99th Indianapolis 500 Tag

Following a series of meetings between team owners, Chevrolet and Honda and IndyCar officials, IndyCar has ordered teams and manufactures to run the same aero kit configuration in both qualifying and the race. The boost level has been dropped to 130 kPa from the 140 kPa originally set for qualifying. “Safety for drivers and fans is the top priority for IndyCar and we will continue to be proactive in our research and development to improve all safety aspects of our sport,” said Mark Miles, CEO, Hulman and Co. A numberRead More

Ed Carpenter joins teammate Josef Newgarden and Helio Castroneves as the latest Chevrolet driver to crash and flip during practice for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter spun as he hit the apex of turn 2 and hit the wall before the rear of the car went up and over. The rear of the car made contact with the catchfenceing before the car slid down the backstretch on its roof, much similar to his Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing teammate Josef Newgarden’s crash in turn 1 on Wednesday. SafetyRead More

Storms in the Indianapolis area has interrupted Day 1 qualifying for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and has suspended all activity until tomorrow. The rains came as Scott Dixon, the third driver to qualify, just completed his first lap of over 231 mph. Carlos Huertas and Ryan Hunter-Reay were the only two drivers to complete their runs. Qualfiying has been rescheduled for tomorrow and Huertas and Hunter-Reay have had their times deleted. The session will resume tomorrow with a revised procedure. From 10:00 a.m.-1 p.m. ET all carsRead More

The Month of May has arrived in full force as the drivers of the Verizon IndyCar Series are logging thousands of practice laps in preparation for qualifying this weekend. Every running of the Indianapolis 500 generates compelling and memorable stories that become a part of Brickyard folklore. For every driver that drinks the milk on Sunday afternoon, there are 32 drivers that walk away disappointed, thinking about what might have been. There are three non-winners in the field this year who were at the wrong end of a thrilling finishRead More

Josef Newgarden was the victim of the second blowover in two days during the final hour of practice on Thursday for the Indianapolis 500. The Tennessean spun upon exiting Turn 1 and slammed into the SAFER barrier with the left front of the car first. The car then lifted off the ground with the rear first before gently landing upside down and sliding down the South Chute. The Holmatro Safety Team righted the car and Newgarden climbed out under his own power and was taken to the IU Health InfieldRead More

The Dale Coyne Racing TBA is no more as James Davison has been officially confirmed as the driver of the #19 Honda/Dallara for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 while Tristan Vautier will qualify the car. Due to Davison’s commitments in the Pirelli World Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend, Vautier, the 2013 Verizon IndyCar Series rookie of the year, will practice and qualify the car with Davison returning next weekend to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the race. The Australian will make his second start in theRead More

The second official day of practice for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 gave us high speeds and a reminder of the dangers of auto racing and how lucky we are. With the help of a tow, Andretti Autosport’s Carlos Munoz bagged the fastest lap of the month so far with an average speed of 230.121 mph (39.1098s). The time came late in the day as drivers were experimenting with the draft. “Really, we were not looking for a tow, we just made a change and said, ‘OK let’sRead More

Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves didn’t need any help to show speed on Tuesday as he led all drivers with and without a tow. The Brazilian hooked up with his Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud to produce the fastest lap so far this month at 227.514 mph (39.5580s) while Pagenaud was clocked just a tick slower at 227.382 mph (39.5809s). The Penske have been the only two drivers to break into the 227 mph range so far. Castroneves topped the charts without a tow while practicing with upgraded sidepodsRead More

This past weekend at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis for the Verizon IndyCar Series, we saw Chevrolet cars dominate practice, dominate qualifying and take a convincing win. Aside from the rain-drenched non-race at NOLA, that’s pretty much been the story of the season thus far. Indications are that Honda will close the gap on the oval track events, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are five more street or road courses remaining on the schedule. Some of the Honda drivers have been more vocal than othersRead More

The usual gang of Adam Tate, Joey Barnes and Josh Farmer of Tribute Racing, Frank Santoroski of Drafting the Circuits and Christopher DeHarde of Motorsport.com talk IndyCar in the month of may, a bit of sports cars, some Nascar and F1 heading home to Europe. Hit the link to hear it all as we take you, “In the Gravel Trap! In the Gravel Trap Episode XVI 05/08 by Tribute RacingRead More