Latest news with #INDYCARRadioNetwork
Fox Sports
3 days 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
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
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Alex Palou Fastest in Return to Race Trim in Indy 500 Practice
INDYCAR Three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou returned to the top of the speed charts Monday in 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice, as drivers and teams focused on race setups after two fast and feverish days of qualifying. Series points leader Palou, who has won four of the first five races this season, led at 226.765 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as drivers ran in thick packs of traffic around the 2.5-mile oval, a marked contrast from the solo contests of pure speed during the last two days of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying. Palou will start sixth in the race Sunday, May 25. SEE: Practice Results 'A great day for the No. 10 DHL Honda,' Palou said. 'Back to traffic running, and the car felt really good. We ended up P1. It doesn't mean much, but you always take a P1 in any session at the Speedway. 'I'm feeling really comfortable. There's still a lot of work to do, and I guess for everybody else, as well. It's not easy to be in traffic and overtake, but I'm really comfortable. I'm able to overtake. I'm ready for Carb Day.' This was the last on-track session until the final two-hour practice before Race Day, Miller Lite Carb Day this Friday. That session takes place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by the annual Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Four-time '500' winner Helio Castroneves was second at 226.441 in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Castroneves, starting 22nd, is attempting to become the first driver to win 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' five times. Two-time '500' winner Takuma Sato was third at 226.087 in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato, 48, or Castroneves, 50, would become the oldest winner in '500' history this Sunday (10 a.m. FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Jack Harvey, who will start 26th, jumped to fourth in race setup at 226.048 in the No. 24 DRR CUSICK INVEST Chevrolet, the fastest Chevy-powered driver of the day. His teammate, 2014 '500' winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, rounded out the top five at 225.969 in the No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet. Shock pole winner Robert Shwartzman, a '500' rookie in his first-ever oval race, ended up 26th at 222.561 in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet. The two-hour practice took place under partly cloudy skies and air temperatures in the mid-70s. There was one incident, 12 minutes into the session, involving Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing. Rasmussen made light contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2. His No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet then wobbled and spun into the grass on the backstretch and made secondary contact with the inside wall. The car suffered minor damage. Rasmussen was unhurt. recommended
Fox Sports
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Alex Palou Eyes 2nd Indy 500 Pole after Leading 1st Day of Qualifying
INDYCAR It took Alex Palou just four laps around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday to tighten his grip even harder on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season and zero in on possibly his second career Indianapolis 500 pole. Three-time series champion and current points leader Palou, who has won four of the first five races this season, was the fastest driver on the opening day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He turned a four-lap average speed of 233.043 mph on his only qualifying attempt of the day in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. SEE: Qualifying Results | Qualifying Format Palou's sole attempt came at 1 p.m., two hours after qualifying opened on the 2.5-mile oval with air temperatures around 70 degrees and track temperatures around 100 degrees, about 20 and 35 degrees cooler, respectively, than Fast Friday presented by Turtle Wax practice. Wind speeds picked up to 15-20 mph today, with gusts exceeding 30 mph 'It's tough conditions out there,' Palou said. 'Yesterday it was with the temperature; today it was with the wind. The car has been really good. We were struggling this morning (in practice). I was unable to finish a four-lap (qualifying simulation) run. Now we were able to finish it quite strongly. 'Super happy. I don't know if there's more (speed in the car), but there's always more. The line between more and too much is very thin here at IMS. We'll see what we have for tomorrow.' Palou and the 11 other fastest drivers in nearly six hours of qualifying today will participate in Top 12 Qualifying at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday, which will whittle the field to the Firestone Fast Six that will compete for the NTT P1 Award at 6:25 p.m. In between those sessions, Rinus VeeKay and Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing, Marcus Armstrong of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian and 2020 '500' pole sitter Marco Andretti of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian will compete for the three final spots in the 33-car starting field in Last Chance Qualifying from 5:15-6:15 p.m. FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will cover all three qualifying sessions live. Practice for the Top 12 will take place from 1-2 p.m., with a final practice for the Last Chance Qualifiers from 2-3 p.m. (both sessions FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Joining 2023 '500' pole winner Palou in the Top 12 Qualifying session Sunday are 2024 pole winner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske (233.013 Saturday, second), two-time reigning '500' winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske (233.004, third), Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren (232.820, fourth), 2008 '500' winner Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing (232.659, fifth), rookie Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing (232.584, sixth), David Malukas of AJ Foyt Racing (232.546, seventh), Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian (232.449, eighth), two-time '500' winner Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (232.415, ninth), 2018 '500' winner Will Power of Team Penske (232.144, 10th), 2022 '500' winner Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global (232.132, 11th) and Christian Lundgaard of Arrow McLaren (231.809, 12th). There were 73 qualifying attempts on a hectic day of track activity, none more frantic perhaps than local hero Conor Daly's last-ditch try to earn a spot in Top 12 Qualifying. Indianapolis-area native Daly drove his No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet on the track at 5:46 p.m. ET as the last driver on track before the session ended. Daly already had qualified 21st but was attempting to improve his speed and earn a spot in the top 12 that get a shot at the NTT P1 Award on Sunday. Daly was fast enough to snare the 12th and final spot after three laps, but he slowed on the last trip around the historic oval and ended up 13th with a four-lap average of 231.725 -- .0564 of a second short after 10 miles at top speed. 'I really wanted to get into that Fast 12,' Daly said. 'I investigated holding sixth gear through Turn 1 and 2, and it worked for those middle two laps. But I didn't get the weight jacker back time for Turn 1 on the last lap. Literally, the team deserves to be in the Fast 12. I made the mistake of trying to push it too much and not getting the weight jacker back in time. Just got a little bit tight in (Turns) 1 and 2.' There was further drama under partly cloudy skies. Andretti, grandson of 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, made four attempts to try and earn his 20th '500' start but fell short and will fight for a spot Sunday. Graham Rahal, who struggled with car handling all week, was the final driver to earn a guaranteed spot today. He qualified 30th at 229.863 mph in the No. 15 United Rentals Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on his second attempt, at 3:27 p.m. Then he had an agonizing wait of nearly two and one-half hours to see if his speed would keep him in the field. 'This day didn't start off well, but we found a lot and we improved a lot as this day went on,' Rahal said. 'Our guys kept our cool today and head's down. That beer's going to taste good tonight. I was praying all day somehow this would happen.' Two drivers had mixed results after big crashes earlier in the day. Colton Herta qualified 29th at 230.192 after hitting the SAFER Barrier and flipping upside down in Turn 1 on his first attempt at 12:05 p.m., making secondary contact in Turn 2. The Andretti Global team thrashed to prepare a car for him, and he made the show at 4:45 p.m. Armstrong hit the SAFER Barrier heavily in Turn 1 during pre-qualifying practice this morning in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda, which was damaged beyond immediate repair. The Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian crew hustled to convert a road-course car into an oval car in Gasoline Alley, but Armstrong wasn't fast enough in two attempts in the final 55 minutes and will try to gain a starting spot Sunday. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson qualified 21st at 231.326 in the No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Larson is attempting the 'double' May 25 of racing in the '500' and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race that evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 25 (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
