Latest news with #Herta
Indianapolis Star
2 hours 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.
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Colton Herta Keeps Andretti Global Rolling with Motor City Pole
INDYCAR While it appeared since the first practice Andretti Global was a favorite for the pole position for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Colton Herta ended the suspense about which one of the team's drivers would end up on top. Herta repeated as the NTT P1 Award winner for this race on the streets of downtown Detroit, earning his first pole of the season and 15th of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with a best lap of 1 minute, .4779 of a second in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda during the Firestone Fast Six. SEE: Qualifying Results The pole came after a bit of a gamble in the final qualifying segment Saturday, as Herta was the only driver to start the session on used primary Firestone Firehawk tires before switching to a new set of the softer but grippier alternate tires early in the session. The other five drivers ran the entire Firestone Fast Six session on a combination of new and used Firestone Firehawk alternates. 'It was such an unknown, and we were not really strong, to be completely honest, yesterday with the softer tires,' Herta said. 'The guys did a great job overnight. The Gainbridge Honda was super fast today. 'Happy to start P1 tomorrow – the best seat in the house. Now we just need a nice, easy race – no yellows, go back to how it was before Indy – and make it easy on us.' Up next is the warm-up session at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by the 100-lap race at 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). David Malukas continued his recent hot streak for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, following his runner-up finish in the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last Sunday with a career best-tying second qualifying spot at 1:00.6492 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet. That was Malukas' best career qualifying performance on a road or street circuit, as his two previous second-place starts came on ovals. Kyle Kirkwood continued the strong weekend for Andretti Global by qualifying third at 1:00.7312 in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda. Kirkwood led practice Friday, while Herta paced the practice session this morning on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit. Christian Lundgaard will join Kirkwood in Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:00.8938 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Starting on the inside of Row 3 will be Graham Rahal, who qualified fifth at 1:01.0651 in the No. 15 JJ Curran Crane Company Honda. That strong effort continued Rahal Letterman Lanigan's recent unlocking of more speed on circuits with left and right turns, as Rahal qualified second earlier this month for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Series points leader Alex Palou rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 1:01.4680 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou has won five of the first six races this season, including the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last Sunday for his first career oval victory. While sixth tied Palou's second-worst qualifying performance this season, it was a solid recovery from the first two practices in which he ranked 15th and 12th, respectively. Palou leads second-place Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren by a staggering 112 points – more than two races' worth – after just six of 17 races this season. O'Ward failed to advance out of the first round of qualifying and will start 18th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. recommended
Fox Sports
6 hours 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
Indianapolis Star
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Colton Herta recreates a viral video by calling up IndyCar drivers just to say goodnight
Colton Herta decided to call up a few fellow IndyCar drivers just to tell them goodnight. A viral trend on social media, where guys call up some of their friends just to wish them goodnight, got the IndyCar driver's attention and he decided to recreate it. Herta called up Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin, Alex Rossi, Conor Daly, Kyle Kirkwood and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe. Herta was met with a variety of reactions. A few of the guys thought it was a prank or that something bad had happened to inspire the random call. Daly asked if it was a joke while Palou said, "Oh, I hope it's not a big prank." "What have you done to my bus?" McLaughlin asked. Story continues after photo gallery. Kirkwood was the only one of the IndyCar drivers Herta called that was familiar with the trend. He laughed and said "Did you see that video too?" "You're the only one that has gotten it so far!" Herta told him. Rossi and Hinchcliffe matched Herta's energy with the goodnight call. Rossi replied, "Oh, that's cute." Hinchcliffe teased back, "I've been missing my nightly tuck ins from you." Herta shared the video to Instagram on May 20, with the caption "Goodnight @indycar drivers and fans!" A post shared by Colton Herta (@coltonherta)
Indianapolis Star
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Airborne crashes during Indy 500 qualifying a 'very sketchy package.' Paddock reacts
INDIANAPOLIS — For the third time in as many days, Indy cars have gotten airborne at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during qualifying weekend with the addition of 70-100 horsepower that teams and manufacturers add from Fast Friday to the completion of Sunday's bumping and battle for the pole. Kyffin Simpson (during Fast Friday), Colton Herta (during his first qualifying run Saturday afternoon) and Scott McLaughlin (during Sunday afternoon's Fast 12 practice) all got loose in three separate corners, lost the rear of their cars and were sent into spins that ended up with various parts of the left sides of their cars making contact with the outer SAFER barriers. The nature of those crashes — all three of them unique — ended up with all three cars getting four wheels in the air. Two of them, the incidents involving Chip Ganassi Racing's Simpson and Team Penske's McLaughlin, eventually ended with cars coming to a stop with wheels on the race track. The No. 26 of Herta and Andretti Global inverted, the rear of the car getting into the air first instead of the right side like the other two, with the car coming back onto the ground upside down and skidding down the track on the roll hoop and aero screen, engulfing Herta in a storm of sparks, before it came to rest. IndyCar has yet to offer any sort of comment or explanation as to why three cars have gotten airborne in such short proximity, something that has happened occasionally in recent years but from best recollection not with the same frequency. It left some members in the paddock making reference to IndyCar's situation in 2015 in the debut of manufacturer aero kits, where so many Chevy cars took flight that the series would go on to mandate parts changes before the race to try and prevent incidents from intensifying. IndyStar spoke with a dozen members of the paddock after the sight of McLaughlin's crash in search of insight as to why cars getting four fires off the ground seemingly had become so commonplace this weekend. Of those who believed there could be some sort of commonality — the additional 100-plus pounds of IndyCar's hybrid system, debuting this month in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing — is believed by many to have played some sort of role in the severity of the incidents. Said one driver, when asked if the trend of airborne cars was at all becoming concerning: 'I try not to think about it, but yes. (This is) moreso just a very sketchy package.' Though McLaughlin had not yet been formally cleared to return to the cockpit at the time of writing, he emerged swiftly from the IMS infield care center after his crash, said he was just fine and didn't appear to exhibit any noticeable lingering symptoms and was later cleared to return. Simpson and Herta were seen, released and cleared to return to the cockpit rather quickly after their respective incidents over the last three days. 'These cars are totally safe,' another veteran driver told IndyStar. 'But it's impossible when going so fast to prevent them from doing that, really. I think we're just going so fast as well. And the weight certainly doesn't help.' Three other drivers noted they believed the additional weight added in the back of the car with the hybrid that debuted last July at Mid-Ohio was likely to have played a role in the which in which those three cars responded to the significant loads in the moment after contact. 'I think it's the weight from the hybrid back there that spins everyone if you're a bit too much on the nose,' one said. 'It's very tricky out there.' Said another: 'It seems like the norm as of now. They are coming down rather quick and well, though, compared to what we saw in 2015.' 'Using it is really critical': How IndyCar drivers say hybrid could affect 2025 Indy 500 Simpson's car lost the rear coming through Turn 4 Friday afternoon and began rotating counterclockwise, as is typically the spin with a spin on an oval, and twirled just over 180 degrees, with the left front corner making first contact with the SAFER barrier. In watching slow-motion replay, that contact appeared the rest of the right side into the wall, with that energy lifting the right side off the ground first before the entire car went airborne. In landed back on the ground initially on the left side before returning upright and skidding toward pit lane. Herta's spin and ensuing crash coming through Turn 1 Saturday similarly led to his left-front making first contact with the outer SAFER barrier before the whiplash effect sent the rest of the left side slinging around, energy that lifted the right rear and then the entire rear of the car straight off the ground. With Herta's No. 26 nearly vertical, the flip continued, ending with the car completing a half flip and the Dallara chassis skidding down the track upside down. McLaughlin's left front was also first to make contact with the outer SAFER barrier in Turn 2 in the midst of his Sunday afternoon spin, energy from which then slung the left side around and into the wall, lifting both right side wheels up off the ground. As the car soared briefly down the track wholly airborne, in similar fashion to Simpson's two days prior, it too landed flush on the left side — the impact so intense it dislodged the left rear wheel off the car — a safety concern IndyCar last saw in the closing laps of the 2023 Indy 500. The series responded in 2023 by adding a new rear-wheel bearing retaining nut ahead of the next oval race in 2023 after extensive studying and recreation of the incident by IndyCar chassis manufacturer Dallara. At the start of that season, IndyCar had upgraded the wheel tethers that have helped keep wheels from breaking free from the car for multiple decades and confirmed following that crash that those tethers had not failed. Kirkwood told IndyStar the day after his incident that the car's left-rear upright assembly, which serves as a major connection point between the wheel hub/wheel and the car's suspension, pushrod and steering arm, 'shredded' upon impact with Felix Rosenqvist's car.
