2022 GMR Grand Prix

Race Notes:

• Due to rain throughout the day, INDYCAR declared a wet start for the 2022 GMR Grand Prix. The rule requiring the use of primary and alternate tires was not enforced.
• A revised schedule was utilized due to inclement weather:
  • 3:10 p.m. — Cars to Grid
  • 3:28 p.m. — Colors, Invocation and National Anthem
  • 3:31 p.m. — Drivers to Your Cars
  • 3:40 p.m. — Drivers Start Your Engines
  • 3:46 p.m. (approx.) — Green Flag
• The race distance was 85 laps on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course totaling 207.32 miles or two hours, whichever came first.
• The pit road speed was 50 mph and the race was to start the third time by the flag stand after two parade laps and one pace lap.
• Seventeen minutes before the green flag, the ambient temperature at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was 75 degrees with cloudy skies and light rain falling. The track temperature was 87 degrees according to Firestone Racing engineers.
• At 3:40 p.m. EDT, Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Halliburton gave the command, “Drivers, start your engines" from the passenger seat of the Ruoff Fastest Seat in Sports. All engines fired and all cars were rolling on the grid.
• Pole sitter Will Power led the field to the start-finish line but was passed by Alex Palou in Turn 7. Palou was then passed by Pato O'Ward in Turn 12 with O'Ward scored the leader of the race on Lap 1.
• The switch from series-mandated rain tires to red-sidwalled alternate tires began on Lap 3 with both Colton Herta and Takuma Sato electing to pit, followed on the next lap by O'Ward.
• Herta gained the advantage on O'Ward through the pit stop exchange and emerged as the leader when the first of eight full-course cautions slowed the action.
  • Lap 6: Full-course yellow for Palou whose No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was stopped on course after a solo spin in Turn 10.
  • Lap 17: Josef Newgarden brought out the second full-course yellow when his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet stopped in Turn 12 after contact with the cars of Alexander Rossi and Jack Harvey.
  • Lap 21: Full-course yellow for Rinus Veejay whose No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet spun at the exit of Turn 2 and collected the No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda of Devlin DeFrancesco.
  • Lap 36: The No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet of Dalton Kellett went off course in Turn 6 to bring out the fourth caution period.
  • Lap 45: Full-course yellow for contact involving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of O'Ward, which spun in Turn 1 and collected the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of teammate Felix Rosenqvist.
  • Lap 57: The sixth caution was for Jimmie Johnson, who spun the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in Turn 10.
  • Lap 67: A spin for the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet of Scott McLaughlin in Turn 3 brought out the race's seventh full-course caution.
  • Lap 73: The final full-course yellow, which caused the race to end under caution, was for the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Juan Pablo Montoya, which made contact with the wall on course and subsequently went off course in Turn 11.
• Herta, after being one of the first to switch tires, managed to retain the advantage for the remainder of the race and went on to lead the most laps en route to securing the seventh victory of his NTT IndyCar Series career. His last victory came at the 2021 season finale in Long Beach.
• The victory marked the first for Andretti Autosport on the Indianapolis road course. The team has five victories on the 2.5-mile IMS oval.
• Unofficial points after the GMR Grand Prix:
  1. Power 138
  2. McLaughlin 126 (-12)
  3. Newgarden 123 (-15)
  4. Palou 113 (-25)
  5. Herta 112 (-26)
  6. Dixon 103 (-35)
  7. Ericsson 99 (-39)
  8. Pagenaud 90 (-48)
  9. Grosjean 86 (-52)
     

Session Notes:

• Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award consists of three segments. In the first round, each group receives 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six cars from each group advance to Round 2 while the remaining cars are assigned positions 13 to 27. Group 1 drivers will occupy the odd-numbered positions while Group 2 drivers will occupy the even-numbered positions based on their fastest lap times. During Round 2, the 12 advancing cars receive 10 minutes of track time with the fastest six advancing to the Firestone Fast Six while the remaining cars are ranked in positions seven through 12 based on their fastest laps. During the Firestone Fast Six, the six cars receive six minutes of guaranteed green-flag time. At the end of session, cars are ranked one through six based on their fastest laps.
• At the start of qualifying, the ambient temperature at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was 88 degrees. The track temperature was 130 degrees according to Firestone Racing engineers.
• All segments of knockout qualifying were without incident, with no red flags or penalties.
• Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly competed in the Firestone Fast Six for the NTT P1 Award.
• Power ended the Firestone Fast Six with the fastest lap: 1:09.7664. The achievement marked Power’s 64th NTT IndyCar Series pole and his sixth on the Indianapolis road course. Power became the fifth different pole winner in five races in 2022.
  

Session Notes:

• Like Practice 1, Practice 2 was 45 minutes in duration with one hour allotted on the schedule allowing for 15 minutes of red flag time.
• Practice stopped twice for on-track incidents:
  • At 12:51 p.m., six minutes after the start of the session, the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet of Dalton Kellett spun off course in Turn 4. The No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda of David Malukas ran wide through the gravel to avoid Kellett's car and was able to continue. For causing a red flag, Kellett was assessed a five-minute time penalty.
  • At 1:01 p.m., the clock stopped again when the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Jimmie Johnson went off course in Turn 4. Johnson was assessed a five-minute time penalty for causing a red flag.
• At the conclusion of the session, Pato O'Ward's 1:09.7839 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet was the fastest Practice 2 lap.
• The 23 fastest drivers were all within one second of each other, demonstrating the competitiveness of the field and emphasizing the importance of qualifying for the 85-lap race.
  

Session Notes:

• Practice 1 for the 2022 GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway began on time at 9:30 a.m. EDT. The session's duration was 45 minutes with a one-hour window on the day's schedule.
• With 1 minute and 38 seconds remaining on the session clock, a spin for the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda of Helio Castronves at pit in brought out the only red flag.
• Practice resumed and after final laps were completed, Alex Palou's 1:10.4555 in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was the fastest lap.