Updated Firestone 600 schedule, starting grid, Lap 71 running order

This weekend’s trip for the Verizon IndyCar Series back to Texas Motor Speedway features a bit of an oddity, as it’s a return to finish the remaining 177 laps left unfinished when the series raced in June.

Here’s a quick rundown of where we are as a result of that rain delay (initial PREVIEW and What to Watch For linked here as well).

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QUALIFYING

Carlos Munoz scored his first career pole position in the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda. Here was the full report on that from my colleague Daniel McFadin in Texas.

Here was the starting grid, below:

FORT WORTH, Texas – Qualifying Friday for the Firestone 600 Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, aero kit-engine, and speed:

1. (26) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 217.137
2. (9) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 216.901
3. (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 216.740
4. (14) Takuma Sato, Honda, 216.740
5. (21) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 216.684
6. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 216.663
7. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 216.647
8. (10) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 216.295
9. (98) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 216.262
10. (5) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 216.262
11. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 216.260
12. (27) Marco Andretti, Honda, 216.162
13. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 215.927
14. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 215.751
15. (83) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 215.533
16. (7) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 215.299
17. (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 215.279
18. (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 215.030
19. (8) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 214.864
20. (41) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 214.568
21. (18) Conor Daly, Honda, 213.826
22. (19) Gabby Chaves, Honda, no speed

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RACE

The first stint of the race was pretty much status quo, save for Alexander Rossi’s rear tires falling off and the Indianapolis 500 champion doing a great job of saving his car.

Then Lap 42 happened and that nasty accident between Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden, which left Newgarden with a fractured right clavicle and a small fracture on his right hand.

That led to a long caution and then when the skies opened on Lap 71, 53 laps short of the Lap 124 halfway mark (600 kilometers is a 248-lap race), the race was red flagged and we were left with the scenario we are in now. The race was rescheduled to Saturday, August 27, and it’s where the IndyCar circus is needing to travel back to Texas again.

Here’s the running order on Lap 71:

1. (5) James Hinchcliffe, Honda
2. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda
3. (7) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda
4. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet
5. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet
6. (19) Gabby Chaves, Honda
7. (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet
8. (83) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet
9. (26) Carlos Munoz, Honda
10. (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet
11. (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet
12. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda
13. (98) Alexander Rossi, Honda
14. (9) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet
15. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet
16. (10) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet
17. (14) Takuma Sato, Honda, 1 LAP
18. (27) Marco Andretti, Honda, 1 LAP
19. (8) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 1 LAP
20. (41) Jack Hawksworth, Honda 2 LAPS
21. (18) Conor Daly, Honda 29 LAPS
22. (21) Josef Newgarden Chevy 30 LAPS

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COMPLETION PLAN

INDYCAR sent out this release on the Friday of Road America weekend, June 24, explaining the process to finish the Texas race:

INDYCAR has announced its plan for resuming the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway that was suspended June 12 after completing 71 of its scheduled 248 laps. The Verizon IndyCar Series race will be completed Aug. 27.

The No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda driven by Conor Daly and No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden will not be permitted to participate in the continuation due to the extensive chassis and engine damage each sustained in a crash on Lap 42. James Hinchcliffe of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is the race leader after 71 laps.

Cars continuing in the race will be permitted to use the chassis and engine of their choice for the completion day. Tire allotment and fuel quantity for the completion are yet to be determined. Pre-race aero setups from the June event will be mandatory for the August completion, though INDYCAR may make changes prior to the completion based on the weather forecast for race weekend.

The remaining 177 race laps will be run at the conclusion of the Aug. 27 schedule that includes:

• A mandatory systems check (an out/in lap only);
• A 25-minute practice session: Cars will be split into two groups, each group receiving 10 minutes of practice time with a five-minute break in between;
• A driver autograph session on the track’s concourse;
• Completion of the race in the evening.

Texas Motor Speedway will be announcing its plans for ticketing, credentialing, camping and various other fan-related and facility-based items in the coming weeks.

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UPDATED SCHEDULE

Here’s what you can expect for the IndyCar day at Texas, which will honor police officers as well.

All times are CT, one hour behind ET.

10:00 Garages Open
4:30-4:35 Mandatory Installation Lap
4:35-4:45 Practice, Group 1
4:50-5:00 Practice, Group 2
5:30-6:15 Autograph Session, TMS Concourse
7:10 Push Out
7:25 Grid IndyCars in Restart Order
8:00 NBCSN TV Window Begins
8:15 Estimated Drivers Start Your Engines

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