Tag Archives: Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Race Recap: Honda 200 @ Mid-Ohio

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The IZOD IndyCar Series made its annual stop at the technical, demanding Mid-Ohio Sports car course, a track notorious for discouraging passing and excitement.  But that was on the old Dallara and the Dallara DW12 proved at Barber Motorsports Park that on the tightest of tracks it could provoke fans to arise from their seats and cheer as the cars went by.  Not only is the DW12 faster, in general, than its predecessor, it has shown incredible ability to create passing opportunities where there were none before.  Mid-Ohio featured the 2012 debut of the Push-To-Pass horsepower boost feature on a permanent road course venue.  Added to the drivers calculations was a five second delay from when he/she pushed the button to when the turbocharged engines would give the extra boost making the drivers plan ahead when planning their attack on the car ahead.  The purpose being to encourage use of Push-To-Pass in a more offensive manner rather than defensive.

Team Penske began the weekend building on the momentum gained from Helio Castroneves’ victory at Edmonton City Centre Airport two weeks earlier.  Weather conditions wreaked havoc on the preparations for the race and Helio Castroneves suffered a bruised wrist in the morning practice before qualifications where the Brazilian failed to transfer to the second round of qualifying resulting in no better than 13th Place starting position.  Castroneves’ race got exponentially more difficult when Team Penske elected to change the Chevrolet engine in the No. 3 Penske Truck Rental DW12 resulting in a ten-spot grid penalty as per the IZOD IndyCar Series Rule Book meaning Castroneves would start 23rd.  Castroneves’ Team Penske teammates fared better on Saturday qualifying with both Briscoe and Power making the top-6 shootout for the Pole.  Briscoe held station qualifying in 6th right behind Scott Dixon.  All Will Power did was shatter the IndyCar track qualifying record on the way to netting his third Pole Position start of 2012 eclipsing Dario Franchitti’s fast lap by two tenths of a second.  The top six was Power and Franchitti followed by Pagenaud, Tagliani, Dixon, and Briscoe.

Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay entered Mid-Ohio Sports Car course with the points lead and looked to continue momentum gained from three straight wins at Milwaukee, Iowa, and Toronto and a 7th Place result at Edmonton.  Very early in the race, Hunter-Reay’s team became concerned that something inside the No. 28 DHL/SunDrop Pelonia Chevrolet was amiss and may cast a dark cloud over their day.  Hunter-Reay remained stationed in the top-10 for much of the early portions of the race, but coming to the last round of pit stops the car began sounding, according to Jon Beekhuis, very sour and ill and Hunter-Reay fell sharply off the race leaders’ pace.  Eventually, Hunter-Reay was called to pit lane inside ten laps to go marking the first time Hunter-Reay was not running at the finish since Texas in June.  The silver lining in this is Hunter-Reay’s engine will be regarded as a mechanical failure during the race so no grid penalty will be assessed at Sonoma.

Looking at IZOD IndyCar Series history, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course could have Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s name stamped on it, driver Scott Dixon’s in particular.  Since the first IndyCar Series Race at the storied facility, Dixon had won three of the five races.  His only blemishes, a third place in 2008 and fifth in 2010.  Dixon just has a knack for this course which, due to its tight nature and minimal passing opportunities, requires strong qualifying efforts, tire and fuel management, and flawless pit stops to achieve the top step on the podium when the checkers fall.  Dixon excels at all of these factors giving him essential ownership of the IndyCar Race on this circuit.

Race day began ominously as the course was drenched by overnight and morning rainfall making the morning warmup almost useless to determining a race setup just because of the uncertainty surrounding the conditions for the 85-lap event.  The race began in insanity as a huge pack of 25 DW12 IndyCars fought for the same piece of real estate causing Justin Wilson to spin and continue, but losing precious positions.  Common in IndyCar Series races, varying pit strategies became a game changer.  Teams had the option to select a three-stop or two-stop pit strategies.  Those toward the back opted to go for the three stop strategy hoping that the yellow caution flags would wave in their favor.  The one problem with this strategy was, for the second consecutive race, there were no cautions and the race was run under green from start to the checkered flag.  This race was won on the final pit stop when Scott Dixon, who stalked the rear wing of the Verizon Team Penske car of Will Power for the first two fuel stints, benefitted from a clear pit entry giving Dixon a faster pit stop by the smallest of margins, but it was enough.  Dixon’s crew was able to insert the fuel probe just milliseconds faster than Power’s resulting in the change of position.  Then Dixon went to work driving away from Power to Victory Lane for his second win of the season also pulling Dixon back into the heat of the points race with tough days for Castroneves and Hunter-Reay.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SCOTT DIXON AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING: WINNERS OF THE HONDA 200 @ MID-OHIO

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

RACE RECAP: IOWA CORN INDY 250

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The IZOD IndyCar Series returned to the Iowa Speedway June 22nd for some old fashioned Saturday night short track racing.  Racing at Iowa is uniquely challenging for the IndyCar Paddock as the track surface is only 7/8 of a mile in length, but progressive banking gives the track the characteristics of a superspeedway and lightning fast lap times under 18 seconds.  IZOD IndyCar drivers requested a low downforce setup similar to that run at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the month.  The result was a race that the drivers had to drive instead of mashing the gas pedal and hoping for the best.  The hope was the race would be much like Texas with competitive side-by-side racing but with the driver a big part of the winning equation.  Iowa Speedway delivered!

Over recent years, the IZOD IndyCar Series has not shied away from trying new formats to spice up their schedule and encourage new fans to pay attention.  In Iowa, they tried a new twist to the race weekend which was qualifying determined by three heat races as opposed to single car qualifying averaging the speed of two green flag laps.  Practice times determined the field for the three heat races with odd numbered cars from 11th on back fighting for the inside lane and even numbered cars fighting for 10th on back for the outside lane.  The top-9 practice times were the only cars able to contend for the Pole Position ultimately won by Dario Franchitti.  The format was interesting and worth exploring, but the contention for most drivers was that every heat race should have meaning for the winner.  A transfer spot to the final heat race for the Pole would remedy that situation.

The race’s already late start time was delayed by over an hour due to heavy rains earlier in the day.  Props to NBC Sports Network’s broadcast team as they navigated the rain delay by offering compelling interviews with just about every driver in the Paddock.  The Iowa Speedway crew completed the track drying procedure and drivers were called to their cars.  Polesitter Dario Franchitti saw his night come to an end before it started as his Honda engine gave out on the warm-up laps ending his day.  The race restarted and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske benefitted from Franchitti’s engine troubles to take the early lead being chased by James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay while all three drivers navigated early lap traffic.  The early laps provided exactly what the drivers were hoping for…competitive side-by-side racing but the cars were a handful to drive.

Will Power suffered another night to forget in Iowa when, early in the race, Power navigated his Verizon Team Penske car to the low side of the racetrack in turn 2.  The problem was that the No. 5 CITGO KV Racing Technology car piloted by EJ Viso was closing on Power and was inside the Team Penske driver at the time.  The two cars made contact sending both cars into the SAFER barrier ending the race for both drivers.  Power later admitted to his mistake and patched up any ill feelings with Viso.

As happens frequently in auto racing, strategy became paramount storyline in the race and Roger Penske looked to have given Ryan Briscoe an opportunity to win the race on a great fuel strategy.  At the end of a previous caution, Penske called Briscoe to bring the No. 2 Transitions Adaptive Lenses Dallara Chevrolet to the pits to top off the fuel in the car to go a little bit longer on the next stint than every other driver on the track.  As the next round of green flag stops cycled through, Briscoe found himself on a lap all on his own and was looking to be in a great position if a caution came out.  The caution came out, but, unfortunately, Briscoe was the driver in the wall bringing out the yellow.  Briscoe maintained the low lane as he was going to pit the next lap when he was dive bombed by Josef Newgarden who was just off pit lane with fresh tires.  The incident resulted in an end to the race for Briscoe and Newgarden.

The cars from Andretti Autosport, as in the 2011 race, appeared to be the strongest horses in the race with only Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon able to offer consistent challenges to Michael Andretti’s stable.  However, the race turned sour for another championship contender as James Hinchcliffe had his GoDaddy.com Chevrolet snap loose and get into the fence leaving Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay left to duke it out for the win.  Katherine Legge spun in turn 2 with two laps to go ending the race under caution giving Ryan Hunter-Reay his second win in a row.  With Power and Hinchcliffe having issues in the race and the late fade by Scott Dixon, the points were shaken up greatly in after Iowa.  Power maintaned the points lead by three points over Ryan Hunter-Reay with Dixon maintaining third and Helio Castroneves leapfrogging Hinchcliffe to 4th in points.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN HUNTER-REAY AND ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT: WINNERS OF THE IOWA CORN INDY 250

  R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Indy 500 Recap: Ganassi, Honda Break Through

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The 500 Miles of Indianapolis have been completed and, for the third time in the last five editions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing emerged victorious in the World’s Greatest Race.  Dario Franchitti, carrying the No. 50 in honor of Target’s 50th Anniversary was in the lead coming to the last lap of the race when Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dove underneath vying for the race lead.  Sato proceeded to the white line on the inside of turn one when the No. 15 MiJack machine touched wheels with Franchitti’s Target red car spinning Sato to the outside SAFER Barrier giving the win to the Scot.  This win places Franchitti in an elite group of drivers that have won the Indianapolis 500 three times joining Helio Castroneves as the only active driver to accomplish the feat.  Franchitti made his way to victory circle for the ceremonial bottle of milk and saluted his fallen former teammate and friend, Dan Wheldon.  Digging further into the final results the top-3 finishers are fitting because they were all former teammates of the late Dan Wheldon, and, in a race so filled with emotion and tribute, finished as it should.  Any of the top-3 would have been a fitting champion in this race.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT’S STRONG MONTH HITS THE WALL

Andretti Autosport was considered, by many in the Paddock, to be the team to beat on Race Day.  Sure, Team Penske won the Pole Position for the race, but Andretti Autosport cars filled the next three positions on the starting grid.  Through the first half of the race, it seemed as everything was going to plan.  Marco Andretti sailed out to the lead and led a race high 59 laps, but spent the second half of the race mired in traffic with a downforce level that made the car difficult to drive in that situation.  His race finally ended on lap 187 when he spun and hit the SAFER barrier ending his run.  Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a conservative race just logging miles and setting up for the final fifty laps to go for the race win when a CV joint broke in the right rear of the car ending his day.  Ana Beatriz and Sebastien Saavedra also suffered difficult runs.  James Hinchcliffe was the lone bright spot for the team finishing 6th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

TEAM PENSKE STILL SITS AT 15…

For the third straight rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Team Penske has suffered mediocre results, overall.  Team Penske and driver Ryan Briscoe started from the Pole in the 2012 edition with Power and Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively in their cars.  Briscoe led fifteen laps early, but faded through the middle portions of the race before rebounding to a fifth place finish to lead Team Penske on the day.  Castroneves suffered through subpar pitstops and difficult handling balance in traffic salvaging a 10th place result in the final box score.  Will Power had, by far, the toughest day for Team Penske.  On lap 79, Power was approaching the car of Mike Conway who had just made a pit stop, a botched pit stop where he slid into the box damaging is front wing.  Conway’s car got loose and spun toward the SAFER Barrier collecting Power ending his day saddling him with a 28th Place finish and a huge dent in the points lead.

LOTUS’ DAY ENDS VERY VERY EARLY

The two cars powered by Lotus were in for a tough day, for sure, but they were hoping that they would last more than ten laps into the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, however, Director Beaux Barfield determined very early that they were unable to keep sufficient pace to warrant remaining on the track.  Lotus’ problems were well documented all month and the race was a culmination of all of these issues.  HVM Racing, the only full-time Lotus team, seems to be committed to moving forward with the European manufacturer, however, if the engine doesn’t make significant progress soon, you could see Keith Wiggins jump to Honda sometime later this year if pressure for better results comes from their sponsor Entergy.

40 YEAR OLD GETS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR…SAY WHAT?

KV Racing Technology driver Rubens Barrichello finished his first Indianapolis 500 in 11th position as the highest finishing rookie, therefore, winning the Chase Rookie of the Year award for 2012.  Barrichello had a consistent day of learning and will return to the Speedway next may with a legitimate chance to win the race in his second start.

DAN WHELDON HONORED, REMEMBERED


UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series packs up and leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another year and returns to business as usual.  The car count will be back down to the normal field of 26 as the series loads into the revival of the Grand Prix of Detroit with the race sponsored by Chevrolet.  The race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship resumes Sunday from the Motor City with Will Power holding the points lead by a margin of 36 over teammate Helio Castroneves.

CONGRATULATIONS DARIO FRANCHITTI AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

WINNERS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Walk Down Memory Lane: 2006 Indianapolis 500

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This is the first in a Series of looking back at some of the greatest moments in the history of the Indianapolis 500!

The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race has always been filled with storylines whether it be technical innovation, drivers participating, or close finishes, however, the 90th Running on May 28, 2006 may have taken the cake in terms of storytelling.

The 2006 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season began tragically as talented rookie Paul Dana was involved in a crash during the morning warm-up preparing for the season opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Dana was airlifted to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries suffered in the accident.  The race commenced as scheduled with Dan Wheldon capturing his first win with Target Chip Ganassi Racing.  As a result of the crash, Rahal Letterman Racing withdrew the cars of Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick from the season opening race out of respect for their fallen teammate.  A the 90th Running of the Indianapolis 500, almost all cars carried decals illustrating the letters “PD” to honor the Paul Dana at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  Jeff Simmons was hired by Rahal Letterman Racing to drive Dana’s Ethanol sponsored Panoz/Honda for the race and the remainder of the 2006 season.

Up until 2006, powerhouse teams Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing were held down at the Brickyard because they were aligned with Toyota engines which were severely overmatched by rival Honda making Penske and Ganassi underdogs on almost every circuit on the schedule.  Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing made the move from Toyota to Honda for 2006 and Ganassi also switched from Panoz to Dallara chassis with the hope that they would be more competitive.  In addition to the engine change, Ganassi also bolstered their driver lineup by adding 2005 Indianapolis 500 and Series Champion Dan Wheldon to team with Scott Dixon.  Marlboro Team Penske loaded into the Speedway with two-time Indianapolis 500 Winner Helio Castroneves and two-time IndyCar Series Champion Sam Hornish Jr. to run for the Borg Warner trophy.  Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500 resume stood on its own while Hornish had never finished all 500 miles of the race and vowed to finish the race in 2006.

With the departure of Dan Wheldon, Andretti Green Racing turned to rookie Marco Andretti to fill the No. 26 Dallara vacated by the 2005 Champion.  This forded the opportunity for Michael Andretti to return, and, on opening day, three generations of Andretti turned laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

These storylines were all ingredients for a great Month of May, however, for the bulk of the month, Mother Nature decided that she was going exude her dominance over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Much of the month looked like this when cars were supposed to be on the racetrack for practice and qualifications:

Instead of roaring by and 235 mph, the cars, instead, sat in the garage and pit lane covered by tarps and umbrellas!

Due to the weather, instead of two weeks of qualifications all cars were qualified on one weekend with Sam Hornish Jr., Helio Castroneves, and Dan Wheldon taking the front row spots on the starting grid.  Scott Dixon started 4th completing the statment made by their teams that they came loaded for bear with their new engine/chassis combinations with the Marlboro Team Penske drivers the only ones to top 228 mph for a four lap average.

 

On race day, Mother Nature showed her mercy with a sun splashed day with no rain in the forecast to inhibit the 500 miles to be run.  The race began as predicted with Sam Hornish Jr. and Marlboro Team Penske snaking out to an early lead, but, during a late race pitstop under caution, Hornish’s crew made an error on pit lane causing Hornish to leave his pit box with the fuel probe still engaged breaking the hose and spilling fuel all over the asphalt of his box.

Such an infraction resultes in a mandatory green flag drive through penalty for the driver involved.  Race strategist, Roger Penske, brought Hornish to pit lane at the tail end of the caution period to top the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara with fuel to attempt to make the race distance without having to make another pit stop.  The challenge for Hornish was to save enough fuel to make the distance while not losing a lap.  While all this drama with Hornish was going on, another storyline was unfolding.  Rookie Marco Andretti was in position to win the first Indianapolis 500 for the Andretti family since Mario’s win in 1969.  Coming to the final restart Michael Andretti was in the lead with Marco following close behind.  A few cars back was none other than…Sam Hornish.  In a brilliant drive by Hornish, the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske car zoomed past Marco Andretti on the front stretch for the win in one of the closest, most dramatic finishes in the history of this race.

The picture doesn’t tell the tale of the closing laps, so kick back and watch this amazing finish unfold!  Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Rusty Wallace have the call for ABC!