3 big predictions for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 qualifying sessions
3 big predictions for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 qualifying sessions
The best qualifying format in all of racing will begin on Saturday morning. The NTT IndyCar Series will start its grueling qualifying sessions for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 to determine the pole position and which driver will miss the big event on Sunday, May 25.
Below, we dive into three big predictions for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 qualifying sessions. Who will win the pole? Who will go home? And, where will Kyle Larson qualify in his second attempt at "The Double?"
Robert Shwartzman misses the 2025 Indianapolis 500
Robert Shwartzman will be the lone driver to miss the 2025 Indianapolis 500. Through three practice sessions, Shwartzman and PREMA Racing teammate Callum Ilott haven't shown much top-end speed. One of Graham Rahal and Santino Ferrucci could be the shocking driver not to make the field, but Shwartzman's inexperience will be the deciding factor.
Kyle Larson makes the Firestone Fast 6 for a second straight year
Kyle Larson will make the Firestone Fast 6 for a second straight year. If this prediction comes true, Larson would likely leave the final Indianapolis 500 qualifying session for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, placing himself in sixth place for race day. The Firestone Fast 6 is one hour later than 2024, putting the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion in a tough spot to go for the pole position.
Josef Newgarden wins the pole for the 2025 Indianapolis 500
Josef Newgarden will win the pole for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday afternoon. Newgarden has won two straight Indy 500s, but hasn't claimed the elusive pole position. The driver of the No. 2 car has shown exceptional speed through the first three practice sessions, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him leading the field to the green flag on Sunday, May 25.
More: FOX reveals stacked broadcasting lineup for the 2025 Indianapolis 500
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Simon says ‘Smash'. Vardeh dominant for Newton North in Division 1 boys' volleyball quarterfinal win
Paul Nelson puts it over to finish the match 23-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-15 for Defending champion Tigers head back to the semifinals! — AJ (@aj_traub) 'We know we're the better team,' Vardeh said. 'When we play to the best of our ability, nobody can beat us.' Added Fox: [Vardeh] showed he's the best player in the state today. He showed why he's been a starter for us the last four years. He just did what he was supposed to.' Advertisement It's not the first time the Tigers (16-7) have leaned heavily on Vardeh, but Fox made the plan to keep setting him until Lexington (20-3) found a way to stop him. The Minutemen never did, even sending a triple block at one point only for Vardeh to sail the ball over their heads anyway. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We want to spread around, but after I saw they couldn't stop him, we were like 'foot on the gas,'' Fox said, 'But that's what I expected of him. 'He showed a lot of greatness these past four years, and this game really cemented it for me.' Senior Paul Nelson (50 assists, 4 kills, 2 blocks) has just been a setter this season, but also found juniors Peter Reale (7 kills, 2 blocks) and Amaris Cotto (8 kills). Advertisement 'One of my better setting games for sure,' Nelson said. 'I wouldn't say I was expecting to be at this level, the first game back [after playing libero the past couple matches], but I was pleasantly surprised.' The Tigers will face either No. 1 Brookline or No. 9 Acton-Boxborough at Concord-Carlisle High on Tuesday, as they look to prove that the team can get back to the finals without Athlete of the Year Adam Christianson and All-Scholastic middle Sam Huang, who graduated following last year's championship. 'We were playing really well,' Nelson said. 'I think if you take that to our next games, we will win.' Simon Vardeh (16) and his Newton North teammates celebrated their Final Four trophy. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Newton North's Peter Reale (13) forces the ball past Lexington High Mahin Rajesgh. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Lexington's High Nicholas Sanchez de Rojas (4) delivers a dig against Newton North. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Needham 3, Taunton 1 — In an electric setting, the third-seeded Rockets (21-5) closed out their four-set quarterfinal win with hard-earning 25-22 clincher over No. 27 Taunton (18-6). '[There were] a lot of voices in the gym, a lot of people yelling, our fans and theirs,' Neeham senior Andrew Kurdziel said. 'Feeding off the crowd is something we're great at.' The Rockets were on track for a sweep, with seniors Andrew Kurdziel (11 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks) and McDonald (8 kills) working overtime at the net to take the first two sets. But Taunton turned up the pressure, supported by its spirited fans, and held onto their lead throughout the third set. 'We knew this game was going be really tough,' Needham senior Will McDonald said. 'It wasn't a surprise that they were gonna have a lot of energy. We just knew we [had to] fight back.' Taunton (18-6) bulldozed its way through the tournament and carried that energy into Friday's match. Senior Travis Johnson and junior Syre Duverna delivered 13 kills apiece to help force a fourth set. But ultimately, there was no stopping Needham's attack. Advertisement 'I don't think Needham saw our best effort today,' Taunton coach Toby Chaperon said. 'I think we kind of ran out of gas.' Needham took the lead early in the fourth set, but struggled to hold on as Taunton's senior libero, Dantae Bauer, combated the Rockets' frenzied attacks with 16 digs. But, their efforts fell short at the hands of junior Matty Cloonan (14 kills, 6 digs). 'We like the way our guys hung in there,' Needham coach Dave Powell said. 'I'm glad that we responded to their intensity with our own.' Alexa Podalsky reported from Needham . AJ Traub can be reached at
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
De La Salle's Alec Blair chasing one last title as two-sport star finishes legendary HS stint
Alec Blair said no matter what happens Saturday he'll likely shed a tear. The De La Salle-Concord center fielder, one of the Bay Area's best two-sport high school athletes ever, plays in his final prep sporting event when the top-seeded Spartans (28-4) host Serra (28-6) in a Northern California (CIF) Division 1 championship game. Both teams are coming off 3-0 home wins on Thursday, De La Salle over St. Mary's-Stockton and Serra beat Los Gatos. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CIF Northern California playoffs HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL Division 1 Semifinals De La Salle 3, St. Mary's-Stockton 0 Serra 3, Los Gatos 0 Saturday's championship: No. 3 Serra (28-6) at No. 1 De La Salle (28-4), 4 p.m. Division 2 Semifinals No. 1 Yuba City 11, No. 5 Lodi 3 No. 2 St. Francis-Mountain View 2, No. 6 Acalanes 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 St. Francis (22-10) at No. 1 Yuba City (30-5), 4 p.m. Division 3 semifinals No. 4 Fowler (29-3) at No. 1 Roseville (22-11), 4 p.m. (Friday) No. 3 Rancho Cotate at No. 2 Carmel (21-10), noon (Friday) Division 4 Semifinals No. 3 Santa Clara 6, No. 2 West Valley 0 No. 5 Menlo School (22-8) at No. 1 Woodland Christian (27-6), noon Friday Division 5 Semifinals No. 1 Etna 9, No. 4 Los Molinos 6 No. 2 Stevenson 6, No. 6 Lincoln-SF 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Stevenson (21-8) at No. 1 Etna (20-7), 2 p.m. HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL Division 1 Semifinals No. 1 Oak Ridge 7, No. 4 Whitney 0 No. 2 Del Oro 6, No. 3 St. Francis 5 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Del Oro (30-2) at No. 1 Oak Ridge (26-4), 10 a.m. Division 2 Semifinals No. 4 Liberty-Brentwood 17, No. 1 Vanden 10 No. 2 Salinas 1, No. 6 King's Academy 0 Saturday's championship: No. 4 Liberty (25-4) at No. 2 Salinas (20-8), 4 p.m. Division 3 Semifinals: No. 1 Hillsdale 3, No. 5 Liberty-Madera 2 No. 2 Cardinal Newman 1, No. 6 Pleasant Valley 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Cardinal Newman (24-6) at No. 1 Hillsdale (20-9-1), 4 p.m. Division 4 Semifinals No. 1 East Nicolaus 1, No. 4 Northgate 0 No. 7 Aptos (18-8) vs. No. 3 San Leandro (22-8) at Burrell Field, 6 p.m. Friday Saturday's championship: Aptos-San Leandro winner at No. 1 East Nicolaus (24-6), 4 p.m. Division 5 Semifinals No. 1 Biggs 11, No. 4 Miramonte 6 No. 3 King City 14, No. 7 Balboa 5 'Regardless of the outcome I'll be a little sad,' Blair said before flashing a big smile. 'I'll be a little happier though if we get it done. That would be legendary.' Which is how some would describe the 6-foot-7 senior's athletic career on the basketball and baseball teams. His teams have gone a combined 198-50 in that span, collected five North Coast Section and two Northern California titles. Blair has been a four-year All-Metro player in basketball and two years in baseball, with a third time also guaranteed with a team-leading .446 average heading into Saturday's game with 33 hits (14 for extra bases), 30 runs and 24 RBIs. The long and rangy outfielder is ranked among the top 50 recruits nationally in both sports, which is extremely rare. He plans to play both at the University of Oklahoma. His most vivid memory in four years he said 'is just growing up with all my guys, the brotherhood we've built. I'll never forget it.' What will he be thinking about heading into Saturday's game? 'Just winning. It's that simple. Score more runs than Serra and don't let them score.' That's what either winning pitcher Graham Schlicht (De La Salle) or Nate Hui (Serra) did Thursday in semifinal shutouts. Schlicht, a Stanford commit, walked a season-high four, but struck out nine and allowed just four hits. Hui scattered seven hits and struck out two. A pair of RBI singles from Antonio Castro — he tied De La Salle's single-season record with 44 RBIs — was all the offensive support Schlicht needed. 'He was phenomenal,' Blair said of Schlicht's performance. 'Not one ball was hit to me. I didn't have to do anything.' This will be the second time the teams have played this season — De La Salle won a 5-2 tournament game over Serra on April 16. Over the last two decades, the Spartans hold a 7-5 series lead, winning the last three meetings. Five Metro baseball teams and three softball will play for NorCal titles and two others have a chance Friday with semifinal wins. More baseball: In Division 2, Landon Kim fired a two-hitter with five strikeouts, lifting second-seeded St. Francis to a 2-0 home win over No. 6 Acalanes-Lafayette. Tanner Wall had two hits and an RBI for the Lancers (22-10), who now travel to Sutter County to face top seed Yuba City (30-5), which beat fifth-seeded Lodi, 11-3. The Honkers are 30-5. … In D4, No. 5 seed Menlo School-Atherton (23-8) moved into the finals Friday with a 15-11 win over Woodland Christian in a game suspended on Thursday due to darkness. Menlo (23-8) will travel to third-seed Santa Clara (29-3), a 6-0 winner over West Valley as Jaxton Chao had three hits and two RBIs and Drew Diffenderfer pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts. … In D5, sixth-seeded Lincoln-San Francisco lost at No. 2 Stevenson-Pebble Beach (21-8) which received a combined three-hitter by Jacob Hall and Alex Wang. Softball: In D1, Ava Bulanti and May Meltz had two hits each, but St. Francis fell 6-5 at Del Oro-Loomis. The game see-sawed throughout with the Lancers (28-4) scoring twice in the first inning and Del Oro (30-2) answering with three in the bottom half. Del Oro blasted three home runs, from freshmen Emma Johnson and Caelyn Campos and sophomore Avyn Brower. … In D2, fourth-seeded Liberty-Brentwood (25-4) put on its hitting shoes with a 17-10 win over Vanden-Fairfield, scoring eight in the second inning to take control. Jewel Cooper led a 21-hit attack with four hits. The Lions now travel to Salinas (20-8), a 1-0 eight-inning winner over King's Academy-Sunnyvale behind a five-hitter and nine strikeouts from Abi Jones. King's Academy wasted a 16-strikeout, five-hit performance by junior Katia Nesper. … Second-seed Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (24-6) will travel to top-seed Hillsdale-San Mateo (20-9-1) after tight semifinal wins. Hillsdale pulled out a 3-2 home victory over fifth-seeded Liberty-Madera, pushing across a round in the bottom of the eighth. Sophia Shelton had two hits and an RBI as did Giuliana Brum, making a winner out of sophomore Lola Jones (five-hitter, nine strikeouts over eighth innings. Senior pitcher Callie Howard struck out eight and allowed five hits as Newman defeated Pleasant Valley-Chico, 1-0. … In D4, No. 4 seed Northgate-Walnut Creek dropped a 1-0 semifinal game at East Nicolaus, which will play the Friday winner between Aptos at San Leandro. … In D5, Miramonte-Orinda and Balboa had seasons end with semifinal losses.
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Tom Brady reveals why he won't 'throw shade' at Patrick Mahomes, NFL stars from broadcast booth
Tom Brady's first year as a broadcaster has come and gone, and it seems he already has a style behind the microphone. After 24 seasons cementing himself as the greatest quarterback of all time, Brady became FOX's top color commentator, joining Kevin Burkhardt to call the Super Bowl. Brady's broadcasting is limited due to his ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, but even without that, Brady doesn't have an interest in bashing players while he's on the call. In a recent interview with Complex Sports, Brady was praised for being "supportive" of Patrick Mahomes, who, at age 29, has already been added to the GOAT conversation with the seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady. "How can I throw shade at someone who's as amazing as he is? I know what he's been through," Brady said. That's his mindset for every player in the game, especially quarterbacks. "And I think the one position that I'm in now as a broadcaster, I do feel a responsibility, A, to tell the fans what I see and be honest and upfront about everything. But also realize that what these guys are doing on the field is extremely difficult," Brady added. "Do they make the right plays all the time? Certainly not. By the way, neither did I. And I think you have to have this context and perspective. "You realize it's not about this harsh critique, and that's really not what it's all about anyway," Brady continued. "To me, it's more about, let's point out the greatness of these individual players. Have fun. Enjoy it. Entertain a little bit. And really try to educate people a little bit. "But that's what I want to do on TV. And thought it was a great season because I've got a great team at Fox. And we're going to keep building on the success we had in year one." Brady signed a 10-year deal with FOX. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
