Preparations for the 106th Indy 500 Underway
The 106th Indianapolis 500 is set to run at the end of May, with multiple teams and drivers in unique and exciting positions in anticipation of the event with seven rookies, and a few legends, in the mix.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) appears to have its own ecosystem, as evidenced by Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. On a day when it rained, then it didn’t, then it did and then it poured, getting the strategy right for all those situations is what brought Colton Herta to Victory Lane at IMS. The 22-year-old Californian, tipped to go to Formula One by more people than not, showed experience and smarts beyond his years to win his first race of the year, stop Chevrolet’s stranglehold on victory after five races and give both Andretti Autosport and Honda their first win of the year.
Although he finished third behind former teammate and new Meyer Shank Racing driver Simon Pagenaud, Will Power understood the ecosystem that is IMS: “It’s so crazy, this place. When you look around,” Power said, “it can be completely raining on the front stretch and you go around to the back and it’s completely dry. It was really anyone’s guess at what was going to happen.”
The road race is now done – at least until August when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to the Brickyard for a doubleheader with NASCAR – and the track is back to its 2.5-mile oval configuration in anticipation of May 29th’s 106th Indianapolis 500. The first practice was Tuesday, May 17th, with Fast Friday and qualifying weekend ahead.
It took the entire INDYCAR community to secure a 33rd car for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and that nod went to Stefan Wilson, brother of the late Justin Wilson, Cusick Motorsports, A.J. Foyt Racing and DragonSpeed USA – who won the LMP2 race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last weekend – and assistance from every other team in the garages as well as engine manufacturer Chevrolet, who are powering Wilson’s entry. Now with his veteran’s refresher test done, the lanky Briton, who nearly won the 2018 Indy 500, is ready to try again.
Wilson and Cusick Motorsports have some very talented people working with them. DragonSpeed has Indianapolis 500 experience and worked with Foyt’s crew to put the car, driven by Tatiana Calderon in Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix on Indy’s road course, into oval spec. Will Phillips, who has worked in both INDYCAR and IMSA paddocks, along with stints at both March and Reynard chassis constructors, is the engineer on this car, while John Cummisky, former Team Penske chief mechanic is strategist. Both worked with Wilson last year at Indy and this familiarity should aid the group.
Easily the biggest story leading up to qualifying and the Indy 500 race is Helio Castroneves’ “Drive for Five” appearances on the Bog-Warner trophy. The Brazilian is one of eight former winners entered in this year’s 200-lap gallop, joined by two-time winners Juan Pablo Montoya and Takuma Sato, single-race winners Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Alexander Rossi, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. Castroneves is attempting to repeat this year, something he did after his first, 2001 victory. BorgWarner has a bonus available for any racer who can repeat and that bonus has been building a long time!
There are seven rookies in the field, the biggest number since 2014. This group includes seven-time NASCAR Cup Series titleholder Jimmie Johnson, along with Formula One veterans Romain Grosjean. The balance of the rookie crop are all full-time INDYCAR racers this year: Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Autosport), Callum Ilott (Juncos Hollinger Racing, Kyle Kirkwood of A.J. Foyt Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard and Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Racing’s David Malukas.
Thus far – it’s only Thursday before boost gets increased on Fast Friday – the weather has been doable with temps in the 70s and mostly clear skies. Rain was predicted for Wednesday and washed out practice; it’s expected again on Saturday but, as anyone who’s ever been to Indianapolis will tell you, it’s all subject to change.