Indianapolis 500 Tag

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – If practice Thursday is any indication, Marcus Ericsson could start the defense of his 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory from the front of the field. Ericsson turned the top lap, 39.1974 seconds, 229.607 mph, during the six-hour session under sunny skies at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. It was the fastest lap so far in two days of on-track activity this week, topping the 229.439 set Wednesday by Ericsson’s teammate and two-time Indy 500Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Never afraid to navigate around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Santino Ferrucci looks to make his fifth Indianapolis 500 start, his finest yet. It appears promising after Wednesday’s practice session where he denied Chip Ganassi Racing from sweeping the top-three as he was third quickest. The best out of the Chevrolet camp, the AJ Foyt Racing driver had a best speed of 228.977 mph and ran 79 laps during the six-hour session. Primarily focusing on race trim, Ferrucci was flattered to see his No. 14 ChevroletRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Past winners Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon both topped 229 mph as Chip Ganassi Racing drivers took four of the top seven spots on the speed chart in the first day of practice Wednesday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Two-time “500” winner Sato led with a top lap of 39.2261 seconds, 229.439 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda, turned in the final two hours under sunny skies and air temperatures in the mid-70s. 2008 Indy 500 winner Dixon was second at 229.174 inRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – In a career full of success, winning the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is one of the few boxes Josef Newgarden hasn’t checked. That could change this year, if the first day of the Indy 500 Open Test on Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is any indication. SEE: Test Results Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden was the fastest of 33 drivers on the 2.5-mile oval during the 8.5-hour test, turning a top lap of 227.686 mph in the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden’s best finishRead More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer The NTT IndyCar Series will get their first taste of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week with the series holding a two day open test this Thursday and Friday in preparation for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 next month. Fans are allowed to attend the open test in person at the speedway on both days. If unable to attend, the open test will be streamed live on Peacock.  Day one of testing, April 20th, will be a mix bag of events to open theRead More

By Phillip Schmitz, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Tex. — For the first time since 2009, Takuma Sato isn’t a full time driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, racing just the oval portion of the 2023 schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 11 Niterra Honda entry. Sunday marked Sato’s first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway — a weekend that started out strong for him. He was eighth fastest in morning practice and qualified sixth for the PPG 375. However, once the race began, so did Sato’s problems.Read More

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