Round 3 & 4: Texas Motor Speedway. April 30 - May 2.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Round 3 & 4: Texas Motor Speedway. April 30 - May 2.


Last year the start of the 2020 season was posponed and a number of races cancelled due to the corona virus. In May, IndyCar announced a revised calendar, with the season starting on June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. This season the race calendar is still being effected by the coronavirus and rather than one 600km race, TMS will be hosting a double header, the Genysys 300 on Saturday May 1 and the Xpel 375 on Sunday May 2; both race distances are in miles rather than kilometers.

This will be the 25th consecutive year Texas Motor Speedway has held an event on the IndyCar calendar. On June 7th 1997, the Indy Racing League held the "1997 True Value 500", the 6th round of the fledgling series at Texas Motor Speedway and it was the first night race in the history of AOWR. It was won by Arie Luyendyk, driving a Panoz G-Force-Oldsmobile for Treadway Racing. Since then it has been a perennial event on the IndyCar series calendar.

From 1998-2004 the track hosted two races per season, with the second race held in October. In 2007, the race distance was increased from 500km to 550. In 2011, the 'Firestone Twin 275s' were held, made up of two 275km races, separated by a "halftime", with half points awarded for each race. The grid for the second race was decided by a random draw, which proved so unpopular, the twin race format was scrapped the following year. In 2014, the race distance was further extended to 600km.

In 2001, CART added the "Firestone Firehawk 600" at TMS for April 29th, to their calendar. However, after practice and qualifying, the race was cancelled as drivers reported vertigo like symptoms and vision problems, after sustaining high lateral forces of 5.5G, while driving in excess of 230 mph or 370 km/h on the 24 degree banking. TMS sued CART, after it emerged CART officials had ignored repeated requests to test their cars before the race. This resulted in a legal settlement, estimated to have been around $5–7 million, which CART paid to TMS. Many pundits have cited the law suit and settlement as a key reason for CART's demise.

Some Trivia:
Driver with the most wins, 4.
Hélio Castroneves: 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013.
Team with the most wins, 10.
Team Penske: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019.


Track Layout:





Length: 1.5 Miles (2.4 km)
Turns: 4

Lap record:
Paul Tracy April 28 2001. 0:22.542, 239.552 mph (385.521 kmh)
Team Green,
Reynard 01i-Honda HR-1 V8t,
CART FedEx Championship Series.

Last Year's Race:
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/n...alue%5D=265590


Pole:
Takuma Sato, two-lap average: 47.0738 sec. 220.250 mph, (354.458 km/h)
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Dallara IR18-Honda HI20R Indy-V-6

Last year's winner:
Scott Dixon,
Chip Ganassi Racing
Dallara IR18-Honda HI20R Indy-V-6

Laps: 200
Distance: 300 Miles (482.803 Km)
Time: 1:38:37
Average speed: 175.201 Mph (281.958 km/h)
Fastest lap: Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, lap 189, .24.1088 sec, 215.025 mph (346.049 km/h)

Cautions: 4
Laps 24: 38-45, 77-85, 191-196, 200-200


Genysys 300 broadcast:
NBCSN, May 01, 7:00pm ET, 11:00pm UTC
Sky Sports F1, 00:00am BST

Xpel 375 broadcast:
NBCSN, May 02, 5:00pm ET, 9:00pm UTC
Sky Sports F1, 10:00pm BST

[tux]

Good preview sir, thank you.

How is the grid set for race 2?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by tux

Good preview sir, thank you.

How is the grid set for race 2?

Qualifying for both races is on Saturday afternoon, from 4:00pm-5:00pm ET, 8:00pm UTC, 9:00pm BST.

There are two flying laps per car. The first lap sets the grid for the Genesys 300, the second sets the grid for the XPEL 375.

[mstets]

I think of Texas as a track where the smaller teams have a fighting chance. Looking back over the past ten years results it seams that I am guilty of wishful thinking. Ganassi or Penske have won the race in 8 of the last 11 events, with the last win by another team being Rahal in 2016. RLL, Coyne, and Carpenter all have wins at TMS but the place has been dominated by CGR and Penske of late. I'm hoping that changes twice this coming weekend and we exit with 4 different winners to start the season.

[NaBUru38]

Let's hope that theraces are interesting, rather than boring or dangerous.

[tux]

I didnt realise Jimmie Johnson wasn't racing the oval races, id have thought he would be up for it because it should allow him more of a chance to be competitive. Although, cant blame him, why take the risk when you have all that money, a family and those achievements.

Just check the weather for Saturday at the speedway and it looks like theres plenty of rain forecast.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by tux

I didnt realise Jimmie Johnson wasn't racing the oval races, id have thought he would be up for it because it should allow him more of a chance to be competitive. Although, cant blame him, why take the risk when you have all that money, a family and those achievements.

Just check the weather for Saturday at the speedway and it looks like theres plenty of rain forecast.

Yeah, his family was not fans of the speeds in Indy on the ovals according to some.

And yeah, looking at rain for my anniversary trip to the mountains this weekend as well. Looks like rain most of the weekend in Texas-Deep(er)South, Mon-Wed as you get to the Southeast

[bjohnsonsmith]

This is AccuWeather's forecast for tomorrow.


https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/te...3287_poi?day=2

[mstets]

I was busy working in another series in 2001, and not following what was going on in CART very closely. This is a pretty scary story about what drivers were dealing with at Texas. Tracy's lap record at 239+ seems unbelievable given some of the other drivers' comments.


https://racer.com/2021/04/30/inside-...e-the-lead-up/

Is that lap of PT's the fastest champ car lap at a race event?

[Yannick]

IndyCar has a history of venues disappearing not soon after a significant change of their event's annual date. Fontana, Milwaukee, Kentucky are just 3 prominent examples. In spite of this, series organisers have chosen to fill the vacancy left open from COTA (now hosting a NASCAR race) with series mainstay TMS.

Here's wishing everyone a weekend of safe, clean and good racing. May you all stay healthy.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by mstets

I was busy working in another series in 2001, and not following what was going on in CART very closely. This is a pretty scary story about what drivers were dealing with at Texas. Tracy's lap record at 239+ seems unbelievable given some of the other drivers' comments.


https://racer.com/2021/04/30/inside-...e-the-lead-up/

Is that lap of PT's the fastest champ car lap at a race event?

That's held by Gil de Ferran, who set the closed course record and the track record, with a fastest lap of 241.428 mph (388.541 km/h) at California Speedway, Fontana on October 28, 2000, driving for Penske in a Reynard 2Ki-Honda HR-0 V8t.


Edit: I didn't have time to read that article earlier, but thanks for posting it; a truly fascinating read.


This is part 2, with the third part tomorrow.
https://racer.com/2021/05/01/inside-...ble-monster/3/

[broadrun96]

Quali called on account of rain this afternoon. Grid set by points for tonight. No announcement on tomorrow but expected to be same.

Practice was run but quali called off, Palau on pole

TK only one to break 220 so far

[broadrun96]

Should be interesting. Practice vs starting order

Palau-11th
Power-16
Dixon-4
Herta-17
Pags-5
Bourdais-22
Harvey-15
VeeKay-18
Ericksson-6
Newgarden--8

Starting order will be all mixed up from practice speeds, and fastest guy of the day at the rear

[tux]

Missed practice because SKY didnt have it listed. Presumably because the session was delayed due to weather they were able to show it because the F1/Ferrari Challenge had finished.

Really hoping that the race isn't delayed tonight, i really want to watch it.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Tonight's forecast has a 53% probability of precipitation. That could put a crimp in things and it's already a late start over here, 00:00am BST.



https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/te...3287_poi?day=1

[bjohnsonsmith]

Starting Grid

Here's the full starting grid, based on entrant point standings.

[tux]

Race start has been moved forward to 19:10 ET, 01:10am cet, 12:10am bst.

[broadrun96]

I haven't seen anything and NBCSN still has Mecum Auction from months ago on here. Guess we'll get tape delayed racing

Indycar still says 45 min to race time, so 1900 EDT race start according to the timing page

[bjohnsonsmith]

A clean start, Dixon rakes the lead.

[broadrun96]

Dixie SHOT to the front and pulling away

In honor of it being a race in Texas, and I had it in the fridge, smoked a corned beef brisket today. It's a small one, discount after St Pat's. But it's quite tasty with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli

[bjohnsonsmith]

FCY, Bourdais into the wall and during a pit stop sequence.

Edit: Looks like Newgarden touched the rear end of Bourdais.

[broadrun96]

Yup, Josef nerfed him right around. Although he was off the go pedal and no where to go

I don't think they can penalize that, someone cars ahead was slowing way down.

Gonna need with pit strategy as Dixie and Palau have a lap in hand over the early pitters, in a turn of the usual pit first and hope for yellow.

[broadrun96]

Interesting Bourdais was blaming Colton more than Josef there and trying HARD not to say it out right

[bjohnsonsmith]

2nd FCY, as Hinch goes into the wall at Turn 2.

[broadrun96]

Man, that compound is GARBAGE for Indy tires isn't it? Wasn't it somewhere else last year too and ruined the racing?