Indianapolis 500 Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – James Hinchcliffe soared to the top of the pylon in one of the most dramatic Indy 500 qualifying sessions in recent memory, solidifying himself into the Fast Nine Shootout with a chance to win the pole on Sunday for the 100th Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016. Hinchcliffe’s first qualifying attempt wasn’t fast enough to advance, but in the final 30 minutes of the session the Canadian went out again and put down an electrifying four lap average of 230.946 mph in his No.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Every year Indianapolis Motor Speedway provides some sort of dramatic flair during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500. With this year’s 100th running likely being no different, here are the heavy hitters expected to contend for pole at the milestone event. 1) Will Power – The Team Penske veteran and last year’s runner-up in the Indy 500, Power electrified the time sheets on Fast Friday with a speed of 232.672 mph. The pace was strong enough to jump to the top of the timesheets andRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter INDIANAPOLIS – Acclaimed actor Chris Pine will wave the green flag for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. “In addition to all our stars on the track, the 100th Running will feature a major lineup of stars off the track,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles. “We’re thrilled to welcome Chris Pine to our flag stand, where he will officially get our epic race under way by waving the green flag.” Pine is noted for his performancesRead More

Two time CART champion, Paralympic Gold Medalist and inspirational racing legend Alex Zanardi wants to race in the Indy 500. Zanardi never had the chance to take to the start of the greatest spectacle in racing due to the CART-IRL split still in place when he raced in the US, a fact he regrets and would like to rectify if the right opportunity arose. Potential outfits include friend and former rival Jimmy Vasser’s team as well as Chip Ganassi’s crew who he drove for en route to the 1997 andRead More

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