2 days ago
Inside Line: Intrigue About WWTR Race?
INDYCAR
Today's question: The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to an oval this weekend for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline. What intrigues you the most about this race Sunday night at World Wide Technology Raceway?
Curt Cavin: I'm most intrigued by Team Penske, not only for this weekend but for the weeks ahead. Who leads the program moving forward and how does the change in leadership impact on-track performance in the months ahead? This weekend, the race strategists will be Luke Mason (for Josef Newgarden), Ben Bretzman (for Scott McLaughlin) and David Faustino (for Will Power). This has been a track where the team has dominated, with Newgarden winning four of the past five races, and Power and McLaughlin combining to win the past four poles. Team Penske still hasn't placed a driver in the first or second finishing positions this season, and there have been seven races – that's certainly not the norm. Could this be the weekend where Roger Penske's group gets back on track?
Eric Smith: I'm intrigued by Alex Palou. Now that he's crossed off a victory on an oval via his win in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, how many more circle-track victories are to come? He has improved his finishing position in his last four starts at World Wide Technology Raceway, climbing from 20th to ninth to seventh to fourth. At Iowa Speedway, he had two podium finishes in his last three tries, including a runner-up in Race 2 last year. Can he pick up a victory in the July 12-13 doubleheader? Last year at the Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 24) and Nashville Superspeedway (Aug. 31), he had the championship all but locked up, so it's hard to take away anything from those events. Hence why I'm interested to see his performance in the No. 10 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and if more oval victories are ahead. Scott McLaughlin earned his first oval win at Iowa last year and won later in the season at Milwaukee. I think Palou follows suit, with at least one more oval win in 2025.
Arni Sribhen: There's always a driver who has a surprisingly good race at World Wide Technology Raceway, and as competitive as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES' midfield has been, it could be anyone this year. From David Malukas taking a Dale Coyne car to the podium in 2022 and 2023 to first-ever top-10 finishes for Nolan Siegel and Sting Ray Robb in 2024, the tricky 1.25-mile oval has shown the ability to reward drivers who stay out of trouble and on the lead lap with a solid haul of points. So, I'll watch drivers such as Santino Ferrucci, Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay just to see who could be the sleeper of the weekend.
Paul Kelly: OK, I'm dancing around the guardrails of this question a bit by looking past the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this weekend at WWTR. The INDY NXT by Firestone race Sunday afternoon intrigues the hell out of me for one reason: What will Dennis Hauger do in the first oval race of his life? Hauger appears to be one of the strongest INDYCAR SERIES prospects in the INDYCAR development series in the last decade, as he has won four of the first five races this season. All those events have taken place on road and street courses, where Hauger learned his trade in European and global single-seater racing. But ovals are an entirely different animal, with necessary skills that can't be replicated in a simulator or by watching YouTube videos. Hauger was second-fastest in testing this week at Iowa during his first experience on a circle track, so he looks poised to perform in his first oval race this Sunday in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. If he dominates this race the way he has most of the season, Hauger's label as a can't-miss INDYCAR SERIES prospect will be all but secured.
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