Indianapolis 500 Tag

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

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Carpenter Racing had quite an interesting day in the 105th Indianapolis 500, especially for the boss man. On a day Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly set the tone throughout the first half of the race, Carpenter had a different afternoon. While running with the leaders early on, Carpenter’s day went south during the first green flag stops. His car stalled, costing him dearly and had to play recovery mode. As race’s end, Carpenter did found his way back towards the leading pack.Read More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Their day started with an emotional pep talk from legendary former driver Lyn St. James and ended with a lament that showed they’re real racers.  The woman-dominated Paretta Autosport team finished 31st Sunday in the Indianapolis 500 after driver Simona de Silvestro’s brakes failed before a late-race stop and she spun in the pits.  Disappointing as it was after running inside the top 25 earlier in the race, the effort was a source of pride for owner Beth Paretta, whose team became the first in 500 history to beRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer  INDIANAPOLIS – Six months ago, I wasn’t sure this day would happen. Or to be precise, could happen.  The COVID-19 pandemic was strangling the world last December, and nobody knew how to loosen that grip or when it would. Positive test numbers climbed at an alarming rate, and while some people got over it fairly easily, many got really sick. And people died, some I knew personally, and it scared the you-know-what out of me. A vaccination was on its way, but when?  Frankly, when I got my first vaccination on Valentine’s Day and the secondRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – “Helio! Helio! Helio!” The Indianapolis Motor Speedway were chanting the name of Helio Castroneves, who won the 105th Indianapolis 500. In one of largest sports gathering since the pandemic, they witnessed history as Castroneves joined AJ Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears as the only four-time Indy 500 winners. This triumph not only marked the 46-year-old’s first Indy 500 win in 12 years, but Meyer Shank Racing’s maiden INDYCAR victory. The organization that was once solely known for sports cars, showcased they gotRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 ended with only two cautions, both of which came as a result of issues on pit road. Stefan Wilson spun on pit road on lap 35 to bring out the first caution, with the second involving Graham Rahal shortly after leaving pit road on lap 119. Rahal had come to the attention of his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crew for his third pit stop of the day, but the crew failed to get the left rear tire fully secureRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – What started off as a three-man rookie class, one man stood out throughout the Month of May. That man being Scott McLaughlin, who wins this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. Far from an ideal race indeed, but the 20th place finisher will leave IMS with an accolade. His fellow rookie competitors Pietro Fittipaldi finished a lap down in 25th while RC Enerson failed to qualify. After the race McLaughlin described his Indy 500 debut as a “pretty awesome experience.” “ReallyRead More