Detroit is also known as the Motor City. It is home to the top American car manufacturers, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. With Chevrolet being the lone American manufacturer in Indycar, the Detroit Grand Prix means a little more to them. Last year, Alex Palou in the Chip Ganassi Honda won after a thrilling finish with two restarts in the last ten laps. This year, the stars of INDYCAR are primed to put on just as great of a show.
A Return To The Renaissance Center
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Last year, “The Captain” Roger Penske, the owner of the INDYCAR series, announced that the Detroit Grand Prix would return to the Renaissance Center and utilize Downtown as part of the street circuit. 2023 was the first race around the Renaissance Center since 1991. In previous years, INDYCAR ran in Belle Isle. From 2013 to 2021, INDYCAR held “double headers” in Belle Isle, running a race on Saturday and Sunday.
The Detroit Grand Prix struggled to stay on the INDYCAR calendar in the 2000s due to financial hardships in Detroit 2002-2006 and 2009-2011 the Detroit Grand Prix was off the schedule. Penske spearheading returns in both cases. In 2020 the race was canceled due to the stay-at-home restrictions from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The layout was changed from the first iteration. The circuit from the 1990s was two and a half miles. The new layout is 1.7 miles featuring turns, it is less disruptive to the traffic flow and more accessible to spectators, with the Music City Grand Prix in Memphis Tennessee being the primary inspiration.
Detroit Grand Prix Pit Strategy
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100 laps make up the Detroit Grand Prix. The pit strategy for the Motor City Grand Prix is a two-stop race. One of the stints has to be on the softer alternate tires. The first stop will come approximately lap 40, depending on the tire. The second stop will come approximately at lap 60. With the long straights saving fuel will be difficult and a potential third stop isn’t out of the question.
The Indycar Championship is still up for grabs. The points leader Alex Palou (183 points) has a 20-point lead over Scott Dixon. Will Power sits third 26 points off of Palou while Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta sit at a distant 4th, 49 points behind the leader. The other two Penske Drivers Scott McLaughlin and back-to-back Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden sit sixth and seventh 52 and 63 points back respectively.
For those who are new, the point system for INDYCAR goes like this: the winner of the race gets 50 points, 2nd place gets 40 points, 3rd gets 35 points, 4th 32 points, 5th 30 points, and so on. Qualifying for the pole gets a point, leading a lap gets a point, and leading the most laps gets 2 points. With nine races left on the schedule, the fight still rages on.
Race Time and Channel
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The Grand Prix will start at noon Eastern on USA Network and Peacock. In the second edition of this layout, the long straights and high speeds leave tons of opportunity for overtaking (unlike Monaco in Formula One). The long straights and tight turns allow for those brave enough to try to out-brake one another, leaving a room for a potential of full metal mayhem.
Josef Newgarden will be looking to take another big swing towards the championship. Alex Palou will be looking to repeat and become only the fourth driver to go back-to-back in Detroit, joining Graham Rahal in 2017 in the double, Sébastien Bourdais in race two in 2015 and race one in 2016, and Helio Castroneves in 2000 and 2001, all the races being in Belle Isle.
Will Power had a fast car last year and finished second and led 14 laps. He will be looking to get back into the win column. Alexander Rossi from Arrow McLaren finished seventh last year and seems to be getting faster and faster every race, while his teammate Pato O’Ward had a heartbreaking second-place finish in the Indy 500, an issue on pit road, and wrecked out last year in this race. Anything and everything will happen in 100 laps of Motor City Mayhem.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and sidecasts on Kick.
