Robert Shwartzman Gets Grip on Speed after First Oval Test
INDYCAR
Robert Shwartzman made his oval track debut Wednesday, March 26 at Nashville Superspeedway, completing 168 laps around the Tennessee oval.
Shwartzman, driving the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet, was joined by fellow NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on the 1.33-mile concrete track.
'The beginning was tricky to get to know the car on the oval for my brain to cooperate at those speeds that I'm going in the corner at like 200 mph,' Shwartzman said. 'It's interesting to get a bit of that feeling that the car is going to stay there; you can do it.
'Lap by lap, I managed to get there.'
Testing on an oval track is an important step for any driver, especially with how the rhythm of an oval is so different than the stop-start nature of road or street courses. Global road racing veteran Shwartzman departed Nashville confident he made progress after turning left turn-only laps for the first time.
'I have to say the first feeling was very different to anything I've driven until now,' Shwartzman said. 'It's a different emotion, different G forces, which was kind of fun.
'Overall, I'm happy with how it went as we did consistent laps, good runs, which now have given me a decent baseline knowledge about what to expect and how this car feels on an oval. I am also happy I was able to gradually get used to it and improve my feeling, complete the program and just get better and better after each lap.'
This test is a prerequisite for both drivers to participate in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The third full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing, completed his maiden oval test last fall at Texas Motor Speedway testing for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Israel native Shwartzman is leading the Rookie of the Year standings after 20th- and 22nd-place finishes, respectively, in the first two events March 2 at St. Petersburg and March 23 at The Thermal Club. He is 20th overall in points.
2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster, from England, has previous oval experience from three seasons in North American junior open-wheel series from 2022-24.
Foster went 4-for-4 on ovals last season with victories at Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway, Milwaukee Mile and Nashville.
'When I first came to INDY NXT, I had only done two oval races in my life,' Foster said. 'Now that I've come out running superspeedway, a few different ovals like Milwaukee, Iowa, stuff like that, it really prepares drivers.
'I like ovals. I've got used to them in America. When I first came here, I was a little bit timid. I love them now.'
Foster recognizes Shwartzman's journey to this point. Shwartzman came to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after a successful European racing career, including winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019 and finishing second in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2021.
'It's a good prep for Indy, as well,' Shwartzman said. 'The (IMS) oval is crazy. We're going to go like 60-70 mph faster than here. This is very useful for me to just get the feel of the car and how the oval works and how this car works on the speedways. Really useful testing.'
PREMA had a whirlwind of changes in the last few days, displaying how adaptable the team is. From a fire during Shwartzman's first lap on The Thermal Club road course practice last Friday to the challenges of building a new car under the pressure of a tight schedule before qualifying, to rebuilding the car for a completely different type of track Wednesday, the PREMA crew certainly had its hands full.
Switching from a road course to an oval configuration is a huge adjustment. The changes to the wings and the chassis are essential for adapting to the vastly different demands of an oval track compared to a road course. The simplified rear wing design with no flaps helps with maintaining stability on the high-speed oval while still generating enough downforce, but also limiting the car's top speed – it's a careful balance between downforce and drag.
The chassis and suspension adjustments are also crucial. Ovals put different loads and stresses on a car, so it's important to soften the chassis and suspension to absorb the bumps and changes in the track surface while maintaining stability. Gear and wheel bearing adjustments are likely a necessary tweak to ensure reliability, given the increased strain during high-speed turns on an oval.
The concrete oval at Nashville also is the site of the season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 31.
'Also for the future in Nashville, it's nice to get some data and practice early in the season for when we're going to come here later in the season,' Shwartzman said.
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