105th Indianapolis 500 Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer LONG BEACH, Calif. – Charlie Kimball was one of two drivers who failed to qualify for the 105th Indianapolis 500. He hasn’t been back in an Indy car since, but that’ll change this Sunday at Long Beach, Kimball’s home circuit. Driving the third AJ Foyt Racing entry, the Camarillo native told Motorsports Tribune Thursday this weekend will symbolize a proper end of a crushing Month of May. “It’ll be nice to close the loop a little bit on the Month of May because not qualifying forRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Carpenter Racing had quite an interesting day in the 105th Indianapolis 500, especially for the boss man. On a day Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly set the tone throughout the first half of the race, Carpenter had a different afternoon. While running with the leaders early on, Carpenter’s day went south during the first green flag stops. His car stalled, costing him dearly and had to play recovery mode. As race’s end, Carpenter did found his way back towards the leading pack.Read More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Their day started with an emotional pep talk from legendary former driver Lyn St. James and ended with a lament that showed they’re real racers.  The woman-dominated Paretta Autosport team finished 31st Sunday in the Indianapolis 500 after driver Simona de Silvestro’s brakes failed before a late-race stop and she spun in the pits.  Disappointing as it was after running inside the top 25 earlier in the race, the effort was a source of pride for owner Beth Paretta, whose team became the first in 500 history to beRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer  INDIANAPOLIS – Six months ago, I wasn’t sure this day would happen. Or to be precise, could happen.  The COVID-19 pandemic was strangling the world last December, and nobody knew how to loosen that grip or when it would. Positive test numbers climbed at an alarming rate, and while some people got over it fairly easily, many got really sick. And people died, some I knew personally, and it scared the you-know-what out of me. A vaccination was on its way, but when?  Frankly, when I got my first vaccination on Valentine’s Day and the secondRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – “Helio! Helio! Helio!” The Indianapolis Motor Speedway were chanting the name of Helio Castroneves, who won the 105th Indianapolis 500. In one of largest sports gathering since the pandemic, they witnessed history as Castroneves joined AJ Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears as the only four-time Indy 500 winners. This triumph not only marked the 46-year-old’s first Indy 500 win in 12 years, but Meyer Shank Racing’s maiden INDYCAR victory. The organization that was once solely known for sports cars, showcased they gotRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – “I tried everything. It hurts. But to be honest, it’s good to lose against probably one of the best. Well, it’s one of the best, probably the best. Yeah, it’s Helio.” Alex Palou indeed tried everything he could to get and fend off Helio Castroneves. But when Castroneves made the race-winning pass with two to go, Palou saw the Indy dream evaporate. As Castroneves brought home his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory, Palou wound up a crushing runner-up. “I didn’t expect that a secondRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – What started off as a three-man rookie class, one man stood out throughout the Month of May. That man being Scott McLaughlin, who wins this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. Far from an ideal race indeed, but the 20th place finisher will leave IMS with an accolade. His fellow rookie competitors Pietro Fittipaldi finished a lap down in 25th while RC Enerson failed to qualify. After the race McLaughlin described his Indy 500 debut as a “pretty awesome experience.” “ReallyRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – A 1-2-3 finish at the Indianapolis 500. Never been done. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing did score a first and a third in last year’s 500, won by Takuma Sato won. Graham Rahal got a career-equal result of third. Spencer Pigot on the other hand, had a noble run but his day was cut short after a violent Turn 4 crash. It ended the race, securing the other RLL competitors track positions. A P1 and P3 finish has been done in the past withRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – No matter what happens in the 105th Indianapolis 500, Paretta Autosport are already making their mark in the NTT IndyCar Series. Simona De Silvestro may be piloting the No. 16 Rocket Pro TPO/MoneyLion Chevrolet, but the journey goes even further. The awe inspiring employees back at the shop, who spend countless hours preparing an Indy 500 machine, have their stories. For Lauren Sullivan and Chelsea Pechenino, their difference making mindsets have gotten them far into the engineering careers. Sullivan is the team’s AeroRead More

By Kirby Arnold, David Morgan and Luis Torres In a leadup into Sunday’s 105th Indianapolis 500, Motorsports Tribune had a roundtable discussion about seven questions regarding the race. More than just about who’ll win the race, our writers gave their thoughts on some themes that defined this Month of May. Without further ado, here’s what Kirby Arnold, David Morgan and Luis Torres’ responses: This year’s lead up to the 105th Indianapolis 500 has had a lot of unknowns. There could be as many as 8-12 guys who can win theRead More