{"id":31000,"date":"2023-06-02T11:06:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T15:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=31000"},"modified":"2023-06-02T11:06:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T15:06:12","slug":"payne-walking-the-detroit-gp-track-with-indycar-rising-star-armstrong-and-chairman-denker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/payne-walking-the-detroit-gp-track-with-indycar-rising-star-armstrong-and-chairman-denker","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Walking the Detroit GP track with IndyCar rising star Armstrong and Chairman Denker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Detroit<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 When preparing for a race weekend, IndyCar drivers spend a lot of time on track simulators learning the line, reference points, best passing locations. But there\u2019s no substitute for walking the course \u2014 especially a downtown Detroit street course that no one has raced before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cShe\u2019s definitely bumpy,\u201d Ganassi Racing team driver and rising star Marcus Armstrong said, as I walked the track with him and Detroit Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denker at twilight Tuesday night. \u201cThe circuit will separate the men from the boys because of the very abrasive layout, the corner characteristics and the unforgiving concrete walls. You just have to drive the wheels off it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/7165833c-e215-4f5b-b95b-9c76ea0adc1f-DetroitGP-trackwalk_armstrong-pits.jpg?width=660&amp;height=497&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong, who races the #11 Honda for Ganassi Racing, stands at pit exit onto the pit straight (right).\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/7165833c-e215-4f5b-b95b-9c76ea0adc1f-DetroitGP-trackwalk_armstrong-pits.jpg?width=660&amp;height=497&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/7165833c-e215-4f5b-b95b-9c76ea0adc1f-DetroitGP-trackwalk_armstrong-pits.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=994&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong, who races the #11 Honda for Ganassi Racing, stands at pit exit onto the pit straight (right).\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong, who races the #11 Honda for Ganassi Racing, stands at pit exit onto the pit straight (right).\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Denker himself is a skilled driver and has spent extensive time driving the track at speed in sports cars, in order to help make it more hospitable to open-wheel, winged, 700-horsepower IndyCar missiles when they hit the streets Friday for the first practice sessions of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-news-opinion-2\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt\u2019s a new track that no one has raced before. Anybody can win this race this year,\u201d Denker said, as he picked up clipped wire endings from track fencing that construction crews had installed just minutes before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Anybody like American Josef Newgarden, last Sunday\u2019s Indy 500 winner. Or IndyCar points leader Alex Palou of Spain. Or New Zealander Armstrong, a rookie phenom by way of Europe\u2019s Formula 2 series. Armstrong placed eighth at the last street circuit race in Long Beach in his No. 11, Honda-powered steed \u2014 his best result so far \u2014 but the weather-scarred streets of Detroit are a long way from the sunbathed boulevards of southern California.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/d3e94ead-dec7-4843-85ef-dd119c2448c3-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-exit.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (middle) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong (right) share a laugh. Drivers will exit pit line (right) and merge into traffic in Turn One (Franklin &amp; Rivard Streets).\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/d3e94ead-dec7-4843-85ef-dd119c2448c3-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-exit.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/d3e94ead-dec7-4843-85ef-dd119c2448c3-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-exit.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (middle) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong (right) share a laugh. Drivers will exit pit line (right) and merge into traffic in Turn One (Franklin &amp; Rivard Streets).\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (middle) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong (right) share a laugh. Drivers will exit pit line (right) and merge into traffic in Turn One (Franklin &amp; Rivard Streets).\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Turn 9 \u2014 a 90-degree right-hander that leads onto the short pit straight \u2014 is the intersection of St. Antoine and Franklin streets. It\u2019s a crazy-quilt of concrete pavement surfaces \u2014 typical of heavily-traveled Detroit streets \u2014 and a long way from the billiard-smooth, asphalt, closed-circuit tracks like Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio, or Road America, where I race a Lola sports car in the North American Sports 2000 series.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-news-opinion-3\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Those tracks are also on the IndyCar schedule \u2014 part of a stew of street courses and 230-mph ovals that combine to make IndyCar the most challenging driver\u2019s series in the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI think Turn 9 might catch some drivers out, like Turn 13 at Belle Isle,\u201d smiled Denker, recalling the diabolical corner that put many a driver into the wall as they exited onto the old track\u2019s front straight.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/8fd1b796-bc1b-4afa-929e-9154a2907c9b-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-straight.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (lft) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong walk the pit straight on the new downtown track.\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/8fd1b796-bc1b-4afa-929e-9154a2907c9b-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-straight.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/8fd1b796-bc1b-4afa-929e-9154a2907c9b-DetroitGP-trackwalk_denker-armstrong-pit-straight.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (lft) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong walk the pit straight on the new downtown track.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (lft) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong walk the pit straight on the new downtown track.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A long, 0.7-mile-long straightway between Turns 2 and 3 will be a signature of the new downtown circuit. Three lanes wide, it runs east-to-west along Jefferson Avenue, past the Renaissance Center, and into a 180-degree, left-hand hairpin just past The Fist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThat straight is very long. . . and is the best passing opportunity. So, there\u2019s not going to be a lack of chaos there,\u201d Armstrong said.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">COVID-19 Update<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Updates on how the coronavirus is affecting your community and the nation<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Varies<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\"><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It presented challenges for Denker and his team. Armstrong, who has been racing the track on Honda\u2019s simulator, expects speeds to exceed the 185 mph IndyCars hit at other fast venues like Long Beach and Road America. Lap times? Armstrong and Denker predict 1.04-minute laps on IndyCar\u2019s harder-compound, Firestone Black tires. On the softer Firestone Reds, times may flirt with 1-minute flat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to have cars going 190 mph down Jefferson Avenue . . .legally,\u201d Denker said, smiling.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f4401066-88c5-4662-9e14-571e3c47eff2-DetroitGP-trackwalk_hairpin.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"At the end of the long, 0.7-mile main straight, IndyCar drivers will hang a 180-degree turn at The Fist sculpture (middle of picture).\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f4401066-88c5-4662-9e14-571e3c47eff2-DetroitGP-trackwalk_hairpin.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f4401066-88c5-4662-9e14-571e3c47eff2-DetroitGP-trackwalk_hairpin.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"At the end of the long, 0.7-mile main straight, IndyCar drivers will hang a 180-degree turn at The Fist sculpture (middle of picture).\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"At the end of the long, 0.7-mile main straight, IndyCar drivers will hang a 180-degree turn at The Fist sculpture (middle of picture).\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Those speeds required that his team check \u2014 and secure \u2014 every one of the 185 manhole covers on the straightway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI hope they have those secured,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cThe bottom of our cars are essentially a vacuum with the rear (wing and) diffuser, which suck the car to the ground \u2014 and the concrete into the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-news-opinion-4\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Bringing an IndyCar back to earth from 190 to 50 mph also meant repaving some 300 yards of Jefferson east of Griswold. \u201cThe braking zone had to be smoother,\u201d Denker said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">His crew also has been paving and grinding other key sections of the nine-turn track, like the uphill Turn 6-7 esses (along the waterfront to the Renaissance Center\u2019s west), where IndyCars build speed for another potential passing opportunity into the Turn 8 left-hander.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/52ae83ae-3b06-4ea9-a573-cdc6c5dba8d1-DetroitGP-trackwalk_fence.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Workers construct the pit lane exit fence at the Detroit GP.\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/52ae83ae-3b06-4ea9-a573-cdc6c5dba8d1-DetroitGP-trackwalk_fence.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/52ae83ae-3b06-4ea9-a573-cdc6c5dba8d1-DetroitGP-trackwalk_fence.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Workers construct the pit lane exit fence at the Detroit GP.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Workers construct the pit lane exit fence at the Detroit GP.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Turn 8 will also be tricky as drivers enter the pits there \u2014 the only dual-lane pit entrance in the sport. The dual lane was necessitated when Denker couldn\u2019t locate a logical, 1,000-foot stretch for pit lane. So he split it into parallel, 500-foot lanes. With the RenCen as its backdrop, the pits will be another Detroit GP signature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Armstrong said the pit lane is a wild card.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cHonestly, our simulation looked a bit different than what it is now,\u201d the 22-year-old said, peering down the dual lanes. \u201cIt looks a bit tighter than I thought. It\u2019s going to be interesting when there is a yellow \u2014 and there will be \u2014 when all 20-some cars come in at the same time. It\u2019s going to be like rush hour (with) everyone funneling into that small area.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-news-opinion-5\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Single-lane pits are already fraught with tension (see the chaos that altered Palou\u2019s Indy 500 Sunday). Now imagine cars frantically merging into\u00a0<em>parallel<\/em>\u00a0lanes that then merge into a single lane heading back into Turn One.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThere are no traffic lights in motor racing,\u201d Armstrong smiled nervously.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f68fc9ed-a12c-40a5-b3de-32301f503725-DetroitGP-trackwalk_pits.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear's dual pit lane will be a signature of the track.\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f68fc9ed-a12c-40a5-b3de-32301f503725-DetroitGP-trackwalk_pits.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/05\/31\/PDTN\/f68fc9ed-a12c-40a5-b3de-32301f503725-DetroitGP-trackwalk_pits.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear's dual pit lane will be a signature of the track.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear's dual pit lane will be a signature of the track.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Re-entering the track, drivers must stay right of a white merge line until they get to Turn One. Meanwhile, on-track racers braking into Turn One must stay left of the merge line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It\u2019s going to be wild.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to be fun,\u201d Armstrong laughed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. He races in the North American Sports 2000 series<\/em>.\u00a0<em>Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Detroit\u00a0\u2014 When preparing for a race weekend, IndyCar drivers spend a lot of time on track simulators learning the line, reference points, best passing locations. But there\u2019s no substitute for walking the course \u2014 especially a downtown Detroit street course that no one has raced before. \u201cShe\u2019s definitely bumpy,\u201d Ganassi Racing team driver and rising [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31000"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31001,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31000\/revisions\/31001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}