Colton also has a traditional meal after a win and he had some celebratory tacos after his win.

Pato O’Ward was second in the points going into Long Beach. He started near Palou in the middle of the field. The greatest concern is being taken out on lap one by an accident and of course that is exactly what happened. Ed Jones made an attempt to pass and ended up getting into O’Ward. Palou was able to escape the accident but just barely. With that accident O’Ward watched his dream of being the Champion slip away. Palou would need to crash out for Pato to have any chance and that didn’t happen. Sadly in the end Pato dropped to third in the standings.

Josef Newgarden was the long shot for the championship but with O’Ward’s accident he was able to place second in the championship. Josef and Team Penske had their struggles this year but still show that they are and will remain competitive. Josef had two race wins and 4 poles for the 2021 season.

Scott Dixon had a quiet season. Palou took most of the limelight but Dixon won in Texas and remains the active driver with the most IndyCar wins (51). As long as Dixon keeps winning he will have a place at Ganassi.

Alexander Rossi once again had a horrible season. I’m not sure what is going on there because we all believe he is a good racer but if we don’t see some results he might find himself looking for a new ride in the future.

Graham Rahal also did not have a good season. No wins and no poles. Graham continues to struggle in qualifying. He can make his way up through the field and is often among the cars that have moved up the most. If he could start closer to the front I believe he would have more race wins. Graham finished 7th in the standings. His best start was from the 5th position in Portland. His best finish was 3rd in Texas.

Marcus Ericsson probably had the best season of his life. I’m not sure we will continue to see such great results from him in the future because I think a lot of luck was involved in his race wins. When Will Power’s car would not start after a red flag during race 1 at Detroit, Ericsson inherited the lead. On lap 1 in Nashville, Ericsson launched over the car in front of him. You had to assume he would have too much damage to finish the race and definitely not win. Marcus, however, won the race. You have to have a lot of things fall into place to win and if I had to guess he won’t be as lucky next year. I do like him though and look forward to seeing if he can keep the momentum and luck going.

Simon Pagenaud finished 8th in the standings but had a forgettable season with no wins and no poles. Simon will be moving from Team Penske to Meyer Shank racing for the 2022 season. He will reunite with former Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves. I look forward to seeing what that team can do in 2022.

Will Power had one win and one pole. His win was on the road course at Indy where he has won several times before. That was not a surprise. What was a surprise was that he only had one pole. He has won 63 poles in his career, I really expected him to add three or four to that number in 2021. O’Ward and Herta each had three poles this season and Power has his work cut out for him if he wants to keep winning poles. Power will remain with Penske for the 2022 season.

When I started writing this post I didn’t intend to make it a “through the field” kinda post but I did want to touch on the Championship, silly season and my thoughts so it turned into that. I will wrap up the top ten now and return with thoughts on others in the next few days. Thanks for reading.

A Sweltering Race Day in St. Louis

Years from now when you ask me what I remember from this race I will tell you it was a hot day. It was probably the hottest race that I have personally attended. We had paddock passes and usually enjoy just walking up and down the paddock but this year we sought shade in the hottest part of the day and eventually a cooling station. Qualifying was at 4:00 so during the time we had between qualifying and green flag we were able to enjoy the paddock without the immense heat from the mid afternoon. Due to the heat and the condensed day, with practice, qualifying and race all on Saturday we did not have as many opportunities to see drivers and teams, however the drivers were out and talking with fans so much more than I expected given the heat and busy day. They really are the best.

We left Friday afternoon and our drive seemed to take forever. Somewhere south of Springfield, IL our GPS rerouted us saying our previous route would have added 90 minutes to our drive. Not sure if it was construction or an accident but thankful we didn’t get stuck in that mess. We arrived in St. Louis around 8:00 p.m. and went directly to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner. We walked over the the Gateway Arch after, seeing the Arch lit up at night is a sight we never grow tired of. We stayed in a cabin about 30 minutes out of town so we headed there.

Saturday morning we went to Scott Air Force Base for a quick tour with my son, Matthew. Matthew enlisting with the Air National Guard in November and is waiting for his Basic Training dates. We then made our way to World Wide Technology Raceway, formerly Gateway Motorsports Park. Upon entrance the first tent we saw was the Air National Guard so of course we had to stop.

We saw several drivers and friends in the paddock and stands. It is always so fun to catch up with everyone. I had purchased a shirt for race day in hopes of seeing Arie Luyendyk. Arie always comments on which driver I have on my shirt. I purchased a Luyendyk shirt to see if he noticed. Well it was a black shirt and I switched it out to a tank top because of the heat. When I did run into Arie I pulled it out and told him my story. He laughed and then pointed out that he wasn’t on the shirt. The shirt has his Domino’s car and his autograph but not a picture of him. Haha, he is vain. Anyone know where I can get an Arie Luyendyk shirt with his picture?

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Was able to meet Alex Palou and jinxed him saying I was pulling for him for the championship. Always enjoy catching up with Scott on the Foyt team, we’ve been seeing him at races since we met him in 2015 at the Milwaukee race.

Qualifying ran smooth with no one hitting the wall. Will Power won the pole and after his win at Indy last week he seemed to be on a roll so I chose him for my fantasy league. Let’s just say I’m no longer leading my league. Power was still able to make the podium but Penske teammate, Josef Newgarden won that top spot, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Pre race show

WWT Raceway president, Curtis Francois along with the Bommarito Automotive Group but on a great event and that includes the pre race ceremonies. Curtis announced that he and Jay Frye signed a five year deal with IndyCar. He then announced that the Bommarito group would also continue to sponsor the race for the next five years. Then there was a tribute to First Responders, which included more police cars than you could count. They did a lap around the track, followed by a second lap with lights and sirens on. Of course there was the invocation, the singing of the National Anthem and a flyover. The flyover consisted of the Lima Lima Flight Team and a KC-135 refueling tanker. Matthew loved that part as he will be working on the KC-135 with the Air National Guard. He had the biggest smile on his face as it flew over. After the command to start engines the cars pay tribute to the Indianapolis 500 but lining up three wide for a lap. They then go to the traditional two wide for the green flag. I love all the extras in the pre race show.

The race went green but quickly went to yellow. Cars made it fine around the first lap so it appeared we would have a good, clean start but by lap two Ed Jones was racing Graham Rahal and ended up taking them both out of the race. So frustrating for Graham who finally qualified well and looked to maybe have a good race.

Before the green flag flew again Dalton Kellett and Ed Carpenter touched and the yellow remained. Takuma Sato was the reason the green flag was waved off a bit later and then when the race finally returned to green, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden made contact. Debris was on the track so once again the yellow came out. It appeared it would be a quick yellow but a problem with the track lights not turning off caused confusion as the flag man waved green but the track stayed yellow. Finally around lap 25, after 21 laps under yellow we got the race going. Later, Ed Carpenter made contact with the wall and they most frustrating incident of the night was when Rinus VeeKay made contact with Scott Dixon and Alex Palou. Palou had been the points leader but this sadly dropped him down to second. Dixon was able to return later, I heard he was 80 laps down but turning the fastest laps. VeeKay was also done for the night. Alexander Rossi hit the wall, ending a promising race for him. Colton Herta also had a heartbreaking night when he pitted but broke the half-shaft. He went out on track but it was obvious something was wrong, he immediately pitted and we learned the problem soon after, his night was done. Josef Newgarden had a strong race all night and it the end he took the checkered flag.

WWT Raceway opens up the track to spectators shortly after the checkered flag. It would be nice if they had more ways to enter and could wait for the fans before announcing the winners on the podium but it is still a fun opportunity to walk on the track after the race. We usually go out and walk a little bit but this year we walked the entire track. This helps with leaving the parking lot as the crowds are long gone.

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The race in St. Louis is always a favorite. A race on an oval is also always a favorite. Having so many things to do in and around St. Louis also makes this a fun race weekend. We look forward to returning.

A couple things to note

Romain Grosjean made his oval debut and it was something to see. While watching a race in person I’m not always aware of what is going on farther back in the field but every time Grosjean would make a pass the crowd went nuts. Grosjean kept passing cars and made the race very entertaining. I’m not sure what happened that eventually put him a lap down but he spent a portion of the race running in the top ten. I think it’s safe to say we will see in on more ovals. After the race Romain walked across the track to the fence to great fans, many of whom were wearing purple Grosjean shirts. I love having him in IndyCar.

The crowd at the fence to meet Grosjean

I can’t let this day pass without a word about Justin Wilson. Six years ago today we lost him after a tragic accident at Pocono Raceway. Justin was our families favorite driver and we still miss him terribly. We had the pleasure of meeting him several times and every time was special. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Justin at Milwaukee 2015

Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix

There were a couple sad moments in today’s race. Robin Miller once again did an amazing tribute piece. This time for Bob Jenkins. I’m a huge Bob Jenkins fan so of course I shed a few tears but even if you weren’t a fan it’s hard to not get emotional during one of Robin’s pieces. Robin is fighting his own cancer battle so while listening to him speak on Bob Jenkins I couldn’t help but wonder who would do the piece on Robin. I’m praying for a miracle and that we won’t find out the answer for that for quite a while.

Not nearly as sad for all of you but not fun for me was that I wasn’t in attendance at today’s race. Many of you know my tradition is to watch the Indianapolis 500 from home. I’ve only attended twice. However, the GP of Indy is a different story and I had planned to attend everyone of them making that a tradition with my sons. We began our trips to Indy with qualifying but in 2014 the boys decided they rather see a race than qualifying for the 500. We began a tradition and changed up the way we do Mother’s Day. We’ve enjoyed this from 2014-2019. Of course 2020 did not happen on schedule and then fans weren’t allowed at the GP of Indy on the Fourth of July 2020. We did attend the double header Harvest GP in October at the speedway. In 2021 we returned to the GP although sadly it was the weekend after Mother’s Day. So the race that took place today at Indy is the first one we missed where fans were allowed. Honestly, I was afraid the heat might be too much so we didn’t make a huge effort to attend. It was also the first week of school for Zach and we will be at Gateway, so not to make excuses but there was just a lot going on. I’m crushed we weren’t there. What a fun race.

We have watched Will Power win this race again and again. He won in 2015, 2017, 2018, and the Harvest GP in 2020. He won again today! The IndyCars have raced here 11 times now. Will Power has won five of those 11 wins. Simon Pagenaud has won three, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden have each won one. It’s safe to say Power has dominated this track. I’ve laughed saying I’ve seen this race before after a Power win but that was not the feel today. Maybe because I watched from home and saw all the drama deep in the field, maybe because Power was not on the pole and had to gain that position or maybe because Power has not won yet this year, this race I was rooting for Power. Oh and he was my fantasy pick so maybe that’s why. 😂

Let’s point out a couple highlights or fun facts from the race.

Romain Grosjean finished second. He was also second on this course in May. Safe to say he has the track figured out. Could he get his win here next May?

Will Power as we said has won here more than any other driver. He has also led more laps than anyone. Power has led 341 laps on the road course. Simon Pagenaud is second with 75 laps and Scott Dixon takes the third spot with 69 laps. Quite impressive.

Rookie Christian Lundgaard qualified second and was fast in practice. He was in the mix during the race and finished a respectable 12th. Based on this race alone Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing definitely needs to consider this young man for a seat next year.

Alexander Rossi had his best finish for the year but it’s still no where near the season we expected from him.

Graham Rahal always appears in the mix during a race. If he can ever figure out qualifying he would be able to win. Sadly, he usually qualifies in the back half of the field and can’t make it all the way to the front. I’d be interested to see who has moved up the most spots this year. Im guessing Graham is near the top of that list.

Alex Palou, championship leader, had a disappointing race. He lost his engine on lap 67, bringing out the first yellow of the race. He still leads in points but Pato O’Ward has closed the gap to 21 points. Four races remain.

James Hinchcliffe, who was on the podium in Nashville, finished 22nd in Indy. That will not help his chances of staying with Andretti. He is a talented driver but needs to show it on the track.

On the home front

Things have been busy here this week with school starting. Zach started his Junior year. We will be traveling to St. Louis this weekend for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Worldwide Technology Raceway, I still call it Gateway 😉. This is always a fun race. Romain Grosjean will be making his oval debut. Tony Kanaan will be back in the 48 Ganassi car.

It took me so long to get this post out we also learned that IndyCar will be returning to Iowa Speedway in 2022. The doubleheader will take place on July 23&24. I am excited to have Iowa back on the schedule. Hope I get to attend in 2022. Look for a post early next week to hear all about our adventures in St. Louis and at WWT Raceway where we enjoy our final oval of the season. There is nothing like a night race under the lights.

The Launch and Win- who saw that coming?

Late Sunday afternoon the much anticipated inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix took place. While many attended in person the thought of Nashville in August kept me from making the trip. We watched from the comfort of our couch. After watching practice and qualifying I thought for sure many cars would not make it through the first lap and when everyone made it through turn one I was quite surprised. However, while they didn’t all crash on turn one of lap one, it didn’t take long for the yellows to start and once they did they kept coming. By lap 2 we had a yellow for Dalton Kellett who seemed to be having issues keeping the car in gear. As the green was about to come out after the Kellett yellow, Marcus Ericsson launched his car over the car of Sebastien Bourdais. It was a wild hit and completely unexpected. Miraculously, Marcus had very little damage to his car and was able to return to racing. Sadly, Bourdais sustained too much damage and his race was over.

The race continued on with several more yellows and never really a chance for the race to get into a groove. The yellows completely threw off any pit strategy as the race only once went more than 10 laps without a yellow. Only 18 of the 27 starters would still be running at the end of the race. That said, I felt the clean up from the yellows took place in a timely fashion. 33 laps ran under caution. There were also two red flags. The first red flag was for contact involving at least seven cars. The track was blocked so the race needed to be red flagged. The last red flag was when Colton Herta hit the wall. Herta had dominated practice, qualifying and the first three quarters of the race. Honestly, because I thought the race would just be a parade with Herta leading is probably why I enjoyed the yellows. Yellows provide a way to mix things up that might not have happened otherwise. For Herta the yellows messed up with everyone’s pit strategy and eventually Herta found himself a few cars back but he quickly passed several cars and worked his way up to second. It seemed just a matter of time before he would pass Marcus Ericsson who had shocked everyone by not only recovering from his earlier launch but was now leading the race. Colton would near Marcus on the corners only to have Marcus pull away on the straights. Eventually, Herta pushed too hard and hit the wall. The red flag came out to clean up the track but Scott Dixon was not able to take the top spot from Ericsson. The checkered flag flew and Marcus Ericsson won the race. Dixon was second and James Hinchcliffe earned a long awaited podium finish.

The race had no rhyme or reason and a third of it was run under caution but I prefer that to follow the leader. It ran longer than expected but after such a long break since the last race I was fine watching extra. Many complained about the track but that’s just how it goes with a new circuit. I honestly believe that even if they don’t change a single thing we would have a very different race next year because the drivers will know what they need to do to make sure they have less yellows. I remember the race at St. Pete after the new aero kits were introduced. Every tiny hit created a mess of car parts, it was like watching legos disintegrate but the drivers eventually figured out how to drive without making any contact and the engineers redesigned the parts to work better. I am sure next year we will not see as much chaos.

So congratulations to Marcus Ericsson on a win we will not soon forget. His second win for the year is both a surprise and a feat I doubt we will see again. He was up so high when he hit the back of Bourdais I’m still surprised he was able to work his way to the lead. He was also in the pits 5 times, the only other driver in the pits 5 times was Max Chilton. Max was the last driver still running at the checkered flag in 18th position. You need a lot of luck to win a race after so much craziness. I can only imagine how mad Chip Ganassi was watching the launch when the cars were under yellow and how elated he was when Marcus won. I would have liked to have seen that interview.

So while I doubt we will ever see a race quite like this one again, I enjoyed it and look forward to Nashville remaining on the schedule for many years to come.

Bob Jenkins

Sadly, before I posted this race post we learned of the death of Bob Jenkins. So many people who have been following the Indy 500 and IndyCar longer than I have wonderful memories of Sid Collins and Tom Carnegie. While I was fortunate enough to hear Tom Carnegie, it is Bob Jenkins that associate with my years I’ve followed IndyCar. I loved when he called races on Verses and especially enjoyed hearing him at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I always enjoyed the extras too, the qualifying draw and award banquets. I wrote a post about Bob shortly after we learned of his news where I explain more of why he was a favorite but I believe Doug Boles said it best when he said, “There is nothing like Bob Jenkins voice to make a race fan feel they are in the right spot in the month of May.” I couldn’t agree more. Bob Jenkins will be greatly missed.

One last thing to note

I was as surprised as anyone when we learned that Helio Castroneves would be driving full time for Meyer Shank Racing. I’ve thought for years that he could become the first five time winner of the Indianapolis 500. That is within his grasp now. I was equally surprised to learn that Jack Harvey would not be returning to MSR. Silly season became a whole lot sillier with that announcement. It will be interesting to see where the dominoes fall.