Fernando Alonso Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS– Qualifications and post-qualifying practice for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 are finished and there were a lot of storylines and observations that came out of this past weekend that are worth looking at. Between McLaren and Fernando Alonso missing the race to Juncos Racing’s successful rebuild, it’s all under review. Starting from the front of the field and working back, it must be noted that Simon Pagenaud’s performance in the Fast Nine Shootout was massive, especially at a time where some are questioningRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer People must be hiding under a rock if they’re unaware of two of Formula One’s household names missing the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge — McLaren and their driver Fernando Alonso. More striking that the driver/team combo that send them packing was one of the NTT IndyCar Series’ smallest teams of Juncos Racing, with Kyle Kaiser representing the driver’s seat. What an amazing story on both ends because Juncos undeniably spent hours upon hours preparing a backup car and even after skipping the morningRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Sage Karam’s month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had many peaks and valleys, but the 24-year-old managed to find the pace to qualify 31st for the 103rd Indianapolis 500. After confidence in his No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet became hard to find, the 2013 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion had teammate and former Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, J.R. Hildebrand drive it on Fast Friday. Karam’s struggles on Saturday included very light wall contact. That meant that Sunday’s LastRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud continued on his roll this May, winning the pole position for the upcoming 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, however, will be a spectator for the May 26 race after failing to successfully qualify. In a drama-filled Sunday afternoon that featured separate qualifying sessions to fill opposite ends of the 33-car starting grid, Pagenaud completed a four-lap Fast Nine Shootout qualification run on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway superspeedway at 229.992 mph to earn the NTT P1 Award, theRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Juncos Racing were the epitome of a roller coaster ride leading up to qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500. Lose a sponsor in the days before practice opened. Crash on Fast Friday. Run three incomplete qualifying attempts on Saturday. Skip morning practice on Sunday before the rain came down. Qualify 33rd and bump Fernando Alonso out of the 2019 Indy 500 field. It’s an unconventional path to make the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 butRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS — Fernando Alonso will not compete in the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 26. The two-time Formula One champion was bumped from the field of 33 during the Last Row Shootout on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after Kyle Kaiser edged his rival with four-lap qualifying run by 0.019 of a second. “I didn’t spend much time with the team yet,” Alonso said. “I’ve been only in my motorhome, and yeah, talking with friends or family and followingRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Fernando Alonso endured a turbulent qualifying bout during the first day of qualifying for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The two-time Formula One champion was part of the juggling act of drivers that rotated from in and out of the locked top 30 positions. The first of an eventual five attempts was thwarted by a right rear tire puncture, with his best four-lap average of 227.224 mph coming on his final run of the day. The result wasn’t enough to fend offRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS– What a difference a year makes. A reversal of fortune for Pippa Mann at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway meant that she qualified 30th for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 instead of being on the outside looking in. Mann’s No. 39 Clauson-Marshall Racing Driven 2 Save Lives Chevrolet qualified at 12:27 in the afternoon with a four lap average of 227.244 mph. That average put her in 17th position at the time. However, the weather conditions grew cooler as the late afternoon shadows beganRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Drama, excitement, surprises, tears. First-day qualifying for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge had it all. But then, that’s become the norm for qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Following’s Saturday’s intense action on the hallowed 2.5-mile superspeedway oval, the fastest 30 qualifiers are locked into the field for the race on Sunday, May 26. The top nine advance Sunday to a shootout for the pole position. Second-day qualifying also features the Last Row Shootout that will include a pair of high-profile drivers who couldn’t findRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS– Only six cars went out for morning practice ahead of qualifying for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 and Fernando Alonso was fastest of them all in the three-part session. The Spaniard turned a fastest lap of 228.065 mph in his 13 laps in the No. 66 McLaren Chevrolet entry. Second quickest was Jordan King in the No. 42 Rich Energy Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The biggest story was Kyle Kaiser in the No. 32 Juncos Racing entry. After crashing the team’sRead More