INDYCAR: KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America Fast Facts - MotorSportsTalk

After a weekend off, the Verizon IndyCar Series resumes with the 10th race of its 17-race 2018 season.

This weekend, the series visits one of the most popular and also most difficult road courses in the U.S., Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

IndyCar points leader Scott Dixon is the defending race winner and comes into the weekend having won two of the last three races (Belle Isle 1 and Texas).

Don’t forget to tune in to the race on NBCSN.

Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s event (courtesy IndyCar Media Relations):

INDYCAR: KOHLER Grand Prix Fast Facts

Race weekend: Friday, June 22 – Sunday, June 24

Track: Road America, a 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course (clockwise) in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

Race distance: 55 laps / 220.77 miles

Entry List: KOHLER Grand Prix (PDF)

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, four sets alternate. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.

Twitter: @RoadAmerica @IndyCar, #KOHLERGP, #IndyCar

Event website: www.roadamerica.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2017 race winner: Scott Dixon (No. 9 NTT Data Honda)

2017 pole winner: Helio Castroneves (No. 3 REV Group Team Penske Chevrolet), 1 minute, 41.3007 seconds, 142.649 mph

Qualifying record: Dario Franchitti, 1:39.866, 145.924 mph, Aug. 19, 2000

NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, June 23 (same-day delay); Race, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 24 (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast and Robin Miller.

Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Anders Krohn. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers, with Dave Furst and Ryan Myrehn reporting from the pits. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 217, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com , indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

Video streaming: All practice sessions for the KOHLER Grand Prix will stream live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar).

At-track schedule (all times ET):

Friday, June 22

Noon – 11:45 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

4:15 – 5:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

5:20 – 5:40 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series pit stop practice, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

Saturday, June 23

Noon – 12:45 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #3, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

4 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live); TV: NBCSN (6:30 p.m. ET, same-day delay)

Sunday, June 24

9 – 9:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series warmup, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

12:30 p.m. – Driver introductions

1:06 p.m. – Command to start engines

1:12 p.m. – KOHLER Grand Prix (55 laps/220.77 miles), NBCSN (Live)

Race notes:

There have been six different winners in the nine previous Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2018: Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (ISM Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500), Scott Dixon (Raceway at Belle Isle-1 and Texas Motor Speedway) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (Raceway at Belle Isle-2). Dixon’s win at Texas on June 9 gave him sole possession of third on the all-time Indy car victory list with 43 wins.
The KOHLER Grand Prix will be the 28th Indy car race at Road America since it hosted its first Indy car event in 1982.
The KOHLER Grand Prix will be the seventh race on a road/street course in 2018. Each of the previous six races was won by different driver: Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix), Scott Dixon (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (Raceway at Belle Isle-2).
Will Power, Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais are the only entered drivers who have won an Indy car race at Road America. They are the three most recent winners at the track. Dixon won the race last year while Power won in Indy car’s return in 2016 – the first race at the track since Bourdais’ win in 2007. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track (three).
Eighteen drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Road America. Seven of those drivers have led laps at the track (Sebastien Bourdais 92, Will Power 46, Scott Dixon 24, Josef Newgarden 13, Simon Pagenaud 2, Graham Rahal 2 and Charlie Kimball 1).
Seven drivers have won the Road America race from the pole: Mario Andretti (1983, 1984 and 1987), Danny Sullivan (1989), Paul Tracy (1993), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Bruno Junqueira (2003), Sebastien Bourdais (2007) and Will Power (2016).
Drivers who have won at Road America have gone on to win the Indy car championship six times: Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Alex Zanardi (1997), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2007).
Team Penske has won four times at Road America (1989, 1992, 1993 and 2016) and is one of two current teams with wins at the track. Chip Ganassi Racing has won three times at Road America (1997, 2001 and 2017). Newman/Haas Racing won a record 10 times at Road America.
At least five drivers – Alfonso Celis Jr., Zachary Claman De Melo, Matheus Leist, Zach Veach and Robert Wickens – will race a Verizon IndyCar Series car at Road America for the first time this weekend. Wickens participated in Friday practice for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at the track in 2017. Celis will be making his series debut with Juncos Racing.
Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 293rd consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Scott Dixon has made 233 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing. Marco Andretti has made 209 consecutive starts, which is the fourth-longest streak in Indy car racing.

It took four attempts for Kyle Larson to win his first High Limit Sprint Car Series race in the series he co-owns with brother-in-law Brad Sweet, but once he found victory lane, he has been undefeated with his win at Eagle (Nebraska) Raceway. For the second week, Abreu led early only to fall prey to Larson.

The win was Larson’s third straight victory and the fifth consecutive top-five, giving him a perfect sweep of the season after finishing 10th in last year’s inaugural race at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana.

Larson started third behind Abreu and Brent Marks but was embroiled in a fierce battle with Anthony Macri for third during the first dozen laps. Larson slipped by Macri in traffic until a red flag waved for a flip by Lachlan McHugh.

Meanwhile at the front of the pack, Marks retook the lead from Abreu on Lap 18. Larson followed one lap later and then caution waved again. Tyler Courtney lost power and fell to 24th after starting eighth.

Marks scooted away on the restart but tragedy struck in Lap 26. Leading the race, Marks hit a pothole in Turn 1, bicycled and then flipped, handing the lead to Larson.

Abreu caught Larson again during the final laps and in a reprise of their battle at Tri-City Speedway, the two threw sliders at one another for several laps until Larson built some separation and ran away to the checkers.

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧. 𝗪𝗔𝗦. 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖.@EagleRaceway went above and beyond in their return to the main stage with the High Limit Sprint Car Series tonight!

pic.twitter.com/H3XKQEOpg6

— High Limit Racing (@HighLimitRacing) June 7, 2023

“I didn’t feel like my pace in [Turns] 1 & 2 slowed down a ton,” Larson said from victory lane. “I missed it once there and then I saw his nose in 3 & 4. I didn’t know if he nailed the bottom that well behind me and I think he might have slid me in the next corner, so he was definitely on the top.

“I was nervous to move up there because my car was really pogoing up in the entry of 1. I got up just in time, made a few mistakes and he threw a couple more sliders at me but he was just a little too far back and I was able to squirt around him. Then I really had to commit to hitting my marks – back my effort down a bit to avoid mistakes.”

After leading early, Abreu fell back as far as sixth, but faith in his car kept hope alive.

“I just needed to do a few things a few laps before I did and fix some angles, then my car got a whole lot better,” Abreu said. “I’m thankful for this team; they do an amazing job. They don’t give up on me. I know my car is going to be there right at the end of these races, so it’s just the discipline of being patient.”

For Abreu, it was his third near-miss this season. He was leading at Lakeside in the 2023 opener until a tire went flat in the closing laps and he lost the lead to Larson late in the Tri-City Speedway race. Abreu has finished sixth or better in his last three High Limit races with each result being progressively better until his pair of runner-up results.

Third-place finisher Scelzi was the hard charger, advancing from 17th.

“I had a very specific plan; don’t go near [the hole in Turn 1],” Scelzi said. “It worked out. No one wanted to start on the top. I think I gained a couple of rows there on the choose cone and ran the middle, which seemed to be better than right around the bottom.”

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid in fourth and Macri rounded out the top five.

World of Outlaws star and former NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne was one of 41 entrants, but he was not among the 26 starters. He failed to advance to the Main after finishing eighth in the B Main and seventh in his heat.

Feature Results

A Feature (40 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson[4]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[1]; 3. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[17]; 4. 71-Michael Kofoid[5]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri[3]; 6. 9-Chase Randall[9]; 7. 26-Zeb Wise[14]; 8. 1X-Jake Bubak[15]; 9. 8-Aaron Reutzel[10]; 10. 14D-Corey Day[18]; 11. 11-Cory Eliason[12]; 12. 5T-Ryan Timms[11]; 13. 88-Austin McCarl[13]; 14. 21H-Brady Bacon[22]; 15. 48-Danny Dietrich[16]; 16. 7S-Robbie Price[19]; 17. 21-Brian Brown[23]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno[26]; 19. 52-Blake Hahn[25]; 20. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[21]; 21. 3J-Dusty Zomer[6]; 22. 14-Cole Macedo[7]; 23. 19-Brent Marks[2]; 24. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[8]; 25. 25-Lachlan McHugh[20]; 26. 53-Jack Dover[24]

2023 High Limit Sprint Car Series

Race 1: Giovanni Scelzi wins at Lakeside Speedway
Race2: Anthony Macri wins at 34 Raceway
Race 3: Kyle Larson wins at Wayne County Speedway
Race 4: Kyle Larson wins at Tri-City Speedway

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