Latest news with #FirestoneFastSix
Fox Sports
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rookie Louis Foster Earns First Career Pole at Road America
INDYCAR First, it was Robert Shwartzman at Indianapolis. Now it's Louis Foster's turn. Foster became the second rookie to earn an NTT P1 Award this season, grabbing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America Presented by AMR with a stunning lap of 1 minute, 44.5141 seconds Saturday in the No. 45 Droplight/Desnuda Tequila Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster's best previous start this season was third at the Sonsio Grand Prix in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Qualifying Results 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster became the first rookie to claim an NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for a road course or street circuit race since Linus Lundqvist won the top spot for this race last year. Shwartzman shocked the racing world in May by becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole. Foster's pole marked the first INDYCAR SERIES season with two rookie pole winners since 2019, when Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta achieved the feat. 'I said to the guys as we got into the Fast 12 to not put reds (Firestone Firehawk alternate tires) on because I wasn't confident we would make it through to the Fast Six,' Foster said. 'Boy, was I wrong. Absolutely awesome. The 45 crew has been amazing all weekend. 'Couldn't ask for a better start to the weekend. I still can't believe it. We went fast on old and new (tires). I'm going to celebrate well tonight.' The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 25-minute warmup session will precede the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Championship leader Alex Palou rebounded from two consecutive races off the top three finishers' podium by qualifying second at 1:44.6300 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood, who has won the last two races, qualified third at 1:44.8523 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda of Andretti Global. Scott McLaughlin will join him in Row 2 of the starting grid after qualifying fourth at 1:45.0137 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, will start fifth after his best lap of 1:45.0828 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Graham Rahal qualified sixth at 1:45.4877 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the only team to place two drivers into the Firestone Fast Six in the three-segment qualifying format. Pato O'Ward, second in points, qualified 11th at 1:45.3704 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O'Ward trails Palou by 73 points, while Kirkwood is third, 75 back of the leader. The six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six final segment used an interesting mix of tire strategies to try and cope with air temperatures tickling the 90s and track temperatures in the triple digits on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Foster got the pole job done on lightly used Firestone Firehawk alternate tires and was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the harder, more durable primary tires during any of the three segments. Palou opted for scuffed alternates before using new alternates on his final laps. Rahal was the only one of the six drivers to use primary tires in the last segment as he did not run the harder, more durable tire in either of the first two segments. recommended
Fox Sports
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rookie Louis Foster Earns First Career Pole in Road America Qualifying
INDYCAR First, it was Robert Shwartzman at Indianapolis. Now it's Louis Foster's turn. Foster became the second rookie to earn an NTT P1 Award this season, grabbing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America Presented by AMR with a stunning lap of 1 minute, 44.5141 seconds Saturday in the No. 45 Droplight/Desnuda Tequila Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster's best previous start this season was third at the Sonsio Grand Prix in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Qualifying Results 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster became the first rookie to claim an NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for a road course or street circuit race since Linus Lundqvist won the top spot for this race last year. Shwartzman shocked the racing world in May by becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole. Foster's pole marked the first INDYCAR SERIES season with two rookie pole winners since 2019, when Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta achieved the feat. 'I said to the guys as we got into the Fast 12 to not put reds (Firestone Firehawk alternate tires) on because I wasn't confident we would make it through to the Fast Six,' Foster said. 'Boy, was I wrong. Absolutely awesome. The 45 crew has been amazing all weekend. 'Couldn't ask for a better start to the weekend. I still can't believe it. We went fast on old and new (tires). I'm going to celebrate well tonight.' The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 25-minute warmup session will precede the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Championship leader Alex Palou rebounded from two consecutive races off the top three finishers' podium by qualifying second at 1:44.6300 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood, who has won the last two races, qualified third at 1:44.8523 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda of Andretti Global. Scott McLaughlin will join him in Row 2 of the starting grid after qualifying fourth at 1:45.0137 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, will start fifth after his best lap of 1:45.0828 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Graham Rahal qualified sixth at 1:45.4877 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the only team to place two drivers into the Firestone Fast Six in the three-segment qualifying format. Pato O'Ward, second in points, qualified 11th at 1:45.3704 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O'Ward trails Palou by 73 points, while Kirkwood is third, 75 back of the leader. The six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six final segment used an interesting mix of tire strategies to try and cope with air temperatures tickling the 90s and track temperatures in the triple digits on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Foster got the pole job done on lightly used Firestone Firehawk alternate tires and was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the harder, more durable primary tires during any of the three segments. Palou opted for scuffed alternates before using new alternates on his final laps. Rahal was the only one of the six drivers to use primary tires in the last segment as he did not run the harder, more durable tire in either of the first two segments. recommended
Fox Sports
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Kyle Kirkwood Laments Missed Chance for Pole
INDYCAR Kyle Kirkwood rued what could have been an NTT P1 Award performance for Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, but he instead starts third in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda after making wall contact in Turn 3 during qualifying Saturday. His fastest lap, 1 minute, .7312 of a second, was compromised when he broke a toe link during the Firestone Fast Six, relegating him to the second row for Sunday's 100-lap race airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. His lap was trending toward pole. 'I've never been more disappointed with a third in my life,' Kirkwood said. 'I know I threw away a pole, without a doubt.' His frustration is amplified by his pattern of near-misses on this track, but he remains optimistic. His teammate Colton Herta snagged the NTT P1 Award in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, giving Andretti Global the top starting spot. Kirkwood, while disappointed, found some consolation. 'I'm glad one of us got it because it would have been very disappointing if none of us got it,' Kirkwood said. Despite the qualifying hiccup, Kirkwood is poised for a strong showing. His street course record backs it up. All three of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on street circuits, including twice at Long Beach (2023, 2025) and once in Nashville (2023). He led 46 of 90 laps from the pole in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13. He's also steadily climbed around the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street circuit, improving from eighth in 2023 to fourth last year. 'The car is fast,' he said. 'We're really good for the race. We're starting in a good spot.' Andretti Global Best Positioned To Top Palou? Runaway NTT INDYCAR SERIES leader Alex Palou qualified sixth in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He shifts to fifth due to Graham Rahal's six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change before last Sunday's 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. 2023 Detroit race winner Palou has three consecutive wins in a Month of May sweep of the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst on May 4, the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 and the '500' on May 25. Most drivers believe Palou's reign will end, maybe even Sunday. Last year, Palou started second but finished 16th. 'He can't win them all,' Arrow McLaren rival Christian Lundgaard said. Lundgaard is third in points and starts fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. He finished eighth on the streets of St. Petersburg and third at Long Beach this season. Lundgaard and Palou may have to beat Andretti Global. It's the only organization to beat Palou this season with Kirkwood's Long Beach victory. Looking ahead, Andretti drivers believe they have among the strongest cars on both street circuits and short ovals. Those disciplines of tracks comprise five of the next seven races. The series races July 20 on the streets of Toronto, where Herta beat Kirkwood in an Andretti Global 1-2 finish last year. Between Detroit and Toronto is World Wide Technology Raceway (June 15), Road America (June 22), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 6) and an Iowa Speedway doubleheader (July 12-13). Andretti Global earned an oval victory with Herta in the season finale last year at Nashville Superspeedway. Kirkwood started on the pole there and led the most laps. 'I know we can beat him,' Herta said of Palou. 'If we do the right stuff, we have a really good chance here to beat him. We should beat him if we do everything the right way. 'We do have the speed to win. I think we've made mistakes this year and it's been disappointing, but I think if we focus on us and do what we need to do, we should be able to beat him.' RLL Eyeing Momentum in Motor City Rahal enters Sunday's race with cautious optimism, hoping to convert recent progress into long-awaited results on the downtown street circuit. He swept the 2017 doubleheader on the Belle Isle circuit, marking his most recent INDYCAR SERIES victory – 131 races ago. Rahal believes he had a chance to end that drought. He qualified fifth in his No. 15 JJ Curran Crane Company Honda but will drop six spots due to an unapproved engine change penalty stemming from his mechanical failure on Miller Lite Carb Day, prompting an engine change before the '500.' 'I feel pretty good even starting 11th,' Rahal said. 'The car has been really shocking to drive all weekend. I say shocking because we've not been good here at all.' Rahal finished 15th at Detroit last year and 25th in 2023. Starting in Row 6 on a bumpy, tight Detroit street circuit, Rahal believes this car allows him the aggression and confidence to march through the field. Rahal also points to tangible evidence the entire organization is on the rise. All three RLL cars reached the Firestone Fast Six in the Sonsio Grand Prix, including Rahal starting second. Then, all four RLL entries finished in the top 17 in the '500,' including part-time driver Takuma Sato, who led the most laps (51) in a ninth-place effort, and a career-best finish from Devlin DeFrancesco (11th). Rookie Louis Foster (12th) was one-spot off his career best finish, which happened in the previous race, the Sonsio Grand Prix, in which he finished 11th. Foster was eighth and fifth quickest, respectively, in practice this weekend in his No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda and starts 14th. He was .0081 away from advancing to the Top 12. DeFrancesco was 14th on Saturday morning but starts 23rd in the No. 30 EVTEC Honda. 'I feel like we are getting better, period,' Rahal said. 'I think we are a team on the rise. I know people don't like to believe that, but I think it's true. I feel like this is a sign because all of us, Louis and I, in particular, and even Dev, have been quite fast.' VeeKay Thinks DCR Changes Will Boost Results Rinus VeeKay already noticed Michael Cannon's effect in the first weekend of Cannon returning to Dale Coyne Racing. Cannon spent six years (2014-19) engineering for the organization. He served as an engineer in recent seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing and AJ Foyt Racing. Cannon is VeeKay's engineer on the No. 18 askROI Honda and was part of a personnel shakeup after the '500' that also saw Mike Colliver return to the team to lead engineer Jacob Abel's No. 51 Blue Oval SK Honda. VeeKay was ninth in opening practice Friday and qualified a season-best seventh Saturday. 'The car was on rails out there,' VeeKay said. 'I could really drive the car. The car wasn't driving me this time. We've got the Albert Einstein (Cannon) of INDYCAR on the pit stand right now. The experience that Michael Cannon has right now is insane.' VeeKay is 12th in points with three top-10 finishes this season. His best Detroit finish on this street circuit is 14th for Ed Carpenter Racing last season. Odds and Ends Following Friday's practice mishap between Will Power and Kirkwood, the two shared many laughs before Saturday morning practice and admitted to no animosity. Five drivers have completed all 630 laps this season: Kirkwood, Lundgaard, Pato O'Ward, Palou and Felix Rosenqvist. Herta earned his 15th career pole. He has converted five of those previous 14 poles into victories, including last July on the streets of Toronto. He finished 18th from the pole here last year. Defending Detroit winner Scott Dixon qualified 10th, but like Rahal, faces a six-spot grid penalty for an engine change before the '500.' He will start 16th. Tony Kanaan will be the guest analyst for Sunday's INDY NXT by Firestone race airing at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1. Andretti Global rookie teammates Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes share the front row. recommended
Fox Sports
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
David Malukas Stays on Upswing with Fast Qualifying Performance
INDYCAR David Malukas is on the move in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The 24-year-old driver piloting the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises entered this hectic Month of May in the 18th position in the season standings. Three races later, he is 10th – and charging. Malukas earned the second starting spot for Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, which is where he stood after the official results of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge were posted. Clearly, the Chicago native has momentum. 'We're starting off (in Detroit) where we finished (in Indianapolis),' Malukas said, smiling. 'We're still in that (second spot), but that's a really good (qualifying) session. As soon as we unloaded the car, we knew we were (going to) have a good run. 'I've just been really happy.' Malukas felt he had a car quick enough to beat Colton Herta, the driver of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian who won the 15th pole of his career, but Herta edged him by .1713 of a second over the nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown street circuit. Malukas said 'just a few tweaks' to the car's setup likely would have made a difference for him to swap positions with Herta. Malukas did outqualify Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, who edged him for the INDY NXT by Firestone championship in 2021. Kirkwood won 10 of the 20 races that season; Malukas won seven, Linus Lundqvist three. Kirkwood will start third in Sunday's race in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda. Malukas still doesn't have a pole in his 51 events in this series, although this will be the third time he has started a race from the second position. The other two front-row starts came last year on oval tracks – World Wide Technology Raceway and the Milwaukee Mile – while driving for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. This was Malukas' first appearance in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying round since earning the sixth starting position in last year's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. He finished sixth in that race. Malukas said this momentum has been building for some time as he and the Foyt crew have gotten to know one another in their first season together. Specifically, Malukas singled out the recent tips he has received from Derek Miller, one of Chevrolet's trackside engineers. 'I think having that whole month (in Indianapolis), being with the (team) guys, understanding what we want (out of the car setup),' Malukas said of the reason for the competitive rise. 'Having Clarience Technologies on board with us – those guys have been ecstatic. I think the mood has really lifted us up, and we can see this momentum carrying (on). 'Man, what a good car, what a good group of guys here, what a good run here.' Malukas also doesn't have a race win in this series, although as with pole pursuits, he has been close. His best result was a second-place finish in the 2022 race at World Wide Technology Raceway when he split a pair of Team Penske drivers in a late-race shootout. Josef Newgarden scored his third consecutive win in the event that year. Sunday might offer Malukas' best chance to break through and become a race winner in this series. He is extremely fond of this circuit, although a 23rd-place finish in the 2023 race is his only start on it. 'Man, it's just so technical,' he said. 'It's something that I love, and I think (Saturday's) cooler temperatures are something that I've always been suited to ever since go-karting as a little kid. Yeah, everything kind of lined up for us today.' It's worth noting that Malukas' first appearance in a Firestone Fast Six round came on Detroit's Belle Isle circuit in 2022. He qualified sixth that afternoon for Dale Coyne Racing w/HMD Motorsports. He likes the mojo of the Motor City, which could be just the lift he needs to win the 100-lap race (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). 'That was kind of the first big transition for me, knowing that I actually had a strong opportunity to be quick and get good results here in INDYCAR,' he said. 'So, Detroit is my turnaround (event).' recommended
Fox Sports
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Colton Herta Keeps Andretti Global Rolling with Motor City Pole
INDYCAR While it appeared since the first practice Andretti Global was a favorite for the pole position for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Colton Herta ended the suspense about which one of the team's drivers would end up on top. Herta repeated as the NTT P1 Award winner for this race on the streets of downtown Detroit, earning his first pole of the season and 15th of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with a best lap of 1 minute, .4779 of a second in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda during the Firestone Fast Six. SEE: Qualifying Results The pole came after a bit of a gamble in the final qualifying segment Saturday, as Herta was the only driver to start the session on used primary Firestone Firehawk tires before switching to a new set of the softer but grippier alternate tires early in the session. The other five drivers ran the entire Firestone Fast Six session on a combination of new and used Firestone Firehawk alternates. 'It was such an unknown, and we were not really strong, to be completely honest, yesterday with the softer tires,' Herta said. 'The guys did a great job overnight. The Gainbridge Honda was super fast today. 'Happy to start P1 tomorrow – the best seat in the house. Now we just need a nice, easy race – no yellows, go back to how it was before Indy – and make it easy on us.' Up next is the warm-up session at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by the 100-lap race at 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). David Malukas continued his recent hot streak for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, following his runner-up finish in the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last Sunday with a career best-tying second qualifying spot at 1:00.6492 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet. That was Malukas' best career qualifying performance on a road or street circuit, as his two previous second-place starts came on ovals. Kyle Kirkwood continued the strong weekend for Andretti Global by qualifying third at 1:00.7312 in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda. Kirkwood led practice Friday, while Herta paced the practice session this morning on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit. Christian Lundgaard will join Kirkwood in Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:00.8938 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Starting on the inside of Row 3 will be Graham Rahal, who qualified fifth at 1:01.0651 in the No. 15 JJ Curran Crane Company Honda. That strong effort continued Rahal Letterman Lanigan's recent unlocking of more speed on circuits with left and right turns, as Rahal qualified second earlier this month for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Series points leader Alex Palou rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 1:01.4680 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou has won five of the first six races this season, including the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last Sunday for his first career oval victory. While sixth tied Palou's second-worst qualifying performance this season, it was a solid recovery from the first two practices in which he ranked 15th and 12th, respectively. Palou leads second-place Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren by a staggering 112 points – more than two races' worth – after just six of 17 races this season. O'Ward failed to advance out of the first round of qualifying and will start 18th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. recommended
