Oilpressure

The NTT IndyCar Series makes their one annual trip north of the border this weekend to hit the streets of Toronto. For years, this event was the Honda Indy Toronto; but this year it is the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. I think it was always Honda of Canada that sponsored this race, but something obviously changed. I don’t really care what it is called, so long as they still have solid financial backing.

IndyCar has been racing around Exhibition Place since 1986, when it was named the Molson Indy Toronto – a moniker it carried until 2006. I know that as far as street races go, Long Beach is supposedly the gold standard – but Toronto has always been my favorite street circuit. I like the picturesque view of Turn One with the iconic Princes’ Gates just behind the turn. Then the sweeping long straightaway of Lake Shore Boulevard always got my attention, especially as it narrowed down to the sharp right-hander of Turn Three. After that, the circuit morphed into a series of tight left and right-handed turns before dumping out in front of the pits before heading back to Turn One and the Princes’ Gates.

I always considered Toronto one of the racier street circuits. I see this as a good test for the new hybrid component. The long stretch along Lake Shore Boulevard was made for the 4.5-second burst of extra horsepower and then the braking zone for Turn three and all of the subsequent turns can build up the charge again. I imagine drivers will also choose to deploy the hybrid system on the front straightaway as they approach Turn One.

On Tuesday, I had my doubts that this race would run at all. The remnants of Hurricane Beryl brought torrential downfalls of rain to the Toronto area. This photo was making the rounds on the internet Tuesday afternoon of Lake Shore Boulevard at Strachan Avenue – just about one block east of the section used for the track. I’m not sure, but that may be the Princes’ Gates in the background. When I saw this photo, I was skeptical that the stretch of road would be able to be used – even if the flood waters receded. Apparently, the water drained quickly and the race is a go.

I cannot watch them racing down Lake Shore Boulevard without thinking of driver Jeff Krosnoff and corner worker Gary Avrin. They were both fatally injured along Lake Shore Boulevard on the very last lap of the 1996 race as Krosnoff and Stefan Johansson got together and Krosnoff’s car went airborne. I have seen racing fatalities before and since that race, but that one almost got to me. I think it was because it involved a relatively unknown rookie driver and a totally unknown corner worker. We will all remember Greg Moore, Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson; but I’m always afraid the two that lost their lives that day will be forgotten. That’s why I mention then in practically every Toronto Preview I write.

As far as this year’s race goes – it’s hard to look at past winners and see a pattern of what teams or drivers are strong at Toronto. Josef Newgarden has won at Toronto twice with two different teams. In 2015, he won while driving for Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher (CFH Racing). Two years later, he won again while driving for Team Penske. Last year, the race was won by Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR). In 2022, Scott Dixon won for Chip Ganassi Racing. There were no races in 2020-21 due to COVID restrictions. Simon Pagenaud won for Penske in 2019, while Dixon won for Ganassi in 2018.

This is a track where Alex Palou has not won…not yet anyway. He has raced at Toronto twice. In 2023, he finished sixth and last year he finished second to Lundgaard. This is one of two non-ovals remaining on the schedule. Toronto seems like Palou’s kind of track, even though he is yet to win there.

Dale Coyne will field two young drivers this weekend. We learned a few days ago that Hunter McElrea will be in the No. 18 car this weekend. On Wednesday, it was announced that Toby Sowery will return for a second turn in the No. 51 that he drove to thirteenth at Mid-Ohio, which has been the best finish for a Coyne car this season, so far.

Marcus Armstrong will have a new look, as they unveiled a special Canadian livery of mostly orange with white trim. Pietro Fittipaldi is in a livery very similar to Christian Rasmussen. That will be fun to try and keep straight. David Malukas is in a car honoring Canadian band The Tragically Hip Band, who is also serving as honorary grand marshalls for the race. Those are the only new liveries that we’ve never seem before.

Don’t forget that Sunday’s race is on Peacock exclusively. There are no other outlets. All practices, qualifying and the race can only be found on Peacock. Today’s practice gets underway at 3:00 pm EDT. Practice Two will be on Saturday morning at 10:30 EDT. Qualifying will begin at 2:45 pm on Saturday, The morning warm-up will run at 10:00 am EDT on Sunday. Sunday’s race broadcast will begin at 1:00 pm EDT on Peacock, with the green flag flying approximately at 1:30 pm EDT.

Who will win? I would like to go out on a limb and say that Rasmussen or Linus Lundqvist or someone like that will win. While a longshot would be a great story, like when Lundgaard won last year, it’s not likely. No, I think Alex Palou and Scott Dixon will battle for the win. I think Palou had a wakeup call last Saturday night, and I think he will be back to laser focus on the type of course that he thrives on. Alex Palou will win Sunday’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. We’ll see.

George Phillips

This entry was posted on July 19, 2024 at 4:04 am and is filed under IndyCar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.