TMS Tag

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor IndyCar has struggled to get the balance right at Texas Motor Speedway since the advent of the DW12 six years ago. Races have alternated from frenetic pack racing to strung out fields with little passing. Last year’s race was the most intense and out of control I’ve ever personally witnessed after years of enjoying IndyCar at TMS. With the arrival of the universal aerokit for 2018, expectations were high that IndyCar might finally rediscover their mojo on the high banked 1.5 mile oval. Yet after practiceRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Texas – Fresh from dominating the Verizon IndyCar Series Detroit doubleheader, Graham Rahal hung on in a wild race at Texas Motor Speedway to claim fourth place in the Rainguard Water Sealers 600. The 28-year-old stayed near the front of the pack after starting 11th. Though Rahal failed to lead the race at any point, he did something that proved very hard for his fellow drivers, he stayed out of trouble. “I’m happy we’re safe and out of here in one piece,” an elatedRead More

By INDYCAR FORT WORTH, Texas – Will Power survived a wild night of racing at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 in a race that ended under caution. The victory is the 31st Indy car win in the Team Penske driver’s career, tying him with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy for ninth all time. Tony Kanaan finished second in the 248-lap race that saw 66 laps run under caution due to numerous on-track incidents. The primary incident came on Lap 152, triggered when the cars of KanaanRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Texas – On lap 151 of a thrilling Rainguard Water Sealers 600, contact between the No. 10 of Tony Kanaan and the No.5 of James Hinchcliffe led to a pile up that involved nine cars. Along with Hinchcliffe and Kanaan, were Mikhail Aleshin, Tristan Vautier, Ed Jones, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter, JR Hildebrand and Carlos Munoz of those involved. Kanaan received minor damage and would end up finishing second. Hinchcliffe and Aleshin, the two Schmidt Peterson team mates were running side by side comingRead More

By INDYCAR FORT WORTH, Texas – The final practice on race eve at Texas Motor Speedway has become known for nonstop action. This evening’s 30-minute session was no exception. Ed Carpenter was fastest with a lap of 224.682 mph in the practice that featured large groups of cars running together to get a better sense of what race conditions will be like for Saturday’s Rainguard Water Sealers 600 following the full track repaving and reconfiguration of Turns 1 and 2 on the 1.5-mile oval. A total of 957 laps wereRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Continuing the Verizon IndyCar Series’ unpredictable season, Charlie Kimball scored his first career pole position today with a new IndyCar Series’ track record at Texas Motor Speedway. The Ganassi driver’s two lap average speed of 222.556 mph topped Will Power’s previous top mark from 2015, no doubt aided by the repaved and re-profiled track surface of TMS. “It’s pretty fantastic. It feels really, really good actually,” Kimball said of his first pole position. “The car was pretty good straight out of the trailer for practice. IRead More

By INDYCAR Dale Coyne Racing is bringing a familiar face in to drive its No. 18 Honda this week for the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Tristan Vautier, who has made 11 of his 30 career Verizon IndyCar Series starts with the team, will fill the seat this weekend as fellow Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais continues to mend from injuries sustained in a May 20 crash during qualifying for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Vautier will team with rookie Ed Jones in the DCRRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Rainguard Water Sealers will be the official sponsor for the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, which will now be known as the Rainguard Water Sealers 600. The water sealant and coating company has signed a three year contract with TMS President Eddie Gossage to sponsor the early June night race that has been a staple of the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule since 1997, which has made it the second longest continued event in modern day IndyCar behind only the Indy 500. “We’reRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heading to the Lone Star State this weekend, it is time for another edition of Throwback Thursday Theater, and in this week’s edition we’ll take a look back at the race that started it all at Texas Motor Speedway, the 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 that took place on April 6, 1997. Before the race even started, there were issues with the opening of the track. For the track to find its way onto the NASCAR Cup schedule, another trackRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor FORT WORTH, Texas – Shortly before today’s ongoing AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR officials confiscated the front splitters from the No. 11, No. 18 and No. 19 of Joe Gibb’s Racing machines. It is believed that the crews altered the splitters by using bondo to create aerodynamic ‘concaves’ in them to create a small but meaningful aerodynamic advantage. The confiscated pieces will be taken to NASCAR’S R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina for further examination. It will then be decided if the teamsRead More