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  • NHRA AT INDIANAPOLIS: Team Chevy Race Recap

    NHRA AT INDIANAPOLIS: Team Chevy Race Recap

    CHEVROLET IN NHRA
    2023 DODGE POWER BROKERS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
    LUCAS OIL INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK
    CLERMONT, INDIANA
    TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
    SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

    MATT HARTFORD CAPTURES CHEVROLET’S 376TH PRO STOCK WIN AT THE U.S. NATIONALS

    • Matt Hartford raced to the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals victory, capturing his second win of the year and seventh of his career in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car.
    • Hartford’s win at Indianapolis is Chevrolet’s 376th Pro Stock victory and 257th in a Camaro.
    • Robert Hight (Funny Car) of John Force Racing raced to the U.S. Nationals semifinal after defeating Paul Lee and Tim Wilkerson.
    • Hight started the day from the top spot of the qualifying leaderboard, capturing his 81st Funny Car No. 1 Qualifier and fourth of the year.
    • Greg Stanfield captured the first Factory X presented by Holley Wally trophy by racing to victory in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro.
    • Chevrolet saw success with Hight and John Force of John Force Racing, winning the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout (Hight), No. 1 Funny Car Qualifier (Hight), and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge (Force).

    INDIANAPOLIS (September 4, 2023) – On drag racing’s biggest stage, the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Chevrolet prevailed in Pro Stock with Matt Hartford racing to victory in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock over Fernando Cuadra Jr. With capturing the win light and Wally trophy, Hartford earns the Bowtie brand their 376th Pro Stock victory in NHRA and the 257th in a Camaro body. Additionally, Hartford raced to glory getting his second win this season and seventh of his NHRA career after earning his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and of his career.

    “We came so close a few years back and I lost by the narrowest of margins,” said Hartford. “Indy is a childhood dream. It’s everybody back at Total Seal that makes this happen for me. Everybody at CIP1, Rob’s, GETTRX, Rottler, ZMax, The Hose Connection, most importantly, my crew. I couldn’t do this without Eddie (Guarnaccia), and Chris Ingleson, Adam Bastian, my wife Amber. This is surreal. I proved I didn’t know how to do a burnout in the final, but at the end of the day the win light came on. I’m ecstatic.”

    “My wife always tells me to smile. I told her if we win Indy, I’ll smile,” said Guarnaccia, Hartford’s Crew Chief. “I’m ecstatic for our team, for our program that Greg Anderson has put together and all their support. Matt (Hartford)’s done such a great job. Thank you so much.”

    In Funny Car, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car kicked off the weekend racing to his 81st career No. 1 qualifier and fourth of the season, taking on both Paul Lee and Tim Wilkerson to face reigning champion Ron Capps in the semifinal. Despite their best effort, Hight smoked the tires mid-track to fall to Capps and end his day in the third round of 2023’s U.S. Nationals.

    An early end to race day for John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, the weekend was not without a win for the 16-time champion, taking home the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory over Capps.

    Facing struggles in the first round, Brittany Force, driver of the Flav-R-Pack/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, saw an unexpected early end versus Antron Brown after seeing an explosion at the 660-foot mark. Additionally, Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, fell to Leah Pruett after leaving first but seeing Pruett pull away.

    “This was really disappointing,” said B. Force. “This is Indy, the biggest race of our season and the last race before the points reset and we start over again for the Countdown. This was our best shot to get ahead of the game and we got beat first round. It’s unfortunate. I felt like we were out ahead. I didn’t see Antron (Brown) next to me, and then I just felt everything rock me forward and I had no power. There was no momentum and I was just coasting and I saw Antron get to that stripe first. (…) But this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team – we’re not done. We still have a shot at this thing and we’re going to chase it down for the last six.”

    In FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, it was Stephen Bell and Jesse Alexandra facing off in the U.S. Nationals finals, both in Chevrolet COPO Camaro machines. Alexandra prevailed over Bell in the all-Chevrolet final to capture the Wally trophy.

    Facing off in the Factory X presented by Holley finals for the first time in competition, and at the U.S. Nationals, Greg Stanfield, in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, defeated Chris Holbrook with his pass of 7.254 ET at 191.73 MPH to Holbrook’s 8.047 ET at 173.09 MPH to claim the first Wally trophy in the category in competition.

    “This is extremely big for us. All the effort that went into this for creating this new class,” said Stanfield. “We’re happy and proud to be a part of it, and hope it gets big,” in discussing the first race held in competition of Factory X.

    Kicking off NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship, Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. is next up for the Chevrolet drivers and teams as they march toward crowing the 2023 NHRA champion, Sept. 15-17, 2023. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations air at 2 p.m. ET on FOX. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

    WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

    Brittany Force, driver of the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

    “This was really disappointing. This is Indy, the biggest race of our season and the last race before the points reset and we start over again for the Countdown. This was our best shot to get ahead of the game and we got beat first round. It’s unfortunate. I felt like we were out ahead. I didn’t see Antron (Brown) next to me, and then I just felt everything rock me forward and I had no power. There was no momentum, and I was just coasting and I saw Antron get to that stripe first. Congratulations to that team. But this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team – we’re not done. We still have a shot at this thing and we’re going to chase it down for the last six.”

    Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

    “Rough way to end the weekend here at the U.S. Nationals. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team has been working hard. We’ve had some changes on the personnel side, but we’re pulling it together. If we do what we did last year, sitting where we’re sitting isn’t a bad thing. We just need to keep our heads down and put the work in.”

    John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

    “Well, long weekend, long weekend for everybody. I’m disappointed. It was a great drag race, great match-up with Cruz, love running him. Just wish it had gone my way. We did win the Mission Foods deal, and that was cool, so that’s something. Time to reset, get ready for the Countdown to the Championship and see what we can do.”

    Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

    “Not a bad weekend for this Cornwell Tools Chevy. Definitely not the results we wanted. We wanted that win, wanted to double up, but we’re really coming around. We are coming together at the right time and it’s definitely different than last year when we came in here with a huge lead and then Tuesday morning you woke up and looked at NHRA.com and you saw that you had nothing. It was all gone, down the toilet. So, I’m glad that’s happening to somebody else this year.”

    Greg Stanfield, driver of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro Factory X presented by Holley car:

    “This is extremely big for us. All the effort that went into this for creating this new class. Big thanks to NHRA for creating it. Big thanks to Jerry Haas and everybody at Jerry Haas race cars. We’re happy and proud to be a part of it, and hope it gets big.”

    MATT HARTFORD, DRIVER OF THE TOTAL SEAL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS PRO STOCK CAR for KB Titan Racing – U.S. Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:

    IN THE SEMIFINALS, YOU BEAT ERICA (ENDERS), YOUR ARCHRIVAL. ARE YOU HAPPY ABOUT THAT?

    “Oh, yes. She’s a tough one to get. Beating (Erica Enders) is like winning Indy.”

    TALKING WITH YOUR CREW CHIEF, HE MENTIONED YOU GUYS DIDN’T MAKE A GOOD RUN THIS WEEKEND, UNTIL NOW WHERE YOU’RE GOLDEN…

    “I’ve got to correct you. He never said the car was crap. We never made a good run. The car is great. We didn’t set it up correctly or drive correctly. That’s all that came down to. If you watch the finals, I really screwed up the burnout.”

    WHAT’S IN YOUR MIND AT THAT POINT (ON THE BURNOUT) WHEN YOU MESS UP LIKE THAT AND HAVE TO BACK UP?

    “First of all, you back up into the water, get both tires wet, and pull forward. At that point, you just go through your normal routine. It’s done. Eddie says it all the time – that play is over, move on. Why think about it? Frank Hawley said the same thing. That play is over, move on.”

    ON BEATING ERICA ENDERS…

    “That was huge. I’m telling you, when we went up there, I said if we can beat her, we can win this race. We left on her, and we outran her. That’s hard to do with her. Sometimes you get both, or one or the other. Typically, you don’t get the two. Look, there’s six races coming up. Our focus is to qualify at the top of the sheet in all six and turn on four win lights every time. If we do that, this turns into a white (championship) hat.”

    DO YOU HAVE A TEAM THAT’S CAPABLE OF WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

    “We have the team, we have the car, and let me tell you, KB Titan power is as good as it gets right now. We’re going to have an incredible fresh piece going into the countdown. If I keep (my head) screwed on straight, watch out.”

    FIRST U.S. NATIONALS WIN, THE SECOND WIN OF YOUR SEASON, AND FIRST TIME IN YOUR CAREER YOU’RE NOW A MULTI-RACE WINNER. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

    “Look, we came in here Friday night that our goal was to qualify No. 1 Friday night. If we could do that, we felt that that would stick and we would have four really good test runs to try different stuff. What we ran in the final today is what we tested in one of the qualifying runs. The track conditions became basically what that was. Being able to be on the pole and have that test data played a huge role in the final.”

    “Coming into race day, facing Mason (McGaha). He went to the finals in Gainesville, he’s killer on the tree. Sooner or later they will find their footing again, and when they do, there is going to be some people who say “oh my god, how did they get beat by him?” They’re a great team, good driver, and he’s hungry to win. We didn’t go up there soft. We went up there knowing we had to make a run. I was a bit tardy, got back, and knew I needed to work on that. We worked on a few things. He slow-played me really well, he waited forever to stage. Basically played the trick on me I play on Erica (Enders).”

    ON STAGING WITH CAMRIE CARUSO IN THE SECOND ROUND…

    “We got up there with Camrie (Caruso) and she’s basically putting on the second bulb as I’m pre-staging. I actually got it in a little deep, and that’s where are 60-foot was off and we were a little slower. We went .643, and I thought, man that’s not good because we didn’t have lane choice and we’d be the first pair out. I looked at the numbers and saw we did have lane choice and we were second pair out against Erica (Enders) so my whole attitude changed pretty quick.”

    WAS THERE A TIME ON THE BURNOUT IN THE FINAL THAT YOU FELT YOU (DAMAGED) THE CLUTCH AND COULDN’T GO DOWN THE TRACK?

    “Not at all. I have a lot of faith, and when I knew it didn’t spin the tires and I got the pedal back in, I tried it a second time, I wasn’t concerned at all. What I was concerned about is the fact that Cuadra, Jr. already did his burnout and backed up, and I didn’t want the starter to get out in front of me to shorten my burnout. I wasn’t going to, and I really didn’t want to have an issue with that. It’s Indy, I’m doing my full burnout and I’m backing up. We’re quick about it. It’s not like I’m going to hold anybody up. That was the only thing that went through my head was don’t make it to where they’ve got to shorten my burnout because that would be a detriment.”

    WHEN YOU’RE AT THE TOP END, AND SEE THE EMOTION OF THE WIN, TALK ABOUT WHAT INDY MEANS TO YOU NOT JUST AS A DRIVER, BUT AS A FAN AS WELL OF THE SPORT?

    “The first year I came here was in the early 80’s, and I sat in the stands and watched the cars around the pits, and it can resonate with everybody, there’s times you reflect upon your own childhood and think ‘how did I get here?’ I’m now the guy people are rooting for or against in the stands. I was the kid stands. I was very impressionable at that young age that I wanted to be in a Pro Stock car. So the emotions to come to Indy are extremely high. Winning Norwalk was awesome, but this is Indy, and regardless as how we look at it as another race you want to win, I’m telling you, Indy is known as you doing something. It hasn’t set in yet, but it will.”

    DO YOU FEEL THIS WIN AT INDY WILL GIVE YOU A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE HEADING INTO THE NEXT RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE?

    “We’ve had the car to beat all season long. If you look all the data and all the numbers, you’ll hear Dallas Glenn has the best car all year. He has not. We have. Dallas (Glenn) has been the best driver all year. That’s why he’s in the position he’s in. If I get my head screwed on straight, and stop making mistakes, Dallas has got a problem and so does everyone else in the class. Yes, we have confidence and yes, this is a boost. You win Round 1 at Indy, it’s a boost. You win the U.S. Nationals? It’s a dream come true.”

    About Chevrolet

    Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • Meyer Shank Racing Expands INDYCAR Program, Signs Tom Blomqvist

    Meyer Shank Racing Expands INDYCAR Program, Signs Tom Blomqvist

    Castroneves joins MSR ownership group as a minority partner, will focus on fifth Indianapolis 500 victory in 2024 with MSR

    Indianapolis, Ind. (11 August 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will expand its NTT INDYCAR SERIES program starting with the 2024 season, signing a promising young talent and making a new addition to the ownership group.

    The team has signed Tom Blomqvist, who won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the 2022 and 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona with MSR, to a multi-year agreement to pilot the team’s first of two full-season entries starting in 2024.

    Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will remain with the team for the 2024 season and beyond as the affable fan favorite takes on a new role with MSR.

    Castroneves will join the Meyer Shank Racing ownership group as a minority partner. After winning a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory with MSR in 2021, Castroneves will continue his ‘Drive for 5’ with the Ohio-based team in 2024 and will enter the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 as the third entry for MSR.

    “We are thrilled to bring Tom (Blomqvist) over to our INDYCAR program full-time starting next year, and to be able to keep Helio as a key part of our program moving forward and go for a fifth Indianapolis 500 victory next year,” said Mike Shank. “I feel like all the planets aligned for us to be able to do this, so I’m really grateful for us to be making this next step as a team. Helio brings so much to what we do overall as a team, both in terms of our competition package and all of his experience, as well as how he’s able to engage with our partners. So having him transition to this role is really exciting for everyone involved.”

    The move from IMSA to INDYCAR marks a return to open-wheel competition for Blomqvist, who first forged his name in European competition with outstanding campaigns in Formula Renault and the highly competitive Formula 3 championships. His career then saw him move to DTM ahead of making his Formula E debut in 2017. Most recently, Blomqvist’s accolades include an LMP2 second place finish in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans on his way to taking a runner-up result in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship.

    In addition to Blomqvist’s role with MSR in major wins at IMSA’s 24 Hours At Daytona and Motul Petit Le Mans, he has also been an integral part in the team’s development of the all-new Acura LMDh Prototype hybrid in 2023. The British racer ran an astounding single-lap effort to deliver Acura the first-ever IMSA GTP class pole at Daytona, and added to the tally of success with a victory alongside Colin Braun last month at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

    Blomqvist made his INDYCAR debut filling in for the recovering Simon Pagenaud in Toronto, but his race unfortunately came to an early end after he was taken out in a first turn, first lap accident that put him out of the race.

    “Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Jim and all the partners – AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs – for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” said Blomqvist. “It’s been a good ride the last two years in IMSA, but I’ve been itching to make the step up to INDYCAR and this is an opportunity I’m eager and motivated to make the most of. INDYCAR is an incredibly competitive series and I’m under no illusions in how difficult this championship can be, but I am extremely motivated to make the most of this exciting new challenge.”

    Meyer Shank Racing has placed great value in Castroneves’ abilities on and off the track. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner will stay onboard with Meyer Shank Racing full-time, serving as driver mentor, team ambassador and partner of MSR’s growing list of sponsors which include AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs. The Meyer Shank Racing ownership group now includes Mike Shank, Jim Meyer, Liberty Media, and now Castroneves.

    “First I want to thank Mike, Jim and Liberty for accepting me as part of the ownership group,” said Castroneves. “Throughout my career I’ve been very fortunate to surround myself with an amazing group of people and this journey will be my next chapter and I can’t wait for that. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of fuel to burn inside in terms of driving and I will do that at the Indy 500 as I continue my pursuit of the Drive for Five.”

    Meyer Shank Racing is still finalizing plans for it’s second full-season entry in 2024 and will announce soon.

  • Rasmussen Takes Series Lead with Close Iowa Victor

    Rasmussen Takes Series Lead with Close Iowa Victor

    NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – Christian Rasmussen earned his second victory of the INDY NXT by Firestone season and took a big stride toward the ultimate prize Saturday at Iowa Speedway.

    Danish driver Rasmussen guided his No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR car to victory by just .1227 of a second over fast-closing pole sitter Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Abel Motorsports machine. It was the closest INDY NXT by Firestone finish ever on the .894-mile oval.

    Rasmussen earned his fourth career win in INDYCAR’s development series after starting second. Perhaps just as important, he took the championship lead by 22 points over Nolan Siegel after entering this event trailing the rookie by 16, a swing of 38 points.

    “We had good pace today,” Rasmussen said. “HMD has given me a great car. We’ve been fastest from the test (in June). Didn’t get the pole position but dominated the race.”

    Rasmus Lindh earned his first podium finish by placing a career-best third in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing machine. Matthew Brabham, called in this week as a replacement driver for this event, finished fourth in the No. 75 Juncos Hollinger car.

    Hunter McElrea rounded out the top five in the No. 27 Smart Motors car fielded by Andretti Autosport, the last driver on the lead lap.

    Rasmussen wasted little time powering to the lead after the green flag. He drove under pole sitter Abel in Turn 4 on Lap 2 and never trailed thereafter, leading 74 of the 75 laps.

    The Dane inexorably extended his lead lap after lap, pulling a gap of 8.5 seconds over Siegel by Lap 33. While Rasmussen was in cruise control out front, Siegel, McElrea and Abel engaged in a spirited joust for second through fourth place.

    That close racing produced the only caution period of the race, on Lap 60, evaporating Rasmussen’s lead, which had narrowed to about five seconds. The right front wheel of McElrea’s car and the left rear of Siegel’s No. 39 HMD Motorsports with DCR car touched as they raced side by side for second in Turn 2, forcing Siegel into a spin with no contact.

    The incident damaged the left rear suspension of Siegel’s car, and he retired with his second consecutive 15th-place finish of the season.

    Rasmussen got a big jump on the restart on Lap 65 and started to pull away. Meanwhile, Abel passed McElrea for second and set sail for Rasmussen. Abel gained huge swaths of asphalt on the final lap but fell just short of earning his first career victory.

    “I think I used up a little too much tire there at the start,” Rasmussen said. “We were super, super quick at the start, and then the caution came, and then everybody caught back up.”

    The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 6 on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

    INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway Race Results

    1. (2) Christian Rasmussen, 75, Running
    2. (1) Jacob Abel, 75, Running
    3. (10) Rasmus Lindh, 75, Running
    4. (11) Matthew Brabham, 75, Running
    5. (5) Hunter McElrea, 75, Running
    6. (14) Josh Pierson, 74, Running
    7. (6) Louis Foster, 74, Running
    8. (12) Ernie Francis Jr., 74, Running
    9. (4) James Roe, 74, Running
    10. (13) Jamie Chadwick, 73, Running
    11. (16) Jagger Jones, 73, Running
    12. (15) Reece Gold, 73, Running
    13. (7) Christian Bogle, 72, Running
    14. (9) Danial Frost, 70, Running
    15. (3) Nolan Siegel, 63, Contact
    16. (8) Kyffin Simpson, 3, Contact

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 144.126
    Time of race: 00:27:54.7852
    Margin of victory: 0.1227
    Cautions: 1 for 5 laps
    Lead changes: 1

    Lap Leaders:
    Abel, Jacob 1
    Rasmussen, Christian 2 – 75

  • Newgarden Continues To Rule Ovals with Dominant Iowa Victory

    Newgarden Continues To Rule Ovals with Dominant Iowa Victory

    NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – In one of the most unpredictable, competitive motorsports series on Earth, perhaps the closest to a sure thing emerged again Saturday – Josef Newgarden winning on an oval.

    Newgarden dominated the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart at Iowa Speedway, staying perfect in oval races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden also won the PPG 375 in April at Texas Motor Speedway and the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    Two-time series champion Newgarden also has won five of the six oval races in the last 12 months, including this race last year. The only race he didn’t win during that streak was the second race of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend last year, as he crashed out while leading due to a mechanical failure.

    “It’s a great day,” Newgarden said. “My team, they are unbelievable. They always give me a great car. I show up every weekend, and I feel like I’ve got the best of the best behind me. I love Iowa.”

    This was Newgarden’s third victory of the season – all on ovals – and the 28th of his INDYCAR SERIES career. He will try to pull off the weekend doubleheader sweep and stay perfect this season on circle tracks in the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on Sunday, with live coverage starting at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

    Team Penske finished 1-2 today, as Scott McLaughlin tied his career-best oval finish of second in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, 3.3755 seconds behind Newgarden. Pato O’Ward placed third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

    Marcus Ericsson finished fourth in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, and double NTT P1 Award winner Will Power rounded out the top five in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

    Just five cars finished on the lead lap, an indication of Newgarden’s command of this race. More proof of Newgarden’s dominance: He led a race-high 129 laps on the .894-mile oval, with Power leading 119 to put Team Penske out front for 248 of the 250 laps.

    Power led 119 of the first 120 laps, losing the top spot to championship leader Alex Palou only during an early pit stop cycle. Newgarden, who started third, roared under Power exiting Turn 2 on Lap 121 to take the lead and paced the field the rest of the way except for one lap during a pit stop on Lap 126.

    Newgarden stretched his lead to nearly four seconds when the field was bunched for the only caution period of the fast, frantic race when Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Blue Compass RV Honda hit the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 4 on Lap 152. Rahal was unhurt.

    That hope for the other drivers was fleeting as Newgarden rocketed away on the restart on Lap 166. He built a 5.3-second lead over McLaughlin by Lap 200 and appeared to be on cruise control to the checkered before he was snagged in a thicket of end-of-lead lap and lapped traffic on the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”

    “It’s always tough in INDYCAR; these guys that are about to go a lap down, they always run the leader really hard,” Newgarden said. “That’s the name of the game. It’s legal, but man, it’s a little frustrating at times. I’m going to study the tape. I’m going to be better tomorrow.”

    McLaughlin pulled to within 1.6 seconds with five laps remaining due to the traffic jam, but he could get no closer as Newgarden threaded through slower cars and powered to the finish.

    “I badly want to beat that guy, and I’m going to be trying everything I can to beat him,” McLaughlin said of close friend and “Bus Bros” video series co-host Newgarden. “But he’s the epitome of a great teammate, and I appreciate the help he’s given me.”

    Newgarden will split $10,000 with Team Penske and his chosen charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

    Palou finished eighth – tied for his season low – in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda. His lead in the championship shrank from 117 to 98 points over Newgarden, who took second in the standings from Scott Dixon with his win.

    Despite Team Penske’s dominance up front, the race was a competitive affair throughout the 28-car field. There were 1,502 on-track passes, an INDYCAR SERIES record at Iowa Speedway.

  • Christian Lundgaard dominates for first IndyCar career victory in Toronto

    Christian Lundgaard dominates for first IndyCar career victory in Toronto

    In his 28th career start in the NTT IndyCar Series, Christian Lundgaard etched his name as an IndyCar Series race winner after capping off a dominant run from pole position to win for the first time in the Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday, July 16.

    The 21-year-old Lundgaard from Hedensted, Denmark, commenced the sport’s lone visit north of the border in Canada by notching his second IndyCar career pole on Saturday, July 15, amid mixed weather conditions. Amid a multi-car incident in the opening lap, Lundgaard proceeded to lead the first 18 laps before surrendering the lead to pit amid alternate strategies ensuing within the field. Through more on-track chaos and mixed strategy, Lundgaard, who briefly led from Laps 37 to 48, assumed the lead for good on Lap 62 after Scott Dixon surrendered the lead to pit under green. For the remainder of the event, Lundgaard methodically stretched his advantage while navigating his way around the 11-turn circuit and beat runner-up and championship points leader Alex Palou by more than 11 seconds to achieve his first checkered flag in the IndyCar circuit.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, July 15, Christian Lundgaard captured his second IndyCar career pole after posting a pole-winning lap at 100.217 mph in 1:04.1567. Joining him on the front row was Scott McLaughlin, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 99.716 mph in 1:04.4790.

    When the green flag and the race commenced, Lundgaard rocketed ahead with the lead while McLaughlin veered right to defend the runner-up spot ahead of Pato O’Ward and his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet through Princess Blvd. and entering the first turn. The field then fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns as Lundgaard continued to lead.

    Then as the field entered Lake Shore Blvd., the first caution of the event flew when Tom Blomqvist, the reigning two-time Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona winner who was making his IndyCar debut for Meyer Shank Racing and as an interim competitor for the injured Simon Pagenaud, got pushed and squeezed into the wall amid a three-wide battle involving Ryan Hunter-Reay and Jack Harvey. With Blomqvist hitting the wall, Harvey and Hunter-Reay were also involved as they squeezed into one another and veered sideways and into the wall, thus igniting a stack up towards the rear of the field as Alexander Rossi, Santino Ferrucci, Sting Ray Rob, Benjamin Pedersen and Graham Rahal were also involved.

    Following an extensive caution period, the race resumed under green flag conditions on the ninth lap. At the start, Lundgaard retained the top spot ahead of McLaughlin as the field navigated its way through Princess Blvd. before navigating through the first two turns and entering Lake Shore Blvd. The field proceeded to navigate its way through Turns 3 and 4 before entering Ontario Dr. before navigating back on Princess Blvd. and Manitoba Dr. Following another series of turns from Turns 5 to 11 and back to the frontstretch, Lundgaard continued to lead and he would retain the top spot through the Lap 10 mark while McLaughlin, O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon were battling in the top five.

    Through the first 15 scheduled laps, Lundgaard was leading by more than three seconds over McLaughlin while O’Ward retained third. Behind, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ericsson and Dixon were running in the top five while Kyle Kirkwood, Flex Rosenqvist, Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta were running in the top 10. Behind, Marcus Armstrong was in 11th while Romain Grosjean, Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay and Helio Castroneves were mired in the top 15.

    A lap later, Armstrong, who was battling Grosjean for 11th, pitted under green. Rosenqvist and David Malukas would pit during the following lap under green as Lundgaard was leading by more than four seconds over McLaughlin. More pit stops would then ensue the proceeding lap as Kirkwood and Newgarden pitted.

    Then on Lap 19, McLaughlin cycled into the lead as Lundgaard pitted under green. Once Lundgaard returned to the track, he was mired in 12th in between Juncos Racing’s Callum Ilott and Agustin Canapino while McLaughlin, O’Ward, Ericsson, Dixon and Power were running in the top five. O’Ward would then surrender third place to pit at the Lap 20 mark, where he would blend back on the track in 14th.

    At the Lap 25 mark, McLaughlin was leading by more than two seconds over Ericsson while Dixon, Power and Herta were running in the top five. With Grosjean, Palou, VeeKay, Castroneves and Lundgaard running in the top 10, O’Ward was still mired in 14th while Newgarden was back in 17th in between Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong.

    Five laps later, McLaughlin continued to lead by more than four seconds over Ericsson while third-place Dixon trailed by more than five seconds. With Power and Herta running in the top five, Palou navigated his way around Grosjean for sixth while Lundgaard was up in eighth ahead of VeeKay and Castroneves. Another two laps later, Grosjean pitted from the top 10 under green while McLaughin retained the lead by more than five seconds over Ericsson. Herta would also pit from the top five followed by Augustin Canapino.

    Then on Lap 30, McLaughlin navigated his No. 3 Gallagher Dallara-Chevrolet onto pit road for his first pit service of the day as Ericsson cycled his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Dallara-Honda into the lead. Ericsson would then pit during the following lap followed by Castroneves and Callum Ilott. With Dixon cycling his No. 9 PNC Bank Dallara-Honda into the lead, McLaughlin was scored in fifth behind Lundgaard. On Lap 37, however, the top-three competitors that included Dixon, Power and Palou pitted under green as Lundgaard cycled back into the lead. Following their pit stops, Power managed to muscle ahead of Dixon and Palou on the track and within the top 10 while Ericsson was in fifth following his pit service.

    Then as the event was approaching its halfway mark on Lap 41, the event’s second caution flew when Grosjean lost control of the steering of his No. 28 DHL Dallara-Honda and veered straight into the wall just past Turn 10 as his strong run came to an end. At the moment of caution, Lundgaard was leading ahead of McLaughlin, O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood and Ericsson while Newgarden, Power, Dixon, Palou and Rosenqvist were in the top 10.

    During the caution period, some names including Kirkwood, Rosenqvist, Palou, Herta, Malukas, Graham Rahal and Callum Ilott pitted while the rest led by Lundgaard remained on the track. Not long after and prior to a restart on Lap 46, the event quickly returned under a caution period when Kirkwood ran into the rear of Castroneves’ No. 06 SiriusXM Dallara-Honda and sent him spinning in Turn 11, thus ending his race, as Palou sustained damage to his front wing after hitting the wall while trying to avoid Castroneves. Despite the contact, Palou continued to run on the track despite concerns of his front wing being damaged.

    Amid the extensive caution period, a majority of the field led by Lundgaard pitted for fresh tires and fuel while some including McLaughlin, Dixon, VeeKay, Kirkwood, Herta and Palou remained on the track with alternate strategies ensuing.

    When the race restarted under green with 34 laps remaining, McLaughlin jumped ahead of Dixon to retain the lead through the first two turns and entering Lake Shore Blvd. With the field fanning out, a series of battles ensued as Lundgaard and O’Ward were trying to navigate their way towards the front from the top 10. Amid the battles, Kirkwood, who was running within the top five, pitted after being assessed a stop-and-go penalty from the contact with Castroneves while VeeKay, Palou and Herta were in the top five.

    With 30 laps remaining, McLaughlin was leading by eight-tenths of a second over fellow Kiwi competitor Dixon while VeeKay and Palou were in the top four. Behind, Lundgaard moved up to fifth and was trailing the lead by more than seven seconds while Herta, O’Ward, Power, Ericsson and Newgarden were in the top 10.

    Four laps later, VeeKay pitted from third place, which allowed Palou, Lundgaard and Herta to move up one spots respectively into the top five while McLaughlin was leading by more than a second over Dixon. McLaughlin would then surrender the lead to pit with 25 laps remaining as Dixon cycled into the lead followed by teammate Palou and Lundgaard.

    Then with 24 laps remaining, Lundgaard, who pulled a bold overtake on Palou through Turns 3 and 4 to take second place, cycled back into the lead after Dixon pitted under green. In the ensuing laps, Power overtook O’Ward for fourth while Palou, who continued to proceed at full pace despite his damaged front wing, retained second ahead of Colton Herta.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Lundgaard was leading by more than two seconds over Palou while Herta, Power and O’Ward were running in the top five. With Ericsson in sixth, Newgarden, Marcus Armstrong, Rosenqvist and Agustin Canapino were in the top 10 while Dixon and McLaughlin were mired back in 14th and 15th, respectively.

    With 10 laps remaining, Lundgaard retained the lead by nearly seven seconds over Palou while Herta, Power and Ericsson were scored in the top five. In the process, Newgarden, Armstrong, O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Dixon were in the top 10. By then, David Malukas retired four laps earlier after making contact with the wall and damaging his suspension.

    Five laps later, Lundgaard extended his advantage to more than nine seconds over Palou, who was being pressured by Herta amid his front wing damage as Power and Ericsson started to close in on the battle.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Lundgaard remained as the leader by more than 10 seconds over Palou, who continued to run strong on the track amid his front wing damage in front of Herta. By then, Power and Ericsson both pitted after coming up short on fuel, which allowed Newgarden and Dixon to move into the top five. With no competition lurking behind him, Lundgaard, driving the No. 45 Vivid Clear Rx Dallara-Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, was able to navigate his way around the 11-turn circuit smoothly for a final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his first career checkered flag in the IndyCar circuit.

    With the victory, Lundgaard, who is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in the IndyCar circuit and whose previous best result was second place that occurred at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last August, became the first competitor to achieve a first IndyCar race victory since Kyle Kirkwood won at the Streets of Long Beach, California, this past April. He also recorded the first victory for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing since the team last won the 2020 Indianapolis 500 with Takuma Sato. Lundgaard also joined Adrian Fernandez and the late Justin Wilson as competitors to achieve a first IndyCar victory at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada.

    With the victory, Lundgaard, who celebrated his first IndyCar win with his friend, Victor, vowed to shave his mustache he grew during the offseason amid the promise that he would do so once he would win an IndyCar race.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “I’m pretty drained from energy right now,” Lundgaard, who led a race-high 54 of 85 laps, said on Peacock. “The Hy-Vee VIVID car has just been fast all weekend. I said it before the race [that] we had a car that was fast enough to win. We pulled it off and I think we did by 10 seconds. This team, they do deserve this because if we look at where we were early this season and even last year at this point, we were nowhere near this, so I’m just extremely happy for everybody right now. Everything [the owners] are doing for this team, we’re moving forward.”

    “[This win]’s huge for us,” Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, added. “Any win’s big. We were knocking on the door at Mid-Ohio with Graham’s [Rahal] qualifying run and Christian’s for that matter. This weekend, it wasn’t easy. We didn’t start out really super great, but we kept working at it. Christian was hooked up. I think he just was kind of like on a mission this weekend. You saw that on that race. He just drove away from everybody. The crew did a great job. That strategy in the No. 45 pit was the right strategy and Christian just didn’t put a foot wrong. A great weekend for us. “

    While Lundgaard celebrated a first victory, Palou, who started the lowest of this season in 15th, was left relieved on pit road after having enough power to nurse his No. 10 Journie Rewards Dallara-Honda with the damaged front wing home in the runner-up spot, one spot shy of achieving four consecutive IndyCar victories following recent victories in Detroit, Road America and Mid-Ohio, while Colton Herta achieved his first podium result of the season by finishing third just as he ran out of fuel.

    “We knew it was going to be an eventful race,” Palou said. “I had a lot of ups and downs. We had a really fast car. I don’t know how we made it with this wing. The car was still handling OK, and then we just had to save a ton of fuel, a ton of tires. But we made it. Glad we finished P2 today. A win could have been possible, but I did a bad qualifying yesterday. As long as we have fast cars like we’ve been doing, we’re going to be OK. The guys did an amazing strategy call. It was tough to save that much fuel, but they just put me on that position. Kudos to the No. 10 car.”

    Dixon, who won last year’s IndyCar event at Toronto, came home in fourth while Newgarden settled in fifth. McLaughlin, Armstrong, Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal and Rosenqvist completed the top 10 on the track. Notably, Ericsson and Power ended up 11th and 14th, respectively, while Kirkwood ended up 15th.

    There were seven lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 16 laps. In total, 15 of 27 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 10th event of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, Alex Palou continues to lead the championship standings by 117 points over teammate Scott Dixon, 126 over Josef Newgarden, 142 over teammate Marcus Ericsson and 143 over Pato O’Ward.

    Results.

    1. Christian Lundgaard, 54 laps led

    2. Alex Palou

    3. Colton Herta

    4. Scott Dixon, two laps led

    5. Josef Newgarden

    6. Scott McLaughlin, 28 laps led

    7. Marcus Armstrong

    8. Pato O’Ward

    9. Graham Rahal

    10. Felix Rosenqvist

    11. Marcus Ericsson

    12. Agustin Canapino

    13. Rinus VeeKay

    14. Will Power

    15. Kyle Kirkwood

    16. Alexander Rossi

    17. Santino Ferrucci

    18. Callum Ilott – OUT, Contact

    19. Sting Ray Robb, three laps down

    20. David Malukas – OUT, Contact

    21. Helio Castroneves – OUT, Contact

    22. Romain Grosjean – OUT, Contact

    23. Devlin DeFrancesco – OUT, Mechanical

    24. Jack Harvey – OUT, Contact

    25. Tom Blomqvist – OUT, Contact

    26. Ryan Hunter-Reay – OUT, Contact

    27. Benjamin Pedersen – OUT, Contact

    Next on the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series schedule is the series’ doubleheader weekend feature at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The first event of the doubleheader weekend feature, Hy-Vee Homefront 250, is set to occur next Saturday, July 22, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC while the second event, Hy-Vee One Step 250, will follow suit next Sunday, July 23, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Mohegan Sun 100: Bonsignore Streaks to Wild Victory, Capping Doubleheader Saturday at “The Magic Mile”

    Mohegan Sun 100: Bonsignore Streaks to Wild Victory, Capping Doubleheader Saturday at “The Magic Mile”

    Three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion holds off Coby, Silk in thrilling finish.

    LOUDON, N.H. – Justin Bonsignore edged Doug Coby by half a car length to conclude a thrilling Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) race on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

    Annually one of the crown jewel stops in the NWMT, “The Magic Mile” brought out the best in the popular series as Bonsignore, Coby and Ron Silk all exchanged the lead across the final 10 laps, sometimes multiple times in the same circuit.

    “That was just crazy,” said Bonsignore, the pole winner, a two-time New Hampshire winner and a three-time NWMT champion. “The way we were able to drag race back to the line and beat Doug was amazing. This is our Super Bowl, this is our Daytona 500. There’s nothing like racing here.”

    The dramatic finish came after the race was delayed by more than an hour following a passing rain shower that put the race under red flag conditions with 69 of the scheduled 100 laps complete.

    Once the drivers returned to their cars, a round of pit stops for fuel and tires ensued, scrambling the field. Bonsignore restarted 10th after the delay and slowly picked his way through the field until taking the lead for good on the backstretch just before taking the white flag. The 35-year-old from Holtsville, N.Y. kept the No. 51 Chevrolet on edge from there, with Coby and Silk just behind at the end.

    “I’m glad we got that back going again for the fans that stuck it out,” said Bonsignore after his second victory of the season. “[Cody, Silk and I] have a good rivalry but there’s a lot of respect involved. They came over and congratulated me. We went really conservative [on pit road], stayed patient and got to the lead. I knew where I wanted to be [on the track] on the last lap.”

    Coby was second, Silk finished third, with Austin Beers fourth and Patrick Emerling fifth. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) regular Corey LaJoie finished seventh.

    “I started this race really good and then we got too loose,” LaJoie said. “The etiquette for modified racing is a bit more brash than I was used to. The modifieds is one of my favorite series to run. They are unlike any other car I’ve driven.”

    Twenty-two drivers finished on the lead lap.

    NHMS’s NASCAR weekend events conclude Sunday with the Crayon 301 NCS race at 2:30 p.m. ET (USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

    Tickets:

    Sunday’s Crayon 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information.

    Follow Us:

    Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

  • Bryce Ward and Daniel Morad Break Through for First IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Race Win in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 at the Detroit Grand Prix Saturday

    Bryce Ward and Daniel Morad Break Through for First IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Race Win in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 at the Detroit Grand Prix Saturday

    DETROIT – Bryce Ward and Daniel Morad secured their first IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) race win with a convincing victory in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 in Saturday’s featured IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at the Detroit Grand Prix. Winward’s victory anchored a double-podium finish in the 100-minute race that also saw three Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries finish in the top five. The debuting and Detroit-based No. 78 Thaze Competition by MC Squared Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Marc Miller and Daniel Di Meo finished third while the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss secured its best finish of the season in fifth place.

    Winward’s victory followed a then season-best finish of third last month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and was the first for Bryce Ward in five years of Michelin Pilot Challenge competition. Ward started the race 11th in the No. 57 and quickly moved up to battle in the top 10 throughout a clean and fast-paced opening stint before handing off to Morad just past the race’s 33-minute mark.

    A well-executed pit stop by the Winward team put Morad back on track in fifth place as the field circulated behind the safety car for a lengthy 10 laps following the only yellow flag caution period of the race.

    Morad quickly took control when the race was restarted with just under 40 minutes to go, passing a pair of competitors to gain two positions on the first green flag lap to move into third. He passed Miller for second place on the following lap before making what proved to be the race-winning pass on the leader with 33 minutes remaining.

    From there, Morad maintained a steady pace up front and gradually built a cushion on the field resulting in a comfortable 2.405 second margin of victory.

    Morad’s largely unchallenged run to the win was aided by his closest competitors aggressively battling behind him for the final podium and top five finishing positions.

    Miller, a Michigan native and resident, pressured for second place throughout his race-ending stint before crossing the finish line a close third for Thaze, which proudly raced as “Detroit’s Hometown Team” in its debut. Thaze’s solid weekend also included a fifth-place qualifying result for Di Meo that allowed the team to battle in the lead pack from the drop of the green flag in Saturday’s race.

    The hard-earned fifth-place finish for the No. 56 Murillo entry came after Mosing started 14th in the 22-car field. Aided by a quick pit stop by the Murillo Racing team, both Mosing and closing driver Foss steadily improved throughout the race. The top five was not only the best finish of the year for the No. 56 but also gave the team and drivers some needed championship points after being knocked out of the race early at Laguna Seca.

    The Laguna Seca race was won by the sister No. 72 Murillo Racing entry of Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak that managed to build its early-season championship lead despite a largely frustrating race Saturday in Detroit.
    Murillo was the highest starting Mercedes-AMG GT4 in third place and he held that position in formation with the first and second place competitors throughout his race opening stint.

    A shot at a repeat victory went away, however, when the No. 72 team’s pit stop strategy didn’t work with the timing of the yellow flag caution period. Pitting after the other contenders, Szymczak returned to the race out of the top five and eventually crossed the finish line in seventh. Despite the frustrating day, the No. 72 team and drivers provisionally extended their championship lead by 100 points over the nearest competitor, 1000 – 900.

    Bolstered by its second victory in a row in the year’s first four races, Mercedes-AMG has provisionally added to its GS manufacturer championship lead leaving Detroit. The current tally of 1300 points is 60 clear of the nearest competitor.

    Next up for Mercedes-AMG GT4 competitors in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series is round five of the 2023 championship at Watkins Glen International in New York, June 22 – 24.

    Bryce Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “This was the most enjoyable race I have had even though it’s a tight circuit that really requires precision. First of all, I have to thank the team because they did an incredible job on our pit stop and calling our strategy. I also have to thank Detroit because, man, they put on a great show. I am so, so excited to be here and hopefully we can come back again. We are dedicated to the Mercedes-AMG brand, we love the brand and have been with them for five years now. At the end of the day, they put a great product on the road.”

    Daniel Morad, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “When you work hard and put in the preparation, like the Winward team has done, things start looking easy. But it is not easy just by nature, it’s because of all the hard work that everyone has put in, including Bryce and all on the team. The car was just perfect in the race, and everything went our way because of the decision making beforehand, the planning and the strategy. I took advantage of everyone being tentative on the restart, but I knew where the grip was and had that plan going into the restart. If you make any hesitation on a street circuit, it’s over. It was absolute decisiveness and it paid off.”

    Marc Miller, Driver – No. 78 Thaze Competition by MC Squared Mercedes-AMG GT4: “When it comes down to it, it’s a hometown team with a Michigan driver at the Detroit Grand Prix, and in our first race out the blocks we are fighting for wins. It says a lot about the team, and it was a flawless pit stop. We thought we had a car that could run with Daniel, but I just couldn’t clear second place. I had a run a couple of times, made some moves and moved him a couple of times, but with 10 minutes to go I started to cruise because every time I fought him the pack would start to close. I thought ‘let’s chill out,’ gap him again and maybe have another go, but he just never made a mistake. Not a big enough mistake for me to take it to him. Overall, to be standing on the podium at the Detroit Grand Prix, I am going to savor every moment of it.”

    Daniel Di Meo, Driver – No. 78 Thaze Competition by MC Squared Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I stayed patient, kept the car underneath me and tried to keep my lap times as low as possible because I didn’t want the leaders to just take off. That paid off, because when Marc jumped in the car, he came out in second. All around, it was an unreal weekend, and we couldn’t ask for anything more.”

    Kenny Murillo, Driver – No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “The result really doesn’t reflect the work that was put into this weekend, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. It was an unfortunate yellow that really killed our strategy. We took somewhat of a risk, but we were just extremely unlucky. All in all, we are leaving with a bigger points lead than we had. We went from 90 points ahead to 100 and we are looking forward to the next race at Watkins Glen. We have a strong team, and everyone is firing on all cylinders right now.”

  • Newgarden steals Indy 500 victory

    Newgarden steals Indy 500 victory

    INDIANAPOLIS — Josef Newgarden walked into the DEX Imaging Media Center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, talking about stocks.

    No, I didn’t make that up.

    “I am into finance,” he said. “I think it’s a great career path. It’s probably something I would be doing if I wasn’t driving cars. It’s kind of as simple as that. I won’t bore everybody, but I love that world. I think it’s super fun.”

    As Newgarden says this, the video screens both in the deadline room and around the track play a highlight package of his Indianapolis 500 victory.

    With one lap to go, Newgarden overtook Marcus Ericsson on the backstretch, using the same move Ericsson used to win in 2022.

    And Newgarden knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate.

    Go up in the stands.

    INDIANAPOLIS – MAY 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Shell Chevrolet, celebrates with the fans in the stands, after winning the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023, in Indianapolis. Photo: Karl Zemlin/Penske Entertainment

    He parked his car on the yard of bricks, exited his Team Penske Chevrolet and hopped through a crossover gate to celebrate with the fans.

    “Yeah, I knew exactly where the gap was,” he said. “I’d been over there many, many years. I’ve seen that photo, whole spot, and really it’s just like an access point that you can crawl under. It looks like it’s closed but there’s a way to get through. I knew exactly where I was going at the end of this race.”

    He wanted to go higher up, but thought better of it. So he hugged a couple of people and crawled back through the gap.

    “But it was really cool,” he said. “You just can’t beat the Hoosier hospitality, the energy that people bring here. It is second to none when it comes to a sporting event.”

    Meanwhile, his crew channels Helio Castroneves and hangs from the catch fence.

    Visibly crying as his crew wheeled his car to victory lane, he climbed out and followed through the traditional victory lane celebrations, from the wreath to drinking the milk.

    “The milk, I felt good about it,” he said. “It tasted so good. I love milk. I drink a lot of milk. So for me, the Indy 500 is kind of the greatest thing ever. Other people might not like to get milk after. That’s the choice I would have made, too. I love Louis Meyer. I love that he threw that up as a tradition. I’m a big milk guy.”

    Compare this to his 2016 post-race interview, after he finished third. He was dejected, frustrated, and in despair.

    Now, the newest Indianapolis 500 champion talked about how fascinated he is with finances.

    FULL DISCLOSURE: I asked him what fascinates him about finances.

    When Newgarden’s press conference wrapped up, he put the wreath back on and turned his focus to the rest of the season. As well as getting Roger Penske his 20th Indy 500 victory, next season.

    “I put my hand on his shoulder in Victory Lane and said, ‘Now we got to get 20,’” he said. “He was the first one to go, ‘Absolutely.’ He didn’t even take a breath. He was ahead of me in the thought process, as you know.

    “He’s eyes forward. It will be important. We need to come back. There’s still areas we can be better, so we’ll go and analyze after this weekend and see where we can improve. But we’ll come back ready to fight and get No. 20 for him.”

  • Newgarden Earns First Indianapolis 500 Victory in Wild Finish

    Newgarden Earns First Indianapolis 500 Victory in Wild Finish

    INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 28, 2023) – The agonizing wait and nagging questions finally are over for Josef Newgarden.

    Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden passed reigning Indianapolis 500 by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson on the last lap to snare his first career victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday at a packed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden, from Nashville, Tennessee, earned his spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy and in racing immortality in his 12th career “500” start, extending Team Penske’s event record to 19 victories in the race.

    Newgarden, who started 17th, passed Ericsson on the back straightaway with an outside move just before Turn 3 and snaked down the front straightaway to victory in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Ericsson, driving the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, fell just .0974 of a second short of becoming the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002. It was the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

    “Everyone just kept asking me why I haven’t won this race,” Newgarden said. “They looked at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it. I wanted to win it so bad. I knew we could. I knew we were capable. It’s a huge team effort, as everybody knows. I’m so glad to be here.”

    After his cooldown lap, Newgarden went into the packed front grandstands to celebrate with fans. He disappeared into a joyous throng of humanity before re-emerging to reap congratulations from his family and Team Penske crew at the Yard of Bricks start-finish line.

    Santino Ferrucci finished third in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. It was the best “500” finish for AJ Foyt Racing since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000.

    Pole sitter Alex Palou rallied from being pinned against the pit wall by Rinus VeeKay early in the race and falling deep into the 33-car field to finish fourth in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou kept the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead, holding a 219-199 lead over Ericsson.

    2016 “500” winner Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. His teammate and 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan finished 16th in his 22nd and final Indy 500 start in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, also the final INDYCAR SERIES start for the popular Brazilian.

    Benjamin Pedersen was the best finisher among the four “500” rookies in the field, 21st in the No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet after being eliminated from the race in a late, multicar accident. That incident triggered the last of the event-record three competition-related red flags, all in the last 15 laps of the race.

    The scintillating finish came in a one-lap showdown for victory after the third red flag. Pedersen, the No. 33 Bitnile.com Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter and the No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet of Graham Rahal were collected in a chain-reaction collision on a Lap 196 restart after the second red flag.

    After the cleanup for that incident, the remaining running cars returned to the track from pit lane on Lap 199 behind the hardtop convertible Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Pace Car, which peeled off the track at the end of that lap to create the last-lap dash for glory.

    Ericsson got a big jump on the restart with the green and white flags in the air atop the flag stand and led in Turns 1 and 2 on the 2.5-mile oval. But Newgarden gained ground in Turn 2 and darted to the outside on the back straightaway with the crowd of more than 300,000 on its feet in rapture.

    Newgarden powered past Ericsson and was able to clear his rival just before entering Turn 3. It appeared Ericsson looked to return the favor on the front straight, but Newgarden used the same snaking driving maneuver to hold off Ericsson that the Swede used last year to parry Pato O’Ward and earn his first “500” victory. Today was only the third time in Indy 500 history a driver used a last-lap pass to win.

    “I was just trying to stay locked in,” Newgarden said. “I was emotional the last 10 laps because I knew we were in a position to fight for this win at the end. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew it was going to come to some last-lap shootout like it always is these days, which is exciting but stressful for us.”

    Newgarden only led five laps, taking the top spot for the first time for one lap during pit stop cycles on Lap 157. He climbed into the lead for the second time, with all pit stops done, on Lap 193 when a crash between the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of O’Ward, the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of 2019 “500” winner Simon Pagenaud and the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of rookie Augustin Canapino triggered the second red flag.

    Ericsson grabbed the lead from Newgarden on a breathtaking three-wide restart also involving Ferrucci on Lap 196 that was truncated quickly by the incident involving Carpenter, Pedersen and Rahal, setting up the final showdown.

    Swedish driver Ericsson expressed dismay with the late red flag and one-lap showdown, hoping instead the race would end under caution with him out front.

    “I think we did everything right today,” Ericsson said. “I’m proud of the No. 8 crew and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. I think I did everything right behind the wheel. I did an awesome last restart. I think I caught Josef completely off guard and got the gap and kept the lead into Turn 1.

    “I just couldn’t hold it on the back. I was flat. I just couldn’t hold it.”

    O’Ward led a race-high 39 laps, one of 14 different drivers to lead today. There were 52 lead changes, the third-highest total in Indianapolis 500 history.

    Newgarden will split $20,000 with Team Penske and his chosen charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

    The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit presented by Lear on Sunday, June 4 on a new circuit on the streets of Detroit. Live coverage starts at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

    107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Race Results

    1. (17) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    2. (10) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 200, Running
    3. (4) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    4. (1) Alex Palou, Honda, 200, Running
    5. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    6. (6) Scott Dixon, Honda, 200, Running
    7. (8) Takuma Sato, Honda, 200, Running
    8. (16) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    9. (21) Colton Herta, Honda, 200, Running
    10. (2) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    11. (18) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    12. (27) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    13. (25) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 200, Running
    14. (14) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    15. (20) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 200, Running
    16. (9) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    17. (24) Marco Andretti, Honda, 200, Running
    18. (32) Jack Harvey, Honda, 199, Running
    19. (30) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 198, Running
    20. (13) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 197, Contact
    21. (11) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 196, Contact
    22. (33) Graham Rahal, Chevrolet, 195, Running
    23. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 195, Running
    24. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 192, Contact
    25. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 192, Contact
    26. (26) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 192, Contact
    27. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 183, Contact
    28. (15) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 183, Contact
    29. (23) David Malukas, Honda, 160, Contact
    30. (19) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 149, Contact
    31. (31) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 90, Contact
    32. (28) RC Enerson, Chevrolet, 75, Mechanical
    33. (29) Katherine Legge, Honda, 41, Contact

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 168.193 mph
    Time of Race: 2:58:21.9611
    Margin of victory: 0.0974 of a second
    Cautions: 5 for 27 laps
    Lead changes: 52 among 14 drivers

    Lap Leaders:
    Palou, Alex 1 – 2
    VeeKay, Rinus 3
    Palou, Alex 4 – 9
    VeeKay, Rinus 10 – 14
    Palou, Alex 15 – 22
    VeeKay, Rinus 23 – 27
    Palou, Alex 28 – 29
    VeeKay, Rinus 30 – 31
    Rosenqvist, Felix 32
    Rossi, Alexander 33 – 34
    Palou, Alex 35 – 39
    VeeKay, Rinus 40 – 47
    Palou, Alex 48 – 60
    VeeKay, Rinus 61 – 63
    Rosenqvist, Felix 64 – 65
    O’Ward, Pato 66
    Power, Will 67
    Herta, Colton 68
    Rosenqvist, Felix 69
    O’Ward, Pato 70 – 78
    Rosenqvist, Felix 79 – 81
    O’Ward, Pato 82 – 89
    Rosenqvist, Felix 90 – 94
    Ilott, Callum 95 – 99
    Rosenqvist, Felix 100 – 101
    O’Ward, Pato 102
    Rosenqvist, Felix 103 – 107
    O’Ward, Pato 108 – 109
    Rosenqvist, Felix 110 – 113
    O’Ward, Pato 114 – 115
    Rosenqvist, Felix 116 – 119
    O’Ward, Pato 120 – 122
    Rosenqvist, Felix 123 – 124
    O’Ward, Pato 125 – 128
    Rosenqvist, Felix 129 – 131
    Ferrucci, Santino 132
    Ericsson, Marcus 133 – 134
    Castroneves, Helio 135
    Rosenqvist, Felix 136
    Ericsson, Marcus 137 – 156
    Newgarden, Josef 157
    Ericsson, Marcus 158
    Ferrucci, Santino 159 – 168
    Ericsson, Marcus 169 – 170
    Rossi, Alexander 171 – 172
    Sato, Takuma 173 – 174
    O’Ward, Pato 175 – 179
    Hunter-Reay, Ryan 180 – 187
    O’Ward, Pato 188 – 191
    Ericsson, Marcus 192
    Newgarden, Josef 193 – 195
    Ericsson, Marcus 196 – 199
    Newgarden, Josef 200

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Palou 219, Ericsson 199, O’Ward 185, Newgarden 182, Dixon 162, McLaughlin 149, Rossi 145, Grosjean 139, Power 131, Herta 130, Lundgaard 122, Kirkwood 113, Rosenqvist 113, Ilott 111, Ferrucci 96, VeeKay 96, Rahal 94, Malukas 84, Armstrong 77, Daly 73, Castroneves 69, Harvey 65, DeFrancesco 63, Canapino 61, Pagenaud 55, Pedersen 51, Robb 47, Sato 37, Carpenter 27, Hunter-Reay 20, Kanaan 18, Andretti 13, Enerson 5, Legge 5

  • Graham Rahal: ‘It’s certainly very very different’

    Graham Rahal: ‘It’s certainly very very different’

    INDIANAPOLIS — Graham Rahal entered the North Chataeu Pavillion at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He sat at the interview table in the back of the room and kicked out his feet until the toes of his shoes poked out of the cloth.

    Virtually every reporter gathered around and craned their necks to hear every word he’d say. And why wouldn’t they? After all, just four days earlier, teammate Jack Harvey bumped him out of the Indianapolis 500.

    But then Rahal received a call.

    “I will say that there was a part of me that thought it wasn’t right, and that I was just going to accept that I wasn’t racing and I was going to move forward and move into kind of a different phase and my mental process and the way the rest of my week was going to be,” he said.

    One day after Harvey bumped out Rahal, Stefan Wilson pounded the wall in Turn 1 and injured his back. And Rahal was the first choice of Dreyer and Reinbold Racing team owner, Dennie Reinbold.

    Instead of watching at home, Rahal finds himself in a “very very different” situation.

    Those differences range from a different manufacturer to the fit of gloves.

    “Obviously, the engine is different,” he said. “The brakes feel different, like the way the button, everything feels different. The way the end, the buttons feel, too, thumbs to the gloves is different. There’s a lot that goes into that.”

    He asked questions about input to the car but felt it wasn’t his place to push the issue. He feels he’s here to “fill out a big void for the weekend.”

    Moreover, for one race, he transitions from helping his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammates to racing against them. He is, however, excited for the opportunity.

    “I know they’ve had very strong cars. But the mentality is different. My job is turned from maybe a team leader to a guy that wants to go win this thing again. Not that it ever went away, but clearly, I have a chance now that I didn’t, Monday afternoon.”

    If Sunday’s his day, the final practice Friday didn’t reflect it. He clocked in 30th, over half a second back of Takuma Sato.