Five Takeaways from the Indy GP

The Aeroscreen Has Its Rain Debut

The first test of IndyCar’s cockpit protection screen in the rain came Saturday, and it was as thorough a test as you could want. The mixed conditions came and went, and the race ended with heavy rain. IndyCar hasn’t had a wet race in some time, and it produced chaos by the bucketload. While visibility seemed okay through the infield sections, the oval was another story. The monstrous rooster tails produced on the main straight gave almost zero visibility, with Conor Daly recounting that he was looking left and right to see where he was going into turn 1, to the point that even the broadcast picked up on his caution into turn 1. Montoya was another driver complaining of visibility, shortly after he slammed the wall coming into the final turn complex. The consensus seemed to be that visibility was an issue, but the question remains, was it a function of the aeroscreen or just a symptom of a soaking track and the heavy sealant on the oval? IndyCar certainly has the data now to go and fix whatever issues the aeroscreen may have, and if another wet race comes, there should be improvements. 

Power to the Top, Palou Goes Below

While some drivers may look to forget this race, some others are exceedingly happy with their result. Look no further than the podium and new points leader Will Power, who continued his streak of top 4 finishes with his P3, and leapfrogged both Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden, who had issues and finished P18 and P25 respectively. More on Power later, as the rest of the podium needed this result too. Colton Herta sat below the top 10 in points, 65 behind then points leader Palou going into the race. After this win, he sits 6th, 38 back of Power, going into a double points race. Simon Pagenaud, who was buried in the points standings before today, vaulted himself up into 11th with a second place result, going into a race that he knows how to do well in. The top 8 drivers sit within one race of the lead, and today showed that consistency is going to be rewarded.

The Power of the Mind

Speaking of consistency, who else but Will Power? The guy who made a name as a frighteningly quick, but inconsistent and temperamental driver has done his best Scott Dixon impression this year, finishing no lower than 4th through the opening 5 races. And while he hasn’t seen the highs of his Penske teammates, his consistency has brought him a points lead. Power has spoken about the work he put in over the offseason on his mental strength, and it clearly has paid off.

Juncos Continues Good Performance

Callum Ilott came out strong in the last race at Barber, but a racing incident took away some of the shine from what was an overall good weekend. This weekend he continued his strong work, qualifying 7th and finishing second in both P1 and the warmup session. He handled a chaotic race well, finishing in P8 in what many experienced drivers called the hardest race they had done in IndyCar. Since Juncos is a one car team, it’s not immediately apparent whether the last two race weekends have been a result of Ilott figuring out how to find speed in this series with its very different cars, or a result of the small Juncos team figuring out how to set up and run the car. Either way, it’s been hugely impressive, and hopefully a sign of a bright future for Juncos Hollinger Racing. 

Hot Tub Time Machine 2: Mullet Man Boogaloo

Top 5 for Conor Daly! IndyCar’s most likable and personable driver scored his first top 5 since Gateway 2017, and his best finish since the opening round of the 2020 season at Texas. Daly has had a particularly tough year, especially when viewed next to his ECR teammate, Rinus Veekay, but he persevered through the treacherous conditions to finish P5. Daly was fast throughout the weekend, so I wouldn’t label this a wet-weather fluke, the no.20 team found some genuine pace here, while Veekay struggled through the weekend. Daly had maybe his best road qualifying performance of his IndyCar career, certainly of the aeroscreen era, making it into the Fast 6. Whether or not this can be replicated on the rest of the road and street courses remains to be seen, but this brings some great momentum for the month of May, where Daly has had some success. He led 40 laps last year, and ECR always brings a competitive package to the 500.