By Eric Smith- Indy Car
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is in the midst of a three-week break in action before the season resumes for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Saturday, Aug. 17 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The drivers and teams tried to use the Olympic break for some rest, but the series has remained active since the last race, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on July 21.
Here are some of the happenings around the NTT INDYCAR SERIES world the last two weeks:
Testing, Testing
A pair of venues hosted testing Aug. 1 with nine drivers from Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing testing at WWTR.
The day served as a rookie test for Kyffin Simpson and Linus Lundqvist representing CGR, Christian Rasmussen with ECR and Nolan Siegel the lone Arrow McLaren car on site.
Andretti Global had the top three speeds set by Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson. The trio was joined by Juncos Hollinger Racing with drivers Romain Grosjean and Conor Daly.
Both Andretti Global and JHR received an additional test day for being only NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams competing in INDY NXT by Firestone.
Also on Aug. 1, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing looked toward the future with a single-car test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with Formula 2 veteran Zane Maloney completing 88 laps in a private test on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
On Aug. 7, four drivers took to the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway for a Firestone tire test. Will Power (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) and Herta (Andretti Global) took part in the session. These are the top four drivers chasing championship leader Alex Palou. Power is 49 points behind in second, Dixon is third (-53), Herta fourth (-57) and O’Ward fifth (-71).
Palou wasn’t present because both manufacturers, Honda and Chevrolet, were allowed two cars each. Ganassi provided a car for Dixon, a three-time Nashville Superspeedway winner, all consecutively (2006-08) while Palou has never raced there before. For data purposes, Dixon is a wise choice.
O’Ward tested in June at Nashville, so he was able to provide ample feedback of both test days to continue the Firestone Firehawk racing tire development for the Sept. 15 season finale.
Power Plays Drums in Milwaukee
In advance for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES return to the Milwaukee Mile with the Aug. 30-Sept. 1 Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend, Team Penske driver Power attended the Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 2.
In addition to visiting with local media outlets to build excitement for the first INDYCAR event at the historic track at Wisconsin State Fair Park since 2015, Power also made the most of his first visit to the Wisconsin State Fair, one of the most popular and well attended annual state fairs in the country.
On the second day of the 2024 state fair, which runs through Aug. 11, Power waved the checkered flag for the wildly popular Pig Races before sitting in on drums with local band – the Myles Wangerin Trio – for a couple of songs on the Camp Barr stage.
Power also signed autographs for fans alongside the INDYCAR display in the fair’s well-traveled Central Park area. He also found time to experience some of the fair’s food staples, including a smoked turkey leg and the iconic Wisconsin State Fair Park Original Cream Puffs – celebrating their 100th year in 2024.
“Man, it was a fun day at the Wisconsin State Fair, and it was great to meet so many fans here in Milwaukee,” Power said. “Everyone seems really excited to have INDYCAR back racing in Milwaukee, and we can’t wait to put on a good show for the fans on Labor Day Weekend.
“It was fun to get on the drums and play a couple of tunes with the band, and I even got a chance to sample a turkey leg and one of the Fair’s famous cream puffs. With races on back-to-back days, the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s is going to be a really important weekend in the championship, so we’re looking forward to coming back in a few weeks and getting some good results on track to keep our momentum going.”
Power, a two-time winner this season, is second in the championship standings, trailing Palou by 49 points. Power in 2014 at Milwaukee and was the fastest driver in the June test.
Robb Throws First Pitch in Indianapolis
AJ Foyt Racing driver Sting Ray Robb was an honorary guest for Faith Night at Victory Field on Friday, Aug. 2 in Indianapolis for the Indianapolis Indians’ baseball game against the Toledo Mud Hens. Robb did a meet-and-greet with fans, led a devotional and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“It’s pretty cool, and to do that in the city that I want to have an impact in means a lot,” Robb said.
The opportunity was a full-circle moment where all three of his interests met in one place.
A person of faith from a young age, Robb also was a former baseball player growing up. As a teenager living in Idaho, he traded his baseball glove for racing gloves.
Ganassi Drivers Visit Colts’ Camp
Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Marcus Armstrong and Lundqvist visited Indianapolis Colts training camp this week, with Armstrong stopping by Aug. 5 and Lundqvist on Aug. 7.
New Zealand native Armstrong, an NFL fan, was greeted by wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. with each donning the No. 11. Indianapolis native JuJu Brents, a second-year cornerback, also came by to chat with Armstrong.
Fellow cornerback and enthusiastic NTT INDYCAR SERIES fan Kenny Moore snuck in and attempted a playful tackle on Armstrong. Moore has been to several races, including the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
Lundqvist was greeted at practice by Colts starting center Ryan Kelly. The Swedish driver said this was his first NFL experience and had a great day seeing camp up close.
Rosenqvist, Boles Enjoy Indiana State Fair
Meyer Shank Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist and AJ Foyt Racing’s Robb both enjoyed bachelor parties during the break in action. Each is getting married to longtime girlfriends this offseason. And like Robb, Rosenqvist took part in local Indianapolis attractions.
Rosenqvist, along with Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles, visited the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 9 in Indianapolis.
IMS partnered with the Indiana Dairy Association for a racing-themed day at the Dairy Bar located at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Boles and Rosenqvist were both celebrity servers.
Of Note
- Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard and Scott McLaughlin were among drivers who left the United States during the break. Ericsson’s wife, Iris, has family in Greece, so the married couple visited the European country before the WWTR test. Lundgaard and McLaughlin went back to their native lands of Denmark (Lundgaard) and New Zealand (McLaughlin) to visit family and play golf.
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