What: PPG 375 / Race 2 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Texas
When: Sunday, April 2, noon ET (green flag 12.10pm ET)
First oval of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, and it’s a daunting one. Texas Motor Speedway provides incredible, wheel-to-wheel, 220mph action, but it’s always ready to bite hard. Winning in the Lone Star State isn’t just about mastering the draft and picking your moments to perfection; it’s also about risk vs. reward, daring to ride the sketchier high groove, and having a sixth sense for trouble.
Last year, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden played it all to perfection, putting a last-lap slingshot move on teammate Scott McLaughlin to win in Texas for a second time (above). Prior to that, McLaughlin had dominated the race, leading 186 laps. But Texas is all about being in the right place when it counts most, and Newgarden’s move saw him edge the Kiwi by 0.0669s at the checkered flag.
Can Newgarden do it again, or will McLaughlin make amends and land a first oval win on a track where he’s twice finished on the podium in just three starts? Or could it be a day when Pato O’Ward tightrope walks on the high line and scores his second Texas victory? And will the other former winners in the field, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Graham Rahal and Ed Carpenter, feature in the mix, too?
Throw in potent wild cards such as Ganassi debutant Takuma Sato, 2022 pole winner Felix Rosenqvist, and even a fast-learning Romain Grosjean, and anything’s possible over 250 laps and 375 miles of 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action on Peacock on Saturday, April 1, with NBC taking over for what should be another Texas thriller on Sunday, April 2. And to get even closer to it all, grab the best seat in the house with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and its 14 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Saturday, April 1 / 9:00am – 10:00am ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, April 1 / 12:15pm – 1:15pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Saturday, April 1 / 1:45pm – 3:30pm ET – Practice 2 – Peacock
Sunday, April 2 / Noon – 2:30pm ET – RACE – NBC, Peacock
• All sessions and the race are also available as audio commentary on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio.
Ride along with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras. During the race, you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. The App’s free to download for fans worldwide and you can find out more HERE. If you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.
Bringing you the onboard action from Texas Motor Speedway are…
Josef Newgarden / No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
Newgarden only led three laps at Texas last year, but that included the lap that mattered most — the final one. With two wins and two other podiums from his last five Texas starts, expect the Penske ace to be in the mix once again.
Scott McLaughlin / No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
The Kiwi’s three Texas starts have already delivered two second-place finishes, and last year he led 186 of the 248 laps. Will Sunday deliver the third-year Penske driver’s first career oval win?
Colton Herta / No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda
Herta’s yet to win on an oval in his NTT IndyCar Series career, and hasn’t really been a factor in his five Texas starts so far. But as his experience and oval smarts build, don’t rule him out of contention this time around.
Alexander Rossi / No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
St. Pete showed that Rossi was dialing in quickly with his new-for-2023 Arrow McLaren gig. He’s finished second and third at Texas with Andretti Autosport, so don’t rule him out for a strong showing.
Helio Castroneves / No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Scott Dixon excepted, nobody else in the 2023 field even comes close to the Brazilian’s superspeedway experience and smarts. OK, Meyer Shank Racing hasn’t been a major factor in recent races, but give Castroneves even a sniff of a chance and he’s got what it takes to do the rest.
Romain Grosjean / No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda
The former F1 driver has already shown that he isn’t fazed by ovals. His Texas debut last year ended early with an engine issue, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hanging at the sharp end on Sunday.
Graham Rahal / No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Good or bad, don’t concern yourself with the speeds Rahal runs in practice and qualifying. Come the race, we can almost guarantee that 2016 Texas winner Rahal and the No. 15 will be right up there once again.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Texas-based Mexican O’Ward goes where others fear to tread on the super-fast, 1.5-mile oval. A race winner here in 2021 thanks to his nerve and dexterity opening up a second groove, the Arrow McLaren ace should be a factor again.
Felix Rosenqvist / No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
After taking the pole in Texas last year, a technical issue stymied Rosenqvist’s race day, but the Swede should be a factor once again. If you want to ride along with the weekend’s surprise package. Arrow McLaren’s No. 6 could well be it.
Kyle Kirkwood / No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda
Still finding his feet with Andretti after a rookie season with AJ Foyt Racing, Kirkwood will be looking to put in a solid weekend in his first oval start with his new team.
Christian Lundgaard / No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
After accruing valuable oval experience last season, the 2022 Rookie of the Year will be looking to take it up a notch this time around. A top-10 finish for the impressive Dane would be decent enough, but maybe there’s more in store on Sunday?
Callum Ilott / No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Ilott’s 2022 Texas debut was decent enough, the Brit finishing a lapped 16th, but with five laps in the lead under his belt. Like Lundgaard, taking it up a step and posting a top 10 would be progress.
Conor Daly / No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
With two top-10 finishes and a wild, upside-down ride among his starts, Daly’s certainly experienced a lot at Texas Motor Speedway. But if superspeedway specialist ECR is in the zone, look out for the No. 20 Chevy to be a real factor on Sunday.
Jack Harvey / No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Last year, Harvey missed the Texas race following a practice crash and concussion. This time around, having recovered from his heavy impact in the St. Pete opener, he’ll be looking to put a decent run together to get his season started.
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