Sonsio GP at Road America presented by AMR

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES had a million dollar weekend at Road America, on track and in victory lane.

The interesting aspects of Road America’s Sonsio Grand Prix presented by AMR were almost too numerous to count and form the basis of today’s Fifth Gear.

Josef Newgarden won a $1 million prize in the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge for being the first driver in the series to win on all three different types of circuits this season – oval circuits, road courses and road course permanent – ​​but there was a seismic shift in the points standings, team battles throughout the season and another strong showing from the winner of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Add it up: Fans were in for a treat as they waited for the next race, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the all-new 2023 Civic Type R, on Sunday, July 3 (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network).

Let’s cut to the chase.

Newgarden once again dominates Road America

Newgarden, the driver of PPG Team Penske’s No. 2 Chevrolet, deserves to have four career NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins over the past seven races at the scenic 14-lap, 4.048-mile Wisconsin road course, but he only has two as wins in 2017 and 2021 eluded him. Last year’s loss was particularly painful when a mechanical breakdown two laps from the finish saw the peloton overtake him after he had led 73 of the opening 78 laps.

Two-time series champion Newgarden won that race 3.37 seconds ahead of Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson (#8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda). Ericsson passed Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi (#27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda) on the final restart. Rossi was chasing his first race victory since 2019, coincidentally at Road America.

Newgarden has pushed his season win tally to three races and is third in the standings, just 32 points off the lead as the season nears its official midpoint. Newgarden won for the 23rd time in his career in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, tying him with Tommy Milton for 19th on the sport’s all-time list. Another win puts him alongside Ralph DePalma and Bobby Rahal. Two others put him on par with Gordon Johncock.

“It’s been a bit too much up and down for us (this season) – kind of a feast or famine,” Newgarden said. “I think we really had the potential for four or five wins up to this point.

“We need to improve our consistency. It’s a little abnormal for us… (but) I’m not going to lose sleep over why this happened. Sometimes we end up in these little micro-trends where we don’t have the consistency that we need. »

Shakes at the top of the leaderboard

With championship leader Will Power having two problems and finishing 19th, Ericsson reclaimed the lead for the second time this season. The Swede’s lead over Power is 27 points.

Eight of the top ten positions in the standings changed hands this weekend, but what should worry title contenders is that Newgarden moved up two positions. He should earn even more in the coming weeks.

Newgarden is the defending race champion at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where he has won twice. He’s also twice won the race at Exhibition Place in Toronto, where the Honda Indy Toronto takes place on July 17, and may be able to win the double race at Iowa Speedway, sponsored by Hy-Vee, the July 23 and 24, since he won the race three times on this small oval circuit. Two races after that there will be the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline, an event Newgarden has won three times, including the last two.

Ericsson became a legitimate threat to win the championship. He has finished fourth, first, seventh and second in the last four races.

“We’ve put ourselves in a really good position now, leading,” Ericsson said. “So we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. In the last 12 months, we have been the top scorers in the league. I think that says a lot about our performance since Detroit last year. »

Two title contenders took big hits on Sunday, earning just five points apiece. Pato O’Ward (#5 Chevrolet Arrow McLaren SP) finished 26th when his car suffered a mechanical problem nine laps from the finish. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (#10 The American Legion Honda) returned to the track after early contact with Ericsson (we’ll get to that) but still finished last in the field. 27 cars.

O’Ward and Palou each lost a place in the standings, respectively fourth and fifth.

Featured Team Battles at Road America

Ericsson found himself in the middle of a collision with Palou, his teammate at Ganassi, in turn 5 on the fourth lap of the race. Their light wheel contact sent Palou into the gravel pit with damage, which didn’t sit well with the defending champion.

“I think everyone saw it,” Palou said. “I just think he was trying to win the race on lap three. … We can play this game too.”

Although the replays suggest Ericsson simply took advantage of an opening to gain position, Palou’s comments added spice to the ride and provided intrigue for how they work together moving forward.

Michael Andretti’s team had a hotly contested race between Romain Grosjean (#28 UniFirst/DHL Honda) and Colton Herta (#26 Gainbridge Honda), but without commentary from Palou. However, it was fun to see three Andretti drivers go head-to-head in the final laps, with Rossi holding off Grosjean for third place, and Herta helping the team secure three top-5 finishes.

Andretti Autosport is a team to watch in the second half of the season. Rossi chained three consecutive top 5 finishes to climb to seventh place in the standings, and Herta, who won the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will be the defending champion in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. (September 11th).

“Nice little resurgence of the team (for) the second half of the season,” said Herta. “It looks like we’re on an upward spiral, and it’s good to be part of it.”

More competitive races

Sunday’s race offered another big dose of thrilling action, especially behind Newgarden and Rossi, who together led 42 of the 55 laps – and more given that all the other laps led were by drivers who didn’t. weren’t in the pits.

The exchanges in the middle of the pack were huge, especially with so many different fuel strategies in play. The result is a total of 226 overtakes on the track, just short of last year’s record of 231 at this circuit. For the position, there were 191 passes, just short of last year’s record of 194.

This action follows a similar race at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, where there were a record 280 runs on the track, including 148 for position. Fifty-nine passes occurred in the top 10, and 23 in the top 5. INDYCAR President Jay Frye called those numbers “big for a street circuit.”

Several drivers had outstanding races, including Felix Rosenqvist (#7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP) who continued to impress with his fourth consecutive top 10 finish. He led seven laps to finish sixth. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had one of its best races with Graham Rahal (#15 Fifth Third Bank Honda) finishing eighth, rookie Christian Lundgaard (#30 Fleet Cost & Care Honda) 10th and Jack Harvey (Hy -Vee Honda #45) 13th.

Simona De Silvestro (No. 16 Chevrolet Paretta Autosport) achieved her goal of completing the 55 laps. She finished 21st in a field of 27 cars. She will compete in Mid-Ohio and the Nashville Street Race on August 7.

Coming soon: The second half of the season begins

After five consecutive track weekends, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is taking a two-week break before the second half of the season begins with the Mid-Ohio race on July 3.

Newgarden won last year’s race after leading 73 of 80 laps. Ericsson and Palou finished second and third respectively, while Scott Dixon (#9 Honda PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing) was fourth. Dixon has won a record six races on the circuit, most recently in 2019.

The Mid-Ohio race will be the ninth of 17 events scheduled this season. There’s still a variety of races to come, with four held on permanent road courses, three on ovals and two street races. The season ends Sept. 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

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