2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix
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2.439 mi / 3.925 km
| Race details | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12th round of the 2021 IndyCar season | |||||
 Layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course | |||||
| Date | August 14, 2021 | ||||
| Official name | Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.439 mi / 3.925 km | ||||
| Distance | 85 laps 207.315 mi / 333.641 km | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver |  Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren SP) | ||||
| Time | 01:10.7147 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Will Power (Team Penske) | ||||
| Time | 01:11.6919 (on lap 16 of 85) | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Will Power (Team Penske) | ||||
| Second |  Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing) | ||||
| Third |  Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian) | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix was an IndyCar motor race held on August 14, 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.[1] It was the 12th round of the 2021 IndyCar Series. This was also the first meeting at the Speedway since the death of Bob Jenkins. Indianapolis area resident and well-known motorsport broadcaster Jamie Little replaced Jenkins, sharing public address duties with Allen Bestwick. Dave Calabro, who shares duties with Bestwick, does not work the Verizon 200 meeting.
The 85-lap race was won by Team Penske's Will Power, clinching his first win of the season. IndyCar rookie Romain Grosjean finished second, repeating his best ever finish at the time, which was achieved at the same circuit in the GMR Grand Prix. Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport rounded out the podium places with his third-placed finish.[2]
Championship standings before the race
The event was held over two days on August 13-14, 2021 at the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. This was the second time the venue featured in the 2021 season, following the GMR Grand Prix in May 2021, and the third edition of this race, as it debuted as an October 2020 doubleheader.
The race was the 12th race of the 16-race calendar, held one week after the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee and one week prior to the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
Rinus VeeKay was the previous race winner, having won the GMR Grand Prix in May 2021.[3]
Álex Palou stood top of the standings over Scott Dixon, who rose to second after his second-place finish in Nashville. Pato O'Ward was demoted to third following Dixon's rise to second, sitting over Josef Newgarden in fourth and Marcus Ericsson in fifth.
Honda maintained their lead over Chevrolet in the manufacturer's standings.
Entrants
28 drivers entered the race. Dale Coyne Racing fielded a second entry with Rick Ware Racing for the fourth time in the season, with Cody Ware returning to drive the No. 52 car after his appearance at the previous race.[4]
Top Gun Racing returned to make their IndyCar race debut, after the team failed to qualify for the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver R. C. Enerson, who piloted their No. 75 car on their Indy 500 qualifying attempt, returned to drive for the team.[5]
Formula 2 driver and Alpine Academy member Christian Lundgaard made his IndyCar debut, as he was signed by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to drive their No. 45 entry, previously driven by Santino Ferrucci in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.[6]
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| R | Rookie |
| W | Past winner |
Practice
Practice 1 took place at 3:00 PM ET on August 13, 2021.[1] The one-hour session was stopped with seven minutes remaining, as Colton Herta stopped at pit exit with a clutch problem and a warning light in his dashboard. Álex Palou was fastest in practice, with a time of 01:10.8839. Previous race winner Rinus VeeKay classified second, while Pato O'Ward finished third.[7]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |  Álex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 01:10.8839 |
| 2 | 21 |  Rinus VeeKay W |
Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 01:10.9062 |
| 3 | 5 | Pato O'Ward |
Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 01:10.9267 |
| Source:[8] | |||||
Qualifying
Because of the compacted schedule as part of the NASCAR-INDYCAR doubleheader, qualifying, which started at 7:00 PM ET on August 13, 2021, was reduced to two rounds, with the third round omitted for time constraints.[1] The six fastest drivers of each group in Round 1 advanced to the Firestone Fast 12, where they competed for pole position. It was the latest time an INDYCAR session had started at the Speedway.
The second session of Round 1 was highlighted by Scott Dixon's spin on his last fast lap, just before the timing line, which by rule cancels his best two laps, and finished 13th in his group, meaning he started 26th. Dalton Kellett, Felix Rosenqvist, and James Hinchcliffe also had their laps deleted, as they failed to slow down during the local yellow that was raised due to Dixon's incident.
Pato O'Ward took pole with a time of 01:10.7147, with Will Power and Romain Grosjean second and third fastest respectively.[9] Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Christian Lundgaard qualified for the second row in his first ever IndyCar appearance.[10]
Qualifying classification
- Notes
- Bold text indicates fastest time set in session.
- ^1 - Josef Newgarden received a six-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.[12]
Warmup
Warmup took place at 8:45 AM ET on August 14, 2021.[1] Marcus Ericsson was fastest with a time of 01:10.8839, ahead of Alexander Rossi in second and Josef Newgarden in third.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 |  Marcus Ericsson |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 01:10.8839 |
| 2 | 27 | Alexander Rossi |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 01:11.3895 |
| 3 | 2 | Josef Newgarden W |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 01:11.4639 |
| Source:[13] | |||||
