For just the second time IndyCar drivers will compete on the road course on the infield of the famed 2.5-mile oval in Indianapolis, giving reason to believe a veteran will be on top at the end of the day.
A year ago young guns Sebastian Saavedra and Jack Hawksworth captured the front row starting spots for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but it was three veterans who finished on the podium with Simon Pagenaud winning, Ryan Hunter-Reay placing second and Helio Castroneves third.
Pagenaud used the victory to get into the championship battle, and Hunter-Reay and Castroneves used the momentum to propel themselves to first- and second-place results at the Indy 500 two weeks later.
This week Hunter-Reay would like another boost after some mixed results in the first quarter of the season. Honda has struggled to keep pace with Chevrolet so far, but they appear to be closing the gap.
Helio Castroneves is poised to make his 300th career start this weekend. He’ll also celebrate his 40th birthday the next day and it would be the perfect present to himself if he captured his 30th career victory.
Pagenaud would like to capture another checkered flag following his win at the inaugural event last year. He now seems settled in at his new Team Penske home and will be looking to score his first win for the team.
It will also be interesting to see if one of the Team Penske cars is on pole again this weekend. Castroneves has won two, Will Power one and Juan Pablo Montoya was awarded the pole position at New Orleans based on points.
Last season haters of change were up in arms that a road race was taking place at the revered Speedway during the month of May. Critics were quiet following the event, which had plenty of passing and in-race drama along with a great crowd in attendance.
It’s tough to argue with success.
Although this year I expect some will complain about the additional sponsor signage that is now visible at the track. But isn’t it good for the series and track to have additional sponsors wanting to be part of the program?
Another change this year will be the start of the race. Following the big collision at the beginning of the race last year, there will not be a standing start. Saavedra was clobbered from behind by Carlos Munoz and Mikhail Aleshin when his car stalled on the grid. IndyCar has since abandoned standing starts and have opted for the traditional rolling start in every event this season, as many correctly predicted at the time.
Canadian James Hinchcliffe had a race to forget last year at the Grand Prix. A chunk of debris flew up from the track and hit him in the head, causing a concussion. The Oakville, Ont., native said he doesn’t remember much of the event but hopes he has some karma coming his way after his troubles with the track.