Rounds 9 & 10: The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, 27th-29th June.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Well after three weeks the 2014 IndyCar season resumes, returning to Houston, the second of this season's three double headers.

The Grand Prix of Houston was first run in the 1998, on the original Downtown course and was held five more times, with a hiatus from 2002-05 due to construction work in the city. It was briefly reinstated at the Reliant Park Complex, from 2006-07 as part of the Champ Car World Series.

In 2013 the Grand Prix of Houston returned to Reliant Park as the third double header event of last year's IndyCar season. Qualifying for Race 2 was cancelled due to rain and grid was set by entrant points coming into the double-header weekend, prior to the Houston event.

Ironically the Grand Prix of Houston, first won by Dario Franchitti in 1998, would be his last, as an horrific crash during last year's Race 2 ended an illustrious career.

Track Layout:

Original Downtown course:



Reliant Park course:





Length: 1.7 mi - 2.73 km
Turns: 10
Lap record: April 21, 2007, 57.405 seconds, 105.545 mph (169.858 kmh), Will Power, Team Australia, Panoz DP01-Cosworth.

Last year's winner, race 1:
Scott Dixon, Target Chip Ganassi, Dallara DW12-Honda
Laps: 90
Distance: 147.06 miles (236.67 km)
Race Time: 1:54:48
Average Speed: 76.856

Last year's winner, race 2:
Will Power, Team Penske, Dallara DW12-Chevrolet
Laps: 90
Distance: 147.06 miles (236.67 km)
Race Time: 1:52:29

TV Coverage:
NBCSN
Green flag, 3:00pm ET; both races.

[NaBUru38]

There's live streaming of IndyCar practice starting this weekend.

[Purist]

Practice stream is running.

[bjohnsonsmith]

This is the link for practice streaming,

http://racecontrol.indycar.com/

and this is the link for the NBC Sports Live Extra stream for quali and races.

http://stream.nbcsports.com/indy/

however, it looks like you need a US TV service provider, so if you live outside the USA like I do you won't be able to watch it.

[Purist]

Practice 2 is coming up at the top of the hour.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Pagenaud gets pole for first race.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114699

Pos Driver Team/Engine Time
1. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Honda 59.3716s Fast Six
2. Helio Castroneves Penske/Chevy 59.4463s Fast Six
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi/Chevy 59.5034s Fast Six
4. Luca Filippi Rahal/Honda 59.5523s Fast Six
5. James Hinchcliffe Andretti/Honda 59.6528s Fast Six
6. Takuma Sato Foyt/Honda 1m00.4037s Fast Six
7. Justin Wilson Coyne/Honda 59.4245s Round 2
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti/Honda 59.5107s Round 2
9. Sebastien Bourdais KV/Chevy 59.6126s Round 2
10. Mikhail Aleshin Schmidt/Honda 59.7003s Round 2
11. Juan Pablo Montoya Penske/Chevy 59.9649s Round 2
12. Josef Newgarden Fisher/Honda 1m00.0312s Round 2
13. Charlie Kimball Ganassi/Chevy 1m00.1291s Group 1
14. Graham Rahal Rahal/Honda 1m00.2491s Group 2
15. Ryan Briscoe Ganassi/Chevy 1m00.2124s Group 1
16. Marco Andretti Andretti/Honda 1m00.3295s Group 2
17. Mike Conway Carpenter/Chevy 1m00.2358s Group 1
18. Will Power Penske/Chevy 1m00.3670s Group 2
19. Carlos Huertas Coyne/Honda 1m00.3106s Group 1
20. Sebastian Saavedra KV/Chevy 1m00.4224s Group 2
21. Jack Hawksworth Herta/Honda 1m00.4203s Group 1
22. Tony Kanaan Ganassi/Chevy 1m00.6919s Group 2
23. Carlos Munoz Andretti/Honda 1m00.4734s Group 2

[tux]

Are they really letting them race with some of this standing water? Im surprised Indycar are comfortable with this but it will be fun to watch!

And a wet standing start, even F1 wont start a wet race with a standing start, this is an old throw back, good times!

[bjohnsonsmith]

They got away cleanly though, with a great start by Simon Pagenaud. Graham Rahal stalled on the grid.

[bjohnsonsmith]

That was a great move by Sato.

[bjohnsonsmith]

So Munoz gets a penalty.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Sato out. He moved across and collected Aleshin, who was along side Sato by half a car. It looks like Sato didn't see Aleshin.

[codename_47]

Very good race so far, this is why wet/dry racing is the best

Andddddd....more rain?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Congrats to Huertas on his 1st win, congrats to Dale Coyne Racing and congrats to Montoya on the his first podium since his return to the fold.

[JHamilton]

No disrespect to Huertas, but that race wasn't supposed to end that way!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

No disrespect to Huertas, but that race wasn't supposed to end that way!

Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/06/...lombian-podium

[Formulahistory]

A all-Columbian podium - which countries alongside USA and Columbian have also reached this?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Montoya got a 3rd at Texas. Can't believe what Rahal did...

[JacobP]

I feel gutted for Sato. First, the covert Andretti team tactics make him lose a wide lead over the 2nd car, thanks to the Andretti lap car that ignored even the blue flags in front of him. As a result, this allows the following Hinchcliffe to win the race in the pits. Then Aleshin dives on the outside of Sato's car, before a turn, causing a major collision as Sato tries to follow his race line. What a terrible day for Sato. The Foyt staff looked obviously ****ed off on TV. I don't worry much when any other car is taken out, but it looked like the stars were aligned for Sato to win this time, before those incidents.

[codename_47]

Originally Posted by Formulahistory

A all-Columbian podium - which countries alongside USA and Columbian have also reached this?

IIRC there was an all French one in the later years of Champcar, if it counts.
(Hint: YES IT DOES! )

Great race yesterday, a classic 90s CART type street course race, wet/dry, varied strategies, stupid driving, amazing driving, fantastic passes...

More again please!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by codename_47

IIRC there was an all French one in the later years of Champcar, if it counts.
(Hint: YES IT DOES! )

Great race yesterday, a classic 90s CART type street course race, wet/dry, varied strategies, stupid driving, amazing driving, fantastic passes...

More again please!

There's more later on today.

[bjohnsonsmith]

For the record:

Due to the heavy rain before the start of the race, it was decided to change the race from 90 laps to a timed event of 1hr 50mins.

Results - 80 laps: Pos Driver Team/Engine Time/Gap
1. Carlos Huertas Coyne/Honda 1h51m25.5649s
2. Juan Pablo Montoya Penske/Chevy +0.0975s
3. Carlos Munoz Andretti/Honda +2.3433s
4. Sebastien Bourdais KV/Chevy +3.0878s
5. James Hinchcliffe Andretti/Honda +4.7101s
6. Jack Hawksworth Herta/Honda +5.5127s
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti/Honda +6.2853s
8. Marco Andretti Andretti/Honda +7.1638s
9. Helio Castroneves Penske/Chevy +8.2181s
10. Justin Wilson Coyne/Honda +9.4366s
11. Graham Rahal Rahal/Honda +30.8792s*
12. Ryan Briscoe Ganassi/Chevy +33.2884s*
13. Tony Kanaan Ganassi/Chevy +35.0789s
14. Will Power Penske/Chevy -1 lap
15. Sebastian Saavedra KV/Chevy -1 lap
16. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Honda -6 laps

* Inc 30s penalty

Retirements:
Mike Conway Carpenter/Chevy 55 laps
Charlie Kimball Ganassi/Chevy 54 laps
Scott Dixon Ganassi/Chevy 46 laps
Josef Newgarden Fisher/Honda 41 laps
Luca Filippi Rahal/Honda 36 laps
Takuma Sato Foyt/Honda 32 laps
Mikhail Aleshin Schmidt/Honda 31 laps

[NaBUru38]

Because of the Uruguay-Colombia football match, I watched the race later on the ESPN Play web platform.

The Colombians took the podium thanks to a lucky strategy. I feel sad about the rest of the drivers who lead the race but ended way behind.

Sato did squeeze Aleshin, but the Russian shouldn't have tried to overtake the Japanese. He was a lap behind, what the point?

Pagenaud and Kimball were unlucky to collect Dixon. It's strange to see the New Zealander crash like that.

Rahal was way too anxious at the last restart.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Marco Andretti's been fined and put on probation after ignoring blue flags in yesterday's race.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114714

[bjohnsonsmith]

Castroneves takes Race 2 pole.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114716

Pos Driver Team/Engine Time
1. Helio Castroneves, Penske/Chevy, 59.1702s, Group 2
2. Mikhail Aleshin, Schmidt/Honda, 1m00.2493s, Group 1
3. Simon Pagenaud, Schmidt/Honda, 59.1962s, Group 2
4. Graham Rahal, Rahal/Honda, 1m00.29932, Group 1
5. Sebastien Bourdais, KV/Chevy, 59.28632, Group 2
6. Justin Wilson, Coyne/Honda, 1m00.3369s Group 1
7. James Hinchcliffe, Andretti/Honda, 59.5133s, Group 2
8. Tony Kanaan, Ganassi/Chevy, 1m00.4841s, Group 1
9. Carlos Munoz, Andretti/Honda, 59.6652s, Group 2
10. Takuma Sato, Foyt/Honda, 1m00.5288s. Group 1
11. Scott Dixon, Ganassi/Chevy, 59.7543s, Group 2
12. Luca Filippi, Rahal/Honda, 1m00.7529s, Group 1
13. Carlos Huertas, Coyne/Honda, 59.8052s, Group 2
14. Juan Pablo Montoya, Penske/Chevy, 1m00.8328s, Group 1
15. Ryan Briscoe Ganassi/Chevy 1m00.1384s, Group 2
16. Marco Andretti, Andretti/Honda, 1m01.0311s, Group 1
17. Mike Conway, Carpenter/Chevy, 1m00.1423s, Group 2
18. Will Power, Penske/Chevy, 1m01.1423s, Group 1
19. Charlie Kimball, Ganassi/Chevy, 1m00.1989s, Group 2
20. Sebastian Saavedra, KV/Chevy, 1m01.2876s Group 1
21. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti/Honda 1m00.2244s, Group 2
22. Josef Newgarden, Fisher/Honda, 1m03.4769s, Group 1
23. Jack Hawksworth, Herta/Honda, 1m00.5822s, Group 2

[codename_47]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Because of the Uruguay-Colombia football match, I watched the race later on the ESPN Play web platform.

The Colombians took the podium thanks to a lucky strategy. I feel sad about the rest of the drivers who lead the race but ended way behind.

Much prefer these type of races than those that go exactly to the team's pre-race predictions tbh.

It's part of the game not only to see who has the best pre-race plan and speed but also who can think their way though the race and improvise the best strategy to a race with many different phases.