INDYCAR 5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

MEDIA RELEASE/Indycar – Photo: supplied

The NTT IndyCar Series will run its fifth and final oval race of the season, heading next to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline.

The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway, Round 15 of 17 on the season, is the second consecutive oval weekend for the series. The NTT IndyCar Series competed Sunday on Pocono’s 2.5-mile oval, where Team Penske’s Will Power won the rain-shortened ABC Supply 500.

Here are “5 Things To Look For” heading into the Bommarito Automotive Group 500:

“Take It To The Bank”

Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Honda) has remained entrenched in the fourth position of the championship standings for the last seven races, but he has been closing the gap with his recent run of success.

Following Road America, Dixon found himself trailing leader Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Chevrolet) by 94 points. In the last four races dating to Toronto, Dixon has collected a win (Mid-Ohio) and three-runner-up finishes to cut the deficit to 52 points. He remains in fourth, but has closed to 17 points of second-place Alexander Rossi (No. 28 NAPA Auto Parts Honda) of Andretti Autosport and 12 of third-place Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Chevrolet) of Team Penske.

“Just three to go now, right? I’ve been pretty happy with the past several races,” said Dixon, who has two wins on the season. “The whole PNC Bank team has done a great job finishing either first or second. It’s what you have to do. But we still need more wins. This is the go-time part of the NTT IndyCar Series season. This championship is just so tight – you cannot afford to make any mistakes from here on out, or you’ll be on the outside looking in – really fast. We’ve been on the podium here (Gateway) the past two years, but haven’t been able to get that top step on the podium. This Saturday would be the perfect time to break through.”

Dixon finished third last season at World Wide Technology Raceway and runner-up in 2017.

“Raging Rookie Race”

Despite finishing last in Sunday’s race at Pocono after being collected in an opening-lap, multi-car incident, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist (No. 10 Monster Honda) maintained his lead in the rookie-of-the-year standings.

Rosenqvist, however, had his lead narrowed from 37 to 13 points as Dale Coyne Racing’s Santino Ferrucci (No. 19 Cly-Del Manufacturing Honda)took advantage of the tough outing by his fellow rookie. Ferrucci posted a fourth-place finish, matching his career-best effort that he achieved at Texas in June.

The rookie race can tighten even more this weekend given the oval success of Ferrucci. He has posted three top-10 finishes in four starts, including two among the top five, while Rosenqvist has managed a best oval finish of 12^th (Texas).

More importantly for Rosenqvist, he completed a medical re-evaluation Tuesday with Dr. Terry Trammell and has been cleared to resume racing activities, beginning with this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The re-evaluation came following Rosenqvist being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation and tests after being involved in Sunday’s accident.

“Drive For Five”

Team Penske will be looking for a season sweep of the ovals heading into the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet) pushed the streak to four in a row with a win in Sunday’s rain-shortened ABC Supply 500 at Pocono. Power’s first win of the season follows oval victories by Penske teammates Josef Newgarden (Texas, Iowa) and Simon Pagenaud(Indianapolis).

The chances for a sweep are heightened by the fact that Team Penske has won both races at World Wide Technology Raceway since the series returned two years ago. Power is the defending champ and Newgarden won in 2017.

“Pitch Man”

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, the NTT IndyCar Series championship leader, will take to the mound Thursday to throw out the first pitch prior to the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Newgarden is scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch at 6 p.m. CT (local) followed by the start of the game at 6:45 p.m.

“It’s really cool to throw out the first pitch for a Cardinals game in St. Louis,” Newgarden said. “It’s such a cool city and a place I really enjoy. I grew up loving baseball and racing so it’s always really cool to put those two worlds together. This weekend at Gateway is going to be great since it’s such a fun race and I’m glad we can kick it off with a fun night at the ballpark.”

Newgarden’s appearance will be part of a cross-promotion with the Cardinals that will include a free fanfest at Ballpark Village and Racing Night at Busch Stadium. The fanfest, which will run from 4:30-6:30 p.m., will be highlighted by autograph sessions with Indy Lights and Indy Pro 2000 drivers from 5:15-5:45 p.m. CT (local) followed by the NTT IndyCar Series drivers from 5:45-6:15 p.m.

The NTT IndyCar Series drivers scheduled to participate are Tony Kanaan (No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet), James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda), Ed Carpenter (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet), Spencer Pigot (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet), Conor Daly (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet) and rookies Felix Rosenqvist (No. 10 Monster Energy Honda) and Marcus Ericsson (Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda). 

“Stanley, Meet Astor”

The NHL’s Stanley Cup, the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise since 1893, will have a weekend date with the Astor Cup, the trophy presented to the NTT IndyCar Series champion that has its own rich history dating to 1915. Both Cups are scheduled to be on display for fans at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday evening.

The Stanley Cup will arrive with St. Louis Blues team captain Alex Pietrangelo and defenseman Colton Parayko, who both played key roles in giving the organization its first Cup in its 52-year history in June. Parayko also will serve as the grand marshal and provide the command for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

“The city has been riding a high since the Blues won the Stanley Cup,” said Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Graham Rahal (No. 15 Mi-Jack Honda), who is friends with both Blues players. “I’m excited to see Alex and to see Colton again. Colton was with us a couple of weeks ago on a mini-vacation.

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