Nasr Looks to Cut Into Porsche Penske Teammates’ Championship Lead at Indy
Jake Galstad/LAT Images
By Dennis Krause
With wins at Daytona, Sebring and Long Beach to start the season, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy looked like shoe-ins for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
But a summer in which they suffered at crash at Watkins Glen and a penalty at Elkhart Lake’s Road America now has Nasr and Tandy looking up at their Porsche Penske Motorsport teammates, Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) standings with two races remaining on the year.
Heading into this weekend’s six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Nasr and Tandy trail their teammates by 75-points, and are just five markers ahead of the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 of Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun in the Michelin Endurance Cup standings.
Nasr, a 14-time winner in the series, is looking forward to getting back to Indy and hopefully making up some ground on his Porsche Penske Motorsport teammates..
“It's great to be heading back to Indianapolis,” said Nasr. “I really enjoyed the very first time I went back there. [It] produces good racing, and there's a lot of points to play in the championship.
“I think that's the great side of it, going back to an endurance round as well, lots of racing to go down. And what I'm looking forward to have a cleaner weekend on the No. 7 car since the last two races haven't been great for us. But that's behind us.
“[We] have a great package in our hands. Nick and I have been doing a great year together, looking for a solid weekend in Indianapolis to catch back on that title fight. Six hours. There's plenty to race. I remember last year the rain came in to play as well. That became a bit of a challenge for all of us. So let's see.
“It's a cool track that always puts the field to the battle, is always great between the GTP class there, and I'm looking forward to it.”
Richard Dole/LAT Images
According to Nasr, the two Penske Porsche 963’s are free to race each other on the track - provided they do so following one simple rule.
“For sure,” said the reigning series champion. “From what I'm aware, we've been free to race each other in the last couple of races, and we just have one pretty clear rule - don't take each other out and ruin each other's race.
“But yeah, the race sometimes, depending some cars will like to, let's say, start on the qualifying tires. One car wants to go. So there's always a few offset strategies that you and your team can choose. And that's pretty open up at Porsche Penske, I would say, and like I said, we've been nose to tail most of the time. It's pretty much the last two races that we didn't have the results we wanted, but I had no doubt that, when it came to race day, the No. 7 car was always very strong and always up front.
“So, yeah, it's like I said, we’re free to race, and that's how we're going to approach [it].”
Obviously, if Nasr and Tandy are to win the title, they’ll need to finish ahead of their teammates in the No. 6 Porsche. Given that it’s a teammate, do they race them any differently than another team?
“My goal is to win, regardless,” the 33-year-old stated emphatically. “Whenever I jump in the car, is to win a race and win for the team, for sure. I think you had a few examples this year where the two cars were always close together, and we still had the opportunity to fight them. Like I said, it has to be clean, and that's what we've been instructed from the team so far. And I think that regardless where you start the race, or where you are doing different strategies, we always know, at least, I know that the seven crew is always trying the best to put us ahead and do the best we can to to fight any competitor.
“We're not just trying to cover the No. 6 at times. You definitely want to go and win the race. Now we are in the situation where we're second in the championship. We lost the lead two rounds ago, but it's still pretty close on points. This championship has still a lot to play for a six-hour race and a 10-hour race coming. There's plenty of opportunities.
“But yeah, as simple as it goes, you know we gotta finish ahead of them. And I know Nick and I, we are eager to get back in the car and put in the work.”
Coming down the main straight at Indy to the checkered flag, does Nasr race his teammate any different from another car for the win?
“If I see an opportunity and I see a gap, I'm going for it, and that's what I'm here for. As long as I keep it clean - and I'll expect the same from them as well.”
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.