News for the Week of May 9, 2016 – May 15, 2016

Pagenaud wins Angie’s List GP of Indy for third straight victory – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won his third straight Verizon IndyCar Series race with a victory at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Hinchcliffe, Rahal, and Kimball. Full results here. Relive the race with our live blog here. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2016)

Starting grid and tire designations for Angie’s List GP of Indy – The full starting grid with beginning tire designations for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2016)

Stoneman grabs first career Lights win in Race 2 at IMS – Andretti Autosport rookie Dean Stoneman grabbed the first victory of his Indy Lights career in Race 2 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Kaiser, Jones, and Serralles. Full results here. – The Open Wheel – (5/14/2016)

No. 29 livery officially unveiled – Andretti Autosport unveiled the livery for the No. 29 machine to be driven by Townsend Bell in an effort for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. California Pizza Kitchen joins longtime personal sponsor of Bell, Robert Graham, on the car. See the livery on our No. 29 livery page here. – The Open Wheel – (5/14/2016)

Rahal tops the charts in final warmup for GP of Indy – Graham Rahal’s lap of 1:09.6045 took the top spot in the morning warmup for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The rest of the Top 5 was Rossi, Munoz, Pagenaud, and Dixon. Full results at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2016)

Rosenqvist fastest in Lights warmup – Belardi Auto Racing rookie Felix Rosenqvist turned the fastest lap of a cold Indy Lights warm up session on Saturday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rosenqvist’s lap of 1:15.4152 bested a Top 5 of himself, Hargrove, Stoneman, Jones, and Kaiser. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/14/2016)

Jones on pole again for Lights Race 2 at IMS – Carlin’s Ed Jones will start on pole again for Indy Lights Race 2 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 on the starting grid are Urrutia, Serralles, Rosenqvist, and Stoneman. Full grid at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/13/2016)

Rahal and Newgarden cars to start at the back after failing post-qualifying tech inspection – “Two cars that had reached the Firestone Fast Six were penalized in post-qualifying technical inspection for failing to meet the minimum car weight. The No. 15 of Graham Rahal, which had qualified third, and the No. 21 of Josef Newgarden, which qualified fifth, had their times voided according to Rule 14.3.1.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series Rule Book and will start from the rear of the field.” Updated qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

Jones wins Lights Race 1 at IMS – Carlin’s Ed Jones won Race 1 of the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis in dramatic fashion after a late restart. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Stoneman, Rosenqvist, and Veach. Jones, Stoneman, and Urrutia all led the field at various points of a wild Lap 27 but Jones was there in the end and led every lap of the race. Full results Indy Lights. – Indy Lights – (5/13/2016)

INDYCAR’s visor cam series continues with Rahal on IMS road course – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam feature continues with Graham Rahal on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The must watch video is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

Andretti Autosport to unveil No. 29 livery on Saturday – “Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti will join Indy 500 veteran driver Townsend Bell Saturday as they unveil the No. 29 California Pizza Kitchen / Robert Graham Honda.” The ceremony will take place in the Pagoda Plaza at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 12:30PM (ET) on Saturday, May 14, 2016. – Andretti Autosport – (5/13/2016)

Pagenaud wins the pole for Angie’s List GP of Indy – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won his second straight Verizon P1 award with a pole-winning performance in Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Pagenaud’s lap of 1:08.6868 was best of the Firestone Fast 6 session followed by Kimball, Rahal, Hinchcliffe, Newgarden, and Hawksworth. Only one Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams cars made it to the Firestone Fast 6 (each) and no Andretti Autosport cars advanced past Round 1. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

INDYCAR officially announces return to Watkins Glen for Labor Day weekend – INDYCAR announced on Friday that the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires will race at Watkins Glen International on Labor Day weekend 2016. “It’s great to have the Verizon IndyCar Series return to Watkins Glen,” said Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations. “A tremendous amount of thanks goes to track president Michael Printup and his entire staff for their efforts in helping make this a reality in such a short time frame.” The 60 lap race will be on the 3.4 mile grand prix circuit at the facility. More details at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

Jones wins pole in Lights qualifying – Carlin’s Ed Jones set a new Indy Lights track record with a lap of 1:14.6743 to win the pole for Race 1 of the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The rest of the Top 5 was Rosenqvist, Urrutia, Serralles, and Enerson. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/13/2016)

Qualifying groups set for GP of Indy – The qualifying groups of the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis are available at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

Power leads the way in GP of Indy Practice 3 – Team Penske’s Will Power had the fastest lap of the third practice for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis with an unofficial track record lap of 1:09.3189. The rest of the Top 5 was Montoya, Pagenaud, Dixon and Sato. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

Report: INDYCAR will be at WGI Labor Day weekend – From Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star: “IndyCar Series officials have finalized terms with one of open-wheel racing’s historic tracks for a Labor Day weekend event, sources familiar with negotiations told IndyStar. Confirmation will come in the form of a news conference this afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.” – Indianapolis Star – (5/13/2016)

Lazier team poised for big changes – The Indianapolis Star’s Curt Cavin has a nice piece on the progress of Buddy Lazier’s Indy 500 program and it looks like it will be called Lazier Burns Racing this year in car No. 4. There has been no official announcement yet but that’s what’s on his garage sign at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was spotted on his car itself. More details at the link. Stay tuned for more car updates at our No. 4 livery page here. – Indianapolis Star – (5/13/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/12/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/12/16 is a great listen as always. Late in the show Indy Lights driver Dean Stoneman joins the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/13/2016)

Kaiser leads rain-shortened Lights Practice 2 on Indy road course – Kyle Kaiser’s lap of 1:16.703 took the top spot in Practice 2 for Indy Lights on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Anderson, Rosenqvist, Stoneman, and Enerson. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/12/2016)

Dixon tops the charts in GP of Indy Practice 2 – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon’s lap of 1:09.8281 topped the charts in the second practice for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The rest of the Top 5 was Pagenaud, Rahal, Bourdais, and Power. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/12/2016)

Urrutia leads Lights Practice 1 on Indy road course – Santiago Urrutia’s lap of 1:15.9770 took the top spot in Practice 1 for Indy Lights on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Jones, Enerson, Rosenqvist, and Kaiser. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/12/2016)

Power paces field in GP of Indy Practice 1 – Team Penske’s Will Power had the fastest lap of the first practice for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis with a lap of 1:09.8943. The rest of the Top 5 was Rahal, Montoya, Pagenaud, and Castroneves. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/12/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/11/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/11/16 is a great listen as always. Ed Carpenter’s wife, Heather, joins the pair on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/12/2016)

Updated GP of Indy entry list & spotter guide – The post-Gabby Chaves announcement versions of the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis entry list and spotter guide are available at the links. – Entry ListSpotter Guide – (5/12/2016)

IMS garage sighting shows “Lazier Burns Racing” in No. 4 car – Chad Smith posted a picture from Gasoline Alley Thursday morning of a garage sign for “Lazier Burns Racing” with a No. 4 on the sign. There still hasn’t been a confirmed plan for Buddy Lazier’s Indy 500 effort but that appears to be a pretty big hint. – Chad Smith – (5/12/2016)

SPM unveils new liveries for No.’s 7 & 77 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports unveiled two new liveries and their awesome garage graphics on Thursday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mikhail Aleshin’s No. 7 will be in DOOM colors for both IMS races while Oriol Servia’s No. 77 will have Lucas Oil sponsorship. See the liveries at our No. 7 and No. 77 pages. – NBC Sports – (5/12/2016)

Urrutia quickest in second Lights test session at Indy – Rookie Santiago Urrutia led the second Indy Lights test session of the day on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday with a lap of 1:15.6933. The rest of the Top 5 was Jones, Enerson, Veach, and Kaiser. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/11/2016)

Chaves to drive DCR No. 19 at both IMS races – “Dale Coyne Racing has signed Gabby Chaves to pilot its #19 Boy Scouts of America entry at this weekend’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis as well as for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.” More at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (5/11/2016)

The Open Wheel’s GP of Indy preview – Our own Dylan Reynolds previews the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights action on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Includes all the relevant weekend info, predictions for both series, and Fantasy IndyCar advice. Check it out at the link. – Team Murray – (5/11/2016)

Enerson leads first Lights test session at Indy – RC Enerson led the first of two Indy Lights test sessions on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday with a lap of 1:15.6335. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Jones, Kaiser, and Negrao. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/11/2016)

Updated No. 61 livery on display – PIRTEK Team Murray staged their No. 61 machine at an Indianapolis Fire Department station on Tuesday and showcased an updated livery. See it on our No. 61 livery page here. – Team Murray – (5/11/2016)

Miller’s Mailbag 5/11/16 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (5/11/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/10/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/10/16 is a great listen as always. Guests on the show include James Hinchcliffe, Anders Krohn, and Alex Tagliani. – 1070 The Fan – (5/11/2016)

No. 35 livery officially unveiled – A.J. Foyt Racing unveiled the No. 35 Alfe Heat Treating car Alex Tagliani will be driving in both May races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday. See the livery on our No. 35 livery page here. – INDYCAR – (5/11/2016)

Chaves’ 500 hopes hinge on DCR – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that Gabby Chaves’ chances of racing in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race now hinge on whether or not he’s chosen for the fourth and final seat at Dale Coyne Racing for the 500 (No. 19). “It’s a little bit complicated,” said Chaves. “If I can race at Indy, my sponsor wants to do more rather afterwards, so that’s great, but if I’m not in a car [at Indy], it all goes away. That’s why I’ve been pushing so hard to find a ride – because it would lead to bigger things.” – RACER – (5/10/2016)

Angie’s List GP of Indy spotter guide posted – The spotter guide for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis has been posted. There are a ton of new liveries (No.’s 3, 7, 10, 16, 21, 22, & 26) and a few new cars this weekend (No’s 6, 35, & 61). Check it out at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/10/2016)

Report: WGI favorite to take over Boston date – David Malsher reports for Motorsport.com that Watkins Glen International “is now heavy favorite to replace the Grand Prix of Boston on the 2016 schedule”. “I have spoken to Jay Frye [IndyCar’s President of Competition and Operations], and although we haven’t gotten back on the phone this week yet, it’s no secret that I would love to see them come back,” President of Watkins Glen, Michael Printup told Motorsport.com. – Motorsport.com – (5/10/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/9/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/9/16 is a great listen as always. VP of Events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Alison Melangton joins the pair on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/10/2016)

Angie’s List GP of Indy entry list posted – There are 25 cars on this weekend’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis entry list. Luca Filippi remains in the No. 19 and the new and returning cars on the grid are JR Hildebrand in the No. 6, Spencer Pigot in the No. 16, Alex Tagliani in the No. 35, and Matthew Brabham in the No. 61. Full list at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/9/2016)

Lights entry list for IMS road course posted – The entry list for the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires is available at the link. It features the same car/driver combinations that were at Barber Motorsports Park. – Indy Lights – (5/9/2016)

Beijing October race in the works – David Malsher reports for Motorsport.com that INDYCAR is in talks to hold a non-championship points Verizon IndyCar Series event on a 2.56-mile street course in the Beijing’s Fengtai District. Mark Miles, CEO of IndyCar’s parent company Hulman & Company, has just returned from Beijing and told Motorsport.com: “For some months we have been involved in discussions with Joe and principals in China who are interested in having an IndyCar race. If it happens, it will be in the Fengtai District which is currently under development.” Full details at the link. – Motorsport.com – (5/9/2016)

Hinch to donate GP of Indy winnings to Alberta wildfire victims – “Today James (Hinchcliffe) announced that he will donate his winnings from the 2016 Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis to the Canadian Red Cross to support the more than 14 000 families and 12 communities that have been affected by the Alberta wildfires this past week.” “It is heartbreaking to see so many people who have lost their homes. The Canadian Red Cross has been doing a tremendous job. We just pray that the weather will co-operate and any further damage can be contained. In the meantime I want to offer support for those affected,” Hinchcliffe said. – James Hinchcliffe – (5/9/2016)

Tim Hortons to serve as sponsor of Toronto event – “Tim Hortons will roll up to the Honda Indy Toronto this year to fuel the event with its iconic coffee. Organizers of the event announced today that Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain will join the Honda Indy Toronto as an official sponsor. As part of the sponsorship agreement, Tim Hortons will serve as the official coffee and baked goods provider at the Honda Indy Toronto this summer, having a presence onsite with a Tims Coffee Truck to deliver Canada’s Favourite Coffee to event-goers and team personnel, along with branding throughout the event site and along the historic street course.” – Honda Indy Toronto – (5/9/2016)

Shank rules out 500 entry – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that Michael Shank and Michael Shank Racing have ruled out an entry into the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and will instead focus on their Le Mans efforts. – RACER – (5/9/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/6/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/6/16 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/7/2016)

Boles joins Pat McAfee’s #FacebookFriday – IMS President Doug Boles was a guest on Indianapolis Colts punter and local celebrity Pat McAfee’s #FacebookFriday show. It’s highly entertaining. Check it out at the link. – Pat McAfee – (5/6/2016)

IMS announces reserved seating sold out for 500 – “Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials celebrated an epic and historic milestone today, announcing that all reserved seating is officially sold out for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. While general admission tickets are still available in the IMS infield, the massive grandstands around the 107-year-old 2.5-mile oval, and all hospitality suites, will be completely filled. The news was shared this afternoon by IMS leadership on the steps of the Indiana Statehouse, with community leaders including Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett flanked by the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy.” – IMS – (5/6/2016)

Jahia and Lucas Oil to co-sponsor SPM No. 77 at Indy 500 – “Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) announced today that Lucas Oil and Jahia Solutions Group will co-sponsor the No. 77 SPM with Marotti Racing entry driven by Oriol Servia in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Jahia and long-time SPM partner Lucas Oil will share the No. 77’s livery. Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil, first partnered with SPM team co-owner Sam Schmidt more than a decade ago when his company served as a primary sponsor for Schmidt’s Indianapolis 500 entry for Richie Hearn in 2003. Since then, Lucas Oil has served as a title sponsor for each race season on one of SPM’s Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires entries.” – SPM – (5/5/2016)

Keith Urban to ride in two-seater with Mario before Indy 500 – “Four-time GRAMMY Award winner Keith Urban will roll off with the field of 33 drivers at this year’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. He will be Mario Andretti’s passenger in the custom-built two-seat Indy car billed as the “Honda Fastest Seat In Sports.” Andretti and Urban will follow four parade cars and lead the official Pace Car on three parade laps leading up to the most famous race in the world. Once Andretti and Urban exit the circuit, the field of 33 cars will take the green flag. The race will air live on ABC at noon ET on May 29.” “I inherited my love of cars from my dad,” Urban said. “We used to take family driving trips purely for the love of driving. They’re also featured heavily in a bunch of my songs, including some on my new album RIPCORD. For me they symbolize freedom, independence, adventure and so much more. The Indy 500 is one of the true iconic motorsport events and to get to drive with a legend like Mario (Andretti) in this 100th race is indescribable and something I wish my dad could’ve seen!” – IMS – (5/5/2016)

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