All posts by Frank Santoroski

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This past weekend, the stars and cars of the Verizon IndyCar Series were back on the track after a lengthy off-season.  The series did not disappoint, nor did Sebastien Bourdais who took the win in his first outing with Dale Coyne Racing in the No. 18 Sonny’s Barbecue Honda entry. Lets discuss five topics coming away from the “World’s Fastest Spring Break Party.” 1 ) Instant Validation Sebastien Bourdais began shopping for a 2017 ride very early. After three rather fruitful seasons with KVSH RacingRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will kick off their 2017 season with a return to St. Petersburg, Florida for what has become known as “The World’s Fastest Spring Break Party.” The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is round one 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 March 10-12, 2017. The defending race champion is Juan Pablo Montoya, who took back-to-backRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sharp contrast to some of his contemporaries, who can be found at the race track week-in and week-out, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock rarely speaks about, or even thinks about, racing these days. He makes precious few personal appearances, only occasionally grants interviews, and is likely to refer you to IMS historian, Donald Davidson, for questions about his racing stats. Now 80 years old, Johncock routinely puts in a full day of work at Quigley Lumber, the business that he owns in SouthRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Once upon a time in Motorsport, racing circuits were long and treacherous and racing continued no matter how deplorable the weather conditions became.  Whether it be in Sports Cars or Formula One, there was one driver who consistently excelled on the longest circuits when the conditions were at their worst: Jacky Ickx. Having taken six class victories at the storied 24-hour endurance race for Sports Cars, Jacky Ickx is often referred to as “Mister LeMans.” Sports Cars domination aside, he was also a rather successfulRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The 2016 season for the Verizon Indycar Series is now in the books. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud motored off into the distance at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, taking his fifth 2016 race win, and claiming his first series championship in the process. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines coming from California’s wine country. 1 ) No Lingering Questions  This day and age, oftentimes a championship leaves behind lingering questions as to whether or not the points system, or championship system,Read More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon Indycar Series will race at Sonoma Raceway for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. The event is slated for September 16-18, 2016. About the Race The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma is the sixteenth and final round for the Verizon Indycar Series in 2016. The event is held on a natural terrain road course, one of six such races on the schedule. The race will decide the 2016 Indycar Series Championship, and pay double points. This will be the thirteenth race forRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer And then there were two… With fifteen race weekends in the books, and just one remaining, the Verizon IndyCar Series is set to crown their 2016 champion at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on September 18th. The season started with optimism from every team on the grid. Target Chip Ganassi driver, Scott Dixon, was looking at adding a fifth title to his resume.  Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya was looking to avenge a season where he lost the crown to Dixon on a tiebreaker.Read More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Verizon Indycar Series has just completed its return to Watkins Glen International where Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon dominated the weekend and came home victorious. Lets look at some of the storylines coming out of the weekend’s racing. 1 ) The Right Venue When the Grand Prix of Boston imploded, it didn’t surprise me. As a matter of fact, I was actually a bit relieved, because running the race and having it fail would have been worse than not running at all. TheRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon Indycar Series will race at Watkins Glen International for the Indycar Grand Prix at The Glen. The event is slated for September 2-4, 2016. About the Race The Indycar Grand Prix at the Glen is round fifteen of sixteen for the Verizon Indycar Series in 2016. The event is held on a natural terrain road course, one of six such races on the schedule. The original version of the 2016 Verizon Indycar Series schedule had this weekend scheduled for the Grand PrixRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Verizon IndyCar Series has now run the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, a race that began in June. The conclusion of the rain-interrupted event saw Graham Rahal take his first win of the season in the closest IndyCar finish at TMS. Lets take a look at some of the storylines coming out of Saturday night’s race. 1 ) Worth the Wait  With eleven weeks between the red flag for rain and the restart, TMS fans had a long wait for the finish. TheRead More