Scott Dixon Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer The stars and cars of the Verizon Indycar Series recently completed a two day test at Phoenix International Raceway where the Series will return for the first time in more than a decade. It was our first opportunity to see the Chevrolet and Honda 2016 configurations head-to-head on the same track. It also offered us the first glimpse of some of the rookies in the 2016 field. Allow me to share some observations. 1) The Speeds are Incredible Eighteen of the twenty-one drivers involved in theRead More

AVONDALE, Ariz. – The Test in the West is already bringing out the best in Team Penske. Record best. Helio Castroneves led four Team Penske drivers in the top six after the first session of the Phoenix International Raceway promoter test Feb. 26, with a lap time that unofficially eclipsed the track record on the 1.022-mile short oval. Indy car great Arie Luyendyk, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner just named one of three officiating stewards for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season, holds the official one-lap record of 19.608 secondsRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer In the midst of the excitement that is the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, the fact that 2016 also marks the 20th anniversary of the open-wheel split is not lost on me. Speaking as someone who lived through the formation of CART, the glory days in the 1980s and 1990s, and the slow painful death of the series, I have a vested interest in what happens next. Will the Media attention around the 100th running be enough to bring growth in viewership? Will the growthRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The No. 60 Honda-powered Ligier JS P2 survived an early incident to hold the overall lead at the five-hour mark of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the season-opening race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Teamed with three members of Michael Shank Racing’s 2012 winning team—NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger, Ozz Negri and John Pew—Frenchman Olivier Pla passed Jonathan Bomarito for the top spot early in the fifth hour of competition and was still out front after anRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Driving a brand new Prototype developed and built in his native Russia, IndyCar driver Mikhail Aleshin won the top starting spot for the Rolex 24 at Daytona — with the ninth fastest time of Friday’s qualifying sessions at the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course. Englishman Nick Tandy had the afternoon’s fastest lap, leading a Porsche sweep of the top two starting spots in the highly competitive GTLM Class, touring the course in 2:01.408 (105.561 mph) and edging fellow PorscheRead More

After being initially leaked on Sunday, the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was officially announced this morning. The season will once again kick off in St. Petersburg on March 13th, which has moved up two weeks due to the Easter holiday. Making it’s return in nearly 10 years will be Phoenix International Raceway, which will host a 200-lap Saturday night race on April 2. Phoenix joins Road America as the second classic Amerian Open Wheel Racing venue to return to the schedule. Following Phoenix will be the 42nd Toyota GrandRead More

New Zealand’s Scott Dixon make headlines this past weekend by taking home a fourth Verizon IndyCar Series Championship in spectacular come-from-behind fashion. In the wake of this, there is a lot of talk as to Dixon’s legacy as one of the best ever in the sport. I can’t disagree with any of that talk, as I firmly believe that Dixon will indeed be remembered as one of the greats. The problem with that speculation, is that Dixon has a number of good years left, with no signs of slowing downRead More

After winning the 2015 IndyCar Series championship, newly crowned four-time champion Scott Dixon shared his thoughts on racing the upcoming Ford GT in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. Dixon has several starts for team owner Chip Ganassi, who currently owns teams in IndyCar, NASCAR and United SportsCar. Ganassi has Chevrolet as his supplier in IndyCar and NASCAR, but his United SportsCar efforts are with Ford and next year they are expected to compete in the World Endurance Championship as well. “I haven’t been to Le Mans, so IRead More

After a two hour Wild West showdown, Scott Dixon eventually emerged as the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion after taking the win in the GoPro Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway. Pole sitter Will Power picked up from where he left off in qualifying yesterday as he jumped into an early lead over Josef Newgarden. The drama started early as the leaders made their first pitstops on lap 15. Newgarden came in right behind Power but was blocked by Power’s Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud as stopped right in front ofRead More

As the NFL is gearing up for the season, and NASCAR is ready for its Chase for the Championship, the Verizon Indycar Season is winding down, as planned, before Labor Day. The final race on the schedule, The Go Pro Grand Prix of Sonoma, will take place this weekend, with a season champion being crowned on Sunday afternoon. With any luck, we will have a longer season in 2016 and beyond, but, I’ll write about that on another day. It will undoubtedly be a subdued celebration on Sunday as theRead More