IndyCar Race 2 qualifying canceled due to rain; field set by entrant points (UPDATED) - MotorSportsTalk

UPDATE, 11:47 a.m. ET: Minutes ago, INDYCAR announced a correction on its part regarding the grid for Race 2 of the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.

According to Rule 8.1.10.1 B of the IZOD IndyCar Series rule book, in the event of a cancellation of qualifying, the starting field will be set by the entrant points going into the event – which, in Houston’s case, means the entire weekend, not individual races.

As a result, it will be Helio Castroneves – not Scott Dixon – that will start today’s 90-lap race on the pole in his No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet. Going into the Houston weekend (and, obviously, before Saturday’s Race 1), Castroneves’ No. 3 car led, 486-452, in entrants’ points over Dixon’s No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Here’s your new starting lineup for today’s event:

IZOD IndyCar Series – Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 2
Official Starting Lineup

Row 1
3-Helio Castroneves

9-Scott Dixon

Row 2
77-Simon Pagenaud
25-Marco Andretti

Row 3
1-Ryan Hunter-Reay
19-Justin Wilson

Row 4
10-Dario Franchitti
27-James Hinchcliffe

Row 5
12-Will Power
83-Charlie Kimball

Row 6
11-Tony Kanaan
5-E.J. Viso

Row 7
7-Sebastien Bourdais
67-Josef Newgarden

Row 8
14-Takuma Sato
18-Mike Conway

Row 9
78-Simona de Silvestro
20-Ed Carpenter

Row 10
15-Graham Rahal
16-James Jakes

Row 11
4-Oriol Servia
55-Tristan Vautier (R)

Row 12
98-Luca Filippi
6-Sebastian Saavedra

ORIGINAL, 10:00 a.m. ET: After two days of unrelenting heat and humidity, now there’s been another monkey wrench thrown into this weekend’s Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston IndyCar doubleheader: a 20-degree temperature drop and persistent rain.

The qualifying for the second race of the weekend and 18th of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season is on an indefinite hold due to the rain and track conditions not allowing the water to drain that well.

Pace cars have been sent out to survey the circuit. A USF2000 race and Pirelli World Challenge GT/GTS race are scheduled before the IndyCar TV window and race, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

We’ll update things as we hear further developments.

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DETROIT — Alex Palou topped the results of an NTT IndyCar Series race for the second time this season, extending his championship points lead with his victory in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who also won the GMR Grand Prix (and the Indy 500 pole position) last month, holds a 51-point lead over teammate Marcus Ericsson (ninth at Detroit) through seven of 17 races this season.

Ganassi, which placed all four of its drivers in the top 10 at Detroit, has three of the top four in the championship standings with Scott Dixon ranked fourth after a fourth at Detroit.

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Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden is third in the standings after taking a 10th at Detroit. Pato O’Ward slipped to fifth in the points after crashing and finishing 26th

Here are the IndyCar results and points standings after the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix:

RESULTS

Click here for the official box score from the 100-lap race on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile street course in downtown Detroit.

Here is the finishing order in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix with starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Alex Palou, Honda, 100, Running
2. (7) Will Power, Chevrolet, 100, Running
3. (9) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 100, Running
4. (4) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
5. (13) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 100, Running
6. (12) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 100, Running
7. (2) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 100, Running
8. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 100, Running
9. (6) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
10. (5) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 100, Running
11. (24) Colton Herta, Honda, 100, Running
12. (17) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 100, Running
13. (8) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 100, Running
14. (20) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 100, Running
15. (15) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 100, Running
16. (18) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 100, Running
17. (25) Jack Harvey, Honda, 100, Running
18. (14) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 100, Running
19. (23) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 100, Running
20. (19) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 97, Running
21. (22) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 97, Running
22. (26) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 97, Running
23. (21) David Malukas, Honda, 85, Contact
24. (3) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 80, Contact
25. (27) Graham Rahal, Honda, 50, Contact
26. (10) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 41, Contact
27. (16) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 1, Contact

Winner’s average speed: 80.922 mph; Time of Race: 02:01:58.1171; Margin of victory: 1.1843 seconds; Cautions: 7 for 32 laps; Lead changes: 10 among seven drivers. Lap Leaders: Palou 1-28; Power 29-33; O’Ward 34; Palou 35-55; Power 56-64; Palou 65; Rossi 66; Newgarden 67-68; Kirkwood 69; Ericsson 70-76; Palou 77-100.

POINTS

Click here for the points tally in the race.

Here are the points standings after the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix:

Top 10 in points: Palou 273, Ericsson 222, Newgarden 203, Dixon 194, O’Ward 191, Rossi 176, McLaughlin 175, Power 172, Herta 149, Rosenqvist 148.

Rest of the standings: Grosjean 145, Kirkwood 142, Lundgaard 136, Ilott 116, VeeKay 108, Ferrucci 105, Armstrong 101, Rahal 99, Malukas 91, Daly 88, DeFrancesco 81, Castroneves 80, Harvey 78, Canapino 77, Pagenaud 72, Pedersen 61, Robb 55, Takuma Sato 37, Ed Carpenter 27, Ryan Hunter-Reay 20, Tony Kanaan 18, Marco Andretti 13, RC Enerson 5, Katherine Legge 5.

Next race: IndyCar will head to Road America for the Sonsio Grand Prix, which will take place June 18 with coverage starting at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.