The NTT IndyCar Series heads to the Lone Star State for a high-speed test of endurance and physicality Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.
The 27th annual event at the 1.5-mile oval will be the second round of the IndyCar season, after Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson triumphed on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 4.
With it being the first oval race of the season, and with a few new competitors sprinkled into the mix, Sunday’s PPG 375 will feature the largest IndyCar field at Texas since 2011, with 28 drivers scheduled to take on the mighty high banks.
Last season featured a photo finish, with Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden earning the victory in dramatic fashion over Scott McLaughlin.
Heading into the weekend, there will be several storylines to follow and plenty to watch for on Sunday afternoon.
Quick Facts
Distance: 250 laps / 375 miles
Qualifying Record: Charlie Kimball, 23.2730 seconds, 222.747 mph, June 9, 2017
Most Race Leaders: 12, during last year’s XPEL 375
Can Anyone Beat Team Penske?
Last year’s NTT IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway was nearly perfect for Team Penske. Aboard the No. 3 Chevrolet, McLaughlin scorched the field for the majority of the day, leading 186 of the 248 laps.
Josef Newgarden passed Scott McLaughlin coming to the checkered flag (Al Steinberg Photo)
However, it was teammate and two-time series champion Newgarden who got the better of McLaughlin, edging the Kiwi at the line by .0669 seconds in a photo finish.
The victory was the 600th for Team Penske across all forms of motorsports.
Newgarden is also a two-time winner of the event.
Reigning series champion Will Power finished fourth in last year’s bout in Texas. The two-time champ is also a two-time winner on the 1.5-mile oval, aboard the Chevrolet-powered No. 12 machine.
Former Winners Look To Challenge
Scott Dixon is the winningest driver in IndyCar competition at Texas, with five victories to his credit, including his most recent triumph there in 2021.
Piloting the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda-Dallara, Dixon finished third in the season opener at St. Petersburg.
Dixon will attempt to make his 370th IndyCar start start, which would pass A.J. Foyt for fourth on the all-time list. Dixon will attempt to make his 307th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in IndyCar Series history.
A win on Sunday would help kickstart his championship hunt, as the New Zealander chases his seventh series title.
Perhaps flying under the radar, Graham Rahal and his dad Bobby’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 15 have a history of success at the Texas track. In addition to a victory in 2016, Rahal has four podium finishes and an average finish of 11.4 in 16 races at the 1.5-mile track.
While it’s been 10 years since his last celebration at Texas, Meyer Shank Racing’s Helio Castroneves holds an impressive four victories in Fort Worth. Last year, Castroneves qualified sixth but suffered a crash early in the event.
It’ll be a crucial race for Castroneves, who was caught up in a lap-one melee to open the season in St. Petersburg, finishing 23rd.
Pato O’Ward in victory lane at Texas. (Al Steinberg photo)
One of the most energetic drivers in the paddock, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward scored his first IndyCar victory at Texas in the second race of a doubleheader in 2021.
O’Ward’s prowess on ovals have been impressive recently, with two podiums at Texas, along with a second-place run in last season’s Indianapolis 500.
Known for his oval-only schedule the past few seasons, Ed Carpenter wheels his No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet into Texas having won there in 2014.
While it’s been an up and down run at the oval as of recently for Carpenter, his consistent nature of hanging around until the end races could pay off in a big way.
Will There Be A Second Groove?
A big storyline heading into Texas the past handful of seasons has been whether the second groove would take rubber and allow for side-by-side action.
After TMS repaved and reconfigured the track prior to the 2017 season, it’s been a mixed bag of results. The PJ1 resin added to improve NASCAR racing at the track has severely limited IndyCar action at the track.
Last season saw the grip level slightly higher, allowing for some daring passes and intense action.
A 30-minute full-field high line practice will commence on Saturday, with the hopes of rubbering in a solid second groove for Sunday’s race.
Keyword: IndyCar Notes: High-Speed Texas Drama