Marco Andretti Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief INDIANAPOLIS – After a solid week of practice leading into the weekend, Marco Andretti endured one of the toughest qualifying efforts of his career at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 29-year-old became part of the drama in attempting to make the Fast Nine Shootout on Saturday, getting bumped out in the waning minutes by Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay just moments after doing to same to the 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion. More misfortune hit Andretti leading up to his run in the opening round of qualifying onRead 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 Andretti Autosport and Honda swept the top fourpositions during opening practice for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Penngrade Motor Oil The leader of the pack was Marco Andretti, who clocked a lap with an average speed of 228.978 mph. His lap was just a tick faster than Carlos Munoz, who timed in at 228.945 mph while 2014 Indy 500 champ Ryan Hunter-Reay followed behind in third place. Alexander Rossi was the quickest rookie of the day while Indy-only starter Townsend Bell had the sixthRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer One of the more iconic images in auto racing is the familiar helmet design utilized by the Andretti family. Starting with a simple silver helmet, with a strip of red tape on the side, Mario Andretti added a wide red stripe over the top of the helmet in the 1970s. The stripe ended in a point above the visor, and it represented the logo of then-sponsor, Viceroy cigarettes. Andretti liked the design and stuck with it for the rest of his racing career. When son,Read More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is making preparations for the historic 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, it is a wonderful time to take a trip down memory lane and examine the rich history of this uniquely American event. Each of the 99 previous races has produced a winner that will forever have his name etched in motor racing history. 67 race winning drivers, and two relief drivers have their images on the Borg-Warner Trophy. There are, however, an untold number of heartbreakingRead 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 Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The 42nd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the Verizon IndyCar Series is now in the books. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud took the win, followed closely by Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon. He are five takeaways from the latest edition of one of IndyCar’s crown-jewel events. 1 ) Simon sez After a decidedly lackluster first season with Team Penske, that left him 11th in the final standings, Simon Pagenaud is off to a ferocious start in 2016. His two second-place finishes, combinedRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Marco Andretti set the top time in today’s Manufacturer aerokit test from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in windy, somewhat rainy conditions. Andretti led a field of 15 drivers, who logged a combined 501 laps on the 2.5 mile superspeedway. His 223.427 mph lap just edged his Andretti Autosport team mate Ryan Hunter-Reay, which will give Honda some reason to smile, as their full superspeedway kit may finally give them an edge on their Chevy powered rivals. The full results can be found here. The purpose of the twoRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer AVONDALE, AZ. April 2, 2016 – Heading into tonight’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, Honda teams are left scratching their heads as Chevrolet-powered cars swept the first ten grid positions led by Penske Racing’s Helio Castroneves. After completing a two-day test in February, all the Verizon IndyCar Series teams reported that track conditions were remarkably different upon returning to the 1.022 mile oval.  The track had hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the interim and, despite a power-washing of the surface, quiteRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Andretti Autosport put the rumors to rest when they confirmed that Townsend Bell will be joining the team’s effort at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Bell will be driving the No. 29 car in a fifth entry with the team that has three Indianapolis 500 wins to their credit. The Andretti team utilizes the Honda powerplant and aero package.  Sponsorship has not been announced, although the Robert Graham fashion company, a sponsor of Bell’s in the past, willRead More