By Susan Phillips
Ever since we have been attending races as media members, I’ve realized that there is something special about attending a track for the first time. As most of you know, George despises change—but I find something almost invigorating about going to different tracks and getting a change of scenery.
Day One of the Hy-Vee IndyCar weekend was a rousing success, as far as I’m concerned. It’s been a while since I’ve packed in this much fun in a six-hour period at a race track.
Welcome to Iowa Speedway. From what we have seen so far, we are very impressed. We arrived at our hotel after an uneventful, but long (10.25 hours) drive. It was a little longer because our GPS diverted us around some road closures due to flooding in Illinois and Missouri.
After one race of the hybrid-era on a natural terrain road course in the books, the NTT IndyCar Series makes the shift into the oval portion of the schedule. With eight races remaining in the 2024 IndyCar season only two non-ovals remain – the street circuit for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto next weekend, and the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland on August 25. That means six of the final eight races will be on ovals.
We are a few days removed from the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio. As I mentioned Friday, life occasionally gets in the way. I had a family obligation this past weekend that prevented me from posting an article on the race here on Monday. Since it is now ancient history, I won’t rehash the usual Random Thoughts that I normally post on Monday.
Please Note: Before we get into the preview for Mid-Ohio; I wanted everyone to know that there will not be a “Random Thoughts” post here on Monday. I have a first cousin whose daughter chose to get married this coming Sunday. It’s bad enough that she chose the Independence Day weekend for her wedding, but the worst is she chose to do it on an IndyCar race weekend. Why they didn’t consult me on this remains a mystery. I tried desperately to get out of it, but Susan admonished me with the logic that family members are traveling hundreds of miles to attend. Living in the same city, we have no excuse. We have to go. Yes, I will set the DVR to watch later, but there is a reception and dinner afterward that may or may not involve alcohol. It’s probably best for me and my readers to not even attempt to slap something up here on Monday. Instead, I’ll return on Wednesday July 10, with a few general comments about the race. Thanks in advance for your understanding. – GP
Just when you think you know the driver lineup at Arrow McLaren, you find out that you still don’t. I don’t know how many were surprised by yesterday’s news that Christian Lundgaard will be replacing Alexander Rossi in the No. 7 cat next season – but I was shocked!
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