Josef Newgarden Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – James Hinchcliffe soared to the top of the pylon in one of the most dramatic Indy 500 qualifying sessions in recent memory, solidifying himself into the Fast Nine Shootout with a chance to win the pole on Sunday for the 100th Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016. Hinchcliffe’s first qualifying attempt wasn’t fast enough to advance, but in the final 30 minutes of the session the Canadian went out again and put down an electrifying four lap average of 230.946 mph in his No.Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – Every year Indianapolis Motor Speedway provides some sort of dramatic flair during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500. With this year’s 100th running likely being no different, here are the heavy hitters expected to contend for pole at the milestone event. 1) Will Power – The Team Penske veteran and last year’s runner-up in the Indy 500, Power electrified the time sheets on Fast Friday with a speed of 232.672 mph. The pace was strong enough to jump to the top of the timesheets andRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power turned up the wick during Happy Hour to set the fastest lap of the week in preparation for qualifying for this weekend’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The Aussie caught a tow with around an hour remaining Friday evening to log a blistering lap of 232.672 mph. Josef Newgarden set the second quickest lap of the session late in the evening and was the only other driver to break 232 mph with a 232.364 mphRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil has the potential to produce some very compelling headlines. Possibilities include a fourth win for Helio Castroneves, back-to-back wins for Juan Pablo Montoya, a second win for Scott Dixon or Tony Kanaan, or even a first-time winner like Will Power or Simon Pagenaud. The one thing that these scenarios have in common is that they are all highly plausible, and would not be unexpected. The very nature of a 500 mile raceRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Josef Newgarden was hoping a return trip to Barber Motorsports Park would mean a return to Victory Lane, but when the checkered flag flew the young American came home with a third place finish. Newgarden maintained a consistent pace for much of the day, always hanging among the top five before charging late. The 25-year-old made a daring move on the inside of Will Power in the closing stages of the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama, and began to hunt down the wounded Honda of GrahamRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Simon Pagenaud dominated early and came back late to score back-to-back wins in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Capturing his first win for team owner Roger Penske last weekend at Long Beach, the Frenchman scored the pole at Barber Motorsports Park and extended his championship lead in what has been a phenomenal start to the season following a thrilling finish in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. A spin on the pace laps by Mikhail Aleshin followed by a run-off by Jack Hawksworth delayed the startRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL, as they continue their 2016 season. The race weekend is slated for April 22-24, 2016. About the Race The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is round four of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. The event is held on a permanent road course, the first of five such races on the calendar. The defending race winner is Ed Carpenter Racing’s Josef Newgarden. The young driverRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer The time has nearly arrived for the Verizon IndyCar Series to drop the green flag on their 2016 season. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place the weekend of March 11-13, 2016. The scenic track, located on the harbor of Tampa Bay, has been on the IndyCar calendar since 2005 opening the season each year since 2011. St. Petersburg has hosted professional racing on various street courses on-and-off since 1987, when the city first hosted the SCCA Trans-Am Series. The current version ofRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer The stars and cars of the Verizon Indycar Series recently completed a two day test at Phoenix International Raceway where the Series will return for the first time in more than a decade. It was our first opportunity to see the Chevrolet and Honda 2016 configurations head-to-head on the same track. It also offered us the first glimpse of some of the rookies in the 2016 field. Allow me to share some observations. 1) The Speeds are Incredible Eighteen of the twenty-one drivers involved in theRead More

Ed Carpenter Racing left Phoenix International Raceway hopeful with both cars near the top of the speed chart. Newgarden was third fastest overall in the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevy (19.2917 seconds, 190.714 mph), with Carpenter close behind in fourth (19.3316, 190.321) driving the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevy. The team co-owner/driver didn’t hide his pleasure with the improvement in the team’s oval performance. “It’s encouraging, for sure, when you look at where we were on the ovals a year ago starting the season,” Carpenter said. “It’s really encouraging toRead More