Indy Car News

INDYCAR - Detroit GP Doubleheader Preview

There have been five different winners in six NTT IndyCar Series races in 2019. Josef Newgarden (Streets of St. Petersburg), Colton Herta (Circuit of The Americas), Takuma Sato (Barber Motorsports Park), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach) and Simon Pagenaud (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Indianapolis Motor Speedway) have won races in 2019. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 11:16 AM, 05.31.2019

INDY 500 Winner's Transcript - Simon Pagenaud

INDY 500 Winner's Transcript - Simon Pagenaud

THE MODERATOR: Forever an Indianapolis 500 champion. How does that sound.

SIMON PAGENAUD: It's amazing. It's another dream come true, and the biggest dream of my life come true. It's hard to fathom really. It's really hard to process it right now, but I'm just filled with a lot of joy. I drove really spirited today, but it's just incredible. I can't take all the credit because I think I definitely -- and I think it showed I had the best car out there. What a day. Wow, incredible.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 2:30 PM, 05.27.2019

The Indianapolis 500 and Indy Car Racing: A Perspective

Yesterday’s Indianapolis 500-Mile Race began as so many before it did - will the threat of inclement weather affect the Race?; will the hell-bent-for-leather front row stay out of trouble?; “Will Roger Penske win yet ANOTHER 500??”; will we hear another Andretti “slowing down” during the race?; with some significant accidents (but no serious injuries) occurring during practice, will the race be accident-free and safe?

The answers: No (despite forecasts), yes, yes (of course), yes (poor Marco - it being worse that he was stuck in a bright red car you could see from Idaho), and yes - more or less.

I’ll start out by saying this was my 23rd Indianapolis 500 as a writer for Racing Information Service. I have attended 53 Indianapolis 500s - more than half ever run.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 1:59 PM, 05.27.2019

INDY 500 - Indianapolis 500 Race Day Quotes

'What They're Saying' from Indianapolis 500 race day

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 2 Shell V-Power Nitro Plus Team Penske Chevrolet): “We just fell out of position with 10 to go. (Takuma) Sato got by me, and that hurt us. We needed to be in that top three. I got into third on the restart, which was good, but falling behind Sato, that hurt us. Really, the top two is where you had to be. You had to be in the top two on the restart, maintain that position. That was the catbird seat for trying to win the race. (Alexander) Rossi and Simon (Pagenaud) really did a great job of defending there..."

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 2:46 PM, 05.27.2019

INDY 500 - Day-After-the 500 Winner Transcript

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Indianapolis 500 Winner Simon Pagenaud

SIMON PAGENAUD: Timeline has been busy. I haven't had much time to myself. But I tell you, it's all so sweet. Such great emotions, being able to savor the biggest race in the world, it's quite amazing.

Just phenomenal following by the media. Yesterday we actually had seven hours of non-stop media after the race. Got back to my motorhome at 10 p.m. Got a quick steak, because I was a little hungry, then straight to celebrate with Team Penske downtown. Short night, but feel real energized. Just feel so blessed and grateful for what happened obviously.

This morning, I woke up after two hours of sleep, going to the photos, no bags under my eyes surprisingly. It's the sweetest photos you can do with your team, with your family. It's great to be able to take that moment with them and just keep memories because it's once in a lifetime, these kind of experience.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 2:51 PM, 05.27.2019

INDYCAR - Dominant day for Simon Pagenaud at the 103rd Indianapolis 500

The weather forecasters missed it today, which was just fine with the packed house at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as partly cloudy skies prevailed over the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 and Simon Pagenaud capped a perfect month with his first win.

Storms materialized on the track instead, with Alexander Rossi uncharacteristically furious over issues in the pits as well as lapped cars blocking his progress. Rossi made dazzling passes before and after his pit woes (fuel nozzle malfunctioned), carving his way to the front.

 

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 6:15 PM, 05.26.2019

INDY 500 - Race Day Trackside Notes

SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2019 – RACE DAY

Welcome to Race Day for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway communications staffs are here to assist attending media. Direct questions and requests to a member of either staff at the front of the IMS media center.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 2:23 PM, 05.27.2019

Simon Pagenaud and Team Penske Dominate 2019 Indianapolis 500

Despite strong challenges today from 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi and front row starter Ed Carpenter, Simon Pagenaud gave Team Penske's its eighteenth Indianapolis 500 victory today in the 103rd running of the 500-mile classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Leading from pole position, the French Flash led a dominating 112 of 200 laps under alternately overcast and sunny skies. Pagenaud faced competition from Penske teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden, as well as crowd favorite Ed Carpenter.

Pagenaud's Indy victory couples with his victory two weeks ago in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 5:29 PM, 05.26.2019

The Rookie Class of the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500

This year's Indianapolis 500 field will include six rookies in the field of 33, most of them coming from European road racing series. The most-promising of all of them is an American - Colton Herta, son of former Indy car driver and Indy 500-winning team owner, Bryan Herta.

Two Americans, two Swedes, two Brits - all of whom hope to possess the Right Stuff to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 5:16 PM, 05.24.2019

Indy MotoGator Pit Stop Challenge Results

Drag racing in Indianapolis is usually relegated to O'Reilly Raceway Park (nee Indianapolis Raceway Park), but on Miller Lite Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a much shorter series of drag races take place.

The MotoGator Pit Stop Challenge pits the nine teams with the fastest accumulated pit stop times thus far this season in a double elimination to determine the best-of-the-best. Since 1977, this prize rewards the over-the-wall team itself - the fuelers, tire changers and ventmen.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 4:03 PM, 05.24.2019

Indianapolis 500 Teams and Drivers

The teams and drivers participating in the 2019 running of the Indianapolis 500, by team. Cars in multiple-car teams are listed in qualifying order.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 3:29 PM, 05.24.2019

INDYCAR - Aeroscreen Press Conferene

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference

Friday May 24, 2019

Press Conference

Jay Frye - President, INDYCAR

Andy Damerum - Red Bull Racing business Development Engineer

Ed Collings - Head of Composites and Structures, Red Bull Advanced Technologies

Scott Dixon - NTT IndyCar Series Champion, Chip Ganassi Racing

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 1:48 PM, 05.24.2019

INDYCAR - The Aeroscreen

INDYCAR has formed a partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies to design an Aeroscreen for enhanced driver cockpit protection that will be implemented for the outset of the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season, the two organizations announced in a joint news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Aeroscreen is being developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies to reduce the risk of driver injury from debris or other objects striking the cockpit area. The driver safety innovation that will encompass the cockpit consists of a ballistic Aeroscreen anchored by titanium framework.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 1:38 PM, 05.24.2019

Red Bull Advanced Technologies and the IndyCar Aeroscreen

Red Bull Advanced Technologies has developed an innovative Aeroscreen cockpit protection system to be introduced to the top level of US single-seater racing at the start of the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series.

 

The enhanced driver safety technology is designed to reduce the risk of injury from flying debris or other objects striking the cockpit area. It consists of a wraparound ballistic screen anchored to the car’s cockpit by a titanium framework. When fitted, the device’s load-bearing capability is expected to be 150 kiloNewtons, equivalent to that of the Halo device currently used in Formula One.
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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 1:33 PM, 05.24.2019

Welcome to Carb Day 2019

On my way into the track today, a fellow in a truck pulled up beside me at a traffic light.

"How do I get to the Indianapolis Speedway?" he asked.

"Just follow me," I replied, but the punchline to the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall passed through my mind - "Practice, practice, practice..."

And that's what's happening here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today - the final practice for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, presented by Gainbridge.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 12:01 PM, 05.24.2019

A Day of Rain, of Tears of Joy and Sorrow, and Curse Words - Indy Qualifying Ends

The day started with the promise of a washout, and it ended with the most dramatic moments of the entire month. Drama, loss, redemption, contrition…

The winners: Team Penske, Simon Pagenaud, Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
The losers: Team McLaren and Fernando Alonso, and to a much lesser extent, Ed Carpenter Racing.

The fans that braved today’s light rains saw the NTT IndyCar Series officials decide late in the afternoon that the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval could be dried quickly enough to accommodate both the Last Row Shootout, between the six slowest qualifiers, and the Fast Nine Shootout (so many “shootouts”, you’d think this was Dodge City), between the nine fastest qualifiers.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 7:44 PM, 05.19.2019

2019 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Results

Here are the Pole Day results of qualifying for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, to be run on Sunday, May 26, 2019.

Polesitter is France's Simon Pagenaud in the #22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 7:59 PM, 05.19.2019

Indy Dries Out, IndyCar Tries To Run

From the weather forecast and the rain we've had all day, it looked like today's activity at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would be washed out.

But the IndyCar Race Control Team showed the patience of Job, and the National Weather Service played along. At 3:30 p.m. local time, IndyCar announced that the Last Row Shootout, to determine the final three qualifiers, and the Fast Nine Shootout, to determine the starting order of yesterday's fastest nine qualifiers, will take place starting at 4:30 p.m.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 4:30 PM, 05.19.2019

INDYCAR - Indy 500 Post-Qualifying Quotes

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference

Fernando Alonso, Ed Carpenter,

Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones,

Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi,

Pippa Mann, Will Power,

Josef Newgarden, Sebastien Bourdais,

Simon Pagenaud.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 3:02 PM, 05.19.2019

INDY 500 - Pole/Bump Day at Indy, Rain May Win

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 19, 2019 - It is Pole/Bump Day at Indy. The last row cars are on track for practice. They will get 30 minutes of running followed by just one shot at getting into the show.

 That brings us to the weather, in a word, scary! There will be storms getting to the Speedway around noon. The schedule calls for the Last Row Shootout at 12:15 and the Fast Nine shootout for the first three rows at 1:15. It would not surprise us to see that pushed up a bit because of the weather threat.

 

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 10:52 AM, 05.19.2019

INDY 500 - Indy 500 opening qualifying finds Pigot fastest, Alonso and Hinchcliffe outside top 30

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 18, 2019 - Well the field is set fro the 103 Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race presented by Gainbridge (whoever that is), well sort of set.

The first three rows including the pole, will be be set on Sunday, if it doesn’t rain, as is predicted, so the first three rows may or may not be set.

Now, that brings us to the back row. There are six cars vying for the three spots in the last row. They will be decided tomorrow, or Monday, depending on the weather.

So, what all that means, we are sure, of rows 4 through 10, qualification spots 10 through 30 are set.

To be honest this, in our opinion is really a dumb way to qualify for the most important race of the year, but of course no one at IndyCar is asking us.

We did have a scary moment when James Hinchcliffe on his second green flag qualification lap, had hard contact in turn two, as the rear of the number 5, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports snapped loose. James took the turn a little high off the apex of the turn as a gust of wind caught him whipping the rear out of control.

James was checked and released from the IU Medical Care center, cleared to drive.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 6:55 AM, 05.19.2019

InDY 500 - Hinch has Big Crash in Qualifications

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 18, 2019 - James Hinchcliffe on his second green flag qualification lap, had hard contact in turn two, as the rear of the number 5, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports snapped loose. James took the turn a little high off the apex of the turn as a gust of wind caught him whipping the rear out of control.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 2:01 PM, 05.18.2019

INDY 500 - Fast Friday Conor Daly, Andretti News Conference

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference

Friday May 17, 2019

Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport Fernando Alonso, Gil de Ferran, McLaren Racing

 THE MODERATOR: We will get started with our post- practice Fast Friday press conference. Joined now by Fernando Alonso, driver of the No. 66 McLaren Racing Chevrolet; Conor Daly, driver of the No. 25 United States Air Force Honda; 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion Gil de Ferran and sporting director for McLaren Racing.


Fernando, we'll go ahead start with you. You got to run, I believe I saw the number was 77 laps today, a good number of laps, more than most of the other drivers. After a challenging past couple of days, what did you feel from the car and throughout this Fast Friday practice?

 

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 9:40 AM, 05.18.2019

INDY 500 - Daly goes fastest in Indy 500 'Fast Friday' practice

Daly goes fastest in Indy 500 'Fast Friday' practice

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 17, 2019) - It's dubbed "Fast Friday" and the final full day of practice before qualifying for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge was just that.

A dozen drivers turned laps in excess of 230 mph as teams dialed in their NTT IndyCar Series cars for the emotional next two days when the 33 grid positions for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will be determined. Conor Daly set the pace in the No. 25 United States Air Force Honda for Andretti Autosport with a lap of 231.704 mph, followed by teammate Marco Andretti with a lap of 230.851 mph in the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda for Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian.

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 9:27 AM, 05.18.2019

INDY 500

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 18, 2019 - First Day of qualifications at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Final pre-qualification practice has begun. Kyle Kaiser who had a very hard crash as he warmed up the currently unsponsored Juncos Racing Dallara, got on the track this morning in the team’s road racing car, a car he has not driven since Long Beach. 

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Volume 2019, Issue 5, Posted 9:11 AM, 05.18.2019