For the third time this season in the NTT IndyCar Series, it is race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Following the GMR Grand Prix on the 4th of July, and the Indy 500 in August, the IndyCar Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader is set to wave the green flag beginning today at 3:30 PM on the IMS Road Course. Race 1 will feature 85 laps today, while Race 2 tomorrow begins at 2:30 PM and will be run at 75 laps.
To preview one of the final big events of the season, driver Dalton Kellett from A.J. Foyt Racing dropped by The Fan Morning Show with Jeff Rickard, Big Joe, and Kevin Bowen to discuss his approach going into the road course races as the temperature continues to drop in the 317.
“There’s probably a reason why we haven’t run here in October over 100 years,” Kellett mentioned. “It’s pretty cold, but the wind and weather factors are a bit less substantial on a road course. The speeds are on average quite a bit lower, but it still plays a factor because we had a big tail wind going into turn 7 yesterday. It makes a difference when you’re entering a corner at 180 MPH.”
Both races will feature 25 participants. The GMR Grand Prix was the last time the drivers competed on the road course. It was Scott Dixon picking up the July 4th win, as that was also the median of his three race winning streak to start the season. Returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend is Sébastien Bourdais. As a member of A.J. Foyt Racing as well, Kellett told Big Joe that having Bourdais as a teammate has been invaluable.
“The biggest thing with a seasoned vet like (Bourdais) is he knows what he wants out of the car,” Kellett said. “As a rookie, I’m still figuring out what I want out of this IndyCar, and seeing the stuff he focuses on is what I’m going to learn most from him.”
Rookie Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing earned his first career pole on Thursday and will lead the field heading into the green flag this afternoon. Race 1 will be aired on USA Network, while Race 2 is on NBC.
Tune into The Fan Morning Show weekdays from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
