NTT IndyCar Series Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer A bid for a Team Penske podium sweep in Saturday’s Firestone 175 at virtual Twin Ring Motegi were dashed with 10 laps to go due to a three-wide battle gone wrong, altering the outcome of the 113-lap contest. While Simon Pagenaud ended up as the ultimate opportunist by winning the race, his other two teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin had a far different story. All thanks to the lapped car of NTT IndyCar Series rookie Oliver Askew. Coming into Turn 3, the running order wasRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It has been quite the time period for five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon during the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, trying to fully adapt into iRacing as its been both frustrating and a “steep learning curve” competing in the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge. Since joining the sim racing series two weeks ago, it hasn’t been the kindest welcome for Dixon. This was the case last Saturday in the Chevrolet 275 at virtual Michigan International Speedway when he got collected in the opening lap crash before reachingRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS — As the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge leaves the United States for the first time Saturday, April 18, three fan favorites of American motorsports who are new to the virtual racing series are coming along for the ride. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, 2017 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Takuma Sato and two-time reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will make their respective series debuts in the Firestone 175 on the 1.549-mile oval at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. The fourth of six roundsRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS — Simon Pagenaud used a combination of smarts, speed and strategy to win Round 3 of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge on Saturday, the Chevrolet 275 at Michigan International Speedway. Reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Pagenaud beat Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin by 13.409 seconds – a deceptively large margin in a thrilling race that featured nine leaders and 18 lead changes. It was his first victory in the virtual racing series, in which NTT INDYCAR SERIES athletes and special guests compete in the iRacing computerRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished third at Michigan International Speedway – in a virtual INDYCAR. You’ve read that right. The two-time Daytona 500 champion had enough fuel to bring his No. 3 Nationwide Insurance Chevrolet home in one piece in Saturday’s Chevrolet 275. “I really appreciated the invite. I think I need to do a better account of myself as far as just showing some pure speed. I wasn’t really able to show it today,” Dale Jr. on his debut sim open wheel race. “We had aRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS — In a series in which the only predictable trait has been unpredictability, the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge could get even wilder during Round 3 on Saturday, April 11. That’s because the virtual racing series featuring stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and some special guests is moving to an oval – the super-fast, wide, 2-mile Michigan International Speedway – after the first two rounds took place on natural road courses at Watkins Glen International and Barber Motorsports Park. The Chevrolet 275 will feature exciting, tight action forRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The latest slew of changes on the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series calendar due to the COVID-19 health crisis unfolded Monday with new doubleheaders, a third stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the cancellation of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix being the headlines. Starting off with the latter, Belle Isle Park’s doubleheader that was scheduled to take place on May 29-31, 2020. Monday’s announcement meant the 2.35-mile circuit becomes the fourth INDYCAR venue officially cancelled, joining Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach and Circuit of the Americas asRead More

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS — Scott McLaughlin made the most of working the night shift, winning the Virtual Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, the second round of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge. New Zealand native and two-time Virgin Australia Supercars champion McLaughlin held off Team Penske teammate Will Power by .4241 of a second to earn his first win in the virtual racing series while driving through the early-morning hours at his home in Brisbane, Australia. McLaughlin started practice at 2 a.m.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Will Power’s Saturday afternoon in the second round of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge at virtual Barber Motorsports Park was a tale of two stories. One involving his road towards a runner-up finish in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and the other is his choice of words towards other his fellow competitors. If viewers happened to watch Conor Daly’s (or any other driver’s) Twitch stream along with the NBCSN telecast like, people got some entertainment value as Power’s comments led iRacing officials revoking his communicationRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Robert Wickens will make his much anticipated motorsports return in Saturday’s second round of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge at virtual Barber Motorsports Park. Wickens will be piloting the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet as it’ll mark the first major step on getting back behind the wheel after his much discussed crash at Pocono in August 2018 sidelining him ever since. “It’s weird. It’s kind of a mental overload. My brain was exploding from trying to figure out how to use the handbrakes, to learn theRead More