Latest news with #Fast12
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: MSR Continues To Soar Higher with Double Top Five
INDYCAR Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian delivered its strongest all-around NTT INDYCAR SERIES performance to date outside of Helio Castroneves' iconic 2021 Indianapolis 500 win with a standout showing Sunday at the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR. Felix Rosenqvist charged from 12th to finish second in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, tying MSR's best non-Indy 500 result. Teammate Marcus Armstrong climbed from 15th to fifth in the No. 66 Sirius/XM Root Insurance Honda, marking MSR's first-ever double top-five finish. The result reflects a dramatic step forward for the team, which has already earned 12 top-10 finishes this season, surpassing its previous best of 10 in 2022. A key catalyst? A bold offseason switch in technical alliances from Andretti Global to Chip Ganassi Racing and the addition of Armstrong to the lineup. 'I feel like we've taken it to the next step,' Rosenqvist said. 'I feel like we're unhappy now if we're not in the Fast 12 or even (Firestone) Fast Six. I think we're just expecting a higher level, and it's come down to I feel like we're pretty quick everywhere, both in qualifying and in a race, and it's just about executing strategy.' Rosenqvist has six top-10 finishes this season while Armstrong has five, four of which came in the last five races. Castroneves contributed another with a 10th-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. 'I feel like the team is really strong from an engineering core,' Armstrong said. 'I also feel like I work well with Felix (Rosenqvist). Felix is a strong driver, really good over one lap, like you can learn from him a lot. Looking at his data is great. And also just talking with him, I feel like it's an easy team environment, which is really helpful.' Dixon Nearly Pulls Off Fuelish Victory Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing master strategist Mike Hull nearly pull off another fuel-saving masterpiece in Sunday's 55-lap race. Starting 25th in the 27-car field, Dixon capitalized on a first-lap caution, diving into the pits after David Malukas went off track. Six-time series champion Dixon ran a bold, off-sequence strategy, stretching fuel masterfully while still showing strong pace. The gamble didn't quite pay off. With fumes left in the tank, Dixon was forced to pit his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda with two laps remaining. That could have been his 21st consecutive season with at least one INDYCAR SERIES win, a record unmatched in the sport. Dixon handed the lead and win to teammate Alex Palou in his No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. 'Pretty wild strategies there just to try and make something happen,' he said. 'The unfortunate part is that the car was super fast. We were just having to save fuel every lap, so that was kind of frustrating. I think we should have been in the top three.' Dixon ultimately crossed the finish line in ninth, marking his third straight race running an alternate strategy. He finished 11th in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 1 and fourth in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on June 15. He found himself just a few laps short of perfection Sunday in Wisconsin. 'Just one of those years, man,' Dixon said. 'We'll keep knocking on the door. We're just going for some race wins. Pretty much out of the championship, so nothing to lose.' Siegel Scores Top 10 After Busy Week After a turbulent week off track, Nolan Siegel delivered a timely performance on it at Road America. Following a public apology, along with one from his Arrow McLaren team, for salty remarks made on the team radio about Scott McLaughlin and Team Penske during the previous week's race at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 19-year-old responded with a career-boosting drive to a season-best eighth place at Road America. 'This is a nice end to this week,' Siegel said. 'Nice to move on from everything from last week and ended on a high. This has been a much-needed weekend. Ultimately, this is something we can build off of. 'I've had a lot of bad weeks where everyone leaves upset, and it's not a good feeling. It's nice to kind of turn that around.' The results marks Siegel's third career top 10 and second on a natural road course. The other came with a ninth-place finish May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park. His career best finish remains seventh in 2023 at WWTR. With momentum finally swinging in his favor and The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the all-new 2026 Passport next on Sunday, July 6, a road-course event that teammate Pato O'Ward won last year, Siegel remains optimistic. 'I've been strong on the road courses this year,' he said. 'Barber, here, Mid-Ohio was a pretty good one for all of us last year. So, we're going to have a strong car, I know that. 'The goal is to just do better every weekend and maybe start a little further up than we did this weekend. I think there's a lot of potential there. I'm excited given how much potential this group seems to have. I think once that starts to come out, the results start to come and just kind of get the ball rolling.' INDY NXT Race Completed Without Push To Pass Caio Collet secured his first victory of the season in Sunday's INDY NXT by Firestone race at Road America. He did so without the aid of Push to Pass, the overtaking assist feature that wasn't available to any of the 19 cars in the field due to a technical problem. INDYCAR is evaluating a car-side processing issue that prevented use of Push to Pass. No competitive advantage was available to any entry as the full field was impacted. Following internal analysis, INDYCAR will work to ensure any necessary remedies are in place before the next race. Odds and Ends The eventual NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion has finished in the top four in seven of the last eight years at Road America. Josef Newgarden finished second in his 2017 championship-winning season and third in 2019. Dixon was also third in his 2018 title-winning campaign and won Race 1 in 2020. Palou won at Road America in his 2021 and 2023 championship-winning seasons and finished fourth last year. Will Power's 19th-place finish in 2022 is the lone exception. Palou, the points leader, won Sunday. Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs led the field to the green flag in the passenger seat of the Fastest Seat in Sports two-seater race car. Jacobs met and chatted before the race with Team Penske driver and avid NFL fan McLaughlin, Roger Penske and Penske Corp. executive Bud Denker. The impressive statistics keep piling up for race winner Palou. This was the 50th top-five finish from his 90 career starts, a strike rate of 56 percent. Honda begins the season 9-for-9, with six wins from Palou and three from Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Siemens Honda. The manufacturer's unbeaten streak is 10 straight wins, dating to Colton Herta's victory in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda in last year's season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. Kyffin Simpson earned his second top-six finish in the last three races by finishing sixth in the No. 8 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He finished fifth in Detroit. recommended
Indianapolis Star
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Colton Herta's wish after qualifying pole? An 'easy race with no yellows' at Detroit Grand Prix
DETROIT — After a six-race start to his 2025 IndyCar season full of "what ifs" on race days and close calls on Saturdays, Colton Herta will finally have the best seat in the house to take the green flag for Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix, with hopes of turning his first pole of his season and 15th of his career into his first win of 2025, too. The Andretti Global driver finished well over a tenth of a second ahead of A.J. Foyt Racing's David Malukas in the battle for pole Sunday, having had four Fast 6 appearances already this year but so far no poles, matching his pole performance a year ago on the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street course. But in the chaos of last year's race that featured eight cautions and 47 of 100 laps ran under yellow, Herta and the No. 26 Andretti Global crew faltered and fell back to 19th. Entering IndyCar's third race since the series' shift to the downtown street course track, Andretti Global and others are looking to knock Chip Ganassi Racing off the top step, with Alex Palou (2023) and Scott Dixon (2024) taking wins on the course thus far. 'We've been close a few times this year making it on a pole run, so I'm happy to do that and start P1 tomorrow,' said Herta, who's looking for his first podium finish of 2025. Entering Sunday, the Andretti Global driver's best finish of fourth came at The Thermal Club. Outside that, he's finished 16th at St. Pete after starting second, seventh at Long Beach after starting second and seventh at Barber after qualifying third, along with dismal runs during the Month of May at IMS (25th on the IMS road course and 14th in the Indy 500). Entering Sunday, Herta sits ninth in points, 22 back of eighth-place Will Power, 36 back of his fifth-place teammate Kyle Kirkwood, 74 back of second-place Pato O'Ward and 186 of runaway championship leader Alex Palou. 'Now we just need a nice, easy race with no yellows,' said Herta, referencing IndyCar's run of three full races (and parts of two others) that ran without a single caution earlier in the season. Among a Fast 6 that included Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Palou, Malukas and Graham Rahal, the battle for pole was essentially between the pair of Andretti Global teammates and Malukas, all three of whom had only used one set of Firestone alternate tires during Round 1 of qualifying instead of two like so many of their competitors had — done so they could better ensure they'd advance to the Fast 12. Despite ending up tying his best starting spot of his IndyCar career in second, Malukas said he and his No. 4 squad expected to have a better shot at giving Andretti a serious run, but finished well back of Herta on their fastest laps (1:00.4779 vs. 1:00.6492). Kirkwood, too, felt he gave away an opportunity for his second pole of 2025, having been sitting four-tenths up on Herta's fastest lap with half a lap left before making enough wall contact to break a tow link that left him losing time in bunches on the final couple corners. Entering Sunday, Kirkwood is the only driver to have finished ahead of Palou in the two-time defending series champ's only non-win of the year at Long Beach, where the Chip Ganassi Racing driver still managed a runner-up finish. 'I've never been more disappointed with third in my life,' said Kirkwood, who was stripped earlier this week of his sixth-place Indy 500 finish due to a post-race tech inspection failure. 'But congrats to Colton. I'm glad one of us got (pole), because it would've been really frustrating if neither one of us got it. 'I know I just threw away a pole, without a doubt, but our cars are fast, and that's what's really important. And I see no reason why we won't be fast once again (on Sunday).' Starting fourth on Sunday, Lundgaard said after stepping out of his car he was proud to have finished as the fastest driver not to have used a new set of alternates in the Fast 6, as he looks to potentially overtake teammate O'Ward for second in points and with any luck chip away a bit at his 125-point gap to Palou. Meanwhile, Palou, who finished 15th-fastest in Practice 1 Friday afternoon, was more than happy to settle for sixth in the Fast 6 after a whirlwind 48-hour media tour in New York City following his first career Indy 500 win on Sunday. In his five wins so far in 2025, Palou has started eighth (St. Pete), third (Thermal), pole (Barber and IMS road course) and sixth (Indy 500). He'll start fifth Sunday, with Graham Rahal dropping back from fifth to 11th due to a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change.
Indianapolis Star
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'Worst moment of my life': Team Penske's tumultuous Indy 500 week ends with crash, car issues
INDIANAPOLIS -- Team Penske's chances for a third straight year of Indianapolis 500 glory, already complicated by a week of penalties and turmoil, ended abruptly Sunday. Scott McLaughlin's bid for back-row immortality ended on the pace lap – his No. 3 car the casualty of a collision with the wall. Two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden completed 135 laps before a fuel pressure issue took him out in 25th place. He began the race in 32nd position – one spot ahead of teammate Will Power. Both were sent to the back row after their cars failed inspections for unapproved modifications to the rear attenuator. Power completed the race, finishing 19th. The lackluster finishes concluded a tumultuous week. Calls for an independent officiating body were renewed, with Penske Entertainment's ownership of both the series and the 500 seen as a conflict of interest. Penske fired its IndyCar leadership last Wednesday. 'I just wish we had a chance to fight for it,' Newgarden said on the Fox broadcast after his exit. 'We didn't even get to see what we had there. We were just slowly working forward. '... It's just a shame to not be there in the fight.' Newgarden was talking about his own car and race team. The comments, though, could easily apply to the entire Penske Corporation's endeavor to reclaim the narrative after the past week's chaotic events. Not only did the team fall short, it stumbled to its worst Indianapolis 500 performance in recent history. Sunday marked only the second Indy 500 in the past 14 without a top-10 Penske finish. It had posted at least two top-10 finishes in every race since 2011. A Newgarden three-peat would have made him the first driver to win from a back-row start. He made steady progress throughout the race. He ran in 10th at Lap 80. By Lap 130, he'd moved up to sixth. The fuel pressure issue, though, came up during a pit stop after Lap 133. Newgarden later told reporters the problem was 'an anomaly – something we've never seen before.' Newgarden had qualified for the Fast 12 one day prior to the failed inspection. 'We were trending in the right direction," Newgarden said. 'We just tried to take our time. It was not going to matter until the very end, and I think we were at least going to be in position to give it a fight. 'It's just tough to end on that note. We had such a good month in so many ways.' The race began under a caution when McLaughlin crashed on the parade lap. He called it 'the worst moment of my life.' Starting in 10th place, the New Zealand native seemed to represent the best chance for Penske to salvage the weekend. Instead, the only one of its three drivers which hadn't been banished to the back lost traction and slammed into the wall, ruining his left front suspension, on the pace lap. 'It is what it is,' McLaughlin said. 'You've just got to get on with it, pick yourself up.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 race is over with 25th-place finish
Josef Newgarden's attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s fell short. The 34-year-old Tennessean finishes 25th after starting from the last row on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. He suffered a fuel pressure issue after a Lap 133 pit stop. Advertisement "Tried to be methodical," Newgarden told the Fox broadcast. "I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." He had steadily improved his race position after starting 32nd: 10th at Lap 80 and 6th at Lap 130. Newgarden held back as the green flag flew, careful to avoid any issues with cars ahead. He worked his into the upper half of the field by Lap 50. His car failed inspection during second-day qualifying, and IndyCar star sent him — after qualifying for the Fast 12 the previous day — to the back row, along with Team Penske teammate Will Power. Has anyone won the Indianapolis 500 three straight years? Five others previously sought a three-peat, with results ranging from tantalizingly close to tragic. Here's how those drivers fared. No one had a better opportunity to win three straight Indy 500s. Castroneves won his rookie and second seasons at IMS, then qualified for the pole in 2003. Advertisement Just one thing stood in his way: Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, who won by 0.22 seconds over runner-up Castroneves. Castroneves is seeking a record fifth Indy 500 win in 2025. He shares the all-time victories lead with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Unser started the 1972 race 19th and crossed the finish line in 3rd place, though Mark Donahue dominated the field, winning by more than 3 minutes. The morning after the race, officials penalized the runner-up, Jerry Grant, for taking on fuel late in the wrong from the wrong pit stall. That moved Unser up to 2nd. Vukovich started the 1955 from the 5th position and led 50 of the first 56 laps before being killed in a Lap 57 crash involving five drivers. Rose was not a factor in 1949, starting 10th and finishing 13th. The three-time race champ crashed in 1941 while leading on Lap 152, suffering a back injury and getting drenched in fuel from his ruptured gas tank. Advertisement The Speedway didn't host any races from 1942-45 because of World War II, and Shaw never raced there again. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2025 Indy 500 results: Josef Newgarden finishes 25th in Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Star
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 race is over with 25th-place finish
Josef Newgarden's attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s fell short. The 34-year-old Tennessean finishes 25th after starting from the last row on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. He suffered a fuel pressure issue after a Lap 133 pit stop. "Tried to be methodical," Newgarden told the Fox broadcast. "I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." He had steadily improved his race position after starting 32nd: 10th at Lap 80 and 6th at Lap 130. Newgarden held back as the green flag flew, careful to avoid any issues with cars ahead. He worked his into the upper half of the field by Lap 50. His car failed inspection during second-day qualifying, and IndyCar star sent him — after qualifying for the Fast 12 the previous day — to the back row, along with Team Penske teammate Will Power. Five others previously sought a three-peat, with results ranging from tantalizingly close to tragic. Here's how those drivers fared. No one had a better opportunity to win three straight Indy 500s. Castroneves won his rookie and second seasons at IMS, then qualified for the pole in 2003. Just one thing stood in his way: Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, who won by 0.22 seconds over runner-up Castroneves. Castroneves is seeking a record fifth Indy 500 win in 2025. He shares the all-time victories lead with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Unser started the 1972 race 19th and crossed the finish line in 3rd place, though Mark Donahue dominated the field, winning by more than 3 minutes. The morning after the race, officials penalized the runner-up, Jerry Grant, for taking on fuel late in the wrong from the wrong pit stall. That moved Unser up to 2nd. Vukovich started the 1955 from the 5th position and led 50 of the first 56 laps before being killed in a Lap 57 crash involving five drivers. Rose was not a factor in 1949, starting 10th and finishing 13th. The three-time race champ crashed in 1941 while leading on Lap 152, suffering a back injury and getting drenched in fuel from his ruptured gas tank.
