News for the Week of July 9 – July 15, 2018

Dixon wins the Honda Indy Toronto – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon won the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto on a day where his fellow championship contenders struggled to extend his championship lead to 62 points. The rest of the Top 5 was Pagenaud, Wickens, Hinchcliffe, and Kimball. Defending champion Newgarden crashed from the lead on a restart but recovered to finish P9. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2018)

Toronto starting grid with tire designations – The official INDYCAR starting grid with Firestone tire designations for the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto, Canada is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2018)

Urrutia dominates Lights Race 2 for win at Toronto – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santiago Urrutia led from start to finish to win Indy Lights Race 2 on the Streets of Toronto. The rest of the Top 5 was O’Ward, Telitz, Norman, and Kellett. Herta and Franzoni each retired early with issues. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/15/2018)

Dixon fastest in morning warmup at Toronto – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon topped the morning warmup for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 59.1394. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Andretti, Hunter-Reay, and Rahal. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2018)

Urrutia wins Lights Race 2 pole at Toronto – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santiago Urrutia won the pole for Indy Lights Race 2 in qualifying on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:03.6848. The rest of the Top 5 was O’Ward, Herta, Telitz, and Norman. Herta crashed at the end of practice for the second day in a row. Franzoni retired from the session early with emotional concerns after a hard crash on Saturday. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2018)

Newgarden takes the pole at Toronto – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden won the pole for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 59.4956. The rest of the Firestone Fast 6 was Dixon, Pagenaud, Power, Rossi, and Hunter-Reay. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/14/2018)

O’Ward wins Lights Race 1 at Toronto as Herta crashes out – Andretti Autosport’s Patricio O’Ward won Indy Lights Race 1 on the Streets of Toronto in dominant fashion leading every lap. The rest of the Top 5 was Urruita, Norman, Telitz, and Kellett. Former championship leader and pole sitter Colton Herta got off to a slow start and later crashed from P2 as his hand slipped off the wheel while nursing a hand injury suffered in qualifying. O’Ward now leads the championship. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/14/2018)

Toronto qualifying groups – The qualifying groups for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto are available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/14/2018)

Sato leads Practice 3 at Toronto – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato topped Practice 3 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 58.6777. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Power, Rossi, and Pigot. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/14/2018)

Herta takes Lights Race 1 pole with new track record at Toronto – Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta set a new track record and won the pole in Indy Lights Race 1 qualifying on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:03.6848. The rest of the Top 5 was O’Ward, Urruita, Telitz, and Franzoni. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/14/2018)

Detroit GP organizers issue statement on their future at Belle Isle – “This morning, the Detroit Grand Prix submitted a formal proposal to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to continue hosting the annual motorsports event at Belle Isle Park. The proposal includes a three-year agreement to continue the Grand Prix on Belle Isle, beginning in 2019, with an additional two-year extension option. Additional key elements of the proposal include a 50% increase in the annual fee to host the race on the island to $300,000, along with yearly contributions of $50,000 to the Michigan DNR for targeted island improvement initiatives and $35,000 for projects and programming in the paddock area on Belle Isle. The Grand Prix will also continue to minimize its overall time spent on Belle Isle.” Full release at the link. – Detroit Grand Prix – (7/13/2018)

Dixon quickest again in Practice 2 at Toronto – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon led Practice 2 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 59.0751. Dixon led both sessions on Friday. The rest of the Top 5 was Sato, Andretti, Rahal, and Rossi. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/13/2018)

Franzoni fastest in Lights practice at Toronto – Juncos Racing’s Victor Franzoni was fastest in Indy Lights Practice 1 on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:05.3271. The rest of the Top 5 was Urruita, O’Ward, Herta, and Norman. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/13/2018)

INDYCAR on the verge of Laguna Seca return for ’19 – From WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca: “Stay tuned for a blockbuster announcement on Tuesday 7/17 (2pm) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Following the anticipated approval of Monterey County Board of Supervisors, @IndyCar will return to Monterey in 2019!” UPDATE: Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page has issued a statement indicating Sonoma Raceway would be off the calendar if Laguna Seca was on it. – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – (7/13/2018)

Dixon tops Practice 1 at Toronto – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon topped Practice 1 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:00.7474. The rest of the Top 5 was Rahal, Rossi, Sato, and Andretti. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/13/2018)

RLL announces Legge will drive for team’s Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY program – “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that experienced sports car and open-wheel racing driver Katherine Legge will drive one of the team’s two Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series electric racecars during the 2018/2019 ABB FIA Formula E season. An American-themed livery will be unveiled by RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal, Legge and team officials at the New York E-Prix 2017/2018 season-finale this weekend.” Full release at the link. – RLL – (7/13/2018)

+The Open Wheel’s Toronto preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the INDYCAR weekend on the Streets of Toronto, Canada is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/12/2018)

Andretti Autosport No. 98 to feature new Oberto livery at Toronto – Andretti Autosport has announced its No. 98 car for Marco Andretti will have a new Oberto livery at the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend. See the livery on our No. 98 livery page here. – Andretti Autosport – (7/11/2018)

Toronto spotter guide – The spotter guide for the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto, Canada is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/11/2018)

Toronto entry list – The entry list for the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto, Canada is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/11/2018)

Toronto Lights entry list – The entry list for the Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products on the Streets of Toronto, Canada is available at the link. – Indy Lights – (7/11/2018)

Miller’s Mailbag 7/11/18 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (7/11/2018)

Trackside podcast 7/10/18 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 7/10/18 is a great listen as always. Conor Daly is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (7/11/2018)

RLL making progress towards three-car team – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing continues to make progress
Trackside podcast 7/10/18 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 7/10/18 is a great listen as always. Conor Daly is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (7/11/2018)

RLL making progress towards three-car team – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing continues to make progress towards a three-car effort for 2019. “There’s a couple of good opportunities out there, so I’m much more sure of us having a three-car program next year than I’ve ever been,” RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal told RACER. “It’s not there yet, but it’s a strong chance, and that’s exciting for us.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/10/2018)

Harding likely to use different drivers over final six races – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Harding Racing is likely to use multiple drivers in addition to Gabby Chaves and Conor Daly in their No. 88 car over the final six races of the Verizon IndyCar Series as the team has announced Daly will race at Toronto. Miller says Patricio O’Ward has already had a seat fitting with the team and other Lights drivers are expected to receive one as well. “We’re trying to see where we’re at for the remainder of 2018 and see what we can do for 2019 because it’s our goal to be a two-car team next year,” said Harding boss Brian Barnhart. “So Mike [Harding] wants to do some driver evaluations with some guys in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and some of the talented kids in Lights.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/10/2018)

Harding Racing announces Daly to drive No. 88 at Toronto to evaluate two-car effort – “Conor Daly will join the Harding Racing team for the Honda Indy Toronto Grand Prix this weekend. The American will pilot the #88 car along the streets of the Exhibition Place circuit in downtown Toronto.” “At this point in the season, we are focusing all our attention on the 2019 season,” said Harding Racing team president, Brian Barnhart. “If we can expand to a two-car team, all remaining races and testing will offer driver evaluation opportunities to determine who will become Gabby’s teammate in 2019. Gabby is still fully employed and still under contract with Harding for the remainder of this year and in 2019.” Full release at the link. – Harding Racing – (7/10/2018)

Carlin No. 23 to feature new livery at Toronto – Carlin has announced its No. 23 car for Charlie Kimball will have a new Diabetes Canada/Novo Nordisk Canada livery at the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend. See the livery on our No. 23 livery page here. – Carlin – (7/10/2018)

DragonSpeed working on IndyCar partial season in ’19 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Elton Julian’s DragonSpeed Racing team is aiming to compete in the IndyCar Series next year in a partial-season effort. Right now the team competes in the European Le Mans Series and the LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. “The biggest interest to take DragonSpeed to IndyCar comes from the championship itself, and all the kudos go to what they’ve been achieving there,” Julian told RACER. “It’s a step up, and I do consider it a step up from LMP1. I want my team to continue to grow, and IndyCar has a lot of attractive things going for it.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/9/2018)

DCR No. 18 to feature Mouser livery at Toronto – Mouser has announced it will be the primary sponsor with a special livery for the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan car for Sebastien Bourdais at the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend. See the livery on our No. 18 livery page here. – Mouser Racing – (7/9/2018)

RLL announces Rousseau Metal primary sponsorship for No. 15 at Toronto – “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Rousseau Metal, a leader in storage solutions, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Verizon IndyCar Series entry driven by Graham Rahal for the Honda Indy Toronto race on July 15. Also announced was an extension of their associate sponsorship through 2019. Quebec-based Rousseau Metal has been a team partner since 2009 and the cabinets are a mainstay in the team’s Indy car and sports car race shops as well as their transporters. Rousseau has been a primary sponsor of the team’s No. 15 Indy car entry in Toronto since 2015.” Full release at the link. See the livery on our No. 15 livery page here. – RLL – (7/9/2018)

Ferrucci suspended for next two Formula 2 weekends after crashing into teammate after race – Wild news out of Formula 2 this weekend as former Dale Coyne Racing Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Santino Ferrucci has been handed a two-race weekend suspension by the FIA for at the very least running into his teammate on track after a race at Silverstone and then skipping a hearing about it afterwards. Many more rumors are circulating about Ferrucci and his father after this weekend. “Following today’s FIA Formula 2 Championship Sprint Race, it was found that Trident’s Santino Ferrucci was in breach of multiple regulations throughout the race. Firstly, following his contact with Arjun Maini on the cooldown lap of the race, it was determined that Ferrucci deliberately drove into the rear of his teammate – breaching the Sporting Regulations. After the stewards had heard testimony from the team that this was a premeditated incident, Ferrucci was summoned to the hearing but declined to attend. As a consequence, the American driver has been suspended from the next two FIA Formula 2 Championship rounds – meaning he will not be permitted to participate in both Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps – and has also been given a fine of €60,000.” Full release at the link. – Formula 2 – (7/9/2018)

The Open Wheel’s livery gallery from Iowa – The Open Wheel’s livery gallery of each of the Verizon IndyCar Series cars from the 2018 Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/8/2018)

Hinch wins the Iowa Corn 300 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe won the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway with a pass of Josef Newgarden in the final stint. The rest of the Top 5 was Pigot, Sato, Newgarden, and Wickens. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/8/2018)

Lights liveries from Iowa – The Open Wheel’s livery gallery from the 2018 Indy Lights Mazda Iowa 100 Presented by Cooper Tires at Iowa Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/8/2018)

O’Ward leads start to finish in Lights win at Iowa – Andretti Autosport’s Patricio O’Ward led from start to finish to win the Indy Lights race at Iowa Speedway from pole. The rest of the Top 5 was Herta, Urruita, Norman, and Kellett. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/8/2018)

Report: Still too early to rule McLaren out for ’19 – Bruce Martin reports for AUTOWEEK that it’s still too early to say that McLaren definitely won’t have a team in the IndyCar Series in 2019. “I was in communication with Zak this weekend and he told me those rumors are ‘crap.’ That’s what I’ve heard most recently and that is all I know at this point,” Mark Miles told Autoweek at Iowa Speedway. “I inquired when I saw the rumor and I got a reply from Zak when I inquired about that. Full story at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/8/2018)

Power earns the pole for Iowa Corn 300 – Team Penske’s Will Power won the pole for the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway with a two-lap average at 182.391mph. The rest of the Top 5 in qualifying was Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, and Rossi. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/7/2018)

Digital displays will not be back for Iowa or Toronto – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports the digital displays for scoring on the cars of the Verizon IndyCar Series will not be back for upcoming races at Iowa Speedway or the Streets of Toronto. Full story at the link. – RACER – (7/5/2018)

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