You can be forgiven if you thought last Sunday’s Indianapolis Grand Prix scenario seemed very familiar. Once again the usual suspects dominated the race. Will Power, Team Penske, and the Chevy engine. This was the fifth running of the event and Power won it for the third time. His teammate Simon Pagenaud was the only other winner with two victories, although the first one in 2014 was while he was driving for Schmidt-Peterson Racing. As in 2017, Power started out the season with some bad luck, with a second at Long Beach as his only podium finish. But once again, as in 2017, he came roaring back here on the Indy road course as his launching pad. The 37-year-old Australian driver is now tied with Rick Mears for most wins with Team Penske. It was also the 200th win for Team Penske in an IndyCar event. No other racing team in history is even close to that record.
Power took the pole with rookie sensation Robert Wickens lining up next to him in his Schmidt/Peterson Motorsports Honda. During the course of the race Wickens provided Power with his only serious challenge. The 29-year-old Canadian led 20 laps and was in Power’s rear view mirror for much of the race and Power admitted afterwards that he had to race “all out 100% of the race to keep ahead of him.”
New Zealander Scott Dixon was able to slide past Wickens late in the race to claim second place. Wickens held on for third. Sebastien Bourdais finished 4th, and Alexander Rossi was 5th. Helio Castroneves, driving for the Captain for the first time this season, finished a very creditable 6th. Powers teammates Pagenaud, and Josef Newgarden were not much of a factor Pagenaud finished 8th and Newgarden finished 11th.
As for the point standings. Nothing much changed. Newgarden is still on top with 178 points while Rossi holds down second with 176 points. Now practice has started for the big show. Qualifications and the pole shoot out are this coming Sunday. So next it’s “drivers start your engines” for the 102nd running of the world’s greatest single day sporting event.
Colts Look at Free Agent Safeties
Free agent safeties Tre’ Boston and Kenny Vaccaro were both at the Colts training complex to interview for possible employment. The free agent market for safeties has been very, very slow this year. Boston was drafted by the Carolina Panthers out of North Carolina in 2014. Last year he signed a one year deal with San Diego and had his best season with 79 tackles and 5 interceptions.
Vaccaro was a 2013 number one pick of the New Orleans Saints out of the University of Texas and is now 27. He has played all of his five seasons in New Orleans where he was considered a good open field tackler. He has 385 career tackles and 8 career interceptions.
Chris Ballard was wrongly criticized for being inactive in the first wave of the free agent market. But with the draft over the Colts had substantial money left under the salary cap and will now try to go after some free agent bargains. Either Boston or Vaccaro would be a nice pick up for the team.
The word is that the Colts rookie camp exceeded expectations. Number one pick Quentin Nelson is going to be a real “hoss” at left guard. He is 6-5 and weighs 325 pounds and has quickness and great strength. The most pleasant surprise was rookie running back Nyheim Hines. He was a 4th round pick out of North Carolina State. He stands 5-8 and weighs 196 pounds. He was described as “explosive” in camp and will hopefully help fill the void at running back left by Frank Gore’s retirement.