News for the Week of June 20, 2016 – June 26, 2016
Road America confirms 2017 INDYCAR date – Per Road America’s Twitter account, INDYCAR will return to Road America next year for the KOHLER Grand Prix on June 25th, 2017. – Road America – (6/26/2016)
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Power dominates in KOHLER Grand Prix win – Team Penske’s Will Power won from pole in dominant fashion in the Verizon IndyCar’s return to Road America for the KOHLER Grand Prix. The rest of the Top 5 was Kanaan, Rahal, Hunter-Reay, and Castroneves. Scott Dixon dropped out of the race early with mechanical problems but late engine problems for Simon Pagenaud caused him to drop from P2 to P13 so the damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been for Dixon. Full race results here. – INDYCAR – (6/26/2016)
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Urrutia wins wild Lights Race 2 at Road America – An early morning barrage of rain caused a wet start to Indy Lights Race 2 at Road America and Santiago Urrutia thrived in the resulting craziness to score his second win of the season. The rest of the Top 5 was Negrao, Veach, Claman De Melo, and Blackstock. Full race results here. – Indy Lights – (6/26/2016)
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Jones earns pole for Lights Race 2 at Road America – Carlin’s Ed Jones won the pole for Indy Lights Race 2 at Road America. The rest of the Top 5 in the starting order will be Urruita, Veach, Negrao, and Stoneman. Full starting grid at the link. – Indy Lights – (6/26/2016)
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Power wins pole for KOHLER Grand Prix – Team Penske’s Will Power won the pole for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America with a lap of 1:42.2105. The rest of the Firestone Fast 6 finishing order was Dixon, Kanaan, Pagenaud, Castroneves, and Rahal. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (6/25/2016)
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Veach dominates in Lights Race 1 win at Road America – Belardi Auto Racing’s Zach Veach won his first Indy Lights race of the season in Race 1 at Road America by leading all 20 laps. The rest of the Top 5 was Stoneman, Serralles, Jones, and Claman De Melo. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (6/25/2016)
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Kanaan fastest in third practice at Road America – Tony Kanaan’s lap of 1:42.6580 was the fastest lap of the third Verizon IndyCar Series practice session for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. The rest of the Top 5 was Dixon, Power, Chilton, and Pagenaud. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/25/2016)
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Newgarden cleared for the rest of the weekend at Road America – From INDYCAR: “Following a post-practice evaluation @josefnewgarden has been cleared to compete the rest of the #KohlerGP weekend.” – INDYCAR – (6/24/2016)
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Rahal quickest in second practice at Road America – Graham Rahal’s lap of 1:43.0224 was fastest time in Practice 2 for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. The rest of the Top 5 was Power, Kanaan, Montoya, Munoz. Josef Newgarden turned 15 laps and appears poised to continue for the rest of the weekend. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/24/2016)
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Firestone 600 competition plan announced – “INDYCAR announced today its plan for resuming the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway that was suspended June 12 after completing 71 of its scheduled 248 laps. The Verizon IndyCar Series race will be completed Aug. 27. The No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda driven by Conor Daly and No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden will not be permitted to participate in the continuation due to the extensive chassis and engine damage each sustained in a crash on Lap 42. James Hinchcliffe of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is the race leader after 71 laps. Cars continuing in the race will be permitted to use the chassis and engine of their choice for the completion day. Tire allotment and fuel quantity for the completion are yet to be determined. Pre-race aero setups from the June event will be mandatory for the August completion, though INDYCAR may make changes prior to the completion based on the weather forecast for race weekend. The remaining 177 race laps will be run at the conclusion of the Aug. 27 schedule.” – INDYCAR – (6/24/2016)
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Veach fastest in Lights qualifying and wins Race #1 pole at Road America – Belardi Auto Racing’s Zach Veach’s lap of 1:52.9410 was fastest in Indy Lights qualifying at Road America and won the pole for Race #1 on Saturday. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Jones, Negrao, and Stoneman. Full results at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/24/2016)
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Pagenaud grabs P1 in first practice at Road America – Team Penske’s championship leader Simon Pagenaud turned the fastest lap of Verizon IndyCar Series KOHLER Grand Prix Practice 1 with a lap of 1:43.4804. The rest of the Top 5 was Munoz, Hawksworth, Dixon, and Kanaan. Josef Newgarden turned 15 laps in the session as he and his crew tested his situation while recovering from injuries suffered in his incident at Texas Motor Speedway. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (6/24/2016)
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Veach leads the way in only Indy Lights practice session at Road America – Belardi Auto Racing’s Zach Veach topped the charts in the only Indy Lights practice session of the weekend at Road America with a lap of 1:52.6804. The rest of the Top 5 was Jones, Serralles, Negrao, and Urrutia. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (6/24/2016)
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Newgarden cleared for Friday practice at Road America – “Verizon IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgarden has been cleared to participate in Friday’s practice sessions for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. Newgarden will be re-evaluated following practice to determine a course of action for the remainder of the race weekend. Should Newgarden not be able to participate in the KOHLER Grand Prix, Ed Carpenter Racing will have JR Hildebrand at Road America to drive the No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet.” – Ed Carpenter Racing – (6/23/2016)
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Rosenqvist confirms he’s missing Road America and Iowa due to other commitments – Motorsport.com reports that Belardi Auto Racing’s Indy Lights rookie Felix Rosenqvist will miss the race weekend at Road America due to his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver in DTM. He will also miss Iowa as he’s “away on other commitments”. “We’ve known from the outset that there was a possibility of certain clashes this season, so it’s something we’ve all been aware of and have planned for,” Rosenqvist explained. – Motorsport.com – (6/23/2016)
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The Open Wheel’s Road America preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the INDYCAR weekend at Road America includes all the relevant weekend information, Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights stats, history, and predictions, as well as fantasy advice. Check it out at the link. – The Open Wheel – (6/23/2016)
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100k expected for INDYCAR at Road America – The Sheboygan Press reports that Road America officials are expecting around 100,000 people in attendance for the four-day INDYCAR weekend at their circuit. “The fans are ecstatic about it,” said John Ewert, communications director with Road America. “We’re expecting an impressive crowd.” – Sheboygan Press – (6/23/2016)
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Rossi and Dixon nominated for “Best Driver” ESPY – “Andretti-Herta Autosport rookie, Alexander Rossi has been nominated for the 2016 ESPY award “Best Driver” for his fuel-saving victory at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Rossi, a California-native, was also awarded the Fastest Rookie and Rookie of the Year honors for the 2016 Indianapolis 500. The 24-year-old became only the 10th rookie ever to win the 500-mile race in its history; the first since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and the first American rookie since Louis Meyer in 1928.” Verizon IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon is also a candidate. Vote at ESPYS.com. – Andretti Autosport – (6/23/2016)
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KOHLER Grand Prix spotter guide is posted – The spotter guide for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America has been posted by INDYCAR. It features the orange/white DeVilbiss livery for Montoya in the No. 2, a yellow Clorox livery for Dixon in the No. 9, a blue Direct Supply livery for the No. 21 car that Newgarden hopes to return to this weekend. Full spotter guide at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/22/2016)
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Miller’s Mailbag 6/22/16 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (6/22/2016)
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Trackside podcast 6/21/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 6/21/16 is a great listen as always. The pair discusses all the latest Verizon IndyCar Series news and previews this weekend’s KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. – 1070 The Fan – (6/22/2016)
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Newgarden included on KOHLER Grand Prix entry list – Ed Carpenter Racing’s Josef Newgarden is listed as the driver for the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing entry for the Verizon IndyCar Series KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. That’s a good sign for his status this weekend as he recovers from injuries suffered in his scary incident with Conor Daly at Texas Motor Speedway. However, Ed Carpenter Racing states that a final decision has not been made. Gabby Chaves remains in the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing entry. Full entry list at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/21/2016)
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Hinch visor cam from Watkins Glen – INDYCAR’s excellent series of visor cam videos continues with James Hinchcliffe at the Firestone Tire Test at Watkins Glen International. See the video here or at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/21/2016)
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French and Grist highlight Road America Indy Lights entry list – Garett Grist and James French will make their Indy Lights debuts this weekend at Road America for Team Pelfrey and Belardi Auto Racing. While there are two new drivers on the grid there are only 14 entries this weekend from a high of 16 as Rosenqvist, Hargrove, Enerson, and the SPM No. 77 (Anderson/Choi) are out. See the full Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Cooper Tires entry list at the link. – Indy Lights – (6/21/2016)
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Dixon’s No. 9 to feature Clorox livery at Road America – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ No. 9 car for Scott Dixon will feature a bright yellow Clorox livery for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America this weekend. See the livery on our No. 9 livery page here. – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams – (6/21/2016)
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Records set to fall after WGI test – After the Firestone Tire Test at Watkins Glen International yesterday it’s extremely likely that Ryan Briscoe’s Verizon IndyCar Series record lap of 1:28.1322 will fall when the series heads there for Labor Day Weekend. Rumored times were as low as the 1:25’s yesterday. “I think it’s going to be incredibly physical,” James Hinchcliffe said. “You do have some long straights to rest, which helps, but you have some incredible high-G corners – and a lot of them. Turn 1’s really fast, the esses are really fast, the bus stop is fast, Turn 5 is fast, 6 is fast, 7’s pretty quick – actually pretty much other than Turn 9, they’re all fast corners here…It beats you up, man. It’s going to be really physical, especially on reds (Firestone alternate tires). I can only imagine what that’s going to be like. Definitely will be hitting the weight room before we get here.” Photo gallery in addition to more quotes at the link. – INDYCAR – (6/21/2016)
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Newgarden hopes to be back in the car at Road America – RACER’s Robin Miller reports that Josef Newgarden is still hoping to be racing in this weekend’s KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. Miller states that Newgarden’s meeting with his surgeon on Tuesday could determine his fate. JR Hildebrand is tabbed to fill in for the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing machine if Newgarden can’t drive. – RACER – (6/20/2016)
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Tight schedule puts extra workload on INDYCAR teams – ESPN’s John Oreovicz has a piece on how the compressed May to June Verizon IndyCar Series schedule has kept teams and crew members extremely busy. It’s an interesting piece full of drivers’ insight. “The crew, through the month of May, I think had only three days off, and then it’s straight into a doubleheader,” said Scott Dixon. “I think the series needs to reevaluate in-season testing, just because we are so compressed during the year. Maybe they could go back to when we weren’t allowed to do in-season testing, or they could take away the seven-day blackout at tracks and let us run the week of the race, maybe on the Thursday or something.” – ESPN – (6/20/2016)
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Five drivers set for Watkins Glen tire test on Monday – Per INDYCAR’s testing calendar on their media site, five Verizon IndyCar Series drivers will test on Monday, June 20th at Watkins Glen International as part of a Firestone Tire Test. The five drives are Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Helio Castroneves, and Simon Pagenaud. – INDYCAR – (6/20/2016)
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Bourdais and Bell score class wins at Le Mans – Sebastien Bourdais was part of the GTE-Pro winning team in the No. 68 Ford Chip Ganassi Team US Ford GT in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. Townsend Bell drove for the GTE-Am winning combination in the No. 62 Scuderia Corsa. Scott Dixon scored a podium in the No. 69 Ford Chip Ganassi Team US Ford GT alongside Ryan Briscoe. The fourth Verizon IndyCar Series driver in the field, Mikhail Aleshin, finished 7th in the P2 category and 11th overall in the No. 27 SMP Racing entry. – NBC Sports – (6/19/2016)
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Hinch and Rahal visor cams from Road America – INDYCAR’s excellent series of visor cam videos continues with James Hinchcliffe and Graham Rahal from the Verizon IndyCar Series test at Road America on Wednesday. – INDYCAR – (6/17/2016)
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Keselowski tests Verizon IndyCar Series car with Penske at Road America – Team Penske NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski took Simon Pagenaud’s car for a spin during the Verizon IndyCar Series test at Road America on Wednesday. Here is a video of him taking off in the car. “First thing I told Simon is he has a very secure job, at least from me,” Keselowski said after the test. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his team, everyone at Team Penske. This 22 Menards team, they did a great job today and I had a lot of fun going with them. Simon was fast, really fast and gave me a good rabbit to chase. I learned a ton today and had a lot of fun. I’ve got to let it soak in here to think about all of it.” – INDYCAR – (6/15/2016)
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RLL announces Gehl as primary sponsor for No. 15 at Road America – “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that the Gehl brand, part of Manitou Americas, Inc. has returned as co-primary sponsor of the team’s No. 15 Verizon IndyCar Series entry for Graham Rahal in the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America June 24-26. The official name of the entry will be the No. 15 Gehl / D-A Lubricant Honda.” See the livery on our No. 15 livery page here. – RLL – (6/15/2016)
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