News for the Week of July 24, 2017 – July 30, 2017

Bourdais to test at Mid-Ohio on Monday – Sebastien Bourdais’ amazing recovery from his horrific qualifying crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will continue with a test with his Dale Coyne Racing team at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Monday. Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/30/2017)

Newgarden dominates for Mid-Ohio victory – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden used an early pass on teammate Will Power to dominate en route to victory at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Newgarden led 73 of the 90 laps after Power led the first 12. The rest of the Top 5 was Power, Rahal, Pagenaud, and Sato. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/30/2017)

Jamin wins Lights Race 2 at Mid-Ohio – Andretti Autosport’s Nico Jamin won Indy Lights Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after taking the lead following an early Herta spin. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Blackstock, Claman De Melo, and Telitz. Championship leader Kaiser finished P12. Full Race 2 results here. – Indy Lights – (7/30/2017)

Rahal fastest in warmup at Mid-Ohio – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal was fastest in the morning warmup for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:05.0239. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Andretti, Hunter-Reay, and Daly. Pigot made heavy contact with a concrete wall in the session and the team will have to prepare a backup car. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/30/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Indy Lights Mid-Ohio photo gallery -The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from the 2017 Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Powered by Mazda at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/29/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Mid-Ohio photo gallery -The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/29/2017)

Urrutia wins Lights Race 1 at Mid-Ohio – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santiago Urrutia won Indy Lights Race 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in dominant fashion from the pole position. Urrutia led every lap. The rest of the Top 5 was Herta, Jamin, Blackstock, and Claman De Melo. Championship leader Kaiser finished P12 while fellow contender Leist finished P11. Full Race 1 results here. – Indy Lights – (7/29/2017)

Power wins the pole at Mid-Ohio – Team Penske’s Will Power won the pole for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:04.1720. The rest of the Firestone Fast Six order was Newgarden, Sato, Rahal, Castroneves, and Dixon. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (7/29/2017)

Rossi fastest in Practice 3 at Mid-Ohio – Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi was fastest in Practice 3 for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:04.2303. The rest of the Top 5 was Sato, Dixon, Kanaan, and Newgarden. Honda dominated the session with 7 cars in the Top 10 and 13 in the Top 17. The session ended early as Aleshin brought out a red flag for contact with a tire barrier. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/29/2017)

Herta wins pole in Lights Race 2 qualifying at Mid-Ohio – Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta won the pole for Indy Lights Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:11.1019. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Jamin, Claman De Melo, and Blackstock. Championship leader Kaiser qualified P9 while fellow contender Leist qualified P13. Full Race 2 qualifying results here. – Indy Lights – (7/29/2017)

Michael Andretti expects engine manufacturer decision soon – AUTOWEEK’s Bruce Martin reports Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti expects to make a decision on his team’s 2018 engine manufacturer “in the next week or so.” “If I knew, I would tell you,” Andretti told AUTOWEEK. “I don’t know yet. I am still trying to make the decision. We are still working on where we need to be and have the deal that is right and fair for the team. That is what we are working on.” Full report at the link. – AUTOWEEK – (7/28/2017)

Rahal visor cam from Mid-Ohio – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam series continues with Graham Rahal in action during Verizon IndyCar Series practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. – INDYCAR – (7/28/2017)

Hunter-Reay tops Practice 2 at Mid-Ohio – Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay topped the charts in Practice 2 for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:04.2961. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Dixon, Pagenaud, and Rossi. Light moisture limited the amount of laps turned in the practice. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/28/2017)

Urruita takes pole in Lights Race 1 qualifying at Mid-Ohio – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santi Urrutia won the pole for Indy Lights Race 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:11.3694. The rest of the Top 5 was Herta, Jamin, Blackstock, and Claman De Melo. Full Race 1 qualifying results here. – Indy Lights – (7/28/2017)

Pagenaud fastest in Practice 1 at Mid-Ohio – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud’s lap of 1:04.9079 was fastest in Practice 1 for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The rest of the Top 5 was Rahal, Andretti, Castroneves, and Power. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/28/2017)

Urruita quickest in only Lights practice at Mid-Ohio – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santi Urrutia posted the quickest time in the only Indy Lights practice session of the weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a lap of 1:11.9455. The rest of the Top 5 was Jamin, Claman De Melo, Kaiser, and Alberico. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/28/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Mid-Ohio preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is available at the link. It features all relevant weekend information, historical stats, predictions, fantasy advice, and more. – The Open Wheel – (7/27/2017)

NTT DATA unveils new livery for CGRT No. 10 car at Mid-Ohio – NTT Data unveiled a new chrome NTT DATA livery for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ No. 10 car for Tony Kanaan to race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. Check out the livery on our No. 10 livery page here. – NTT DATA – (7/27/2017)

Mid-Ohio names Archie Griffin Grand Marshal – “Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is honored to announce Archie Griffin, college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner and one of Ohio State’s most accomplished alumnus, as Grand Marshal of this weekend’s Honda Indy 200, on Sunday, July 30. As Grand Marshal, Griffin will get to announce the most famous words in racing, “Drivers, start your engines!” as well as participate in other pre-race ceremonies for the 90-lap Verizon IndyCar Series season at Mid-Ohio. The race will be broadcast both globally and nationally with live coverage starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT on CNBC.” Full release at the link. – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – (7/26/2017)

Report: INDYCAR to stay at Long Beach – Tim Grobaty of the Long Beach Press Telegram reports that Long Beach Grand Prix boss Jim Michaelian has won the battle over the Chris Polk-led group trying to bring Formula 1 back to Long Beach. Full report at the link. – Long Beach Press Telegram – (7/26/2017)

Mid-Ohio spotter guide is posted – The spotter guide for the 2017 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/26/2017)

Mid-Ohio entry list is posted – The entry list for the 2017 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/26/2017)

Miller’s Mailbag 7/26/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (7/26/2017)

Trackside podcast 7/25/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 7/25/17 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (7/26/2017)

First ’18 aero kit testing finished at IMS – The initial test of the new universal aero kit for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series took place on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday. Juan Pablo Montoya drove for Chevrolet while Oriol Servia drove for Honda. Each manufacturer appeared satisfied after the end of the day’s work. Check out the official INDYCAR photo gallery here. – INDYCAR – (7/25/2017)

Rosenqvist interested in IndyCar opportunity – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has a nice story on Felix Rosenqvist following his second successful test with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “It’s always been a dream to drive in IndyCar, and now I know that I can do well,” Rosenqvist told RACER. “We will have to see a bit further how it goes with all the talks.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/25/2017)

Lights entry list for Mid-Ohio posted – The entry list for the Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Powered by Mazda at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is available at the link. – Indy Lights – (7/25/2017)

Journey to sponsor Andretti No. 48 Lights car – Iconic rock band Journey will be the primary sponsor on Andretti Autosport’s No. 48 Indy Lights car for Ryan Norman from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course onward. Check out the livery on our No. 48 livery page here. – NBC Sports – (7/25/2017)

’18 aero kit features side-impact protection upgrade – Steve Wittich reports for Motorsport.com that the new universal aero kit for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series will feature a significant upgrade in the area of side-impact protection. Full story at the link. – Motorsport.com – (7/25/2017)

IMS welcomes fans to watch ’18 aero kit test on 7/25 – “Fans are welcome to watch the inaugural test of the Dallara universal aero kit to be used by all Verizon IndyCar Series teams starting in the 2018 season on Tuesday, July 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The test will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) on the 2.5-mile oval. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and series veteran Oriol Servia will be behind the wheel during the test. Fans can watch testing for free from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from the Turn 2 viewing mounds, IMS Museum parking lot and South Terrace Grandstands. Free parking is available in the Museum lot for fans.” Full details at the link. – IMS – (7/24/2017)

INDYCAR unveils ’18 universal aero kit ahead of 7/25 test – “INDYCAR is primed for a new look, inspired by old favorites but clearly pointing toward what’s “NEXT” for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Your new Indy car: Bolder. Safer. Even more thrilling. Debuting today in preparation for the 2018 season, cars again powered by Chevrolet and Honda engines will represent a collaboration of several key constituents – INDYCAR, Dallara and design experts in the United Kingdom – paired with input from drivers, teams and fans alike. The entire process fell under the watchful eyes of Jay Frye, INDYCAR’s president of competition and operations; Bill Pappas, INDYCAR’s vice president of competition/race engineering; Tino Belli, INDYCAR’s director of aerodynamic development; and Dallara, supplier of the IR-12 chassis that has been used by all Verizon IndyCar Series competitors since 2012 and supplier of the stylish and functional universal aerodynamic bodywork kit that will cover each chassis beginning next season.” Full story and pictures at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/24/2017)

Andretti announces Ruoff to return for No. 26 at Mid-Ohio – “The No. 26 machine of Takuma Sato will take on a familiar look when it hits the 2.258-mile track of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner’s car will resemble the Ruoff Home Mortgage Honda that brought the Japanese driver his first victory with Andretti Autosport.” Full release at the link. – Andretti Autosport – (7/24/2017)

Chilton to be married between Mid-Ohio and Pocono – Max Chilton and fiancee Chloe Roberts are getting married in Surrey, England on August 12th in between Verizon IndyCar Series races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Pocono Raceway. “We’ve known each other since I was 6 and she was 4,” Chilton told INDYCAR.com. “I remember a couple of times we spoke, I’ll never forget it. Her dad is an 18th- and 19th-century fine art dealer and we had gone on a Saturday to buy some art for the house.” More at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/24/2017)

Rosenqvist impresses again in CGRT test – David Malsher of Motorsport.com has an excellent report on Felix Rosenqvist’s second impressive test with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ No. 9 car at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Scott Dixon’s race engineer Chris Simmons raved about Rosenqvist in immense detail. Small sample: “But Felix’s pedigree and the races he’s won over here and in Europe, we all know he’s super-talented and personally I’d love to have him on the team. I think if he came to IndyCar, he’d be one of the top drivers in a relatively short period of time.” Check out the full report at the link. – Motorsport.com – (7/24/2017)

Rosenqvist impresses again in CGRT test – David Malsher of Motorsport.com has an excellent report on Felix Rosenqvist’s second impressive test with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ No. 9 car at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Scott Dixon’s race engineer Chris Simmons raved about Rosenqvist in immense detail. Small sample: “But Felix’s pedigree and the races he’s won over here and in Europe, we all know he’s super-talented and personally I’d love to have him on the team. I think if he came to IndyCar, he’d be one of the top drivers in a relatively short period of time.” Check out the full report at the link. – Motorsport.com – (7/24/2017)

Nasr interested in IndyCar – Adam Cooper of Motorsport.com reports recent Formula 1 driver Brazilian Felipe Nasr is interested in the Verizon IndyCar Series if he can’t work out an F1 return in 2018. “Of course, F1 is Plan A, but there’s a lot of Plan Bs,” Nasr told Motorsport.com. “It could be IndyCar, Formula E or WEC, these are all series that caught my attention…”We’ve had many Brazilians going over there, especially Helio [Castroneves], we had a good relationship, because he drove for my uncle [Amir]’s team when he did F3.” Full story at the link. – Motorsport.com – (7/24/2017)

Marotti returns to partner with SPM No. 7 for 3 races – Marotti Racing has returned to the Verizon IndyCar Series in partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for their No. 7 car for three races at Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen International, and Sonoma Raceway. – RACER – (7/24/2017)

New on-board cameras part of ’18 aero kit – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series universal aero kit will feature more on-board cameras than ever before. “We’re putting them in the nose and at the back next year, so can you imagine what it’s going to look like with a closing shot of a car coming into view behind the one it’s going to pass and then cut to the nose when it goes by?” IMS Productions president Robby Greene told RACER. “And we’re going to keep the camera on the roll hoop and the side view the mirror, so it should be spectacular.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/24/2017)

Kimball takes ceremonial first laps on new Gateway surface – Charlie Kimball turned the first ceremonial laps on the new racing surface at Gateway Motorsports Park on Thursday in a pace car. “I think it’s awesome,” said Kimball. “The investment made to repave and update the surface is significant. The fact that we’re coming back in August to a much smoother racetrack than we tested on (in early May) is going to create a lot better racing for Verizon IndyCar Series cars under the lights.” Full story and more notes at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/20/2017)

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