IndyCar qualifying and start times ahead of Indianapolis Road Raceway
After last weekend’s chaotic but successful inaugural event in Nashville, the IndyCar Series returned to familiar grounds this weekend. It will race the road circuit in Indianapolis for the second time in 2021, but when is the track action this weekend?
Grosjean leads return to Indy
In May, former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean took his first series pole position on his first visit to a road course in Indianapolis.
The Frenchman was unable to convert pole to victory on the 14-turn 2.4-mile track.
But he finished a solid second on his No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Honda-powered machine, behind first-time winner Rinus VeeKay.
Due to restrictions surrounding the covid-19 pandemic, some of the usual venues are unable to host IndyCar races.
That includes Toronto, Canada, which means the Indianapolis extra will be back and debut in 2020.
IndyCar won’t be the only series at Indy this weekend.
For the first time, it and the NASCAR Cup Series will have a double-header.
The Cup has been running on the oval track since it started racing at Indy in 1994, but will switch to the road track in 2021.
When does IndyCar qualify?
The qualifying format normally used by IndyCar will change slightly.
The usual two-group qualifying round reduces the field to 12 runners before the top six on pole position are cancelled.
Instead, the fastest six runners in each group advance to 12 cars for pole position.
Qualifying is scheduled to begin Friday at 7pm ET. It will air on NBCSN.
For viewers in the UK, qualifying starts at 12am on Saturday on SkySportsF1.
What about the game?
With 85 laps planned, the green flag is expected to drop on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, again on NBCSN.
For UK viewers, this means that at 6pm, SkySportsF1 continues to broadcast the NBC feed as per its agreement.
If no driver withdraws or fails to qualify, 28 cars will receive a green flag.
Entries for the Indy 500 will be capped at 33, which will be the largest entry since the 29-car debut in Kentucky in 2011.
Helio Castroneves, who won a record fourth Indy 500 in May, will be racing again.
He’ll be racing as he races the 500 at Meyer Shank Racing in 2021 on a part-time contract.
Elsewhere, Alpine Formula 1 junior Christian Lungaard will make his series debut.
The current Formula 2 driver will be racing the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Laningan Racing.
Cody Ware will be the only driver to attempt double duty at IndyCar and NASCAR.
He’ll be racing again as Grosjean’s Rick Ware Racing teammate before switching to the Cup for his Petty Ware Racing.
Ghanaian trio battle for title
Heading into the weekend, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was in the top spot after 11 rounds of 16.
The Spanish driver has two victories and 410 points, comfortably ahead of his team-mate and leader Scott Dixon.
The six-time champion returned 42 with 368 to finish runner-up with third Ganassi pedaler Marcus Ericsson in Nashville.
Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward (362 points) and Penske’s Josef Newgarden (335) are the only other drivers with plausible title goals alongside Ericsson (331).
Explained: Fighting for NASCAR’s ‘second’ Cup title
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious outlets such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
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