INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - March 26, 2013
Today's IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:
1. St. Petersburg technical penalty update
2. Hard work pays off with strong start for Andretti
3. Texas test offers rookies chance to acclimate on ovals
4. St. Petersburg race draws increased rating, viewership
1. St. Petersburg technical penalty update: There were no technical penalties issued following the IZOD IndyCar Series race on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 24.
2. Hard work pays off with strong start for Andretti: Marco Andretti ventured to Europe in the offseason to get pointers from a driver coach, pored over data from Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay's car, watched race video and even changed car numbers.
It all was in an effort to improve his street/road course game and luck. The early report is it's worked.
Andretti, driving the No. 25 RC Cola car, started seventh in the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and overtook both Tony Kanaan and Simona de Silvestro in the final laps to earn his first podium finish in a street/road course event since Toronto in July 2011.
"For me, this feels like a win for the struggles I have been having," said Andretti, who posted his best finish on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course in eight races. "All I can say is that it feels great to have the hard work pay off."
After restarting fifth on the final restart on Lap 84, Andretti said he conserved his tires while others pushed their tires. He overtook Kanaan for fourth place with five laps to go and then passed de Silvestro two laps later as the KV Racing Technology pair faded as their tires started to wear.
"I knew her tires were going away. She was braking really early," Andretti said. "It's a selfish business. I felt for her but I needed this so bad. I saw both of them struggling to keep their cars underneath them. I was able to stay with them while really taking it easy on my rear tires because I knew it was going to come down to the last few laps. It was that whole middle of that stint that kind of got me the podium. I think when they were pushing I was kind of cruising, holding the gap to (Scott) Dixon, as well. I think I had more at the end."
The podium finish also gives Andretti the confidence to know he can contend for race wins on street courses as well as ovals, where he was strong in 2012.
"It's all confidence," he said. "Obviously, I finished better than wherever the heck I was last year. Hopefully, we can be part of this snowball effect that people speak of and we can just keep clicking off a lot of great results. I've made my improvements where I need to improve, but sometimes you don't know why they come. You just got to keep working hard and hopefully it can snowball."
3. Texas test offers rookies chance to acclimate on ovals: A.J. Allmendinger, Tristan Vautier and Carlos Munoz will be on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway on March 27 for their oval rookie orientation.
The session is a prelude to the formal Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 11. All three will be entered in the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 26, and at least Vautier will compete in the Firestone 550 on June 8.
Six other IZOD IndyCar Series drivers (Ed Carpenter, Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal, Simon Pagenaud and James Jakes) are scheduled to participate in a team test later in the day at the speedway.
Allmendinger, who has tested at Sebring International Raceway in February and Barber Motorsports Park road courses March 12 and 13, is entered in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber on April 5-7 in the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske car. He last competed on an oval in an Indy car in June 2006, finishing fourth at Milwaukee.
Vautier, the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights champion, made his first IZOD IndyCar Series start March 24 in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Munoz, 21, is in his second Firestone Indy Lights season with Andretti Autosport and will make his IZOD IndyCar Series debut in the Indianapolis 500 as the team's fifth entrant.
Drivers must complete two of the three ROP phases April 11, when the 2.5-mile oval is open only to rookies, in order to join in practice on Opening Day (May 12). The third phase may be completed on any of the practice days before Pole Day (May 18). Phases include 10 laps at 200-205 mph, 10 laps at 205-209 mph and 15 laps at 210-plus mph.
Vautier, 23, competed in the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis last May. But he's not familiar with the high-banked, high-speed Texas Motor Speedway.
"I've started thinking about the ovals and watching the race last year it looks really challenging," he said. "The feeling (in the car) will be different because an IndyCar moves more than an Indy Lights car on the ovals. It's a good opportunity and will be good to arrive at Indy for ROP without being totally green on ovals in an IndyCar."
4. St. Petersburg race draws increased rating, viewership: NBC Sports Network's coverage of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg delivered a 0.38 coverage rating and 0.26 household an increase of more than 50 percent vs. the network's first race of 2012 (0.25 coverage and .17 household) and the best for an IZOD IndyCar Series season opener on NBC Sports Network since 2009.
The race, won by James Hinchcliffe, delivered 388,000 viewers, a 78 percent increase over the NBC Sports Network's first race of 2012 (218,000). It was also the second-best season opener for NBC Sports Network's IZOD IndyCar Series coverage behind the 2010 race from Sao Paulo, Brazil (411,000).
The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Honda Indy Grand Prix Alabama on April 7 at Barber Motorsports Park. The race will be televised live at 3 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius andXM Channels 211 and
www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Legacy Indy Lights 100 on April 7 at Barber Motorsport Park. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 1 p.m. (ET) on April 7, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.
Media Contact: Amy Konrath, INDYCAR, 317-331-7437, akonrath@indycar.com
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=17199.msg107013#msg107013
