Latest news with #DaleCoyneRacingHonda
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rinus VeeKay crashes on pit road during 2025 Indy 500
Dale Coyne Racing driver Rinus VeeKay (18) stands on the track Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. INDIANAPOLIS — Pit road became Rinus VeeKay's undoing as his 2025 Indianapolis 500 ended on Lap 80 with a crash. The Dutch racer was trying to slow down entering pit road for his third pit stop of the race. However, the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda spun out of control, hitting the inside pit wall with the right rear corner of the car. Advertisement The 2018 USF Pro 2000 Champion got the car pointed in the correct direction and managed to drive his car to his pit stall where he got out of the machine, his day over. VeeKay climbed out of the car under his own power. Indy 500 news: Indianapolis 500 live race leaderboard updates today: Takuma Sato leads David Malukas at 70 laps This story was updated to add a gallery. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rinus VeeKay crashes on pit road during 2025 Indy 500
Fox Sports
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Nolan Siegel Brings Winning Mindset to '500' from 2024 Lessons
INDYCAR The way Nolan Siegel approached last year's Last Chance Qualifying session for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge left a lasting impression on veteran driver Graham Rahal, even though Siegel crashed and failed to qualify. Siegel's commitment to pushing the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda to its limits, even at the risk of failure, resonated with Rahal, who expressed admiration for Siegel's fearless attitude and bright future in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. In the final qualifying attempt, Siegel lost control in Turn 1, causing the car to spin and crash into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier. 'Nolan (Siegel) is a young kid,' Rahal said last year. 'He has a bright future, and I expect to see him back here and doing great things. He may be a new name to a lot of people, but he's a name that you are going to become familiar with. He's won at every level. He's won at everything he's done. He'll be here.' Siegel, 20, returned this year not just as a participant, but as a contender. Now driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, he comfortably made the field and will start 24th on the grid, sharing Row 8 with legend Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Cliffs Honda) and Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda), winner of the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Siegel credits last year's struggle with making him a better driver. 'That's helped me this year, for sure,' Siegel said. 'I'm a better driver now than I was then. That experience made a difference.' Last year, Siegel and Dale Coyne Racing knew early that qualifying would be challenging. Despite their best efforts, the car lacked the raw speed needed to compete. The morale drop was steep, and each session was a grind. 'Every outing last year was so much more difficult,' Siegel said. 'It just kind of wears on you after a while.' Siegel believes there's a stark contrast between the two teams, as Arrow McLaren is one of the series' power teams and DCR is one of its smallest. Winning is a focus and an expectation, which has given Siegel a mental boost. 'There's a lot more motivation when everyone around you is here to win,' he said. 'It's just a way different feeling.' After last year's '500,' which Siegel said he watched from a suite at IMS, he returned to his INDY NXT by Firestone season with HMD Motorsports June 2 on the streets of Detroit. A week later, he was called into action to substitute for Agustin Canapino with Juncos Hollinger Racing at Road America. The next week, he was part of the United Autosports entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and helped the team, along with drivers Oliver Jarvis and Bijoy Garg, win the LMP2 class. Siegel then signed with Arrow McLaren in late June to drive the final 10 races of the 2024 season and full time in 2025. He enters Sunday's '500' 18th in points but is ascending after a ninth-place finish May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park and finishing 13th in the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 that opened Month of May racing activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 'I'm hungry for it after last year,' Siegel said. 'I've been waiting to come back, and I've wanted to be here and not just be here to be in the show. I want to be here to compete and try to win the race. It's a different feeling now, and I want to show people that I can be competitive here.' recommended
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Scott Dixon leads Day 1 of Indy 500 open test at 225mph
A late flyer vaulted Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon to the top of the speed charts, leading the way at 225.182mph. The 2008 Indy 500 winner bested the two-time and defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who ran as fast a 225.125mph around the iconic 2.5-mile circuit in his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. Takuma Sato clocked in third, Marcus Armstrong was fourth, and Colton Herta timed in fifth. Alex Palou, Helio Castroneves, Felix Rosenqvist, Marco Andretti, and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top ten. Advertisement "It's testing – just trying to get through the test list, lots of changes,' said Dixon, who has contested a stunning 22 consecutive Indy 500s. 'We didn't do the October test, so first time with the hybrid here, which definitely adds some elements to it and makes it pretty interesting. I think it is going to determine a lot race-wise, maybe even for the shootout at the end. I think it could determine that. 'So, trying to clarify a lot of those situations to make sure that you're covered muscle memory-wise and memory-wise. It comes down to that. So even in qualifying, I think it be a few different strategies of how to get that right.' Early delays The session got off to a slow start, delayed by a few hours due to connectivity issues at the track. On-track activity was then extended by an extra hour to account for the delay. Advertisement All 34 drivers who plan to attempt next month's 500 went out on track with Kyffin Simpson running the most laps at 85 total. Santino Ferrucci ran the fewest laps at just five after smoke started appearing from the rear of the car early in the day. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who will attempt to complete 'The Double' again this year, was solidly 11th in the speed charts, after successfully completing his refresher test in the early afternoon. Marco Andretti, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, and Sato also completed the veteran refresher test. Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda was the slowest at 218.738mph. Abel, along with reigning Indy NXT champion Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman completed the Rookie Orientation Program. Looking at no-tow speeds, Felix Rosenqvist was the fastest man in Indianapolis at 220.835mph. Advertisement In over six hours of tack time, the closest thing to an incident was when Graham Rahal brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 3 late in the session. Cars will return to the track at 9:30 am EST on Thursday. Speeds will reach even higher as teams will have access to the turbo boost like on 'Fast Friday' every year. This will only take place from 9:30 am EST. to 12 pm EST before being reduced to race levels for the afternoon session. To read more articles visit our website.
