News for the Week of June 6, 2016 – June 12, 2016
Newgarden suffers fractured right clavicle and hand in Texas incident – “Verizon IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgarden sustained a fractured right clavicle and a small fracture on his right hand in an incident in today’s Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Newgarden, driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, collided with the Honda of Conor Daly of Dale Coyne Racing on Lap 42 of the race and was airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.” – INDYCAR – (6/12/2016)
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Firestone 600 postponed for August 27th – The Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway was postponed to Saturday, August 27th on Sunday afternoon after more rain hit the track after a red flag. It will be a one day show with a practice session, autograph session, and the resumption of the race. The race will restart on Lap 72 with James Hinchcliffe in the lead. Relive the progress of the race before the rain delay with our live blog here. – INDYCAR – (6/12/2016)
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Firestone 600 red flagged on Sunday for rain – The Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway was red flagged for moisture after Lap 71/248 on Sunday afternoon. The race was under caution at the time for this violent incident between Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden. Daly was subsequently checked, released, and cleared by the medical center while Newgarden was transported to a local hospital for treatment on his right shoulder and wrist. The Top 5 at the time of the red flag was Hinchcliffe, Hunter-Reay, Aleshin, Power, and Carpenter. No plan as of yet for the continuation. Relive the progress of the race on our live blog at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/12/2016)
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INDYCAR’s Le Mans competitors in difficult spot after Texas postponement – Mikhail Aleshin, Townsend Bell, Sebastien Bourdais, and Scott Dixon are all at Texas Motor Speedway until the conclusion of the Firestone 600 but all have already missed their first responsibilities as Le Mans drivers in France. “They were scheduled to appear at 5:10 p.m. local time in Le Mans on Sunday for the mandatory pre-event scrutineering session assigned to their GTs for driver credentialing, safety equipment inspection and photos, and the team had a private jet waiting to fly them to the French town of Angiers immediately after the night event…Despite the 24-hour event’s legendary lack of flexibility toward its teams and drivers, it’s believed an exception will be made for the FCGR drivers to be accommodated on Monday, the second and final day for inspections in the Le Mans town center.” – RACER – (6/12/2016)
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Firestone 600 postponed to Sunday due to wet track – Afternoon rain showers and the subsequent inability to try the track surface at Texas Motor Speedway caused the postponement of the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 to Sunday, June 12 at 2:00PM ET. The race will be televised on NBCSN. Relive the buildup to the decision on our live blog at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/11/2016)
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Rahal fastest in final practice at Texas – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal’s lap of 213.935mph topped the charts in the final practice for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, and HawKsworth. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/10/2016)
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Munoz wins first career pole at Texas – Andretti Autosport’s Carlos Munoz won his first career Verizon IndyCar Series pole in qualifying for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway with a 2-lap average of 217.137mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Castroneves, Sato, and Newgarden. Chaves was unable to make a qualifying attempt after a crash in practice and will start last next to Dale Coyne Racing teammate Daly in P22. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/10/2016)
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Texas qualifying order set – INDYCAR has posted the qualifying order for the Firestone 600. It’s available at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/10/2016)
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Kanaan quickest in Practice 1 in at Texas – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Tony Kanaan took the top spot in Practice 1 for the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway with a lap at 216.745mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Newgarden, Kimball, and Andretti. Chaves crashed early in the session but was subsequently checked, released, and cleared by the medical center. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/10/2016)
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Castrol EDGE steps up as primary sponsor for Andretti Autosport No. 98 for Rossi – Castrol EDGE will be the primary sponsor for Andretti Autosport’s No. 98 machine for Alexander Rossi this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 600. They unveiled the livery on Friday morning. See it on our No. 98 livery page here. – Andretti Autosport – (6/10/2016)
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DCR picks up new primary sponsor for No. 18 for Daly in Texas – “After a tremendous experience as a sponsor of Conor Daly and the Dale Coyne Racing #18 Honda for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Jonathan Byrd’s Racing is excited to announce that Nano ProMT has extended its relationship with Conor Daly and will appear as a primary sponsor on the Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality & Restaurant Group/Cancer Treatment Centers of America Honda IndyCar at this weekend’s Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.” More at the link. See the sidepods here. – Jonathan Byrd’s Racing – (6/9/2016)
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“Letter to My Younger Self” by Mario Andretti – Mario Andretti has an excellent piece on The Players’ Tribune called “Letter to My Younger Self”. Way too good to shorten so check it out at the link. – The Player’s Tribune – (6/9/2016)
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IMS to host Kid Rock concert on July 23rd – “Multi-platinum award-winning rock ’n’ roll icon Kid Rock will be in concert on July 23 during the Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His high-octane Saturday night performance will take place in the IMS infield following the XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 race.” This news obviously isn’t INDYCAR news on its own but it’s interesting to see IMS continue to bring in new entertainment options. – IMS – (6/9/2016)
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Boston GP still hasn’t refunded all ticket buyers – Boston’s WCVB reports that the Grand Prix of Boston organizers have refunded $400,000 worth of purchased race tickets but that wasn’t enough, some still haven’t been refunded, and they’re out of money. The attorney for the Grand Prix of Boston, Michael Goldberg, told WCVB investigators that they’re trying to recoup a sanctioning fee paid to INDYCAR to allow them to refund ticket buyers. – WCVB – (6/9/2016)
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The Open Wheel’s Texas preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds previews this weekend’s Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. The preview includes all pertinent weekend information, historical information from Texas, predictions, and fantasy advice. Check it out at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/8/2016)
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Toronto track build has started – Honda Indy Toronto organizers announced on Wednesday that their track build has officially started. Picture at at the link. – Honda Indy Toronto – (6/8/2016)
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Rossi ready for “favorite oval” Texas – Indy 500 champ Alexander Rossi spoke glowingly this week about the upcoming Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. “Texas is my favorite oval that I’ve driven on actually,” Rossi said. “We had the one test there at the beginning of May, and it was awesome. I really, really enjoyed it. We did a little bit of a group run towards the end of the day, and it was very interesting for me to kind of be on an oval where there were so many different lines…It’s very high banked, so it’ll make the racing incredibly exciting … Running a high line was something new to me and something that I had to figure out. But yeah, I mean, I think it’ll be a fantastic race, and it’s one that I’ve been most really looking forward to ever since we did the test. I really, really enjoyed the time there, and I think it’ll be very challenging, especially with the heat that we’re expected to have this weekend.” – RACER – (6/8/2016)
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Miller’s Mailbag 6/8/16 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (6/8/2016)
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INDYCAR posts Texas entry list/spotter guide – INDYCAR has posted the entry list and spotters guide for this weekend’s Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. There are 22 cars entered and the only noteworthy items are Gabby Chaves remaining in the Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 car and NAPA not anticipated to be on the Andretti Autosport No. 98 for Alexander Rossi. – Entry List / Spotter Guide – (6/8/2016)
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Trackside podcast 6/7/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 6/7/16 is a great listen as always. The pair recaps all of the latest INDYCAR news from a busy weekend at Belle Isle and previews the action at Texas. – 1070 The Fan – (6/8/2016)
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ECR unveils new Fuzzy’s livery for Newgarden’s No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing unveiled a new bright green Fuzzy’s Vodka livery for Josef Newgarden’s No. 21 car for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. See it on our No. 21 livery page here. – ECR – (6/8/2016)
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Serralles posts fastest time in Lights Mid-Ohio test – Carlin’s Felix Serralles’ lap of 1:10.4159 was the fastest lap of a two-session Indy Lights test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Tuesday. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Negrao, Veach, and Blackstock. Full results from each session at the link. – Session 1 / Session 2 – (6/8/2016)
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52 week rankings 6/6/16 – The Open wheel’s production of Verizon IndyCar Series point standings over the last 52 weeks of the calendar. All points are accumulated based on what the driver earned in applicable races via the standard Verizon IndyCar Series points system. Date equity continues to make this relevant as last year’s Chevrolet Dual in Detroit fell off the rankings and the Firestone 600 is next up on the 2016 schedule and the next race weekend to fall off of these rankings. Scott Dixon continues to lead the rankings but Simon Pagenaud has narrowed the gap to 33 points. Check it out at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/7/2016)
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ABC gets mixed TV ratings for Belle Isle telecast – Adam Stern of SportsBusiness Journal reports that ABC’s broadcast of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit had a bigger rating for Race 1 than 2015 but was down in Race 2. Race 1 received on overnight rating of 0.8 (0.7 in ’15) and Race 2 was a 1.0 (1.3 in ’15). – Adam Stern – (6/6/2016)
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Report: Belle Isle will be back with doubleheader in ’17 – From the Associated Press: “The chairman of Detroit’s IndyCar event says it will be back next year. Bud Denker, chairman of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, says the 2017 event will take place June 2-4 and will again include two IndyCar races. Denker spoke Sunday after the conclusion of the weekend’s racing schedule at Belle Isle’s street course.” – NBC Sports – (6/6/2016)
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Power wishes for VSC in INDYCAR – Though he benefited from the situation, Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Race 2 winner Will Power felt for teammate Helio Castroneves after a late caution cost him a chance at a win due to pit strategy. Power wishes for a solution similar to Formula 1’s virtual safety car: “The problem you have is people racing back to the pits. If there’s an incident, people are going past that incident too fast. But now if you look at Formula 1, you have these virtual safety cars. We can do that. We can slow everyone down to the same speed on the track, whatever that may be, 60mph, go around on a limiter until everyone pits, and it prevents that. It’s an easy fix and we should do it. It even makes it safer. It makes it more sportsmanlike, so it’s not a lottery.” – RACER – (6/6/2016)
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The Open Wheel’s Belle Isle photo gallery – The Open wheel’s photo gallery from the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. Check it out at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/5/2016)
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Power grabs first win of ’16 in Race 2 at Belle Isle – Team Penske’s Will Power grabbed his first win of 2016 in Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. The rest of the Top 5 was Pagenaud, Hunter-Reay, Newgarden, and Dixon. Hinchcliffe and Chilton each suffered terminal damage in the first turn of the race. Hawksworth (mechanical) and Montoya (contact) each suffered early ends do their day as well. Castroneves looked set to win until he was caught out on pit strategy during the Hawksworth caution. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/5/2016)
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INDYCAR produces “Alexander Rossi: An Indy 500 Champion’s Journey” – INDYCAR has posted an excellent feature called “Alexander Rossi: An Indy 500 Champion’s Journey”, a video chronicling Alexander Rossi’s win in The 100th Running of The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and the subsequent whirlwind tour of media obligations. Definitely worth a watch. – INDYCAR – (6/5/2016)
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Bourdais grabs Race 1 win at Belle Isle – KVSH Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais grabbed a win for the second straight year at Belle Isle with a win in Race 1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. The rest of the Top 5 was Daly, Montoya, Rahal, and Castroneves. Championship leader Simon Pagenaud led 35 laps but ran out of fuel on the last lap and limped to a P13 finish. Hawksworth’s car had mechanical problems and was unable to start or compete in the race. Chilton and Hinchcliffe each had separate contact with barriers to bring out cautions. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/4/2016)
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INDYCAR’s visor cam series continues with Daly at Belle Isle – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam series continues with Conor Daly lapping the Streets of Belle Isle in practice for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. Check it out at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/3/2016)
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United Rentals named official equipment rental company of INDYCAR – “INDYCAR announced today a multiyear agreement with United Rentals, the world’s largest equipment rental provider and a team partner with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, to become the official equipment rental company of INDYCAR and the Verizon IndyCar Series.” See the full release at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/3/2016)
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INDYCAR rules out China event in ’16 – “We are not going to be racing in China despite the fact there was strong interest there,” IndyCar president Mark Miles told RACER. “Here we are on June 1 and all the arrangements aren’t in place, so we don’t feel comfortable adding an event to the calendar when we’re not confident it can go on without a hitch.” – RACER – (6/2/2016)
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ECR names Pigot No. 20 road/street course driver starting at Belle Isle – “Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that 2015 Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot will join the team, beginning this weekend for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. The No. 20, driven by team owner Ed Carpenter on the oval events, will be piloted by Pigot for the rest of the road and street course events on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.” “I’m very excited to be joining Ed Carpenter Racing for the remainder of the season on road and street courses,” stated Pigot. “ECR has been very strong in 2016 and I hope we can continue to build on the success they’ve already had.” – Ed Carpenter Racing – (6/2/2016)
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