Conway preparing for pre-Christmas test with ECR - MotorSportsTalk

After a successful 2013 in both IndyCars and sports cars, British driver Mike Conway is looking forward to getting 2014 underway in earnest with a test session next week at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Conway, who won Detroit Race 1 for Dale Coyne Racing and also claimed four race wins with his co-drivers over in the FIA World Endurance Championship, recently had a seat fitting in the No. 20 ECR Chevrolet (pictured) in advance of the Dec. 18-19 test in Florida.

The soft-spoken street course dynamo will drive the No. 20 in all road and street events in the 2014 IndyCar Series, while team namesake and owner Carpenter will drive it on the ovals.

“It feels good to run the IndyCar before the holidays,” Conway said. “I’ve never been able to test an IndyCar before the first of the year, so this opportunity next week at Sebring really has me excited.

“It will be my first chance to drive the Chevrolet engine also. I’m looking forward to that aspect of the test too.”

Conway will continue his work in sports cars next season as well, recently landing a gig with Toyota’s WEC program as its test and reserve driver.

All in all, it’ll be a busy 2014 for the Kent, England native as he looks to not only help Toyota overtake Audi in the WEC but also help Ed Carpenter Racing move toward the front of the IndyCar pecking order.

“I can’t wait to get started with the ECR guys,” Conway said of his IndyCar duties. “I’m very excited to run with a team like Ed’s. I have worked with many of the crew guys here before and they have a very strong organization.

“This team should be a solid effort in 2014.”

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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17^th after qualifying 14^th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)