All posts by Joey Barnes

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

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Renault Sport F1 Team has appointed Oliver Rowland as its latest development driver for the 2017 season. Competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with DAMS this year, the team will push the 24-year-old through simulator programs with future dates setup on track. “My aim has always been to get a role in Formula 1 so it’s great to see all my hard work pay off,” said Rowland via team release. “The Renault Sport Academy was the perfect training ground and the role of DevelopmentRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief There are few races that draw the desire out of race drivers more than the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The same could be said for the journalists covering the sport. I’ve been privileged to cover several events across NASCAR, IndyCar and even Formula 1, but what was experienced this weekend was a one of a kind moment in my still relatively young career. Covering the 100th Indianapolis 500 last year, the enormous crowds and interest wasn’t all that surprising – especially considering the milestoneRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – JR Hildebrand suffered a broken bone in his left hand after a collision on the last lap of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which opens the possibility of missing the next round at Barber Motorsports Park in two weeks. The 29-year-old Californian was attempting to get by Mikhail Aleshin before the two eventually wrecked. After undergoing treatment from INDYCAR medical director Dr. Geoffrey Billows, it was determined that a re-evaluation is needed later this week in Indianapolis before being clearedRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – Andretti Autosport has announced that Jack Harvey will pilot a fifth car for the 101st Indianapolis 500. The two-time Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship runner-up will make his Verizon IndyCar Series debut in the No. 50 AutoNation Honda “The Indy 500 is easily the biggest race I have entered in my career so far,” said Harvey, the 2015 Freedom 100 winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It is one of the most iconic races in the world and I feel extremely privilegedRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – Make it three in a row for Helio Castroneves. The 41-year-old Brazilian scored the Verizon P1 Award for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with a scorching lap of 1 minute, 6.2254 seconds (106.980 mph), breaking the previous lap record held by him in 2015. Driving the No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California for Team Penske, Castroneves, the 2002 winner of the event, was ecstatic to score the 48th pole of his career – fourth all-time behind Bobby Unser –Read More