Race weekend: Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20
Track: Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval
Race distance: 248 laps/372 miles
Firestone tire allotment: Eleven sets primary to be used during practice, qualifying and the race.
Twitter: @TXMotorSpeedway @INDYCAR, #XPEL375, #INDYCAR
Event website: www.TexasMotorSpeedway.com
INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2021 race winners: Race 1: Scott Dixon, 1:45:51.3417, 173.036 mph (212 laps/318 miles); Race 2: Pato O’Ward, 2:06:31.1155, 169.360 mph (248 laps/372 miles)
2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Race 1: Alex Palou (Points); Race 2: Scott Dixon (Points)
Qualifying record (based on track distance of 1.44 miles)
One lap: Charlie Kimball, 23.2730, 222.747 mph, June 9, 2017
Two laps: Charlie Kimball, 46.5861, 222.556 mph, June 9, 2017
NBC Sports race telecast: 12:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters.
Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. NBC’s XPEL 375 race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service, while Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will debut following the race.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and turn announcer Nick Yeoman. Jake Query and Michael Young are the pit reporters. The XPEL 375 race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (All times local/Central Time):
Saturday, March 19
9:45-9:55 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES two-stage pit speed limiter practice
10-11 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium
1 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, cumulative time of two laps), Peacock Premium (Live)
4-5 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium
Sunday, March 20
11:30 a.m. NBC on air
11:40 a.m. “Drivers, start your engines”
11:45 a.m. XPEL 375 (248 laps / 372 miles), NBC (Live)
Race Notes:
- Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin kicked off the 2022 season with a bang, claiming his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory Feb. 27 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The 27-year-old New Zealander outdueled series champions Alex Palou and Will Power to claim the championship point lead for the first time.
- The XPEL 375 will be the 35th INDYCAR SERIES race at Texas Motor Speedway, dating to Arie Luyendyk winning the INDYCAR SERIES event in 1997. No driver has competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race at TMS, but Scott Dixon has started 22 races.
- Scott Dixon has won five times at Texas Motor Speedway, the most wins by an INDYCAR SERIES driver at the track. Dixon won in 2008, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2021 Race 1. Seven past TMS winners are entered in this year’s XPEL 375: Dixon, Helio Castroneves (2004 Race 2, 2006, 2009 and 2013), Will Power (2011 Race 2 and 2017), Ed Carpenter (2014), Graham Rahal (2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Pato O’Ward (2021 Race 2).
- Will Power has won the pole for three of the past 10 Texas Motor Speedway races (2013, 2014 and 2015). Other past pole winners entered this year are Scott Dixon (2008), Josef Newgarden (2018 and 2020) and Takuma Sato (2019). Dixon and Alex Palou were awarded the pole based on entrant points after qualifying was rained out in 2021.
- Six drivers have won the Texas race from the pole: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2), Gil de Ferran (2003 Race 2), Helio Castroneves (2004 Race 2), Tomas Scheckter (2005), Scott Dixon (2008) and Ryan Briscoe (2010).
- Drivers who have won at Texas have gone on to win the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship nine times, including in three of the last four seasons. Champions who won at Texas are Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2 and 2002 Race 2), Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008, 2015, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011 Race 1) and Josef Newgarden (2019).
- Twenty drivers entered this weekend have competed in past NTT INDYCAR SERIES events at Texas Motor Speedway. Twelve drivers have led laps at the track: Scott Dixon 1,043, Will Power 433, Josef Newgarden 187, Ed Carpenter 93, Simon Pagenaud 85, Takuma Sato 72, Graham Rahal 49, Pato O’Ward 25, Alexander Rossi 10, Alex Palou 9, Rinus VeeKay 5 and Marcus Ericsson
- Five rookies – Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas – are entered. All five, plus seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and seven-time Texas race winner Jimmie Johnson, will attempt to make their first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on an oval this weekend at Texas. Ed Carpenter and JR Hildebrand are slated to make their 2022 season debut this weekend.
- Milestones: Colton Herta will attempt to make his 50th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Takuma Sato will attempt to make his 200th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 290th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
