Latest news with #SonsioGrandPrix
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Favorites and Sleepers: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
INDYCAR Alex Palou has powered Honda to a perfect 5-for-5 record at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the Northern California track in 2019. This season, Palou has dominated on natural road courses, winning at The Thermal Club (March 23), Barber Motorsports Park (May 4), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (May 10), and Road America (June 22). He also finished second to teammate Scott Dixon at Mid-Ohio on July 6, giving Chip Ganassi Racing a clean sweep on these circuits so far in 2025. Can anyone dethrone Chip Ganassi Racing in Sunday's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey airing at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network? Favorites Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) O'Ward enters the event as arguably the hottest driver in the field, with two wins in his last three starts and nine top-seven finishes in 10 races since May. He has been strong on natural road courses this season. O'Ward qualified on pole and led a race-high 51 of 65 laps in his runner-up finish at The Thermal Club. He also finished runner-up in the Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS, was sixth at Barber Motorsports Park and finished fifth at Mid-Ohio. At Laguna Seca, he has finished fifth, eighth, ninth and eighth, respectively. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) The six-time series champion won at Laguna Seca in 2023 and has two podiums in his last five starts at the track. Dixon has posted top-10 finishes in each of the last six races and is a consistent threat on road courses, with finishes of 10th, 12th, 5th, 9th and first this season. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Palou led 48 of 95 laps from the pole in his 2023 Laguna Seca win. He has never finished worse than third at this venue (second in 2021, first in 2022, third in 2023). With four road course wins this season and one runner-up finish, he remains the benchmark. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) Power (photo) has three top-four finishes in his last five Laguna Seca starts, including seventh last year. On natural road courses in 2025, he has finished in the top six three times. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) Herta dominated the 2019 and 2021 Laguna Seca races from the pole, leading 83 of 90 laps in 2019 and 91 of 95 in 2021. While recent years brought mixed results (11th, 23rd, second), he showed speed last year, leading eight laps from the fourth starting position. In 2025, he has been solid with finishes of fourth (Thermal, Mid-Ohio), seventh (Barber). Sleepers Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) Lundgaard has a pair of top-seven finishes in three Laguna Seca starts, and his current car finished third here last year with Alexander Rossi. He has earned three podiums in five natural road course events this season. Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) Despite poor past results at Laguna Seca (best finish: 14th), VeeKay has four top-10 finishes on natural road courses in 2025 and was runner-up last week in Toronto. He has found form with four top-10s in his last six starts. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion Honda) Kirkwood rebounded from early struggles at Laguna Seca to finish fifth last year after qualifying second. He also swept the INDY NXT weekend here in 2021. In 2025, he's been consistently competitive on road courses (eighth, 11th, eighth, fourth and eighth). Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) Rosenqvist took pole here in 2023 and owns two top-five finishes at the track. He was second at Road America this year and has four top-10s, two of which top-fives, in five natural road course starts. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) Armstrong finished eighth here as a rookie and has four top-seven finishes on natural road courses in 2025. He is riding a strong stretch with seven top-10s in his last nine races. recommended Item 1 of 1
Fox Sports
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Power Rankings: Marcus Armstrong, Christian Rasmussen Jump In
INDYCAR The recent stretch in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES showcased the full range of the sport's diversity with four races on four distinct track types. Each tested driver skills and team strategies, which led to some shake-ups in the Power Rankings since early May. The Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway natural road course on May 10 kicked off the stretch on a track favoring technical road course specialists. The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 25 on the 2.5-mile IMS superspeedway oval is the crown jewel of the series, demanding high-speed precision and pit strategy. Next was the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, a tight, unforgiving street course with little margin for error June 1. Finally, last Sunday's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway emphasized short-track handling with strategic adjustments on the 1.25-mile oval. Through it all, Alex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O'Ward emerged as the consistent top three performers, anchoring Power Rankings amid the shake-ups beneath them. Their ability to perform across disciplines has been astiff test Palou, Kirkwood and O'Ward have passed, as they stayed in the top three spots in the Power Rankings this week ahead of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR on Sunday, June 22 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network). But there are two new faces in the rankings based on their strong performances at WWTR: ↑10. Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR) Rasmussen came from the back to the front twice at WWTR after starting 25th, earning a career-best third-place finish. He has two top-six finishes in the last three races. ↑9. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda; Last Rank: NR) Armstrong catapulted to 10th in points following his third top-10 finish in the last four races by crossing the finish line ninth at WWTR. He was the top Honda-powered qualifier at WWTR by starting sixth. ↔8. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: 8) Malukas hasn't delivered headline results in the last two races, but a closer look reveals a driver performing at an elite level, just without the final box score to match. Malukas qualified second in Detroit and was positioned for a second straight top-five finish before an avoidable contact penalty left him 14th at the checkered flag. He qualified fourth at WWTR and led a race-high 67 laps. He was in serious contention for the win before brushing the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 195, leaving him 12th. Still, the speed is undeniable, and a runner-up finish in the Indy 500, the biggest stage in the series, cemented Malukas' ability to perform up front. ↓7. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4) Power's season has been a roller coaster, flashing brilliance offset by costly setbacks. He was involved in a first-lap crash in the St. Petersburg season opener, finishing 26th. Power started 33rd in the '500' and managed to claw up to 16th, but still not the kind of result that matches Power's championship-winning pedigree. At WWTR, Power earned NTT P1 Award honors but crashed early in Turn 4, finishing last. Outside of those three trouble spots, Power has five top-six finishes, a clear indication that when things go right, he's still among the best in the series. ↑6. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 10) Dixon was on the verge of dropping out of the Power Rankings but finished fourth at WWTR for his third top-five finish of the season. The six-time series champion delivered another solid result, even when the raw speed isn't always there. He's fifth in points and remains a master in execution of various fuel-saving strategies. ↔5. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 5) Lundgaard slipped at WWTR by finishing 14th, but his overall body of work keeps him firmly in the Power Rankings and championship conversation. The Dane is fourth in points and had six top-eight finishes in the seven races before WWTR, including three straight podiums at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and a runner-up at Barber Motorsports Park. The bigger picture proves he's not just a sneaky talent but a legitimate threat for victory at each race. ↑4. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Bommarito Automotive Group; Last Rank: 7) Ferrucci is riding a wave of momentum that's making him one of the hottest NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers. He's pieced together three consecutive top-five finishes that no one on the grid can match heading to Road America. A week after Ferrucci earned his best-career finish by crossing the finish line second in Detroit, he charged from 19th to finish fifth at WWTR. ↔3. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3) O'Ward is on a heater, and it's not just flashes of brilliance anymore. He's sustained high-level execution across all types of tracks. O'Ward finished runner-up to Kirkwood on Sunday night at WWTR, his second runner-up finish in the last four races and third of the season. He also finished second to Palou at The Thermal Club and the Sonsio Grand Prix. Since the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst in early May at Barber Motorsports Park, O'Ward has a fourth-place average finish, with a worst result of seventh on the streets of Detroit. He has three top-three finishes in the last four races and is second in points, 73 behind Palou. ↔2. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda; Last Rank: 2) Kirkwood proved he's not just a one-dimensional street course specialist by claiming his first oval win Sunday night at WWTR. His previous four victories each took place on street circuits. However, Kirkwood has achieved three of those five wins this season, including two straight. He has four top-five finishes this season and six top-10 results. The Andretti Global driver is third in points, trailing Palou by 75. Palou and Kirkwood have combined to win all eight races this season. ↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1) Palou began 2025 with five wins and a runner-up finish in six races. However, he slipped the last two races, finishing 25th on the streets of Detroit and eighth at WWTR. Still, Palou has outperformed everyone this season, and barring a third straight finish outside the top five, his top spot isn't seriously threatened. recommended
Fox Sports
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
History Shows Josef Newgarden Can Rebound in Second Half
INDYCAR Josef Newgarden had plenty to say entering the 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, following a week of national media obligations. At this point last season, the Team Penske driver entered Detroit seventh in points, riding a wave of momentum from his second consecutive Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory. Both '500' wins came due to a thrilling, last-lap pass. This year, Newgarden was quiet in Detroit, sticking to himself and not the usual outgoing, charismatic two-time series champion. He entered last weekend 11th in points. Newgarden charged from 32nd in this year's '500' to inside the top 10 by halfway, but a mechanical failure ended his day on Lap 135, leaving him 22nd and ending his quest to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s. That's the story of his frustrating season. The trouble isn't caused by a lack of speed. Newgarden has been plagued by bad luck, leaving him 12th in points after Detroit, 185 behind leader Alex Palou, and five behind 10th-place Marcus Armstrong. Newgarden had a shot at a top-10 finish in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, but his seatbelts came off, forcing an unscheduled pit stop. He finished 27th. An electrical malfunction before the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course dropped Newgarden from sixth in the starting lineup to take the green flag last. He rallied to finish 12th, leaving the question of what might have been. Even in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, Newgarden had a shot at a runner-up finish, but a fuel mishap occurred, not allowing his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet to get full of Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel. As a result, Newgarden had to coast the final few laps to get to the checkered. That allowed Palou to pull away, and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon to pass Newgarden for second. That third-place finish is Newgarden's lone top five all season. Maybe a week off to reset and recharge is exactly what Newgarden needs to swing the pendulum of his season. Following Detroit last year, Newgarden went on a run of five podium finishes over the final 11 races, including a victory at World Wide Technology Raceway, the site of the next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race June 15. Newgarden also had three podium finishes in the final five races. Can he go on another run? Newgarden has the tools and experience to flip the script on a rocky start. The upcoming stretch is tailor-made for a resurgence, especially on ovals, where he has few equals. 'He's the best oval racer in the series,' Ed Carpenter Racing driver Alexander Rossi said. 'He's the most aggressive.' Five of the final nine races are contested on ovals, beginning with a return trip next Sunday night to the 1.25-mile track near St. Louis for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline, airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Newgarden has at least one oval victory in each of the last nine years. He's won four of his last five tries at World Wide Technology Raceway. The outlier was 2023 when he finished 25th in a race in which he led 98 laps. At the Iowa Speedway oval, Newgarden has tallied six victories in 16 starts. The series visits the short track for a July 12-13 doubleheader. Newgarden won both NTT P1 Awards at the Milwaukee Mile last season and finished third in the 2024 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. The series visits both for the final two races of the season, Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, respectively. Newgarden isn't just strong on the remaining circle tracks. Following next Sunday night's race, the series next goes to the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Newgarden finished runner-up on the Wisconsin road course last year to teammate Will Power and won in 2022. The July 6 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio follows. Newgarden won in 2021. The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto takes place on July 20. Newgarden is a two-time winner on the Toronto streets. Translation: Newgarden has arguably as much potential to win in bunches as anyone in the 27-car field. 'We can win any weekend,' Newgarden said. recommended
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
IndyCar Series on FOX; Donovan Long goes behind the scenes
The Brief The IndyCar Series is now on FOX, and the Sonsio Grand Prix is on Saturday. FOX6's Donovan Long got a behind-the-scenes look at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A former Packers player is now part of the pit crew for one driver. INDIANAPOLIS - The IndyCar Series is now on FOX, and FOX6's Donovan Long was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a behind-the-scenes preview of the races. The Sonsio Grand Prix is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX6. Wisconsin connection Local perspective A pit crew member for driver Christian Rasmussen is a former Packers offensive lineman. Benjamin Braden played parts of a few seasons for Green Bay. He now wears a different jersey and admits he misses the contact, but now uses his experience to move like lightning to get his driver up to speed. Advertisement RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app As for how Braden went from Green Bay to the speedway, he said he has known Ed Carpenter, owner of Ed Carpenter racing, for years. When he pivoted from the NFL, he connected his love of motor sports and sportsmanship. Racing fans What they're saying Driver Scott Dixon has tons of fans, including 10-year-old Hayden Jaskela of Indianapolis. Jaskela waited in line with hundreds of people to meet Dixon, get his autograph and take pictures on Friday. The 10-year-old has been into IndyCar as long as he can remember and loves going to races with a dream of hitting the speedway just like his favorite driver. Advertisement FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Racing fan Dylan James is from New Zealand, but traveled from London to Indianapolis to see driver Scott Dixon, who is also from New Zealand. He said the trip is meant to honor his dad, who passed away last year and never got to experience the Sonsio Grand Prix. James traveled alone and will return to the speedway for the Indy 500 in two weeks, another race his dad was never able to attend. The Source Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews.
Fox Sports
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Power Rankings: Detroit Victory Helps Kirkwood Climb
INDYCAR Kyle Kirkwood climbed in Power Rankings following his second victory of the season at the Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. The win, coupled with his earlier triumph at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, underscores Kirkwood's rising prominence in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Kirkwood is the only driver besides points leader Alex Palou to win a race this season. Palou – who won five of the first six races of the season – finally fell to Earth in Detroit by placing 25th after an accident. But one crash doesn't drop the driver with six top-two finishes in seven races. Here are the rest of Power Rankings entering the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday evening, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway (8 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). ↓10. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 8) Dixon remains a fixture in the Power Rankings, holding steady at 10th. Despite a challenging stretch with three finishes of 11th or worse in the last four races, Dixon's presence in the top 10 of the standings – he's seventh – has kept him in the rankings. He kicked off the season with a strong runner-up finish in St. Petersburg and finished fifth in the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10. ↓9. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Chevrolet; Last Rank: 7) McLaughlin spun Nolan Siegel early in Detroit, sparking an avoidable contact penalty that dropped him from the lead on the primary strategy to outside the top 10. Despite the setback, he recovered to finish 12th. This is two straight finishes outside the top 10, following a 30th-place finish in the '500' on May 25. Before the downturn, McLaughlin was on a strong run, finishing sixth or better in four of the first five races. ↑8. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: 10) Malukas finished 14th in Detroit, but that result doesn't reflect the full story. He was in the mix for a second consecutive top-five finish before a Lap 73 incident with Alex Palou, which led to an avoidable contact penalty that derailed his race. Malukas qualified second in Detroit, building off an impressive second-place finish in the Indy 500 just a week earlier. ↑7. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing; Last Rank: NR) Ferrucci earned his best-career finish by crossing the finish line second in Detroit. That comes a week after finishing fifth in the '500.' ↑6. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 9) Herta earned his first NTT P1 Award of the season in Detroit and third front-row start this season. Unfortunately, he didn't convert the pole to a win, but he still finished third. That's enough to boost him up the Power Rankings, earning his fourth top-seven finish in the last six races. The outliers are an underwhelming Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the Sonsio Grand Prix, Herta qualified 13th but finished 25th after a challenging race. In the '500,' he started 27th and managed to finish 14th. ↓5. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3) Lundgaard earned his best-career '500' finish with a seventh-place last Sunday and crossed the finish line eighth in Detroit. He has six top-10 finishes in seven races this season. ↔4. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4) Power rebounded in Detroit to finish fourth, scoring his fifth top-six finish in the last six races. The outlier was the Indianapolis 500, where he started 33rd and finished 16th. Power has crossed the finish line ahead of his Team Penske teammates in five of the last six races, too. ↓3. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2) O'Ward drops to third but limited the damage at Detroit by climbing from 18th to finish seventh. That's his best street course result this season after finishing 11th in St. Petersburg and 13th at Long Beach. Up next is an oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. O'Ward has three runner-up finishes there and five top-seven finishes in seven starts this season. ↑2. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda; Last Rank: 5) Kirkwood won from the third starting spot in Detroit after leading 48 of 100 laps. He has three top-five finishes this season, including two victories. He is third in points with five top-10 results, too. ↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1) Palou finished 25th in Detroit, but five wins in seven races leave him on top under further notice. He still leads the standings by 90 points over O'Ward, a gap of nearly two races. recommended
