Long Beach already a pressure point for much of Indy field - MotorSportsTalk

The field is so incredibly close in IndyCar this year that mere tenths of seconds cost dozens of positions. The top 24 of 26 drivers at Barber Motorsports Park in practice were separated by barely more than eight tenths of a second.

With such a small margin for error, there are several drivers and teams needing to find that extra couple tenths for improved qualifying performances, or have that bit of luck that sees their results improve.

DARIO FRANCHITTI

Franchitti started from pole at Long Beach a year ago but niggling electrical issues dropped him to an unrepresentative 15th by the flag.

Two DNFs to start 2013 – a crash in St. Pete and an exhaust issue at Barber (pictured) – have Franchitti stone last, 26th in points, already 69 points behind leader Helio Castroneves. Eventual champion Ryan Hunter-Reay trailed Will Power by as many as 59 last year.

Franchitti’s certainly not dead to rights from title standards after just two of 19 races but he needs a result – any result – for both himself and the team going forward.

GRAHAM RAHAL

Young Rahal’s homecoming at RLL Racing hasn’t quite gone to plan through two races. The car was better than its result of 13th at St. Pete and Graham ran out of fuel the last lap in Barber, ending 21st. Rahal is coming to grips with the team and engineer Gerry Hughes, he certainly wants to outqualify regular teammate James Jakes, and he’ll have the extra pressure of Mike Conway’s presence in a third car this weekend. It’s time to deliver.

PANTHER/DRR

Considering both JR Hildebrand and Oriol Servia are regarded as road and street racing standouts, they’ve not been able to extract the maximum on their road and street course setups with the joint Panther Racing and Panther DRR operations this season.

Hildebrand’s started 24th in both races, with Servia 12th and 18th, and combined neither has a finish better than 15th. Servia, a veteran of 11 prior Long Beach races since 2000, has four top-10 finishes including a runner-up result in 2007. Hildebrand was fifth a year ago.

DRAGON RACING

Dragon Racing has yet to live up to expectations this year. Sebastien Bourdais has underachieved in qualifying, while Sebastian Saavedra has played his cards right to qualify ninth in both races. Problem is, Bourdais has had too much work to do on race day and Saavedra’s fallen back from his grid spots due to contact or poor pit stops. Bourdais is a three-time winner at Long Beach and no doubt seeks a performance leap this weekend.

The biggest race of the NTT IndyCar Series season (and in the world) is over, and NBC Sports’ power rankings look very similar to the finishing results in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pole-sitter Alex Palou entered the Indy 500 at the top and remains there after his impressive rebound to a fourth after a midway crash in the pits. Top two Indianapolis 500 finishers Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson also improved multiple spots in the power rankings just as they gained ground during the course of the 500-mile race on the 2.5-mile oval. Though Alexander Rossi dropped a position, he still shined at the Brickyard with a fifth place finish.

Santino Ferrucci, the other driver in the top five at Indy, made his first appearance in the 2023 power rankings this year and now will be tasked with keeping his A.J. Foyt Racing team toward the front as the IndyCar circuit makes its debut on a new layout..

Heading into the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through six of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):

Alex Palou (1): Three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Indy 500, and yet the 2021 IndyCar champion still seems slightly snake-bitten at the Brickyard. A few different circumstances and a dash of experience, and Palou could have three Indy 500 wins. But he at least has the points lead.
Marcus Ericsson (4): Some want to say the Indy 500 runner-up’s unhappiness with IndyCar race control was sour grapes, but the Swede had a legitimate gripe about the consistency of red flag protocols. Still a magnificent May for Ericsson, especially while the questions swirl about his future.
Josef Newgarden (7): Strategist Tim Cindric and team did a fantastic job catapulting Newgarden from 17^th into contention, and the two-time series champion did the rest. Particularly on a late three-wide pass for the lead, it can’t be overstated how brilliant the Team Penske driver was in his finest hour.
Alexander Rossi (3): He winds up being the best Arrow McLaren finisher in a mostly disappointing Indy 500 for a team that seemed poised to become dominant. With a third in the GMR GP and a fifth in the Indy 500, this easily was Rossi’s best May since his second place in 2019.
Pato O’Ward (2): Unlike last year, the Arrow McLaren star sent it this time against Ericsson and came out on the wrong side (and with lingering bitterness toward his Chip Ganassi Racing rival). The lead mostly was the wrong place to be at Indy, but O’Ward managed to be in first for a race-high 39 laps.
Scott Dixon (5): He overcame brutal handling issues from a wicked set of tires during his first stint, and then the team struggled with a clutch problem while posting a typical Dixon-esque finish on “a very tough day.” The six-time champion hopes things are cleaner the rest of the season after the first three months.
Santino Ferrucci (NR): Pound for pound, he and A.J. Foyt Racing had the best two weeks at Indianapolis. Ferrucci said Wednesday he still believes he had “by far the best car at the end” and if not for the timing of the final yellow and red, he would have won the Indy 500. Now the goal is maintaining into Detroit.
Colton Herta (NR): He was the best in a mostly forgettable month for Andretti Autosport and now is facing a pivotal weekend. Andretti has reigned on street courses so far this season, and few have been better on new circuits than Herta. A major chance for his first victory since last year’s big-money extension.
Scott McLaughlin (6): Ran in the top 10 at Indy after a strong opening stint but then lost positions while getting caught out on several restarts. A penalty for unintentionally rear-ending Simon Pagenaud in O’Ward’s crash then sent him to the rear, but McLaughlin still rallied for 14th. Detroit will be a fresh start.
Rinus VeeKay (10): Crashing into Palou in the pits was less than ideal. But a front row start and 10^th-place finish in the Indy 500 still were 2023 highlights for VeeKay in what’s been the toughest season of his career. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have been slow on road and street courses, so Detroit is another test.

Falling out: Will Power (8), Felix Rosenqvist (9), Romain Grosjean (10)

PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS

PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship

RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete

RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas

RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top

RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory

RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500