All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – Sam Schmidt will go faceoff against racing icon Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 13. The duo will take the fight in semi-autonomous cars on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile permanent road course prior to the INDYCAR Grand Prix. Schmidt fell victim to a crash while testing an Indy car in 2000, having been paralyzed ever since. He teamed with Arrow Electronics and will pilot the Corvette Z06 SAM – a car modified with sensors and innovative technology that allows him toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The 2017 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for action this weekend and our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid brought together some of the most talented drivers from the Verizon IndyCar Series to preview the 43rd edition of North America’s most famed street circuit. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Chip Ganassi Racing announced that NTT Data will be the primary sponsor of Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Honda for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach. The current full-time sponsor for Tony Kanaan, the addition of putting their colors on Dixon’s car will showcase two entries for the second race of the Verizon IndyCar Series for NTT Data. “Having the opportunity to be represented by two of the all-time greats in INDYCAR is something that doesn’t come along too often,” said  John McCain, CEO of NTTRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Antonio Giovinazzi is set to continue his duties with the Sauber F1 Team as Pascal Wehrlein’s replacement for the Chinese Grand Prix, with a possibility of the Bahrain Grand Prix as well. The team said the following: “Pascal Wehrlein will again be replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi to ensure that the German will be back in the cockpit of the Sauber C36-Ferrari, in best physical shape, at the earliest possible opportunity – either the Bahrain Grand Prix or the Russian Grand Prix.” Wehrlein participated in the openingRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Amid positive feedback on the computer generated images of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series car design, the series has elected to show off a bit more. The 2018 universal aero kit is something INDYCAR has been building towards for some time now, and will attach to the Dallara IR-12 chassis in a seamless transition. As the images show, INDYCAR is pushing for an aggressive and more traditional look on its new Indy car. The concept is expected to produce more downforce from the under the carRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Andretti Autosport No. 27 entry driven by Marco Andretti will see its primary sponsor for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season change from hhgregg to United Fiber & Data. Originally set for a full campaign, hhgregg recently closed over 80 stores and has now filed for bankruptcy. “We’d like to wish Bob (Riesbeck) and the entire hhgregg family luck as they work through the current situation,” said Andretti Autosport CEO Michael Andretti in a team release. “We are blessed to have such loyal and dedicated partners; andRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief For the fifth consecutive season, Dale Coyne Racing will have Pippa Mann behind the wheel for the Indianapolis 500. The 33-year-old British driver will be competing in her sixth Indy 500 overall, joining Sebastien Bourdais and rookie Ed Jones for the three car effort by Coyne. “I’m very happy to be rejoining Dale Coyne Racing for my fifth consecutive year with the team at the 101st Indy 500,” said Mann via a team release. “Dale has invested heavily in the team over the winter, and it’sRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo will start the Australian Grand Prix from 15th position after being handed a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. The 27-year-old Aussie spun in Turn 14 during Q3 on Saturday and backed his RB13 into the barrier, causing significant damage to the rear. Since he didn’t officially turn a lap during the session, Ricciardo was previously set to start the race from 10th. The penalty pushes Force India’s Sergio Perez up to 10th and slid Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, EstebanRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Jolyon Palmer has called out Renault after a rough Saturday came to a halt after a last place result in qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Brit took blame for his crash in second practice on Friday, which forced the team to rebuild the R.S.17. However, Palmer struggled with pace in FP3, ending the session 19th before the day worsened in qualifying. With a lap at 1 minute, 28.244 seconds, Palmer was well over a second off the next slowest car, which wasRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Formula 1 rookie Lance Stroll will take a five-place grid penalty after his FW40 required a gearbox change due to a crash in final practice. The 18-year-old Canadian lost control of his car on the exit of Turn 10. The backend made the initial contact with the wall, causing damage to the rear chassis, front wing and front suspension. The crash came towards the end of FP3, bringing out the red flag before ultimately sidelining the remainder of the session. Stroll was the subject of aRead More