All posts by Aaron Bearden

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — Stefan Wilson will go down in the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 record books as the 15th-place finisher. But to any who saw his performance – and especially Wilson himself – the run meant much more than the result. “It’s really emotional, actually,” Wilson said of his run. “And it’s not because I’m upset or anything, I just feel like this was an incredible month. The team did an amazing job. I can’t thank them enough.  “I just didn’t want toRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — The likely end of Danica Patrick’s career came 132 laps earlier than she’d hoped for in her final Indianapolis 500 start. Patrick was maneuvering her No. 13 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet through Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval when she lost control of the machine. The Illinoisan then spun out, making contact with the Turn 2 wall before sliding to a stop in the backstretch infield. The crash would ultimately end her day and, likely, her career. “I’m okay,” sheRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Alex Baron and Russ McDonough found themselves at odds after a run-in at Lucas Oil Raceway. Baron was running third in his No. 19 Swan-RJB Motorsports machine when he caught McDonough’s lapped No. 29 BN Racing machine on Lap 29 of Friday’s Freedom 75. The French driver attempted to overtake McDonough going into Turn 3 on the .686-mile oval, but the duo made contact. The resulting shunt sent Baron into the outside wall, knocking the 23-year-old out of the race in 21st. “WhenRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor With the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 serving as the first of two double-points races of the year, there’s a lot more than just a place on the Borg Warner trophy at stake for the Verizon IndyCar Series field. But while he can’t ignore the potential risk, defending series champion Josef Newgarden isn’t worrying about points heading into what could potentially be a career-defining race. “You really don’t think about it here until after the fact,” Newgarden said. “It’s one of those things that’s in the backRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — After a host of cheers, a few fist pumps and two heavy doses of heartbreak, qualifying for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is complete. And let me tell you, there’s a lot to unpack. There were surprises aplenty, both positive (see: the first team on these rankings) and negative – just ask the driver of the No. 5 Honda. Some teams lived up to or even exceeded expectations, while others were left deep in the field after a slog ofRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Danica Patrick’s Verizon IndyCar Series return has gone better than most anticipated thus far. Saturday’s qualifying run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway exceeded even her own expectations. Patrick laid down a four-lap average speed of 227.610 mph in her lone qualifying attempt to slot in ninth during the opening day of time trials for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The run guarantees the Illinoisan a shot at the pole in Sunday’s ‘Fast Nine’ qualifying round. “This exceeded it,” Patrick said of herRead More

By Aaron Bearden, IndyCar Editor INDIANAPOLIS — Now that they’ve implemented their new aero kits, the Verizon IndyCar Series are setting their sights on a power boost. INDYCAR announced Saturday that the American open wheel series will make the switch to 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines in 2021. The new regulations will stay in place through 2026, with an aim of reaching more than 900 horsepower during push-to-pass overtake activation. “Our drivers have been asking for more horsepower and thanks to the hard work of Chevrolet, Honda and the INDYCAR engine group,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer One day removed from a pair of podiums in the first Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, title hopefuls Rinus Veekay and Harrison Scott entered Saturday’s second event hoping for more of the same. They would instead be met with early problems. Scott and Veekay both failed to reach the checkered flag in the second Royal Purple Synthetic Motor Oil Grand Prix of Indianapolis, finishing outside of the top 10 and losing ground in the championship battle. Veekay didn’t makeRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Simon Pagenaud’s yellow Menards livery is already the brightest in the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock. But after another unfortunate run-in – this time on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – the Frenchman fears he may need to resort to an even brighter hue for his No. 22 Chevrolet. “I guess my car isn’t bright enough,” Pagenaud joked after the race. “It seems like people keep running into it.” Pagenaud rolled off seventh in the INDYCAR Grand Prix, but quickly found himself mired at the back ofRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Zachary Claman de Melo isn’t sure if he’ll be in the No. 19 Honda for the Indianapolis 500. But the rookie made his case for a Month of May drive with his best Verizon IndyCar Series performance to date on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Claman de Melo avoided any on-track incidents and put together a consistent drive to earn a career-best 12th-place finish in Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix. “I’m really happy with the result,” he told Motorsports Tribune. “We probably could have beenRead More