Juan Pablo Montoya has nowhere to go but up at Belle Isle after finishing last in Indy 500 - MotorSportsTalk

Juan Pablo Montoya was on top of the world when he won the Indianapolis 500 last year.

But after this year’s 500 – the 100th running of the iconic race – Montoya was lower than low.

He wrecked about one-third of the way through the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, ending his day prematurely – and finishing an ignominious 33rd in the 33-driver field.

As in last place.

But Montoya won’t let what happened in Indy keep him down. He’s already put Indianapolis in his rearview mirror and is looking forward to not one, but two chances to redeem himself this weekend in the Chevrolet Dual of Detroit.

“It’s good to get right back at it after Indianapolis,” Montoya said. “We certainly didn’t have the best of luck during the month of May.

“That’s why I think it’s good to get after it again. It’s time to move on from Indy.”

Montoya and the rest of the Verizon IndyCar Series now head to Detroit for back-to-back, points paying races on Saturday and Sunday.

Montoya has made four starts at Belle Isle. He finished 12th and 13th in 2014 and 10th in both races in 2015 (he also started from the pole in one of the those races and from third position in the other race).

“We had good starts last year in the Verizon Chevy in the Belle Isle races,” Montoya said. “The finishes weren’t where we’d like.

“We were able to lead some laps in the Sunday race (led 35 of the race’s 68 laps), so maybe we can build off that.”

Montoya dropped from third to 10th in the IndyCar standings after his dismal finish at Indianapolis, his worst finish of 2016 – and his only showing outside the top-10 in the first six races.

“We just need to get some positive momentum going,” Montoya said. “It’s really been an up-and-down season, which gets frustrating.”

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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 LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit