Indianapolis 500 Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer After spending the 2018 IndyCar season racing on the road/street courses for Ed Carpenter Racing, Jordan King will attempt to make his oval debut in 2019. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced King will enter the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 in a third entry for the team alongside Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato. King impressed on his debut in 2018. The Englishman set a new track record at St. Petersburg on his first weekend in INDYCAR competition and led 11 laps last year. His bestRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso and McLaren Racing confirmed plans to compete in the 2019 edition of the Indianapolis 500. With wins in both the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Spaniard needs only a victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to achieve the Triple Crown, which has only ever been achieved by the legendary Graham Hill. Next May will mark Alonso’s second attempt at the Brickyard, having previously ran there in 2017 in a collaborated effort with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport. TheRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Journalist Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 12 drivers from the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the eighth-place finisher, Graham Rahal. Graham Rahal, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 2018: 8th in the championship  Wins: 0, Top 5: 3, Top 10: 12, Poles: 0, Laps Led: 29 Best Finish: 2nd (Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg) For a driver that established himself over the past few seasons as one of the more exciting drivers in the series, Graham Rahal hadRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 12 drivers from the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the ninth-place finisher, Marco Andretti. Marco Andretti, No. 98 U.S. Concrete Honda 2018: 9th in the championship  Wins: 0, Top 5: 2, Top 10: 8, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 22 Best Finish: 4th (Detroit – Race 1) Marco Andretti quietly put together a solid season, which saw him return to the top 10 in the championship standings for the first time since 2015. The third-generationRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 12 drivers from the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the 10th-place finisher, James Hinchcliffe. James Hinchcliffe, No. 5 ARROW/LUCAS OIL Honda 2018: 10th in the championship  Wins: 1, Top 5: 5, Top 10: 9, Poles: 0, Laps Led: 65 Best Finish: 1st (Iowa) If it weren’t for that race, James Hinchcliffe’s 2018 campaign would be regarded as one of the Canadian’s best in his eight years of Verizon IndyCar Series competition. But to disregard what happened toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief AUSTIN, Texas – Fernando Alonso will not be participating in the full Verizon IndyCar Series schedule in 2019. However, he is still pursuing a return to the series’ iconic crown jewel race, the Indianapolis 500. The 37-year-old Spaniard shared the confirmation following Formula One qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. “In the summertime I was thinking about it, but it was always linked with the team and McLaren. We talked a lot at the beginning of the year what wereRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief AUSTIN, Texas – McLaren Racing will not be fielding a full-time entry in the Verizon IndyCar Series for the 2019 season, but remains keen on the potential of a return in the Indianapolis 500. The confirmation came from McLaren CEO Zak Brown during Friday’s FIA press conference for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. “We’ve taken the decision to not compete on a full-time basis in 2019,” Brown said. “We’re simply not ready yet and very focused on Formula 1. So weRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Journalist SONOMA, California — Tony Kanaan will reach another milestone in his illustrious Indy car career as he makes his record 300th straight start – a record that began at Portland International Raceway in 2001. With 17 wins, Kanaan’s 21-year Indy car career has seen many peaks. The highest point arguably came in 2004 when he captured the championship and completed every lap in a season, a record that still stands. While he didn’t appreciate the magnitude of the situation then, it is something that the 43-year-oldRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso came away with an enjoyable experience after testing an Andretti Autosport Indy car on Wednesday at Barber Motorsports Park. The 37-year-old Spaniard made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut last year in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, qualifying fifth and leading 27 laps before being stricken with mechanical failure with 21 laps to go. Although he finished 24th, the strong showing was enough to warrant Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors. To this point, that remains hisRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For 54 years, ABC was the main television home for IndyCar coverage, including the Indianapolis 500. During their roller coaster run, open wheel fans witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly side of racing, and its television coverage. However, that chapter is, for the lack of a better phrase; finally over and how it bid farewell on June 2nd was callous. Knowing the second dual of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix ran past its allotted time, and local news, along with Game two ofRead More