All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Monaco. Indy. Charlotte. The Memorial Day Weekend tradition begins as the sun rises on an early Indiana morning. Formula 1 has an Aussie on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix in the form of Daniel Ricciardo. IndyCar has affable Canadian, James Hinchcliffe on point for 100th Indianapolis 500. Martin Truex Jr. will lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field to green for the Coca Cola 600. All three unlikely stars that appear ready to shine on this monumental day. May 29, 2016 – aRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Marco Andretti has the look of someone who is ready. The 29-year-old has endured a mass of problems that have plagued the potential of his No. 27 Snapple Honda during practice and qualifying leading up to the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Andretti got bumped out of the Fast Nine Shootout, then was hindered with no fifth gear during his qualifying run the next day, but still managed to record the 14th best time. Overall, practice sessions haven’t been ideal either,Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Spencer Pigot is preparing for his third career Verizon IndyCar Series start and first in the Indianapolis 500, but the focus for racing’s top prize remains the same. The reigning Indy Lights champion is taking everything in for his first Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finally realizing the dream of a lifelong goal. “Yeah, the Indy 500 is the one race I’ve always wanted to be a part of,” Pigot told Motorsports Tribune.“I know I share that with pretty much everyRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – After a solid week of practice leading into the weekend, Marco Andretti endured one of the toughest qualifying efforts of his career at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 29-year-old became part of the drama in attempting to make the Fast Nine Shootout on Saturday, getting bumped out in the waning minutes by Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay just moments after doing to same to the 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion. More misfortune hit Andretti leading up to his run in the opening round of qualifying onRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden missed out on sitting on pole for the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil by 0.04s in the final seconds of Sunday’s Fast Nine Shootout. The 25-year-old went out fourth put down the fastest single lap on the afternoon at 231.551 mph on the opening of his four circuits around the 2.5-mile oval. With an energetic roar from the crowd, Newgarden came across with a four lap average of 230.700 mph and jumped to the top of the scoring pylon.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Tagliani will start the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil from the tail of the field following a crash during Sunday qualifying for spots 10-33. The Canadian spun off Turn 4 and slid into the attenuator at pit entrance with the nose of his No. 35 Alfe Heat Treating Special Honda, bouncing off and making three full spins while hitting both the inside and outside wall before coming to a stop. Tagliani, the 2011 Indy 500 polesitter, was checked and releasedRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Max Chilton has been in the Verizon IndyCar Series for only a short time, but already the rookie has noticed its growing popularity. In one week, the former Formula 1 driver will pilot the No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and embark on his first career Indianapolis 500. The 25-year-old has appearances at the famed Monaco Grand Prix, but admitted that he has “enjoyed” the challenge of oval racing. Following his departure from F1, Chilton raced in Indy Lights, the undercard to theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Following a successful test at Barcelona in Spain earlier this week, Renault is ready to push their upgraded power unit for the Monaco Grand Prix. Renault believed it was reliable enough during testing to warrant an early debut, having originally set the debut for the Canadian Grand Prix, the race following Monaco. By moving up the date, the French manufacturer will only be able to give one version to each of their two teams. Overall, the new power unit is expected to be 0.5s faster perRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Kanaan struggled during his first and only attempt to break into the Fast Nine Shootout during qualifying on Saturday. The 41-year-old had an early draw and could only muster a four lap average of 227.679 mph with his No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet. Regardless of the pace set in qualifying, Kanaan mentioned that the race-ability of the cars felt the same as last year. “I think for what I’ve seen, it’s pretty similar to last year,” Kanaan said. “You’re going to see theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – James Hinchcliffe soared to the top of the pylon in one of the most dramatic Indy 500 qualifying sessions in recent memory, solidifying himself into the Fast Nine Shootout with a chance to win the pole on Sunday for the 100th Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016. Hinchcliffe’s first qualifying attempt wasn’t fast enough to advance, but in the final 30 minutes of the session the Canadian went out again and put down an electrifying four lap average of 230.946 mph in his No.Read More