Indianapolis 500 Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor MADISON, Ill. – After hinting that an announcement about his future would be coming soon, official word came down Friday that Helio Castroneves will remain as the driver of the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda in 2023. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner first joined the team on a part-time basis before moving into a full-time role this season – his first full-time season since 2017. “Keeping Helio onboard wasn’t really a question for us,” team owner Mike Shank said. “We’ve built a really strong relationshipRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – With the laps winding down in Sunday’s 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pato O’Ward could do nothing but helplessly watch Marcus Ericsson inch closer and closer to racing immortality. Sitting in the runner-up position, a few seconds in arears of Ericsson’s Honda, if nothing changed in the closing stages of the race, O’Ward would fall agonizingly short of a career-defining win. All he needed was a chance. When Jimmie Johnson crashed with six laps to go, bringing out the yellow and subsequently theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Kanaan came into Sunday’s 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 as a driver with nothing to lose. As a part of a five-car stable for Chip Ganassi Racing, in a special one-off appearance to pilot the No. 1 Honda, it was win or go home for the Brazilian driver and when the checkered flag flew, he nearly pulled it off. After charging up through the top-10 following his last pit stop, Kanaan settled into third-place, but was too far back to be withinRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Heralded rookies Romain Grosjean and Jimmie Johnson came into their first attempt at running the Indianapolis 500 looking to bring home a solid finish, but both found out the hard way just how tough racing in the NTT IndyCar Series at 16th and Georgetown can be. Both drivers showed speed throughout the Month of May, qualifying inside the top-12 and running well in the practices leading into Sunday’s 106th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but when the green flag dropped it wasRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Marcus Ericsson won the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in a wild scramble after a late red flag Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning his first career victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Ericsson, from Kumla, Sweden, won under caution in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after Sage Karam crashed in Turn 2 on the final lap. Before the race-ending incident, Ericsson and Pato O’Ward were locked in a fantastic duel for the lead after the restart with two lapsRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Scott Dixon has done it all in the NTT IndyCar Series, but Indianapolis Motor Speedway remains an enigma for the six-time champion as he would once again fall short of making a return to Victory Lane at the Racing Capital of the World. Entering Sunday’s 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, the 2008 winner of the race was looking to parlay his record-breaking qualifying run into a drive that would snap his 14-year winless streak and for the majority of the race, it lookedRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Jimmie Johnson is already part of an exclusive club with a membership of three, having won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships, but if all goes to plan on Sunday, he could be joining another elite fraternity of drivers – those that have won both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. Currently, only two legendary drivers, Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt, have accomplished the feat of winning the biggest race in open wheel and the biggest race in stock cars. Johnson will be lookingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Helio Castroneves will have his work cut out for him if he is to win a record-breaking fifth Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, but the defending winner of the race is ready for the challenge that lies ahead. When the driver of the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda crossed the Yard of Bricks last year to capture his fourth Indy 500 win, he joined the likes of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Sr., and Rick Mears as the only drivers to ever win the “GreatestRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Chip Ganassi Racing flexed its muscles again during Friday’s final practice for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 as Tony Kanaan topped the board, but a pair of incidents during the 90-minute session would overshadow the continued success from the Ganassi stable. Kanaan’s Honda set the fast time of 227.114 mph around the 2.5-mile track, just ahead of teammate Marcus Ericsson at 227.004 mph. “It’s not important at all,” Kanaan said of being fastest on Friday. “We had a good car all month.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer When it comes to the Indianapolis 500, the pageantry, the drama and intensity is unrivaled. The field of 33 brave men will look to escape the madness and be the one who’ll earn the glory that comes with winning The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Close to a full crowd for the first time since 2019, there’s a lot of anticipation and storylines that’ll take lengthy conversations to fully grasp what Indy means to the drivers, teams, personnel, media and fans alike. Among those are the blisteringRead More