All posts by Christopher DeHarde

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Jack Harvey’s first natural terrain road course race in the Verizon IndyCar Series had a little bit of everything on Sunday. Starting 18th, the Brit had to deal with a drying track after significant morning rain and several off strategy calls. One of those calls went Harvey’s way as his team brought him in to pit on Lap 12 before a caution came out a few laps later for Takuma Sato’s stopped car in Turn 6. Harvey’s pitRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After a day filled with pit challenges, off strategy calls and random misfortunes for other Verizon IndyCar Series championship contenders, Alexander Rossi managed to navigate through for his second career win and first on a permanent road course in Sunday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen. Josef Newgarden made a massive move at the start going to the lead, but Rossi was able to get around him at the end of the first turn. With the entire fieldRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After a 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season that was, for the most part, one to forget, Aaron Telitz was able to earn his second victory of the season and his first since the first race of the year in St. Petersburg in some very wet conditions. Polesitter Colton Herta led at the start but Telitz took the lead shortly thereafter and so began one of the best on track battles of the season. Santiago Urrutia,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After a racing season that started with Victor Franzoni not knowing what he would be driving, the Brazilian took his second win of the weekend at Watkins Glen International and his seventh of the season on his way to winning the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Franzoni led from the start over Team Pelfrey’s Carlos Cunha while Anthony Martin’s Cape Motorsports car went from fifth to third. Franzoni pulled away by a large margin inRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After a season of qualifying frustration on the road and street courses, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Charlie Kimball had his best road course qualifying of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season at Watkins Glen International by qualifying fifth ahead of Sunday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen. Kimball advanced out of the first group in round one, beating out Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones, Tony Kanaan, Max Chilton and JR Hildebrand. In round two, Kimball was able to get himselfRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After setting the third fastest time in Friday’s two practice sessions and the seventh fastest time in Saturday’s third practice session, Graham Rahal was only able to qualify his No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda tenth fastest ahead of Sunday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Rahal got through group two in the first round of qualifying to advance to round two but his fastest lap of 1:23.2240 was not enough to getRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Pabst Racing’s Rinus VeeKay needed to win the final race of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda in order to win the championship. Win he did, but Cape Motorsports’s Oliver Askew was able to finish second to secure the championship and with it the scholarship that allows him to move up to the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. VeeKay got around Askew at the start and would pull away to an early lead. AskewRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Victor Franzoni got closer to the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires trophy and the Mazdaspeed scholarship by winning the first of two Pro Mazda races this weekend at Watkins Glen International for Juncos Racing. The race began with Franzoni leading from the pole but Cape Motorsports’s Anthony Martin would take over the lead heading to the inner loop on the first lap. Martin would lead the first two laps but unfortunately  the green flag wouldn’tRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Friday practice has concluded for the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen, the penultimate Verizon IndyCar Series race of the season and Honda came up with the fastest times of the day in both sessions. In the opening practice session, Honda had the top five cars as Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal went fastest with a lap of 1:23.2603 seconds, averaging 145.712 mph around the 3.37 mile natural terrain road course. Second fastest was Andretti Herta Autosport’s AlexanderRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Ahead of the Soul Red Finale weekend at Watkins Glen, New York for the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires are two championship battles that are very close between two drivers and one that is close to being clinched. Let’s take a look at all three battles ahead of the four races this weekend. Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser has the easiest championship position this weekend for Indy Lights. Kaiser simplyRead More