IndyCar: Transcript of Derrick Walker’s Toronto media availability

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INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations Derrick Walker spoke to the media after the postponement of race one in Toronto on Saturday. A transcript of that interview is below:

Derrick Walker: We’re talking with promoter, TV, teams in that order. Might be somewhere around 10:30.

Q: Will it be two full races?

DW: It will be two complete races. We’re looking at the lengths now because we’ve moved the schedule around. Now we’re jamming the schedule around.

Q: There seemed to be some indecision on the part of INDYCAR to get the cars out and bring them in. What was the thinking?

DW: No indecision, surprisingly enough. We were just eyeballing the conditions. The conditions looked like almost we could get it in, we were moving back and forward based on the rain.

Q: Was there any thinking as to whether to start the race behind the pace car? Maybe let the cars blow it off?

DW: We tried that for a few laps as you saw… no we didn’t and no we couldn’t (throw the green with the yellow flag). I think it would have been crazy to start the race today. It was just … it didn’t look like a lot of water but when you get out there and look it was enough.

The other factor that happens here is you get a lot of oils coming out, when it comes out on the blacktop. It’s quite slippery and there’s a lot of water. I don’t think we did the wrong thing. We waited and waited and waited; part of the indecision, as you put it, was going as late as we possibly could to hold. We wanted to try to get the race in. Television hung in as late as possible.

We watched the weather channel, watched the rain. We thought if we could get the race started, maybe we could have kept it going. But visibility was just crazy.

Q: Can you tell us for certain, does IndyCar race in the rain?

DW: I’m here to tell you we do race in the rain. But we also do think of our drivers and our fans’ safety. Racing in the rain is great; but, you can’t throw everyone in the fence because the conditions are archaic. I think they were today.

Q: Any opposition from teams or unanimous with teams?

DW: We haven’t actually talked to the teams about what happened. We saw a lot of instant messages and one or two interviews. I think they know what it’s all about. We tried to fit it in and make it work.

The conditions were wet but not as wet as this one was. The slipperiness of that standing water, everybody looked at it and said no way, no way.

Q: Visibility was bad too, as well?

DW: Yes it was. But you have to ask yourself, what do you want? Do you want a good race? Or are we gladiators where we get a couple lions out and see who can eat people in two laps? We’re trying to put on a show here.

Q: Worst case scenario, if it’s like this tomorrow, is there a Plan B to come back?

DW: We’d stay here as long as we could to get a race in. For sure.

Q: You could race Monday, if possible?

DW: There is a slim chance, via the promoter, but I think we can get at least one race tomorrow in for sure.

Q: To clarify the three cars sent to back under red, would they regain their original starting position?

DW: Good question (laughter). To explain, there’s a lot of people getting hot about that issue, guys doing work on their cars.

Basically we looked at it – the stewards looked at it – and the race hadn’t started yet. Yeah he crashed during the pace car, parade laps, Car 12, and he was sent to the back. The race hadn’t started so it was still not a penalty as such. When the race was red flagged and everyone went to their cars, some needed more work than others. When one can work on their car, they all could.

When the 12 car disappeared and went back to the truck, we thought it was gone and never coming back. Well they put it together and brought it back. Then we positioned it at the back. Nobody requested any more time to work on the cars.

At the end of the day, the stewards are trying to get everyone back on track, wheels on and make a race out of it. Tomorrow, to answer your question, it’s not final, but would go off the qualifying positions in order. Second race, probably on points.

We need to allow a three or four hour break, three minimum, for the crews to work on their cars.

Q: What about spare cars for the race?

DW: The rules have it where you don’t have an engine in spare cars. When you take an engine off the truck, or from one car to another, they have a spare, you’d eat up all that time turning it around. I don’t think it would work.

If you have a serious accident, you’ve got three hours, four hours to get it fixed. If they don’t they could jump to a spare car. But I think with the time slot, with serious damage, it should be turned around.

Q: What time do you hope to start the first race?

DW: We’re hoping to be going somewhere around the 10:30 timeframe. Wait until you get the official time frame. Second race pretty close to schedule.

Q: How do you compare the conditions of racing in the rain on a road course like Mid-Ohio to a street course like Toronto?

DW: What you tend to find at a lot of road courses, like Mid-Ohio, is that the water comes roaring down the hill. You get about a six-foot wide river that when it’s really heavy it’s just as bad as the backstraight here. All tracks are susceptible; some don’t have the drainage to get rid of it.

On street courses, you have the walls and some drainage holes, but it doesn’t all run and disappear. A lot lies on the surface. It’s unique to street racing. We generally deal with it. We just couldn’t get it started.

Q: Derrick, to clarify, race results from the first race set the grid for race two?

DW: No. It will be, we have a set of qualifying positions to start the first race. The second race, because it’s not had any qualifying, would probably revert to what the rulebook says, which goes by points, driver points in order. That’s more likely what it will be by the rulebook.

Q: Derrick, were you planning to go green when Will Power had his accident, and if you had made it to the green is it your opinion or experience you could had continued to race?

DW: Difficult to say. Will Power, Briscoe, pace car, a few people were diving off. We became increasingly skeptical that each time we tried we saw someone slip off. In hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t.

Q: Was the intent to go green?

DW: We were always trying. You can ask your fellow journalist, Curt (Cavin) was in race control and saw the whole drama unfold.

IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix: How to watch, start times, TV, schedules, streaming

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The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):


CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LISTClick here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit


CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX START TIMES

(All times are Eastern)

Friday, June 2

8:30-9:30 a.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice

9 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

9:50-10:20 a.m.: Trans Am Series practice

11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice

1-1:30 p.m.: Trans Am Series practice

1:50-2:40 p.m.: Indy NXT practice

3-4:30 p.m.: IndyCar practice, Peacock

4:50-5:05 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying

5:30-6 p.m.: IndyNXT qualifying (Race 1 and 2)

6-7:15 p.m.: A-Track concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

7:30-8:30 p.m.: Big Boi concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

Saturday, June 3

6 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

8:15-8:45 a.m.: Trans Am Series qualifying

9:05-10:05 a.m.: IndyCar practice, Peacock

10:35-11:35 a.m.: Trans Am Series, 3-Dimensional Services Group Muscle Car Challenge

12:05-1:00 p.m.: Indy NXT, Race 1 (45 laps or 55 minutes), Peacock

1:15-2:45 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, Peacock

4:10-5:50 p.m.: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic (100 minutes), Peacock

5:30-7 p.m.: Z-Trip concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

7-8:30 p.m.: Steve Aoki concert (Hart Plaza Stage)

Sunday, June 4

7 a.m.: IndyCar garage opens

10:00-10:30 a.m.: IndyCar warmup, Peacock

11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Trans Am Series, 3-Dimensional Services Group Motor City Showdown

12:50-1:45 p.m.: Indy NXT, Race 2 (45 laps or 55 minutes), Peacock

2:47 p.m.: IndyCar driver introductions

3:23 p.m.: Command to start engines

3:30 p.m.: Green flag for the Chevrolet Detroit Prix, presented by Lear (100 laps/170 miles), NBC


2023 SEASON RECAPS

ROUND 1Marcus Ericsson wins wild opener in St. Petersburg

ROUND 2Josef Newgarden wins Texas thriller over Pato O’Ward

ROUND 3: Kyle Kirkwood breaks through for first career IndyCar victory

ROUND 4: Scott McLaughlin outduels Romain Grosjean at Barber

ROUND 5: Alex Palou dominant in GMR Grand Prix

ROUND 6: Josef Newgarden wins first Indy 500 in 12th attempt 


COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM

Inside Team Penske’s bid win another Indy 500 for “The Captain”

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

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

New competition elements for 2023 include an alternate oval tire

Indy 500 will be Tony Kanaan’s final race

IndyCar drivers say Thermal Club could host a race

IndyCar team owners weigh in on marketing plans, double points

Alexander Rossi fitting in well at McLaren

Phoenix takes flight: Romain Grosjean enjoying the pilot’s life

Helio Castroneves says 2023 season is “huge” for IndyCar future

How Sting Ray Robb got that name

Kyle Larson having impact on future McLaren teammates

Simon Pagenaud on why he likes teasing former teammate Josef Newgarden

HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2023Full NBC Sports schedule