Mario Andretti Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to Road America for the KOHLER Grand Prix, continuing the 2017 season. The event is slated for June 23-25, 2017. About the Race The KOHLER Grand Prix is round ten of seventeen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017.  The event is held on a permanent road course, one of six such races on the calendar. This will be the second race at Road America for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The race will consist of 55Read More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will kick off the Month of May with the 4th running of the INDYCAR Grand Prix. The race weekend is slated for May 12-13, 2017. About the Race The INDYCAR Grand Prix is round five of seventeen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017. The event is held on a permanent road course, one of six such events in 2017. The defending race winner is Simon Pagenaud. For the Team Penske driver, it was his third consecutive seriesRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – In the spirit of racing crossover, Marco Andretti has teased the concept of running the Daytona 500. The 30-year-old Nazareth, Pennsylvania native will have two-time Formula 1 champion, Fernando Alonso as a teammate at Andretti Autosport in this year’s 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500. The 35-year-old Spaniard shook the racing world when it was announced that he would skip the Monaco Grand Prix, F1’s crown jewel event, to compete in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. In 2014, former NASCAR CupRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sports, there are stars, super-stars and mega-stars. The mega-stars are those names that are so big that they transcend their sport and become part of the popular consciousness. Someone that doesn’t watch sports can still tell you that Tom Brady is a football player, and you’ll find LeBron James on the basketball court. Mention Dale Earnhardt Jr., and you know we’re talking NASCAR. While the drivers are well known to those that follow the series, the Verizon IndyCar Series lacks a true marquee starRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer After last year’s historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with a sell-out crowd and a large amount of media attention, I wondered if the momentum would continue into the next century of racing. Indeed, the 101st Running, slated for May 28, 2017, has a tough act to follow. What could possibly happen to top this? Enter Fernando Alonso. The stunning early-morning announcement on Wednesday that the two-time World Drivers Champion would run in the 500 caught the racing community by surprise. Many of usRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief LONG BEACH, California – Sam Schmidt will go faceoff against racing icon Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 13. The duo will take the fight in semi-autonomous cars on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile permanent road course prior to the INDYCAR Grand Prix. Schmidt fell victim to a crash while testing an Indy car in 2000, having been paralyzed ever since. He teamed with Arrow Electronics and will pilot the Corvette Z06 SAM – a car modified with sensors and innovative technology that allows him toRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will continue their 2017 season with one of their crown jewel events, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. About the Race This is round two of seventeen for the Series in 2017. The event is held on a temporary street circuit, one of five such races on the schedule. The race weekend is scheduled April 7-9, 2017. The defending race champion is Simon Pagenaud, who drives the No. 1 Penske Chevrolet. This will be the 34th raceRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sharp contrast to some of his contemporaries, who can be found at the race track week-in and week-out, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock rarely speaks about, or even thinks about, racing these days. He makes precious few personal appearances, only occasionally grants interviews, and is likely to refer you to IMS historian, Donald Davidson, for questions about his racing stats. Now 80 years old, Johncock routinely puts in a full day of work at Quigley Lumber, the business that he owns in SouthRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Author’s note: This is part of a 10-part series discussing tracks around the world that I feel would be a good fit for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The opinions here are expressed solely of the author and not necessarily of the Motorsports Tribune. A market untouched by NASCAR but was once heavily used by IndyCar is the Pacific Northwest. At one time, the area featured two races on the calendar. One at a street circuit in Vancouver, British Columbia and the other at the Portland InternationalRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer All of us at Motorsports Tribune are saddened to report that Carl Haas has passed away at the age of 86. A statement issued by the Haas family this morning read “Carl Haas’ incredible journey came to a peaceful end on June 29, 2016, at his home that he loved, surrounded by family.” The sight of cigar-chomping Carl Haas, and his business partner, movie star-turned racer Paul Newman, in the pit lane during the heyday of the CART series was a familiar image as theirRead More