Indy Car and general US Motorsports

I managed to miss it as we were out enjoying the sunshine but I've just seen the last lap and wow the weaving around was seriously old school.

I'm not sure about the huge loop into the pit lane entrance just before the finish line but it looked impressive.

there was none of 1 move stuff, as Ericsson desperately tried to break the tow, but he knew if your 2nd on the final lap your basically cannon fodder

i loved that josef Newgarden did a pat cash

 
over in the usa, we are seeing similar domination by 1 driver but this isnt mostly about the car. as alex palou is driving outstandingly so far. as the leigh diffey said in commentary nobody dominated indycar in the way he has won 3 in a row & 4 of the last 5. in the championship standings he has 110 point lead to put it into perspective Scott Dixon in 2nd is closer to felix Rosenquist in 13th than he is to Palou.

it is so hard to dominate he has consecutive wins nobody else has even consecutive podiums as in the last 5 races we have had 8 different drivers joining palou on the podium. the F1 rumours are getting louder that strangely he & mclaren would be slightly disappointed if he actually fulfilled the contract he signed last year. but i dont know where he would go because Mclaren looks full, as Lando wont be leaving now as looks like mclaren have got their act together & can he go on loan to somewhere else
 
just when you think its over, another twist in the saga

Multiple sources have indicated to The Race that Palou had a deal in place with McLaren, and that was backed up by a story ran by the Associated Press on Friday saying that Palou had now backtracked on that deal. AP claims to have obtained a letter sent by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown to his team’s employees announcing this.

AP says the letter states Palou “has no intention of honouring his contract with our Arrow McLaren IndyCar team for the 2024 season and beyond”.

“Monaco Increase Management is bitterly disappointed to learn about Alex Palou’s decision to break an existing agreement with McLaren for 2024 and beyond,” it said in a statement.

“Together, we had built a relationship that we thought went beyond any contractual obligation and culminated in winning the 2021 IndyCar crown and tracing a path to F1 opportunities.

“Life goes on and we wish Alex all the best for his future achievements.”
 
If it's true that:
  1. Palou was given an advance on his salary by McLaren,
  2. He backed out, having signed a contract
This could get very very messy indeed.
alex palou might be a fantastic driver & highly likely 2023 champion. but he is being advised dreadfully. no matter how good talent your is if youve :censored: off most of the paddock. as not unsure if he has repaired the relationship with chip ganassi considering how palou effectively owes his career to that man, he annoyed zak brown who gave him F1 tests.

i worry for him at alpha tauri if that's what he is aiming for because that its brutal as we all know & if it goes wrong like it did for de vries. palou wouldn't seem to have many friends to fall back to. not sure chip would take him back, zak certainly wouldnt & so your really only looking at penske for big drive on his indycar return with bruised ego

but then him & alpha tauri might be perfect. they both sign contract, that are worth the paper their written on LOL
 
its getting spicy :popcorn:
Chip Ganassi, owner of Palou’s current team which now looks set to keep the 2021 champion and runaway 2023 title favourite, then hit back with his own statement issued to The Race and other media on Saturday.

“Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t make a habit of commenting about contract situations,”

“Subsequently, I have been quiet since day one of this story but now I feel I must respond.

“I grew up respecting the McLaren team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect.

“Alex Palou has been a part of our team and under contract since the 2021 season. It is the interference of that contract from McLaren that began this process and ironically, they are now playing the victim.

“Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR.”

 
its weird because he could win the title on 27th at gateway with 2 races to spare if he outscores dixon by 7 & newgarden by 3, which will be the 1st time in long time that i can remember it wouldnt be at the finale.
 
interesting news for 2 reasons 1 marcus Ericsson is leaving chip ganassi which is strange because why would you leave the most successful & most desirable team of at least the last 20 yrs. but he's off to ganassi

& no mention of Grosjean which would be huge as he was looking fantastic at the start of the year & looked like a real title contender. but could finish it without a seat

Andretti Autosport announced Aug. 23 that Marcus Ericsson will join the team’s 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver lineup alongside confirmed teammates Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood.

 
fasinating story that id missed that & explains the question "why would you leave the most successful & most desirable team of at least the last 20 yrs"

so it seems that Ericsson felt he deserved contract parity & moving from being a pay driver to paid driver, after driving quite well winning the indy 500 & then finishing runner up this following year, then in championship 6th last 2 years & currently 6th this year

 
great win for scott dixon, it was 1 of the those where you just have to admire watching a master at his work. he won over 20 seconds on the top 3 finished on the lead lap, & it had nothing to do with sheer pace. it was the king of combining fuel saving with being quick. as pato o'ward said at the end there was 11 drivers trying the 3 stopper compared to the conventional 4 stopper, 10 failed, doing a late splash & dash, we just knew that Scott Dixon would find a way to succeed. what a driver,

the victory keeps his slim hopes of the title alive by no means is he out of it. as they are as slim as Kimi's were in 2007 going into the final 2 races. because he is 74pts behind with 108 remaining. as take this sunday at portland. Dixon could do the grand chelem. he could take pole, lead every lap & win. but if Palou comes 3rd, Palou would still be crowned champion with a race to go
 
Take a bow Alex Palou, :thankyou:what an outstanding season, dominance we havent seen for a long time, commentary said the season finale at laguna seca will be dead rubber for the 1st time since 2005 & for the 1st time ever in current era of indycar where its more like the 90's & majority road course based

he won the final race in the same way he won the title in dominant fashion, he moved from 5th to 3rd in the opening lap. bided his time waited for in hindsight was the tyre advantage to play out as he started on the harder tyre with front row on softer alternates. then after the 1st round of stops. he took the lead & never looked back. what so impressive is he hasnt it easy this is spec series but of course money helps so you want to be in a ganassi or a penske traditionally. but he has beaten in both championship wins scott dixon as a teammate 1 of the greatest open wheel drivers in an american series & 2 time champion Josef newgarden maybe the strongest threat outside of ganassi who has finished out of the top 3 in championship once in 7 years

he's 26 you hope he will get a move to F1 in 2025 you hope but with only 20 cars it looks unlikely, because all the big seats are filled. & does he want to go to haas or alpha tauri, doubt audi/sauber would take a punt on him


 
the 1st indycar race in its modern form. where its dead rubber has been so far 68 laps of absoulte chaos. partly because laguna has been repaved & racing line is so much quicker & if you go off line has been so slippy. but also driving standards & caution has gone out of the window. so many people sending it. we got a race where 13 drivers could still win this because of so many different stategies

i was saying about lap 30. all you have to do is keep it clean & finish. hope you dont get stuck out by a caution youve got a huge chance at a win
 
now this was a race. absoultely fantastic entertainment. those last 15 laps you were on the edge of your seat

you got Scott dixon in the lead who was 1 of a few who pitted early under the safety car, seemingly a sitting duck trying to make very improbable fuel number. Newgarden coming up for what most thought was inevitable but he lap after lap he stayed in front that then brought herta, palou & Ericsson into play. Newgarden dropped to 4th after a clash at the hairpin. scott dixon despite having huge amount of fuel save & fend off 4 drivers who could go full gas, used all his age, wisdom, expierence to yet again make the impossible possible

its shame they are part of the f1 calendar at miami cota & las vegas. would be cracking advertising for this great championship

 
great news Indy 500 will be broadcast for free
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i had to watch indy 500 this morning as couldnt live & due to the huge rain delay that nearly forced to the monday & it was a 1am finish in the uk.

as incredible the finish was to see as Indianapolis always delivers. i was gutted for pato because after being so close in 22 & 23. i was rooting for him so much, shouting at the tv & i thought he had it. but all credit to Newgarden that was a ballsy move

like commentary said pato not aggressive enough finished 2nd in 2022. too aggressive in 2023 crashed out while trying to take the lead. but in 2024 he did everything right & still didnt get the victory. he will maybe go through in his head should he have overtaken on the penultimate lap instead off backing out & be 2nd going down the back straight on the final lap but then i wouldve said Newgarden winning move wasn't sensible or what strategist would plan
 
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Decent race in detroit. spoilt in the middle with all stupidity as it was getting ridiculous with all the cautions. between lap 40 & 70 it was amateur hour. you know its bad when the commentary are laughing about how they finally made it through Turn 3 & Turn 5 cleanly

Colton Herta is the most frustrating driver in motorsport. lap 35 he had this race in the bag. but he couldn't deal with setbacks with the Rain, dropping to 10th with pit strategy & did a stupid move into Turn 6. & threw any chance of a result away. he should start learning from Scott Dixon because Dixon & herta are polar opposites. Dixon did everything right & everytime there is a complicated race. Dixon is always there


Penske left all their luck in Indianapolis. Power in 2 crashes, Mclaughlin crashes on his own finished a lap down & Newgarden retired after multiple incidents
 
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