IndyCar Category

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — For the first time since 2009, Takuma Sato isn’t a full time driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, racing just the oval portion of the 2023 schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 11 Niterra Honda entry. Sunday marked Sato’s first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway — a weekend that started out strong for him. He was eighth fastest in morning practice and qualified sixth for the PPG 375. However, once the race began, so did Sato’s problems.Read More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — If this weekend offered any sort of a reference stick for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the Indianapolis 500, to say they missed the mark would be a complete understatement. The trio of Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, and Christian Lundgaard were the slowest three cars in practice on Saturday. Qualifying didn’t yield anything better with Rahal qualifying in 24th, while Lungaard and Harvey qualified in 27th and 28th. It wasn’t that long ago this team was near the front of the order.Read More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — As the laps progressed during the PPG 375 NTT IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, David Malukas’ slow progress saw him battling at the front and in contention for victory. In the end, a valiant showing ended just off the podium with a finish of fourth. Malukas, driver of the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda, showed the potential of a strong race during both practices sessions on Saturday. Following that up with qualifying ninth forRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Tex. – Thrice as nice. For the third time in his career, Josef Newgarden found himself in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway, holding off a hard-charging Pato O’Ward down the stretch in Sunday’s PPG 375 to earn himself another cowboy hat. In what was one of the most hotly contested races at the 1.5-mile oval in recent years, deciding which driver would come away victorious was up in the air from the time the green flag dropped all the way to the checkered.Read More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — Saturday was a busy day for the NTT IndyCar Series at Texas Motor Speedway with dual practice sessions and an additional special session to add rubber in the second groove in the turns. Qualifying was also held Saturday, with Felix Rosenqvist grabbing his second straight pole position at the 1.5-mile oval. The No 6. Arrow McLaren Chevrolet set a two lap average of 220.264 mph ahead of six-time series champion and five-time Texas winner Scott Dixon. All that’s left for the NTTRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Tex. — A busy Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway ended with six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon topping the board in final practice for Sunday’s running of the PPG 375. The Chip Ganassi Racing ace, who has won five times previously at the 1.5-mile track, put down his fast lap of 223.378 mph with less than 10 minutes left in the session to give him a boost of momentum heading into Sunday. Josef Newgarden, the defending winner at Texas, led the way forRead More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. – For the second straight year, Felix Rosenqvist will lead the field to green in the NTT IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway after scoring the pole for the PPG 375 on Saturday afternoon. The driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet set the fast time early in the session and held off all comers with his two lap average of 220.264 mph ahead of six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who joins him on the front row. “Arrow McLaren just gaveRead More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — Team Penske’s Scott McLaughln went fastest in opening practice for the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway with a 223.747 mph average lap. The New Zealand native was followed by the Arrow McLaren duo of Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi on the speed charts. “A little bit bamboozled at the start of the run,” McLaughlin said of practice. “She was slipperier than a pocket full of pudding, you know, on the outside of Turn 1 there. We got through all that kerfuffleRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The future of Texas Motor Speedway has become the focal point of the INDYCAR paddock, press and fans alike over the past few years. With the second round of the championship trail drawing near, there’s still such an unknown about the once revered 1.5-mile oval’s future. However, there’s some buzz going into this weekend’s PPG 375. Among the positives is a promising crowd showing up to support Pato O’Ward, who captured his maiden INDYCAR win in Texas two years ago. In fact, O’Ward bought an entireRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Close, but no cigar. On a day that featured plenty of chaos, Pato O’Ward kept his nose clean and found himself at the right place at the right time to be in contention for the win in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, only to have the win snatched from his grasp at the last minute. Running behind leaders Romain Grosjean and Scott McLaughlin, O’Ward cycled into the lead when the two collided and took each other out, setting the stage for what looked toRead More