News for the Week of May 22, 2017 – May 28, 2017

101st Indy 500 photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s race day photo gallery from the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/28/2017)

Sato wins 101st Indy 500 – Andretti Autosport’s Takuma Sato won the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a late race pass on Helio Castroneves at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Jones, Chilton, and Kanaan. Hunter-Reay and Alonso each suffered engine failures in the latter half of the race while at the front of the field. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/28/2017)

Dixon checked, cleared, and released following scary Indy 500 incident – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon was checked, cleared, and released following his frightening incident during the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. View the incident at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/28/2017)

Bourdais attends Indy 500 – Injured Dale Coyne Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais is in attendance on race day for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – Dale Coyne Racing – (5/28/2017)

Penske’s Power crew wins pit stop competition – Team Penske’s crew for Will Power won the TAG Heuer Pit Stop Competition as part of Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. More at the link. – Motorsport.com – (5/26/2017)

Leist dominates to win Freedom 100 – Carlin’s Matheus Leist won the Freedom 100 from pole in dominant fashion leading every lap. The rest of the Top 5 was Telitz, Kellett, Alberico, and Urrutia. Herta spun in Turn 2 on Lap 1 and finished in P13. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/26/2017)

Castroneves fastest in Carb Day Indy 500 practice – Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves was fastest in Carb Day practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 227.377mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Sato, Kanaan, Dixon, and Alonso. Hinchcliffe appeared to blow an engine in the session. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/26/2017)

IMS unveils 102nd Indy 500 logo – Check out the logo and full release at the link. – IMS – (5/26/2017)

Jeffery Dean Morgan named Indy 500 pace car driver – “Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has played major roles in hit television series such as “The Walking Dead” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” will drive the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Pace Car to lead the starting field of the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil to the green flag Sunday, May 28. Morgan plays “Negan” in the smash hit AMC series “The Walking Dead,” which returns for its eighth season this fall. He received a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series and an MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Villain in 2017 for the role.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/25/2017)

Leist wins pole for Freedom 100 – Carlin’s Matheus Leist won the pole for the Indy Lights Freedom 100 with a 2-lap average of 199.198mph. The rest of the Top 5 in qualifying was Herta, Kellett, Norman, and Claman De Melo. Championship leader Kaiser qualified in P11. Full qualifying results here. – Indy Lights – (5/25/2017)

Leist fastest in Freedom 100 practice – Carlin’s Matheus Leist was fastest in the rain-delayed single practice session for the Indy Lights Freedom 100 with a lap at 201.032mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Claman De Melo, Herta, Jamin, and Telitz. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/25/2017)

100th Indy 500 named “Event of the Year” at Sports Business Awards – “The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil added another accolade to an already stellar resume Wednesday night, taking home 2016’s Event of the Year honor at the 2017 Sports Business Awards. The annual event hosted by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily recognizes the top events, leagues, partners and executives in the sports world and took place at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/25/2017)

Rising Star Racing names Askew as newest RSR driver – “Oliver Askew, a USF2000 rookie from Jupiter, FL, has been named the newest Rising Star Racing (RSR) driver. The 20-year-old immediately caught the eye of RSR founder Art Wilmes after winning five of his first six USF2000 starts with Cape Motorsports in 2017. In 2016, he won the Team USA Mazda Road to Indy scholarship and finished second in the Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final.” This should make Askew an even bigger candidate to be on the fast track to an Indy Lights and future Verizon IndyCar Series ride as he follows the other three successful drivers in the program in Josef Newgarden, Spencer Pigot, and Neil Alberico. Full release at the link. – Rising Star Racing – (5/25/2017)

DXC Technology to sponsor Penske No. 1 at Belle Isle – DXC Technology will be the primary sponsor for Team Penske’s No. 1 car for Simon Pagenaud for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle next weekend. Check out the livery on our No. 1 livery page here. – Simon Pagenaud – (5/25/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Indianapolis preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the Freedom 100 and 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is available at the link. Full of weekend information, stats, predictions, fantasy advice, and more. – The Open Wheel – (5/25/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/24/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/24/17 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/25/2017)

Bourdais tweets he’s out of the hospital and “on to rehab” – Sebastien Bourdais tweeted out great news on Wednesday afternoon as he’s now out of the hospital after his horrific crash on Saturday. “I walked out of the hospital today. On to rehab now!,” tweeted Bourdais. – Sebastien Bourdais – (5/24/2017)

Indy 500 driver milk selections – Check out the milk selections for the drivers of the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the link. – Indiana American Dairy Association – (5/24/2017)

INDYCAR releases images of ’18 design – “INDYCAR has released the “NEXT” concept images of the car that will be used by all Verizon IndyCar Series competitors in 2018. The newest images give more definition to the sleek and bold look of the universal aerodynamic bodywork kit that will fit to the current Dallara IR-12 chassis in 2018. The supplier of the universal kit has yet to be finalized, but the kit has been reverse-designed to start with a look of past Indy car favorites while also incorporating the latest technological and safety advancements.” Full story and images at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/24/2017)

IMS and Indy 500 to feature on Project CARS 2 – “Ol’ Calhoun, the Lotus 38, and the 1968 Chapman-Granatelli STP Pratt & Whitney twin-turbine Lotus 56 are all coming to Project CARS 2, along with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in late 2017 for the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One, and PC.” The game will also feature “the current crop of Dallara DW12s”. Full release at the link. – Project CARS – (5/24/2017)

Highlights from 2017 Indy 500 Media Tour – INDYCAR has posted a nice highlight package of the 2017 Indy 500 Media Tour. The 33 drivers traveled to 21 different cities. – INDYCAR – (5/24/2017)

Miller’s Mailbag 5/24/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (5/24/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/23/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/23/17 is a great listen as always. Fernando Alonso is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/24/2017)

Brickyard 400 moves to September in ’18 – “The Brickyard 400 will enter a new era of excitement in 2018, as the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will move to Sunday, Sept. 9. The 400 will serve as the final race of the regular season, determine the regular season champion and set the field for the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/23/2017)

Report: ’18 IndyCar road course aero kit reveal coming soon – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports the reveal for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series universal aero kit for road courses should be out in the next week. “We’re hoping in the next week to put out some renderings,” IndyCar competition president Jay Frye told RACER. “We hope we can put out renderings that are 99 percent what it is. And we’re hoping at that point we can start to talk about manufacturers, who’s going to build it. Talk about who’s going to test it and the process, how we’re going to do it, that type of thing. So we’re close, real close.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/23/2017)

Details of ABC/ESPN Indy 500 broadcast – ESPN has released a lot of details about their ESPN on ABC broadcast of the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race including full details of their on-air team, two drivers carrying live visor cams, the in-car camera list, planned features, and much more. Full release at the link. – ESPN – (5/23/2017)

VP Pence to appear at Indy 500 – Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star reports Vice President of the United States Mike Pence will attend the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Full story at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (5/23/2017)

Andretti Autosport announces Ruoff Home Mortgage as primary sponsor for No. 26 – Andretti Autosport announced Ruoff Home Mortgage will be the primary sponsor for their No. 26 machine for Takuma Sato in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. See the livery on our No. 26 livery page here. – Andretti Autosport – (5/23/2017)

Long Beach to make decision on INDYCAR/F1 future by July/August – Motorsport Week’s Ryan Wood reports the Long Beach City Council is anticipated to make a decision on whether to extend its deal with INDYCAR or pursue a Formula 1 return for 2019 in late-July or early-August of this year. Full report at the link. – Motorsport Week – (5/23/2017)

Trackside podcast 5/22/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/22/17 is a great listen as always. Charlie Kimball and JR Hildebrand are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/23/2017)

Leist quickest in second Indy Lights test session at IMS – Carlin’s Matheus Leist was quickest in the second Indy Lights test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday with a lap at 199.568mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Alberico, Claman De Melo, Herta, and Kellett. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/22/2017)

Angela Brown To Sing God Bless America before Indy 500 – “World-renowned opera singer and Indianapolis native Angela Brown will sing “God Bless America” during pre-race ceremonies for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, a beloved patriotic tradition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/22/2017)

Rahal to wear “live visor cam” during Indy 500 – Graham Rahal tweeted that he will wear a “live visor cam” on Sunday during the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. “I will have a live visor cam for the #Indy500 for the first time ever! Should be awesome! @indycar” – Graham Rahal – (5/22/2017)

Chilton fastest in post-qualifying Monday Indy 500 practice – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Max Chilton posted the fastest lap of post-qualifying Monday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 228.592mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Jones, Dixon, Pagenaud, and Sato. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/22/2017)

CGRT confirms Camping World as primary sponsor for Dixon’s No. 9 for Indy 500 – “Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that four-time Verizon IndyCar Series Champion and Indianapolis 500 Winner Scott Dixon will be sporting the colors of the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, Camping World, on May 28 for the Indianapolis 500 (11am ET, ABC). The No. 9 Camping World Honda will roll out in full livery next Friday, May 26 for Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).” Full release at the link. – CGRT – (5/22/2017)

Servia’s engine goes up in smoke in Monday Indy 500 practice – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has posted a quick report on what looks like a lost engine for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s car for Oriol Servia in Monday practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. More at the link. – RACER – (5/22/2017)

Herta tops first Indy Lights test session at IMS – Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta topped the first Indy Lights test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 200.070mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Telitz, Piedrahita, Leist, and Norman. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (5/22/2017)

Dixon and Franchitti robbed at gunpoint at 16th St Taco Bell – Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti were robbed at gunpoint at a Taco Bell close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday evening. Two arrests were made following the incident. The ages of the individuals arrested were 14 and 15. Dixon and Franchitti are reported to be unharmed. – FOX59 – (5/22/2017)

Freedom 100 entry list – The entry list for the Indy Lights Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. It features the same 14 car/driver combinations that raced in the last event at Barber Motorsports Park. – Indy Lights – (5/22/2017)

Dixon breaks 232mph to win pole for 101st Indy 500 – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon won the pole for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average of 232.164mph. The rest of the Fast Nine qualifying order was Carpenter, Rossi, Sato, Alonso, Hildebrand, Kanaan, Andretti, and Power. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/21/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 qualifying gallery – Check out The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from qualifying weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2017)

DCR announces Davison will drive No. 18 for Indy 500 – “Dale Coyne Racing announced on Sunday that Australian James Davison will be replacing the injured Sebastien Bourdais aboard the #18 GEICO Honda for the 101st Indianapolis 500.” Full release at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (5/21/2017)

Pruett: “Six shifts that saved Seb” – RACER’s Marshall Pruett put an excellent piece together on the safety innovations that helped save and minimize Sebastien Bourdais’ injuries in his qualifying crash yesterday. Check it out at the link. – RACER – (5/21/2017)

Carpenter fastest in Saturday Indy 500 qualifying – Ed Carpenter Racing’s Ed Carpenter was fastest in Saturday qualifying for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average of 230.468mph. The of the Top 9 finishing order was Sato, Dixon, Hildebrand, Rossi, Power, Alonso, Kanaan, and Andretti. Bourdais crashed in the session (see note below). Drivers who finished in positions 1-9 on Saturday will vie for their actual starting positions within that same range on Sunday and the same goes for those in positions 10-33. Veach’s car wasn’t ready for a qualifying run on Saturday but he’s expected to make an attempt on Sunday. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2017)

Marotti Racing returns in partnership with SPM No. 7 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Marotti Racing and their new sponsor ZYPPAH will partner with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ No. 7 team for Mikhail Aleshin for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and three additional races later this season. Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Harding adds Texas and Pocono to their ’17 schedule – RACER’s Mark Glendenning reports Harding Racing will enter the Verizon IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway in 2017. “We’re going to run Texas and Pocono,” owner Mike Harding told RACER. “And then next year, we’re going to try to run the whole series.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/20/2017)

Indy 500 garage sign photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s photo gallery of all of the car/driver garage signs in the garage area at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – The Open Wheel – (5/20/2017)

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