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Indianapolis Star
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'This place is something else, man': IMS provides Day 1 Indy 500 qualifying drama for LCQ
INDIANAPOLIS – "You know, some days, I'm happy I'm here. I don't have to do this (expletive) anymore." That was Tony Kanaan, who Thursday morning zipped up his fire suit, yanked on his helmet and strapped into an Indy car for the first time in the two years since what was meant to be his third and final retirement from the sport. For 15 of his 25 years, the Indianapolis 500 proved to be Kanaan's Achilles heel – the race that made him famous, made him an honorary Hoosier and that once every 12 months would find a way to rip his heart out. That 2013 victory gave him a taste of perhaps racing's greatest triumph, and some wondered if he'd ever be able to finally hang up his helmet and cease his pursuit of that second Baby Borg. But days like Saturday – where names like Rahal and Andretti found themselves on either side of one of the most vicious cutlines in sports and where one driver crashed and saw his future hang in the balance for nearly five hours – gave Kanaan a reminder just how brutal the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can be during the Month of May. And for a moment, he found some solace in his new role on the timing stand. Marco Andretti will be fighting Sunday afternoon to make his 20th Indy 500 start after falling into the Last Chance Qualifier by just 0.0028 seconds over the course of 10 miles to Graham Rahal. Andretti started on pole five years ago and four times finished 2nd or 3rd in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This year, he'll do well just to get to drive it again after Sunday. 'I don't know what else to do. I think tomorrow is ours to lose. We need to just not be dumb tomorrow and do four solid ones, and we should be okay,' Andretti said Saturday evening after finishing Day 1 of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 as one of four drivers on the outside looking in and not yet locked into the field. He'll be joined in Sunday's Last Chance Qualifier – where three drivers will start May 25 on the back row, and one will be left a spectator, by Meyer Shank Racing's Marcus Armstrong and Dale Coyne Racing's Jacob Abel and Rinus VeeKay. 'Just the fact we're running tomorrow is a bummer,' Andretti continued. '(Not getting) 30th isn't a big deal unless we screw up tomorrow, obviously. But I don't want to be in that position. We have bigger problems. Just had speed problems. I've seen it across the garage with big teams. There's always that one (car) where they change every bolt on the car, and how fast it's going is how fast it's going to go. I drew that straw this year. 'This place is something else, man.' If you saw which Andretti Global driver skidded through the short chute of IMS just minutes after noon Saturday and completely totaled his car, you would've presumed Colton Herta, not Andretti, to be the Andretti Global driver losing sleep Saturday night. And yet, it was Herta's No. 26 squad – and Andretti Global at-large – who wowed last year's championship runner-up, taking just four-and-a-half hours to go from watching Herta skidding upside down with sparks flying to rolling his backup car out onto pitlane to fill up with fuel and tear out onto the warmup lane. And with an hour left in Saturday's action, Herta threw down four laps that not only proved his new No. 26 was largely running properly, but ones that landed him in the field and bounced his teammate Andretti. 'What a heroic effort by the guys. I don't think I've seen anything like that on any car. Bare chassis, bare tub in four-and-a-half hours to a complete car,' Herta marveled Saturday night. 'The only thing we transferred over was the engine. Everything else was destroyed. 'It was (our crew's) day. Me and (Herta's engineer Nathan O'Rourke) tried our hardest to take us out of the show. They kept us in.' And yet, as he steps away from the adrenaline rush of the final six hours of Sunday's action and takes stock in the challenge that awaits him – versus the expectations he shouldered entering the month – there's pain, too. The Saturday Herta weathered put him in a hole next Sunday after expecting to be fighting for pole. 'It sucks. I think from our standpoint of where we want to be, what we want to contend with, we're not happy just making the show,' Herta said. 'We want to fight for the pole. We want to be in the Fast 12, and when we don't get a chance to do that, it's pretty disappointing.' For Mike Shank, the Meyer Shank Racing co-owner who experienced multitudes of emotions Saturday – a wrecked race car, a driver with a possible concussion, a four-time 500 winner at times on the ropes to even make the race and an under-the-radar veteran who turned the single fastest lap of the day (and two of the fastest three) and will have a legitimate shot to take pole or land his car on the front row for this year's 500. When he stepped back from the chaos of it all, Shank, whose team won the 2021 500 with Helio Castroneves, ultimately goes to bed Saturday night shouldering some frustrations not about a driver and team who turned maybe one of the fastest cars in Gasoline Alley into a mangled mess, but about a team he believes wasn't properly prepared for the disasters that IMS sometimes brings in May. 'It's incumbent upon me in the future to be more prepared for situations like this at Indy, which comes down to money,' Shank told IndyStar after MSR was forced to prepared Armstrong a backup 500 car not from backup oval machinery, but from his purpose-built road and street course car that was ready to pound through the streets of Detroit in a couple weeks – not hit speeds reaching 240 mph around IMS. 'As a team, we need to think about how we handle situations like this and maybe consider putting some capital into a proper Indy 500 (backup) car. 'Now, that's $1 million, or close to it, but we need to come up with that. These times are tough, but when you look at this, we can't not make this race. We're going to work our asses off (Saturday night), and we're going to get the car wrapped and tune on it and get a couple systems that weren't working properly back running. 'I would anticipate we should be able to get to 231 (mph), but we've just got to be cool and not make any mistakes.' It was a marvel that Armstrong, like Herta, saw any more track time Saturday afternoon after his No. 66 Honda turned into a mangled pile of spare parts Saturday morning in his practice crash, and Shank believed those two runs the second-year 500 driver turned, even if they weren't fast enough to get him safely in the race on Day 1, settled the 24-year-old's nerves enough to set him up for success come the pressures of Sunday's LCQ. 'My mindset was, if the car is good enough to do it, I'm not going to be the reason we're not going to get through today,' Armstrong said. 'I threw caution to the wind and just went flat.
NBC Sports
14-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Supercross 2025 results: 250 highlights, finishing order, reaction at Philadelphia, Cole Davies wins again
Cole Davies benefited from a red flag for a crash involving teammate Daxton Bennick at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He got a great jump on the restart and rode to his second career 250 victory only one round after scoring his first in Seattle. Davies grabbed the lead on Lap 6 after passing Seth Hammaker and holeshot winner RJ Hampshire, while another of Davies' teammates, Haiden Deegan, took a little longer to get around those riders. That allowed Davies to develop a gap that Deegan could not close despite superior speed in the final laps. Davies is only the second rider this season to achieve multiple wins, joining Deegan in that honor. Deegan briefly fell outside the top three on the restart before climbing to third on Lap 7 and second on Lap 11. He's creating a reputation as a rider capable of coming through the pack, but poor starts create more drama for the teenager than he would prefer. In the post-race news conference, Deegan admitted to paying close attention to protecting his championship lead, and that caused him to back down his aggression slightly. Click here for a full recap of Philadelphia Hampshire was the highest-finishing rider from the Eastern division, and his third-place finish allowed him to secure a piece of the championship lead. Hampshire was the biggest beneficiary of the timing of the red flag because he fell in the opening lap of the initial start and dropped to the back. Had the red flag waved after three minutes of riding, AMA (American Motorcycle Association) rules would have called for a single-file restart. Instead, he got a second chance to get out of the gates strong and won the holeshot. Hammaker earned the holeshot at the initial start, but the red flag wiped it away. His second start wasn't terrible, but Hammaker could not assume the lead again and watched as other riders secured the more lucrative top three positions. Hammaker entered the round tied with Tom Vialle for the points lead and left Philadelphia tied with Hampshire. The battle for the 250 East title continues to be close. Philadelphia 450 Results Jo Shimoda rounded out the top five after passing Vialle with two laps remaining. After getting such a great start in the season opener in Anaheim, California, with the win, he has hovered around the top five with results of fourth through seventh in six of his next seven starts. Vialle's Philadelphia race could have been disastrous, especially after he failed to earn points in the mud in Foxborough. He crashed in his heat and had to qualify for the main by running the Last Chance Qualifier. A poor gate pick caused him to get pinched into a Tuff Blox during the first start of the feature. Vialle salvaged all he could and is now two points behind Hampshire and Hammaker. Here are the 450 Supercross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Feature Results Fastest Sector Times Individual Lap Times Detailed Lap Times East Heat West Heat 250 East Rider Points 250 West Rider Points 250 Combined Rider Points Manufacturer Points Here is the finishing order of Round 12 in Foxborough: 1. Cole Davies (West), Yamaha 2. Haiden Deegan (West), Yamaha 3. RJ Hampshire (East), Husqvarna * 4. Seth Hammaker (East), Kawasaki 5. Jo Shimoda (West), Honda 6. Tom Vialle (East), KTM 7. Garrett Marchbanks (West), Kawasaki 8. Maximus Vohland (East), Yamaha 9. Jordon Smith (West), Triumph 10. Chance Hymas (East), Honda 11. Coty Schock (West), Yamaha 12. Julien Beaumer (West), KTM 13. Enzo Lopes ((West), Yamaha 14. Nate Thrasher (East), Yamaha 15. Cullin Park (East), Honda 16. Austin Forkner (East), Triumph 17. Henry Miller (East), Honda 18. Michael Mosiman (West), Yamaha 19. Hunter Yoder (West), Kawasaki 20. Gavin Towers (West), Honda 21. Hardy Munoz (East), Yamaha 22. Daxton Bennick (East), Yamaha * Holeshot Anaheim 1 450 Results | 250W Results San Diego 450 Results | 250W Results Anaheim 2 450 Results | 250W Results Glendale 450 Results | 250W Results Tampa 450 Results | 250E Results Detroit 450 Results | 250E Results Arlington 450 Results | 250W Results Daytona 450 Results | 250E Results Indianapolis 450 Results | 250 E/W Results Birmingham 450 Results | 250E Results Seattle 450 Results | 250W Results Foxborough 450 Results | 250 Results More SuperMotocross News Philadelphia Recap | 450 Results Benny Bloss renews with Beta Monster Energy SX video game features major upgrades Chase Sexton controls his SX fate Philadelphia Supercross preview Philadelphia betting odds Eli Tomac on May 2025 return What riders said after Foxborough Jason Anderson to miss remainder of SX
NBC Sports
30-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Supercross 2025 results: 250 highlights, finishing order, reaction at Seattle, Cole Davies gets first win
Cole Davies, 17, earned the holeshot at Lumen Field, in Seattle, Washington, briefly lost the lead, and then dominated the race to become the 10th winner in 11 rounds of 250 divisional competition. It was his first professional dirt bike win. Davies was initially scheduled to compete in the Supercross Next program, but it didn't take long for the Star Yamaha team to realize he belonged in the professional ranks. He scored his first podium in his third start when the series returned to Anaheim for its second race of 2025, and Davies followed that up with another third-place overall finish in Glendale, Arizona, in a Triple Crown format race. Davies continued to show speed, but mistakes cost him in the next two opportunities. A dominant performance in Seattle erased any bad memories. Dan Beaver, Garrett Marchbanks has also lived through an up-and-down season. He's shown strength at times, but entered Seattle with only one top-five this year and an average finish of 7.4 in his first five attempts. He rode a flawless race Saturday night and never fell out of podium contention during the 20-lap Main. His second-place finish was his first podium since last year in San Diego while riding for ClubMX. Haiden Deegan crashed early in the race and fell to eighth after Lap 2. Poor starts do not deter the brash teenage rider, however, and he began collecting the competition like trading cards in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. He cracked the top five on Lap 7 and moved into fourth on Lap 12. His sight was set on a podium when he caught Julien Beaumer on Lap 18 and muscled him out of the groove to score his second consecutive podium. For Beaumer, Seattle was a missed opportunity. He led the first lap of the race before falling to second for 13 of the next 14 laps as Deegan was mired in traffic. Beaumer was on pace to cut into Deegan's points lead before the incident with the championship leader. As for the contact near the end of the race? Beaumer says Deegan 'has one coming.' Jo Shimoda spent the Seattle race hovering around the top five before finishing fifth. This was the first race without a hand guard since Shimoda broke two fingers after hitting a pit board in qualification for Round 2 in San Diego. Shimoda showed some feistiness as Deegan was passing him, riding his rival wide, but ultimately relinquished the spot. Shimoda was the last rider to finish on the lead lap. Jordon Smith returned to action after puncturing his lung in an Arlington crash. He crashed in his heat, advanced to the Main via the Last Chance Qualifier, and finished 12th. Here are the 450 Supercross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington: Feature Results Fastest Sector Times Individual Lap Times Detailed Lap Times Heat 1 Heat 2 250 West Rider Points 250 Combined Points Manufacturer Points Here is the finishing order of Round 11 in Seattle: 1. Cole Davies, Yamaha * 2. Garrett Marchbanks, 3. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha 4. Julien Beaumer, KTM 5. Jo Shimoda, Honda 6. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha 7. Enzo Lopes, Yamaha 8. Coty Schock, Yamaha 9. Cole Thompson, Yamaha 10. Gavin Towers, Honda 11. Lux Turner, KTM 12. Jordon Smith, Triumph 13. Hunter Yoder, Kawasaki 14. Parker Ross, Honda 15. Dylan Walsh, Kawasaki 16. Avery Long, KTM 17. Derek Kelley, Yamaha 18. Stav Orland, Yamaha 19. Brad West, Yamaha 20. Max Miller, Yamaha 21. TJ Albright, Yamaha 22. Brandon Ray, Honda * Holeshot Anaheim 1 450 Results | 250W Results San Diego 450 Results | 250W Results Anaheim 2 450 Results | 250W Results Glendale 450 Results | 250W Results Tampa 450 Results | 250E Results Detroit 450 Results | 250E Results Arlington 450 Results | 250W Results Daytona 450 Results | 250E Results Indianapolis 450 Results | 250 E/W Results Birmingham 450 Results | 250E Results Seattle 450 Results More SuperMotocross News Haiden Deegan, Julien Beaumer argue in Seattle Jordon Smith returns in Seattle Haiden Deegan arrested for street racing Seattle Preview Seattle Betting Odds What riders said after Birmingham Max Anstie breaks leg in Birmingham qualification Jalek Swoll renews with Factory Triumph Christian Craig set to return in Birmingham A DM led to partnership between Moranz, Champion Tool
NBC Sports
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Supercross 2025 results: 450 highlights, finishing order, reaction at Daytona, Ken Roczen is sixth winner
Ken Roczen moved determinedly from fourth to the lead in the first half of Round 8 of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross season and then held off a challenge by Cooper Webb to become the sixth winner of the year at Daytona Beach, Florida, and tie the record for the most wins during a season. Roczen was as surprised as the fans. The win was special because everyone wants to win a race at the famed Daytona International Speedway, but Roczen said during the post-race news conference that all his wins are special now that they are coming with less frequency. Roczen had a solid start to his season with four second-place finishes and a third in the first seven rounds, but one thing was missing: He finally was the 'W'. Webb was one of the favorites coming into Daytona because of the four second-place finishes and six podiums he's scored in seven attempts. Webb is accustomed to being the one applying pressure, but the possibility of finally winning this race forced him into making several mistakes that could not be overcome. Finishing three positions ahead of his principal rival, Chase Sexton, padded his points lead, so Webb was content. Aaron Plessinger would like to think he has put the early season behind him now that he has his first podium of the year. Plessinger led Daytona from Laps 4 through 7 but got pushed back as far at fourth while his teammate Sexton and Webb battled their way to the front. He kept contact with the top three and moved into that position on Lap 14. This was not only his first podium but the first top-five of 2025. Known in 2025 for his starts, Justin Cooper did not get out of the Daytona gate quickly. He completed Lap 1 in ninth and methodically worked his way into the top five by Lap 8 of 16. One more pass in the final laps placed him fourth on the chart. Here's what ended Chase's heat race 😳 #SupercrossLIVE #SMX Sexton would like to forget the last two weeks. He crashed late in Arlington as he attempted a sketchy pass on a lapped rider. Daytona was worse. Sexton crashed hard during his heat race and failed to finish with minor injuries and a damaged bike. He won the Last Chance Qualifier and had one of the worst gate picks for the feature. Sexton completed Lap 1 in eight, caught Webb midway through the race and was in third by Lap 10. The effects of his crash started to take a toll soon after and he faded to fifth in the final rundown. Sexton now has a 10-point deficit to Webb as the series hits the halfway point. We have been following Kevin Moranz for the past two weeks, and he made that worthwhile by qualifying directly into the feature with a seventh-place finish in his heat. Moranz finished 21st but earned points for the fifth time in eight rounds. He stands 25th in the standings. Here are the 450 Supercross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 8 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida: Feature Results Fastest Sector Times Individual Lap Times Detailed Lap Times Heat 1 Heat 2 450 Rider Points Manufacturer Points Here is the finishing order of Round 8 in Daytona: 1. Ken Roczen, Suzuki 2. Cooper Webb, Yamaha 3. Aaron Plessinger, KTM 4. Justin Cooper, Yamaha 5. Chase Sexton, KTM 6. Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna 7. Justin Hill, KTM 8. Jason Anderson, Kawasaki * 9. Joey Savatgy, Honda 10. Justin Barcia, GasGas 11. Shane McElrath, Honda 12. Dylan Ferrandis, Honda 13. Mitchell Oldenburg, Beta 14. Coty Schock, Yamaha 15. Colt Nichols, Suzuki 16. Benny Bloss, Beta 17. Mitchell Harrison, Kawasaki 18. Jerry Robin, Yamaha 19. Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki 20. Justin Starling, GasGas 21. Kevin Moranz, KTM 22. Freddie Noren, Kawasaki Anaheim 1 450 Results | 250W Results San Diego 450 Results | 250W Results Anaheim 2 450 Results | 250W Results Glendale 450 Results | 250W Results Tampa 450 Results | 250E Results Detroit 450 Results | 250E results Arlington 450 Results | 250W Results Daytona 250E Results More SuperMotocross News Ken Roczen wins first Daytona race A DM led to partnership between Moranz, Champion Tool Daytona Supercross preview What riders said after Arlington Jordon Smith punctures lung in Arlington crash Detroit 450 results | 250W results Cooper Webb wins Arlington; Sexton loses red plate Kevin Moranz works his way up the chart Eli Tomac may return before Supercross ends Ken Roczen kept his head down and charged his way to his first-career Daytona Supercross win, a "dream come true" for the 30-year-old.
NBC Sports
26-01-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Supercross 2025 results: 450 highlights, rundown, reaction at Anaheim 2, Jett Lawrence third season winner
The first three rounds of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross season featured three winners and three unique holders of the red plate. Jett Lawrence had a modest start to the evening and completed Lap 1 in fourth. During the next three laps, he swapped positions with Jason Anderson and Hunter Lawrence until the front of the field was well-established by Lap 4 with Justin Cooper leading Anderson and Jett. When Anderson cleared Cooper on Lap 6, Jett was forced to show patience. Making a pass at the wrong place on the track would allow Anderson to ride him wide and there is no love lost between these two. Jett was content with second for seven laps until Ken Roczen closed the distance and he knew it was time to go. Jett stood Anderson up on Lap 14 and executed the pass when the leader lost his momentum. Jett was practically uncontested for the remainder of the race and cruised to a 2.496-second lead over second-place Roczen. Roczen finished second in the season-opener at Anaheim two weeks ago and was content with that position at the time. He was content with second again at Anaheim 2 because consistent top-fives and a worst result of fourth last week in San Diego gave him the red plate for the first time since he made the switch to Suzuki. Anderson held second-place for three laps after losing the lead to Jett but he could not keep a surging Roczen at bay for long. Settling into third on Lap 18, he scored his second podium of the season. Anderson was also second to Roczen in the first Anaheim race. Chase Sexton did not have a spectacular start but it was much better than the one he experienced in San Diego. Completing Lap 1 in sixth, he never lost a position and gradually worked his way to fourth on the grid. Still feeling the remnants of flu-like symptoms that slowed him in San Diego, Hunter settled into fifth on the grid, which was his second consecutive result in that position. Hunter sits seventh in points, but needs to threaten for podiums if he wants to erase the 17-point differential to first. Cooper was one of the unlikeliest hole shot winners of the season. He was caught in a Lap 1 crash in his heat and could only climb to 10th in the final rundown. Cooper won the Last Chance Qualifier but had a horrible gate pick. It didn't matter and Cooper got the jump on the field before losing the lead on Lap 6 and gradually dropping through the field to sixth. Gate pick did not factor into Eli Tomac's night either. He experienced wheel spin at the gate drop and fell from first to 17th on Lap 1. Tomac moved up through the field until he became embroiled in a contest with Cooper Webb. Tomac minimized his points' loss with a seventh-place finish, but left Anaheim five points behind Roczen as the field heads to Glendale. For the second week, Aaron Plessinger retired early and failed to earn any points. He crashed into Dylan Ferrandis on Lap 2 and was forced to retire in 22nd. Plessinger now languishes 19th in the standings with 49 points, nearly two full rounds, separating him from first. Here are the 450 Supercross results and points standings after Round 3 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California: Feature Results Fastest Sector Times Individual Lap Times Detailed Lap Times Heat 1 Results Heat 2 Results 450 Supercross Rider Points Here is the finishing order of Round 3 in Anaheim: 1. Jett Lawrence, Honda 2. Ken Roczen, Suzuki 3. Jason Anderson, Kawasaki 4. Chase Sexton, KTM 5. Hunter Lawrence, Honda 6. Justin Cooper, Yamaha * 7. Eli Tomac, Yamaha 8. Cooper Webb, Yamaha 9. Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna 10. Justin Barcia, GasGas 11. Joey Savatgy, Honda 12. Benny Bloss, Beta 13. Mitchell Oldenburg, Beta 14. Colt Nichols, Suzuki 15. Justin Hill, KTM 16. Dylan Ferrandis, Honda 17. Shane McElrath, Honda 18. Jerry Robin, Yamaha 19. Cade Clason, Kawasaki 20. Kevin Moranz, KTM 21. Freddie Noren, Kawasaki 22. Aaron Plessinger, KTM * Holeshot Anaheim 1 450 results | 250 Results San Diego 450 results | 250 results More SuperMotocross News Drew Adams debuts at A2 Ty Masterpool, Stilez Robertson out of Supercross A2 Betting lines, odds, predictions for A1 Jett and Hunter Lawrence fire agent How to Watch Anaheim 2 Anaheim 2 by the numbers: Podium parity What riders said after San Diego San Diego 450 results | 250 results Eli Tomac, Julien Beaumer win San Diego Ty Masterpool moves to 250 West The rain made things interesting in the 450 Supercross main event, but Jason Anderson was able to weather the storm and secure a podium finish at Anaheim 2. Jason Weigandt and Ricky Carmichael recap an action-packed third round of 450 Supercross at Anaheim 2, won by Jett Lawrence.
