Breaking down the field: Here’s our favorites to win the Genesys 300 at TMS
You can’t look at recent results to see who is coming in with momentum and who has been struggling for Saturday’s IndyCar opener at Texas Motor Speedway.
Maybe veteran drivers have an edge given their history and experience at the track. Maybe they don’t. It’s anybody’s guess with how the Genesys 300 will unfold.
All we know is that NBC is putting it on prime-time TV and it’ll be a one-day spectacle with practice and qualifying in the afternoon followed by the race scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. With that being said, here’s our picks —
Five favorites
1. Scott Dixon. We’re not going out on a limb here. Dixon has won three times at Texas and remains a threat to win every race.
2. Alexander Rossi. He’s finished 3-2 the last two years at Texas. Nobody would be surprised to add a “1” next to his name after Saturday’s race.
3. Josef Newgarden. He’s the reigning champion and has finally figured out what it takes to win at Texas after finishing outside the top-five his first seven starts.
4. Graham Rahal. He’s been a consistent contender since winning the closest race in TMS history, edging out James Hinchcliffe by 0.008 seconds in 2016.
5. Tony Kanaan. He’s won this race before and is tied for most top-five finishes in track history. Hey, if veterans have an edge with the lengthy delay, Kanaan is poised to capitalize.
A darkhorse
Felix Rosenqvist. He struggled in his first year on ovals, finishing 12th at TMS last year. But a year under his belt — and the support of Chip Ganassi Racing — should help him become more of a threat for Victory Lane in 2020.
Driver to root for
Jack Harvey. He’ll be making his Texas debut with Meyer Shank Racing. More importantly, he’ll be honoring his friend and supporter Pat Kennedy, who recently passed away from COVID-19.
We made it
A couple IndyCar rookies were uncertain whether they’d be able to make the race from overseas with travel restrictions amid the pandemic.
But Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing and Alex Palou of Dale Coyne Racing have each made it safely to the U.S. and are expected to run on Saturday night.
“I am extremely happy to finally be back in the U.S. and be able to make my IndyCar debut this weekend,” said Veekay, a 19-year-old from the Netherlands. “It will be quite an experience for my first race but the team and I are fully prepared to have our best possible performance.”
Palou, who was in his native Spain, tweeted out: “Howdy y’all” when he arrived back in the U.S.
