| INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 16, 2024) – A statement from INDYCAR President Jay Frye about former Texas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Eddie Gossage, who died May 16. “Eddie Gossage was a giant in the motorsports industry. His endless creativity, flair and dedication to the fan experience at Texas Motor Speedway raised the bar for racetracks across America. Eddie was a phenomenal supporter of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Our races at TMS always were among the most highly anticipated weekends on the schedule, both for the incredible on-track action and the memorable promotions Eddie turned from ideas into reality. Eddie will be missed, and we extend our sympathies to his family and friends.” |
A Near Perfect Day
Photo by Kyle McInnes
On the third day they practiced. After two days plagued by rain and limited track time, Thursday at IMS was as close to a perfect practice day as anyone could ask for.
Skies were sunny, the temperature was warm but not too hot, and the teams took full advantage of the welcome break in the weather.
Pato O’Ward took the fastest time early- 228.861- and was never caught. He said he is really happy with his car. O’Ward said drivers will need some practice time with the extra boost the cars will receive for qualifying tomorrow. If tomorrow is a rainout, he hopes the series will provide extra practice time on Saturday.
Linus Lundqvist crashed in turn two. He entered the turn high and hit the wall on the backstretch. After an 18 minute halt, action resumed.
Several teams practiced drafting; others worked ion qualifying simulations. The track was quite busy for about two hours. Teams took a brief break, then resumed running.
Around four o’clock Marcus Ericsson spun in turn four. He hit the outside wall and slid across the pit entry, hit the inside wall then collided with the pit attenuator. Ericsson will drive a backup car, but the engine was not damaged.
Practice resumed for about 40 minutes before rain stopped the running again. The track went green with 26 minutes to go. Another round of moisture ended thed the day about 10 minutes early.
Notes
There was a great crowd today as fans took advantage of what was the best weather day of the year.
The field ran a total of 1,897 laps.
The top 23 were separated by less than a second.
Troubles–
Kyle Larson’s car had an engine change this morning. He ran about 30 laps.
Sting Ray Robb ran just 14 laps today.
Alexander Rossi suffered gear box issues early, but he still turned 61 laps.
Fast Friday practice begins at noon tomorrow. Cars get 100 horsepower extra boost.
Thanks for following along on what has been a busy day.
Ericsson Crash Stops Busy Practice as Rain Looms
A nearly four hour green flag running period ended when 2023 500 winner had a major crash in turn 4. Ericsson put his wheels below the pavement and began to spin in the middle of the turn. The left side hit the outside wall, then the car slid nose first into the inside wall in the pit entry lane.. The car slid an dhit the pit attenuator very hard.
There had been no issues since the cars returned to the track following the cleanup of Linus Lundqvist’s crash around 11:30 this morning.
Ericsson got out of the car on his own power and went to the medical center, Track activity stopped for nearly 37 minutes.
The track went green for just two minutes before a red flag waved for rain.
There has been no change in the top speeds since this morning.
The Andretti and Meyer Shank teams had a long run of drafting practice mid afternoon.
Ericsson’s car in the garage.
I’ll be back with a full day wrap up later. We may be done for the day.
Stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in raining.
Practice Update: O’Ward to the Front; Lundqvist Crash
In a hectic first two and a half hours of practice, Pato O’Ward surged to the top of the pylon with a lap of 228.861 mph, knocking Josef newgarden from the point. Team Penske still shows strength with all three cars in the top 10. Alex Palou is currently third, just a tick ahead of Colton Herta, the two fastest Hondas.
The first wall contact of the season involved Linus Lundqvist hitting the wall at the exit of turn 2. He entered the turn very high and made contact with the right rear. The car slid down and stopped in the grass, Lundqvist was uninjured.
Notes
Kyle Larson received a new engine this morning.
As I drove in on 16th Street this morning, there was a long double more than a half mile long waiting to enter Gate 2. There are a lot of school field trips here today as well. Looks like fans are taking advantage of the best day we have seen this week.
Sounds as if we are entering a bit of a down time as far as track activity. Given the forecast and the lost time this week, I’m a bit surprised.
Current Standings
It’s a Beautiful Day at IMS
Good morning from IMS. The weather is beautiful today for the first time this week and no rain interruptions are expected. Let’s enjoy today and not worry about tomorrow.
28 cars have been on track so far. Josef Newgarden just turned the fastest lap of 226.684 mph. Colton Herta had the early lead. Herta has been the fastest Honda in the limited practice time so far. The three Team Penske cars have been the class of the field.
Coming Up
Tomorrow morning Indycar and Shell will present an update on their sustainability efforts.
Sometime next week we might get the details of the Indycar Charter program. The new broadcast package may be close to an announcement as well.
It appears Indycar will not set a cutoff lap for throwing a red flag during the 500. I wish they would. I would like to see lap185 as the last lap that could be red flagged. Any later than that, we will see another manipulated finish where the leader gets a deserved victory taken away from him.
I’ll be back later today with an update and I will also have an end of day wrap up.
108th Indianapolis 500 Spotters’ Guide
Day 4- A Better Day Ahead?
From @Indycar_Wxman last night:
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 15, 2024) – Information about 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice track activity Thursday, May 16 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Public gates open
10 a.m.-6 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice (All cars) Peacock and Indycar radio
TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $25. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The General Admission ticket will provide the opportunity to move between the IMS infield viewing mounds and first-come, first-served access to selected grandstands to view racing action from different vantage points.
PUBLIC GATES OPEN (10 a.m.-6 p.m.): Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7S, Gate 7, Gate 10, Gate 10A.
PARKING: Free public parking is available in Turn 3 and Lot 7 (North 40). ADA accessible parking is available in the following lots: West Museum Lot, Flag Lot, Tower Terrace Lot and Lot 7 (North 40).
CASHLESS OPERATIONS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.
Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. Cash-to-Card machines, which convert paper money onto a temporary debit card, will be located in Pagoda Plaza and outside Turn 1 by concessions stand 7. These funds can be spent inside the venue, outside the venue, online or anywhere in the world where Mastercard/Visa debit cards are accepted.
MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is closed for a major renovation, reopening in April 2025. To learn more, please visit imsmuseum.org/renovation.
On Track at Last! Mclaughlin Sets Fast Time
After 12 hours of lost practice time the green flag for Indianapolis 500 practice waved a few minutes after 3 pm. The session had several interruptions for track inspections and moisture.
It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon. It finally felt like May. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for the best weather day of the week. Friday looks iffy at the moment.
From earlier
Think This Weather is Bad? Look at 1956
All 34 cars were on track in a very busy afternoon. I enjoyed getting a look at all the liveries. If you blue and orange combinations or the color pink, you will enjoy this year’s grid.
There were several yellow flags, the longest the last one for what started as sprinkles three hours after the green flag waved.
Scott McLaughlin had the fastest lap of 229.49 mph3. His Penske teammates, Will Power and Josef Newgarden are second and fourth. Colton Herta finished third.
Tomorrow’s practice begins at 10 am Eastern and runs until 6 pm.
Results
Think This Weather is Bad? Look at 1956
As we enter the 28th hour of a rain delay, things seem grim. But in 1956, there was so much rain that some thought the race itself was in danger of being postponed.
The final weekend of qualifying was plagued by rain. Sunday saw intermittent showers which left a dozen cars waiting for their chance to make the race. USAC officials extended qualifying an hour, but rain cancelled that plan. A one hour qualifying period was scheduled for Monday, but again rain interfered.
The rain was non stop in the days leading up to the race. An Indianapolis radio station broadcast a false report that the race would be postponed. Tony Hulman issued a strongly worded statement that the race would go off at its scheduled time.
The Speedway had not postponed a race since 1915, and Hulman was not going to allow that to happen if at all possible.
The track in 1956 did not have the sophisticated drainage system that is in place today. Standing water went all the way to the edge of the apron. One newspaper report said that if a driver spun down there, he would drown.
The race became known as “Cagle’s Miracle.” Clarence Cagle and his crew worked for 48 hours straight pumping water out of the flooded access tunnels, off of the track, and out of the infield.
The race, won by Pat Flaherty, was slowed by a then record 11 caution periods consuming more than an hour of race time. The infield crowd was smaller than usual, prompting some complaints from vendors.
So this week’s delays are not so bad when you take a look at what occurred 68 years ago.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 