Power scores second win of 2014 in Detroit Dual 1

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Despite starting 16th, Will Power overcame to win his second Verizon IndyCar Series race of the season, Dual 1 of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans.

The result, surprisingly, is Power’s first podium finish at Belle Isle Park in Detroit. His previous best result was fourth in 2012.

Power was involved in two semi-controversial moments. He made contact with Simon Pagenaud, his Long Beach sparring partner early in the race, but escaped as Pagenaud contacted the wall off Turn 6.

Meanwhile in the waning stages, Power emerged ahead of Graham Rahal after a number of pit stop sequences sorted themselves out for the final 10-lap sprint to the finish.

On a restart, Power was issued a warning for blocking against Rahal. Rahal still had a shot to catch and pass Power, but came up short of an elusive second career Verizon IndyCar Series victory (2008 St. Petersburg).

Power, in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, held on by 0.3308 of a second over Rahal.

“Every time I backed off a little bit, I knew he was quick,” Power said of his American pursuer. “No way if he got by me, I’d get back by him.

“I know he’s one of the best guys in the paddock. I had my work cut out for me.”

As it was, second place was a needed shot in the arm for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team, and for the driver of the No. 15 National Guard RLL Honda.

Rahal had not earned a Top-10 result in the first five races of the season, and was coming off an electrical failure at the Indianapolis 500 that caused him to finish in last place.

“With the year we have had, with the luck we’ve had, for things to turn around finally and get a good result means more than we can possibly tell you,” he said after his first podium since Long Beach 2013.

“To bounce back here – it’s only half of the weekend, but of course it feels great to be in this position.”

Tony Kanaan finished a season-best third in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, adorned this weekend in black Energizer colors.

Justin Wilson and Helio Castroneves completed the top five after making it there on opposite strategies. Wilson rose from 19th on the grid while Castroneves ended fifth after starting on pole.

While battling Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay overcooked his entry into Turn 8 on the final lap, and fell back to 16th place at the finish.

That move has potential serious championship implications, as now RHR leads Power by just three points unofficially (288-285).

“At the end, I’m not really sure what happened,” the new Indianapolis 500 champion said. “Marco seemed to be struggling on fuel and I got inside of him and just lost the rear of the car.”

For his part though, Power remains relatively unworried about points for now.

“I guess at some point, you have to know [the standings],” he said. “I think you just go out and race, not stupidly or over-aggressively, but you just go out and race without points in your mind.”

Race 2 of the weekend occurs tomorrow afternoon at 3:50 p.m. ET. Qualifying occurs at 10 a.m. ET.

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES – CHEVROLET INDY DUAL IN DETROIT, RACE 1
Belle Isle Park
Race Results with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, team-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (16) Will Power, Penske/Chevy, 70, Running
2. (9) Graham Rahal, RLL/Honda, 70, Running
3. (8) Tony Kanaan, Ganassi/Chevy, 70, Running
4. (19) Justin Wilson, Coyne/Honda, 70, Running
5. (1) Helio Castroneves, Penske/Chevy, 70, Running
6. (2) James Hinchcliffe, Andretti/Honda, 70, Running
7. (11) Carlos Munoz, Andretti/Honda, 70, Running
8. (12) Carlos Huertas, Coyne/Honda, 70, Running
9. (20) Charlie Kimball, Ganassi/Chevy, 70, Running
10. (18) Marco Andretti, Andretti/Honda, 70, Running
11. (10) Scott Dixon, Ganassi/Chevy, 70, Running
12. (6) Juan Pablo Montoya, Penske/Chevy, 70, Running
13. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, KVSH/Chevy, 70, Running
14. (13) Sebastian Saavedra, KV-AFS/Chevy, 70, Running
15. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Ganassi/Chevy, 70, Running
16. (21) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti/Honda, -1 lap
17. (22) Mikhail Aleshin, SPM/Honda, -2 laps
18. (15) Takuma Sato, Foyt/Honda, -4 laps
19. (3) Jack Hawksworth, Herta/Honda, -5 laps
20. (14) Josef Newgarden, SFHR/Honda, Lap 36 – Contact
21. (4) Mike Conway, Carpenter/Chevy, Lap 14 – Contact
22. (17) Simon Pagenaud, SPM/Honda, Lap 4 – Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 90.138 mph
Time of race: One hour, 49 minutes, 29.9323 seconds
Margin of victory: 0.3308 of a second
Cautions: 4 for 17
Lead changes: 10 among 7 drivers

Lap Leaders
Castroneves, 1-16
Rahal, 17-25
Andretti, 26
Power, 27-29
Aleshin, 30-31
Castroneves, 32-45
Dixon, 46
Power, 47-53
Rahal, 54
Briscoe, 55-59
Power, 60-70

Point Standings: Hunter-Reay 288, Power 285, Castroneves 254, Pagenaud 219, Andretti 213, Munoz 186, Montoya 170, Bourdais 160, Wilson 155, Dixon 152.

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Indy 500 on NBC: How to watch, start times, live stream, schedule for race’s 107th running

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Capping off one of the fastest months in memory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, here are the start times and information for the 107th Indy 500 on Sunday, May 28.

The world’s biggest race will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock starting at 11 a.m. ET (green flag is 12:45 p.m. ET). A prerace show will be shown exclusively on Peacock starting at 9 a.m. ET.

Track owner Roger Penske and staff are expecting more than 300,00 on race day. The 233,000-seat grandstands will be near capacity with the largest crowd since the race’s 100th running sold out in 2016.

INDY 500 PRIMERImportant details and facts for watching on NBC Sports

STARTING LINEUPWhere the 33 drivers will take the green flag

After the starting lineup is set Sunday, May 21, cars will be on track twice more — a two-hour practice on Monday, May 22 and the Carb Day final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, May 26.

Carb Day final practice is Friday, May 27 at 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on Peacock Premium. The annual Pit Stop Competition will follow at 2:30-4 p.m. and also on Peacock Premium.

Peacock also will carry the AES Indiana 500 Festival Parade from noon-2 p.m. ET Saturday and the Monday night victory celebration from 8-11 p.m. ET.

Here are the details and start times for the 107th Indy 500 (all times are ET):


TV info, Indy 500 start times, schedule

5 a.m.: Garage opens

6 a.m.: Gates open

6:30 a.m.: Tech inspection

8:15 a.m.: Cars pushed to pit lane

10:30 a.m.: Cars on the starting grid

11:47 a.m.: Driver introductions

12:38 p.m.: Command to start engines

12:45 p.m.: Green flag for the 105th Indy 500

How can I watch the Indy 500 on TV?

Click here for the full broadcast schedule on Peacock and NBC for May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Indy 500 will be shown on NBC. Prerace coverage will begin exclusively on Peacock at 9 a.m. and then move to Peacock and NBC at 11 a.m. and run through 4 p.m., followed by a postrace show on Peacock Premium. All broadcasts also will be available via streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.

Mike Tirico will be the host for NBC’s telecast alongside Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Leigh Diffey will be the play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. The pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Dave Burns and Dillon Welch.

Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast with Frederik Oldenburg and Sergio Rodriguez providing commentary on Universo and streaming on TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app. Veronica Rodriguez will provide on-site reports from IMS

The race also is streamed via the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.


Race information

DISTANCE: The race is 200 laps (500 miles) around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 76 degrees with a 2 percent chance of rain at the green flag.

DEFENDING RACE WINNER: Marcus Ericsson, who is one of nine previous Indy 500 winners in the field.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: There are 32 sets of Firestones for use throughout the event (down from 34 last year).

QUALIFYING: The 33-car field was set May 20-21. Alex Palou qualified first for Chip Ganassi Racing’s third consecutive Indy 500 pole position.

STARTING LINEUP: Click here for the UPDATED 33-car grid in the 107th Indy 500.

RADIO BROADCASTS: Carb Day, 11 a.m. ET Friday; Sunday, 10 a.m. ET. Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Paul Page will provide commentary. Nick Yeoman (Turn 1), Michael Young (Turn 2), Jake Query (Turn 3) and Chris Denari (Turn 4) are the turn announcers with Ryan Myrehn, Alex Wollf, Rob Blackman and Scott Sander on pit road.

PRACTICE SUMMARY: Speed charts from when cars have been on the 2.5-mile oval (the May 16 opening day was rained out).

May 17: Practice l Combined

May 18: Practice l Combined

May 19: Practice l Combined

May 20: Practice l Combined

May 21: Practice l Combined

May 22: Practice l Combined

May 26: Practice l Combined


NBCSPORTS.COM COVERAGE

Links to IndyCar stories this month on Motorsports Talk:

Annual photo shows women having an impact on Indy 500 results

Roger Penske feeling hale at another Indy 500 as Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner

Honda needed 45 seconds to approve Graham Rahal racing a Chevy at Indy

A.J. Foyt takes refuge at Indy 500 while weathering grief of wife’s death

Gordon Johncock: The most unassuming Indy 500 legend

Honda needed 45 seconds to approve Graham Rahal racing a Chevy

Alex Palou on his Indy 500 pole, multitasking at 224 mph and a Chip Ganassi surprise

Marcus Ericsson, engineer Brad Goldberg have ties that run very deep

Graham Rahal will replace injured Stefan Wilson in the Indy 500

Family nightmare repeated: Graham Rahal bumped from Indy 500 by teammate

Arrow McLaren, Ganassi strong; Rahal cars struggle on opening day of qualifying

What drivers are saying about Indy 500 qualifying

Remembering the era of Indy 500 qualifying engines increasing speed, danger

Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt share 60th anniversary of an important moment

NASCAR champion Kyle Larson visits Indy 500 practice in preparation for 2024

“Unleashing The Dragon” uncorks big emotions for Marcus Ericsson and team

Awaiting Ganassi offer, Marcus Ericsson draws interest from other teams

Kyle Larson visits Indy 500 practice ahead of attempting the 2024 race

Indy 500 qualifying: ‘Four laps, 10 miles, frickin’ fast’

Graham Rahal mulling future with the team his father founded

Romain Grosjean knocking on the door of his first IndyCar victory

After family detour, Ryan Hunter-Reay back on the road to the Indy 500

Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing enjoy best race of season

Jimmie Johnson unsure of returning to the Indy 500


BETTING PREVIEW

Click here to read NBC Sports Edge’s guide to contenders and darkhorses, including a full breakdown of past winners, veterans and rookies in the 107th Indianapolis 500, as well as the best bets for the race.


NBC SPORTS’ TOP 10 INDY 500s

No. 10: A.J. Foyt becomes a three-time winner in 1967 as Parnelli Jones’ dominant Granatelli turbine car breaks

No. 9: Sam Hornish Jr. beats Marco Andretti in 2006 on the race’s first last-lap pass

No. 8: Al Unser Jr. edges Scott Goodyear in 1992 for closest finish in the race’s history

No. 7: Rick Mears becomes a four-time winner of the race with a thrilling pass in 1991

No. 6: Louis Meyer becomes the first three-time winner and starts milk tradition

No. 5: Dan Wheldon wins second Indy 500 after J.R. Hildebrand crashes on last lap

No. 4: A.J. Foyt becomes the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500

No. 3: Helio Castroneves “reopens America” with his fourth Indy 500 victory