jr hildebrand Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer JR Hildebrand was moving through the Verizon IndyCar Series field during Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The California native had gained the most positions in the field until a caution for Ed Jones’s stalled car on Lap 67 put his strategy in disarray as he was unable to come into the pits for service until the field had packed up behind the pace car. “We ended up just going a lap long when that yellow came out,” saidRead More

By INDYCAR TORONTO (Saturday, July 15, 2017) – Simon Pagenaud has put himself in the thick of the hunt for a second straight Verizon IndyCar Series title without earning the pole position for a race in 2017. Until today, that is. The reigning series champion set a track record for the current layout on the streets of Exhibition Place to capture the Verizon P1 Award and first starting position for the Honda Indy Toronto. The driver of the No. 1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet will lead the 21-car fieldRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer NEWTON, Iowa — JR Hildebrand got his chance to prove that his testing work last year was not done in vain. Finishing second in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway for the Verizon IndyCar Series showed it. Hildebrand received much of the credit for then-teammate Josef Newgarden’s victory at last year’s Iowa Corn 300 by testing and perfecting the car’s setup while Newgarden was nursing injuries from a crash at Texas Motor Speedway. Newgarden led 282 laps last year and HildebrandRead More

By INDYCAR NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, July 9, 2017) – The victory drought is finally over for Helio Castroneves. Now his chase toward a first Verizon IndyCar Series championship is in high gear. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner ended a three-year, 54-race streak without a win by taking the checkered flag today in the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. In the process, the driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet closed within eight points of the championship lead after 11 of 17 races. “We’ve been close (to winning)Read More

 By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer NEWTON, Iowa — Will Power was the last car to qualify for Sunday’s Iowa Corn Indy 300 for the Verizon IndyCar Series and that seemed to be the charm as he clinched his 48th career pole in competition with a two-lap average of 185.210 mph. Power dethroned apparent pole winner JR Hildebrand from Ed Carpenter Racing as Hildebrand managed to set a two-lap average of 183.811 mph for the outside of the front row while driving the same car that dominated the eventRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Texas – On lap 151 of a thrilling Rainguard Water Sealers 600, contact between the No. 10 of Tony Kanaan and the No.5 of James Hinchcliffe led to a pile up that involved nine cars. Along with Hinchcliffe and Kanaan, were Mikhail Aleshin, Tristan Vautier, Ed Jones, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter, JR Hildebrand and Carlos Munoz of those involved. Kanaan received minor damage and would end up finishing second. Hinchcliffe and Aleshin, the two Schmidt Peterson team mates were running side by side comingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Expect the unexpected. This year has seen a massive improvement from Honda as they have won five out of eight races and heading into a newly-reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway, the Verizon IndyCar Series had no idea what to expect into Saturday’s Rainguard Water Sealers 600. Well, looking at the practice and qualifying recaps, it was a complete tossup until final practice. In the first practice session, Honda had the top six times as Scott Dixon led Charlie Kimball, Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Several drivers in the Indianapolis 500 only run that race as a part of the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Many do it by choice, many do it by circumstance, some have done both. J.R. Hildebrand is one that has done both. The 2009 Indy Lights champion drove for Panther Racing in the 2011-2013 Indianapolis 500s, earning Rookie of the Year in 2011 and nearly winning. After the 2013 race, Hildebrand was unceremoniously fired from his ride and resorted to doingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — In an Indianapolis 500 qualifying day marred by bad weather and a serious accident from a top qualifying contender, Ed Carpenter Racing’s eponymous team owner came out on top. Ed Carpenter’s No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet was one of the last five cars to qualify for a chance to win the pole for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 and poked the nose of his car to the top of the speed chart with a fourRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- High gusts of wind severely limited practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 as only 21 cars turned laps during Wednesday’s practice session. Ed Carpenter Racing was the quickest team of the day with Ed Carpenter leading with a fastest lap of 222.894 mph in his No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet. JR Hildebrand’s No. 21 Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet was third fastest at 220.553 mph. Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Honda split the duo with a lapRead More