IndyCar: Kimball, Sato earn Top-5s after starting deep in field for Toronto Race 2

By Jul 20, 2014, 7:45 PM EDT
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With today’s same-day doubleheader of 65-lap races at the Honda Indy Toronto, the grid for Race 2 was set on entrant points following Race 1. That meant Charlie Kimball and Takuma Sato would have to try and make their way up front from deep in the field.

Kimball started Race 2 in 16th place, while Sato started from 22nd. But both drivers were able to put on good drives and come away with Top-5 finishes – fourth for Kimball and fifth for Sato.

As the track started to dry out from mid-race showers, Kimball noted that things got a bit more difficult for him.

“The problem with a drying track like that is there’s such a narrow line, and the car had been really good all day – we were making our way through and holding our own in the rain,” he said to NBCSN.

“Then as it dried out – we like to go slicks early but we kind of waited and then we caught that yellow [at Lap 44], followed every one in, followed every one out, and picked our way through the guys on wet [tires]. But I just couldn’t get past the 12 car [Will Power] at the end for the podium.”

The result is still his fourth Top-5 finish of 2014, however, and it gives him confidence heading into the next race in two weeks’ time at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where he earned his first IndyCar win last summer.

“At one point, I thought, ‘It’s going to be a pretty good day for Chip here’ with third, fourth, fifth and sixth, all in a train in the wet conditions,” Kimball mused. “But it didn’t work out that way. We’ll reload, refocus, go testing, and go to Mid-Ohio.

“I’m looking forward to it for obvious reasons.”

Also happy after Race 2 was Sato, who brought his A.J. Foyt Racing team a much-needed result after having flat-out horrible luck over the preceding six races.

To try and turn their luck for the better, the team brought along a good ol’ horseshoe to Toronto:

But according to NBCSN’s Kelli Stavast, the traditional good luck charm ended up in the trash after Sato was knocked out of Race 1 in a first-lap incident.

But things finally went Sato’s way in Race 2, where he got his best finish of the year after climbing 17 spots.

“We’ve been unlucky but we bounced back strong and finishing as the highest Honda powered car makes me proud,” said Sato. “The race was really tricky, with the dry to wet to dry tires.

“The guys did a great job in the pits. We never lost motivation. I really enjoyed the race and hopefully we’ll be strong the rest of the season.”

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”