SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR
Felix Rosenqvist was walking on air after earning pole for AMSP. O’Ward was a surprise to start down in P10, but both were in great positions in the race — in the top five — until their lap 103 pit stops were identical in error and consequence. The AMSP duo slid into their pit boxes and went long, with O’Ward hammering his mechanic and left-front tire changer Norm Hornitschek. Rosenqvist was pushed back into the box, but his right-rear wheel took two shots to tighten and with their combined time losses, it was game over.
Rosenqvist would retire 25 laps later with a mechanical malady while O’Ward circulated one lap down and claimed P15, sandwiched between JR Hildebrand and Ilott. Two races, four changes for a decent outcome from the Nos. 5 and 7 Chevys, and the best AMSP has produced is a P12 from O’Ward at St Pete. Strange start for a team that I expected to be back in the front-running mix.
KIRKWOOD IS RIDICULOUS
Sure, his race ended prematurely with a crash, but after passes like these, nobody at AJ Foyt Racing can be mad at the kid.
I like restarts. 10 passes in 45 seconds 
@AJFoytRacing @rokit @IndyCar @TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/VQqTcLBCMQ
— Kyle M. Kirkwood (@KKirkwoodRacing) March 22, 2022
NEXT TIME, LET’S GET SERIOUS
Assuming we’re going back to Texas, it would be nice to see all of the teams take part in an extended rubbering-in session. Of note, Andretti and Ganassi declined the invitation. With the benefit of the session being hailed by the race winner and others — some of whom did nothing to help apply the second-lane rubber — I can only hope those who watched from the sidelines during that 30-minute outing will join in and be part of a better solution if TMS remains on the calendar.
HONORING ELFORD
Two teams carried tribute stickers to the late, great driver Vic Elford. Although Elford raced everywhere but IndyCar, that didn’t stop Ricardo Juncos and Bobby Rahal from applying Elford tribute stickers to their cars at Texas. Many IMSA teams did the same at the 12 Hours of Sebring to celebrate the life of Quick Vic.
Salute to Quick Vic. Image by Marshall Pruett
THE CARTOON ANVIL
Struck Alexander Rossi and didn’t stop until all four Andretti cars were mollywhopped. Easily one of the worst cartoon anvil attacks I’ve seen.
MR. INVISIBLE
Just an epically bizarre weekend to see Ed Carpenter qualify P21, feature at no point during the race, go a lap down, and end up P13. Of all the drivers I thought might be at the race but not really in the race, Carpenter never came to mind.
THE GOLDEN BOWLING BALL GOES TO…
As I often say about the Golden Bowling Ball, they tend to hand themselves out to the winners, so for his steeeeeeeee-rike at Texas, come on down Devlin DeFrancesco.
MISCELLANEOUS
• Good on McLaughlin for noting his new HANS device with another Robin Miller sticker. He applied one late last year but got a new HANS for 2022 and needed another sticker to carry with him for the rest of the season. Although Miller wasn’t along for the ride with McLaughlin when he won at St. Pete, there’s no doubt it will happen before we’re done in September. Without question, Miller would have been on the phone after the Texas race, raving about how quickly Scotty Mac has become a beast on ovals.
McLaughlin’s salute to Robin Miller. Image by Marshall Pruett
• USF2000 race winner and New York film student Myles Rowe spent his first weekend working as a media intern for the CoForce PR firm, which services a number of teams and major entities in the paddock. Rowe shot some of CoForce’s clients and edited the work for some of the video content you might’ve seen come out of Texas.
Rowe at work. Image by Marshall Pruett
• When was the last time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou was last among the four CGR drivers in a race that he finished? Never—Texas was a first for the Spaniard who trailed Ericsson, Dixon, and Johnson at the checkered flag.
• Former Champ Car driver Charlie Nearburg was a guest of AMSP last weekend. The Texas oil man has become an avid vintage racer, putting his ex-Williams and McLaren F1 cars, and Porsche and AAR sports cars through the paces at some of the bigger historic events each year. He was all smiles atop the AMSP viewing stand.
• Josef Newgarden loves to call JR Hildebrand — with his flowing hair and Keanu Reeves-esque beard — “John Wick” in deference to the movie character, but my favorite nickname from Newgarden for Hildebrand is “Pit Lane Jesus.”
Welcome back to #IndyCar, @JRHildebrand. If you get a chance, feel his new @AJFoytRacing suit. It’s made from the softest material in the world: love. pic.twitter.com/CiYxcZ6txh
— Marshall Pruett (@marshallpruett) March 18, 2022
