Indianapolis Friday Notebook

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

***IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors took to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first official track session in nearly ten years at the speedway, which was topped by the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963 of Matt Campbell. The 90-minute session saw two red flags, including an engine fire for the No. 94 Andretti Autosport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Jarett Andretti, who was uninjured.

***The No. 31 Action Express Cadillac V-Series.R completed only 18 laps in opening practice for the Battle on the Bricks at as it encountered an issue with a part in the front brake package according to a Cadillac spokesperson. The car returned to action for the closing minutes of the session.

***Josh Burdon has replaced Felipe Fraga for the second consecutive LMP3 race due to Fraga’s Brazilian Stock Car commitments. Burdon and Gar Robinson, who currently holds a 251-point lead in the drivers’ standings, won last time out at Road America.

***Campbell, who along with Felipe Nasr are coming off Porsche Penske Motorsport’s second WeatherTech Championship victory last time out at Road America, believes the program has turned the corner, especially with the recent strides made in the FIA World Endurance Championship with a podium finish last weekend at Fuji Speedway.

***Campbell told Sportscar365: “That’s the good thing about having the WEC program and the IMSA program. Everything that we’ve learned in the Fuji weekend has come here and we’ve tried to plug into the car and we’ll try in Practice 1. We’re continually learning and evolving at a very rapid rate, especially from the middle of the year onwards and being a lot more in line with the two programs and bouncing off each other and bringing the updates to the next race.”

***Porsche Penske completed a two-day private test last month at Indianapolis in the night, which was partially used as a feasibility test for tomorrow’s Michelin Pilot Challenge round, which will end 30 minutes past sunset. There is also talk of next year’s six-hour IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup round ending in the darkness.

***Nasr said: “We went through a few adjustments of lights. From the circuit lights, they were trying a few places having more or less or different internal or outside cornering. I think it’s very possible that we can race here in the night. It would be mega.”

***Colin Braun’s wife, Melissa, gave birth to their first child, Roczen, on Thursday, just hours before the Meyer Shank Racing driver had to depart for Indianapolis. Braun and co-driver Tom Blomqvist are back in the championship battle, albeit with an outside chance of the title with a 118-point deficit to leaders Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque.

***AWA team principal Andrew Wojteczko said the recent Corvette Racing test at Road America, where several of his team’s crew were embedded with, was a “really exciting” experience. The Canadian squad was confirmed last month as the exclusive customers for GTD next year, with a two-car program planned.

***Wojteczko said: “That was really our first opportunity to see them at speed. The cars are stunning. It was pretty exciting to see them out there. To get up close on them on the prep and maintenance side through the test was really helpful for us to start to get our heads around what it’s going to take to support the cars and look after them properly.”

***Wojteczko said he expects to confirm the team’s driver lineup prior to next month’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

***The Heart of Racing is working on a return to the GTD Pro and GTD classes with Aston Martin Vantage GT3 machinery according to team principal Ian James, who said it’s their goal to continue with a similar program to this year. “We’re working towards next year and it looks like everything is going to go in the same direction as this year but nothing’s done yet,” James told Sportscar365.

***Josef Newgarden, who will make his GTP class debut in next month’s Motul Petit Le Mans, has so far gotten four test days in Penske’s Porsche 963 according to Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid, who said he’s been doing a “great job” in adapting to the hybrid-powered LMDh car.

***Diuguid told Sportscar365: “The biggest thing is that the systems are a little more complicated so that’s been some homework for him but as you’d expect, he’s been doing great and has been integrating quite well.”

***When asked if the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner could have additional race outings beyond next month’s season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Diuguid said they’re currently just focusing on the ten-hour enduro.

***The potential of Scott McLaughlin joining PPM at some stage is understood to also be an option. “I think Scott obviously did a good job and won the Sebring 12 Hours with the Tower group,” Diuguid said. “He’s been showing he’s competitive so I think, just like everybody else, we’re going to look at all the opportunities.”

***AO Racing’s ‘Roxy’ liveried No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R was joined by the team’s backup car, featuring the ‘Rexy’ design, for a car-to-car photoshoot on the track Friday evening.

***Leigh Diffey will return to the NBC Sports broadcast booth to lead coverage of Sunday’s Battle on the Bricks, alongside Calvin Fish, who are both on-site this weekend. Kevin Lee, Matt Yocum and Hannah Newhouse will be on pit road for the broadcast, which starts at 1 p.m. EDT on network NBC. IMSA Radio will also have coverage with the team of John Hindhaugh, Jeremey Shaw and Shea Adam.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John