Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Roger Penske

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.

May 27, 2024
Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

A significant milestone is in the making for veteran Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he battles for a spot in this year’s Playoffs. When the green flag waves in the upcoming Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, Newman will achieve 750 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

A native of South Bend, Indiana, who started his racing career in the United Midget Auto Racing Association and the All-American Midget Series before moving to USAC, Newman achieved three ARCA victories while driving for team owner Roger Penske in 2000 before he made his first NASCAR start at Phoenix in the Cup Series in November 2000. Driving the No. 02 Alltel Ford for Penske led by crew chief Matt Borland, Newman started 10th and finished 41st due to an engine failure.

In 2001, while Newman was pursuing his B.S. degree in engineering at Purdue University, he competed in 15 Xfinity Series events and seven Cup Series events for Penske. In the Xfinity side, he achieved his first career win at Michigan International Speedway in August. He also earned six poles, two top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average result of 12.6. In the Cup side, he achieved his first career pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Despite a strong start, where he led the first 10 laps, he wrecked in Turn 3 the following lap and retired in last place of the 43-car field. Overall, he earned two top-five results, including a career-best runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in September behind Jeff Gordon, in seven Cup starts.

In 2002, Newman graduated to a full-time driving role for Penske and in the No. 12 Alltel Ford for Penske led by Borland. Through the first 11 races, Newman earned a pole and four top-10 results, including a second-place finish at Richmond in May. The following race, which was The Winston (All-Star Race) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman was one of two competitors to transfer to the main event from The Winston Open after winning the No Bull 5 Sprint. In a five-lap shootout in the main event, Newman held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win The Winston and a total of $750,000. He became the first Cup competitor to win The Winston after transferring from the Open since Michael Waltrip made the last accomplishment in 1996 and the first to do so from the No Bull 5 Sprint. From the Coca-Cola 600 in May through Richmond in September, Newman earned 11 top-10 results and four runner-up finishes. The following race at New Hampshire, Newman achieved his first Cup career win in his 35th series start. For the final nine races of the 2002 season, Newman earned five six top-10 results and three poles before he concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. In the end, Newman emerged as the Rookie-of-the-Year recipient over Jimmie Johnson with 14 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. His six poles were the most achieved by a rookie competitor.

Newman started off the 2003 season on a rough note by flipping in the Daytona 500 in February following contact with Ken Schrader. It took until Texas Motor Speedway in April for Newman to achieve his first victory of the season and the second of his Cup career. The 2003 Cup season was an up-and-down season for the Indiana native. The pros to the season were the driver of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge achieving a season-high eight victories (winning at tracks like Dover, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond and Kansas), 17 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. In addition, Newman earned a season-high 11 poles and was nicknamed “The Rocket Man” for his strong qualifying efforts and pole awards. The downside to Newman’s sophomore season was that he earned seven DNFs, including his flip at Daytona and after triggering a vicious 27-car wreck in the early laps at Talladega in April when he blew a tire in the middle of the pack, made hard contact against the Turn 1 outside wall and nearly flipped. He went on to conclude the season in sixth place in the final standings.

Throughout the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series season, Newman won two races (Michigan in June and Dover in September) and recorded nine poles. He also earned 11 top-five results and 14 top-10 results as he was one of 10 competitors to make the inaugural postseason battle in the Cup Series. He concluded the season in seventh-place in the final standings. Prior to the conclusion of the 2004 season, Newman surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

In 2005, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in nine Xfinity Series races in the No. 39 Alltel/Penske Dodge. Throughout the 2005 Cup season, he won only one race (New Hampshire in September) and he earned eight poles, eight top-five results and 16 top-10 results. In addition, he made the Playoffs and concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings for the third time in his career. In nine Xfinity starts, he won six races, including the season finale at Homestead while also winning at Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Dover and Charlotte.

In 2006, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in six Xfinity races in the No. 39 Mobil 1/Alltel/Penske Dodge. The 2006 Cup season was a down season for the Indiana native, who went winless and only earned two poles, two top-five results and seven top-10 results. In addition, he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 18th place in the final standings. His best result in the Xfinity Series was a runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway in February. Following 2006, Newman surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

Throughout the 2007 Cup season, Newman achieved five poles, seven top-five results and 15 top-10 results before he concluded the Cup season in 13th place. He also made eight Xfinity starts, where he earned two top-five results and three top-10 results. In 2008, Newman received a draft from teammate Kurt Busch to pass Tony Stewart on the final lap and win the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The victory was Newman’s 13th of his Cup career, it snapped his winless drought dating back to September 2005 and it was the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Roger Penske. Despite winning the 500, Newman only achieved one more top-five results, one pole and a total of eight top-10 results before he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. Throughout the season, he made two Xfinity starts (Watkins Glen in the No. 22 FitzBradshaw Racing and at Homestead in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.). He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October while driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for KHI, which he won following a late battle with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. To August 2020, Newman is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series. Following 2008, he also surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

Midway into the 2008 season, Newman announced his departure from Penske to drive for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Driving the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet for SHR with support from crew chief Tony Gibson, Newman finished 36th in his first start with SHR. Though he did not record a victory, the 26-race regular-season stretch was a consistent run for Newman as he achieved 12 top-10 results and made the 2009 Playoffs along with teammate/owner Tony Stewart, which marked his first appearance in the Playoffs since 2005. At Talladega in October, he was involved in a harrowing accident in the closing laps when he was sent airborne and landed upside down on Kevin Harvick’s hood before he slid across and down the banking on his roof and flipped once before he came to rest on his roof. He was able to emerged uninjured. For the final 10 races, he earned three more top-10 results and concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings. Throughout the 2009 season, he made 10 Xfinity starts between the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc., the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and the No. 1 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. His best run was at Talladega in April, where he started on pole and was in prime position of winning before he was edged by David Ragan at the finish line. He also made two Truck starts in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. as he finished in fourth place in both races.

Through the first six races of the 2010 Cup season, Newman finished no higher than fourth place. The following race at Phoenix, Newman, sporting the Tornados Ruiz Foods colors on his car and racing on two fresh tires on a two-lap shootout, overtook Jeff Gordon for the lead and held off Gordon to win as he achieved his first victory since the 2008 Daytona 500 and his first with Stewart-Haas Racing. He also recorded the first victory for veteran crew chief Tony Gibson. Though he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings, Newman and the No. 39 Chevrolet team achieved 12 additional top-10 results and a pole. He also made 12 Xfinity starts, all with Phoenix Racing, and he earned seven top-10 results.

Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch of the 2011 Cup season, Newman won one race (New Hampshire in July) and earned 13 top-10 results as he made the Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. For the remaining 10 races of the season in the Playoffs, Newman recorded four additional top-10 results and concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings while Tony Stewart went on to win his third Cup championship. Newman also competed in one Xfinity event and one Truck event throughout 2011, both with Turner Motorsports. Following 2011, he surpassed 400 starts.

After finishing in the top 10 in two of the first five Cup races in 2012, Newman, sporting the Outback Steakhouse colors on his No. 39 SHR Chevrolet, made a late pass for the at Martinsville Speedway in April following a restart collision that knocked out Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer, and he went on to win following a late battle with A.J. Allmendinger. Throughout the season, he earned six top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 14th place in the standings while missing the Playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. He also made one Xfinity start at Texas in November with Turner Motorsports, where he finished 19th.

For the first 19 races of the 2013 Cup season, Newman earned eight top-10 results. The following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his home track, he started off the weekend by achieving his 50th Cup career pole. On race day, he and crew chief Matt Borland opted for a two-tire pit stop in the closing laps to beat Jimmie Johnson and achieve his first victory of the season at Indianapolis in front of a home crowd. For the next five Cup races, Newman earned two additional top-five results. At Richmond in September, he took the lead late in the race and was in position of claiming a second victory and qualifying for the Playoffs when Clint Bowyer spun late in the race. Following an ensuing pit stop, where Newman exited in fifth place, he made his way up to third place, but he missed the Playoffs in a tiebreaker with Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer’s teammate. A few days later, however, Newman replaced Truex in the Playoffs along with Jeff Gordon after NASCAR determined that Bowyer’s spin was intentional in an effort for Truex to make the Playoffs and place two Michael Waltrip Racing cars in the postseason. He went on to achieve six additional top-10 results before he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings. He also competed in the inaugural Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, where he finished in third place. Following 2013, Newman surpassed 500 starts.

After five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman joined forces with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Luke Lambert in 2014 while SHR expanded to a four-car operation as Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch joined the organization. He finished 22nd in his first start with RCR in the Daytona 500 and went on to achieve nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. For the first eight races in the Playoffs, he earned five top-10 results. At Phoenix in November, Newman made a heroic bump and last lap pass on rookie Kyle Larson to finish in 11th place and earn a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he finished second on track and in the final standings to race winner and the champion Kevin Harvick. Overall, he earned five top-five results and 16 top-10 results in his first season with RCR and the runner-up result in the standings was his best in his 13th full-time season in the Cup Series.

Throughout the 2015 and 2016 Cup seasons, Newman earned seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results while achieving a best points result of 11th place in 2015. He also made one Truck start at Kansas in May in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, where he finished second. Following 2016, Newman surpassed 600 starts. In 2017, following the first three races, Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert gambled in the closing laps by remaining on track on old tires with the lead. In a two-lap shootout, Newman held off Larson to win his first Cup race since the 2013 Brickyard 400 and his first with RCR. He concluded the 2017 season with a total of seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and a 16th-place result in the final standings along with his Phoenix win.

After five seasons with Richard Childress Racing and coming off a disappointing 2018 season, where he only earned nine top-10 results and concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings, Newman moved to Roush Fenway Racing to pilot the iconic No. 6 Ford Mustang in the 2019 Cup Series season led by crew chief Scott Graves. Newman finished 14th in his first race with RFR in the Daytona 500 and he earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. Following finishes of 10th, fifth and 32nd in the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, he was eliminated from title contention. He went on to earn three additional top-10 results and conclude the season in 15th place in the final standings. Following 2019, Newman surpassed 700 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

This season, Newman started off 19th full-time season in the Cup Series on a harrowing note. He was in prime position of winning his second Daytona 500 entering the frontstretch until a bump from Blaney turned Newman’s No. 6 Ford across the track and into the outside wall, where he flipped upside down and was hit on the driver’s side by an oncoming Corey LaJoie. The impact launched Newman into the air and across the finish line in ninth place before he came to rest on his roof with oil leaking and flames bursting out of his car. Following the accident, Newman was transported to a local hospital in Florida, where he sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries. Nearly two days after his accident, Newman walked out of the hospital while holding the hands of his daughters. With Newman recovering from a head injury, Ross Chastain drove Newman’s No. 6 car in three races.

In May, when NASCAR returned to on-track racing in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. He achieved a pair of top-15 results in his first two races back since his injuries at Darlington Raceway. He went on to earn six additional top-15 results in 22 starts through the first 25 Cup races of this season. He is currently ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings, 245 points below the top-16 cutline, and is in a “must-win” scenario to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

Catch Newman’s milestone start and final bid to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs at Daytona on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

August 26, 2020
Upcoming IndyCar developments show promise for 2020 season

One would think with the end of the season on September 22, IndyCar would go into hibernation until the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in March, but the news flow had other plans.

Fan favorites James Hinchcliffe and Sébastien Bourdais no longer have rides in the IndyCar series at this time. However one thing bigger than most, Roger Penske bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and IMS Productions. This is the biggest news for the series since the merger in 2008.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Penske has more than just racing teams; he has car dealerships, Truck rentals, and has been successful in almost everything he has tried. Now he owns the series and has been given wholehearted approval among the owners in the series.

What lies ahead for the future of the series? Penske has indicated that he wants to get a list of top-10 priorities together to see what needs to be done to help all the properties he has just purchased. We’ll see what those are before too long, but this is the best shot in the arm the series has has for a long time. With all due respect to the Hulmans, the previous owners of IMS and IndyCar, Penske has the capital and connections to make the improvements needed to these properties.

While we wait to see what Penske does to his newest acquisitions, we’re also waiting to see Hinchcliffe is going to do. The writing was on the wall for his time at the now named Arrow-McLaren-Schmidt-Peterson Racing once they went to Chevy and apparently for Hinchcliffe’s appearance in the ESPN body issue. He had funding from Honda Canada and has a few personal sponsors, but it appears at this time they’re not enough for a full season, otherwise another Honda team would probably pick him up. He’d need at least six-to-eight million dollars to help fund a prospective team.

The most recent news is that Bourdais will no longer have his ride at Dale Coyne Racing. Unlike Hinchcliffe, whose future is very much in flux, Bourdais does have plans for next year as he will be driving in IMSA in the Cadillac for the JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing team. This doesn’t preclude any possible part-time racing in IndyCar or other sportscar racing. With Peugeot returning to prototype racing in the next year, could he return for overall victory at Le Mans?

Even with two popular drivers not having full-time rides, the IndyCar Series has a lot optimism going into next year and beyond. When the season kicks off on March 15, maybe we’ll have a clearer idea of what the season will entail.

November 27, 2019
The Final Word – The first race of the playoffs in Las Vegas damaged the hopes of some

Now it gets real. There is no argument as to whom the contenders are, and who are the pretenders. Say what you will, but even though there might be forty cars on the track, only 16 matter.

It was the playoff opener in Las Vegas and now the race winner and the boys in the hunt for the championship are all we need focus on. The rest are merely hamburger helper, the garnish around the good stuff. Martin Truex Jr. showed early he was pure sirloin by taking the opening stage. All the contenders, in fact, were in the forward half of the field.

Kevin Harvick was among them. However, he could still use a pit crew that matches his driving talents. Some gain ground when they turn in for service. Harvick does the opposite. On Sunday his car got tighter and tighter during that middle stage, not turning worth a damn. Finally, his tire gave up, he clipped the wall, and pole sitter Erik Jones had no place to go but into him. Two contenders were done for the day.

If you ask Harvick, the tires sucked. There were issues with the rubber but it is not clear what those issues were other than the results. Jamie McMurray was our best outsider on the day, a solid Top Ten run going for him, when a rear tire gave up, he spun into the wall, collecting Chase Elliott. He became our third contender to be booted from the event with 55 laps remaining.

Truex allowed Brad Keselowski some time up front but had gone back in front prior to the caution. Things changed in the pits when Keselowski and his Penske compadre Joey Logano emerged just ahead of the defending champ. Logano took the point position, but Truex had just gotten by Keselowski for second when Kyle Busch broke loose to bring out the yellow once again. While Rowdy was now buried in 26th, Keselowski, Truex, and Logano came out of the pits in that order for the final run to the line.

Or so we thought. Up front, Kyle Larson joined the party riding the high side. He got past Keselowski, while behind them Truex managed to get by Logano for third. Just when we started to wonder how things would shake out, another contender in Denny Hamlin went through the grass to tear up his splitter to bring out the caution yet again. The old Etch A Sketch of how this one might turn out got turned upside down and shaken with 20 to go. It was a Las Vegas gambler’s dream, as it was time to lay down your bets as to whether this one was going to go to Keselowski, Larson, Truex, Logano, or might we have yet another surprise coming our way?

If more contenders getting beat to a pulp over the final dozen laps was a surprise, we got a few, along with enough cautions to force overtime. Among the stricken were Jimmie Johnson, when he tagged the wall. Alex Bowman had a tire go down. Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer both had contact…twice.

There was no surprise when Keselowski once again cleared the field and was off to the races in the extra laps needed to jump into an automatic berth into the second round. It was his third straight victory, coming off the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400. It marked the 500th for Roger Penske in all forms of racing his cars are involved in. Four drivers find themselves needing to fight to get in, heading to Richmond anywhere from six to 20 points on the outside. They include Johnson (22nd at Las Vegas), Elliott (36th), Hamlin (32nd), and Jones (40th). Both Truex (3rd) and Rowdy Busch (7th) are just a handful of points away from being locked into the next round as well.

Things just got real and by the time they leave Richmond Saturday night, things will become very clear for most of the others.

September 18, 2018
Hot 20 – Michigan is the focus of this weekend but, apparently, so is France

Bill France. Bill France, Jr. These men were NASCAR.

Smokey Yunick. Maurice Petty. Glen Wood, Leonard Wood. Ray Evernham. These men were NASCAR.

Lee Petty. Richard Petty. Fireball Roberts. Joe Weatherly, Junior Johnson. Bobby Allison. Dale Earnhardt. Cale Yarborough. Darrell Waltrip. Bill Elliott. These men were NASCAR.

Ned Jarrett. Ken Squier. These men were NASCAR.

Tony Stewart. Jeff Gordon. Mark Martin. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Carl Edwards. These men were NASCAR.

Rick Hendrick. Joe Gibbs. Roger Penske. Jack Roush. Richard Childress. These men are NASCAR.

Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch. Kevin Harvick. Martin Truex, Jr. Denny Hamlin. Brad Keselowski. Kyle Larson. Chase Elliott. These men are NASCAR.

These men, a few women, and so many others made the sport. Were the sport. Are the sport.

Brian France is not NASCAR. There is a reason 97 percent of all family businesses do not survive as such into the fourth generation.

At Michigan on Sunday, NBC’s stellar broadcast crew will once again deliver to our living rooms the people who are NASCAR. Those who matter. The reasons we watch.

Especially our Hot 20. Only 16 spots are open to qualify for a championship run, but a win gets one in and there are only four opportunities left to do just that. Right now, that is the only driving news that matters when it comes to NASCAR.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 6 WINS (934 Pts)
Smokey Yunick would not have let a fueling malfunction stop one of his cars from winning.

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 6 WINS (864 Pts)
Such a terrible day it was at Watkins Glen. He only finished 10th. Only.

3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (813 Pts)
Everyone was just thrilled Chase won last week…except for this one.

4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (703 Pts)
June was a good month to visit Michigan. Hoping August will be just as rewarding.

5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (691 Pts)
Nice day at the beach at Watkins Glen, though the only water was pouring from his radiator.

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 1 WIN (619 Pts)
Five Michigan career starts, finishing 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 8th, and 9th. The boy wants another, it seems.

7. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (572 Pts)
No longer the best 22-year-old driver this season.

8. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (412 Pts)
A win and you are in. I like that rule, but…

9. KURT BUSCH – 705 POINTS
No charges were issued, yet Brian France once suspended him. Just thought I would mention it.

10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 670 POINTS
Winning his first of the season in his home state would be sweet.

11. KYLE LARSON – 660 POINTS
Has won three of the last four at Michigan, a string only interrupted by Bowyer two months ago.

12. DENNY HAMLIN – 650 POINTS
New Redskins’ Super Bowl XXVI cap comes 26 years after the original flew out the bus window.

13. RYAN BLANEY – 639 POINTS
As long as he does not drive like Brian France, he will be in the mix after Indianapolis.

14. ARIC ALMIROLA – 602 POINTS
Unlike Canada and Saudi Arabia, Almirola and DiBenedetto have renewed diplomatic relations.

15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 563 POINTS
I bet you thought Bowyer was the NASCAR guy with the road service ties.

16. ALEX BOWMAN – 523 POINTS
Unless he gives up 18 points per race between now and after Indianapolis, he is in, unless…

17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 461 POINTS
…Ricky or anyone from him down to Matt DiBenedetto can win one of the next four.

18. PAUL MENARD – 451 POINTS
The Wood Brothers auto should be strong at Michigan, but it needs to be the strongest.

19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 434 POINTS
Some actually believe Suarez has a shot this weekend to win. Maybe a small wager is in order.

20. RYAN NEWMAN – 431 POINTS
Won at Michigan once in 2003 and once in 2004. He sure could use another one now.

August 8, 2018
The Final Word – Kyle Busch had the whole wide World 600 in his hands

Australia. If there was any road to success on Sunday, it was to be a native of Australia. Perth-born Daniel Ricciardo led from start to finish to claim the Monaco Grand Prix. At Indianapolis, Toowoomba’s own Will Power kissed the bricks and drank the milk.

Unfortunately, the last Aussie to drive a Cup car was Tasmanian Marcus Ambrose four years ago. The closest we have now, according to my calculations, would be the boys from California. Going in, I guess that would have meant Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, or A.J. Allmendinger among our favorite mates to take hold of the tiller of their Yank Tank left hookers to burn off some motion lotion to finish the day doing some circle work.

Then again, betting on a Roger Penske driver might have been a good one. After taking his 17th Indianapolis 500 as a car owner, his boy Joey Logano led the opening lap at Charlotte. Maybe Joe Gibbs had the answer, as it did not take long before Logano was replaced up front by the trio of Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, and Denny Hamlin.

Tires became the early story. We soon discovered Austin Dillon was not going to win it. Since his Daytona 500 win, the lad’s performance has gone down under. He lost a tire, scraped the wall, and his hopes of even a Top 20 took a big hit. As to what I said about Harvick earlier, forget it. No Aussie luck came his way when he blew a front tread and pounded the wall late in the opening stage to end his day. They all came in, but Brad Keselowski missed his pit box. The good news was, he gained a dozen spots. The bad news is that without new rubber he fell like a stone on the re-start.

Rowdy claimed the opening stage. The wall claimed William Byron early in the sophomore stanza when he got loose and tore up the rear end of his auto. That provided the fans with a bit of excitement. Hamlin added some more when he and Johnson touched going into the corner, sending Johnson sideways in front of the pack. He managed to get Logano to skid, but everyone managed to avoid disaster. Still, you could not say things were boring.

For fans of Kyle Busch, the opening pair of frames was exciting, as their icon was the first in both. However, it was NASCAR’s longest night. A Kyle had an issue in the segment, but it was Kyle Larson who went for a slide all on his lonesome. Lots of smoke and fury, but no contact. Lots of smoke and fire a few laps later, as Ryan Blaney’s ride finally blew up as they earlier predicted and it went up like a Viking funeral pyre.

300 laps down and Kid Busch was still laying them down. It was as if he was the only one who mattered. Of course, the story of this one was going to be that he won, or why he did not. At least a dozen others still running had picked up some stage points, so there was no shortage of those who would be been more than happy to step into his tracks.

Jones had come to the pit second, he left 19th. Kasey Kahne cut into his pit box, caught the air hose of Jones’ tire changer and whipped it and the air gun away. Slick trick, though I doubt the victims of the deed fully appreciated the skill involved as much as others might have. You had to appreciate Ryan Newman’s quest to stay among the Top 20 in the standings for much of the race, but early in that final run, a wheel bearing issue sent him to the garage.

They all helped add some seasoning to the night, but they were all hamburger compared to the Busch steak. A perfect 70 point night, his 47th career victory, the fourth of the season. It was his first points race victory at Charlotte as he now has won at every active Cup series venue.

I know that Las Vegas has its own Eiffel Tower, but I guess there is a Sydney Opera House hidden around there somewhere. Good on ya, Mate.

May 28, 2018
Five Legends Named to 2019 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class

May 23, 2018
Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

Jeff Gordon. Four-time NASCAR champion. Three-time Daytona 500 champion. Four-time Brickyard 400 winner. Six-time Southern 500 victor. Three-time World 600 champion. Three-time All-Star race winner. Winner of 93 Cup races. He probably was the most automatic inductee into the Hall of Fame since Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. His was the opening name announced Wednesday for the Class of 2019.

Next, they turned to ownership, with Jack Roush and Roger Penske both given the keys. Roush has 137 victories as the man who owns the garage, putting Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in their championship rides. Notable drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards also had great success in his cars. Penske has 105 wins to his credit, with Brad Keselowski bringing him his Cup title in 2012. Penske has claimed a few other motorsports accolades over the years, including ownership of 16 Indianapolis 500 winning entries. Among his drivers, you can include the names of Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, and Rusty Wallace. I think you get the idea.

Two fallen drivers, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, are popular selections. Both were lost in aviation accidents in 1993. Allison won 19 times in just 191 career starts, winning 10 of them in 1991 and 1992 when he was third best in the standings both times. Kulwicki only won five times in his time, but he was the driver and team owner and took the Hooters No. 7 Ford to the championship the year prior to his death.

This week in Charlotte, they honored the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. This Memorial Day weekend, they will honor the troops. It is racing’s most celebrated 24 hours, with action starting at Monte Carlo, moving on to Indianapolis, then to Charlotte as NASCAR salutes some of the heroes, both those on active service and those who have made the supreme sacrifice, who make such days as this possible.

1. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS – 484 Pts
Expects the future of NASCAR to look like the All-Star race did. I bet he does.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS – 503 Pts
If you are a tender flower who screws up on his pit crew, you might want to reconsider things.

3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 491 Pts
As long as Larson does not squeeze him into the wall again, then all will be well.

4. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 386 Pts
Let us remember 2Lt. Dale E. Bowyer (1921-1974), Distinguished Service Cross recipient.

5. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 376 Pts
Defending champion recently visited with his Commander-in-Chief.

6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 241 Pts
Won at Daytona. All is good. See you in the Chase.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 396 POINTS
Has a Hall of Famer owner. How cool is that?

8. KURT BUSCH – 393 POINTS
Has driven for two Hall of Fame owners. Top that!

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 380 POINTS
Drive fast on the track, drive much slower on Pit Road. That is a recipe for success.

10. RYAN BLANEY – 365 POINTS
Watch the Spider-Man animated series. Ryan would appreciate it.

11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 342 POINTS
Four Stewart-Haas drivers among the Top Dozen. How sweet it is.

12. KYLE LARSON – 336 POINTS
Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey…

13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 286 POINTS
Got his start thanks to a Hall of Famer. Between them, they have 11 titles.

14. ERIK JONES – 285 POINTS
Until his boss makes the Hall of Fame, he is left with just 3 Super Bowl rings and 4 Cup titles.

15. ALEX BOWMAN – 271 POINTS
Traded in his car for a Coast Guard Response Boat this week. No points were awarded.

16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 266 POINTS
Just what we need, another Cup guy driving in the Xfinity series. Let the beat downs begin.

17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 265 POINTS
It would be mean to suggest that he could get more attention if he dated a Monster Energy gal.

18. PAUL MENARD – 240 POINTS
Patrick County has its heroes, like the Wood Brothers and 1Lt. Leevi Barnard (1980-2009 in Iraq).

19. WILLIAM BYRON – 229 POINTS
He has the right car number to be a Hall of Famer.

20. RYAN NEWMAN – 225 POINTS
Come to think of it, Newman has also driven for a pair of Hall of Fame owners.

May 23, 2018
Hot 20 – Watkins Glen is another chance to win, but most are just as desperate to find money

Money, it makes the world go round. So I’m told, anyway. While you and I might remain in perpetual financial darkness, the stock markets would seem to indicate that those on top of the heap are reeling it in. That would include, you would think, those who disperse those big sponsorship dollars that are the life blood of NASCAR. Not so, it appears. Either that, or what they are planning to spend their windfall on has nothing to do with motor car racing.

Target is leaving Chip Ganassi after a 16-year relationship, despite the success of Kyle Larson. That leaves only Lowe’s (Jimmie Johnson) and FedEx (Denny Hamlin) as full-time sponsors on the Cup circuit. Roger Penske, Rick Hendrick, Richard Petty, Richard Childress, and the duo of Stewart-Haas are all said to be hunting down those elusive dollars for next season. To make it worse, Target is redirecting its resources from racing to soccer. Soccer!

Among the less established outfits, some hire a driver who comes with a team that promises to also bring in the dollars. Paul Menard is the best known example, as his family’s business made it easy for the Wood Brothers to welcome him in as their replacement for Ryan Blaney. The move leaves Childress looking for cash to field a car for his grandson, Ty Dillon, with that family operation.

Some drivers do not come with a fortune. Gray Gaulding had a deal with B.K. Racing where his family’s marketing firm dug up the sponsorship bucks, allowing him to drive and everyone to make money. The story has it that when those dollars dried up, the 19-year old driver was out. If names like Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch, and Larson can not lock in the funding easily, just imagine how tough it must be for under-performing teams with unestablished wheel-men.

How anyone makes money in the other two national series is beyond me. The “crowd” for the Xfinity event at Indianapolis, for example, was tragic. Hell, there are reports that claim only 35,000 turned out for the Cup event, in a facility that seats ten times that number. The lack of crowds just about everywhere remains a concern. Not every race can be a spectacle, we know, but you need more than a bunch of cars spread out going round and round in the same position lap after lap. Most fans that came with the fad that NASCAR was were not racing fans, just folks looking for an adrenaline rush. For a time, they got it. Today, they do not, or so it would seem. At least the stage concept has provided us with some different pit strategies and re-starts to try and shake up the field a bit.

Let us be honest. Some tracks are duds, for the most part. We could argue that last week’s venue, Pocono, could be among them if excitement is what you are in it for. In fact, nearly half of the Cup schedule is placed in spots that yield less than “edge of your seat” outcomes. I do not think Watkins Glen is among them. I think you might enjoy what is coming up this Sunday.

If you can find any, you might even put some money down on that. If nothing else, you will get better odds than say you would get on seeing Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Kasey Kahne all having full-time rides next season. Follow the money…if you can find it.

1. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 3 WINS (823 Pts)
The Furniture Row driver is simply the best thus far this season. Period.

2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (566 Pts)
When Jimmie and Chad retire, Lowe’s should have a place on their Hall of Fame plaques.

3. KYLE LARSON – 2 WINS (738 Pts)
If there is any sponsor out there looking to target a premium driver, this would be one of them.

4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (649 Pts)
The Cup series is sick, the other two series are dying. Does everybody realize this?

5. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 2 WINS (468 Pts)
Has just four more points than Daniel, but two more wins than Mr. Suarez.

6. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (726 Pts)
Limiting veterans in Xfinity limits Harvick’s sponsorship opportunities. He is not happy.

7. KYLE BUSCH – 1 WIN (723 Pts)
Could Kyle tell me how any games he thinks Mike Trout should play in Salt Lake and Mobile?

8. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (649 Pts)
Will be ready to race on Sunday, unless Jordan is ready to deliver their second child that day.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (529 Pts)
It should not be long before the Blaney-Bubba Show arrives full-time in Cup.

10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (494 Pts)
On the verge of becoming a free agent? Wow!

11. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (491 Pts)
Could we see a return of Newman to Stewart-Haas? Hahahaha. I just made myself laugh.

12. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (414 Pts)
Wins a race, like Kurt, and has no assurance he will keep his job. What does that tell you?

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (395 Pts)
Brother Ty is ready to take his place in the family business…if they can find the money.

14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 616 POINTS
Rule of thumb over the next five races would be to finish on the lead lap. Easier said than done.

15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 615 POINTS
Only wins on the marquee tracks. He might want to re-think that.

16. MATT KENSETH – 594 POINTS
Could he make the Chase and still be looking for a job next season? Just ask Kasey and Kurt.

17. CLINT BOWYER – 577 POINTS
Could move closer to Kenseth on Sunday, but if A.J. Allmendinger wins then it is all for naught.

18. JOEY LOGANO – 525 POINTS (1 Win)
The Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Darlington, or Richmond. Joey has to win one of them.

19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 464 PONTS
Unless there is an appeal, Jones’ 25 point penalty at Pocono moves Suarez to right here.

19. ERIK JONES – 444 POINTS
With Jones joining Gibbs next season, could that leave open a return of Kurt to Colorado?

August 2, 2017
Hot 20 – Sunday at Talladega, one of NASCAR’s few must see events

On Sunday, we will have one of those races, on one of those tracks, that provides must-see action. While we have no announcers covering NASCAR today who you might tune in just to hear their description of the action, to hear them enhance the excitement, even those we got can not detract from the spectacle we shall witness on Sunday.

Only former champions Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick come to Talladega feeling rather relaxed. Both have already advanced to the next round of the Chase, while Chase Elliott needs a win himself on Sunday to move forward. As for the nine others still in the mix, they need to either do well or avoid a disaster, and Talladega tends to foster concern for the latter. Good for the fans, but real worrisome for the competitors.

NASCAR should be worried. My SpeedwayMedia.com colleague John Harlow made some interesting points in his recent column. He reminded us that NASCAR is still without a title sponsor for the Cup series next season, with Sprint hanging up the phone. They were hoping someone would bite for 10-years and a cool billion dollars. I once hoped Santa was real. Life can be so disappointing. John mentioned how the old guard of team owners is, well, getting old. It happens, but usually, new blood is seen rising up through the mist. Does anyone see the next Rick Hendrick, Roger Penske, Joe Gibbs, Jack Roush, or Richard Petty on the horizon? Me neither.

When NASCAR decided to go Hollywood, to add some glitz and glamour, they did it at the expense of their blue collar, regular folk supporters. It would appear selling one’s soul for a big dollar while parking common sense is not a blueprint to long-term success. Maybe there is a glimmer of hope we might see some of the latter. There could be an announcement soon regarding the restriction of how many junior and truck circuit races Cup guys might be allowed to run. It is about damn time. It has been bad enough in the past, where elite drivers have been taking wins and attention away from the regulars racing off-Broadway. It is worse now that those wins and attention are coming in the midst of the Chase, which has been instituted for the first time in those divisions. A little common sense in dealing with the issue would be like a breath of fresh air. For some reason, I am not yet holding my breath waiting for it to actually happen.

I am looking forward to Sunday. There are few races I really get excited about. There are the two at Talladega, the pair at Daytona, the two at Bristol, the Southern 500, the Brickyard 400, the World 600, the season conclusion at Homestead, and the two road courses. Those are races that promise to provide either magnificent action or at least they continue building on the sport’s rich heritage. Talladega, for me at least, provides both.

Talladega can be a minefield. We watch to see who among our Hot 20 can navigate through its perils and emerge relatively unscathed on the other side.

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – SEGMENT WIN (3082 Pts)
Have a fun day at Talladega…

2. KEVIN HARVICK – SEGMENT WIN (3048 Pts)
…then back to work in Martinsville.

3. MATT KENSETH – 3074 PTS
A 29 point pad would usually relax a guy…but not here.

4. KYLE BUSCH – 3072 PTS
Rarely a bride on the restrictor plate speedways, but usually in the wedding party.

5. CARL EDWARDS – 3069 PTS
23rd or better, and he is locked in. Now, if he can avoid an early “Big One” all could be good.

6. KURT BUSCH – 3062 PTS
Race plans come down to one thing, and that is to not “run into anything too hard.”

7. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3058 PTS
A gent with a small bladder has to go pee, the same problem with his car could leave him dry.

8. JOEY LOGANO – 3045 PTS
All he needs to do is keep Austin, Denny, Brad, and Chase behind him.

9. AUSTIN DILLON – 3045 PTS
All he needs to do is keep Joey, Denny, Brad, and Chase behind him.

10. DENNY HAMLIN – 3039 PTS
Poor ole Brad wiggled in front of him, and then he wasn’t there anymore.

11. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3038 PTS
Just what in hell do they make the grass out of in Kansas City?

12. CHASE ELLIOTT – 3020 PTS
Time to get his Ricky Bobby on.

13. TONY STEWART – 2131 PTS
It will be his 35th and final Talladega appearance.

14. KYLE LARSON – 2120 PTS
Finished fifth in Kansas XFINITY race…with Logano fourth…and Kyle Busch the winner. I am so proud.

15. CHRIS BUESCHER – 2090 PTS
Just last year he was rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, at Talladega he got goin’.

16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2088 PTS
Trails Larson in the battle for Ganassi bragging rights…which is all they have left.

17. KASEY KAHNE – 797 PTS
Figuring out how he will help Elliott this week. Watching Talladega Nights for ideas.

18. RYAN NEWMAN – 767 PTS
Figuring out how he will help Dillon this week. Watching Death Race for ideas.

19. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 686 PTS
Staying the hell out of the way of both Kahne and Newman.

20. RYAN BLANEY – 682 PTS
Ricky and Trevor are both within seven points, just in case you were interested.

October 19, 2016