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Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Colton Herta's wish after qualifying pole? An 'easy race with no yellows' at Detroit Grand Prix
DETROIT — After a six-race start to his 2025 IndyCar season full of "what ifs" on race days and close calls on Saturdays, Colton Herta will finally have the best seat in the house to take the green flag for Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix, with hopes of turning his first pole of his season and 15th of his career into his first win of 2025, too. The Andretti Global driver finished well over a tenth of a second ahead of A.J. Foyt Racing's David Malukas in the battle for pole Sunday, having had four Fast 6 appearances already this year but so far no poles, matching his pole performance a year ago on the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street course. But in the chaos of last year's race that featured eight cautions and 47 of 100 laps ran under yellow, Herta and the No. 26 Andretti Global crew faltered and fell back to 19th. Entering IndyCar's third race since the series' shift to the downtown street course track, Andretti Global and others are looking to knock Chip Ganassi Racing off the top step, with Alex Palou (2023) and Scott Dixon (2024) taking wins on the course thus far. 'We've been close a few times this year making it on a pole run, so I'm happy to do that and start P1 tomorrow,' said Herta, who's looking for his first podium finish of 2025. Entering Sunday, the Andretti Global driver's best finish of fourth came at The Thermal Club. Outside that, he's finished 16th at St. Pete after starting second, seventh at Long Beach after starting second and seventh at Barber after qualifying third, along with dismal runs during the Month of May at IMS (25th on the IMS road course and 14th in the Indy 500). Entering Sunday, Herta sits ninth in points, 22 back of eighth-place Will Power, 36 back of his fifth-place teammate Kyle Kirkwood, 74 back of second-place Pato O'Ward and 186 of runaway championship leader Alex Palou. 'Now we just need a nice, easy race with no yellows,' said Herta, referencing IndyCar's run of three full races (and parts of two others) that ran without a single caution earlier in the season. Among a Fast 6 that included Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Palou, Malukas and Graham Rahal, the battle for pole was essentially between the pair of Andretti Global teammates and Malukas, all three of whom had only used one set of Firestone alternate tires during Round 1 of qualifying instead of two like so many of their competitors had — done so they could better ensure they'd advance to the Fast 12. Despite ending up tying his best starting spot of his IndyCar career in second, Malukas said he and his No. 4 squad expected to have a better shot at giving Andretti a serious run, but finished well back of Herta on their fastest laps (1:00.4779 vs. 1:00.6492). Kirkwood, too, felt he gave away an opportunity for his second pole of 2025, having been sitting four-tenths up on Herta's fastest lap with half a lap left before making enough wall contact to break a tow link that left him losing time in bunches on the final couple corners. Entering Sunday, Kirkwood is the only driver to have finished ahead of Palou in the two-time defending series champ's only non-win of the year at Long Beach, where the Chip Ganassi Racing driver still managed a runner-up finish. 'I've never been more disappointed with third in my life,' said Kirkwood, who was stripped earlier this week of his sixth-place Indy 500 finish due to a post-race tech inspection failure. 'But congrats to Colton. I'm glad one of us got (pole), because it would've been really frustrating if neither one of us got it. 'I know I just threw away a pole, without a doubt, but our cars are fast, and that's what's really important. And I see no reason why we won't be fast once again (on Sunday).' Starting fourth on Sunday, Lundgaard said after stepping out of his car he was proud to have finished as the fastest driver not to have used a new set of alternates in the Fast 6, as he looks to potentially overtake teammate O'Ward for second in points and with any luck chip away a bit at his 125-point gap to Palou. Meanwhile, Palou, who finished 15th-fastest in Practice 1 Friday afternoon, was more than happy to settle for sixth in the Fast 6 after a whirlwind 48-hour media tour in New York City following his first career Indy 500 win on Sunday. In his five wins so far in 2025, Palou has started eighth (St. Pete), third (Thermal), pole (Barber and IMS road course) and sixth (Indy 500). He'll start fifth Sunday, with Graham Rahal dropping back from fifth to 11th due to a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change.
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'Worst moment of my life': Team Penske's tumultuous Indy 500 week ends with crash, car issues
INDIANAPOLIS -- Team Penske's chances for a third straight year of Indianapolis 500 glory, already complicated by a week of penalties and turmoil, ended abruptly Sunday. Scott McLaughlin's bid for back-row immortality ended on the pace lap – his No. 3 car the casualty of a collision with the wall. Two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden completed 135 laps before a fuel pressure issue took him out in 25th place. He began the race in 32nd position – one spot ahead of teammate Will Power. Both were sent to the back row after their cars failed inspections for unapproved modifications to the rear attenuator. Power completed the race, finishing 19th. The lackluster finishes concluded a tumultuous week. Calls for an independent officiating body were renewed, with Penske Entertainment's ownership of both the series and the 500 seen as a conflict of interest. Penske fired its IndyCar leadership last Wednesday. 'I just wish we had a chance to fight for it,' Newgarden said on the Fox broadcast after his exit. 'We didn't even get to see what we had there. We were just slowly working forward. '... It's just a shame to not be there in the fight.' Newgarden was talking about his own car and race team. The comments, though, could easily apply to the entire Penske Corporation's endeavor to reclaim the narrative after the past week's chaotic events. Not only did the team fall short, it stumbled to its worst Indianapolis 500 performance in recent history. Sunday marked only the second Indy 500 in the past 14 without a top-10 Penske finish. It had posted at least two top-10 finishes in every race since 2011. A Newgarden three-peat would have made him the first driver to win from a back-row start. He made steady progress throughout the race. He ran in 10th at Lap 80. By Lap 130, he'd moved up to sixth. The fuel pressure issue, though, came up during a pit stop after Lap 133. Newgarden later told reporters the problem was 'an anomaly – something we've never seen before.' Newgarden had qualified for the Fast 12 one day prior to the failed inspection. 'We were trending in the right direction," Newgarden said. 'We just tried to take our time. It was not going to matter until the very end, and I think we were at least going to be in position to give it a fight. 'It's just tough to end on that note. We had such a good month in so many ways.' The race began under a caution when McLaughlin crashed on the parade lap. He called it 'the worst moment of my life.' Starting in 10th place, the New Zealand native seemed to represent the best chance for Penske to salvage the weekend. Instead, the only one of its three drivers which hadn't been banished to the back lost traction and slammed into the wall, ruining his left front suspension, on the pace lap. 'It is what it is,' McLaughlin said. 'You've just got to get on with it, pick yourself up.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 race is over with 25th-place finish
Josef Newgarden's attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s fell short. The 34-year-old Tennessean finishes 25th after starting from the last row on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. He suffered a fuel pressure issue after a Lap 133 pit stop. Advertisement "Tried to be methodical," Newgarden told the Fox broadcast. "I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." He had steadily improved his race position after starting 32nd: 10th at Lap 80 and 6th at Lap 130. Newgarden held back as the green flag flew, careful to avoid any issues with cars ahead. He worked his into the upper half of the field by Lap 50. His car failed inspection during second-day qualifying, and IndyCar star sent him — after qualifying for the Fast 12 the previous day — to the back row, along with Team Penske teammate Will Power. Has anyone won the Indianapolis 500 three straight years? Five others previously sought a three-peat, with results ranging from tantalizingly close to tragic. Here's how those drivers fared. No one had a better opportunity to win three straight Indy 500s. Castroneves won his rookie and second seasons at IMS, then qualified for the pole in 2003. Advertisement Just one thing stood in his way: Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, who won by 0.22 seconds over runner-up Castroneves. Castroneves is seeking a record fifth Indy 500 win in 2025. He shares the all-time victories lead with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Unser started the 1972 race 19th and crossed the finish line in 3rd place, though Mark Donahue dominated the field, winning by more than 3 minutes. The morning after the race, officials penalized the runner-up, Jerry Grant, for taking on fuel late in the wrong from the wrong pit stall. That moved Unser up to 2nd. Vukovich started the 1955 from the 5th position and led 50 of the first 56 laps before being killed in a Lap 57 crash involving five drivers. Rose was not a factor in 1949, starting 10th and finishing 13th. The three-time race champ crashed in 1941 while leading on Lap 152, suffering a back injury and getting drenched in fuel from his ruptured gas tank. Advertisement The Speedway didn't host any races from 1942-45 because of World War II, and Shaw never raced there again. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2025 Indy 500 results: Josef Newgarden finishes 25th in Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 race is over with 25th-place finish
Josef Newgarden's attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s fell short. The 34-year-old Tennessean finishes 25th after starting from the last row on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. He suffered a fuel pressure issue after a Lap 133 pit stop. "Tried to be methodical," Newgarden told the Fox broadcast. "I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." He had steadily improved his race position after starting 32nd: 10th at Lap 80 and 6th at Lap 130. Newgarden held back as the green flag flew, careful to avoid any issues with cars ahead. He worked his into the upper half of the field by Lap 50. His car failed inspection during second-day qualifying, and IndyCar star sent him — after qualifying for the Fast 12 the previous day — to the back row, along with Team Penske teammate Will Power. Five others previously sought a three-peat, with results ranging from tantalizingly close to tragic. Here's how those drivers fared. No one had a better opportunity to win three straight Indy 500s. Castroneves won his rookie and second seasons at IMS, then qualified for the pole in 2003. Just one thing stood in his way: Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, who won by 0.22 seconds over runner-up Castroneves. Castroneves is seeking a record fifth Indy 500 win in 2025. He shares the all-time victories lead with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Unser started the 1972 race 19th and crossed the finish line in 3rd place, though Mark Donahue dominated the field, winning by more than 3 minutes. The morning after the race, officials penalized the runner-up, Jerry Grant, for taking on fuel late in the wrong from the wrong pit stall. That moved Unser up to 2nd. Vukovich started the 1955 from the 5th position and led 50 of the first 56 laps before being killed in a Lap 57 crash involving five drivers. Rose was not a factor in 1949, starting 10th and finishing 13th. The three-time race champ crashed in 1941 while leading on Lap 152, suffering a back injury and getting drenched in fuel from his ruptured gas tank.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
'We let people down': Roger Penske on Indianapolis 500, IndyCar rules violations
'We let people down': Roger Penske on Indianapolis 500, IndyCar rules violations Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske, spoke about his team's rules violations prior to the Fast 12 on Sunday of Indy 500 qualifying. Penske spoke with Fox reporter Jamie Little while at IMS on Wednesday, hours after he fired Team Penske president Tim Cindric and two other executives. The interview was conducted just days after the tech inspection violations for Josef Newgarden and Will Power's cars. Here is what Penske had to say: Roger Penske on rules violations during Indy 500 qualifying Penske said he was disappointed with the outcome Sunday. "I really have to go back four and a half years ago when we bought the speedway and I said, 'No. 1, that I would invest capital, I would get the best people and we take the series ... to higher levels,'" Penske said. "I think we've done that." Then Penske asked, "What about Team Penske?" "When I think about Team Penske, we've really had an organizational failure two times," Penske said, including the push to pass violation in the 2024 season opener. "Not once but two times. Believe me, it hurts me in my gut when you think about it. But I look at it this way. There's a certain amount of credibility you have to have. It's integrity, individually and collectively, our team, the sport, and I think we let people down. I made some management changes we announced today and I think we'll move on. Our goal is to win the race this coming weekend." In the wake of the violations, Penske fired team president Tim Cindric, who had more than a 25-year tenure with the organization, managing director Ron Ruzewski and general manager Kyle Moyer — the strategists on the team's Nos. 2, 12 and 3 IndyCar entries of Newgarden, Power and Scott McLaughlin, whose car was found in compliance but a crash Sunday meant he couldn't make qualifying runs and will start 10th. What is an attenuator? Penske penalized by IndyCar for altering the attenuator Roger Penske on potential conflict of interests Little asked Penske about a potential conflict of interest for owning IndyCar and IMS and competing in the series with three teams. "I've heard the word used, optics," Penske said. "I would say this: As I look at my response to this and what my MO has been over the last four and a half years, I've not been on a pit box, I've not been in race control, I'm not in inspection and I have nothing to do with officiating, and especially the rules. No. 1, I can look myself in the mirror and say, 'I've done the right thing.'" However, Penske said his team has "obviously, we have not done a good job in the optics for people outside this." "These two violations, you would call them, certainly show the fact that I need to be more diligent and where we're going as a team," Penske said. "Certainly, I would challenge if we go back and look at what we've tried to accomplish and what we have we've made a lot of progress. But I think this independencecy is very important as we go forward for the credibility of the series, the teams and everyone else, the fans, that follow IndyCar." Roger Penske on a possible independent officiating body for IndyCar Penske said talks have been underway about a possible independent officiating body for the IndyCar Series. "For probably the last six months, we've talked internally, as IndyCar, Mark Miles, and now of course Doug Boles, and some outside input on how we could become more independent from the operational side of the racing, inspection, race control, etc," Penske said. "We certainly expect, and I would expect that the team at IndyCar ... will take a look at that and take some action as we move forward." Roger Penske on more penalties for Team Penske cars Little said some people want to see more penalties for Team Penske, which include not having Newgarden and Power compete on Sunday. "I don't agree," Penske said. "No. 1, those cars went through inspection on Saturday, got the sticker, they performed in the top 12 and were available to run on Sunday," Penske said. "From that point on, there was a question about our cars on Sunday. We actually pulled the cars and did not make a run because of the question from the officials. But as far as I'm concerned, they earned the right to be in the 109th running of the Indy 500." Roger Penske on Josef Newgarden's 2024 Indy 500 winning car Little asked about Newgarden's 2024 Indy 500 winning car, which has the same modified attenuator that Team Penske failed its tech with. "We had nine attenuators that were modified by Dallara back at the beginning of 2024," Penske said. "Those had been rotated through the cars over the last 15 months. We also had newer ones that we bought and those had been in the same batch. That's why you see that McLaughlin didn't have an issue with his car." Penske said Newgarden's 2024 car was taken apart "piece by piece, in detail, following the race." "It was said to be completely legal for the win," Penske said. Roger Penske on moving forward after rules violations Penske said he had a call with all of the team owners. "People have come to me and said, 'You're supposed to be a leader of this sport and here you have these two situations,'' Penske said. "I think the integrity of the sport, I didn't help it any. From my perspective, what I have to do ... I've got to take the role on, along with the Penske Entertainment leadership, and gain back that credibility. I know the speedway here, this weekend, is a world-class event, the best racing event in the world. And the last thing I want to do is tarnish it with any kind of issues from the standpoint of any inspection or any rules violations. My thinking is we've got to make it better. I have to help do that in a way that I'm not affecting anything beneficial for our team." Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify the three fired were strategists.
