All posts by Luis Torres

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer PORTLAND, Oregon — The nature of track room and practice laps didn’t reflect qualifying at Portland International Raceway, and defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden acknowledged it before and after the session. Newgarden is among the 18 drivers who have never competed in an INDYCAR race at the 1.964-mile circuit, but among the more consistent top drivers on the leader board, ending up in third, sixth and ninth in the three practice sessions. He backed up his consistency by making it to the FirestoneRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer PORTLAND, Oregon — Fast pace often comes with a heavy price, but with a whole team collaborating a misfortune, results will show, even if it has a “Frankenstein” look. This was the case for two-time Portland Grand Prix winner Sebastien Bourdais, who will start fourth in Sunday’s race at Portland International Raceway after the entire entity of Dale Coyne Racing repaired his car after a session-ending crash during final practice. Thanks in most part of having the third entry of Santino Ferrucci, it turned outRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer PORTLAND, Oregon — The two-car team of Ed Carpenter Racing showed promising speeds before qualifying for Sunday’s Portland Grand Prix, notably rookie and road course driver Jordan King. The 24-year-old from Warwick, England, had a solid result in the two Friday practice sessions, ending up sixth and ninth quickest, respectively, outpacing full-time driver Spencer Pigot. Then on final practice, King continued to show solid speed and ended up 12th. With those positive runs, he saw himself being a possible contender of making the Firestone FastRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer PORTLAND, Oregon — Opportunities come in the strangest of forms. For Carlos Muñoz, the thought of his next chance in the Verizon IndyCar Series wasn’t supposed to come at the expense of an injury of another – Robert Wickens. After spending time over the last few seasons racing for Andretti Autosport and A.J. Foyt Racing, Muñoz saw himself without a full-time ride this season. The 26-year-old has only competed in the Indianapolis 500, where he finished 7th for Andretti. This past Wednesday, it’ll change as he’llRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer PORTLAND, Oregon — Off the track, Juncos Racing driver Alfonso Celis, Jr. of Mexico City is an avid soccer fan,  rooting for Real Madrid and Tigres UANL. On the track, though, he’s all business and looking to make a name in open wheel racing as he’s set to make his second career Verizon IndyCar Series start at Portland International Raceway Sunday. However, the former Force India test driver has seen himself waiting on the sidelines, eager to run as many races possible. The task hasRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Fans can always expect a blurred line of clean or dirty racing on the final lap, especially in the treacherous Turn 10, of just about every trip the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has made since 2013. In all but two finishes, especially the last three editions, fans have been mostly outraged on the outcomes, including myself. Noah Gragson simply ran into his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Todd Gilliland, and snatched him of a maiden series win. Worse of all,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Sebastien Bourdais’ chances at a third consecutive top-10 finish disappeared moments after the drop of the green flag in Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. The outcome happened on the opening lap when his No. 18 SealMaster Honda slammed the Turn 1 wall, leaving him to finish last in the 21-car field, and in danger of falling out of the top 10 in the championship standings. It’s Bourdais’ first last-place result since the Indy Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway lastRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer James Davison came to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, setting his eyes on capturing a win after a crash last year, where he lead 11 of the first 20 laps, took him out of the running. This time around, Davison scored a track-best eighth in Saturday’s Johnsonville 180, but not the way he wanted his result to be due to late circumstances. Davison, who turns 32 on Tuesday, put on a valiant effort throughout the 45-lap contest, but he didn’t lead until the 38thRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott had a topsy turvy afternoon in his return, salvaging a 20th place finish after being involved in two incidents during Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. After getting out his yellow striped red No. 23 ISM Connect Chevrolet, it was all smiles for Elliott, with a little humor along the way. “I feel like I hit everything but the the lottery,” said Elliott. “It was a great day. I’d like to thank Xfinity and allRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The FIA have approved the mid-season entry of Racing Point Force India Formula 1 Team ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. The colors remain the same, however, the change in names also means that Sahara Force India is loses all its constructors points and is prohibited from competing in the Formula 1 World Championship. A rebirth prevented that threat, as the Lawerence Stroll-led and newly branded Racing Point Force India is set to make their Formula 1 debut, bearing the colors pink,Read More