robert wickens Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Robert Wickens has been the rookie to beat in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series. The Canadian put his car on pole at the season-opener in St. Petersburg and qualified second for Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix only behind Will Power. The No. 6 Lucas Oil Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports qualified on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with a lap of 1 minute, 9.9052 seconds for an average speed of 125.604 mph. Teammate James Hinchcliffe qualified fourth. “I’m a bit gutted with P2,” saidRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Friday practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series concluded in preparation for Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Will Power is the man to beat. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet topped the time sheet in both sessions with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 10.0866 seconds in the first session. Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi was second in the No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda while the Ed Carpenter Racing rookie Jordan King was third in the No.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — With the beginning of the Month of May comes rookie orientation for the four that will attempt to qualify for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 27th and the accompanying veteran refresher tests for those attempting to qualify at Indianapolis that don’t compete full time in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Rookie orientation consists of three speed phases with 10 laps between 205-210 mph, 15 laps between 210-215 mph and another 15 laps above 215 mph. The laps do not have toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Verizon IndyCar Series is four races into their 2018 season and the universal aero kit has elevated the spectacle with improved passing and elevated the overall racing product by putting the car back into the drivers’ hands. Marco Andretti (Andretti-Herta Autosport), Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) and rookie Robert Wickens (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) are among those that have enjoyed a solid start to the year and break down why the new car is such a game-changer for the sport. OurRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer LONG BEACH, California — Robert Wickens is off to a fast start to his Verizon IndyCar Series career. The first two Verizon IndyCar Series races for the 29-year-old Canadian show the talent he possesses. He had a near win in the bag at St. Petersburg, but collided with Alexander Rossi on a restart with two laps to go and had to settle for 18th. He followed that up with an impressive run at the ISM Raceway, leading 44 laps before being passed late by Josef Newgarden.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer LONG BEACH, California — The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season makes its first of two stops to California for Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This weekend marks the 44th time a race has taken place along Shoreline Drive, the 34th such time for IndyCar racing and the second of a back-to-back-to-back stretch. Long Beach has provided for some interesting results. Last year marked James Hinchcliffe’s return to Victory Lane after a two year drought, but it is his fellow Canadian teammate that is makingRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer (New)Garden of Eden There are a few places in the Verizon IndyCar Series that some would consider paradise. For the sport’s oldest supporters, no location compares to victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. West Coast fans often point to the prestigious Long Beach street circuit. Some prefer the history of tracks like Road America, while others like the sheer excitement of ovals like Texas Motor Speedway. For Roger Penske, though? Recently it’s been wherever Josef Newgarden is found. The Tennessean joined Team Penske as the sport’s hottest free agent goingRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer Robert Wickens claimed his first Verizon IndyCar series podium in his first oval start after leading a chunk of Saturday night’s Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix. The driver of the No. 6 Lucas Oil Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports led 44 laps and paced the field with less than 10 laps to go before giving way to Josef Newgarden within the final three laps. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “All I wanted to do was finish every lap of my ovalRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer Alexander Rossi overcame an early costly mistake and stormed back through the field to finish third in Saturday night’s Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix at ISM Raceway. After starting fourth, the No. 27 Andretti Autosport driver got around Team Penske’s Will Power for third place, where he stayed until the first round pit stops under yellow on Lap 43. Unfortunately, Rossi slid in his pit box, hitting the left front tire changer and necessitating a green flag pit lane drive-thru penalty. He was suddenlyRead More

By INDYCAR AVONDALE, Arizona (Saturday, April 7, 2018) – Armed with a fresh set of tires, Josef Newgarden charged from fourth place in the last seven laps to win the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix going away. The defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion beat rookie Robert Wickens by 2.9946 seconds on the ISM Raceway 1.022-mile oval to collect his eighth career victory. Newgarden, in the No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, was among eight lead-lap drivers who made a pit stop for a new set of FirestoneRead More