Latest news with #Gainbridge
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Instant Recall: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear
INDYCAR Tight racing, fierce competitiveness, a red flag and one good laugh. That was what the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear delivered over the weekend. The fun began with Will Power thoroughly enjoying his car's deliberate shove of Kyle Kirkwood in the first practice session. As Power saw it, Kirkwood was going too slow in the preferred approach to Turn 6, so he physically hurried him along. Kirkwood wasn't initially amused, but given that no significant harm was done, they later shared a lighthearted chat in the paddock in a signature moment of the weekend. Contact continued within the concrete confines, and NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou was on the receiving end of it from David Malukas in Sunday's race. Palou got knocked into the tire barrier in Turn 1, leading to his first DNF in nearly a year. He certainly wasn't happy about it, but Malukas was apologetic, so each will move on from it. It remains to be seen how Tony Kanaan and Scott McLaughlin carry on from here. For the second week in a row, McLaughlin had a big issue. He crashed on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway front straightaway before the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge even began. Then Sunday, he ran into the back of Nolan Siegel, drawing a penalty for avoidable contact. For a reason that's not yet clear, Kanaan, Arrow McLaren's team principal who hired Siegel, later took a social media swipe at McLaughlin and Team Penske. Felix Rosenqvist had two reasons to forget about this race. The first was a spin into the tire barrier at Turn 8. Later, he was slowing to make the hard left-hander at Turn 3 when the damaged car of rookie Louis Foster slammed into him from behind. Foster's car had suffered right front suspension failure under heavy braking on the bumpy street circuit. Both drivers were fortunate to escape injury in the hard impacts. Ten drivers led the 100-lap race, including Kirkwood (48 laps) and Christian Rasmussen (21). There were five cautions and six penalties in the race. Kirkwood was fourth in the order when the race resumed following cleanup from the Rosenqvist-Foster incident. The Floridian made quick work of Marcus Armstrong, Kyffin Simpson and Santino Ferrucci with passes on the long straight on consecutive laps, although contact with Simpson broke his front wing. Once in the lead, Kirkwood was gone, scoring his second victory of the season and the fourth of his career, all on street circuits. Kirkwood and Palou (five wins) are still the only drivers to have won races this year, a stark contrast to the 2024 season when six drivers won the first seven races. Despite the hit from Malukas, Palou still leads the championship by a sizable margin (90 points). Finally, there's a break in the schedule, and yes, it's needed. The teams have been on track 17 of the past 31 days, and the crews have worked more than that. There have been four races, including the ridiculously important '500,' and the two days of Indy qualifying. Some rest is more than welcomed: It's needed. There are 12 days between Sunday's race and the first practice of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline. That oval race won last year by Josef Newgarden begins something of a stretch run, with 10 races over the next 12 weeks. Palou is obviously still in the driver's seat for a third straight series title and fourth in five years, but there is still much to be decided. Enjoy a few days, INDYCAR. Much work remains. recommended
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Colton Herta Rises to Top as Andretti Global Stays Quick at Detroit
INDYCAR A second Andretti Global driver has stepped to the fore, as Colton Herta led pre-qualifying practice for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Saturday morning. Herta produced the top lap of the one-hour session on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown street circuit, 1 minute, 1.7823 seconds, in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. That's just slightly slower than the top lap of the weekend turned Friday by his teammate Kyle Kirkwood, 1:01.7509, as air temperatures this morning hovered in the mid-50s under overcast skies. SEE: Practice Results Scott McLaughlin stayed in the No. 2 position for a second straight session in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet with his top lap of 1:01.8995. Kirkwood stayed sharp, ending up third at 1:01.9423 in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda. Callum Ilott brought PREMA Racing closer to the front of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid for the second straight weekend by ending up fourth at 1:02.1450 in the team's No. 90 Chevrolet. Ilott's rookie teammate, Robert Shwartzman, was the shock pole winner for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Rookie Louis Foster, the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, enjoyed one of his strongest sessions of the season. He rounded out the top five at 1:02.1696 in the No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Alex Palou continued to struggle for the first time this season. Palou, who has won five of the first six races this season, managed to improve to 12th at 1:02.5318 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after ending up 15th out of 27 drivers Friday. Up next is NTT P1 Award qualifying at noon ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 100-lap race starts at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Kyle Kirkwood Recovers from Nudge To Lead First Detroit Practice
INDYCAR In an interesting twist to the racing euphemism 'bump and run,' Kyle Kirkwood got the bump and then made a superb run to lead practice Friday for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Kirkwood topped the 80-minute session, separated into groups, with a lap of 1 minute, 1.7509 seconds in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda of Andretti Global. That quick trip around the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit in downtown Detroit came after Kirkwood spent considerable time in the pits for repairs to the rear of his car after being nudged from behind through a short section of the circuit amid slower traffic by the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet of two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power. SEE: Practice Results 'I don't know,' Kirkwood said. 'Everyone goes slow around here. The track's not big enough to fit all the cars, and he got frustrated. Whatever, I guess. I'm not upset. I don't care. We're P1.' Said Power: 'I came around, and he slowed up in the middle and made contact. So, I thought, 'Well, I may as well get a gap now,' so I just pushed him past the car in front, just moved him out of the way and got a really nice gap.' Scott McLaughlin began his recovery from crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on the pace lap last Sunday by ending up second today at 1:02.0301 in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet. Power was third at 1:02.3862. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden was the third Team Penske driver in the top four with his best lap of 1:02.4819 in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 1:02.6047 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Alex Palou, the runaway series points leader with five wins in the first six races this season, looked mortal in this session. Three-time series champion Palou ended up 15th out of 27 cars at 1:03.0381 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou locked up his front Firestone Firehawk tires entering a braking zone during the session and rolled past the corner but made no contact in the run-off area. Defending Detroit winner and six-time series champion Scott Dixon was 18th at 1:03.0985 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Up next is practice at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at noon (both sessions FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 100-lap race starts at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Power Rankings: David Malukas Jumps into Top 10 after Strong '500'
INDYCAR Alex Palou reached victory lane in Sunday's 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and continued his iron grip on the top spot in Power Rankings. The three-time series champion, who won all three races during the Month of May when factoring in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst on May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park and the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, remains the only mainstay in the Power Rankings. Here's who rose in the Power Rankings entering Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. ↑10. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR) Originally finishing third in the race, Malukas was elevated to second place following post-race penalties assessed to Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood for technical violations on their Andretti Global cars. Malukas' performance at the Indianapolis 500, coupled with his consistent speed during the oval practice sessions and qualifying seventh, propels him into the Power Rankings. ↓9. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 8) Herta's performance during the Month of May was notably underwhelming, especially considering his previous success on the IMS road course. In the Sonsio Grand Prix, Herta qualified 13th but finished 25th after a challenging race. In the '500', he started 27th and managed to finish 14th. ↓8. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 7) Despite strong practice sessions leading up to the '500,' a brake issue before the field even took the green to start the race compromised Dixon's race, leading to a 20th-place finish and ending his streak of climbing through the field in previous races. Dixon gained 14 spots at Barber Motorsports Park to finish 12th and 11 more in the Sonsio Grand Prix, coming home fifth. ↓7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3) Starting from the 10th position, McLaughlin lost control of his car during the final pace lap while trying to warm his Firestone Firehawk tires, resulting in a collision that ended his race before it officially began. This incident disrupted a promising season for McLaughlin, who had previously achieved four top-six finishes in the five races leading up to the Indianapolis 500. ↓6. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2) Power had a dismal '500', finishing 16th after starting 33rd. Entering the '500,' Power had finishes of sixth, fifth, fifth and third, respectively. While McLaughlin is two points ahead of Power in the standings, Power has crossed the finish line ahead of his Team Penske teammate in four of the last five races. ↔5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda; Last Rank: 5) Kirkwood remains fifth after finishing 32nd in the '500.' While there's a case to drop him further, Kirkwood is the only driver not named Alex Palou to win this season when the Andretti Global driver was victorious in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. That's a race he dominated from the pole. Also, Kirkwood has four top-eight finishes in six races this season. ↑4. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda; Last Rank: 10) Rosenqvist started fifth and finished fourth in the '500,' the same spot he enters Detroit in the points standings. FRO has three top-five finishes in the last five races and five top-10 results in six races this season with Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian. ↑3. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 6) Lundgaard earned his best-career '500' finish with a seventh-place result Sunday. He has five top-10 finishes in six races this season, including three consecutive podiums at The Thermal Club, Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park. ↑2. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4) O'Ward finished third in the '500' for his fourth top-six finish in the last five races this season. Next up, however, is a street course in Detroit. O'Ward finished 11th (St. Petersburg) and 13th (Detroit) on street tracks this season. ↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1) Palou has five wins in six races this season, with an average finish of 1.2. His worst result this season is second on the streets of Long Beach. Now that he's a '500' winner and points leader by 112, he's almost untouchable. recommended
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Inside Line: Biggest Indianapolis 500 Takeaway?
INDYCAR Today's question: What was your biggest takeaway from the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge? Curt Cavin: Alex Palou's first '500' victory and the second grandstand sellout of the modern era were huge stories, to be sure. But the most significant development of this month was the television rating associated with FOX Sports' first race broadcast. Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said officials had modeled what a 5 percent year-over-year increase in Indy ratings would mean to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as a whole, and it was a difference-maker. But a 40 percent increase, which is what was achieved? Well, that required a whole new model calculation, and Miles said the impact from the business side of the sport will be felt in a massive way. Eric Smith: My biggest takeaway was how much of an impact pit road had on the outcome of Sunday's race. While I do believe the best car and best driver won, I was shocked to see so many drivers were plagued by the slowest part of the track. Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay have three '500' victories between them and led 99 of 200 laps, but each had issues on pit road, dropping them from winning contention. 2016 winner Alexander Rossi and two-time '500' winner Josef Newgarden both saw their days end on pit road, albeit not necessarily pit road problems, but mechanical failures while on pit road. Rookie pole winner Robert Shwartzman, Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay each had brake problems entering their pit stops, effectively ruining any shot of victory. Not saying any of those drivers had a car capable of stopping Palou, but each could have fared better in the final results. Arni Sribhen: After three weeks at home in Indianapolis, the only thing I'm taking away from the Month of May is something I already knew coming into the two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Alex Palou is really good at INDYCAR SERIES racing. Numbers back it up. Five wins in six races. Six straight podiums. Three-hundred six points out of a possible 334. Face it guys, we're watching the 1927 New York Yankees, Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls win 72 games or the early 2000s Ferrari F1 of Michael Schumacher, only it's a yellow-and-red NTT INDYCAR SERIES car and a driver having an 'amazing' year. Paul Kelly: Along the lines of Arni's thoughts, I'm beyond impressed at the history Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing are making this season. Let's get real: The championship race is probably all but over, and Palou could almost canter to his fourth Astor Challenge Cup in five years. But I don't want to see Palou and the No. 10 DHL team nickel-and-dime their way to a third straight title this summer; I want to see them crush the field like a relentless steamroller. I want Palou to challenge and even break the all-time record for victories in one INDYCAR SERIES season, 10, by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970. Remember when the New England Patriots went 16-0 during the regular season in 2007? Their games became appointment TV that season, whether you liked Tom Brady and Co. or not (as a lifelong member of Bills Mafia, I loathe the Pats). The Indy 500 just drew its biggest TV audience since 2008, and continued Palou trips to Victory Lane may keep more of those fans around their sets than a couple more wins and a handful of top-fives through Nashville in August. Let's see the Palou wagon keep rolling at maximum speed. recommended
