Latest news with #GrahamRahal
Forbes
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
FOX Believes IndyCar Is Ready For Prime Time At Gateway Sunday Night
Scott McLaughlin (3) leads the field into Turn 3 during the 2024 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at ... More World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) It's a new age for the NTT IndyCar Series as FOX Sports will put the high-speed racing series in prime time on a Sunday night in the June 15 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Instead of Homer Simpson, FOX viewers will get Will Power. Instead of Family Guy, it's Graham Rahal. Viewers of The Snake will see Alex Palou zig-zagging his way through traffic at the 1.25-mile short oval. It's the first time an IndyCar race will be televised in prime time by a major network since NBC televised the Genesys 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6, 2020. The circumstances were much different, however. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down most of the world, that was the first race of the 2020 IndyCar Series season. The previous races on the schedule were canceled for health reasons. The race at Texas in 2020 was contested without spectators, so the only way to watch was on NBC. On Sunday night, June 15, the prime-time race is by design. It's another indication that FOX Sports is an aggressive and active partner of IndyCar and want to feature this exciting form of racing at a time of day when no other motorsport is racing. Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix starts at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC. The first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. It's a 15-turn, 2.42-mile layout in North America's most populous city as 9,209,942 live in Mexico City compared to New York City's population of 8,335,898. Yes, folks, Mexico is located in North America, not Central America or South America for the geographically challenged. The NASCAR Cup Series race will be televised on Amazon Prime. That sets up the finale of the day, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – IndyCar's first short oval race of the season. The FOX telecast is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. IndyCar drivers are anxious to prove they are ready for Prime Time. 'Freaking awesome,' Arrow McLaren star Pato O'Ward of Monterrey, Mexico told me. 'Oval races in IndyCar are better when they're at night. I can't think of a better day to do it. 'Just the commitment that FOX Sports has put in this year. They've done so much already, and you can definitely see that they're in here for the long haul and they wanted to see us succeed.' FOX is doing more than televising an IndyCar race at night. FOX is giving IndyCar is most-watched night of the week from an entertainment standpoint featuring some of the most iconic TV shows in the past 25 seasons. 'They picked a good race to do it,' driver David Malukas told me. 'I always think the racing at St. Louis is incredible, especially towards the end of the race. It's just nonstop action until the end, so I just know that no matter what time, prime time, they're going to be watching their shows, and they're going to say, 'Oh, what's this IndyCar? What's going on?' 'And whatever time of that race they're going to be watching, and think, 'Well, this is cool, I want to be a part of this.'' IndyCar Series drivers are confident they can live up to the promise and potential with an entertaining race. 'Honestly, I think it only gets better in the night,' Conor Daly told me Friday at the track. 'I love this track. I think it produces a great product, and we just got to go out there and make it happen. 'Hopefully the weather cooperates, and we can put on a great show for these fans and the Sunday Night primetime FOX audience.' This year's telecast of the 109th Indianapolis 500 drew the largest TV audience in 17 years as 7.01 million viewers tuned into FOX's first-ever Indy 500. The audience peaked at 8.5 million from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET to watch the dramatic conclusion of the race. That was a 46 percent increase over last year's rating, the final Indy 500 on NBC. Scott Dixon after winning the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on August 27, 2023, ... More at World Wide Technology Raceway. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 'The 500 was definitely a good jolt in the arm that everybody needed,' Scott Dixon told me. 'Hopefully they can continue that success, throughout. 'I guess we'll have to see how the Sunday night races really go for TV. For us, racing under the lights is definitely perfect. The IndyCars were a lot of fun, and what better place to do it than St. Louis?' Dixon is a two-time winner at the 1.25-mile Gateway oval. Power drove to victory here in 2018, the same year he won his only Indy 500. To see a tremendous jump in the Indy 500 rating is great news for IndyCar momentum. 'It was amazing,' Team Penske's Will Power told me. 'I knew it was going to be a big rating. I just knew. 'The sold-out crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, all the promotion FOX had done, and IndyCar had done, we're lucky, man. 'I'm glad we have FOX as a partner and it's looking better than ever.' Another Team Penske driver, Scott McLaughlin, is one of the top drivers at Gateway and finished second in the 2024 Bommarito Automotive Group 500. He hopes to be one of the main stars in the battle for the checkered flag on the FOX prime time telecast. 'That's huge news, huge news,' McLaughlin told me. 'Any time you can get an oval at night too, I think the cars look spectacular. 'I'm super, super excited for everyone involved. Look, we just got to thank Fox. They're a great broadcast partner that I want to see the best for our ratings. We just come out of a massive ratings hit at Indy where we surpassed the Daytona 500. There's only one way out from here and I'm really proud to be a part of IndyCar right now with FOX.' McLaughlin had mixed views on the massive ratings increase for this year's Indy 500. It was great for the series and the race, but McLaughlin crashed on the Pace Lap and never turned a lap in this year's Indy 500. 'You could say 8.5 million people saw me make a massive mistake,' McLaughlin quipped. 'I'm not joking. 'Outside of that, it's an amazing number. Our race events and our sponsorships and everything is targeted on audience and targeted on who we're attracting. I just, the amount of people that I've seen at races this year, every attendance figure for every track that we've gone to is high, and more than it was last year. So, we're going to the moon, and that's what I'm really excited about.' Being featured in prime time is very important to IndyCar's key stakeholders and partners, including the two engine manufacturers at Chevrolet and Honda. Jim Campbell is Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports for General Motors. To see the GM products showcased in front of a bigger audience is important for the manufacturer that invests so much effort and resources to the NTT IndyCar Series. General Motors Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Jim Campbell. (Photo by David ... More Becker/NASCAR via Getty Images) 'To have a prime spot like that on Sunday night, it's absolutely amazing,' Campbell told me. 'By the way, years and years ago, I used to live in St. Louis. I went to school there. I love that area. That track is so much action on that track. So, to have FOX create a prime spot on Sunday evening is absolutely incredible. 'We love it.' Campbell believes a prime-time race in the second race after the 109thIndianapolis 500 can continue the momentum for the series, which helps create more awareness for Chevrolet and its products. 'It's huge,' he said. Certainly, we look at every race weekend. How do we compete on the track? But then we look at how was the event. exposed to fans around the world, and FOX Sports did an amazing job. 'And it didn't happen in one day, it was a result of an immense amount of planning, great storylines, great coverage, and also the excitement on the track. It's just a combination. 'It was really, in some ways, a team effort between FOX Sports and the IndyCar. as well as all the race teams. It's so exciting to see that kind of momentum and TV ratings. And then also, which is a little bit harder to read, is all the social media activity was immense. All that together creates energy and focus and enthusiasm for IndyCar racing. 'Of course, we love it. The racing on the tracks, wheel-to-wheel, the competition's so intense, and they delivered a massive win on the ratings.' FOX has given IndyCar a massive platform to expose its product to a mainstream audience. It's up to IndyCar to deliver with a showstopping product. 'We can only hope,' Daly said. 'That's the goal. Sunday night. Prime Time. It reminds me of Sunday Night Football. Everyone watches Sunday Night Football. So, we love to see it. 'I love it for FOX. Love it for IndyCar and hopefully all of our partners as well.' FOX Sports Camera (Photo by Maria Lysaker/UFL/Getty Images)
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Graham Rahal Reflective, Still Hungry as Milestone Approaches This Weekend
INDYCAR Graham Rahal reaches his 300th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The start in the 260-lap race airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network places Rahal in an exclusive group of drivers. Rahal joins Scott Dixon, who will make his record-extending 410th INDYCAR SERIES start, Mario Andretti (407), Helio Castroneves (395), Tony Kanaan (390), A.J. Foyt (369), Al Unser Jr. (329), Al Unser (320), Michael Andretti (317), Johnny Rutherford (315) and Will Power (310) as drivers reaching the triple-century mark. His dad, Bobby Rahal, made 264 career starts. Rahal's commitment is also reflected in a streak of consecutive starts. He hasn't missed a race since July 25, 2010, at Edmonton. Rahal will tie Marco Andretti for third-most consecutive starts with 249 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Only Dixon's 346 and counting, and Kanaan's 318 are more. Success is measured in many different ways, and when you look at wins, maybe it's not enough, but I've been fortunate to have a long career here,' Rahal said. 'But hopefully there's still a ways to go. 'Three hundred races, I think what I'm most fortunate about is to have been able to stay, knock on wood, pretty healthy through those times, and hopefully that will continue, as well.' Rahal is acutely aware he hasn't matched the resume of his father, Bobby, who won the 1986 Indy 500 among his 24 career victories and three championships. With six career wins and nearly 50 percent of his 299 starts ending in top-10 finishes (146), Rahal admits he wishes his trophy case was fuller. But he also understands and respects what he's achieved. 'There are a lot of people who come to this sport, have extended careers and never have that sort of success,' he said. 'But I'm not oblivious to the fact that I wish I had a lot, lot more. But I feel that in some ways, too, I've been through a lot in this sport. I've been to a lot of different teams. I've been through good years. I've been through years where we've really, really struggled. 'What I've been most proud of is being able to find our way out of those holes.' A recent example is 2014, when he finished 19th in points with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He bounced back in 2015 with the same team, breaking a 123-race winless streak with wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing fourth in the standings. Rahal is winless in his last 134 starts, dating back to the June 2017 doubleheader sweep at Belle Isle Park. He also entered this season after an 18th-place points finish last year. He has climbed to 15th in points after seven races – a modest position, but with indicators that things are heading the right way. A late-season surge is possible. Early on, Rahal's strength came in race pace more than qualifying. He climbed nine spots in the Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding to finish 12th in the season opener. He gained seven spots at The Thermal Club, finishing 11th. At Barber Motorsports Park, he started 21st and finished 14th. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13 was the lone race day setback. He started 16th but finished 22nd. Rahal's average starting position in the first four races was 19th. But in the next three, that's improved dramatically to 9.3. That's a tangible result of the team finding direction. He qualified an impressive second in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He led a race-high 49 laps May 10 in that race but finished sixth. Two races later in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Rahal qualified fifth, but a six-spot grid penalty dropped him to 11th in the starting lineup. With better qualifying form, consistent race pace and a tight-knit team, Rahal looks more poised than he has in years to end his win drought. 'I've said this since Sebring (preseason) test that I love working with (engineer) Yves (Touron),' Rahal said. 'I love working with (engineers) Tim (Trowbridge) and Grant (George), (race strategist) Tisch (Akulich) on the stand, all the mechanics who are pretty young, several new guys, I'm really enjoying this group of guys.' recommended
Fox Sports
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rahal Reflective, Still Hungry as Milestone Approaches This Weekend
INDYCAR Graham Rahal reaches his 300th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The start in the 260-lap race airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network places Rahal in an exclusive group of drivers. Rahal joins Scott Dixon, who will make his record-extending 410th INDYCAR SERIES start, Mario Andretti (407), Helio Castroneves (395), Tony Kanaan (390), A.J. Foyt (369), Al Unser Jr. (329), Al Unser (320), Michael Andretti (317), Johnny Rutherford (315) and Will Power (310) as drivers reaching the triple-century mark. His dad, Bobby Rahal, made 264 career starts. Rahal's commitment is also reflected in a streak of consecutive starts. He hasn't missed a race since July 25, 2010, at Edmonton. Rahal will tie Marco Andretti for third-most consecutive starts with 249 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Only Dixon's 346 and counting, and Kanaan's 318 are more. 'Success is measured in many different ways, and when you look at wins, maybe it's not enough, but I've been fortunate to have a long career here,' Rahal said. 'But hopefully there's still a ways to go. 'Three hundred races, I think what I'm most fortunate about is to have been able to stay, knock on wood, pretty healthy through those times, and hopefully that will continue, as well.' Rahal is acutely aware he hasn't matched the resume of his father, Bobby, who won the 1986 Indy 500 among his 24 career victories and three championships. With six career wins and nearly 50 percent of his 299 starts ending in top-10 finishes (146), Rahal admits he wishes his trophy case was fuller. But he also understands and respects what he's achieved. 'There are a lot of people who come to this sport, have extended careers and never have that sort of success,' he said. 'But I'm not oblivious to the fact that I wish I had a lot, lot more. But I feel that in some ways, too, I've been through a lot in this sport. I've been to a lot of different teams. I've been through good years. I've been through years where we've really, really struggled. 'What I've been most proud of is being able to find our way out of those holes.' A recent example is 2014, when he finished 19th in points with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He bounced back in 2015 with the same team, breaking a 123-race winless streak with wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing fourth in the standings. Rahal is winless in his last 134 starts, dating back to the June 2017 doubleheader sweep at Belle Isle Park. He also entered this season after an 18th-place points finish last year. He has climbed to 15th in points after seven races – a modest position, but with indicators that things are heading the right way. A late-season surge is possible. Early on, Rahal's strength came in race pace more than qualifying. He climbed nine spots in the Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding to finish 12th in the season opener. He gained seven spots at The Thermal Club, finishing 11th. At Barber Motorsports Park, he started 21st and finished 14th. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13 was the lone race day setback. He started 16th but finished 22nd. Rahal's average starting position in the first four races was 19th. But in the next three, that's improved dramatically to 9.3. That's a tangible result of the team finding direction. He qualified an impressive second in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He led a race-high 49 laps May 10 in that race but finished sixth. Two races later in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Rahal qualified fifth, but a six-spot grid penalty dropped him to 11th in the starting lineup. With better qualifying form, consistent race pace and a tight-knit team, Rahal looks more poised than he has in years to end his win drought. 'I've said this since Sebring (preseason) test that I love working with (engineer) Yves (Touron),' Rahal said. 'I love working with (engineers) Tim (Trowbridge) and Grant (George), (race strategist) Tisch (Akulich) on the stand, all the mechanics who are pretty young, several new guys, I'm really enjoying this group of guys.' recommended
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Prix channel, start time, leaderboard, crashes, starting grid
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability subject to change. The IndyCar Series runs the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix today, a 100-lap race on a 9-turn, 1.645-mile downtown street layout. Colton Herta won pole position here for the second straight year, and Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal were assessed six-position starting grid penalties for unapproved engine changes. Nathan Brown is your best IndyCar follow, and sign up for IndyStar's motorsports newsletter. We will have leaderboard updates and highlights throughout, so feel free to hit refresh. IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Grix starting grid Row 1 1, Colton Herta Advertisement 2, David Malukas Row 2 3, Kyle Kirkwood 4, Christian Lundgaard Row 3 5, Alex Palou 6, Rinus Veekay Row 4 7, Scott McLaughlin 8, Will Power Row 5 9, Marcus Armstrong 10, Christian Rasmussen Row 6 11, Graham Rahal (had 5th-best qualifying effort) 12, Marcus Ericsson Row 7 13, Louis Foster 14, Felix Rosenqvist Row 8 15, Alexander Rossi 16, Scott Dixon (had 10th-best qualifying result) Row 9 17, Callum Ilott 18, Pato O'Ward Row 10 19, Kyffin Simpson 20, Jacob Abel Row 11 21, Santino Ferrucci 22, Robert Shwartzman Row 12 23, Devlin DeFrancesco 24, Josef Newgarden Row 13 25, Conor Daly 26, Sting Ray Robb Row 14 27, Nolan Siegel IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix push-to-pass, tire allotment Push-to-pass: 150 total seconds, in increments up to 15 seconds. Advertisement Tire allotment: Five sets of primary tires (six for rookies) and five sets of alternate tires. Teams must use one set of primary tires and one set of new alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. Who is leading IndyCar? 2025 IndyCar results Alex Palou, who has won five of the six races. Kyle Kirkwood has one win. Who won the Detroit Grand Prix? 2024 IndyCar results on streets of Detroit Scott Dixon avoided the crashes and penalties on the tight downtown street course to come away with his 58th career win. IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix expert picks, predictions From Nathan Brown, IndyStar Picking Alex Palou is so obvious that we're barring him from this portion of the preview for a while. Pato O'Ward sits second and Christian Lundgaard third in points, but they're more than two races' worth of max points behind Palou. Advertisement Who makes a move in the points standings? Marcus Ericsson would have been 10th in points after crossing the finish line second in the Indianapolis 500, but he stands 20th after his car failed post-race tech inspection. He earned his lone podium finish in 2024 in Detroit, and with a similar performance this weekend, Ericsson makes up a lot of the ground he lost in the championship standings in Indy. Something you didn't see coming: At a track where he started on pole last year, but only finished 19th, Detroit seems like as good a track as any for Colton Herta to find some momentum. He sits just 9th in the championship standings with a single top-5 finish. However, the narrow streets of Detroit can be cruel, and somehow Herta and the No. 26 crew leave with a tough result unbecoming of the traditionally dominant street course program of Andretti Global. IndyCar Series schedule at Detroit (All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218) IndyCar race schedule at Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix today, June 1 9:30 a.m.: IndyCar warmup, FS1 Advertisement 10:30 a.m.: Indy NXT race, FS1 12:30 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox What channel is IndyCar race at Detroit on? TV: Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, June 1, 2025, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 12:47 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. How can I stream the IndyCar race at Detroit today? Fox Sports app. Watch free with a Fubo trial How can I listen to IndyCar race at Detroit on June 1? IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race) Will it rain at the Detroit Grand Prix? Sunday: Sunny, high around 70 degrees. IndyCar drivers for 2025 (Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only) Advertisement This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix results, leaderboard, crashes, channel
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
IndyCar Series: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix starting grid, qualifying results on May 31, 2025
The starting grid for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is set. The IndyCar Series will race 100 laps race on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown street layout on Sunday, June 1. Colton Herta uncorked a lap of 1 minute, 0.477 seconds, winning pole position for the second straight year on this track and for the 15th time in his career. Advertisement Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal will be assessed six-position starting grid penalties for unapproved engine changes. Here is the Detroit Grand Prix starting grid. IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Grix starting grid Row 1 1, Colton Herta 2, David Malukas Row 2 3, Kyle Kirkwood 4, Christian Lundgaard Row 3 5, Alex Palou 6, Rinus Veekay Row 4 7, Scott McLaughlin 8, Will Power Row 5 9, Marcus Armstrong 10, Christian Rasmussen Row 6 11, Graham Rahal (had fifth-best qualifying effort) 12, Marcus Ericsson Row 7 13, Louis Foster 14, Felix Rosenqvist Row 8 15, Alexander Rossi 16, Scott Dixon (had 10th-best qualifying result) Row 9 17, Callum Ilott Advertisement 18, Pato O'Ward Row 10 19, Kyffin Simpson 20, Jacob Abel Row 11 21, Santino Ferrucci 22, Robert Shwartzman Row 12 23, Devlin DeFrancesco 24, Josef Newgarden Row 13 25, Conor Daly 26, Sting Ray Robb Row 14 27, Nolan Siegel IndyCar Series schedule at Detroit (All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218) IndyCar race schedule at Detroit on Sunday, June 1 9:30 a.m.: IndyCar warmup, FS1 10:30 a.m.: Indy NXT race, FS1 12:30 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox What channel is IndyCar race at Detroit on? TV: Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, June 1, 2025, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 12:47 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. How can I stream the IndyCar race at Detroit on June 1? Fox Sports app. Advertisement Watch free with a Fubo trial How can I listen to IndyCar race at Detroit on June 1? IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race) Will it rain at the Detroit Grand Prix? Sunday: Sunny, high around 70 degrees. IndyCar drivers for 2025 (Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only) This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix qualifying results, starting grid today
