All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Roger Penske has stated that if Helio Castroneves captures his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win today that an opportunity to score a fifth awaits. Castroneves, 43, moved over the offseason to Team Penske’s Acura program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after 20 years racing Indy cars. However, it was always in the cards to be part of the month of May festivities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the INDYCAR Grand Prix and “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The crown jewel event of theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil is drawing near, but before we all watch in awe on May 27, it would be wise to take a look back at last year’s race. Although it featured two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, it was his Andretti Autosport teammate Takuma Sato – driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing this season – that stole the show to take the second victory of his Verizon IndyCar Series career and first at the Brickyard. Our friendsRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Despite the nerves that existed within, Sebastien Bourdais battled through them to qualify fifth for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The traditional weekend of qualifying features the ultimate blend of courage and speed with Bump Day on Saturday and Pole Day on Sunday. The pressure to put together four crisp laps around the daunting Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always at an all-time high. Taking an Indy car to its limits – and past them – is somethingRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Aston Martin Red Bull Racing are set to start their 250th Formula 1 race at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Since their debut as an official team at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing have captured four drivers titles, four constructor’s championships and taken 56 victories. One of the crown jewel events in all of motorsports, the Milton Keynes-based squad will look to capture their fourth victory on the streets of Monte Carlo and first since Mark Webber in 2012. Our friends from Mobil 1Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Danica Patrick completed a stressful Pole Day performance to qualify seventh for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The 36-year-old from Roscoe, Illinois, turned a four-lap average of 228.090 mph (2 minutes, 37.8326 seconds) after being the first driver of the Fast Nine to go out. The end result put her on the inside of the third row, beside a pair of Indy 500 champions in Helio Castroneves (eighth) and Scott Dixon (ninth) for the May 27 race.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Brian Belardi got his first taste of the emotions that come with attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. The co-owner of the No. 33 Foyt with Byrd/Hollinger/Belardi entry endured a 24 hours that saw driver James Davison crash on Friday, only to come back and take the final spot among the field of 33 on Bump Day qualifying on Saturday. The four-lap average of 224.798 mph (2 minutes, 40.1439 seconds) around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway was enough to keep him on theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – It was the drama everyone missed, but it wasn’t the outcome expected as the return of Bump Day for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 claimed James Hinchcliffe. The 31-year-old Canadian, who is currently fifth in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings, was knocked out of the field of 33 with 18 minutes remaining in the session. He went out for a second attempt, but a vibration on the warm-up lap drew concern and returned to the pits with 11 minutes remaining. FromRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The crown jewel of Formula 1 is looming with the Monaco Grand Prix. FIA Race Director and Motorsport Industry Association ambassador Charlie Whiting is the leading man when it comes to standards on and around the track, and the streets of Monte Carlo are no exception. He breaks down some of the ins and outs in the work that goes into building up a temporary street circuit as they ready for the race on May 27. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have put together videoRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Zachary Claman De Melo has been officially announced as the replacement for the injured Pietro Fittipaldi at Dale Coyne Racing for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. After making his Verizon IndyCar Series debut at ISM Raceway (formerly Phoenix International Raceway) last month, Fittipaldi was originally slated to make his first run at the Brickyard. However, he was injured after a heavy crash during FIA World Endurance Championship qualifying for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belguim onRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Max Verstappen enjoyed a solid day at the office after successfully overcoming front wing damage to claim the final spot on the podium for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. The third-place result at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is easily his best performance of the 2018 Formula 1 season, which saw the 20-year-old Dutchman retire twice in the opening four races and only muster a previous best of fifth (Chinese Grand Prix). “I always feel quite good on this track and today has been a nice turning point afterRead More