News for the Week of March 6, 2017 – March 12, 2017

Bourdais goes worst to first in dominant win at St. Pete – Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais started last after a crash in qualifying but used savvy strategy and a dominant drive to win the first race of the Verizon IndyCar Series season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The rest of the Top 5 was Pagenaud, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, and Sato. Relive the race with our live blog here. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (3/12/2017)

Herta dominates Lights Race 2 with win at St. Pete – Andretti Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta led every lap and won Indy Lights Race 2 at St. Pete. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, O’Ward, Kaiser, and Telitz. Relive the race with our live blog here. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (3/12/2017)

Dixon fastest but RHR crashes during morning warmup at St. Pete – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon’s lap of 1:01.9292 was fastest in the Verizon IndyCar Series morning warmup at St. Pete. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Pagenaud, Pigot, and Rahal. Hunter-Reay crashed hard in the session after a brake failure. View the incident here. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (3/12/2017)

Daly visor cam from St. Pete – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam series continues with Conor Daly at St. Pete. – INDYCAR – (3/12/2017)

Telitz dominates Indy Lights debut with Race 1 win at St. Pete – Belardi Auto Racing rookie Aaron Telitz led all 35 laps and won Race 1 of the Indy Lights season at St. Pete by over 11 seconds. The rest of the Top 5 was Herta, Alberico, Blackstock, and O’Ward. Last year’s championship runner up Santi Urrutia had to pit early after contact on Lap 1 and finished P13. Full Race 1 results here. – Indy Lights – (3/11/2017)

Power wins the pole for Firestone GP of St. Pete – Team Penske’s Will Power once again won the pole for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a lap of 1:01.0640. The rest of the Firestone Fast 6 starting order will be Dixon, Hinchcliffe, Newgarden, Sato, and Kanaan. Bourdais made contact with the tire barrier in Round 1 in this incident. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (3/11/2017)

Team Penske announces Montoya will run BOTH IMS races – Team Penske owner Roger Penske announced that Juan Pablo Montoya will drive a fifth entry for the team in the IndyCar Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in addition to the previously announced effort for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – INDYCAR – (3/11/2017)

St. Pete qualifying groups – The qualifying groups of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg are available at the link. – INDYCAR – (3/11/2017)

Fuzzy’s Vodka unveils special 101st Indy 500 bottle – Fuzzy’s Vodka has unveiled a new commemorative bottle for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Check it out at the link. – Fuzzy’s Vodka – (3/11/2017)

Dixon fastest again in Practice 3 at St. Pete – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon had the fastest lap of Verizon IndyCar Series Practice 3 at St. Pete with a lap of 1:01.6240. The rest of the Top 5 was Hinchcliffe, Rossi, Chilton, and Bourdais. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (3/11/2017)

Herta takes the pole for Lights Race 2 at St. Pete – Andretti Autosport rookie Colton Herta won the pole for Indy Lights Race 2 at St. Pete with a lap of 1:06.5465. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Kellett, O’Ward, and Kaiser. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (3/11/2017)

Dixon tops the charts in Practice 2 at St. Pete – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon’s lap of 1:02.5591 was fastest in Verizon IndyCar Series Practice 2 at St. Pete. The rest of the Top 5 was Power, Kanaan, Kimball, and Bourdais. Takuma Sato made hard contact with the wall in the session and you can see the incident here. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (3/10/2017)

Telitz wins the pole for Lights Race 1 at St. Pete – Belardi Auto Racing rookie Aaron Telitz won the pole for Indy Lights Race 1 at St. Pete with a lap of 1:07.5844. The rest of the Top 5 was Kaiser, Piedrahita, Leist, and Herta. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (3/10/2017)

INDYCAR announces Chevrolet and Honda extensions – “INDYCAR continues building momentum and solidifying its future by today announcing that manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda have signed multiyear contract extensions to supply engines for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The announcement follows those earlier this year that chassis maker Dallara and tire supplier Firestone have also signed multiyear extensions, meaning all four major manufacturers have committed to the sport.” “This is a unique moment in the recent history of the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations. “To have all of our major manufacturers locked in with us for the foreseeable future points to the fact that they all have bought into the vision for the Verizon IndyCar Series. It’s another sign of the positive momentum we continue to build as we grow this sport into the next decade.” Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (3/10/2017)

Andretti fastest in Practice 1 at St. Pete – Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti was fastest in Verizon IndyCar Series Practice 1 at St. Pete with a lap of 1:03.7559. The rest of the Top 5 was Kanaan, Dixon, Hinchcliffe, and Pagenaud. Will Power made contact with the wall in the session and you can see the incident here. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (3/10/2017)

O’Ward paces the field in Lights Practice 1 at St. Pete – Team Pelfrey rookie Pato O’Ward’s lap of 1:08:3806 was fastest in Indy Lights Practice 1 at St. Pete. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Herta, Jamin, and Kellett. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (3/10/2017)

INDYCAR modifies Turn 3 at St. Pete after issues Thursday – “Turn 3 of the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit for the 2017 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has been reconfigured, INDYCAR announced today. The corner has been a fast, sweeping right-hand turn in recent years, but INDYCAR officials, in conjunction with Green Savoree Racing Promotions, decided to make modifications after several cars competing in Thursday’s support series practices crested a bump and lost control in the ensuing depression. Approximately 180 feet of wall on the drivers’ left side has been moved back almost 40 feet. On the right side, curbing has been installed, which changes the apex and makes the corner a slower, traditional braking area.” Full report at the link. – NBC Sports – (3/10/2017)

INDYCAR working on solution for new brake concerns – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has a report on anxiety and solutions related to high temperature concerns for the new brakes in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017. INDYCAR is allowing a cooling solution to be used in practice on Friday that is hoped to resolve the issue. Full report at the link. – RACER – (3/9/2017)

New IndyStar piece on Rossi – Newly reassigned Indianapolis Star INDYCAR/motorsports insider Jim Ayello has a great new piece on Alexander Rossi as he enters his second year in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Includes a great perspective into his mentality after his astonishing win in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Too good to shorten. – Indianapolis Star – (3/9/2017)

Schlereth named Grand Marshal for St. Pete – “Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is pleased to announce Mark Schlereth, a three-time Super Bowl Champion and former Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos guard, as Grand Marshal of this weekend’s season-opening Verizon IndyCar Series race, March 10-12th.” Full release at the link. – GP of St. Pete – (3/9/2017)

The Open Wheel’s St. Pete preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the INDYCAR weekend at St. Pete is available at the link. It features all of the relevant weekend information, previews and predictions for both Indy Lights and the Verizon IndyCar Series, fantasy advice, and more. – The Open Wheel – (3/9/2017)

The Light Side Episode 1 – Episode 1 of The Light Side, The Open Wheel’s new Indy Lights podcast, is a preview of the 2017 Indy Lights season. Editor of The Open Wheel Dylan Reynolds breaks down the teams and drivers in the series this year, talks preseason testing, and previews this weekend’s event at St. Pete. The podcast is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (3/9/2017)

Aero kit freeze major cost savings for manufacturers – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has an excellent piece on the ramifications and cost savings for the manufacturers due to the aero kit freeze in the Verizon IndyCar Series for 2017. Full story at the link. – RACER – (3/8/2017)

INDYCAR announces partnership with Disney and Andretti Autosport – “INDYCAR announced today that it will team up with Disney Junior’s newest hit series “Mickey and the Roadster Racers” to deliver youth and family entertainment for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season…As part of the program, Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will lead the team’s participation as teammates Marco Andretti, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato help share the racing excitement by participating in special “Mickey and the Roadster Racers Pit Stop” events at three Verizon IndyCar Series races – the series’ kickoff at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 12, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9 and the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.” Full details at the link. – INDYCAR – (3/8/2017)

Steve Miller Band to headline Carb Day concert at IMS – “The legendary Steve Miller Band will headline the Miller Lite Carb Day concert Friday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller will shift race weekend for the 101st Indianapolis 500 into high gear with hit songs that defined a generation of American music…Grammy-nominated Canadian rock icons Barenaked Ladies will open the concert, which is free with a general admission ticket to Miller Lite Carb Day. Tickets are available for purchase at www.IMS.com/CarbDay.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (3/8/2017)

Miller’s Mailbag 3/8/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (3/8/2017)

St. Pete Indy Lights entry list posted – The entry list for the Indy Lights Mazda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Cooper Tires has been posted and is available at the link. It features all 14 confirmed full-time entries in the series as well as Pato O’Ward in Team Pelfrey’s No. 3 entry which is confirmed for only St. Pete. – Indy Lights – (3/8/2017)

Trackside podcast 3/7/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 3/7/17 is a great listen as always. The pair preview’s this weekend’s season opener at St. Pete and they’re joined by numerous guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (3/8/2017)

St. Pete spotter guide posted – The spotter guide for the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has been posted and is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (3/7/2017)

St. Pete entry list posted – The entry list for the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has been posted and is available at the link. It features all 21 confirmed full-time entries in the series. – INDYCAR – (3/7/2017)

Marotti working on Indy 500 entry again for ’17 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that pastor Will Marotti is working on an entry for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race after a last year’s first run with a Marotti Racing/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports effort for Oriol Servia. This year’s attempt is a crowdfunding effort for the “God Bless America Special”. Full story at the link and see the crowdfunding page here. – RACER – (3/6/2017)

Confirmed: GE to be primary sponsor on Dixon’s car at St. Pete – SBJ’s Adam Stern has confirmed that GE’s LED lighting brand will serve as the primary sponsor for Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s No. 9 entry for Scott Dixon at St. Pete. See the livery on our No. 9 livery page here. Update: Announced by Chip Ganassi Racing Teams here. – SBJ – (3/6/2017)

Howard named driver of SPM No. 77 entry for Indy 500 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has announced that Jay Howard will drive the team’s previously announced No. 77 entry with support of the Tony Stewart Foundation for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. – INDYCAR – (3/6/2017)

Colton Herta to throw first pitch at Yankees spring training game – “Though Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta has already participated in his own version of Spring Training with the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tries series, he and Steinbrenner Racing’s team president George Michael Steinbrenner IV will join the New York Yankees in theirs at the March 7 game versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Taking to the mound at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to throw the game’s first pitch, Herta will help kick off an afternoon full of motorsport and baseball fun for fans attending the game.” Full release at the link. – Andretti Autosport – (3/6/2017)

Report: Dixon’s car to feature GE as primary sponsor at St. Pete – 1070 The Fan’s Tony Donohue reports GE will be the primary sponsor on Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s No. 9 car for Scott Dixon at St. Pete. – Tony Donohue – (3/6/2017)

Indy Lights announces new push-to-pass system for ’17 – Indy Lights will feature a new push-to-pass system in 2017. “What we’ve done this year is we worked on last year’s (push-to-pass package), figuring out if we can use it through the timing lines (in the tracks) and the transponder (in the car),” says race director for Indy Lights Tony Cotman. “We’ve kind of adopted a little bit of the DRS (drag reduction system) from Formula One – where if you are within one second of the car in front, the DRS automatically opens up the rear wing. For us, it’s similar. You have to be within one second of the car in front to activate it and then it’s up to the driver to hit the button and decide if he wants to use it. So whenever you’re within a second to the car in front, the dash flashes and tells you it’s there if you want it, based on where you are on the track, what type of corner it is. If you really want to use it, it’s your choice.” Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (3/3/2017)

IMS announces spectator camping options inside facility for GP – “Spectator camping for recreational vehicles and tents will be offered inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the INDYCAR Grand Prix for the first time this May, providing fans with an unforgettable experience and spectacular viewing opportunities. Camping will be available in a variety of prime spots adjacent to the infield portion of the road course for the Verizon IndyCar Series race May 12-13 at IMS. Prices for three-night camping Thursday, May 11, Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13 will be $125 per tent spot and range from $150-$300 for each RV spot. INDYCAR Grand Prix general admission tickets for Friday and Saturday also are required for all infield campers age 16 and over.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (3/2/2017)

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