Indianapolis 500 Tag

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Practice for the Indianapolis 500 was a mix of qualifying simulations, race setups and, of course, rain on Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Pato O’Ward drove his Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to the fastest speed of the day at 228.861 mph, with Wednesday’s fast runner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske second at 227.316 on the 2.5-mile track. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing was third at 226.828.  After two days of rain and little track time since practice began Tuesday, teams put inRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Team Penske floated to the top of the speed chart Wednesday when Indianapolis 500 practice resumed on another soggy day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rain again was the major story in a session that started about five hours late and ended a few minutes early because of wet conditions.  Scott McLaughlin drove his Team Penske Chevrolet to the fastest lap of the day, 229.493 mph on the 2.5-mile oval, teammate Will Power was second (228.767) and defending champion Josef Newgarden fourth (227.675). ColtonRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Kyle Larson got his feet wet, literally, when practice began Tuesday for the 108th Indianapolis 500. Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion driving for Arrow McLaren this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drove only two slow laps before a day-long rain settled over the 2.5-mile oval and washed out the remainder of the session after 23 minutes. “The weather is getting in the middle of things today, but once we get through today, it should be good,” said Larson, who willRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The fallout continues. In the aftermath of the penalties handed down by the NTT IndyCar Series to Team Penske for its Push to Pass infractions in the season opener at St. Petersburg, the team has made the call to levy penalties of its own to a number of key personnel heading into the Month of May. On Tuesday morning, the team announced that it had completed an internal investigation into the matter and after finding “significant failures in our processes and internal communications” the decision hadRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Texas – Kyle Larson has been all about going fast this week. Fresh off a rain-shortened day of NTT IndyCar Series testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday for his attempt at the Indianapolis 500, Larson is back to his regularly scheduled duties of driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Larson was no worse for wear once he arrived in the Lone Star State, setting the fast time in qualifying on SaturdayRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden must like the view from the top at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as he was fastest Wednesday in the rain-shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Open Test. Reigning “500” winner Newgarden turned the fastest lap during the morning session on the 2.5-mile oval, 228.811 mph, in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden also led the Indy 500 Open Test in 2022 and last year, when he returned in May to earn his first victory inRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor As J.R. Hildebrand completes his rookie year as a father, he looks back on a time of supreme happiness with wife Kristin and their daughter Julietta Louise, who turns 1 late this month. “It has been the most incredible 11 months of my life,” he said. While this wonderful phase is just beginning, the 36-year-old Hildebrand is working to revive another – his career as an Indianapolis 500 driver. He missed the 500 last year when he didn’t land a ride for the first timeRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor With the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 growing closer by the day, Kyle Larson is continuing to gain experience behind the wheel of an open wheel car and added more data to his memory bank with a Monday evening test at Phoenix Raceway. Though the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion has already turned some laps in his Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway late last year in his Rookie Orientation Program, Monday was the first time he has run the car in 2024. FreshRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Another important step down, more to come in Kyle Larson’s Indianapolis 500 journey. NASCAR Cup Series star Larson completed the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) on Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a significant milestone as he attempts to become just the fifth driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Larson’s “Hendrick 1100” – the moniker given to this “double” initiative – will take place Sunday, May 26, 2024. “It was fun,”Read More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – INDYCAR has announced a 17-race schedule for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, which will take the world’s most competitive motorsport series into several fan-favorite markets, including a much-anticipated return to the Milwaukee Mile. The schedule is also highlighted by two Saturday night races, a new and unique made-for-TV exhibition in Southern California, a global entertainment destination as the new host city for the season finale, and 12 NBC broadcast network showcases bolstered by the rising popularity of live streaming on Peacock. Milwaukee Mile lands onRead More