Ragan on Indy: ‘You Have to Hit Every Mark Just Right’

Ragan on Indianapolis

“Indy is a very unique track, and it’s a neat track to drive. I think qualifying at Indy is one of the more mentally challenging tracks because you have to hit every mark just right. Even if you mess up just a little bit in Turns 1 and 2, you pay for it the rest of the track. It’s a fun track to drive on. It’s really a rhythm track. You’ve got to get your rhythm and hit your marks.

“Indy is always extremely hot. We’re going to be going there a little later in the summer this year, so it might be a little bit cooler. But I think there are a few things that make Indy hot. You’ve got the pagoda and the grandstands in the center of the infield, so you don’t have a lot of air movement. So, sometimes it’s like a little bowl. It creates heat inside the racetrack. And the race cars are so sealed off the entire racetrack. You don’t have a lot of bumps, you don’t have a lot of difference in banking where the cars can move up and down and let some air underneath. The splitter is sealed down the entire lap, and you don’t get a lot of off-throttle time. The engine temperatures are really hot, too. That all combines for a really hot race. We always have to prepare ourselves for that race.”

Ragan Indianapolis Stats
11 starts, 1 pole, 1 top-15, 3 top-20s
Best finish: 14th

FRM PR