On the last oval of the year, there was no end of action to enjoy in IndyCar!
There was plenty of drama when IndyCar returned under the lights in St Louis, with major title implications as a result, although passing still was very difficult. It was also a great night for the rookies to IndyCar, with both of them showing their talent at points.
Newgarden has now won half of the races at Gateway since it returned to the calendar in 2017, as he dominated the 2nd half of the race, getting great fuel mileage from his Chevy engine. It wasn’t a flawless day though for him, as at the start of the race he chopped down on his teammate Pagenaud, which was rather reckless and could have ruined his race. He didn’t need to take those sorts of risks, as he was already ahead of all his title challengers, plus it affected a teammate majorly. With everything else that went on in the race, he has halved his gap to the title leader, and should be strong for the rest of the year.
It was a calculated day for O’Ward, as whilst he did show aggression at points, he also was cautious at moments where it could have gone wrong for him. Being 2nd after all that happened in that race should still be satisfying for him, especially as he now leads the championship, with just 3 rounds to go. Power seemed ecstatic with getting a podium, as the car was not to his liking at all throughout the race, we could see this from the start, as he dropped back into the midpack.
McLaughlin was quietly sat in the pack for most of the race, but got to the front when it mattered, possibly helped by a lucky yellow and other people’s issues. But nevertheless, he looked as though he belonged at the front, just like at Texas, as he continues to grow during his rookie year. Even more impressive, is that he was the one who helped all his teammates with their car set up for the weekend, as he tested here a few months ago, which could have been what gave them the pace they had.
It has been a trying year for Bourdais and Foyt, as the car has been fast at so many places, but fortune has not favoured them really, which has to be tough for them. So, the 5th place here will give them something to build on, as they head to the final leg of the year. I would watch out for them next year, as they could well have the pace to get a win or two.
Sato and Hunter Reay climbed through the field well, with the last yellow really aiding them, because they stopped earlier compared to the others. Both of them could find themselves struggling to find a seat for next year. Pagenaud was unlucky as I mentioned before, whilst Ericsson couldn’t match the pace of those around him at the front.
Daly came back well from a poor qualifying, as did Kellett who had his best weekend ever in the series, although he was only in the top 10 at points because he was saving less fuel than others. Grosjean ended up a lap down, however that does not show the pace we saw from him at parts of the race. During one stint he was the fastest car on track, passing car after car, as he got to grips with the new style of racing. Yet, after his next pitstop, he struggled on cold tyres and lost a lot of time, that combined with the yellow really hurt him, as he deserved a top 10 really.
There were plenty of non-finishers in this race, firstly Rahal and Jones got together, which in my view was on Jones, as if he had been next to the apex where you should be, it would have gone fine. Carpenter then got into the wall, which ends off a poor year for him, I think it may be time to hang up his boots soon sadly, at least outside Indy.
The next crash was the defining one of the race, as Veekay didn’t brake enough behind Palou and Dixon, ploughing into both of them, causing major title implications. They are still right in the title fight, but the momentum has gone from both of their charges at the moment. Finally, to sum up Andretti’s year, Rossi and Herta retired whilst being in the battle for the win, Colton had a broken driveshaft, whilst Rossi got up into the grey and couldn’t save the car. Can they end the year on a high, after a difficult two years for the team?
Gateway under the lights always gives us some drama to add to the season, and we got our fair share of that over the 260 laps. With 3 West Coast races left, the key will be to have solid races at all of them, as you can’t expect anyone to be dominant in a series like this.
-M
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