Since that time, the road course event has showcased the NTT IndyCar Series’ top drivers and teams. Pagenaud and Team Penske’s Will Power have each won three GMR Grands Prix in May. Other winners include six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon in 2020 (when it was moved to July because of the COVID-19 pandemic), Rinus VeeKay in 2021 and Colton Herta last year.
“Look at some of the winners,” Kyle Moyer, general manager of Team Penske’s IndyCar program told SPEED SPORT. “It’s not an easy race to win. You have some different winners in there in the 10 years. You’ve seen the race in the rain. You’ve seen the race in the cold. You’ve seen the race in the heat.”
The GMR Grand Prix has become valuable for the NTT IndyCar Series teams and drivers as they prepare for the month of May, culminating with the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.
“I like the race,” Moyer said. “I will race any time rather than practice, or try anything else.
“The biggest thing it shows off is within a three-week span, you get to see our cars run on a road course, you see the same type of car qualify at 230 mph and then you see the same cars race in a 500-mile race, which is the biggest race in the world. All with the same team, drivers, cars, and everything.
“To me, it showcases exactly what an Indy car is.”
Gavin Ward is the racing director at Arrow McLaren and he oversees the team’s three-driver effort in the NTT IndyCar Series with Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi. Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, joins the team for the 107th Indianapolis 500.
Although the two races run in opposite directions and are completely dissimilar, Ward believes starting the month on the IMS road course is extremely beneficial.
“I think it has become an interesting part of the story,” Ward told SPEED SPORT. “On one hand, these are two very different circuit types and disciplines, but the human nature of this sport is that it builds confidence.
“The result you have on the road course can really set you up for hitting the ground running. When Simon Pagenaud won the Indy GP in 2019, it set him up on a confidence high that carried through with the win in the Indianapolis 500.
“That is a wonderful microcosm of the IndyCar Series itself,” Ward added. “The human side of the sport, we have some great characters and the multi-disciplinary level of being really good at different things. The month of May package of road course and the speedway is a bundle of that.”
How does an IndyCar team prepare for a road course on Saturday, then get ready to roll for high-speed oval practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Tuesday?
“We have separate cars, as a lot of teams do for the speedway and road course,” Ward explained. “The cars that run at Barber Motorsports Park will run the Indy road course and the changeover is relatively small. Our speedway car will be ready to roll out. We’ll just swap some motors around.”
Fueling is done on the opposite side of the car for the grand prix, but it’s still important for the crew’s Indy 500 preparation.
“There is no replacing live pit stops under pressure in a race,” Ward said. “That is the one thing we can’t replicate during the offseason so every chance to do that is good from our point of view.”
The two events are also different in presentation. The top-three drivers in the GP celebrate with a podium, including a champagne spray. In the Indianapolis 500, victory lane is reserved for the winning driver who celebrates with the traditional bottle of milk.
There is also an important variable that can connect the winner of the GMR Grand Prix with success in the Indianapolis 500.
“The biggest thing you can get out of the Indy GP, especially if you win, is confidence,” Moyer said. “It sets the tone for the whole month for the team.
“Look at some of the better years at Team Penske, they have followed after we won the GP.
“Look at Rinus VeeKay, he went from winning to having a fantastic month of May. The same thing when Colton Herta won and Simon Pagenaud and Will Power.
“That’s the biggest thing that the GP can do for you, when you win it, it gives the whole team confidence.”
This story appeared in the May 3, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
