All posts by Aaron Bearden

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Danica Patrick won’t be the only fast female attempting to qualify her way into the Indianapolis 500 field this year. Pippa Mann’s coming back for her seventh Month of May. Mann announced on her personal website Tuesday that she’ll return to Dale Coyne Racing this May, attempting to qualify for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. Mann, 34, will pilot the No. 63 Honda with sponsorship from Donate Life Indiana. “I am honored to have been asked to drive the Donate Life car this May,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Reversal of Fortune Last season Sebastien Bourdais could only watch as Josef Newgarden drove off with a championship he appeared poised to contend for before misfortune befell him at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. In St. Petersburg he kicked off another championship chase in victory lane after the misfortune of others. Bourdais completed an emotional comeback with a victory in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – the season-opening race for the Verizon IndyCar Series. “This is emotional because I was able from aRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s).  Team: Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers: Scott Dixon, Ed Jones What Happened Last Year: Chip Ganassi Racing’s first year back under the Honda banner was a relatively quiet one, and ultimately the final year of the organization as aRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer The details for the final leg of the Danica Double have been revealed. Ed Carpenter Racing announced on Wednesday that Danica Patrick will compete for the organization in May’s 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500, confirming the news Patrick herself let slip during February’s Daytona 500 Media Tour. Patrick will pilot the No. 13 Chevrolet, running with the familiar green livery of longtime sponsor GoDaddy. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – to be the team to power Danica in her final race, and to doRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Ahead of each Verizon IndyCar Series race weekend, Motorsports Tribune offers an in-depth look at the details and storylines going into the weekend’s event(s). Verizon IndyCar Series Race(s): Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (110 laps, 198 miles) Circuit: Streets of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg, Fla.) Track Details: Clockwise – 14 turns, 1.80 miles Track Record: 107.561 mph (Will Power, 2016) What Happened Last Year: Sebastien Bourdais overcame a disastrous qualifying crash to rise from last to first and claim his first win in St. Pete, establishing himself and DaleRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer The safety team following the Verizon IndyCar Series will have new branding in 2018. Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) officials announced Tuesday that American Medical Response (AMR) and the sanctioning body have reached an agreement for the company to become the title sponsor of the industry-leading INDYCAR Safety Team, replacing Holmatro. “In our opinion, INDYCAR’s safety team is the finest in motorsports,” INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations Jay Frye said in a release. “We are excited to partner with AMR to continue building the legacy ofRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s).  Team: Dale Coyne Racing Drivers: Sebastien Bourdais, Pietro Fittipaldi, Zachary Claman de Melo What Happened Last Year: A season that began with unexpected promise was undone by an injury for Dale Coyne Racing. The company entered the 2017 IndyCar seasonRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s).  Team: Carlin Drivers: Charlie Kimball, Max Chilton What Happened Last Year: Carlin’s 2017 was a year filled with planning. After three seasons spent building in Indy Lights – the top ladder of the Mazda Road to Indy –Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer When Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500, they’ll do so with at least one familiar face behind the wheel. The organization announced Thursday that Sage Karam will return to the team for the third-consecutive year, piloting their No. 24 Chevrolet in the 500-mile event with sponsorship support from Wix Filters. Excited to announce @WIXFilters partnership with @DRRIndyCar at the 102nd #Indy500 and young racer @SageKaram . Sage will drive the No. 24Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer The ARCA Racing Series opener at Daytona International Speedway was a chaotic war of attrition. But for Willie Mullins and his volunteer-based Mullins Racing, it was the night an offseason of effort proved worthwhile – when trash was turned into Daytona treasure. Mullins dodged the race’s seven crashes and held his position through the final one-lap sprint to the checkered flag to claim a second-place finish in the Feb. 10 Lucas Oil 200. The result was Mullins’ first top five in 12-career ARCA starts, a feat madeRead More