Latest news with #Herta
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Instant Recall: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
INDYCAR If there was any doubt about Alex Palou on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he erased it early in and throughout the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey. Get used to it, folks. Palou not only has set the standard for this sport; he is the standard. Palou would have led all 95 laps from the pole if there wasn't that pesky business of needing to stop for fuel. Nolan Siegel had pitted much earlier in the race, on Lap 12, and that's why his Arrow McLaren machine was a few paces ahead of Palou for 11 laps. After that? Well, it was all Palou. Again. The driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 10 DHL Honda has now won three of the past four races on the Monterey Peninsula, and he finished third last year. Palou has competed there five times. His average finish is a ridiculous 1.6. And, he has won the past two poles. Palou gapped fellow front-row starter Pato O'Ward so quickly Sunday that it might have seemed the Arrow McLaren driver had an issue. He did, of course. His name is Alex Palou. The Spaniard now has eight wins in 14 races this season, and guess what: His second-best track is next on the schedule. Palou has won two of the past four races at Portland International Raceway, site of the Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). He finished second to Team Penske's Will Power there a year ago. He might have another absurd average finish at that track had he not finished 12th there in 2022. By now, Palou's third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years is virtually a foregone conclusion. We can save that analyzation for another day, but his lead is 121 points with only 162 points available the rest of the way. He should officially be handed the Astor Challenge Cup on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Nashville Superspeedway. While everything at Laguna Seca featured Palou, there were other shining drives. Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard drove from seventh to finish second. That's now five podium finishes for the Danish driver who had only three in his first three full seasons. Lundgaard and Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian had a spirited battle, and Lundgaard used a mid-race shoulder to uproot Herta for the position mid-race. Herta continued his family's run of Laguna Seca success, but Palou's dominance makes it seem like forever ago that a Herta was the talk of this track. O'Ward finished fourth, but he never seemed in the game. Yet, that added to his career year, already the ninth top-five finish which includes two wins. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Mexican will finish a career-best second in the standings. (It should be noted that O'Ward trails Palou by 121 points, but he leads Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon by 77 points, so it's unlikely he moves out of the second position.) Dixon gained 14 positions in Sunday's race to finish fifth, and that enabled him to overtake Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood for third in the standings. Assuming Dixon holds the position, he will finish in the top three in points for the 16th time in his Hall-of-Fame career. Kirkwood, meanwhile, had a July to forget. There were five races, and he posted an average finish of 14.8. Sunday, he finished 16th with a drive-through penalty for contact with Dale Coyne Racing's Rinus VeeKay. He has lost 120 points to Palou this month. PREMA Racing's Callum Ilott had another strong weekend at Laguna Seca. The only front-row qualifying effort of his career in this series came in 2022. In 2023, he tied his career-best finish by coming home fifth. Sunday, he drove from 24th to finish sixth. One more performance to single out: Ed Carpenter Racing's Christian Rasmussen finished ninth, his third top-10 result in the past four races. This has been a breakout season for the second-year driver who won the INDY NXT by Firestone championship in 2023. Beyond that it was all Palou as it has been all season. He is poised to go wire to wire in this historic season. recommended Item 1 of 2
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Two-Time Laguna Seca Race Winners 1-2 in Weekend's Final Practice
INDYCAR Colton Herta reminded the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field Saturday that he, like points leader Alex Palou, has won two series races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Herta did that setting the fastest lap of the rescheduled final pre-race practice, a session known as the warmup. The 30-minute affair was moved out of its Sunday time slot amid expectations that the coastal fog would linger on the Monterey Peninsula as it did on this day. SEE: Warmup Results Herta's best lap in the practice was 1 minute, 9.6028 seconds. Palou was second at 1:10.0273 while Palou's top championship contender, Pato O'Ward, was down in the order in 11th place (1:10.5414). Herta won what is known this year as the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey in 2019 and 2021. Palou won in 2022 and 2024. The only other driver in this 27-car field who has won the event is Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon, the winner in 2023. Dixon was third in this session. Sunday's 95-lap race is set for 3 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. It's worth noting that warmup performance isn't always an indicator of which car will fare the best in the race. Chip Ganassi Racing's Palou will start on the pole for the second consecutive year. The driver of the No. 9 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda won last year's race by 1.9780 seconds over Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian's Herta. Alexander Rossi, who was driving for Arrow McLaren, finished third. Palou has two of the past three Laguna Seca races, including the 2022 race when he won by more than 30 seconds, and holds a 99-point over O'Ward, an Arrow McLaren driver. Four races remain. Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood (minus-173) and Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (minus-174) are the other drivers mathematically eligible for the championship, but they will need a lot go right. Team Penske's Josef Newgarden, who is having the most challenging season of his career, had the lone significant incident in this session. He lost control of his machine in Turn 3, the car sliding into the gravel on the left side of the corner. Newgarden was closing on Dale Coyne Racing rookie Jacob Abel when he lost the back end of the car. On Saturday, Newgarden at the top of the track's famous Corkscrew corner, also having his car end up stuck in the gravel. recommended Item 1 of 1
Fox Sports
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Warming Up: Everyone Will Be Chasing Colton Herta Today in Toronto
INDYCAR It has been an Andretti Global weekend at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, with last year's race winner, Colton Herta, winning the NTT P1 Award for the third time in four years and Kyle Kirkwood leading a practice session and earning the sixth starting position for today's race. But in the morning warmup session, it was Arrow McLaren at the front. SEE: Session Results Christian Lundgaard, who won the 2023 race, and Nolan Siegel were 1-2 in the practice, although the times were more than six seconds off Herta's pole-winning pace as teams weren't pushing to the maximum as track conditions were not as they will be when the race is held. The Canadian morning offered a damp surface at Exhibition Place. Herta's best lap was a full 20 seconds slower than he qualified; Kirkwood's was 37 seconds slower. So, those weren't really laps to consider. The lone incident in the 30-minute session was Santino Ferrucci's trouble in Turn 7. The driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet hit the wall hard with the left slide, leading to a long slide into the Turn 8 run-off area. All four corners of the car were damaged, a tall repair ask for the crew with such limited time before the race. The broadcast begins at noon ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The green flag will wave at approximately at 12:22 p.m. The winner of this event has come from the pole each of the past two years and three times in the past four years. This is the fourth and final street race of the season. After qualifying 11th, four-time Toronto winner Scott Dixon will start 17th as his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing will serve a six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. Dixon is one of five former series winners at Exhibition Place. The others are Team Penske's Will Power (three wins) and Josef Newgarden (two). Single winners are Lundgaard and Herta (2024). This race is 90 laps, which is five more than have been utilized through its history except in 2014 when it was a doubleheader. recommended Item 1 of 1
Indianapolis Star
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
IndyCar Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Toronto leaderboard, crashes, starting lineup, time
Colton Herta starts from the pole position with IndyCar Series points leader Alex Palou beside him for the 90-lap Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in downtown Toronto on a 1.786-mile layout. Herta won from the pole in 2024, edging front-row starter Kyle Kirkwood at the finish line, with Scott Dixon completing the podium. Dixon has four wins on this layout, but he starts back in the pack after making an unapproved engine change. Nathan Brown is your best IndyCar follow, and keep up with coverage throughout the season with IndyStar's motorsports newsletter. We will have leaderboard updates, highlights and crashes throughout, so remember to refresh. The race is on to bring the car back into racing shape. Chip Ganassi Racing doesn't send its cars onto the track for the warm-up. Row 1 1, Colton Herta 2, Alex Palou Row 2 3, Marcus Armstrong 4, Will Power Row 3 5, Graham Rahal 6, Kyle Kirkwood Row 4 7, Louis Foster 8, Marcus Ericsson Row 5 9, Rinus Veekay 10, Pato O'Ward Row 6 11, Callum Ilott 12, Nolan Siegel Row 7 13, Kyffin Simpson 14, Scott McLaughlin Row 8 15, David Malukas 16, Felix Rosenqvist Row 9 17, Scott Dixon (6-spot grid penalty after qualifying 11th) 18, Josef Newgarden Row 10 19, Christian Lundgaard 20, Robert Shwartzman Row 11 21, Conor Daly 22, Christian Rasmussen Row 12 23, Santino Ferrucci 24, Alexander Rossi Row 13 25, Sting Ray Robb 26, Devlin DeFrancesco Row 14 27, Jacob Abel Alex Palou, has won seven races, Kyle Kirkwood three, and Scott Dixon and Pato O'Ward one each. Palou's 129-point lead over second-place O'Ward is more than two races of max points. Will Power and Colton Herta are tied for 8th with 244 points. Who comes out of Toronto ahead? We've seen it twice this year, and it's largely been the case the last couple years: The Andretti Global street course package is on another level, as we saw last year with Herta and teammate Kyle Kirkwood ran 1-2 for all but four laps of the 85 run on the streets of Toronto (with those four solely coming through pit exchanges). Herta won the last race here and has two poles and three podiums in his last three starts at Toronto. Though there's always a chance that disaster strikes, I'm going to take the odds on Herta. Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas, A.J. Foyt teammates, are tied for 10th with 237 points. Who comes out of Toronto ahead? Although Ferrucci has finished six of the eight road or street course races better than Malukas, the performance I saw across at the Detroit Grand Prix weekend (other than Malukas' tap to the rear of Alex Palou that earned Malukas an essentially day-ending penalty) leads me to think he has an edge. If he can keep his nose clean and this race doesn't deliver too much chaos — like the ways in which Ferrucci flipped the script for his podiums at Detroit and Road America — I like Malukas this weekend. Josef Newgarden and Christian Rasmussen are tied for 14th with 207 points. Who comes out of Toronto ahead? Before a mechanical failure ended his day at Detroit, Rasmussen was on for an incredibly strong showing — and then again, Newgarden had to fight hard just for a 9th-place finish there. Both these drivers — and their cars and teams — have shown volatility lately, in terms of results. So give me the veteran driver and more historically successful team. I don't think it's that ever-elusive 2025 win Newgarden continues to hunt, but a top-10 is reasonable, and I'm marginally less confident Rasmussen can match it. (All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218) 8:30 a.m.: IndyCar warmup, FS1 Noon: IndyCar race, Fox TV: Coverage begins at noon ET, Sunday, July 20, 2025, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 12:22 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. Fox Sports app. Watch free with a Fubo trial IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race) Sunday: Partly cloudy and highs in the upper 70s. Push-to-pass: 200 seconds total in increments of up to 20 seconds. Tire allotment: Five sets primary and five sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Rookie drivers may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. The 2025 IndyCar Series schedule includes 17 races, all televised on Fox. (Times are ET; %-downtown street course, &-road course, *-oval) March 2, St. Petersburg, Florida % (Winner: Alex Palou) March 23, Thermal, California & (Winner: Alex Palou) April 13, Long Beach, California % (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood) May 4, Birmingham, Alabama & (Winner: Alex Palou) May 10, Indianapolis & (Winner: Alex Palou) May 25, Indianapolis 500 * (Winner: Alex Palou) June 1, Detroit % (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood) June 15, St. Louis * (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood) June 22, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin & (Winner: Alex Palou) July 6, Lexington, Ohio & (Winner: Scott Dixon) July 12, Newton, Iowa * (Winner: Pato O'Ward) July 13, Newton, Iowa * (Winner: Alex Palou) July 20, Toronto %, noon July 27, Monterey, California &, 3 p.m. Aug. 10, Portland &, 3 p.m. Aug. 24, Milwaukee *, 2 p.m. Aug. 31, Nashville *, 2:30 p.m. (Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only)
Global News
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- Global News
Reigning champion Colton Herta takes pole at Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto
There will be a couple of familiar faces in the grid's front row when the green flag drops at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on Sunday. Defending champion Colton Herta earned pole position in the only IndyCar Series race outside of the United States. Alex Palou, who has a comfortable lead atop the open-wheel circuit's points list, will be right beside Herta at the starting line at Exhibition Place. Herta held pole position in three of the past four races in Toronto, but only won in 2024. 'I think it's just what this team is capable of around here for the street courses,' said Herta on Andretti Global's reputation for strong showings on street courses like Toronto. 'We continue to be a dominant force in the league for that style of racing. 'It was a stressful one, though. Really close to being knocked out in the first round.' View image in full screen Colton Herta (26) of the United States crosses the finish line to win the 2024 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy, in Toronto on Sunday, July 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey. Herta clocked the 11-turn, 2.874-kilometre course around Toronto's fairgrounds — also home to the CFL's Argonauts, Major League Soccer's Toronto FC, the American Hockey League's Marlies, the Professional Women's Hockey League's Sceptres, and starting in 2026, the WNBA's Tempo — in 59.8320 seconds. Story continues below advertisement It was Herta's first pole of the season and he's winless so far, although he does have three top-five finishes. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We want to do well. We're striving to do better every weekend,' said Herta as his news conference wound down and Palou walked in to the media centre to do his. 'It's a tough sport, so any little thing that we drop the ball on, it creates a big impact. 'Just need to be heads-up on Sunday and not give this (expletive) a win.' Palou chuckled before getting to the microphone. He has dominated IndyCar this season with seven wins, four poles, 10 top fives and 11 top 10s, leading for a total of 442 laps. He has 515 points to put him well ahead of No. 2 Pato O'Ward's 386. Despite the quality of his season, Palou said that starting second would be a tough assignment Sunday. 'It's never easy to start second,' said Palou, whose best qualifying lap was 0.2758 seconds behind Herta's. 'If the person in third is awake, they're usually able to pass the person on the outside. 'We'll see what we can do. It's not easy to be around the outside in Turn 1. Honestly, it's still great. As long as we're in the top four or five by Lap 1, it's where we want to be. We can race from there.' Story continues below advertisement Marcus Armstrong and Will Power were third and fourth, respectively. View image in full screen Third place finisher Scott Dixon (9) of New Zealand, left, trails second place finisher Kyle Kirkwood (27) of the United States and winner Colton Herta (26) of the United States during the 2024 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy, in Toronto on Sunday, July 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey. Scott Dixon, a four-time champion in Toronto, was 11th in qualifying but IndyCar announced Friday that he'd earned a six-position starting grid penalty for an unapproved engine change following last week's race at Iowa Speedway. Dixon is second only to all-time great Michael Andretti's seven wins around Exhibition Place. Toronto's Devlin DeFrancesco, the only Canadian on the grid, was 26th. Several drivers complained after Friday's practice about a large bump on Lake Shore Boulevard, just before the braking zone heading into Turn 3. Race officials repaved the area overnight with mixed reviews from Herta and Palou. 'It's much better. Yeah, it was pretty brutal yesterday,' said Herta. 'I didn't really mind it because I think it adds character and whatnot. But it was on the limit. It was very aggressive. Story continues below advertisement 'I thought IndyCar did a good job. I think there's no problems at all with it.' Palou was less positive. '(The patch) didn't really make any difference for us. I guess they tried hard,' he said. 'The good thing is we brake past that, so it's just uncomfortable when you drive through there. 'But it was not any smoother. You were still hitting very, very hard.'
