The uniqueness of March Madness in Indianapolis was only an appetizer for what the next couple of months will offer sports fans around town.
That’s because it’s time for IndyCar season. And the month of May will be roaring through in full force. It’s still to be determined if fans will be in attendance and ultimately how many, but the drivers are gearing to go.
Which means we needed a full breakdown of what’s to come this morning on The Fan Morning Show. The Voice of the Indianapolis 500 Mark Jaynes stopped by to chat with Jeff Rickard and Big Joe Staysniak.
First up, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
There will be some new faces on the NTT IndyCar Series track this year, but they certainly will be recognizable.
“The biggest thing is the changeover in personnel with drivers going to different teams,” Jaynes said. “Then you add Romain Grosjean from Formula One and then a seven-time Winston Cup Champion in Jimmie Johnson, that’s going to get some notoriety. It will be interesting to see how those two accomplished drivers do in this discipline that they’re somewhat unfamiliar with.”
When Johnson announced he was coming to IndyCar late last summer, that became a game changer for the series.
He won’t be racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. But you talk about him coming in at a later time when there’s a full house with people packed all throughout the facility? Sign us up.
The always popular James Hinchcliffe and four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais are also back to full-time schedules. And for the first time in 20 years, Helio Castroneves is not with Team Penske. Helio has joined Meyer Shank Racing.
“If you’re looking for a storyline going into this season, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden have combined for the last four championships,” Jaynes added. “Dixon interestingly enough is looking for his first win at Barber Motorsports Park and that’s hard to believe.
Let’s go racing fellas!
Tune into The Fan Morning Show weekdays from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
