Indianapolis 500 Tag

Twice I have asked Juan Pablo Montoya if he had considered a Le Mans run and an attempt at the Triple Crown. First when he rejoined IndyCar with Penske and again at a reception held after his Indy 500 victory in May. Both times he brushed off the suggestion. Bemused that a driver wouldn’t want to take on the greatest challenge in racing and become only the second man in history after Graham Hill to achieve the feat of winning at Indy, Monaco and Le Mans, I even considered startingRead More

Ryan Hunter-Reay has built up a reputation of being one of the elite drivers in IndyCar, along with the leader of Andretti Autosport. With a season championship in 2012 and 11 wins since joining the team in 2010, his credentials speak for themselves. But the nine races complete this season, Hunter-Reay has founded himself mired down to 13th in the season standings. He has not finished on the podium once and has a best finish of 5th at Barber Motorsports Park. Andretti Autosport has been behind the eight ball aRead More

James Hinchcliffe described himself as the “luckiest unlucky guy” following his life threatening accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 18. Lucky as in the Holmatro Safety Team performed the savviest driver rescue since Alex Zanardi’s rescue in 2001 at the Eurospeedway Lausitz and saved his life on the track after he lost 14 pints of blood. Lucky as in that if the suspension piece that penetrated his leg would have been just five millimeters in a different direction, he may not be alive today. Ironically he is alsoRead More

Australian Ryan Briscoe is expected to be announced tommorow as James Hinchcliffe’s replacement for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. Briscoe won the pole for the 500 in 2012 and has a best finish of 5th that year as well as in 2007. Briscoe competed for Chip Ganassi Racing last season and has since returned to sportscar racing competing for Corvette Racing in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup rounds where he has scored GTLM class wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 12Read More

Despite a valiant effort by his family owned team, Buddy Lazier failed to qualify for the 99th Indianapolis 500. Along with Lazier, KVSH-Jonathan Byrd Racing’s Bryan Clauson, A.J. Foyt Racing’s Jack Hawksworth and KV Racing’s Stefano Coletti found themselves mired in positions 30-34 after their own individual struggles. Hawksworth and teammate Takuma Sato did not have the correct gear setup in the cars following the mandated boost reduction earlier in the day while the KV teammates of Clauson and Coletti both simply lacked the speed to put four laps together.Read More

Simon Pagenaud was the top dog during on Thursday as he paced the time charts both with and without a tow. The Frenchman turned laps of 228.793 mph and 227.662 mph over Carlos Munoz, the fastest man of the month so far and the Chip Ganassi Racing trio of Sage Karam, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. “Today was a really good day for the Avaya car,” Pagenaud said. “We’ve been focusing on understanding what the car does in qualifying runs. Very happy to see the preparation from Penske and howRead More

Helio Castroneves has walked away unhurt following a crash in the South Chute that sent his Shell V Power Chevrolet/Dallara airborne. The Brazillian spun in the end of turn one and crashed into the barrier before the rear of the car lifted off the ground. The car backflipped through the air about 15 feet off the ground before coming to rest upside down on the pavement and flipping back over right side up. The Holmatro Safety crew arrived on the scene and Castroneves walked out of the car under hisRead More

Simona de Silvestro has escaped injury following a fire during today’s practice session for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. Her #29 TE Connectivity Honda/Dallara started trailing smoke as she was leaving the pit road warm up lane in turn 2. The smoke soon erupted into a fire and she coasted to stop in turn 3 and climbed from the car unharmed. Andretti Autosport discovered that the fuel buckeye was stuck open and allowed ethanol to leak out and heat from the exhaust headers ignited the fire. The teamRead More

Series points leader Juan Pablo Montoya set the pace as speed soared during the afternoon session on the lone day of aero kit testing in preparation for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. The 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion lapped the 2.5 mile oval in 39.6874s (226.772 mph), eclipsing last year’s opening day speed by three miles an hour. Teammate Helio Castroneves flanked him with a lap of 39.7407s (226.468 mph). Marco Andretti led the charge for Honda and recorded the third quickest lap of 39.7759s (226.268 mph). Chevrolet claimedRead More

Indianapolis, IN – May 3, 2015 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) proudly announced today that Smithfield Foods will be the primary sponsor of the No. 43 Verizon IndyCar driven by Conor Daly in the 2015 Indianapolis 500. Smithfield Foods’ iconic flagship brand, Smithfield, will adorn the third Honda-powered SPM entry on opening day of the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. Founded in Smithfield, Virginia in 1936, this global food company is the world’s largest provider of high-quality pork products. For Smithfield, partnering with SPM at the famed Brickyard isRead More