Round two of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES takes the field to the fast banks of Texas Motor Speedway, as Felix Rosenqvist prepares for the first oval event of the season this weekend.
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the 1.5-mile quad-shaped oval has seen promising outings from Rosenqvist in the past, notably in 2020 when the Swede ran second in the closing stages before crashing out while lapping traffic.
After completing the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last month, coming home 17th, Rosenqvist is eager to go chase after the podium in Texas – where Arrow McLaren SP team-mate Pato O’Ward scored a popular victory last year to add to the optimism.
“I have always enjoyed driving at Texas Motor Speedway, and it’s been one of my most competitive ovals since arriving in INDYCAR,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “I’m excited to get back this year and check out our 2022 package in oval trim. We had a fast car at this type of track last season, and we have reason to think we’ve made more progress over the winter, so I’m optimistic and can’t wait to head out!”
With teams not required to impound their cars between qualifying and the race this weekend – a first at Texas Motor Speedway since 2019 – there could also be potential for considerable race day turnarounds as car set-ups change radically from one day to the next.
“Not having the cars impounded after qualifying will be a real factor this weekend,” Felix Rosenqvist concludes. “It means we don’t have to compromise. We are going to trim out everything in qualifying for optimum single-lap pace, and then we’ll change the set-up for the race to make it work better in traffic etc.
“It will be very interesting to see how that pans out here, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty to think about in practice.”
Running begins at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday with two practice sessions and qualifying. The race – named the XPEL 375 – takes place on Sunday and runs for 248 laps for a total distance of about 600 km / 375 miles.
TIME TABLE
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 2
XPEL 375
Texas Motor Speedway (USA)
All times local (U.S. Central)
Saturday 19 March
Free Practice 1: 9:45-11:00 am
Qualifying: 1:00-2:00 pm
Free Practice 2: 4:00-5:00 pm
Sunday 20 March
Race (248 laps): 11:45 am
TIMING: INDYCAR App / racecontrol.indycar.com
ENTRY LIST: view here
TRACK DATA: view here