Following a three-week break the IndyCar series teams are set for what is hopefully a triumphant return to Phoenix International Raceway or PIR for race number two of the 2016 season. The one-mile oval will host IndyCars for the first time in more than a decade and there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the race. There are also a lot of questions to be answered.
Yes, IndyCar has raced here previously but in a different track configuration and in much different racecars. During the pre-season test the consensus was that the track is wicked fast, it will be an exhausting 250 laps for the drivers and it could be difficult to pass depending on how the cars handle during the race as tires degrade. This gives us plenty of storylines to follow even before a lap is turned.
PIR is a challenging one-mile oval with turns one and two different from three and four. There’s also a dogleg that drivers will have to deal with on the backstretch. Figuring out where and how to pass a car ahead of you will present a challenge and depending on how the car’s handling is set up could be different for each participant.
Just about every driver has talked about how physically taxing the track is with banking in the corners combined with the high downforce available on the vehicles. Not to mention that it’s hot in the desert, even at night.
Of course the focus on the battle between Chevrolet and Honda will be part of the equation as well. While Chevy had the advantage during the two-day test in February and seemed to be ahead at the season opener in St. Petersburg there isn’t as big a performance gap as last year.
Penske driver Will Power has been cleared medically to return to competition after missing out on the first race. Power was initially thought to have sustained a concussion after a practice crash but further tests revealed an inner ear problem was the cause of his nausea. After completing a test session last week Power was pronounced fit for duty and it will be fun to watch him try to climb back into championship contention as the season moves forward.
Canadian fans will again be following the progress of Oakville’s James Hinchcliffe. After 10 months away from competition the “Mayor of Hinchtown” didn’t have the storybook kind of return many hoped for. Following contact on the opening lap that put him a lap down, Hinchcliffe was caught up in a later incident that hampered his day and finished the season opening race in 19th spot.
Others to watch this weekend include Penske driver Helio Castroneves, who’s one of the few competitors that raced on the old configuration and was a winner. The same applies to Ganassi’s Tony Kanaan.
Simon Pagenaud brought his Penske car home second at the season opener and has run well on ovals previously. Andretti driver and former series champ Ryan Hunter-Reay has a fondness for the short ovals and should also be worth keeping an eye on.
KVSH and driver Sebastien Bourdais had a hiccup on the way to the event. Their transporter truck caught fire while en route. The fire was quickly contained, there were no injuries and the car and equipment are good to go for the weekend.
Phoenix and Road America in Wisconsin were both long time staples on the IndyCar schedule and following long absences are returning this season. How the public and sponsors react to IndyCar’s comeback could prove to be an indicator for future series growth and perhaps even more great tracks from the past returning to the series.