Sonoma Raceway Tag

The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was announced on Tuesday and it has been received in both good and bad ways.  But how so? Let’s take a look at both.  First, the good. The schedule has been stretched out by quite a while.  Instead of starting in late March and ending in late August, the series begins in mid-March while ending in mid-September.  This will alleviate many stresses of the series for traveling, especially regarding team members not being at home and also the rest of the IndyCar traveling circus.Read More

Justin Wilson’s funeral arrangements have been set. St. James the Great Church in Northamptonshire will be the venue on September 10th at 11:45 in the morning. Silverstone circuit will host a reception at Hall 5, The Wing. A memorial service will also be held in Indianapolis with details forthcoming. To contribute to the Wilson family, Verizon IndyCar Series drivers will be donating their helmets from the Sonoma race to the Justin Wilson Memorial Auction on eBay and bidding will be starting soon. To contribute via mail, donations may be sentRead 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 Firestone Pit Performance Award for spending the least amount of time on pit lane at Pocono Raceway last weekend, the crew of the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport Honda driven by IndyCar Series rookie Gabby Chaves donated their $10,000 prize money to Wilson’s Children’s Fund in honor of the late Justin Wilson. Chaves was in contention for the win in the ABC Supply 500 in large part due to the team’s efforts, who won the award for the first time. “It was (the crew’s) decision to makeRead More

After being chosen by the family of the late Justin Wilson to replace the fallen driver and honor his memory, Oriol Servia captured a 12th-place finish in the IndyCar season finale at Sonoma Raceway. Servia was one of Wilson’s closest friends and amid the tragedy the family felt that they would honor him the best way they knew how, at the race track, and he was not alone as Justin’s brother, Stefan, joined him. It was the Spaniard’s first race in the series since the Indianapolis 500 earlier this yearRead More

After what appeared to be a disastrous season, Ryan Hunter-Reay bounced out of the IndyCar Series cellar to nearly break into the top five of the championship standings. The Andretti Autosport driver came into Sonoma 11th in the standings, but a runner-up finish and double points pushed Hunter-Reay up to sixth in the final championship results, moving ahead of Marco Andretti for best on the team. Hunter-Reay’s wave of momentum started four races ago with a win in Iowa, then a seventh at Mid-Ohio, followed by another win last weekRead 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

Will Power delivered an astonishing track record breaking performance on black tires and held off a group of championship contenders on Saturday to take the pole for Sunday’s championship deciding Go Pro Grand Prix of Sonoma and make his somewhat long-shot title hopes seem a little bit brighter. Power dazzled in group one when he set a new track record of 1:16.8789 on black tires. Once his Team Penske crew strapped the alternate reds to his #1 Verizon Chevrolet, his times only got faster and ended the first group onRead 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

Andretti Autosport will run the No. 25, the car number that belonged to the late Justin Wilson, with Oriol Servia behind the wheel in the IndyCar finale at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. Servia, a longtime veteran of the series and close friend of Wilson’s, drove for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing earlier this season in the Indianapolis 500, finishing 29th. The decision to race the No. 25 Honda in honor of Wilson was an emotional one for team owner Michael Andretti. “Justin was a true racer and advocate to our sport,”Read More