Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Danica Patrick’s Verizon IndyCar Series return has gone better than most anticipated thus far. Saturday’s qualifying run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway exceeded even her own expectations. Patrick laid down a four-lap average speed of 227.610 mph in her lone qualifying attempt to slot in ninth during the opening day of time trials for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The run guarantees the Illinoisan a shot at the pole in Sunday’s ‘Fast Nine’ qualifying round. “This exceeded it,” Patrick said of herRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Qualifying for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 begins shortly. There are 35 cars going for 33 spots. Each car is guaranteed at least one attempt. Scroll down for later attempts, this is being updated as each car completes an attempt. First up is rookie Zachary Claman De Melo in the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. Lap 1: 226.079 mph Lap 2: 225.677 mph Lap 3: 225.654 mph Lap 4: 225.480 mph Average: 225.722 mph-Provisional Pole Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 28Read More

By Aaron Bearden, IndyCar Editor INDIANAPOLIS — Now that they’ve implemented their new aero kits, the Verizon IndyCar Series are setting their sights on a power boost. INDYCAR announced Saturday that the American open wheel series will make the switch to 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines in 2021. The new regulations will stay in place through 2026, with an aim of reaching more than 900 horsepower during push-to-pass overtake activation. “Our drivers have been asking for more horsepower and thanks to the hard work of Chevrolet, Honda and the INDYCAR engine group,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer One day removed from a pair of podiums in the first Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, title hopefuls Rinus Veekay and Harrison Scott entered Saturday’s second event hoping for more of the same. They would instead be met with early problems. Scott and Veekay both failed to reach the checkered flag in the second Royal Purple Synthetic Motor Oil Grand Prix of Indianapolis, finishing outside of the top 10 and losing ground in the championship battle. Veekay didn’t makeRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Simon Pagenaud’s yellow Menards livery is already the brightest in the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock. But after another unfortunate run-in – this time on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – the Frenchman fears he may need to resort to an even brighter hue for his No. 22 Chevrolet. “I guess my car isn’t bright enough,” Pagenaud joked after the race. “It seems like people keep running into it.” Pagenaud rolled off seventh in the INDYCAR Grand Prix, but quickly found himself mired at the back ofRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Zachary Claman de Melo isn’t sure if he’ll be in the No. 19 Honda for the Indianapolis 500. But the rookie made his case for a Month of May drive with his best Verizon IndyCar Series performance to date on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Claman de Melo avoided any on-track incidents and put together a consistent drive to earn a career-best 12th-place finish in Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix. “I’m really happy with the result,” he told Motorsports Tribune. “We probably could have beenRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power etched his name further into the INDYCAR Grand Prix record books while extending the legacy of team owner Roger Penske in Indy car history. Power won the Verizon IndyCar Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the second straight year and third time overall – each victory coming from the pole position. Power’s triumph by 2.2443 seconds over Scott Dixon also marked Indy car win No. 200 for Team Penske, nearly double that of any other team. “It’s amazing,” said Power, driverRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor Defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden seemed poised for another podium to open the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Then the Tennessean did something that’s been rare for him in recent years. He made a mistake. Newgarden was battling Sebastien Bourdais for third on Lap 56 of the 85-lap INDYCAR Grand Prix when an ill-advised dive under the Frenchman in Turn 12 led the Team Penske ace into a spin that resulted in a full-course yellow and a drop to the back of the field.Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Parker Thompson and Exclusive Autosport had their breakout performance in a dominant Barber Motorsports Park drive. Sunday’s triumph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) felt even sweeter. “I think this one feels even better, because at Barber the crew and I expected to win with starting on pole and having as strong of a car as we did,” Thompson told Motorsports Tribune. “Here with a tough start yesterday, we had a mechanical part failure at no part to Elite Engines or Exclusive Autosport, that set us back. ItRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Kyle Kirkwood ended his first Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the place young drivers dream of reaching. Victory lane. Kirkwood dominated early and held on through two late restarts to claim a wire-to-wire win in Sunday’s Royal Purple Synthetic Motor Oil Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The result was his second victory in four 2018 starts, allowing him to keep the points lead. Despite leading from start to finish, the Cape Motorsports star claimed the race was moreRead More