IndyCar Category

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Over the last two seasons, Josef Newgarden has had his coming out party for the Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park. The Tennessee native earned his first win in dominating fashion for CFH Racing in 2015, leading 46 of 90 laps and executing a daring pass on Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves to take the lead. But for Newgarden, this is more than just the track where he scored his first win. This is the track closest to his hometown of Hendersonville,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer During the recent Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Ed Carpenter Racing’s JR Hildebrand suffered a broken bone in his left hand that required surgery. While still in recovery, the Speedway, Indiana team has called for the services of Zach Veach to fill in Hildebrand’s No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park while Hildebrand recovers. While this is Veach’s first IndyCar race, it is not his first experience in anRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sports, there are stars, super-stars and mega-stars. The mega-stars are those names that are so big that they transcend their sport and become part of the popular consciousness. Someone that doesn’t watch sports can still tell you that Tom Brady is a football player, and you’ll find LeBron James on the basketball court. Mention Dale Earnhardt Jr., and you know we’re talking NASCAR. While the drivers are well known to those that follow the series, the Verizon IndyCar Series lacks a true marquee starRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The recent announcement of Fernando Alonso coming over to run in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 has fellow Formula One competitor Sergio Perez expressing his desire to do that same – one day. The focus of the racing world was revealed Wednesday when Alonso confirmed that he would trade one crown jewel event for another, electing to miss the Monaco Grand Prix to participate at the Brickyard. A mix of reviews have come from his rivals, including Perez. The 27-year-old Mexican isn’t willing toRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer With rumors of a third potential engine supplier possibly in the works for the Verizon IndyCar Series, let’s take a look at a few companies that could provide a nice boost to rival the current regime of Chevrolet and Honda. 1. Mercedes Mercedes has a long motorsports heritage dating back to the early 20th century. Granted, they stepped away from the sport for nearly 40 years but they came onto the Indy car scene with a splash in 1994 by badging the PenskeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Despite never getting a full time look at a Verizon IndyCar Series ride over the offseason, Matthew Brabham looks poised for a return to the Indianapolis 500 this upcoming May. The 23-year-old American Aussie made his series debut in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis last season with upstart Pirtek Team Murray, staying out of trouble and finishing 16th after completing all 82 laps. Continuing on for the Month of May festivities at the Brickyard, Brabham made the field of 33 for the 100th Running of theRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer After last year’s historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with a sell-out crowd and a large amount of media attention, I wondered if the momentum would continue into the next century of racing. Indeed, the 101st Running, slated for May 28, 2017, has a tough act to follow. What could possibly happen to top this? Enter Fernando Alonso. The stunning early-morning announcement on Wednesday that the two-time World Drivers Champion would run in the 500 caught the racing community by surprise. Many of usRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso will race in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, driving a McLaren-branded Honda-powered entry run by defending champions Andretti Autosport. The 35-year-old Spaniard cited multiple reasons for wanting to race at Indianapolis in a statement issued by McLaren-Honda this morning. Among them, his desire to emulate the late Graham Hill and become just the second driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motor racing. “I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win theRead More

Two Indianapolis businessmen, Mike Harding of Harding Group and Dennis Reinbold of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, have formed a technical alliance for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and will field an entry for driver Gabby Chaves. The Harding Group has been an instrumental partner with Indianapolis Motor Speedway in paving projects and client hospitality. For the first time this May, the company will field a car in the Indianapolis 500 with the formation of Harding Racing announced today. Chaves will drive the No.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – JR Hildebrand suffered a broken bone in his left hand after a collision on the last lap of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which opens the possibility of missing the next round at Barber Motorsports Park in two weeks. The 29-year-old Californian was attempting to get by Mikhail Aleshin before the two eventually wrecked. After undergoing treatment from INDYCAR medical director Dr. Geoffrey Billows, it was determined that a re-evaluation is needed later this week in Indianapolis before being clearedRead More