Carlos Munoz Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The 42nd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the Verizon IndyCar Series is now in the books. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud took the win, followed closely by Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon. He are five takeaways from the latest edition of one of IndyCar’s crown-jewel events. 1 ) Simon sez After a decidedly lackluster first season with Team Penske, that left him 11th in the final standings, Simon Pagenaud is off to a ferocious start in 2016. His two second-place finishes, combinedRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter & NASCAR Correspondant Team Penske was on top once again during practice at Long Beach, but this time it was Will Power who paced the field. The two-time Long Beach winner bettered his time from this morning to set the fastest lap of the day at 01:07.5992s. “It was a bit of a good setup,” said Power. “I learned some stuff with Juan and now we’re progressing well. This is a track where I have struggled the last couple of years in qualifying, starting way backRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer AVONDALE, AZ. April 2, 2016 – Heading into tonight’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, Honda teams are left scratching their heads as Chevrolet-powered cars swept the first ten grid positions led by Penske Racing’s Helio Castroneves. After completing a two-day test in February, all the Verizon IndyCar Series teams reported that track conditions were remarkably different upon returning to the 1.022 mile oval.  The track had hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the interim and, despite a power-washing of the surface, quiteRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Andretti Autosport put the rumors to rest when they confirmed that Townsend Bell will be joining the team’s effort at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Bell will be driving the No. 29 car in a fifth entry with the team that has three Indianapolis 500 wins to their credit. The Andretti team utilizes the Honda powerplant and aero package.  Sponsorship has not been announced, although the Robert Graham fashion company, a sponsor of Bell’s in the past, willRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter & NASCAR Contributor Juan Pablo Montoya dominated the final half of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to take his second consecutive win in the season opening event for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Montoya mostly ran in arrears to his Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud for the opening 46 laps of the race as the Frenchman pulled out to a sizable lead over the course of the opening stint. Following the first round of green flag pitstops, Pagenaud continued to keep his teammate at bay for theRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter & NASCAR Contributor Will Power recovered from crashing out of the first practice session to click off the fastest lap of the day in the final seconds of a delayed practice session at the Streets of St. Petersburg. A portion of the racing surface in turn 3 came apart just nine minutes into the session. That brought out the red flag for nearly 45 minutes while the track was repaired. Once the action restarted, 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon led for much of theRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer As the teams and drivers prepare for a new season, one of the most exciting aspects of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series is going to be the impressive class of Rookies for the new season. Looking down the list of entries there are no Francesco Dracones or Milka Dunos out there, but a field packed with talent from top to bottom. In that field, there will be three young drivers competing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Having been raised in suburban Indianapolis, 24-yearRead More

Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Andretti Autosport unveiled their 2016 liveries for its Verizon IndyCar Series teams. The cars of rookie Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Carlos Munoz will share a common theme element in their respective paint schemes. Each car will carry a color stripe starting at the front of the cockpit and running through the end of the cars, giving nod to Mario Andretti’s livery in the 1972 Indianapolis 500. The design became the basis for Mario Andretti’s helmet scheme, which Marco continues to use to this day. “AsRead More

by Josh Farmer, IndyCar reporter Alexander Rossi has been officially confirmed as the driver of the #98 Andretti Autosport Honda for the upcoming 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Rossi will get his first laps in an IndyCar during a rookie test next Tuesday at the Sebring International Raceway, rather than this weekend’s series test at the Phoenix International Raceway. “I’m very much looking forward to making my IndyCar Series debut this season and am proud to be racing with a team of such high caliber and pedigree as that of Andretti Autosport,” saidRead More

By Josh Farmer, Journalist Carlos Munoz will return to the cockpit of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Season. The Columbian ended the 2015 season 13th in the championship standings and his season was highlighted by his first series win in the rain shortened race 1 at Detroit as well as seven top ten finishes. “Really happy to join the team again for 2016 – it will be my fifth year with Andretti,” said Munoz. “I’m really thankful to Michael (Andretti), JF (Thormann, COO) and theRead More