Indianapolis 500 Tag

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – There’s a pattern forming after two full days of practice for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge: Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon are really fast. Sato and Dixon were 1-2 on the speed chart Thursday for the second consecutive practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two-time Indy 500 winner Sato led at 227.519 mph in the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda, with six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2008 “500” winner Dixon second at 227.335 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “We’reRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Sage Karam rolled out of the garage comfortable and fast Tuesday morning in the first Indianapolis 500 practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But that doesn’t mean all is perfect in the preparation of his Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet for the May 29 race.  This is Indy, after all, where the mental stress of figuring out how to go faster can be worse than act of steering into Turn 1 at more than 230 mph. The dilemma of the moment: Should the teamRead More

By INDYCAR Takuma Sato ripped off a lap of 228.939 mph in the final five minutes Tuesday to lead the opening day of practice for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Sato used the benefit of an aerodynamic tow on the 2.5-mile oval to lead the speed charts by more than 1 mph in the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda. Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon was second at 227.768 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, leading four Chip GanassiRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Inside the garage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, nearly a dozen engineers and mechanics hovered over a project that looked like a complex erector set and hardly the sleek race car it would become. Nearby, body panels lay in the Indiana sun – an engine cover here and sidepods there, with the undertray and wings not far away. Incomplete as it was, Don Cusick and his wife Carolyn stood outside admiring the creation like it was the most gorgeous newborn ever. “I get aRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – The good times keep rolling for Josef Newgarden. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden, who leads the series points this year after winning two of the first three races, led the rain-delayed second day of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test on Thursday with a top lap of 229.519 mph in the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet. That lap was nearly 2.5 mph faster than the top Wednesday speed of 227.187 by six-time series champion Scott Dixon. RESULTS: Thursday | Two-Day Combined Newgarden is seeking his first Indianapolis 500 presentedRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon led the first day of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test on Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as drivers and teams began preparation for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Dixon’s best lap was 227.187 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, aided by an aerodynamic tow on the 2.5-mile oval. RESULTS: Veteran Session | Rookie, Refresher Session | All Cars Session The session started 90 minutes late due to morning rain. Testing ended approximately 30 minutes early as a precaution soRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya will return with Arrow McLaren SP for the Month of May. The team announced Tuesday morning that Montoya will pilot the Mission Foods Chevrolet in both the GMR Grand Prix and 106th Indy 500. Last year, Montoya made two NTT IndyCar Series starts with the team, both taking place during the Month of May at Indianapolis. Although he finished 21st, a lap behind winner Rinus VeeKay in the grand prix, Montoya had a strong turnaround in the 500 whereRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Al Unser passed away at his New Mexico home Thursday after a long battle with cancer. President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway J. Douglas Boles issued a statement of Unser’s passing. “In the 112 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Al Unser’s career stands out among the others. His four Indianapolis 500 wins and most laps led in the ‘500’ (644) solidify him as one of the greatest of all time. Al achieved his successes competing against many of theRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson sat alone on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s pit wall Wednesday morning, preparing for his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES laps on the iconic oval. He said he went through a mental checklist, reminding himself of the lowered expectations of a first-timer working to complete the required three-stage Rookie Orientation Program for the Indianapolis 500. “Be smart and ease into things,” he told himself. Then the helmet went on, Chip Ganassi Racing’s crew fired the Honda engine, and away Johnson and hisRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson may only be running the road/street courses in his first season in the NTT IndyCar Series, but as the future for the driver of the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing comes into focus, that future could include the addition of oval races to his schedule and a possible attempt at the Indianapolis 500. Addressing the topic ahead of last Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Johnson noted that he and his team are taking a methodicalRead More