Two races could mean twice the trouble in Toronto (VIDEO)

By Jul 10, 2013, 1:30 PM EDT
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In recent years, the Honda Indy Toronto has developed a reputation for being a bit of a crash-fest. In 2011, six drivers were knocked out of the race because of accidents, and last year, just when we thought we were going to get away relatively clean from Exhibition Place, the final laps turned into a complete mess that forced the race to end under yellow, with Ryan Hunter-Reay as the victor.

The common thread in all of this is perhaps the IZOD IndyCar Series’ most controversial corner: Toronto’s Turn 3, a right-hander that comes following a full-throttle sprint down Lakeshore Boulevard. Scintillating passes and groan-inducing crashes are the norm at this part of the 1.75-mile street circuit, and in the cases of the latter, angry drivers also become common.

Another potential hot spot is Turn 1, another right-hander that comes at the end of a straight (this time, the main straight). While it’s overshadowed by Turn 3’s reputation for action and mishaps, it’s another good place to see the sparks fly in this longtime open-wheel staple.

Tight confines are part of the challenge at any street course, including Toronto, but it seems that they help make for crazier days here than at any other temp circuit on the IndyCar landscape. This year, the Honda Indy Toronto has become a doubleheader, with full, 85-lap races on both Saturday and Sunday – and that means the potential for more mayhem.

Also, Saturday’s Race 1 features the IZOD IndyCar Series debut of standing starts, so the “unknown” factor is also in play as well – at least, temporarily, as Sunday’s Race 2 will feature a standard rolling start.

You can catch the Honda Indy Toronto this Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network and on your online and mobile devices with NBC Sports Live Extra.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Firestone Racing

Alex Palou wins Detroit Grand Prix from pole

By Jun 4, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT
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DETROIT – Alex Palou won the IndyCar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from the pole, fending off several challenges and three late restarts during a chaotic debut for a new downtown track.

After qualifying first, Palou won by 1.1843 seconds in his No. 10 Dallara-Honda over Will Power, followed by Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi.

Kyle Kirkwood (who rebounded from falling to 26th in a massive shunt on the first lap) finished sixth, followed by Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, Marcus Ericsson and Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden to round out the top 10.

As expected, there was lots of action on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile layout that made its debut Sunday with seven caution flags chewing up 32 of 100 laps – and eliminating some contenders.

With 20 laps remaining, Romain Grosjean slammed the wall in Turn 4 while running seventh in his No. 28 Dallara-Honda, which had started third. He later attributed the problem to a suspension failure.

Pato O’Ward’s shot at a decent finish fell apart during a green-flag pit stop on Lap 35. The No. 5 Dallara-Chevy’s left rear wheel was loose as O’Ward left the stall, so he stopped to allow the crew to push him back.

He returned in 26th at the end of the lead lap but then slammed the wall in Turn 9 eight laps later after overshooting the corner.

“Honestly our race went upside down on that pit stop,” O’Ward said. “All downhill from there. It is what it is.”

The yellow flew again during the next restart on Lap 49 as Sting Ray Robb went into the tire barrier in Turn 3 while Christian Lundgaard and Santino Ferrucci (who was trying to fight back onto the lead lap) also were caught scrambling in traffic.

During the caution, Graham Rahal hit the Turn 1 wall and then was rear-ended by rookie Benjamin Pedersen.

“I got a lot of understeer,” Rahal said, struggling to process what had happened to lose control of his No. 15 Dallara-Honda. “It’s on me. I need to see the tape and understand. I’m just disappointed in myself with all the errors this weekend, just not driving well. It’s hard to figure out why, but ultimately it’s on me. I’ve got to perform a heck of a lot better than that, especially on a day like this.

“It’s just not typical of me. I know you’ve got to stay on the dance floor. I don’t know what to say. We weren’t good in the race. We were in pretty bad shape. It’s disappointing. I’ve got to be better. It’s been a really tough couple of months. We need a reset. I need a reset. We need to come back much, much stronger.”

The first incident occurred in the first corner as Callum Ilott rear-ended Kyle Kirkwood on the entry into the Turn 3 hairpin (starts and restarts for the race occurred on the longest straightaway off Turn 2).

Kirkwood, who was starting after clipping the wall in qualifying, was able to continue after pitting to change the rear wing of his No. 27 Dallara-Honda.

But Ilott’s day was over after failing to complete a lap.

“I didn’t have anywhere to really go, but it was my bad for kind of being a little bit on the late side,” the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver told NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee. “I was gaining bit of time, and they just checked up a little bit more than I anticipated the last bit. I wasn’t coming with that much more speed, but I just couldn’t slow it down on the last part, so sorry to the team and sorry to Kyle cause that didn’t help him, either. On to the next one.”

After four consecutive weeks of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and on the streets of Detroit, IndyCar will take a one-week break before returning June 18 at Road America.