Preview – 2019 REV Group Grand Prix at Road America
By Dylan Reynolds, The Open Wheel
The INDYCAR season continues this weekend with the NTT IndyCar Series REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR and the Indy Lights Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by AER at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Open Wheel will be on site covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.
Photo by Parker Hall/The Open Wheel
Weekend Schedule – Entry List – Spotter Guide – Circuit Map – Tickets
Indy Lights Preview: Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by AER (Entry List), Race 1 – Saturday, June 22, 2019 2:50PM (ET) & Race 2 – Sunday, June 23, 2019 9:50AM (ET) – Results from Indy Lights Race 1 and Race 2 from 2018 show great qualifying results from Juncos Racing and Belardi Auto Racing in addition to the usual strength of Andretti Autosport so it could be a jumbled weekend at Road America. Juncos Racing’s Victor Franzoni started on the front row in both races in Lights last year and won Race 2 so look for big things from current Juncos star Rinus VeeKay. BN Racing and David Malukas won both Indy Pro 2000 races from pole at Road America last year so expect he and racy teammate Toby Sowery to be strong this weekend. Road America wasn’t kind to Andretti’s duo of Robert Megennis and Oliver Askew last year in Indy Pro 2000 their adjustment to the track in Lights in Andretti cars will be interesting to watch. My picks to win: David Malukas & Rinus VeeKay
NTT IndyCar Series Preview: REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR – Sunday, June 23, 2019 12:00PM (ET) NBC – Previous driver experience at Road America shows four former winners in the field in Sebastien Bourdais (1), Scott Dixon (1), Josef Newgarden (1), and Will Power (1). Power, Dixon, and Newgarden are the three winners since the NTT IndyCar Series returned to the circuit in 2016. The Top 6 in laps led are Bourdais (92), Newgarden (66), Power (46), Dixon (26), Simon Pagenaud (2), and Graham Rahal (2). Looking at the box scores from 2018 and 2017, only Newgarden and Dixon have finished in the Top 5 in each of the last two years. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, those two are joined by Rahal, Pagenaud, and Ed Jones. My pick to win: Josef Newgarden – With a win and pole along with two Top 5 finishes in three starts at Road America you know Newgarden will be fast this weekend. Combine that with the synergy he and Tim Cindric seem to have this year to take advantage of any opportunity for strategy to go their way and you have the clear favorite for this race.
My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Marcus Ericsson, & Patricio O’Ward – You know my thoughts on Newgarden. Power has four Top 5 starts in five attempts at Road America and is due for some good fortune on race day. I like Ericsson to follow up on his solid showing at Belle Isle with a good weekend as SPM has shown plenty of speed at Road America in recent years. In order to take Newgarden in general, and especially with two Penske cars, you need to take a flyer on a budget pick and O’Ward could prove to be a good value choice at just $18 this weekend. Note: Rahal has finished in the Top 10 in all four of his Road America starts so if he has a great qualifying session and Newgarden would to struggle that could be a good option for you to sub in to free up some points.
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