It’s time for one last dip in the iconic James Scott Memorial Fountain for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this weekend with the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit presented by Lear at Belle Isle Park Raceway.
As 26 drivers prepare for one of the toughest street races on the calendar, all eyes are on 2023 as the Detroit race passes sweeping views of Belle Isle Park, an island on the Detroit River, to the bustling streets of downtown Detroit.
All drivers like to be the first to conquer a new circuit, but they also like to be the last to take the checkered flag on a circuit. Belle Isle is no exception. Today’s race will be the 30th and last on the island’s bumpy streets, and only one NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver will be known as the last driver to win on Belle Isle and celebrate by jumping into the famous fountain behind the victory circle.
Firestone supplies more than 1,400 tires for the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit presented by Lear. The tires feature the same technology that Firestone Racing used in that race weekend last year, which was a dual event. The unique nature of the track, which is 80% concrete, is unlike anything Firestone makes tires for. Each participant received six sets of main tires (black), four sets of spare tires (red) and five sets of rain tires (grey).
Pilots and islanders alike are expecting a cool, cloudy day, with high temperatures of 70 degrees when the green flag is waved at 3:45 p.m. (ET). The race will be covered at 3 p.m., live on USA Network, Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network. You can listen to the live radio broadcast on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, INDYCAR.com and INDYCAR Mobile App powered by NTT DATA.
You can prepare for a fantastic day of racing by watching Race 2 of the Detroit Indy Lights Grand Prix presented by Cooper Tires at 12:10 p.m., live on Peacock Premium, INDYCAR Live! and the INDYCAR radio network.
Here’s what you need to know to be ready for today’s action:
street fight
If you asked all the NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers in the paddock which is the most physically challenging track on the calendar, a majority, if not all, would point to Belle Isle Park Raceway.
Although the surface is mostly concrete, there are asphalt in places and lots of bumps that shake the NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars in many directions. Put simply, Belle Isle is a 14-turn, 2.35-mile street course, with hard-braking zones and fast straights that reward the daring and punish the inaccurate.
Even this weekend’s training sessions proved that. Drivers who either went off the track or hit the wall include Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean, Jimmie Johnson, Will Power, Dalton Kellett, Felix Rosenqvist and Rinus VeeKay.
For Kirkwood, Kellett, Grosjean and Rosenqvist, their incidents resulted in violent collisions with the wall which required prolonged interventions on their respective cars.
“It’s just tricky,” said reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou. “There’s not a lot of grip, and there are so many bumps. If you’re not comfortable with the car, you can’t get 100% out of it. »
Last year’s race weekend was about survival of the fittest. Marcus Ericsson took his first career victory after a late red flag catapulted him into the lead when Power’s car failed to start. It’s the start of an upward trajectory for Ericsson, who won the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last weekend.
Pato O’Ward won the second race of this dual weekend, edging out two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden in a late-race battle over different tire strategies.
It’s not always where you start
As we said, the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit Presented by Lear is a race where survival of the fittest is paramount, and qualifying isn’t as important as at some other tracks.
In 29 previous races, the race has only been won four times from the top starting position: Robby Gordon (1995), Helio Castroneves (2001), Scott Dixon (2012) and Graham Rahal (2017).
Additionally, only five additional times has the race been won from the other front row position: Bobby Rahal (1992), Alex Zanardi (1998), Mike Conway (2013), Dixon (2018) and Josef Newgarden (2019) ).
Last year, Marcus Ericsson won starting 15th, and Pato O’Ward won starting 16th. These aren’t stats Newgarden and Takuma Sato want to hear as they line up in first and second on the grid, respectively.
The average starting position for a Detroit race winner is 6.3. So if you’re looking for today’s race winner, it would be safer to look at rows three and four than row one. Rookie David Malukas starts sixth, and Colton Herta seventh.
But don’t count on someone coming from the back of the pack. Five times, the winner of the race has started outside the top 10: Ericsson, O’Ward, Sébastien Bourdais (13th in 2016), Carlos Munoz (20th in 2015) and Will Power (16th in 2014).
Tire wear, and the resulting pit strategy, will make today’s race on the 14-turn, 2.35-mile street circuit interesting. With the alternate (red) Firestone tires producing high speeds for just a few laps, teams in the back half of the field will be able to use the strategy to move up the standings.
“It will be interesting,” said three-time Belle Isle winner Dixon of today’s race. “I think on paper it’s an easy two-stop race on the fuel, but the reds literally last for about two laps, so that’s definitely going to spice things up. I don’t know how it will work. We’ll have to see and play by ear and hope we get lucky, because it’s going to take that. »