Aaron Bearden Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Zachary Claman de Melo will be back in the No. 19 Paysafe Honda for Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – at least for the road course race. DCR announced Thursday that Claman de Melo will replace the injured Pietro Fittipaldi in this weekend’s INDYCAR Grand Prix, adding an additional race to the Canadian’s schedule after three prior starts this season. He was originally slated to be out of the car until Detroit. The call-up comes after Fittipaldi was injured in a qualifying crash forRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer LEXINGTON, Ohio — It was only a matter of time. After four races that ended in disappointment, Acura Team Penske finally made good on their promising team lineup with a dominant drive to victory in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor led the way, with Taylor securing the victory after a long closing stint. The pairing of Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron followed to give Penske the top two positions at race’s end. Afterwards, the 28-year-oldRead More

By Aaron Bearden. Contributing Writer LEXINGTON, Ohio — The Acura Team Penske domination continued into Sunday morning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as Helio Castroneves led a sweep of the top two spots by the organization’s two entries in the morning warmup for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Castroneves’ lap of 1:14.124 in the No. 7 Acura ARX-05 stood as the quickest time in the session, with teammate Dane Cameron following in the No. 6 Acura ARC-05 with a 1:14.389. The two Team Penske entires have paced every session and will roll off onRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The rain-postponed Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was chaotic for all involved, but few endured as many ups and downs at Marco Andretti. Andretti’s topsy-turvy Alabama affair started with a strong seventh-place qualifying effort, but the challenge of the rain and Barber Motorsports Park course threw Andretti off-course shortly into Sunday’s initial 23-lap effort. With track position lost and heavy rains descending upon the circuit, Andretti’s Andretti Herta Autosport team hinged their bets on strategy. They brought Andretti’s No. 98 HondaRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Simon Pagenaud isn’t one to confront drivers on pit road. Before Monday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race he hadn’t ever done it. He made an exception for Gabby Chaves after the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. “I think that’s the first time I’ve gone to a driver to complain and to tell him how I feel,” Pagenaud said. He called me a word that I didn’t really enjoy including being French, I don’t know. I think he needs to think about thisRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — He was so painfully close. With 10 laps remaining in Sunday’s Pro Mazda Championship race at Barber Motorsports Park, it appeared Andres Gutierrez would finally be able to embrace his team as a first-time winner on the Mazda Road to Indy. Instead he found himself fighting off tears and shaking his head in frustration as they embraced him in the paddock after a seventh-place disappointment. “I’m just devastated,” Gutierrez told Motorsports Tribune. “I think I drove the best race of my life toRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A little moisture couldn’t keep Patricio ‘Pato’ O’Ward from surging to an Indy Lights weekend sweep at Barber Motorsports Park. If anything, it might have made it easier. O’Ward soared from the drop of the green flag to claim a dominant victory in the 30-lap Race 2 of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, securing his third victory in four Indy Lights races to open the 2018 season. The Alabama road course promised to be a challenge, particularly with the wet weatherRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — With rain anticipated on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, few drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy were as confident as Harrison Scott. “I’m British, and we’re used to the rain for sure,” he told Motorsports Tribune after Saturday’s first Pro Mazda Championship race. “So if it’s wet, it’s not going to phase me. I know what to do.” Scott proved that to be true on Sunday. The Briton surged past the off-course Andres Gutierrez shortly before a caution for weather conditionsRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — After qualifying second, Patricio “Pato” O’Ward knew he would need to find a way around teammate Colton Herta if he was going to claim a redemptive second victory of the young Indy Lights Championship season. What he didn’t know was how quickly he would manage it, or how crucial it would be. O’Ward maneuvered his way around Herta on the opening lap of the 30-circuit event, snagging the top spot shortly before the race’s lone safety car for a crash between DaltonRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Parker Thompson had a month to think about the race win he’d let slip away on the streets of St. Petersburg. So when he got an opportunity to redeem himself at Barber Motorsports Park, the Canadian made it count. “It was on the back of my mind, but I had a month-long break to get over the fact that I lost a race in Race 1,” Thompson said. “I think that really helped, because I came into this weekend with my elbows up,Read More