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Fox Sports
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: Drivers Start To Tame Beautiful Beast Road America
INDYCAR The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will reach its halfway point midway through Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, and with that comes several aspects to assess. Like Alex Palou's pursuit of a third consecutive series championship and fourth title in the past five years. Like the challenges of Palou by Pato O'Ward, Kyle Kirkwood and others. Like how beginning Sunday there will be nine races staged held over the next 11 weekends. There's a lot to consume, for sure. Meantime, drivers and their teams warmed up at Road America with the first practice of the weekend. These three things stood out in the session: The Return to Road America Let's start with this middle-of-Wisconsin facility. You roll through the first half of the season with an assortment of racetracks – some located in prettier settings than others – and then you roll up to Road America, and you wonder why you haven't been camping with the family in years. If an artist were to create scenery around a motorsports venue, he'd proudly draw this place, then celebrate with a brat lathered with mustard. The track is 4.014 miles, with one breathtaking location after another. Canada Corner isn't just the best-named spot in INDYCAR, it's stuck deep in the woods with horsepower reverberating through the trees. Cars sprint to that spot before darting hard right up the hill to what seems like civilization. It's exhilarating. But be warned: Road America can bite like few other tracks in this country. Speeds are high; the trappings consequential. This is beauty and a beast. Turn 1 was the scene of the worst accident of A.J. Foyt's career in 1990. Parker Johnstone barrel-rolled through that corner in 1996. The bridge at Turn 4 is what Memo Gidley smashed in 2001. At the end of that long straight, Bryan Herta was facing backward after a spin in 1998 and watched Alex Barron's car squarely land on top of his. And then there was Katherine Legge's indescribable ride down the backstretch in 2006. View the replay at your discretion. Palou and Josef Newgarden both crashed at Road America last year. Scott Dixon and Will Power tangled in a big one a couple years back. At these speeds, high alert is advised. Team Penske Needs Bounce-Back The most successful organization in the history of this sport is coming off its worst weekend in more than three decades, and it was maybe worse than that when considering Team Penske drivers finished 24th, 25th and 27th in the 27-car field last weekend in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway. The cars driven by Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Power each failed to finish the race, something that hadn't happened to Roger Penske's team since 1994. But here's the difference between those years: When cars driven by Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy failed to finish that day at Michigan International Speedway, they still finished eighth, 10th and 15th in that 28-car field, and they went on to finish 1-2-3 in the championship. Unser also won the Indianapolis 500 that year. Eight races into this season, Power ranks seventh, McLaughlin eighth and Newgarden 16th in the standings, and each is seeking his first race win of the year. Here's the good connection between those two seasons: The 1994 gang bounced back to finish 1-2-3 in the ensuing race, held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This Penske bunch stood together on last year's Road America podium with Power winning the race followed by Newgarden and McLaughlin, and they were three of the fastest six cars in Friday's practice. Power and Newgarden are each two-time series winners at Road America. Palou Ready for Road America Palou was the overlooked driver in last week's World Wide Technology Raceway incident that saw Newgarden smash into the wounded car of rookie Louis Foster on the frontstretch. Palou was first on the scene of Foster's lazy spin, but had the advantage of seeing what Newgarden couldn't. 'I was lucky there,' Palou said. 'I had to take a decision of going up (the track) or going low, and I went up because I saw that the car was potentially going to go down, and Josef unfortunately didn't have that option. Those moments sometimes you are lucky and you get it right, and sometimes you don't. I'm glad I was on the right side there.' Palou said the expansive Road America circuit and its numerous passing opportunities could offer a lot of incidents in a race or none at all. But he also has noticed that many of his fellow competitors have started 'playing a little bit more aggressive than probably at the beginning of the season' as goals haven't yet been achieved. Palou's goal is to win at Road America for the third time, and the fact he has won in recent odd years (2021 and 2023) has him optimistic about this visit in 2025. Palou had a pair of subpar results in this season's past two races – 25th after being punted into the tires in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and eighth at WWTR – but he still holds a sizable lead over second place O'Ward (73 points) and third place Kirkwood (75 points). Kirkwood has been the driver on the charge, winning each of those two races. Kirkwood also posted the fastest lap of Friday's practice (1 minute, 44.9881 seconds). Palou's best lap ranked ninth. Keep an eye on these two drivers and more this weekend. recommended
Fox Sports
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Kyle Kirkwood Turns Up Heat in First Road America Practice
INDYCAR Two heat waves are arriving this weekend at the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR. One is a weather system expected to hike air temperatures into the mid-90s Saturday and Sunday at the iconic Road America circuit in Wisconsin. The other is named Kyle Kirkwood. SEE: Practice Results Kirkwood, who has won the last two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, continued his hot form Friday by leading the first practice with a top lap of 1 minute, 44.9881 seconds in the No. 27 Siemens Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Kirkwood is third in the series standings, two points behind second-place Pato O'Ward and 75 behind leader Alex Palou. 'Good start,' Kirkwood said. 'Definitely a session that was hindered a little bit by the red and the timing (of red flag). Happy to be quick once again here. We were quick last year, so I guess that's a good positive to take away from today, and hopefully that trend continues. 'But the weather is going to be so much different tomorrow that I'm not sure what we learned from today is going to be applicable tomorrow or the next day. We'll see what happens.' The air temperature, in the low 80s Friday, is expected to climb at least 10 degrees into the mid-90s Saturday and Sunday. That will reduce the grip of the Firestone Firehawk tires and test the stamina of drivers. Devlin DeFrancesco, 25th in points, ended up a surprising second at 1:45.1414 in the No. 30 Manitou Group Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Team Penske began its rebound from a tough event last Sunday night at World Wide Technology Raceway by placing third and fourth on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile natural-terrain road course. Reigning Road America winner Will Power was third at 1:45.1795 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, while two-time Road America winner Josef Newgarden was fourth at 1:45.2228 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 1:45.2246 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Scott McLaughlin helped Penske's recovery by clocking in sixth at 1:45.3191 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin, Newgarden and Power finished 24th, 25th and 27th, respectively, last Sunday night on the oval at WWTR. Championship leader Palou was ninth at 1:45.3664 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou led with seven minutes left in the 75-minute session, but nearly the entire field pitted late for Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, which provide more grip and speed but have less durability. That shuffled the order considerably until the checkered flag, although a red flag with five minutes left caused by a trip into the Turn 1 gravel by 2019 Road America winner Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet interrupted some late attempts to dash up the speed charts. Up next is pre-qualifying practice at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET. FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage. The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Favorites and Sleepers: Road America
INDYCAR Winning nine of the 10 races since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to Road America in 2016, Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske are the organizations to beat. Alexander Rossi's win for Andretti Global in 2019 is the lone exception. CGR boasts five wins in that span, including four victories in the last six tries. Also, CGR driver Alex Palou is 3-for-3 on natural terrain road courses this season with victories at The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Team Penske has four wins at Road America since 2016, including a sweep of the podium last season with Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin finishing first, second and third, respectively. Can anyone new join the fray for Sunday's 55-lap XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR? Live coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Favorites Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) Newgarden has six top-three finishes in his last nine Road America tries. He led 32 laps but suffered a mechanical failure while leading on a late-race restart in 2021. He led 26 laps in his 2022 win and finished runner-up the last two years. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet) He's 0-for-4 at Road America but has finishes of 14th, seventh, eighth and third, respectively. McLaughlin led 18 laps last year. Over his last 16 natural road course starts, McLaughlin has five podiums, six top-five finishes and 11 top 10's. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) O'Ward has five top-10 finishes in his last six Road America starts, including a third-place finish after qualifying second in 2023. He finished runner-up to Palou at The Thermal Club and on the IMS road course. O'Ward also has three podium finishes in the last four races this season. Alex Palou (No. 10 Solo Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Palou is undefeated on natural road courses this season and has a pair of wins in his last four Road America starts. He finished fourth last year. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) Power had four top-five finishes at Road America, including a 2016 win and a pair of runner-up results, in a five-year span. He's had two over the last five, including a 2024 victory. Power finished sixth at The Thermal Club this spring, fifth at Barber Motorsports Park and third on the IMS road course. Sleepers Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) In three Road America starts, Lundgaard finished 10th in 2022, seventh in 2023 and 11th last year. In his first season driving with Arrow McLaren, Lundgaard has been strong on natural road courses by finishing third at The Thermal Club, second at Barber Motorsports Park and 16th on the IMS road course. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) The Andretti Global driver led 33 laps from the pole in 2023 at Road America. If not for the decision to pit a lap too soon, Herta was well on his way to a victory. Instead, he finished second. Herta has seven top-eight finishes in as many Road America starts, including five of the last six ending in the top five. Also, since the start of last season, Herta has eight top-eight finishes in nine natural road course starts. The outlier was a 25th-place finish in this year's Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda) Can he score the season hat trick of wins on a street circuit, oval and road course? Kirkwood has improved all three opportunities at Road America, going from 20th as a rookie for AJ Foyt Racing in 2022, to ninth and fifth, respectively, the last two seasons with Andretti Global. Kirkwood also finished eighth in The Thermal Club this season, 11th at Barber and eighth on the IMS road course, leading to nine consecutive top-11 finishes on natural road courses. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Fresh Connect Central Honda) Ericsson boasts six consecutive top-10 finishes at Road America, including results of fourth, sixth, second, sixth and ninth, respectively, in his last five starts in Wisconsin. Ericsson has four top-10 finishes in his last seven natural road course starts overall. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) Road America was the site of Armstrong's breakout performance in 2023. He had a top-five car, leading five laps, before going off track late in the race. He qualified third last year, but a mechanical failure relegated him to 26th. Armstrong was seventh at The Thermal Club, 17th at Barber and seventh on the IMS road course. He also has three top-10 finishes in the last four races this season. recommended
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Packers' Star Josh Jacobs To Ride in Fastest Seat at Road America
INDYCAR Green Bay Packers superstar running back Josh Jacobs will ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports on Sunday, June 22, leading the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field to the start of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Jacobs signed with the Packers in March 2024 and enjoyed a stellar first season in Green Bay, rushing for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to being named to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career. A national champion in 2017 at Alabama, Jacobs was drafted in the first round in 2019 by the Oakland Raiders. He finished his first season with 1,150 rushing yards, breaking the franchise rookie rushing record set by Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. Jacobs was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association. Jacobs' best season came in 2022 for the Raiders. He led the NFL in rushing with 1,653 yards, was named a first-team NFL All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl berth. He also received the inaugural Jim Brown Award as the league's best running back for his performance in the 2022 season. The Packers' Jacobs joins a long list of celebrated INDYCAR Fastest Seat in Sports passengers as he leads the field to green in a custom INDYCAR SERIES car with a special back passenger seat. This high-speed, high-octane, super-charged thrill ride already was taken this season by NFL legend Tom Brady and baseball legend Alex Rodriguez. Others who took the high-speed thrill ride last year included music superstars Diplo, Jon Bon Jovi and Riley Green, actors Judge Reinhold and Dylan Sprouse, reality TV star Mary Bonnet and American Olympic gold medalist Sam Watson. Coverage of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR begins at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 22 on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America's premier open-wheel racing series with drivers competing at speeds of 200+ mph across a thrilling and demanding set of ovals and road and street circuits. The full schedule is available here. recommended
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Red-Hot Kyle Kirkwood Can Round Out Resume at Road America
INDYCAR Kyle Kirkwood checked a major personal box last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway by earning his first victory on an oval in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. An opportunity to check another box comes Sunday at Road America. To be considered an all-around standout in the series presenting the most diverse set of venue challenges, a driver should excel on street circuits, road courses and oval tracks. Kirkwood has won races at the first two; only a road course win has eluded him – so far. SEE: Event Details Kirkwood is one of 14 drivers scheduled to compete in this weekend's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR that have won races in this series. Ten of those have won races on all three types of circuits, with series points leader Alex Palou the most recent to join the club with his oval victory in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Hitting for INDYCAR's cycle is important to Kirkwood, who prior to conquering WWTR had only won on street circuits (four times). '(Last weekend's victory) puts a stamp down a little bit more like, 'Hey, this kid might actually be able to contend for a championship and do things,'' the Andretti Global driver said at WWTR. 'Everybody knows you've got to be diverse in this series. You've got to win at multiple circuits. You've got to win at multiple venues. Whether it's a short oval, long oval, street course, road course, whatever it might be, you've got to win at all of them.' The other active drivers with series wins on all three types of circuits are Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward, Palou, Will Power, Graham Rahal and Alexander Rossi. McLaughlin and Herta joined the group last year with oval victories. Kirkwood's pursuit of the INDYCAR Triple Crown is just one of the many storylines to watch in this weekend's race (Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Can Palou Get Back on Track? Palou salvaged an eighth-place finish in last weekend's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline to somewhat mitigate the points damage created by Kirkwood and O'Ward – his two closest challengers for the season title – finishing first and second, respectively. While Palou's finishes of 25th and eighth in races held this month have allowed some slippage in his points lead, he is still in a commanding position. He leads O'Ward by 73 points and Kirkwood by 75 points, both amounts more than the equivalent of a single race. Nine races remain. Palou should feel confident in his ability to bounce back. The next two races are on road courses where he has combined to win three times and earn a pole (last year at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course). His wins in 2023 at Road America and Mid-Ohio were part of a three-race winning streak. Palou Among Six Road America Winners Unlike last week when there were only three active drivers had won races at WWTR, twice as many drivers will roll into Road America as past winners. Power (2014, 2024), Dixon (2017, 2020), Newgarden (2018, 2022) and Palou (2021, 2023) lead the way with two wins each at the 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course. Rossi (2019) and Felix Rosenqvist (2020) each have one win on the circuit. INDY NXT by Firestone has been racing at the facility since 2016. Among the current INDYCAR SERIES drivers who won races in that series at Road America are Herta (2018), Rinus VeeKay (2019), Kirkwood (2021), David Malukas (2021), Christian Rasmussen (2022) and Nolan Siegel (2023). So, yeah, a lot of drivers know where victory lane is located. Team Penske Swept Last Year's Competitive Race Last year, Roger Penske's three drivers became the first trio in four years to occupy all three steps on the same podium when Power, Newgarden and McLaughlin did so at Road America. Prior to that, Andretti Global went 1-2-3 at Mid-Ohio in 2020 with Herta, Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay. While Team Penske walked away with top honors a year ago, the 55-lap race was statistically one of the track's most balanced. Seven drivers exchanged the lead 13 times, both records for the event. Power's victory pushed him to the series lead, which now is noteworthy. No one other than Palou has led the standings after the races since then. Teams Relatively Even With Hybrid Wins The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is soon to celebrate the one-year anniversary of using hybrid technology, and there has been team parity aplenty in that span. Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global each have won five times in the 17 races in the hybrid has been used. Arrow McLaren has won twice. As with most categories over the past year, Palou leads all drivers in hybrid wins with five, Kirkwood has three such wins. Four drivers have won twice (McLaughlin, Power, O'Ward and Herta). Newgarden has won one. Hybrid technology made its debut last July at Mid-Ohio. O'Ward won that race. Road America's Schedule After a two-day show at WWTR, INDYCAR's traditional three-day weekend is back in play at Road America. Friday's practice at 4:30 p.m. ET will be live on FS2, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Saturday, the televised action shifts to FS1 with the second practice at 11 a.m. ET followed by qualifying for the NTT P1 Award at 2:30 p.m. ET. Ahead of Sunday's race on FOX and FOX Deportes is the morning warmup at 10 a.m. on FS1. recommended
