Coverage of the ninth round of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 from Texas Motor Speedway, takes place today starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com (stream link here). The coverage comes after an encore presentation of Texas qualifying, which begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Kevin Lee will be in the booth with Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Marty Snider, Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller will be in pit lane.
Coverage will run from 7 to 10 p.m. CT and local time, so 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage runs from 8 to 8:30 p.m. ET, race coverage from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. ET and post-race coverage from 10:30 to 11 p.m. ET.
This then leads into the premiere of the “Yellow, Yellow, Yellow” documentary, highlighting the behind-the-scenes work of INDYCAR’s Holmatro Safety Team.
It’s a Honda-heavy front of the grid with Charlie Kimball leading the field away from his first career pole, with Hondas in the top eight positions as they look for their sixth win this season.
Incidentally, despite its qualifying pace, Ganassi doesn’t have any of the previous five - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has two while Andretti Autosport, Dale Coyne Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have one apiece.
Beyond Kimball’s pole, some of the other story lines to watch include these:
- None of the top seven drivers on the grid have won a race this year, and three of them (Tristan Vautier, Max Chilton, Mikhail Aleshin) haven’t won yet in IndyCar. Do any of them break through to become an eighth winner this season?
- Do the Team Penske and Chevrolet runners have anything for the leaders?
- How much will tires (new right sides) fall off on the newly repaved surface?
- Will the race be a pack race or more strung out and processional?
The starting lineup is below.
Full starting grid for tonight's #Rainguard600 at @TXMotorSpeedway; 8p ET @NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/GagNZNSVoe
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) June 10, 2017