All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Saavedra is set to make his sixth start in the Indianapolis 500 after being confirmed for the second car at Juncos Racing. The announcement came just 24 hours after Spencer Pigot was revealed for the first car, giving team owner Ricardo Juncos two drivers with prior experience at the 2.5-mile oval. Saavedra will pilot the No. 17 AFS/Juncos Racing Chevrolet, with AFS owner Gary Peterson a partner in the effort. A best career finish at Indianapolis of 15th in 2014 with KV Racing (Ironically, whomRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso has completed his Rookie Orientation Program for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The 35-year-old Spaniard took on three phases of ROP with a total of 50 laps and ran a best time of 40.9735 seconds (219.654 mph) around the 2.5-mile oval. The program for incoming rookies consists of 40 laps that run as follows: Phase 1 is 10 laps over 210 mph. Phase 2 is 15 laps over 215 mph. Phase 3 isRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sporting No. 29 on the McLaren Honda Andretti entry for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, Fernando Alonso’s livery was shown off prior to his test today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team put in the familiar papaya orange that was seen on McLaren cars of the past, opposite of their Formula 1 car – the MCL32 – which features a different, albeit darker shade of orange along with black trim. Fans can view the test set for 9:30 a.m.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief In less than 24 hours, two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will officially begin his journey towards the 101 Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28. The 35-year-old Spaniard is set for his first test on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. ET on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and will run until 5 p.m. ET. With an abysmal this year in F1, Alonso, McLaren boss Zak Brown and Honda came together with Andretti Autosport for a unique situation in which the 32-timeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief For the fourth consecutive year, Formula One heads to Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix. Mercedes is undefeated since F1’s return there in 2014, with Lewis Hamilton taking the first two events and reigning F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg taking last year’s race. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have brought together an on-board lap around the 3.634-mile circuit. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief JR Hildebrand was cleared Tuesday and will return to the cockpit of the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet in this weekend’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix. The 29-year-old from Sausalito, California, sustained a broken bone in his left hand in a last lap accident with Mikhail Aleshin at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9. Hildebrand was not cleared to drive last weekend’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, forcing his Ed Carpenter Racing teamRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – In the spirit of racing crossover, Marco Andretti has teased the concept of running the Daytona 500. The 30-year-old Nazareth, Pennsylvania native will have two-time Formula 1 champion, Fernando Alonso as a teammate at Andretti Autosport in this year’s 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500. The 35-year-old Spaniard shook the racing world when it was announced that he would skip the Monaco Grand Prix, F1’s crown jewel event, to compete in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. In 2014, former NASCAR CupRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The recent announcement of Fernando Alonso coming over to run in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 has fellow Formula One competitor Sergio Perez expressing his desire to do that same – one day. The focus of the racing world was revealed Wednesday when Alonso confirmed that he would trade one crown jewel event for another, electing to miss the Monaco Grand Prix to participate at the Brickyard. A mix of reviews have come from his rivals, including Perez. The 27-year-old Mexican isn’t willing toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief McLaren F1 have confirmed that Jenson Button will replace Indianapolis 500-bound Fernando Alonso for the Monaco Grand Prix on May 28. It was announced on Wednesday that Alonso would be competing for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in a McLaren-branded Honda entry with Andretti Autosport. The unique situation brings the 37-year-old Brit back after a stepping out of the cockpit at the end of last season. Having spent time since as an ambassador for McLaren and as a reserveRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Despite never getting a full time look at a Verizon IndyCar Series ride over the offseason, Matthew Brabham looks poised for a return to the Indianapolis 500 this upcoming May. The 23-year-old American Aussie made his series debut in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis last season with upstart Pirtek Team Murray, staying out of trouble and finishing 16th after completing all 82 laps. Continuing on for the Month of May festivities at the Brickyard, Brabham made the field of 33 for the 100th Running of theRead More