Aaron Bearden Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Felipe Nasr stayed clear of a late charge from Ricky Taylor to earn his first-career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Belle Isle Park. The win was Action Express Racing teammate Eric Curran’s eighth in IMSA competition. It also kept up an impressive Detroit trend. Since their first race at Belle Isle in 2007, every IMSA-sanctioned event at Belle Isle has been won by a General Motors affiliate. The latest win was among the least likely. ARead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Marco Andretti delivered his best finish of 2018 at Belle Isle Park, finishing fourth in Saturday’s Race 1 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. It was a good result. But Andretti felt it could have been much more. “I guess you’ve gotta be happy, right?,” Andretti told Motorsports Tribune after the race. “But the frustrating thing is that we went backwards, and our teammates beat us again. “It’s really getting frustrating.” Andretti stole the show early on in the first of twoRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — In the heart of Chevrolet country, it was Honda’s Scott Dixon that found championship form. Dixon took the lead from Marco Andretti through the first pit cycle and fended off a late charge from Ryan Hunter-Reay to claim Race 1 of the first Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The win was the first for the four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion in 2018, and came after his first laps led on the year. It also tied him with Michael Andretti for third on the all-time indy car winsRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — For the first time in nearly five years, Marco Andretti will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green flag this afternoon in Detroit. Andretti laid down a quick time of 1:14.8514 – the only circuit completed under the 1:15 mark – to lead Group 2 and claim the Verizon P1 Award for Saturday’s Dual 1 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park. The time came in Andretti’s final lap, knocking fast rookie Robert Wickens off the pole as theRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor Helio Castroneves entered Sunday’s 102nd Indianapolis 500 knowing it could potentially be his final Verizon IndyCar Series start After exiting early following a Lap 146 crash, the three-time winner prays it’s anything but it. “Please Roger (Penske), can I come back?” Castroneves told ABC’s broadcast shortly after his incident. Castroneves is one of Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s most decorated drivers, sitting one win behind the all-time mark for Indy 500 victories with three triumphs (2001, ’02, ’09) in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ For the past nineRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — Stefan Wilson will go down in the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 record books as the 15th-place finisher. But to any who saw his performance – and especially Wilson himself – the run meant much more than the result. “It’s really emotional, actually,” Wilson said of his run. “And it’s not because I’m upset or anything, I just feel like this was an incredible month. The team did an amazing job. I can’t thank them enough.  “I just didn’t want toRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — The likely end of Danica Patrick’s career came 132 laps earlier than she’d hoped for in her final Indianapolis 500 start. Patrick was maneuvering her No. 13 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet through Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval when she lost control of the machine. The Illinoisan then spun out, making contact with the Turn 2 wall before sliding to a stop in the backstretch infield. The crash would ultimately end her day and, likely, her career. “I’m okay,” sheRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Alex Baron and Russ McDonough found themselves at odds after a run-in at Lucas Oil Raceway. Baron was running third in his No. 19 Swan-RJB Motorsports machine when he caught McDonough’s lapped No. 29 BN Racing machine on Lap 29 of Friday’s Freedom 75. The French driver attempted to overtake McDonough going into Turn 3 on the .686-mile oval, but the duo made contact. The resulting shunt sent Baron into the outside wall, knocking the 23-year-old out of the race in 21st. “WhenRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor With the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 serving as the first of two double-points races of the year, there’s a lot more than just a place on the Borg Warner trophy at stake for the Verizon IndyCar Series field. But while he can’t ignore the potential risk, defending series champion Josef Newgarden isn’t worrying about points heading into what could potentially be a career-defining race. “You really don’t think about it here until after the fact,” Newgarden said. “It’s one of those things that’s in the backRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS — After a host of cheers, a few fist pumps and two heavy doses of heartbreak, qualifying for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is complete. And let me tell you, there’s a lot to unpack. There were surprises aplenty, both positive (see: the first team on these rankings) and negative – just ask the driver of the No. 5 Honda. Some teams lived up to or even exceeded expectations, while others were left deep in the field after a slog ofRead More