Race Report: 2021 Genesys 300 and XPEL 375

2021 Genesys 300 and XPEL 375 logo

Texas Motor Speedway
May 1–2, 2021

Top Five — XPEL 375

RankDriverCar No.Laps LedPoints
1Pato O'Ward52551
2Josef Newgarden22541
3Graham Rahal151336
4Scott Dixon916335
5Colton Herta26-30

Top Five — Genesys 300

RankDriverCar No.Laps LedPoints
1Scott Dixon920653
2Scott McLaughlin3-40
3Pato O'Ward5-35
4Alex Palou10633
5Graham Rahal15-30

Post-Race — XPEL 375

Box ScoreView PDF
Event SummaryView PDF
Lap ChartView PDF
Leader Lap SummaryView PDF
Pit Stop SummaryView PDF
Top Section TimesView PDF
Section ResultsView PDF

Post-Race — Genesys 300

Box ScoreView PDF
Event SummaryView PDF
Lap ChartView PDF
Leader Lap SummaryView PDF
Pit Stop SummaryView PDF
Top Section TimesView PDF
Section ResultsView PDF

Preview

The loss of Iowa Speedway on the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series schedule left a glaring hole where an oval used to be, but Texas Motor Speedway — a longtime bastion of Indy car racing in the Lone Star State — stepped up with a doubleheader weekend. The change kept four oval races on the calendar and, more critically for teams, drivers and the state of this year’s fledging championship fight, created a three-week span with four full-length points-paying races.

A doubleheader event isn’t necessarily a new thing for IndyCar in Texas; the last two-race weekend was the oft-maligned Firestone Twin 275s held in 2011 on the same day and won by Dario Franchitti and Will Power. Unlike that event which set the starting lineup for the second race by random draw, this year standard two-lap qualifying will set the lineup for both races with Saturday’s Genesys 300 determined by the first lap and Sunday’s XPEL 375 determined by the second lap.

In addition to differences due to its nature as a twin bill, the Texas races will have a different entry list as well with oval specialists swapping into several cars. For Ed Carpenter Racing, team owner Ed Carpenter will take over the No. 20 Chevrolet while Conor Daly, its occupant for road and street courses, will shift to the No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet replacing Max Chilton. At Dale Coyne Racing, the No. 51 Honda driven by Romain Grosjean at this season’s opening two rounds will feature Pietro Fittipaldi in a return to the team. Finally, Tony Kanaan will rejoin Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 48 Honda typically occupied by Jimmie Johnson.

Six entered drivers have won previously at Texas: Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Carpenter, Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden. Notably, Dixon shares the record for most wins at the 1.5-mile oval — four — with Helio Castroneves. While Castroneves is not competing this weekend, he will return to IndyCar later this season with Meyer Shank Racing.

After a combined 460 laps over two days at Texas, almost one-fourth of the season will be complete potentially creating a much clearer championship picture before the series heads back home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the GMR Grand Prix on May 15 and the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Use the tabs or menu above to view session results, schedule, entrant facts, weather forecast, track facts and history.

Sessions

Results

Race — XPEL 375

RankDriverCar No.StartLapsTotal TimeLaps LedStatusPointsAvg. SpeedPit Stops
1Pato O'Ward5424802:06:31.115525Running51169.36016
2Josef Newgarden2624802:06:32.359825Running41169.33216
3Graham Rahal15924802:06:36.760413Running36169.23416
4Scott Dixon9124802:06:37.1541163Running35169.22516
5Colton Herta261024802:06:37.4937-Running30169.21816
6Simon Pagenaud22824802:06:38.1243-Running28169.20416
7Alex Palou10224802:06:39.48413Running27169.17416
8Scott McLaughlin3724802:06:43.0083-Running24169.09516
9Rinus VeeKay211224802:06:43.83675Running23169.07717
10Ryan Hunter-Reay282124802:06:45.7084-Running20169.03517
11Ed Carpenter201924802:06:46.43351Running20169.01917
12Marcus Ericsson81324802:06:47.1896-Running18169.00218
13Will Power12324802:06:48.92911Running18168.96416
14Takuma Sato301124702:06:49.945812Running17168.26017
15Tony Kanaan482024602:06:45.0511-Running15167.68617
16Felix Rosenqvist71724602:06:47.6290-Running14167.63019
17Jack Harvey60511501:01:50.8171-Mechanical13160.65514
18James Hinchcliffe29223000:59:10.6537-Mechanical1243.80015
19Sebastien Bourdais1414000:00:00.0000-Contact110.0000
20Alexander Rossi2715000:00:04.7449-Contact100.0000
21Pietro Fittipaldi5116000:00:00.0000-Contact90.0000
22Ed Jones1818000:00:05.5296-Contact80.0000
23Dalton Kellett423000:00:04.4050-Contact70.0000
24Conor Daly5924000:00:03.7575-Contact60.0000
— Race: Results (PDF) | Back to the session list

Session Notes:

  • Unaffected by weather, the XPEL 375 started on time with Scott Dixon leading the field to the green based on the No. 9 Honda having the most entrant point following the Genesys 300.
  • Prior to the entire field taking the green flag, a multi-car incident prompted the race's first full-course caution. Pietro Fittipaldi got into the back of Sebastien Bouardais, causing a chain reaction that also involved Dalton Kellett, Alexander Rossi, Conor Daly, Ed Jones and Tony Kanaan. All but Kanaan retired from the race. Notably, Daly's No. 59 Chevrolet flipped and slid down the frontstretch before righting itself.
  • Dixon led the field again on the Lap 18 restart and ended up leading the most laps.
  • In the last stint of the race following final pit stops, Josef Newgarden emerged as the leader with Patricio O'Ward, Graham Rahal and Dixon chasing. O'Ward passed Newgarden for the lead on Lap 225 and continued out front front remainder of the 248-lap race.
  • O'Ward's victory is his first of 2021 and the first of his NTT IndyCar Series career. His previous best finish was second on three occasions, most recently at St. Petersburg in October 2020.
  • The win marked the eighth for Arrow McLaren SP in Indy car competition. The team last won at Iowa Speedway in 2018 with James Hinchcliffe.
  • The last Mexican driver to win in Indy car competition was Adrian Fernandez at Auto Club Speedway in 2004.
  • In addition to the caution at the start of the race, there were two further yellow flags:
    • Lap 117: Smoke trailed from the No. 60 Honda of Jack Harvey, sending him to the pits and out of the race.
    • Lap 190: Felix Rosenqvist stopped on course after losing a tire following a pit stop.
  • On the strength of a victory and a fourth-place finish, Dixon leaves Texas as the points leader with 22-point advantage over O'Ward. The next race is the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 15, 2021.

Race — Genesys 300

RankDriverCar No.StartLapsTotal TimeLaps LedStatusPointsAvg. SpeedPit Stops
1Scott Dixon9321201:45:51.3417206Running53173.0363
2Scott McLaughlin31521201:45:51.6063-Running40173.0283
3Pato O'Ward51121201:45:53.1224-Running35172.9873
4Alex Palou10121201:45:54.19786Running33172.9583
5Graham Rahal151321201:45:57.9457-Running30172.8564
6Josef Newgarden21021201:45:59.2447-Running28172.8213
7Jack Harvey60621201:45:59.8463-Running26172.8043
8Alexander Rossi271621201:46:00.9315-Running24172.7753
9Takuma Sato301221201:46:01.4074-Running22172.7624
10Simon Pagenaud22521201:46:01.7688-Running20172.7523
11Tony Kanaan482321201:46:03.3605-Running19172.7093
12Ed Jones181921201:46:03.9202-Running18172.6943
13Felix Rosenqvist71821201:46:04.2896-Running17172.6843
14Will Power12221201:46:05.6963-Running16172.6453
15Pietro Fittipaldi511421201:46:06.3924-Running15172.6263
16Ryan Hunter-Reay282121201:46:08.8356-Running14172.5603
17Ed Carpenter201721201:46:11.2355-Running13172.4953
18Dalton Kellett42221201:46:15.2985-Running12172.3853
19Marcus Ericsson8921101:46:06.9576-Running11171.7973
20Rinus VeeKay21821101:46:12.1244-Running10171.6583
21Conor Daly592421101:46:16.6912-Running9171.5353
22Colton Herta26419001:37:20.2809-Mechanical8168.6493
23James Hinchcliffe292015801:15:50.8717-Contact7179.9812
24Sebastien Bourdais1475500:22:53.5816-Contact6207.5740
— Race: Results (PDF) | Back to the session list

Session Notes:

  • The 212-lap race began 35 minutes earlier than originally scheduled due to weather concerns. At 107 laps complete, the race would have been official but rain stayed away from Texas Motor Speedway and all 212 laps were run.
  • Scott Dixon led a field-high 206 laps, clinching two bonus points for leading the most laps.
  • Dixon's victory was his first win of 2021 and the 51st of his Indy car career. He is one win behind Mario Andretti for second on the all-time list. The win also marked the 19th consecutive season in which Dixon has at least one victory, breaking a tie with A.J. Foyt who had 18 seasons with at least one victory.
  • Dixon's win was the fifth time he won at the 1.5-mile track, and the second time in two years. In the past three years, the winner at Texas has gone on to win the championship: Josef Newgarden in 2019 and Dixon in 2018 and 2020.
  • The race was slowed by two yellow flags:
    • On Lap 56, Sebastien Bourdais spun after rear contact by Josef Newgarden. The No. 14 Chevrolet of Bourdais made hard contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier. Bourdais climbed from his car without assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was later checked and released from the infield care center and cleared to drive.
    • On Lap 160, James HInchcliffe spun in the No. 29 Honda and made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2. Like Bourdais, Hinchcliffe was checked and released from the infield care center and cleared to drive.
  • With qualifying canceled, the starting lineup for the XPEL 375 will be based on entrant points following the Genesys 300. Dixon will start from pole alongside teammate Alex Palou on the front row.

Qualifying

Canceled due to weather.

Practice

RankDriverCar No.Best TimeOn LapBest SpeedTotal LapsDifferenceGap
1Tony Kanaan4800:23.545116220.17354--.------.----
2Pato O'Ward500:23.570745219.934730.02560.0256
3Takuma Sato3000:23.577836219.868700.03270.0071
4Scott Dixon900:23.593310219.723560.04820.0155
5Simon Pagenaud2200:23.595010219.708620.04990.0017
6Marcus Ericsson800:23.596065219.698880.05090.0010
7Felix Rosenqvist700:23.631744219.366710.08660.0357
8Josef Newgarden200:23.689949218.827670.14480.0582
9James Hinchcliffe2900:23.702910218.707870.15780.0130
10Graham Rahal1500:23.70729218.668810.16210.0043
11Alex Palou1000:23.768467218.105860.22330.0612
12Conor Daly5900:23.778745218.010550.23360.0103
13Alexander Rossi2700:23.81186217.707370.26670.0331
14Ryan Hunter-Reay2800:23.89145216.982470.34630.0796
15Jack Harvey6000:23.933111216.604520.38800.0417
16Will Power1200:23.937913216.560560.39280.0048
17Colton Herta2600:23.93827216.558420.39310.0003
18Rinus VeeKay2100:23.977711216.201390.43260.0395
19Ed Carpenter2000:23.986919216.118550.44180.0092
20Scott McLaughlin300:24.039311215.647830.49420.0524
21Ed Jones1800:24.105346215.056790.56020.0660
22Sebastien Bourdais1400:24.11198214.998710.56680.0066
23Dalton Kellett400:24.211360214.115930.66620.0994
24Pietro Fittipaldi5100:24.292355213.401850.74720.0810
— Practice: Results (PDF) | Back to the session list

Session Notes:

  • Due to inclement weather at Texas Motor Speedway, the start of practice was delayed two hours, from 11:30 a.m. CDT to 1:30 p.m. The schedule change prompted INDYCAR to cancel qualifying and extend practice to 90 minutes.
  • The loss of qualifying will set the starting grid by entrant points, with points leader Alex Palou starting form pole.
  • In order to avoid potential rain, the green flag for the Genesys 300 was moved up to 6:10 p.m. from 6:45 p.m. The television start time of 7 p.m. EDT on NBCSN remains the same.
  • The session, which included 10 minutes dedicated to pit speed limiter practice, ran free of incidents.
  • Tony Kanaan, returning this year to Chip Ganassi Racing for the four oval races, topped the session with a best speed of 220.173 mph.

Green Flag— Genesys 300: 6:10 p.m. CDT* Saturday
— XPEL 375: 4:15 p.m. Sunday
Drivers Start Your Engines— Genesys 300: 6:05 p.m. Saturday
— XPEL 375: 4:10 p.m. Sunday
Race Broadcast— Genesys 300: 7 p.m. EDT Saturday on NBCSN
— XPEL 375: 5 p.m. EDT Sunday on NBCSN
QualifyingCanceled due to weather
Practice Sessions1:30–3 p.m. Saturday on Peacock Premium
(rescheduled due to weather)
Full Weekend ScheduleView PDF
Live Timing and ScoringINDYCAR Race Control and INDYCAR Mobile app (iOS, Android).
Radio BroadcastINDYCAR Radio Network, SiriusXM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app (iOS, Android).
Video StreamingAll NTT IndyCar Series practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
* All times are in Central Daylight Time unless otherwise noted. View the Genesys 300 green-flag time in all time zones. View the XPEL 375 green-flag time in all time zones.

Starting Lineup— Genesys 300: View Table
— XPEL 375: View Table
Entry List— Genesys 300: View Table
— XPEL 375: View Table
Spotter Guide— Genesys 300: View
— XPEL 375: View
Pit AssignmentsView PDF
Tires Available per EntryThirteen sets primary to be used during practice, qualifying and the doubleheader races.

Starting Lineup — XPEL 375

SPCar No.DriverEngine
19Scott DixonHonda
210Alex PalouHonda
312Will PowerChevrolet
45Pato O'WardChevrolet
560Jack HarveyHonda
62Josef NewgardenChevrolet
73Scott McLaughlin (R)Chevrolet
822Simon PagenaudChevrolet
915Graham RahalHonda
1026Colton HertaHonda
1130Takuma SatoHonda
1221Rinus VeeKayChevrolet
138Marcus EricssonHonda
1414Sebastien BourdaisChevrolet
1527Alexander RossiHonda
1651Pietro FittipaldiHonda
177Felix RosenqvistChevrolet
1818Ed JonesHonda
1920Ed CarpenterChevrolet
2048Tony KanaanHonda
2128Ryan Hunter-ReayHonda
2229James HinchcliffeHonda
234Dalton KellettChevrolet
2459Conor DalyChevrolet
(R) Rookie
— XPEL 375 Starting Lineup: PDF

Starting Lineup — Genesys 300

SPCar No.DriverEngine
110Alex PalouHonda
212Will PowerChevrolet
39Scott DixonHonda
426Colton HertaHonda
522Simon PagenaudChevrolet
660Jack HarveyHonda
714Sebastien BourdaisChevrolet
821Rinus VeeKayChevrolet
98Marcus EricssonHonda
102Josef NewgardenChevrolet
115Pato O'WardChevrolet
1230Takuma SatoHonda
1315Graham RahalHonda
1451Pietro FittipaldiHonda
153Scott McLaughlin (R)Chevrolet
1627Alexander RossiHonda
1720Ed CarpenterChevrolet
187Felix RosenqvistChevrolet
1918Ed JonesHonda
2029James HinchcliffeHonda
2128Ryan Hunter-ReayHonda
224Dalton KellettChevrolet
2348Tony KanaanHonda
2459Conor DalyChevrolet
(R) Rookie
— Genesys 300 Starting Lineup: PDF

Entry List — Genesys 300

Car No.DriverHometownSponsorTeamEngine
2Josef NewgardenNashville, Tennessee, USAXPELTeam PenskeChevrolet
3Scott McLaughlin (R)Christchurch, New ZealandPPGTeam PenskeChevrolet
4Dalton KellettStouffville, CanadaK-Line InsulatorsAJ Foyt RacingChevrolet
5Pato O'WardMonterrey, MexicoArrow McLaren SPArrow McLaren SPChevrolet
7Felix RosenqvistVärnamo, SwedenArrow McLaren SPArrow McLaren SPChevrolet
8Marcus EricssonKumla, SwedenHuski ChocolateChip Ganassi RacingHonda
9Scott DixonAuckland, New ZealandPNC BankChip Ganassi RacingHonda
10Alex PalouBarcelona, SpainNTT DataChip Ganassi RacingHonda
12Will PowerToowoomba, AustraliaVerizon 5GTeam PenskeChevrolet
14Sebastien BourdaisLe Mans, FranceROKiTAJ Foyt RacingChevrolet
15Graham RahalNew Albany, Ohio, USAFleet Cost & CareRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda
18Ed JonesDubai, United Arab EmiratesSealMasterDale Coyne Racing with Vasser SullivanHonda
20Ed CarpenterIndianapolis, Indiana, USAU.S. Air ForceEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet
21Rinus VeeKayHoofddorp, NetherlandsSonax / AutogeekEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet
22Simon PagenaudMontmorillon, FranceMenardsTeam PenskeChevrolet
26Colton HertaValencia, California, USAGainbridgeAndretti AutosportHonda
27Alexander RossiNevada City, California, USANAPA Auto Parts / AutoNationAndretti AutosportHonda
28Ryan Hunter-ReayFort Lauderdale, Florida, USADHLAndretti AutosportHonda
29James HinchcliffeToronto, CanadaGenesysAndretti AutosportHonda
30Takuma SatoTokyo, JapanPanasonic / Mi-JackRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda
48Tony KanaanSalvador, BrazilBryantChip Ganassi RacingHonda
51Pietro FittipaldiSao Paulo, BrazilNurtec ODTDale Coyne Racing with RWRHonda
59Conor DalyNoblesville, Indiana, USACarlinCarlinChevrolet
60Jack HarveyBassingham, EnglandAutoNation / SiriusXMMeyer Shank RacingHonda
(R) — Denotes NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year candidate
— Genesys 300 Entry List: PDF

Entry List — XPEL 375

Car No.DriverHometownSponsorTeamEngine
2Josef NewgardenNashville, Tennessee, USAXPELTeam PenskeChevrolet
3Scott McLaughlin (R)Christchurch, New ZealandPPGTeam PenskeChevrolet
4Dalton KellettStouffville, CanadaK-Line InsulatorsAJ Foyt RacingChevrolet
5Pato O'WardMonterrey, MexicoArrow McLaren SPArrow McLaren SPChevrolet
7Felix RosenqvistVärnamo, SwedenArrow McLaren SPArrow McLaren SPChevrolet
8Marcus EricssonKumla, SwedenHuski ChocolateChip Ganassi RacingHonda
9Scott DixonAuckland, New ZealandPNC BankChip Ganassi RacingHonda
10Alex PalouBarcelona, SpainNTT DataChip Ganassi RacingHonda
12Will PowerToowoomba, AustraliaVerizon 5GTeam PenskeChevrolet
14Sebastien BourdaisLe Mans, FranceROKiTAJ Foyt RacingChevrolet
15Graham RahalNew Albany, Ohio, USAFleet Cost & CareRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda
18Ed JonesDubai, United Arab EmiratesSealMasterDale Coyne Racing with Vasser SullivanHonda
20Ed CarpenterIndianapolis, Indiana, USAU.S. Air ForceEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet
21Rinus VeeKayHoofddorp, NetherlandsSonax / AutogeekEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet
22Simon PagenaudMontmorillon, FranceMenardsTeam PenskeChevrolet
26Colton HertaValencia, California, USAGainbridgeAndretti AutosportHonda
27Alexander RossiNevada City, California, USAAutoNation / NAPA Auto PartsAndretti AutosportHonda
28Ryan Hunter-ReayFort Lauderdale, Florida, USADHLAndretti AutosportHonda
29James HinchcliffeToronto, Canada#ShiftToGreenAndretti AutosportHonda
30Takuma SatoTokyo, JapanPanasonic / Mi-JackRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda
48Tony KanaanSalvador, BrazilThe American LegionChip Ganassi RacingHonda
51Pietro FittipaldiSao Paulo, BrazilNurtec ODTDale Coyne Racing with RWRHonda
59Conor DalyNoblesville, Indiana, USACarlinCarlinChevrolet
60Jack HarveyBassingham, EnglandAutoNation / SiriusXMMeyer Shank RacingHonda
(R) — Denotes NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year candidate
— XPEL 375 Entry List: PDF

FORT WORTH WEATHER

Track TypeOval
Length1.5 miles
Race Distance— Genesys 300: 212 laps (318 miles)
— XPEL 375: 248 laps (372 miles)
Number of Turns4
DirectionCounter-clockwise
Track Map
2021 Genesys 300 and XPEL 375 track map
Credit: INDYCAR
Event Twitter Account & Hashtag@TXMotorSpeedway , #Genesys300, #XPEL375

Past Driver PerformanceView PDF
Last Five Wins— 2020: Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
— 2019: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
— 2018: Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
— 2017: Will Power, Team Penske
— 2016: Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Last Five Poles— 2020: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske (215.740 mph)
— 2019: Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (220.250 mph)
— 2018: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske (220.613 mph)
— 2017: Charlie Kimball, Chip Ganassi Racing (222.556 mph)
— 2016: Carlos Munoz, Andretti Autosport (217.137 mph)
Qualifying Record (One Lap, 1.44 miles)222.747 mph (Charlie Kimball of Chip Ganassi Racing on June 9, 2017)
Qualifying Record (Two Laps, 2.88 miles)222.556 mph (Charlie Kimball of Chip Ganassi Racing on June 9, 2017)

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