News for the Week of May 15, 2017 – May 21, 2017

Dixon breaks 232mph to win pole for 101st Indy 500 – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon won the pole for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average of 232.164mph. The rest of the Fast Nine qualifying order was Carpenter, Rossi, Sato, Alonso, Hildebrand, Kanaan, Andretti, and Power. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/21/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 qualifying gallery – Check out The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from qualifying weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2017)

RHR fastest in P10-33 Indy 500 qualifying – Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay’s 4-lap average of 231.442mph was fastest in Positions 10-33 qualifying for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Check out the full P10-33 qualifying results at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2017)

Jones fastest in Sunday Indy 500 practice, Alonso quickest of Fast Nine – Dale Coyne Racing’s Ed Jones was fastest in Sunday pre-qualifying practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 233.008mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Montoya, and Harvey. Alonso was fastest of the Fast Nine practice session. Rahal topped the no tow report. Full results here. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2017)

DCR announces Davison will drive No. 18 for Indy 500 – “Dale Coyne Racing announced on Sunday that Australian James Davison will be replacing the injured Sebastien Bourdais aboard the #18 GEICO Honda for the 101st Indianapolis 500.” Full release at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (5/21/2017)

Jones fastest in P10-P33 Sunday Indy 500 practice – Dale Coyne Racing’s Ed Jones was fastest in P10-P33 Sunday pre-qualifying practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 233.008mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Montoya, and Harvey. Rahal topped the no tow report. Full results here. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2017)

Report: Davison to drive DCR No. 18 in Indy 500 – TrackSide Online and NBC Sports have reported Dale Coyne Racing will name James Davison as the driver of their No. 18 car in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race to fill in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais. – TrackSide Online – (5/21/2017)

Pruett: “Six shifts that saved Seb” – RACER’s Marshall Pruett put an excellent piece together on the safety innovations that helped save and minimize Sebastien Bourdais’ injuries in his qualifying crash yesterday. Check it out at the link. – RACER – (5/21/2017)

Bourdais expected to miss rest of the season with multiple fractures to pelvis and fractured hip – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Dale Coyne Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais is expected to miss the rest of the Verizon IndyCar Series season after being diagnosed with multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fractured hip following his scary incident in qualifying for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. See the incident here. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Carpenter fastest in Saturday Indy 500 qualifying – Ed Carpenter Racing’s Ed Carpenter was fastest in Saturday qualifying for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average of 230.468mph. The of the Top 9 finishing order was Sato, Dixon, Hildebrand, Rossi, Power, Alonso, Kanaan, and Andretti. Bourdais crashed in the session (see note below). Drivers who finished in positions 1-9 on Saturday will vie for their actual starting positions within that same range on Sunday and the same goes for those in positions 10-33. Veach’s car wasn’t ready for a qualifying run on Saturday but he’s expected to make an attempt on Sunday. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2017)

Bourdais transported to hospital after scary Indy 500 qualifying incident – Sebastien Bourdais was transported to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after a visit to the infield care center following a scary incident in Turn 2 in his Saturday qualifying run for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Bourdais had completed the two fastest laps of the day prior to the incident on his third lap. INDYCAR updated his status as the following: “Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR Medical Director: Sebastien Bourdais is awake and alert and never lost consciousness. He is being transported by ground to IU Health Methodist Hospital for further evaluation.”. Full story at the link. – NBC Sports – (5/20/2017)

Marotti Racing returns in partnership with SPM No. 7 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Marotti Racing and their new sponsor ZYPPAH will partner with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ No. 7 team for Mikhail Aleshin for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and three additional races later this season. Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Geico to sponsor DCR No. 18 for Indy 500 – Geico will be the primary sponsor for Dale Coyne Racing’s No. 19 car for Sebastien Bourdais for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. See the livery on our No. 18 livery page here. – Geico Racing – (5/20/2017)

Indy 500 garage sign photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s photo gallery of all of the car/driver garage signs in the garage area at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – The Open Wheel – (5/20/2017)

Chaves fastest in final pre-qualifying Indy 500 practice – Harding Racing’s Gabby Chaves’ lap at 228.160mph was the fastest time of a cold, misty Saturday morning practice session before qualifying for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Rahal, Daly, Munoz, and Harvey. Only 8 drivers completed a lap. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2017)

Harding adds Texas and Pocono to their ’17 schedule – RACER’s Mark Glendenning reports Harding Racing will enter the Verizon IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway in 2017. “We’re going to run Texas and Pocono,” owner Mike Harding told RACER. “And then next year, we’re going to try to run the whole series.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Camping World to sponsor CGRT No. 9 for Indy 500 – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Camping World will be the primary sponsor for Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s No. 9 car for Scott Dixon for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. See the livery on our No. 9 livery page here. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/19/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/19/17 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/20/2017)

Saturday Indy 500 qualifying order – Check out the Saturday qualifying order for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2017)

Bourdais breaks 233mph to top Friday Indy 500 practice – Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais’ lap at 233.116mph was fastest in Friday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Sato, Alonso, and Montoya. Pigot and Veach each crashed in the session (see notes below). Lazier turned his first significant laps of the week with a fastest lap of 219.640mph in 30 laps. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/19/2017)

Veach checked, cleared, and released after Friday practice crash – INDYCAR reports Zach Veach has been checked, cleared, and released from the medical center following his crash in practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Friday. See the incident at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/19/2017)

Pigot checked, cleared, and released after Friday practice crash – INDYCAR reports Spencer Pigot has been checked, cleared, and released from the medical center following his crash in practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Friday. See the incident at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/19/2017)

Pacers’ Jeff Teague to sponsor Lazier’s program – Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star reports Buddy Lazier’s Indy 500 program will be sponsored by Indiana Pacers point guard Jeff Teague and his Factory at D1 Sports gym. Teague is originally from Indianapolis. “Motor sports and basketball, that’s about as Indiana as it gets,” said Lazier. “I’m excited to see what the car will look like. There’s only so much we can do with the paint scheme before qualifying, but I think it’s going to look really good.” Full story at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (5/19/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/18/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/18/17 is a great listen as always. John Andretti was a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/19/2017)

Howard takes P1 in Thursday Indy 500 practice – Schmidt Peterson Motorsport’s Jay Howard’s lap at 226.744mph was fastest in Thursday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Andretti, Alonso, and Newgarden. However, Newgarden crashed in the session (see note below). Lazier made it on track for a systems check. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2017)

Newgarden checked, cleared, and released after Thursday practice crash – INDYCAR reports Josef Newgarden has been checked, cleared, and released from the medical center following his crash in practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Thursday. See the incident at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2017)

Alonso: “Why I’m Racing in the Indy 500” – McLaren-Honda-Andretti’s Fernando Alonso wrote an excellent piece explaining his love for racing and why he chose to skip Monaco for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Check it out at the link. – The Players’ Tribune – (5/18/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 practice photo gallery – Check out The Open Wheel’s practice photo gallery from preparation for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pictures by Parker Hall and Matt Griffith. – The Open Wheel – (5/18/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/17/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/17/17 is a great listen as always. Gabby Chaves and Al Unser Jr. are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/18/2017)

Carpenter quickest in windy Wednesday Indy 500 practice – Ed Carpenter Racing’s Ed Carpenter’s lap at 222.894mph was fastest in Wednesday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Severe winds limited both the number of cars on track and laps turned on Wednesday. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Hildebrand, Alonso, and Daly. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/17/2017)

IMS announces two-night concert event during NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 weekend – “The Chainsmokers and Major Lazer will lead a superstar lineup of performers at the new 400 Fest, a two-night concert event during NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 event Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Other 400 Fest artists include Mac Miller, Cheat Codes and DNCE, with an additional performer to be announced soon. Gates open at 5 p.m. both nights, with music starting at 7 p.m. The complete 400 Fest schedule, with specific performance lineups for each day, and additional details will be available soon at www.400Fest.com.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/17/2017)

Miller’s Mailbag 5/17/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (5/17/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/16/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/16/17 is a great listen as always. Townsend Bell is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/17/2017)

Power tops the charts in Tuesday Indy 500 practice – Team Penske’s Will Power led the way in Tuesday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 224.656mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Chaves, Hunter-Reay, and Karam. Harvey and Veach joined Jones and Alonso in completing their rookie orientation program. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/16/2017)

Lazier changes car number to No. 44 – The updated INDYCAR entry list for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race has Buddy Lazier driving the No. 44 Lazier Racing Partners entry rather than the originally planned No. 49. Check it out at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/16/2017)

Bebe Rexha to perform national anthem before Indy 500 – “Chart-topping singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha will perform the national anthem before the start of the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday, May 28. Rexha, on an international tour following the release of her album “All Your Fault, Pt. 1,” will sing on Race Day in the traditional spot before the 33 drivers are called to their cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the largest single-day spectator sporting event crowd in the world.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/16/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/15/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/15/17 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/16/2017)

Marco fastest in Monday Indy 500 practice – Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti topped the charts in Monday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 226.338mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Carpenter, Bourdais, and Hunter-Reay. Harvey made contact with the wall in Turn 2 in the session (details in story below). Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/15/2017)

Harvey checked, cleared, and released after Monday practice crash – INDYCAR reports rookie Jack Harvey has been checked, cleared, and released from the medical center following his crash in practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Monday. See the incident at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/15/2017)

Alonso fastest in ROP/Refresher 500 practice, Jones passes ROP – Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time in the first two hours of practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, reserved for installation laps, rookie orientation, and refresher programs. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Ed Jones completed all three phases of his rookie orientation program in the session. – The Open Wheel – (5/15/2017)

ABC INDYCAR GP broadcast gets 0.7 overnight TV rating – Adam Stern reports ABC’s television broadcast of the INDYCAR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earned a 0.7 overnight TV rating. Last year it was 0.8. – Adam Stern – (5/15/2017)

Gyllenhaal and Boston bombing survivor to serve as honorary starters for Indy 500 – “Academy Award-nominated actor, and producer Jake Gyllenhaal and Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman will team up to serve as honorary starters for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday, May 28. They will be the first duo to wave the green flag in the century-plus history of the race. Gyllenhaal will play Bauman in the upcoming film “Stronger,” based on Bauman’s New York Times best-selling book of the same name in which he provides a deeply personal account of his challenging, heroic journey after losing both of his legs in the infamous Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. The “Stronger” film, directed by David Gordon Green, will be released by Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions on Sept. 22, 2017.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/15/2017)

SPM No. 77 Indy 500 livery – See the livery for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ No. 77 entry for Jay Howard for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on our No. 77 livery page here. – Team One Cure – (5/15/2017)

Lazier effort confirmed on official Indy 500 entry list – INDYCAR has posted the official entry list for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Buddy Lazier is confirmed as driving the No. 49 Lazier Racing Partners Chevrolet. View the official entry list here. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2017)

Power completes weekend sweep with victory at INDYCAR GP – Team Penske’s Will Power finished his weekend sweep on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory in the INDYCAR Grand Prix. Power Was fastest in every practice, qualifying, and warmup session. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, and Castroneves. Rahal finished P6 from a P20 starting position. Montoya was P10 in his first Verizon IndyCar Series race of the year. Bourdais finished last in P22 after suffering an early mechanical issue. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2017)

Mario beats Sam in autonomous car race at IMS – Mario Andretti edged Sam Schmidt in a four lap race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway using the semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet Corvettes Schmidt has helped develop. Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2017)

Luck gives the starting command for INDYCAR GP – Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck gave the starting command before the INDYCAR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. – IMS – (5/13/2017)

Kaiser wins Lights Race 2 at IMS – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser won Indy Lights Race 2 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after leading from start to finish on Saturday. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Leist, Jamin, and Piedrahita. Herta went off the pace in the middle portion of the race and finished in P10. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/13/2017)

Jamin wins Lights Race 1 at IMS – Andretti Autosport’s Nico Jamin led from start to finish to win Indy Lights Race 1 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Claman De Melo, Kaiser, Alberico, and Leist. Herta was forced to pit with a flat tire in the middle portion of the race and finished in P12. Piedrahita was unable to start due to damage suffered to the car in qualifying. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/12/2017)

News From Last Week