Headline News Category

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter JR Hildebrand looked pretty sporty following this last weekend’s ‘Prix View’ open test at the Phoenix International Raceway. The 29-year-old from Sausalito, California, has not driven full-time in the Verizon IndyCar Series since 2013, but you wouldn’t know that if you were trackside last weekend. Driving his No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet, Hildebrand blistered the 1.022-mile oval with a lap of 19.0401 seconds (193.234 mph) – the fastest in the track’s 53-year history. While the lap will not count for any official records, it isRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Steak ‘n Shake will return for a third year sponsoring Graham Rahal in the Verizon IndyCar Series as part of a four-race deal. The fast food chain will serve as Rahal’s primary sponsor in four races this year – the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and the Bomarito Auto Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. Maxim Magazine will also serve as an associate sponsor. Both Maxim andRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Age: 29 Years in IndyCar: 7 Wins: 0 Podiums: 1 Laps led: 80 2016 Team: Ed Carpenter Racing (part time) 2017 Team: Ed Carpenter Racing (full time) Persistence and resilience have led to a return to a full-time Verizon IndyCar Series ride for JR Hildebrand. Hildebrand has served the de facto test driver for Ed Carpenter Racing along with racing at the previous three Indianapolis 500s and the previous two IndyCar Grand Prixs on the Speedway’s road course. With the departure of Josef Newgarden toRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Christopher Bell, Tanner Thorson, and Raphaël Lessard will each compete in select races for Venturini Motorsports in the 2017 ARCA Racing Series season, the team announced on Monday. The trio of Toyota-backed drivers is the latest addition to a lineup already stacked with young talent. “Toyota Racing Development is proud of our relationship with Venturini Motorsports,” said Jack Irving, Director, Team & Support Services Toyota Racing Development. “Entering their 35th year of ARCA competition, Venturini has set a formidable driver roster across the board andRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Red Bull Racing will keep us guessing till the last second and unveil the RB13, their 2017 challenger on the last day before pre-season testing: February 26th. One of the most anticipated Red Bull designs in years, the RB13 is widely expected to launch the Milton Keynes squad into championship contention against the all conquering Mercedes silver arrows if Adrian Newey can pull another gem out of his bag of tricks. We will quickly find out its spot in the pecking order as Daniel Ricciardo andRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Ahead of their 2017 race dates, Dover International Speedway has announced that they will be adding additional SAFER barriers to the one-mile concrete oval. The facility will gain approximately 1,800 feet of SAFER barriers, which will place the barriers along the outside walls on the frontstretch and backstretch, as those areas are currently unprotected. With the new SAFER barriers, the outside walls around the entire track will now be protected by the energy absorbing walls. “Continued improvements to our facility, particularly in the areas ofRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter AVONDALE, Ariz. — The Verizon IndyCar Series returned to action this weekend with a two-day test at the Phoenix International Raceway, which saw the stars and the cars pound the pavement in a highly anticipated return from a five-month absence. Daly’s debut goes up in smoke Conor Daly’s afternoon session ended early as his No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet suffered an oil leak after logging just seven laps. His engine was repaired and he took part in the evening session. His fellow new AJ FoytRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Age: 37 Years in IndyCar: 11 Podiums: 52 Wins: 35 Championships: 4 Laps led: 2,227 2016 Team: KV Racing 2017 Team: Dale Coyne Racing Sebastien Bourdais has all the makings of a return to top form in 2017. During his three-year stint at KV Racing, the four-time Champ Car Champion scored wins at Toronto (2014), Detroit and Milwaukee (2015) and Detroit in (2016). He ended the 2017 season 14th in the standings but scored nearly as many points as he did the last two years when he finishedRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After Red Bull Racing pinched ExxonMobil from McLaren Honda in the off-season, the refreshed team from Woking has joined Renault in selecting BP and Castrol as their fuel and lubricant supplier from 2017 on. The move not only means that BP and Castrol are supplying two teams this season, but also that Red Bull and Renault will be using different fuel suppliers for the same engines. It will be fascinating to see which oil company gives their team an edge as power units will be evenRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter AVONDALE, Ariz. — Alexander Rossi became the first to crash at this weekend’s Verizon IndyCar Series open test at Phoenix International Raceway. The driver of the No. 98 Napa Auto Parts Honda was on his second lap when he got loose at the apex of Turns 1 and 2 and backed into the Turn 2 wall, just moments after setting the second quickest lap of the session at 184.551 mph (19.9360 seconds). The defending Indianapolis 500 winner walked away unhurt from the crash. The AndrettiRead More