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Fox News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Will Power's Indy road course dominance starts with this relationship
Will Power enters Saturday's Indianapolis Grand Prix (4:30 p.m. ET on FOX) with more wins in that race than any other driver as he has won five of the 16 events on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. His engineer, David Faustino, was with him for all of them. Just as he has been for 36 of Power's 42 victories in INDYCAR, including the 2018 Indianapolis 500. The Power-Faustino pairing, at 16 years, is the longest of any driver-engineer in the garage by far. Granted, the only other full-time drivers in the series that were around for their first full season together in 2011 were Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal. While something could be said about moving engineers around and pairing them with different drivers, it's hard to argue with the overall success of the Power-Faustino relationship. They have two titles and three dozen victories together. "It's been a good partnership," Power said. "It's got very streamlined. There's no BS-ing. It's very business-like. There's no sort of small talk. It's just straight to business, no time wasted. Pretty efficient." Power currently sits ninth in the INDYCAR standings heading into the race Saturday at the Indianapolis road course, primarily thanks to a first-lap accident in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Through the ups and the downs, the two-time series champion has felt comfortable having Faustino determine the car setups. How have they worked together so long? "I like to keep things the same," Power said. "We've worked well together. And I don't know [why it's better]. I haven't worked with anyone else, I couldn't tell you. "Obviously, I see other drivers and sort of have a little bit of insight into how they work. ... Dave's very business-like, and that's how we started. I was the same, very business-like, I didn't need any fluffing up or anything. Just tell me where I'm slow." Power has the confidence that when he shows up at the racetrack, Faustino will have a good car ready for him. Power called Faustino a "grinder" who needs to be told to take time off to spend with his family. While Power and Faustino will occasionally go bike riding together, they keep their relationship mostly business. "We've had some success, so it's easy to continue when you have success," Faustino said. "But that also makes it hard when you have troublesome times because you're used to winning all the time and used to having success. "So getting past the downs and just keeping our heads down and working towards improving when we are down is really the key." And, like any relationship, communication is vital. "It's a good relationship — being honest with each other, just talking things out if they come up, if we disagree on anything, talking through it, that's really it," Faustino said. "And just honestly try and always do the best we can and have a good work ethic." That is where Power thrives, Faustino said. While Power is a veteran of the series, he doesn't demand the car feel a certain way. That is key in the new hybrid era, where the cars have an extra 100 pounds of rear weight thanks to the new engine configuration. "He's always looking to do whatever it takes, whether that's from a driving technique or a setup technique aspect — he is not one of those guys that says, 'Set the car up for my style' all the time," Faustino said. "And he's willing to learn from other drivers and just try to put the entire piece together, regardless of what the requirement is to change his driving or to change the car. He studies that stuff a lot." As far as this weekend, Power hopes he can earn his first win at the track since 2021. The 14-turn, 2.439-mile course features parts of the famed oval as well as a series of turns through the infield. "It's definitely a track I love," Power said. "I love the flow of it, the technicality of it, because there is a lot of give and take. You've got corners leading into other corners, so what you do on the first part affects the second and third part. "There ae just nice little technical sectors to get right. Some tracks just suit you. And I have to say that hasn't been every single year. But it is a track that I enjoy a lot." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Don't etch Alex Palou's name on the INDYCAR title trophy just yet
Just how dominant has Alex Palou been at the start of the 2025 INDYCAR season? After four races, he could skip this weekend's race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and still be leading the points. Thanks to his three victories, Palou has a 60-point lead on Christian Lundgaard in the standings. The maximum a driver can earn in a race is 54 points. Drivers 10th and back are more than two races behind Palou That includes Josef Newgarden, who is already 118 points in arrears. With 13 races left in the season, Palou is well on his way to a fourth championship. But don't just hand him the trophy just yet. "I learned that when I was racing Supercars ... you've just got to be there," said Scott McLaughlin, who is fifth in the standings, 91 points behind Palou. "It is all swings and roundabouts. "We'll be strong at places he won't. Just got to capitalize." Drivers will have to hope that Palou's inability to win on an oval continues. Six of the final 13 races are on ovals, starting with the Indianapolis 500 later this month. Other oval races are Gateway, the back-to-back races at Iowa, Milwaukee and the season finale at Nashville. But the drivers will likely need Palou to have more than just a non-winning day. They'll need him to have bad days, too. He enters this weekend's race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix as the defending winner of the event. He'll do the same later this year at Laguna Seca. He has also won at four of the other remaining road courses on the schedule: Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio and Portland. The only non-oval he hasn't won at that's left on the schedule is Toronto. McLaughlin gave Palou and his race strategist Barry Wanser all the props for the start of the season. "Alex is one of the best racecar drivers I've ever come across," McLaughlin said. "He's the whole deal. That doesn't mean we can't beat him. ... Everyone has a bad race at some point. "You've got to try and keep knocking on the door." Maybe INDYCAR's new rules for road and street courses, where drivers must use two sets of the primary hard tires and two sets of the alternate soft tires (the previous rule was one set apiece) during a race, could eliminate some of Palou's advantage. He's seemed to capitalize on that strategy this year. Or maybe, with additional pit stops, it will create more comers and goers in the field. But then again, there's no reason to think Palou won't adapt. The biggest challenge will be the ovals. Palou has three podium finishes in a combined 20 starts on the ovals remaining on the schedule. "Everybody knows I've never won on an oval," Palou said. "I plan on changing that this year so you can write a great story." Actually, not winning on an oval could make the stories greater if there is a battle for the championship. After Lundgaard (60 points behind Palou) are Kyle Kirkwood (-69), Pato O'Ward (-88), McLaughlin (-91), Felix Rosenqvist (-91), Scott Dixon (-92), Colton Herta (-97), Will Power (-103) and Alexander Rossi (-114). Can any of them make a run? Lundgaard seems to just keep getting better and better as he thrives in his new Arrow McLaren ride. Kirkwood must avoid having mediocre weekends like the one he had at Barber Motorsports Park last week. O'Ward, who has had a series of disappointments at Indianapolis, could ride the wave of momentum if he can capitalize this year. And McLaughlin has looked like the top Penske driver as far as consistent performance in both qualifying and the race — except for an awful showing at Thermal. Palou, though, is the only one who can have a bad day while still knowing that he can control the battle for the championship. The others can't afford another one, and that's a lot to ask over a 13-race stretch. "I never start a season or go to a race thinking about the championship," Palou said. "Never. My goal and what I enjoy doing is working for that race weekend. "For me, the next race weekend is the most important one. That's all I think about." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
With Four Wins in Five Races, Alex Palou is Writing His Name in IndyCar's History Book
Last year, Alex Palou won the Indianapolis Grand Prix to start the 'Month of May'; at the time, Chip Ganassi Racing hoped that Palou might finally secure an Indianapolis 500 victory to end the month. One of the only accolades in IndyCar that the Spanish driver is lacking. This year, after starting on the pole and losing the lead to Graham Rahal in the opening corner of the IMS road course, he starts IndyCar's month-long stay in Indiana the same way. This was Palou's fourth win in five races for a driver's best start to a season since AJ Foyt in 1964. That season, Foyt won 10 of 13 races with an average finish of 5.8 through the first five races, Palou now has an average finish of 1.2, and leads by 97 points. A lot happened at the start of the race as Josef Newgarden went to the pits before the start with a broken radio, falling from sixth to the back. Newgarden would end up having one of the drives of the day to rebound to 12th. All three Rahal Lanigan Racing drivers made the Fast Six in qualifying and were able to hold their own up front due to an interesting strategy. This race weekend marked the first race where both sets of hard tires and two sets of soft tires were required for the race, ensuring that all drivers would be on a three-stop pitstop strategy. The RLL drivers chose to go soft-soft for their first two stints, gaining speed and holding position early. The only problem was is that means they would have to try to hold position late against a field on the preferred softer tire at the end of the race. The race started under yellow as the first start was aborted, while not a proper caution, it was a preview of what was to come. Seventy laps into the race, IndyCar had its first caution after 400+ caution-free laps. Meaning the last three races were decided strictly on pitstop strategy, qualifying, and speed. Palou was out front by 10.2 seconds when the caution came out shortening his lead, The race resumed with 13 laps to go. Palou took the win over the McLaren of Pato O'Ward by 5.614 seconds. O'Ward started eight and steadily made his way through the field. Will Power rounded out the podium after starting seventh, followed by his teammate Scott McLaughlin. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Fox Sports
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Dennis Hauger Returns to Winning Ways in Indianapolis GP Race 2
INDYCAR Dennis Hauger earned his third victory in four INDY NXT by Firestone races this season, passing Andretti Global teammate Lochie Hughes early and powering to victory in the second race of the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Hauger drove his No. 28 Rental Group car to a 4.7739-second victory over the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine of pole sitter Hughes, who earned his first career victory in the INDYCAR development series Friday evening in Race 1. Myles Rowe finished a career-best third for the second consecutive race in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy entry. SEE: Race Results 'It's been a great start to the season,' Hauger said. 'Yesterday wasn't great, but we were able to come back and get a win today. Super-happy about that, and in a place like this, it's awesome.' Salvador de Alba climbed one spot from his Friday finish to place fourth in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car as the third Andretti Global entry to finish in the top four today on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Caio Collet rounded out the top five in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. Norwegian driver Hauger became the first driver to win three of the first four INDY NXT by Firestone races of the season since current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Pato O'Ward achieved the feat in 2018. Hauger's path to victory was created when he survived the first turn of the 35-lap race without contact, unlike Race 1. He was bumped off track in Turn 1 on the first lap Friday, falling to last in the 21-car field before recovering to finish eighth. Hughes once again led into Turn 1 today, this time with fellow rookie teammate Hauger in pursuit. Hughes built a gap of 1.7 seconds by Lap 3 when the only caution period of the race was triggered when Jack William Miller in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car and Nolan Allaer in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports machine made side-by-side contact in Turn 1, forcing both cars to a stop in the grass. On the restart at the end of Lap 5, Hughes and Hauger raced side by side toward Turn 1, with Hauger on the left and Hughes on the right at the start of Lap 6. Hauger edged ahead approaching Turn 2, with his left wheels on the dirt adjacent to the asphalt, and completed the pass for the lead in that corner. Hauger never trailed thereafter, but Hughes stayed close for a while. Hauger's lead stayed around one second until about 10 laps to go, when he started to pull away. He padded his gap to 2.6718 seconds by Lap 29 and continued to drive away until the checkered flag. 'Yesterday was tough,' Hauger said. 'I think we really didn't have the balance, either, going through the field. But today we really nailed it. It was a warm day, and you had to judge it nicely with the rear tires. 'We managed well, and we had really good pace today. That's a good way to bounce back.' Hauger took a 15-point lead over Hughes in the series standings after four of 14 races this season. The next race is the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1 on the streets of downtown Detroit (10:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Lochie Hughes Sweeps Both Poles for Indianapolis Grand Prix
INDYCAR Rookie Lochie Hughes earned his first two career poles in INDY NXT by Firestone competition, sweeping the top spots Friday afternoon for the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader. Hughes held off fellow rookie and Andretti Global teammate Dennis Hauger to grab the top starting spots for both 35-lap races in the INDYCAR development series. Each driver's quickest lap in the two-group qualifying session set the field for the first race, while their second-best lap established the grid for the second race. The drivers in the first group occupy the odd-numbered spots on the starting grid, while the drivers in the second group take the even-numbered spots. SEE: Race 1 Qualifying Results | Race 2 Qualifying Results Race 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET tonight, with Race 2 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday (both races FS1, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network). 'Super excited to get my first pole of the year,' Hughes said. 'Got two in one go, which is pretty cool. Starting in the best spot to have a chance to win these races, so excited to get going and see what we can do from pole. It's going to be interesting going into Turn 1. Hopefully we can come out with the lead and push on from there.' Hughes captured the pole for Race 1 with a time of 1 minute, 14.7840 seconds in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car. Hauger will join his teammate on the front row after his best lap of 1:15.0089 in the No. 28 Rental Group machine. Hauger has won both races from the pole this season and led practice this morning. Callum Hedge will start third after his top lap of 1:14.7846 in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports machine, just six ten-thousandths of a second behind Hedge's pole time. Salvador de Alba put three Andretti Global cars in the first two rows of Race 1, as he qualified fourth at 1:15.1186 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car. Hughes kept his strong pace on his second-quickest lap, 1:14.8433, to earn pole for Race 2. Hauger was second at 1:15.0426. Row 2 will consist of Hedge starting third after his best lap of 1:15.1812, while Caio Collet grabbed the fourth starting spot with his lap of 1:15.1468 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. recommended
