293 replies to this topic

[Risil]

NTT Indycar Series Round 12 of 17: Iowa Speedway

It’s going to be hot in Iowa this weekend.

Everything else will be a footnote.

Tyres will spontaneously catch fire

Corner marshalls’ flags will fuse to their hands

Corn will pop in the fields

Tony Kanaan will feel hotter than he’s felt since the great droughts of the Late Bronze Age Collapse

Why is it hotter than my body temperature

Why has God abandoned us

Weekend Schedule
We have a truncated schedule this weekend because apparently no one wants to race at Iowa. Indy Lights, Pro Formerly-Known-As-Mazda and the gang will be back on duty next weekend at Mid-Ohio. Times below are Central Time, which I believe means you have to add 6 hours to get the start time in the UK or Portugal. Sunday at 1am? As if you’ve anything better to do.

Friday, July 19
10-11.30am: Indycar practice 1
1.15pm: Indycar qualifying
3.35: ARCA qualifying
6.00-7.30: Indycar practice 2
8.00: ARCA Menards Series Fans With Benefits(?) 150

Saturday, July 20
5.20pm: Indycars on the grid
5.35: Driver intros
6.35: Iowa 300 GO

What happened last weekend?
You could be forgiven for missing it amid the sporting excitement of replaying Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in your mind all afternoon and evening. But there was an Indycar race on, won and indeed dominated by Indycar’s handsomest Frenchman, Simon Pagenaud. Will Power simulated the snake eating its own tail by crashing and causing yellows on the race’s alpha and omega laps, proving once again that if you need a single racing driver to stand in for all the joy and suffering of mankind, the 2014 series champion is your mark. Scott Dixon had tennis elbow but still struggled his way to second place, ahead of 2019 rivals presumptive Alex Rossi and Josef Newgarden. Takuma Sato’s car caught fire. The road surface broke up under the strain of the racing cars and bad memories of the Torontoan winter, but it didn’t break up to the extent that any of the cars went through the floor into the subway or that they threw up a chunk of tarmac so big it was mistaken for Santino Ferrucci in the interviews after the race.

All this is to say, there are still only four points separating Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi at the top of the standings. Pagenaud is only a win, or to be exact 39 points, behind. Scott Dixon, tennis elbow, athlete’s foot, swimmer’s ear or not, is a Dixon-esque late-season charge away from championship contention. The rest? Nah.

Iowa, huh?
The race is back at night again after three years of afternoon experiments. This is a good thing because as I explained above it’s going to be Bloody Hot out there. 2015’s night race was one of those typical night races where nothing happens during the daylight hours, then night falls, the cars’ paint jobs look extra slick and shiny under the floodlights and somebody unexpected wins, in that case Ryan Hunter-Reay. (Speaking of 2015 what’s Stefano Colletti doing these days?) Sage Karam, who’s on the grid this weekend, finished in a third place that probably looks more unlikely in retrospect than it did at the time. In fact, and I do mean “fact”, Sage Karam has finished in the top 3 all five times he’s raced at the Iowa Speedway. He’s turning out for Carlin this weekend alongside that other combination of four letters and five letters, Conor Daly. He probably won’t be in contention for the podium, but stranger things have happened. But have they? Have they really?

The track itself? It’s just under a mile long, with corners banked relatively steeply for a short oval. It appears from all photographs to be in the middle of nowhere (in reality, 30 miles outside Des Moines) and is probably most famous for not hosting a NASCAR Cup race. But don’t let that stop you! Everything you need is here. Floodlights! Setups! Good driving! Bad driving! Sage Karam! Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!

[PayasYouRace]

Well you didn't forget the heat this time.

 

[paulb]

Well you didn't forget the heat this time.

Why in the world doesn’t Hunter-Reay have a hot sauce sponsor?

So Sage might really be pickable, that is a surprise fact.

Given how Risil has framed the race, I am inclined to watch the race in a kiddie pool.

My horrible contribution to the OP

Edited by paulb, 18 July 2019 - 23:39.

[eibyyz]

Forecast for Saturday.  Naturally...https://www.spc.noaa...k/day3otlk.html

[jonpollak]

The Ganassi liveries have fused.
Jp

[Peat]

One of my favourite races on the schedule.  

So glad it's back to being a night race, races far better with cooler track temps and most importantly LOOKS BETTER!!!!!!111111one 

[Muppetmad]

But a night race means us Europeans are inconvenienced. Why can't the world revolve around us for a change?

[Peat]

All about planning. Personally, I am looking forward to my Sunday morning breakfast of corn on the cob. 

[jonpollak]

But a night race means us Europeans are inconvenienced. Why can't the world revolve around us

It did last weekend.
Stop yer sobbin’
Jp

[Bloggsworth]

Well, if I'm not asleep I shall be lulling myself so to the strains of Miles Davis, the subject of Geoffrey Smith's Jazz, and will watch the antics in Iowa on Sunday morning - If it;s half as exciting as was Toronto's race, I shall probably fall asleep again...

[jonpollak]

Pick prices suck ass.
Jp

[milestone 11]

Qualifying on Sky this evening (Friday) 7.00pm. Race at 11.30pm Saturday.

[OvDrone]

I am actually eating corn-on-the-cob as we speak. My soul feels Iowa bound.

 

Cheers for the scorching OP, Rich. See y'all Satoday night.

[milestone 11]

Last year's race 149.686mph avg, won by Hinch. 2nd win, is he a specialist here?

[Risil]

He often runs well in Iowa. He dominated in 2013 as well iirc, back when he was with Andretti. Newgarden tends to run well here too. 

 

Here's the highlights from last year:

 

[Risil]

So it looks like the temperatures are going to be nudging 40 degrees C / 104 F by late afternoon on Friday and Saturday. Anyone with long memories remember when Indycar races have been hit with this sort of heat before? Somebody get the Old Farmer's Almanac out.

 

I know there was a Brickyard 400 a couple of years ago with temperatures well above 100. 

[OvDrone]

40 Celsius ?!

 

Place your bets on Ed Jones y'all. He's from Dubai.

[Collombin]

Langhorne in 1960 was 106 F (41C) on race day.

[Frood]

40 Celsius ?!

Place your bets on Ed Jones y'all. He's from Dubai.

Probably not a good idea. Special Ed in this week instead of Other Ed.

Edited by Frood, 19 July 2019 - 10:59.

[paulb]

I had forgotten Hinch had a sniff of victory lane last year.

[sblick]

I have had two long and hot races at the Indy 500 in 90 plus weather.  Luckily they sell tons of water there.  Feel for those Iowa fans.

[BuddyHolly]

Qualifying on Sky this evening (Friday) 7.00pm. Race at 11.30pm Saturday.

Thanks for that, saved me the trouble of looking it up!

[jcbc3]

Low sun could be dangerous.................https://www.autospor...ld-be-dangerous

[milestone 11]

Accuweather giving thunderstorms with +/- 50% chance of heavy rain at race time.

[red stick]

Yeah, looking grim, weatherwise.  But so was Indy.  Fingers crossed.

[Risil]

Low sun could be dangerous.................https://www.autospor...ld-be-dangerous

 

This is an important point. Sunset at Des Moines at this time of year is around 8.45pm, which is likely to be a quarter of an hour after the end of the race. So unless something goes wrong with the weather and it might, we won't be seeing any night time racing.

[jonpollak]

IIRC.. the sun sets where they come into turn 4 ?
If you are focused on the apex you should be ok.

Jp

[Collombin]

Low sun could be dangerous...........

It was blamed for an "Indycar" death in the early 1950s when the driver missed seeing a yellow flag due supposedly to being blinded by the sun.

[Atreiu]

Off topic: It was also blamed, partially I think, for Mansell missing the black flag at Estoril 89 and subsequently taking Senna out.

[king_crud]

I was at the hottest F1 race on record, 2013 Hungarian GP. Was about 43 degrees i think. And there's no shade at that track

[MikeV1987]

43 degrees is nuts, it was a little over 30 in Toronto and I felt like I was going to die in the grandstand.

[paulb]

If I stays humid, it won't cool off much at night. That is what sucks.

[Imperial]

Could be interesting to see a race start in the night, with the sun coming up halfway through! Wonder what that would to do set-up's and strategy.

Drivers could, of course, stay on normal time, like at whichever F1 race it is where they have breakfast at 11pm.


.

Edited by Imperial, 19 July 2019 - 14:41.

[Risil]

Could be interesting to see a race start in the night, with the sun coming up halfway through! Wonder what that would to do set-up's and strategy.

Drivers could, of course, stay on normal time, like at whichever F1 race it is where they have breakfast at 11pm.

 

Anyone know if the Paul Revere 250 (genius name) continued into the daylight hours, or was it run entirely under cover of darkness?

[FLB]

The 1953 Indy 500 was so hot Carl Scarborough actually died from heat exhaustion (prostration)...

Edited by FLB, 19 July 2019 - 16:21.

[jonpollak]

Practice 1 results



Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 19 July 2019 - 16:28.

[Collombin]

The 1953 Indy 500 was so hot Carl Scarborough actually died from heat exhaustion (prostration)...

It wasn't as hot as some of the temps being discussed here though.

[PayasYouRace]

For the classic race, 2011 aka The one that Marco won:

 

 

Also, Dan Wheldon colour commentary.

[Risil]

What happened to Venom energy drink?

[Peat]

WE QUALIFY NOW

[maximilian]

Urgh, the "GOLD" broadcast is a total shambles...         FUNBC!

[Piledriver]

Is it the same broadcast everywhere and it gets more and more delayed after each commercial break?

[maximilian]

Is it the same broadcast everywhere and it gets more and more delayed after each commercial break?

 

 

Yeah, it's ridiculous.  The "LIVE" broadcast is like 6 cars behind the LIVE scoring.  Pitiful.    

Edited by maximilian, 19 July 2019 - 18:57.

[Ellios]

Qualifying as I watched it really happen on the television!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ellios, 19 July 2019 - 19:23.

[Anja]

Big difference between Penske and the rest... 

[Risil]

Good thing there's another practice session tonight!

[DS27]

I think Penske must be running those special new McLaren shock absorbers. No way they could be that much quicker than the rest without using superior F1 tech...   

[DS27]

Simon: "It's time to go"

 

Amen to that. Would love to see him comeback to another title. Newgarden looking pissed.

[milestone 11]

Chevy seemed to be preferable to Honda power here, or is that too naive a view from a newcomer to the series?

[Risil]

Chevy vs Honda is a hard thing to call this year as Penske are by far the best-equipped outfit running Chevrolet engines. So just looking at laptimes it's hard to tell whether it's Penske dampers, setup or drivers making the difference, or if it's down to the power unit in the back.

I believe the engines are pretty equal these days: the formula has stayed pretty much the same since 2012 so both manufacturers know what they're doing by now. I think the big difference maker between the engines is the old trade-off between outright performance and fuel mileage.