Rounds 7 and 8. Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, May 31- June 2, 2019.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Rounds 7. Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, May 31- June 2, 2019.

No sooner has the chequered flag waived at Indy but the next two rounds of the season are upon us.

Back in 2014, Detroit was the first of three double headers on the IndyCar calendar. Now, The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit is the only double header left on the IndyCar calendar.

Detroit was originally the venue for the F1 Detroit Grand Prix, held from 1982-1988. It was dropped from the F1 calendar after 1988, when F1's governing body FISA declared the temporary pit area sub standard and because of the drivers dislike of the event due to track disintegration, which was particularly bad that year. It was planned to move the F1 event to Belle Isle in 1989 but no agreement was finalised and F1 went to Phoenix and Detroit became a CART event, with the race held on a slightly modified version of the F1 track.

In 1992, the event finally moved to Belle Isle, where it was held up to and including 2001. In 1998 the track was extended from 2.1 mi (3.4 km), to 2.36 mi (3.80 km). The race was revived from 2007-2008, as part of the IRL's IndyCar Series, using the original CART layout but with Turn 8 tightened. However, it was cancelled from 2009-2011 due to the downturn in Detroit's automotive industry and the city's economic problems. The race was revived again in 2012 and since 2013 the track has reverted to the 1998-2001 CART layout, with changes to Turn 3 and 7 and The Strand.

Some Trivia:
Hélio Castroneves got his first CART win at Detroit in 2000, driving a Reynard 2Ki-Honda HR-0 V8t, for Marlboro Team Penske and has won the Detroit Grand Prix the most times: 2000, 2001 and 2014.

The team with the most wins, 7. Team Penske: 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2014, Race 1 and 2.

1982-1988 F1 track layout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ircuit.svg.png

1992-1997 Original CART track layout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._route.svg.png

1998-2001 CART track layout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...8-2001.svg.png

Current track layout:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Isle_2015.svg

Length: 2.35 Mile (3.78 km)
Turns: 14

Lap record:
Takuma Sato, 4 Jun 2017.
1:13.6732, 114.831 mph (184.802 kmh).
Andretti Autosport,
Dallara DW12-Honda HI17TT V6 Indy,
Verizon IndyCar Series.

Last year

Race 1
A very clean start saw Polesitter Marco Andretti hold off Dixon, Robert Wickens, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay into Turn 1. Will Power lost out to both Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal, the only driver to start on blacks, while James Hinchcliffe and Spencer Pigot completed the top 10.

Newgarden, who was on a three-stop strategy, pitted on Lap 6, with Hinchcliffe stopping a lap later but he received a drive-thru penalty for an improper release. Rossi moved up to third ahead of Wickens but Hunter-Reay dropped back to sixth behind Sato. Wickens then pulled into the pits for his first stop, as did Kanaan. On lap 9, Hunter-Reay pitted.

Andretti still leading, wasn’t able to pull away from Dixon and Rossi, as Rahal, who passed teammate Sato for fourth place on Lap 13, rapidly caught up with the leaders. Power, now sixth, had fallen 11 seconds behind the leaders, his lap times suggesting a two-stop strategy.

Sato was the next of the Top 10 to pit on Lap 20, with Rossi stopping on Lap 22. Andretti and Power stayed out a lap longer before stopping for blacks, with Dixon pitting on Lap 24, having led a lap for the first time this year. Rahal who had stayed out for a further lap, handed the lead to Hunter-Reay, with Dixon now third having jumped Andretti, whose stop was almost two seconds longer.

Newgarden pitted again on Lap 26, as Hunter-Reay tried to pull away from Dixon, who despite running black tires, was able to keep Rahal now on reds, at bay.

Rossi now passed Wickens and SPM decided to call the Canadian to the pits. Hunter-Reay pitted again at the end of Lap 32, leaving Dixon leading Rahal by 5.5 seconds. Hunter-Reay emerged in third right ahead of teammates Andretti and Rossi and quickly left them behind.

Up front, Dixon pulled away on Lap 36, setting a lap time of 1 minute 15.8 seconds to go almost 10 seconds clear of Rahal; by Lap 40 the lead was 13 seconds. A lap later, Hunter-Reay was right in Rahal'S slipstream.

The full course yellow came on Lap 47, the only one of the race, as Rahal clipped the curb at Turn 13 launching him hard into the wall. Dixon, Rahal, ducked into the pits and soon everyone else had done the same. Dixon emerged in the lead but now had a crocodile of cars behind him, with Hunter-Reay second, followed Andretti, Rossi, Jones, Sato, Power, Newgarden, Pigot and Wickens filling the Top 10 as they took the restart beginning Lap 54, with 16 laps left.

Just three laps later, the second full-course yellow came out, as Kimball battling for 14th with IndyCar debutant/rookie Santino Ferrucci, punted him into the tyre wall at Turn 7; a rather ignominious end to his first race in the #19 Dale Coyne car.

The race restarted with eight laps to go. Dixon was still leading, followed by Hunter-Reay, Andretti and Rossi, who passed Andretti around the outside of Turn 3 for third place. Despite Hunter-Reay staying with in 1 second, Dixon held on to score his first win since Road America July 2017, the 42nd of his career, matching Michael Andretti for third in the all-time winner's table. It also put him into second place in the driver's championship, ahead of Indy 500 winner Power.

Rossi took third to grab the championship lead, while Andretti was fourth, his best result since Toronto last year.

Jones who had more push-to-passes left than Power, was able to stay a second ahead and finish sixth.

Pole:
Marco Andretti, 1:14.8514, 113.024 Mph (181.894 kmh).
Andretti Autosport.
Dallara IR18-Honda HI18TT V6 Indy

Last year's winner:
Scott Dixon,
Chip Ganassi Racing.
Dallara IR18-Honda HI18TT V6 Indy.

Laps: 70
Distance: 164.5 Miles (264.737 km)
Race Time: 1:39:24
Average Speed: 99.285 mph (159.783 kmh)
Caution periods: 1
Caution Laps: 3


Race 2

Before the race itself had actually started, there was a rather bizarre incident on the parade lap, when Mark Reuss, Executive VP of global product development at General Motors, lost control of the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car exiting Turn 2, shunting into the left-side wall.

A few cars got past the stricken Pace Car but the remainder of the field was halted. The cars were eventually restarted by the AMR Safety Team and sent back to pit road, where the teams were allowed to recheck their tyres for debris and damage.

Once the race actually got started, polesitter Rossi held on ahead of Robert Wickens, while Power had to work hard to remain his third place spot, as Ganassi’s Ed Jones tried to pass him around the outside of Turn 1. They battled side-by-side around Turn 2, all the way down the long straight to Turn 3 and then along the short straight to Turn 4. Jones finally conceded and lost momentum falling back to sixth, behind teammate Scott Dixon and Hinchcliffe.

Further back there was a collision: Sebastien Bourdais collected a rear-left puncture, and Spencer Pigot spun to a halt and stall, believing he was punted by Coyne’s other car, Santino Ferrucci. Out came the first full-course yellow.

Rossi made a clean and easy restart ahead of Wickens, Power, Dixon, Hinchcliffe, Jones, Graham Rahal, Zach Veach, Marco Andretti and Simon Pagenaud. On Lap 5, Pagenaud was overtaken by a daring move at Turn 1 from Hunter-Reay. Two laps later, Andretti mad a similar pass on Veach to grab eighth. Hinchcliffe and Hunter-Reay pitted on lap 10, a lap after Tony Kanaan and Takuma Sato did the same.

On Lap 12, Wickens ducked into the pits, leaving Rossi with a 6.3sec lead over Power and on Lap 13, Jones got past teammate Dixon to grab third and started to gain on Power.

Rossi's front tyres were starting to give out and was told that he needed to try and get 10 more laps out of the alternates, which he had started on, his team having decided on making this a two-stop race.

Bourdais, who was now on primary ‘black’ tires since his enforced pitstop, passed Matheus Leist – the only driver to start on blacks – to grab seventh on Lap 16, and move in on the Dixon/Rahal battle for fourth. Just a little further back, Ferrucci passed Andretti for eighth.

Dixon made his first stop on Lap 20, followed by Rahal on 21, while Rossi, Power, Jones and Bourdais came in on Lap 22. They were lucky to get there without a second full-course yellow, as Ferrucci spun his car exiting the pits, nudging the curb and damaging his front wing. He spun back around and got going unaided.

Wickens and Hunter-Reay, who were on a three-stop strategy, were now leading by 6 seconds ahead of Rossi, followed by Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Power, Jones, Bourdais, Dixon and Veach.
On Lap 29, Wickens pulled into the pits, however he emerged eigth and that left Rossi in the lead 14 seconds ahead of Power, with Jones in third, 2.5 seconds behind. Behind the top three, Bourdais was 1.5 behind Jones and only half a second ahead of Dixon, with Hunter-Reay
looming large in his mirrors. Dixon had got past Bourdais as his Coyne spun into Turn 1 with a suspected broken left-rear toe-link, in the rear suspension and fortunately without getting collected by Hunter-Reay and Rahal.

Rossi and Power peeled into the pits on Lap 46 and were only 5.1 seconds apart by the time they hit pitlane. They rejoined the track in second and third, behind Hunter-Reay. Rossi began to pullaway from Power and by the time Hunter-Reay pulled in for his third and final stop, Rossi’s margin over Power was about 10 seconds. With a 6.3 second stop Hunter-Reay rejoined 4 seconds clear of Power.

Rossi, aware Hunter-Reay was on fresh rubber and charging, set his fastest lap of the race on Lap 55, with 1 minute 16 seconds but Hunter-Reay put in a lap of 1 minute 15.8, to get the gap under eight seconds. Power was a similar distance behind Hunter-Reay,

With 13 laps to go, Hunter-Reay was setting times of 1 minute 15.5 seconds, cutting the lead down to 5.6 seconds. A stunning 1 minute 15.0 from Hunter-Reay and a 1 minute 16.9 from Rossi got the gap down to 3.7sec, with the gap coming down to 2 seconds and then 0.6 seconds on successive laps.

On Lap 63, Rossi locked up his left-front under braking for Turn 3 as both drivers were using push-to-pass. Finally on Lap 64, Hunter-Reay made Rossi crack, as this time he locked up both front wheels at Turn 3 and skidded down the escape road. He rejoined the track just behind Dixon but the front-left was punctured and he limped back to pitlane. Rossi rejoined a dispiriting 13th, eventually finishing 12th.

Power was now 16 seconds behind Hunter-Reay and keeping Jones 2 seconds behind, with most of his push-to-passes left. Hunter-Reay was able to patiently pick his way through traffic given the distance between himslef and Power and he finally crossed the line 11.3549 seconds ahead of to score his first win since August 2015.

Dixon couldn't get past teammate Jones, who achieved his second podium of the year but did enough to stay well clear of Rahal, who was fifth. Wickens was a further 18sec down in sixth.


Pole:
Alexander Rossi 1:33.3143, 90.661 mph (145.904 kmh)
Andretti Autosport,
Dallara IR18-Honda HI18TT V6 Indy

Last year's winner:
Ryan Hunter-Reay,
Andretti Autosport.
Dallara IR18-Honda HI18TT V6 Indy

Laps: 70
Distance: 164.5 Miles (264.737 km)
Race Time: 1:33:51
Average Speed: 105.176 mph (169.264 kmh)
Caution periods: 2
Caution Laps: 10


Race broadcast: NBCSportsTV.
Race 1 June 1, 3:00pm ET