2019 NTT IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel 

Rossi with the third or fourth brown pants moment of the night.

Newgarden's race to lose now. Dixon looked like he had him on that last restart, then Newgarden's took it and ran.
 
I'd really like to see an onboard from Herta's car. Dixon left the door open and I think Herta had every right to dive up the inside. But I think Dixon under estimated the rookie's will to fight and slowly pushed him down below the line thinking he'd back off. In some ways, I kinda respect Herta for not backing down. I think Dixon may be more hesitant to press Herta in future scenarios like this. But like I said, I'd like to see Herta's onboard to confirm my thoughts on the attempted pass.
 
Would it be ok to say Veach's spin legitimately changed this race? Before it RHR and Dixon we're all alone, and weren't even challenging each other.
 
Sounded like Dixon thought he scared Herta out of the pass, then realized he hadn't too late. Good on him to take the blame. Good fun race overall.
 
I was hoping Herta would get the win considering how he was running, but I'm fine with Newgarden winning instead.

Now onto Road America, where I will get to enjoy trackside coverage from the carousel! :D
 
Man I feel for Rossi. He’s the best guy out there on any given day and Penske always shows up at the end to pip him. His THIRD second place finish in as many weeks to a Penske car. This guy needs a break or needs to walk from Honda because the second he does that, Penske will have a car waiting for him
 
Looks like there is a possibility of rain for the weekend.

RAforecast.PNG
 
So you're a good race car driver huh? Well, let's see how you do in the rain! This looks like it will be a real challenge dealing with a four+ mile track that could potentially be a rainy mess if that forecast holds true. I still think Road America is a Grand Prix-style race course the way it flows and its challenge. It's going to be a great race up in Wisconsin.
 
While he may not have the consistent stats to show for it, Colton Herta for all the world looks to be the best in terms of raw talent out of this rookie class. I wouldn't be surprised if he's driving for Penske, Ganassi, or Andretti in the near future.
 
There is a decent chance of rain shortly after the start, should be interesting.

Also, the track has been packed every day so far so it should be a good turn out come race time.
 
The race is about to start in mere moments. Road America is a tough one. Good luck to all drivers and teams competing this weekend up in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
 
F1 needs to go back to this style of tracks, together with the street circuits. Road America just works as a track. We are a couple of laps in and there has been more action on track than we normally see in 2 full races of F1.
 
I think most of the action has been from Dixon. He would probably be fighting with Rossi had it not been for the first lap spin. :eek:
 
It will be interesting to see how the power increase impacts this track in particular. The cars seemed pretty perfectly matched with the course this year.
 
Interesting race though. Was definitely on the edge of my seat for the final 20 lap battle for 3rd.

As for Rossi, I'll say it again and again, in terms of raw talent, I don't think there's currently a better driver. He's able to deliver on any given weekend in one of the most competitive series in the world.

Part of me really wants to see him at Penske so he can build up stats to possible become one of the best indycar drivers of all time, but if he wins the championship with Andretti, I don't see why he should leave. He and Rob Edwards make a fantastic team and NAPA is on the verge of coming on full time. Honda just needs to fill that horsepower deficit and I wouldn't be surprised if Rossi is the first driver in history with 5 Indy 500 wins. He's been in contention every single year.
 
It started raining right after the race. Too bad it didn't come about 30 minutes sooner, it could have spiced up the lead battle. The Radicals had a race after IndyCar though so at least the wet track got put to use.

As for the race itself, it was a blast seeing IndyCar live and I fully plan on renewing my campsite when the time comes. Although I will have to make sure I bring a better/more blankets as it got very cold at night (the first night dropped to at least 44F :().

FutureF1
As for Rossi, I'll say it again and again, in terms of raw talent, I don't think there's currently a better driver. He's able to deliver on any given weekend in one of the most competitive series in the world.

Part of me really wants to see him at Penske so he can build up stats to possible become one of the best indycar drivers of all time, but if he wins the championship with Andretti, I don't see why he should leave. He and Rob Edwards make a fantastic team and NAPA is on the verge of coming on full time. Honda just needs to fill that horsepower deficit and I wouldn't be surprised if Rossi is the first driver in history with 5 Indy 500 wins. He's been in contention every single year.
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I really see no reason for him to leave Andretti, granted I wouldn't sign a long term deal with them as their consistency from season to season can be iffy.

I think Herta is probably the top target for the big three at the moment. Although at the moment I'm predicting him to replace Veach in the 26 car.
 
Speaking of Rossi, Robin Miller wrote this for Racer regarding Rossi's free agency. The big takeaways that also have an impact (as noted by the article) will be listed for TLDR as well.

https://racer.com/2019/06/24/miller...KezkxHhfSCQ7RokiZS-4SYYcOApmwLwveYQEBekJjygEY

TLDR:

Rossi has been very tight-lipped about 2020 and beyond.
Andretti wants to retain Rossi.
Andretti and Rossi are waiting on NAPA's 2020 sponsorship plans.
Rumors in the paddock are suggesting Andretti is reportedly looking at switching to Chevrolet again.
Honda desperately wants to retain Rossi.
Penske wants Rossi and would consider running a 4 car full time to make it happen (presumably a 5th car for Indy with Helio but not specified in article).
Ganassi could potentially be Rossi would move to if only wants to race for Honda due to being the lead team should Andretti switch to Chevrolet.
SPM, RLL, and Coyne would run another car for him if they could secure the funding for him.
 
AnthonyD1993
Speaking of Rossi, Robin Miller wrote this for Racer regarding Rossi's free agency. The big takeaways that also have an impact (as noted by the article) will be listed for TLDR as well.

https://racer.com/2019/06/24/miller...KezkxHhfSCQ7RokiZS-4SYYcOApmwLwveYQEBekJjygEY

TLDR:

Rossi has been very tight-lipped about 2020 and beyond.
Andretti wants to retain Rossi.
Andretti and Rossi are waiting on NAPA's 2020 sponsorship plans.
Rumors in the paddock are suggesting Andretti is reportedly looking at switching to Chevrolet again.
Honda desperately wants to retain Rossi.
Penske wants Rossi and would consider running a 4 car full time to make it happen (presumably a 5th car for Indy with Helio but not specified in article).
Ganassi could potentially be Rossi would move to if only wants to race for Honda due to being the lead team should Andretti switch to Chevrolet.
SPM, RLL, and Coyne would run another car for him if they could secure the funding for him.
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So basically, everyone wants Rossi, only Penske, NAPA, or Ganassi can afford Rossi
 
Other points to consider...
  1. Chevrolet could've approached Michael Andretti to try to get both Andretti Autosport and Rossi. Chevrolet desperately needs a 2nd IndyCar team to compete for wins and championships on a regular basis. Chevrolet only has 1 team in Team Penske scoring wins for them in the past 3 years. Honda, on the other hand, has 6 teams in Andretti Autosport, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Harding Steinbrenner Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who have scored wins for them in the past 3 years.
  2. Michael Andretti could also be using Chevrolet to convince Honda to pay his team and Rossi more money.
  3. Robin Miller didn't mention this point. If Andretti Autosport returns to Chevrolet, then they could team up McLaren Racing again. That would dramatically increase McLaren Racing's chances of success in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series along with securing Andretti Autosport's finances for the long term future. McLaren Racing apparently earned enough money from their Indy 500 sponsors to run the entire 2019 NTT IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport paired with McLaren Racing would give Chevrolet a 2 more teams that would compete for wins and championships.
  4. Robin Miller also didn't mention this long shot. Honda could like Rossi so much that they offer him a race seat at Red Bull Racing in F1. Rossi already has F1 experience and could win the NTT IndyCar Series Championship. Rossi's IndyCar skills would make him Honda's ideal driver for the future low downforce 2021 F1 cars.
 
Looking forward to the rest of the 2019 IndyCar season? Here is the remaining schedule as we are halfway through the calendar:

* July 14: Honda Indy Toronto; Toronto
* July 20: Iowa 300; Iowa Speedway
* July 28: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
* August 18: ABC Supply 500; Pocono Raceway
* August 24: Bommarito Automotive Group 500; Gateway International Raceway
* September 1: Grand Prix of Portland; Portland International Raceway
* September 22: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey; Laguna Seca

So we still have the series' only stop outside of the United States along with a handful of other races across the U.S. of A. Should be interesting to see who'll prove themselves enough to be declared champion of the 2019 season.
 
VNAF Ace

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I'm sure it's a bit different in person, but watching the onboard view makes that central post look so obstructive. In the turns it's not so bad because you'd be leaning and looking off-center, but going down any straight, such as at Indy, it looks so hard to see/focus down the road right in front of you. This sure seems like it would be important at over 220 mph. Of course, I'll bow to Scott Dixon on that - if he says it's fine then it's fine - I just hope they don't look as hideous as the F1 Halo.
 

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