Since we only got in about 25 minutes of running time before rain wiped out the first day of practice for the 108th Indianapolis 500, it means I still have time to put down my thoughts on last Saturday’s Indy GP.
First the good stuff: cars were on track at IMS. Cool.
Now the rest: as usual, there was plenty of racing (and passing) throughout the field, and absolutely none at the front. I’m not really sure how we fix that, but something needs to be done, because while there have been close finishes in terms of time, the last several races on the IMS road course have been completely devoid of leadership drama.
The TV guys can “whoaaaa!” all they want to try and make stuff exciting — and there are times where that is worth it — but stop it, because a backmarker battle-turned-“rivalry” between Santino Ferrucci and Romain Grosjean does nothing for me.
Anyway, here are a few thoughts.
who impressed me
Alex Palou — What can you say about the guy? Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, between the Speedway and the road course he has two wins, five total podiums and eight top 10 finishes in 10 races.
This is the second year in a row that he has kicked off the Month of May with a win on the road course, and all that is really left for him to do is to win the Indy 500, which will come at some point. He once again heads into the Speedway portion of the month as one of the favorites to win on May 26.
Colton Herta — Herta has always had a sense of maturity that belied his age, but he hasn’t always taken that to the track. There seems to be a little bit of a difference this year, though. After heading into the weekend leading in points, Herta qualified a miserable 24th and saw his race get off to an even worse start when teammate Marcus Ericsson punted him off the track on the opening lap of the race.
Herta was none too happy on the radio, and in the past, that might have followed him around the entire day. Instead, he quickly got his frustration out of his system and methodically moved his way through the field to a P7 finish.
While he fell to fourth in the standings, he made the most of a really bad day, and doing that is how you are able to still be in the hunt as the season moves on.
who struggled
Josef Newgarden — I’m really not sure what happened to Newgarden on Saturday. After having a rough weekend at Barber, he looked to have put his Push to Pass drama behind him by qualifying P4 on Friday, but when the race got started, he was nowhere to be found, and ultimately came home in 17th place.
Heading into the 500, Newgarden’s season is at a crossroads. He’s 17th in the standings and trails Palou by 91 points. The points aren’t necessarily the problem, he has lots of season left to make that up. The bigger problem would be the number of drivers between Newgarden and Palou.
No doubt Palou could falter, as could another driver or two. But if that happens, it more or less means that other drivers will take advantage and improve their standing. If Newgarden wants to get back into title contention, he has to break out of his funk — and soon. Then he’s going to need some help.
Option 1 will probably happen…he’s too good for it not to, but getting the rest of the planets to line up for him will be a whole different thing.
Pato O’Ward — Like Newgarden, O’Ward had a rough weekend for the second race in a row. After finishing P23 in Alabama, O’Ward had an engine let go in the pre-race morning warmup, then battled a balky car all day Saturday to finish 13th.
Before I say something critical, I want to say this: I am a big Pato fan, I think he has a massive amount of talent, and of all the drivers in the series, he is probably the best ambassador out there. What he does for the fans, and how they respond to him, sets the example for everyone else.
That said, has a very difficult time when things aren’t going his way. His frustration shows in how he drives, and how he deals with his team. In the last two races he needed to put his head down, drive hard, and make the best of it. Instead, he spent his time hitting other cars and yelling at his strategist.
Maybe the new motor he got Saturday was sour, and yeah, the decision to put blacks on for his final stint was a head-scratcher. Still, racing and competition is about controlling what you can control. Anyone can get it done when they are up front, but the best get it done on bad days as well.
happy president’s day!
Last month Abby and I had the chance to sit down with IMS President Doug Boles, and we had a great conversation about all things IMS. Click here to give it a listen, or check it out on your favorite podcast platform.
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