105th Indianapolis 500 Tag

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – A generation has passed since anyone witnessed a driver win the Indianapolis 500 for the fourth time. The most recent was 1991 when Rick Mears joined A.J. Foyt and Al Unser in the four-timer club.  If that makes you realize you’ve been around a long time, how do you think Helio Castroneves feels?  The 46-year-old won the 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009, and driving for powerful Team Penske it seemed he not only was speeding toward a fourth victory, five (or more) seemed entirely possible.  He’s still waiting.  In the 11 Indy 500sRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – It’s been a good month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Ed Jones. What the 26-year-old driver needs now is a strong weekend.  Jones will start 11th Sunday in the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 18 SealMaster Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan. He’s back with the team he drove for his rookie year in 2017 when he finished third in the 500, although familiarity hasn’t so far translated into great results this year.  Jones hasn’t cracked the top 10 in five races, beset with any number of race-weekend issues that left theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Rain may have put a damper at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday morning. 156 minutes later, the fans got to see the 33-car field partake on Carb Day for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Even if it was a cold one on a high 50-degree afternoon, there was plenty of action. The delayed two-hour session came to a close 10 minutes shy of completion due to rain. When it was over, the cold was felt all over IMS. That’s because Scott Dixon was fastest at 228.323Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Since 1965, the Andretti family name has become synonymous to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Outside the years of 1979, 1996-2000, 2004-05, at least one has competed in the Indianapolis 500. Those keeping score, that’s 49 of out the last 58 years. For Marco Andretti, it’ll be his 16th start in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, equaling his father Michael’s starts. This bears the question of how much longer until the Andretti name no longer competes at Indy as a driver? During Indy 500 MediaRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Carb Day is the final opportunity for 33 drivers getting their cars well-adjusted before Sunday’s 105th Indianapolis 500. As obvious as it sounds, there’s a wild card that’ll change everyone’s approach. This weekend’s weather conditions will be cooler as a cucumber. All throughout the Month of May, hot conditions were the total norm. Now, temperatures will be in the high 60s. It’s bound to create more grip on the 2.5-mile circuit, thus creating exciting racing. How do the competitors feel about the suddenRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Five races into the NTT IndyCar Series campaign, Arrow McLaren SP’s No. 7 team have struggled. This isn’t new for this particular squad. Last year, Oliver Askew was barely hanging onto the top-20 in points. This year, more of the same with Felix Rosenqvist. Only difference is that the Swede racer hasn’t quite sealed the deal. The pace has been there, but not the ideal results compared to last year. He was ninth in points after five races with Chip Ganassi Racing. PatoRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer There’s something about the Indianapolis 500 that just hits different! The 105th renewal of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing symbolizes a time where things are gradually getting back to what it was before the pandemic. For starters, we’re back to seeing crowds witnessing the bravest drivers of the planet navigate around the 2.5-mile oval. More importantly, racing at IMS is back in the Month of May. Whether it’s someone’s first time seeing the action in person or for over half a century, there’s no other raceRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – It’s pretty sweet being JR Hildebrand these days.  The 33-year-old lives a nice life in Boulder, Colorado, and pursues many of his racing dreams. He drove in the Daytona 24-hour race in January, started a racing podcast, hopes to race the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June, and constantly plots cool ideas on how he’d love to see motorsport evolve.  And on Sunday, he’ll drive the Indianapolis 500 for the iconic A.J. Foyt Racing team in a car with a paint scheme that honors Foyt’s 1961 victory in the 500.  So yeah, it’s cool being JR.  “I’m not madRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Sage Karam had an eventful Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Not only he had to make the 33-car field, he had a good view of Simon Pagenaud’s mechanical problems. Karam had began the Month of May showing good speed where he even end up in the top-10 standings. Like his competitors starting on the final row next Sunday, Fast Friday and qualifying proved to be a struggle. As a result of missing the top-30 Saturday, Karam had to qualify again and makeRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Team Penske’s woeful weekend continued rearing its ugly head during Sunday’s post-qualifying practice for the 105th Indianapolis 500. Simon Pagenaud being the latest headliner following an mechanical problem over 25 minutes into the two-hour session. While in a four-car battle with Colton Herta, Pietro Fittipaldi and Sage Karam, Pagenaud’s car began seeing puff of smoke. That puff at the entry of Turn 1 turned into complete smoke which Karam had a front row seat. Pagenaud would finally put the No. 22 Menards ChevroletRead More