IndyCar Category

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Qualifications are beginning for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 and here we will have live coverage of each attempt. Because of the weather, each car will only have one attempt to qualify on Saturday. First up is No. 63, Pippa Mann for Dale Coyne Racing. Lap 1: 225.773 mph Lap 2: 221.785 mph Lap 3: 214.643 mph Lap 4: 215.314 mph Average: 219.282 mph-Provisional Pole No. 22 Juan Pablo Montoya for Team Penske Lap 1: 229.038 mphRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- Predictions ahead of qualifications for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 can be difficult to make. Many teams didn’t show their complete hand in practice while others have all of their cards on the table. Either way, an attempt will be made at predicting qualifying results. Last Row (in no particular order): Buddy Lazier, Jack Harvey and Zach Veach Lazier was seven mph slower than the next slowest car. Harvey has had numerous issues since day one and Veach hadRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- With the turbocharger boost raised for Fast Friday, the final pre-qualifying practice ahead of the 101st Indianapolis 500, Honda let their top chargers run wild as they secured 10 of the first 11 spots on the speed chart before rains came down to delay practice. Before the rain, Sebastien Bourdais drove his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda to the fastest lap with 233.116 mph his average around the 2.5 mile oval. The St. Petersburg resident was also fastest onRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Dreyer and Reinbold Racing co-owner Dennis Reinbold is running 2013 Indy Lights champion Sage Karam in the 101st Indianapolis 500, but D&RR is an Indy-only team, so far. D&RR was full time in the Verizon IndyCar Series until the end of the 2012 season. After starting the 2013 season, the team stopped competing that season after the Indianapolis 500 and have been doing exclusively the Indianapolis 500 in open wheel racing competition the last three years. Karam has been theRead More

By IMS Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee Jim McElreath, the 1962 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and a veteran of 15 starts in the “500” between 1962 and 1980, passed away Thursday, May 18 in his hometown of Arlington, Texas. He was 89. One of the last eight surviving drivers who could claim to have driven a front-engined car in the “500,” McElreath was 34 years old and had been racing on short tracks for 16 years when he burst on the scene at Indianapolis in 1962. DrivingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – A far cry from Wednesday’s Chevrolet domination, Honda found themselves at the top of the speed charts during Thursday practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 with an unfamiliar face at the top. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’s Jay Howard turned a lap of 226.744 mph, the fastest of the month on his ninth lap of the day around the 2.5 mile oval. However, Thursday was not without its problems. Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden became the first major victim of wallRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was third fastest in practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 and had just been called into the pits when his car got loose and became the week’s first victim of heavy wall contact, hitting between Turn 1 and Turn 2 during practice. His No. 2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet hit the wall a second time in Turn 2 before coming to a stop. The Tennessee native was checked and released from the medical center and clearedRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- High gusts of wind severely limited practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 as only 21 cars turned laps during Wednesday’s practice session. Ed Carpenter Racing was the quickest team of the day with Ed Carpenter leading with a fastest lap of 222.894 mph in his No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet. JR Hildebrand’s No. 21 Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet was third fastest at 220.553 mph. Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Honda split the duo with a lapRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- Jack Harvey’s first go in the Verizon IndyCar Series has gone about like his journey to get there. Tough.  The two-time runner up of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires in 2014 and 2015, Harvey’s $75,000 check he received at the Mazda Road to Indy banquet in September 2015 was nowhere near enough to secure him an IndyCar ride. How was the journey from September 2015 to this year, finally getting a ride in the Indianapolis 500? “Terrible. It’s anRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS — In recent years, many stars of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires have had some difficult luck breaking into a full time ride in the Verizon IndyCar Series so many drivers are accepting one-off drives, including Zach Veach. Veach was given the task of driving the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing at Barber Motorsports Park after regular driver JR Hildebrand was on the mend from a broken hand. Veach now isRead More