verizon indycar series Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor One week removed from a disappointing Indianapolis 500 effort, Helio Castroneves found himself with the Verizon IndyCar Series once more at Belle Isle Park. But this time Castroneves was a spectator – supporting his teammates after competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. The weekend could have been a challenge if the 2018 Month of May had been the Brazilian’s last. A strong No. 3 Chevrolet and spirited drive ended in defeat for the three-time Indy 500 champion when he crashedRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer Following a convincing win in Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit, Ryan Hunter-Reay has a good reason to be on cloud nine. After finishing second in Saturday’s 75-lap doubleheader, the driver of the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport had the perfect mix of strategy and a hard-charging drive to snap a 42-race winless streak on Sunday in what he described as one of his finest performances. “To be that much faster than the rest of the field, it’s got to be one of myRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Spencer Pigot came into Sunday’s second dual of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park with confidence after scoring his first top-10 of the season Saturday. That all changed after the opening lap. Pigot was hit from behind by Santino Ferrucci in Turn 5 shortly after the green flag flew, sending the third-year veteran into the wall. The other Verizon IndyCar Series competitors were able to dodge Pigot’s helpless No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet, but the accident brought out the only full-course cautionRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — It all happened so fast. One moment Alexander Rossi found himself in the lead, poised to go three-for-three in wins following poles in his young Verizon IndyCar Series career, fending off Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay and holding onto the series points lead in the process. The next moment he was in the Turn 3 runoff area, his race ruined. “Honestly I have no idea,” Rossi said when asked what happened. Rossi led a race-high 46 laps in the 70-lap Race 2 of the Chevrolet DetroitRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT – In Saturday’s first Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, Ryan Hunter-Reay fell just shy of claiming his first victory in three seasons. On Sunday he wouldn’t be denied. Hunter-Reay overcame a 10th-place starting position with a three-stop strategy and pressured Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi into a late mistake to secure Sunday’s Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The victory was the Floridian’s 15th-career triumph, and his first since Pocono Raceway in August 2015. While Hunter-Reay ended up in victory lane at day’s end, early onRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT – Alexander Rossi will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green in Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix after laying down the fastest lap in a wet morning qualifying session. Rossi’s quick time of 1:33.3143 served as the top circuit in Group 2, elevating the Californian to his third-career IndyCar pole. Andretti Autosport swept the weekend’s two qualifying sessions, with Marco Andretti securing the pole for Saturday’s first IndyCar race. Following Rossi in Group 2 were Indianapolis 500 champion Will Power, Saturday winner ScottRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The first race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park in Detroit was unkind to both Graham Rahal and Verizon IndyCar Series debutant Santino Ferrucci, ending their Saturday afternoons on the hook after separate crashes with less than 25 laps to go. Rahal was running a two-stop strategy as the only driver to have started the race on the black primary Firestone tires. Eventually, he pitted for the softer reds on Lap 26, but struggled adapting on those alternate rubber. As theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Prior to Belle Isle the sophomore slump had plagued Chip Ganassi Racing driver Ed Jones. In the first six races of the Verizon IndyCar Series season, the former Dale Coyne Racing shoe failed to finish three races, including last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 – where he was transported to the hospital after a Turn 1 crash. Jones soldiered onto Detroit to turn his season around. In the end the United Arab Emirates native did just that – providing a quiet, consistent run. Last year’s Verizon IndyCarRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — Marco Andretti delivered his best finish of 2018 at Belle Isle Park, finishing fourth in Saturday’s Race 1 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. It was a good result. But Andretti felt it could have been much more. “I guess you’ve gotta be happy, right?,” Andretti told Motorsports Tribune after the race. “But the frustrating thing is that we went backwards, and our teammates beat us again. “It’s really getting frustrating.” Andretti stole the show early on in the first of twoRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor DETROIT — In the heart of Chevrolet country, it was Honda’s Scott Dixon that found championship form. Dixon took the lead from Marco Andretti through the first pit cycle and fended off a late charge from Ryan Hunter-Reay to claim Race 1 of the first Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The win was the first for the four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion in 2018, and came after his first laps led on the year. It also tied him with Michael Andretti for third on the all-time indy car winsRead More