News for the Week of May 16, 2016 – May 22, 2016

Hinch wins the pole for 100th Indy 500 – James Hinchcliffe won the pole in dramatic fashion for The 100th Running of The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average of 230.760mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Bell, and Munoz. Tagliani crashed in the session (see story below). Montoya ran over a trash bag slowing his first run but was granted a second attempt due to encountering debris on the track. Full starting grid here. – INDYCAR – (5/22/2016)

Tagliani crashes in Sunday Indy 500 qualifying – Alex Tagliani spun coming out of Turn 4 before the green flag in his Sunday qualifying attempt for The 100th Running of The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Tagliani made heavy contact with the attenuator at the start of pit entry but was subsequently checked, released, and cleared to drive by the medical center. See the spin at the link. – @indy44 – (5/22/2016)

Rossi takes P1 in Sunday pre-qualifying Indy 500 practice – Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi’s lap of 230.064mph topped the charts in Sunday pre-qualifying practice for The 100th Running of The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Power, Montoya, and Dixon. However, Dixon experienced engine troubles at the end of the session and will require a new engine for qualifying. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/22/2016)

Hinchcliffe fastest in Saturday Indy 500 qualifying – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe was fastest in Saturday qualifying for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a 4-lap average speed of 230.946mph. The rest of the Fast 9 gunning for the pole on Sunday will be Hunter-Reay, Power, Castroneves, Bell, Newgarden, Aleshin, Munoz, Pagenaud. Everyone will qualify again on Sunday to set their final starting position between 1-9 and 10-33. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/21/2016)

Pippa spins in Saturday Indy 500 qualifying – Pippa Mann spun in Turn 2 of her Saturday qualifying attempt for The 100th Running of The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. She did make light contact and her car suffered damage. See the spin at the link. – @indy44 – (5/21/2016)

Rossi leads final pre-qualifying Indy 500 practice – Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi’s lap of 231.249mph topped the charts in the final pre-qualifying practice session for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Castroneves, and Power. Rookie Max Chilton crashed hard in Turn 2 and suffered major damage to his car. He’s since been checked, released, and cleared to drive. Kanaan led the no tow report. Full results at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/21/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/20/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/20/16 is a great listen as always. ESPN on ABC’s Allen Bestwick joins the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/21/2016)

Will Power fastest on Indy 500 “Fast Friday” – Team Penske and Will Power have finally reached the top of the charts on the final day of pre-qualification practice for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Power’s lap at 232.672mph was significantly faster than Thursday’s lap times due to the increased amount of boost given to the teams the day before qualifications. The rest of the Top 5 were Newgarden, Hinchcliffe, Munoz, and Andretti. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2016)

Ginger Zee to Host Red Carpet at 100th Indianapolis 500 – “Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” will host a star-studded red carpet prior to the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The Emmy Award-winning Zee also serves as the chief meteorologist for ABC News and reports across all broadcast and digital platforms. Throughout her career at ABC and stations in Chicago and Michigan, she has covered dozens of historic weather events. A graduate of Valparaiso University, Zee has also thrilled millions of viewers this year as a contestant on the current season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”” – IMS – (5/20/2016)

INDYCAR explains Indy 500 qualifying procedures – The INDYCAR post at the link breaks down how qualifying will work for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Long story short, times from Saturday 5/21 will split the field into two groups of positions 1-9 and 10-33. On Sunday each group will qualify separately to set their actual starting position within said groups. The Fast 9 shootout will be live on ABC on Sunday 5/22 at 5PM. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2016)

NAPA to sponsor Andretti Autosport No. 98 for Indy 500 – “Iconic auto parts retailer NAPA AUTO PARTS, in conjunction with NAPA’s major supplier NAPA Balkamp and their supporting vendor partners, has joined with three-time Indy 500 champion Andretti Autosport to sponsor the No. 98 Indy car driven by Alexander Rossi in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Rossi’s No. 98 machine is fielded via collaboration between the Michael Andretti-led organization and Bryan Herta Autosport.” See the livery on our No. 98 livery page here. – NAPA – (5/20/2016)

Red Wings star named Grand Marshal for Belle Isle – “A hometown hero and one of the brightest rising stars in the National Hockey League (NHL) has been named Grand Marshal of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix for Saturday, June 4. Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin will participate in activities throughout the day on Belle Isle, including giving the famous command “Drivers, Start Your Engines” before the start of the first Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans Verizon IndyCar Series race that afternoon (3:30 pm ET on ABC).” – Detroit GP – (5/20/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/19/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/19/16 is a great listen as always. Townsend Bell, Gabby Chaves, and Lauren George join the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/20/2016)

Chaves fastest in Day 4 of Indy 500 practice – Dale Coyne Racing’s Gabby Chaves posted the fastest lap of Day 4 of practice for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with a lap at 227.961mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Bell, Munoz, Daly, and Kimball. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/19/2016)

Indy Star profile on Donald Davidson – The Indianapolis Star’s Zak Keefer wrote a nice piece on Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson. Check it out at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (5/19/2016)

Chris Pine to waive the green flag for Indy 500 – “Chris Pine, star of the globally celebrated “Star Trek” movie franchise, will wave the green flag to start the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.” “In addition to all our stars on the track, the 100th running will feature a major lineup of stars off the track,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles. “We’re thrilled to welcome Chris Pine to our flag stand, where he will officially get our epic race under way by waving the green flag.” – INDYCAR – (5/19/2016)

INDYCAR happy with effects of new safety devices following Pigot crash – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that INDYCAR is happy with how their new safety devices affected the results of Spencer Pigot’s crash on Wednesday. “We’re quite happy to see a lot of tire smoke; we didn’t see a lot of that last year,” Tino Belli, IndyCar’s director of aerodynamic development told RACER. “We think that was the dome skid. We need to go through all of the data to correlate it…Last year when we hit the wall, it tended to fall down on the left-front [tire], but in this crash, you can see the back of the car is down, and that’s where we think the flaps are pushing down on the back of the car. It’s pretty impressive.” – RACER – (5/19/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/18/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/18/16 is a great listen as always. IMS Production’s Rich Feinberg and driver Conor Daly join the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/19/2016)

RHR fastest in Day 3 of Indy 500 practice – Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay’s lap of 228.202mph topped the charts in Day 3 of practice for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Munoz, Power, Newgarden, and Chaves. Rookie Spencer Pigot crashed in the practice (see more below). Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2016)

“Driven: James Hinchcliffe” is released – “Follow along with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe on his long fight back to INDYCAR competition a year after his life-threatening crash in Indianapolis 500 practice.” Video at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2016)

Pigot crashes on Day 3 of Indy 500 practice – “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Spencer Pigot became the first driver to crash in 2016 Indianapolis 500 practice. The driver of the No. 16 RLL/Mi-Jack/Manitowac Honda made contact with the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier. He was checked at the IU Health Emergency Medical Center, was released and cleared to drive.” Video at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2016)

Pat McAfee’s ShirtsForAmerica.com to sponsor DCR No. 18 – “Conor Daly and Dale Coyne Racing are teaming up with Indianapolis Colts star player Pat McAfee for this year’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with McAfee’s company ShirtsForAmerica.com joining as primary sponsor on the American-themed #18 car driven by Daly. McAfee’s recently launched ShirtsForAmerica.com company was born from two ideas. One, to help an Indiana driver at this year’s Indy 500 and the other, to help two military foundations.” Watch the announcement here and buy the shirts here. See the livery on our No. 18 livery page here. – Dale Coyne Racing – (5/18/2016)

Chevy uses final ’16 aero kit development box – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has put together an excellent piece on the fact that “Chevy has used its third and final aero kit development box for 2016 with a new addition to its superspeedway front wing package. Chevy’s aerodynamic team has reworked its front-wing endplate (FWEP) design in numerous ways, starting with a move away from the curved floor profile seen 2015 (BELOW).” Great pictures and descriptions at the link. – RACER – (5/18/2016)

Miller’s Mailbag 5/18/16 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (5/18/2016)

Grace confirms it won’t have an entry for the ’16 500 – “Grace Autosport announced today that it will not compete in this year’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016. Over the past year the Grace Autosport team was able to assemble a manufacturer partner, sponsor partners, educational partners, funding, driver and crew members, but the missing component was a viable race car to compete in the May race, despite great interest in the program. The reality of the shortage of feasible cars is reflected in only 33 cars entered for the 100th Running of the Indy 500 this year.” – NBC Sports – (5/18/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/17/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/17/16 is a great listen as always. INDYCAR President of Competition Jay Frye joins the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/18/2016)

Hot Wheels creates replica Borg-Warner Trophy – “Hot Wheels, the iconic maker of scale die-cast toy cars for nearly a half-century, is helping commemorate the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil with the unveiling today of the Hot Wheels Indy 500 Championship Trophy…Standing approximately 9 feet tall, the Hot Wheels Indy 500 Championship Trophy has 99 one-64th scale cars representing each of the previous Indianapolis 500 races. The base of the trophy is wrapped with the famed Hot Wheels orange track representing the competition that runs through every car.” – INDYCAR – (5/18/2016)

Day 2 of Indy 500 practice washed out – “Day 2 of practice for the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil was rained out. Track activity will resume on Wednesday at noon with gates opening at 10 a.m. General admission tickets are $15.” – IMS – (5/17/2016)

INDYCAR WGI tickets go on sale 5/18 – “Less than a week after announcing the return of the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights to Watkins Glen International during Labor Day weekend, September 1-4, the iconic road course is set to go on sale with tickets to the general public. On Wednesday, May 18 at 9 a.m., fans will be able to purchase general admission tickets and camping spots for the INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen, the series’ first visit to New York since 2010.” – WGI – (5/17/2016)

Trackside podcast 5/16/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/16/16 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/17/2016)

Marco tops the charts in Day 1 of 500 practice – Marco Andretti led an Andretti Autosport Top 4 with a lap of 228.978 in the first official practice for The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The rest of the Top 5 was Munoz, Hunter-Reay, Rossi, and Dixon. 1474 laps were turned on the day with no incidents. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/16/2016)

ROP goes according to plan for 500 rookies – Matthew Brabham, Max Chilton, Spencer Pigot, Alexander Rossi, and Stefan Wilson all had successful sessions during rookie orientation practice when the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday. All five passed the first two of the three phases in the session and only Brabham and Wilson had work to do but appeared to be on schedule by the end of the day. – RACER – (5/16/2016)

Attendance and TV ratings up for GP of Indy – The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that both attendance and TV ratings were up over last year for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. ABC’s telecast of the event drew a 0.78 rating compared to 0.69 last year. – IBJ – (5/16/2016)

Larson still wants to run the 500 (someday) – Kyle Larson: “I would love to [race the Indianapolis 500]. I was always a big fan growing up, mainly I think because my dad is a big Indy 500 and IndyCar fan. To me, this is the biggest race in the world by far, so I would love to race it some day.” – Motorsport.com – (5/16/2016)

Marco sports new helmet as tribute to Mario – Marco Andretti’s helmet for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race features a throwback livery to Mario Andretti’s 500 winning 1969 helmet that incorporates the look of an open-faced helmet. Pictures of the helmet are available at the link. – RACER – (5/16/2016)

Hinch to appear on Steve Harvey show – James Hinchcliffe recently recorded a segment for the Steve Harvey show that will air this summer. “Steve’s hilarious,” Hinchcliffe said. “We got to meet him and know him a little bit for the ‘Family Feud’ taping.“Steve’s hilarious,” Hinchcliffe said. “We got to meet him and know him a little bit for the ‘Family Feud’ taping.” – INDYCAR – (5/16/2016)

UFD to sponsor No. 26 at Indy 500 – Andretti Autosport announced on Monday that United Fiber & Data will sponsor their No. 26 machine for Carlos Munoz for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. See the livery on our No. 26 livery page here. – Andretti Autosport – (5/16/2016)

52 Week Rankings 5/16/16 – Our reoccurring feature at The Open Wheel continues with the production of Verizon IndyCar Series point standings over the last 52 weeks of the calendar. All points are accumulated based on what the driver earned in applicable races via the standard Verizon IndyCar Series points system. Date equity continues to make this relevant as last year’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis fell off the rankings and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is next up on the 2016 schedule and the next race to fall off of these rankings. Simon Pagenaud’s hot streak has resulted into him surging into the third spot in the rankings behind only Dixon and Montoya. – The Open Wheel – (5/16/2016)

Indy 500 entry list is posted – INDYCAR has posted the entry list for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. It features no major surprises as there are only 33 cars on the list and it does include Buddy Lazier in the No. 4 Lazier/Burns Racing machine. – INDYCAR – (5/16/2016)

Kimball to change to No. 42 for Indy 500 – Charlie Kimball will change to No. 42 for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race as part of a promotion by his team and sponsor, Tresiba. Both Kimball and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kyle Larson will drive a No. 42 Tresiba car on Memorial Day weekend largely due to the insulin product lasting 42 hours. “Every time I climb in the car, I know I am racing for more than myself,’’ Kimball said. “I’m representing Chip and the team, I’m representing Novo Nordisk and I’m trying to show the diabetes community that living with diabetes shouldn’t stand in the way of your dreams.’’ See the livery on our No. 42 livery page here. – Indianapolis Star – (5/16/2016)

Lazier confirmed to drive his No. 4 car in 500 effort – RACER’s Robin Miller confirmed that Buddy Lazier will drive the No. 4 car for Lazier Burns Racing in an effort to make the 100th Running for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Buddy’s father, Bob, says the team is in a much better position to perform this year thanks to new partner Dan Burns, “We’re still trying to sell a couple of $25,000 sponsorships because it’s an expensive proposition but we’re in much better shape this year than we were last year, when Buddy just had no chance,” said Lazier. “People say Buddy is too old (48) but I promise you he’s in great shape and still has that competitive fire in him.” – RACER – (5/16/2016)

Pagenaud wins Angie’s List GP of Indy for third straight victory – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won his third straight Verizon IndyCar Series race with a victory at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Hinchcliffe, Rahal, and Kimball. Full results here. Relive the race with our live blog here. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2016)

Stoneman grabs first career Lights win in Race 2 at IMS – Andretti Autosport rookie Dean Stoneman grabbed the first victory of his Indy Lights career in Race 2 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Kaiser, Jones, and Serralles. Full results here. – The Open Wheel – (5/14/2016)

No. 29 livery officially unveiled – Andretti Autosport unveiled the livery for the No. 29 machine to be driven by Townsend Bell in an effort for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. California Pizza Kitchen joins longtime personal sponsor of Bell, Robert Graham, on the car. See the livery on our No. 29 livery page here. – The Open Wheel – (5/14/2016)

Jones wins Lights Race 1 at IMS – Carlin’s Ed Jones won Race 1 of the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis in dramatic fashion after a late restart. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Stoneman, Rosenqvist, and Veach. Jones, Stoneman, and Urrutia all led the field at various points of a wild Lap 27 but Jones was there in the end and led every lap of the race. Full results Indy Lights. – Indy Lights – (5/13/2016)

INDYCAR officially announces return to Watkins Glen for Labor Day weekend – INDYCAR announced on Friday that the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires will race at Watkins Glen International on Labor Day weekend 2016. “It’s great to have the Verizon IndyCar Series return to Watkins Glen,” said Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations. “A tremendous amount of thanks goes to track president Michael Printup and his entire staff for their efforts in helping make this a reality in such a short time frame.” The 60 lap race will be on the 3.4 mile grand prix circuit at the facility. More details at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/13/2016)

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