AJ Allmendinger, Tristan Vautier and Carlos Munoz are scheduled to test at Texas Motor Speedway tomorrow as a precursor to next month’s Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Allmendinger, who has been entered as Penske’s third driver for the Indy 500, has tested on the Sebring and Barber road courses in recent weeks.
His most recent oval appearance in a single-seater came when he finished fourth in the Champ Car race at Milwaukee in 2006.
Vautier, who made his IndyCar debut with Schmidt Peterson at St Petersburg on Sunday, and Munoz, who is scheduled to make his series debut at Indy in a fifth Andretti car, have both experienced ovals in Indy Lights, but tomorrow’s test will be their first opportunity to do so in an IndyCar.
IndyCar race director Beaux Barfield said that the Texas test was intended to give the drivers a chance to hone their basic oval skills before the more rigorous Orientation Program.
“Texas Motor Speedway is a difficult place to race, but it’s not as difficult to get up to speed for the first time as Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so it’s a good opportunity for these guys to get comfortable with the speeds,” said Barfield.
“I want to make sure they are set into a rhythm and they’re aware of what’s going on around them.
“There are a couple of bumps in certain spots that they need to be aware of and I’ll be looking for them to be changing their lines a little bit once they get up to speed and comfortable to drive different lanes.
“We’re specific about what’s required at the Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but much more open and laid back with how we conduct rookie tests at different venues.
“There won’t be any specific speed phases to the session, but I will defer to the teams to get their drivers comfortable with the car and speeds.”
Ed Carpenter, Simon Pagenaud, Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal and James Jakes are scheduled to take part in a private test at Texas later in the day.
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