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  • Newgarden executes final lap pass on O’Ward for second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory

    Newgarden executes final lap pass on O’Ward for second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory

    A year after becoming the 75th competitor overall to win the Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden doubled down as a two-time champion of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing after winning the rain-delayed 108th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, following a final lap overtake on Pato O’Ward.

    The two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion from Hendersonville, Tennessee, led six times for 26 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he started alongside his two Team Penske teammates, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power, on the front row. Leading for the first time at the halfway mark on Lap 100, Newgarden withstood a series of pit strategies amongst his rivaled competitors and on-track chaos to remain in race-winning contention in the closing stages.

    Then after swapping track positions with Scott Dixon and Arrow McLaren’s duo of Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in the closing laps, Newgarden, who reassumed the lead from Rossi with seven laps remaining, was left to duel against a hard-charging O’Ward for the victory. Despite regaining the lead from O’Ward with five laps remaining, Newgarden then lost the lead to O’Ward at the start of the final lap, but managed to gain a draft to overtake him and reclaim the lead exiting the backstretch. The pass was enough for Newgarden to muscle away and claim the checkered flag to become the first competitor in 22 years to repeat as an Indianapolis 500 champion.

    Following a two-day qualifying session that occurred between May 18-19 and that determined the starting lineup for the main event, Scott McLaughlin achieved his first Indianapolis 500 pole position after posting the fastest four-lap average-qualifying speed at 234.220 mph in two minutes, 33.7017 seconds. McLaughlin shared the front row with his two Team Penske teammates and former Indy 500 champions Will Power (233.917 mph in two minutes, 33.9007 seconds) and Josef Newgarden (233.808 mph in two minutes, 33.9726 seconds), which marked the first time three Team Penske entries swept the front row for the 500 since 1988.

    The only competitor who did not qualify for the event was rookie Nolan Siegel, who wrecked his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda entry while attempting to race his way into the field during last Sunday’s qualifying session.

    During the pace laps and warmup session, early trouble struck for Callum Ilott, who pitted due to a mechanical issue to his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet, though he was able to return to the track and remain on the lead lap for the event’s start.

    When the green flag waved and the event commenced amid a four-hour delay due to heavy precipitation, pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin launched ahead from teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden along with the rest of the field to lead through the first two turns.

    Shortly after, however, the event’s first caution period flew after Tom Blomqvist hit the rumble strips in Turn 1, spun and came across the path of Marcus Ericsson as Ericsson, who started on the final row in this year’s Indy 500, nearly got airborne as he wrecked his No. 28 Delaware Life/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda both into Blomqvist’s No. 66 Arctic Wolf/Meyer Shank Racing Dallara-Honda and across the outside wall. Amid the wreckage, Pietro Fittipaldi, who was trying to avoid the wreckage involving Ericsson and Blomqvist, made contact with Ilott as he spun his No. 30 5-Hour Energy/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda in between the first two turns before he backed his car against the outside wall. The carnage was enough to take Ericsson, Fittipaldi and Blomqvist out of contention while Ilott continued.

    During the caution period, Marcus Armstrong’s second career start in the Indianapolis 500 came to an early end due to the New Zealander losing power and having smoke spewing out of his No. 11 Ridgeline Performance Lubricants/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda during the caution laps, which forced him to pit and retire.

    As the event restarted under green on the ninth lap, McLaughin fended off teammates Power and Newgarden for a second time through the frontstretch to retain the lead as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes. In the midst of the field fanning out, Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion who was piloting the No. 17 HendrickCars.com/Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet as part of his ‘Double Duty’ effort that included competing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway later in the day, lost a bevy of spots while running in the top 10 and was getting overtaken by oncoming competitors after missing a gear to launch at the start as he also made slight contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay. The field continued to scatter, fan out and jostle for early spots through the backstretch while McLaughlin retained the lead ahead of his two Team Penske teammates at the Lap 10 mark.

    Through the first 15 scheduled laps, McLaughlin was leading by less than a tenth of a second over teammate Power and nearly half a second over teammate Newgarden while Santino Ferrucci and Alexander Rossi were in the top five. Behind, Rinus VeeKay occupied sixth place ahead of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood while Alex Palou, Takuma Sato, Helio Castroneves, Kyle Larson and Ryan Hunter-Reay were in the top 15. Behind, Scott Dixon, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter, Sting Ray Robb and rookie Kyffin Simpson trailed in the top 20.

    Six laps later, the caution returned after Katherine Legge, who started on the final row, had smoke billowing out of her No. 51 e.l.f/Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda as her fourth bid to win the Indy 500 came to an end. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by McLaughin pitted for service while the following names that included Sting Ray Robb, Conor Daly, Christian Lundgaard and Graham Rahal remained on the track as part of an early strategic plan. Following the pit stops, McLaughlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of teammates Power and Newgarden while Ferrucci, Rossi, Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Herta, Palou and Sato followed suit in the top 10.

    During the next restart period on Lap 26, Daly overtook Robb from the outside lane through the frontstretch to assume the lead. Robb would retain second through the first two turns and through the backstretch while McLaughlin settled in fourth place as he was running in between Lundgaard and Rahal while Ferrucci was trying to crack the top five amid more jostling of spots within the field. The event’s third caution flew a lap later after Linus Lundqvist, who was running in the middle of the field, got loose and hit the outside wall in Turn 1, which knocked him and his No. 8 American Legion/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda team out of contention.

    With the event restarting under green on Lap 32, McLaughlin muscled his No. 3 Pennzoil/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet past Daly’s No. 24 Polkadot/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports Dallara-Chevrolet through the frontstretch to reassume the lead. Behind, Ferrucci made his way into the runner-up spot followed by Daly, Robb and Lundgaard as the field fanned out to multiple lanes just past the backstretch before navigating through Turns 3 and 4 to complete the following lap. Daly would then overtake Ferrucci to claim the runner-up spot by Lap 34 before overtaking McLaughlin through the frontstretch to reassume the lead two laps later.

    Just past the Lap 40 mark, Daly was leading by two-tenths of a second over McLaughlin while third-place Ferrucci trailed by seven-tenths of a second. Robb and Rossi trailed in the top five within a second as Newgarden, Herta, Lundgaard, Palou and O’Ward were scored in the top 10 ahead of Rosenqvist, Larson, Dixon and Rahal while Power dropped to 15th.

    Towards Lap 38, Robb, who was running in the top five, pitted his No. 41 Goodheart/A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Honda under green. Daly would surrender the lead to pit under green during the following lap as McLaughlin cycled back into the lead as he was being pursued by Ferrucci, Ross, Herta and Newgarden.

    At the one-quarter mark on Lap 50, McLaughlin continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Ferrucci while Rossi, Herta and Newgarden continued to trail in the top five. Behind, Palou occupied sixth place ahead of Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Larson and Rasmussen while Dixon, VeeKay, Power, Sato and Augustin Canapino were in the top 15. Meanwhile, teammates Lundgaard and Rahal were mired back in 25th and 26th, respectively, after both pitted a few laps earlier.

    Five laps later, the event’s fourth caution flew after Felix Rosenqvist, who was running in the top 10, pulled his No. 60 SiriusXM/Meyer Shank Racing Dallara-Honda off the track in the backstretch and retired due to an engine failure, which marks the third Honda engine failure in the event. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by McLaughlin returned to pit road for service while Daly and Robb remained on the track. Following the pit stops amid a tight squeeze amongst the leaders, Rossi exited in first place by a hair over McLaughlin as Herta, Newgarden, Palou, Ferrucci, Rasmussen, Larson, VeeKay and Power followed suit in the top 10.

    The start of the next restart period on Lap 64 featured the field fanning out through the frontstretch and prior to reaching the start/finish line as McLaughlin made a bold three-wide move beneath Daly and Robb to move into the lead entering the first turn. Robb would then return to the top of the leaderboard two laps later after he overtook McLaughlin through the frontstretch. Robb would retain the lead by the Lap 70 mark and by four-tenths of a second over McLaughlin while Daly, Herta and Newgarden trailed in the top five.

    Then on Lap 85, the caution flew after Herta, who was running second and was deemed a potential favorite of the event, got loose and spun backwards into the outside wall in Turn 1, where he damaged the front wing of his No. 26 Gainbridge/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda. Despite sustaining minimal damage to his entry, Herta would have his car towed to the garage, where he would return to the track following extensive repairs and being multiple laps down.

    During the exchange of pit stops as nearly the entire field led by McLaughlin pitted during the caution period, Kyle Kirkwood ran into the rear of Ilott, which cause Ilott to overshoot his pit stall and into Ed Carpenter’s pit stall, which caused Carpenter to jam on the brakes and stall his car while waiting for Ilott to be pushed back into his respective stall.

    With the race restarting under green on Lap 91, Rinus VeeKay, who was among a handful of competitors who did not pit and inherited the lead, was quickly overtaken by Lundgaard for the lead entering the first turn. Behind, Newgarden muscled his way up to fourth place as he settled behind Robb while Ferrucci and Daly battled for fifth place in front of McLaughlin, Palou, Rossi and Larson.

    Seven laps later, VeeKay pitted his No. 21 askROI/Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara-Chevrolet under green. Lundgaard would also pit his No. 45 Hyvee/Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda another three laps later as Newgarden proceeded to lead the halfway mark on Lap 100. By then, Ferrucci moved up to second as McLaughlin, Robb and Daly cycled up into the top five ahead of Palou, Larson, Rossi, Castroneves and Rasmussen.

    Six laps later, the event’s sixth caution flew after Ryan Hunter-Reay, who gained a draft to overtake Scott Dixon through the backstretch for 17th place, got blocked and forced into the backstretch’s grass amid contact with Dixon, which resulted with Hunter-Reay doing a full 360 spin through the grass and the racing surface, but managing to straighten his car through the grass without coming back across oncoming traffic as Hunter-Reay limped his damaged No. 23 VensureHR/Four Sixes Racing Beef/101 Studios/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara-Chevrolet back to his pit stall, where he would retire.

    The following restart period with 87 laps remaining did not last long as Marco Andretti, who was battling for a top-20 spot, slipped sideways and backed his No. 98 Mapei/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda into the outside wall in Turn 1 as his 19th bid to win his first Indianapolis 500 came to a late end.

    The ensuing restart period with 82 laps remaining generated a different outcome as McLaughlin muscled ahead with the lead of a tight battle involving teammate Newgarden, Ferrucci, Rossi, Palou, Larson, Castroneves, Canapino and Rasmussen entering the first turn. With Newgarden retaining second, McLaughlin also retained the lead by four-tenths of a second with 80 laps remaining.

    At the three-quarters mark with 75 laps remaining, McLaughlin retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Rossi followed by Newgarden, Ferrucci and Palou while Larson, Rasmussen, Castroneves, Canapino and Rahal were in the top 10. Behind, Dixon was in 11th ahead of Simpson, VeeKay, O’Ward and Daly while Power, Sato, Robb, Ilott and Kirkwood were mired in the top 20.

    Two laps later, Newgarden cycled his No. 2 Shell Powering Progress/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet past teammate McLaughlin to reassume the lead through the frontstretch. Newgarden, however, would then pit under green with 70 laps remaining before McLaughlin pitted during the following lap. During McLaughlin’s pit service, the following names that included Larson, Canapino, Simpson and Ilott also pitted. Amid the pit stops, however, Larson, who had methodically driven his way into the top five prior to pitting, was assessed a drive-through penalty for speeding while entering pit road. Larson, who smoked his front tires when he was penalized for speeding, would serve the penalty with nearly 65 laps remaining as more names pitted under green.

    Back on the track, O’Ward, who has yet to pit, was leading ahead of Dixon. O’Ward would then pit from the lead with 63 laps remaining, which moved Dixon into the lead ahead of VeeKay, Daly, Sato, Robb, Kirkwood, Lundgaard and Carpenter as McLaughlin led a large group of competitors who recently pitted, among which included Rossi, Palou, Newgarden and Ferrucci. During the next two laps, Rossi navigated past McLaughlin and Palou to move into 10th place while scored the first competitor who recently pitted.

    With less than 60 laps remaining, Dixon pitted under green as Daly cycled into the lead. Daly would then pit with nearly 55 laps remaining, which enabled Robb to assume the lead ahead of Lundgaard and O’Ward while Dixon and Daly trailed by more than 35 seconds in the top five.

    Then with 54 laps remaining, the caution flew after Power, who was racing within the top 20 and battling Rasmussen, slipped sideways and spun backwards into the outside wall in Turn 1, which he slapped and destroyed the right side of his No. 12 Verizon Dallara-Chevrolet.

    Down to the final 45 laps of the event, Dixon briefly led the field back to green flag racing conditions before he was placed in the middle of an Arrow McLaren sandwich through the frontstretch as Rossi overtook both teammate O’Ward and Dixon into the lead. Behind, Newgarden, who restarted eighth, rocketed his way up to fourth place as he was ahead of Palou, VeeKay, McLaughlin and Daly as Rossi retained the lead. During the following lap, teammate O’Ward overtook Rossi to assume the lead with Dixon retaining third. With McLaughlin mired in seventh, Rossi and O’Ward traded spots for a second time through the frontstretch as the former reassumed the lead. O’Ward and Rossi swapped positions for a third time through the frontstretch with 42 laps remaining as Rossi returned to the lead.

    With 35 laps remaining, Rossi, who kept swapping the lead with his Arrow McLaren teammate O’Ward through the frontstretch, reassumed the lead while third-place Dixon trailed by within seven-tenths of a second. Behind, Newgarden and Palou trailed in the top five ahead of McLaughlin while VeeKay, Daly, Ferrucci and Kirkwood were scored in the top 10.

    Three laps later, however, Rossi surrendered his back-and-forth trade for the lead with teammate O’Ward to pit his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet under green. Another two laps later, Dixon made his move beneath O’Ward to move his No. 9 PNC Bank/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda into the lead as Sato and Robb peeled off the track to pit under green. Newgarden, McLaughlin and Daly would pit during the next lap before Dixon, Canapino, O’Ward, Castroneves and Lundgaard pitted with 38 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Dixon emerged ahead of Newgarden, Rossi and O’Ward while Kirkwood, who was among nine front-runners who has yet to pit, was leading.

    With 25 laps remaining, Dixon overtook Newgarden through the frontstretch to reclaim the top spot as the competitor who recently pitted despite being scored in seventh place. By then, Kirkwood was still leading ahead of Ilott, Rahal, Carpenter, Larson and Simpson, all of whom have yet to pit under green. Dixon and Newgarden would spend the next five laps gaining drafts and swapping spots over one another through the frontstretch as they moved up the leaderboard into fourth and fifth. Meanwhile, Larson, who cycled into the lead a lap earlier after Ed Carpenter pitted, was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Simpson with 20 laps remaining as Newgarden, Rossi and Dixon moved up into the top five.

    Four laps later, Larson surrendered the lead to pit under green. Once Simpson pitted during the next lap, Newgarden cycled into the lead as he held a three-tenths of a second advantage over a hard-charging Rossi, with Dixon and O’Ward also trailing by within seven-tenths of a second. Rossi would then overtake Newgarden from the outside lane through the frontstretch to lead with 13 laps remaining. Behind, O’Ward overtook Dixon for third place while Rossi was trying to muscle away with the lead.

    Down to the final 12 laps of the event, Newgarden rocketed past Rossi from the inside lane through the frontstretch to reassume the lead while O’Ward was trying to close in on teammate Rossi for the runner-up spot. With Dixon trailing in fourth place by more than a second and Rossi trying to close back towards Newgarden’s rear bumper, Newgarden continued to lead by two-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining.

    With nine laps remaining, Rossi gained another draft on Newgarden to reassume the lead through the frontstretch. As Rossi led by three-tenths of a second during the next lap, O’Ward was trying to fend off Dixon for third place while Kirkwood, Palou and McLaughlin trailed from fifth to seventh, respectively.

    Then with seven laps remaining, Newgarden reclaimed the lead while O’Ward seized an opportunity to rocket past teammate Rossi through the frontstretch as he assumed the runner-up spot. O’Ward then made his move beneath Newgarden to assume the lead through the frontstretch with five laps remaining before Newgarden reassumed the top spot during the proceeding lap. Newgarden would proceed to retain the lead by a narrow margin over O’Ward during the next two laps.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, O’Ward made his move to the outside lane and overtook Newgarden to assume the lead, where he retained it through the first two turns. Then while trying to muscle away as he swerved his car to the left and right to not give Newgarden any drafting momentum, the latter was able to gain enough momentum to make a bold move to the outside lane entering Turn 3 and zip by O’Ward. With the lead back within his grasp and O’Ward losing ground, Newgarden was able to muscle away with the lead for two final turns and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his second consecutive checkered flag at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    With the victory, Newgarden became the 21st competitor overall to win the Indianapolis 500 multiple times and the first to win the event in back-to-back seasons since Helio Castroneves made the last accomplishment between 2001 and 2002. The 2024 Indy 500 victory marks Newgarden’s 30th of his NTT IndyCar Series career and the first of the season, which made him the fourth winner through the season’s first five events on the schedule.

    The victory served as a redemptive moment for Newgarden and his No. 2 Team Penske team as they were disqualified from winning the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to violating rules involving their use of the push-to-pass system. The disqualification also affected their teammate Will Power, who initially finished third in the event. Earlier this month, Team Penske suspended several key members from their organization, including managing director Ron Ruzewski and team president Tim Cindric.

    “[The critics] can say whatever they want after this point. I don’t care anymore,” Newgarden said on the frontstretch on NBC. “I’m just so proud of the team. They crushed it. They came here with the fastest cars. We worked our tails off, Team Chevy brought it. [Race engineer] Luke [Mason], Tim [Cindric], they’re not here today, but they’re a huge part of this. I’m just so proud of everybody for Team Penske. That’s the way I wanted to win the [race] right there.”

    “I knew we could win this race again and [it was] just a matter of getting it right,” Newgarden added in Victory Lane. “There’s no better way to win a race than that. I got to give it up to Pato [O’Ward] as well. He’s an incredibly clean driver. It takes two people to make that work, so it’s not just a good pass. It’s also someone that you’re working with that’s incredible clean. He could’ve easily won this race too, but it just fell our way. I just went for it. I said, ‘Alright, the car’s good enough. You guys have done your job Let me drive to the front.’ [The team] backed me the entire way. You can’t win this race without a great car. It’s the best car in the field, so hats off to the team. It’s always a team win. Today epitomizes the team victory. It’s a team win on the pole, it’s a team win today. I’m thankful for Roger Penske. He’s stood by me. He’s the man, he’s a legend. There’s no one that I’ve ever met that cares more about the fan and the experience than that man. I promise you, he cares so much about this place and I’m thankful for him.”

    In addition, Newgarden, who achieved his second Indy 500 victory following a last-lap pass for a second consecutive season after overtaking Marcus Ericsson for the win a year ago, had the honors of bestowing the record-setting 20th Indianapolis 500 victory to team owner Roger Penske, who is also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    “It’s a dream come true,” Penske said. “You think about all these fans that were here today. [They] Waited five hours to see that race. Unbelievable finish. I never saw one car get ahead by a couple of seconds. For me, it’s a job we love to do. We love to win. I think this puts away a lot of the things we talked about who we are and where we are. We’re winners.”

    As Newgarden fought back tears of joy and relief in Victory Lane, O’Ward, who led 12 laps and was striving to become the first Mexican competitor to win the Indy 50, fought back tears of disappointment on pit road after settling in the runner-up spot in the 500 for a second time in three seasons.

    “It’s hard to put it into words,” O’Ward said. “I’m proud of the work that we did today. We recovered. We went back, we went forward, we went back. Some people were driving like maniacs. We had so many near race-enders and [we were] just so close again. So close. I put that car through things I never thought it was going to be able to do. Somehow I came out the other side of the corner. It’s just so painful when you put so much into it and [we were] two corners short. [This track] owes me nothing. I much rather have finished the race rather than compared to last year, but it’s always a heartbreak whenever you’re just so close, especially when it’s not the first time. You just don’t know how many opportunities like that you have.”

    Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner, came home in third place followed by Alexander Rossi, both of whom led 12 laps apiece, while Alex Palou, the 2024 Sonsio Grand Prix winner and two-time series champion, finished fifth.

    “[The finish] was like a win, obviously,” Dixon said. “We had some ups and downs  through the race. We definitely just didn’t have the speed today, unfortunately. It was just one of those days where I feel like everybody gave each other pretty good room. We had some incidents here and there, but it was wild to watch. Obviously at the end there, when you’re going for third place, you see the first two mixing it up. You hope they’re going to crash into each other, unfortunately, but that’s just the way it goes.”

    “The fuel number I had to hit, I couldn’t lead.” Rossi added. “Just an amazing effort for the whole Arrow McLaren organization and Team Chevy. It was an amazing month. It’s really hard when you come away from this event not thinking you should’ve changed anything and still, the result isn’t there. I look back and there’s nothing to this month that I would’ve done any differently. The car was great. When you can’t win with that, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”

    “I didn’t have a perfect day, but almost,” Palou added. “Strategy wasn’t the best in our case, but [it] still was good. We tried. We gave everything we had. [We] Didn’t have the ultimate speed today and had fun passing some cars. Pretty happy to finish P5. Not the best result, obviously here, but it was a good race.”

    Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood, Santino Ferrucci, Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly completed the top 10 in the final running order.

    Notably, Kyle Larson finished 18th in both his first career start in the NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. In addition, Takuma Sato finished 14th ahead of Graham Rahal, Sting Ray Robb, who led 23 laps as part of his strategic moves, finished 16th ahead of Ed Carpenter and Helio Castroneves ended up 20th,

    There were 52 lead changes for 18 different leaders. The event featured eight cautions for 47 laps. In addition, 21 of 33 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the fifth event of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Alex Palou leads the championship standings by 20 points over Scott Dixon, 26 over Will Power, 49 over both Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, 52 over Scott McLaughlin and 61 over Josef Newgarden.

    Results.

    1. Josef Newgarden, 26 laps led

    2. Pato O’Ward, 12 laps led

    3. Scott Dixon, 12 laps led

    4. Alexander Rossi, 12 laps led

    5. Alex Palou, one lap led

    6. Scott McLaughlin, 64 laps led

    7. Kyle Kirkwood, two laps led

    8. Santino Ferrucci, eight laps led

    9. Rinus VeeKay, eight laps led

    10. Conor Daly, 22 laps led

    11. Callum Ilott, one lap led

    12. Christian Rasmussen, one lap led

    13. Christian Lundgaard, four laps led

    14. Takuma Sato

    15. Graham Rahal, one lap led

    16. Sting Ray Robb, 23 laps led

    17. Ed Carpenter, three laps led

    18. Kyle Larson, four laps led

    19. Romain Grosjean

    20. Helio Castroneves

    21. Kyffin Simpson, three laps led

    22. Agustin Canapino, one lap down

    23. Colton Herta – OUT, Contact

    24. Will Power – OUT, Contact

    25. Marco Andretti – OUT, Contact

    26. Ryan Hunter-Reay – OUT, Contact

    27. Felix Rosenqvist – OUT, Mechanical

    28. Linus Lundqvist – OUT, Contact

    29. Katherine Legge – OUT, Mechanical

    30. Marcus Armstrong – OUT, Mechanical

    31. Tom Blomqvist – OUT, Contact

    32. Marcus Ericsson – OUT, Contact

    33. Pietro Fittipaldi – OUT, Contact

    Next on the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at the Streets of Detroit, Michigan. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, June 2, and air at noon ET on USA Network.

  • Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti will be elevating his racing resume to new heights by competing on a part-time basis across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series divisions in 2024.

    The 36-year-old, third-generation Andretti from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will be joining forces with Cook Racing Technologies for 14 ARCA events, beginning at Daytona International Speedway in February, and make seven Truck Series starts with Roper Racing, which is aligned with Cook Racing Technologies, beginning at Circuit of the Americas in late March.

    Andretti’s other Truck starts with Roper Racing will include Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July, the Milwaukee Mile in August, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway in September, Homestead-Miami Speedway in October and the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

    The news comes as Andretti is coming off an eventful season, where he competed in his 18th consecutive Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 17th. He also competed in the Camping World SRX Series, where he finished in the runner-up spot in the final standings, and made his first three Truck Series career starts with Spire Motorsports, where he notched two top-20 results and a season-best 18th-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway last October.

    “I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars. I also want to do it the right way and not go right to the top of their sport on my INDYCAR and SRX merit as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series. I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun with Bruce and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive right out of the gate.”

    To date, Andretti, the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti and the son of former racer Michael Andretti, has achieved two victories, six poles, 20 podiums and 1,035 laps led in 251 starts in the NTT IndyCar Series, with his best result in the Indy 500 being a runner-up result during his event’s debut in 2006. Having achieved championships in Skip Barber National division and the SRX Series along with making a single start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Andretti made his NASCAR national touring series debut in the Xfinity Series level at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October 2022 with Big Machine Racing Team, where he ended up in 36th place.

    The addition of Andretti to Cook Racing Technologies brings excitement for Bruce Cook, co-owner of the team who will serve as Andretti’s crew chief, as the organization is coming off the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West owner’s championship and three victories produced between Landen Lewis and Kaden Honeycutt.

    “I am looking forward to working with Marco and helping him to develop and grow as a driver in stock cars,” Cook said. “Marco has a proven track record across multiple racing platforms. I think with some more seat time and guidance in the stock car world, he’ll be able to compete up front on a regular basis.”

    Marco Andretti’s part-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. His part-time campaign in the Craftsman Truck Series is set to occur at Circuit of the Americas on March 23 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Allmendinger claims fourth consecutive Charlotte Roval Xfinity Series win

    Allmendinger claims fourth consecutive Charlotte Roval Xfinity Series win

    The road course dominance of AJ Allmendinger continued under a sunny afternoon in Concord, North Carolina, after he claimed a late dominant victory in the fifth annual Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday, October 8. It was his fourth consecutive Xfinity Series win at the Charlotte Roval as the field for the Playoff’s Round of 8 was set.

    The 40-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, led two times for a race-high 25 of 72 over-scheduled laps. Allmendinger capitalized on two overtime attempts while also dealing with power steering issues to overtake and hold off Ty Gibbs to claim his historic fourth consecutive Xfinity Series victory at the Roval. This also marked his second consecutive win following a last-lap photo-finish victory over Sam Mayer at Talladega Superspeedway. Allmendinger was one of eight competitors to officially transfer to the Playoff’s Round of 8.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Allmendinger claimed his fourth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a 102.235 mph lap in 81.694 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff competitor Ty Gibbs, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 102.144 mph in 81.767 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Scott Heckert, Ryan Vargas and Kris Wright dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars along with Playoff competitor Noah Gragson, who started the event in a backup car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Allmendinger battled and fended off Gibbs to lead the field through the first two turns and approaching the infield road course turns. As the field jostled for positions through the infield and back to the oval turns, Allmendinger remained out in front over Gibbs, Daniel Hemric, Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed. Through the backstretch chicane and back to the frontstretch chicane, Allmendinger retained the top spot by a decent advantage as he navigated his way back to the start/finish line and led the first lap.

    By the second lap, Allmendinger was out in front by seven-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Hemric, Allgaier and Creed while Sam Mayer, Landon Cassill, Austin Hill, Jeremy Clements and Sage Karam were in the top 10.

    Then on the third lap, early trouble struck for Playoff competitor Daniel Hemric, who went off the track and hit the wall in Turn 5 and damaged the left side of his No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro. Following an unscheduled pit stop for repairs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion returned to the track but plummeted to the bottom of the leaderboard.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Allmendinger was leading by nearly one-and-a-half seconds over Gibbs while Allgaier, Creed, Mayer, Cassill, Hill, Clements, Sage Karam and Riley Herbst were running in the top 10. By then, six of 12 Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 as Josh Berry was in 12th, Brandon Jones was scored in 16th, Ryan Sieg was running behind Jones in 17th, Gragson was in 20th and Hemric was mired back in 38th, dead last.

    Four laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Kris Wright wrecked in the first turn. Wright’s incident occurred two laps earlier after JJ Yeley spun all by himself in Turn 7. During the caution period, some of the drivers, including Gragson, pitted while the rest led by Allmendinger remained on the track.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 11, Allmendinger retained the lead ahead of Gibbs and the rest of the field.

    In the closing laps of the second stage, Marco Andretti, who was making his NASCAR debut in Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro, spun entering the backstretch chicane. In addition, Alex Labbe went off the course and got a sign stuck to his front end while Allgaier and Cassill spun together in Turn 4. In the midst of the on-track carnage, Creed, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones, Labbe, Kaz Grala and Hemric pitted while Allmendinger retained the lead. 

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 20, Allmendinger claimed his fourth stage victory of the 2022 season. Gibbs settled in second while Mayer, Hill, Herbst, Allgaier, Davison, Cassill, Berry and Karam were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Allmendinger pitted while the rest including Creed, Gragson, Karam, Brandon Jones, Alex Labbe, Ryan Sieg, Hemric, Grala, Josh Williams, Preston Pardus and Brandon Brown remained on the track. During the pit stops, Hill had the hood of his car up due to a power steering issue while Patrick Gallagher was penalized for speeding on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 22 as Karam and Gragson occupied the front row. At the start, Gragson used the outside lane to his advantage as he stormed to the lead entering the first turn followed by Creed while Karam was left to battle Brandon Jones for third place in front of the field.

    At the Lap 30 mark, Creed was leading ahead of Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Gragson and Karam while Hemric, Herbst, Labbe, Allmendinger and Mayer were running in the top 10. By then, six of 12 Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 as Allgaier was in 11th, Berry was in 13th, Clements was running in 15th, Sieg was back in 17th and Hill was mired back in 32nd. In the midst of the competition toward the front, Bayley Currey spun Brad Perez in Turn 8 as Andy Lally sustained damage from getting into Currey.

    At the halfway mark between Laps 33 and 34, Creed continued to lead by more than three seconds over Gibbs while Brandon Jones, Gragson and Karam remained in the top five. By then, Herbst carved his way up to sixth followed by Allmendinger, Mayer, Hemric and Allgaier while Labbe, Davison, Berry, Alfredo and Clements occupied the top 15.

    In the closing laps of the second stage, some of the drivers, including Karam, Labbe, Cassill, Stefan Parsons, Clements, Jeb Burton, Josh Bilicki, Allmendinger, Gragson and Gibbs, along with the leader, Creed, pitted under green while Brandon Jones cycled his way into the lead.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 40, Brandon Jones claimed his second stage victory of the 2022 season. Herbst settled in second while Mayer, Allgaier, Davison, Hemric, Berry, Alfredo, Creed and Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, six of 12 Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 while Sieg, Gragson, Allmendinger, Clements and Hill were mired in 12th, 17th, 18th, 26th and 30th, respectively. During the stage’s conclusion, Myatt Snider limped his No. 31 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road with a flat left-rear tire.

    Under the stage break, some of the drivers, led by Brandon Jones, pitted, while the rest led by Herbst remained on the track.

    With 24 laps remaining, the final stage started with Creed and Gibbs on the front row. At the start, Creed pulled ahead with the lead through the first turn while Gibbs fended off Allmendinger, Gragson and Karam to remain in second through the infield turns. As the field re-entered the oval turns and approached the backstretch chicane, Gibbs started to close in on Creed as he launched his bid for the lead while Allmendinger kept both within his sights.

    During the following lap, Gibbs moved into the lead over Creed entering the backstretch chicane while Allmendinger remained in third as he started to challenge Creed for the runner-up spot. Not long after, the caution flag flew again when Jeb Burton spun in Turn 6 after getting hit by teammate Anthony Alfredo before he was hit by Marco Andretti, whose NASCAR debut came to an end late in the event.

    When the race restarted under green with 19 laps remaining, Gibbs fended off Creed and a daring three-wide attempt from Allmendinger to lead the field through the infield turns and back to the oval turns. Shortly after, the caution flew when Preston Pardus was hit by Kaz Grala, who spun and got his car stalled backward in the backstretch chicane. In the midst of the carnage, Herbst, who was running toward the top 10, sustained significant damage to the left-rear area of his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang after a stack-up resulted in Davison hitting Herbst.

    During the following restart with 15 laps remaining, Gibbs jumped ahead and retained the lead while Allmendinger and Creed briefly battled for second as Allmendinger prevailed while Karam and Gragson were in the top five ahead of the field. While the field jostled for positions through the infield turns and the backstretch chicane, Gibbs stabilized his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Allmendinger while third-place Creed trailed by more than a second.

    A lap later, Herbst spun while exiting the backstretch chicane in 10th place. By then, Brad Perez hit the wall towards the backstretch while Joe Graf Jr. spun in Turn 6. Despite the incidents, the race remained under green flag conditions.

    With 12 laps remaining, however, the caution returned due to debris on the course after Herbst lost a flat left-rear tire carcass and sustained more damage to the left-rear area of his car. At the same time, Allgaier had a sign stuck to the front of his car.

    Three laps later, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Gibbs retained the lead with a strong start while Allmendinger battled and fended off Creed to retain the runner-up spot ahead of the field. Behind, a spin by Grala ignited a stack-up with cars wrecking in Turn 2 that involved Herbst, Patrick Gallagher, Ryan Vargas, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki and Brad Perez. Shortly after, Creed spun in Turn 7 after getting hit by Karam before the caution flew amid the carnage.

    Down to the final six laps of the event, the event restarted under green. At the start, Gibbs launched ahead with another strong start while Allmendinger fended off Karam for second place. Behind, teammates Gragson and Allgaier battled for fourth in front of Parsons, Brandon Jones and Labbe as the field scrambled for late positions through the infield turns and back to the oval turns.

    When the field returned to the frontstretch for the final five mark, Gibbs continued to lead by half a second over Allmendinger while Karam, Gragson and Allgaier remained in the top five. By then, Parsons remained in sixth ahead of Davison, Brandon Jones, Labbe and Berry while Mayer, Hemric, Kvyat, Casasill and Sieg were in the top 15.

    Then with four laps remaining, Karam spun from third and backed his car into the wall. As Karam continued and limped his car back to pit road, the race remained under green and Gibbs retained the lead ahead of Allmendinger. Karam’s incident allowed Gragson, Allgaier and Parsons to move up the leaderboard.

    Two laps later, the caution flew due to debris being reported on the track and the event was sent into overtime. By then, Gibbs had extended his advantage to a second over Allmendinger.

    At the start of the first overtime attempt, Gibbs and Allmendinger dueled for the lead entering the first turn. They rubbed fenders through the first two turns as Allmendinger muscled into the lead entering the third turn. Through the infield turns, Allmendinger and Gibbs pulled away from the field, with Allmendinger closing in on Gibbs. It did not take long, however, for the caution to fly again and send the event into a second overtime attempt when Herbst spun, slapped the wall between Turns 4 and 5 and picked up a billboard sign on the course. Herbst eventually retired with a wrecked race car.

    During the start of the second overtime attempt, Allmendinger and Gibbs dueled for the lead entering the first turn before Allmendinger pulled ahead and came out on top. Behind, Gibbs and Gragson battled for second while James Davison moved up to fourth in front of Allgaier. While Parsons spun in Turn 7, the field scattered to avoid hitting him as the race proceeded under green.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allmendinger remained the leader by more than a second over Gibbs and Gragson. While Gibbs tried to close in on Allmendinger through the infield turns, the oval turns and the backstretch chicane, Allmendinger had enough power to fend off and beat Gibbs to the finish line by half a second.

    In addition to claiming his fourth consecutive victory at the Roval along with his second win in recent weeks, Allmendinger recorded his 15th career victory in the Xfinity Series, his 10th on a road course venue and his fifth of the 2022 season. The victory was also the 19th overall in the Xfinity circuit for Kaulig Racing.

    “It’s unbelievable,” Allmendinger said on NBC. “All the credit goes to all the men and women at Kaulig Racing. This Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy was pretty good, but Ty [Gibbs] was really good there at the end. I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to get him. I knew I could just get to one restart on the outside of him, at least, we had a chance. I was whining pretty bad there. I was frustrated, didn’t think we had a shot, but I’m always gonna put it on my back when it’s time to go. We got that one. We stole that one!”

    Gibbs settled in second place for the third time this season as he secured his spot in the Playoff’s Round of 8. Gragson came home in third place while James Davison and Justin Allgaier finished in the top five. Alex Labbe finished sixth followed by Brandon Jones, who secured the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by two points over Ryan Sieg. Berry, Sieg and Landon Cassill completed the top 10 on the track. Notably, Playoff competitors Mayer, Clements, Hemric and Hill ended up 11th, 14th, 17th and 29th, respectively, while Herbst, who was unable to finish, was scored in 32nd.

    AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Austin Hill and Brandon Jones have transferred to the Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and will continue in their pursuit of this year’s championship. Ryan Sieg, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Jeremy Clements have been eliminated from title contention. With Hemric, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, being among one of four competitors eliminated from Playoff contention, the 2022 Xfinity Series will be primed to feature a new champion at season’s conclusion.

    There were eight lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 15 laps.

    Results.

    1. AJ Allmendinger, 25 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Ty Gibbs, 24 laps led

    3. Noah Gragson, one lap led

    4. James Davison

    5. Justin Allgaier

    6. Alex Labbe

    7. Brandon Jones, three laps led, Stage 2 winner

    8. Josh Berry

    9. Ryan Sieg

    10. Landon Cassill

    11. Sam Mayer

    12. Anthony Alfredo

    13. Myatt Snider

    14. Jeremy Clements

    15. Daniil Kvyat

    16. Sheldon Creed, 18 laps led

    17. Daniel Hemric

    18. Jeb Burton

    19. JJ Yeley

    20. Brandon Brown

    21. Preston Pardus

    22. Scott Heckert

    23. Brad Perez

    24. Ryan Vargas

    25. Stefan Parsons

    26. Bayley Currey

    27. Joe Graf Jr.

    28. Timmy Hill

    29. Austin Hill, two laps down

    30. Sage Karam, two laps down

    31. Andy Lally, three laps down

    32. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    33. Patrick Gallagher – OUT, Engine

    34. Josh Bilicki, six laps down

    35. Kaz Grala – OUT, Accident

    36. Marco Andretti – OUT, Accident

    37. Josh Williams – OUT, Track bar

    38. Kris Wright – OUT, Accident

    *Bold indicates Playoff contenders

    Playoff standings

    1. AJ Allmendinger – Advanced

    2. Noah Gragson – Advanced

    3. Ty Gibbs – Advanced

    4. Josh Berry – Advanced

    5. Justin Allgaier – Advanced

    6. Sam Mayer – Advanced

    7. Austin Hill – Advanced

    8. Brandon Jones – Advanced

    9. Ryan Sieg – Eliminated

    10. Daniel Hemric – Eliminated

    11. Riley Herbst – Eliminated

    12. Jeremy Clements – Eliminated

    The Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to occur next Saturday, October 15, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Marco Andretti to make 250th IndyCar career start in Indy 500

    Marco Andretti to make 250th IndyCar career start in Indy 500

    Making his lone NTT IndyCar Series start of the season in one of motorsports’ iconic events, Marco Andretti is primed to achieve a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the third-generation driver of the Andretti racing family and the No. 98 Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda will make his 250th career start in the IndyCar circuit.

    A native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Andretti made his inaugural presence in the IndyCar Series during the 2006 season-opening event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. By then, he was coming off a part-time campaign in the Indy Pro Series, where he claimed three victories and finished 10th in the final standings. Driving the No. 26 Andretti Green Racing Honda, Andretti started 13th and finished 15th in his IndyCar debut after breaking his half shaft early in the event.

    After finishing no higher than 12th during his first three IndyCar career starts, Andretti’s opportunity in claiming his first IndyCar victory occurred during the following event, which was the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500, an event his grandfather, Mario, won at in 1969. During a four-lap shootout to the finish, Marco took the lead from his father, Michael, with three laps remaining and had appeared to have the victory sealed. During the final lap, however, Sam Hornish Jr., who restarted in the top 10 and was muscling his Team Penske Honda to the front, made a slingshot move on Andretti at the final straightaway and managed to edge Andretti by 0.064 seconds to emerge victorious. To this day, the margin of victory between Hornish and Andretti marks the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history. Despite losing in a photo finish, Andretti claimed the 2006 Indy 500 Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Entering the penultimate event of the 2006 IndyCar season at Sonoma Raceway in August, Andretti had racked up two additional top-five results and a total of five top-10 results as he was in ninth place in the standings. During the event at Sonoma, Andretti claimed his first IndyCar career victory after leading the final 30 laps. By then, he became the youngest winner in the IndyCar Series at the age of 19 years and 167 days. After finishing 18th during the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway in September, Andretti capped off his maiden IndyCar season in seventh place in the final standings.

    Throughout his sophomore IndyCar season in 2007, Andretti, who failed to finish in 10 of 17 scheduled events, only managed to achieve two podium results and a season-best second-place result at Iowa Speedway in June as he finished in 11th place in the final standings. Andretti’s junior IndyCar season in 2008 resulted with the third-generation competitor launching back to seventh place in the final standings in a year where he achieved four podiums, a season-best second place at Homestead, a third-place result in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 and starting on pole position for the first time in his career at the Milwaukee Mile in June.

    The 2009 IndyCar season marked Andretti’s first full-time season where he did not finish on the podium, but he recorded 11 top-10 results throughout the 17-race schedule and finished in eighth place in the final standings.

    After recording three podium results, including another third-place result in the Indy 500, and finishing eighth in the 2010 standings, Andretti claimed his second IndyCar career victory at Iowa Speedway in June after leading the final 19 laps and beating the 2004 IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan by nearly eight-tenths of a second. The victory snapped Andretti’s 79-race winless drought dating back to Sonoma 2006. To go along with a podium result at Japan’s Twi Ring Motegi Superspeedway, a ninth-place result in the 97th running of the Indy 500 and a total of seven top-10 results, Andretti finished in eighth place in the final standings for a third consecutive season.

    Andretti commenced the 2012 IndyCar season by making his 100th career start at the Streets of St. Petersburg in March, where he finished 14th. By then, Andretti Autosport swapped engine manufacturers from Honda to Chevrolet. After finishing no higher than 11th twice during the first eight scheduled events, he bounced back at Iowa in June, where he started third and finished second behind teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay. He went on to claim a pole and an eighth-place result in the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in September before settling in 15th place in the final standings.

    The 2013 IndyCar season marked Andretti’s consistent season to date. Commencing the season with a new number, 25, he finished on the podium twice during the first five scheduled events (a third-place result at the Streets of St. Petersburg in March and another third-place result at the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in May). He then claimed two poles in the summer (Milwaukee Mile in June and Pocono Raceway in July). Recording a total of 15 top-10 results throughout the 19-race schedule, including a fourth-place result in the Indy 500, Andretti capped off the season by finishing a career-best fifth place in the final standings.

    With Andretti Autosport returning to Honda engines in 2014, Marco recorded two podiums throughout the 18-race schedule, which included a second-place result at Barber Motorsports Park in April and a third-place result in the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May after leading 20 laps. After claiming seven additional top-10 results, Andretti finished in ninth place in the final standings.

    Sporting a new number, 27, to commence his 10th full-time season in IndyCar competition in 2015, Andretti tallied his podium results to 20 as he recorded two throughout the 16-race schedule, including a second-place result at The Raceway at Belle Isle in May and a third-place result at Auto Club Speedway in June. He concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings, which marked his eighth top-10 result in the final standings along with a total of 11 top-10 results.

    The 2016 IndyCar season marked the first time since 2009 where Andretti did not record a podium result throughout the season. He managed to finish as high as eighth place during the 2016 season finale act Sonoma Raceway in September before finishing in 16th place in the final standings. The following season, his best on-track result was a fourth-place run at the Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, before he settled in 12th place in the final standings. By then, Andretti reached 200 career starts in the IndyCar circuit. 

    Prior to the 2018 IndyCar season, Andretti Autosport swapped numbers for Marco and teammate Alexander Rossi that resulted with Rossi sporting the No. 27 and Andretti taking over the No. 98. Andretti managed to start on pole position in the first of a Belle Isle doubleheader feature in June, where he finished a season-best fourth place, and finish in the top 10 eight times before capping off the season in eighth place in the final standings.

    After finishing in the top 10 five times throughout the 17-race schedule and finishing 15th in the 2019 standings, Andretti claimed the pole position for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 over Scott Dixon in August. The accomplishment marked the first time an Andretti claimed the pole position for the 500 since grandfather Mario made the last accomplishment in 1987. During the main event, however, he did not lead a single lap and finished in 13th place. Throughout the 14-race scheduled that was shortened amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, his best on-track result was 10th place at Iowa Speedway in July as he ended up in 20th place in the final standings.

    In 2021, Andretti, who decided to step away as a full-time IndyCar competitor while pursuing other interests, made his lone start of the season in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, where he finished 19th.

    The 2022 Indianapolis 500 will mark Andretti’s 17th consecutive entrance in the Indy 500 as he is set to take the green flag in 23rd place of the 33-car field.

    Through 249 previous IndyCar starts, Andretti has achieved two victories, 20 podiums, six poles, 1,032 laps led and an average-finishing result of 12.3. He also holds an average-finishing result of 12.4 along with eight top-10 results in 16 previous appearances in the Indy 500.

    Andretti is scheduled to make his lone NTT IndyCar Series start of the season in the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29, with the event scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.

  • Marco Andretti scores elusive SRX win at Slinger Speedway

    Marco Andretti scores elusive SRX win at Slinger Speedway

    In a one-lap dash to the finish, Marco Andretti grabbed his first Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) victory at Slinger Speedway in the fifth of six races for the series.

    Andretti, a 16-year veteran of the NTT INDYCAR Series, was thrilled with the win.

    “Honestly, I know it’s not a popular win, but I tried to be as clean as possible,” he said. . “I’m so proud of him (Luke Fenhaus). I’m trying to learn from him, to be honest with you. Just delighted to be able to do it without touching him. I know it’s not a popular win, but us old guys have to get it when we can. He’s young, he’s got a lot of time ahead of him. I had so much fun.”

    Prior to the race, Andretti was awarded the pole and stayed up front until the caution on Lap 44. The Tennessee native swapped the lead multiple times with the “Local All-Star,” 17-year-old, Fenhaus, who won the 42nd Slinger Nationals Tuesday night.

    Following the first caution for the green-flag lap limit, Fenhaus and the Knoxville Raceway winner, Tony Stewart, battled side-by-side for the top spot. But, with the track being a half-mile, Stewart and Fenhaus couldn’t clear each other until the next yellow flew at Lap 92 as Stewart had just cleared Fenhaus for the lead.

    After the second green-flag lap limit caution, the restart came with 45 laps to go, but the race was slowed once again. The No. 15 of Michael Waltrip had trouble off Turn 2 and brought his car behind the wall.

    Two more cautions flags were flown with 15 laps and 12 laps to go. Following the Lap 138 caution for the contact between Greg Biffle and Helio Castroneves, Fenhaus was a man on a mission. It appeared as though he was on his way to winning once more at the famous track in Wisconsin.

    Unfortunately for the local favorite, Fenhaus would have to wait one more time, as the final yellow came out with one lap to go when Hailie Deegan turned Paul Tracy in Turn 4. Tracy, Waltrip, Castroneves, and Willy T. Ribbs were also involved in the melee.

    The yellow flag set up a green-white-checkered finish with two laps to go with Fenhaus and Andretti on the front row. Andretti got the advantage on Fenhaus going into Turn 1 and went on to win the SRX race in his fifth start.

    Fenhaus, who was strong throughout most of the night, leading 18 times for 92 laps, came home in second place.

    “I think he (Marco) jumped it a little bit, which didn’t help me at all,” said Fenhaus, who earned his spot in the 12-driver field by winning Tuesday night’s Slinger Nationals. “I was better on the top. I felt like we could roll on the outside. I was just worried that he’d shove me up the racetrack if I went to the outside. I probably would’ve lost either way. He would’ve run us hard. It is what it is. Second place, I can’t complain.”

    “We talked about it Monday before the Slinger Nationals and decided that if we won the Slinger Nationals, it was kind of a no-brainer to run SRX,” said Fenhaus, a rising senior at Wausau East High School. “I’m glad we came here, for sure. Just to come here and enjoy the experience and to soak it all in – it’s crazy and surreal, to say the least. I loved every minute of it. If I could do it again, I would. Hopefully, it leads in the right direction for my career.

    “It was an insane race. The race against Tony (Stewart) for that long, side-by-side, I’m glad we put on a show for the fans. I hope they all enjoyed it. It’s unreal to race against these guys. They’re so good at what they do. It’s hard to beat them.”

    Stewart, the championship points leader, rounded out the podium finishing in third.

    “My buddy Marco winning the race and us having another podium finish and gaining some more points in the standings with one race to go is a big deal to me,” said Stewart, a two-time winner already in the Camping World SRX Series. “The first five weeks of this series have been awesome. To go to three totally different racetracks – the three paved tracks are totally different from each other, and then two totally different dirt tracks – it’s been a lot of fun. To sit there each weekend and see how much fun everybody is having, that’s the payoff for all this. It’s payoff for all of us as drivers.

    “To get ready for this race, I watched some YouTube videos and Luke Fenhaus was the star of a lot of them. Getting to spend the day with that kid has been the highlight of my day, to be honest. He’s the most composed 17-year-old I’ve ever seen. There are kids in the (NASCAR) Truck Series and Xfinity Series who don’t have the composure that this guy’s got. I hope somebody will give him a shot, even if it’s a one-race deal to give him a crack at it and make himself a name.”

    Official Results following the SRX event at Slinger Speedway:

    1. Marco Andretti
    2. Luke Fenhaus
    3. Tony Stewart
    4. Hailie Deegan
    5. Bobby Labonte
    6. Ernie Francis Jr
    7. Willy T. Ribbs
    8. Greg Biffle
    9. Bill Elliott
    10. Helio Castroneves
    11. Paul Tracy
    12. Michael Waltrip

    Tony Stewart continues to lead the SRX Championship Points over Francis Jr. by 38 points.

    Up Next: The SRX Racing Series will head into their final race of the season at the Nashville Fairgrounds Saturday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET live on CBS.

  • Marco Andretti ‘In A Good Place’

    Marco Andretti ‘In A Good Place’

    Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 27 Snapple Honda for Andretti Autosport, is not only racing on his home track in Pocono this weekend, but he is also feeling ‘in a good place’ in his eleventh year in IndyCar.

    “I feel like I’m just coming into my own as a driver,” Andretti said. “I think it took a little too long, but I feel I’m in a good place.”

    “I feel like we can compete anywhere we roll off,” Andretti continued. “That’s a good feeling.”

    While Andretti feels he can compete anywhere, he is definitely looking forward to competing at the track where his family has so much history. In fact, his grandfather Mario has won at Pocono, his father Michael has finished third, and all three generations, including Marco, have sat on the Pocono Raceway pole.

    “If this track was anywhere in the world, I would love to race here,” Andretti said. “I honestly think it’s made for these race cars.”

    “It’s such a challenge, it’s so fun, and it presents good racing. And selfishly I can stay in my own bed.”

    Andretti has had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Pocono, having had two starts, one from the pole, but only has a ninth place best finish to show for it. He can, however, make some history at the track if he completes 200 laps at Pocono and then the final 85 laps of the season at Sonoma.

    If that occurs, Andretti would have completed 2,232 laps, joining competitor Tony Kanaan in the history books with his 3,305 laps completed.

    Andretti may be in a good place but he will also be facing some challenges at a race track that is definitely unique, as well as tricky to boot. And this weekend, the race will pose an even bigger challenge with the introduction of the new aero kit that occurred for the 2015 season.

    “I think it’s unknown because of how unique this place is,” Andretti said of the new aero package at Pocono.  “We’re pretty similar to Indianapolis, I guess you could say, with just the configuration of the car, except for the rear wing, I believe.”

    “Every track we’ve gone to this year has seemed to present a unique challenge.  It’s different all the time.  You can’t just roll off with previous setups and be successful.”

    “We’ve been really working at it, just trying to stay with it.”

    While comfortable at present, Andretti also has had some manufacturer changes to face when it comes to racing at his home track. In 2013, he ran with Chevy as his manufacturer and then last season ran with Honda as he is now.

    “Quite honestly, I think Honda definitely had the better fuel mileage in 2013. But that was with the single turbo,” Andretti said. “As soon as they went to the double, I think Chevy definitely caught up in that respect.”

    “But 2013 was too good to be true for a while,” Andretti continued. “We got a little mixed up with strategy. I don’t remember exactly the scenario. We led a ton of laps (88). The car was so good.”

    “Then last year was my fault,” Andretti said. “I had a pit-lane violation. Even with one short yellow, we were able to keep it in the top-10 or come back to the top-10.”

    “We had a decent car.”

    Andretti is also feeling in a good place as far as his No. 27 team, including racing under the watchful eye of his father.

    “Quite honestly, it’s been really good,” Andretti said. “I wouldn’t change anything on the 27 stand.   Dad is extremely good at calling races.   Dad and I, we’ve been getting along great.”

    “I think we’ve been stronger. We let a few go, but I’m really happy with the 27 team in general across the board.”

    “I don’t really know anything otherwise.  We’ve just been making this deal work.”

    Although Andretti acknowledged being in a good place behind the wheel of his IndyCar ride, he also thought that he might just consider a Formula One opportunity if offered.

    “It depends on a lot of the logistics, for sure,” Andretti said. “I mean, Formula One is still the cream of the crop for me.”

    “Having said that, it would be tough to leave because I am just coming into my own as a driver. Formula One would be like starting all over. The expectations wouldn’t be high maybe with that team. If you can go beat your teammate over there, that’s what people look at.”

    “Yeah, I would definitely take a strong look at it. But my heart right now lies over here. Those cars are definitely fun, but this is what I’ve grown up doing.”

    And just as he said for now, Andretti is in a good place and focused on getting the best finish that he can at Pocono, especially since he technically is not yet out of contention for the championship.  Andretti currently sits in the seventh spot in the standings.

    “It takes me staying out of trouble,” Andretti said. “You know, this is definitely one race that counts, especially this year.”

    “If I have any hope for the title, it’s a must win for me. Even with a win, I need some misfortunes of a few other drivers.”

    “Maybe some of the guys at the front, they’re going to be conservative, I just have to worry about me and try to maximize what we can do.  The rest will hopefully take care of itself.”

    “But we have to win this one for sure.”

     

  • The Final Word – A Racing Junky’s Sunday, from Monaco to Indianapolis to Charlotte

    The Final Word – A Racing Junky’s Sunday, from Monaco to Indianapolis to Charlotte

    It is the greatest day on the motorsports calender. We begin in southern Europe, head over to the Midwest United States, then back to stock car’s heartland in the southeast. Using my vast wealth, I guess I could have dropped by to visit Prince Albert before firing up my Star Trek transporter to take in the action in the New World, but I could not help but notice that I have a fair sized television screen, a nice comfy couch, with a refrigerator and a washroom just feet away. I did not even have to wear pants…though I did. Welcome to how I spent my Sunday.

    The first stop on the world tour was Monaco, where they have been racing on the two-mile layout in Monte Carlo since 1929. My first impression was that they must be out of their damn minds. No room, lots of turns and elevation changes. The next thing that strikes you is the opulence to remind us of all those things some have that most of us do not. Anyone else notice the yachts? Then there were the sponsors, and as I watched I wondered what products I might be able to afford or want. I did notice Johnnie Walker.

    Visually it was stunning, but as for racing, it was more like stunt driving. It was all Mercedes as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton led from the very start, with Rosberg taking his second straight Monaco victory as Hamilton held off a late charging Daniel Ricciardo with Red Bull. It was not my kind of racing, but it sure was one hell of a ride. If NASCAR could only put forth that kind of stimulating visual spectacular each and every week, they would never again have to worry about television ratings.

    An even older tradition continued as the Indianapolis 500 continued a competition that began in 1911. Twenty-seven-year-old Marco Andretti, still winless after eight attempts on this track, was considered the favorite going in, ahead of three-time winner Helio Castroneves. Former NASCAR full-timer Juan Pablo Montoya was also given a shot, at 8-to-1, but most fender fans were wondering how 30-to-1 driver Kurt Busch would do as he attempted the double, running both Indianapolis and Charlotte. Two hundred thousand were in the stands to watch 83-year old Jim Nabors who returned to sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” for the final time, and somewhere a bottle of milk was being chilled for the winner of the world’s biggest single day sports event. That turned out to be Florida’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, who passed Castroneves for the victory, with Andretti settling for third. Montoya brought it home in fifth, while Busch finished sixth.

    Oh, but Busch was not finished, not on this day. He was off to Charlotte, North Carolina and the Coca Cola 600 as the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champ had not even completed half of his on-track work just yet. Well, according to his engine, he actually was. It only lasted 400 miles before going up in smoke, same as that of teammate Danica Patrick. The trio who dominated much of the event finished on top, with Jimmie Johnson claiming his first of the season and 67th of his Cup career, ahead of Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. It was an interesting race, an enjoyable race, but no surprises loomed at the end of the night. So concluded a memorable Memorial Day for televised racing.

    As they reset for next Sunday’s action in Dover, Joey Logano and Harvick continue to lead the way atop the Cup standings with a couple of wins apiece. 12 races in and still more than 30 drivers have a shot at the Chase, and all it would take is a visit to Victory Lane this upcoming weekend.

    SWEET SIXTEEN
    1 Joey Logano – 2 WINS – 378 Pts
    2 Kevin Harvick – 2 WINS – 345
    3 Jeff Gordon – 1 WIN – 432
    4 Kyle Busch -1 WIN – 408
    5 Carl Edwards – 1 WIN –  408
    6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 1 WIN – 394
    7 Jimmie Johnson – 1 WIN – 388
    8 Brad Keselowski – 1 WIN – 361
    9 Denny Hamlin – 1 WIN – 340
    10 Kurt Busch – 1 WIN – 215
    11 Matt Kenseth – 421 POINTS
    12 Brian Vickers – 365
    13 Ryan Newman – 361
    14 Greg Biffle – 351
    15 Kyle Larson – 344
    16 Austin Dillon – 334

    CONTENTERS & PRETENDERS
    17 Paul Menard – 328
    18 Kasey Kahne – 324
    19 A.J. Allmendinger – 314
    20 Aric Almirola – 312
    21 Clint Bowyer – 309
    22 Marcos Ambrose – 303
    23 Tony Stewart – 299
    24 Jamie McMurray – 286
    25 Casey Mears – 282
    26 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 258
    27 Martin Truex, Jr. – 251
    28 Danica Patrick – 218
    29 Justin Allgaier – 205
    30 Michael Annett – 179

    PARTICIPANTS
    31 Cole Whitt – 164
    32 David Gilliland – 160
    33 Alex Bowman – 152
    34 David Ragan – 150
    35 Reed Sorenson – 145
    36 Josh Wise – 133

     

  • Scott Dixon and Team Ganassi Make Indy History at Pocono with Win; Podium Finish

    Scott Dixon and Team Ganassi Make Indy History at Pocono with Win; Podium Finish

    Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, made history at Pocono Raceway in the IZOD IndyCar Series as the eighth different winner in eleven races, scoring his 30th career win, as well as the 200th win for Honda and the 100th team finish for team Target.

    “Going into this morning, I was not thinking we could win,” Dixon said. “The team definitely hasn’t given up and you’ve got to hand it to Honda as well.”

    “The fuel mileage was the key today and we still had speed up front without having to save all the time.”

    “I don’t know what to say,” Dixon continued. “It’s the 100th win for Target as well which is just so fantastic.”

    “It’s been a long drought, almost a year, so it’s fantastic to be back in winner’s circle.”

    With the return of IndyCar Racing to Pocono Raceway for the first time since 1989, Team Ganassi also made history, finishing one, two, three for the first time ever in any form of competition, including IZOD IndyCar Series, CART, NASCAR or GRAND-AM.

    With teammate Scott Dixon in Victory Lane, Charlie Kimball, behind the wheel of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second, and teammate Dario Franchitti, behind the wheel of the No. 10 Energizer Honda for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished third.

    “The whole Chip Ganassi Racing crew, as evidenced by the 1-2-3 finish, was focusing on race day knowing that’s when it mattered,” Kimball, who matched his career best finish of second, said. “Throughout today, the guys made it better on each pit stop and the car just got quicker and quicker.”

    “A lot of credit to Honda, they gave us the fuel mileage and speed today.”

    “The Honda today, it’s so good on fuel mileage and that really, really helped us,” Franchitti, the third place finisher, said. “We went for a very aggressive downforce so every lap was an adventure.”

    “It was a good day.”

    “I had no idea we’d finish one, two, three after coming back late from Daytona,” Chip Ganassi, team owner, said. “When I got out of bed this morning, I wouldn’t have guessed this.”

    “I actually forgot that the next win would have been our 100th; it’s been so long since we’ve had a win,” Ganassi continued. “It’s a really great place to do it – in Pennsylvania, my home state.”

    “It’s great for the Series to have a 1-2-3 finish,” Ganassi said. “Honda needed a boost.”

    “The drivers did a great job and the team did a great job,” Ganassi continued. “Hopefully we’ve turned the corner.”

    Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. This was Power’s third top-five finish of the season.

    “I didn’t realize Charlie (Kimball) was for position,” Power said. “It was quite tough to pass.”

    “It was physical but a lovely track,” Power continued. “There was a good crowd and it was a good race.”

    “But it was an awesome day for Verizon.”

    Josef Newgarden, driving the No. 67 SFH Racing/Rotondo Weirich for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, rounded out the top-five, matching his best IndyCar Series finish of fifth in Sao Paulo.

    “We had a great day,” Newgarden said. “To get representable results, I’m super pleased for all our guys.”

    “Pocono is incredible,” Newgarden continued. “I wasn’t even born that time they had the last race here.”

    “We’ve got to come back here because it’s an IndyCar track,” Newgarden said. “I’m super pleased for our group.”

    The race was not without drama as James Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet, wrecked on the very first lap.

    “I’m not entirely sure what happened,” Hinchcliffe said. “We’ll have to take a look at it.”

    “The car just snapped loose on me,” Hinchcliffe continued. “We went a bit aggressive on setup because we had an understeering car all week, and we didn’t want that in the race.”

    “Maybe we overstepped it a bit; I’m not quite sure,” Hinchcliffe said. “It’s a 400-mile race so to go out on Lap 1 is just devastating.”

    “It’s really unfortunate.”

    Another pair of unhappy campers was Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 1 DHL Chevrolet, and Takuma Sato, behind the wheel of the No. 14 ABC Supply Co/A.J. Foyt Racing Honda, who collided on pit road.

    “I think I misjudged it,” Sato said. “Extremely sorry.”

    “It was my fault.”

    “I couldn’t believe it,” Hunter-Reay said. “I thought a plane crashed in there.”

    “I didn’t expect it would have been Sato,” Hunter-Reay continued. “We had a great car to challenge for the win and then get creamed from behind.”

    “He unplugged his brain entirely,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s just so frustrating when someone comes from nowhere completely unglued.”

    Hunter-Reay admitted that the hard hit on pit road exacerbated an injury with which he has been struggling.

    “I have to go get my thumb x-rayed now,” Hunter-Reay said. “That made it worse than it was before.”

    “It is what it is and we’ll deal with it.”

    The most upset driver, however, was hometown hero and third generation driver Marco Andretti. The driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport finished tenth after leading a race high 88 laps and sitting on the pole.

    This was the fifth race this season in which Andretti led and the fourth oval race he has led. Yet he still remains winless for the 2013 season.

    “I’m so frustrated right now,” Andretti said after the race. “We were so dominant.”

    “I’m just absolutely gutted,” Andretti continued. “I just sat there and watched the lead go away from me and it ripped my guts out.”

    Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, finished eighth and extended his points lead to 23 over Ryan Hunter-Reay after the Pocono IndyCar 400 Fueled by Sunoco.

    “For us getting a lot of points in the championship is fantastic,” Castroneves said. “It was a tough race.”

    “It was a lot of thinking and I’m terrible at thinking!” Castroneves continued. “It’s one of those races that nobody knows what to do.”

    “It was crazy and quite exciting,” Castroneves said. “At the end of the day, it was a great day for championship and that’s what we’ve got to think.”

  • Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato Take on Tricky Triangle

    Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato Take on Tricky Triangle

    Although legends the likes of A. J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Al Unser and Mario Andretti have raced there, it has been since 1989 that an open-wheel race occurred at Pocono Raceway.

    But on this July 4th holiday weekend, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Pocono with drivers like Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato, who hope to add their names to the list of winners at the track known as the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “So far, so good,” Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport, said after the first test session at Pocono. “I have to give credit to IndyCar for the aero and Firestone for the tire choice.”

    Andretti, a third generation racer who considers this is ‘home’ track, will make his first start at Pocono and his 125th career start.

    Although Andretti admits that he does go to his grandfather for advice, especially with his familiarity with the ‘tricky’ track, he said that this time he had to make it his own.

    “At this level of the sport, we have to learn by driving,” Andretti said. “My grandfather is supportive…but only if I’m quickest.”

    Andretti said that so far the triangle has been a bit ‘tricky’ from his perspective. But he is loving every minute of it, at least so far.

    “The trickiest part is getting the balance between turns one and three,” Andretti said. “You can make the car good in one corner and then not the others.”

    “That’s the cool part about this track.”

    Fellow competitor Dario Franchitti, driver of the No. 10 Energizer for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, echoed Andretti’s excitement at racing returning to Pocono, in spite of being on ‘Scotland time.’ He had been up bright and early at 6:00 am at Pocono after visiting his homeland for a weekend of rest and relaxation.

    “It’s great to be here at Pocono,” Franchitti said. “It’s a great rack.”

    “These cars are bloody quick right here.”

    Franchitti also agreed with Andretti that the triangle is a bit tricky, especially trying to negotiate the three very different corners.

    “It’s a tough place to figure out,” Franchitti said. “The tunnel turn – I don’t know what it will be like with ten cars in front of me.”

    “But I really hope there will not be ten cars in front of me.”

    Franchitti admitted that his season has been one of struggles, both on the road courses and the ovals. And when one of the media followed up with a question about his brief stint in NASCAR, Franchitti said that was equally as painful as his season so far.

    “I went to the dentist and had work without anesthesia and I broke my back,” Franchitti said. “It was less painful than NASCAR.”

    “This season has been tough,” Franchitti continued. “We haven’t got it together on road courses and we have struggled on the ovals.”

    “We went down the wrong development path with parts and it’s been a difficult year so far.”

    Takuma Sato, driving the No. 14 for A.J. Foyt Racing, echoed the excitement of his fellow drivers in making his first appearance ever at Pocono Raceway. And he even had an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery on his way into the track.

    “I’m very excited to be at Pocono,” Sato said. “It’s always interesting to be in a new venue, especially with the long history here.”

    “On the way to the track, it took me a half hour but it’s a nice drive,” Sato continued. “I like the nature.”

    Sato agreed with his fellow competitors that the three-cornered race track is indeed one of the most ‘tricky’ that he has ever experienced.

    “It’s quite a challenging track,” Sato said. “Quite tricky in Turn One.”

    “It took me awhile to get the right lines and figure out how to do it.”

    “Turns One and Three are challenging for both the driver and the engineers,” Sato said. “By myself I’m doing a good job but I’m not sure about in the pack.”

    “There is a huge balance shift between those two conditions.”

    Like Andretti, Sato has a mentor who has vast knowledge of the track in A.J. Foyt. So, did he garner any advice from him prior to taking to the track at the ‘Tricky Triangle?’

    “We talked about it knowing he is a master here,” Sato said of his mentor and owner Foyt. “But it’s a different time.”

    “He did give me tips about setting up the car,” Sato continued. “I’ll speak to him later today and tomorrow.”

    Sato was also incredibly analytical when it came to breaking down each of the three turns at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “Turn One is like Fontana because of the banking and that you have to go through all the seams,” Sato said. “In Turn Two, you have to be careful because it is easy and flat.”

    “Turn Two is like a little kink for me and there is no need to count it as a corner,” Sato continued. “Turn Three is Milwaukee-style, with no banking and a high speed.”

    “There is a sensation of the cars that feels weird and challenging too,” Sato said. “It is a good corner.”

    Two of the three drivers were also asked to react to another change just announced by INDYCAR race director Beaux Barfield, the return of the three-wide start to the race. So, what did they think of that change?

    Marco Andretti definitely had some thoughts on the three-wide start, the types of which have been utilized for the Indy 500 since 1921 and also at Pocono Raceway in the 1970s and 1980s for the ‘triple crown’ legs.

    “That one is really for the fans,” Andretti said. “I’m all about tradition so I love it.”

    “I’m just hoping we can get it sorted out by Turn One.”

    Dario Franchitti agreed that the three-wide race start may be quite interesting at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “Three wide won’t be an issue at first because it’s so wide,” Franchitti said. “But Turn One narrows up quickly, so that will be the tricky part.”

    Probably the driver with the highest expectations placed upon him at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, however, is hometown ‘son’ and hero Marco Andretti. While he feels a win would be spectacular at his home track, he really just wants to get that ‘W’ in the worst way.

    “The monkey is on my back anyway for a win,” Andretti said. “We’re on the right track.”

    “But a win here would be extra special.”

  • Jarett Andretti, Third Generation Racer, Just Enjoying the Ride

    Jarett Andretti, Third Generation Racer, Just Enjoying the Ride

    Photo Credit: jarettandretti.com
    Photo Credit: jarettandretti.com

    Jarett Andretti may have a famous racing last name and racing in his blood, but for now he is simply enjoying the ride.

    And for this third-generation driver, grandson of Aldo and son of John Andretti, the ride not only includes pursuing a college education but also racing sprint cars for the company owned by second cousin Michael Andretti.

    “It started last year,” Andretti said. “Me and my dad were talking about what we wanted to do in the 2012 season.”

    “And he said we should do dirt sprint cars,” Andretti continued. “And at that point, I had never even been in a dirt sprint car or driven too much on dirt.”

    “We acquired different cars and we put together our best car to run,” Andretti said. “We didn’t run as good as we hoped to run.”

    “So, this year we really knew what we were going to do,” Andretti continued. “We hired our crew chief, bought cars and a motor and Superior Auto came on board as a sponsor.”

    “Everything fell in line to do 30 or 40 races this season in Indiana.”

    Andretti’s new sponsor, Superior Auto, is also excited about partnering with the young driver as his career blossoms.

    “Jarett is the next line of great racers in the Andretti family,” Chad Melchi, President of Superior Auto, said. “He’s proving himself to live in the footsteps of his great family name.”

    “All of us at Superior Auto want to be a part of his journey as he continues to grow.”

    Andretti actually has a unique racing resume, especially since he did not even start racing until he was 17 years old. Prior to that, he was a devoted soccer player and would have played in college except for being bitten by the racing bug.

    “I played soccer for a long time and then my dad bought a go kart,” Andretti said. “He thought it would be fun to spend some time together but he might regret it after all this.”

    “We didn’t know what the next step was but decided to go dirt sprint car racing,” Andretti continued. “I also got an opportunity to run Oswego Speedway in a super-modified class and won Rookie of the Year last year.”

    “My career is like my father’s in a sense because I drive whatever I get the opportunity to be in,” Andretti said. “That’s why we wanted to do dirt sprint car too.”

    “In Indiana you can run three nights a week,” Andretti continued. “So, when I’m not running on pavement, I’ll just get in the dirt sprint car and that will be great experience for me.”

    In addition to racing whatever he can get his hands on, the young Andretti is also a sophomore at North Carolina State University, where he is studying business administration and marketing. And of course, his is all in at school where he participates in the honors program.

    “It’s alright,” Andretti said about his classroom career. “On Thursday and Friday, I take online classes so I can go racing on the weekends.”

    “But it’s tough to get back Sunday night or Monday morning and go to school and keep up with it all,” Andretti admitted. “There’s homework and studying during the week so I can go racing.”

    “It balances out,” Andretti said. “You care about school and you want to go racing.”

    “It’s a challenge to make it all work but it’s worth it.”

    What also motivates the young racer is the support of his family, especially since they have allowed him to find his own way in the sport.

    “There was no pressure about racing from my family,” Andretti said. “In fact, my mom has been quoted as saying “I kept him out of it this long.” So, that was her accomplishment.”

    “But my family has been nothing but supportive,” Andretti continued. “My father has been supportive and has given me guidance.”

    “My mom is supportive as well with me being away at college and then away racing too,” Andretti said. “She takes care of my two younger sisters and they have been supportive as well.”

    “So, it’s a family effort, even with my grandfather Aldo, who comes to the track and is over there washing the car,” Andretti continued. “Mario, Michael and Marco are also supportive as well.”

    “Michael let me test in October so it’s all a family effort like most things.”

    So what does the future hold for the youngest Andretti racer?

    “I think it’s tough to answer because it’s where the opportunity falls,” Andretti said. “I’d be happy to run Le Mans and Daytona and run dirt the rest of the year.”

    “I’m not picky about where I go,” Andretti continued. “I think the opportunity will be something with fenders, either in sports cars or NASCAR.”

    “IndyCar right now doesn’t seem to have many opportunities for young kids and that’s disappointing,” Andretti said. “But that’s the way it is.”

    “Really, I just want to win races,” Andretti said. “And I just like to drive race cars.”

    “Right now, I’m just enjoying the ride.”