NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PREVIEW: RD. 14 – ABC SUPPLY 500, POCONO (USA)
Three weeks ago, Felix Rosenqvist bagged his first-ever NTT IndyCar Series podium – finishing a close second to Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Scott Dixon after fighting a race-long battle for victory at Mid-Ohio. This weekend sees action resume in America’s premier single-seater series, with Rosenqvist eager to carry his momentum onto the banks of the uniquely triangular-shaped Pocono Raceway oval.
“Getting my first podium at Mid-Ohio was fantastic, but if there is one thing I’ve learned this season, it’s how truly different each race is from another in this championship,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “It’s very hard being consistently competitive. You have to master a wide set of situations and tracks, and I’ve never been to Pocono. It’s a big oval with high speeds. I will have to build my pace around there and I’m ready to give it some time.”
The Pocono event, formally titled the ABC Supply 500, marks the fourth oval race out of five on the 2019 calendar. The fifth takes place next weekend at Gateway, before two more traditional tracks conclude the season at Portland and Laguna Seca.
“All races are obviously important to me, but at the moment it would mean a lot to finish off this season particularly with an improved feel on the ovals,” Swede Rosenqvist continues. “I’m confident at the other tracks, but I’m very much aware I’m not a pro at the ovals yet. I do have respect for them, and I think everyone should. We all know what happens when you crash at 220, 230 mph, so for me it makes sense to learn the trade properly and allow it some extra time.”
While yet to attain a headline-grabbing result in oval racing, Rosenqvist believes he is edging gradually closer to his breakthrough moment in this style of competition, and clearly looks forward to the Pocono 200-lap, 500-mile race on Sunday.
“I tested at Gateway recently and I have to say I feel more and more confident with every lap I turn on an oval,” Rosenqvist concludes. “Pocono and Gateway will be two important races for me. I still have much more to learn, but I’m sure my first good result on an oval is just around the corner.”
The ABC Supply 500 gets underway with practice and qualifying on Saturday.
GUIDE: IndyCar – rules and information
LIVE TIMING: racecontrol.indycar.com
POCONO RACEWAY
Type: Oval
Length: 2.5 miles / 4.0 km
Race distance: 200 laps
Location: Long Pond, PA, USA
2018 winner: A.Rossi
Lap record (Q): 40.1929s
Set by: J.Montoya (2014)
TIME TABLE
NTT IndyCar Series | Pocono
All times local (US Eastern)
Saturday 17 August
Free Practice 1: 9.30-10.30 am
Qualifying: 12.30-1.45 pm
Free Practice 2: 4.00-5.00 pm
Sunday 18 August
Race: 2.45-5.45 pm
STANDINGS – OVERALL
(TOP FIVE)
NTT IndyCar Series | After 13/17 races
1: Josef Newgarden (USA), 504 p.
2: Alexander Rossi (USA), 488 p.
3: Simon Pagenaud (FRA), 457 p.
4: Scott Dixon (NZL), 442 p.
5: Will Power (AUS), 356 p.
—
9: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), 296 p.
View complete standings
STANDINGS – ROOKIES
(TOP FIVE)
NTT IndyCar Series | After 13/17 races
1: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), 296 p.
2: Santino Ferrucci (USA), 259 p.
3: Colton Herta (USA), 245 p.
4: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), 219 p.
5: Patricio O’Ward (MEX), 115 p.
View complete standings