The Alex Palou train rolls north of the border this weekend, and the NTT IndyCar Series hits the streets of Toronto with one looming question.
Can anyone – or anything -- derail the runaway points leader entering Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto (which will be shown exclusively on Peacock starting at 1:30 p.m. ET)?
With three consecutive victories at Mid-Ohio, Road America and Detroit, Palou has won four of the past five races to build a massive gap in the championship standings. He leads by 110 points over Scott Dixon through nine of 17 races.
But Palou’s experience is limited at Toronto, though. Because of the pandemic, the race wasn’t held in 2020-21, the Spaniard’s first two seasons in IndyCar. Last year, the Chip Ganassi Racing star finished sixth (amid uncertainty about his future after his contract dispute with the team publicly erupted).
Dixon, meanwhile, won the race — his series-high fourth at the track where he also reached victory lane in 2018 and 2013 (twice).
Other former winners in the field for Sunday’s race: Josef Newgarden (2017, ’15), Simon Pagenaud (2019), Will Power (2016) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012).
Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Honda Indy Toronto race weekend (all times are ET):
INDYCAR HONDA INDY TORONTO START TIMES
TV: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, streaming on Peacock. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.
Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying. Click here for more information about how to access Peacock.
POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation.
INDYCAR RADIO NETWORK: Mark Jaynes is the announcer with analyst Davey Hamilton; turn announcers Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young; and pit reporters Alex Wollf, Joel Sebastianelli and Georgia Henneberry. The IndyCar and Indy NXT practice, qualifying and race sessions will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app powered by NTT Data.
COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 1:53 p.m. ET
GREEN FLAG: 2 p.m. ET
PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock), Saturday, 10:35 a.m. (Peacock), Sunday, 10:15 a.m. (Peacock)
PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Warmup l Combined
QUALIFYING: Saturday, 2:50 p.m. (Peacock)
STARTING LINEUP: Click here for the 27-car grid for Toronto
RACE DISTANCE: The race is 85 laps (151.81 miles) on an 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course in Toronto.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
PUSH TO PASS: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total; 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, the forecast at the green flag is for 77 degrees and a 33 percent chance of rain.
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 27 cars entered at Toronto
HONDA INDY TORONTO WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, July 14
8:30-9 a.m.: USF2000 practice
9:15-9:45 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 practice
10-11 a.m.: Radical Cup practice
11:15 a.m.-12:35 p.m.: NASCAR Pinty’s Series practice and qualifying
12:50-1:20 p.m.: Sports Car Championship Canada practice and qualifying
1:35-1:55 p.m.: USF2000 qualifying Race 1
2:10-2:30 p.m.: USF Pro 2000 qualifying Race 1
3-4:15 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series practice (Peacock)
4:30-4:55 p.m.: Radical Cup qualifying
5:10-6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Pinty’s Series race
Saturday, July 15
8:30-9 a.m.: Sports Car Championship Canada Race 1
9:15-9:35 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 qualifying Race 2
9:50-10:10 a.m.: USF2000 qualifying Race 2
10:35-11:35 a.m.: NTT IndyCar Series practice (Peacock)
11:50 a.m.-12:35 p.m.: USF Pro 2000 Race 1
12:50-1:25 p.m.: Radical Cup Race 1
1:40-2:25 p.m.: USF2000 Race 1
2:50-4:20 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series qualifying (Peacock)
4:35-5:15 p.m.: Sports Car Championship Canada Race 2
5:30-6:05 p.m.: Radical Cup Race 2
Sunday, July 16
8:10-8:50 a.m: USF2000 Race 2
9:05-9:40 a.m.: Radical Cup Race 3
10:15-10:45 a.m.: NTT IndyCar Series warmup (Peacock)
11:05-11:45 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 Race 2
Noon-12:40 p.m.: Sports Car Championship Canada Race 3
2 p.m.: Green flag for the Honda Indy Toronto (85 laps, 151.81 miles, Peacock)
2023 SEASON RECAPS
ROUND 1: Marcus Ericsson wins wild opener in St. Petersburg
ROUND 2: Josef Newgarden wins Texas thriller over Pato O’Ward
ROUND 3: Kyle Kirkwood breaks through for first career IndyCar victory
ROUND 4: Scott McLaughlin outduels Romain Grosjean at Barber
ROUND 5: Alex Palou dominant in GMR Grand Prix
ROUND 6: Josef Newgarden wins first Indy 500 in 12th attempt
ROUND 7: Alex Palou wins from the pole in downtown Detroit
ROUND 8: Alex Palou rebounds from crash to win Road America
ROUND 9: Alex Palou charges to Mid-Ohio victory
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A.J. Foyt takes refuge at Indy 500 while weathering grief of wife’s death
Gordon Johncock: The most unassuming Indy 500 legend
Alex Palou on his Indy 500 pole, multitasking at 224 mph and a Chip Ganassi surprise
Marcus Ericsson, engineer Brad Goldberg have ties that run very deep
New competition elements for 2023 include an alternate oval tire
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Alexander Rossi fitting in well at McLaren
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Helio Castroneves says 2023 season is “huge” for IndyCar future
How Sting Ray Robb got that name
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Simon Pagenaud on why he likes teasing former teammate Josef Newgarden
HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2023: Full NBC Sports schedule
