Latest news with #Daytona500s
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Empire State of Mind: Indy 500 champ Alex Palou having star moment in NYC
NEW YORK — Alex Palou went to throw out the first pitch at the New York Mets game Tuesday night and figured someone would recognize him and possibly heckle him. Not for winning the Indianapolis 500 but for walking around in an Indiana Pacers jersey at the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers playoff game Sunday night while still sporting the 500 winner's wreath. "There was one or two people that said I was at the Pacers game [a couple nights] before," said Palou, who, like most INDYCAR drivers, lives in Indianapolis. "And I was like, 'Yeah.' "But we won last night." Palou even went to the NBA store on Wednesday and stood outside of it wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey to show his Pacers fandom. So it appears Palou was having fun during his two-day media tour in New York City and was really enjoying himself. "I just get to a van and they take me to different studios, different places, different TV shows," Palou said Wednesday morning, as he stood on a balcony near the top of the Empire State Building. "It's been amazing. It's been overwhelming. So fun. But this [view] is amazing." Palou couldn't name all the media outlets he visited or the photos he took as he was shuttled from stop to stop, like the one he took in front of the NASDAQ building. Amid the media stops, he has barely had any time to think about or talk to his team about the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend. He admits that, while he has gotten a little bit of sleep, he's behind in race preparation. "It's not the ideal scenario or preparation or conditions," Palou said. "But it's amazing. I'm trying to enjoy every single second of it. "And I think it's a great opportunity to see how we can do with big challenges ahead." Palou also gets plenty of questions about his goals, especially about whether a move to Formula 1 is a possibility. He said, as far as he knows, the Indy 500 win didn't spark any inquiries from F1 teams. To be fair, his road-course prowess is what would attract F1 teams. And with the Indy 500 win, some might assume he's accomplished everything a driver would want in INDYCAR and that he could be looking for a new challenge. "Nothing has come up [from F1]," Palou said. "I'm perfect here. I'm super happy, the happiest I've ever been. "At the end of the day, that's what everybody looks for — being happy, winning races, being with my family. And here I just have an environment that is perfect." And there's another league that's not calling Palou, and that's the MLB, after seeing his first pitch. His pitch ahead of the White Sox-Mets game needed a hop to get to the plate. "That was not good," Palou said. "I prepared a little bit, but the distance that we were preparing with was a lot shorter than the real one. "And once I did the first pitch, it just went down. So not good. But it is what it is." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR sends 3 Indy 500 finishers to rear of final order for tech violations
INDIANAPOLIS — Three drivers who finished in the top 12 in the Indianapolis 500 — including second-place finisher Marcus Ericsson — were re-positioned to the rear of the finish order Monday for technical violations. The Andretti Global cars of Marcus Ericsson (second) and Kyle Kirkwood (sixth) and the Prema Racing car of Callum Ilott (12th) all failed post-race inspection. Each team was fined $100,000 and the team/competition manager for each was suspended for one race. The Ericsson and Kirkwood penalties were the result of modifications to the Dallara-supplied Energy Management System covers and the mounting points from the covers to A-arms using unapproved spacers and parts. Ilott's car failed left side minimum end-plate height. The teams can appeal the penalties. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. BEST OF FOX SPORTS' INDY 500 COVERAGE: Ranking Indy 500 drivers from 33 to 1: Can anyone unseat Josef Newgarden? Got milk? 33 potential Indy 500 winners pick preferred dairy option Pato O'Ward pens letter to Indy 500: 'Had my heart broken here … but it also fuels me' No oval experience, no problem: Rookie Robert Shwartzman captures Indy 500 pole Rash of Crash: Inside a wild weekend of wrecks during Indy 500 prep From 'magical' to 'legendary': Drivers describe the Indy 500 in one word 2025 Indy 500 liveries: See the designs of all 34 cars on the track at The Brickyard Counting down the 25 most memorable moments in Indy 500 history recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Power Rankings: Who has Indy 500 hangover and who is just over it
The Indianapolis 500 — the biggest race of the INDYCAR season — was also the first oval race of the year. But did it give much insight into which drivers will perform best on ovals? Probably not. The 2.5-mile rectangular asphalt oval is nothing like any of the other ovals. The others are Nashville (1.33-mile concrete), WWTR Gateway (1.25-mile asphalt), Milwaukee (one-mile asphalt) and Iowa (0.875-mile asphalt). So keeping that in mind, the influence of the Indy 500 on the power rankings is a little debatable. In trying to weigh all the factors, here's the list: Dropped out: Rinus VeeKay (Last Week: 9) On the verge: David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi 10. Colton Herta (LW: 10) Herta showed speed at Indy, but then a crash in qualifying on Saturday put him behind. Herta finished 17th after a speeding penalty and then overshooting his pit. It was certainly a disappointing result when he had the speed. 9. Marcus Ericsson (LW: Not Ranked) Ericsson, it could be argued, should have won the Indy 500, as Alex Palou passed Ericsson when lapped traffic hindered his pace. It was still a great drive by Ericsson after finishes of 20th or worse in three of the previous four races. 8. Scott Dixon (LW: 7) Dixon finished 23rd at Indianapolis, three laps down after his left rear brake overheated on the warmup laps of the race. Up until then, he had a relatively solid month. 7. Will Power (LW: 4) Power finished as the best Team Penske car in the 500. Unfortunately for Power, it was a 19th-place finish and one lap down. A 20-second pit stop where Power overshot his pit stall and ran over the front air hose ruined his day. 6. Scott McLaughlin (LW: 2) McLaughlin probably still can't figure out what happened as he wrecked on the pace laps of the race, ending his day before it could even begin. 5. Felix Rosenqvist (LW: 8) Rosenqvist earned a solid fifth-place finish, completing a solid month at Indy where he also started fifth. The Meyer Shank Racing driver has five top 10s in the six races this year. 4. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 5) Lundgaard finished a quiet ninth at Indy, where he started eighth. This was another relatively good day, especially considering he didn't have the strongest car. 3. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 6) Kirkwood had confidence in his car the entire month of May but just missed it in qualifying, starting 23rd. To see him race up to sixth was not a surprise. The Andretti driver is third in the series standings. 2. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3) O'Ward's fourth-place finish at Indy ended what he called a good points day, as he moved up to second in the standings. That would be great if he wasn't 115 points behind Palou. 1. Alex Palou (LW: 1) Palou's win earned him his fifth victory in the six races to open the season. It will take at least a few races to knock the Ganassi driver off this spot. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. BEST OF FOX SPORTS' INDY 500 COVERAGE: Ranking Indy 500 drivers from 33 to 1: Can anyone unseat Josef Newgarden? Got milk? 33 potential Indy 500 winners pick preferred dairy option Pato O'Ward pens letter to Indy 500: 'Had my heart broken here … but it also fuels me' No oval experience, no problem: Rookie Robert Shwartzman captures Indy 500 pole Rash of Crash: Inside a wild weekend of wrecks during Indy 500 prep From 'magical' to 'legendary': Drivers describe the Indy 500 in one word 2025 Indy 500 liveries: See the designs of all 34 cars on the track at The Brickyard Counting down the 25 most memorable moments in Indy 500 history recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Indy 500 predictions: Pato O'Ward best bet to win, Kyle Kirkwood to show
The Indianapolis 500 this year will feature two drivers in particular whose storylines are all about chasing history. Josef Newgarden is attempting to win his third consecutive Indy 500. No one in the 108-year history of the race has won back-to-back-to-back. Helio Castroneves is attempting to win for the fifth time. No one in the 108-year history of the race has won five. Will either accomplish that feat? Both have long roads. Newgarden starts 32nd in the 33-car field after a technical infraction last Sunday sent him to the rear. Castroneves starts 22nd and hasn't been happy with his car in practice. With that in mind, here are some of my predictions. Pato O'Ward Outright Winner O'Ward has finished second in two of the last three Indy 500s, and he crashed while battling for second late in the race in 2023. The Arrow McLaren driver has his best starting spot of third. This pick might be a little bit more from the heart than the head. Yes, I know that can be dangerous. But sometimes you just have that feeling. What's the saying? You have to lose one before you win one. Some would say he's lost three. PICK: Pato O'Ward (+500) to win Indy 500 Alex Palou Outright Winner Yes, I'm backing Palou as another potential first-time winner. And no, he's never won on an oval. But considering he has won four of the first five races this year and starts on the outside of Row 2, he is in position to stay out front. He and the Ganassi team have executed flawlessly this year, and that is what this race takes. And he's been extremely fast in practice. PICK: Alex Palou (+600) to win Indy 500 Scott McLaughlin Place McLaughlin has a backup car, but it's a new ride that was purposely built for a speedway. He starts 10th and even though he has a new strategist after the overhaul of the Penske INDYCAR leadership this week, he'll be strong. PICK: Scott McLaughlin (+400) to Place at Indy 500 Kyle Kirkwood Show He starts 23rd but has loved his car throughout practice. The only day the Andretti driver didn't feel good in his car was qualifying day. The race is different from qualifying, and if you are looking for a little bit of a longer shot, Kirkwood is your man. PICK: Kyle Kirkwood (+800) to Show at Indy 500 Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. BEST OF FOX SPORTS' INDY 500 COVERAGE: Ranking Indy 500 drivers from 33 to 1: Can anyone unseat Josef Newgarden? Got milk? 33 potential Indy 500 winners pick preferred dairy option Pato O'Ward pens letter to Indy 500: 'Had my heart broken here … but it also fuels me' No oval experience, no problem: Rookie Robert Shwartzman captures Indy 500 pole Rash of Crash: Inside a wild weekend of wrecks during Indy 500 prep From 'magical' to 'legendary': Drivers describe the Indy 500 in one word 2025 Indy 500 liveries: See the designs of all 34 cars on the track at The Brickyard Counting down the 25 most memorable moments in Indy 500 history recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
William Byron signs contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports through 2029
Two-time Daytona 500 winner William Byron has signed a four-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that will keep him with the organization through the 2029 season, the team announced Friday morning. 'We've built something special with the No. 24 team,' said Byron in a statement from the team. 'I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue working with amazing people at Hendrick Motorsports who believe in me, especially Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick. We've accomplished some great things that we're really proud of, but we have even bigger goals ahead. I'm excited to go after them with this team and this organization.' Advertisement Byron's current contract will end after this season. His extension takes him deeper into the future with the team than any of its other drivers. Kyle Larson's contract goes through the 2026 season. Alex Bowman's contract is through the 2026 season. Chase Elliott is signed through the 2027 season. The 27-year-old Byron is in his eighth full-time Cup season. He has 14 career Cup victories, including the past two Daytona 500s. He has made the championship race the past two years. Byron enters Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 second in the points. NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Charlotte: Start time, TV info and weather Advertisement The focus will be on Kyle Larson seeking redemption at the 1.5-mile oval. Byron first signed with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 at age 18. He was the Cup rookie of the year in 2018. 'William is the real deal,' said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, in a statement from the team. 'What makes him so special is that he combines natural ability with an unrivaled work ethic. 'You see it in the great ones – the drivers who could get by on talent alone but choose to outwork everyone anyway. That's William. On top of it all, he's a person of high character and embraces his role as a leader. We're proud to have him in our lineup and look forward to many more wins together.' Byron will do double-duty this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, competing in Saturday's Xfinity Series race before driving in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.
