All posts by Frank Santoroski

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will kick off the Month of May with the 4th running of the INDYCAR Grand Prix. The race weekend is slated for May 12-13, 2017. About the Race The INDYCAR Grand Prix is round five of seventeen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017. The event is held on a permanent road course, one of six such events in 2017. The defending race winner is Simon Pagenaud. For the Team Penske driver, it was his third consecutive seriesRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer It was recently reported by Indianapolis newsman, Dave Calabro of NBC Affiliate WTHR, that former NASCAR and IndyCar driver, John Andretti, is fighting a battle with stage 4 colon cancer. Andretti, 54, is the nephew of racing legend, Mario Andretti and cousin of IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti. His father, Aldo (twin brother to Mario) also had a racing career that was sidelined early on after an accident. One of the last true Renaissance men of racing, John Andretti enjoyed a unique career that sawRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Reigning Series Champion, Simon Pagenaud, finally has his first oval-track win in the Verizon IndyCar Series. During Saturday night’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, the driver of the No. 1 Menard’s Team Penske Chevrolet was able to stretch his fuel longer than his competitors and pit later. A fortuitous yellow gave Pagenaud a one-lap advantage after much of the field had pitted under the green. From that point, he never looked back, leading the final 114 laps en route to victory 9.1028 secondsRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Verizon IndyCar Series will make its return this weekend to the Valley of the Sun for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix. The race weekend is scheduled for April 28-29, 2017 About the Race The race will be round four of seventeen for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Phoenix will be the first oval track event of the season, in a schedule that features six oval races. IndyCars returned to the track last season after an absence of 11 years. The defending raceRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama for the Verizon IndyCar Series has concluded, and Josef Newgarden has now notched his first win as a Penske driver. He was able to pull off a daring pass on four-time Series Champion, Scott Dixon, to take second, and then inherited the lead when leader Will Power experienced a tire issue. Let’s take a look back on some of the stories coming out of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. 1 )  Great Day for the South WheneverRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will invade the deep South for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The race is slated for April 21-23, 2017. About the Race The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is round three of seventeen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017. The event is held on a permanent road course, the first of six such races on the calendar. The defending race winner is Simon Pagenaud, who drives the #1 Menard’s Chevrolet for Team Penske. theRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sports, there are stars, super-stars and mega-stars. The mega-stars are those names that are so big that they transcend their sport and become part of the popular consciousness. Someone that doesn’t watch sports can still tell you that Tom Brady is a football player, and you’ll find LeBron James on the basketball court. Mention Dale Earnhardt Jr., and you know we’re talking NASCAR. While the drivers are well known to those that follow the series, the Verizon IndyCar Series lacks a true marquee starRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer After last year’s historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with a sell-out crowd and a large amount of media attention, I wondered if the momentum would continue into the next century of racing. Indeed, the 101st Running, slated for May 28, 2017, has a tough act to follow. What could possibly happen to top this? Enter Fernando Alonso. The stunning early-morning announcement on Wednesday that the two-time World Drivers Champion would run in the 500 caught the racing community by surprise. Many of usRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will continue their 2017 season with one of their crown jewel events, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. About the Race This is round two of seventeen for the Series in 2017. The event is held on a temporary street circuit, one of five such races on the schedule. The race weekend is scheduled April 7-9, 2017. The defending race champion is Simon Pagenaud, who drives the No. 1 Penske Chevrolet. This will be the 34th raceRead More

By April Furst, Staff Writer In what certainly has to be the most ambitious announcement in racing history, Team Penske announced that not one, but two, of their drivers will attempt the Indy-Charlotte Double on Memorial Day Weekend. Monster Energy NASCAR Series regular, Brad Keselowski and Verizon IndyCar Series driver, Josef Newgarden will attempt to qualify for, and compete in, both the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte scheduled for May 28, 2017. Both drivers will be sponsored by MillerCoors and allRead More