Racers relish risk, reward, respect as IndyCar Series returns to TMS

“To be a champion in IndyCar, you need to be good everywhere,” O’Ward said two weeks ago at TMS media day. “I’ve really grown to love what it’s like to race at superspeedways. It’s definitely a different skill to what it is on road courses and obviously street courses. The way that you have to approach it is obviously slightly different as well just because the risk is that much more. ... You can never lose respect to a place like this, very similar to Indy.”

Arrow McLaren’s O’Ward made his first oval start at TMS in 2020, then picked up his first career win the next year during an impressive doubleheader showing in Fort Worth.

“I love this track,” O’Ward said. “I think my first time maybe I didn’t find so much love for it, just because it was probably the first time I’d been in a race car where it was like, ‘[expletive] this is quick.’

“The first time that I went around this place, I remember my eyes were just massive inside of the car.”

Power also has grown to appreciate TMS, winning twice there en route to 41 career victories and the 2014 and 2022 series championships.

“Had a lot of fun around this track,” Power said. “It’s always an enjoyable race, and I think it’s one of the toughest tracks we come to as far as superspeedways go, with the really high banking and very exciting racing. It’s going to be fun, so hopefully we get a big crowd.”

Power won at TMS in 2011 and 2017.

“The surface has actually returned to being more abrasive, so the tires do [degrade] over a stint, which is usually good for racing because some people drop off more than others and then when you come out on new tires you can motor by people,” he said. “Seen many big wrecks here, too, so it’s unforgiving. You’ve got to respect the place, but I really enjoy it. I love it.”

Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner, used his influence to call for extra practice sessions at TMS to lay down rubber for a second racing lane.

“Last year we came and I was vocal about us running a special session to run the second lane to create some really good racing,” he said. “And I think we had one of the best finishes we’ve ever seen here, with a pass for the lead on the last lap — I mean the best finishes as far as the lower-downforce racing we’ve had at this track. We’re going to do that again this year, except it’ll be all cars running a second lane. So all cars get a set of tires to try bringing that second and even third groove.”

In last year’s race, Josef Newgarden went to the outside lane and inched ahead of Scott McLaughlin in the final turn to take the victory from his teammate.

“Will’s idea of doing a second-lane run was definitely a big help,” O’Ward said. “At least it made half a lane more, so it was just half a lane more of how you could play around with it. I actually think that half lane is what helped Josef get the win at the end. I don’t think anything else. If it was just one lane, he would have been stuck.”

McLaughlin, a three-time champion of Australian V8 Supercars, recorded his first three Indy car victories last season but has yet to win on an oval. However, the New Zealander has excelled at TMS since first tackling the 1 1/2-mile circuit in 2021, finishing second in his oval debut and second again last year after leading 186 laps.

Power was fourth in last year’s race but only the third-best Team Penske driver.

“Looking forward to the race,” Power said. “We’re actually running more downforce this year — quite a bit more, which helps the car stick to the road, so you’re going to see closer racing. I think we’ll be more wide open for more laps in the race and potentially easier to run on the outside, so I think IndyCar’s made some good changes to promote good racing here.

“It’s our first oval after being out of the car for a while, so everything’s a little bit fresh and on edge.”

TMS is hosting the second race of the season. The opener was March 5 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. It was won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson, a former Formula One driver whose only two podium finishes on IndyCar Series ovals came in 2022 — third place at TMS and first in the Indy 500.

Ericsson’s teammates this week include two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato and six-time champion Scott Dixon, who has the 2008 Indy 500 and a series-best five TMS wins among his 53 career victories. Dixon’s two wins last season allowed him to tie and then pass Mario Andretti for second on the IndyCar list.

But Power said younger drivers have the series in a promising position.

“Pato is an amazing talent, one of the quickest guys I’ve seen come into the series,” Power said. “I’ve never seen IndyCar in a better spot than where it is right now. It’s slowly growing in popularity. The competition is tougher than it’s ever been. It’s the toughest open-wheel series in the world, by far — continuity of drivers, quality of teams, everything. It’s been really great to see that in my time happen, because I’ve always felt it’s one of the best products out there for racing.

“Ovals are what really separate us from pretty much any other road racing series in the world, but particularly Formula One.”

O’Ward has a more personal reason for looking forward to racing at TMS.

“This is what I have as a home grand prix,” he said. “This is the closest that we have to Mexico now. Pumped to see all the Mexican flags and all the people coming out to support me. It’s going to be a good race.”

The PPG 375 is slated for 11 a.m. Sunday and will be broadcast on KXAS-TV (Ch. 5) and KFWR-FM 95.9 “The Ranch.”

Trucks return as support series

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is paired once again with the IndyCars at TMS. The two series last shared a Fort Worth bill in 2019.

The SpeedyCash.com 250 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with broadcast set for FS1. Practice is at 9:30 a.m. and qualifying 10 a.m., followed by IndyCar Series qualifying at 11:15 a.m.

Defending series champion Zane Smith is off to a hot start in the No. 38 Ford of Front Row Motorsports with two wins in the first four races, including last week on the road course at Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

“All of the mile-and-a-halfs are fast, but Texas is a new kind of fast,” Smith said in a TMS news release. “I’ve always wanted to win at Texas Motor Speedway, but it’s been a struggle to finish one off, so hopefully this year is the year.”