Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer An uncharacteristic moment unfolded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday as Team Penske failed to have one of its four drivers advance into the Fast Nine shootout (Sunday at 1 p.m. on NBC) for the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500. It’s the first time Penske has been shut out of the first three rows since 2002 as two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden qualified no better than 13th, while the other three drivers, all former Indy 500 champions, failed to crack the top-20. NewgardenRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Where a driver rolls of in line for qualifying has never been so vital than this year’s Indianapolis 500 as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato will be the first two guys out for tomorrow’s qualifying session, beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. Drawing took place 15 minutes after the six-plus hour Fast Friday practice session concluded as drivers and team representatives came up to the stage based on where they ended up in practice. Once they were on stage, they grabbed a coinRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Marco Andretti put down a flying lap of 233.491 mph to pace ‘Fast Friday’ practice for the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The 33-year-old from Nazareth, Pennsylvania enjoyed the extra 80 horsepower boost provided to teams for the day’s practice, which will also be used for this weekend’s round of qualifying to set the field of 33. The addition of the boost, along with cooler track conditions and the aid of a tow propelled the No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco & Curb-Agajanian HondaRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer There’s been a saying around the paddock that even if you win races and championships at Team Penske, it’s still not enough because the biggest prize is an Indianapolis 500 triumph. For two-time defending NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, it’s the only prize that remains in what’s been an illustrious career so far. However, going into the 104th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge, there’s some immense pressure for Newgarden to deliver because he’s the only one out of the four-car stable that hasn’t won theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer James Davison was ninth fastest (224.315 mph) in Thursday’s practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, doing so with a burnt right heel. You’ve read that right, Davison has been navigating the physically and mentally demanding 2.5-mile superspeedway with a personal setback. The five-time Indianapolis 500 starter confirmed to NBC Sports’ Dillon Welch that he sustained second degree burns during the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Since then, the 33-year-old Australian had been nursing his injury and briefly described how it’sRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Two days of practice for the Indianapolis 500 are in the books and one man has shown impressive strides where he might have become a dark horse contender for this year’s Greatest Spectacle in Racing. And that dark horse contender is rookie Alex Palou. The Spaniard hasn’t let the Indianapolis Motor Speedway intimidate him as he’s been among the top-10 fastest in not just overall speed, but on average lap runs as well. This was the case Thursday when Palou’s No. 55 Dale Coyne Racing withRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Fernando Alonso became the first accident during on-track activities on Thursday in preparation for the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500. With 49 minutes remaining in second day of practice, Alonso’s No. 66 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet ran on the bottom lane and clipped the gray berm that sits below the white line at the entry of Turn 4. It snapped his car sideways and took a shunt towards the inside wall. Alonso’s wounded car would go for a spin before resting at the entrance ofRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Fernando Alonso’s quest for racing’s Triple Crown began on a positive note, ending up fifth fastest (223.238 mph) during Opening Day practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wednesday. While both full-time Arrow McLaren SP teammates Pato O’Ward (28th fastest) and Oliver Askew (31st) were getting their foot in the door at the 2.5-mile circuit, the two-time Formula 1 champion wasted no time setting a flying lap in his No. 66 Ruoff Mortgage Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. “Today was good,” said Alonso, who ran 29 main practiceRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Marco Andretti started his “Month of August” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a positive opening day, setting the second fastest overall speed at 224.345 mph during Wednesday’s practice. While it was a strong outing for his Andretti Autosport teammates with James Hinchcliffe fastest overall (224.526 mph) and Ryan Hunter-Reay fourth (223.431 mph), Andretti is simply focusing on the bigger picture with hopes of finally capturing the Borg-Warner Trophy next Sunday. It didn’t meant Andretti wasn’t satisfied with his speed right out of the gate as heRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After last year’s disappointment in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Arrow McLaren SP isn’t pulling any punches for the 2020 running of the Indianapolis 500 as it will field three entries for the race in an effort to pull off the ultimate comeback story. Fernando Alonso returns to the team for his third attempt at claiming the coveted Borg-Warner Trophy, with Pato O’Ward and rookie Oliver Askew joining him to make up the McLaren arsenal at Indianapolis. Alonso’s two previous attempts at the race ended withRead More