2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix

The 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix was an IndyCar motor race held on August 14, 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.[1] It was the 12th round of the 2021 IndyCar Series. This was also the first meeting at the Speedway since the death of Bob Jenkins. Indianapolis area resident and well-known motorsport broadcaster Jamie Little replaced Jenkins, sharing public address duties with Allen Bestwick. Dave Calabro, who shares duties with Bestwick, does not work the Verizon 200 meeting.

United States 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix
Race details
12th round of the 2021 IndyCar season
DateAugust 14, 2021
Official nameBig Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix
LocationIndianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.439 mi / 3.925 km
Distance85 laps
207.315 mi / 333.641 km
Pole position
DriverMexico Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren SP)
Time01:10.7147
Fastest lap
DriverAustralia Will Power (Team Penske)
Time01:11.6919 (on lap 16 of 85)
Podium
FirstAustralia Will Power (Team Penske)
SecondFrance Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing)
ThirdUnited States Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian)

The 85-lap race was won by Team Penske's Will Power, clinching his first win of the season. IndyCar rookie Romain Grosjean finished second, repeating his best ever finish at the time, which was achieved at the same circuit in the GMR Grand Prix. Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport rounded out the podium places with his third-placed finish.[2]

Background

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The event was held over two days on August 13-14, 2021 at the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. This was the second time the venue featured in the 2021 season, following the GMR Grand Prix in May 2021, and the third edition of this race, as it debuted as an October 2020 doubleheader.

The race was the 12th race of the 16-race calendar, held one week after the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee and one week prior to the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Rinus VeeKay was the previous race winner, having won the GMR Grand Prix in May 2021.[3]

Championship standings before the race

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Álex Palou stood top of the standings over Scott Dixon, who rose to second after his second-place finish in Nashville. Pato O'Ward was demoted to third following Dixon's rise to second, sitting over Josef Newgarden in fourth and Marcus Ericsson in fifth.

Honda maintained their lead over Chevrolet in the manufacturer's standings.

Entrants

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28 drivers entered the race. Dale Coyne Racing fielded a second entry with Rick Ware Racing for the fourth time in the season, with Cody Ware returning to drive the No. 52 car after his appearance at the previous race.[4]

Top Gun Racing returned to make their IndyCar race debut, after the team failed to qualify for the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver R. C. Enerson, who piloted their No. 75 car on their Indy 500 qualifying attempt, returned to drive for the team.[5]

Formula 2 driver and Alpine Academy member Christian Lundgaard made his IndyCar debut, as he was signed by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to drive their No. 45 entry, previously driven by Santino Ferrucci in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.[6]

Key Meaning
 R  Rookie
 W  Past winner
No. Driver Team Engine
2   Josef Newgarden  W  Team Penske Chevrolet
3   Scott McLaughlin  R  Team Penske Chevrolet
4   Dalton Kellett A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
5   Patricio O'Ward Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
06   Hélio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7   Felix Rosenqvist Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
8   Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9   Scott Dixon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10   Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12   Will Power  W  Team Penske Chevrolet
14   Sébastien Bourdais A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
15   Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
18   Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
20   Conor Daly Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
21   Rinus VeeKay  W  Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
22   Simon Pagenaud  W  Team Penske Chevrolet
26   Colton Herta Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda
27   Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
28   Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
29   James Hinchcliffe Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda
30   Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
45   Christian Lundgaard  R  Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
48   Jimmie Johnson  R  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
51   Romain Grosjean  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda
52   Cody Ware  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda
59   Max Chilton Carlin Chevrolet
60   Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
75   R. C. Enerson  R  Top Gun Racing Chevrolet

Practice

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Practice 1 took place at 3:00 PM ET on August 13, 2021.[1] The one-hour session was stopped with seven minutes remaining, as Colton Herta stopped at pit exit with a clutch problem and a warning light in his dashboard. Álex Palou was fastest in practice, with a time of 01:10.8839. Previous race winner Rinus VeeKay classified second, while Pato O'Ward finished third.[7]

Top Practice Speeds
Pos No. Driver Team Engine Lap Time
1 2   Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 01:10.8839
2 21   Rinus VeeKay  W  Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 01:10.9062
3 5   Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet 01:10.9267
Source:[8]

Qualifying

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Because of the compacted schedule as part of the NASCAR-INDYCAR doubleheader, qualifying, which started at 7:00 PM ET on August 13, 2021, was reduced to two rounds, with the third round omitted for time constraints.[1] The six fastest drivers of each group in Round 1 advanced to the Firestone Fast 12, where they competed for pole position. It was the latest time an INDYCAR session had started at the Speedway.

The second session of Round 1 was highlighted by Scott Dixon's spin on his last fast lap, just before the timing line, which by rule cancels his best two laps, and finished 13th in his group, meaning he started 26th. Dalton Kellett, Felix Rosenqvist, and James Hinchcliffe also had their laps deleted, as they failed to slow down during the local yellow that was raised due to Dixon's incident.

Pato O'Ward took pole with a time of 01:10.7147, with Will Power and Romain Grosjean second and third fastest respectively.[9] Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Christian Lundgaard qualified for the second row in his first ever IndyCar appearance.[10]

Qualifying classification

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Pos No. Driver Team Engine Time Final
grid
Round 1 Round 2
Group 1 Group 2
1 5   Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet N/A 01:11.2094 01:10.7147 1
2 27   Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 01:10.9988 N/A 01:10.7214 2
3 51   Romain Grosjean  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda N/A 01:11.1957 01:10.7418 3
4 45   Christian Lundgaard  R  Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda N/A 01:11.0511 01:10.7433 4
5 26   Colton Herta Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda 01:11.3896 N/A 01:10.7631 5
6 10   Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda N/A 01:11.1296 01:10.8290 6
7 60   Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda 01:11.1800 N/A 01:10.8875 7
8 20   Conor Daly Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 01:11.3129 N/A 01:10.9532 8
9 21   Rinus VeeKay  W  Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 01:11.4208 N/A 01:11.0208 9
10 27   Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda N/A 01:10.9867 01:11.0240 10
11 8   Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda N/A 01:11.2510 01:11.0342 11
12 22   Simon Pagenaud  W  Team Penske Chevrolet 01:11.3160 N/A 01:11.1346 12
13 28   Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 01:11.5084 N/A N/A 13
14 2   Josef Newgarden  W  Team Penske Chevrolet N/A 01:11.3623 N/A 201
15 14   Sébastien Bourdais A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 01:11.5504 N/A N/A 14
16 30   Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda N/A 01:11.4174 N/A 15
17 15   Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 01:11.5583 N/A N/A 16
18 18   Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda N/A 01:11.4360 N/A 17
19 59   Max Chilton Carlin Chevrolet 01:11.5739 N/A N/A 18
20 7   Felix Rosenqvist Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet N/A 01:11.5340 N/A 19
21 3   Scott McLaughlin  R  Team Penske Chevrolet 01:11.6676 N/A N/A 21
22 48   Jimmie Johnson  R  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda N/A 01:11.8624 N/A 22
23 06   Hélio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda 01:11.7319 N/A N/A 23
24 29   James Hinchcliffe Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda N/A 01:12.0813 N/A 24
25 75   R. C. Enerson  R  Top Gun Racing Chevrolet 01:12.3344 N/A N/A 25
26 9   Scott Dixon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda N/A 01:12.2660 N/A 26
27 52   Cody Ware  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 01:13.7572 N/A N/A 27
28 4   Dalton Kellett A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet N/A 01:12.5494 N/A 28
Source:[11]
Notes
  • Bold text indicates fastest time set in session.
  • ^1 - Josef Newgarden received a six-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.[12]

Warmup

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Warmup took place at 8:45 AM ET on August 14, 2021.[1] Marcus Ericsson was fastest with a time of 01:10.8839, ahead of Alexander Rossi in second and Josef Newgarden in third.

Top Warmup Speeds
Pos No. Driver Team Engine Lap Time
1 8   Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 01:10.8839
2 27   Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda 01:11.3895
3 2   Josef Newgarden  W  Team Penske Chevrolet 01:11.4639
Source:[13]

Race

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The race started at 12:30 PM ET.[1] On the first lap, Scott McLaughlin went airborne after hitting a kerb in Turn 6, however no damage was caused. IndyCar debutant Christian Lundgaard took the lead of the race on lap 16, as the race leaders went to pit. On lap 18, Will Power overtook Pato O'Ward to take the effective lead of the race. Simon Pagenaud would take the lead from Lundgaard on lap 18, as the Danish driver pitted for fresh tyres. Pagenaud would then yield the lead to Power on lap 21, as he made his pit stop. As Pagenaud exited the pits, he emerged in front of Conor Daly, who attempted an overtake on Pagenaud in Turn 7, which failed and sent Daly to the grass, causing him to drop two positions from tenth to 12th. On the following lap, Colton Herta passed O'Ward to take second. O'Ward would continue to drop away from the podium places and eventually finished fifth.

On lap 68, Álex Palou retired from fourth position due to a mechanical failure, bringing out a caution that lasted three laps. He would later classify 27th, scoring only five points. After the race was restarted on lap 70, Romain Grosjean, who was third at the time, outbraked Herta in Turn 1 to take second position. Sébastien Bourdais and Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact on lap 73, sending them both off-track and down the order. The second caution of the day was caused after McLaughlin hit the rear of Rinus VeeKay's car on lap 76, causing VeeKay to spin and stall his vehicle in Turn 7. The caution lasted two laps.

Will Power ended his winless run as he finished first, ahead of Romain Grosjean, who equalled his highest-ever finish in second, and Colton Herta in third.[14][15]

Race classification

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Pos No. Driver Team Engine Laps Time/Retired Pit
Stops
Grid Laps
Led
Pts.
1 12   Will Power  W  Team Penske Chevrolet 85 1:49:38.0811 3 2 56 53
2 51   Romain Grosjean  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 85 +1.1142 3 3 40
3 26   Colton Herta Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda 85 +2.3498 3 5 2 35
4 27   Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda 85 +3.4382 3 10 32
5 5   Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet 85 +4.1052 3 1 16 32
6 60   Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda 85 +5.3233 3 7 28
7 15   Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 85 +5.8553 3 16 26
8 2   Josef Newgarden  W  Team Penske Chevrolet 85 +6.2497 3 20 2 25
9 8   Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 85 +7.0080 3 11 22
10 30   Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 85 +7.9449 3 15 20
11 20   Conor Daly Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 85 +9.3596 3 8 19
12 45   Christian Lundgaard  R  Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 85 +9.8379 3 4 2 19
13 7   Felix Rosenqvist Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet 85 +10.6234 3 19 17
14 18   Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda 85 +12.1199 3 17 16
15 14   Sébastien Bourdais A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 85 +12.5781 3 14 15
16 22   Simon Pagenaud  W  Team Penske Chevrolet 85 +16.4169 3 12 7 15
17 9   Scott Dixon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 85 +17.1924 3 26 13
18 28   Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 85 +17.3273 3 13 12
19 48   Jimmie Johnson  R  Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 85 +18.1585 3 22 11
20 59   Max Chilton Carlin Chevrolet 85 +18.7489 3 18 10
21 06   Hélio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda 85 +19.5451 3 23 9
22 29   James Hinchcliffe Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda 85 +20.8450 3 24 8
23 3   Scott McLaughlin  R  Team Penske Chevrolet 85 +21.0115 3 21 7
24 21   Rinus VeeKay  W  Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 85 +22.4946 3 9 6
25 52   Cody Ware  R  Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 83 +2 Laps 4 27 5
26 4   Dalton Kellett A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 81 +4 Laps 4 28 5
27 10   Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 67 Mechanical 3 6 5
28 75   R. C. Enerson  R  Top Gun Racing Chevrolet 12 Mechanical 2 25 5
Fastest lap:   Will Power (Team Penske) – 01:11.6919 (lap 16)
Source:[16]

Championship standings after the race

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Points leader Álex Palou saw his championship lead cut due to his 27th-place finish, as Pato O'Ward moved up to second – at Scott Dixon's expense, as he moved down to third.

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Will Power ends IndyCar drought with Indianapolis GP victory - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. August 14, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "Indycar GP Indy: VeeKay beats Grosjean for comfortable maiden win". www.autosport.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Brown, Nathan. "Searching for sense of belonging: Cody Ware's historic IndyCar-NASCAR double-duty at IMS". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Top Gun Racing confirms race debut on IMS road course next month". RACER. July 10, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD TO MAKE HIS INDYCAR DEBUT WITH RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT THE BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX". Rahal Letterman Lanigan. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Palou Paces Tight Opening Practice on Indy Road Course". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Practice - Results" (PDF). IndyCar Series. August 13, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  9. ^ "O'Ward Powers to NTT P1 Award in Tight, Taut Indy Qualifying". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Lundgaard Turns Heads, Qualifies Up Front in INDYCAR Debut". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Qualifications - Results (Road Course Elimination)" (PDF). IndyCar Series. August 13, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "Newgarden to take six-place grid penalty on IMS road course". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Practice - Results" (PDF). IndyCar Series. August 14, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "Will Power ends IndyCar drought with Indianapolis GP victory - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. August 14, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "Power Extends Reign as King of IMS Road with First Win of Year". IndyCar.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Race - Results - Final" (PDF). IndyCar Series. August 14, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  17. ^ "Points - Indycar Engine" (PDF). motorsports.nbcsports.com. August 14, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.


Previous race:
Music City Grand Prix
IndyCar Series
2020 season
Next race:
2021 Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Previous race:
2020 IndyCar Grand Prix
INDYCAR Grand Prix (NASCAR) Next race:
2022 Gallagher Grand Prix
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