The final race before the one hundredth running of the Indianapolis 500 took place Saturday afternoon on the IMS infield road course and although the cars will look completely different when they take to the famous 2.5-mile oval on Tuesday morning Australian time, there’s plenty of momentum to be had as we forge into two weeks of practice and qualifying. First, talking points from the 2016 Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Simon Pagenaud
A runaway victor in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, two years after winning the inaugural event. Pagenaud led fifty seven of the eighty-two laps and was barely challenged all day long.
The Frenchman has started the 2016 season absolutely on fire, and is carrying all the momentum in the world into practice and qualifying for the one hundredth running of the Indianapolis 500 in two weeks’ time. In fact, I’d venture as far saying there hasn’t been this dominant a start to the season in years.
We’ve seen five IndyCar Series events run and won this year (St Petersburg, Phoenix, Long Beach, Barber and now the Indianapolis road course) and Pagenaud has three wins and a pair of seconds. He’s running away with the championship and with a double-points victory at the 500, may just sew it up for himself before the calendar moves to June!
Remember the off-season where plenty – myself included – suggested that Pagenaud was on if not the hot seat with Roger Penske, then certainly a fairly warm one. I said he needed wins to keep the Captain happy, and look what’s happened? Three straight victories and we’re finally seeing what the combination of a very good driver in tremendous equipment can do.
Last year was undoubtedly a down one for Pagenaud, who took longer than any of us expected to acclimatise to life under the Penske umbrella, and now the affable Frenchman is on fire. His domination is downright scary at the moment, and you’d be a brave person to bet against that #22 Menards Chevrolet ending up in victory lane after five hundred miles the Sunday after next!
Graham Rahal
Two races in a row, and two scintillating performances from deep in the field for Rahal, whose drive from stone motherless last after a dubious post-qualifying penalty on Friday to an impressive fifth place finish was one of the highlights of Saturday’s race. The son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal has shown so far this season that last year’s speed wasn't a fluke. Imagine how dangerous the Ohio native would be if he could only qualify better, he’d be crossing swords with Pagenaud at the front of the field.
Thirty years ago this year, Bobby Rahal won the 500 in a red car, and Graham, who married NHRA drag racing star Courtney Force in the off-season, is not without a shot at Indy in his own red Steak N Shake rocket, given he’s shown incredible ability to coax speed out of an underpowered Honda engine. Combine that with smart driving and a very adept pita crew, and you’ve always got a shot at Indy.
James Hinchcliffe
The endlessly popular Canadian nearly died in a practice crash at Indianapolis a year ago, which saw him miss the rest of the season. So, what does the Mayor of Hinchtown do on his return to the Speedway? Bring home is SPM Honda in third place. It was great to see one of the great characters in the paddock up on the podium.
John Menard
If you look up futility in the dictionary, you’ll probably find a photo of the Andretti clan at Indianapolis, and alongside them will be a photo of John Menard. The billionaire racing enthusiast from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has fielded teams at Indianapolis since the 1970s and has suffered through a string of misfortune to rival that of the Andretti’s. He’s had pole winners and strong cars through the years, most painted in a garish fluoro yellow colour to make them instantly recognisable, but has never had a driver able to close the deal at Indy.
This time around, Menard, through his eponymous Midwestern hardware store chain, is sponsoring Simon Pagenaud’s Team Penske effort, and on Saturday, Menard finally got to enjoy victory lane after an IndyCar Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a handful of years after his son, Paul, took and unlikely victory in the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Speedway.
Menard is one of the good guys in IndyCar racing. It was great to see him finally make the trek to victory lane at a place that obviously means so much to him.
Connor Daly and Alexander Rossi
Whilst the final box score wasn't kind to either man, Daly (for perennial battlers Dale Coyne Racing) led a stint midway through the race after a fantastic overtaking move on Helio Castroneves on a restart and Rossi, saddled with an inferior Honda power plant at Andretti Autosport, had his best IndyCar Series performance on Saturday afternoon, showing glimpses of serious speed around a track that seems to favour drivers who have European training as he diced with Will Power early on.
Daly ended sixth and Rossi tenth after a track limit violation, but it was nice to see both drivers showing the skill we know they have.
Aussie Watch
Will Power’s race was derailed early, after a duel with Rossi that ended in the Queenslander sliding through the grass. It was unusual seeing the rookie pressure the veteran for a change, and finished a distant nineteenth. Safe to say, it hasn’t been the sort of season to write back to Toowoomba about.
Third generation racer Matt Brabham had a respectable and clean IndyCar Series debut with Pirtek Team Murray, finishing in sixteenth and steering clear of any trouble. Considering the race represented his first ever competitive pit-stop – and the longest race he’s ever competed in – that’s a good result, and he’ll be much better for the experience of racing against the Scott Dixon’s and Juan Pablo Montoya’s of the world.
The Big One Is Coming!
The Indianapolis 500 is a big race. Always. No matter what – rain, hail, shine, an IRL/Cart split. The one hundredth running? That is going to be off the chain. The grandstands are all sold out, there’ll be 33 cars, as has been tradition, and I’ve got eight or ten drivers with a chance at winning. Strap in, everyone – this May is going to be something to remember!
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