Aaron Bearden Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor MADISON, Ill. — Zane Smith lost ground to championship leader Sheldon Creed at Gateway Motorsports Park, finishing seven laps down in 16th while Creed drove off to a dominant victory in the PapaNicholas Coffee 150. That’s okay, though. Smith isn’t worried about it. “I’d rather have wins than championships in this kind of racing,” Smith told Motorsports Tribune. “I’m just going for wins, and that’s what I was doing.” Smith was battling with Gus Dean inside of the top five on Lap 75 when heRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor MADISON, Ill. — Christian Eckes was the only driver capable of keeping pace with Sheldon Creed throughout a challenging night at Gateway Motorsports Park. But after contact with Creed on the race’s final restart, Eckes found himself mired in traffic. He could only watch on as the ARCA Racing Series points leader drove off to a dominant win in the PapaNicholas Coffee 150. Eckes was battling Creed for the top spot in the high lane on a Lap 79 restart when light contact betweenRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor Carlin were one of many organizations that struggled through the first race of the doubleheader weekend weekend at Belle Isle Park. But on Sunday the group rebounded with the best performance of their young Verizon IndyCar Series existence. Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton each tallied their best finishes of the year in Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, lifting Carlin to new heights and giving the 2018 newcomers momentum as they head into the final race of a five-week grind at Texas Motor Speedway. Kimball ledRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor The bumpy, narrow Raceway at Belle Isle Park is challenging for even the best in the Verizon IndyCar Series. It’s no surprise, then, that series newcomer Santino Ferrucci was challenged in his IndyCar debut. Ferrucci took advantage of an off-weekend for Formula 2 and Formula One – where he is a reserve driver for Haas F1 Team – to make the voyage to Detroit and compete at the 2.35-mile Belle Isle Park for Dale Coyne Racing. The 20-year-old hopped in the team’s No. 19 HondaRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor One week removed from a disappointing Indianapolis 500 effort, Helio Castroneves found himself with the Verizon IndyCar Series once more at Belle Isle Park. But this time Castroneves was a spectator – supporting his teammates after competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. The weekend could have been a challenge if the 2018 Month of May had been the Brazilian’s last. A strong No. 3 Chevrolet and spirited drive ended in defeat for the three-time Indy 500 champion when he crashedRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT – The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix was a Honda-dominated affair. Hondas took both Verizon IndyCar Series poles, won both races and led the majority of the laps in-between, leaving the Bowtie’s biggest “highlight” to be a crashed Corvette pace car in the parade laps before Sunday’s race. It was a difficult weekend for Chevrolet, just down the road from their Detroit corporate offices in Belle Isle. But Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power helped the manufacturer salvage something good out of the doubleheader. Power deliveredRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — It all happened so fast. One moment Alexander Rossi found himself in the lead, poised to go three-for-three in wins following poles in his young Verizon IndyCar Series career, fending off Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay and holding onto the series points lead in the process. The next moment he was in the Turn 3 runoff area, his race ruined. “Honestly I have no idea,” Rossi said when asked what happened. Rossi led a race-high 46 laps in the 70-lap Race 2 of the Chevrolet DetroitRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT – In Saturday’s first Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, Ryan Hunter-Reay fell just shy of claiming his first victory in three seasons. On Sunday he wouldn’t be denied. Hunter-Reay overcame a 10th-place starting position with a three-stop strategy and pressured Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi into a late mistake to secure Sunday’s Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The victory was the Floridian’s 15th-career triumph, and his first since Pocono Raceway in August 2015. While Hunter-Reay ended up in victory lane at day’s end, early onRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT – Alexander Rossi will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green in Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix after laying down the fastest lap in a wet morning qualifying session. Rossi’s quick time of 1:33.3143 served as the top circuit in Group 2, elevating the Californian to his third-career IndyCar pole. Andretti Autosport swept the weekend’s two qualifying sessions, with Marco Andretti securing the pole for Saturday’s first IndyCar race. Following Rossi in Group 2 were Indianapolis 500 champion Will Power, Saturday winner ScottRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Mario Farnbacher is a big fan of the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Two wins in four years will do that for anyone. “I won here before in 2015, now I’ve done it again,” Farnbacher said. “I’ve always had great memories here. I love the track, and it’s just amazing to be back here. Hopefully this race track will still be in the calendar in the future.” Farnbacher and Katherine Legge outpaced Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian teammates Justin Marks and LawsonRead More