Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Marcus Armstrong Leads Rookie-Of-The-Year Points Race Going Into The Streets Of Nashville

Rookie-Of-The-Year prospect Marcus Armstrong attending one of his first Media Luncheons here on the grounds of the Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal (2023)

Marcus Armstrong Leads Rookie-Of-The-Year Points Race Going Into The Streets Of Nashville

Chip Ganassi Racing's Marcus Armstrong goes into Nashville with Coffee and vegetables on his breath and a 24 point lead in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season points race at a venue that suits his driving style. Further, the team that gave this New Zealand native his seat in a Honda-Powered Dallara IndyCar has never lost a race at this 13th event venue on the 17 race event 2023 schedule. All Marcus has to do is survive the Music City Grand Prix ... as a Vegan racing in a BBQ town.

Marcus is a young driver with some pretty amazing skills and desire to compete. He has teammates that - one is the most successful and accomplished New Zealand born driver 6-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season Champion Scott Dixon (#3 in season points race) - one who is a past champion of 2021 looking to repeat, currently riding a wave of wins and podiums to a 80 point lead with only five races left, Spaniard Alex Palou - and lastly a Swedish driver who is currently 4th in the season points championship and won the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 last season, Marcus Ericsson - yes, a second Marcus. 

With this as the template background, a ZOOM Call news conference was held and here are the video proceedings with transcript.


NTT INDYCAR SERIES ZOOM Call News Conference - Nashville
Tuesday, August 1, 2023 - Press Conference - Marcus Armstrong

THE MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Obviously another big week ahead for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Sunday it's the Music City Grand Prix on the unpredictable streets of Nashville.

Our guest today has some good momentum. Nine days ago picked up a season- and career-best seventh on the streets of Toronto. Leads the Rookie of the Year standings with a 24-point advantage. He heads to Nashville with a team that has already won in Nashville both previous occasions, Chip Ganassi Racing. None other than Marcus Armstrong.

Thanks for doing this, Marcus.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Thanks for having here.

THE MODERATOR: Toronto, the team had all four cars in the top 11. What was the vibe of your group coming out of Toronto?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, Toronto was fairly uneventful on my side really (smiling). I mean, I was slightly disappointed really with my own performance leading up to the race. I knew that we had good pace, so we would make it towards the end during the race despite starting I think 10th.

But, yeah, I thought in the race we had good pace. Again, slightly uneventful. It would have been nice to have a bit more pace, like I saw Scott pass me at one point on a different strategy, going extremely fast. I feel like there's a long way to go before we can really nail it like him.

But in a general sense, I thought there was no real mistakes. Certainly we are building some momentum, like you said, just due to the fact that we haven't really been making mistakes as a group, as the No. 11 team.

Also personally, I don't feel like I've made any errors. It's just been sort of learning and trying to get as many laps under my belt in order to be in a better position towards the end of the season.

THE MODERATOR: To that understand, heading to Nashville next, certainly you have the capability of tapping into the resources there at CGR. Can you keep the momentum up a little bit? Sometimes a race that maybe isn't as exciting for you personally isn't so bad because you rack up another top 10, which you've done a lot certainly this year.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yes, Nashville is clearly I used the word 'eventful' before, but this one is certainly that just due to the nature of the circuit. So many variables involved.

Yes, CGR has won the races, which is not many, two at Nashville, which is always nice to know. Certainly we've got to get everything right. I feel like we have a lot to work on, which is in a way quite comforting because I feel like, despite having had top 10s in the previous races, we haven't really done that great of a job, or personally I don't feel like I have.

Nashville provides an opportunity to try to learn from the things I did wrong at Toronto, which was a similar layout. Like I said, the continuity of street course racing is I think quite useful for me.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. The move to CGR, having a coach such as Dario Franchitti, how has that been for you?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, Dario has been really, really great. I think I've probably been on the phone to him about five times over the course of the last five days, so... He's great in every aspect really.

He certainly points me in the right direction. I often say that he needs to be more harsh with me, like tell me what I'm doing wrong, because clearly I need to improve on stuff. But he seems to be very positive all the time about what we have been doing as a group and what I've been doing and how I'm progressing.

He's very observant. He understands the sport probably better than anyone. Equal with Scott Dixon, let's say. So for him to be on my stand for the majority of the races this year, and also just to have a very good personal relationship with him is clearly an advantage.

Yeah, we're always trying to find things to improve, whether that be driving or whether that be managing the people around me. I feel like, yeah, it's a huge advantage having him.

Q. This is the fifth street course you would have been on. Different than Europe and F2. Have you found that more challenging for you as a driver?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: The circuits here are obviously bumpy. Not sure how to sugarcoat that (smiling). It provides challenges that you can differentiate yourself to others really.

If I compare to, like, racing at Monaco or Baku or even Macau to a certain extent, they feel like road courses compared to a lot of these street courses just because they're very smooth.

Monaco, it's resurfaced every year. There's not a single bump on the track. The grip is like driving around (indiscernible). The biggest challenge is the fact that the wall is so close.

Here there's the bumps, which creates obviously a big challenge on how to position the car. It obviously gives an advantage to the guys that know the circuits very well because there's so much character on the circuit that it actually takes time to find the sweet spot of where you need to place the car.

I feel like that's probably the biggest challenge, is not necessarily doing a good job with the difficulty of the layout and the bumps and everything. It's more so just understanding it very quickly because I have Scott Dixon who was doing those circuits before I was born. I sort of need to learn quickly so I can start near the front. Normally towards the end of the race we're well and truly on the pace. It's just a matter of getting there quicker.

Q. Your year is going pretty good. Are you feeling fizzed about it?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, no, it's been awesome. I follow obviously The Crowd Goes Wild in NZ, which is kind of cool. No, I'm fizzing for this weekend, a whole lot of things happening aside from the race as well. Some meet-and-greets with some cool people. I know that the vibe in Nashville is pretty insane. That goes a long way really.

I know often people call it the Vegas of the eastern side of America. I actually went there in 2021 to watch the very first race in Nashville. It was extraordinary. I thought it was such a cool event.

All the things outside of the racing itself is really great, which draws a big crowd. With that I draw inspiration, and I hope I can do a good job in front of them all.

Q. Obviously you have the opportunity for this race coming up. How do you feel about that? Is it kind of cool being there, your first year? I don't know what I'm trying to say.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, yeah, no, it's a very cool opportunity.

As a team I think we've been successful on these types of circuits. Obviously my teammates, Alex, Marcus and Scott, I think apart from Scott, I know that Marcus won the first race on the street course. Alex has obviously won a few races, probably on street courses. The package is there, which is very reassuring, to be honest. Gives me a lot of motivation to do a good job really because I know the car is capable of it.

Yeah, I'm ready to go.

Q. With the increased pressure of each step in racing you take comes a lot of responsibility. Are you still having fun?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, no, it's really great when you have a team around you. There's a great team synergy, let's say, where everyone is helping each other. There's certainly no blame game. I feel like that's one of the reasons why as a group we're so strong, is because everyone is helping each other, but we're also honest with each other.

There's a great group of people. Every personality, I'm learning so much from everyone really. Everyone has been here a long time. They've had a lot of success. Whether it be my engineers, mechanics, teammates, they've all had success. The fact that they're so willing to offer information to me is a massive advantage.

THE MODERATOR: You were talking about Alex Palou. He finished on the podium last year, so a lot of experience there.

Q. Have you ever raced over a bridge before?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: That's a good question (smiling). I don't know. Maybe. I don't know. I'm going to say no for argument's sake.

Q. Nashville is the only track in America that I can think of where you're racing over a bridge. What do you think of that unique aspect of it? It will be changed in the future. For the time being, what do you think of how unique that is?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: There's a lot of unique things about the Nashville circuit. The bridge itself, I know it's very picturesque, let's say.

It doesn't make a big difference to my life, honestly, racing over a bridge unless there are bumps on the other side of it. Honestly, I don't really look at the outside view of the circuit. I'm more focused on the layout itself. But I know that it looks pretty cool.

I would say the biggest challenge with the Nashville circuit is the titan twisty parts of the circuit which is probably less extravagant from the TV screen, but it certainly is a big challenge from inside the cockpit.

I know these bridges are long. Like the straights are long, which means we'll be entering into reasonably tight corners at very high speeds for a street course. That provides challenges of itself. Also the fact that the racing is so close here, it's fairly chaotic as we go into these braking zones at high speed.

Q. Because all these tracks are all new on especially the street courses, you don't have a chance to test. How valuable is the simulator?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Sim is very important. I've done more hours on a simulator than I could possibly imagine. Doing simulator in Europe when I know the circuits is one thing. Doing it here preparing a new circuit in America is a totally different game because I'm obviously seeing it for the first time.

I prepare a lot more, I would say, from my sim sessions this season than I have in the past just because I sort of need to make the most of that time.

Also the team is very helpful, let's say, by allowing me to go normally last of the four drivers. That means that I get a whole lot of data to look at for what it's my turn to drive.

Q. Even though your careers have gone in different paths, you're going to share a racetrack next weekend with Shane van Gisbergen. How exciting is it what he was able to do for New Zealand in the Chicago NASCAR event?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I think it's so cool. I know him very well. To see what he did at the Chicago race not long ago was very special.

But honestly, I wasn't surprised because I've seen him, apart from when he was competing with McLaughlin, who dominated Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup over on our side of the world, I also did some training with him at the beginning of the year in a Porsche Cup car. I know that he's super fast. I think it was really cool to see him succeed so quickly.

I expect him to be quick at Indianapolis. No pressure, Shane (smiling). I think it's so cool. I find it really intriguing as to why New Zealand has so many successful racing drivers really. I think there should be maybe an investigation of some sort of what they do down in New Zealand. If you listed all the top guys, it's pretty remarkable.

The fact that Shane has come over here and started doing well is great, but there's more. There's more great guys coming through. Yeah, it's awesome.

Q. We know how Scott McLaughlin got so excited at the end, how he documented that on his social media. Did you have a chance to watch the end of the Chicago street race? How excited did you get, if so?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, I was on a plane leaving Mid-Ohio. Everyone on the plane were basically racing people. We were watching it all together on the runway waiting for the takeoff. I think there was a late safety car just as we were taking off. We were all like, Oh, well, he might not win now. Then we landed and found out he did. Yeah, it was cool.

Q. We've seen some really good stints from you this year. What do you need to do better to nail an entire weekend? Has qualifying been a consequence of trying to learn the ultimate tire?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: No, I don't think so. I think learning tires is a particular skill of mine just due to the fact that I spent so many years on a very demanding Pirelli, let's say.

I would say it's more so getting to the pace quicker. Like I said before, learning the circuits. Circuits have a lot of character. When you come back time and time again, like the other guys have, it's quite difficult to arrive straightaway and be as quick as them. I make big steps through the weekend from FP1 to the end of Q2, then the race.

I feel like I just need to be, yeah, on the pace in FP1, then make smaller steps onwards. For the moment, I'm having to find big chunks from session to session.

I understand that that's part of it, but I feel like we have everything. We have all the ingredients to do a very good job in quallie. We just need to get there quicker and chip away at the small details leading into the final laps of quallie, yeah.

Q. What's next year looking like for you? What's the target for your 2024?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Well, I mean, I haven't exactly kept it a secret, but I'd love to stay here at Chip Ganassi Racing. I think I've been reasonably vocal about trying ovals for the first time. It would be a dream come true to compete at the Indy 500.

At the moment my focus is on just getting good results because my own results is going to help me in the long-term. Yeah, it's not really in my hands on the contractual side, let's say. All I can do is just compete at the maximum of my ability, try and stay present, which is fairly easy seeing as though it's going well. The team, it's a very enjoyable environment.

I feel like it's all training in the right direction. I just have to keep pumping out some good results.

Q. With being in a shared ride this season, is it hard to find a rhythm or keep momentum going?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I mean, in a way I would love to sort of have the continuity of constantly racing, just chipping away at everything.

It isn't difficult to sort of step in and out. I think throughout a season you always gain momentum and start to get into a rhythm.

Obviously the two disciplines are very different, oval racing and street course racing. Whether or not one complements the other, I'm yet to find out.

In any case, I'm at the races. I'm sitting on the stand. I'm doing everything but driving the car, so... I don't feel like it's messing with my own performance, if that's what you're asking. If anything, it's helping it because I actually get the time to sit back and chitchat with people that I wouldn't normally get the chance to do, talk a bit more personally, let's say, with my teammates and everyone that I work with just due to the fact that I have more time on my hands.

INDYCAR weekends are very compact. You have a lot to do in a short amount of time. So having these weekends to actually sit back and communicate with everyone I think has been extremely beneficial, just to give myself a good perspective of the situation and why one guy is doing so well and what they all do differently.

I think it's been great either way.

Q. Is there any advantage, Toronto was your last race, where the other guys in the paddock are focusing on Iowa? Do you shut off Toronto and focus on Nashville quickly or do you try to learn when you're at Iowa?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty much focused on the next circuit as soon as the race ends. I think in one way it's good. They have to get straightaway back in the car, and I can get into the gym and do my normal prep. From a training standpoint, it's quite good compared to them being constantly on a plane.

Yeah, I guess I've lost my train of thought. Sorry (smiling).

Q. What is the ultimate goal for the end of the season? Do you feel a podium is the next step, a top five? Do you feel a podium is achievable? Rookie of the Year?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I think it's possible that we will have some very good results the next couple of races. I've said that from the beginning of the season really, straightaway right after the pre-season test, there will be a time this year where I feel like everything's going really well and I can achieve the result that I want.

I feel like we will be able to compete for a podium, as we did at Road America. My target isn't necessarily on, I want to win a race other I want to get podium, but I certainly want to be fast enough to win a race, then certainly be in the leading pack. Get into a good rhythm, sort of arrive at the next race weekend hitting the ground running and be at the pointy end.

Once I get over that hurdle of learning the nuances of this championship, I think that will help me a lot in the future.

THE MODERATOR: You talk about ovals. What is the most intriguing thing to you as you sit on the pit stand and watch your teammates go out?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I mean, I was listening -- I'm good friends with Jamie Chadwick, who has just sort of gone through the first experience of an oval. We were both sort of chatting about it.

It's a race car. There's pedals and a steering wheel. We still don't know what we don't know on what it requires to be better than someone else, if you actually think about it.

What I find intriguing is just how one guy can get momentum at one part of a race and just create such a pace deficit compared to everyone else. That I'm still trying to figure out how we can manage that.

Also watching the way that Scott drives compared to everyone really in the team, there's so many different ways to achieve the same lap time. There's just so many styles. I feel like that's intriguing.

And, yeah, I think the way that everyone achieves the same lap time in totally different ways, that's quite interesting to me. I just sort of want to experience it and understand what I feel it needs and what I feel I need to do to get the best lap time.

Q. Obviously Chip Ganassi Racing are going into this weekend having had four podiums of the six we've had in Nashville. In terms of your consistency this year, you're leading the Rookie of the Year standings only doing a partial schedule, what do you put that down to? Is that just the team you have around you and the consistency of the results?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: The reason we're leading the rookie championship?

Q. Yeah.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Well, I haven't looked closely at the rookie championship really. I think that due to the fact that I'm just trying to get really good race results, to be up there with the top guys, that's sort of helped me to just - what's the word - chip away at it and get a lot of points.

I feel like it's obviously a disadvantage not doing the whole season, considering that you everyone get points for finishing last year in America. I don't get any if I don't start the race, unfortunately.

No, I mean, yes, I'm extremely lucky to have three great teammates. I think that's probably underestimated in the paddock just because I can learn from them and just understand what works in this car and what doesn't quicker than other people.

Yeah, it's a big advantage them being very communicative with me and open just to share information about anything. Like when we're in the engineering room, I'll ask point-blank, Scott, what are you doing here? He'll tell me without any hesitancy. That's a big advantage I would say, yeah. I hope they continue to share it with me.

Q. In terms of this weekend, a track you've never raced at before, in an ideal world what would be your aim for the weekend? What would you be happy with in terms of results?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: That's difficult to say really. Like I said before, I'd like to be there or thereabouts in the first practice, just chip away at the pace because I know we're always going to progress properly through the weekend.

I think for the race itself, staying out of trouble would be a big one, seeing it's fairly chaotic judging from the past couple years. Then being at the pointy end, whether that be a podium or a top five I couldn't tell you if I'm happy because it's all relative. If I'm leading the whole race and I end up finishing fifth because I lose it on the last lap, I'll be pretty angry. But it's all relative (smiling).

Q. You talked about pumping out results. You also pump out content with the podcast. Most drivers go into extracurricular stuff after their career. Do you feel a responsibility to keep doing this podcast? Is that something that is a distraction at all or something you enjoy doing?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yeah, we do a podcast that is yeah, I mean, pretty much as Kiwi as you could get. Me and my mate from New Zealand, now Clement Novalak, a driver from F2 does it, chitchat. We have one with James Hinchcliffe coming up soon.

Initially we started it because it was quite a fun use of our time when we were sitting in London between races. Obviously I moved to America since. We will continue to do it. It's a lot of fun. That's the point.

It's also cool to - for lack of a better phrase - bro down with other drivers, get to know them a bit better. It's been difficult to nail down a few of the INDYCAR drivers, I'll be honest, for the podcast. That's a work in progress (smiling).

Q. This year in your first eight races you've had as many top eight finishes as you had last year in F2. Being in Europe there's a bit of randomness in your results. Would you agree with that assessment of INDYCAR, the results count for more than it did in F2?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: We also won three races last year in F2, which obviously I haven't won three races this year.

But you're right, I feel like getting a result in INDYCAR, it is directly -- your performance directly correlates to your results in INDYCAR. I think many times in F2 I've had races where I felt like I was the fastest on track, and I'd end up finishing P12 just because of some massive tire deg in the last 10 laps or something like that.

But, yeah, being top 10s I think in INDYCAR is one thing. Being top three is another. There's still a big step to be made to be consistently with Alex and Scott, the other Marcus. There's a step to be made to being inside the top three. I think you can't understate how high the level is right at the very pointy end of INDYCAR.

I'm just going to keep trying to find bits and pieces to get that.

Q. In terms of trying to get some oval experience before you race on one, was Indy next on the radar? Was Gateway a possibility for you? Do you solely want to keep all your oval knowledge with the top crews?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Well, that's not really up to me. But, yeah, Takuma is doing Gateway. It would be great to get some oval experience before next year. That would be ideal, let's say. But like I said, it's out of my control. All I can do is perform well on the race weekends I'm doing. Yeah, let's see.

Q. In qualifying this year you've been very consistent. I think you just missed Fast 12 twice. You never reached the Fast Six. What do you think is lacking for you?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Like I said before, I think it's important to arrive at the weekend quicker for the first prepractice, then we can chip away at the small things to ultimately be in the top six in quallie. I think you need to be already quick in FP1, make small steps all the way through to that session.

At the moment I'm learning the circuit. I'm learning a few bits and pieces, which means I have to find chunks of time through the weekend, which, yeah, puts me on the back foot a little bit. I think if we can arrive a bit quicker in FP1, we have certainly a better chance of being there for Q3, the Fast Six.

Q. How are you feeling about ovals for 2024? Did you ever think about competing in Gateway?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Well, I feel like people want me to do Gateway (smiling).

No, obviously Takuma is doing the ovals this year. Like I said before, I would love to try ovals and start learning about them. It's certainly going to be a learning curve, whether it be big or small, on how I need to attack ovals.

It would be a great thing to try as soon as possible, but that's not in my control. All I can do is perform well on the tracks I'm doing.

THE MODERATOR: I know you're a foodie, you like coffee. Have you scouted out places to go to?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I have. I've actually made - not me personally - but we have made bookings at you're favorite restaurants that we have yet to go to. Already last month, it was, I think. I don't want to miss out.

We've got about a crew of 10 to 12 people with us this weekend. Wherever we go there's going to be a lot of Kiwi accents. I know we as a group are big granola lovers, so we're big breakfast people. We're going to scout the best granola bowls in all of Nashville. If you have any suggestions, I'd be very open (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: I do, but I can't help you out on granola because it's all grits in Nashville. You have to have a bowl of cheesy grits.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: What's that?

THE MODERATOR: What's the best way to describe it? Almost like a rice-ish bowl, you put a little butter and cheese in it. It's nothing like granola.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I'll be honest, mate. That doesn't sound like something I'd like (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Hominy, if you're familiar with that, made out of corn. Anyway... I don't want to name restaurants, but what I've food are you looking for?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: I don't eat meat. That's a bit of an issue. I don't know specifically where we're booked, but I know we have. There's a rooftop bar somewhere with a nice restaurant. There's some places on the strip, I believe. We'll be going to more vegan or vegetarian or Mediterranean restaurants.

We're big Lebanese lovers, Greek food, all that. I feel like you should listen to my podcast because we talk about this extensively.

THE MODERATOR: I do. I'm heartbroken that you're going into a great area of barbecue, ribs, pork, you name it, and you're going vegetarian.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: How can I compensate for the fact I don't eat meat in Nashville?

THE MODERATOR: Whiskey and beer. I don't know. I got nothing on that.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Geez.

Q. How do you prepare yourself, do you have a routine for getting in the zone before races?

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Yep. That's a good question. I am not very superstitious like a lot of other drivers. Actually seems that no one is superstitious in America. In Europe, it's a thing where everyone has a routine they do before the race. If they don't do it, they don't perform well. I'm the opposite to that. I'm fairly laid back.

I will always get in the car from the same side, which I guess isn't really a superstition, but it's just comfortable. I always warm up before I get in the car. It's easy to pull a muscle or something driving these beasts. To warm up properly.

I drink a lot of coffee before I drive because I like coffee, if I didn't already disclose that earlier. Yeah, I'm pretty laid back, man. I just like to warm up properly, be feeling loose. It's always a competition between me and Dixon to see who can get changed at the last minute and still make it in the car for the green light.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone for joining us. He will not be competing with any meat eaters this weekend in Nashville, but he will be competing in the Music City Grand Prix. Thanks for doing this.

MARCUS ARMSTRONG: Thanks for having me, mate.
[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

Expectations for the third annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race in Nashville:
  1. Cleaner Race: Officials are hoping for a cleaner race compared to the previous two years, which were marred with wrecks and numerous cautions.
  2. Improved Safety Measures: IndyCar officials have likely implemented additional safety measures and had conversations with the drivers to encourage better driving practices and reduce the number of incidents.
  3. Earlier Start Time: The race will start at 11:30 a.m. CT on Sunday, which is earlier than the 2 pm start time of the previous two years.
  4. Increased Ticket Sales: Ticket sales are reported to be ahead of last year, indicating a strong interest in the event from fans.
  5. Festival Atmosphere: The Music City Grand Prix is promoted as a festival, and attendees can expect to enjoy various musical performances alongside the racing action.
  6. Musical Lineup: This year's event features performances by artists such as Motley Crue’s Vince Neil, Chris Janson, Gavin DeGraw, Flo Rida, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, Tim Dugger, and others.
Overall, organizers aim to create a thrilling racing experience for fans while providing a lively festival atmosphere with musical entertainment. With the lessons learned from the past races, they hope to deliver a more seamless and enjoyable event for all attendees.


... notes from The EDJE


FEATURED ARTICLE >>>







TAGS: Streets Of Nashville, The Music City Grand Prix, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, 2023, Rookie-Of-The-Year, Marcus Armstrong, New Zealand, Vegan, BBQ Town, Coffee, Chip Ganassi Racing, The EDJE

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Will Power's Pre-Race Hy-Vee Event Weekend At Iowa Speedway ZOOM Call

Having the best name ever for a race car driver in this competitive era, 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season Champion Will Power is resolute in his ambition to continue to battle for wins against what appears to be the stacked deck of cards held by Chip Gaassi Racing. Image Credit: Chris Owens - NICS (2023)

Will Power's Pre-Race Hy-Vee Event Weekend At Iowa Speedway ZOOM Call
[includes event qualifications update at article end]

A decent conversation with Will Power is always a treat. In a pre-race(s) Iowa Speedway event ZOOM Call, Will covered a wide range of subjects from team miscalculations on fuel that ended his podium effort on the streets of Toronto, the character in the type of racing Iowa Speedway sets up (INDYCAR racing there since 2007), Go Kart chassis business that still carries his name, the growth of Hy-Vee, Inc. - an employee-owned chain of supermarkets and title sponsor through the advancement of infrastructure and concert activity surrounding the two-race weekend event, as well as some music selections along the way.

What sticks out the most at this time of the season - ten race events complete with seven race events to go - and nearly 30% of the competition happening this weekend in Iowa. The championship points opportunities are beginning to dry up and Will is beginning to feel that the field is now just looking for wins - just wins. 

Chip Ganassi Racing's Alexander Palou, driving the No. 10 American Legion sponsored Dallara Honda seems to be walking away from everyone having increased his substantial points lead in the last race (Toronto) where he qualified P15 and finished P2 on the podium.  Alex went from leading everyone by 110 points before the race to leading the field by 117 point with his closest rival being his teammate, six-time series season champion, Scott Dixon.

We took this opportunity to ask Will Power his thoughts on why we find ourselves with an overpowering performance by the Chip Ganassi Racing organization and drivers.  


Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal BEGIN:

Q. I'm sitting there looking at the drivers' stat rankings, and 3 of the top 4 drivers are Chip Ganassi. I guess, if Palou doesn't show up for two races, it still goes to Ganassi. What is Ganassi doing over the rest of the field that has them in this position?

WILL POWER: They have the best cars right now. They do. They're able to extract the most out of qualifying. Their cars look good off the tires, they're very fast in the race, and their strategy's good -- they're just simply the best team right now. They are.

Q. You think this is more than just a Honda-Chevy thing?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I do. No, I don't think much to do with the engines. I think the engines are pretty equal. I think the Chevy has a bit more top end. Honda might have a bit more torque down low. But all in all over laps, it's probably pretty similar.

Ganassi definitely have good cars right now.

Q. I guess what you're saying is it's coming down to teamwork.

WILL POWER: They've got good cars, good drivers. You think about Palou and Dixon and even Ericsson. Marcus Armstrong is a rookie, but also very quick. They've got a very tough group. Really you're looking at all teams now have got -- man, the drivers, anyone who's not performing is replaced pretty quick these days in INDYCAR.

You can't really look at any team with an average -- you look at Andretti. He's got Herta. Grosjean is very quick, obviously not that consistent in the races. And Kirkwood, who's exceptional. McLaren's group. And you've got Lundgaard and Rahal now. It's just a very, very tough field.

Q. So I guess your best strategy is to follow your teammate and then catch him at the end?

WILL POWER: I think you've got to take care of it sooner than that. I think it's all said and done by the last stint although you can be sort of called out any time with the way the traffic runs. I think you need to be on top of that before you even get there.

As you know, it's not all over if he's leading at the beginning. There's many strategy plays and obviously a lot of traffic to get through. Just never lose hope. Keep pushing, pushing real hard and just being smart about it.

Q. Good luck in two races, and I guess go for the lead.

WILL POWER: Thank you. Will do.
ENDS


NTT INDYCAR SERIES ZOOM Call News Conference
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Will Power - Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Needless to say, it's an exciting weekend for the NTT INDYCAR Series, the height of the race weekend featuring not one, but two races. Friday it's the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart. Saturday it's the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade. Coverage of both will be on national television with NBC set to showcase each race for the weekend.

Our guest today knows a thing or two about the fastest short track on the planet. He's a five-time pole winner at Iowa and has three straight podiums on the 7/8 mile oval. He drives the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, the reigning NTT INDYCAR Series champion, Will Power. Thanks for joining us, Will.

WILL POWER: Hello.

THE MODERATOR: Heading back to Iowa. How much are you looking forward to that?

WILL POWER: Heading back to Iowa. Yeah, yeah, yeah, one of my favorite tracks. Been trying to win there for years. There's one guy that seems to prevent it. Yeah, it's going to be fun.

THE MODERATOR: And who would that one guy be?

WILL POWER: A guy that hasn't lost an oval race maybe that he's finished in about three years.

THE MODERATOR: You got to be nice, though, he's your teammate. Or maybe you don't have to be nice. I don't know.

WILL POWER: No, teammates are actually worse to each other on track, aren't they? If you watch the McLaren boys.

THE MODERATOR: You might have something there. Tell me about your comfort level at Iowa. Maybe just your comfort level on ovals in general. It certainly has changed through the course of your career, hasn't it?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it kind of goes in and out. I actually made -- like I really struggled at Texas and then made a big adjustment. Even at the Indy test I struggled.

Made an adjustment in driving, and it significantly helped. I was a lot better at Indy this year in the race, like a lot better. I felt like, if I hadn't had the weight jacker failure, which ultimately sent me very loose in that stint, I feel like we would have been the front group fighting or top sort of three positions.

Yeah, felt very good. Always feel good at Iowa. We have great cars there. Yeah, it's an interesting race. It's quite difficult to win.

If Josef wasn't there, maybe I would feel very confident. But, yes, I've been runner-up, I think you said, last three races I've been on the podium. Is that right?

THE MODERATOR: Yes.

WILL POWER: I just keep knocking on that door. So, yeah, looking forward to getting there, seeing where we stack up. I feel like we'll stack up there.

I feel all of these other teams will have closed the gap a bit because it is a doubleheader race. If you're going into off-season after last year, you would focus pretty hard on that because of the points available. Maybe Ganassi is a bit better, and we know McLaren is good there.

I don't think Andretti tested there. Oh, yes, they did. They did. Yeah, it could be pretty -- it will be a pretty fierce race.

THE MODERATOR: And not one, but two for that matter. Let's go ahead and open it up for questions.

Q. Will, I got one for Iowa, but first just to go back to Toronto, obviously not the way the strategy wanted to unfold for the Penske teams. Just curious, like did you guys figure it out in the debrief? Was it just a fuel number you were missing? What happened with Toronto?

WILL POWER: No, I was -- the fuel estimation was 2 percent wrong. That was the problem. We had a 2 percent error. Even if it was just a 1 percent error wrong, we're making it, but 2 percent is -- yeah, we're making it -- we were on par for the numbers that were given to me. Everyone was expecting that we would make it.

So it was such a surprise when we saw a fuel light come on, which is triggered by the fuel -- what's the name of it now? I can't even believe I'm forgetting that. There's a little canister in the car. Once there's 1.8 gallons left, that gives you the first indication of exactly where your fuel's at. Otherwise, you're only guessing at what the engine manufacturer tells you.

God, what is the name of that? How could I actually forget that? The whatever drops, the --

THE MODERATOR: Do we need a lifeline for this? Should we call somebody for this?

WILL POWER: I just can't believe I'm forgetting that. How bad is my mind that I can't even remember that? The canister drop. Once the -- anyway, that canister thing in the fuel tank, that trigger came on much earlier than we expected, which is from the 2 percent error, which is just so hard to --

INDYCAR should allow fuel flow meters. They should. Because the amount of money teams spend on building the canister in there, the whatever it is, the fuel flow meter, because then you know exactly where it is. I think they don't do it for cost reasons because it's probably around ten grand for a fuel flow meter. Yeah, it would make the strategy much easier, much easier.

Is that good or bad? You just wouldn't have that error in there. You wouldn't have that estimation of when the -- the only thing you get is that canister full of fuel when it gets to that point, when the whole fuel cell is empty, the bottom of that canister, which is about 1.8 gallons or something.

Yeah, unfortunate. That was maybe a potentially top three or maybe even second. But to how much more -- you know, heard it running out lifting on the back straight. If we don't have that error, we're pushing pretty hard on those last couple laps.

That's no one's fault. It's just one of those things. Who would think 2 percent error -- 1 percent error, yeah, fair enough. But 2, unfortunately.

Q. Is it 2 percent off, is it just a data miscalculation?

WILL POWER: No. It's not a -- like I said, we don't have fuel flow meters. So when the -- what is the name of that thing? I know it. I know it. I talk about it all the time. Yeah, you don't have a fuel flow meter.

So you get, I think it's 18.4 gallons. So you're guessing the 17, 16.6 gallons you're guessing. You're at the mercy of what they've seen all weekend of how much fuel it has used over those practices, and then you can guess through that 16.4 till it gets down to the canister.

Yeah, you can guess -- you're only guessing. So, yes, we always factor in a 1 percent error or so. If it had been 2 percent, good, we're really lucky. Yeah, there's always a slight error, but that was big for us. We kind of have to look into why.

Q. Along with what the name of that thing is.

WILL POWER: Yeah, the -- God.

Q. Sorry to cause so much consternation. I'm not going to ask you about it again.

THE MODERATOR: Is it the collector pot, Will?

WILL POWER: The collector! The collector drops. Oh, my God. How did I not know that? Once the collector drops. The collector, yeah, there you go.

Q. Our stories are now complete. On Iowa, kind of a two-part question, I guess. One, you said it's so hard to win there. Dixon doesn't have a win there either, and he, I think, has an average finish of sixth. What makes it so hard to win there? And are you concerned at all -- Penske and McLaren didn't test. Everybody else tested, including Ganassi, Andretti. Any concern at all that you guys are going in there -- or were Penske and McLaren so good, winning both races last year, that you guys don't have any worries?

WILL POWER: We would use that test day on a track that we really would struggle at. Unfortunately, we used one of our tests at Road America, and the tie was different, and it really didn't work out, which happens sometimes.

We have very good cars there, so we're hoping that we turn up and have to make minor adjustments, slight tire changes, track degradation.

Those guys, for sure, I would expect, have improved, which makes it -- yes, it will be a tougher race. I think track position is pretty big there because it's kind of like Texas. If you're at the back, you're sitting in very dirty air and tires deg a lot sooner. And guys up front, they don't, so when they get to the back of the train, they can murder through traffic.

Yeah, you know how INDYCAR is. What makes it difficult to win? Josef is one of the reasons. He's just been very good there. He's just very good at putting it together. That certainly was the closest I'd ever been to him last year. We'll see if I can improve more this year.

Q. Will, last year you won the championship with consistency. We've seen other drivers win championships by racking up the most wins. This year it seems that Alex Palou is doing it with consistency and the most wins. When you put those two together, is that almost an unbeatable championship combination?

WILL POWER: Yes, absolutely, if you're winning and you're consistent, you're definitely going to win the championship. Certainly, as a team, that group on that car, their strategies, pit stops, full package. Obviously, Palou, full package as a driver. Extremely tough to beat that this year.

I think the thing that's hurt us the most is qualifying because our race pace has been really good, strategy has been really good, pit stop's been great. As a team, we have all struggled the most to extract the most out of the car in qualifying.

Q. Used to go to Iowa, and it would be a nice little race in front of grassroots fans, maybe 17,000, 20,000 fans. It would be a nice event. It would be a good race. Now you're getting out there, it's almost like a mini Indianapolis in many ways with so much stuff, so much construction going on out there, temporary grand suites, big name concert acts. How much of a big event feel do the drivers feel now going to Iowa?

WILL POWER: Yeah, huge amount of money put in by Hy-Vee. Infrastructure looks great, and obviously some pretty big names from the music industry there performing. Yeah, it's sort of a dream promoter really, dream sponsor for the race right there with Hy-Vee. We're certainly lucky to have them.

Yeah, the feel is it brings a lot more people. Should look pretty good on TV.

Q. Finally, it doesn't happen very often, but if it happens again, it could be potentially devastating to the sport, but earlier today INDYCAR announced the strength of wheel retainer nut to keep the wheels from getting off the car, like what we saw at the Indianapolis 500 this year. Your thoughts on INDYCAR making a change so important that quickly after what happened with Kyle Kirkwood and Felix Rosenqvist in this year's Indianapolis 500?

WILL POWER: Let me tell you, that's the top of the list in importance is that those wheels don't go flying. They've done a great job in the past with the tethers. So I'm sure there was a big investigation into how that wheel came off and why.

Sounds like the tether must have worked, but it must have actually pulled -- it must have pulled the wheel nut and the wheel bearing off the axle upright. Yeah, I can see -- yeah, massively important, that stuff. Like flying wheels, flying debris into big crowds is just all bad.

Got lucky there that that wheel that came off ended up going through a gap. And they were very quick to investigate and make a change, so it will be safer.

Q. I lied. I've got one more question. With Palou's lead and with the schedule winding down, nobody ever wishes bad luck on a fellow competitor, but you kind of hope he gets lost on his way to the starting grid one of these races?

WILL POWER: He'll probably have a bad race. He could have a couple to not even turn up and still win the championship. Now I think everyone is just absolutely going for wins. It's not even -- you know, you're not really championship racing anymore. You're just going for wins.

Hence what happened at Toronto. Running out of gas, you're willing to take more of a risk on strategy and so on. Yeah, just all about winning now, like try to rack up some wins.

It is possible to catch him obviously, mathematically, for probably a top ten, but that's a big gap. That's a lot of bad races for a guy that's very consistent. But who knows? Say you won both races at Iowa and he DNF'd both, suddenly it starts to look a little more realistic.

But, oh, man, that's a very solid first, I guess slightly over halfway.


Q. To piggy-back off of that question, Will, these are some good tracks for you coming up. I think you won 2 of the last 3 return trips to the Indy road course. With Gateway and Iowa coming up here, do you feel your group can rattle off some wins here swinging for the fences?

WILL POWER: Yeah, very good tracks coming up for us. Series is ultra competitive, so I really don't see -- I don't see many weak teams out of the big four teams: Penske, McLaren, Andretti, and Ganassi. That's just not -- you might start to add Rahal into that now. Lundgaard is starting to be more of a regular top five finisher.

Yeah, pretty tough field, toughest in the world actually. That's why, if you can win one, it's such a big deal. It's a big deal now to win in INDYCAR.

Q. How do you feel this year a pair of 250-lap races, instead of one 250 and the next one 300. Do you feel similar race both days? Is there anything, it's a quick turnaround to the next day, you can learn from Saturday and apply it to Sunday?

WILL POWER: Okay. I didn't even realize last year we had one -- I thought -- I knew one was shorter. I thought one was like 200, and now they're 250, yeah.

It doesn't truly change much. It probably changes strategy a bit. To me, it comes down to traffic position, running through that traffic well. Yeah, it's more of -- yeah. Getting through traffic. The higher the grip, the higher level of grip, the cooler it is, the harder it is to pass.

Q. Speaking of track position, ask about qualifying. You obviously swept both poles last year. It's a unique format with lap 1 obviously first race, lap 2 second races. I'm assuming the qualifying draws on entrant points. So you're kind of towards the top. Is there an advantage to going early since it's 8:30 Iowa time? More rubber on track going later? Is there kind of a strategy? Any philosophy behind qualifying this weekend?

WILL POWER: You have to see, because I thought about that. You have to see how cool it is at the beginning because, yes, if it is a sudden temperature rise -- I don't know where the steepest slope of temperature rise is in the morning, but cool conditions does help, I'll give you that.

The qualifying line goes through pretty quickly because two laps -- it's going through pretty quick. So maybe the rubber does mean more, maybe going last or later helps.

I think, if you're in that top ten, you're pretty good. You always like to go after your teammates because you get the info, but yeah, so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage in that respect. I've got two teammates who can learn off of what I did, but it's a couple of quick laps right there. It's straight out of bed into the car. Try to drive around that track wide open, it's pretty straight out of the box, no practice, turn up, and go. So, yeah, pretty hard.

THE MODERATOR: Make sure your alarm clock is on Saturday morning. You don't want to oversleep that.

WILL POWER: No.

Q. How crucial will it be for you guys to roll off the truck well, going straight into qualifying? Given that it's two races, you're going to have to be pretty consistent going into Saturday when it comes to running in traffic as well, right?

WILL POWER: Yes, you've got to try to balance qualifying versus getting race work done in that one practice we have. Pretty important to roll off the truck in a good spot, which I can't see why we wouldn't.

Yeah, that's the advantage of testing. You're going to turn up and just go straight out of the box and do a quality run on a new set, whereas we're going to waste a set of tires just getting up to speed. And you need your tires because you're limited because you've got two races.

Yeah, that's -- yeah, that's the disadvantage of not testing, but I expect the car to be good out of the box.

Q. And in terms of traffic, how difficult do you think it's going to be to get through traffic in the races? Given the number of cars we have on the grid this year.

WILL POWER: I think it will be similar to the way it's been because it's a two-lane track. It's almost a 2 1/2-lane track. I think it will be your normal -- if you've got two cars running side by side, you really can't do anything. You've just got to sit there. As soon as there's another lane, it's sort of single file, you can motor through traffic.

That is the advantage of starting up front is the fact that you've just been running in clean air and not degrading tires. There's so much more grip to be out front in the clear. So when you get to that traffic, they've been running the heaviest traffic at the very back so their tires have degraded significantly more. And the fact that they're at the back is usually they haven't got as good of a car unless something happened in qualifying.

Yeah, so you get to the first few pretty easy. Obviously the further up you get, the harder it gets. Yeah, that's the challenge of that place. You've got to work the traffic well while covering the guy behind you who's attacking you. Yeah, good fun. Very, very good fun race and track.

Q. Dave kind of touched on it a little bit. It is the fastest short track on the planet. Will, what do you do, if you can verbalize it, what do you do to suspend the fear factor in such a tight racing environment?

WILL POWER: It's actually -- yeah, it's got less daunting, I'd say, since it's become more abrasive and a lot more bumpy because you're not wide open. You're not like on this string with a weight on the end waiting to snap. It used to be way more physically daunting because you were almost wide open for a whole bloody race.

It's more -- yeah, it's not -- in the race it's not that daunting. More in qualifying where you really can almost go wide open, but the fact the car slides a bit more forgiving, you feel it, and it doesn't have as much downforce as it used to. It's actually quite enjoyable racing. The racing is the fun part.

Q. Scott Herta told me you were a better drummer than him. Is that true?

WILL POWER: Colton Herta?

Q. Yes, sorry.

WILL POWER: You think so? I actually haven't heard him drum. Yeah, I don't know. We should have a drum-off. I don't think he plays that much anymore actually since he moved to Nashville. Yeah, you've got to be on the drums every day to keep improving or at least keep what you've got.

Q. Back in 1968 a group called Gary Puckett and The Union Gap had a No. 2 single with a song called Will Power. Have you ever heard it?

WILL POWER: The one, Will Power is now or never?

Q. That's exactly it, yes.

WILL POWER: I have heard that, yes. Isn't it called Lady Willpower or something?

Q. It's officially called that, but every time I hear that song, I think of you.

WILL POWER: Yeah, it's a real pity. It's a real pity. It's not what I want to be known for.

----

Q. I'm sitting there looking at the drivers' stat rankings, and 3 of the top 4 drivers are Chip Ganassi. I guess, if Palou doesn't show up for two races, it still goes to Ganassi. What is Ganassi doing over the rest of the field that has them in this position?

WILL POWER: They have the best cars right now. They do. They're able to extract the most out of qualifying. Their cars look good off the tires, they're very fast in the race, and their strategy's good -- they're just simply the best team right now. They are.

Q. You think this is more than just a Honda-Chevy thing?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I do. No, I don't think much to do with the engines. I think the engines are pretty equal. I think the Chevy has a bit more top end. Honda might have a bit more torque down low. But all in all over laps, it's probably pretty similar.

Ganassi definitely have good cars right now.

Q. I guess what you're saying is it's coming down to teamwork.

WILL POWER: They've got good cars, good drivers. You think about Palou and Dixon and even Ericsson. Marcus Armstrong is a rookie, but also very quick. They've got a very tough group. Really you're looking at all teams now have got -- man, the drivers, anyone who's not performing is replaced pretty quick these days in INDYCAR.

You can't really look at any team with an average -- you look at Andretti. He's got Herta. Grosjean is very quick, obviously not that consistent in the races. And Kirkwood, who's exceptional. McLaren's group. And you've got Lundgaard and Rahal now. It's just a very, very tough field.

Q. So I guess your best strategy is to follow your teammate and then catch him at the end?

WILL POWER: I think you've got to take care of it sooner than that. I think it's all said and done by the last stint although you can be sort of called out any time with the way the traffic runs. I think you need to be on top of that before you even get there.

As you know, it's not all over if he's leading at the beginning. There's many strategy plays and obviously a lot of traffic to get through. Just never lose hope. Keep pushing, pushing real hard and just being smart about it.

Q. Good luck in two races, and I guess go for the lead.

WILL POWER: Thank you. Will do.

----

Q. Hi, Will. Enjoying your backdrop there with the hardware. That's pretty cool. I attended the opening press conference at Iowa Speedway in I believe that was '06, and Rusty Wallace was there. They were talking about the grassroots racing culture of Iowa and how this track fit in so well because they said Iowa had more half mile speedways per capita than any other state in the country. I'm wondering if, when you're there, you sense that kind of fundamental enthusiasm from local people?

THE MODERATOR: Looks like Will may have frozen up.

WILL POWER: The wi-fi has been really bad here. I don't know what's going on. The cell phone connection is phenomenal here with the Verizon 5G.

(Laughter)

THE MODERATOR: Well done. Perfect. Want to ask your question again?

WILL POWER: I know the question. I don't know how much you got of my answer. Did you get any of it?

Q. No.

WILL POWER: When you go to Road America, Mid-Ohio, some of those tracks where you can camp out, some of those old school car tracks, there are a lot more old CART fans and very knowledgeable INDYCAR fans that have been around a long time.

Iowa, I don't notice -- I suppose there's a few more NASCAR sort of fans there. But what sort of grassroots racing are you talking of, more stockcar?

Q. The ovals.

THE MODERATOR: Think about all the dirt tracks, and Knoxville is not too far away, that sort of thing.

WILL POWER: Yeah, that's what I sort of thought. You've got Knoxville close by. Yeah, I would expect to see -- I don't actually -- because you're always just in the middle of the track, in your bus. You don't get to interact with fans all that much, except for the autograph session.

Yeah, but great racetrack. Great racetrack, sort of about the best short track you could ever have for an INDYCAR with the size of the banking and the multiple lanes and the degradation. It's tough to get all that formula right, the downforce versus grip. I mean, it is very hard to get that stuff right, like it's very finicky.

Q. Got a couple of questions for you. You were talking about CART, and I just realized it's been 15 years since you joined the INDYCAR Series when the reunification happened. For some of us who may remember that as fans and now as journalists, what do you recall about things coming back together and having the unification happen with INDYCAR? Also, along the same lines, as a two-time champion, what has INDYCAR given back to you that you're very grateful for, especially as a competitive driver at this point in your career?

WILL POWER: What I remember from that unification, obviously a really big deal for open wheel racing in the U.S. It's something that everyone had talked about since the split. So I think it was a great thing that happened. Going to the second race -- first race was Homestead.

The second race where you had everyone on sort of equal footing on a street course was really cool. You had the best of the best as far as road street course races there all competing, and it was all mixed up. The first race we did was Homestead. It was all the oval guys at the front and all the new guys at the back, like us, I was in KV.

It's just been incredible to watch the growth of the series over the last 15 years. I can't tell you how much more quality of drivers and teams there are now, continuity of drivers. There was a lot of driver turnover back then. It's at its, I would say, most competitive ever in history simply because of parity. No one manufacturer has an advantage. All the cars are the same. So I think they've come up with a great formula there.

Just massively grateful to have been a part of it and had an opportunity with a fantastic team and be given the chance to win races week in and week out and win championships, win Indy 500s. Yeah, couldn't ask for a better opportunity here in the U.S.

Q. I know you're not a fan of Lady Willpower, but you have to be a fan of Crowded House, right?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I love Crowded House, I do.

THE MODERATOR: Just reminded me I need to listen to my Crowded House CDs when I get back.

WILL POWER: They're great.

Q. Will, as we already have discussed this evening, straight into qualifying, lots of or very little practice. Is there any difference in approach to these races in this doubleheader given they're a little bit different in distance? Or is it just simply a case of adding another stint to the strategy?

WILL POWER: They're the same length, aren't they, this year? Am I right?

THE MODERATOR: Correct. Both 250-milers -- laps rather.

WILL POWER: But there is a difference. After qualifying, you have to put the car -- the car goes straight into -- what do they call it?

THE MODERATOR: Impound.

WILL POWER: Lockdown. Impound.

THE MODERATOR: I'm here to help you all day, Will. Whatever you need, brother.

WILL POWER: Yeah, impound. You race what you qualify, which is really tough because there's a massive speed difference for when you qualify. For one, you're running the lowest fuel level, so you can't adjust ride height. At the high speeds, the car bottoms a lot, and I kind of wish INDYCAR would allow us to change ride heights before the race because, man, you're just smacking the bottom because of the difference in speed.

So you're starting that first race probably with a bit of a compromise, but everyone's in the same boat. Then the second race, you've got the history of the first race to sort of understand where you're strong and weak and make adjustments. So the second race in general is just tougher because everyone comes out a little better.

Q. Myles Rowe is doing an amazing job on IndyCar's Force bill this year. What do you think of his performances? I know you're still in contact with him a lot. Are you following his career closely?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I still have a lot to do with his career. Yeah, just killing it. Very happy, impressed, and expect him to be in Indy Lights next year. If he did what he did this year, he'd be in INDYCAR in '25.

That's the plan. Yeah, he's doing the business. That's the main thing. Excited to see. Very, very excited to see it.

Q. And with your kart brand, how much daily involvement do you have that given you have a really long -- not long in duration, but a very intense INDYCAR schedule now. I'm sure you don't get much time to get to the kart tracks and check out how your chassis is doing?

WILL POWER: The chassis, yeah, I don't sell it anymore. I think they're using the name in Australia. They're still selling it there, but I don't have anything to do with it.

I've actually raced a different car brand. The reason, I just did not have time to do a good job with that stuff. I had to be fully committed to racing, and I just had to -- I just let it go. I actually just kind of handed it over to Billy Vincent, who's high up there at McLaren INDYCAR. He's turned it into the MPG brand and team.

Q. And the first international kind of demo show later this year with TCR World Racing tour is there. Are you going to be involved? I understand some INDYCAR cars are going to be heading over to that event potentially with INDYCAR drivers as well, but they haven't teased who's going to be at the wheel and which chassis is going to be used.

WILL POWER: Actually, I haven't heard that. I would love to be the one. I don't know what date that is.

Q. It's like the 11th and 12th, I think, because TCR World Tour is racing, and they're going to do demo runs of the best single seaters you can find.

WILL POWER: Oh, wow. Oh, man. Well, they should call me up. I want to take my car down there. I am the only Australian in this series, so I'll be really disappointed if they send a Kiwi.

THE MODERATOR: One last thing before we go to Asher. If Myles makes it to -- if and when he makes it to INDY NXT by Firestone Series next year, would that intensify maybe your relationship or your advice you would give him? Because obviously INDY NXT races along with the NTT INDYCAR Series, so you'd see him a little bit more as his career progresses.

WILL POWER: Yeah, I already do see him quite a bit. Yeah, as it gets -- we still talk -- I'll call him and see him at the track. He's a pretty smart kid. He's got to understand how tough it gets once you start getting to these upper levels because everyone that goes -- the further up you get, the better the drivers are, the tougher it is.

In particular, when you get to INDYCAR now, it is extremely hard, extremely hard. So you got to be doing the work.

THE MODERATOR: He's been fun to watch this season, last couple years as well.

Q. With this being the only doubleheader of the season, how do you plan to keep your mind and body sharp so you're just as strong in race 2 as you were in race 1?

WILL POWER: You've got to hydrate very well. Obviously try to sleep well. It's pretty tough after a race. I think your mind knows that you've got to complete two races, so it leaves some in reserve for the second race.

But we're all pretty fit in this series. You've got to be because the cars are extremely physical. Physically I'm in great shape. So I expect to have no problems during the two races.

THE MODERATOR: Again, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, it is Will Power. Will, thanks for doing this.

WILL POWER: No problems.

THE MODERATOR: A reminder, the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart is Saturday at 3:00 p.m. eastern on NBC. And the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade comes up an hour earlier on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern. INDYCAR Radio Network has coverage as well.
[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

QUALIFICATIONS UPDATE:

Qualifications format has each driver turn two flying laps, with Lap 1 setting the grid for Saturday’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart race and Lap 2 determining the starting lineup for Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade race.

Double NTT P1 Pole Award performance by Will Power - sets another new INDYCAR Series Pole Setting Record from 68 to 70 to add his margin against the next closest record holder - Mario Andretti at 67 Pole Awards..

“Yea I figured (teammate Josef Newgarden) would be the toughest guy,” Power told NBC. “I know my car had a good balance, there wasn’t much left in it. Great job for the Verizon 5G Chevy. Been trying to win this race for a long time but I know Newgarden will be the guy to beat and put it all together, so we will do our best today.”


Will Power, the defending series champion who has never won at Iowa, led the Team Penske sweep of the top three spots for Saturday's race. His first lap was 181.426 mph, and he followed that with a lap of 181.578 mph, securing him the pole position. Power expressed his excitement about finally having a chance to win at Iowa after attempting to do so for a long time.

His teammate, Scott McLaughlin, achieved a lap speed of 180.334 mph, securing the second position, while Josef Newgarden, a four-time winner at Iowa, was third at 180.081 mph. The three drivers were the only ones to average above 180 mph in their two laps.

Scott McLaughlin humorously remarked, "I won Class B," referring to being second behind his teammate, Will Power, whom he praised as a "genius."

Overall, Team Penske dominated the qualifying session, and all three drivers were looking forward to the race with high hopes for victory.

... notes from The EDJE


FEATURED ARTICLE >>>








TAGS: Will Power, Team Penske, Chevrolet, Honda, Hy-Vee, No. 12 Verizon 5G, Iowa, Homefront 250 presented by Instacart, One Step 250 presented by Gatorade, The EDJE

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Ely Reeves Callaway III Leaves Behind A Legacy Second To None In Business, Culture, & Competition

Reeves Callaway with engine creation and driving in his Formula Vee (the one in the bottom of the background picture over Reeves' shoulder). Image Credit: Callaway Cars FB/META (2023)


Ely Reeves Callaway III Leaves Behind A Legacy Second To None In Business, Culture, & Competition

Preferring to use his given second name as his first, Reeves (Ely Reeves Callaway III) Callaway succumbed to injuries he had sustained in a fall on Tuesday, July 11 - he was at his home in Newport Beach California and was 75 years old.

Many observing from the outside would say, "With a name like Callaway, this guy had it made from the very beginning. A privilege beyond belief." This is understandable since many are familiar with the name Callaway from the worlds of competition in Wine and Golf. Both of these notable achievements of his textile businessman father, Ely Reeves Callaway Jr. (June 3, 1919 - July 6, 2001 at 82).

The actual privilege for Reeves Callaway, from the beginning, was being born with a sense of purpose and a self-taught mechanical wit. He was a person captured by motor culture and racing early in life where he was able to learn how to drive a race car to secure championships in racing Formula Vee on the East Coast of the United States. 

Not having the resources to pursue a career in racing, Reeves decided to teach others how to drive fast and efficient by being hired by Bob Bondurant's racing school. While using the newly launched BMW 320i as a school car, Reeves became familiar with its intricacies and deficiencies of the German design, and later convinced BMW to let him take one of its cars to his garage in Old Lyme, Connecticut, to tune it for more power. As is said ... "the rest is history."

This from Callaway Cars - 


This excerpted and edited from Golf Digest - 

Ely Callaway’s son Reeves, founder of Callaway Cars, dies at 75
By Matthew Rudy - July 14, 2023

The Callaway name is ubiquitous in golf, but in a certain part of the automotive world it means something completely different and unrelated.

Reeves Callaway - son of Callaway founder Ely - started Callaway Cars in 1977 and became one of the most respected builders of powerful and highly-modified Corvettes, Range Rovers and other models for customers who spent most of their time in the passing lane. Callaway Cars announced Friday that Ely Reeves Callaway III passed away July 11 after a fall at his home in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 75.

Callaway Cars started as a response to the first wave of heavily de-tuned "emissions-era" cars of the mid-1970s. By the mid-1980s, Callaway was putting highly engineered turbo kits into Corvettes and turning them into monsters hidden behind relatively stock looking exteriors. His twin-turbo "Sledgehammer" Corvette set the world street legal speed record of 254 miles per hour in 1988 and held it for more than 20 years.

Callaway's version of the 1999 Range Rover 4.6 HSE had a modified engine and drivetrain, and the 220 limited edition SUVs sold for an eye-watering (at the time) $75,000. His company currently offers modified versions of Chevrolet models ranging from the Corvette, trucks to SUVS like the Silverado and Tahoe.

Callaway's pioneering work with high-performance materials like carbon fiber were influential in Callaway Golf's research and development, and in recent years he served as a founding advisor for a start-up developing a blended-wing aircraft for NASA and the Air Force.

World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire might use a Callaway driver, but Reeves Callaway was the fastest Callaway on Earth.

What was most impressive in being around the presence of Reeves as he lived his life was his general joy in being around folks who appreciated competitive pursuits in motor sports and motor culture in general. A gentleman in most every way.


As noted by Callaway Cars, Inc, in their announcement of Ely Reeves Callaway III (Nov 22, 1947 - July 11, 2023 at 75) presence leaving us to continue >>>

The first son of Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr., the founder of Callaway Golf, and brother of publisher Nicholas Callaway, Reeves proudly epitomized the entrepreneurial Callaway family tradition of making the finest goods that enhance an individual's enjoyment, performance and lifestyle.

A true gentleman, he was the devoted father of four and grandfather of two. 

His large circle of friends, colleagues and admirers around the world will mourn his passing and miss him deeply. 

For inquiries, please e-mail: info@callawaycars.com

... notes from The EDJE


FEATURED ARTICLE >>>







TAGS: Ely Reeves Callaway III, Callaway Cars, NASA, BMW, Corvette, GM, Reeves, Motor Press Guild, The Sledgehammer,  Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mazda, The EDJE

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Indy Autonomous Challenge Set Autonomous Speed Records at Monza “Temple of Speed” Trial

Team PoliMOVE won the first-ever autonomous driving road course time trial competition, held at the Monza "Temple of Speed." The fact that a “hometown” team representing Politecnico di Milano won resulted in a historic celebration on the Monza Winner’s Podium. Image Credit: Business Wire (2023)

Indy Autonomous Challenge Set Autonomous Speed Records at Monza “Temple of Speed” Trial

The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) today announced that team PoliMOVE won the first-ever autonomous driving road course time trial competition, held at the Monza “Temple of Speed.” The historic feat took place as part of the Milan Monza Motor Show (MIMO), which ran from June 16-18, 2023, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. 

In January, the IAC announced it would expand its challenges to include road courses and formed a two-year partnership with the Milan Monza Motor Show to run competitions at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on the famed F1 circuit. IAC teams were tasked with programming their AI drivers to pilot identical Dallara AV-21 racecars in the first IAC exhibition ever held on a road course and the first run outside the United States.


“Once again, the Indy Autonomous Challenge is pushing the boundaries of high-speed automation with a historic time trial race on the iconic Monza F1 circuit,” said Paul Mitchell president, IAC. “It was an honor for the IAC to have our competition approved by the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI Sport) and watch the fans cheer on the winning hometown team PoliMOVE. We can’t wait to come back next year and attempt some head-to-head racing.”

The IAC brought six autonomous racecars and five university teams to MIMO to compete in six sessions over three days, totaling more than 1,300 miles of testing where the cars consistently reached increasing speeds, running progressively faster lap times. The autonomous driving software was programmed by students and researchers from some of the most advanced universities and research centers in the world, and included teams from:

  • KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
  • MIT-PITT-RW (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Waterloo)
  • PoliMOVE (Politecnico di Milano, University of Alabama)
  • TII UNIMORE Racing (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
  • TUM Autonomous Motorsport (Technische Universität München)

TUM Autonomous Motorsport took second place with a lap time of 2:08.66 (269.9 KPH/167.7 MPH top speed) and TII UNIMORE Racing finished third with a final lap time of 2:11.24 (250.8 KPH / 155.8 MPH top speed). More than 10,000 spectators filled the stands to witness a first-of-its-kind spectacle of fully autonomous racecars competing on an F1 circuit. The fact that a “hometown” team representing Politecnico di Milano won resulted in a historic celebration on the Monza Winner’s Podium.

Each of the five university teams participating received an official driving license to participate in the competition, issued by ACI Milano. Although the license is granted to the team leader, it represents a first-of-its-kind motorsport license for an "AI driver.” To gain approval from ACI Sport, the IAC and each university team had to submit historical data and demonstrate track tests at Monza to validate the ability and safe operations of an autonomous racecar.

The IAC will continue to collaborate with ACI Sport and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza to advance the rules and regulations guiding autonomous racing competitions with the goal to hold the first multicar head-to-head racing competition during MIMO 2024.

In addition to track activities, the IAC exhibited alongside Premier Sponsors, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Luminar, all week in Pit Boxes 37-39. The exhibition allowed spectators to learn about IAC’s base of operations in Indiana where it is partnering with the IEDC to develop a global hub for high speed automation.
[ht: Business Wire]

... notes from The EDJE


FEATURED ARTICLE >>>







TAGS: Indy Autonomous Challenge, IAC, Speed Records, Monza, Temple of Speed, Trial, KAIST, MIT-PITT-RW, PoliMOVE, TII UNIMORE Racing, TUM Autonomous Motorsport, The EDJE