News for the Week of August 21, 2017 – August 27, 2017

The Open Wheel’s Saturday Gateway photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from Saturday at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (8/26/2017)

Newgarden wins at Gateway – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden used a brilliant late pass on teammate Simon Pagenaud to win the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Pagenaud, Castroneves, and Daly. Power pass from pole at the start of the race. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (8/26/2017)

Report: Sato to join RLL two-car effort for ’18 – RACER’s Robin Miller and Marshall Pruett are reporting Takuma Sato is expected to join Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season in a two-car effort. Full report at the link. – RACER – (8/26/2017)

Urrutia wins Lights race at Gateway, Kaiser all but seals title – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santi Urrutia won an exciting Indy Lights race at Gateway Motorsports Park. The rest of the Top 5 was Piedrahita, Herta, Kaiser, and Dapero. With his P4 finish, Kaiser only needs to start the Lights finale at Watkins Glen International next weekend to clinch the series title and the three race scholarship for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2018. Full race results here. – Indy Lights – (8/26/2017)

Piedrahita wins Lights pole at Gateway – Team Pelfrey’s Juan Piedrahita won the pole in Indy Lights qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park with a two-lap average at 160.823mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Jamin, Norman, and Kaiser. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (8/26/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Friday Gateway photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s Christy Reynolds’ photo gallery from Friday at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (8/26/2017)

Newgarden tops the charts in Final Practice at Gateway – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden’s lap at 184.079mph topped the charts in Final Practice for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. The rest of the Top 5 was Carpenter, Power, Castroneves, and Rossi. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (8/25/2017)

Urruita fastest in only Lights practice at Gateway – Belardi Auto Racing’s Santi Urrutia was fastest in the only Indy Lights practice of the weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park with a lap at 162.438mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Kellett, Jamin, Piedrahita, and Herta. Championship leader Kaiser was P7. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (8/25/2017)

Power sets new track record and wins pole at Gateway – Team Penske’s Will Power set a new track record and won the pole for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park with a two-lap average of 189.642mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Castroneves, Pagenaud, and Carpenter. Sato was the fastest Honda in P6. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (8/25/2017)

Hinch visor cam from Gateway – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam feature continues with James Hinchcliffe during Practice 1 at Gateway Motorsports Park. – INDYCAR – (8/25/2017)

Power P1 in Practice 1 at Gateway – Team Penske’s Will Power turned the fastest lap in Practice 1 for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park with a lap at 185.551mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Pagenaud, Castroneves, and Jones. Bourdais was P15 in his first official session since his qualifying crash at Indianapolis. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (8/25/2017)

Behind the scenes with INDYCAR spotters – The Indianapolis Star’s Jim Ayello has an excellent piece on Verizon IndyCar Series spotters and the importance of their relationship with their drivers. He followed a few spotters around at Pocono Raceway for the story. Check it out at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (8/24/2017)

The Open Wheel’s Gateway preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the INDYCAR weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. It includes all relevant weekend information, historical stats, predictions, fantasy advice, and more for the Verizon IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 and the Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires. – The Open Wheel – (8/24/2017)

Gutierrez out, Bourdais in for final three races of this season – “Less than 14 weeks after being sidelined following his scary qualifying incident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sebastien Bourdais is returning behind the wheel of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry at this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. Bourdais, who suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and right hip in the incident, made an incredible recovery from his injuries and is returning sooner than anticipated to take part in the final three races of the season… With Bourdais’ return to the cockpit, it means that rookie Esteban Gutierrez will be stepping aside to allow the Frenchman to get back in the car, as planned.” Full release at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (8/23/2017)

Miller’s Mailbag 8/23/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (8/23/2017)

Trackside podcast 8/22/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 8/22/17 is a great listen as always. Gateway Motorsports Park’s Chris Blair is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (8/23/2017)

Gateway spotter guide – The spotter guide for the Verizon IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (8/22/2017)

Gateway entry list – The entry list for the Verizon IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (8/22/2017)

Lights entry list for Gateway – The entry list for the Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires at Gateway Motorsports Park is available at the link. – Indy Lights – (8/22/2017)

Weeklong St. Louis Speed Festival is underway – The series of events Gateway Motorsports Park has organized in St. Louis in the buildup to its INDYCAR event this weekend is underway. Check out the full release at the link for the calendar of events. – Gateway Motorsports Park – (8/22/2017)

Monday Musings: Pocono – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ Monday Musings piece on the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (8/21/2017)

SPM confirms ride for Harvey at WGI and Sonoma – “Verizon IndyCar Series team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) has named a driver for the final two races of the 2017 season with Jack Harvey. The Lincolnshire, U.K. native will pilot the No.7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports AutoNation Sirius XM Honda at Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway. The INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen and the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma will mark the 24-year-old’s second and third career IndyCar starts, respectively, and see Harvey rejoin the team with whom he captured six wins and 18 podium finishes in Indy Lights.” Full release at the link. – SPM – (8/21/2017)

Power wins again at Pocono – Team Penske’s Will Power won the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway for the second straight year. Power went a lap down early in the race to replace a front wing assembly, had his rear wing assembly replaced in the middle portion of the race after getting his lap back, and dominated the final portion of the race. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Rossi, Pagenaud, and Kanaan. There were a track-record 42 lead changes. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (8/20/2017)

Report: Harvey to drive SPM No. 7 at WGI and Sonoma – The Indianapolis Star’s Jim Ayello reports Jack Harvey will drive the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports No. 7 car at Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway. Full report at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (8/20/2017)

Harding Racing “100%” full-time for 2018 – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Harding Racing will have at least one full-time car in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2018. “It’s 100 percent we’re going to run one car full-time with Gabby [Chaves] for 2018 and we’re working on sponsorship for a second car and it looks good,” owner Mike Harding told RACER. Harding reports he’s secured one Leader’s Circle entry for next year to help with funding. Full story at the link. – RACER – (8/19/2017)

Wilson unsettled by lack of completed ’18 Indy 500 deal with Andretti – The Indianapolis Star’s Jim Ayello reports Stefan Wilson is unsettled by the fact that his 2018 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race deal with Andretti Autosport hasn’t been completed after he stepped aside for Fernando Alonso earlier this year. Ayello has quotes from both Wilson and team officials from Andretti Autosport. Wilson is still optimistic a deal will be done but has been in communication with other teams in case it doesn’t. Andretti Autosport wasn’t aware of that but they’re confident in the progress of their plans for Wilson and have assured Wilson his car will be equal to the others within the team. Full story at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (8/18/2017)

News From Last Week