Open-Wheels Staff
October 31, 2019 | 8:00 AM
With anticipation and excitement building towards the inaugural Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race presented by Mitchell Transmissions, you must not forget the Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window – to be held on the “Day Before the 500” presented by Grant King Race Shops!
On Saturday, November 16, a pair of support events will take to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for some fun and competition. One will be the Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window, a heat-style race where drivers will battle with reduced-capacity fuel tanks and multiple green flag-style pit stops to see who is the quickest driver on and off of pit lane.
The other event is the Veterans 100, a 40-lap race that pays homage to the men and women who have served the United States in the armed forces. The 100-mile event is sure to produce plenty of drafting, passing, and an exciting finish in the Formula Renault 3.5 chassis – its first start on the Indianapolis oval.
“With just 18 days until the inaugural running of the Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race, that means the countdown is on for the Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window,” said Tanner Watkins, the owner and editor of Open-Wheels.com and the president of the Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race presented by Mitchell Transmissions.
“The Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window, plus the Veterans 100 support race, cap our fantastic Day Before the 500 presented by Grant King Race Shops action – getting drivers and fans alike ready for the big day on November 17. Each race is sure to generate compelling on-track action and fantastic finishes, so the anticipation is building for November 16 as much as any other day!”
A total of 62 drivers are on the entry list for the Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window, including six former iRacing Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winners: Christopher Demeritt, Jonathan Goke, Brendan Lichtenberg, Ryan Norton, Yang Ou, and Matt Pawelski. Additionally, another 21 drivers are on the PSC entry list with former iRacing Indianapolis 500 top split race experience.
The Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window will feature unique heat-type racing which will see the field of entrants split into three-to-four heats – with just the first few finishers in each heat advancing to the final. And where does the pit stop portion come into play, you ask?
Drivers will be equipped with reduced fuel tank capacity – 17% of their normal tank size, to be exact – and will be forced to make two pit stops under green flag racing conditions during the heat races.
In the final, drivers will have to make four stops under green flag conditions, and the drivers who are quickest in and out of pit road (as well as on the track) will emerge victorious.
The Pit Stop Competition presented by The Pit Window will be held on Saturday, November 16 at 3:30 PM Eastern. All events on the Day Before the 500 presented by Grant King Race Shops build towards the inaugural running of the Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race, scheduled for Sunday, November 17 with RaceSpot TV going on-air at 11:15 AM Eastern.
