What you need to know about the IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix weekend at Road America and how to watch it
Forty years after the young CART series first came to Road America, the Sonsio Grand Prix will mark the 34th race for Indy cars and the eighth specifically run by the current organization at the 4-mile, 14-turn course outside Elkhart Lake.
What are Indy cars?
Generically speaking, the cars running at Road America on and off since 1982 have been the same ones that run in the world’s biggest race, the Indianapolis 500, with uncovered wheels, partially open cockpits and wings at the front and rear. Although groups have changed over the years, the current sanctioning body is IndyCar and the series is the NTT IndyCar Series.
The cars are capable of reaching speeds of over 240 mph briefly at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but they max out at about 190 at Road America. The number and nature of the turns add up to a qualifying lap averaging about 135 mph.
What is Road America?
One of the premier road courses in the world, Road America sits on 640 acres of rolling terrain in rural Sheboygan County, with the track running through forestland and open space. Although much less widely known, Road America is to the racing world what famed Blackwolf Run, 16 miles away, is to golf.
The racetrack was designed to be 4.0 miles. IndyCar measures it at 4.014.
The main entrance is off Highway 67, less than 5 miles north of downtown Plymouth and 3 miles southeast of Elkhart Lake.
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What’s the best way to watch a race at Road America?
The beauty of “America’s National Park of Speed” is that there is no assigned seating and there are numerous vantage points around the grounds. It’s easy to move around throughout a race weekend.
Turns 1, 3, 5, 7, 8-10 known collectively as the Carousel, and 12 are popular spectator areas. Video screens in many areas allow fans to watch action from around the track. There is a small grandstand across the pits, just beyond the start finish line.
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How much do tickets cost?
Admission is $30 Thursday, $35 Friday, $60 Saturday and $70 Sunday, or $150 for the weekend. Anyone 16 and under gets in for free with a paid adult admission. Tickets are available online or at the gate.
The paddock is open, and access is included in all tickets. Parking is included and open in various areas around the facility.
What is the general schedule?
Only support series are on track Thursday, with testing and official practice for USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Radical Cup. Similarly, Friday is mostly about those junior categories, although the first IndyCar practice is set for 3:30 to be followed by the first Radical Cup race.
The first race Saturday is USF2000 at 11 a.m., with IndyCar qualifying the highlight at 12:45. Activity starts at 8:25 a.m. Sunday with the IndyCar race scheduled for 11:45 a.m.
Spectator gates open at 7 a.m. each day.
How can I watch the races on television or via streaming?
The 55-lap Sonsio Grand Prix will be broadcast on NBC (Channel 4 in Milwaukee), beginning at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
IndyCar practice and qualifying sessions will be carried on NBC’s Peacock app, as will the Indy Lights race Sunday morning.
Who are the drivers to watch?
Will Power, winner at Road America in 2016, comes into the weekend as the championship leader, having moved to the top of the points Sunday with a victory in Detroit.
More: Insider: Will Power's secret to his Detroit win, IndyCar points lead? 'Not caring anymore'
Marcus Ericsson, the Indianapolis 500 winner, is second in the standings, three points behind Power.
In seven NTT IndyCar Series races at Road America, the only driver to win more than once is six-time series champion Scott Dixon (2017, 2020 Race 1). He has finished in the top five two other times
Alex Palou collected one of his three victories en route to the 2021 championship when he beat Colton Herta by 1.911 seconds last year at Road America.
With Dixon, Palou and Felix Rosenqvist (2020 Race 2), Chip Ganassi Racing has won more than half the races.
Josef Newgarden won in 2018 and led 32 laps last year before his gearbox failed on a restart with two laps to go. Newgarden has started on the pole three times and is the only two-race winner through seven races this season.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: IndyCar at Elkhart Lake's Road America: What to know, how to watch
