Latest news with #CGR
Indianapolis Star
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Pre-race decision left Alex Palou 'looking really bad.' How the IndyCar leader pulled off his 6th win
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — In his half-dozen IndyCar victories nine races this season, Alex Palou and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing crew have won just about every way you could imagine and yet, Sunday's was something new. The two-time-defending series champion has eked ahead off a final pit exchange (St. Pete), pulled off a late-race pass for the win (Thermal and the Indy 500), dominated from pole (Barber) and lost the lead early, only to race his way back to a relatively comfortable victory (IMS road course). As the season reached its halfway point Sunday afternoon at Road America, perhaps it was only fitting Palou and Barry Wanser put on a strategy masterclass on a day where the possible forks in the road were many and any attempt to try and actively keep track of all the road maps at play was certain to leave one with a migraine. 'It was tough. It was a crazy race. It just felt like there was a lot going on. Lots of yellows, obviously, that were shaking how we were looking,' Palou said. 'We were looking really bad at the beginning, then really good, then terrible, then really good again. 'It was tough to be up there, but we just had to stay focused on battling against the people that were on our strategy.' That first battle in the No. 10 camp took place before the race even started, during the 30-minute window following Sunday's morning warmup when teams must declare the tires they'll start on, a call that, depending on how the opening stages of a race go, whether it been caution-crazy or caution-free, could play an outsized role in the drivers and teams who'll find themselves in contention for a win later on. As Wanser, Palou's strategist, explained, the duo declared primaries, but further intervention within the CGR camp got Palou waffling. With the deadline looming, Palou decided he wanted to flip, but by the time they attempted to put the call in to IndyCar to switch, it was a few minutes too late. So start on the slower, harder, more durable primary tires they did — largely surrounded on the grid by a sea of alternate-tire-clad rivals who swallowed up the No. 10 car on Lap 1 even before a caution for a stranded David Malukas fell before the lap was complete. By that point, Palou was down from second on the grid to seventh on the ensuing restart. But as Wanser explained, though the choice to start on primaries was illogical, given what they'd learn about their competitors pre-race, it proved to be the best choice in the long run. The day prior, Palou, Wanser and Co. had made a major push to take pole, opting to use a third set of new alternates during the Fast Six to try and seal the deal, while fellow title contenders and serious threats for the race win Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard saved a set to use for the race instead. Had they used that lone set of new alternates for the race start, Palou might not have dropped any spots to start with, but the disjointed race start meant any value gained by running alternates over primaries was minimal. In response, Palou had them in his back pocket to use later, even though Wasner said he made a tire strategy call mid-race on using that new alternate set on stint No. 2 that was earlier than he'd discussed with Palou pre-race. A rare occurrence on the radio, Palou let his displeasure with the mid-race switch-a-roo known. 'I got to be grumpy for a couple laps, and then I saw it was worked out, and I started saying 'thank you' again,' Palou joked. 'It was interesting, but for sure, we got the win because of the team that we had on both pit stops and strategy. 'I knew (using alternates on the second stint) was going to help us there, but it was going to hurt us a lot on the last stint, but honestly, the pace we had today in the No. 10 car was amazing, and we were able to save fuel even on primaries to be quite fast.' In a race with so many strategies at play, and seemingly even more splintering off every pit exchange, Palou was forced to manage chunks of laps where he'd be battling at the front, followed by stops that left him buried in 13th or 14th behind cars that, according to how the race would finish up, weren't really his true competition. But by Lap 22, as the yellow flags flew for Conor Daly's off-track excursion, Palou could've inherited the lead had Wanser opted for him to stay out, rather than pit at a time where the team wasn't sorely in need for fuel. With it being the race's fourth caution, Palou's second stint only ran 12 laps, several of them under caution, and Palou said he still could've run five laps more before diving in, similar to what Felix Rosenqvist (runner-up) and Kyle Kirkwood (fourth) opted to do. But pitting there ultimately gave him track position at the end of the race, a roll of the dice that he felt made the difference in the win that fell into his lap with Scott Dixon forced to pit late and Rosenqvist still a couple seconds back by the checkered flag. 'That was the moment that I would say gave us the win,' Palou said of Wanser's call on when to make his second of three stops. But Wanser and Palou didn't feel comfortable until a ways later. Though they knew Dixon had pitted two laps before them on his second stop, the No. 10 stand continued to watch late in the race as the six-time champ rolled off competitive lap times again and again. By their math, Palou was going to be cutting it close on fuel as is, ultimately enough post-race to run a cooldown lap, but not fire off any celebratory donuts. So how was Dixon holding onto his gap on his teammate, they kept wondering? 'I even said to all the engineers on the stand, 'Are we missing something here? Because Dixon is running (fuel) numbers and lap times that (Palou's) not going to be able to get, based on the number we gave him,'' Wanser said. 'They double checked everything, triple checked, but we were pretty confident we were going to be fine.' Had Dixon lucked into a late-race yellow, Palou said he wasn't sure he had enough speed in the car to swoop around the outside for what would've needed to be a pass for the win on his teammate. 'When I was following Scott, I could see that he wasn't saving as much as I was. I was like, 'This guy is crazy. How is he going to do it?'' Palou said. 'If it was another driver, I would have probably just focused on myself, but I know that Scott can make crazy stuff happen. 'If he gets a yellow and he's still P1, we're not going to be able to pass him. We were still trying to get that first-place position on track, just in case there was a four-lap yellow at the end, and he would've still been leading and maybe ended up with a win.' In all, the chaos kept things interesting, and Palou's Sunday kept him longing for something else the next time out, too. 'We couldn't do donuts,' he joked. 'I would've liked that, but at least (we had) enough to make it to Victory Lane.'
Indianapolis Star
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Scott Dixon's 'nothing-to-lose' strategy almost won at Road America. Why it almost worked, but didn't
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — For more than two decades, Scott Dixon's IndyCar rivals have become all too used to the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing crew spearheaded by strategist and team managing director Mike Hull turning a qualifying gaffe, an early race miscue or an otherwise innocuous start to a race into a masterful victory. Sunday afternoon at Road America was a rarity for the six-time series champion duo: a roll of the dice that delivered snake eyes. And with that, for the second consecutive start, a late-race lead turned into an otherwise forgettable top-10 finish for Dixon, who just nine races into his 2025 campaign sits tied for fourth in the championship with six top 10s but faces a 155-point gap to his CGR teammate Alex Palou, who picked up his eye-popping sixth win of the year at Road America. 'We've got nothing to lose. We were going for some race wins. You're pretty much out of the championship, so yeah, nothing to lose, man,' Dixon said on pit lane of the No. 9 Honda team's off-kilter pit strategy that ultimately set the course for their day, needing a late-race caution that never came. 'Once I saw the (fuel) light come on for my second-to-last pit stop (which he took on Lap 38), I knew we were gonna be a couple (laps) short, which was going to make it easy for the guys who pitted just a couple laps later,' Dixon continued. 'It's just been one of those years, man. Anything we do is just kinda crappy. We'll keep at it. Keep knocking on the door. The car's got good speed.' Dixon started Sunday's race 25th after losing his two fastest laps in Round 1 Saturday for a qualifying interference penalty, just the 14th time he's qualified outside the top 20 in his IndyCar career. The painful penalty pushed the team to opt to pit early after a Lap 1 caution that came for David Malukas' spin into the gravel in Turn 3. In theory, the stop didn't lose the No. 9 crew much, if any, track position while giving them a couple laps more fuel than the rest of the field that stayed out — crucial at a track that measures more than 4 miles in length. An especially elbows-out start to the race led to two more cautions inside the first 10 laps, leading the bulk of the field to make their first stop on Lap 11, handing Dixon his first stint of race-leading laps at the time of the ensuing return to green flag action. He managed to stretch his second stint to 19 laps, albeit six laps of caution helping to pad his stats, but his second stop came on Lap 21. Painfully for the No. 9 crew, the race's fourth caution came out just one lap later, sparking those like Palou to dip in for their second stop on Lap 23 under yellow and at that point only needing one more stop to be able to make it to the checkered flag. Had Conor Daly's caution came a lap earlier and still forced those on a more traditional, conservative strategy to make their next stop at that point, allowing Dixon to pit with Palou and sync up their game plans, the entire race's eventual flow might've been thrown on its head, and the No. 9 team's race might've ended up differently. Instead, with just one other caution falling the rest of the race on Lap 30, the field of contenders were forced to make their final stops all under green at whatever points their tanks were approaching empty. For those like Palou, Santino Ferrucci (third place) and Kyffin Simpson (sixth) who took their second stop on Lap 23, they dove int for the final time on Lap 39 or 40. Those like Felix Rosenqvist (second), Kyle Kirkwood (fourth) or Marcus Armstrong (fifth) had no issue making it to the end without fuel concerns. They opted to stay out during the caution for Daly to preserve track position, and who then pitted under green on Lap 27 or 28 but were then able to bunch back up with Josef Newgarden's Lap 30 caution. Dixon's path proved to be the odd one out. Ultimately, he led a race-high 27 laps, including Laps 45 to 52 of the 55-lap race, but it became clear during that closing stretch to the 44-year-year-old that he'd need one final yellow to save him from a fourth and final stop for a splash-and-go. 'You're throwing pretty wild strategies out there, just to try and make something happen. It looked like actually the conservative one that the others took was the right one to take. We needed to bank on at least another (caution) lap or two,' Dixon said. 'The unfortunate part was the car was super fast, but all day even with our speed today, we were having to save fuel every lap, which was kinda frustrating. 'I think we should've been top 3.' Dixon, the legendary fuel-saver of his generation of IndyCar drivers, lamented the hybrid's impact on what he might've otherwise been able to do on a day like today just a year ago. 'The fuel mileage is way worse with the hybrid, which makes no sense to me,' he said, making light of the fact that the weight impact of IndyCar's hybrid unit burns more fuel than cars did without it, the exact opposite impact the technology is meant to have in road cars. 'But it's the same for everybody. Everybody's gotta carry this lump of weight around. 'But yeah, you would've made it without the hybrid.'
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kirkwood confidently predicts Andretti Global is favorite to win Indianapolis 500 pole
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There was zero hesitation from Kyle Kirkwood when he asked if he and his Andretti Global teammates are favorites to challenge for both the pole and the Indianapolis 500 victory. 'We're either the best, or we are very, very close to that,' Kirkwood said. 'We are very positive at this time and very confident.' Those who might disagree? Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who has been fast all week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and two-time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season. The three-car Andretti team, though? Few had even uttered their names before Kirkwood's bold prediction ahead of Fast Friday, the day teams get a 100 horsepower boost to prepare for this weekend's two-day qualifying session. Guess people just weren't paying attention. Kirkwood is, after all, the only driver this season so far to beat Palou with his April victory on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. 'I think they look very strong both speed-wise and traffic running,' said Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward, who then cautioned 'don't count out the Penskes. They're going to have rockets just like they did last year.' Newgarden beat O'Ward on the final lap last year to win his second consecutive Indy 500, and Penske drivers Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Newgarden swept the front row in qualifying last season. There are 34 drivers going for the 33 spots in the field in Saturday and Sunday qualifying, meaning one car will fail to make the 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' Among them is NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who for the second year will attempt 'The Double' and try to complete 1,100-miles between the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. It's going to be a tough turnaround for Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson, who nearly flipped his car when he crashed in Friday practice. He was uninjured but CGR will have a ton of work to do to get a backup car prepared for Saturday's first day of qualifying. Simpson isn't considered a pole contender, but his CGR teammates Palou and Scott Dixon are, according to other drivers. But Dixon was in the group that believe the trio of Penske drivers are going to be tough to beat this weekend. 'I will say that definitely the Penske cars look strong. There's no doubt about that,' Dixon said. 'They definitely are running some big laps. I don't know. There can always be a weird twist I think that kind of comes, so I would hope that that's true, but you know, right at the minute I don't know.' The Honda teams changed their engines Thursday night to prepare for qualifications, but Chevrolet is waiting until after qualifying to make their engine changes. 'Ganassi seems to have taken a step forward as well just from kind of playing around with them in traffic,' O'Ward said. 'It's hard to say right now. You don't know who is hiding what or are both manufacturers showing everything? Not sure, but they do look very strong.' Newgarden, meanwhile, is seeking a record third consecutive win in the Indy 500 but not yet comfortable to make any predictions. He's had a tough start to the season with just one podium finish, in the season-opener, and his 12th-place ranking in the IndyCar standings is the lowest of the three Penske drivers. But he's confident it makes little difference when it comes to the Indianapolis 500 and he's been pleased to be at the top of the speed charts each day this week. 'It's showing good signs to begin. It's a long process. You can have the quickest car in the field, and that doesn't mean you're going to win the race,' Newgarden said. "I think it takes a lot of ingredients, clearly, to win at this place. I think we have a few of them that are starting to show themselves in favorable conditions. 'Right now I think the car is in a really good place. We just have to continue to go through the motions. Qualifying is going to be its own thing. We're going to find out exactly where everybody else is at and hopefully we'll be in a good spot there. Then the race will be a whole other animal, and we'll figure that out next weekend.'
Fox Sports
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Kirkwood confidently predicts Andretti Global is favorite to win Indianapolis 500 pole
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There was zero hesitation from Kyle Kirkwood when he asked if he and his Andretti Global teammates are favorites to challenge for both the pole and the Indianapolis 500 victory. 'We're either the best, or we are very, very close to that,' Kirkwood said. 'We are very positive at this time and very confident.' Those who might disagree? Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who has been fast all week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and two-time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season. The three-car Andretti team, though? Few had even uttered their names before Kirkwood's bold prediction ahead of Fast Friday, the day teams get a 100 horsepower boost to prepare for this weekend's two-day qualifying session. Guess people just weren't paying attention. Kirkwood is, after all, the only driver this season so far to beat Palou with his April victory on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. 'I think they look very strong both speed-wise and traffic running,' said Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward, who then cautioned 'don't count out the Penskes. They're going to have rockets just like they did last year.' Newgarden beat O'Ward on the final lap last year to win his second consecutive Indy 500, and Penske drivers Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Newgarden swept the front row in qualifying last season. There are 34 drivers going for the 33 spots in the field in Saturday and Sunday qualifying, meaning one car will fail to make the 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' Among them is NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who for the second year will attempt 'The Double' and try to complete 1,100-miles between the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. It's going to be a tough turnaround for Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson, who nearly flipped his car when he crashed in Friday practice. He was uninjured but CGR will have a ton of work to do to get a backup car prepared for Saturday's first day of qualifying. Simpson isn't considered a pole contender, but his CGR teammates Palou and Scott Dixon are, according to other drivers. But Dixon was in the group that believe the trio of Penske drivers are going to be tough to beat this weekend. 'I will say that definitely the Penske cars look strong. There's no doubt about that,' Dixon said. 'They definitely are running some big laps. I don't know. There can always be a weird twist I think that kind of comes, so I would hope that that's true, but you know, right at the minute I don't know.' The Honda teams changed their engines Thursday night to prepare for qualifications, but Chevrolet is waiting until after qualifying to make their engine changes. 'Ganassi seems to have taken a step forward as well just from kind of playing around with them in traffic,' O'Ward said. 'It's hard to say right now. You don't know who is hiding what or are both manufacturers showing everything? Not sure, but they do look very strong.' Newgarden, meanwhile, is seeking a record third consecutive win in the Indy 500 but not yet comfortable to make any predictions. He's had a tough start to the season with just one podium finish, in the season-opener, and his 12th-place ranking in the IndyCar standings is the lowest of the three Penske drivers. But he's confident it makes little difference when it comes to the Indianapolis 500 and he's been pleased to be at the top of the speed charts each day this week. 'It's showing good signs to begin. It's a long process. You can have the quickest car in the field, and that doesn't mean you're going to win the race,' Newgarden said. "I think it takes a lot of ingredients, clearly, to win at this place. I think we have a few of them that are starting to show themselves in favorable conditions. 'Right now I think the car is in a really good place. We just have to continue to go through the motions. Qualifying is going to be its own thing. We're going to find out exactly where everybody else is at and hopefully we'll be in a good spot there. Then the race will be a whole other animal, and we'll figure that out next weekend.' ___ AP auto racing: recommended
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kirkwood confidently predicts Andretti Global is favorite to win Indianapolis 500 pole
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There was zero hesitation from Kyle Kirkwood when he asked if he and his Andretti Global teammates are favorites to challenge for both the pole and the Indianapolis 500 victory. 'We're either the best, or we are very, very close to that,' Kirkwood said. 'We are very positive at this time and very confident.' Those who might disagree? Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who has been fast all week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and two-time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season. The three-car Andretti team, though? Few had even uttered their names before Kirkwood's bold prediction ahead of Fast Friday, the day teams get a 100 horsepower boost to prepare for this weekend's two-day qualifying session. Guess people just weren't paying attention. Kirkwood is, after all, the only driver this season so far to beat Palou with his April victory on the downtown streets of Long Beach, California. 'I think they look very strong both speed-wise and traffic running,' said Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward, who then cautioned 'don't count out the Penskes. They're going to have rockets just like they did last year.' Newgarden beat O'Ward on the final lap last year to win his second consecutive Indy 500, and Penske drivers Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Newgarden swept the front row in qualifying last season. There are 34 drivers going for the 33 spots in the field in Saturday and Sunday qualifying, meaning one car will fail to make the 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' Among them is NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who for the second year will attempt 'The Double' and try to complete 1,100-miles between the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. It's going to be a tough turnaround for Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson, who nearly flipped his car when he crashed in Friday practice. He was uninjured but CGR will have a ton of work to do to get a backup car prepared for Saturday's first day of qualifying. Simpson isn't considered a pole contender, but his CGR teammates Palou and Scott Dixon are, according to other drivers. But Dixon was in the group that believe the trio of Penske drivers are going to be tough to beat this weekend. 'I will say that definitely the Penske cars look strong. There's no doubt about that,' Dixon said. 'They definitely are running some big laps. I don't know. There can always be a weird twist I think that kind of comes, so I would hope that that's true, but you know, right at the minute I don't know.' The Honda teams changed their engines Thursday night to prepare for qualifications, but Chevrolet is waiting until after qualifying to make their engine changes. 'Ganassi seems to have taken a step forward as well just from kind of playing around with them in traffic,' O'Ward said. 'It's hard to say right now. You don't know who is hiding what or are both manufacturers showing everything? Not sure, but they do look very strong.' Newgarden, meanwhile, is seeking a record third consecutive win in the Indy 500 but not yet comfortable to make any predictions. He's had a tough start to the season with just one podium finish, in the season-opener, and his 12th-place ranking in the IndyCar standings is the lowest of the three Penske drivers. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. But he's confident it makes little difference when it comes to the Indianapolis 500 and he's been pleased to be at the top of the speed charts each day this week. 'It's showing good signs to begin. It's a long process. You can have the quickest car in the field, and that doesn't mean you're going to win the race,' Newgarden said. 'I think it takes a lot of ingredients, clearly, to win at this place. I think we have a few of them that are starting to show themselves in favorable conditions. 'Right now I think the car is in a really good place. We just have to continue to go through the motions. Qualifying is going to be its own thing. We're going to find out exactly where everybody else is at and hopefully we'll be in a good spot there. Then the race will be a whole other animal, and we'll figure that out next weekend.' ___ AP auto racing:
