Danica Patrick Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The third round of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge takes a virtual visit to the Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway Saturday with the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Ryan Hunter-Reay making their league debuts. It’s also the first time Michigan and Indy car racing are mentioned in the same breath since 2007 when the sport last ran the real-life two-mile circuit. Tony Kanaan scored the victory on what was an unforgettable day for Andretti Autosport (then known as Andretti Green Racing). Although Kanaan ate someRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Heading into the March 2016 running of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, two drivers in the field went to battle with each other in what would be dubbed the #HeroFaceOff in promotion of the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson each sported a superhero paint scheme, with Earnhardt carrying the Batman colors on his No. 88 Chevrolet and Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet adorned with the familiar red and blue colors of Superman.Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor When looking at Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on a year by year basis, there are certain seasons that stick out among the rest and the 2014 campaign was one of those for the 15-time Most Popular Driver. After winning the season-opening Daytona 500 for the second time in his career, Earnhardt maintained a spot in the top-six in the points standings through the first 13 races of the year. Then came the first event at Pocono Raceway, whereRead 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 Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer Ed Carpenter is setting very pretty heading into the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. On Sunday, the 37-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana claimed his third Indy 500 pole with a four-lap average of 229.618 mph. The 2018 universal aero kit proved in practice that it would produce a vastly different race compared to the last few years. The cars at the front of the pack should are able to race, but the deeper in dirty air the cars are, the harder it is toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Danica Patrick completed a stressful Pole Day performance to qualify seventh for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The 36-year-old from Roscoe, Illinois, turned a four-lap average of 228.090 mph (2 minutes, 37.8326 seconds) after being the first driver of the Fast Nine to go out. The end result put her on the inside of the third row, beside a pair of Indy 500 champions in Helio Castroneves (eighth) and Scott Dixon (ninth) for the May 27 race.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Alexander Rossi will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 after a rough outing during Sunday’s qualifications at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The run came as a shock since the Californian qualified 0.0342 of a second outside the Fast Nine during Saturday’s Bump Day of qualifications. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion’s speed of 227.454 would have put him on the fourth row of the grid had he maintained it. However, subsequent laps of 226.608 mph, 224.152 mph and 221.619 mph dropped his four lap averageRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Bump Day was back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday and in many ways it was a true throwback. Well, at least for those who saw it. Veteran IndyCar writer/historian John Oreovicz calculated that in the final 10 minutes and 35 seconds of qualifying that there were six minutes and ten seconds of commercials. Not ideal considering that the gun to end qualifying went off at 5:50 for TV’s sake for interviews when they had so many commercial breaks late. It was aRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – The first day of qualifying for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil was its typical emotional roller coaster. It was filled with nail-biting four-lap attempts, rain delays that ruined strategies, last-minute bids to bump into the field of 33 and ultimate heartbreak for those left on the outside looking in. The cars and drivers that will start the race on May 27 were established in qualifying on Saturday. Two drivers – Verizon IndyCar Series regular James Hinchcliffe and Indy-only pilot Pippa Mann –Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Danica Patrick’s Verizon IndyCar Series return has gone better than most anticipated thus far. Saturday’s qualifying run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway exceeded even her own expectations. Patrick laid down a four-lap average speed of 227.610 mph in her lone qualifying attempt to slot in ninth during the opening day of time trials for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The run guarantees the Illinoisan a shot at the pole in Sunday’s ‘Fast Nine’ qualifying round. “This exceeded it,” Patrick said of herRead More