All posts by Aaron Bearden

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — He was so painfully close. With 10 laps remaining in Sunday’s Pro Mazda Championship race at Barber Motorsports Park, it appeared Andres Gutierrez would finally be able to embrace his team as a first-time winner on the Mazda Road to Indy. Instead he found himself fighting off tears and shaking his head in frustration as they embraced him in the paddock after a seventh-place disappointment. “I’m just devastated,” Gutierrez told Motorsports Tribune. “I think I drove the best race of my life toRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A little moisture couldn’t keep Patricio ‘Pato’ O’Ward from surging to an Indy Lights weekend sweep at Barber Motorsports Park. If anything, it might have made it easier. O’Ward soared from the drop of the green flag to claim a dominant victory in the 30-lap Race 2 of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, securing his third victory in four Indy Lights races to open the 2018 season. The Alabama road course promised to be a challenge, particularly with the wet weatherRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — With rain anticipated on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, few drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy were as confident as Harrison Scott. “I’m British, and we’re used to the rain for sure,” he told Motorsports Tribune after Saturday’s first Pro Mazda Championship race. “So if it’s wet, it’s not going to phase me. I know what to do.” Scott proved that to be true on Sunday. The Briton surged past the off-course Andres Gutierrez shortly before a caution for weather conditionsRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — After qualifying second, Patricio “Pato” O’Ward knew he would need to find a way around teammate Colton Herta if he was going to claim a redemptive second victory of the young Indy Lights Championship season. What he didn’t know was how quickly he would manage it, or how crucial it would be. O’Ward maneuvered his way around Herta on the opening lap of the 30-circuit event, snagging the top spot shortly before the race’s lone safety car for a crash between DaltonRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Parker Thompson had a month to think about the race win he’d let slip away on the streets of St. Petersburg. So when he got an opportunity to redeem himself at Barber Motorsports Park, the Canadian made it count. “It was on the back of my mind, but I had a month-long break to get over the fact that I lost a race in Race 1,” Thompson said. “I think that really helped, because I came into this weekend with my elbows up,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Rinus Veekay wasn’t surprised when he struggled in the first of two Pro Mazda Championship race at Barber Motorsports Park. Based on his history at the track, he expected it. “This was my worst weekend last year,” Veekay told Motorsports Tribune. “So let’s just move on and dominate the rest of the season.” Veekay rose from seventh to claim a relatively quiet fifth-place run in the Race 1 of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, keeping his car clean and salvaging a decent points day afterRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Will Power led the way in an eventful opening Saturday practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park. Power’s top time of 1:07.3430 stood as the quickest circuit in the third practice session for Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, giving Chevrolet the top time in the run. The 2014 IndyCar champion is searching for this third triumph on the Alabama road course, having won back-to-back races at the circuit in 2011 and ’12. Honda’s Robert Wickens, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi roundedRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer The Verizon IndyCar Series is a tour lauded for the challenge of its schedule. From street circuits and road courses to high speed ovals both big and small, the drivers that contest the championship are tasked with finding consistency in a field and schedule rife with parity and variables. IndyCar’s depth and difficulty have been proven with the tour’s early 2018 results. There have been three different winners – all from different organizations – and only one driver has managed a podium in each of the open three races.Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer JR Hildebrand will be back in the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock for the Month of May. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced Thursday that Hildebrand, 30, will pilot the team’s second entry in the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The Californian will pilot the No. 66 entry in the event, returning to the organization where he made his IndyCar debut in 2010. The effort will be sponsored by Salesforce, a cloud-based platform for customer relationship management. Thursday’s announcement marks the first time in seven years thatRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer (New)Garden of Eden There are a few places in the Verizon IndyCar Series that some would consider paradise. For the sport’s oldest supporters, no location compares to victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. West Coast fans often point to the prestigious Long Beach street circuit. Some prefer the history of tracks like Road America, while others like the sheer excitement of ovals like Texas Motor Speedway. For Roger Penske, though? Recently it’s been wherever Josef Newgarden is found. The Tennessean joined Team Penske as the sport’s hottest free agent goingRead More