“Rocket” Helps Take Supply Team Reconnaissance to New Levels

Annual Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge Friday afternoon at IMS

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock knows him as “Rocket,” but racing fans know the series’ technical director as Kevin Blanch.

“Rocket” alone kicked off more participation and rewards for crews in the One Stop to Start Pit Stop Challenge Friday during Miller Lite Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Blanch worked to broaden the scope of the annual competition and revived a celebration for mechanics that includes numerous prizes for mechanics.

The Pit Stop Challenge takes place from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET at IMS. About 30 minutes after the competition ended, Blanch threw a Gasoline Alley party for the crew members. Blanch grew the event from $42,000 worth of gifts to more than $300,000 in total – over five years.

“It’s just a great addition to the pit stop contest,” Blanch said.

The names of the crew members are put into a hat and the draw begins. The first name chosen gets its first element of its choice.

There is a wide range of items, all donated by NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams, manufacturers, sellers, suppliers and more. Items include autographed memorabilia and other equipment such as helmets, visors, gloves and more.

But this is only the beginning.

Henry supplies several items, as does Piloti Driving Shoes. SONAX car care products offer a popular mystery gift. Takuma Sato’s manager owns a few True Value Hardware stores and donated grills. AMR started its donations with one television and has since expanded to three.

There is also a bucket that sits on the toolbox in the MOT area, which staff drop money into at any time, all to be part of the gifts for the hard-working mechanics.

“The minimum a person would get would be around $500, with a maximum probably around $2,000,” Blanch said.

The INDYCAR Department is providing a taco bar for the party.

“We get together and eat tacos, drink cold beer, hand out a bunch of stuff and give each other a hard time,” Blanch said.

Developing this event means a lot to Blanch, an Indiana native and former INDYCAR SERIES chief mechanic at Patrick Racing and Panther Racing before assuming his current role in 2003.

“I’ve won every award here,” he said. “I won the race, the best chief engineer, the pole several times. It really means as much as all of this because it affects everyone. Everyone participates. »

Of the 14 pit crews participating Friday – representing eight different teams – each qualified for this year’s One Stop to Start Pit Stop Challenge in one of three ways.

Crews will compete in single-lap eliminations for the first three rounds of the competition during which they will have to change four tires and simulate refueling. In the championship round, the bottom two teams will face off in a best-of-three series, with the teams alternating lanes in the first two races.

The winning crew and driver will share a $50,000 prize, and each crew member will receive custom-designed rings by Jostens, a box of steaks from Good Ranchers and a variety of other prizes.

First round (team listed first gets choice of lane)

Arrow McLaren #7 (Alexander Rossi) vs. Team Penske #2 (Josef Newgarden)

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing n°45 (Christian Lundgaard) against Dale Coyne Racing n°51 with RWR (Katherine Legge)

Juncos Hollinger Racing n°78 (Agustin Canapino) against Juncos Hollinger Racing n°77 (Romain Grosjean)

Andretti Global #27 (Kyle Kirkwood) vs. Chip Ganassi Racing #10 (Alex Palou)

No. 26 Andretti Global (Colton Herta) vs. No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Graham Rahal)

Arrow McLaren n°5 (Pato O’Ward) against Meyer Shank Racing n°60 (Felix Rosenqvist)

Quarter-finals

Q1: Team Penske n°12 (Power) against Rossi/Newgarden winner (Team Penske n°12 has the choice of path)

Q2: Winner Lundgaard/Legge against Winner Canapino/Grosjean (fastest time in the first round has the choice of lane)

Q3: Chip Ganassi Racing n°9 (Scott Dixon) against Kirkwood/Palou winner (Chip Ganassi Racing n°9 has the choice of route)

Q4: winner Herta/Rahal versus winner O’Ward/Rosenqvist (fastest time in the first round has the choice of lane)

Semi-finals (fastest time in quarter-final has choice of lane)

S1: first quarter winner versus second quarter winner

S2: 3rd quarter winner versus 4th quarter winners

Finals (best of three series)

S1 winner versus S2 winner

Team Penske is the heavyweight in this competition, winning 18 times. Last year, Scott Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew defeated Will Power Team Penske’s No. 12 crew in the final round, giving CGR its fourth victory in the competition but its first since 2018.

The last team to win the Pit Stop Competition and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year was Team Penske in 2009 with Helio Castroneves.

Live coverage of the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge begins at 2:30 p.m. ET Friday on Peacock.