Yesterday’s NTT IndyCar Series race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) featured a lot of firsts. It was IndyCar’s first race at the massive track just outside of Austin, Texas. It was the first-ever IndyCar win for an eighteen year-old. It was the first win for Colton Herta, a second-generation driver who was driving in only his third IndyCar race. It was also the first win for Harding Steinbrenner Racing, the team formerly known as Harding Racing.
Random Thoughts on COTA
Posted in IndyCar on March 25, 2019 by OilpressureCOTA Preview
Posted in IndyCar on March 22, 2019 by Oilpressure
I am always intrigued when the NTT IndyCar Series goes to a new venue. Last year, the series returned to Portland, in 2017 it was Gateway. In 2016, the series returned to Road America, Watkins Glen and Phoenix. The thing is, while those were new venues that had not been on the schedule for a while – they were sites that had hosted IndyCar races about a decade earlier and we knew what to expect.
Why Do We Go To Races?
Posted in IndyCar on March 20, 2019 by Oilpressure
By Susan Phillips
Note from George: Thanks to my wife for pinch-hitting today. I am lucky to have a job that does not normally require me to bring work home with me. But every now and then, the day-job gets super crazy and forces me to work on projects at night. This is one of those times. Things have been so hectic this week, I have not had the time nor the energy to write at night. I was just going to announce that there would be no post today, but Susan jumped in at the last minute and wrote this up Monday and Tuesday night. Things may be just as crazy next week, but then things will get back to normal; just in time for us to go to Barber. Thanks again, Susan! – GP
How Did This Happen?
Posted in IndyCar on March 18, 2019 by Oilpressure
There is a popular TV commercial out right now with the tagline “Stay in your lane, bro”. I should probably heed that advice and stick with what I know, rather than treading into waters where I could be eaten by sharks that know a lot more about this topic than I do. But I’m going to give it a try.
Trendiness, Buzzwords & Pet-Peeves
Posted in IndyCar on March 15, 2019 by Oilpressure
The NTT IndyCar Series offseason ended this past weekend, with Josef Newgarden and Team Penske collecting the first win of the season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The podium had no real surprises, so it appears to be business as usual. There was a lot of offseason news to write about, which left me little time to devote to some of the more frivolous “puff” pieces I like to do in the offseason. Since there is a weekend between the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the IndyCar Classic at COTA, I thought I would squeeze one in that I had planned to run a couple of weeks ago – so just pretend for a few minutes that we are still in the offseason.
My First Street Course
Posted in IndyCar on March 13, 2019 by Oilpressure
By Susan Phillips
The great thing about this race was how well-attended it was. I saw a wide variety of fans—I don’t know if Florida just loves a chance to gather and party or this is a well-established race that always draws a crowd. I did not see this from a fan’s perspective—finding a place to park in the downtown area, getting to the venue, and all the other things involved with attending a race in the downtown area.
Random Thoughts on St. Petersburg
Posted in IndyCar on March 11, 2019 by Oilpressure
This will be somewhat abbreviated for a couple of reasons. First, I wrote about the race yesterday soon after it was over. Secondly, it is late Sunday night as I type this. We have a 9:30 am flight to catch and I’m tired. So this will be brief.
Oilpressure 